What's In Yir Box? N

Slim pickings this week, not a lot of N's I'm afraid .

First in the pile is Kate Nash's debut single Caroline's A Victim another of those singles that's in the box because of what's on the b-side. Birds is a rather simple song but one which always makes me smile. It brings back distant memories of what it was like when you first started to go out with some one, the awkwardness, trying to act cool but more than anything else trying not to fuck up. It also reminds me of Billy Bragg's version of Walk Away Renee another song which always makes me smile.

Next up is Temptation by New Order. The first New Order single I bought was Blue Monday which was also the first 12" single I bought but it's not a record I play very often; too many painful memories of it being the soundtrack to me getting a severe kicking at an under 16s disco,  but that's another story. I bought Temptation after Confusion. I reckoned that their back catalogue must be worth checking out on the strength of it and the previous single. It's still my second favourite New Order track after Bizarre Love Triangle and it's a timeless tune.  It sounds just as good while I'm typing this as it did when I first bought it from a stall in Wishaw Market when I was fourteen.

The third single in the box is from a Tory who couldn't really fly a plane. When I was ten/eleven I really got into Gary Numan and bought or more often or not got my parents to buy me the first couple of albums and singles as well as the Tubeway Army albums and singles re-released on the back of the success of Cars, for me the best thing that he has ever done. But by the time of She's Got Claws I had lost interest and moved on to pastures new.

It's kind of strange that hip-hop features so infrequently on this blog as I have quite a bit of it as during the late 80s I was quite taken by the genre.  Okay it may have been the more mainstream end, the likes of Eric B & Rakim, Public Enemy etc but I'm from west central Scotland not South Central L.A. The last single in the N's comes from a crew from Compton. I never really got the Gangsta Rap shit,  all that talk of popping caps in people's asses didn't do anything for me but I did love Express Yourself, which I think is the least profane and violent track that N.W.A. ever recorded. It also uses a sample of the Watts 103 Street Rhythm Band's song of the same name to great effect. It probably speaks volumes about me that I have this in my collection and not Fuck The Police.

So that's the N's for you.

Kate Nash - Caroline's A Victim
New Order - Temptation
Gary Numan - Cars
N.W.A. - Express Yourself

N.W.A. - Express Yourself

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

Last night I had a vague notion of a tune I wanted to post in this series but couldn't actually remember the whole tune or the artist but what I was almost, positively, sure about was that it had been released on deconstruction,  possibly??

So I hauled all of the deconstruction 12" singles down the stairs, made a brew and settled in to find the track.  The hardships I put myself through trying to keep this series going!

The first thing I realised was that I had bought a lot more records on the label than I actually remember and then it came to my attention that some of them had not dated all that well but I suspect that at the time they weren't that good and were bought in a post clubbing come down haze when you think that everything you heard the previous evening was brilliant and had to be purchased. I'm not saying that they were all like that but some.

Love Thing by Evolution as an example.  Not a clue how it went until I put it on the turntable, quickly picking up the needle again, putting it down further through the track repeating the process again and then lifting it off, consigning it back to it's sleeve for posterity.

Other things fared better,  some, granted with the assistance of some very good remixers, Fire Island and Justin Robertson to name but two.

By the time I had played about half of the pile I had forgotten what I was looking for in the first place and after a particular 12" by the Grid, I was off on a search for a track on Junior Boy's Own but was it by Underworld or Lemon Interupt? Same thing I know but the name would determine where it was filed.

The track is by Lemon Interupt and is the AA side of Eclipse. It was released by Junior Boys Own in 1992 and was credited to Hernandez/Slim and Valesquez better know as Carl Hyde,  Rick Smith and Darren Emerson.

I bet Ctel knows which Grid tune sent me scurrying for this particular track.

Have a good weekend people.

Lemon Interupt - Big Mouth

You're Joking, Right?

No I'm not and you can blame a certain resident of Leeds for this post.

My first idea was to post this on the other blog but then I asked myself, should such a song be posted where, lets face it even less people than visit here go to?

No,  I said to myself I like it and I'm going to post it where at least thirty people can find it.

So here's to Paris and old Beaujolais wine.

Gary Moore - Parisienne Walkways

I saw Gary Moore back in 1983 at the Glasgow Apollo and I was blown away with the sounds he got out his guitar.

Prince Fatty Meets The Mutant Hi-Fi

Prince Fatty has been a sound engineer and producer since the mid nineties. Unfortunately I only came across him last year when I bought the Hollie Cook In Dub album which is the business.

His following production which pits him against the Mutant Hi-Fi (Nick Coplowe) is surf/ska/Spaghetti Western soundtrack album for a film that is yet to be made but would probably be Alex Cox than Quentin Tarantino. It is well worth checking out along with the rest of his back catalogue and the Hollie Cook albums.

I'm off to Manchester for a couple of days so no post tomorrow.

Prince Fatty vs The Mutant Hi-Fi - Wear The Black Hat (if The Black Hat Fits)

Le Thug - Swam

I cannot stop playing this track. Not sure what it is about it but I think it's brilliant. At the moment the only way to get your hands on it, don't think that is the correct term as it is criminally only available on download, is to buy the 4 pack of Barney's Beer produced for Song By Toad's Beer vs Records release for RSD. There is a 12" which contains a further 2 excellent songs by Le Thug along with a brace of tunes by Magic Eye, Plastic Animals and Zed Penguin available here which was released at the same time.

I can but hope that this gets a physical release sometime in the future.

Le Thug - Swam from Song, by Toad on Vimeo.

Thief In The Night

Thief In The Night is another one of those classic tracks that was lying about in the Fame vaults unreleased after it's recording in 1967. The song was then covered and released by Percy Sledge but I think that this version is better.

Ben & Spence's version finally saw the light of day on the four track The Stars Of Fame 7" released for RSD 2011.

We've had bloody snow up here this morning!

Ben & Spence - Thief In The Night

What's In Yir Box? M

Well we are half way through the alphabet and a bit over half way through the box. The letter M has a a respectable showing in the box and a couple of surprises as well.

First up is Madness with probably one of the best records about relationships that I know of. Like Up The Junction it is a kitchen sink drama in about three and a half minutes. I have vague memories of hearing this in my mum's red Chevette as we drove the 20 miles to my first primary school which I continued to attend for a year after we moved to Lanark and more vivid ones of playing this when I would continually fall out with the girl that I went out with for most of my late teens.

Next we have the Manhattan Love Suicides. I waited over twenty years for my wish for a female fronted Jesus And The Mary Chain circa Psychocandy and you know what,  they weren't half bad. The single in the box is the band's second release, the first being a 3 1/2" disc on Cloudberry Records. I recently found out that the main members of the band formed The Blanche Hudson Weekend on the demise of original group and have recently purchased the first two singles which I have yet to listen to.

I always found the Manic Street Preachers to be a little bit too earnest, not the kind of guys you could have a good laugh with, you don't see them smile much let alone laugh. Which is a bit funny coming from somebody who used to like Crass. But they did release some great singles, I know I will get pelters about this, but not albums, life is too short to listen to a Manics album all they way through more than once, especially The Holy Bible. Motorcycle Emptiness on the other hand I can listen to repeatedly.

Stella by Ida Maria is a good song, not sure that is great and even less sure that it deserves to be in the box but it's there and it's on nice blue vinyl. Oh and it is L's favourite lager.

I've had a wee thing for Imelda May Clabby ever since I saw her in King Tuts back in 2009. You know  that this girl knows her shit and it's not all about image. The single in the box isn't that good. Psycho, is an alright track but not the best thing on the album. But the b-side a cover of My Baby Left Me is the business.

The next single is also one where the standout track is the b-side,  which is not to say that the a-side isn't good but A Few Kind Words is one of those songs that once in your head refuses to leave. I think that Meursault deserve to be a household name and not just amongst the upper middle classes who know their white Burgundys. As with all things released on Song By Toad the record is lovely, it was part one of two singles released on clear vinyl.

I think that the next single should actually have been filed first.  M.I.A.'s Paper Planes definitely gets the prize for best use of a Clash sample. I was always going to love something that used one of my favourite Clash songs to great effect. This like Straight To Hell needs to be played very loud.

The first time I heard Roadrunner would have been off of the Great Rock And Roll Swindle when Lydon forgets the words and the whole thing is a bit of a disaster. The Modern Runners version would for sure have been heard first from one of Stiff's older brothers record collections during one of our many raids upon them. It is filed under M, as Roadrunner (Twice) is my favourite version and on the label it is assigned to the Modern Lovers, whereas, Roadrunner (Once) is Jonathan Richman and The Modern Lovers.

I was cleaning the house one Saturday morning back in 1997 when I heard this absolutely amazing track on Radio One, back in the day when Radio One could still surprise me. It was on the Jo Whiley show but I didn't catch who it was by. Lynn was driving home from Edinburgh at the same time and when she came in she asked me if I had been listening to Radio One as there had been this tune on it that she knew that I would have loved. I asked her if she had happened to get the name of it and she said it was by some band called Mogwai and it was called New Paths to somewhere. The following day we scoured Glasgow for this single, eventually finding a copy in John Smiths Bookshop in Byres Rd (alas no more, it's a fucking Starbucks).

The first band that I ever had a real love for were Motorhead and they were also the first band I saw live. I got rid of all of Motorhead collection in my early twenties and am not entirely sure why. As even as a teenager in the late 80s after embracing Acid House I would still argue with anybody who would listen that the Motorhead line up of Lemmy, Animal and Filthy Phil were the greatest rock band ever so I'm not quite sure why later I would get rid of all of the vinyl, I had every single, 12" and album up to Iron Fist. I suspect that money may have had something to do with it. About 5 years ago I decided that I would try and piece the collection back together again but wouldn't pay ridiculous amounts for things, at the moment I'm still looking for decent copies of the Iron Fist single and the Ace of Spades and No Sleep 'Til Hammersmith albums.

The last of the M's come from another Scottish band, and like the Mogwai single before,  it is one that I found through listening to the radio. Not fabulous Radio One this time but 6 Music, can't remember exactly when I heard Sister Sneaker Soul Sister but whenever it was I was I paid attention at the end to catch the name,  a post it-note was put on the fridge and it was purchased a few weeks later. I'm not getting parochial here but there are certain bands that you hear and you know exactly where they come from and there is something about My Latest Novel that when you hear them you know that they couldn't come from anywhere else but west central Scotland.

Fuck, that was longer than I intended it to be but this series is evolving by the week. At the beginning I was only going to write about the song that I was posting, so as if I were to post any of the others later then I would have something to say about them but over the last couple of weeks I have felt that the other tracks need some explanation as to why they are in the box, for some it is obvious but for others less so. So sorry if the ramblings above have bored you to death, you can go back and read the Sunday papers now.

Madness - My Girl
Manhattan Love Suicides - Keep It Coming ep
Manic Street Preachers - Motorcycle Emptiness
Ida Maria - Stella
Imelda May - Psycho (My Baby Left Me)
Meursault - William Henry Miller Part Two (A Few Kind Words)
M.I.A. - Paper Planes
The Modern Lovers - Roadrunner (Twice)
Mogwai - New Paths To Helicon
Motorhead - Motorhead
My Latest Novel - Sister Sneaker Soul Sister

The Modern Lovers - Roadrunner (Twice)

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

When I started this series I initially posted anything that vaguely made you want to dance and celebrate the fact that the weekend had arrived. The first few weeks featured northern soul tracks but it sort of evolved into tracks that fitted in with my definition of dance music, ie the use of computers, drum machines and keyboards to make music to jig about to or attempt to.

Today's track sort of deviates from what has become the norm, in that it is dance music but it has been made by guitars then remixed into a more floor friendly form which was then tagged as "indie dance", a term I've always hated.

Soup Dragons were the epitome of Indie from 1985 when they were formed in Belshill, Lanarkshire. They released their music on very indie labels and their first album was called  "This Is Our Art, Useless, Boring, Impotent, Elitist and Very, Very Beautiful". Then they jumped upon the indie dance bandwagon, hitching a ride with the next big thing had some success, appeared on Top Of The Pops and were much maligned for it.

Here is an example from Discogs, in a passage about Loaded " The sample serves as a statement of intent not only for the song, but also the then-forthcoming album "Screamadelica", and essentially, the entire Ecstasy era. The success of the resulting rock/electronic hybrid went to number 16 in the UK charts and set the template not only for Primal Scream's future career but for the uncountable number of indie bands from that moment on (The Farm and The Soup Dragons were two early and obvious adopters of this new approach)" You can almost here the contempt of the writer when mentioning The Farm and Soup Dragons or am I reading to much into it but they were derided as band wagon jumpers and scensters.

Only they didn't and they weren't. Today's track was doing the rounds at the end of 1989 at least 6 months before Loaded hit the streets.

Have a good weekend people

Soup Dragons - Mother Universe (Love dub)

The Twilite Kid

When Greg Dulli disbanded the Afghan Whigs he already had another project on the go The Twilight Singers. In 2000 the demos for the band's first album were leaked and so Dulli decided to rework the songs with dance remixers from Hull , Fila Brazilia, a bold move for a man who's work was firmly placed within the rock genre.

The resulting album "Twilight As Played By The Twilight Singers" is not without it's merits but as a whole it lacks the punch of subsequent releases, the vocals are there, as are the dark lyrics but the music isn't quite there, I think that this might have something to do with use of Fila Brazilia but can't be sure as I don't own a copy of the original demos.

Here is one of the highlights off the album

The Twilight Singers - The Twilite Kid

Sorrow

Sonny J has featured here before but both previous tracks were rather upbeat affairs, whereas this is a bit melancholic. I am not sure who the vocal is by as I seem to have misplaced the CD Disastro where the track comes from, so have a guess or if you find a copy of the cd lying about check the sleeve notes as I'm sure the singer in question must be name checked.

I wonder how the Fall gig in Glasgow went last night?

Sonny J - Sorrow

It Was A Very Good Day

L, I and the boys spent the bank holiday in the West End of  Glasgow and a good day was had by all.

The main reason for the trip into the town was to see the Gareth (of How Does That One Go Again fame) curated exhibition on Scottish football, "More Than Just A Game" which if you are ever in Glasgow or close enough to visit you really should go and see. When I saw the picture of Broomfield and the famous Pavilion I got more than a little watery eyed. And did you know that The Airdrie Schools cup is the oldest competition of it's kind? Well, I did because my dad has told me so on more than one occasion, his team's winning of the trophy along with the 1960 European Cup final and his trip to Wembley in 1967 being his favourite three stories the last two being present in celluloid at the exhibition and the actual trophy of the first behind one of the cases. Although I cannot comprehend being in a crowd of 127 000 people watching the football, we are lucky to get 900 at the games these day and it will be less next season apart from on two occasions, I suppose.

When we eventually left Kelvingrove it was over the avenue to the skate park where as luck would have it just up a wee bit The View were playing on the top of a bus promoting the T in The Park festival. The boys from Dundee were maybe not "on fire" but they were very good and a pleasant surprise

After the band finished and the kids played for a while in the park it was up to Byres Rd for something to eat and then off to Oxfam music for a very quick root about where I managed to get a triple vinyl 12" pack of Aretha Franklin and C&C Music Factory's "A Deeper Love" at a very reasonable price which will appear here soon. By this time it was time to head home.

A most agreeable way to spend a Bank Holiday, me thinks.

The View - Grace

The Girl That Radiates That Charm

Here is a cracker of a tune to soundtrack your bank holiday and for those further afield than the UK, to banish away the Monday blues.

This single was included in last year's RSD released Fame Box set. Jimmy Ray Hunter was the second person to sign to the label and by coincidence the first ever artist on the label, Arthur Alexander also cut a version "The Girl That Radiates That Charm"

Jimmy Ray Hunter and the Del Rays - The Girl That Radiates That Charm

What's In Yir Box? L

A few more singles in this section than there were in last weeks.

First up is probably the best pop song of the 80s. Hyperbole? I don't think so, not many songs from that period do for me what There She Goes does, I can't think of one criticism of this track apart from that, well nothing at all really, it is that good.

Next up is the Libertines with Time For Heroes, the closest thing to the Clash that 2002 could offer and with a line like "there's few more distressing sights than an Englishman in a baseball cap" one of the best lyrics ever.

A couple of singles by Little Willie John, still not sure whether he should be here or under J. A bit of a sad story, the life of Willie John, dead by the age of thirty but with at least two brilliant singles left for posterity.

Marie McKee is one of my favourite vocalists, I absolutely love her voice and the first Lone Justice lp spent a lot of time on my turntable in 1985 along with Psychocandy. I listened to Ways To Be Wicked yesterday for the first time in ages and I was slightly disappointed it seemed a little tamer than I remembered but still a good single.

Finally we have Lucky Soul, a really good "mod" band who have  quite a few very good singles and a couple of albums to there name but haven't produced anything for the past couple of years. Not sure if they are still a band or not. The single in the box is there debut a great pop soul record.

The La's - There She Goes
The Libertines - Time For Heroes
Little Willie John - Fever
Little Willie John - I'm Shakin'
Lone Justice - Ways To Be Wicked

Lucky Soul - Lips Are Unhappy

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

Apparently this is my 1500 post, according to Blogger and how apt that such a momentous occasion should fall on the day of the series that refuses to give up the ghost and vacate the building.

I was thinking that to mark such a milestone I should post my favourite dance tune in the world ever, however I have posted Rez once or twice before. So instead, here is something quite recent  from The xx, remixed by the Balearic remixer of choice,  John Talabot once again. Fans of the Streets may recognise the sample. This was another record by The xx which was pressed in a ridiculously small run off, although double the previous Talabot remix and not only available from Japan.

If this tune makes you feel a bit blissed out check out Duke Dumont's remix of Falling by Haim, future summer fave, if we ever get a fucking summer up here. It reminds me of an old tune called Energy Rush by Suburban Delay for some reason.

I was feeling quite summery this week, after two days in Luton, the sun being out making it bearable but on the decent into Glasgow last night it was back to cold, wet and windy which it still is today.

Have a good weekend people.

And yes, we have had this picture before.

The xx - Chained (John Talabot & Pional Blinded remix)

Give Me A Muthafuckin' Breakbeat

SA over at the Bagging Area had a post at the weekend about The Face magazine that got me searching the internet for a copy from late 1988 that I missed out being in by about an hour, see here.

Anyway, after a bit of investigation, it turned out that the edition was November 1988. This was also the edition with an article about Neneh Cherry at that time a little known artist. The article stated something like " Buffalo Stance is the best record you will hear this year" and one thing The Face was good at, for me anyhow was that their music reviews tended to be spot on. And so it was with Buffalo Stance, it might not have been the best record of that year but it was up there and I flogged it to death in it's original and remix form.

Here is the remix which doesn't tend to get much of an airing.

Neneh Cherry - Buffalo Stance (Give Me A Muthafuckin' Breakbeat)