5 GREAT TRACKS (ALBUM AND OTHERWISE) FOR FRIDAY (Part 23)

A few weeks ago, I posted the 12" version of Club Country and in response got this terrific email :-

Hello!!!
I’ve attached my MP3 of the extended version of Club Country, as yours has a very slight ‘jump’ at 1.48. And me, being very fussy about my music just wanted you to have the full version to enjoy.
Whilst I’m at it, I just wanted to add some other comments about Billy. When ‘Party Fears two’ came out, and was played on Radio 1 (in the days of mono), I couldn’t believe just how soaring Billy’s voice was, and the vastness of the production by Mike Hedges. 29 years later, both songs, and the whole of ‘Sulk’ are ranked as classics of song writing, and production. The bass guitar sound, and drums, have never been bettered on any album since, in my opinion. When Billy decided to ‘call it a day’, I was shocked, moved, and saddened, as I believed then that we had lost one of the greatest voices to come from Scotland, and still believe this now. I would also say that ‘Perhaps’ does have its faults, production-wise, but ‘Those First Impressions’, and ‘Breakfast’ reflect Billy’s’ progress as a lyric writer. ‘The Associates’ suffered with the departure of Rankin, as Billy was unable to write music (he had to hum the music he wanted to the musicians), his future output was aided by other music writers on his solo output. Sometimes this worked, not always, but he always managed to keep my interest, and continues today. He was able to add vocal texture to Yello’s ‘One Second’ album, to which Dieter, I believe, was very grateful.


I could go on about Billy, and the influence he had on many, many singers over the last 30 years, but I’m not a musician, nor a singer, just a very grateful music lover. My original 12” copy of ‘Club Country remains one of my favourites, in almost pristine condition. And if you ever come across the original vinyl album version of it, post that. I made the mistake of flogging my vinyl version a few years ago, and never converted it into MP3 format …big, BIG mistake.

It’s late on a Monday, so I’d better go. Keep posting this great music, and thank you very much.

Darren Stuart, from Brighton

In return I was able to send Darren the mp3 of the album version as I've still got my vinyl copy of Sulk, and in doing so, I asked him if he fancied having a go at doing 5 tracks featuring Billy Mackenzie for the Friday series as I was having real trouble narrowing it down.  To my great delight, Darren said yes, and here's his offering:-



It’s Tuesday 12 July, just turned 10pm, and have just finished watching QI on Dave. I was going to type this up an hour or so ago, but my wife needed to look at stuff on the Next website. Fair enough. I need shorts for the Summer, so why get in the way of internet shopping? Anyway, dunno why I’m telling you this. Probably because I’ve been meaning to do this for a few days, and days blur into one it seems at the moment. Right…to the matter in hand…

Billy MacKenzie’s finest moments. I’ve been catching up and reminding myself of his back catalogue with The Associates, his solo stuff, and his collaborations. He worked with many different artists, over many genres. After hearing ‘Party Fears Two’ in 1982 on (mono) Radio 1, I went to Rounder Records here in Brighton (where Fatboy Slim once worked, as did the Midfield General, before they founded Skint), and brought the 12” of it. I played both sides of that over and over (I was 14 at the time), and took that to a party at one of the seaside hotels to impress the invited guests (along with my Kraftwerk 12” of ‘The Model’/’Computer Love’, and after too, too many glasses of something shocking, threw up over the cover of ‘Party Fears Two’, and after cleaning it up a few days later…passed it onto my best mate. As far as I know, he still has it. Therefore, for that sad little story, I’ll nominate ‘Party…’ as choice one.

mp3 : Associates - Party Fears Two (12" version)

The fact that the whole of the ‘Sulk’ album is as close to a perfect rock/pop/alternative/call-it-what-you-like 40 minutes of vinyl to any music lover makes whittling down to just five tracks, quite tricky. And the fact that I’m also stone-cold sober whilst I’m doing this doesn’t help either. I’ve got my Bose headphones on, and have gone through ‘Boys Keep Swinging’, ‘The Best Of You’ (with Eddi Reader’s co-vocals, and now ‘Breakfast’, so I’ll throw in ‘Boys…’ as they had the sheer cheek of recording it just weeks after Bowie released it. RCA heard about this, and tried to stop it being released. Bowie found out, and found the whole thing rather funny, and let them go ahead. Nice little story, and I still have my 7” vinyl copy of it on MCA, with ‘Mona Property Girl’ on the flip.

mp3 : Associates - Boys Keep Swinging

Billy’s work with other artists didn’t always bring out the best in him, and it’s quite clear that the split from Rankine left him in unchartered waters to a degree. After ‘Sulk’, and before the patchy ‘Perhaps’, he put out ‘Ice Cream Factory’. I’m looking at the 12” sleeve at the moment…’MacKenzie sings Orbidöig’. Who’s Orbidöig? I should ‘Google, but it’s now 10.31 and this is more important. So I’ve listened to my rip of that, and ‘Cream Of Ice Cream Factory’ over the last few days, so ‘Cream…’ is in.

mp3 : Mackenzie Sings Orbidoig - Ice Cream Factory

I’ve been a fan if Yello since 1983. Radio 1 rotated ‘I love you’ constantly, but it never managed to go Top 40. My mate Tigger brought the one-sided 3D picture disc of it, and I went to our local, tiny, Virgin in Queens Road, and brought ‘You Gotta Say Yes To Another Excess’. I still have that vinyl LP (in almost immaculate condition), along with the rest of Yello’s output in either vinyl or CD. Billy worked with Yello for a time during the latter part of the ‘80’s, and the beginning of the ‘90’s, co-writing lyrics, and providing both lead, and backing vocals. ‘One Second’ was released during ’87, with Billy providing backing vocals and lyrics to ‘The Rhythm Divine’, and Dame Shirley Bassey singing lead. No Dieter to be heard. He was probably playing golf at the time. I won’t choose that, as I much prefer ‘Moon On Ice’ whereby Billy’s vocals glide gracefully over a gentle arrangement that Boris Blank is so good at.

mp3 : Yello (with Billy Mackenzie) - Moon On Ice

One to go. I feel the need to go back, prior to ‘Sulk’. I’m flicking through ‘The Affectionate Punch, and ‘Fourth Drawer Down’. I’ve always loved strange electronica on records, which is why the vast majority of my musical taste revolves around Kraftwerk, Blancmange, Ultravox, Talk Talk, Cocteau Twins, Colourbox, and so on and so on. ‘White Car In Germany’ is now playing through the headphones. There is an almost Germanic feel to it. Cold, almost oppressive. Even slightly claustrophobic. Not a tune you could warm to on a first play. Suits me fine, as I approach the 11th hour, and before I get myself into the kitchen to do the washing up, and before I settle down to more ‘Dave’ with a lager or two as a nightcap. ‘White Car…’ it is to finish this off.

mp3 : Associates - White Car In Germany

And you can bet your arse that as I fall back into bed, knackered after a really trying day, I’ll want to drop one from this small list, and add in…I dunno…’Those First Impressions’ 12” as an example. But not ‘Waiting For The Loveboat’, or something from the techno-tinged ‘Auchtermatic’, or ‘Give Me Time’ from ‘Beyond The Sun’. I have a problem with ‘Beyond…’, as whenever one of the tracks comes up on my Ipod, all I can think of is the way he decided to end it all.

Not only am I not a musician, or a singer, I’m not a writer. So I’ve written this as if I was speaking to a friend in a quiet pub, over the third of fourth pint of real ale, enthusing over great singers, great songs, and what music we’ve shared as we’ve grown older, away from Radio 1, and what 6Music could and should play on a perfect day. I’ve enjoyed putting this together, as ‘Beyond The Sun’ plays away through the headphones. Unfortunately, I have a sad image of Billy fixed in my mind. It’s time to stop. But I’m going to attach Heaven 17’s version of ‘Party Fears Two’ to this. Sadder than the original. And it was beautifully presented by them last year when they played The Corn Exchange. Glenn Gregory’s vocals were befitting to such a great tune. Not to be forgotten.

mp3 : Heaven 17 - Party Fears Two

Darren Stuart, Friday 22 July 2011


PS from JC:-

Don't know about the rest of you........but I reckon Darren does himself a disservice by saying he's not a writer.  What he supplied for today was perfect in every way for this little corner of the interwebbyblog thing.....