On-U Sound-related bootlegs
Like it or loathe it, the bootleg in its many guises continues to offer the musical underground another dimension in the recorded sound of the artists they follow - whether capturing a live music experience, featuring rare tracks or offering-forth impossibly obtainable mixes or versions. Though often amateurishly packaged by people who must remain anonymous, sometimes of dubious quality and often poorly documented, these contraband "recordings from the edge" often have that raw, home-made feel, and though frequently completely illegitimate, still offer the lucky acquirer the excitement of hearing sounds not otherwise easily available for public consumption.
On-U Sound material and subjects are hardly ever likely to be the source of rich pickings for bootleggers, but nevertheless a few of the more widely known offerings (of which I know at least something about) are given below. The "releases" featured here tend towards the more "professional" end of the scale of what might be considered bootleg material - i.e. they are of reasonable recording quality, often properly pressed, usually well packaged, and with some attempt having been made by their creators at distribution, even if this is/was still strictly unofficial. As a result of the open-ended classification of all material of this type within a single file, the listing here only offers a small, representative selection of such "releases". Note that officially sanctioned promotion-only items are considered to be legitimate releases and are listed elsewhere.
Given the unofficial nature of these recordings, full cross-referencing with the other discographies of official releases is restricted, while the material featured is also fully excluded from representation in the Rhythm Directory. Items where the track listing is either unknown or incomplete are marked by a *.
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Live compilation: Mark Stewart & the Maffia - 'Live'
Tak Roga / 1985 (?)
LP: (?) |
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- As The Veneer Of Democracy Starts To Fade
- * Operation Pacification
- Hypnotized
- Liberty City ||
- The Resistance Of The Cell
- Jerusalem
- + We Are All Prostitutes
- = Blessed Are Those Who Struggle
- + There Are No Spectators
* Live version of 'Passcivecation Program'.
+ Originally by the Pop Group.
= Actually medley of 'Anger', 'Forbidden Colour', 'Blessed Are Those Who Struggle', 'Shake' and 'Mr X, Mr Y'. |
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Album: Gary Clail On-U Sound System - (Live) *
Perfecto (?) / September 1992
LP: (?) |
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(compilation of live recordings)
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Compilation: Various Artists - 'Afro Trance' *
Cosmic Communications / 199?
LP: DJ-AN 1 |
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Side 1:
- * These Things Are Worth Fighting For (Perfecto Radio mix) [Gary Clail/On.U S.S.]
* From the singles of the same name. |
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Compilation: Depeche Mode - 'Ultra Rare Trax Volume 4'
(?) / 199?
CD: DM 4 |
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- A Question Of Lust (Old Town mix)
- Personal Jesus ((I'm Not) Crazy Anymore mix)
- Enjoy The Silence (Hot Trax mix)
- * Are People People? (Adrian On-U-Sound Sherwood)
- Sea Of Sin (Razor Cuts mix)
- Fly On The Windscreen (Touch Me mix)
- Just Can't Get Enough (Rubber Band mix)
- To Have And To Hold (Icelandic Taster mix)
- Dangerous (Hazchemix)
- A Question Of Lust (Minimal mix)
- Death's Door (Skeleton Key mix)
- I Sometimes Wish I Was Dead (Flexi mix)
* Remixed by AMS. Originally from the 'Master & Servant' singles. |
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12"EP: Various Artists - 'Affix'
High Tech 3 Records / (?)
33T |
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- Affix [?] ||
- * Throw It Away [African Head Charge]
- J'ai Deux Amours [Phylicia Allen]
* Originally from LP40. |
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Live compilation: The Pop Group / Mark Stewart - 'Mona Mona'
Slave To Love (?) / 199?
CD: SLAVE TO LOVE 001 |
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- ! Liberty City
- ! Hotter Than 1000 Suns
- ! Feed The Hungry
- ~* We Are All Prostitutes
- ~+ Operation Pacification
- ~ As The Veneer Of Democracy Starts To Fade
- ~ Hypnotized
- ~ Liberty City
- ~ The Resistance Of The Cell
- ~ Jerusalem
- ~= Blessed Are Those Who Struggle
- ~* There Are No Spectators
! The Pop Group recorded live in Helsinki in October 1980.
~ Mark Stewart & the Maffia (including AMS) recorded live at Paradiso, Amsterdam in May 1985. Also featured on the 'Live' bootleg compilation.
* Originally by the Pop Group.
+ Originally called 'Passcivecation Program'.
= Actually a medley of 'Anger', 'Forbidden Colour', 'Blessed Are Those Who Struggle', 'Shake' and 'Mr X, Mr Y'. |
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Live compilation: Creation Rebel / Prince Far I - 'Munich 1983'
(?) / 2004
CD: (-) |
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- * Some A Holler Some A Bawl
- Love I Can Feel
- Yuk Up
- + Big Fight
- + Prodigal Son
- + Virgin
- + Every Time I Hear The Word
- + What You Gonna Do On Judgement Day
- = African Space
- = African Space 2
* Officially released as 'Natty Conscience Free'.
+ Features vocals by Prince Far I.
= Recordings of different performances, the latter of which is longer but of poorer quality.
~ Mark Stewart & the Maffia (including AMS) recorded live at Paradiso, Amsterdam in May 1985. Also featured on the bootleg compilation. |
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Compilation: Tackhead - '2004'
Tackhead.com (?) / 2004
CD: (?) |
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- Stealing (Original version)
- Dream World (Dub)
- What's My Mission Now? (Parts 1 & 2)
- Dangerous Sex
- Break Out The Bubbly (Live)
- The Game (Live)
- The King (Live)
- Hard Left / New York Breakdown (Live)
- Airborne Ranger
- Mind & Movement
- Mind At The End Of The Tether
- Tell Me The Hurt
- Class Rock
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Mix compilation: Various Artists - 'On-U Sound Trash! 25 Years Of Beats, Dubs & Extravaganza'
(?) / April 2005
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- Intro: The Wrong Name & The Wrong Number [Mark Stewart/Maffia]
- What's My Mission Now? [Keith LeBlanc/Tackhead]
- Hypnotized [Mark Stewart/Maffia]
- Half A Gram A Shout [Gary Clail/TOTP]
- Throw It Away [African Head Charge]
- Ticking Time Bomb [Tackhead]
- Crazy (Do You Know The Way To LA mix) [Seal/Doug Wimbish/Keith LeBlanc]
- Switchin' Channels [Bomb The Bass/Doug Wimbish]
- Beneath The City Streets [Mark Stewart/Maffia]
- Revolution [Singers & Players/Bim Sherman]
- My Whole World / Dub [New Age Steppers]
- Creation Inna Iration [Creation Rebel]
- Quante Jubila Speech [Singers & Players/Prince Far I]
- Aggro Dub Version [New Age Steppers]
- Ska Trek [Tackhead]
- Chemical Specialist [New Age Steppers]
- Mind At The End Of The Tether [Tackhead]
- Hey Ho [Dub Syndicate]
- Dubbing Psycho Thriller [Dub Syndicate/Lee Perry]
- Loudspeaker [The Circuit]
- On-U interlude (remixed from PIAB vol. 1)
- Circular Motion [Forehead Bros.]
- Mind At The End Of The Tether (reprise) [Tackhead]
- The Show Is Coming [Dub Syndicate]
- React Like This [Interference]
- M P B One O Five [Tasteless Cuts/DJ Spike]
- Hona [Tackhead]
- Green Theory [Spike]
- Pursuit [African Head Charge]
- Dreadlock Soldier [Singers & Players/Prince Far I]
- Singing Love [New Age Steppers]
- Hallelujah [Maffia]
- Must Be Dreaming [Dub Syndicate]
- Chapter 4 [Dub Syndicate/Prince Far I]
- Stealing [Tackhead]
- Stormy Weather / Dub [Fats Comet]
- Nuclear Weapon [Singers & Players/Prince Far I]
- Mind At The End Of The Tether (again?!) [Tackhead]
- Half Cut Again [Gary Clail's Tackhead Sound System]
- Anthem [Tackhead]
- Stealing Interlude [Gary Clail's Tackhead Sound System]
- My One And Only One [Fats Comet]
- Ticking Time Bomb (reprise) [Tackhead]
- Stop The Clock (instrumental) [Strange Parcels]
- Reverend T.A.C.K. [Doug Wimbish/Skip McDonald]
- Ska Trek (reprise) [Tackhead]
- Trance (Adrian Sherwood remix) [Tackhead/Bernard Fowler]
- Who Are You? [African Head Charge]
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Compilation: Various Artists - 'Robot Dancing Volume 2'
NWR Records / May 2005
DLP: NWR 002 |
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- * Be My Powerstation (Re-edit) [Ché]
- Beatbox [Art Of Noise] ||
- It's My Life [Talk Talk]
- Subculture [New Order] ||
- Looking From A Hilltop [Section 257]
- Perfect Kiss [New Order] ||
- Sex Dwarf [Soft Cell]
- Stranger [Clan Of Xymox]
* Originally produced by AMS and Fats Comet. |
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Compilation: Various Artists - 'Electrounique Volume 2'
Electunes / 2006
LP: 02 |
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- This Fear Of Gods [Simple Minds]
- No. 8 [Tony Carey]
- Avant Apres Mars [Liaisons Dangereuses] ||
- Megawar [Tony Carey]
- * My Possession [Mark Stewart & the Maffia]
- Unknown Destination [Tribute]
- Somewhere In Afrika [Manfred Mann's Earth Band]
* Heavily re-worked from LP51. |
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Compilation: Tackhead - (-)
Tackhead.com - Echobeach / 2006
CD: (?) |
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- (Easy Mike)
- Change
- The Bubbly
- * Tamoris Dream (T'head rmx) [Tamori]
- + Dangerous Dub [Tackhead/Anne Marie]
- Pride [Strange Parcels/Jesse Rae]
- Stealing [Tackhead/Bim Sherman]
- Original Sex [Tackhead/Melle Mel]
- Ska Trek
- = Law Of Repetition
- Hard Left
- DJ Programme [Fats Comet]
- The Game (Live)
- New York Breakdown (Live)
- Hey Joe (Live)
* From a Japanese single of the same name.
+ From the 'Be Tough' album.
= First released on the 'On-U Out Of Control' compilation as 'Laws Of Repetition', credited there to Doug Wimbish. |
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Compilation: Nine Inch Nails - 'Demos & Remixes Volume 2'
Spider Records / (?)
CD: SP005CD |
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- Gave Up (remixed by Coil with Danny Hyde)
- Wish (remixed by J.G. Thirlwell)
- Fist Fuck (remixed by J.G. Thirlwell)
- Get Down Make Love
- Head Like A Hole (Slate)
- Terrible Lie (Sympathetic Mix)
- Head Like A Hole (Opal)
- March Of The Pigs (Clean version)
- All The Pigs, All Lined Up
- A Violent Fluid
- Big Man With A Gun
- * Sin (Dub)
- Memorabilia
- + March Of The Fuckheads
* Remixed by AMS and Keith LeBlanc. From the 'Sin' single. Mis-titled on the sleeve 'Sin (Remix By Adrian Sherwood)'.
+ Produced and engineered by AMS. From the 'Closer To God' singles/EPs. |
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