I know that almost everything is available digitally now, but sometimes things are hard to find. Do you have any songs of versions of songs that you have been looking for a long time but have never been able to find again?
I thought this might be a good place to share the tracks you’ve been looking for and help each other out. @Icarus-Smicarus found an obscure Arab Strap remix of the Halloween theme a while ago
The three things I’m looking for:
Cooler - Teknog - big beat track from 1997 that I haven’t heard in years. Might be rubbish now, but I remember it being a bit more blistering than most of the big beat stuff at the time.
Iron and Wine - Upwards Over the Mountain - I’m looking for a specific live version that made the track shorter and better. I think it was an instore recording or something because I don’t remember any crowd noises and I think it was around 4 minutes and 11 seconds long. Might be wrong about that.
Lo-Fidelity Allstars - Battleflag (original version) - This is the version that was on the original release of their first album, which had a Prince sample over the last few minutes. Obviously Prince and his estate were having none of it, and they re-recorded Battleflag with samples from the original Pigeonhead track (I assume). There was an upload of this on youtube from an obscure XFM compilation but I can’t find it now.
I have managed to find some of my other white whales over the years. Rosie and Jim by Gel, the original (Illicit EP) version of We Took Pelham by Deadly Avenger and Wheelkings 1973 by One Lady Owner.
I have some others but I’m sure you guys have some of these. Let’s do some detective work!
The original version of Flashlight Fight by the Go Team that was on the (ahem) leak of Proof Of Youth and had a load of uncleared samples and more vocals.
Holy shit. I thought I would never hear this again. I think it still kind of rules. Where on earth did you find it? I think some of Cooler were in another band before, but I have no idea who. Thank you so much!
I’m after two releases by The Beauty Shop - ‘Just Some Demos’ (2007) and ‘Just Some More Demos’ (2009). Both were at some point available as MP3 downloads but I’ve only succeeded in tracking down a couple of tracks (including ‘Ambulance’ which is possibly their best song).
They were fantastic band and I was fortunate to see them play live a couple of times. I’m utterly baffled why none of their stuff is available on Bandcamp or any streaming services.
I mean, I get that everything’s streaming now, but me, I’m a purist: the music sounds so much warmer playing from an mp3 stored on your own hard drive.
This was a 7inch that was issued but apparently withdrawn as it was ‘too crap’ but I’ve always wanted to hear it. Their lp of tv themes is a hidden gem imo. One sold on Discogs in 1996 for 2 pounds and it’s not been sighted since!!
I’ve got a load of early deadly avenger 12s that I got sent if there’s anything you’re after, pretty sure I have another cooler 12 too.
I was aware of the lofis/breeders sample problem but not the Prince one. I think I’ve got all those 12s and the album as promos so I should have the earliest version? Let me know and I’ll try and check later
Used to have all their stuff but lost it in a hard drive disaster Not sure they ever released stuff online - just a few limited CDs. After he covered one of their tracks, I messaged Shoes and Socks Off (this was about 15 years ago) and he kindly sent me their stuff, but that’s not an option now!
I’ve tried multiple times to find it on Soulseek and I’m feeling like I never will. It’s annoying because I remember the songs pretty well - like an itch I can’t scratch!
The Prince sample was definitely on the album version of Battleflag, and I figured it must have only been on the first pressing because I bought it on opening day.
I think the original single release when it was Pigeonhead remixed by the Lo-Fi Allstars in 1997 ended before the sample would come in, or at least it did on the radio edit. I saw them live in 1997 and don’t remember any samples at the end.
The re-release of the single went back to sampling Pigeonhead “come on baby tell me / yes I aim to please” and I’ve just assumed that the later pressings of the album had this version.
The Prince sample was just the line “a new production of a new breed, leader, stand up, organise” from Sexuality repeated endlessly for most of the last 2 minutes of Battleflag. The rest of the song I believe is identical.
I also had the Disco Machine Gun single with the Breeders sample.
It was only the illicit EP that I was after because I had that 12" and was dying to hear We Took Pelham and Lopez OST again, and luckily some of his early stuff popped up on Spotify a couple of summers ago.
I kind of lost interest in Deadly Avenger after the Battle Creek (?) EP that had King Tito’s Gloves on it, but I really liked the Evel Knievel single DA did '‘vs’ Ceasefire.
Just done a bit of digging, and listening the original Pigeonhead track for the first time. The singer sings the line from the Prince song, so it’s possible that the Lo-Fi Allstars sampled THAT and not the Prince song, but I would need to hear the version of Battleflag I remember to confirm.
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Not sure they ever released stuff online - just a few limited CDs. After he covered one of their tracks, I messaged Shoes and Socks Off (this was about 15 years ago) and he kindly sent me their stuff, but that’s not an option now!