A Million Different People In Here

Side 1 of an cassette compilation, recorded 27th December 1997.

An end of year 'best of' with an opening song from Björk that had charted less than a fortnight previously. 

Bachelorette is an astounding song in it's original form, and the list of artists brought in to remix the single included RZA from Wu-Tang Clan. He doesn't mess with it too much, mainly a switch of beats, but it makes a big difference.

I've included the UK chart peaks for each of the singles here, which in turn highlights how many of them actually failed to crack the Top 100! 

Smoking Pot by Wubble-U is no surprise as the BBC no doubt slapped a discreet airplay on it due to it's title and sampled refrain of "Why are you children smoking pot?" Lionrock and The Aloof were robbed, though.

This was the era of multi-format CD singles and offers to buy all two (or three, in some cases) for a bargain price in order to secure that all-important chart placing. Therefore, quite a few here found that the single crashed in on the first week, and disappeared without trace by the second.

Only two Top 10s, the first from James with a more commercial punt at pop, produced by Stephen Hague, following a couple of more experimental albums with Brian Eno. 

The second was far more radical: Tori Amos' song Professional Widow was put through the garage grinder by Armand Van Helden, released as a single, and gave Tori her first #1 in the UK. The remix is of it's time admittedly, but it's still a thrilling listen.

Also thrilling, though for different reasons, were Gold Blade, fronted by John Robb (belated happy 65th birthday for 4th May!). I saw Gold Blade play a gig in the super cosy upstairs room at The Louisiana in Bristol in November 1996 and they were just brilliant, full oif energy and Robb resplendent in lamé and quiff.

As a nod to the excellent series at The Vinyl Villain, Edwyn Collins released The Magic Piper (Of Love), a one-off single that incredibly - and delightfully - found itself playing over the closing credits of smash hit movie Austin Powers: International Man Of Mystery. You can read JC's thoughts on the single here.

It may be a little while before I get around to Side 2, though the mixtape's title gives a clue to one of the songs. Can you guess any of the other eleven?

1) Bachelorette (RZA Remix): Björk (Bachelorette EP) (#21, 14 December 1997)

2) She's A Star (Album Version): James (Whiplash) (#9, 27 April 1997)

3) Professional Widow (Armand's Star Trunk Funkin' Mix - Radio Edit): Tori Amos (Professional Widow EP) (#1, 12 January 1997)

4) Pussycat (Rosetta Stone Mix By Porl King & Karl North): Mulu (Pussycat EP) (#50, 27 July 1997)

5) Sinking (Radio Edit): The Aloof (Sinking EP) (#n/a, 01 June 1997)

6) Sand (Album Version) (Cover of Lee Hazlewood): OP8 ft. the ilk of Lisa Germano (Slush) (#n/a, 12 January 1997)

7) The Magic Piper (Of Love) (Edit): Edwyn Collins (The Magic Piper (Of Love) EP) (#32, 27 July 1997)

8) Not Even Jesus (Album Version): Gold Blade (Hometurf) (#86, 22 June 1997)

9) Angels Go Bald :Too (Original Mix (Edit)): Howie B. (Angels Go Bald :Too EP) (#36, 13 July 1997)

10) Smoking Pot (Original Mix): Wubble-U (Smoking Pot EP) (#n/a, 27 July 1997)

11) Wet Roads Glisten (Radio Edit): Lionrock (Wet Roads Glisten EP) (#80, 18 May 1997)

Side One (46:00) (GD) (M)

Decayed II: 2002

Side 1 of a made up mixtape series, bounding through the first decade of the 21st century.

In the year 2000, Robbie Williams duetted with Kylie Minogue on the phenomenal crowd pleasing single Kids. in 2001, Kylie pushed the envelope further with the brilliant Can't Get You Out Of My Head. But what about Robbie?

2001 was pretty good to Robbie too, with three singles, two of which hit the top spot. 2002 saw just the one single, Feel, reaching #4 at the end of the year. Not that I was really all that bothered. 

What interested me more with his guest spot on My Culture by 1 Giant Leap. It's a really good song and deserved to be a hit, but would it have been a Top 10 hit without Robbie and Maxi Jazz from Faithless on it? 

Well... follow-up single Braided Hair featuring Neneh Cherry and Speech from Arrested Development managed one week at #78, whilst the eponymous debut album fared slightly better at #51. Which is a shame as 1 Giant Leap is a really good album. People were sadly more interested in buying the latest steaming slop by Blue and Celine Dion. 

Likewise, Cornershop had followed up a #1 hit single and Top 20 album in 1998 with a great album, Handcream For A Generation, and a rifftastic lead single in Lessons Learned From Rocky I To Rocky III. Although neither could be considered a flop, with a Top 30 and Top 40 placing respectively, Cornershop never again  enjoyed the UK chart success of the 1990s,. Didn't stop them making fantastic music, though.

Another legendary artist that consistently delivered wonderful music for frustratingly little reward is Edwyn Collins. His 2002 album Dr. Syntax is chock full of tunes that his contemporaries would sell their souls for, and Johnny Teardrop is in my Top 5 favourite Edwyn Collins songs. It's the perfect distillation of everything that makes Edwyn such a superb songwriter. And it got to bloody #192! Were there really 191 better singles on sale in the UK that week?!

The previous week, Sugababes were back with a vengeance - and their first UK #1 - with Freak Like Me. Having just watched the excellent Girlbands Forever documentary series on BBC2, I appreciated just how much was on the line for the group. Founder member and childhood friend Siobhan Donaghy had left, and Mutya Buena and Keisha Buchanan were teamed up with new member Heidi Range. Sugababes had been successful, but without a #1 single or album to date, it was make or break time.

DJ and producer Richard X has gained notoriety, not least for his bootleg mash-up of Freak Like Me by Adina Howard and Are 'Friends' Electric? by Tubeway Army. Sugababes and Richard X were paired up in the studio to record a commercial version for single release. It turned out to be a smart move for them both. 

Another mash-up artist who exploded in 2002 was Mark Vidler aka Go Home Productions. The Weather Episode is a glorious melding of The Next Episode by Dr. Dre featuring Snoop Dogg and Weather With You by Crowded House. When a mash-up works, it really hits the spot and this is a prime example.

I am completely disregarding the rules here, as The Weather Episode was released as a free bootleg MP3 download and therefore ineligible for the Official Chart in the UK. I'm applying the "played by Zane Lowe on his XFM On-Air radio show" rule to sneak this one into its rightful place in today's selection.

Other great songs in 2002 by Radio 4, Badly Drawn Boy and Amorphous Androgynous also gave a nod to producers that were gaining recognition in their own right, namely The DFA aka James Murphy and Tim Goldsworthy, Four Tet aka Kieran Hebden, and Jacknife Lee aka Garret Lee.

Another remix that I loved was by dub legend Scientist aka Hopeton Brown, taking the title track of Death In Vegas' third album, Scorpio Rising. The second Top 20 single for Richard Fearless and co, their previous #9 hit had a guest spot from Iggy Pop and Scorpio Rising repeated the formula by featuring a certain Liam Gallagher.

I'm not a fan of Oasis or, generally speaking, the exploits of the Gallagher brothers in or out of the studio, so I was bought this single purely because it was Death In Vegas and Scientist. I don't think even a diehard Liam fanatic would deny that this is far from his best vocal performance, but I love Scientist's game attempt to wrestle it into a dubtastic shape.

Unlikely collaborations were plentiful at his time, yet X-Press 2 teaming up with David Byrne was a real surprise for Lazy A deserved #2 hit in April 2002, I was pleased to see Lazy included in Byrne's stunning American Utopia live set on the Sky Arts channel a while ago.

Another unlikely collaboration, and even more unlikely reunion in 2002, was David McAlmont and Bernard Butler. Bring It Back - album and single - proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that the magic that peppered previous hits Yes and You Do was still there. This partnership also holds a special place in my heart as they were the first gig that Mrs. K and I went to together. They were utterly fantastic, of course. 

Concidentally, I saw McAlmont and Butler perform live again in 2025, albeit not together. David was with current musical partner Hifi Sean, Bernard with James Grant and Norman Blake. Sadly, Mrs. K was unable to join me for either as I think she would have loved them.

Another welcome return for the Pet Shop Boys and Johnny Marr, who have both appeared in the previous 'decade' series. Home And Dry signalled a more reflective PSB and one which signalled and embraced their - and their audience's - transition from Radio 1 to Radio 2. Johnny had collaborated with Neil and Chris previously and his trademark guitar lines add class to a classy song.

And so, we've suddenly come to the end of another year and, if you ignored most of the Top 40 most of the time, another great year for music. 

Could 2003 hope to find some gold amongst the grit? Join me on Sunday to find out.

1) Lessons Learned From Rocky I To Rocky III (Radio Edit): Cornershop

2) Freak Like Me (We Don't Give A Damn Mix By Richard X): Sugababes

3) Dance To The Underground (Edit By The DFA aka James Murphy & Tim Goldsworthy): Radio 4

4) Something To Talk About (The Four Tet Convention Remix By Kieran Hebden): Badly Drawn Boy

5) Johnny Teardrop (Remixed & Radio Edited): Edwyn Collins

6) Bring It Back (Album Version By Bernard Butler): McAlmont & Butler

7) Lazy (Radio Edit): X-Press 2 ft. David Byrne

8) Home And Dry (Single Mix): Pet Shop Boys ft. Johnny Marr

9) The Weather Episode (Original Version): Go Home Productions ft. Dr. Dre, Snoop Dogg & Crowded House

10) My Culture (We Love This Mix (Video Edit)): 1 Giant Leap ft. Maxi Jazz & Robbie Williams

11) The Mello Hippo Disco Show (Jacknife Lee Mix): The Amorphous Androgynous

12) Scorpio Rising (The Scientist Mix): Death In Vegas ft. Liam Gallagher

10th March 2002: Handcream For A Generation (#37): 1

24th March 2002: Release (#14): 8

14th April 2002: Muzikizum (#2): 7

14th April 2002: 1 Giant Leap (#9): 10

28th April 2002: Angels With Dirty Faces (#1): 2

5th May 2002: Doctor Syntax (#192): 5

16th June 2002: About A Boy OST (#28): 4

23rd June 2002: This Was Pop (2002-2007) (# n/a): 9

11th August 2002: The Isness (#68): 11

3rd November 2002: Bring It Back (#36): 6

24th November 2002: Gotham! (#94): 3

22nd December 2002: Scorpio Rising (#14): 12

Side One (46:42) (GD) (M)

If you enjoyed this, you may also wish to check out my previous selections for 1982 and 1992.

Decayed I: 2001

Side 2 of an imaginary compilation cassette, travelling through the 2000s.

Troubling the upper reaches of the UK's best-selling singles of 2001 were Shaggy, Atomic Kitten and S Club 7. Not to forget yesterday's reference to Westshite, who must have had a sideline commission on bar stools, the amount of time they spent with their arses glued to them whilst inflicting another ballad or cover version (or both) on us.

Yet, there was hope. Kylie Minogue was experiencing a purple patch of perfect pop songs, arguably none more so than Can't Get You Out Of My Head. Bucking the trend of one-week-only #1s, Ms. Minogue spent four weeks at the top, seven in the Top 10 and the best part of six months in the Top 75. 

Can't Get You Out Of My Head was apparently offered first to S Club 7 (well, their manager) then Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who both turned it down. I bet they've been kicking themselves ever since.

Basement Jaxx were also wanting to know Where's Your Head At, cracking the UK Top 10 in December. Featuring Damien Peachey on vocals, the song is built on the riff from Gary Numan's 1979 song M.E. and was accompanied by a memorable video.

Speaking of samples, there's a serendipitous connection between today's playlist and the original Decade mixtape series. In October 2001, Felix Da Housecat charted with the single Harlot, sampling the synth percussion of The Sound Of The Crowd by The Human League. That very song featured in my 1981 selection, having reached #12 in May of that year. It's almost like I planned it...!

Missy Elliott had previously scored a UK #1 in 1998, but it was a guest on ex-Spice Girl Melanie B's single I Want You Back. Get UR Freak On got to #4 in April 2001 and would prove to be Missy's highest charting single in the UK as a solo artist. It's a magnificent record, and Timbaland's production and the tabla frenzy underpinning the song cannot be underestimated. Yet, it wouldn't be half as good without Missy herself: her delivery is spot on and a breath of fresh air compared to many of her male contemporaries.

This was the year that we were introduced to The Strokes. I wasn't as blown away by them as the gushing music press appeared to be, though I found myself morbidly fascinated by Last Nite, both the video and the song. Both were unashamedly retro, yet there was something compelleing about their sound and look, even to an old cynic like me.

2001 also saw the first collaboration between Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams, a partnership that would really pay off a decade and a half later. Here, The Neptunes (Pharrell and Chad Hugo) get their hands on Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger and take it in a completely new direction.

The Charlatans, Depeche Mode, Faithless and Damon Albarn all came back with strong songs, reasserting their relevance in the 21st century. Albarn especially so, as in a radical departure from Blur, he co-created 'virtual' band Gorillaz to great critical and commercial acclaim. 

Trevor Jackson is the brains behind Playgroup, the only non-charting single in today's picks. Never heard of him? Break 4 Love by Raze or House Of Lovers by The Rapture? Two of the many record sleeves Trevor designed. The Underdog remixes of Massive Attack, House Of Pain, U2 or Everything But The Girl? That's Trevor. Late 1990s releases by Fridge and Four Tet (Kieran Hebden) on the Output label? Trevor ran it.

Playgroup's self-titled debut album is a thing of wonder and I will write about it at some point, here or elsewhere. Suffice to say that both it and the various singles should have been smash hits. Front 2 Back is featured here, with a strong lead from KC Flightt and a wonderful guest spot from Edwyn Collins on guitar, who nails it.

Robert Miles had a #2 hit with Children in January 1996. Nina Miranda, fronting Smoke City, got to #4 with Underwater Love in April 1997.  On paper, a collaboration between the two had 'hit' written all over it, surely? Sadly not. 

Paths is a great song, but managed just one week at #74 in July 2001. The Future Sound Of London aka Brian Dougans and Garry Cobain were no strangers to the UK charts themselves in the 1990s and they provide a stunning remix here. There is a full-length 7+ minute version on the 12" single, though everything you need is captured here in two hundred and twenty eight wonderful seconds.

Although labelled as a remix by The Future Sound Of London, Brian and Garry were revisiting another of their aliases, and this remix signposted their new direction. Stay tuned, as you'll find out what they were up to next week.

For your further listening pleasure, you may wish to head back to 1981 and 1991.

1) Love Is The Key (Album Version): The Charlatans
2) 19/2000 (Soulchild Remix By Damien Mendis & Stuart Bradbury): Gorillaz
3) I Feel Loved (Single Version): Depeche Mode
4) Get Ur Freak On (Edit By Timbaland & Jimmy Douglass): Missy Elliott
5) Harlot (Edit): Felix Da Housecat ft. Melistar
6) Muhammad Ali (Radio Edit By Rollo & Sister Bliss): Faithless ft. Pauline Taylor
7) Last Nite (Album Version): The Strokes
8) Front 2 Back (Album Version): Playgroup ft. KC Flightt & Edwyn Collins
9) Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (The Neptunes Remix Edit By Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo): Daft Punk
10) Where's Your Head At (Radio Edit): Basement Jaxx ft. Damien Peachey
11) Can't Get You Out Of My Head (Album Version): Kylie Minogue
12) Paths (Future Sound Of London 'Cosmic Jukebox' Remix (Edit)): Robert Miles ft. Nina Miranda, Garry Cobain & Justin Gibson

22nd April 2001: Miss E ...So Addictive (#4): 4

1st July 2001: Gorillaz (#6): 2

22nd July 2001: Organik Remixes (#74): 12

5th August 2001: Exciter (#12): 3

2nd September 2001: Wonderland (#16): 1

23rd September 2001: Outrospective (#29): 6

23rd September 2001: Fever (#1): 11

21st October 2001: Kittenz And Thee Glitz (#79): 5

21st October 2001: Playgroup (# n/a): 8 *

11th November 2001: Is This It (#14): 7

11th November 2001: Discovery (#25): 9

2nd December 2001: Rooty (#9): 10

Side Two (45:05) (GD) (M)

* Front 2 Back failed to chart as a single, but Playgroup's self-titled album got to #94 in this week.

The Endless Are Possibilities, The Possibilities Are Endless

On Tuesday 30th September, it was time to see Edwyn Colllins at Komedia in Bath for the fifth stop on The Testimonial Tour 2025: A Last Lap Around The UK.

There's something poignant about knowing that you're seeing an artist perform live in concert for the first and last time. I mean, it's happened plenty of times before, but I've never knowingly gone to a gig with the knowledge that this would be my one and only opportunity to see them. And unlike acts that seem to be stuck in a revolving door of "final" tours, there is little question that Edwyn means it. 

The fact that Edwyn is even able to do "A Last Lap Around The UK" is nothign short of a miracle. In February 2005, Edwyn was struck by a major cerebral haemorrhage, then a second. He survived, but was left with right-sided weakness and speech difficulties. Resultant aphasia meant that at first Edwyn could only repeat four phrases: "Yes", "No", "Grace Maxwell" (his wife) and "The possibilities are endless".

That last phrase proved to be prescient as, following an operation and a long-term rehabilitation programme, Edwyn returned to performing live and recording music, releasing four albums up to now. The latest, Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation, emerged in March this year and is as good as anything in the Edwyn Collins catalogue.

The latter point then raises the question: how on earth did Edwyn decide on a setlist for your final tour, when his entire career is bursting with pop gems that other prospectors can only wish were theirs?

As the five-piece band took to the stage, followed by Edwyn, assisted to reach and assume (seated) position at the mike, it was not long before we had our answer.

 

Edwyn reasonably determines that there are two key milestones for fans: his debut album with Orange Juice in 1982 and his third solo album, 1994's Gorgeous George, which spawned the monster hit single A Girl Like You. The set serves both albums well.

Opening with Falling And Laughing and Dying Day from You Can't Hide Your Love Forever, Edwyn then launches into three songs from Gorgeous George, including the title song. It's a wonderful start to the evening, and the first of many moments where I'm grinning from ear to ear, yet also feeling a bit choked up.

Despite the lasting impact on his speech, and confessing to losing his voice after the previous night's gig in Buxton, Edwyn is chatty between songs, and the audience are enthusiastic in their engagement. 

And despite the obvious challenges with ad-hoc conversation, once Edwyn starts singing, it's like he's free of neurological and physical constraints and just soars. Although he acknowledges that his cold has resulted in an even deeper baritone than usual. On occasion, there are fluctuations in key but really, who cares? The joy of seeing Edwyn perform and the joy that he clearly gets from performing, is overwhelming.

Perhaps the best example of this is midway through the show, when son William takes time out from staffing the merch stand in the foyer to join Dad on stage for a wonderful version of In Your Eyes, from Losing Sleep, the first album that Edwyn wrote and recorded after his recovery and rehabilitation. 

It's a wonderful moment, not least seeing the love that William and Edwyn have for each other. Yep, and more welling up from at least one audience member, I don't mind admitting.

The band are tight, having regularly performed and recorded with Edwyn over the years. A special mention for Patrick Ralla, who performs the guitar parts and solos that would previously have been Edwyn's lead. When Edwyn praises his contribution later in the night, Patrick nods and modestly replies, "I had a great teacher". 

We're nearing the end, and Edwyn marks the occasion by standing up. Crowd pleasers - and obvious contenders - Rip it Up and A Girl Like You sandwich the surprise inclusion of 1987 standalone single Don't Shilly Shally, much to the delight of me and pretty much everyone else.

In fact, the entire show has been full of these delights. More or less half-and-half Orange Juice and solo songs, it's breath taking to realise how many songs are aired over 75 minutes or so. Much as I would have been happy to hear more than two picks from the current album, or classics such as Johnny Teardrop, one of the greatest singles ever written, I could not fault any of the selections.

There's a beautiful moment about halfway through when Edwyn sings Intuition Told Me, Pt 1 from the Orange Juice debut, segueing seamlessly into Simply Thrilled Honey.

After A Girl Like You comes to a crashing end, everyone leaves the stage and if those 18 songs had been it, then it would have been a superb night. Yet, minutes later, they're all back on for a four song encore. 

Keepng with Gorgeous George, the "Last Lap" opens with a pared down reading of Low Expectations, followed by the title track of Home Again, recorded before but mixed and released after Edwyn's cerebral haemorrhages. Then, to end as it began, a return to Orange Juice for Felicity and Blue Boy, their sixth and second singles respectively. Those tears were threatening to flood again.

Edwyn and the band exited for the second and final time, then the lights came up, and it was time to go home. 

I'd been there in the audience with friends Mike and Duncan but, in all honesty, for the entirety of the gig, I was completely and utterly transfixed by one amazing man and his incredible band. I think it was fair to say that we were all affected deeply by what we had just experienced.

Thank you, Edwyn. For everything.

Today's selection recreates Tuesday night's setlist, with a few alternative versions, re-recordings and extended versions thrown in to add flavour. I think the end result slightly outlasts the running time of the actual show itself, but I'm not complaining!

1) Falling And Laughing (Album Version): Orange Juice (1982)

2) Dying Day: Orange Juice (1982)

3) Make Me Feel Again: Edwyn Collins (1994)

4) The Campaign For Real Rock (Album Version): Edwyn Collins (1994)

5) Gorgeous George: Edwyn Collins (1994)

6) Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation: Edwyn Collins (2025)

7) Knowledge: Edwyn Collins (2025)

8) The Wheels Of Love: Edwyn Collins (1989)

9) What Presence?! (Extended Version): Orange Juice (1984)

10) In Your Eyes: Edwyn Collins ft. The Drums (2010)

11) In A Nutshell (Cover of Orange Juice): Edwyn Collins ft. Bernard Butler (1995)

12) Intuition Told Me, Pt 1: Orange Juice (1982)

13) Simply Thrilled Honey (Single Version): Orange Juice (1980)

14) Consolation Prize (Live @ Barrowland, Glasgow) (Cover of Orange Juice): Aztec Camera ft. Edwyn Collins (1990)

15) I Can't Help Myself (Long Version): Orange Juice (1982)

16) Rip It Up (The Intermediate Edit): Orange Juice (1983)

17) Don't Shilly Shally (Single Version): Edwyn Collins (1987)

18) A Girl Like You (Album Version): Edwyn Collins (1994)

19) Low Expectations: Edwyn Collins (1994)

20) Home Again (Harmonies/Album Version): Edwyn Collins (2007)

21) Felicity (Album Version): Orange Juice (1982)

22) Blue Boy: Orange Juice (1980)

1980: Blue Boy EP: 22

1980: Simply Thrilled Honey EP: 13

1982: I Can't Help Myself EP: 15

1982: You Can't Hide Your Love Forever: 1, 2, 12, 21

1984: What Presence?! EP: 9

1987: Don't Shilly Shally EP: 17

1989: Hope And Despair: 8

1990: Good Morning Britain EP: 14

1994: Gorgeous George: 3, 4, 5, 18, 19

1995: Volume 13: The Lucky Issue: 11

2002: A Casual Introduction 1981-2001: 16

2007: Home Again: 20

2010: Losing Sleep: 10

2014: The Possibilities Are Endless OST: 20

2025: Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation: 6, 7

The Endless Are Possibilities (1:23:45) (GD) (M)

Some of the photos are mine, but I've also used some fantastic pictures from other audience members that I'd like to give thanks for:

Lorraine Inglis (@lorraineinglisd.bsky.social) captured the incredible front-and-centre close ups of Edwyn, sitting and standing, as well as the set list sheet above.

Dave (@grooveisintheheart.bsky.social) took the striking photo of the empty stage. Admittedly, this was before Edwyn and the band came on but for the purposes of this post, it made sense to include it at the end. Artistic licence!

If you've made it this far, I should also include an apology to support act The Hanging Stars. I thought that they were due to play from 7.30-8.00pm and was feeling quite pleased that I'd managed to get to Bath from work in Gloucester without breaking the law and more or less on time. 

I met Mike outside Komedia, Duncan arrived a few minutes later, we went inside and paused briefly to look at the merch stall and buy a drink, then found our way to the front. At which point, singer Richard Olson struck a chord on his guitar and said, "Thank you very much, see you soon!" 

I guess that they came on at 7.15pm, not 7.30pm... Sorry, guys!

Anyway, The Hanging Stars have been recording their sixth album at Edwyn's studio in Helmsdale, produced by none other than Gerry Love. The album's out next year but the first single, Sister Of The Sun, was released on Friday.

If you're still here after that post-script detour then, as a reward, I've reactivated the previous Edwyn Collins selection that I posted in July. Happy listening!

Hard To Pin It Down

In late January, temperamental tech put paid to my efforts to create an Edwyn Collins selection. I had to make do with writing about his then-new single Knowledge instead. 

Five months later, here at last is a (lucky) 13-song compilation for your listening pleasure.

I didn't keep a note of the aborted track list but I suspect that this newly created selection bears little resemblance to what I originally had in mind. 

Not least, the release of Edwyn's tenth solo album, Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation, in March and which I've been enjoying ever since. As well as Knowledge, I've also previously posted about The Bridge Hotel, so both of them have made the cut for today's mixtape.

I've also gone back four decades for a couple of singles from the Orange Juice back catalogue, interspersed with album tracks, B-sides and rarities, spanning an incredible and at times inconceivable career in music.

Edwyn's music has been with me since my early teens and the fact that, despite everything, he's come out with another brilliant album in 2025 is a testament to his songwriting prowess and drive to make music.

In response to January's post about the new single and forthcoming album, Mike hoped that Edwyn may also tour in 2025.

"Much as I'd love to think so, I suspect it's unlikely" I replied.

Ahead of the release of Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation, Edwyn announced "The Testimonial Tour: A Last Lap Around The UK". I will be cheering him on at Komedia in Bath on 30th September. 

In the meantime, that noise you can hear is the sound of me eating my hat.

Bless you, Edwyn!

1) The Popstar: Edwyn Collins (2002)

2) The Magic Piper (Of Love) (Edit): Edwyn Collins (1997)

3) Two Hearts Together (Single Version): Orange Juice (1982)

4) The Bridge Hotel: Edwyn Collins (2025)

5) Graciously: Edwyn Collins (1990)

6) For The Rest Of My Life: Edwyn Collins (1997)

7) Come Tomorrow, Come Today: Edwyn Collins ft. Johnny Marr (2010)

8) Ghost Of A Chance: Edwyn Collins (1989)

9) Simply Thrilled Honey (Single Version): Orange Juice (1980)

10) You've Grown A Beard: Edwyn Collins (1996)

11) Knowledge: Edwyn Collins (2025)

12) Queer Fish: Edwyn Collins (1987)

13) In A Nutshell: Edwyn Collins ft. Bernard Butler (1995)

1980: Simply Thrilled Honey EP: 9

1982: Two Hearts Together EP: 3

1987: Don't Shilly Shally EP: 12

1989: Hope And Despair: 8

1990: Hellbent On Compromise: 5

1995: Volume Thirteen: 13

1996: Keep On Burning EP: 10

1997: I'm Not Following You: 6

2002: A Casual Introduction 1981-2001: 2

2002: Johnny Teardrop EP: 1

2010: Losing Sleep: 7

2025: Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation: 4, 11

Hard To Pin It Down (47:43) (GD) (M)

Explode Into Your Life Like A Tissue In A Washing Machine

2025 has been a good (albeit expensive) year so far, with some quality album releases before we're even halfway through.

I've compiled a 45-minute selection of a dozen artists that have been floating my boat. 

Enjoy!

Then buy!

1) The Swimmer: The Cowboy Mouth (Faultlines)

2) It Takes A Whole Lot Of Soul To Fill A Cup: Davey Woodward (Mumbo In The Jumbo)

3) All The Smartest People: Louise Connell (Clients Of Suddenness)

4) Music Concrete: Andy Bell (Pinball Wanderer)

5) The Mountains Are My Home: Edwyn Collins (Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation)

6) Another Fucked Up Druggy On The Scene: Gareth Sager (Play Yr Heart Out / Oh No, No Plan B)

7) My Devotion: Sparks (MAD!)

8) Sad Chord: Ellen Beth Abdi (Ellen Beth Abdi)

9) The Same Thing As Nothing At All: Destroyer (Dan's Boogie)

10) Good On The Inside: Mumble Tide (Might As Well Play Another One)

11) Dear Stephen: Manic Street Preachers (Critical Thinking)

12) Cinema Of Broken Dreams: Armory Show (Dead Souls)

Explode Into Your Life Like A Tissue In A Washing Machine (45:58) (KF) (Mega)

You're Welcome Here

A dip into my shopping bag from last week's Bandcamp Friday bonanza, a mix of new releases and 'catch up' purchases.

Heavy Heavy was the first album by Young Fathers that I bought, and I really liked it. I also got to see them perform live (kind of) when they joined Massive Attack on stage for three songs at last year's ACT 1.5 concert in Bristol.

Second album White Men Are Black Men Too has been made available as Name Your Price, so it was straight in the bag on Friday. Get Started is the closing song.

Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation, the 10th album - and first in six years - by Edwyn Collins, was out in March. I enjoyed the singles that preceded it, but this is also a primer for seeing Edwyn live in concert for the first - and last - time in September.

The Bridge Hotel appears two thirds of the way through, a wonderful paean to the real-life guest house in Helmsdale.

For one day only, most of Ibibio Sound Machine's digital catalogue was available as Name Your Price, which was an opportunity for me to plug the gaps in my collection, including the second studio album, Uyai.

I previously had the excellent Richard Norris remixes of side one closer Joy (Idaresit), and the album version is a welcome addition to my collection.

I've been a fan of Los Angeles-based Black Market, with their dub reimagining of iconic artists and music. In my bag this time were EPs by The Clash and Talking Heads and, going back to my entry point, the Thin White Dub EP. 

Posing the question, "What if David Bowie spent the summer of 1975 in Kingston, Jamaica with King Tubby instead of Philadelphia?", the EP recreates four songs: Young Americans, Modern Love, Station To Station and TVC15. 

The attention to detail is impeccable and the dub-infused versions are completely believable.

Another delightful discovery, also hailing from Scotland and released in March, is Things Found In Books by Yvonne Lyon and Boo Hewerdine. 

I'll admit that I was very familiar with Boo, having been a fan of his music since first hearing Graceland and Mahalia by The Bible nearly 40 years ago, but I knew next to nothing about Yvonne. 

It's a brisk album - 15 songs in 36 minutes - but does exactly what it set out to do. Vocally, Yvonne and Boo are a great pairing, with delicate acoustic chords and wistful horn elements providing an effective backdrop to their vignettes of imagined lives.

Decadance III: 1995

Side 2 of a time-travel mixtape, crashing in at 1995.

This series is whizzing by, more than half way through already and exactly 30 years ago. My brain cannot compute, so much of this music still feels 'recent' to me!

Very little evidence in this selection of Britpop, Trip Hop or Ski-Ba-Bop-Ba-Dop-Bop, although I think Scatman John was the sole proponent of the latter, anyway. 

However, in 1995 everything was big: the beats, the brass, the strings, the voices. And so were the hits: all but one of the songs in today's selection made the Top 30, four the Top 10, though the #1 position proved elusive for all.

Pulp nearly made it, with Common People getting all the way to #2, held off the top spot by effing Robson and effing Jerome, whose risible cover of Unchained Melody floated at the top like a turd in a toilet bowl for a mind-boggling seven weeks.

Several artists from Decade, my previous series of 80s mixtapes, make a welcome reappearance here: Marc Almond, Julian Cope and, perhaps the most surprising, Edwyn Collins. 

A Girl Like You was first released in December 1994 and didn't make much of a dent in the UK charts, but there was a groundswell of interest in Europe, leading to re-release here in June 1995. A month later and it was at #4. It also boosted the accompanying album Gorgeous George to #8 in July 1995, twelve months after it came out.

Leftfield had been tied up in contractual hell with their former label, which meant that they could little more than remix other artists for several years. Finally free to release their own material, their monumental debut album Leftism crashed in at #3 in February 1995. 

Leftism contained a version of Open Up, their 1993 comeback single with John Lydon, and collaborations with Djum Djum and Lemn Sissay. Leftfield's first single of 1995 was another collaboration, this time time with Toni Halliday of Curve on the sublime Original. Thirty years on, both it and the album sound as fresh and exciting as they did back then.

Another single by The Sabres Of Paradise for the MAW selection. Andrew Weatherall, Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns had previously remixed Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons music as The Dust Brothers. When the original Dust Brothers required Tom and Ed to cease and desist nicking their name, The Chemical Brothers were born.  

 

The Sabres Of Paradise remixed their debut single Leave Home, itself a Top 20 hit in June 1995. The previous month, the favour was (p)repaid when The Chemical Brothers refashioned Tow Truck, one of several tracks from Haunted Dancehall reworked for the Versus EP. When I say 'refashioned', it's basically a Chemical Brothers track, but the original Sabres components shine through.

 

Describing Fluke's beats as big and bouncy sounds smuttier than it's supposed to, but that's what always springs to mind when I think of their music. Ironically, The Dust Brothers (the original, that is, not Tom & Ed's knock off) remixed today's featured single Bullet, though nothing tops Fluke's own versions. In a box somewhere in the loft, I have Fluke promo plastic bag, which itself ripped off the Tesco carriers of the time. Never used it.

 

Thirty years before he released possibly the best album of 2025 with Hifi Sean, David McAlmont launched another wildly creative and successful partnership, with Bernard Butler. Yes was the perfect introduction, all Wall-of-Sound meets Sylvester meets Suede and a deserved Top 10 smash. 

 

Bernard of course used to be in Suede with Brett Anderson, who co-founded the band with Justine Frischmann, who went on to form Elastica. You'd almost believe I wasn't winging it and had some kind of plan, wouldn't you? 

Elastica were brilliant, even if they did have a habit of getting old rockers riled up and litigious over their songs. Waking Up is a case in point: who cares if it's reminiscent of No More Heroes by The Stranglers? Well, The Stranglers did obviously.

 

The music press were already getting into a lather about Radiohead, though The Bends was the album that hooked me in. There were tons of singles from the album, though admittedly it so full of great songs, that it was difficult to argue that none of them were worthy picks. It all started off with a double A-single of High And Dry and Planet Telex, the latter's abrasive squall offset by the former's soft-yet-brittle side. 

There was very nearly two helpings of Tracey Thorn. Reluctantly, Massive Attack's Protection had to go, justified by the fact that they appeared in the 1994 selection. Of the two picks, in the end it just had to be the Todd Terry remix of Missing by Everything But The Girl. 

I loved the original and the remixes that accompanied the single's original release in 1994. Todd Terry gave the song a whole new lease of life - and audience - when his remix rocketed Missing to #3 in the UK in November 1995. And with that, the confidence for Everything But The Girl to take a divergent musical path that led to a run of great albums in subsequent years.

 

Given the three decade anniversary, I was keen to include something from the UK Top 40 as at 16th February 1995. But jeez, the record buying public didn't half make it difficult.

 

Celine Dion and Annie Lennox at #1 and #2 respectively. Cotton Eye Joe by Rednex and cover of Total Eclipse Of The Heart (I mean, why?) by Nicki French in the Top 10. A few places down, Jimmy Nail and Sting both with songs about cowboys (though at least Jimmy's was written by Paddy McAloon). It's not until #20 that the first half decent song appears, with Mansize Rooster by Supergrass. 

Thankfully, a new entry that week at #38 saved the day. Down By The Water by Polly Jean Harvey was the first single from third album To Bring You My Love and ends this 1995 mixtape on a suitably sinister note.

 

It's no spoiler to say that next weekend will look at 1996 and 1997. Life-changing in so many ways...but was the music any good?

 

Well, if I mention Spice Girls, Babylon Zoo, Gina G, Elton John, Aqua and Teletubbies, you'll no doubt be thrilled to know that none of them will be appearing here!

 

1) Original (Radio Edit): Leftfield ft. Toni Halliday

2) Tow Truck (Chemical Brothers Mix): The Sabres Of Paradise

3) Bullet (Bitten 7"): Fluke

4) Adored And Explored (7" Edit By The Beatmasters): Marc Almond

5) Waking Up (Album Version): Elastica

6) Yes (Edit): McAlmont & Butler

7) High And Dry (Album Version): Radiohead

8) Missing (Todd Terry Club Mix) (Blanco/Eternal Radio Edit): Everything But The Girl

9) Common People (7" Edit): Pulp

10) Try, Try, Try (Album Version): Julian Cope

11) A Girl Like You (Album Version): Edwyn Collins

12) Down By The Water (Album Version): PJ Harvey

12th February 1995: To Bring You My Love (#38): 12

19th February 1995: Elastica (#13): 5

5th March 1995: The Bends (#17): 7

19th March 1995: Original EP (#18): 1

7th May 1995: Fantastic Star (#25): 4

7th May 1995: Versus EP (#77): 2

28th May 1995: Common People EP (#2): 9

28th May 1995: Yes EP (#8): 6

16th July 1995: Gorgeous George (#4): 11

23rd July 1995: Bullet EP (#23): 3

6th August 1995: 20 Mothers (#24): 10

19th November 1995: Missing EP (#3): 8

Side Two (46:11) (GD) (M)