Back to the Manic Street Preachers, so soon after last week's post- while looking for the Stealth Sonic Orchestra remix of A Design For Life I came across some other remixes which are worth revisiting, two by David Holmes and one by Mogwai. The David Holmes remix of If You Tolerate This Your Children Will Be Next, a gorgeous, languid nine minute affair, was posted at The Vinyl Villain recently and I'm sure it's still there. Holmes also remixed You Stole The Sun From My Heart, a 1999 single from the album that came out the years before (This Is My Truth Tell Me Yours). The song describes Nicky Wire's dislike of touring- not playing live, which he loves but the deadening routine of hotels, soundchecks, busses and so forth. Hearing pop stars moan about touring never sits that well with me but I can understand the feeling, the dislocation and the homesickness. The song also doesn't sound like a pop star moaning, more like an existential crisis set to music.
You Stole The Sun From My Heart (David Holmes A Joyful Racket Remix)
Holmes doesn't do anything too radical with it but it's a lovely version, spacious and lilting with less of James' crunchy rock guitar playing. The name of the remix, A Joyful Racket, sits pretty well and the melody lines he picks out would go just as well on the songs he recorded for his own Let's Get Killed album from 1997 or his Bow Down To The Exit Sign album of 2000.
Mogwai start out with just James' vocal and some guitar parts providing atmospherics, but begin to ratchet up the unease and distortion with static, feedback, rain and loops. It's doesn't ever go full on Mogwai wall of noise but it's none the worse and no less unsettling for it.
You Stole The Sun From My Heart (Mogwai Remix)
The line that gives this post its title was Nicky's nod to and steal from Welsh poet R.S. Thomas.
The Manics have just recorded a version of Madonna's Borderline, one of my fave Madge songs. I hope they do it justice...
ReplyDeleteBrilliant Madonna song. Slightly nervous about how that might turn out Robster
ReplyDeleteThe Manics/Massive Attack mutual remix thing was pretty cool!
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