Paranoia In Hi-Fi
Details
2009 November CD UK Dirter Promotions DPROMCD69
1000 copies in jewel case with white tray
1st pressing
White background CD with baby facing forward in black and white
Track Listing
  1. (0:50)
  2. (0:59)
  3. (0:59)
  4. (0:59)
  5. (1:07)
  6. (0:42)
  7. (0:50)
  8. (0:42)
  9. (0:33)
  10. (0:16)
  11. (0:59)
  12. (1:07)
  13. (0:59)
  14. (0:33)
  15. (0:59)
  16. (0:42)
  17. (1:07)
  18. (1:07)
  19. (0:59)
  20. (1:07)
  21. (0:33)
  22. (0:50)
  23. (0:59)
  24. (0:42)
  25. (1:16)
  26. (0:50)
  27. (1:16)
  28. (1:07)
  29. (1:41)
  30. (0:59)
  31. (0:42)
  32. (1:41)
  33. (1:07)
  34. (1:33)
  35. (0:42)
  36. (0:50)
  37. (1:16)
  38. (1:24)
  39. (0:25)
  40. (0:50)
  41. (0:33)
  42. (0:50)
  43. (1:16)
  44. (0:42)
  45. (0:42)
  46. (1:07)
  47. (1:33)
  48. (0:33)
  49. (1:16)
  50. (0:50)
  51. (0:59)
  52. (0:50)
  53. (0:33)
  54. (0:42)
  55. (1:16)
  56. (0:42)
  57. (1:07)
  58. (0:59)
  59. (1:07)
  60. (0:59)
  61. (1:58)
  62. (0:59)
  63. (0:59)
  64. (0:59)
  65. (0:59)
  66. (0:59)
  67. (1:33)
  68. (1:33)
  69. (1:16)
  70. (0:33)
  71. (1:07)
  72. (1:24)
  73. (1:16)
  74. (1:07)
  75. (0:50)
  76. (1:16)
  77. (0:33)
  78. (0:33)
  79. (0:50)
Sleeve Notes
Paranoia In Hi-Fi
(Earworms 1978-2008)

Contains fragments of collaborations with Peat Bog, Freida Abtan, Aranos and Stereolab

Pin Doll Photography: Tim van Luijk

Artwork: Babs

Very special thanks to:
Steve Pittis, Colin Potter and Matt Waldron

Mixed and Compiled by Andrew Liles and Steven Stapleton

This CD should cost no more than 99p
Notes
This release was only available in shops and not made available online.
Reviews
Celebrating 30 years of Nurse With Wound and inspired by Faust's 49p album, The Faust Tapes, categories strain, crack and sometimes break under their burden as Steven Stapleton and company step out of the space provided to create a best of compilation like no other. Featuring loads of familiar music but all in a totally new context this "party mix" is great fun; surprise juxtapositions of material and trying to identify the sources of the various sounds make for a nerdy but highly enjoyable hour of listening.

At only 99p (check your local currency), Paranoia in Hi-Fi is great value for money as long as you can find a shop that stocks it. Intended to encourage Internet shoppers to leave their laptops, venture out into the fresh air down and visit their local independent record store; things have not quite gone to plan with many shops having (or saying they are having) difficulties getting it in. Larger chain stores seem to have had more success stocking it which kind of undermines the sentiments behind this release. Although the appearance of Paranoia in Hi-Fi on auction sites for inflated prices is particularly distasteful; give some people an inch and they take a mile.

Paranoia in Hi-Fi is a good studio approximation of the Nurse With Wound live experience but here the focus is more on the fun side of the music than the intense experiences of the concert hall. Those familiar with Matt Waldron's Possible Nurse Mix for Sun and Moon Ensemble should know what to expect; instantly recognizable bits of Nurse sounds re-arranged and massaged into a new piece by Stapleton and Andrew Liles. Stapleton's entire back catalogue has been trawled to make Paranoia in Hi-Fi, taking in the obvious "greatest hits" like "Rock'n Roll Station," "Two Mock Projections," and "Salt Marie Celeste." "Two Shaves and a Shine" makes an appearance but it is the awful disco remix from the 2006 reissue of An Awkward Pause. Yet as bad as that remix seemed plonked in between the other fantastic bonus tracks on that album, on Paranoia in Hi-Fi it works far better. I still do not particularly like it but it at least brought a smile to my face this time.

There is some new material peppered throughout the album but it is unclear whether these are going to be unique to Paranoia in Hi-Fi or are works in progress for forthcoming releases. Each new bit is tantalising in that they seem to be completely at odds with a lot of the recent NWW releases. There is some reference to the lounge feel of Huffin' Rag Blues but there is also some great guitar bits including one that mutates the main riff from Black Sabbath's eponymous song and transplants it into the body of a Max Ernst painting. Later what sounds like a strange marimba and bell combo play a disjointed rhythm as strange toy animals sounds groan in the foreground. If these are sneak previews for next year's releases then it sounds like another good year for NWW fans.

As fun as Paranoia in Hi-Fi is, you get what you pay for. If this was a normally priced CD I would definitely be coming away more than a little disappointed (although not as disappointed as I was with the similarly minded but badly executed Great in the Small by Current 93). However, for 99p I am getting a lot more bang for my buck and the sentiments behind this release are genuine; Nurse With Wound was borne out of record stores as like-minded friends scoured the racks for oddities so it is nice to see them try and get people back into the shops to discover new things by chance instead of the dreary quotidian experience of online ordering (or worse, downloading). Stapleton and Liles' plan worked for me as it took me three cities to track my copy down (despite the local store ordering it ages ago for me, still waiting on the order to come in) but I found a lot of cool little releases that I would have missed had I not been on the hunt.

John Kealy

20 December 2009
Press Release
Information from Dirter prior to release:

With a nod and a huge gesture of respect towards the pioneering efforts of Virgin Records in the 1970s with the release of "The Faust Tapes" LP for 50p, here is a Nurse With Wound full length CD in a decent jewel case, with proper artwork that sells for 99p. This will only be available in high street shops, there will be NO mail order, either from Dirter, Andrew Liles or anyone of the usual mail-order outlets. That's the idea - you have to go into a record shop to buy it. In today's world of downloads, free CDs with the Daily Mail, and high street record retail dying on its arse, this is our way of doing our bit to get people to go into their local store. This is a a release to celebrate 30 + years of NURSE WITH WOUND whilst simultaneously being a homage to browsing, searching, chance finds, spending our last penny, random buys, BIG mistakes, best finds ever and to commemorate and thank all the wonderful wonderlands around the world that were and still are (in some cases) RECORD SHOPS...coming to all GOOD record stores... and hopefully a few bad ones as well.

Info about the music contained in this disc as written by Andrew Liles is below, he says it's the greatest album ever made and he should know...

Paranoia in Hi-Fi collects 30 years of Nurse With Wound recordings in one easy to swallow CD. This CD confirms what all Nurse With Wound followers have known for many years, and will open the ears for new listeners to the fact that Nurse With Wound have always been an outstandingly innovative and ceaselessly creative force. Never staying still NWW are unpredictable, disconcerting, humorous and always original. With a flagrant disregard and disinterest in musical styles, cliques or fashions the uniquely independent and autonomous NWW have made over 50 albums with no regard and no interest in their critical or commercial reception. Mixing the sublime with the ridiculous Steven Stapleton and NWW uncompromisingly carve their own distinct style that has a musical language and visual landscape entirely of its own. Drawing inspiration from far flung corners including DaDa, Perez Prado, Surrealism, Krautrock and whole cascade of other ideas NWW have created a diverse back catalogue of material from ambient classics (Soliloquy for Lilith) to the disturbed (Homotopy to Marie) and many other easy listening nightmares. NWW is an idyllic and fascinating tropical island way out there on a limb, the visitors who make it to their shores seldom ever want to leave. Paranoia in Hi-Fi covers almost all of NWW's wild and eclectic sinister whimsy and shows that in Steven Stapleton's world everything is possible...possible, possible.

Statement from Dirter following release:

A STATEMENT FROM DIRTER RE "PARANOIA IN HI-FI" / CARGO DISTRIBUTION

We at Dirter would like to say a big "THANK YOU" to all the retail outlets that are supporting this project with such enthusiasm. It is our hope that the folks who call in to buy this CD will have a good browse while they're in and buy something else - that's the intention. At the same time we would like to say a big "FUCK YOU" to the small amount of shops who are shifting the blame for them not stocking the CD to Cargo. Cargo are working way beyond their normal working hours on this release for no financial gain in order to meet the demand. To emphasize: They have NO minimum order for this release - if a shop wants 1 copy they will send it to them. It seems a very small handful of stores feel that it's not worth their while stocking this CD, so they blame Cargo. They are missing the point of what this is trying to achieve. We DO NOT think CDs are too cheap, on the contrary. By issuing this, our aims are (in case it's not painfully obvious):

1. To hopefully expose the music of one of the most important and innovative bands of the last 3 decades, Nurse With Wound, to many more people than are hearing them at the moment. We feel they are vastly under represented and should be heard by a much larger audience.

2. By trying to prevent the supermarket chains, online shops etc from stocking this, we are kicking back at the death blows they have dealt to independent music with their crippling price structures. As previously stated, this is NOT some kind statement that CDs should be cheaper. It is hoped that this should be the "bait" to get a few people back in the shops and re-discovering the fun in buying records, as well as reaching some who may not be familiar with NWW. It would seem that our (possibly misguided) naive idealism is being hurled back in our face by some. Well nothing's ever black and white is it? We live and learn.

Finally we would like to add how proud we are to be affiliated with Cargo Distribution and openly thank them for their efforts way beyond the call of duty on this and all of our releases. There would be no Dirter if it wasn't for Cargo.
Paranoia In Hi-Fi
Details
2009 November CD UK Dirter Promotions DPROMCD69
2000 copies in jewel case with green tray
2nd pressing
white background CD with baby facing forward in full colour
Track Listing
  1. (1:18:21)
Sleeve Notes
Paranoia In Hi-Fi
(Earworms 1978-2008)

Contains fragments of collaborations with Peat Bog, Freida Abtan, Aranos and Stereolab

Pin Doll Photography: Tim van Luijk

Artwork: Babs

Very special thanks to:
Steve Pittis, Colin Potter and Matt Waldron

Mixed and Compiled by Andrew Liles and Steven Stapleton

This CD should cost no more than 99p
Notes
This release was only available in shops and not made available online.
Paranoia In Hi-Fi
Details
2009 November CD UK Dirter Promotions DPROMCD69
1000 copies in jewel case with yellow tray
3rd pressing
silver background CD with baby facing forward in full colour
Track Listing
  1. (1:18:21)
Sleeve Notes
Paranoia In Hi-Fi
(Earworms 1978-2008)

Contains fragments of collaborations with Peat Bog, Freida Abtan, Aranos and Stereolab

Pin Doll Photography: Tim van Luijk

Artwork: Babs

Very special thanks to:
Steve Pittis, Colin Potter and Matt Waldron

Mixed and Compiled by Andrew Liles and Steven Stapleton

This CD should cost no more than 99p
Notes
This release was only available in shops and not made available online.
Paranoia In Hi-Fi
Details
2009 November CD UK Dirter Promotions DPROMCD69
1000 copies in jewel case with blue tray
4th pressing
white background CD with baby facing backwards in full colour
Track Listing
  1. (24:58)
  2. (17:32)
  3. (12:08)
  4. (24:06)
Sleeve Notes
Paranoia In Hi-Fi
(Earworms 1978-2008)

Contains fragments of collaborations with Peat Bog, Freida Abtan, Aranos and Stereolab

Pin Doll Photography: Tim van Luijk

Artwork: Babs

Very special thanks to:
Steve Pittis, Colin Potter and Matt Waldron

Mixed and Compiled by Andrew Liles and Steven Stapleton

This CD should cost no more than 99p
Notes
This release was only available in shops and not made available online.

This version has different music at around the 8:40 mark on track 4 for around 5 minutes