When going through my CD collection here (with a view flogging them to a second hand record shop) I rediscovered some half forgotten gems in the form of my Pop Will Eat Itself collection. It must have been about 10 years since I played any of the CD’s – plus vinyl – half of them I bought on plastic before that compact disc revolution took over.

I’ve dismissed music in the ’90s as a sh’t pointless decade, but there were some exceptions. Radiohead and Nirvana excepted, but Pop Will Eat Itself too.

I know that I’ve rasied some eyebrows with mentioning PWEI in the same breath as those two, but if you have any of their albums in your collection go back and have a listen to them. They have a place in musical history. All these mashups that you hear now – they were doing it years and years before.

But I digest.   The reason for this (unplanned until yesterday) reappearance of the Hungarian-born/Italian prOn star-cum-politician *ahem* is because of PWEI’s “tribute” to her.

Cicciolina’s…don’t google her unless your safe search is on… it’s difficult to find a picture of her with her clothes on… real name is Ilona Staller…Did you also know that her stage name of La Cicciolina means “the cuddly one” in Italian and when political speeches, in fact at any given moment she liked to pop a tit out – as I mentioned when I first posted about her.

As I was listening to the Poppies this track played and I decided at that moment to gather together all the various versions of the song. After a quick bit of research… to find more info about the tune you mucky minded people… I fortuitously stumbled across this great review/comment on Discogs.com »

:Pop Will Eat Itself always maintained their punk attitude, even when producing acid house/new beat-influenced dub tunes like Touched By The Hand Of Cicciolina. Released as ‘The Unofficial World Cup Theme’ in Spring 1990, the tune samples football fan chants, tv speakers, a female opera singer, and features trumpet, piano, a mighty bassline, and a breakbeat at 112bpm. Only occasionally, Clint and Graham of the Poppies chant their slogan of ‘Cicciolina for Italia 1990′, but the tune is rather to be called an instrumental. It has stood the test of time remarkably well, and from today’s perspective it can be said that Pop Will Eat Itself were on one level with acid dub pioneers Renegade Soundwave and Meat Beat Manifesto in 1990. “

- Take a moment to read the whole thing. It gives an excellent background all about this single.

» Touched By The Hand Of Cicciolina (1st Half) » Touched… (Edited Highlights) * » Touched… (7 inch version) * » Touched… (Extra Time Mix) » Incredi-Bull Mix (2nd Half) » Diva Futura Mix » Renegade Soundwave Mix - Video - PWEI on ToTP

I think that Edited Highlights and 7 inch version are one in the same, but I’ve added them because I’m a completist.

It is with grateful thanks to The Vinyl Villain and Madchester Rave On for originally posting & letting me borrow a tune (or two) to complete the above. Both are exceptional places to visit.

Additional:
I asked JC of The Vinyl Villain (the supplier of the 12″ version) which other PWEI track I should throw in and he suggested Wise Up! Sucker and it to be dedicated to Garry Cook, the Manchester City Chief Exec who in his words: “….is doing his single-handed best to turn Man City into the most hated team in Englishire.” He also used the word loathsome in his description, which as a long suffering Citeh supporter myself I’m inclined to agree with. His remarks also gave me an idea for another F&M post, but that’s for another day.

But it doesn’t end there:
As well as Cicciolina’s political oration and video fellatio, she tried another line of work in the guise as a pop star. A few samples of her output, in English and in Italian below:

» Cicciolina & Franco Franchi – Cappuccetto Rosso - Video » Cicciolina – Muscolo Rosso   [see note] » Ilona Stalla (Cicciolina) – It’s All Up To You » Cicciolina – Satisfaction (Rolling Stones cover)

» If you like that sort of thing then you can find more of this sort of thing here. Safe(ish) for work.

I wanted to post a mention about some other places (blogs) I visit when I’m not hanging around here. Now thanks to a couple of perfectly timed posts by them in the last few days I have a great F&M related excuse to do so.

JC over at The Vinyl Villain added a couple of remixes a few days back. I am mirroring them here because they are only available for a limited amount of time.

This one is also slightly related to my World Cup theme posting the other day… the Italia ’90 part anyway…

It is the 2nd appearance on Footie&Music for this group with the same song and today it is variations of their theme.

Grebo alert. The Poppies are here !

I first mentioned PWEI in August last year and posted a couple of tracks, the football and music-related song being about their song for the 1990 World Cup and the lovely Cicciolina.

Then the Vinyl Villain posted a couple of remixes the other day and as mentioned I’m mirroring them:

[See post to listen to audio]
» PWEI – Touched By The Hand Of Ciccolina (Extra Time Mix)

[See post to listen to audio]
» PWEI – Incredi-Bull
So named because the Poppies were big fans of Steve Bull, who was knocking around - and banging them in - at the time.

and the one I posted:
» PWEI – Touched By The Hand Of Ciccolina (7″ version)

ADDITIONALLY….

Only a few days after JC’s post another place I regularly visit posted more Pop Will Eat Itself tracks:

- Go over to The Lost Turntable (who didn’t know what a grebo was) and grab the 12 songs he’s posted.

There’s yet another site… which I frequent who’s done a bit of write up about the Black Country’s finest – Because Midway Still Aren’t Coming Back is always an excellent read.

So including the linked blogs that’s 16 tracks to be had. Not bad at all.

“Ah Dennis glad you could make it. I have some good news ! England have won the bid to stage the 2018 World Cup and they want you to sell hot dogs outside of Wembley.”

There are some World Cup Qualifiers coming up this Saturday and the following Wednesday (Sept 6th/10th) – in relation to it I want to post some official theme songs from previous tournaments.

- Note these are the official themes as sanctioned by the tournament hosts and not a song knocked out by other parties to cash in.

We are starting from 1986 in Mexico and a very curious tune which sounds a bit disjointed.
I can’t find any more information and I’m not sure as to who created it and sings it:

[See post to listen to audio] » Tema Mundail Mexico 86

» Forward four years and to Italia ’90… England’s best peformance (after 1966) to date.
This time we have Gianna Nannini and Edoardo Bennato, a couple of popular Italian singers who wail away on this one:

[See post to listen to audio] » Gianna Nannini and Edoardo Bennato – Un’Estate Italiana Video here

Finally for now it is the 1994 World Cup in which the then clueless septics hosted.
For their theme they did they went all patriotic (they always do though given the opportunity) and got Daryl Hall [of Hall and Oats] with The Sounds of Blackness and sang about their Gloryland.

This song borrowed from a traditional American song – the Battle Hymn of the Republic.
You’ve heard the tune. There are few clubs in England in which their fans sing a version of it; “Glory glory Leeds United…” See told you you knew it.
You’ll hear the glory glory part near the end:

[See post to listen to audio] » Daryl Hall and the Sounds of Blackness – Gloryland - Video in all its bombastic glory here

*BONUS* -> The USA being the poster boy from crass commericalism cashed in with a CD too. I think this was the first time a ‘soundtrack influenced by…’ was done. Don’t think was one for Italia 90, but I might be wrong.

Anyhoddles like many of the related CD’s released since the songs – apart from two – bear little relation to it’s supposedly linked subject. The saving grace of it though is those two songs on there which are footie themed are quiet listenable.
The soundtrack-type CD in question was called Soccer Rocks (sic) The Globe.

I’ve gathered together some of the tracks from the album, well not all of them… well I’ve precluded one of them which was a very well known song done by that child molester Mr Paul Gadd.

The Americans seem to be into him and it doesn’t look like they either don’t know about him or don’t care because if you go to a Ice Hockey game or an American football game you will hear them go up the glitter with that tune all the time. As mentioned I haven’t included it but have added all the others:

Click here to get it

- Coming up next: France’98, Japan/Korea2002 and 2006 Germany.