Ride On Time

 
Cover version of the month #93
The Bamboos cover Black Box

What was the best selling single of 1989?

Was it Jason Donovan with Too Many Broken Hearts? The Bangles gorgeous Eternal Flame? All Around The World by Lisa Stansfield? Maybe Like A Prayer by Madonna with the super sexy video? 

Nope ... it was Ride On Time by Black Box, an Italian house track that sold over 850,000 copies as it topped the charts for 6-weeks!

Ride On Time came out in the heady days of July 1989, a time that many classed as the second summer of love. House music was everywhere; in clubs and fields all over the country and it was crossing into the charts. 

With vocals by Heather Small, who went on to join Mike Pickering's M-People, Ride On Time was absolutely perfect for soundtracking the times. Small's vocal is deep, powerful and soulful, repeated time and time again so people can sing on first listen.

Piano house chords sound sublime, there are instrumental passages, a little breakdown with the glorious;

 Cause time won't take my love away

And then back into the beats and piano chords. Ride On Time is euphoric pop music, perfect for the charts, the radio and the clubs. The song still sounds super fresh, energetic and exciting over 30-years down the line.

Daniele Davoli from Black Box has said that Ride On Time was the group's attempt to create a song with the power of Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple with a dance beat!

I'm not sure how to judge him against that - but he created a winner! 

Originally released with a sample of Loletta Holloway's Love Sensation. The band thought she was singing ride on time, when in fact Holloway sings want you right on time. But they stuck with Ride On Time.

Their luck was in. Paul Oakenfold was in Italy looking for Italo-house records and discovered their pressings, subsequently buying up all the copies he could get his hands on.

The rest ... as they say ... is history. The song just blew up and rightly so, it's a classic of its time.

I stumbled across The Bamboos cover of Ride On Time after listening to the band The Allergies on Spotify. Algorythms kicked in and before I knew it I was googling to see if this was the original version of Ride On Time.

It turns out that it is a cover from Hard Up, The Bamboos 2021 album. 

The Bamboos are a soulful deep funk outfit from Australia who have progressed to incorporating hip-hop, psychedelic pop and cinematic music into their sound. They've been releasing music since 2004 and have developed considerably since that time, getting their music into computer games and on to TV shows like Greys Anatomy.

The Aussies remain pretty true to the original, just funking it up a little with live instruments rather than samples. The big vocal is still there, the piano chords are still vital, but the beats and percussion sound live, the bass groove is sublime, holding it all together and allowing huge horns to come in.

It's an absolute delight. An inspired choice of cover.

Enjoy.

The Black Box original and The Bamboos cover version are added to my Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions playlist on Spotify which also features all of the songs below. Search for the title or CLICK HERE

Black Box - official video

The Bamboos - official video

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

The Only Way Is Up

 Cover version of the month #77
Yazz and the Plastic Population cover Otis Clay

The Only Way Is Up by Yazz is a cover version!

It's a song I've always loved, euphoric pop music at its very best. 

Written by George Jackson and Johnny Henderson, the song was originally recorded and released by Otis Clay in 1980

Yazz and the Plastic Population released the single in July 1988, the Second Summer of Love (which many will argue lasted for 2 glorious summers), absolutely perfect timing for a generation of people turning on to ecstasy and house music.

The Only Way Is Up hit number one for 5-weeks, going on to become the second biggest selling single of the year. While not quite a one-hit wonder (follow up single Stand Up For Your Love Rights reached no.2 and her album reached no.3), Yazz has recorded and performed very sporadically since those heady days.

Clay's original version of the song has a 45-second intro, jazzy guitar, punchy strings and backing vocals that build for Clay to come in with the opening line. Yet during that intro the positive nature displayed through the song (even when discussing how low things are) is teased by Clay declaring. We're gonna make it, we're gonna make it baby

It's the classic love will conquer all; homelessness/eviction/hunger ... no matter what, if Clay and his love stay together then they can make it - they are low but the only way is up.

Clay and his band hit a groove and I've found myself listening back to the song regularly since I discovered it. I've definitely fallen for it, but the Yazz version will always have a special place in my heart.

Actually, it would be interesting to hear Yazz's vocals over Clay's instrumental track.

 But back to those heady days of 1988 and Yazz's version of The Only Way Is Up.

Horns, an urgent beat, squelchy synth and Yazz's vocal come in on the intro to the first verse. It's interesting to read the lyrics to the verses in black and white. They capture the time in a different way - highlighting the real struggle people were facing in the 80's - broken down, lowest turn, sure ain't no fun and not knowing where the next meal is coming from.

The build in the bridge is just teasing us ahead of the euphoric chorus, Yazz and her backing singers urging us to hold on, hold on ... before declaring ...

The only way is up, baby

For you and me now

The only way is up, baby

For you and me now

Yazz's vocals rise through the next verses before the bridge and the thrilling chorus kick in. After an instrumental, we're back to the bridge before the chorus is hammered home time and time again. It's pure pop perfection

As it was the 80's, there is, but of course, an extended 12-inch version, adding a full 2-minutes on to the song. This allows for an extra instrumental with strings, a breakdown, some 80's effects, which disappointingly (at least for me) doesn't build back into the chorus.

Check the Otis Clay version HERE and the Yazz versions HERE 

EDIT and one of the first people to read the blog has alerted me to this mellow acoustic version by Stornoway. Check that HERE

All previous cover version of the month blogs are listed below. To listen, search for Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions playlist, featuring all of the songs below, on Spotify or CLICK HERE

Previous covers of the month

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

Slip Inside This House

Cover of the month #4 - Slip Inside This House

Primal Scream cover The Thirteenth Floor Elevators

Not so much a cover - a total transformation!

Track 2 on the legendary Screamadelica album, Slip Inside This House goes off on a total tangent from the Stone-sy opener of Movin' On Up and brings the listener slap bang into 1991 and Acid House.

Only, this isn't a Primal Scream song, it was originally released by The Thirteenth Floor Elevators back in 1967 - the original summer of love. So there was some kind of neat synergy that it was being updated by the Scream during the second summer of love and it was a nice nod to their love of 60's garage psychedelia.

Of course, being a 15-year old I had no idea it was a cover at the time. It was probably a few years later through reading interviews/reviews or the sleeve notes that I noticed it wasn't written by the band.

Primal Scream, like a lot of bands I fell for in the early 90's, introduced me to loads of good music. Bobby Gillespie is a walking, talking music Encyclopedia and would use interviews to highlight his impeccable taste and knowledge.

So I bought a re-release of The Thirteenth Floor Elevators Easter Everywhere album on vinyl, interested to hear the original. The Scream remain pretty true to the vocal melody, but everything else is transformed. The original has loads of verses and lasts for 8-minutes while the Scream version is just over 5-minutes and concentrates on beats and grooves for much of it before taking the listener on a delicious trip - especially when the bass kicks in.

Screamadelica was (and remains to this date) an important album for me. I remember one crazy night with my good friend Reddy where we listened to it about 7 times in a row when we came in from a night out.

It does sound like Bobby Gillespie, although he has said in interviews that he was so wasted that it was Robert 'Throb' Young that sang on it.

Slip Inside This House by The Thirteenth Floor Elevators is urgent, persistent and the searing guitar just lifts it higher. Primal Scream take it not only to another level, but to another dimension. Exceptional!

Check this live version from the first Screamadelica shows with Jim Lambie's psychedelic artwork only adding to the trippy feel. The original is below.