Lost synthpop classic: Do It
Back in the 80s, the Survival Records label always seemed to do more with less. Their releases were mostly synthpop, a la Mute Records, but the instruments they used seemed even cheaper. They still got great beats, melodies, and arrangements out of them, though, and the records would later become highly collectible to devotees of "minimal electronica." One of the best tracks they released, and one of the most mysterious, is "Do It" by Do It, the final song in the four-song "Megamix" that makes up side two of the Mind & Matter/Megamix label sampler LP (1983). Now that I've looked into it, the mystery begins to clear up. Survival Records was founded by David Rome and Anne-Marie Heighway in 1980, presumably to release records by their band, Drinking Electricity. The third member of Drinking Electricity was P.K. (Paul) Edgley (on bass), who also did photography and sleeve design for the label. The label released two singles by Edgley's solo project, The Limit; "Do It" was the B side of the second Limit single, "Take It." I assume that this is the same song that was placed in the Megamix as by "Do It" (the song credit is indeed P.K. Edgley), but it may be an alternate version, as the other Megamix songs are (I think). On the other hand, "Do It" may be an alternate version of "Take It" in the first place. Argh--just when I thought I would never have to buy another record, this nagging question pops up. Here is "Do It" as by Do It from Mind & Matter/Megamix; the female vocals are by Anne-Marie Heighway:
I love that kick drum! Three years ago I was casting about for Cousteau-like music (during the dry spell between their second and third albums) on the Cousteau message forum, and someone pointed me to Scottish singer/songwriter James Grant. I realized that I was familiar with James Grant already, in his previous incarnation as the leader of Love and Money, and before that as the guitarist for Friends Again. I then bought his first solo CD, Sawdust In My Veins, and noticed it was on the Survival Records label. I assumed it was a different label, but lo and behold, it is the same one! As David Rome himself tells it:
When we started we specialised in electronic dance music, charting with Tik and Tok. Then in the mid eighties we moved more toward rock music finding success with The Quireboys, and then in 1990 we signed the Celtic band Capercaillie, and have been working with them both as a band and with their individual careers ever since.
