A Head Full of Wishes is a site for Galaxie 500, Luna, Damon & Naomi, Dean & Britta and Dean Wareham. With news, articles and lists of releases and past and future shows.
Substack
A Head Full of Wishes newsletter #57
I’ve had a fairly quiet week this week mostly just trying to get things outside of AHFoW in order. This week’s posts were about a fairly obscure bit of Dean Wareham’s extracurricular activity (so obscure I only discovered it a couple of months back). and a look at the release of Luna’s Rendezvous.
In other news Damon’s Substack has had an overhaul with content shuffled around and some pulled in from previous projects. It also has a new subscription model and is worth subscribing if you can manage it.
Dean & Britta posted a couple of demos to their Patreon, also well worth subscribing to since as well as a couple of tracks a month each comes with “sleeve notes” - this month includes Britta guesting with Fuxa on a cover of the Velvet Underground’s Waiting For My Man - “It was so much fun to sing—it took me someplace different”.
This week in 1993 Luna started a tour supporting the Velvet Underground on their reunion tour. I posted on Substack Dean’s tour diary that was published shortly after the tour was over. I chopped it up and tried to add some context… but it’s not my work! I hope Dean doesn’t mind.
https://aheadfullofwishes.substack.com/p/luna-on-tour-with-the-velvet-underground
While on the tour Luna had a day of in London and took the opportunity to play a headline show at The Borderline. I wrote about it last year and also posted y recording of the full show - which was great, even if Dean didn’t agree.
https://aheadfullofwishes.substack.com/p/luna-at-the-borderline-3rd-june-1993
My record collection [357] - Jule Brown - Soldier in the 9th
While posting about Jule Brown’s Smoke and Mirrors back in April 2024 I discovered, rather belatedly, that Dean also contributed to the next album by Mark Holland’s Jule Brown project and found a CD copy on Amazon for £5.68.
Dean is once again listed as a co-producer along with Rick Miller and, this time, Mark Holland. Dean also plays guitar.
The website I had dissed back in 2005 had been ditched and gets no mention on the sleeve - we just get pointed at MySpace… it was a sad time for music on the web when MySpace became too many bands “official” site.
There was also a link to the Enabler Records website and thankfully the Wayback Machine allows me to find out how Soldier in the 9th was plugged back in 2007:
On his latest release, Soldier in the 9th, this core structure to the "Jule Brown sound" is continued, but the inclusion of keyboards into Soldier in the 9th has expanded his sound greatly and widened its appeal to a larger audience (as witnessed by his increasing draw live and gigs opening for large acts like a recent show at Durham's Carolina Theatre with Robert Randolph and the Family Band). On the new LP, you can hear Hammond B-3, Wurlitzer and Fender Rhodes. Jule displays his impressive keyboard skills (along with his standard harmonica, guitar and vocal treatment) to take the music and sound to a deeper level that conjures up images of reggae greats. '60s stalwarts Procol Harum, Dylan and a host of other influences, while continuing his wry commentary on life in America.
Enabler Records - Jule Brown - Soldier in the 9th (Wayback Machine 2007)
Soldier in the 9th appears to have been the end of Jule Brown but it’s a good finish, an enjoyable muddle of styles.
Britta also guests on “Clavinova”.
- Catalogue Number: AHFOW 10/168
- Artist: Jule Brown
- Title: Soldier in the 9th
- Format:
- Bought from an Amazon seller for £5.68 in April 2024.
Previously in my record collection:
My record collection [358] - Luna - Rendezvous (2016 Pledgemusic LP)
Luna’s final album Rendezvous had originally only been released on CD, it got a RSD release in 2012, and then was reissued as part of a Pledgemusic deal along with Romantica in 2016. This is my Pledgemusic copy and has been signed by the band.
The first announcement about the release of Luna’s final album was in January 2004 when Luna’s emailing list kicked briefly into life:
Luna Update -- January 20, 2004 If you are wondering why there are no Luna live shows scheduled at the moment, well that’s because we are busy in the studio recording our next album. Bryce Goggin (Pavement, Lemonheads, Ramones) is producing at his studio in Brooklyn, NY. Tentatively titled Rendezvous, songs include Malibu Love Nest, Eyes Get In Your Smoke, Speedbumps, Rainbow Babe, and Broken Chair... we hope to be finished making the record in February, and it will likely be released by Jetset in the late Spring or early summer.
Luna mailing list - 27th January 2004
“Late spring or early summer” eventually turned into autumn and its release coincided with the announcement that it would be Luna’s last album and that the tour in support of it would be the band’s last.
On October 26, we will release our seventh studio album, Rendezvous, on Jetset Records. This will be Luna’s final record. We will tour the United States and Europe over the next six months, playing our last shows in 2005.
Rendezvous release announcement (Fuzzywuzzy, 23rd September 2004)
In my memory the announcement wasn’t too much of a surprise although reading back over the Mailing List archives it was taken quite hard by the fans… me included.
Can I just say - ten years of my life has gone into the website and this mailing list - TEN YEARS - they don't think of the children when they get involved in a divorce.
Good luck to all of Luna (past and present) and I hope Dean has some rock and roll plans to keep me in a job!
Andy Aldridge - Galaxie 500 Mailing List, 23rd September 2004
Fortunately Dean did have “rock and roll plans” … as did, eventually, Luna.
- Catalogue Number: AHFOW 12/056
- Artist: Luna
- Title: Rendezvous
- Notes: Signed 2016 Pledgemusic re-reissue
- Format: LP
- Bought from Pledgemusic along with Romantica for $60 plus postage.
- Buy ‘Rendezvous’ on Bandcamp
Previously in my record collection:
OK - that’s all for me this week - have a good weekend.
Andy