Madness Easter Egg - The Rantings of Mad Men

Stiff Records was the label of a number of bands in the late 70s, early 80s (maybe it still exists, I don't know). For sure there was Elvis Costello and Nick Lowe, and I think Madness. The recording engineer regularly/always added a comment in the run-off - the only one which I remember was "Another Porky prime cut", so I guess his nickname was Porky. These short phrases, typically a play on words, appealed to my ironic sense of humour.

Actually, "Porky's" ("prime cuts") is a vinyl (and CDs now) mastering studio in London. And at the end of every vinyl mastering, the engineer has to put the reference near the middle hole, and usually asks you if you want to have something written also... As this master will be used to create the matrix at the vinyl manufacture, you will have the inscriptions on every manufactured record. Vinyl production still goes on today, and that's cool :)

Casey Kasum once did a short-clip feature about inscriptions in the "Run-Out" of vinyl records. There are literally millions of different albums out there with inscriptions on primarily the first pressings as a way of indicating it is the first pressings. Try and find those first pressings now gives them good reasons for being collectables. Although Planet Grooves in Clearwater, Florida (my one-time second home) is where to find literally hundreds of thousands of vinyls. Also look up Banana Records on the net (from St. Petersburg, Florida). Doug Allen turned his hobby into one of the world's finest record research companies still in existance despite the fact that I'm still pissed at him for selling me a Golden Earring "Cut" album for $8.00.

I have looked at a lot of vinal over the years and it's quite amusing reading what is scratched on them, not just Madness but on nearly all from the 80's onwards

I happened to have a vinyl single in my room, and i was sceptical, but its their, one side says: Buy.163.b2 Seven says results not excuses The other: Arun Buy.163.A7 all the players play a part