The shock of the old


Record companies rely on new releases to boost sales. Which means complimentary copies of new releases flow to reviewers. Which in turn means lists of 'best of 2010 releases' appear at this time of year. Which keeps the record companies happy. Which keeps the review copies flowing for another year. All of which overlooks two points. First, newness is not a guarantee of quality. And secondly the discovery of an album recorded twenty-eight years ago can be just as rewarding as one released in the last twelve months. So a chance comment from a reader prompts me to post again about the Norwegian singer Radka Toneff's 1982 album Fairytales. When I first wrote about Fairytales in 2006 it could only be bought in an expensive Japanese pressing. But today it is available as a standard full priced CD or as a bargain download. This is one of the most entrancing albums you are ever likely to hear. If any more convincing is needed risk a few pence on the download of track 3, Kurt Weill's Lost in the Stars. My 2006 article on Radka Toneff is here.

Also on Facebook and Twitter. My Japanese pressed CD of Fairytales was bought online. Report broken links, missing images and errors to - overgrownpath at hotmail dot co dot uk

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