The Phantom Band - Checkmate Savage

Oh how I love this album. Checkmate Savage is probably my most listened to album of the last ten years and the first of four stunning albums released (so far?) by the band. I bought it purely on the write up that Piccadilly Records gave it. Listening to it now still gives me that first-time buzz.

Soil Sample #3: Brian Eno - Ring of Fire

Between 1990 and 1997, Warner Bros. Records in the US had the smart idea of releasing a series of 25 promo singles for artists signed to the label who had upcoming or current releases. Called Soil Samples, most of these were split 7" singles featuring two or more artists and many were also pressed on coloured vinyl.

The enticing thing about these singles was that they featured exclusive songs, some of which were recorded during the sessions for their latest album; an interesting way of promoting an album with a song that wasn't featured on it! It appears that many of these recordings have yet to make there way onto any other releases, making them some of the less well known collectable items.

Anyway, here's Soil Samples #3, released to promote Wrong Way Up by Eno/Cale and an album by House of Freaks (who I know nothing about). Eno and Cale each contribute a solo song - John Cale with the serviceable instrumental track Shuffle Down to Woodbridge, whilst Eno turns in the highlight, a haunting reverb heavy cover of Ring of Fire.

Autobahn Edited

Autobahn is perfect in its full 22'43" glory, but it clearly needed to be edited down for radio play and tonfktt on a 7" single.

The UK single version was hacked down to a measly 3'06', whilst the rest of the world, for some unknown reason, got a generous extra 22 seconds on their single version. Both these versions felt as though they had barely got started to me.

There is, however, one lesser known edit out there. Released as a promo 7" in the USA, the 5'46" Edited Long Version of Autobahn keeps an extra couple of minutes of the original and is all the better for it. The b-side is the Edited Short Version that the non UK fans got.