Visceral Stuff

Celebrating producer, drummer, remixer and co-conspirator Roli Mosimann, 7th November 1955 to 15th September 2024.

If the name seems unfamiliar, but you own records by Swans, The The and The Young Gods, check out the credits and chances are you'll find him there. 

Twitter is great for getting a heads up on music news, the flipside being that it includes the sad news of someone's passing. So it was on Sunday night, when RapidEyeElectronicsLtd shared this tweet:

Roli's long-time friends Jim Thirwell and Matt Johnson paid tribute:

 

...as did many artists influenced by Roli's work, including Robin Rimbaud aka Scanner:

In time honoured tradition, I've thrown together a 10-track selection of Roli's work, pinching the title from RapidEyeElectronicsLtd's tweet. Apart from a remix of Clint Run (aka Jim Thirlwell) and Lydia Lunch's uncompromising 1988 single Stinkfist, this playlist errs on the side of Roli's more commercial mixes and production. Well, as commercial as it was ever likely to get.

Roli had a habit of popping up in the most unexpected places, whether a remix of Big Pig or The Smashing Pumpkins, and perhaps the best example being today's closing song....

Rest in peace, Roli.

 

1) Groove Check (The Stoli Mix By Roli Mosimann): That Petrol Emotion (1990)

2) Son Of Stink (Reprocessed & Edited By Roli Mosimann): Clint Ruin & Lydia Lunch (1988)

3) Breakaway (Dub Mix By Roli Mosimann): Big Pig (1988)

4) Infected (Energy Mix By Roli Mosimann): The The (1986)

5) Gasoline Man (Diesel Mix By Roli Mosimann): The Young Gods (1992)

6) 1979 (Vocal Mix By Roli Mosimann): The Smashing Pumpkins (1996)

7) Love Will Tear Us Apart (Red Version By Roli Mosimann) (Cover of Joy Division): Swans (1988)

8) Diesel Breeze (Album Version By Matt Johnson, Bruce Lampcov & Roli Mosimann): The The (2000)

9) Ashes To Ashes (Album Version By Faith No More & Roli Mosimann): Faith No More (1997)

10) The B-Side (World In Motion Remix By Roli Mosimann): England/New Order ft. Keith Allen (1990) 

Visceral Stuff (44:17) (KF) (Mega)

Decade IV: 1987

Side 2 of an 80s mixtape, compiled 8th April 1990.

 

This one goes up to 11...

 

The guitars are in full effect, though you'll be hard pressed to find any big (UK) hits this time around. Only The Cult's Love Removal Machine scraped into the Top 20 (#18 in its first two weeks of release).

 

Whilst The One I Love managed a creditable #16, it was in 1991 when ex-label I.R.S. sought to cash in on R.E.M.'s major label success. In 1987, the post-Christmas lull meant that the song managed a brief peak at #51, criminal given that it's now considered an all-time classic.

A couple of inclusions here failed to chart at all. I first saw Yon Yonson by The Dave Howard Singers on TV, The Chart Show to be precise, and I was both annoyed and fascinated by the song and video in equal measure. The latter won out and I ended up with both 12" single versions, neither of which did any good as far as a boost up the charts or appearance on Top Of The Pops was concerned.

Doctor & The Medics did make it to Top Of The Pops and a UK #1 with their cover of Spirit In The Sky in 1986. Despite an alleged six-figure signing fee (according to Smash Hits so it must be true, right?), The Doctor couldn't arrest ailing record sales. More, lead-in for second long-player I Keep Thinking It's Tuesday, failed to generate interest in either the single or the album. A shame as it's a decent enough song and the video was (typically) a lot of fun.

In a nice tie-in, I first encountered The Bambi Slam as one of two support acts for The Cult at the Colston Hall in Bristol on 23rd March 1987. I was sufficiently impressed by their set to go out afterwards and buy the only record of theirs that I could find, included here. The other support act was Balaam & The Angel, who are conspicuous by their absence on this mixtape, which may tell you all you need to know.

Confession time. If you're someone who likes to scrutinise the headline photos, especially my handwritten cassette sleeve track listings, then you will have spotted that song 3 should be Sidewalking by The Jesus & Mary Chain. Rookie error, as it wasn't actually released until March 1988 and on this occasion I can't even blag my way through by pointing to promos or previous releases in 1987. 

Nope, I messed up. Even more embarrassing when I acknowledge that I recorded the tape on 8th April 1990, exactly two years after the single had got to #30 on 9th April 1988. Nineteen years old and my memory was already shot...!

Luckily, being The Jesus & Mary Chain, I could swap Sidewalking out for another great single, Happy When It Rains, which peaked at #25 in August 1987 and therefore legitimately deserves a place in this selection. Oh, and don't be fooled by the 'long version' label. It's the same as the album version, but longer than the 7" version by about 30 seconds.

Bobbing around just outside the Top 50 were Faith No More, The Icicle Works, R.E.M. and The Fall. Mark E. Smith and crew make their one and only appearance in this series with Hit The North, arguably one of their greatest songs ever, let along in the 80s. 

 

I was surprised to find that I Started Something I Couldn't Finish by The Smiths and Trampolene by Julian Cope were as big hits as I thought they were, though in Copey's case that was pretty much the case with everything that he released in the 1980s.

At first glance, U2 also appear to have experienced a rare flop with In God's Country, the fourth single from The Joshua Tree. The previous three singles in 1987 had respectively got to #4, #6 and #4. By comparison, In God's Country achieved a surprising and disappointing peak of #48. That is, until you release that it was released as a 7" single in North America only and the UK chart placing was down to import sales alone. 

 

Ian McNabb may have given his good teeth for a #48 hit, given that The Icicle Work's Evangeline stalled at #53, the third consecutive single in less than 12 months to achieve a similar chart placing.

Mind you, the general record-buying public were being swamped with pop pap from 'The Hit Factory' of Stock, Aitken & Waterman. Or T'Pau and Wet Wet Wet. I'm not sure which is worse but either way, I literally wasn't buying. Even the Pet Shops Boys and Dusty Springfield were asking What Have I Done To Deserve This?!

That's it for another look back at the 1980s. See you here next week, and the year when I started to ditch black stretch canvas drainpipes and biker jackets for loose fit blue jeans and Converse trainers, but remained largely oblivious to the acid house revolution. Yep, 1988's on it's way.

1) Love Removal Machine (Album Version): The Cult

2) We Care A Lot ('Introduce Yourself' Album Version): Faith No More

3) Happy When It Rains (Long Version): The Jesus & Mary Chain

4) Yon Yonson (Single Version): The Dave Howard Singers

5) Hit The North (Part 1) (Single Version): The Fall

6) Happy Birthday (Yet Another) (Thick, Hard And Long Mix): The Bambi Slam

7) I Started Something I Couldn't Finish (Album Version): The Smiths

8) More (Album Version): Doctor & The Medics

9) The One I Love (Album Version): R.E.M.

10) Trampolene (Album Version): Julian Cope

11) Evangeline (Album Version): The Icicle Works

12) In God's Country (Album Version): U2

Side Two (45:51) (KF) (Mega)

Another Kick Up The Eighties

Side 2 of a cassette compilation, recorded 22nd January 1990 and looking back on the 1980s.

 

Whereas Side 1 was firmly rooted in the first half of the decade, Side 2 is split 50/50, slightly favouring 1986 to 1989 and 7" and 12" single versions. A few songs have appeared previously, others albeit in different versions/remixes, whilst some I'm surprised to find haven't featured before now. Incredibly, this is the first time that Faith No More have been on this blog, full stop. Introduce Yourself, indeed.

 

I realise I could have waited a couple of days to post this on the 33rd anniversary of originally recording this compilation but I saw that I'd previously uploaded Side 1 on a Friday and I decided to do the same here. Let's face it, Side 2 is definitely more Friday than Sunday listening!

 

This one's for Dave. Fourteen years and still miss you lots.

1) Burning Down The House (Album Version): Talking Heads (1983)

2) House (Flashback Mix): The Psychedelic Furs (1989)

3) How Soon Is Now? (Single Edit): The Smiths (1985)

4) Spellbound (Album Version): Siouxsie & The Banshees (1981)

5) We Care A Lot (Album Version): Faith No More (1987)

6) River Euphrates (Single Version): Pixies (1988)

7) Never Let Me Down Again (Tsangarides Mix): Depeche Mode (1987)

8) All We Ever Wanted Was Everything: Bauhaus (1982)

9) Deus (10" Remix): The Sugarcubes (1988)

10) Kiss (Leeds v. The Bronx) (Remix By DJ Chakk) (Cover of Prince): Age Of Chance (1986)

11) Perfect Blue (Album Version): Lloyd Cole & The Commotions (1985)

 

1981: Juju: 4 

1982: The Sky's Gone Out: 8

1983: Speaking In Tongues: 1

1985: Easy Pieces: 11

1985: How Soon Is Now? (7" single): 3 

1986: Kiss (Jack-Knife Remixes) (limited edition 12" single): 10

1987: Introduce Yourself: 5

1987: Never Let Me Down Again (limited edition 12" single): 7

1988: Deus (limited edition 10" single): 9

1988: Gigantic / River Euphrates (12" single): 6

1989: House (12" single): 2

 

Side Two (45:45) (Box) (Mega)

Side One here