2007: The Best Of The Best Of The Rest

I wanted to get this post done earlier but I've been a little busy. It was also going to be longer than it is now, but then I thought that that would have been a bit insane after what I put myself through with the main lists. So here, in short, are the best of the rest of the year...

Top Five Various Compilations of 2007

1. After Dark (Italians Do It Better)

One of the most thrilling, fresh sounds of 2007 was the decidedly retro Italo-disco sound that emanated from the Italians Do It Better stable. This was their flagship release and it features tracks from leading lights Glass Candy and Chromatics, as well as up-and-comers Farah, Mirage and Professor Genius. Each of the five artists all have their own spin on the genre, with Glass Candy's high glamour contrasting with Chromatics' down-and-dirty dark disco, while Mirage vocoder everything up a touch, making it a little more robotic, Farah go for a druggy angle and Professor Genius has obviously, wisely been listening to a lot of Moroder. After Dark is just the first blast over the prow though, with the beachhead in place, watch them storm 2008.

Farah - Law Of Life (mp3)

Professor Genius - La Grotta (Demo) (mp3)

2. Love Is The Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets 1965-1970 (Rhino)
3. Chairmen Of The Board: Surf Soundtracks 1964-1974 (Harmless)
4. Computer Incarnations For World Peace (Sonar Kollektiv)
5. D-I-R-T-Y Space Disco (Tigersushi)

Top Five Artist Compilations Of 2007

1. Chaz Jankel - My Occupation (Tirk)

One of the more welcome renaissances of 2007 was the return and reinvigoration of Chaz Jankel. The ex-Blockhead started releasing 12-inches through both Tirk and Bear Funk, but it was this Tirk CD release that was the best thing he put his name to these past twelve months. A dig into his overlooked solo output, My Occupation gathered most of his finest moments, plus a whole new track recorded with YamWho? and Blackbeard, to shine a light one of Britain's most criminally-neglected musical treasures. Heavy soul, tripped-out experimentation and hedonistic disco were all on the menu on this fiendishly addicitve, timely, highly contemporary retrospective. Glad to know you, Chaz. Welcome as always.

Chaz Jankel - Am I Honest With Myself Really? (Ray Mang's Edit) (mp3)

Chaz Jankel - Get Myself Together (mp3)

2. Ewan Pearson: Piece Work (!K7)
3. The Afghan Whigs - Unbreakable (A Retrospective: 1990-2006) (Elektra)
4. Lindstrom & Prins Thomas - Reinterpretations (Eskimo)
5. Rune Lindbaek - Klubb Kebabb (Noid)

Top Five Reissues Of 2007

1. Ian Dury - New Boots And Panties!! 30th Anniversary Edition (Edsel)

This isn't on here for the extra material (the bonus concert DVD is fantastic but the extra songs have all been available elsewhere for years), but because it gave a much-needed spruce-up to one of the greatest British albums of the 70s. It's not often said but, in my opinion, New Boots And Panties!! is up there with For Your Pleasure, Hunky Dory, London Calling and Unknown Pleasures in that realm as it's the point when Dury really started to come into his own as a great lyricist and talent-spotter (The Blockheads are most definitely one of the tightest funk bands ever to walk the earth). Dury's tales of East End ne'er do wells has aged, true, but as an insight into one of the most fertile and furtive imaginations in British musical history, it's essential.

Ian Dury - Billericay Dickie (mp3)

Ian Dury - Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll (mp3)

2. Sly & The Family Stone - The Collection (Sony BMG)
3. Sonic Youth - Daydream Nation Deluxe Edition (Universal)
4. Betty Davis - Betty Davis/They Say I'm Different (Light In The Attic)
5. Leonard Cohen - Songs Of Leonard Cohen/Songs From A Room/Songs Of Love And Hate (Columbia)

Top Five DJ Mixes Of 2007

1. Prins Thomas - Cosmo Galactic Prism (Eskimo)

It'd be way too reductive to put samples up for this (plus the name alone should make you want to rush down to the record shop) as Cosmo Galactic Prism is one of the densest. most fluid, most consistently rewarding DJ mixes of this decade. Thomas distills one of his epic club sets down to two hours, forty minutes worth of great tunes, often with invisible transitions. Never does he use a 'tool' though and each track here is allowed to shine, albeit briefly in some cases, and all styles are welcome, from camp disco-kraut (Holger Czukay's 'Cool In The Pool') to twinkly minimal (Closer Musik's gorgeous 'Maria') and disco-metal (Metalchicks' 'Tears For Fears/Conspiracy') to John Carpenter-esque Italo (Zombi's 'Sapphire'). A real, bona fide journey into sound.

2. Body Language Vol. 4: Mixed By Dixon (Get Physical)
3. Rahaan - Disco Love (Online mix, downloadable from here)
4. Fabriclive 36: James Murphy & Pat Mahoney (Fabric)
5. Nish Nash Nosh Vol. 3: Mixed By Peter Jay (NNN)

Top Live Album Of 2007

Black Lips - Los Valientes Del Mundo Nuevo (Vice)

Narrowly pipping Daft Punk's Alive 2007 to the crown is this little ball of energy from Atlanta's Black Lips. As close to the full Black Lips live experience as you're likely to get without actually seeing them with your own eyes, this perfectly captures the intensity and vitality of one of the live circuit's best bands. It also makes you wonder how Black Lips aren't more popular as this sounds like one hell of a fun night in Tijuana (complete with mariachi band). Raw, dangerous and as exciting as live albums (often a purely vicarious experience) can get.

Black Lips - Hippie, Hippie, Hoorah (mp3)

Black Lips - Sea Of Blasphemy (mp3)

Can we move on to this year now?

JMx

Best Of 2007: Remixes and Edits

Taking a break from the main lists for a bit, here's a couple of miscellaneous lists, focusing on the best remixes and edits of 2007. I'm not going to write about each of the entries, just the number ones, but if you click through on the rest, you will get mp3s. That's a full 20 (!) mp3s in one post. Aren't I good to you lot...

Yer Mam!'s Top 10 Remixes of 2007

1. Dominique Leone - Clairevoyage (The 16th Rebels Of Mung Medley) (Feedelity)

One of the most pleasant surprises of the year was that the first forays into recording music for Pitchfork critic, Dominique Leone (actually a man, fact fans) didn't completely suck. In fact, the Dominique Leone EP, released on Feedelity in November is one of the most disarmingly beautiful vinyl releases of the last half of the year. Except for the lead-off track, a wild, wicked collab with Lindstrom and Mungolian Jetset that couples Leone's bedsit torch ballad, 'Claire' with MJS' ear for clattering, bric-a-brac percussion and Lindstrom's adeptness with the longform, creating the most pleasingly bonkers and best remix of 2007. The back half when camp abandon takes over from bubbling insidiousness is just perfection. Staggering stuff.

Dominique Leone - Clairevoyage (The 16th Rebels Of Mung Medley) (mp3)

And the rest...

2. Mari Boine - Vuoi Vuoi Me (Henrik Schwarz Remix) (Universal Jazz)

3. Hatchback - White Diamond (Prins Thomas Miks Del 1 & 2) (Thisisnotanexit)

4. Tony Allen - Kilode (Carl Craig Remix) (Honest Jon's)

5. Ost & Kjex - Milano Model (A Thrilling Mungophony In Two Parts) (Dialect Recordings)

6. Shirley Bassey - Slave To The Rhythm (The Glimmers Mix) (Lock, Stock & Barrel)

7. Faze Action - In The Trees (Carl Craig C2 Mix 1) (Juno)

8. Rubies - Room Without A Key (Studio Remix) (Telle)

9. Cortney Tidwell - Don't Let Stars Keep Us Tangled Up (Ewan's Objects In Space Remix) (Ever Records)

10. Etienne Jaumet - Repeat Again After Me (Ame Remix) (Versatile)

Yer Mam!'s Top 10 Edits Of 2007

1. Hot Chocolate - Cadillac (The Revenge Rework) (Five20East)

2007 was most definitely the year of the edit and by that I mean that not a week went by without some little boutique label ushering forth a new set of re-jigged disco obscurities. A lot of them were, to be frank, shite, but you get that when there's so much wheat and chaff to sift through (the Mindless Boogie series was seriously up-and-down, quality-wise). One label you can't really say that about is Five20East, whose Forever In Their Debt compilation CDs were veritable goldmines of fantastic edits. Best of a very good bunch was this rework of Errol Brown and co's 'Heaven Is 'N The Back Seat Of My Cadillac', which toughens the original up and sets its sights on working your feet and your behind into a frenzy, making it one of the most bonafide party-rockers of 2007. "Let me take you there".

Hot Chocolate - Cadillac (The Revenge Rework) (mp3)

And the rest...

2. Chic - I Want Your Love (Todd Terje Edit) (Supreme)

3. Vastkustska Ryggdunkarsallskapet - Town Out Of Order (White)

4. Peter Visti - Dolly (Mindless Boogie)

5. Fleetwood Mac - You Make Lovin' Fun (Trailmix) (Synergize Communications)

6. Easy Going - Fear (Serge Santiago Edit) (Arcobaleno Records)

7. Mock & Toof - Digit 2 (Rvng Intl.)

8. John Miles - Stranger In The City (Pilooski Edit) (D*I*R*T*Y)

9. Kate Bush - Running Up That Hill (Ashley Beedle Re-Edit) (White)

10. Sylvia Love - Extraterrestrial Love (JAZ Edit) (Beard Science)

It's back to the main lists again next, but there'll be more miscellaneous lists soon in the form of the best DJ mixes and compilations of 2007. Say what you like about me, but I'm nothing if not thorough.