Review: V/A ‘Acid House Anthems’

 

25 years ago, the UK witnessed the birth of a Generation,  the so-called ‘second summer of love’, Acid House came to these shores, from its roots in the US of A it got the injection it needed from British youth and attitude, this in turn led to a series of infamous illegal warehouse parties all over the country which eventually took over and replaced all that had gone before.
This disc is filled with floor fillers from back in the day – you may not know the names of the tracks but you will certainly have heard them before. It’s actually jam-packed full with tunes; from subtle numbers to floor fillers and back again.
Split into three sections, there’s Anthems – big bold tunes from Frankie Knuckles and Steve Silk Hurley, Njoi and Expansions – all the club classics, In the Beginning is the early stuff – slightly Dark and moody, Phuture, Fast Eddie, Armando – the Acid house sounds we all know started here and then there is Balearic Beats , Orbital, Primal Scream, Happy Mondays with the sounds of Ibiza and the beach beyond. It is impossible not to dance or even move when this is playing.
What is it then – its fifty essential(said in the Pete tong voice) tracks of acid house, sure you may not know them all, there are a few i don’t think i ever heard played and a few i would like to have had on the compilation but everyone’s view is different depending on where and when you went clubbing. In short – if you were there and you remember even some of it then you must have this. I have it on permanent play in the car

Full tracklisting:
CD1: ANTHEMS
1. Frankie Knuckles feat. Jamie Principle – Your Love
2. Steve “Silk” Hurley – Jack Your Body
3. Coldcut – People Hold On
4. Inner City – Big Fun
5. Alison Limerick – Where Love Lives
6. N-Joi – Anthem
7. Xpansions – Move Your Body
8. Farley “Jackmaster” Funk & Jesse Saunders feat. Darryl Pandy – Love Can’t Turn Around
9. Ten City – That’s The Way Love Is
10. Raze – Break For Love
11. A Guy Called Gerald – Voodoo Ray
12. The Nightwriters – Let The Music Use You
13. Kariya feat. Todd Terry – Let Me Love You For Tonight
14. Bomb The Bass – Beat Dis
15. Sterling Void – Runaway Girl
16. Guru Josh – Infinity
17. Jungle Brothers – I’ll House You
18. D-Mob feat. Gary Haisman – We Call It Acieed

CD2: IN THE BEGINNING
1. Rhythim Is Rhythim – Strings Of Life
2. Marshall Jefferson – Move Your Body (The House Music Anthem)
3. Ce Ce Rogers – Someday
4. Frankie Knuckles Presents Satoshi Tomiie – Tears
5. Fingers Inc. – Can You Feel It
6. Phuture – Acid Trax
7. Mr Fingers – Washing Machine
8. Fast Eddie – Acid Thunder
9. Maurice – This Is Acid
10. Baby Ford  – Oochy Koochy (F.U. Baby Yeh Yeh)
11. Pierre’s Pfantasy Club – Dream Girl
12. Kenny “Jammin” Jason Feat. Fast Eddie – Can U Dance
13. Royal House – Can You Party
14. The House Master Boyz & The Rude Boy Of House – House Nation
15. Armando – Land Of Confusion
16. Jolly Roger – Acid Man

CD3: BALEARIC BEATS
1. 808 State – Pacific State
2. Orbital – Chime
3. Primal Scream – Loaded
4. Happy Mondays – W.F.L (Paul Oakenfold Mix)
5. St Etienne – Only Love Can Break Your Heart
6. Bass-O-Matic – Fascinating Rhythm
7. James – Come Home (Andrew Weatherall Mix)
8. T Coy – Carino
9. A Man Called Adam – Barefoot In The Head
10. Joe Smooth – Promised Land
11. The Beloved – Sun Rising
12. Electribe 101 – Talking With Myself
13. The Blow Monkeys – La Passionara
14. Sheer Taft – Cascades
15. Timmy Thomas – Why Can’t We Live Together
16. Chris Rea – Josephine (Le Version Française)

The pelican Club - Think Again

The Pelican club was on Market street underneath the Metro.

 

A dark and dingy basement, i admit i had some snobbishness about it before hand – being a Fever man we didn’t really go to the Pelican – it was for others.

Think again with Titch on the decks i soon fell in love with the place after Fever closed. The Pelican became our ritual, much larger than Fever with a small Red room chill out area, the main bar area and a large dancefloor – it even had the occasional beer garden open – i think this got closed due to noise and people sneaking in but i could be wrong.

 

The Pelican had many guest DJ’s to complement Titch, Cowboy records night was a firm favourite and that night along with the after party has gone down in history with those who were there.

 

It could be strange coming out the club to be met with all the angry beer heads from the Metro hanging around outside and many fights were witnessed from the Metro crowd as we left the club.

 

Being on Market street milling about afterwards looking for the party was quite frowned upon by the local Plod.

 

I have fond memories of the Pelican club – the stairs were sticky, the toilets were rank but Titch played some amazing music and the crowd was usually always a belter. Paul, Brendan and Finnie all played guest spots all were fantastic - Brendan even managed to get the pelican crowd dancing to Wham but I imagine most of them had no idea that's who he was playing.

 

Did you go to the Pelican club? Send me some memories if you have them still.

Random Quote

"I don't think I ever batted an eyelid about standing in a field all night for 18 hours dancing, it seemed the most normal thing in the world. You didn't want to go home, you had nothing to go home to. Thinking about it now gives me goosebumps."

Noel Gallagher on dancing all night.

Friday Tune

Its Friday - Time for a Tune

Mental cube - Q  - a classic from the Future Sound of London Boys

Fever - The Bang Club

Fever

 

Fever was a club on Gordon Street Aberdeen, just a small club behind the main street, upstairs to the toilets, then upstairs again to the club, small dancefloor, sometimes only 1 strobe, very hot and usually always very busy, Jacqui Morrison on the decks the Bang club was the place to be for the Aberdonian Acid House aficionado. With guest DJ’s from Graeme Park to Justin Robertson, Guest PA’s from Nomad and others the club was a hot bed of activity every week.

 

I remember going to the 2^nd Birthday party, que’s of people outside the door all waiting to get in, seeing Bruce on the door and hearing the cry ‘regulars only’ and then strolling in past the crowds – the feeling was amazing.

 

Departing sometimes to go use Wimpy – either for use of the toilet or for a milkshake – we must have looked like aliens to the normal folks having a burger late on a Saturday night.

 

When the club would finish with everyone milling about outside trying to find out who was having a party – sometimes it was me and throngs of people would walk and dance down crown street to my flat.

 

I met many friends at Fever – some of which have been forgotten over time, others are still my friends, others i may have declared my undying love for have never been seen again – even if i could remember what they looked like or even a name.

 

When Fever closed it was gut wrenching  - that last night was crazy – my weekends had been ruined The Bang on nights were resurrected down at the beach but the feeling had gone – as good as other clubs were that we started to use afterwards none came close to that feelings i had at Fever.

 

I still have my Bang club t shirt, Fever does have a facebook page but it is not really used by many which is a shame considering how loved the place was, but people move on.

 

20 years have passed and i can still hear a track and be right back on that dancefloor listening to Jacqui on the decks.

 

Do you remember Fever?

 

 

Welcome to AHF

Well first off welcome to my Blog - Acid House Flashback, in this blog I intend to write about my memories of the early days of Acid house here in Aberdeen. This mostly centred around a club called Fever - the night was The Bang Club.

if you went there at all keep coming back as I will be doing some features on this club here at AHF.

I will try to update regular and intend not only to give original writing but some interviews and reviews also.