Strangely Committed

Back to our irregularly scheduled programme with Julian Cope, remixed!

In 2015, Strictly Rockers offered an embarrassment of Arch Drude riches courtesy of The Vinyl Villain, with a series of Imaginary Compilation Albums that included Cope Remixed, a pretty definitive take that featured the following selection:

1) Pussyface (Remixed)

2) World Shut Your Mouth (Julian Cope vs. Trouble Funk) (12" Mix)

3) Trampolene Warne Out! (Long Version)

4) Eve's Volcano 'Covered In Sin' / !Vulcano Lungo! (Extended Remix)

5) Love L.U.V. (Beautiful Love Version)

6) East Easy Rider (Easty Risin' Remix)

7) Heed: Of Penetration And The City Dweller (Head Remix)

8) Soldier Blue (Mix 1 By Michael Franti)

9) Paranormal In The West Country (Krankenhausmusik)

10) Planetary Sit-In (Radio Sit-In Remix)

It's hard to top that, not least because there generally aren't that many JC remixes out there, official, unreleased or fan-made, to begin with. Several of them also hit the 20-30 minute mark, so were out of the running for this C90-friendly selection. I've managed to keep duplicates of the above to a minimum, even if I have stretched the definition of a remix slightly (*cough* Treason in French *cough*).

 

Hugo Nicholson turns in a couple of stunning remixes of singles from the classic Peggy Suicide album (a third, Head, has appeared on a previous Dubhed selection). The French language version of Treason originally featured as a B-side on the 12" single whilst the remix/re-edit of Tiny Children was available online (possibly still is) via Soundcloud or the Head Heritage forum at the time. Likewise, the dance remix of O King Of Chaos is a fan-made effort that was doing the rounds online a few years back.

 

In 1991, Michael Franti, then riding high with The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy, delivered a trio of remixes of another Peggy Suicide highlight, the Lenny Bruce-sampling Soldier Blue. Sadly, none of them were officially remixed but thankfully made their way online where I found them over a decade later. All three are quite similar, mainly varying in running time. Mix 3 is the longest, coming in at just under 8 minutes, replete with a brilliant rap from Mr. Franti himself.

Jezebell remixes and re-edits are always a treat and Safesurfer might have been the very first of theirs that I heard. It's still available, together with a dub mix by The Machine Soul, as a 'name your price' purchase on the wonderful Paisley Dark Records Bandcamp page.

A couple of '80s classics to close, with Eve's Volcano given extra percussive heft courtesy of Tom Lord-Alge and Trouble Funk remixing World Shut Your Mouth. The latter is the shorter, punchier 7" mix from the B-side of the limited edition 12" single.

So sit back, let M'Lud Julian take the driver's seat of the bus and take you into strange new landscapes. Refunds not available for this trip.

1) Love L.U.V. (Beautiful Love Version By Hugo Nicholson): Julian Cope (1991)

2) Safesurfer (Jezebell Edit By Jesse Fahnestock & Darren Bell): Julian Cope (2021)

3) Traison (C'est Juste Une Histoire) (Remixed Version By Hugh Jones): The Teardrop Explodes (1981)

4) O King Of Chaos (Dance Remix By Louis Scheuer): Julian Cope (2011)

5) Soldier Blue (Mix 3 By Michael Franti) (unreleased): Julian Cope (1991)

6) Tiny Children (Parjo1 Re-Edit): The Teardrop Explodes (2015)

7) Eve's Volcano 'Covered In Sin' / !Vulcano Lungo! (Extended Remix By Tom Lord-Alge): Julian Cope (1987)

8) East Easy Rider (Easty Risin' Remix Edit By Hugo Nicolson): Julian Cope (1991)

9) World Shut Your Mouth (Julian Cope vs. Trouble Funk) (7" Mix): Julian Cope (1986)

Strangely Committed (46:31) (KF) (Mega)

Everybody Knows It's True

For a brief period in 2002 to 2004, David Holmes had a real live band, The Free Association. Debuting on his 2002 mix CD Come Get It, I Got It, they followed up the same year with the full length original album David Holmes Presents The Free Association followed by a 2004 soundtrack album Music From The Film Code 46. In between, there were a few singles mainly inspired by tracks featured on Come Get It, I Got It. Everybody Knows heavily sampled Johnny Jones & The King Casuals' cover of Purple Haze by The Jimi Hendrix Experience. This was followed in September 2003 with a straight up cover of Sugar Man by Sixto Rodriguez, their biggest 'hit' peaking at 53 in the UK singles chart.  

I got to see The Free Association live at the Bristol Academy in November 2002, the opening of a 7-date UK tour. Interviewed by NME the previous month, David Holmes stated that "the whole point of the live show is that it has to be something to really look at. Like Parliament and the performance of OutKast – just this amazing energy on stage". It was a great show, but didn't quite live up to the hype. Singer Sean Reveron took sagging to an irritating new level, which was an unwelcome distraction from his vocal performance. Co-performer Petra Jean Phillipson, who strangely seems to have been edited from Discogs as a key member of the group, was perhaps the most compelling on-stage presence aside from Holmes himself. Yet, great though the music was and good though the band were, there was something missing from the performance. Maybe it was the Academy, which has rarely brought out the best of any acts that I've seen performing there. I'd seen David Holmes DJ at the Blue Mountain a short while before with his little box of 7" singles and the impact of playing Purple Haze there compared with the performance of Everybody Knows at the Academy was strongly in favour of the former. But none of that detracts from how bloody brilliant The Free Association were on record. 

I picked up a promo CD in around the time of the debut album, from the much-missed Replay Records in the piss-stinking underpass known as the Bear Pit in central Bristol, linking the main shopping area of Broadmead with Stokes Croft and the city's bus station. The shop is sadly long gone, but it was a go-to place to buy new and used records from the late 80s to early 00s. This promo CD was labelled (Mix) and "Mixed by Psycho Pab" but otherwise had no other info. Discogs be praised, it turned out to be a 19 minute megamix by Pablo Clements from Psychonauts, with cuts & scratching from DJ Ziggy, largely drawing from the debut Free Association album. It's a work of art and a mix CD that I regularly revisit.

With my usual ham-fisted dexterity, I've collated a 'tribute trawl' through The Free Assocation, mainly drawing from Come Get It, I Got It, the eponymous album and a couple of singles to give you just under an hour of damn fine psychedelic beats and rhymes, alongside Psycho Pab's far more professional mix.

 

1) Everybody Knows (Children Re-Mix) (2003) 

2) Don't Believe A Word (2002)

3) Le Baggage (2002)

4) Start Of Something (2002)

5) House Music (2002)

6) Everybody Knows (Album Version) (2002)

7) (I Wish I Had A) Wooden Heart (Space Hog Dub) (Remix By Roots Manuva) (2002)

8) Salut La Dolce Vita Pt.1 (2002)

9) Effectin' (Single Version) (2002)

10) Paper Underwear (2002)

11) This Could Be Your Sister (2002)

12) (I Wish I Had A) Wooden Heart (Radio Edit) (2002)

13) Pushin' A Broom (2002)

14) Everybody Knows (Edan Instrumental Re-Mix) (2003)

15) Don't Rhyme No Mo (2002)

16) La Dolce Vita (Album Version) (2002)

17) Free Ass O-C-8 (2002)

18) Somedays (2002)

 

Everybody Knows It's True (58:55)

Free Ass (Mix) Mixed By Psycho Pab (19:42)

Sonic Shuffle

Yesterday's post on Billie Ray Martin and reference to Electribe 101 got me thinking about the confusion allegedly caused by "Finitribe 101" in 1991 (no, me neither). Any self-respecting John Peel listener would already be familar with Edinburgh's Finitribe, but 101 was - and is - personally their finest moment, particularly the remix by Andrew Weatherall which still sends a tingle down my spine whenever I hear it.

 

My 12" single is well-loved, very battered, crackly but not yet unplayable, not bad considering it's now 30 years old and has had hundreds of outings. The vinyl rip is also my most played Andrew Weatherall remix, according to my Apple Music playlist.

 

I was a little gutted at the time that the CD single and the otherwise excellent album An Unexpected Groovy Treat featured the Sonic Shuffle Edit rather the glorious full length 7-minute version and, to the best of my knowledge, the latter has never received a digital release. Whilst the Edit and Intensity mixes by Andrew Weatherall are head and shoulders above the other remixes by Graham Massey and Finitribe, the unedited Sonic Shuffle will always be the definitive version for me. I've included a less crackly rip, available on You Tube, for your listening pleasure.

101 (Sonic Shuffle) (Remix By Andrew Weatherall & Hugo Nicholson): Finitribe (1991)

 

Fever (Still) Needs A Cure

Side 1 of a 1996 mixtape, rescued from the loft. 

 

1) The Storm (12" Edit By Cliff Bridgen & Hugo Nicholson): World Of Twist (1990)

2) Infected (12" Mix): The The (1986)

3) They're Here (Cenobite Mix): EMF (1992)

4) Oolaa (Meat Beat Manifesto Mutation): Orbital (1992)

5) Lightning Man (The Industry vs The Ebb Mix By Daniel Miller): NItzer Ebb (1990)

6) Hollywood Boulevard (Club Mix By Sam Sever): BIg Audio Dynamite (1986)

7) Make It Mine (V2.2 Evil Ed) (Remix By "Evil" Eddie Richards): The Shamen ft. Rhyme & Reason (1990)

8) Don't Lose Your Dreams (The Cabaret Voltaire Freak Mix): Pete Wylie & Wah! The Mongrel... (1991)

 

Side One (46:00)  

Find Side Two here

A Mix In Two Halves

Andrew Weatherall is much missed but never forgotten and a constant in my playlists. This is not intended as a 'best of', simply 10 songs that currently happen to be on my iPod playlist, either created, produced or remixed by Lord Sabre, compiled to make an album of sorts.

 

This one's for Swiss Adam, over at Bagging Area - happy birthday!

 

Side One (21:03)

1) Theme (Album Version): The Sabres Of Paradise (1994)

2) Running On Empty (Andrew Weatherall Vox Mix): Honkeyfinger (2009)

3) Open Up (I Hate Pink Floyd Mix By The Sabres Of Paradise): Leftfield / Lydon (1993)

4) Tiny Reminder No. 3 (Album Version): Two Lone Swordsmen (2000)

5) Swords (Two Lone Swordsmen Remix) (Full Length): Leftfield ft. Nicole Willis (2000) 

Side Two (22:10) 

1) Bubble And Slide (Album Version): The Sabres Of Paradise (1994)

2) Sex Beat (Remix): Two Lone Swordsmen (2004)

3) Anywhere (Two Lone Swordsmen Remix Vocal): Beth Orton (2002) 

4) Gods And Monsters (Two Lone Swordsmen Vocal Remix): I Am Kloot (2005)

5) Come Together (Remix By Andrew Weatherall) (7" Version): Primal Scream (1990)

 

Side One (21:03) (KF) (Mega)

Side Two (22:10) (KF) (Mega)