Finally I have it on 12"

Yesterday morning a 12" single was delivered by the postman that I have been trying to get my hands on at a reasonable price for years.

The first time I heard Geek Love was when it was voted number 1 on Peel's festive 50, 1992 and was bowled over by it but was unable to get hold of it anywhere. Since then I have tried on and off over the years to get a copy but it has always been just a bit too pricey. Dirk over at Sexy Loser offered to sell it to me for what was a reasonable price about 6 months ago but alas at that time I was devoid of funds.

Last weekend I played the spangle mix (mp3) of it and decided to check ebay in the vain hope that there may be a copy available. I was completely stunned to see 3 copies for sale, one at a very reasonably priced £19.99 (buy now) and at the click of a mouse it was mine. To digress for a minute, is it just me but when I find something on ebay that I have been looking for I never quite feel the same elation as if I were to find it in a second hand record shop or at a record fair, it always seems to feel like a bit of an anticlimax somehow.

Geek Love was inspired by the novel of the same name by Katherine Dunn about a family of freaks in a travelling circus. The track contains samples of dialogue from the film Freaks by Tod Browning made in 1932 which was banned until the late 60s, I seem to remember seeing it on Channel 4, late one night at the tail end of the 80s.

The song sounds absolutely beautiful but at the same time I find it quite disturbing. Peel said of the track "Even if they never made another record, they'll have achieved more than most of us do in our entire lives". They did release another 7 singles and 2 lps but in my opinion nothing came close to Geek Love.

I know that this track has been posted before on other blogs but just in case you don't have it already or you have never heard it I ripped it from the vinyl that I now own at long last.

Bang Bang Machine - Geek Love (original 12" mix)