Excuse Me, Is That A Rump Shaker?

Fresh off the finish line of the #90sRumpShaker BlueSky challenge, hosted by  @stevenh1974.bsky.social, with 31 songs, sorted and (re)sequenced as 3 hour-long selections over the next 3 days.

I'll address the elephant in the room straight away, in case you've been peeking ahead at the tracklisting.

Yes I know that Eye Know by De La Soul was released in 1989....well, at least, I remembered after I'd already posted it on 25th August. However, I will point out that Eye Know was still in the Top 100 UK singles by January 1990, the same month that parent album 3 Feet High And Rising finally went Top 20. 

So, Eye Know gets in on a technicality. Besides, the 12" remix by CJ Mackintosh and Dave Dorrell was too good to leave out.

By 1990, Bananarama lost Siobahn Fahey and gained Jacqui O'Sullivan, and swapped PWL for Boy's Own with a scene-referencing remix of Only Your Love by Terry Farley.

Fluke were on a roll in 1993, their remixes here, there and everywhere, including the one featured here, a magical Magimix of Spooky by New Order.

Everybody was getting in on the remix act, including Annie Lennox, whose chart-friendly hit Little Bird was taken out, consumed copious amounts of booze and drugs, and found itself raving in a field at 3:00am to the sounds of N-Joi.

Even The Fall were not immune. My 10" single of 1998 single Masquerade contains not only a PWL remix but a makeover by Mr. Natural aka Aaron Gilbert that's a fair approximation of The Chemical Brothers.

And there's plenty more where that came from! See you tomorrow.

1) Eye Know (The Know It All Mix): De La Soul (1989)

2) Bodyrock (Single Remix): Moby ft. Nikki D (1999)

3) Everybody Dance (Chic Inspirational Mix) (Cover of Chic): Evolution ft. Yvonne Shelton (1993)

4) Only Your Love (A Tribute To Barry Mooncult Mix): Bananarama (1990)

5) Little Bird (N-Joi Version): Annie Lennox (1993)

6) Fall From Grace (Free Me) (Remix By Eskimos & Egypt & Pro-Gress): Eskimos & Egypt ft. Diane Charlemagne (1992)

7) Spooky (Magimix By Fluke): New Order (1993)

8) Moves Like You (Album Version): Cath Carroll (1991)

9) Flavor (Part 2) (Reorganized, Repeated, Destroyed & Simonized By Beck, Mario Caldato Jr. & Mike D.): The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (1995)

10) Masquerade (Mr. Natural Mix): The Fall (1998)

11) Rude Boy Rock (Album Version): Lionrock (1998)

#90sRumpShakersVolumeOne (1:02:40) (GD) (M)

Stretch Out In The Sun

I hope you're all doing okay, wherever you are. This week, I've been frequently dipping into my collection of 12" mixes from the 1980s, the random shuffle throwing up lots of familiar tunes, as well as plenty of more obscure songs and/or versions.

I've created a 46-minute selection of eight, none of which have appeared on this blog (at least I'm 99.9% sure of this), spanning 1981 to 1988 and several genres, but all extended to enhance their danceability as Heaven 17 (cruelly omitted here) once said.

Touched By The Hand Of God is one of my favourite New Order songs, with a fun video to match. The remix here is from the soundtrack to Salvation!, a 1987 US film and an early credit for Viggo Mortensen. 

I've never seen Salvation!, but the soundtrack album (issued in 1988) is top notch, with contributions from New Order, Arthur Baker and Cabaret Voltaire. The Arthur Baker remix of Touched By The Hand Of God featured in today's selection is a bonus track on the CD and as far as I'm aware is unique to this release.

Dale is better known as Dale Bozzio, a Boston-born musician, former Playboy Bunny, member of Frank Zappa's recording ensemble and most famously (in the USA at least), co-founder of Missing Persons in 1980.

Fast forward to 1st Janaury 1988 and Dale's debut solo album, Riot In English, was released on Prince's label Paisley Park Records. Simon Simon was the opening song and lead single, remixed here by superstar DJ Shep Pettibone (CV includes the stellar remix of New Order's Bizarre Love Triangle) and Junior Vasquez, also on the ascendant.

By the mid-1980s, any artist was fair game for the extended 12" remix treatment and Bruce Springsteen was no exception. Arthur Baker (him again) was drafted to remix a trio of singles from Born In The U.S.A., the title track, Dancing In The Dark and Cover Me. 

The latter is today's pick and it's probably the best of the three, although if you're not a fan of this kind of thing, then it will not be the one to convert you. 

Bow Wow Wow shone briefly in the early 1980s, more than just another Malcolm McLaren vehicle to incite controversy but it feels often unfairly overshadowed by the latter. I was ten when the Prince Of Darkness single came out. Annabella Lwin was five years older than me at the time. 

Boggles the mind but, to this tiny listener, she had an incredible voice and presence and the songs were a lot of fun even if I didn't understand what they were really about. I've just discovered a performance of Prince Of Darkness on German TV, followed by an awkward though thankfully brief interview with Annabella afterwards.

The Pasadenas, from their name to their image, of 50s-style greased back quiffs, leather jackets and denim, to their sound, a contemporary update of soul, funk, do wop and R'n'B, screamed America. 

In fact, the 5-piece was a British group, originally a dance troupe called Finesse, before taking a punt at pop success in the late 1980s. And it worked: Riding On A Train, which they also wrote, got to #13 in the UK and their debut album peaked at #3.

So why The Pasadenas? It was the birthplace of founders and twin brothers David and Michael Milliner, before their relocation to England.

An early building block in my vinyl record collection was The 12" Album by Howard Jones, with the on-the-nose cover featuring Howard in profile standing next to an image of a 12" wooden ruler. Presumably not an indication of Howard's actual height, though I must ask Mrs. K as she has seen him out and about in his old stomping ground of High Wycombe.

Whilst four of the six songs were extended versions of Howard's singles, Total Conditioning was an album track, then a B-side of the Pearl In The Shell 12". Ironically, the version on The 12" Album is about a minute shorter than said 12" album. I'll leave you to decide whether that's a travesty or a small mercy.

I'm sure that I trot this out every time that I mention Bananarama, but Sarah and Keren used to go to the same secondary school as me. Unfortunately, unlike Annabella Lwin, the age gap was sufficienty great that they were long gone by the time I arrived at the gates, wet behind the ears, crap haircut and sweating in my school blazer and jumper (it was a hot September).

Do Not Disturb sits, in my mind at least, in that transitional period between the early, vaguely indie/DIY feel singles and the full-blown bouncy pop (especially with Stock, Aitken & Waterman) that top and tailed the 1980s. It's fun, but less memorable.

Closing out this collection is a cover of Low Rider, originally by War in 1975, recorded a decade later by Quando Quango. in 1985, they had gained cool points for being on the Factory label, but disbanded following their debut album, Pigs + Battleships. The remix of Low Rider here is by 400 Blows and appeared on volume two of the Funky Alternatives compilation series, which was always worth a punt.

Ten years later, Quando Quango co-founder (and Hacienda DJ) Mike Pickering found global success with M-People.

Stay cool out there today!

1) Touched By The Hand Of God (Remix Version By Arthur Baker): New Order (1988)

2) Simon Simon (Extended Remix By Shep Pettibone & Junior Vasquez): Dale (1988)

3) Cover Me (Undercover Mix By Arthur Baker): Bruce Springsteen (1984)

4) Prince Of Darkness (12" Version By Bow Wow Wow & Brian Tench): Bow Wow Wow (1981)

5) Riding On A Train (Album Version By Pete Wingfield): The Pasadenas (1988)

6) Total Conditioning (12" Version By Rupert Hine & Stephen W. Tayler): Howard Jones (1984)

7) Do Not Disturb (12" Version By Steve Jolley & Tony Swain): Bananarama (1985)

8) Low Rider (400 Blows Remix By Andrew Beer & Robert Taylor) (Cover of War): Quando Quango ft. Beverly McDonald (1985)

1981: Prince Of Darkness EP: 4

1984: Cover Me EP: 3

1984: The 12" Album: 6

1985: Do Not Disturb EP: 7

1987: Funky Alternatives Vol 2: 8

1988: Salvation! OST: 1

1988: Simon Simon EP: 2

1988: To Whom It May Concern: 5

Stretch Out In The Sun (46:36) (GD) (M)

The Life And Times (Of A Man Called Terry)

 

Apologies for a typo in yesterday's post. When I wrote "be sure to drop by tomorrow for a Boxing Day special.", what I meant was "Boxing Day Specials". The Specials, that is, who top and tail today's selection.

 

More specifically, this is a nearly hour-long tribute to Terry Hall, who passed on 18th December 2022. It's hard to believe that two years have gone by.

 

Not that Terry's ever really away from my music playlists. Like the Imaginary Compilation Album that I created for The Vinyl Villain in 2021, this 13-song selection draws from Terry's rich history of bands, collaborations and solo releases, some that will be immediately familiar, other deeper cuts that you may not know. 

 

The common thread is Terry's wonderful voice, character and way with words. Every one a winner.

As an added Boxing Day treat, I've reactivated links to the aforementioned Imaginary Compilation Album, plus the companion ICA created by TVV mastermind JC following mine. I recreated the pair as four sides of faux vinyl and posted them as a tribute to Terry, on hearing the awful news of his death.

Terry, you are missed but never forgotten.

 
1) Stereotype: The Specials (1980)

2) Sugar Man (Album Version): Silent Poets ft. Terry Hall (1999)

3) Heart Of America: The Colourfield (1987)

4) Getting Over You (Album Version): Hiroshi Fujiwara ft. Terry Hall (1994)

5) Alone: Fun Boy Three ft. Bananarama (1982)

6) Love Will Keep Us Together: Terry, Blair & Anouchka (1990)

7) Sense (Album Version) (Cover of Lightning Seeds): Terry Hall (1994)

8) Problem Is (Album Version): Dub Pistols ft. Terry Hall (2001)

9) Why Should I?: Leila ft. Terry Hall & Martina Topley-Bird (2008)

10) Poems (Edit): Nearly God ft. Terry Hall & Martina Topley-Bird (1996)

11) Stand Together: Terry Hall & Mushtaq (2003)

12) Walk Into The Wind: Vegas ft. Siobahn Fahey (1992)

13) The Life And Times (Of A Man Called Depression): The Specials (2019)

1980: Stereotype EP: 1

1982: FB3: 5

1987: Deception: 3

1990: Ultra Modern Nursery Rhyme EP: 6 

1992: Walk Into The Wind EP: 12

1994: Home: 7

1994: Nothing Much Better To Do: 4 

1996: Poems EP: 10

1999: To Come...: 2

2001: Six Million Ways To Die: 8

2003: The Hour Of Two Lights: 11

2008: Blood, Looms & Blooms: 9

2019: Encore: 13

The Life And Times (Of A Man Called Terry) (56:36) (KF) (Mega)

Girls +£÷ Girls =$& Girls

Keren! Sarah! Siobahn! Yes, it's Bananarama!

 

My tenuous 'friend to the stars' claim this week is that I went to same secondary school as Keren Woodward and Sarah Dallin. Ignore the fact that they are nine years older than me and therefore long gone by the time I rocked up in my pristine school uniform, wet behind the ears and in for an education in more ways than one. 

 

When I started there, Bananarama were already having hits. Mr. Wagner, the white haired, tweed-jacketed Science teacher who had beehives at home and had a sideline in selling jars of the sweet stuff to kids, would particularly enjoy sharing an occasional reminisce of when Keren and Sarah sat in his Biology class, causing mischief no doubt.

Local connection aside, it wasn't Keren or Sarah but Siobahn Fahey that I was going to marry when I properly grew up. I loathed Dave Stewart of Eurythmics when the two got married in the late 1980s. Bananarama were cool, but Siobahn was the coolest in my opinion. And the strange additional attraction of not knowing at the time how to pronounce her name. I was obviously a little distracted when the band were introduced in the numerous kids' TV show "interviews" that they participated in....

Anyhoo, here's a 10-song, 45-minute bounce through the Bananarama back catalogue. I've intentionally focused on their first five years, avoiding the Stock Aitken Waterman years and the time when Siobahn left and was briefly replaced by Jacquie O'Sullivan. Poor Jacquie, she didn't deserve the shit she got... There are some moments of greatness in those later years, to be honest. However, it was the first half of the 1980s when I really liked Bananarama, even if as a proto-indie/Goth/electronic music fan I had to begrudgingly admit that to myself let alone others.

A smattering of covers, including their first single Aie A Mwana, a surprisingly faithful recreation of the the 1975 song by afrobeat/funk/soul/disco outfit Black Blood. It took another couple of covers with Fun Boy Three before Bananarama had a hit, but they replicated the magic with a further cover of Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye), which beat Steam's original UK chart placing of #9 by giving the girls another Top 5 smash. 

The third cover was tucked away on the soundtrack to the 1982 film Party Party, starring Billy from EastEnders and Caroline Quentin. The fact that it's a cover of Sex Pistols is perhaps less surprising than it may seem, as Paul Cook co-produced their debut single.

The rest of the selection spans a couple more of Bananarama's 10 Top 10 singles, 12" versions, album cuts and a B-side, all of which highlight the trio's pop songwriting chops. 

 

Boy Trouble seemed like an appropriate starter and, similarly, the closing song couldn't be anything other than Cheers Then. I was taken about to see that the latter only managed a peak of #45 in the week of my 12th birthday back in 1982. Not Christmassy enough, clearly, but if pushed I may say that it's my favourite Bananarama song.

 

1) Boy Trouble (Album Version) (1983)

2) Aie A Mwana (Extended Version) (Cover of Black Blood) (1981)

3) Shy Boy (Extended Version) (1982)

4) Cruel Summer (Album Version) (1984)

5) The Wild Life (Single Mix) (1984)

6) Na Na Hey Hey Na (Dub) Hey (Cover of 'Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye)' by Steam) (1983)

7) No Feelings (Album Version) (Cover of Sex Pistols) (1982)

8) Scarlett (Extended Version) (1986)

9) True Confessions (Razormaid Mix) (1986)

10) Cheers Then (Extended Version) (1982)

1981: Aie A Mwana EP: 2

1982: Cheers Then EP: 10

1982: Party Party OST: 7

1982: Shy Boy EP: 3

1983: Deep Sea Skiving: 1

1983: Na Na Hey Hey (Kiss Him Goodbye) EP: 6

1984: Cruel Summer: 4

1984: The Wild Life EP: 5

1986: More Than Physical EP: 8 

1986: Razormaid Chapter 10.5: 9

Girls +£÷ Girls =$& Girls (45:06) (KF) (Mega)

 

(with apologies for any Elvis Costello fans expecting a post celebrating the compilation that I shamelessly ripped the title from)

Does Anybody Know Any Jokes?

*** Breaking News ***

Reports emerging of a Fun Boy Three selection this Friday. 

 

Wider impact as yet unconfirmed.

Full story from 9.30am GMT.

*** This story has now been updated ***

You can blame thank Charity Chic Music for this one. On Tuesday, CC wrote about his purchase of Summertime by Fun Boy Three on 7" and it being the first time that he's heard their version of this George Gershwin-written classic. As I typing a reply that, in my opinion, the 12" version of Summertime was even better, a seed had already been planted...

So here we are, loosely keeping with my 'summer' theme of the past few days, here is a selection focusing on Fun Boy Three's excursions on the version via the format of the 12" single. They were pretty consistent in this respect, offering up extended takes that veered off into dub-inflected territory on most of their singles.

 

The only singles that appeared on 12" in unadulterated form (i.e. same as the 7"/album version) were The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum, The Tunnel Of Love and Germany-only release The Farm Yard Connection. 

 

In the late 1980s, when DJs were dusting off and remixing any and every 'old' song they could find, FB3 were no exception, with Dancin' Danny D having a go at album track Faith, Hope & Charity in 1989. It's not included on today's selection but you can listen to it here.

The Lunatics Have Taken Over The Asylum has also proved to be an attractive proposition for 21st century bedroom DJs and a trawl of YouTube will net you a tonne of re-edits and remixes of the song. None as good as the original, of course.

This selection is dedicated to the brilliant Lynval Golding, Neville Staple and of course the peerless and greatly missed Terry Hall. As an additional tribute to the latter, I'm re-posting the previous Terry Hall Imaginary Compilation Albums, previously hosted and co-created by the excellent The Vinyl Villain.

 

1) The Telephone Always Rings (Extended Version) (1982)

2) Really Saying Something (He Was Really Sayin' Somethin') (Remix By John Luongo): Bananarama ft. Fun Boy Three (1982)

3) Our Lips Are Sealed (Special Remix Version) (1983)

4) The Funrama Theme (Extended Version): Fun Boy Three ft. Bananarama (1982)

5) The More I See (The Less I Believe) Parts 1 & 2 (?) (1982)

6) Summertime (Extended Version) (Cover Of Abbie Mitchell) (1982)

7) The Alibi (The Station's Full Of Pipes) (12" Version) (1982)

8) T'Ain't What You Do (It's The Way That You Do It) / Just Do It (Extended Version) (Cover of Jimmie Lunceford, Harry James & Ella Fitzgerald): Fun Boy Three ft. Bananarama (1982)

Does Anybody Know Any Jokes? (50:42) (Box) (Mega)

Your Love Will Bring Me Home

Back to the 80s disco for some Saturday fun, with an eclectic mix spanning pop, pap, alternative and ambient in 65 minutes.

Erasure start things off with Blue Savannah, which I wasn't that bothered by when it originally came out in 1989, but grew on me over the years. From there, a B-side from Matt Bianco, who unfortunately are more likely to be remembered for their ill-fated live phone-in on kids' TV show Saturday Superstore than any music they recorded.

Terence Trent D'Arby, now known only as Sananda Maitreya, goes all James Brown (that's not a euphemism) on Dance Little Sister, whilst Eartha Kitt purrs her way through Cha Cha Heels with Bronski Beat. Eartha recorded songs in twelve different languages you know, presumably not counting cat.

Bananarama get mostly dubbed out of their own song by PWL's Pete Hammond, with an introductory rhythm track that makes me think I'm going to get The Beloved's Acid Love instead. 

 

A sidestep into the murky world of Siouxsie & The Banshees, with one of their greatest songs, Peek-A-Boo, something of a change of direction for them at the time. The Silver Dollar Mix was edited for the limited edition UK 12" single; this is the full length ten-minute remix which featured in the USA and Canada. Golly Jeepers!

 

Ryuichi Sakamoto teams up with Iggy Pop for Risky, a song Ryuichi co-wrote with Bill Laswell and remixed for this 12" by Julian Mendelsohn. It's an interesting mix of different artists, to which the UK record-buying masses remained largely indifferent.

 

Likewise, White Car In Germany by Associates, one of the best songs that Billy MacKenzie and Alan Rankine ever wrote, and that's saying something. I've labelled this one as an album edit as it came from my copy of the USA version of Sulk, which remixed and re-sequenced the original album. It might well be the UK single version too, but I've never heard it to compare and contrast. Either way, a wonderful song and a stunning vocal performance from MacKenzie.

At this point, there seems no other way to go than with The Art Of Noise and one of their finest moments. This is the super extended, ten-minute remix as quite frankly, nothing else will do right now.

 

I'm finishing this post early on Saturday morning, with the weather outside seemingly unable to decide whether to be overcast or sunny; it's currently the latter. This selection's sequencing and pacing possibly reflects the mercurial nature of what's happening outside. You might not be able to dance to all of this, but I hope it brings a little ray or two of sunshine into your day.

 

1) Blue Savannah (Out Of The Blue Mix By Shep Pettibone & Goh Hotoda): Erasure (1989)

2) Smooth (Extra Smooth) (Remix By Mark Reilly & Phil Harding): Matt Bianco (1985)

3) Dance Little Sister (Part One & Two) (Remix By Shep Pettibone): Terence Trent D'Arby (1987)

4) Cha Cha Heels (12" Version): Eartha Kitt & Bronski Beat (1989)

5) Ecstasy (Wild Style) (Remix By Pete Hammond): Bananarama (1987)

6) Peek-A-Boo (Silver Dollar Mix By Mike Hedges): Siouxsie & The Banshees (1988)

7) Risky (Extended Mix By Julian Mendelsohn): Ryuichi Sakamoto ft. Iggy Pop (1987)

8) White Car In Germany (Album Version) (Edit): Associates (1982)

9) Moments In Love (Remix): The Art Of Noise ft. Camilla Pilkington (1984)

 

Your Love Will Bring Me Home (1:04:52)

From Conception To The Grave

Today's selection is a nod to the genre-hopping genius that is Dubmaster Dennis Bovell MBE. Lovers Rock, Dub, Post-Punk, Pop, Reggae, Poetry all threaded together by a singular talent.

 

Aside from his legendary work with Janet Kay, The Slits and The Pop Group, Dennis Bovell has been synonymous with Linton Kwesi Johnson's musical career. Another frequent collaborator has been Edwyn Collins, from Orange Juice to Collins solo, and taking in a shared guest spot on Trevor Jackson's Playgroup project along the way. 

 

In the summer, Dennis Bovell released a cover of What A Wonderful World by Louis Armstrong. He has also recently dubbed up The Pop Group's 1979 debut album. Y In Dub is available via Bandcamp and various other outlets on 29th October.
 

1) Surrey With The Fringe On Top (Ska Be Doo Za): Black Beard (1978)

2) You'll Never Know (Dub) (Remix By Dennis Bovell): Edwyn Collins (2007)

3) Reality Poem (Album Version By Linton Kwesi Johnson & Dennis Bovell): Linton Kwesi Johnson (1979)

4) Feel No Way (Album Version By Dennis Bovell): Janet Kay (1980)

5) Forces Of Oppression (Edit By Dennis Bovell): The Pop Group (1980) 

6) Swanky Modes (Dennis Bovell DubMix): JARV IS... (2021)

7) 50 Ways To Leave Your Lover (Album Version By Trevor Jackson & Mark 'Spike' Stent) (Cover of Paul Simon): Playgroup ft. Shinehead, Dennis Bovell & Edwyn Collins (2001)

8) Make Believe (Let's Pretend) (Special Extended Version By Dennis Bovell): Thompson Twins (1981)

9) Clichéd Dub Slave: Adrian Sherwood ft. Dennis Bovell (2007)

10) Flesh Of My Flesh (Long Version By Dennis Bovell): Orange Juice (1983)

11) Empire Road: Matumbi (1978)

12) Tell Tale Signs (Extended Version By Dennis Bovell): Bananarama (1983)

13) Dub Her In (Version By Dennis Bovell): Steve Mason (2011)

14) Love Und Romance (Album Version By Dennis Bovell): The Slits (1979)

15) Africa (Is Our Land) (12" Mix By Dennis Bovell): Joshua Moses (1978)

16) Silly Dub: Dennis Bovell ft. Janet Kay (1993)

From Conception To The Grave (1:03:41) (GD) (M)