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)

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