Bunyan, Vashti

In advance of the forthcoming double-CD compilation of Vashti's early (pre-'Just Another Diamond Day') recordings from 1964 - 1967, DiCristina is issuing a  limited pressing of 1000 copies of this historic 7” single. Originally released way back in 1965 on the Decca label (as just 'Vashti', no Bunyan), 'Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind' was actually the young London-based singer's debut record.

Written by Mick Jagger and Keith Richards, the song was handed to Vashti by Rolling Stones manager / guru Andrew Loog Oldham, who had recently discovered her via an industry friend. Vashti was put in the studio to record the song with the backing of a full orchestra. The track was backed by her own beautiful song, 'I Want To Be Alone' on the B-side and released as a 7” single in May 1965.

Despite a whirlwind of promotion around the release and some very positive reviews, the single flopped and Vashti subsequently left the Decca label to pursue more pared-down ambitions, recording a further single ('Train Song' / 'Love Song') for Columbia in 1966, before returning again to Andrew Oldham and the independent Immediate label he had just started. There she recorded three more singles ('Winter Is Blue' / 'Coldest Night Of The Year' / 'I'd Like To Walk Around In Your Mind') between 1966 - 1967, yet each of these remained infuriatingly unreleased, leading to Vashti's disenchantment with the music industry and disappearance for the Isle of Skye and a colourful if obscure existence in which she would not pick up a guitar again for over 30 years.

Re-mastered here from a rare existing copy of the original 7”, 'Some Things…' is revealed as a classic Stones-style pop stomper with a rich, full orchestral effect and a centre-point of Vashti's inimitable vocal. Both eternal yet very much of its time, the record may have gained a slight patina of crackle and pop, yet has lost none of its charm through the decades, and somehow still manages to sound thoroughly fresh and full of wonder. Given the incredible response to the rediscovered '… Diamond Day' album, and the subsequent highly successful reemergence of Vashti as a creative artistic force, we hope that this single - like that album - will receive the warm welcome back into the world it richly deserves, yet was originally denied.
 
The wider context of Vashti Bunyan's early story will be taken up on 'Some Things Just Stick In Your Mind - early singles and demos 1964 - 1967', which will be released on October 8th, by DiCristina Stair Builders for North America by FatCat in the rest of the word .