Post your review 'ere. Those who have something to review. :cry:

(Could this be bumped up, mods??)

Yes! but received nothing yet :mellow:

OK, here goes:

MIU X review

15 tracks, 70:03

1. After a comforting count-off of “One, Two, Three, Four”, in we plunge to 30 seconds of freeform rock cathartic mayhem.

2. The unmistakeable voice of Nick Cave, with a bass so heavy and resonant it can only be either Steven Hanley guesting with The Bad Seeds or Tracey Pew and The Birthday Party. I suspect the latter. A live recording of swampy blues which may or may not owe an awful lot to The Fall, certainly in terms of repetition and bass-as-lead-instrument. If I were making a Hollywood film about evil kidnappers I would probably use this under scenes of the bad guys going about their everyday evil. It’s good though, especially when the guitar starts howling the way it does at the beginning of The Friendcatcher (my fave Birthday Party song).

3. Gentle waves give way to high-speed surf guitar music, complete with ‘weee-ooo’ backing vocals and Hawaii 5-0 guitar instrumental section. Odd this, it’s apparently meant to be light-hearted but it’s a bit grim, as though the band are trying to have fun despite their circumstances. I suspect this is Australasian for some reason.

4. ‘Life Of Crime’ by The Triffids. Is this on Born Sandy Devotional? It could be, but I haven’t played the LP for about 15 years at it is framed on my bedroom wall – one of my favourite sleeves ever, not least for those three magickal words printed in red. Sounds much better than I remember, I don’t recall so much soul in the vocals. Nice to hear it again. I think I see a geographical theme emerging….

5. Yes, “I’m feelin’ like shit” the singer drawls, it must be Aus! Not-terribly-interesting Sonic Youth-copyists.

6. Nice muted trumpet solo far-off and pretty far out. Very nice.

7. Mid-90s drum ‘n’ bass with vocals. For me, Jungle had to have something special to make it stand out from the crowd of tunes that filled cafés, bars, etc. around this time, and this doesn’t have that Thing, on first listen at least. It may well sound better tomorrow while tearing down the A3 in the car.

8. Bit of a personal nightmare this one: housey happy Trance with occasional piano, taking me back to the dark days when Robert Miles bestrode the world like a Titan, pissing all over everyone who walked underneath. Check, please.

9. Phew, back to the noisy stuff – this is so Lo-Fi it barely registers, with what MAY be vocals howling away, or it could be another wah-wah’d guitar, underpinned by a relentless downward spiral of a riff and frantically fast but powerless drums (I’ll bet they mixed this when the drummer was off out scoring somewhere). This could be one of those confrontation pieces like Cornelius Cardew’s The Great Learning, but either way it rocks and it’s fun to try and decipher what on earth is going on.

10. Ah, clarity comes like a glass of cold water – with all the hallmarks of Black Metal: blast beats, complicated time-signature changes, detuned guitars, post-Honey Monster vocals all present and correct. Top Fuel Entertainment! I expect the band is called Sucking Chest Wound or Sans Souci In Flames or something. And whilst I may laugh at it, I do love this stuff a lot.

11. I must confess, I was getting worried about the way this MIU was going round Tk.8, but now it’s all gone fantastically right with beautiful and deceptively simple sine waves interacting. If this is an Australasian mix, I’d guess Pimmon or Campbell Kneale, but that would be based on very limited knowledge. Lovely stuff, could listen to this all day.

12. Back into Sonic Youth–inspired One Chord Drone Rock, but this time packed with energy and nicely building, this had me head-banging by the end. Hats off to them for changing chord half-way through.

13. I didn’t notice the change from Tk 12 to 13, which is always nice. Molten hot lava rivers of instrumental psyche drone Rock, it must be great fun to play this as it makes me want to play air-bass.

14. NOW I”VE GOT MY SHIRT OFF AND I’M STANDING ON THE SOFA WITH AN OPEN CAN OF BEER AND I’M TYPING IN CAPITALS! Yes, it’s the classic "Release The Bats" by The Birthday Party, again not heard for about 10 years – and it’s sounding a lot funkier than I recall.

15. Oooh, more muted trumpet jazz – I really think I recognise but it escapes me. I look forward to kicking myself when I find out.

So, apart from the dance-music-for-people-who-don’t really-like-to-get-too-sweaty bit in the middle, a very enjoyable mix from dare I say it Down Under, with some golden greats I’d forgotten and a few I’d be very keen to follow up on.

Thank you, I owe you a Boag’s. And a pint of Young's for Mr. Marshall for doing the admin and freaking me out with the Lynch pic!

Sixteen tracks on a devil / evil / hell theme...mostly good stuff…three tracks I know, a few others I can guess at….

Give me a day or two to properly absorb it and I’ll post a proper review…

Youve been Charred :devil:

When I find the setlist Ill give details, but yes its a Downunder theme. Apart from Miles Davis (the two jazz tracks with similar melody) theyre all Aussies past and present. Miles' is from an Aussie film called Dingo.

I can confirm the Birthday Party tracks from a CD of 2 gigs (81-82)-London and Bremen ; Junkyard and Release the Bats respectively

1st is an intro to Grey Daturas' Dead in the Woods called 'Force is a weaponf of the weak'

Hawai-5-0 thing is Radio Birdman's Aloha Steve and Dan-o from Birdman appear

Triffids-yes

SY copyists are Tasmania guitar and drums duo The Frustrations (likened to the fall by The Wire) from their Time to Go Home' CD

The D& B is Pendulum from Perth WA, based in London I think

Sweetness and Light-an old '94 old skool monster from Itch-E and Scratch-E

Tr9 might be Striborg (another Tasmanian who likes to wander around forrests at night in cape and corpse paint) does stuff with Sun0))) as well-Nefaria from the same named LP

Tr10-Psychroptic, Tasmanian 'technical black metal' outfit-details of track to follow. Track is 'an experiment in transience'

Tr11-was a bit worried this one might get an impatient reviewer, but as Travolta said-Fuck em if they can't take a joke". Nice minimalist piece by Oren Ambarchi of Grapes from the Estate-'Corkscrew. Another Sunn0))) collaborater


12 and 13 are off Grey Datura's latest Return to disruption first and last tracks

14 is you know who

ends with Miles' farewell' actually its called going home
lovely lovely film by the way-Miles is Hilarious

The Boags? you had sussed the origin of this well

cheers
pete

Sounds a bit mellow for u Cha

;)

Fucking yeah - I love this kind of high class cheese-a-tronic tat. The computer thinks otherwise. There I was frugging wildly, my limbs a whirlwind, when:

CRZZZZK…silence

WTF?

Shit, the screen’s gone blue. This has never happened before. I mean, I know I throw some right old rubbish in the cd player, so maybe it’s shocked at the change, but…

Um…quick phone call

Me - this computer I got from you. Err, it’s just committed suicide
Computer shop - turn it off and back on again.
Me - I’ve done that
Compuer shop - It could be the environment it’s in.

BING BONG! Aah, now I understand.

------------------------------------

OK take 2. Just making sure I’ve got everything on the checklist:

1. Kaftan ready
2. Fondue set …check
3. Trousers wider than they are long - yup, wearing them
4. Patchouli incense lit
5. 14 tabs of acid should it get a bit rocky - and we’re off…

1. Is this William Shatner? Somebody who clearly understands the meaning of life explains the age of Aquarius to me. I take notes: “Knowing that everybody who can only be what they are” - hey man that’s deep. I set fire to The God Delusion by Richard Dawkins. I know who my true god is and he’s currently getting off with green skinned girls in the next galaxy.

2. Now this is from Hair - which track I don’t know. My copy of the Hair soundtrack is by the original Japanese cast (featuring Joe from Flower Travellin’ Band), and I can’t read the kanji, so dunno anything about the titles. Anyway, this is the Dave “Baby” Cortez remix, as the old organ from the ice rink is given a work out. It goes a bit wigged out towards the end - maybe it’s a completely different track.

3. “One wrong move and you’re eating lead”. How did he know I have a fear of consuming pencils? Fortunately the backing is relaxing - if trumpets could go Bababababa …what do I mean could be…they are going Babababa. Somebody slags off a lawyer. I LIKE THIS ONE. Groovy right on it’s allright. First tab taken.

4. This is great, but I can’t tell whether it’s a woman or man singing. Umm…I think it’s a bloke. Well, we’ll go with that. Anyway, this is clearly the second best song about Mona Lisa ever. It’s like the drums are made of wood, such is it’s lumpy thudness. Perversely, it manages to be funky also. Not as funky as the best song ever about Mona Lisa, but then what is? The fact that it is within spittin’ distance should let you know how highly I rate it. Speaking of high…why is my hand turning into a cornflake? Best eat some fondue

5. Lucky I did - FUCK ME it’s CLIFF. Singing in French. Y’know Cliff, much as I respect your tennis strokes, I’d prior to this date thought you had only done two genius tracks, Move It! and Dynamite. This is the hat trick.

Oh it’s Hank Marvin singing it? Oh, Ok. Anyway. Note to self - go to shops and buy onions in preparation for the next listen. Sorted!

6. Ba-ba-ba tracks rule - this one is obviously more concerned with the existential state of being that defines the human condition as it’s more “Die die die” than “Ba-Ba-Ba”…then it hits me. They’re telling me to stop being square and wear some funky clothes - it’s Dye Dye Dye, not Die Die Die. Momentary pause as I sew an extra 10 inches of width into my trousers.

7. I know this one and it’s doing my nut in - it’s from a kids show or something. Whichever cd you got this from, I need the whole cd of it. F-u-c-k-i-n-g yeah!!

8. Sitars - it just gets better and better. This was the one that killed the computer first time round. Luckily I practised contortion as a youth, so manage to cross enough limbs suitably to get through track. I’m glad I did or else I would have missed the funky trombone solo at the end. I’m loving this instrumental shit - who needs lyrics anyway?

9. Well these dudes do - It’s Jefferson Airplane this one. Or Janis Joplin. Or someone like that. The only phrase that lodges in my brain is “Ice Cream Vision“. My leg is turning into a cornetto. How did they know that?

COSMIC COINCIDENCE or IS IT? Bollocks, I knew I’d need some Eric Von Daniken. OK PAUSE

---------------------------------------------

Take 3

Checklist.

1. Kaftan ready
2. Fondue set …check
3. Trousers now even more wider than they are long
4. Patchouli incense still burning
5. 13 tabs of acid should it get a bit rocky
6. Chariot of the Gods by Eric Von Daniken. Ok, hit it!

10. And not a moment too soon. Some French space cadets singing an ode of celebration to the televisual genius of Mr Deal Or No Deal himself, the mighty Noel Edmonds.

Oh my mistake - they are just explaining the quirks of Japanese pronunciation: “No L, No L”

11. This is another one that sets Woody Woodpecker loose on my head. I’m sure I recognise the singer. Anyway GIRLPOP for the win!!!! Obviously a bit lyrically challenged: No the “sky [does not] go on forever” - that’ll be Metal Machine Music.

12. G-E-N-I-U-S. A bit of a strings that continually threaten to turn into the adagio from Dvorak’s New World Symphony (the Hovis music). It’s lovely and completely unexpected. A trumpet sails in. Swap fondue set for dripping on toast, and borrow next door’s whippet.

13. AWESOME - somebody clearly realises what is wrong with Eleanor Rigby i.e. the strings suck, the lyrics are bollocks, nor does it have a funkatronic squidge bass and muted trumpets.

This, Mr FabMaccaWackyThumbsAloft McCartney, is the way to do the tune.

14. Some dibba dibba dibba’s give way to some loony tunes going on about a lightning tree. Was baffled until I remembered Pikachu’s famous words “PIkaPIKa PIIIIIIIIIII” (trans: appreciate rapier rhyming. Rhyming lightning rent with firmament is ninja skills of the highest order).

15. Oh No Donovan’s just been shot! Let’s do a tribute.

Can’t remember the title of the song, but again it’s a cover that shows the original artist how they should have done it first time round. Like McDonalds - “I’m Lovin’ It”.

Oh, it’s Sunshine Superman isn’t it. DC comics are crap aren’t they?

16. We’re off to Hawaii via France - it’s a cover of Michelle that does it’s best to turn itself into a James Bond tune. This compilation is ace - even when the songs have lyrics they have the good grace to be in a language I can’t speak, so I don’t have to put up with angsty white boy nonsense bleating like so many other participants will have to.

17. This has a piano line that is familiar. I’m beginning to wonder if everything on this cd is a cover and I just don’t know the originals. This is the kind of track that Film 2008 would have as a theme tune if it was any good. Oh, and if Jonathan Ross fucked off also. Suddenly overcome with the desire to fishtail wildly round an intersection in an American car. Luckily, I can’t drive. Of course I can teleport to San Fransisco, that’s not the issue (see item 6, checklist 2).

18. Thanks so much, this one’ll come in handy - it’s a version of Popcorn. I’ve long talked it over with a friend that we should go to a festival and set up a stall selling popcorn, playing as many different versions of this track as possible - it’d so freak the casualties out.

19. If this version of Telstar was Margaret Thatcher’s favourite tune, then my childhood would have been like this.

Me - Comrade Mother, what’s for lunch
Mother - it’s borsch
Me - no it’s not, it’s rainwater you’ve bled into

Instead lunch was for wimps. The 80s, eh?

Shame really - there’s a fab squelchy keyboard sound where Richie Blackmore’s guitar break used to be. Now seriously considering that this cd is all covers.

20. After all that, this one sounds a bit conventional - then I notice the reference to cuppa-soup and realise it’s Sir Noddy of Holder in an earlier psyche guise - and then begin to wonder at the fact that somebody somewhere has all these records in the one place.

21. Fucking Fergal Sharkey - gets everywhere. Even on this track. Well, OK, probably not the Sharkster himself, but it sounds like him. For this reason, I don’t really like this one - on the other hand we’re 21 bleedin’ tracks in. Whoever gets mine will be losing the will to live by track 3.

22. Return of the ba ba ba’s. Doo doo doo’s are also good. Personally prefer ba ba ba’s myself, so it's with a great exclamation of R-U-C-K-Y (as they say in anime) that I approach this track - this is ba ba ba heavy, with the doo doo doo’s going for a burton. Tab 2 taken. Watch this turn out to be a Peter Paul and Mary b-side or something, haha.

23. The other one on the cd I don’t really like. It’s just a standard folk song with lyrics in a language I can understand. Where’s the pretension factor in liking that?

To be honest, it’s just shamed by the company it keeps. Maybe I’ll get it in time

24. Tracks like this prove that the moon landings were fake - after all everybody saw pictures of them walking on rocks when enny fule kno that the moon is made of green cheese - a hefty continent sized piece of which was refashioned into this track. It’s just so cheesy but lovely also. The strings couldn’t be any more lush, there’s a wordless celestial chorus, just lovely really.

25. Keeping to the moon theme, this track opens with the Clangers whistling, then moves onto a Gene Pitney style track, but one post helium balloon consumption. Either that or somebody’s got his testicles in a vice, so high pitched are some of the notes. A great track. Then the Clangers come back in!

26. Max Bygraves VS Hillbilly in a fight to death. It plays out like a great lost west coast Bonzo Dog Band track, though I suspect it might be British. Unsure. Anyway, hard not to love a track that incorporates “achoo” in the lyrics. There’s also a funky accordion break

27. I’m 98% certain this is the theme tune to The Likely Lads, but I’m also 98% certain, it’s a different version. It’s a corking end to a cracker of a comp

-------------------------------------------------------------

Obviously this is not going to appeal to everyone, but anybody who likes this kind of stuff will be in hog heaven - request a copy now, you won’t regret it! Special mention must also go to the sequencing, and to the excellent vinyl transfers of the material - I wish I could make mine as crackle free as you do. Thanks once again.

:devil2:
Hello, how can I place my order please and thanks for a very entertaining review,GLPL! :applaud:

I did actually think it might be yours Mopiranger given your comments on the mighty Shatner on other threads.

I'd be happy to send a copy to you if the original compiler is unable to.

well, for a moment there i thought that you'd got mine cause there are a few similarities. then i read your entire review, and now I wish it really was mine :ohdear:

Listening to mine for the 1st time as we speak. Sounding excellent so far - a bit of rockabilly, a bit of punk, a sprinkling of novelty tunes, some sort of dub version of the vilage church organist practising.

B)

That sounds like a fantastic night in :)

Imagining some of these comps is such fun, you almost don't want to hear them.

Almost.

Popped mine in for an initial listen this morning (received it yesterday, thanks Mr. Marshall).

This bastard has put Hadouken on it as the second track, so you are in my bad books.

I jest, the rest of it sounds rather good so far. Full review tonight (hopefully).

And to think you were in two minds about participating in this one Graeme...
:rolleyes: :D

It was your kind words, together with Strontium Dog's and The_Gav's that made me feel that I should give it a go.

Result.
Glad to hear it mate.
I'll let you know how I feel about participating when I get mine...
:D :huh: ;)

Sixteen tracks, all in their lyrics or title (so far as I can tell) referencing the devil, evil, hell etc…

I wish I had the wit / large enough record collection to do something clever like making a themed MIU CD instead of just bunging some stuff I like more or less at random onto a disc. Anyway…

1) First up, a short dub cut dating, I suspect, from the seventies. Welcome to Dr Satan’s echo chamber it starts, and then grooves along in a most agreeable fashion. I’ve absolutely no idea who it might be, probably someone I’ve never heard of, but that doesn’t matter really…nice start to the CD.

2) Robert Johnson, Me and the Devil Blues. What a voice, what a player, beautiful and haunting. Legend / cliché has it of course that Johnson sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads in exchange for being able to pick the blues on his guitar like no other. Fabulous.

3) Tom Waits, voice instantly recognisable. I must confess however, that apart from being able to recognise his voice, I know pretty much bugger all about Tom Waits. So I don’t know the name of this track, what album it comes from or whether it’s new or old. To be honest, I’ve never been really convinced by Waits, but this is great, he doesn’t swamp the track with the growly voice thing and the instrumentation is terrific, lovely, lovely guitar, nice upright bass and organ and some great scratchy violin…excellent. I may well have to reconsider my attitude to Waits. Recommendations?

4) Next track, the vocals are whispered and in the background - lots of stuff about being ‘your black angel’. In fact, weirdly, everything apart from the drum machine is in the background, there’s some sampled brass and keyboards all sort of muffled. Very effective though…grooves along in fine style, like it a lot…

5) So this is Evil Hoodoo by The Seeds. Not that I’d ever heard it before…but of course it’s noted as being the template for Ten Houses of Eve by some group from the north of England. Thank you compiler for at last letting me hear this track. It’s really rather good as well.

6) No idea who this is. Dirty, bluesy garage rock. Which is no bad thing. The singer has one of those voices that you know that you know, but at the same time could be any one dozens…good fun.

7) Boards of Canada, The Devil is in the Details. Pretty, but fucking creepy, that’s Boards of Canada for you…

8) Oh…this is fun. I don’t know who it is but I love it. Drum machine, sampled guitar power chords from some cheap eighties synthesiser and grainy string samples, bounces along in fine style with some guy telling me he’s a demon and the future is evil. A hoot.

9) Frenetic is the word for this. Crazy drums, mad bass…and Tijuana brass. And over the top of all this madness some guy is seriously trying to explain the nature of evil and that the devil made him do it. Nuts. I didn’t really care for this on first listening, it was just too busy with too much going on at the same time, but it’s really grown on me.

10) This is the first one that doesn’t quite hit the spot to be honest…it’s OK, low key sort of jazzy vibe, bass drums, flute and some voices, but it’s just kind of…nothing really.

11) Now this is weird…for the first few seconds I actually though I recognised the voice as being Peter Hammill… and I know a little bit about Peter Hammill so my brow was furrowed in trying to recognise this…and then after about five seconds I realised it wasn’t Peter Hammill, and after about ten seconds, after the supercharged heavy metal guitars and the superfast drums started I realised on was the wrong track entirely…and yet whoever this is…I bet they’ve got some Peter Hammill records in their collection. Engaging silly, and at one minute forty nine, about as long as it needs to be.

12) Hey…it’s sort of modern day Bonzos faux jazz parody, sort of like Big Shot but with samplers and synthesizers. Jazz Devil, agent double-oh 666, - it’s funny and it’s clever… but I can’t imagine wanting to listen to it more than a couple of times.

13) The Pogues ,If I Should Fall From Grace With God. Blimey, it’s while since I’ve heard this…but I’m glad to be re-acquainted with it. What a great record.

14) I guess this probably AC/DC or some such….I did, purely in the interests of duty, listen to this track all the way through on the first spin of the CD, but, I must confess, on every subsequent listen I’ve had to hit the skip button as soon as the singers ludicrous caterwauling started. My initial thoughts were, that the bass guitarist in this group has probably the easiest job in the world (although he probably plays Stanley Clarke-esque solos in private, just for the fun of it). My second thought was, however, that this is one of the worst things I’ve ever heard in my life…sorry.

15) The penultimate track is sixteen minutes long, three times longer than anything else on the CD. Its Mogwai isn’t it? And if it’s not Mogwai then Mogwai should sue whoever it is for pretending to be Mogwai. I’ve got a few of their CDs but I don’t know this tune, but I have to say, it’s absolutely magnificent…It’s basically one riff repeated for the whole piece, with massively loud, distorted guitar. And a flute. It starts quiet, it gets louder, then it goes quiet again, and then it gets loud again…and so on. It’s a simple formula but it’s done absolutely brilliantly. These guys really understand power and they really understand dynamics…they could certainly teach AC/DC (or whoever the buffoons who produced track 14 are) a thing or two. I shall certainly buy this when I have it confirmed who and what it is…

16) I was expecting that to be it, but tacked on the end there’s a brief little ditty about how fine things are in heaven, it sounds like the Pixies…or someone who’d like to be the Pixies. If it is the Pixies then it’s probably some obscure B side or something…I’m certainly no expert. It’s jolly enough and, and having an evil free lyric, makes an effective end to the CD.

Excellent work compiler…look forward to finding out who all the tracks are by.

:applaud: :applaud:

Great way to set the scene. :P

You got my mix.

01 Mort Garson - I Know You Aquarius (A&M LP)
NOT taken from The Zodiac Cosmic Sounds which was a 12 track concept album from 1967. After the success of this brilliant project Mort Garson decided to issue a series of 12 separate LPs - one dedicated to each sign. Not many people were anxious to collect this series but I was, snagging a promo set of the dozen from ebay last year. This track opens the Aquarius LP. I was born on 28 January.

02 Don Reeve Sound - Aquarius / Let The Sunshine In (MFP LP)
From their Mighty Hammond album, this cover of the Hair classic is probably the most muscular drum-rattler I've heard.

03 Ray Davies And The Button Down Brass - Cops And Robbers (Philips LP)
In 1974 this grade A session man decided to record a full LP's worth of movie themes. Cops and Robbers was a mildly amusing robbery caper; this parps a good groove.

04 Paul Brett And Sage - 3D Mona Lisa (Pye 45)
Paul Brett was lead guitarist in The Strawbs and released this single for Pye in 1970. The thudding makes it great lurch bop.

05 Cliff Richard And The Shadows - La Mer (Columbia 45)
Yes it's Cliff! From his 1964 When In France EP. He's well able to conjure up a smoky languid mood when he wants.

06 Francois De Roubaix - Les Amis (Barclay LP)
Legendary French soundtracker composer. This is from 1971 and was collected on volume 2 of the three LP series - Les Plus Belles Musiques De... Great vocal on it.

07 Syd Dale - Theme From Screen Test (Trunk 45)
Also known as Marching There And Back. One of the earliest releases on Trunk. One sided 7". Always gets a good response when I play it out.

08 Henry Mancini - The Party (RCA LP)
Main theme from the Peter Sellers movie. One of Mancini's most consistent soundtracks.

09 Carol Grimes - Homemade Ruin (B&C 45)
Psych monster from 1970. Backing band known as Delivery. Thanks to The Divine One for this 45.

10 Poppys - Noel 70 (Barclay 45)
Christmassy early 70s vibe complete with kids' chorus. Group consisted of 17 kids and 'grew out of the hippie movement'. This record sold 600,000 copies in France. The first child stars in French musical history.

11 Dusty Springfield - Sea And Sky (Windmill LP)
From Michel Legrand's Time For Loving soundtrack. A very sad number.

12 Jean Cousineau - Theme Numero Un (Dinamic LP)
Taken from the Caïn Soundtrack LP
I only got hold of this four months ago and it's probably my most listened-to record since then. I read about it on the Trunk website where Jonny talks about his current listening.
I stuck it on my list as it sounded like something I'd like, heard it on a blog and bought a copy when it turned up on ebay. It wasn't that expensive - maybe £12 or £13.
It dates from 1965.
Great, impossibly melancholy jazz blasts that make me wanna weep for an unknown time in the past. It was made seven years before I was born so I don't know exactly what but it's a very moving album.
There's also a couple of perfectly sung and 'make me breathless' chansons.

A few variants of the main theme - probably my favourite is on side 2, Theme Numero Un and that's what's on your mix. The arrangements are subtlely different and don't feel repetitive.

I haven't seen the film yet. It doesn't appear to be very well known.

13 Pat Williams - Eleanor Rigby (Verve LP)
There's an unusually high percentage of quality Beatles covers from the late 1960s out there and this is no exception.

14 The Mike Sammes Singers - Lightning Tree (MFP LP)
Theme tune from Follyfoot, originally sung by The Settlers. Covered in appropriately swinging style by Mike Sammes and His Singers.

15 Mel Torme - Sunshine Superman (Capitol LP)
From the crooner's Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head album. Still looking for a UK copy as it features She's Leaving Home in waltz time - my US LP sadly lacks this.

16 Nancy Ames - Michel (Epic LP)
Nancy Ames released two Latin albums in the mid 1960s. This is from the first.

17 Paul Mauriat Orchestra - Etude In The Form Of Rhythm And Blues (Philips LP)
From his one-tracker LP, Stereo Spectacular. I think this goes on a little too long but is a great hybrid of wah-wah guitar and big band horns.

18 James Last - Popcorn (Polydor LP)
It's been covered over 150 or is it 200 times. I like this version. From Non Stop Dancing 1972.

19 Hot Butter - Telestar (Musicor LP)
Links up with track 18 - Hot Butter's cover of Popcorn is the most well-known. Here they tackle the Tornados classic. Not all covers on this mix, but there's quite a few.

20 Wally Whyton - Gentle On My Mind (Fontana LP)
From a man who I thought just sang nursery rhymes. Taken from Fontana sampler album The Big Folk.

21 Family - The Weaver's Answer (Reprise LP)
Peel favourite from their late 60s Family Entertainment LP. The Undertones had a song called Family Entertainment - a tenuous connection.

22 Peter Thomas Sound Orchestra - Gente (Polydor LP)
Close - you did say Peter ! A departure into lounge for this seminal composer.

23 Harvey Andrews - Riding Free (Trunk LP)
Straight folk number from the Psychomania soundtrack. The theme by Frog may have worked better here.

24 Ennio Morricone - Il Grande Silenzio (Beat LP)
One of his lesser-known but still deadly scores. The chorus is amazing and could soundtrack any form of planet or space travel.

25 Gene Pitney - If I Only Had Time (Musicor LP)
Truly wonderous melancholia. I was first introduced to this track via James Last's version. No words.

26 Piggleswick Folk - Mrs Merry's Ball (Acorn LP)
From their one and only album, Pig In The Middle. Took an age to track done as it was a private press and didn't sell too many. They're most famous for their version of Teddy Bears Picnic on Trunk's Fuzzy Felt Folk compilation. The whole album is endearing knockabout folk.

27 Highly Likely - Whatever Happened To You (BBC LP)
Theme tune from Whatever Happened To The Likely Lads. Taken from the 1974 BBC TV Themes LP.

Thanks Graeme for the very enjoyable and well written review.
Glad you liked the compilation and cheers for taking the time to write about it - much appreciated.

It can be downloaded from here.
http://www.megaupload.com/?d=Z3131HU4

If anyone has difficulty with the download, let me know and I can provide a CD copy.

Sixteen tracks, all in their lyrics or title (so far as I can tell) referencing the devil, evil, hell etc…

well i thought long and hard about a theme, i was going to do heaven and hell, but soon found i only had 3 tunes about heaven!

I wish I had the wit / large enough record collection to do something clever like making a themed MIU CD instead of just bunging some stuff I like more or less at random onto a disc. Anyway…

1) First up, a short dub cut dating, I suspect, from the seventies. Welcome to Dr Satan’s echo chamber it starts, and then grooves along in a most agreeable fashion. I’ve absolutely no idea who it might be, probably someone I’ve never heard of, but that doesn’t matter really…nice start to the CD.

dr satan's echo chamber by rupie edwards with king tubby on the dials

2) Robert Johnson, Me and the Devil Blues. What a voice, what a player, beautiful and haunting. Legend / cliché has it of course that Johnson sold his soul to the devil at the crossroads in exchange for being able to pick the blues on his guitar like no other. Fabulous.

correct and an extra point for rumbling the theme so soon

3) Tom Waits, voice instantly recognisable. I must confess however, that apart from being able to recognise his voice, I know pretty much bugger all about Tom Waits. So I don’t know the name of this track, what album it comes from or whether it’s new or old. To be honest, I’ve never been really convinced by Waits, but this is great, he doesn’t swamp the track with the growly voice thing and the instrumentation is terrific, lovely, lovely guitar, nice upright bass and organ and some great scratchy violin…excellent. I may well have to reconsider my attitude to Waits. Recommendations?

crossroads by tom waits. from the black rider. an album soundtrack to a play by waits, robert wilson and william burroughs. great stuff, but unfortunately waits doesn't do enough in this style.

4) Next track, the vocals are whispered and in the background - lots of stuff about being ‘your black angel’. In fact, weirdly, everything apart from the drum machine is in the background, there’s some sampled brass and keyboards all sort of muffled. Very effective though…grooves along in fine style, like it a lot…

real black angel by mc 900ft jesus and dj zero. from the album hell with the lid off ( i am really labouring the point already! ) been discussed recently on the forum, worth seeking out.

5) So this is Evil Hoodoo by The Seeds. Not that I’d ever heard it before…but of course it’s noted as being the template for Ten Houses of Eve by some group from the north of England. Thank you compiler for at last letting me hear this track. It’s really rather good as well.

correct.

6) No idea who this is. Dirty, bluesy garage rock. Which is no bad thing. The singer has one of those voices that you know that you know, but at the same time could be any one dozens…good fun.

the cramps doing papa satan sang louie. from fiends of dope island album.

7) Boards of Canada, The Devil is in the Details. Pretty, but fucking creepy, that’s Boards of Canada for you…

yep it's them

8) Oh…this is fun. I don’t know who it is but I love it. Drum machine, sampled guitar power chords from some cheap eighties synthesiser and grainy string samples, bounces along in fine style with some guy telling me he’s a demon and the future is evil. A hoot.

evil man II by fatima mansions. come as a remix on a ceedee single. demented enough for inclusion.

9) Frenetic is the word for this. Crazy drums, mad bass…and Tijuana brass. And over the top of all this madness some guy is seriously trying to explain the nature of evil and that the devil made him do it. Nuts. I didn’t really care for this on first listening, it was just too busy with too much going on at the same time, but it’s really grown on me.

the devil made me do it by fishbone. best gig i went to was fishbone in 1991. never had much time for 'funk metal' bands and the like. but fishbone have been firm favourites for a long time. this is off a recent album, god love 'em they keep going.

10) This is the first one that doesn’t quite hit the spot to be honest…it’s OK, low key sort of jazzy vibe, bass drums, flute and some voices, but it’s just kind of…nothing really.

angels and demons by sun ra. the original inspiration for the compilation and really one of few jazz tracks i own. but hey i got a theme to run with...

11) Now this is weird…for the first few seconds I actually though I recognised the voice as being Peter Hammill… and I know a little bit about Peter Hammill so my brow was furrowed in trying to recognise this…and then after about five seconds I realised it wasn’t Peter Hammill, and after about ten seconds, after the supercharged heavy metal guitars and the superfast drums started I realised on was the wrong track entirely…and yet whoever this is…I bet they’ve got some Peter Hammill records in their collection. Engaging silly, and at one minute forty nine, about as long as it needs to be.

the omen by fantomas. great cover of the film theme. it works brilliantly. for those who don't know ( and i didnt until recently ) but fantomas are a band with mike patton on vocals and members of slayer, mr bungle and the melvins thrown in. not usually my cup of tea, but grrrreat.

12) Hey…it’s sort of modern day Bonzos faux jazz parody, sort of like Big Shot but with samplers and synthesizers. Jazz Devil, agent double-oh 666, - it’s funny and it’s clever… but I can’t imagine wanting to listen to it more than a couple of times.

jazz devil by barry adamson. suits the mood nicely.

13) The Pogues ,If I Should Fall From Grace With God. Blimey, it’s while since I’ve heard this…but I’m glad to be re-acquainted with it. What a great record.

now i thought this was a risky one. not a massive pogues fan but like this album.

14) I guess this probably AC/DC or some such….I did, purely in the interests of duty, listen to this track all the way through on the first spin of the CD, but, I must confess, on every subsequent listen I’ve had to hit the skip button as soon as the singers ludicrous caterwauling started. My initial thoughts were, that the bass guitarist in this group has probably the easiest job in the world (although he probably plays Stanley Clarke-esque solos in private, just for the fun of it). My second thought was, however, that this is one of the worst things I’ve ever heard in my life…sorry.

the perils of the theme! hell aint a bad place to be by ac/dc. sounds great very loud and very drunk. again the theme is getting stretched so anything goes sorry!

15) The penultimate track is sixteen minutes long, three times longer than anything else on the CD. Its Mogwai isn’t it? And if it’s not Mogwai then Mogwai should sue whoever it is for pretending to be Mogwai. I’ve got a few of their CDs but I don’t know this tune, but I have to say, it’s absolutely magnificent…It’s basically one riff repeated for the whole piece, with massively loud, distorted guitar. And a flute. It starts quiet, it gets louder, then it goes quiet again, and then it gets loud again…and so on. It’s a simple formula but it’s done absolutely brilliantly. These guys really understand power and they really understand dynamics…they could certainly teach AC/DC (or whoever the buffoons who produced track 14 are) a thing or two. I shall certainly buy this when I have it confirmed who and what it is…

yup it's mogwai. mogwai fear satan is the track. from mogwai young team lp. the reissue has been mastered loud... and it's just sublime. go buy now. 15 minutes, but hey it's my favourite album of the year. even if its a reissue...

16) I was expecting that to be it, but tacked on the end there’s a brief little ditty about how fine things are in heaven, it sounds like the Pixies…or someone who’d like to be the Pixies. If it is the Pixies then it’s probably some obscure B side or something…I’m certainly no expert. It’s jolly enough and, and having an evil free lyric, makes an effective end to the CD.

pixies - in heaven (lady in the radiator song). their b-side cover of the song from eraserhead. couldnt leave you in hell now could i?

Excellent work compiler…look forward to finding out who all the tracks are by.[COLOR=blue]

cheers. glad you enjoyed it. and glad you felt the quick need to get down and scribe. anymore info on the tracks can be provided. felt a bit nervous about the theme, but hey it makes compiling fun! thanks again.

Got mine! :applaud:
Really enjoying the mix and trying to articulate my responses.
I got a photo too. Looks kinda familiar - from a film? Some geezer in the act of smoking a cigarette. Did we all get the same or are they different? Last night as we listened we pondered whether it was Mr Marshall himself, or perhaps the mystery compiler? Let us know Mr M if you will. It was a nice touch. I have affixed it in the cd case as a cover.

Hold on, hold on..is it Lynch? I think so, hence the familiarity, and me a huge fan of Blue Velvet (but not twin peaks). Makes a good cd cover though.

Many thanks Mixstreams…Mogwai Young Team duly ordered from Amazon…

A couple of surprises there actually…wouldn’t have guessed that track six was the Cramps to be honest (although I can see it now). I’ve got a few early-ish Cramps records and I don’t recall them sounding much like this – for one thing this track has rather prominently featured bass guitar, my Cramps records have no bass at all, giving a far more brittle sound…

I know nothing much about Fatima Mansions but I wouldn’t have imagined them to sound like their track on your CD at all…is this typical of their sound? I may well investigate this group further…

Barry Adamson was a surprise too…I knew he’d taken a more jazz orientated direction but imagined his work to be mostly instrumental, soundtrack-esque stuff…

As I type this I’m listening to Fatima Mansions and pouring myself the first (of what I’m sure will be several) large glasses of red…once I’m sufficiently pissed I may even give the AC/DC another go…

Thanks again, excellent work…

:applaud:

...and just found a cheap copy of Tom Waits Black Rider too...

I should have guessed - I've been following your vinyl archaeology on the recent purchases thread. BTW, my computer really did crash on track 8 :lol:

Thanks once again - I'll absorb the info you posted and will be back with some comments. The main thing - this mix cd is as much PURE FUN as Pink Lady and Candies. High praise!!!

Overall this was a real pleasure. A completely different mix to the ones I received in MIU8 and MIU9. Closer to my own tastes with many examples of songs from bands I want to know a lot more about.

Less surprising though than MIU8, where I was definitely “Cha’d” yet came away with a total love of “Growing” and “Ai Aso”.

Also less surprising than MIU9, where Nlgbbbblth taught me the beauty of music made in the late 1960’s and early 1970’s. Months later when I discovered The Postmarks, Nlgbbbblth was the first person I thought of and PM’d him re the band. He will like Track 22 on this mix too methinks.

It just goes to show, what a wide range of musical tastes there are on the Fall forum, and what makes me want to sign up for MIU every time. Its a lucky dip, Its pick and mix, but there is almost always something valuable to take away.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Anyway, less waffle and on with the review:

Track 1

Short intro track involving a nice choir singing “You’re Welcome to Come”.

Track 2

Bull in the Heather – Sonic Youth.

Not a huge fan of Sonic Youth, although I do like a few of their more popular songs. This is one of them.

Track 3

Fast paced punk tune with what sounds like Asian female & male vox. Also some simple keyboard, woodwind and guitar melodies in amongst it all.

Nice one. :thumbsup:

Track 4

Very ‘now’ sounding indie tune. Lovely guitar riffs and melodies. An upbeat tune. Reminiscent of Squeeze, Orange Juice or Haircut 100. Lyrics are a bit trite. Not bad overall but wouldn’t make the half way cut on this CD, where the bar has been set quite high.

Track 5

Grown on me has this. Semi indie / semi folk type sound. Mixed male / female vox again.

Lyrics of this song seem to be about most of the summers in the UK over the last 4-5 years. I.e going on a holiday and it rains.

:lol:

Nice 60’s style horns in the latter stages. Another upbeat song. Lovely catchy chorus.

“We don’t want raincoats. Where did my summer go? It’s raining on my window?”

Track 6

“My Bloody Valentine-like” but cuter. Fuzz guitar in abundance, with female vox providing the main melody along with understated simple synth. Really nice. I want more.

Track 7

Sounds like an early indie band who signed up for some minor label in 1981 or so. Simple fragile guitar riffs, fragile because the guitarist is having difficulty playing it.
Female singer who seems to be a hoarder of a wide variety of things….

“I collect Snails and I collect Horses”.

She reminds me of Annabelle Lwin who fronted Bow Wow Wow all those years back. It’s not her though. Still, a song and style right up my alley.

Another tick in the box compiler :thumbsup:

Track 8

Another fairly fast paced song with distorted guitar & lovely female vox melody singing. I like this a lot too.

Already after just 8 songs - so much mouth watering promise in regards to new bands to discover……

^_^

Track 9

She Doesn’t Belong to Me – Pete and the Pirates, from the LP Little Death.

Yay – good choice! In my top ten LPs for the first half of 2008.

:applaud:

Track 10

This is a song by Half Man, Half Biscuit isn’t it? From the little I’ve heard of them, it sounds like their style, with the humorous lyrics and sound of the singer. This song ends with the line:

“Not long now before lollypop men are called Darren!”

:lol:

Track 11

Eno-sounding vocals and lyrics. Music is fast paced again, with good bass and rhythm guitar and some intermittent treated lead guitar. Encouraging intro to whoever this is.

Track 12

Another ‘now’ band for sure. Wonderful female vox. Really dreamy sounding production. Solid guitar melodies back it up aswell. Like it a lot. Familiar sounding singer. Can’t place her.

Track 13

The longest track on the mix at 5:26. More of a standard rock track this one.

The guy is in London and in love with Linda, but it all goes a bit Pete Tong, and he’s filled with angst. By the fifth listening I wanted to skip it.

Can’t understand what this song is doing in this mix?

Track 14

Slow paced instrumental with mainly guitar melodies. Grab your partner and smooch for a few minutes. OK is all. Nuff said.

Track 15

Another fast paced song with full on distorted guitar & by now obligatory female vox.

:D

Track 16

Interesting song!

Clearly English in origin. References to Blackpool beach, Morecambe Bay, and Chippies.

Another grower for sure.

Clean simple guitar with ethereal keyboard accompaniment.

Chorus of vox plus fuzz guitar…… “Look around you, look around me……..”

Bizarre switch to what sounds like modern electronica in the last 10 seconds….

:confused:

Track 17

Not sure when this was made, but it refers to the 1960s’, in particular April 1966. Name drops for the Monks and Velvet Underground and Interstellar Overdrive. Song is very much in the 1960’s style too.

Hmmm unsure about it. Music is fine. Lyrically it’s probably got a short life span for me.

Track 18

“I wish it could be 1965 again” by what sounds like The Motors. Probably not them, and definitely not to my tastes.

Track 19

Old fashioned punk song. Barely legible female singer accompanies 100 mile an hour punk music. Sounds late 1970’s and there isn’t a lot to differentiate it from 999, or The Lurkers or other bands of their ilk.

Track 20

All change!

Some country / folk music!

“Drivin’ all night”

I just don’t like this sort of music. To my ears it comes across as twee.

Sounds completely out of place on this CD too.

Track 21

Raucous guitar instrumental, which suggests promise from this band.

At the end a band member talks about how they are four chaps from Chelsea, who made a record and then another, and fuck me, another. (paraphrased)

Track 22

Another instrumental, sounding more like its from the late 1960’s / early 1970’s. Very laid back and sounds lovely. Something Nlgbbbblth would enjoy I imagine. This would have been a nice way to end the CD thinking about it.

Track 23

“Crudely Painted Not So Funny Plywood Cut Out Folk Art” is my guess at the title of this. Short ‘Spoken word’ comic sketch that became very irritating after just three plays.

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Hmmm, mostly great, but drifted away from my own tastes somewhat in the second half. That’s quite harsh really, because the first half of the CD is top notch.

What I really want to say is THANKS to the compiler for getting your mix. Lots of really great songs on it. Cant wait to find out who they all are.

:thumbsup:

Frankly, anyone who appreciates Pete & The Pirates has got his or her head screwed on the right way

:lol:

Favourite track?

6/8/12 at the moment but I reserve the right to change this. There are a number of growers on this CD.

CD recieved and awaiting review. I literally have had 5 mins to review CD, as I just arrived back from holiday, and go back to work offshore tomorrow (now today). First 2 tracks are piano led classical pieces, 2nd one possibly from a tv commercial
I have no access to a computer till Wednesday afternoon, but will mp3 the CD and give it a full airing before then. Full review before next weekend.

Love what ive heard so far though, although completely unexpected.

EDIT: uh, move along, problems with computer. Sorry.

the cramps have had bassists since around 1986!

there are some threads on cathal coughlan/fatima mansions elsewhere which will give you an idea.

barry adamson has had his moments good and bad. oedipus schmoedipus is his best imo. and it is unusual for him to sing, although he seems to do it with increasing frequency...

cheers

ps the tom waits track in context of the play

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=knKDPFc0SWY&feature=related

don't have nightmares...

Or, to put it another way, what a wonderful mix! The compiler has a obviously got quite a specific taste for literate, skewed Americana-the Tom Waits track and D. Lynch pic are key I think and while I'm largely ignorant of this sort of thing, and some of it wouldn't be to my taste on it's own, as a whole I think it's a brilliant thing and incredibly atmospheric.

The only three songs I know were the Tom Waits, very much the intellectual centre of this mix, Burial, of which more later and the Modern Lovers, which fits very well I thought It's perhaps easy to forget after so many years of clean-cut new wave and college rock bands but the Modern Lovers shtick-VU recast as provincial dweebs is, in and of itself, quite a radical inversion/subversion of Rock motifs. In terms of taking an alternative view of C20th American myths, one might almost call it Lynchian. The intellectual leap involved in locating Burial's subversion of the sonic landscape of South London alongside Lynch's inversion of the landscape of provinical America is fascinating and I can only congratulate the compiler of this mix on pulling it off.

I would be fascinated to hear what all the tracks were and would happily bet $5 that the compiler of this mix was Mr. M himself.

That's me, finger on the pulse of modern music as ever...

:lol:

Giving nlgbbbblth's Mix It Up disc another spin - I hadn't paid much attention to the lyrics of the songs but there's some hilarious examples of hallucinogenic lyricism on some of the tracks. For anyone in far flung reaches of the globe still awaiting their disc to turn up, you could do a lot worse than make use of the megaupload link already posted on the previous page and treat yourself.

I have a feeling in my bones that my contribution to this round has found fertile soil. Fingers crossed. And toes :)

Oh yes, the Screen Test them is a classic - thanks for the download, nlgbbbblth, looking forward to hearing it again, and the others for the first time...


Having listened to the whole lot, :applaud: :applaud: :applaud: :applaud: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: :thumbsup: is all I can say (that's my month's quota of smilies)

18 tracks 72:46

Overall impression: "Very American" 6/10

I am giving each song a mark out of 10. The first given after the first listen, the second after repeated hearings.

Track 1
First thoughts a Mike Myers Austin Powers piss-take. Cheesy 70s. Could it be a genuine track from then? No - too well produced. Def tongue-in-cheek. Fun. well done. Like it.
Later: played it to a (younger) acquaintance and he positively identified it as Mike Flowers Pops who had a hit in 1995(sic) with Wonderwall. He directed me to Youtube. Had great fun watching some of the songs from the album "A Groovy Place", from which this is the title track. Cheers!! Great start.

Initial mark - 6.5
Later mark - 8.5


Track 2
A song of two halves (footy season has started - hooray!!)
First half - a blinder. Proto-punk, neo-punk or whatever..nothing wrong with that...then the sublime repetitive lyrics about the President of the Bank of Argentina. Wonderful stuff. Took me back to listening to Peel in 79 and being grabbed by this sort of thing. Would be great live. I can see the shaven-headed bare-torsoed sweaty bodies bouncing around.
Unfortunately the second half is a stinker. Degenerates into an up-your-own-arse guitar indulgence with feedback and orgasmic crescendo building indulgences. I could do without that. Anyway, remembering the first 4 minutes I give it a big thumbs up

8.5/7.5


Track 3
Foreign. Back to the early 70s (in sound anyway)? Singer sounds a bit like a French Lou Reed. Pleasant enough. Playful. Fun as a one- off, but little of lasting impression.
My only dalliance with this sort of thing is my affection for Jim Noir.

4.5/4.5



Track 4
Girl group. The Slits?? No...but similar. Sounds like the B-52s maybe. Reference to candy. Fine.

7/7


Track 5
Obviously Tom Waits. Unmistakeable. Don't know the song but my Waits collection stretches to 2 cds. Always wanting to delve deeper, so will check this cd out. Liked the lyric "I look good without a shirt". Sometimes when I drink I stand in front of the mirror and pose (Travis Bickle style). Doesn't work sober.
Love this song. Will get it. Thanks!

7/9


Track 6
Captain Beefheart. So says my knowledgeable chum. I had it down as "Fall-like rhythm. Very interesting." Noted the lyrics "the bones that speak of silence" on first listen. As far as I am aware I have never heard any of the Captains music so this is a first. Knew of him of course (Trout-mask replica image in my head) so pleased to be enlightened (if it be true). Like it lots, especially after repeated listenings.

5.5/7.5


Track 7
Louie, Louie (of course). The originalby Richard Berry? Slower than the more well-known version. Not a fan of it really. Boring. Sorry!

0/1




Track 8
The Salford bard himself! JCC. This one my wife actually piped up from across the room - "Its him we saw with the Fall!" Of course. But this is not on my "Best of" compilation. Very lo-fi recording too. Like to hear it louder and savour the words.

6/6


Track 9
Comedy routine. Like the Mighty Boosh messing about in their bedroom aged 14/15 (which I would love to hear) "This is utterly dreadful to me. You owe me 6 minutes of my life!" - actual quote from my first listen.
Now I am more tolerant, especially when I hear it may be a Frank Zappa produced scizophrenic called Wild Man Fisher. But should we enjoy the ravings of a lunatic? Bit like the Bedlam tourists of yesteryear. Doesn't seem right.

1/2


Track 10
PIL type guitar (Levine had an after-life?) Great- love that guitar. Plenty of energy. Good stuff.

7/7


Track 11
70s drug haze. Ho hum. What is it with Fall fans and this type of stuff? My MIU 9 was full of this. It washes over me. Pleasant enough I suppose. Wish I could get some of the stuff that would make this exciting to listen to. Maybe then..

3/2


Track 12
This is the bees knees. Dylan. Drifter's Escape from John Wesley Harding, I'll be bound! (Father-in-law helped pin it down I must admit). Again not in my (limited Bob collection, so here I have a new Dylan song to savour. Thanks!

9/9


Track 13
This one is so memorable! Utterly repelled by it at first (a seemingly authentic song about hideous rednecks flushing out a pig from its hole and capturing, cooking and feasting on it!) As a vegetarian it made me queasy, but after a few listens I was beginning to be charmed. If it isn't another piss-take then it is quite something! Yuk.

0/5


Track 14
Delicious Fall-like beat opens this track and quite pleasant it is to, but then it takes a bizarre twist and we get Gary Numan-type synth, then it just meanders on...what is going on here? Bemused.

3/4


Track 15
Original quote of mine-"Low-key, not grabbing me, inoffensive, organ 60s". But I did like it better the next day. Interesting sounds permeate. Still very laid-back.

3.5/5.5


Track 16
Live. I know this!! Damn. That little keyboard refrain....its atmospheric jingle-jangle- its got to be something like Jesus and Mary Chain. I have none of their stuff but it is how I imagine one of their concerts would sound. Somehow reminds me of Cocteau Twins with a male vocalist. Nice.

6/8


Track 17
Original quote "Nothing to say. Bland". Stand by that. Later discovered it is "Seeing Other People" by Belle and Sebastiane - my daughter enlightened me. She hates them too. One of the most over-rated bands ever. Unless I (we) are wrong. Over to you...

0/0


Track 18
You made me smile!! White Lightening..the original? Gene Vincent? Class!!

10/10


Overall final mark 7.5/10

Good stuff, compiler. now identify yourself...

This is mine Black Dog. Little pushed for time today, a full explanation will follow in a day or so, pleasantly releived by your generous marks and the fact you didn't know every track like my recipient on MIU #9...!

Received mine today with a card from David Lynch, immediately flung it into the car stereo with excellent results. I've only heard six tracks so far, mainly noisy lo-fi rock and experiments, but they all have "something wrong" with them. :applaud:

The most weirdo tracks so far are the opener, a mumbled german song with what sounds like a sampled human voice as percussion and 30 second rework of a nearly unrecognizable morricone theme. And there's a doors cover.

Recieved my mix today - 17 tracks, 62 minutes - starting off with 'Hurdy Gurdy Man'...

Review hopefully up in 2-3 days :thumbsup:

I’ve been through this a few times now, so here goes. First of all thanks to the compiler for your time and effort. I must state that I am not terribly eclectic in my musical tastes, I generally go for guitar, bass drums, decent lyrics and attitude (hence The Fall) but I’m not big on jazz, ambient, dance, world or metal.

So, apologies if some of this review (especially the first half dozen tracks) sounds a little negative. Overall I found this to be a disc of two halves but persistence certainly brought its reward as I felt the mix got stronger as it went on.

1. Very low-fi electronic intro (bleep wibble bleep wibble) followed by metronomic drum beat and Siouxsie Sioux style whooping vocals although no discernable words. She appears to be saying “Edu” repeatedly although I don’t know whether this is in deference to the injury prone former Arsenal midfielder. Didn’t do an awful lot for me I must admit.

2. More electro noodling. Sounds like the Cocteau Twins at 78rpm. The keyboards appeared to be imitating bird song. Extremely repetitive with the same eight note motif over and over again. Probably my least favourite of them all.

3. Frantic cod-operatic frenzy with Russell Mael like falsetto singing although it doesn’t appear to be in English. Gives way to a prog-jazz feel, a bit like an up tempo Van Der Graaf Generator especially in the sax playing. At least there is some semblance of a tune but another thumbs down I’m afraid

4. Intro reminds me of the riff from This Is How It Feels by Inspiral Carpets but played on a tuba. Vocals robotic and low in the mix, male lead with female harmonies. Increases in tempo at about halfway through with Laurie Anderson “ah ah ahs” coming in. Again it’s a foreign language possibly Japanese. Pleasant enough but nothing more.

5. Bloody hell!!! A guitar, a bass!!!! More low in the mix foreign vocals. Hypnotic chanting with some nice shimmery guitar work but spoiled by annoyingly prominent hi-hat tapping. Best track of the opening five.

6. This is a splendid Nuggets-inspired sixties work-out sung again, possibly, in Japanese. Nice spidery guitar solo and whoo-whoo backing vocals. Can’t shake the image of a far eastern four piece with pudding bowl haircuts, mutton chops, Roger McGuinn shades and corduroy trousers. Good stuff.

7. Instrumental track with a solemn industrial sounding keyboard intro followed by some quite extraordinary drumming (Keith Moon on steroids) and accompanying electronic bleeps and whooshes. Drummer then calms down giving way to an echo loop and more burbling and twittering.

8. Big heavyweight metal riff with chugging bass and tremendous drumming. Could easily be Hawkwind around the time of Space Ritual or alternatively a Spinal Tap instrumental out-take. Disappointingly short though, the track ends just as it gets going.

9. We’re well and truly off in a metal direction. This is of the Death Metal variety with growling vocals over a solid riff. Singer gets a little bit more screechy in the middle then back to the sub-Dalek gargling. I must admit I find this sort of thing highly amusing rather than sinister or threatening. It’s probably called something like “Ripping Gore From The Flesh Of Massacred Virgins” and is the work of four blokes from Nuneaton whose real names are Trevor, Colin, Graham and Jeremy. Check out Stavanger Toestub by Half Man Half Biscuit for a splendid parody of this silly but somehow pleasing genre.

10. More thrash, this time with a vocalist who sounds like a whipped puppy. He/she/it is put out of his/her/its misery after only 28 seconds. It’s exactly what The Simpsons writers would come up with if Itchy and Scratchy had a Black metal episode. It should be called “Choke on the Slaughter.”

11. The riff is pure Ramones but the singer sounds like Billy Idol. It’s the first track on the mix to feature undisputably English lyrics. The words suggest it may be called “Don’t Bite Your Nails” and I’d place it in the first wave of English punk but I certainly haven’t heard it before and am intrigued to know who it’s by.

12. More punk. The singer is very familiar sounding in a Jaggeresque kind of way and the song could almost be by the same band as featured on the previous track. Choppy riff a la Dead Kennedys and clocks in at under 2 minutes which is always a good thing. Annoyed that I can’t place it though.

13. Man of the Match for me. Clippety clop drum shuffle and trancey-dancey riff. Out of nowhere a Gang of Four style guitar riff butts in and then, joy of joys, the realisation hits you that this is a totally wigged out cover version of My Sharona by The Knack. The keyboard solo suggests Genesis’ Tony Banks has joined Devo and the vocals remind me of some of those old Silicon Teens singles. I absolutely love covers that add a totally new dimension to a classic song and this is an absolutely brilliant example. I shall treasure it forever.

14. The jagged riff on this one is strangely reminiscent of Spectre Vs Rector but the lyrics aren’t quite as challenging. The libretto for this one consists of “da da da da da whoooo” and the singer sound a bit like Fay Fife of the Rezillos. More natty drum rolls which are clearly something this compiler enjoys enormously .

15. Lovely funky little staccato riff and growly vocals which could equally be Captain Beefheart or Richard Hell. The guitar playing is reminiscent of Robert Quine (RIP) and I love the wavering, chirping keyboard sounds in the background. Compared to the earlier tracks on this mix it’s so much more refreshing to hear this kind of thing working within the framework of an actual song. Excellent stuff.

16. To close, a haunting, lilting piano piece. Fragile and beautiful. I have absolutely no knowledge of this sort of thing. Philip Glass is the only name I can come up with but it could just as easily be the long awaited follow up to Nigel Tufnel’s “Lick My Love Pump”.

So not all of this is to my liking but there are some treasures hidden away. Whoever put this together has far wider tastes than me so I hope he/she doesn’t get my mix in return. It's the second time I've taken part in MIU and have yet to recognise a single track on either of the mixes I've received. If I was a betting man I would say this could be the work of GraemeLovesPinkLady.

Finally, thanks again to Mr Marshall for organising this on our behalf. :applaud:

Some fascinating reviews of some fascinating-sounding mixes, so far. Who's got mine, I wonder? :confused:

Wow! What a first rate compilation nlgbbbblth!! Splendid effort. Just listened to it twice in a continual spin!!! :thumbsup:

My review will be posted in the next couple of days - The disc I got has 16 tracks and lasts for 63:41. I have an inkling as to who's it is...

Still loving it!

Review will follow in a few days. There are some really good songs on this mix... in amongst the drum and bass splurges and strange cover versions :huh:

22 Tracks, 78.02 minutes long. Enjoying it as I type.