The Pain Inside Just Channels My Means

The unexpected but welcome return of The Wolfgang Press with new material in 2024 has thankfully proved not to be a one-off.

Speakers Don't Speak heralds seventh studio album, Asylum Variations, in September. It's a characteristically dark song, with creepy guitar twangs, insistent percussion and a infectiously groovy bass. 

Typically one for throwing uncomfortable, awkward shapes on the indie dancefloor yet sounding like The Wolfgang Press in the 21st Century. 

Speaking of which, this is their take on the present day from their comeback album, A 2nd Shape:

I was properly introduced to The Wolfgang Press in May 1989, when they opened for Pixies ar The Studio (now the O2 Academy) in Bristol. I thought they were great and dived into their back catalogue on 4AD, continuing up to their final album for the label, Funky Little Demons in 1995.

I've included a handful of, well, highlights if not hits below. I'm very happy that there's a second chapter to the story.

1) Cut The Tree (1987)

2) Kansas (1989)

3) A Girl Like You (1992)

4) Christianity (1995)

5) Going South (1995)

 

 

 

 

 

Wob Almighty

Any day is a good day to listen to Jah Wobble, so here's a fresh 75-minute Dubhed selection of 12 songs that have been touched by the hand of Wob.

Spanning 1991 to 2002, this is a globe-trotting expedition taking in artists from Australia, Brazil, Jamaica, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, with frequent rest stops in blighted Blighty.

Turn up the bass, dial up the volume and prepare to immerse yourself in an eclectic mix, including a UK #1 single!

As it's Friday, I've reposted more Jah Wobble wonderment, including a previous Wob-heavy Dubhed selection from 2022.

1) Paths (Jah Wobble Remix): Robert Miles ft. Nina Miranda (2001)

2) Chains (Wobble Mix By Jah Wobble): The Wolfgang Press (1994)

3) Familus Horribilus (Mega Wob 2) (Remix By Jah Wobble): Pop Will Eat Itself (1993)

4) Go Into The Light (Celestial Dub Mix By Jah Wobble): Ian McNabb (1993)

5) Kiss Kiss (Jah Wobble Remix) (Single Version): Holly Valance (2002)

6) Night Nurse (Jah Wobble 12" Mix) (Cover of Gregory Isaacs): Sly & Robbie ft. Simply Red (1997)

7) Child (Jah Wobble Mix): Definition Of Sound (1996)

8) So Let Me Go Far (So Let Me Wobble Jah) (Remix By Jah Wobble): Dodgy (1994)

9) Texture (Remixed By Jah Wobble): Soft Ballet (1992)

10) Liquid Cool (Jah Wobble Remix): Apollo 440 (1994)

11) Chinatown New York (Wobble Mix By Jah Wobble): Bebop 90 (1991)

12) Ĉuovgi Liekkas (Jah Wobble Remix II): Mari Boine (2001)

1991: Fuse II: World Dance Music: 11

1992: Alter Ego: 9

1993: Familus Horribilus / RSVP EP: 3

1993: Go Into The Light EP: 4

1994: Going South EP: 2

1994: Liquid Cool EP: 10

1994: So Let Me Go Far EP: 8

1996: Child EP: 7

1997: Night Nurse EP: 6

2001: Paths EP: 1

2001: Remixed / Oðða Hámis: 12

2002: Kiss Kiss EP: 5

Wob Almighty (1:14:49) (GD) (M)

In Wob We Trust (January 2022)

Wob Three Times (August 2023)

Kicking Down The Khazi (December 2023)

Thousand

No prizes for guessing what post number this is. 

Here's an eclectic 90 minutes of songs, remixes or acts featuring either '1000' or 'thousand' in the name. What was a little surprising was just how many examples are bouncing around in my collection. Even my shortlist contained roughly twice as many songs as made the final selection. 

Something for everyone, although not necessarily all together or in the right order. Ride, Hoodoo Gurus, Dengue Fever, The Sugarcubes, Gram Parsons, Gonzales, Stereolab, the selection also hops around the world a fair bit. Speaking of which...

 

Those of you who follow the excellent 27 Leggies and in particular Ernie's African Odyssey will have been hugely disappointed by the difficult decision to exclude the mighty King Ayisoba from this week's stop off in Ghana, such was the embarrassment of musical riches emanating from the country. Rest assured, his majesty makes an appearance here, with one of the songs that Ernie originally posted and part of my introduction to the Ghanaian great.

The selection closes with a two-hander from XTC and The Coral and I don't think I could have picked two better songs to wrap up. 

Viel spaß mit meiner tausendsten beitragsauswahl, meine Freunde!

1) 1000 Miles: Ride (1994)

2) Rilly Groovy (S1000 Mix By Spencer Williams & Mike Koglin): Beautiful People ft. Jimi Hendrix (1992)

3) Furious Angels (Rollo's Thousand Volts Mix): Rob Dougan (1998)

4) 1000 Miles Away: Hoodoo Gurus ft. Vicki Peterson (1991)

5) One Thousand Miles An Hour: Stereolab (1995)

6) 1000 Faces: Gonzales (2002)

7) Through It Poured The Next Day, I Never Noticed The Rain (Single Version): One Thousand Violins (1986)

8) One Thousand Tears Of A Tarantula (Album Version): Dengue Fever (2005)

9) One Thousand Years: TUU (1993)

10) Swords Of A Thousand Men: Tenpole Tudor (1981)

11) 1000 Dollar Car: The Bottle Rockets (1994)

12) Son Of A Thousand Fathers: Prince Fatty & Mutant Hi-Fi (2011)

13) 1000 Miles: Dirty Three (1996)

14) Blue-Eyed Pop (S1000 Mix By Spencer Williams & Mike Koglin): The Sugarcubes (1992)

15) 1000 Can Die: King Ayisoba ft. M3nsa & Lee 'Scratch' Perry (2017)

16) $1000 Wedding: Gram Parsons ft. Emmylou Harris (1974)

17) A Girl Like You (1000 Times) (Remix By Howard Gray): The Wolfgang Press ft. Claudia Fontaine (1992)

18) 1000 Umbrellas: XTC (1986)

19) 1000 Years: The Coral (2010)

 

1974: $1000 Wedding: 16

1981: Eddie, Old Bob, Dick And Gary: 10

1986: Please Don't Sandblast My House EP: 7 

1986: Skylarking (2016 Steven Wilson Mix): 18

1991: Kinky: 4 

1992: A Girl Like You EP: 17

1992: It's-It: 14

1992: Rilly Groovy EP: 2 

1993: One Thousand Years: 9

1994: Carnival Of Light: 1 

1994: The Brooklyn Side: 11

1995: The In Sound EP: 5 

1996: Horse Stories: 13

1998: Furious Angels EP: 3

2002: Presidential Suite: 6

2005: Escape From Dragon House: 8

2010: Butterfly House: 19

2011: Return Of Gringo!: 12

2017: 1000 Can Die: 15

Thousand (1:29:08) (KF) (Mega)

And if that's not enough for you, there are thousands of others that could have made the cut. 

Contributing today's cover photo, I bought the 12" of I Feel It/Thousand by Moby in the 1990s. I remember reading in Mixmag or DJ magazine at the time that the song achieved a Guinness World Record for having the fastest BPM tempo of any released single, peaking at approximately 1,015 beats per minute. 

 

None of which means the song is any good, of course. Rather than subject you to the full version, here's two minutes of Moby "performing" Thousand at the Electric Daisy Carneval in (I think) 2015. Health warning: strobe lights, plus a bald, pasty-skinned man topless and puffing his chest out to the largely indifferent masses. The fireworks are lovely, though.

 

Someone else who's still rocking the hairspray and lippy like it's 1985 is Robert Smith of The Cure. Here's A Thousand Hours (and bonus At Night) performed last October in Los Angeles. The venue is the Smoothie King Center, presumably named after a US company/sponsor but was there ever a more appropriately named venue for ol' Bob?

Back to 1994 and The Fatima Mansions live on stage 1000%, again cutting away to some fairly blank faces. Phillistines! I saw Cathal Coughlan and crew at The Fleece in Bristol around the same time and it was one of the most blistering, incendiary gigs I've been to. A greatly missed creative genius. 

You get some strange stuff on You Tube, don't you? I love The Beloved and I really like the song 1000 Years From Today. One fan has taken this one step further and created their own video. Not the mental image I had when listening to the song previously.

 

I have one song by Lia Ices aka Leah Kessel, courtesy of a Mojo magazine cover mount CD. A bit of an insult really, given that she's released four albums since 2008. Luckily for Lia, the one song is called Thousand Eyes so it gets a mention here. Not a fan-made video, although it's cut-and-paste job shamelessly stealing from Bollywood.

And for those of you who on seeing the post title and theme have been shouting "Where's Slough's finest, Thousand Yard Stare, for feck's sake?!" at the screen ever since, I think it's about time you got your comeuppance. 

 

No, I mean the song's called Comeuppance... 

 

Wait, come back....

 

...oh, now I've gone and done it.

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

Senza Voce

...or 'without voice' (thank you, Google translate), which sums up today's selection of instrumental songs, stripped of their usually familiar vocals bar the odd sample, whoop and ad lib here and there.

When trawling for ideas for a cover image, I was reminded of the rather bizarre primary school ritual of 'fingers on lips'. Teachers obviously considered us such a wild, unruly, feral lot that simply telling us to be quiet wasn't enough, we had to seal the deal by placing a digit on our mouth and hold it there until we were deemed worthy of voice again. What a strange instruction. 

 

No surprise that Shane MacGowan would struggle with this into adulthood, Glenn Gregory of Heaven 17 seems similarly resistant but you can rely on ol' Madge, although she's unsurprisingly adopting the role of teacher not pupil here.

For anyone feeling anxiety before casting their eyes down at the track list, I can reassure you that Hush by Kula Shaker does not appear in any shape or form. There is Simply Red, but DJ Muggs has done us all the favour of removing Mick Hucknall altogether...along with pretty much the whole band, by the sound of things.

The selection starts with the opening track of Madonna's 1998 album Ray Of Light, albeit with no trace of Ms. Ciccone's dulcet tones. From there, we go past Simply Red to Tears For Fears reading Sylvia Plath, winding our way into Hell's Ditch where we find The Pogues and Joe Strummer.

Love And Rockets lend a hand out of the ditch with an instrumental version of If There's A Heaven Above, re-titled God And Mr. Smith, before Frazier Chorus give us a lift the rest of the way there until The KLF point out that we're actually about 30 miles southwest of Glasgow 3 miles north of Manchester [note; thanks for the save, Charity Chic, I don't think anyone noticed!]

 

Renegade Soundwave riff on Serge Gainsbourg with their eponymous 1994 single, crashing into Yo La Tengo's motel room in the wee hours of the morning with Jah Wobble and Animal (Dave Maltby, not the Muppets drummer). 

 

Crawling out of the room the following morning, we find Pete Wylie slumped against a wall, with a note pinned to his chest explaining that L'Espwah! is French for Hope (I Wish You'd Believe Me). I got a D in my French 'O' Level, so I don't have a clue what he means. 

 

No-Man promise fun Days In The Trees but we're distracted by The Wolfgang Press arguing with the vicar about Christianity outside the local church. We ditch the both of them and head back with Heaven 17. I'm hungry and fancy noodles but all we get is a noodly Fairlight and System 100 Simulated Classical Guitar instrumental of The Skin I'm In, which does little for my appetite.

Depeche Mode try to convince us that It Doesn't Matter but having had enough of them all, we head off with It's Immaterial to find some Space. Peace at last, and it only took an hour.

 

1) Drowned World / Substitute For Love (Instrumental Version By Madonna & William Orbit): Madonna (1998)

2) Never Never Love (DJ Muggs Instrumental Mix): Simply Red (1996)

3) Johnny Panic And The Bible Of Dreams (Instrumental): Tears For Fears (1990)

4) Hell's Ditch (Instrumental Version By Joe Strummer & Paul Cobbold): The Pogues (1990)

5) God And Mr. Smith (Instrumental Version): Love And Rockets (1985)

6) Heaven (God Like Instrumental) (Remixed By Youth): Frazier Chorus (1990)

7) Prestwich Prophet's Grin (Instrumental Remix) (120 BPM): The KLF (1988) 

8) Renegade Soundwave (7" Instrumental): Renegade Soundwave (1994) 

9) From A Motel 6 #2 (Instrumental Version): Yo La Tengo (1993)

10) A Long, Long Way (Instrumental): Jah Wobble with Animal (1982) 

11) L'Espwah! (Instrumental Version By Mike Hedges & Pete Wylie): Wah! (1983)

12) Days In The Trees (Bach) (Instrumental Version By Steven Wilson): No-Man (1991)

13) Christianity (Instrumental Remix By Drostan Madden & Howard Gray): The Wolfgang Press (1995)

14) Skin (Instrumental Mix By Greg Walsh & Martyn Ware): Heaven 17 (1984)

15) It Doesn't Matter Two (Instrumental): Depeche Mode (1986)

16) Space (Instrumental Remix By Bert Bevans): It's Immaterial (1986)

 

1982: A Long, Long Way EP: 10

1983: Hope (I Wish You'd Believe Me) EP: 11 

1984: This Is Mine EP: 14

1985: If There's A Heaven Above EP: 5 

1986: A Question Of Lust EP: 15

1986: Space EP: 16

1988: Burn The Beat (USA 12") / Shag Times: 7

1990: Advice For The Young At Heart EP: 3

1990: Ray / The Baby Album (ltd 2x CD): 6

1990: Summer In Siam EP: 4

1994: Renegade Soundwave EP: 8

1995: Christianity EP (USA promo CDS): 13

1996: Genius + Love = Yo La Tengo: 9

1996: Never Never Love EP: 2

1998: Ray Of Light (Instrumentals) (bootleg): 1

2001: Lost Songs: Volume One: 12

 

Senza Voce (1:00:37) (KF) (Mega)

Alien Attack!

Side 2 of a cassette compilation, featuring some indie - and not-so-indie - tunes, recorded 22nd July 1998.

 

Tenuous link(s) time: 

 

1) Today's photo is a TV screen grab of a scene from 1982 film The Soldier, which grabbed my attention in a late-hours/should-have-gone-to-bed moment solely because the credits mentioned the soundtrack music was by Tangerine Dream. I sat through the film (I may have had a couple of micro sleeps in between) and coming to a realisation at the end that at least it was an hour and a half of my life I wouldn't have to repeat. The film's tenuous link to today's mixtape title is that whilst there clearly is an attack (one of many), there are zero aliens from start to finish. Putting aliens in the film may have actually helped.

2) Previous Friday selections have often tried to get the party started, with some upbeat music, daring some times with some actual disco (never a particularly popular choice, it seems). Today's tenuous link to Friday music is that the selection includes a song by Gavin Friday. I'm not expecting any comments that this selection has generated an uncontrollable urge to conga into the streets, banging a saucepan with a wooden spoon, whooping with delight and urging your neighbours to join the line.

For all that, much to enjoy, I hope. A couple of big hitters with Radiohead and The Smashing Pumpkins, a couple of off-shoot projects with The Sea Nymphs (Cardiacs) and Black Box Recorder (Luke Haines/The Auteurs), a couple from the 1980s with My Bloody Valentine and It's Immaterial and one 1970s alternative classic from Big Star.

 

Other than that, it's mid-late 1990s all the way with Stereolab, Leila, the aforementioned Gavin Friday, The High Llamas and The Wolfgang Press.   

 

Now, excuse me whilst I go and find a saucepan and wooden spoon, I've got me some whooping and a-hollering and, er, conga-ing to do...

 

1) (Nice Dream) (Album Version): Radiohead (1995)

2) Monstre Sacre: Stereolab (1996)

3) No More Sorry: My Bloody Valentine (1988)

4) Eye: The Smashing Pumpkins (1996)

5) Misunderstood (Album Version): Leila ft. Donna Paul (1998)

6) Dolls: Gavin Friday (1995)

7) The Sweet Life: It's Immaterial (1986)

8) Christ Alive: The Sea Nymphs (1995)

9) Showstop Hip Hop (Edit): The High Llamas (1997)

10) Kanga Roo: Big Star (1975)

11) Ideal Home: Black Box Recorder (1998)

12) Chains (Album Version): The Wolfgang Press ft. Claudia Fontaine (1995)

 

1975: 3rd: 10

1986: Life's Hard And Then You Die: 7

1988: Isn't Anything: 3

1995: The Bends: 1

1995: Funky Little Demons: 12

1995: The Sea Nymphs: 8

1995: Shag Tobacco: 6

1996: Emperor Tomato Ketchup: 2 

1996: Lost Highway OST: 4

1998: England Made Me: 11

1998: In-Car Stereo (Melody Maker promo CD): 9

1998: Like Weather: 5

 

Side Two (46:43) (Box) (Mega)

Liars & Hypocrites

Sometimes the news headlines suggest the playlist...

 

If it's not galling enough that these lying, entitled scumbags are in government, their value on the consultancy and after-dinner speaking circuit has no doubt increased on the back of their increasing infamy.

 

Just stop pretending that you are representing "the people" and not the selfish, grubby interests of yourselves and your cronies. I did not vote for you and you do not represent me.

1) Devil Is A Liar: Kode9 & The Spaceape (2014)

2) Liar With Wings: Andrew Weatherall (2009) 

3) Hypocrite: Matumbi (1978)

4) Two Thieves And A Liar: Gary Clail / On-U Sound System ft. Bim Sherman (1989)

5) Liar, Liar (Cover of The Castaways): Deborah Harry (1988)

6) Burn The Liars: The Earlies (2007)

7) Reeling The Liars In (Cover of Swans): Cold Specks (2012)

8) Liar: Kelsey Lu (2016)

9) Liars A To E (Single Version): Dexy's Midnight Runners (1981)

10) Hypocrite: Lush (1994)

11) Fakes & Liars: The Wolfgang Press (1992)

12) Liar: Sex Pistols (1977)

1977: Never Mind The Bollocks Here's The Sex Pistols: 12

1978: Seven Seals: 3

1981: Liars A To E EP: 9

1988: Married To The Mob OST: 5

1989: End Of The Century Party: 4

1992: Queer: 11

1994: Hypocrite EP: 10

2007: The Enemy Chorus: 6

2009: A Pox On The Pioneers: 2 

2012: Dancing Coins EP: 7

2014: Killing Season EP: 1

2016: Church: 8

Liars & Hypocrites (43:41)

Too Much Trouble And Not Enough Time!

Side 2 of a 1997 mixtape, rescued from the loft. Going South was the hit that should have been for The Wolfgang Press. The Sabres Of Paradise and The Grid had their biggest UK chart successes, with Wilmot crashing in at #36 and Swamp Thing achieving the dizzy heights of #3. Apollo 440 and Björk both made the Top 10, whilst the single version of Open Up by Leftfield / Lydon reached #13 in 1993. Together with Side 1, possibly the closest I got to a "Now That's What I Call Dance Music" hits compilation.

 

1) Wilmot (Full Length Version By The Sabres Of Paradise & Mr. Scruff): The Sabres Of Paradise ft. Wonder (1994) 

2) Ain't Talkin' 'Bout Dub (Joey The Butcher Remix): Apollo 440 (1997)

3) Hyperballad (Subtle Abuse Mix By Outcast aka Beaumont Hannant & Richard Brown): Björk (1996)

4) Open Up (Album Version): Leftfield / Lydon (1995)

5) Swamp Thing (Deep Piece Mix By Stuart Crichton & Michael Kilkie): The Grid (1994)

6) Going South (@440 Mix By Apollo 440): The Wolfgang Press (1994)

 

Side Two (46:02)
 

Fever Needs A Cure

Side 2 of a 1996 mixtape, rescued from the loft. 

 

1) Only Baby (Album Version): No-Man (1993)

2) Luxury (Remix): Frank Tovey (1986) 

3) Rope (Extended Mix): It's Immaterial (1986)

4) 1963 (Single Version): New Order (1987)

5) Tarantula (Second Version) (12"): Colourbox (1983)

6) 11 Years (Sabres Main Mix 2 By Sabres Of Paradise aka Andrew Weatherall, Jagz Kooner & Gary Burns): The Wolfgang Press (1995)

7) It's A Fine Day (12" Mix): Opus III (1991)

8) Mission From God (Single Version): Curve (1992)

Side Two (47:40)