This playlist is 79% vinyl friendly. Not bad.
The Vertere SG-1/Xtrax! Named by designer and founder, Tourag Moghaddam like a very expensive thing… and at nearly £45,000 in 2023 it was.
With its ‘strategically placed LEDs embedded in the sumptuous acrylic plinth‘, when What Hi-Fi reached their 50th birthday earlier this year the turntable made it into their ‘20 very best turntables of What Hi-Fi?’s lifetime‘ and described it as ‘a true musical chameleon, one that changes character with the recording being played. Such a talent is rare in hi-fi, and should be cherished.‘
Any track marked * has been given either a tiny or a slightly larger 41 Rooms tweak/edit/chop and the occasional tune might sound a bit dodgy, quality-wise. On top of that, the switch between different decades and production values never helps in the mix here.
Could have gone with Devo’s ‘Afraid nobody around here, understands my potato. I think I’m the only spud boy looking for a real tomato‘ but I guess you needed to have been there.
Instead, I’m going with ‘Diamond in the back, sunroof top, diggin’ the scene with a gangsta lean, wooh-ooh-ooh‘, a line anyone of a certain would likely know.
(Intro) THE FLAMINGOS – Stars (Edit) – Unreleased demo – 1983. Episode #1 for info.
NEW ORDER – Heart and Soul (Reading Festival, 1998) – 3 16, DVD – Warner Music Vision – 2001
Aside Ceremony and a version of Love Will Tear Us Apart in Birmingham back in 1983, if you weren’t at the Manchester Apollo gig a month before this Reading Festival appearance, to that point you’d have been waiting nearly two decades for New Order to perform any Joy Division songs and this evening – after yet another five year gap in performing live – they ran through Isolation, Atmosphere, Heart And Soul, Ceremony and Love Will Tears Us Apart.
My daughter, Alice now at her second New Order gig, aged nine and a tall kid for her age back then, went jostling down the front once again, remembering ‘rolls and rolls of toilet paper being thrown through the crowd’. At the Rivermead party afterwards, being in the same room as Neil Tennant, Pete Shelley and Keith Allen meant zip to her when there were kids to be running around with and she spent most of the time playing video games with a boy and girl, both slightly older than herself. A very young Lily and Alfie Allen? We’ll likely never know. She did, though, remember me introducing her to Rob Gretton… which, of course, was far more important an event.
MEDIUM MEDIUM – Freeze – 7″ b-side – Apt Music – 1979
More ‘indie/new wave’ than the previously playlisted a-side, Them Or Me which rode the funk slant they’re best remembered for from their initial short incarnation.
LONELADY – Intuition (home studio version) – Stream only – 2022
A wonderful abrasive live version of an early Warp Records single and track from her debut album, Nerve Up. Seek out unique Lonelady content from Julie at Patreon.
THE SOUL OF 81 WINKLES – Look My Way (Radio Edit) – 10″ – So… Sparkle! – 1998
Where to start? From my time working within the Uni of Westminster’s Commercial Music Dept out in Harrow, London and a label project involving the students. I chose the tune, a cover of Mira Pa Ca by ’70s US Latin rockers, Chango and with one of the course’s heads, Alan Fisch/Fisher (ex Cabaret Voltaire) producing, we handpicked some of the best students. All pre internet, I remember sourcing Spanish and Portuguese peeps at the Uni to try and decipher the lyrics of the original (only partly successful, I think) and I even wrote an extra verse myself. I remember Alan F clocking the recording covering 174 tracks(!) and we ran with the adrenalin/enthusiasm that can overtake bands when playing live gigs – in that the finished track moved tempo and basically sped up… a lot(!) something that was later pointed out with great enthusiasm and admiration by DJ, Andy/Mr Scruff.
For the uninitiated, the band ‘name’ was a sort of nod to the Bedford alternative club started in early 1981 at a club called Winkles, whereby although predominantly the alternative/indie/new wave of the time we did move around genres and should this ‘Look My Way’ project have carried on to other releases we may have moved across a genre or two. Indeed, my initial idea for a follow up (if one had come) was to cover One Fine Day, a single by ’70s Canadian rockers, Lighthouse… and we’d have pulled it off, too.
Originally a 500 run, hand numbered, orange vinyl promo 10″ the reaction to Look My Way was brill. Fuelled massively by Patrick Forge on his Kiss FM radio show, a whole host of other buzz builder etc DJs (see below, including Pete Tong’s Radio One Essential Selection show) followed suit. Thanks to the facilities at the Uni we produced a video (it’s on Youtube), got a couple of A&R along to the filming and ended up performing the track live just the once, a 12 minute version at Patrick Forge’s 333/Off Centre club night’s first anniversary shindig. Oh, and a 12″ pressing followed as an official release.
So, least we forget: Kirsten, Sahara, Adam, Vid, Buster, Dan, Phil, Ed, Calum, Shanks, Wills, John, Ivan, Alan, Colm (RIP) and no doubt others… and from 2020, my Facebook page for a slightly different take and more photos.
Pass to the recording of the video.
JOSE FELICIANO – Day Tripper (live) – 7″ b-side – RCA – 1969
Besides coupling with Windmills Of Your Mind on the above mentioned Turkish single – the only known official release of Jose’s Day Tripper on a 7″ – it did feature on a US promo 4-track 7″ that was used to promote the 1969 live at the London Palladium double album, Alive Alive-O, the best known source for Jose’s cover but though a massive Beatles fan he rarely played the song live beyond the release of the album.
In a Rolling Stone interview with Jonathon Colt in Nov ’68 John Lennon was asked if there were any other versions of his songs that he liked and he replied: ‘Jose Feliciano does great things to ‘Help’ and ‘Day Tripper‘. As this was a year before Jose’s London Palladium performance and I’m reasonably sure Jose hadn’t performed Day Tripper on UK or US TV I can only assume Lennon had either caught Jose playing live at one of his low key club nights on his debut UK visit in May ’67 (The Scotch Of St James, a likely contender as it was a Beatles haunt and Macca certainly saw Jose there) or a far bigger concert when Jose began blowing up large in the US in the second half of ’68.
JOSE FELICIANO – Day Tripper (GOT-TA-SCATTA’s DT Ripper) – Unreleased – 2009’ish
Unreleased for obvious reasons, although when I played a slightly earlier version of our ‘take’ to Jose years ago he loved it and said we ought to release it. And as it happens, I’ll be winging this version to Jose tomorrow, as it marks his 80th birthday!
One half of GOT-TA-SCATTA (Dave, far right), with Jose (second left), here with Cliff Peacock and my daughter, Alice during the recording of Jose’s inclusion on The Flamingos’ Icarus Descending 1998 single.
ECHO and THE BUNNYMEN – Stars Are Stars – Crocodiles, LP – Korova – 1980
Hell, they were a class act.
D.A.F. – Kebaubtraume – 7″ – Mute – 1980
Easy to see why they passed through on Daniel Miller’s label.
CABARET VOLTAIRE – Landslide – Red Mecca, LP – Rough Trade – 1981
The one minute plus video of CV2025 (Mal, Chris Watson, Eric Random and Benge) rehearsing Landslide in preparation for their upcoming UK dates will have driven even greater interest in their return, one though that, as Mal freely admits, wouldn’t have happened had Richard Kirk not passed away in 2021. At that point Richard was the only member of Cabaret Voltaire and refrained from playing any old material in live performances… and maybe as important, Richard and Mal sadly weren’t exactly on speaking terms. With Richard’s passing and the void it left, coupled with a fiftieth anniversary looming since the first CV gig, it’s maybe understandable that Mal and Chris, as the other two original members, might want to celebrate… and I and whole bunch of others will be doing just that with them. RIP, Richard.
DEVO – Smart Patrol/Mr DNA – Duty Now For The Future, LP – Virgin – 1979
Were they not men? They are Devo!
RINGDOWN – Crazy – Lady On The Bike, LP – Nonesuch – 2025
Willie Nelson’s song taken in a Patsy Cline-type of way.
SPOKANKI – Ceann Dubh Dilis (My Sweet, Dark-Haired Love) – Stream only? – 2019’ish
‘Ever heard traditional Irish music like this? Composed by Michael McGlynn and performed by Spokanki — a magical a cappella group of 8 sisters blending haunting harmonies with heart. Turn the volume up and tag someone who needs to hear this! ’ – Irish Daily
‘… a “multi-genre musical, theatrical a cappella group” (their words, and honestly? accurate).
Their sound is so unique, haunting and warm at the same time — I have sooo many questions According to legend (aka their website), they’re 8 sisters from the mystical land of SpokanLand, traveling the world to share the music of all peoples and becoming friends with the entire human world…‘ – dailychoirs
Out of Russia a “multi-genre musical theatrical a cappella group” According to their website, they are eight* sisters from the mystical (and fictional) town of SpokanLand.
COCTEAU TWINS – Dear Heart – BBC Sessions, 2CD – Bella Union – 1999
This track has become so ingrained in my psyche through the years that I was convinced there was a studio version… which there isn’t. Maybe hearing this version (from the second of three sessions the band did for Peel) and from numerous live tapes from ’83-’84 – including my own promotion at Bedford Boys Club in November ’84 – I’d daftly appropriated it having been on vinyl.
Above: Robin and Liz’s responses to the questionnaire when I interviewed them at their then Muswell Hill flat. I gave the same to other bands I interviewed for my one-off 1984 fanzine, Rorschach Testing… and very coincidentally, there’s a track Robin and Liz mention here that will crop up later. They also similarly embellished my copy of the Head Over Heels album in the same fashion but somewhere along the years that beauty mysteriously disappeared.
TONY CHRISTIE – Nobody In The World – 7″ – Acid Jazz – 2010
A long way from either Amarillo or Avenues and Alleyways but in regularly releasing albums ever since his his ’70s chart era it’s been Eddie Piller’s ‘mod’ sensibilities at Acid Jazz that’s gotten the most out of the man.
THE ELGINS – Put Yourself In My Place – 7″ b-side – V.I.P. – 1965
But so good it then gravitated to parent label, Tamla Motown and a UK A-side four years later.
THE PARTING GIFTS – (Walkin’ Thru The) Sleepy City – split 7″ – Norton Records – 2010
In between main girl, Lindsay Hames’ other projects, The Parting Gifts produced one album and this split 7″ where they possibly sounded more authentic to the song’s mid ’60s era than its writers, the Rolling Stones did with the tune, and should the latter have released the song as a US 7″ at the time (which they didn’t), The PGs mimicking the label design it would have had was a nice extra touch. The Mighty Avengers did give the song a shot back in the day but it didn’t chart and it was left hidden until the Stones resurrected it for their mid ’70s compilation, Metamorphosis.
PAGES – Heartaches & Pain – 7″ – Sunstruck – 1979
Their only ever release and to my ears, sounding older than its 1979 vintage. Potentially a $1500 asking price if you find an original… and I won’t.
REUBEN BELL with THE CASANOVAS – It’s Not That Easy – 7″ – Murco – 1967
I’d have put money on this being a female vocalist, and that money wouldn’t go far in trying to buy an original copy of the 7″. It’s in the hundreds.
PAUL WELLER – Cold Moments – 22 Dreams, 2LP – Island – 2008
About as trusted an artist as there can be when it comes to a new release, I’m reasonably sure there isn’t a Weller solo album I couldn’t find a track to want to spin on 41 Rooms.
GOT-TA-SCATTA – Safe Train – Unreleased – 2012’ish
An idea that first learned to walk a few years earlier and if you know your Sergio Mendes vocalists, one that might have given us problems if we’d had wanted to release it officially. I think the starting point for the track was at one time far moodier but then Dave and I got into a brighter take. His partner, Holly guested an early ‘counter’ vocal… that we then slowed to a crawl and another fave sample source of ours cropped up for the outro. Also, looking at the myriad of versions we had, one was co-titled ‘Cowdenbeath’ for a reason neither of us can remember… but I’ll guarantee we were both laughing to ourselves when it happened.
The GOT-TA-SCATTA lads windswept on a mid ’80s ferry. You’re welcome.
JOHN FOXX – Touch and Go – Metamatic, LP – Virgin / Metal Beat – 1980
A track that I played a lot at our early ’80s club nights so it should have been somewhere in the 1hr Winkles specials that cropped up in many early 41 Rooms shows.
UPDATE: At the end of the week following this show going live I was in London and caught a John Foxx Q&A / signing session at London’s Rough Trade East, hosted by Cabaret Voltaire’s Mal and having had a ‘long time no see’ kind of bear hug with Mal in the pub beforehand I and a mate – afterwards and to guarantee a sit down – chose a different pub a good few minutes away… to find John Foxx in there! A quick word with the man involved me recounting that I ran a club night in Bedford back in the early ’80s and hearing tracks from Metamatic anytime since has always instantaeously brought back the ‘feel’ of the club.
The good folks at Rough Trade East were let down on grey vinyl copies of Metamatic turning up on the above night but they subsequently got a signed copy sent to me in Ireland.
FACTORY FLOOR – Tell Me – 12″ – Phantasy Sound – 2025
A cracking sound that would have been sooooo on my Winkles turntables in the early ’80s, if it had been released then. Of course the electronic nerds will tell me that some of the sounds weren’t around then but ya get me drift.
UNDERGROUND HOP – Make It Without You (Rawmix) * – 12″ – Bass Boy – 1992
Coincidentally, the second track on this show to run the lyric ‘I can’t make it without You’ and here it’s a hefty 41 Rooms re edit on some minimalist beats I would have been blasting loud in late night headphones back when the likes of Kiss FM’s Sarah HB or Steve Jackson was spinning the track over the airwaves. Sampling a line from the Robert Owens-led Jus’ Friends, Massive B label 12″, As One (out the same year and he’s not credited on either) I’d have followed here with the latter if I hadn’t thought I’d already playlisted it. I hadn’t… so, another time.
STEVIE R & CERPINTXT – Red Lemon (Ed Davenport Edition) – Madilo 12″ – Chapter 24 – 2018
Building and dropping in all the right places. Storming.
TRAXMAN – See Things My Way – Teklife Vol. 3: The Architek, download only – 2013
Although I knew of the Traxman name I hadn’t heard any of his stuff until recently but I recognised the Carpenters straight off here on what is a vocal sample as brutal as the track’s breaks and arrangements are crude and simple… but it works!
For my own divilment , and not a million miles away from what’s going on here, an idea I had back in 2010 involved totally mangling a Joe Cocker tune and if I or we (GOT-TA-SCATTA) ever fine tune it you might hear ‘Cockered Up’ on 41 Rooms.
TRAXMAN – I Need Some Money – Da Mind Of Traxman, 2LP – Planet Mu – 2012
I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s an old Traxman DJ mix somewhere where he’s mixing in and out of this and the above See Things My Way tune.
ACTION & TENSION & SPACE – Skåredalen Funhouse – Skåredalen Funhouse, LP – Kapitän Platte – 2018
A Norwegian trio starting as ‘low-fi post-rock, moving to free rock jams‘ it says somewhere. ‘Water’ – the wet stuff – is what springs to my mind here for me. No idea why.
JOHN FOXX & LOUIS GORDON – Smoke – Crash And Burn, LP – Metamatic – 2003
The fourth returnee this show, Foxx moves from the earlier Touch and Go to Crash And Burn… sort of. Smoke has real ‘character’.
WILLIAM DEVAUGHN – Be Thankful For What You Got * – Be Thankful For What You Got, LP – Chelsea Records – 1974
I’d be stunned if this wasn’t on the jukebox in Bedford’s Pilgrims Inn in my earliest pub drinking days and/or being spun in the Laird of the Anglers Inn across the road on Saturday lunchtimes.
SOUL II SOUL – Keep On Movin’ – Club Classics Vol. One, LP – 10 Records – 1989
On the album but not the same as the 12″ Club Mix. If I had a Top Ten list of gigs I wish I’d caught in my old home town, Bedford this crew would be right up there. Caron Wheeler and Jazzie B on the stage of the Corn Exchange…
MARVIN GAYE – Where Are We Going? (Alternate Mix) – split 7″ – Motown – 2016
Jazzie B! See Marv here. He was happy keeping the ‘g’ in. Originally recorded for Gaye’s shelved 1972 album You’re The Man the track subsequently through the years saw the light through various compilations and deluxe editions (e.g. 2001’s Let’s Get It On Deluxe Edition but being a singles fan I’m giving the nod to this 7″ even though it’s unlikely I’ll ever own a copy.
TODD RUNDGREN – Fidelity – Nearly Human, LP – Warner Brothers – 1989
Todd gets soulful and although a lot of differing traffic in between, maybe not a huge leap from his late ’60s Nazz and Hello It’s Me days.
DONNA SUMMER – State Of Independence – 12″ – Warner Brothers – 1982
From the ’12” for the price of a 7″ single’ pushing-for-the-charts days and I most probably paid best mate, Dob/Dave Lewis the £1.35 the cover states, as he was managing the Bedford WH Smiths’ record department at the time.
Yet another track that I remember blasting loud and on repeat whilst walking my dog, Flanagan around a pitch black Bedford Park after DJ’ing at Winkles back in the day. Maybe not the smartest move at 2am but I was most probably slightly drunk. Re Donna, she sounds way more passionate about the lyrics than the writers Yes’ Jon Anderson and Vangelis managed. They sound like they just provided a guide vocal to sell the song on. And I’ll refer here again to Bob Conti, someone I know from his three decades playing live with Jose Feliciano. He was also Donna’s percussionist and co-writer of very long standing and you’ll find a fab Daieda Magazine article/interview with Bob on his website, where he spoke beautifully of his time with the lady.
Show 144 hopefully surfaces Oct 5.
The post Post Punk Plus Podcast Playlist 143 – Original upload 7.9.25 appeared first on 41Rooms.
