Loosies, Oddities & Remixes -- Demos, Hidden Tracks + Refixes - Tilted Forum Project Discussion Community

Jetée · 05-19-2010, 06:29 PM

Ideally, this will be a repository for those select, almost-unselected tracks, the ones not really given much fanfare, or really ever known about how they came to exist.

I will try to give these songs their due, and in the process, reveal a little of the history behind how it became a "special-issue track".

In addition to the title's outline of what can be included and featured here, what can also be considered as 'loosies / oddities' are those unique covers, select live performances, B-sides, interludes, compilations, club mixes, mash-ups, & rare single releases.

In time, this topic will come together and be seen to have a rigid structure of what sorts of songs could be featured here (like no credited tracks from studio albums would be allowed), but for now, I think the basis of my first few examples are key into learning how this is meant to go.

It is now time to start the show. It is my sincere hope that you enjoy it.

Jetée · 05-19-2010, 06:59 PM

To best show off of what I intended with this installation, I'll cite a choice example of how the practice is used by a farily worldwide brand of a band: Gorillaz.

The still-continuing side project of Damon Albarn, the once frontman and primary songwriter for the British band Blur, (I'm still uncertain at this point whether or not the original bandmates have reconnected again) Albarn started the project of his "virtual band" in 1998, alongside the animator Jamie Hewlett.

The premise of Gorillaz, while it can be stated in a multitude of different ways, I'll say myself is almost akin to that of a DJ/producer album, as opposed to an album released and created by a solo artist or a band. The most noticeable way a producer-centric album gains a following is by supplying a good, if not great, foundation of melodic undertones, hooked beats, and perhaps most evident of all, cameo artists who band together to create the whole. In my experience, most albums of this sort are very similar to concept albums in how it all comes together, and unified by the album's producer.

With that opening foreword, I'll get to the track in question: Happy Landfill, by Gorillaz

(We Are) Happy Landfill is a B-side bonus track, which if you paid close enough attention to, actually should have been the prominent single and perhaps title track to the Gorillaz's sophomore album.

Demon Days was first mentioned in articles detailing the reopening of Gorillaz' website in early December 2004. Initially, a March or April 2005 release date was announced, but it was later pushed back. In an article for Q magazine in February 2005 it was reported that the album was to be titled 'We Are Happy Landfill'. Another early title was reported to be 'Reject False Icons', which is also the title of Gorillaz' culture jamming project.

But, as you know the eventual story, the above scenario did not come to pass, and the second album was instead titled "Demon Days", and the once pivotal track was pushed aside as a hidden release tune. In fact, if you were at all once familiar with the Gorillaz's website a few years back, you might have noticed upon inspection of the "virtual playground" that you would occasionally come across "virtual Easter eggs", in the form of audio-cassettes strewn across or hidden in a given room, and it only played some sort of short, disjointed musical tone. Well, once you collected the total 4 or 5 of these cassettes, they could then be "combined" via a virtual boombox, and once played within the site, would allow the user to download the special hidden track straight from the website. It was also available as a special online download for those who purchased the Demon Days DVD combo.

Hopefully, you've caught most of the history of what I laid down, but if you are still a tad bit confused, you can check out this informational decree.

Enjoy.

Gorillaz - Happy Landfill

Jetée · 05-20-2010, 01:28 PM

The Clash - Train in Vain

"Train in Vain" is a 1979 song from the album 'London Calling' by the British punk rock band The Clash.
The song was not originally listed on the album's track listing, appearing as a secret track (keyword) at the end of the album.

excerpt:
Though it's easily the best hidden track of them all, this song wasn't really supposed to be hidden. The Clash originally intended for "Train in Vain" to be a promotional giveaway for NME, but when that fell through it was added to the fantastic London Calling after the album cover and sleeve were already printed. Nevertheless, it became The Clash's first big hit on this side of the pond and signaled that the band was more than just another British punk group.

'Train in Vain' was the last song we finished after the artwork went to the printer.
A couple of Clash Web sites describe it as a hidden track, but it wasn’t intended to be hidden.
The sleeve was already printed before we tacked the song on the end of the master tape.
—Bill Price (sound engineer)

[thetop13.] + [wikipedia.]

Jetée · 05-21-2010, 06:25 PM

The Beatles - Yesterday

"Yesterday" is a song originally recorded and released by The Beatles, first released on September 13, 1965, as a US single (mostly due to fan acclaim was this achieved, when it was first bundled on the 'B-Side' of UK-imported Help! records ; the song was not released as a single in the UK at the time of the US release, and thus never gained number 1 single status in that country).

"Yesterday" takes the form of a melancholic acoustic guitar ballad about a breakup. It was the first official recording by The Beatles that relied upon a performance by a single member of the band, namely, Paul McCartney. He was accompanied solely by a string quartet. The final recording differed so greatly from other works by The Beatles that the other three members of the band vetoed the release of the song as a single in the United Kingdom.

History and Topical Trivia of the Song (continued)

Although Paul McCartney and George Martin have claimed this was written during the Beatles' 1964 tour of France, which would have made it a year and a half old when it was recorded, Paul's later claim of the song coming to him in a dream at girlfriend Jane Asher's house, along with other anecdotal evidence, would seem to suggest that it was written sometime in January 1965, when Paul awoke with the full melody intact and played it on the piano in Asher's attic (playing the tune immediately and constantly, to avoid forgetting it).

The odd (but not unheard of) nature of the song's "creation" caused a concerned McCartney to take the melody around to industry vets for about a month, asking them if he'd unconsciously stolen someone else's song (tidbit: this is known as 'Cryptomnesia'). As he put it, "For about a month I went round to people in the music business and asked them whether they had ever heard it before. Eventually it became like handing something in to the police. I thought if no-one claimed it after a few weeks then I could have it." ... click to show

In order to keep the melody in his mind, Paul wrote a comedic first verse that went, in part, "Scrambled eggs / Oh how I really really love your legs..." Having shown it to the band in the spring of 1965, the group began to refer to the uncompleted song as "Scrambled Eggs," perhaps ensuring that the finished version would start with its title.

Paul kept working at the melody in off hours, leading Help! director Richard Lester to jokingkly threaten to throw the piano off the soundstage if McCartney didn't stop playing it. The patience of the other Beatles was also tested by McCartney's work in progress, George Harrison summing this up when he said: "Blimey, he's always talking about that song. You'd think he was Beethoven or somebody!"

Lennon states:

"The song was around for months and months before we finally completed it. Every time we got together to write songs for a recording session, this one would come up. We almost had it finished. Paul wrote nearly all of it, but we just couldn't find the right title. We called it 'Scrambled Eggs' and it became a joke between us. We made up our minds that only a one-word title would suit, we just couldn't find the right one. Then one morning Paul woke up and the song and the title were both there, completed. I was sorry in a way, we'd had so many laughs about it."

Finally, on May 27, 1965, Paul flew to Lisbon, Portugal, to vacation at the villa of Shadows member Bruce Welch. On the car ride in, Paul began to compose lyrics on the back of an envelope, based around a title (and theme) of "Yesterday."

McCartney says this of 'the breakthrough':

"I remember mulling over the tune 'Yesterday', and suddenly getting these little one-word openings to the verse. I started to develop the idea ... da-da da, yes-ter-day, sud-den-ly, fun-il-ly, mer-il-ly and Yes-ter-day, that's good. All my troubles seemed so far away. It's easy to rhyme those a's: say, nay, today, away, play, stay, there's a lot of rhymes and those fall in quite easily, so I gradually pieced it together from that journey. Sud-den-ly, and 'b' again, another easy rhyme: e, me, tree, flea, we, and I had the basis of it."

Although the other group members liked "Yesterday" well enough, they didn't consider it Beatles material -- especially not after George Martin, the band's producer, suggested scoring it with nothing but acoustic guitar and a string section. Martin thought of releasing it as a solo Paul single, but even McCartney balked at that; his own main concern was that the result not sound too much like easy-listening music. Finally, compromises were reached: Martin used a classier string quartet for the arrangement, and McCartney agreed not to release the song as a single in England. (Though it was released there on an EP of the same name, and as a single in 1976.)

Capitol made the decisions on which songs were released as singles in the US, however, but "Yesterday" was not even considered for a-side single release there; it was relegated only to the flip of "Act Naturally," sung by Ringo, the group's most popular member in the US. However, fan reaction was immediate, and the song was quickly repositioned as the a-side.

The vague lyrics have been rumored to deal with the very sudden death of McCartney's mother, and the resultant guilt he felt over his selfish and somewhat cold reaction to it. If this is true, it would appear to be subconscious on the singer's part. The performance of the song on the British TV show Blackpool Night Out (August 1965, and the very first performance of this song on television) reportedly shows Paul dedicating this song to ex-girlfriend Iris Caldwell. Other reports have him phoning Iris, who supposedly found him too unemotional, and playing the song for her to prove otherwise.

John Lennon, who liked the song, was bothered by the lyrics' lack of resolution; he was also bothered for the rest of his life by fans who thought he'd cowritten it (as the credits insist) and would sing it whenever they saw him. He was known to mock the song in the studio during his solo years. ("I'm not half the man I used to be... now I'm an amputee.") The irony of this is that although the song has always been credited as a "Lennon/McCartney" composition, the song was written solely by McCartney. In 2002, McCartney asked Yoko Ono if she would consider reversing the songwriting credits on the song to read "McCartney/Lennon". Ono refused.

Last bit of almost world-changing history: The song was offered as a demo to Chris Farlowe prior to The Beatles recording it, but he turned it down as he considered it "too soft."

[oldies.about.] + [wikipedia.]

Jetée · 05-22-2010, 05:00 PM

Hikaru Utada - With or Without You [U2 cover; live)

As seen on MTV Unplugged (Japan), in which the show's musical sessions were recorded live, on it later aired on August 10, 2001. MTV Japan mostly covers non-Japanese artists, but "Utada Hikaru Unplugged" was the first Unplugged made in Japan.

On a whim, did she choose to do a cover of the song on this particular stage.

Jetée · 05-26-2010, 05:51 PM

Iron Dirtbag, by Operation Mongoose

If you were wondering about the title of the track, and why it may sound/seem familiar to a few of you, this song is a refixed rap-punk version of Wheatus's Teenage Dirtbag. It samples the main and ending chorus, as well as most of the acoustic accompaniment, but also features mixed-in, new lyrics by a cameo rap artist I'm not yet aware of; enjoy.

Oh, and if you need to know, ''Operation Mongoose' is the name of a fairly-new musical artist based out of Portland, Oregon; I listened to his demo tracks a few months back, and it's honestly quite good (might've actually released his first album in-between then and now, for all I'm not quite up to speed with, and about, knowing).

Craven Morehead · 05-26-2010, 06:42 PM

Very interesting thread, I look forward to more.

Jetée · 05-27-2010, 06:09 PM

You know all those crazy videos that you see posted everywhere in the metal community? You know, the smooth jazz version of Lamb of God’s “Set to Fail”, or the Disney radio version of “Hammer Smashed Face” by Cannibal Corpse? These vids have become quite the phenomenon, particularly on Youtube, and its due in large part to the incredible quality of them. Videos on the Net are usually a dime a dozen, especially when it comes to metal stuff, but these videos are professionally recorded dubs for no reason other than personal amusement. The question that everyone has been asking though, after giggling at their favorite songs dubbed with a country flare, would be “who the hell would do this, and why isn’t he/she the most famous dubber next to Mili Vanili?” Well, yours truly set out to find these answers...

The man’s name is Andy Rehfeldt, king dubber extraordinaire, friggin’ Grammy Award winner (no joke), and our personal metallic satirical hero. I was able to ask the man some questions after my arduous journey, to discover the man behind the myth.

In his own words:
"My name is Andy Rehfeldt. I work as a composer at Endless Noise Music and Sound Design. My main instrument is a Stratocaster. I love playing guitar more than anything -- even though I used to be a keyboard player.
The idea of dubbing music to videos came when I realized I had Lamb of God vocal tracks ( from the Wrath CD) that I could mess around with. I found their most recent video on Youtube, downloaded it, and then decided it would be funny to have them play lighter, happier music. When I posted it, that was very exciting to me- the fact that thousands of people could see what I’ve done."

And today's featured track:

Metallica - Enter Sandman (Smooth Jazz Version) - remixed and remastered by Andy Rehfeldt

author's comments: All instruments played and recorded by me.
(concert footage and vocals are original, built-upon constructions.)

[allmetalresource.] + [metalinsider.]

Jetée · 05-28-2010, 07:45 PM

The Good, the Bad & the Queen is the album by an unnamed British alternative rock supergroup, made up of Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Simon Tong and Tony Allen, and also expertly-produced by Danger Mouse.

When the album was previewed by Uncut in November 2006, the magazine called the title song "a surreal knees-up round a knackered old joanna that celebrates how the same sun cheers both Queen and crackheads - before building up to a psychotic guitar wig-out." Damon Albarn himself told NME in January 2007 that the song "had to be last" referring to the position in the album because "where do you go after that noisy bit at the end?"

The Good, the Bad & the Queen, by one unnamed collaborative band, consisting of Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Simon Tong and Tony Allen.

While I'd rather you listen to the track itself first (without peeking at the linked YouTube video above), this indepedently-produced "Sufi Video", directed by Stephen Pook, made such an impact (at least with the band members themselves) that they listed it as their "unofficially" official music video for the track (as they, themselves, had nothing to do with it, other than having their music featured as the template) on their Myspace Blog.

[NPR.] + [wiki.]

Craven Morehead · 05-28-2010, 08:09 PM

spectacular song - incredible video

Jetée · 06-06-2010, 12:27 AM

Although this track is not musical in nature, it's totally listenable and wholeheartedly entertaining.
Please enjoy the offering and just press 'play'.
(and when it loads, the 'play' button is near the top right of the page. I thought the track would load automatically, but. no.)

Quote:

Originally Posted by Jetée

{the ending track from the album, White People}

Quote:

I says, “I made a mistake. I’m left handed.” They says, “Prove it.” How am I gonna prove this, you know what I mean?

A moment and waxing eloquent with:
Father Guido Sarducci, International Male Model Extraordinaire

[The Don] 100th Last Supper (an oxymoron) by *cynner*

And the taped memoirs:

And the transcript:

candid concerns click to show

[Snapshot a Song.]

Jetée · 06-07-2010, 01:00 AM

Aesop Rock - Coffee (feat. John Darnielle) ~ [Pigs]

(I was just about to submit this post with as bare as the song, title, and source/lyrics for the hidden-segued track, but am I real glad to have found this...)

author's comments (Aesop Rock):

My friend John Darnielle, who’s in a band called 'Mountain Goats', came in to help me with this song. And “Coffee” talks about being peaceful with each other, but that that doesn’t necessarily mean I want to hang out with you. It’s saying, “I’ll be nice to you when I see you, but f**k off. We don’t need to hang out.” And if you let “Coffee” play through, after that song there is a hidden track called “Pigs.” And this song is funny in a number of ways. I was trying to describe the typical fat guy in a suit, smoking a Cuban cigar and drinking. It’s literally being a pig. But it’s also a metaphor. It’s talking about pigs as animals but it relates pigs to human beings.

[songmeanings.] + [allhiphop.]

- - - - -

+ bonus(es)

Now, I haven't watched either of these music videos (I didn't even know Aesop Rock had any ones made other than 'None Shall Pass'),
but as a treat for stumbling upon them, I'll add them here as well.

Coffee (music video) | Pigs (music video)

[wiki.]

Wes Mantooth · 06-08-2010, 01:11 AM

Great thread! Its always been a hobby of mine to search out those "off the beaten track" recordings that seem all but lost majority if listeners. I used to be particularly fond of looking for b-sides to whatever band I was into and it was such a treat to finally stumble on that rare single ep backed with some obscure song you'd always heard about but never actually listened too.

Anyway I thought I might add an old favorite of mine to the list.

John Coltrane "OM"

Recorded in October of 1965 this, now rare, album offers a shocking glimpse into Coltrane's descent into free jazz madness. Released posthumously, and unlike similar recordings from this era (A Love Supreme, Ascension) it was universally panned by fans and critics alike before seemingly disappearing from the Impulse! catalogue by the late 80's (Checking around a few minutes ago online I did find a few used/import copies selling for $50 and up, nothing on itunes). In recent years this recording seems to have made a bit of a comeback amongst jazz fans and despite an almost endless amount of unreleased/reissued Coltrane material "Om" still seemingly hasn't seen the light of day. Incidentally rumor has it this recording and the bootleg "Live in Seattle" recorded the previous night were the results of an apparently very long acid trip that Coltrane HAD to get on tape, although most people seem to regard that as urban legend.

Below is an excerpt of the (in)famous John Coltrane, Pharoah Sanders solo duel from "Om" ...enjoy...

YouTube - John Coltrane Pharoah Sanders "Om" Solos

Jetée · 06-10-2010, 10:00 AM

Now this song is a bit difficult to explain, but I'll try nonetheless. An original composition by famed anime-etc.-contributionist Yoko Kanno, this track was an original inclusion and scene from the animated film, Escaflowne. Though, I have to admit, I have not yet finished watching this film, nor can I actually tell you what it's about, save for knowing this song is featured within it (and as a whole, the soundtrack is flying-high good).

Regardless of yours or mine knowings of the film's plot, I'm giving the context of it as well as I can, and will tell you this covered song was originally entitled Sóra (click for an audible of how it was heard in the film/official soundtrack). Furthermore, once you get into listening to it for a while, you may notice one thing: you can't understand at all what's being said. There's a reason for this, and while it may be in small part due to the film's plot, it's more to do with eccentricities of the composer, Yoko Kanno. There are those that claim that the song is recorded and sung in Ancient Romanian, and this mayhaps be an inspiration for it, but the more at hand explanation is the lyrics to this tune are actually an example of Kanno's own uniquely-devised language, solely for use in a few instances of her own pieces and recordings (she also has a habit of giving herself new "pen names" under which to record to by, but that's another story). Anyway, if you'd like to know what the tune's meaning is, you can check HERE for a small bit of enlightment.

With that small (yet not easy) bit of contextual establishment above, we move onto the actual feature.
So, lastly, we have this: a cover recording of the above anime song by a real band (American, as far as I can tell) done so in a manner so perfectly, it was befitting of an inclusion here. Enjoy.

Rayzd - Sora

(post-script: now, I don't how well the above link will work for those abroad from stateside, and perhaps even those in certain areas of the US, but hopefully, those that actually click it to listen will tell me if it works fine for them, and for those that it does not, please do tell me so as well.)

Jetée · 06-17-2010, 03:55 PM

"Wild Is the Wind" is a song written by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington. The track was originally recorded by Johnny Mathis for the 1957 film Wild Is the Wind. The song was very popular and was one of five songs nominated for an Academy Award; it was sung by Johnny Mathis at the March 1958 Oscar presentations. It's popularity has seen it being covered numerous times, by such artists as (but not limited to) Nina Simone, David Bowie, George Michael, Clan of Xymox and Cat Power.

This piece comes via a live show performed by Cat Power at La Cigale in Paris on the eleventh of November, in 2005. Although it can be inferred that Cat Power was covering Bowie's version of the tune, as she has been known to cover titles by him before, (as she herself stated, he was a great inspiration to her) I believe it is widely regarded that she played upon the Nina Simone rendition instead. I don't think it matters all that much at all to even state this, as all three versions are great as they are, and that being, different takes and stylings of the song.

Cat Power - Wild Is The Wind [Live (cover) @ La Cigale, Paris - 11-11-05]

[setlist.]

(^^ To note: the above supplementary link is not my source, but an additional source you may find relevant. One notice of disparity being that, the above live set was played, and recorded, a week prior to the one I am referencing above. The actual set list, or order and transistion of songs, though, is entirely the same.)

Jetée · 07-01-2010, 07:10 PM

also known in the industry as "mash-ups", pet projects, and "sidetrack bands";
this is a collaborative album by the above two musical acts to create the EP,
Mount Wittenberg Orca, just released yesterday (though
in the making for over a year now since its "premiere"). Have a listen.

Björk + The Dirty Projectors - All We Are

Photo courtesy of Ryan Muir/Stereogum.com

Relevant history:

In May 2009, Björk and The Dirty Projectors, asked by Pitchfork contributor and Stereogum senior writer Brandon Stosuy, performed a charity concert of seven songs written just for this occasion. It was a benefit for Housing Works, an organization that fights AIDS and homelessness. The headlining act was a never-before-heard six-song suite written by Dirty Projectors' David Longstreth and performed by the Projectors (sans drummer Brian McOmber) and Björk.

The closing song, featured above, is very vocal-heavy, featuring a stirring duet between Björk and Dirty Projectors leader Dave Longstreth near its end.

All proceeds from the digital sales will go to the National Geographic Society for the project of creating international marine protected areas.

[pitchfork.] + [wiki.]

Jetée · 07-15-2010, 11:33 PM

Unrest is an indie rock band from the Washington, D.C. area. It was one of Mark Robinson's projects for what would eventually become the TeenBeat label, also created by Mark while in high school. Developing from an experimental approach of never playing the same song twice, earlier material seemed to be influenced by everything from punk to funk to Ennio Morricone. Original members Mark (guitar) and drummer Phil Krauth were joined by Bridget Cross on bass in 1990 and their sound evolved into a minimalist but lively kind of pop.

Unrest - Range Recording

- - - - -
Relevant History:

On February 24, 2005, Unrest played a one-time reunion show at Washington, D.C.'s Black Cat club as a part of the TeenBeat Records 20th anniversary celebration. Also appearing were Eggs, +/-, True Love Always, The Fontaine Toups, and Jonny Cohen.

On April 22, 2008, Teenbeat released an album by Bridget Cross under the alias Maybe It's Reno. The self-titled album features Robinson and Krauth on the first seven tracks, almost equating this project to another reunion of Unrest, though this time, all of the songs are written by Cross and she also performs all of the vocals.

Unrest reunited again for a small east coast tour in July 2010.

[4AD.] + [eyesore.]

Jetée · 07-16-2010, 11:00 PM

Einstein on the Beach [Opera]: Knee (Play) 2, composed by Philip Glass; conducted by David Anchel.

Relevant History:

Quote:

Primer
Einstein on the Beach is an opera that premiered on July 25, 1976 at the Avignon Festival in France, scored and written by Philip Glass, and designed and directed by theatrical producer Robert Wilson.

This was Glass's first and longest opera score, taking approximately five hours; given the length of the opera, the audience atendees were free to enter and leave as they desired.

Einstein's musical score became the first in a loosely related thematic trilogy, followed by Satyagraha (1980) and Akhnaten (1983). These three operas were described by Glass as "portrait" operas that portray men whose personal vision transformed the thinking of their times through the power of ideas rather than by military force.

- - -

Synopsis
From the beginning of Glass and Wilson's collaboration, they insisted on portraying the icon purely as a historical figure and not with any storyline attached to his image. While they did incorporate symbols from Einstein's life within the opera's scenery, characters, and music, they intentionally did not choose to give the opera a specific plot. Propelling idea of "non-plot" within Einstein on the Beach, its libretto employs solfege syllables, numbers, and short sections of poetry. In an interview, Glass comments that he originally intended for his audience to construct personal connections with both Einstein as a character and also with the music with that he assigns to the icon. For example, the music within the first of the opera's "Knee Plays" features repeated numbers accompanied by an electric organ. Glass states that these numbers and solfege syllables were used as placeholders for texts by the singers to memorize their parts, and were kept instead of replacing them with texts.

- - - - -

+ bonus

I Feel the Earth Move, composed by Philip Glass; poem by Christopher Knowles.

Quote:

"I Feel the Earth Move" is the third section in the Trial 2/Prison section of the opera. The section is written in the same style as the rest of the opera, but has an instrumentation of soprano saxophone and bass clarinet, omitting the electronic keyboard used in most of the segments in Einstein on the Beach. A poem by Christopher Knowles is read over the musical soprano saxophone and bass clarinet line and in the poem's meanderings, it mentions such "TV personalities" as David Cassidy. A shortened version of this piece was chosen along with three other selections from Einstein on the Beach to appear on another Philip Glass album Songs from the Trilogy, which also included selections from Glass's operas Satyagraha and Akhnaten. The section's title is a reference to a Carole King song of the same name, from her album Tapestry.

(for those keen enough to perceive, I featured the opening to act II of Einstein on the Beach, and as fitting for the bonus track, it just happened to be the closing scene to the second act's play: veritable bookend excerpts of music to the aim.)

[wiki.]

Jetée · 07-18-2010, 07:16 PM

Röyksopp's Night Out is an EP by Norwegian electronica group Röyksopp.
It contains live recordings from a concert in Norway, Rockefeller (Oslo) played in November of 2005.

Röyksopp - Go With The Flow [Live, Queens Of The Stone Age cover; vocals supplied by Svein Berge]

Relevant History:

Quote:

The EP was released domestically on the weekend of 27 January 2006. Röyksopp has stated that this EP was originally meant for the Japanese fans, the most enthusiastic Röyksopp-fans, according to the band members. All of the vocalists who contributed on Röyksopp's most recent album at the time, The Understanding, except Karin Dreijer - replaced by the Norwegian artist Anneli Drecker - were present at the concert. The EP includes a cover version/remix of the Queens of the Stone Age song "Go with the Flow".

The name of the album was taken from one of the songs from their debut album Melody A.M. - the song was not performed, however.

(The entire performance, one-take, is recommended, although I only chose to feature but one of the songs.)

[wiki.] + [discogs.]

Jetée · 07-21-2010, 11:35 PM

Deltron (Zero) - 3030 [expositionary "epic" track to the album, Deltron 3030]

Relevant History:

Quote:

Deltron 3030 is an alternative hip hop supergroup composed of producer Dan the Automator, rapper Del tha Funkee Homosapien (known as Deltron Zero for the project) and DJ Kid Koala. Their work features many other artists as well, all taking on various futuristic pseudonyms.

Released on May 23, 2000, "Deltron 3030" is a "rap opera" concept album set in the year 3030 that tells of the fight by Deltron Zero (Del's alter ego) against huge corporations that rule the universe in this dystopian future. The lyrics were written in less than two weeks and are characterized by extravagant allusions to futuristic outer-space themes in the tradition of Afrofuturist works by Sun Ra and George Clinton. Del tha Funkee Homosapien's lyrics veer from serious social commentary to humor to epic sci-fi battles, while producer Dan the Automator creates an eerie and dense atmosphere. Many samples originated with the contemporary French classical composer William Sheller.

Following the release of the album, all three members worked on the Gorillaz' self-titled debut album.
Due to the underground success of this album, on July 1, 2008, it was re-issued with 3 bonus remixes.
Additionally, Deltron 3030's second album, tentatively entitled "Deltron Event II", has been in continual
production since 2006, and continues in progress to this day. TBA, album is thought to be released later in 2010.

[discogs.] + [wiki.]

Jetée · 12-19-2010, 01:30 AM

Orbital - Halcyon [1992]

Although you've probably heard this song re-mixed in a variety of fashions over the past 15+ years, and probably covered live before by numerous other big acts, (such as Bon Jovi, and Trent Reznor) as well as the band, itself proper, finding newer, creative ways of re-tuning their most longstanding piece into something not yet heard of before. It's always a joy to here this song for many of us, in whatever form it happens to befall at the time.

However, while I will probably feature a live (orchestral) version of this piece later on in the series, (if I ever get to remembering this thread by then) the above is the original longplay piece from 1992's Halcyon 12" Vinyl EP, only ever released once in the US (as well as the UK, as Radiccio) in it is full 11 minutes-and-some-odd-seconds form.

Written by Paul and Phil Hartnoll, (with the masterwork provided by Kevin Metcalfe) the song is famous for featuring a backmasked sample of Kirsty Hawkshaw's voice from her Opus III song, "It's a Fine Day". Hawkshaw was so generous, in fact, that she played the starring role in the music video for the song, adopting the role of the mother 'under the influence'. Additional credit goes to writer/producer Ed Barton, who was the original co-composer for the song "It's a Fine Day"; his lyrics for the song are still intact when heard in Halcyon, although you'd need to slow it down a bit, then play the title in reverse.

[discogs. / wiki.]

- - - - -

-- (to note: I suppose it is no real wonder, at least to myself, why I let myself drift away from this topic for so long. It's great to feature some of the once-onbscured and thought-lost, but if the above is any indication, it's real hard work. It took me just a shade over an hour this time, and most of the others took at the very least, 25+ minutes in finalization. I might even need to look back and replace some antiquated .mp3s / audio links. I really should try to keep this content commons going, but bearing with my own schedule, it seems once a week is the only option, and even that, at times, could be an iffy one. Ah. This topic's too enjoyable to keep down. Once a week it is.)

05-19-2010, 06:29 PM	#1 (permalink)
Jetée The Reforms Location: Rarely, if ever, here or there, but always in transition	Loosies, Oddities & Remixes -- Demos, Hidden Tracks + Refixes Ideally, this will be a repository for those select, almost-unselected tracks, the ones not really given much fanfare, or really ever known about how they came to exist. I will try to give these songs their due, and in the process, reveal a little of the history behind how it became a "special-issue track". In addition to the title's outline of what can be included and featured here, what can also be considered as 'loosies / oddities' are those unique covers, select live performances, B-sides, interludes, compilations, club mixes, mash-ups, & rare single releases. In time, this topic will come together and be seen to have a rigid structure of what sorts of songs could be featured here (like no credited tracks from studio albums would be allowed), but for now, I think the basis of my first few examples are key into learning how this is meant to go. It is now time to start the show. It is my sincere hope that you enjoy it. __________________ As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves. —Mohandas K. Gandhi

05-19-2010, 06:59 PM	#2 (permalink)
Jetée The Reforms Location: Rarely, if ever, here or there, but always in transition	To best show off of what I intended with this installation, I'll cite a choice example of how the practice is used by a farily worldwide brand of a band: Gorillaz. The still-continuing side project of Damon Albarn, the once frontman and primary songwriter for the British band Blur, (I'm still uncertain at this point whether or not the original bandmates have reconnected again) Albarn started the project of his "virtual band" in 1998, alongside the animator Jamie Hewlett. The premise of Gorillaz, while it can be stated in a multitude of different ways, I'll say myself is almost akin to that of a DJ/producer album, as opposed to an album released and created by a solo artist or a band. The most noticeable way a producer-centric album gains a following is by supplying a good, if not great, foundation of melodic undertones, hooked beats, and perhaps most evident of all, cameo artists who band together to create the whole. In my experience, most albums of this sort are very similar to concept albums in how it all comes together, and unified by the album's producer. With that opening foreword, I'll get to the track in question: Happy Landfill, by Gorillaz (We Are) Happy Landfill is a B-side bonus track, which if you paid close enough attention to, actually should have been the prominent single and perhaps title track to the Gorillaz's sophomore album. Demon Days was first mentioned in articles detailing the reopening of Gorillaz' website in early December 2004. Initially, a March or April 2005 release date was announced, but it was later pushed back. In an article for Q magazine in February 2005 it was reported that the album was to be titled 'We Are Happy Landfill'. Another early title was reported to be 'Reject False Icons', which is also the title of Gorillaz' culture jamming project. But, as you know the eventual story, the above scenario did not come to pass, and the second album was instead titled "Demon Days", and the once pivotal track was pushed aside as a hidden release tune. In fact, if you were at all once familiar with the Gorillaz's website a few years back, you might have noticed upon inspection of the "virtual playground" that you would occasionally come across "virtual Easter eggs", in the form of audio-cassettes strewn across or hidden in a given room, and it only played some sort of short, disjointed musical tone. Well, once you collected the total 4 or 5 of these cassettes, they could then be "combined" via a virtual boombox, and once played within the site, would allow the user to download the special hidden track straight from the website. It was also available as a special online download for those who purchased the Demon Days DVD combo. Hopefully, you've caught most of the history of what I laid down, but if you are still a tad bit confused, you can check out this informational decree. Enjoy. Gorillaz - Happy Landfill __________________ As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves. —Mohandas K. Gandhi

05-20-2010, 01:28 PM	#3 (permalink)
Jetée The Reforms Location: Rarely, if ever, here or there, but always in transition	The Clash - Train in Vain "Train in Vain" is a 1979 song from the album 'London Calling' by the British punk rock band The Clash. The song was not originally listed on the album's track listing, appearing as a secret track (keyword) at the end of the album. excerpt: Though it's easily the best hidden track of them all, this song wasn't really supposed to be hidden. The Clash originally intended for "Train in Vain" to be a promotional giveaway for NME, but when that fell through it was added to the fantastic London Calling after the album cover and sleeve were already printed. Nevertheless, it became The Clash's first big hit on this side of the pond and signaled that the band was more than just another British punk group. 'Train in Vain' was the last song we finished after the artwork went to the printer. A couple of Clash Web sites describe it as a hidden track, but it wasn’t intended to be hidden. The sleeve was already printed before we tacked the song on the end of the master tape. —Bill Price (sound engineer) [thetop13.] + [wikipedia.] __________________ As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves. —Mohandas K. Gandhi

05-21-2010, 06:25 PM	#4 (permalink)
Jetée The Reforms Location: Rarely, if ever, here or there, but always in transition	The Beatles - Yesterday "Yesterday" is a song originally recorded and released by The Beatles, first released on September 13, 1965, as a US single (mostly due to fan acclaim was this achieved, when it was first bundled on the 'B-Side' of UK-imported Help! records ; the song was not released as a single in the UK at the time of the US release, and thus never gained number 1 single status in that country). "Yesterday" takes the form of a melancholic acoustic guitar ballad about a breakup. It was the first official recording by The Beatles that relied upon a performance by a single member of the band, namely, Paul McCartney. He was accompanied solely by a string quartet. The final recording differed so greatly from other works by The Beatles that the other three members of the band vetoed the release of the song as a single in the United Kingdom. History and Topical Trivia of the Song (continued) Although Paul McCartney and George Martin have claimed this was written during the Beatles' 1964 tour of France, which would have made it a year and a half old when it was recorded, Paul's later claim of the song coming to him in a dream at girlfriend Jane Asher's house, along with other anecdotal evidence, would seem to suggest that it was written sometime in January 1965, when Paul awoke with the full melody intact and played it on the piano in Asher's attic (playing the tune immediately and constantly, to avoid forgetting it). The odd (but not unheard of) nature of the song's "creation" caused a concerned McCartney to take the melody around to industry vets for about a month, asking them if he'd unconsciously stolen someone else's song (tidbit: this is known as 'Cryptomnesia'). As he put it, "For about a month I went round to people in the music business and asked them whether they had ever heard it before. Eventually it became like handing something in to the police. I thought if no-one claimed it after a few weeks then I could have it." ... click to show In order to keep the melody in his mind, Paul wrote a comedic first verse that went, in part, "Scrambled eggs / Oh how I really really love your legs..." Having shown it to the band in the spring of 1965, the group began to refer to the uncompleted song as "Scrambled Eggs," perhaps ensuring that the finished version would start with its title. Paul kept working at the melody in off hours, leading Help! director Richard Lester to jokingkly threaten to throw the piano off the soundstage if McCartney didn't stop playing it. The patience of the other Beatles was also tested by McCartney's work in progress, George Harrison summing this up when he said: "Blimey, he's always talking about that song. You'd think he was Beethoven or somebody!" Lennon states: "The song was around for months and months before we finally completed it. Every time we got together to write songs for a recording session, this one would come up. We almost had it finished. Paul wrote nearly all of it, but we just couldn't find the right title. We called it 'Scrambled Eggs' and it became a joke between us. We made up our minds that only a one-word title would suit, we just couldn't find the right one. Then one morning Paul woke up and the song and the title were both there, completed. I was sorry in a way, we'd had so many laughs about it." Finally, on May 27, 1965, Paul flew to Lisbon, Portugal, to vacation at the villa of Shadows member Bruce Welch. On the car ride in, Paul began to compose lyrics on the back of an envelope, based around a title (and theme) of "Yesterday." McCartney says this of 'the breakthrough': "I remember mulling over the tune 'Yesterday', and suddenly getting these little one-word openings to the verse. I started to develop the idea ... da-da da, yes-ter-day, sud-den-ly, fun-il-ly, mer-il-ly and Yes-ter-day, that's good. All my troubles seemed so far away. It's easy to rhyme those a's: say, nay, today, away, play, stay, there's a lot of rhymes and those fall in quite easily, so I gradually pieced it together from that journey. Sud-den-ly, and 'b' again, another easy rhyme: e, me, tree, flea, we, and I had the basis of it." Although the other group members liked "Yesterday" well enough, they didn't consider it Beatles material -- especially not after George Martin, the band's producer, suggested scoring it with nothing but acoustic guitar and a string section. Martin thought of releasing it as a solo Paul single, but even McCartney balked at that; his own main concern was that the result not sound too much like easy-listening music. Finally, compromises were reached: Martin used a classier string quartet for the arrangement, and McCartney agreed not to release the song as a single in England. (Though it was released there on an EP of the same name, and as a single in 1976.) Capitol made the decisions on which songs were released as singles in the US, however, but "Yesterday" was not even considered for a-side single release there; it was relegated only to the flip of "Act Naturally," sung by Ringo, the group's most popular member in the US. However, fan reaction was immediate, and the song was quickly repositioned as the a-side. The vague lyrics have been rumored to deal with the very sudden death of McCartney's mother, and the resultant guilt he felt over his selfish and somewhat cold reaction to it. If this is true, it would appear to be subconscious on the singer's part. The performance of the song on the British TV show Blackpool Night Out (August 1965, and the very first performance of this song on television) reportedly shows Paul dedicating this song to ex-girlfriend Iris Caldwell. Other reports have him phoning Iris, who supposedly found him too unemotional, and playing the song for her to prove otherwise. John Lennon, who liked the song, was bothered by the lyrics' lack of resolution; he was also bothered for the rest of his life by fans who thought he'd cowritten it (as the credits insist) and would sing it whenever they saw him. He was known to mock the song in the studio during his solo years. ("I'm not half the man I used to be... now I'm an amputee.") The irony of this is that although the song has always been credited as a "Lennon/McCartney" composition, the song was written solely by McCartney. In 2002, McCartney asked Yoko Ono if she would consider reversing the songwriting credits on the song to read "McCartney/Lennon". Ono refused. Last bit of almost world-changing history: The song was offered as a demo to Chris Farlowe prior to The Beatles recording it, but he turned it down as he considered it "too soft." [oldies.about.] + [wikipedia.] __________________ As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves. —Mohandas K. Gandhi

05-22-2010, 05:00 PM	#5 (permalink)
Jetée The Reforms Location: Rarely, if ever, here or there, but always in transition	Hikaru Utada - With or Without You [U2 cover; live) As seen on MTV Unplugged (Japan), in which the show's musical sessions were recorded live, on it later aired on August 10, 2001. MTV Japan mostly covers non-Japanese artists, but "Utada Hikaru Unplugged" was the first Unplugged made in Japan. On a whim, did she choose to do a cover of the song on this particular stage. __________________ As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves. —Mohandas K. Gandhi

05-26-2010, 05:51 PM	#6 (permalink)
Jetée The Reforms Location: Rarely, if ever, here or there, but always in transition	Iron Dirtbag, by Operation Mongoose If you were wondering about the title of the track, and why it may sound/seem familiar to a few of you, this song is a refixed rap-punk version of Wheatus's Teenage Dirtbag. It samples the main and ending chorus, as well as most of the acoustic accompaniment, but also features mixed-in, new lyrics by a cameo rap artist I'm not yet aware of; enjoy. Oh, and if you need to know, ''Operation Mongoose' is the name of a fairly-new musical artist based out of Portland, Oregon; I listened to his demo tracks a few months back, and it's honestly quite good (might've actually released his first album in-between then and now, for all I'm not quite up to speed with, and about, knowing). __________________ As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves. —Mohandas K. Gandhi Last edited by Jetée; 05-26-2010 at 05:54 PM..

05-26-2010, 06:42 PM	#7 (permalink)
Craven Morehead Custom User Title	Very interesting thread, I look forward to more.

05-28-2010, 07:45 PM	#9 (permalink)
Jetée The Reforms Location: Rarely, if ever, here or there, but always in transition	The Good, the Bad & the Queen is the album by an unnamed British alternative rock supergroup, made up of Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Simon Tong and Tony Allen, and also expertly-produced by Danger Mouse. When the album was previewed by Uncut in November 2006, the magazine called the title song "a surreal knees-up round a knackered old joanna that celebrates how the same sun cheers both Queen and crackheads - before building up to a psychotic guitar wig-out." Damon Albarn himself told NME in January 2007 that the song "had to be last" referring to the position in the album because "where do you go after that noisy bit at the end?" The Good, the Bad & the Queen, by one unnamed collaborative band, consisting of Damon Albarn, Paul Simonon, Simon Tong and Tony Allen. While I'd rather you listen to the track itself first (without peeking at the linked YouTube video above), this indepedently-produced "Sufi Video", directed by Stephen Pook, made such an impact (at least with the band members themselves) that they listed it as their "unofficially" official music video for the track (as they, themselves, had nothing to do with it, other than having their music featured as the template) on their Myspace Blog. [NPR.] + [wiki.] __________________ As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves. —Mohandas K. Gandhi

05-28-2010, 08:09 PM	#10 (permalink)
Craven Morehead Custom User Title	spectacular song - incredible video

06-07-2010, 01:00 AM	#12 (permalink)
Jetée The Reforms Location: Rarely, if ever, here or there, but always in transition	two-for-one treat Aesop Rock - Coffee (feat. John Darnielle) ~ [Pigs] (I was just about to submit this post with as bare as the song, title, and source/lyrics for the hidden-segued track, but am I real glad to have found this...) author's comments (Aesop Rock): My friend John Darnielle, who’s in a band called 'Mountain Goats', came in to help me with this song. And “Coffee” talks about being peaceful with each other, but that that doesn’t necessarily mean I want to hang out with you. It’s saying, “I’ll be nice to you when I see you, but f*k off. We don’t need to hang out.” And if you let “Coffee” play through, after that song there is a hidden track called “Pigs.” And this song is funny in a number of ways. I was trying to describe the typical fat guy in a suit, smoking a Cuban cigar and drinking. It’s literally being a pig. But it’s also a metaphor. It’s talking about pigs as animals but it relates pigs to human beings. [songmeanings.] + [allhiphop.] - - - - - + bonus(es) Now, I haven't watched either of these music videos (I didn't even know Aesop Rock had any ones made other than 'None Shall Pass'), but as a treat for stumbling upon them, I'll add them here as well. Coffee (music video) \| Pigs (music video) [wiki.] __________________ As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves.* —Mohandas K. Gandhi

06-10-2010, 10:00 AM	#14 (permalink)
Jetée The Reforms Location: Rarely, if ever, here or there, but always in transition	Now this song is a bit difficult to explain, but I'll try nonetheless. An original composition by famed anime-etc.-contributionist Yoko Kanno, this track was an original inclusion and scene from the animated film, Escaflowne. Though, I have to admit, I have not yet finished watching this film, nor can I actually tell you what it's about, save for knowing this song is featured within it (and as a whole, the soundtrack is flying-high good). Regardless of yours or mine knowings of the film's plot, I'm giving the context of it as well as I can, and will tell you this covered song was originally entitled Sóra (click for an audible of how it was heard in the film/official soundtrack). Furthermore, once you get into listening to it for a while, you may notice one thing: you can't understand at all what's being said. There's a reason for this, and while it may be in small part due to the film's plot, it's more to do with eccentricities of the composer, Yoko Kanno. There are those that claim that the song is recorded and sung in Ancient Romanian, and this mayhaps be an inspiration for it, but the more at hand explanation is the lyrics to this tune are actually an example of Kanno's own uniquely-devised language, solely for use in a few instances of her own pieces and recordings (she also has a habit of giving herself new "pen names" under which to record to by, but that's another story). Anyway, if you'd like to know what the tune's meaning is, you can check HERE for a small bit of enlightment. With that small (yet not easy) bit of contextual establishment above, we move onto the actual feature. So, lastly, we have this: a cover recording of the above anime song by a real band (American, as far as I can tell) done so in a manner so perfectly, it was befitting of an inclusion here. Enjoy. Rayzd - Sora (post-script: now, I don't how well the above link will work for those abroad from stateside, and perhaps even those in certain areas of the US, but hopefully, those that actually click it to listen will tell me if it works fine for them, and for those that it does not, please do tell me so as well.) __________________ As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves. —Mohandas K. Gandhi

06-17-2010, 03:55 PM	#15 (permalink)
Jetée The Reforms Location: Rarely, if ever, here or there, but always in transition	"Wild Is the Wind" is a song written by Dimitri Tiomkin and Ned Washington. The track was originally recorded by Johnny Mathis for the 1957 film Wild Is the Wind. The song was very popular and was one of five songs nominated for an Academy Award; it was sung by Johnny Mathis at the March 1958 Oscar presentations. It's popularity has seen it being covered numerous times, by such artists as (but not limited to) Nina Simone, David Bowie, George Michael, Clan of Xymox and Cat Power. This piece comes via a live show performed by Cat Power at La Cigale in Paris on the eleventh of November, in 2005. Although it can be inferred that Cat Power was covering Bowie's version of the tune, as she has been known to cover titles by him before, (as she herself stated, he was a great inspiration to her) I believe it is widely regarded that she played upon the Nina Simone rendition instead. I don't think it matters all that much at all to even state this, as all three versions are great as they are, and that being, different takes and stylings of the song. Cat Power - Wild Is The Wind [Live (cover) @ La Cigale, Paris - 11-11-05] [setlist.] (^^ To note: the above supplementary link is not my source, but an additional source you may find relevant. One notice of disparity being that, the above live set was played, and recorded, a week prior to the one I am referencing above. The actual set list, or order and transistion of songs, though, is entirely the same.) __________________ As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves. —Mohandas K. Gandhi

07-01-2010, 07:10 PM	#16 (permalink)
Jetée The Reforms Location: Rarely, if ever, here or there, but always in transition	Collaborative: Björk x Dirty Projectors = also known in the industry as "mash-ups", pet projects, and "sidetrack bands"; this is a collaborative album by the above two musical acts to create the EP, Mount Wittenberg Orca, just released yesterday (though in the making for over a year now since its "premiere"). Have a listen. Björk + The Dirty Projectors - All We Are Photo courtesy of Ryan Muir/Stereogum.com Relevant history: In May 2009, Björk and The Dirty Projectors, asked by Pitchfork contributor and Stereogum senior writer Brandon Stosuy, performed a charity concert of seven songs written just for this occasion. It was a benefit for Housing Works, an organization that fights AIDS and homelessness. The headlining act was a never-before-heard six-song suite written by Dirty Projectors' David Longstreth and performed by the Projectors (sans drummer Brian McOmber) and Björk. The closing song, featured above, is very vocal-heavy, featuring a stirring duet between Björk and Dirty Projectors leader Dave Longstreth near its end. All proceeds from the digital sales will go to the National Geographic Society for the project of creating international marine protected areas. [pitchfork.] + [wiki.] __________________ As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves. —Mohandas K. Gandhi

07-15-2010, 11:33 PM	#17 (permalink)
Jetée The Reforms Location: Rarely, if ever, here or there, but always in transition	Unrest is an indie rock band from the Washington, D.C. area. It was one of Mark Robinson's projects for what would eventually become the TeenBeat label, also created by Mark while in high school. Developing from an experimental approach of never playing the same song twice, earlier material seemed to be influenced by everything from punk to funk to Ennio Morricone. Original members Mark (guitar) and drummer Phil Krauth were joined by Bridget Cross on bass in 1990 and their sound evolved into a minimalist but lively kind of pop. Unrest - Range Recording - - - - - Relevant History: On February 24, 2005, Unrest played a one-time reunion show at Washington, D.C.'s Black Cat club as a part of the TeenBeat Records 20th anniversary celebration. Also appearing were Eggs, +/-, True Love Always, The Fontaine Toups, and Jonny Cohen. On April 22, 2008, Teenbeat released an album by Bridget Cross under the alias Maybe It's Reno. The self-titled album features Robinson and Krauth on the first seven tracks, almost equating this project to another reunion of Unrest, though this time, all of the songs are written by Cross and she also performs all of the vocals. Unrest reunited again for a small east coast tour in July 2010. [4AD.] + [eyesore.] __________________ As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves. —Mohandas K. Gandhi

12-19-2010, 01:30 AM	#21 (permalink)
Jetée The Reforms Location: Rarely, if ever, here or there, but always in transition	Rare EP Vinyl Release, Original Play Orbital - Halcyon [1992] Although you've probably heard this song re-mixed in a variety of fashions over the past 15+ years, and probably covered live before by numerous other big acts, (such as Bon Jovi, and Trent Reznor) as well as the band, itself proper, finding newer, creative ways of re-tuning their most longstanding piece into something not yet heard of before. It's always a joy to here this song for many of us, in whatever form it happens to befall at the time. However, while I will probably feature a live (orchestral) version of this piece later on in the series, (if I ever get to remembering this thread by then) the above is the original longplay piece from 1992's Halcyon 12" Vinyl EP, only ever released once in the US (as well as the UK, as Radiccio) in it is full 11 minutes-and-some-odd-seconds form. Written by Paul and Phil Hartnoll, (with the masterwork provided by Kevin Metcalfe) the song is famous for featuring a backmasked sample of Kirsty Hawkshaw's voice from her Opus III song, "It's a Fine Day". Hawkshaw was so generous, in fact, that she played the starring role in the music video for the song, adopting the role of the mother 'under the influence'. Additional credit goes to writer/producer Ed Barton, who was the original co-composer for the song "It's a Fine Day"; his lyrics for the song are still intact when heard in Halcyon, although you'd need to slow it down a bit, then play the title in reverse. [discogs. / wiki.] - - - - - -- (to note: I suppose it is no real wonder, at least to myself, why I let myself drift away from this topic for so long. It's great to feature some of the once-onbscured and thought-lost, but if the above is any indication, it's real hard work. It took me just a shade over an hour this time, and most of the others took at the very least, 25+ minutes in finalization. I might even need to look back and replace some antiquated .mp3s / audio links. I really should try to keep this content commons going, but bearing with my own schedule, it seems once a week is the only option, and even that, at times, could be an iffy one. Ah. This topic's too enjoyable to keep down. Once a week it is.) __________________ As human beings, our greatness lies not so much in being able to remake the world (that is the myth of the Atomic Age) as in being able to remake ourselves. —Mohandas K. Gandhi