Meat Is Murder

Morrissey, yesterday

I'd like to think I was immune and wise to the sales charms of major supermarkets. I'd like to think that my level of cogniscence, my basic-but-savvy understanding of the principles of marketing, my keen intellect would cut through the simple schemes designed to draw in the slow-witted and the terminally stupid.

And yet, I find myself in a supermarket aisle surrounded by meat discounted by 25% and I get a little over-excited. This is economics at it's most basic - the further down the price axis, the higher the demand will be - and also pretty basic marketing theory: get people in the shop for one thing, they'll likely buy some more. I did my Economics A-level (despite the best efforts of certain teachers), I understand these things. And yet I get sucked in by the TV advert, and what happens? Not only do I buy a freezer-full of meat, I also buy the chocolate biscuits I never intended to, an A-Team DVD which was cheap-ish, and a bargain 3CD Johnny Cash set.
I must have been in a gullible mood recently, as I've also been suckered by Amazon's Super Saver Delivery: not only does this mean I get my goods slower than I would like, but I also end up spending too much to qualify for the privilege. Those two Nick Cave albums that were such a bargain are suddenly not so good value when you put on top of them a full-price CD that you've been meaning to by for ages.


However: it does mean you get a veritable feast of mp3s today:

Johnny Cash - Get Rhythm! In keeping with the Walk The Line theme of recent days, this is from the Complete Sun Recordings box that set me back a very reasonable £5.97 in Colney Hatch Tescos. It's one of the songs featured in the early part of the film, if I remember, it's the one which follows Jerry Lee Lewis saying "nobody follows The Killer," proving himself both technically and artistically wrong, as this is an ace cut.

Adem - Statued This was that album which bumped me over the SuperSaver mark on Amazon. Adem was a member of Fridge with Keiran Hebden of Four Tet fame though, the chances of this being a wasted purchase was pretty slim. I didn't realise just how good a record this was going to be though. This song, the opening track, caught my attention straight away.

The Smiths - Meat Is Murder This has (probably unintentionally) to be one of Le Moz's funniest ever songs - his lecturing reaches a peak on this track, including the immortal "And the flesh you so fancifully fry, Is not succulent, tasty or kind." Also notable for, "Do you know how animals die?" Well, yes I do actually, I grew up on a farm, my mum used to butcher pigs on the kitchen table. I make sure that the meat I eat is of good provenance therefore, and justify my carnivorism the Fearnley-Whittingstall way.