This Here Giraffe

1. This Here Giraffe -From the album Clouds Taste Metallic
2. Jets Part 2 -Live Peel Session Version - recorded 1992
3. Life On Mars -(written by David Bowie) Live Peel Session Version - recorded 1992

CD2 (Star Shaped)

1. This Here Giraffe -From the album Clouds Taste Metallic
2. The Sun -Live Peel Session Version - recorded 1992
3. Hit Me Like You Did The First Time -Live Peel Session Version - recorded 1992

Second single to be lifted from Clouds Taste Metallic, this is a world first! It's on two cds, one of which is the first ever shaped cd on sale. It's a six pointed star and it's got a giraffe hide paint job. The other cd is in ye olde plastic case, with a picture of a giraffe in the front. And each only cost £1.99 of our English pounds. (Amazing how far a record company will go to get a band in the charts by getting the same people to buy the same song twice isn't it).

There's two b-sides on each cd, with all four coming from a recording session for the John Peel show (on Radio 1) way back in 1992, when the then new-look band (Steven had been in a little while, and Ron had not long since officially joined) was promoting Hit To Death In The Future Head (recorded with Jon Donahue and Nathan Roberts still in the band). So we have a really nutso version of The Sun - Ron's part quite different to Jon's on the album and Steven's drumming making it sound much looser and offbeat - and quite brilliant. It's as soothingly uplifting as ever - a song about finding joy in the simplest of things (I think wanting to see the sun is an illustration of that). Some people find this song monotonous (it has only about three lines) and claim it goes nowhere, but it just gradually adds layer after layer of sound and builds into the throbbing break and climactic end. Marvellous - even without the trumpets.

The other song on the gimmick cd is Hit Me Like You Did The First Time which is also fairly well changed. It's now supercharged and the sound somehow has a little more edge than the original. Great.

The other cd is rather cool too. It features the first song (I think) that was written and recorded by the new unit - Jets Part 2 - and I'm not sure whether this is the first time it was recorded or not. It's way cool whatever and I love Steven's drumming on it, and the mad squalling noise from Ron's guitar which is somehow melodic. Great. The second track too is fairly special. It features a piano and vocals only rendition of David Bowie's Life On Mars. Wayne's singing is really sort of at the limit of his vocal range but sounds really appropriate for the song - and when he draws out the aaa in Mars it really is quite affecting. Presumably Steven at the keys there too... but it's played wonderfully with a pretty little ad-lib at the end. A must hear.