The idea of Sumner rapping must have seemed like a strange proposition before the release of Electronic's debut album, but so he did on this, the final track from the release as well as the final single that came from it. The single remix that starts things off pumps up some of the keyboards and lays the vocals back a touch more, but otherwise it faithfully reproduces the combination of shuffling Madchester beats, kicky, sharp Marr guitar, and easy grooving atmospheres. The drug references Sumner drops in his lyrics are a touch bemusing, but rather than trying to be a hip-hop badass he just talks things out in an engagingly rough way. Four further mixes appear on the disc, from varying sources. The "Tactile Mix" throws in some sassy funk/soul samples here and there; it's a slight transformation more than anything else, but it all flows nicely enough. The "Downstairs Mix," from the same two mixers, plays around with the same elements, but not to a noticeably different effect. Danny Rampling and Pete Lorimer tweak the "U.K. 12" remix" in their own winning style, not doing much but not wrecking anything either, while adding just enough quirky keyboards for taste. DNA, having done remix work for "Get the Message," returns with another two new tracks to fill out the corners. "Lean to the Inside" appears in instrumental form (or perhaps was always an instrumental); it's an okay enough plucked-string-touched effort, a bit like one of Simple Minds' own early instrumental pieces, if sprightlier. "Second to None," meanwhile, is an engaging, reflective number, with neat backing overdubs from Sumner and a nice chorus to recommend it.
© Ned Raggett /TiVo