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 Now online (3)big recycle belb ...and 443 guests Last 5 registered Oplandisks nothingstar N_loop yipe foxtrotromeo Browse members... |
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FSOL have a way of doing things. What was, at the beginning of 2002, 'The Mello Hippo Disco Show', then got scrapped and placed as an alternative version on the Mello Hippo EP called 'Life's A Flow'. And now it re-appears as 'Yo-Yo (Abbey Road Version)'. Sure, it was mastered at Abbey Road, but Yo-Yo is an altogether different (and earlier) version of the song. In a similar vein, here we see the seventy-nineth version of The Isness get released. The record company decision to re-release the album with a bonus disc sparked some controversy, but now with the Divinity EP looking to be a chart-elligable single, this disc now holds more interest, especially for the collectors and those who *don't* have several versions of the album covering Goodbye Sky, Chawawah and the Abbey Road sessions. Note for the FSOL trainspotters: there's a nice mix between Yo-Yo/Mello Hippo and Goodbye Sky. It mixes very well. Three tracks in, and being the collector I am, there's still nothing new here. This serves me right for owning eight other versions of the album. The new version of The Lovers is, once again, superior to the version on The Isness. Loads of extra stuff... some wonderful jazzy electric piano, a gorgeous violin, more Indian instruments and extra funky guitars. For once, the track kept my interest throughout. By the end, the track completely loses its 70s funk and is pure ethnic ambient - the vocal layers at the end are wonderful. The first reinterpretation of Divinity, Maharishi Raga, is a slow paced, squelchy bit of electronica with strings, guitars and sitars samples and mangled beyond recognition at points. It's a very interesting version. The second version of Divinity is a 'live' recording, with a few effects added later. This one really has the psychedelic spirit in it. The delay on the vocal and electric piano... I really find myself back in the 60s with this... pure hippy stuff. A really touching version of the song, and probably Gaz's strongest vocal performance that I've heard. I'd really l |
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I'd really love to see them do a proper live performance. Okay, first 'new' song. Rural Green. Backwards sounds, echoey drums, guitar samples... it's really quite odd, actually. Sounds completely nothing like the rest of the Isness-era stuff. It's short, and not obviously memorable, but I actually really, really enjoyed it. This band gets stranger and stranger. Now onto Chawawah, opening suspiciously like Oasis, and then pottering off into cheesy guitar rock funk insanity. I can't get enough of this track, and I'm extremely glad we got a version on CD, the track previously only featuring on the vinyl. It's lively, and funny, and a bit silly, and generally great. We're back off into Mello Hippo zone with, unfortunately, my least favourite version of the track, 'She Sells Electric Ego'. This version seems to both lack the individual quality of the other mixes (each one was quite specific), and lack the quirkiness of the original - it seems a bit too serious. Not a bad song, per se, but I can think of versions of the song I'd prefer here. Chinese Whispers seems like the whole of The Isness mixed into one track. I recognise every sample in it from the track. And then, a minute later, it's gone again. O...kay. Back into Mello Hippo with Slo-mo, an instrumental version with a quirky kind of theramin melody. Another short track, but rather enjoyable. The Conga Run is a fast paced, almost breakbeat-ish version of Divinity. Guitar samples, trumpet melody, driving beats, very cheesy guitar solos over the top... strings, flutes, everything. It's like Divinity on speed, the whole track sped up, mixed on top of itself. It's pretty cool, if not slightly odd. And a touch confusing. Not my favourite version. I recognise Theram from the Ramblings section of the official site... funky drum loop, sitar samples, random distortion, strange noises, and a sample of Guru Song at the end. It's a lot like Guru Song, in fact. And we end on a short, out of tune but cute piano version of Divinity, played by Max Richt |
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Max Richter. It's a very enjoyable album, but certainly doesn't work without The Isness itself. It doesn't stand out so much on its own, but is just a nice accompaniment to the album. There are some very nice tracks, and some okay ones. Considering it cost me less than The Isness itself, definitely worth the money. This year sees at least two more releases from Dougans and Cobain - the question is, will they be Amorphous Androgynous or Future Sound of London? |
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i could stomach png translations & the mello hippo ep buy the isness did my head in. i think ill stick to my 30 png remixes thanx :) |
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have you corrected the info about the humanoid peel session on your website yet? |
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Yeah, did that ages ago man. :P |
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good man! i still think thats the best thing dougans has done, i which someone would release it so we can get a decent quality copy. that version of slam is brilliant. |
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Agreed. It's one of the few Humanoid tracks I can stand. |
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do you like motion static from the rephlex radio show? or jet stream tokyo? or even cry baby? |
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Well, yeah... the Humanoid Sessions stuff is all quite cool. None of it really stands out to me (apart from Stakker Humanoid and Track 7 from Eurotechno), but it's not too bad. I was thinking of the slightly less acidy stuff like... well, most of the Global album. |
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Hmmm, i bought the humanoid sessions 84-88 it's oretty good i thought. A couple of duff tracks but it's a nice release. |
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time out, you are ross? nice, you must be the only one that posts on the list now :) |
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i hope FSOL releases something like Dead Cities/Lifeforms...the Isness was ok...but not the FSOL i like.. |
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i'd also love to see them return to the sprawling cyber metropolis sound that i loved so much. |
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cool.... nice info, i'ma try to find it somewhere |
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Yupyup, I'm Ross. :) The list died in 2001, before Translations came out. FSOL have an electronic album coming out some time. They also have another Isness-like album coming out, too, as Amorphous Androgynous. Time will tell. |
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