Life On Earth Is A Bloody Hazardous Affair

Still celebrating? Good! Here's some Stereolab to sweeten your weekend. 

Although I've posted a link to one their live shows previously, incredibly this is the first time in nearly 1,200 posts that I've featured a Dubhed selection dedicated to the band. 

Better late than never hopefully, this is a dozen songs of what I'd loosely describe as the 'poppier' end of the Stereolab spectrum, including a few of their better known 'hits' as well as some more obscure items. Oh, and a couple from my favourite album of theirs, Emperor Tomato Ketchup.

Possibly needless to say, I wasn't hip enough or lucky enough to buy these rarities on vinyl or CD single at the time but swiftly moved on the many compilations that have been available over the years and all highly recommended. 

 

In fact, if you're feeling flush, Stereolab released Switched On Volumes 1-5 via Bandcamp at the end of March. Thirty British notes will get you the digital; an extra twenty will get you the shiny disc box set. Eighty five tracks either way, you really can't go wrong, can you?

 

1) Fractal Dream Of A Thing (2008)

2) Cybele's Reverie (Album Version) (1996)

3) Munich Madness aka Blue Milk (1995) 

4) With Friends Like These (1999)

5) Pinball (1996)

6) Op Hop Detonation (1999)
7) Percolator (Album Version) (1996)

8) Wow And Flutter (1994)

9) Ticker-Tape Of The Unconscious (Thievery Corporation Remix By Eric Hilton & Rob Garza) (1999)

10) You Used To Call Me Sadness ('Demo' Version) (1996)

11) Jenny Ondioline (Single Version) (1993)

12) Captain Easychord (2001) 

 

1993: Jenny Ondioline EP: 11

1994: Wow And Flutter EP: 8

1996: Emperor Tomato Ketchup: 2, 7

1996: Fluorescences EP: 5 

1996: You Used To Call Me Sadness/Skyhigh EP (split 7" with Fuxa): 10

1998: The In Sound EP: 3

1999: Abductions And Reconstructions: 9

1999: Cobra And Phases Group Play Voltage In The Milky Night: 6

1999: The Free Design EP: 4

2001: Captain Easychord EP: 12

2008: Chemical Chords: 1

 

A Bloody Hazardous Affair (46:07) (KF) (Mega)

Watching, Not Wanting

Side 2 of a mixtape, compiled 8th August 1998.

 

Some dirty, downtempo beats for you today, with a selection of tracks from the 1996-1998 period. Goodness knows how I managed to squeeze this onto a C90 cassette side, but...

Starting off with a superior demo of Blue Mug by GusGus, which subsequently appeared on their 1999 album This Is Normal and ending with a swampy remix of Massive Attack's Teardrop by Primal Scream, featuring the superlative vocals of Liz Fraser. In between, you get a couple of early 90s rappers - Justin Warfield and MC Tunes - in their respective new groups, One Inch Punch and Dust Junkys. 

 

Solex vs. The Hitmeister was one of my favourite albums of 1998 and Solex aka Elisabeth Esselink was a great live act, as was Laika, both of whom I saw at the time, to undeservedly modest audiences.

 

New Forms by Roni Size Reprazent was ubiquitous in 1998, yet more than lived up to the hype around it. The same can be said for When I Was Born For The 7th Time, Cornershop's 'surprise' hit on the back of a number 1 single with Brimful Of Asha.

 

I only have this one single by Rare and undoubtedly bought it for the Justin Robertson remix, not included here, but quite liked the other versions on the CD. As an added bonus for fact fans, Rare was a short-lived band from Derry, Northern Ireland, featuring none other than John O'Neill (credited as Seán Ó'Néill), formerly of The Undertones and That Petrol Emotion. The following year, Rare disbanded, The Undertones reformed without Feargal Sharkey, and continue to this day.

 

1) Blue Mug (Demo Version): GusGus (1998)

2) Metaphysics (ft. Mannish): One Inch Punch (1996)

3) Watching Windows (Album Version): Roni Size Reprazent ft. Onallee (1997)

4) Looking For The Jackalope (Single Version): Laika (1997)

5) The Foundation (Album Version): Thievery Corporation (1996)

6) Your Selfish Ways (Album Version By Mark Van Hoen): Locust ft. Zoe Niblett (1997)

7) What Is Happening: Cornershop (1997)

8) Solex In A Slipshod Style: Solex (1998)

9) Mind My Make-Up (Dust Junkys Remix): Finitribe ft. Katy Morrison (1998)

10) Seems Like (Bang Bang Mix By Xavier Jamaux): Rare (1998)

11) Teardrop (Scream Team Remix): Massive Attack ft. Elizabeth Fraser (1998)
 

Side Two (46:56) (Box) (Mega)

Can't You See That I Am Not Afraid?

You can blame Patrick Swayze for this one. I somehow found myself watching his 1989 'classic' film Road House - one of those nights where there's naff all on TV and you're too tired to watch anything too taxing. I won't dwell on the film - it's truly awful - though I managed an inward chuckle when I saw that the director's first name was Rowdy. Very apt.

 

Unsurprisingly, The Doors' Roadhouse Blues makes an appearance, albeit performed by the movie's bar band, in reality The Jeff Healey Band. Jeff also has a few lines with Swayze in the film, proving that he's also a great... guitar player.

Rather than going for the obvious and posting The Doors' original version of Roadhouse Blues, I've gone a bit Marmite and shovelled up a pile of 21st century remixes, which I guess you'll either love or hate. I'm in the former camp. Given the choice, I'd rather listen to this than the original motion picture soundtrack of Road House, even if it is currently going for 85p on Discogs...

 

1) Break On Through (Infected Mushroom Swing Remix) (2007)

2) People Are Strange (Reggae Version By Andy Rehfeldt) (2017) 

3) Riders On The Storm (N.O.W. Mix By Nightmares On Wax aka George Evelyn) (2000)

4) Hello I Love You (Adam Freeland Club Mix) (2006)

5) Strange Days (Thievery Corporation Remix) (2006)

6) Peace Frog (Andy Caracas Funk Re-Edit) (2016)

7) Roadhouse Blues (Mindelight Remix) (2007)

8) You're Lost Little Girl (Go Home Productions Remix By Mark Vidler) (2005)

9) Touch Me (The Reflex Re√ision) (2017)

10) The End (Riva Starr ReTrip) (2009)

Can't You See That I Am Not Afraid? (56:31) (KF) (Mega)

 

 

 

And if that's not enough to make you choke on your Corn Flakes... 

 

Light My Fire (Steptoe & Son Remix By Richard Whitehead): The Doors (2015)

 

(2024 update: Sadly, the video has since been removed from You Tube. The spoilsports!)