Fifteen Strings And Infinite Beats

Ninety-one minutes of Andy Bell to breeze through the Easter weekend and blow those blues away.

The original thought had been to revisit Andy's music as GLOK but as I was putting together a shortlist of songs, I found myself pulling in a Ride song here, a solo song there, and I ended up with a list of about thirty tracks, all equally deserving of inclusion.

What I've ended up with is half that, fifteen career-spanning crackers, spanning thirty five years and taking in Ride (then and now), Hurricane #1 remixed by My Bloody Valentine/Kevin Shields, Beady Eye (but no Oasis), remixes of Aviator, Do No Harm, Fe Salomon and Flyying Colours, collaborations with Masal, Pye Corner Audio, Timothy Clerkin and Du Blonde, and quite a lot of GLOK.

I think it turned out alright but then when you're dealing with an artist who is not only incredibly gifted but also phenomenally prolific, it's on me not to screw it up!

1) Aubrey Drylands Gladwell: Andy Bell (2020)
2) Portland Rocks: Ride (2024)

3) Rising Sign (My Bloody Valentine Mix): Hurricane #1 (1999)

4) White Smoke (Remix By Andy Bell): Beady Eye (2013)

5) Pinball Wanderer: Andy Bell (2025)

6) Damascene (GLOK Remix): Do No Harm (2022)

7) Vapour Trail (Album Version): Ride (1990)

8) Indica (Pye Corner Audio Remix – GLOK Re-Edit): Andy Bell (2021)

9) Taxicabs (GLOK Remix): Fe Salomon (2023)

10) The Gift (GLOK Remix): Aviator (2018)

11) Wavygravy (GLOK Remix): Flyying Colours (2022)

12) Perfume (Acoustic Version) (Cover of Paris Angels): Andy Bell (2020)

13) Tidal Love Conversation In That Familiar Golden Orchard (Edit): Andy Bell & Masal (2023)

14) Pulsing (GLOK Remix - Citadel Version): GLOK (2020)

15) Nothing Ever (12" Version): GLOK / Timothy Clerkin ft. Du Blonde aka Beth Jeans Houghton) (2024)

1990: Nowhere: 7

1999: The Greatest High EP: 3

2013: 42.42 (Beady Eye Remixes) EP: 4

2018: Omni: 10

2020: The Citadel EP: 14

2020: The View From Halfway Down: 1

2021: All On You EP: 12

2021: Another View: Andy Bell Meets Pye Corner Audio Uptown: 8

2022: Damascene EP: 6

2022: Low Maintenance EP: 11

2023: Taxicabs EP: 9

2023: Tidal Love Conversation In That Familiar Golden Orchard EP: 13

2024: Alliance: 15

2024: Interplay: 2

2025: Pinball Wanderer: 5

Fifteen Strings And Infinite Beats (1:31:00) (GD) (M)

Like this? Here are some more selections from the Dubhed archives:

Imagine The Sky Filled With A Thousand Suns: Andy Bell (July 2022)

Dirty Starlight: GLOK (September 2022)

Ticket To Ride: Ride (September 2024)

And, as we're four months into 2026, of course there's already new music featuring Andy Bell in the cosmos:

Start Anew

Welcome to 2026!

A new year brings a new selection of 26 songs for '26, all featuring a new something or other.

99 minutes of top tunes, starting with Beady Eye, Liam's better-than-Oasis band.

There are a handful of '70s and '80s artists, including The Undertones, The Adverts, Breathless, Beastie Boys and Asleep At The Wheel covering Huey Lewis & The News.

A fistful of '90s fun (well, depending on your definition of fun) comes courtesy of Arab Strap, Epic Soundtracks, The Magnetic Fields and Martin Stephenson & The Daintees.

It's mostly 21st century music though, some old, some new, something for everyone from The Isley Brothers ft. De La Soul to Tokyo Police Club, BANKS to Beverly Kills.

A couple of 2025 highlights from Xan Tyler & Dusty Stray and Bedford Falls Players and, to wrap things up, Billy sings Billy, that is, Billy Nomates sings Billy Bragg.

Fingers crossed, this year's going to be a good one.

1) Start Anew (Remix Of 'Dreaming Of Some Space' By JC Of RKID003): Beady Eye (2014)

2) New Moon: Bedford Falls Players (2025)

3) Happy New Year Next Year: Violent Femmes (2015)

4) New Church: The Adverts (1978)

5) A New Chapter: Breathless (1984)

6) New Birds: Arab Strap (1998)

7) Window Shopping For New Clothes: The Undertones (1983)

8) Something New Under The Sun: Epic Soundtracks (1994)

9) New New Song: Tokyo Police Club (2008)

10) Your New Normal: Nine Inch Nails (2020)

11) I Think I Need A New Heart: The Magnetic Fields (1999)

12) I Want A New Drug (Cover of Huey Lewis & The News): Asleep At The Wheel (1987)

13) Big Sky New Light: Martin Stephenson & The Daintees (1992)

14) New Berlin: Beverly Kills (2022)

15) It's The New Style (Vocal) (Remix By Rick Rubin): Beastie Boys (1986)

16) The End Of A New Beginning: Xan Tyler & Dusty Stray (2025)

17) I've Found A New Way To Love Her: Julian Cope (2005)

18) Kinda New (Album Version): Spektrum (2004)

19) New Brat In Town (Unreleased Version By Steve Albini): The Auteurs (1996)

20) New Years (Cover of Asobi Seksu): Boris (2012)

21) Someone New (Album Version): BANKS (2014)

22) New Love Cassette (Album Version): Angel Olsen (2019)

23) A New Chance (Tanlines Remix): The Tough Alliance (2007)

24) Feels Like A New Morning: The Blow Monkeys (2013)

25) It's A New Thing (It's Your Thing) (D-Nat & Onda Reconstruction): The Isley Brothers ft. De La Soul (2004)

26) New Ingland (Demo) (Cover of Billy Bragg): Billy Nomates (2024)

1978: Crossing The Red Sea With The Adverts: 4

1983: Chain Of Love EP: 7

1984: Ageless EP: 5

1986: It's The New Style EP: 15

1987: 10: 12

1992: The Boy's Heart: 13

1994: Sleeping Star: 8

1998: Philophobia: 6

1999: 69 Love Songs: 11

2004: Enter The...Spektrum: 18

2004: ...Taken To The Next Phase: 25

2005: Dark Orgasm: 17

2005: Luke Haines Is Dead: 19

2007: A New Chance EP: 23

2008: Elephant Shell / Extras (ltd 2x CD): 9

2012: Asobi Seksu x Boris Split EP: 20

2013: Feels Like A New Morning: 24

2014: Flick Of The Finger RKID003 EP: 1

2014: Goddess: 21

2015: Happy New Year EP: 3

2019: All Mirrors: 22

2020: Ghosts VI: Locusts: 10

2022: Kaleido: 14

2024: New Ingland EP: 26

2025: Home: 16

2025: New Moon EP: 2

Start Anew (1:39:26) (GD) (M)

If you're feeling nostalgic, check out my previous New Year's Day posts from 2022, 2023, 2024 and 2025.

Don't Sing

After the runaway success* of my Senza Voce post back in September 2022, it's only taken 532 days for me to produce a sequel. Yep, as the title suggests, today's selection is 45 minutes of instrumental versions of songs you might not have been familiar with in the first place.

Shorn of the distraction of vocal workouts from the likes of Russell Mael, Billy MacKenzie, Boy George, Jim Kerr and Liam Gallagher, the songs are allowed to breathe and find their own space in the listener's consciousness. 

 

Well, that or the record label needed to pad out a single release and what better than karaoke versions. I mean, I don't know about you but there's nothing better I enjoy of an evening than standing in front of a mirror, hairbrush in hand, belting out Thompson Twins' greatest hits, pretending I'm Tom Bailey.

Oh. 

Just me, then.

 

1) The Rhythm Thief (Instrumental): Sparks (2002)

2) Only One In Your Love (Instrumental Remix): Botany 5 (1991)

3) Breakfast Alone (Instrumental Version): Associates (1985)

4) Komputer Pop (Inst.): Komputer (1998)

5) (Long) Beach Culture (Instrumental): Thompson Twins (1982)

6) Jungleland (Instrumental): Simple Minds (1986)

7) Shine A Light (Instrumental): Beady Eye (2013)

8) Il Adore (Instrumental): Boy George (1995)

 

1982: Lies EP: 5

1984: Breakfast EP: 3 

1986: Ghostdancing EP: 6

1991: Only One In Your Love EP: 2 

1995: Il Adore EP: 8

1998: Terminus EP: 4

2004: Lil' Beethoven (Deluxe Edition): 1

2013: BE Instrumentals (bootleg): 7

 

Don't Sing (45:49) (KF) (Mega) 

You can find Senza Voce here

* Well, Charity Chic and Middle Aged Man seemed to like it, anyway.

The Start Of The Beginning

"Is it the end? No, it's the beginning". Wise words from Sal Solo of Classix Nouveaux there as we usher in 2023. 

Happy New Year, everyone!

 

1) This Could Be The Start Of Something Small: Airport Girl (2001)

2) Beginning To See The Light: The Velvet Underground (1969)

3) The End... Or The Beginning? (Long Version): Classix Nouveaux (1982)

4) Start The Commotion (Edit): The Wiseguys (1998) 

5) Start The Panic: Luke Vibert & B.J. Cole ft. Addie Brik & Iris Parker (2000)

6) New Beginnings: Pink Industry (1985)

7) The Beginning: Xymox (1993)

8) The Beginning Of The End (Remixed By Ladytron): Nine Inch Nails (2007)

9) Start Anew (Remix By JC Of RKID003): Beady Eye (2014)

10) The Beginning & The End: SAULT (2020)

11) Start To Move: Wire (1977)

12) Start Me Up (Album Version): The Rolling Stones (1981)

13) The Beginning: Victoria Bailey (2020)

14) Don't Start Now (Album Version): Dua Lipa (2020)

15) New Beginning: Psychemagik (2017)

16) I Start Counting: Dusty Springfield (1972)

1969: The Velvet Underground: 2

1972: See All Her Faces: 16

1977: Pink Flag: 11

1981: Tattoo You: 12

1982: The End... Or The Beginning? EP: 3

1985: New Beginnings: 6

1993: Reaching Out EP: 7

1998: Start The Commotion EP: 4

2000: Stop The Panic: 5

2001: Honey, I'm An Artist: 1

2007: Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D: 8

2014: Flick Of The Finger EP: 9

2017: Psychemagik Archive 2009-2017: 15

2020: Future Nostalgia: 14

2020: Jesus, Red Wine & Patsy Cline: 13

2020: UNTITLED (Rise): 10

 

The Start Of The Beginning (1:02:11) (GD) (M)