Music Labyrinth Episode 038
Senses Working Ovetime / XTC
Welcome to episode 38 of The Music Labyrinth. 38, of course, is the popular reference for a .38 calibre snub nose pistol, but that image is just a little to forceful for a gentle program such as this, so I had a quick look around for a less confronting reference and discovered that the 38 class was a class of steam locomotives built for New South Wales Government Railways between 1943 and 1949. We love trains here at The Music Labyrinth. We also love music, which is hardly surprising - even if you are a first time listener (and if so, welcome!). This week’s music kicked off with the gloriously unusual Senses Working Overtime by English band XTC. That song, and the album which contained it, was recorded at The Manor Studio at Oxfordshire in England in 1981. Several great albums have been recorded at the beautiful heritage listed building which contains the studios, including Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, INXS’s The Swing, and Radiohead’s The Bends. And in 1995 Paul Weller used that facility to record an album that many consider to be the apex of his solo career, Stanley Road. From that album, this is Woodcutter’s Son.
Woodcutter’s Son / Paul Weller
Welcome back to The Music Labyrinth where we last listened to the soulful rock of Paul Weller’s song Woodcutter’s Son. Paul Weller has a musical pedigree as long as Rapunzel’s hair, and the possibilities for us at this point are almost countless. However, one thing you can count on here is my propensity to line up a favourite track at any opportunity. In 2013 Noel Gallagher curated a concert for the Teenage Cancer Trust. As part of that concert Paul Weller jumped behind a drum kit and joined Gallagher, Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon in a rendition of my favourite Blur song. This is Tender.
Tender / Blur
On The Music Labyrinth that was a little personal indulgence on my part in sharing my favourite Blur song with you: Tender, from Blur’s 1999 album 13. There are some lovely voices in the backing vocals of that track, and they belong to the London Community Gospel Choir, whom we have heard before on The Music Labyrinth due to their work on Demon Days by Gorillaz. The London Community Gospel Choir also contributed to the double album Abbatoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and those voices can be heard singing backing on this track from that album. This is Breathless.
Breathless / Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
From the Lyre Of Orpheus part of the 2004 double album by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, that was Breathless. The contrast is great between that beautifully innocent love song and our next song which is a raunchy challenge to established prejudice. But the line in Breathless urging you to “still your mind” always prompts me to remember this instruction to Free Your Mind.
Free Your Mind / En Vogue
We are still here in The Music Labyrinth, free of mind, thanks to the 1992 song by the American R&B/vocal group En Vogue. Interestingly, one of the members of En Vogue, Rhona Bennett, was a Mickey Mouse Club Mousketeer on the 90’s revival of that program. Other members of the cast at that time included Christina Aguilera, Brittney Spears, Ryan Gosling and Justin Timberlake. So, here is Timberlake, with Alicia Keys, from the 2018 album Man Of The Woods, with Morning Light.
Morning Light / Justin Timberlake (feat. Alicia Keys)
From Justin Timberlake’s 2018 album Man Of The Woods, that was Morning Light, featuring Alicia Keys. Ten years earlier, Alicia Keys had collaborated with Jack White to produce the only duet to feature as the theme song to a Bond movie. From the movie Quantum of Solace, this is Another Way To Die.
Another Way To Die / Alicia Keys & Jack White
That was Another Way To Die, the theme to the 22nd movie in the Bond series, The Quantum of Solace. The song was performed by Alicia Keys and Jack White. Now, I’m quite conflicted about which direction to take from here. Jack White is a superstar of modern music, and offers plenty of scope for interesting progress through the Labyrinth. However, I suspect we will have future opportunities to wander along that route; and I simply could not resist the urge to go along the way of Bond movie themes. And I should point out that I have saved you some pain, Valued Listener. Some of them are truly awful! If you are feeling particularly masochistic, dont miss the opportunity to listen to For Your Eyes Only, The Living Daylights, or Diamonds Are Forever. Interestingly, when examining the potential for awful Bond tunes, I went pretty early to this next song, only to find that I really enjoyed it. Composed by Bono and The Edge, this is Tina Turner’s GoldenEye.
GoldenEye / Tina Turner
This is The Music Labyrinth and thank goodness you are back, because we find ourselves in the Bond movie theme part of the Labyrinth and, quite frankly, I find it a little unsettling here. However, every cloud has its silver lining, and we’ve found a beauty here. The Bond theme we just heard to was Tina Turner’s version of GoldenEye, which was included in the opening credits of the 1995 film of the same name, the seventeenth in the franchise. The quite luscious production on that track was delivered by the British music producer Nellee Hooper who, in the year prior to GoldenEye, had produced this song - one of my all-time favourites - for the English group Massive Attack. This is Protection.
Protection / Massive Attack
I hope that, like me, you feel like you have just enjoyed a very soothing massage, delivered courtesy of the beautiful Protection by Massive Attack. The lovely vocals on that track were sung by Tracey Thorn, who’s full-time gig is as a vocalist with the English duo Everything But The Girl. So, to maintain the relaxed vibe we have achieved, and to close out this week’s episode of The Music Labyrinth, lets remain with the work of that duo. Thanks very much for your company, and please come back again next week. I think you might know this tune.
Allison / Everything But The Girl
Welcome to episode 38 of The Music Labyrinth. 38, of course, is the popular reference for a .38 calibre snub nose pistol, but that image is just a little to forceful for a gentle program such as this, so I had a quick look around for a less confronting reference and discovered that the 38 class was a class of steam locomotives built for New South Wales Government Railways between 1943 and 1949. We love trains here at The Music Labyrinth. We also love music, which is hardly surprising - even if you are a first time listener (and if so, welcome!). This week’s music kicked off with the gloriously unusual Senses Working Overtime by English band XTC. That song, and the album which contained it, was recorded at The Manor Studio at Oxfordshire in England in 1981. Several great albums have been recorded at the beautiful heritage listed building which contains the studios, including Mike Oldfield’s Tubular Bells, INXS’s The Swing, and Radiohead’s The Bends. And in 1995 Paul Weller used that facility to record an album that many consider to be the apex of his solo career, Stanley Road. From that album, this is Woodcutter’s Son.
Woodcutter’s Son / Paul Weller
Welcome back to The Music Labyrinth where we last listened to the soulful rock of Paul Weller’s song Woodcutter’s Son. Paul Weller has a musical pedigree as long as Rapunzel’s hair, and the possibilities for us at this point are almost countless. However, one thing you can count on here is my propensity to line up a favourite track at any opportunity. In 2013 Noel Gallagher curated a concert for the Teenage Cancer Trust. As part of that concert Paul Weller jumped behind a drum kit and joined Gallagher, Damon Albarn and Graham Coxon in a rendition of my favourite Blur song. This is Tender.
Tender / Blur
On The Music Labyrinth that was a little personal indulgence on my part in sharing my favourite Blur song with you: Tender, from Blur’s 1999 album 13. There are some lovely voices in the backing vocals of that track, and they belong to the London Community Gospel Choir, whom we have heard before on The Music Labyrinth due to their work on Demon Days by Gorillaz. The London Community Gospel Choir also contributed to the double album Abbatoir Blues / The Lyre of Orpheus by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, and those voices can be heard singing backing on this track from that album. This is Breathless.
Breathless / Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds
From the Lyre Of Orpheus part of the 2004 double album by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds, that was Breathless. The contrast is great between that beautifully innocent love song and our next song which is a raunchy challenge to established prejudice. But the line in Breathless urging you to “still your mind” always prompts me to remember this instruction to Free Your Mind.
Free Your Mind / En Vogue
We are still here in The Music Labyrinth, free of mind, thanks to the 1992 song by the American R&B/vocal group En Vogue. Interestingly, one of the members of En Vogue, Rhona Bennett, was a Mickey Mouse Club Mousketeer on the 90’s revival of that program. Other members of the cast at that time included Christina Aguilera, Brittney Spears, Ryan Gosling and Justin Timberlake. So, here is Timberlake, with Alicia Keys, from the 2018 album Man Of The Woods, with Morning Light.
Morning Light / Justin Timberlake (feat. Alicia Keys)
From Justin Timberlake’s 2018 album Man Of The Woods, that was Morning Light, featuring Alicia Keys. Ten years earlier, Alicia Keys had collaborated with Jack White to produce the only duet to feature as the theme song to a Bond movie. From the movie Quantum of Solace, this is Another Way To Die.
Another Way To Die / Alicia Keys & Jack White
That was Another Way To Die, the theme to the 22nd movie in the Bond series, The Quantum of Solace. The song was performed by Alicia Keys and Jack White. Now, I’m quite conflicted about which direction to take from here. Jack White is a superstar of modern music, and offers plenty of scope for interesting progress through the Labyrinth. However, I suspect we will have future opportunities to wander along that route; and I simply could not resist the urge to go along the way of Bond movie themes. And I should point out that I have saved you some pain, Valued Listener. Some of them are truly awful! If you are feeling particularly masochistic, dont miss the opportunity to listen to For Your Eyes Only, The Living Daylights, or Diamonds Are Forever. Interestingly, when examining the potential for awful Bond tunes, I went pretty early to this next song, only to find that I really enjoyed it. Composed by Bono and The Edge, this is Tina Turner’s GoldenEye.
GoldenEye / Tina Turner
This is The Music Labyrinth and thank goodness you are back, because we find ourselves in the Bond movie theme part of the Labyrinth and, quite frankly, I find it a little unsettling here. However, every cloud has its silver lining, and we’ve found a beauty here. The Bond theme we just heard to was Tina Turner’s version of GoldenEye, which was included in the opening credits of the 1995 film of the same name, the seventeenth in the franchise. The quite luscious production on that track was delivered by the British music producer Nellee Hooper who, in the year prior to GoldenEye, had produced this song - one of my all-time favourites - for the English group Massive Attack. This is Protection.
Protection / Massive Attack
I hope that, like me, you feel like you have just enjoyed a very soothing massage, delivered courtesy of the beautiful Protection by Massive Attack. The lovely vocals on that track were sung by Tracey Thorn, who’s full-time gig is as a vocalist with the English duo Everything But The Girl. So, to maintain the relaxed vibe we have achieved, and to close out this week’s episode of The Music Labyrinth, lets remain with the work of that duo. Thanks very much for your company, and please come back again next week. I think you might know this tune.
Allison / Everything But The Girl