A friend of mine who had been MIA for a couple years recently contacted me. It was great to hear from him again. He, like myself, is a big fan of all things On-U Sound.
In the past I have posted a good amount of Singers & Players, but like my friend, Vacuum Pumping has been missing in action here. Jonder asked if I would rectify that short-coming & I am only too glad to oblige.
Side A –
Run Them Away
Lighthouse / Dreamworld
Holy Scripture
To Be Fee
Side B –
I Don’t Want AIDS
Boof Um Baff Um
Pneumatic
These Eyes
While I’m at this thing, here are a few other On-U treats for you to enjoy.
In 1982 Adrian & Co. issued the Discoplate series of 10" singles, DP1 – DP6. There are actually only five 10" releases. I don’t know why, but DP5 is a 12" EP of three tunes from Mark Stewart & Maffia. Here we go…
Side A –
Prince Far I / Singers & Players – Virgin
Side AA –
Singers & Players – Danger
Side A –
Revolution
Side AA –
Too Much Work Load
Side A –
Independent Man
Side AA –
Creation Rebel
Side A –
Strange Things / Conspiracy
Side AA –
Why Do Fat Men Have Such Skinny Thoughts?
Side A –
Jerusalem
High Ideals & Crazy Dreams
Side B –
Welcome to Liberty City
Side A –
Murder
Side AA –
Stand Firm
Next I thought I’d offer my friends, visitors, lurkers, & leechers Andy Fairley’s only credited 'solo' album, System Vertigo from 1992.
The late Andy Fairley had probably the most distinctive vocal style of any artist to record for Adrian Sherwood. In the early 1980s, art school dropouts
Howard Purse &
Doug White landed in
Bristol, UK. There they masterminded the creation of the band
Fish Food. Joined by local drummer
Dan Swan, ex-
Cortinas, & poet
Andy Fairley, the group began cooking up their fractured slices of surreal beat. Always on the fringe of the Bristol scene, the four rehearsed in their squat, a haunt for the likes of
The Pop Group,
Pig Bag, &
Scream & Dance.
Andy Fairley was a modern-day poet; a shrewd observer of the injustices & insanities of the modern world. His lyrics tackled issues such as the state of politics, privatization, & the plight of the under-classes. His raw vocal delivery perfectly & powerfully complimented the issues he addressed.
During the 1989-1993 period his voice was a familiar feature of Sherwood productions: Gary Clail; Dub Syndicate; & Keith LeBlanc among others. When not reciting his own verse in full, he was often sampled for use in-the-mix, often regaling the sonic qualities of the recording or giving a MC-like shout to the artist, On-U Sound, or Sherwood personally.
Here are a few that anyone familiar with the On-U catalogue have probably heard:
"This sound system comes to you with fuel injection!"
"Your head will become a crazy bulbous punch bag of sound!"
"Targeting your brain with sonic thrust!"
"This is the precinct of system. This is the precinct of sound!"
System Vertigo is a collection of his writings set to solid rhythms built by Adrian Sherwood & the Little Axe alums Skip McDonald & Doug Wimbish with a cast of others.
Fairley left On-U in the mid 1990s & vanished back into the Bristolian aether from which he had emerged. Sadly little else was heard from or about him until news of his death in 1999.
Side 1 –
I Stopped the Clock
System Vertigo
Ghost
The Election Pt. 1
Side 2 –
You Look at Life
Audio Visual Attack
The Election Pt. 2
A Nation Responds
Fun & Games
The Song of the Phoenix
False Start
Finally, a compilation of various On-U Sound celebrities on On-U Sound Celebration.
Tracklist –
The Deal (intro)
Stopping & Starting – Voice of Authority
Quante Jubila – Prince Far I & Creation Rebel
Dreams are Better – London Underground
Silent Mover – Playgroup
Last Sane Dream – Creation Rebel / New Age Steppers
Make a Joyful Noise – Singers & Players
AllaLa Dreadlocks Soldier – Singers & Players
Love I Can Feel – Creation Rebel
Creative Involvements – Creation Rebel
Deep & Mintyful - Playgroup
The Dice – Judy Nylon
Woodpecker Sound – Jah Woosh
Final Frontier – Creation Rebel / New Age Steppers
Independent Man pts. 1 & 2 – Creation Rebel
Epic Sound Battles – Playgroup
Feeling Wild – Voice of Authority
Knock the House Down – Voice of Authority
Thanks, Jonder, for the nudge,
NØ
Mark Stewart & - Anger is Holy, NØ Comp., 2023.
