Always Your Cassette Pet!

Side 1 of a cassette compilation, recorded September 1991. 

 

My brother used to buy a lot of albums on cassette. Needs must: there was one family turntable in the lounge and both of us had cassette decks of varying quality in our bedrooms to soundtrack our teenage angst. My brother had gone to university, I'd just returned from a year in Australia, and this was a last opportunity to trawl through the boxes of tapes at our parents' house, before they were shipped off to join him or get stuck up in the loft for some undetermined period.

There was obviously some haste involved and/or a lack of blank cassettes as I didn't copy many albums in their entirety, but I did manage to pull together this compilation, a hybrid of my brother's tapes and the odd cassingle that I'd added to my collection. As with Side 2, posted last November, a varied and quite dark mix overall.

 

Laibach are, er, back with, er, Get Back. Clearly, they were were a big favourite at the time, with 3 out of the 21 songs in total. The previous selections were from Opus Dei, this one is the opener of their track-by-track cover of The Beatles' Let It Be. Both albums were available as a 'double play' cassette back in the day and I remember my brother blasting Laibach out of the car stereo, windows down, as we drove through the centre of Bristol, to the bemusement of most. Solid times.

It'll End In Tears by This Mortal Coil is also represented by 3 songs on this compilation. Fortunately, unlike Lisa Gerrard who was subject to a harsh edit on Side 2, both Howard Devoto and Elizabeth Fraser get to finish their songs. Covers of Big Star and Roy Harper, these were the first versions I heard and remain the definitive takes for me.

The The gets another excerpt from the unreleased album The Pornography Of Despair, one of 6 songs tacked on as a bonus side to the cassette version of the Soul Mining album. Like many of these songs, Waitin' For The Upturn was also released as a B-side.

In the mid-late 1980s, I had no idea really about Alison Statton, or her history with Young Marble Giants. To me, she was the voice of Weekend, who were kind of jazzy; they recorded an album with Keith Tippet live at Ronnie Scott's. Weekend were also capable of some really dark indie pop like Red Planes, featured here. I was inevitably drawn to the latter. Alison's voice still sends a shiver down my spine.

Troubling my sphincter was The Prisoner by Tears For Fears. The Hurting - which I still love - was a bleak, soul-searching debut that explored concepts that were completely over my head in 1983. The Prisoner was originally a B-side to second single Pale Shelter (a chart flop the first time around). Both were re-recorded for The Hurting to great effect, The Prisoner particularly benefiting from some screaming synth stabs.

Both Tears For Fears and The Icicle Works have covered Robert Wyatt's Sea Song. The latter is the better of the two, though neither really come close to the plaintive beauty of Wyatt's own version.

Lou Reed and John Cale reunited in 1990 for a tribute to departed friend Andy Warhol, a bit of a purple patch for both of them at the time. This is perhaps my favourite song from the Songs For Drella album.

Untitled by Marc & The Mambas is a real curio. The striking cover portrait of Marc Almond by Val Denham, the mix of original songs and covers, possibly my first introduction to Scott Walker and Jacques Brel. And then, on the cassette B-side, just three tracks: a Syd Barrett cover (Terrapin) and Twilights & Lowlifes in two eleven-and-a-half minute versions. I've gone for the first, vocal version here.

When I posted Side 2 last November, I mentioned that Side 1 could take a while due to the inclusion of a track from stalwarts of the 1980s Bristol live circuit, Renegade Flight. Your Cassette Pet! originally featured God Said, a track from one of their DIY cassettes that I picked up at a gig. As there's no immediate prospect of locating and digitising the tapes and God Said is currently unavailable online, I've opted for another song, Automation from roughly the same period. It's twice as long as God Said so the C90 running time is shot to pieces but I felt that Renegade Flight deserved a nod, sandwiched between Tears For Fears, Lou Reed and John Cale. Thanks, lads!

 

1) Get Back (Cover of The Beatles): Laibach (1988)

2) Holocaust (Cover of Big Star): This Mortal Coil ft. Howard Devoto (1984)

3) Red Planes (Album Version): Weekend (1982)

4) Sea Song (Cover of Robert Wyatt): The Icicle Works (1986)

5) The Prisoner (Album Version): Tears For Fears (1983)

6) Automation: Renegade Flight (1986)

7) It Wasn't Me: Lou Reed / John Cale (1990)

8) Waitin' For The Upturn: The The (1982)

9) Twilights & Lowlifes (Album Version): Marc & The Mambas (1982)

10) Another Day (Cover of Roy Harper): This Mortal Coil ft. Elizabeth Fraser (1984)

 

1982: La Varieté: 3 

1982: Untitled: 9

1983: The Hurting: 5

1983: Uncertain Smile EP / Soul Mining (cassette): 8

1984: It'll End In Tears: 2, 10

1986 (?): Renegade Flight (gig-only cassette): 6

1986: Up Here In The North Of England EP: 4

1988: Let It Be: 1 

1990: Songs For Drella: 7

 

Side One (48:08) (KF) (Mega)

Side Two here

Return Of The Karaoke Kings

Side 1 of a cassette compilation of cover versions, recorded sometime around late 1996, possibly early 1997.

Side 2 previously ushered in the weekend at your local spit 'n' sawdust bar with a few bottles of cheap Becks, salt & vinegar crisps, ripped seats, sticky carpets and the landlord's obsessive collection of novelty bottle openers glued to the upper skirt of the bar. 

 

Side 1 therefore must be the other end, when you realise karaoke night has become morning, the lock-in is over and the landlord's kicking you all out, with the grim realisation that the clocks went forward an hour whilst you were slaughtering T.Rex, Sister Sledge and Fat Larry's Band and you're one hour closer to the end of the weekend than you expected. 

 

On the bright side, the greasy spoon across the road is opening soon and may have the cure for the karaoke hangover you're nursing.

Take it away, people!

1) Get Back (Album Version): Laibach vs. The Beatles (1988)

2) Da Ya Think I'm Sexy?: Revolting Cocks vs. Rod Stewart (1993)

3) Know Your Rights (Edit): Primal Scream vs. The Clash (1994)

4) Gimme Gimme Gimme (A Man After Midnight) (Bonus Mix): The Leather Nun vs. ABBA (1986)

5) Tuff Titty Rap / Into The Groove(y) (12" Version): Ciccone Youth vs. Madonna (1986)

6) Kiss (Single Mix); Age Of Chance vs. Prince (1986)

7) Funtime (Album Version): Boy George vs. Iggy Pop (1995)

8) Smells Like Teen Spirit: Tori Amos vs. Nirvana (1992)

9) Lundi Bleu (Version Française De Blue Monday) (Radio Edit): The Times vs. New Order (1991)

10) Rock-A-Hula-Baby (Album Version): Pop Will Eat Itself vs. Elvis Presley (1990)

11) I Put A Spell On You: Marilyn Manson vs. Screamin' Jay Hawkins (1996)

1986: Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! EP: 4

1986: Kiss EP: 6

1986: The White(y) Album: 5

1988: Let It Be: 1

1990: The Last Temptation Of Elvis: 10

1992: Lundi Bleu EP: 9

1992: Silent All These Years EP: 8

1993: Da Ya Think I'm Sexy? EP: 2

1995: Cheapness And Beauty: 7 

1996: Lost Highway OST: 11

1997: Kowalski EP: 3

 

Side One (46:12) (Box) (Mega)

Side Two here

Your Cassette Pet!

Side 2 of a cassette compilation, recorded September 1991. 

 

Essentially, this is a trawl through my brother's collection of albums on tape, cherry picking favourite songs to stick on two sides of a C90. The title is nod to 1980's cassette-only album by Bow Wow Wow, which my brother didn't own and therefore isn't featured here, but I had a copy of a copy which my friend had given me.

It's an eclectic mix albeit firmly in 'alternative' territory, with Flesh For Lulu, Marc Almond (here with The Mambas), Bauhaus and Howard Devoto. I was arguably the bigger Depeche Mode fan as a teen but I bought only the singles, whilst my brother had their first three albums, all on cassette. 

Part of the appeal of cassettes was the 'double play' format, where you'd either get two albums for the price of one or a slew of bonus tracks on Side 2. Quite a few examples here: Fashion's Fabrique contained a whole side of remixes, whist Laibach paired Opus Dei with their cover of The Beatles' Let It Be album. 

 

The The's Soul Mining was perhaps the strangest of the lot. The original album on Side 1, the flip side containing 6 songs purportedly planned for The The's aborted album The Pornography Of Despair. Things get off to a reasonably normal start with the re-recorded version of Perfect. And then Three Orange Kisses From Kazan, a real WTF? moment. Initially, I was both shit-scared and morbidly fascinated by the song, but it's long since become a highlight of The The's back catalogue for me. 

 

Many of the artists have 2 or 3 songs on this compilation. This Mortal Coil is no exception, though the late inclusion of a 1:30 edit of Waves Become Wings was clearly to pad out Side 2's running time. With apologies to Lisa Gerrard, who is just getting into her stride when she's unceremoniously faded out, I've retained the edit for this recreated selection.

 

Last but not least, a brace of cover versions by Laibach (a third from Let It be is on Side 1). In both cases, they take songs - by Queen and Opus - that I didn't particularly care for and create bruising, industrial marching songs that take the clichéd phrase "...and make it their own" to a whole other place. 

 

Side 1 may take a while to come, as it features a track from Bristol-band Renegade Flight, who I saw live several times in the late 1980s and picked up a couple of their DIY cassettes from their merch stall. I think I've still got them - and a tape deck - somewhere in a box in the attic, so hopefully I can find and convert to MP3 format in the next 12 months. Just don't hold your breath!

 

1) The Sun And The Rainfall (Album Version): Depeche Mode (1982)

2) Rainy Season (Album Version): Howard Devoto (1983)

3) Subterraneans (Album Version): Flesh For Lulu (1984)

4) Something In Your Picture (Alternative Playback) (Half Frame) (Remix By Zeus B. Held): Fashion (1982)

5) Shame (Album Version): Depeche Mode (1983)

6) Geburt Einer Nation (Album Version) (Cover of 'One Vision' by Queen): Laibach (1987)

7) Who Killed Mr. Moonlight?: Bauhaus (1983)

8) Three Orange Kisses From Kazan: The The (1982)

9) Caroline Says II (Cover of Lou Reed): Marc & The Mambas (1982)

10) Waves Become Wings (Edit): This Mortal Coil ft. Lisa Gerrard (1984)

11) Opus Dei (Album Version) (Cover of 'Live Is Life' by Opus): Laibach (1987)

1982: A Broken Frame: 1

1982: Something In Your Picture EP / Fabrique (Special Edition Double Play Cassette): 4

1982: Untitled: 9

1983: Burning From The Inside: 7

1983: Construction Time Again: 5

1983: Jerky Versions Of The Dream: 2

1983: Uncertain Smile EP / Soul Mining (Special Edition Double Play Cassette): 8

1984: Flesh For Lulu: 3

1984: It'll End In Tears: 10

1987: Geburt Einer Nation EP / Opus Dei: 6, 11

Side Two (45:55) (KF) (Mega)