In 2015 Jon Savage put together a compilation called Perfect Motion- A Secret History Of Second Wave Psychedelia 1988- 1993. Jon pulled together the threads of guitar bands, rave outfits and pop groups who were creating a new wave of psychedelia, not a definitive survey but a snapshot. It very much chimed with my record collection with several Andrew Weatherall tracks, a backwards Stone Roses B-side, songs by The High and Shack, Dee Lite, Electronic, 808 State and Saint Etienne plus Joi, DHS, Northside and a bonkers Pet Shop Boys B-side.
In 2023 the label that released Perfect Motion, Caroline True Records, released a cassette only follow up, limited to just 100 copies, called Never Change- Baggy The Lost Tracks 1988- 1993. I never liked baggy as a descriptor but it's one that's was widely used at the time and has stuck.
The cassette had an hour of music over two sides of a C60, sixteen songs sequenced together by John K with some extras spliced and mixed in (Loaded's famous sample from The Wild Angles opens up Side A). Some of them are fairly well known- World Of Twist, Stereo MCs and A Guy Called Gerald are all on Side A while Primal Scream and The Stone Roses are on Side B but there are also some very less well known artists and songs on the tape so Lost Tracks is a pretty accurate description. This is an uptempo stew of indie guitars, funky backbeats, a Rolling Stones cover, sampling, Hare Krishna chanting, acid house, Mancunian rap and Bruce Hornsby.
- Sinister Groove: Perfect Person
- World Of Twist: She's A Rainbow
- The Apples: Eye Wonder
- Stereo MCs: What Is Soul?
- MC Buzz B: Never Change
- Joi Bangla Sound: Taj Ma House
- Baby Ford: I Love It
- A Guy Called Gerald: Hot Lemonade
- Sunsonic: Driveaway
Sinister Groove released a four track EP in 1991 on 12" vinyl. One of those very much lesser known EPs from the time. The band were previously known as Bounce The Mouse but sensibly changed the name (not that it made them any better known). Perfect Person is the second song on the EP, a perfectly pitched piece of 1991 guitar pop, funky drummer drums, chiming guitars and a northern sounding vocal. As far as I know they released nothing else.
World Of Twist were an amazing band who released one album, Quality Street, that wrapped up indie, guitars, Northern Soul, northern psychedelia and a love of kitsch in one package. Their cover of The Stones She's A Rainbow was released, re- released, remixed and promoted in search of a hit. They split a few years later having promised much.
The Apples were an indie dance band from Edinburgh who released Eye Wonder in 1991. Other than that, I know nothing.
Stereo MCs would make it big supporting/ blowing the Happy Mondays off stage every night in 1992 and then crossing over with Connected. Before that they had two albums, Supernatural in 1990 and 33- 45- 78 in 1989 from which What Is Soul? is from. In 1989 they constructed their tracks from scratch, sampling records onto tape, pressing pause, winding the record back and letting it go again. Painstaking. Sample spotting fun- Eno and Byrne, Ben E. King, Van McCoy...
MC Buzz B (Shorn Braithwaite) was a rapper from Hulme, from a time when UK hip hop was very undeveloped. Never Change makes liberal use of Bruce Hornsby's That's The Way It Is and showcases Buzz B's positivity and inventiveness. Never Change is from the album Words Escape Me.
Joi Bangla Sound were a DJ/ production duo, Farook and Haroon Shamsher, from Bradford. They took the sounds from their Bangladeshi upbringing and mashed them together with late 80s street sounds- house, sampling, rap- and released Taj Ma House as a white label in 1988. Desert Storm was NME single of the week in 1992 when that accolade meant something and they performed at WOMAD and signed to Peter Gabriel's label. They became festival regulars and played thousands of gigs in the 90s. Haroon died suddenly and unexpectedly in 1999 and Farook has since continued alone.
Baby Ford is a UK acid house original, releasing singles including Oochy Koochy, Children Of The Revolution and Beach Bump. I Love It is from 1989 on the label of the day Rhythm King and the album Ford Trax.
A Guy Called Gerald. You know who Gerald is. Co- writer of 808 State's Pacific State. Voodoo Ray. Emotions Electric. Some of the best and most important UK house singles of all time. Hot Lemonade was recorded in Manchester in 1989 and missed out on the kudos it deserved in that year's run of records that captured people's attention.
Sunsonic were previously indie band The Flowerpot Men who left guitars for electronics in 1989 and made three singles and an album in 1990/ 1991. Driveaway was the third/ last. Their first single Kind Of Loving (1990) has a B- side called Innocent Man which is a lost ambient classic (but that's a different tape/ mix/ album entirely).
