Don't Walk Away

Technova's electronic cover version of Joy Division's Atmosphere, finding light amongst Joy Division's shade. This is a really good cover, with moments of beauty- lovely synths (showing the direction Bernard Sumner was already heading in 1980), dancey drums, squidgy bass and a blissed out, treated vocal replacing Ian Curtis' sombre baritone. Assuming this Technova is the same Technova who were on Weatherall's Emission Audio Output record label in the mid 90s, then this is the work of David Harrow, who also records as James Hardway. Weatherall and Harrow also recorded together as a fictional female techno artist Deanne Day (D and A, geddit) and Blood Sugar.

Edit 8th March 2011 Post and track removed by Mediafire and Blogger. I've reposted without the track.

I Won't Stop Loving You

This was one of the first songs I ever posted here and is also A Certain Ratio's finest moment- I Won't Stop Loving You, remixed by Bernard Sumner, released in 1990 and living near my turntable ever since.

Mrs Swiss, this one's for you.

Won_t Stop Loving You.mp3

Version Francoise

Ed Ball co-formed Television Personalities with Dan Treacy during the punk period, set about Bill Grundy, Part Time Punks, Syd Barratt amongst others and set up their own record label. Ball also formed The Times who released records regularly between 1980 and 1999. While finding a home at Creation in the 80s and 90s Ball found the time to record various (sometimes tongue-in-cheek) celebrations of acid house, drug culture and Manchester/London at the time. This is Lundi Bleu, his version of New Order's Blue Monday with Bernard Sumner's lyrics translated into French. It's a post-acid house, 8 minute monster which finds time to turn into Neil Young's After The Goldrush at the end. Very lovely and very of it's time. Art Dept IAMT, currently in Nuremburg, this one's for you.

The Times - Lundi Bleu (Man New Age Mod Mix).mp3

I'd Rather Watch Drying Paint

Yesterday's duo (Pet Shop Boys) meet another duo (Electronic) and record a stand out track from the first Electronic album, Patience Of A Saint. Neil Tennant had already worked with Bernard Sumner and Johnny Marr on the debut Electronic single, 1989's gorgeous Getting Away With It, and on this song Chris Lowe joined in on keys as well. Seeing as Marr had more or less refused to play the guitar on the album there must have been a lot of people standing around prodding drum machines, synths and samplers during the recording of this song. It's a fantastic track nonetheless, with Neil Tennant in withering sarcasm mode (the line that gave this post it's title for example and 'If I drove a faster car, I'd drive it bloody well').

The picture shows the foursome backstage at the Cities In The Park festival held in Heaton Park in the summer of 1991. Held in honour of Martin Hannett who'd died the previous April the Sunday was mainly Factory acts plus some other Manchester bands, and was a good line-up- New FADS, 808 State (very good), Durutti Column, A Certain Ratio, Revenge (they were pretty awful), De La Soul (lots of shouting. Live hip hop and festivals during daylight not mixing very well), Electronic and headlined by Happy Mondays. Security was fairly lax- fences going down left, right and centre followed by hordes pouring in, people working on the gates offering wristbands for a fiver- normal Factory/Hacienda sort of thing really. Electronic went on before the Mondays and at one point you stood looking at the stage with members of New Order, The Smiths and The Pet Shop Boys playing together and thought 'this is some kind of future we're looking at here'.

Factory was declared bankrupt just over a year later.

04 The Patience of a Saint.wma

Half Way There

Today I am half way through growing a moustache for November. Movember aims to raise money for men's health charities (including prostate cancer) by growing a moustache. It was initiated by someone at work and I signed up, along with a dozen or so others. I'm not usually one for such work-based hilarity but I was intrigued and did wonder what it'd look like. Half the time I forget it's there until I catch sight of myself or get a slightly odd look from someone. Mrs Swiss told me last week I looked like a '70s cop'. Hmm, a cool, slightly Beastie Boys' Sabotage, mean streets of New York or San Francisco 70s cop maybe I thought. More likely I reckon she had Juliet Bravo in mind. She can't stand it. Bagging Area favourites Andrew Weatherall and Billy Childish are confirmed men of moustaches so I hope I can hold onto a shred of dignity. Not that either would mean anything to anyone at work.

Tache tune- The Chemical Brothers and Bernard Sumner with their 1999 single Out Of Control, one of their best, containing the line 'Or maybe you think my moustache is too much'.

Out Of Control.mp3

Your Aching Spanish Heart

808 State's breakthrough album Ex El from 1991 featured several of their best tunes (Lift, In Yer Face, Cubik), two collaborations with Bjork, and this song co-written with and sung by Bernard Sumner. Spanish Heart is a lovely piece of Sumner dance-melancholia, great backing from Massey, Price and the other two (not that Other Two), and a close cousin of several tracks on the first Electronic album. Very of it's time and very good.

Spanish Heart.mp3

Sub Sub Ft. Bernard Sumner 'This Time I'm Not Wrong'

A Joy Division/New Order rarity/oddity for you, following the earlier Jah Division piece. In 1997 Bernard co-wrote and sang (and presumably played guitar) with Sub Sub, who would shortly afterwards go on to become Doves. Sub Sub hit the charts with the rather ace Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use) and also had the ravey Space Face, which as Doves they still encore with from time to time. This song is more Doves than Sub Sub, being full of guitars and drums, and featuring a typical Bernard vocal and lyric. The end came for Sub Sub when their Cheetham Hill studio burnt down on the Williams twins' birthday, but judging by this 12" they were heading in a different direction anyway. The B-side features an early version of Fire Suite which also cropped up on the first Doves lp. Bernard Sumner in 1997 was on extended leave from New Order and in between Electronic activities. I got this in Oxfam in Altrincham for a fiver some time ago, a bargain judging by some online prices I've seen. This was the last single to come out on Rob Gretton's Rob's records label, also home to Manchester legends A Certain Ratio and Mr. Scruff amongst others.

01 This Time I'm Not Wrong.mp3