Decayed I: 2001

Side 2 of an imaginary compilation cassette, travelling through the 2000s.

Troubling the upper reaches of the UK's best-selling singles of 2001 were Shaggy, Atomic Kitten and S Club 7. Not to forget yesterday's reference to Westshite, who must have had a sideline commission on bar stools, the amount of time they spent with their arses glued to them whilst inflicting another ballad or cover version (or both) on us.

Yet, there was hope. Kylie Minogue was experiencing a purple patch of perfect pop songs, arguably none more so than Can't Get You Out Of My Head. Bucking the trend of one-week-only #1s, Ms. Minogue spent four weeks at the top, seven in the Top 10 and the best part of six months in the Top 75. 

Can't Get You Out Of My Head was apparently offered first to S Club 7 (well, their manager) then Sophie Ellis-Bextor, who both turned it down. I bet they've been kicking themselves ever since.

Basement Jaxx were also wanting to know Where's Your Head At, cracking the UK Top 10 in December. Featuring Damien Peachey on vocals, the song is built on the riff from Gary Numan's 1979 song M.E. and was accompanied by a memorable video.

Speaking of samples, there's a serendipitous connection between today's playlist and the original Decade mixtape series. In October 2001, Felix Da Housecat charted with the single Harlot, sampling the synth percussion of The Sound Of The Crowd by The Human League. That very song featured in my 1981 selection, having reached #12 in May of that year. It's almost like I planned it...!

Missy Elliott had previously scored a UK #1 in 1998, but it was a guest on ex-Spice Girl Melanie B's single I Want You Back. Get UR Freak On got to #4 in April 2001 and would prove to be Missy's highest charting single in the UK as a solo artist. It's a magnificent record, and Timbaland's production and the tabla frenzy underpinning the song cannot be underestimated. Yet, it wouldn't be half as good without Missy herself: her delivery is spot on and a breath of fresh air compared to many of her male contemporaries.

This was the year that we were introduced to The Strokes. I wasn't as blown away by them as the gushing music press appeared to be, though I found myself morbidly fascinated by Last Nite, both the video and the song. Both were unashamedly retro, yet there was something compelleing about their sound and look, even to an old cynic like me.

2001 also saw the first collaboration between Daft Punk and Pharrell Williams, a partnership that would really pay off a decade and a half later. Here, The Neptunes (Pharrell and Chad Hugo) get their hands on Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger and take it in a completely new direction.

The Charlatans, Depeche Mode, Faithless and Damon Albarn all came back with strong songs, reasserting their relevance in the 21st century. Albarn especially so, as in a radical departure from Blur, he co-created 'virtual' band Gorillaz to great critical and commercial acclaim. 

Trevor Jackson is the brains behind Playgroup, the only non-charting single in today's picks. Never heard of him? Break 4 Love by Raze or House Of Lovers by The Rapture? Two of the many record sleeves Trevor designed. The Underdog remixes of Massive Attack, House Of Pain, U2 or Everything But The Girl? That's Trevor. Late 1990s releases by Fridge and Four Tet (Kieran Hebden) on the Output label? Trevor ran it.

Playgroup's self-titled debut album is a thing of wonder and I will write about it at some point, here or elsewhere. Suffice to say that both it and the various singles should have been smash hits. Front 2 Back is featured here, with a strong lead from KC Flightt and a wonderful guest spot from Edwyn Collins on guitar, who nails it.

Robert Miles had a #2 hit with Children in January 1996. Nina Miranda, fronting Smoke City, got to #4 with Underwater Love in April 1997.  On paper, a collaboration between the two had 'hit' written all over it, surely? Sadly not. 

Paths is a great song, but managed just one week at #74 in July 2001. The Future Sound Of London aka Brian Dougans and Garry Cobain were no strangers to the UK charts themselves in the 1990s and they provide a stunning remix here. There is a full-length 7+ minute version on the 12" single, though everything you need is captured here in two hundred and twenty eight wonderful seconds.

Although labelled as a remix by The Future Sound Of London, Brian and Garry were revisiting another of their aliases, and this remix signposted their new direction. Stay tuned, as you'll find out what they were up to next week.

For your further listening pleasure, you may wish to head back to 1981 and 1991.

1) Love Is The Key (Album Version): The Charlatans
2) 19/2000 (Soulchild Remix By Damien Mendis & Stuart Bradbury): Gorillaz
3) I Feel Loved (Single Version): Depeche Mode
4) Get Ur Freak On (Edit By Timbaland & Jimmy Douglass): Missy Elliott
5) Harlot (Edit): Felix Da Housecat ft. Melistar
6) Muhammad Ali (Radio Edit By Rollo & Sister Bliss): Faithless ft. Pauline Taylor
7) Last Nite (Album Version): The Strokes
8) Front 2 Back (Album Version): Playgroup ft. KC Flightt & Edwyn Collins
9) Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (The Neptunes Remix Edit By Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo): Daft Punk
10) Where's Your Head At (Radio Edit): Basement Jaxx ft. Damien Peachey
11) Can't Get You Out Of My Head (Album Version): Kylie Minogue
12) Paths (Future Sound Of London 'Cosmic Jukebox' Remix (Edit)): Robert Miles ft. Nina Miranda, Garry Cobain & Justin Gibson

22nd April 2001: Miss E ...So Addictive (#4): 4

1st July 2001: Gorillaz (#6): 2

22nd July 2001: Organik Remixes (#74): 12

5th August 2001: Exciter (#12): 3

2nd September 2001: Wonderland (#16): 1

23rd September 2001: Outrospective (#29): 6

23rd September 2001: Fever (#1): 11

21st October 2001: Kittenz And Thee Glitz (#79): 5

21st October 2001: Playgroup (# n/a): 8 *

11th November 2001: Is This It (#14): 7

11th November 2001: Discovery (#25): 9

2nd December 2001: Rooty (#9): 10

Side Two (45:05) (GD) (M)

* Front 2 Back failed to chart as a single, but Playgroup's self-titled album got to #94 in this week.

Decayed I: 2000

Side 1 of a faux FX Super Ferric C90 cassette, properly kicking off a new series of mixtapes that never were, and a follow on from my previous runs through the 1980s and 1990s.

There was a thirty five year gap between Decade and its sequel, Decadance (sic). A mere eight months' wait this time!

The 2000s was a significant decade for me: I became a house owner, a husband, a father; I changed jobs; I got a home computer (with dial up internet!); I went to more comedy gigs than music gigs; I finally went to Japan with Mrs. K, and we had an unforgettable month there.

I also listened to music, lots of music, but even that was changing. Whereas the move from the 1980s to the 1990s had seen a shift from vinyl to CDs, as the 2000s progressed, there was a further shift from CDs to MP3s.

Entering the decade, I was still making mixtapes, though that shifted quickly to CD-Rs as soon as Casa K had a computer and printer set up at home. Times were changing, and I was trying to keep up.

I was no longer keeping up with Top Of The Pops or the UK charts, though. The former had pretty much lost me in the previous decade, with the predominance of bland bands that were visually and aurally uninteresting. 

Likewise, the stupid marketing of the early 2000s saw a smaller number of songs spread across an increasing number of formats. The chances of getting a decent, value-for-money EP were a thing of the past and instead, completists would be forced to buy the two or three CD singles, possibly a DVD and/or a 12" vinyl, to get a mere 5 or 6 songs.

First week promos and multi-buy deals meant that the chances of singles getting to #1 in the UK were pretty good; staying at #1 (or even remaining in the Top 10) by week two less so. According to Iffypedia, there were 274 UK #1 singles in the 2000s, 11 of those by Westshite, which illustrates better than anything how bad things were.

And yet... despite my expectation that this series would highlight a yawning chasm between music I enjoyed and chart success, I've been surprised by the consistent hits across this series. Starting with today's selection, there are a fair number of songs that either didn't chart or failed to crack the Top 30, but there are more Top 5s than I was expecting, too.

Enough of my yakking, let's get into things with the year 2000.

Last Sunday's Decayed Prelude revealed a number of artists that failed to make the cut for any of the ten upcoming selections. Likewise, many in the next five weeks will make just one appearance, including today's opening act, Primal Scream.

When I 'reviewed' their XTRMNTR album for the back page of an A5 DIY comic zine that I was selling in Forbidden Planet for 50p, it amounted to one word: FLLR. My opinion hasn't significantly shifted in the quarter century since: it's a good (imaginary) compilation of mixes and B-sides, but didn't and doesn't hang together for me as a proper album.  

Much as I love Kill All Hippies with it's samples of Linda Manz from Dennis Hopper's 1980 film Out Of The Blue and one of the filthiest basslines ever, it didn't (excuse the pun) scream 'single!" to me. Yet it was, I bought it, and it got to #24.

All Saints were also enjoying continuing success by association with a film, albeit a contemporary release. I revisit the soundtrack to The Beach more often than the film itself, due to the spot-on choice of artists. 

I wasn't a fan of All Saints, but I was a sucker for William Orbit's bleeps and bloops and on Pure Shores, it was a perfect pairing. The record buying public agreed, and it scored All Saints their fourth UK #1.

Other Top 5 hits include Kids by Robbie Williams and Kylie Minogue, a pop song so good that they both included it on their albums released that year. The single was held off the top spot by U2 (Beautiful Day), though both were supplanted by Steps and the Baha Men the following week.

Porcelain was about the 500th single from Moby's mega-successful Play (an achievement in itself, given that there are only 18 songs on the album). The single peaked at #5, the most successful of the Play singles released here. 

Moloko are the third and final Top 5 contender this time, with the sublime The Time Is Now and my personal favourite of everything that Róisín Murphy and Mark Brydon wrote and recorded together. You've got Melanie C and Lisa 'Left Eye' Lopes to thank for keeping this cracker off the top spot, as they released Never Be The Same Again the same week. Prophetic words, as Westshite had evicted them a week later.

Apart from Primal Scream, other Top 30 artists featured here include Black Box Recorder and Finley Quaye, whilst The Dandy Warhols just missed out on the Top 40 this time around with Bohemian Like You. However, they returned with a vengeance (and the same song) the following year, thanks to its use in a Vodafone advert.

Given that I ditched Groovejet by Spiller and Sophie Ellis-Bextor from my 2000 shortlist, the inclusion of obscure Australian electronic act Gerling may be a surprise. What was a surprise to me was that their single Enter Spacecapsule actually made it to #33. I picked it up on spec from the bargain bin at Replay Records in Bristol at the time and immediately fell in love with it. I had a similar reaction to the Mekon single guest starring 80s legend Roxanne Shanté. Bring it on!

Likewise with the lush combo of strings and beats, courtesy of ex-Voodoo Queen, Anjali. Lazy Lagoon was one of the very first MP3s I downloaded (for free) from the Wiiija Records website in 2000. Took bloody ages thanks to my ultra slow dial-up internet connection, though it was worth it. The single failed to chart - I bought the CD single a while later, dirt cheap - but it and the eponymous debut album that homes it, comes highly recommended.

Shocking to think now that Lovely Head, the debut single by Goldfrapp, also failed to chart back in the day. I've pretty much lost track of what Alison Goldfrapp is up to these days, though her work with Will Gregory still has the power to thrill and this song in particular had it all from the start. Excellent whistling, too.

As with the previous series, the info nerd in me has insisted on including info at the end, listing each single's peak (UK) chart placing and date, and the relevant album it sprung from (or EP if it was a standalone single).

Sunday, as it must, will take a long, hard look at 2001. Space odyssey or space oddity? I'll leave you to decide.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the next 45 minutes of sounds from 2000!

And, if you want even more nostalgia, I've reactivated the previous selections for 1980 and 1990.

1) Kill All Hippies (Brendan Lynch Edit): Primal Scream ft. Linda Manz

2) Pure Shores (The Beach Life Mix By William Orbit): All Saints

3) Kids (Album Version): Robbie Williams & Kylie Minogue

4) Porcelain (Single Version): Moby

5) Enter Spacecapsule (Radio Disko Remix): Gerling

6) Lazy Lagoon (Album Version): Anjali

7) The Facts Of Life (Radio Edit): Black Box Recorder

8) Lovely Head (Album Version): Goldfrapp

9) The Time Is Now (Edit): Moloko

10) Spiritualized (Album Version): Finley Quaye

11) What's Going On? (Edit): Mekon ft. Roxanne Shanté

12) Bohemian Like You (Album Version): The Dandy Warhols

20th February 2000: Saints & Sinners / The Beach (Motion Picture Soundtrack) (#1): 2

26th March 2000: XTRMNTR (#24): 1

26th March 2000: Things To Make And Do (#2): 9

16th April 2000: The Facts Of Life (#20): 7

5th June 2000: Felt Mountain (# n/a): 8 *

18th June 2000: Play (#5): 4

25th June 2000: Enter Spacecapsule EP (#33): 5

3rd September 2000: Thirteen Tales From Urban Bohemia (#42): 12 **

17th September 2000: Vanguard (#26): 10

17th September 2000: Relax With Mekon (#43): 11

15th October 2000: Sing When You're Winning / Light Years (#2): 3

22nd October 2000: Anjali (# n/a): 6

Side One (45:31) (GD) (M)

* Lovely Head had a second bite of the (black) cherry when it was re-released as a double A-side with Pilots (On A Star), peaking at #68 the week of 11th November 2001.

** Likewise, a re-release of Bohemian Like You rocketed the single to #5 in the week of 4th November 2001.

Northern Synth Soul Weekender (Sunday)

Day 2 of a non-stop erotic cabaret weekend, celebrating the genius of Dave Ball.
 

It's impossible to talk about Dave Ball without referring to Soft Cell and The Grid, and inevitably they both feature heavily in today's second selection of choice cuts from Dave's career.

Dave's work with Marc Almond and Richard Norris is incredible in it's span, not only in terms of commercial success, but also in it's ambition and longevity. However, it's not the only evidence of what, from the outside looking in, portrays Dave as a person that others wanted to work with and keep working with, time and time again.

I mentioned Psychic TV yesterday and Dave's involvement with Genesis P-Orridge in the late 1980s on the legendary 'acid house' albums Jack The Tab and Tekno Acid Beat.  I featured Joy, the lead single from the latter, on Saturday's selection. I also noted Genesis' appearance on Dave's solo album, In Strict Tempo, and today features Man In The Man, one the two songs they co-wrote.

Gavin Friday also appears on In Strict Tempo, and was another frequent flyer with Dave. Gavin co-wrote and sang on the (almost) title track in 1983; The Grid remixed Gavin's 1996 single You Me And World War Three. In 2009, Dave and Gavin recorded a cover of Ghostrider by Suicide, released on 10* vinyl the following year for Alan Vega's 70th Birthday Limited Edition EP Series. 

In 2019, another long-term friend and collaborator, Anni Hogan, released the album Lost In Blue, produced by Dave. The penultimate song, Angels Of Romance, features - you guessed it - Gavin. Last year, I was delighted that Gavin returned with a new solo album, Ecce Homo, with Dave joining him at the controls. The title track is an essential pick here.

The other significant 'duo' for me is Dave's work with Ingo Vauk, which often seems to be overlooked and understated. Ingo is credited as an engineer on The Grid's debut album Electric Head in 1990, the start of a songwriting and production partnership. 

Although Dave and Ingo never 'formed a band' and released their own music, you may be surprised at how many songs in your collection credit the pair. Kylie Minogue's 1998 single Breathe? They co-wrote and produced it. The 'Double Click' and 'Lost In Space' remixes of Hallo Spaceboy by David Bowie? That's them. Billie Ray Martin's 1999 single Honey? They produced it. In fact, Ingo was in the studio (as engineer) with Dave and Richard in 1993 for Billiie's sublime 4 Ambient Tales EP, which also features here. 

The point that all of the above is labouring is that Dave is repeatedly described as a lovely bloke and this is borne out by the number of people that continued to work with him throughout his career. 

In Marc Almond's 1999 autobiography, Tainted Life (which I really must read again), he recalls that

"When Dave Ball had walked into Leeds Polytechnic in the autumn of 1977, 

the first person he had bumped into was me. 

We couldn't have been more contrasting: 

Dave in a denim jacket, jeans and desert wellies, 

tall and stocky with black curly hair; 

me in gold-lamé trousers, a leopard skin T-shirt 

on a small skinny frame with a blond crop. 

He asked me the way to the art department, 

and I pointed him down the corridor. 

Neither of us then could have imagined the strange adventure 

we be embarking on in less than three years' time, 

nor even that this encounter would have any significance at all."

Richard Norris' 2024 autobiography, Strange Things Are Happening (also sitting on my bookshelf) recounts the making of the Jack The Tab album in 1987:

"On the Sunday, Gen brings along a friend to help with the proceedings - 

Soft Cell keyboard player Dave Ball. 

I'm a little intimidated. 

We've all been bopping about in the studio, mucking about, 

adding vocals and mad effects. 

A deranged nightclub meets laboratory experiment. 

Having Dave here makes things feel a little more professional. 

He's an actual pop star, after all. 

How is he going to fit in with these demented tracks 

featuring wolves howling, falsetto Tiny Tim samples and 

Gen and Paula's bedroom tapes?

Very well, it turns out."

I'd been meaning to get Dave Ball's autobiography, Electronic Boy, for some time. Sadly, it's taken his passing to give me the proverbial boot and order a copy. I'm looking forward to reading Dave's own recollections of this incredible life in music, albeit with a sadness that the last chapter has been written.

Dave's music endures, however, and today's selection once again provides the merest hint of how and why this is so.

I said yesterday that I would often buy a record solely because Dave's name was on it somewhere and there are a couple of examples here. I was never a huge fan of Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine at the time (although I've since revised my opinion), yet seeing the words "Remixed by The Grid" on a promo 12" of 1994 single Glam Rock Cops was enough to make me buy, buy. buy. Three great remixes, titles inspired by The Sweeney and Kojak, I've picked the main extended version to open today's proceedings.

Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson is a phenomenally talented violin player and in 1990s had a similar impact in popularising the instrument - and classical music in general - as Nigel Kennedy had in the previous decade. Dave and Ingo did a couple of remixes for a USA-only 12" single in 1995; the version of Classical Gas featured here arrived in the UK in 1997 as a bonus track on the CD single of I Feel Love. 

The aforementioned Breathe by Kylie Minogue was featured on her album Impossible Princess, before Lady Di's death caused the record to be pulled and reissued as a self-titled album. The single featured remixes by Todd Terry and Sash! though neither come close to the original production by Dave Ball and Ingo Vauk. I'll commit myself to saying it's my favourite Kylie single ever.

Vicious Pink Phenomena (later just Vicious Pink) aka Josie Warden and Brian Moss, started out as backing vocalists for Soft Cell. Dave Ball produced their debut single in 1982 and reappeared (albeit uncredited) on their unexpected 2024 album called, er, Unexpected.

Billie Ray Martin is rarely far away from my playlist, having initially come to my attention with Electribe 101 then via a continuing solo career. The latter launched with a cover of Persuasion by Throbbing Gristle then followed up with the 4 Ambient Tales EP, produced by Dave Ball and Richard Norris as The Grid. It's a beautiful, beautiful quartet of songs and essential listening. 

Hifi Sean is very popular around these parts and his (currently three) albums with David McAlmont are magical, to say the least. In 2016, Sean released his first 'solo' album, Ft., which as the title suggests features collaborations with David, Fred Schneider, Maggie DuMonde and Yoko Ono. On Ultratheque, Sean pairs with Dave Ball and delivers a club classic that nods to the past whilst embracing the future. Great stuff.

Soft Cell and The Grid inevitably remain present throughout the selection. The Grid's follow up to Floatation, also featuring Sacha Souter, is A Beat Called Love. It got to #64 in the UK charts in September 1990. Criminal. It should have been a number one.

The remix of Loving You, Hating Me added here appeared on a promo 12" single in 1983 and is about a minute longer and very different from the version that appeared on the official 12" single and subsequent compilations. 

Last Chance appeared on Soft Cell's 2002 'comeback' Cruelty Without Beauty, which again deserved better than it got at the time. I was thrilled that Dave and Marc were back together and, unlike so many reunions, they remained true to Soft Cell's identity and mission statement without trying to recreate the past.

And there you have it. I struggled a lot with shortlisting a selection of Dave's music, because every single second of it was up for inclusion. I'm happy with the two 12-song selections that I've presented this weekend, in the hope that you'll be inspired by songs you know - and those you don't - to play even more, now and for years to come.

The electronic boy done good.

Thanks Dave, for the light, the shade, the darkness, the joy, the dancing and so many utterly fantastic tunes.

1) Glam Rock Cops (Regan & Carter Mix By The Grid): Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine (1994)

2) A Beat Called Love (Album Version): The Grid ft. Sacha Souter (1990)

3) Loving You, Hating Me (Special Mix By Soft Cell & Mike Thorne): Soft Cell (1983)

4) Breathe (Radio Edit By Dave Ball & Ingo Vauk): Kylie Minogue (1998)

5) Classical Gas (Stradosphere Mix By Dave Ball & Ingo Vauk): Vanessa-Mae (1995)

6) Ghostrider (Cover of Suicide): Gavin Friday & Dave Ball (2009)

7) Man In The Man: Dave Ball ft. Genesis P-Orridge (1983)

8) My Private Tokyo (Remix By Dave Ball): Vicious Pink Phenomena (1982)

9) Planet Of The Blue (Single Version By The Grid): Billie Ray Martin (1993)

10) Ultratheque (Album Version): Hifi Sean ft. Dave Ball (2016)

11) Ecce Homo (Album Version By Dave Ball & Michael Heffernan): Gavin Friday (2024)

12) Last Chance (Album Version By Dave Ball & Ingo Vauk): Soft Cell (2002)

1982: My Private Tokyo EP: 8

1983: In Strict Tempo: 7

1983: Loving You, Hating Me EP: 3

1990: Electric Head: 2

1993: 4 Ambient Tales EP: 9

1994: Glam Rock Cops EP: 1

1995: Classical Gas EP: 5

1998: Breathe EP: 4

2002: Cruelty Without Beauty: 12

2010: Ghostrider EP: 6

2016: Ft.: 10

2024: Ecce Homo: 11

Northern Synth Soul Weekender (Sunday) (1:02:08) (GD) (M)

Decadance IV: 1997

Side 2 of my sojourn through the 1990s, skidding to a halt in 1997.

The year that Labour ousted the Tories from government in a landslide general election result. The year that Princess Diana died in a car crash, attempting to escape the paparazzi. The year that The Notorious B.I.G. was murdered. The year that we got a glimpse of the comet Hale–Bopp passing by our tiny planet. The year that South Park debuted on TV.  

It was also the year of the mud, at least if you were at Glastonbury that summer.  If that wasn't disappointing enough, Neil Young pulled out of a headline slot, to be replaced by Kula Shaker. No refunds on your £75 ticket.

At a glance, 1997 may seem like a dire year for music. Candle In The Wind by Elton John was the year's biggest seller by a long chalk, released the weekend following Princess Diana's funeral. The rest of the Top 5 was made up of Aqua, Puff Daddy and Faith Evans, and the 'various artists' patchwork cover of Perfect Day by Lou Reed. Oh, and Teletubbies.  

Sadly, Bristol-born actor and comedian Dave Thompson couldn't enjoy the latter's #1 success in December 1997 as five months previously he'd been given the boot as Tinky Winky (the purple one, I had to look it up). Apparently, BBC bosses deemed that Dave's "interpretation of the role was not acceptable". 

No such comment from the BBC about Katrina & The Waves' performance at the Eurovision Song Contest, representing the United Kingdom. Surprisingly, they won it. Less surprisingly, 1997 remains the last time that the UK have won it. 

There was lots of great music in 1997 too, so don't despair. I've sifted through and found a dozen nuggets that haven't lost their shine in the last three decades.

Remember Indie Kylie? Kylie Minogue's sixth album Impossible Princess underwent a swift swap to an untitled/eponymous UK release in 1997, following Diana's death (the original title reinstated in 2003). 

Kylie co-wrote the album, mostly with Brothers In Rhythm, Dave Ball and Ingo Vauk. A couple of songs were written with Manic Street Preachers, including the rather fab Some Kind Of Bliss. These were the days when Kylie wasn't guaranteed a #1 with every single but even so, #22 was a bit harsh.  

I've surprised myself by upping 1996's brace of UK #1s with a hat-trick today. First up is You're Not Alone, originally a #42 hit for Olive in September 1996, then re-released and hitting the top spot in May 1997. Olive never really bettered this song. 

Likewise, White Town whose single Your Woman gained traction on Radio 1 thanks to Mark Radcliffe and became a global hit. Your Woman proved to be a lightning-in-a-bottle moment for Jyoti Mishra, and neither the B-sides, album or subsequent music could hope to match the inspired brilliance of this song. 

Block Rockin' Beats was The Chemical Brothers' second #1 and also proved to be their last, although Tom and Ed enjoyed a further ten Top 20 hits between 1997 and 2007. 

A second appearance for Suede, with the final single from third album Coming Up. Feeling sidelined and dismissed by the music press, who were lathering over Blur, Oasis and Pulp, Brett Anderson determined to "write a straightforward pop album. Just ten hits." And he was half right, in as much as Suede's label released five of the ten songs as singles in the UK, every one of them cracking the Top 10. 

When I first settled on the track listing for 1997 (from the usual shortlist of nearly 50 songs), I'd expected quite a few of them to have been minor hits, outside the Top 40 at least. I was surprised to find that only two fit that particular bill.

Today's Mandatory Andrew Weatherall song is Touch Me With Your Love by Beth Orton, which peaked at 60 in January 1997. Touch Me With Your Love was released as a standalone single and, according to the credits, reproduced rather than remixed by Weatherall and his fellow lone swordsman Keith Tenniswood. 

Death In Vegas, led by Richard Fearless, would go onto greater things in 2000s but I was a huge fan of debut album, Dead Elvis. Rocco only got to #51 but it's a cracking single, with it's sampled refrain of "Gonna die if sweetness should pass me by" inspiring the name of a mixtape I made for my brother.

Other first-timers which I happily discovered all made a dent in the Top 40 are My Life Story, Tindersticks and Monaco, the latest venture from Peter Hook. In What Do You Want From Me?, Hooky created one of the best New Order singles that New Order never made.

An honorable mention to Blue Boy aka Lex Blackmore. Like You're Not Alone, Remember Me was released as a single the year before, but a remix by Sure Is Pure in 1997 rocketed the song to #8. Like Olive, Blue Boy are pretty much only remembered for Remember Me (see what I did there?). Trivia fans may be thrilled to know that this is Lex Blackmore's second appearance in the Decadance series. Way back in 1990, Lex accompanied The Shamen on Make It Mine as one half of rap duo Rhyme & Reason.

Last but not least, Daft Punk with a catchy little tune called Da Funk. The song first came out in 1995 and I first heard it on Annie Nightingale's late night Radio 1 show sometime in 1996. Da Funk was edited and packaged as a double A-side with Musique, giving the French robots a #7 hit in February 1997. The rest is history. Well, of course it is!

Next weekend sees the final two installments of the Decadance series, as I take a long hard look at 1998 and 1999, trying to decide whether to party like Prince or try to back up all my computer files ahead of the inevitable crash caused by the Millennium Bug, dragging society as we know it back into The Dark Ages.

1) Some Kind Of Bliss (Radio Edit): Kylie Minogue 

2) Filmstar (Original Demo): Suede 

3) Strumpet (Album Version): My Life Story 

4) What Do You Want From Me? (Edit): Monaco 

5) Remember Me (Sure Is Pure 7” Edit): Blue Boy ft. Marlena Shaw 

6) Touch Me With Your Love (Radio Edit): Beth Orton 

7) Bathtime (Single Remix): Tindersticks 

8) You're Not Alone (Radio Edit): Olive 

9) Rocco (DRVRSLZ Edit): Death In Vegas 

10) Block Rockin' Beats (Radio Edit): The Chemical Brothers ft. Schoolly D 

11) Da Funk (Radio Edit): Daft Punk 

12) Your Woman (Album Version): White Town 

19th January 1997: Women In Technology (#1): 12 

26th January 1997: Touch Me With Your Love EP (#60): 6 

9th February 1997: Remember Me EP (#8): 5 

16th February 1997: Da Funk/Musique EP (#7): 11 

9th March 1997: What Do You Want From Me? (#11): 4 

30th March 1997: Block Rockin' Beats EP (#1): 10 

11th May 1997: The Golden Mile (#27): 3 

11th May 1997: You're Not Alone EP (#1): 8 

1st June 1997: Bathtime EP (#38): 7 

17th August 1997: Filmstar EP (#9): 2 

14th September 1997: Some Kind Of Bliss EP  (#22): 1 

26th October 1997: Rocco EP  (#51): 9 

Side Two (46:09) (GD) (M)

Side One here

Was It That Obvious?

Rounding off my 3-day celebration of Australia, what better way to get the weekend started than with Kylie?!

 

If Dubhed was a prize-giving blog, then Charity Chic would have cleaned up yesterday with his astute prediction. Unfortunately, it's not but hopefully the crushing disappointment will be offset by the prospect of nearly 90 minutes of Ms. Minogue.

This being Friday, I've often tended to feature selections of 12" mixes and slightly more 'up' music so in Australian terms, it was always likely to be Kylie over Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, wasn't it? Although they did collaborate back in 1995, including a memorable appearance on Top Of The Pops, when the pop princess reinvented herself as Indie Kylie.

Today's selection however focuses solely on Disco Kylie, spanning three decades and showing no sign of slowing down now we're midway through the 2020s. 

Although her music career exploded from the Stock, Aitken & Waterman hit factory, Kylie moved on in the early 1990s and has followed her own course ever since, working with some dynamic producers and remixers along the way.

 

I've never particularly considered myself a Kylie fan, I've bought a few singles here and there mainly for the remixes but never any of her albums. I thought the 'country' songs a few years ago were a misstep, but that's the beauty of Kylie. If you don't like what's she doing right now, there will either be club-friendly remixes to compensate, or another change around the corner with her next album.

 

This is one musical pleasure I don't feel guilty about in the slightest. And even if my primary reason for buying a single or compilation was to get that remix by DNA, The Chemical Brothers or Tom Middleton, so what?

Today's selection reflects some early favourites: Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi is cheesy perhaps but I love it; What Do I Have To Do? and Shocked were the big hits whilst I was in Australia; The Chemical Brothers remix of Slow is twice as good as the original. And I would have bought the Soulwax remix compilation anyway - they're brilliant - but their scuzzy, fuzzy overhaul of Can't Get You Out Of My Head was worth the price alone.

In a half-arsed attempt to dodge the sniffer bots and a DMCA takedown notice, I've avoided any reference to Ms. Minogue in the post title and have named the selection SmileyKylie in the hope that it similarly avoids unwanted attention on KrakenFiles or Mega. As usual, the download links will be up for roughly a month, so get in there now!

 

1) Too Much Of A Good Thing (12" Mix By Phil Harding & Ian Curnow) (1992)

2) Into The Blue (Yasutaka Nakata (CAPSULE) Remix) (2014)

3) Finer Feelings (Brothers In Rhythm 12" Mix By Dave Seaman, Steve Anderson & Alan Bremner) (1992)

4) Red Blooded Woman (Whitey Mix By Nathan White) (2005)

5) Confide In Me (Justin Warfield Mix) (1994)

6) It's No Secret (Alternative Extended Version By Dave Ford) (1988)

7) What Do I Have To Do? (Extended Album Mix II By Phil Harding & Ian Curnow) (1991)

8) Falling (Farley & Heller Alternative Mix By Terry Farley & Pete Heller) (1994)

9) Slow (Chemical Brothers Remix By Ed Simons & Tom Rowlands) (2003)

10) Shocked (DNA Mix By Neal Slateford & Nick Batt) (12" Version ft. Jazzi P)  (2001)

11) Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi (The Revolutionary Mix By Phil Harding) (1989)

12) Chocolate (Tom Middleton Cosmos Mix) (2004)

13) Dancing (Initial Talk Remix) (2018)

14) Can't Get You Out Of My Head (Soulwax Kyluss Remix By David Dewaele & Stephen Dewaele) (2001)

 

1989: Hand On Your Heart EP: 6 

1989: Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi EP: 11

1991: Shocked EP: 10

1992: Celebration EP: 1

1992: Finer Feelings EP: 3

2003: Kylie Minogue (Special Edition) (2x CD): 5 

2003: Slow (promo 12"): 9

2004: Chocolate EP: 12

2005: Red Blooded Woman EP: 4 

2007: Most Of The Remixes We've Made For Other People Over The Years...: 14

2010: What Do I Have to Do? (The Original Synth Mixes) EP: 7

2014: Kiss Me Once (Japan only bonus track): 2 

2016: Confide In Me: 8

2018: Dancing EP: 13

SmileyKylie (1:28:22) (KF) (Mega)

* Or, to give the Soulwax compilation it's full title,

Most Of The Remixes We've Made For Other People Over The Years Except For The One For Einstürzende Neubauten Because We Lost It And A Few We Didn't Think Sounded Good Enough Or Just Didn't Fit In Length-Wise, But Including Some That Are Hard To Find Because Either People Forgot About Them Or Simply Because They Haven't Been Released Yet, A Few We Really Love, One We Think Is Just OK, Some We Did For Free, Some We Did For Money, Some For Ourselves Without Permission And Some For Friends As Swaps But Never On Time And Always At Our Studio In Ghent.