'I had fevers and hallucinations' - Stuart David's Mixtape

That winter, there was a vicious flu going round the city, and after one particularly frantic day at the flat, I went down with it . . . I had fevers and hallucinations, days asleep and long nights awake, and there were times when I thought it would never end.

While I was ill, Stuart [Murdoch] brought me a mixtape he’d made and the songs began to drift through my dreams and my feverish visions. The tape was titled Winter Aconite, and he’d made a cover using a film still. On the A-side it said ‘Bowlie Compilation’, and there were fourteen songs on there, some by bands I’d heard on Karn’s mixtapes, some by bands I’d never heard before. This was the track listing:

Salad Days – Young Marble Giants

Veils of Colour – The Blue Aeroplanes

Hours of Darkness Have Changed My Mind – Felt

Ballad of The Times – Everything But The Girl

Almost Prayed – The Weather Prophets

Oomingmak – Cocteau Twins

Sorry For Laughing – Josef K

Brighter – The Railway Children

Outdoor Miner – Wire

Afterglow – The Servants

High Expectation – Stereolab

Savage Sea – The Pop Group

Streets of Your Town – The Go Betweens

City Sickness – Tindersticks

The B-side was Momus’ album Hippopotamomus. I’d never heard Momus before, but he became my constant companion. Sometimes I couldn’t tell if the stereo was still playing him or if it had stopped and I was just hallucinating his songs.

All customers who pre-order a copy of In the All Night Cafe by Stuart David (9781408705155) at Waterstones.com before midnight 15th April 2015 will be entered into a draw to win a poster signed by Stuart David and an exclusive tote bag.

We have 25 sets of these exclusive posters and tote bags.

Terms and conditions apply.

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In the All Night Cafe Pre-order Competition – Terms and Conditions

1. These terms and conditions apply to the competition titled In the All Night Cafe Pre-order Competition. No purchase is necessary. Any Waterstones customer who pre-orders a copy of In the All Night Cafe by Stuart David (9781408705155) (the “Title”) before midnight on 15th April 2015 will be automatically entered into the competition unless they opt out. Only one entry per person is allowed notwithstanding second or subsequent purchases of the Title.

2. Entrants must be aged 16 or over and be residents of the UK. This competition is not open to employees or contractors of the Promoter or their immediate families, nor to any other person connected with the competition. 

3. There will be 25 competition winners, chosen at random from all competition entrants who will win the following prize (“Prize”): a poster signed by Stuart David and an exclusive tote bag.

4. The Prize is subject to availability. The Promoter reserves the right to amend the specification of the Prize or offer an alternative Prize of equivalent status. No cash alternative will be offered. The Prize is non-transferable.

5. Within 10 working days of 15 April 2015 the Promoter will select the winners at random from all entrants. The Prize winners will be notified by telephone or email, and will need to respond by midnight within one week of the date of contact. If a selected winner does not meet all of the necessary conditions or refuses the Prize, another entrant will be selected from the remaining eligible entries at random.  Unsuccessful entrants will not be contacted and no feedback on any entry will be provided.  The decision of the Promoter on all matters is final.

6. By entering the competition, entrants consent to the use of their names, city of residence, photograph and/or image for publicity purposes in all media carried out by the Promoter (and in the case of there being more than one, each of them)  without payment or compensation.

7. The Promoter may terminate, amend or withdraw this competition and/or these terms and conditions at any time.

8. You may enter the competition without pre-ordering the Title by sending to us, by first class post, a request to be entered to arrive before the stated deadline in paragraph 1 above.  Our address is: In the All Night Cafe Pre-order Competition, Waterstones Booksellers Ltd, 203-206 Piccadilly W1J 9HD.

9. For the name/county of the Prize winners, please send a stamped addressed envelope marked In the All Night Cafe Competition Winners to us at Waterstones Booksellers Ltd, 203-206 Piccadilly W1J 9HD.

10. Entry to the competition is conditional on acceptance of these terms and conditions, which are governed by English Law. By entering this competition you are deemed to have read and accepted these terms.

11. The contact details you provide to pre-order the Title or provided pursuant to paragraph 8 above will be used by the Promoter to contact entrants if necessary, and will not be shared with other companies. Waterstones will only use your email address and other personal information in compliance with the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 and in accordance with our privacy policy.

Promoter: Waterstones Booksellers Limited (“Waterstones”) on behalf of itself and its associated companies in Ireland, The Netherlands and Belgium and Little Brown Publishing