Return To The Acoustic Tent

This time last year in the post-Glastonbury comedown, I posted a 45-minute acoustic selection. Never one to claim any original thought whatsoever, here I am again with another 13-song selection for 2023.

None of the artists here featured in last year's selection and whilst some of the artists' acoustic turns may not be a surprise - I'm thinking particularly of Turin Brakes and The Pictish Trail - there are some playing against type, namely Dua Lipa*, Seal, Moby and A Man Called Adam.

Terry Hall sounds great in any musical setting, of course, but I think the version of Ballad Of A Landlord is an especially fine showcase for his wonderful voice and songwriting. His absence is still keenly felt.

 

Compared to 2022, I've been very slack in my Glastonbury viewing: so far, only Billy Nomates, Fever Ray, Los Bitchos and Working Men's Club; all excellent, but lots to catch up with before the BBC iPlayer axe falls. Then again, if the sun's shining... 

 

* You might guess from the song title acronym, but a potty mouth advisory for Ms. Lipa if you're playing this within range of sensitive ears.

1) Pure (Acoustic Version): Lightning Seeds (1995)

2) Pain Killer (RTL2 Acoustic Version): Turin Brakes (2003)

3) Lovely Daughter (Acoustic): Merz (2007)

4) IDGAF (Acoustic): Dua Lipa (2018)

5) Crazy (Acoustic Version): Seal (1991)

6) Acoustic Guitar: The Magnetic Fields ft. Claudia Gonson (1999)

7) Tell Me (Toronto Acoustic Version): Moby ft. Cold Specks (2013)

8) Jewel (Acoustic): Cranes (1996)

9) Barefoot In The Head (Acoustic Edit): A Man Called Adam (2004)

10) Nuclear Sunflower Swamp (Acoustic): The Pictish Trail (2022)

11) Ballad Of A Landlord (Acoustic Version): Terry Hall (1997)

12) Just Drive (Acoustic Version): It's Immaterial (2002)

13) Another Sinful Day (Acoustic): Little Axe (1995)

 

1994: Prayer For The Dying EP: 5 

1995: Another Sinful Day EP: 12

1996: WRAS 88.5 Presents: Radio Oddyssey: 8 

1997: Ballad Of A Landlord EP: 11

1999: 69 Love Songs: 6

2002: The Great Liverpool Acoustic Experiment: 12

2003: Ether Song (ltd 2x CD):: 2 

2004: Barefoot In The Head EP: 9

2006: The Very Best Of The Lightning Seeds: 1

2007: Merz (Expanded Edition) (2x CD): 3

2013: Amazon Artist Lounge EP: 7

2018: IDGAF EP: 4

2022: EarthPercent x Earth Day Compilation Album: 10

 

Return To The Acoustic Tent (46:16) (KF) (Mega) 

You can find last year's Acoustic Tent selection here

Open Your Eyes, Open Your Mind

Side 1 of a Fluke mixtape, compiled 7th May 1997. To get it straight from the start, I love Fluke and their music, invariably chock full of rolling, pulsing beats and bubbling synths is guaranteed to take me to a happy place. I'm surprised it's taken me so long to feature Fluke in their own right, but what better way to see in a Good Friday?

 

This is the second volume of Fluke cassettes, confusingly titled (Singles), with the other being (Mixes). In truth, both are a bit of a hodge podge of single (re)mixes, album tracks and remixes for other artists. 

This was originally compiled a few short months before the album Risotto came out, so focuses mainly on the first three albums, skipping live mini-album Out (In Essence) and drawing on a trio of top notch remixes in the latter half of the selection. Only one single - Slid (a UK #59 hit in March 1993) - actually makes it onto this side.

Oh yeah!

1) Our Definition Of Jazz (John Peel Session, 25 November 1990): Fluke

2) Glorious: Fluke (1991)

3) Slid (Glid Edit): Fluke (1993)

4) Cut: Fluke (1995)

5) Ride On (Fight On) (Fluke Mid-Fi Surprise): Little Axe (1994)

6) Oh Yeah: Fluke (1993)

7) Celebrate (Moulimix By Fluke): Horse (1994)

8) Beautiful Morning (Fluke's Multipractic Mix): Sensation (1993)

1991: The Techno Rose Of Blighty: 2 

1993: Beautiful Morning EP: 8

1993: Six Wheels On My Wagon: 6

1993: Slid EP: 3

1994: Celebrate EP: 7

1994: The Peel Sessions EP: 1

1994: Right On (Fight On) EP: 5

1995: Oto: 4

Side One (45:59) (KF) (Mega)

It's Like I'm All Wide Awake In A Dream

Bim Sherman, born in 1952 and named Jarrett Lloyd Tomlinson Vincent, passed on 17th November 2000. It's hard to believe it's been so long as his music is never far from my ears. As mentioned yesterday, I've been steadily updating and expanding my On-U Sound collection each Bandcamp Friday and, inevitably, that has meant more Bim Sherman, who was a frequent collaborator with Adrian Sherwood and the On-U stable.

Today's selection is a fairly random collection of (mostly) Bim Sherman guest spots and team ups, showcasing that whether it's a full vocal or merely oohs and aahs, he would lift any song that he appeared on. A unique and much-missed talent.

 

1) It Must Be A Dream / Dreaming Dub: Bim Sherman (1980)

2) My Woman (Groove Corporation Mix): Bim Sherman (1997)

3) Too Much Workload: Singers & Players ft. Bim Sherman (1982) 

4) Island Paradise (White Mix): Jah Wobble ft. Bim Sherman (1987)

5) My Sunshine (Tony Assassin Mix): Block 16 ft. Bim Sherman (2002)

6) Freaks Of Nature (Natural Dub Mix By Youth & Ott): Dub Trees ft. Bim Sherman (2000)

7) Nu Rizla: Adrian Sherwood ft. Bim Sherman (2006)

8) Repetitive Beats (Mind & Movement Control - On-U Sound) (Remix By Adrian Sherwood & Skip McDonald): Retribution ft. Bim Sherman & Little Axe (1994)

9) Solid As A Rock (Hexadecimal Edit By Steve Osborne): Bim Sherman (1996)

10) Can't Stop Jumping (10" Version By Adrian Sherwood): Dub Syndicate ft. Bim Sherman (1983)

 

It's Like I'm All Wide Awake In A Dream (54:00)

"...mash all of the pedals, turn all those knobs..."

Ride On (Fight On) (2 Meter Sessions, Dutch TV) (You Tube): Little Axe (1996)

 

Gospel dub blues from Skip McDonald. It was the Adrian Sherwood/ON-U Sound connection that originally drew me in, although it was 2002 before a Little Axe album was widely released on Sherwood's label. 1994's The Wolf That House Built had originally started life as a McDonald solo album, Blues Continually, issued as a white label on On-U back in 1993. Later that same year, it was re-sequenced with additional tracks and issued in Japan as a Little Axe album called Never Turn Back. It was then re-compiled and reissued in the UK as The Wolf That House Built.

 

The lead single was Ride On (Fight On), with a couple of excellent remixes by Fluke across the 10" & CD single releases. Sadly, the song - or album - didn't trouble the charts but Moby was possibly taking notes...

 

Little Axe performed Ride On (Fight On) as a live medley on Channel 4's White Room in 1995, but this version from Dutch TV the following year is much better, with pretty much the same line-up as on the album:

 

Skip McDonald: vocals & guitar

Saz Bell & Kevin Gibbs: vocals

Alan Glen: guitar & harmonica

Doug Wimbish: bass

Scott Firth: bass

Keith LeBlanc: drums

Adrian Sherwood: on the mix

 

Ride On (Fight On) (Fluke Mid-Fi Surprise) (You Tube): Little Axe (1994)