Was It That Obvious?

Rounding off my 3-day celebration of Australia, what better way to get the weekend started than with Kylie?!

 

If Dubhed was a prize-giving blog, then Charity Chic would have cleaned up yesterday with his astute prediction. Unfortunately, it's not but hopefully the crushing disappointment will be offset by the prospect of nearly 90 minutes of Ms. Minogue.

This being Friday, I've often tended to feature selections of 12" mixes and slightly more 'up' music so in Australian terms, it was always likely to be Kylie over Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, wasn't it? Although they did collaborate back in 1995, including a memorable appearance on Top Of The Pops, when the pop princess reinvented herself as Indie Kylie.

Today's selection however focuses solely on Disco Kylie, spanning three decades and showing no sign of slowing down now we're midway through the 2020s. 

Although her music career exploded from the Stock, Aitken & Waterman hit factory, Kylie moved on in the early 1990s and has followed her own course ever since, working with some dynamic producers and remixers along the way.

 

I've never particularly considered myself a Kylie fan, I've bought a few singles here and there mainly for the remixes but never any of her albums. I thought the 'country' songs a few years ago were a misstep, but that's the beauty of Kylie. If you don't like what's she doing right now, there will either be club-friendly remixes to compensate, or another change around the corner with her next album.

 

This is one musical pleasure I don't feel guilty about in the slightest. And even if my primary reason for buying a single or compilation was to get that remix by DNA, The Chemical Brothers or Tom Middleton, so what?

Today's selection reflects some early favourites: Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi is cheesy perhaps but I love it; What Do I Have To Do? and Shocked were the big hits whilst I was in Australia; The Chemical Brothers remix of Slow is twice as good as the original. And I would have bought the Soulwax remix compilation anyway - they're brilliant - but their scuzzy, fuzzy overhaul of Can't Get You Out Of My Head was worth the price alone.

In a half-arsed attempt to dodge the sniffer bots and a DMCA takedown notice, I've avoided any reference to Ms. Minogue in the post title and have named the selection SmileyKylie in the hope that it similarly avoids unwanted attention on KrakenFiles or Mega. As usual, the download links will be up for roughly a month, so get in there now!

 

1) Too Much Of A Good Thing (12" Mix By Phil Harding & Ian Curnow) (1992)

2) Into The Blue (Yasutaka Nakata (CAPSULE) Remix) (2014)

3) Finer Feelings (Brothers In Rhythm 12" Mix By Dave Seaman, Steve Anderson & Alan Bremner) (1992)

4) Red Blooded Woman (Whitey Mix By Nathan White) (2005)

5) Confide In Me (Justin Warfield Mix) (1994)

6) It's No Secret (Alternative Extended Version By Dave Ford) (1988)

7) What Do I Have To Do? (Extended Album Mix II By Phil Harding & Ian Curnow) (1991)

8) Falling (Farley & Heller Alternative Mix By Terry Farley & Pete Heller) (1994)

9) Slow (Chemical Brothers Remix By Ed Simons & Tom Rowlands) (2003)

10) Shocked (DNA Mix By Neal Slateford & Nick Batt) (12" Version ft. Jazzi P)  (2001)

11) Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi (The Revolutionary Mix By Phil Harding) (1989)

12) Chocolate (Tom Middleton Cosmos Mix) (2004)

13) Dancing (Initial Talk Remix) (2018)

14) Can't Get You Out Of My Head (Soulwax Kyluss Remix By David Dewaele & Stephen Dewaele) (2001)

 

1989: Hand On Your Heart EP: 6 

1989: Je Ne Sais Pas Pourquoi EP: 11

1991: Shocked EP: 10

1992: Celebration EP: 1

1992: Finer Feelings EP: 3

2003: Kylie Minogue (Special Edition) (2x CD): 5 

2003: Slow (promo 12"): 9

2004: Chocolate EP: 12

2005: Red Blooded Woman EP: 4 

2007: Most Of The Remixes We've Made For Other People Over The Years...: 14

2010: What Do I Have to Do? (The Original Synth Mixes) EP: 7

2014: Kiss Me Once (Japan only bonus track): 2 

2016: Confide In Me: 8

2018: Dancing EP: 13

SmileyKylie (1:28:22) (KF) (Mega)

* Or, to give the Soulwax compilation it's full title,

Most Of The Remixes We've Made For Other People Over The Years Except For The One For Einstürzende Neubauten Because We Lost It And A Few We Didn't Think Sounded Good Enough Or Just Didn't Fit In Length-Wise, But Including Some That Are Hard To Find Because Either People Forgot About Them Or Simply Because They Haven't Been Released Yet, A Few We Really Love, One We Think Is Just OK, Some We Did For Free, Some We Did For Money, Some For Ourselves Without Permission And Some For Friends As Swaps But Never On Time And Always At Our Studio In Ghent.

The (Not So) New Creation

Side 2 of a loved up cassette compilation, recorded 7th September 1997.

Rounding up the rest of a mixtape that brings together a bunch of my favourite songs from that glorious period from 1989 to 1991 when the indie/dance crossover really was on fire.

 

Looking back, it was such an exciting time for music and whilst at the ridiculous end of the spectrum, there was a lot of bandwagon jumping with lots of mediocre artists having a funky drummer sample strapped onto their MOR dirge in an attempt to get with it, it was also a period of rebirth and reinvention for many other artists.

Side 2 starts off with one such example, Zodiac Youth being Youth and Mark Manning. At the time, Youth aka Martin Glover was the former bassist with Killing Joke who had carved out a new reputation as a remixer and producer. Mark Manning was better known as the front person of Zodiac Mindwarp & The Love Reaction. Fast Forward The Future is an exhilarating collaboration featuring rapper T-Love and riding on a sample from Faith Healer by The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. 

 

Stephen Duffy, an 80s pop star as Tin Tin, found a new path with The Lilac Time, forging a more pastoral, folk-infused path whilst retaining the wonderful wordplay of his finest songs. Stephen was reportedly quite dismissive of Creation label mate Hypnotone aka Tony Martin's remixes of Dreaming. Whilst Hypnotone's remix of Sheer Taft's Cascades is the high water mark, personally I think this one comes pretty close.

Pleasure* was a duo of Barry Maguire and Steven Gallifent, signed to David A. Stewart's Anxious Records. They released a single, self-titled album in 1989 and Please was the fourth and final single to be lifted, with a trio of remixes by Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne. The CD single was beautifully designed, with a card sleeve housed in an outer red plastic sleeve with button and stenciled logo, the cost of which alone likely landed them in even greater debt when the single didn't achieve global success. It's a shame, as the mixes are pretty good.

Bonita Applebum was my introduction to A Tribe Called Quest, specifically the 7" and 12" mixes built around the sample of Why? by Carly Simon. CJ Mackintosh was the go-to remixer for labels seeking to open up US hip-hop and rap to a wider UK audience and you can see why on the strength of this track. Blew me away at the time and still does, to be honest.

Both New Atlantic and Love Decade shone very briefly in the early 1990s but neither bettered I Know. This collaborative effort samples the Candi Staton vocal used in full - and to brilliant effect - by The Source on You Got The Love several times, including 1991 when I Know was also riding the charts. Add some further pan pipe samples, Italo piano chords and propulsive beats and the remix had hit written all over it.

According to the small print on the cassette sleeve, the original mixtape used the Loved Up remix of Paris Angels' Perfume from the 1991 reissue. I haven't been able to track down the CD single in question so I've used the 1990 single version. It's pretty much the same running time and there may be little difference apart from a slight remix and buff up for the second go ahead. Either way, it's an absolute classic of the period and genre. The original, full length All On You version is the essential but this'll do very nicely, thank you.

I'm not a big fan of The Farm, and seeing them live on stage supporting Madness last year didn't change that drastically, but I do like their cover of The Monkees' Stepping Stone, particularly the 12" version. Continuing the theme of reinvention and rebirth, Madness legend Suggs was managing The Farm at the time and joined Terry Farley for the remix. 

 

Also on a break from his main job at the time was INXS front person Michael Hutchence, here with old pal Ollie Olsen as Max Q. Just the one self-titled album in 1989, with a couple of singles with remixes from Todd Terry, though less dance-oriented than you'd expect. The 12" single(s) to go for featured Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne, the Land Of Oz mix featured here being the standout.

1) Fast Forward The Future (Witch-Hunt Mix By Youth & Mark 'Spike' Stent): Zodiac Youth ft. T-Love (1991)

2) Dreaming (12" Mix By Hypnotone): The Lilac Time (1991)

3) Please (Future Mix By Paul Oakenfold & Steve Osborne): Pleasure* (1990)

4) Bonita Applebum (7" Why? Edit By CJ Mackintosh & Robin Hancock): A Tribe Called Quest (1990)

5) I Know (Love Decade Remix 12"): New Atlantic (1991)

6) Perfume (Single Version): Paris Angels (1990)

7) Stepping Stone (Ghost Dance Mix By Terry Farley & Mr. Suggs) (12" Version) (Cover of '(I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone' by The Monkees): The Farm (1991)

8) Sometimes (Land Of Oz Mix By Paul Oakenfold & Steve Osborne): Max Q (1989)

 

Side Two (46:22) (Box) (Mega)

Side One here

P.S. If you visited the Dot Allison post yesterday, you may be interested to know that I’ve since added a link to the hour-long Dubhed selection I originally posted in October 2022.

The Third Degree Of Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon

The third and, at least for now, final installment in the Kevin Bacon trilogy for your entertainment / derision (delete as applicable).

I had an idea of who/where I wanted to start, but could I pull it off? Turns out that yes, I could. It's Kevin Bacon we're talking about here!

Here's another half dozen songs taking you from one Monkee to another monkey, with some rather fine tuneage along the way, if I say so myself. Spoiler alert: nothing from The Comsat Angels this week. Complaint letters to the usual address, please.

 

More nonsense tomorrow.

1) Mike Nesmith was an incredibly talented - and hugely underrated - singer/songwriter. Propinquity (I've Just Begun To Care) appeared on Nevada Fighter, his 1971 album with The First National Band. However, he originally wrote and recorded a version back in 1968, which remained unreleased until the 1990s, when it appeared on a rarities album by the band that gave Nesmith his big break, The Monkees.

2) The Monkees formed in 1966 and were originally conceived as a fictional group for a TV sitcom. Initially, the majority of their songs were written by other people, including (I'm Not Your) Steppin' Stone. In 1990, The Farm released a cover version, which was remixed by their manager Suggs and superstar DJ Terry Farley.

3) Terry Farley co-founded the Boy's Own collective, who in turn released a couple of singles as Bocca Juniors, with fellow DJs/producers Pete Heller, Hugo Nicholson and Andrew Weatherall.

4) Andrew Weatherall was a prolific remixer, producer and artist in his own right before his untimely passing in 2020. In 2016, he provided a couple of remixes for French psych pop duo The Limiñanas, featuring a beautiful contribution from guest bassist Peter Hook.

5) Peter Hook is a little bit famous for being in Joy Division then New Order, arguably less so for Revenge and Monaco, but he has also had a good run as a producer. Although the better known version was produced by John Leckie, Hooky was at the controls for the original version of Elephant Stone by The Stone Roses, with unmistakable vocals from Ian Brown.

6) Ian Brown went on to have a successful solo career, starting in 1997 with Unfinished Monkey Business. Can't See Me was released as the third and final single in June 1998, remixed by production duo Bacon & Quarmby, comprising Jonathan Quarmby and - who else? - Kevin Bacon.

 

1) Propinquity (I've Just Begun To Care): The Monkees (1968)

2) Stepping Stone (Ghost Dance Mix By Terry Farley & Mr. Suggs) (Video Version): The Farm (1990)

3) Raise (63 Steps To Heaven) (Dubhead Mix By Adrian Sherwood & Keith LeBlanc): Bocca Juniors ft. Anna Haigh & Protege (1990)

4) Garden Of Love (Lundi Mouillé Mix By Andrew Weatherall & Nina Walsh): The Limiñanas ft. Peter Hook (2016)

5) Elephant Stone (Peter Hook Original Mix): The Stone Roses (1988) 

6) Can't See Me (Bacon & Quarmby Remix): Ian Brown (1998)

 

The Third Degree Of Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon (23:41) (KF) (Mega)

 

In case you missed the previous installments, here's the original selection and the rather wonderful follow up from guest contributor The Vinyl Villain.

The New Creation

Side 1 of a mixtape, compiled 7th September 1997.

Does it get much better than this? It's hard to believe that I recorded this cassette over 25 years ago, pulling together tunes that are now over three decades old. From the opening seconds of Farley and Heller's mix of Come Together, I'm transported and that feeling of euphoria continues for the next 45 minutes.

That wonderful moment when indie and dance came together and before the phrase "there's always been a dance element to our music" became something of a joke. Terry Farley and Paul Oakenfold are prominent on both sides of this mixtape, though it will be no surprise that Andrew Weatherall and Youth slightly had the edge for me.

Adam & Eve's remix of Your Love Takes Me Higher, from a freebie Record Mirror 7" single, is perhaps my favourite of the multiple mixes of the song. Adam & Eve are Jon and Helena Marsh, Helena joining Jon in The Beloved following Steve Waddington's departure.

 

The selection closes with World Of Twist covering The Rolling Stones, the second such cover on this selection. The explosion of the indie/dance crossover also meant plundering music history for songs to present to a new generation. The Beatles and The Stones were obvious go to bands, but artists from The Doors to The Monkees to Neil Young to T. Rex to Elvis Presley were all fair game, with variable results.

 

She's A Rainbow was first released as a double A-side with The Storm in November 1990 and scraped to #42 in the UK singles chart. The song was re-released as a standalone single in February 1992 with a pair of gorgeous remixes by Fluke but unfortunately only managed to get to #62. A much underrated band, much missed.

"The New Creation" isn't a nod to Alan McGee's label, although this compilation does feature a couple of Creation label mates (Primal Scream being one, the other's on Side 2). It's an ad-libbed phrase from one of the backing singers on I'm Free by The Soup Dragons. It's definitely there on the acapella version but I might have missed it listening back to the Terry Farley remix featured here. Either way, it felt like an apt title, capturing that feeling as the 1980s became the 1990s that something new and exciting was happening, musically speaking at least.

 

1) Come Together (12" Version By Terry Farley & Pete Heller): Primal Scream (1990)

2) I'm Free (Terry Farley Remix) (Cover of The Rolling Stones): The Soup Dragons ft. Junior Reid (1990)

3) Your Love Takes Me Higher (Depth & Desire Mix By Adam & Eve): The Beloved (1990)

4) The World According To Sly & Lovechild (Soul Of Europe Mix By Andrew Weatherall): Sly & Lovechild (1990)

5) Rave On (Club Mix By Paul Oakenfold & Terry Farley): Happy Mondays (1989)

6) Kiss Them For Me (Kathak Mix By Youth): Siouxsie & The Banshees (1991)

7) She's A Rainbow (7" Version By Martin Hannett & World Of Twist) (Cover of The Rolling Stones): World Of Twist (1990)

 

1989: Rave On EP: 5

1990: Come Together EP: 1

1990: I'm Free EP: 2

1990: The Fame And Fortune EP: 3

1990: The Storm / She's A Rainbow EP: 7

1990: The World According To Sly & Lovechild EP: 4

1991: Kiss Them For Me EP: 6

Side One (45:20) (Box) (Mega)

Bono On The Fourth Of July

Today's selection is a U2 mixtape, recorded 24th August 1997. Thanks to those of you who didn't click and close as soon as you saw the post title and opening sentence. 

Judging by the date, this compilation tape was most likely recorded in a slightly different form for my friend Stuart as a) his birthday was a few days prior to this and b) he is a lifelong fan of U2. It's a testament to how good a friend Stuart is, that he let me borrow his collection of U2 7" singles to take into school for a class presentation. We weren't even at the same school, let alone in the same class, yet he trusted me enough not to let him down. The look on his face when I told him I'd sold the lot to "Frankie" Stein for five quid and a mega bag of Wotsits was priceless...I'm joking, of course. Or am I?

Given that I wasn't particularly a U2 fan and knew much more about other music artists that I did like, made my choice of class presentation a little odd, to say the least. Maybe class 5M wasn't ready to be enlightened about Julian Cope, had little interest in The Sisters Of Mercy and would have raised an eyebrow at Prefab Sprout. This wasn't the oddest thing I did at school, but the reaction of the class to my 10 minute talk on Bono and chums is thankfully lost in the mists of time.

Whilst I was largely indifferent to the appeals of a U2 album, I'll admit that I did enjoy a U2 remix and as the late 1980s turned into the early 1990s, there were plenty to choose from. If nothing else, the band (or their team) got some decent DJs and producers in to increase the BPM and reduce the BS: Paul Oakenfold, Steve Osborne, Terry Farley, Pete Heller, Tim Simenon, David Morales, Trevor Jackson, Dave Dorrell, Stereo MC's, Apollo 440, DJ Muggs, Rollo, Rob Dougan, even Massive Attack.

In 1995, U2's fanzine Propaganda provided members with a special CD release called Melon, compiling nine of the band's best remixes. Melon was heavily bootlegged and I came across a copy in Revolver Records off Clifton Triangle in Bristol. Revolver was a brilliant record shop but an intimidating experience. I fully expected a disdainful stare when I took my clutch of purchases to owner Roger at the counter, the Melon bootleg tucked away between some more worthy purchases. I didn't; perhaps on this occasion he was just relieved to finally be shot of the thing.

This particular CD was a great quality bootleg, but soon a veritable feast of similarly-themed bootlegs began to appear: Kiwi, Orange, Mango, Banana, Grapes, Papaya, More Melon; with diminishing returns in terms of artwork and sound quality. I picked up the first three secondhand from Replay Records to round up some of the rare, promo-only mixes that I was interested in, but skipped the rest. Naming the mixtape Fruit Salad was a nod to the source material of the original compilation.

 

In 2002, U2 released The Best Of 1990-2000, a (not very) limited edition with a bonus disc of B-Sides that included some of the remixes from the bootlegs, albeit in truncated, early fade edits that are best avoided. The remix of Desire is the version from the UK 12" single, but there is a promo 12" out there featuring the full length Hollywood Remix, stretching to over nine minutes. You have been warned.

The original Fruit Salad mixtape closed out Side 2 with a snippet of the Momo's Reprise remix of Lemon by David Morales for no other reason than the tape was running a bit short. I've left it off of today's recreation. Little consolation if you hate Bono and friends' music with a passion (or Paul Oakenfold and Steve Osborne, for that matter, as there's a fair bit of them too). However, if you specifically dislike Larry Mullen Jr's drumming, you're in for a real treat. 

 

Normal service will resume tomorrow.

 

Side One

1) Zooropa (911 Mix By John M. Pillin Jr.) (1993)

2) Lemon (The Perfecto Mix By Paul Oakenfold & Steve Osborne) (1993)

3) Until The End Of The World (Short Life Mix By Ultra Hot Razor Crew) (1996)

4) Night And Day (Steel String Remix By Youth) (Cover of Fred Astaire) (1990)

5) Stay (Faraway So Close!) (Underdog Mix By Trevor Jackson) (1995)

6) Mysterious Ways (The Perfecto Mix By Paul Oakenfold & Steve Osborne) (1991)

7) God Part II (The Hard Metal Dance Club Mix By Louis Silas Jr. & David Bianco) (UK 12” Edit) (1988)

Side Two

1) Even Better Than The Real Thing (The Perfecto Mix By Paul Oakenfold & Steve Osborne) (1992)

2) In The Name Of The Father (Unidare Mix By Tim Simenon): Bono & Gavin Friday (1994)

3) Lady With The Spinning Head (Extended Dance Mix By Alan Moulder) (1992)

4) Desire (Hollywood Remix By Louis Silas Jr. & Taavi Mote) (UK 12" Edit) (1988)

5) Salomé (Zooromancer Remix By Terry Farley & Pete Heller) (Full Length) (1992)

6) Can't Help Falling In Love (Mystery Train Dub Edit By Dave Dorrell) (Cover of Elvis Presley) (1992)

7) Numb (Gimme Some More Dignity Mix By Rollo & Rob Dougan) (Full Length) (1995)

Kiwi: A4, A7, B3, B4

Mango: B2

Melon: A2, A5, A6, B1, B5, B7

Orange: A1, A3, B6

Side One (46:03)

Side Two (45:35)

These Are Dangerous Times For Love

I'm not a particular fan of Culture Club, but I love Boy George. As an artist, he's arguably got better with each passing decade and I've an especial love for his brief diversion as Jesus Loves You. The sole album, The Martyr Mantras, remains much loved at Casa Khayem, and creatively it remains a high water mark. Here are the JLY highlights, condensed into (just over) an hour of loved up lyrics and blissed out beats. Damn, was it really three decades ago?!

 

1) Too Much Love (L.P. Mix By Mark Brydon) (1990)

2) Generations Of Love (Love Dub Mix By Terry Farley & Pete Heller) (ft. MC Kinky) (1990)

3) Sweet Toxic Love (Hootenanny Mix) (1992)

4) Am I Losing Control (Dizzy Tequila Mix By Hans 'Hands On' Grøttheim) (1992)

5) Bow Down Mister (Floating In The Ganges - Grid Mix By Dave Ball & Richard Norris) (1991)

6) Love Hurts (Yes It Doz U Blighter Mix By Bruce Forest) (1991)

7) One On One (Massive Attack Mix) (1990)

8) Love's Gonna Let U Down (Popcorn Mix By Mark Brydon) (1990)

9) After The Love (Prophets Of Doom Mix) (1991)

10) Siempre Te Amare (Mark Brydon Remix) (1990)

11) I Specialize In Loneliness (Album Version By Boy George & John Themis) (1990)

 

These Are Dangerous Times For Love (1:03:51)
 

Shout To The Top

This came out earlier this month, but it was put on my radar by the ever brilliant The Vinyl Villian music blog. JC's post highlights Hifi Sean, perhaps better known by people of a certain age and musical persuastion as Sean Dickson, lead singer with The Soup Dragons. This time around, he's completely rebuilt and remixed a cover version of The Style Council 80s classic, originally released by Fire Island in 1998 and featuring disco diva Loleatta Holloway (also infamous for the belting sample that drove 1989's Ride On Time by Black Box).

 

When you've got Paul Weller, Pete Heller & Terry Farley (Boy's Own), Loleatta Holloway and Hifi Sean in the mix, you really can't go wrong. There are three Hifi Sean mixes, all on YouTube and all worth a listen to brighten up your day.

 

I'd highly recommend checking out Hifi Sean's other music too, especially his 2016 album Ft., which is truly brilliant. Big thanks to JC @ The Vinyl Villian for opening my ears.

 

Hifi Sean on Bandcamp

Fire Island / Farley & Heller on Bandcamp