Extended Play 29 09 04

Jackson 5-Ain’t No Sunshine (Phil Asher edit?)-Soul Source-2003
Brenton Wood-Better Believe It-Warner-1975
Tashan-Save the Family (MPG Dedication Mix)-OPR / Def Jam-1990
Carol Williams-Can’t Get Away from Your Love (Promo mix)-Vanguard-1982
Jean Carn-Got Some Catching Up to Do-Philadelphia International -1979
Captain Sky-Super Sporm-Dynamic Sounds-1978
Jablonski-Soul Makossa-Randys-1975?
The LOD Crew-Fill The Be-Bop-Tri State-1982
The Style Council-Long Hot Summer ‘89-Polydor-1989
BB & Q-Ricochet (Danny D Mix)-Cooltempo-1987
Original Concept-Can You Feel It-Def Jam-1986
Mantronix-Bassline (Stretched)-Sleeping Bag-1986
Cyndi Phillips-Sacrifice-Atlantic-1986
Chaplin Band-Il Velero-White-1982
Fallout-The Morning After-4^th Floor-1990
LNR-Work it To The Bone-House Jam-1987
Fire Island-Fire Island-Junior Boys Own -1992
Cajmere-Midnight (MG Funk D’Vocal)-Cajual-2004
Yello-Base for Alec (Trevor Jackson Remaster)-Output-2004
The Glass-Won’t Bother Me (Putsch 79 mix)-Fine-2004
Unit 4-Body Dub (Tiefschwarz Mix)-Clone-2004
Paperclip People-The Floor-Planet E-1996
Vector Lovers-Electrorobotic Disco-Soma-2004
Greg Churchill-Plutonic-CDR-2004
Inner City-Say Something-KMS-2004
Dave Clarke-Red 2-Bush-1995
The Most-Make-up -Beautycase-2004
Client-Radio (Rex the Dog mix)-Mute-2004

Peter McLennan has an interesting piece on the Major Flavours release on his blog and goes into the phenomena of mix tapes and piracy.

I really don’t know how I feel about this, as a copyright owner, but I do know that that majors are doing themselves no favours attacking it with a sledgehammer. There is so little sympathy for their position, they are perceived as greedy (they are, but that’s what their shareholders require them to be), and music is seen as too expensive (rubbish- its cheaper now than it ever has been) and the Burn and Get Burnt campaign in NZ, plus the RIAA overkill in the US has won them no friends.

Sadly, major record companies have been treating those whose good works they distribute as workers in servitude for too long and there is some rough justice in what has come about in recent years. A fine correction of sorts coming out of the opportunities and anarchy that the digital age offers.

I firmly believe, that once a recording is recouped the ownership should be shared by all involved parties. Indeed, a year back I passed the rights to the Blam Blam Blam catalogue back to the group. It recouped all costs in the mid nineties (after which we divided income equally) and I felt it fair to pass it back in 2004.

I’m not trying to blow my trumpet but it felt like the right thing to do…

God, that was a ramble….

I guess the problem John Kerry is having in the POTUS race is getting a story like this across to a population fed on Oprah and Fox, who still believe that WMDs were found and are happily oblivious to the rising US casualties on the ground and the fact that post Mission Accomplished, Iraqis are dying at a faster rate than they did under Saddam (at least since GW Snr encouraged the Shi’ites to rise in ’91, with the promise of support and then sat back as Saddam massacred them).

But how Bush Jnr can blatantly lie about the situation on the ground in Iraq and the future in the region in the face of statements like:

“Things are definitely not improving,” said one U.S. government official who reads the intelligence analyses on Iraq.

“It is getting worse,” agreed an Army staff officer who served in Iraq and stays in touch with comrades in Baghdad through e-mail. “It just seems there is a lot of pessimism flowing out of theater now. There are things going on that are unbelievable to me. They have infiltrators conducting attacks in the Green Zone. That was not the case a year ago.”

is beyond me. But more to the point is the meek complicity of the US media in buying and propogating the myths in the face of overwhelming evidence otherwise.

Joseph Gobbels is alive and well, working for Rupert Murdoch, and living in DC it seems.

I saw Gregory Isaacs twenty years ago at some open air reggae festival in South London. The sun was going down and we were well sorted but he was terrible, he really was: sloppy, out of tune, clearly on another planet and all over the place. So why was I captivated, because I truly was. I couldn’t forget Gregory, get him out of my mind. God knows why.

Actually, god mightn’t have any idea why but I do….its the voice, simple.

What is it about the languid, lazy, stoned and plaintiff Isaacs delivery? My first exposure to Gregory was an import copy of the Front Line collection “Soon Forward” in 1979 and it became a permanent fixture on my deck. Gregory also became a permanent fixture in my buying habits: compilations, the good and great (Out Deh, Red Rose for Gregory, Rumours, Mr Isaacs, those Charisma albums etc) and the not so good (the early to mid nineties had a few, well more than a few) and I’ve ended up with a shelf full of the things.

I wouldn’t have it any other way. Its a fairly pleasant part of my vinyl addiction.

I’m not quite sure where I’m heading with this but I wanted to find a way to write wonderful things about the recent Trojan compilation, The Cool Ruler. Strangely enough Trojan have given this thing the same name as an earlier, essential, album.

Maybe they felt that tagging the thing The Definitive Collection would be enough, I don’t know. But this is as close to being a definitive comp as exists for Gregory. There are dozens of comps of the man out there and some are pretty good, especially the Virgin ones and some of the ones that gather together the early raw singles. And a truly definitive collection would be at least four or five discs long.

But this is as good as it gets without going that far. There are big gaps, especially early on (before about 78), but it includes the fairly rare, Prince Buster produced, “Dancing Floor” and there are 12″and 10″ versions galore. And, damn, its good….that voice, that voice, that voice.

You need this.

Brian Wilson’s latterday re-recording of Smile has been getting pretty good reviews all round. I’ve yet to hear it but I’m told its in the mail.

I’m still not sure.

Those who know me, know I’m somewhat fanatical about all things Brian Wilson (and that includes his brothers, but not the odious Mike Love who has shown repeatedly over the years that he’s a talent free zone lucky enough to have been in the right place) but I have to wonder why, almost 40 years after the event Brian felt the need to record the legendary unfinished work.

I’m not arguing with his right to do so but he stands the risk of de-mythologising part of the BW legend, and its a fairly brave move. Who knows how the Wilson mind works, his story is one of genius, tragedy and sheer insanity (that he outlasted his brothers is miraculous in itself), and the logic you or I might apply is an irrelevance here. I guess Brian doesn’t care either way, his legend is secure and it must frustrate the hell out of him to have something that obviously meant so much to him, unfinished. At the very least, finishing it might help to exorcise some of those demons he’s been burdened with for many many year.

God (Only)knows his last solo album was reason enough to be wary of a resurrected Smile…it was (and I’m being kind) not very good and rather sad.

But its Brian Wilson, and all power to him: he created (even if you exclude Pet Sounds) some of the most gloriously evocative and timeless musical landscapes of all time, music that took you to place that you’d never been before, a place that existed in the back of Brian’s mind, a place he alternated between wanting the world to see, or was terrified the world would see; until it tore him apart, sometime in the late sixties.

I guess if the new Smile is 50% of what it could have been in 1967 then its worth the wait….

Extended Play 22 09 04

The Three Degrees-Dirty Old Man (Tom Moulton 12”)-Philadelphia International-1973
Billy Paul-East-Philadelphia International-1973
Linx-You’re Lyin’-Chrysalis-1980
Carlton-Love & Pain (LP mix)-3 Stripes-1990
Otis Clay-The Only Way is Up-Echo-1976
Norwood-I Can’t Let You Go-Magnolia-1987
Roxanne Shante-Queen of Rox (Marley’s Street mix)-Pop Art-1985
Criminal Element Orchestra-Put The Needle on the Record-Cooltempo-1987
Grandmaster Flash-Scorpio-Sugarhill-1982
The Ramones-Blitzkrieg Bop-Sire-1976
Risco Connection-Good Times-Black Rose-1979
Lilo Thomas-Downtown-Capitol-1987
Redds & The Boys-Movin & Groovin-DETT-1985
Serious Intention-Serious-Pow wow-1986
Car Crash Set-Outsider-Reaction-1983
Underground Solution-Luv Dancing-Strictly Rhythm-1991
Darryl James & David Anthony-You Make Me Happy (Todd Terry Freeze Mix)-Freeze-1992
Clifton King-Family Prayer (John Robinson Extended)-Black Rain-1992
R Tyme-Use Me (Carl Craig Groove mix)-Trance Fusion-1993
Tomorrowpeople-(Got The) Time-CDR-2004
Abe Duque & Blake Baxter-What Happened (Old School mix)-White-2004
Inner City-Ahnongay (Dave Clarke mix)-6X6-1994
Slam-Lie To Me (Dave Clarke Mix)-Soma-2004
Beanfield-Tides (Carl Craig Movement # 1)-Compost-2004
Tricky Disco-Tricky Disco-Warp-1990
Blake Baxter-Sexuality (Ben Sims Remix)-Sonic Groove-2004
Outlander-Vamp-R&S-1991
Pete Shelley-Homosapien (Elongated dancepartydub)-Island-1981

Public Address | Hard News

Great commentary (as usual) from my buddy Russell Brown. His take on John Banks is well worth a read