Home Sweet Zoo

Think Tank Chapter 1

Home Sweet Zoo
Boring Dream
The Sliding Bookcase

The rarest MLS recording, made in 1986. Only 500 copies were pressed and it wasn't officially released, just sold at gigs.

You can download any of the songs by clicking on the track names listed above. The files are in mp3 format, and they are between 2-3 mb in size. The files are downloads, not streaming, so they will not start playing as soon as you click on the title, you have to wait for the download to finish.

Click here to see an 80s pic of Jake from the inlay (oh, that hair!).

A big thank you to Mr. Anonymous for making the tracks and the inlay scans available to me!

Under The Ice

Mother Tongue Records MOTHER 1F

My Life Story - Under The Ice
Strangelove - All Because Of You

Two track 7" flexidisc split with Strangelove. Very rare.

I no longer have a turntable so I can't refresh my memory, but as far as I recall it's just the album version of the Under The Ice on the single.

Girl A, Girl B, Boy C

Mother Tongue Records MOTHER 2CD

Girl A, Girl B, Boy C
You Don't Sparkle (in my eyes)
Star Colliding
You Don't Sparkle (big screen soundtrack)

Slimline jewel case.

All the Mother Tongue recordings are now very scarce and hard to find, so none of these will come cheap.

The 12" (Mother 2T) has the same tracklisting.

Funny Ha Ha

Mother Tongue Records MOTHER 3CD

Funny Ha Ha
The Lady Is A Tramp
These Words Are Haunting
Funny Peculiar

Slimline jewel case.

The 12" (Mother 3T) has the same tracklisting, the 7" (Mother 3S) has the title track and The Lady Is A Tramp.

When Jake signed this item for me, he commented "ah, these words are haunting" with a wry smile!

You Don't Sparkle (In My Eyes)

Mother Tongue Records MOTHER 004CD

You Don't Sparkle (Radio Edit)
First Person Singular
Stood Amongst Friends
You Don't Sparkle (Quintet)

Slimline jewel case.

The 12" (Mother 004T) has the same tracklisting, the 7" (Mother 004S) has the title track and First Person Singular.

There is a French version of this CD with the same tracklisting as this UK version but in a card sleeve.

The Mornington Crescent Companion

Mother Tongue Records MOTHER 005CD

Checkmate
Outdoor Miner
Under The Ice
Forever

Slimline jewel case.

Four tracks from the debut album "Mornington Crescent" recorded in an acoustic/unplugged style. There were only 2,000 copies of this CD pressed (hence Jake's "very rare" comment on the sleeve). The last Mother Tongue release. Well worth hunting down, the "stripped down" versions of the songs are quite lovely.

12 Reasons Why

Parlophone CDR 6442

12 Reasons Why I Love Her
Lady Somerset
Silently Screaming
Heaven Suitcase

Slimline jewel case.

The Promo 12" Single (12RDJ 6442) has the title track and 17 Reasons Why I Love Her (five free extra reasons). The 7" Single (R 6442) has the title track and Lover's Recipe (unvailable elsewhere).

Sparkle

Parlophone CDRS 6450

Sparkle
Emerald Green
Megaphone Theology
Sparkle (Concert Hall)

Slimline jewel case with Limited Edition holographic CD.

Re-issue/re-recording of "You Don't Sparkle (In my eyes)" with a shorter title. Some fans have in the past commented that this version sounds "flatter" (dare I say less sparkly?) than the original. I have to confess a liking for the first release of this song.

Sparkle

Parlophone CDR 6450

Sparkle
The Garden Fence Affair
17 Reasons Why I Love Her
Sparkle (Jazz Club)

Slimline jewel case.

The promo 12" Single (12RDJ 6450) has Sparkle, 17 Reasons Why I Love Her and Emerald Green. The 7" Single - Limited Edition Clear Vinyl (R 6450) has the title track and Emerald Green.

I love that this CD included the extended "17 Reasons Why" mix. I'm a sucker for harpsichords and I love the intro and the extended bridge. Fab.

The King Of Kissingdom

Parlophone CDRS 6457

The King Of Kissingdom
Stuck Up Your Own Era
I Love You Like Gala

Slimline jewel case. Comes with 2 free MLS trumps cards.

"Gala" is a fan favourite as a b-side.

There's a 4-track European variant of this CD featuring all the above tracks plus "A Boy Called Daydream" from the 2nd CD.

The King Of Kissingdom

Parlophone CDR 6457

The King Of Kissingdom
A Boy Called Daydream
Sir Richard Steele

Slimline jewel case.

The 7" Single - Limited Edition Poster Pack (R6457) has the title track and A Boy Called Daydream.

Strumpet

Parlophone CDR 6464

Strumpet
The Return Of Emerald Green
Wallpaper
Welcome To My Archipelago

Slimline jewel case.

Strumpet

Parlophone CDRS 6464

Strumpet
Waiting To Explode
I Faced The Music
March 9th

Slimline jewel case.

The 7" Limited Edition Dayglo Yellow Vinyl (R 6464) has Strumpet and Welcome To My Archipelago.

Duchess

Parlophone CDRS 6474

Duchess
Silently Screaming (Live)
Suited And Booted (Over Dressed Version)
Mr Boyd (Dressing Gown Version)

Rumour has it that this single caused the split with Parlophone. Asked to cover an oldie from the EMI back catalogue for a compilation album, the band opted to record The Stranglers' "Duchess" as a joke, only to be told they must release it as a single.

Jake wanted to release "You Can't Uneat The Apple" but Parlophone execs insisted on releasing this track. Shortly after, the band parted company with the label.

Duchess

Parlophone CDR 6474

Duchess
Birthday Suit
Emerald Green Strikes Back
Love Scene

Card sleeve (as was CD1).

The Promo 12" (12RDJ 6474) has Duchess (John '00' Fleming Remix) and Duchess (Xenomania Remix).

The 7" Limited Edition Poster Pack (R6474) has the title track and Birthday Suit.

It's A Girl Thing

It Records ITR 001

It's A Girl Thing
Emerald Green Blah Blah Blah
Florence's Theme

Slimline jewel case.

It's A Girl Thing

It Records ITRX 001

It's A Girl Thing
My Sweet Little Death
E.G.M.C.M.X.C.I.X

Slimline jewel case.

Empire Line

It Records ITR 003

Empire Line
I'm A Statistic
Paint It Emerald Green

Slimline jewel case.

Empire Line

It Records ITRX 003

Empire Line (album version)
Sleep
It's A Boy Thing

Slimline jewel case.

Walk/Don't Walk

It Records ITR 007

Walk/Don't Walk
Holy Deadlock
Cherries

Slimline jewel case.

Walk/Don't Walk

It Records ITRX 007

Walk/Don't Walk
Walk/Don't Walk (part 2)
Self Defence Mechanism

Slimline jewel case.