Jive Presents Acid House

August 3rd, 2012

Are you ready for some acid house?

Acid house, for you young kids out there who may not know, was one of the most influential and important dance sub-genres of the late-80/early-90s. It was an offshoot of Chicago house that employed the unique properties of the Roland TB-303 synthesizer-sequencer to create a sound that was more electronic, bizarre and trippy than anything that had been heard before. If you’re interested in reading more about the genre’s history and its sound, I suggest checking out the wiki, although it barely touches on the importance and lasting impact of the genre.

I think acid house has been kind of forgotten by the younger generation of electronic music fans, which is a shame as it was a key point in the history of electronic music. Before acid house, most dance music still had one foot in disco, relying way too much on four-on-the-floor beats and kick drums. By the time acid house made its way to England in the early 90s, it had stripped all of those aspects away, becoming one of the first purely electronic forms of dance music. Yes, I know other electronic dance music existed well before acid house, but it was one of the first to really catch on with the club crowd in a big way. Hell, as that wiki mentions it’s probably solely responsible for the birth of the UK rave scene (well, that and ecstasy).

That’s the scene that gave birth to Underworld, Fatboy Slim, The Chemical Brothers, The Orb, Prodigy and countless others acts that would go on to dominate electronic music (and to some extent pop music) in the later half of the 90s. Do you like electronic music? Then you should at least respect acid house, because without it your favorite electronic artists of today probably wouldn’t exist.

Which brings us to this album, one of the earliest compilations of the genre that I can think of. All the tracks on this record exemplify what made acid house acid house; simple beats, remixed and sampled vocals; and more 303 “squelch” sounds than you can shake an off-brand drum machine at. All awesome stuff, so let’s get into it.

Lisa M
Rock to The Beat (Short Circuit Mix)
A great seven and a half minute jam that combines the excellent acid sounds of the genre with some amazing vocals by Lisa M, whose full name is Lisa Moorish. She released one album, I’ve Gotta have It All, in 1996 on Go! Beat, but I think that was her only release as a solo artist. Since then the London-based singer has appeared as a backup singer on a few different releases, including singles for Ash, Oasis and Babyshambles. Didn’t see that one coming. This is one of the best songs on the album.

The Wee Papa Girls
Blow The House Down (Hard Core Mix)
The hideously-named Wee Papa Girls were a UK-based pair of rappers who released two albums on Jive in the late 80s and early 90s before calling it quits. I can’t find much in the way in activity for either of the girls after they split up. To be honest, their vocals are the least interesting thing on this excellent track, one again it’s the radical sequencer work that steals the show. Love this tune, it’s a sonic freakout.

Children Of The Night Featuring Rankin’ Roger
We Play Ska (Trojan Horse Mix)
While “We Play Ska” is a really odd name for an acid house tune, it’s a pretty accurate one. If there ever was a ska/house mash-up, it would be this track, thanks to is offbeat combination of 303 acid grooves with reggae vocals, trumpets and what sounds like a sample from a vintage ska track. We’ve been over how I feel about ska, but I do love anything with a hard 303 sequence, so I dig this track.

As for the people behind the music, Children Of the Night were Neil Rushton and Wayne Archbold, two DJ/producers who did more stuff behind the scenes as managers and producers than as artists themselves.  Rankin’ Roger is the MC on the track, and he released two CDs, one in 1988 and another in 2001. So I’m really looking forward to his 2014 release.

Mr. Lee and The Chi Town Posse
Pump It Up (Pump the Acid Remix)
Mr. Lee is a Chicago-born rapper who found some success in London in the early 90s thanks to his dance/rap hybrid style. Other dance hits by Mr. Lee include “Pump Up London,” “Pump Up Chicago” and “Pump That Body.” Apparently, the dude was pumped and wanted you to be as well. I’m not a huge fan of his rapping, but I love the sequencing on this tune.

And before you ask, I have no idea who The Chi Town Posse is.

Big Fun
Living For Your Love (Blow the Amp Mix)
Big Fun were a boy band, but apparently someone in their production group decided they should have an acid house remix. I’ve never heard the original version of this track, but I bet it’s pretty different than this remix, which is over seven minutes long and dissolves into nothing more than a sequencer melody and a drum beat near the end. Not a horrible track, but definitely the weakest song on this album.

Rhythm Is Rhythm
Beyond The Dance
Rhythm Is Rhythm is Derrick May.

Derrick May, in case you aren’t aware, was one of the originators of Detroit Techno. Meaning he’s one of the originators of techno as a genre of music. So yeah, he’s a big deal. Needless to say, this song is fucking fantastic and you should listen to it now.

 

Posted in Big Fun, Children Of The Night, Complete Albums, Derrick May, Lisa M, Mr. Lee and The Chi Town Posse, Rankin' Roger, Rhythm Is Rhythm, The Wee Papa Girls | 12 Comments »

Blur 21: First Impressions

August 2nd, 2012

Quick review-type-thing for those with short attention spans: the Blur 21 box set is as awesome as it is huge (and in case you didn’t know, it’s freakin’ huge). So if you like Blur, you should probably just go ahead and buy it. If you want to know what makes it so awesome (and in some cases, a little less than awesome) feel free to read on. However, I want to note that this is not a full-on review of the box set. This thing is huge (seriously, I’m going to use that word a lot to describe this beast) and I haven’t had time to absorb it all, so I don’t think it’s fair to call this a review because of that. Like the headline says, these are my first impressions of the box, nothing more nothing less.

Now let’s do this.

Sound Quality
Since an alarming number of people come to this blog to find out about this stuff, I suppose I’ll cut right to the chase and start with my findings about the quality of the remaster.

According to the promotional materials for Blur 21, only the first five CDs have been “remastered.” As longtime readers of my blog know, “remastered” more often than not really means “take out the dynamic range and compress the song so its all a loud pile of shit.” So how do the remastered Blur CDs make out? Well, see for yourself. Below are screen captures of waveforms from five songs, one from each remastered CD. In each capture the top waveform is from the original non-remastered version of the album, while the bottom is taken from the remastered edition. Below each screen capture are measures of each version’s dynamic range (the difference between the loudest and quietest parts of a recording). The higher a dynamic range, the more of a difference. For the most part a  higher dynamic range is better.

There’s No Other WayOriginal – 11
New – 7

Chemical World
Original – 12
New – 9

Girls & Boys
Original – 13
New – 9

Country House
Original – 10
New –  8

Song 2
Original –  8
New –  8

In some cases those look like some pretty drastic differences, and they are. However, I really can’t hear that much of a difference or any kind of degradation in quality. I think that’s because that, even though the remastered versions are louder, there’s no clipping and nothing is distorted or chopped off for the sake of loudness. Much like the Smashing Pumpkins’ Siamese Dream remaster, it appears the Blur albums were taken to their absolute limit of loudness without causing distortion. It’s kind of pointless, but like I said, I really can’t hear that much of a difference. I’m sure there are hardcore Blur fans who will be outraged by this, but sorry, I’m not one of them.

Presentation
When I first saw promotional materials for the Blur 21 box I was less than impressed. It just seemed like a tiny blue box with a silver Blur logo on it. Not at all cool looking. Well, I was wrong. Turns out it’s a giant blue box with a silver Blur logo on it. This thing does house a 7″ single (more on that in a bit) so to fit that thing in there the entire box has to be 7″ x 7″ x 7″. That doesn’t sound that big, but trust me, this is one hefty looking cube of music. It’s going to hold its own on my record shelf next to my LP box sets. Opening it up and emptying it out really shows how big it is.

The inside of the box is laid out rather well also, with the CDs arranged nicely in a little rack in the center, with the 7″ single and an awesome hardcover book that covers everything you’ve ever wanted to know about Blur stashed away on the side. Very slick.

 

One of the odder inclusions with the set is a card with a download code.  The code gives you access to PDFs of the complete catalog of Blur fanclub newsletters, which is cute, as well as downloads to every CD in the set, which is…kind of strange and pointless. I mean, they’re CDs. Why do I need a download code? But hey, it’s convenient I guess if you want to own the box set and never ever actually take the CDs out the shrink rap (although you’d still need to open the DVD case if you wanted to watch those).

To be honest, if you never did open the CDs, you wouldn’t be missing much, each album (along with it’s bonus disc) is held in a plain reproduction case with no notable linear notes aside from the tracklistings, which can also be found in the hardcover book. I saw some commenters on another site complaining about this, but it really doesn’t bother me.

What’s In The Box!
Damn near everything. Seriously. This box includes all seven proper Blur albums, each with their own bonus disc of added songs. In addition to that, four CDs filled with even more bonus tracks in the form of rarities, B-sides, demos, alternate versions and remixes are also included. All in all that’s 282 songs of Blur; 18 hours and 41 minutes of Britpop joy. And that’s not even counting the stuff that’s on the 3 included DVDs, which are full of concert footage and promotional videos that are worth watching.  And let’s not forget the 7″ single, which includes the never-before-released “Superman,” a song from the 1989 when the band was still called Seymour. What more could a fan want? Well, since you asked…

What’s Not In The Box?
While a lot of great mixes did make it onto the set, quite a few didn’t make the cut. The remixes to “Bang” are absent as are remixes to other Leisure-era tracks “High Cool” and “Bad Day,” among others.

Additionally, the Japanese imports Bustin’ + Dronin’ and Live At Budokan are missing in action. While Bustin’ + Dronin’ is now easily available in the states and in the UK, the Budokan album remains out of print outside of Japan, so its inclusion here would have been nice. Live at Hyde Park is also nowhere to be found, but like Bustin’ + Dronin’, that’s easy to find on its own in most territories.

Conclusion
Time, and repeated listens, will tell if this box set truly is a must buy. I still can’t taken the whole thing in, and I may be missing mastering errors and other issues that seem to plague remasters and re-issues as of late. But as far as none of those rear their ugly heads, I think it’s safe for me to say that this is a must buy set for any Blur fan, it’s simply stellar. Yeah, the remaster may not be perfect, but it’s good enough, and the bonus tracks and other goodies more than make up for it.

Seriously, this thing is wicked awesome.

Posted in Blur, No music | 5 Comments »

David Bowie’s Cocaine Adds Life (Cocaine Bear Approves)

July 30th, 2012

Another week, another amazing 2LP bootleg. This time it’s from David Bowie.

Cocaine Adds Life

The wonderfully titled Cocaine Adds Life mostly features tracks from mid-70s Thin White Duke Bowie (hence the title), but it also throws in some random 80s stuff on the last side. While Discogs sites the album as coming out in 2008, I think that’s a repressing, and that the version I have actually came out in 1984 (as this site claims). If the back cover of my version is to believed, the bootleg label responsible for this release only printed 200 of these bad boys (mine is number 66), making it a pretty rare find.

Regardless of where and when it came from, and how rare it is, it’s a great bootleg full of some pretty interesting stuff. The first three sides are a complete concert, recorded live at the Rotterdam Sports Palais Ahoy on May 13th, 1976. The recording is from a soundboard, so it’s crystal clear, if a little flat. Although Bowie complains on the recording that he’s suffering from a bit of bronchitis, he sounds great as the band plays through some of his best material of the time, including “Station to Station,” “TVC15” and “Diamond Dogs.”

The final side of the bootleg is a grab bag of bonus cuts culled from a variety of sources. First up is a recording of Bowie performing “Sweet Jane” with Lou Reed on July 8th, 1972 in London. It’s a real rarity, which makes up for the fact that the recording kind of sounds like garbage. After that there’s another super-rare one, Bowie doing a cover of The Beatles’ “This Boy,” performed on July 18th, 1972 in Aylesbury. It also sounds pretty bad though.

That’s followed by “Sister Midnight,” taken from a performance in Toronto on February 26th, 1976, and a version of “Sound and Vision,” that’s from a show in London on July 1st, 1978. These sound bad, but better than the previous tracks.

Finally there are a pair of tracks taken from two shows in Brussels on April 18th and 19th, 1983. The first is a rare live version of “Joe The Lion” and the second is a cover of The Who’s “I Can’t Explain.” These also sound okay, but not great.

Truth be told, the final side is pretty much a wash when it comes to sound quality, although those versions of “Sweet Jane” and “This Boy” should probably be of interest to Bowie completists out there. Like I said before, the real treat here is the complete concert from 1976. It sounds great and is well worth a listen. I hope you like it.

Complete Track Listing

Rotterdam Concert – 5/13/176

  1. Station to Station
  2. Suffragette City
  3. Fame
  4. Word On A Wing
  5. Stay
  6. Waiting For The Man
  7. Band Introduction
  8. Changes
  9. TVC15
  10. Diamond Dogs
  11. Rebel Rebel
  12. Jean Genie

Additional Tracks

  1.  Sweet Jane – 7/8/72
  2. This Boy –  7/18/72
  3. Sister Midnight – 2/26/76
  4. Sound And Vision – 7/1/78
  5. Joe The Lion – 5/18/83
  6. I Can’t Explain – 5/19/83

Posted in Complete Albums, David Bowie, live | No Comments »

Crazy for Dance Craze

July 27th, 2012

Dance Craze (Complete Album Download)

I love ska!

Okay, that was a lie. I just lied to you, and I apologize.

The truth is, I’ve never loved ska, no matter how much I try. I blame The Mighty Mighty Bosstones. Seriously, it’s all their fault.

Like most stupid Americans, I never heard of ska until the mid-90s, when barely-ska acts like the Bosstones, Reel Big Fish and No Doubt broke the sound through to the mainstream. And, let’s be honest, those bands and others like them were at their best slightly better than horrible. The Mighty Mighty Bosstones remain one of my most-hated bands of all time, right next to Creed and The Nixons (I have my reasons, okay?). I’ve done my best to forget about Reel Big Fish completely, and I only grew to tolerate No Doubt when the abandoned their ska roots for a more electronic sound.

So it’s all their fault, they’re why I hate ska. But I’ve been trying my best to educate myself, broaden my horizons. In doing so I’ve discovered that I actually like early ska! I know, I was shocked too, but the  2 tone (second wave ska) stuff out of England, I’m really beginning to dig that stuff. And this album is a big reason for that.

Dance Craze is like a Ska Urgh, a great compilation of early 80s tracks by artists both big (Bad Manners, The Beat, Madness) and small (The Bodysnatchers, The Selecter). It’s actually the soundtrack to a movie that came out in 1981, although it’s never been released on any format since, aside from VHS and that was only in England. (Although you can watch it on YouTube). The movie has 27 great performances, but the LP soundtrack cut that down to a slim 16 songs, which is a drag, especially considering amazing tracks like Madness’ “The Prince” and “Too Much Too Young” by The Specials were among those cut.

But that doesn’t mean the album was left with nothing but the dregs. The radical “Three Minute Hero” by The Selector is here, as well as an excellent version of The (English) Beat’s “Mirror In The Bathroom.” Thankfully we’re also gifted with a rocking jam of “One Step Beyond” by Madness AKA the greatest ska song of all time ever in the history of anything ever (don’t you dare try to correct me.)

Download and enjoy, and tell me about other 2-tone artists that you think I might dig.

Just don’t try to sell me on the Bosstones okay? Many have tried, and I have destroyed all of them.

And in case you’re wondering, here’s the complete tracklisting:

Side One

  1. “Concrete Jungle” – The Specials
  2. “Mirror In The Bathroom” – The Beat
  3. “Lip Up Fatty” – Bad Manners
  4. “Razor Blade Alley” – Madness
  5. “Three Minute Hero” – The Selecter
  6. “Easy Life” – The Bodysnatchers
  7. “Big Shot” – The Beat
  8. “One Step Beyond” – Madness

Side Two

  1. “Ranking Full Stop” – The Beat
  2. “Man At C&A” – The Specials
  3. “Missing Words” – The Selecter
  4. “Inner London Violence” – Bad Manners
  5. “Night Boat To Cairo” – Madness
  6. “Too Much Pressure” – The Selecter
  7. “Nite Klub” – The Specials

Also, a note to longtime readers of The Lost Turntable. I posted this soundtrack eons ago, but you should still download it again (if you like it). This rip is much better.

And one more thing. I was serious when I said I don’t care if you like the Mighty Mighty Bosstones, Reel Big Fish or any other of those shit bands. If you leave me a comment about how my taste sucks I’ll just delete it, so don’t bother.

Posted in Complete Albums, soundtrack | 13 Comments »

The Incredible Sounds Of Synclavier II Demo Record

July 24th, 2012

You see that? That’s the Synclavier II, one of the first digital synthesizers. Before synthesizers like that, most of them were analog.

What’s the difference?

Well, the sound in an analog synthesizer is created and modulated by the physical movement of its components, while a digital synthesizer creates sound using computer hardware. While some (including me) think that analog synths sound cooler and are more organic, they are a royal pain in the ass to work with. They’re very hard to maintain, and they go out of tune pretty easily. In fact, in some cases the heat that is generated by simply playing them over an extended period of time is enough make them go out of tune. Just imagine how much of a nightmare they must have been for touring musicians at the time. I don’t know how Tangerine Dream did it. Of course, I don’t know how Tangerine Dream does a lot of things.

That’s a hell of a barrier of entry for a lot of musicians. So in the late 70s, companies began to experiment with digital synthesizers and in 1979, the Fairlight DMI became the first digital synth to see widespread use within the recording community. One year later New England Digital’s Synclavier II followed suit.

While the Fairlight probably had a larger foothold in the popular music landscape thanks to its use by artists like Peter Gabriel, New Order, Devo and Herbie Hancock, the Synclavier also played a pretty big part in creating what would become the sound of the 80s. Frank Zappa’s 1986 album Jazz From Hell was composed almost entirely on a Synclavier, and artists as diverse as Paul Simon, Mr. Mister and Trevor Horn all made use of the Synclavier throughout the decade.

And I’m willing to bet that at least a few of those artists, and many others, listened to this record before doing so.

The Incredible Sounds of Synclavier II
Side 1
Side 2
Patrick Gleeson – Summer 

Released in 1981, this blue promotional record is basically one long demo reel that highlights the many strengths of the Synclavier. Throughout both sides of the record you’ll hear synthesized bells, gongs, pianos, drums, bass and various spacey synth sounds that would eventually make their way to countless albums over the next 10 years. It’s not really that musical, but for anyone interested in the behind-the-scenes aspects of the recording industry, digital equipment, or just goofy weird records, then this is probably worth a listen. At the end of the second side the full musical capabilities are showcased via Patrick Gleeson’s interpretation of Vivaldi’s “Summer,” which I’ve included as a separate track.

I know Michael Jackson and Quincy Jones probably listened to this record when it came out. Doubt me? Just listen to side one and skip ahead to about six minute and 44 seconds in. If you don’t want to, fine, you can just beat it.

Posted in Complete Albums | 6 Comments »

Echoes of Romance – An Ultravox(!) Bootleg

July 23rd, 2012

Echoes Of Romance
Part 1
Part 2
I’ve been accumulating quite a few bootlegs lately so I think I’m going to have to go bootleg crazy for the next few weeks to clear them out of my queue. Don’t worry, I’m sure most of you will like what I have to offer (even those of you who whine about “decent music).” So let’s just jump right in with one of my favorite recent bootleg finds, Echoes Of Romance by Ultravox.

This is an awesome album because it’s basically two great bootlegs in one, 30 songs pulled from two completely different shows. The first 15 tracks are taken from a December 26th, 1978 concert at the Marquee in England. This is the original(ish) line-up that includes Robin Simon on guitars and, more importantly, John Foxx on vocals. It’s classic early Ultravox, a bizarre combination of punk rock, synthpop and glam rock that still sounds unique and fresh some 32 years later. The quality is also excellent, with very clear vocals and almost no audience chatter. Classics like “Young Savage” and “Hiroshima Mon Amour” are performed, as well as awesome unheralded tunes like “Walk Away” and the supremely odd “Someone Else’s Clothes.” It’s a great show and worth a listen to even the most casual fans of the group’s early work.

The second half of this three-LP bootleg is comprised of songs from a December 13th, 1980 concert at the Odeon Hammersmith. This is of the “classic” line-up that features Midge Ure on vocals. The quality of this recording is a little more sketchy, with the vocals coming off a little more muddled at times and audience noises sometimes making their way into the mix. But even with its lesser fidelity it’s still well worth a listen for fans of the group as the band plays favorites like “New Europeans,” “All Stood Still,” and “Vienna.” Even Foxx-era tracks like “Hiroshima Mon Amour” and “Quiet Man” make an appearance. Great stuff all around.

I’m curious, which Ultravox do you all like the most? The punkier, harsher John Foxx stuff, or the classier, new romantic-influenced Midge Ure albums?

I love them both, although I still don’t have all of the Ure-era stuff. I think my favorite Ultravox song overall is the Ure-fronted “Hymm,” but I also have a soft spot for the crazier Foxx tracks like “Young Savage” and “Saturday Night In the City of the Dead.” Ask me which iteration of the band I prefer one day and you might get a different answer the next. I can’t decide.

Just don’t bring up the Billy Currie-led era. That never happened.

NEVER HAPPENED.

Posted in bootlegs, Complete Albums, live, Ultravox | 6 Comments »

Pussycat Boots

July 19th, 2012

Adam Ant
Puss’n Boots (Extended Version)
Kiss The Drummer (Extended Version)
Okay, Phil Collins produced and played drums on one of these tracks. Guess which one?

You’re wrong! He worked on “Puss’n Boots,” not “Kiss The Drummer.” You think he would have wanted to work on the song that promoted giving love to drummers, but I guess he was more of a fairy tale fan. The real important question to ask after analyzing all of this information is “how the hell did Phil Collins get involved on an Adam Ant album?” Was Adam Ant a big Lamb Lies Down On Broadway fan? Actually, that wouldn’t surprise me, but I would’ve pegged him as more of a Peter Gabriel fan.

But I digress, this single was recorded during the height of Adam Ant’s “New Romantic” period, as evident by that amazing cover you see. I love that for a brief moment in the early 80s the “slightly foppish dandy highwayman/pirate with a tinge of Mad Max” look was the epitome of sexy. Of course, it wasn’t the only time that happened. Thanks Johnny Depp. Both tunes are great examples of Adam at the height of his pop powers. I’m digging the hell out of the “Puss’n Boots” mix right now.

Faster Pussycat
Bathroom Wall (Remix with Intro)
Bathroom Wall (Remix)
I know two Faster Pussycat songs, this and “House of Pain.” And while “House Of Pain” made them stars (at least for a minute), I greatly prefer the sleazy fun that is “Bathroom Wall.” It’s also featured prominitely in The Decline Of Western Civilization Part II, the greatest rock documentary of all-time that you can’t get on DVD.

As for these remixes, they’re more like single edits than proper new mixes, cutting down the intro to get straight to the first verse as soon as possible. The “with intro” version includes a silly little two second sped up vocal clip. I prefer the one without it. But in the interests of my being a needless completest, here are both versions.

This reminds me though, if you have a tangential interest in both Faster Pussycat and covers of new wave songs (and why wound’t you?), then you should check out this cover of “Cities In Dust” by The Newlydeads, another band fronted by Faster Pussycat lead singer Taime Downe. It’s shockingly good.

 

Posted in Adam Ant, Faster Pussycat, remixes | 2 Comments »

Smashing Pumpkins – Pisces Iscariot Deluxe Edition Review

July 18th, 2012

Pisces Iscariot was first released in 1994. Primarily a B-sides and outtakes collection, it lacks the cohesion and tightness that other Pumpkins albums of the era have, but it’s still a quality collection of excellent tunes nonetheless. While the album is probably not anyone’s favorite Smashing Pumpkins record, it does have plenty of tracks that remain standouts in the Pumpkins’ repertoire to this day, including the band’s classic cover of Fleetwood Mac’s “Landslide,” the hard-rocking “Frail & Bedazzled” and the legendary epic face-melting shredfest that is “Starla.”

Even though Pisces Iscariot is “just” a b-sides compilation, Billy Corgan still decided that it should be part of his massive re-issue campaign which to date has already seen excellent three-disc (2 CD/1 DVD ) re-releases of the band’s first two albums; Gish and Siamese Dream.

In my reviews for those re-issues I noted that not only were the remasters decent (although not optimal) but that the deluxe editions of the albums included a good selection of excellent demos, b-sides and other rarities that fans of the groups should enjoy. I gave both my wholehearted endorsement.

I don’t think I can do the same for Pisces Iscariot.

Oh boy, this one is really a mixed bag. Where do I begin?

Disc 2 of the collection is probably what fans of the band are interested in the most, as it’s where most of the previously unheard material is held, so I suppose I’ll start there. The packaging for the album describes the second disc a collection of “17 previously unreleased or alternative versions of Pisces era songs.” But that’s a lie. Only nine of the tracks on disc two are in fact previously unreleased, the rest are culled from singles, compilations or the Earphoria album (which is weird since that’s still in print).

Those nine tracks are good though, and should be of interest to most Pumpkins fans. Highlights include the quiet “Blissed,” which is exceptionally beautiful, and unexpected covers of “Cinnamon Girl” and “Venus In Furs.” And while they have been previously released, it’s a safe bet that most fans haven’t heard quality rarities like “Glynis” or”Jackie Blue” so it’s nice to see them finally see a release on a proper Pumpkins album. They deserve to be heard by a wider audience.

But then again, so did “Honey Spider II” and “Not Worth Asking” two rarities that were included on a bonus 7″ on some editions of the original Pisces Iscariot. Why were they excluded? It’s so random. And where is “Bullet Train To Osaka,” the b-side to “I Am One?” The 15-minute long “Why Am I So Tired” should have been cut to make room for these genuine rarities. It’s on Earphoria. There’s no reason for it to be here. Especially considering how it was “remastered.”

About the remaster, it’s another Bob “I’m against the Loudness Wars until someone pays me” Ludwig job, so it’s not great. It’s not bad either, but it’s certainly less than ideal. Just like the remasters for Gish and Siamese Dream, everything on Pisces Iscariot has fallen victim to the Loudness Wars. Although some songs have made it out better than others.

Nearly all the quiet tracks are fine, it would be really hard to make something like “Landslide” too loud, so I’m going to focus on the more rocking numbers from Pisces.

Each of the following are images of the waveforms from selected tracks. The original version is on top, the remastered version on the bottom. Below each image is a measure of each version’s dynamic range, which is the difference between the quietest and loudest parts of a recording. When a remaster decreases the dynamic range of a song, then its actively making it sound worse.

 

Frail And Bedazzled
Original - 10
Remaster  – 8

Starla
Original – 11
New – 9

La Dolly Vita
Original – 11
New –  8

So all the tracks on Pisces have made it through the remastering process with some of their dynamic range stripped away in lieu of making them as loud as possible. Just like Gish and Siamese Dream though, the difference is barely noticeable. At least I didn’t detect any audible distortion in any of the tracks and they don’t have a “wall of noise” feel to them like the remaster of Nevermind did. The album is totally listenable in its remastered form, but if you have the original you should probably hang on to it.

The second disc is more a mixed bag. The quiet songs made it out fine, but the louder tunes seem to have been over-compressed to a much more noticeable degree. Here are some comparisons of tracks on the second disc that have been previously released. Just like the other comparisons, the originals are on top, while the remastered versions are on the bottom.

Glynis
Original –  10
Remaster –  7

Slunk
Original – 8
Remaster – 5

Why Am I So Tired?
Original – 13
Remaster – 7

“Glynis” goes from 10 to 7 and “Slunk” also drops down three, from an already noisy 8 to a boisterously loud 5, but the real crime here is the needless butchering of “Why Am I So Tired.” It loses nearly half of its dynamic range! And Check out the clipping.

See where the waveform flattens out? That’s where music is actually being lost so the album can be made louder. Pointless.

The song sounds different now, it’s like a wall of noise that drowns out the music buried within. It’s actually tiring to hear (Why Am Is So Tired? Because your song is too damn loud Billy). Thankfully I still have the properly mastered version on Earphoria.

On a most positive note, the box also features a DVD of an early live footage of the group, which includes an entire performance for a cable access show in 1988 and some various live clips from ’89 to ’94. Most are taken from videotape, so they don’t look good, but at least they sound great. I’m actually ripping all the tracks off the DVD and converting them to MP3 because I like them so much.

And finally, there’s even a reproduction of the band’s demo tape, which is actually on a cassette tape.

…

Okay, I get it. Cassettes are “cute” and retro at the moment. People have developed some strange nostalgia for cassette culture and that’s great. I’m not going to fault anyone for looking back at something that made them happy when they were growing up.

But…cassettes sound like garbage! They’re worthless, dead pieces of technology that no one should be forced to deal with ever again. And who the hell still has a tape deck? The majority of people who buy this box set are never going to get to listen to this tape. And if they do, they’ll just be bummed at how crappy it sounds. Because cassettes sound like crap! At the very least it should have included a download card.

Oh wait it did, but only if you bought the album direct from the Smashing Pumpkins website. Because fuck record stores I guess.

And to top it all off, the tape is ugly.

So, is this set worth getting? Well, even with all its faults I still think it’s worth picking up for the previously unreleased tunes and the live footage, which is really something special. It’s just a downer that the set is “good enough” when it really had the potential to be great.

It does make me worry about the upcoming deluxe reissue of Melon Collie. If Billy fucks that one up I hope someone punches him in his little bald head.

Update
As various commentors have, well, commented, there are additional problems with this remaster.

The above image is taken from the waveform for “Pissant.” See that part that looks like a square wave? That’s a mastering error. These are the kind of things that should be caught before the album comes out. Bob Ludwig strikes again.

There are also other problems, which you can read about in the comments, perhaps you may want to stay clear of this one for now until they (hopefully) get worked out.

And if anyone wants to complain about this to Bob Ludwig or Billy Corgan on Twitter, please do. I would, but they both blocked me! I assumed Bob blocked me for this, and I think Billy blocked me when I attacked him for his transphobic bullshit.

 

Posted in No music, The Smashing Pumpkins | 11 Comments »

I’m Koo Koo for Drum Solos

July 17th, 2012

Still no reply from anyone on my plea for a German speaker to help me out. Look people, I have this really cool thing I want to write about, but it’s in German. So the sooner I get in contact with someone who can sprechen sie deutsch, the sooner I can make that happen.

Third World
Now That We’ve Found Love (Paul Hardcastle Mix)
Sometimes the artist is the thing I care the least about when buying a strange-looking 12″ single. Take this one for example. The thing about this single that caught my eye more than the song or the artist was the fact that it was remixed by Paul Hardcastle of “19” fame. I’ve always been a big fan of his remix work. Then the second thing that caught my eye was the song. “Now That We’ve Found Love” was originally an O’Jays number, but if you’re like me, you know it as a Heavy D tune. Always liked his version, so seeing that made me curious. Between that and the Hardcastle connection, I grabbed the single right away. Only when I started listening to it did I begin to wonder who the hell Third World are. They’re apparently a reggae band, making them the fourth reggae act (after Bob Marley/Wailers, Jimmy Cliff and Inner Circle) who I can name off hand, so for me to talk anything about them or reggae as a whole would be pretty disingenuous on my part. I like this song though.

The English Beat
Can’t Get Used To Losing You (1983 Remix)
How is this 1983 remix different than the original? Excellent question. I don’t have that one. So if anyone wants to fill me in that would be stellar.

Shelia E
Koo Koo (Remix)
Can we talk for a second about how fucking awesome Shelia E is? She can sing, dance, produce and write music, and of course, drum like a goddamn beast from hell. She’s like Neil Peart, if Neil Peart made good music (oooooooh!).

This is what the world needs; more pop singers who can actually play a damn instrument. I mean, let’s be honest; Beyonce totally has the singing market cornered now. I don’t think there will be a mainstream pop star who will be able to come close to her in terms of pure vocal talent for at least another decade or two. So why not mix it up? I want to see a pop diva who can sing like Madonna and shred like Slash. A star who can wail like Christina and tickle the keys like Rick Wakeman. A vocalist who can break glass with her voice and her crazy bass skills. This needs to happen. Someone get on it already.

Oh yeah, “Koo Koo.” This is a good song. Did I mention I think Shelia E is dope?  Drum solo with glow in the dark drum sticks people!

Endgames
Waiting For Another Chance
Universe
I gaurantee you that The Lost Turntable is the only MP3 blog in history to have written about Endgames three times. The first was when I did a write-up of the obscure   1981 live compilation Live At The ‘101.’ Discovering them on that record led me to purchase the single for their tune “Love Cares,” and now two more tunes, which are from a single I scored at Jerry’s last week.

These tunes are even poppier than “Love Cares,” which was a slight bummer because I was hoping for something more dissonant and dark like the stuff they had on 101. But as upbeat second-tier 80s synthpop goes, you could do a lot worse than this. I’m going to have to cave and actually buy one of their albums someday.

Posted in Endgames, remixes, Shelia E, The English Beat, Third World | 10 Comments »

Talk Talk Talk Talk Talk Talk Talk

July 15th, 2012

Anyone out there speak German? Okay. I know plenty of people do (they’re called Germans) but any out there who are willing to translate something for me? It’s not much, just a few lines on a couple comic book panels. If anyone wants to help me out, hit me up via email or on Twitter.

Talk Talk
Why Is It So Hard? (12″ U.S. Remix)
It’s Getting Late In The Evening (7″ Version)
Life’s What You Make It (Dub Version)
Living In Another World (Curious World Dub Mix)
Living In Another World (Mendelsohn Remix)
Living In Another World (Live)
Talk Talk (Remixed By Gary Miller)
Five years ago (!!!) I posted some tracks from Talk Talk’s It’s My Mix, a 1992 remix EP that was released only in Italy. Since then, I’ve been asked to repost those tracks about a billion times over. My go to response has typically been to ignore those requests. Not because I hate Talk Talk or the people who want the songs, but because I lost those tunes on a hard drive crash and I didn’t want to bother cleaning and re-recording the record. I’m lazy.

It also turns out that it’s completely unnecessary for me to re-record almost all of those tracks, because EMI has actually been pretty excellent at making Talk Talk rarities available. There are, in fact, two Talk Talk rarities collections out there, Remixed and Asides and Besides. Between the two of them nearly every Talk Talk remix, dub mix, b-side and alternate version are now available to purchase at iTunes, Amazon or just about any music outlet you could imagine. So if you want most of their remixes and rarities, I suggest you go there.

But if you want even more Talk Talk, don’t worry because I still totally have you covered.

In a case of random weirdness, while Remixed includes most of It’s My Mix, it doesn’t include all of it! For some reason the 12″ US Remix to “Why Is It So Hard?” (hehehe) is absent on both Remixed and Asides and Besides. Why? Who knows. But that does mean that I can provide it for you here.

Additionally, while many of Talk Talk’s 12″ singles were mined completely for both of those compilations, some were left behind, most notably these killer mixes and versions of “Living In Another World” and an entirely different remix of “Talk Talk” which is actually longer than the “Extended Remix” that is on Remixed. Go figure.

And before anyone asks, yes I am aware that there are additional Talk Talk remixes that are not on Remixed nor Asides and Besides. They are also not in my personal record collection. So unless they show up at Jerry’s sometime, I’m not going to be posting them.

Now if I never say “Talk Talk remix” again I’ll be very happy.

Posted in B-sides, live, remixes, Talk Talk | 7 Comments »

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