The Fake History Of Dub Muzik

An hour long selection of Dub Pistols remixes, to bring the (big) beat back into your life and banish the blues of another working week. This one's dedicated to Mooz, creator of the awe-inspiring Moozler Music site, a repository of some frankly quite brilliant, genre-defying mixes.

Three weeks ago, I enthused about Dub Pistols' ninth and current album, Frontline. Mooz commented that he was new to Dub Pistols, bar a couple of remixes, and I made a note to self that I would trawl through my admittedly meagre collection of same to create a future selection and post. Typically, said post can take months, if not years, to appear so the fact that a mere two weeks have passed since I made that vague promise is bordering on the incredible.

Anyway, these pretty much cover a two year period in the late 1990s, when Big Beat was all the rage and Barry Ashworth's crew were one of the finest examples of this. The dub and dancehall influences are still in there but these mixes are all about giving it some welly in a nightclub and flicking that sweat all over the shop as you bust your moves. Or something like that.

Of the two remixes that Mooz mentioned, of Audioweb and DJ Spooky, I only own the former but the mix of Faker is superb so I had to include it. I'd argue that Hurricane #1, Bush and Limp Bizkit only sounded half decent when remixed and reworked to within an inch of their lives. I'd probably press 'skip' on the original versions of all of the songs featured here, but the Dub Pistols remixes elevate them to another level. Likewise, Moby's cover of the James Bond theme, unrecognisable as such here.

As for Korn, the All Mixed Up EP is the only release of theirs that I own and is likely to remain that way. Potty mouth precautions for this one is you have sensitive ears in proximity to your speakers. By contrast, we also have Natalie Imbruglia. So there.

I've had the Danmass single knocking about for ages but I've only just realised that it's Dan Carey and Massimo Bonaddio. I won't pretend I know anything about the latter, but Dan Carey is all over my record collection, not least for his work with Emilíana Torrini, Kylie, Róisín Murphy, Franz Ferdinand and Warmduscher, to name a (very) few.

Dub Pistols originally remixed Dust Junkys' Nothin' Personal in 1998. The version here, also known as Hooligan (Dub Pistols x Vega Remix), was re-edited and released by Vince Vega in 2016. One of Dust Junkys' founder members is Nicky Lockett, perhaps better known to you and I as MC Tunes.

 

In other undercover news, Girl Eats Boy is/was an alias for Lol Hammond (Drum Club, Slab). I discovered this one on a US compilation called Funk Off..! Vol. 1, which is an interesting curio of big beat and drum 'n' bass sounds from the UK. I don't think there was a Vol. 2.

Pop Muzik is an all-time classic and a fertile ground for remix artists. Dub Pistols first had a go in 2000, when Robin Scott (aka M) reworked and re-released the song as Pop Y2K. I'm not 100% sure but I think that the remix that appeared on the 30th anniversary celebration compilation in 2009 was an entirely new version.

 

I'm sticking with the late 1990s for tomorrow's Wednesday's* post.

 

1) Faces In A Dream (Dub Pistols Tornado Mix): Hurricane #1 (1999)

2) Napalm In Bohemia (Dub Pistols Mix) (Edit): Girl Eats Boy (1998)

3) James Bond Theme (Moby's Re-Version) (Dub Pistols Remix) (Cover of John Barry & Orchestra): Moby (1997)

4) Smoke (Dub Pistols Vocal): Natalie Imbruglia (1998)

5) Gotta Learn (Dub Pistols Sick Junkey Remix): Danmass (1998)

6) Good God (Dub Pistols Mix): Korn (1999)

7) My Way (Pistols' Dancehall Dub) (Remix By Dub Pistols): Limp Bizkit (2001)

8) Nothin' Personal (Dub Pistols Hooligan Riot Remix) (Re-Edit By Vince Vega): Dust Junkys ft. The Collective (2016)

9) Faker (The Dub Pistols Mix): Audioweb (1997)

10) History (Dub Pistols Mix): Bush (1997)

11) Pop Muzik (Dub Pistols/U2 Remix): M (2009)

 

1997: Deconstructed: 10

1997: Faker EP: 9

1997: James Bond Theme (Moby's Re-Version) EP: 3

1998: Smoke EP: 4

1998: The Woman I Love EP: 5

1999: All Mixed Up EP: 6

1999: Funk Off..! Vol. 1: 2

1999: Only The Strongest Will Survive EP: 1 

2001: My Way EP / New Old Songs: 7

2009: Pop Muzik: The Remix Album (iTunes Edition): 11

2016: Appropriation EP: 8

 

The Fake History Of Dub Muzik (1:01:07) (KF) (Mega)

 

* I changed my mind whilst drafting another post for this week, bringing it forward to Tuesday, for reasons which will become clear.

Sendimentary Sedentary

Some heavy shit for a Sunday...or a selection of soothing sounds? You decide.

A couple of 1970s monolithic classics signposted by Julian Cope in his Japrocksampler from 2007 and providing my introduction to Flower Travellin' Band and Taj Mahal Travellers. The rest is 21st Century chillout music courtesy of Moby and Richard Norris, along with spikey prog from Steven Wilson and an Orbient excursion from Chocolate Hills aka Alex Paterson and Paul Conboy.

Hopefully, the two hours will have passed without your noticing and you won't get into trouble for not doing that job you were supposed to have done an hour and a half ago. If not, well... c'est la vie.

For your extended listening pleasure, I've revived links to a couple of previous epic-length mixes, just in case you haven't got anything better to do than listen to my self-indulgent selections...!

 

1) Hiroshima (Live @ Yokosuka Bunka Kaikan, Japan): Flower Travellin' Band (1972)

2) LA1: Moby (2016)

3) Radier II: Steven Wilson (2011)

4) Midsummer 3: Richard Norris (2023)

5) IV: Taj Mahal Travellers (1974)

6) And At The Same Time: Chocolate Hills (2019)

 

1973: Make Up: 1

1975: August 1974: 5

2011: Grace For Drowning: 3

2016: Long Ambients 1: Calm. Sleep.: 2

2019: A Pail Of Air: 6

2023: Music For Healing: Equinox 7: 4

 

Sendimentary Sedentary (2:08:55) (KF) (Mega)

Monoliths from May 2023 is available here 

On a similar theme, you can also find Chic Thug Stuttered Through A Stereo Dream from August 2021 here 

Return To The Acoustic Tent

This time last year in the post-Glastonbury comedown, I posted a 45-minute acoustic selection. Never one to claim any original thought whatsoever, here I am again with another 13-song selection for 2023.

None of the artists here featured in last year's selection and whilst some of the artists' acoustic turns may not be a surprise - I'm thinking particularly of Turin Brakes and The Pictish Trail - there are some playing against type, namely Dua Lipa*, Seal, Moby and A Man Called Adam.

Terry Hall sounds great in any musical setting, of course, but I think the version of Ballad Of A Landlord is an especially fine showcase for his wonderful voice and songwriting. His absence is still keenly felt.

 

Compared to 2022, I've been very slack in my Glastonbury viewing: so far, only Billy Nomates, Fever Ray, Los Bitchos and Working Men's Club; all excellent, but lots to catch up with before the BBC iPlayer axe falls. Then again, if the sun's shining... 

 

* You might guess from the song title acronym, but a potty mouth advisory for Ms. Lipa if you're playing this within range of sensitive ears.

1) Pure (Acoustic Version): Lightning Seeds (1995)

2) Pain Killer (RTL2 Acoustic Version): Turin Brakes (2003)

3) Lovely Daughter (Acoustic): Merz (2007)

4) IDGAF (Acoustic): Dua Lipa (2018)

5) Crazy (Acoustic Version): Seal (1991)

6) Acoustic Guitar: The Magnetic Fields ft. Claudia Gonson (1999)

7) Tell Me (Toronto Acoustic Version): Moby ft. Cold Specks (2013)

8) Jewel (Acoustic): Cranes (1996)

9) Barefoot In The Head (Acoustic Edit): A Man Called Adam (2004)

10) Nuclear Sunflower Swamp (Acoustic): The Pictish Trail (2022)

11) Ballad Of A Landlord (Acoustic Version): Terry Hall (1997)

12) Just Drive (Acoustic Version): It's Immaterial (2002)

13) Another Sinful Day (Acoustic): Little Axe (1995)

 

1994: Prayer For The Dying EP: 5 

1995: Another Sinful Day EP: 12

1996: WRAS 88.5 Presents: Radio Oddyssey: 8 

1997: Ballad Of A Landlord EP: 11

1999: 69 Love Songs: 6

2002: The Great Liverpool Acoustic Experiment: 12

2003: Ether Song (ltd 2x CD):: 2 

2004: Barefoot In The Head EP: 9

2006: The Very Best Of The Lightning Seeds: 1

2007: Merz (Expanded Edition) (2x CD): 3

2013: Amazon Artist Lounge EP: 7

2018: IDGAF EP: 4

2022: EarthPercent x Earth Day Compilation Album: 10

 

Return To The Acoustic Tent (46:16) (KF) (Mega) 

You can find last year's Acoustic Tent selection here

Keep On Falling

After yesterday's high energy workout, time to chill out and calm down with an ambient-themed selection.

Thirty two years, thirteen songs and one hour with some stripped back versions of some popular pop songs, an unexpected cover version and a few that are hopefully new to you or at least not heard for a long time.

Sit back with your favourite brew, close your eyes and think lovely thoughts for the next sixty minutes.

1) Dominica (Kenneth Bager's Sunset Ambient Mix): RüF Dug (2016)

2) Golden Brown (Fila Brazillia Remix-Ambient) (Cover of The Stranglers): Better Daze (1997)

3) Brilliant Fault And Sky Was Blue (Ambient Version) (Remixed By LFO): Soft Ballet (1992)

4) So Swell (Ambient Version By James & Brian Eno): James (2001)

5) Love Comes Quickly (Blank & Jones Ambient Remix): Pet Shop Boys (2003)

6) Shot In The Back Of The Head (Ambient): Moby (2009)

7) Ruined In A Day (The Ambient Mix By Booga Bear aka Cameron McVey): New Order (1993)

8) Walking Down Madison (6 a.m. Ambient Mix By Howard Gray) (Single Edit): Kirsty MacColl ft. Johnny Marr (1991)

9) Call A Wave (Return To The Deep Ambient Mix By Mark Moore & William Orbit): Malcolm McLaren & The Bootzilla Orchestra (1989)

10) Ambient 2: Turin Brakes (2005)

11) Come Come The Rain (Ambient Version): Max Essa (2021)

12) Pulsing (Citadel Ambient Version): GLOK (2020)

13) Geek Love (Irresistible Ambient Mix By Mixmaster Morris): Bang Bang Machine (1993)

 

1989: Call A Wave EP: 9

1991: Walking Down Madison EP: 8

1992: Alter Ego: 3 

1993: Geek Love EP: 13

1993: Ruined In A Day EP: 7

1997: Remix Project: 2 

2001: Getting Away With It (All Messed Up) EP: 4

2003: PopArtMix: The Hits (limited edition 3x CD): 5

2005: JackInABox (hidden track): 10

2009: Wait For Me (Deluxe Edition): 6

2016: Island Remixes EP: 1

2020: The Citadel EP: 12

2021: Miró In The Bathroom: 11

 

Keep On Falling (1:00:42) (Box) (Mega)

Still Watching, Yet Not Wanting

Side 1 of a cassette compilation, compiled 8th August 1998. If Side 2 stretched the C90 capacity to it's limit, Side 1 must surely have snapped the tape...

Your ride begins with Trust by Money Mark, from his 1998 album Push The Button. I knew of Money Mark from his association with Beastie Boys but this record saw him veering into - in my mind, at least - Elton John territory at times. Though thankfully by that I mean Elton's imperial 1970s phase, not the then-contemporary Something About The Way You Look Tonight/Candle in the Wind 1997, which remains the all-time best-selling single in the UK. Money Mark's track is building, rabble-rousing instrumental, much more in keeping with what follows.

 

Barry Adamson versus Skylab, Kid Loco taking on both Pulp and Saint Etienne. I previously described the mixtape as "dirty, downtempo beats" and this was very much the style du jour in the late 1990s.  

 

Theo Keating continues to release music as Fake Blood but when I recorded this cassette, he'd released a single called Ooh La La as The Wiseguys. It entered - and peaked - the UK chart at #55. The song's subsequent use in a Budweiser commercial saw it released a year later in June 1999, where it did rather better, entering at #2 and spending 5 weeks in the Top 30. His remix of Desire by Mulu is really good but had little positive impact on it's own chart placing, managing just 1 week at #84 in November 1997. 

 

My introduction to Trembling Blue Stars came by my jangly indie music-loving girlfriend, who was a big fan of The Field Mice and followed Bobby Wratten's subsequent band. I'm very glad she did. I'm only familiar with Trembling Blue Stars' two albums from the 1990s (there were two more before they disbanded in 2010) and they're both things of understated beauty. The Rainbow was released as a single and really shines in it's longer (album) version.

 

A small confession #1. The original cassette featured an alternative mix of A Little Soul by Pulp, from the CD single. I haven't unearthed and uploaded the shiny disc, so swapped it out for the Kid Loco. It's to blame for the ridiculous running time though I think the segue into Desire by Mulu works better than the original sequence.

 

A small confession #2. This is the second appearance of The Box (Part Four) by Orbital, following a previous appearance in my Boxing Day selection in December 2021. However, as the link for that one is long dead, I'm glad to represent the song here.

Also making a second appearance on this mixtape is Justin Warfield. On Side 1, he's hiding in plain sight as One Inch Punch; here, he's a guest of Cornershop. 

Moby ups the ante with a remix of Honey, his 'comeback' single in 1998 following his thrash metal phase. I've not counted, but I'm assuming the 118 in the mix title refers to the beats per minute. Try making a cup of tea whilst dancing to this one and not making a complete mess. Maybe that's not what Moby intended.

Bringing things to a close is Leila with a track from her astonishing debut Like Weather. It's typical of the album as a whole: beautiful, simple yet stirring chords and synth washes with moments that push the needle way into the red, just in case you were getting complacent.

I'll sign off with an apology to Walter at the excellent A Few Good Times In My Life blog. He left some very kind comments on my original post in April 2022, to which I replied, "I'll try not to leave it too long before posting Side One...!" I think at a little over ten months later, it's fair to say I tried and failed. Sorry, Walter, I hope it was worth the wait...

 

1) Trust: Money Mark (1998)

2) What It Means (Skylab A Smokin' Japanese We're Chicken In Moss Side Mix): Barry Adamson (1998)

3) A Little Soul (Lafayette Velvet Revisited Mix By Kid Loco): Pulp (1998)

4) Desire (Wiseguys Remix By DJ Touché aka Theo Keating): Mulu (1997)

5) 4.35 In The Morning (Talkin' Blues Mix By Kid Loco): Saint Etienne (1998)

6) The Rainbow (Long Version): Trembling Blue Stars (1998)

7) The Box (Part Four) (Vocal Reprise): Orbital ft. Grant Fulton & Alison Goldfrapp (1996)

8) Candyman: Cornershop ft. Justin Warfield (1997)

9) Honey (118 Mix): Moby (1998)

10) Piano-String: Leila (1998)

 

Side One (47:37) (Box) (Mega)

Side Two here

Another Green World

Sides 1 and 2 of a Moby mixtape, compiled 11th April 1999.

Apologies to those of you who may have read the title and been expecting a lovely Brian Eno ambient compilation to ease in your Sunday. Yer man Eno does appear on side 2, track 3 albeit remixed by the great great great grandson of Herman Melville.

I appreciate for quite a few people out there, Meville's descendant may be considered more Dick than Moby but I was obsessed with Moby's music throughout the 1990s, after hearing the Twin Peaks-sampling monster that is Go. 

Much as I loved his all-pervading album Play, it was wrung out to such an extent that I stopped listening to it for many years, whilst 18 and the albums that followed have been patchy listens that, aside from a few diamonds on each, often felt like they were mining to same seam, with diminishing returns.

This selection was one of three cassettes that I recorded in 1999, on the back of Play but completely ignoring it, mainly for my own pleasure. I also lent them to my mate Paul, as a sampler of Moby's work, pre-Play. I've only got two of the three mixtapes now, so it's possible the other is either still with Paul (we lost touch over the years) or buried in a landfill somewhere.

This selection focuses on the period 1991 to 1997, covering Moby's first four albums, singles and remixes of his own and other people's music. I've also thrown in a couple of his aliases from 1991, Brainstorm and Voodoo Child, the latter periodically revisited by Moby through to the early 2000s. 

Depending on your view of Moby, you're either in for just over an hour and a half of musical delight, or a split second on the 'skip' button. No surprise, I'm firmly in the former camp.

Side One

1) Now I Let It Go: Moby (1996)

2) Everytime You Touch Me (Album Version): Moby ft. Rozz Morehead & Kochie Banton (1995)

3) I Feel It (Synthe Mix): Moby ft. Nicole Zaray (1992)

4) That's When I Reach For My Revolver (Moby's Mix) (Cover of Mission Of Burma): Moby (1997)

5) James Bond Theme (Moby's Re-Version) (Cover of John Barry & Orchestra): Moby (1997)

6) Move The Colors (Edit By Moby): Brainstorm (1991)

7) Heaven: Moby (1993)

8) Yeah: Moby (1992)

9) My Beautiful Blue Sky: Moby (1993)

 

Side Two

1) Hymn (This Is My Dream) (Single Version): Moby (1994)

2) Go (Arpathoski Mix): Moby (1992)

3) Fractal Zoom (Naive Mix II): Brian Eno (1992)

4) All That I Need Is To Be Loved (Moby Dub): Moby (1993)

5) Bring Back My Happiness! (Extended Mix): Moby ft. Rozz Morehead & Saundra Williams (1995)

6) Move (You Make Me Feel So Good) (Single Version): Moby ft. Rozz Morehead & Carole Sylvan (1993)

7) Permanent Green: Voodoo Child (1991)

8) Help Me To Believe: Brainstorm (1991)

9) Love Song For My Mom ('Little Idiot' Version): Moby (1996) 

 

1991: Instinct Dance: A6 

1991: Rock The House EP: B8

1991: Voodoo Child EP: B7

1992: Fractal Zoom EP: B3

1992: I Feel It / Thousand EP: A3 

1992: Moby: A8 

1992: The Ultimate Go (The '92 Mixes) EP: B2

1993: All That I Need Is To Be Loved EP: B4

1993: Ambient: A7, A9

1993: Move EP: B6

1994: Hymn EP: B1

1995: Bring Back My Happiness! EP: B5

1995: Everything Is Wrong: A2

1996: Animal Rights: A1 

1996: Animal Rights / Little Idiot (ltd 2x CD): B9

1997: I Like To Score: A5

1997: That's When I Reach For My Revolver EP: A4

 

Side One (46:22) (Box) (Mega)

Side Two (46:34) (Box) (Mega)

Mo' Monday Blues

Today is a public holiday in the UK, the second additional day in 2022. The first, in June, marked Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee, the first British Monarch to reign for 70 years. The second, today, observes the funeral of the Queen, a day-long event starting at Westminster Hall, moving to Westminster Abbey then Windsor Castle and culminating in her burial within St. George's Chapel. As has been the case since the Queen's death on 8th September, there will be live coverage throughout the day, should you wish to follow it. Judging by the shelves at a local supermarket, I'm guessing many will be doing so whilst getting blotto on whisky.

 

I've hesitated to post anything about the event to date; this blog is primarily about the music I love, with little bits of my life story popping up here and there. I've been interested by how several fellow music bloggers have acknowledged their own feelings, whilst being aware that it's a potential minefield of trolling and negative comments. 

 

I'm at home at Casa K today. I won't be watching the TV but I will make the most of this opportunity to be with my family and be productive.

 

I've started as I mean to go on with a freshly curated selection of tunes. The theme is very simple and completely unrelated to the Queen's funeral: being Monday, the name of every artist featured begins with 'Mo' (or 'The Mo'). The shortlist was still pretty long - 50 songs - and I reluctantly left off a few that I thought would be a sure thing: Mogwai, The Modern Lovers, Mojave 3, Momus, The Moonlandingz, The Monochrome Set; even The Monkees failed to make the final 11.

However, I do like how the selection has worked out. Moaning and Movement 98 (featuring Carroll Thompson) were dead certs for the opening and closing songs. Mohamed Karzo is another delightful discovery from my Sahel Sounds compilation purchases, whilst Mount Sims first came to my notice in a collaboration with The Knife and planningtorock. Mono were late to the trip hop party but perhaps would have soundtracked Killing Eve in an alternate reality. The two cover versions by Moodswings and Monkey Mafia are sublime. The rest of the selection is made up with Moby, Moloko, The Mock Turtles and Mojave Lords.

 

Any connection that can be made between the song titles and today's events is, I promise you, entirely coincidental.

 

1) Don't Go: Moaning (2018)

2) There's Nothing Wrong With The World There's Something Wrong With Me: Moby & The Void Pacific Choir (2017)

3) C'est La Vie: Mohamed Karzo (2017)

4) Spiritual High (Original Edit) (Cover of 'State Of Independence' by Jon & Vangelis): Moodswings ft. Martin Luther King (1991)

5) Being Is Bewildering: Moloko (2000)

6) Long As I Can See The Light (Adrian Sherwood's Dub Lighting) (Cover of Creedence Clearwater Revival): Monkey Mafia ft. Shirzelle (1998)

7) Strings And Flowers (Single Version): The Mock Turtles (1991)

8) Sweet Little Down & Out: Mojave Lords (2014)

9) Hollywood Bride: Mount Sims (2002)

10) Silicone (Mr. Scruff Remix): Mono (1997)

11) Joy And Heartbreak (Future Mix (Airplay Edit) By Paul Oakenfold & Steve Osborne): Movement 98 ft. Carroll Thompson (1990)

 

1990: Joy And Heartbreak EP: 11

1991: Spiritual High EP: 4

1991: Strings And Flowers EP: 7 

1997: Silicone EP: 10

1998: Long As I Can See The Light EP: 6

2000: Things To Make And Do: 5 

2002: UltraSex: 9

2014: Unfuckwithable: 8

2017: Agrim Agadez: 3

2017: More Fast Songs About The Apocalypse: 2

2018: Moaning: 1

 

Mo' Monday Blues (46:10)

Mind Detonator

The Prodigy are coming to the end of their first live tour since the passing of frontperson Keith Flint in 2019. By all accounts, the live shows have been an incendiary, cathartic experience.

The tour also celebrates the 25th anniversary reissue of The Fat Of The Land, which has been re-released along with a great new remix of Firestarter by Andy C, the sonic equivalent of chucking petrol on a bonfire. You can view the song on YouTube and buy it on Bandcamp, Juno and other digital outlets.

Today's selection covers singles and albums from 1991 to 2004, starting inevitably with Firestarter, which I've extended for a proper kick-off by splicing the first half of the instrumental with the single edit.  

It's Moby next up at the controls, with a remix of Everybody In The Place, followed by a great mash-up of Medusa's Path by The Prodigy and She's A Bitch by Missy Misdemeanor Elliott, which appeared on a bootleg remix companion to fourth album Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned.

 

Their Law featuring Pop Will Eat Itself was recorded as a reaction to the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act of 1994, which effectively criminalised music with repetitive beats. Inevitably, this provoked a response from many acts including Autechre, Primal Scream (covering The Clash) and - taking it to it's logical and ridiculous extreme - Orbital. Their Law put it most succinctly ("Fuck 'em and their law") and has remained a sadly relevant song even now, particularly when you consider the hypocrisy of the incumbent government and Crime Minister.

Charly started it all for me, an insane pogo peppered with samples from public address films that I grew up with in the 1970s. I don't think Charly would have been very happy that The Prodigy disregarded his miaowed advice and went on to record Firestarter.

Voodoo People is one of my favourite songs by The Prodigy. There's a great remix by The Chemical Brothers - at the time still The Dust Brothers before legal threats forced a name change - but really the original has it, built around samples from The Last Poets, Nirvana and Johnny Pate's frenetic flute.

The dub of Mindfields appeared as a B-side, heavy on the bass whilst retaining Maxim's vocals to create a rumbling beast. Baby's Got A Temper was relatively disappointing, feeling a bit of a stop gap single echoing Firestarter and Smack My Bitch Up. It's good but it was the right call to leave it off the subsequent album Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned.

 

For my all-time favourite song by The Prodigy, I'm invariably torn between Out Of Space and Breathe, either of which could would have been a great closing track for this selection. In the end, I opted for Breathe. Coming straight after the success of Firestarter, if anything Breathe upped The Prodigy's game even more and was accompanied by one of the greatest videos ever. For a very, very long time I was certain the guitar sample was from some obscure 1980s goth track so it was a surprise to later discover that it was in fact The James Bond Theme.

 

On that latter note, then, today's selection is not only a celebration of The Prodigy's return and a tribute to Keith Flint, but also to Monty Norman, legendary composer who also left us on 11th July.

 

1) Firestarter (Filth Infatuated Extended Intro Re-Edit By Khayem) (2022)

2) Everybody In The Place (Dance Hall Version By Moby) (1992)

3) Medusa's Path (Medusa Bitch Remix By cry.on.my.console) (The Prodigy vs. Missy Misdemeanor Elliott) (2004)

4) Their Law (Album Version By Liam Howlett) (ft. Pop Will Eat Itself) (1994)

5) Charly (Alley Cat Mix By Liam Howlett & Chaz Stevens) (1991)

6) Voodoo People (Original Mix By Liam Howlett & Neil McLellan) (1994)

7) Mindfields (Headrock Dub) (Remix By Liam Howlett & Neil McLellan) (1997)

8) Baby's Got A Temper (Main Mix By Liam Howlett & Ollie Jacobs) (2002)

9) Breathe (Album Version By Liam Howlett) (1996)

Mind Detonator (46:45)

Somewhere Around

I've got a few Moby mixtapes in the cassette compilation archive. However, instead of one of those, here's a brand new selection of lesser known (and admittedly lesser played) tracks and versions, spanning 1992 to 2011. 

There's a track apiece from Moby's debut self-titled album (repackaged and recompiled in 1993 as The Story So Far) and follow-up, Ambient. "Thrash metal" album Animal Rights included some much calmer moments, represented here by Living, and initial quantities came with a bonus CD of ambient pieces, Little Idiot, the track Old opening today’s selection.

The beats pick up with Sandpaper, from 2011's underrated Destroyed album, then moves up another gear with Oil 1, which featured in slightly longer form in the 1997 film remake of The Saint, starring Val Kilmer. I remember the soundtrack, but I have completely forgotten the film.

The selection closes with two of Moby's hits, albeit in slightly different versions. First off is his own remix (as Voodoo Child) of Twin Peaks-sampling breakthrough hit, Go. The version here is an edit from Go: The Collected Mixes, fourteen (!) variations of Go in a single, one-hour mix, which was packaged in 1996 as a bonus CD with cash-in compilation Rare: The Collected B-Sides. 

 

Lastly, the "audition version" of the third of seven (!!) singles from the ubiquitous 1999 album Play. I love Bodyrock, which is built around a sample of Love Rap by Spoonie Gee and the Treacherous Three and a guitar line apparently inspired by What We All Want" by Gang of Four. Whilst the parent album will set you back a whopping 25p on Discogs these days, in the early 2000s I also picked up the DVD Play: The Videos for peanuts online. The multiple versions of Bodyrock are fun to watch and the audition version is hilarious, featuring a cast of, let's face it, middle-aged Dad dancers who may not have had "it" in the first place, let alone lost "it". However, the video also served by introducing the world to the unique talents of Phizzo Jobson.

The video for Bodyrock that I originally saw on TV back in 1999 ended up looking quite different.

On reflection, even back in the day, whilst I thought I had the moves of the dancer in the second video, to friends and fellow clubbers, I suspect I bore more resemblance to the motley crew in the audition version.

 

1) Old (1996) 

2) Sandpaper (2011)

3) Oil 1 ('I Like To Score' Version) (1997)

4) Stream (1992)

5) 80 (1993)

6) I Like To Score (1997)

7) Another Woman (Album Version) (2002)

8) Nearer (2003)

9) Living (1996)

10) Go (Voodoo Child Mix) (DJ Edit) (1991)

11) Bodyrock (Audition Version) (1999)

1992: Moby: 4

1993: Ambient: 5

1996: Animal Rights: 9

1996: Animal Rights / Little Idiot (Limited Edition): 1

1996: Rare: The Collected B-Sides (1989-1993) / Go: The Collected Mixes (Limited Edition): 10

1997: I Like To Score: 3, 6 

2001: Play: The Videos: 11

2002: 18: 7

2003: 18: DVD + B-Sides: 8

2011: Destroyed (Deluxe Edition): 2

 

Somewhere Around (44:40)

Octogintennial

Happy 80th birthday, Dad. 

I've recorded various mixtapes over the years to variously appease or expand my Dad's musical tastes, none of which are featured here today. Instead, today's selection is topped and tailed with a song from the year of his birth and the current year, sandwiching 1994, the year that my Dad was 52, the same age that I am now.

This has proved to be quite an enlightening shortlist and an odd tribute insofar as I can pretty much guarantee that my Dad will have hated (and would still hate) every track between #'s 2 to 11. If I'm honest, I don't think he'd be that bothered by The Alabama Singers or Andy Bell either. 

 

Dad's record collection was meagre but introduced me to Chuck Berry, Fats Domino, Jerry Lee Lewis and, for a bit of nostalgia, Glenn Miller. Oh, and he loved a bit of Status Quo. I'm saying all this in the past tense as I don't think he particularly listens to music these days, bar what's on the radio whilst driving or the latest hapless schmuck shuffling onto stage in the latest "talent" show on TV.

 

Dad hated (and probably still hates) Julian Cope's music, especially World Shut Your Mouth, so our musical differences were apparent quite early on. Thinking about what I subjected him to, musically-speaking, at the age of 52 - I temporarily moved back in with my folks between bedsit moves in 1994 - I feel I've got off lightly so far with my daughter, who has yet to subject me to comparable aural challenges.

 

Weather-permitting, we'll be joining other family members today in my parents' back garden celebrating Dad's milestone achievement. If it's pissing down with rain, the party's off and we'll be forming an orderly queue to celebrate indoors in a one-in, one-out basis, a sign of these post-Covid cautionary times with vulnerable loved ones.

 

Happy birthday, Dad, with lots of love...and apologies for subjecting you to my eclectic music taste for at least half of your life so far. There's more to come.

 

1) Jesus Met The Woman At The Well (Cover of traditional song): The Alabama Singers (1942) 

2) Jacob Street 7am: The Sabres Of Paradise (1994)

3) 1st Transmission (Album Version): Earthling (1994)

4) Middle Class Revolt (Album Version): The Fall (1994)

5) Heat Miser (Album Version): Massive Attack (1994)

6) New Dawn Fades (Single Version) (Cover of Joy Division): Moby (1994)

7) Riddimwize (Part II - Re-Assess Your Style) (Remix By Nick Manasseh, Martin Madhatter & Peps): Danny Red (1994)

8) Freak Like Me (Dub Instrumental) (Remix By Mass Order): Adina Howard (1994)

9) Fall (Voyage To The Bottom Of The Dub Remix By Noko 440 aka Norman Fisher-Jones & Stuart Crichton): Single Gun Theory (1994)

10) It's My Mind That Works (Live ISDN Transmission @ The Kitchen, New York): The Future Sound Of London (1994)

11) Dead Eyes Opened (Re-Opened) (Remix By Robert Racic & Kathy Naunton): Severed Heads ft. Edgar Lustgarten (1994)

12) Lifeline: Andy Bell (2022)

 

Octogintennial (54:52)