The Associates: Have the years been kind?

I could watch those performances all day.

18 years since Billy died today.

You'd think someone in the middle of The Glamour Chase and a major Associates binge would be aware of that date! Coincidental bump.

Is "Voluntary Wishes, Swap It Production" a throwaway? It would have fit on the Sulk reissue.

Been going around in the context of the other groups he played with/for but John Murphy, who drummed for the band on the Fourth Drawer Down singles and the Sulk sessions, recently passed on. Almost a secret weapon of the band during that time, at once frenetic and capable of a focused discipline:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pGQkmIYLmsA

Sad news :( RIP.

The drumming has always been one of my favourite things about Sulk. I've always loved the way that the drum parts, particularly when he comes in for a fill, seem to teeter on the brink of falling apart entirely only for it to pull back at precisely the right moment.

He was fired during the sessions but I can't say I've been able to tell any difference -- possibly they just kept all his tracks and ran with it. And that's a great description of his work -- "Kitchen Person" also being a prime example:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRZKUDXngqw

Deluxe reissues of the first three albums coming on May 6th.

does that mean a complete edition of the uk/usa mix-n-match versions of Sulk ?

Fantastic, you got any idea of tracklisting. & how deluxe these are going to be? The early 00ies cds were about dopuble in length with bonus tracks. But I keep thinking of Deluxe as 2cd possibly because the cds labelled Deluxe over teh last decade have been that.
& is 1st 3 Affectionate Punch, Sulk and 4th Drawer Down last of which is also a singles compilation.
DO hope other material follows including a comprehensive Rankine era Peel/BBC sessions set.
& a dvd would be welcome too.

I haven't seen the track listing yet so I'm not sure. I hope there's enough stuff on there so I can justify buying them. I've just offered to review them on the site I write for. I've only just got over the emotion of doing the Earl Brutus ones, this may all be too much for me.

Tracklistings here: http://www.superdeluxeedition.com/news/associates-two-cd-deluxe-editions/

As far as I can tell, here's what's new to CD if you already have the 2000 CD reissues:
The Affectionate Punch: Schmoltz / Would I Bounce Back (remix) / A (remix) - unless this is the single version / Amused As Always (remix) / The Affectionate Punch (remix)
Fourth Drawer Down: The Tree That Never Sang / Straw Towels (demo) / Q Quarters (demo)
Sulk: Club Country - if it's the original LP version / Club Country 12" / Party Fears Two (inst) / Skipping (alt) / Me, Myself And The Tragic Story - if it's a studio take and not the Peel session
Very Best Of: Eloise / Jukebox Bucharest

Couldn't they have put both versions of the 1st album together on one release? I've never heard the 2nd version.

Did they remix "The Affectionate Punch" entirely, or just some tracks? Is it possible the 4 remixes I noted above were the only changes?

I thought it was the entire album, and a lot more than remixed too. But I've never heard it, so I don't actually know.

They remixed the whole album. I tried to listen to it again last year and couldn't make it through the whole album. It's so bad.

I was hoping that 'The Affectionate Punch' would contain both versions, for completeness. I have the 2005 re-issue of the original on CD, which is my preferred one. I have the remix on vinyl but haven't listened to it in ages.

I recall the mixes being quite different but it's been a long time. Blown away by a borrowed cassette version first, then disappointed and underwhelmed by the CD reissue several years.

I did end up veyy much enjoying the CD, though

I got 'Even Dogs In The Wild' stuck in my head while reading all this talk about The Affectionate Punch and now I'm going to have to listen to that album immediately. Sulk is the one that always seems to get talked about, and deservedly so as it's a phenomenal record, but The Affectionate Punch is such a great collection of songs.

May you forever rest in peace, Billy, you wonderful bastard.

The remixes took a lot of the guitars out and replaced them with keyboards, not very good ones. I probably hadn't heard the remix version in over 10 years when I put it on last year. I was shocked by how much I disliked it. When I really got into them in 2000, I could only find the remix version so that's the one I knew for at least a year. I enjoyed it but then I found the original version at a record fair for 50p (my best find ever) which blew the remixes away. The guitars on the record sounded amazing and suited the songs so much better. I think it was A and Would I.. Bounce Back that sounded the most different.

Agree with you there Turrican, Sulk is their masterpiece but The Affectionate Punch is an incredible album too. Both 10/10 records for me.

I have a real soft spot for 'Perhaps'..."Breakfast" is just a lovely thing...

I think the Rankine years are the apex.
& his guitar is really krautrocky.
I wonder what reason was given at the time for the extensive AP remix?

Buying that daft remix version put me off getting into Associates properly for many years.

Wonder if that remixed version of Tell Me Easter's On Sunday will be going on the best of. Somehow I suspect it won't.

First album is my favourite fwiw.

I think the success of the Sulk singles made someone think it was a good idea to turn AP into a synthpop "new pop" album instead of a "post-punk" album.

They didn't like the production on the 1st album, and basically just didn't like the album in general, I think that's what it was really about.

They had that weird anti-cymbals thing going on which was briefly popular and seemingly applied that to the remix version

I think the success of the Sulk singles made someone think it was a good idea to turn AP into a synthpop "new pop" album instead of a "post-punk" album.
― dan selzer,

Yeah, this is about right. Billy and Alan disowned it pretty quickly. It's sad to think it was the only version available on CD until the CD reissue in 2004.

I have a real soft spot for 'Perhaps'..."Breakfast" is just a lovely thing...

― X-Prince Protégé (sonnyboy)

Breakfast is so gorgeous with one of my favourite Billy vocals ever. Perhaps is a step down from Sulk but still a really great album. The second in particular is very strong. Always loved The Best Of You. It's a shame Helicopter Helicopter spoils that first half.

Perhaps is my favourite Associates album. I find it quite weird it is considered to be a flawed effort

Perhaps benefits greatly from having Martin Rushent behind the desk.

Watching that performance of "You Only Live Twice" upthread, and being a fan of "The Rhythm Divine," I am thinking how amazing a record of Billy singing Bond songs would've been. I mean, man.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOP!

I have to say that song has been driving me NUTS. My car's connection to my iPhone can be buggy. Firstly, whenever I plug the phone in, it immediately starts playing the first song on my phone, which used to be some unlistenable Aphex Twin thing, but is now "A" by the Associates. Then the bugginess causes it to start, play the first verse, then start again, over and over again. It drives us crazy.

I liked the song before that though.

I love 'A', it demonstrates that Billy can sing something as mundane as the alphabet in that golden voice of his and have it come out amazingly, but even my patience would be tested by having to listen to it like that!

Watching that performance of "You Only Live Twice" upthread, and being a fan of "The Rhythm Divine," I am thinking how amazing a record of Billy singing Bond songs would've been. I mean, man.

― Naive Teen Idol,

Always thought Give Me Time from Beyond The Sun was his best attempt at a Bond theme.

Listening to The Affectionate Punch last night I fell in love all over again with the way the guitar just comes bursting in on 'Paper House', such a great bit of playing.

I've just put it on. Paper House could well be my favourite song on here. Always loved how pretty the guitars are on Logan Time too.

One of my favourite memories of this album is from Jonathan Ross' radio show back in 2006. He had Yeah Yeah Yeahs in to promote Show Your Bones. He somehow got on to the topic of Billy Mackenzie/Associates when interviewing them and couldn't believe they'd never heard of them. He sounded really excited to play an Associates track for them. He then went and played Transport To Central. It was such an awesome and bizarre moment hearing such a bleak song like that on Radio 2 on a Saturday morning. I don't remember Yeah Yeah Yeahs reactions now, I don't think they were that excited by it. Probably the coolest thing I've ever heard Jonathan Ross do.

i don't know if anyone but billy could sing the phrase "i don't know whether to over or underestimate you", let alone make it catchy. seems like an insanely hard thing to sing.. to fit all the syllables in and still have it be soulful, let alone intelligible.

Hahaha, I didn't know about that! I love those jagged guitar chords in 'Transport To Central'... there's some great guitar work throughout the whole album, actually. I've got 'Deeply Concerned' lodged in my head now, think it may be time for yet another listen. I'm glad that we're not talking about Sulk for once, even though I love that record!

(x-post to KP)

Oh god, yeah, that chorus from 'A Matter of Gender' is such an earworm!

Always been a really big fan of of the B-side, You Were Young. It's as good as anything on The Affectionate Punch.

Agree about A Matter of Gender. Another AP highlight. There isn't a weak song on there really.

Hello.

In May 1982 the French TV presenter Alain Maneval came to London to film The Associates for his show Megahertz. The band performed ‘Party Fears Two’ and ‘Club Country’ at the Kensington Roof Gardens, London. The show was broadcast and the tapes disappeared into a French film archive. They are now available for the first time in 34 years

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ww2AYxrPqkk

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i38fCDsrKIg

Nice!

<3 Billy

Just wonderful. I could spend ages watching Billy performances like that. What a man!

20 years since Billy died today. Definitely going to be playing some of his/their stuff loud today.

Me too. Not that I need any excuse to listen to this band!

Will line 'Sulk' up next. Twenty years!

I'm on a bit of Nude Spoons right now.