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Magazine

Tony L

Administrator
Richard (Lordsummit) was round earlier and I spun Buzzcocks Another Music In A Different Kitchen, as one does in reverence to the late Pete Shelley. Very fine it was too. Anyway Richard left, I have no more Buzzcocks and I needed something else to play, so rather than my usual transition to Magazine’s Real Life or Correct Use Of Soap I went for my largely ignored copy of Secondhand Daylight. Side one kind of washed over the way I remember it doing (still good), but side two is bloody brilliant, far better than I remember! I’d always kind of dismissed this album as a kind of (at the time deeply unfashionable) prog-rock filler between the genius that was RL or CUOS; all synth washes and a rather odd EQ. It still has that rather odd ‘mid-scooped’ sound aesthetic (and mine is an A1/B2 original, so likely as good as it gets), but I really enjoyed hearing it again. New-wave prog at its finest! Side two really plays as a thing, the transition from The Thin Ice through to Permafrost is wonderful.

I’m now playing Devoto’s post-Magazine Jerky Versions Of The Dream solo LP, which I’ve always loved.

Anyway, if you’ve got a copy of Secondhand Daylight that has sat unused for a decade or two give side two a play!
 
'Secondhand Daylight' was my introduction to Magazine and is my 'go-to' album for them. Both sides. :) But then, I am coming from a more synth / prog background than punk.

Any love for Luxuria's 'Beast Box'?
 
Any love for Luxuria's 'Beast Box'?

I’ve not got that one, though I have the preceding Unanswerable Lust album and saw them live around that time. Can’t remember much about it beyond it having a fancy embossed cover and IIRC the guitarist is a bit ‘80s rock’, I should dig it out for a spin some time. I don’t remember it being anything like as good as Jerky Versions Of The Dream.
 
Can’t remember much about it beyond it having a fancy embossed cover and IIRC the guitarist is a bit ‘80s rock’,

That's Norman Fisher-Jones (Noko) who ended up in Magazine for the 2009 tour:

 
Being Magazine's third best album still places it well ahead of the very best by most bands.
 
Absolutely loved Secondhand Daylight back in the day and coming from a prog background like Seeker it opened up a whole new world of new wave music for me.
Saw Magazine on the Correct Use of Soap tour in May 1980 and it was brilliant (Bauhaus were the support band.)
Also saw Magazine on their 2011 reunion tour with Noko, very good too.
Back in 1981 I was gutted when they split up, thought they had loads more to offer but losing John McGeoch was a big blow.
Just listening to Barry Adamson Memento More now. Picked it up for £4.99 in the HMV sale. Recommended.
 
OK I'll play it now. Nah I'm not in the mood, put on some Soft Cell instead. 'Sex Dwarf isn't it nice.................
 
Secondhand Daylight is brilliant. Nearly as good as The Correct Use Of Soap (which used to smell of soap. Sadly it’s faded).
 
Boy this takes me back to university (Southampton) days. It's an interesting album, but I think I still like "Burst" on "Real Life" better than anything on Secondhand Daylight. I'll dig it out and have a listen this afternoon.
 
Secondhand daylight is the one
Play and Peel Sessions pretty good
Where the Power is, compilation also good
 
My copy of Secondhand Daylight is frequently played, one of my favourite albums in fact. Brought up on Genesis in the early 70's, punk/new wave never really floated my boat but SD hit the spot quite nicely. It is the only Magazine album I have, although I have the 12" single/EP of "About The Weather". I must explore further.

Cheers
 
How odd, I recently had a great copy of The Correct Use Of Soap donated to the charity I work for.
I knew Magazine from about 1981 when I heard them on a compilation called Methods of Dance, 'The Great Man's Secrets.'

I gave it a couple of plays, but it had the same effect on me as when I tried Magazine back in the day. I appreciated the sound, but it didn't grab me. I really wanted to like it, Magazine always had a cool factor to me.
I put it in the charity shop for £8, someone will love it and be surprised to find it.
 
Real Life and Secondhand Daylight get the occasional spin, but I can't remember the last time I played either The Correct Use of Soap or Magic, Murder and the Weather. Might have to revisit them, prompted by this thread. Jerky Versions of the Dream has some great tracks on it.
 
Correct Use Of Soap has a very dense and FX-rich Martin Hannett production that takes some sorting out. It can sound overly opaque and edgy, but listen through it and there are some amazing songs. Devoto doing his best Dostoevsky impressions over some amazing bass work from Barry Adamson etc. It’s certainly a harder listen than the remarkably approachable debut with its amazing Abbey Rd production, but it is a truly great album and even has a Sly And The Family Stone cover (I had this album long before I’d ever heard of them!). I need to dig Murder Magic And The Weather out at some point, I think I quite liked it at the time, but it was a very different thing and viewed by most as a bit of a ‘shark jump’ event.
 
I owned the correct use of soap for years before I actually listened to it. Fabulous album, been meaning to check out some of their other stuff for ages.
 
So. Which is the better version of 'Shot by Both Sides': the single or the 'Real Life' version?
 


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