The World Keeps Spinning

Side 1 of a mixtape, originally compiled 10th August 1994 and featuring remixes of Sparks, One Dove and Flowered Up. All three were purchased on 12" vinyl during a brief period living in Derby. My main job during this time was working a 2-10pm shift in the distribution warehouse at Joseph Mason Paints, co-ordinating the cross-country delivery runs. Crappy job and hours, but it did mean that after-work clubbing was a regular thing and I had cash to squeeze more vinyl & CDs into my pokey, damp bedsit.

There were loads of great record shops in Derby city centre at the time. The only name that I recall with any real clarity was Way Ahead, but I can at least remember that I didn't get any of these 12" singles from there. The Sparks one was a surprise discovery at the time as I'd kind of lost touch with their output in the 1980s and suddenly, here was this 2-track 12" with remixes from the Finitribe stable. I bought it without having heard it, confident that it would be great and I was right. Similarly, the limited edition remix 12" of One Dove was a must buy as soon as I saw it. Secret Knowledge aka Kris Needs delivered the A side, following a brace of epic remixes of previous single Breakdown, but the Underworld remix on the flip is even better, nearly 15 minutes of rolling beats and increasingly urgent synths. And what better way to finish Side 1 than the second of two epic remixes from the Weatherall's Weekender 12" by Flowered Up? Nearly three decades on, this sequence of music gives me a thrill and takes me back to the happy moments in Derby, listening to these before going clubbing, or through headphones whilst out and about, shaking off a heavy one or rekindling the vibe of the night before.

1) National Crime Awareness Week (13 Minutes In Heaven) (Remix By Finiflex aka John Vick & Fred Parsons): Sparks (1993)

2) Why Don't You Take Me (Underworld Up 2 Down Remix): One Dove (1993)

3) Weekender (Audrey Is A Little Bit More Partial Mix By The Sabres Of Paradise aka Andrew Weatherall, Jagz Kooner & Gary Burns): Flowered Up (1992)

 

Side One (44:53)
 

When We Mash Up The Wicked One Plan

Some dub-inflected sounds to soothe your soul...

1) Duppy Conqueror v/5: Bob Marley & The Wailers (1971)

2) Autobiography (Of The Dread Operator): Singers & Players ft. Mikey Dread (1983)

3) Pe-We Special: Lee 'Scratch' Perry & The Upsetters (1973)

4) Insohreckshan Dub: Linton Kwesi Johnson (1984)

5) Cash Machine (Roots Manuva Dub Remix): Hard-Fi (2006)

6) Dub There: Horace Andy (1977)

7) Dubnology: Alien Dread (2004)

When We Mash Up The Wicked One Plan (29:26)

A Pool Of Calm In A Sea Of Chaos

Side 1 of a mixtape, recorded sometime around 1997, featuring the music of Mark Pritchard & Tom Middleton aka Global Communication and Reload. Their remix of In Mind by Slowdive is memerising and a precursor to their similarly radical overhaul of Chapterhouse's Blood Music album the same year. The selection closes with the transformative Ob-Selon Mi-Nos By Mystic Institute aka Mark Pritchard & Paul Kent, which itself transformed into 14:31 by Global Communication on their seminal 1994 album, 76:14. This remix originally had a couple of minutes lopped off to squeeze the tracks onto one side of a cassette; this recreation features the full 15-minute version.

1) Amor Real (Remix By Global Communication): Jon Anderson ft. Milton Nascimento (1995)

2) In Mind (Reload Remix (The 147 Take)): Slowdive (1993)

3) Maiden Voyage (Original 8'07>5'23 Version): Global Communication (1994)

4) Le Soleil Et La Mer (Original Mix): Reload (1993)

5) Ob-Selon Mi-Nos (Re-Painted By Global Communication): Mystic Institute (1993)

1993: 5 EP: 2

1993: Auto Reload EP / A Collection Of Short Stories: 4

1993: The Cyberdon EP (Reload Remixes): 5

1994: Maiden Voyage EP: 3

1995: The Deseo Remixes: 1

Side One (47:14) (Box) (Mega)

And You Know I've Nothin' To Gain

Bandcamp Friday proved to be another treasure trove, although I was (a little) more restrained than the last couple of months. Aside from catching up with the Why Not and Heartbreak EPs from Unloved, featuring a plethora of remixes from Andy Votel & Jane Weaver, Gwenno, Hardway Bros, Limiñanas, Richard Sen, The Vendetta Suite and Andrew Weatherall, I bought a clutch of more recent releases from artists I've been switched onto this year.

 

I've included a trio of selections here, but please take it as read that I'm suggesting you buy the complete album/EP as they're all good!

Let Me Down Gently (10:40's Torn Parachute Dub): Spacemen 3 (from the Sleepwalker EP) 

 

The Universal Energy Within (Mytron Remix By Jacek Janiszewski): Dan Wainwright (from The Universal Energy Within EP)

What Do You See In Me (Dubapella): Andres Y Xavi ft. Rolo McGinty (from Higher Love Vol. 1 by various artists)

 

Some Of Them Remember But Most Of Them Don't

Picking up on yesterday's theme of "gigs I got tickets for, but never made it to", John Grant is the artist that I've missed the most: 4 times in the last 10 years, three times with tickets purchased in advance.This is the sorry trail:

1) St, George's, Bristol, Monday 28th March 2011

At the time, I was working for Shelter, the national housing & homelessness charity, and based in central Birmingham. This involved a lengthy rail commute from my home on the Bristol/South Gloucestershire border and was frequently subject to delays and cancelled trains. On this occasion, I'd rashly not booked the day off for the gig and found myself delayed and stranded miles from home at the point John Grant would have been taking the stage.

 

2) The Forum, Bath, Wednesday 31st October 2018

Fast forward several years, I was a supported housing manager at a charity working with people with substance misuse issues. I was based at one of the supported houses in Bath that day, 15 minutes' walk from the venue - what could go wrong? The sleep-in shift worker called in sick, I couldn't get cover at short notice and ended up doing the shift myself. Whilst John Grant was performing on stage, I was checking in with the residents before a restless night in the office-cum-bedroom.

3) The Forum, Bath, Saturday 16th May 2020

I was thrilled to read in late 2019 that John Grant would be performing a stripped down set as part of the 2020 Bath Festival and duly bought tickets. You all know what happened in early 2020...This was the first time that I was able to get a refund for unused John Grant tickets.

4) The Forum, Bath, Saturday 2nd September 2021

As mentioned yesterday, I'd already bought tickets for Scritti Politti's gig at Shepherd's Bush Empire in London on 2nd September 2021, when it was announced that John Grant would be performing in Bath on the same night. As it turned out, I ended up missing both gigs. Gutted doesn't begin to describe it.

 

For all that, John Grant continues to be the gift that keeps on giving and this year's spectacular album Boy From Michigan has been played constantly at Casa K. It's an incredibly difficult task trying to do justice with a solo career-spanning selection. I've opted for a mix of remixes, alternative and live versions, sprinkled with possibly some of the less-obvious choices from the albums, closing with a beautiful version of my favourite song from his current album. 

Fingers crossed, I will get to see John Grant perform live on stage one day. Given my track record so far, I might have to choose a venue other than Bath Forum...

 

1) It's Easier (Strongroom Session) (2010)

2) Disappointing (Album Version ft. Tracey Thorn) (2015)

3) Your Portfolio (2021)

4) No More Tangles (Live @ The Sage, Gateshead, 28 November 2014) (ft. Royal Northern Sinfonia) (2014)

5) Leopard And Lamb (2010)

6) Glacier (Single Version ft. Sinéad O'Connor) (2013)

7) Pale Green Ghosts (No Ceremony/// Rmx) (2013)

8) Preppy Boy (2018)

9) Rhetorical Figure (2021)

10 GMF (Live @ KEX Hostel, Reykjavík, Iceland, 01 November 2013)

11) Drug (Cover of The Czars) (Live @ BBC Radio 6 Music, Media City, Salford, 03 October 2014) (ft. The BBC Philharmonic Orchestra) (2014)

12) TC And Honeybear (Live @ Avast! Recording Co., Seattle, 18 December 2018)

13) The Rusty Bull (Live @ BBC 6 Music, 30 June 2021)

 

2010: Queen Of Denmark: 5

2010: Strongroom Sessions EP: 1

2013: Pale Green Ghosts (limited 2x CD): 7

2013: John Grant Gets Schooled EP: 6

2013: Recorded live for KEXP, Seattle: 10

2014: Live In Concert: 11

2015: Grey Tickles, Black Pressure: 2

2015: John Grant With Royal Northern Sinfonia EP: 4

2018: Love Is Magic: 8

2018: Recorded live for KEXP, Seattle: 12

2021: Boy From Michigan: 3, 9

2021: Recorded live for Mary Anne Hobbs, BBC 6 Music: 13

Some Of Them Remember But Most Of Them Don't (1:11:05) (KF) (Mega)

Forever Green But Not To Be Seen

If you've followed this blog for a while, you'll know that I love the music of Green Gartside and Scritti Politti. When it was announced in December 2020 that Scritti Politti would be playing Cupid & Psyche 85 in it's entirety live in concert for the first time, I got a pair of tickets for what was going to be my first live gig in over 2 years. I intentionally  went for the London date as a) it was at the weekend and b) being one of the last dates of the tour, in early October, surely it would be okay to go by then. Surely?

 

I should be sitting on a train to London, with growing excitement and anticipation at seeing Green Gartside/Scritti Politti performing live on a stage for the first time since June 2007. Sadly, I’ve had to pull out of this weekend’s trip. I have loved ones who are extremely vulnerable and, whilst we’d initially discussed my going solo to London, it was both a difficult and easy decision to make. Had it been a local gig in a spacious venue, it might have been okay. As the Scritti Politti experience would involve several hours on public transport to and from London, Tube travel, the gig itself plus an overnight stay, it just wasn't an option. 

 

It probably says a lot about the fragile normality we're all living in at the moment that I literally could not give the tickets away, despite various calls out to friends, friends of friends and the wider music loving community. Add to the mix a nationwide petrol panic and people are understandably reticent about a trip to or across The Big Smoke.

JC at The Vinyl Villain made it to the Glasgow gig on Monday and posted a brilliant and heartwarming review. It not only confirmed that Green Gartside remains possessed of one of the finest voices ever, but just how much it means to get out and enjoy live music with people again. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't gutted not to be seeing Scritti Politti tonight, but some very kind people have posted songs from the Glasgow & Cardiff concerts on YouTube: a few notes into each song and my heart lifts.

So, the tickets will now go into my collection of "gigs I got tickets for, but never made it to". The irony is that, having bought the Scritti Politti tickets for London, shortly after John Grant's postponed gig at Bath Forum was rescheduled for - you guessed it - 2nd October. I still can't make it to this gig either, but I'll have more to say about that in Sunday's post...

 

Anyway, why regret when there's so much beautiful music from Green Gartside to enjoy? Today's selection shares the same name as the Forever Green mixtape I posted back in August, but is by and large the Imaginary Compilation Album (#261, to be precise) that was my debut posting on The Vinyl Villain. At the time, I stuck rigidly to the 10 songs, 5 per side of (imaginary) vinyl format. In recreating it for today's post, I realised that that there was a real imbalance in the running times. I initially considered replacing the 12" mix of Boom! There She Was with the shorter album version. Instead, I've added two bonus songs to Side Two: B.E.F.'s cover of Stevie Wonder, featuring Green on vocals, and A Place We Both Belong, which was one of two new and exclusive songs on the 2011 compilation, Absolute. I think they slot in pretty well.

This post is a thank you to Green Gartside for getting back on stage with Scritti Politti and continuing to be an inspiration. I also read that the multi-talented Rhodri Marsden - and Scritti mainstay - celebrated his 50th birthday yesterday (1st October) with the gig at Brighton. A belated happy birthday, Rhodri! Sorry I missed you all this time, hopefully I'll see you again soon.

 

Side One (25:21)

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

2) A Little Knowledge: Scritti Politti ft. B.J. Nelson (1985)

3) Petrococadollar: Scritti Politti (2006)

4) Take Me In Your Arms And Love Me (Nice Up The Area Mix By Green Gartside & Ian Craig Marsh) (Cover of Gladys Knight & The Pips): Scritti Politti ft. Sweetie Irie (1991)

5) Flesh & Blood (Version): Scritti Politti ft. Ranking Ann (1985)

 

Side Two (24:35) 

1) Confidence: Scritti Politti (1979)

2) Tinseltown To The Boogiedown (Album Version): Scritti Politti ft. Mos Def & Lee Majors (1999)

3) Wishing Well (Cover of Anne Briggs): Green Gartside (2020)

4) Gettin’, Havin’ And Holdin’: Scritti Politti (1982)

5) I Don’t Know Why I Love You (But I Love You) (Album Version) (Cover of Stevie Wonder): B.E.F. ft. Green Gartside & Billy Preston (1991)

6) A Place We Both Belong: Scritti Politti (2011)

7) Forgiven (Live Acoustic Version) (Charles Hazlewood, BBC Radio 2, 17 May 2007): Green Gartside (2007)

 

Side One (25:21) (GD) (M)

Side Two (24:35) (GD) (M)

 

There's More Than Light In Your Eyes

Rest in peace Greg Gilbert, singer/songwriter with Delays, who passed on 30th September, aged 44.

 

Side One (18:11)

1) The Earth Gave Me You (2008)

2) Go Slowly (2008)

3) Panic Attacks (Single Version) (2007)

4) Hideaway (Demo Version) (2005)

5) Lost In A Melody (Radio Edit By Graham Sutton) (2004)

 

Side Two (19:45)

1) Someday Soon You're Gonna Happen (2006)

2) Long Time Coming (Single Version By Graham Sutton) (2004)

3) Beautiful Boy (Cover of John Lennon) (Live for BBC Radio 2) (2006)

4) Wanderlust (2004)

5) Chest Out (2008)

 

Side One (18:11)

Side Two (19:45)
 

Another Modern Dance

Back to 1981 and the rest of K-Tel's Modern Dance compilation, originally featured last month. As with the previous selection, I've split the original, crammed vinyl Side 1 into two, expanding a few tracks into the more spacious 12" versions. Quiet Life was first released as a B-side in 1980, but it's re-release as an A-side in September 1981 saw it reach #19 in the UK, their biggest hit until Ghosts the following year. I think I've cheated a bit with the John 'Tokes' Potoker remix of Heaven 17, as I don't think it's from 1981. My (now very crackly) vinyl version came from the Contenders 12" double pack single and it featured simultaneously on their Endless remix cassette, both from 1986, but I prefer it to the original 12" version, so here it is. Sweat In Bullet was the first Simple Minds 12" I bought, albeit probably also circa 1985-86, but what a song. My copy used to jump part way through, and I remember having to weight the needle with a blob of Blu Tack to get an uninterrupted play. The Garden was the first John Foxx album I bought, mainly for the single which I'd seen on Top Of The Pops. A surprise to find three decades on that it only got to #40 at the time. She's Got Claws suffered a particularly harsh K-Tel cut to less than three and half minutes on the original album, so I've gone to the other extreme with this selection and included the full 12" version which clocks in at over six minutes. 

 

Modern Dance is one of a few compilations that have stayed with me over the years, none of the songs becoming over familiar or overplayed. 1981 was a great year for slightly off-kilter pop music.

 

Side One (22:41)

1) Joan Of Arc (Album Version): O.M.D. (1981)

2) Quiet Life (7" Version): Japan (1980)

3) Love Action (I Believe In Love) (12" Edit): The Human League (1981)

4) Penthouse And Pavement (12" Mix By John 'Tokes' Potoker): Heaven 17 (1981)

5) New Life (Remix): Depeche Mode (1981)

Side Two (21:26)

1) Sweat In Bullet (Remix): Simple Minds (1981)

2) Europe After The Rain (Album Version): John Foxx (1981)

3) Charlotte Sometimes (Single Version): The Cure (1981)

4) She's Got Claws (Extended): Gary Numan (1981)

 

Side One (22:41)

Side Two (21:26)
 

Been Tryin' Hard Not To Get Into Trouble

Listening to 4 Hero's remix of Nuyorican Soul sidestepped me into Photek's remix of 4 Hero and so to today's selection. Rupert Parkes began releasing music under numerous aliases in the early 1990s, Photek emerging in 1994 and being the most enduring of these, still in use today. Part of the hideously named genre, intelligent drum and bass, like his contemporaries Roni Size, LTJ Bukem and Goldie, what really appealed to me was the complex rhythms and jazz inflections. As a nod to the latter, a track on Photek's debut album, KJZ, was an acronym for Kirk's Jazz. By the start of the 21st Century, Photek's sound had taken a turn into house and techno, though as this selection highlights, there is an identity and character linking all of Photek's music. I've lost track in the last few years, and I have read that Parkes has subsequently produced music for films, TV and games, his last album release being the soundtrack to EA Games' Need For Speed in 2016.

 

For this selection, I've focused solely on Photek's remixes for other artists. It's great to listen to these in one go, personal favourites being Loose by Therapy?, Destiny by Zero 7, I Miss You by Björk and the one that started this all, Star Chasers by 4 Hero. The remix of Paul Simon was a welcome return in 2018 and one of the few redeeming tracks on the otherwise questionable Graceland: The Remixes album. I hadn't heard Photek's remix of The Faint in 5 years and it struck how well it would sit in a mixtape next to songs from John Grant's latest album, Boy From Michigan, particularly The Rusty Bull or Your Portfolio. And how else to end but with Single by Everything But The Girl? The original version is sublime; Photek's remix provides a similar shiver down the spine. Twenty five years old and still sounding like it could be out right now.

1) The Lonely Night (Photek Remix): Moby ft. Mark Lanegan & Mindy Jones (2013)

2) Destiny (Photek Remix): Zero 7 ft. Sia & Sophie Barker (2001)

3) Alien (Photek Remix): Lamb (1999)

4) Total Job (Remixed By Photek): The Faint (2003)

5) Loose (Photek Remix): Therapy? (1995)

6) Ride (Photek B21 Edit): Lana Del Rey (2012)

7) Lie Down In Darkness (Photek Remix): Moby (2011)

8) All Around The World Or The Myth Of Fingerprints (Photek Remix): Paul Simon (2018)

9) I Miss You (Photek Mix): Björk (1996)

10) Star Chasers (Photek Remix): 4 Hero (1998)

11) Single (Photek Remix): Everything But The Girl (1996)

Been Tryin' Hard Not To Get Into Trouble (57:51)

I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun

In 1971, (The New) Rotary Connection releases their fifth and final album, Hey, Love. The writing was already on the wall: superlative singer Minnie Riperton had already been presented as a solo artist the previous Christmas; although a few years away from career-defining song, Lovin' You, her prodigious talent was unmistakable. The last gasp of the Rotary Connection was no half-baked effort, however, and contained the epic blast of celebration and affirmation that is I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun.

A quarter of century later in 1997, Kenny 'Dope' Gonzalez & 'Little' Louie Vega aka Masters At Work revisited this classic as Nuyorican Soul. Apart from the switch from male to female lead vocals - superbly realised by Jocelyn Brown - it's a pretty faithful take on the song.

Their remix as Masters At Work ups the funky beats and sprinkles in some Q-Tip for good measure...

...but the winner for me is the 4 Hero Remix, which retains much of the original, then explodes into a breakbeat and strings frenzy in the latter half, to stirring effect.

Last but not least is a more recent take from 2018 by Toshio Matsuura Group, the Japanese DJ and producer joined by an impressive line up, including Tom Herbert (The Invisible, Acoustic Ladyland) on bass, Dan Leavers (The Comet Is Coming) on piano, Crispin "Spry" Robinson (Galliano) on percussion, Tom Skinner (Sons Of Kemet) on drums and Cuban vocalist, composer, arranger, choir director, and band leader Daymé Arocena on vocals. This version is heavier on guitar and drops into a rousing samba for the climax. You can buy the song here.

 

 

I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun: The New Rotary Connection (1971) 

I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun (Album Version): Nuyorican Soul ft. Jocelyn Brown (1997) 

I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun (MAW Remix): Nuyorican Soul ft. Jocelyn Brown & Q-Tip (1997) 

I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun (4 Hero Remix): Nuyorican Soul ft. Jocelyn Brown (1997)  

I Am The Black Gold Of The Sun: Toshio Matsuura Group ft. Daymé Arocena (2018)