Madonna, Maradona, Maverick And Movies

"Gangway, Heroes!" Today brings a bespoke collection of covers of songs from 1986. 

Last night I stumbled across Scanner aka Robin Rimbaud's unexpected and delightful cover of Word Up! by Cameo. Originally recorded for WFMU Radio in New Jersey back in February, it was officially released a couple of days ago. If you're more familiar with Scanner’s 1990s music, it's quite the departure.

Similarly inspired, I trawled through my music collection and pulled a shortlist of 1986 songs, reworked and reimagined by other artists. I had over 40 to choose from and settled for a dozen, which meant some tough decisions, but I hope you'll enjoy my selection.

As the post title suggests, there is a Madonna cover - Live To Tell - albeit right at the end, courtesy of Catherine Anne Davies (The Anchoress) and Bernard Butler (Suede and a gazillion other things). Don't tell Ms. Ciccone, but it's better than the original.

1986 was chock full of singles that appeared in movie soundtracks. Live To Tell appeared in At Close Range, starring her then-husband Sean Penn and Christopher Walken. I must have seen it at the time, but I have little recollection of the film now.

But Not Tonight started as a Depeche Mode B-side, but an appearance in the film Modern Girls (starring Daphne Zuniga and Virginia Madsen) prompted their US label Sire to flip the single, relegated Stripped to side 2 and promoting But Not Tonight instead. Nearly two decades later, Jimmy Somerville gave it the high-pitched, Hi-NRG treatment.

And of course there was the memorable soundtrack to Pretty In Pink, not just the The Psychedelic Furs song that inspired the movie, but If You Leave, which proved to be a smash hit for OMD and still features in their live set today. Here, Angel Olsen ups the heartache in her own inimitable style.

The mention of Maverick, Tom Cruise's character in Top Gun, is a red herring and I apologise. Take My Breath Away by Berlin seemed to be #1 in the UK for an eternity (actually, only 4 weeks throughout November 1986). I have a couple of covers of the song, by Sharleen Spiteri and The Flying Pickets, but neither of them made the final cut.

There are a couple of side projects and aliases going on, which I need to shed some light on. The man behind The 6ths is Stephen Merritt, better known to the world as the genius behind The Magnetic Fields. Stephen got his old mucker Lloyd Cole on board to sing for his contribution to a tribute to The Human League. 

The Hot Rats are Gaz and Danny from Supergrass in disguise, whose 2010 covers album Turn Ons featured their takes on artists including Roxy Music, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Pet Shop Boys, The Cure and my pick today, Beastie Boys. Well worth tracking down.

If you have an urge to scan the track listing before subjecting yourself to my rambling "sleeve notes", you will have spotted the inclusion of First We Take Manhattan, recorded by R.E.M. and credited as a cover of a Jennifer Warnes song. Yes, R.E.M.'s version appeared on I'm Your Fan: The Songs Of Leonard Cohen in 1991, but Laughing Len gifted it to Jennifer first, her recording released in October 1986, Cohen's version following in January 1988. Personally, I think Stipe, Berry, Buck and Mills smash it.

And another red herring (or was it the hand of God?) with the reference to Maradona and, by association, that fateful 1986 World Cup. New Order didn't realise their own World Cup song until 4 years later, but 1986 saw one of their finest singles in Bizarre Love Triangle. Often covered since, I've gone for a relatively obscure version by Charlotte Martin, which I like very much.

As for the rest of this selection, you can enjoy The Smiths as covered by Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, sounding as potent in 1992 and it did six years previously. Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie show some solidarity with fellow Scots, with a wonderful cover of Somewhere In China by Shop Assistants. 

Last but certainly not least, one from my hometown heroes, The Blue Aeroplanes covering Paul Simon's Top 30 hit The Boy In The Bubble. Sadly, history didn't repeat in 1991, though it should have done.

1) Word Up! (Cover of Cameo): Scanner (2026)

2) Human (Cover of The Human League): The 6ths ft. Lloyd Cole (2000)

3) But Not Tonight (Cover of Depeche Mode): Jimmy Somerville (2004)

4) Bizarre Love Triangle (Cover of New Order): Charlotte Martin (2007)

5) Panic (Cover of The Smiths): Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine (1992)

6) Somewhere In China (Cover of Shop Assistants): Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie (1989)

7) The Boy In The Bubble (Cover of Paul Simon): The Blue Aeroplanes (1991)

8) First We Take Manhattan (Cover of Jennifer Warnes): R.E.M. (1991)

9) If You Leave (Cover of O.M.D.): Angel Olsen (2021)

10) Absolute Beginners (Cover of David Bowie): Saint Etienne (1993)

11) (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!) (Cover of Beastie Boys): The Hot Rats (2010)

12) Live To Tell (Cover of Madonna): Catherine Anne Davies & Bernard Butler (2020)

1989: Fish Heads And Tails: 6

1991: I'm Your Fan: The Songs Of Leonard Cohen: 8

1991: The Boy In The Bubble EP: 7

1992: The Only Living Boy In New Cross EP: 5

2000: Reproductions: Songs Of The Human League: 2

2004: Home Again: 3

2007: Reproductions: 4

2008: Boxette (#4: Eric Random): 10

2010: Turn Ons: 11

2020: In Memory Of My Feelings: 12

2021: Aisles EP: 9

2026: Word Up! EP: 1

Madonna, Maradona, Maverick And Movies (47:25) (GD) (M)

Three Times In The Night

No, not a reference to the number of nocturnal bathroom visits now that I am of a certain age, but a nod to Beck's new single In The Night.

This is Beck in reflective, heart-aching mood once more, acoustic guitar and emotive strings underpinning his soft yet deep voice. It's a brief song, clocking in at just under three minutes, but enough to get under your skin and seep into your subconsciousness.

Stick with the video, it's forty seconds in before the first musical note strikes, but casting Denis Lavant was a masterstroke, minimalist performance, maximum emotional impact.

There are two other songs in my music collection titled In The Night that I've plucked for posting, the first by Bauhaus, from their 1982 album The Sky's Gone Out and a bit of overlooked gem. 

The song wasn't a single and therefore wasn't furnished with a video back in the day. However, someone has cleverly cut scenes from 1927 Gothic short Prelude to the music, to great effect.

Last but certainly not least, In The Night by Pet Shop Boys, which you'd be forgiven for thinking was a single, but wasn't. In fact, for me and many other teen fashionistas in the late 80s, it was instantly familiar as the theme tune to The Clothes Show on BBC1.

After such a dramatic intro, presenters Jeff Banks and Caryn Franklin couldn't hope to be as cool as Neil and Chris. The Arthur Baker remix appeared in it's entirety on the Pet Shop Boys' first Disco album in 1986.

I had no idea that there was a video for this song!

Is It Truth Or Lies? You Never Know

Detachments were* active from 2008 to 2018, with a evolving, fluid roster, flowing around the core of Bastien Marshal aka Sebastien D.M. O'Malley.

Detachments released one self-titled album in 2010, otherwise communicating via single releases and a remix dispatches. There was a further (final?) remix compilation in 2023, complementing a singles collection in 2014, and that appears to be it.

I stumbled across on online conversation yesterday, triggered by the question of Andrew Weatherall's greatest ever remix. What became quickly apparent was that it's an impossible question to answer.

There were a few game attempts, quickly followed up with post scripted additions, whilst several acknowledged that it would be a struggle to even keep it to 30.

The only Detachments song that I'm really familiar with is 2010 single H.A.L. The single / album version is produced by James Ford, but the first version was made with Andrew Weatherall and originally popped up the previous year as the B-side of their single Circles.

The first version of H.A.L. that I heard though was Andrew Weatherall's Disco Club Mix, available in 2009 as a free download from RCRD LBL, and renamed on subsequent releases as Andrew Weatherall's Disco Dub. 

Although it may not immediately spring to mind as a contender for Lord Sabre's greatest ever remix, I love it, it's one that frequently appears on my shuffle playlist and it's damn near impossible to find fault with it.

See what I mean?

All three versions of H.A.L. are readily available on Detachments' Bandcamp page, along with what appears to be a definitive catalogue of their music, all at a decent price.

Flat Feet

Time for another dip into my Australia tour diary, on this day in 1991...

I was roped into going on a hike and I must admit that I was less than enthusiastic about it at first. It was good of David and Wendy to go to so much trouble to find things to entertain me, but really, a hike seemed too much like hard work. However, the plans had been made and there was no backing out, so off I went.

We journeyed to the John Forrest National Park, about 30 minutes out of Perth by car, and started off on our walk around 10.45am. Granted, the scenery was indeed beautiful: lush green grass; a rushing river; immense boulders; flowers of a dozen colours. However, I was a little apprehensive about the length of our hike and this preoccupied me for some time.

Stopping for lunch by the beautiful Hovea Falls, we watched amusedly as a group of Asian students messed around at the water's edge. They asked me to take some photos and I obliged, whilst Wendy took one of me standing by the falls a short time later. Then, it was time to set off on foot again, even though mine were starting to kill me. *

We eventually completed our round trip around 3.15pm, after a hike of fourteen kilometres (about eight and three quarter miles). No wonder my feet felt flatter than pancakes!! I did enjoy myself, though.

Back at the house, I finished reading Lord Of The Flies. Whew! What a book. I wonder if anyone will ever use the words "beautiful and desperate" to describe one of my pieces of work? [2026 note; after reading this today, possibly yes] 

I was feeling inspired by all this, so I returned once more to my own writing and, you know, I think I can actually see the end in sight... someday.

I seem to be in the throes of an explosion of creativity at the moment. I've rediscovered my ability to draw; I've been able to put pen to paper again; everything I've hoped to achieve so far I've done. Thank you, Australia!

Meanwhile, whilst I was spared the interminable hogging of the UK singles #1 spot by Bryan Adams with (Everything I Do) I Do It For You and a largely depressing Top 20, there were some poptastic glimmers of hope...

1) Pandora's Box: O.M.D. (#7)

2) Move Any Mountain (Progen '91): The Shamen (#9)

3) Chorus: Erasure (#11)

4) Just Another Dream: Cathy Dennis (#13)

5) 7 Ways To Love: Cola Boy (#18)

* [Foot note (sorry!) I wasn't just whinging about walking. Years later, I was found to have hyper mobile feet, which has gifted me with collapsed arches, chronic sprains, plantar fasciitis, and a lifetime of orthotics. None of that excuses my bad dancing, though.]

Sufjan Shuffle

I don't feature Sufjan Stevens here very often, which is borderline criminal. 

Sufjan doesn't release official videos to accompany his music very often, which I can't claim is borderline criminal. 

However, in lieu of a Dubhed selection (which, based on my current turnaround of idea and execution, will arrive sometime mid-2028) I'm posting five songs from the past decade which have been given the video treatment.

Enjoy!

1) Video Game: Sufjan Stevens ft. Jalaiah Harmon (The Ascension) (2020)

2) Will Anybody Ever Love Me? (Javelin) (2023)

3) Reach Out: Sufjan Stevens & Angelo De Augustine (A Beginner's Mind) (2021)

4) The Greatest Gift (The Greatest Gift Mixtape) (2021)

5) Tell Me You Love Me (The Ascension) (2020)

 

 

 

Hold Me Like The Morning Dew

Not For Radio is the project of Puerto Rico-born, Atlanta-raised and New York-based artists María Zardoya, perhaps better known as the front person of The Marías.

The irony of The Marias is that Maria is the only Maria in the band. The irony of Not For Radio is that, based on the Bloom EP at least, it's like Cocteau Twins, Cranes and Bat For Lashes mashed up and made for the airwaves. And that is no bad thing.

The Bloom EP is a proper, old school EP in that it comprises three songs - Kitten, Ache and Living Room - that could all be A-sides. There are videos for the first two, all moody lighting, flowing (or fluffy) clothing, amoke machines and dancing in the woods at night. The video for Kitten does indeed include a kitten, so extra cute points for that one.

I'm not quite sure about some of the lyrics - today's post title lifted from Kitten, for example - but the charm of the songs wins through.

For once, I'm not a decade late in finding Not For Radio, the debut album Melt emerged last October, and I've every intention of checking it out. In the meantime, the Bloom EP is added to my shopping list.

 

2026 Volts Of Holt

John Holt is a legend, pure and simple.

I was introduced to John Holt's music via Blondie's #1 single The Tide Is High, a song he co-wrote in 1967 with Tyrone Evans and Howard Barrett for their group The Paragons.

Going solo shortly afterwards, John expanded from reggae and rocksteady into lovers rock and roots reggae, becoming as popular for his cover versions as his original songs.

Today's selection is half and half self-penned songs and reinterpretations, spanning John's post-Paragons ventures in 1968, his groundbreaking 1973 album 1000 Volts Of Holt through to 1976 and the equally essential 2000 Volts Of Holt.

I've paired 1969 classic Ali Baba with one of the unreleased King Tubby dubs, created in the 1970s but unreleased for two decades. The selection also samples John's productive partnership with Arthur 'Duke' Reid, Bunny 'Striker' Lee and Keith Hudson, to name a few.

I was in a pretty good mood already, about ten times better for listening to this. Thanks, John.

1) The Treasure Of Love (Album Version By Bunny 'Striker' Lee) (1972)

2) Touch Me In The Morning (Album Version By Keith Bonsoir & Tony Ashfield) (Cover of Diana Ross) (1976)

3) Never, Never, Never (Album Version By Tony Ashfield & Trevor Newman) (Cover of 'Grande Grande Grande' by Mina) (1973)

4) I'll Be Lonely (Single Version By Arthur 'Duke' Reid): Jay & Joya (John Holt & Joya Landis) ft. Tommy McCook & The Supersonics (1968)

5) Pledging My Love (Album Version By Bunny 'Striker' Lee) (1972)

6) Ali Baba (Single Version By Arthur 'Duke' Reid) (1969)

7) Borderline Dub (Ali Baba Version By Bunny 'Striker' Lee): King Tubby & John Holt (197x)

8) Share My Rest (Single Version By Keith Hudson) (1970)

9) I Will (Album Version By Keith Bonsoir & Tony Ashfield) (Cover of The Beatles) (1976)

10) Girl From Ipanema (Jamaican Mix By Tony Ashfield & Trevor Newman) (Cover of Os Cariocas) (1973)

11) I've Been Admiring You (Album Version By Bunny 'Striker' Lee & Lord Koos) (1974)

12) I'd Love You To Want Me (Album Version By Tony Ashfield & Trevor Newman) (Cover of Lobo) (1973)

13) Rain From The Skies (Single Version By Prince Buster) (Cover of Adam Wade): John Holt ft. Prince Buster All Stars (1972)

14) Fancy Make Up (Single Version By Bunny 'Striker' Lee): Dennis Brown & John Holt (1971)

15) All The Love I've Got (Single Version By Bunny 'Striker' Lee) (Cover of 'Gonna Give Her All the Love I've Got' by Jimmy Ruffin) (1970)

1968: I'll Be Lonely EP: 4

1969: Ali Baba EP: 6

1970: Change Partners/Give Her All The Love I've Got EP by Peter Austin/John Holt: 15

1970: Share My Rest/Allways EP by John Holt/Al Brown: 8

1971: Fancy Make Up EP: 14

1972: Pledging My Love: 1, 5

1972: Rain From The Skies EP: 13

1973: 1000 Volts Of Holt: 3, 12

1974: Don't Break Your Promise: 11

1976: 2000 Volts Of Holt: 2, 9

1994: Augustus Pablo Presents King Tubby: 20 Unreleased Dubs By The Late Great King Tubby: 7

2009: 1000 Volts Of Holt (Deluxe Edition) (2x CD): 10

2026 Volts Of Holt (44:05) (GD) (M)

The Heat Is On And The Funk Just Won't Leave Us Alone

Time to swap the football for a glitter ball, methinks....

A companion piece of sorts to my 2021 selection, I'll Surely Miss Your Tender Kiss, with seven stone cold killer disco cuts. And if you like The Brothers Johnson, then you'll feel spoiled as they appear on both!

Today's selection opens with a couple of covers, a Neil Sedaka B-side from 1959 and a Bee Gees album cut, then barely two years old. At the controls are legends such as Quincy Jones, John Luongo, Rusty Garner and, inevitably, Tom Moulton.

And fronting the disco explosion, the likes of Evelyn 'Champagne' King and Melba Moore (also today's cover stars), The Trammps and Tavares, Odyssey and Eruption.

Hmmm, maybe I should send a link to Thomas Tuchel...?

1) One Way Ticket (Long Version By Rusty Garner) (Cover of 'One Way Ticket (To The Blues)' by Neil Sedaka): Eruption (1979)

2) You Stepped Into My Life (Special Disco Version By John Luongo) (Cover of Bee Gees): Melba Moore (1978)

3) Shame (12" Disco Mix By Al Garrison & David Todd): Evelyn 'Champagne' King (1977)

4) Heaven Must Be Missing An Angel (Part 1+2) (Album Version By Freddie Perren): Tavares (1976)

5) Starvin' (Album Version By Ron Baker, Norman Harris, Earl Young & Tom Moulton): The Trammps (1976)

6) Native New Yorker (Disco Version By Sandy Linzer & Charlie Calello): Odyssey (1977)

7) Stomp! (12 Inch Version By Quincy Jones): The Brothers Johnson (1980)

The Heat And The Funk (45:45) (GD) (M)

You can find I'll Surely Miss Your Tender Kiss here.

Hits Like A Shot Of Ginger Beer

Cornershop has reunited with Bubbley Kaur for Bounce And Salute, which is a joy to these ears.

I've been fumbling for superlatives, but the official website/label has nailed it in their promo, describing Bounce And Salute as "a song guaranteed to bring out peak summer and everyday sunshine, with classic Punjabi folk lyrics backdropped by a Carnival 77 roots-based music. It’s immediacy hits like a shot of ginger beer and everyone deserves a bit of refreshment."

They are not wrong, and the official video directed by Phil Miller effortlessly captures this with a cheerily garbed woman dancing around a row of beach huts, cutting away to images of ice lollies and fairground rides.

There's a second official video, created from video footage recorded in 2003 at the Damont Record Pressing Plant in Hayes (which I'd always associated with Middlesex but which has apparently been absorbed by the London borough of Hillingdon).

Anyway, I digress. Ben Ayres used to work at the pressing plant, and Tjinder Singh filmed a documentary focusing on the music industry's transition from analogue to digital.

As a music lover who pored over the scratched text and messages in the inner circle of my vinyl collection, the name Damont is of course instantly familiar and it's sad to know that the factory no longer exists.

The promo notes for Bounce And Salute note that Bubbley's lyrics lament "a previous sweetheart that slipped through the destiny of her life", something that she will never forget, whilst the music itself provides an uplifting, optimistic counterpoint.

Beautiful.

Cornershop and Bubbley previously collaborated on 2011 album  And The Double-O Groove Of. If you don't already have this in your life, then you need to do something about that as a matter of urgency. If it doesn't change your life, it will at least significantly improve it.

Cornershop generously made videos for six out the ten songs on the album - click on the links to view.

1)  United Provinces Of India

2)  Topknot

3)  The 911 Curry

4)  Natch

5)  Double Decker Eyelashes

6)  The Biro Pen

7)  Supercomputed

8)  Once There Was A Wintertime

9)  Double Digit

10)  Don't Shake It

My entry point was the Cavemen remix of Topknot, featuring M.I.A., who was so taken with the original that she provided a rap to complement Bubbley's vocals. Cavemen were a duo comprising Steve Mackey (RIP) of Pulp and producer/polymath Ross Orton.

Due to popular demand, And The Double-O Groove was repressed and rereleased in 2025 (including for the first time on vinyl) and you can still buy copies from Cornershop's label Ample Play.

You can also purchase a download of Bounce And Salute for a quid at the same place.

What's With The Flowers In My Door? What The Hell Would I Want Those For?!

Looking for something a little more upbeat to get me through the latter part of the week, I stumbled across Sharam Jey's 2018 single and video, Dangerous Game.

Sharam is easily found in my music collection, as one half of beat behemoths Deep Dish, though I have considerably less of his solo releases.

Dangerous Game features the voice of Kat Frankie, a Sydney-born, Berlin-based artist with 20-odd years in the business. It's also the fourth and final single from the album Invisible, released in September 2018.

The other three singles also spotlight guest musicians: :Little Boots on Fridaycity, Dirty Vegas on Ready Or Not and KLP on Lost.

All good stuff, with enjoyable, linked-theme videos (below), and enough to make me want to track down the album. But how do you find something that is Invisible?

My go-to, Bandcamp, didn't come up with the goods, though I did find another Sharam Jey 'bootleg' of interest, which you can find at the bottom of this post.

My fall back is Juno Download, a vast virtual warehouse of older releases and deep cuts with good prices and decent discounts. Except I should have typed 'was' not 'is' as Juno recently pulled the shutters on their digital branch, focusing instead solely on physical releases.

I avoid the other big streaming and download providers, but it's difficult to navigate the others to strike a balance between availability of downloads to buy and a decent return for the artists.

So, I finally found Invisible, and it's remix companion, available as two separate volumes, on Beatport at a penny under 12 quid a pop. I'm going to stick with the former and skip the latter (two) for now.

 

 

One of the cited influences and inspirations for Invisible is Depeche Mode, especially circa the 1980s. My search for Sharam Jey on Bandcamp threw up Hot Stuff, one of his 'bootleg' PImp My Booty releases. 

Included within the mammoth 36 tracks are two mid-80s DM classics, one (surprisingly) an uptempo take on downtempo ballad A Question Of Lust. The other a standalone single to promote the first DM 'best of' and one of the songs that caused my friend Jayne to rechristen the band 'Depress Mode'.

With 36 songs, not everything is going to hit the spot but at two Euro for the whole thing (five and a half cents per track), it would be rude not to buy before you try.