Moments In Love - The Art Of Noise

Moments In Love is the Art Of Noise's most famous track. It's a gentle, Fairlight-led trip through breathy flutes, gently chiming glockenspiel, bongos and judiciously placed orchestral hits, and it's famous.

It now appears on almost any chillout album you care to mention, to the extent of a BBC radio programme tracing the origins of the music now known as 'chillout' being titled 'Moments In Love - The History Of Chillout Music'. Please... don't be put off by this. Think of a genre following the song, rather than the songs you feel define that genre. After all, Madonna advanced down the aisle towards Sean Penn accompanied by its gentle, pulsing waves. A search in Amazon produces three pages of compilation albums which feature the track, as well as varied Art Of Noise releases; as with so many of Zang Tuum Tumb's artists, Paul Morley and Trevor Horn would remix and reuse to the point of Spitting Image parody.

The track first appeared on the mini-album Into Battle with the Art Of Noise in 1983, and the single Moments In Love was released shortly afterwards, then re-released in 1985 as part of a double A-side with Beat Box. The album Daft appeared in 1984 containing the track, and Who's Afraid Of The Art Of Noise also emerged in 1984, containing yet another version. A cassette entitled The Tortoise And The Hare alluded to Moments In Love's video, which featured a tortoise, representative of the music industry, and contained a fourteen minute version of the track. In short - Moments In Love exists in many, many different forms, and collecting them all is a challenge beyond mere mortals. But you have to try... right?

Watch out for the delightful orgasm formed from sampled Beverley Sisters ("Now!") and a harp glissando in the 10:19 version from Who's Afraid Of The Art Of Noise. You don't get that on the chillout albums...

(The following lists are pretty close to being, but unlikely to actually be, complete. Zang Tuum Tumb are terrible for producing remixed or edited versions of tracks with artistic names, and thus tracking down every version of Moments In Love is a task best left to Paul Morley. I don't suppose he'll be doing that any time soon, though...)

Moments In Love Versions And Remixes:

• Moment In Love (1:28) is a very short, stripped down version which features on Into Battle.
• Cassette Version (5:12) is basically an edit of the ten minute track and features on the cassette of Into Battle.
• Beaten (7:05) features on the Moments In Love singles.
• Moments In Love (10:19) is pretty much the full track, and features on Who's Afraid Of The Art Of Noise.
• From Battle To Beaten (14:28) and Love Beat, also known as Three Fingers Of Love, (4:44) feature on The Tortoise And The Hare.
• Rejected 7 Inch (3:45), Moments In Bed (6:12), Moments In Love (7:52) and 12" B-Side Idea (3:10) feature on And What Have You Done With My Body God?, a release of various demos and other bits and pieces from the vaults.
• Anne To Tears Mix (3:53) and Monitor Mix (2:10) are available on Influence, the most recent compilation of previously unreleased and rare tracks.

In Order Of Length:

1:28 'Moment In Love' from Into Battle
2:10 'Monitor Mix' from Influence
2:54 'Remix'
3:10 '12" B-Side Idea' from And What Have You Done With My Body God?
3:45 'Rejected 7 Inch' from And What Have You Done With My Body God?
3:53 'Anne To Tears Mix' from Influence
4:19 'Live on Radio One, 1984'
4:33 'A Moment... Love Is Fighting With Death'
4:40 '7" Version'
4:44 'Love Beat / Three Fingers Of Love' from The Tortoise And The Hare
5:12 'Cassette Version' from Into Battle cassette
5:13 'Massey Mix 3'
5:15 'Love Beat' full version
6:12 'Moments In Bed' from And What Have You Done With My Body God?
6:18 'Extended Mix'
7:05 'Beaten' from Moments In Love single
7:52 'Moments In Love' from And What Have You Done With My Body God?
10:19 'Moments In Love' from Who's Afraid Of The Art Of Noise
14:28 'From Battle To Beaten' from The Tortoise And The Hare

Possibly Unofficial, Unfindable Or Otherwise Unusual Versions:

3:40 Serphonic Drum and Bass Remix
3:58 Cyberdyne Remix
4:05 Rob Searle's Anthem Mix Radio Edit
4:45 DJ Xavier Three Fingers Of Love Ambient Mix
4:50 Mr88k Remix
4:55 Caspa Remix
5:22 Ken Ford Mix
5:37 Strings and Piano Mix
6:34 Rob Searle Remix
7:19 Chillout Mash Up
7:53 Trafik Remix
8:04 Minky Mix