The Energy's Flowing, My Friend

Here's some Definition Of Sound to bring some good vibes into your world. Formed by Donald Weekes and Kevin Clark, who had previously released music as Top Billin, Definition Of Sound enjoyed 3 Top 40 singles in the UK in the early to mid Nineties before calling it a day in 1997, with a fourth album remaining unreleased.

Their songs are a riot of 1960s samples, including Donovan, The Zombies and The Moody Blues. The opening track on this selection, Moira Jane's Café, is built around a grab from Gloria by Them.

 

Their choice of remixers was also impeccable: Stereo MC's production alias Ultimatum, Streets Ahead aka Shem McCauley, Marc Kinchen, Roger Sanchez, Todd Terry, Norman Cook. There were a few unexpected choices too: 1996 single Child, a personal favourite, was remixed by Robin Guthrie and Jah Wobble.

Today's selection is drawn from my rather paltry collection of singles - I really must track down their albums - and is surprisingly missing Pass The Vibes, which reached #23 in 1995.

(I'm certain I had this single on CD, so it must have fallen victim to a flat move or inadvertently bundled up with a charity shop purge at some point).

Rise Like The Sun appeared on the 1991 compilation Give Peace A Dance! raising awareness and funds for CND aka the Campaign for Nuclear Disarmament. A YouTube trawl has unearthed this rather fine session for John Peel, recorded 30th December 1990.

 

It's been a crappy week so far, but I'm already feeling better for listening to this. The energy's flowing, my friend, time to pass the vibes.

 

1) Moira Jane's Café (Original Mix) (1990)

2) Aint Saying Nothing (1992)

3) What Are You Under (Groove Mix By Definition Of Sound ft. Mark MacPherson) (1992)

4) Rise Like The Sun (Album Version) (1991)

5) Child (Robin Guthrie Mix) (1996)

6) Now Is Tomorrow (I Want To Be An Oilfire Firefighter Mix) (1991)

7) Wear Your Love Like Heaven (Ultimatum Mix By Stereo MC's) (1991)

8) When A Lion Awakens (Full Length Version) (1991)

9) Dream Girl (Excursion On The Version) (Remix By Norman Cook) (1991)

10) I Don't Know Nothin 'Bout Daisies (1991)

 

Energy's Flowing (46:35) (Box) (Mega)

Everybody Needs A Bosom For A Pillow

Side 1 of a mixtape, compiled 14th February 1998. 

 

I have no memory of this particular day so I can only hope that I'd woken early (as I do) to record this mixtape, rather than it being one of the least romantic Valentine's Days ever. I hasten to add that, either way, my girlfriend at the time was not the currently long-suffering Mrs. K.

This was definitely an attempt at an 'upbeat' selection, starting off with a Manchester two-hander from 808 State and Intastella, the latter remixed by A Certain Ratio's Martin Moscrop. Things then take a veer left(field) with possibly one of the maddest singles The Times/Ed Ball ever released, and that's including I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape. 

 

Next up is Mucho Macho's remix of Cornershop's Brimful Of Asha, from the 'flop' first release of the single in 1997. I had to check the dates but, a mere two weeks after this mixtape was recorded, Brimful Of Asha was re-released with a Norman Cook remix and went straight to #1 in the UK, where it remained for a further 12 weeks, 11 of those remaining above the #60 peak of the original release. Spooky.

 

Planetary Sit-In is Julian Cope in string-drenched pop-with-a-message mode, his last ever UK singles chart hit, #34 in October 1996. 

 

Stay was 18 Wheeler's biggest UK hit, charting at #59 in March 1997. Wikipedia damningly cites their biggest claim to fame as being the band that Oasis were supporting (at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in 1993) when Creation head honcho Alan McGee discovered the latter. Being on the same label clearly did 18 Wheeler no favours.

Fellow Scots The Apples fared similarly poorly with the record-buying public, managing just one UK #75 single, which isn't this one. This version appeared on the CD single, mis-labelled as the Stereo Guitar People Mix by Pete Lorimer. Ironically, this remix by James Reynolds is actually heavier on the guitar so you can understand the mix up. Reynolds arguably enjoyed much greater success, not least being the 4th Baronet of Woolton, having succeeded to the title in 2015.

Freak Power (aka Norman Cook & Ashley Slater) took two goes to have a hit with Turn On Tune In Cop Out, #29 in 1993 then #3 in 1995. Ashley Slater went on to appear in 2014 with his partner Scarlett Quinn as Kitten And the Hip in an excruciating X-Factor audition, which YouTube has preserved for posterity). Having survived this ordeal, the pair continue in a reformed Freak Power.

 

Not much to say about Groove Is In The Heart, other than Deee-Lite were a breath of fresh air in 1990 and this song still has the desired effect, three decades on.

 

Last but not least, the mysterious collective, The KK Kings. I heard this song originally on the soundtrack to the wonderful 1993 film Bhaji On The Beach. I think this was their only official single, though they'd previously released a promo, Justified & Ancient, which together with their prodigious use of samples, led to comparisons with The KLF. It's so much better than that and a shame that we didn't get to hear more from them.

 

As a final note, the mixtape title comes from a key line in Cornershop's Brimful Of Asha, which itself is the hook of the Mucho Macho remix. Despite all this, I still managed to write Everyone Needs A Bosom For A Pillow on the cassette sleeve. Again, either a case of not enough sleep or the worst Valentine's Days ever. Amazingly, I was in the same relationship the following year, but I have no record of whether Valentine's Day 1999 fared any better. It couldn't have been any worse, could it?

 

1) Lift (7" Version): 808 State (1991)

2) This Is Bendy (Remix By Martin Moscrop): Intastella (1991)

3) Finnegans Break (Edit By Ian Shaw & The Big Noize Supremists): The Times ft. Tippa Irie (1993)

4) Brimful Of Asha (Mucho Macho Bolan Boogie Mix): Cornershop (1997)

5) Planetary Sit-In (Album Version): Julian Cope (1996)

6) Stay (Radio Edit): 18 Wheeler (1997)

7) Beautiful People (Silver Sky Mix By James Reynolds): The Apples (1991)

8) Turn On Tune In Cop Out (Radio Mix By Norman Cook & Simon Thornton): Freak Power (1993)

9) Groove Is In The Heart (Peanut Butter Mix): Deee-Lite (1990)

10) Holidays (In The United KK Kingdom) (Extended) (Remix By Mikha K): The KK Kings (1994)

 

Side One (45:25) (KF) (Mega)

There's Help, If You Know Where To Look

Side 2 of a mixtape, recorded sometime in 1998. 

 

This one's a bit of a mystery as the original cassette is long lost and I only came across the track listing whilst sorting through a box of paperwork. I've no idea if I did the mixtape for myself or a friend, but it's big on beats and euphoric synths so it's ideal for getting up and out on Saturday after an exceptionally long week at work.

1) Salva Mea (Album Version By Rollo & Sister Bliss): Faithless (1996)

2) Atom Bomb (Atomix 4): Fluke (1996)

3) A Huge Ever Growing Pulsating Brain That Rules From The Centre Of The Ultraworld (Orbital Dance Mix By Alex Paterson & Jimmy Cauty): The Orb (1990)

4) The Way (Joshua's Dubwise Mix By Joshua Michaels): Global Communication (1996)

5) La La La (Fatboy Slim Mix By Norman Cook): Tranquility Bass (1997)

Side Two (45:26) (KF) (Mega)