Mr. Morgan's On The Train

Dub Pistols + Freestylers x JA-13 + Derrick Morgan = Ska Train.

The opening ten seconds should be enough to convince you to hop on board, but once the legendary Mr. Morgan's voice blasts out over the tannoy.

For the return trip, why not hop on the Reggae Train, which inspired this slick update? Here's Derrick again to welcome you aboard, live at The 100 Club in London on 13th September 2008.

Dub Pistols and Freestylers have recorded a full album, Enter The Sound, following in March. 

As well as Derrick Morgan, JA-13 and regular collaborator Seanie T,  the Enter The Sound line-up includes Belle Humble, General Levy, Harry Shotta, Horseman, Johnny Osbourne, MC Spyda, Persona, Scarlett Quinn, Tenor Fly, Tippa Irie and Too Many T’s.

You can buy Ska Train now and pre-order Enter The Sound on all formats, including a lovely yellow marble vinyl.

The Life And Times (Of A Man Called Terry)

 

Apologies for a typo in yesterday's post. When I wrote "be sure to drop by tomorrow for a Boxing Day special.", what I meant was "Boxing Day Specials". The Specials, that is, who top and tail today's selection.

 

More specifically, this is a nearly hour-long tribute to Terry Hall, who passed on 18th December 2022. It's hard to believe that two years have gone by.

 

Not that Terry's ever really away from my music playlists. Like the Imaginary Compilation Album that I created for The Vinyl Villain in 2021, this 13-song selection draws from Terry's rich history of bands, collaborations and solo releases, some that will be immediately familiar, other deeper cuts that you may not know. 

 

The common thread is Terry's wonderful voice, character and way with words. Every one a winner.

As an added Boxing Day treat, I've reactivated links to the aforementioned Imaginary Compilation Album, plus the companion ICA created by TVV mastermind JC following mine. I recreated the pair as four sides of faux vinyl and posted them as a tribute to Terry, on hearing the awful news of his death.

Terry, you are missed but never forgotten.

 
1) Stereotype: The Specials (1980)

2) Sugar Man (Album Version): Silent Poets ft. Terry Hall (1999)

3) Heart Of America: The Colourfield (1987)

4) Getting Over You (Album Version): Hiroshi Fujiwara ft. Terry Hall (1994)

5) Alone: Fun Boy Three ft. Bananarama (1982)

6) Love Will Keep Us Together: Terry, Blair & Anouchka (1990)

7) Sense (Album Version) (Cover of Lightning Seeds): Terry Hall (1994)

8) Problem Is (Album Version): Dub Pistols ft. Terry Hall (2001)

9) Why Should I?: Leila ft. Terry Hall & Martina Topley-Bird (2008)

10) Poems (Edit): Nearly God ft. Terry Hall & Martina Topley-Bird (1996)

11) Stand Together: Terry Hall & Mushtaq (2003)

12) Walk Into The Wind: Vegas ft. Siobahn Fahey (1992)

13) The Life And Times (Of A Man Called Depression): The Specials (2019)

1980: Stereotype EP: 1

1982: FB3: 5

1987: Deception: 3

1990: Ultra Modern Nursery Rhyme EP: 6 

1992: Walk Into The Wind EP: 12

1994: Home: 7

1994: Nothing Much Better To Do: 4 

1996: Poems EP: 10

1999: To Come...: 2

2001: Six Million Ways To Die: 8

2003: The Hour Of Two Lights: 11

2008: Blood, Looms & Blooms: 9

2019: Encore: 13

The Life And Times (Of A Man Called Terry) (56:36) (KF) (Mega)

Popular Posts

I'm not one to pore over visitor stats, 'likes' and the like. Dubhed is primarily a vanity/self-help/passion project and, apart from the fairly frequent visits from the friendly bots in Singapore which send numbers into the stratosphere, this blog isn't going to be troubling the big guns at any point.

That said, I'm always interested to look back at the previous 12 months to see which posts appear to have struck a particular chord with visitors (excluding the aforementioned bots).

So, here is the 2023 Dubhed Top 20 most popular in descending order to artificially create some form of tension, with a few video inserts at various points to hype up the anticipation. Of course, this is rendered almost immediately redundant by the facility to scroll down the page. But still...

It's nice to see a reasonably even spread across the year - January and November are the only months not represented in the Top 20 - and that half include my own Dubhed selections. 

A few contenders that I expected (posts featuring Julian Cope and Andrew Weatherall are always popular) and some that I didn't (Dave Howard Singers, Dub Pistols, my Kevin Bacon-themed mini-series). And a well-deserved top 2.

In case you missed them first time around, click on the titles for the original post. Dubhed selection links have also been restored, where appropriate.

20) Everything Playing At Once (2023 maniamix) (31st December)

19) The Third Degree Of Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon (17th March)

18) It's 10:40 At Least Twice A Day (10:40) (19th February) 

17) The People I Meet As I Walk Down The Street Say, "Hey! What's Your Name?" (Dave Howard Singers) (17th May)

16) If I Could Have Just One Wish... (John Cooper Clarke / Mike Garry) (4th June)

 

15) Come Hither, Come Weatherall (Andrew Weatherall) (15th December) 

14) August & September (The The / Elbow) (2nd September) 

13) I Can Sing A Rainbow #3 (4th August) 

12) Six Degrees Of Kevin Bacon (3rd March) 

11) She Was More Like A Beauty Queen With An M16 (Dub Pistols) (4th October)  

 

10) Waiting For My Hearing To Return (John Cale) (24th August) 

9) 21 Revolutions Per Minute (Julian Cope) (21st October) 

8) If Kate Bush Was Drum & Bass... (Kate Bush vs. DJ Rap) (9th August) 

7) Came Back And The Spooks Were Gone (Andrew Weatherall) (6th April)

6) Bizarre Love Octangle (New Order / The Anchoress / Bizarre Love Triangle versions) (5th July) 

5) Clarity (Richard Norris) (6th August)

4) Three x3 x3 x3 (Dubhed's 3rd birthday) (7th December) 

3) Never Hurt Nobody (The Clash / Bankrobber versions) (8th August) 

2) Come Take Me By The Hand (Jezebell) (14th July) 

1) Every Time A Jezebell Rings... (Jezebell) (25th August)

 

 

Which of my posts will provoke and inspire humans and bots in 2024, I wonder?

The Fake History Of Dub Muzik

An hour long selection of Dub Pistols remixes, to bring the (big) beat back into your life and banish the blues of another working week. This one's dedicated to Mooz, creator of the awe-inspiring Moozler Music site, a repository of some frankly quite brilliant, genre-defying mixes.

Three weeks ago, I enthused about Dub Pistols' ninth and current album, Frontline. Mooz commented that he was new to Dub Pistols, bar a couple of remixes, and I made a note to self that I would trawl through my admittedly meagre collection of same to create a future selection and post. Typically, said post can take months, if not years, to appear so the fact that a mere two weeks have passed since I made that vague promise is bordering on the incredible.

Anyway, these pretty much cover a two year period in the late 1990s, when Big Beat was all the rage and Barry Ashworth's crew were one of the finest examples of this. The dub and dancehall influences are still in there but these mixes are all about giving it some welly in a nightclub and flicking that sweat all over the shop as you bust your moves. Or something like that.

Of the two remixes that Mooz mentioned, of Audioweb and DJ Spooky, I only own the former but the mix of Faker is superb so I had to include it. I'd argue that Hurricane #1, Bush and Limp Bizkit only sounded half decent when remixed and reworked to within an inch of their lives. I'd probably press 'skip' on the original versions of all of the songs featured here, but the Dub Pistols remixes elevate them to another level. Likewise, Moby's cover of the James Bond theme, unrecognisable as such here.

As for Korn, the All Mixed Up EP is the only release of theirs that I own and is likely to remain that way. Potty mouth precautions for this one is you have sensitive ears in proximity to your speakers. By contrast, we also have Natalie Imbruglia. So there.

I've had the Danmass single knocking about for ages but I've only just realised that it's Dan Carey and Massimo Bonaddio. I won't pretend I know anything about the latter, but Dan Carey is all over my record collection, not least for his work with Emilíana Torrini, Kylie, Róisín Murphy, Franz Ferdinand and Warmduscher, to name a (very) few.

Dub Pistols originally remixed Dust Junkys' Nothin' Personal in 1998. The version here, also known as Hooligan (Dub Pistols x Vega Remix), was re-edited and released by Vince Vega in 2016. One of Dust Junkys' founder members is Nicky Lockett, perhaps better known to you and I as MC Tunes.

 

In other undercover news, Girl Eats Boy is/was an alias for Lol Hammond (Drum Club, Slab). I discovered this one on a US compilation called Funk Off..! Vol. 1, which is an interesting curio of big beat and drum 'n' bass sounds from the UK. I don't think there was a Vol. 2.

Pop Muzik is an all-time classic and a fertile ground for remix artists. Dub Pistols first had a go in 2000, when Robin Scott (aka M) reworked and re-released the song as Pop Y2K. I'm not 100% sure but I think that the remix that appeared on the 30th anniversary celebration compilation in 2009 was an entirely new version.

 

I'm sticking with the late 1990s for tomorrow's Wednesday's* post.

 

1) Faces In A Dream (Dub Pistols Tornado Mix): Hurricane #1 (1999)

2) Napalm In Bohemia (Dub Pistols Mix) (Edit): Girl Eats Boy (1998)

3) James Bond Theme (Moby's Re-Version) (Dub Pistols Remix) (Cover of John Barry & Orchestra): Moby (1997)

4) Smoke (Dub Pistols Vocal): Natalie Imbruglia (1998)

5) Gotta Learn (Dub Pistols Sick Junkey Remix): Danmass (1998)

6) Good God (Dub Pistols Mix): Korn (1999)

7) My Way (Pistols' Dancehall Dub) (Remix By Dub Pistols): Limp Bizkit (2001)

8) Nothin' Personal (Dub Pistols Hooligan Riot Remix) (Re-Edit By Vince Vega): Dust Junkys ft. The Collective (2016)

9) Faker (The Dub Pistols Mix): Audioweb (1997)

10) History (Dub Pistols Mix): Bush (1997)

11) Pop Muzik (Dub Pistols/U2 Remix): M (2009)

 

1997: Deconstructed: 10

1997: Faker EP: 9

1997: James Bond Theme (Moby's Re-Version) EP: 3

1998: Smoke EP: 4

1998: The Woman I Love EP: 5

1999: All Mixed Up EP: 6

1999: Funk Off..! Vol. 1: 2

1999: Only The Strongest Will Survive EP: 1 

2001: My Way EP / New Old Songs: 7

2009: Pop Muzik: The Remix Album (iTunes Edition): 11

2016: Appropriation EP: 8

 

The Fake History Of Dub Muzik (1:01:07) (KF) (Mega)

 

* I changed my mind whilst drafting another post for this week, bringing it forward to Tuesday, for reasons which will become clear.

She Was More Like A Beauty Queen With An M16

When March was promising a far better summer than we actually ending up having in the UK, Dub Pistols offered up the perfect (festival) soundtrack.

 

Frontline is Dub Pistols' 9th album in 25 years but the first that I've owned. Better late than never? Too right!

 

Formed by Barry Ashworth in 1996, Dub Pistols appeared on my radar with third single Westway and their remix of Faker by Audioweb, both in 1997. I have the grand total of three singles in my collection: Westway, Cyclone (1998) and Official Chemical (2004) plus a smattering of radio edits, album cuts and a handful of other remixes, up to 2015.

Since then, Dub Pistols have released four albums and, on my first listen, the immediate reaction is that the past quarter century has seen a refining rather than a reinventing of their sound. If you enjoyed Dub Pistols music in 1996/1997, then you are unlikely to be disappointed by Frontline. The album is a dozen tracks of precision-tooled and tried and tested tunes, examples of an act that has developed an inherent knowledge of what will please the crowd on the live circuit and fit seamlessly into a set list.

That's not to say that the music on Frontline is perfunctory and soulless, far from it. Barry knows his stuff and the melting pot of dub, reggae, dancehall, ska & drum n bass is enhanced by the selection of vocalists, many of whom have been regular gunslingers on previous albums. 

Listened to in it's entirety, Frontline brings a smile to my face and an urge to jump up and down in party style, the latter not advisable when driving it has to be said. To give you a flavour, I've picked half a dozen examples, the first three with accompanying videos on YouTube, the latter trio with audio links courtesy of Bandcamp. 

Nice Up, featuring Freestylers and Horseman

 

Moving On, featuring Natty Campbell joining Barry on lead vocals

Soundboy Killa, bringing back Freestylers and Natty Campbell

 

Better Has Come, featuring the sweet sounds of Lindy Layton

 

Jump On It, with yet more Freestylers, joined this time by Top Cat and a cheeky homage to The Shadows' Apache all to great effect

 

M16 brings back previous collaborators The Ragga Twins, Flinty Badman and Deman Rocker aka Trevor Destouche and David Destouche). In case it ever pops up unexpectedly in a pub quiz, Trevor and David are brothers, not twins. The song not only provides today's post title but takes liberties with Michael Jackson's #1 single from 1983, Billie Jean and samples Ennio Morricone's The Good, The Bad And The Ugly. Great stuff.

 

Frontline was another chance purchase but Dub Pistols has proved to be a staple of this year's summer, lousy though it was for the most part, weather-wise. I've every intention of venturing back into the Dub Pistols' back catalogue, most likely starting with 2007's Speakers And Tweeters if only because it heavily features the much-missed Terry Hall.

 

Aside from the usual channels and outlets, you can also buy Frontline via the official Dub Pistols website, on vinyl (black or red) or CD alongside T-shirt, bandana and poster or various combinations of the lot.

In Love With The Light

More gems from this year's releases to distract from the drawing in of the sunsets and the drop in temperature as autumn beds in.

Richard Norris appears twice, firstly remixing Katy J Pearson's cover of Willow's Song from the classic film The Wicker Man then with Lightning Version, a 10-minute dub extravaganza from his Oracle Sound project. As a subscriber to Richard's music, which is worth every penny as it is, I was also recently the beneficiary of a free Oracle Sound T-shirt, which I'm happily modelling for today's selection.

A couple of purchases recommended this year by Swiss Adam at Bagging Area, who is always on the mark. Trotting the globe, New Zealand's Stinky Jim is remixed by British Columbia's Seekersinternational, featuring vocals by Nazamba aka George Scott, who sadly passed in July 2022. From there, it's a trip from Oxford to London via Mozambique as Steve Queralt and Michael Smith are remixed by Nandele Maguni.

 

Róisín Murphy's excellent Hit Parade album has been unfortunately overshadowed by her recent comments on social media, follow up response and what seems to have been a pulling back of promotion and support by record label Ninja Tune. The album, created in collaboration with DJ Koze, isn't quite as immediate as predecessor Róisín Machine but repeated listens reward.  

Dub Pistols have been around forever it seems though this is the first album of theirs that I've bought. Lots of dub and dancehall influences, unsurprisingly, with a great vocal turn from Natty Campbell, I can imagine this would go down a storm in a live setting. 

Jason Buckle's releases as JP Buckle have been a relatively recent discovery, including his quirky Covers mini-album/EP. The selections are quite heavily rooted in 1980s popular culture - Prince & The Revolution, Wham!, U2, Bruce Springsteen - with a few surprises such as a cover of Into The Garden, a 1981 song by post-punk Artery. Perhaps less of a surprise when you know that Jason Buckle is member of JARV Is... and Jarvis Cocker convinced Artery to reform and perform at the Meltdown Festival which he curated in 2007.

Pye Corner Audio possibly need no introduction if you've frequented these pages before. As I wrote last month, Martin Jenkins has released several superb pieces of music this year and the brilliantly-titled Cabaret Sauvage is just one example. I said at the time that the song "immediately strikes as lost Pink Industry outtake, with a striking bass line and synth effects that call to mind 1980s arcade games". 'Nuff said.

 

1) Willow's Song (Richard Norris Ritual Mix) (Cover of Magnet): Katy J Pearson (Willow's Song EP)

2) Steam Fish (Steam Veg Dub) (Remix By Seekersinternational): StinkyJim ft. Nazamba (Social Awareness: The Remixes)

3) Arabiklan (Högt I Tak Remix By Janne Berglund): James Rod (Synthetic Glory EP)

4) Can't Replicate (Album Version By DJ Koze aka Stefan Kozalla): Róisín Murphy (Hit Parade)

5) Moving On: Dub Pistols ft. Natty Campbell (Frontline)

6) Lightning Version: Richard Norris (Oracle Sound Volume One)

7) Cabaret Sauvage: Pye Corner Audio (Cabaret Sauvage EP)

8) Into The Garden (Cover of Artery): JP Buckle (Covers)

9) Vespertina (Nandele Remix By Nandele Maguni): Steve Queralt & Michael Smith (Sun Moon Town Versions)

In Love With The Light (57:49) (KF) (Mega)

Never Hurt Nobody

On 8th August 1980, The Clash released the single Bankrobber. It was a standalone release bridging the albums London Calling and Sandanista! and their second biggest UK chart single (peaking at #12), after the title track of the former which got one place higher in 1979.

 

The above is Don Letts' official video for Bankrobber, mainly showing Joe, Mick, Paul, Topper and Mikey Dread in the studio and on stage and intercut with a loose narrative of a bank job. The heist was filmed in Lewisham and stars Clash roadies Barry 'The Baker' Auguste and Johnny Green. Both were reportedly stopped and questioned by police during filming, who clearly thought they were genuinely up to no good!

 

In 1996, Audioweb's self-titled debut album contained their own version of Bankrobber. It too was released as a single (featuring Half Pint aka Lindon Roberts) and provided their biggest hit and sole UK Top 20 in February 1997. Directors GobTV provide some interesting background to the making of the video to accompany the YouTube clip.

 

The CD single that I bought at the time additionally contains a live version and a couple of remixes, which you can also find in it's entirety on YouTube. 

 

Mikey Dread was at the controls for the original recording of Bankrobber. He also delivered an alternative version, Rockers Galore...U.K. Tour, which appeared on the B-side of the 7" single and subsequently on 1993's Super Black Market Clash compilation. Here's Mikey performing a cover of Bankrobber as a tribute to Joe Strummer at Glastonbury in 2004.

Fast forward to 2005 and Chumbawamba included a short and sweet a capella version of Bankrobber on their album A Singsong And A Scrap. I've not heard this before and I like it a lot.

 

A decade later Combat Cancer, a fundraising tribute to The Clash featured a couple of versions of Bankrobber, closing with this 'live 'n' loose' take by Nick Welsh and Susan Cadogan. A good cause and lovely to hear the latter, but not a version that I'm likely to return to repeatedly.

In July 2020, Dub Pistols - perhaps unsurprisingly - took on the challenge, with vocals by head man Barry Ashworth and guest Seanie T. It was released on 7" vinyl with the King Yoof Dub version on the flip side, which is equally pleasing.

 

Speaking of dubs, back in 1980 Mikey Dread produced a version of Bankrobber intended for the single. Inexplicably, the record label decided not to release a 12" single of Bankrobber but it did pop up later that year as a combined edit on Black Market Clash, a 10" compilation available in the USA and Canada only. To bring things full circle and to a fitting close, here's Bankrobber/Robber Dub in it's full glory.

 

This post is dedicated as an early happy birthday to Joe Strummer, who would have turned 71 on 21st August.