It’s always the same when the calendar flips round to June…..I get all nostalgic for bygone, warm and carefree days. Blame it on the fact there’s another birthday fast approaching….gawd only knows what state I’ll be in this time next year as the 60th approaches.
This takes me back to the late summer of 1983, and in particular the first few weeks of moving into my first flat with fellow students. It was a gloriously happy time. Seems only right to offer up all four tracks from the 7″ single:-
mp3: The Style Council – Long Hot Summer
mp3: The Style Council – Party Chambers
mp3: The Style Council – The Paris Match
mp3: The Style Council – Le Depart
Then again, as you’ll hear from the fact there’s a bit more wear and tear via the pops and crackles on the 12″ take on things, it was the one on more regular rotation:-
mp3: The Style Council – Long Hot Summer (extended version)
Oh, and I can’t really let this all go without fast forwarding twelve months and the album version of one of the b-sides – a reminder of 1984 being the first time I visited the capital of France, along with the then love of my life. All the way there, and beyond to Venice, and back to Glasgow, via Interrail on a student bargain ticket:-
mp3: The Style Council – The Paris Match (album version)
Mick Talbot plays piano, Chris Bostock (of Jo Boxers) plays double bass, Ben Watt plays guitar and Tracey Thorn takes the vocal to a new level. I’m guessing Paul Weller simply sat in the studio, watching on with a huge grin on his face.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 
Glorious (with similar themed memories of that summer- still together).
It is the perfect summer track, the 12″ version especially – still in my book the best SC ever managed.
Superb start to the working week!!
SC
Long Hot Summer is a classic but Party Chambers is right up there with it.
Lovely stuff. Viva TSC!