Side 1 of a mixtape, compiled in 1998 for my brother and his wife, probably as a Christmas/New Year gift.
The selection is essentially my 'favourites of 1998', with one or two in-year purchases thrown in for good measure. Two of the standout albums for 1998 were Like Weather and Solex vs. The Hitmeister, whilst UNKLE finally delivered their debut as an artist, Psyence Fiction, which had a impressive line-up of guests and almost - but didn't quite - live up to the hype. However, it delivered an outstanding video for Rabbit In Your Headlights and remix by 3D from Massive Attack.
Singles-wise, Cornershop's Sleep On The Left Side included a brace of great remixes from Ashley Beedle, plus the none-more-80s retrofit from Les Rythmes Digitales aka Stuart Price, back when he was masquerading as French DJ Jacques Lu Cont.
Opening track To Ulrike M. appeared on a Select magazine promo CD; the single itself featured remixes by Zero 7 and Tosca (aka Richard Dorfmeister & Rupert Huber), which I've still yet to hear. Every time I hear this track I remind myself that I need to track down a copy, then promptly forget. This has been going on for over two decades now.
Likewise, the Jungle Brothers remix is another that popped up on a promo CD in 1998, this time Melody Maker, and may well have been the first music I'd heard by Midfield General aka Skint label head Damian Harris. The line-up of remixers for the single is a snapshot of 1998: Stereo MCs, Natural Born Chillers, Da Beatminerz, Hardknox, even The Fugees.
A couple of songs were criminally relegated to B-side/EP status, namely Barry Adamson's cinematic cover of Da Juice's 1991 club track Hear The Angels and another track tucked away on the multi-format release of Mansun's Being A Girl. I wasn't a particular fan of Mansun, although I liked the lead track, but I bought one of the two CD singles specifically for Railings, written by and featuring a guest vocal from Howard Devoto. You may not be surprised to read that, in my opinion, it's Mansun's finest song.
Today's photo was taken in St. John's Lane, a side street in Gloucester that leads from the main shopping area and in a roundabout way eventually connects to the cathedral and garden, where I'll often spend a lunch break, when I'm working in the city. The main grafitti quotes Martin Luther King from a speech he gave in St. Louis on 22nd March 1964.
You'll have to zoom in to see it, but I was struck by the handwritten note stuck on the boarding to the left of it, which reads (sic) "If you are readin this, you and your vehicle? are being recorded on C.C.T.V." Judging by the hand prints and stains around the notice, this apparently was an irresistible invitation for some. I hope the C.C.T.V. captured their best side...
1) To Ulrike M. (Original Mix): Doris Days (1998)
2) Behind The Mask (The Orbital Remix): Yellow Magic Orchestra (1992)
3) Sleep On The Left Side (Paris) (Les Rythmes Digitales' Living By Numbers Mix By Stuart Price): Cornershop (1998)
4) Madam, Your Carriage Awaits: Bentley Rhythm Ace (1998)
5) Hear The Angels (Cover of Da Juice): Barry Adamson (1996)
6) Rabbit In Your Headlights (3D Mix-Reverse Light) (Remix By Robert Del Naja & Neil Davidge): UNKLE (1998)
7) Something: Leila ft. Luca Santucci (1998)
8) Brain (Midfield General Remix By Damian Harris): Jungle Brothers (1997)
9) There's A Solex On The Run: Solex (1998)
10) Railings: Mansun ft. Howard Devoto (1998)
1992: Hi-Tech / No Crime: 2
1997: Brain EP: 8
1998: Being A Girl EP: 10
1998: Can't Get Loose EP: 5
1998: For Your Ears Only: 4
1998: Like Weather: 7
1998: Rabbit In Your Headlights EP: 6
1998: Sleep On The Left Side EP: 3
1998: Solex vs. The Hitmeister: 9
1998: To Ulrike M. EP: 1
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