Life Is Sweet

 

Trust me #103
Life Is Sweet by The Chemical Brothers

Stumble out into the dawn streets with a still-buzzing Tim Burgess on the glorious Life Is Sweet, his choirboy voice royally f***ed up and slumped across a mere slip of melody. Stephen Dalton, NME

What a beautiful piece of writing by Stephen Dalton for the NME! What more could I add?

The Chemical Brothers were a force of nature in the 1990's and along with the likes of The Prodigy, Underworld and Fatboy Slim, they helped create a huge melting pot of music. Alternative British music was thriving; Radiohead, Spiritualized, Massive Attack, Portishead and Primal Scream would release groundbreaking albums, pushing boundaries with their sonic soundscapes and ambitions.

Lets go back to 1992 and it was very much the case of right place, right time!

The Chemical Brothers met in Manchester and began DJ-ing in pubs while also forging ahead with producing their own psychedelic big beat sounds. Originally called The Dust Brothers, until the US producers asked them to change, their first self-pressed white label 12-inch found its way into the hands of Andrew Weatherall who began playing Song to the Siren in his sets.

Word, as tended to happen with Weatherall, got round and before long Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons were remixing for Leftfield, Lionrock and Republica. In October 94, the duo, still known as The Dust Brothers, became resident DJ's at the Heavenly Sunday Social on Great Portland Street. Noel Gallagher and Tim Burgess were regulars and before long The Dust Brothers were remixing Primal Scream's Jailbird, The Charlatans Patrol and Nine Acre Court, the Manics and The Prodigy.

By 1995, The Dust Brothers had become The Chemical Brothers due to a name clash with the American producers. Tom and Ed were carving out their own space in the world of electronic music, fusing breakbeats, big beats, and psychedelic grooves into something fresh and thrilling. Their debut album Exit Planet Dust was a game-changer, and one of its standout moments and was Life Is Sweet, a track that featured none other than Tim Burgess of The Charlatans on guest vocals. Tim was a big fan of the Heavenly Social where The Chems had a residency. It seemed like a natural fit. It sounds like it most definitely was.

1995 was a super sunny summer and Life Is Sweet was one of many songs released around that time that seemed to be tailor made for the times and the weather. Life - for a 19-year old with no ties, good friends and regular nights out - was very sweet.

The Chemical Brothers were already known for their heavy, rolling beats and club-shaking basslines. But Life Is Sweet was something else: a hypnotic, groove-laden track that felt equally at home on a dancefloor as it did blasting through a car stereo on a summer evening drive down the Clyde Valley. 

I'm driving in the sun

It's a hell of a way down south

Bring me back my love

Tim Burgess was a perfect and very natural fit to The Chems psychedelic soul, bringing a laid-back, almost dreamlike vocal delivery to the mix, a human warmth to the beats, bass and synth sounds.

Swirling synths, a relentless and infectious groove and Burgess' floating vocal, trying to calm the storm going on around him, but getting beautifully caught up in it.

Burgess, Tom and Ed definitely found chemistry together in this collaboration.

Released as a single, Life Is Sweet included a Daft Punk remix. Looking back, this release captured a moment when electronic music was evolving, absorbing elements of rock, hip-hop, and psychedelia to create something new and intoxicating, fresh for the 90's.

On reflection, I wish the video had documented the times - Tom an Ed DJ-ing in a packed basement in the Heavenly Social The video (below) with Tim singing and dancing along. That would be super cool to look back on.As it is, Tom and Ed are mucking about with (and blowing up and trying to fix) a large bank of equipment, while Tim is seemingly locked in a smaller room looking through a hole in the wall to watch The Chems, while in other rooms there are a series of mad people!

Remember (cause it can be difficult when you read or turn on the news) that life can be sweet, and so is this tune.

Life Is Sweet is added to my Trust Me playlist; search for Everything Flows - Trust Me on Spotify or CLICK HERE. Check below for all previous blogs in my Trust Me series.

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton

1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond

3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell

4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot

5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon

6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras

7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans

8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland

9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave

10. Sometimes by James

11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time

12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre

13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields

14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals

15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser

16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes

17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth

18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter

19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground

20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub

21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub

22. Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From by Teenage Fanclub

23. Belfast by Orbital

24. Clouds by The Jayhawks

25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral

26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair

27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke

28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze

29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells

30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor

31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton

32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich

33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem

34. Mondo 77 by Looper

35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton

36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats

37. How High by The Charlatans

38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands

39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.

40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective

41. There She Goes by The Las

42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes

43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo

44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell

45. Revolution by The Beatles

46. Lazarus by The Boo Radleys

47. Wrote For Luck by Happy Mondays

48. American Trilogy by The Delgados

49. Loser by Beck 

50. Silent Sigh by Badly Drawn Boy

51. Comedy by Shack

52. Take The Skinheads Bowling by Camper Van Beethoven

53. Freakscene by Dinosaur Jr

54. Thank You For Being You by The Pastels

55. I Think I'm In Love by Spiritualized

56. Chestnut Mare by The Byrds

57. Cannonball by The Breeders

58. Like A Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan

59. You Make Me Weak At The Knees by Electrelane

60. Lucky by Radiohead

61. Strange Currencies by R.E.M.

61. I Am The Cosmos by Chris Bell

62. Like A Ship (Without A Sail) by Pastor TL Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir

63. Nothing But A Heartache by The Flirtations

64. Made of Stone by The Stone Roses

65. Tonight In Belfast by Orbital, David Holmes, DJ Helen and Mike Garry

66. Anything by Adrianne Lenker

67. I Hold Something In My Hand by Bill Ryder-Jones

68. I Meant Every Word by Burnett Sisters

69. Dream Baby Dream by Suicide

70. Stove by The Lemonheads

71. Red Lady by Phil Cordell

72. Little Fluffy Clouds by The Orb

73. I Can Do It With A Broken Heart by Taylor Swift

74. Turnin' My Heartbeat Up by The M.V.P.'s

75. Razzle Dazzle Rose by Camera Obscura

76. Such Great Heights by The Postal Service

77. The Rat by The Walkmen

78. My God Has A Telephone by Aaron Frazer

79. Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack

80. Sweet and Tender Romance by The McKinleys

81. Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros

82. 69 Police by David Holmes

83. Hey Lisa by David Holmes

84. I Am A Rock by Simon & Garfunkel

85. Kung Fu by Ash

86. Kids by MGMT

87. Slight Return by The Bluetones

88. Give Peace A Chance by John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band

89. Cut Your Hair by Pavement

90. Race for the Prize by The Flaming Lips

91. Waitin' for a Superman by The Flaming Lips

92. Acquiesce by Oasis

93. This Is Music by The Verve

94. Lone Swordsman by Daniel Avery

95. Sparky's Dream by Teenage Fanclub

96. Common People by Pulp

97. Let Our Love Grow Higher by Eula Cooper

98. Regret by New Order

99. Keep On Keepin' On by Nolan Porter

100. Sit Down (Live at G-Mex) by James

101. Never Lose Your Sense Of Wonder by Yeti

102. Just When You're Thinkin' Things Over by The Charlatans

Kelly Watch The Stars - Moog Cookbook remix

Cover version of the month #112
Moog Cookbook remix/cover Air

NOTE - I've allowed myself a little artistic license on this blog. Not really a cover, but definitely a radical reworking. Is a remix a 'modern' cover version? 

Anyway ...

Back in the late 90s, Air sounded like they were untouchable. Probably because they were floating around in space! Their 1998 debut album Moon Safari was a stunning mix of space-age lounge, warm analogue synths, and widescreen cinematic beauty. It felt timeless, nostalgic and futuristic all at once. Here is a blog I wrote on the 20th anniversary back in 2018.

Kelly Watch the Stars was one of the standout tracks, a hypnotic, dreamy piece of French synth pop that floated along on its own celestial groove.

In the aforementioned blog I wrote - "Kelly Watch the Stars is a song that takes the listener on a different kind of trip via repetition rather than they flowing riffs and melodies that are evident throughout the album. That said, there is still plenty of space in the song for Air to flow and the instrumental section really does lift the song to another level."

Sometimes I look back at old blogs and think did I really write that! Quite clever! ... space for Air to flow!

And then, The Moog Cookbook got their hands on it.

The Moog Cookbook were an eccentric duo made up of Roger Manning Jr. (Jellyfish, Beck’s band) and Brian Kehew (a synth guru and later a touring member of The Who). Their mission? To take classic songs and reimagine them using only vintage Moog synthesizers. 

Their cover/remix/reworking of Kelly Watch the Stars is pure retro-futuristic joy; Shaft! style wah-wah, super cool beats and ... moog synths! The Moog Cookbook transform the song. The main melody is still intact, but now it's bouncing through a playful array of spacey bleeps, theremin-like swoops, and chunky, robotic basslines. Funking and punking it up, it’s as if Air's original track was beamed into a 1970s cop TV show produced by Daft Punk. 

Still dreamy, still gorgeous, an extra 2-minutes are added on to the original to allow a breakdown and extra time to play with the sublime piano, whispered vocal, beats, percussion and groove. 

This is a gem. Enjoy!

The Air original and the Moog Cookbook remix of Kelly Watch The Stars are added to my Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions playlist on Spotify which also features all of the songs listed below. Search for the title or CLICK HERE

Previous covers of the month blogs

1. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' 

2. Going Back To My Roots

3. Nirvana play The Vaselines

4. Slip Inside This House

5. Top 10 covers by Teenage Fanclub

6. Only Love Can Break Your Heart

7. Time For Livin' 

8. Sound and Vision 

9. All Along The Watchtower

10. I Am The Walrus 

11. Guiding Star

12. You’ll Never Walk Alone

13. Hurt

14. This Guy's In Love With You

15. I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine

16. California Soul

18. Wonder wall 

19. Dancing In The Dark

20. Always On My Mind

21. Ceremony

22. Heroes

23. Different Drum

24. Wild Horses

25. Respect

26. Mr Tambourine Man

27. I Heard It Through The Grapevine

28. Superstar

29. Twist and Shout

30. Purple Rain

31. Baker Street

32. Not Fade Away

33. Stop Your Sobbing

34. I Don't Want To Grow Up

35. Serious Drugs

36. Dancing With Myself

37. How Does It Feel To Feel?

38. Love Buzz

39. ABBA-esque
40. Jumpin' Jack Flash

41. Discoland

42. Varshons 2 by The Lemonheads

43. The Langley Schools Music Project
44. Witchi Tai To
45. Our Lips Are Sealed
46. Sunshine Of Your Love
47. Here Comes The Sun
48. I Think We're Alone Now
49. Don't Let Me Down 
50. It's Oh So Quiet
51. Alcoholiday 
52. Summer Holiday
53. Who Do You Think You Are?
54. Head On
55. Nothing Compares 2 U

56. Hey Jude

57. Seven Days Too Long

58. L.O.V.E Love

59. Into Your Arms

60. Heart Of Glass

61. Take Me To The River

62. We Can Work It Out 

63. Talking In My Sleep

64. Lola

65. Lost In Music

66. My Little Red Book

67. Isn't It A Pity

68. Walk On By

69. Walk Away Renee

70. Tainted Love

71. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

72. Listen The Snow Is Falling

73. Mrs Robinson

74. He's Gonna Step On You Again

75. In My Life

76. Caravan Of Love

77. The Only Way Is Up

78. Dancin' Round & Round

79. With A Little Help From My Friends

80. Killing Me Softly

81. Ain't No Mountain High Enough

82. Drop

83. Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay

84. Sympathy For The Devil

85. I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor

86. Love Will Tear Us Apart

87. Indian Rope Man + bonus Strawberry Fields Forever + This Wheels On Fire

88. Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You

89. Love The One You're With

90. Cum On Feel The Noize

91. Addicted To Love

92. Valerie

93. Ride On Time

94. Let's Dance

95. It Must Be Love

96. I Fought The Law

97. For What It's Worth

98. Do Your Thing

99. I Just Don't Know What To Do With Myself

100. Don't Leave Me This Way

101. Shout!

102. God Only Knows

103. The Last Time

104. Bridge Over Troubled Water

105. How Can You Mend A Broken Heart

106. Louie Louie

107. Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head

108-110. I'm A Loser, Yesterday and Beware of Darkness 

111. So You Say You Lost Your Baby

Tonight In Belfast

I wanna hold you up so high, you're gonna need a space suit

Trust me #65

Tonight In Belfast - Orbital, David Holmes and Mike Garry

I originally wrote about Belfast back in April 2021, but it has been nice to write about it again following the release of a new version involving David Holmes and the poet Mike Garry..

Belfast is one of the most blissful and sublime electronic songs that I am aware of. Warm synths, bubbling synths, funky cool beats (never overpowering) and a sample of soprano Emily Van Evera performing O Euchari are all blended together to create something truly magical. 

And, oh, what about those heavenly chords that have helped thousands of dancers and ravers put their hands in the air over the years?! Swoon!

The layers of the song are utterly gorgeous and the way things slow down to sheer bliss towards the end is like ecstasy on record. Belfast is spine tinglingly incredible. It gives me all the feels.

David Holmes booked Orbital to play the Art College in Belfast after falling for their debut single Chime. The Hartnoll brothers left a demo tape of a new song which they subsequently named Belfast after enjoying themselves so much in the city.

Many years later, Orbital invited their old friend David Holmes to remix Belfast for their hits/compilation album 30 Something to mark 3 decades since their debut single.

Holmes treats it with the tender love and care you would imagine, stretching it out to 12-minutes, allowing even more time to get lost in the synths, grooves and beats. I get tingles and rushes listening to this.

Is it just me, or do I hear Holmes hinting at Joy Divisions's Atmosphere at times? I can imagine this being mixed in perfectly.

Belfast is still inspiring and now the song has taken on another direction after DJ Helen suggested to the poet Mike Garry (who previously  came to my attention with his poem An Ode to Anthony H Wilson) that his poem Tonight would sit perfectly over Holmes remix.

Top suggestion! It fits like a glove!

Garry's Mancunian soul pours out over the top of Holmes and the Hartnoll brothers electronic magic, coming in just after 2-minutes with the opening verse.

Tonight, I just wanna paint pictures of you

Write poems and songs and novels, all about you

I wanna hold you up so high, you're gonna need a space suit

Mike (and DJ Helen) know when to let the music take hold, letting everything go at 3 minutes 45 seconds into sheer bliss before beats kick back in. Then when Garry comes back in a minute late, he sounds as lost in the music as I have been many, many times.

And we can build new mountains for us to climb is my favourite line. Garry sounds beautifully loved up (he originally wrote the poem to read at his wedding)

Tonight, you're gonna need a space suit

I wanna hold you up so high, you're gonna need a space suit

What a romantic genius! What a brilliant collaboration.

Enjoy!

Tonight In Belfast (official video)

Tonight In Belfast is added to my Trust Me playlist; search for Everything Flows - Trust Me on Spotify , or CLICK HERE 

Check below for all previous blogs in my Trust Me series.

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton

1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond

3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell

4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot

5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon

6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras

7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans

8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland

9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave

10. Sometimes by James

11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time

12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre

13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields

14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals

15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser

16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes

17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth

18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter

19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground

20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub

21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub

22. Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From by Teenage Fanclub

23. Belfast by Orbital

24. Clouds by The Jayhawks

25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral

26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair

27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke

28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze

29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells

30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor

31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton

32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich

33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem

34. Mondo 77 by Looper

35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton

36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats

37. How High by The Charlatans

38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands

39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.

40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective

41. There She Goes by The Las

42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes

43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo

44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell

45. Revolution by The Beatles

46. Lazarus by The Boo Radleys

47. Wrote For Luck by Happy Mondays

48. American Trilogy by The Delgados

49. Loser by Beck 

50. Silent Sigh by Badly Drawn Boy

51. Comedy by Shack

52. Take The Skinheads Bowling by Camper Van Beethoven

53. Freakscene by Dinosaur Jr

54. Thank You For Being You by The Pastels

55. I Think I'm In Love by Spiritualized

56. Chestnut Mare by The Byrds

57. Cannonball by The Breeders

58. Like A Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan

59. You Make Me Weak At The Knees by Electrelane

60. Lucky by Radiohead

61. Strange Currencies by R.E.M.

61. I Am The Cosmos by Chris Bell

62. Like A Ship (Without A Sail) by Pastor TL Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir

63. Nothing But A Heartache by The Flirtations

64. Made of Stone by The Stone Roses

I Think I'm In Love

Trust Me #55
I Think I'm In Love by Spiritualized  (and the Chemical Brothers vocal remix)

On Sunday 18th June I fulfilled a long held ambition when I got to DJ at McChuills, my very favourite pub in Glasgow. It was an honour to play alongside one of the bars resident DJ's - Stevie Elements. I had almost as much fun raking through his cases of 7-inch singles as I did playing.

And I also enjoyed looking through my own records while preparing my DJ bag for the night. I was determined to play an eclectic set, in keeping with my Anything Goes & Everything Flows monthly mixes. 

My mission when DJing is to get people dancing/singing/nodding their heads and showing signs of appreciation and I particularly love when people take the time to come up and ask what song I played if they didn't know it. Thankfully I achieved all of the above, including words of acknowledgement from another McChuills resident, the legendary JP who came up to chat a couple of times and I also shared a beer at the bar with him while Stevie was taking one of his turns on the decks.

I played Chemical Brothers remix of Spiritualized's I Think I'm In Love and a couple of people came up to ask who it was. It is an incredible song and sounded out of this world on the big speakers; psychedelic sonic perfection that takes off for the sun and urges you to hold on for the ride.

The original version is on Spiritualized's 1997 classic album Ladies and Gentleman We Are Floating In Space. It's an absolute masterpiece, from the elaborate prescription pill style packaging to the melting pot of music and the sound of Jason Pierce's heart breaking spread over 70-minutes. NME's Paul Moody hailed the album as a seismic tour de force, while the Melody Maker praised it as one mind blowing perspective-fusing supernova of an album .. that redefines notions of bittersweet and love-hate to the point where everyday emotions seem very small indeed. I'll save a blog on that for another time.

I Think I'm In Love burns beautifully slow to begin. A continuous note drones for almost a full minute, squelchy guitar sounds are played over the top before a gentle piano is introduced, some mouth organ and then Pierce begins to sing.

Sun so bright that I'm nearly blind

Cool cause I'm wired and I'm out of my mind

Warms the dope running down my spine

But I don't care about you and I've got nothing to do

Pierce's voice sounds blissfully damaged as the Spiritualized sound is layered delicately and delightfully around him. After he sings I don't care about you for the second time the layers drop out leaving Pierce to sing I've got nothing over a few piano notes. 

Everything stops and then the next stage of the song begins, beats are introduced and there is more of a groove, allowed to flow and develop for almost 2-minutes and then Pierce is back with call and response vocals that are catchy and funny. Very probably self depreciating.

I think I'm in love

Probably just hungry

There are times when Pierce sounds lost in the groove his Spiritualized orchestra has conjured, letting out little come on yelps in the background, as if he is urging them to keep going. 

I think I want to tell the world

Probably ain't listening

Horns, guitar, synth, piano, guitars, drones, beats and bass. The way everything is layered together is sublime. Ending with a gospel choir singing I think I'm in love repeatedly, the song is faded out. I imagine Pierce would never have wanted it to end.

And then The Chemical Brothers get their hands on it! 

Tom Rowlands and Ed Simons really do work their magic on their remix, producing something super trippy and dazzling. Spiritualized stop everything to go from part 1 to part 2 of the song, while The Chemical Brothers build and tease, almost sounding as if they are getting all their equipment read to blast off for space.

After the beats have kicked in they bring everything back to allow Pierce to sing;

I think I can fly

Probably just falling

Chemical by name, chemical by nature. This remix is a match made in heaven. Rowland and Simons seem to have dipped Pierce's vocals into pot of LSD and MDMA, thrown in some synths for good measure to see what happens and then dived in after them. Their remix is spacey, trippy, cool and euphoric. The brothers really do work it out.

Official audio

Chemical Brothers vocal remix

Chemical Brothers instrumental remix

A list of all previous songs I've blogged about in my Trust Me feature are listed below, along with links to each blog. The original version of I Think I'm In Love joins them. You can check the Chemical Brothers instrumental and vocal remixes below on YouTube. 

I've also collated all the songs in my Trust Me series into a playlist on Spotify that you can find by searching for Everything Flows - Trust Me , or you can CLICK HERE

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton

1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond

3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell

4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot

5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon

6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras

7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans

8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland

9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave

10. Sometimes by James

11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time

12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre

13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields

14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals

15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser

16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes

17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth

18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter

19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground

20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub

21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub

22. Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From by Teenage Fanclub

23. Belfast by Orbital

24. Clouds by The Jayhawks

25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral

26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair

27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke

28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze

29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells

30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor

31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton

32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich

33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem

34. Mondo 77 by Looper

35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton

36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats

37. How High by The Charlatans

38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands

39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.

40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective

41. There She Goes by The Las

42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes

43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo

44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell

45. Revolution by The Beatles

46. Lazarus by The Boo Radleys

47. Wrote For Luck by Happy Mondays

48. American Trilogy by The Delgados

49. Loser by Beck 

50. Silent Sigh by Badly Drawn Boy

51. Comedy by Shack

52. Take The Skinheads Bowling by Camper Van Beethoven

53. Freakscene by Dinosaur Jr

Wrote For Luck

Trust Me #47
Wrote For Luck by The Happy Mondays

Happy Mondays Wrote For Luck was originally released as a single back in 1988, it was then subsequently remixed and re-released in 1989 as W.F.L.

The video may well be the most druggy pop music video of all time. Shaun Ryder and co are partying like it's ... 1989, absolutely off their heads on ecstasy. The video shoot party was in full swing but Ryder insisted that more was delivered and shooting didn't start until it kicked in. 

Filmed by Manchester's Bailey Brothers, the result is an utterly astonishing document of the ecstasy and rave scene that the city was experiencing. There were no actors, this was the Mondays and friends from the Hacienda and across the city, off their heads on the strongest pills around and having an amazing time. There were only 2 takes of the video, I wonder if they are still kicking around somewhere, there must be some incredible footage.

Dave Haslam wrote about this incredible video in this excellent blog for the 30th anniversary of the original single release. Check the video HERE

Wrote For Luck is an astonishing song. I often think that the Mondays don't get the credit they deserve. They were like nothing before or since. Unmanageable, inventive, street wise, not only at the heart of the scene, but dealing drugs for the scene and now soundtracking it. Of the time, but completely different from any other band around. 

On their debut album they had a song called 24-Hour Party People and they were. It seemed like they didn't stop from 1987 - 1992, releasing 4 albums and a string of singles. 

For their 1988 Bummed LP, that Wrote For Luck featured on, the band worked with Martin Hannett, consuming ecstasy on a daily basis and taking in all kinds of influences to create sounds on whatever instruments they could get their hands on. 

Hannett found an incredible guitar sound for Mark Day, one that, even through all the synths and beats, is central to Wrote For Luck. A funk punk Chic sound, scuzzed up and drenched in reverb. 

Wrote For Luck starts at pace, big beats and Day's guitar over the top, Shaun then begins to sing and spout his unique poetry over the top.

You were wet, but you're getting drier

You used to speak the truth 

But now you're liar

You used to speak the truth 

But now you're clever

The original version of Wrote For Luck has a sense of urgency and even danger to it; a raw white boy funk groove stretched out to a little over 6-minutes, riding on Day's guitar, Shaun groaning and moaning an extra little melody to add to the feeling.

Vince Clarke, in his W.F.L remix totally gets the groove and brings the bass to the fore, the guitars (at least at the start) are gone, the beats are more clubby, the synths are making all kinds of cool noises and it's Shaun at the heart. The original raw version is just cleaned up a little, becoming more clinical ... more chemical. 

The guitar groove is finally dropped in for the last 2-minutes and it sounds even more glorious over the menacing bass groove that Clarke has created and the clubby beats.

Paul Oakenfold, who would go on to produce the Mondays breakthrough album Pills 'n' Thrills and Bellyaches, keeps the guitar from the off and immediately blends it with a four to the floor beat, sprinkling different kinds of synth effects all over the top.

Ryder's aaahhh, aaahh, aaaahhh's sounds incredible, the beats keep going, Day's shimmering guitar chords are dropped in as the song grooves to the end.

Vince Clarke's remix is my personal favourite, but the original Wrote For Luck and both the W.F.L. remixes are simply brilliant. Released just before the Mondays broke through with Step On and a string of singles from Pills n Thrills, it's quite remarkable that neither charted. W.F.L. reached the heady heights of number 68, although it did reach number 3 on the indie charts. Regardless, it's left a mark.

Check the original video and a simply sensational live performance from Manchester in 1989 that went out on Tony Wilson's The Other Side Of Midnight. This highlights the rave style atmosphere the Mondays were creating at their gigs. 

Wrote For Luck official video

Wrote For Luck live in Manchester 1989

W.F.L. (Vince Clarke remix)

W.F.L. (Think About The Future Mix) by Paul Oakenfold

A list of all previous songs I've blogged about in my Trust Me feature are listed below, along with links to each blog. The original version of Wrote For Luck and both the Oakenfold and Clark remixes join them.

I've also collated them all into a playlist on Spotify that you can find by searching for Everything Flows - Trust Me , or you can CLICK HERE

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton

1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond

3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell

4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot

5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon

6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras

7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans

8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland

9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave

10. Sometimes by James

11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time

12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre

13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields

14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals

15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser

16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes

17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth

18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter

19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground

20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub

21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub

22. Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From by Teenage Fanclub

23. Belfast by Orbital

24. Clouds by The Jayhawks

25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral

26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair

27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke

28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze

29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells

30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor

31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton

32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich

33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem

34. Mondo 77 by Looper

35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton

36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats

37. How High by The Charlatans

38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands

39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.

40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective

41. There She Goes by The Las

42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes

43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo

44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell

45. Revolution by The Beatles

46. Lazarus by The Boo Radleys

Lazarus

Trust me #46 

Lazarus by The Boo Radleys

Released 30-years ago, towards the end November 1992, Lazarus was a statement single from The Boo Radleys ahead of their Giant Steps album in 1993.

Sales, sadly, didn't quite match the statement, Lazarus reached number 76 in the charts. But for the band, putting out a 12-inch single at 6 minutes 22 seconds in length was just what they needed to do. It was 'giant step' forward from their standard shoegaze sound, that of a band enthralled by labelmates My Bloody Valentine. Now it felt like The Boo's were exploring all kinds of music to find their own sound(s).

The Boo's had released Everything's Alright Forever back in March 1992. If you go back to check that album out and then listen to Lazarus, you'd struggle to believe it's the same band, same personnel. 

Beginning with distorted white noise, teases of key riffs and beats kicking in, the 12-inch version of Lazarus builds for almost 2-minutes before everything seems to come together. There is an almost reggae groove going on, then a horn section, acoustic rhythm guitar, synths, effects ... rmodern psychedelia and beautifully so.

Horns kick in just before 3-minutes to lift the song, to lift the listener out of a lysergic dream. Everything soars skywards before falling gently to the first verse. Singer Sice (Simon Rowbottom) sings tenderly, vocals gently distorted. 

I, I must be losing my mind

I keep on trying to  find a way out

There's no need you don't lock the door anymore

At the end of the second verse horns and electric guitar, full of fuzzy effects, kick in euphorically to fly high for an instrumental before swooping back down for two further 3 line verses.

Now, maybe now I should change

Because I'm starting to lose all my faith

While those around me are beaten down each day

After the fourth verse (above) horns, guitars and beats kick in again and are looped for a full minute, extra layers being added, a little more urgency comes in and the inspired groove is one to get lost in. I'd love to hear this extended. 

There are remixes of Lazarus that you can check out via the links below and through the expanded release of Giant Steps on streaming platforms, but none of them really take this riff on. It's a remix/edit in the making. 

Lazarus is an astonishing song. It was in in 1992 and it is now; the power, the ambition, the care that went into it have ensured that it stands up 30-years down the line. 

Despite universal high praise for the Giant Steps album, The Boo Radleys didn't have a hit on their hands. None of the singles from the album broke the top 40 and while the album reached number 17 and sold 60,000 copies in 1993 (Creations most successful album that year), the incredible reviews didn't translate to the sales Creation anticipated.

After being inspired initially by label mates My Bloody Valentine and then the transformation and ideas showcased by Primal Scream with Screamdelica, Martin Carr, leader and songwriter for The Boo's, was then inspired by the hits that Oasis were experiencing. He wanted a piece of the action! 

That would come with Wake Up Boo! released in February 1995, although I always associate it with summer.  Legend has it that a postcard by Alan McGee was on permanent display on the mixing desk, encouraging Carr and his bandmates to use every trick in the book to create a hit single.

Here is a snip of the ecstatic NME review for Giant Steps. I'd highly recommend checking or revisiting the album. From pure guitar pop to dub, reggae and psychedelic sounds, it's a cracker.

It's an intentional masterpiece, a throw-everything-at-the-wall bric-a-brac of sounds, colours and stolen ideas. That The Boo Radleys (of all people!) have decided to accept their own challenge and create a record as diverse and boundary-bending as this is, at first glance, staggering. Isn't this the job of the U2s and the leisured idols of rock, unable to do anything without the tactit approval of history? Fortunately not? The Boo Radleys are sifting through time (the mid-60s mostly) and conjuring up something that's as cut-up and ambitious as anything you'd care to mention. NME

Lazarus 12-inch version

Album version 

Secret Knowledge remix

Augustus Pablo  mix

Ultramarine mix

A list of all previous songs I've blogged about in my Trust Me feature are listed below, along with links to each blog. Lazarus (12 inch mix) joins them.

I've also collated them all into a playlist on Spotify that you can find by searching for Everything Flows - Trust Me , or you can CLICK HERE

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton

1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells

2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond

3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell

4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot

5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon

6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras

7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans

8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland

9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave

10. Sometimes by James

11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time

12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre

13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields

14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals

15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser

16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes

17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth

18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter

19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground

20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub

21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub

22. Your Love Is The Place Where I Come From by Teenage Fanclub

23. Belfast by Orbital

24. Clouds by The Jayhawks

25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral

26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair

27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke

28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones

29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze

29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells

30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor

31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton

32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich

33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem

34. Mondo 77 by Looper

35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton

36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats

37. How High by The Charlatans

38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands

39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.

40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective

41. There She Goes by The Las

42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes

43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo

44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell

45. Revolution by The Beatles