Yes, it’s rather trebly, and yes, it’s horrifically cheesy. It is also incredibly catchy; I wish the Hammond organ I played all these on years ago sounded like this.
The first full-length CD album I bought was The Grid’s Evolver. A lifetime appreciation for the inappropriate juxtaposition of banjos against loud synth stabs was born.
The Grid – Swamp Thing
“What’s your favourite band?” asked someone the other day. A surprisingly easy question – it’s The Art of Noise. “Who?” or perhaps “Why?” you quiz keenly. Because they made stuff like this. 25 years ago.
The Art of Noise – Back Beat
This rather shocking piece of history is mainly notable for Pat Sharp’s quite stellar hair. I bought a cassette tape compilation from a Northants car boot sale around 20 years ago, the highlight of which this charidee cover of the Michael Zager band which rose to Number 5 in the charts. (Well, it was the 80s.) Didn’t realise it was actually a PWL production until I looked it up just now, but even so I still maintain that the synthy ‘Everybody move your body’ refrain is still pretty damn memorable even today.
Pat & Mick – Let’s All Chant
The glorious silliness of having the Can Can played by Vanessa-Mae with a 4/4 beat and a slew of samples lobbed on top is only matched by my desire to find the time to re-edit this into something even sillier. I can’t believe it’s taken me about 15 years to notice this even existed.
