More Filth From Those Little Angels

Twenty years ago:

• The Smiths split up and a nation mourned.
• Twisted Sister broke up and the world shrugged with indifference
• Philip (Snakefinger) Lithman (The Residents) died of a heart attack at the tender age of just 38
• Peter Tosh was murdered
• Johnny Logan won Eurovision for the second time with the unforgettable 'Hold Me Now' (how did that go again, answers on a postcard please
• The best selling singles in the UK included Rick Astley 'Never Gonna Give You Up', The Bee Gees 'You Win Again' and the hugely influential 'Respectable' by Mel & Kim (at least this should convince those who claim the the charts were better in the old days. The charts were clogged up with effluent then and they're still full of effluent now).
• The Beastie Boys become the first act to be censored by American Bandstand.
• U2 finally claimed to be bigger than the Beatles (which therefore I guess makes them bigger than the band who were bigger than Jesus) when they shot a video for "Where the Streets Have No Name" on a rooftop in Los Angeles, California.
• Aussie popette Kylie Monogue (she still had a surname in those days) recording career begins and she signs a contract with evil puppet masters Stock Aitken Waterman

So why has the Devil come over all nostalgic? Well it's because his favourite indie label, Filthy Little Angels, has come up trumps again with their latest compilation album. Following two incredible Christmas themed albums (with an astounding 94 tracks to download for free!!) and a highly enjoyable tribute to Grease, the new compilation is dedicated to the popular music of twenty years ago and is titled, perhaps predictably, Nineteen Eighty Seven.

The album is based on a very simple concept, that some of the Filthy Little Angels favourite bands record tracks from 1987. It's an interesting concept and an equally interesting and esoteric collection of cover versions which manages to combine the sublime (Hyperbubble cheesy electro pop version of Men Without Hats 'Pop Goes The World' and The Balor Knights cover of A-Ha James Bond Theme, 'The Living Daylights') with the ridiculous ( Slideshow Freak's unrecognisable bluegrass cover of T'Pau 'China In Your Hand') and the simply reverential ( Wojtek Godzisz covering The Smiths 'A Rush and a Push and the Land is Ours' and The Leatherettes covering 'Son of a Gun' by The Vaselines).

I don't know whether the tracks to be covered were drawn out of a hat and allocated at random or whether straws were drawn and the shortest got to cover 'Never Gonna Give You Up' Rick Astley's excrutiating number one. Unfortunately, despite a brave attempt, the drawers of the shortest of short straws, The Fountain , are unable to turn this Stock Aitken & Waterman genetically modified sows ear into anything but an organically grown sows ear and , perhaps unsuprisingly, this is the least successful track on the otherwise splendid album.

Overall this is an album that should grace the hard drive of every discerning indie music lover.

Go Try

MP3 - Wojtek Godzisz - A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours (Smiths Cover)
MP3 - Slideshow Freak - China In Your Hand (T'Pau Cover)
MP3 - Hyperbubble - Pop Goes The World (Men Without Hats Cover)
MP3 - The Black Tulips - Shoplifters Of The World Unite (Smiths Cover)
MP3 - The Balor Knights - The Living Daylights (A-Ha Cover)
MP3 - The Leatherettes - Son of a Gun (Vaselines Cover)

Go Visit

Theres more, much more, to find, download, listen to and see at the Filthy Little Angels website so get yourself over there and while your at it part with some of your hard earned. They may have more music to download than you can shake a stick at but they aren't a charity. Also check out the sites of all of the bands featured on the album you know it makes sense.

Filthy Little Angels - Myspace // Website

and in case you'd forgotten what the originals sound like then the Devil has thought of everything here are the originals in all their glory...

MP3 - The Smiths - A Rush And A Push And The Land Is Ours

Buy The Smiths 'Strangeways Here We Come' from Amazon

MP3 - T'Pau - China In Your Hand

But T'Pau 'Bridge Of Spies' From Amazon

MP3 - Men Without Hats - Pop Goes The World (Clip)

Buy Men Without Hats 'Pop Goes The World' From Amazon

MP3 - The Smiths - Shoplifters of the World Unite

Buy The Smiths 'The World Won't Listen' From Amazon

MP3 - A-Ha - The Living Daylights

Buy A-Ha 'Stay On These Roads' From Amazon

MP3 - The Vaselines - Son of a Gun

Buy The Vaselines 'The Way Of The Vaselines' From Amazon