Beastly Brothers

Posting the Beastie Boys' Egg Man the other day led me to dig out Hello Nasty, the follow up to their crossover Ill Communication album. Hello Nasty has got plenty of the 'three men shouting funny stuff over a funky break with a clever sample' thing that they do so well (Super Disco Breakin', Intergalactic) but it also shows them spreading their wings- there's some loungecore, the beautiful ballad I Don't Know, the spooky and minimal Instant Death and this track- Dr. Lee PhD. Recorded with Lee 'Scratch' Perry it's a lo-fi, low key, shuffly, dubby, reggae tune- just a drumbeat, some organ, some funny noises and a load of Lee Perry's profound nonsense lyrics, which finish with 'it's the beastly brothers, and the beastly boys, with their beastly toys'. It's a groovy, addictive little track. I also realised that this record was released in July 1998, the long summer before the birth of our first child and listening to it, the album seemed like a glimpse into a former life.

21 Dr. Lee, PhD.mp3#2#2

Easter Egg Man

Happy Easter. Enjoy the eggs.

Egg Man.mp3#1#1

Select Shun

I was rumaging through a box of covermount cds from music magazines when I found five that came glued to the front of Select, the late and not especially lamented Britpop bible. Select started during the glory days of Madchester but found it's niche with the arrival of Suede, along with St Etienne, Pulp and Denim. It went on to feature Oasis, Blur and Menswear on a monthly basis but at least had the benefit of some good writers, a nice monthly feature with a suggested cover and tracklist for a mixtape and occasional forays into (usually British) dance music. The free cds (The Deep End, and then Revolutions One through to Five) had some tracks I'd forgotten about, with quite a few goodies. Here's one of them.

Moby's Play album sold several gazillion copies and every track on it was licensed to sell some product or other. It had it's moments but familiarity bred contempt, round these parts anyway. Select got hold of this track and gave it away in May 2000- Moby's Natural Blues remixed by Beastie Boy Mike D (centre in picture, as I'm sure you know). I'm pretty sure I remember reading that this isn't an actual remix, and that Mike D and others recreated the track live instead. Which explains the busy, clattering drums, messy instruments, jumbled production and chanted vox. It's actually very good, and sounds nothing like the rest of the Play album. More Select Shun's to follow.

01 Natural Blues (Mike D remix).wma