The Blue Jam Tapes

There was nothing like Blue Jam, either before or since. Created and directed by Chris Morris, it was a surreal mix of black comedy sketches combined with a killer soundtrack, much of it ambient. It always aired after midnight which really helped to enhance the floating, drifting and nightmarish feel. The man himself: “It was so singular, and it came from a mood, quite a desolate mood. I had this misty, autumnal, boggy mood anyway, so I just went with that.”

While playing my off-air BBC cassettes coupled with looking back at the music playlists for each episode, I was struck by how good the soundtrack was. I also realised just how much of it I purchased at the time and still had. So I decided to put this project of weekly mixes together. There are six in total, each consisting of 14 tracks wholly made up of a selection of my favourite tunes aired on the show. Parts 1 and 2 cover the 1997 series, parts 3 and 4 deal with 1998, while parts 5 and 6 are taken from the 1999 episodes. “Welcome in”

Part 1
01 Apollo 440 – Electra Glide In Blue
02 Barry Adamson – Something Wicked This Way Comes (Edit)
03 DJ Shadow – Midnight In A Perfect World
04 Aphex Twin – Rhubarb
05 Air – Soldissimo (EDC Remix)
06 Bjork – Isobel
07 REM – Tongue
08 Eels – Beautiful Freak
09 Teardrop Explodes – Tiny Children
10 The Cardigans – Celia Inside (Life Version)
11 Chemical Brothers – Where Do I Begin? (Radio Edit)
12 Dubstar – Stars (Original Mix)
13 Stereolab – Cybele’s Reverie (Single Version)
14 Serge Gainsbourg & Brigitte Bardot – Bonnie & Clyde

Part 2
01 William Orbit – The Story Of Light
02 Etienne De Crecy – Prix Choc
03 Beth Orton – Best Bit
04 Prefab Sprout – Electric Guitars
05 Williams Fairey Brass Band – Pacific 202
06 Sly & The Family Stone – Babies Makin’ Babies
07 Massive Attack – Be Thankful For What You’ve Got
08 Finley Quaye – Even After All
09 D’Angelo – Brown Sugar
10 Olive – Miracle (Radio Edit)
11 Tricky – Overcome (Edit)
12 Portishead – Sour Times
13 Mulu – Desire (Edit)
14 Soul Coughing – Screenwriters’ Blues

Part 3
01 Brian Eno – Another Green World
02 Boards Of Canada – Wildlife Analysis
03 Aphex Twin – Tree
04 Madonna – Drowned World / Substitute For Love
05 Air – You Make It Easy
06 Bjork – Unravel
07 Massive Attack – Black Milk
08 Sneaker Pimps – 6 Underground
09 Coldcut – Autumn Leaves
10 Morcheeba – The Sea
11 Pulp – Dishes
12 Eels – Flower
13 Beck – Jackass
14 Jim White – Still Waters

Part 4
01 Pizzicato Five – The World’s Spinning At 45rpm
02 Serge Gainsbourg – Initials BB
03 Stereolab – The Flower Called Nowhere
04 Dubstar – Just A Girl She Said
05 Morcheeba – Blindfold
06 Happy Mondays – Loose Fit
07 Moloko – Fun For Me (Radio Edit)
08 Ben Harper – Mama’s Trippin’
09 Steely Dan – Hey Nineteen
10 Sly & The Family Stone – If You Want Me To Stay
11 Grace Jones – My Jamaican Guy (7″ Mix)
12 Imagination – Body Talk
13 Jimi Tenor – Nobody’s Perfect
14 Air – Remember

Part 5
01 Roy Budd – Get Carter
02 Michael Brook – Earth Floor
03 Aphex Twin – Curtains
04 Plone – Plock
05 Air – Les Professionals
06 Sons Of Silence – A Grain Of Sand (Definitive Mix)
07 Sade – I Will Be Your Friend
08 Passions – I’m In Love With A German Film Star
09 Doris – Did You Give The World Some Love Today, Baby
10 PJ Harvey – The River
11 Lisa Germano – Wood Floors
12 Mercury Rev – Tonite It Shows
13 Lambchop – The Saturday Option
14 Beck – We Live Again

Part 6
01 The Egg – Getting Away With It (Goetz Radio Mix)
02 Broadcast – The Book Lovers
03 Mono – Disney Town
04 The Beta Band – Inner Meet Me
05 Mercury Rev – Holes
06 Low – Down
07 Beck – Dead Melodies
08 PJ Harvey – The Wind
09 Tricky – Pumpkin (Edit)
10 Massive Attack – Teardrop (Edit)
11 The Roots – You Got Me
12 Marvin Gaye – When Did You Stop Loving Me, When Did I Stop Loving You?
13 Mr Scruff – Fish
14 Aphex Twin – Windowlicker