336 Portishead remixes

Hard to think of anyone growing up in the 90s wasn't familiar with Portishead.  Minimal output, but everything is solid and genre defining.  Here's a selection of rarities and remixes of/by them to supplement those albums we've all heard dozens of times.  I remember back in the early 2000's I made a lot of friends by trading a bootleg copy of their short film "To Kill A Deadman."  I found it on YouTube and much higher quality than my VHS rip.  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4C0KHsR8Wg

00:00  Portishead - Still Numb

03:39  Paul Weller - Wild Wood (The Sheared Wood Remix)

07:00  Earthling - Nefisa (Portishead Mix)

12:39  Portishead - Glory Box (Scorn)

18:39  Natalie Imbruglia - Leave Me (Portishead Remix)

22:56  Noir Desir - Oublie (Replicant remix)

26:25  Portishead - Sour Times (Lot More)

30:45  The Sabres of Paradies - Planet D (Portishead Remix)

35:23  Massive Attack - Karmacoma (Portishead Experience)

39:11  Portishead - Over (Remix)

43:20  Gravediggaz - Nowhere to Run (Portishead Main Mix)

47:57  The Federation - Rusty James (Portishead Remix)

53:07  U.N.K.L.E.  - If You Find The Earth Boring (Portishead Plays U.N.K.L.E. mix)

57:22  Portishead - Glory Box (Sheared Box)

60:41  Machine Gun Fellatio - Horny Blonde 40 (Portishead Remix)

65:42  Ride - Moonlight Medicine (Portishead Remix)

71:30  Portishead - Sour Times (Sheared Times)

75:36  Primal Scream - Give Out But Don't Give Up (Portishead Remix)

80:57  Gonga - Black Sabbeth (feat Beth Gibbons)

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photo credit: https://www.reddit.com/r/portishead/comments/10z547a/every_portishead_album_in_the_style_of_every/

335 Pink's Other Animals

A companion to the best Pink Floyd album.  Pulling alternate & early versions and some solo tracks from the era that fit well in the scenario of what if Roger Waters wasn't the main songwriter for this album.  I pulled most of this another blog, which I'd cite but honestly can't find the link anymore.  Having heard the album tracks so many times (and never get sick of them), it is refreshing and brings much joy hearing these two live versions from 1974, 3 years before Animals was released.  The alternate lyrics are fantastic.  

00:00  Pink Floyd - Pigs on the Wing (extended version)

03:15  Pink Floyd - You've Got To Be Crazy (Live at Wembley 1974)

20:56  David Gilmour - I Can't Breathe Anymore

23:49  Richard Wright - Cat Cruise

28:56  Pink Floyd - Raving and Drooling (Live at Wembley 1974)

41:13  David Gilmour - It's Deafinitely

45:27  David Gilmour - No Way

50:46  Richard Wright - Pink's Song

54:04  David Gilmour - So Far Away

59:46  Pink Floyd - Message From the Sheep

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photo credit: https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/20170508-how-the-pink-floyd-pig-was-a-sign-of-protest

333b Volcano The Bear

The second mix, split because even as big of a fan as I am I have a hard time sitting through more than an hour of this without a break.  This half has more of the same and includes tracks from the "Five Hundred Boy Piano", which is a reference to an old Dr Seuss live action movie.  I have a copy of the 5000 Fingers of Dr T on VHS, which I tracked down because Meat Beat Manifesto sampled it ("Yes sir very atomic!").  That is one strange movie and the VTB music sounds like it could fit as part of the soundtrack.  

Check out the special Brainwashed.com produced on them: Volcano The Bear on The EYE

00:00  Where are the bounds

04:28  Broccoli Von Hamburg

05:40  Charming Cabbage Clock

07:26  Golden Hot Bite

13:37  Hairy Queen

15:07  Amateurs Blind (Live)

23:32  Woman who weighs out the wood

29:14  Tunnels and Wheels

32:57  Meisheishorses

36:15  Arc Felt

40:33  She Sang a Song of Norway

45:09  Woman Rise Out of De Sand

47:08  The Pincher

48:08  Chimney Fear

48:47  Russian Milk

53:29  Inner Arms and Necks

60:01  Reah's Mort

61:53  Planetary Bethlehem

66:35  Classic Autumn Fusion

70:18  Feverfew

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photo credit: discogs

333a Volcano The Bear

The wonderful and truly weird world of Volcano the Bear.  I've been a fan and collector for many years and have never found any other group quite like them.  Generally lumped in with avant garde, freak folk, or free jazz, I really think they are something totally different.  The music is chaotic and controlled, naive and skilled, beautiful and abrasive, all things at once.  

I first came across them through Brainwashed.com, and specifically a review citing Steven Stapleton as a fan - he even released one of their early albums on United Dairies. Then came the flood of CDrs of live performances and small run vinyl editions from the likes of Beta Lactam Ring Records.  I was lucky enough to score several of those editions.  While never officially disbanding, around 2015 they released the 5LP set "Commencing" which collected all the odds and ends and unused material and this kind of felt like the end in my opinion.  Their artwork is always entertaining, I get a lot of questions on the "Yak Folks Y'are" LP that I usually leave on display in my bookshelf. 

Here is the first of two mixes of what I consider their best work.  

00:00  Oslo Top

01:32  Expert

05:53  Reahs Mort

09:26  Planetary Bethlehem

10:56  The Sting of Haste

12:48  Uh-Oom

14:02  My Favourite Tongues

16:41  New Seeker (Alternate Version)

23:20  Millipede for the little boy

26:05  Baltic Minor

27:07  Chasm Dave

31:52  Dawn and My Hips are Fuel

36:16  Wooden Sailus

38:08  Vienna

45:02  Giant Angles

45:54  Worse With Noun

50:59  The Merry Potter

55:57  Digging for Opera

63:33  Before I Was After'd

69:14  The Colour of My Find

75:24  Go Fetch The Water Anthony

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photo credit: https://www.progarchives.com/artist.asp?id=6574

332 Black Sabbath Covers

Oh yes, I am passionate about Black Sabbath, and have the t-shirt "You can only trust yourself and the first six Black Sabbath albums."  I'd like to update that and say only the first four.  There are several tribute albums out there, and certainly a mixed bag of quality in the output.  I've picked what I consider to be some of the better versions here, and a few that are just cool interpretations or surprise appearances.  Only repeated one track, because they were such different interpretations, plus I love hearing the Budos Band back up Charles Bradley on his version.  Yeah, I know I used Brown Sabbath multiple times here; it should be obvious that I don't follow the rules of a mix tape set forth in High Fidelity.  Hopefully a surprise for the casual listener is Beth Gibbons from Portishead doing a tremendously cool version of the namesake track.  I had a friend that kept pushing the Cardigans on me, which I only knew "Lovefool."  Turns out they did several Sabbath and Ozzy covers in their own style and they work pretty well.  I honestly kept the track by Shelter in here because it may not be the best cover, but it is not everyday you get to hear Hari Krishna's doing a cover of Black Sabbath.  I left off Helmet's version in place of Quix*O*tic, and Marissa Nadler in place of Rondellus - they were both pretty mellow and this one fit better as a closer.  I wanted to include the Matmos cover of FX but it really didn't fit in anywhere, which I suppose was the point of the original track on Vol 4.  I did include these on the spotify mix because some other tracks weren't available (a common theme with that platform).  Who knows, I may get motivated and make a part 2 for this mix someday.  I had to choose something totally absurd, but also true for the cover here.

00:00  Zola Jesus - Changes

05:50  Sleep - Snowblind

11:37  Isis - Hand of Doom

19:59  Quix*O*tic - Lord of this World

25:29  Brown Sabbath - Into the Void

31:50  Neurosis - Children of the Grave

37:23  Brownout - Fairies Wear Boots

44:14  The Cardigans - Sabbath Bloody Sabbath

48:31  Charles Bradley - Changes

54:06  Ruthie Foster - War Pigs

58:36  Gonga feat Beth Gibbons - Black Sabbeth

65:53  Hilary Woods - N.I.B.

68:52  Brown Sabbath feat David Jimenez - Planet Caravan  

75:57  The Cardigans - Iron Man

80:11  Anthrax - Neon Knights

84:33  Shelter - After Forever

87:23  Rondellus - Solitudo

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photo credit: https://www.rockabyebabymusic.com/products/lullaby-renditions-of-black-sabbath

331 Electronic Covers

I've started to organize my large folder of covers that I've been amassing for the last several years. I think this is my second mix culled from that lot. This one focuses on electronic covers, either by electronic artists or covering electronic artists. As much as I loved Dub Trio's work, it was quite a shock when I came across their Seefeel cover on their live album giving me a whole new appreciation of the group. I've included probably the only Fatboy Slim track I have. It was a very difficult decision on which Pink Freud track to select, seriously check out their album of Autechre covers, it is wonderful start to finish. The Khruangbin track was billed as a Yellow Magic Orchestra cover, though this song was written my Martin Denny; oh well. The Solex cover of Echo & The Bunnymen is just fun. Love the Phil Western cover of Severed Heads. Ladytron covering Death in June is one I never would have guessed would happen, but it works. Sure, a couple Slowdive covers from the same compilation because nearly every track on it is worth a listen. Another one I had trouble selecting was which mix of Kaw-Liga to include, but opted for the album cut over any of the remixes. Glad Orbital recorded a studio version of the Doctor Who theme, I remember them playing it live when I saw them in 1993.


00:00  Dub Trio - Extract (Seefeel)
04:44  Pink Freud - Bike (live) (Autechre)
08:46  Hermann & Kleine - Dagger (Slowdive)
13:09  Tortoise - As You Said (Joy Division)
17:25  Khruangbin - Firecracker (Martin Denny/YMO)
21:31  Solex - The Cutter (Echo & The Bunnymen)
24:39  Fatboy Slim - Radioactivity (Kraftwerk)
28:00  Fujiya & Miyagi - Your Silent Face (New Order)
34:27  Phil Western - We Have Come To Bless This House (Severed Heads)
38:15  I Am Spoonbender - Where Do Words Go? (Berlin)
43:40  Ladytron - Little Black Angel (Death in June)
47:06  Future 3 - Alison (Slowdive)
50:11  Pulseprogramming - Blooms Eventually (Hood remix)
54:30  I Monster - Daydream in Blue (Wallace Collection)
57:43  The Residents - Kaw-Liga (Hank Williams Sr)
62:27  Orbital - Doctor? (Delia Derbyshire)
67:54  Fingersnag - Basscadet (Autechre)
72:46  Instrumental - Little Fluffy Clouds (The Orb)

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330 Neoteric Double

Time to bring that dub back.  This mix inclues some recent finds like Naffi Sandwich (courtesy of https://nathannothinsez.blogspot.com/), The Thugs, Holy Tongue, and what is that a Sugarcubes track on a dub mix?  Yes, surprised me too, though not available in spotify or youtube, this track courtesy of Sugarcubes Vitamin Extended Play Youth Remixes 12

While I adore the Alpha & Omega remixes of Om, I chose the original versions of these excellent tracks instead.  I sadly under represent Mr Adrian Sherwood on this blog, a case I hope to remedy soon enough.

00:00  3head - Afnaz

04:58  Om - Addis Ababa

09:17  The Thugs - Underground Rituals

10:23  The Smile - The Smoke

15:22  Ab-10 - Out For Justice Dub

19:21  Naffi Sandwich - Skank Rank

23:37  Suns of Arqa - Acid Tabla (Adrian Sherwood 12" Version)

29:42  Dub Specialists - Silence

35:21  Bost & Bim meet Fabwise - Creepy Movie

39:18  Holy Tongue - I Am Here In A Place Beyond Desire and Fear

43:57  Revolutionaries - Bamba in Dub

47:36  Satori & Dr Echo - Dub Decision

51:27  The Thugs - Kali is Our God

55:40  Suns of Arqa - Govinda's Hosue (Wadada Mix 12")

62:30  Om - Garden of Gethsemane

72:43  Misty in Roots - Mankind

76:52  Joss Stone - Underworld Dub

80:52  The Sugarcubes - Vitamin (Earth Dub)

86:05  Gaudi - Lunar Patchouli (DAT Master 2003)

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photo credit: https://www.soundonsound.com/techniques/using-multiple-audio-interfaces-together

329 Spiritual Reggae

There is more to Jamaican religious music than just the Rastafari and Nyabinghi styles. I've picked some obvious choices here, and pulled a lot from the compilations on Social Music Records "Noah Found Grace," and "Put No Blame on The Master." Yes the Jo Johnson Swf track cuts off short, but what is available is an excellent track worthy of being included. I went back and forth on the last track several times, it fits in this mix but it also sticks out in this mix. I didn't have anywhere else to use it, so decided why not. Easy enough for the listener to hit stop if they don't care for it.

00:00  Bob Marley - Rastaman Chant

03:46  Ras Michael - Keep Cool Babylon

07:25  Dicky Burton & The Prophets - God is Watching You (dub plate mix)

10:35  The Melodians - Rivers of Babylon

14:42  Jo Johnson Swf - Leave it There

16:14  Otis Wright - It's Soon Be Done

19:00  Astley Dixon - Put No Blame on the Master

21:31  Glen Francis - Hold My Hand

23:51  Grace & Peggy - How Great is The Lord

27:37  Ras Michael - Carnal Mind

30:35  The Gospel Singers - Noah Found Grace

32:31  L Winter - The Lord Will Make A Way Somehow

35:06  Bob Marley & The Wailers - Small Axe

38:52  unknown - Lead Me Through The Darkness

41:34  Triumphant Singers - I'll Soon Be Home

44:23  Bro Marshall - It Soon Be Done

46:42  Hubert Cunningham - In My Father's House

49:34  Laurel Aitken - Haile Selassie

52:44  Bob Marley - Forever Loving Jah

56:28  Max Romeo - Chase of the Devil

59:46  Yabby You - Dicky Burton, God is Watching You

62:33  Matisyahu - Jerusalem (Out of Darkness Comes Light)

 

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328c Hauntology Pop

Part 3, some more fine examples in this mix.  I'll certainly be making more mixes of this style in the future, this is enough for now.  Ending it with more from the Scott Pilgrim score, since the new show launches this week and I'm quite excited.

00:00  Mount Vernon Arts Lab - The Black Drop

03:08  Jane Weaver - Did You See Butterflies (Loops Variation)

07:26  Monoland - Vodoo

10:20  Node - Thin Air

18:38  Vanishing Twin - Vota Ubu

21:51  Jane Weaver - Slow Motion

26:48  Death & Vanilla - Arcana

31:03  Broadcast - Valerie

34:56  Pram - Strategies for Success Boxes

40:09  Portishead - Its a Fire

43:44  Vanishing Twin - It Sends My Heart Into A Spin

47:14  Death & Vanilla - The Dodens Vaniljsas Theme

50:23  Jane Weaver - Mission Desire

55:30  Pram - Carnival of Souls

60:22  Dome - Cruel When Complete

63:04  Nigel Godrich - Bye and Stuff

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photo credit: Christopher Relander

328b Hauntology Pop

More of the same hauntingly beautiful music.  Ghostly nostalgia for the dark afternoons now that daylight savings time has kicked in.  

00:00  Pye Corner Audio - The Black Mill Video Tape

04:35  Carla Dal Forno - Fast Moving Cars

08:01  Vanishing Twin - Cryonic Suspension May Save Your Life (edit)

11:40  LFO & Aphex Twin - Simon from Sydney/Untitled (Saw2 CD1 Track7)(Pram Remix)

16:32  Grouper - I'm Clean Now

19:04  Jane Weaver - Arrows (Loops Variation)

23:21  Pram - Track of the Cat

27:24  Isan - Betty's Lament

31:57  Monoland - Zine

36:59  Nigel Godrich - Second Cup

38:41  Gang Gang Dance - Vacuum

43:00  Cocteau Twins - Watchlar

45:58  O Yuki Conjugate - Anima

49:10  Death & Vanilla - Mercier

53:27  The Humble Bee - A Century of Humour

57:31  Broadcast - Where Youth and Laughter Go

61:57  Ela Orleans - You Go Through Me

65:39  Anne Garner - The Living

71:24  Tenhi - Sydanvalkea

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photo credit: Nick Mott artwork from Facebook

328a Hauntology Pop

I love this genre, spooky/nostalgic sounding songs somewhere in-between dreamy pop and dark ambient coming with a ghostly presence.  I know Ghost Box has been the go to for this stuff for ages, so I tried to only incorporate a few tracks from their roster.  Broadcast, Jane Weaver and Pram make several appearances across these three mixes.  I really enjoyed making these mixes as I listen to this stuff quite frequently.  Love how NPR is using Vanishing Twin as some segue music.  Of course I love any excuse to work Mimir into a mix.

00:00  Vanishing Twin - Magician's Success

03:54  Nigel Godrich - Hello Envy

04:35  Pram - Mother of Pearl

09:40  The Vampires of Dartmoore - Tanz Der Vampires

12:07  Neotropic - Sunflower Girl

17:18  Tarwater - The Watersample (Kiln mix)

20:56  The Gaslamp Killer Amir Yaghami - The Cat's Meow

23:34  Bright - Pannonica

26:13  Carla dal Forno - Clusters

30:24  Howie B - Maniac Melody

34:15  Monoland - MC Cann

39:47  Electric Flag - M-23

40:52  Grouper - Invisible

44:10  Burial - Forgive

46:51  The Ocean - Siderian

48:37  Death & Vanilla - A Flaw in the Iris

53:13  Broadcast - Echo's Answer (Black Session)

57:50  Gorodisch - Omaha

62:41  Jane Weaver - The Electric Mountain

68:19  Couch - Linie Gegen Strich

73:29  Kreng - Kolossus

77:54  Mimir - Entrance

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photo credit: https://courseofhorror.wordpress.com/2019/12/01/why-were-living-in-hauntological-times/

326 Covers of Cocteau Twins

Love a good cover song, and the Cocteau Twins are notoriously difficult to cover properly.  I've selected some of the best examples I had in my collection, and wanted to really showcase Faye Wong. She had a long standing collaboration with the Cocteau Twins, and the songs here represent her Mandarin interpretations of their works, and a couple tracks that Elizabeth and Robin wrote specifically for her. 

Shout out to this playlist that did a better job of researching covers than I did.  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/5saByrRCkkCfT35D6cboqo

00:00  Japancakes - Heaven or Las Vegas

04:40  Faye Wong - The Amusement Park

07:46  Deftones - Wax and Wane

11:55  Faye Wong - Random Thinking (Bluebeard)

15:41  Irene & The Disappointments - Iceblink Luck

18:53  Faye Wong - Nostalgia (Rilkean Heart)

22:08  Spooky - Hypo-Allergenic (remix of Fruitopia jingles)

28:13  Faye Wong - Repressing Happiness (Touch Upon Touch)

32:10  Azam Ali - Shallow Then Halo

36:36  Faye Wong - Know Oneself and Each Other (know who you are at every age)

40:00  Nouvelle Vague - Athol Brose

44:28  Livia - Mizake the Mizan

48:22  Faye Wong - Serpentskirt

55:12  The Lovecraft Sextet - Seekers Who Are Lovers

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photo credit: fan button

326b Elizabeth Fraser Appearances

Part two for my wife.  This time focusing on Elizabeth's appearances with other groups.  Sometimes taking the lead, sometimes hiding in the shadows, always putting her undeniable charm to every track.  I included some more rarities of the Cocteau Twins here, and a couple remixes of her solo work which felt like this was the right place to share it.

00:00  Fuel - Butterfly Knife

04:14  Ian McCulloch - Candleland (The Second Coming)

07:46  Felt - Primitive Painters

13:37  Medicine - Time Baby III

17:20  Yann Tiersen - Kala

21:21  Dif Juz - Love Insane

24:22  Cocteau Twins + Mark Clifford - Pitch the Baby (live)

28:04  This Mortal Coil - Song to the Siren

31:10  The Wolfgang Press - Respect

33:20  Elizabeth Fraser - Moses (Thighpaulsandra remix)

37:26  Massive Attack - Teardrop

42:45  Future Sound of London - Lifeforms Pt4 (Shuns Edit)

45:40  Howard Shore - Lothlorien

50:07  Elizabeth Fraser - Underwater (short shun remix)

53:32  Ian McCulloch - Candleland

56:40  Yann Tiersen - Mary

60:12  Cocteau Twins + Mark Clifford - Aloysius (live)

64:57  Ian McCulloch - Heaven's Gate

68:48  Felt - The Day the Rain Came Down

71:15  Howard Shore - Isengard Unleashed

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photo credit: post-punk.com

326a Cocteau Twins Rarities

This is for my wife.  She LOVES Cocteau Twins and I barely knew them when we met.  To remedy that I quickly purchased the 2CD BBC sessions comp, and checked out a vinyl copy of "Heaven or Las Vegas" from the library (quite a find).  The post-punk energy and darkness of "Garlands" era resonated the most with me.  It wasn't until I came across the "Otherness" EP with remixes by Seefeel member Mark Clifford that I really opened up to the ethereal dreaminess of the majority of their work.  Our first Christmas together, I bought my wife the 10CD Box set "Singles Collection" and we listened to those quite often, so I became much more familiar with the non-album tracks.  

This mix may not be that super-rare, but it is rare enough to my wife and I.  Covering non-album tracks, soundtracks, alternate versions and even those Fruitopia commercials jingles they did.  As expected the sound quality of rare tracks will vary, but I think its pleasing overall.  

The youtube and spotify mixes may not have all the rare versions, so I did my best.  Like the demo version of Perhaps Some Other Aeon, or the alternat version of Pink Orange Red.  Plus spotify seems to only have Lullabies to Violane and the 10CD singles box set, there are a lot of gaps in the playlist there.

00:00  Alice (Violaine)

04:16  Circling Girl (Volume version)

07:41  Summerblink (Doom Generation)

10:43  Orange Apppled (Love's Easy Tears)

13:26  Fruitopia #1 (Rarities and B-Sides)

13:54  Mud and Dark (Evangeline)

17:26  Need-Fire (Judge Dread)

21:22  Touch Upon Touch (Volume version)

25:23  Ivo (Alternate Version) (Treasure)

29:21  Perhaps Some Other Aeon (Demo) (Speak No Evil)

32:19  Pitch The Baby (Alternate Version) (Red Tape)

35:52  The Thinner The Air (Massive Attack Mix) (Victorialand)

38:53  Crushed (Lonely is an Eyesore)

42:02  Primitive Heart (Tishbite)

45:49  Flock of Soul (Tishbite)

49:15  Pink Orange Red (Alternate Version) (Rarities and B-Sides)

53:44  Evangeline (Treasure Hiding)

58:06  Dials (Rare Tracks EP)

60:34  Fruitopia #2 (Rarities and B-Sides)

61:18  Oomingmak (Instrumental) (Rare Tracks EP)

63:56  Round (Tishbite)

67:26  The High Monkey-Monk (Rare Tracks EP)

70:26  Be Still (Robin Guthrie Mix) (Rarities and B-Sides)

73:57  Tranquil Eye (Violaine Pink)

  

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photo credit: https://lyriquediscorde.com/2022/05/03/know-who-you-are-at-every-age-by-cocteau-twins-2/