Tuesday 13 March 2012

Council House, Anyone?



Weller has been popping up all over the ship recently and also Gareth at How Does That One Go Again posted a blissed out hippyfied version of today's tune last week.

I remember when I first heard that the Style Council had covered on of my favourite House records. I was a bit incredulous that Weller who for me had been peddling retro blue eyed soul for the previous six years was covering one of my favourite House records. However when I thought about it a bit more the content of the lyric, the themes of solidarity and freedom did chime with the sentiments and content of a lot of the Style Council output.

I still had a kind of forboding about where Weller would take this anthem but was pleasantly surprised with the outcome which is not radically different from the original albeit some what shorter in it's 7 inch form which is the only version that I used to listen to. A couple of years ago I picked up a copy of the 12" for 50p or something in a charity shop and was surprised to find that the extended version wasn't as bad as I remembered  and which I have played a few times since them.

Apparently Weller and Co had recorded a whole album of house music, entitled Modernism: A New Decade which was rejected by Polydor.

The Style Council - Promised Land

The Style Council - Promised Land (extended mix)

6 comments:

adam said...

'Modernism' turns up in the 'Complete Adventures of the Style Council' box set if you're interested (a quick look says it was independently released at the same time) - I'll email you about 'Threads' anyway because I can't find anywhere easy to put the file what with the aftermath of the megaupload debacle.

I remember there being a big row about this song because the cover came so soon after the original song and the original was one of those records that really mattered but I always really loved it anyway.

Swiss Adam said...

Think he gets away with this. I like it. It did blow peoples' heads at the time.

howdoesthatonegoagain said...

The "blissed-out hippyfied" version in full:
http://howdoesthatonegoagain.tumblr.com/post/18718789466/findlay-brown-promised-land

Findlay Brown does a passable jazz-funk version I think but it's no Joe Smooth is it?

Fancy seeing Style Council play it 'live':
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TnEdtwUk8BE

Mick Talbot with a beard! And who's that on drums? I take it Steve White wanted no part in miming along to a drum machine!

g.

Sac Prada said...
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Anonymous said...

Drew,

I think you've been Tango-ed!

g.

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