Month: January 2024

I didn’t realise until putting this entry together that Radiohead’s ‘OK Computer’ was a bit of a Marmite album. Either touted as one of the greatest or most overrated albums of all time, it was for a time the only Radiohead album I owned. I had tried getting into Radiohead after hearing ‘Creep’ for the first time, but ‘Pablo Honey’, the album from which that song was taken did not inspire me to buy anything else at the time. This began to change once some of the songs that were on their second album, ‘The Bends’ started appearing on compilation albums I bought at the time. ‘High & Dry’, ‘Fake Plastic Trees’, ‘Just’ and ‘Street Spirt (Fade Out)’ all made it onto mix tapes from the time but the parent album would have to wait until it was re-released on vinyl about twenty years after the event for me to take the plunge and buy it. There were no such qualms with ‘OK Computer’ though. 

I’m not sure if it was ‘Paranoid Android’ or ‘Karma Police’ that made me feel that this album could be a welcome addition to the Squire Archives, but in it came and what an experience it was. It sounded like a complete album, and not a couple of great singles tagged with some substandard filler. This was prog rock for the 90s. It also signalled the death nail for the ‘Britpop’ movement as this complex style of writing and arranging would influence many acts that produced music over the following years.

I had not played ‘OK Computer’ as a whole for many years. What brought the album back to my attend was reports that a number of MIniDiscs that had belonged to Thom Yorke had been stolen. The story went that the band were contacted by the owner of the sound files and threatened with the whole lot being made available on line without a payment being made. If this happened or not is neither here nor there, but the band decided to officially release the music for a short period of time. In return, the band asked the buyers to donate to Extinction Rebellion. 

So, being a huge fan of the record, I duly paid my money and slowly made my way through the files. Luckily, fans online published playlists for these discs but it took an age to edit them down into individual songs and then listen to them through. Even though the majority of it was not worth even one listen, there was some great outtakes that had not been officially released before and it does beg the question, why not? Picking up a copy of the OKNOTOK 19972017 edition of ‘OK Computer’, I wondered if I could put together an alternative version of the record. 

What I did was to only use songs that I had not used on other compilations elsewhere. I would also add songs that had either been used as B-Sides or previously unreleased. The rest would be made up of different versions (and in some respects, the differences are negligible) of the songs that would make up rest of the record. I did delete ‘Lucky’, a song I do like but never thought that it fitted in with the rest of ‘OK Computer’. That could be down to the fact that I first heard it on the ‘Help’ Charity album from 1995. Personal taste I suppose. 

Unlike the majority of my posts, this is designed for CD length instead of vinyl. The original link that the band posted to donate to Extinction Rebellion still works if you fancy making a donation. https://chuffed.org/pay/campaign/62932. 

1. Motion Picture Soundtrack (Solo Piano)
2. Airbag (Unmastered Album Version)
3. Paranoid Android (Late Mix)
4. Subterranean Homesick Alien (Late/Final Version 3 – Different Intro)
5. Exit Music (Late Mix)
6. Let Down (Thom 4-Track)
7. Karma Police (Unmastered Album Version)
8. Polyethylene – Part 2 (Late Mix w/Vocal Effect)
9. How I Made My Millions (Single B-Side)
10. Lull Single (B-Side)
11. What Do You Mean (Take 2)
12. Attention (Thom 4-Track)
13. Fitter Happier (Solo Piano Demo)
14. Electioneering (Unmastered Album Version)
15. Climbing Up Walls (Unmastered Album Version)
16. No Surprises (Late Mix, Original Speed)
17. Lift (Alternative Version, Mix #1)
18. Man Of War (OKNOTOK Version) 
19. The Tourist (Unmastered Album Version 3)

For the cover of this compilation, I used one that was produced on SkillShare for a project to come up with a alternative sleeve. https://www.skillshare.com/projects/OK-Computer-alternate-album-cover-DKNG-textures-and-halftones/23899

You really know when you are getting on a bit when the music of your youth becomes the subject of box set retrospectives, containing rare tracks, forgotten artists and the odd unreleased song. Between 2019 and 2021, there were three of these looking at the British music scene in the 1990s. These were ‘Steve Lamacq – Lost Alternatives’ (2019), ’Martin Green Presents: Super Sonics – 40 Junkshop Britpop Greats’ (2020), ’Caught Beneath The Landslide (The Other Side Of Britpop And The ‘90s (2021)’. These were jam packed with names I remember but loads that I did not. What I have been surprised about is that there has not been a second volume.

I thought I would see if I could produce my own box set following a similar template laid out by the ‘Lost Alternatives ’ by choosing tracks from the whole decade, but I would not be allowed to use any songs from the three compilations above*. I would also not be allowed to any songs that I have placed on any of the compilation or lost albums that I am posting or already posted this year. I also could not use the same artist more than once (unless guesting with someone else). This did prove to be a bit of a challenge but this is what I came up with. 

Some of the more well known names represented with rare tracks such as B-Sides. I have also looked to include only bands from the British Isles, even though the odd interloper will make an appearance. Steve Lamacq also had nothing to do with this either. 

Disc 1

1. Heavenly Pop Hit – The Chills
2. Rollercoaster – The Jesus & Mary Chain
3. 13th Disciple  – Five Thirty
4. Kinky Love – Pale Saints
5. Inertia – Blur
6. Dogs With No Tails – The Pale
7. Which Way Should I Jump? – Milltown Brothers
8. Twiggy Twiggy – Pizzicato Five
9. Here’s Where The Story Ends – The Sundays
10. Alternative Title – Carter, The Unstoppable Sex Machine
11. Funny How – Airhead
12. Touched By The Hand Of Cicciolina – Pop Will Eat Itself
13. Yr Own World – The Blue Aeroplanes
14. Obscurity Knocks – The Trash Can Sinatra’s
15. Cherry-Coloured Funk – Cocteau Twins
16. Gimmie Some Truth – The Wonder Stuff
17. Flying – The Telescopes
18. Sweetness & Light (Demo) – Lush
19. Leave The All Behind – Ride

Disc 2

1. Unstable – Flamingoes
2. If I Can’t Change Your Mind – Sugar
3. Judy Over The Rainbow – Orange
4. Dream – Pooka
5. Lowdown – Elextrafixation
6. Without Doubt – Mantaray
7. City Sickness – Tindersticks
8. Girl At The Bus Stop – My Drug Hell
9. Kent – Salad
10. Still Hanging Around – AutoPop
11. Every Day – Brianpool
12. Halo – Girl Of The Year
13. What’s What We’ll Do – The Poppies
14. Not Even Starcrossed – Telstar Ponies
15. In The Groove Again – Out Of My Hair
16. Undecided – Shack
17. So Glad (Album Version) – Thrum
18. White Love (Radio Mix) – One Dove
19. Souvlaki Space Station – Slowdrive
20. (Come On, Join) The High Society – These Animal Men
21. Kenuwee Head – Voodoo Queens

Disc 3

1. Who’s That Girl – The Mystics
2. Disco Hell – The Candyskins
3. Go Go Pepper – Tip Top Planets
4. Lewis Brightworth – Thurman
5. Seems You’ve Missed Sunday – The Weekenders
6. Out Of The Void – Grass Show
7. Sucrose – The Delgados
8. Spice Girls (Who Do You Think You Are?) – Period Pains
9. Teenage Girl Crush – Angelica
10. Mail Monarchy – Compulsion
11. Stand Up – Lick
12. Me & Mr Lonely – Pimlico
13. Working On A Beautiful Thing – The Pooh Sticks
14. Fear Of Flying – Ruth
15. The Milkman – Mice
16. Strawberries & Cream – Boutique
17. Sex & Cheques – Jolt
18. Kylie & Jason – Midget
19. Ignoramus (Alternative Version) – Baby Chaos
20. Ecstacy – Deluxor
21. Strength – Comet Gain
22. Loves A Cliché – The Karelia
23. I’m In Love – Taxi Driver
24. Twist – Arnold
25. Alfie – Don
26. Welsh Bands Suck – Teen Anthems

Disc 4

1. Heavens Above – Hillman Minx
2. Say Something – The Smiles
3. I Messiah, Am Jailer – AC Acoustics
4. Overthrown – Labido
5. I Was Starving Hungry (In Tesco’s) – Mogul
6. Hot Topic – Le Tigre
7. Daria – Chicks
8. Girlie Pop – Pop Tarts
9. Super Sexy Razor Happy Girls – Mika Bomb
10. Spyder – Jetsons
11. The Wee Wee Song – Girlfriendo
12. Ray Liotta – Linoleum
13. Jediwannabie – Bellatrix
14. Killing The Bland – Prolapse
15. Dirty Weekend – The Dandys
16. The Hymn For The Cigarettes – Hefner
17. Sweeping The Nation – Spearmint
18. The Book Lovers – Broadcast
19. Looking For Sparks – Seafruit
20. Shirley Wall – Doberman
21. Better Made – Head-swim
22. Baby Come On – Spacemaid
23. Disco 2000 (Original Mix) – The Lance Gambit Trio

The cover is adapted from one used for a Spotify playlist which represented tracks that didn’t quite make the ‘Lost Alternatives’ four CD box set. 

*I suspect that I will have doubled up on at least one song.

Oasis in their mid 90s pomp always boasted that some of their best songs were relegated to the B-Sides of their singles and a collection of these flip sides were collected together on ‘The Masterplan’ compilation which was released in 1998. Taking a look at the other big hitters from the era, Oasis were the only band to do this (as far as I can tell) so I thought it would be an interesting experiment to see if there was enough material from some of these other bands to do the same. This is the first of these B-Sides Collections and it is the mighty Supergrass that get this honour.   

These date from their first releases on Parlophone in 1995 up until the last album of the decade in 1999. Unlike their standard albums, there are a couple of covers on here. The title takes it name from ‘Wait For The Sun’, one of the B-Sides from the ‘Lenny’ single. An awesome song and such a shame that it was relegated to a B-Side. 

Side A

1. Believer (Moving – 1999)
2. Nothing More’s Gonna Get In My Way (Richard III – 1997)
3. Condition (Alright – 1995)
4. Melanie Davis (Going Out – 1996)
5. Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others (Sun Hits The Sky – 1997)
6. Faraway (Acoustic Version) (Moving – 1999)

Side B

1. We Still Need More (Than Anyone Can Give) (Late In The Day – 1997)
2. What A Shame (Pumping On Your Stereo – 1999)
3. Lucky (No Fear) (Pumping On Your Stereo – 1999)
4. 20ft Halo (Richard III – 1997)
5. Odd? (Mansize Rooster – 1995)
6. Wait For The Sun (Lenny – 1995)

The sleeve is adapted from the Hollywood Bowl 2003 bootleg, with a slight change to the graphics. A nice pastiche of The Beatles Second album cover, ‘With The Beatles’.