There are quite a number of different versions out there for ‘Whistling For His Love’, one of Danielle’s uniquely odd and wonderful tales set to a sweetly electronic, sequencer-driven backing. The original version was first released on the Japanese only album ‘The Chemical Wedding’, which I focussed on a few posts back – while the second, most commonly available version, was first released on the ‘Dark Adapted Eye’ album and subsequently on the flip side of the UK single, ‘White Knuckle Ride’* in 1989 – and also the ‘Comatose Non-Reaction’ compilation album from 1995.
As well as those two, four other mixes are to be found on this promo-only 12” EP from Sire Records…
The four different versions here were all remixes by Joseph Watt for Razormaid! Productions and I would assume, based on the credit on the disc label, it was intended to help promote ‘Dark Adapted Eye’ – there was no commercial single release for these remixes though.
As you might imagine, the mixes all go heavier on a dance floor friendly, nailed to the grid backbeat and percussion groove. The 12” Remix fleshes proceedings out a good deal and in particular allows the closing sitar/guitar soloing to play out far longer than all other mixes available.
The 7” Remix is not a million miles away from the regular, second mix, the most obvious differences being in the drum machine/percussion area as per the 12” Remix and the more prominent sitar/guitar soloing at the songs outro.
The remaining two mixes, the Bonus Beat Dub and the Vocal Dub are both much sparser, deconstructed versions – the former is purely instrumental, the latter is structurally very similar (though not identical) but with vocals intact. Neither of these mixes appear to have had any later release on CD.
The 12” Remix has been released commercially – it was issued first of all on the US various artists compilation CD ‘Just Say Mao – Volume III of Just Say Yes’. A new one on me at the time, ‘Just Say Yes’ was a series of Sire Records compilation CDs that would gather together non-album tracks and remixes from acts on the label. It’s there on the cover tracklisting and disc label as ‘Remix’, but to be clear it is the same take as the promo single’s ‘12” Remix’ version.
More recently, in 2019, the 12” Remix was included as a bonus track on the excellent Rubellan Remasters ‘Dark Adapted Eye’ CD re-issue. As well as the customary high-quality remastering and attention to detail you expect from Rubellan Remasters releases, this CD included a few extra versions new to CD, a welcome bonus.
There is a way to find the 7” Remix on CD, though not a regular commercial release – it was included as one of the tracks on the promo only Warner Bros. Records compilation CD ‘Follow Our Trax Volume II’.
* A quick note about the version found on the UK single – I’ve seen it listed with a duration on 5’18”, but having ripped from my vinyl copies it is the same version as found on ‘Dark Adapted Eye’ and ‘Comatose Non-Reaction’ and very much not a longer version at all.