James, "Say Something (Utah Saints Radio Edit)"

Fifteen-odd years back I chanced across a track on the radio by James, britpop stalwarts who never cracked the biz this side of the pond. The cut was "Say Anything" from their 1993 "Laid" album, but it wasn't the album version that I found when I nabbed "Laid" on cassette. The remix that I'd heard added some characteristically early 90's techno flourishes that punched the song's melancholia up into the heavens. I never heard that remix again after that chance encounter on All Hit LG730 (yes, I'm old school enough to have grown up with an AM station) until today.

Turns out that the remix I heard was done by Utah Saints, and I can't believe I never sussed that out on my own. The radio-friendly brushes of light acid and disco diva backing vocals have the Leeds stadium house outfit's fingerprints all over. While it sounds dated as all get out, the remix still gives me that same hit of summery pop that made me wish I'd had a blank Maxell rolling in the tape deck that night. Peep it (along with the original if you've never heard it) below.

James, "Say Something"

James, "Say Something (Utah Saints Radio Edit)"