The 'ultimate label sampler' disc: 4AD

[fange]

A simple brief - put together a playlist of songs that would fit onto a single CD (you can go for a double if you have the energy), that best represent the most essential or best songs of the 4AD label. Does that mean sales success, musical vision, or a combination of both? You decide, and feel free to explain why.

[never/ever]

Nah, I simply go for the songs I like.



Dif Juz- No Motion
Red House Painters- Michael
This Mortal Coil- Song To The Siren
Dead Can Dance- Mesmerism
Cocteau Twins- Blue Bell Knoll
A.R. Kane- Sado-Masochism Is A Must
Ultra Vivid Scene- The Mercy Seat
Throwing Muses- Delicate Cutters
Bauhaus- Terror Couple Kill Colonel
The Wolfgang Press- I Am The Crime
Colourbox- Arena II
His Name Is Alive- How Ghosts Affect Relationships
Pale Saints- A Deeper Sleep For Stephen
Pixies- Broken Face
Mojave 3- Mercy
Lisa Gerrard- Elegy
Breeders- Iris
Lush- Etheriel
Pieter Nooten/Michael Brook- Several Times II
Lisa Germano- Inconsiderate Bitch
Kendra Smith- The Bold Marauder

[fange]

A few towards the end of that list i'm not familiar with, will check them out. Cheers Maarts.

[Huw]

Nah, I simply go for the songs I like.



Dif Juz- No Motion
Red House Painters- Michael
This Mortal Coil- Song To The Siren
Dead Can Dance- Mesmerism
Cocteau Twins- Blue Bell Knoll
A.R. Kane- Sado-Masochism Is A Must
Ultra Vivid Scene- The Mercy Seat
Throwing Muses- Delicate Cutters
Bauhaus- Terror Couple Kill Colonel
The Wolfgang Press- I Am The Crime
Colourbox- Arena II
His Name Is Alive- How Ghosts Affect Relationships
Pale Saints- A Deeper Sleep For Stephen
Pixies- Broken Face
Mojave 3- Mercy
Lisa Gerrard- Elegy
Breeders- Iris
Lush- Etheriel
Pieter Nooten/Michael Brook- Several Times II
Lisa Germano- Inconsiderate Bitch
Kendra Smith- The Bold Marauder

That is one fuck of a good list Maarts. I want it!!

[the masked man]

My list would mostly consist of 'Ivo-era' tracks from the 80s and 90s. The label currently trading as 4AD is essentially a fraud, full of the unlistenable tripe that represents the current state of indie music. But once it was a different story.

The first part of my disc would focus on the label's flirtation with the gothier end of the nascent indie rock spectrum:

1. The Birthday Party - Release The Bats
2. Bauhaus - Terror Couple Kill Colonel
3. X-Mal Deutchland - Incubus Succubus
4. Cocteau Twins - Musette And Drums

Then I would cover the label's gentler, dreampoppy style:

5. This Mortal Coil - Song To The Siren
6. Dead Can Dance - The Arcane
7. Pale Saints - Sight Of You
8. Red House Painters - Medicine Bottle
9. Lush - Desire Lines
10. Mojave 3 - Love Songs On The Radio

I would continue with the label's sudden fixation with noisy Americans:

11. Pixies - Bone Machine
12. Throwing Muses - America (She Can't Say No)
13. Breeders - Safari
14. Belly - Feed The Tree
15. TV On The Radio - Wolf Like Me

And finally, some miscellany:

16. Colourbox - Breakdown (12" Mix)
17. Wolfgang Press - Kansas
18. Richenel - L'esclave Endormi
19. Modern English - Gathering Dust
20. GusGus - Polyesterday

[fange]

Excellent, mm.
So why the closer from HOH as opposed to another track from the album, or from another LP? The CTs are such an iconic 4AD band, how did you land on that track to represent them? Just personal preference or was there some other criteria?

[the masked man]

Personal favourite, basically. Also, as the last track on the album, it marks something of a full stop to their first stage. They never really did anything like that again, so maybe they'd taken that style as far as they could. Treasure pretty much removed all traces of goth rock from their palette, and established a gentler, more ornate style. Indeed Treasure might be seen as the one album that encapsulates the public image of 4AD. It contains 'sonic cathedrals'.....

[never/ever]

I've gone for a 'glammier' Cocteau-title than you but it's a fine and interesting choice, Andrew. It does represent them in a way better than the later years when they had such a quality set of productions (especially the EPs after Treasure were gold)....initially I had this on my list:



Fantastic BBC-version featuring the hugely underrated Gordon Sharp on backing vocals. I just love the power flowing out of Robin's guitar and it has Will Heggie off the leash on bass too....

[fange]

Hell yeah! The BBC sessions of some of the songs are stunning and should be in every fans collection, I think.

It's interesting too that you picked a track like 'Broken Face' for your Pixies pick, Maarts, a tiny little song that almost has a novelty feel. Personal fave?

[never/ever]

It packs a punch for sure. For me it has to be something off Surfer Rosa, mostly because of the impact that album made (more than Come On Pilgrim) and the definitive ending of the ethereal age and a more desolate artistic state of 4AD in the 90s. Surfer Rosa is packed with little surf-punk nuggets that is beyond novelty-status as there's nothing gimmicky about it. It's 4AD's Pulp Fiction-moment- brazen, anthemic and full of attitude.

[clive gash]

Bump

[pcqgod]

My list would mostly consist of 'Ivo-era' tracks from the 80s and 90s. The label currently trading as 4AD is essentially a fraud, full of the unlistenable tripe that represents the current state of indie music. But once it was a different story.

The first part of my disc would focus on the label's flirtation with the gothier end of the nascent indie rock spectrum:

1. The Birthday Party - Release The Bats
2. Bauhaus - Terror Couple Kill Colonel
3. X-Mal Deutchland - Incubus Succubus
4. Cocteau Twins - Musette And Drums

Then I would cover the label's gentler, dreampoppy style:

5. This Mortal Coil - Song To The Siren
6. Dead Can Dance - The Arcane
7. Pale Saints - Sight Of You
8. Red House Painters - Medicine Bottle
9. Lush - Desire Lines
10. Mojave 3 - Love Songs On The Radio

I would continue with the label's sudden fixation with noisy Americans:

11. Pixies - Bone Machine
12. Throwing Muses - America (She Can't Say No)
13. Breeders - Safari
14. Belly - Feed The Tree
15. TV On The Radio - Wolf Like Me

And finally, some miscellany:

16. Colourbox - Breakdown (12" Mix)
17. Wolfgang Press - Kansas
18. Richenel - L'esclave Endormi
19. Modern English - Gathering Dust
20. GusGus - Polyesterday

I'm not sure if I ever noticed that TV on the Radio was on 4AD, but it makes sense.

[Graham Murakami]

My list would mostly consist of 'Ivo-era' tracks from the 80s and 90s. The label currently trading as 4AD is essentially a fraud, full of the unlistenable tripe that represents the current state of indie music. But once it was a different story.

The first part of my disc would focus on the label's flirtation with the gothier end of the nascent indie rock spectrum:

1. The Birthday Party - Release The Bats
2. Bauhaus - Terror Couple Kill Colonel
3. X-Mal Deutchland - Incubus Succubus
4. Cocteau Twins - Musette And Drums

Then I would cover the label's gentler, dreampoppy style:

5. This Mortal Coil - Song To The Siren
6. Dead Can Dance - The Arcane
7. Pale Saints - Sight Of You
8. Red House Painters - Medicine Bottle
9. Lush - Desire Lines
10. Mojave 3 - Love Songs On The Radio

I would continue with the label's sudden fixation with noisy Americans:

11. Pixies - Bone Machine
12. Throwing Muses - America (She Can't Say No)
13. Breeders - Safari
14. Belly - Feed The Tree
15. TV On The Radio - Wolf Like Me

And finally, some miscellany:

16. Colourbox - Breakdown (12" Mix)
17. Wolfgang Press - Kansas
18. Richenel - L'esclave Endormi
19. Modern English - Gathering Dust
20. GusGus - Polyesterday

That's beautiful! I really want to listen to that and might make it in Tidal.

I would have just lumped the obvious ones together and spoilt it by including too much Americana (a few things from the Dark was the Night compilation, for example).

Would you reconsider and add the Mystery of Bulgarian Voices anywhere? Or something from the Scott Walker + Sunn O))) record?

[Insouciant Western People]

Or something from the Scott Walker + Sunn O))) record?

That is a fantastic lp, one of my favourites of the last decade or so. Like all Scott's music from Nite Flights onwards, it hugely repays repeated plays and close attention.

[Insouciant Western People]

I've never understood why people laud This Mortal Coil's take on Song To The Siren though. It's not that good, and quite sloppily sung, much too rushed, to my ears they didn't give it its due care.

Robert Plant's cover is much better, but by far the best version is the exquisitely measured, elegant and poignant one John Grant did with The Czars. Blows all the others way out of the water.