February 17th. It was a year ago today that Andrew Weatherall passed away. I don’t want to say that we lost him, because in a very real sense he is still with us – as a seemingly inexhaustible font of musical magic, amusing anecdotes, and witty, quotable one-liners. His legacy is huge. 

Chris Galloway – of Soft Rocks, Kinfolk, Pure Pleasure Music – put this tribute mix together. Chris actually sent it to me during that first week, when we were all in total shock – knocked completely sideways by the news. A week that was awash with heartbroken, heartfelt tributes. Chris then got second thoughts about posting it. I’m not exactly sure why. My guess is that Chris felt that it might look like he was drawing attention to himself, rather than paying his respects to the friend he was mourning, the friend it was dedicated to. Chris himself is super knowledgeable, held in high regard – famous even in some circles. While he has every reason on occasion to flick his toes, he’s always struck me as a thoughtful, sensitive, and sort of shy guy. Well, 12 months have passed and now, on this sad anniversary, Chris has kindly agreed to share. 

Words and music by Chris Galloway

I wasn’t particularly close to Andrew. We were mates in the sense that he literally had 7 million mates like myself. We grew up in the same county and I knew who he was prior to him making his mark on the music world. This was solely because he came from a town – Windsor – that I visited a lot to buy clothes and records, and Andrew either worked or hung about in some of the cooler shops. Early on I saw him DJ locally in Berkshire, and further afield at places like Shoom, Trip, and the Boy`s Own bashes. I got to know him better during the mid-90s and visited him regularly at his studio to sell him old vinyl. Andrew`s taste – as we all know – was wildly eclectic, and over the years I sold him everything from a breakbeat heavy Cliff Richard 45 to many, many `80s electro 12”s, library LPs, and exotica muzak, psychedelic funky rock and druggy country – through to a Dusty Springfield disco number – at the time he couldn’t believe that Dusty had made one. I`m not sure if he ever played it though – all of this and much, much more. 

This mix is mainly a small selection of records that I heard Andrew play – outside of the usual dance floors; in back rooms, at after-parties, on the radio…, or things that he cited as influences and inspiration in interviews and conversations – all of which I promptly bought myself, if I didn’t already own them. Some of these even set even a record dealer like me back a few quid! But to quote the man himself, “Quality is remembered long after price is forgotten.”

Rest In Peace Andrew ⚔️

Limited download available here.

Track list
Jean Binta Breeze – Dubwise (LKJ Records)
Beach Boys – Our Prayer Dialogue (Capitol))
Tom Waits – Kentucky Avenue (Asylum)
Haysi Fantayzee – Sabres Of Paradise (Regard)
Roy Montgomery w/ Kirk Lane – London Is Swinging By His Neck (Rocket Girl)
David Axelrod – Holy Are You (Capitol)
Dennis Wilson – Addicted Dialogue (Cdr)
Dennis Wilson – Dreamer (Caribou)
Dub Syndicate – Ravi Shankar (On U Sound)
A King/J Matthews – Pots & Pans (Southern)
Hank Williams Jr & Friends – Stoned At The Jukebox (Mgm)
Animated Egg – Sock It My Way (Europa)
Dudley Moore & Peter Cook – Bedazzled (Decca)
Lyn Cornell – African Waltz (Decca)
Billy Stewart – Summertime (Chess)
Patti Smith – Piss Factory (Sire)
Cowboys International – Here Comes A Saturday (Virgin)
Bill Hicks – Rockers Against Drugs Suck (Cdr)
Gipsy Kings – Djobi Djoba (Dureco)
Undisputed Truth – Ufo’s (Gordy)
Kim Fowley – Physical Lies (Antilles)
Sputnik 1 – 50,000 Lightyears (Ubiquity)
Big Jim Sullivan – Tallyman (Philips)
Ananda Shankar – Jumping Jack Flash (Reprise)
Abaco Dream – Cat Woman (A&M)
Stereolab – Iron Man (Duophonic)
Charlie Feathers – Jungle Fever (Norton)
Dave Phillips & The Hot Rods – Tainted Love (Rockhouse)
Monk Montgomery – Fuselage II (Chisa)
Dusty Springfield – Baby Blue (Mercury)
Scarlet Fantastic – No Memory (Arista)
Mott The Hoople – All The Way From Memphis (CBS)
Wild Billy Childish & The Black Hands – Anarchy In The UK (Damaged Goods)
Andrew Weatherall – All The Little Things (Roots Unit Remix – Unreleased)
Johnny Thunders – You Can’t Put Your Arms Around A Memory (Real)
Rolling Stones – You Can’t Always Get What You Want (Live Version – Rolling Stones)