Four days til Bestival and I don’t have to remind you that if you get your skates on and try your hand at designing a new banner logo for VentnorBlog you could win yourself a pair of tickets. You have until 5pm today to email in your entry.
If like me, your tummy is full of knots with excitement, you’ll be stoked to hear that as of today, you can get your own slice of the Bestival lineup to enjoy at home.
Sunday Best, Rob Da Bank’s rather excellent record label, have just released A to Z Bestival 2007 and those very generous folks at Bestival HQ have given us some copies to give away to our valued readers. Competition details to follow shortly.
We’ve also heard that there are five pairs of golden tickets to Bestival 2008 to be found within the first 5000 albums to be released, and that includes the ones we have to give away!
This latest in the series of A to Z Bestival CDs (you’ll remember that Cuban bros compiled the first and Annie Mac the second) compiled by the Honcho himself, features some of my favourite all time tracks such as The Orb’s ‘Little Fluffy Clouds’, Primal Scream’s ‘Come Together’ and Soul II Soul’s ‘Back To Life’.
These are nestled in between an exclusive live version of dan le sac Vs Scroobius Pip’s ‘Thou Shalt Always Kill’, Justin Robertson’s new Thee Earls project and Jape’s majestic ‘Floating’.
The CDs are available in all good record shops and of course, The Sunday Best Shop.
Here’s the playlist with Rob’s sleeve notes:
Disc 1:
1. A lovely morning breaks over Bestival 2007
“Ahh, here we go again, 365 days later and we’re waking up on the good old Isle of Wight, the UK’s very own Ibiza”¦ and Bestival’s about to begin! Yeehaa!”
2. Bonde Do Role – Solta O Frango
“Baille funk is the most sexy new musical movement since Rick James keeled over! And Bonde (pronounce bon-jay) epitomize that – rude lyrics, dangerously random live shows and, even though we don’t know what it’s all about, we love it!”
3. The Chemical Brothers – Song To The Siren
“One of the records that I used to practice me DJing on. I haven’t got any better since then but they have! And this is still a timeless record.”
4. Dan le Sac vs. Scroobius Pip – Thou Shalt Always Kill (live version)
“The most exciting UK hip hop record ever? Certainly the funniest and most irreverent and it mentions me in this special live version so naturally it must be included!”
5. Dub Pistols feat Terry Hall – Gangsters (live at Bestival 2005)
“One out of many great moments at a Bestival”¦ the cooler than thou Terry Hall hadn’t sung this for years but he sparked it into life like it was yesterday and made the Isle of Wight shake!”
6. Thee Earls – Bombs To Fall
“Every year the man Justin Robertson smashes the Bollywood Bar with his technoid bleeps. This is him microphone in hand in rock n roll mode.”
7. Fujiya & Miyagi – Ankle Injuries
“Again I think this could be rude but it doesn’t matter. If anyone’s gonna threaten Hot Chip for leftfield whizzkids of the UK it’s these boys.”
8. The Go! Team – Everybody’s a VIP to Someone
“Second outing for the Brightonites at Besti 2007 after tearing the sky off first time around. Sounds like it was recorded underwater with a banana for a microphone but all the better for it.”
9. Horace Andy – Skylarking
“The don of slightly high pitched reggae and a legend in our time. An anthem for happy slackers everywhere.”
10. Gregory Isaacs – Hand Cuff (AKA Hey, Mr Babylon)
“So excited Mr Isaacs has deigned to wave his magic wand on the Isle of Wight – another true reggae legend still firing on all motors.”
11. Jape – Floating
“Beautiful, lilting and Irish – a Sunday morning cuddle for your ears after a hard night stomping the hills!”
12. Kitty Daisy & Lewis – Mean Son of A Gun
“Our official Bestival mascots – the teenage rock sensation who blow everyone away each year at Bestival with their precocious but real ‘I can play and sing anything better than you’ approach. Rockin!”
13. Levellers – One Way
“The Glastonbury anthem borrowed for a festival which admits its debt to the mother of all festies. Hands in the air!”
14. Mr Scruff – Get a Move On!
“Another Bestival fixture and one of the most requested DJs all year round on our messageboard. Scruff’s swinging anthem is the sound of Saturday night after one too many Brothers ciders and a half eaten pie. Anchors away – ‘ere we go!”
Disc 2 :
1. Nic Dawson Kelly – The Musician
“A Sunday Best artiste don’tcha know and an effing good one. The first time I heard this I damn near wet myself with emotion”¦ and that voice… oh pass the nappies!”
2. The Orb – Little Fluffy Clouds
“An all time favourite of mine from an era before Big Brother, speed cameras and mp3s when it was free parties, flares and Kickers and no-one cared if you could mix let alone speak and stand up!”
3. Primal Scream – Come Together
“No comment – a masterpiece!”
4. Quite how we got to: Max Sedgley – Happy (Go Home Productions remix)”¦ is a mystery!
“Ok yes we didn’t book a band beginning with Q cos Freddie Mercury’s high in the sky and Status Quo don’t do the Isle of Wight. So we thought we’d treat you to this booty-shaking remix of a modern day classic instead!”
5. Robyn – Konichiwa Bitches
“Everyone at Bestival HQ has fallen in love with this Swedish pop queen with insanely catchy hands in the air anthems.”
6. Soul II Soul – Back To Life (However Do You Want Me)
“Jazzie B and the gang made some of the best records of the late 20th century no debate. Heartlifting, true soul music.”
7. Seasick Steve – It’s All Good
“An 80 something traveling hobo bluesman who’s played with the best and still smacks young pretenders off the stage. Just check his voice.”
8. The Hat – 3am (Drunken Lullaby)
“Another one close to our hearts. We didn’t even invite these busking beauties to play at our firsty Besti but they did anyway and their freestyle al fresco shenanigans are one of the unique things about Bestival.”
9. Night of 100 Ukes featuring the Dulwich Ukulele Club – Ring of Fire
“And in the red corner”¦ another daft idea that was thrown at us”¦ and naturally we lapped it up. 100 Bestival goers, most whom couldn’t even spell Ukulele let alone play one, jamming in joyous and mostly harmonious union.”
10. Very tenuous link to: Sportsday Megaphone – Less and Less
“Yes, no bands beginning with V either. Your gain though as you get Hugh Frost instead – the hardest working man in music, racking up more miles than Madonna, as well as being a unique one man rock n roll electro band.”
11. Johnny Flynn & The Sussex Wit – Eyeless in Holloway
“One of the freshest folk voices in the UK and a lovely guy to boot. Think beards, bitter ale and the bandstand.”
12. John Foxx – Glimmer
“The man who started Ultravox (pre cheese days) and inspired Klaxons to rave it up still going strong with two live sets at Bestival 2007.”
13. DJ Yoda feat Jungle Brothers – Ital Stew
“Rootsical lyrical magic from some hip hop heroes and our audio visual wizard DJ Yoda.”
14. Zion Train feat YT – Life That I Choose
“Well yes, they’re the only band playing beginning with Z but they’re also bloody ace in a rub a dub style. Thanks for listening and bon voyage!”
