It's Like I'm All Wide Awake In A Dream

Bim Sherman, born in 1952 and named Jarrett Lloyd Tomlinson Vincent, passed on 17th November 2000. It's hard to believe it's been so long as his music is never far from my ears. As mentioned yesterday, I've been steadily updating and expanding my On-U Sound collection each Bandcamp Friday and, inevitably, that has meant more Bim Sherman, who was a frequent collaborator with Adrian Sherwood and the On-U stable.

Today's selection is a fairly random collection of (mostly) Bim Sherman guest spots and team ups, showcasing that whether it's a full vocal or merely oohs and aahs, he would lift any song that he appeared on. A unique and much-missed talent.

 

1) It Must Be A Dream / Dreaming Dub: Bim Sherman (1980)

2) My Woman (Groove Corporation Mix): Bim Sherman (1997)

3) Too Much Workload: Singers & Players ft. Bim Sherman (1982) 

4) Island Paradise (White Mix): Jah Wobble ft. Bim Sherman (1987)

5) My Sunshine (Tony Assassin Mix): Block 16 ft. Bim Sherman (2002)

6) Freaks Of Nature (Natural Dub Mix By Youth & Ott): Dub Trees ft. Bim Sherman (2000)

7) Nu Rizla: Adrian Sherwood ft. Bim Sherman (2006)

8) Repetitive Beats (Mind & Movement Control - On-U Sound) (Remix By Adrian Sherwood & Skip McDonald): Retribution ft. Bim Sherman & Little Axe (1994)

9) Solid As A Rock (Hexadecimal Edit By Steve Osborne): Bim Sherman (1996)

10) Can't Stop Jumping (10" Version By Adrian Sherwood): Dub Syndicate ft. Bim Sherman (1983)

 

It's Like I'm All Wide Awake In A Dream (54:00)

"...mash all of the pedals, turn all those knobs..."

Ride On (Fight On) (2 Meter Sessions, Dutch TV) (You Tube): Little Axe (1996)

 

Gospel dub blues from Skip McDonald. It was the Adrian Sherwood/ON-U Sound connection that originally drew me in, although it was 2002 before a Little Axe album was widely released on Sherwood's label. 1994's The Wolf That House Built had originally started life as a McDonald solo album, Blues Continually, issued as a white label on On-U back in 1993. Later that same year, it was re-sequenced with additional tracks and issued in Japan as a Little Axe album called Never Turn Back. It was then re-compiled and reissued in the UK as The Wolf That House Built.

 

The lead single was Ride On (Fight On), with a couple of excellent remixes by Fluke across the 10" & CD single releases. Sadly, the song - or album - didn't trouble the charts but Moby was possibly taking notes...

 

Little Axe performed Ride On (Fight On) as a live medley on Channel 4's White Room in 1995, but this version from Dutch TV the following year is much better, with pretty much the same line-up as on the album:

 

Skip McDonald: vocals & guitar

Saz Bell & Kevin Gibbs: vocals

Alan Glen: guitar & harmonica

Doug Wimbish: bass

Scott Firth: bass

Keith LeBlanc: drums

Adrian Sherwood: on the mix

 

Ride On (Fight On) (Fluke Mid-Fi Surprise) (You Tube): Little Axe (1994)

My Heart, It's Beating Out A Song For You

I've been listening to New Age Steppers again in the last couple of weeks, a phenomenal band with an incredible pool of musicians. This is a particular favourite from second album, 1981's Action Battlefield, featuring Adrian Sherwood at the controls and Neneh Cherry and Bim Sherman on vocals. Neneh was 16 years old when this was recorded.

 

My Love: New Age Steppers (1981)

 

The song was a cover version, written by Harris Lee Seaton aka B.B. Seaton as originally released in 1971 as Can't Hide The Feeling by The Gaylads.

 

Can't Hide The Feeling: The Gaylads (1971)