Slowly Dreaming

The Stars Of Heaven - Speak Slowly

Originally released on a vinyl album on Rough Trade Records (ROUGH 121) in 1988. Ripped here from an Australian pressing of the same album on Festival Records (L 30080) which is oddly missing one track. Ghost Cars is on the sleeve and the label, but is somehow missing from the actual record. It's a lovely day out there, Summer is breaking in the UK, I hope it is Ireland too (and wherever you are of course). Stars Of Heaven left us this wonderful album as their swansong, although not greatly recieved after conception it is by all accounts a real gem ....jingly-jangly melancholy and sentimentally Irish indie-pop. Behind every song is a message but the band's gentle melodies just hook you up, and inspire you.

 If you have never heard this record before, then you will pay certainly pay attention to Lights Of Tetouan and Little England. A question ....is What Else Could You Do? the best thing Stipe (n)ever did? Perhaps Rough Trade missed out on greater riches by never actually releasing a single from the album, however we all know that is this record's greatest charm, every track gets to stand out without becoming singled out. Anyway enough of my rambles ...just enjoy.

A1 Unfinished Dreaming
A2 Little England
A3 What Else Could You Do
A4 Paradise Of Lies
A5 2 O'Clock Waltz
B1 28
B2 Lights Of Tetouan
B3 Leave As You Came
B4 Every Other Day
B5 Three Kings Day

After Holyhead

The Stars Of Heaven - Holyhead

Ripped from a 12" vinyl single released on Rough Trade Records (RTT 203) in 1987 to high resolution 24-bit flac audio. After the recent flood of noisy twelves here's a little something t calm the nerves, so sit down, put your slippers on and feet up. Here's the second EP from the delightful Stars Of Heaven. Speak Slowly is ripped and in the queue.

A1 Never Saw You
A2 Before Holyhead
B1 Widow's Walk
B2 Someone's Getting Tired Of You

We Are All Made of Stars

The Stars Of Heaven - Sacred Heart Hotel

You'd be hard pushed to find anybody in their mid-late forties who grew up on a Peel diet in the mid-eighties who doesn't feel the hairs stand up on the back of their neck when they recognise the opening bars of Sacred Heart Hotel. 

The Stars Of Heaven were never going to acquire the fame of their peers and heroes, but the delightful familiarity of their first Peel Session fills this blogger with great joy. It has been a while since this record came out of its sleeve and onto the turntable, but suddenly it all comes back to me. Side One of this Rough Trade mini album is all four tracks from that session, recorded in January 1986, the b-side comprises three studio tracks recorded in the Spring of that year.

If you are not in your mid-late forties, or you missed the Peel show, or maybe from far off shores, The Stars Of Heaven carry on from where '81-'84 REM left off, with country-tinged melodic alternative rock, in fact it is quite easy to imagine a wavy haired Stipe belting out So You Know. 

There were four Peel Sessions in total, plus one studio album proper, Speak Slowly which I seem to have mislaid. This will just have to do for now. Enjoy.

Ripped from a vinyl album released on Rough Trade Records (RTM 173) in 1986 to high quality lossless flac audio.

A1 Sacred Heart Hotel
A2 Talk About It Now
A3 Moonstruck
A4 So You Know
B1 You Only Say What Anyone Would Say
B2 Folksong
B3 Man Without A Shadow