Be Seeing You

No, not my final ever post, you may be relieved or dismayed (or indifferent) to hear, but a nod to The Prisoner, a TV series that ended over half a century ago yet continues to intrigue, confound and inspire.

Likewise, the Welsh village of Portmeirion, the location of The Village in the series, has also been a go-to for music video shoots. I've included a selection here, including a couple filmed for legendary music show The Tube, produced by Channel 4 in the 1980s, which was also where I watched - and fell in love with - The Prisoner for the first time.

 

First up is The Times with I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape from 1982. Edward Ball wrote and first recorded the song as a single in 1980 as Teenage Filmstars. The Times' video was directed by Nick Morris and a recreation of The Prisoner, including what many may argue is a more satisfying ending that the TV series' controversial final episode.

 

In 1987, The Tube had a special episode, titled "The Laughing Prisoner", filmed in Portmeirion. Jools Holland was the titular character and the opening of this clip features Jools and Stephen Fry, the latter performing possibly the worst umbrella lob committed to video.

The main feature is Siouxsie & The Banshees' cover version of The Passenger. I was (and still am) a huge fan of the band and their music so it was always a thrill to see them on TV. I'm not sure I'd heard Iggy Pop's original and frankly unbeatable version at the time. Either way, the Banshees' version may have been deemed worthy of a single but it's not their finest moment. The band look super cool though.

I'm not sure I've even seen the 1982 promo for See Those Eyes by Altered Images before. If I did, I completely forgot that like The Times, this was also directed inspired by The Prisoner. Much as I enjoy seeing Ed Ball in action, I didn't have a crush on him as a pre-teen, so Clare Grogan is going to win every time, no contest.

Fast forward to 1995 and Supergrass won me over with their cheeky chappy song and video, Alright. As impressive as the lads racing around Portmeirion on Chopper bicycles is, nothing can top Gaz Coombes' mutton chops, the likes of which I'd not seen since Amos Brearly was pulling pints in The Woolpack on Emmerdale Farm.

Back to 1987 and The Tube who, prior to "The Laughing Prisoner" special, filmed XTC performing a couple of songs in Portmeirion. The Meeting Place has Colin Moulding on lead vocals and full McGoohan garb, bar his hairstyle. I think Billy Ray Cyrus was paying close attention to the latter.

I'll confess that I've never heard of Ulysses before "researching" today's post. Even more galling to discover that they're from Bath, a reasonably short jaunt from Casa K. Situation Man was a released as a single from 2019 album On Safari (sadly, not a tribute to another classic TV show and presenter, as far as I can tell). If you like what you hear, you can find the album and other Ulysses releases on Bandcamp.

Ironically, this chap released a single in May 1989 called The Prisoner and even named the 12" version "The Portmeirion Mix". Was it enough to get him a free pass to Portmeirion? Hell no.

16 In 16 On 16

No messing about, this selection features songs that are track 16 on their respective albums, delivered in 16 minutes (and 16 seconds) on 16th August. Bosh, done.

1) There's No Beautiful Way To Say Goodbye: Television Personalities (2006)

2) Possession: Elvis Costello & The Attractions (1980)

3) The Mayor: N.A.S.A. ft. The Cool Kids, Ghostface Killah, Scarface & DJ AM (2009)

4) Punk Love: The Magnetic Fields (1999)

5) Bloodflow: Calexico (1998)

1980: Get Happy!: 2

1998: The Black Light: 5

1999: 69 Love Songs: 4

2006: My Dark Places: 1

2009: The Spirit Of Apollo: 3

16 In 16 On 16 (16:16)

The Salesman Who Sold Himself

Today's selection revisits The Times aka Edward Ball. A little under a year ago, I hosted a three-day marathon, featuring Side 1 and Side 2 of The Times mixtape that I'd recorded in 1998, followed by an all new selection highlighting Ball's electronic experiments with The Times and Love Corporation.

The previous posts focused exclusively on Ball's time with Creation Records, effectively The Times Mk. II, and were inspired by a post on The Times Mk. I on the excellent (and hopefully currently only 'resting') Linear Tracking Lives!.

I didn't have much of the earlier phase of The Times, but Brian recently reminded me that at the tail end of 2021 Cherry Red released a beautiful box set of the six albums they released between 1982 and 1986, boosted by bonus songs to a whopping 126 tracks across 6 CDs. Duly prompted, I purchased the set and have been enjoying the deep dive into the albums. Great value for money, working out at less than 25p a song, not to mention the gorgeous packaging and enlightening sleeve notes from Ball himself.

Rather than solely focusing on this period, today's selection ambitiously (foolishly?) attempts a career-spanning retrospective across two imaginary sides of vinyl. So, you get 14 songs and just under 45 minutes of The Times, from 'lost' 1980 debut album, Go! With The Times (not released until 1985) to the final Creation album, Pirate Playlist 66, in 1999. In between, there are some EP tracks, a cover version and another 'lost' album, 1987's Sad But True, which bridged the Artpop! and Creation phases but remained unreleased until 1997. 

I'll try not to leave it a year before getting round to a selection of Edward Ball's solo ventures, as there are further treasures to polish and present there.

This one's dedicated to Brian.

 

Side One

1) Up Against It (Album Version) (1986)

2) Liam Gallagher Our Leader (1999)

3) Sold (1989)

4) I'll See You In My Dreams (1984)

5) Riot House (1987)

6) Picture Gallery (Album Version) (1982)

7) The Theme From "Danger Man" (Single Version) (Cover of Edwin Astley) (1982)

Side Two

1) Song For Joe Orton (1985)

2) The American Way (1986)

3) Ballad Of Georgie Best (1993)

4) On The Peace Line (1988)

5) (There's A) Cloud Over Liverpool (Album Version) (1983)

6) I'm With You (1980)

7) Power Is Forever (Single Version) (1984)

1982: I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape EP: A7

1982: Pop Goes Art!: A6 

1983: This Is London: B5

1984: Boys Brigade EP: B7

1985: Blue Period EP: A4 

1985: Boys About Town EP: B1

1985: Go! With The Times: B6

1986: Enjoy: B2

1986: Up Against It: A1

1988: Beat Torture: B4

1989: E For Edward: A3 

1993: Alternative Commercial Crossover: B3

1997: Sad But True: A5

1999: Pirate Playlist 66: A2

Side One (22:50)

Side Two (22:41)

Everybody Needs A Bosom For A Pillow

Side 1 of a mixtape, compiled 14th February 1998. I have no memory of this particular day so I can only hope that I'd woken early (as I do) to record this mixtape, rather than it being one of the least romantic Valentine's Days ever. I hasten to add that, either way, my girlfriend at the time was not the currently long-suffering Mrs. K.

This was definitely an attempt at an 'upbeat' selection, starting off with a Manchester two-hander from 808 State and Intastella, the latter remixed by A Certain Ratio's Martin Moscrop. Things then take a veer left(field) with possibly one of the maddest singles The Times/Ed Ball ever released, and that's including I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape. 

 

Next up is Mucho Macho's remix of Cornershop's Brimful Of Asha, from the 'flop' first release of the single in 1997. I had to check the dates but, a mere two weeks after this mixtape was recorded, Brimful Of Asha was re-released with a Norman Cook remix and went straight to #1 in the UK, where it remained for a further 12 weeks, 11 of those remaining above the #60 peak of the original release. Spooky.

 

Planetary Sit-In is Julian Cope in string-drenched pop-with-a-message mode, his last ever UK singles chart hit, #34 in October 1996. 

 

Stay was 18 Wheeler's biggest UK hit, charting at #59 in March 1997. Wikipedia damningly cites their biggest claim to fame as being the band that Oasis were supporting (at King Tut's Wah Wah Hut in 1993) when Creation head honcho Alan McGee discovered the latter. Being on the same label clearly did 18 Wheeler no favours.

Fellow Scots The Apples fared similarly poorly with the record-buying public, managing just one UK #75 single, which isn't this one. This version appeared on the CD single, mis-labelled as the Stereo Guitar People Mix by Pete Lorimer. Ironically, this remix by James Reynolds is actually heavier on the guitar so you can understand the mix up. Reynolds arguably enjoyed much greater success, not least being the 4th Baronet of Woolton, having succeeded to the title in 2015.

Freak Power (aka Norman Cook & Ashley Slater) took two goes to have a hit with Turn On Tune In Cop Out, #29 in 1993 then #3 in 1995. Ashley Slater went on to appear in 2014 with his partner Scarlett Quinn as Kitten And the Hip in an excruciating X-Factor audition, which YouTube has preserved for posterity). Having survived this ordeal, the pair continue in a reformed Freak Power.

 

Not much to say about Groove Is In The Heart, other than Deee-Lite were a breath of fresh air in 1990 and this song still has the desired effect, three decades on.

 

Last but not least, the mysterious collective, The KK Kings. I heard this song originally on the soundtrack to the wonderful 1993 film Bhaji On The Beach. I think this was their only official single, though they'd previously released a promo, Justified & Ancient, which together with their prodigious use of samples, led to comparisons with The KLF. It's so much better than that and a shame that we didn't get to hear more from them.

 

As a final note, the mixtape title comes from a key line in Cornershop's Brimful Of Asha, which itself is the hook of the Mucho Macho remix. Despite all this, I still managed to write Everyone Needs A Bosom For A Pillow on the cassette sleeve. Again, either a case of not enough sleep or the worst Valentine's Days ever. Amazingly, I was in the same relationship the following year, but I have no record of whether Valentine's Day 1999 fared any better. It couldn't have been any worse, could it?

 

1) Lift (7" Version): 808 State (1991)

2) This Is Bendy (Remix By Martin Moscrop): Intastella (1991)

3) Finnegans Break (Edit By Ian Shaw & The Big Noize Supremists): The Times ft. Tippa Irie (1993)

4) Brimful Of Asha (Mucho Macho Bolan Boogie Mix): Cornershop (1997)

5) Planetary Sit-In (Album Version): Julian Cope (1996)

6) Stay (Radio Edit): 18 Wheeler (1997)

7) Beautiful People (Silver Sky Mix By James Reynolds): The Apples (1991)

8) Turn On Tune In Cop Out (Radio Mix By Norman Cook & Simon Thornton): Freak Power (1993)

9) Groove Is In The Heart (Peanut Butter Mix): Deee-Lite (1990)

10) Holidays (In The United KK Kingdom) (Extended) (Remix By Mikha K): The KK Kings (1994)

 

Side One (45:25) (Box) (Mega)

Eclectic Guitar

Side 2 of a mixtape, recorded 3rd October 1999. As the name suggests, an eclectic mix with lots of guitar and a slight pun on a song title by Talking Heads, who close proceedings with their debut single. 

This may be the only place (today, at least) where you'll find INXS sandwiched by His Name Is Alive and the Fatima Mansions and Beck followed by The Pastels, with some wry slice of life observations from Jarvis Cocker and Ed Ball, alongside stone cold Seventies classics by Wire, Sparks, Blondie and the aforementioned Talking Heads. 

1) 59 Lyndhurst Grove (Inside Susan: "A Story In Three Songs...", Part 3) (Single Version): Pulp (1993)

2) Wish I Had A Wishing Ring (Album Version): His Name Is Alive (1998)

3) Heaven Sent (Album Version): INXS (1992) 

4) Something Bad: The Fatima Mansions (1992)

5) Hasta Mañana, Monsieur: Sparks (1974)

6) Primrose 0882: The Times (1993)

7) Outdoor Miner (Long Version): Wire (1978)

8) One Way Or Another (Album Version): Blondie (1978)

9) Deadweight (Edit): Beck (1997)

10) Love, It's Getting Better (Cover of The Groove): The Pastels (1995)

11) Chemicrazy (Revitalized): That Petrol Emotion (1990)

12) Love → Building On Fire: Talking Heads (1977)

 

1974: Kimono My House: 5 

1977: Love → Building On Fire EP: 12

1978: Parallel Lines: 8

1989: On Returning (1977-1979): 7

1990: Sensitize EP: 11

1992: Valhalla Avenue: 4

1992: Welcome To Wherever You Are: 3 

1993: Baby Girl EP: 6

1993: Razzmatazz EP: 1 

1995: Worlds Of Possibility EP: 10

1997: Deadweight EP: 9

1998: Ft. Lake: 2

Side Two (46:08) (KF) (Mega)

Creation Myths

Creation Records compilations were cheap, cheerful and a great way of sampling singles, EPs and album cuts. I'm pretty sure Keeping The Faith: A Creation Dance Compilation was the first I picked up and worth a post in its own right. Not long after, I picked up (even cheaper) secondhand copies of Do You Believe In Love?, A Palace In The Sun and Sorted, Snorted And Sported. With the exception of Keeping The Faith, I generally found Creation compilations a real hit-and-miss affair, unlikely to bear start-to-finish plays and most useful as material for mix tapes. I was not especially moved by Tangerine, The Bounty Hunters, Something Pretty Beautiful and didn't explore their music beyond these and other Creation compilations that I got over the years.

 

Today's selection is from a mix CD that I put together circa 2004-2005, when I decided to have a clear out and donate some albums to a local charity shop. There are some notable omissions from the original albums - Chelsea Girl by Ride, the Andrew Weatherall remixes of Primal Scream and Love Corporation, No More Sorry by My Bloody Valentine - because I had them elsewhere on albums or compilations that I was keeping.

This, then, is the 'best of the rest' but with a sequencing that I was happy to play and replay. It's mostly guitar-based (acoustic and squawling, sometimes both) with the odd sprinkling of electronic beats and samples. Enjoy.

 

1) Honey Power: My Bloody Valentine (Tremolo EP, 1991)

2) I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have (Album Version): Primal Scream (Primal Scream, 1989)

3) Street Of Lights: Peter Astor (Zoo, 1991)

4) Snow (Album Version): The Times (E For Edward, 1989)

5) Yu-Yu (FTD Mix): Hypnotone (Hypnotonic EP, 1991)

6) Girl Go (Single Version): The Jazz Butcher (Girl Go EP, 1990)

7) Laze It Up: Swervedriver (Sandblasted EP, 1991)

8) Chevron: Peter Astor (Submarine, 1990)

9) Love (Album Version): Love Corporation (Lovers, 1991)

10) Don't Ask Why: My Bloody Valentine (Glider EP, 1990)

11) Dream Beam (Ben Chapman 7" Edit): Hypnotone (Dream Beam EP, 1990)

12) Rave Down: Swervedriver (Rave Down EP. 1990)

13) Shine (Single Version): Slowdive (Holding Our Breath EP, 1991)

14) Lundi Bleu (Radio Edit): The Times (Lundi Bleu EP, 1992)

15) She's On Drugs: The Jazz Butcher (Cult Of The Basement, 1990)

16) You're Just Dead Skin To Me: Primal Scream (Primal Scream, 1989)

17) Star Sign (Album Version): Teenage Fanclub (Bandwagonesque, 1991)

1990: Do You Believe In Love?: 4, 6, 16

1991: A Palace In The Sun: 2, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 15

1991: Sorted, Snorted And Sported: 1, 3, 5, 7, 13, 14, 17

Creation Myths 1989-1991 (1:19:34)

Always Asking Questions?

Why are the weekends so short? This and other pressing questions below, with absolutely no answers whatsoever.

 

1) How Does It Feel? (Cover of Spacemen 3): Piano Magic (1998)

2) Is That You Mo-Dean? (Interdimension Mix By Moby) (New Edit 2002): The B-52's (2002)

3) Why Theory? (Re-Recorded Version): Gang Of Four (2005)

4) What Was Her Name? (Original): Dave Clarke ft. Chicks On Speed (2004)

5) How Many Six Packs Does It Take To Screw In A Light?: American Music Club (1994)

6) Whatever Happened To?: Buzzcocks (1977)

7) Why Can't I Be You? (Album Version): The Cure (1987)

8) Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken? (Demo): Lloyd Cole & The Commotions (1983)

9) Where Do You Go? (Album Version By William Orbit): Beth Orton (1993)

10) Where Is My Mind? (Live @ Les Eurockéennes Festival, Belfort, France, 03 July 2004): Pixies (2004)

11) “Is it art or anti-art?”: The Times (1991)

Always Asking Questions? (36:41)

Ed The Ball

Love Corporation : The Times : Edward Ball 

 

To round off this trilogy of tributes to The Times and the wonderful world of Ed Ball, I've sequenced a new mix pulling together rare remixes, extended versions and the more electronic-oriented sounds of Love Corporation. I've avoided some of the more obvious mixes, such as Palatial by Danny Rampling and the main mix of Give Me Some Love by Andrew Weatherall, because I think (hope) they are readily available elsewhere. In typically contrary fashion, I've also bookended the mix with the closing and opening tracks from Love Corporation's final album of new material, Intelligentsia, from 1994 and featuring the voice of the unique and much-missed Denise Johnson.

 

Put your headphones on and enjoy a little over an hour of Ed music...

 

1) Translucence: Love Corporation ft. Denise Johnson (from Intelligentsia, 1994) 

2) Your Mama Don't Dance And Your Daddy Don't Acid House (Ultra Living Mix): Love Corporation (from Dance Stance, 1997) 

3) Baby Girl (Album Version): The Times ft. Tippa Irie (from Alternative Commercial Crossover, 1993)

4) Septieme Ciel (Triple J Astral Projection Mix): The Times (Australian promo 12" single, 1990)*

5) A Beautiful Village Called England (Album Version): The Times ft. Angel Dust aka Cindy Lovecore (from Pure, 1991)

6) Lundi Bleu (Album Version): The Times (from Pure, 1991)

7) Palatial II (Remixed By Doug Martin): Love Corporation (12" single B-side, 1990)**

8) Give Me Some Love (Remix By Love Corporation & Andrew Weatherall): Love Corporation (12" single B-side, 1991)***

9) Translucent: Love Corporation ft. Denise Johnson (from Intelligentsia, 1994)

 

Ed The Ball (Love Corporation : The Times : Edward Ball) (1:02:37)

* This mix also appears on the The Times compilation Pink Ball, Brown Ball, Ed Ball from 1991, retitled I've Got All This And Heaven Too (Astral Projection Mix).

** On the Palatial 12" single sleeve, this version is credited to Doug Martin, on the label both mixes are attributed to Danny Rampling - I think it's the former. Palatial II also appeared on the 1990 Creation Records compilation, Do You Believe In Love?

*** This is the same as Give Me Some Love (Mix II), which appears on the promo 12" single.

Et Deux Créa Les Temps

Inspired by yesterday's response to The Times, I dove deep into the recesses of the attic and rediscovered a box of CD singles containing the 'missing' B-sides I needed to complete the mixtape.

Therefore, much sooner than planned, here is Side Two of a 1998 mixtape, this time dedicated to Brian and Swiss Adam. 

Brian, you may particularly enjoy track 5...

1) Pour Kylie (from Et Dieu Créa La Femme, 1990)

2) "...now what went wrong?" (from Alternative Commercial Crossover, 1993)

3) Soultight (ft. Jan Stevens) (from Finnegans Break EP, 1993)

4) A Girl Called Mersey (Album Version) (from Pure, 1991)

5) Baby Girl (Remix By Marius De Vries & Steve Sidelnyk) (ft. Tippa Irie) (from Baby Girl EP, 1993)

6) Heaven Sent Me An Angel (from Beat Torture, 1988)

7) Mash It Up (from Baby Girl EP, 1993)

8) Snow (Album Version) (from E For Edward, 1989)

9) Confiance (Album Version) (from Et Dieu Créa La Femme, 1990)

10) The Colour Of My Love (ft. Jan Stevens) (from Baby Girl EP, 1993)*

11) Sorry, I've Written A Melody (from Alternative Commercial Crossover, 1993) 

Side Two (44:57)

* This song was later re-recorded and released in 1997 as a single called Love Is Blue, and also featured on Edward Ball's album Catholic Guilt the previous year.

Et Dieu Créa Les Temps

Sometimes I've planned these posts in advance. Sometimes I'm writing on the fly, inspired by music I've listened to in the past 24 hours. Sometimes it's a serendipitous moment, where two parallel events converge in a happy and beneficial way. This falls into the latter category.

 

If you've followed previous posts, you'll have picked up that I've unearthed a box of mixtapes and CDs that I've compiled at various times since the late 1980s, either for myself, friends and family or both. I've recreated random sides as playlists and posted them here on a regular basis. Last Friday, I blew the dust off a few more and added them to my Apple Music playlist. On Saturday, I posted the first of these, Too Punk To Funk. Another on the list was The Times, effectively an ever-changing band with Edward (Ed) Ball at the core, who has recorded under a variety of aliases and across a broad range of genres.

Yesterday, at the excellent Linear Tracking Lives, Brian featured The Times, specifically their initial Whaam!/Artpop! phase in the first half of the 1980s. Brian mentioned that he was unfamiliar with The Times' second phase, specifically Ed Ball's time on the Creation label from the mid-1980s to the late 1990s. And it just so happens that The Times playlist I'd recreated on Saturday focuses exclusively on the Creation period 1988-1993. Suddenly this post had more or less written itself...

So, here is Side One of a 1998 mixtape, rescued from the loft, and dedicated to Brian.

 

1) Manchester (12" Version) (from Manchester EP, 1989) 

2) Septième Ciel ('Fast' Version) (from Pink Ball, Brown Ball, Ed Ball, 1991)*

3) French Film Bleurred (from E For Edward, 1989)

4) All I Want Is You To Care (from Alternative Commercial Crossover, 1993)

5) Chagrin D'Amour (from Et Dieu Créa La Femme, 1990)

6) Lundi Bleu (Radio Edit) (from Lundi Bleu EP, 1992)

7) The Obligatory Grunge Song (from Alternative Commercial Crossover, 1993)

8) No Love On Haight St. (from E For Edward, 1989)

9) How To Start Your Own Country (from Beat Torture, 1988)

10) Acid Angel Of Ecstasy (from E For Edward, 1989)

Side One (46:04)

 

*  I'm not sure if this is a mastering error, but this is very slightly faster than the album version on Et Dieu Créa La Femme.

 

Although partly represented here by a single edit of the cover of New Order's Blue Monday, Ed Ball's 1991 acid opus Pure is otherwise not featured above, but does appear on Side Two of the mixtape. That may take a while longer to pop up on Dubhed as it includes a couple of CD single B-sides which are currently residing in a box somewhere deeper in the loft. However, I have a mixtape for Love Corporation, another Ed Ball-related project, which may appear sooner. It will also give me an excuse to post more Andrew Weatherall, as it's been far too long since he last made an appearance on this blog...

 

There are three further Creation-era albums by The Times, which also aren't featured on the mixtape - The Times At The Astradome Lunaville, Sad But True and Pirate Playlist 66 - for the simple reason that I didn't own them at the time and/or they were released after the mixtape was compiled.