#HappyMusicVolumeTwo

This second #HappyMusic selection, gathering 15 songs I picked for Griff's music challenge on BlueSky, ending today. If you missed yesterday's post, songs were eligible if they:

-- make you happy

-- include the word "happy"

-- contain any variation of "happy" in the title, lyrics or band name

-- feature a synonym of "happy"

-- remind you of happiness

As with yesterday's selection, today's featured songs - with the exception of the closer - are not in the order that I posted them, as I was making it up as I went along. I'm pretty happy with how the two mixtapes worked out.

Today's selection gets off to a cracking start with The Icicle Works (my pick on 10th August),  and embracing The Doors, Scritti Politti, The Raveonettes, The Undertones, Madness, Confidence Man, U-Roy, Donovan and a fab cover version by The Siddeleys.

Pussycat by Mulu provided the inspiration for the album artwork for the two volumes, whilst the super final song by Al MacKenzie - one half of D:Ream - has the perfect lyrical sentiment:

"You only get one chance at life, try not to fuck it up"

I can certainly get with that.

September beckons tomorrow. What challenge will the month bring?

1) All The Daughters (Of Her Father's House) (Long Version): The Icicle Works (1985)

2) That Great Love Sound (Album Version): The Raveonettes (2003)

3) Love Grows (Where My Rosemary Goes) (Cover of Edison Lighthouse): The Siddeleys (1990)

4) It's Going To Happen! (Album Version): The Undertones (1981)

5) Jump For Joy: U-Roy (1976)

6) Mellow Yellow: Donovan (1967)

7) Francisca (Album Version): Espiritu (1992)

8) Up, Up And Away (Happy Sexy Mix By Danny Rampling): The Beloved (1990)

9) Pussycat (François Kevorkian Mix Edit): Mulu (1997)

10) Touch Me (Album Version): The Doors (1969)

11) Wings Of A Dove (Single Version): Madness (1983)

12) Holiday (Album Version): Confidence Man (2021)

13) Boom! There She Was (Album Version): Scritti Politti ft. Roger Troutman (1988)

14) The Crunch (Part 1) (Album Version): RAH Band (1977)

15) Life Is Short, Live It Well (Vocal Mix): Al MacKenzie (2026)

1967: Mellow Yellow: 6

1969: The Soft Parade: 10

1978: The Crunch & Beyond: 14

1981: Positive Touch: 4

1983: Wings Of A Dove EP: 11

1985: All The Daughters (Of Her Father's House) EP: 1

1988: Provision: 13

1990: Alvin Lives (In Leeds): Anti Poll Tax Trax: 3

1990: Blissed Out: 8

1995: Always...: 7

1997: Pussycat EP: 9

2003: Chain Gang Of Love: 2

2005: U-Roy Meets King Tubbys: 5

2021: Tilt: 12

2026: Evil Acid Barons: 15

#HappyMusicVolumeOne (1:03:23) (GD) (M)

In Amongst The Moshers

January will be a gig-free month for me, so to fill the void I've compiled a imaginary live set featuring some top-notch performances from 1977 to 1979. And imagine the mosh pit!

 

The formidable line-up includes The Fall, Joy Division, Blondie, The Clash, The Specials, Scritti Politti and Magazine with heavyweight appearances from The Police, John Cale and David Bowie.

I even managed to sneak in some John Cooper Clarke.

Enjoy! But no spitting. I don't like spitting.

 

1) Stepping Out (Live @ Electric Circus, Manchester): The Fall (1977) 

2) Detroit 442 (Live @ The Walnut Theatre, Philadelphia): Blondie (1978)

3) Sabotage (Live @ CBGB, New York): John Cale (1979)

4) Armagideon Time (Live @ Hammersmith Odeon, London): The Clash (1979)

5) Guns Of Navarone (Live @ The Lyceum, London): The Specials (1979)

6) Be My Wife (Live @ Earls Court, London): David Bowie (1978)

7) Persecution Complex (Live @ Electric Circus, Manchester): The Drones (1977)

8) Tomorrow (Live @ University Of California, Riverside, California): Wall Of Voodoo (1979)

9) Bronze Adonis (Live @ Rafters, Manchester): John Cooper Clarke (1978)

10) Miracle Man (Live @ The Nashville Room, London): Elvis Costello & The Attractions (1977)

11) She Can Only Say No (Live): The Undertones (1979)

12) Art Forever (Live @ Acklam Hall, London): Scritti Politti (1979)

13) Time's Up (Live @ Electric Circus, Manchester): Buzzcocks (1977)

14) Message In A Bottle (Live @ Park West, Chicago): The Police (1979)

15) At A Later Date (Live @ Electric Circus, Manchester): Joy Division (1977)

16) Definitive Gaze (Live @ Lesser Free Trade Hall, Manchester): Magazine (1978)

In Amongst The Moshers (49:49) (KF) (Mega)

Decade I: 1980

Side 1 of a cassette compilation, recorded 3rd February 1990.

 

In 2023, Toby Roberts dreamed of competing in the 2024 Olympics, qualifying in October and yesterday bringing home gold with an incredible boulder and lead performance, aged 19.

In 1990, 19-year old me dreamed of girls, music and getting away from the UK. As Meat Loaf once over emoted on vinyl, two out of three ain't bad. My love life was at least consistent: mostly short-lived or unrequited. But...I did eventually get away from the UK later that year, a life-changing solo experience in Australia. Gold Coast rather than a gold medal, but good enough for me.

And my relationship with music has sustained me through the years, never letting me down. Well, apart from that Simple Minds headline gig at the Ashton Court Festival in Bristol, but nothing's perfect, right?

So, as 1989 turned into 1990 I had the notion of doing a themed series of cassette compilations, looking back at the previous decade. Five C90s, one year per side, 12 songs apiece. 

I had a growing record collection by that time, mostly vinyl and cassettes, with a few CDs creeping in. I also had access to my brother's vinyl - he'd gone to uni in Bournemouth and left most of behind with my parents - and my friend Stuart's collection, to plug any gaps in my 'wants' list.

1980 is inevitably a cracking selection, if I say so myself, as there was so much good music to choose from. Pretty much all of these came from my own records, the only exceptions being Martha & The Muffins (my brother's copy of Metro Music) and Talking Heads and U2, borrowed from Stuart.

And yes, I accept that Once In A Lifetime wasn't released in the UK as a single until January 1981. However, in those pre-internet years, I went by the P&C year stated on the back sleeve and labels. Remain In Light said 1980, so that was good enough for me. I subsequently found that the info printed on records were often unreliable in this regard. in this case, I'm happy to confirm that Remain In Light came out in October 1980. Yippee, me.

A strong opener to the series, then. Could I sustain it? 

You won't have long to find out...

 

1) Messages (10" Version): O.M.D.

2) Fade To Grey (Dance Mix Edit): Visage

3) Echo Beach (Album Version): Martha & The Muffins

4) Once In A Lifetime (Album Version): Talking Heads

5) Call Me (Theme From American Gigolo) (Single Version): Blondie

6) Do It Clean (Single Version): Echo & The Bunnymen

7) Independence Day (Album Version): The Comsat Angels

8) Israel (Single Version): Siouxsie & The Banshees

9) Love Will Tear Us Apart (Album Version): Joy Division

10) My Perfect Cousin (Album Version): The Undertones

11) A Day Without Me (Album Version): U2

12) Being Boiled (Album Version): The Human League

23rd March 1980: Metro Music (#10): 3

20th April 1980: Call Me EP (#1): 5 

11th May 1980: Holiday 80 EP (#56): 12 *

11th May 1980: Hypnotised (#9): 10 

15th June 1980: Messages EP (#13): 1

13th July 1980: Waiting For A Miracle (# n/a): 7 **

20th July 1980: Love Will Tear Us Apart EP (#13): 9

24th August 1980: Boy (# n/a): 11 

5th October 1980: The Puppet / Do It Clean EP (# n/a): 6

30th November 1980: Israel EP (#41): 8 

1st February 1981: Visage (#8): 2 ***

1st March 1981: Remain In Light (#14): 4 ****

Side One (46:12) (GD) (M)

 

* Being Boiled was re-released on the back of The Human League's chart success and peaked at #6 in January 1982.  

** Neither single nor album troubled the UK charts in 1980, but a re-recorded version of Independence Day made it to #71 in January 1984 

*** Fade To Grey first entered the UK singles chart on 14th December 1980

**** Remain In Light entered the UK album chart on 26th October 1980 and that, M'lud, is my sole defence!

Peel The Layers

Watching late night BBC4 recently offered up Top Of The Pops presented by John Peel and Janice Long.

As good an excuse as any then to collate a selection of John Peel sessions and repost my tribute to Janice Long from December 2021.

Only a couple of crossovers with The Fall and Julian Cope, with the John Peel selection focusing in more on the alternative/indie side of things and keeping under forty-five minutes. 

 

Good times.

 

1) Cut Dead: The Jesus & Mary Chain (29th October 1985) 

2) Ladybird (Green Grass): The Fall (13th March 1993)

3) DoubtBeat: Scritti Politti (13th December 1978)

4) Через Річку, Через (Cherez Richku, Cherez Hai): The Wedding Present (15th May 1989)

5) Turn The Heater On (Cover of Keith Hudson): New Order (1st June 1982)

6) The Sin Of Pride: The Undertones (7th December 1982)

7) The Awful Flute Song (First Part): The Bambi Slam (1st March 1987)

8) Suffer The Children: Tears For Fears (10th October 1982)

9) Suicide High Lie: Big In Japan (12th February 1979)

10) Oh Lucinda (Love Becomes A Habit): The Only Ones (2nd June 1980)

11) After Murder Park: The Auteurs (8th March 1996)

12) Search Party: Julian Cope (11th June 1984)

13) Waves: Blancmange (13th February 1982)

Peel The Layers (44:14) (KF) (Mega)

Not intentionally trying to be contrary, but whilst the recording dates were listed for each of the songs on the Janice Long selection, the dates for the John Peel sessions relate to when the songs were first broadcast...I think!

Don't Look So Surprised...

...it's The Undertones performing True Confessions and three other stone cold classics on The Old Grey Whistle Test in March 1979. 

 

There's a better quality version of the same set - also on Spit Records YT site - but it cuts the majority of Annie Nightingale's intro, which is just wrong.

 

A smidge over eight minutes on-screen, four songs, all killer, no filler, parkas, jumpers, jeans with turn ups and brown DMs. Pop punk perfection.

 

00:53 Male Model 

02:54 Jimmy Jimmy  

06:01 Wrong Way  

07:10 True Confessions

 

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

#45sUnder3

I wouldn't say I put 100% into maintaining a presence on Twitter (or X or whatever Ego Musk is calling it these days, but I have participated in a couple of themed series, inviting people to share music. 

The first was a month-long celebration of 12" mixes from the 1980s and it was a lot of fun, sharing some old favourites and criminally forgotten or underrated tunes. This month (July), the theme has been singles that come in at 3 minutes or less. I didn't have a particular plan and was pretty much selecting a song at random on a daily basis. This in turn frequently informed many of my posts this month, more often than not leading me to get carried away with my "research" and deviating significantly from the song that prompted it.

Again, it's been good fun to see what other people would come up with each day. Needless to say, some stone cold classics have been well represented through the month: Boys Don't Cry by The Cure, Destroy The Heart by The House Of Love, Outdoor Miner by Wire, Monkey Gone To Heaven by Pixies, Reward by The Teardrop Explodes, Town Called Malice by The Jam, pretty much everything by Buzzcocks. Most genres have also been served well: reggae, soul, pop, punk, dance; not much prog, but to be fair 3 mins would be barely enough for the intro.

So, the series ends today and I chopped and changed my mind about what to include, mindful that I'd not yet included anything by Pixies, Julian Cope and dozens of other favourites. In the end, the choice was obvious: a band that has informed my love of music ever since I was a toddler, was a highlight of this year's Glastonbury (on TV) experience and who have released yet another brilliant album, up there in my 2023 'best of'. Oh, and with a great video to boot. Yes, of course, it's Sparks.

Despite being a daunting 31 song selection, the #45sUnder3 theme means that the entire thing comes in at under an hour and a half. The opening track is a bit of a red herring, but then where else would you heard Nine Inch Nails followed by Sub Sub featuring Melanie Williams?! The remaining selection is eclectic, jumping decades and genres with gleeful abandon and yet... I quite it. I hope you do too.

1) March Of The Pigs (Album Version): Nine Inch Nails (1994)

2) Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use) (Original Edit): Sub Sub ft. Melanie Williams (1993)

3) Sign Of The Times (Album Version): The Belle Stars (1983)

4) Nothing To Worry About (Album Version): Peter, Björn & John (2009)

5) Bizarre Love Triangle (Cover of New Order): Devine & Statton (1989)

6) The Pictures On My Wall (Single Version): Echo & The Bunnymen (1979)

7) Hyper Lust (Album Version): MOTOR ft. Billie Ray Martin (2012)

8) You've Got My Number (Why Don't You Use It!): The Undertones (1979)

9) Dusk Till Dawn (Album Version): Ladyhawke (2008)

10) Souleater: Clouds (1991)

11) Simply Thrilled Honey (Single Version): Orange Juice (1980)

12) D-Days (Single Mix): Hazel O'Connor (1981)

13) The Ugly Bug Ball: Burl Ives (1963)

14) Heart It Races (Album Version): Architecture In Helsinki (2007)

15) Action Time Vision: Alternative TV (1978)

16) Blue Boot (Single Version): Eric Donaldson (1972)

17) Hot Fun In The Summertime (Single Version): Sly & The Family Stone (1969)

18) Cybele's Reverie (Single Version): Stereolab (1996)

19) White Knuckle Ride (Single Version): Danielle Dax (1988)

20) I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape (Album Version): The Times (1982)

21) (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman: Aretha Franklin (1967)

22) The Music (Single Version): Hifi Sean ft. Celeda (2018)

23) Mellow Doubt (Album Version): Teenage Fanclub (1995)

24) I Want Everything: The Godfathers (1986)

25) Thinking 'Bout You (Album Version): Dua Lipa (2017)

26) Lava (Album Version): Silver Sun (1996)

27) She’s A Fighter: Robert Forster (2023)

28) Triple Trouble (Album Version): Beastie Boys (2004)

29) Beak: HANN (2019)

30) Backwards Dog (Single Version): The Soup Dragons (1989)

31) The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte: Sparks (2023)

 

#45sUnder3 (1:23:12) (KF) (Mega)

Another Summertime Special

Side 2 of a cassette compilation of The Undertones, recorded sometime in 1989.

I posted Side 1 on Saturday 25th June 2022, roughly 544,920 minutes ago. Fortunately, The Undertones were a little more prompt. Even as you were listening to the greatest song you'd ever heard, you knew that the new greatest song you'd ever heard would be a couple of minutes away.

I wrote about my reintroduction to The Undertones in the late 1980s, thanks to my brother's copies of the debut album and All Wrapped Up compilation, plus the rather excellent jukebox at The Bell in Stokes Croft, Bristol, our go-to for pre- or post-excessive partying.

Prior to that, The Undertones seemed to be on BBC TV all the time, whether Top Of The Pops, The Old Grey Whistle Test and at least a couple of appearances on Cheggers Plays Pop. As a kid, I liked The Undertones, I loved their manic energy and the fact that the lead singer seemed to be wearing the same hand me downs and secondhand clothes that I had. I was the only boy round our way with a pair of brown Doc Martens. They were a bit too big for me but they'd had a reasonably careful previous owner. 

I know this compilation so well that listening to the debut album still feels a bit odd and out of sequence, so ingrained is this tracklisting in my mind. Side 2 exceeds Side 1's tally of 18 songs by squeezing in another 3 songs, a couple coming in at under one minute, but keeping it all to a pacy 45 minutes.

 

True Confessions appears twice on this mixtape, the album version here sounding like the band had been listening to Donna Summer's I Feel Love and Magic Fly by Space before heading into the studio. It's a very different take and I love it.

The collection wraps up with the B-side of Here Comes The Summer. One Way Love is two minutes and sixteen seconds of lyrical and musical brilliance in it's simplicity, fading out but leaving the feeling that the music will never stop. It certainly won't this weekend: The Undertones will be on a loop. And loud. 

1) Told You So (1980)

2) Family Entertainment (Album Version) (1979)

3) Window Shopping For New Clothes (1983)

4) Casbah Rock (1979)

5) Mars Bars (1979)

6) Smarter Than U (1978)

7) I Don't Wanna See You Again (1980)

8) Wrong Way (1979)

9) Julie Ocean (Single Version) (1981)

10) Turning Blue (1983)

11) Got To Have You Back (Cover of The Isley Brothers) (1983)

12) Jump Boys (1979)

13) She Can Only Say No (Single/Live Version) (1979)

14) Here Comes The Summer (Single Version) (1979)

15) Really Really (1979)

16) Beautiful Friend (Single Version) (1981)

17) Get Over You (Single Version) (1979)

18) Listening In (Album Version) (1979)

19) True Confessions (Album Version) (1979)

20) Jimmy Jimmy (1979)

21) One Way Love (1979)

1978: Teenage Kicks EP: 6

1979: Get Over You EP: 13, 15, 17

1979: Here Comes The Summer EP: 14, 21

1979: Jimmy Jimmy EP: 5

1979: The Undertones: 2, 4, 8, 12, 18, 19, 20

1980: My Perfect Cousin EP: 7

1980: Wednesday Week EP: 1

1981: Beautiful Friend EP: 16

1981: Julie Ocean EP: 9

1983: Chain Of Love EP: 3

1983: Got To Have You Back EP: 10

1983: The Sin Of Pride: 11Beautiful Friend EP

Side Two (45:07) (KF) (Mega)

Side One here

Another Happy Jolly Tape Thing

Side 2 of a mixtape, recorded sometime in 1992 for my then-girlfriend.

 

We went on a couple of camping holidays, the first of which was a return to Bowleaze Cove in Weymouth where my parents used to keep a static caravan for several years. There's a photo in a dusty album somewhere of me as a baby, having a bath in the caravan's tiny sink. I suspect I looked as bemused as I do now. 

 

We also used the take the cat with us, which seems bizarre in retrospect, but I guess we just didn't have the money to afford the luxury of a cattery for a week. I remember one trip where the cat hadn't returned from their daily patrol on our last day and we were actually driving (albeit very slowly) along the track out of the holiday park, windows open, shouting their name, when they suddenly appeared at the top of the hill, racing down to join us. I don't think my parents really would have left without the cat...would they? The cat was named Sacha, after the popular French singer, although my folks had never shown any particular fondness for his music. Parents are weird like that.

 

We swapped a caravan for a tent in 1992. I hadn't admitted to my girlfriend that I'd actually done very little camping at this point in my life and putting up a tent almost proved to be beyond my capabilities. Relatively early in our relationship, she may not have experienced quite the level of expletives that undoubtedly burst forth as I took about four times longer to get the darn tent up and staying up than any other complete novice.

 

Little had changed in the decade and a half since I'd last visited Weymouth, not least the shift from pebble (& tar) beach at the Bowleaze Cove end to golden sand as you got further along the promenade and into town. At the far end of the beach, before the pavilion and pier, the sand sculptor was still at work, creating scenes and still life art to wow and delight. We ventured into town to the fishmongers, sampling jellied eels (still disgusting) and whelks. All in all, a great few days away and some happy new memories to treasure. 

 

I've been back a couple more times since with Clan K and whilst the town and seafront have experienced more dramatic changes - and the beach-based sand sculptures have now moved slightly inland and upscaled to become Sandworld - we have had a great time, each time.

I like to think that Happy Jolly Tape Thing was playing on the drive from Bristol to Weymouth and home again, back in 1992. It's certainly chock full of travelling, sing-a-long tunes from Depeche Mode, Primal Scream, Talking Heads and Prefab Sprout. The Undertones are the only act to appear on both sides of the cassette, whilst my girlfriend was a huge fan of The Smiths and liked The Doors, although I think that was more to do with Jim Morrison in leather trousers than their music in particular.

Tacked onto the end of the compilation was a hidden track that played out following the closing seconds of the final song on Adam & The Ants' 1981 album, Prince Charmng. Sounds of waves lapping on a beach, guitar strums and a 'wimoweh' refrain, what better way to end, then and now?

 

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

2) (Keep Feeling) Fascination (Extended Version): The Human League (1983)

3) The Meaning Of Love (Single Version): Depeche Mode (1982)

4) Movin' On Up (Album Version By Jimmy Miller): Primal Scream (1991)

5) Tell All The People: The Doors (1969)

6) Road To Nowhere (Album Version): Talking Heads (1985)

7) Downtown ('Shag Times' Album Version): The Justified Ancients Of Mu Mu (1988)

8) It's Going To Happen! (Album Version): The Undertones (1981)

9) Faron Young (Truckin' Mix By Thomas Dolby): Prefab Sprout (1985)

10) Ask: The Smiths (1985)

11) Streets Of Your Town (Album Version): The Go-Betweens (1988)

12) untitled: Adam & The Ants (1981)

 

Side Two (46:55) (Box) (Mega)

Side One here

Summertime Special

It's Saturday. it's summer, it's (hopefully) a special day, so it's time at long last for The Undertones.

Side 1 of a mixtape, compiled some time in 1989 and one of my most treasured DIY cassettes, having been with me on many travels to different parts of the globe.

 

Hopping back a few years prior to this, my reawakened love for The Undertones was purely and simply the fault of my school friend Stuart. No, not the Stuart that I've mentioned here before, but another Stuart at another school (I moved house and schools a bit as a kid). Both Stuarts have ginger hair and that is pretty much where the similarity started and ended. 

 

One school coach trip, circa 1986, Stuart and I were sat together and talking about music. In all likelihood, I had hogged the coach's tape deck as I was usually the only one with the presence of mind to bring along some homemade cassette compilations. In fact our music conversation may well have kicked off with Stuart telling me what crap taste I had, as I remember that this led to him extolling the virtues of Feargal Sharkey and co, having recently bought the compilation Cher O'Bowlies: The Pick Of The Undertones.

 

It felt like everyone loved The Undertones, growing up. They seemed to always be on kids TV (Cheggers Plays Pop especially) and Top Of The Pops, their singles were extremely catchy and although Feargal Sharkey looked a bit naff in his jumpers and bad haircut, The Undertones were uniformly brilliant. However, by 1986, the band were already a distant memory and although Feargal Sharkey looked even more naff in his snappy suits and even worse haircut, the record buying public seemed to love him even more.

So, it's fair to say that The Undertones weren't foremost on my mind at the time of that conversation. Stuart didn't have Cher O'Bowlies with him on that school trip and I never got to borrow it from him. 

 

Around 1987/1988, my older brother was living in a bedsit on Jamaica Street in the Stokes Croft area of Bristol, then - as now - brilliantly placed off the city centre and in the heart of a vibrant community of pubs, clubs and creativity. A regular haunt, as it was just across the road from the bedsit and especially invaluable for the Sunday stumble in for a hair of the dog, was The Bell. Apart from it's convenient location and focal point, The Bell also boasted a truly brilliant jukebox, chock full of vinyl 7" treasures, including The Undertones' You've Got My Number (Why Don't You Use It!). I would play this every visit.

My brother also had two albums by The Undertones: the self-titled debut from 1979 and their record label's definitive closing statement from 1983, the singles compilation All Wrapped Up, A-sides on one disc, B-sides on the other, and sporting a striking if somewhat unrepresentative cover photo, as seen above.

I loved these albums and ended up 'borrowing' them when my brother went on the mandatory pre-University InterRail trip with a girlfriend, moving his stuff temporarily back home. Don't worry, unlike some of my record collection, which mysteriously went AWOL with near-identical copies turning up wherever my brother happened to be living at the time, I did the decent thing by returning his records and getting my own copies later on. 

By the time I recorded this mixtape, these two records by The Undertones were all I had and, to be honest, all I thought I needed. I've revised my opinion since I bought the rest of The Undertones' albums, although I still have absolutely nothing by the 21st century Feargal-free incarnation of the band.

Summertime Special (yes, intentionally named after the crap early 80s BBC TV variety show) is a beast of a compilation: 18 songs in a little over three quarters of an hour, a mix of hits, B-sides and album tracks; the common thread is that they are all brilliant. 

Girls Don't Like It is the second song on their first album, following Family Entertainment, but it was always going to be the opener on my planned mixtape, followed by the swift 1-2 of Teenage Kicks and True Confessions from the debut EP. No spoilers in saying that all four songs from the EP made it onto the cassette, Emergency Cases later on Side 1, Smarter Than U on Side 2.

 

As the 1980s arrived, The Undertones took a different musical turn, with a poppier, more soulful sound. Wednesday Week and Julie Ocean are wonderful songs but I can see that the band's appeal was (to quote from Spinal Tap) becoming more selective at this point and, until the All Wrapped Up compilation, I had no particular recollection of their later singles. 

 

I wrote last year about The Undertones' final single Chain Of Love's harmonica line and it's striking similarity to Culture Club's Karma Chameleon, released a few months later in 1983. I rate all of the later singles, particularly The Love Parade. The version on All Wrapped Up appears to be exclusive to the compilation, an edit of the 12" removing the keyboard intro with an early fade at the end, but retaining the middle instrumental section that was unsatisfactorily cut from fourth album The Sin Of Pride.

I don't think I quite managed to get the whole of The Undertones' debut and All Wrapped Up onto two sides of a C90 cassette, but I came pretty close. Rest assured that any favourites missing from Side 1 will almost certainly be on Side 2 when it eventually makes an appearance here.

In the meantime, put on your Doc Martens, turn up your jeans, zip up your Parka despite the summer heat, crank up the volume, press play and just let it all go. You can rest tomorrow.

 

1) Girls Don't Like It (1979)

2) Teenage Kicks (1978)

3) True Confessions (Single Version) (1978)

4) Life's Too Easy (Single Version) (1982)

5) Let's Talk About Girls (Cover of The Chocolate Watchband) (1979)

6) Billy's Third (Album Version) (1979)

7) It's Going To Happen! (Album Version) (1981)

8) Chain Of Love (Album Version) (1983)

9) Fairly In The Money Now (1981)

10) Wednesday Week (1980)

11) Emergency Cases (1978)

12) I Gotta Getta (1979)

13) My Perfect Cousin (1980)

14) Top Twenty (Single Version) (1979)

15) Male Model (Album Version) (1979)

16) I Know A Girl (1979)

17) The Love Parade ('All Wrapped Up' 12" Edit) (1983)

18) You've Got My Number (Why Don't You Use It!) (1979)

1978: Teenage Kicks EP: 2, 3, 11

1979: Here Comes The Summer EP: 14

1979: The Undertones: 1, 6, 12, 15, 16

1979: You've Got My Number (Why Don't You Use It!) EP: 5, 18 

1980: Hypnotised: 10, 13

1981: It's Going To Happen! EP: 9

1981: Positive Touch: 7

1982: Beautiful Friend EP: 4

1983: The Sin Of Pride: 8

1983: All Wrapped Up: 17

 

Side One (46:10) (Box) (Mega)

Happy Jolly Tape Thing

Side 1 of a mixtape, recorded sometime in 1992.

 

I've been avoiding the obvious and posting a mixtape opening with Sunday morning on a Sunday morning for a while. However, as this selection also features April Skies and it's April, not to mention a couple of mentions of an impending summer (of love), what can I do? 

I compiled this for my girlfriend, in what I'm guessing were the early weeks and months of our relationship. Her birthday's in September so I'm assuming from the song themes that it was prior to this, in the spring/summer. We'd met at college, studying A-Levels and with a shared love of art, and it was a very happy time, as the mixtape title suggests.

 

I have an unconditional love for all of these songs, they're each associated with good memories, not just this relationship but other happy times and events in my life. I've seen five of the artists live in concert - The Psychedelic Furs, The The, Julian Cope, The Jesus & Mary Chain and Blondie - six if you count Ian McNabb's solo gig at The Phoenix Festival, and they were all brilliantly memorable gigs.

 

Summer Of Love and Poised On The Edge Of Forever only made it as B-sides in the UK, whilst Forever Now and Four Flights Up are album cuts that really should have been singles. 

 

As for the singles themselves, it's all killer, no filler in my not-very-humble opinion. Just hearing This Is The Day followed by Eve's Volcano followed by April Skies struck a real chord when I heard it again.

 

Benchtop is the possible anomaly here, as it was only released in Australia in December 1990 as the lead song from the Resisting Calm EP. I was living and working there at the time and Benchtop was heavily played by radio station Triple J. I was hooked, ended up tracking down a copy on 12" vinyl and shipping it back to the UK. It remains one of my most treasured EPs. Melanie Oxley and Chris Abrahams were previously in a band together, Sparklers; Abrahams is perhaps better known these days as part of experimental jazz trio The Necks.

I hope you're having a good weekend, whether you're observing Easter or just taking a brief respite from the crazy world we're living in. Hopefully the sun's shining wherever you are and today's selection will put a big smile on your face.

Love to you all and thanks for visiting!

1) Sunday Morning (Album Version): The Velvet Underground (1967) 

2) Forever Now (Album Version By Todd Rundgren): The Psychedelic Furs (1982)

3) Summer Of Love (Single Edit By Shep Pettibone): The B-52's (1986)

4) Poised On The Edge Of Forever (Single Version): The Dream Academy (1985)

5) Oblivious (Single Version): Aztec Camera (1983)

6) This Is The Day (Extended Version): The The (1983)

7) Eve's Volcano 'Covered In Sin' (Single Remix By Tom Lord-Alge): Julian Cope (1987)

8) April Skies (Single Version): The Jesus & Mary Chain (1987)

9) All The Daughters (Of Her Father's House) (Long Version): The Icicle Works (1985)

10) Here Comes The Summer (Single Version): The Undertones (1979)

11) Denis (Album Version) (Cover of 'Denise' by Randy & The Rainbows): Blondie (1977)

12) Benchtop (Single Version): Melanie Oxley & Chris Abrahams (1990)

13) Four Flights Up (Album Version): Lloyd Cole & The Commotions (1984)

Side One (46:02) (Box) (Mega)

Wednesday Songs

Yep, you guessed it: 11 songs with Wednesday in the title. This selection includes much loved songs by The Undertones, Elvis Costello & The Attractions and The Woodentops, an instrumental from Pete Shelley & Howard Devoto (was it really nearly 20 years ago?!) and a song from The Psychedelic Furs' spectacular comeback album last year.

 

A tip of the hat to Flimflamfan and Strangeways for introducing me to The Hardy Boys and The Siddeleys respectively via two excellent Imaginary Compilation Albums over at The Vinyl Villain. There's another brilliant ICA courtesy of Martin, the Swedish Correspondent, up this morning. 

 

Side One (17:33)

1) Wednesday's Emotional Setup: ShelleyDevoto (2002)

2) Wednesday: Drive-By Truckers (2006)

3) My Favourite Wet Wednesday Afternoon (Single Version): The Siddeleys (1987)

4) Wednesday Week: The Undertones (1980)

5) Ash Wednesday: The Psychedelic Furs (2020)

Side Two (16:39)

1) A Wednesday In August: The The (2017)

2) Wednesday's Child (Album Version): Emilíana Torrini (1999)

3) Wednesday Week: Elvis Costello & The Attractions (1978)

4) Wet Wednesday Evening: The Hardy Boys (1992)

5) Wednesday Jones (Dixie) (Version): Stephen Duffy (1986)

6) Tuesday Wednesday: The Woodentops (1988)

Side One (17:33)

Side Two (16:39)