The Original Bee, Bee And Gee (But No Bee Gees, If You Know What I Mean)

One of the highlights in a year of great albums has been the debut by Butler, Blake & Grant.

Their debut as a trio perhaps, but these are legends in their own right: 

Bernard Butler, Suede, McAlmont & Butler, über producer

Norman Blake, Teenage Fanclub, BMX Bandits

James Grant, Love And Money, Friends Again

...as well as numerous solo ventures and collaborations over the decades.

I'll come back to Butler, Blake & Grant as a recording and performing threesome another time. Today's selection plucks four gems from each artist's extensive catalogue to present 47 minutes of deep cuts and should-have-been smash hits.

What a talented trio. And lovely blokes, too. But that's a story for another time.

1) Let's Go Away: Bernard Butler (1999)

2) Groovy Good Luck Friend (Janice Long Session): BMX Bandits (1986)

3) Winter '89: Love And Money (1989)

4) A Change Of Heart (Single Version): Bernard Butler (1998)

5) God Knows It's True: Teenage Fanclub (1990)

6) State Of Art (The Spiral Tribe Edition): Friends Again (1995)

7) The Patron Saint Of The Lost Cause (Album Version): Catherine Anne Davies & Bernard Butler (2020)

8) Baby Lee: Teenage Fanclub (2010)

9) Hubcap To Blue Town: Love And Money (1991)

10) My Dark Star: Suede (1994)

11) Golden Shower: The Boy Hairdressers (1987)

12) Wanderlust II: Love And Money (1988)

1986: Janice Long Session, BBC Radio 1, 8th June 1986: 2

1987: Golden Shower EP: 11

1988: Halleluiah Man EP: 12

1990: God Knows It's True EP: 5

1991: Winter EP: 3

1991: Wishing Waters EP: 9

1994: Stay Together EP: 10

1995: Spiral Tribe Volume 1: 6

1998: A Change Of Heart EP: 4

1999: Friends And Lovers: 1

2010: Shadows: 8

2020: In Memory Of My Feelings: 7

The Original Bee, Bee And Gee (But No Bee Gees, If You Know What I Mean) (47:15) (Mega)

Decadance IV: 1997

Side 2 of my sojourn through the 1990s, skidding to a halt in 1997.

The year that Labour ousted the Tories from government in a landslide general election result. The year that Princess Diana died in a car crash, attempting to escape the paparazzi. The year that The Notorious B.I.G. was murdered. The year that we got a glimpse of the comet Hale–Bopp passing by our tiny planet. The year that South Park debuted on TV.  

It was also the year of the mud, at least if you were at Glastonbury that summer.  If that wasn't disappointing enough, Neil Young pulled out of a headline slot, to be replaced by Kula Shaker. No refunds on your £75 ticket.

At a glance, 1997 may seem like a dire year for music. Candle In The Wind by Elton John was the year's biggest seller by a long chalk, released the weekend following Princess Diana's funeral. The rest of the Top 5 was made up of Aqua, Puff Daddy and Faith Evans, and the 'various artists' patchwork cover of Perfect Day by Lou Reed. Oh, and Teletubbies.  

Sadly, Bristol-born actor and comedian Dave Thompson couldn't enjoy the latter's #1 success in December 1997 as five months previously he'd been given the boot as Tinky Winky (the purple one, I had to look it up). Apparently, BBC bosses deemed that Dave's "interpretation of the role was not acceptable". 

No such comment from the BBC about Katrina & The Waves' performance at the Eurovision Song Contest, representing the United Kingdom. Surprisingly, they won it. Less surprisingly, 1997 remains the last time that the UK have won it. 

There was lots of great music in 1997 too, so don't despair. I've sifted through and found a dozen nuggets that haven't lost their shine in the last three decades.

Remember Indie Kylie? Kylie Minogue's sixth album Impossible Princess underwent a swift swap to an untitled/eponymous UK release in 1997, following Diana's death (the original title reinstated in 2003). 

Kylie co-wrote the album, mostly with Brothers In Rhythm, Dave Ball and Ingo Vauk. A couple of songs were written with Manic Street Preachers, including the rather fab Some Kind Of Bliss. These were the days when Kylie wasn't guaranteed a #1 with every single but even so, #22 was a bit harsh.  

I've surprised myself by upping 1996's brace of UK #1s with a hat-trick today. First up is You're Not Alone, originally a #42 hit for Olive in September 1996, then re-released and hitting the top spot in May 1997. Olive never really bettered this song. 

Likewise, White Town whose single Your Woman gained traction on Radio 1 thanks to Mark Radcliffe and became a global hit. Your Woman proved to be a lightning-in-a-bottle moment for Jyoti Mishra, and neither the B-sides, album or subsequent music could hope to match the inspired brilliance of this song. 

Block Rockin' Beats was The Chemical Brothers' second #1 and also proved to be their last, although Tom and Ed enjoyed a further ten Top 20 hits between 1997 and 2007. 

A second appearance for Suede, with the final single from third album Coming Up. Feeling sidelined and dismissed by the music press, who were lathering over Blur, Oasis and Pulp, Brett Anderson determined to "write a straightforward pop album. Just ten hits." And he was half right, in as much as Suede's label released five of the ten songs as singles in the UK, every one of them cracking the Top 10. 

When I first settled on the track listing for 1997 (from the usual shortlist of nearly 50 songs), I'd expected quite a few of them to have been minor hits, outside the Top 40 at least. I was surprised to find that only two fit that particular bill.

Today's Mandatory Andrew Weatherall song is Touch Me With Your Love by Beth Orton, which peaked at 60 in January 1997. Touch Me With Your Love was released as a standalone single and, according to the credits, reproduced rather than remixed by Weatherall and his fellow lone swordsman Keith Tenniswood. 

Death In Vegas, led by Richard Fearless, would go onto greater things in 2000s but I was a huge fan of debut album, Dead Elvis. Rocco only got to #51 but it's a cracking single, with it's sampled refrain of "Gonna die if sweetness should pass me by" inspiring the name of a mixtape I made for my brother.

Other first-timers which I happily discovered all made a dent in the Top 40 are My Life Story, Tindersticks and Monaco, the latest venture from Peter Hook. In What Do You Want From Me?, Hooky created one of the best New Order singles that New Order never made.

An honorable mention to Blue Boy aka Lex Blackmore. Like You're Not Alone, Remember Me was released as a single the year before, but a remix by Sure Is Pure in 1997 rocketed the song to #8. Like Olive, Blue Boy are pretty much only remembered for Remember Me (see what I did there?). Trivia fans may be thrilled to know that this is Lex Blackmore's second appearance in the Decadance series. Way back in 1990, Lex accompanied The Shamen on Make It Mine as one half of rap duo Rhyme & Reason.

Last but not least, Daft Punk with a catchy little tune called Da Funk. The song first came out in 1995 and I first heard it on Annie Nightingale's late night Radio 1 show sometime in 1996. Da Funk was edited and packaged as a double A-side with Musique, giving the French robots a #7 hit in February 1997. The rest is history. Well, of course it is!

Next weekend sees the final two installments of the Decadance series, as I take a long hard look at 1998 and 1999, trying to decide whether to party like Prince or try to back up all my computer files ahead of the inevitable crash caused by the Millennium Bug, dragging society as we know it back into The Dark Ages.

1) Some Kind Of Bliss (Radio Edit): Kylie Minogue 

2) Filmstar (Original Demo): Suede 

3) Strumpet (Album Version): My Life Story 

4) What Do You Want From Me? (Edit): Monaco 

5) Remember Me (Sure Is Pure 7” Edit): Blue Boy ft. Marlena Shaw 

6) Touch Me With Your Love (Radio Edit): Beth Orton 

7) Bathtime (Single Remix): Tindersticks 

8) You're Not Alone (Radio Edit): Olive 

9) Rocco (DRVRSLZ Edit): Death In Vegas 

10) Block Rockin' Beats (Radio Edit): The Chemical Brothers ft. Schoolly D 

11) Da Funk (Radio Edit): Daft Punk 

12) Your Woman (Album Version): White Town 

19th January 1997: Women In Technology (#1): 12 

26th January 1997: Touch Me With Your Love EP (#60): 6 

9th February 1997: Remember Me EP (#8): 5 

16th February 1997: Da Funk/Musique EP (#7): 11 

9th March 1997: What Do You Want From Me? (#11): 4 

30th March 1997: Block Rockin' Beats EP (#1): 10 

11th May 1997: The Golden Mile (#27): 3 

11th May 1997: You're Not Alone EP (#1): 8 

1st June 1997: Bathtime EP (#38): 7 

17th August 1997: Filmstar EP (#9): 2 

14th September 1997: Some Kind Of Bliss EP  (#22): 1 

26th October 1997: Rocco EP  (#51): 9 

Side Two (46:09) (GD) (M)

Side One here

Decadance II: 1993

Side 2 of my 'maginary 90s mixtape, focusing on 1993.

 

The carefree college days were drawing to a close, and final exams loomed. 

 

I got to look at the work of Joan Miró, Antoni Gaudí, Salvador Dalí, Pablo Picasso and many more up close and personal for the first time in Barcelona. 

 

I went with my girlfriend, her best fried and boyfriend to the inaugural Phoenix Festival in Stratford-upon-Avon, where I saw, amongst others, Manic Street Preachers, Sonic Youth, Faith No More, Julian Cope (who I saw twice in '93), The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy, Utah Saints, Back To The Planet, House Of Pain, Sandals, Senser, The Young Gods, Credit To The Nation, Ian McNabb, Sheep On Drugs, The Black Crowes and Pop Will Eat Itself. Only one of them makes an appearance in today's selection.

 

Poor old Pop Will Eat Itself. This is the second time that PWEI made it to the last 14 and failed to survive the final edit. They'll be even more gutted that on this occasion, the nearly ran was Get The Girl! Kill The Baddies! which was surprisingly a #9 hit in January 1993 and, perhaps less surprisingly, their only Top 10 hit. The window of opportunity is closing for the lads as 1994 would prove to be the last time they cracked the Top 40. 

So which of the Phoenix Festival luminaries made it? Credit To The Nation of course, with their Nirvana riffing anthem that is Call It What You Want. Front person Matty Hanson was a compelling performer on stage, and they deserved bigger and better things.

 

Not the only rap to show up here, with Cypress Hill, whose song landed in my grubby mitts in 1994, courtesy of Reading Present, a cover-mounted cassette freebie with Melody Maker. Having no tolerance for potty language, of course, the UK single was re-titled When The Ship Goes Down (or Sh--, depending where you saw it promoted).

 

When it came to choosing today's Mandatory Andrew Weatherall...well, I couldn't. In fact, at one point, I nearly went for the triple with the squalling, spiky Sabres Of Paradise remix of Leftfield/Lydon's mighty Open Up. Instead, there's One Dove with White Love. There was a sanitised, radio friendly single verson, but the one to go for is the Guitar Paradise mix by Andrew and the band with Sabres compadres Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns. Much as I would love to include the full length album version, it's well over ten minutes, so here's the US promo edit, which was also used for the official video. Dot Allison is of course uber cool throughout.

 

The second MAW for 1993 is New Order's comeback single, Regret. I'll be honest, I didn't warm to the single when I first heard it, but Andrew, Jagz and Gary opened my eyes and ears to it's potential with a couple of next-level remixes. The Slow 'n' Lo remix is just shy of thirteen minutes, split into vocal and dub halves; this is the former, a sublime skank that suits Bernard's voice perfectly.

 

Also getting two bites of the cherry are Fluke, firstly with their remix of Björk's Big Time Sensuality, which she loved so much that it became the official single and video version. You can see why, it's four minutes of pure joy. I loved Fluke's previous music, but this tipped into something of an obsession in 1993, with the release of The Techno Rose Of Blighty, a slew of superb singles (including Slid, today's featured song) and tons of top notch remixes. As with Andrew Weatherall, I tried my darnedest to track down everything that had Fluke on it. Still love 'em as much now as I did then.

 

The same can be said for Justin Robertson, who expanded from DJing and remixing to releasing original music as Lionrock, accompanied by wordsmith MC Buzz B. Packet Of Peace was the second single and the first of four Top 40 hits.

 

Not that the rest of today's selection is anything less than excellent. No #1's this time perhaps but nine Top 40 hits is not to be sniffed at. And the ones that didn't make the Top 40 really should have.

 

1994 was a bit of a divergent path in my life, but what remained unwavering was my love for music. Some good tunes coming up? Probably!

 

1) Big Time Sensuality (The Fluke Minimix): Björk

2) Who Do You Think You Are (Single Version) (Cover of Candlewick Green): Saint Etienne ft. Debsey Wykes

3) When The Shit Goes Down (Diamond D Remix By Joseph Kirkland): Cypress Hill

4) White Love (Guitar Paradise Edit By One Dove & Sabres Of Paradise): One Dove

5) Walking In My Shoes (Random Carpet Single Edit By William Orbit): Depeche Mode

6) Regret (Sabres Slow 'n' Lo (Vocal) Remix By Sabres Of Paradise): New Order

7) Cannonball: The Breeders

8) Packet Of Peace (7" Edit By Justin Robertson & Mark Stagg): Lionrock ft. MC Buzz B

9) Slid (Glid Edit): Fluke

10) Call It What You Want (Single Version): Credit To The Nation

11) Animal Nitrate: Suede

12) Feed The Tree: Belly

 

17th January 1993: Feed The Tree EP (#32): 12

28th February 1993: Animal Nitrate EP (#2): 11

14th March 1993: Slid EP (#59): 9

18th April 1993: Regret EP (#4): 6

2nd May 1993: Packet Of Peace EP (#32): 8

9th May 1993: Walking In My Shoes EP (#14): 5

16th May 1993: Call It What You Want EP (#57): 10

23rd May 1993: Hobart Paving/Who Do You Think You Are EP (#23): 2 

1st August 1993: White Love EP (#43): 4 

15th August 1993: Last Splash (#40): 7

26th September 1993: When The Shit Goes Down EP (#19): 3

28th November 1993: Big Time Sensuality EP (#17): 1

 

Side Two (46:32) (GD) (M)

Karaoke Kings

Side 2 of a mixtape, which I think was compiled around late 1996, possibly early 1997.

 

Time to usher the weekend 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. Yes, it's Friday and it's karaoke time at your local spit 'n' sawdust bar.

1) Downtown (Album Version): The Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu vs. Petula Clark (1988)

2) You Keep Me Hanging On (12" Version): Colourbox vs. The Supremes (1985)

3) She (Disco Mix): Vegas vs. Charles Aznavour (1992)

4) Brass In Pocket: Suede vs. The Pretenders (1992)

5) Lost In Music (Single Version): The Fall vs. Sister Sledge (1993)

6) The Slider: Gavin Friday vs. T. Rex (1995)

7) That's The Way (I Like It) (Extended Version By Zeus B. Held): Dead Or Alive vs. KC & The Sunshine Band (1984)

8) Black Betty: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds vs. Leadbelly (1986)

9) Zoom: The Boo Radleys vs. Fat Larry's Band (1994)

10) Emma: The Sisters Of Mercy vs. Hot Chocolate (1988)

11) California Dreamin': American Music Club vs. The Mamas & The Papas (1994)

 

1984: That's The Way (I Like It) EP: 7

1985: The Moon Is Blue EP: 2 

1986: The Singer EP: 8

1988: Dominion EP: 10

1988: Shag Times: 1 

1992: Ruby Trax: The NME's Roaring Forty: 4

1992: She EP: 3

1993: Why Are People Grudgeful? EP: 5

1994: Barney (...And Me) EP: 9 

1994: Can You Help Me EP: 11

1995: Shag Tobacco: 6

Side Two (46:01) (Box) (Mega)

Chic Thug Stuttered Through A Stereo Dream

I have too much collected music. Simple as that. 

I listen to music for at least 2-3 hours every day, directly tuned in through my headphones, in the background whilst I'm working from home or soundtracking my business commutes across Gloucesterhire. I try to discover new music, revisit old favourites and dust off songs neglected in the depths of my hard drive. 

This selection falls into the latter category, Apple Music stating plainly (though with a possible hint of cybernetic smugness) that I have failed to give any of these songs an airing since November 2013. Jeez, that's nearly 8 years ago, where did the time go?!

The common thread here - apart from the fact that they're all very long - is that I first heard them in the 1990s, a time when I was fully immersed in electronic and ambient music. Gavin Bryars' truly epic Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet dates from two decades previously, originally paired with his equally epic The Sinking Of The Titanic. However, like many, I first heard the song on the radio - possibly Annie Nightingale's wee hours BBC Radio 1 show - in the re-recorded version with Tom Waits from 1993, which places it with the other songs in this selection. 

The post title is a line from the album version of the opening song (in this remix arguably better titled Eno's Removing The Band), Brett Anderson trying to channel Mark E. Smith, perhaps.

 

1) Eno's Introducing The Band (Remix By Brian Eno): Suede (1994)

2) Mogwai Fear Satan (Mogwai Remix, LP Version): Mogwai (1998)

3) Democracy (The Russian Tundra Mix By Le Petite Orb & Sheldon Isaac): Killing Joke (1996)

4) Wild Horse (Global Mix Communication) (Remixed by Tom Middleton & Mark Pritchard): Nav Katze (1994)

5) Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet (Album Version): Gavin Bryars (1975)

Chic Thug Stuttered Through A Stereo Dream (1:24:22) (GD) (M)

A Lovely Bit Of Squirrel

Friday Night Dinner: 10 Years And A Lovely Bit Of Squirrel aired on Channel 4 last night. Intended as a celebration of the hugely popular sitcom's anniversary, it sadly also became a tribute to actor Paul Ritter, who died on 5th April. Friday Night Dinner ran for six series and 36 episodes plus 1 special, a brilliantly observed comedy with lots of puerile pranks, bizarre behaviour, catchphrases galore (including the inspiration for today's title), laugh out loud moments balanced with moments of pathos and poignancy.

 

It was an emotional 90 minutes, with some classic clips and outtakes, and insights from Robert Popper, who created the show and wrote every single episode, and the cast. Paul Ritter was clearly very ill at this point the interviews were filmed, and it was heartbreaking to see him so unwell but his love and passion for the show shone through. What an incredible and selfless man. The final episode aired in the UK on 1st May 2020, in the early weeks of the first national lockdown and was a welcome salve. The series' availability on streaming services will hopefully ensure that it's popularity and Paul Ritter's comedic brilliance will endure.

Inspired by last night's show, here's a 90 minute sequence of animal related songs, kicking off with the Friday Night Dinner theme and over 21 songs taking you through various musical genres and eventually full circle with a dub-flavoured re-rub of the opening song. As Paul Ritter's character Martin Goodman would frequently exclaim, "Shit on it!"

 

1) Animal (Punks Jump Up Remix): Miike Snow (2009)

2) Animal Magic (Dance Vocal) (Remix By Justin Strauss & Murray Elias): Belouis Some (1987)

3) New Town Animal In A Furnished Cage: XTC (1978)

4) Animals: Talking Heads (1979)

5) How Animals Move: John Parish (2002)

6) We Love Animals (The Love Supreme Remix): Crookers ft. Soulwax & Mixhell (2010)

7) Like An Animal (Album Version): The Glove (1983)

8) March Of The Balloon Animals: Dengue Fever (2009)

9) Animal (New Mix): R.E.M. (2004)

10) Animal Magic (Album Version): The Blow Monkeys (1986)

11) Strangle Your Animal: Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie (1988)

12) Animal Nitrate: Suede (1993)

13) Animals & Men (Album Version): Adam & The Ants (1979)

14) Animal Static (Remix): Grinderman (2007)

15) Party Animal: Luke Vibert & B.J. Cole (2000)

16) Crazy Farm Animal (Single Version): Julian Cope (1989)

17) Do Animals Believe In God?: Pink Military (1980)

18) Strange Animal: Sparks (2008)

19) Animal In The Mirror: Luxuria (1988)

20) Animal Magic: Adrian Sherwood ft. Lee 'Scratch' Perry (2006)

21) Animal (Mark Ronson Extended Dub Remix): Miike Snow (2009)

Animals (1:30:45)