It resurfaced yesterday when Billie posted a Spotify playlist link on Twitter and as I mentioned the ICA in my reply. I got this reaction.
I've been a big fan of Billie since the late 1980s and the ICA was my effort to shine a light on her incredible body of work, whether solo or in collaboration. The rules of the ICA are pretty straightforward: 10 songs, two sides, roughly 45 minutes or less, replicating the experience of listening to a vinyl album then flipping it over to play the other side.
It took me a long time to finish the ICA as I really struggled to whittle my short(ish) list to just 10 songs. In the end I cheated and included a "bonus 12" EP" with a further 4 songs.
JC's generosity in hosting this and other posts were a springboard to launching my own blog and The Vinyl Villain remains one of my touchstones for what a great music blog should be.
I've recreated the ICA here as a continuous, 68-minute mix. For the sleevenotes, here's the link to the original TVV post.
Whilst Billie continues to work on new music, many of her releases are available digitally (several EPs in greatly expanded form) via her website or Bandcamp. All highly recommended, of course.
Side One
1) (I Spent Hours Again) Wishing You Well (Single Version By The Grid aka Dave Ball & Richard Norris): Billie Ray Martin (1993)
2) Bright Lights Fading (Original Edit): Slam ft. Billie Ray Martin (2004)
3) Heavy Game (Album Version) Hifi Sean ft. Billie Ray Martin (2016)
4) Talking With Myself (Live @ Simon Forestiero Got 2 Be Funky, Piccadilly Key 103 FM Radio Manchester) (Cover of Electribe 101): Billie Ray Martin (2002)
5) Hyper Lust (Album Version): MOTOR ft. Billie Ray Martin (2012)
Side Two
1) I've Never Been To Memphis (Radio Edit): Billie Ray Martin (2001)
2) The Crackdown (Radio Edit) (Cover of Cabaret Voltaire): Billie Ray Martin ft. Stephen Mallinder & Märtini Brös (2010)
3) No Brakes On My Rollerskates (Mark Moore & Mr. Motion Mix): Hot Skates 3000 (2003)
4) Undisco Me (Original Radio Edit): Billie Ray Martin (2007)
5) Persuasion (SpookyBillie's Ventriloquist Mix) (Cover of Throbbing Gristle): Billie Ray Martin & Spooky (1993)
Bonus 12" EP
1) Captain Drag (Album Version): Billie Ray Martin ft. Ann Peebles & Carla Thomas (2001)
2) Candy Coated Crime (Disco Bloodbath Remix): The Opiates (2012)
3) You And I (Keep Holding On) (Album Version By Billie Ray Martin & BT aka Brian Transeau): Billie Ray Martin (1996)
4) The Long And Lonely Fall (Album Version): Billie Ray Martin (2016)
1993: Persuasion EP: B5
1993: 4 Ambient Tales EP: A1
1996: Deadline For My Memories: C3
2001: I've Never Been To Memphis EP: B1
2001: 18 Carat Garbage: C1
2003: No Brakes On My Rollerskates EP: B3
2004: Bright Lights Fading EP: A2
2007: Undisco Me EP: B4
2008: BRM Live On Manchester Radio (Unplugged) EP: A4
2010: The Crackdown Project EP: B2
2012: Hollywood Cuts (The Remixes): C2
2012: Man Made Machine: A5
2016: Ft.: A3
2016: The Soul Tapes: C4
Friend of the stars!
ReplyDeleteHa ha, thanks, Ernie! I think FlimFlamFan nailed it in his 2021 comment on my ICA:
Delete"I’m all but sure that if Billie had farted in an elevator in Hamburg, in 1992, Khayem will have it marked in his diary".
I think that restraining order will be reissued any day now...
Thank you, I'm not familiar with much of her work beyond the Persuasion single.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Mooz. There is much to enjoy. Billie released the lost 2nd album by Electribe 101 last year which featuring their (first) attempt at Persuasion. I think the Spooky collaboration took it to another level, but it seems criminal that it - and the album - was unreleased for three decades.
DeleteFor more Billie in a similar vein, try The Crackdown Project EP and the Sold Life EP by Billie & Hard Ton. A deeper dive is worth your time though, just for the sheer breadth of musical styles and genres Billie explores.
Many thanks for the recommendations! I will certainly dive into these.
DeleteMy pleasure, Mooz
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