One week at number one on 24th September 1988
As 1988 progressed, all the break-out House music stars were faced with a decision – should they cling to the same scattershot formula for the follow-up to their hit, or prove there was more to their work than a being a knowledgeable chef with a huge pantry and speedy chopping skills?
Mark Moore clearly decided that what wasn’t broken shouldn’t be meddled with, and “Superfly Guy” continued the messy thrills. Coldcut went off on a strange reggae safari with “Stop This Crazy Thing”, which bore as much relation to “Doctorin’ The House” as a giraffe does to a lion, and Bomb The Bass? Tim Simenon indulged in an interesting bit of cake-ism by doing both things at once.
Their second indie number one was therefore this; a double A-side which, in many chart listings, put “Megablast” in prime position, even though the track didn’t seem to have a promotional video (please do correct me if I’m wrong) and was almost never heard on the radio or television. Here’s where we get the continuity “Beat Dis” approach. “Megablast” is another bass heavy juggernaut ploughing through your neighbourhood, all barked samples, juddering rhythms, clarion call melodies and a faintly basic, lo-fi production.
While the samples are almost as fast and furious as “Beat Dis” – Freda Payne, Sly and the Family Stone, Rufus Thomas, Malcolm McLaren, Pink Floyd and the Apocalypse Now soundtrack all make their presence felt – it contains something which is much closer to a melodic hook than their first hit, namely that cheery, celebratory keyboard riff which emerges at regular intervals. As such, it’s less interesting somehow, less of a volatile stew of mixed ingredients and more of a standard dance track with a central gravitational catchphrase bidding for airplay. The bassline is strangely bare too, like a Commodore 64’s SID chip stretching towards distortion (though this may seem very appealing to some retro 8 bit loving listeners in the 21st Century).
Then, over on the other side – the side radio and television actually exposed us to – lay “Don’t Make Me Wait”, featuring Lorraine (aka Cool Notes member Laurine McIntosh). It’s a different concoction altogether, being more straightforwardly Pop than anything Simenon’s rivals had produced prior to this; in fact, the robotic exhortations to move one’s body, Lorraine’s bright vocals and the synth stabs and jerky but deliberately hooky keyboard melodies are attention-grabbing in traditional, almost Pete Waterman-approved ways. It’s only the glitchiness of the House rhythms beneath that give the track a credible clubland groove – in all other respects, it adheres to pop music’s strict rules about verses, choruses and middle eights. We wouldn’t have banked on this a few months before.
For all that traditionalism, it still remains the stronger side for me; there’s a scruffiness to it that stops it from being a glossy showbiz moment for either Simenon or McIntosh, a sense that while it may have been aiming to make UK House sound as sexy and domineering as a Janet Jackson record, it ultimately found itself stymied by its budget and backroom approach. That creates a charm that wouldn’t have existed if they’d succeeded, though – the actual song just doesn’t sound like a global smash, and needs the scuffing around the edges to give it grit and energy. While it may (once again) be far away from the average person’s idea of “indie”, the fact that Simenon is working on the fly under low rent conditions gives the track an edge and stops it from rolling unnoticed towards the middle of the road.
The public agreed – kind of. The pairing reached number six in the national charts, notably causing less of a stir than “Beat Dis”, but by this point the shock of the new had partially subsided, and the field of competitors was beginning to expand. Perhaps more importantly, that Autumn would be ripe for a sub-genre of House to really dominate headlines and the public’s attention. The days of genres emerging, having two or three years in the sunlight then ebbing away were gone – things were going into hyperdrive and morphing at a terrifying rate.
New Entries Elsewhere In The Charts
10. The Beatmasters feat PP Arnold - Burn It Up (Rhythm King)
Peak position: 3
What were we talking about again? The Beatmasters dropped the aggressive, hyperactive, snowplough rapidly careering downhill panic of “Rok Da House” for this, a delirious heat haze of a tune with soul legend PP Arnold. It may share the clumsy banana-fingered piano riffs with some House music, but it also contains the string stings of seventies disco and some of the most commanding vocals the genre had experienced thus far.
Having said that, I realise that I’m now making it sound more interesting than “Rok Da House”, which it really isn’t. It’s just more sophisticated – a slinky dancefloor number rather than rabble-rouser, tastefully groovy rather than thrillingly threatening.
11. Dinosaur Jr - Freak Scene (Blast First)
Peak position: 4
Sharp, jagged, and with feedback leaking from its every orifice, "Freak Scene" was an utterly amazing racket to land in the UK indie charts in 1988. Unlike many previous releases by Sonic Youth or Swans or Big Black, this wasn't just a pure adrenalin rush of noise - rather, this had some cunning pop craftsmanship and relatable adolescent angst in its bones.
Like Pixies, Dinosaur Jr clearly had diverse pre-punk record collections, and "Freak Scene" is all the better for it. From that fantastic distorted guitar solo to the key lyric of "Don't let me fuck up will you/ cos when I need a friend it's still you", it's pure goodness, and caused a number of snotty and punk-influenced British bands to quiver in fright at what might now expected of them.
25. The Seers - Freedom Trip (Skullf**k)
Peak position: 18
The Seers Classic Rock inspired swagger felt faintly out of time for 1988, especially for a group who seemed to be courting the kids rather than sensible Q readers. Always more Clash than Pistols and more Stones than Beatles, the group seeped attitude at a point where most low budget groups were pretending to be humble.
“Freedom Trip” references “Ruby Tuesday”, and strikes a blue note throughout, creating the kind of defeated anthem which usually cluttered the post-Britpop nineties rather than the dancefloor dizzy late eighties. Too soon, lads?
26. Renegade Soundwave - Biting My Nails (Rhythm King)
Peak position: 26
“Biting My Nails” would become something of an anthem for Renegade Soundwave, despite never really charming the mainstream charts. In its first iteration here it was a menacing, pulsing techno-dance track with psychotic, monotonous vocals and a thrashed guitar used to punctuate a sneering chorus. In later guises it would be remixed and retooled to become a bass-heavy excursion, attracting the attention of Nintendo who used it to soundtrack one of their Christmas adverts.
The games console market wasn’t beckoning in 1988, though, and this had to make itself content with a cult audience. Only particularly brave DJs were willing to give something this aggressive a spin and hope for an enthused dancefloor reaction.
Peak position: 26
“Biting My Nails” would become something of an anthem for Renegade Soundwave, despite never really charming the mainstream charts. In its first iteration here it was a menacing, pulsing techno-dance track with psychotic, monotonous vocals and a thrashed guitar used to punctuate a sneering chorus. In later guises it would be remixed and retooled to become a bass-heavy excursion, attracting the attention of Nintendo who used it to soundtrack one of their Christmas adverts.
The games console market wasn’t beckoning in 1988, though, and this had to make itself content with a cult audience. Only particularly brave DJs were willing to give something this aggressive a spin and hope for an enthused dancefloor reaction.
Number One In The National Charts
The Hollies - "He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother" (EMI)
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