Andrew Weatherall reimagines Saint Etienne’s cover of Neil Young’s Only Love Can Break Your Heart with his dubwise Mix Of Two Halves.

Some songs sound better the second time around. Saint Etienne’s fragile take on Neil Young was lovely in its own right. But it found an entirely new life in the hands of Andrew Weatherall and his box of studio tricks.

Despite working with all sorts of big names, most notably Primal Scream, Bjork, Happy Mondays, New Order, Future Sound Of London, The Orb and many more, this is arguably the highlight of Weatherall’s studio career.

The one-time acid house DJ, who died in 2020, cast his spell on the original with his Mix Of Two Halves, boosting the bassline, fiddling with the percussion, adding in all sorts of samples and loops into a dubwise cauldron of chilled-out club beats.

Then we get to the second half, reminding us of the original version – or, if you prefer, the original cover version – with its indie-dance comedown vibe.
You know it’s going somewhere entirely new as soon as you hear DJ Jean Binta Breeze – “Cool and deadly” – over the melodica melody that recalls dub master Augustus Pablo; words that equally apply to the mix itself.

The words of course could equally apply to the remix itself, before she adds: “The DJ eases a spliff from his lyrical lips and smilingly orders… ‘Cease!'”