The Outlaws

I think that I've only posted one other mash-up on here before, the Arctic Monkeys/Destiny's Child one. I'm quite partial to these if they are done well and it's a couple of artists which you would never think of together which is certainly the case here.

I have a couple of good albums, The Best Bootlegs in The World Ever, which compiles the best of the early mash-ups including A Stroke Of Genius, One Minute Lovecat etc. The other album, Too Many Fools Following Too Many Rules is mixed by the Outlaws, not as slick as Soulwax in their Too Many DJs guise but entertaining none the less. It pitches the likes of Michael Jackson against the Baron of Techno, Dave Clarke and Donna Summer and Josh Wink.

So if you ever wondered how Abba would sound if they had become junglists give this a listen.

The Outlaws - Chiq

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

Before deciding to use this song for the proverbial dance track on a Friday, I knew absolutely nothing about this record apart from the fact that I thought that it was a funky as fuck when I bought it and have played it on and off ever since.

I thought that I better try and find something out about the track before posting it, so headed, as you do to Discogs. I had a suspicion that it was too good a track to be tucked away as the first track on side 2 of a load of remixes and apparently the track was released  in it's own right. The version I have is on a 12" of remixes of Minus 8 on the Compost label from Munich, was recorded by Robert Jan Mayer and came out in 2001.

I have no recollection of where I bought it but did buy it after listening to it and on the strength of this track, the others are okay but this is the standout.

See what you think.

Minus 8  - Badman & Throbin'

Did I mention that I'm going to see The Fall tonight?

Lost In Music

In celebration of the forthcoming Fall Fest which will take place this Friday and Saturday at the Renfrew Ferry. I present for your delectation a couple of re interpretations by the Gruppe.


First up we have probably my favourite Fall cover, Sister Sledge's Lost In Music

The Fall - Lost In Music

and White Lightning, originally by The Big Bopper which must be a fave of MES as it has been a constant in the set list over the past few years.

The Fall - White Lightning

The Airborne Toxic Event gig was pretty wonderful the other night, they have come on leaps and bounds in the course of the past year. Their gig in January at King Tut's, I thought would be hard to beat  this year, however I found  the February one a bit lack lustre in comparison but Tuesday night was something a bit special, what with acoustic Springsteen covers and spontanous verses from Smiths songs it just shaves the January one for gig of the year for me but I'm sure that this weekend the mighty Fall will step up to the challenge.

Blue Eyed Soul

Here is a bit of blue eyed soul courtesy of Tony Galla to brighten up a Tuesday.

This track was the first single that Galla recorded and came out on the Swan label in 1964. Unfortunately, I have heard nothing by the man since which comes close to this track. He later became the singer of the blues band,  Raven and had a famous friend in Jimi Hendrix who helped to get the band a deal with Columbia.It was not unknown in the late 60's to find Galla on stage jamming with the likes of Hendrix and Joplin in clubs in New York. He is still performing and has released 3 albums of Italian music in the last few years.

If you have a spare 300 quid you may be able to get your hands on the original 7" or you could spend £9 on the dodgy re pressing.

Tony Galla - In Love

I'm off to see The Airborne Toxic Event tonight, so no post tomorrow.

Airport Girl

This is just the thing for a Monday morning all jangly guitars and occassional horn stabs. In fact everything you would expect from an indie pop classic apart from the fact that in clocking in at over 6 minutes it hasn't got the brevity normally associated with the genre. The track, however,  never over stays it's welcome and I guarantee that when it finishes you will want to play it again.

To me it is full of optimism and joy and makes me smile and want to dance, what further recommendation do you need on a Monday?

Airport Girl - The Foolishness That We Create Through Love Is The Closest We Come To Greatness.

I forgot to mention it has a great title as well.

Lest We Forget

In memory of

Cpl Andrew Wingate

Private James Little


The Gunner's Dream

Just Because

Play it Loud.

Nina Simone  - I Wish I Knew How It Would Feel To Be Free

New Music

Here is a couple of tracks from a split ep on the Pushing Pussy record label.

This record is another of those criminally limited edition singles with only 300 copies being pressed so I don't feel bad about posting the tracks as your chances of getting a copy if you like what you hear are slim, even so I will not leave the links up for long.

The first track by The Palpitations reminds me of Mazzy Starr and just comes in the right side of goth for my liking.

The track by The Lovebirds is a bit like The Kills but with a bit more menace.

See what you think

The Palpitations - Tears In The Rain

The Lovebirds - The Devil Song

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

This week's track is probably the most commercial by far of the tracks posted in this series and probably the most recent;  by which I mean it was released at the start of this decade.

The track You See The Trouble With Me by Barry White and Ray Parker Jr was first released in the 70's by White. The Black Legend cover originally sampled White's dulcet tones. When White voiced his displeasure with the track it was re recorded with Elroy "Spoonface" Powell providing the vocals.

The track reached number 1 in the UK in June 2000 and was the 40th best selling single here that year.

Black Legend - The Trouble With Me

Spacemen 3

Never really took much notice of Spacemen 3 when they were still a band. I think that may have been down to the fact that the first thing that I bought was Recurring an album which was really 2 solo mini albums as Pierce and Kember contributed a side each working in isolation. I much preferred the side by Pierce and therefore bought the Spiritualized albums but never really bothered to go back and explore the earlier work the reason for which now escapes me but probably has a lot to do with the 90's for me, revolving round BPMs and DJs as opposed to rock bands.

My interest in them was reawakened after Pierce's 3rd album as Spiritualized, Ladies And Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space* which blew me away when it was first released in 1997 and still sounds as good today as it did then. I decided it was time to delve into the Spaceman's back catalogue and what riches I found there.

The Velvet Underground are probably the most obvious influences but also there are a lot of pointers in the direction of the Nuggets era American garage rock sound and also a bit of Can in the mix as well. The drug and Jesus references are present  as they are with Spiritualized. The sound is wonderful, the pounding drums the feedback and the heavy use of effect pedals one minute and the next the most delicate guitar and fragile voice. It really is music to take drugs to if you are that way inclined but sounds just as good when you are straight.

The original version of the track posted here can be found on the second Spacemen 3 album, The Perfect Prescription. I have posted a version from the live lp Live In Europe and the blistering 12 minute version from the gig at the ABC last October which was absolutely amazing, the quality isn't brilliant but it's good enough.

Spacemen 3 - Take Me To The Other Side

Spiritualized - Take Me To The Other Side

* LAGWAFIS will be re released later this month the way it was intended  back in 1997 (before the Presley estate took exception to the King's music being linked with drugs), to celebrate it's 12th anniversay  (?) with another couple of discs containing outtakes and alternate versions.

What's That I Smell?

Well the flight back from Luton on Monday night was on time which is always a bonus. Today I survived the latest restructuring ( or cull as I like to call it) in the company I work for. Many others and a couple of guys I know well were not so lucky, a bit of a shitty day if the truth be told.

While travelling down to Luton yesterday I had the misfortune to be sitting in front of some football agent and some professional footballer who i didn't recognise which doesn't mean that they guy isn't well known but these days I care very little for the beautiful game. Anyway, as I had to take off my headphones until we were airborne I could not help but hear their conversation, half the plane would also have had the misfortune to have overheard as well, as they weren't the quietest speaking guys in the world. Every bloody sentence uttered had some cliche or other which you've heard a thousand times, "he covers every blade of grass on the park",  "always give 110 percent" and the one which the agent fella was particularly fond of "lady luck shone on me", etc etc. Now I'm not always that eager for the plane to take off , most of the time I'm hoping that it can't and I can just get off and go home,  but after about 5 minutes of this I couldn't wait for the plane to take off so I could get my headphones on and drown out this nonsense, in fact I had to put the Fuck Buttons up to nearly full volume in order to make it stop, once I could.

When the time came for me to take the headphones off,  as we were "on our final descent into Luton" (there is something about that phrase "final descent" which doesn't sit very well with me) they were still bloody at it but now the agent was going on about how much money he had negotiated for this player and that player. Which got me to wondering if he was so bloody successful then why was he flying Sleazyjet with the likes of me? He wasn't even in the Speedy Boarding lane as we got on the plane.

Another thing that I learn't yesterday is that it is obligatory for every football manager and player to have a y added onto the end of their name as in "As I was saying to Granty the other day".

That whole spiel was just so that I could play the song posted below and if you did read the above, thank your lucky stars that I decided not to rant on about restructuring and how we are all in it together and similar such crap.

Club 8 - Football Kids

Just Because

This is brilliant, a bit of mellow dub step which was featured on Mr Weatherall's recent 6mix.  It will only be posted for a very limited time as it is a current track, so dig in while you can. The track can be found on the rather excellent compilation 5 Years of Hyperdub, the label that brought us the very talented Burial and other great dubstep twelves. The compilation can be purchased here.

Darkstar - Aidy's Girl's A Computer

12 Years

It has been a busy weekend in our household what with the bowling etc yesterday and today being our wedding anniversary. L and I have been married twelve years today, sometimes it feels much longer (for her, not me).

Anyway this year we won't be doing much,  we have a two hour pass this afternoon, courtesy of the sister in law, so we will probably go for a couple of drinks in what was our local. Unfortunately, I am on the 7am flight to feckin' Luton tomorrow morning, which kind of  curtails the celebrations. The only positive thing about this is that I'm also coming home tomorrow and don't have to stay in Luton, Sleasy Jet permitting.

Since it is our anniversary here is probably L's favourite song from the past decade.

Killers - Mr Brightside (Live from Glastonbury)

Happy Halloween/Birthday M

Today is M's 6 birthday, L myself and my sisters in law will be taking 10 miniature hooligans 10 pin bowling. That last sentence is somewhat disingenuous as my part in the proceedings is merely to ferry a few of the little darlings to the bowling alley. I will then have a free pass for a couple of hours as my mother has volunteered to watch Leo. As I will be about 10 minutes from Glasgow, I think a visit to Fopp and Oxfam music is the order of the day and back home to prepare the sandwiches, jelly and juice for the adults.

Yes, my eldest was born on Halloween, scaring the crap out of both his mother and I (long story) and has continued to do so ever since.

Here is the only northern soul themed Halloween song that I can think of and what a belter it is.

Azie Mortimer - Haunted

And since it is Max's birthday here is one of his favourite songs (scarily I'm not kidding)

The Fall - F-'oldin' Money

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

Today's track comes from an artist who with the other 2 members of her band, One Dove was responsible for one of my top 21 tracks ever, Fallen (darkest hour mix). Since then Dot Allison has embarked upon a solo career which has not been as successful as it should have been, in sales at least; especially for her debut album Afterglow. She has also collaborated with the likes of Massive Attack, Death In Vegas, Pete Docherty and most recently Paul Weller on her latest album.

The track posted comes from her second album, which to tell you the truth I'm still not sure whether I like or not. It certainly doesn't get the play that her debut does. Allison totally changed direction, with a much darker electro vibe being the order of the day. The album was produced by Keith Tenniswood, Lord Sabre's partner in crime in the Two Lone Swordsmen.

Substance, for me is the standout track on the album which is transformed here by Felix Da Housecat into a pulsing slab of electroklash which at the time was being touted as the next big thing. The mix certainly harks back to the electronica of the early eighties which is again back in vogue. Felix Da Housecat was the wunderkind of Chicago house, releasing his first single Phantasy Girl  at the tender age of 15 with a little bit of help from his mentor DJ Pierre. In the early years of this decade he championed the electoklash sound and was responsible for the standout track of that sound, Silver Screen Shower Scene. He is much in demand as a DJ and remixer and recently released the album He Was King.

Dot Allison - Substance (Felix Da Housecat mix)

Drift Away

Midweek and the weather up here is miserable.

I hate the first week after the clocks go back not least as I have to try and remember how to reset the bloody timer on the boiler, you think that I would be able to remember as it's only been six months since I last had to do it but no!

Time for a bit of life affirming soul music I think.

First up we have Dobie Gray with his version of the song first recorded by John Henry Kurtz, me neither, Drift Away. This song has been covered by hundreds of people, however I think out of the versions I have heard this is my favourite. Gray's name will forever to me at least be synonymous with Out On The Floor a classic northern tune.

Dobie Gray - Drift Away

Secondly we have another cover, this time a duet from Jerry Butler and Betty Everett another two very well known voices to the soul fraternity. Here they cover Let It Be Me, best known version to me is by the Everley Brothers whom I must confess, I thought wrote it until I thought that I better check  before posting. It turns out that it was originally a French song first performed by Jill Corey in 1957. Another track which has been covered extensively and probably extremely badly by David Hasselhoff.

Jerry Butler & Betty Everett - Let It Be Me

Now isn't that better.

The Raveonettes Go Pop

A couple of weeks ago two of the most eagerly awaited releases, in this house anyway, popped through the door. Tarot Sport by the Fuck Buttons and In And Out Of Control by The Raveonettes.

Tarot Sport blew me away so much so that I played it 3 times on the trot and tracks have been played every day since.

In And Out Of Control on the other hand, I don't know what to make of. On the face of it and after the first listen the title for this post seems apt but then again with titles like Boys Who Rape (Should All Be Destoyed) and Oh, I Buried You Today are hardly the stuff of hit pop songs. A lot of the tracks are certainly sugar coated not in itself a bad thing but as I've said before, what drew me to the band in the first place was the feedback and the chaos of their early stage performances which reminded me of The Jesus And The Mary Chain, however I also loved the harmonies and the boy/girl vocals which are still very much apparent but that  edge that could just be heard in their earlier recorded output has disappeared.

The album is in no way bad, it's just that I was hoping that this time Sune and Sharin would make the album which transfered the experience of them live onto vinyl. I know, never bloody happy.

I will be present when they play Oran Mor on the 15th of December and hope that they will be as good as they have always been live, although after listening to this album I have my reservations.

The Raveonettes - Suicide (from In And Out Of Control)

The Raveonettes -  That Great Love Sound (Live)

T.I.C. Who? I Haven't A Clue Either.

I spent a couple of hours yesterday perusing Boy's Own, The Complete Fanzines which arrived the week before last but haven't had a chance to look at until now. It brings back a few memories, not of the Boys Own scene, being stuck up here in Scotland, I wasn't aware of them until 1988 but of the mid eighties in general and especially some of the tunes that are mentioned Farley Jackmaster Funk, The Woodentops, Joyce Simms etc.

I decided to have a rumage through some of the 12" singles that I bought at the time. On looking through them I came across a single which I don't think that I've played in 20 years and can't remember buying, so I stuck it on. It is a cover of a 1972  tune by a band called Hot Butter but with added samples from the Woodstock soundtrack but still can't think why I bought it and don't have a clue about the band T I C?

As one does in such situations I decided to Google it but the results were less than helpful. it is listed in Discogs but with no more info than I already know from the sleeve, apart from the fact that some joker is trying to sell a copy for 40 quid, get a grip man.

What I do know about it is that it was recorded by Calais Brown and Tim Hunter in a studio in Edinburgh, which tends to make me think that I heard it in some chemically induced state probably in the Pelican Club in Aberdeen and rushed out to buy it the next day to be played once and to be forgotten about until now.

T I C - Popcorn '88 (The Woodstock mix)

Just Because . . .

I'm drunk and I've always loved this track, although it never did my cred any good.

Deacon Blue - Dignity

Shadow Boxing

Not the sort of thing for a Sunday but as I'm typing this after having friends for dinner and indulging in  a few too many glasses of Cloudy Bay and a rather fine XO Cognac, courtesy of a birthday present from my little brother, what the hell.

For years I sought out the original of Shadow Boxing by Nasty Habits. I bought the remix a few months after it came out and loved it and always thought, if the remix is this good what must the original sound like. I had never heard it in it's entirety,  only mixed in with other tracks, drum and bass was never that big up here. So for years I looked for the 12" but whenever it came up on ebay I was always out bid and on Discogs it was always a bit too rich for my liking, until one night after a few I decided that it had to be purchased.

When the 12" arrived and I played it I felt somewhat disappointed  as it was not nearly as good as the remix,  a view that has not changed since.

Shadow Boxing is probably the definintive drum and bass track for me and also probably one of the darkest tracks I've ever heard.

I've posted both the original and the remix and would be interested to hear what people think. I know that drum and bass isn't everybody's bag but give them a listen.

Nasty Habits - Shadow Boxing

Nasty Habits - Shadow Boxing (remix)