Norton At The Controls

A twelve song selection of music produced (or co-produced) by Gil Norton, spanning 1982 to 2007.

The inspiration for the mixtape came via the sad news of Glen Hansard's death, and a fine tribute to Glen posted by Martin over at New Amusements.

In the comments, I recalled something I read circa 1991-92 in the NME or Melody Maker or Sounds, that Glen was a huge fan of Gil's work with Pixies and wanted him to produce Glen's band The Frames' debut album. 

As I recall, Glen put a big Pixies sticker on his motorbike, found out where Gil was working, drove there and left his bike prominently displayed to get Gil's attention. 

I finished with "Apparently it worked!"...except that it didn't, as I've subsequently read that Glen and Gil clashed over the direction and shape of the album. It isn't recalled as a positive experience in the accounts I've found online.

My awkwardness and ignorance notwithstanding, there are some mighty tunes here. The Frames come in a quarter of the way through, following The Blue Aeroplanes, The Fatima Mansions and a hidden gem of a China Crisis B-side.

There's one 21st century entry from Maximo Park. Gil also worked with them in the 1990s, along with Echobelly and Foo Fighters. Other 1980s production credits include The Triffids, The Bodines, Echo & The Bunnymen (with Ian Broudie), Del Amitri (with Julian Mendelsohn) and, closing out this collection, one of my favourite songs by Pixies.

Quite the career. I'm just scanning through the list of artists and records that I've missed this time around and there's plenty more for another selection.

For now, forget it's Sunday and turn the volume up!

1) ...And Stones (Album Version): The Blue Aeroplanes (1990)

2) Brain Blister (Album Version): The Fatima Mansions (1994)

3) No Ordinary Lover (Single Version): China Crisis (1982)

4) Masquerade (Album Version): The Frames (1992)

5) The Seabirds (Album Version): The Triffids (1986)

6) Nosebleed (Album Version): Maximo Park (2007)

7) Here Comes The Big Rush (Album Version): Echobelly (1997)

8) Therese (Single Version): The Bodines (1986)

9) The Killing Moon (Album Version): Echo & The Bunnymen (1984)

10) Move Away Jimmy Blue (Album Version): Del Amitri (1989)

11) Monkey Wrench (Album Version): Foo Fighters (1997)

12) No. 13 Baby (Album Version): Pixies (1989)

1982: No More Blue Horizons (Fool, Fool, Fool) EP: 3

1984: Ocean Rain: 9

1986: Born Sandy Devotional: 5

1986: Therese EP: 8

1989: Doolittle: 12

1989: Waking Hours: 10

1990: Swagger: 1

1992: Another Love Song: 4

1994: Lost In The Former West: 2

1997: Lustra: 7

1997: The Colour And The Shape: 11

2007: Our Earthly Pleasures: 6

Norton At The Controls (47:25) (GD) (M)

Madonna, Maradona, Maverick And Movies

"Gangway, Heroes!" Today brings a bespoke collection of covers of songs from 1986. 

Last night I stumbled across Scanner aka Robin Rimbaud's unexpected and delightful cover of Word Up! by Cameo. Originally recorded for WFMU Radio in New Jersey back in February, it was officially released a couple of days ago. If you're more familiar with Scanner’s 1990s music, it's quite the departure.

Similarly inspired, I trawled through my music collection and pulled a shortlist of 1986 songs, reworked and reimagined by other artists. I had over 40 to choose from and settled for a dozen, which meant some tough decisions, but I hope you'll enjoy my selection.

As the post title suggests, there is a Madonna cover - Live To Tell - albeit right at the end, courtesy of Catherine Anne Davies (The Anchoress) and Bernard Butler (Suede and a gazillion other things). Don't tell Ms. Ciccone, but it's better than the original.

1986 was chock full of singles that appeared in movie soundtracks. Live To Tell appeared in At Close Range, starring her then-husband Sean Penn and Christopher Walken. I must have seen it at the time, but I have little recollection of the film now.

But Not Tonight started as a Depeche Mode B-side, but an appearance in the film Modern Girls (starring Daphne Zuniga and Virginia Madsen) prompted their US label Sire to flip the single, relegated Stripped to side 2 and promoting But Not Tonight instead. Nearly two decades later, Jimmy Somerville gave it the high-pitched, Hi-NRG treatment.

And of course there was the memorable soundtrack to Pretty In Pink, not just the The Psychedelic Furs song that inspired the movie, but If You Leave, which proved to be a smash hit for OMD and still features in their live set today. Here, Angel Olsen ups the heartache in her own inimitable style.

The mention of Maverick, Tom Cruise's character in Top Gun, is a red herring and I apologise. Take My Breath Away by Berlin seemed to be #1 in the UK for an eternity (actually, only 4 weeks throughout November 1986). I have a couple of covers of the song, by Sharleen Spiteri and The Flying Pickets, but neither of them made the final cut.

There are a couple of side projects and aliases going on, which I need to shed some light on. The man behind The 6ths is Stephen Merritt, better known to the world as the genius behind The Magnetic Fields. Stephen got his old mucker Lloyd Cole on board to sing for his contribution to a tribute to The Human League. 

The Hot Rats are Gaz and Danny from Supergrass in disguise, whose 2010 covers album Turn Ons featured their takes on artists including Roxy Music, Elvis Costello & The Attractions, Pet Shop Boys, The Cure and my pick today, Beastie Boys. Well worth tracking down.

If you have an urge to scan the track listing before subjecting yourself to my rambling "sleeve notes", you will have spotted the inclusion of First We Take Manhattan, recorded by R.E.M. and credited as a cover of a Jennifer Warnes song. Yes, R.E.M.'s version appeared on I'm Your Fan: The Songs Of Leonard Cohen in 1991, but Laughing Len gifted it to Jennifer first, her recording released in October 1986, Cohen's version following in January 1988. Personally, I think Stipe, Berry, Buck and Mills smash it.

And another red herring (or was it the hand of God?) with the reference to Maradona and, by association, that fateful 1986 World Cup. New Order didn't realise their own World Cup song until 4 years later, but 1986 saw one of their finest singles in Bizarre Love Triangle. Often covered since, I've gone for a relatively obscure version by Charlotte Martin, which I like very much.

As for the rest of this selection, you can enjoy The Smiths as covered by Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine, sounding as potent in 1992 and it did six years previously. Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie show some solidarity with fellow Scots, with a wonderful cover of Somewhere In China by Shop Assistants. 

Last but certainly not least, one from my hometown heroes, The Blue Aeroplanes covering Paul Simon's Top 30 hit The Boy In The Bubble. Sadly, history didn't repeat in 1991, though it should have done.

1) Word Up! (Cover of Cameo): Scanner (2026)

2) Human (Cover of The Human League): The 6ths ft. Lloyd Cole (2000)

3) But Not Tonight (Cover of Depeche Mode): Jimmy Somerville (2004)

4) Bizarre Love Triangle (Cover of New Order): Charlotte Martin (2007)

5) Panic (Cover of The Smiths): Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine (1992)

6) Somewhere In China (Cover of Shop Assistants): Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie (1989)

7) The Boy In The Bubble (Cover of Paul Simon): The Blue Aeroplanes (1991)

8) First We Take Manhattan (Cover of Jennifer Warnes): R.E.M. (1991)

9) If You Leave (Cover of O.M.D.): Angel Olsen (2021)

10) Absolute Beginners (Cover of David Bowie): Saint Etienne (1993)

11) (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!) (Cover of Beastie Boys): The Hot Rats (2010)

12) Live To Tell (Cover of Madonna): Catherine Anne Davies & Bernard Butler (2020)

1989: Fish Heads And Tails: 6

1991: I'm Your Fan: The Songs Of Leonard Cohen: 8

1991: The Boy In The Bubble EP: 7

1992: The Only Living Boy In New Cross EP: 5

2000: Reproductions: Songs Of The Human League: 2

2004: Home Again: 3

2007: Reproductions: 4

2008: Boxette (#4: Eric Random): 10

2010: Turn Ons: 11

2020: In Memory Of My Feelings: 12

2021: Aisles EP: 9

2026: Word Up! EP: 1

Madonna, Maradona, Maverick And Movies (47:25) (GD) (M)

The Night After Last Night From Last Night From Glasgow

More from Last Night From Glasgow with another selection of new and old classics. Even with two volumes and twenty songs in total, there's tons of good music that I've had to skip over.

As well as the lovingly crafted sleeves, the majority of LNFG albums also come in a delightful array of coloured vinyl. Part of the joy of opening up the latest package is the reveal of what's inside: pink, blue, green, yellow, white, mottled, speckled, clear, classic black; placing the needle to hear the first seconds of the opening song is another tangible pleasure.

As a paid up member, you are also granted access to the LNFG Digital Vault, which goes back to 2016 and includes a mind-boggling amount of artists, albums, singles and one-offs. Two years in and I'm still working my way through the treasures. 

 

Some of the choices on these two volumes weren't included in my vinyl membership so to say that you get value for money is an understatement. And that's before you take into account membership discounts on other purchases and, if you can get there, access to LNFG artist gigs in Glasgow.

A final thank you to JC at The Vinyl Villain, whose frequent posts about LNFG artists caught my attention and convinced me to give it a try in the first place. No regrets!

 

1) Said Too Much (New Version): The Blow Monkeys (2023)

2) Give It Time (John Peel Session): Autumn 1904 (1984)

3) Nothing Left But This: Starless ft. Marie Claire Lee (2024)

4) Jack Data Dracula: Gareth Sager (2023)

5) Miniature Oceans: Xan Tyler (2023)

6) Grey Will Fade: Charlotte Hatherley (2004)

7) Long Time Coming: Air In The Lungs (2023)

8) Snow: Popup (2022)

9) The Barbery Bop: The Kingfishers (2023)

10) Apostle Spoons: The Blue Aeroplanes (2023)

2004: Grey Will Fade: 6

2022: Promise: 8

2023: Air In The Lungs: 7

2023: Culture Gun: 10

2023: Maelstrom In The Bare Garden: 4

2023: Reflections In A Silver Sound: 9

2023: Time Storm: Greatest Hits Vol. 2: 1

2024: Holding Up Half The Sky: 5

2024: Returning Home: 3

2024: Tales Of Innocence: 2

Volume Two (40:23) (KF) (Mega)

Acoustic Tent

I've been catching up with the BBC's Glastonbury coverage on iPlayer this week: Róisín Murphy, Yves Tumor, Saint Etienne, Confidence Man, Bicep... the list goes on. I feel the need to calm things down a bit for Sunday so here's 45 minutes of acoustic loveliness for your aural pleasure.

Paul Weller gets things off to an atypically rousing start with a bit of effing and jeffing, but it's generally family friendly language from there on. Charlotte Hatherley pops up twice, once as a solo artist and again near the end with former bandmates Ash. Patrick Duff delivers a beautiful version of Moon River from Breakfast At Tiffany's and the selection closes with someone you might not expect.

 

1) Come On/Let's Go (Acoustic Demo): Paul Weller (2006)

2) Easy In The Sunshine (Acoustic): Emilíana Torrini (2000)

3) This Is The Day (Live Acoustic US Radio Session): The The (2000)

4) Murphy's Law (Acoustic) (Live @ Home): Róisín Murphy (2020)

5) Crystal Frontier (Acoustic): Calexico (2001)

6) I Want You To Know (Acoustic Version): Charlotte Hatherley (2007)

7) Buzzing Round The Honey Pots (Acoustic): Dot Allison (2009)

8) Moon River (Live Acoustic Version @ BBC Radio Bristol) (Cover of Audrey Hepburn): Strangelove (1996)

9) The Sea (Acoustic Demo): Morcheeba (1996)

10) The Party (Acoustic): The Dream Academy (1985)

11) Broken & Mended (Acoustic Version): The Blue Aeroplanes (1995)

12) Burn Baby Burn (Acoustic Version): Ash (2001)

13) Too Many Walls (Acoustic Version): Cathy Dennis (1991)

1985: Please Please Please Let Me Get What I Want EP: 10

1995: Sugared Almond EP: 11

1996: Sway EP: 8 

1996: The Music That We Hear (Moog Island) EP: 9

2000: Easy EP: 2 

2001: Crystal Frontier EP: 5

2001: Free All Angels (ltd 2x CD): 12

2006: Come On/Let's Go EP (Japan-only CD single): 1

2007: I Want You To Know EP (promo CD single): 6 

2009: Buzzing Round The Honey Pots (official website exclusive download): 7

2014: Move To This (Deluxe Edition) (2x CD): 13

2020: Live @ Home for Festival Marvin 9.5, 10th December 2020: 4

2022: Official Bootleg 005: 3

Acoustic Tent (45:47) (Box) (Mega)

Junk Garage

Side 2 of a mixtape recorded by my friend Stuart, circa August 1991.

There was an excellent post from JC (could it be anything else?) at The Vinyl Villain on Thursday, titled State Of The Blogging Nation, which provoked a great response from readers and fellow bloggers alike. Whether we read and comment, or write and post, it's the passion for music and the tangible sense of community that keeps bringing us back. I regularly read dozens of music blogs, some of which are updated daily, others weekly, others considerably less so. I try to comment as much as possible, but it's increasingly hard to keep up, especially since committing last year to posting on Dubhed every day for as long as I can keep being inspired.

A guaranteed daily visit is Charity Chic Music as I read with awe about Stevie's latest find for mere pennies in his never' ending search for charity shop gems. Friday's post featured Pere Ubu's 1990 album Worlds In Collision and one of the two songs he showcased was I Hear They Smoke The Barbecue. This was almost certainly the second Pere Ubu song I ever heard (after Waiting For Mary) and came courtesy of another trusty tape from my friend Stuart. We'd been apart for a year whilst I was working and travelling Australia, so this was a kind of "welcome home" mixtape, summing up what he had been listening to recently.

 

Renegade Soundwave are hugely underappreciated, in my opinion. Actually, I've just realised that this is their first appearance on this blog, so clearly by me too! Soundclash and RSW In Dub were incredible sonic slabs that demanded repeat listening and whilst it was a few years before their respective follow ups, they maintained a singular sound before their premature end. Murder Music is a great example and a perfect opener to Side 2.

 

Tracks 2 & 3 were lifted directly as the opening two songs on The Island Tape, a Select magazine freebie cassette, but Julian Cope's magnum opus Peggy Suicide was an immediate purchase on my return whilst - bizarrely, in retropect - it was a couple of years later with Bone Machine that I finally bought a Tom Waits album. I borrowed and taped Stuart's copy of Out Of Time but, of course, R.E.M. achieved global domination with this, so I was already familiar with most of the songs from constant radio and MTV rotation.

 

I was largely ignorant of Bob Dylan at this time (dismissive even, given his association with The Travelling Wilburys), so it was a bold move to an 11-minute epic on, but it paid off. Desolation Row remains one of my favourite Dylan songs. Despite being 3 decades older than most of the other songs, fits perfectly , sandwiched between one of This Mortal Coil's (& Kim Deal's) and R.E.M.'s finest moments.

 

We saw The Fat Lady Sings supporting The Psychedelic Furs in 1990 and in Stuart's opinion, they were the highlight of the night. He's followed them and subsequently singer/songwriter Nick Kelly's solo exploits ever since.

 

I've tweaked the playlist slightly, for practical reasons: I don't have the original album version of Aeroplane Blues, only the "LA Mix" from the Volume CD/magazine series. It sounds like a rougher, earlier mix to these untrained ears, but my box of Volume is buried in the attic somewhere so I can't check the detail.

 

I've also swapped the album version of Hang On St. Christopher from The Island Tape for the USA-only 12" version as (a) you may be less familiar with this one and (b) it bolsters the running time, which was running a bit short on the original tape.

Junk Garage (American pronunciation of the latter) is a phrase taken from R.E.M.'s Country Feedback. 

 

Junk Collage (do you see what I did there?) by me, ripped from various magazines and adverts. I can easily spot Buddy Holly and Christian Slater in there. I think the main picture was a toilet wall backdrop to a photo of a music artist, but I've forgotten who.

Some of the typeface has worn away, but you get a sneak preview of what will eventually pop up when I post Side 1. The reason I didn't go with that one today is that the tape opens with an expletive-ridden intro, but one which segues perfectly into a Neil Young & Crazy Horse track. I'm debating whether it stays, goes or is edited in some way before posting. Watch this space...it might be a while.

 

1) Murder Music (Album Version): Renegade Soundwave (1989)

2) Hang On St. Christopher (Extended Remixed Version By Tchad Blake): Tom Waits (1987)

3) Double Vegetation (Album Version): Julian Cope (1991)

4) You And Your Sister (Cover of Chris Bell): This Mortal Coil ft. Kim Deal & Tanya Donelly (1991)

5) Desolation Row: Bob Dylan (1965)

6) Country Feedback (Album Version): R.E.M. (1991)

7) Aeroplane Blues (LA Mix): The Blue Aeroplanes (1991)

8) Sexy Eiffel Towers: Bow Wow Wow (1980)

9) I Hear They Smoke The Barbecue: Pere Ubu (1990)

10) Twist (Album Version): The Fat Lady Sings (1991)

11) Safesurfer (Reprise): Julian Cope (1991)

 

1965: Highway 61 Revisited: 5 

1980: Your Cassette Pet: 8

1987: Hang On St. Christopher (USA 12"): 2

1989: Soundclash: 1

1990: Worlds In Collision: 9

1991: Blood: 4 

1991: Out Of Time: 6

1991: Peggy Suicide: 3, 11

1991: Twist: 10

1991: Volume Two: 7

 

Side Two (45:59) (Box) (Mega)

She's My Groovy Good Luck Friend

Celebrating Janice Long, 5th April 1955 to 25th December 2021.

 

This is a later-than-usual post, for obvious reasons. I had something else lined up for today but after reading the sad news last night of Janice's passing on Christmas Day, I wanted to pay tribute instead.

 

I probably listened to Janice Long more than John Peel on Radio 1 as a teen, mainly because her evening show slot usually coincided with doing homework or otherwise avoiding my family in my bedroom. The sessions on her show were every bit as essential to my discovering new bands and artists, who have stuck with me for a lifetime. I haven't got as many Janice Long sessions in my collection as I thought, so there are some glaring anomalies (Primal Scream's Velocity Girl, for one) and this is another of those selections that doesn't begin to do justice to the breadth of Janice's shows and her passion for music.

Instead, this is quite alternative/indie-heavy and mainly focuses on 1984 to 1988, the period when I was a regular listener to her Radio 1 show. I've acquired a quite few songs retrospectively over the years, including quite a few that I didn't hear when originally broadcast (e.g. the Gold Blade track from the 1990s). I didn't follow Janice's move from Radio 1 and I've rarely listened to the radio from 2000 onwards, but it's clear from the tributes that her joy and enthusiasm for music remained undimmed. A genuine trailblazing DJ and presenter. Thank you, Janice.

 

1) Feminine Gender: Ranking Ann (4th August 1985)

2) Turkish Song Of The Damned: The Pogues (22nd October 1986)

3) Groovy Good Luck Friend: BMX Bandits (8th June 1986)

4) Christmas Mourning: Julian Cope (12th December 1984)

5) Home Is Where The Heart Is: The Chameleons (13th March 1985)

6) Ballad Of The Band: Felt (12th February 1986)

7) Winter Coat: The Bible (5th November 1986)

8) The Whole World Is Turning: Toots & The Maytals (19th August 1987)

9) Gave You My Love: Aswad (13th September 1984)

10) Ruthless: Cabaret Voltaire (10th October 1984)

11) Piece Of You: Soho (8th November 1987)

12) America: The Communards (13th October 1985)

13) Independence Day (Cover of Comsat Angels): Voice Of The Beehive (7th March 1988)

14) What Do You Mean?: The Blue Aeroplanes (15th February 1987)

15) Frenz: The Fall (13th May 1987)

16) Traumas Traumas Traumas: Marc Almond (16th January 1985)

17) Is This The Life: Cardiacs (29th November 1987)

18) The Word Around Town: David Westlake & The Go-Betweens (14th January 1987)

19) Ostrich: Danielle Dax (1st December 1985)

20) Football Hooligan: Tippa Irie (26th June 1985)

21) 5 True Believers: Gold Blade (17th March 1997)

22) Take Me To The Girl: Associates (8th September 1985)

She's My Groovy Good Luck Friend (1:22:01) (KF) (Mega)