Wednesday 8 February 2017

The Cravats ‎– "In Toytown" (Small Wonder Records ‎– CRAVAT 1) 1980



The Cravats released some fantastic singles between 1978 and 1982; but when it came to the Album I remember being a bit disappointed in it's lack of 'Hits'.
Most of the tracks on here are mere fillers by Cravats standards;another entry in 'the would have made a great EP syndrome'?
"Still", "In Your Eyes", stand out track "Triplex Zone" and one more, would have formed an outstanding seven incher.
Having said that, compared to the thirty odd years of shite that followed, this record is a work tantamount to genius.
So to highlight this fabulous groups ability with the shorter format, I have adhered the three singles that preceded the album onto the file as much needed bonus tracks.
The rest of their superb singles can be found on "Colossal Tunes Out!"  as featured a couple of posts back on this very blog.

Tracklist:

1-Still
2-In Your Eyes
3-Welcome
4-Pressure Sellers
5-One In A Thousand
6-X.M.P.
7-All Around The Corner
8-Ceasing To Be
9-Gordon
10-Live For Now
11-Tears On My Machine
12-The Hole
13-All On Standby
14-Triplex Zone


BONUS TRACKS:

15-Gordon (single Version 1978)
16-Situations Vacant (Gordon B-side)
17-Burning Bridges (Single 1979)
18-I Hate The Universe (Burning Bridges B-Side)
19-The End (Burning Bridges B-Side)
20-Precinct (Single 1980)
21-Who's In Here With Me (Precinct B-side)

1 comment:

the saucer people said...

'compared to the thirty odd years of shite that followed, this record is a work tantamount to genius'

How fucking true... A moving testament to The Cravats and a searing indictment to the mind numbing banality that seemed to begin with all that godawful Stock-Aitkin-Waterman product (apart from their 1987 fake rare groove track Roadblock and of course it goes without saying, The Reynolds Girls' I'd Rather Jack) - then steam rolled along with nineties 'indie', culminating in the abortion that was Brit-Pop and then it seemed to be a breathless downhill slide to the current autotune autocracy of today (which I luckily avoid, not having had a TV for 20 odd years).

It's funny, when I think of The Cravats - I think of hearing Rub Me Out on John Peel, this weird kid with a Nick Cave circa Birthday Party haircut at a school I was briefly sent to who was a total Cravat fan - seeing but not quite believing but seeing The Shend in that shite TV series Londons Burning - paisley smoking jackets worn by moustachiod louche lotharios aka cravat merchants - ah, funny old neural connections, they never cease to amaze me.