One record at a time: 43. The Chemical Borthers - Surrender

We start the second shelf of vinyl with another album by The Chemical Brothers. As I mentioned before, I bought the CD of "Surrender" on the back of hearing the single "Hey Boy Hey Girl". I'm not sure why this particular single drove me to buy its parent album when others hadn't, but I'm glad it did. 

Here I will be playing the double vinyl which I acquired in 2019. Whilst this edition was released in 2013 as part of Virgin Records' 40th Anniversary celebration, there is no indication of this on the record itself. From what I can gather, you can still buy this vinyl relatively cheaply from a number of retailers, so I'm guessing that it is still being pressed occasionally or that there is a massive warehouse of them somewhere. Either way, it isn't hard to come by. 

I presume that all The Chemical Brothers albums were primarily mastered and sequenced for CD which means the move to vinyl creates some compromises. The inevitable breaks created when flipping or changing a disc makes for a less than seamless experience, but what vinyl does give us is a depth of bass that isn't quite there on other sources. You pays your money, and you takes your choice.

As far as the music goes, this is a good album. Aside from the obvious "Hey Boy Hey Girl", my personal favourites are "Orange Wedge", "The Sunshine Underground" and "Under The Influence".

There are a few collaborations with vocalists and they meet with varying degrees of success. "Out Of Control", which was recorded with Bernard Sumner of New Order is awesome. Noel Gallagher features on the thinly veiled "Tomorrow Never Knows" pastiche "The Sunshine Underground". Whilst this track isn't one of my favourites it is an improvement on their previous collaboration "Setting Sun". 

"Asleep From Day" with Hope Sandoval is a languid diversion that I suspect is included merely to add variety to the running order. Closing track "Dream On" is a collaboration with Mercury Rev's Paul Donahue and it isn't entirely successful. I have to confess, I don't always hang around for this one. So, aside from the occasional vocalist induced misfire, this album comes highly recommended and proves the depth of the talent possessed by Ed Simons and Tom Rowlands. 3/5

One record at a time: 42. The Chemical Brothers - Dig Your Own Hole

So we come to the last record on the first shelf: The Chemical Brothers "Dig Your Own Hole". Despite this album being released in 1997, I have to admit, I didn't buy it until 2007. The version I am listening to here moves us another decade on as it is the 20th anniversary silver vinyl edition. This is a double album in a gatefold sleeve and includes a download card. The sound quality is OK but nothing to write home about.

Even though "Block Rockin' Beats" was everywhere back in the day, I saw it as a flash in the pan. I was content with the CD singles and, as far as I could see, there was nothing to justify buying the parent album. I also think the release of  "Setting Sun" increased my reluctance to buy "Dig Your Own Hole" as it was all a bit noisy and more particularly, the vocals really weren't to my taste. 

So when I did finally buy this album I was fully prepared for it to be an underwhelming experience. Whilst this will never be my favourite album by the Chemicals, it deserves praise. "It Doesn't Matter" and "Don't Stop The Rock" are my favourites here, but nothing quite tops "Block Rockin' Beats". Much like the vinyl version of "Exit Planet Dust" I reviewed previously, the necessity of splitting tracks across sides means that some of the flow of the album is lost when compared to the CD. As we aren't gaining much in terms of audio fidelity or dynamics with this pressing, you may be better sticking with the CD. 3/5

One record at a time: 41: The Chemical Brothers - Exit Panet Dust

Back in 1995 I was acutely aware of the release of "Exit Planet Dust" as it seemed to be blaring from my brothers bedroom almost constantly. At the time I wasn't all that taken with The Chemical Brothers as I preferred straight up four-on-the-floor club music. This 'big beat' stuff was only one shade away from Britpop as far as I was concerned. My prejudice was cemented when Noel Gallagher and Tim Burgess started singing on their records. 

It was only when "Hey Boy Hey Girl" hit the charts and I bought "Surrender" that I began to see the light. Yet, for some reason, I still didn't investigate their previous albums "Exit Planet Dust" or "Dig Your Own Hole". It was as if "Surrender" was year zero and my interest in The Chemical Brothers could extend no further back. 

I eventually bought this album on CD sometime in the early twenty first century and this vinyl edition was a leaving present from my colleagues when I changed employers back in 2019. As you might expect, this is a double vinyl package, but thankfully it isn't in a gatefold sleeve. Discogs tells me it was pressed at Record Industry in the Netherlands and that means the quality of the packaging and discs is very good. The audio crystal clear but the depth of the bass is a little disappointing in places. There's no download card but as I already own the CD that isn't a concern. Unbeknownst to me there was a download card hidden in the package that I found when playing the album for this post. The download worked first time and is for WAV files of the album.

It goes without saying that the quality of music here is superb. "Leave Home" and "In Dust We Trust" should sound familiar to anyone who had anything more than a passing interest in music in the nineties. "Three Little Birdies Down Beats" is one of my all time favourite dance tracks and satisfies any four-on-the-floor cravings that may still remain from my clubbing days. 

The experience of listening to this album on vinyl is quite different for anyone accustomed to hearing it on CD. Not necessarily because of the dynamics but due to the breaks in the programme that occur when you need to turn the disc. The end of "In Dust We Trust" cuts off a little abruptly rather than the seamless segue into "Song to the Siren" CD listeners might be accustomed to. Elsewhere the breaks are more natural and cause less interruption, but it still feels like the flow of the album afforded by digital files or CD is lacking.

The quality of the remaining tracks is consistently high and only "Chico's Groove", "Alive Alone" and "Playground of a Wedgeless Firm" felt a little disappointing. Having said that, I'd much rather listen to this album than the majority of those I've reviewed to up to this point. Almost every track here could have been a single and it deserves to be regarded as a classic of the nineties. 4/5

One record at a time: 40. B12 - Electro Soma II

In 2017 Warp records decided to rinse the B12 back catalogue one last time and create another compilation of previously released material. This album was badged as "Electro Soma II" to capitalise on the re-release of the original.

The version of this album I own is the limited edition, double clear vinyl, which includes a booklet and is housed in a gatefold sleeve. There is also a download code included in the package which I seem to remember offered mp3, FLAC or WAV file types.

Three of the tracks here, "Debris" "Static Emotion" and "Satori" were all omitted from the LP "Electro Soma" but will be well known to anyone who owns the CD. There are also a significant number of tracks on this album that were released as part of the "B12 Records Archives" series of CDs; which means that less than half of the tracks on this album were new to me. Therefore this album largely represents an opportunity to own tracks on vinyl rather than hearing them for the first time.

Those tracks that are new are experimental and more ambient in nature. There is nothing here that makes you think: "They should have put this on the first album." These are clearly those tracks that remained once Warp cherry picked all of the best tunes for "Electro Soma". That's not to say there is nothing here without merit. "Fear of Expression", "Bubbles" and "Kaxaia-80" are all credible techno tracks, but they just lack that crucial edge. So this is a collection for completists or those who have an obsession with vinyl. The average listener can be satisfied with "Electro Soma" and move on. 2/5

One record at a time: 39. B12 - Time Tourist

Having enjoyed B12's first album "Electro Soma" you would have thought that I'd make certain I bought the follow up. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, the release of "Time Tourist" completely passed me by. Time moves much more slowly when you are young, so it's possible that I gave up waiting after 3 years and moved on to something else. 

In fact, I only became aware of the album's existence when I began using the internet in earnest sometime around 2000. I found it hard to buy the CD new at the time as it had been out of print for a few years. All I could find on eBay was a copy of the American pressing with, what I presume to be, a deletion cut through the top of the case. This CD was the only version I owned until Warp re-released it as a double "gold" vinyl LP in 2018. This version featured goodies like a booklet, a sticker sheet and a download with additional mixes. It's a nice package. 

At this juncture I will point out that this LP is not in a gatefold sleeve, and that is a good thing. Personally I don't like them and can't for the life of me understand why so many releases are marketed with a gatefold sleeve as a selling point. I find it difficult to place the records back in them and protective sleeves are much more expensive than a normal one. This record is the perfect package as it has a functional sleeve with a booklet to satisfy any yearning you may have for additional information or images. Record marketing people take note.

Like its predecessor, this album is essentially a compilation of music recorded under various pseudonyms. There is a nice mix of harder dance tracks alongside more experimental electronic music. Personal highlights are "Void", "Cymetry" and "The Silicone Garden". The standout track "Epilion" is a TR-909 infused monster pounding its beat and bassline into your head. The four additional mixes included on the download are interesting alternative versions but are ultimately inferior to those on the master release. If you're in the mood for some 'serious' electronic music with a techno pulse then this album satisfies. 3/5

One record at a time: 38. B12 - Electro Soma

In 1993 a friend played me "Obsessed", "Metropolis" and "Telefone 529" by B12. I hadn't really heard music like it before. Yes, this was techno, but it wasn't the kind of techno I was used to. This was lush and full of melody; I had to hear more. 

I bought the album "Electro Soma" fearing that the remaining tracks wouldn't be as good as those I had already heard. Yet from the mesmerising opening to the closing of the CD I was captivated. At the time I had no idea it was a compilation of material the band had previously released; it sounded like a coherent and consistent album to me.

For this play through we have the remastered, double blue vinyl version from 2017. The track listing here replicates the original vinyl which was different from the CD I bought. There are two tracks fewer and "Debris" is omitted in favour of "Drift" which closes the album.  

The opening "Soundtrack of Space" is one of the most haunting pieces of electronic music I have ever heard. I used to listen to this on the way to college as the perfect antidote to the stress of what I was about to endure. This track perfectly illustrates that B12 aren't just a "techno act" but a band capable of producing amazing electronic music. "Hall of Mirrors" and "Mondrin" further illustrate the sonic diversity on offer with innovative textures and great beats.

The high point of the album is probably "Metropolis" which is a thundering epic of the techno genre that would fill the right dance floor even today. Despite recycling a few Kraftwerk song titles, borrowing on Detroit techno sensibilities and sampling Jean Michel Jarre, you never get the feeling B12 are copying anyone. This music is unique and innovative and it stands up to repeated listening. 

B12 themselves are something of an enigma. Bizarrely their website is still live, but it hasn't been updated since 2007. Steven Rutter seems to be continuing with the band and new releases do appear sporadically. Mike Golding however seems to have quit music, moved to Germany and set up as a web developer. Anyway, I love this album and it never fails to transport my mind back to the time when I was young. It still sits firmly in my "Top 20 Favourite Albums" list. 5/5

One record at a time: 37. Ian Brown - The Greatest

As I mentioned in my previous post for "Golden Greats", I am not sure why I bought the CD of this compilation back in 2005; but I am glad I did. This album is a perfect introduction to Ian's solo work and I have gone on to buy more of his records since. 

When it came to buying the vinyl version of the same album ten years later, I was much more certain in what I was doing as, not only did I know I liked the music, but it was only £11. Considering this is a double album, I think that is a bargain.

Things seem to progress in chronological order so debut single "My Star" starts us off in a blaze of glory. The bass on this record is quite impressive and promises great things are to come when we reach some of the more electronic selections. "Corpses" as it was called when the single was released is next, but it doesn't quite hit the mark for me. "Can't See Me" sees Ian and Mani team up to produce a crazy big beat extravaganza that is remixed and generally tidied up from the album version. This album is cut pretty loud so before we know it, it is time to turn over the first disc. 

The first UNKLE collaboration "Be There" is the sort of downtempo track that was fashionable in the late nineties - but unlike some contemporaries, this one still stands up today. As we move into the "Golden Greats" era we are treated to the single versions of "Love Like A Fountain" and "Dolphins Were Monkeys" which are excellent. The masterpiece that is "Golden Gaze" soon follows to remind us that Ian is capable of some moments of absolute genius.

The second disc kicks off with the exceptional "F.E.A.R." which is clever both lyrically and musically. Whilst "Whispers" and "Forever and a Day" aren't my favourite tracks here they are far from being bad: they're just not to my taste. Similarly "Keep What Ya Got" is just too much like a generic guitar orientated rock song for me. Things pick up with "Time Is My Everything" and its Herb Alpert-esque brass arrangement makes for an entertaining listen. "Longsight M13" raises the bar back to the level of the first disc in quite spectacular fashion. As well as having a great tune, this song features some amazing synth work that restores the faith I lost with some of the rock songs. I can't help but feel like the strings at the beginning of "Reign" have featured on TV advertisements or some sort of promo, but thankfully familiarity doesn't seem to have led to contempt. The brass makes a comeback for the mediocre "Lovebug", but "All Ablaze" is considerably more electronic in approach. The album closes with the slightly awkward "Return of the Fishermen" and its bizarre lyrics. The song is OK, but what puzzles me is that this "Album Version" doesn't appear on any of Ian's albums as far as I can tell. Despite being a bit soggy in the middle, this is a nice collection of tracks that sound surprisingly electronic. 3/5