Band Aid - "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (1984 version) (3:51)
Band Aid 20 - "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (2004 version) (5:05)
Band Aid 30 - "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (2014 version) (3:48)
Band Aid - "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (2024 Ultimate mix) (5:00)
Band Aid - "Do They Know It's Christmas?" (live) (4:33)
Review: The 40th-anniversary release of 'Do They Know It's Christmas?' is a fitting tribute to the enduring legacy of Band Aid, the charity/supergroup formed by Bob Geldof and Midge Ure in 1984. This special 12" vinyl not only celebrates the iconic track but also continues its mission to support the Band Aid Trust's charitable efforts. The record compiles key versions of the song, including the original 1984 rendition, the Band Aid 20 and Band Aid 30 versions and an all-new 2024 Ultimate Mix by Trevor Horn. This fresh edit creatively weaves together the contributions of countless legendary artists from across the decades into a seamless, unified anthem that feels both nostalgic and innovative. The inclusion of the live version from Wembley Stadium in 1985 shows the energy and passion of the song's historic performance. Across all versions, listeners are reminded of the track's power to unite the music world for a greater cause, featuring some of the finest voices in British rock history. This release is a compelling collector's item, combining timeless music with a renewed purpose, ensuring the song's message resonates for generations to come.
Review: Beatconductor's Dub Spectrum EP takes listeners on a journey through Jamaica with seven tracks of dubbed-out pop covers. The EP features creative mash-ups such as The Wailers providing instrumental backing for Adele, Dua Lipa, Christina Aguilera, and Duran Duran, offering a fresh perspective on familiar tunes. Additionally, Amy Winehouse and The Pretenders unite to form a ska supergroup, showcasing Beatconductor's innovative approach to blending genres. Beatconductor's skillful reinterpretations breathe new life into classic tracks, infusing them with reggae and ska influences while maintaining their original essence.
Review: Beyonce's last album was widely heralded as a triumph by all. It found her diving into house music and working with scene stalwarts like Luke Solomon and Honey Dijon. It won a Grammy for its efforts. Now, even though plenty of the originals were ready to work a club dancefloor, we get treated to some remixes. They all focus on the standout single 'Break My Soul' and we get funky and soulful stuff from Terry Hunter, broken beat from Will I Am, house thumps from Honey Dijon, and filter-heavy stuff from The Queens. Add in the Nita Aviance club mix and the original version and you have a useful package indeed.
Review: Bjork and Rosalia team up for the limited marble vinyl edition 12" double-sider, 'Oral', now coming packed with a stunning remix by Olof Dreijer from The Knife. The record is described by its releasers OLI as not just a single release but a "call to arms", with 100% of the profits being funnelled directly to AEGIS, the Icelandic charity dedicated to eradicating intensive fish farming in the country. 'Oral' itself is now a staple of the latest incarnation of Bjork's ever-mutant career, consummating her and Rosalia's recent rapport; a sabre-wielding, purblind aesthetic - befitting also of another of Bjork's collaborative contemporaries, Arca - fits seamlessly with the elegiac reggaeton of the song. Dreijer's remix is rabid and wonky by comparison, its draggy, morphemic rhythms belying Bjork and Rosalia's equally wetted vocals, producing a wacky litany of faunal electronics and whizzing FX.
Review: Carpenter embraces the holiday spirit with a playful and modern twist. A festive reimagining of her earlier work, the release brims with cheeky wordplay and shimmering pop production. Tracks like the opening number reinvent familiar holiday tropes with wit and charm, while others pair Carpenter's signature catchy melodies with a distinctly festive warmth. A rework of a seasonal classic closes the record on a high note, showcasing her vocal versatility and contemporary approach. This is a fresh and vibrant take on holiday music, as fun as it is memorable.
Review: Priscilla Chan's critical Cantopop stylings return to the fore with a brilliant reissued EP through German label Thank You. It's proven admittedly impossible to track down any info on the motive for this one, save for its faithful unearthing of Chan's 1998 classic 'African Dance', which fuses the lively call-and-responsive musical motifs heard on the Continent with the dance-pop sensibility of her very own. Thereafter come three much more balladic bowl-overs, which reach their zenith on the unnamed 'Track 4', an incredible instrumental production that pits an undeniably eighties instrumental palette against a frankly heartfelt piano line.
Review: It's a match made in Balearic heaven. Ela Minus, Colombia-born, Brooklyn-based artist, best known for building synths, placing agitational statements between her carefully woven ambient melodies and her Acts Of Rebellion album, meets fellow New Yorker DJ Python, he of the hypnotic dembow stylings, for a bumper value-packed six track EP. Ghostly vocals float across stark beats and sometime gloomy, sometime edgy but cheery dayglo musical textures on the three vocal versions, and there are three instrumentals for those who prefer their grooves that way.
Review: Recorded during the final year of her life, this posthumous release finds Marianne Faithfull looking both backwards and forwards - reconciling the weight of legacy with the intimacy of reflection. Across these four new tracks, she honours the dual foundations of her 60-year career: chamber pop and traditional British folk. 'Burning Moonlight', co-produced with long-time collaborator Head, echoes the melancholic grandeur of 'As Tears Go By', while 'Love Is (Head version)', written with her grandson Oscar Dunbar, floats with tender defiance. The flip side turns to lineage and tradition: 'Three Kinsmen Bold' is stark and ancestral, passed down from her father and 'She Moved Thru' The Fair' is sparse, aching, and spectral. Faithfull was born in Hampstead and came of age in 60s London, and here, on what is now her final release, she returns to the very start - not out of nostalgia, but with grace and resolve. It's the completion of a circle, yes, but it still leaves a faint line trailing off into the air.
Review: Applying what we're all thinking in February 2021 to a kind of Netflix & Chill parody, Fickle Friends are definitely the most thematically fitting band of the month. The Brighton outfit join a long and esteemed list of British pop groups that manage to marry scathing, sarcasm, and bare-boned honesty with sweetness, beauty and universality. Providing you like those keyboards with a No.1-style glitter coating, of course.
Opening on biggest of the lot, 'What A Time', the troupe opt to get the most inescapably positive out of the way first before rolling out real variety. '92' is an icy cool, emotionally scarred (or scarring?) ballad, 'Million' is a stepping, rave-rock workout, with 'IRL' apparently made for sunnier times than the current UK winter, and finale 'Finish Line' closing out on a calming and uplifting tone that's not a million miles away from what some would describe as Balearic chill.
Fighting For Your Life (Blood On The dance Floor remix) (5:58)
Fighting For Your Life (After Dark mix) (5:36)
Review: Lockdown Records has put together this useful new 12" which offers up the notorious duo of Matt Early & Lee Jeffries. 'Fighting for Your Life' is a classic pop single that comes with the electrifying Blood on the Dancefloor Mix and the sultry After Dark Mix, both of which are inspired by the iconic sounds of Michael Jackson. They make for effective dancefloor weapons that come with a hint of nostalgia and plenty of weighty grooves.
Review: Lady Gaga’s Bloody Mary, originally from her 2011 album Born This Way, is now available as a stunning glow-in-the-dark 12" single. Co-written and produced by Gaga, this track is a haunting electropop masterpiece. Incorporating elements of synth-pop, trance, and Gregorian chants, Gaga channels Mary Magdalene, a "feminine force" she revered since her Catholic school days. The song’s religious themes and dark, atmospheric production make it one of Gaga’s standout tracks. The limited edition features an etched B-side with pre-chorus lyrics and is housed in a striking picture sleeve. A great looking package for one of her best singles.
Review: This six-track EP, crated between the late 'Cloud rap' icon and producer Nedarb Nagrom, is a miraculous refind and repress. The EP originally dropped in 2016 during the early wave of Peep's rise to the broth cream of the etherground emo rap and SoundCloud scene. Peep was still in the thick of lo-fi, punk and emo experimentations, and fellow traveller Nedarb had already been a frequent collaborator. The Katy Perry song referenced in the title is a red herring, as these tracks are original internet artefacts through and through, bearing none of the same pop sensibilities; they're loose and aerated, packing slipshod 808s and drawly hooks from the pink-haired icon.
Review: This is a special Record Store Day 2024 release that rights a wrong for hardcore Madness vinyl heads.
With the exception of 'Baggy Trousers,' 'Embarrassment' stood as the sole Madness single from the 80s not to receive a 12" release. This year's annual waxy celebrations however present a special opportunity to own it on vinyl as the classic Motown-inspired hit gets the coveted treatment as part of this six-track EP. Also included is the original 7" mix alongside a previously unreleased instrumental version meticulously crafted by Clive Langer, which offers fans a fresh perspective on this iconic Madness track.
Justify My Love (Afteru remix instrumental) (5:38)
Justify My Love (Afteru Rmx radio edit) (3:01)
Review: Madonna has got an endless catalogue of bangers from across the eras and many different styles. We certainly think 'Justify My Love's one of the ones best suited to a club rework and so it proves here with Afters doing just that on Icons. First is an extended remix with some driving drums and sweeping synths layered in next to splashy cymbals while the instrumental dial things back and radio edit gets everything packed into a shorter run time for most impact.
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