The Colorblind James Experience

The Colorblind James Experience, that is, the debut album by the band of the same name, was the first record I bought via ebay. I'd resisted the allure of on-line auctions until about 2007, but afterwards became a frequent bidder and buyer. I ordered the record as I really wanted to hear my favourite song from it again, namely 'A Different Bob', and, at that time, I couldn't find it anywhere on-line. I bought it on vinyl as that was all I could find for sale.

This was plainly a low-budget production, as the LP cover and the quality of the recording both testify. According to Wikipedia "the band scraped together enough money to press 1000 copies of its debut self-titled LP in 1987 [and] sent one copy abroad, specifically to BBC Radio's John Peel." It was via Peel (or his colleague Andy Kershaw) that I first heard the song 'Considering a Move to Memphis', which delighted me, as it still does now. I bought a copy of the album on cassette the following year.

They had a unique sound, blending "elements of polka, country, cocktail jazz, blues, rockabilly, Tex-Mex, rock and roll [etc.]". Moreover, Chuck Cuminale (aka Colorblind James) was an idiosyncratic songwriter, with a rare knack for intertwining pathos and humour in his lyrics. Other favourite tracks on it include 'First Day of Spring', 'The German Girls' and the mournful 'Fledgling Circus'.

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