Dung 4

It's strange how the soundtrack to my summer of 2014 was penned and recorded in the winter of 1987. And in Oldham of all places, which never experiences summer anyway.

The band is the Inspiral Carpets, whom during the early 90s were third in line for Madchester's crown after the Stone Roses and Happy Mondays. As baggy took hold they swaggered up to the top of the music food chain - the debut album Life was popular as breathing, sell out festivals and tours followed, and they pretty much grabbed the term 'Cool as Fuck' for themselves (using on a range of tee shirts with a smoking cow).

Dung 4 is the lost album Carpet fans have been waiting for, briefly available in 1989 only as a cassette via mail order (only 8000 sold), so it's fair to say the circle was kept firmly around it. Original lead singer Stephen Holt (replaced by Tom Hingley for 18 years, now back at front when reformed in 2012) is on vocals and the album combines tracks from demo tape Cow and ones that later appeared on EPs Plane Crash and Trainsurfing.

Joe for example is one track I love. Here it isn't as stand out as the remixed/rewrote single that got released a few years later, but I love the slow plodding nature of Holts lyrics and slightly ska/Specials influence perhaps in the intro. The song is here in it's original format and structure, as with many others - undisturbed and unbastardised - and for Carpet fans you couldn't spend a better tenner on listening to the band you might have had...