Preston Pixies

Pixies at the Guild Hall in Preston on Saturday 6th October 1990. 

 

According to the ticket, I paid by cheque but it doesn't say how much. A quick look on eBay reveals that admission for their gig at Aston Villa Leisure Centre the following week cost a whopping £7.50, so a bargain in retrospect, even factoring in the petrol there and back.

So, why did I hop into my Mini Metro, pick up my friend Stuart and drive from Bristol to Preston, three hours up the M5 then M6 when we could have made the much shorter trek to see Pixies at Gloucester Leisure Centre a week or so later?

 

Well, that would be fellow school friend, Matt, who was at university and was just as much of a Pixies fanatic as we both were. So, off we went, with the promise of a takeaway, a great gig and at the very least, a clear bit of space on the floor of Matt's student house share to lay our weary heads. To date, it remains the one and only time I've been to Preston.

 

If the truth be told, I don't remember a lot about the journey there or back, the pre-gig preamble (I think pizza was involved) or, sadly, the support act. 

 

I do remember that they were called Barkmarket, as I recall thinking what a crap name it was. I hadn't heard anything by the band prior to the gig...or since, until I started writing this post. Fronted by Dave Sardy, who I'm familiar with from his subsequent career as producer for the likes of The Dandy Warhols, Oasis and Jet, musically they sound like a good fit for Pixies. 

 

I've found a John Peel session that Barkmarket recorded a week before the Preston gig, with a brief introductory interview with an out of breath Dave, which you can listen to here. Three decades on, I have absolutely no recollection of Barkmarket's set, though arguably I may have forgotten it by the time I completed the near-200 mile trip home.

Pixies, though, were another matter entirely. Incredibly, I've discovered not one but two bootleg videos on YouTube of the entire show. Remember, this was 1990, no recording devices that you could slip into your back pocket. Goodness knows how either one of them snuck a video camera into the venue and filmed the gig, but there we are. 

 

The sound is atrocious on both, the image not a whole lot better, though it does capture some of the sweaty, frenetic energy of the concert. I've included a link to the one posted by Suzuhara, which appears to have been shot from inside a bag for the first couple of minutes, but comes good later on and provides the sole band photo for this post.

Matt, Stuart and I were right in there in the thick of it, as Black Francis screamed his way through song after song, Dave Lovering leading from one to the next with barely a pause, Joey Santiago nearly setting his guitar alight through the sheer speed of his playing and Kim Deal looking cool as hell throughout but especially when she took lead vocals for Into The White, Gigantic and (kind of) Tony's Theme.

The hazards of writing short, fast-paced songs is that when a band grows to playing headline sets for an hour and a half, that's a lot of songs. Pixies pack in thirty (30!) songs, before leaving the stage briefly and coming back for one more encore. 

 

What's even more incredible when you scan the set list is the number of songs that Pixies left off: River Euphrates, Monkey Gone To Heaven, Cactus, Isla De Encanta...Most of these were played, along with brilliant B-side Dancing The Manta Ray and the then-unreleased Subbacultcha, at the Gloucester gig, which in retrospect makes me wish I'd gone to both. 

This was the third time I'd seen Pixies and this tour was promoting the Bossanova album, with 9 of the 14 songs getting played, including Havalina. Not my favourite Pixies song at the time, it didn't get played much after and it appears the 21st century reunion was a nearly a decade in before they dusted off the song onstage again in 2013. I have a lot more affection for Havalina - and Bossanova - these days, and as a set, it's hard to argue with any of the song choices that night.

As usual, I've recreated the show as a Dubhed selection. It runs a few minutes shorter than the bootleg video on YouTube, though it kind of works if you play the latter with the volume muted. Oh, and all versions are lifted from the respective studio albums, unless stated.

The prompt for today's post was that, by sheer coincidence I'm travelling to London to meet Stuart and go to a gig, exactly thirty four years on from this memorable Pixies concert. It's going to be a fantastic day and I'll tell you all about it sometime in the next week.

For now, it's Pixies. Play loud.

 

1) Cecilia Ann (1990)

2) Levitate Me (1987)

3) Debaser (Clif Norrell Mix) (1997)

4) Rock Music (1990)

5) Dead (John Peel Session) (1988)

6) Hang Wire (1990)

7) Is She Weird (1990)

8) Broken Face (1988)

9) Crackity Jones (Demo 2) (1988)

10) Something Against You (1988)

11) All Over The World (1990)

12) Allison (1990)

13) Velouria (1990)

14) The Happening (1990)

15) Into The White (John Peel Session) (1989)

16) Here Comes Your Man (Simon Mayo Session) (1988)

17) Gigantic (Single Version) (1988)

18) Hey (1989)

19) Havalina (1990)

20) Caribou (John Peel Session) (1988)

21) The Holiday Song (1987)

22) Nimrod's Son (1987)

23) I'm Amazed ('The Purple Tape' Demo) (1987)

24) Ed Is Dead (1987)

25) Wave Of Mutilation (UK Surf) (1989)

26) Where Is My Mind? (1988)

27) Vamos ('Come On Pilgrim' Version) (1987)

28) Tony's Theme (1988)

29) Gouge Away (1989)

30) Tame (1989)

31) Wave Of Mutilation (Album Version) (1989)

1987: Come On Pilgrim: 2, 21, 22, 24, 27

1988: Gigantic / River Euphrates EP: 17

1988: Surfer Rosa: 8, 10, 26, 28

1988: The BBC Sessions (bootleg): 16

1989: Doolittle: 18, 29, 30, 31

1989: Here Comes Your Man EP: 25

1990: Bossanova: 1, 4, 6, 7, 11, 12, 13, 14, 19

1997: Debaser EP: 3

1998: Pixies At The BBC: 5, 20

2002: Pixies: 23

2014: Doolittle 25: B-Sides, Peel Sessions & Demos: 9, 15

Preston Pixies (1:21:20) (KF) (Mega)

Decade V: 1989

Side 2 (or Side 10, if you will) of the Decade mixtape series, compiled 8th April 1990.

 

As David Byrne asked waaay back in 1980 on the opening side of this epic venture, "Well, how did I get here?"

I don't know about you, but the last five weeks have flown by for me. Yet, 10 sides, 120 songs, 7 hours, 40 minutes and 28 seconds later and that's it for my look back at the 1980s. 

 

If you've followed some or all of my selections over the past five weekends, I hope there's been something that's resonated with or reminded you. That, or you've been introduced to some of the more obscure chart misses that you weren't aware of or were too young to experience first time around.

Before I delve into 1989 itself, a few Decade facts for those of you that like that kind of thing. Across the 120 songs, most artist appearances were one-offs, but 16 managed 2 appearances, some perhaps surprisingly so.

Bronze medals therefore go to Julian Cope, Echo & The Bunnymen, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Heaven 17, The Human League, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Killing Joke, O.M.D., Pete Wylie & Wah!, Pixies, R.E.M., Scritti Politti, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Cult, Visage and - who would have thought? - Wall Of Voodoo.

Just 4 artists managed a total of 3 appearances. Silver medals to Talking Heads, Talk Talk, The Smiths and U2. No band managed to feature on both the first and the last selection, but Talking Heads and U2 achieved the greatest span, both with first and last appearances in 1980 and 1988. 

 

A special mention for Siouxise Sioux, whose two appearances with The Banshees (in 1980 and 1983) and The Creatures (1989) gets her an honorary Silver medal and also the 'greatest span' achievement award as an individual artist. Seems fitting, as Ms. Sioux was never one to be bound by conventional rules.

Only 1 band achieved 4 appearances and, especially given that I compiled the series in 1990, it's no surprise that the Gold medal goes to Depeche Mode. Sharing the 'greatest span' record with the above, the Basildon boys first featured in 1981 with New Life, returned in 1983 with Everything Counts, came back in 1986 with Stripped and make their final appearance in 1989 with Personal Jesus.

But enough preamble, what about 1989? It was a year of historic events, too many to go into here though I will just acknowledge that it marked Margaret Thatcher's tenth year as Prime Minister, the first to do so in the 20th century. Little wonder then that I was formulating plans to leave the country and go travelling for a year, something that I managed to do in 1990. 

I was working full-time and any money left over from 'housekeeping' (aka rent to my parents, but considering cheaper than a city centre bedsit), running the car, record buying and nights out was being put aside for my planned escape. 

Gigs in 1989 therefore were few and far between, but varied. I didn't keep a record so I've long forgotten the local/unsigned bands and the growing number of club nights and DJ sets that I saw. However, the few tickets that I've managed not to lose since tell me that I variously enjoyed the live experiences of The Monkees (sadly minus Mike Nesmith), The Jesus & Mary Chain, Inspiral Carpets and Pixies (again), this time supported by The Wolfgang Press. 

Once again, plans for a companion series Decadance means that today's 1989 selection is light on dance music, though one pioneering electronic act makes the cut and a couple of indie/dance crossovers barge their way in.

Surprisingly making their first appearance in the series, right at the end, are The B-52's. Channel Z was a precusor to 5th album Cosmic Thing, released in June 1989. I bought the 12" single which did little to help, as it failed to chart. Likewise, the album managed one week at #75 before disappearing... until March 1990 that is, when second single Love Shack got to #2 and boosted Cosmic Thing into a Top 10 album with a six-month run in the charts.  

 

Channel Z got a second go in August 1990 and still only managed a peak of #61, which is a shame. Maybe it was just too political and angry (well, as angry as The B-52's could possibly get) for the UK's fragile minds.

After years of pioneering and cutting edge sounds, Cabaret Voltaire signed to EMI and released Groovy, Laidback & Nasty, their most commercial and conventional album to date (and of all, as it transpired). Stephen Mallinder and Richard H. Kirk seemed to cop a lot of flak for 'selling out' and mimicking the prevailing music fashions rather than influencing then, which I think was unfair.

It had mixed results: the album failed to chart and although the three singles managed #66, #55 and #61 respectively, they remain Cabaret Voltaire's highest charting singles. I think - as I did back then - that Hypnotised is a great single. Remixed by Fon Force, Mute label boss Daniel Miller and A Guy Called Gerald, with backing vocals from Ten City, it was an interesting diversion even if it proved to be short-lived.

I first heard Pop Will Eat Itself on a couple of compilations and fell for their Grebo sound, even more so as they started to play around with samples and beats. Wise Up! Sucker is perhaps less familiar than Can U Dig It? though there's surprisingly little between then in terms of chart placing. PWEI seriously troubled the UK Top 40 in the 1990s, but Wise Up! Sucker remains one of my favourite songs that they ever did.

Also making a comeback of sorts was Depeche Mode with Personal Jesus. This heralded a new direction, lots more twangy guitar than you might expect and a catchy yet off-kilter chorus. I bought the singles on 12" (there were usually at least 2) on release, but never 7" hence the inclusion of one of the (three) remixes by François Kevorkian. 

 

According to my handmade cassette inlay, I originally faded out the song around at 4:13. On recreating the tape for this post, I found that this selection was running considerably short, so I've included the full length Holier Than Thou Approach here. 

I'd heard very little by The Stone Roses at this point. My friend Stuart had their album, which I'd heard a couple of times but wasn't blown away by. Their standalone double A-side single in November 1989 was another matter entirely, though. What The World Is Waiting For was good, though not a million miles away from the album that preceded it. Fools Gold was another matter entirely and got my attention from the start. Despite my preference for the 12" format generally, and the fact that Fools Gold was stretched out to nearly ten minutes, at the time I plumped for the 2-track 7" single. I retrospectively came to love those earlier songs, but Fools Gold is the one that really switched me onto The Stone Roses.

Making an unexpected reappearance were The Creatures aka Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie, then-partners in The Banshees and in life. I really liked The Creatures' music, which followed a more disciplined, minimalist structure, playing to the strengths of Siouxsie's distinctive vocal styling and Budgie's phenomenal percussion skills. Standing There was remixed by Mike Hedges and I bought the 12" and 10" singles. 

 

The latter, titled the La Frontera Mix, was under 4 minutes and featured on the cassette. I haven't been able to rip my vinyl for this recreation and, as far as I can tell, it's essentially an edit of the 10-minute Andalucian Mix on the 12". So, I've edited the latter to provide a clean ending at approx. the same point as the La Frontera Mix to maintain the original sequencing.

Mekons had been around for over a decade by the time I bought a record by them. But what a record. I think I'd heard and quite liked Ghosts Of American Astronauts, didn't really know anything else that they'd done and bought The Dream And Lie Of... EP on 10" without hearing a single song, purely down to a rave review that I'd read in NME, Melody Maker or Sounds. I wasn't disappointed.

Three of the four songs appeared on the subsequent album The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll and Club Mekon is the penultimate song on the EP. The flurry of country punk, Sally Timmins' vocals and the opening verse of

 

When I was just seventeen, sex no longer held a mystery

I saw it as a commodity to be bought and sold, like rock and roll

had me hooked and even now, Club Mekon puts a shiver down my spine and a smile on my face when I hear it. Superb.

Pixies could do no wrong and Monkey Gone To Heaven was no exception. I saw Pixies perform this song live at the Studio in Bristol, two months after the single release and a few weeks after the album Doolittle had blown my teenage mind. Hearing Black Francis scream, And God is seven! And God is seven! And God is seven!, to an audience that were screaming right back at him, was incredible.

Next is the one true WTF? moment, with the inclusion of Destroyed by Scottish metal band The Almighty. I'm struggling to explain this one, or remember why I even had anything by them. I'm supposing that it was either the recommendation/influence of my brother, or that I was trying to impress a girl in the hope of asking her out at some point. 

Delving into my gig ticket tin, I find that I saw The Almighty at the Bierkeller in Bristol on 26th February 1990. No memory of that one at all. The fact that I recorded the Decade V cassette six weeks after the gig perhaps explains its inclusion and the brevity of my interest in the band. I remember buying the Blood, Fire & Love album from which this song is taken though I suspect that it was culled from my collection not long after. 

 

Listening to it now? I'm finding it hard to tell the difference between The Almighty and Def Leppard, to be honest, and that's not intended as a compliment. It must surely have sounded outdated even in 1989! For a second or two, I considered swapping out The Almighty for something less anachronistic but whatever the reason, I considered it 'good' enough for inclusion so it has to stay. Don't do drugs, kids!

 

The The restore the intellectual equilibrium with The Beat(en) Generation, their first new single in a couple of years and the first to more explicitly pitch The The as a band rather than a solo venture for Matt Johnson. Well, if your band included Johnny Marr, you would shout about it, wouldn't you? 

I love The Beat(en) Generation, even though I'll admit that I still find Matt's pronunciation of 'reared' in the chorus a bit jarring (!). Diction notwithstanding, the general public evidently agreed as The Beat(en) Generation became The The's first ever UK Top 20 hit, reaching #18 in April. There were two additional remixes on the 12" and I picked the stripped back Campfire Mix for this selection.

Another surprise - nay, shock - late entry to this series is The Cure. In April 1990, I still didn't own any of their albums though I had a few of their 12" singles, so I'm as surprised as you that it's taken until 1989 for them to debut. That said, as the original tapes covering 1982 to 1985 have been lost forever and were recreated from scratch, it's possible that Let's Go To Bed, The Lovecats or Close To Me previously featured but I'll never know for sure.

Lullaby is an astonishing single with yet another memorable video directed by Tim Pope, so it's not really a surprise that I bought it. Again, it was the 7" not 12", so I most likely got it from the bargain bin at Woolworths. Still, it's #5 peak was another reason why Top Of The Pops and the Radio 1 chart rundown weren't a complete waste of time in the late 80s.

So, the selection and the series comes to a close with another first-time appearance here, Kate Bush and the title track of her album The Sensual World. The single entered the chart at #12 on 24th September 1989 and began a slow slide back out in the following four weeks. In my opinion, it's one of the finest songs she's ever recorded. From the opening church bell peals, to the Irish music flavours and Kate's sweetly restrained vocals, it's a magical journey from start to finish and a perfect way to end this voyage into the past.

I thought when I started this, that it would be a fun run though for a few weeks, with some top tunes and a few attempts at wit thrown in. It's been a lot more than that: I've revisited artists - and subsequently albums - that I haven't heard in a long while; I've also dredged up memories and snapshots of my callow youth.

Thanks so much for coming along with me, and your words of encouragement on the way. I am gradually getting back to responding to your many and lovely comments. And yes Ernie, I will answer your burning question about my first proper girlfriend ;-)

That's it for now. I never got around to the more dance-themed 80s collection or repeated this endeavour for the 1990s when I reached the new millennium. It was fun while it lasted.

Normal service resumes next weekend. By that, I mean the return of winging it and off the cuff musings...!

1) Channel Z (Remix/Edit): The B-52's

2) Hypnotised (The Fon Force Edit): Cabaret Voltaire ft. Ten City

3) Wise Up! Sucker (7" Version): Pop Will Eat Itself

4) Personal Jesus (Holier Than Thou Approach): Depeche Mode

5) Fools Gold 4.15 (7" Version): The Stone Roses

6) Standing There (Andalucian Mix) (Edit By Khayem): The Creatures

7) Club Mekon (Album Version): Mekons

8) Monkey Gone To Heaven (Album Version): Pixies

9) Destroyed (Album Version): The Almighty

10) The Beat(en) Generation (Campfire Mix): The The

11) Lullaby (Remix): The Cure

12) The Sensual World (Album Version): Kate Bush

Side Two (46:08) (KF) (Mega)

If you missed any of the previous posts, you can jump straight to them here.

1980   1981   1982   1983   1984   1985   1986   1987   1988

Decade V: 1988

Side 1 of a C90 of the 80s, recorded 8th April 1990.

 

First up, apologies for the very late post this morning. I had a long day at work, overslept and woke to a wailing cat, who was behaving like they had been trapped at the bottom of a well for a week without food. Where were they three hours ago?!

Anyhoo...

1988 was a transformative year, in good and bad ways. By the end of the year, I'd turned 18, dropped out of sixth form college, passed my driving test and bought my first car, got a job, went clubbing more and found myself mostly single and 'friend zoned' more often than I planned, and before that was even a thing. And still living at home with my parents, which was really starting to bite.

Musically speaking, my horizons were broadening exponentially, though you'd be hard pressed to guess from today's selection. 

I went to relatively few gigs in 1988, but all ‘first timers’: Erasure supported by Zip (Pete Shelley's short-lived band); Siouxsie & The Banshees; Pixies supported by My Bloody Valentine (!); Marc Almond and Julian Cope. What a year!

Despite the absence here of songs aimed squarely at the pop charts or the dancefloor (as explained last week), I quite like this selection's eclectic mix of hits, non-hits and never-had-a-hope-of-being hits.

The lush gatefold 12" single of Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie's eponymous single leapt out from the record racks almost as much as the 'reduced for a quick sale' sticker in the top right hand corner of the sleeve did. I'd seen The Rattler on TV, and bought this one on  spec. I enjoyed this EP and their debut album, though it was the first time I really understood what was meant by 'over produced'. Turns out the guy at the controls was Rheinhold Mack, Queen's go-to producer. Not such a good fit for the (other) Macks, unfortunately. They never got the success they deserved, but Shirley Manson did alright afterwards.

By 1988, Killing Joke were reduced to a duo of Jaz Coleman and Geordie Walker and released the album Outside The Gate, which seems largely unloved. On first hearing lead single America, I thought it was so awful that I had to buy it. I've grown to love it - and the album - since, it's bonkers. 

Andrew Eldritch was continuing to piss off the Goth purists by reforming The Sisters Of Mercy with Patricia Morrison (ex-Gun Club) and daring to grow a beard and wear a cream suit with tie on Top Of The Pops. I loved what went before, but I loved the overblown drama of This Corrosion and the Floodland album too. Dominion was another heavy single, but a welcome chart-troubling contrast to Rick Astley, Mel & Kim and Johnny Hates Jazz.

Zeke Manyika was a member of Orange Juice and played on The The's Soul Mining album. Matt Johnson returned the favour by co-producing and 'editing the lyrics' for Zeke's single Bible Belt. One of many anti-apartheid songs at the time, the astonishing video was filmed in The Beira Corridor in Mozambique with the blessing of the authorities, who lent a train, a military helicopter, and an armed security detail! Bible Belt was sadly not a hit.

Orange Crush, however, provided R.E.M. with their first Top 30 single in the UK. The title refers to the chemical defoliant Agent Orange used extensively by the US Army in the Vietnam War. Coincidentally, Agent Orange also inspired the title of a Depeche Mode B-side the previous year. Whilst Green is not my all-time favourite R.E.M. album, it was head and shoulders above much of what was in the charts in 1988, as was the single. It still holds that power.

I got into Pixies straight away, as my brother had a copy of Come On Pilgrim, though I think he was less excited about it than I was. I soon got my own, along with follow up Surfer Rosa and the double A-side 12" pairing re-recorded versions of Gigantic and River Euphrates. Whilst I prefer Steve Albini's production on the former, Gil Norton's extended take on River Euphrates on the single just about edges it for me. 

I bought The Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu double vinyl compilation Shag Times in 1989. I subsequently trading it in for a CD version, which is these days cited by writers recalling the "CD rot" travesty of the same period. My copy is rarely played now, but (touch wood) is at least still playable. I also belatedly bought the 12" single of Burn The Bastards, which contains an edit and a club mix, both credited to The KLF. 

 

Burn The Bastards is a joyous, carefree pastiche/rip-off of Sly & The Family Stone's Dance To The Music (repurposed as "JAMS have a party!"). Bill Drummond tries rapping and there are samples galore, including Whacko Jacko and yes, that's Dirty Den from EastEnders being abruptly cut off at the end.

Also benefiting from a remix are The Sugarcubes, with Cold Sweat. I loved their album, but I have a special place in my heart for the remixes of Cold Sweat and Deus, on limited edition 12" and 10" singles respectively. This version strips things back a little, beefs up the drums, inserts a well-placed sample and gives more room to Björk and Einar's dynamic duet.

And yes, some U2 with their first UK #1 single, Desire in October 1988. I perhaps should have included a health warning for some of the regulars. I make no apologies, I like the song, they were my friend Stuart's favourite band and whilst I didn't own any of their albums, I begrudgingly enjoyed U2's Rattle & Hum film, even if Bono was being a hairy arse for most of it. An unintentionally hilarious hairy arse, to be specific.

Shane MacGowan was called many things, but he was definitely less of a hairy arse than Bono. And The Pogues were fantastic. I bought the limited edition 12" of If I Should Fall From Grace With God, released in a green tinted sleeve to coincide with/celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Why on earth wasn't this a #1 too?

Scritti Politti were also back in 1988, with the follow up to the phenomenally successful Cupid + Psyche 85. Provision is a great album and made the Top Ten, though didn't quite match the success of its predecessor. Likewise, the singles.  

 

Boom! There She Was only managed #55, despite the added appeal of "Roger" aka Roger Troutman of Zapp fame, who thankfully remembered to bring along his trademark talk box, which he uses liberally throughout the song. Maybe radio listeners weren't quite ready for this. Or maybe it was Green's lyrics, which reference the Tupamaros (a guerilla group in Uruguay circa 1970-1971), Pharmacopoeia (a book used to identify of compound medicines), or Italian motorcycle manufacturer Moto Guzzi. Stock/Aitken/Waterman it most definitely was not!

 

Talking Heads delivered what was to be their final album this year. Reading Chris Franz' autobiography, it seems that this was essentially David Byrne getting to work with a bunch of other artists (including Johnny Marr), with the rest of the band treated as little more than session musicians. Byrne may or may not remember things differently, but regardless, the end was nigh.

 

I don't think I've ever seen anyone refer to Blind as the best Talking Heads album and it most certainly isn't. And yet, there are moments of greatness on it, not least with the single Blind. It's recognisable as Talking Heads, but it's paving the way for David Byrne's subsequent solo album. Blind is also funky as hell, with an infectious twangy guitar and rolling toms, demanding that you get into the groove.

 

See you here again tomorrow (hopefully back to the usual time) for the final part of this series and the last gasp of the 1980s...

 

1) Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie (Single Version): Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie

2) America (Single Version): Killing Joke

3) Dominion (Unreleased Promo Version): The Sisters Of Mercy

4) Bible Belt (7" Version): Zeke Manyika

5) Orange Crush (Album Version): R.E.M.

6) River Euphrates (Single Version): Pixies

7) Burn The Bastards (Edit): The KLF

8) Coldsweat (Remix): The Sugarcubes

9) Desire (Album Version): U2

10) If I Should Fall From Grace With God (7" Remix): The Pogues

11) Boom! There She Was (U.S. Mix): Scritti Politti ft. Roger

12) Blind (Album Version): Talking Heads

 

Side One (45:48) (KF) (Mega)

Recorded By Steve Albini

Celebrating Steve Albini, 22nd July 1962 to 7th May 2024.

I was hours behind everyone with the unwelcome news, only chancing upon it because I checked my phone just before I put my head down for the night. There was no doubt waking up this morning that I'd focus today's post on the merest hint of Steve's genius. He didn't like to be labelled as a producer, frequently credited as 'recorded by' but he was obviously so, so much more, which is clear from the transformative effect his presence in the studio has had on the hundreds of artists he has worked with. 

 

There are already many thousands of words out there paying tribute to his hugely important and influential career, his kindness and generosity, side-by-side with a no-bullshit attitude and a lifetime dedicated to music and being authentic, an overused term but you'll know what I mean when applied to Steve Albini.

 

Steve was only 61. Gone far too soon.

 

The limited time I've had to pull this selection together (I'm already at risk of being late for work but priorities, right?) means that there's so much more that I could say yet can't include in today's post. However, pop over to The Vinyl Villain as JC pulled a late shift last night to hold the presses and post an incredible Imaginary Compilation Album with superlative sleeve notes. I'm expecting more tributes to follow in this corner of the blogosphere, given how much Steve Albini has populated our respective record collections these past four decades.

At first, I was tempted to exclude all of the more obvious choices of artists, and whilst I managed to drop Nirvana, in all conscience I couldn't ignore The Wedding Present, PJ Harvey or Pixies, whose Surfer Rosa was the first time I'd heard an album recorded by Steve Albini.

I've also tried to include some more unusual song selections and possibly one or two artists that you may not have realised Steve worked with, such as Nina Nastasia and Anni Rossi. 

Cosmia by Joanna Newsom is a bit of a cheat: Steve 'just' recorded the vocals and harp, the other constituent parts worked on by Van Dyke Parks, Jim O'Rourke and Joanna; however, it sits beautifully between Low and Songs: Ohia and couldn't be left out.

 

The selection ends, as it probably should, with a song from PJ Harvey's 1993 album Rid Of Me. Man-Size was - and remains - a hugely important song, but the decision to include two versions on the album was a bold one. I've opted for Man-Size Sextet here as it demonstrated a different side to Polly's and Steve's work that I'd been familiar with up to that point.

 

Rest (and record) in power, Steve, you've left us with so much to treasure.

 

1) We Are The Snare: Spare Snare (2018)

2) Santa Ana Winds: The Wedding Present (2008)

3) Everything You Say Will Destroy You: The Auteurs (1996)

4) Bang On: The Breeders (2008)

5) Where Is My Mind?: Pixies (1988)

6) Quick, Before It Melts: Cinerama (2002)

7) Weight Of Water: Low (1999)

8) Cosmia: Joanna Newsom (2006)

9) Farewell Transmission: Songs: Ohia (2003)

10) Fuckingsong: Jarvis Cocker (2009)

11) Our Day Trip: Nina Nastasia (2006)

12) Leave Me Alone So I Can Rock Again: The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion (1999)

13) Ecology: Anni Rossi (2009)

14) Man-Size Sextet: PJ Harvey (1993)

1988: Surfer Rosa: 5

1993: Rid Of Me: 14

1996: After Murder Park: 3

1999: Acme-Plus: 12 

1999: Secret Name: 7

2002: Quick, Before It Melts EP: 6 

2003: The Magnolia Electric Co: 9 

2006: On Leaving: 11

2006: Ys: 8

2008: El Rey: 2

2008: Mountain Battles: 4

2009: Further Complications: 10

2009: Rockwell: 13

2018: 'Sounds' Recorded By Steve Albini: 1

Recorded By Steve Albini (50:52) (KF) (Mega)

#Colours Top 20 (Second Shade)

The second half of the (E)x-Twitter 'countdown' that I've participated in for the past 20 days, featuring songs, artists or lyrics featuring a colour.

As with the first ten, I've stuck with just song titles throughout, with my second round up coming in at one second under 40 minutes.

 

I also continued with my 'method' (I use the term loosely) of trying to make sure that the subsequent colour complemented the one that had preceded it. This limiting my choice of songs each time but hopefully provided for some interesting segues from, say, Cathal Coughlan to Peaches. 

 

I only did one swap throughout the entire run. My original pick for #17 was Coral Moon by John Cale from his 1973 album, Helen Of Troy. Realising that the pick would coincide with International Women's Day, I replaced it with A Coral Room by Kate Bush, which on reflection I think was a better choice and made for a good segue from Echo & The Bunnymen.

 

This late change also meant that I was able to find another (complementary) John Cale song and tweet it on the following day, which also happened to be his 82nd birthday. Win win, I'd say.

 

The final song of the 20 wouldn't have appeared at all had it not been for Ernie Goggins' end of year round up over at 27 Leggies back in December 2022, a reminder of how much music I discover thanks to you lovely people out there in the blogosphere. And in my opinion, it's a great way to wrap up what has been a fun series to participate in.

 

11) Into The White (Single Version): Pixies (1989)

12) Lime Tree Arbour (Album Version): Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (1997)

13) Tangerine: Cathal Coughlan (2022)

14) I Feel Cream (Album Version): Peaches (2009)

15) Silverblade (Single Version): The Jesus & Mary Chain (1990)

16) Turquoise Days: Echo & The Bunnymen (1981)

17) A Coral Room: Kate Bush (2005)

18) Bamboo Floor ("Slow Dazzle" Session Outtake): John Cale (1975)

19) Olive Avenue: Port Sulphur ft. Jay Stansfield (2018)

20) Golden Spoon Maroon: Yasus Afari (2021) 

 

1981: Heaven Up Here: 6

1989: Here Comes Your Man EP: 1 

1990: Rollercoaster EP: 5 

1996: The Island Years: 8

1997: The Boatman's Call: 2

2005: Aerial: 7

2009: I Feel Cream: 4 

2018: Paranoic Critical: 9

2022: E.P. Of Co-Aklan EP: 3

2022: Golden Spoon Maroon: 10

 

Second Shade (39:59) (KF) (Mega)

Eclectic Guitar Restrung

Side 1 of a mixtape, compiled 3rd October 1999. 

Another C90-friendly delve into music with guitars. And other stuff. 

 

This might be the only place today where you'll hear The Clash next to Bis, The Doors trading organs with GusGus and Sly & The Family Stone tipping a hat to Magazine.

Play LOUD.

 

1) What Do You Want From Me? (Edit): Monaco (1997)

2) Deep Sleep (US Album Remix By Tom Durack): The B-52's (1990)

3) U-Mass (Album Version): Pixies (1991)

4) Spanish Bombs: The Clash (1979)

5) Action And Drama (Album Version): Bis (1999)

6) Cut Your Hair: Pavement (1994) 

7) Dry The Rain (Single Version): The Beta Band (1997)

8) Twentieth Century Fox: The Doors (1967)

9) Ladyshave (Album Version): GusGus (1999)

10) Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again): Sly & The Family Stone (1970)

11) Rhythm Of Cruelty (Album Version): Magazine (1979)

12) Christianity (Album Version): The Wolfgang Press (1995)

13) A Loon (Strings Version) (Part 2): Kristin Hersh ft. Martin McCarrick (1994)

 

1967: The Doors: 8 

1970: Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again) EP: 10

1979: London Calling: 4 

1979: Secondhand Daylight: 11

1991: Party Mix! / Mesopotamia (USA remixed re-release): 2

1991: Trompe Le Monde: 3

1994: Crooked Rain Crooked Rain: 6

1994: Strings EP: 13

1995: Funky Little Demons: 12

1997: Champion Versions EP: 7

1997: What Do You Want From Me? EP: 1 

1999: Social Dancing: 5

1999: This Is Normal: 9

 

Side One (45:52) (KF) (Mega)
Side Two here