My record collection
#112: Britta Phillips - Luck or Magic (LP)

This is the replacement copy of Luck or Magic that Britta sent me after my first arrived damaged

Britta - Luck of Magic

I love that the sleeve doesn’t have the artist’s name on it, and that it’s been signed “Britta” - I love that for this album she’s just a first name, like “Cher” or “Madonna”!

I didn’t really talk about the album last time so here’s a quick track-by-track blast…

• Daydream is a track that pre-dates Britta’s time with Luna, or perhaps from her early days with Luna, since she had a demo posted on her website in 2000:

Britta Phillips - Daydream (demo, 2000)

• Do It Last has a lovely/strange breathy-keyboard solo going into the bridge.
• One Fine Summer Morning was originally recorded by Evie Sands for her lovely 1968 album Any Way That You Want Me.
• Million Dollar Doll first turned up on the soundtrack of the Noah Baumbach film Frances Ha as instrumental background music in a bar scene. A vocal version was then included on what seems to be a very rare, promo only, soundtrack album credited to Dean & Britta - I scrounged a copy of the track from Britta:

Dean & Britta - Million Dollar Doll

Source: Music From The Motion Picture Frances Ha

It was quite a last minute request to have the song on the soundtrack so it’s kind of a rough mix. I still might put it on my solo “thing.” Maybe give it a fresh mix.

• I was never a fan of The Cars version of Drive and then its use during Live Aid didn’t help with that, so I wasn’t too sure what to make of Britta’s cover. I like it but it’s still tainted by the original.
• Fallin’ in Love was originally by Dennis Wilson (and called “Lady”). Britta had previously released a version on a split single with Dean Wareham’s Love on the other side by Formosa Punk in 2014.
• Britta revealed that Luck or Magic “borrowed chords from Cosmic Dancer” which gives me a chance to link to T.Rex’s original, T.Rex were my first pop music love when I was a pre- and early-teen - and I still love them to pieces!
• Landslide was written by Stevie Nicks and first recorded for Fleetwood Mac’s 1975 eponymous album.
• Wrap Your Arms Around Me was originally by ex-Abba member Agnetha Faltskog and on her first English language solo album (also called Wrap Your Arms Around Me). Britta sings fake-Swedish in the song.

• Ingrid Superstar has “guitar swells” by Luna’s Sean Eden.

• Catalogue Number: AHFOW 12/003
• Artist: Britta
• Title: Luck or Magic
• Format: LP
• Buy ‘Luck or Magic’ on Bandcamp