SECRET SAUCES RADIO - SHOW NOTES #002

Here are some notes on the second Secret Sauces Radio show, which can be listened to on Mixcloud here...

SECRET SAUCES RADIO INTRO IDENT

CKND-TV 'Threads' Disclaimer

D.C. Brinton, president of CKND-TV introduces the Maintoba (Canadian) premiere of 'Threads' on March 13th 1985. 'Threads' is a deeply disturbing and harrowing BBC film, which explains the disclaimer from the network president in Canada, first aired on the 23rd September 1984 in the UK, "dramatic account of the potential medical, economic, social, and environmental consequences of a nuclear war in Britain, it follows two families in Sheffield as a nuclear confrontation between the United States and the Soviet Union erupts, followed by a nuclear exchange between NATO and the Warsaw Pact." (thanks Wikipedia). It is well worth a watch, and there is a good 2xBlu-ray release with a new director-approved widescreen edition, though the curious can check out a low quality upload of the original cut on YouTube here.

Donald Charles 'Don' Brinton died in 2022 and has a 'Memorable Manitobans' page that can be read here.

1) THE LEAVING TRAINS - Bringing Down The House

This is the album version of 'Bringing Down The House', the opening track from The Leaving Trains debut album 'Well Down Blue Highway', released in 1984 on Bemisbrain Records and produced by David Roback, later of Opal and Mazzy Star. The final track on the album is a different version of this song with a different, slower arrangement. An earlier single recording was released in 1982 on Happy Squid Records with a slower arrangement, too. More early recordings produced by The Last's Vitus Mataré can be found on the 1981 'Keats Rides A Harley' compilation on Happy Squid, and the 1983 'WarfRat Telaes' compilation on WarfRat Grammofon. Both of these essential compilations were reissued on CD with lots of bonus tracks in 2005 and are well worth checking out. Unfortunately, 'Well Down Blue Highway' never saw a CD release, and can only be bought second-hand from its 1980s pressings on LP and MC. It is a great record, so well worth checking out. The ever-changing lineup of The Leaving Trains for this record includes the Hofer brothers, of which bassist Tom later joined Danny and the Doorknobs and Trotsky Icepick (featuring Vitus Mataré and Happy Squid founder John Talley-Jones).

The Leaving Trains then signed to SST Records in 1986 to release seven further albums, a greatest hits compilation and several EPs, before releasing a final album and a live compilation in 2001 and 2004 respectively, on Steel Cage Records. Since then there has been no Leaving Trains activity, and leader Falling James has only made infrequent live solo appearances, mainly acting as a journalist for publications such as LA Weekly. Check out a recent-ish rare interview with Falling James from 2020 here and see what she's been up to.

2) ANGST - Some Things (I Can't Get Used To)

San Francisco band Angst's first EP was released on Happy Squid Records in 1983 and was later reissued by SST Records in 1986 after their first two albums were released on the label. This track is the opening song on their fantastic second album 'Mending Wall' from 1986, co-produced by Joe Carducci, who at the time was the label manager and co-owner of SST Records. He has subsequently written and published several books which can be purchased here. Angst released two further albums on SST in 1987 and 1988, both produced by Vitus Mataré, before splitting up. Unfortunately, all of their records have been out of print for a long time and only their final album 'Cry For Happy' was released on CD. All of their records are well worth tracking down, even though they are hard to find in the UK.

Frank Black (aka Black Francis) is a big fan of Angst, and covered this very song on his 2006 covers album 'Snake Oil' with The Catholics. He also released a tribute song to the band, the song 'Angst', which was released as a b-side to Robert Onion in 2000 - this can be found on Frank Black And The Catholics' 2006 b-sides compilation 'One More Road For The Hit'. Both songs can be found on the out of print 2015 6xCD box set 'The Complete Recordings' released on Cooking Vinyl.

3) PJ HARVEY - Reeling

This track was released as the b-side to '50ft Queenie' in 1993, and was recorded by Steve Albini at Pachyderm Studios, Minnesota during the sessions for 'Rid Of Me'. Annoyingly, this was excluded (along with many others) from the 3xCD/6xLP 'B-Sides, Demos & Rarities' box set from 2022, so you'd have to hunt down a used copy of the 50ft Queenie single on either CD, 12" 7" or MC. There is a solo demo version released on 1993's '4-Track Demos' album, which remains in print on CD and LP. This song also gave its name to the 1994 tour film 'Reeling With PJ Harvey' which was released on VHS but is yet to receive a DVD or Blu-ray release - it can be watched on YouTube here.

Both PJ Harvey and Robert De Niro are yet to respond to my question of whether Bobby De Niro has sat on Polly Jean's face (as the lyric demands), but I will be sure to update the notes if they do.

4) TYCOON TO$H - Green House Effect

When Japanese new wave band Plastics split in 1981, members Toshio Nakanishi and Chica Sato formed Melon, which brought in more electronic and funk elements to the sound, with a growing hip-hop influence. In 1988, Nakanishi co-founded Major Force records with KUDO, Gota Yashiki, Takagi Kan and Hiroshi Fujiwara. One of the most groundbreaking and influential Hip Hop labels on the planet, Toshio released a string of classic 12" singles as 'Tycoon To$h & Terminator Troops' in which he rapped in English. In 1989, Tycoon To$h dropped the Terminator Troops moniker and released the full length LP 'Chinasyndrome Green House Effect', where this song is taken from. Unfortunately it has never been reissued, and only available in its original vinyl release. Some of the tracks subsequently appeared on the 'Major Force Compact', 'Major Force Rarities' and 'The Original Artform' CD compilations throughout the 90s, but this song and several others have never been reissued. Toshio sadly died in 2017 after a long career spanning many genres and groups, including Skylab, Watermelon, Sexy T.K.O./Love T.K.O. and a re-united Plastics, as well as a long-standing collaboration with London record label Mo' Wax. He published a memoir in 2013 entitled 'The Rise and Fall of Plastics, Melon, and Major Force' which is available in Japan only, and has unfortunately never been translated into English. You can read some rough translations (using Google Translate) of excerpts relating to Mo' Wax and James Lavelle here at the UNKLEWiki.

5) CORNERSHOP - Hong Kong Book Of Kung Fu

Taken from the second full-length LP by Cornershop, 1995's 'Woman's Gotta Have It'. This album (as with the rest of Cornershop's Wiija Records catalogue) is out of print, but can be found easily second-hand on CD in either its original 1995 UK release, or the 1996 U.S. reissue (with alternate artwork) on David Byrne's Luaka Bop records. Only Wiija released this album on vinyl in 1995, with a bonus 7" of the hidden track available on the CD. Like most 90s albums released during the CD-era that have not been reissued, it is quite scarce and expensive. With great albums and plenty of b-sides, Cornershop are well overdue a comprehensive reissue series. Since 2009, Cornershop (and other artists) have released new records through their own Ample Play label, which can be checked out here.

SECRET SAUCES RADIO IDENT

Tube Tales sample

A heartwarming snippet taken from Bob Hoskins' short 'My Father, The Liar' starring Ray Winstone. The short is part of the 'Tube Tales' anthology from 1999, with eight other short films based on the tube including 'Mouth' directed by Armando Iannucci.

6) THE B-52'S - Deep Sleep

The second track taken from the band's 1982 EP/Mini-LP 'Mesopotamia'. Produced by David Byrne, the experimental 'Mesopotamia' was originally envisioned as a full-length LP but was tragically thwarted by meddling manager Gary Kurfist (quite a CV - check it out!). Three abandoned songs from the sessions were re-recorded for the band's third full-length 'Whammy!' the following year, and the 2002 anthology 'Nude On The Moon' contains a Mesopotamia outtake, 'Queen Of Las Vegas'. Due to a cock-up somewhere, the original UK 12" release mistakenly used earlier mixes from David Byrne that were often significantly longer. It was withdrawn after a while, but you can find it used for a good price. The 'proper' mixes were released on CD, and also the entire record was remixed in 1991 and released as a two-fer CD with 1981's 'Party Mix' compilation, which includes extended mixes of songs from the first two B-52's LPs. Like all of their early Island records, there has unfortunately never been proper remastered reissues or deluxe editions - it would be nice to have a deluxe edition of Mesopotamia with the outtakes, extended mixes and both the original and 1991 mixes. It's a great record that is sadly overlooked and certainly due for reappraisal after its initial mixed reviews.

7) DE LA SOUL - I Am I Be

Perhaps the centerpiece in the band's third album, the fan-favourite 'Buhloone Mindstate', 'I Am I Be' is a sombre track with lyrics written entirely by Posdonus (even Dave's rhymes!), dealing with the darker sides of success in the music industry, and the changing relationships of the Native Tongues collective - perversely, many of those targeted lent their voices during the extended intro. Pos has since expressed some regret at those emotionally-charged lyrics were born out of the heat of the moment. A track entitled 'I Be Blowin'', also found on Buhloone Mindstate, is an instrumental version of the 'I Am I Be' beat, featuring saxophonist Maceo Parker (James Brown, Parliament-Funkadelic, Prince) blowin' all over it.

Sadly, Buhloone Mindstate was to be the final De La Soul album produced by Prince Paul, as him and De La Soul went their separate ways early in the process of recording their fourth LP, what was to become 'Stakes Is High'. A sad parting for sure, but they had collaborated a few times since then, including 'More Than U Know' from Prince Paul's legendary 'A Prince Among Thieves' album and aborted movie (thanks Tommy Boy). Their most significant collaboration since the split is the reissues of their records on their own A.O.I. Records through Chrysalis, after lengthy and tense negotiations to reclaim their catalogue back from... Tommy Boy. The reissue of '3 Feet High and Rising' was extensively worked on by Prince Paul and De La Soul due to the legal issues surrounding sample clearances, though most casual listeners will only hear sample collage 'Cool Breeze On The Rocks' affected significantly. All of De La Soul's albums have been reissued and are in print on CD, LP and MC on A.O.I., including Buhloone Mindstate (and it's companion promotional-only EP 'Clear Lake Audiotorium'), though devastatingly the skits and track 'Long Island Wildin'' which features Takagi Kan and Scha Dara Parr have been omitted from the vinyl reissue - why?!. You'll have to track down a pricey original '93 pressing for that.

8) fIREHOSE - She Paints Pictures

This was released as a b-side on the 'Sometimes, Almost Always' EP in 1988 on SST Records, the only single from 1987's 'If'n' record, which features a lovely picture of Hüsker Dü on the sleeve (they would only appear on their own sleeves either in silhouette or under netting). While the 'Sometimes, Almost Always' EP was released on both vinyl and CD in 1988, for reasons unknown to me, 'She Paints Pictures' is only available on the 12" (or later 10" reissue), being replaced by 'If'n' album track 'For The Singer Of R.E.M.' on the CD (yes, it was originally written for an ill-fated Michael Stipe solo album). This track has never been reissued (a classic example of SST's neglect of its catalogue), and was recorded for a BBC Radio 1 John Peel session in June 1988, which has never been officially released - check it out here.

9) THE FLAMING LIPS - The Train Runs Over The Camel But Is Derailed

By The Gnat

This memorable title was released on 1997's 'Zaireeka' album, which was released as a 4xCD set, with all four discs intended to be played simultaneously on four different CD players to listen to the album. This approach was born out of the 'Parking Lot Experiments' (several cars in a parking lot all playing cassettes of elements of the same composition at once) in the wake of guitarist Ronald Jones leaving the band in 1996, and was recorded alongside (but released before) the band's acclaimed 1999 album 'The Soft Bulletin'. After its release came 'The Boombox Experiments', a similar live approach but one that was able to work in traditional music venues and not car parks.

With most people not having four CD players, and the difficulty of syncing up the players, it is not the most accessible album to listen to. However, with software such as Audacity, you can perfectly sync-up all four tracks of each song and listen to it that way. It's not quite the same, but it is decent enough. Many unofficial fan mixes have been created too which is a lot of fun. Official stereo mixes of Zaireeka tracks were released promotionally in the 90s (you are listening to one from a 1999 Danish promo CD here) and a few as b-sides, and a few can be found on the 3xCD edition of 2017's 'Greatest Hits, VoI. 1', and on 'The Soft Bulletin Companion' promo which was widely reissued on CD and 2xLP in 2021.

In 2007, Zaireeka celebrated its 10th birthday and the band sent out a very limited edition DVD to select record stores hosting listening parties of Zaireeka, and it featured visuals, video introductions to each song by Wayne Coyne, and also acted as the fifth disc (labelled disc 10) with brand new sounds to play in-sync alongside the original four discs. Good luck getting a copy of that DVD, but you can watch it here. Zaireeka was issued as a coloured 4xLP set for the first time for Record Store Day in 2013, and featured a nice booklet with excerpts from Mark Richardson's book about the album, from the notoriously hit-and-miss '33 1/3' series by Bloomsbury (Mark Richardson's book is a good one, though). With many Flaming Lips albums having been released in 5.1 and Atmos, Zaireeka curiosuly hasn't seen such a release, despite being a literal surround sound album. However, it can be argued that the sync-issues and the ability to play whatever combination of the four discs you like make for a more unique and interesting experience than a perfectly mixed and synchronised Atmos version. Having said that, I would love to see a 'Heady Nuggs' box set for the Zaireeka era containing the promotional stereo mixes and mix-downs of the Parking Lot and Boombox experiments compositions that have not seen an official release.

SECRET SAUCES RADIO IDENT

Charlie Sheen Interview Sample

In the wake of his dismissal from shitcom 'Two And A Half Men' and beef with creator Chuck Lorre (also responsible for fucking-shitcom 'The Big Bang Theory') in 2011, troubled actor Charlie Sheen gave a memorable interview to Good Morning America, in which he makes his case.

10) THE ORB - Pomme Fritz (Meat 'N Veg)

The opening track of 1994 mini-LP 'Pomme Fritz', the first studio release after the 1992 # 1 album 'U.F.Orb' in 1992 and # 12 non-album single 'Assassin' in 1993. Pomme Fritz was a divisive record to fans and critics alike, and 'hated' by Island Records according to Dr. Alex Paterson, despite it reaching a respectable # 6 in the UK album charts. A more abstract and experimental record, this mini-LP is a brief one from The Orb at a mere 41 minutes, from an outfit previously known for releasing a 40-minute single and 18-minute album tracks. It would be the last Orb album to be released with key member Kris 'Thrash' Weston in the group, though it would be followed up by the all-time great 'Orbus Terrarum' album in 1995. Bonus disc reissues of the entire Orb catalogue on Island were released in the noughties including plenty of unreleased mixes, and are well worth seeking out, though are all out of print. Pomme Fritz is one of the scarcer reissues, but an original used copy of the CD and LP are easy enough to find.

11) BULLY - Right

This track was released as part of the 'Our First 100 Days' subscription album released digitally by Secretly Group. Tracks from 100 different artists were released daily from the point of Donald Trump's inauguration on 20th January 2017 until 29th April, and the $30 payment for the album was donated to causes directly threatened by Trump's presidency. This Bully track, released just before the second Bully LP 'Losing' was released on day 88 of the run. Sadly, the album was removed from sale soon after its completion but can be found on Soulseek etc. If you do end up getting it through those means, I suggest a $30 donation to a suitable organisation - take your pick! It was an interesting concept for a release during an unprecedented time, and it is curious why it was not done a second time round in 2025, though I can understand just how fucking depressing and disheartening it is seeing the orange fascist cunt and his billionaire vampire crew coming back to fuck over the world, cheered on by the treasonous brain-dead MAGA cult. Not so easy to be creative in such a situation I guess.

Anyway, this Bully track is great and lost in the shuffle after only appearing on this release. I have a bootleg recording of it being played live in October 2016, though it was seemingly dropped from the set by the time of the release of 'Losing', based on other bootleg recordings I have. It joins a growing number of excellent Bully rarities that have been released on obscure compilations, rare 7" singles and digital exclusives that deserve to be heard by a wider audience. I hope we see a Bully b-sides compilation or better yet, deluxe editions of the albums with all of these great songs (check out Faceblind too, b-side of the 2014 'Milkman' single). Also, a live album (or box set) would be nice!

12) THE KINKS - Holiday In Waikiki (Mono)

The original 1966 mono mix of this track from the 'Face To Face' LP, the band's fourth album. The album did receive a stereo mix at the time (unlike 'Kinda Kinks' and 'The Kink Kontroversy') and it is not bad at all but for me, the mono mix is preferable for this track. The 2011 2xCD deluxe edition of 'Face To Face' is highly recommended, containing both the mono and stereo mixes of the album and associated singles, along with other rarities and informative sleeve notes. Also in print as a single LP without the bonus tracks.

SECRET SAUCES RADIO IDENT

'The Faithful Wookiee' Cartoon Sample

A snippet from the cartoon sequence introducing Boba Fett, from the maligned 1978 'Star Wars Holiday Special'. The Holiday Special is utterly shit and has not (and likely will not) ever receive a home video release, but the cartoon sequence is well-regarded and appears on its own on the 'Star Wars' channel on Disney+. In 2010, Carrie Fisher claimed to have requested a copy of the Holiday Special from George Lucas in exchange for her recording audio commentaries for Star Wars DVDs, so she had something to play at parties when she wanted people to leave. A (different) sample from this cartoon appears on UNKLE's 1998 'Psyence Fiction' album, between the tracks 'Unreal' and 'Lonely Soul'. One half of UNKLE for that album was DJ Shadow...

13) DJ SHADOW - Mutual Slump

Taken from Shadow's flawless 1996 LP 'Endtroducing...', released on Mo' Wax. There is nothing much left to say about this album that hasn't been said many times before, but you won't have any problems tracking down a copy if you don't already have it. In 2005, it was reissued as a 2xCD deluxe edition with a bonus disc of remixes, alternate versions and demos entitled 'Excessive Ephemera', which was released separately as a 2xLP. In 2016, the 20th anniversary edition was released on 3xCD and 6xLP including the original album, 'Excessive Ephemera' and a (mostly shit) collection of newly-commissioned remixes, 'Endtroducing... Re-Emagined'. However, the re 'emagened' version of 'What Does Your Soul Like Pt. 1' is by Prince Paul so you gotta get that one.

14) THE FALL - Shoulder Pads # 1b

The Fall's 1986 album 'Bend Sinister' features two 'Shoulder Pads' interludes at 2:56 and 2:00 in length. This 5:04 version of the track, which is quite annoying to some (especially those familiar with the 'Are You Being Served?' theme), was released as the b-side to non-album single 'Hey! Luciani', released in December 1986 - the same month as the two-week performance of the play 'Hey! Luciani: The Life and Codex of John Paul I' at Riverside Studios in Hammersmith. Written and directed by Mark E. Smith and starring Leigh Bowery, Michael Clark and members of the Fall, it was somewhat of a fore-runner for the 'I Am Kurious Oranj' album and ballet (a collaboration with Michael Clark) performed at the Edinburgh Fringe in 1988. A recording of the 'Hey! Luciani' play from the 17th December circulates as an audio-only bootleg recorded from the audience (for Fall-fanatics only) and the only known circulating video clips of the play can be found here. Beggars Arkive released a nice 2xCD / 2xLP deluxe set for Bend Sinister including its associated singles and b-sides, Peel Sessions and some studio outtakes, as well as sleeve notes from the king of Fall sleevenotes Darryl Easlea. The vinyl edition only includes the additional singles and b-sides but does include a nice facsimile of the original 'Hey! Luciani' programme.

15) MAGNAPOP - Skinburns

The closing track from Atlanta, GA band Magnapop's 1994 second album 'Hot Boxing', produced by Bob Mould. Michael Stipe produced around half of the tracks on their debut eponymous record from 1992, and Geza X produced their third record 'Rubbing Doesn't Help' from 1996. Despite being a good band putting out good records, Magnapop never seemed to find a deserved big audience in its native U.S. or the UK, but did find big success in Belgium and the Netherlands. They split up after the third record in the late '90s, but reunited in the mid-2000s to release a fourth album 'Mouthfeel' in 2005 (produced by Curt Wells), and have been intermittently active since, with 'Chase Park' in 2009 (produced by Brian Paulson) and 'The Circle Is Round' in 2019 (produced by Ed Burdell) and occasionally play shows in the U.S. and do multi-date tours in the Netherlands and Belgium!

'Hot Boxing' in particular is a great album, and as standard in the 90s, saw a lot of associated singles and b-sides being released. Hopefully one day PIAS, Priority or whoever controls the catalogue these days gives those records a reissue with those scattered tracks collected together. In the meantime, you can inexpensively track down used copies of the out of print 90s Magnapop albums on CD - vinyl will be a bit pricey, however.

SECRET SAUCES RADIO OUTRO IDENT

Thanks for listening and reading. New 60 minute music mixes are uploaded to Mixcloud every Tuesday and I will post accompanying notes, with pointless trivia and endless links for you to enjoy.

See you next Tuesday!