RECORD MIRROR: THE FAME AND FORTUNE EP (1990)

A1

I'LL BE WITH YOU - BROTHER DELPHI

The fact that a Google search for 'Brother Delphi' brings up barely anything other than listings of this record suggests that the name of the competition won by the lead act on this EP - 15  Minutes Of Fame - was pretty accurate. 

Brother Delphi appears to be either a band or a lone female singer;  either way this track is an inoffensive coffee table jazz soul ballad. Perhaps the most interesting thing about this is its producer,  one Norman Cook during his post Housemartins, pre Fatboy Slim Beats International period. Assuming this collaboration was part of the prize awarded to Brother Delphi -  but if anyone has any more info please shout up.

A2

YOUR LOVE TAKES ME HIGHER (DEPTH & DESIRE MIX) - THE BELOVED

Originally only charting at #91 as the first single from the revitalised Beloved's classic album Happiness, a rereleased Your Love Takes Me Higher charted at #39 in March 1990. This remix is credited to Adam & Eve - actually a pseudonym for the Beloved's Jon Marsh and wife Helena who would soon be Marsh's band partner for their next album after the departure of Steven Waddington.

This remix remains exclusive to this release.

B1

RAVE ON (LIVE) - HAPPY MONDAYS

Another EP exclusive - though this is a pretty bog standard live version of the track from the Mad Mancunians' (as they are labelled here) classic Madchester Rave On EP. Despite only peaking at #19, the EP spent over half a year in the Top 100. This live take was recorded in November 1989 at Brightos Top Rank.

B2

I DREAM OF YOU - ADAMSKI

Adam Tinley aka Adamski the 'Techno Tearaway' hit #12 with his debut 45 'N-R-G' in early 1990 after already becoming a cult favourite on the acid house scene. Despite billed as exclusive to this EP, this track appeared as a B Side to his next single. That single, "Killer" - a collaboration with then unknown singer Seal - of course went on to sell nearly half a million copies in the UK alone.

THE SOUNDS MACHINE EP1 (1988)

1. Shelter From The Storm '88 - The Mission

Epic 9 and a half minute live version which originally appeared as the B side to the band's Wasteland single, also as a live recording. Despite being an early live favourite, a studio version of this one was never released. This was recorded at the London Astoria on March 27th 1988 and would later reappear on reissues of The First Chapter album.

2. Mania - Throwing Muses

Another live recording, this track would eventually be released on The Muses' 1989 album Hunkpapa. This partcular recording would also reappear as a bonus track on select formats of Dizzy, the only single from the album.

3. Hey - Pixies

Yet another live track, recorded at the same Town and Country Club gig as the Throwing Muses track on May 1st 1988, the studio version would not be released until a year later on the Pixies' classic album Doolittle. The whole T and C gig was recorded  and was released on DVD in 2004.

4. Throw Down - Dinosaur Jr.

Released as a limited edition 7" in Germany, as a bonus track on J. Mascis' cover of The Cure's Just Like Heaven in 1989, and on this EP, Throw Down is the shortest song to appear on The Free EPs so farm clocking in at a paltry 45 seconds.

SOUNDS SHOWCASE 1 (SOUNDS 1987)

All four tracks were exclusive to this EP on release and all bands were signed to Beggars Banquet.

1.  Outlaw - The Cult

This is an early version of the track from The Cult's 1987 album 'Electric' but not the earliest. Outlaw was first recorded in 1986 with producer Steve Brown along with their new songs at the Manor Studio in Oxfordshire. However, the band had started to move towards a more American heavy rock sound, and the resulting album, Peace, was deemed unsatisfactory. The Cult moved to the US and re-recorded the entire album with Rick Rubin. It was released in 1987 as Electric to a mixture of derision and praise, and rode on the crest of the burgeoning US heavy rock scene eventually outselling their classic 1985 album, Love. The original Peace version of Outlaw, double in length, can be found on the Manor Sessions EP. The version we have here is an early works-in-progress of th official Rubin production giving the UK the first glimpse of the band's new direction.

2. Hey! Luciani (Original Version) - The Fall

Considering this track was released as a single from Mark E. Smith's play Hey! Luciani: The Life and Codex of John Paul I, it's surprising that the near-title track, produced by Ian Broudie, was by far the band's most commercial single to date. Typically, they were rewarded with a not so lofty chart position of #59. The version here is the less commercial original recording of the track produced by John Leckie. Sounds described The Fall on the sleeve as a band with 'a continuing ability to surprise and stimulate with every new release', words that still ring true 25 years later.

3. Spin This Web - The Adult Net

Brix Smith was very much part of The Fall in 1987 and, as founding member of The Adult Net, it's a double feature for her on this EP. Already with a couple of Top 100 singles behind them, this track, pop brilliance produced by that man Broudie again, was meant to be the title track for the band's forthcoming first album. Although a reality at the time of the release of this EP, the album was recorded but remains unreleased. A re-recorded version of Spin This Web appeared on the band's first released album, The Honey Tangle,  in 1989, recorded with Craig Gannon (ex-Smiths) and Clem Burke (Blondie).

4. I Just Get Caught Out - The Go-Betweens

Another exclusive at time of release, ths track eventally made it on to Australian indie-pop band The Go-Betweens' fifth album Talullah. Hugely critically acclaimed, the band recorded 9 albums between 1982 and 2005 until the sudden death of  Grant McLellan in 2006 brought the band to a sad finish.

RECORD MIRROR: ON THE GROOVE TIP 1

1. Ambition Rap - Soul II Soul

Billed as a track from the forthcoming classic in the making, 'Club Classics Volume 1', Ambition Rap wasn't featured on the album until it's 10thh aniversary re-release in 1999. Ambition Rap had appeared as a B Side to to Jazzie B's soul group's debut single Fairplay which reached #63. At the time of the release of this EP in April 1989, Soul II Soul's classic third single Keep On Movin' had cracked the Top 5. Better still, fourth single Back To Life (However Do You Want Me) hit #1 as did the aformentioned Ambition Rap-less album. Soul II Soul continued to hit the charts over the next decade and continue to tour.

2. We Didn't Even Need James - Skam

A UK exclusive, this was released in the US as a 12" on Arthur Baker's Criminal Records label. Despire being heralded as a 'hot new rap act', this remains their sole release.

3. Blazin (Reflective Mirror Mix) - Stardust featuring Kevin 'Blaze' Hedges

Not to be confused with Thomas Bangalter's one-off 1998 project, this was an exclusive megamix of tracks from compilation 'The Garage Sound Of Deepest New York Volume 2' which contained music produced by soul/house band Blaze. Artists on the album include Ruffneck, Phase II and Kym Mazelle.

4. (Fourth Floor) Goin' Up Again Mix Medley II - The Fourth Floor Allstars

A megamix of tracks from Frankie Bones' Fourth Floor record label featuring Fallout, Black Riot, Jammix, Break Boys and Bonesbreaks. The first Fourth Floor medley was featured on Record Mirror's Sure Beats 2 compilation.

SELECT: FRESH (1998)

1. Brimful Of Asha (Mucho Macho Bolan Boogie Mix) - Cornershop

Before Norman Cook's remix of Cornershop's most famous moment and ode to Indian film culture, Brimful Of Asha was reworked by Sofa Surfers and Mucho Macho, the mix featured here. Both remixes were included on the original release of the single which scraped the Top 60 in August 1997. Of course, it was the subsequent Fatboy remix that received the daytime airplay and propelled the song to #1 in February 1998. This only tells half the story  - Brimful Of Asha had already become an indie classic in its own right by the time the remix had gone overground and was already by some distance Cornershop's biggest hit. The re-release transformed its  status from underground to mainstream classic, the original still gaining some airplay over the remix in certain quarters.  Whether the Fatboy remix or the original is superior remains an indie club argument. Which side am I on? A no-brainer. Everyone should seek out the Cornershop back catalogue for countless examples of this band's genius. Their latest album 'Urban Turban: The Singhles Club' was released in 2012 with a follow up expected in 2013.

2. You And Me On The Run - theaudience

Like countless other bands, Theaudience were touted as the New Smiths. Only with one significant difference, the New Morrissey was a woman. When theaudience fizzled out after Two Top 40 hits and a #22 album, that woman  - one Sophie Ellis Bextor - would almost certainly not follow Morrissey's career path, reinventing herself as a dance pop diva. This track, more electronic in nature than some of Theaudience's other tracks, was a B side to their second single, If You Can't Do It When You're Young (When Can You Do It?).

3. To Ulrike M. (Original Mix) - Doris Days

Also remixed by Zero 7, this track was recorded as a tribute to German left wing militant Ulrike Meinhof, one half of Baader-Meinhof. Doris Days were Swedish and this also features on their 1996 album Live In Poland.

4. Prix Choc (Ultra Dark Mix) - Etienne De Crecy

Originally featured on French producer De Crecy's debut 1997 album Super Discount, this self made remix was featured on the single release for Prix Choc which hit #60 in 1998.

5. International Velvet - Catatonia

The title track from Cerys Matthews and co's second album and the one with the infamous 'Every day I wake up and thank the Lord I'm Welsh' refrain. After debut album Way Beyond Blue spawned a few minor hits, it took semi-novelty indie anthem Mulder And Scully to propel Catatonia into the stratosphere. That single plus Road Rage and three more single releases helped International Velvet sell 900,000 copies in the UK alone. It turned Cerys from an indie pin up to plastered all over FHM and gyrating with Tom Jones within the year. It all went downhill quickly but Cerys recovered from breakdowns and an affair with Gianni from Eastenders and can now be heard on 6 Music.

6.  East Winter - Scott 4

There doesn't seem to be a FreeEP in sight in the late 90s that didn't feature V2's indie country rock three piece Scott 4. This was taken from their 1998 album Recorded In State.

7. Total Turn - Electric Sound of Joy

Originally a limited edition single from 1997 on Earworm Records. By the time this Chesterfield band had released their eponymous debut in 1999, their sound had changed from  the new wave indie rock displayed here to a more electronic sound. After favourable reviews, the band slipped off the radar.

8. Start Again - The Montrose Avenue

Featuring ex Menswear drummer and future 6 Music newsman Matt Everitt in their line up, Montrose Avenue were one of those hyped  major label record industry 'indie' bands.  After their second single scraped the Top 40, the two follow ups, of which Start Again was the second, only reached #59 and #58 respectively. The eponymous debut failed to scrape the Top 100 and that was that. A rarity in the world of magazine giveaways, Start Again actually gained its debut release on this compilation four months before being available as a single.

9. Style Break (Dylan's Drop Mix) - Dylan Rhymes

Real name Martin Beaver,  producer and remixer Dylan Rhymes is best known for his work Naked And Ashamed which was picked up by Smirnoff for their advertising campaign in the late 90s. Rhymes recorded this 12" and another EP, Humphead, for Junior Boys Own. This track is exclusive to this compilation and is a product of his time with JBO. His first album, Dead Famous, was released in 2005 on the Kingsize imprint.

10. Ideal Home - Black Box Recorder

You could write a book about underrated genius and indie  maverick Luke Haines - in fact, he's written a few himself - so let's keep this brief. An alternative rock veteran by the end of the 90s, Haines had been a member of The Servants, released his own album under the Baader-Meinhof moniker and fronted the critically acclaimed but commercially unsuccessful Auteurs. His last attempt at hitting the pop mainstream was under the name Black Box Recorder with vocalist Sarah Nixey and  John Moore, ex Jesus And Mary Chain. First album England Made Me, from where this track is taken, failed to do the business as per usual. However, second album The Facts Of Life hit the Top 40 thanks to the surprise Top 20 success of its eponymous single. Success was fleeting and after the failure of BBR's third album, Haines went solo also becoming something of a pop commentator releasing his memoirs to huge cult acclaim.

11. You,  My Baby And I - Alex Gopher

French house DJ who released this single 1998 plus an album of the same name in 1999. Gopher started off his career in a band called Orange which also featured future Air members Jean-Benoit Dunckel and Nicolas Godin. He has released a plethora of 12" singles and an eponymous album in 2006.

12. Desert Cats -Warm Jets

Named after the Brian Eno album, Here Come The Warm Jets, this indie pop band gained tabloid attention when lead singer Louis Jones fleetingly stepped out with Zoe Ball. The attention didn't help their album, Future Signs, climb any higher than #40 and the band were quickly dropped despite two Top 40 hits. This track was released as a B side to the original release of their single, Hurricane.

13.  8 Steps To Perfection - Company Flow

Massively critically acclaimed underground hip hop from New York. This was taken from their 1997 album Funcrusher Plus.

14. Kurt Russell - Ultrasound

Big singer, big sound big hype. Considered by the music press of the day as contenders to become a huge crossover success and compared in some quarters to Suede, the release of their sprawling double album in April 1999 put paid to any of those hopes. Early singles were well received - this track released as part of the Best Wishes single (#68) - and met with some Top 40 chart success. However, the album, Everything Picture, was met with derision by the inkies resulting in a #23 chart placing, a loss of press support and the inevitable split. A second album, Play For Today, was released in 2012 after the band's reunion.

15. Adrenalin - Purity

London based electronic duo who toured with Depeche Mode in the late 90s. This was released as a 1997 single and on their album Bullets For Words a year later.

16. Sofa Rockers (Richard Dorfmeister Remix) - Sofa Surfers

Austrian rock, electronic and jazz hybrid. This remix was released on the Sofa Rockers single in 1997. Taking us back to Track 1, Sofa Surfers remixed Cornershop's Brimful Of Asha on its first release the same year.

17. Electric Hairdo - Lionrock

Formed by Justin Robertson at the turn of the 90s, Lionrock released a number of singles throughout the decade as well as remixing a host of big name singles including Manic Street Preachers' Australia, The Shamen's Boss Drum, Big Time Sensuality by Bjork and New Order's 1963. They released their debut album, An Instrinct For Detection, belatedly in 1996 which hit the Top 30. Although the 1998 follow up, City Delirious, didn't match its success, it did contain their biggest hit Rude Boy Rock which became a Top 20 hit. This track was also released on that second and final album. Justin Robertson continues to produce and remix under his own name, The Prankster, Revtone or The Deadstock 33s.

SOUNDS BLASTS! EP 1 (1988)

1. Cold Metal (Remix) - Iggy Pop

After years releasing below par records, Iggy Pop hit paydirt with the radio friendly Blah Blah Blah in 1986 which featured the punk rock icon's biggest ever hit, Real Wild Child (Wild One). Typically, Pop followed up the release of that album with the heavy Instinct in 1988 which featured Sex Pistol Steve Jones on co-writing duties and guitar for some of the tracks. Commercial success was not forthcoming and this, the only single, failed to chart. This was an exclusive remix of that single, released subsequently as the Rock Version.

2. Love And Bullshit - Fishbone

LA Alternative funk metal outfit formed in 1979 still going to this day. The band have released 7 studio albums including 1988's Truth And Soul. This sub 2 minute track was exclusive to this release until featured as an extra track on that album's single Bonin' In The Boneyard in 1990.

3. Burnin' Love - Dan Reed Network

US funk rock band who had some success in the late 80s and early 90s in the US and UK. This track was another exclusive at the time but soon featured as a B side to their 1989 single Come Back Baby which hit #51 in the UK. Oddly, DRN's popularity soared in the UK in 1991 just as it started to wane in their native country. Much like Dan Reed's hair, they were soon history.

4. Bury Your Love Like Treasure - Blue Aeroplanes

Bristol indie band who have been ploughing an underground furrow for over 30 years. Their biggest successes came in the early 90s with their albums Swagger, Beatsongs and Life Model. This track was featured on their 1987 album Spitting Out Miracles and was released a single in its own right on Fire Records. also home to an early Pulp.

DRASTIC PLASTIC: NME (1985)

1. My Ever Changing Moods (Live) - The Style Council

Exclusive version, recorded live in Liverpool, of Weller and Talbot's fifth single which made #5 in the UK chart in 1984. The track also remains one of Weller's biggest hits of his career, also hitting the Top 30 in the US.

2. Forest Fire (Live) - Lloyd Cole & The Commotions

Another exclusive live track, this one recorded in London, of a current music press favourite. Forest Fire appeared on the band's classic debut album Rattlesnakes which hit #13 in the chart, this track put out as a single just missing the Top 40 at #41. Two more albums and a clutch of hits continued throughout the 80s until Cole pursued a solo career with varying degrees of success. To celebrate twenty years of Rattlesnakes, he teamed up again with the Commotions in 2004 for a one-off tour of the UK.

3. Bad Influence (Live) - The Robert Cray Band

One of the most influental and critically acclaimed blues guitarists and singers of the last four decades, Robert Cray's 1983 Bad Influence album was the one to put him on the map though he had to have wait a further three years until his mainstream breakthrough, Strong Persuader, in 1986. This live take of the title track of his 1983 album was recorded in Chicago.

4. Real Life (Just Around The Corner) - Prefab Sprout

In 1984, Prefab Sprout released their debut album Swoon which drew comparisons with Aztec Camera and Steely Dan. An instant critical favourite, the album hit #22 in the UK and the band quickly followed this up with a new single, When Love Breaks Down, a more commercial, lush affair which stalled at #88 in the chart. However, despite a couple more underachieving singles with Faron Young and Appetite, the band released their second album, Steve McQueen, in 1985 to even greater reviews than the first. The album hit #21 and When Love Breaks Down was granted a re-release. The single this time broke into the Top 40 at still a surprisingly low #25 and remains a radio classic to this day. Real Life... was featured as a bonus track on the 12" re-release. A successful career followed for the next two decades, with Paddy McAloon becoming an in-demand songwriter for artists as diverse as Kylie Minogue, Momus and Jimmy Nail. Ill health has blighted McAloon in recent years but 2009 saw the release of a new Sprout album, Let's Change The World With Music, recorded in 1993.