The Fate Of The Eighties

Will I ever run out of 12" mixes from the 1980s to post? Probably not.

Five years into this blog, and I'm still pulling some big hitters out of the record bag that (I'm 99.9% sure) haven't previously featured in a Dubhed selection.

One from each year of the decade, not necessarily in that order, though the selection starts with 1980 and ends with 1989, so there's some order, at least. As well as some New Order.

I've cheated a little with the 1980 pick. The 12" version of Methods Of Dance is the same as the album version that appeared on Gentlemen Take Polaroids in 1980. However, the song didn't appear on a single until 1982, as the B-side to Nightporter. But hey, it's Japan, it's in!

The song that triggered the idea for this playlist a few days ago was a random shuffle of Dum Dum Girl (12" Mix) by Talk Talk. I love the mixes by the band, latterly with Tim Friese-Greene, though have a lot of love for the remixes by Steve Thompson & Richard Barbiero too. Dare I say it? I prefer this version of Dum Dum Girls to the original.

Sowing The Seeds Of Love by Tears For Fears closes out the selection. The 'Full Version' is lifted from the CD single I bought at the time (even though I hadn't yet bought a CD player!) If you bought Tears For Fears' Greatest Hits in the early 1990s, the one with the bonus CD of remixes, you will have found this labelled as Sowing The Seeds Of Love (Wen's Overnight Mix). It's a whopping thirty seconds longer than the album version, too!

In between, some cracking tunes by Depeche Mode, Howard Devoto, Icehouse, Information Society, Pet Shop Boys and Visage, extended to perfection by legends such as Daniel Mlller, 'Little' Louie Vega, The Latin Rascals and Shep Pettibone.

All guaranteed to bring some sunshine into your day...although as we're officially experiencing a heatwave in the UK, perhaps the last thing you may want...!

1) Methods Of Dance (12" Version by Japan & John Punter): Japan (1980)

2) Crazy (Manic Mix By David Lord & Michael H. Brauer): Icehouse (1987)

3) The Perfect Kiss (12" Version By New Order & Michael Johnson): New Order (1985)

4) What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy) (Club Mix By 'Little' Louie Vega, Roman Ricardo & The Latin Rascals): Information Society (1988)

5) We Move (Dance Mix By Midge Ure & Visage): Visage (1981)

6) Love Comes Quickly (Pettibone Mastermix By Shep Pettibone): Pet Shop Boys (1986)

7) Dum Dum Girl (12" Mix By Steve Thompson & Richard Barbiero): Talk Talk (1984)

8) Leave In Silence (Longer) (12" Version By Depeche Mode & Daniel Miller): Depeche Mode (1982)

9) Cold Imagination (Extended Version By Howard Devoto & Greg Walsh): Howard Devoto (1983)

10) Sowing The Seeds Of Love (Full Version By Tears For Fears & Dave Bascombe): Tears For Fears (1989)

The Fate Of The Eighties (1:08:33) (KF) (Mega)

If that's got you on a 12'/80s kick, I've reactivated links to some previous Dubhed excursions from the archives....

History Reinvented (2021)

Kissing The Mix (Side One & Side Two) (2000)

Teenage Remix (Side One & Side Two) (2000)

You Never Really Saw... (2005)

Somerset Sider

History reinvented with Friday's slightly shaken selection, courtesy of Johnson Somerset.

I first discovered his work in 2016 via Paper Romance by Groove Armada (included here) and an entire album's worth of Duran Duran overhauls called Eiffel Tower.

Here's six crowd pleasers from a back catalogue that now runs into the hundreds, and continues to be added to YouTube on a regular basis.

1) Dance Hall Days (Johnson Somerset Remix): Wang Chung (2023)

2) Notorious (Johnson Somerset Remix): Duran Duran (2025)

3) Paper Romance (Johnson Somerset Remix): Groove Armada ft. Fenech-Soler & SaintSaviour (2013)

4) Summertime Sadness (Johnson Somerset Remix): Lana Del Rey (2020)

5) Self Control (Johnson Somerset Remix): Laura Branigan (2023)

6) The In Crowd (West End Wolf Remix): Bryan Ferry (2013)

 

 

 

 

 

Everybody's Got To Learn Nine Times

Mute has released the third song from Mark Stewart's posthumous album, The Fateful Symmetry, out on 11th July. 

Not only is it a singular cover of The Korgis' signature song, Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime, but in the hands of Elijah Minnelli and Adrian Sherwood, it's been transformed into "a masterstroke of soundsystem militancy". 

And rest assured, despite the Bébe Durmiendo Cumbia Bootleg label, this is the version that you'll find on the album.

If you haven't already pre-ordered The Fateful Symmetry, you can do it now.

I have quite a few cover versions of the song already, including Beck (from 2004's Eternal Sunshine Of The Spotless Mind OST), Glasvegas (the B-side of 2007 single Geraldine) and The Dream Academy (the penultimate song of 1987's 2nd album Remembrance Days). 

However, I didn't realise quite how many more versions there are out there, so here's the three above, plus another four from Yazz, Army Of Lovers, Erasure and, sticking two fingers to her siblings*, Sharon Corr.

And, to end, it has to be the version that started it all in 1980, The Korgis and a video that looks like a complete health and safety nightmare.

All beautiful, in their own way.

1) Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime (Bébe Durmiendo Cumbia Bootleg): Mark Stewart (2025)

2) Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime: Army Of Lovers (2001)

3) Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime (Live @ Primavera Sound, São Paulo, Brazil): Beck (2023)

4) Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime: The Dream Academy (1987)

5) Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime (Live @ The EIS Christmas Concert, Birmingham): Erasure (2002)

6) Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime: Glasvegas (2008)

7) Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime: Sharon Corr (2010)

8) Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime: Yazz (1994)

9) Everybody’s Got To Learn Sometime: The Korgis (1980)

* absolutely not true.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Fistful Of Diamonds Or Just Shards Of Glass...?

No music to get excited about in 2025? Here are half a dozen replies to the contrary, released in the last week alone!

1) Into Dust (Still Falling): Four Tet

2) Cut & Rewind: Say She She

3) Pollyanna: Just Mustard

4) BYE BYE 25!: Kim Gordon

5) Sad Piano (Extended Mix): Daphni

6) I'm Not Done (Therapy Session): Fever Ray

Click on the links to buy the above (and more) from Bandcamp.

 

 

 

 

 

Magnetic Island, Thirty Four Years Ago

A return to 1991, and my (very) occasional dips into my Australian tour diary. Twenty years old, travelling solo, and a couple of nights on the wonderful Magnetic Island, 8km out from Townsville on the northeastern coast. 

I've cut out the "touristy" bits - this isn't a travel brochure - and the minutiae of meal times, my musings on sardine sandwiches as dry on the page as they were in the mouth. 

Happy memories of BlogCon25 still fresh in my mind, I was delighted to rediscover that I'd met one of my current community's namesakes thirty four years ago, on my travels. Or was it in fact one and the same, travelling incognito with a false Canadian passport (and accent)? 

Sadly, there is no photographic evidence for me to determine one way or another...

Today's soundtrack has neatly avoided the obvious pick of The Magnetic Fields and instead I've gone for songs with 'magnetic' in the title. 

Luckily enough, Sydney-based artist Zankee Gulati had the common decency to release a song called Magnetic Island last October. The other three picks - by Juno Reactor, Sasha and Dub Trees (Youth, Greg Hunter & Simon Posford with Mark Manning aka Zodiac Mindwarp) follow a similarly electronic route. 

Looking at the UK Top 10 for this week in 1991, I can only say that I am glad I was on the other side of the world, and largely spared the horror.

Anyway, enough of the preamble, it's diary time!

Saturday 15th June

I boarded the awaiting minibus and travelled from Picnic Bay to Horseshoe Bay, on the opposite end of Magnetic Island, 10km north. Geoff's Place, as the hostel was called, turned out not to be a hostel at all, but a widespread group of detached log cabins, each having four beds...and nothing else. I took the only bed that wasn't on ground level then set off for the beach.

As it was mid-afternoon, the sea had all but vanished from the bay, leaving dirty-looking sand and anchored boats behind. I explored in one direction for a little while, then settled against a half-submerged log and ate a packet of crisps, my first meal of the day. Exhaustion overtook me and I fell asleep, waking just in time to catch the sunset. The sky was beautiful that night.

Sunday 16th June

My bed was reminiscent of the one in Coolangatta: you could sleep all night long in it, but you would feel like shit as soon as you awoke. The shower and washroom were distinctly undesirable, so I did what I had to do in as little time as possible.

In a strange quirk of fate, rinsing my face after a shave, I looked into the mirror and saw The Swede from Melbourne staring back at me; he had just returned from a week's diving in Cairns. It was good to see him again.

After a brief conversation, we went to the beach, miraculously transformed by the incoming tide into a paradisal retreat, and a had a swim (twice). We were rewarded with unbelievably warm water. I love this place!

We stayed long enough to see a group of horse riders galloping along the beach and into the sea, and witness a beautiful sunset a short time later. 

On our return to Geoff's Place, I met two of my three new room-mates, all women. One is from Bristol and used to work in the clothes shop in front of Tony's Records in the city centre. Her absent friend apparently lives in Frampton Cottrell. It's such a small world, isn't it?

There were two frogs in the washroom, one big, one small, both bright green. I touched the big one. It's skin felt weird.

Monday 17th June

I slept reasonably well, woken occasionally by the sound of wandering possums, one stopping to scratch at the cabin door for a while. My room-mates had a worse night, complaining of the cold. I was quietly relieved that it wasn't my snoring...!

A large number of us were leaving Magnetic Island, so the minibus was dangerously overcrowded with people and packages, but we made it to the harbour unscathed. 

I had been walking around with The Swede, and we had just stopped to have a drink and write postcards when I spotted Chris, one half of the Canadian duo that I'd befriended in Byron Bay. Chris was also leaving the island and heading back to Townsville, albeit on a different ferry, so I made arrangements to meet up for a drink on the mainland.

Arriving in Townsville, I said farewell to The Swede, who was travelling on, and checked in at the Transit Centre Hostel, a very new building with ultra-clean white sheets and nice looking rooms, a complete contrast to what I'd left behind on Magnetic Island. 

After a short walk around town, I popped into The Shamrock Hotel bar and found Chris, with a chap called Rod from Lancashire. Chris' companion Clark had carried on to Cairns and I learned that our mutual friend John had already passed through Townsville on his way home. 

The three of us spent a couple of hours in the pub, drinking Guinness, until their (delayed) coach to Cairns arrived. All too soon, it was time to say goodbye once more.

I returned to the hostel for a much needed shower - imagine having an ice-cold shower in the midst of an English winter!!

Boy, do my boots stink, though...

Namby Pamby Versus Loosey Goosey

Robin's Egg is the latest release from Iron & Wine aka Samuel Ervin Beam, presumably (and hopefully) ahead of a new album - the 11th - this year.

Robin's Egg is a delightful three minutes of acoustic-driven pop, swirling organ and driving rhythm, with three-part vocal harmonies from I'm With Her that combine to create a comforting cuddle of a song.

There's a lovely animated video from Liz Breit to boot. 

What better way to spend a buck?

Those in the UK of a certain vintage, like me, may have been immediately been reminded of the equally jaunty theme tune to late 1970s sitcom Robin's Nest.

The 30-odd second instrumental was written by it's principle star, Richard O'Sullivan.

in 1993, when Lawrence Hayward launched new band Denim in to the world with debut single Middle Of The Road, I was delighted to find his own singular version of the tune, extended by nearly four times but still coming in at under two minutes.

Sometimes I Might Be Intimate

An hour of Little Simz, celebrating new album Lotus, which came out on 6th June.

For a lucky few, Little Simz played an intimate PA live performance in Bristol on 9th June.

When I say "few", i's a measure of Little Simz' hard earned and well deserved success that these days, an "intimate" performance is playing to several thousand people in a coverted warehouse along the Feeder Canal, a few miles from the city centre.

And not just one performance, but two: a matinee and an evening show.

And this wasn't just any old PA, this was a full on hour of performing on stage (and, at one point, in the crowd), an 18-song set that included a generous dip into crowd pleasers and deep cuts.

Little Simz doesn't need a full band, visuals and pyrotechnics, she had the audience in the palm of her hand, though it's fair to say that everyone was up for it from the start. I mean, really up for it. 

Little Simz is the most exciting, authentic, honest, humble, generous artist around today.

And Lotus is a(nother) bloody brilliant album from a rapper at the top of their game.

For no other reason than mild curiosity, I decided to follow the steps of my blogging compadres and play around with ChatGPT for this one.

I asked for an AI review as a rap, written by a 16-year old Bristolian and this is what it came up with. It's pretty bad, but some of the groaningly awkward rhymes made me chuckle. 

It's not lost on me however that it was all done in a split second, whilst this ham-fisted blogger spent considerably more time just copying, pasting and formatting the very same into this post...

See if you can spot where Artificial Intelligence mistook Little Simz for The Sims. Oh, the irony.

Yo, check it, yo, yo

Little Simz dropped that Lotus on the 6th of June,

Had the whole scene buzzin’, that album a monsoon,

But Bristol got lucky, 9th June, real tight,

Simz hit the stage, man, the vibe was so right.

She ain't just playin', nah, she’s puttin' in work,

Two shows, one matinee, one night time perk

Crowd was massive, but still felt like it’s close,

A few thousand deep, but she got that vibe that’s so dope.

It ain't no regular PA, she brought the heat,

An hour on stage, she got the crowd on their feet,

Premiere Lotus, half the album in the set,

18 tracks deep, no cap, you ain't forget.

She don’t need no band, no fancy lights,

Just the mic in her hand, and she killed that night,

Thief and Flood, they came with mad energy,

Audience locked in, full of raw synergy.

She went back to the classics, don’t forget,

Two Worlds Apart, Point And Kill, no sweat,

Woman hit hard, crowd was feelin' the flow,

Simz got them vibin’ everywhere she go.

Drop 7 EP, yeah, she brought that too,

Grey Area was in the mix, Venom got ’em wild, dude,

Crowd was hype, no dips in the vibe,

Simz kept it real, got the crowd so alive.

She's authentic, humble, that’s the truth,

No gimmicks, just real talk from the booth,

Lotus the album, another banger she made,

Simz at the top, she don’t need no parade.

She a queen in the game, no one do it like this,

Every line she spits, man, it's pure bliss.

Bristol knows what's up, they saw it firsthand,

Simz takin’ over, this the rise of the fam.

Today's Dubhed selection recreates the 18-song set from the Bristol PA. Seven songs from Lotus, which I have, and four from the Drop 7 EP, which I don't. For the latter, I've swapped out with a trio of bootleg remixes, plus a live performance from Glastonbury.  

For the trio of tracks from Sometimes I Might Be Introvert, I've included just one studio original, the other two performed live for the BBC. The rest are taken from their respective digital releases. Being Little Simz, all of them are brilliant.

1) Thief (2025)

2) Flood (ft. Obongjayar & Moonchild Sanelly) (2025)

3) Two Worlds Apart (Album Version ft. Cleo Sol) (2021)

4) Young (2025)

5) 101 FM (2019)

6) Venom (Album Version) (2019)

7) Mood Swings (IsGwan Edit By Isaac Walker) (2024)

8) Torch (Next To Blue & canary yellow Edit By Tim Gouin & Canary Mark) (2024)

9) Fever (Bad Friends Flip) (Remix By Noah Tate & Hugo Shaw) (2024)

10) S.O.S. (Live @ Glastonbury Festival ft. Jakwob) (2024)

11) Only (ft. Lydia Kitto) (2025)

12) Lion (ft. Obongjayar) (2025)

13) Point And Kill (Live Lounge Session ft. Obongjayar) (2021)

14) Free (2025)

15) Lonely (2025)

16) Selfish (ft. Cleo Sol) (2019)

17) Woman (Live @ Later... With Jools Holland, BBC TV) (2021)

18) Gorilla (2022)

2019: GREY Area: 5, 6, 16

2021: Later... With Jools Holland EP (bootleg MP3): 17

2021: Live Lounge EP (BBC Radio 1, 13 September 2021) (bootleg MP3): 13

2021: Sometimes I Might Be Introvert: 3

2022: No Thank You: 18

2024: Fever EP: 9

2024: Little Simz Edit Pack EP: 8

2024: Live At Glastonbury 2024 (bootleg MP3): 10

2024: Whine & Stop / Mood Swings EP: 7

2025: Lotus: 1, 2, 4, 11, 12, 14, 15

Sometimes I Might Be Intimate (59:50) (KF) (Mega)

Jerry, Adrian And Mike

Before this blog becomes a never-ending series of obituaries, let's celebrate Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew, out on the road with their Remain In Light Tour.

Guest contributor Mike saw them at The Wulfrun Hall in Wolverhampton last Friday (6th). What did you think, Mike?

Apologies already for the backstory – but some gigs are a personal journey and others less so.

I firmly believe that Stop Making Sense is the greatest gig on film. There will be more naysayers than supporters on this but nobody has ever come up with an argument for something else that has swayed me. Therefore with no way of seeing Talking Heads live in the past 35+ years we minions have to think of ways to get as close to that experience as possible.

I have seen David Byrne twice. I have seen Tom Tom Club. But like many I never got to see Talking Heads live. So with all 4 original members in their 70’s the chance to recreate the 1983 Stop Making Sense experience is dwindling.

Jerry Harrison and Adrian Belew have been peddling their wares in the USA for a while now. Belew played on the 1980 European Tour for Talking Heads and there is footage of this that can be found relatively easily of a gig they played in Rome. Whilst the sound quality is ropey I find that I go back and watch this more often than revisiting Stop Making Sense. When you watch Stop Making Sense, the production values are like a movie from the time Byrne walks on with his ‘tape he wants to play’. With the 1980 footage it looks sweaty, barbaric – more like an actual gig. So whilst I love both it is the Rome 1980 gig I want to be at.

Therefore when the tickets went on sale I had to go. I bought one ticket – I’m going on my own if need be; if others want to come then fair enough. I had to see Jerry if nothing else to complete the set! 

(NB That’s a lot of preamble so lets get on with it)

I live near Bristol so it’s about a 190 mile round trip. Luckily I had friends in Cheltenham who also wanted to go so we shared the ride. I had only gone to 2 gigs before in Wolverhampton and they were both for Blur – 2012 and 2023. Both were fantastic and effectively in the same building but not the same stages. Blur played in the bigger hall whilst tonight’s gig was in the smaller of the two. Both venues have had money spent on them since the pandemic and both to me seem splendid venues to see a gig at.

The thing that hit us as we entered is that this gig wouldn’t be full. The gig was on a Friday night but the place had lots of space… anyway Cool Cool Cool came on and I could see from previous YouTube views that they were essentially the backing band for the final act. The sound was impressive and a definite 80’s vibe abounded. A cover of Brass in Pocket was (I think) song 4 of a 6-song set and whilst I wouldn’t be seeking out their work again the support went along breezily enough.

So the main act came on just before 9pm and launched into Psycho Killer. Many of you may have seen last week the new video for the song involving Saoirse Ronan as the main actor. Whilst her performance is excellent what shines through is how fresh and exciting a 48 year old song is. Adrian Belew takes over vocals here and he is in good voice for a man who turns 76 this year.

Crosseyed And Painless came next – at this point you split the audience into the ones who have come for the hits versus the deep cuts. Remain In Light’s first three tracks make the album unique – at a time when the band could have come up with obvious singles to sell units the band hit a funkier groove which would have lost some of their ‘route one’ fans. But it’s tracks like Crosseyed And Painless that make them unique and it was a great version.

Houses In Motion followed – I’ve seen various blogs which comment on the possible influence of A Certain Ratio on The Heads sound after they supported them on a European Tour - certainly ACR’s cover of Houses In Motion hints at a reciprocal appreciation. The added horn section live really gives it added ooommpphh and raises the song above the recorded version.

Then we get 3 big hitters in a row – I Zimbra, Born Under Punches and Cities. 

For Born Under Punches, Josh Schwartz takes over vocal duty. My friend Liam noted that before his performance Josh went off and tried to take on the ‘Byrne preacher’ character – TBF his vocals were spot on and wholly in tune with what Talking Heads would have done in their Imperial phase.

Adrian Belew takes on the vocals for Cities and what was brilliant is they obviously discussed beforehand whether they could mention ‘BIRMINGHAM’ in the lyrics. Someone backstage has had the sense to tip off Belew (or maybe he knew himself!) that mentioning THAT PLACE in Wolverhampton may not be for the best so he very sensibly changed the lyric for a rollickingly tight version.

We’re tired now as all 3 of us have been dancing since the start of the gig so pleasingly the next songs are a Jerry Harrison solo number [1987's Rev It Up] and a King Crimson song [1981's Thela Hun Ginjeet]. They were fine and delivered well but gave us a bit of respite before Slippery People. 

Now I’m going to be slightly controversial here – I rarely play Speaking In Tongues as I think it is Talking Heads worst produced album. The songs are good – I just feel they are deadened by poor 80’s production. Therefore I had no real appreciation of the songs off that album until they appeared in Stop Making Sense. On this version the main vocals are taken up by Shira Elias and Sammi Garett and I feel this makes it a better version than the normal Talking Heads version. Female vocals are so important for that unique sound and these 2 performers were excellent throughout.

Then we have the final 3 tracks – Once In A Lifetime, Life During Wartime and Take Me To The River. All great songs – Josh taking on lead vocals once again in Once In A Lifetime, whereas back to Belew for the final two tracks. All as good as you would hope them to be. 

The band go off and return for a 2 song encore – Drugs first with a chance for Adrian Belew to go all screechy guitar (in a  good way) and show why he was such an important part of the Talking Heads touring band in the early 80’s. Julie Slick’s bass playing is also a highlight throughout the whole performance. They finish with The Great Curve which again is an acknowledgment that it wasn’t the singles which made Talking Heads great but the unique sounds off of Remain In Light.

So was it worth the 190 mile round trip? Abso – bloomin – lutely! 

Was I sad that the venue was two-thirds full? Yes! 

Was I chuffed to see Robert Fripp post on social media that he was there also? Yes I was!!

We’d danced ourselves dizzy and I’ll look back in future years and think "What A Day That Was" (and no they didn’t play that..)

Wow, what a show! Thanks as always for your words and pictures, Mike. 

I saw Mike at another gig on Wednesday and it's fair to say that he was still buzzing from the experience.

I decided not to recreate a Dubhed selection for the Wolverhampton setlist as it would inevitably comprise the Talking Heads originals and I don't want to invite comparisons with these unique live interpretations.

Instead, get yourself over to that there Tube of You and you can find extracts and/or full shows from the current tour. I plumped for their concert at Carlswerk Victoria in Cologne on 23rd May 2025. Jerry, Adrian and Cool Cool Cool are back in the USA for 7 dates later in July.

Shouts & Points

Celebrating Douglas McCarthy, 1st September 1966 to 11th June 2025.

It's been a really shit week for music news, with Douglas' passing the third obituary in the last few days. However, whereas Sly Stone and Brian Wilson were in their 80s, Douglas is gone at the ridiculously young age of 58.

In the late 1980s, it was Douglas rather than Sly or Brian who would be easily found in my record collection, thanks to the brutal(ist) sound of Nitzer Ebb. Not much of a leap at all from my love of Depeche Mode, Nitzer Ebb had a harder edge, not least due to McCarthy's distinctive vocals and a style which he self-deprecatingly described as "shouting and pointing".

Douglas got to work wth Alan Wilder after the latter left Depeche Mode and recorded music as Recoil. Their first collaboration was a cover of Faith Healer by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. 

Today's 12-song selection cherry picks choice 12" mixes, singles, B-sides and collaborations, showcasing Douglas' impact and influence with Nitzer Ebb and beyond.

Rest in peace, Douglas.

1) Shame (Mix No 2 William Orbit) (1988)

2) Lakeside Drive (Remix By Flood) (1992)

3) Fun To Be Had (Zulu Mix By The Dust Brothers aka Mike Simpson & John King) (1990)

4) Once You Say (Pouppée Fabrikk Mix By Christiaan Riemslag, Henrik Björkk & Jonas Aneheim) (2010)

5) Control I'm Here (Hardcore Mix By Flood Nitzer Ebb) (1988)

6) Ascend (Anonymous Mix By Vince Clarke) (1992)

7) Murderous (Phil Kieran Remix) (2003)

8) Join In The Chant (Burn!) (Remix By Phil Harding) (1988)

9) Lightning Man (Barry Adamson Mix) (1990)

10) Noise (Hardway Bros Axis Force Dub By Sean Johnston): Headman ft. Douglas McCarthy (2013)

11) The Machineries Of Joy (Rhönrad-Mix By Die Krupps): Nitzer Ebb & Die Krupps (1989)

12) Faith Healer (LP Version By Alan Wilder & Steve Lyon) (Cover of The Sensational Alex Harvey Band): Recoil ft. Douglas McCarthy (1992)

Shouts & Points (1:08:25) (KF) (Mega)

Goodbye Wilson

Farewell to Brian Wilson, born 20th June 1942. 

News of Brian's passing emerged last night, as I was about to go into a gig, so information is limited and I've not had the time or opportunity (yet) to create a Dubhed selection or consider words that may form a more fitting and appropriate tribute.

Probably needless to say, Brian Wilson was a genius, albeit one that was subsequently subject to a series of trials and tribulations that are often at risk of overshadowing that simple fact. Brian was a genius.

God Only Knows by The Beach Boys is a perfect example of the perfect pop song, in sound, tone, melody, vocal delivery and, of course, the lyrics* 

I may not always love you

But long as there are stars above you

You never need to doubt it

I'll make you so sure about it

God only knows what I'd be without you

If you should ever leave me

Though life would still go on believe me

The world could show nothing to me

So what good would living do me

God only knows what I'd be without you

God only knows what I'd be without you

If you should ever leave me

Well life would still go on believe me

The world could show nothing to me

So what good would living do me

God only knows what I'd be without you

* co-written with Tony Asher, as was two thirds of classic album, Pet Sounds.

Because of the way my brain is wired, thoughts of Brian's death reminded me of another Wilson's passing, in the sitcom Friday Night Dinner, which aired on Channel 4 in the UK on 8th June 2018.

A testament to series creator Robert Popper's writing and the cast's, especially Mark Heap's acting, that you experience a rollercoaster of emotion in just five and a half minutes.

"Ashes to ashes,

Dust to dust...

Wilson to Wilson"

God only knows what I'd be without you, Brian. Peace be with you.

Is It A Dream, This Life That We Lead?

Many happy returns to Barry Adamson, born 11th June 1958.

To celebrate, a 16-track hit from Bazza's back catalogue, the gift that keeps on giving. From 1989's debut album Moss Side Story to last year's Cut To Black, Barry's music is always a rich and immersive experience, plunging the listener into an imagined world that feels tangible in all it's grimy, gritty reality.

I'm particularly happy with the sequencing on this one, not least tracks 3 and 4 where (no spoiler) a mob hit in The Life We Leave Behind segues neatly into the intro of Spend A Little Time, with the sounds of a shovel digging a hole. There are other little moments like that, happy accidents, where two songs separated by years, decades even, come together beautifully.

Thank you for the music, Barry, I hope today is a beautiful day. Happy 67th birthday!

1) The Big Bamboozle (Album Version) (1995)

2) I Got Clothes (ACR:MCR Rework By A Certain Ratio) (2017)

3) The Life We Leave Behind (1991)

4) Spend A Little Time (2008)

5) Was It A Dream? (ft. Siena Barnes) (2024)

6) Walk On The Wild Side (Cover of Lou Reed) (2012)

7) The Snowball Effect (1993)

8) Diamonds (Single Version) (Cover of Jet Harris & Tony Meehan) (1989)

9) Broken Moments (2021)

10) A Gentle Man Of Colour (ft. Marcia Schofield) (1992)

11) Can't Get Loose (Album Version) (1998)

12) Cold Comfort (ft. Liza Love) (2002)

13) Inside Of Your Head (2006)

14) Turnaround (2012)

15) Everything Happens To Me (1989)

16) Come Away (2016)

1989: Moss Side Story: 15

1989: The Taming Of The Shrewd EP: 8

1991: Delusion: 3

1992: Soul Murder: 10

1993: The Negro Inside Me EP: 7

1995: Oedipus Schmoedipus: 1

1998: As Above So Below: 11

2002: The King Of Nothing Hill: 12

2006: Stranger On The Sofa: 13

2008: Back To The Cat: 4

2012: Covers In Crack Alley (Filter magazine promo MP3): 6

2012: I Will Set You Free: 14

2016: Know Where To Run: 16

2017: Love Sick Dick EP: 2

2021: Broken Moments EP: 9

2024: Cut To Black: 5

Is It A Dream, This Life That We Lead? (1:11:13) (KF) (Mega)

If one slice of cake isn't enough, here are two previous Barry bakes to tuck into.

In The Realm Of The Censors (11th June 2023)

Strange Brew (25th May 2024)

Dance, Fun, Smilin', Life

Celebrating Sylvester Stewart aka Sly Stone, 15th March 1943 to 9th June 2025.

In an era where artists of the 1960s and 1970s have been able to experience a critical, creative and commercial rebirth, in some cases exceeding the achievements of their 'first phase", Sylvester was perhaps among the exceptions to the rule.

Although Sylvester was deservedly held up as a musical icon and inspiration from the late 1980s/early 1990s when I was signposted by artists I liked and who regularly name checked him, his golden age remained in a handful of records made with Sly & The Family Stone over half a century ago. But what a legacy.

That said, when it came to hastily pulling together a tribute selection this morning, I realised that I had relatively little in my music collection. The Best Of Sly & The Family Stone has been played to death since I bought it on CD in 1992, and it is as good a summary of Sly's career high points as you could wish for.

Apart from that, I have only one studio album, Fresh from 1973, which I love but not considered a 'peak' record and a live bootleg from 2004 called Thee Encyclopedia Of Ecstacy (sic), which captures two blistering shows at the Fillmore East in New York on 5th October 1968. Apart from that, a few remixes and odds and sods on various artist compilations.

So, I've drawn from all of these to create an 11-song, 46-minute selection. Fresh inevitably gets a favourable share with three tracks, I've picked one song from each of the 1968 live shows, and there's a re-edit by Danny Krivit to round things off. All together, I think they hold their own with the classic cuts.

Rest in power, Sly.

1) Are You Ready? (Late Show) (Live @ the Fillmore East, New York) (1968)

2) Hot Fun In The Summertime (Single Version) (1969)

3) Everyday People (1969)

4) If You Want Me To Stay (Single Version) (1973)

5) Let Me Have It All (1973)

6) Life (Album Version) (1968)

7) (You Caught Me) Smilin' (1971)

8) In Time (1973)

9) Color Me True (Early Show) (Live @ the Fillmore East, New York) (1968)

10) If It Were Left Up To Me (1973)

11) Dance To The Music (Medley) (A Danny Krivit Edit) (2003)

Dance, Fun, Smilin', Life (46:30) (KF) (Mega)