Sunday, August 08, 2004


Inspired by my recent forays into the world of vinyl ripping I give you some oldies from my 12" collection...

Set The Tone's Dance Sucker (Francois Kevorkian Remix) is a fantstically crunk punk funk number from 1982 - big disco beats, chikka chikka guitar and a seriously squelchy bass line with major ranting on the vocals. This tune blew me away back in the day and failed to make any kind of impression on the charts - I thought it deserved to be a big hit. It still sounds good today, fitting into the whole post punk dance rock thing. This version is the 12" remix by Francois Kevorkian, who is still successfully at it today.

Robert Palmer is best known for his hits with the Power Station, and for his stretch of solo hits in the mid '80s - you know, Addicted To Love etc.. A lot of folks don't know that he also dabbled in dance floor electronica in the early years of the decade, and You Are In My System is his stomping electro cover of the band The System's signature tune. I own a few of these 12"s from that era, and they are all fantastic and experimental, especially the b sides. This era of his career, between the bluesy stuff of the early years and the more crunchy rock of the latter years is still my fave period.

Felt's Ballad Of The Band is a catchy little number from '86 - it reminds me a lot of Lloyd Cole and the Commotions, but with Lou Reed on vocals instead. It's an uptempo guitar pop tune with some great organ, and has that classic Brit pop sound. These guys were one of Creation Records' great hopes at the time, but they never achieved big success.

Edwyn Collins' Seventies Night is not such an oldie - it just sounds like one. This is a remix by Deadly Avenger, and it is typical of his style - crusty as hell beats and big chunky bass. This is a big disco number, and I can imagine people roller skating to this one. Mark E Smith from The Fall provided guest vocals on the original, and they are the only vocals left on this mix. Good, fun mix.

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