You
can stream the playlist in full below, and read about each individual
track by clicking on each title. If you enjoy any of the songs featured
here, we encourage you to support the artists by purchasing their music
from your local record shop, or through online retailers.
The January 1999 edition features music from The Chemical Brothers, Underworld, Fatboy Slim, Ian Brown, Kula Shaker, Super Furry Animals, Blur, The Fall, Cassius, Muse, the All Seeing I, 3 Colours Red, Mercury Rev, Levellers, Placebo, Boards Of Canada, Gay Dad, Terrorvision, Busta Rhymes, The Offspring, Hole, Sebadoh, Midget, Garbage, Surreal Madrid, The Divine Comedy, Gene and Llama Farmers.
The Chemical Brothers - Music: Response
This was the superb opening track from 'Surrender', the third album from electronic duo The Chemical Brothers. Inspired partly by the Kraftwerk classic 'Musique Non-Stop', the song contains a sample of "Make It Hot" by Nicole Wray featuring Missy Elliott. It was released as the lead track on an EP the following year in 2000, but was not eligible for the UK Charts because it included five songs instead of three.
The album cover artwork was provided by London-based silkscreen artist Kate Gibb using screen prints of photographs found in the Hulton Picture Library. The image was adapted from a photograph called Jesus Amongst the Fans taken by Richard Young at The Great British Music Festival at the Kensington Olympia in 1976. Ed Simons said: "We liked the idea of everyone else sitting down and being chilled out and just one person really getting it, like one of our gigs in the Midwest, actually". 'Surrender' was the duo's second UK number one album, and went on to become double platinum.
Also featured below is the Futureshock mix, and the"Gentleman Thief" remix of the track, which is a reworking by Justin Robertson.
The Chemical Brothers will be releasing their 9th album 'No Geography' on April 12.
Underworld - Cups
Underworld's 1999 masterpiece 'Beaucoup Fish' is another album that will be turning 20 this year. From it comes the epic 11 minutes-plus opening track 'Cups'. Following a euphoric house-flavoured intro, the hooks kick in and take hold. Built on heavy repetition, nagging bass and nocturnal ambience, there's almost a hint of jazz in its splendid vocodered vocal.Expanding the possibilities of where dance music could venture, Beaucoup Fish was their fifth album, released in 1999 at a time when the group's profile was at its highest. Following the huge success of the single Born Slippy a few years previously, Beaucoup Fish was Underworld's most anticipated release. It went on to sell over 2 million copies, and was the last studio album to feature Darren Emerson, who departed in 2001. The album's working title was 'Tonight Matthew, I'm Going to be Underworld', inspired by the famous catchphrase "Tonight Matthew, I'm going to be...", used on the celebrity impersonation TV game show Stars in Their Eyes.
Karl Hyde and Rick Smith's most recent releases have been the online "Drift" tracks, which are published regularly on the group's YouTube page. 'Drift Episode 1' collects together the first set of songs, and is available to download and stream now.
Fatboy Slim - Praise You (Ad-Rock and Mike D Mix)
Fatboy Slim's massive number 1 hit 'Praise You' was the third single from his second studio album, You've Come a Long Way, Baby. This remix by Ad-Rock and Mike D of the Beastie Boys is an interesting reworking, and also below is the original single version. You can also watch a video looking at the samples used in the track.
The track is largely based around a sample from 'Take Yo' Praise' by Camille Yarbrough, with the piano hook taken from the track "Balance and Rehearsal" from a test album entitled Sessions released by audio electronics company JBL. Other samples were lifted from "It's a Small World" from the Disneyland Records-released album Mickey Mouse Disco and the theme from the cartoon series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.
The track is largely based around a sample from 'Take Yo' Praise' by Camille Yarbrough, with the piano hook taken from the track "Balance and Rehearsal" from a test album entitled Sessions released by audio electronics company JBL. Other samples were lifted from "It's a Small World" from the Disneyland Records-released album Mickey Mouse Disco and the theme from the cartoon series Fat Albert and the Cosby Kids.
Ian Brown - Set My Baby Free
Another selection from an album that will be turning 20 years old this year. 'Golden Greats' was not a 'best of' compilation, but the title of Stone Roses man Ian Brown's second solo album. Based around electronics and more layered sounds, a number of the tracks on the album were written by Brown whilst serving a two month jail sentence following a fracas with a flight attendant. His new album (and first for a decade) is called 'Ripples' and is out this week.
Kula Shaker - Great Hosannah
Another album turning 20 this year is Kula Shaker's second LP 'Pigs, Peasants and Astronauts'. The album was partly recorded at the Astoria recording studio, a houseboat-studio owned by Pink Floyd guitarist, David Gilmour. John Leckie was brought in to produce the record, but the band then decided to use George Drakoulias and Rick Rubin instead. Eventually, they changed their minds again and Bob Ezrin completed the album.A few years earlier their debut album 'K' was a big seller during the Britpop era, but in the late 90s those times seemed surprisingly distant. Savaged by certain music critics determined to bring them down at any cost, their second LP continued the band's hybrid of 1960s psychedelic rock, indie grooves, and heavy Indian influences, this time with a heavier progressive rock flavour. A sound typified by this huge opening track. The album was released on 8 March 1999 and reached #9 in the UK Albums Chart.
The group split later that same year. After reforming in 2004, the band's most recent album 'K2.0' was released in 2016.
Super Furry Animals - The Turning Tide
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Melancholic, sumptuous and wonderfully skewed indie pop from the third Super Furry Animals album 'Guerilla'. Another album that will be celebrating its 20th anniversary this year.
Frontman Gruff Rhys has said 'The Turning Tide' is "more serious" than the other tracks on Guerrilla. The song's lyrics are about living in, and embracing a time of change, an apt theme for the late 90s. Rhys has described Guerrilla as "flippant, exciting, with an instant pop rush" and "one of our most ambitious records... if any of our records could've sold a lot, this is the one. I don't think the others have been proper pop albums, but I think Guerrilla could have been". Engaging and experimental in equal measures, it's a wildly eclectic record with a deliberate psychedelic pop flavour.
Guerrilla was released in June 1999, and peaked at number 10 in the UK Albums Chart. The aim was to create the SFA equivalent of a commercial-sounding 'pop' album; a "jukebox sort of album, where you listen to it and every song is different," according to Rhys, who said that the band felt they were waging a "sonic war" against average music and "the mainstream". The band chose carefully from 25 tracks to make an "immediate" sounding 45-minute-long album. The group chose the 'up' songs, the "digital songs with more of a constant rhythm" to make for a "brash and light-weight record... a disposable pop album that's too good to throw away". Some of the more guitar-orientated songs were dropped from the tracklisting at the last minute in favour of more electronic sounding tracks.
It was recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in Box, Wiltshire, where the group were able to relax with their pets, and enjoy the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
The late 90's were a very interesting period in Blur's career. Their self titled 1997 saw a raw reinvention and a complete step away from the britpop scene, replacing the lively English pop with a darker, rougher-edged, more inventive approach to making music. Despite alienating some of their casual fanbase, the 'Blur' album saw them regain a lot of critical respect and also helped the band become better known worldwide.
Wondering what direction the next Blur album was going to take was something that brought up many possibilities. Would they decide the experimenting was out of their system and return to writing catchy pop anthems again? After 'Song 2''s success would this be their lo-fi grunge punk album? It was confirmed that the record would be produced by William Orbit, a dance musician who had previously worked with Madonna on her 'Ray Of Light' album. Would this be Blur's dance album? Far from being littered with club anthems and trance beats, '13' would turn out to be a brave, ambitious and emotionally fragile piece of work that sounds even more incredible 20 years on than it did back then.
The Fall - (Jung Nev's) Antidotes
Frontman Gruff Rhys has said 'The Turning Tide' is "more serious" than the other tracks on Guerrilla. The song's lyrics are about living in, and embracing a time of change, an apt theme for the late 90s. Rhys has described Guerrilla as "flippant, exciting, with an instant pop rush" and "one of our most ambitious records... if any of our records could've sold a lot, this is the one. I don't think the others have been proper pop albums, but I think Guerrilla could have been". Engaging and experimental in equal measures, it's a wildly eclectic record with a deliberate psychedelic pop flavour.
Guerrilla was released in June 1999, and peaked at number 10 in the UK Albums Chart. The aim was to create the SFA equivalent of a commercial-sounding 'pop' album; a "jukebox sort of album, where you listen to it and every song is different," according to Rhys, who said that the band felt they were waging a "sonic war" against average music and "the mainstream". The band chose carefully from 25 tracks to make an "immediate" sounding 45-minute-long album. The group chose the 'up' songs, the "digital songs with more of a constant rhythm" to make for a "brash and light-weight record... a disposable pop album that's too good to throw away". Some of the more guitar-orientated songs were dropped from the tracklisting at the last minute in favour of more electronic sounding tracks.
It was recorded at Peter Gabriel's Real World Studios in Box, Wiltshire, where the group were able to relax with their pets, and enjoy the 1998 FIFA World Cup.
Blur - Bugman
Blur's brave, ragged, dark and beautiful sixth album '13' turns 20 this year. Born out of the fall-out after Britpop, dabblings with heroin, relationship break-ups, it also perfectly combined Damon Albarn's newfound desire for experimentation with Graham Coxon's increasing hunger for noise. The blistering 'Bugman' is a thick slab of garage punk with muddy big beats, brutal guitar fuzz and pneumatic drill noise that descends into utter chaos before a stinging bassline and raucous riffage take things to a new level.The late 90's were a very interesting period in Blur's career. Their self titled 1997 saw a raw reinvention and a complete step away from the britpop scene, replacing the lively English pop with a darker, rougher-edged, more inventive approach to making music. Despite alienating some of their casual fanbase, the 'Blur' album saw them regain a lot of critical respect and also helped the band become better known worldwide.
Wondering what direction the next Blur album was going to take was something that brought up many possibilities. Would they decide the experimenting was out of their system and return to writing catchy pop anthems again? After 'Song 2''s success would this be their lo-fi grunge punk album? It was confirmed that the record would be produced by William Orbit, a dance musician who had previously worked with Madonna on her 'Ray Of Light' album. Would this be Blur's dance album? Far from being littered with club anthems and trance beats, '13' would turn out to be a brave, ambitious and emotionally fragile piece of work that sounds even more incredible 20 years on than it did back then.
The Fall - (Jung Nev's) Antidotes
With heaving, clattering beats and lyrics that reference the Marx Brothers and Carry On films, the excellent (Jung Nev's) Antidotes was featured on the group's 20th studio album 'The Marshall Suite', which was released back in October 1999. "Jung Nev" is apparently a reference to co-writer Neville Wilding, who was The Fall's guitarist at the time.
You can listen to a two part mixtape featuring key tracks from The Fall's long career HERE.
More articles featuring Mark E. Smith and his band can be found HERE.
You can listen to a two part mixtape featuring key tracks from The Fall's long career HERE.
More articles featuring Mark E. Smith and his band can be found HERE.
Cassius - Cassius 1999
I first heard it being played on Radio 1's legendary indie show The Evening Session in late 1998. Initially it reminded me of Radiohead imagining a dark, explosive rendition of 'O Come All Ye Faithful', and after recording it off the radio, I hoped that this band wouldn't drift off into obscurity like many of the new indie bands of the time. Even though they were an obscurity and the EP was difficult to track down, the five track 'Muscle Museum' ended up at number 3 in the Indie singles charts. Rather than selling the CD to the Record and Tape Exchange years ago for the minuscule sum of 50p, I should've waited. Cheapest copies of the EP with its hand-numbered sticker now go for £130. The title likely derives from the fact that the words "muscle" and "museum" come immediately before and after the word "muse" in some dictionaries. On the original EP, the track is split into the more familiar single edit, and the acoustic instrumental 'Muscle Museum #2'. When the song was re-released in November 1999, one of the CD formats contained both of these combined into the "full length" version which can be heard below. The song was reissued as a single for a third time in 2000.
The Muse story begins at Teignmouth Community College in the early 90s when guitarist Matt Bellamy joins drummer Dominic Howard's band. They asked Chris Wolstenholme to join on bass, and after winning a local battle of the bands contest, the "Rocket Baby Dolls" changed their name to Muse. They played their first gigs in London and Manchester supporting Skunk Anansie on tour, and soon met with Dennis Smith, the owner of Sawmills Studio. This led to their first serious recordings and the release of the self-titled Muse EP in May 1998 on Sawmills' in-house Dangerous label. The buzz about them soon spread, and in late 1998 Muse signed a deal with American label Maverick Records. As well as producer Paul Reeve, the legendary John Leckie was brought in to produce the band's first album, Showbiz which came out in 1999.
The rest, as they say, is history.
'Beautiful Day' was the first single from the second 3 Colours Red LP 'Revolt'. The song was written by frontman/bassist Pete Vuckovic. It was a divisive single, showing a more sensitive side to the band, who previously specialised in heavier punk-pop. The epic 'Beautiful Day' was the group's biggest hit, reaching number 11 in the U.K charts in January 1999. In 1995 guitarist Chris McCormack and singer/bassist Pete Vuckovic moved to London and put a band together with guitarist Ben Harding, who had been a founder member of Senseless Things, and Keith Baxter, who played drums with with Skyclad. They went on to record two UK Top 20 albums, and six Top 40 singles.
Debut single 'This Is My Hollywood' was released via Fierce Panda Records, before the band signed to Creation Records. Alan McGee, Creation's founder hailed them as the "most exciting band since the Sex Pistols". 1997's debut album 'Pure' was followed a couple of years later by 'Revolt', which was produced by Dave Eringa. The group disbanded after the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 1999, citing musical and personal differences. McCormack formed Grand Theft Audio.
In 2002, Vučković and McCormack reformed the band with original drummer Keith Baxter and new bassist Paul Grant, releasing 2004's album The Union Of Souls. The band split again in September 2005. Drummer Keith Baxter died in January 2008 due to liver failure. He was 36. Chris McCormack has since played as the guitarist in Gary Numan's live band, and has co-written several songs with Adam Ant the 2013 album Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter.
It can be found on the flipside of the 12" and CD singles, which were released in the UK on January 25 1999. The track peaked at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart.
Frontman Brian Molko: "Who's it about? I'm not really too sure just yet. I think it's about a lot of people. Probably anybody... everybody who's had the displeasure of sleeping with me."
The original broadcast contained an additional track 'XYZ', which was initially part of the EP, but had to be removed due to sample licensing issues, leading to copies of the EP containing 'XYZ' to become a sought-after rarity.
The Scottish duo consisting of brothers Michael Sandison and Marcus Eoin have been making music since the late 80s. Their most recent album was 2013's 'Tomorrow's Harvest'.
Gay Dad were formed in 1994 by former music journalist Cliff Jones and art magazine publisher Nick Crowe. After recording a demo tape in 1996, the band were the subject of record label interest from Island, Chrysalis, Mercury, EMI and others. They eventually signed to London Records. After touring in 1998, the band began recording with legendary producer Tony Visconti, who co-produced 'To Earth With Love' before the band decided to work with others. The song picked up airplay on Radio 1, and soon Gay Dad became the first act ever to play Top of the Pops without having a record out. Their attention-catching name helped gain the spotlight, as well as the basic, eye-catching blue and white "Walking Man" logo, which was designed by graphic artist Peter Saville. Soon, the band were being hailed as the "saviours of British rock" by the music magazines.
The exciting, invigorating 'To Earth With Love' reached number 10 in the UK singles charts. So how come this excellent band never managed to hit the predicted heights? The debut album 'Leisure Noise' was released in June 1999. It fell way short of expectations, only managing No. 14 in the UK album charts. Disappointing reviews
for some of their live shows started a media backlash. After a few line-up changes, the band also parted with London Records, before signing with the emerging independent record label B-Unique. The more electronic second album 'Transmission' arrived in 2001, but was met with mixed reviews, received no support from the industry, and didn't make the albums charts. Lead single 'Now, Always and Forever' only just failed to make the UK Top 40, and the other songs from the LP also sank. Their final performances were at the Reading and Leeds festivals, with the Leeds set being cut short due to technical issues, resulting in Jones leading the crowd into an acapella version of 'Joy'.
Gay Dad broke up in 2002, with Jones citing the pressures of excessive hype, as well as negative reactions to the band’s name. "We got shot out of the cannon, then things started to get out of control, and as rapidly as we went up, we came down again... Someone in radio promotion said he'd resign if he had to work a band called Gay Dad."
While other members of the group went onto make music with other projects, Cliff Jones worked as a songwriter with artists such as Sia, The Electric Soft Parade, and Mark Owen. Nowadays, he has returned to work as a music journalist, also tutoring at the Bristol Institute of Modern Music. Apparently he is also a member of the improvisational band MARCY, which also includes Dan Johnson and Annie Gardiner, who fronts the Bath-based duo The Hysterical Injury .
Formed back in the late 80s, the Bradford-based Britrock outfit had 13 Top 40 hits between 1992 and 2001. The original, hard-rocking 'Tequila' can be found on the band's fourth album 'Shaving Peaches', which found the band heading in a more mainstream-orientated direction, and featured co-production from Edwyn Collins. A couple of years later, the group would split after fifth album 'Good To Go', before reuniting for some gigs in 2005. In 2007 and 2010 they returned for more shows, and released their sixth album 'Super Delux' in 2011. The band are back out on tour this year, playing a list of dates in May.
Written and composed entirely by Rhymes, the song heavily utilises elements sampled from the opening theme to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho, composed by Bernard Herrmann.
Remembered most for its novelty hits 'Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)' and 'Why Don't You Get A Job', the LP also features a number of genuinely brilliant punk rock tracks. It's actually a very enjoyable album, with some more fun and diverse tracks to break up the supercharged punk that makes up most of the record.
Taking the piss out of white boy gangsta wannabes, the track was the band's biggest hit in the UK. Frontman Dexter Holland stated that the lyrics regard posers who "are from, like, Omaha, Nebraska, regular white-bread boys, but who act like they're from Compton. The song was the genesis of the metal/post-avant-garde movement with its early tendencies in the genre-defining the late 90's early 00's. It's so fake and obvious that they're trying to have an identity."
Americana was a major success, debuting at number six on the American Billboard 200. It is the band's second best selling album, their biggest being their 1994 breakthrough 'Smash'. Americana has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.
The band are currently recording their 10th album.
With a sound that drew from the more punky aspects of Britpop and the noise of grunge rock, they consisted of singer/guitarist Bernie Simpson, guitarist William Briggs, bassist Jennie Simpson and drummer Brooke Rogers.
Their early singles were released through the Fierce Panda label before the band signed to Beggars Banquet and released their debut LP 'Dead Letter Chorus'. As well as playing the NME Premier Tour in 1998 and Reading festival, the group also opened for Green Day and the Foo Fighters. They disbanded after the release of their second album 'El Toppo', which was released in October 2000.
The band reformed under the name Bear Hug in 2006, but eventually drifted apart.
'Revelations' was the third studio LP by Gene, who returned in 1999 to a different musical climate, after the buzz of Britpop had worn off. Apparently their label ordered the band to record their album in just four weeks, leaving little time to add finishing touches to certain songs, and maybe causing the group to lose some of their quality control. It wasn't just the music industry that had become a darker place, as the optimism of the mid 90's had been replaced by worry and anger. The broken promises of Tony Blair's government had
destroyed any positivity that had been rushing through the country only a couple of years before, and this disappointed Britain can be heard at the heart of the flawed but occasionally awesome 'Revelations'.
Highlight 'Mayday' comes with a chaotic S.O.S vibe, this time urging the public to "come play your part" against "the new enemy". Set to a fantastic tune, it's another one that defines the times in a hugely admirable way.
Read a review of Gene's entire discography HERE.
Surreal Madrid was the alias of Colin Owens, who also produced a few under records under the alias of Chef, and was a member of Scorpio Rising during 1989 to 1994. As well as a series of singles, Surreal Madrid released a full length album, 2000's 'No More Boom Boom'.
The addictive melodic hook is sampled from the 1973 track 'I Found Sunshine' by soul legends The Chi-Lites.
The album arrived the following month and made number 45 in the UK Albums Charts. Afterwards, the band then went on a 14-year recording hiatus, during which time members pursued other projects while occasionally touring as Sebadoh. They returned in 2013 with the Secret EP and the full-length album 'Defend Yourself'.
Two of their other singles made the lower end of UK Top 75 in 1998, but after more singles and albums, they disbanded in 2001 to work on individual projects.
Garbage - When I Grow Up
This single from French dance duo Cassius reached number 7 in the UK Singles Chart. The music videos for 'Cassius 1999' and follow-up single Feeling for You' portrayed the DC Comics character Deadman as a DJ superhero.
The debut album, also titled 1999 was released on 25 January 1999, reaching number 28 in the UK Albums Chart. The duo, consisting of Phillippe Zdar and Boom Bass released their most recent album 'Ibifornia' in 2016.
Muse - Muscle Museum
On 11 January 1999, a little-known band from the south of England released their second EP. It was so difficult to get hold of a copy at the time, that even Replay Records in Bath didn't have one in stock. In fact, they couldn't even find it through their usual distributors, and had to track one down especially for me. About a week or so later, the CD arrived and I picked it up for the sum of £5.99. The band was Muse, and the song was 'Muscle Museum'.I first heard it being played on Radio 1's legendary indie show The Evening Session in late 1998. Initially it reminded me of Radiohead imagining a dark, explosive rendition of 'O Come All Ye Faithful', and after recording it off the radio, I hoped that this band wouldn't drift off into obscurity like many of the new indie bands of the time. Even though they were an obscurity and the EP was difficult to track down, the five track 'Muscle Museum' ended up at number 3 in the Indie singles charts. Rather than selling the CD to the Record and Tape Exchange years ago for the minuscule sum of 50p, I should've waited. Cheapest copies of the EP with its hand-numbered sticker now go for £130. The title likely derives from the fact that the words "muscle" and "museum" come immediately before and after the word "muse" in some dictionaries. On the original EP, the track is split into the more familiar single edit, and the acoustic instrumental 'Muscle Museum #2'. When the song was re-released in November 1999, one of the CD formats contained both of these combined into the "full length" version which can be heard below. The song was reissued as a single for a third time in 2000.
The Muse story begins at Teignmouth Community College in the early 90s when guitarist Matt Bellamy joins drummer Dominic Howard's band. They asked Chris Wolstenholme to join on bass, and after winning a local battle of the bands contest, the "Rocket Baby Dolls" changed their name to Muse. They played their first gigs in London and Manchester supporting Skunk Anansie on tour, and soon met with Dennis Smith, the owner of Sawmills Studio. This led to their first serious recordings and the release of the self-titled Muse EP in May 1998 on Sawmills' in-house Dangerous label. The buzz about them soon spread, and in late 1998 Muse signed a deal with American label Maverick Records. As well as producer Paul Reeve, the legendary John Leckie was brought in to produce the band's first album, Showbiz which came out in 1999.
The rest, as they say, is history.
3 Colours Red - Beautiful Day
Brilliant 1999 single from a Creation Records band who mellowed slightly for their album 'Revolt' and scored a UK number 11 hit with this track. 'Beautiful Day' was the first single from the second 3 Colours Red LP 'Revolt'. The song was written by frontman/bassist Pete Vuckovic. It was a divisive single, showing a more sensitive side to the band, who previously specialised in heavier punk-pop. The epic 'Beautiful Day' was the group's biggest hit, reaching number 11 in the U.K charts in January 1999. In 1995 guitarist Chris McCormack and singer/bassist Pete Vuckovic moved to London and put a band together with guitarist Ben Harding, who had been a founder member of Senseless Things, and Keith Baxter, who played drums with with Skyclad. They went on to record two UK Top 20 albums, and six Top 40 singles.
Debut single 'This Is My Hollywood' was released via Fierce Panda Records, before the band signed to Creation Records. Alan McGee, Creation's founder hailed them as the "most exciting band since the Sex Pistols". 1997's debut album 'Pure' was followed a couple of years later by 'Revolt', which was produced by Dave Eringa. The group disbanded after the Reading and Leeds Festivals in 1999, citing musical and personal differences. McCormack formed Grand Theft Audio.
In 2002, Vučković and McCormack reformed the band with original drummer Keith Baxter and new bassist Paul Grant, releasing 2004's album The Union Of Souls. The band split again in September 2005. Drummer Keith Baxter died in January 2008 due to liver failure. He was 36. Chris McCormack has since played as the guitarist in Gary Numan's live band, and has co-written several songs with Adam Ant the 2013 album Adam Ant Is the Blueblack Hussar in Marrying the Gunner's Daughter.
Mercury Rev - Delta Sun Bottleneck Stomp (Chemical Brothers Remix)
Released as a single in January 1999, this closing track from Mercury Rev's acclaimed fourth album 'Deserter's Songs' was given a vibrant acid house makeover by legendary UK dance duo The Chemical Brothers.It can be found on the flipside of the 12" and CD singles, which were released in the UK on January 25 1999. The track peaked at number 26 on the UK Singles Chart.
Levellers - Angel
Heartwarming piano ballads are not what you'd usually expect from Brighton folk-punk heroes the Levellers, but this stunning B side from 1999 reveals their more tender side. Sung by guitarist Simon Friend, the wondrous 'Angel' was included on the B side of the re-recorded 'One Way' CD single.
Videos of the Levellers playing at the Bristol Academy last year in 2018 can be seen HERE, along with performances from the last decade.
An interview with frontman Mark Chadwick and an insight into the band's history can be found HERE.
The lyrics were penned by Courtney Love, while the music was composed by Love, lead guitarist Eric Erlandson, and Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins, who also contributed to a few other tracks on 'Celebrity Skin'.
Despite being criticised by some for its supposedly more commercial sound, in terms of alt-rock songwriting, this was Courtney Love's band at their very best. It would be the last Hole album for 12 years, and brought the group's golden period to an end on a high. After the group's split in 2002 and partial reformation in 2010, Love brought Hole to an end once more in 2013.
Videos of the Levellers playing at the Bristol Academy last year in 2018 can be seen HERE, along with performances from the last decade.
An interview with frontman Mark Chadwick and an insight into the band's history can be found HERE.
Hole - Malibu
A joyously melodic yet edgy American rock gem packed with hooks, released as a single in the UK 20 years ago in January 1999. The brilliant 'Malibu' reached number 22 in the UK singles charts and was the second single to be released from Hole's 1998 album 'Celebrity Skin'. The lyrics were penned by Courtney Love, while the music was composed by Love, lead guitarist Eric Erlandson, and Billy Corgan of the Smashing Pumpkins, who also contributed to a few other tracks on 'Celebrity Skin'.
Despite being criticised by some for its supposedly more commercial sound, in terms of alt-rock songwriting, this was Courtney Love's band at their very best. It would be the last Hole album for 12 years, and brought the group's golden period to an end on a high. After the group's split in 2002 and partial reformation in 2010, Love brought Hole to an end once more in 2013.
Placebo - Every You, Every Me
This sharp, addictive track from the second Placebo album was re-recorded and released as the third single from Without You I'm Nothing, on 25 January 1999. It reached number 11 in the UK Singles Chart.Frontman Brian Molko: "Who's it about? I'm not really too sure just yet. I think it's about a lot of people. Probably anybody... everybody who's had the displeasure of sleeping with me."
Boards Of Canada - Olson (Version 3)
Released in January 1999, the 'Peel Session TX 21/07/1998' EP by Boards Of Canada featured four tracks from their July 1998 session, recorded for the John Peel Show on Radio 1. From it comes the transcendental 'Olson (Version 3)'. The original broadcast contained an additional track 'XYZ', which was initially part of the EP, but had to be removed due to sample licensing issues, leading to copies of the EP containing 'XYZ' to become a sought-after rarity.
The Scottish duo consisting of brothers Michael Sandison and Marcus Eoin have been making music since the late 80s. Their most recent album was 2013's 'Tomorrow's Harvest'.
Gay Dad - To Earth With Love
The hotly-tipped and widely-hyped Gay Dad released their excellent debut single 'To Earth With Love' on 18 January 1999.
Gay Dad were formed in 1994 by former music journalist Cliff Jones and art magazine publisher Nick Crowe. After recording a demo tape in 1996, the band were the subject of record label interest from Island, Chrysalis, Mercury, EMI and others. They eventually signed to London Records. After touring in 1998, the band began recording with legendary producer Tony Visconti, who co-produced 'To Earth With Love' before the band decided to work with others. The song picked up airplay on Radio 1, and soon Gay Dad became the first act ever to play Top of the Pops without having a record out. Their attention-catching name helped gain the spotlight, as well as the basic, eye-catching blue and white "Walking Man" logo, which was designed by graphic artist Peter Saville. Soon, the band were being hailed as the "saviours of British rock" by the music magazines.
The exciting, invigorating 'To Earth With Love' reached number 10 in the UK singles charts. So how come this excellent band never managed to hit the predicted heights? The debut album 'Leisure Noise' was released in June 1999. It fell way short of expectations, only managing No. 14 in the UK album charts. Disappointing reviewsfor some of their live shows started a media backlash. After a few line-up changes, the band also parted with London Records, before signing with the emerging independent record label B-Unique. The more electronic second album 'Transmission' arrived in 2001, but was met with mixed reviews, received no support from the industry, and didn't make the albums charts. Lead single 'Now, Always and Forever' only just failed to make the UK Top 40, and the other songs from the LP also sank. Their final performances were at the Reading and Leeds festivals, with the Leeds set being cut short due to technical issues, resulting in Jones leading the crowd into an acapella version of 'Joy'.
Gay Dad broke up in 2002, with Jones citing the pressures of excessive hype, as well as negative reactions to the band’s name. "We got shot out of the cannon, then things started to get out of control, and as rapidly as we went up, we came down again... Someone in radio promotion said he'd resign if he had to work a band called Gay Dad."
While other members of the group went onto make music with other projects, Cliff Jones worked as a songwriter with artists such as Sia, The Electric Soft Parade, and Mark Owen. Nowadays, he has returned to work as a music journalist, also tutoring at the Bristol Institute of Modern Music. Apparently he is also a member of the improvisational band MARCY, which also includes Dan Johnson and Annie Gardiner, who fronts the Bath-based duo The Hysterical Injury .
Terrorvision - Tequila
Released 20 years ago in January 1999, this tropical flavoured indie dance party anthem was Terrorvision's biggest chart hit after being remixed by big beat duo Mint Royale.Formed back in the late 80s, the Bradford-based Britrock outfit had 13 Top 40 hits between 1992 and 2001. The original, hard-rocking 'Tequila' can be found on the band's fourth album 'Shaving Peaches', which found the band heading in a more mainstream-orientated direction, and featured co-production from Edwyn Collins. A couple of years later, the group would split after fifth album 'Good To Go', before reuniting for some gigs in 2005. In 2007 and 2010 they returned for more shows, and released their sixth album 'Super Delux' in 2011. The band are back out on tour this year, playing a list of dates in May.
Busta Rhymes - Gimme Some More
Breathless, high-paced, ingeniously rhythmic delivery from pioneering rapper Busta Rhymes, whose early work provided the 90s with some of hip hop's finest moments. Taken from his 1998 album 'Extinction Level Event (Final World Front)', 'Gimme Some More' was released as a single here in the UK in January 1999, reaching number 6 in the singles charts.Written and composed entirely by Rhymes, the song heavily utilises elements sampled from the opening theme to Alfred Hitchcock's 1960 film Psycho, composed by Bernard Herrmann.
The Offspring - Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)
Released 20 years ago in the UK, this hit by The Offspring was hard to escape from back in 1999. Reaching number 1 in the UK, the song was originally from the 1998 album 'Americana'. Remembered most for its novelty hits 'Pretty Fly (For A White Guy)' and 'Why Don't You Get A Job', the LP also features a number of genuinely brilliant punk rock tracks. It's actually a very enjoyable album, with some more fun and diverse tracks to break up the supercharged punk that makes up most of the record.
Taking the piss out of white boy gangsta wannabes, the track was the band's biggest hit in the UK. Frontman Dexter Holland stated that the lyrics regard posers who "are from, like, Omaha, Nebraska, regular white-bread boys, but who act like they're from Compton. The song was the genesis of the metal/post-avant-garde movement with its early tendencies in the genre-defining the late 90's early 00's. It's so fake and obvious that they're trying to have an identity."
Americana was a major success, debuting at number six on the American Billboard 200. It is the band's second best selling album, their biggest being their 1994 breakthrough 'Smash'. Americana has sold more than 10 million copies worldwide.
The band are currently recording their 10th album.
The Divine Comedy - National Express
Both celebrating and taking the piss out of British society, this 1999 hit was released as the third single from The Divine Comedy's 6th album 'Fin de Siècle', reaching number eight on the UK Singles Chart. The naggingly catchy, almost Broadway-like song is based on Neil Hannon's observations of life from the window of a National Express coach.
"'National Express', even though it was a bit of a silly song, is pure observation, nothing made up – I'm on this bus, this is what I see. 'The family man/manhandling the pram/with paternal pride' is me having a dig at my brother for having a kid and being Nineties Man, you know, and he's not exactly working class."
The single also features a cover of Kraftwerk's 'Radioactivity' on the b side.
"'National Express', even though it was a bit of a silly song, is pure observation, nothing made up – I'm on this bus, this is what I see. 'The family man/manhandling the pram/with paternal pride' is me having a dig at my brother for having a kid and being Nineties Man, you know, and he's not exactly working class."
The single also features a cover of Kraftwerk's 'Radioactivity' on the b side.
Llama Farmers - Big Wheels
Another guitar band of the late 90s who never achieved the success that the music press predicted for them. Llama Farmers formed in Greenwich, London in 1997. With a sound that drew from the more punky aspects of Britpop and the noise of grunge rock, they consisted of singer/guitarist Bernie Simpson, guitarist William Briggs, bassist Jennie Simpson and drummer Brooke Rogers.
Their early singles were released through the Fierce Panda label before the band signed to Beggars Banquet and released their debut LP 'Dead Letter Chorus'. As well as playing the NME Premier Tour in 1998 and Reading festival, the group also opened for Green Day and the Foo Fighters. They disbanded after the release of their second album 'El Toppo', which was released in October 2000.
The band reformed under the name Bear Hug in 2006, but eventually drifted apart.
Gene - Mayday
Another track from one of the albums that will be celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2019. 'Revelations' was the third studio LP by Gene, who returned in 1999 to a different musical climate, after the buzz of Britpop had worn off. Apparently their label ordered the band to record their album in just four weeks, leaving little time to add finishing touches to certain songs, and maybe causing the group to lose some of their quality control. It wasn't just the music industry that had become a darker place, as the optimism of the mid 90's had been replaced by worry and anger. The broken promises of Tony Blair's government had
destroyed any positivity that had been rushing through the country only a couple of years before, and this disappointed Britain can be heard at the heart of the flawed but occasionally awesome 'Revelations'.
Highlight 'Mayday' comes with a chaotic S.O.S vibe, this time urging the public to "come play your part" against "the new enemy". Set to a fantastic tune, it's another one that defines the times in a hugely admirable way.
Read a review of Gene's entire discography HERE.
Surreal Madrid - Girls Of The Nite
Released 20 years ago in January 1999, this underrated big beat classic from Surreal Madrid. It was originally issued in 1998 via Fused and Bruised Records, and became a regular favourite on the classic Radio 1 show The Evening Session in the late 90s. It reached number 86 in the UK singles charts.Surreal Madrid was the alias of Colin Owens, who also produced a few under records under the alias of Chef, and was a member of Scorpio Rising during 1989 to 1994. As well as a series of singles, Surreal Madrid released a full length album, 2000's 'No More Boom Boom'.
The addictive melodic hook is sampled from the 1973 track 'I Found Sunshine' by soul legends The Chi-Lites.
Sebadoh - Flame
Another fine single released 20 years ago back in January 1999. Plucked from their seventh LP 'The Sebadoh', the relentless lo-fi thumper peaked at number 30 on the UK Singles chart and provided Lou Barlow's outfit with their highest charting single.The album arrived the following month and made number 45 in the UK Albums Charts. Afterwards, the band then went on a 14-year recording hiatus, during which time members pursued other projects while occasionally touring as Sebadoh. They returned in 2013 with the Secret EP and the full-length album 'Defend Yourself'.
Midget - Artwork
This fierce offering from Midget was released on the indie label Curveball Records. Midget were an indie guitar band from Lincolnshire who formed in 1996.
The song was a non-album single and didn't feature on the trio's mini-album 'Alcopop' or their other releases, 'Jukebox', 'Individual Inconsistent' and 'The Milgram Experiment'. 'Artwork' was aired a number of times on Radio 1's classic alternative show The Evening Session, and it was after hearing it there that I knew I had to find a copy. With its terrific bassline, and almost bringing to mind a heavier Super Furry Animals, this heaving track could lift any audience off the ground. The track reached number 85 in the UK singles charts.
Two of their other singles made the lower end of UK Top 75 in 1998, but after more singles and albums, they disbanded in 2001 to work on individual projects.
They reformed in 2006, and played their first London gig in nearly six years at the Social, although nothing has been heard from them since. Singer and guitarist Andy Hawkins went on to become a producer at the Pravda Studios in Leeds.
Garbage - When I Grow Up
Released as a single 20 years ago in January 1999, this was taken from Garbage's multi-platinum selling second album 'Version 2.0'. It reached number 9 in the UK singles charts.
Shirley Manson described the song as being about "that delirious state of wishing and hoping and dreaming for things, not giving up. There's a great quote by Flaubert where he says, 'Sometimes the forces of the world hold us back for a while, but not for ever' ... "
"Even though you're sussed and you're smart and you've worked it all out, you haven't even got the remotest inkling of what it's all about. And you can never hope to... I'm constantly patronised by people who think they're really mature and have their life in order and are really together. That's so small minded."
Shirley Manson described the song as being about "that delirious state of wishing and hoping and dreaming for things, not giving up. There's a great quote by Flaubert where he says, 'Sometimes the forces of the world hold us back for a while, but not for ever' ... "
"Even though you're sussed and you're smart and you've worked it all out, you haven't even got the remotest inkling of what it's all about. And you can never hope to... I'm constantly patronised by people who think they're really mature and have their life in order and are really together. That's so small minded."
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