Molly Half Head - Barny (Playtime Records, 1993)
Classic Molly Half Head single ‘Barny’ featured on the debut album ‘Sulk’.
Photograph: AJ Wilkinson
Artwork: Workstation
Cat No: Amuse 19
Blue Orchids - A View From the City Artwork (Playtime Records, 1991)
Artwork by Steven Mackey
Cat no: Amuse 11
Bandit Queen - Hormone Hotel Postcard (1994)
Photograph of Frida Kahlo by Nickolas Muray (Courtesy of George Eastman House). Featured on the album Hormone Hotel by Bandit Queen. Released by Playtime Records in 1994.
Cat no: Amuse 26
Honey Tongue - On Thursdays (Playtime Records, 1992)
Taken from the much applauded album ‘Nude Nudes’. Honey Tongue was a musical collaboration between John Mattock (Spirtualized) and Josephine Wiggs (The Breeders). Often described as a lost classic, Nude Nudes is a sparse and live sounding record, featuring a magical collection of mellow songs well worth digging into your pocket for.
Joesphine Wiggs - Vocals, Guitar, Bass, Cello
John Mattock - Drums and Percussion
Produced and recorded by Josephine, Jon and Audu at Startrack Studios, Manchester
Engineered by Audu Obaje, Trevor Brown and Bob Fennell
Photograph: Louise Rhodes
Blue Orchids - Work
In 1992, Playtime collaborated with Blue Orchids founding member Martin Bramah to release the now deleted Playtime Records retrospective ‘A View from the City’ (Cat No: Amuse 11). ‘Work’ was originally released as a single on Rough Trade Records in 1981.
Martin Bramah - Vocals/guitar
Rick Goldstraw - Guitar
Steve Toyne - Bass
Una Baines - Keyboards
Molly Half Head - Barny Single Postcard (1993)
Photograph of Burnage legend Sidney Richardson, featured on the single ‘Barny’.
Cat No: Amuse 19
Photograph by A J Wilkinson.
New Fast Automatic Daffodils - Woodcut (1989)
Woodcut by Joe McCullagh
Featured on the singles ‘Lions’ and ‘Music is Shit’ by New Fast Automatic Daffodils. Elements used for Playtime Records logo.
TC HUG - Find (Playtime Records, 1994)
“This EP features four very fine pop songs covered in gleaming mud and should be played constantly until the miserable sod upstairs destroys it with an axe”. NME Feb, 1994
New Fast Automatic Daffodils - Stockholm
Inspiral Carpets - Keep the Circle Around (Playtime Records, 1988)
Classic debut single by the Inspiral Carpets, featuring Stephen Holt on vocals. ‘Keep the Circle Around’ was originally released on Playtime around June 1988. The band got together with Chameleons guitarist Dave Fielding earlier in the same year to produce this in Suite 16 Studios, Rochdale. ‘Keep the Circle Around’ is featured on the fabulous 5 track EP ‘Planecrash’. It’s full of the garage tunes we always loved along with superb harmonies and Clint Boon’s farfisa in all it’s glory.
I originally met Clint when I was working with Tony Michaelides on the legendary Last Radio Programme, Piccadilly Radio. I was fortunate enough to be around when we had the likes of Happy Mondays, The Stone Roses and host of other great bands on the show. Clint used to pop in often with demos of some of the bands he had recorded in his studio The Mill.
Playtime started working with the band after meeting guitarist Graham Lambert via my mate Debs Reid, who you used to run a great little fanzine called M62. We had just moved into our first office on Whitworth Street opposite Canal Street in Manchester. It was a total mess but with the help of friends we soon got it scrubbed up and Graham kindly helped us decorate.
‘Keep the Circle Around’ is featured on the bands ‘Greatest Hits’ album.
Bandit Queen - Miss Dandys (Playtime Records, 1995)
Hailing from Manchester, Bandit Queen explore passion in all its heated extremes. Their universal tales of love’s joy, folly and torment are expressed though convulsing guitars, a boiling rhythm section and the warmth of Tracy Godding’s intimate, searing vocals.
Taken from the debut album Hormone Hotel, Miss Dandys was Inspired by tales of a Japanese nightclub called ‘The New Marilyn’ where cross-dressing’ female gigolos entertain women clients. It’s full of pop harmonies with a massive chorus and a great guitar solo played by bass player Janet Wolstenholme. The album was produced by the band and Pat Collier with additional production by John Robb.
“If soul was the ’70s sex soundtrack, Bandit Queen have created a disturbing update for the naughty ’90s. They make a divine, sweaty, sexy sound.” NME Feb 1995
Don’t have a copy? get it here!
Bandit Queen - Hormone Hotel
Molly Half Head - Postcard (1993)
Playtime always loved a postcard. This was part of a set of 3 for the ‘Sulk’ album by Molly Half Head. The photograph was taken by the brilliantly talented Lou Rhodes, better known as singer of Lamb and solo artist in her own right. Lou did quite a few sessions for Playtime including New Fast Automatic Daffodils, Bandit Queen and the Honey Tongue, a collaboration between Joesphine Wiggs from The Breeders and John Mattocks of Spiritualised.
The Rainkings - Get Ready (Playtime Records, 1990)
Second single from Manchester band The Rainkings featuring Inspiral Carpets singer Stephen Holt and former bass player David Swift. The two formed The Rainkings in 1989 along with ex-Bodines drummer John Rowland, and bassist Carl Wolstenholme. ‘Get Ready’ was produced by Ian Broudie under the name Kingbird.
The band wrote some pretty fine tunes and more will be featured on the Playtime Tumblr over the coming months. Two singles were released on Playtime, both of which are pretty hard to find. However, there’s plans for a Rainkings compilation which will feature the singles/b-sides and some unreleased tracks next year…..in the meantime enjoy the posts!
New Fast Automatic Daffodils - Big (Baka)
Classic indie dance hit from 1990, remixed by legendary producer/DJ Jon Dasilva.
