Review
The vinyl version of Thin Ice 2: The Second Shiver proudly states “26 Coolest Club Zone Hits From The Makers Of DEEP HEAT. Includes Exclusive 12″ Remixes.” Unlike its predecessor, Thin Ice – The First Step, CD buyers just got a one disc release. That meant six tracks were forced to languish in vinyl limbo hell: Paradise Orchestra – Colour Me, L.U.P.O. – So Hard, Nexy Lanton – You Too, Etnotechno – 4T Thieves, Brainstorm – Rock The House, Rhythmatic – Wind Me Up (Raw Mix). The glossy CD booklet contains thumbnail pictures of Driza Bone, Cubic 22, The Shamen, Crystal Waters, PM Dawn, T99, Kenny Thomas, Salt N Pepa, Banderas and Lisa M. There was a similar stunt pulled with Deep Heat 11 – Spirit Of Ecstasy. Somewhat odd behaviour given past uniformity.
Please note that tracks 1, 4, 9, 12, 15, 19 and 20 are edits of the mixes stated. Four of these are longer on the vinyl pressing.
Cubic 22 – Night In Motion (Original Mix) 5:14 vs 3:51 on the CD.
Friends Of Matthew – The Calling 3:00 vs 3:01.
Crystal Waters – Gypsy Woman (La Da Dee) (Strip To The Bone Mix) 5:51 vs 3:40.
Stock Aitken Waterman & Einstein – Roadblock 91 (Loopline Like Remix) 3:40 vs 3:39.
Rebel MC – Tribal Base (Foundation Mix) 6:41 vs 3:59.
Altern 8 – Infiltrate 202 5:37 vs 5:37.
Moby – Go (Woodtick Mix) 4:46 vs 3:31.
“To kill a dream you don’t just need to kill the dreamer, but everyone he dreams about and whose dreams they inspire.”
It’s party time! Getting the buzz on are Cubic 22 with the manic rave thrill of Night In Motion. Quickly followed by the brutal beats of T99’s Anasthasia – swirling memories of lost nights in The Harp Bar, late 1991. On Warp, the demented sound of LFO. James Engwell says “This video was a pre-internet mashup, made from the Twin Peaks TV series & the film The Hitcher, both shot from the screen. The video actually got a number of plays on broadcast TV in the UK. Me & Des went & shot the band performing to add to the video, but it didn’t fit in with the concept, so left most of it out. Gez & Mark had a proper fist fight during the shoot much to our astonishment, but Dez broke it up very efficiently (lots of experience with such things being a Barnsley lad : )” In the wake, Friends Of Matthew and the hardcore bliss of The Calling + Karen Carpenter and her amazing interplanetary craft samples. Crash into Gypsy Woman, stripped to the bone.
Zip left for one of the greatest old skool piano tunes – The Love Decade’s intense Dream On, all plaintive in its delivery. Onside for the soul fans, Driza Bone’s midtempo house Real Love coupled with Kenny Thomas’ ubiquitous Thinking About Your Love. Not so dusty – Lisa M’s pedestrian People. All is forgiven when Gang Starr step into the arena with the upbeat Lovesick. Remember Banderas? Not just a one hit wonder as the driving She Sells still packs an emotional punch, a blissful banger. Still in the zone, Salt ‘n’ Pepa with Ben Liebrand-enhanced Do You Want Me. More – let you mind be free with the Rebel MC’s Tribal Bass – complete with Orinico Flow samples – before being set adrift by PM Dawn’s A Watcher’s Point Of View. Fire up the speccy: nightmarish and obscure, Tekno Too – Jetstar. And a slamming end selection triple play to finish: Progen ’91 followed by Altern 8’s wicked Infiltrate 202 (The Mansion House gig was six months away) and lizardly Moby’s Go (Woodtick). WATCH YER BASS BINS I’M TELLIN’ YA!
Favourite tracks
LFO – We Are Back
Altern 8 – Infiltrate 202
Gang Starr – Lovesick
Lest we forget
Banderas – She Sells
A Pop Fan's Dream 
I had this on cassette back in the day (I really must dig my tapes out to see if they are still playable…) and CD now – my recollection is that the 6 tracks culled were some of the weaker tunes on the tape / vinyl version.
Favourites – Friends Of Matthew (is that the one that samples ‘Song To The Siren’ as well? can’t remember), The Love Decade, Circuit (which you don’t seem to have mentioned, I know there are about 50 versions of it!), Gang Starr, Banderas (unlucky to stall at No.41), Rebel MC, PM Dawn & Altern8. Even those that were hits from that list didn’t get compiled very often.
Hi Andy – agree, what’s excised isn’t really missed aside from the L.U.P.O. tune which is interesting. Oops re Circuit – nice mellow vibe but not too memorable. Lots of mixes abound…
Hi Paul, not that I’d ever complain about Telstar editing, but it’s a shame that the versions of Night in Motion and Moby’s Go (contender for the shortest combined title and artist) are edits of the extended versions. The Cubic 22 track is notoriously difficult to find in 7″ form on compilation. Hits 15 is possibly the best. Dino faded it early on Rave Generation (goodness knows where they got it from as it wasn’t one of their traits). It was missed by so many. That’s part of the reason I put it on Now 19.5
Thanks for the info Andrew. Pity about the use of those versions. I have the Cubic 22 7″ in a box somewhere in my parents’ house.
Oddly enough, it became my first purchase when I bought myself a record deck for my 40th. There’s an average record stall in my local market and it was in the charity bin for 10p, taken from a no longer used jukebox in a nearby rugby club. In very good condition as well.
Thinking about ‘Thinking About Your Love’, it’s not easy finding a good copy of this on a compilation, but it appears in full length single version here. Each time Arthurworrey used it he destroyed it (Moments In Soul, Hits 15, SHits 91 with an early fade). It appeared on Now 1991 and a few other of Abram’s albums but in what appears to be an extended version with early fade (lifted from Best Dance Album etc 1).
Agreed, doesn’t turn up too often. Great tune.