This record has seen better days. The sleeve was water-damaged when I bought it but did mean that it was bargain £1 in the Oxfam Books and Records shop in Lancaster. I'd only just moved to Lancaster for university and was disappointed to find that the record shop in town had closed between my open-day and me arriving. The Oxfam shop had some interesting things on occasion but rarely anything brilliant (with the exception of a Centro-matic cd, which still seems quite out of place).
Whilst I wasn't that keen on buying a water-damaged record, for £1 it seemed more than worth it to hear three old Pumpkins songs I didn't know. Blue was on Pisces Iscariot, which I didn't have a copy of at that point, and a live version of Slunk was on Earphoria. This 12" remains the only place where I have a copy of the acoustic Bye June (although all of these songs feel like they should have found their way onto one of the many recent reissues). Despite the water-damage, the record itself is in perfect condition.
Very early Pumpkins isn't my favourite era, but I do really enjoy it. Rhinocerous and Blue are both great songs. Slunk has a slightly less finished feel to it, but I can imagine being excellent live at the time (I'm constantly floored by how good that band were live when I watch those old performances). Bye June is listed on the record as a demo, which makes me wonder how it would have sounded had it reappeared anywhere else with the rest of the band. It's a fine song.
Format: 12"
Tracks: 4
Cost: £1 second-hand
Bought: gig
When: 03/11/03
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no
