Just a little Everything But The Girl countdown...

#35
"Corcovado" by Everything But The Girl
from the album Red Hot & Rio (Various Artists), 1996
Spotify plays: 1.8m


Sticking with the Walking Wounded era for a second, here is a song that came about from an AIDS charity album campaign in 1996. It's just beginning to occur to me how much the band owe their discography to covers, given how prolific they were as original songwriters... Corcovado is of course a latin jazz standard, covered by everyone from Joao GIlberto, Tony Bennett and Andy Williams, and rather suitably, the band have given it a trippy jungle makeover for the 90s, turning into more of a sunset/chillout standard than anything else. And yet another example of how Tracey can sing just about anything - she even appears to nail the delivery of the Portuguese lyrics, at least by English singer standards. The song was tacked on to the deluxe edition of the Walking Wounded album, and also appears on their "Like The Deserts..." best of compilation.
 
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#34
"Low Tide Of The Night" by Everything But The Girl
from the album Temperamental, 1999
Spotify plays: 1.4m


Another of those trippy album tracks from the Temperamental album that I love... that album is such a moment in time for me, and for dance music; a mix of uplifting deep house and laid back trip-hop just at the birth and mainstream explosion of the "chillout" genre, and I can't help but feel that this album, this song, was a blueprint for the Didos and the Sias and the Imogen Heaps who used the sound as a template for their version of pop in the early noughties. As I've said before, Tracey's smooth, emotive tones are the perfect match for these sort of moody tracks, and the jazzy electric piano and pipes just adds to the overall relaxed and jazzy vibe.
 
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#33
"King's Cross" (Hot Chip remix) by Tracey Thorn
original track from the album Out Of The Woods, 2007
Spotify plays: 228k


Now this is what you call a makeover... the original song was never one of my favourites from the OOTW album, as nice as it is, serving as a gentle album closer. The remix deconstructs it completely, layering in different synth hooks to elevate it into a dance track, but instead of driving it into a full Hot Chip style track, Joe Goddard instead applies restraint and retains the moodiness and reflection of the original, and so even with the added kick, the song doesn't lose its meaning or impact. By the time she gets to the lyric "Murder walking round the block / ending up in King's Cross" it starts to feel like an ode to the lost post-club early morning hours in central London on a weekend. Been there, got the T-shirt.
 
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funky said:
#33
"King's Cross" (Hot Chip remix) by Tracey Thorn
original track from the album Out Of The Woods, 2007
Spotify plays: 228k


Now this is what you call a makeover... the original song was never one of my favourites from the OOTW album, as nice as it is, serving as a gentle album closer. The remix deconstructs it completely, layering in different synth hooks to elevate it into a dance track, but instead of driving it into a full Hot Chip style track, Joe Goddard instead applies restraint and retains the moodiness and reflection of the original, and so even with the added kick, the song doesn't lose its meaning or impact. By the time she gets to the lyric "Murder walking round the block / ending up in King's Cross" it starts to feel like an ode to the lost post-club early morning hours in central London on a weekend. Been there, got the T-shirt.
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My god yes .. stepping out of Popstarz walking up Grays Inn Road at 6 in the morning .. the whole OOTW is the perfect soundtrack for the morning after the night before , and it’s my favourite album by both Tracey and EBTG
 
I need to get this done before the album comes out!

#32
"NIght And Day" by Everything But The Girl
from the EP Night And Day, 1983
Spotify plays: 12.9m


Their very first single, reaching #92 in August of 1983 prior to their first album campaign. The song is their version of the Cole Porter jazz standard which has been covered countless times, and as always they put their own beautiful mark on it, Tracey's tone once again suiting the jazz fundamentals and Ben adding someone lovely echoey backing vocals that make it unmistakably an EBTG song. It was never added to their debut album and remained a bit lost in their early catalogue, but it has since become one of their most enduring songs, with almost 13m plays on Spotify making it one of their most popular tracks in the streaming era.
 
#31
"Air" by Tracey Thorn featuring Shura
from the album Record, 2018
Spotify plays: 467k


I was relatively disappointed with the Record album, as I don't think it measured up to the OOTW album. It does have some lovely tunes but given my love for EBTG the songs have struggled to feature on this countdown, except for this gorgeous pop tune featuring one of my favourite artists of the 10s, Shura. It doesn't go anywhere unique or unexpected but the production is lush and Shura in particular sounds great even with her limited presence as more of a backing singer. I'd love them to collaborate again, maybe if we ever get another Shura album.
 
#30
"Love Is Strange" by Everything But The Girl
from the "Covers" EP and the album "Acoustic", 1992
Spotify plays: 1.4m


A lovely acoustic tune that sees the duo in rare duet form where they take equal vocal duties singing in harmony for most of the track, and while I'm glad that Tracey does take on the majority of their output, here it works wonderfully. Another cover of an old standard, this time by Mickey & Sylvia in 1956 but most famously covered by the Everly Brothers in 1965 becoming one of their many hits. For EBTG, it was the lead track on their Covers EP, the first of many standalone EPs released in the 90s by the band, and was their most successful commercially, reaching #13 in 1992. It was also used to promote their Acoustic album of the same year, and was eventually added to the reissue of the 1991 Worldwide album. While not part of that original set, it has over time become the most popular song on the Worldwide album, based on Spotify plays.
 
#29
"I Don't Understand Anything" by Everything But The Girl
from the album Amplified Heart, 1994
Spotify plays: 1.4m


An album track from the 1994 album that became completely overshadowed by the breakout "Missing" hit, this is just classic early 90s acoustic EBTG, with Tracey in her familiar self deprecation mode singing about the struggles of miscommunication in relationships. The beauty of this song is in the strings - the way they slowly emerge over the stripped back acoustic opening takes the song up a notch.

#28
"Rollercoaster" by Everything But The Girl
from the album Amplified Heart, 1994
Spotify plays: 4.1m


A one-two for Amplified Heart acoustic bops, Rollercoaster was the first single from the album reaching #65 in early 1994, failing to give them that hit song that had evaded them since 1988. It's funny watching the video thinking that they had no idea what was about to come out of this album a year later. The running theme of this album seems to be Tracey's insecurities about a relationship falling apart, which is kind of ironic unless they were having some troubles prior to this album. You can't help but feel for her though when she's singing "I still haven't got over it even now / I want to spend huge amounts of time on my own / I don't want to cause any serious damage / I want to make sure that I can manage / Because I'm not really in your head / I´m not really in your head." Bless :(
 
#27
"Pop A Cap In Yo Ass" by Ben Watt featuring Estelle
From various Buzzin' Fly compilations, 2005
Spotify plays: 102k


Not long after EBTG disbanded in 2000, Ben Watt went full tilt into the London deep house scene, launching the biggest (and probably still be the best IMO) deep house experience of the time, Lazy Dog in Notting Hill Arts Club. After it run its course (or Ben decided to move on before it got stale) it evolved into Buzzin Fly, a series of events and the launch of a label for deep house music. Buzzin Fly of course exists to this day and is now the home to the EBTG catalogue, Tracey's solo music and their new album. This was one of a series of tentpole releases, a slight departure from the melodic soul of Lazy Dog with Estelle providing spoken word storytelling over a classic house groove. I love the atmosphere of the track, positioned as an emotional tribute to inner city London in the noughties, its industrial musical core acting as a through line follow up to the Temperamental album.
 
#26
"The Only Living Boy In New York" by Everything But The Girl
From the compilation album Home Movies, 1993
Spotify plays: 5m


The first of two EPs released in 1993 to promote their first career collection Home Movies, the song is another cover, the original from Simon & Garfunkel. It's another EBTG duet with Tracey and Ben singing in glorious harmony for the whole song. Its faithfulness to the original means the song has a lovely Woodstock feel to it. This EP was a relative success for them, reaching #42 in 1993, and the album was also a hit, reaching #5 and going gold, although in hindsight was released an album too early, because Amplified Heart would be released the following year, forcing the label to capitalise on their global breakout success and releasing another compilation just three years later, which went platinum.
 
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#25
"Driving" by Everything But The Girl
from the album The Language Of Life, 1990
Spotify plays: 2.6m


The first and only inclusion from The Language Of Life 1990 album, this was the aforementioned shift in direction from the 80s alternative sound into an Americanised, sophistipop tone, which divided fans but gave the group their first real introduction to American audiences. While neither the single or the album was a big hit over there, it was their first album to hit the Billboard 200 (#77) and the single did have some minor success across a number of airplay charts (adult, alternative and R&B). Back home the song limped in at #54 and was the only single to chart from that album, beginning a downward trend in success for a few years until the Home Movies/Amplified Heart era. I like the song, moreso today as the slick retro adult pop of the late 80s / early 90s has made a comeback in recent years. But my real interest in this song is from the remixes: the Todd Terry version is fun but a little cold and doesn't fit the melody the way his other EBTG remixes hit the mark; The Masters Of Work is a slick chill-house vibe, and my favourite is the one chosen for their EBTG Best Of in 1996: the trip-hop Underdog mix.

 
#24
"Hatfield 1980" by Everything But The Girl
from the album Temperamental, 1999
Spotify plays: 940k



Speaking of trip-hop, it was alive and well on the Temperamental album, this a very stripped back song that has always gotten under my skin. For an album that completely lacks any pop music, filled with moody deep house and industrial beats, it remains an incredibly beautiful and relistenable album, and has become a bit of a touchpoint for those looking to speculate on how their comeback might sound. The new single in fact has already suggested some sonic continuity that has fans very excited. While this track might be way more subdued than the new track and most of their signature tunes - the blueprint remains the same: haunting, moody, evocative storytelling with meticulous production.
 
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I HOPE PEOPLE ARE STILL READING!

I had a text from a lapsed mooper last week telling me to hurry up and finish this thread as they were enjoying lurking and reading it :eyes: AT LEAST SOMEONE IS!
 
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#23
"By Your Side" (Lazy Dog mix) by Sade
from the album Lazy Dog Vol 2 by Ben Watt & Jay Hannan
Spotify plays: n/a



From the previously mentioned Lazy Dog era shortly after their split in 2000 and Ben's foray into the London deep house scene, Lazy Dog took off massively and led to nights all around the world including Ibiza and Miami, and spun two successful mix complilations. This mix of Sade's big hit from 2001 was one of the club night's staple for a number of years, and let to becoming an official remix, although annoying it's never been added to Spotify... Sade herself recognises it though and this YouTube clip is lifted directly from her page. Soulful house with latin tinges, with the vocal largely kept intact but for some vocal loops, it's different enough from the original to not need any better/worse comparison. The original remains a classic, but this is also a timeless addition to the deep house scene.
 
#22
"Better Things" by Massive Attack featuring Tracey Thorn
from the album Protection, 1994
Spotify plays: 5.8m



For those who join me in liking deep moody shit @Iguana this (and a certain other) collaboration with Massive Attack from their sophomore album was certainly a big influence on their career - after going stratospheric in the post-Missing era, both the Walking Wounded and Temperamental albums are filled with deep trippy beats, as someone must have picked up on the fact that the sound is a perfect backdrop for Tracey's smooth earthy tones. Massive Attack are one of the most acclaimed acts of the 90s and they were very selective about their collaborators. One of two songs selected for their 1994 album, this was an album track but it's not too far away from the other, much better known track from the album (to come later). It's all about the atmosphere, the stripped back cinematic sounds as much telling the story as the lyrics do, underpinned by a classic trip hop rhythm and a funky bassline.
 
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#21
"Raise The Roof" by Tracey Thorn
from the album Out Of The Woods, 2007
Spotify plays: 199k

#20
"It's All True" by Tracey Thorn
from the album Out Of The Woods, 2007
Spotify plays: 406k





A double header with two of my favourite tracks from Tracey's most successful solo album, usually tying for 2nd place off the album. The album is best described as an intersection of folk and electronica, and both these songs fall neatly on that boundary, with lush synths and metallic beats underpinned by Tracey's singer-songwriter instincts. The latter is easily the most accessible and easy to see why it was the lead single, but the more understated Raise the Roof is a hidden gem, and I had completely forgotten it was also a single, albeit in terms of getting its own video; it didn't do much.
 
#19
"25th December" by Everything But The Girl
from the album Amplified Heart, 1994
Spotify plays: 1.8m



Had I stuck to my plans to get through this countdown last year, this entry would have been so much more relevant! I can't normally listen to Christmas music outside of November and December but I'm listening to this now and it's so beautiful. It doesn't have any of the typical instrumental gimmicks of most Christmas songs, it's just a soft acoustic track with lyrics relating to Christmas. Would feel at home on any alternative festive playlist. Ben takes the lead vocal on this one in an unusual twist, with Tracey taking subtle background vocal duties, and although it's from the Amplified Heart album, this harks back nicely to their 80s post punk sound for me.
 
#18
"Old Friends" by Everything But The Girl
from the album "Worldwide", 1991
Spotify plays: 1.2m



The lead single off the much maligned Worldwide album, this was the start of a serious slip in fortunes for the group until the mid 90s revival and breakout, and comes in the midst of their adult pop, easy listening era, which didn't win any new fans. While this is certainly the more gloopy sound of their catalogue, there's something cinematic and nostalgic about this track, and if you can enjoy the sickly sweet TV soundtrack production (I love it - its sounds like something that could have been used on 90210 or Melrose Place) you can appreciate their attempt to do something different. Hard to imagine it's the same group who gave us 80s alt-jazz and 90s deep house, and despite the stamp of versatility this never charted anywhere, nor did the following two singles. That said, it's really not a bad album.
 
#17
"Wrong" by Everything But The Girl
from the album Walking Wounded, 1996
Spotify plays: 10.5m



Starting to get into the big hitters now.

Riding on the back of phenomenal and unexpected success in 1995, EBTG were promoted to Virgin Records with no doubt a directive to sustain and build on the momentum of reaching Top Five all around the world. I'm sure this was all rather overwhelming for the understated and shy Ben and Tracey, and with this single from the new album, you can almost hear the label screaming for a "Missing" follow up. Yes this track follows all the same tropes and you could easily dismiss this as cynical, where it not for Tracey's devastating delivery and the incredible songwriting. If it suffers at all, it inevitably suffers from being too similar and therefore, simply, not as good, but by jumping into the dance pool with both feet, we got some delicious remixes from Todd Terry and Deep Dish out of it, including an almost accidental bootleg that's yet to come on this countdown. "Wrong" reached #8 in the UK, their fourth and final Top Ten hit, and charted around the world including the US at #68 (sadly the only other single apart from Missing to do so) and hit #1 on US Dance.
 
Firewall was indeed a recent discovery for me, maybe a few years ago, as I didn’t have the single it was a b-side on. Thankfully it has been added to the Temperamental deluxe on Spotify.
 
#16
"Grand Canyon" by Tracey Thorn
from the album Out Of The Woods, 2007
Spotify plays: 375k



A personal favourite this one, but I think it was also very popular with fans at the time and we were all desperate for it to be the follow up single to "It's All True" with some sort of deluded notion that it would give her a chart hit. She was very much a niche artist at this point, but the album was well received and this track was probably the closest follow on from Temperamental, the 'last' EBTG album and her previous project after a few years on the bench while Ben DJ'd around the world. Another reminder that Tracey's haunting vocals beautifully fit a deep house backdrop, but far from being a standard dance track, she lets the song breathe with a slow build, and I love the deep and moody opening, the moment when the beat kicks in as she spits "Everyboby Loves You Here", and the gradual rousing into a dancefloor anthem. It hasn't really aged, either. Tracey just suits this vibe.
 
funky said:
#16
"Grand Canyon" by Tracey Thorn
from the album Out Of The Woods, 2007
Spotify plays: 375k



A personal favourite this one, but I think it was also very popular with fans at the time and we were all desperate for it to be the follow up single to "It's All True" with some sort of deluded notion that it would give her a chart hit. She was very much a niche artist at this point, but the album was well received and this track was probably the closest follow on from Temperamental, the 'last' EBTG album and her previous project after a few years on the bench while Ben DJ'd around the world. Another reminder that Tracey's haunting vocals beautifully fit a deep house backdrop, but far from being a standard dance track, she lets the song breathe with a slow build, and I love the deep and moody opening, the moment when the beat kicks in as she spits "Everyboby Loves You Here", and the gradual rousing into a dancefloor anthem. It hasn't really aged, either. Tracey just suits this vibe.
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this and Missing and A-Z are my holy Tracey’s Torch Song Trilogy
 
#15
"Lone Cat" by Ben Watt
single release, 2003
Spotify plays: 345k



As the curtain finally came down on EBTG after their reflective compilation Like The Deserts... in 2002, Ben shut up shop with his Lazy Dog brand (more on that later) and launched Buzzin Fly, his new deep house brand that came with not just DJ nights but a full record label, aimed at deep house artists in a sound that was still very popular in the early 00s across the world, as a alternative to the saturated commercial dance that had come through at the turn of the millenium. The label was launched with this gloriously uplifting house track, with echoes of the early days of house - organ piano, soulful vocals, US Garage beats, that fit as well in Miami and New York as it did in Ibiza. There are also nods to the later years of EBTG with moody horns and a deep groove underbelly. It became an underground sensation but unfortunately it didn't really transform into a dance album from Ben, rather a series of EPs and singles of similar styles (such as the aforementioned Estelle collab). Significantly, Ben expanded the Buzzin' Fly label to carry Tracey's future albums, his own later solo albums, and just last year they bought the rights to their music just in time to release the new album this year - all under this label. So actually, "Lone Cat" is the genesis of their musical ecosystem, twenty years later.
 
#14
"Mine" by Everything But The Girl
from the album "Everything But The Girl", 1984
Spotify plays: 391k



from talk about their latest album to going back to their very beginnings - Mine was the second single from the band, reaching #58 in the UK just two months after their debut single. It had a weird run, appearing so soon as a follow up but didn't actually appear on the debut album "Eden" as the band or label moved on from the album very quickly and released two standalone singles (the other being "Native Land"). Not sure of the reasons but it didn't really help their momentum as it failed to reach the Top 40 like it's predecessor, "Each And Every One". It was later added to the self titled album, a US-only album released later that year by Sire Records (of Madonna fame), which wikipedia classes as a compilation, odd considering they were not 6 months into their career. The album contains "Mine", "Native Land", 6 songs from Eden, some B-sides. It didn't chart and they had to wait another six years before troubling the Billboard 200. The song itself never made an impact on me until recent years - I probably first heard it on the Like A Deserts... compilation in 2002, and I've come back to it a lot more recently. It's a gorgeous blend of the two sounds they were famous for when they first emerged and a musical link to the direction of their first two albums - the jazz pop of Eden and the alternative indie influences of Love Not Money.
 
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#13
"Lullaby Of Clubland" by Everything But The Girl
from the album Temperamental, 1995
Spotify plays: 897k



To a song that does exactly what it says on the tin, Tracey livens things up with another late 90s deep house record, the sound that dominates the Temperamental album. A tribute to the clubbing days they were at this point fully exposed to, this track is the perfect example of how they infiltrate their dance music with real atmosphere and storytelling - as Tracey muses: Out on the dark side of the street / not the light side of the street / it's packed at 2am / I've got no coat / are you on your own? you can smell the mix of sweat, vodka and smoke machine. It was never a single but it's very much musically attached to the three other singles. That said it's only my fifth favourite song on the album - there are four Temperamental tracks in my Top 10.
 
Finally followed the request to do a playlist... @BoysForSeles

I have included all the songs up to now, I'll add the Top 12 in when I'm finished.

 
It’s such a shame Tracey suffers from stage fright as there’s so much goodwill towards her and Ben that a tour would be a total love in for them to experience.
 
I agree. Top of my bucket list for live acts I haven't seen. I'd made peace with it, and this comeback has reignited it. Thing is if they did, it would probably be a few intimate shows and it would be just as impossible to get tickets as the big stars.
 
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