Wob Almighty

Any day is a good day to listen to Jah Wobble, so here's a fresh 75-minute Dubhed selection of 12 songs that have been touched by the hand of Wob.

Spanning 1991 to 2002, this is a globe-trotting expedition taking in artists from Australia, Brazil, Jamaica, Japan, Norway, Switzerland, with frequent rest stops in blighted Blighty.

Turn up the bass, dial up the volume and prepare to immerse yourself in an eclectic mix, including a UK #1 single!

As it's Friday, I've reposted more Jah Wobble wonderment, including a previous Wob-heavy Dubhed selection from 2022.

1) Paths (Jah Wobble Remix): Robert Miles ft. Nina Miranda (2001)

2) Chains (Wobble Mix By Jah Wobble): The Wolfgang Press (1994)

3) Familus Horribilus (Mega Wob 2) (Remix By Jah Wobble): Pop Will Eat Itself (1993)

4) Go Into The Light (Celestial Dub Mix By Jah Wobble): Ian McNabb (1993)

5) Kiss Kiss (Jah Wobble Remix) (Single Version): Holly Valance (2002)

6) Night Nurse (Jah Wobble 12" Mix) (Cover of Gregory Isaacs): Sly & Robbie ft. Simply Red (1997)

7) Child (Jah Wobble Mix): Definition Of Sound (1996)

8) So Let Me Go Far (So Let Me Wobble Jah) (Remix By Jah Wobble): Dodgy (1994)

9) Texture (Remixed By Jah Wobble): Soft Ballet (1992)

10) Liquid Cool (Jah Wobble Remix): Apollo 440 (1994)

11) Chinatown New York (Wobble Mix By Jah Wobble): Bebop 90 (1991)

12) Ĉuovgi Liekkas (Jah Wobble Remix II): Mari Boine (2001)

1991: Fuse II: World Dance Music: 11

1992: Alter Ego: 9

1993: Familus Horribilus / RSVP EP: 3

1993: Go Into The Light EP: 4

1994: Going South EP: 2

1994: Liquid Cool EP: 10

1994: So Let Me Go Far EP: 8

1996: Child EP: 7

1997: Night Nurse EP: 6

2001: Paths EP: 1

2001: Remixed / Oðða Hámis: 12

2002: Kiss Kiss EP: 5

Wob Almighty (1:14:49) (GD) (M)

In Wob We Trust (January 2022)

Wob Three Times (August 2023)

Kicking Down The Khazi (December 2023)

Hup! Hup! Heads Up!

Pop Will Eat Itself shuffled up onto my playlist, which placed them in prime position for today's post and half a dozen videos from YT.

I vaguely recalled that I had posted Wise Up! Sucker previously and I checked out the Dubhed archive. Sure enough, I had posted a link... on 27th May 2021.

Spooky!

I love these songs as much now as I did then. What an incredible band PWEI were.

1) Def.Con.One (1988)

2) Can U Dig It? (1989)

3) There Is No Love Between Us Anymore (1988)

4) Wise Up! Sucker (1989)

5) Ich Bin Ein Ausländer (1994)

6) Touched By The Hand Of Cicciolina (1990)

 

 

 

 

 

Decade V: 1989

Side 2 (or Side 10, if you will) of the Decade mixtape series, compiled 8th April 1990.

 

As David Byrne asked waaay back in 1980 on the opening side of this epic venture, "Well, how did I get here?"

I don't know about you, but the last five weeks have flown by for me. Yet, 10 sides, 120 songs, 7 hours, 40 minutes and 28 seconds later and that's it for my look back at the 1980s. 

 

If you've followed some or all of my selections over the past five weekends, I hope there's been something that's resonated with or reminded you. That, or you've been introduced to some of the more obscure chart misses that you weren't aware of or were too young to experience first time around.

Before I delve into 1989 itself, a few Decade facts for those of you that like that kind of thing. Across the 120 songs, most artist appearances were one-offs, but 16 managed 2 appearances, some perhaps surprisingly so.

Bronze medals therefore go to Julian Cope, Echo & The Bunnymen, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Heaven 17, The Human League, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Killing Joke, O.M.D., Pete Wylie & Wah!, Pixies, R.E.M., Scritti Politti, Siouxsie & The Banshees, The Cult, Visage and - who would have thought? - Wall Of Voodoo.

Just 4 artists managed a total of 3 appearances. Silver medals to Talking Heads, Talk Talk, The Smiths and U2. No band managed to feature on both the first and the last selection, but Talking Heads and U2 achieved the greatest span, both with first and last appearances in 1980 and 1988. 

 

A special mention for Siouxise Sioux, whose two appearances with The Banshees (in 1980 and 1983) and The Creatures (1989) gets her an honorary Silver medal and also the 'greatest span' achievement award as an individual artist. Seems fitting, as Ms. Sioux was never one to be bound by conventional rules.

Only 1 band achieved 4 appearances and, especially given that I compiled the series in 1990, it's no surprise that the Gold medal goes to Depeche Mode. Sharing the 'greatest span' record with the above, the Basildon boys first featured in 1981 with New Life, returned in 1983 with Everything Counts, came back in 1986 with Stripped and make their final appearance in 1989 with Personal Jesus.

But enough preamble, what about 1989? It was a year of historic events, too many to go into here though I will just acknowledge that it marked Margaret Thatcher's tenth year as Prime Minister, the first to do so in the 20th century. Little wonder then that I was formulating plans to leave the country and go travelling for a year, something that I managed to do in 1990. 

I was working full-time and any money left over from 'housekeeping' (aka rent to my parents, but considering cheaper than a city centre bedsit), running the car, record buying and nights out was being put aside for my planned escape. 

Gigs in 1989 therefore were few and far between, but varied. I didn't keep a record so I've long forgotten the local/unsigned bands and the growing number of club nights and DJ sets that I saw. However, the few tickets that I've managed not to lose since tell me that I variously enjoyed the live experiences of The Monkees (sadly minus Mike Nesmith), The Jesus & Mary Chain, Inspiral Carpets and Pixies (again), this time supported by The Wolfgang Press. 

Once again, plans for a companion series Decadance means that today's 1989 selection is light on dance music, though one pioneering electronic act makes the cut and a couple of indie/dance crossovers barge their way in.

Surprisingly making their first appearance in the series, right at the end, are The B-52's. Channel Z was a precusor to 5th album Cosmic Thing, released in June 1989. I bought the 12" single which did little to help, as it failed to chart. Likewise, the album managed one week at #75 before disappearing... until March 1990 that is, when second single Love Shack got to #2 and boosted Cosmic Thing into a Top 10 album with a six-month run in the charts.  

 

Channel Z got a second go in August 1990 and still only managed a peak of #61, which is a shame. Maybe it was just too political and angry (well, as angry as The B-52's could possibly get) for the UK's fragile minds.

After years of pioneering and cutting edge sounds, Cabaret Voltaire signed to EMI and released Groovy, Laidback & Nasty, their most commercial and conventional album to date (and of all, as it transpired). Stephen Mallinder and Richard H. Kirk seemed to cop a lot of flak for 'selling out' and mimicking the prevailing music fashions rather than influencing then, which I think was unfair.

It had mixed results: the album failed to chart and although the three singles managed #66, #55 and #61 respectively, they remain Cabaret Voltaire's highest charting singles. I think - as I did back then - that Hypnotised is a great single. Remixed by Fon Force, Mute label boss Daniel Miller and A Guy Called Gerald, with backing vocals from Ten City, it was an interesting diversion even if it proved to be short-lived.

I first heard Pop Will Eat Itself on a couple of compilations and fell for their Grebo sound, even more so as they started to play around with samples and beats. Wise Up! Sucker is perhaps less familiar than Can U Dig It? though there's surprisingly little between then in terms of chart placing. PWEI seriously troubled the UK Top 40 in the 1990s, but Wise Up! Sucker remains one of my favourite songs that they ever did.

Also making a comeback of sorts was Depeche Mode with Personal Jesus. This heralded a new direction, lots more twangy guitar than you might expect and a catchy yet off-kilter chorus. I bought the singles on 12" (there were usually at least 2) on release, but never 7" hence the inclusion of one of the (three) remixes by François Kevorkian. 

 

According to my handmade cassette inlay, I originally faded out the song around at 4:13. On recreating the tape for this post, I found that this selection was running considerably short, so I've included the full length Holier Than Thou Approach here. 

I'd heard very little by The Stone Roses at this point. My friend Stuart had their album, which I'd heard a couple of times but wasn't blown away by. Their standalone double A-side single in November 1989 was another matter entirely, though. What The World Is Waiting For was good, though not a million miles away from the album that preceded it. Fools Gold was another matter entirely and got my attention from the start. Despite my preference for the 12" format generally, and the fact that Fools Gold was stretched out to nearly ten minutes, at the time I plumped for the 2-track 7" single. I retrospectively came to love those earlier songs, but Fools Gold is the one that really switched me onto The Stone Roses.

Making an unexpected reappearance were The Creatures aka Siouxsie Sioux and Budgie, then-partners in The Banshees and in life. I really liked The Creatures' music, which followed a more disciplined, minimalist structure, playing to the strengths of Siouxsie's distinctive vocal styling and Budgie's phenomenal percussion skills. Standing There was remixed by Mike Hedges and I bought the 12" and 10" singles. 

 

The latter, titled the La Frontera Mix, was under 4 minutes and featured on the cassette. I haven't been able to rip my vinyl for this recreation and, as far as I can tell, it's essentially an edit of the 10-minute Andalucian Mix on the 12". So, I've edited the latter to provide a clean ending at approx. the same point as the La Frontera Mix to maintain the original sequencing.

Mekons had been around for over a decade by the time I bought a record by them. But what a record. I think I'd heard and quite liked Ghosts Of American Astronauts, didn't really know anything else that they'd done and bought The Dream And Lie Of... EP on 10" without hearing a single song, purely down to a rave review that I'd read in NME, Melody Maker or Sounds. I wasn't disappointed.

Three of the four songs appeared on the subsequent album The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll and Club Mekon is the penultimate song on the EP. The flurry of country punk, Sally Timmins' vocals and the opening verse of

 

When I was just seventeen, sex no longer held a mystery

I saw it as a commodity to be bought and sold, like rock and roll

had me hooked and even now, Club Mekon puts a shiver down my spine and a smile on my face when I hear it. Superb.

Pixies could do no wrong and Monkey Gone To Heaven was no exception. I saw Pixies perform this song live at the Studio in Bristol, two months after the single release and a few weeks after the album Doolittle had blown my teenage mind. Hearing Black Francis scream, And God is seven! And God is seven! And God is seven!, to an audience that were screaming right back at him, was incredible.

Next is the one true WTF? moment, with the inclusion of Destroyed by Scottish metal band The Almighty. I'm struggling to explain this one, or remember why I even had anything by them. I'm supposing that it was either the recommendation/influence of my brother, or that I was trying to impress a girl in the hope of asking her out at some point. 

Delving into my gig ticket tin, I find that I saw The Almighty at the Bierkeller in Bristol on 26th February 1990. No memory of that one at all. The fact that I recorded the Decade V cassette six weeks after the gig perhaps explains its inclusion and the brevity of my interest in the band. I remember buying the Blood, Fire & Love album from which this song is taken though I suspect that it was culled from my collection not long after. 

 

Listening to it now? I'm finding it hard to tell the difference between The Almighty and Def Leppard, to be honest, and that's not intended as a compliment. It must surely have sounded outdated even in 1989! For a second or two, I considered swapping out The Almighty for something less anachronistic but whatever the reason, I considered it 'good' enough for inclusion so it has to stay. Don't do drugs, kids!

 

The The restore the intellectual equilibrium with The Beat(en) Generation, their first new single in a couple of years and the first to more explicitly pitch The The as a band rather than a solo venture for Matt Johnson. Well, if your band included Johnny Marr, you would shout about it, wouldn't you? 

I love The Beat(en) Generation, even though I'll admit that I still find Matt's pronunciation of 'reared' in the chorus a bit jarring (!). Diction notwithstanding, the general public evidently agreed as The Beat(en) Generation became The The's first ever UK Top 20 hit, reaching #18 in April. There were two additional remixes on the 12" and I picked the stripped back Campfire Mix for this selection.

Another surprise - nay, shock - late entry to this series is The Cure. In April 1990, I still didn't own any of their albums though I had a few of their 12" singles, so I'm as surprised as you that it's taken until 1989 for them to debut. That said, as the original tapes covering 1982 to 1985 have been lost forever and were recreated from scratch, it's possible that Let's Go To Bed, The Lovecats or Close To Me previously featured but I'll never know for sure.

Lullaby is an astonishing single with yet another memorable video directed by Tim Pope, so it's not really a surprise that I bought it. Again, it was the 7" not 12", so I most likely got it from the bargain bin at Woolworths. Still, it's #5 peak was another reason why Top Of The Pops and the Radio 1 chart rundown weren't a complete waste of time in the late 80s.

So, the selection and the series comes to a close with another first-time appearance here, Kate Bush and the title track of her album The Sensual World. The single entered the chart at #12 on 24th September 1989 and began a slow slide back out in the following four weeks. In my opinion, it's one of the finest songs she's ever recorded. From the opening church bell peals, to the Irish music flavours and Kate's sweetly restrained vocals, it's a magical journey from start to finish and a perfect way to end this voyage into the past.

I thought when I started this, that it would be a fun run though for a few weeks, with some top tunes and a few attempts at wit thrown in. It's been a lot more than that: I've revisited artists - and subsequently albums - that I haven't heard in a long while; I've also dredged up memories and snapshots of my callow youth.

Thanks so much for coming along with me, and your words of encouragement on the way. I am gradually getting back to responding to your many and lovely comments. And yes Ernie, I will answer your burning question about my first proper girlfriend ;-)

That's it for now. I never got around to the more dance-themed 80s collection or repeated this endeavour for the 1990s when I reached the new millennium. It was fun while it lasted.

Normal service resumes next weekend. By that, I mean the return of winging it and off the cuff musings...!

1) Channel Z (Remix/Edit): The B-52's

2) Hypnotised (The Fon Force Edit): Cabaret Voltaire ft. Ten City

3) Wise Up! Sucker (7" Version): Pop Will Eat Itself

4) Personal Jesus (Holier Than Thou Approach): Depeche Mode

5) Fools Gold 4.15 (7" Version): The Stone Roses

6) Standing There (Andalucian Mix) (Edit By Khayem): The Creatures

7) Club Mekon (Album Version): Mekons

8) Monkey Gone To Heaven (Album Version): Pixies

9) Destroyed (Album Version): The Almighty

10) The Beat(en) Generation (Campfire Mix): The The

11) Lullaby (Remix): The Cure

12) The Sensual World (Album Version): Kate Bush

26th March 1989: Doolittle (#60): 8

2rd April 1989: Mind Bomb (#18): 10

23rd April 1989: This Is The Day...This Is The Hour...This Is This! (#41): 3

23rd April 1989: Disintegration (#5): 11

19th August 1989: Cosmic Thing (#61): 1

10th September 1989: Violator (#13): 4

17th September 1989: The Mekons Rock 'n' Roll (# n/a): 7

24th September 1989: The Sensual World (#12): 12

15th October 1989: Boomerang (#53): 6

29th October 1989: Groovy, Laidback And Nasty (#66): 2

29th October 1989: Blood, Fire & Love (# n/a): 9

26th November 1989: Fools Gold / What The World Is Waiting For EP (#8): 5

Side Two (46:08) (GD) (M)

If you missed any of the previous posts, you can jump straight to them here.

1980   1981   1982   1983   1984   1985   1986   1987   1988

A Little Music For A Groovy Attitude

It's Fluke Friday, with both sides of a mixtape that I recorded on 7th May 1997, featuring remixes of their own tracks and songs by other artists. 

I've previously shared my love for everything that came out of Jon Fugler, Mike Bryant and Mike Tournier's musical brains. They just tapped into something that, for me, absolutely captured the sheer euphoria of the early 1990s, the excitement of entering the last decade of the 20th century and being young, free and (intermittently) single in my twenties.

The quartet of Fluke singles spanning 1993 to 1994 - Slid, Electric Guitar, Groovy Feeling and Bubble - were stunning and should have been massive hits, blasting out of radios everywhere. Their remixes were also a guaranteed 'must buy', even if I didn't know or particularly like the artist. The ones featured here - Björk, New Order, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Pop Will Eat Itself, Yello and Talk Talk - are top notch, but were pretty much the (high) standard for all of their remixes. They even found time to moonlight as Lucky Monkeys, with another stonking Fluke remix to boot. 

A few sleevenotes: 

G.Feel.8.The Popsicle appeared on the Virgin Records compilation Signed Sealed Delivered 2 in 1994. It's actually a(nother) remix of Groovy Feeling, but different enough that it justifies the song featuring twice on one side (well, I think so anyway!). 

 

A remix of Jig appears on the expanded edition of The Techno Rose Of Blighty that was packaged with second album Six Wheels On My Wagon in 1993. I've gone for the John Peel session version here, originally transmitted 25 November 1990.

Squirt was radically remixed and released as a single to promote the Risotto album in 1997. The version here is from the previous album Oto (1995), a more downtempo, darker version which I think is my favourite of the bunch.

I've plenty more Fluke gems in the vault and I've re-posted a previous mixtape below. However, I think this is about as good an overview of Fluke's imperial phase as I could hope. It's definitely going to have me bouncing and jumping to and from work today. Yep, I'll be that guy.

 

Side One

1) Big Time Sensuality (The Fluke Moulimix): Björk (1993)

2) Groovy Feeling (Lolly Gobble Choc Bomb): Fluke (1993)

3) Bubble (Speechbubble): Fluke (1993)

4) Bjango (Fluke Remix 'Six To The Floor'): Lucky Monkeys (1996)

5) Spooky (Magimix By Fluke): New Order (1993)

6) G.Feel.8.The Popsicle: Fluke (1994)

7) Two Tribes (Fluke's Moulimix): Frankie Goes To Hollywood (1994)

Side Two

1) Electric Guitar (Vibrochamp): Fluke (1993)

2) RSVP (Supper Mix By Fluke): Pop Will Eat Itself (1994)

3) Philly (Jamateur Mix: Fluke (1990)

4) Jig (John Peel Session): Fluke (1990)

5) Tosh (Mosh) (Single Version): Fluke (1995)

6) How How (Dee Doo Dee Mix By Fluke): Yello (1994)

7) Squirt ('Oto' Album Version): Fluke (1995)

8) Life's What You Make It (The Fluke Remix): Talk Talk (1990)

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

Side Two (45:24) (GD) (M)

 

Fluke (Singles) Side One and Side Two

Return Of The Karaoke Kings

Side 1 of a cassette compilation of cover versions, recorded sometime around late 1996, possibly early 1997.

Side 2 previously ushered in the weekend at your local spit 'n' sawdust bar with a few bottles of cheap Becks, salt & vinegar crisps, ripped seats, sticky carpets and the landlord's obsessive collection of novelty bottle openers glued to the upper skirt of the bar. 

 

Side 1 therefore must be the other end, when you realise karaoke night has become morning, the lock-in is over and the landlord's kicking you all out, with the grim realisation that the clocks went forward an hour whilst you were slaughtering T.Rex, Sister Sledge and Fat Larry's Band and you're one hour closer to the end of the weekend than you expected. 

 

On the bright side, the greasy spoon across the road is opening soon and may have the cure for the karaoke hangover you're nursing.

Take it away, people!

1) Get Back (Album Version): Laibach vs. The Beatles (1988)

2) Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?: Revolting Cocks vs. Rod Stewart (1993)

3) Know Your Rights (Edit): Primal Scream vs. The Clash (1994)

4) Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight) (Bonus Mix): The Leather Nun vs. ABBA (1986)

5) Tuff Titty Rap / Into The Groove(y) (12" Version): Ciccone Youth vs. Madonna (1986)

6) Kiss (Single Mix); Age Of Chance vs. Prince (1986)

7) Funtime (Album Version): Boy George vs. Iggy Pop (1995)

8) Smells Like Teen Spirit: Tori Amos vs. Nirvana (1992)

9) Lundi Bleu (Version Française De Blue Monday) (Radio Edit): The Times vs. New Order (1991)

10) Rock-A-Hula-Baby (Album Version): Pop Will Eat Itself vs. Elvis Presley (1990)

11) I Put A Spell On You: Marilyn Manson vs. Screamin' Jay Hawkins (1996)

1986: Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! EP: 4

1986: Kiss EP: 6

1986: The White(y) Album: 5

1988: Let It Be: 1

1990: The Last Temptation Of Elvis: 10

1992: Lundi Bleu EP: 9

1992: Silent All These Years EP: 8

1993: Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? EP: 2

1995: Cheapness And Beauty: 7 

1996: Lost Highway OST: 11

1997: Kowalski EP: 3

 

Side One (46:12) (Box) (Mega)

Side Two here

Hep Hop Excursion

Side 2 of an arguably more 'chiller' than 'chill out' compilation tape, recorded circa July to September 1996.

 

This selection is weighted towards acts from or based in my birthplace Bristol - Massive Attack, Tricky, Carlton, Earthling - and recorded following (and possibly as a reaction to) the proliferation of trip hop compilations in 1994/1995. The term trip hop was apparently coined by Andy Pemberton in June 1994 and first appeared in Mixmag when he reviewed DJ Shadow & RPM's single In/Flux. However, it also became seemingly inextricably linked with "The Bristol Sound", even though many of the tagged artists either had already or would soon transcend such a label.  

 

Renegade Soundwave deliver a suitably spine-tingling take on Pop Will Eat Itself's Underbelly. I remember hearing this over the Virgin Megastore PA when PWEI's remix album Two Fingers My Friends! was released and it was enough for me to shell out for the limited edition 2CD there and then. 

 

Another album I bought on spec, having read about but not heard, was ISDN by The Future Sound Of London although I knew exactly what I was letting myself in for. ISDN is a 15-track album edited together from various live broadcasts that FSOL had transmitted during 1994 to radio stations all over the world using ISDN networking, then a relatively new technology. 

 

Hot Knives featured on the initial limited edition (of 10,000) "cruciform velcro-sealed embossed card case with separate card sleeve". What the Discogs description doesn't mention is that visually ISDN is also a dead ringer for Spinal Tap's Smell The Glove (or original motion picture soundtrack album, if you're a pedant). ISDN was reissued six months later with a more conventional sleeve design and jewel case and a slightly different tracklisting, swapping out three tracks from the original issue, including Hot Knives.

Scorn was formed in 1991 by Mick Harris and Nik Bullen, both ex-Napalm Death and quite far removed from the music of their former band. I only have two CDs by Scorn, the Deliverance EP and Ellipsis. Both are remix projects so possibly unrepresentative of Scorn’s output as a whole, but sphincter-troubling electronic music all the same. By the time of Ellipsis, Scorn had become a solo vehicle for Mick Harris, the album mostly remixing tracks from their last album as a duo, 1994's Evanescence. I have no idea what the original version of Night Tide sounds like but here Scanner aka Robin Rimbaud rebuilds the track around his trademark use of mobile phone and police radio scanners to disturbing effect.

Finally, an honourable mention for several of my favourite chanteuses, all featured here with standout tracks: Martina Topley-Bird, Róisín Murphy, Sarah Cracknell and Tracey Thorn.

 

If you're feeling the heat again today - a peak of 33°C is expected in my neck of the woods - then stick this on for 45 minutes and you may start to experience shivering and goosebumps, which may help.

1) Underbelly (Renegade Soundwave Blackout Mix): Pop Will Eat Itself (1995)

2) Aftermath (Version 1): Tricky ft. Martina Topley-Bird (1994)

3) 1 To 1 Religion (Skankapella Remix By Dobie): Bomb The Bass ft. Carlton (1994)

4) Dominoid (Radio Mix): Moloko (1996)

5) Hot Knives (Live ISDN Transmission, VPRO Radio, Netherlands): The Future Sound Of London (1994)

6) Night Tide (Scanner - "Flaneur Electronique" Mix): Scorn (1995)

7) Gone (Alter Ego Decoding Gone, Pt. 2): David Holmes ft. Sarah Cracknell (1995)

8) Protection (7" Edit): Massive Attack ft. Tracey Thorn (1994)

9) Nefisa (Faraway Moses) (Remix By Plunderphonics): Earthling (1995)

1994: 1 To 1 Religion EP: 3

1994: Aftermath EP: 2

1994: ISDN (limited edition first issue): 5 

1994: Protection EP: 8

1995: Ellipsis: 6 

1995: Gone EP: 7 

1995: Nefisa EP: 9

1995: Two Fingers My Friends!: 1

1996: Dominoid EP: 4

Side Two (45:13) (KF) (Mega)

Mind Detonator

The Prodigy are coming to the end of their first live tour since the passing of frontperson Keith Flint in 2019. By all accounts, the live shows have been an incendiary, cathartic experience.

The tour also celebrates the 25th anniversary reissue of The Fat Of The Land, which has been re-released along with a great new remix of Firestarter by Andy C, the sonic equivalent of chucking petrol on a bonfire. You can view the song on YouTube and buy it on Bandcamp, Juno and other digital outlets.

Today's selection covers singles and albums from 1991 to 2004, starting inevitably with Firestarter, which I've extended for a proper kick-off by splicing the first half of the instrumental with the single edit.  

It's Moby next up at the controls, with a remix of Everybody In The Place, followed by a great mash-up of Medusa's Path by The Prodigy and She's A Bitch by Missy Misdemeanor Elliott, which appeared on a bootleg remix companion to fourth album Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned.

 

Their Law featuring Pop Will Eat Itself was recorded as a reaction to the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act of 1994, which effectively criminalised music with repetitive beats. Inevitably, this provoked a response from many acts including Autechre, Primal Scream (covering The Clash) and - taking it to it's logical and ridiculous extreme - Orbital. Their Law put it most succinctly ("Fuck 'em and their law") and has remained a sadly relevant song even now, particularly when you consider the hypocrisy of the incumbent government and Crime Minister.

Charly started it all for me, an insane pogo peppered with samples from public address films that I grew up with in the 1970s. I don't think Charly would have been very happy that The Prodigy disregarded his miaowed advice and went on to record Firestarter.

Voodoo People is one of my favourite songs by The Prodigy. There's a great remix by The Chemical Brothers - at the time still The Dust Brothers before legal threats forced a name change - but really the original has it, built around samples from The Last Poets, Nirvana and Johnny Pate's frenetic flute.

The dub of Mindfields appeared as a B-side, heavy on the bass whilst retaining Maxim's vocals to create a rumbling beast. Baby's Got A Temper was relatively disappointing, feeling a bit of a stop gap single echoing Firestarter and Smack My Bitch Up. It's good but it was the right call to leave it off the subsequent album Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned.

 

For my all-time favourite song by The Prodigy, I'm invariably torn between Out Of Space and Breathe, either of which could would have been a great closing track for this selection. In the end, I opted for Breathe. Coming straight after the success of Firestarter, if anything Breathe upped The Prodigy's game even more and was accompanied by one of the greatest videos ever. For a very, very long time I was certain the guitar sample was from some obscure 1980s goth track so it was a surprise to later discover that it was in fact The James Bond Theme.

 

On that latter note, then, today's selection is not only a celebration of The Prodigy's return and a tribute to Keith Flint, but also to Monty Norman, legendary composer who also left us on 11th July.

 

1) Firestarter (Filth Infatuated Extended Intro Re-Edit By Khayem) (2022)

2) Everybody In The Place (Dance Hall Version By Moby) (1992)

3) Medusa's Path (Medusa Bitch Remix By cry.on.my.console) (The Prodigy vs. Missy Misdemeanor Elliott) (2004)

4) Their Law (Album Version By Liam Howlett) (ft. Pop Will Eat Itself) (1994)

5) Charly (Alley Cat Mix By Liam Howlett & Chaz Stevens) (1991)

6) Voodoo People (Original Mix By Liam Howlett & Neil McLellan) (1994)

7) Mindfields (Headrock Dub) (Remix By Liam Howlett & Neil McLellan) (1997)

8) Baby's Got A Temper (Main Mix By Liam Howlett & Ollie Jacobs) (2002)

9) Breathe (Album Version By Liam Howlett) (1996)

Mind Detonator (46:45)

You Can Touch It But It Will Not Fade

Side 1 of a mixtape, compiled 11th January 1998.

Following on from yesterday's post, this selection remains in the 1990s and features eight remixes that I was unlikely to ever hear down the local indie disco, but which in their own way, kick ass. What better way then to usher in the weekend?

 

In order to squeeze all the tracks onto a side of a C90 cassette, I originally cut Cornershop's Jullandar Shere in half with an early fade. For today's selection, I've kept the remix by Richard Norris (The Grid) and Choque Hosein (Black Star Liner) in all it's full, joyous glory. 

 

Conversely, I think the edit of Ain't No Longer (The Lost Riff) is possibly unique to a Select magazine cover-mounted CD. The full length version was intended for FPS-2, a remix companion to Dodgy's third album Free Peace Sweet, which was never released. FPS-2 was eventually snuck out on 1999's Ace A's + Killer B's compilation as a limited edition bonus disc and reappeared earlier this year on the gargantuan 8CD box set The A&M Years. Ain't No Longer (The Lost Riff) was also one of four tracks on a promo 12" of FPS-2 released in 1996, but I'm not heard it so I'm unsure if it's the edit or full length version.

Fans of Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon (which originated in 1994) will be disappointed to find that the titular Hollywood actor is not responsible for track 5's Audioweb remix. This Kevin Bacon is the former Comsat Angels bass player who teamed up with Floy Joy's touring keyboard player Jonathan Quarmby to form a successful production duo.

Without doing a disservice to Primal Scream, Fluke and Natacha Atlas, the final mention goes to Andy Bell, who delivers a remix (possibly his first?) of Ride that takes the original, Rolling Stones-indebted song to the moon and back. A precursor to his future music as GLOK, Andy Bell has also continued to record and release music with Ride and as a solo artist, including one of 2022's best albums so far, the majestic Flicker. I really must get an Andy Bell selection up here soon...

 

Wherever you are and whatever you're doing, have a rocktastic weekend, everyone. More tomorrow.

1) Jailbird (The Toxic Trio Stay Free Mix By Kris Needs & Bent Recknagel): Primal Scream (1994)

2) Familus Horribilus (Mega Wob 1) (Remix By Jah Wobble): Pop Will Eat Itself (1993)

3) Jullandar Shere (Jeh Jeh Mix By Richard Norris & Choque Hosein): Cornershop (1996)

4) Absurd (Headrillaz Vox): Fluke (1997)

5) Faker (I, Mental Mix By Manna aka Kevin Bacon & Jonathan Quarmby): Audioweb (1997)

6) Ain't No Longer (The Lost Riff) (Remix By Jerome De Pietro) (Edit): Dodgy (1997)

7) I Don't Know Where It Comes From (Apollo 11 Mix By Andy Bell): Ride ft. The Christchurch Cathedral School Choir (1994)

8) Yalla Chant (The Lesson Four Edit By Youth): Natacha Atlas (1995)

 

1993: Familus Horribilus / RSVP EP: 2 

1994: I Don't Know Where It Comes From EP: 7

1994: Jailbird EP: 1 

1995: Yalla Chant EP: 8

1996: Jullandar Shere EP: 3

1997: Absurd EP: 4

1997: Faker EP: 5

1997: Vrooom! Motorcycle Loveliness (Select magazine promo CD): 6

Side One (50:36) (KF) (Mega)

Wise Up! Again

Side 1 of a mixtape, recorded between December 1991 and January 1992. When I posted Side 2 last August, I mentioned the use of a couple of tracks from Keeping The Faith: A Creation Dance Compilation and there's another here. I didn't buy either of the two 12" singles of Come Together by Primal Scream at the time, but the excellent Hypnotone remix opened Side 2 of Keeping The Faith and remains my second only to Andrew Weatherall's unassailable mix. 

 

The other reference point on this mixtape side is Renegade Soundwave's debut album Soundclash. Excellent though it is, I think the real reason two tracks appear here is that I had been lent a copy by my friend Stuart and ended up cramming songs onto various mixtapes before returning it. 

 

There's also a heavy Adrian Sherwood vibe on this side, with production and remix duties for Cabaret Voltaire, Gary Clail / On-U Sound System and Tackhead. The full length version of False Leader featured on the album The Emotional Hooligan, whilst this edit was a B-side of the Escape remix 12". The Tackhead remix of Dangerous Sex was edited to squeeze onto the cassette side, so I've done the same here to preserve the original running time.

 

A Certain Ratio's Martin Moscrop remixes opening instrumental Bendy, which initially appeared on the Intastella single People; my copy resurfaced on the limited edition "Intastella Meet Adamski" remix 12" of follow-up Century. This is my favourite version of the song.

 

Killing Joke's Youth remixes Pop Will Eat Itself, dropping the BPMs and stretching the song out to over five minutes. Again, this one has the edge as my preferred version and - no surprise - provides the mixtape with its title.

 

Lastly, the song that introduced me to Colourbox. I picked up the Vertigo-Sampler from a record stall in St. Nicholas' Market in Bristol a few years previously, a Canadian import double vinyl compilation from 1985. If I'm honest, most of it is dispensable: late-period Boomtown Rats, Big Country, Dire Straits and - even more dire - Mark Knopfler solo, twice! However, there are a couple of sides of alternative and indie music: Cocteau Twins, Love And Rockets, This Mortal Coil and Colourbox, which made the price worth a punt. 

The Colourbox track is listed as Sex Gun (Instrumental Version) but is identical to the version (re)titled Just Give 'Em Whiskey on their eponymous debut album. The vocal version of Sex Gun made it onto the free extra album that came with limited quantities, though the one featured in today’s selection is far and away the best version out there, heavy with samples from Westworld and The Prisoner.

 

1) Bendy In The Disco (Remix By Martin Moscrop): Intastella (1991)

2) Biting My Nails (Album Version By Flood & RSW): Renegade Soundwave (1989)

3) Thank You America (Album Version By Cabaret Voltaire & Adrian Sherwood): Cabaret Voltaire (1987)

4) False Leader (Edit By Adrian Sherwood, Doug Wimbish & Skip McDonald): Gary Clail / On-U Sound System ft. Big Youth (1991)

5) Head Like A Hole (Album Version By Trent Reznor & Flood): Nine Inch Nails (1990)

6) Come Together (The HypnotoneBrainMachine Mix By Hypnotone): Primal Scream (1990)

7) Wise Up! Sucker (12" Version By Youth): Pop Will Eat Itself (1989)

8) Blue Eyed Boy (Album Version By Flood & RSW): Renegade Soundwave (1989)

9) Sex Gun (Instrumental Version) (aka Just Give 'Em Whiskey): Colourbox (1985)

10) Sex Overdubs (Remix By Adrian Sherwood, Doug Wimbish, Keith LeBlanc & Skip McDonald) (Edit): Tackhead (1990)

 

Side One (45:59)

Side Two here