:: Archive 22 :: 526 - 550 ::

Here you will gain exclusive access to my own personal record collection! I try to bring you mp3s of rare tracks, deleted material, long forgotten artists, total flops and down right obscure shit. Often, my choices were only available on vinyl or were just plain unreleased, the aim being to indulge an old fan or inspire a new one. I try not to post up forthcoming releases or anything that's too readily available. Honest, Gov!

There's a tenuous thread running through the tracks but your requests are always welcome and I'll try and squeeze them in amongst my own fancies... eventually.

Do read all the blurb, as there's often links to extra tracks lurking in there... ; )

Tracks are only available for a 'limited time' folks (sometimes months!), so get them while you can!



Now for the science bit! To access the music, please click on 'Download' and you'll be whisked off to those nice people over at Sharebee. Tracks are ripped at 192 kbps and wherever possible taken from the highest quality source available. All of the music offered here has been purchased by myself and is part of my own collection. Tracks are for evaluation purposes only and wherever possible, purchasing is always encouraged. If you own any of the material posted here or anywhere else on this site and are very cross with me, please email me with threats and such like...

550
:: The Mike Flowers Pops :: Venus As A Boy :: Download

Mmmm... Now for something a little cheesy... It's The Mike Flowers Pops! Pretty much known to many as a novelty one hit wonder, Mike Flowers and his Pops (including The Sounds Superb Singers and The Super Stereo Brass) were a hip, easy listening band experience numbering 13 or 14. They made retro lounge music and soundtracks for bachelor pads, including covers of old and contemporary pop songs. They formed around 1993, quickly making a name for themselves on the burgeoning exotica/easy listening cabaret scene, playing at club nights like Indigo and Cheese. Flowers had been spotted performing one weekend and was recruited by BBC Radio 1 DJ Kevin Greening to take part in his Hits Of 95 cover version project for Greening's Saturday show. Oasis' 'Wonderwall' was the first track featured and when ginger media menace Chris Evans heard the song, he made it 'single of the week' on his Radio 1 breakfast show, telling listeners that this was actually the original version of the song. The single, swiftly issued by London Records under the name The Mike Flowers Pops, was released while the Oasis original was still in the charts, and it mirrored the original's success, also reaching the top 10. It peaked at number 2 in the Christmas 1995 chart, beaten to the number 1 spot by Michael Jackson's bloody 'Earth Song'. Oasis had previously refused to let other acts cover their songs, but were said to have been amused by Flowers' rendition so much that they allowed the group to release it. Following the success of 'Wonderwall', The Mike Flowers Pops toured the festival circuit in Europe, as well as universities up and down the UK. In 1996, a full length release, 'A Groovy Place', collected original material alongside Flowers' subtle interpretations of everything from The Velvet Underground to Prince and Björk. This track was originally by the latter and doesn't feature any vocals from Mike... Buy the album off iTunes here. A cover version of The Doors' 'Light My Fire' (video), coupled with 'Please Release Me', was then released, also reaching the UK top 40 singles chart. They embarked upon a tour of Britain with Gary Glitter next, playing huge venues including Wembley Arena and Birmingham NEC. Towards the end of 1996, Mike teamed up with Stock and Aitken to release a 'Macerena'-inspired version of 'Don't Cry For Me Argentina' (video) on their Love This Records label. The track reached number 30 in the UK singles chart, sealing Mike Flowers' fate. Soundtrack and compilation appearances abounded, as did a failed attempt to enter the 1998 Eurovision Song Contest with 'Whatever Turns You On' and Flowers even set about writing a pop-opera called 'Leisureland'. But it was never completed... In 2005, 10 years after 'Wonderwall', The Mike Flowers Pops' released 'Talk', a Coldplay cover and reformed for a one-off anniversary show at Islington Academy. And then it all went quiet again... Have we heard the last from Mike? Watch this space... Bonus! Right-click here for a little extra track. Taken from the 'Light My Fire' CD single, this is Mike Flowers' unique take on a handful of classics by David Bowie, recorded live in 1996. It features 'Ashes To Ashes', 'Rebel Rebel', 'Diamond Dogs', 'Let's Spend The Night Together', 'TVC15' and 'Life On Mars'. Website.

549
:: Nicolette :: Nightmare (Flowers Version) :: Download

Nicolette Suwoton is a UK singer/songwriter-come-jungle-diva of Nigerian parentage. Currently living in London, she was born in Glasgow and has lived in Nigeria, Switzerland, France and Belgium. Her music, although falling broadly into the field of electronica or drum 'n' bass, is characterised by a myriad influences, due in part to the extremely diverse variety of music her father played her as a child, including jazz, classical, blues, folk and African. Her father also encouraged Nicolette to write and perform at a very young age. She has a very distinctive, sensual, child-like voice and she has been described as "Billie Holliday on acid". She has released three solo albums to date; 'Now Is Early' (1992), 'Let No-One Live Rent Free In Your Head' (1996) and 'Life Loves Us' (2005). As well as these, she was invited to compile a DJ mix album for the DJ-Kicks series and was a featured vocalist on two songs on Massive Attack's 'Protection' album from 1992 ('Three' and 'Sly'). She has worked with a host of other distinguished collaborators in the electronic music field, such as Plaid, Alec Empire, Roni Size and 4Hero, and in 1999 she set up her own record label, Early Records. According to Nicolette, Early Records' music policy is "innovative pop music". Nicolette is currently in the studio working on a follow up to her 2005 album, to be released in 2009. 'Nightmare' was a single released by Talkin' Loud Records in 1996 to promote Nicolette's 'Let No-One Live Rent Free In Your Head'. The original version is a frantic, broody, electronic head-fuck of a track but this delightful re-work by cheesy-easy listening king Mike Flowers is something quite different. A soulful overhaul restructures the song, seeing the break beats replaced by heavenly strings, the confusion soothed with some gentle piano and the resultant effect is that Nicolette's original now sounds like a remix of this! Dreamy. NicoletteSpace.

548
:: Shara Nelson :: One Goodbye In Ten (Original Demo) :: Download

Vocalist Shara Nelson released her debut single, 'Aiming At Your Heart', credited to Shara Nelson & The Circuit, in 1983. The track has not yet surfaced digitally, but if anyone wants to email me an mp3, that would be nice... She spent the rest of the 80s working with Jah Wobble, Adrian Sherwood and most prominently The Wild Bunch, who would later re-name themselves Massive Attack. Shara achieved a measure of success, but little name recognition, with Massive Attack, contributing lead vocals to the group's biggest UK hit, 'Unfinished Sympathy', and also co-wrote several other songs on their groundbreaking debut album, 'Blue Lines'. However, Nelson's limited role in the group proved unsatisfying, and she left for a solo career. Shara did record one more track with Massive Attack, 'Matter Of Time', which would later appear on their 'Protection' album. In July 1993, Shara hit the UK top 20 with 'Down That Road', which peaked at 19. The single was her first release on Cooltempo Records, who marketed her as the "new Aretha Franklin". Her debut album, 'What Silence Knows', was released in 1994 and went on to be nominated for that years Mercury Music Prize Award and Shara was also nominated for three Brit Awards in 1995. When discussing her debut album at the time, she readily confessed to her Motown influences and the arrangements are ambitious affairs, laden with strings and soaring choruses. All of the tracks were co-written with various noteworthy types, including Prince Be of P.M. Dawn ('Down That Road'), Adrian Sherwood (the title track) and Saint Etienne ('One Goodbye In Ten'). Top names like Paul Oakenfold, Steve Osbourne, David Morales, Frankie Knuckles and Ashley Beedle were all commissioned to remix further singles which were lifted; 'One Goodbye In Ten' (21), 'Uptight' (19), 'Nobody' (49) and 'Inside Out' (34). This demo version, produced by Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs from Saint Etienne, can be found on the B-side of the 'One Goodbye In Ten' single. Also in 1994, Shara contributed vocals to 'On The Shore', a track from Saint Etienne's 'Tiger Bay' album. A second Shara Nelson album, 'Friendly Fire', was released in 1995. It contained the top 30 hit 'Rough With The Smooth' (video) and 'I Fell (So You Could Catch Me)', which failed to chart. This album was a much deeper, darker and dramatic album than her debut, steering away from the pop Motown sound. Contributions this time came from David Arnold, Tim Simenon of Bomb The Bass, Jah Wobble and once again Pete and Bob from Saint Etienne. 'Friendly Fire' failed to capture much attention upon release and despite favourable press coverage, undersold in comparison with it's predecessor and Shara left the Cooltempo label. The rest of the 1990's found Shara collaborating on various leftfield dance and house tracks with the likes of G-Corps, Presence, Cuba, Dub Syndicate and Kasha, but you'd be forgiven if any of these releases escaped your attention! Since 1999, very little has been heard from Shara Nelson, except a 10" single in 2004, 'Nobody Else', produced once again by Adrian Sherwood, and a collaboration with NUfrequency earlier this year. Shara is reportedly currently working with producer Charles Webster for her new, as yet untitled third solo album, rumoured to be released in 2009. There are three new tracks, 'Promise To You', 'Different' and 'If', currently streaming on her official website here.

547
:: Massive Attack :: Protection (The Eno Mix) :: Download

Massive Attack began as an off-shoot of the popular mid-1980s sound system The Wild Bunch. The core group consisted of three members, Robert Del Naja (3D), Grant Marshall (Daddy G) and Andrew Vowles (Mushroom), along with occasional Wild Bunch collaborator (and Del Naja's room mate) Tricky. In 1988, they released their first single, 'Any Love', followed in 1991 by their first album, 'Blue Lines', featuring the hit singles 'Unfinished Sympathy' (video) and 'Safe From Harm', both with vocalist Shara Nelson. The album, which was produced by Cameron McVey (Neneh Cherry's husband), was well-received both critically and commercially. 'Blue Lines' subsequently became one of the most influential British records of the 1990s, ushering in a new genre of music sometimes referred to as the 'Bristol sound', but more often labelled trip-hop, a label Massive Attack have said they dislike. Despite the use of breakbeats, samples and rap, 'Blue Lines' is distinct stylistically from American hip-hop, often more complex, layered and atmospheric. The group were prominent in the late 1980s Bristol club scene, and are considered pioneers of trip-hop. During the first Gulf War the band temporarily changed their name to simply Massive after pressure from their label, to avoid implying support of the attack on Iraq. In 1994, Massive Attack released their follow-up album, 'Protection', an album that featured two string instrumentals arranged by Craig Armstrong. The band was also joined by producer Chris Rapps who helped give a deeper, more lush sound than the first album. This marked Tricky's last collaboration with Massive Attack, as he chose to concentrate wholly on his solo career. Tricky often recycled lyrics and 'Eurochild' borrowed from The Specials' 'Blank Expression', whilst several others used on 'Protection' appear on his own debut release, 'Maxinquaye'. For example, lyrics shared between Tricky and 3D on 'Karmacoma' are later sung by Martina Topley-Bird on Tricky's 'Overcome'). Two songs; 'Protection' (video) and 'Better Things', feature Everything But The Girl vocalist Tracey Thorn, whom the band also collaborated with on a remake of The Marvelettes' hit 'The Hunter Gets Captured By The Game' for the 'Batman Forever' soundtrack. In 1996, the band won a Brit Award for Best Dance Act. One year later, the group contributed to the movie soundtrack of 'The Jackal', recording 'Superpredators (Metal Postcard)', a number containing a sample of Siouxsie And The Banshees. Massive Attack's third album, 'Mezzanine', was released in 1998. With this release, the band moved to a darker, tense sound, filled with distorted guitars and a combination of drum machines and live percussion that lacked the laid-back, jazzy nature they had occasionally shown on previous albums. Elizabeth Fraser of Cocteau Twins sang lead vocals on three tracks, including the beautiful single 'Teardrop' (video). Original member Vowles, dissatisfied with this change in sound, left the band shortly after the release of this album. He was replaced by Neil Davidge. The release of 'Mezzanine' also led to a change in Massive Attack's live show. In addition to their previous simple set up of a few mics and turntables, the group began incorporating more and more live instrumentation into their shows. In addition to their usual numerous guest vocalists, the trio were now being joined on stage by a live guitarist, bassist, drummer and keyboard player, as well as a video screen and lighting effects. Massive Attack's fourth album, '100th Window', which was recorded without Marshall, was released after a 5 year gap in early 2003. It entered the top 10 at number 1 in the UK. In 2004, Massive Attack, still without Marshall, released an instrumental soundtrack for the feature film 'Danny The Dog', which was produced by Luc Besson. 2005 saw Neil Davidge and Robert Del Naja contribute another soundtrack, this time for the feature film 'Bullet Boy', followed by a greatest hits compilation, 'Collected', in 2006. Massive Attack have since returned to the studio to work on material for their fourth album. Of the three original members, Del Naja and Marshall are involved and Damon Albarn, Stephanie Dosen, Yolanda Quarty, Guy Garvey and Horace Andy are expected to contribute. The long-awaited album is currently scheduled for release in summer 2009. The track posted here is the wonderful ambient re-work of 'Protection' by Brian Eno...

546
:: Everything But The Girl :: Corcovado (Knee Deep Remix/Ben Watt Vocal Re-edit) :: Download

When Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt met, their paths were very similar; they were both attending the University Of Hull and both had signed to independent record label Cherry Red Records as solo artists. Thorn was also a member of the trio Marine Girls, and Watt had contributed a photograph to the cover of their first album, 'Lazy Ways'. The pair each had solo album releases through Cherry Red Records - Thorn's 'A Distant Shore' and Watt's 'North Marine Drive'. They decided to form a duo and took their unusual name Everything But The Girl from the slogan of well-known Hull shop, Turners' Furniture, on Beverley Road. I myself lived just off this road for 3 months after an ill-advised University choice in the 90s... Anyway, EBTG's debut single, a gorgeous cover version of Cole Porter's 'Night And Day', was released in June 1982. Following steady sales and exposure from the 'Pillows & Prayers' Cherry Red label compilation, the single was re-issued due to demand in August 1983. Their debut album, 'Eden' was released in 1984. Also released that year were the singles 'Mine' and 'Native Land'. Their first UK hit single, 'Each And Every One', had a jazzy sound, and EBTG was considered part of the jazz/pop movement known as sophisti-pop that included other British acts like Sade, Matt Bianco and The Style Council, on whose 'Café Bleu' album they were guests. EBTG and Sade also both worked with producer Robin Millar and engineers Ben Rogan and Mike Pela for their debut albums. Although 'Eden' was released in the UK, a different album, 'Everything But The Girl', was released in the USA. This release contained half of 'Eden', along with some new tracks, which balanced the Bossa Nova styling of the British version with a more folk-rock aesthetic, helping to establish the group's eclectic musicality. Subsequent releases underscored EBTG's versatility and range. Their 1985 album 'Love Not Money' featured a shimmering pop sound with jangly guitars and the lyrics have strong social and political content. The following year they released the self-produced 'Baby The Stars Shine Bright', which was recorded with a full orchestra. They revealed the album's inspiration by their choice of cover versions which featured across the B-sides of it's single releases; Songs by Bacharach, Jimmy Webb and Patsy Cline. While the jump from jazz to post-Smiths rock with the release of 'Love Not Money' may have jarred some of their audience, the move to orchestral pop was much bolder and foretold the stylistic swap they'd make ten years later with 'Walking Wounded'. In 1988, EBTG released 'Idlewild', a collection of mature songs that began a trend towards M.O.R., adult-orientated contemporary music. A cover version of Danny Whitten's 'I Don't Want To Talk About It' (previously a hit by Rod Stewart) was released as a non-album single; it charted high in the UK and was later added to the album, becoming something of a signature tune for the duo (video). The band’s 1990 album 'The Language of Life' was another lush pop effort, featuring the single 'Driving' (video) and jazz great Stan Getz contributed a tenor sax solo on the song 'The Road'. Next came 'Worldwide', and it's single 'Old Friends', in 1991. 1992 saw another UK hit single with the release of 'The Covers' EP. The lead track was 'Love Is Strange', and the rest of the EP featured cover versions of Bruce Springsteen's 'Tougher Than The Rest', Cyndi Lauper's 'Time After Time' and Elvis Costello's 'Alison'. These four tracks were also included on the US-only album 'Acoustic' (recommended!). In 1993, EBTG released another cover version, this time of Paul Simon's 'The Only Living Boy In New York', as a single in the UK. The duo were forced to curtail recording and touring for a few years when Watt contracted Churg-Strauss syndrome, an autoimmune disease (he subsequently wrote a memoir, 'Patient', about his ordeal). The next work of original music was not until 1994, when EBTG released 'Amplified Heart'. Although most of the music was still acoustic-based, it had a much more contemporary feel. Dance producer Todd Terry remixed the track 'Missing' (video) for a bootleg and when EBTG approved a full release of the remix as a single, it became a huge international hit. It hit the top of nearly every chart around the world, and charted in the US, a feat that had previously eluded the band. The track reached number two and stayed in the US Billboard Hot 100 for well over a year. The success came just as the band parted ways with long-time label Blanco Y Negro. The success of 'Missing', along with collaborations Thorn did with the bands Massive Attack and Deep Dish, influenced the duo to develop a more electronic sound. They signed with Virgin Records in the UK and their subsequent albums 'Walking Wounded' (1996) and 'Temperamental' (1999), showed the band's musical progress as well as establishing Ben Watt as a notable dance music producer. One of their finest singles, in my opinion is this. Aside from career retrospectives and remix albums, EBTG have not released any new material together for 9 years now. Thorn's second solo album, 'Out Of The Woods' was released in March 2007, garnering positive reviews, and it is believed a follow up is on the cards... This Bossa Nova classic, 'Corcovada', was originally recorded for the 'Red, Hot + Rio' AIDS charity album and also appeared as a B-side to the 'Single' single in 1996. This updated remix was released on a club promo in 2003 to promote the 'Like The Deserts Miss The Rain' compilation and was later included on the 2006 release 'Adapt Or Die: Ten Years Of Remixes'. I love it! Website.

545
:: Beth Orton :: Galaxy Of Emptiness :: Download

Elizabeth Caroline Orton, or Beth Orton to you and me, is a Brit Award–winning English singer-songwriter. Known for her "folktronica" sound, which mixes elements of folk and electronica, obviously, she initially came to prominence via her collaborations with William Orbit (see Strange Cargo's lovely 'Water From A Vine Leaf') and The Chemical Brothers in the mid 1990s - but these were not Orton's first recordings. She had already released a solo album, 'Superpinkymandy', in 1993. Since the album was only released in tiny quantities in Japan, it went largely unnoticed by international audiences. Her second solo album, which she considers her first, was 1996's 'Trailer Park'. It was originally titled 'Winnebago' but the album had to be re-titled when the company of the same name threatened legal action. Garnering much critical acclaim, it featured Beth's first top 40 hit, the twice-released 'She Cries Your Name', an early version of which had already featured on Strange Cargo's 'Hinterland' album and 'Superpinkymandy'. Also present was her first UK single, a cover of The Ronettes' 'I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine', possibly her most beautiful recording to date. 'Trailer Park' earned Orton nominations for two Brit Awards (Best British Newcomer, Best British Female) and the Mercury Music Prize in 1997. She toured that summer with Lilith Fair, as well as releasing the 'Best Bit' EP, ahead of her next album, 'Central Reservation' which arrived in 1999. This record showed a notably more acoustic side with several tracks consisting purely of Beth's vocal accompanied by a solitary acoustic guitar, with subject matters becoming much more introspective. The album also featured notable contributions from folk musician Terry Callier, Dr. Robert and Ben Harper. Two tracks were also produced by Ben Watt of Everything But The Girl. The album earned Orton a second Mercury Music Prize nomination and the Best Female Artist award at the 2000 Brit Awards. In July 2002, Beth released the album 'Daybreaker', featuring guest appearances from musicians such as The Chemical Brothers, Emmylou Harris, Ryan Adams (her then-squeeze) and Four Tet. It was a great commercial success, reaching number 8 in the UK album chart, and receiving largely positive reviews from the press. A 'best of' album, entitled 'Pass In Time', was released in 2003. It represented Orton's extensive and diverse musical career, including previously unreleased songs, B-sides, and rarities (including one track, 'Where Do You Go', from 'Superpinkymandy'), as well as her collaborations with William Orbit and The Chemical Brothers. Orton's fourth studio album, 'Comfort Of Strangers', was released in February 2006. The release saw her abandon the electronic element that she is usually associated with, and focus on a more stripped-down, traditional alt-folk album. This album followed an extended absence since her previous release, partially a result of several failed production attempts, and the parting of ways between her and Heavenly Records. More recently, Orton joined Annie Lennox and 22 other female artists to raise awareness of mother-to-child transmission of HIV to unborn children in Africa, by recording the single 'Sing'. Beth is currently in pre-production of her 5th album which is expected to be released in early 2009, as is an expanded re-issue of 'Trailer Park'. Download 'Superpinkymandy' in full here! Trivia! Orton is also an actress and was offered an audition for the role of John Cusack's girlfriend in the film 'High Fidelity', but she didn't accept...

544
:: Ariel :: Let It Slide (Main Mix) :: Download

Ariel were a dance act featuring Tom Rowlands of The Chemical Brothers on drums. They were first formed in London by Tom and his school friends Brendan Melck and Matt Berry, before he moved up to Manchester. After one release under the name Atom, their first single as Ariel was 'Sea Of Beats'. Other early tracks, mostly released on 12" promos, include 'Mustn't Grumble', 'Rollercoaster' (their most well-known), 'T Baby' (which featured an early remix by The Dust Brothers, AKA The Chemical Brothers) and 'Foodwinefood'. The latter two appeared on Deconstruction Records and at the insistence of the label, a female vocalist was recruited to make the band more marketable. Sally Anne Marsh (previously of Tom Watkins' masterminded '90s flop girlband, Faith, Hope And Charity and vocalist on Xpansions' 'Elevation (Move Your Body)’ single) joined the group on vocals. Now similar in image and sound to Intastella/One Dove/Saint Etienne, Ariel's next single was called 'Let It Slide' in 1993, later described by Rowlands as "a stinker", which got them a performance slot on Channel 4's 'The Word'. The band fell apart thereafter... Tom obviously went on to become 50% of The Chemical Brothers, Brendan drives The Chems van, Matt went "a bit mad" before returning to college and Sally Anne Marsh released a few solo records in 1995, produced by Mike Stock and Matt Aitken, for their Love This Records label. Click here to download Sally Anne's 'Windmills Of Your Mind' (sounds a bit like Steps) and 'In The Summertime' (sounds a lot like Whigfield). She now sings in a dodgy indie band called Brand Violet...

543
:: The Chemical Brothers :: Out Of Control (Sasha Remix) :: Download

Tom and Ed met in history class at Manchester University in 1988. They started off as DJ's known as The 237 Turbo Nutters, named after the number of their house on Dickenson Road in Manchester and a reference to their Blackburn raving days. They then opted for The Dust Brothers which they nicked from the LA producers of 'Paul's Boutique' (by Beastie Boys) as they thought they would never be famous... Their first releases appeared between 1993-94; 'Song To The Siren', 'Fourteenth Century Sky' EP (containing the ground-breaking 'Chemical Beats') and 'My Mercury Mouth' EP. In 1995, they changed their name to The Chemical Brothers after the real Dust Brothers threatened to sue. In June 1995, they released their fourth single, the first under their new identity, 'Leave Home', which was put out by the Junior Boys Own label. A preview of their imminent debut album, it became the band's first chart hit, peaking at number 17. Their debut album, 'Exit Planet Dust', was heavily praised by critics. Another fan of the record, Oasis front man Noel Gallagher, agreed to lend his vocals to a future single named 'Setting Sun', The Chemicals' tribute to one of their own favourites by The Beatles, 'Tomorrow Never Knows'. The single went to number 1 in late 1996, and The Chemical Brothers opened up for the giant Oasis concert at Knebworth, besides headlining their own shows all over the world. The Chemical Brothers' second album, 'Dig Your Own Hole', took the top spot on the album charts upon its release in April 1997 and even sailed to number 14 stateside, going gold. The duo released a mix album in 1998, 'Brothers Gonna Work It Out', followed by their third studio album, 'Surrender', in 1999. Later that summer, The Brothers headlined the Glastonbury dance tent on the Friday night, followed by a UK tour which ended in December and included a date at Homelands in Scotland. The 'Out Of Control' (video) single appeared at this point, my own personal favourite Chemicals track, featuring Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream) and Bernard Sumner (New Order), and this is the remix by Sasha. Choooon! Rather lacklustre reviews sparked a return to the underground with the white-label single 'It Began in Afrika' (later given a full commercial release due to demand) and the duo's fourth album, 'Come With Us'. It too failed to earn the high accolades of the first two albums and a greatest hits set, 'Singles 93-03', was released in September 2003, celebrating 10 years of The Chemical Brothers. After a 3 year gap, Rowlands and Simons returned with another new studio album, 2005's 'Push The Button', preceded by the top 3 hit single 'Galvanize'. 2007's 'We Are The Night' continued where the last album left off with more big beat, hip-hop and clever samples, typified on the single 'The Salmon Dance' (video). A second compilation album was released in 2008, hand-picking 15 of the duos best known tracks. A double CD edition compiles all 10 of the highly collectable 'Electronic Battle Weapon' tracks, previously only available on 12" promos... The Chemical Brothers have always employed the services of guest vocalists and across their 6 album career have worked with Noel Gallagher, Beth Orton, Tim Burgess, Richard Ashcroft, Hope Sandoval (Mazzy Star), Jonathan Donahue (Mercury Rev), Bobby Gillespie (Primal Scream), Bernard Sumner (New Order) Wayne Coyne (The Flaming Lips), Q-Tip, Kele Okereke (Bloc Party), The Magic Numbers, Ali Love, Klaxons, Willy Mason, Fatlip and Midlake. Trivia! A CD copy of 'Surrender' was placed in the third 'Blue Peter' time capsule, buried in January 2000.

542
:: Primal Scream :: Velocity Girl :: Download

Brit-nominated , Scottish alternative rock group Primal Scream are/were/have been Bobby Gillespie (vocals), Robert "Throb" Young (guitar, bass, 1983-present), Andrew Innes (guitar, 1987-present), Martin Duffy (keyboards, 1991-present), Gary "Mani" Mounfield (bass, 1996-present), Kevin Shields (guitar, 1998-present), Darrin Mooney (drums, 1997-present), Jim Beattie (guitar, vocals, 1982-89), Henry Olsen (bass, 1988-95), Phillip "Toby" Tomanov (drums, 1988-94) and Paul Mulreany (drums, 1997). They formed in 1982 and they eventually signed to Alan McGee's Creation Records in 1985. The rest is history! Their career has spanned 27 singles, 9 studio albums and many successful tours. The band's 1987 debut album 'Sonic Flower Groove' was influenced by The Byrds, The Velvet Underground and the C86 scene. Not only did it publicly introduce the band, but it also set the tone for a musical style that would define the following decade and pave the way for bands like The Stone Roses and The Happy Mondays. Their follow-up album, 'Primal Scream' witnessed a musical progression for the band, but it was 1991's Mercury Music Prize-winning 'Screamadelica' which became their landmark release. A tour de force produced by Andrew Weatherall, Hugo Nicholson and former Rolling Stones producer Jimmy Miller, it changed the face of British pop music with it's kaleidoscopic fusion of dance, dub, gospel, techno, acid house and rock, putting Primal Scream at the top of their game. The album includes the classic 'Loaded' (video), which was a top 20 hit in the UK. The track originated when Andrew Weatherall began remixing 'I'm Losing More Than I'll Ever Have', from their previous album, and the resulting track disassembled the song, adding a drum loop from an Italian bootleg mix of Edie Brickell's 'What I Am', a sample of Gillespie singing a line from Robert Johnson's 'Terraplane Blues' and a sample from the Peter Fonda B-movie, 'The Wild Angels' (!)... They returned in 1994 with 'Give Out But Don't Give Up' which was recorded in Nashville and featured the hit single 'Rocks' (video), but with 1997's 'Vanishing Point' they created a more complex dynamic of the indie allure which characterised their debut release, re-establishing the group as a major force in British rock. Two top 10 albums followed - 'XTRMNTR' and 'Evil Heat' in 2000 and 2002 respectively - boasting a greater electronic feel and new musical direction for the band. In 2003, they released their 'Dirty Hits' collection, a fine retrospective of their career to date. In 2006, they returned with 'Riot City Blues', produced by Youth and featuring an impressive supporting cast (Will Sergeant from Echo & The Bunnymen, Warren Ellis of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Alison Mosshart from The Kills). Their 9th album, groovy pop opus 'Beautiful Future', appeared earlier this year and Primal Scream remain a vital, commercially successful and influential part of today's music scene. This jangly-jangly little indie-pop gem of a track, 'Velocity Girl', was the B-side to the bands second single, 'Crystal Crescent' and was also released on the infamous C86 compilation. Bonus track! The 'Screamadelica' album does not feature the title track, a 10 minute dance tune produced by Andrew Weatherall and sung by Denise Johnson. It appears instead on the 'Dixie-Narco' EP, released in 1992. It also features in the opening credits of the now rare 'Screamadelica' VHS video tape. Right-click here to grab that, too.

541
:: Ruby :: Heidi (Scream Team Remix) :: Download

Wee Scottish Lasse Leslie Rankine began her music career as front woman to London noise terrorists Silverfish, leaving the group after the release of their 1993 album, 'Organ Fan'. Departing for Seattle, she joined forces with producer Mark Walk and set about creating an electronic album, which echoed the down-tempo styles of the trip-hop movement and re-styled Rankine as a vampy chanteuse (Shirley Manson meets PJ Harvey?). The resulting album was 'Salt Peter', which was released by Creation Records in 1995, preceded by the hypnotic single, 'Paraffin' (video). This new sound allowed Rankine to be seductive as well as vehement, dreamy as well as tough and playful as well as direct. Critically applauded, a further two singles were lifted from the album; 'Tiny Meat' (video) and 'Hoops', along with a companion album of remixes and a supporting tour that ended in late 1996. Walk did not participate in the tour, which included dates at the Reading and Leeds Festivals, and Lollapalooza. 'Heidi (Scream Team Remix)' was remixed by members of Primal Scream and initially featured on CD1 of the 'Tiny Meat' single package, later showing up on the remix album. Next, Rankine hooked up with Welsh warbler Tom Jones to record a cover of the song 'Kung Fu Fighting', which was to be left off Jones' 'Reloaded' album of covers and collaborations, later appearing on the soundtrack to 'Supercop' (no, me neither) instead. Rankine then moved to New Orleans, Louisiana, USA. Her stay would be only six months due to a bizarre series of criminal events in her neighbourhood, including car thefts, hold-ups and the murder of a woman in the garden across from her home. When Rankine learned the killer had deposited the victim's clothing in her garbage, she quickly left New Orleans for Seattle, where she started recording Ruby's second album, again with Mark Walk. Most of 'Short-Staffed At The Gene Pool' was completed by August 1998 and finished off by Rankine in her native Scotland throughout 1999. However, it's release was delayed as Rankine spent 2000 dealing with old recording contracts with labels Work and Creation and signing to new label, Wichita in the UK. Ruby's second studio album eventually saw the light of day in 2001, spawning three singles; 'Grace' (video), 'Beefheart' and 'Lamplight' (video). 'Short-Staffed At The Gene Pool' was supported with a tour in North America. Unfortunately, the tour got off to a bad start when the band lost all their effects equipment at the airport. For a group that uses only effects to perform their music live, this proved to be a big problem for Ruby! The tour almost didn't happen but Leslie went out and re-bought all the equipment she needed, getting up to her eyeballs in debt in the process. Thankfully, the equipment was insured and Rankine got the cash back eventually. Back in the UK, another remix album was issued, 'Altered And Proud...', but it was to be the final release by Ruby. Rankine decided to take a break from recording, returning to Scotland, and there have been no new recordings since. Trivia! Artwork for a beautiful hard-backed deluxe package of 'Salt Peter' was delayed and not ready in time for the release and the album was issued in standard packaging instead. The packaging was later used for the companion remix album 'Revenge, The Sweetest Fruit', but the catalogue number on the artwork was unchanged and therefore incorrect, fact-fans!

540
:: Silverfish :: Crazy :: Download

Silverfish were a UK-based band, formed in the late 1980s, which featured singer Lesley Rankine, guitarist Andrew 'Fuzz' Duprey, bassist Chris Powforth and drummer Stuart Watson. The band had a high octane, indie-punk-metal sound that was set alight by Rankine's distinctive vocals and strongly feminist views. Rankine's fierce, commanding vocals and aggressively feminist outlook (their lyric 'Hips Tits Lips Power!' became a popular t-shirt slogan with angry young women) echoed the sentiments of the burgeoning Riot Grrrl movement, but musically the group was more indebted to hard metal and industrial influences. Silverfish released several singles/EPs in the late '80s ('One Silver Dollar', 'Silverfish' EP, 'T.F.A. (Total Fucking Arsehole)' EP), each a more vicious gut-wrenching expression of Rankine's violent and sexual urges than the last, from gun-wielding fantasies to graphic sexual desires, which were all collected on the 1990 compilation, 'Cockeye'. The following year they released their debut album, the Steve Albini-produced 'Fat Axl', and toured with Pigface. 1992 saw the group gain wider acclaim with further  single releases; 'Fucking Driving Or What?' EP, 'Silverfish With Scrambled Eggs' EP, 'Damn Fine Woman' (video), as well as their second album, 'Organ Fan', which included a conventional cover of David Essex's 'Rock On'. By now, Lesley had begun to sing rather than scream, but lyrically little had changed (revenge, guns, male anatomy). Their last tour in 1992 saw them support popular US punk band 7 Year Bitch. When Silverfish split up in 1993, Rankine moved to Seattle and formed the band Ruby with multi-instrumentalist Mark Walk... During the broadcast of an early Silverfish Peel Session, BBC Radio 1 DJ John Peel summed up their level of success - "If they were from New York, we'd be mad for them, of course...". 'Crazy' (from the 'Silverfish With Scramled Eggs' EP) was originally recorded by Wes & The Airedales and was taken from the soundtrack of 'Vedo Nudo', an erotic Italian porn film from 1969 by Director Dino Risi. The film is made up of 7 short stories, all revolving around characters that are obsessed with sex in one way or another...

539
:: My Bloody Valentine :: Soon (The Andrew Weatherall Mix) :: Download

My Bloody Valentine are an alternative rock band, formed in Dublin, Ireland in 1984 by guitarist/singer Kevin Shields and drummer Colm Ó Cíosóig. Ó Cíosóig and Shields met in the late 1970s as teenagers in Dublin. They quickly became friends and joined a local punk rock band named The Complex. Toward the end of 1983, Shields and Ó Cíosóig formed their own band with singer Dave Conway and they settled on the new name of My Bloody Valentine. The band was completed by Conway's girlfriend Tina, who played keyboards. Gavin Friday of Dublin post-punk band The Virgin Prunes gave the group contacts that secured them a show in the Netherlands. They stayed in Holland for three months, then moved to Berlin, where they recorded the mini-album 'This Is Your Bloody Valentine' for Tycoon Records. The record failed to have the expected impact, and, after four months, the band left Berlin, returning to Holland briefly before settling in London around the middle of 1985. The band lacked a regular bassist and so decided to hold auditions and eventually found Debbie Googe, whom they invited to join the band, fitting in rehearsals around her day job. Conway's girlfriend Tina left around this point. Fever Records were impressed with the band and agreed to release an EP. On the strength of this, Googe left her job, and the EP, entitled 'Geek!', was released in December 1985. The band soon began to play on the London gig circuit, but the record failed to make as much of an impact as the band had hoped. With the band's slow progress, Shields contemplated moving to New York, where some of his family were living. However, Joe Foster, an associate of Creation Records, had decided to set up his own label, Kaleidoscope Records, and persuaded the group to record for him. A new EP, 'The New Record By My Bloody Valentine', was the result, released in early 1986. The band also began to step up their live appearances, developing a small following and venturing outside London for gigs. The band's next record was 'Sunny Sundae Smile', an EP released in February 1987 by Lazy Records, a label set up by The Primitives. The band then spent a few months performing in London, managing to secure a support slot with The Soup Dragons but during the tour Conway announced his decision to leave the band. Conway's departure left the band without a vocalist, a situation they decided to remedy by placing advertisements in the music press. This process proved difficult and My Bloody Valentine experimented with having two vocalists; Belinda Butcher and Joe Byfield. It soon became apparent that Byfield was unsuited to the band, and Shields took on second vocalist duties alongside Butcher. The pair were also an item for a time. Under pressure from Lazy Records to produce an album, the band compromised, citing the need for time to stabilize their line-up. The band agreed to record an EP followed by a mini album. The EP, 'Strawberry Wine', consisted of three tracks and was released in August 1987. The mini-album, entitled 'Ecstasy', followed soon after. In January 1988, My Bloody Valentine played a gig with Biff Bang Pow!, a band that featured Creation Records owner Alan McGee as a member. The performance impressed McGee, who labelled them an Irish equivalent to US band Hüsker Dü, and he approached the band after the show. The band decided to record an EP, 'You Made Me Realise', for the label. It was their release to be largely well-received by critics and the group followed this up with the EP 'Feed Me With Your Kiss' and the 'Isn't Anything' album. The multi-layered guitar sound developed by My Bloody Valentine became a major influence on a number of new bands who the British music press grouped together under the shoegazing label. My Bloody Valentine began work on their second full-length album in February 1989. Shields said that Creation thought the album could be recorded in five days... yet work continued throughout the year. Shields and McGee agreed to release an EP prior to the album's release, so the band recorded 'Glider', which was released in 1990. This Andrew Weatherall remix of 'Soon' from the EP appeared on a limited edition 12" of remixes. Here's the video to the original version. In May 1991, the band recorded a second EP, 'Tremolo' and the band halted work on the album in order to tour on the back of the EP. It ultimately took My Bloody Valentine two years to finish their second album, 'Loveless'. The making of the album was rumoured to have cost £250,000 and to have nearly bankrupted Creation Records. Reviews of 'Loveless' were almost unanimous with praise. However, the album failed to perform commercially. 'Loveless' peaked at number 24 on the British album charts and failed to chart in the United States, where it was distributed by Sire Records. McGee dropped My Bloody Valentine from Creation soon after the album's release. My Bloody Valentine signed with Island Records in October 1992, reportedly for £250,000. The band spent their advance on constructing a studio in a house in Streatham. The studio was completed in April 1993, but problems with the studio and attempts to repair them caused the group to slowly fall apart. The group recorded very little (covers of the James Bond theme and Wire's 'Map Ref. 41°N 93°W' for tribute albums) and were unable to finalise a third album. Shields isolated himself, whilst the other band members went their own ways during the long period of inactivity. Butcher contributed vocals to Collapsed Lung's 1996 single, 'Board Game', Googe worked as a cab driver in London and then formed the group Snowpony in 1996, Ó Cíosóig joined Hope Sandoval (ex-Mazzy Star) in The Warm Inventions, while Shields collaborated with Yo La Tengo, Primal Scream and Dinosaur Jr. It has since been reported that Shields had delivered 60 hours of unfinished material to Island. In 2007, Shields announced that the band had reunited and that a new album, the one they had started recording in 1996, was now 3/4's finished. In June 2008, the band played live in public for the first time in thirteen years and deluxe remastered editions of 'Isn't Anything' and 'Loveless' are scheduled to be released on 9th February 2009. Fansite.

538
:: Slowdive :: In Mind :: Download

Slowdive were a shoegazing band formed in 1989. They hailed from Reading and were soon signed to Creation Records in the UK. The band consisted of Neil Halstead (vocals, guitar), Rachel Goswell (vocals, guitar), Nick Chaplin (bass), Christian Savill (guitar), Adrian Sell (drums - 1989), Simon Scott (drums - 1990 to 1994) and Ian McCutcheon (drums - 1994 onwards). Goswell and Halstead had known each other since early childhood in Reading, Berkshire, when Goswell was an obsessive fan of The Smiths. The band claim they did not take their name from the Siouxsie And The Banshees song 'Slowdive', but rather from a dream that bassist Chaplin had... The band's dreamlike sound was influenced by Cocteau Twins and fellow Creation signing My Bloody Valentine, featuring heavy use of guitar effects and subdued vocals. Initial demos were released as the 'Slowdive' EP in late 1990 and subsequent reviews in 'Melody Maker' and 'NME' were enthusiastic. Two further well-regarded singles followed in 1991 ('Catch The Breeze' and 'Holding Our Breath') and a debut album, 'Just For A Day', was written and recorded in just six weeks, reaching the UK top 40. By the following year, the UK music press had jumped on the American grunge scene bandwagon, leaving the more introspective sounds of Slowdive, not to mention label mates Ride, Chapterhouse and all the other shoegazing bands, bereft of critical favour. In early 1992, the band toured the US with Ride, releasing a split tour 7", and then returned to the UK to record their second album. 'Souvlaki' became the band's most popular and well-received record, and has been generally regarded as one of the better albums from the shoegazing movement. Two songs featured contributions from Brian Eno; 'Sing' (which he co-wrote) and 'Here She Comes', 'Souvlaki Space Station' was influenced by dub-reggae, and tracks such as 'Dagger' and 'Here She Comes' were indications of the country-rock direction Halstead and Goswell would take a few years later. Songs like 'When The Sun Hits' and 'Alison' (video), meanwhile, continued where their debut album left off. Initial copies of the UK CD version came with 'Blue Day', a compilation of early EP tracks which was originally released as a separate album in Japan. This was a pricey collectable until 2006 when Cherry Red re-issued all the bands albums complete with bonus tracks, but an original copy can still set you back a bit. Later in the year the band released the brilliant '5EP', four songs which showed the influence of, and their progression towards, ambient techno. The lead track, 'In Mind', was remixed by Bandulu and Reload, both of whom were signed to Creation's spin-off dance label at the time. Three of the songs then appeared as bonus tracks on the US edition of 'Souvlaki', along with a cover of 'Some Velvet Morning' that had originally been the bands contribution to issue 7 of the 'Volume' CD+magazine series. The US version of 'Souvlaki' was eventually released in February 1994, after a long delay, and Slowdive toured America to support the album. Their US label, SBK, withdrew funding halfway through however and two further tours that year had to be entirely funded by the band themselves. Drummer Simon Scott left amidst creative differences in 1994 and went on to become a session drummer, including a brief stint in Chapterhouse. He was replaced on drums by Ian McCutcheon. By the time Slowdive recorded their third and final album 'Pygmalion', Halstead had moved the group away from the dreamy guitars and warm-yet-melancholy tone of earlier works to a newer, more minimalist and acoustic sound, similar to heavily-ambient bands such as Seefeel and A R Kane. With sparse, atmospheric arrangements, 'Pygmalion' was a far cry from the 'pop album' Creation boss Alan McGee had apparently demanded from Halstead and Slowdive were dropped just a week after the album's release. Rumour had it that Oasis' Gallagher brothers refused to sign to Creation if Slowdive remained on the label's roster, although Oasis had in fact released their debut single, 'Shakermaker', almost a year prior to 'Pygmalion'. Shortly after being dropped by Creation, Halstead, Goswell and McCutcheon recorded an album of country-influenced songs and were signed to 4AD, where they reverted to the name Mojave 3. This group is still active and Halstead and Goswell have both released solo albums on 4AD also. Buy Cherry Red's Slowdive anthology 'Catch The Breeze' here.

537
:: Nick Heyward :: Blue Hat For A Blue Day :: Download

Nick Heyward is a singer, guitarist and '80s pin-up best known for his work in the pop band Haircut 100. After a trio of classic hit singles ('Favourite Shirts (Boy Meets Girl)', 'Love Plus One', 'Fantastic Day') and a hit album ('Pelican West'), it came as quite a surprise when Heyward quit Haircut 100 to pursue a solo career in 1983. Haircut 100 recorded a second album without Heyward but they broke up shortly afterwards. Heyward's solo work meanwhile lost much of Haircut 100's teen gloss; the music was still catchy, but the lyrics were more adult and introspective. Heyward's debut solo album from 1983, 'North Of A Miracle' (click here to buy), provided his first three solo hits, with 'Whistle Down The Wind' (video), 'Blue Hat For A Blue Day' (video) and 'Take That Situation'. That said, Heyward's solo output thereafter didn't have as much commercial impact as that of his former group. Further singles ('On A Sunday', 'Warning Sign', 'Love All Day', 'Laura', 'Over The Weekend', 'Goodbye Yesterday', 'You're My World') and the follow-up albums 'Postcards From Home' (1986) and 'I Love You Avenue' (1988), all sold rather modestly. Heyward finally hit his stride with 1992's 'From Monday To Sunday', which many critics considered one of the best pop albums of the year and landed Heyward that elusive American radio hit with The Beatles-esque 'Kite'. In 1995, Heyward released 'Tangled' on the Epic label, which revealed a new maturity in his songwriting, a guitar-driven style that has marked all his work since and is perhaps his best album to date. In these later years, Heyward often performed his early '80s hits live and has released acoustic versions of key tracks as B-sides on a couple of his singles. 'Whistle Down The Wind - Revisited' and 'Blue Hat For A Blue Day - Revisited' appeared on 1993's 'He Doesn't Love You Like I Do' and 'Fantastic Day (Acoustic Version)' appeared on 1995's 'The World'. I love these stripped down versions and now you can too! Click here to download all three! After being re-discovered by Alan McGee performing at an Ed Ball gig, Heyward's next album, 'The Apple Bed', was released in 1998 on Creation Records. Since then, Heyward has continued to release new music, albeit less frequently, including the albums 'Open Sesame Seed' (with Greg Ellis) in 2001 and 'The Mermaid And The Lighthouse Keeper' (with India Dupre) in 2006. Invest in a cheap as chips Haircut 100/Nick Heyward best of here. NickSpace.

536
:: Oui 3 :: World Of Form :: Download

Oui 3 were a much underrated English/American/Swiss Hip-Hop/Acid Jazz trio who scored several hits in the '90s. The three group members were; singer, songwriter and arranger Blair Booth, engineer and programmer Philipp Erb and South London rapper Trevor Miles. Booth had already surfaced as the songwriting partner of Terry Hall in Terry, Blair And Anouchka, in the late 1980s. She also worked as a backing vocalist, keyboard player and co-producer on early 1990's albums by The Associates/Billy MacKenzie, Marc Almond and Nick Heyward. Contractual wranglings with the latter meant Erb and Booth had to wait 6 months to begin work on their new musical venture - political pop outfit Oui 3. They signed to MCA in 1992 and a much hyped debut single, 'For What It's Worth' (video) followed in February 1993. The amount of remixes included on the CD single made that format ineligible for the UK chart, resulting in a number 28 hit. Who knows where it might have charted otherwise? The band appeared on Channel 4's 'The Word' (video) in support of the track. 'Arms Of Solitude' (Blair's own personal favourite apparently) hit a disappointing number 54 but by the time 'Break From The Old Routine' (video) arrived at number 17 in the UK singles chart in July 1993, Oui 3 were on their second successful tour of the UK, supporting Jamiroquai. They actually managed three tours in just 9 months! The trio released their only album, 'Oui Love You', in 1993, featuring Jah Wobble on the title track. The album was produced and mixed largely by the trio themselves, with some help from Mark 'Spike' Stent, Youth and Phil Bodger. In preparation for a follow-up album, the trio added post-punk guitarist Matthew Ashman (ex-Bow Wow Wow, Adam & The Ants) to their collective to bring a new edge to their sound. He can be heard on the group's last two singles, 'The Joy Of Living' and 'Crazy/Stand Defiant' from 1995, both of which were due to be included on their second album, 'Threedom', which was completed but remains unreleased. During the recording of the second album, new recruit Ashman sadly died, aged just 35, due to a diabetes-related illness. Presumably, the record company's decision to shelve the album due to the disappointing sales of the last two singles, combined with Ashman's death, led Oui 3 to call it a day... Oui 3 showed remarkable creativity for a genre often wrongly dismissed by critics as not significantly moving forward. This was due to a notable sixties influence in the music, intellectually stimulating lyrics, plus the acknowledgement of Trevor Miles as the first major rapper to rap in his own London accent. Their output is melodic and humorous, taking in funk, dub, soul and pop along the way. In 2005, Universal issued 'Break From The Old Routine - The Collection', a budget-priced compilation which features 5 unreleased tracks from 'Threedom' ('Caring 90s', 'I Come In Peace', 'The More Things Change', 'You Can't Do That For Me', 'Rise'). Buy it here. A further 5 tracks ('Promised Land', 'Adman', 'Funny Way (To Show You Love Me)', 'Cool Head, Warm Heart', 'Woodstock') are available for streaming via Blair Booth's own Qui 3 site here. The track 'World Of Form' appeared as the B-side to 'Joy Of Living' and is credited as the 'Album Version' so we can assume it too was destined for the unreleased second album as it wasn't on the first one! Booth has continued to write and record her own material, but little has been heard musically from Erb or Miles of late. Perhaps, the fact that Faithless have recently cited Oui 3 as an influence will help earn the trio a long overdue reappraisal? I doubt it Bonus clip! Here's Oui 3 with Zig & Zag on 'The Big Breakfast'. OuiSpace.

535
:: Terry, Blair And Anouchka :: Love Will Keep Us Together :: Download

Terry, Blair And Anouchka was a musical trio active in the late '80s-early '90s. The group was formed by singer Terry Hall (Ex-The Specials, Fun Boy Three, The Colourfield), American singer, songwriter and actress Blair Booth and jeweller (!) Anouchka Groce. All three members shared a love for '60s pop, as well as kitsch mainstream pop, as later evidenced on the group's cover of Captain & Tennille's cheeseball classic 'Love Will Keep Us Together' (from their one and only album). Their debut single was 'Missing' (video), released in the autumn of 1989. It didn't make much of an impact, peaking at number 75 on the UK singles chart, and the trio's second single, 'Ultra Modern Nursery Rhyme' (video), didn't even chart. Terry, Blair And Anouchka's debut album, 'Ultra Modern Nursery Rhymes', was released in February of 1990 to little attention. The group split shortly after the album's release. Cherry Red re-released the album about 6 years ago with one additional track and you can still buy it here. I must confess I didn't actually think much of 'Ultra Modern Nursery Rhymes' on first listen. However, repeated listening reveals an enjoyable album with brilliantly written pop songs, witty lyrics and warm, lush arrangements - not a million miles away from a Mamas & The Papas record! It seems almost criminal that it could have been so blatantly overlooked at the time. After Terry, Blair And Anouchka, Hall went on to form Vegas with Eurythmic Dave Stewart. Booth turned up in Oui 3 in 1993 and presumably, Groce went back to making jewellery... ?

534
:: The Colourfield :: From Dawn To Distraction :: Download

"This lot have absolutely nothing going for them. No sense of humour. No glamour. No good melodies. No danceable rhythms. No excitement. No controversy. No emotion. Nothing whatsoever. They are, in short, ruddy awful." (from an 'NME' review). Former The Specials and Fun Boy Three frontman, Terry Hall, joined forces with ex-Swinging Cats members Toby Lyons and Karl Shale to form The Colorfield in late 1983. Despite all three of them originating from Coventry, they made their homebase in Manchester. They released their first single, 'The Colourfield', In January 1984 and just missed making the UK top 40. In the summer of the same year, they released 'Take', as their second single, which faired worse than their debut six months earlier. However, a third single release, 'Thinking Of You' (video), landed them at number 12 in the UK chart in January 1985. A fourth single, 'Castles In The Air', reached the lower reaches of the chart just prior to the release of their debut album, 'Virgins & Philistines', in April 1985. The Japanese CD re-release of 'Virgins & Philistines', by the way, contains 10 bonus tracks, including many B-sides and live cuts, but it's now rather hard to find. Mixing 1960s and early 1970s pop music with more acoustic based melodies and gentle string arrangements, it some how failed to gain a large audience, possibly due to such a diverse sound. January 1986 saw The Colourfield become a four man group, adding Gary Dwyer (ex-The Teardrop Explodes) on drums. Around the same time, the band's US label compiled a six track EP entitled 'The Colour Field' containing their new UK single, 'Things Could Be Beautiful' (produced by Ian Broudie) and a selection of B-sides, album tracks and live songs recorded at the Hammersmith Palais. 'Things Could Be Beautiful' did not make the UK or US charts and it was to be another year before the public would hear anything new. In the spring of 1987, The Colourfield were now just a duo, augmented by session musicians. A new album, 'Deception', arrived, ushering in a new sound, and containing the singles 'Running Away' (originally by Sly & The Family Stone) and 'She' (composed by Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart). The B-side of 'She' featured 'Monkey In Winter', showcasing lead vocals by Sinead O'Connor... The Colourfield didn't make anymore records and Terry Hall moved on to something else... The track 'From Dawn To Distraction' is taken from 'Deception'. It sounds a tiny bit like The Cure's playful '80s pop output, no?

533
:: Terry Hall :: Music To Watch Girls By :: Download

Terry Hall's musical career really began after leaving Coventry punk band The Squad, and joining Jerry Dammer's ska revivalist troupe, The Specials, in 1977. Finishing with the band at the peak of their popularity in 1981, he has since passed through many other groups and projects (Fun Boy Three, The Colourfield, Terry, Blair And Anoushka, Vegas) with mixed results... That is, if you measure work through the fickleness of chart positions rather than the quality and longevity of the music produced. Hall's first outing as a solo performer came in 1994, with the Ian Broudie-produced 'Home' album. The album was co-written by XTC's Andy Partridge, Nick Heyward and ex-The Smiths and The Colourfield guitarist Craig Gannon and is swelling with pop hooks, witty observations and massive string arrangements. 'Home' spawned two singles, 'Forever J' (video), which came backed with a remix from then-indie press darlings Pulp, and the delightful 'Sense', a track co-written with Broudie that had already been released without much success by The Lightning Seeds. The 'Home' album was re-released and re-promoted the following year with revamped artwork (with Terry sporting long hair and a more 'indie' look) and with the addition of one new track, 'Chasing A Rainbow'. Damon Albarn (Blur, Gorillaz) featured on the new track, which was released on the 'Rainbows' EP, which included live versions of tracks from throughout Hall's career, such as 'Our Lips Are Sealed' (Fun Boy Three), 'Thinking Of You' (The Colourfield) and 'Ghost Town' (The Specials), which featured Tricky. In 1997, there came a second solo album, 'Laugh', another strong set of songs, which was preceded by the single 'Ballad Of A Landlord'. B-sides this time around included tongue-in-cheek cover versions of The Carpenters classic '(They Long To Be) Close To You' and Andy Williams' 'Music To Watch Girls By'. Critically well received once again, but without huge commercial success, 'Laugh' was Hall's last 'solo' album and he once again focused on collaborative work, initially working with Ian Broudie on new The Lightning Seeds material for their album 'Tilt' in 1999. He also worked with Gorillaz ('911'), Sinead O'Connor ('All Kinds Of Everything'), Salad ('Dream A Little Dream Of Me'), Tricky's Nearly God project ('Poems'), Lautrec ('Things') and Junkie XL ('Never Alone'). In 2003, Hall collaborated with with Mushtaq (Fun-Da-Mental) on the album 'The Hour Of Two Lights', a very rich, contemporary blend of Eastern and Western beats and sounds. It contains contributions from a twelve-year-old Lebanese girl singer, a blind Algerian rapper, a Syrian flautist, Hebrew vocalists, a group of Polish Gypsies and once again, Damon Albarn, who released the album on his Honest Jon's label. It sounds both experimental and yet not a million miles away from the sounds that influenced the 2 Tone movement that The Specials were part of. Hall also recorded a duet with Siobhan Fahey in 2006 for inclusion on her still forthcoming solo album. More recently, Terry has been working with Dub Pistols. He appears on a track called 'Problem', from their second album from 2005, 'Six Million Ways To Live' and on four tracks on their third album from 2007, 'Speakers And Tweeters'. Fansite.

532
:: The Lightning Seeds :: Perfect (Acoustic Version) :: Download

Liverpool's The Lightning Seeds are largely the brainchild of writer, singer, guitarist and producer Ian Broudie. Previous to The Lightning Seeds, Broudie was involved with many other bands, such as Big In Japan (along with future members of The KLF, Siouxsie And The Banshees and Frankie Goes To Hollywood), Original Mirrors and Care. When success wasn't forthcoming, he turned to dabbling in production work behind the scenes. By 1989, Ian had recorded 'Cloudcuckooland' under the name The Lightning Seeds, releasing his first single, 'Pure' (video), which made number 16 in the UK top 40 chart. A second album appeared in 1991, 'Sense', which saw Broudie's first songwriting collaboration with Terry Hall on the title track. The album featured one of Ian's most recognised singles, 'The Life Of Riley', written about his son, Riley, while waiting for him to be born. The track was a top 30 hit but suffered from distribution problems and was eventually released by Virgin, as was the album, but the record company quickly lost interest when the album stalled at 53 in the UK album charts. Title track 'Sense' was released as a final single in 1992 and managed to climb to only 31 and citing poor sales as the reason, Virgin dropped The Lightning Seeds from their roster. In 1993, Epic became interested in the band, signing them with the condition that Ian concentrate full time on The Lightning Seeds and undertake full promotional activities, including touring. Ian began work on a new album, taking a break once completed to work on Alison Moyet's 'Essex' and Terry Hall's 'Home' albums in 1994. Broudie then recruited for a live band, enlisting Chris Sharrock (ex-The La's, World Party) as drummer, who Ian had previously worked with in The Icicle Works, and Martyn Campbell (ex-Rain) who was a friend of a friend. Whilst the three were in rehearsals, the first single from the new album, 'Lucky You' was released, and promptly flopped, not even making the UK top 40. Likewise, the album 'Jollification', although received extremely well by the music press, stalled. An extra guitarist was recruited in the form of Paul Hemmings (another ex-The La's) and keyboardist Ali Kane also joined the live line-up and as the new year started, things were looking up. An acclaimed tour saw new single 'Change', a live favourite, give The Lightning Seeds their second top 20 hit, reaching number 13. With tours across the UK and Europe, festival appearances and more hit singles like 'Marvellous', 'Perfect' and a re-released 'Lucky You', 'Jollification' clocked up well over 600,000 sales very quickly. All the singles from this album came imaginatively packaged in various quirky pull-out/pop-up contraptions which were a joy to collect; 'Change' came in a 'changing' digipak, which when pulled revealed a different image on the front; 'Lucky You' came in a fruit machine-style pack with sliding bits that revealed strawberries and horse shoes just like a, errr, fruit machine; 'Marvellous' had a little pop-up window ("Open up the window and jump into the blue...") which opened to reveal a pop-out strawberry and 'Perfect' came in a special 'perfect pack' which changed the dull black and white artwork on the front to a full colour photograph. All examples of pure marketing genius, I think you'll have to agree... Virgin tired to capitalise on Broudie's new found success releasing 'Pure Lightning Seeds', a compilation of songs from their first two albums. Little thought went into the release, however, and they even spell Ian's name wrong in the booklet! After the success of 'Jollification', Ian Broudie set about writing songs for a follow-up album in 1996. 'Ready Or Not', the first new song, was released as a stop-gap single and featured the full live band on the record for the first time. It was also the year of Euro '96, the sporting event of the year, and with 'The Life Of Riley' being used on 'Grandstand', the F.A. contacted Ian and asked him to record a song for the England team. Ian agreed to do the song but only if comedians Frank Skinner and David Baddiel of 'Fantsay Football' could come up with the lyrics. The song became 'Three Lions' and it scored them a number 1 hit, becoming the 'nation's new national anthem' (groan!). After the football madness, Broudie returned to album number 4 which had been on put on hold and 'Dizzy Heights' arrived in 1997. The album reached 11 in the UK album charts and more chart success came with top 20 singles 'What If...' and 'Sugar Coated Iceberg'. They scored a top 10 single with their cover of 'You Showed Me' (video), a song written by Gene Clark and Roger McGuinn from The Byrds, but recorded by The Turtles. It was intended to be a B-side but thankfully went on the album instead, ending up their best selling single, next to 'Three Lions'. The band line-up changed throughout 1996-97, with Angie Pollock (who had previously played with Terry Hall and Shakespear's Sister) joined the group, replacing Ali Kane on keyboard and vocals. Chris Sharrock also left, with Mat Priest from Dodgy taking over the drums, only to be replaced soon after by Zak Starkey. At the end of 1997, The Lightning Seeds embarked on a UK tour to promote their new compilation, 'Like You Do... Best Of The Lightning Seeds', which made the UK top 5 album chart. 1998 was rather a quiet year for The Lightning Seeds with only 'Three Lions '98', a re-recording with new lyrics, and headline dates at Glastonbury and V98. At the end of 1999, The Lightning Seeds burst back onto the scene with a new single, album and sound. 'Life's Too Short' hinted at a more dance-orientated sound and the album, 'Tilt', confirmed it. Now minus Paul Hemmings, the album featured guests Terry Hall, Steven Jones (AKA Babybird) and Tim Simenon. The year ended in style, as The Seeds played at the Cream Bash in Liverpool on New Years Eve which proved a great end to the year. The new millennium brought the single 'Sweetest Soul Sensations', which peaked very low in the charts... number 67. Ian then confirmed in 'The Liverpool Echo', that The Lightning Seeds would be taking an elongated break. They played a final gig at Liverpool's L2, plus a small series of university graduation balls. In the years that followed Ian wasn't idle, releasing a solo album, 'Tales Told', which received much acclaim from the critics. The Lightning Seeds reformed briefly for a few summer festival dates and a tour in 2007, with a new 'Best Of' album hitting the shelves. Trivia! Ian has produced and/or collaborated on material by Echo & The Bunnymen, The Pale Fountains, The Icicle Works, The Fall, Frazier Chorus, Northside, The Primitives, Popinjays, The Frank And Walters, The Wedding Present, Dodgy, Alison Moyet, Terry Hall, Sleeper, Dubstar, Salad, The Coral, The Subways, The Zutons, The Rifles, I Am Kloot and many more! Website.

531
:: The Primitives :: Really Stupid :: Download

British indie-pop band The Primitives was formed in Coventry in mid-1985 by singer Kieron, guitarist Paul Court, bassist Steve Dullaghan and drummer Pete Tweedie. After a handful of gigs, Kieron was replaced by vocalist Tracy Tracy (Tracy Louise Cattell), a peroxide-blonde bombshell whose presence inspired a more melodic approach, which earned the group inevitable comparisons to Blondie. The Primitives' debut single, 'Thru The Flowers', appeared on their own Lazy Records label in 1986 and was quickly followed by BBC radio sessions for Janice Long, Andy Kershaw and John Peel. Their second effort, 'Really Stupid', preceded the band's first European tour, with a third single, 'Stop Killing Me', appearing in early 1987. Tweedie was dismissed from the group (allegedly for mistreating Tracy's cats!) prior to The Primitives signing to major label RCA, and with new drummer Tig Williams the group recorded their 1988 debut album, 'Lovely', scoring a major UK top 5 hit with the masterful 'Crash' (video). After completing an American tour, Dullaghan exited the line-up, with bassist Paul Sampson stepping in for 1989's 'Pure'. Despite being another strong set of songs, including the perfect pop singles 'Sick Of It' (video) and 'Secrets' (live on Wide Awake Club!), the album failed to recreate the success and excitement of its predecessor. 1991's Ian Broudie-produced 'Galore', featuring the undeniably chirpy 'Way Behind Me' (video), met a similar fate and The Primitives sadly disbanded. There's since been endless 'best of' CDs released over the years, but only one which covers both label tenures, making this the best purchase. A very nice fan site, with a load of free mp3s (including the rather lovely vinyl-only 'You Are The Way (September Mix)' by Robin Guthrie) is over here! Trivia! In 1998, Tracy (credited as Tracy Cattell) provided vocals on dance act Pink Bomb's single, 'Indica'. Bonus clip! Here's Tracy Tracy on 'Never Mind The Buzzcocks' from 2001.

530
:: See See Rider :: Stolen Heart :: Download

One of the more mysterious and unique bands of the late '80s/early '90s, See See Rider slotted in rather awkwardly somewhere between the burgeoning shoegazing movement and the waning indie scene. Their apparent lack of belonging to any particular genre was what set them apart, making them a much more intriguing proposition than most alternative acts of the time. The band was formed in East Kilbride in late 1989 by Lewis Chamberlain (vocals, bass), Stephen Sands (guitar) and May Rock Marshall (vocals, guitar). Relocating to London, ex-Primitives drummer Pete Tweedie completed the line-up. See See Rider released only two singles. The first was the 1990 self-titled 'See See Rider EP', featuring four tracks, including the gorgeous 'She Sings Alone'. It was released on the Lazy Records label, one-time home to both The Primitives and My Bloody Valentine. The band suffered a misfortune later the same year when a motorcycle accident left Marshall badly injured and Sands with a broken ankle, delaying a follow-up single. With a new member, former Felt and Servants guitarist Phil King, their second single, the brooding love song, 'Stolen Heart', was finally released in 1991. Both singles were best sellers in the indie charts, with the 'NME' tipping them for great things and Steve Lamacq describing them as "darkly enticing". Lazy Records folded in 1991 and the band were then signed to Elektra Records, but after a bust up on stage, drummer Tweedie left, with the band folding soon after in 1992. King went on to join Lush and later joined The Jesus And Mary Chain as touring bass player. See See Rider's debut album, 'Dust Rocks And Flakes', was left unfinished and unreleased but has recently been made available from their website here. The album today serves as a reminder that See See Rider could've been major contenders with great potential, it's just a shame they didn't manage to release more than the two singles. Today, their CD singles are quite scarce and collectable, with their debut EP fetching upwards of £30 on eBay when it appears...

529
:: Lush :: Piledriver :: Download

Meshing dreamy pop, feedback-drenched indie guitars and airy, catchy melodies, Lush were one of the most prominent shoegazing bands of the '90s. Miki Berenyi (vocals and guitar), Emma Anderson (guitar and vocals), Chris Acland (drums), Steve Rippon (bass) and Meriel Barham (guitar) formed Lush in 1988 in London, England. Prior to the group's formation, school friends Berenyi and Anderson had collaborated on a fanzine together, as well as played in a number of other bands individually. Barham left Lush soon after the band's formation to form Pale Saints, and the remaining members began playing around London, quickly earning a number of fans, including Robin Guthrie of Cocteau Twins. Guthrie helped the band secure a contract with 4AD Records and they released their acclaimed debut EP, 'Scar', in 1989. Lush supported the EP with opening tours for Loop and The Darling Buds and by 1990, they were headlining tours of their own. Throughout 1990, the band's reputation in the British music press began to grow as they released the acclaimed EPs 'Mad Love' and 'Sweetness And Light', played high-profile gigs like the Glastonbury Festival, and became favourites of the music weeklies' gossip columns. 'Gala', an album compiling their three EPs, became the band's first American release at the end of 1990. Lush spent most of 1991 recording their debut album, releasing the 'Black Spring EP' in errr, the spring. Rippon left the band during the sessions, and was replaced by Phil King, a former picture researcher for 'NME' and a previous member of Felt, Servants, Biff Bang Pow and See See Rider. Lush finally released their delayed debut album, 'Spooky', in the spring of 1992. While the album sold well, reaching the UK top 10 and topping the indie charts, it was criticized in the press for Guthrie's heavy-handed production. The band supported the album in America by appearing on the second Lollapalooza tour, but their dream pop wasn't well-received by an audience hungry for rock and metal. Lush released their second album, pop-oriented 'Split', in the summer of 1994 to mixed reviews, largely due to the twin waves of Brit Pop and American post-grunge. 'Hypercrite' (video) preceded the album. After regrouping during 1995, Lush returned in early 1996 with 'Lovelife', an album that showcased a debt to the pop ideals of Brit Pop. The musical changeover paid off as 'Single Girl' and 'Ladykillers' (video) became their two biggest hit singles and the album became a British top 20 hit. 'Piledriver' is a B-side taken from the album's third single, '500 (Shake Baby Shake)'. After Lush had completed their 'Lovelife' tour and summer festival appearances, Chris Acland unexpectedly hanged himself in his parent's house on October 17, 1996. Devastated by his death, the remaining members of Lush went into a long period of mourning, eventually disbanding. Trivia! Lush's approved version of The Rubinoos song, 'I Wanna Be Your Boyfriend Girlfriend' (posted here by us a million years ago), was cited in a 2007 lawsuit filed by The Rubinoos against Avril Lavigne, whose song 'Girlfriend' was accused of bearing a remarkable similarity to Lush's cover. More Trivia! Miki Berenyi's mother, Yasuko Nagazumi, was a Japanese actress who played minor roles in the James Bond movie, 'You Only Live Twice' and in the TV series, 'Space: 1999'. Buy 'Ciao! The Best Of Lush' here. Fansite.

528
:: Sing-Sing :: Feels Like Summer :: Download

Sing-Sing were Lisa O'Neill, who sang, and Emma Anderson (ex-Lush), who played guitar. They met in the kitchen of their then boyfriends’ flat in Camden, London in 1997. Lisa, an animator, had sung and co-written a song on the Locust album 'Morning Light', which Emma owned, and a friend suggested the two work together as Emma was still seeking a singer to work with post-Lush. With much in common, the pair both wanted to create a unique sound that was part '60s, part electro and part folk, and thus Sing-Sing was born. A demo was recorded with producer Mark Van Hoen that included the wonderful 'Feels Like Summer' (posted here!) and Emma's old friends Robin Guthrie and Simon Raymonde of Cocteau Twins were the first to hear the results. They agreed to put 'Feels Like Summer' out as a single on their Bella Union label and soon Sing-Sing were being offered gigs. A live band was formed featuring Miguel Morland (ex-Moonshake) on drums, Poppy Gonzalez (ex-Mojave 3) on keyboards and Michael 'Shifty' Scrivens on bass. They debuted this line up at ULU in July 1998, playing six songs in front of 300 people and the show was deemed a great success. Positive press brought more gigs and Simon Williams offered to put a single out on his legendary Fierce Panda label. 'I Can See You' came out as a double A-side with Linoleum's 'You're Back Again' in February 1999. More gigs followed, including dates abroad and the duo decided to set up their own label, Aerial Records. Having secured meagre financial backing and with enough songs written for an album, Mark Van Hoen was recruited once more to produce the first Sing-Sing album. With contributions and favours from many friends, the album took shape but funds were scarce, so the process took longer than was usual. Eventually completed, the album was preceded by the single 'I'll Be' in 2000. Critical acclaim followed, bringing with it support slots with the likes of Black Box Recorder and Geneva. A reworked 'Feels Like Summer' (video) was then released, making it onto radio playlists on XFM, BBC London Live and Radio 1's Mark Radcliffe show. Much gigging was done, including a date at Notting Hill Arts Club and a last minute invitation to support Sparks at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire, for which the band put together a special acoustic show with Audrey Riley on cello. In 2001, ex-Creation Records label head Alan McGee approached the girls to ask if he could release their album on his new label, Poptones. They agreed and the band’s debut album, 'The Joy Of Sing-Sing' was released in October, promoted with a limited edition 7" single, 'Tegan'. LA-based Manifesto Records released the album in North America the following year and Sing-Sing embarked on two US tours, returning home to find themselves label-less. Deciding to take matters into their own hands, Lisa and Emma used their personal savings to fund new sessions with Mark Van Hoen, with producer/mixer Alan Moulder agreeing to mix two of the tracks. The sessions produced the 'Madame Sing-Sing EP', giving patient fans four brand new songs and giving the duo something to sell through their online shop, in order to raise money to fund a second album. The sale of the EP and generous fan donations raised enough money to pay the girls back and enable them to start recording again. Four years after the release of their acclaimed debut album, the duo were finally able to unleash their magnificent second album, 'Sing-Sing And I', in 2005. Sadly, at the end of December 2007, Emma and Lisa announced via their mailing list and website that they had decided to disband amicably. Emma moved to Brighton where she is involved in the local music scene and Lisa married and moved to the Kent countryside to be a mum and a freelance graphic designer. Thank you for the music, ladies! Sing-SingSpace.

527
:: Ping Pong Bitches :: Rock Action :: Download

Emily Hell, Louise Prey (ex-Babyford) and Mandy Wong were nasty little electroclash hellcat trio Ping Pong Bitches. They were formed in 2000, with their name apparently given to them by their ex-boyfriends. They dressed in leather, fishnets, fur, tin hats and cowboy boots and liked to drink, party, smoke, beat up their boyfriends and fuck bikers. They released their self-titled debut mini-album, full of bondage chic anthems and pouty burlesque ditties, in 2001 on Alan McGee's Poptones label. It was a successful fusion of Stooges-style punk, disco ('Beat You Up' features an interpolation of Donna Summer's 'I Feel Love'), techno and pop, with lyrical concerns typically being sex, teenage boys, high heels and psychosis. 'Ping Pong Bitches' also featured both former Sex Pistol Steve Jones and Roxy Music's Phil Manzanera on guitar duties. Live shows attracted enthusiastic audience response (not least of all due to the regular pseudo-lesbian acts) but despite favourable reviews from the press, the band decided to part ways with their manager, Malcolm McClaren, and their label, whilst totally failing to build on their early promise. The 'Bitches instead flew to Rio and pissed the rest of their advance up the wall on hedonistic binges like helicopter rides and expensive nights out with Ronnie Biggs. Soon after this, Mandy Wong mysteriously left the band... Remaining 'Bitches Hell and Prey finally got around to releasing something new in 2003, a limited white label 12" promo of a track called 'Gatecrasher', which would later show up re-recorded in an episode of 'The L Word'. In 2004, Ping Pong Bitches turned up as guests on The Prodigy's 'Always Outnumbered, Never Outgunned' album. They feature on the opening track, 'Spitfire', as well as the album's lead single, 'Girls' (video), which reached 19 in the UK Singles chart. Ping Pong Bitches then re-bolstered their line-up to include Danny Noise (guitars and production), Sister Hell (keyboards) and Ol Brown (decks and co-production). The new line-up took them once again back to the live stage, performing regularly at club nights like Electrogogo in London, and they toured the world supporting both Scissor Sisters and The Prodigy. They signed to ex-S'Express man Mark Moore's Umami Records in 2006 and began work on their debut album proper. “When I first saw the Ping Pong Bitches I fell In love. I thought this is how the Shangri-Las would sound if they were brought up on a diet of Acid House and The Ramones” (Mark Moore). The single 'Roc Ya Body' (video) was released in late 2006, the song apparently inspired by Louise Prey's illicit lust for a teenage boy she had met on a coach to Manchester. In early 2007, Ping Pong Bitches released their debut full-length album, 'Alphadog', which featured new recordings of songs from their 6-year-old mini-album and 'Gatecrasher', as well as newly recorded material including a cover of Soft Cell's electro-pop classic 'Bedsitter' and digital-only single, 'The Beast' (video). Their album received extremely harsh reviews in the UK music press and just a few short months after the album hit the shops, Ping Pong Bitches announced they had decided to split... Louise Prey is now working on new stuff with celebrated producer Jagz Kooner (Primal Scream, The Kills, Kasabian, Ladytron) according to her MySpace page. Rex The Dog's new album, 'The Rex The Dog Show', credits Ping Pong Bitches as providing vocals on the track 'Itchy & Scratchy'... Website.

526
:: KillCity :: Bruce Lee :: Download

Lisa Moorish (the artist previously known as Lisa M) signed with the Poptones label in 2002 after she gave a one song demo tape to Alan McGee. A four-piece band was then assembled around her as front woman, named KillCity, who were Moorish (vocals), plus fellow songwriter Pete Jones (bass) and two guitarists, Tom Bowen and Stuart Le Page. KillCity's debut release, 2002's 'Three Song EP', was quite a departure musically from Lisa's previous offerings, revealing a darker mixture of rock'n'roll, electro-pop, indie noise and punk. This release was followed by a second offering, the 'Strychnine EP', which included the track 'White Boy, Brown Girl', which was later given the remix treatment by Primal Scream. Lisa had also been working on songs with her then-boyfriend, Pete Doherty (The Libertines, Babyshambles) during this period but aside from making music together, the pair also made a baby. Lisa's second child, Estile, was born in the London Borough of Camden in 2003. After taking time out to be a new mother all over again, Moorish and KillCity returned in 2004 with 'Bruce Lee', easily their finest release. An 8 track mini-album, collecting singles, B-sides and remixes, called 'White Boys, Brown Girl' followed and in 2005 the Doherty-penned 'Hooligans On E' single was released. It's unclear why but KillCity didn't release anymore new material (and presumably split up), only making an appearance on a Poptones label sampler, 'The Cassette Played Poptones' in 2005, alongside label mates like Soho Dolls, The Gliterati, The Others and The Padingtons. In late 2005, Moorish appeared on a cover of The Pogues & Kirsty MacColl's classic, 'Fairytale Of New York', with Johnny Borrell of Razorlight. The track had been recorded live for Steve Lamacq's Radio 1 show and appears as a B-side on CD2 of Razorlight's 'Rip It Up' single. In 2006, Lisa appeared on the Strummerville charity single, a cover of The Clash's 'Janie Jones', with friends Babyshambles, Dirty Pretty Things, Larrikin Love, Jamie T, Guillemots and others. It reached number 17 in the UK top 40. Alan McGee wound down the Poptones label in 2007 and since then, Lisa has been without a record deal. Despite hard times and numerous offers, Lisa has never been tempted to kiss and tell by selling stories of her romantic relationships to the tabloids... Recently, she has been recording solo tracks and you can see a video for the track 'Motorway Love' here and listen to a few of her tracks here. Trivia! Lisa's showbiz friends include Sadie Frost, Kate Moss and Bobbie Gillespie.