GOOSEBUMPS 25 YEARS OF MARINA RECORDS.

dereksmusicblog ♦ September 28, 2018 ♦ Leave a comment

Goosebumps 25 Years Of Marina Records.

Label: Marina Records

Any indie label that has survived for the last twenty-five years is obviously doing something right. Especially given how challenging a market it has  been for both major and indie labels over the past twenty years. Everything from the death of vinyl and the introduction of illegal torrents, MP3s, Spotify You Tube have made life increasingly difficult for record companies and sadly, there’s been a number of casualties along the way. However, there’s some labels who have gone form strength-to-strength since 1993, including Marina Records.

The Marina Records’ story began in Hamburg in 1993, when Stefan Kassel and Frank Lähnemann decided to form a new label. Soon, the new releases from Marina Records label were finding favour with critics and record buyers. It wasn’t just the quality of music Marina Records was releasing,their support classic songwriter and the eclectic releases.That was just part of the Marina Records story.

Before long, Marina Records distinctive sleeve design was being praised by music journalists, designers and music fans. By then, Marina Records album covers were being praised by the authors of several books about album covers. Marina Records in seemed were doing things their way but doing them right,

Proof pot tis was Marina Records’ The In-Kraut compilation series which gave birth to a genre of its own. This was just the start for Marina Records.

The Hamburg based introduced a generation of grateful record buyers to a myriad of magical and majestic music.This includes Brent Cash’s pop single Digging The Fault Lin and tracks from Glasgow funk sextet Gazelle, Chris Thomson’s chamber pop combo The Bathers, Starless’ album of lush filmic soundscapes, jazz trumpeter Colin Steele and Marina Records’ veterans The Pearlfishers. They’re one of the jewels in the Marina Records’ crown, and their classic songwriting style has previously led to comparisons to Paul McCartney, Jimmy Webb and Brian Wilson during the Marina Records’ years.

Whilst signed to Marina Records The Pearlfishers have released six albums,and recorded a spellbinding cover of The Pale Fountains’ Southbound Excursion, which features on Goosebumps 25 Years Of Marina Records. It’s two CD set that has just been released by Marina Records and features forty tracks that are guaranteed to bring memories flooding back.

This includes Brent Cash’s 2008 pop smash Digging The Fault Line which opens Goosebumps 25 Years Of Marina Record. It’s taken from the album How Will I Know If I’m Awake. 

Port Sulphur featuring James Kirk, formerly of Orange Juice released the carefully crafted poo album You Can Make It If You Boogie on 2003. One of its highlights was Orient Express.James Kirk was part Scottish supergroup Port Sulphur on they recorded a covert of the Orange Juice song Felicity, which makes a welcome debut.

The Pearlfishers contribute the previously unreleased The Time Is Right,which was recorded in 2016. Norman Blake if Teenage Fanclub covered Only With You for Caroline Now The Songs Of Brian Wilson.

Another welcome addition comes courtesy of The Pale Fountains and The Norfolk Broads – a track from their Marina anthology Longshot For Your Love. Pale Fountains songwriter Michael Head then joins forces with Dragonfly from the Shack’s 1995 album Waterpistol. It’s regarded by many critics as one of the best British albums ever. 

The Colin Steele Quartet is led by the jazz trumpeter, who released the album Diving For Pearls in 2017, One of its  highlights is You’ll Never Steal My Spirit. 

Way before The Bathers were formed, Chris Thomson was member of supergroup in waiting Friends Again. They released just one album, and in 1981 covered the Velvet Underground’s Sweet Jane. It’s remarkable reminder of an on oft-overlooked band. A more recent Scottish supergroup is Starless who released the Sam Barker Axor Remix on the 2016 EP Starless The  Remixes.

Disc Two.

A trio of unreleased tracks open disc two of Goosebumps 25 Years Of Marina Records including Die Zimmermänner’s Pampelmusen. They’re followed by two real finds the Marina Unlimited Orchestra’s Breezy (Marina’s In The Air) and The Pale Fishers cover of The Oake Fountain’s  Southbound Excursion,

One of the standout tracks on Goosebumps 25 Years Of Marina Records is The Bathers’ If Love Could Last Forever from their 1997 album Kelvingrove Baby. Hipsway frontman assumed the same role in the Jazzateers when they recorded the album I Shot The President in 1997. Up To My Eyes was one of the album’s highlights and makes a welcome return on 25 Years Of Marina Records. So does Meet Me In Milan fro, The Magic Circles’ 2004 album.

 In 2001, sunshine pop legends TΩe Free Design reformed and released their comeback album Cosmic PeekabooEccentric Ogie!. It’s a reminder of what music fans had been missing for too long. Big Star’s Alex Chilton contributed  a cover of  I Wanna Pick You Up for the Caroline Now The Songs Of Brian Wilson compilation.

Paul Quinn and The Independent Group released the album Will I Ever See The Inside Of You in 1994. It featured Have You Have Been Seen, one of the finest moments of their early career.  Another well know face in Scottish music is Paul Haig who contributes the unreleased track Listen To Me.

Closing disc two of Goosebumps 25 Years Of Marina Records is Goodbye (She Quietly Says) by Cowboy Mouth. This stunning reading of a track from Frank Sinatra’s song cycle Watertown was recently recorded by Grahame Skinners who fittingly sings: “She reaches out across the table, looks at me, and quietly says goodbye.”

Goosebumps 25 Years Of Marina Records is the perfect introduction to, and reminder of the back-catalogue of the Hamburg-based musical institution. Marina Records has been releasing carefully crafted and eclectic albums since 1993. Always the emphasis been on quality and Marina Records have released many albums that are regarded as genre classics. This includes albums from The Bathers, The Pearlfishers, Shack and The Pale Fountains who have all played their part in the rise of Marina Records which is celebrated on Goosebumps 25 Years Of Marina Records.

Goosebumps 25 Years Of Marina Records.