The big contract with Island Records put a spoke in that wheel, meaning that a track which sounded in many ways like the New Life/See You era of Depeche Mode, was given the Sadkin treatment, and became, arguably, the most instant and accessible of all the tracks on the debut album.
I Believe In You was his 14th go at things, and this marvellous, radio-friendly pop/dance effort, with more than a hint of house high up in the mix, was another instance when justice wasn’t done, Talking of which….ģ) Justice (single and track 8 on Rhythm of Life, 1983)Ī version of Justice had been recorded in 1982, with the aim of having it issued as a single via Belgian label Les Disques du Crépuscule. No matter how hard Paul Haig tried, he just couldn’t ever get that elusive hit single. All of his early solo work formed part of the soundtrack to my student days, and I make no apologies that a few songs from that era will feature in this ICA.Ģ) I Believe In You (single, and opening track on Coincidence vs, Fate, 1993) This radical transformation, with production duties handled by Alex Sadkin, (a person mentioned in the Chris Frantz book I reviewed last week) who was probably best known for his work with Grace Jones, showed how much and how quickly Paul wanted to move on and do something totally different. SIDE ONEġ) Heaven Sent (single, and opening track on Rhythm of Life, 1983)Ī song dating from the Josef K days, and one which the band had performed in their trademark way, complete with angular, jarring guitars that meant a raincoat was essential if you really wanted to get on the floor and give it a dance. Again, I’m not going to argue these are the ten ‘best’ Paul Haig songs, but I do feel they hang together as a fine compilation album. I’m not including any of the Josef K material, nor anything that he released alongside the late and great Billy Mackenzie, but I was still looking at a long list of more than 40 potential songs for inclusion. The reason it has been so long-delated is the amount of choice.
Those were my opening and closing paras last November when I featured him in the long-running Saturday Songs series. “I really must get round to finishing that long-delayed Paul Haig ICA.” He’s really proved to be our equivalent of Bowie, with his constant shifting of musical genres over a career that stretches back more than 40 years, albeit with a very small minuscule of commercial success in comparison “The more I think about it, the more I come to the conclusion that Paul Haig is just about the most important Scottish musician of my generation.
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