Ha Ha Hallowe'en

A spooky selection today, in a nod to Hallowe'en, whether you will ready for the hordes of Trick or Treaters, or battening down the hatches and pretending you're not in when the doorbell rings.

Inevitably, lots of Halloween-referencing songs to choose from, though dig a little deeper into some of the lyrics and you may be surprised by what you find. I've also lobbed in a few pumpkins, though they're not necessarily seasonal tunes.

I had to include some music by John Carpenter, though rather than go for the obvious with the main theme of 1978's defining moment Halloween, I've instead picked an extract from the 2018 'sequel', which Carpenter scored for director David Gordon Green. 

1979 by The Smashing Pumpkins was a classic slice of nostalgic rock until Moby got his hands on it and transformed it into a spine-tingling horrorshow. 1979 was a ripe year for horror films, with Alien, Phantasm, The Driller Killer, The Amityville Horror, The Brood, Nosferatu The Vampyre, and a(nother) remake of Dracula.

The Prisoner by Tears For Fears is the penultimate song on their debut album The Hurting and a re-recorded version of an old B-side. It gave me the chills when I listened to it as a young lad, though it was - and remains - one of the best things they've ever done.

The Basement Jaxx remix of Trick Me by Kelis is arguably far too upbeat for inclusion in this selection, but I like the jarring juxtaposition with Siouxsie & The Banshees before and Phoebe Bridgers afterwards.

And, having recently discovered EMF's unexpected but strangely compelling cover of Bauhaus' classic Bela Lugosi's Dead, it was a shoo in for this selection.

And who better to start and end proceedings than Misfits? 

1) Halloween: Misfits (1981)

2) Halloween Parade: Lou Reed (1989)

3) Halloween: Ash (1997)

4) Laurie Sees The Shape: John Carpenter (2018)

5) 1979 (Moby Mix): The Smashing Pumpkins (1996)

6) Pumpkin (Reincarnated): Tricky ft. Lucia (2023)

7) Halloween: The Gaslight Anthem (2014)

8) Pumpkin Head Xscapes: The Fall (1992)

9) Halloween: Japan (1979)

10) Halloween: Kirsty MacColl (1991)

11) Halloween: Sonic Youth (1986)

12) The Prisoner (Album Version): Tears For Fears (1983)

13) Halloween: Dead Kennedys (1982)

14) Halloween (Album Version): Siouxsie & The Banshees (1981)

15) Trick Me (Jaxxbackclash Rerub) (Remix By Basement Jaxx): Kelis (2004)

16) Halloween: Phoebe Bridgers (2020)

17) Bela Lugosi's Dead (Cover of Bauhaus): EMF (2025)

18) Halloween II: Misfits (1981)

1979: Quiet Life: 9

1981: Halloween EP: 1, 18

1981: Juju: 14

1982: Plastic Surgery Disasters: 13

1983: The Hurting: 12

1986: Flower / Halloween EP: 11

1989: New York: 2

1991: Electric Landlady: 10

1992: Ed's Babe EP: 8

1996: 1979 EP: 5

1997: A Life Less Ordinary EP: 3

2004: Trick Me EP: 15

2014: Get Hurt (Deluxe Edition): 7

2018: Halloween OST: 4

2020: Punisher: 16

2023: Maxinquaye (Reincarnated): 6

2025: Bela Lugosi's Dead EP: 17

Ha Ha Hallowe'en (1:06:08) (GD) (M)

If that's not frightening enough for you, then I've refreshed my #SpookyTunesSeason selections, originally posted on Bluesky this time last year. Follow the link for Volume One and Volume Two. 

The Fate Of The Eighties

Will I ever run out of 12" mixes from the 1980s to post? Probably not.

Five years into this blog, and I'm still pulling some big hitters out of the record bag that (I'm 99.9% sure) haven't previously featured in a Dubhed selection.

One from each year of the decade, not necessarily in that order, though the selection starts with 1980 and ends with 1989, so there's some order, at least. As well as some New Order.

I've cheated a little with the 1980 pick. The 12" version of Methods Of Dance is the same as the album version that appeared on Gentlemen Take Polaroids in 1980. However, the song didn't appear on a single until 1982, as the B-side to Nightporter. But hey, it's Japan, it's in!

The song that triggered the idea for this playlist a few days ago was a random shuffle of Dum Dum Girl (12" Mix) by Talk Talk. I love the mixes by the band, latterly with Tim Friese-Greene, though have a lot of love for the remixes by Steve Thompson & Richard Barbiero too. Dare I say it? I prefer this version of Dum Dum Girls to the original.

Sowing The Seeds Of Love by Tears For Fears closes out the selection. The 'Full Version' is lifted from the CD single I bought at the time (even though I hadn't yet bought a CD player!) If you bought Tears For Fears' Greatest Hits in the early 1990s, the one with the bonus CD of remixes, you will have found this labelled as Sowing The Seeds Of Love (Wen's Overnight Mix). It's a whopping thirty seconds longer than the album version, too!

In between, some cracking tunes by Depeche Mode, Howard Devoto, Icehouse, Information Society, Pet Shop Boys and Visage, extended to perfection by legends such as Daniel Mlller, 'Little' Louie Vega, The Latin Rascals and Shep Pettibone.

All guaranteed to bring some sunshine into your day...although as we're officially experiencing a heatwave in the UK, perhaps the last thing you may want...!

1) Methods Of Dance (12" Version by Japan & John Punter): Japan (1980)

2) Crazy (Manic Mix By David Lord & Michael H. Brauer): Icehouse (1987)

3) The Perfect Kiss (12" Version By New Order & Michael Johnson): New Order (1985)

4) What's On Your Mind (Pure Energy) (Club Mix By 'Little' Louie Vega, Roman Ricardo & The Latin Rascals): Information Society (1988)

5) We Move (Dance Mix By Midge Ure & Visage): Visage (1981)

6) Love Comes Quickly (Pettibone Mastermix By Shep Pettibone): Pet Shop Boys (1986)

7) Dum Dum Girl (12" Mix By Steve Thompson & Richard Barbiero): Talk Talk (1984)

8) Leave In Silence (Longer) (12" Version By Depeche Mode & Daniel Miller): Depeche Mode (1982)

9) Cold Imagination (Extended Version By Howard Devoto & Greg Walsh): Howard Devoto (1983)

10) Sowing The Seeds Of Love (Full Version By Tears For Fears & Dave Bascombe): Tears For Fears (1989)

The Fate Of The Eighties (1:08:33) (KF) (Mega)

If that's got you on a 12'/80s kick, I've reactivated links to some previous Dubhed excursions from the archives....

History Reinvented (2021)

Kissing The Mix (Side One & Side Two) (2000)

Teenage Remix (Side One & Side Two) (2000)

You Never Really Saw... (2005)

Still Life

Forty seven minutes of Japan, spanning all five studio albums from 1978 to 1981.

This selection started off earlier this month, when Top10Nathan had the idea of posing a Top 10 Japan songs on Bluesky.

I didn't actually take part in the end, as I couldn't even begin to think where to start. My older brother was obsessed with Japan in the early 80s and therefore I was immersed in their music, all the albums, the Assemblage double play cassette, the live album Oil On Canvas and the final compilation Exorcising Ghosts.

I really enjoyed seeing what others were picking each day, whether their lists were ranked or unranked, random or carefully considered and curated. By this point, I felt that I'd bottled it and started thinking about it some more. 

Technically, I'd already been there. Around 1989, I recorded a C90 side of Japan music called Polaroid, though this was mostly drawn from my 12" vinyl singles and only ran to 9 songs. The flip side was resequenced songs from the Associates' album Sulk.

So, I started to imagine this less as a Top 10 Japan selection, but more of an imaginary Side 2 to the Polaroid cassette from 1989. Still Life In Mobile Homes was an early pick, which provided a complimentary title for this compilation.

Assemblage (on vinyl) was the first Japan album that I bought for myself, and I have never had a problem reconciling the band and sound of the first two albums, with the transitory period of Quiet Life, and the dramatically different aural palette for the final two albums. 

Which is lucky, given that here I have followed up Ghosts with Adolescent Sex...!

As with the first 'side', there are a couple of cover versions. Whereas the previous two reimagined songs by The Velvet Underground and Smokey Robinson & The Miracles, here the focus is on Marvin Gaye and Barbra Streisand. 

Sadly, the world has lost Mick Karn (2011) and spiritual/honorary member Ryuichi Sakamoto (2023), but David Sylvian, Steve Jansen, Richard Barbieri and Rob Dean have all continued to make music in recent years.

What a legacy to be found in Japan, though.

1) The Art Of Parties (Extended Version By Japan & John Punter) (1981)

2) Ain't That Peculiar (Cover of Marvin Gaye) (1980)

3) Ghosts (Album Version By Japan & Steve Nye) (1981)

4) Adolescent Sex (Single Version By Ray Singer) (1978)

5) Don't Rain On My Parade (Cover of Barbra Streisand) (1978)

6) Despair (1979)

7) Still Life In Mobile Homes (1981)

8) Stateline (1978)

9) Sometimes I Feel So Low (1978)

10) Taking Islands In Africa (Remix By Steve Nye) (1981)

1978: Adolescent Sex: 5

1978: Don't Rain On My Parade EP: 8

1978: Obscure Alternatives: 9

1978: The Unconventional/Adolescent Sex EP: 4

1979: Quiet Life: 6

1980: Gentlemen Take Polaroids: 2

1981: The Art Of Parties EP: 1

1981: Tin Drum: 3, 7

1981: Visions Of China EP: 10

Still Life (47:37) (KF) (Mega)

You can find the 1989 C90 compilation Polaroid right here.

If you're left wanting more Japan-inspired music, here's more, much more!

Big In Japan: various (March 2022)

KarnAge: Mick Karn (January 2023)

Pioneer: Ryuichi Sakamoto (April 2023)

A Bob Hoskins Inspired Compilation Of Crime Fuelled Carnage

I rarely do requests but in an effort to assuage George's disappointment following Friday's post, here's a Bob Hoskins inspired compilation of crime fuelled carnage.

A 13-song, 46-minute trawl through Bob's formidable film and television CV, with namesake songs from some heavyweight artists. 

A few notable omissions, however. I was unable to find any songs named after Who Framed Roger Rabbit? or Super Mario Brothers. 

I also left off A Prayer For The Dying for three reasons:

1) I only had one song in my collection and that was by Seal;

2) The lead actor, Mickey Rourke, has been getting more screen time in the past week than he deserves;

3) The film is utter shite.

Whilst at least one of Bob's films name checked here is a classic crime drama, at least one is arguably a crime that it was ever committed to celluloid. I'll leave you to decide which is which. 

1) Mona Lisa: Grant Lee Phillips (2004)

2) Brazil: Lloyd Cole (2003)

3) Play For Today (Black Sand Extension): The Cure (2010)

4) Kate (Cover of 'You Put Me Here (Sure as Your Name’s Kate)' by Rex Allen): Johnny Cash (1972)

5) Performance: Japan (1978)

6) Hook (4-Track Demo): PJ Harvey (1992)

7) Shoulder To Shoulder: Pete Wylie (1987)

8) Outlaw: Alan Vega (1981)

9) Thick As Thieves: The Jam (1979)

10) Last Orders (Live @ Electric Circus, Manchester): The Fall (1977) 

11) Full House: Kate Bush (1978)

12) Inner Circle: The Frowning Clouds (2014)

13) Mermaids: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds (2013)

1972: A Thing Called Love: 4

1978: Adolescent Sex: 5

1978: Lionheart: 11

1978: Short Circuit: Live At The Electric Circus: 10

1979: Setting Sons: 9

1981: Collision Drive: 8

1987: Sinful: 7

1993: 4-Track Demos: 6

2003: Music In A Foreign Language: 2

2004: Virginia Creeper: 1

2010: Extensions Volume 1: A Collection Of New Wave Remixes By Black Sand (bootleg MP3): 3

2013: Push The Sky Away: 13

2014: Legalize Everything: 12

A Bob Hoskins Inspired Compilation Of Crime Fuelled Carnage (46:20) (KF) (Mega)

Dear Annie

Celebrating Annie Nightingale, 1st April 1940 to 11th January 2024.

When I heard the sad news that Annie had passed at the age of 83 following a short illness, I didn't immediately post about it. To be honest, it was a real shock, I'd admittedly not followed Annie's continuing broadcasts in recent years but she seemed like she was immortal, that husky voice continuing to emanate over the airwaves forever. 

I was floored by Janice Long's death in December 2021 and Annie's has also hit me hard. When reflecting on Janice at the time, I wrote that "I probably listened to [her] more than John Peel on Radio 1 as a teen, mainly because her evening show slot usually coincided with doing homework or otherwise avoiding my family in my bedroom." This was even more applicable to Annie, whose request show followed the Top 40 countdown on Sunday nights.

I continued to listen to Annie as the powers that be moved her time slot further and further back, so that (at least, as far as I recall), her show became essential post-club listening.

I discovered so much music, new and old, via Annie Nightingale and I think my eclectic collection is testament to her own unabated passion for new genres and styles. Annie was also a reason to watch The Old Grey Whistle Test on BBC2. Bands that might otherwise have stuck two fingers up to the show and presenter Whispering Bob Harris were more amenable to appear when she was presenting.

 

As with Janice Long, this is another of those selections that doesn't begin to do justice to the breadth of Annie Nightingale's indefatigable love of music. More so, given that her career spanned six decades. 

I've cheekily lifted some of Annie's OGWT intros to link some of the music on this selection. The opening extract was from the show broadcast on 14th February 1981, featuring The Sound (well, it was them or Camel) and a three-song set including the magnificent Sense Of Purpose, included here.

 

I should say that only one song, by The Selecter, is an actual performance from The Old Grey Whistle Test. The rest are album and single versions, a remix here and there including one by Annie herself and some deep cuts from The Teardrop Explodes, The Crystal Method, Public Image Ltd., T.Power and Primal Scream remixed by Andrew Weatherall.

 

Big In Japan by Alphaville made the cut as it was the first song on a request show from 1985 that TSKC1984 taped off the radio and posted on You Tube. You can listen to the entire show in all it's hissy glory here, with another from Hollowe'en 1984 here.

 

I've also drawn inspiration from the three albums that Annie compiled in 1996, 2007 and 2015: Annie On One, Annie Nightingale Presents Y4K and Masterpiece. My selection ends, as Annie On One does, with Flowered Up's magnum opus and finest moment, Weekender, which I first heard on her show in 1992. 

I'll happily confess that I was in love with Annie: that voice; the effortless cool that set her miles apart from her contemporary (male) DJs on TV; the sheer rock 'n' roll-ness of her being. Actually, scratch 'was' for 'am'. 

 

In the many, many tributes in the past few days, Annie Nightingale has been rightly described as a trailblazer, a pioneer, one-of-a-kind. Annie was all of that to me. She was also a wonderful person and my favourite radio DJ ever.

Thank you, Annie, you were the best.

 

1) Old Grey Whistle Test (BBC2 Continuity Announcement & Introduction): Annie Nightingale (1981) 

2) Sense Of Purpose: The Sound (1981)

3) Liberation (12" Version): T.Power (1995)

4) Old Grey Whistle Test (Introduction: The Teardrop Explodes): Annie Nightingale (1982) 

5) Colours Fly Away (Live @ Club Zoo, Liverpool): The Teardrop Explodes (1981)

6) This Was The Sound (Adam Freeland & Sebi Spanks Remix): K-Swing + Beber (2007)

7) Come Back Clean (Annie Nightingale + Far Too Loud Remix): The Crystal Method ft. Emily Haines (2009)

8) Big In Japan (7" Version): Alphaville (1984)

9) Old Grey Whistle Test (Introduction: Japan): Annie Nightingale (1982) 

10) Ghosts (Single Version): Japan (1982)

11) Old Grey Whistle Test (Introduction: Public Image Ltd.): Annie Nightingale (1980)

12) Poptones (John Peel Session): Public Image Ltd. (1979)

13) Don't Fight It, Feel It (Scat Mix By Andrew Weatherall & Hugo Nicolson): Primal Scream ft. Denise Johnson (1991)

14) Duel (Album Version): Propaganda (1985)

15) Old Grey Whistle Test (Introduction: The Selecter): Annie Nightingale (1980)

16) Murder (Live on Old Grey Whistle Test, BBC2 TV): The Selecter (1980)

17) Cheft El Khof: Orange Blossom (2004)

18) Grey Clouds: The Orb ft. Alan Parker, Urban Warrior (2007)

19) Weekender (Full Length Version): Flowered Up (1992)

Dear Annie (1:15:17) (KF) (Mega)

Pioneer

Celebrating Ryuichi Sakamoto 坂本龍, 17th January 1952 to 28th March 2023.

 

I was born in 1970 so it's little surprise that my entry point to Sakamoto's music wasn't Yellow Magic Orchestra but Japan, although I wasn't particularly aware of it at the time, and the follow up singles Bamboo Houses/Bamboo Music and Forbidden Colours with David Sylvian.

 

My brother had a giant poster of Japan on his bedroom wall, featuring honorary band member Masami Tsuchiya and I appreciated the beautiful synchronicity of a band called Japan having a Japanese musician in their line up. It was probably from reading my brother's copies of Smash Hits (delivered every week by the paper boy) that I read that Ryuichi Sakamoto had performed with Japan on their Sons Of Pioneers tour in 1982.

 

That seemed the natural starting point for this selection, which I've wrestled with since news on Sunday of Sakamoto's inevitable and heartbreaking passing, following a long battle with cancer. One of my favourite Japan songs, Taking Islands In Africa, from 1980's Gentlemen Take Polaroids, is credited to Sakamoto and David Sylvian and features Ryuichi on keyboards. In researching this post, I came across a fascinating post by David J Nibloe on his Vista blog which reveals some of the deeper story behind the Sakamoto's meeting with Japan and the recording of the song.

I've skipped the aforementioned Sakamoto/Sylvian collaborations as they both appeared on my recent David Sylvian selection (which I've made available again via a link below), but the two worked together many many times over the subsequent years and decades. I've picked Midnight Sun, arguably a lesser known, bluesy track from Sylvian's 1999 album Dead Bees On A Cake, featuring Ryuichi Sakamoto and Marc Ribot. 

 

The main, instrumental theme from Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence, in it's vocal version better known as Forbidden Colours, also makes an appearance alongside The Last Emperor. I was incredibly moved by both films when I first watched them, not just for the striking visual narrative but also Ryuichi Sakamoto's soundtrack which is a character and voice in it's own right. I've barely dipped into his film composition work outside of these two but it's incredible to think that Sakamoto was creating something on the scale and power of The Last Emperor in 1987 whilst also releasing the poppier Risky with Iggy Pop. 

 

Ryuichi Sakamoto's capacity to ignore boundaries, to blend genres and create new ones, has been a constant source of fascination even if I've only intermittently followed his career. I draw parallels with John Cale, who to me has similarly pursued a desire to explore new paths, different ways of (musical) expression and artists to collaborate with.

So this selection ended up not being a straightforward Ryuichi Sakamoto selection at all, including not just his work with Yellow Magic Orchestra and as a solo artist but also his remixes, co-writes and appearances on other people's songs. This is how I discovered his wider body of work and it felt appropriate to try to capture that feeling across a mere 80 minutes. The original 'shortlist' was over two and a half hours, so some tough choices along the way.

 

Some of these songs will be familiar, though not necessarily in the versions presented here, there are frequent changes from upbeat to downtempo, quiet to loud, vocal to instrumental, pop to something harder to define.   

 

Having started with the band that first introduced me to Ryuichi Sakamoto, it seemed somehow fitting to close with a remix that he produced for his daughter Miu. Hard to believe that this alone is now 25 years old. Harder still to believe that Sakamoto-san has gone, but his vast musical legacy leaves much to discover and re-discover in the years to come.

 

Rest well, 坂本龍

 

1) Taking Islands In Africa (Album Version By John Punter): Japan (1980)

2) Fatalism (Ryuichi Sakamoto & Yukihiro Takahashi Remix): Massive Attack ft. Guy Garvey & Martina Topley-Bird (2010)

3) Rocket Factory: Sheena & The Rokkets ft. Yellow Magic Orchestra (1979)

4) Firecracker (Special DJ Copy): Yellow Magic Orchestra (1978)

5) Risky (Extended Mix By Julian Mendelsohn): Ryuichi Sakamoto ft. Iggy Pop (1987)

6) eena ferroix (Ryuichi Sakamoto Mix): CoH (2014)

7) The Last Emperor - Theme Variation 1: Ryuichi Sakamoto (1987)

8) Midnight Sun: David Sylvian ft. Ryuichi Sakamoto & Marc Ribot (1999)

9) Love & Hate (Message Mix - Single Edit): Ryuichi Sakamoto ft. Holly Johnson (1994)

10) Merry Christmas, Mr. Lawrence: Ryuichi Sakamoto (1983)

11) Behind The Mask (Remixed By Mark Gamble): YMO Versus The Human League (1993)

12) 0318: Fennesz + Sakamoto (2011)

13) Completion: Willits & Sakamoto (2012)

14) Drip Dry Eyes (Album Version): Sandii ft. Yellow Magic Orchestra (1980)

15) Field Work (Long Tokyo Mix): Ryuichi Sakamoto ft. Thomas Dolby (1985)

16) solari (Jóhann Jóhannsson Rework): Ryuichi Sakamoto (2017)

17) Awakening (Endo Mix By Ryuichi Sakamoto): Miu Sakamoto (1998)

Pioneer (1:21:28) (KF) (Mega)

If, like me, this leaves you wanting to hear more Ryuichi Sakamoto then you may be happy to know that I've re-posted a few of my previous Dubhed selections where he makes an appearance. 

 

David Sylvian: Nostalgia Burns (February 2023)

Mick Karn: KarnAge (January 2023)

Various: Big In Japan (March 2022)

Fill The Skies

Heading back to the mid-late 1970s today with a clutch of songs that are guaranteed to get me moving or, even worse, singing along. 

Although the music dates from before I started buying records, the songs here by Roxy Music, Ian Dury & The Blockheads, The Boomtown Rats and David Bowie all made an impression on me at an early age. Japan's version of The Velvet Underground came to my attention when it was re-released in the early 1980s and it was probably another couple of years before I even heard the original. James White & The Blacks - and the whole No Wave/Ze Records scene - found their way to me in the late 1980s, although Kid Creole & The Coconuts were popular way before then. I'd explored Lou Reed's early 1970s albums and also the run of albums starting with New York before I went back to his mid-late 1970s work, including Coney Island Baby.

Songs then that don't represent a single period in time for me and instead are scattered through my record buying history, triggering individual and special memories every time I hear them.

1) Angel Eyes (12" Remix): Roxy Music (1979)

2) Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part 3 (7" Version): Ian Dury & The Blockheads (1978)

3) Contort Yourself (Album Version): James White & The Blacks (1979)

4) Rat Trap (Album Version): The Boomtown Rats (1978)

5) All Tomorrow's Parties (Album Version) (Cover of The Velvet Underground): Japan (1979)

6) Leave Me Alone (Unreleased Version): Lou Reed (1976)

7) John, I'm Only Dancing (Again) (12" Version): David Bowie (1975)

1978: A Tonic For The Troops: 4

1979: Angel Eyes EP: 1

1979: John, I'm Only Dancing (Again) EP: 7

1979: Off White: 3 

1979: Quiet Life: 5

1979: Reasons To Be Cheerful, Part 3 EP: 2

1992: Between Thought And Expression: The Lou Reed Anthology: 6

Fill The Skies (40:37) (Box) (Mega)

Fourteen Years Of Silence

I listen to very little radio these days, so it was a YouTube trawl that landed me David Sylvian's audio diary, extracted from Mary Anne Hobbs' Spirit Of Sylvian special on her BBC Radio 6 Music show, first broadcast on 27th October.  

 

The full show runs to just under an hour, with a playlist including influencers and the influenced such as Yellow Magic Orchestra, Holger Czukay, Roxy Music, Burial, Savages, Goldie and Pa Salieu.

 

Raised On Radio has posted David's self-authored piece on YouTube and it's a compelling listen, 26 minutes spanning everything from his departure from Virgin at the end of the 20th century, the birth and death of his own label Samadhi Sounds, his collaborations, photography, looking back (and not looking back), Japan's legacy and a refreshing view on when and why artists wish to sample his work.

 

None of that begins to do it justice, give it a listen:

 

What immediately struck me is David Sylvian's voice. I have all of David's solo albums on Virgin, but I realise that the last album proper that I bought was 2005's The Good Son vs. The Only Daughter, itself a remix of 2003 album Blemish. His singing voice in that time was becoming richer, deeper, but that was twenty years ago.

It had been even longer since I'd heard David's speaking voice. What I remember best is the London accent from early 80s interviews when in Japan:

 

And I found this great clip of an interview with Gary Crowley in 1993, promoting his collaboration with Robert Fripp, The First Day. The voice is more refined but still recognisably David Sylvian.

 

At the end of his piece for Mary Anne Hobbs,. David apologises for his Mid-Atlantic accent, shaped by living in America for nearly three decades and "inevitable, but it would annoy the [bleep] out of me if I had to listen to it."

Yes, it was a bit of a shock at first but once David starts speaking, I found it impossible to stop listening. I'm on my third listen at the time of writing this post and each visit reveals another fascinating layer of insight that I missed the first time around. An essential listen, whether you're a David Sylvian fan or just have an interest in the inner workings of an artist.

It was a short hop from there to another YouTube gem, offering up 40 minutes of raw, in-the-studio footage of the Berlin recording sessions for David's first solo album, Brilliant Trees. Again, a must-see.

 

David's last solo album proper was 2009's Manafon but as mentioned in the BBC 6 Music audio, he collaborated with Franz Wright and Christian Fennesz on There's A Light That Enters Houses With No Other House In Sight, released in 2014. You can view an extract - Wintersleep - or listen to the full 64-minute album.

 

On 28th October, Twinkle³, released a new album, Upon This Fleeting Dream. I haven't yet heard anything other than the closing track of Side 1, If I leave No Trace, which features a spoken word contribution from David Sylvian, but it's an intriguing three-and-a-half minutes.

In the opening section of David's Spirit Of Sylvian audio piece, he reflected on whether accepting Mary Anne Hobbs' invitation was the right thing to do as he hadn't spoken to the media in 14 years, even longer for radio or TV. He closes by saying that he's "not going to listen back to what I have spoken to you about because I know if I do, I'll delete it [laughs]... this is inevitable."

What was perhaps also inevitable is that less than half an hour in David Sylvian's company has reignited my love and admiration for his artistic integrity and vision but also his ability to not take himself too seriously. I'm now digging back into my existing Japan and David Sylvian but also inspired to look forward to catching up with the solo records and collaborations that I've missed in the last thirty years.

Can You Hear It?

Between 1976 and 1979, I was between 5 and 8 years old, arguably living my best life. Primary school, hot summers, bags of penny chews and sweets from the newsagents, Look-In ("The Junior TV Times"), Tom Baker as Doctor Who, Star Wars at the cinema, annual holidays near Tenby and day trips to Weston-super-Mare, the open air swimming pool at Chippenham or (if we were lucky) the pebble-or-sand beach at Weymouth. 

I was too busy and too young to pay much attention at the time to punk, post-punk or alternative music. Although the odd snatch on Radio 1 stuck with me, I discovered much of this music a few years later, when I was older, angrier and looking for music that I could turn up loud and annoy my parents with. The rest I sought out even more years later, when I was (considerably) older, wiser (debatable) and still angry (and that's just the government).

I don't have a contemporary emotional connection to these songs though some resonate with particular periods in my teens and twenties and they will always be very special to me. A few come from some of my favourite albums of all time, but I'll leave you to decide which ones they may be.

 

1) So It Goes: Nick Lowe (1976)

2) The Pictures On My Wall (Single Version): Echo & The Bunnymen (1978)

3) I Found That Essence Rare: Gang Of Four (1979)

4) Repetition: The Fall (1978)

5) The Unconventional: Japan (1978)

6) Fade Away And Radiate (Album Version): Blondie (1978)

7) Frederick: Patti Smith (1979)

8) Search & Destroy (Live) (Cover of The Stooges): The Dictators (1977)

9) I Can't Be (Demo): Ramones (1976)

10) Whip In My Valise: Adam & The Ants (1979)

11) Limelight (Album Version): XTC (1979)

12) My Shadow In Vain: Tubeway Army (1978)

13) Mortice Lock: Associates (1979)

14) Cities (Alternate Version): Talking Heads (1979)

15) Sound And Vision (Live @ Earls Court, London): David Bowie (1978)

16) I'm A Lover: David Johansen (1978)

17) The Card Cheat: The Clash (1979)

Can You Hear It? (56:53)

Flying In The Face Of Fashion

A very special mix for a very special friend on a very special day. Happy birthday, Claire!

 

51 minutes of pure '80s, picked from the vinyl and mixtapes we used to listen to at yours on Sundays and after school, particularly Talk Talk 12" singles, and not forgetting two memorable gigs, seeing The Damned and The Psychedelic Furs live in concert. 

From those days as 15 year old dreamers to today, whether we've been in or out of contact, the world is a brighter place for having you on it. Have a wonderful day, my beautiful friend.

 

xx

1) Messages (10" Version): O.M.D. (1980)

2) Fade To Grey (Dance Mix): Visage (1981)

3) Love My Way (U.S Remix): The Psychedelic Furs (1982)

4) Blind Vision (Edited Version): Blancmange (1983)

5) A Question Of Lust (Album Version): Depeche Mode (1986)

6) Give It Up (Album Version): Talk Talk (1986)

7) World Shut Your Mouth (Julian Cope vs. Trouble Funk) (12" Mix): Julian Cope (1986)

8) Anything (Yet Another Mix): The Damned (1986)

9) Desire (Come And Get It) (Extended Version): Gene Loves Jezebel (1986)

10) Nightporter (Remixed By Steve Nye) (12"): Japan (1982)

1980: Messages (10"): 1

1981: Visage (USA 12"): 2

1982: Nightporter (12"): 10

1983: Blind Vision (USA 12"): 4 

1986: Anything (Limited Edition Yellow Vinyl Remix 10"): 8

1986: Desire (Come And Get It) (12"): 9

1986: Give It Up (12"): 6

1986: Pretty In Pink (12"): 3

1986: A Question Of Lust (12"): 5

1986: World Shut Your Mouth (Limited Edition Remix 12"): 7

 

Flying In The Face Of Fashion (51:06) (KF) (Mega)

Another Modern Dance

Back to 1981 and the rest of K-Tel's Modern Dance compilation, originally featured last month. As with the previous selection, I've split the original, crammed vinyl Side 1 into two, expanding a few tracks into the more spacious 12" versions. Quiet Life was first released as a B-side in 1980, but it's re-release as an A-side in September 1981 saw it reach #19 in the UK, their biggest hit until Ghosts the following year. I think I've cheated a bit with the John 'Tokes' Potoker remix of Heaven 17, as I don't think it's from 1981. My (now very crackly) vinyl version came from the Contenders 12" double pack single and it featured simultaneously on their Endless remix cassette, both from 1986, but I prefer it to the original 12" version, so here it is. Sweat In Bullet was the first Simple Minds 12" I bought, albeit probably also circa 1985-86, but what a song. My copy used to jump part way through, and I remember having to weight the needle with a blob of Blu Tack to get an uninterrupted play. The Garden was the first John Foxx album I bought, mainly for the single which I'd seen on Top Of The Pops. A surprise to find three decades on that it only got to #40 at the time. She's Got Claws suffered a particularly harsh K-Tel cut to less than three and half minutes on the original album, so I've gone to the other extreme with this selection and included the full 12" version which clocks in at over six minutes. 

 

Modern Dance is one of a few compilations that have stayed with me over the years, none of the songs becoming over familiar or overplayed. 1981 was a great year for slightly off-kilter pop music.

 

Side One (22:41)

1) Joan Of Arc (Album Version): O.M.D. (1981)

2) Quiet Life (7" Version): Japan (1980)

3) Love Action (I Believe In Love) (12" Edit): The Human League (1981)

4) Penthouse And Pavement (12" Mix By John 'Tokes' Potoker): Heaven 17 (1981)

5) New Life (Remix): Depeche Mode (1981)

Side Two (21:26)

1) Sweat In Bullet (Remix): Simple Minds (1981)

2) Europe After The Rain (Album Version): John Foxx (1981)

3) Charlotte Sometimes (Single Version): The Cure (1981)

4) She's Got Claws (Extended): Gary Numan (1981)

 

Side One (22:41)

Side Two (21:26)