Continuing my love of French music with the spotlight back on one of yesterday's featured artists, Daft Punk.
I posted the first Dubhed selection dedicated to Guy Manuel De Homen-Cristo and Thomas Bangalter way, way back in February 2022. I confessed then that "I don't own a single Daft Punk album - and I probably need to do something about that". Suffice to say, I've since taken care of business.
I've stuck with roughly the same rules as before: keeping the selection to just under an hour, twelve rather than ten songs this time around, A greater focus on album versions this time around too, though the occasional remix has slipped in.
What an incredible body of work this pair produced before calling it a day. When I saw Nile Rodgers & Chic in concert the other week, Nile admitted that he didn't understand why they'd stepped away just as Daft Punk was enjoying it's greatest success and in his view had so much more great music to give.
I think they did exactly what they needed to do and their legacy will continue to speak for itself.
We're going to celebrate one more time...
1) Rinzler (2010)
2) Television Rules The Nation (Album Version) (2005)
3) Teachers (Extended Mix) (1997)
4) The Brainwasher (Erol Alkan's Horrorhouse Dub) (2006)
5) Da Funk (Album Version) (1996)
6) Give Life Back To Music (Album Version ft. Nile Rodgers) (2013)
7) Human After All (SebastiAn Remix By Sebastian Akchoté) (2005)
8) One More Time (Album Version) (2001)
9) Lose Yourself To Dance (Album Version ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) (2013)
Last Friday (12th), Clan K experienced Nile Rodgers & Chic in the beautiful setting of Westonbirt Arboretum in Gloucestershire. It was our second consecutive annual trip to see a concert. And given that the first was a majestic set from Madness, the bar was high. But this is Nile Rodgers we're talking about here, it couldn't be anything less than brilliant, could it? Well...yes and no.
First support slot was filled by (it says here) "one of the UK’s most intriguing viral pop acts in the last 2 years". Now if that didn't immediately identify London 5-piece Deco then, like me, you are considerably out of touch.
Here they are, posing for a pic with the Westonbirt crowd as a backdrop. The photo provides another useful reference point. See that white tent peak on the right, in the far distance? That's the (hideously overpriced) merch tent and that's roughly where Clan K were, with recycling bins behind us and rosé quaffing picknickers all around.
So, what were Deco like? No idea, we missed them completely. It's an occupational hazard with a Clan K venture, in any configuration. My desire to see every moment and every act on the line up is tempered by the reality of "getting ready", which invariably means that we'll invariably miss the opening act.
Sorry about that, Deco, I'm sure you were fantastic, so here's recent single I Love That Song, with it's League Of Gentlemen-channeling video, to compensate.
Luckily for Clan K, there were two support acts that evening, and we arrived on-site just in time to catch the start of Sophie Ellis-Bextor's set. Sophie comes across as a sweet, lovely human being on TV and is always entertaining but I will confess that, apart from the song that she did with Spiller and uber-hit Murder On The Dancefloor, I'd struggle to name any other song that she's released.
But that's okay! Perhaps Sophie had anticipated that I wouldn't be alone in this regard and this 8-song, 45-minute "Kitchen Disco" set largely consisted of other people's songs, plus the aforementioned two greatest hits.
I'm not going to lie and say that Sophie offered definitive versions of ABBA's Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight) or Like A Prayer by Madonna, but she was lots of fun, self-deprecating and humorous and, most importantly, got the crowd going. Well, the thousands near the front at least. Back near the bins, several parties seemed more interested in inane chatter than enjoying the music, the swine!
Browsing my collection, I have only one Sophie solo song, a so-so cover of Duel by Propaganda, and a fair bit by her old band theaudience. I do have the CD single of Groovejet but I'm going to forego that and, in a nod to Strangeways' excellent guest series at The Vinyl Villain recently, here's Cinerama with their epic version of the song, recorded for a John Peel session in November 2003.
After a week of lousy wet weather, fortune smiled on us this Friday, with clear skies and pleasant temperatures as the sun began to descend. Everything was running as smooth as clockwork, with the main attraction due on at 9.00pm, so it was something of a surprise when Niles quietly appeared on stage (and on screen) early, the rest of the band joining him one by one. And then, in another unexpected turn, a belated, booming PA announcement of Nile Rodgers & Chic's arrival, reminiscent of a wrestling match. I was half-expecting the announcer to introduce "special guest star, Giant Haystacks"...!
Chic in 2024 are a 9-strong, super-slick machine, Nile with Jerry Barnes (bass), Russell Graham (keyboards), Richard Hilton (keyboards), Ken Gioffre (saxophone), Steve Jankowski (trumpet) and Ralph Rolle (drums). Vocals were mostly provided by Kimberly Davis and Audrey Martells, respectively left and right of Nile in the above picture, although I think pretty much all of the male musicians got to sing lead during the 25-song set.
Twenty-five songs, you say? Did Chic have that many hits? Well, no. As Nile explains during one of his (many, many) monologues throughout the night, Chic were not really that successful back in the day, on either side of the pond. Despite a slew of now-classic singles between 1977 and 1979, only 5 cracked the Top 10 in the UK and only one album, 1979's second C'est Chic, got into the Top 20 peaking at #2.
Therefore, despite the band performing on stage, the emphasis here is on Nile's incredible career as a writer and producer, with less than a third of the set comprising Chic songs. So, there's an impressive run of hits by Diana Ross, Sister Sledge, Madonna, Beyoncé, Daft Punk, Duran Duran, Sheila & B. Devotion and David Bowie. Pretty much every one with a Sky Arts-style introduction. All fascinating stuff and, let's face it, at this point in his life, Nile can do what the bloody hell he wants on stage. But it does make for a rather disjointed experience, musically-speaking.
And no-one really needs to hear the guys murdering the classics, vocally at least. The only time it's a bit more bearable is when drummer Ralph Rolle gets into a "funkosity" riff which at least involves some audience participation.
I may be alone in having a mixed reaction to the female singers too. Kimberly Davis leaned more heavily towards the kind of shouty vocal gymnastics that generall leave me cold but was much better when giving a more restrained and nuanced performance. Audrey Martells was the better performer of the two on the night for me and definitely had the best hair.
Kimberly and Audrey dominated the screens to each side of the stage, which was pretty much our only view of what was happening on stage. As the real star of the show, Nile seemed to have relatively little screen time, so we could hear but not really see his consummate guitar playing. Quite bizarre, on reflection.
Had we got deeper into the crowd, I think our experience would have been different, as it felt like many of the people around us didn't really have a clue who Nile Rodgers was. Given the sheer number of songs that Niles was cramming in, there was an inevitable over reliance on medleys in the first half.
It did mean that it took me a while to warm up, but despite my misgivings the songs are so infectious that it's impossible not to Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah) and I was soon giving it my all.
Roughly ninety minutes later, Good Times morphed into Sugarhill Gang's Rappers Delight and then the concert just kind of stopped. Music piped through the PA as Nile announced that the song was Chic's new single with Purple Disco Machine. And then, he and the band left the stage.
Many of the audience had already been packing up their food and booze, folding their chairs and blankets and hot footing it back to their cars to be 'first' in the queue to exit. Clan K hung on, in the hope of an encore that wasn't to come, then returned to our own vehicle. Our relatively late arrival meant that we were parked quite near the exit, so the price of missing Deco to get out and homeward bound fairly painlessly was worth paying, to be honest.
So, a weird night, all told. You can't deny the brilliance of the music and although it would never have happened, I would have been very happy with an all-Chic set. As it was, the night was a good education if you have no idea who Nile Rodgers is but not quite the unforgettable experience that I was hoping for.
As I can't possibly hope to recreate the set without inflicting a 5-hour Dubhed selection on you, I've instead gone for a 45-minute compilation of Chic classics and deep cuts, spanning 1977 to 1982.
Will You Cry (When You Hear This Selection)? I hope not!
The photos of Sophie Ellis-Bextor and Chic were taken by Nige Brown and published by the Stroud Times on 17th July. You can see more of Nige's work here.
Celebrating Sylvia Syms, 6th January 1934 to 27th January 2023.
Not to be confused with American jazz singer aka Sylvia Blagman, Sylvia Syms was born in London, got into the acting profession and built up a hugely impressive body of work in a career spanning more than six decades.
The handful of tributes I've read have inevitably been drawn to Sylvia's bravura performance in 1958 film Ice Cold In Alex, made familiar to a whole new audience in the 1980s when Carlsberg repurposed a clip for a hugely popular ad campaign. There's also mention of her latter performances, particularly as The Queen Mother in Stephen Frears' 2006 film The Queen, appearing with Helen Mirren in the title role.
For me though, one of Sylvia Syms' standout performances, mentioned if at all only in passing, was in Doctor Who in 1989. In what subsequently became the final series of the original run, Sylvia appeared as Mrs. Pritchard in the three-part story Ghost Light. Should this ever come up a pub quiz question, the very last scene to be recorded for the original series's 26-year run featured Sylvia Sims and Katherine Schlesinger.
Personally, I
think it's one of the best Doctor Who stories of either incarnation,
with a brilliantly gripping yet frequently oblique story and standout performances not only from the leads Sylvester McCoy and Sophie Aldred, but guest stars including Ian Hogg, Sharon Duce, Carl Forgione and Frank Windsor. Sylvia's realisation of Mrs. Pritchard is sublime, adding a depth and nuance to the character that less skilled actors would have missed.
Long suffering readers will recall - possibly with horror - that I've occasionally posted a selection of songs drawing on a particular actor's career in film and TV. Previous victims stars have included Faye Dunaway, Elizabeth Taylor and Juliette Binoche. Today's selection with apologies is a dubious tribute to Sylvia Syms.
Unfortunately, as far as I'm aware, no-one had yet to record and release a song called Ice Cold In Alex and I had to shoehorn in a Ghost Light song, breaking my usually strict rule of 'namesake' songs only. By coincidence, there's another Doctor Who reference in here: Frazer Hines appeared in the show as a hugely popular travelling companion in the late 1960s; his short-lived pop career was arguably less, er, popular.
I couldn't decide between the two choices for Together (which I think was Sylvia's final film role, released in 2018) so I included them both, topping and tailing the selection. Both very different, it has to be said.
Another tough choice was Absolute Beginners: the film's title track by David Bowie or the 1981 single by The Jam? Weller won out.
Before today, you may not have realised you needed a nearly-ten minute version of Love Story by Andy Williams. From today, you may realise that you don't need a nearly-ten minute version of Love Story by Andy Williams. It's a kitsch keeper for me.
Sylvia Syms' CV is such that a twelve song selection could easily accommodate some much-loved (by me) artists such as Tim Bowness, The Jazz Butcher, Soft Cell and Tom Robinson.
And then there's No Time For Tears by The Marvelettes, a pure pop classic that was a mere B-side - a B-side!!! - back in 1965.
All in, just over fifty minutes of music as a thank you to a brilliant, beautiful actor.
Rest in peace, Sylvia Syms.
Today's selection is also dedicated to Rol, of the wonderful My Top Ten blog.
1) Together (Edit): Nine Inch Nails (2020)
2) Lost In The Ghost Light (Giallo): Tim Bowness (2017)
3) Love Story (Where Do I Begin) (Long Version): Andy Williams (1979)
4) Absolute Beginners (Single Version): The Jam (1981)
5) The Human Jungle (Extended Mix By John A. Rivers): The Jazz Butcher (1985)
6) Blue Murder (Album Version By Todd Rundgren): Tom Robinson Band (1978)
7) Original Sin (Dance Version By Nile Rodgers): INXS (1984)
8) Punch And Judy Man: Frazer Hines (1968)
9) Run Wild, Run Free: Claudine Longet (1970)
10) No Time For Tears: The Marvelettes (1965)
11) Where The Heart Is (12" Version By Mike Thorne & Harvey Goldberg) (Early Fade): Soft Cell (1982)
12) Together: William Shatner ft. Lemon Jelly (2004)
Ghost Light (A Tribute To Sylvia Syms) (52:24) (Box) (Mega)
Side 2 of a mixtape, recorded 21st April 2000. It's 80s indie-not-indie disco time with eight, count 'em, eight twelve inch chart smashes. Well, UK top 95, at least.
The Armoury Show formed in 1984 and had an impressive pedigree: Richard Jobson and Russell Webb (Skids), John McGeogh and John Doyle (Magazine); the band were very squarely aimed at the emerging MTV generation and its taste for big drums, kick-ass anthemic rock. Whilst arguably better than many of their contemporaries, The Armoury Show never really took off. McGeoch and Doyle left in 1986 and the subsequent line-up called it a day in 1988, with a second album incomplete and unreleased.
By 1987, Gene Loves Jezebel had taken the first bus out of Porthcawl, North Wales, bounced around in London for a bit and then crossed the Atlantic for a bit of satin chic and California. The focal (and vocal) point of the band were twins Michael and Jay Aston (no, not that one) and perhaps an apt subject for the as-yet-unmade Channel 5 show When Sibling Music Acts Go Horribly Wrong. Currently, there are two versions of Gene Loves Jezebel: Michael owns the copyright in the US, Jay in the UK. Actually, considering how things turned out for the latter's namesake's band, maybe a word of advice to any up and coming bands: if you have a member called Jay Aston, ditch 'em. Now, before it's too late.
After last week's post following the tragic news about Julee Cruise, hearing Roam, one of my favourite singles by The B-52's, has a strange effect on me after reading that this was the song Julee was listening to as she left this life. A heartbreaking and untimely loss, yet I feel incredibly moved by Julee's decision to leave on her own terms and to her chosen soundtrack.
The Godfathers featured here last month and this is one of their rare forays into the twelve inch mix. Personally, I prefer Keith LeBlanc's remix to the original. The record buying public largely disagreed.
Blancmange (and the extended version of What's Your Problem?) appeared here in January in what's proving to be one of Dubhed's most visited posts so far this year. Neil Arthur continues to record as Blancmange and has released ten albums in the past ten years with a new one, Private View, due in September. I'm seeing Blancmange live in October with Dubhed regular Mike, so this one's dedicated to you.
The Psychedelic Furs and The Cure really need no introduction. One of these was a UK Top 10 hit, the other barely scraped the Top 100. No prizes for guessing which was which, but both great songs in my opinion.
Wrapping up the selection is Westworld, centred around the photogenic Elizabeth Westwood and securing a #11 hit with this song in 1987. They never achieved the same success again, but I really liked their look and sound at the time. Great fun.
1) Castles In Spain (Wubb Dug Mix By Nick Tauber): The Armoury Show (1984)
2)The Motion Of Love (Jezebel Mix By Julian Mendelsohn): Gene Loves Jezebel (1987)
3) House (Long Version By John Ashton & Laurence Diana): The Psychedelic Furs (1989)
4) The Lovecats (Extended Version By Phil Thornalley, Chris Parry & The Cure): The Cure (1983)
5) What's Your Problem? (Extended Version By Stewart Levine): Blancmange (1985)
6) She Gives Me Love (Keith LeBlanc Love Mix aka High Octane Mix): The Godfathers (1989)
7) Roam (12" Extended Mix By Nile Rodgers, Andres Levin & Tom Durack): The B-52's (1989)
8) Sonic Boom Boy (U.S. Remix By Mark Ferda & Danny Hyde): Westworld (1987)
...and of course, being the 1980s and the golden period of MTV, every one of these beauties has an official video to accompany it. A few I'm really familiar with, several I haven't seen for many years and a couple I don't think I've seen until researching this post. All of their time, with some real flashes of creative genius. Enjoy!
Not to celebrate the fact as such and, in typically contrary fashion, I'm a day late (although I did compile the selection on the actual day), but Daft Punk decided to exit in characteristically grand style one year ago. On 22nd February 2021, their official YouTube channel published an 8-minute video, Epilogue, a wordless, visually brilliant announcement of Daft Punk's demise, with De Homen-Cristo's robot activating Bangalter's robot's self-destruct to explosive effect. The legend "1993-2021" appears on screen before a musical, well, epilogue with the vocal refrain,
"Hold on...if love is the answer, you're home"
I don't own a single Daft Punk album - and I probably need to do something about that - but I have quite a few of their singles and remixes, which inform today's selection; 10 tracks in just under an hour. A truly unique duo, hugely successful and influential and yet, to the general, global public, unrecognisable behind their robotic faces.
I visited Stroud Library in Gloucestershire on Monday. There was an A-board in the entrance, with a poster advertising an event that partially obscured the (at the time) current Covid-related guidance about wearing face coverings indoors. The slightly truncated phrase seemed perfectly aligned with a post on Daft Punk. I love that life brings these little moments of serendipity.
1) Something About Us (Adithya Remix) (2021)
2) Revolution 909 (Radio Edit) (1996)
3) Da Funk (Serge Santiago Unreleased Live Mix) (2012)
4) Technologic (Le Knight Club Remix By Guy-Manuel De Homem-Christo & Eric Chedeville) (2005)
5) Face To Face (Night Drugs Rework) (ft. Todd Edwards) (2009)
6) Human After All (Emperor Machine Version By Andy Meecham) (2005)
7) Around The World (Daft Punk Edit) (1996)
8) Harder, Better, Faster, Stronger (The Neptunes Remix Edit By Pharrell Williams & Chad Hugo) (2001)
9) Get Lucky (Daft Punk Remix) (ft. Pharrell Williams & Nile Rodgers) (2013)
On a sadder note, I was completing this post when the news broke of Mark Lanegan's passing, aged 57. I did briefly considering replacing this post with an ad-hoc tribute, but I knew I wouldn't do it justice. Watch this space, but in the meantime here's John Robb remembering Mark Lanegan on Louder Than War.
