the corner office

We popped into Cresta today and I came home with a heap of CDs. My plan was just to pick up a copy of 'Original 20', which is a 2000-copy limited edition New Model Army compilation released only in ZA to commemorate their tour. I'm now proud owner of #1395.

Back in '99 I had almost everything of theirs I could get my paws on, up to their "Strange Brotherhood" album. I didn't really enjoy Strange Brotherhood and over the past couple of years I've played their old stuff to death but not paid attention to their new releases. Needless to say, last week's concert prodded me into taking a renewed interest, and by the time I left Look & Listen today, I'd also added studio album "Eight", live album "...& Nobody Else" and rarities and B-sides compilation "Lost Songs" to my collection. Wicked.

I also picked up Queens of the Stone Age "Songs for the Deaf" (QOTS are great, although I still prefer Kyuss), Black Sabbath "Black Sabbath", and obscurest of all: Uriah Heep's "The Lansdowne Tapes". This is a collection of songs from their pre-UH days as Spice, and a chunk of unreleased and alternate versions of early UH tracks. Brilliant stuff.

What's a real mindbender, is just how incestuous the British music scene must've been in the late 60s. The Lansdowne Tapes has rather an extensive bio of the members and group up to and during their first few albums, and the list of groups and artists related to UH one way or the other is ridiculous. The list of bands with members who've played in Uriah Heep or with Uriah Heep members in other bands, includes The Nice, Steeleye Span, John Mayall, the Rolling Stones (yeah, Mick Taylor), Greg Lake - King Crimson and ELP, Jethro Tull, Elton John's band and Supertramp. Have you ever!