I dare say a fair few of you remember this song from 1990, it opened Morrissey gigs…a real crowd warmer and it became known amongst many just as The Song, a perfect theme tune for recession Britain. A reminder (warning…may not be suitable for the office):
It’s now being brought up to date:
In 1989 dancer Michael Clark approached Josie Jones and Jake Walters of Big Hard Excellent Fish to write a piece of music for his forthcoming work with the Phoenix Dance Company. Josie Jones, formerly of Pete Wylie’s Mighty Wah! asked Pete to work with them on this and the ‘Imperfect List’ was born: a sober, chilling – and very heartfelt cry and denouncement of Britain’s then-ill’s.
Michael’s choreography with the Phoenix Dance Company was performed at Sadler’s Wells and the track also featured in the South Bank Show’s documentary about him.
The track was subsequently re-recorded with Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins and released as a 12” in 1990 with a remix by Andy Weatherall. In 2004 the track found a new audience when Morrissey began using it to open his shows – which he continues to do to this day.
After many requests in subsequent years to ‘update’, it was not until 2011 when approached by One Little Indian that Big Hard Excellent Fish decided that the time was right – the political climate not that different from that of the 1980’s. Infact not that much has changed at all: Religion, Greed, Murdoch, WMDs, Hate Crimes, the Banking Crisis, Child Poverty, crooked Judges, Jeremy ‘Wanker’ Clarkson… And The Question Remains: Where Were You..?
‘And The Question Remains’ is accompanied by two very different alternate versions – the Silver Bullet version with music by Erik Legrang & Nina Walsh (below) and the Rootmasters version with music by Ian C & James Clancy.
This one-off single will be released by One Little Indian on Monday 23rd September and can be pre-ordered here.