That Was The Week That Was — 19th April 2026

After picking up an original 1977 pressing of The Strangler's debut album Rattus Norvegicus from my local record shop, it got me thinking why I always try and seek out the original rather than a reissue. Whilst it's true that reissues can sometimes be a better pressing, I think it comes down to having the object that first appeared at that moment in time, and how — like the idea of a stub in Gibson's The Peripheral — culture then splintered onto a different path because of this punctuated moment. I'm not talking large cultural shifts, but subtle, small inflections which leave their mark going forward. When purchasing these secondhand vinyls they very often need a good clean. Over the years I've used various approaches including Near Mint, but I've never found that any good. After talking with Paul at the local record shop he recommended a mixture of one part Isopropyl to three parts distilled water and then add a very tiny amount of washing-up detergent. Have to say it worked like a…