41 Rooms, Playlist 46

41 Rooms, Playlist 46 is 88% vinyl friendly. Impressive.

The Hurricane Ophelia Set! A day after I uploaded show 45 I experienced my first hurricane. Mostly, it wasn’t what some experience in other parts of the world but with no internet my time was best spent getting show 46 under way early. In the bunker at midnight…

---

Tracks marked * have been given a tiny (or sometimes, slightly bigger) 41 Rooms ‘tweak’/edit/chop/etc…

---

Lyric of Playlist 46: 

A tricky one, but it is indeed a Tricky one… just.

---

00.00

(Intro) THE FLAMINGOS – Stars (Edit) – Unreleased demo – 1983 Episode #1 for info.

---

00.39

NEW ORDER – Nothing But A Fool – Music Complete, 2LP – Mute – 2015

The fifth track from this album to make it to 41 Rooms, which maybe is as much a testament to the influence of Daniel Miller/Mute as it is to the band’s own need to move forward with a new lease of life.

---

07.33

REDMATH – Expectations – Self-Titled mini LP – Tribboo Records – 1985

Yet another track showcased on 41 Rooms that had it surfaced a few years earlier – and from a UK label – it might have seen the band fair better.

---

09.53

THE PRETENDERS – Private Life – Self-Titled LP – Real Records – 1980

I’m not really a Pretenders fan but Chrissie Hynde certainly has a very distinctive vocal, and for me this oozes as much style as Grace Jones’ original.

---

15.56

CLOCK DVA – Eternity In Paris – Advantage, LP – Polydor – 1983

Five years into their existence at this point and with a move to a major label they were still sounding dark, broody and sinister, though that might be the reason this was their only release on Polydor. 😉

---

21.18.

SAVAGES – I Am Here – Silence Yourself, clear vinyl LP – Matador/Pop Noire – 2013

Second track on their debut album… and yep, they are definitely here.

---

24.04

SLAB! – Painting The Forth Bridge (J Peel session version) – 1986

A great many who heard Peely’s years on Radio 1 will have had a favourite band putting in better versions of tracks in his sessions than they managed in their own productions. Maybe there was something in the urgency of those Maida Vale visits – usually three or four tracks needing to be done and dusted in eight-ten hours – that kept things focussed, and for me this was always one of the top ‘Peel’ versions.

Underground, launch issue – April ’87

---

28.32

TRICKY (feat POLLY JEAN {PJ} HARVEY) – Broken Homes – 7″ b-side – Island – 1998

Bristol and Bridport in the area. Harvey was well into her own career when she appeared on this and she’s never struck me as the sort of artist to guest on anything without substance. Conscious stuff!

---

31.39

HTRK – Slo Glo – Work (Work, Work), red vinyl LP – Mistletone Records – 2011

Seemingly pronounced Haterock. Looking at it, who would guess? I didn’t. Hatrack… hat trick…

---

35.20

EYELESS IN GAZA – Staring – Song Of The Beautiful Wanton, CD only – Soleilmoon Recordings – 2000

Beautiful… as usual.

Myself and Martyn – Leicester Psykik Hall, Nov 8, ’83. Photo credit: Kate Kinns

I haven’t changed my descriptive powers much as I see my diary entry for this gig reads, simply ‘Eyeless were beautiful‘. Ha!

---

39.20

BONOBO – The Plug – Animal Magic, 2LP – Tru Thoughts – 2000

With a nod back to the trip hop of a few years earlier.

---

44.29

DAVID CROSBY – Traction In The Rain – If I Could Only Remember My Name, LP – Atlantic – 1971

Couple together the era, area (California) and the drugs floating around, that album title might have been particularly apt. Crosby’s vox possibly the major trump card in the CSN&Y sound? One for Dave ‘Dobber’ Lewis and Beth Hirsch.

---

47.50

HERITAGE ORCHESTRA – Sky Breaks – 12″ – Brownswood Recordings – 2007

Regularly drafted in for big nu jazz/soul-type productions, this track shows them more than capable of equaling some of their peers.

---

51.28

INCOGNITO – Wild And Peaceful – No Time Like The Future, 2LP – Talkin’ Loud – 1999

One late night on Kiss FM, Ben Wilcox (then label boss of the always interesting Sirkus Records) previewed the album by spinning this… and it blew me away!

---

57.02

RAE & CHRISTIAN – Mercury Rising – Mercury Rising, 2LP – LateNightTales – 2013

It’s a tall order following on from the Mercury Prize nominated debut album, Northern Sulphuric Soul, but fifteen years later and there are some damn fine sounds on here.

---

01.03.04

MOLOKO – Take My Hand – extra track, CD single only – Echo – 2003

Could have been a major album track but such was Moloko’s quality, they practically hid this.

---

01.09.53

MUMMER – Hey, You Did – 12″ b-side – Klein Records – 2006

Seeing as I have a few 12″ on this Vienna-based label I should delve deeper into their vast back catalogue. More trip-hop’y vibes from a later period.

---

01.13.22

PRINCE – Sign Of The Times – 7″ – Paisley Park – 1987

The first time I heard this was, rather surprisingly, on John Peel’s radio show but he knew this had some real ‘worth’, ‘character’ whatever – the sort of attributes often long gone when artists reach mass acceptance.

---

01.16.39

BLOCKHEAD – The Music Scene * – The Music Scene, LP – Ninja Tune – 2010

Yet more low slung beats seeming to fit. It must be that storm outside.

---

01.21.07

CHE – Be My (Powerstation) (Swarthy Mix) – 12″ – Logarythmn – 1986

Still in the slow lane… but now tougher. That’ll be down to Adrian Sherwood and the Tackhead gang being all over this one. A wicked sound that certainly got spun by me at Winkles back in the day – and would have cleared the floor – should there have been anyone on there at the time. We were as much ‘social’ as dancefloor orientated.

---

01.26.39

MARK STEWART – Forbidden Colour / Forbidden Dub – Self-titled LP – Mute – 1987

At a Mark Stewart and the Maffia sound system thing in Luton once, I remember briefly trying to engage the man in conversation. Whatever the reason, he reeeally wasn’t too forthcoming… so it seemed best to abandon the mission. Him covering David Sylvian and Ryuichi Sakamoto might seem unlikely but although we’re assuming he was a fan of the original, a little part of me wonders whether the punk in him might just have despised it. Either way, the man is still cutting it. 🙂

---

01.30.33

SWAYZAK (feat BENJAMIN ZEPHANIAH) – Illegal (Bigga Bush Version) – 12″ – Columbia – 2000

Had no idea who Swayzak were when this cropped up on a house/leftfield dance radio show back on release… and I made no attempt to be any the wiser down the years, but it is fabulous.

---

01.37.57

BOBBY BROWN – Two Can Play That Game (Danny’s 3D Vocal Mix) – 12″ b-side – MCA – 1992

It’s a reasonably safe bet this will be the only BB tune to crop up on 41 Rooms but it caught me at a time when I needed a pick up. Aurally uplifting, it’s a great example of remixes doing their finest. In this case, a rather pedestrian (and slower) track gets taken on a journey into something far more vibrant. Come on down, Dancin’ Danny D!

---

01.44.01

THE STYLE COUNCIL – Money-Go-Round (12″ Version) – 12″ – Polydor – 1983

Weller thumping out a political rant that is the thinking of millions. A tough sounding dance track, so yet another spun in Winkles.

---

01.50.29

TALKING HEADS – Life During Wartime – Fear Of Music, LP – Sire 1979

In my world there aren’t many albums that stand as good as this one.

---

01.53.51

THE AU PAIRS – Set Up – Playing With A Different Sex, LP – Human Records – 1981

A few days after this track was set-listed here I turned on the laptopTVtellybox to drop straight in on the band performing it on the Old Grey Whistle Test in 1981… and it seemed both like yesterday and a hundred years ago. And re albums of note, – same thinking as with the one above.

---

01.57.08

THE FUTURIST – Transalpino – 10″, clear vinyl – Eurpean Vinyl Agency – 2000

I put down a love I’ve got for these sort of ‘isolated’ releases to having gotten into music through 7″ singles in the early 70s. Back then I’d buy bunches of second hand vinyl and a fair amount were from acts who never did anything else noteworthy. Move on another millennium and nothing’s changed. I still get a buzz out of a single tune with nothing else to say… and this is such a single. A fab instrumental, on clear vinyl and a 10″, by… whoever… and their only ever release. A perfect record, in more ways than one… so – at no more than £1 each – I picked up another couple of copies through the years.

Incidentally, I did a quick Google spell check on ‘millennium’. 133 million hits… but 50 million plus say it’s ‘millenium’. One of the down sides of letting the public loose.

---

Ophelia… it’s been real.

Dec