BIRDLAND - rarities, imports, oddities, related

Things are only collectable if people want them. Some of the BIRDLAND items listed here may be rare (i.e. hard to find) but that doesn't make them intrinsically valuable, simply because you don't have scores of people chasing them.

 
TAPES

Two track reel-to-reel: Crystal Injection / Black Trans-Am

Recorded August 1988 with Paul Sampson. I haven't heard this because I don't know anyone with the equipment to play it! Presumably the version of 'Crystal ...' is the version which appeared on the Kamikaze Kids bootleg. 'Black Trans-Am' remains unknown, although it could be an early name for another track.

DAT cassette: Shoot You Down / Hassells (sic) / White / Gotta Gettaway / Shoot You Down / Everybody Needs Somebody / She Belongs To Me / Johnny Got Rich (x2) / Rollacoastor (sic) / Don't Hang On / Wake Up Dreaming / Love I A Fever (sic)

Labelled as "Album 1st version" this recording was made with Paul Sampson at Cabin Studios in Coventry in March 1990.

A contract issued on 24 March lists the running order of the album as follows, and includes an unknown title: Shoot Your Lover / Everybody Needs Somebody / She Belongs To Me / Rollacoaster / Wake Up Dreaming / Hassles / Shoot You Down / Johnny Got Rich / Don't Hang On / Love Is A Fever.

Birdland demo tape Birdland demo tape Birdland unreleased album

 
TEST PRESSINGS, PROMOS, ODDITIES, etc

There are, in theory, promos and/or test pressings for all the official releases. Those marked with a * I don't own, but have seen listed for sale.

LAZY 13 7" white label.*

LAZY 13T
12" white label. Have seen a copy advertised with a proof sleeve.

LAZY 14 7" white label.

LAZY14T 12" 1000 copies of the 12" were 'mispressed' with a fourth track, an early version of 'Stay'.

LAZY 17T 12" test pressing. My copy, on a Mayking label comes with a black-and-white proof of the front sleeve. I also have an 'ordinary' white label copy.

LAZY 20 12" single-sided white label promo, stamped with the catalogue number and release date (Sept. 10th). Although this 12" version suggests that an official version to complement the 7" was considered, I think these were pressed up solely for DJs.

LAZY 24 I have a copy of this 7" with a promo sticker courtesy of the band's publicity people. Not very exciting.

LAZY 24T 12" one-sided white label. Only one track is featured, so it's not a test-pressing of the eventual 12".

Birldand 12 inch test pressingBirdland 12 inch promo
NON-DOMESTIC ITEMS
Birdland Japanese CD

Birdland Japanese CD (Inside Out TOCP-6473)

Hollow Heart / White / Paradise / Wanted / Sleep With Me / Rock 'N' Roll Nigger.

A nicely put together package with an illustrated booklet and a slipcase.

 

Birdland Japanese promo

Birdland Japanese promo CD (Inside Out SPCD-1146)

Promo CD for above.

 

 

 

Birdland Shoot You Down

Shoot You Down Japanese CD (Inside Out TOCP-6573)

Shoot You Down / Rage / Sugar Blood

 

 

 

Birdland Japanese promo CD (Inside Out SPCD-1163)

Full promo for the debut album with alternate sleeve. My copy has been rather strangely trimmed along the top and side of the sleeve so I can't tell if it's a complete item.

 

My copy in a box somewhere.

Birdland Japanese CD (Inside Out TOCP-6613)

Slightly different cover shot.

The Rare Tracks Japanese CD (Inside Out TOCP-6886)

Stay / All Over Me / Protection / Rollercoaster / Fun Fun Fun / Twin Sons / Shoot You Down (acoustic)

Another really nice set gathering together b-sides previously unavailable in Japan. This was released towards the end of 1991, after the album.

Official Bootleg Live Japanese CD (TOCP-7229)

Paradise / White / See No Evil / Hollow Heart / Crystal Injection / Gotta Getaway / Sugar Blood / Rock 'N' Roll Nigger

As with some of the other Japanese releases, this is the only place you can get these particular tracks on CD. A straightforward re-release for the live LP.

Don't have this ...
Sleep With Me Japanese 3 track 3" CD in long sleeve (TOCP-2218)

Birdland - London > Tokyo Japanese promo VHS tape

Issued to promote the release of the TOCP-6473 mini-CD. Includes the promo films for Paradise, Sleep With Me and Hollow Heart.

Shoot You Down US promo CD (Radioactive CD45-1418 )

One track promo disc.

 

 

 

Sleep With Me US promo CD (Radioactive CD45-1601)

One track promo disc. This version was (very slightly) re-mixed by Chris Lord-Alge.

 

 

Birdland US maxi-single (Radioactive RARDS-54181)

Sleep With Me / Don't Hang On / Wanted / White / Protection / Sleep With Me (acoustic)

'Sleep With Me' is the same re-mixed version as the promo.

 

Birdland American CD

Birdland US CD (Radioactive RARD-10214)

Shoot You Down / Sleep With Me / Don't Look Back / Paradise / Wake Up Dreaming / Rock 'N' Roll Nigger / Everybody Needs Somebody / Letter You Know / Beat Me Like A Star / She Belongs To Me / Hollow Heart / Exit

For some reason the CD insert opens out into a repro Japanese tour poster.

Radioactive: Music Most People Wouldn't Touch US promo CD (Radioactive CD33-1547)

inc. Sleep With Me / Everybody Needs Somebody





BOOTLEGS

Kamikaze Kids LP (BLEACH 04)

A: Shoot You Down / Crystal (demo 1988) / Paradise / Wanted / Rock 'N' Roll Nigger (all live in Germany 1990) / Radio Bristol interview with Lee and Kyle
B: Paradise (new version) / Hysterical (out-take) / Rehearsals (Coventry Cabin Studios) / Hassles (out-take) / hotel room jam / Juke Box Jury appearance.

Birdland's only proper bootleg and one that some believed the band had a hand in. In typical boot fashion, 'Kamikaze Kids' is a motley collection of interesting and throwaway material. The fact that a few tracks come from the March 1990 album demo tape detailed above does indeed suggest the band leaked some of the songs, at least. The 'hotel room' tape has the band mess around with a Rolling Stones track and contend with neighbouring guests complaining about the noise.

ZODIAC MOTEL
Zodiac Motel seven inch

The Story of Roland Flagg 7"

One-sided white label promo issued to promote the "classic debut album". 200 copies only.

 

 

can't scan
LPs...

The Story of Roland Flagg LP (Swordfish SWFLP001)

A: The Story of Roland Flagg / Jupiter Saturday / Magic Boat / God 2, Cromwell 0
B: (Anything You Want) Mr. Watchtower / Headfull Of Speed / Robby Walks The Table / Lovecraft's Body

 

...or 12"s

Sunshine Miner 12" (Swordfish ZOMO1)

A: Sunshine Miner / Crescendo
B: Inside My Mine / Sugar Blood

1000 copies only.

Ditto

Crystal Injection 12" (Swordfish ZOMO2)

A: Crystal Injection / I Can Only Give You Everything
B: Destiny Ranch / Stephanie Blue

1000 copies only.

TORN BLOODY POETRY

Hard:Boiled:Wonderland CD (Ochre Europa Euro 001)

Song For Natalie Portman / Pushing Me Down / Hole In The Heart / Laura Kelly Vampire Girl / Endgame For Kramer / Surgeon General / Ratman's Notebook / Embalmed In Honey / Viper's Car / Cool Robots Part 1 / Cool Robots Part 2 / Back To The Womb

 

Voyage To The Cosmic Underworld Volume 2 mini-LP (Ochre Records OCH010)

A: Torn Bloody Poetry "Stories of UFO's" ; Frequency Police "Victim of Fashion" ; Positive Boredom "Mikey's Gotta Gun", "Bullet Ship", "Punk Girl"
B: Reverb "Mr Soundman" ; The Marshmallow Overcoat "Song For Steven" ; Penguin Happy "Over and Down"

Black Cat Magic 7" (Ochre Records OCH009)

A: Black Cat Magic
B: Mr. Fox / Porn Stars