How Big Are Your Eyes?

The stats page on the dashboard of this blog tells me that in the last couple of weeks one of the most read posts has been one from July 2010, Two Lone Swordsmen’s remix of Come Together by Spiritualized. I don’t know why there’s been a sudden interest in people looking for this track. But if you’re one of the people looking for it, here it is again.

Come Together (Two Lone Swordsmen Remix)

It sounds nothing like the surging garage rock of the original. Instead there is fifteen minutes of stoned, gritty machine music with a voice sampled specifically to freak you out.

I Cut My Teeth On A Bed Of Wire

No April Fool’s stuff here. Since posting Big Decision the other week I’ve spent a bit of time re-listening to That Petrol Emotion. I’ve enjoyed two different parts- the mid 80s, clanging guitars TPE of Manic Pop Thrill and Babble and the remixed TPE of 1990-91. V2 was a single in 1985. The sleeve detailed the abuses of female prisoners in Northern Ireland’s prisons. The record is angry and clamorous, squally guitars and drums almost drowning out Steve Mack’s vocals. There are screams and fury building up to an abrupt ending.

V2

Around the time the 80s became the 90s they underwent some line up changes and started working with producer Scott Litt, known for producing R.E.M. Probably not coincidentally they started getting the acoustic guitars out, slowed things down and sounded a little like R.E.M. Their records from this time are redeemed by the remixes, including Andrew Weatherall and Terry Farley’s work on Abandon (Boys Own Mix) retaining the anger and energy of the mid 80s and adding the 90s club.

Abandon (Boys Own Mix)

I remember there was a Weatherall interview where he said a band (and I’m sure he was referring to TPE) had been suspicious of the whole remixing lark and left a guitarist sitting in the studio while Weatherall did the remix, to ensure he didn’t completely get rid of the guitars.

Beggin’

 

I like a good re-edit- not any old re-edit you understand but a good re-edit. A few years ago Pilooski was the re-edit king, taking something old, not too widely known, running it through the software in his laptop and giving a new lease of life. Some re-edits are pretty lazy, just adding a beefed up drum track but when they’re done well they’re good fun. Pilooski’s re-edit of Frankie Valli’s 1967 song Beggin’ was given a proper release beyond the world of bootlegs and mp3s. It still brings a smile to my face when I hear it.

Beggin’ (Pilooski Edit)

Future Shadows

Another song from Weatherall’s 6 Mix show last weekend that was new to me, this one from New York group Forest Fire and an album released in 2011 called Staring At The X. Yearning, reverbed vocals, an electronic pulsebeat, some delayed, phased guitars, metronomic drums, bum-de-bum bass; all adding up to one of those songs that gets stuck on repeat and stuck in your head. Also great played back-to-back with yesterday’s Warm In The Winter.

Future Shadows