Fires
(Bingo) Used LP $6.00
On this 1998 collaboration by Ui and Stereolab, four of the six tracks are versions of Brian Eno’s “St. Elmo’s Fire.” The “Radio” version is a straight, danceable take, while the “Red Corona” version is Ui’s Frere-Jones’s remix, a stripped-down affair with clipped-off bass and drum tracks. “Spatio-Dynamic” is Stereolab’s mix, with added percussion (by both groups) and acoustic guitar, giving it a Brazilian feel. Heavy percussion also turns up on “Impulse Rah,” a track based on a Sun Ra organ riff. Finally, “Less Time” is a slinky Ui tune with wordless, Philip Glass-style vocals by Stereolab’s Sadier and Hansen. It’s often hard to tell who’s responsible for what, no small tribute to the like-mindedness of both groups and the success of this joint effort.