Radcliffe Session 1996 7" EP (vinyl)

Man… or Astro-Man? • Radcliffe Session 1996 7" EP (vinyl)

Strap in for four tracks of high-velocity instrumental surf from Man… or Astro-Man?, the Alabama space-age rockers who launched vintage surf guitar into the punk and alternative-rock universe. Radcliffe Session 1996 captures the band recording for BBC Radio 1's Graveyard Shift with Mark Radcliffe, in a session first broadcast on 8 May 1996. Recorded at the BBC Sound Studios in Manchester, it preserves a snapshot of the band in full cosmic flight.

The four-track set features “Inside The Atom”, “24 Hours”, “Maximum Radiation Level” and “U-Uranus”, packing sharp guitar lines, propulsive rhythms and the group's trademark science-fiction sensibility into a brisk session. It also marks the broadcasting debut of guitarist Dexter X, whose arrival coincided with a tighter, more cohesive phase in the band's development.

Playing at 33⅓ RPM, this four-track 7-inch is part of the series of BBC-recorded sessions, bringing a previously broadcast performance to vinyl collectors. It's a choice slice of surf-rock history for fans of instrumental guitar, garage rock and alternative sounds, with four short, potent transmissions from a band that always seemed ready to leave Earth's musical atmosphere behind.