An Inward Revolution

In the early 80s after disbanding The Jam and forming The Style Council, Weller also set up a record label, Respond Records. Tony Burke  and Julie Hadwen wrote to Weller asking him to sign their band, Big Sound Authority after seeing an advert seeking artists for the label. The band went on tour with other groups rostered to the label and were offered a contract, the band, however decided to sign to MCA Records offshoot Source.

The band scored a hit with their single, This House and went on to release another 3 singles and an album for the label before they split up in 1986.

I always liked Big Sound Authority and owned This House, the follow-up, A Bad Town and a live tape recorded from Radio 1 In Concert but for some reason never bought the album. So when I saw An Inward Revolution for two quid in Oxfam Music for two quid I bought it.

Although the album sounds very much of it's time, especially the brass it still sounds good to me especially Hadwen's vocal. The track posted is the one that was the highlight of the live recording for me.

Big Sound Authority - My Hell Shaped Room

It's Friday . . Let's Dance

I'm not sure how today's track will go down. The Weller purists will probably not like it but for me this is ten times better than his original and probably the Fire Island radio edit is how Weller imagined the track sounding.

Fire Island's cover of Shout To The Top featuring the immense vocal talents of the recently departed Loleatta Holloway was released on Junior Boys Own way back in 1998. It came with a myriad of remixes by Frankie Knuckles, Club 69 and Industry Standard but for me the as mentioned above Fire Island mix is the one that hits the spot best and sounded brilliant last evening as the sun was shining up here.

Have a good weekend people

Fire Island feat. Loleatta Holloway - Shout To The Top (Fire Island Radio edit)

Kosmos

I'm sure that the first time I was aware of Kosmos was after reading a review of it in Mixmag, which must have got my attention as it's not every day that you get a review of a Paul Weller record in that journal.

I wasn't aware of the track in it's original 12 minute form as I didn't buy Weller's first solo album at the time. What I had heard of it,  apart from Into Tomorrow, didn't appeal to me.  I found it quite bland, like a lot of the solo stuff that followed if I'm being completely honest.

The Lynch Mob mix of Kosmos on the other hand I think is just brilliant. The track was originally released as a promo 12" on Go!discs in 1993. I eventually got my hands on it when it was released on the b-side of the Hung Up 12 inch the following year.

Paul Weller - kosmos (lynch mob bonus beats)