Air - Late Night Tales
October 12th, 2006 by rui
It’s fair to say that the humble mix compilation has come a long way since the Nineties, and the days of perfectly beatmatched, but often rather soulless DJ mixes. As the club kids have grown older and moved on, so too has the mix CD.
Once all-night clubbing had lost its appeal, there was a realisation that - shock horror ! - loads of great music was made before Year Zero (1988). Furthermore, there exists loads of great music that you can’t even dance to.
Step forward the “Back to Mine”, “Another Late Night” and “Late Night Tales” series, all of them showcasing a more eclectic and introspective musical policy, a sneaky peek into the record collections of some of our favourite artists.
Given that Air had already been responsible for one of the classic Radio 1 Essential Mixes, their gloriously wonky 4 hour set from 1998, I was curious to hear their take on “Late Night Tales”.
Where other artists might go for an attention-grabbing intro, our Parisian friends get straight down to business with…The Cure’s “All Cats Are Grey”. With its funereal tempo and cavernous production, it might seem an unusual choice of first track, but actually, it works rather well, in a melancholic-yet-strangely-uplifting kind of way. It’s long been a personal late night favourite of mine, and is certainly a welcome change from the relentless cheerfulness of the generic, corporate “chillout” compilation.
What follows is a pleasingly unpredictable and diverse hour, spanning folk, soundtracks, muted psychedelia, gothic horror themes and lush orchestration, taking in both the familiar (Minnie Ripperton, Japan), and the less well known (Tan Dun and Nino Rota anyone ?).
Standout tracks include epic string-soaked ballads from Scott Walker (”The Old Man’s Back Again”) and Lee Hazelwood (”My Autumn’s Done Come”), and of course Japan’s “Ghosts”, a track whose impact remains undiminished some 25 years after it was first released. With its spooky ambience, “Ghosts” has to be one of the strangest sounding records ever to grace the Top 5.
For me, a great mix compilation is one which wields surprises, and as someone who is generally allergic to rock, I never imagined myself listening to a track by Black Sabbath, let alone actually enjoying it.
Like a can of Ronseal, this album does what it says on the tin. If late night melancholic introspection is your thing, then go buy it.
Billy Idle
Late Night Tales compiled by Air is out now on Azuli Records.
Tracklisting
1. All Cats Are Grey-The Cure
2. Black Sabbath-Planet Caravan
3. O’ Venezia Venaga Venusia-Nino Rota
4. I Shall Be Released-The Band
5. Theme De Camille-Georges Delerue
6. Ghosts-Japan
7. The Old Man’s Back Again-Scott Walker
8. Come Wander With Me-Jeff Alexander
9. Metal Heart-Cat Power
10. Loving You-Minnie Ripperton
11. For The World-Tan Dun
12. Le Long De La Riviere Tendre-Sebastien Tellier
13. My Autumn’s Done Come-Lee Hazlewood
14. P.L.A.-Robert Wyatt
15. Let’s Get Lost-Elliot Smith
16. Cousin Jane-The Troggs
17. Musica-Air & Alessandro Baricco
18. Ravel: Pavane Pour Une Enfante Defunte-The Cleveland Orchestra
