I Can Sing A Rainbow #3

A rainbow-themed selection (in the correct polychromatic order, of course, none of this nonsense) was the inspired idea of Martin at New Amusements, who kick started proceedings with a rather excellent selection last Thursday.

 

Suitably fired up, Rol at My Top Ten followed a guest post featuring bands called Rainbow (great work, George) with his own selection of 'rainbow' songs on Wednesday. Again, a fab list with some forgotten gems.

 

And so, never one for an original idea at the best of times, I couldn't resist the temptation to have a go at my own selection of songs featuring the colours of the rainbow in the title. More by accident than design, the oldest song here is from 1994, the most recent 2023.

The song that immediately popped into my head was Basement Jaxx and Red Alert, featuring the aptly-named Blue James (or Blu or Bluski or Belinda, depending on how well you know her). Not only is it a great song, it's also a natural opener and gets things off to a rousing start. Other versions are available, though the radio edit comfortably hits all the sweet spots in just over three and a half minutes.

Taking things down a notch musically but ramping things up lyrically is Elevated Orange by Ali Shaheed Muhammad, on one of his solo outings from A Tribe Called Quest in 2004. I don't know who the intended target of the song is but with its title and lyrics like

Them laws you make
It’s not going to keep you safe
You straight transgressed the means, now it’s time for you to come clean
When I mix it up, it’s going to leave your face twisted up

 

I can't help be reminded of a certain pus bag (former) US president in the here and now...

 

Lee 'Scratch' Perry up next with Yellow Tongue from his superb 2008 album The Mighty Upsetter, produced by Adrian Sherwood. 'Scratch' is joined on this song by Tunisian-French singer Samia Farah, who I first encountered as one of the On-U Sound collective guesting on Sherwood's 2006 solo album Becoming A Cliché. It's hard to believe that it's coming up to two years since Lee 'Scratch' Perry left us, so present is his music in the soundtrack of my life.

 

I know very little about The Allender Band as this song appeared on a freebie CD with Bristol's (now defunct) listings magazine Venue back in 2008. Discogs tells me that Green Wound was also the lead song on their EP from the same year, In The Grip Of Light. The Allender Band released an album called Outer Dark in 2009 and that appears to be it. Founding member Robin Allender joined Yann Tiersen's touring band that year (as did drummer Dave Collingwood) and appears to have had a fruitful and diverse career since, not least as a solo musician and a stand-up comedian. I really like this song, so I should check out more of Robin's music, especially as it's Bandcamp Friday. 

 

Blue was my first purchase by Bark Psychosis and came on the back of frankly lazy music journo comparisons with late-period Talk Talk. Bark Psychosis are/were much more than that, though Graham Sutton (as Boymerang) did go on to remix .O.Rang, the band formed by former Talk Talk members Paul Webb and Lee Harris. My copy of Blue is on rather lovely but very crackly white vinyl 12" single with the full length version of the song. This edit was on the CD and 1997 compilation Game Over.

 

Indigo was an easier choice for me as I have a few in my collection but The All Seeing I's remix of the 2000 single by Moloko was my immediate thought. Any excuse to shoehorn Róisín Murphy into a post for the second time this week. Jason Buckle is currently a member of Jarvis Cocker's 'other band' and has released a steady stream of albums this year - two in July alone - as JP Buckle, which are all worth checking out. With song titles like Guns Versus Butter, Return Of Super Dirty, Quick Jimmy Riddle and Tinker Taylor Soldier Funk, you know you're onto a winner.

 

Violet was a toss-up between an Andrew Weatherall song and my final choice, Stonehouse Violets from The Bluebells' wonderful album from earlier this year, In The 21st Century. I didn't know much about The Bluebells apart from 1980s singles Young At Heart and Cath and the album - their first in over three decades - is a great listen from start to finish. This is one of my favourite songs, too.

 

1) Red Alert (Jaxx Radio Mix): Basement Jaxx ft. Blue James (1999)

2) Elevated Orange: Ali Shaheed Muhammad (2004)

3) Yellow Tongue: Lee 'Scratch' Perry ft. Samia Farah (2008)

4) Green Wound: The Allender Band (2008)

5) Blue (Edit): Bark Psychosis (1994)

6) Indigo (All Seeing I Glamoloko Edit): Moloko (2000)

7) Stonehouse Violets: The Bluebells (2023)

I Can Sing A Rainbow (31:10) (KF) (Mega)

And if you're disappointed with Mr. Tumble and a succession of other charlatans giving the wrong colours of the rainbow in the wrong order, here's my go-to...

 

Oh, and a final thanks to John Medd, for inspiring me to take pictures of old red telephone boxes for the monthly photo challenge on his blog, Are We There Yet? 

 

Today's image is a filtered, messed around with photo of a solitary red box in a neighbouring village. All looks quiet and peaceful, but cropped out of sight was what seemed to be a mass gathering of villagers milling on the street for an imminent party. Hopefully, not of the lynching variety, having spotted the 'not local' skulking around their precious phone box. Needless to say, I beat a hasty retreat after a long distance photo...

A Series Of Realisations...

...the first of which was that all of the music on today's selection is twenty years old. Gulp.

In 2003, I was married but Lady K had yet to arrive. Mrs. K and I were living in central Bristol. We lived very close to the Hen & Chicken pub, which hosted the fabulous Comedy Box which we went to a lot. It was (and still is) a fantastic place to catch up-and-coming performers as well as well established names who would use the venue for Edinburgh Festival work-in-progress shows. In 2003, we saw Ed Byrne, Tommy Tiernan and Dara Ó Briain, the latter for the second time having first seen him support (and surpass) Emo Phillips.

Musically speaking, 2003 appears to have been a gig-free desert. However, i listened to and discovered a lot in that year as in any other year since the mid-1980s, although there would have been a bit of culling, trading and adjusting my physical vinyl and CD collection. In 2003, there were already boxes in the loft that would involve specific trips to rummage, retrieve and record for mixtapes to support my daily walk to work.

A fair few of the music here can be tracked back to that period, some I acquired much later, but I'm struck by how fresh it all still sounds. Some are sadly no longer with us, some are still actively recording, performing and arguably producing some of the finest music of their career, all gave me a warm, fuzzy feeling inside after listening to them again.

The final realisation (more a reminder, really) came whilst putting this post together. The closing track - and inspiration for today's title - is California Sunshine by Abakus aka Russ Davies, son of Dave Davies and nephew of Ray Davies of The Kinks. This is an earlier/original version of a track that subsequently appeared on his debut album That Much Closer To The Sun in 2004. Beautiful.

 

1) Good Luck (Tim Deluxe Dub) (Remix By Timothy Liken): Basement Jaxx ft. Lisa Kekaula (2003)

2) Sister Saviour (DFA Dub) (Remix By James Murphy & Tim Goldsworthy): The Rapture (2003)

3) Nebulus (Vox): Fluke (2003)

4) Microtronics Five: Broadcast (2003)

5) Blue Room (CocoDaBank Remix By Chris Coco & Rob Da Bank): The Orb ft. Jah Wobble (2003) 

6) The Conductor (Remix By Thin White Duke aka Stuart Price): The Faint (2003)

7) Familiar Feeling (Martin Buttrich Remix Edit): Moloko (2003)

8) Still My World: Andrew Weatherall & Keith Tenniswood (2003)

9) Soul Shakedown Party (Gaudi Dub Remix By Daniele Gaudi): Bob Marley & The Wailers (2003)

10) California Sunshine (Original Version): Abakus ft. Ranajit Sengupta (2003) 

 

2003: Blue Room (promo 12"): 5

2003: Danse Macabre Remixes: 6

2003: Familiar Feeling EP: 7

2003: Good Luck EP: 1

2003: Microtronics Volume 01: 4

2003: Sister Saviour EP: 2

2003: Still My World (Japanese promo CD): 8

2003: Switch EP: 3 

2003: Youth In Dub: Orchestra Mystique: 10

2020: Gaudi: Remixes 1995-2020 (25 Years Special Edition): 9 

 

A Series Of Realisations... (54:48) (Box) (Mega)

The Sun Has Come Again To Hold You

Today's selection shines a spotlight on guest vocalists. All of the nine tracks have electronic leanings, veering from club to dub along the course of under an hour.

There will be some familiar names - Boy George, Texas, Elizabeth Fraser, Guy Garvey - and some less so, but they all add something unique to the song, even when put through the remix rinse.

 

Most of the artists will also be well known, with a couple of surprises tucked away. Cabana was a one-off collaboration between superstar DJ Sasha aka Alexander Coe and long-term producer Tom Frederikse. The former went on to global domination whilst the latter swapped music for law in 1999, specialising in Digital Media.

 

Battle Box was also a one-off project, this time for 3D aka Robert Del Naja, who pops up again with Massive Attack later in the selection.

 

The most unexpected pairing is perhaps Paul Weller and Boy George on One Tear in 2017. I haven't fact checked this at all, but was this their first time in the studio together since Band Aid in 1984? Whatever, it was worth the wait...!

 

1) Red Alert (Jaxx Radio Mix): Basement Jaxx ft. Blue James (1999)

2) Music Matters (Axwell Extended): Faithless ft. Cassandra Fox (2007)

3) Bailando Con Lobos (Goodmen Fresh Dub): Cabana ft. Sheila Schwok (1994)

4) Battle Box (Remix): Battle Box ft. Guy Garvey (2012)

5) The Hush (67% Mix): Rae & Christian ft. Texas (1998)

6) One Tear (Club Cut Alternative Version): Paul Weller ft. Boy George (2017)

7) Empire Ants (Miami Horror Remix): Gorillaz ft. Little Dragon (2010)

8) Group Four (Security Forces Dub) (Remix By Mad Professor): Massive Attack ft. Elizabeth Fraser (1998)

9) Strange Addiction (Bud Addiction) (Remix By Charlie May & Duncan Forbes): Spooky ft. Celestine Walcott-Gordon (2005)

The Sun Has Come Again To Hold You (58:22) (Box) (Mega)

Note: After yesterday's fiasco of accidentally leaving off Touch Me by The Doors from the Whatever Happened To Reg? selection, (running) order has been restored and you can now listen to/download the full playlist as intended. If you didn't notice the omission yesterday, please ignore this note and I may just get away with it...

Oh Gosh, Oh Gosh, I'm Juliette Binoche!

Another in my occasional series of song selections named after an actor's films, Juliette Binoche follows in the footsteps of Faye Dunaway and Elizabeth Taylor.

At first, a tougher call than you might think. I mean, who on Earth would record songs called The English Patient, The Unbearable Lightness Of Being or Three Colors: Blue (or Red or White, for that matter)?

Thankfully, there were plenty of other selections to encompass her debut, 1983's Liberty Belle right up to this year's Fire, the latest film by Claire Denis and one that is unlikely to be screening at my nearest cinemas which are currently dominated by Tom effing Cruise.

Perfect timing, with Kate Bush securing her first UK #1 in ages with Running Up That Hill, that her debut single gets a look in here, still as stunning now as when I heard it as a 7 year old. This is followed by Vanessa Contenay-Quiñones, better known in the 1990s as Espiritu, with the only French language song in this selection. A bit of cheat here as Juliette Binoche starred in 2005's singular Caché, but I'm pretending that it was so good that I watched it twice...

 

Juliette is mentioned in the Earthling song 1st Transmission, which also provides today's post title. In a nice touch, the album version and remixes by Plunderphonics and Portishead name check a different location, taking in Ilford, Bombay, Stokes Croft in Bristol and, in the version featured here, stopping off at Woodstock.

 

Diamond Hoo Ha Men and The Magnetic North are both aliases/side projects for other artists. The former are better known as two thirds of Supergrass and this grungier version popped up on the Bad Blood single in 2008. The Magnetic North are a trio comprising Erland Cooper, Hannah Peel and Simon Tong, remixed here to atmospheric effect by White Label, another trio including Steve Aungle, who worked with the late Billy MacKenzie and has done much to keep his musical legacy alive.

 

Quite an eclectic selection again, which includes arguably Binoche's career nadir Damage - the Yo La Tengo song is much better - and several songs that I could easily imagine being used in a film soundtrack, assuming they haven't already. This one's a keeper.

1) Chocolat: Cornershop (1997)

2) Liberty Belle (Remix By Mario Caldato Jr): Super Furry Animals (2004)

3) Wuthering Heights (Album Version): Kate Bush (1978)

4) Cache Cache: Vanessa Contenay-Quiñones (2020)

5) 1st Transmission (Acoustlick) (Remix By Plunderphonics): Earthling (1994)

6) Bad Blood (DHHM Version): Diamond Hoo Ha Men (2008)

7) Let The Sunshine In (Recorded Live @ Maida Vale Studios For Lamacq Live On Radio 1, 4th October 2002) (Cover of The 5th Dimension): Badly Drawn Boy (2002)

8) High Life (White Label Remix By Steve Aungle, Anth Brown & Tom Doyle): The Magnetic North (2017)

9) Rendez-Vu (Album Version): Basement Jaxx (1999)

10) Fire: Black Pumas (2018)

11) Damage: Yo La Tengo (1997)

12) Paris: The Anchoress (2021)

1978: The Kick Inside: 3 

1994: 1st Transmission EP: 5

1997: I Can Hear The Heart Beating As One: 11

1997: When I Was Born For The 7th Time: 1

1999: Remedy: 9

2002: All Possibilities EP: 7

2004: Phantom Phorce: 2

2008: Bad Blood EP (by Supergrass): 6 

2017: Borrowed Voices (by White Label): 8

2018: Black Pumas: 10

2020: Voodoo Girl: 4

2021: The Art Of Losing: 12

Oh Gosh, Oh Gosh, I'm Juliette Binoche! (43:27)