My record collection
[346] Damon & Naomi - The Navigator / Awake in a Muddle

This is a lovely seven inch single released by Earworm Records in April 1997 and contains two Damon & Naomi tracks that would later appear on Playback Singers, their own The Navigator and their cover of Ghost’s Awake in a Muddle.

Damon & Naomi - The Navigator (Earworm, 1997)

The sleeve is a gorgeous green concoction designed by Naomi and another of my favourites.

I’m not too sure where I bought this… but I do know exactly when since I posted to the Galaxie 500 Mailing List that “I picked up the new Damon & Naomi single yesterday” on the 12th April 1997. I also mention that the single can be bought mail order from Earworm for £2.50 and that their next release would be by Yo La Tengo - it was their Blue Green Arrow single and I own that as well.

I saw Damon & Naomi twice in 1997 - the first time shortly before the single was released at the tiny 12 Bar in Denmark Street. When I wrote about the show on the mailing list I described the a-side as “a new song that’ll be coming out as a 7” on Earworm soon”. The second time in October, also at the 12 Bar, and they opened the set with The Navigator.

I just read back my review of that first show and I was very rude about the support act, I hope they never saw it.

Here’s my abridged(!) review:

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From: Andy Aldridge
Date: 20th March 1997
Subject: A night in with Damon & Naomi

I sometimes hate how much of a fan I sound at times - I decided this as I stood "chatting" to Naomi afterwards "you're wonderful...you're great...I love everything...etc." I cant help it - that's the way I am, and they WERE wonderful AND great, and I do love everything...

The 12 Bar is a tiny venue - the stage takes up a quarter of downstairs - and the table Jonathan had reserved for us was right at the front of the stage - I fumbled my way in as Damon & Naomi where half way through their opening number and rather embarrassed sunk down into the tiny wooden chair.

Damon & Naomi sat on stage, Damon playing acoustic guitar and Naomi alternating between bass (what beautiful noise she got from that bass - it's so nice to hear a bass as a melodic instrument!) and a fascinating Indian squeeze box which made an incredible controlled drone (a sort of Stereolab box - all that lovely drone without having to plug it in).

The first set - I didn't make notes so this is of the top of my head - included (in no particular order):

This Car Climbed Mt. Washington
How Long
New York City
Information Age
Forgot To Get High
...and a couple of others

...and off they went - in the bar between sets I ineptly introduced myself "Oh we're afraid of you" said Damon - which I found amusing because I was scared stiff of them (it's traditional for me to be scared of my heroes) - after some fumbling words from me off went our heroes to be entertained elsewhere while I slunk back to my seat red-faced and settled down to [the support act].

Damon and Naomi returned and announced that they were unprepared for two sets and proceeded to repeat a lot of the first set - they did a new song that'll be coming out as a 7" on Earworm soon - they did a cover of Colin Palmer's (ex-Incredible String Band) "Spirit Of Love" - they smiled and joked (and had a moan at the people on the balcony who insisted on talking through the set!) - and on the whole made my night - it was all too beautiful - exactly what I hoped it would be - only more so.

At the end this inarticulate fan chatted with Naomi for a short while "you're wonderful...you're great...I love everything...etc. etc." - it was nice for my ego to know they knew of me - we talked of upcoming events - a long interview in the Ptolemaic Terrascope ("probably the longest ever") a track on a Pearls Before Swine tribute album and a single on Blue Rose Records, the Earworm single featuring a cover of a Ghost (Japanese Krautrockers) track on the flip side (I didn't catch the name of the a-side). More Sad Hits will be re-released by Sub Pop at the beginning of May. Damon was very pleased about the live Galaxie 500 album getting released ("I always liked that tape").

I shook their hands (again) told them they were great (again) and told them to come back soon (god did I really say that) - and lamely walked away. I'm so pleased that these two of my heroes were really nice people - I just wish they'd play here more often.
  
- Andy

The release on Blue Rose that Naomi mentioned was supposed to be a split single with Neutral Milk Hotel containing Kinetoscope but it never materialised. Kinetoscope arrived on Playback Singers.

The “live Galaxie 500 album” was, of course, Copenhagen.

• Catalogue Number: AHFOW 11/031
• Artist: Damon & Naomi
• Title: The Navigator / Awake in a Muddle

• Format: 7”

• Both tracks are on Playback Singers which can be bought on Bandcamp.