Saturday Night Special: It’s Good To Talk

Saturday Night Special: It’s Good To Talk was a four-band compilation 7” EP released in 1995 (LEAD-002). Man or Astro-Man? contributed one track, a live version of their song “Eric Estrotica” (the studio version having previously appeared on the first full-length record). It was released by Leadmill Records, an imprint run by the northern England live music venue of the same name. The Astro-Man track was recorded live at the Leadmill on March 18, 1995. MOAM? was the only big name on the EP. The other three bands, Perfume, Blakeman and Back to the Planet, were either from the same part of the country or had distribution deals with the same company that distributed this record. It looks like this was supposed to be the beginning of a singles club of some sort, but I can only find mention of two other Saturday Night Special releases.

The picture sleeve was made from one sheet of folded, medium-weight cardstock. It was printed with glossy ink. It was said to be a limited release, but I can’t find any indication as to how many of these were pressed. They were individually numbered, though—with a four digit stamp on the front of the sleeve (mine is number 0581). There was printing on both the inside and outside of the picture sleeve. Here is a scan of the inside cover:



There was also an insert: a postcard promoting one of the lesser known bands on the comp. Here is the front and back of that:



The record itself was pressed on opaque black vinyl. The vague UFO theme of the record (MOAM and Back to the Planet being the big draws) was underscored with an alien head graphic on the center label. Here is a scan of the record:



The final bit of British jokery? The A and B sides are listed instead as the “maureenlipmanside” and the “bobhoskinsside.” Bob Hoskins and Maureen Lipman are, of course, ridiculously accomplished British actors. Counted among their accomplishments was a series of commercials in the 1980s for the UK phone company British Telecom. This explains the ’80s-era phone on the front cover, the “phone home” reference on the inside cover and the repurposing of the old BT slogan “it’s good to talk” as the comp’s subtitle. I get the joke, I just don’t think it’s funny.