For a vinyl digger in Manchester there are many rainy day refuges. Step in, shake down, let the fingers unfurl and happy land awaits. It was on such a trip recently that I put together the final piece in an interesting puzzle. The vinyl sleuth solves his first case (and yes I got the girl as well!).
Those of you up to your elbows in digging culture may well have recently snapped up an interesting vinyl and CD artefact of Manchester’s 60s beat bands who never got beyond the A6. Rainy City Blues; Rare and Unreleased Tracks from Manchester’s Beat Groups is a fine collection of our city’s legacy and the people and players at the heart of the Twisted Wheel and Cona Cafe scene. Bands include Big City Blues, The Stylos, St Louis Union, The Measles and The Toggery Five to name a few. Released on Jungfrau records I recommend you grab your copy now and settle down for an evening of espresso and brown ale grooves that, at their best, stand up to some of the classic beat tracks.
So, the mystery?. Well, I came across this comp a while ago and my immediate thought was, who put this fine collection together?. On that appropriately rainy afternoon in Manchester, digging in Vinyl Revival, the answer was revealed. Colin, mine host at Vinyl Revival and all round Überdigger (close to developing six fingers I think) is the man behind this release. So its hats off to Colin and let’s hope his six fingers and double jointed elbows reveal some more gems in this series.
Rainy City Blues is available now from all good record shops in the Manchester area. Vinyl Revival is on Hilton Street, it has groaning racks and is open on rainy days!
Carl
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