Wob Almighty

Any day is a good day to listen to Jah Wobble, so here's a fresh 75-minute Dubhed selection of 12 songs that have been touched by the hand of Wob.

Spanning 1991 to 2002, this is a globe-trotting expedition taking in artists from Australia, Brazil, Jamaica, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, with frequent rest stops in blighted Blighty.

Turn up the bass, dial up the volume and prepare to immerse yourself in an eclectic mix, including a UK #1 single!

As it's Friday, I've reposted more Jah Wobble wonderment, including a previous Wob-heavy Dubhed selection from 2022.

1) Paths (Jah Wobble Remix): Robert Miles ft. Nina Miranda (2001)

2) Chains (Wobble Mix By Jah Wobble): The Wolfgang Press (1994)

3) Familus Horribilus (Mega Wob 2) (Remix By Jah Wobble): Pop Will Eat Itself (1993)

4) Go Into The Light (Celestial Dub Mix By Jah Wobble): Ian McNabb (1993)

5) Kiss Kiss (Jah Wobble Remix) (Single Version): Holly Valance (2002)

6) Night Nurse (Jah Wobble 12" Mix) (Cover of Gregory Isaacs): Sly & Robbie ft. Simply Red (1997)

7) Child (Jah Wobble Mix): Definition Of Sound (1996)

8) So Let Me Go Far (So Let Me Wobble Jah) (Remix By Jah Wobble): Dodgy (1994)

9) Texture (Remixed By Jah Wobble): Soft Ballet (1992)

10) Liquid Cool (Jah Wobble Remix): Apollo 440 (1994)

11) Chinatown New York (Wobble Mix By Jah Wobble): Bebop 90 (1991)

12) Ĉuovgi Liekkas (Jah Wobble Remix II): Mari Boine (2001)

1991: Fuse II: World Dance Music: 11

1992: Alter Ego: 9

1993: Familus Horribilus / RSVP EP: 3

1993: Go Into The Light EP: 4

1994: Going South EP: 2

1994: Liquid Cool EP: 10

1994: So Let Me Go Far EP: 8

1996: Child EP: 7

1997: Night Nurse EP: 6

2001: Paths EP: 1

2001: Remixed / Oðða Hámis: 12

2002: Kiss Kiss EP: 5

Wob Almighty (1:14:49) (GD) (M)

In Wob We Trust (January 2022)

Wob Three Times (August 2023)

Kicking Down The Khazi (December 2023)

Can't Contain My Joy

Going down to Liverpool today to search for the Merseybeast with Ian McNabb.

I got into The Icicle Works, but mainly through their singles, and the same pattern continued when the band ended and Ian went solo in the early 1990s.

I have subsequently caught up with The Icicle Works' back catalogue, and a few of what followed but Ian McNabb is such a prolific artist that I'm not sure I'd ever get there even if I made a concerted effort. 

His latest, If It Wasn't For The Music, is due in April and by my reckoning is his 18th studio album. The tally grows substantially when you add numerous collections of previously unreleased or re-recorded material, covers and live albums. The new album is available for pre-order on Ian's official website.

Merseybeast is the title track of Ian's 1996 album and a song I like a great deal, though I've never seen the video before now. This VH-1 broadcast clip comes with the added benefit of being introduced by Clare Grogan.

In 2021, Merseybeast was remastered and expanded to celebrate its 25th anniversary and you can find the digital version in Ian's stall in the camp of bands. Great stuff.

Some Days It Just Doesn't Pay To Get Out Of Bed...

It started off well enough. 

 

I woke up at 6.45am, fed the cat, made myself a cup of tea, checked some emails, casually mooched around the house.

Mrs. K entered the kitchen, looked at me, oddly I thought. I talked about some ideas for the day.

"You do realise that it's Friday, not Saturday?" she said.

Oh shit.

The day didn't get any better, believe me.

The post that I'd originally planned for today that was half written and due to be finished off this morning will now see the light of day on Monday. That's if I remember what day it is and post it...

Let Sleeping Dogs Lie

Side 2 of a cassette compilation of singles, B-sides, live cuts and cover versions by The Icicle Works, recorded 24th May 1996.

This selection brings together various 7" and 12" vinyl, cassette singles and compilation tracks circa 1985 to 1990. I'd see Ian McNabb live on stage for the first (and to date only) time at the inaugural Phoenix Festival in 1993 and he was great. I played the Seven Singles Deep compilation regularly but didn't really dip into any of The Icicle Works' albums until well into the 2000s.

The live versions here all came from a concert recording for BBC Merseyside's Streetlife radio show. Seven Horses and Rapids appeared on the Understanding Jane cassingle, whilst the cover of You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet appeared on the Live At The Albert, Lark Lane single shrink wrapped with copies of the 7" vinyl. 

 

By 1990, Chris Layhe and Chris Sharrock had departed and Roy Corkhill, Dave Baldwin and Paul Burgess had joined. The Icicle Works had also been dropped by Beggars Banquet and picked up by Epic. The songs here are culled from CD singles accompanying the major label debut, Permanent Damage. The album wasn't a commercial success, Epic dropped the band and Ian McNabb had gone solo by 1991. 

It's an eclectic selection with a few little gems hidden within. Enjoy!

 

1) Nature's Way (Cover of Spirit) (1986)

2) Melanie Still Hurts (1990)

3) Book Of Reason (1985)

4) Seven Horses (Live @ The Albert, Lark Lane, Liverpool) (1986) 

5) Evangeline (Demo Version) (1987)

6) People Change (1990)

7) You Ain't Seen Nothing Yet (Live @ The Albert, Lark Lane, Liverpool) (Cover of Bachman Turner Overdrive) (1986)

8) Mickey's Blue (1990)

9) Sea Song (Cover of Robert Wyatt) (1986)

10) Waiting In The Wings (1987)

11) Rapids (Live @ The Albert, Lark Lane, Liverpool) (1986)

12) Victoria's Ghost (1990)

1985: The Small Price Of A Bicycle / Vertigo-Sampler (Canadian compilation): 3

1986: Understanding Jane EP: 4, 7, 11

1986: Up Here In The North Of England EP: 1, 9

1987: Evangeline EP: 5, 10

1990: Melanie Still Hurts EP: 2, 8

1990: Permanent Damage: 2

1990: Motorcycle Rider EP: 6, 12

Side Two (45:22) (Box) (Mega)