Decayed IV: 2007

Side 2 of a made up mixtape series, moving through the millennium's first decade.

My blogging days were numbered. Between January and August 2007, when I finally downed tools, until an abortive attempt to reignite in 2012, I managed fewer posts that I currently publish in a typical month.

So instead of reeling off lots of historical facts and figures and blog extracts, I'll keep the focus on the music today and especially my dozen picks for 2007.

Another spartan year, gig-wise, with only two of note, both in June. First, a spectacular show by Green Gartside at the Arnolfini in Bristol, billed as solo but in fact a full band Scritti Politti set. The gig holds a special place in my heart, not least because I was there with Mrs. K, but we also met up with my dear friend Dave, as passionate about music as me, and a great person to be with in any setting. It was the last gig we went to together: Dave sadly passed on 2nd January 2009. I miss him very much.

It was the first - and to date - last time I saw Green Gartside perform and it was magical. 

Less magical was Meat Loaf's appearance at Ashton Gate stadium, home of Bristol City football club, later that month. I'd originally bought tickets for the Birmingham concert as a birthday present for Mrs. K. However, when the Bristol date was added, we sold up and went for it. We lived close enough to Ashton Gate that we could generally sit in the garden and listen to a show. Or close the windows and batten the hatches when some boy band was playing there. We both wish we'd done the same with Meat Loaf, it was very far from his finest moment.

Manic Street Preachers could at least be relied upon to thrill, more than a decade and a half on from their blazing arrival. Your Love Alone Is Not Enough, featuring Nina Persson from Cardigans, is a wonderful single. It would have debuted at #1 in May 2007 had it not been for that pesky pair Beyonce and Shakira, with Beautiful Liar. Nina joined the lads on stage to perform the song at Glastonbury a few weeks later. 

In 2023, they performed the song at Glastonbury again, this time with The Anchoress aka Catherine Anne Davies. There isn't a clip of that online, but they performed a fest warm up show at the Forum in Bath the week before. I had a ticket but at the last minute couldn't go. Here's a clip of a wonderful performance of the song. Look carefully and you may even spot Dubhed guest writer Mike, who was able to make use of my ticket.

Redressing an unforgivable exclusion from Decadance, my previous series running through the 1990s, is Groove Armada. The pair are joined here by another returning artist, Mutya Buena, who featured in the second post of this series, with Sugababes' first #1 in 2002.

By 2005, Mutya became the second founding member to leave Sugababes; third and final founder Keisha was gone by 2009. As the recent Girlbands Forever series (essential viewing) demonstrated, the management and record label Sugababes brand was considered more important than the individual members and must carry on regardless. 

Song 4 Mutya (Out Of Control) is a brilliant pop song that could be interpreted as a story about an ex. Frame the narrative as Mutya seeing the band she formed, continue on, almost unrecognisable from her original vision, and the song gains a whole new perspective.

I also love the fact that the naggingly catchy synth line reminds me of The Piranhas' version of Tom Hark. Genius.

Two for the price of one, with Mark Ronson and Amy Winehouse delivering a brilliant future retro version of The Zutons' hit Valerie. I think I prefer Ronson's cover of The Smiths' Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before with Daniel Merriweather, and Amy had a run of superb singles in 2007 with You Know I'm No Good, Back To Black and Tears Dry On Their Own. 

So, this is a bit of a compromise, to get them both included in the fiercely competitive final dozen. I think the cover of Valerie is great, but I also love The Zutons' original recording so I won't go so far to say that this is the definitive version. But it is very, very good.

I can be an awful music snob and I dismissed Starz In Their Eyes by Just Jack aka Jack Allsopp as just another song by an artist that seemed to half sing, half rap and not do anything particularly exciting. Another example is, er, Example. Lovely guys, I'm sure, but I wouldn't want to buy their records.

Except Mrs. K did, and repeated listens to Just Jack's album Overtones got me listening more closely to the lyrics of Starz In Their Eyes and appreciating that it was a much darker narrative that I was expecting from the jaunty, funky song structure. Now, the singer/narrator comes across less as half-arsed, more as crushed by his experience of the music machine, and wanting to warn the bright-eyed young buck before him of the pitfalls that await. 

The real surprise of this collection was discovering that Reverend & The Makers got to #8 in June 2007 with Heavyweight Champion Of The World. I wasn't paying a lot of attention to the charts, to be fair, and I only bought the CD single years later because Jagz Kooner produced the song (and album) and frankly, he's brilliant. 

Less surprising was that Kaiser Chiefs finally secured a place in the hearts of the nation - and the football terraces - with Ruby. It's a super #1 single, even if I struggle to name any songs or albums that they've released since. And Ricky Wilson seems on a singular mission to achieve National Treasure status by the time he's 50. Two years to go and I'll reckon he'll make it.

I think Calvin Harris (Adam Wiles to his loved ones) is less bothered about National Treasure status as he's possibly made enough moolah from his mega-successful music and DJ career to pay of the UK's national debt. 

Not that this was obvious from the start. Acceptable In The 80s is a great tune, even better when mashed up with Happy House by Siouxsie & The Banshees. This was first attempted in 2007 by mash-up pioneer IDC aka David McCarthy, but that's no longer available online, so here's a similar take from the appropriately named James' Mashups last May.

Also last year, I nominated Fantastic Playroom by New Young Pony Club as one of the greatest albums of the 2000s for a then-upcoming series by SWC over at No Badger Required. The album didn't make the final cut, but it did at least get an honorable mention in the 'Not Quite The Greatest Albums Of The 00s' prelude to the definitive countdown. I loved New Young Pony Club from the moment I heard the single Ice Cream, even if they couldn't follow up on the promise of that debut album.

The same goes for CSS aka Cansei De Ser Sexy aka "Tired Of Being Sexy" in translation. Such an exciting prospect when Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above and the self-titled debut, but somehow they just missed their moment and couldn't create that same spark again.

Klaxons are another good example, although they were also burdened with the music press' desparate creation of the horrible Nu-Rave label, and the fact that nothing on their album was quite as refreshingly wonderful as Golden Skans. 

Closing the selection, it's that James Murphy fellow again, with LCD Soundsystem. What can I say? Sound Of Silver is a perfect album and my pick, All My Friends, is a perfect song. And that because of and in spite of the fact that it's built upon one note played repeatedly, annoyingly, throughout. There is a 7" edit, but I've gone for the full seven minutes and forty seconds here because...well, you have to hear the whole thing from start to end. 

Besides, the full length version appeared on one of the two 7" singles released, featuring the edit and two rather special cover versions by Franz Ferdinand and John Cale. I bought them both and reviewed the single on my blog at the time. And why not own it in multiple formats?! As I said just now, All My Friends is a perfect song.

And this seems the perfect time to wrap things up, not least because I've taken far too long on this post and need to get on with household chores!

Please stick around for more nonsense through the week and then, next weekend, the final two years of the 2000s. If you've enjoyed the ride so far, I don't think you'll be disappointed.

1) 1234 (Album Version): Feist

2) Valerie (Album Version): Mark Ronson ft. Amy Winehouse

3) Starz In Their Eyes (Radio Edit): Just Jack

4) Let's Make Love And Listen To Death From Above (Album Version): CSS

5) Heavyweight Champion Of The World (Album Version): Reverend & The Makers

6) Ruby (Album Version): Kaiser Chiefs

7) Golden Skans (Album Version): Klaxons

8) Song 4 Mutya (Out Of Control) (Edit): Groove Armada ft. Mutya Buena

9) Acceptable In The 80s (Radio Edit): Calvin Harris

10) Your Love Alone Is Not Enough (Album Version): Manic Street Preachers ft. Nina Persson

11) Ice Cream (Extended Mix): New Young Pony Club

12) All My Friends (Album Version): LCD Soundsystem

21st January 2007: Overtones (#2): 3

28th January 2007: Myths Of The Near Future (#7): 7

25th February 2007: Yours Truly, Angry Mob (#1): 6

18th March 2007: I Created Disco (#10): 9

6th May 2007: Send Away The Tigers (#2): 10

20th May 2007: Cansei De Ser Sexy (#39): 4

3rd June 2007: Sound Of Silver (#41): 12

10th June 2007: The State Of Things (#8): 5

8th July 2007: Fantastic Playroom (#40): 11

29th July 2007: Soundboy Rock (#8): 8

7th October 2007: The Reminder (#8): 1

21st October 2007: Version (#2): 2

Side Two (46:10) (GD) (M)

If you want to compare and contrast with previous decades, you can dive into my selections for 1987 and 1997.

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)

 

 

 

 

 

Not Quite Noughtie Enough

I'm going to spend a large chunk of this post talking about someone else's blog and posts, but bear with me, there's a brand new Dubhed selection waiting for you at the end.

SWC at the ever-excellent No Badger Required has just concluded The Noughty Forty, a countdown of the greatest albums of the 2000s. All voted for by a Musical Jury, assembled from music blog creators and commenters from around the globe. 

 

NBR is an essential read anyway, not a single one feeling like it's been dashed off in the seconds that the idea itself is forming (yes, I'm looking at myself here). There's something even more impressive about series like this though, not least the sheer amount of effort that goes into planning, coordinating and curating the posts. And of course it sparks debate, anticipation and - let's be honest - a degree of feverish excitement as it reaches the Top Ten. 

I was privileged once again to be a Musical Jury Member for this series. SWC assigns aliases to all and I won't reveal mine here, though my arch or overly earnest comments may be a giveaway. 

I was pleased with the #1 choice, an artist and album I voted for though not my top scorer (which made the Top 10, but not the Top 5). Back in the summer, when this was just a plan taking shape in SWC's mind, he invited potential Musical Jury Members to submit their own nominations. 

Over 300 nominations were submitted. Of these, SWC presented us with a longlist of 74, from which to pick our Top 20. After totting up the scores, The Noughty Forty was finalised, with a few surprises and an eleventh hour vote tipping the balance between the top two.

SWC not only delivered The Noughty Forty, but preceded it with ten of Not Quite The Greatest Albums Of The 00s, also sharing the albums that made #41 & #42 in the final list. The series was then bookended with four Honorable Mentions, meaning that NBR readers were treated to 56 albums in total. 

 

I won't spoil things by posting the various lists here. If you haven't already followed the countdown on No Badger Required, go and check it out. You'll get to experience some great music, some controversial voting decisions and best of all, some top notch writing that brings the whole thing to life. 

No Badger Required is 3 years old this month and November will see another series, this time focusing on the number 3. Not in the way that you might expect, of course, but naturally it's going to be required reading for the next 30 days. SWC sets the bar high, so much so that I'm on the Dubhed ladder, head tilted as far back as it will go, straining to see the bar up above me. 

A constant inspiration and pace setter. Here's to you, SWC, and many more years of NBR to come.

So... what of today's selection?

Well, back at the beginning, when I was invited to submit nominations for the best albums of the 2000s, I applied some rules of my own. The most obvious one being that I had to own the albums, either physically or digitally, in their entirety. 

 

This - and the subsequent Noughty Forty - immediately highlighted how many contenders where I had a few songs, but not the entire album. Examples being The Streets, Radiohead, The Strokes and Grandaddy.

The other dawning realisation when following the final run down was how many albums from the 2000s I'd never even heard in full at all. Arctic Monkeys, Art Brut, The Horrors, Queens Of The Stone Age, The Long Blondes. I'm working on it now.

The other rule which I mostly followed was to exclude nominations for an album which I thought would receive multiple votes from the MJMs and would therefore be a shoo in for the longlist, if not the final 40. Therefore, I left out LCD Soundsystem, Radiohead, PJ Harvey, Franz Ferdinand and The White Stripes, to name a few. 

Not that my 20 nominations were by any means albums that I didn't consider to be anything other than essential listens. Or, so obscure that mine would be the only nomination. I mean, White Bread Black Beer by Scritti Politti had to be Top 30, if not higher, surely?

Of my 20 suggestions, 1 made the Not Quite The Greatest Albums Of The 00s list, 1 featured in the Honorable Mentions and 1 in The Noughty Forty...the Top 30 in fact, though it's no spoiler to say that it wasn't Scritti Poliiti.

So, 17 of my 20 nominations didn't get even a whiff of fame. One other artist did make the lower reaches of the countdown, though not with the album that I nominated!

However, all of this of course inspired today's selection. Without fear or favour, I've randomly selected 12 to create a snappy compilation to entertain for the next three quarters of an hour. 

 

Hopefully, a few of them will provoke an "Oh, yeah!" response. Others may be unfamiliar, but inspire a search to check out the rest of the album, which will undoubtedly be worth your time and effort.

It's an eclectic mix, as always. Back in 2000, it was hard to imagine that it would be 2024 before The The's next full band, non-soundtrack album would appear. Sadly, we're still waiting for Green Gartside's follow up to White Bread Black Beer, and each year hope diminishes. A couple of artists - Mark Linkous and Mark Lanegan - have passed on, leaving us with a rich musical legacy, these collaborative albums included.

Mark Lanegan's association with electronic artists Soulsavers was perhaps no surprise, given his voracious appetite for working with others across multiple musical genres. What was unexpected was N.A.S.A.'s 2009 album The Spirit Of Apollo, not least from it's dizzying spread of guest artists, but that their number included Tom Waits, here 'duetting' with rapper Kool Keith.

There are a few albums that didn't make my nominations list, partly because I thought that no-one else would submit them, partly because I will deliver on my promise to SWC a seeming eternity ago to submit a Nearly Perfect Albums guest post for his consideration. I need to get on with it!

In the meantime, enjoy this companion piece/celebration of an inspirational blog, as it's likely back to the usual nonsense on Saturday.

 

1) The Whisperers: The The (2000)

2) Paris Is Burning: Ladyhawke (2008)

3) Superstylin': Groove Armada (2001)

4) It's A Funny Thing: Edwyn Collins (2002)

5) Road To No Regret: Scritti Politti (2006)

6) Pain: Danger Mouse & Sparklehorse ft. Iggy Pop (2009)

7) Ghosts Of You And Me: Soulsavers ft. Mark Lanegan (2007)

8) The Moss: Daníel Ágúst (2005)

9) Something Inside Of Me: The Coral (2005)

10) Huddle Formation: The Go! Team (2004)

11) Young Bride: Midlake (2006)

12) Spacious Thoughts: N.A.S.A. ft. Tom Waits & Kool Keith (2009)

2000: Naked Self: 1

2001: Goodbye Country (Hello Nightclub): 3

2002: Doctor Syntax: 4

2004: Thunder, Lightning, Strike: 10

2005: Swallowed A Star: 8

2005: The Invisible Invasion: 9 

2006: The Trials Of Van Occupanther: 11

2006: White Bread Black Beer: 5 

2007: It's Not How Far You Fall, It's The Way You Land: 7

2008: Ladyhawke: 2

2009: Dark Night Of The Soul: 6

2009: The Spirit Of Apollo: 12

Not Quite Noughtie Enough (46:09) (KF) (Mega)

Dub Americana

There's a link between Jeb Loy Nichols and last Friday's headliner Horace Andy, in that the former wrote three songs on the latter's 2023 album Midnight Rocker: Try Love, Today Is Right Here and Easy Money.

 

The other connections are that both Jeb and Horace have worked with dub maestro Adrian Sherwood and had albums released on the On-U Sound label.

 

Jeb's connection with Sherwood goes way back. Jeb was born in Lander, Wyoming, going on to live in Missouri, Texas and New York City before moving to London in 1981, sharing an East End squat with Adrian, Ari Up and Neneh Cherry.

His CV makes for an enviable read: art director for Pressure Sounds reggae reissue label; guest vocalist for Groove Armada (What's Your Version? on 2007 album Soundboy Rock); print and fabric designer for Paul Smith; compiling the celebrated Country Got Soul series in the early 2000s. Oh, and music that got a ton of great reviews, but fewer sales.

In 1990, Jeb formed the Fellow Travellers with his wife, Lorraine Morley. His debut solo album, Lovers Knot, came in 1997 with second album Just What Time It Is, coinciding with a move to rural Wales in 2000.
 

These days, Jeb spends his time as a "writer, musician, artist, worrier, reader, sleeper, tree planter, squirrel watcher."

I can't comment on Jeb's achievements as a tree planter or squirrel watcher, but since my purchase of his On-U albums last year, I've rapidly become a fan.

 
 
 

 

 
 
 

Maman Chérie

Celebrating Neneh Cherry, born 10th March 1964, and in my opinion one of the greatest artists ever to grace this planet.

 

Sometimes, this blog virtually writes itself, the planets aligning to provide serendipitous moments and opportunities.

 

Realising a short while ago that it was Neneh's 60th birthday today kick started this week's entire birthday-themed posts. 

 

Today is Mother's Day. Sundanese is the second largest language spoken in Indonesia. The Sundanese word for mother is...Neneh.

 

Chérie translates from French as darling, but Neneh also adopted the name for an EP of remixes by French artists in 1997. 

 

So really, it was always going to be Neneh Cherry today, whether I was consciously aware of it or not. 

 

On the surface, Neneh has 'only' released four solo albums since Raw Like Sushi turned the world on its head in 1988. But her work and cultural impact goes much deeper and wider than that.

 

School drop out at 14. Arriving in London at 15 and hooking up with The Slits. The Cherries. New Age Steppers. Rip Rig + Panic. Hanging out with The Wild Bunch in Bristol and the origins of Buffalo Stance as a B-side remix for Morgan-McVey (the latter soon-to-be husband and musical partner Cameron McVey).

 

And then there's Neneh continual collaboration and reinvention, with Matt Johnson (The The), Tricky, Seven Seconds with Youssou N'Dour, appearing on Top Of The Pops whilst pregnant, effortlessly brilliant in the 2007 BBC2 cookery show Neneh and Andi – Dish It Up with bezzy mate (and Rip Rig + Panic bandmate) Andi Oliver.

Continuing to astonish in the 21st century, Neneh has worked with Swedish trio The Thing and formed cirKus with husband Cameron McVey, daughter Lolita Moon and Matt Kent. Neneh's last two albums have been a further evolution of her music in partnership with Kieran Hebden aka Four Tet.

 

Bearing all of this in mind, there's no way that I could do justice to Neneh with merely one Dubhed selection. So, to celebrate, here are two one-hour selections, twenty-two tracks strong. Not a comprehensive career-spanning collection - no New Age Steppers, for example - but it does attempt to convey why I think Neneh is one of the greatest artists ever to grace this planet.

 

There's a self-deprecating comment attributed to Neneh as a "singer that does a bit of rapping". She is - and always has been - so much more. An icon and a legend, in the true sense of the words.

 

Happy birthday, Neneh, and thank you. You are loved.

 

Volume One

1) Money Love (Perfecto Mix By Paul Oakenfold & Steve Osborne): Neneh Cherry (1992)

2) You're My Kind Of Climate (Party Mix): Rip Rig + Panic (1982)

3) Weightless (Album Version By Kieran Hebden): Neneh Cherry (2014)

4) Buffalo Stance (Give Me A Muthuf***ing Breakbeat (Sukka Mix) By The Dynamik Duo): Neneh Cherry (1988)

5) Unattended Bag (Whatever/Whatever Unreleased Mix By Justin Strauss & Bryan Mette): cirKus (2009)

6) Kong (Parris Remix By Dwayne Parris-Robinson): Neneh Cherry (2018)

7) Kisses On The Wind (Moody Mix By David Morales): Neneh Cherry (1989)

8) You've Got Me Thinking (Unreleased Mix): The Beloved ft. Neneh Cherry (1993)

9) Think Twice...: Groove Armada ft. Neneh Cherry (2002)

10) Undecided (Deep Radio Mix By Deep Forest): Youssou N'Dour ft. Neneh Cherry (1994)

11) Buddy X (Masters At Work R&B Version): Neneh Cherry (1993)

12) Had You In Me: Neneh Cherry ft. Tricky (1998)

 

Volume Two

1) Bob Hope Takes Risks (12" Version): Rip Rig + Panic (1981)

2) Slow Train To Dawn (12" Version): The The ft. Neneh Cherry (1986)

3) Dream Baby Dream (Remixed By Four Tet aka Kieran Hebden) (Cover of Suicide): Neneh Cherry & The Thing (2012)

4) Crack Baby: Neneh Cherry (1996)

5) Koochie (Air Remix By Jean-Benoît Dunckel & Nicolas Godin): Neneh Cherry (1997)

6) Together Now: Nearly God ft. Neneh Cherry (1996)

7) Everything (Vilod High Blood Pressure Mix By Ricardo Villalobos & Max Loderbauer): Neneh Cherry (2014)

8) Accordion (Jim O'Rourke Remix): Neneh Cherry & The Thing (2012)

9) Manchild (Smith N Mighty Remix By Rob Smith & Ray Mighty): Neneh Cherry (1989)

10) Woman (La Funk Mob Remix): Neneh Cherry (1998)

 

Volume One (1:04:26) (GD) (M)

Volume Two (1:01:54) (GD) (M)

Remixamatosis

A (very) occasional dip back into my previous blogging life and music reviews that I used to post under the "Jukebox Juicebox" heading. Here's a quartet of remix compilations from December 2006, the original text 'as is' and very much of it's time. To (kind of) update things, I've added a YouTube link to one of the tracks and trawled Bandcamp for an additional sampler from each of the remix artists featured. Enjoy!

 

Various Artists “Future Retro” (2006)

 

I forget who coined the phrase ‘repetition celebrates and devalues’, but this is aptly applied to the music industry. Artists and songs are resurrected, repackaged, rereleased, reworked and remixed ad nauseum, The Beatles mash-up/megamix Love being one of the most recent examples. With downloads of all stripes likely to be eligible for the ‘singles’ chart in the near future, U2, Oasis, Westshite and McFly will likely be jostling for pole positions with the Fab Four, Elvis, Abba and Michael Jackson. 

 

The 1980s, which seems to have enjoyed a continual revival since, er, the 1990s will probably figure strongly in this. The fascination with the decade that taste arguably overlooked has resulted in countless contemporary updates of it’s memorable – and not so memorable – musical moments, the latest being the Future Retro compilation. Currently available in the UK on import only, the project is a labour of love for compiler Craig DeGraff who commissioned all of the remixers on this album. 

 

On the whole, it’s a pretty consistent collection though inevitably there are a few tracks that miss the mark. Tiga’s mix of Depeche Mode’s Shake The Disease is halfway through before it starts to make an impression, whilst Jaded Alliance’s take on Erasure’s A Little Respect sounds like an ill-matched mash-up. Surprisingly, several tracks remain faithful to their origins: The Crystal Method speed up New Order’s Bizarre Love Triangle, losing some of the key hooks in the process, but without undermining the main melody; Infusion’s similar handling of The Walk by The Cure is even more effective. 

 

The latter part of the album contains some real gems. Devo’s Girl U Want is roughened up by Black Light Odyssey whilst obscurity Boy by Book Of Love (which I admit I’ve never heard of) benefits from a beefy “rockstar mix” by the equally unknown DJ Irene (presumably not the Home And Away character moonlighting on the wheels of steel). Adam Freeland transforms B-Movie’s Nowhere Girl into a guitar dub dirge that echoes U.N.K.L.E.’s Unreal, but the best is saved for last with the unexpected yet obvious pairing of Morrissey and Sparks. Moz’s debut solo single Suedehead gains an epic stature, with chopped up vocals laid over sweeping strings. A perfect close to an imperfect but worthwhile compilation.

 

 

Craig DeGraff is one half of LA-based duo Black Light Odyssey. Here's an intriguing cover of Sex Gang Children's Deiche, released in 2021.

 

Shirley Bassey “Diamonds Are Forever…The Remix Album” (2000)

 

On the surface, a project that seems completely unnecessary. That is, until you realise that this album followed hot on the heels of the Welsh diva’s collaboration with Propellerheads on History Repeating, which became both a theme tune (Channel 4’s So Graham Norton) and a chart hit. 

 

Unsurprisingly, Propellerheads reappear here, with Goldfinger repeating their then-successful formula of funky beats and wah-wah guitar. Groove Armada and Nightmares On Wax also play to type, the latter to particularly good effect on Easy Thing To Do. 

 

Some tracks miss the point entirely, notably the dreadful comedy cut-up of Big Spender, but Kenny Dope’s drum-driven reworking of The Doors’ Light My Fire perfectly complements Bassey’s belting vocals. Given it’s inconsistency, it’s advisable to either pick this up cheaply as I did or download key tracks. Either way, don’t overlook it altogether.

 

Kenny 'Dope' Gonzalez needs no introduction, a formidable reputation with 'Little' Louie Vega as Masters At Work and a vast body of work as a solo artist, producer and DJ. This track is from 2016's 25-track behemoth Dopewax Approved: Kenny Dope & Friends Vol.1

 

   

Carl Douglas “Kung Fu Fighting Remixes (Dub Drenched Soundscapes)” (2003)

 

…And if the Shirley Bassey remix album seemed unnecessary, then what the heck does one make of this? 

 

Carl Douglas’ early 1970s disco track is not one that immediately suggests a relationship to dub and in truth, not all of the artists involved strictly adhere to that principle. The frankly bizarre concept of stretching this single track over 16 remixes (17, counting the hidden a capella track) and 80 minutes also means that it’s nigh on impossible to listen to the end result as an album in it’s own right. Anyone who has previously bought dub remix compilations on the Select Cuts or Echo Beach labels will find the usual suspects here: Rob Smith, Dreadzone, Don Letts/Dan Donovan, Kid Loco; however, it’s the lesser known acts that impress, notably G-rizo, Pole and Dubbelstandart.  

 

The Ruts’ Andy Gill delivers a funked up but essentially unchanged version of the original whilst Audio Active take the track to it’s logical (ludicrous?) extreme. It’d be nice to think that the songwriters – Carl Douglas and kitsch producer Biddu – will benefit from further royalties as a result of this album. However, given it’s limited appeal, I wouldn’t recommend that they break out the bubbly just yet.

 

Bristol legend Rob Smith is frequently featured here, whether for his work with Ray Mighty as Smith & Mighty or his own impressive and sweeping catalogue of releases and remixes under his own name or various aliases. Not Easy (Motherless Child) is a beautiful track by RSD from the 15-track collection Decades, released in November.  

 

 

Visit Venus “The Endless Bummer Rmx Appendix” (1999)

 

One of the consequences of a ubiquitous remix culture is that it’s possible to own tracks but have no idea what the original version sounded like. This is a case in point, the result of a trawl through the ‘5 for £16’ shelf at Plastic Wax Records in Bristol. I have no idea who Visit Venus are, or what they sound like but, looking at the artists involved, figured it was worth shelling out a few quid for. As it happens, it turned out to be another one of those serendipitous musical purchases.  

 

Rae & Christian kick off proceedings with a typical funky breakbeat mix of the charmingly titled Space Nazis Must Die. The opening bars of For A Few Euros More are reminiscent of Adam & The Ants’ similarly Western-inspired The Magnificent Five, before Carsten Meyer aka Erobique takes it back to late 80s Chicago house.  

 

There are three remixes of Planet of the Breaks: Matthew Herbert’s mix actually sounds a bit like Slam in places, whilst Jazzanova’s ‘mix of two halves’ with languid lounge beats during the former, welded to an uptempo jazzy latter more characteristic; my favourite of the three is Omar Santana’s electro edit, with hip hop beats, computer game vocals and ominous synth strings. 

 

Another highlight is Jimpster’s Hurt Of A Nerd, a funky, bass-driven number with some 1970s inspired flute and strings. Closing track Kinski Disko Fox Machine starts off like a Transglobal Underground track, with Eastern beats and driving bassline, before reverting to the more typical Groove Armada sound. 

 

And, just when you think it’s all over, there’s an extra tucked away at the end. Leading off with some hilariously inept rapping, there is a brief acoustic/vocal reprise of For A Few Euros More, with sci-fi samples from The Big Tilt thrown in for good measure. An hour or so’s worth of great tunes, with several surprises, make this a great album to hunt down on eBay or, better, in your local secondhand record store. And maybe I’ll get around to checking out Visit Venus one day too…

 

A quick scan of my digital music collection reveals nothing from Visit Venus. I'm pretty sure I haven't ditched the CD so I must dig it out and rip it. I'm also pretty sure that I didn't get around to checking out anything else by them. Maybe in 2024... In the meantime, this is Groove Armada with the title track of a 6-track 'cassette' that they posted on Bandcamp in 2014. And very good it is, too.

 

 

Molten Creative Energy

Ushering in the summer are James Alexander Bright and Flying Mojito Bros, aka Ben Chetwood and Jack Sellen, with a beauty of a collaboration titled Mirage In The Mojave.

A 7-track album of new tracks and handpicked "Refritos" of songs from James' back catalogue, it's 40 minutes of aural sunshine from start to finish. 

 

Let's Get Lost, as previewed above, is a new song whilst Gold originally appeared on James' debut album Headroom in 2020. 

 

  

The album version (and video) of Gold is also a delight.

And here's James and band performing Gold in the basement of the Abbey Road Institute (pre-lockdown, I presume).

 

Flying Mojito Bros describe the meeting of minds brilliantly

 

"James entered El Mondo FMB burning up through our atmosphere like a white-light-bright ball of molten creative energy. Shades on, we looked up and awaited his inevitable impact. Smiling."

 

James also collaborated with Groove Armada on their 2020 album Edge Of The Horizon and has teamed up again with Tom Findlay. Slow Dance was released as a single in 2021 and a full length Bright & Findlay album, Everything Is Slow, due out on 9th June.

 

Mirage In The Mojave is available along with James' full catalogue in all the usual places, including Bandcamp. Whilst there, you can also check out the Flying Mojito Bros' "Refritos" of other classic rock artists, the most recent being Down On The Farm by Little Feat.

Nothing More, Nothing Less, Love Is The Best

Today is a special day for a very special person. We've been to relatively few gigs together over the years, but they've always been special occasions.

 

Sometimes she didn't like the act (PJ Harvey), sometimes I haven't (Meat Loaf), sometimes the band have been damned awful on stage (Simple Minds), sometimes it's been possibly an emotional and brilliant experience (McAlmont & Butler, Green Gartside).

 

Regardless, it's always been all the better for the person at my side. 

This one's for you, Mrs. K.

 

1) At The River: Groove Armada (1999)

2) We Belong In This World Together: Stereo MC's (2001)
3) Bring It Back: McAlmont & Butler (2002)

4) Everybody Knows: The Free Association (2002) 

5) New Religion: Duran Duran (1982)

6) Black Cherry: Goldfrapp (2003)

6) Teardrop: Massive Attack (1998)

7) This Is Love: PJ Harvey (2000)

8) Spacehopper: Julian Cope (1987) 

9) New Gold Dream (81-82-83-84): Simple Minds (1982)

10) The Boom Boom Bap: Scritti Politti (2006)

11) Paradise By The Dashboard Light: Meat Loaf (1977) 

12) Suspicious Minds (Cover of Elvis Presley): Jools Holland & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra ft. Roland Gift (2013)

13) It Must Be Love (Cover of Labi Siffre): Madness (1981)

Footnote: Today’s selection is made up of songs we heard at gigs between 2001 up to & including Madness, postponed from 2020 but hopefully going ahead in June. 

With the latter exception, all of the songs featured in the set lists and are presented here in the order that we (first) saw them live. Julian Cope’s the only act we’ve seen together multiple times. 

Stereo MC’s & Simple Minds were both unlikely headliners at the Bristol Community Festival aka Ashton Court Festival. The latter really were appallingly bad.

Roland Gift was the guest vocalist when we saw Jools Holland’s band at Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire. And bloody good he was too. 

Goldfrapp supported Duran Duran at the NEC in Birmingham for their first (only) reunion tour with the original line up including Andy Taylor.