OK, SO I STOLE THIS THEME (Part 1991)

Those lucky enough to have got to the above gig, or the one held the previous night at the same venue were awfully lucky.

REM had, just the previous Monday, released their new LP Out Of Time. Having exhausted themselves touring previous LP Green, the band decided the promotional work this time round would be entirely different. The only two UK gigs were at the Borderline in London, where they were billed as Bingo Hand Job, which was basically acoustic REM assisted by, at various times. Peter Holsapple, Billy Bragg and Robyn Hitchcock and the Egyptians. Sadly, I have to make do with a vinyl bootleg from the night, from which I've taken one of the four songs to commemorate 1991:-

mp3 : Bingo Hand Job - Radio Song
mp3 : Teenage Fanclub - Like A Virgin
mp3 : Electronic - Get The Message
mp3 : Carter USM - Shoppers' Paradise

The other songs are:-

- a cover version of the Madonna classic as the Fannies show that pure pop is timeless and that anything really can be turned into one of your own if you want it to.

- a top notch single that almost made you forget about New Order or The Smiths.

- the best song ever to feature a sample by The Clash.

Happy Listening.

FORGOTTEN BRITPOP CLASSICS (Part 8)

The back of this CD single says:-

"It's creamy but inedible
It's pop with a healthy hatred of all things normal
It's a man on a car in a bikini - getting beauty sucked out of him
By a woman with a Nikon.
But more than that, much more than that
It's the second single by Babybird"

So....its simply wrong that happy loving couples want this played at their engagement party or wedding reception.....in the same way so many have misunderstood the real meaning behind The One I Love by REM. What's even funnier is when its used as background music on some sort of TV documentary/reality programme, chosen by some numpty or bimbo who only hears the chorus and thinks to him/herself....'oh, that'll be the prefect accompaniment to the glamour shots we've got in the can....'

Babybird, in the beginning, was just the name used by singer-songwriter Stephen Jones, a native of Sheffield. I remember in the mid 90s there was a real buzz about him in the music press, based on something like three or four demo-type LPs that were doing the rounds. In due course he put a band together and got a record deal with a subsidiary of major label Chrysalis Records, and in September 1996, it looked as if all the hype was justified when this fantastically catchy single went Top 3:-

mp3 : Babybird - You're Gorgeous
mp3 : Babybird - You're Gorgeous Too
mp3 : Babybird - Hong Kong Blues
mp3 : Babybird - KW Jesus TV Roof Appeal

Disappointingly for all concerned, many of the best tunes seemed to have been left behind on all the demo albums, as the first 'proper' LP didn't go down well with either the critics or public, and before too long, the band were being labelled as one-hit wonders.

I say disappointingly, simply because I think You're Gorgeous was one of the best singles of its era - really catchy and radio-friendly but with such a twisted subject matter. It was the sort of lyric that fellow resident of Sheffield, Jarvis Cocker, would have been proud of.

Happy Listening, and happy viewing if you want to click here.

PLAYING OLD 45s THAT NOW MEAN NOTHING TO ME

The other day, ctelblog of Acid Ted fame left this hugely thought provoking comment after I shoved up the mp3 of Falling by McAlmont & Butler:-

"I always thought that this suffered from the Prefab Sprout 'too perfect' problem"

The thing is, while I disagree with him on McAlmont & Butler, I think I know exactly what ctel is getting at.

There' s an awful lot of stuff, particularly from the mid-late 80s and early 90s, that at the time of release I found myself really liking but which I now find all rather bland and trite. And I have to admit that quite a few of the songs and bands I'm thinking about came out of Glasgow and other parts of Scotland.

I'm not saying, per se, that I dislike the stuff and disown it all completely, but it now seems all a tad antiseptic and clean sounding. The production levels were incredibly high, as was the level of musicianship. The records sounded great on the radio at the time. Even today, many of them are the staple diet of some DJs on local radio stations, but I find myself squirming a bit at just how much I championed some of these bands in arguments down in the pub.

What I have also noticed is that almost all of the bands and acts I'm thinking of emerged at a time when we were brainwashed by the industry to dispose in some way of our vinyl and instead go for everything on CD which we were assured was the most perfect way imaginable to listen to music. And I don't believe that is a mere coincidence.

This sort of stuff:-

mp3 : Deacon Blue - Real Gone Kid
mp3 : The Blue Nile - Tinseltown In The Rain

Neither of the above are in any way offensive, and they stuck a chord with many, many, many people that has led to them both being sort of regarded as timeless classics (thus their regular appearances on local commercial radio stations), but they now leave me very unmoved.

I should add that some acts in more recent years that I thought were pretty decent at one point have also subsequently fallen out of flavour in later times when I've revisited them. Like these:-

mp3 : Turin Brakes - Underdog (Save Me)
mp3 : Spiritualised - Come Together

I'll await the brickbats......

Meanwhile, I've had yet another new reader ask for a reposting of the Bourgie Bourgie songs. This is something that seems to happen every couple of months or so, but I've decided, for 2008 anyway, that enough is enough. This is going to be last chance saloon - so today is the last time the two singles will be posted. Next Sunday I'll post the b-sides, the Sunday after that, the 12" versions of the singles and the Sunday after that, the 12" versions of the b-sides.

mp3 : Bourgie Bourgie - Breaking Point (via sharebee)
mp3 : Bourgie Bourgie - Careless (via sharebee)

And finally, for the two folk who responded previously to this posting, (and thanks for the prompt Miss P), here's what we, between us, consider are the lyrics to the song that reached #5 in the 45 45s at 45 series. You'll see we're none the wiser:-

Version 1

I'll stake my claim
I'll strike the vein
I could stipulate
There's only half a way
If you can talk (oh you can talk)
But can you tell? (but can you tell?)
But you should know (yeah you should know)
I stretch to better things

You're running pretty wild
You're running pretty deep
You ought to get some sleep
You ought to take your time
You ought to heed my words
And just wait until your ship comes in.


Version 2

I'll stake my claim,
I'll strike the vein
Cos sleeping late
Is only half of it.
You can talk (oh you van talk)
Boy, can you talk (boy can you talk)
But you should know (yeah should know)
I'll stretch to better things.

You're running pretty wild
You're running pretty deep
You ought to get some sleep
You ought to take your time
You ought to hear my words
And just wait until your ship comes in.

Happy Listening.

HE HAD ANOTHER GREAT BAND Y'KNOW....

Lloyd Cole & The Commotions broke up in 1989 after releasing three LPs and something in the region of a dozen singles, many of which were chart hits. Since then, Lloyd has pursued a solo career which has had more critical than commercial acclaim which is a real shame as much of the output he has released over the past near 20 years is every bit as good as his better known stuff with his band mates.

But back in 2000, Lloyd teamed up with some younger musicians from New York to form The Negatives. The other musicians in The Negatives were Dave Derby (lead singer and bassist of 90's Boston-based Dambuilders, a band once decreed by Spin Magazine to be the best "indie band in America."), Mike Kotch (guitarist with 90s New York band Eve's Plum), Rafa Maciejak (drummer with 90s New York band Ivy, who in their time toured with Oasis, Edwyn Collins and The Divine Comedy among others) and Jill Sobule (highly regarded and talented singer-songwriter from Denver who I once saw support Billy Bragg at a gig in Edinburgh).

Other contributors on some of the songs included ex-Commotion Neil Clark and Adam Schlesinger of the Fountains Of Wayne, while production duties were largely (but not exclusively) handled by Stephen Street.

Anyways.....it's clear that was no bunch of rookie or session musicians, and as I reckon the results produced Lloyd's most consistent record in terms of quality since Rattlesnakes back in 1984.Its a great collection of songs and the talents of the other musicians more than complement Lloyd's vocal delivery. I was just sorry that the project proved to be a one-off and also by the fact that it was a very low-key tour that supported the release of the LP (although in saying that, I was lucky enough to be in Dublin one night when The Negatives were in town and managed to blag a ticket).

What I most like about the record is the mixture of styles deployed throughout. There's some acoustic type stuff that Lloyd would further develop on his excellent solo albums of the 21st Century, there's some radio-friendly pop classics that should have been hits and there's even some songs where the band go for a full-out rock assault.

And of course Lloyd's great lyrics......

mp3 : Lloyd Cole & The Negatives - Past Imperfect
mp3 : Lloyd Cole & The Negatives - What's Wrong With This Picture?
mp3 : Lloyd Cole & The Negatives - Too Much E

I do insist that if you enjoy any of these three tracks that you buy the album either here or here.

Happy Listening.

FROM UNDER THE COVERS (Parts 34 & 35)

I'm sure I've said it before that the truly great cover versions, in my humble opinion, are the ones where a well known song is transformed into something totally different. I'm not all that interested in a band or a singer re-producing the cover word-for-word and note- for-note at the same beat, tempo and rhythm as the original - just gimme something that makes the cover sound like one of your own. But you gotta be careful and not turn it into a parody or pastiche...

And of course David Gedge, whether with The Wedding Present or Cinerama, is a master of the art. But its not he who appears today...

The last two episodes of the Contrast Podcast have concentrated on covers which sound very different from the originals, and there's a fair few in there which are quite special. My own contribution centred more on a story for the intro than anything else, and if I had been allowed to add additional songs, these would likely have been the choices:-

mp3 : Eels - Get Ur Freak On
mp3 : Christian Kjellvander & Lise Westynthius - Hand In Glove

The first act should be well known to all of you, and its a glorious version of the Missy Elliot song that was all over the radio stations and video channels four or five years ago.

The second is, of course, a cover of the debut single by The Smiths. Recorded in 2003, it is a collaboration between a Swedish singer/songwriter who specialises in alt country (not that far removed from The Rockingbirds) and a Danish singer who includes Morrissey, The Cocteau Twins, Ian Brown, Cat Power, Sophie Ellis-Bextor, Mark Kozelek, Malcolm Middleton and Hot Chip among her influences. Intrigued??

Happy Listening

MUSIC, NOT LOVE, IS THE DRUG

There I was yesterday, standing half-asleep on the platform waiting for the next train after the one that's just been cancelled, lost in a world of my own in a near zombie-like state.

Then this came on via the shuffle function:-

mp3 : McAlmont & Butler - Falling

Contrary to the song title, this is a song I find hugely uplifting. And its unexpected appearance on the i-pod sent me into work with a smile on my face and geared up for the day.

For those of you who dont know, its singer David McAlmont and guitarist Bernard Butler, and as I'm short of time to say anything more, I'll direct you here for more info.

I'm still annoyed that Falling was such a minor instead of a major hit.

WHAT WONDERFUL TRIBUTES

I was flicking through the channels the other day during one of the many commercial breaks that accompany Sky Sports coverage of the Ryder Cup when I discovered that one of the movie channels was showing There's Something About Mary.

Now besides from being a fairly funny film - Ben Stiller usually makes me laugh y'see - the appearance of Jonathan Richman makes it a firm favourite in Villain Towers.

The passing of time means I've now forgiven Jonathan for a truly awful live appearance in Glasgow a couple of years back - one of the first gig reviews I ever posted on TVV right here - and if and when he does come back, I suppose the lesson is to get there when the doors open, just in case.

I've a fair few of his recordings over what is now something like a 35 year career, and I'll willingly admit that some of it is a bit patchy. But there's an awful lot to love than hate about one of Boston's favourites sons.

Jonathan never made any secret of the fact that he was motivated to make it as a musician when he discovered Velvet Underground, and in 1992, he wrote and recorded a tribute to his favourite band:-

mp3 : Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - Velvet Underground

By an amazing coincidence, the same year saw the release of this great single:-

mp3 : The Rockingbirds - Jonathan Jonathan

Yup. a tribute to Mr Richman recorded by a UK country-rock band who never quite got beyond cult status. Read more about The Rockingbirds here.

And while I'm here, I may as well post the only other single I own by the band as it is rather lovely:-

mp3 : The Rockingbirds - Gradually Learning

Oh and the video for Gradually Learning is available at The Video Villain

Happy Listening.

OK, SO I STOLE THIS THEME....

Sometimes, you read something somewhere else and wish you'd thought of it first.

My dear friend Dirk over at Sexy Loser has been posting all sorts of great stuff in recent months based on songs he first heard on the John Peel shows broadcast on Armed Services radio in Germany. Now his latest posting is what I hope will be the first of a regular series in which he focuses in on a particular year and chooses his favourite songs from a particular 12 month period.

He's started with 1976.....and he's picked five absolute belters that cover a range of genres. He's even been kind enough to provide links to the songs, and I thoroughly recommend that you take a look by clicking here.

I think its an idea worth stealing, and I hope Dirk doesn't mind. But I won't go through everything in a chronological order....instead I'll now and then go for a random year and give you four songs that I think are pretty special - and most importantly, haven't been featured before on TVV (although I might get it occasionally wrong for I don't keep a list and with more than 1500 already been made available before now, the odd repeat might creep in). They might not necessarily be my favourites songs from that particular year, but hey, its my blog and I'll make up whatever rules suit me at whatever time.

And I'm going to kick off with 1984. The year that I turned 21 years of age on the very day that Paul McCartney turned 42. Since then, I've been less that half the age of the lovable moptop....and the frightening thing is that he probably now looks younger than me.

It was a year when George Orwell was again all the rage thanks to every single newspaper columnist talking about his book and analysing just how much he had got right and how much he had got wrong. It was also the year when these first came to our attention:-

mp3 : Everything But The Girl - Each And Everyone
mp3 : Lloyd Cole & The Commotions - Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?
mp3 : Billy Bragg - The Saturday Boy
mp3 : Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Turning The Town Red

Its kinda obvious that I was a student isn't it???

I dont think I imagined back then, that 24 years on, Tracy, Lloyd, Billy & Elvis would all still be recording and touring. Nor that I would still be listening to them....

Incidentally, the EC track was the theme song to Scully, a fantastic TV series written by Alan Bleasdale. Over at the Video Villain, I've shoved up a classic clip of when our hero is getting ready to go out on his dream date. Still makes me laugh and cringe....

Happy Listening (and viewing).

THAT THING UP IN THE SKY...WHAT IS IT?

After months and months of wet and miserable weather, the sun has come out in Glasgow. Just a pity that I've planned a day centred around football and golf on the telly.....

It seems appropriate to listen to this beautiful bundle of joy:-

mp3 : The Lotus Eaters - First Picture of You (12" version)
mp3 : The Lotus Eaters - The Lotus Eaters
mp3 : The Lotus Eaters - Stranger So Far (Peel Session)

The single reached #15 in early 1983, but incredibly, it was the only success The Lotus Eaters ever enjoyed placing them firmly in the category of one-hit wonders. Oh, and I've put a clip of it over at The Video Villain.

Incidentally, I was sure I had the flop follow-up single You Don't Need Someone New in the cupboard, but I cant find it anywhere. Anyone able to fire over an mp3 copy?

Thanks....and Happy Listening.

HOOK, LINE AND SINKER

Or alternatively......how your humble scribe greedily grabbed the bait.

I rarely do posts on Saturdays, but I'm all over the place this weekend with Mrs Villain being away with a crowd of her friends, leaving me home alone to suffer the agonies of the 2008 Ryder Cup (looks as if the Yanks are going to get a victory if Day 1 is anything to go by).

But a comment left behind by the handsome and talented ctelblog, author of the fantastic and educational Acid Ted blogspot, has to be taken head on.....

M'lud, Ladies and Gentlemen of the jury....young ctel has asked for evidence of great b-sides by the The Smiths. Let me delve into the cupboard, pull out all the 7" and 12" singles by the band that sit on the shelves, and allow me to read to you the full list of original Morrissey/Marr compositions that first appeared as b-sides in the order that they emerged:-

Handsome Devil
Accept Yourself
Jeane
Wonderful Woman
Back To the Old House
These Things Take Time
Girl Afraid
How Soon Is Now?
Please, Please, Please.....
Oscillate Wildly
Stretch Out And Wait
Rubber Ring
Asleep
Money Changes Everything
Unloveable
The Draize Train
Is It Really So Strange?
Sweet And Tender Hooligan
London
Half A Person
I Keep Mine Hidden

I wont argue that they're all classics, but there's at least a dozen of the above list that gain huge votes in lists of best Smiths songs of all time.

I call upon the following witnesses to collaborate the evidence.

Oh and most of the list can be found on this handy compilation

mp3 : The Smiths - Girl Afraid
mp3 : The Smiths - Stretch Out And Wait

Oh and as a special treat, here's something Johnny Marr has described as "a spectacular combination" that can only be found on the flip side of an original 12" single, as the two tracks have been separated on all subsequent compilations.

mp3 : The Smiths - Rubber Ring/Asleep (via sharebee)

Happy Listening.

B-SIDE BONANZA

Loads of bands release the occasional great b-side. But I reckon that The Jam, and latterly The Smiths are the only lot to consistently put what many fans regard as some of the best stuff they ever recorded as the b/w or c/w to the record played on the radio.

mp3 : The Jam - The Butterfly Collector
mp3 : The Jam - Smithers Jones
mp3 : The Jam - Liza Radley
mp3 : The Jam - Tales From The Riverbank

It makes a cracking EP doesn't it?

Happy Listening.

IT'S GREAT TO HAVE YOU BACK

I was through in Edinburgh last night for this great gig.

Sadly, due to the need to be back in Glasgow before midnight, I couldn't stay to watch the headlining act. But I can report that The Pictish Trail and Rozi Plain were hauntingly wonderful....and after many months of inactivity, Malcolm Middleton has returned.

I'm sure Malcolm will think in many ways this was a far from assured solo performance from the great man. He was quite clearly nervous, and he wasn't helped by a largely indifferent audience who were here for the main act, and his efforts to talk to them between songs in a very intimate venue where the nearest punters were at eye level less than 6 feet away were met with silence. Which only made Malcolm, never the most confident with his stage persona, even more nervous.

But when he let the songs speak for themselves, he had the audience eating out of his hand. Yes, he did forget one or two lines, and yes, he did stop at least one song and start again as he had made a mess of it. This particular fan couldnt care less - it was just such a great feeling to see him back on stage with his trusty acoustic guitar giving us lots of old favourites and one new song in a 40-minute set that just flew in:-

Setlist ( I might have the order slightly wrong....its all from memory):-

A Brighter Beat
Up Late At Night Again
Blue Bags
Fuck It I Love You
Autumn
Total Belief
Devastation
Travelling Red Socks
Somebody Loves You

And from a couple of CDs I've never posted anything from before:-

mp3 : Malcolm Middleton - Devastation (live)
mp3 : Malcolm Middleton - Blue Plastic Bags

The former is taken from a superb love solo appearance back in 2005 at the Bush Hall in London. The latter from the mini-LP Sleight of Heart that was released earlier this year.

Both can.....no let me rephrase that.....both should be bought from this site where you'll get all sorts of info on the great man.

Actually, I was wrong about Sleight of Heart....its not available on the official site. Try here.

Happy Listening.

A SURPRISING CONNECTION....

I imagine every 40-something who listened to John Peel way back in the mid 80s will have some sort of opinion on Half Man Half Biscuit. Some folk saw them as no more than a novelty or comedy act. Others, and I include myself in this grouping, saw them as a hugely talented bunch of lads who were as astute as anyone at commenting on life in UK plc at the height of Thatcherism when the haves most certainly had but most of us were constantly worrying whether we had a future.

Oh and they could also be really funny as well.

Until I came across this single in the cupboard the other day, I had forgotten that HMHB had actually split in 1986. Lead singer Nigel Blackwell at the time said that he hadn't come into music for fame and fortune, and the success of the band was stopping him from watching daytime TV.

And that was that for four years. This was the comeback single:-

mp3 : Half Man Half Biscuit - Let's Not
mp3 : Half Man Half Biscuit - Our Tune
mp3 : Half Man Half Biscuit - Ordinary to Enschede

The surprising connection I mentioned in the title??

Well, this 12" single was recorded & mixed at Shabby Road Studios in Kilmarnock, Scotland. The engineers were two lads called Frank Read and Larry Primrose, the former of whom was just beginning to find fame, if not fortune, as the lead singer and lyricist with Trash Can Sinatras, the band that produced this bit of magic that I made #30 in the 45s at 45 series:-

mp3 : Trash Can Sinatras - Obscurity Knocks

Happy Listening

Trivia Note. The sticker still on the front of the sleeve tells me I paid £3.99 for this 12" single from Tower Records. Proof of how much the record-buying public back then were being ripped off by the retailers.

FROM UNDER THE COVERS (Part 33)

Every Tuesday, a wonderful man called Tim Young puts together a thing called the Contrast Podcast. Since the turn of the year, I've been a regular contributor and have again done with this week's theme 'Covers that are very different from the Originals', and at some point (its usually around 5pm UK time) you can listen in by clicking here.

By pure coincidence, today's posting is the latest in the series of cover versions, but for once the tune on offer isn't all that different from the original.

mp3 : Sons & Daughters - Nice'n'Sleazy

As the photo indicates, this version can be found as the flip side to the 2005 single Taste The Last Girl. The original was of course by The Stranglers - and was a Top 20 hit away back in 1978.

Now I know that The Stranglers were more pub-rock than punk rock, and that much of their preening and posturing more than verged on the sexist and misogynist, but I thought they released a lot of cracking singles.

mp3 : The Stranglers - Nice'n'Sleazy

It does it, does it, does it every time......

Happy Listening.

I DO LIKE SOME NEW STUFF Y'KNOW....

Ok…I’ll never be able to deny that most of my favourite music does come from an era long gone. But, and this may come as a bit of a surprise to some of you, I do sometimes drag myself away from the second-hand record shops and make purchases that are a bit more up to date.

However, given that I always put up mp3s with any posting, I tend to shy away from talking about new releases as I don’t like making songs available that I’d prefer folk to go out and buy. But now that at least six months or so have passed since their latest LPs hit the shops, I don’t feel bad about putting up these particular songs.

British Sea Power are a band who I’ve been fascinated with since buying their debut CD on the basis of hearing three or four tracks while browsing in a record store. But in saying that, I never went out of way to do much more than buy the albums, other than read about them in various music magazines. There were a number of articles that mentioned how great they were live, but for one reason or another, I never got round to it.

I noticed that Matthew, aka Toad, was mentioning BSP a few times in the infancy of his great blog, and he too mentioned the live act as being quite stunning. So….when a tour was announced for early 2008, including a show in Glasgow, I got myself a ticket. And I also bought their new CD – Do You Like Rock Music?

Now, the live show did turn out to be exceptional (as I mentioned at the time in this review), and I’m really looking forward to them coming back to Glasgow next month. However, I think it’s only fair to mention that the latest LP has been one of the most played in Villain Towers this year.

Another LP that has been on heavy rotation is Superabundance by The Young Knives. They are one of the few new acts that both Mrs Villain and myself agree on, and we’re both gutted that the world consistently refuses to sit up and take notice of TYK, or indeed give them any credit for being the natural 21st century successors to great and slightly-eccentric English pop bands such as XTC, The Teardrop Explodes and The Kinks.

One of the problems I have in writing about both BSP and TYK is that I find it difficult to capture in words just what it is that I love about them. Sometimes it is easier to let the music speak for itself:-

mp3 : British Sea Power – Waving Flags
mp3 : British Sea Power – No Lucifer
mp3 : The Young Knives – Up All Night
mp3 : The Young Knives – Turn Tail

The thing is, I don’t expect all that many of you to agree wholeheartedly with my views on these two bands. The afore-mentioned Matthew, for one, cannot abide TYK. But for me, that’s what makes writing and talking about music such great fun. One person’s smooth Russian vodka on the rocks might very easily be another’s flat Pepsi Cola that’s been lying out in the sun or heat for 48 hours.

But one thing I’ll never do is hurl abuse at someone based on their musical taste. Not unless they were the sort who bought just two singles this year and they were Kid Rock and Nickelback.

Happy Listening.

PS : I forgot, I'm also the show-off who likes to share the obscurities. I find this strangely moving....

mp3 : British Sea Power - Waving Flags (Wandering Horn Instrumental)

THERE'S A REASON FOR THIS

I know that, technically speaking, there always is.

But someone has accused me of lacking in moral fibre.....Click Here.

The song in question??

mp3 : The Fatima Mansions - Blues for Ceausescu (Only Solution Mix)

Happy Listening

WHAT'S HE ON ABOUT TODAY??

I like to think that most of the bands/singers that feature on this blog are reasonably well known, as that saves me giving a detailed explanation of who they are (or were, in the event there’s been a break-up). As for today’s lot – well I’m sure the name at least might be familiar to many UK (and Japanese) readers, but less so to my friends across on the other side of the Atlantic. So here’s a little bio of Uruesi Yatsura.

It was back in 1994 that Fergus Lawrie, Graham Kemp, Ian Graham and Elaine Graham decided to form a band. They named it after a hugely popular Japanese comic book - one that has been its own TV series and video game. The translation from Japanese into English seemingly is not straightforward….the band prefer it to mean ‘Noisy Stars’, but you have to admit that Urusei Yatsura is a far cooler name than Noisy Stars.

Anyway, the band started gigging at loads of small Glasgow venues and quickly gained a reputation for churning out loud guitar-driven short burst of pop that had more than a hint of Sonic Youth about them.

Like so many others, their fame increased thanks to the support and patronage of John Peel, and following the inevitable session, they grabbed themselves a record deal with indie label Che Records. Between 1995 and 1998, they released eight singles and two albums before Che Records went bust after an unfortunate tie-up with Warners went sour.

The fact that Che Records had gone under led to the band disappearing from view for the best part of two years, and it was very late on in 1999 before an EP came out on the Beggars Banquet label, and then in 2000, it was announced the band was setting up its own label in the shape of Oni Records. Two singles and one LP was all that emerged over the next 18 months before they called it a day.

As careers go, it was pretty reasonable. The best part of 7 years, three LPs, the best part of a dozen 45s/EPs and a handful of other releases on compilation LPs as well as a one-off 45 with one Urusei Yatsura track b/w one track by The Delgados. They toured extensively, either as headliners or as main support to the likes of Garbage and Super Furry Animals.

In terms of commercial success, just the one single cracked the charts – it hit #40 for one week in February 1998.

But these words and stats don’t do real justice to Urusei Yatsura. They were largely an out and out pop band with a sound that was influenced by so many others but yet somehow seemed distinctive. I’ve already mentioned Sonic Youth in terms of the guitars….but there was also a hint of Pavement in respect of weird lyrics…there was glam-rock as evidenced by the Glitter Band style chants….there was the buzz and feedback of the Jesus & Mary Chain…..and still they could sound as melodic and delightful as Teenage Fanclub. And at a time when Glasgow was being dominated by the whimsy of the likes of Belle and Sebastian, it was great to have your ears occasionally assaulted...

Having given them such a great build-up, I hope you do find these tracks to your satisfaction:-

mp3 : Urusei Yatsura – Hello Tiger (Peel Session)

mp3 : Uruesi Yatsura - Kewpies Like Watermelons

mp3 : Urusei Yatsura – Phasers On Stun

mp3 : Urusei Yatsura – Strategic Hamlets

If you like what you hear, you can probably track down the back catalogue on e-bay. I particularly recommend the 1998 LP, Slain by Urusei Yatsura.

Happy Listening.

LIKE HE WAS SAYING EARLIER...

A post to follow up on JC's post about the Wedding Present and Monaco.

Much as I love the Wedding Present's original material, I almost love them as a covers band more. They put so much into their covers. The recent Take That cover is a complete classic, bringing new levels of pathos to the track. But for a full-on sonic assault cover, it's got to be Cockney Rebel's curiously parenthesesed Make me Smile (Come Up and See Me) from the 3 Songs EP.

JC also wrote about Peter Hook from New Order's other band Monaco. Prior to Monaco, Peter had also formed Revenge with Dave Hicks and Chris Jones. It wasn't terribly successful and in large part quite forgettable. But I always retained a fondness for their Pineapple Face single, which I assumed was named after Manuel Noriega (former Dictator of Panama) and for the slightly disconcerting focus on girls in chains and motorbikes on the covers of all the singles.

The Wedding Present - Make me Smile (Come Up and See Me) YSL

The Wedding Present - Getting Better YSL

Revenge - Pineapple Face YSL

Revenge - 14k YSL

Buy Weddoes here and Revenge here

NOBODY DOES IT BETTER.....

…..than David Gedge when it comes to penning stuff about relationships.

Whether its been with The Wedding Present or Cinerama or The Wedding Present once again, David has written and recorded umpteen (that’s a word I like to use when I don’t know the precise number..) songs of quality and distinction about meeting someone, falling for someone, being with someone, wanting someone who is unattainable, and most of all…..how you feel about someone after the love has gone.

He’s written songs from all sorts of perspectives – as someone who is angry, hurt, sad, bemused and even relieved that a relationship has run its course.

But mostly its songs by someone with a broken heart.

Now I daren’t think that all of the songs are autobiographical - if they are, his heart must be in billions of pieces by now. The most amazing thing is that the accompanying tunes never fall into the category of maudlin or dirge-like.

I’ve a mate who once said, “You know, The Wedding Present have only one tune…..but it’s a fucking cracking one at that”

My mate of course had her tongue firmly in her cheek, for there is no argument that David Gedge has proven himself as one of the UK’s best ever word AND tunesmiths.

Here’s one of my favourite examples:-

I heard another voice this morning on the 'phone
But just the other day I thought you said you slept alone

And yes I knew that laughter, okay, now I see
You wouldn't even know him if it hadn't been for me

Sometimes in the fading light
I can't help thinking back to, well, the way we were

Then I start feeling guilty lying next to her
I know, and it can't be right

Pretending that it's you.
You still won't go away
Pretending that it's you.
You still won't go away

If you write again perhaps you shouldn't send it here
It's just that I don't really want your letters to appear

Oh no, I just think she might forget
I ever said that I'm just being scared

I told her all about you and I don't think she even cared
I know but it's not alright

Pretending that it's you.
You still won't go away
Pretending that it's you.
You still won't go away

And does the thought of leaving him brings you to tears?
I bet you never felt the same about me all those years

Well you know, just what it's like

Pretending that it's you.
You still won't go away
Pretending that it's you.
You still won't go away

And then there’s the unnerving and unsettling music that never quite finds a steady rhythm or beat thanks to its constant change in volume and tempo.

mp3 : The Wedding Present - Lovenest

And while I’m here, I may as well let you have a listen to the other three songs which are on the 12” version of this single:-

mp3 : The Wedding Present – Mothers
mp3 : The Wedding Present – Dan Dare
mp3 : The Wedding Present – Fleshworld

As with just about every single the band released around that period in time, there was an unusual choice of song for a cover version. In this case it was Mothers which was originally by Jean Paul Sartre Experience, a rather obscure (to most folk) new wave band from New Zealand.

If you like what you’ve just heard, you really should invest in this bit of product as it contains the full length version of Lovenest as well as the three songs that were on the 12” along with another 12 cracking tunes.

Happy Listening.

FAG HAGS?

The past few days have been very tiring at work, and I've sort of hit a wall on the blog.

So that's my excuse for not saying very much today, except that I saw a variation of this photo a while back, and I thought to myself "the next time I cant think of anything to write, I'm going to get some nuns with cancer sticks and show up this song"..

mp3 : Chumbawumba - Give The Anarchist A Cigarette

It can be found on the 1994 LP Anarachy.

Happy Listening.

THE FLOP DEBUT

One night back in late 2000, while suffering from insomnia, I caught glimpse of a cartoon video of a cartoon video on MTV. It must have been around 3am or something...

My ears immediately picked up on a great tune and what sounded awfully like the vocals of Damon Albarn. But quite clearly, this was not anything by Blur.

Unusually, no information on the video came up at the end. But I was determined to track it down. By pure chance, I was in a favourite record shop in Glasgow a couple of days later and amidst by browsing, I saw something which had a title that was awfully like the mystery track.

So, I asked the guys in the shop to let me hear it. And I was right. So I bought it, and waited on it becoming a massive hit. But nothing happened. And just when I thought Gorillaz was simply going to be a one-off single, other stuff came out maybe four or five months later, and they did go on to become a worldwide phenomena.

But in my view, they have never bettered this:-

mp3 : Gorillaz - Tomorrow Comes Today

Happy Listening.

I WON'T SAY NO, HOW COULD I? (3)

It's that time again when I repost stuff requested by a reader.

This is for mdsgcg:-

mp3 : James - What's The World
mp3 : James - Folklore
mp3 : James - Fire So Close
mp3 : James - If Things Were Perfect
mp3 : James - Hymn From A Village

If you want, you can click here and to read what I had to sat about these particular and somewhat obscure gems back back on 15th February 2008.

Happy Listening.

IT WAS NEVER NICE ENOUGH IN RECENT MONTHS TO POST THIS...

This was a contender for the reasonably recent 45s series.

I've wanted to share it with everyone for months, but the weather has been too fucking miserable.

Its my idea of a perfect love song.

mp3 : The Sundays - Summertime
mp3 : The Sundays - Nothing Sweet
mp3 : The Sundays - Gone

With a squeeze and a sigh and a twinkle in your eye as the sunshine banishes the dark.

Big big big thanks to the enormously talented and unfailingly entertaining Davy H from this work of genius for the inspiration provided by this particular post.

Happy Listening.

GREAT OPENING TRACKS ON LPs (Part 13)

Ah….I’m cheating with this one as technically it isn’t the opening track at all.

But in my defence, I need to point out that when I bought Sulk by Associates on vinyl way back in 1982, every time I played it, apart from the very first spin, I started with Side 2 before flipping it over to Side 1.

One of the reasons for this was down to the fact that Party Fears Two and Club Country, the two hit singles from the LP, were to be found on Side 2. But the best reason was the fact that Side 2 opened with what was my favourite song on the whole LP, and indeed is probably my all time favourite Associates song ever:-

mp3 : Associates – Skipping

The beauty of this band wasn’t just the great vocal talents of Billy MacKenzie, but also the amazing music that was written and performed by Alan Rankine. One very minor criticism I have of some Associates tracks is that they can be dominated by one or the other - i.e. Billy’s singing is so perfect that you forget to listen to what is being played, or else the music is so wondrous that Billy’s vocals just seem to be an additional instrument. But when the two combine perfectly, as they so often did on this masterpiece of an LP, it just turns into something of the utmost quality and enjoyment.

Skipping starts off with Billy doing something a little bit accapella, but almost immediately there’s Alan adding some amazing guitars, bass, keyboards and drum machines to accompany him as he swoops his way through his whole vocal range over the course of just four minutes and four seconds of perfection. But does anyone care to offer an opinion what the hell the song is all about? I haven’t a clue myself……

Doors lead to other doors

Roads lead to other roads

They're simple they just happen

They're simple they take care of themselves

They're simple they just happen to be there

Embarrassed try one too

Whatever times left of day

Marvellous lousy could this be your safest way

Ancestral in its own deficiency

A deficit of skipping

Skipping

Skipping I left you there skipping

Ripping ropes from Belgian wharfs

Breathless Beauxillous griffin once removed seemed dwarfed

They're simple in that they happen to be there

Embarrassed try one too

Whatever times left of day

Marvellous lousy could this be your safest way

Ancestral in its own deficiency

A deficit of skipping

Skip-skip, skip, skipping

Skip-skip, skip, skipping, skipping

Skip-skip, skip, skipping

Skip-skip, skip, skip-skipping

Skip-skip, skip, skipping

Skipping I left you there, I left you there

Skip-skip skip-skipping, skipping, skipping

Skipping I left you there

Skipping skipping

Skipping I left you there

Yes, Billy really does sing Breathless Beauxillous griffin in the middle of the song…

Happy Listening

IMPORTANT PS :

Due to circumstances outwith his control, Comrade Colin is no longer able to make his own farewell night out on Saturday 20th September (see posting immediately below). New arrangements, possibly involving Broken Records at King Tut's on Monday 22nd September are being worked upon. More details to follow......

BLOGGERS' NIGHT OUT

Listen up good people.

On Saturday 20th September 2008, Robert Foster (pictured above), is playing a gig at Oran Mor in Glasgow - and I'm hoping as many of you as possible will get along.

Some of you might not be familiar with Robert's work, but for most of the past 25 years and more, he's been best known as part of one of Australia's greatest exports - Go Betweens.

Sadly, the death of his compadre Grant McLennan a couple of years ago brought an end to the band, but Robert is now embarking on a solo career. Normally that alone would be enough to put out this call to get along that night.....but there is something else.

Comrade Colin from And Before The First Kiss, a blogger loved and admired by many the world over, is going to live and work in Seattle for a number of months. I'm determined that he gets a decent send-off. So, having just come in from having a few units of alcohol in his company, an idea has been hatched.

Its long been the intention to try and get a gathering of the Scottish bloggers (and indeed any bloggers from further afield), as well as sundry non-blogging but music-appreciating friends in the one place at the one time. This gives us a meaningful excuse....

The fact its the Oran Mor means that those who dont necessarily fancy the gig can get along for part of the night given that its a multi-purpose venue with a number of bars.

The plan, as it stands, is to meet in the main bar around 7.30pm. Those who want to go the gig can do so....those who want to stay in the main bar can do so....those who cant make it along early on can then meet up again in the main bar afterwards.

So far, myself and Colin are definites. Matthew, aka Toad is highly hopeful, while Ed of 17 Seconds is keen to be part of what is hoped will be a historic and memorable night. Sadly, Mike at Manic Pop Thrills is otherwise engaged. If I had other anyone else's phone number, I'd have called you.....

So.....anyone else care to come along???? Just leave your comment here or send an e-mail to the address on the right hand side of the blog.

mp3 : Robert Forster - Rock-n-Roll Friend
mp3 : Go Betweens - Dive For Your Memory

Thank You.

FORGOTTEN BRITPOP CLASSICS (Part 7)

I don’t really suppose this is really forgotten as such, given that it reached the giddy heights of #11 in the UK singles chart in February 1997.

I was really intrigued when I first heard What Do You Want From Me? I was convinced it was fresh stuff from New Order. At this point in history, the band were on a very lengthy sabbatical – it had been four years since they had released any new songs, and Barney had been quite public that he was enjoying life far more as a member of Electronic alongside Johnny Marr.

My initial reaction that this was a clever way of making a comeback - a duet featuring Hooky and barney - but of course it turned out to be a side-project band featuring Hooky and David Potts who had previously been with him in Revenge.

Listening back now, I think Monaco was Hooky’s warning shot that he wasn’t prepared to sit around all his life waiting for his main source of income to reform and start recording again. He deliberately went out of his way to release something that sounded more like a New Order record than anything else he had ever done in his other side-projects, and it was even more so than anything from Electronic or The Other Two. No-one can deny that David Potts sang like Barney, and there’s just no mistaking that distinctive bass that had been the driving force behind so many great songs over the previous near two-decades.

And when you delve into the history of Monaco, its clear to see that Hooky was giving it his all with this band. There was a lengthy UK tour as support act to The Charlatans in May 1997, an appearance at T in The Park (aka Nedstock) in July 1997, followed by an short US tour that included gigs at venues at prestigious as The Filmore in San Francisco.

Until I did some research for this post, I had assumed Monaco had come and gone after 1997.

But it turns out that a follow-up LP was recorded in 1999 that was rejected by the record label. It was later given a very low-key release on an indie label, with the band appearing at a number of festivals that year, followed by a handful of gigs in 2000. It seems there was then a huge row between Hooky and David Potts (it is alleged the latter wanted to begin to move away from the New Order influences on the Monaco sound), and the band split up. Within a matter of months, New Order, with ex-Marion guitarist Phil Cunningham now on board, were back in the studio….

I don’t care about the rest of you....but I reckon this particular single is as good as anything New Order have come up with over the past 20 years since the brilliance of Technique.

mp3 : Monaco – What Do You Want From Me?

And here’s the other two tracks that can be found on the CD single that sits on one of the shelves in Villain Towers:-

mp3 : Monaco - Bicycle Thief
mp3 : Monaco - Ultra

Happy Listening.

Video can be found right here. Happy Viewing.

GREAT OPENING TRACKS ON LPs (Part 12)

Poems on the Underground was launched in 1986 to bring the art to a wider audience by displaying various poems or stanzas on advertising boards across the London Underground network. Read more about it here.

In early 1995, those in control decided to feature some of the lyrics of an Edwyn Collins song. The genesis of the lines that became so well known to millions of commuters can be traced back to 1991 when not only did Edwyn's LP Hellbent On Compromise sell in miserable numbers, but his record label wouldn't release any singles from it on the basis that they were unlikely to get radio play.

Edwyn's sound was about as far out of fashion as ever could be imagined. The public had seemingly turned its back on him. He was, in the words of Elvis Costello, a man out of time.

He turned primarily to production duties, and most of us who had followed his career from way back now thought his recording days were over. Then, out of the blue, he released what subsequently became his biggest selling LP ever.

Gorgeous George crept out quietly in back in August 1994, on a small Irish label to very little fanfare, and, though many will deny it now, to near silence from the music critics employed by the papers and magazines. A couple of singles were met with just as much indifference.

But there were people out there who got it. One such individual, and I have no idea who, was the person who managed to persuade his or her colleagues to turn Edwyn's lyrics into a poem. Whether they were a fan of Edwyn or not, again I have no idea, but it is work of genius:-

Don't try so hard to be different,
The cracks are beginning to show
You drift like a cloud through the festival crowd
In a frock coat from Saville Row

You've just been to a all-night party
Where I have to admit it takes pluck
To go out on the floor and proclaim 'What a bore'
In a T-shirt that reads 'Disco Sucks'

Yes, here he comes, the not-so-young
Pretender to the throne
He's singing 'Rag, Momma, Rag,'
Won't you give that poor dog a bone?

And he's wondering why we can't connect
When he's sworn to us that he's totally wrecked
On the rustic charm that he affects
On a public schoolboy whim

With a raggle taggle plastic gypsy
Robert Zimmerframe
With a synthesized accordian
A-scramblin' up my brain

With a fiddle-dee-dee, a fiddle on high
Excuse me folks while I kiss the sky
Or at any rate give it one more try
Before I die. Before I die

The overrated hit the stage
Overpaid and over here
And their idea of counter-culture's
Momma's charge account at Sears

And they're wondering why we can't connect
With the ritual of the trashed guitar
One more paltry empty gesture
The ashes of a burned out star

Yes here they come, both old and young
A contact low or high
The gathering of the tribes descending
Vultures from a caustic sky

The rotting carcass of July
An ugly sun hung out to dry
Your gorgeous hippy dreams are dying
Your frazzled brains are putrifying

Repackaged, sold and sanitized
The devil's music exorcised
You live, you die, you lie, you lie, you die
Perpetuate the lie
Just to perpetuate the lie

Yes yes yes it's the Summer Festival
The truly detestable Summer Festival

Too often this lyric has been taken as an outright attack on American musicians - and in particular grunge music, which for the previous three or four years had been so dominant.

But read it closely.....the sarcasm about grunge comes AFTER an earlier dose of the famous Collins wit had been deployed on the new age travellers who were roaming the country and causing all sorts of chaos. I'm sure it wasnt that Edwyn hated the concept of the traditional travellers - it was more the case that he, like many others, despised the posh kids who thought it would be such wonderful fun to be a rebel for a short while.....before going off to their guaranteed job in the city with a friend of daddy....

And then at the end, with typical Collins mischief just after he's delivered a guitar solo that raawwwwwkkkkksssss, it's all brought together at one big open-air gathering where our Edwyn's least favourite musicians will find their perfect audience.....

A true genius at work if you want my opinion.

mp3 : Edwyn Collins - The Campaign For Real Rock

Now, I've kind of neglected The Video Villain in recent weeks. But I'm delighted to say that via You Tube, via a wonderful person called Ashton Archer, there's a really rare clip of Edwyn giving a live performance of this song. Just click here.

Oh....and the picture that illustrates this posting??? That's one of my proudest possessions.

In mid 1995, the re-released single A Girl Like You went massive the world over, and Edwyn went on tour. He played a great homecoming gig at the Pavilion Theatre in Glasgow. Among the merchandise on sale were a handful of the London Underground posters - signed by the great man himself. And given the tragic circumstances to befall Edwyn in recent times, its become something rather special....

Happy Listening.

'I THINK JOY DIVISION WILL BE REMEMBERED LONGER THAN WE WILL'

Most of the records that sit in the cupboard are, as you would expect, of the 7" and 12" variety. But I do have a handful of singles that were released in 10" form (although I'm reliably informed that size is irrelevant.....)

This particular piece of vinyl dates from 1980, and it may well be the first thing I ever bought that didn't feature any guitars.

mp3 : Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Messages
mp3 : Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Taking Sides Again
mp3 : Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Waiting For The Man

OMD started out on Factory Records, but moved to another indie-label, DinDisc, after just one single. There was still a connection with Factory in that Peter Saville was a paid employee of their new label.

The quote I've put at the top of this posting comes from an interview given by Andy McCluskey to Paul Morley in late 1980 that first appeared in the NME and can now be found in Morley's book Piece by Piece - Writings About Joy Division.

OMD released two albums in 1980. The self-titled debut was almost pure electro-pop, and while the second had the group's breakthrough single in Enola Gay, it was much more moody and serious than melodic. The Morley interview reveals that much of it was influenced by Closer.

"I think Joy Division will be remembered longer than we will be remembered. That scares me to death. Whilst I like playing pop music, when it's all over and done with I would like to be remembered for something that has great shape to it, that changes the course of western civilisation or whatever - which Joy Division will be remembered for. They will leave their mark."

At the time of the interview, Andy McCluskey was just 21 years of age and I think its self-evident he was speaking as a music fan as much as anything else. And while he was right about who would be best remembered, there's a few records his own band released that were every bit as influential on how pop music developed in the 80s. Without OMD making the breakthrough, there would have been no Soft Cell or Pet Shop Boys, and the world would have been a far duller and less enjoyable place.

Happy Listening.

WHAT WE DID ON OUR HOLIDAYS....

Mrs V has asked me to pass on her thanks to everyone for all the nice things you all said last week. We had as good a time imaginable in Venice. It was Mrs V's first visit to the city, and the last time I had been there...well it was quite a while ago when I was just a young hopeless romantic doing the student inter-rail thing with the backpack. So it was entirely different this time round.

The overall impression is of course, there's an awful lot of water around.....160 canals in all, but I had quite forgotten that other than the Grand Canal, much of the city has very little traffic and it is all very peaceful and tranquil as you wander around aimlessly.

And I mean aimlessly.....never before, and I suspect never again, will a map of any city be more or less useless. Venice is a maze of narrow lanes that seem initially to be leading to dead ends, when in fact just around the next half-hidden corner, is the next lane to take you towards your intended destination. And walking around at night, we had some great fun imagining we were Donald Sutherland and Julie Christie being scared out of our minds in Don't Look Now....

Oh and if Venice has 430 bridges crossing these canals, well we must have walked over at least 420 of them...

Here's some related mp3s for y'all:-

mp3 : PJ Harvey - Water (Peel Session version)
mp3 : Orange Juice - Bridge
mp3 : Scottish Polis Inspectors - Walk

Finally....I guess if you pop in here every now and again, you'll consider yourself to be a music lover. If so, then I insist that if you ever get the chance to be in Verona during Opera Season (June/July/August), then get yourself along to the Arena for an experience that will never be forgotten. Forget any pre-conceived ideas you might have about stuffiness and high-pitched songs from fat blokes and fat birds.....the Verona di Opera is why the word spectacular was invented. At times it was more like being at a football match than anything else.

mp3 : Lush - Carmen

Happy Listening.

PS : I really insist that you give the Scottish Polis Inspectors track a listen. Then read more about them right here.