Only Love Can Break Your Heart

Cover version of the month #6

St Etienne (with Moira Lambert on vocals pre Sarah Cracknell) transform Neil Young's beautiful Only Love Can Break Your Heart - modernising it, taking it into the future, making it timeless.

Of course Young's version remains timeless, its rustic, simplistic acoustic chords and Young's aching, breaking voice singing;

I was always thinking of games that I was playing

Trying to make the best of my time

But only love can break your heart

Try to be sure right from the start

Yes only love can break your heart

What if your world should fall apart

Yet, for me, St Etienne arguably improve upon Young's genius, taking the song to new places that just so happened to fit in with the Acid House and ecstasy scene that was gripping the nation at the time.

Released in 1990, Only Love Can Break Your Heart remains a pre and post club favourite, also sounding superb in clubs. This was recently played at Everything Shakes at The Admiral in Glasgow and it was probably the song of the night.

The song was recorded in 2-hours in a makeshift bedroom studio - it has that raw, unpolished quality and it remains a true gem that will continue to captivate audiences for years to come.

There are a raft of remixes to explore;

Remixes

Andrew Weatherall a mix in two halves

Masters at Work dub remix

Richard X remix

Kenlou B Boy New mix

Fox Base Beta mix

Flowered Up remix

Five for a Friday

In what may or may not become a regular post, here are five songs for your weekend.

I discovered this gem on the St Etienne mix album The Trip. This is just sublime, the vocals are reminiscent of a young Michael Jackson, the musicianship is tremendous, the feeling of the playing and the production just oozes soul. This is Foster Sylvers with the 1973 track Misdemeanor.

Next up we have Glasgow art school combo Orange Juice with this outrageous slice of pop-soul-funk. I've got this on 12-inch and the sticker in the middle looks like a sliced orange - I love that kind of stuff - geek.

For some reason when i search to post the 'long version' it doesn't come up - how annoying, so click HERE


For my third choice it is one of my all time favourite songs, the original version of Come Together by Primal Scream. Utterly magical pop music, later transformed into a gospel house anthem by Andy Weatherall for the Screamdelica album. I never knew this version existed until I bought it on 7-inch vinyl out of the original Missing Records many moons ago.

Again, youtube isn't letting me embed it so click on the link above.


Moving forwards we come a little bit more up to date with this track featuring two of my favourite acts/artists; Hot Chip with Bernard Sumner. This is pure old school with Bernard clearly relishing the chance to produce something of note after the demise of New Order.

We end with track number 5, a recent discovery through Moshi Moshi, this is Clock Opera with the sublime Belongings.