MEMORY TAPES: 18TH MARCH 2011

You know the deal by now - every week on Memory Tapes we celebrate a listener's compilation tape or CD. It can be made for them or by them, and we play five of the finest between 10.30 and 11 on a Friday.

This week we've got a bibliophile's choice, as Jai Lusser explains...

I grew up in a part of suburban South London which, while not renowned for it's musical heritage, was blessed with an amazing libraries system. Said libraries seemed to be run on the basis that they employed young folk who were allowed to choose the records that were stocked.

Through my teen years many an afternoon were spent rummaging through the stacks to discover music unheard of by me (Trolls, Icicle Works, Field Mice, obscure 4AD releases, the entire Cure back catalogue and bands whose names have faded into obscurity). The chosen vinyls were borrowed (at 30p a week I think), digested and returned for more.

Over time I got to know one of the guys who worked at my local library, James (surname forgotten) who approved of my attempt to hoover up all the weird and wonderful but felt that my growing obsession with Carter USM, Wonderstuff, PWEI, New Model Army (and whoever else was playing at Brixton Academy) needed a bit of balancing out.

James took me under his musical wing and put together this C90 for me. It blew my socks off and even though we lost touch soon after (I think he went off to university) I am forever indebted to him for this amazing selection, as I am to the libraries of London Borough of Sutton for being so progressive and frequently leftfield about their music choices.

A brilliant story, and a brilliant tape. Here's what it looks like:

And here's the tracklisting:

Side A 1. Buffalo Springfield - For what it's worth 2. The Byrds - Welcome Back Home 3. Strawberry Alarm Clock - They saw the fat one coming 4. West Coast Experimental Pop Art Band - The smell of incense 5. Neil Young - Don't let it bring you down 6. Them - It's all over now, baby blue 7. Dark Side - The shadows of knight 8. Otis Reading - Try a little tenderness 9. Velvet Underground - Candy Says 10. David Crosby - Long Time Gone 11. Stooges - Real Good Time

Side B

1. Love - Alone again or 2. Spaceman 3 - Walk with jesus 3. REM - Low 4. Felt - Primitive painters 5. Breathless - Moment by moment 6. Jack Frost - Didn't know where I was 7. Crosby Stills Nash and Young - Almost Cut My Hair 8. Go Betweens - Streets of your town 9. Field Mice - End of the affair 10. MC5 - Kick out the jams

If you fancy coming on air to share your Memory Tape, get in touch!

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