Around a year ago, I published a piece about a mix CD called Skull & Crossbones. Something a friend in The Biz had given to me years ago. Andrew Weatherall had selected the tunes – a refreshing blast of Rockabilly, R`n`B, proto-Punk and Glam. 

The friend had asked me to research the idea of a Weatherall-orientated compilation. His remit specific. Ten to twelve of Mr. Weatherall`s lesser known remixes. Not productions, but remixes. Applying the filter that nothing should have been reissued or included on other comps. i.e. no vinyl or CD readily to hand.

I can`t quite recall exactly when this was, but it must have been once I`d moved to Japan.`Cos I`d have never had the time to tackle the task before I jacked in the day job to look after my kids. So possibly over a decade. Digital was still threatening to shake industry foundations, but hadn’t yet come into its own. Meaning my short-list then only had to be further checked through Amazon, Beatport, iTunes, and Juno Download. We were looking for stuff that was solely available on original 12s. 

Sorting through the boxes and ring-binders in my bedroom, which looks like a second-hand shop (it`s no wonder my wife moved out. I really need to win the lottery, get a Brownswood-type set up and move her hack in), I found a file of printed correspondence that accompanied the project. Detailing the process. Which I thought might be of interest to fellow Weatherall nuts.

I had releases broken down into broad  “eras”. Early Works, Sabres Of Paradise, Two Lone Swordsmen, With Tim Fairplay.  To begin with there was obviously a ton of stuff to chose from…..

EARLY WORKS

AIRSTREAM / FOLLOW THROUGH

BIG HARD EXCELLENT FISH

DEEP JOY / FALL

FINI TRIBE / 101

THE GRID / FLOATATION

HAPPY MONDAYS / HALLELUJAH

IMPOSSIBLES / THE DRUM

JAH WOBBLE / BOMBA

JAMES / COME HOME

LOVE CORPORATION / GIVE ME SOME LOVE (LONG MIX)

MEAT BEAT MANIFESTO / PSYCHE OUT

MY BLOODY VALENTINE / SOON

NEW ORDER / WORLD IN MOTION

PRIMAL SCREAM / COME TOGETHER

PRIMAL SCREAM / DON`T FIGHT IT FEEL IT

PRIMAL SCREAM / LOADED

PRIMAL SCREAM  / HIGHER THAN THE SUN

ST. ETIENNE / ONLY LOVE CAN BREAK YOUR HEART

S`EXPRESS / FIND `EM FOOL `EM FORGET `EM

SLY AND LOVECHILD / THE WORLD ACCORDING TO

THAT PETROL EMOTION / ABANDON

WEST INDIA COMPANY / O JE SUIS SEUL

WORD OF MOUTH / WHAT IT IS

SABRES OF PARADISE

A MAN CALLED ADAM / CPI (GODIVA MIX or INST.)

BJORK / ONE DAY

BLACK SHEEP / NORTH SOUTH EAST WEST

BOMB THE BASS / DARK HEART

BROS LOVE DUBS / MIGHTY MING

BUMBLE / WEST IN MOTION

CHEMICAL BROTHERS / SONG TO THE SIREN

CHEMICAL BROTHERS / LEAVE HOME

ESPIRITU  / CONQUISTADOR (PROMO ONLY MIX)

FLOWERED UP / WEEKENDER

FUNDAMENTAL / MOTHER INDIA

FUTURE SOUND OF LONDON / PAPUA NEW GUINEA

GALLIANO / SKUNK FUNK

HOLY GHOST / MAD MONKS ON ZINC

INNERSPHERE / NECRONOMICON

INNERSPHERE / OUT OF BODY

JAH WOBBLE / VISIONS OF YOU

K-KLASS / 1, 2, 3

LEFTFIELD / OPEN UP

LMNO / SILCOCK EXPRESS

MOODY BOYS  / CENTRE OF THE WORLD

MOODY BOYS / DESTINATION AFRICA

NEW ORDER / REGRET

ONE DOVE / BREAKDOWN

ONE DOVE / FALLEN

ONE DOVE / TRANSIENT TRUTH (UNRELEASED MIXES)

ONE DOVE / WHITE LOVE

THE ORB / PERPETUAL DAWN

PEACE TOGETHER / BE STILL

PRIMAL SCREAM / JAILBIRD

RED SNAPPER / HOT FLUSH

RENEGADE SOUNDWAVE / BRIXTON

SAPIANO / SPIKE IT

SCORN / EXODUS

SKYLAB / INDIGO

SLAB / ATOM SMASHER

STEREO MCS / EVERYTHING GROOVES

THERAPY / NOWHERE

TRANSGLOBAL UNDERGROUND / INTERNATIONAL TIMES

UTAH SAINTS / I WANT YOU

WOLFGANG PRESS / 11 YEARS

YELLO / JUNGLE BILL

TWO LONE SWORDSMEN

16B / FALLING

ALTER EGO / MESCAL

AUDIOWEB / SLEEPER

BALLISTIC BROTHERS / TUNING UP

BIG HAIR & EARL GATESHEAD / HINDOOS & HAIRDOOS

BROADCAST / COME ON LETS GO

DEATH IN VEGAS / REKKIT

ELECTRONIC / PRODIGAL SON

GANGER / TRILOGY

DAVID HOLMES / GONE

I AM KLOOT / GODS AND MONSTERS

LALI PUNA / NIN COM POP

LEFTFIELD / SWORDS

LUKE SLATER / ALL EXHALE

MONEY PENNY PROJECT / CLARRISE C

THE ORB / ASYLUM

THE ORB / OXBOW LAKES

BETH ORTON / TANGENT

PERCY X / -3

PRIMAL SCREAM / BLOODS

PRIMAL SCREAM / KILL ALL HIPPIES

PRIMAL SCREAM / STUKA

PSI PERFORMER / 1968

RADIOACTIVE MAN / FED EX TO MUCHEN

RADIOACTIVE MAN / NIGHT BUS TO NOWHERE

RADIOACTIVE MAN / PRODIGAL SON

WILL SARGENT / THEMES FOR GRIND

SLAB / WEATHER SMASHER

SLAM / VISIONS

SNEAKER PIMPS / 6 UNDERGROUND

SPIRITUALIZED / COME TOGETHER

STEREO MCS / DEEP DOWN & DIRTY

SUNGLASSES AFTER DARK / GASLAMP

SUNS OF ARQA / CITY OF NINE GATES

SUPERDISCOUNT / LE PATRON

THROBBING GRISTLE / UNITED

TRANSIENT WAVES / BORN WITH A BODY

VILLALOBOS / DEXTER

XPRESS 2 / WICHI TAI TO

WITH TIM FAIRPLAY

DANIEL AVERY / MOVEMENT

BATTANT / KEVIN

VV BROWN / CRYING BLOOD

CLOCK OPERA / ONCE AND FOR ALL

CUT COPY / SUN GOD

DEATH IN VEGAS / NEPTUNE CITY

DETACHMENTS / HAL

DOVES / COMPULSION

TIMOTHY J FAIRPLAY / THE FINAL REEL

TIMOTHY J FAIRPLAY / SLEIGHRIDE

FUCK BUTTONS / SWEET LOVE FOR PLANET EARTH

ALICE GOLD / RUNAWAY LOVE

GRINDERMAN / HEATHEN CHILD

HARDWAY BROTHERS / MANIA THEME

DAVID HOLMES / I HEARD WONDERS

HONKEYFINGER / RUNNING ON EMPTY

THE HORRORS / WILD EYED

LCMDF / GANDHI

LOCUSSOLUS / GUNSHIP

MANIC STREET PREACHERS / PEELED APPLES

STEVE MASON / BOYS OUTSIDE (UNRELEASED DUB)

PRIMAL SCREAM / UPTOWN

REPEAT REPEAT / HOME STOP WELCOME

THE SHOES / CLICHÉ

SIOUXSIE / INTO A SWAN

SOFT ROCKS / WE HUNT BUFFALO NOW

TODDLA T / WATCH ME DANCE

TOY / BRIGHT SIDE / DEAD & GONE

TRENTEMOLLER / SILVER SURFER

WOODEN SHJIPS / CROSSING

XX TEENS / DARLIN`

But applying those digital, comp and reissue cut-offs this quickly dropped to…..

EARLY WORKS

A MAN CALLED ADAM / CPI (INST.)

DEEP JOY / FALL

IMPOSSIBLES / THE DRUM

LOVE CORPORATION / GIVE ME SOME LOVE

S`EXPRESS / FIND `EM FOOL `EM FORGET `EM

WEST INDIA COMPANY / O JE SUIS SEUL

WORD OF MOUTH / WHAT IT IS

SABRES OF PARADISE

GALLIANO / SKUNK FUNK

JAH WOBBLE / VISIONS OF YOU

ONE DOVE / TRANSIENT TRUTH (UNRELEASED MIXES)

PEACE TOGETHER / BE STILL

YELLO / JUNGLE BILL

TWO LONE SWORDSMEN

DAVID HOLMES / GONE

SPIRITUALIZED / COME TOGETHER

STEREO MCS / DEEP DOWN & DIRTY

PAUL WELLER / HELIOCENTRIC

Digital availability wiped out everything Weatherall had done with Tim Fairplay. My guess is that  it would wipe out the whole lot now. 

My friend was a little disappointed with the result. Since all of the “biggies” had been removed (Well you asked for lesser known?). To be honest, I still really like all of those Early Works, and the Sabres ones (though I think Yello disowned  Jungle Bill). I still play them to audiences now. Any how, my friend presented the list to Andrew, who claimed not to remember doing half of them, and the project stalled. 

The problem was who were we selling this to? Weatherall devotees would have the tracks already. For the uninitiated, there were no “hits”. No Loaded. No Only Love Can Break Your Heart. 

The last email reads as follows….

Ade

To be honest like you I am not sure that all of the work stands the test of time. You know I love my “Balearic” but the classics of the genre for me are those that danced by accident, not by design.

However I have spent three hours today clearing snow and an idea did come to me. A compilation, not of Weatherall remixes, but of the records that he used as inspiration and sample sources. For me this would be much more interesting.

For example:

Brilliant`s Colours, sampled for the remix of Airstream. 

Claire Hammil`s Tides, sampled for the remix of My Bloody Valentine. 

Gang Of Four`s What We All Want, (via Westbam) again for MBV.

You know I`d love to know what he was aiming for / thinking of when he did the remixes of Primal Scream`s Don`t Fight It, and Come Together, or The Grid`s Flotation.

If we picked “seminal” OR weirder pieces and interviewed Andrew about them it could make for a nice varied comp and great sleeve notes. Arcane knowledge that geeks and groupies would die for.

To some extent it might end up an extension of his “The Songs Behind Screamadelica” BBC6 show from a couple of years ago (which was amazing) and perhaps a Nine O`Clock Drop PT2.

Like I say, just a thought

All the best, always

Rob

I still think this is an OK idea.

I mean, why The Emotions in Loaded? Who had the Wild Angels clips?

Were the typewriters in Finitribe`s 101 a tribute to Harry Partch?

How did Andrew get turned on to American Spring for Higher Than The Sun? 

Why was One Dove`s Fallen dedicated to Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood?

On that Love Corporation remix, what on Earth was he thinking?

Who had the Wattstax album used on Primal Scream`s Come Together?

Who was the first to find that Aretha Franklin LP, sampled in various Boys Own productions?

Was the overhaul of Spiritualized a tribute to The Beatles` Tomorrow Never Knows? 

Who`s posing the question, “How big are your eyes?”

Which Jesus Lizard riff features in The Impossibles The Drum?

Did Farley bring Big Youth, and Weatherall bring Dub Syndicate, to those That Petrol Emotion sessions? 

Is Bill Laswell`s Lost Roads in there somewhere on West India Company’s O Je Suis Seul?

Why do Billy Stewart and The Fearless Four do their thing all over the end of Galliano`s Skunk Funk?

Why Miles Davis to intro Jah Wobble?

Why Paris, Texas?

Not to take anything away from Andrew`s remixes, but tracking down the sample sources was always at least as fascinating. Like the man’s sets, and radio shows, the quest offering up new artists and bands to be investigated. 

I believe that if you wanted to understand London’s take on “Balearic Beat”,  then the history behind these tracks and samples would be a good place to start. 60s Psychedelia, Cult cinema (Scala All-Nighters – do yourself a favour and invest in Jane Gilles` incredible book), Gospel, Hip Hop, Industrial, and Jazz. Northern Soul, ON-U Sound, Punk, and Post-Punk Funk. Rare Groove, Roots Reggae, and revolution. 

Fuck, I`d buy it for the sleeve notes alone.

Track-lists:

Works

Spiritualized – Come Together

Word Of Mouth – What It Is

S`Express – Find`Em Fool`Em Forget`Em

Peace Together – Be Still

Impossibles – The Drum

Stereo MCs – Deep Down & Dirty

Galliano – Skunk Funk

Deep Joy – Fall

Love Corporation – Give Me Some Love

West India Company – O Je Suis Seul

One Dove – Transient Truth

Yello – Jungle Bill

David Holmes – Gone

Sources

Harry Dean Stanton – I Knew These People

Bill Laswell – Lost Roads

Miles Davis – Saeta

American Spring – Sweet Mountain

Lee Hazlewood – Some Velvet Morning

Claire Hammil – Tides

The Beatles – Tomorrow Never Knows

Billy Stewart – Summerime

The Emotions – Don`t Want To Lose Your Love

Gang Of Four – What We All Want

Fearless Four – Rockin It

Brilliant – Colours

Dub Syndicate – Hey Ho

Big Youth – Yabby Youth

Depth Charge – Depth Charge