Posted by Budgie at August 3, 2005 01:36 PM

All I want is to breathe...

On the last post, and a good few times in the forum, I have mentioned the remix group Yam Who? My love of their work is bordering on obsession. Not since the great Jazzanava remix hey day have I spent far too much money trying to pick up anything with their name on it.

This post isn't about Yam Who? though, but don't worry, they will be covered here in due course...

Track : FUZZ AGAINST JUNK - "BORN UNDER PUNCHES"

Before they became the mysterious pirate remix team of Yam Who?, they were signed to the excellent Nuphonic record label (which I think is now sadly defunct) as Fuzz Against Junk.

It was on a Nuphonic compilation album that I first came across them. The first tune I heard by them was a dubby, retro, wah wah and cello filled disco number called "Country Clonk". It never really stood out for me at the time as I was being sidetracked by the other tunes on the CD by legendary house acts like Blaze, Kerri Chandler and Joe Claussell. Now though, I love "Country Clonk".

It was when Fuzz Against Junk appeared on the second Nuphonic round up that I really stood up and took notice. It was the highlight of the compilation. A 9 minute cover version of the Talking Heads tune "Born Under Punches (The Heat Goes On).

The original appeared on the Talking Heads album, "Remain In Light". Released in 1980, it was the last of the 3 Brian Eno collaborations the band and he did together and it is a classic. The band on that album showcased just how tight a groove and funk they could turn out whilst still being able to add extra elements like African music and electronics into the mix. To give you some sort of idea on the sound, the biggest tune from that album was "Once In A Lifetime"...

The opener was "Born Under Punches". A jaggy, funky and downright odd song full of David Byrne's trademark strange lyrics. He's talking about being "a tumbler", "a goverment man" and begging you to "look at these hands". God knows what it's about but it lodged itself in my brain once the band come in on backing vocals and harmonies.

"goes on and the heat goes on.....all I want is to breathe, wont you breathe with me?..."

Fuzz Against Junk must have been under the same spell, as their cover version more or less focuses just on those backing vocals. It should be mentioned that the singing is spot on. You could easily be fooled into thinking it was Talking Heads. This is also backed up with what Fuzz Against Junk have accomplished with the actual track itself. A superbly polished update of the tune adding plenty more live percussion and honking sax. Actually, you could easily be fooled into thinking it was some long lost 12" version of it...

I normally prefer my cover versions to attempt to do something different with a song, but I love this version for it's ability on being more or less a carbon copy and giving me the opportunity too lose myself in the groove and those hypnotic vocal refrains for just that bit longer than the original can.

It's a knack those boys have carried over into their Yam Who? and Blackbeard guises...

As for what happened to Fuzz Against Junk, a couple more tracks appeared on some Nuphonic comps. "Latino" was a straight down the line Latin jazz track and the excellent, but short, "The Art Of Being Inbetween" could easily be passed off as Arthur Russell - again the vocals being spot on... There was talk of an album, but it never materialised. Oh, and this Fuzz Against Junk is not to be confused with the noisy, experimental, kraut rock band of the same name...

Go Visit : Nuphonic

Go Buy : Various Artists - Nuphonic Vol.2
Go Buy : Talking Heads - Remain In Light

Feel free to leave a comment about this track in The Pipe section of the forum

Ta,
Budgie