Ambient Andrew Again

Another sixty (one) minute selection of Andrew Weatherall's ambient excursions which, unsurprisingly, take the listener down the less trodden path.

If you caught last Sunday's post, you'll know that this was created from the same shortlist as Volume 1, but to be clear this is no 'leftovers' compilation. 

A slight shift by twelve months, too. Whereas Volume 1 spanned 1991 to 2016, Volume 2 covers 1992 to 2017. A complete accident, but I like it.

As before, there's room for Andrew's solo work, The Sabres Of Paradise and Two Lone Swordsmen, plus a second collaboration with Keith Tenniswood from the 2003 release Still My World.

Woodleigh Research Facility and Nina Walsh from Volume 1 are swapped for The Asphodells and Timothy J. Fairplay in Volume 2. There are also remixes by Being, Group Rhoda and In The Nursery as well as reworks of Scorn, James, Death In Vegas and Red Snapper.

It's such a privilege and a pleasure approaching each and every Andrew Weatherall selection. His generosity of spirit embues his music, making for some unusual but natural sequencing. Any bumps or clunks in the transition are entirely down to me, hopefully offset by the magic of the music itself. 

1) Azzolini And The Branch Brothers Meet Being (Remix By Being aka Dave Paton): Two Lone Swordsmen (1996)

2) Exodus (Sabres Of Paradise Mix 1 By Andrew Weatherall, Jagz Kooner & Gary Burns): Scorn (1992)

3) The Crescents: Andrew Weatherall & Keith Tenniswood (2003)

4) Another Heady Cocktail: Two Lone Swordsmen (1997)

5) Jam J (Phase 2: Amphetamine Pulsate) (Remix By Andrew Weatherall, Jagz Kooner & Gary Burns): James vs. The Sabres Of Paradise (1994)

6) Another Lonely City (Group Rhoda Remix By Mara Barenbaum): The Asphodells (2013)

7) Glenn Street Assault Squad (In The Nursery Visit Glenn Street) (Remix By Klive Humberstone & Nigel Humberstone): Two Lone Swordsmen (1996)

8) Soft Estates: Andrew Weatherall (2017)

9) Rekkit (Vega Sintro) (Remix by Two Lone Swordsmen aka Andrew Weatherall & Keith Tenniswood): Death In Vegas (1997)

10) Bogeyman (Two Lone Swordsmen Blue Jam Cologne Mix By Andrew Weatherall & Keith Tenniswood): Red Snapper (1998)

1992: Deliverance EP: 2

1994: Jam J EP: 5

1996: Swimming Not Skimming: 1, 7

1997: Rekkit: Death By A Thousand Cuts EP: 9

1997: Stockwell Steppas: 4

1998: Bogeyman EP: 10

2003: Still My World: 3

2013: The Asphodells Remixed: 6

2017: Qualia: 8

Ambient Andrew Vol. 2 (1:01:38) (GD) (M)

Ambient Andrew

The 'Andrew' of course being Andrew Weatherall, the 'Ambient' a little misleading perhaps, but this is the nearest you'll get, a combination of chilled and chilling to get you through this mad, mad, mad world.

I've dug deep, going into Andrew's work with Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns as The Sabres Of Paradise, Keith Tenniswood as Two Lone Swordsmen, and Nina Walsh as Woodleigh Research Facility. 

There's also his remix and production work with all of the above, plus Hugo Nicolson with Primal Scream, Peter Hook adding a bassline to The Limiñanas' Garden Of Love that calls to mind The Times' 1990 classic Manchester, and Utah Saints' I Want You transformed beyond all recognition. Oh, and vocals too, from Marie Limiñana, Nina Walsh and, to close, The Guv'nor himself.

The thing is, trawling through my collection for compilation candidates, i ended up with enough for two hour-long mixtapes. So, Vol.2 will be here soon, probably next weekend.

For now though, sit back with a brew, and immerse yourself in Weatherall's world for sixty minutes. 

1) Kicking In Part 4: Two Lone Swordsmen (1997)

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

3) Flight Path Estate: The Sabres Of Paradise (1994)

4) Tiny Reminder No. 1 (C-Pij Remix Vocal) (Remix By Nina Walsh): Two Lone Swordsmen (2001)

5) I Want You (Sabres 110) (Remix By The Sabres Of Paradise aka Andrew Weatherall, Jagz Kooner & Gary Burns): Utah Saints (1993)

6) Akwalek: Two Lone Swordsmen (2000)

7) Theme 4: The Sabres Of Paradise (1994)

8) Emancipation Garage: Woodleigh Research Facility (2015)

9) Still My World: Andrew Weatherall & Keith Tenniswood (2003)

10) Chapel Street Market 9am: The Sabres Of Paradise (1994)

11) Inner Flight (Album Version By Andrew Weatherall & Hugo Nicolson): Primal Scream (1991)

12) Ghosts Again (Album Version By Andrew Weatherall & Nina Walsh): Andrew Weatherall (2016)

1991: Screamadelica: 11

1993: I Want You EP: 5

1994: Haunted Dancehall: 3, 7, 10

1997: Stockwell Steppas: 1

2000: Tiny Reminders: 6

2001: Further Reminders: 4

2003: Still My World: 9

2015: The Phoenix Suburb (And Other Stories): 8

2016: Convenanza: 12

2016: Garden Of Love EP: 2

Ambient Andrew Vol. 1 (59:45) (GD) (M)

Gun Fire

Whilst I try to keep up with the wealth of new music and new artists coming out - and spectacularly fail to do so - I also try to keep a steady rotation of albums in my collection.

On the digital decks this week is The Fire Of Love, the 1981 debut from The Gun Club.

I knew of the band via bassist Patricia Morrison's subsequent stint with The Sisters Of Mercy, although she joined later, Rob Ritter aka Rob Graves being in the line-up that recorded this album. 

Another member who missed out on the recording was co-founder Kid Congo Powers, having temporarily joined The Cramps at the time The Gun Club entered the studio to record The Fire Of Love. but has a co-writing credit on one of the songs.

Otherwise, all songs are written by frontperson Jeffrey Lee Pierce, and I've picked the three fire-themed songs, including the title track. All live performances, all varying recording quality and camera angles, all fizzing with the same energy and excitement that listening to the album brings.

 

In 2004, Andrew Weatherall and Keith Tenniswood recorded a cover version of The Fire Of Love's opening song, Sex Beat, which was released as a single and included on the Two Lone Swordsmen album, From The Double Gone Chapel.

As a bonus, a live performance of Sex Beat by The Gun Club, still on fire after all these years...

 

Pure Water

I haven't listened to Leftield's second album Rhythm And Stealth in quite a while. Swords was the third and final single and in fact proved to be their last single/new song for a decade and a half, when Universal Everything signalled Leftfield's return in 2015.

I bought Swords in June 2000, opting for just one of the CD singles offered as part of the typical multi-format deal that prevailed at the time. I was surprised to find out when prepping this post that Swords apparently failed to crack the UK singles chart. 

An unusual choice for a single perhaps, menacing, downtempo, Nicole Willis' vocals down in the mix, but I think it's a standout song.

I've never seen the video before, the song itself almost relegated to a soundtrack of an engrossing series of car (and one motorbike) based vignettes. I've picked the 'long version' which extends the narrative by a further minute which accentuates to sense of unease and tension amongst the ensemble cast. It's brilliant.

It will be no surprise to regular visitors that my choice of the two CD singles on offer was the one featuring a remix by Andrew Weatherall and Keith Tenniswood aka Two Lone Swordsmen. Not the first time Lord Sabre had remixed Leftfield, but with a song title like Swords, it would have been foolish not to ask, right?

Vocals removed, electro beats added, it's very much akin to what Two Lone Swordsmen were releasing under their own name at this time, yet retaining the spirit of the Leftfield original. This is what remixes are all about.

Leftield's return in 2015 (albeit Neil Barnes without co-founder Paul Daley) included a session for Lauren Laverne's Radio 6 at Maida Vale, where a spectacular 8-minute version of Swords was performed, fronted by singer Ofei. Well worth your attention.

As it's the first Bandcamp Friday of 2026 tomorrow, I've managed to find two 21st Century 'bootleg' remixes of Swords, both available as a Name Your Price purchase. 

Nothing radical about either, more a layering of beats and a slight tinkering, which Swords is more than capable of handling. Nebulist aka Baz Popiolek goes for "hard and deep" breakbeats, whilst Moth Equals captures a "trip hop" vibe. Both worth your pennies, if you like the song in the first place.

 

 

Dave Dreaming (For Dave S.)

Celebrating my friend Dave Scantlebury, 11th December 1957 to 20th January 2009.

We shared a birthday and a voracious, genre-defying appetite for music. We knew each other for less than a decade and a half, worked together for less, but those times were crammed full of music swaps, nights out and the occasional gig. Today's selection barely scratches the surface, yet also sums up what connected us.

Dave would have turned 69 on 11th December this year, and I'm sure he would still have been the life of the party, still doing 100-mile charity bike rides and still enthusiastically waving his latest music purchase at me, wanting to know if I'd heard it too.

I wish I'd seen Dave more often, had more days and nights out together, I wish he was still around to share music with. He still inspires.

69 Police is a rather on-the-nose reference to the age that Dave would have reached in 2026, and it's also a nod to the fact that we were both huge fans of David Holmes, pre- and post- his move into big budget Hollywood soundtracks. 

I first heard Bow Down To The Exit Sign via a CD-R rip that Dave gave me, although I bought my own legitimate copy on CD soon after. 69 Police is a joy and we were both particularly taken with Kieran Hebden's remix, then in that transitory period between leaving Fridge and finding his own audience as Four Tet.

Needless to say, we were also obsessed with everything that Andrew Weatherall did, musically speaking. Two Lone Swordsmen was perhaps very niche and bit too much for those that wanted him to repeat Screamadelica ad nauseum. That was never going to happen and we both loved these increasingly harder edged excursions into electro. 2000 album Tiny Reminders (another 'preview' rip from Dave before I got my own CD) is arguably the perfect distillation of this and one we got very excited about when it was released. 

Spiritualized was arguably a group that I liked but really grew to love through our friendship as Dave would wax lyrical in the pub over the genius of Jason Pierce. Amazing Grace in 2003 - and another 'try before you buy' gift from Dave - was an astonishing reaction to the increasingly expansive, densely orchestrated, out there albums that had been built up through the 1990s, a scuzzy, abrasive, quick-and-dirty sounding album that still followed the Spiritualized blueprint to brilliant effect.

A memorable gig that Dave and I went to in 2000 was at Fiddlers, the site of a former prison (c. 1740) in a suburb south of central Bristol. Touring their collaborative album Stop The Panic were electronic wunderkind Luke Vibert and legendary pedal steel guitar player B.J. Cole. It was as brilliant a show as it was a joy just to see the expression on their faces, especially B.J.'s, when they realised how much the audience were enjoying it.

Not only that, but the support was a set from Mike Paradinas, better known to us for his association with Aphex Twin and recordings under a plethora of aliases, most notably µ-Ziq. So, a pick from each to commemorate a great night out.

Dave selected Mott The Hoople and Culture to be played at the service celebrating his life, delivered by journalist, news presenter and interfaith minister Susan Osman. I shared the entire list in my post from 2022 and featured Two Sevens Clash by the latter, which reappears today, albeit an alternative version from a John Peel session in 1983.

Although I didn't explicitly mark Dave's passing in 2024, instead posting a 'chart history' selection from 20th January 1974, the latter also featured Mott The Hoople. I am taking this as a sign that following a two-year cycle in 2022 and 2024, Mott The Hoople had to appear again in 2026 and therefore they are also included in this selection. 

Dave and I were both at the Massive Attack gig at Bristol Harbourside in August 2004 and - you guessed it - massive fans, whilst we previously got to have an awkward exchange with Moby in February 2000 as part of the pre-show prize for my winning a pair tickets for his University of Bristol concert, courtesy of local newspaper, the Evening Post.

Dave also switched me on to DJ mix CDs, particularly the Essential Mix, Late Night Tales and Fabric series, the latter boasting an especially fine set from mutual favourites, Glasgow duo Slam. Their dub of Seventeen by Ladytron was a standout selection and I've included the full length version here.

The last gig that Dave and I went to was billed as a Green Gartside solo set, which in fact turned out to be a full band Scritti Politti gig in the intimate surround of the Arnolfini arts centre on Bristol's harbourside. It was an unforgettable experience and the few of us there, including Mrs. K and a couple of friends, knew we had witnessed something special. I had no idea that this would be the final time that I would see live music with Dave, yet it was perfect in every way.

The selection ends inevitably with another act that we both loved, and another album that Dave loaned me. We were both hooked on The Future Sound Of London and when they released The Isness as Amorphous Androgynous in 2002, it was just next-level greatness.

Even the packaging was sublime, what I can only described a Chinese puzzle box-inspired CD flip box that required some thought and effort to unlock the 'secret' drawer to reveal the shiny disc within. No CD-R preview this time, Dave lent me the precious artefact so that I could enjoy the full immersive experience.

I love The Isness and, when I finally managed to get my own copy of the limited edition CD, it became the soundtrack to my and Mrs. K's summer, shared nights sat on the somewhat precarious rooftop terrace of our home at the time, glugging red wine and enjoying the journey from sunset to warm summer night. Admittedly, occasionally interrupted by the sound and light of a police helicopter chasing down the latest car jacker, but otherwise as blissful as you could imagine.

So many happy memories, either directly with or indirectly because of Dave. He was universally loved by everyone that I knew, which I guess is evident by how his presence remains with me, to this day.

Cheers, Dave, and thanks for everything.

1) 69 Police (Kieran's Remix By Kieran Hebden): David Holmes ft. Sean Gullette (2000)

2) Death To All Culture Snitches: Two Lone Swordsmen (2000)

3) She Kissed Me (It Felt Like A Hit): Spiritualized (2003)

4) Roy Castle: µ-Ziq (1995)

5) Hipalong Hop: Luke Vibert & B.J. Cole ft. Mexeena Carlos (2000)

6) Thunderbuck Ram: Mott The Hoople (1970)

7) Two Sevens Clash (John Peel Session): Culture (1983)

8) Daydreaming (Instrumental): Massive Attack (1990)

9) Seventeen (Slam Dub): Ladytron (2002)

10) Porcelain (Torsten Stenzel's Edited Remix): Moby (2000)

11) Robin Hood (Album Version): Scritti Politti (2006)

12) Go Tell It To The Trees Egghead: Amorphous Androgynous (2002)

1970: Mad Shadows: 6

1987: The Peel Sessions EP: 7

1990: Daydreaming EP: 8

1995: Trance Europe Express 3: 4

2000: Porcelain EP: 10

2000: 69 Police EP: 1

2000: Stop The Panic: 5

2000: Tiny Reminders: 2

2002: Seventeen EP: 9

2002: The Isness: 12

2003: Amazing Grace: 3

2006: White Bread Black Beer: 11

Dave Dreaming (For Dave S.) (58:36) (GD) (M)

You're Off Your Bleedin' Rocker

I occasionally take requests, and Mike was itching for a Fujiya & Miyagi selection, so here I am with the proverbial scratch, 45 minutes of Brighton beach motorik.

Not that I'm in any way, shape or form an expert on their music, as today's selection will demonstrate, but what I know, I like very much. 

Formed at the start of the 21st Century, Fujiya & Miyagi released nine albums between 2002 and 2022. According to their agent bio the band is "currently working on their new record which will be released in 2025."

The fact that it's not yet out at least gives me some breathing space to catch up. I missed out on debut Electro Karaoke In The Negative Style and it's companion album Remixes (and have struggled to locate a copy since), coming on board via my friend Stuart's recommendation of Transparent Things in 2006.

I got the following two albums - Lightbulbs (2008) and Ventriloquizzing (2011) - which I think are great, though that's where the trail runs cold for me. 

Therefore, this 11-song selection draws three from each of these albums, a remix by Andrew Weatherall and Keith Tenniswood as Two Lone Swordsmen, plus a brave cover of New Order recorded for a Mojo magazine cover mounted CD around the time of Ventriloquizzing.

As a measure of the consistency and quality of their music, Photocopier, a personal favourite and the lyrical inspiration for the post and selection title, didn't even make the final eleven!

Creating this mixtape has reminded what I enjoy so much about Fujiya & Miyagi and whet my appetite for more. If you're in a similar position of not keeping up with their music, then I hope today's selection has the same effect.

Most of Fujiya & Miyagi's album back catalogue, together with sessions, remixes and one-off tracks, can be found on their Bandcamp page.

1) Hundreds & Thousands (2008)

2) Pterodactyls (2008)

3) Electro Karaoke (Two Lone Swordsmen Remix) (2003)

4) Cylinders (2006)

5) Lightbulbs (2008)

6) Tinsel & Glitter (2011)

7) Ankle Injuries (2006)

8) Your Silent Face (Cover of New Order) (2011)

9) Cat Got Your Tongue (2011)

10) Collarbone (2006)

11) Sixteen Shades Of Black & Blue (2011)

2003: Remixes Sampler EP: 3

2006: Transparent Things: 4, 7, 10

2008: Lightbulbs: 1, 2, 5

2011: Power Corruption & Lies Covered (Mojo magazine promo CD): 8

2011: Ventriloquizzing: 6, 9, 12

You're Off Your Bleedin' Rocker (45:19) (GD) (M)

Decayed III: 2004

Side 1 of a cassette compilation that never was, travelling through the 2000s.

Guitars are back! Back!! BACK!!!

Not that they ever go away, but the press likes to enforce a death/rebirth cycle when it comes to guitar-based music and based. It's nonsense of course, and completely disregards the dizzying array of other popular genres and the blending and mashing up of most of them by creatives. Does it even sell column inches? Who cares?

Today's selection is quite guitar-heavy, for all that. U2 were back (along with that man Jacknife Lee) with one of the best songs they'd released in years, even if the rest of the album couldn't match up.

Beastie Boys were also back, revisiting the rap rock golden age of (You Gotta) Fight For Your Right (To Party!) with Triple Trouble, thanks to a rifftastic remix by Graham Coxon.

New kids on the block, all delivering fresh and exciting music, included Art Brut, The Vines, Bloc Party and Franz Ferdinand, whose debut album got my vote for one of The Top 20 Greatest Eponymous Albums Of All Time over at No Badger Required.

Aside from Jacknife Lee, another producer who seemed to be everywhere was Mark Ronson, here popping up with a remix of AIR, featuring Chicagoan rapper Che Smith aka Rhymefest. Licenced to Ill(inois), you might say.

After last week's guest appearance with wife Beyoncé, Jay-Z is back in his own right with Dirt Off Your Shoulder. Another example of the creative ways that labels would deal with the F's, MF's and N's that peppered rap music in order to get it played on the radio. Not so easy to sing along to, I can promise you.

Another returning guest star from last week is Jake Shears, this time in his day job as front person with Scissor Sisters. What a breath of fresh air they were. A cover of Pink Floyd in the style of Bee Gees' disco pomp, it shouldn't work, but Comfortably Numb is glorious. And there was plenty more where that came from.

After my contrived attempt to ensure that Andrew Weatherall appeared in every year of my 1990s series, a welcome return for Lord Sabre under his own steam, with old mucker Keith Tenniswood as Two Lone Swordsmen. Sex Beat is a cover of The Gun Club's 1981 song and a surprise UK Top 25 hit in August 2004.  

The opening and closing songs of today's selection represent artists that I didn't connect with at first, but later grew to love.

Gwen Stefani fronted No Doubt, who had a #1 in 1997 with Don't Speak, an atypical ballad compared to the pop/rock/ska that was their stock in trade. I wasn't a fan. However, Gwen's solo single What You Waiting For? is up there with the best pop songs of the decade and her album Love.Angel.Music.Baby. had lots to enjoy, even if not quite at the same stratospheric level. 

I'm astounded that What You Waiting For? only got to #4, losing out to Girls Aloud, Destiny's Child and Lemar from Fame Academy. No Doubt? No justice, more like!

2004 closes with Slow Life by Super Furry Animals, which I was reacquainted with during the summer thanks to The Robster's must-read series on SFA singles, featured at The Vinyl Villain. 

I'd strongly recommend that you read the entire series from end to end, it's amazing. Here's an extract from The Robster's post on Slow Life:

It was the third and final single from Phantom Power, 

but its release, in April 2004, was far from conventional. 

It, along with its two b-sides, was initially available digitally 

only from the website of Placid Casual, the band’s own independent record label, 

which suggests that Epic may have been reluctant to release it themselves, 

possibly due to its length. 

They did, however, put out a single-sided 12” promo. 

It then featured as a CD single  in the special limited edition of 

the Phantom Phorce remix album  in its own slipcase sleeve. 

Needless to say, it didn’t chart due to the nature of its release.

In the opening paragraph, The Robster writes that Slow Life "really does stand up as one of the finest moments of their existence" and, even in the truncated edit featured here, he is absolutely right.

Decayed is now at the halfway mark and has hopefully demonstrated that the first decade of the 21st century had plenty to offer, musically speaking. Can 2005 hope to keep up?

1) What You Waiting For? (Album Version): Gwen Stefani

2) Alpha Beta Gaga (Mark Ronson Vocal Mix): AIR ft. Rhymefest

3) Vertigo (Jacknife Lee 7"): U2

4) Triple Trouble (Graham Coxon Remix): Beastie Boys

5) Formed A Band (Album Version): Art Brut

6) Comfortably Numb (Album Version) (Cover of Pink Floyd): Scissor Sisters

7) Ride (Album Version): The Vines

8) Take Me Out (Album Version): Franz Ferdinand

9) Helicopter (Original Version): Bloc Party

10) Dirt Off Your Shoulder (Radio): Jay-Z

11) Sex Beat (Remix) (Cover of The Gun Club): Two Lone Swordsmen

12) Slow Life (Edit): Super Furry Animals

18th January 2004: Franz Ferdinand (#3): 8

25th January 2004: Scissor Sisters (#10): 6

14th March 2004: Winning Days (#25): 7

4th April 2004: Bang Bang Rock & Roll (#52): 5

25th April 2004: Phantom Power (# n/a): 12

16th May 2004: The Black Album (#12): 10

1st August 2004: From The Double Gone Chapel (#22): 11

15th August 2004: Talkie Walkie (#44): 2

19th September 2004: To The 5 Boroughs (#37): 4

31st October 2004: Silent Alarm (#26): 9

11th November 2004: How To Dismantle An Atomic Bomb (#1): 3

21st November 2004: Love.Angel.Music.Baby. (#4): 1

Side One (45:36) (GD) (M)

If you enjoyed this, why not check out the corresponding mixtapes from 1984 and 1994?

Tell Me A Thousand Times

Happy, happy, happy birthday to Sarah Cracknell, born 12th April 1967.

Chanteuse, songwriter, mother, wife and all round fabulous person, today's selection celebrates Sarah's 58th with 58 minutes of Sarah singing. What could be better than that?

It's mostly Saint Etienne, with a couple of songs from Sarah's solo catalogue and collaborations with David Holmes and Mark Brown. 

There are also mixes from Masters At Work, Kid Loco, Richard X, Two Lone Swordsmen aka Andrew Weatherall and Keith Tenniswood, as well as Andrew's former compadres in The Sabres Of Paradise, Jagz Kooner and Gary Burns. All very different styles and approaches, though Sarah's voice shines through.

Here's to you, Sarah, hiope you have a good one.

1) Aussie Soap Girl: Sarah Cracknell (1997)

2) Method Of Modern Love (Radio Edit By Richard X & Pete Hofmann): Saint Etienne (2009)

3) Nothing Can Stop Us (Masters At Work Dub) (Remix By Kenny 'Dope' Gonzalez & 'Little' Louie Vega): Saint Etienne (1992)

4) Goodnight Jack: Saint Etienne (1998)

5) Message In A Bottle: Saint Etienne (1995)

6) Stop And Think It Over (Kid Loco Mix): Saint Etienne (2002)

7) Penlop (Album Version By Pete Wiggs): Saint Etienne (2021)

8) Some Place Else: Saint Etienne (1992)

9) Gone (Edit By David Holmes, Jagz Kooner & Gary Burns): David Holmes ft. Sarah Cracknell (1995)

10) I Threw It All Away: Saint Etienne (2012)

11) Sleepytown: Sarah Cracknell (2015)

12) Like A Motorway (Japanese Version): Saint Etienne (1994)

13) The Journey Continues (Vocal Radio Edit): Mark Brown ft. Sarah Cracknell (2007)

14) Andersen Unbound: Saint Etienne (2002)

15) Heart Failed (In The Back Of A Taxi) (Two Lone Swordsmen Mix By Andrew Weatherall & Keith Tenniswood): Saint Etienne (2000)

1992: Avenue EP: 8

1992: Nothing Can Stop Us EP: 3

1995: Gone EP: 9

1995: Xmas 95 EP: 5

1997: Goldie EP: 1

1998: Good Humor: 4

2000: Heart Failed (In The Back Of A Taxi) EP: 15

2002: Action EP: 14

2007: The Journey Continues EP: 13

2009: Method Of Modern Love EP: 2

2009: Now 4 EP: 12

2010: Finisterre (Deluxe Edition) (2x CD): 6

2012: Words And Music By Saint Etienne: 10

2015: Take The Silver EP: 11

2021: I've Been Trying To Tell You: 7

Tell Me A Thousand Times (58:22) (KF) (Mega)

If that's left you hungry for more Sarah, I've resurrected my 1997 Saint Etienne C90 side which I posted last year. You can find it here.

Decadance IV: 1996

Side 1 of my imaginary mixtape meander through the Nineties. 

1996 saw David Baddiel, Frank Skinner and the Lightning Seeds top the UK charts with Three Lions, proclaiming "Football's Coming Home". It wasn't the last time they'd hit #1 with the song or prove that the proclamation was a tad on the optimistic side.

At least Bristol could properly lay claim to the phrase. After a decade in the wilderness (well, Twerton near Bath), Bristol Rovers were indeed coming home. Their original home had been turned into a whacking great Ikea and 1996 saw them find a new, permanent home at the Memorial Stadium in the north of the city. And that's where they've been ever since.

I was a bit more transient, moving from one rented dive to another close to the city centre, before taking the plunge and moving for the first time just south of the river. It was a big deal, not least because I was moving from a squalid bedsit (though nothing to match Ernie Goggins or C) to a terraced house. It was also the first time that I co-habited with a girlfriend. Both of these continued to the end of the decade, but not much beyond, but that's a whole other story.

Everything was great, apart from the parking. Skill at parallel parking in the tightest of spots was a must, with a continuous row of static vehicles on each side of the not-very-wide road. Bin day was a squeaky bum moment, as the rubbish lorry made it's way slowly down the middle, invariably smacking off a few wing mirrors or scratching a few doors along the way. 

I eventually sold the car. It was largely redundant anyway: I worked in the city centre, which was at most a twenty minute walk; there were loads of shops and decent pubs within an even shorter walk and Temple Meads train station was also pretty much on my doorstep, enabling those wider excursions and adventures.

Gig-wise, a mere handful for me, and no Julian Cope, who played Reading Festival and a few other shows, but nothing in Bristol. Instead, I got to see Stereolab and Tortoise play a double headliner at the Bierkeller. I also went to the Bristol Community Festival at Ashton Court, where Renegade Soundwave stole the show, yet sadly didn't make the cut for the final dozen here.

The only other three gigs that I remember/retained tickets for were all at The Fleece (or Fleece & Firkin, as it was known then) and my first time seeing all three. Cardiacs were every bit as brilliant and bonkers as I thought they would be, better in fact. 

And 1996 was the year that my jangly-music loving girlfriend managed what friends (and John Peel) had failed to do, that is, convince me that The Wedding Present were actually a really, really good band. Of course, many of you will point out - and reasonably - that 1996 wasn't necessarily peak period Weddoes, but I was introduced to the full catalogue in one go and there's no denying that David and the band put on a bloody good show that night.

Moby also played at The Fleece & Firkin, and I was there. If at a glance this seems like an odd venue for the techno baldie then I must point out that 1996 was Moby's "hair metal" phase, albeit without the hair. After the success of Everything Is Wrong, Moby followed up with Animal Rights, ditching beats for thrash dirges, which pretty much everyone hated and nobody bought. Except me, and a few hundred people squashed into the sweaty confines of The Fleece. I'll come back to it another time but personally I had a great time.

Moby's included in today's selection with his #73 smash Come On Baby. The CD single came as a limited edition double pack in a rubberised gatefold sleeve, and a 'Death Metal' version of Whip It by Devo. I'm assuming Mute and Moby didn't make their money back on this one, but it's a lovely product to own. Moby covered the James Bond theme the following year and the hits resumed.

Another act blending Bond and beats, albeit a year before and with even greater success, was The Prodigy. Not that you'd recognise the jangly-sounding guitar providing the calm-but-sinister interludes as a John Barry sample. Firestarter was a turning point for The Prodigy though personally Breathe - both song and video - ramped things up even further, and deservedly became their second UK #1.

Not just one but two #1s this time, the other being Ready Or Not by Fugees. I'll be honest with you: I couldn't bear their cover of Killing Me Softly in 1996; I don't feel a lot different about it now. In fact, I was largely indifferent to Fugees, collectively or solo. Apart from Ready Or Not, which I love unconditionally. I say unconditionally, as I think it's mostly down to the beats and samples and Lauryn Hill's delivery of the chorus, rather than her at-times excruciating rap. But what a song.

More by accident than design, I seem to have skipped the first half of 1996 entirely, as all twelve songs were hits between July and December. I won't dwell on what may have been so bad about January to June 1996, other than to note that the period started with Earth Song by Michael Jackson at #1 and ended with the aforementioned Three Lions and Killing Me Softly jostling for the top spot. Other chart toppers in between were Babylon Zoo, Mark Morrison and Gina G, so maybe it's best I just give it a wide berth...

I've managed to squeeze in Julian Cope's last year of UK hit singles. Both I Come From Another Planet, Baby and it's follow-up Planetary Sit-In managed a peak of #34 before rapidly disappearing. Parent album Interpreter also managed to scrape the Top 40 (just) at #39. After that, the Arch Drude permanently moved to self-releasing music on his Head Heritage, to a more select (and adoring) audience.

Quite a few songs got more than one crack at the charts. Sneaker Pimps released 6 Underground in September 1996, peaking at #15 a couple of weeks later. The song was re-released the following year and did even better, crashing in at #9 in June 1997. I've decided to stick with their relatively modest first placing in 1996 for the simple reason that it included a rather fine remix by Two Lone Swordsmen aka Andrew Weatherall and Keith Tenniswood, and therefore qualifies for today's MAW.

Born Slippy by Underworld failed to make much of an impression when it was first released as a single in 1995, entering the chart at #52 on 7th May, dropping to #75 the following week and then into seeming obscurity the week after that. And then a little film called Trainspotting came along, and everything changed.

Both the album and the soundtrack became the essential experience of 1996. I'm assuming many rushed out to retrospectively buy and read Irvine Welsh's novel too. The music was fantastic though and Born Slippy re-entered the singles chart at #2 in July and pretty much refused to leave the Top 100 until April the following year. It's still like nothing else at the time, even by Underworld, let alone anyone else.

CJ Bolland also delivered a surprise hit with Sugar Is Sweeter. Up to then, an artist that I considered to offer up more serious, 'intelligent' dance music (though I hate that term), the decision to take a different route, employing the sublime vocal talents of Jade 4U aka Nikkie Van Lierop, was inspired.

Another surprise, though only in the sense that I realise with shame that this is their first appearance in this series, is Pet Shop Boys. Ten years on from West End Girls, Neil and Chris proved beyond any doubt that they could deliver songs with the same pop hooks and lyrical bite, that kept in step with shifting musical trends. Single-Bilingual was their third and final single of 1996 and my favourite af an admittedly strong trio.

Baby Bird make their first and only appearance in this series (and the Top 10) with You're Gorgeous, which got all the way to #3 in October 1996. As so many before and after, this was a lovely pop song which, on closer listen, revealed a darker narrative streak running through. Steven Jones' tale of an exchange between the narrator (a model) and their subject (a photographer) gains further meaning if you switch and swap the character's genders. Subversive pop at it's best.

Oh, and a parental advisory for a potty-mouthed song by Super Furry Animals, which was just too good to leave off.

Manic Street Preachers returned with their first album as a 3-piece, following the disappearance of Richey Edwards. It was all captured in the sound and feel of Everything Must Go, melancholy and reflective in places, though Australia was a reminder of their capacity for rousing, energetic romps. The latter got in under the line in December as the fourth single and Top 10 hit of the year.

Rounding off today's selection is a return for Justin Robertson and Roger Lyons aka Lionrock, teaming up with MC Buzz B for Fire Up The Shoesaw. I was pleasantly surprised to find that this got to #22, as it never quite felt that Lionrock releases got the respect and commercial success that I think they should have. Fire Up The Shoesaw is tons of fun, with a superb drum break sample for the bridge, consumate wordplay from Sean Braithwaite and a scuzzy, squally bit of guitar/amp feedback to finish things off.

1) Breathe (Edit): The Prodigy

2) You're Gorgeous (Re-Recorded Version): Baby Bird

3) Born Slippy.Nuxx (Short): Underworld

4) Single-Bilingual (Single Mix): Pet Shop Boys

5) Sugar Is Sweeter (Radio Edit): CJ Bolland ft. Jade 4U

6) 6 Underground (Two Lone Swordsmen Vocal Mix) (Edit By Khayem): Sneaker Pimps

7) Come On Baby (Eskimos & Egypt 7" Mix): Moby

8) The Man Don't Give A Fuck (Single Version): Super Furry Animals

9) I Come From Another Planet, Baby (Album Version): Julian Cope

10) Australia (Single Version): Manic Street Preachers

11) Ready Or Not (Album Version): Fugees

12) Fire Up The Shoesaw (Vocal Edit): Lionrock ft. MC Buzz B

7th July 1996: Born Slippy EP (#2): 3

21st July 1996: Fire Up The Shoesaw EP (#43): 12

21st July 1996: Interpreter (#34): 9

15th September 1996: The Score (#1): 11

29th September 1996: Sugar Is Sweeter EP (#11): 5

6th October 1996: Ugly Beautiful (#3): 2

13th October 1996: 6 Underground EP (#15): 6

10th November 1996: Come On Baby EP (#73): 7

17th November 1996: Breathe EP (#1): 1

17th November 1996: Single-Bilingual EP (#14): 4

8th December 1996: Australia EP (#7): 10

8th December 1996: The Man Don't Give A Fuck EP (#22): 8

Side One (46:19) (GD) (M)

Jesus Wept

I even surprised myself with this one.

 

A loose JC theme for today's selection, whether in the title, lyrics...or artist's initials. A forty-five minute variety show featuring some (ir)reverential tunes by several Dubhed favourites and a few first-timers.

No Christmas Day selection would be complete without Andrew Weatherall and Julian Cope. 

 

Andrew teams up with Keith Tenniswood as Two Lone Swordsmen for a brilliantly titled track from their 1999 album A Virus With Shoes. To celebrate its 25th anniversary, I've...well, basically, I've just played it in reverse. If you're a lover or hater, it'll be proof that Weatherall's music either sounds fantastic or shit, whichever direction it's played. Naturally, I'm in the former camp.

Julian gets as close as he ever will to a Christmas song with a B-side from 1988's Charlotte Anne EP and typically one of the best things he's ever written and recorded. But then, I would say that, wouldn't I?

Forget About Jesus by Swell blew me away when I first heard it on the John Peel show in 1994. For it's 30th anniversary, I've spliced together sections from the two versions that featured on the CD single back in the day to create a six-and-a-half minute extended version. Dean Kirkpatrick is co-founder Sean's dad and provides the opening and closing spoken word sections.

Add to the above, liberal helpings of The Jesus & Mary Chain, Ash, The Birthday Party and The The amongst others, and you have a treat that you can enjoy between meals without spoiling your appetite.

 

Have a great day everyone, whether you're celebrating, commiserating, isolating or entertaining. With especially big love for all those working today and tomorrow, putting others before themselves.

Thanks for dropping by, be sure to drop by tomorrow for a Boxing Day special.

 

1) Jesus Says (Album Version): Ash (1998)

2) Jesus H Christ On A Surfboard: Gary Cassin (2024)

3) Christ On A Stick: Creamboy (2020)

4) Cloned Christ On A Hover Donkey (Be Thankful) (Khayem's Crunching The Reverse Gear): Two Lone Swordsmen (2024)

5) Reverence (Album Version): The Jesus & Mary Chain (1992)

6) Forget About Jesus (Khayem's Reinterred Vocal Re-Edit): Swell ft. Dean Kirkpatrick (2024)

7) Christ Alive: The Sea Nymphs (1995)

8) The Cult Of Lord Jesus H. Christ: Alex G (2015)

9) Jesus Built My Hotrod (Short, Pusillanimous, So-They-Can-Fit-More-Commercials-On-The-Radio Edit): Ministry (1991)

10) Christ On A Bike: Thingdom (2024)

11) Big Jesus Trash Can: The Birthday Party (1982)

12) Angels Of Deception (Album Version): The The (1986)

13) Christmas Mourning (Single Version): Julian Cope (1988)

Jesus Wept (45:45) (GD) (M)