Free CD with last Saturday's Independent newspaper - wtf?

If you happen to have a girlfriend who buys the Daily Star at the weekends, and you scan the free CDs they have, you'll find that they do a very similar thing, except with atrocious sub-Zero 7 chillout bilge (normally a bunch of randoms from Peoplesound IIRC)

hmmm, the secret tracks on this Independent CD could have been random songs too, I guess. But, in which case, why do it?

The CD manufacturer's name is Teabag Ltd, and their phone number's on the sleeve. Perhaps I should just ring them up and ask.

and if the label wanted people to promote these hot new artists, why are their songs recorded so quietly? I have a very powerful amp and you literally have to turn the volume up to the maximum to (barely) hear them

Hello, just popped this one up to say the Indie is giving a "Stiff Records" compilation with Saturdays and Sundays papers. In a Vol1/Vol2 style.

I don't know if it has some rubbish "new" acts on it, or even what's on it as yet. Wazmo Nariz is probably not among it.

Ooh, just found:

Volume 1

1. Madness - Baggy Trousers (Live)
2. Ian Dury and The Blockheads - Hit Me With Your Rhythm Stick (Live)
3. Kirsty MacColl - A New England
4. The Belle Stars - Sign Of The Times
5. Department S - Is Vic There?
6. Chris Difford - Come On Down
7. Jona Lewie - You’ll Always Find Me In The Kitchen At Parties
8. Tracey Ullman - Breakaway
9. Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin - It’s My Party
10. Desmond Dekker - The Israelites

Volume 2

1. The Damned - New Rose (Live)
2. Lene Lovich - Home
3. Theatre Of Hate - Do You Believe In The Westworld?
4. Kirsty MacColl - They Don’t Know
5. Wreckless Eric - Whole Wide World
6. Tenpole Tudor - Swords Of A Thousand Men
7. Rachel Sweet - B.A.B.Y.
8. The Members - Solitary Confinement
9. Nick Lowe - Heart Of The City
10. King Kurt - Destination Zulu Land

Chris Difford? When was he on Stiff records?

All those couldn't get permission (Live)s. "The (sic) Israelites"? I had no idea Stiff were going in 1969.

I would have bought the paper if they had included "Shatterproof" by Billy Bremner.

Oh, just looked: Chris Difford is currently signed to Stiff, his new lp is out imminently.

DesDek was on Stiff during the time Madness were there. Mainly re-recordings of the hits.

I *bought* the Stiff Recrods box set thing, and it doesn't have Destination Zululand on it. I am glad that many many people will have Destination Zululand in their houses after Sunday.

I don't think the box has Is Vic There? either.

My box set (a few years old, ten I think) has DestZul on it, but a "french" version of IsVicThere. Bear in mind, the hit wasn't on Stiff.

Does Stiff still exist? Did I miss a meeting?

"Chris Difford" - two more words which make me wish for NUCLEAR HOLOCAUST IN FIVE MINUTES

(and it's worse because it's not the guy's fault, but he stands as a subtext for everything that's holding society back)

(and I bet his "Come On Down" isn't a patch on Russ Abbot's "All Night Holiday" with its shameless hook of "Everybody COME ON DOWN." I don't think that came out on Stiff, unlike e.g. "A Wonderful Time Up There" by Alvin Stardust.

Yep, they b back. I don't suppose there's anyone there that had anything to do with the label when it was last a going concern.

Jona Lewie reissues and New stuff from The Enemy before they went to a proper label.

xpost as I say, it's just about to come out on Stiff.

The new Stiff Box has some of the new signings on it - The Enemy, The Producers, Eskimo Disko and a fantastic new track from Any Trouble.

It's such a great box - they've done a cracking job on remastering the old stuff, and they get extra marks, at least from me, for putting on Ernie Graham's 'Romeo and The Lonely Girl', Plummet Airlines 'Silver Shirt' and The Dancing Did's 'The Lost Platoon'.

PJM is right - The Dept. S track is 'Going Left Right'. Coincidentally I met 2 members of Dept S last Saturday.

I have the old Stiff Box too of course.

The Producers is that new Trevor Horn/Lol Creme project innit?

"The Lost Platoon"! I MUST own this!!

The new box, however, has lost "I belong to the Blank Generation" Richard Hell, which is not good.

TS: "Blank Generation" by Richard Hell and the Void-Oids vs. "Beat Generation" by Rod McKuen with Bill Haley and his Comets?*

(*note for younger readers: the former song is entirely based on the latter)

there's a rumour going round that the rumour are about to reform.

Evan Parker and the Rumour; I'm looking forward to that.

I have the single of the Stiff rerecording of Israelites and it's a very beefed-up hectice 90 miles an hour ska thing, as opposed to the rocksteady bounce of the original.

I will check out Dr C's recommendations, because so far I only really like the stuff that I liked already, which is probably one CD's worth rather than four. I really like Stop the Cavalry.

I taped that rockumentary the other night, so that might help.

The Stiff boxset is down to 14 GBP in... Zavvi.

I watched and enjoyed the Stiff at the BBC compilation programmes, plenty of stuff I hadn't seen before, which makes a nice change. I still have the rockumentary to look forward to.

going back to the original question, what was the song sneaked onto the end of the cd?

I've just uploaded Free and Single Vols 1 & 2 (why!? I hear you ask - because I am an idiot I reply - And the last 6 or 7 tracks are made up of these. Very low level. One of them sounds like faux-Wah, another has Adam and Ants type drumming. All very odd. Why would they bother?

Has any of these acts gone on to fame/fortune?

Obv not.

One sounds like a Glitter Band tribute band...

"Hey guys what do you say
It's rock and roll in a different way
It's only glitzy - it's ok
You've got to undersatnd that glam is he to stay"

It's an indicator that 99% of demotapes are total bilge.

"I said hey hey ho, hey hey ho - I'm getting ready for my show
Hey hey hey ho - hey hey hey ho - I took a chance I'm on the plane now - here I go"

Last 2 tracks on Volume 1 have a "horror" theme and appear to be called "We're have it all at the monster ball" and "He's coming alive" (sample lyric - "He's coming alive, he's coming alive, he's coming alive, he's coming alive, he's coming alive, in front of my eyes".)

Rather disappointingly it's the same tracks at the end of volume 2.

"Hey guys what do you say
It's rock and roll in a different way
It's only glitzy - it's ok
You've got to undersatnd that glam is he to stay"

I want to hear this on the basis of the above.

Any info on Dead Cool yet? 2004 was a long time ago. The glam track is great,
but Hey Ho; Getting Stronger All The Time; She's The The Kind Of Girl
(I'm in love with her, she don't know my name); are all wonderfully good simple no frills pop, the type I would buy. Can you English guys cross pollinate on other blogs or something or look up the ads for gigs in 2004 to look for likely suspects. Can't believe no-one has ever heard these songs in the flesh somewhere.