THE VERLAINES - Bird-Dog LP (Vinyl, 1987, Gatefold Sleeve, Flying Nun NZ)

	£		30
	$		40

FORMAT: Vinyl LP,  33rpm in a Gatefold Sleeve
RECORD LABEL: Flying Nun (New Zealand)
COUNTRY OF ORIGIN: New Zealand
RELEASE DATE: 1987
CATALOGUE NO: FN 077

(NOTE: I am now play-grading all my vinyl. I can't promise to play everything all the way through, but will be checking for any curving or warping and/or excessive surface noise - hiss, snap, crackles & pops. And if there are any dodgy looking areas with gouges, scratches, pit marks etc. I will double check that there is no skipping or sticking, and that playback is not adversely affected)

LP: Excellent
OUTER SLEEVE: Excellent
(Plain pvc inner)

POSTAGE: £3.00 UK. £4.00 EUROPE. £7.00 THE REST OF THE WORLD.

COMBINED POSTAGE:                         UK:               EACH ADDITIONAL LP/12" = £1.00
                                                           EUROPE:               EACH ADDITIONAL LP/12" = £2.00
                                                      TR of the W:              EACH ADDITIONAL LP/12" = £2.50

RECORDED/ TRACKED DELIVERY:              UK:             Add   £1.00
                                                                           Europe:            Add   £5.00
                                                                  TR of the W:            Add   £5.50

STORED OUT OF SUNLIGHT IN VERTICAL POSITION. FROM A PET, DAMP AND SMOKE FREE HOME.

ANY QUESTIONS OR REQUESTS FOR MORE DETAILED PHOTOS ETC, PLEASE DO NOT HESITATE TO CONTACT ME.

I TRY & GRADE ALL SLEEVES AND VINYL AS FAIRLY & ACCURATELY AS POSSIBLE, BUT IF YOU FEEL I HAVE GRADED THIS RECORD INCORRECTLY, OR IF ANY OF THE ABOVE INFORMATION IS INCORRECT PLEASE TELL ME.

ALL VINYL WILL BE POSTED IN A GLASS CLEAR, VERY BEST QUALITY 450G PVC SLEEVE, IN A CARDBOARD RECORD MAILER, WITH CARDBOARD STIFFENERS, REMOVING ALL INNERS TO PREVENT SPLITTING TO THE SEAMS IN TRANSIT.
   
       Tracklisting
A1         Makes No Difference        
A2         You Forget Love        
A3         Take Good Care Of It        
A4         Just Mum        
A5         Slow Sad Love Song
       
B1         Only Dream Left        
B2         Dippy's Last Trip        
B3         Bird - Dog        
B4         Icarus Missed        
B5         C.D. Jimmy Jazz And Me

LP Review (courtesy of Allmusic.com)

by Dean McFarlane

Crafty New Zealand pop group lead by song craftsman Graham Downes that leaned heavily toward Baroque classicism on this exquisite collection of tales from 1987. Their art was in the subtlety of arrangements, and the group was pivotal in defining the complex simplicity of the Flying Nun sound alongside the Clean and the Chills. The Verlaines were certainly the first of the family in the '80s to embrace truly classical modality in their delicate pop sound, and the result is Bird Dog, as a sophisticated and glorious album of Downes' distinct genius, whose only peers would be Robert Forster and Martin Phillips. Although his craft may be fastidious, the Verlaines have mastery of rendering it effortless on Bird Dog. Later their sound may have become a little more stilted, but for a group so ahead of their time, anything is forgivable, although many fans of this character and eccentricity displayed here may believe the edge was lost in the '90s when they pursued a straighter MOR sound. With Hallelujah All the Way Home and Some Disenchanted Evening on either side of this release, it is difficult to think of another group who made three albums of this quality in five years.

Band Profile (courtesy of Allmusic.com)

by Jason Ankeny

The literate and dramatic New Zealand guitar pop band the Verlaines formed in 1981; led by singer/guitarist Graeme Downes, the group's original roster also included guitarist Craig Easton, keyboardist Anita Pillai, bassist Philip Higham, and drummer Greg Kerr. Both Easton and Pillai quickly exited, and the Verlaines remained a three-piece for the remainder of the decade. The early lineup remained in a constant state of flux, however, and of the original group, only Downes and Kerr remained by the time of their debut on the 1982 Dunedin Double compilation EP, recorded with bassist Jane Dodd. Drummer Alan Haig then replaced Kerr for the 1983 single "Death and the Maiden," for many fans the archetypal Verlaines song; the lineup was finally cemented with the substitution of Haig for drummer Robbie Yeats, who first appeared on the 1984 EP 10 O'Clock in the Afternoon.

The Verlaines' full-length debut, 1985's Hallelujah All the Way Home, was originally submitted as part of a composition project for Downes' honors-level music class; he received an "A" grade for the record, which bore the heavy influence of his classical background in its exacting compositions, as well as its orchestral and brass flourishes. After the 1986 "Doomsday" single, the Verlaines resurfaced a year later with the excellent Bird Dog LP. A long layoff followed as Downes pursued his PhD, and the group -- with new bassist Mike Stoodley -- did not appear again until the 1990 album Some Disenchanted Evening. Yeats departed soon after, and was ultimately replaced by drummer Gregg Cairns. After recording 1991's Ready to Fly, the Verlaines swelled to a four-piece with the addition of second guitarist Paul Winders; after Cairns quit, new drummer Darren Stedman was enlisted in time for 1993's Way Out Where. After this record Downes soon accepted a teaching position at the Auckland Institute of Technology, and after releasing Over the Moon in 1996 the band went into hiatus. Downes released a solo album, Hammers and Anvils, in 2001 for Matador but otherwise focused on his academic career for the next few years. In the later part of the decade, Downes reunited with Stedman and Winders, added bassist Russell Fleming, and released a new record every few years under the Verlaines name. Pot Boiler saw the light in 2007 on Flying Nun, Corporate Moronic followed in 2009 for new label Dunedin Music, 2012's Untimely Meditations found them back with Flying Nun again.

THANK YOU FOR L@@KING AND HAPPY BIDDING!!!!