Dilated Choonz

Bleep - the Final Frontier

The Double K — Mon, 29 Jun 2009 11:09:00 +0100

Xon – Dissonance

Following on from White Darkness, here’s some more from that man Richard H. Kirk, and yet another track from an old compilation LP. This is comes from 1990’s Bio Rhythm 2 LP, a compilation of bleepy techno on Network Records (we’ve already had a Model 500 track from the LP a while ago).

Xon were Richard H. Kirk along with Rob Gordon, one of the founders of Warp Records and a member of Forgemasters. With pedigree like that you know you’re in for something special, and this is deep, deep dark and spooky techno of the highest quality, especially for lovers of the bleep. A sharp and driving beat, dischordant bleeps and darkly atmospheric synths are punctuated by some sort of collective inhalation of breath (actually some reversed sample, possibly from “Techno City” I think). As the pitch of the bleeps gradually rises, so do feelings of claustrophobia and panic… this is techno with teeth that really means business. Yep it works great on the dancefloor but there is also much more to it musically. Pure class.

File Download (4:53 min / 8 MB)

Shades of Grey?

The Double K — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 07:30:00 +0100

“E.E. Barnard’s photo of the North American Nebula, taken on September 4, 1905, illustrates what astronomers call “dark nebulosity” and what I am here calling “white darkness”. Is the phenomenon seen here the result of white light splattered on a black background, or blackness emerging from a white background?”

Sandoz – White Darkness

While I’m trawling these old compilation LPs, here’s another beautiful ambient track taken from Narcosis. Sandoz, AKA Richard H. Kirk, was a member of Cabaret Voltaire and (I surprisingly just discovered) Sweet Exorcist, and AKA about 100 other aliases too. His contribution and influence on electronic music cannot be underplayed, and I’m not even going to start to try to do the man justice in this blog post.

This track is in the same vein as Ob Selon Mi Nos, in that it draws the listener in completely and has a story to tell. The track opens with light pizzicato string chords and celestial atmospherics. After a while a bassline drops, which is shortly joined by a slow, heavy beat and an echoing vocal chant. This all gives way to some sparse, chugging mechanical techno, and then suddenly – out of nowhere and taking the listener completely by surprise – a fantastic, mellow, groovy, handclapping melody drops (this is my favourite bit of the tune). The elements from earlier are gradually re-introduced and then it all winds back down again. Magnificent stuff to be sure.

As well as being compiled on Narcosis, this track is also on the classic Sandoz LP Digital Lifeforms, which was re-released digitally last year (see the “buy it” link to get yourself a copy).

Buy Digital Lifeforms (Redux) here ::

File Download (9:12 min / 13 MB)

Brazil from Belgium

The Double K — Sat, 27 Jun 2009 07:30:00 +0100

Spectrum – Brazil

Following on from the David Morley mix of Kinetic, here is one of Morley’s early productions for R&S (in conjunction with Renaat Vandepapeliere, who is somehow my “friend” on Facebook), from 1990 and much less ambient than that Kinetic remix.

This is genre-defining Belgian Techno that absolutely rocked the clubs at the time. It’s got everything you could possibly want from a Belgian anthem:

BIG STABS! – MONSTER BASSLINE! – WHISTLES! – HANDCLAPS! – SIRENS! – HUGE CLUB ATMOSPHERE!

It featured on Reactivate Volume 1 – The Belgian Techno Anthems – yet another great compilation LP… seems to be all I bang on about these days! It was big with the Cardiff crew back then, and you can see why – every track is an absolute belter. If you dig this sound then go out there and get yourself a copy.

Buy Reactivate Vol 1 on Discogs ::

File Download (5:35 min / 8 MB)

The Truth & Soul of Lee Fields

The Mighty Alboy — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 15:23:35 +0100

Lee Fields and the Expressions- “Honey Dove”

“Wow” was what I first thought when I heard this.

I thought I’d heard em all, but this guy passed me by. Lee Fields has a voice pitched perfectly between the raw emotion of Otis Reading and the sweet control of Al Green. He had a few well thought of, but hard to find (and believe me, I’m lookin’!) singles and an LP out in the 70’s, when he was somewhat limitingly described as “Little J.B.” on account of the similarity of his stylings to those of the GFOS, but that was it. Thankfully for us all- and thanks to the good folk at Truth & Soul records- he’s had a bit of a renaissance since mid-90s and has started putting tracks out once again, and he’s back with his own sound.

I first came across this track on the Truth & Soul compilation Fallin’ off the Reel vol 1 (which you should seriously check), and besides thinking “wow”, I couldnt work out if it was real old- it sounds like bona fide soul- or brand new- it’s too crispily produced to be the product of a 60s/70s studio.

Turns out it’s brand new- the work of Lee Fields and the Truth and Soul studio band called The Expressions, comprising members of El Michels Affair (who I swear Big J posted some time ago, doing a cover of Wu Tang’s C.R.E.A.M. but I cant find it to link)

A lot of talent is well in evidence, and there’s a lot more on the following records you really really must check:

Lee Fields & The Expressions- “My World”

El Michels Affair- “Sounding out the City”

Various Artists- “Falling off the Reel volumes 1 & 2” [Truth & Soul Records]

File Download (3:43 min / 9 MB)

Here's one for the Glasto kids

Hal Berstram — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:24:00 +0100

The Fall – Two Steps Back

I know at least one of our intrepid bloggers is at Glastonbury this year so I wanted to post something topical – this track by The Fall is the nearest I could find.

The relevant line is: “Take a look at the free festivals – they’re like cinemas with no films”. That was written back in 1978, when they still had free festivals – I don’t think Glastonbury ever came into that category (although in the old days it was a lot easier to get in without paying by scaling the fence), but it still has a lot of that hippie spirit. The fact that Mark E Smith of The Fall, in the vanguard of the post-punk revolution, was writing about free festivals shows you that punk and hippy were not as much polar opposites as the cultural mafia who make those “I love the 70s” programmes would have you believe.

“Two Steps Back” is from The Fall’s debut album “Live At the Witch Trials”, recorded in one day in December 1978, and still sounding wonderful. It’s got a rather different sound than anything they did afterwards, and yet is still recognisably one of the best British groups of all time.

Interesting bit of trivia: the line “Julian said ‘How was the gear’” is a reference to fellow rock eccentric Julian Cope. Or at least that’s what Cope says in his 1994 autobiography “Head On.”

The Fall is of course the brainchild of Mark E Smith, one of the few bona fide geniuses (albeit often irascible) in rock, and his autobiography “Renegade” has to be read to be believed. I can’t say much about it other than that you should definitely read it. Piles of ‘em are available in Fopp for a fiver so there are no excuses.

The Fall’s most recent album “Imperial Wax Solvent” featured some of Smith’s best ever track titles: “Wolf Kidult Man”, “Senior Twilight Replacer”, and “Tommy Shooter”. Ha ha.

Buy 'LIve At The Witch Trials' :: Remastered double CD edition with bonus live tracks featuring the worst sound quality ever (but still ABSOLUTELY ESSENTIAL)
Fall website :: unofficial but very detailed

File Download (5:04 min / 7 MB)

It's kind of dancehall, but it's kind of not...

The Mighty Alboy — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:18:00 +0100

Major Lazer-”Pon de floor [feat. VYBZ Kartel]”

Wanted to share a second track off the Major Lazer album, and something about this one grabs me. I think it’s the drums :)

Go buy it!

major lazer myspace ::

File Download (3:36 min / 8 MB)

Barbed wire style

The Mighty Alboy — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0100

Major Lazer- “Can’t stop now [feat. Mr. Vegas & Jovi Rockwell]”

Halfway through posting this up, the screen on my PC went purple and all crashed out…”the blue screen of death” I’d heard of, but the “deep purple” was a new one on me!

is kind of similar to what’s been happening to me this week- came down with some flu over the weekend, and cos I’ve recently been out the country (holidays in Turkey), the NHS had a nurse come round and swab me for swine flu yesterday, which is even less fun than it might sound…

Will be able to let you know whether or not I’m a disease vector in a global pandemic tomorrow, apparently (I’ve been called worse things!)

Anyway- has given me a chance to put some overdue tracks on the blog at least, assuming nothing melts down this time…

This is a fine fine track from the long awaited Major Lazer project LP- the irresponsibly titled Gun’s don’t kill people, lazers do- a collaboration between two producers who need no introduction at DC- Diplo, Switch- and a whole host of shining dancehall stars- and Ms Thing whose auto-tuned nonsense spoils every track she guests on- but glass half full- there are a lot of belters. Or “heaters” as I believe the young people of today term them.

This one has obvious appeal from the outset- a chopped up, stepped on break from the VD-themed rocksteady classic Barbed Wire in his underpants provides the heavy riddim track- with sweet vocals from Jovi Rockwell and perennial fave Mr Vegas bringing the lovin’ flavour.

Sounds of the summer time, sounds of the summer time!

File Download (4:05 min / 9 MB)

NOT Blanche, Rose, Sophia & Dorothy!

The Double K — Thu, 25 Jun 2009 10:23:00 +0100

Golden Girls – Kinetic (David Morley Remix)

This tune is tenuously linked to my recent Global Communication posting (in my mind at least) in that back in the day I had both tracks on a tape made up from my favourite tracks from the Narcosis compilation and the excellent Apollo Compilation, which was out around the same time, and which this track comes from.

Kinetic is a total classic of its time. There were many high-profile remixes of it (by people like Orbital, Frank de Wulf and Cubic 22), all of them good in different ways, so it’s hard to pick a favourite. This ambient David Morley mix has stood the test of time better than some of the others, which have a tendency to sound a bit too much like “old trance techno” these days.

The main hook in the better-known mixes of the track is the HUGE synth stabs, first heard here at about 4.28 (Morley held off the big drop for quite some time in this mix!), although they don’t feature at all in the original version by The Pied Piper (AKA Michael Hazell). It was only when Hazell teamed up with Orbital’s Paul Hartnoll to form Golden Girls that the big synth stabs were introduced to create the total dancefloor killer. (Although I really like the original version too, and the “Smythotts Remix” which follows the original and doesn’t have the synth stabs either.)

David Morley originally set up and ran the studio at the mighty R & S Records in Ghent, Belgium, at the time when people like CJ Bolland, Frank de Wulf and Joey Beltram were producing there. He’s since done a lot of work with Andrea Parker, and I think I remember reading that he now lives something of a reclusive lifestyle with a lot of big expensive old synthesisers.

And in a further tenuous musical link between Golden Girls and Global Communication, I can highly recommend grabbing a recent remix of Orbital’s Halcyon by Global Communication’s Tom Middleton over at Armchair Spasm. Middleton brings the sound right up to date while remaining 100% true to the spirit of the original – great stuff!

Buy the Apollo Compilation here ::
Buy David Morley's latest LP "Tilted" :: direct from R & S!

File Download (8:14 min / 19 MB)

Movie Soundtrack Masterpieces (4)- Dead Man's Shoes

The Mighty Alboy — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:27:00 +0100

Aphex Twin – “Nannou 2”

This track comes at the end of the movie- difficult to say much about it without spoiling it, so I wont try, except to say that it is a very very beautiful and sad piano piece.

Has anyone got as broad a range as Aphex Twin?

Amazing…

Buy Dead Man's Shoes at Amazon ::

File Download (3:25 min / 6 MB)

Movie Soundtrack Masterpieces (3)- Dead Man's Shoes

The Mighty Alboy — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 11:20:00 +0100

Smog- “Vessel in vain”

Not quite in keeping with the previous two postings in this vein, as these tracks were not written specifically for the movie, but near enough to give me an opportunity to put out some stuff I’ve enjoyed listening to, that wouldnt normally sit well on DC.

The first of two tracks from the soundtrack of Dead Man’s Shoes comes from US singer/songwriter Bill Callahan, aka Smog. His output has apparently been described as “the soundtrack for throwing in the towel” and having listened to a fair bit of it since coming across this track in DMS, that’s pretty fair to an extent, except that the towel is generally thrown in with good humour.

This track features over a montage of home movies, at the start of the movie, introducing us to Richard and his brother and their arrival back in the beautiful peak district- the opening lines “I cant be held responsible” are pretty important to the concept of the movie.

The film is a powerful one, very similar in theme to Get Carter- in that it’s about a return to a home town and it’s about revenge. If you havent seen it, dont be misled by the cover images on the DVD which make it look like a kind of “Midlands Chainsaw Massacre”- it is violent and it is dark, but it is also very moving and insightful- not to mention full of humour (mostly pretty dark).

Co-written by Shane Meadows and Paddy Considine and apparently shot in around three weeks, it explores some of the darker goings on in small towns the world over- “atrocities commited in the name of leisure” as Considine describes them- that go unanswered.

They dont go unanswered in Dead Man’s Shoes…

buy smog output at rough trade :: Supper is the album this track is on...
dead mans shows soundtrack on warp ::

File Download (4:20 min / 8 MB)

Mystical Communication

The Double K — Mon, 22 Jun 2009 11:32:00 +0100

Mystic Institute – Ob-Selon-Mi-Nos (Global Communication Mix)

Following on from Hal’s posting of Reload, here we have a track that brings together two of of Mark Pritchard and Tom Middleton’s “many other guises” – the pair are AKA Global Communication, and Pritchard is also half of Mystic Institute.

This is a BIG tune and probably best categorised as “Epic Ambient”. We begin with a ticking clock… waves lap the shore… a beautifully haunting melody drifts into focus… from somewhere a piano adds to the tune… a slow, swooping synthesised bassline drops in… and all the while that clock just keeps on ticking.

I know the tune from the excellent compilation LP Narcosis, and it can also be found on the Global Communications LP 76:14, where it is simply titled 14:31.

Buy Narcosis here :: Great LP - some bargains to be had here!
Buy 76:14 here :: Also cheap - plus bonus CD of Global Communication singles!

File Download (14:32 min / 14 MB)

Drum sounds - time to roll yer own.

Hal Berstram — Sat, 20 Jun 2009 11:00:00 +0100

Reload – The Enlightenment/Event Horizon

Here’s a real gem from 1993. Reload was Mark Pritchard and Tom Middleton, who have both appeared under many other guises. The USP of this project, which appeared on Infonet records, was the combination of mellow ambience and hard industrial beats – and many of the industrial drum sounds were sourced by sampling bits of scrap metal being hit. I like the extreme contrasts of dynamics and styles on this track, and the sample “something wonderful” (I think it’s from the film 2010, which was the inferior, but nonetheless interesting, mid-1980s followup to 2001).

Although today’s sound synthesis capabilities – even on an average PC or Mac – are light years beyond what even the most high-end synths could do in 1993, sometimes there is no substitute for going out there and hitting some stuff, sampling it and repeat until sundown or diskfull. A mate of mine (also called Ben oddly enough) gave me an old Yamaha A3000 sampler the other day. I have it stuck in the studio with a post it note on it saying, “sample more”. It’s good to be reminded.

The LP “A Collection of Short Stories” which this is excerpted from really did come with a collection of short stories, in a booklet, written by one “Dominic Fripp”. This album really should be reissued – it’s a long-lost early 1990s classic.

Discogs page :: for "A Collection of Short Stories" - long out of print AFAICS, sadly.
Nice review :: on Julian Cope's Head Heritage site, of all places
Yamaha 2G Pocketrak recorder :: Portable sampling - get out there and sample some metal clangs today...

File Download (11:11 min / 13 MB)

Chunky slice of Summery lushness

Kevvy K — Fri, 19 Jun 2009 10:55:00 +0100

Florence and the Machine – Rabbit Heart (Leo Zero remix)

I’m loving this maybe even just a little too much at the moment! I should probably know better, but its bog-standard approach of quirky female feel good vocals and liberal splashes of anthemic classic house chords all over the shop are making it my most Summery anthem to date. I always find Leo Zero’s edits and productions really spot-on and I’m really looking forward to his upcoming album, but I’ll also be checking out the new Florence and the Machine album out too on the strength of this.

Some other quick bits – I know there’s quite a few gurners of a certain generation out there amongst both DC readers and posters, so i thought that this book coming out might be of interest: “It’s by Gavin Watson the photographer who made his name with his brilliant Skins and Skins & Punks books (the latter came out through Vice Publications earlier this year).

Raving ‘89 is a superb collection of his photographs. With 200 photos taken in the revolutionary year of 1989, this is the real deal. Hardly anyone took a camera to the raves, and the few people who did, got so bleary they left it under a speaker.

Gavin Watson not only remembered his Nikon, he’s also a truly world-class photographer. Gavin’s rave pictures capture the experience like no others. Grubby warehouses, hands through sheets of lasers, the haircuts, the smiles, the friends, the crimes against fashion. It’s a beautiful book, all wrapped up with hilarious recollections from Gavin and his brother Neville.”

You can download a sneak preview of the book here and they are taking pre-orders soon here.

On another small tip… if anyone is coming to Glastonbusy next week, why not come pitch your tent in the Climate Camp field… more info on that here.

File Download (8:00 min / 18 MB)

Give him the bloody bottle

Tommy Squeaker — Wed, 17 Jun 2009 22:16:00 +0100

Roy Budd – Goodbye Carter!

The BNP and their miserable and hateful scumminess aside, Hal’s earlier post on the subject of music from films has stirred me from my year long DC sabbatical, if only because, by total coincidence, my most recent purchases have been a couple of great film soundtracks.

First up is the Get Carter score by Roy Budd. Anyone familiar with the Michael Caine starring original (let’s not even start on the abomination which was the Stallone remake) will almost certainly have been struck by the iconic opening credits, with the insistent double bass lick and twinkling rhodes keys of the theme grooving along as his train speeds from London to Newcastle, scene of his unfortunate brother’s murder. It’s brutal stuff and no mistake and one of Caine’s (a son of elephant and castle – just up the road from squeaker towers) finest performances. The movie is stuffed full of classic quotes, many of which I roll out when I feel myself coming over all cockney gangster; “You’re a big man, but you’re in bad shape. With me it’s a full time job. Now behave yourself.”

I’ve chosen “Goodbye Carter!” from the soundtrack rather than the opening theme, which means you miss out on the train sounds, but you do get the signature mournful chimes that feature throughout the film. Roy Budd was a British Jazz musician who was noted for his use of sound effects from the films in the scores he wrote for them. Get Carter is his most famous work, but he wrote for many other films and recorded several albums, including a live one and the endearingly titled “Have a Jazzy Christmas”. Sadly, Roy died of a brain haemorrhage in 1993.

I’ll try and get some other film related tunes posted before too long, but don’t hold your breath.

File Download (3:37 min / 6 MB)

Fight! The powers that B. (N.P.)

Hal Berstram — Fri, 12 Jun 2009 20:55:00 +0100

Cornershop – England’s Dreaming

It was sickening when the British National Party secured its first 2 European Parliament members in last week’s elections. While the BNP’s advance was mainly caused by the implosion in support for the governing Labour Party rather than any huge upswing in their vote, it is still most unfortunate that these fascists will be heading to Brussels.

In response I offer a classic from multicultural Britain, circa 1993. Cornershop were formed in Leicester by Tjinder and Avtar Singh, playing what could best be described as chaotic indie noise-rock. The name was a reference to the stereotypical occupation of immigrants who came into the UK from countries like India and Bangladesh from the 1950s onwards. Their debut ep, “In The Days of Ford Cortina”, was pressed on ‘curry-coloured vinyl’ and was an attack on the racism that many immigrants and their families experienced in the heyday of the National Front (the ancestors of the BNP) in the 1970s.

“England’s Dreaming” is from their second ep, “Lock Stock and Double Barrel” and is basically a call to arms. “Shut up shop, get on the streets and fight the powers that be”. I’d love to know which 50s sci-fi flick (it sounds like) is sampled here. The sound is basic noise-rock but the energy of the record is unbelievable.

Later on the band would get much more sophisticated mixing indie-rock with Indian and dance influences to score big chart success with the LP “When I Was Born for the 7th Time” and associated single “Brimful of Asha” in 1997 – the heyday of Tony Blair’s “Cool Britannia”. “7th Time” and the followup “Handcream for a Generation” were both brilliant albums, the latter containing their best ever song title in “Lessons Learned from Rocky I to Rocky III”.

One of the best British bands of the last 20 years, and just one of about eight trillion reasons why the BNP are talking out of their butts.

'Elivis Sex-Change' :: compilation easier to get hold of than the original ep - now deleted but available 2nd hand
'Lock Stock and Double Barrel' :: the original release 2nd hand on discogs

File Download (3:36 min / 4 MB)

Soundtrack for a bad day

Hal Berstram — Thu, 04 Jun 2009 09:36:00 +0100

Angelo Badalementi – I’m Hurt Bad

The first in (hopefully) a series of soundtrack-related postings from me over the next two weeks. This is taken from the second CD of music from the TV series Twin Peaks which was released in the US in 2007 but – like the Series 2 DVD box set – has yet to come out here. (The first Peaks CD came out in the early 1990s, closely followed by the soundtrack CD for the prequel film Fire Walk With Me.)

Although this new CD bills itself as ‘all new Season 2 music and more’, a lot of the best tracks are actually from Season 1 rather than Season 2, and “I’m Hurt Bad” is one of these – in fact it’s from the pilot episode.

For those of you that know the series, it’s the tune that Bobby Briggs puts on the jukebox in the RR diner when he leaves with Shelley Johnson. Or at least the first minute or so of the track is… it then devolves into strange ambient territory. Not a long track, but the piece was one of my favourite bits of music in the series, so it’s good to see it released at last.

Buy the Twin Peaks Season 2 CD :: (US import)
IMDB profile for Dana Ashbrook :: who played Bobby in Twin Peaks, and seems to have done not enough since. Mind you, neither would you if you were a guy who shared a first name with a female Eurovision winner.

File Download (2:31 min / 4 MB)

71 years and still groovin'

Hal Berstram — Sun, 24 May 2009 06:47:00 +0100

Holger Czukay – Persian Love

This post is as a tribute to the best gig I’ve seen in years – Holger Czukay at the Roundhouse, London on 14 May. It was the best performance I’d ever seen by an artist in the free bus pass age group, and indeed one of the best performances I’ve ever seen by an artist of any age. More details here.

My previous hero in this age group was country star Willie Nelson – largely because Willie had to record an album for the US Internal Revenue Service just because he owed so much unpaid income tax, and also he was busted for possession of mushrooms at age 73. ROCK’N’ROLL! I can’t see Willie Nelson contributing live improvisation over a Schubert string quartet at a gig, though (although I would be pleased to be proved wrong.)

I should say something about the track really… this is from Holger’s 1980 album “Movies” which was a pioneer in fusing Western dance music beats with sounds from “the East” (middle East in this case). “Cool In The Pool” from the same album is better known but I really like this one. One could call it “fusion” except that that particular category is reserved for the frenetic 1970s collision of jazz and rock… I’ve put this in the “funk/weird” category but it defies easy description.

Right, now it’s off to the car boot sale and I may post something that I find there later on (if it’s suitable. Or even better, if it’s not.)

buy online :: from the ever brilliant Rough Trade shop
Holger Czukay's website :: Crazy stuff from the ex-Can Man

File Download (6:27 min / 9 MB)

Double K off on his hols...

The Double K — Mon, 11 May 2009 16:24:00 +0100

MK – The MKappella

I strongly suspect that this will be my last post this month as I’m off on my hols to Morocco on Wednesday for a much-needed break. I will probably need a break again even before we get home, following the 5-hour stopover in Madrid airport with two small children. But at least I’ll have a tan.

So some suitably beachy fare is in order then!

This blissed-out semi-ambient flutey house number is from the B-side of MK’s house classic Burning, MK being Detroit house master Marc Kinchen. Kinchen has carved out quite a career for himself, mostly producing and/or remixing other people’s tracks (artists who’ve benefited from his talents include Celine Dion, Betty Boo, Snoop Dog, MC Lyte, Elton John, The Pet Shop Boys, Janet Jackson, Luther Vandross and Terrance Trent D’arby), but the handful of early tracks he released himself (Somebody New, Burning, Always) are genuine classics, and much better than the remix work that I’ve heard (although admittedly I’ve only heard a handful of his remixes!).

MK on MySpace ::

File Download (9:23 min / 15 MB)

Pig Flu - It's Had A Remix

The Double K — Mon, 04 May 2009 09:16:00 +0100

Sorted – Papa’s Got A Brand New Pigbag (7” Edit)

Following on from Hal’s posting…

There was a rave muzak cover version of Papa’s Got A Brand New Pigbag, from none-hit wonders Sorted on PWL International. Not the worst pop-rave cover version ever, but I can’t really sell it any stronger than that – it’s nice enough, but compared to the original they have managed to suck all the funk and energy out of the tune.

It’s not big and it’s not clever, but at least it’s topical.

File Download (3:38 min / 5 MB)

Papa's got a brand new flu strain

Hal Berstram — Sun, 03 May 2009 08:41:00 +0100

Pigbag – Papa’s Got A Brand New Pigbag

The recent outbreak of ‘swine flu’ had me thinking about pig-themed tracks and to be honest, I couldn’t think of many good ones. Pink Floyd’s “Pigs (Three Different Ones)”, despite a welcome dig at Mary Whitehouse, is the weakest track on their Animals lp and the Beatles’ “Piggies” is a similarly duff component of the ridiculously uneven White Album.

Black Sabbath’s “War Pigs” is classic heavy metal, but a bit too much for 8.30am on Sunday morning.

And so I was left with Pigbag – a short-lived early 80s British funk outfit who achieved huge success with this single in 1982 before splitting up the year after. The 7” mix of this is reasonably easy to get hold of on umpteen “best of the 80s” compilations, and the reissue of Pigbag’s album Dr Heckle and Mr Jive on BMG in 2000 featured the 7” mix as an extra track. But I’m not sure if the 12” mix is still available elsewhere. Which is a shame, ‘cos it’s great.

Buy the album :: (includes 7" mix)
Buy original 12" :: on discogs... seems to be fairly cheap

File Download (5:56 min / 8 MB)