Crackout - This is What We Do

Another 7" from Crackout's second album, and I picked it up at the same time as the other one. Again, I knew the a-side here so this one ended up in my record collection for two very similar reasons to the last 7": a) the b-side is a cover of Beyonce's Crazy in Love and b) it was also only 50p.

When I saw the 7" in the bargain box of 7"s at the stall they used to have at Reading and read the back, I had to hear the cover. For 50p I figured it couldn't be too bad, and it had the potential to be excellent. It turned out to be on the excellent side and, again, mostly only ends up on the turntable for the b-side. Crackout's floaty, laid-back cover sounds neither very much like Crackout nor like Beyonce, which makes it all the more enjoyable.

Format: 7"
Tracks: 2
Cost: £0.50 new
Bought: Reading Festival
When: 27/08/04
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no

Crackout - Out of Our Minds

I'll save a longer chat about Crackout for when I write about their debut album, This is Really Neat. They've been mentioned here before, because they were supporting Vex Red on the NME Upstarts Tour, which was the first time I saw them.

This 7" is the first single and opener from their second album Oh No!, which I'd owned for a few months by the time I bought this. I'd been disappointed by their second record, especially because the first one had been so fun, but there are two reasons I bought this record: a) the b-side is a live version of the excellent song You Dumb Fuck from their debut, but with the word "fuck" replaced by "truck", which amused me and b) it was only 50p. (Actually, there's probably a third reason, which is that I sometimes can't stop myself from buying records).

Anyway, as I suspected, it was worth at least 50p for the b-side alone. The a-side isn't terrible, but the only reason this 7" ever graces the turntable is for You Dumb Truck. The song was always a fun, catchy song and this censored, acoustic version always puts a small smile on my face. The line "get the truck away from me" is a particular highlight.

Format: 7"
Tracks: 2
Cost: £0.50 new
Bought: Reading Festival
When: 27/08/03
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no

Nebula + Winnebago Deal - Split

Nebula and Winnebago Deal were two perfectly good bands I never really got into properly. I wish I could think of a good reason why. I guess I was just being lazy. Both are bands that, on paper, I should totally be into. The two songs here are excellent. Maybe listening to them both again today will spur me on to get into them properly.

The first time I heard of Nebula was at a record fair (rather fittingly for this blog). I used to spend a lot of time (and money) at record fairs. I remember going to one in the main hall of Southampton Guildhall and chatting to a guy who had a lot of new-looking records by American bands. Thinking about it now, I bet he had some records in there I'd go weak at the knees over now; 28-year-old me is shocked by the ignorance of 16-year-old me. That was the first time I saw the Rival Schools and Onelinedrawing split cd, but I didn't buy it (a recurring theme, it seems). I didn't know Onelinedrawing and was a bit confused by the concept of a "split" (I later picked a copy up in my local MVC). Anyway, more excitingly, he had a copy of Nebula's split with Lowrider on this awesome, marbled, murky-green vinyl. That, alongside the awesome Fall of Icarus artwork, was one of the most impressive records I had ever seen (and one of the most appropriately coloured stoner-rock records). However, I didn't buy it. I don't know why, I definitely should have bought it. I still regret that now. I've never seen it since (not that I've been looking particularly hard). I bought the Dos EPs cd and heard the songs on there but, needless to say, it's not the same.

Anyway, fast-forwarding to 2004, I was madly in love with The Paper Chase and went to Nottingham to see them. I travelled in from Lancaster and convinced my sister to come in from Derby. After the gig we went to Rock City where Nebula and Winnebago Deal were also playing. I definitely remember seeing part of Nebula's set and I have the faintest memory of catching some of Winnebago Deal's set too, but I don't know who headlined and what time they started, so it could all be some blurry (slightly drunken) memory. Since that's the only time I saw either band, it's a shame I remember it so badly. I do remember that Zane Lowe was DJ-ing in the main room and that all the girls looked way too young to be in a club.

Move forward a few months to Reading Festival 2004, and I found this 7" in one of the record shops they had on the site (this was back when they had record shops at the festival, not just stands selling herbal highs and crap). I figured for £1 it was a good buy, and survived the rest of the weekend in my tent.

But now it's 2013 and I've put no more effort into getting into these bands since. Strange Human is an awesome song, but it's not made me buy any more Nebula records. Maybe it's because I'll constantly be reminded that I never bought that great copy of the Lowrider split.


Format: 7"
Tracks: 2
Cost: £1 new
Bought: Reading Festival
When: 27/08/04
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no