bickster

Didn't have the staff the first time around either

If it was Murmur, I'd have gladly sent you a copy (or Fables for that matter) as I have 2 of each due to being given a bit of vinyl at one point by a mate who was emigrating.

Adding a new copy of that will be easy as its pretty faithful to the master, its just the matrices, photo's and editing the notes, Its the absolute bunfight that would kick off over adding a new version of something like that Absolutely guarantee that the divide would be that it should be added to Variant 2 (as the matrices are pretty similar - both EMI pressings) and then others will say it shouldn't. and on and on and on....

As predicted, it took an hour and a half. Interesting that the bomber "acted with murderous intent" but no mention of terrorism in the narrative verdict. I really don't think the police ever managed to work out the real motive behind the attack. When the bomb went off I was out in Liverpool City Centre with the missus, I was in our office within 20 minutes, going through our data to provide evidence to the Police (leaving the missus in town completely unaware at the time) I was contacted yesterday by GMP to inform me that the inquest was today and to make sure I was prepared for the consequences after the trial with regards to my evidence and journalists trying to get in touch We had a good number of journalists buzzing around our office at the time and for us it was easy to deal with because there's someone on site that really loves verbally abusing people when he has the moral and legal high ground. I think I might even have invented new words. The press were absolutely the vilest scum of the earth on this, they camped outside the drivers house for over a week. The man had just escaped with his life and was struggling to process what had happened but these vermin wouldn't leave him and his family alone A special mention goes out to the Daily Heil who on 2 occasions offered money to our Company Secretary for his opinion and "access" to the driver. They also asked the scummiest question when at our building - word for word - "Can you confirm that the bomber was a man dressed as a woman wearing a burkha" Lets see if they do indeed turn up today, could be some fun to be had

Pfizer

There was already a named variant Gamma, similar to Alpha and Beta, originally known as the Brazil Variant

Yep, my mistake, Kent was the Alpha variant. bloody confusing stuff

Not sure that is the correct analysis tbh. I'm also not sure what is either I think it is wiser to say that we recognised the Delta variant earlier than other countries, they have no idea if it actually originated here. That it was first recognised in Kent also makes me think it was actually imported from elsewhere. We and South Africa were doing far more analysis than other countries at the time. I also really can't remember what restrictions were in place over in that Europe at the time Delta was recognised

What restrictions did we have immediately before Omicron? Life was pretty normal. And in reality what restrictions do we have now? Life is still pretty normal. I really don't think much has changed for me personally at all. I get up, I go to work, I come home, I go to work, I come home, I go shopping, I can go to the pub, I can go out to eat. Seems pretty normal. I just have to wear a mask every now and again.

You said Omicron made it worse and when asked why, you said it was because it introduced additional restrictions. I'm saying the current restrictions are nothing like what we've had to do endure the early stages of the pandemic, so Omicron hasn't made things worse. It's actually possible that Omicron is the beginning of the end. Like Blandy says, there maybe a few more years of this but I doubt anything will be as bad as what has gone before

As much as I want that to be true, it won't be allowed to happen

Yes but worse restrictions?

They were never my favourite band, they were always a second best to the likes of the Bunnymen, Teardrop Explodes and the Cure, even the Au Pairs and the Specials and lots more besides but despite all that I bought the first four albums (and also have a copy of the fifth - Freebie). I'm always a little shocked that I have 5 of their albums and probably still listen to four of them. I've even been to see them quite recently (again a freebie) I still don't class them as one of my favourite bands but they are always there, it's just a little odd

Worse in what way?

This mornings breakfast accompaniment. I loved the first album but it took me a good while to really get into this, the second, like a few years. I do think I play this more than the first now

Not much experience of Newcastle tbh because it's.... just a small town in Scotland. I think I've used the Metro once in my entire life It could be better, I genuinely don't know but there's nothing wrong with Birmingham's either, it's miles ahead of nearly everywhere that I could think of, I try not to think of Newcastle From where I grew up, that I can get into town (mate) in about 45 mins using two different buses and a ten minute walk to the first bus stop is pretty unbeatable in most cities for a location that's 7 miles out and not on a direct route. If I tried to do something similar by bus in Liverpool I'd need a picnic

Ah here's the tune that got me into Sigur Ros, which might just be the last band I discovered through John Peel now I think about it. Turns down the lights and just listen to this with no distractions and the volume quite high, if that doesn't make your spine tingle, you have no soul. It still gets me even to this day, it's just magical

Me and @blandy once saw Radiohead and Sigur Ros as the top two bands on the Bill at Rock Werchter and that wasn't the best gig we ever saw by Sigur Ros, that in my opinion was at The Philharmonic Hall in Liverpool and it still ranks as one of my top ten best gigs ever, the accoustics and the setting made it totally wonderful. Oh look its that band people claim to have never heard of in a totally depressing trailer for a series no-one ever watched

Haha, that would cause all manner of volcano eruptions in the minds of the ardent discoggers, a forum post would be required, and a discussion would take place, then someone would make the neccessary changes or add a new version and a bunch of people who didn't read the forum discussion would come along and undo the changes, which will start an editing war and votes would be cast and before you know it, you've lost an entire week battling with numpties Alternatively, call it variant 2 and be done with it

@blandyIt's all about the runout matrices which determine where the copy was mastered and cut. In my experience you often need good light to read them especially the hand scratched ones Variant 1 (Only two people on Discogs have a copy of this and it has never been sold) This release is pressed by PRS Ltd. with a Trident Studios lacquer cut (420 V in runout). Matrix / Runout (Side A runout, stamped): SP 70604 A//2▽420 V 11 Matrix / Runout (Side B runout, stamped): SP 70604 B//3▽420 V 11 Variant 2 (This seems to be by far the most common variant in terms of numbers claiming ownership so in this perverse world of record collecting, it's also the most valuable, median price £25.99) This release is pressed by EMI and cut at Tape One Matrix / Runout (Side A runout): SP 70604 A - 2J - 1 - 2 ͡ ͡ TAPE1 Matrix / Runout (Side B runout): SP 70604 B - 1J - 1 - 2 Variant 3 (Discogs Median price £17.75) This release is pressed by EMI but has no mention of Tape One in runouts Matrix / Runout (Side A runout): SP 70604 A-1U-1-1 Matrix / Runout (Side B runout): SP 70604 B-1U-1-1 The median price on both variants that have sold is also higher than the first pressings I own (Go figure!) which is around £16:50 All three copies are listed as being released in 1983 which quite frankly is nonsense as the barcode wouldn't have been there, so it means they really don't know exactly when they were released but it is early on, somewhere vetween 1984 and 1995 when Murmur recieved a vinyl re-release

Wouldn't work in the UK because the UK's plugs are genuinely better than those of it's European neighbours

You want loony? I'll give you loony. Not only is this whole application to the ICC totally loony, check out the name of one of the signatories (image 2, bottom tweet)

@blandy Yep as I suspected, first pressings of Murmur and Reckoning do not have barcodes, Fables first pressings do, so IRS introduced barcodes sometime between 1984 and 1985 I seem to have two copies of Fables too both are first pressings but I have them recorded as different versions and I'm trying work out how I even distinguished between the two copies What is the barcode and I'll see what clues I can come up with?

... that his wife picked out of the Word Removed Holidays Brochure

You have the second best public transport system in England. With the exception of the awful London where buses and trains only appear every 3 minutes, Birmingham's network is much better than everywhere else Come up here and witness buses that go to places no-one wants to go to by routes that snake their way around the city and train services that have been changed from every 15 minutes to every 20 because... new trains, except the new trains aren't ready yet and they don't seem to understand that every 20 minutes is a backward step from every 15 minutes