Not So Manic Now (acoustic) - Dubstar

One of the nicest singles from the Nineties was Dubstar's 'Not So Manic Now'. For me, the song was overshadowed by 'No More Talk', another fantastic release by the same band. Their album 'Make It Better', released in 2000 was a relative disappointment, and they disappeared for almost two decades.

Back in 2018, without me knowing it, they released a new album called 'One'. That album was recently re-released and was quickly followed by this single, an acoustic rendition of 'Not So Manic Now' with a cover of the Beatles song 'Free As A Bird' on the B-side. Pressed on orange vinyl, it truly is a thing of beauty - and the first 7" single of Dubstar in my collection.

My collection: 7" single no. 6345
Found: Townsend Music, received 27 January 2021
Cost: 9 euro
Tracks: 'Not So Manic Now (acoustic)' / 'Free As A Bird'

No more talk - Dubstar

I don't remember why I bought 'No more talk' by Dubstar on cd-single (well, yes, I do buy those things too sometimes) in 1997. I may have heard the song in the shop while I was there, and decided to buy it on the spot. All I know is that it was in London, because outside of the UK I've never even seen a Dubstar release (except on international record fairs, of course...)

I do remember why I bought the promotional double 12" single of that track in 1999. I'd played the cd-single countless times and loved every track on it. My only regret was that it didn't contain any remixes of the song. Usually, when I like a song, I become interested in remixes because they can add a different perspective on it. And so I was very excited to come across this promotional release, containing six remixes of 'No more talk' by three different remixers.

The excitement faded, alas, when I heard the remixes. In my opinion, the Breakout mix by Jamie Myerson is the only one that warrants repeated listening. All the others are perfect music for loud discos where people are getting drunk. But that's not where I'm headed anytime soon. Still, I finally got what I was looking for and it's worth owning for that one remix alone.

My collection: 12" single no. 406
Found: Beanos, East Croydon (UK), May 1999
Cost: 3 pounds
Tracks: 'No more talk (Jamie Myerson Breakout mix)' / 'No more talk (FC Kahuna vocal mix)', 'No more talk (Steve Hillier remix)' / 'No more talk (Jamie Myerson Breakout instrumental mix)', 'No more talk (Jamie Myerson Vocal House mix)' / 'No more talk (FC Kahuna dub mix)'
Download: here