In The Bath is the latest vinyl compilation from high street store Lush, featuring 30 brand new versions of songs originally recorded between 1991 to 2001. Across the triple vinyl it includes reinterpetations of 90s songs by a range of artists including Liverpool’s own Stealing Sheep who offer their own take on Supergrass single ‘Alright’. It also features Teddy Thompson, Afro Celt Sound System, Eliza Carthy, Jackie Oates, and Martha Tilston reworking songs by R.E.M, The Spice Girls, Celine Dion, Tracy Chapman, The Offspring and Depeche Mode and more.
From the familiar to the unfamiliar, with unexpected collisions of styles, radical reworkings and faithful renditions, the album is a magnificently diverse, six-sided jewel of a record, forming the soundtrack of the decade that Lush began.
To celebrate the release, Stealing Sheep Rebecca Hawley (vocals and keys), Emily Lansley (vocals, guitar, bass guitar) and Luciana Mercer (vocals and drum kit) have put together their very own playlist of their favourite 90s tracks.
1. Supergrass – ‘Alright’
Went to see Supergrass loads of times as a youngster, they were probably one of the first ‘current’ bands I liked in the Britpop era as I was mainly listening to lots of 80’s pop and the Cocteau Twins! They were fun and catchy!
2. Coolio – ‘Gangsta’s Paradise’
It was everywhere and everyone in school wanted to be a gangster – it was in the UK charts for 16 weeks and the video used clips from the film Dangerous Minds with Michelle Pfeiffer & Coolio rapping with slow mo circling camera pans! Very cool. The track sampled the Stevie Wonder 1976 single, ‘Pastime Paradise!’ Think our track ‘Apparition’ accidentally slightly uses the same chord flow in the chorus!! (Perhaps in a different key) Oops!
3. TLC – We were all obsessed with ‘Waterfalls’ by TLC…
It would come on at school discos and everyone would start grinding… I found it really evocative and melancholic especially with the sad stories in the video and the lyrics telling tales of the streets.. in the video their bodies are made of water at some points which made video seemed really advanced at the time kind of similar to the effects used in Terminator..
4. Nirvana- Come as You Are
I originally heard Nirvana as an eleven year old at an older girls house… She was smoking and talking about the boys she was dating and I was half listening but also going into a weird trance wondering what the music was… I became totally obsessed as it was a sort of melancholic, catchy, pop tune that uses chorus and double tracking a-lot which I copied early on (and still now tbh) because of its grungey sound that I’m still drawn to..
5. Busta Rhymes – Gimme some more-
Busta Rhymes is a total ledge and who’d have thought Bernard Herrmann strings from film Psycho would work with his high-speed rapping.. Genius.
6. Mark Morrison – Return of the Mack
We always watched TFI Friday on channel 4 in the naughties! One Friday Mark Morrison was on performing in a long leather coat, straight out of prison (if I remember correctly) performing ‘Return of the Mack!’ Was mega! Me and some friends do a karaoke covers band and this track always goes down amazingly! The songs beat is a sample of ‘Genius of Love!’
7. Daft Punk – Da Funk
‘Da Funk’ was one of my first introductions into electro / house / techno music and I’ve never looked back!! From the album Homework which is an awesome mix of heavy rock, punk power chords with bangin beats.. We would be out every weekend at Le Batteau in Liverpool dancing to Da Funk and it still doesn’t disappoint. house, techno, acid and punk.
8. Prince & the new Power Generation – Cream
Me and me mates spent a lot of time listening & doing handstands to my mum’s tapes. ‘Cream’ was our fave. We knew it was rude and we liked it!! 1991
9. Sir Mix-a-Lot – Baby Got Back
This track from 1992 starts with the classic intro “oh my god Becky, look at her butt…” and then transcends into a masterpiece about loving bigger butts! The track was originally banned from MTV but once Sir Mix A lot had stated his case about the true meaning, it was allowed back on..
The true message was to empower larger women and women of colour as most women on MTV at that time were skinny, white and not reflective of reality.
10. Beastie Boys- Intergalactic
My mate Clare would come over to my house after school most weeks and we’d put my mum’s Hello Nasty album on, play ‘Intergalactic’ at top level and dance and leap about the living room. My mum had loads of great music so we’d always be round at ours listening to all kinds.. I was lucky in that way.
A lot of our song choices are heavily influenced by the music videos from that time too because back then they were amazing and original.. We had Top of the Pops, The Chart Show, MTV and we were obsessed!
In The Bath is out now. Listen here: https://lushlimited.lnk.to/InTheBath
