12" Singles - Extended, Remixed and Re-evaluated. @12singlesemixesreevaluated - Tumblr Blog

No.27. Big Country-East of Eden

No.25. Big Country-East of Eden

Released : September 1984B Side :Prairie Rose(Roxy Music Cover)

One of my favourite tracks by Big Country. This mix when it was released was incredibly hard beat wise, with brilliant drumming by Mark Brzezicki. Its a song that looking back with hindsight that seems to be a bit rushed when it was released. The final mix on production was not great, but then it gives the song an added power. But its a track that you need to alter the EQ on your system to add in the bass. The band has a massive 1983 with 'The Crossing' album and the band was constantly touring and promoting, so the band was under a bit of pressure. One thing is worth noting they were such an excellent live band, they did not refer to the audience as a collective group like bands like the mission and new model army did later on, but they had a loyal Scottish following and fans that toured constantly with the band.

In the light of the tragic loss of Stuart Adamson some people picked up on the kind of depressive nature of the lyrics. I think at this time he was happy and I think the song was more generalised. I think as a lyrists he was outstanding in 1984, 'Just a Shadow' was another one. Then you had the more patriotic 'Where the rose is sown', so you had songs about national pride. But on the other hand there were songs about questioning and hope and then there was songs to say everything was OK. That was more lyrically 'Just a Shadow' which was one of the following singles. The sad thing is that he was never given the greater credit to how powerful his lyrics were. Its only when he went that people really realised his genius.To leave the Skids and then start another bands and all the success that followed, must have been a challenge and a kind of reassuring thing that he had done right and with that came pressure and expectation. But what a band they were, they do still tour with Mike Peters(The Alarm) fronting the band.

#big country

No.26 The Chemical Brothers-Galvanize(2004)

No.24. The Chemical Brothers-Galvanize(2004)

Release Date:22 November 2004

B side:Electronic Battle Weapon & 'Rize Up'

I think in the 90's, The Chemical Brothers were press darlings and rightly so, they did had some good tracks. Maybe not a consistent album band, but there were moments. I think when they released 'Block Rockin Beats' with its 23 Skidoo sample(industrial band from early 80s), they were starting to go more down an electro route. With Chemical Brothers it was always there but in those first few records they seem to be caught between indie rock and dance. Almost interested in the treble as opposed to the bass. So they would be referenced by Dance magazines, then be in the NME with their Oasis collaboration the same week. One band I just could not stomach(oasis that is), I just was more towards Orbital and Kraftwerk. But I think from the late 90s until 'Galvanise' there was more focus on the dance element. In some ways the move away from recorded material for the bigger bands, with Chemical Brothers there music works so well in stadium or festival environment. So their output has slightly slowed. But then you hear the albums and it reminds you of the festival. This track is 18 years old and I think its success is due to it's MC(ing) and the kind of bhangra beat sampled. Which was part intentional , the record it was lifted from sort of created that kind of feel. The live versions tend to go into 'Block Rockin Beats'

I have posted two tracks the Extended Mix and the Live version from Glastonbury in 2018, which is a bit shorter than the extended.A band that has got better over time, once it moved more towards one side of the dance scene. They still have that indie sensibility and their reference points and samples are very clever. A band that was responsible in part or played a part in Orbital reforming in 2011.

#the chemical brothers

No.23 Japan-Life In Tokyo(1979)

No.22. Japan_Life in Tokyo(1979)Released :12th April 1979 B side featured: Life in Tokyo(Part2), 'European Son' and 'The theme'Was released 3 times. The first time it was not a hit.Now I feel that I should not really be looking at this track as a Sylvian fan, those early Japan records now sort of disowned by the band and never really revisited, never really covered by other artists either. But this was a track that I can remember at the time, mostly for it's striking sleeve. I think what was great about it was the bass playing of Mick Karn. I did not really think much of Japan apart from that track musically , I could not really get into the 'Tin Drum' period of the band.

But in the mid 80s EMI released their 'Fame' series and these were basically reissues of earlier works. So they released the Japan compilation 'Assemblage' as part of that I really got into the sound. This album made me understand the Sylvian solo works that had been released after. In the mix of that album you had the kind Roxy Music, New York Dolls mix in those early works. Then there was the kind of mid 79 to 81 almost funkiness in their sound. The 'Life In Tokyo' single and 'Quiet Life' are just two great tracks. Its really mad looking back at archives because you are only talking a 4 year period of those first two albums into the final works of 'Tin Drum'. They must have been working constantly, recording and touring and then all the promotion work around that and how big they were in Asia. Maybe that was a contributory factor to their split , they just became so big as a band. Plus also add to that the funding by record labels that would have welcomed their solo works. In fact Richard Barberi in an interview lately explained that Porcupine Tree was similar to Japan, in that a lot of the band were waiting for the band to be reactivated. But that never happened, well it did with Raintree Crow, but that was not until 1991.Now going back to the 12” the extended version really shows Moroder's production and Japan's use of synths 'Moog and 'Arp' Synths being used.

What makes it stunning for me is the bass work of Mick Karn which underpins the whole song, I am not sure from the clip if they were using two bass players on this track as on the video the players head is blurred. I imagine on the studio version it was all Mick Karn's work. I think in terms of the band they were all great but the work of Sylvain and Karn tended to be what caught the attention. The lyrics of the song I always like “No other providence will do”. That line always stuck in my head. A track that is now 43 years old. The sound of a band developing but in terms of late 70s and early 80s pop Japan were right out there.This video at the bottom is based on the Moroder Version but I think its slightly altered, I have also included the 'Theme' which was on the 12”. That's a bit more harder drum wise, rock as opposed to disco version.

#Japan #life in tokyo

No.25 The Cure-A Forest(Mix Up Version-Tree Mix)(1990)

The Cure-A Forest(Mix Up Version-Tree Mix)(1990)The music of the cure its a strange one to sort of quantify and review. Like it seems it always been there, at times its been a constant. Then other times you just forget about certain parts until you become reaquianted. Like the Banshees each album from the 80s was a different time, even though there was sometimes only a year between them. This one was not actually a single release, so is a remix of the original single. It is I'm sure almost all recorded new in 89/90. Initially I was drawn in by the '17 Seconds' album, the album was incredibly dense and sparse at the same time. Tracks like 'M' and 'Play for Today' I think the Cure at this time were influenced by bands happening around them but they created something unique. Now going to the later period of Cure I think its worth noting that I always viewed 'Disintegration' as a great album but for me it was the end of an era.

Their sound had developed and the late 80s output especially was sonically in an audio sense stunning, the guitar work of Porl Thomson set them apart. There was articles in the press where they mentioned the Cocteau Twins, they could not copy that sound but over the 'Kiss Me' and 'Disintegration' the music became quite ethereal. But I remember going to see them in the late 80s and the title of 'Disintegration' sort of seemed apt. I think for me personally in 88/9 there were bands coming through both through indie and dance, some with elements of both. I think Depeche Mode about a year later managed to merge both scenes between indie ethos and mainstream acceptance..

But the Cure in the early 90s I just could not get on with the new material after the 1992 period. I think the appeal of the cure did seem to be more on the teenage audience. Having said that its been good to see the band finally getting the recognition they deserve and I have to say Gabriel's interpretations of those guitar works is really good as well in the live footage I have seen, he took over from Porl Thompson. The thing is you listen to music of a time and it can be associated with the era of post punk, but in those early formative years it was like nothing else.Now going back to the 'Mixed Up' album perhaps it was a stop gap and it appeared after the live 'Entreat' album. The tracks on the compilation were tracks remixed, some worked like 'The Caterpillar' and others excelled. 'A forest' I feel was re-recorded as the vocals sound different towards the end. Parts of the original mix were kept , but at the time it showed me that they might go in a different direction. The classic 1980s mix of 'A Forest' is a great track, very low. I have included a live concert version from 1986 Glastonbury. Which is probably the best version, a bass driven tune. So you have the original, the live versions that had moved on and then the dance version.

#the cure

No.24 Monolake-Alaska-Melting(2006)

No.24. Monolake-Alaska/Melting(2006)

Now this will not have such a drawn out history linked to it compared to other artists. Monolake are a current and active band, well when I say band more Robert Henke. The band was originally a 2 piece but over the years its solo work. Why I have included it I think there was a start of bands sort of appearing from countries but their works sort of centred around cold environments. It was not such a movement as a I remember it . Now of course you have bands like Biosphere and Gus Gus, but lately there have been other artists. Its hard to categorise the music but imagine you were in a kind of snowy environment, the music of some of these artists would be like the soundtrack to this. I think this 12” is a case the drum sound is incredibly hard, its almost like Nitzer Ebb but with a lower range and without the singing over the top.

I think as well Monolake are important because Robert Henke is behind the Ableton software that was released a few years ago. I think a good percentage of his recorded work is stunning, a bit like Autechre some of the beats you can get into. Other pieces are more abstract. But this is like 'Coldwave' electronica.

Where as Biosphere is more ambient like , Monolake is more heavily drum sound driven. Their last album released in 2020 during lock down was stunning at times.

#Monolake

No.20 Heaven 17-Im Your Money(1981)

No.19 Heaven 17-I'm your Money(1981)

Release Date:1981B Side: Are Everything(Buzzcocks Cover)

Photography on Sleeve Virginia Turbett

This is a strange one to write. Back in 84 I was really into Heaven 17, 'Temptation' was a great track that just built and built on layers. It stood out on any compilation album it was on, so then you fast forward about 30odd years and then you can now contact the band through Facebook, unlike so many bands Heaven 17 use the media to promote and interact with the fans. This is really good, where as before they were more a studio band , the band tours more but still releases music as well. Also I run a FB group more for H league Mk1, so there is an acceptance of the past added to that, which is refreshing. So there is part of me that is like, I actually have a means of communication with the band. That 12-13 year old part of my head would of struggled to comprehend that back then.

With Heaven 17 I have to admit I sort of stopped following them after 1992, but I think they moved more into production of other artists(successfully)in the late 80s and early 90s. They did still play live, but were more a live band more recently.So getting back to the H17 track above, I was researching Sheffield bands for a website and contributing to that and then you sort of delve into the back catalogue. This can throw up some classics and also some dated tracks. Those BEF albums and parts of 'Penthouse & Pavement' I only discovered for the first time back in 2010, although I was aware of them for many years , just not heard them as I was only 9 at time of release. I was more for the 'How Men Are' era.

The track that stood out to me was 'I'm Your Money' especially the extended version, it kind of skips along until about half way through. The live versions of the track sound like it would now, but this kind of is an analogue mix, but the samples and voices give it the early 80s feel. It sort of predates 'Blue Monday', but not directly but you feel there is a kind of Giorgio Moroder influence behind it. The B side of the 12” was a Buzzcocks cover 'Are Everything'.I think when I hear the song it just makes me think '1981, wow'. It just seems compared to most electronic tracks of the time streets apart.

#Heaven 17

No.19.Queen-One Vision(1985)

2" extended, remixed and re-evaluated..No.20 Queen-One Vision(Extended) (1985)Now I think this post might be a bit controversial but I have to say as I find. The only time I am going to post by Queen. Now I can remember Queen from the 70's and early 80's, they were a band at their peak. All though I did not buy their records they were probably ahead of the rest of UK rock at that time. I think the legend for the band that has been created by reissues of material and the film 'Bohemian Rhapsody', but I have to sort of seperate the fact from fiction. Now I say this with affection but the 'Flash Gordon' single I loved, it was the first film I saw in the cinema. But after this time between 1982-late 1983 they released album like 'the game' and 'Hot Space', these were not greeted well by the music press. Then you had the period of 'The Works', Queen had managed to refocus and sort of went into video medium, 1984 was good for the band.

Alongside this Freddie Mercury was recording a solo album, that went down really poorly as well. Both sales wise and critic wise. So what I am trying to say here is that Queen were consistent act in the 70s with a single discography to die for, but in the 80s they were inconsistent. So to fill in the rest of the 80s you had albums like 'Kind of Magic' and 'the Miracle'. They had stand out singles, but as an album band they were not great. When I did work in a record shop the latter album was being built up by the record company reps, “Its Queen'. The shops would order the albums. But it did not sell well, the record design was the problem. Now with Queen for those 70s and some singles they deserve their place in the history of rock music, but living alongside the output at the time they were very inconsistent and that was always a disappointment. Which brings me to the 'One Vision' single, still basking in the glory of their appearance at Live Aid, they recorded this tribute to the event. Originally it was an experiment with the technology around and using the Jupiter 8(That appears on various posts).

The 12” extended mix I feel is better than the stand-alone 7” single, the B side was called 'Blurred Vision' and you can hear through that they were sort of experimenting. So you get the bare bones of the song, the effects and synths more on that mix. The video also had a 12” version which was available on the VHS video of the time.What ever my opinion on their legacy they were a great singles band, maybe not so great albums consistency. I understand the legacy and worship of the band, I just do not buy into it myself. But this was a great single the drumming, bass was right on the mix, I was hoping for more of the same but I found 'A kind of magic' lightweight in comparison.

#queen

No.22. Goldie-Inner City Life

No.22 Goldie -Inner City Life.

Release Date: 21st November 1994.

Goldie , its hard to believe this track is from 1994. So now the track is 18 years old. It was a great track at the time but probably with hindsight it can now been seen for the classic it was. I think the rave scene was all the rage in the early 90s, alongside house and then you had the more aggressive hardcore. This track seemed to take elements of each. I used to think that parts of the track had some similarities to the Prodigy who released their album the same year. I think there was the same kind of equipment being used, but with Goldie it was more the kind of chilled part of the beat, alongside drum machine effects, delayed and processed. This is the full length 21 Minute version, which I think might have been on the first part of the album. Its just a great mix.

Working with a colleague who was half my age was referencing the artist, maybe not the track. But for an artist who has only really released 3 full albums the music had influenced many new and up and coming artists. The sounds he was using are now sort of widely sampled, its an incredibly complex beat. So way ahead of its time. In terms of Goldie who sort of got more into the running of a record label and then appeared in various films and even east enders at one point.

#Goldie #inner city life

No.21 La Roux-Bulletproof(2009)

No.21 La Roux-Bulletproof.

Release Date: 21st June 2009

B Side:Essentially several remixes of the track. Released across various platforms.

Slowly bring it into this century. La Roux were quite breath of fresh air. The band was using some of those vintage synths, but also sort of embracing the music they had grew up with. So the first few albums tended to have an 80's feel. Thats due to the synths present and drum sound, add that to work with Heaven 17(More on that Later) then it seemed to all come together for the band at the time. Now in using this track I have not been able to match a mix that matches this track, so the extended version exists in this Glastonbury format. With a longer drawn out intro and then a drum part half way through. I think the main line up was Elanor Jackson and Ben Langmaid, the latter was not really present in live shows or in videos. But did appear in interviews , it looks like he is in control of the mixing desk during the Glastonbury set. He left the band in 2012.

The single was a massive hit and sort of incorporated the new digital downloading format, along side physical copies. The band is a duo and was probably working hard in the lead up to the singles 'In for the Kill' and 'Bulletproof', with major label backing it made the charts across Europe and beyond. I think its a great single incredibly catchy, there is I think 4 or 5 different synth patterns going on during the track, the live versions tend to have 2 synth players and live percussionist. I think the song appeal is to anyone who has been hurt , the best songs are the ones that have a general appeal.

The Glastonbury version is probably the better longer version, in the concert Glen Gregory plays with the band playing 'Temptation'. It was good to see a new artists acknowledge 80's music.

With La Roux they have released albums after this but have not quite matched the success. I think in some ways their approach in that they referenced what influenced them, that was quite a rare thing. The fans liked the kind of revival of sounds.

#La Roux

No.18. Gary Numan-Cars(1979)

12" Extended, Remastered and Expanded.No.18 Gary Numan-Cars(1980)Release Date:21st August 1979.B Side: 'Asylum' and 'Metal'.A song that is forever embedded in my memory. We used to have a next door neighbour a long-time back and he classed himself as a Numanoid. How can I explain it? This was humans who liked Gary Numan, but seriously it was then that fans and groups of fans started to call themselves collectively. Then it caught on with bands like The Mission, Sisters later on. With Gary Numan he got very much into punk ,but going back before that he admired the work of Bowie greatly. He was at the Bowie Shows in 1976. So the band he was part of the Tubeway army, were looking at studio equipment and a different sound. Numan seemed to focus on the Moog Synth and rather be put off by it he incorporated simple key sounds to tracks he was working on,. This was quite a monumental moment for Numan. Also at that time he was looking at what was around at that time and he was heavily influenced by Ultravox (MK1 version). What Numan did was align tight drummed rhythms, with additional synth. The drumming was like Stephen Morris out of New order, So precision like that you felt it was programmed. Cedric Sharpley was behind those drum rhythms.The 'Cars 'single was probably one of the best follow up singles, where a band hits success, sometimes the follow up can be slightly disappointing. But 'Cars' has remained a classic with fans and still is part of his set now. The single that was before it 'Are Friends Electric?', his work from this time is stunning.As stated in interviews the song was written on bass guitar and was written almost about an incident of road rage. Looking back at Numans work after this he was focused on touring(The Living Ornaments) and he did release some good singles after this like 'We are Glass'. But within about 2 years he was sort of struggling for ideas. What made Numan's work so crucial was the incorparation of Synths alongside rock instrumentation. When he lost his way musically around late 82/83, he sort of went back to it with 'Berserker' but then a few more average albums were released, moving towards commerciality. Going back through press articles recently you can tell in that period he interest in planes took over the music

In the early 90s many pop acts sort of referenced Numan's work and this lead to a kind of resurgence in his material. He know sort of exists alongside electronica/rock. Also I felt in terms of the history of electronic music he was referred to as a copyist of bands like Kraftwerk, but I always felt that was wrong. Numan was unique, he took elements of punk and glam and merged it with the rhythm tracks that used new technology. He was ahead of his time, but with the success came a sort of going off the rails. But over a period of a few decades Numan is now rightly respected for those early albums.'Cars' itself was not actually released as 12” version at the time. But on the Premier Mix of 1987 and the Razormaid mixes it is a lot longer, but these versions tend to be over done. With sounds that date it to that time. This is probably the best longer mix I can find of the track which I think is fan made. I have included the original video for the track, which is still long in comparison to singles of that time.

#Gary Numan #cars

No.17 Bryan Ferry-Slave to Love(1985)

Release Date: 28th April 1985

B Side:Valentine(Instrumental).

Featured members of Peter Gabriels band and Dire Straits.

So onwards I start with the 12” extended mixes, any details I may have missed I will add later and these are uploaded on here before the main site. That way I can include additional material.

I think with Bryan Ferry I think his appeal reaches both kinds of fans, Those who love his looks and those who love his songwriting lyrics. I think talking from a male perspective, I think his lyrics can be on borderline sentimental, but at the same time quite detached. Almost like an observer on the human condition, that almost resigning oneself to the fate to be lovelorn and broken hearted. I think Bryan Ferry took his solo career just as seriously as Roxy Music, both ran in alongside until 1982. I think what I am trying to say about Ferry is that he could sing about love, but then there is like this air of resignation. I think that's where his appeal is. I think you can tell I am trying to word it right, but I think Bryan Ferry brought a sense of style to the music, but also his music was excellently produced in the mid to late 80s.

I have covered the 'Boys and Girls' album on a web site a few months ago. That remains a stunning piece of work. The singles like 'Don't Stop the Dance', 'Slave to Love' and 'Windswept' were great singles. But then the rest of the album is simply stunning at times with contributions from Nile Rodgers, David Gilmour and Mark Knopfler.

Slave to love was a big hit in mid 1985. It probably set ideas in motion to George Michael who would sort of incorporate video ideas. But he could never match Ferry's style. The single in its extended format is more drawn out and has a lot of delay and echo and percussion on it. Its better than the single version, in fact the video features a lot of the extended mix. So there is like a 7”, 12” extended version and a video version.

Maybe to summarise Ferry he was probably building up to this point, 'Avalon' his last music under the Roxy Music name sort of indicated where he was heading. The single itself was an edit version, but the album has a longer mix and I think the Video also has another remix of the track. That is the best version, more drawn out with additional parts.

#bryan ferry #slave to love #roxy music

No.15 Duran Duran-The Reflex(1984)

Duran Duran-The Reflex

I was thinking of posting the earlier hits like 'Union of the Snake' but the extended mixes are not as great, even though those songs are probably better. But 'the Reflex' is slightly more better produced than the album version. With Duran Duran you could understand their appeal to all fans, from the poster band, then there was a respect to the music they were doing and moving on from the new romantic movement. There were influences in the music were Bowie, Chic, a bit of rock in there. Duran Duran were a band that also had a rock element that was through the Taylor brothers, through the drummer and guitarist. Add that to John Taylor's(no Relation) Bass influences you had really good tracks, also not forgetting Nik Rhodes almost experimental approaches to the sound. The band with the success in 84/85 meant that it was papering over cracks and by mid 1986 the band was a 3 piece.

You had the solo projects and group projects like Arcadia and Power Station. The record label were probably happy with it as it meant they could have almost three income fields, but at this time I think Duran Duran were spreading themselves to far. They all took their minds off the band , the band that got them to that level of success. I recall working in record shops and Duran Duran in 1990 were considered sort of a redundant force, but then you go back 4-6 years they were a band at the peak of success.

But going back to 'The Reflex' it was the sound of the band working all together. Those elements sort of pushed the new romantic music they were behind to another new level. They did release the album ' Arena ' in late 1984 and did 'Wild Boys'. So that was another element to the band,which contributed. The Touring. The single was remixed by Nile Rodgers from Chic.

Its the sound of a band being influenced but also creating something new. It was a shame they could not build, they were arguably successful for 2-3 years afterwards. But they could not sustain it, they got back to it through reinventing their sound and returning to a more rock approach in the 90s. They do release some original albums so different from some of the revival acts currently doing the rounds. But those new recorded works are sort of not as well respected as their older material.

#duran duran #the reflex

No.15. Oceanlab-Lonely Girl(2009)

No.15 Above and Beyond-Lonely Girl(Gareth Emery mix)

This was a quite hard decision to pick a track from the album called 'Sirens of the Sea' which was released in 2009. Oceanlab were basically a project of the trance djs /band Above and Beyond. I always felt that because my tastes were more electronic that I could not be bothered to keep up with the spin off projects and production and remixes. In the world of trance and DJ sets everything so fast moving. But then sometime you hear things that you think that's actually quite good. I think what appealed to me with the tracks was that I think the tracks were probably built around the vocals arrangements and piano, this was sort of backed up by an acoustic set Above and Beyond did which was stripped back to basics. But going back to the tracks the tracks tend to be quite introspective lyrically tracks like 'Lonely Girl'. But I had to go for this one as it was the main single . But the Gareth Emery remix of that track is probably better than the track’on a good day’.

Such is the nature of dance that the band seems quiet at the moment, but with numerous sets and other DJs coming under the banner.

I notice now that a lot of the trance acts are having 10 year celebration discs of playlists, so it almost becomes a kind of post trance in a historical sense. But going back to the Oceanlab it sort of creates a kind of feel for that early 90s tracks like Opus III, the song writing is superb before all the layers were added. But some tracks work better than others.

Recommended listening:

Lonely Girl(Gareth Emery Remix)

#above and beyond #oceanlab

No.14 Orbital-Where is it going(2012)

The music of Orbital is going to be a common piece on this thread and web page. They have released some stunning tracks , albums, 12″ and mixes to. This one is probably not as popular as ‘Chime’ and ‘Mutations’, but its started to become a set staple. The best mix of the track is the Live Style Mix. As opposed to the radio mix, which is still a long track.

The album it was released from called ‘Wonky’ was released in 2012 after a gap of 8 years. In that time they had released solo albums and various remixes. The band had been recording those 90s albums in the same studio, with the upgrade of the studios they kind of lost momentum and the call of those solo projects pushed the band apart. There was talk in 2012 that the band had a dispute that was to do with the Isle of Wight and family history. I remembered that quote as I was living there at the time. The band would re-emerge and thankfully have stayed together since. Actually to not sort of make matters more complicated they did split up after Wonky for those reasons stated. I think when it comes to brothers in a band(Oasis excluded) you know that they normally stay together longer. But you forget about the inner workings of the band and the relationship outside of the band project.

The ‘Wonky’ album did have mixed reviews but is a great album, its not as instant as say ‘Snivilisation’ or the classic ‘Insides’. The thing is those albums were of a time, the samples and drum sounds were of a time. They were not conceptual albums so there was never going to be a follow up. The title track of the album is good, the album was more experimental and featured Zola Jesus on one track. The ‘Where is it going’ is probably built on those kind of 93/94 synths sounds. But the track has such clarity of range in the back ground. The single does exist in various mixes but the Live Style Mix which I think is mixed by Phil Hartnoll is the best. On the clips below I have included the extended mix and then the Paraolympics clip which features the Live Mix as well, featuring the late Stephen Hawking.

Its a classic track but at the time it was just another track on the album it has become a live favrioute and still appears in their live set.

#orbital #where is it going?

No.13. Suede-Stay Together(1994)

Single :released on 14th February 1994

Chart Positon. No.3

B sides appeared on compilation :Scifi Lullabies.

They were the music press darlings between 1992 and 1995. In fact the brit pop movement was responsible for some kind of average bands , with all movements it tried to become branched out into towns. But then you had Blur from Colchester and Oasis from Manchester, Pulp from Sheffield. I always thought that the music critics in the press were trying to make bands related to areas, sort of like they did in the early 80s. The thing with brit pop it was a movement that was over before it really got started.

With those bands their influences were obvious so with oasis it was stone roses and beatles, Blur it was more Kinks and mod music. That was the thing with th brit pop bands it was cool to reference your influences, which brings me onto Suede. What I liked about Suede when they first came out , there was an interview with Brett Anderson and he name checked Bowie’s ‘Low’ and Roxy Music. This was quite refreshing, a new artist who was name checking what influenced the band.

Suede as a band in those first year were mostly about the hype, the live shows were picked upon by the press and their singles were eagerly awaited. The first album was released in 1993 and sold extremely well. Most of the confidence in the band was down how they were as a live act. Brett Anderson would be the focal point, the solid drum and bass section. But the press built up the guitar playing of Bernard Butler as equal to Johnny Marr. The problem was the comparison was perhaps a bit to early. When they went in to record the follow up to their debut album ‘Dog Man Star’(which is a great album), there was already factions within the band. The band was down to a three piece shortly afterwards, Butler focusing on a solo career. The band reminded me of House of Love, who lost their guitarist in similar ways. That was the thing with alternative music back in 1993, sometimes it was better to side step the hype and sell new material alongside the older material. To Suede’s credit they got a new guitarist who was good as well and fitted into the band. The band seem to become more a collective and added a keyboard player shortly afterwards.

‘Stay Together’ was a single that was 9 minutes long and sort of fell between the two albums. In a way its quite an optimistic single. Many of the bands at that time were releasing singles that aspired to love, where as Suede were singing about being in a relationship. Just subtle differences. The Stay Together single is the sound of a band reaching the potential, before the split was around the corner. But without that we would not of had further classic singles. Butler and Anderson did play as The Tears, so the sort out the differences and were able to play without the spotlight on them.

#suede

No.12. The Passions-I’m in Love with aGerman Film Star(1981)

No.12.Passions-Im in Love with a German film star

Released 23 January 1981

B Side:Dont talk to me (I’m Shy).

Additonal information: they were signed to same label as The Banshees , The Cure. Polydor records.

In the early 80s the alternative music scene was more made up on big label artists and as such there was not a kind of indie chart available at that time. That would come a few years later. As part of doing research for another band I had to go through some back issues of that old classic Smash Hits and there are so many bands listed in those issues between 1981-83, as the music tastes of the nation changed. Some bands found themselves out of the loop. At one point successful, the other trying to re-establish themselves. In some ways the Passions are classed as a one hit wonder, but that would be rather unfair in that they did release numerous albums and singles. But this track is the one they will be remembered for. With the band much was made of the lead singer being part of a commune. So interviews with the band seemed to focus on that, in those days it was viewed as not the don't thing. There are similarities all though unintentional to the early Cure with this sound. All though this guitar is more delay and effect, where as with the Cure the bass was more through pedals as well. The longer mix, shown below is a remastered remix. The single was only ever released as a 7″ single. But various extended versions have surfaced since.

In the early 80s and I'm sure Ive picked up on this before that many acts would concentrate on areas of the world. The Police seem to shoot videos in different countries, to have international appeal. Aneka with Japanese boy, then the mobiles with 'Downing in Berlin'. So if you wanted oriental , use instruments associated with china. If you wanted your song to have a slight dark edgy feel concentrate on capitals of Europe countries

The Passions built up a following and released an album. The line up at this time was what made the single. The single was a major success, the song is more memorable for its distinctive guitar work. They were actually signed to the same label as the Cure and the Banshees, there are some similarity with those bands. The band though could not hold itself together and the guitarist left in 1982 and was replaced by Kevin Armstrong(he would later work with Bowie in Tin Machine). Within two years of this track the band was no more. So they were always classed as a one hit wonder, but they did release other good tracks. But this is the one they will always be associated with. The single has been covered by other artists like Dub Star.

#The Passions #im in love with a german filmstar

No.11. Delerium-Silence(1999/2000)

This is considered a trance classic. It was released as a single in 2000 , so the track is now 22 years old. The band Delirium has been around since around 1987. I discovered the band exceptionally early due to following the Canadian band called Front Line Assembly, through various fanzine articles and an appreciation of fellow Canadian band Skinny Puppy(who were on Capitol distribution), so in theory it was easier to get hold of their records. But those early Delerium albums I had to pay a fortune on import. Bill Leeb was part of the early formation of the band and left skinny Puppy in 1985 to form Front Line Assembly which was with Michael Balch originally , but was later joined by Rhys Fulber. The first few records 'the Initial Command' and 'State of Mind' where almost pulsating hypnotic slices of electronic industrial music. As the FLA records went on the albums featured tracks of very powerful tracks mixed in with sort of ambient soundscapes.

So they sort of separated the sound, I am not sure if this was intentional but the Delirium albums in those early works were more like the early FLA quieter tracks, then the albums from FLA became more full on and powerful. The Delerium albums were almost like Industrial ambient music, but this carried on for a few albums.

They changed direction slightly in 1994 on the album 'Semantic Spaces' this was so well received, not a great seller. But it had excellent tracks like 'Flatlands', 'Incantation'. The music was fronted by female singers which was a world away from the early works which featured voices sampled. So from 1994 onwards a lot of he Delerium albums have been a showcase for singers like Nerina Pallot, Kristy Thirsk and Mimi Page.

In 2000 Delerium collaborated with Sarah McLachlan , she had released albums on Network records in the early days and had also collaborated on a album by Manufacture. Which showed how well suited her vocals were to industrial dance. The single was a massive smash, Delerium have not matched the success since. But that does not really matter. It probably meant that many people got into their music that would not of otherwise heard them. They stuck to their formula and continued to release some great records. Of course some of those singles would have trance remixes, but they knew the field they were working in. I think with Delerium I would describe it as Gothic Electronica, very layered, beautiful sounding almost atmospheric sounding music.

I have had to include 3 mixes of this track. There is the original mix, then the Michael Woods remix(which is a bit more spacey). Then there is the best mix which is the 'Airscape ' remix. The song has been remixed numerous times, it is an anthem.

Recommended Listening

Albums

:Faces Forms and Illusions(1989)

Mythologie(2016)

#delerium #silence

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12" Singles - Extended, Remixed and Re-evaluated.