Because You Demanded More, The Return Of Versions Galore!

Side 2 of a cassette compilation of cover versions, recorded 26th November 1999.

When I posted Side 1 in July 2024, I remarked "Who would have thought a quarter of a century on, many of these artists would still be recording and touring?"

The more sobering realisation is how many artists are sadly no longer with us since I originally recorded the mixtape at the end of the last century: Brian Wilson, Marc Moreland, Tony Ogden, Charlie Watts, Cathal Coughlan, Rod McKuen...and that's just in the first four songs of Side 2 alone.

The other thing that struck me was the 1993 was clearly a good year for cover versions, as demonstrated here by Spell aka Boyd Rice and Rose McDowall, Barry Adamson and Louise Ness, One Dove (Dot sings Dolly!) and Slowdive all turning in versions that hold up well against the originals.

And despite Frente! having the greater commercial success with their cover of a cover, it's the earlier acoustic driven version of Bizarre Love Triangle by Devine & Statton aka Ian Pinchcombe and Alison Statton that wins hands down every time. 

1) Do It Again (Album Version): Wall Of Voodoo vs. The Beach Boys (1987)

2) She's A Rainbow (Left Hand Blue Mix By Fluke): World Of Twist vs. The Rolling Stones (1991)

3) Shiny Happy People: The Fatima Mansions vs. R.E.M. (1991)

4) Seasons In The Sun: Spell vs. Rod McKuen (1993)

5) Jolene (Edit By Khayem): One Dove vs. Dolly Parton (1993)

6) Some Velvet Morning: Slowdive vs. Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood (1993)

7) Broken English (7" Extended) (Remix By Sunscreem & Phil Bodger): Sunscreem vs. Marianne Faithfull (1992)

8) White Rabbit: The Shower Scene From Psycho vs. The Great Society with Grace Slick (1985)

9) Purple Haze: Soft Cell vs. The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1983)

10) "Heroes": Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie vs. David Bowie (1990)

11) Bizarre Love Triangle: Devine & Statton vs. New Order (1989)

12) Je T'Aime ... Moi Non Plus: Barry Adamson & Louise Ness vs. Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin (1993)

1983: Soul Inside EP: 9

1985: White Rabbit/Cinnamon Girl EP: 8

1987: Happy Planet: 1

1989: Bizarre Love Triangle EP: 11

1990: Love Child EP: 10

1991: Bertie's Brochures: 3

1991: She's A Rainbow EP: 2

1992: Broken English EP: 7

1993: Seasons In The Sun: 4

1993: The Negro Inside Me EP: 12

1993: Volume Seven: 6

1993: Why Don't You Take Me EP: 5

Side Two (46:15) (GD) (M)

Side One here

In September 2022, I posted another all-covers compilation, Hokey Karaoke (Volume One), which repeats some of the tracks from Versions Galore, and can be found here

Decadance II: 1993

Side 2 of my 'maginary 90s mixtape, focusing on 1993.

 

The carefree college days were drawing to a close, and final exams loomed. 

 

I got to look at the work of Joan Miró, Antoni Gaudí, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso and many more up close and personal for the first time in Barcelona. 

 

I went with my girlfriend, her best fried and boyfriend to the inaugural Phoenix Festival in Stratford-upon-Avon, where I saw, amongst others, Manic Street Preachers, Sonic Youth, Faith No More, Julian Cope (who I saw twice in '93), The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy, Utah Saints, Back To The Planet, House Of Pain, Sandals, Senser, The Young Gods, Credit To The Nation, Ian McNabb, Sheep On Drugs, The Black Crowes and Pop Will Eat Itself. Only one of them makes an appearance in today's selection.

 

Poor old Pop Will Eat Itself. This is the second time that PWEI made it to the last 14 and failed to survive the final edit. They'll be even more gutted that on this occasion, the nearly ran was Get The Girl! Kill The Baddies! which was surprisingly a #9 hit in January 1993 and, perhaps less surprisingly, their only Top 10 hit. The window of opportunity is closing for the lads as 1994 would prove to be the last time they cracked the Top 40. 

So which of the Phoenix Festival luminaries made it? Credit To The Nation of course, with their Nirvana riffing anthem that is Call It What You Want. Front person Matty Hanson was a compelling performer on stage, and they deserved bigger and better things.

 

Not the only rap to show up here, with Cypress Hill, whose song landed in my grubby mitts in 1994, courtesy of Reading Present, a cover-mounted cassette freebie with Melody Maker. Having no tolerance for potty language, of course, the UK single was re-titled When The Ship Goes Down (or Sh--, depending where you saw it promoted).

 

When it came to choosing today's Mandatory Andrew Weatherall...well, I couldn't. In fact, at one point, I nearly went for the triple with the squalling, spiky Sabres Of Paradise remix of Leftfield/Lydon's mighty Open Up. Instead, there's One Dove with White Love. There was a sanitised, radio friendly single verson, but the one to go for is the Guitar Paradise mix by Andrew and the band with Sabres compadres Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns. Much as I would love to include the full length album version, it's well over ten minutes, so here's the US promo edit, which was also used for the official video. Dot Allison is of course uber cool throughout.

 

The second MAW for 1993 is New Order's comeback single, Regret. I'll be honest, I didn't warm to the single when I first heard it, but Andrew, Jagz and Gary opened my eyes and ears to it's potential with a couple of next-level remixes. The Slow 'n' Lo remix is just shy of thirteen minutes, split into vocal and dub halves; this is the former, a sublime skank that suits Bernard's voice perfectly.

 

Also getting two bites of the cherry are Fluke, firstly with their remix of Björk's Big Time Sensuality, which she loved so much that it became the official single and video version. You can see why, it's four minutes of pure joy. I loved Fluke's previous music, but this tipped into something of an obsession in 1993, with the release of The Techno Rose Of Blighty, a slew of superb singles (including Slid, today's featured song) and tons of top notch remixes. As with Andrew Weatherall, I tried my darnedest to track down everything that had Fluke on it. Still love 'em as much now as I did then.

 

The same can be said for Justin Robertson, who expanded from DJing and remixing to releasing original music as Lionrock, accompanied by wordsmith MC Buzz B. Packet Of Peace was the second single and the first of four Top 40 hits.

 

Not that the rest of today's selection is anything less than excellent. No #1's this time perhaps but nine Top 40 hits is not to be sniffed at. And the ones that didn't make the Top 40 really should have.

 

1994 was a bit of a divergent path in my life, but what remained unwavering was my love for music. Some good tunes coming up? Probably!

 

1) Big Time Sensuality (The Fluke Minimix): Björk

2) Who Do You Think You Are (Single Version) (Cover of Candlewick Green): Saint Etienne ft. Debsey Wykes

3) When The Shit Goes Down (Diamond D Remix By Joseph Kirkland): Cypress Hill

4) White Love (Guitar Paradise Edit By One Dove & Sabres Of Paradise): One Dove

5) Walking In My Shoes (Random Carpet Single Edit By William Orbit): Depeche Mode

6) Regret (Sabres Slow 'n' Lo (Vocal) Remix By Sabres Of Paradise): New Order

7) Cannonball: The Breeders

8) Packet Of Peace (7" Edit By Justin Robertson & Mark Stagg): Lionrock ft. MC Buzz B

9) Slid (Glid Edit): Fluke

10) Call It What You Want (Single Version): Credit To The Nation

11) Animal Nitrate: Suede

12) Feed The Tree: Belly

 

17th January 1993: Feed The Tree EP (#32): 12

28th February 1993: Animal Nitrate EP (#2): 11

14th March 1993: Slid EP (#59): 9

18th April 1993: Regret EP (#4): 6

2nd May 1993: Packet Of Peace EP (#32): 8

9th May 1993: Walking In My Shoes EP (#14): 5

16th May 1993: Call It What You Want EP (#57): 10

23rd May 1993: Hobart Paving/Who Do You Think You Are EP (#23): 2 

1st August 1993: White Love EP (#43): 4 

15th August 1993: Last Splash (#40): 7

26th September 1993: When The Shit Goes Down EP (#19): 3

28th November 1993: Big Time Sensuality EP (#17): 1

 

Side Two (46:32) (GD) (M)

As If All This Would Do, When All We Want To Have Is Fun

A double celebration today, and an excuse (not that any is needed) for an hour of Andrew Weatherall.

Lady K will see this as further evidence of my ongoing stumble into irrelevance and decrepitude, but somehow another year has passed and I enter my 54th year on this swirling, twirling, constantly confounding and exciting plane of existence. 

 

Also, a slightly belated cheer for this here blog, which first emerged blinking into the artificial light of the blogoverse on 7th December 2020. Thanks to all those who have joined the ride along the way, and continue to inspire and encourage me. 

I've created loads of Andrew Weatherall selections in the past four years, and yet there's so much to choose from that it's still relatively easy to come up with a mix of music (or versions) that hasn't featured on this blog before. In fact, I was convinced that several of today's tracks had appeared here, but with one very deliberate exception, as far as I can tell, it's first time for all of the rest.

All eight songs are Andrew remixing other artists, not quite going back to the very beginning but starting relatively early in 1991 and going right to one of the very last remixes that he produced, before his passing in 2020. 

By accident not design, I've inadvertantly skipped any of the remixes Andrew did with Keith Tenniswood as Two Lone Swordsmen or Timothy J. Fairplay as The Asphodells, but there are other collaborations here: The Sabres Of Paradise (of course) with Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns, plus David Harrow and Hugo Nicolson.

 

David Holmes is another inevitable inclusion; the instrumental mix of I Heard Wonders has previously appeared, here is Weatherall's full vocal version. Holmes has been a key figure in keeping the Weatherall flame burning and embodying the same spirit of curiosity, adventure and inclusion that typified The Guv'nor's approach to his craft.

 

Andrew previously remixed Jungle Bill by Yello in the early 1990s, and returned over twenty years later to refashion Frautonium. 

 

It was common for Andrew to deliver multiple versions in one go: Ohm's Tribal Tone got three, Sleeper by Audioweb got two, as did Son Sur Son by The Venetians. Value for money would be an understatement, none of the remixes were ever 'dialled in' and each has a character of their own.

 

One Dove and Andrew Weatherall were inextricably linked on their early singles and monumental debut, Morning Dove White. There are lots of mixes of Fallen, but the Nancy & Lee Mix was so epic that it was adapted for inclusion on the album.

 

I started this blog in 2020 with 50@50, a series of Dubhed selections, charting key songs from 1970 to 2020, each 'side' covering roughly 5 years. Andrew Weatherall dominated the 1990-1994 selection, with 3 of the 5 tracks being his remixes of Primal Scream, Finitribe and the Nancy & Lee Mix of Fallen by One Dove.

 

On 11th December 2020, I pulled all of the sides together and sequenced them together into an epic four-hour selection. So, to celebrate four years to the day since Fallen (Nancy & Lee Mix) by One Dove and Andrew Weatherall appeared on this blog, here it is again to close out today's selection.

 

Less self-promotion and more (of the usual) nonsense tomorrow.

1) The Drum (12" Mix By Andrew Weatherall & Hugo Nicolson) (Cover of Slapp Happy): The Impossibles (1991)

2) Tribal Tone (Sabres Mix #1 By Sabres Of Paradise aka Andrew Weatherall, Jagz Kooner & Gary Burns): Ohm (1993)

3) I Heard Wonders (Andrew Weatherall Vocal Mix): David Holmes (2008)

4) Frautonium (Battery) (Remix by Andrew Weatherall): Yello (2017)

5) Sleeper (Emissions No.5) (Remix By Andrew Weatherall & David Harrow): Audioweb (1995)

6) Son Sur Son (A.W. Edition Due) (Remix By Andrew Weatherall): The Venetians (2020)

7) Sweet Love For Planet Earth (Andrew Weatherall Remix): Fuck Buttons (2008)

8) Fallen (Nancy & Lee Mix By Andrew Weatherall & One Dove): One Dove (1992) 

 

All We Want To Have Is Fun (58:54) (KF) (Mega)

How Are You Feeling? It's A Beautiful Morning!

Keeping with yesterday's uplifting vibes, today's selection is a clutch of songs (mostly) from the early 1990s, packed into an open top car and taken on a remix road trip. Feel the sunshine.

Any such compilation and Andrew Weatherall is almost certain to be found. Here he, Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns pop up twice as Sabres Of Paradise. First up is their masterful collaboration with One Dove on Transient Truth, seven minutes of sonic sweetness underpinning Dot Allison's voice. 

Secondly, all double bass funk and squelchy synths, is Red Snapper's classic Hot Flush from 1995. The music couldn't be more different from One Dove, yet Andrew, Jagz and Gary lend both an emotional heft that just can't be described in words. Well, not be me, anyway. This track originally featured on the EP of the same name, collected the same year on the Reeled And Skinned compilation which is an essential introduction to Red Snapper.

Either side of these tracks are a couple of groovy numbers. In reverse order, Fortran 5 are rinsed good and proper by Alex Paterson and Kris 'Thrash' Weston of The Orb. I loved the original album version but The Herbal Supper Mix is a feast of heavy bass, SFX and samples ("one spliff a day keeps the evil away") with Shola Phillips' sweet vocals weaving through. 

Fluke serve up Groovy Feeling, the 1993 single offering half a dozen remixes all named after ice cream varieties. The version here retains the vocal licks and bubbling beats that characterise the Fluke sound.

They pop up again later in the selection with a sublime remix of Beautiful Morning by Sensation, one of my favourites of theirs. The original song was a lovely indie-pop number but Fluke transform it into an energising, irresistible uptempo anthem that has me involuntarily shouting "yeah!" along with singer Johnny Male pretty much every time. Which can be embarrassing if I'm wearing headphones in a public space.

Also feeling the groove are Finitribe, who were so impressed with Justin Robertson's remix of their single Ace Love Deuce that it was the definitive version used on 1992 album An Unexpected Groovy Treat. The additional treat is that the album version is a minute or so longer than the one found on the 12" and CD single. If you're a fan of Justin Robertson's work from the early 1990s, you will not be disappointed.

Underworld come in towards the end of this mix and in such style. I can't remember which came first but their remixes of Water From A Vine Leaf (included here) and Human Behaviour by Björk just blew me away when I first heard them. Twelve minutes of beautifully structured electronic music that was built for the dancefloor yet for me has always worked as songs in their own right, away from the club environment. In both cases, the addition of a unique female vocal is that little push over the edge. In this case, it's Beth Orton (though I think I can hear Karl Hyde in there somewhere too, deep in the mix) joining William Orbit on an epic journey.

Sticking with William Orbit and taking a slight step back into the last year of the 1980s with a mix that pointed to the future. Balearic beats before I had a clue what that even was. Les Negresses Vertes were a Parisian band that I'd seen pop up on TV (the last gasps of The Tube, I guess) but I didn't know much about. I got this remix of 1989 single Zobi La Mouche on a secondhand copy of Beat This! a compilation of dance label Rhythm King originally given away as a cover-mounted CD with Sky Magazine in 1990. William Orbit is joined by fellow Torch Song collaborator Rico Conning, all acoustic strums and rousing calls that scream 'party!' I feel like I've glugged a bottle of red wine and jumped up on the table to dance just listening to it...

 

1) Transient Truth (Album Version By One Dove & Sabres Of Paradise): One Dove (1993)

2) Groovy Feeling (Nutty Chip Cornet): Fluke (1993)

3) Hot Flush (Sabres Of Paradise Remix): Red Snapper (1995)

4) Groove (The Herbal Supper Mix By The Orb): Fortran 5 ft. Shola Phillips (1991)

5) Ace Love Deuce (Justin Robertson Mix) (Album Version): Finitribe (1992)

6) Beautiful Morning (Fluke's Magimix): Sensation (1993)

7) Water From A Vine Leaf (Underwater Mix Part 1) (Remix By Underworld): William Orbit ft. Beth Orton (1993)

8) Zobi La Mouche (The Fly) (Club Mix By William Orbit & Rico Conning): Les Negresses Vertes (1989)

 

1989: Zobi La Mouche EP: 8

1991: Groove EP: 4

1992: An Unexpected Groovy Treat: 5 

1993: Beautiful Morning EP / Welcome To The Future²: 6

1993: Groovy Feeling EP: 2

1993: Morning Dove White: 1 

1993: Water From A Vine Leaf EP: 7

1995: Hot Flush EP / Reeled And Skinned: 3

How Are You Feeling? It's A Beautiful Morning! (57:27) (KF) (Mega)

Believe (For Adam And Andrew)

Over at Bagging Area for the past six months, it's been Weatherall Remix Friday, a veritable treasure trove of deep cuts and 'lost' classics from the mighty Lord Sabre.

As a tribute and thank you to Swiss Adam and Andrew Weatherall, here's a 65-minute excursion on the version, some early(ish) favourites from 1990 to 1993 with an additional tip of the hat to Jagz Kooner, Gary Burns and Hugo Nicholson.

Apologies for the shonky quality of some of the vinyl rips (not all mine) and the slipshod segues (all mine), hopefully compensated in part by the great tunes and smattering of audio Easter eggs, courtesy of this excellent 2013 interview with Mr. Weatherall.

Peace and love to you all.

 

1) Imperfect List (Unlisted Version By Andrew Weatherall & Hugo Nicolson): Big Hard Excellent Fish (1990)

2) What It Is (Ain't Losin Control) (The Big Bottom End Mix By Andrew Weatherall): Word Of Mouth ft. Linda Love (1990)

3) Regret (Sabres Slow 'n' Lo - Dub Half) (Remix By Sabres Of Paradise aka Andrew Weatherall, Jagz Kooner & Gary Burns): New Order (1993)

4) Everything (Everything's Gone Quiet Remix By The Sabres Of Paradise aka Andrew Weatherall, Jagz Kooner & Gary Burns): Stereo MC's (1993)

5) Transient Truth (Death Of A Disco Dancer) (Remix By The Sabres Of Paradise aka Andrew Weatherall, Jagz Kooner & Gary Burns): One Dove (1992)

6) Fall (Let There Be Drums) (Andrew Weatherall Mix): Deep Joy (1990)

7) Come Home (Skunk Weed Skank Mix By Andrew Weatherall): James (1991)

8) Find 'Em, Fool 'Em, Forget 'Em (The Eighth Out Mix By Andrew Weatherall): S'Express (1991)

9) Shine Like Stars (Andrew Weatherall Remix): Primal Scream (1990)

Believe (For Adam And Andrew) (1:04:55) (KF) (Mega)

All You Need Is Dub

As a Bank Holiday special here in the UK, here's both sides of a mixtape I compiled on 5th September 1993. Nearly thirty years ago. What happened?

I've recorded two compilations called All You Need Is Dub, this one on cassette and the other in 2005 on CD-R, both very different selections. The latter was more rooted in old school dub and it's influence on later artists. This mixtape is very much all about electronic music circa 1990-1993, vocals dubbed to a minimum or removed altogether to enhance the dancefloor experience.

 

Setting the bar high is Andrew Weatherall's still jaw-dropping remix of Papua New Guinea by The Future Sound Of London. The 12" single was packed with top notch mixes but this one was on another tier altogether. 

 

Fearlessly following up are the Hartnoll Brothers, Phil and Paul adding a heft to Daydream by Back To The Planet that makes me wish the band had got Orbital to remix more of their music. I first got this on 7" vinyl, the flip side to the original version and an Adrian Sherwood dub. Probably paid less than a couple of quid for it at the time. What a bargain.

Miranda Sex Garden were on the Mute record label but always felt more suited to 4AD. This remix by Danny Rampling only appeared on the 12" single along with a couple more mixes, including another rather good one by Thrash aka Kris Weston of The Orb.

I'd like to pretend I was so on it that I picked up the Palatial single by Love Corporation aka Edward Ball of The Times. Not a chance. However, Creation Records were good at ensuring you didn't miss out by putting out a shedload of compilations that mopped up lots of essential purchases. This version turned up on Do You Believe In Love? released in 1990, the same year as the single. Palatial II was originally a B-side and perhaps in the shadow of Danny Rampling's monumental remix, but I like this mix by Doug Martin a lot.

 

After several attempts with What Time Is Love?, The KLF finally released a chart-smashing version in 1990. I went for the limited edition 12" single which featured an unexpected remix by Echo & The Bunnymen. Much as I'd love to imagine Ian McCulloch at the controls, he was long gone by this point and this is the unloved incarnation that released the Reverberation album which hasn't quite been erased from Bunnymen history. The remix is credited to the band but I'm guessing it maybe largely if not solely Will Sargeant's work. Lots going on, with sitar and tabla replacing the main chord, fuzzy guitar, Star Trek transporter SFX, soundbite samples including Gordon Rollings' "Herbidacious" from a beloved TV series from my childhood. Great stuff.

From Bunnymen to Bowie, with his 1992 comeback single and one of three remixes by Leftfield, who at the time were embroiled in record label shenanigans that prevented them from releasing new music of their own and resulted in some astonishing remixes for other artists. Their 'Dub Oddity' mix of Jump They Say was one of three but (hard) hands down, the best.

Sunsonic were born from the ashes of The Flowerpot Men, who I also liked a lot, though sadly even more short-lived, producing a brilliant album (Melting Down On Motor Angel) and three fantastic singles in 1990. Driveaway was their last, the main single remixed by Graham Massey/808 State, the limited edition 12" single reworked by the band themselves. The Primate Mix strips away the vocals, ups the tempo and adds sparkling synth lines to great effect. 

 

Cabaret Voltaire took what many considered a back step in 1989/90 by making a commercial album that seemed rooted in the present music scene rather than setting the pace for others to follow. Regardless, I loved what they were doing although even I questioned the choice of Easy Life as the third and final single. No matter, the remixes were great including the suitably named Very Strange Mix by Robert Gordon of Forgmasters/Fon Force fame (oh, and a co-founder of Warp Records). 

 

White Love by One Dove was one of those singles that I bought in multiple formats as it was impossible to choose just one. The CD single included Andrew Weatherall remixes and a beautiful 10-minute demo version, whilst the limited edition 12" single featured a brace of Slam remixes that redefined epic. This mixtape features the first of these, a fifteen-and-a-half minute journey from ambient to vocal to techno and back again without ever seeming like it's time to end. Still stunning today.

 

Happiest Girl was one of two new songs accompanying the single release of World In Your Eyes by Depeche Mode. To be honest, I wasn't all that blown away by the single or 12" versions until I bought the (you guessed it) limited edition 12" single. It was a sod to get into, sealed in a blue plastic outer sleeve that you had to physically cut to retrieve the record inside, which included a 'standard' 12" and lavish inner sleeve. Goodness only knows how much the band lost on this one. But the music within was a revelation, not least The Pulsating Orbital Mix of Happiest Girl. Not to be confused with Phil and Paul, who appeared earlier, this was Alex Paterson and Kris Weston aka The Orb, who also had a habit of using the word Orbital in their mix titles to confuse the heck out of we mere record-buying mortals. The Vocal Mix is more readily available these days and pops up on most compilations. No offence Dave Gahan, but this is the go-to mix for me.

 

System 7 had already made an impression with their debut album and singles and 7:7 Expansion was an encouraging primer for the new material that was to follow in 1992. Youth aka Martin Glover delivers a brilliant 10-minute mix with vocal samples echoing Buffalo Gals by Malcolm McLaren and trademark guitar squalls from Steve Hillage. 

 

And back to where we started with the Dub Mix reprise at the end, Brian Dougans and Garry Cobain remixing their own song in succinct fashion.

 

The majority of these versions were only available on vinyl formats back in the day and many have yet to be re-released digitally and/or duplicated in my collection. In other words, there's a fair bit of crisp and crackle in several tracks, betraying their wax origins. I don't think any of it detracts from how bloody good the music is though. 

 

Side One

1) Papua New Guinea (Andrew Weatherall Mix): The Future Sound Of London (1991)

2) Daydream (Orbital Mix By Paul Hartnoll & Phil Hartnoll): Back To The Planet (1993)

3) Gush Forth My Tears (Dance Mix By Danny Rampling): Miranda Sex Garden (1991)

4) Palatial II (Remixed By Doug Martin): Love Corporation (1990)

5) What Time Is Love? (Echo & The Bunnymen Mix): The KLF ft. The Children Of The Revolution (1990)

6) Jump They Say (Dub Oddity Mix By Leftfield aka Neil Barnes & Paul Daley): David Bowie (1992)

Side Two

1) Driveaway (Primate Mix By Sunsonic aka Adam Peters & Ben Watkins): Sunsonic (1991)

2) Easy Life (Very Strange Mix By Robert Gordon): Cabaret Voltaire (1990)

3) White Love (Slam Mix By Stuart McMillan & Orde Meikle): One Dove (1993)

4) Happiest Girl (The Pulsating Orbital Mix By The Orb aka Alex Paterson & Kris Weston): Depeche Mode (1990)

5) 7:7 Expansion (Conspiracy Mix By Youth): System 7 (1992)

6) Papua New Guinea (Dub Mix By Brian Dougans & Garry Cobain): The Future Sound Of London (1991)

Side One (46:35) (KF) (Mega)

Side Two (46:04) (KF) (Mega)

Came Back And The Spooks Were Gone

Happy 60th birthday, Andrew Weatherall.

Three years since Lord Sabre sailed on, but ever present in my world of music. As a celebration of his life and a reminder of his continuing influence, here's (a smidge over) 60 minutes of music from the vaults.

 

Gone but never forgotten.

 

1) Kicking The River (Solar Bears Remix By John Kowalski & Rian Trench): Andrew Weatherall (2016)

2) Glories Yesterday: Two Lone Swordsmen (2007)

3) Tribal Tone (Sabres Mix #3 By Sabres Of Paradise aka Andrew Weatherall, Jagz Kooner & Gary Burns): Ohm (1993)

4) Why Don't You Take Me ('Shopping' Album Version By One Dove & Sabres Of Paradise): One Dove (1994)

5) I Want You (Sabres 110 Metal Dub) (Remix By The Sabres Of Paradise): Utah Saints (1993)

6) Neuflex (Dry & Heavy Remix By Shigemoto Nanao & Takeshi Akimoto): Two Lone Swordsmen (2001)

7) Hope We Never Surface (Remix By Kenny Hawkes): Two Lone Swordsmen (1999)

8) Song To The Siren (Sabres Of Paradise Mix) (Edit): The Dust Brothers (1992)

9) Theme 4 (Album Version): The Sabres Of Paradise (1994)

10) The Edge Of Wonder (Andrew Weatherall Remix): Silver Apples (2019)

Came Back And The Spooks Were Gone (1:00:52) (KF) (Mega)

 

 

Happy birthday also to Tomberlin (28) and Frank Black (58) and anyone else celebrating another year on this spinning globe today. 

Whatever Lurks In Your Mind

Side 1 of a mixtape, compiled October 1996 and featuring Secret Knowledge aka Kris Needs and Wonder Schneider.

 

I posted the previous side of this cassette compilation back in January, so it seems only right that the flip side appears as I again find myself in need of some bangers to blast away the cold, dark wintry days.

Side 1 starts as Side 2 ended, with One Dove and the wonderful vocals of Dot Allison. Why Don't You Take Me originally appeared on the soundtrack to the film Shopping, starring Sadie Frost, Jude Law and Sean Pertwee.

 

Dave Ball and Richard Norris aka The Grid get a thorough rinsing from Kris. It was only when researching this post that I realised to my surprise and delight that Diablo's Spanish vocals are provided by none other than Vanessa Contenay-Quiñones, who is long overdue a Dubhed selection of her own.

 

Nan Vernon used to perform with Dave Stewart & The Spiritual Cowboys and released one album and a clutch of singles on his Anxious label. Elvis Waits... was the last of these and features great remixes from Kris Needs and Steve B-Zet/Recycle Or Die. These days, Nan is better known for her film and TV soundtrack work, including Guardians Of The Galaxy, Bates Motel and Rob Zombie's Halloween.

Morgan Fisher first came to prominence in Mott The Hoople and has gone on to carve a varied and individual musical path. Humtone #4 was a one-off 12" single released on Cherry Red's dance spin-off label, MFF, in 1994 with a Kris Needs remix up front on the A-side.

 

Delta Lady was a side project for Kris and Wonder in 1993/94, releasing two singles on Leftfield's Hard Hands label, Swamp Fever and Anything You Want, the latter closing out this selection. Neil Barnes & Paul Daley join Kris on the mix for this belting remix, eleven and a half minutes of club dub to bring things to a satisfying conclusion.

 

I have had to tweak the tracklist for this recreation. The original cassette featured the six-minute Volume Vocal Mix of Anything You Want, which featured on the Volume Seven and Wasted: The Best Of Volume compilations in 1993 and 1995 respectively. 

 

The mixtape then finished off with Nuttin' Dub, a version of Too Much Of Nuttin' from Secret Knowledge's album, So Hard. Unfortunately, I haven't been able to find my copy of The Serious Road Trip CD which features the dub and the album vocal version just wasn't a good fit.

 

So, I've removed the final track and included the Delta Dub Charge remix of Anything You Want. I didn't own this back in 1996 but if I had, I may well have gone for this version instead. 

 

I hope this goes some way to banishing the November blues and sets you up nicely for the weekend.

 

1) Why Don't You Take Me (Secret Knowledge Remix): One Dove (1993)

2) Diablo (Secret Knowledge Atomic Bidet Mix): The Grid ft. Vanessa Contenay-Quiñones (1995)

3) Elvis Waits... (Secret Knowledge Aaron Mix): Nan Vernon (1994)

4) Humtone #4 (Sea Diver Mix By Kris Needs): Morgan Fisher (1994)

5) Anything You Want (Delta Dub Charge) (Remix By Kris Needs & Leftfield): Delta Lady (1993)

Side One (45:30) (Box) (Mega)

Side Two here

Everywhere Yet Nowhere

Why has it taken me so long to post a Dot Allison selection? This one's been drifting around my consciousness for over a year, since Dot's spectacular return with Heart-Shaped Scars, her first album in nearly a decade.

I've been a huge fan of all things Dot since she emerged with One Dove in the early 1990s and I've followed her solo career over seven albums and numerous collaborations with the likes of Slam, Death In Vegas, Scott Walker and Sunn O))).

 

2022 saw the release of The Entangled Remix EP, featuring reworks of five songs by Lee 'Scratch' Perry, Lomond Campbell, Anton Newcombe, Saint Etienne and The Anchoress aka Catherine Anne Davies. Both the EP and Heart-Shaped Scars are available on digital and physical formats from Bandcamp and you really need both in your life.

Joy of joy, Dot posted this week that she's midway through her new album, mixing starts this month with a planned release in 2023. Too much to hope that Dot will go out on tour as well? Fingers crossed.

As I'd planned to post this selection on a Sunday, it's a slightly more relaxed affair, heavier on the acoustics than the electronics, although the BPMs do occasionally ramp up. It's a mix of solo and collaborations, spanning an unreleased, unfinished song, Untouched, from One Dove's planned second album in 1994 through to a song she co-wrote with Mark Peters, released as a single in July this year. The full length version of

Switch On The Sky appears with another Dot Allison co-write on Mark's album Red Sunset Dreams, out last month and also highly recommended.

There are a couple of cover versions of Scott Walker and Neil Young (I wanted to included another, of Daniel Johnston, but ran out of space) and a couple of duets with Pete Doherty and Paul Weller.

The selection closes with a version of Message Personnel, from Dot's debut solo album, here remixed by those lovely Arab Strap boys, Aidan Moffat and Malcolm Middleton.

 

All in, just over an hour of beautiful music to make you fall in love with Dot Allison all over again.

1) Lullaby: Christian Henson ft. Dot Allison (2009)

2) Did I Imagine You? (Album Version): Dot Allison (1999)

3) Montague Terrace (In Blue) (Cover of Scott Walker): Dot Allison (2009)

4) Ghost Orchid (Album Version): Dot Allison (2021)

5) Sell Me Back My Soul (Album Version): King Of Woolworths ft. Dot Allison (2003)

6) Allelujah (Album Version By Dot Allison & Kramer): Dot Allison (2007)

7) You Give Me Everything: Dot Allison ft. Tony Scott (2012)

8) Untouched (Dot Of The Jungle Version): One Dove (1994)

9) Sheepskin Tearaway (Album Version): Peter Doherty ft. Dot Allison (2009)

10) Wishing Stone (Album Version By Dot Allison & Keith Tenniswood): Dot Allison (2002)

11) Love's Got Me Crazy: Dot Allison ft. Paul Weller (2009)

12) One Love (Saint Etienne Remix): Dot Allison (2022)

13) Switch On The Sky (Edit): Mark Peters ft. Dot Allison (2022)

14) I Believe In You (Cover of Neil Young): Dot Allison (2003)

15) Message Personnel (Arab Strap Remix Long Version): Dot Allison (1999)

 

1994: Moon Angel (unreleased): 8

1999: Afterglow: 2

1999: Colour Me EP: 15

2002: We Are Science: 10 

2003: Acoustic: 14

2003: L'Illustration Musicale: 5 

2007: Exaltation Of Larks: 6

2009: Grace/Wastelands: 9

2009: Room 7½: 3, 11

2009: Triangle OST: 1 

2012: Pioneers 01: 7

2021: Heart-Shaped Scars: 4

2022: The Entangled Remix EP: 12

2022: Switch On The Sky EP: 13

Everywhere Yet Nowhere (1:01:26) (Box) (Mega)