Gentleman Rudeboy

In October 2024, I wrote about Ashley Beedle's incredible challenges: stage 4 prostate cancer, a brain bleed and seizure, followed by a massive stroke, that also robbed him of speech.

The physical and mental toll is in parallel with the financial cost: we are so fortunate to have the NHS, but that's frequently only part of the story, for example full-time, ongoing care, physio treatment, adaptations, the list goes on.

And that's without considering the drop in gig bookings and work - and income - in the last few years, as Ashley met one challenge after another. 

A GoFundMe page was set up, smashed it's initial targets of £50,000 then £160,000 and is currently approaching it's present goal of £175,000. You can donate here.

Last week, the PRS Members' Fund posted a short video featuring Ashley and his wife Jo. It's incredible to see not only how far Ashley has come in his recovery - the voice, the smile, the humour - but Jo as an example of the difference that a loved one - a spouse, a partner, a friend - can make. 

This always comes at great personal cost, and it's what you do when you love someone, but it also gives hope, in the face of the craziness around us, that human beings are capable of immense strength, determination, selflessness and love.

It's also a reminder, at a time that music is increasingly seen as without monetary value, and those that make it should be honoured that people are even listening to/streaming their music, and that this should be given for free.

The PRS Members’ Fund was formed in 1934, to support songwriters and composers during the Great Depression. Nearly 100 years later, as Ashley and Jo's story proves, it's needed as much as ever.

All love and power to you, Ashley and Jo.

Back in 2024, I posted a fantastic 2-hour set that Ashley created for BBC Radio 1's Essential Mix in 1997, which you can find here. 

I signed off with the promise of "a (relatively shorter) Dubhed selection of Ashley Beedle's remixes and collaborations which will hopefully see light before the end of the year..." 

[embarrassed cough] Er, nineteen months later, I've created a 64-minute selection of Beedle bangers, starting with a remix of Manic Street Preachers (sacrilege in 1993) and Lazy, his global smash hit with X-Press 2 and David Byrne. The rest spans Femi Kuti, The Fall, David Holmes/Unloved and D:Ream, so you are in for a real treat.

And. after you've finished dancing, why not donate?

1) Roses In The Hospital (51 Funk Salute Mix By Ashley Beedle): Manic Street Preachers (1993)

2) Lazy (Freeform Reform Vocal) (Remix By Freeform Five): X-Press 2 ft. David Byrne (2002)

3) Jonny Lipshake (The 360° Drunken Master Soundboy Special) (Remix By Ashley Beedle): Baby Fox (1996)

4) Brother Sun ft. Kimbra (Rodi Kirk & Aron Ottignon Version) (Ashley Beedle's North Street Dub): Electric Wire Hustle (2016)

5) Beng Beng Beng (Ashley Beedle's Afrikans On Marz): Femi Kuti (1999)

6) Same (Ashley Beedle's Afroart Vocal Mix): Smith & Mighty ft. Tammy Payne (2000)

7) Touch Sensitive (Ashley Beedle Re-Edit): The Fall (2014)

8) Witchi Tai To (Album Version) (Cover of 'Everything Is Everything' by Jim Pepper): X-Press 2 ft. Tim De Laughter (2006)

9) Number In My Phone (Black Science Orchestra Remix By Ashley Beedle): Unloved (2022)

10) I Used To Believe In Love (Ashley Beedle's NSW Love & Joy Dub Mix): D:Ream (2021)

1993: Roses In The Hospital EP: 1

1996: Jonny Lipshake EP: 3

1999: Shoki Remixed: 5

2000: Same EP: 6

2002: Lazy EP: 2

2006: Makeshift Feelgood: 8

2014: Message In The Music: The Ashley Beedle Re-Edits (2x CD + DVD): 7

2016: Brother Sun EP: 4

2021: I Used To Believe In Love EP: 10

2022: Number In My Phone EP: 9

Gentleman Rudeboy (1:03:48) (GD) (M)

Just Remember To Fall In Love...There's Nothing Else

The Chemical Brothers light up Saturday with a 46-minute selection drawing on remixes, singles and deep cuts from 1994 to 2010.

Their remix of Voodoo People by The Prodigy was back when they were still trading as The Dust Brothers, but it was subsequently rebranded with their legally-motivated name change and has arguably become one of their best known tunes, remix or not.

The Duke is a previously unreleased outtake that was officially released on the bonus CD accompanying the Singles 93-03 compilation.

Falling Down is late-period Oasis single, featuring Noel on lead vocals. The Chemical Brothers remix first appeared on promo and digital formats, later reappearing as the B-side of follow up The Shock Of The Lightning.

La Tristessa Durera (Scream To A Sigh) is another signature remix, one of many for Manic Preachers, the vocal version ubiquitous on 90s compilations. I've gone for the Dub Mix here, which could originally be found on the CD single of She Is Suffering. 

Swoon is the most contemporary track here, itself a decade and a half old, and provides today's post and selection title. Lindstrøm and Prins Thomas deliver nine and a half minutes of piano-tinkling, guitar-riffing excellence.

The Chemical Brothers are still going strong, although I don't keep pace with their new music as I did 20, 30 years ago. And there's so much from that period alone that I'm constantly discovering tracks and remixes that I missed first time around.

1) Voodoo People (Dust Brothers Remix): The Prodigy (1994)

2) The Duke: The Chemical Brothers (2001)

3) Falling Down (The Chemical Brothers Remix): Oasis (2008)

4) Bring The Pain (Chemical Instrumental) (Remix By The Chemical Brothers): Method Man (1995)

5) Music:Response (Radio Edit): The Chemical Brothers (2000)

6) Nine Acre Dust (The Chemical Brothers Remix) (Altered States Edit): The Charlatans (1996)

7) Swoon (Lindstrøm & Prins Thomas Remix): The Chemical Brothers (2010)

8) La Tristesse Durera (Scream To A Sigh) (Dub Mix By The Dust Brothers): Manic Street Preachers (1994)

Just Remember To Fall In Love...There's Nothing Else (46:13) (GD) (M)

Continuing yesterday's loose 'trilogy' theme, here are two Dubhed selections featuring Brothers Tom and Ed that I posted previously:

Chemical Dust (January 2024)

Shake This Feeling (July 2022)

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.

Just Have Fun. Smile. And Keep Putting On Lipstick.

Celebrating Diane Keaton (née Hall), 5th January 1946 to 11th October 2025.

I adored Diane Keaton in spite of, not because of, her association with Woody Allen and was a huge fan of her films throughout the 1970s and 1980s. I started losing track of her appearances in the latter part of the 1990s and into the 21st century, and in some cases Diane was the sole saving grace of some otherwise bland movies. 

I knew that Diane had also stepped behind the camera to direct, but not that this included a season 2 episode of Twin Peaks and several videos for Belinda Carlisle, including arguably her best known song, Heaven Is A Place On Earth.

Throughout her life, Diane always carried a deceptively simple yet striking image, be it a penchant for pants (trousers), wide brimmed hats or gloves. And always that incredible smile.

Diane has occasionally committed her voice to vinyl: I Don't Want To Play In Your Yard featured in the 1981 film Reds, and was released as a single in the USA.

However, for today's selection, I've fallen back on the tried and tested approach of a 12-song, 45-minute compilation of songs that (more or less) match the titles of films from Diane's extensive CV.

There were a few also-rans: if Lloyd Cole had only moved upstairs, he could have been a shoo-in for 5 Flights Up. Similarly, Anne Clark is kicking herself that Woody Allen never got around to making a sequel to his 1973 hit, and calling it Sleeper In Metropolis.

I've also taken a few liberties: Something's Gotta Give is replaced with a more grammatically satisfying B-side by The Comsat Angels. And Akron/Family drop the 'And' for So It Goes, but it's close enough for me.

Kicking off the second half of this mixtape, it was too good an opportunity to pass up a reference to Because I Said So, not least 'cause it's sonic equivalent was recorded by The Godfathers, a wonderfully unsubtle reference to the fact that Diane played Kay Adams in all of Francis Ford Coppola's legendary trilogy.

Aside from all that, I think it's an eclectic but entertaining selection, which is a (very) simple way of summing up Diane's film career. If you're in the mood for a Diane Keaton marathan, then click on any of the titles for more info (courtesy of IMDb) and fill your boots.

I'm going to end with a quote from Diane, which inspired today's title and is something we could all do more of.

Don't give up on yourself. 

So you make a mistake here and there; 

you do too much or you do too little. 

Just have fun. 

Smile. 

And keep putting on lipstick.

Thanks, Diane, you were - and will always be - wonderful.

1) Morning Glory (Edit): Chairmen Of The Board (1974)

2) Northern Lights (The Freelance Hellraiser Mix): Ian Brown (2002)

3) Something's Got To Give: The Comsat Angels (1986)

4) Sleeper: Espiritu (1997)

5) Manhattan: Cinerama (2000)

6) So It Goes: Akron/Family (2011)

7) 'Cause I Said So: The Godfathers (1988)

8) Mama's Boy (Album Version): Ramones (1984)

9) Hampstead (Demo): Adam & The Ants (1977)

10) Interiors (Song For Willem De Kooning) (Album Version): Manic Street Preachers (1996)

11) Love And Death (Re-Recorded Version): Ebo Taylor (2009)

12) Plan B (Single Version): Dexys Midnight Runners (1981)

1974: Skin I'm In: 1

1981: Plan B EP: 12

1984: Too Tough To Die: 8

1986: The Cutting Edge EP: 3

1988: Birth, School, Work, Death: 7

1996: Everything Must Go: 10

1997: Another Life: 4

2000: Antbox: 9

2000: Manhattan EP: 5

2002: Remixes Of The Spheres: 2

2010: Love And Death: 11

2011: S/T II: The Cosmic Birth And Journey Of Shinju TNT: 6

Just Have Fun. Smile. And Keep Putting On Lipstick. (44:42) (GD) (M)

25 For 25, Part Two

Following up from last week's first half, today's 13-song selection rounds out the 25 For 25 highlights of the year so far. 

 

I've been fortunate enough to see two of these artists live on stage in the last couple of months, and with any luck by the time year end comes around, I'll have seen another two, also for the very first time.

 

I had an opportunity to see another this summer, with tickets for a "secret", "intimate" 5k capacity gig in Bristol, which I thought Lady K might be interested in going to. When I broached the subject, she gave me a withering look and said that they were "stuck in the 2010s".

 

I don't know what made me feel older: Lady K's reference to the 2010s - which I consider to be yesterday - as ancient history, or Mrs. K suggestion that a middle-aged man going on his own to a show with potentially a predominantly teen audience might draw attention for all the wrong reasons. I didn't go.

 

I leave you to hazard a guess at the opportunity that I passed up. 

 

Speaking of older, I've previously seen three other of today's featured artists, all who crashed into the public consciousness in the 1980s and/or 1990s. and have released great new music in the past 12 months.

 

Things change over time and my enthusiasm for certain things in my youth may have waned somewhat in passing decades, but my passion for music remains undimmed. 

1) Waiting: Yvonne Lyon & Boo Hewerdine (Things Found In Books)

2) Slow Emotion Replayed: The The (Slow Emotion Replayed EP)

3) Monday Murder: YUNGBLUD (Idols)

4) Rubber Inner Tube: Mark Rae ft. Heidi Haswell (New Town Ghosts)

5) Space Station Mantra: Andy Bell (Pinball Wanderer)

6) Metrosexual Man: Davey Woodward (Mumbo In The Jumbo)

7) Kicking Up Dust: F.O. Machete (Mother Of A Thousand)

8) On The Missing: Later Youth ft. Lissie (Living History)

9) Being Baptised (Piano Version): Manic Street Preachers (Critical Thinking (Deluxe Edition))

10) Portland Town: Heavenly (Portland Town EP)

11) pond song: Wet Leg (moisturizer)

12) Fuckboy: Billy Nomates (Mary And The Hyenas OST)

13) Moonlight Hotel: Charlie Noordewier (Moonlight Hotel EP)

Side Two (45:21) (GD) (M)

Explode Into Your Life Like A Tissue In A Washing Machine

2025 has been a good (albeit expensive) year so far, with some quality album releases before we're even halfway through.

I've compiled a 45-minute selection of a dozen artists that have been floating my boat. 

Enjoy!

Then buy!

1) The Swimmer: The Cowboy Mouth (Faultlines)

2) It Takes A Whole Lot Of Soul To Fill A Cup: Davey Woodward (Mumbo In The Jumbo)

3) All The Smartest People: Louise Connell (Clients Of Suddenness)

4) Music Concrete: Andy Bell (Pinball Wanderer)

5) The Mountains Are My Home: Edwyn Collins (Nation Shall Speak Unto Nation)

6) Another Fucked Up Druggy On The Scene: Gareth Sager (Play Yr Heart Out / Oh No, No Plan B)

7) My Devotion: Sparks (MAD!)

8) Sad Chord: Ellen Beth Abdi (Ellen Beth Abdi)

9) The Same Thing As Nothing At All: Destroyer (Dan's Boogie)

10) Good On The Inside: Mumble Tide (Might As Well Play Another One)

11) Dear Stephen: Manic Street Preachers (Critical Thinking)

12) Cinema Of Broken Dreams: Armory Show (Dead Souls)

Explode Into Your Life Like A Tissue In A Washing Machine (45:58) (KF) (Mega)

Decadance IV: 1996

Side 1 of my imaginary mixtape meander through the Nineties. 

1996 saw David Baddiel, Frank Skinner and the Lightning Seeds top the UK charts with Three Lions, proclaiming "Football's Coming Home". It wasn't the last time they'd hit #1 with the song or prove that the proclamation was a tad on the optimistic side.

At least Bristol could properly lay claim to the phrase. After a decade in the wilderness (well, Twerton near Bath), Bristol Rovers were indeed coming home. Their original home had been turned into a whacking great Ikea and 1996 saw them find a new, permanent home at the Memorial Stadium in the north of the city. And that's where they've been ever since.

I was a bit more transient, moving from one rented dive to another close to the city centre, before taking the plunge and moving for the first time just south of the river. It was a big deal, not least because I was moving from a squalid bedsit (though nothing to match Ernie Goggins or C) to a terraced house. It was also the first time that I co-habited with a girlfriend. Both of these continued to the end of the decade, but not much beyond, but that's a whole other story.

Everything was great, apart from the parking. Skill at parallel parking in the tightest of spots was a must, with a continuous row of static vehicles on each side of the not-very-wide road. Bin day was a squeaky bum moment, as the rubbish lorry made it's way slowly down the middle, invariably smacking off a few wing mirrors or scratching a few doors along the way. 

I eventually sold the car. It was largely redundant anyway: I worked in the city centre, which was at most a twenty minute walk; there were loads of shops and decent pubs within an even shorter walk and Temple Meads train station was also pretty much on my doorstep, enabling those wider excursions and adventures.

Gig-wise, a mere handful for me, and no Julian Cope, who played Reading Festival and a few other shows, but nothing in Bristol. Instead, I got to see Stereolab and Tortoise play a double headliner at the Bierkeller. I also went to the Bristol Community Festival at Ashton Court, where Renegade Soundwave stole the show, yet sadly didn't make the cut for the final dozen here.

The only other three gigs that I remember/retained tickets for were all at The Fleece (or Fleece & Firkin, as it was known then) and my first time seeing all three. Cardiacs were every bit as brilliant and bonkers as I thought they would be, better in fact. 

And 1996 was the year that my jangly-music loving girlfriend managed what friends (and John Peel) had failed to do, that is, convince me that The Wedding Present were actually a really, really good band. Of course, many of you will point out - and reasonably - that 1996 wasn't necessarily peak period Weddoes, but I was introduced to the full catalogue in one go and there's no denying that David and the band put on a bloody good show that night.

Moby also played at The Fleece & Firkin, and I was there. If at a glance this seems like an odd venue for the techno baldie then I must point out that 1996 was Moby's "hair metal" phase, albeit without the hair. After the success of Everything Is Wrong, Moby followed up with Animal Rights, ditching beats for thrash dirges, which pretty much everyone hated and nobody bought. Except me, and a few hundred people squashed into the sweaty confines of The Fleece. I'll come back to it another time but personally I had a great time.

Moby's included in today's selection with his #73 smash Come On Baby. The CD single came as a limited edition double pack in a rubberised gatefold sleeve, and a 'Death Metal' version of Whip It by Devo. I'm assuming Mute and Moby didn't make their money back on this one, but it's a lovely product to own. Moby covered the James Bond theme the following year and the hits resumed.

Another act blending Bond and beats, albeit a year before and with even greater success, was The Prodigy. Not that you'd recognise the jangly-sounding guitar providing the calm-but-sinister interludes as a John Barry sample. Firestarter was a turning point for The Prodigy though personally Breathe - both song and video - ramped things up even further, and deservedly became their second UK #1.

Not just one but two #1s this time, the other being Ready Or Not by Fugees. I'll be honest with you: I couldn't bear their cover of Killing Me Softly in 1996; I don't feel a lot different about it now. In fact, I was largely indifferent to Fugees, collectively or solo. Apart from Ready Or Not, which I love unconditionally. I say unconditionally, as I think it's mostly down to the beats and samples and Lauryn Hill's delivery of the chorus, rather than her at-times excruciating rap. But what a song.

More by accident than design, I seem to have skipped the first half of 1996 entirely, as all twelve songs were hits between July and December. I won't dwell on what may have been so bad about January to June 1996, other than to note that the period started with Earth Song by Michael Jackson at #1 and ended with the aforementioned Three Lions and Killing Me Softly jostling for the top spot. Other chart toppers in between were Babylon Zoo, Mark Morrison and Gina G, so maybe it's best I just give it a wide berth...

I've managed to squeeze in Julian Cope's last year of UK hit singles. Both I Come From Another Planet, Baby and it's follow-up Planetary Sit-In managed a peak of #34 before rapidly disappearing. Parent album Interpreter also managed to scrape the Top 40 (just) at #39. After that, the Arch Drude permanently moved to self-releasing music on his Head Heritage, to a more select (and adoring) audience.

Quite a few songs got more than one crack at the charts. Sneaker Pimps released 6 Underground in September 1996, peaking at #15 a couple of weeks later. The song was re-released the following year and did even better, crashing in at #9 in June 1997. I've decided to stick with their relatively modest first placing in 1996 for the simple reason that it included a rather fine remix by Two Lone Swordsmen aka Andrew Weatherall and Keith Tenniswood, and therefore qualifies for today's MAW.

Born Slippy by Underworld failed to make much of an impression when it was first released as a single in 1995, entering the chart at #52 on 7th May, dropping to #75 the following week and then into seeming obscurity the week after that. And then a little film called Trainspotting came along, and everything changed.

Both the album and the soundtrack became the essential experience of 1996. I'm assuming many rushed out to retrospectively buy and read Irvine Welsh's novel too. The music was fantastic though and Born Slippy re-entered the singles chart at #2 in July and pretty much refused to leave the Top 100 until April the following year. It's still like nothing else at the time, even by Underworld, let alone anyone else.

CJ Bolland also delivered a surprise hit with Sugar Is Sweeter. Up to then, an artist that I considered to offer up more serious, 'intelligent' dance music (though I hate that term), the decision to take a different route, employing the sublime vocal talents of Jade 4U aka Nikkie Van Lierop, was inspired.

Another surprise, though only in the sense that I realise with shame that this is their first appearance in this series, is Pet Shop Boys. Ten years on from West End Girls, Neil and Chris proved beyond any doubt that they could deliver songs with the same pop hooks and lyrical bite, that kept in step with shifting musical trends. Single-Bilingual was their third and final single of 1996 and my favourite af an admittedly strong trio.

Baby Bird make their first and only appearance in this series (and the Top 10) with You're Gorgeous, which got all the way to #3 in October 1996. As so many before and after, this was a lovely pop song which, on closer listen, revealed a darker narrative streak running through. Steven Jones' tale of an exchange between the narrator (a model) and their subject (a photographer) gains further meaning if you switch and swap the character's genders. Subversive pop at it's best.

Oh, and a parental advisory for a potty-mouthed song by Super Furry Animals, which was just too good to leave off.

Manic Street Preachers returned with their first album as a 3-piece, following the disappearance of Richey Edwards. It was all captured in the sound and feel of Everything Must Go, melancholy and reflective in places, though Australia was a reminder of their capacity for rousing, energetic romps. The latter got in under the line in December as the fourth single and Top 10 hit of the year.

Rounding off today's selection is a return for Justin Robertson and Roger Lyons aka Lionrock, teaming up with MC Buzz B for Fire Up The Shoesaw. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this got to #22, as it never quite felt that Lionrock releases got the respect and commercial success that I think they should have. Fire Up The Shoesaw is tons of fun, with a superb drum break sample for the bridge, consumate wordplay from Sean Braithwaite and a scuzzy, squally bit of guitar/amp feedback to finish things off.

1) Breathe (Edit): The Prodigy

2) You're Gorgeous (Re-Recorded Version): Baby Bird

3) Born Slippy.Nuxx (Short): Underworld

4) Single-Bilingual (Single Mix): Pet Shop Boys

5) Sugar Is Sweeter (Radio Edit): CJ Bolland ft. Jade 4U

6) 6 Underground (Two Lone Swordsmen Vocal Mix) (Edit By Khayem): Sneaker Pimps

7) Come On Baby (Eskimos & Egypt 7" Mix): Moby

8) The Man Don't Give A Fuck (Single Version): Super Furry Animals

9) I Come From Another Planet, Baby (Album Version): Julian Cope

10) Australia (Single Version): Manic Street Preachers

11) Ready Or Not (Album Version): Fugees

12) Fire Up The Shoesaw (Vocal Edit): Lionrock ft. MC Buzz B

7th July 1996: Born Slippy EP (#2): 3

21st July 1996: Fire Up The Shoesaw EP (#43): 12

21st July 1996: Interpreter (#34): 9

15th September 1996: The Score (#1): 11

29th September 1996: Sugar Is Sweeter EP (#11): 5

6th October 1996: Ugly Beautiful (#3): 2

13th October 1996: 6 Underground EP (#15): 6

10th November 1996: Come On Baby EP (#73): 7

17th November 1996: Breathe EP (#1): 1

17th November 1996: Single-Bilingual EP (#14): 4

8th December 1996: Australia EP (#7): 10

8th December 1996: The Man Don't Give A Fuck EP (#22): 8

Side One (46:19) (GD) (M)

I've Seen The Rain

Today's post was supposed to be a new album review but due to some technical issues, I'm parking that one for now and present instead a random selection from this week's playlist. And a pleasingly eclectic mix it is, too.

I've been having a bit of a clear out since the New Year, the same dilemma covered by Swiss Adam and the prompt for his excellent current 'Various Artists' series, i.e. what to do with the ton of compilation CDs, mostly acquired from being cover mounted with music magazines.

As Adam notes, some of these are really good and bear repeated listens. But... I only have a plug-in USB CD/DVD drive and the CD/radio that was infrequently used by Lady K when she was younger. My car has no CD player and I've ripped all of the CDs to my digital collection. I do still have the CD player element of my stacking hifi, but it's been boxed in the loft for several years due to lack of space. So, the likelihood of getting a CD out for a listen is more and more limited. I'd much rather listen to vinyl when I'm relaxing and everywhere else, it's my phone every time.

I'm gradually sorting through the CDs and whittling them down in small amounts every week, either charity shops (selected ones that I know have an interested music CD buying footfall) or local freecycle sites. However, it's also provided an opportunity to revisit the compilations, mingled in with my general listening, each week. Here's a C90-friendly side with a baker's dozen of songs from the past seven day's travels.

To start, a song from Love Above All, an Uncut magazine compilation curated by Devendra Banhart in 2007. It's a cracking collection of artists including a few that were completely new to me. Kyle Tomzo aka Kyle Thomas is one example, with the rather lovely song Bicycle.

From there, the wonderful Katy J Pearson with a track from her EP of covers from The Wicker Man soundtrack, released last year to commemorate the film's 50th anniversary. Featuring Broadside Hacks, this is a beautiful bridge between Kyle Tomzo's stripped acoustics and the lush, sweeping strings to follow.

A compilation of James Bond themes was released in 1992 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Dr. No, the first 'official' release in the series, starring Sean Connery as 007. You Only Live Twice was probably my favourite of his and the theme song by Nancy Sinatra never gets old.

Back further in time to 1952 (I seem to have been on a real 1950s riff recently) and the brilliantly titled I Want A Slice Of Your Puddin' by Julius King. Much as I would love to own the original 10" shellac release, Mojo magazine spared me the expense by including it on their excellent compilation CD Love In Vain: The Old Weird Blues last year.

New Year's Eve by First Aid Kit is a more random selection as I don't own the parent album, The Lion's Roar (an oversight which I need to correct). This song was courtesy of that bastion of good taste, Charity Chic, in his Happy Hogmanay post at the close of 2023.

I was quite surprised to find that the Mojo magazine CD Let's Shake Hands: A Third Man Records Anthology was released as far back as 2019 as it still feels quite recent in my mind. In addition to music from the label's current roster, the compilation included The White Stripes' cover of a Love classic.

In 2016, Marc Almond released the career-spanning Trials Of Eyeliner: The Anthology 1979/2016, a mammoth undertaking that was jaw-dropping in it's breadth of material. The Guilt Of My Secret was an Almond co-write with Andrei Samsonov that first appeared on the deluxe edition reissue of album Glorious in 2001. It speaks of the quality of Marc Almond's music that songs as good as this could sit gathering dust for years.

A complete change of pace now with The Jesus Lizard, one of only three songs of theirs in my collection, all from various artists CDs. Gladiator came to me via another Mojo magazine compilation, Teen Spirit (sub-titled "15 Noise-Filled Classics From The American Underground Scene 1989-1992") which accompanied a cover feature on Nirvana. I didn't follow much of this at the time, outside some of the obvious ones. I'm not sure that The Jesus Lizard and others would have changed my life at that point in time, but it's an enjoyable CD.

Opinion seems to be divided on Know Your Enemy, the 2001 album by Manic Street Preachers. I've liked Let Robeson Sing since I first heard it but was less familiar with the album that it sprang from, or that the original intention was to release two separate albums simultaneously. I've subsequently revisited Know Your Enemy as well as 2022's deluxe edition which presents this song in it's 'intended' place within the first of the two planned albums, Door To The River.

Daniel Johnston is an artist that I've read and heard a lot about but who was also poorly represented in my collection. That was remedied in a big way in mid-December when the Shimmy-Disc label released Daniel's first 14 albums on Bandcamp, available for the first 48 hours as a 'name your price' download. I couldn't resist and bought all 14 for little more than 20 quid. I'm working my way through each album slowly and surely. I've picked Daniel's song The Beatles from his 1983 cassette-only 4th album, Yip/Jump Music. It's fair to say that the songs are resolutely lo-fi and the vocals a bit Marmite, but I'm really enjoying this crash course introduction to his music.

Another mammoth Bandcamp purchase late last year was the 84-track Spanish Cadillac Selected compilation of music by James Ray, spanning his early releases with The Performance and James Ray's Gangwar to more contemporary work with 25men and The Longfolk. This Is This is from another project, The MK Ultra, and the closing track of the 1994 album of the same name.

Last and most certainly not least is the welcome return of John Holt. I'll Take A Melody was written by Allen Toussaint and originally released by The Hues Corporation in 1974. John Holt reggae-fied the song for a single in 1976 and it was dusted off and given a polish for last year's Back In Time compilation. Which is as good a way as any to wrap up this selection.

1) Bicycle: Kyle Tomzo (2007)

2) Lullaby (Cover of Magnet): Katy J Pearson ft. Broadside Hacks (2023)

3) You Only Live Twice: Nancy Sinatra (1967)

4) I Want A Slice Of Your Puddin': Julius King (1952)

5) I'll Take You There: The Staple Singers (1972)

6) New Year's Eve: First Aid Kit (2012)

7) Signed D.C. (Cover of Love): The White Stripes (2011)

8) The Guilt Of My Secret: Marc Almond ft. Laska Omnia & Andrei Samsonov (2001)

9) Gladiator: The Jesus Lizard (1992)

10) Let Robeson Sing (Album Version): Manic Street Preachers (2001)

11) The Beatles: Daniel Johnston (1983)

12) This Is This: The MK Ultra (1994)

13) I'll Take A Melody (Cover of The Hues Corporation): John Holt (1976)

1983: Yip/Jump Music: 11

1992: The Best Of James Bond: 30th Anniversary Collection: 3

2001: Know Your Enemy: 10

2004: Mob Life: 16 Great Tracks From The Films Of Martin Scorsese: 5

2007: Love Above All: Inside The Mind Of The Acid-Folk King (Compiled By Devendra Banhart): 1

2012: The Lion's Roar: 6 

2015: Spanish Cadillac Selected: 12

2016: Trials Of Eyeliner: The Anthology 1979/2016: 8

2017: Teen Spirit: 15 Noise-Filled Classics From The American Underground Scene 1989-1992: 9

2019: Let's Shake Hands: A Third Man Records Anthology: 7

2023: Back In Time: 13

2023: Love In Vain: The Old Weird Blues: 4

2023: The Wicker Man EP: 2

I've Seen The Rain (45:00) (KF) (Mega)