Saturday, November 27, 2010

Death Of A Disco Dancer - Sleazy RIP

Peter "Sleazy" Christopherson, founding member of pioneering UK industrial outfit Throbbing Gristle (pictured above, Christopherson on the right) died on Wednesday 24 November, aged 55. Gristle members Chris & Cosey announced the news on their website. After TG broke up in 1981, Christopherson formed another wildly influential band, the psych experimental electropunk band Psychic TV as well as creating more industrial music as Coil. Christopherson later embarked on a career as a music video director, making clips for Marc Almond, Front 242, Ministry, Nine Inch Nails, Rage Against The Machine and Jah Wobble as well as making the Hearts Of Darkness-style-crazed-on-location-in-Sth-America 'Infected' clip for The The. He also made clips for Australian artists Silverchair ('Pure Massacre') and Abba tribute band Bjorn Again ('A Liitle Respect') - TG members were always vocal fans of Abba. As a photographer/designer (working as a part of art collective Hipgnosis), Christopherson designed the covers for the first three Peter Gabriel self-titled albums (known as Car, Scratch and Melt) as well as also being credited for involvement in the artwork of Pink Floyd's Wish You Were Here and Animals - he also created the lesser known, but possibly his best, artwork for Dave Ball's In Strict Tempo. In recent years, Christopherson took part in a TG reformation as well as starting Soisong and recording as The Threshold HouseBoy's Choir.

Throbbing Gristle - 'Hot On The Heels Of Love' (1979)

Coil - 'Windowpane' (1991, clip directed by Christopherson)


Psychic TV - 'Godstar' (1988)


Front 242 - 'Rhythm Of Time' (a clip Christopherson made for the Belgian nu beaters in 1992)

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Windy City Mix Show - 02

i need your love...
Mixed (a)live!

Going by the weather here, this could have been the Rainy City Mix Show.

'Windy City Mix Show - 02' by Adam Askew (direct download)

TRACK LIST:
Victor Romeo & The Move - 'I Want Your Love (dub)' (Dance Mania)
Kevin Irving - 'Children Of The Night' (Trax Records)
Fingers Inc. - 'It's Over (dub)' (Underground)
ABC - 'The Real Thing (Frankie Knuckles mix)' (Phonogram)
Ten City - 'I Should Learn To Love You (inst)' (Atlantic promo)
Irving & Romeo - 'Brighter Day (club mix)' (Dance Mania)

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Take It Personal (Covers)

Cover versions make the world go round. They're familiar, sometimes they're tongue-in-cheek - hey, you can't keep a good song down. Now, I'm as ever-loving and open minded as the next person, but sometimes... sometimes you have to take some cover versions PERSONALLY. Not because the original song is sacred or precious, but because the cover version messes with the original in such a way that it rips apart your musical memory and forever haunts you. Like fingernails down the musical blackboard of your mind.

EXHIBIT A:


A later period Smokey Robinson solo song (lifted off his 1979 LP 'Where There's Smoke...'), but hey it's not like Smokey ever really lost his voice.

AS RUINED BY:
Gwyneth Paltrow AND Huey Lewis.

There's not much more to say. Except that their version was a massive hit and has now moved into the elevator/supermarket music hall-of-fame, just like Smokey's cover of Norah Jones' 'Don't Know Why'.

Why Smokey, why? Boo hoo.

Friday, November 5, 2010

The Amazing World Of Record Inserts

By the late 90s Coldcut were releasing albums (see 1997's 'Let Us Play!') with interactive CD-ROMs full of music videos, custom music software and games. Rewind to the late 80s though... and it was all about badges, caps and laminates. Check the insert from the 1987 2x12" compilation 'Out To Lunch With...', released on Coldcut's first record label Ahead Of Our Time.

click on through..click on through...