SECRET SAUCES RADIO - SHOW NOTES #004

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

SECRET SAUCES RADIO INTRO IDENT

Scanners sample

From 'Scanners', the 1981 film by David Cronenberg. The one with the exploding head. Watch the trailer here (boldly, the trailer is just the exploding head scene).

1) RIP RIG + PANIC - Constant Drudgery Is Harmful To Soul, Spirit & Health

The opening track from 'God', the 1981 debut LP by Rip Rig + Panic. After the demise of Bristol post-punk legends The Pop Group, Bruce Smith and Gareth Sager formed RR+P with Mark Springer and Neneh Cherry. Arguably even more wild than The Pop Group, if you haven't heard any Rip Rig + Panic then the catch-all 'post-punk' label does not do their sound justice. This record was originally released as a 45 RPM 2xLP set, and was reissued on CD by Cherry Red in 2013 with 6 bonus tracks. It's been out of print for years, so fingers crossed for a reissue in the future.

2) BRIAN ENO & DAVID BYRNE - Regiment (Extended)

The 1981 album 'My Life In The Bush of Ghosts' saw Talking Heads frontman David Byrne collaborate with their producer Brian Eno (you don't need me to tell you his CV) for a mostly instrumental (with sampled vocals and found sounds) record heavily influenced by African and Middle Eastern music, with lots of electronic experimentation. The album was named after Nigerian writer Amos Tutola's 1954 fantasy novel of the same name, though neither Byrne or Eno had read it. The original pressing of the record had a track called 'Qu'ran' which sampled Algerian Muslims chanting the Qu'ran, though this sample was seen as blasphemous and was replaced on future pressings at the request of the Islamic Council of Great Britain with b-side 'Very, Very Hungry' (early copies of the US CD included both tracks). The vocal sample on this track is from Lebanese singer Dunya Younes, who was unaware of the sample until 2017 and settled out of court with Byrne and Eno. You'll also hear this sample pop up at some point on The Orb's 'Live '93' album.

In 2006, My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts was reissued on CD with a re-jigged tracklist including seven bonus tracks and several extended versions. This is the extended version of Regiment from that reissue. A vinyl reissue came in 2009 with even more bonus tracks.

3) MIKEY DREAD - Jah Jah Love (In The Morning)

From Mikey Dread's 1980 LP 'World War III', recorded and released during the height of his collaborations with The Clash. This album was reissued with bonus tracks on CD in 2002 but is long out of print. Music on Vinyl reissued it in 2022 along with many other Mikey Dread LPs. A US version of the album with a different track-list, entitled 'Beyond World War III', was released in 1981.

Mikey Dread sadly passed away in 2008 and is remembered as one of the most innovative and influential reggae + dub artists, as well as for his legendary JBC radio show 'Dread At The Controls' (some existing tapes of his broadcasts can be found online, such as this one - well worth a listen), and for his heavy involvement in the greatest album of all time.

Mikey Dread's estate lovingly maintain a web presence here and have been teasing an official biography to be published soon, with over 270 pages and 50 interviews. Looking forward to reading this!

SECRET SAUCES RADIO IDENT

The Day Of The Triffids sample

A little bit from the 1981 BBC TV adaptation of John Wyndham's 'The Day of the Triffids'. There have been many on-screen adaptations of the classic novel, but this one is my favourite despite it being a bit shit. Someone has stuck the entire series up on YouTube here, ripped from the 2020 Blu-ray but who knows how long it will stay up there.

4) SIMPLE MINDS - Capital City

Taken from the third Simple Minds LP, 'Empires And Dance' from 1980, produced by John Leckie. Manic Street Preachers ripped off this album's cover font on a few of their records - early Simple Minds were a favourite of the band, particularly James Dean Bradfield. Long out of print on vinyl, this album was reissued and remastered on CD (no bonus tracks) as part of a catalogue campaign in 2003. To coincide with an early-days focused tour in 2012, the band released the 'X5' box set which included their first five (and best) albums with bonus tracks but this is out of print too. Simple Minds have released album box sets of New Gold Dream and the next three albums after that but continue to neglect their first four (best) records... they reissued the reissue of Sparkle In The Rain (with less stuff in it) before doing a Sons And Fascination/Sister Feelings Call box set?! Madness!

Fans of early Simple Minds before the stadium-era will enjoy Graeme Thomson's 2022 book 'Themes for Great Cities: A New History of Simple Minds' which focuses on the early records. As Jim Kerr says himself on the blurb, "there hasn't been quite the credit for those first few records. I think they contain some really special music". Read what the Quietus had to say about it here.

5) SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES - She's A Carnival

From 1982's 'A Kiss In The Dreamhouse' LP, the band's fifth album - a great album loved by fans and critics but coming between Juju and Hyæna it gets overlooked somewhat. In print and remastered on vinyl and CD (which includes 12" versions and demos). I snipped off the carnival organ bit at the end for this show because it is annoying.

6) CICCONE YOUTH - Making The Nature Scene

Taken from the sole Ciccone Youth album, 1989's 'The Whitey Album', this is a beat-driven re-recording of the Sonic Youth track from their 1983 debut LP 'Confusion Is Sex'. Ciccone Youth were Sonic Youth and Mike Watt embracing hip hop and pop (particularly Madonna, whose last name is Ciccone and whose face appears on the sleeve). Mike Watt covered 'Burning Up' and Sonic Youth covered 'Into The Groove' for the initial Ciccone Youth single on New Alliance Records in 1986. On the album, a demo version of 'Burning Up' appears instead of the single version. Along with a cover of Robert Palmer's 'Addicted To Love' (an excellent video of this can be seen here), the album contains plenty of original compositions, very experimental in nature. What do you think a noise-rock group fucking around with drum machines and samplers sounds like? The track 'MacBeth' is a particular highlight.

The Whitey Album has been reissued on vinyl and CD (with a remix of MacBeth as a bonus) and is in print on Sonic Youth's own 'Goofin' Records'.

7) BLACK FLAG - Bastard In Love

From the album 'Loose Nut', released in 1985. Still in print on CD and vinyl from SST, but I would recommend seeking out an original pressing on vinyl due to SST vinyl pressings getting increasingly shitter as the years go by.

SECRET SAUCES RADIO IDENT

Tony sample

A bit from the excellent 2009 film Tony, written and directed by Gerard Johnson and starring Peter Ferdinando as Tony, the London serial killer. Gerard's brother Matt, is Matt Johnson (The The) and did the soundtrack to the film. Get it here, it's a very nice package. While Tony kills quite a few people in the film, he did not kidnap or kill this bloke's son and he is not a nonce. Poor Tony.

All of Gerard Johnson's films are worth watching - he did Hyena in 2014 and Muscle in 2019, and Matt Johnson did the soundtracks to both of those too. Only Muscle is available on Blu-ray, however, so unfortunately you can only watch Tony butchering people in his flat in standard definition at the moment.

8) BLUR - Polished Stone

A nice b-side to 1997's 'Song 2', and since available on CD in the 1999 singles box set, 2012 deluxe reissue of 'Blur' and in the 'Blur 21' box set. I don't think it has been released on vinyl ever which is a shame, there are a lot of great Blur b-sides that deserve to be on the format.

9) LATE! - Milk

'Late!' is Dave Grohl, and this is from the sole release under the name, the 1992 cassette 'Pocketwatch', released on the long-defunct Simple Machines label. Compiled from sessions from 1990 to 1992 while Dave was in Nirvana, the pseudonymous release drew little attention until Grohl broke out with the Foo Fighters a few years later.

While Pocketwatch has never been reissued in any form, some of its tracks were re-recorded by Foo Fighters such as 'Winnebago' and 'Friend Of A Friend'. The most notable would be 'Color Pictures of a Marigold' which would be re-recorded by Nirvana as just 'Marigold' and released as the b-side to 'Heart Shaped Box' the following year in 1993. I hope this cassette gets reissued at some point, it's a lot better than the vast majority of Foo Fighters stuff.

10) GRAVEDIGGAZ - Defective Trip (Trippin')

What happens when Prince Paul's 'DewDooMan Records' imprint goes tits up, Prince Rakeem and Too Poetic get dropped from Tommy Boy and Frukwan quits Stetsasonic? Paul gathers them together to form Gravediggaz, a showcase for their talents after getting a beating from the music industry. Unfortunately, despite the undeniable greatness of the group and their music, the members' collective recent reputations got in the way of any serious label interest and it would not be until Prince Rakeem found success as the RZA, mastermind of Wu-Tang Clan, that Gravediggaz would be signed and Six Feet Deep would be released in 1994. It's one of the best albums ever. R.I.P. Poetic.

11) MAJOR FORCE PRODUCTIONS - Sax Hoodlum

An instrumental version of 'Tokyo Hoodlum', a 1992 track from legendary Japanese MC Takagi Kan's second LP 'Grass Roots'. A six-track 12" EP entitled 'Grass Roots Dub' featured extended instrumentals and dub versions of beats cooked up by the Major Force Posse for the album. It is really rare and fucking expensive if it ever comes up for sale anywhere, but luckily this track and a couple of others have surfaced on Major Force compilations. 'Sax Hoodlum' can be heard on the 1997 'The Original Artform' Major Force comp released on Mo'Wax, and the 2006 2CD reissue of 'Major Force Rare Tracks', released only in Japan.

SECRET SAUCES RADIO IDENT

John I want a divorce

The very best of amateur acting classes. Watch the full 6 minutes here.

12) BUFFALO SPRINGFIELD - Four Days Gone

This Stephen Stills song is taken from the final Buffalo Springfield album, 1968's 'Last Time Around', which was essentially a compilation of solo recordings from 1967-1968. Nicely remastered and reissued on vinyl and CD in 2018, though the CD is available only within the complete albums collection set.

13) LIZ PHAIR - Carnivore

An obscure non-album 7" single released in 1993 on the Minty Fresh label after the acclaimed 'Exile In Guyville'. The bass-heavy mix is quite bizarre and would certainly benefit from a new mix but it's a good track. Both sides of the single (the b-side is a demo version in the vein of the Girly Sound tapes) would be reissued in 1996 on the 'Get Yer La-La's Out' various artists compilation put out by Minty Fresh in Japan, but neither the song or demo have found a reissue on any Liz Phair release. Notably excluded from the many Guyville releases, this is perhaps due to the lack of involvement from producer Brad Wood on the track and his distaste for the mix. Check out a content-packed and well-designed fansite for Liz Phair here.

14) SUPERCHUNK - Punch Me Harder

From 1991's 'No Pocky For Kitty', the classic second LP from Superchunk. This was the final record with drummer Chuck Garrison before Jon Wurster took over, and was originally released on Matador records (Superchunk would not release their LPs through their own Merge label until 1994's 'Foolish'), but is in-print as a remastered reissue on CD and vinyl through Merge. 'No Pocky For Kitty' was produced by Steve Albini but he is uncredited in the sleeve notes, where it says "Produced with eyes closed by Laura, who sat in the right chair". Laura Ballance is Superchunk's bassist and Merge co-owner.

15) THE BEACH BOYS - Ding Dang

From the cult-classic 'Love You' album, released in 1977. A Brian Wilson production, who had spent a lot of time away from the band in previous years, it is a bizarre record but very enjoyable. The 57-second 'Ding Dang', co-written by Roger McGuinn of The Byrds, was a source of obsession for Brian, and there are many stories of him playing this song for hours at a time on the piano. In 2024, the official Brian Wilson store opened up a 'Ding Dang' store online, with nine different 'Ding Dang' merch variations. Check it out here.

16) SINÉAD O'CONNOR - Just Call Me Joe

The closing song from O'Connor's debut album, 'The Lion And The Cobra', released in 1987. After many years out of print, this album (along with subsequent albums) was reissued on vinyl and CD after Sinéad's passing. Thankfully, in its original Irish and UK sleeve - the original U.S. versions had a different cover "as it was decided a more subdued pose would present a "softer" image of the star." Ridiculous.

Rest in peace Sinéad O'Connor.

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!