One record at a time: 27. Blancmange - Happy Families

The last time I posted thoughts about a Blancmange album was for "Blanc Burn" in 2011. On that occasion my comments didn't go down too well with some readers and I began to wonder if I'd made a misjudgement. Ten years on I realise my language may have been a little acerbic, but my assertion that it wasn't a good album was sound. In fact, I don't have a great deal of interest in the unrelenting tsunami of new Blancmange material that has been released over the last ten years. I tried it and didn't like it.

For me, Blancmange were at their best in the first three albums. The version of their debut "Happy Families" I own is taken from the vinyl version of the 2019 compilation "The Blanc Tapes". To be honest I'm not sure if this is considered a box set or a compilation, but I'll stick with the description in Discogs and call it a compilation. The first thing to say about this pressing is that some copies contain a number of known manufacturing defects. It's a bit of a lottery as to which faults your set will contain. My copy suffers from a crease across the top of the slipcase that holds the records, but doesn't seem to have the more worrying issues with "vinyl contamination" or poor sound quality experienced by others.

When it comes to the music, "I Can't Explain" is an odd choice for an opening track as it is a slow burning drone rather than the catchy single you might expect to kick things off. "Feel Me" is a personal favourite that has some great backing vocals alongside the rather funky backing track. "I've Seen The Word" is a skilfully produced track that could sound morose in less capable hands. The next track "Wasted" sounds like a prototype Erasure record; which just goes to prove Neil and Stephen had the synth pop formula a full three years before Vince and Andy honed it. Nowhere is Blancmange's commercial potential more strongly demonstrated than in the next track "Living On The Ceiling" which has smart production, catchy riffs and clever lyrics. 

I've never been too keen on the ballad "Waves" but it is executed competently. As the flip side of the record progresses things become a little formulaic until we encounter the guitar led instrumental "Sad Day", which sounds like Joy Division on uppers. The final track "God's Kitchen" is an example of a song with humours lyrics that don't make your toes curl; something they couldn't repeat on "Blanc Burn". 2/5

The second disc in this version of the album kicks off with "Sad Day (Original Version)" which is so slow I was convinced it was playing at the wrong speed. We have to wade through several demo recordings of questionable quality until we reach the extended versions of "Living on the Ceiling", "God's Kitchen" and "Feel Me" which aren't as rewarding as I remember.

Like most bands from the eighties that continue to release music today, Blancmange rely on a core group of fans to buy it. This compilation is clearly catering to those fans by delivering demos and previously unheard material which document the early life of the band. For me, the original album remains the highilght of this compilation and the second disc is largely redundant.

One record at a time: 26. Björk - Vespertine

"Vespertine" is the last Björk vinyl in my collection and like many of the others this is the coloured vinyl that was released in 2015. Strangely my copy doesn't have the corresponding promo sticker on the sleeve so I'm not sure if it from the original 5000 or it just got missed in the manufacturing process. At the time of the original album's release I bought the limited 'gatefold' CD with a card sleeve. This version was mildly irritating as it was much bigger than a standard CD case and I remember it wouldn't fit into my chosen storage solution - clearly I didn't have much to worry about in 2001.

This is something of a break up album for Björk and I. "Hidden Place" was a great single that raised my hopes that its parent album was going to maintain the high standards of previous efforts: but alas I was to be disappointed. How anyone can hear "Cocoon" and think, "That's a single!" is beyond me. The song is boring, the vocal is rubbish and the production is dull. The next track "It's Not Up To You" is fantastic and would have made a far better single than "Cocoon". "Undo" comes and goes without leaving an impression before the mildly entertaining single "Pagan Poetry" helps round out the first record.

To be honest I don't have the will to write about each song on the second disc individually. There is nothing remarkable here and whilst there is another flash of greatness with the last track "Unison", this is generally pretty boring stuff. I'm not sure why this album is so highly regarded by critics and some fans. I acknowledge that my love of electronic music can sometimes leave me blind to music created by other means and unfortunately, this album doesn't do enough to open my eyes more than halfway. 2/5

One record at a time: 25. Björk - Selmasongs

We're about halfway through the first shelf (Kallax obviously) of LPs and coming to the end of my Björk collection. I stopped buying her new records in 2011 when she began to explore a musical direction that wasn't to my taste. I described one album here as "arty tuneless garbage", which seems a bit petulant now, but was probably just me realising that there was never going to be a "Homogenic 2".

However, "Selmasongs" was released back when Björk could still muster a tune and employed production techniques that stretched further than using whistles, human beatboxes and fart noises.

This album is a collection of songs featured on the 2000 feature film "Dancer In The Dark" in which Björk also starred.  I've seen the film and thought it was very good. I also liked the songs and bought the CD when it was originally released. This is a 180g black vinyl from 2016 that I ordered directly from her UK record label One Little Independent (as they are now called). The sleeve seems to make a lot out of the fact hat it is mastered directly from metal but I've never noticed the sonic advantages of this.

There are only seven songs on the album but the quality is pretty high. The opening "Overture" is a beautiful orchestral piece that introduces a theme we will hear again in the final song "New World". Like a lot of songs on his album, "Cvalda" utilises 'found sounds' alongside the orchestra. The use of these mechanical noises is measured, imaginative and melodic; they really help define the sound of the record. "I've Seen It All" is a duet that has some fantastic lyrics, but Björk's powerful vocal blows poor Thom Yorke out of the water. "Scatterheart" hints at the sound of albums to come, but unlike those albums, it is quite good. 

This album is a bit of a watershed moment for me as it is probably the last Björk album I enjoyed. Everything went a bit downhill from here: "Vespertine" and "Volta" had their highlights but nothing has ever approached this, or more particularly "Homogenic", for consistency and quality. 3/5

One record at a time: 24. Björk - Homogenic

Another Björk record is next, but this is the first in my collection we have come across that I own in triplicate (there will be more I assure you). 

I have the coloured vinyl from 2015 along with the black vinyl from the same year which I will play here. I also own the 180g version from 2000 which strangely, I have no recollection of purchasing (I can see it wasn't from Discogs or eBay which is also weird). If you look closely at the sleeve you can see that the later re-releases on the right of the image crop the top of Björk's hair, where the older version retains the artwork of the original 1997 version. 

I'll be clear from the start that "Homogenic" is one of my favourite albums of all time. The first time I put the CD of this on in my Renault Clio back in 1997 I knew it was destined to be a favourite. The album kicks off with "Hunter" which is as original as it is awe inspiring. The new (at the time) production of Björk and Mark Bell were the perfect alchemy weaving the dance sensibilities of LFO and the twisting lush melodies of Björk. The first two tracks are a perfect example of this counterpoint where the string arrangements are perfectly juxtaposed with unique driving rhythms and a sub bass growl. I find the third track "Unravel" absolutely mesmerising to the extent that even the saxophone sounds don't annoy me. The single "Bachelorette" sees the epic string arrangements return to great effect in a track the proves how good Björk is in the role of producer. "All Neon Like" comes next with its infectious beat and intriguing lyrics. 

On side two the distorted beat of "5 Years" isn't totally to my taste but as the track builds this becomes less of an issue. I remember the first time I heard the next track "Immature" I kept asking myself, "What is this? How can an album track be this good?" I had this song on regular rotation for quite a long time and have never been able to find fault with it. The original sparse vocal/piano version of the song that features on the third CD single of "Jóga" illustrates that good songs can shine regardless of the production. "Alarm Call" has a great bassline and Björk drops an F-bomb. I find "Pluto" a bit annoying as its trying too hard to be different and seems to just end up being a bit repetitive. The album finishes with the suitably sombre "All Is Full Of Love" which I used to think was good until another version was released as a single the following year. The "single" version (which is actually the original version) is produced by Björk and is superior in every conceivable way. I can't help but wish the album finished with this version but then nothing is perfect. 5/5

One record at a time: 23. Björk - Post

The next record in my collection is another coloured vinyl by Björk. I haven't played this LP much as when I first bought it I thought it sounded awful. As I play it today, things are OK for the first track but the sibilance on "Hyperballad" is horrible and "The Modern Things" is spoiled by distracting pops and clicks. Things don't improve much for the rest of the record but as this is the only version of the LP I have, I will have to stick with it.

The poor sound quality is a real shame as "Post" is a great album and I enjoyed it so much in 1996 that I went to see her on the supporting tour. Even though a significant proportion of the album is produced by Nellee Hooper, it sounds miles better than its predecessor, "Debut". I think this must be down to collaborators such as Graham Massey and Tricky who seemed to injected enough grit and imagination to stop another "The Anchor Song" happening.

My favourite track is "Isobel" with its lush arrangement and haunting tune, but there isn't a bad song on here really. Even some of the more 'avant-garde' tracks such as "You've Been Flirting Again" and "Headphones" are entertaining. The only slightly rubbish track is "Cover Me" but happily it is only two minutes long and is buried near the end. The singles "Army of Me" and "Hyperballad" are quirky and highly original and you get the feeling Björk is beginning to find her feet as a solo artist here. "Possibly Maybe" is an OK track but was never a single to my ears. However, this didn't stop me buying no less than three CD singles of it when it was released. More alarmingly all three CDs were full of garbage remixes with only one passable live track in their favour.

There were lots of mixes and singles from "Post" and they culminated in the remix album "Telegram". This collection of mixes tried too hard to be "different" and "arty" and the result was dreadful. Having bought three CD singles of garbage with "Possibly Maybe" I declined "Telegram" at the time. In the last year I picked the CD up from eBay for a few pounds and I don't feel I have missed out in the intervening twenty five years. It won't get listened to again (unless for the purposes of this blog I suspect). 

To summarise, this is a good album but I can't recommend this coloured vinyl version at all. These records seem to be selling between £50 to £100 on Discogs and I find that amazing. My perception has never been that this is a rare pressing and from a sound quality perspective, it certainly isn't desirable. I prefer my limited edition CD in a plastic purse which sounds loads better. 3/5

One record at a time: 22. Björk - Debut

Whilst I bought the original CD of this album back in 1993, I didn't own it on vinyl until 2015. I know this because I posted about acquiring some of Björk's back catalogue on coloured vinyl here. Although I've owned the record for 6 years, I have only played it once to my recollection. I haven't played it much for two reasons. 

Firstly "Debut" isn't my favourite Björk album. Although it starts strongly, it meanders off into weirdness that I can't abide. Everything is going well until we hit "Like Someone In Love" which is a fairly limp interpretation of a dull Jazz standard. Not only is this track inferior, it is also incongruous and ruins the mood that had been building. Things pick up again with a few good tracks before the disjointed mess that is "Aeroplane" sours the atmosphere and "The Anchor Song" vomits everywhere just so we are clear the party is well and truly over. You can tell I hate saxophones.

The second reason I haven't listened this record much is that I had previously played the coloured vinyl of "Post" and "Homogenic" and they had all the sonic fidelity of a hairdryer full of iron filings. Who could have predicted coloured vinyl pressed by GZ media would sound horrible? *sarcasm mode disengaged* But truth be told, this particular record doesn't sound nearly as bad as the others I own and it behaved quite well on this listen through.

Having not heard this album in a long time, I am struck by how 'nineties' it sounds with the guitar samples on "Human Behaviour" and the liberal use of organ being especially dated. My alternate version of this album would jettison "Aeroplane", "The Anchor Song" and "Like Someone In Love" and add in "Play Dead". I would also swap out "Big Time Sensuality" for the Fluke remix that made it a chart hit and substitute "There's More To Life Than This" for its non-toilet version included on the "Venus as a boy" single. It still wouldn't be perfect, but it would be a lot less disappointing than this.

Another disappointment of this re-pressing is the sleeve. I understand that record companies may not have the original artwork for a record lying around twenty years after it was released, but at least make some effort to reproduce it to a reasonable quality. The sleeves on these coloured vinyl versions look like bad scans in places and just aren't very sharp. If you consider the poor sleeve combined with the poor vinyl, it mystifies me why people are asking such high prices for these albums on Discogs and eBay. Acquiring them may have posed me some initial problems but they aren't that rare and they really aren't as desirable as you might think. 2/5

One record at a time: 21. The Beloved - Blissed Out

This is a remix compilation that followed hot on the heels of "Happiness" which was released earlier in the year. My memory of the chronology has faded over time, but I am sure the single "It's Alright Now" was released around the same time and I seem to recall receiving the cassette of this album as a Christmas present in 1990. I asked for the cassette as I had read a review of the album in "Smash Hits" which said the cassette had quite a few extra tracks - value for money was a big concern when you're only source of income was delivering newspapers. I was accustomed to CDs offering extra tracks to lure me to the new format, but cassettes were a dying breed even in 1990, so this decision didn't make sense then or now.

Anyway, the LP of this album starts with the "Happy Sexy Remix" of album track "Up, Up and Away". This is a club orientated mix with a prominent sub bassline and TR909 snares. Whilst the difference to the album version may not be startling at first, Danny Rampling delivers a much sparser mix that retains interest right to the end. The second track is one of my favourite remixes ever: "Hello (Honk Tonk)". The key to the success of this remix is that is it a completely different take on the track. Jon and Helena didn't just tinker with the original but replaced the backing track with a sample laden dance workout that compliments the vocal perfectly. There are many nice flourishes and changes of direction that mean the six minutes fly by. I have always liked "Wake Up Soon (Something To Believe In)" as it features a sample of the Eurythmics song "Greetings From A Dead Man" that I recognised instantly. Aside from giving myself marks for sample spotting, I like this mix as it moves the album version from a very eighties sounding track into something a bit more contemporary without losing its character.  

"Time After Time (Muffin Mix)" shows the pure genius Jon and Helena were capable of when remixing their own material. This version turns the original into the type of ragga dance track that was de rigueur in the early nineties. However, unlike many contemporary ragga mixes, this one hasn't aged at all. Leslie Lyrics proves to be the perfect MC with his tongue in cheek delivery and clever rhymes. Instrumental B-side "Pablo" was always a bit of disappointment to me and the club orientated dub that comes next isn't significantly different from the original. We return to more familiar ground with "The Sun Rising (Norty's Spago Mix)" which is a classic house mix by Tony Humphries. The main change here is to the drums which take on the relentless sound favoured by the early house pioneers such as Tony and Larry Heard. 

"It's Alright Now" was released as a single to promote the album and it featured several fantastic remixes that I play regularly to this day. The pick of the bunch is "Back to Basics" which builds from a sparse, acid tinged dreamscape into a hypnotic colossus. Amazing. However, things go a little awry at the end with "Your Love Takes Me Higher (Calxy of Isis)" which is a 10 minute long instrumental which centres on saucy ad libs and (presumably) fake orgasm noises contributed by a backing singer. Personally I find the mix boring and the vocals very annoying. Thus the vinyl finishes with a bit of a damp squib, but the disappointing ending shouldn't be allowed to detract too much from what has gone before. As remix albums go, you'd be very hard pressed to find a better one. 4/5