A Night On The Town

Mrs. K and I have been avidly following Married At First Sight Australia (MAFSAUS) on TV, which as ever has proved to be treasure trove of narcissism, mendacity, affectation and drama. 

With the exception of one couple, who genuinely seem to have developed strong feelings for each other - they use the 'L' word a lot, but let's see how things are at the 'weeks later' reunion - we're surprised that any other couple made it to the 'final vows' ceremony.

As the couples left their temporary home/bubble in Sydney in last night's episode, I thought of my stay in the city during my backpacking tour of Australia. As it happens, Saturday 11th and Sunday 12th May 1991 coincided with the tail end of my time there, and a memorable night time tour of King's Cross.

Looking back from a distance of three and a half decades, I'd forgotten how wet behind the ears I still was at twenty years old...

Take it away, er, me....!

Saturday 11th May 1991

The day didn't start too well, weather-wise, so I chose to stay in and write. Talking with my room-mate Jonathan on the roof of the hostel, it transpired that he was also a writer, which led to some interesting conversation.

Later, there was a new arrival from Canberra in our room. My suspicions were aroused when he praised the city, the totally opposite reaction to everyone else I've met who's been there. He complained that he was lonely after a few months' travelling. I was unsympathetic; I mean, how hard is it to make friends here?! After our tedious small talk, he decided to go for a walk.

Jonathan reappeared with an American girl, called Michelle. They'd bumped into each other earlier: it was Michelle's last day in Sydney, she'd run out of money, so was it alright for her to crash in our room? No problem.

The hostel had largely been taken over by the Malaysian national Dragon Boat team, who were competing in the annual race in the harbour over the weekend. I don't remember quite how this happened but, as night drew in, Jonathan, Michelle and I, and four of the Malaysian team, decided to go on a tour of King's Cross, Sydney's notorious red light district.

The Malaysians didn't actually speak a lot with us, and I didn't catch any of their names, although they all appeared to work for Malaysia Airlines. They seemed affable, but they were not destined to be with us for very long.

Arriving in separate taxis, we disembarked and walked along the main street. It was unbelievable. Every second building, it seemed, was a strip joint, with three or four men outside, trying to entice people to enter.

Most of them looked stoned and didn't waste time on a person, quickly moving on to the next passerby. Prostitutes and pimps were intermingled with street salesmen and panhandlers, and numerous police paraded the area, pretty much turning a blind eye to all that was taking place around them.

I'd been walking with Michelle, when we realised that the others were no longer with us. Pausing next to a 'Gypsy Rose Lee' and watching her read tarot cards for a punter, Jonathan eventually caught up with us and explained that the Malaysian quartet had succumbed to temptation a few strip clubs back. They'd made some vague promise to meet us outside McDonalds at 10.30pm.

We wandered around some more, taking in the sights: the drunk being forcibly evicted from a club by a mean-looking bouncer; a fight breaking out between two rival 'gangs' of security staff; a prostitute calmly waiting in a café for her 'pickup', then stepping into a white Rolls Royce, and the cocaine scales and equipment on display in the window of a tobacconist.

There was a little boy, he must have been about eight years old, watching everything with disinterested eyes as he sucked Coca Cola through a straw [yes, he was accompanied by an adult - K]

I mean, parts of Bristol were full on, but this was something else entirely!

After a drink at McDonalds and no sign of our newfound (and lost) Malaysian friends, we carried on to the outer limits of the district. We saw another prostitute, wearing a bikini and an overcoat, climbing into an expensive car. I hate rich people.

Our taxi ride home was a nightmare. The cab driver was literally half asleep, and admitted as much. What he didn't admit to was his flatulence, which he generously expelled for the entirety of the interminable journey. Even the windows wound down couldn't shift the fug. 

Needless to say, we were surprised and relieved to get back to the hostel in one piece.

Post Script: Sunday 12th May 1991

We got up at 8.00am to get ready for the Dragon Boat races and, to be honest, we didn't make too much of an effort to be quiet. Our new room-mate stared at Michelle uncomprehendingly and said, "What brings you here?"

MIchelle replied (and I love her for this), "Oh, you know, these guys found me in King's Cross last night and I had nowhere to sleep, so they brought me back".

He said nothing, but the expression on his face was priceless.

In 2007, Tracy Thorn recorded a beautiful cover version of King's Cross. I've also picked four other theme-appropriate classics to accompany this sordid tale.

 

 

 

A Glitch Repeats

Sixty minutes, ten tracks, one decade in the life of MAN2.0 aka Mark Bailey.

My recent NEIN Records catalogue buy has significantly boosted the quantity of MAN2.0 music and remixes in my collection, and this is only a good thing as I've been a fan since I discovered Mark via his remixes and releases on Paisley Dark Records a few years ago. Last year, he took the next logical step by launching his own label, Embryonic Soundwave.

Today's selection plucks selections from the past decade, spanning 2017 to 2025 and trying to avoid repeating tracks (or at least versions) that I've previously used elsewhere on this blog.

Starting off with the brilliantly-titled Anti-Chug, the selection takes in remixes for Perry Granville, Tronik Youth and Soft Cell, as well as MAN2.0 releases including last year's superb CTRL ALT DEL and wrapping up with Cosmikuro's stunning rework of 2023 single Red Shift.

May your weekend be full of sunshine, inside and out. I think this is the ideal soundtrack.

1) Anti-Chug (Single Version): MAN2.0 (2017)

2) Fake Robots (MAN2.0 'Counterfeit Machinery' Remix): Ulises Arrieta & Javier Martinez (2019)

3) CTRL ALT DEL (Tronik Youth Remix): MAN2.0 ft. Precious Blood (2025)

4) Turbo Rave (MAN2.0's Cabin Fever Remix): BT COP (2020)

5) It's A Mug's Game (MAN2.0 Edit): Soft Cell (2022)

6) Shake Up Your Mind (MAN2.0 Remix): Steady State (2021)

7) Glittering Lights (MAN2.0 Remix): Perry Granville (2023)

8) Seedling (Single Version): MAN2.0 (2017)

9) Don't Space (MAN2.0 Single White Female Remix): Tronik Youth (2017)

10) Red Shift (Cosmikuro's 'Hold Your Breath' Mix): MAN2.0 (2023)

2017: Abandoned EP: 9

2017: Heavy Machinery EP: 8

2017: Plan Your Journey EP: 1

2019: Fake Robots EP: 2

2020: Turbo Rave EP: 4

2021: Shelter Me: Beats For Beds: The Remix Album: 6

2022: FREEDLS: Sexy Dinosaur From Outer Space: 5

2023: Glittering Lights EP: 7

2023: Red Shift (Late) EP: 10

2025: CTRL ALT DEL EP: 3

A Glitch Repeats (1:00:09) (GD) (M) 

All of these - and more - are available to buy online and if this music pushes your buttons, tickles your fancy or sugars your plum, then I highly recommend MAN2.0's Operator EP, on Embryonic Soundwave, last December.

Make The Sea Turn Turtle

Ushering in the weekend with 47 (and a half) minutes of electronica, spanning funk(i), broken beats, children's rhymes, new (and old) romantics, scuzzy guitars, pop vocals and non-stop dancing, sometimes ecstatic, always eclectic...

Some of these I haven't heard for at least half a decade, so it was a lot of fun playing mix 'n' match with the various sounds. Some of the segueways actually work, too! Which is nice.

1) Suck Acid, Pearl & Dean: Funki Porcini (1995)

2) Owner Of A Lonely Heart (2 Close To The Edge Mix By 808 State): Yes (1991)

3) I'm Still Searching (Junior Boys Spring 2005 DJ Mix By Jeremy Greenspan & Matthew Didemus): Visage (2005)

4) Leave Your Love (Justin Faust Remix): Young Summer (2014)

5) Backyard (Edit): Clearzone (1997)

6) Seventeen (Soulwax Mix By David Dewaele & Stephen Dewaele) (Edit): Ladytron (2003)

7) A Man Could Get Lost (Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing Remix By Harvey Goldberg): Soft Cell (1982)

8) Closer Than This (Xaphoon Jones Remix By Noah Beresin): St. Lucia (2012)

9) Make It Mine (Hilltop Mix By Daniel Stoner): The Shamen (1992)

10) Light Up: Fred Again.. & Mr Eazi (2022)

11) Love U More (Album Version): Sunscreem (1992)

1982: Non-Stop Ecstatic Dancing: 7

1991: Owner Of A Lonely Heart EP: 2

1992: Art Of Compilation 10 (Art Of Mix bootleg CD): 9

1992: O₃: 11

1995: Ashabanapal's Big Pink Inflatable EP: 1

2003: nu:electronica_: 5

2005: Junior Boys Spring 2005 DJ Mix: 3

2009: Light & Magic: Remixed & Rare: 6

2012: We Got It Wrong EP: 8

2014: Leave Your Love EP: 4

2022: EarthPercent x Earth Day Compilation Album: 10

Make The Sea Turn Turtle (47:37) (GD) (M)

Northern Synth Soul Weekender (Sunday)

Day 2 of a non-stop erotic cabaret weekend, celebrating the genius of Dave Ball.
 

It's impossible to talk about Dave Ball without referring to Soft Cell and The Grid, and inevitably they both feature heavily in today's second selection of choice cuts from Dave's career.

Dave's work with Marc Almond and Richard Norris is incredible in it's span, not only in terms of commercial success, but also in it's ambition and longevity. However, it's not the only evidence of what, from the outside looking in, portrays Dave as a person that others wanted to work with and keep working with, time and time again.

I mentioned Psychic TV yesterday and Dave's involvement with Genesis P-Orridge in the late 1980s on the legendary 'acid house' albums Jack The Tab and Tekno Acid Beat.  I featured Joy, the lead single from the latter, on Saturday's selection. I also noted Genesis' appearance on Dave's solo album, In Strict Tempo, and today features Man In The Man, one the two songs they co-wrote.

Gavin Friday also appears on In Strict Tempo, and was another frequent flyer with Dave. Gavin co-wrote and sang on the (almost) title track in 1983; The Grid remixed Gavin's 1996 single You Me And World War Three. In 2009, Dave and Gavin recorded a cover of Ghostrider by Suicide, released on 10* vinyl the following year for Alan Vega's 70th Birthday Limited Edition EP Series. 

In 2019, another long-term friend and collaborator, Anni Hogan, released the album Lost In Blue, produced by Dave. The penultimate song, Angels Of Romance, features - you guessed it - Gavin. Last year, I was delighted that Gavin returned with a new solo album, Ecce Homo, with Dave joining him at the controls. The title track is an essential pick here.

The other significant 'duo' for me is Dave's work with Ingo Vauk, which often seems to be overlooked and understated. Ingo is credited as an engineer on The Grid's debut album Electric Head in 1990, the start of a songwriting and production partnership. 

Although Dave and Ingo never 'formed a band' and released their own music, you may be surprised at how many songs in your collection credit the pair. Kylie Minogue's 1998 single Breathe? They co-wrote and produced it. The 'Double Click' and 'Lost In Space' remixes of Hallo Spaceboy by David Bowie? That's them. Billie Ray Martin's 1999 single Honey? They produced it. In fact, Ingo was in the studio (as engineer) with Dave and Richard in 1993 for Billiie's sublime 4 Ambient Tales EP, which also features here. 

The point that all of the above is labouring is that Dave is repeatedly described as a lovely bloke and this is borne out by the number of people that continued to work with him throughout his career. 

In Marc Almond's 1999 autobiography, Tainted Life (which I really must read again), he recalls that

"When Dave Ball had walked into Leeds Polytechnic in the autumn of 1977, 

the first person he had bumped into was me. 

We couldn't have been more contrasting: 

Dave in a denim jacket, jeans and desert wellies, 

tall and stocky with black curly hair; 

me in gold-lamé trousers, a leopard skin T-shirt 

on a small skinny frame with a blond crop. 

He asked me the way to the art department, 

and I pointed him down the corridor. 

Neither of us then could have imagined the strange adventure 

we be embarking on in less than three years' time, 

nor even that this encounter would have any significance at all."

Richard Norris' 2024 autobiography, Strange Things Are Happening (also sitting on my bookshelf) recounts the making of the Jack The Tab album in 1987:

"On the Sunday, Gen brings along a friend to help with the proceedings - 

Soft Cell keyboard player Dave Ball. 

I'm a little intimidated. 

We've all been bopping about in the studio, mucking about, 

adding vocals and mad effects. 

A deranged nightclub meets laboratory experiment. 

Having Dave here makes things feel a little more professional. 

He's an actual pop star, after all. 

How is he going to fit in with these demented tracks 

featuring wolves howling, falsetto Tiny Tim samples and 

Gen and Paula's bedroom tapes?

Very well, it turns out."

I'd been meaning to get Dave Ball's autobiography, Electronic Boy, for some time. Sadly, it's taken his passing to give me the proverbial boot and order a copy. I'm looking forward to reading Dave's own recollections of this incredible life in music, albeit with a sadness that the last chapter has been written.

Dave's music endures, however, and today's selection once again provides the merest hint of how and why this is so.

I said yesterday that I would often buy a record solely because Dave's name was on it somewhere and there are a couple of examples here. I was never a huge fan of Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine at the time (although I've since revised my opinion), yet seeing the words "Remixed by The Grid" on a promo 12" of 1994 single Glam Rock Cops was enough to make me buy, buy. buy. Three great remixes, titles inspired by The Sweeney and Kojak, I've picked the main extended version to open today's proceedings.

Vanessa-Mae Vanakorn Nicholson is a phenomenally talented violin player and in 1990s had a similar impact in popularising the instrument - and classical music in general - as Nigel Kennedy had in the previous decade. Dave and Ingo did a couple of remixes for a USA-only 12" single in 1995; the version of Classical Gas featured here arrived in the UK in 1997 as a bonus track on the CD single of I Feel Love. 

The aforementioned Breathe by Kylie Minogue was featured on her album Impossible Princess, before Lady Di's death caused the record to be pulled and reissued as a self-titled album. The single featured remixes by Todd Terry and Sash! though neither come close to the original production by Dave Ball and Ingo Vauk. I'll commit myself to saying it's my favourite Kylie single ever.

Vicious Pink Phenomena (later just Vicious Pink) aka Josie Warden and Brian Moss, started out as backing vocalists for Soft Cell. Dave Ball produced their debut single in 1982 and reappeared (albeit uncredited) on their unexpected 2024 album called, er, Unexpected.

Billie Ray Martin is rarely far away from my playlist, having initially come to my attention with Electribe 101 then via a continuing solo career. The latter launched with a cover of Persuasion by Throbbing Gristle then followed up with the 4 Ambient Tales EP, produced by Dave Ball and Richard Norris as The Grid. It's a beautiful, beautiful quartet of songs and essential listening. 

Hifi Sean is very popular around these parts and his (currently three) albums with David McAlmont are magical, to say the least. In 2016, Sean released his first 'solo' album, Ft., which as the title suggests features collaborations with David, Fred Schneider, Maggie DuMonde and Yoko Ono. On Ultratheque, Sean pairs with Dave Ball and delivers a club classic that nods to the past whilst embracing the future. Great stuff.

Soft Cell and The Grid inevitably remain present throughout the selection. The Grid's follow up to Floatation, also featuring Sacha Souter, is A Beat Called Love. It got to #64 in the UK charts in September 1990. Criminal. It should have been a number one.

The remix of Loving You, Hating Me added here appeared on a promo 12" single in 1983 and is about a minute longer and very different from the version that appeared on the official 12" single and subsequent compilations. 

Last Chance appeared on Soft Cell's 2002 'comeback' Cruelty Without Beauty, which again deserved better than it got at the time. I was thrilled that Dave and Marc were back together and, unlike so many reunions, they remained true to Soft Cell's identity and mission statement without trying to recreate the past.

And there you have it. I struggled a lot with shortlisting a selection of Dave's music, because every single second of it was up for inclusion. I'm happy with the two 12-song selections that I've presented this weekend, in the hope that you'll be inspired by songs you know - and those you don't - to play even more, now and for years to come.

The electronic boy done good.

Thanks Dave, for the light, the shade, the darkness, the joy, the dancing and so many utterly fantastic tunes.

1) Glam Rock Cops (Regan & Carter Mix By The Grid): Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine (1994)

2) A Beat Called Love (Album Version): The Grid ft. Sacha Souter (1990)

3) Loving You, Hating Me (Special Mix By Soft Cell & Mike Thorne): Soft Cell (1983)

4) Breathe (Radio Edit By Dave Ball & Ingo Vauk): Kylie Minogue (1998)

5) Classical Gas (Stradosphere Mix By Dave Ball & Ingo Vauk): Vanessa-Mae (1995)

6) Ghostrider (Cover of Suicide): Gavin Friday & Dave Ball (2009)

7) Man In The Man: Dave Ball ft. Genesis P-Orridge (1983)

8) My Private Tokyo (Remix By Dave Ball): Vicious Pink Phenomena (1982)

9) Planet Of The Blue (Single Version By The Grid): Billie Ray Martin (1993)

10) Ultratheque (Album Version): Hifi Sean ft. Dave Ball (2016)

11) Ecce Homo (Album Version By Dave Ball & Michael Heffernan): Gavin Friday (2024)

12) Last Chance (Album Version By Dave Ball & Ingo Vauk): Soft Cell (2002)

1982: My Private Tokyo EP: 8

1983: In Strict Tempo: 7

1983: Loving You, Hating Me EP: 3

1990: Electric Head: 2

1993: 4 Ambient Tales EP: 9

1994: Glam Rock Cops EP: 1

1995: Classical Gas EP: 5

1998: Breathe EP: 4

2002: Cruelty Without Beauty: 12

2010: Ghostrider EP: 6

2016: Ft.: 10

2024: Ecce Homo: 11

Northern Synth Soul Weekender (Sunday) (1:02:08) (GD) (M)

Northern Synth Soul Weekender (Saturday)

Day 1 of a non-stop ecstatic dancing weekend, celebrating the genius of Dave Ball.
 

I was enraptured the moment I saw Dave and Marc Almond on Top Of The Pops, performing Tainted Love. I was 10 years old, I had no idea about how and why they were subverting the pop - and teatime TV - norms. I just  knew that Soft Cell sounded great, they looked great, they appealed to me in a way that Sparks had, years previously. And they made an unforgettable first impression.

I wasn't into buying records at that point - my pocket money went on comics, books and Star Wars figures - but when I really got into collecting records in my teens, tracking down Soft Cell's singles became a thing. To the extent that, aged 19, when I spotted a pristine import 12" of Memorabilia in a record shop in Perth, Western Australia, it was an essential purchase that joined a small pile of vinyl that was shipped back to Bristol via surface mail. 

Another record that joined that shipment was Floatation by The Grid, Dave's relatively new partnership with Richard Norris, the 12" featuring a collaborative remix on each side with Andrew Weatherall and featuring the dreamy voice of Sacha Souter.

Success was around the corner for The Grid, too, not least with monster (pun intended) single Swamp Thing in 1994. I love The Grid as much as I love Soft Cell, but what I really loved was that Dave Ball had struck gold again and was deservedly scoring hit after hit once more, in addition to the pair's in demand status as remixers par excellence.

One of the blessings - and curses - of the 21st century is that bands never split up or, if they do, they manage to get over their differences and get back together. So it has been with Soft Cell and The Grid, both returning with new material that acknowledges and embraces the passage of time, but retains the spirit that made their previous music so great. 

Personally, seeing Dave Ball's name on a record, whether as writer, performer, producer or remixer, was always enough for me to go ahead and buy, regardless of whether I had heard the song or liked the artist. Dave never let me down. An otherwise dull song or EP would be enlivened by his presence.

Saturday's Northern Synth Soul Weekender is an hour-long, 12-song travelogue, darting back and forth through time, starting with Soft Cell, ending with The Grid and covering lots of extracurricular activity in between.

The Almond/Ball partnership is represented by Metro Mrx from their debut Mutant Moments EP, the sublime pop perfection of Torch, the tabloid-baiting Sex Dwarf and late period single Northern Lights, recorded for the Keychains & Snowstorms 'best of' and heralding their third and final phase.

The dynamic duo of Ball/Norris is via the art of the remix, The Grid transforming singles by Sophie B. Hawkins, The B-52's, If? and Minty (aka Leigh Bowery & co, not the cheeky chappy from EastEnders). You might want to escort those with sensitive ears out of the room, when listening to the last one, there's foul language a plenty.

In 1996, Dave Ball and Ingo Vauk remixed Duggie Dohl Caffrey Stretch Out by Black Star Liner. The same year, The Grid collaborated with Choque Hussain from Black Star Liner on a remix of Jullander Shere by Cornershop. Both highly recommended.

Dave also frequently worked with Psychic TV, not least on the legendary 'acid house' albums Jack The Tab and Tekno Acid Beat in 1988. The latter opens with the single Joy by DJ Doktor Megatrip (aka Genesis P-Orridge) and featuring Luv Bass (aka Dave Ball). Genesis previously performed on two songs from Dave's 1983 solo album, In Strict Tempo, which even now sounds way ahead of its time.

Love Street, also from 1988, was another supergroup of sorts, comprising Dave (Soft Cell), Stephen Mallinder (Cabaret Voltaire), Robert Gordon (Fon Force, Forgemaster, later co-founder of Warp Records), Ruth Joy (Krush) and Jake Harries (Chakk). 

At the tail end of the 2000s, The B-52's back catalogue was revisited and remixed for a series of limited edition EPs. They were a bit hit-and-miss, to be honest, but no so with The Grid's remake of Private Idaho. I love the original version, and this one respects the source whilst reforming it for the dancefloor. 

The Grid were not averse to being remixed themselves, Floatation being a go-to for many artists. Whilst none will ever quite surpass the glorious Weatherall collaborations, some come pretty close. Prins Thomas for one, whose 2011 take adds a compelling bass line and more organic, live-in-the-studio feel. 

Bloody hell, Dave, you know your way around a song.

More tomorrow.

1) Metro Mrx: Soft Cell (1980)

2) Duggie Dohl Caffrey Stretch Out (Remix By Dave Ball & Ingo Vauk): Black Star Liner (1996)

3) Joy (12" Version): DJ Doktor Megatrip ft. Luv Bass (1988)

4) Right Beside You (The Grid 7" Mix By Dave Ball & Richard Norris): Sophie B. Hawkins (1994)

5) Torch (Single Version By Mike Thorne): Soft Cell ft. Cindy Ecstasy (1982)

6) Come On Down To Love Street (On A Rocket Mix): Love Street ft. Jake Harries & Ruth Joy (1988)

7) Private Idaho (The Grid Remix By Dave Ball & Richard Norris): The B-52's (2007)

8) Sex Dwarf (Album Version By Mike Thorne) (Clean Intro): Soft Cell (1981)

9) If? (Kill Wagner Mix By The Grid aka Dave Ball & Richard Norris): If? (1991)

10) Northern Lights (Single Version): Soft Cell (2018)

11) Useless Man (The Grid Edited Mix By Dave Ball & Richard Norris): Minty (1994)

12) Floatation (Prins Thomas Miks By Thomas Hermansen): The Grid (2011)

1980: Mutant Moments EP: 1

1982: Torch EP: 5

1988: Galaxy EP: 6

1988: Joy EP: 3

1991: If? EP: 9

1994: Don't Don't Tell Me No EP: 4

1994: Useless Man EP: 11

1996: Haláal Rock EP: 2

2007: Wild Planet 2007 Remix EP: 7

2011: Floatation EP: 12

2016: Trials Of Eyeliner: Anthology 1979-2016: 8

2018: Northern Lights / Guilty (Cos I Say You Are) EP: 10

Northern Synth Soul Weekender (Saturday) (1:03:57) (GD) (M)

Just Smile And Say Hello

Celebrating Dave Ball, 3rd May 1959 to 22nd October 2025.

I left work on Thursday night and a text popped up from my friend Mike. 

"Have you heard....?"

I hadn't, and I still can't quite believe it's true, even though Dave had been seriously ill for the past few years.

A proper tribute will follow this weekend, when I've had time to gather my thoughts. In the meantime, here are a few (of many, many) fine moments from Dave's partnership with Marc Almond as Soft Cell and Richard Norris as The Grid.

Bless you, Dave.

1) Entertain Me: Soft Cell (1981)

2) A Beat Called Love: The Grid ft. Sacha Souter (1990)

3) Figure Of Eight: The Grid (1992)

4) Texas Cowboys: The Grid (1994)

5) Martin (Dave Ball's Hallowe'en Dub Of Doom): Soft Cell (2025)

6) Say Hello, Wave Goodbye: Soft Cell (1982)

In lieu of a new Dubhed selection, I've refreshed the link to a 55-minute collection of The Grid that I did back in March 2022, which you can find here.

 

 

 

 

 

Because You Demanded More, The Return Of Versions Galore!

Side 2 of a cassette compilation of cover versions, recorded 26th November 1999.

When I posted Side 1 in July 2024, I remarked "Who would have thought a quarter of a century on, many of these artists would still be recording and touring?"

The more sobering realisation is how many artists are sadly no longer with us since I originally recorded the mixtape at the end of the last century: Brian Wilson, Marc Moreland, Tony Ogden, Charlie Watts, Cathal Coughlan, Rod McKuen...and that's just in the first four songs of Side 2 alone.

The other thing that struck me was the 1993 was clearly a good year for cover versions, as demonstrated here by Spell aka Boyd Rice and Rose McDowall, Barry Adamson and Louise Ness, One Dove (Dot sings Dolly!) and Slowdive all turning in versions that hold up well against the originals.

And despite Frente! having the greater commercial success with their cover of a cover, it's the earlier acoustic driven version of Bizarre Love Triangle by Devine & Statton aka Ian Pinchcombe and Alison Statton that wins hands down every time. 

1) Do It Again (Album Version): Wall Of Voodoo vs. The Beach Boys (1987)

2) She's A Rainbow (Left Hand Blue Mix By Fluke): World Of Twist vs. The Rolling Stones (1991)

3) Shiny Happy People: The Fatima Mansions vs. R.E.M. (1991)

4) Seasons In The Sun: Spell vs. Rod McKuen (1993)

5) Jolene (Edit By Khayem): One Dove vs. Dolly Parton (1993)

6) Some Velvet Morning: Slowdive vs. Nancy Sinatra & Lee Hazlewood (1993)

7) Broken English (7" Extended) (Remix By Sunscreem & Phil Bodger): Sunscreem vs. Marianne Faithfull (1992)

8) White Rabbit: The Shower Scene From Psycho vs. The Great Society with Grace Slick (1985)

9) Purple Haze: Soft Cell vs. The Jimi Hendrix Experience (1983)

10) "Heroes": Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie vs. David Bowie (1990)

11) Bizarre Love Triangle: Devine & Statton vs. New Order (1989)

12) Je T'Aime ... Moi Non Plus: Barry Adamson & Louise Ness vs. Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin (1993)

1983: Soul Inside EP: 9

1985: White Rabbit/Cinnamon Girl EP: 8

1987: Happy Planet: 1

1989: Bizarre Love Triangle EP: 11

1990: Love Child EP: 10

1991: Bertie's Brochures: 3

1991: She's A Rainbow EP: 2

1992: Broken English EP: 7

1993: Seasons In The Sun: 4

1993: The Negro Inside Me EP: 12

1993: Volume Seven: 6

1993: Why Don't You Take Me EP: 5

Side Two (46:15) (GD) (M)

Side One here

In September 2022, I posted another all-covers compilation, Hokey Karaoke (Volume One), which repeats some of the tracks from Versions Galore, and can be found here

Muzik For Hair Gel

Day 2 of the Eighties 12" Weekender with a new selection, based on an old idea.

Digging out archive Dubhed selections to include with yesterday's post, I'd planned to include Muzik For Hairspray, a mixtape I'd compiled circa 2000 and posted here in May 2021.

I was barely six months into the blog, Muzik For Hairspray was my 29th post and I had no expectation at the time that five years and over 1,500 posts later, I may want to re-post the selection...so I deleted it.

In recreating the original mixtape (again), I was inspired to create a companion set, inspiringly titled Muzik For Hair Gel.

The idea was simple enough: use exactly the same artists and sequence of the Muzik For Hairspray mixtape*, just different songs, and ideally ones that I hadn't used on a previous 12"/80s compilation. And it was that last bit that took the most time!

That said, I'm pretty happy with the end result. After the controversy of 1979's Pop Musik on the previous comp, today's song by M (aka Robin Scott) was genuinely released in the 1980s...just. 

Official Secrets was only released on 7" in the UK and many other countries, though the Spanish put the full length album version on theirs, and Mexico went one step further by putting it on a promo 12". Tick!

I've used the dub remix of Love Calling by Sir William of Idol in a previous Best of Billy selection, so I stuck with the album version. As with Mexico, it was Australia to the rescue this time, releasing this version on a promo 12" single. Double tick!

This is the fourth appearance on this blog of Boom! There She Was (Sonic Property Mix) by Scritti Politti. However, whilst the previous three selections all featured an edit included on the UK 12", this time it's the unexpurgated 9-minute version direct from the U.S.A. 

Divine makes a welcome reappearance, again teaming up with Bobby Orlando for Love Reaction. But what 1983 12" single could possibly have inspired their own dancefloor smash?

* With one exception.

Having recorded this selection first, I then revisited Muzik For Hairspray, only to discover too late that I've accidentally missed off the last song on Side 1 when I originally posted the tracklist. So, apologies to Belouis Some for missing out on Muzik For Hair Gel. Them's the showbiz breaks, I guess!

This weekend's selections are dedicated to Mike, his mates and anyone else making their way to the Milton Keynes Bowl for today's Forever Now festival, featuring several of today's artists and some unbelievably great headliners to boot. Have a fab day!

And a very happy birthday to Green Gartside, who is 70 today!

Side One

1) Official Secrets (Album Version By Robin Scott): M ft. Brigit Vinchon (1980)

2) Love Calling (Album Version By Keith Forsey): Billy Idol (1982)

3) Cccan't You See... (8:15 To Nowhere Mix By Tony Mansfield): Vicious Pink (1984)

4) Love Reaction (12" Version By Bobby Orlando): Divine (1983)

5) Junk (Remixed By Harvey Goldberg): Bronski Beat (1984)

6) Dissidents (The Search For Truth Part II) (Remix By François Kevorkian & Dominick Maita): Thomas Dolby (1984)

7) Where The Heart Is (12" Version By Mike Thorne & Harvey Goldberg): Soft Cell (1982)

Side Two

1) Boom! There She Was (Sonic Property Mix By Steve Thompson & Michael Barbiero) (Full Length): Scritti Politti ft. Roger Troutman (1988)

2) Channel Z (Rock Mix By Don Was & Michael Hutchinson): The B-52's (1989)

3) On Your Own (New York Mix By Steve Thompson & Michael Barbiero): Pete Shelley (1986)

4) Let's All Make A Bomb (New Version By B.E.F. & Greg Walsh): Heaven 17 (1983)

5) Shock (The Shep Pettibone Mix): The Psychedelic Furs (1987)

6) It's Called A Heart (Extended) (Remix By Depeche Mode & Daniel Miller): Depeche Mode (1985)

7) Without You (12" Mix By Tim Friese-Greene): Talk Talk (1984)

Side One (45:52) (GD) (M)

Side Two (46:19) (GD) (M)

You can find Muzik For Hairspray here

And, for your further 12/80s listening pleasure:

Flying In The Face Of Fashion (2022)

Just Walk Don't Talk (2022)

Fun To Think (2023)

No Games (2024)

Party Down, Rock The House (2024)

Cover Stories

I hope you're sitting comfortably, this is a mammoth Marc Almond post...

 

On Wednesday 18th September, Mrs. K and I spent an evening in the company of Mr. Almond and band at the Bristol Beacon. I first - and last - saw Marc live in concert on 11th October 1988 (and wrote about it in 2022) so, at just shy of 36 years, it's the biggest gap between gigs that I've been to by the same artist.

In 1988, I had to miss the tail end of the show to get the last bus home (!). No such worries in 2024 but on both occasions it was a weekday concert with work the following day. Nearly four decades on, this can be a more grueling experience, especially as (for me, at least), it was my third gig in the space of a week. There were consequences later.

Having not been to the Bristol Beacon since it was renamed and relaunched in 2020, this was the third time Mrs. K had seen a gig there this year, after O.M.D. and Future Islands. This was notably different for a couple of reasons:

1) It was a fully seated show;

2) We had seats in the lower tier, rather than the stalls.

 

Due to the usual logistical challenges of crossing Gloucestershire to get home from work, grab a bite to eat with Clan K, then drive into Bristol, it was inevitable that the support act, Alex Lipinski, wouldn't get a look in. 

 

I've not (yet) heard any of Alex's music, but I'm always disappointed to miss an opening artist and we at least had the consolation that he joined Marc and the band onstage for a couple of songs later in the evening.

As we entered the venue, it was notably quieter in the foyer and up the stairs than on our previous visits and as I proffered the tickets for checking, the usher brightly but ominously said that we were welcome to swap our lower tier tickets for the stalls if we wanted to. We politely declined, but the whiff of an undersold show was suddenly apparent.

We made our way to our seats, a narrow and precarious front row with a higher row behind separated by a wired barrier. No such protection for us from pitching over the front and down into the stalls below. What we did get was a fantastic elevated and full view of the stage. Unfortunately, we also got a view of just how undersold the gig was.

There was a delay to the start of the show, presumably to persuade a few more audience members to swap their tickets. These gaps weren't much smaller as the lights went down, we had plenty of spaces in our row, and it didn't look like there was anyone in the upper tier at all. At least Marc won't see what a piss poor turnout there's been, I thought to myself.

 

The band came on first - all eight of them - including Neal X aka Neal Whitmore, infamously with Sigue Sigue Sputnik but arguably now

 better known as Marc's foil since the mid-1990s. After a few seconds to settle, the band launch into I'm The Light, the opening track of Marc's current album, I'm Not Anyone.

And then Marc himself arrives, all in black (hair included) with the obligatory shades, taking to the microphone, grandly proclaiming

It's not the Devil that you conjure
When you turn your back on me
You'll just be looking in the shadows
I'm the light, I'm the light
I'm the only one you'll see.

I'm The Light was originally released by Blue Cheer in 1971 and tonight the opening song of a setlist that was entirely comprised of cover versions. Marc's a great storyteller in his own right, but his career has also seen him as a consumate interpreter of other people's songs, going right back to Soft Cell's first #1 in 1981, featuring cover versions on both vinyl sides, with Tainted Love and Where Did Your Heart Go.

I'm Not Anyone is as good as any of the many covers albums that Marc has previously released (and that's not meant to be faint praise). Surprisingly, it's dispatched early on, four consecutive songs and then just one more, right at the end. It's less a reflection of the album's quality and more of the sheer number of songs Marc has covered in the last forty-odd years.

After a moving version of Trouble Of The World, joined up front by Bryan Chambers, we then get an expansive and delightful tour of Marc's back catalogue. First up a brace of early solo releases with a majestic version of A Womans Story, followed by The Heel, respectively made famous by Cher and Eartha Kitt. I was also delighted that The House Is Haunted (By The Echo Of Your Last Goodbye), my first solo Marc Almond single purchase in 1985, also got an airing later in the evening.

 

There's an introduction (and frequently an anecdote) between each song, Marc acknowledging the songwriters as well as the performers, and explaining what the song or artist means to him. We're about 25 to 30 minutes in when Marc then takes to his chair and tells us about Charles Aznavour.

As any Marc fan will know, two songwriters that he has been hugely influenced by and revisited frequently in his career are Charles Aznavour and Jacques Brel. The latter featured later, but what we got at this point was four Aznavour songs, back-to-back.

 

Starting with a stripped back version of The Boss Is Dead, Neal also seated and swapping guitar for thigh slaps, they're all great performances, though it did feel that the energy dipped a little. Or maybe that was just me. 

 

The exertions of a full-on day at work and getting to the gig clearly caught up with me and I was mortified to get a poke from Mrs. K, as I was apparently - and noticeably - nodding off at one point. And during Yesterday, When I Was Young to boot. Oh, the irony! It wouldn't have happened if I'd been standing...

Suitably chastened and alert, I was immediately rewarded with a version of Terrapin, the Syd Barrett song that featured on Marc & The Mambas' debut album, Untitled. This was followed by Gloomy Sunday, the Billie Holiday classic, also interpreted by the Mambas on their second and final album, Torment And Toreros. 

 

The studio version of Gloomy Sunday was part of a medley and included a snippet of Bobby Darin's Dream Lover. Marc revisited the song in 2007 for the covers album Stardom Road and fittingly, it was the next song in this setlist. Marc then performed the title track of said album which, over the course of the show, got as many songs (5) as his current effort.

It was apparent by now that the song selection skated and danced back and forth across Marc's long and storied and deep cuts were as likely as the big hits. One Night Of Sin, recorded in 1952 (released in 1956) by Smiley Lewis but famous for the later version by Elvis Presley, is a prime example. 

 

I think Marc's version was an exclusive for the soundtrack of Jez Butterworth's 1997 film Mojo. I got it via a music magazine freebie CD (sadly, not Mojo!) around the same time and it's since popped up on the deluxe reissue of contemporary album Open All Night. It's a rousing, showstopping version in it's live setting.

Marc and band were far from done, though. There were inevitable nods to Marc's other teen idols, David Bowie and Steve Harley, the latter with a hilarious introductory anecdote before Marc (eventually) got a to a beautiful version of Sebastian.

 

From there, Marc and the band switched up a gear for the final leg, all the big hits with a big, big sound: The Days Of Pearly Spencer, Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart, Soft Cell's breakthrough Tainted Love and Jacky, the second Jacques Brel song of the night albeit better known for Scott Walker's translation.

 

Technically, the last few songs were encores but, from our vantage point, Mrs. K and I could clearly see that on the couple of times that Marc said he was leaving the stage, he barely made it as far as the door before turning on his heels and heading back to the microphone. 

After a stirring rendition of I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten (sadly, no Sarah Cracknell, as on the studio version), it really was time for the final song, the title song of I'm Not Anyone. Despite acknowledging that he'd been suffering from a cold all week, Marc was in fine voice throughout and delivered a stunning show, nearly two hours, the spaces between songs filled with one brilliant story after another.

In true showbiz fashion, Marc gathered the band in a row for a final round of bows and applause. Possibly due to the late start and the strict curfew, the house lights abruptly came up before the stage had been cleared. Marc will have inevitably clocked the rows of empty stall seats in his direct line of sight and it seemed a rather cruel stroke, after such a wonderful performance. 

 

I'm not sure when or if I will get to see Marc perform live in concert again, but this show was one for Mrs. K and I to treasure always. 

...So, how can I possibly hope to recapture a 26-song, 2-hour show in a Dubhed selection? 

 

I briefly toyed with the idea of doing it in two parts, as with the recent Lloyd Cole concert. However, whereas that was two separate and distinct sets, Marc's show was a continuous sequence of songs, so strap in, there's a mega 100-minute selection coming up.

Since my 2022 post, I've pretty much filled the gaps in my Marc Almond collection, up to and including the current album, so recreating the setlist was mostly straightforward. There were a few challenges, however.

To the best of my knowledge, Marc hasn't (yet) recorded The Boss Is Dead and premiered it live on the current tour, with no bootlegs currently available online. To preserve the entire setlist, I've taken the unusual step of including the original English language version by Charles Aznavour from 1962. Marc pretty much delivered the song as you're hearing it here. 

Likewise, I don't believe that there's a studio version of What Makes A Man A Man, but the live version featured here was released as a single and on the album 12 Years Of Tears in 1992.

As mentioned above, Gloomy Sunday appeared on the Marc & The Mambas album Torment And Toreros as a medley with an original song (Narcissus) and another cover (Vision by Peter Hammill). The medley runs to nearly 12 minutes so I've carefully edited the relevant section, retaining the Dream Lover intro.  

 

Marc & The Mambas' debut Untitled featured the first of many versions of If You Go Away that Marc has recorded. I found it deeply moving then and still do now; here though I've opted for a later, warmer version that Marc featured on 1989 album Jacques, entirely dedicated to covers of Brel songs.

Sebastian by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel is another cover that has been performed by Marc for the first time on this tour. Fortunately, I found a live bootleg from the Brighton show a couple of nights before, including (most) of Marc's hilarious Harley tale whilst Martin Watkins gamely ad-libs on piano.

It would have been sensible to go for the chart-busting version of Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart with Gene Pitney on board. Naturally, I've gone for the solo recording that appeared on initial versions of The Stars We Are until it was replaced by the subsequent, hugely successful duet. I prefer the former, to be honest.

If all of this has left you wanting even more Marc Almond, then I've also reactivated links to two previous posts / selections:

A Promise Of Heaven Or Hell In Your Song (Jan 2022)

Playing Up The Vamp (May 2023)

A final thanks to Mrs. K for supplying several of the photos accompanying today's post and for being there with me on the night. A wonderful experience, even more wonderful for sharing it. Oh, and thanks for that subtle poke during the Aznavour suite!

Phew, I need a lie down after all that…

 

1) I'm The Light (Cover of Blue Cheer): Marc Almond (2024)

2) Gone With The Wind (Is My Love) (Cover of Rita & The Tiaras): Marc Almond (2024)

3) Elusive Butterfly (Cover of Bob Lind): Marc Almond (2024)

4) Trouble Of The World (Cover of traditional song / Mahalia Jackson): Marc Almond ft. Bryan Chambers (2024)

5) A Womans Story (Cover of Cher): Marc Almond (1986)

6) The Heel (Cover of Eartha Kitt): Marc Almond (1984)

7) The Boss Is Dead: Charles Aznavour (1962)

8) Yesterday, When I Was Young (Cover of Charles Aznavour): Marc Almond (1993)

9) What Makes A Man A Man (Live @ The Royal Albert Hall, London) (Cover of Charles Aznavour): Marc Almond (1992)

10) I Have Lived (Cover of Charles Aznavour): Marc Almond (2007)

11) Terrapin (Cover of Syd Barrett): Marc & The Mambas (1982)

12) Gloomy Sunday (Cover of Billie Holiday): Marc & The Mambas (1983)

13) Dream Lover (Cover of Bobby Darin): Marc Almond (2007)

14) One Night Of Sin (Cover of Smiley Lewis): Marc Almond (1997)

15) How Can I Be Sure (Album Version) (Cover of The Young Rascals): Marc Almond (2017)

16) The London Boys (Cover of David Bowie): Marc Almond (2007)

17) Stardom Road (Cover of Third World War): Marc Almond (2007)

18) If You Go Away (Cover of Jacques Brel): Marc Almond (1989)

19) Sebastian (Live @ Brighton Dome, Brighton) (Cover of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel): Marc Almond (2024)

20) The House Is Haunted (By The Echo Of Your Last Goodbye) (Single Version) (Cover of Paul Whiteman presents Ramona): Marc Almond ft. The Willing Sinners (1985)

21) Extract From "Trois Chanson De Bilitis" / The Days Of Pearly Spencer (Album Version) (Cover of Claude Debussy / David McWilliams): Marc Almond ft. Sally Bradshaw (1991)

22) Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart (Album Version) (Cover of Gene Pitney): Marc Almond (1988)

23) Tainted Love (Single Version) (Cover of Gloria Jones): Soft Cell (1981)

24) Jacky (7" Version) (Cover of Jacques Brel): Marc Almond (1991)    

25) I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten (Cover of Dusty Springfield): Marc Almond ft. Sarah Cracknell (2007)

26) I'm Not Anyone (Cover of Sammy Davis, Jr.): Marc Almond (2024) 

 

1962: The Time Is Now: 7 

1981: Tainted Love EP: 23

1982: Untitled: 11

1983: Torment And Toreros: 12

1984: Tenderness Is A Weakness EP: 6 

1985: The House Is Haunted (By The Echo Of Your Last Goodbye) EP: 20

1986: A Womans Story EP: 5

1988: The Stars We Are: 22

1989: Jacques: 18

1991: Jacky EP: 24

1991: Tenement Symphony: 21

1993: Absinthe: The French Album: 8

1993: 12 Years Of Tears: 9

1997: Mojo OST: 14

2007: Stardom Road: 10, 13, 16, 17, 25

2017: Shadows And Reflections: 15

2024: I'm Not Anyone: 1, 2, 3, 4, 26

2024: Live In Brighton 2024 (bootleg): 19            

 

Cover Stories (1:38:51) (GD) (M)