There Could Never Be A Time More Vital To This Earth

I had no idea who Steve Hillage was before System 7. I had very little interest in prog rock or it's subsequent pretenders to the crown. The closest I came being my school friend Phil, who lent me his Marillion albums and singles. I don't think I ever need to listen to 18 minute B-side Grendel ever again...

 

But I digress. Steve Hillage and Miquette Giraudy formed System 7 as a response to the late 1980s emerging dance music movement, collaborating with Alex Paterson/The Orb on 1990 debut single Sunburst. Collaboration was key from the start and other fellow travellers in those early recordings included Youth (Killing Joke), Paul Oakenfold, Thrash (aka Kris Weston), Derrick May, Steve Waddington (The Beloved), Nigel Butler (subsequently of Hysterix & theaudience) and vocal performers Aniff Cousins (Chapter + The Verse), Monday Michiru and Zoë, to name a few.

 

My brother had been buying loads of 12" singles whilst I'd been away travelling during 1990/91 and had Habibi and Freedom Fighters, which were my entry point to System 7. I've followed them intermittently since and they're still going strong. Hillage was entering his 40s when System 7 formed and turned 70 this August. Proof if needed that you're never too old to create music for the head and the feet, even if my body audibly creaks a lot more when I move...

 

I was going through some boxes in the attic last week and came across this C90 cassette that I recorded in September 1992, compiling my brother's 12" singles on one side and a cut-down version of The Shamen's En-Tact CD on the other. We'd found ourselves both living back at home with our parents: he'd just finished a degree; I'd gone back to college to do A-Levels, after dropping out six months in the first time around. I guess we were both looking for some kind of escape.

 

1) Habibi (Another World Mix By Robin Hancock & Hein Hoven) (ft. Olu Rowe)

2) Mia (Ultraworld Colony Mix By Steve Hillage, Nigel Butler & Alex Paterson)

3) Freedom Fighters (Praying By The Sea Mix By Robin Hancock) (ft. Aniff Cousins, Monday Michiru & Zoë)

4) Miracle (Orb Remix By Alex Paterson & Thrash) (Full Length)

5) Habibi (The Camel Mix By Miquette Giraudy & Andy Falconer) 

6) Depth Disco (Extended Mix By Steve Hillage & Tyrrell)

 

1991: MIracle EP: 2, 4

1991: Habibi EP: 1

1991: Freedom Fighters EP: 3, 6 

1993: Feed Your Head: 5

 

Note: 

Track 4 was originally the 5:35 edit found on the 12" of Habibi. The full length version here is from the Miracle CD single and also on the USA version of System 7's debut album, confusingly titled 777 by 777.

 

Track 5 was originally the Tex Mix, found on the limited edition clear vinyl 12" of Habibi. I don't have my own copy of this so I've swapped it for a completely different mix, which also more or less retains the running time of my original cassette.

There Could Never Be A Time More Vital To This Earth (46:27) (Box) (Mega)