REVISITING AN OLD POST.......

45 45s AT 45 : NUMBER 31
(Originally posted on Friday 11 April 2008)


Now look, its my chart and I’ll have obscure 45s in it if I want to.

The Wild Swans were one of the key bands in the Liverpool Scene that also produced Echo & The Bunnymen,The Teardrop Explodes and Pete Wylie/Wah! As a band, they were in and out of existence from 1980 to 1986, during which time they recorded a number of BBC sessions but released just one single (released in 1982) and no LP. Then, in 1988, they reformed and finally recorded an LP which was disowned almost immediately by all concerned and thus received a limited release...talk about perverse. Somehow a further album was recorded in 1989 (despite the departure of half of the band), but again to little aclaim. The Wild Swans called it a day shortly afterwards and retreated into cult obscurity.

Revolutionary Spirit was the last single to be released on the legendary label Zoo Records which was run by the legendary Bill Drummond. As I mentioned above, it came out in 1982. It was produced by the late Pete De Freitas of Echo & The Bunnymen who also drums on the record. (Incidentally, the death of Pete De Freitas in a motorcycling accident in June 1989 was the first time I shed tears for the death of a rock star).

I remember hearing both sides of the single on Radio 1 - it was most likely on the John Peel show but I can’t be certain – and then trying to track it down in shops the following day. It proved an impossible task. One of my mates from did however know someone who had a copy (I think it was a cousin in Liverpool) and he sent us up cassettes of the record.

In those days, maybe it was the sheer obscurity of the song that made it so special. However, in 1990 I finally got hold of my own copy of the record with the purchase of a Zoo compilation that brought together just about every single the label had released between 1978 and 1982. All those years later and I get a 'clean' copy to listen to, and so rediscovered its joys and recognising that that it truly was a timeless classic.

Lead singer Paul Simpson enjoyed more cult success with his next band, Care, alongside Ian Broudie who would then find fame and fortune with The Lightning Seeds. Much of the distinctive sound of The Wild Swans was down to guitarist Jeremy Kelly and he became part of Lotus Eaters who were one-hit wonders with The First Picture Of You in 1983.

The Wild Swans did reform in 1988 to release a debut album, and while they still had a hardcore following of fans, their time had come and gone. The music they made belonged to a different era, and certainly to the ears of this listener, was a disappointment, being nowhere near the class of the debut single, nor have the consistency of the releases by Care.

Oh and despite the wonders of e-bay and my rekindled interest in vinyl, I have still not yet been able to pick up a reasonably-priced vinyl copy of the single, originally released in February 1982:-

mp3 : The Wild Swans - Revolutionary Spirit
mp3 : The Wild Swans - God Forbid

PS  : If you're wondering about the photo that now accompanies this post, its of the fantastically entertaining Dirk from Germany who is behind the superb blog called Sexy Loser.

By sheer coincidence, he also posted Revolutionary Spirit on the very same day as the original posting and then couldn't resist showing off that he has a vinyl copy of the single......it still makes me laugh.

He even then posted a comment at the original post:-

"well, J.C., actually it's just the 12" ... and the one with the withdrawn 'Lament for Icarus' - sleeve ... but I don't want to make you jealous, my friend! And by the way: you can be pretty sure that I'll be right on your doorstep should I ever be in the Glasgow area, mate! (Dirk, sexywinner!)"


2011 update.

I've done a fair bit of browsing in dusty old shops this past few weeks.  I've a few things I want to share with you in September as we approach the 5th Birthday of TVV.  Among the treasure was this single...with the sleeve Dirk is holding in his hand.  It cost me £2.  I admit the sleeve is very badly battered and torn, but the
vinyl is in good nick as you can hear from the mp3 rips which are taken from it.

THE HOLIDAY SOUNDS FROM 31 (COUNT THEM!!!) YEARS AGO

Back in 1980, this was the review penned in Sounds which was then one of the main weekly music UK papers:-

Too much, too late, but too good to be missed. Eighteen months ago The Human League stood on the brink of altering the course of British pop music. Their humour and conviction combined to create an aura of  (until then) unknown commercial excitement. Had the Sheffield funsters swallowed their hip pride and attacked the singles charts, they would have created a devastating impact on the British pop music(k) scene.

But as always seems to happen to the originals, they failed because of their own foolish move towards dignity and ‘below ground’ obscurity. They stood back for a moment allowing the empty and dull Gary Numan to ruin their market with his one and only flash of excellence. As soon as ‘Are Friends Electric’ hit that number one spot it became clear that The  Human League had lost the gamble. And the stakes were high.

So, now in the midst of ska silliness, the finest electronic band of all time finally release the goods. A double single that clearly defines to all four angles of synthesised madness. The soft beauty of ‘Marianne’, the weirdness of ‘Dance Vision’, the perfect semi-harsh statements of ‘Being Boiled’ (new version) and finally the absurd pap-poppity of Gary Glitters ‘Rock And Roll’ and Iggy’s ‘Nightclubbing’. To be taken in large doses. To be played to life.

Nobody then could have predicted that within 12 months, The Human League would be the band to redefine British  music in a way that no-one else had done since the era of The Beatles as synthesisers replaced guitars as the instrument of choice on the attack on the pop charts.  Listening to Holiday 80 which is as excellent a release as the Sounds critic indicates, it really is hard to imagine what would unfold in the months ahead:-

mp3 : The Human League - Marianne

mp3 : The Human League - Dancevision

mp3 : The Human League - Being Boiled

mp3 : The Human League - Rock'n'Roll/Nightclubbing

But 31 years ago????  I really dont want to think about it.......

Happy Listening

ALBUM OF THE YEAR....AND IT'S RELEASED TODAY

OK. You know fine well that I'm talking about Helping Hands by Butcher Boy.

The album was given a very substantial and positive review on TVV a few weeks back when I was lucky enough to be sent an advance copy by the very nice people at Damaged Goods Records. Since then, I've listened again and again and again to this record which is achingly beautiful, indie-poptastic, warm, funny, moving, stunning, thrilling and just so incredibly brilliant that I really don't have the words.  This is again when I know I'm just a music fan and not a writer.

Helping Hands is without any doubt at all my favourite record of 2011. And at long last it is available to buy from today in shops and on-line.  I won't insult your intelligence by making any suggestions as to the best place to get a hold of it....I'll leave that to you, your conscience and your bank or credit card.  But please.....go search it out and buy it.  You won't be disappointed.  It's the 'must-have' item of the season.

I'm delighted that keyboardist, nay make that multi-instrumentalist, Alison Eales, took the time late last week to answer some questions put to her by TVV....her answers give you a great insight into the world of Butcher Boy and this stunning new record.

TVV : How did you come to get involved and become part of Butcher Boy?

Alison Eales : I had known John for a few years through mutual friends and had been going to his club night, National Pop League, since it started. That was where I met Garry Hoggan, who was playing bass with the band at the time. He came over to my flat one night and discovered that I basically lived in a room full of musical instruments - I think that was when he suggested to John that I try out for the band.


They had a gig coming up, so having never played in a band before, I suddenly had to learn twelve songs in four weeks! It was great though. I've met so many lovely people through the band.

TVV : Is it frustrating that all of you have full-time jobs or occupations outside the band which restricts your ability to do things like go out on tour or is the set-up an ideal one that allows you to combine the best of both worlds?

AE : Nowadays it's really difficult to make a living out of music, and we're all very realistic about that. It can be frustrating trying to coordinate rehearsals and shows around our day jobs - we just do the best we can. Sometimes it can be months before we're all in one place, but that's actually quite nice, because when we're preparing for a big show it feels like a reunion.

TVV : John is seen by many as the creative force in the band but given how prominent the keyboards are in so many of the songs how big an input do you and indeed all the others have when it comes to the studio work and the live arrangements?

AE : That's a very difficult thing to measure! John is the driving force. He brings the songs to the band and he has a clear vision about how they should sound, as well as the words, visual imagery for the records, everything.


Generally we all take responsibility for our own parts to start with, and then as the songs develop we have to make sure all the parts work together, which is a collective effort. The studio environment is a bit of a playground for us - that's where we really get to experiment!

TVV : I've been a fan of the band for a while now and adore the first two LPs. But I don't think I'm alone among early reviewers in thinking the quality and ambition of much of the material on Helping Hands is a quantum leap from what we've heard before. I wanted to ask if that's something you agree with....and if so, at what point in the recording process did you maybe think 'Wow....this really is something special...'

AE : I'm not sure it's a dramatic departure from the first two albums, but I think it's on the same trajectory. React or Die was more diverse than Profit In Your Poetry, and I think Helping Hands is more diverse than React or Die. I'm not sure whether that's purely down to ambition - I think it has a lot to do with the fact that we all know each other better with each album and feel more able to suggest ideas.


The moment this album came together for me was listening to 'The Day Our Voices Broke' before John did his vocal. We were in the Ca Va control room listening to it on the big speakers. I was looking out of the window, it was absolutely pouring with rain, and the hairs on my neck were standing up.

TVV : Butcher Boy are famed for playing some incredible and unique venues such as bowling clubs, clothes stores, coffee houses and the Glasgow Film Theatre, not to mention of course Barrowlands when you supported Belle & Sebastian. What's been your personal favourite?

AE : Barrowlands is going to be pretty hard to top! My other favourite would be the GFT show, when we played our live score for 'Chick's Day'. I think in many ways that's the most ambitious thing we've done, and it's such an amazing place.

TVV : You recently played Indietracks for the second time in 3 years and were regarded by just about all and sundry as one of the main highlights of the weekend. If Alison Eales had a dream festival line-up of 5 singers/bands, who would they be?

AE : There are loads of people I love who I've never seen live, like the Magnetic Fields and Joanna Newsom, but I guess if you're giving me my fantasy festival I should be a little more imaginative.


I'm not-very-secretly obsessed with library music, so I'd go for the David Snell Quintet, the Raymond Scott Orchestra, the KPM Allstars and the BBC Radiophonic Workshop. Then I'd get George Martin to headline and close with Theme One. I think I would die from happiness. Also, it would be compered by Derren Brown.

TVV : Getting back to the new material.....how good is it to see 'Imperial' on a 7-inch piece of vinyl or is it just sad old indie-popsters like me with a fascination for the late 70s and early 80s who gets excited about these things?

AE : No, it's pretty amazing. Of course, I won't be truly happy until the album has been released on a triangular picture disc.

TVV : The new songs are getting a bit of much-deserved airplay particularly on BBC Radio 6 and also with the move to a new label in Damaged Goods there is every likelihood of 'Helping Hands' receiving a bit more in the way of promotion. What are your own and the band's personal hopes for the new record?

AE : I can't speak on anyone else's behalf, but we've put so much into this album, it would be just nice to know that people like it.


Personally, I do hope the album raises our profile a bit. We've had a lot of help from Creative Scotland over the past few years, and in a time when funding for projects like ours is under threat, it would be nice to be able to properly showcase what we've been able to do with their support.

TVV : If the demand is there.....what would be your choice of follow-up single to 'Imperial'?

AE : I'd probably say 'I Am The Butcher' as I think it's one of the best songs we've ever done. I think it could be something of a signature track.

TVV : Finally.....I'm a big fan of cover versions and I know Butcher Boy did a superb take on Springsteen's 'Streets of Philadelphia', but what other tracks would you suggest the band could cover and more importantly throw in to one of your live sets as a wee surprise for everyone.

AE : This is one of those questions every member of the band would answer differently! One of my favourite songs is 'Duel' by Propaganda. I think we could do something interesting with that.


I remember John suggesting a very unusual cover version - I won't say what it is, because we might actually do it one day and I don't want to spoil the surprise!

It was really good of Alison to take the time to help the blog out, especially as the questions landed in her Inbox the very week that she was up against a deadline to complete a 30,000 word dissertation.....on The Bee Gees (I'm not making that up!!!)

There's a lot more you can learn about Alison just by clicking here.

And now for a chance for one lucky TVV reader to get their hands on a copy of Helping Hands as well as a copy of the recently released 7" single Imperial which has as its b-side a track called Juicy Fruit that is not otherwise available. The question has been set by Basil Pieroni, guitarist extraordinaire.

"Butcher Boy was named after a novel. Who was the writer and in what year was the book published in the UK?'

Closing date is soon.....Friday 2 September 2011. All answers to thevinylvillain@hotmail.co.uk

Now for some music....

mp3 : Butcher Boy - There Is No-One Who Can Tell You Where You've Been
mp3 : Butcher Boy - When I'm Asleep
mp3 : Butcher Boy - Imperial

That's one from each of the albums for you.  Now for some moving images.....











With a big thanks to all the nice folk who originally uploaded these onto youtube.

THE STORY OF SARAH (Issue 10)

'How can you say it doesn't matter if you lose your dreams one by one?'

-

Sarah 06 was a one-off single by Cambridge band The Poppyheads (1986-88), featuring the song-writing talents of Rob Young and David Barbenel. Released in the spring of 1988, it was a lovely slice of twangy guitar indie-pop from a band that sadly fell apart soon after the single's appearance on the Sarah catalogue, although Rob and David did go on to work together in bands such as The Pearl and Celeste. As mentioned, The Poppyheads only released this one single for Sarah but they also featured on a couple of the Sarah compilation records, 'Shadow Factory' (#587) and Air Balloon Road' (#545). Vocally, David's infectious crooning reminds me of a young (and sexy!) Edwyn Collins and I do love the change of pace around the two minute and nine seconds mark, to be exact. This is lovely stuff and well worth putting on a playlist or three. This record starts as if it is being played at the wrong speed... or is that just me? :)

-

The Poppyheads - 'Cremation Town' (4.17)

Comrade Colin, Sunday 28 August 2011

ONE SONG BY THE SMITHS....A SERIES FOR SATURDAYS (Part 50)

How is it possible for someone with such appalling taste in sunglasses to write such an amazing piece of music??

mp3 : The Smiths - How Soon Is Now?

The 50th Saturday that has featured a song by The Smiths and I'm happy to admit that it is my favourite ever song of theirs.  It is still astonishing to recall that it was only first made available as the extra track on the 12" release of William, It Was Really Nothing in August 1984 and then again on the compilation LP Hatful of Hollow in November 1985.  But such was the fan demand for it to be brought to the attention of a wider public that it was released then released as a single where it reached #24.  Oh and when WEA went for a cash-in a few years later  in January 1985 it still sold in enough quantities to reach #16.

Nobody on earth was ready for this.  It was incredibly different from anything else the band had released up to that point.  And somehow its being so different turned it into an immediate stand-out track.  I honestly cannot recall a single fan of the band having anything bad to say about How Soon Is Now? despite it being as far removed from the fey indie-pop sound with which the band had made their name.  No-one had ever recorded a song quite like it before 1984.  I don't think anyone has ever made a song quite like it since 1984....

And here's the little heard edited version with about three minutes shaved off to make it acceptable for daytime play on radio....

mp3 : The Smiths - How Soon Is Now? (edit)

It was a track that Johnny Marr has admitted he never quite mastered in the live setting such was the difficulty to replicate the distinctive guitar sound.  Morrissey's solution in recent years in the solo shows has been to turn the guitars up to 11 and rock out....often to very poor effect.  Here's a band effort from almost exactly 25 years to the day:-

mp3 : The Smiths - How Soon Is Now? (live, Laguna Hills, California, 28 August 1986)

Happy Listening

PS

It also seems apt today to reveal the winner of the caption contest from a while back.

"That little doll make one of these things look like an enormous pussy, the other looks like a giant cat."

The winner is......STEPHANIE KOCH of LOUISVILLE, KENTUCKY, USA

The prize of a copy of the 12" version of Girlfriend In A Coma is winging its way to Stephanie.

Thanks to all who entered. Another TVV competition coming your way on Monday.....

5 GREAT DUETS FOR FRIDAY

Don't panic.

Just because Ms Kidman and Mr Williams are in the picture doesn't mean they are going to be featured......

I thought for a wee change rather than pick out five great tracks by a singer or band I'd delve into the collection and pull out 5 tracks which feature duets.

mp3 : Tindersticks - Travelling Light

From the band's second LP which was looked at in depth not that long ago on TVV, and such is the quality of the record in question that something as astonishingly brilliant as this was left off the list of my five favourite tracks. The duet sees Carla Torgerson from The Walkabouts share the vocal duties with Stuart Staples to deliver one of the most heartbreaking songs ever recorded about a relationship that has run its ground.....

Listening to Carla's singing made me think of this.....

mp3 : Belle & Sebastian - Lazy Line Painter Jane

I don't care that it's only been a few months since I last featured this on the blog but there's no way I can pick out five of my favourite duets without featuring this majestic bit of music.  One of the earliest Belle & Sebastian songs and one of their greatest thanks to the contribution of Monica Queen - of whom there will be more on TVV in the very near future.

And now for something completely different:-

mp3 : Iggy Pop and Debborah Harry - Well Did You Evah

Originally composed in 1939 by Cole Porter, it's most famous rendition was by Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra in the film High Society.



Iggy and Debbie's version was on the first ever Red Hot & Blue compilation LP back in 1990.  It really does sound as if they had a real good time putting the track together.....so frightfully camp it made me laugh.  Which leads very nicely to two indie-gods with their duelling acoustic geetars:-

mp3 : Edwyn Collins & Roddy Frame - Consolation Prize (live)

Recorded at Glasgow Barrowlands on 4 August 1990. Those were the days my friends.....

And finally.  Something a bit special.

mp3 : Kirsty MacColl & Billy Bragg - A New England

Recorded in 1991 for a Radio 1 session.  OK, Billy's singing is badly shown up....but it really is a wonderful version bringing together for the one and only time the composer and the singer who made the song very famous....It also sound as if they had a lot of fun with this.

Happy Listening. Any other ideas for themes for Friday???  And please, all contributions welcome!!!

AMAZING WHO YOU BUMP INTO IN GLASGOW

Around two months ago, I just happened to be out grabbing a quick bite in this fantastic eaterie in the East End of Glasgow near where I work when I spotted what looked like at least two members of Frightened Rabbit at a nearby table, neither of who were the Hutchison brothers.  Some 15 minutes later I got to leave and then spotted that one of the other two members of the table whose backs had been turned away from where is was sitting was in fact lead singer/songwriter Scott Hutchison but I didn't recognise the other bloke.

I went over and said a quick hello and asked what they were doing in this neck of the woods.  As ever, the boys seemed a bit taken aback that anyone would have recognised them...

It turns out they were in a nearby quiet and low-key studio trying out some new songs.  I thought this was the beginning of work on their fourth LP but the first they would be recording for a major label.  Scott said he didn't think so and that it was more likely to be a single or EP release. I'll be keeping my eyes peeled....as I said before, I really do hope Frightened Rabbit enjoy widespread success as they have really served their apprenticeship over the years playing ever increasing sizes of venues from basement bars with 20 punters ti now selling out the famous Barrowlands.

It's now been more than 18 months since the most recent vinyl singles  - Swim Until You Can't See Land and Nothing Like You - were released,  so I reckon it's OK to post the two b-sides.  But as ever folks, if you do like them, please give serious consideration to buying them in vinyl or download from this place:-

mp3 : Frightened Rabbit - Fun Stuff
mp3 : Frightened Rabbit - Learned Your Name

Happy Listening.

IT'S A SHAME ABOUT EVAN....

That this song only reached #44 in the UK singles charts must have been very dispiriting to Evan Dando, the other members of Lemonheads and all concerned at the major label that was their home at the time.

For years, the music papers had been full of fawning articles about this songwriter genius that the world was doing its best to ignore.  Three hugely acclaimed LPs on an indie label recorded and released between 1987 and 1989 persuaded Atlantic Records to shell out the cash and persuade the band to sign on the dotted line.  There was more praise for the 1990 LP Lovey but not much in the way of sales.  Two years later, It's A Shame About Ray was released.....

The title track was the first single to be lifted from the LP and it took the band into the UK charts for the first time and also sold pretty well in the USA.  Out of the blue, the follow-up single turned out to be a cover of Mrs Robinson which had been recorded as part of the promotional activities to support the release of The Graduate on video.  This stormed into the Top 20 where it hung around for quite a few weeks at the back end of 1992.  The label immediately re-issued It's A Shame About Ray and tagged Mrs Robinson on as an extra track.

The end of year polls in all sorts of publications tipped huge things for Lemonheads and their main main in particular.  Among the accolades thrown his way was being named one of the 50 most beautiful people on the planet......

By all rights the next release should have been a smash, but Confetti stalled, as I said at #44 in early 1993.  The good thing for all concerned was that another LP was recorded and ready, and Come On Feel The Lemonheads was released a short time later, with its first single Into Your Arms reaching #14 and providing the band with their biggest hit, while the LP went Top 5.

But just as the band was about to be taken to the bosom of mainstream audiences, Evan Dando admitted to a long-standing drug problem (as evidenced by at least one brutally honest lyric previously recorded) and all too soon the likes of the UK tabloid press, which was and still is important to helping any act achieve the crossover from indie or cult into the big time, was concentrating on the negative aspects.  Lemonheads haven't had a chart hit since......

I was lucky enough to see the band live in the early 90s and then catch a solo Evan Dando show a few years later.  On both occasions he was in great voice and was hugely entertaining giving us a great mixture of indie, country, folk and even a wee bit of grunge thrown in.  I don't suppose he has any regrets about how it all turned out.....

Later this year, Lemonheads will be touring the UK performing the whole of It's A Shame About Ray along with other classic tracks from the back catalogue. I won't make it along myself to the Glasgow show myself as I'll literally just be back from holiday, but I do recommend it as potentially a great night out.  In the meantime here's the four tracks from the 10" version of Confetti:-

mp3 : Lemonheads - Confetti
mp3 : Lemonheads - My Drug Buddy
mp3 : Lemonheads - Confetti (acoustic)
mp3 : Lemonheads - Ride With Me (live)


Happy Listening.

HERE'S ONE TO JOG THE MEMORY??

This lot were from Glasgow.  Between 1981 and 1985 they released eight singles and three LPs all on the Statik record label.  I honestly don't remember all that much about them, but I must have seen them live at some point given that I went to plenty of gigs across the city during that time as it coincided precisely with my four years at University. But as I say, I can't recall too much about them.

Doing a bit of research, wiki throws this up:-

The band was formed in 1979 by Ross Middleton (vocals), his brothers Graham Middleton (keyboards, vocals) and Fraser Middleton (bass guitar, vocals), Russell Blackstock (guitar, vocals), and Les Gaff (drums).  Their first released material was two tracks ("Refugees" and "The Long March") on the Statik label compilation album Second City Statik in 1980, and they followed this with two singles on Statik in 1981, both of which were top-ten hits on the  Début album Heart of Darkness was released in May 1981, after which Ross left to form the short-lived Leisure Process with Blackstock taking over on lead vocals. Heart of Darkness peaked at number four on the independent chart, and the band's second album, Change of Heart (1982), also charted, reaching number 2. They released a third and final album, Distant Fires, in 1985, now with John Telford on drums and John Coletta on guitar, but their earlier success was not repeated and they split up shortly afterwards.

Ross Middleton went on to work as a music journalist, writing for Sounds under the pen name Maxwell Park.

Maxwell Park incidentally is the name of a railway station not too far from Villain Towers.....and there's also a Russell Blackstock who writes for newspapers here in Glasgow - I'm guessing it's the same bloke who was in the band.

Anyway, I saw a Positive Noise single in a box in a charity shop and thought I'd give it a try.  Turns out to be their actual debut release from February 1981 And the TVV verdict?  Not too bad but nothing earth-shattering. And like many tracks from the era, it all sounds just a wee bit dated.  Maybe there's a few of you out there who recall them with a bit more fondness and can fill in the blanks:-

mp3 : Positive Noise - Give Me Passion
mp3 : Positive Noise - Ghosts

Happy Listening

WHAT YOU DOING THIS SATURDAY????

Saturday 27th of August

The Sexual Objects plus special guest Vic Godard, Jock Scot, Gareth Sager and Roy Wilkinson

Doors at 8.00

The Old Hairdressers opposite Stereo, Renfield Lane, Glasgow.

£10

 Music, poetry and readings!!


Vic with the Objects, Jock Scot, Gareth Sager and reading from Do It For Your Mum, a story of British Sea Power, Roy Wilkinson, the Manager of British Sea Power and all for a mere £10! Tickets available from Tickets Scotland and Mono Records and promoter Alan Hendry on  07944 354459


Chaos guaranteed. But it will be a memorable night.  Believe me.....

mp3 : Scot & Sager - Barcelona
mp3 : Vic Godard - The End Of The Surrey People
mp3 : The Sexual Objects - Midnight Boycott

See you all there.

THE MONDAY CORRESPONDENT

On a night when flowers didn’t suit my shoes……

They took their name from the recreational drug of choice for the Northern Soul fans at the time of their formation, Dexedrine, a brand of dextroamphetamine, the “midnight runners” refers to ability to dance all-night after taking said drug !!

Formed in Birmingham by Kevin Rowland and Kevin “Al” Archer, they arrived on the music scene with their own distinctive sound and dress style, they didn’t want to be a part of anyone else’s movement they wanted their own.

Their look was described as being “straight out of Robert DeNiro’s film Mean Streets” with their Donkey Jackets, Leather Coats and Woolly Hats……

...at the same time in Kirkcaldy I was wearing a Donkey Jacket......this had absolutely nothing to do with any music scene, I just thought it may make me look more attractive to the young Irish student Midwives that were studying in my home town in the late seventies/early eighties!!!! For the record I had little success!!!

Rowland had a whole manifesto for the band -  among other things they lived together in a squat and used public transport, which they never paid for.  I remember seeing footage of them jumping over the barriers at an underground station in London and fleeing from the ticket collectors enroute to a gig.

After their first album, Searching for the Young Soul Rebels, Rowland fell out with most of the music press and many of his band members quit over Rowland’s antics including his “press embargo”.

The NME accused the band of “emotional fascism”.

This didn’t stop Rowland, he recruited new blood and changed their image again, this time his mantra was fitness and the band was seen out training together and running. With this change came a new look, which included hooded tops, boxing boots and ponytails. Alcohol was banned and exercise sessions would take place before gigs, he felt now the band had the right fighting spirit.

Co-founder Archer had left after the release of the first album, he formed a new band The Blue Ox Babes and was to later claim that Rowland stole his Celtic sound with the fiddles from Archer’s new group.

The one member of the band that stayed loyal to Kevin Rowland, was the leader of the brass section, Big Jim Patterson, the Scottish trombonist. He remained in Dexy’s until he felt their presence in the band had been diminished by the arrival of a new sound that used mainly fiddles. Big Jim and the rest of the brass players left to form the TKO Horns who played on Elvis Costello’s album Punch the Clock. They also went on to perform with numerous artists including Madness, Squeeze, Nick Lowe and Howard Jones.

In a BBC 2 Documentary for the Young Guns series, Archer played a demo he had made before the unveiling of Rowland latest re-incarnation of Dexy’s that sounded very much like their first single with the new direction, The Celtic Soul Brothers.

Rowland recruited Helen O’Hara from The Blue Ox Babes to join his “new” creation the Emerald Express, who joined the remainder of Dexy’s for the album Too-Rye-Ay, and with it came another new look best described as raggytail Gypsy, with dungarees, scarves and waistcoats.

Dexy’s Midnight Runners had worldwide success with the single Come on Eileen and I’m sure that it will be a floor filler at wedding evening discos for years to come. It was the biggest selling single in the UK and USA in 1982 and sold over 1.2 million copies in the UK alone.

I bought their first single Dance Stance after hearing it on Annie Nightingale’s Sunday Night Radio One Show, while working at St Andrews’ University.

On the February 1^st 1980, the band played at the St Andrews’ Student’s Union, it was a blistering gig with Kevin Rowland turning in a very charismatic performance and, “Big” Jimmy Patterson a standout on trombone on his return to his homeland. A short while later, in May 1980, Geno  No.1 in the UK charts.

mp3 : Dexy's Midnight Runners - Geno (live)

Through all their time as a band Dexy’s produced some wonderful singles, the best for me being, produced during the brass/soul period and these are particular favourites of mine:-


mp3 : Dexy's Midnight Runners - There There My Dear
mp3 : Dexy's Midnight Runners - Plan B

They also turned in some very good cover versions of the Northern Soul Classics, Chuck Wood’s Seven Days Are Too Long and Johnny Johnson and the Bandwagon’s Breaking Down The Walls Of Heartache that showed where Kevin Rowland’s musical preferences lay.

mp3 : Dexy's Midnight Runners - Seven Days Are Too Long

Over the years, Rowland proved himself to be a control freak and a bit of a prat, who liked to be a chameleon and change his appearance, at will, he took it too far in 1999, when after an absence of 11 years away from the music scene, he released his second solo album My Beauty complete with cover photo of himself in a dress and stockings!!!!

It has been said My Beauty was a good piece of work but many shied away from it because of the cover. He appeared at the Reading music festival to promote the album dressed as he was on the cover and was bombarded on stage with a hail of bottles.

FOOTNOTE : Best place seen wearing a donkey jacket:

Picture the scene it’s July 1982 in a nightclub in San Antonio, Ibiza. Everyone is dancing about wearing their finest shorts and t-shirts to show off their fast growing tans- when on the music system comes Rock the Casbah by The Clash and out of nowhere appears a guy wearing a DONKEY JACKET with NCB* emblazoned on the back!!!

* NCB means National Coal Board

John Greer, Monday 22 August 2011

THE STORY OF SARAH (Issue 9)

'I don't want to take that with me...'

I think the reason I like this song so much is the fact that is starts a bit like 'Let's Kiss And Make Up' by The Field Mice (more later on this seminal Sarah band... am building up to trying to do them some justice!). Sarah 43, a three-track 7" single from the Bristol band Tramway, was something of an ode to all those Sarah bands been and gone. Their sound was all jangly guitars and lovely, drifting organs. Sigh. The song below, 'Star', is the third track on the 7" single entitled 'Maritime City' (released in 1991) and it was also featured on the Sarah compilation #583, 'Fountain Island', along with other Tramway songs 'Maritime City' and 'Technical College'. This track is worth three minutes of your precious time, I assure you. Tramway only released one further 7" single for Sarah, 'Sweet Chariot' (Sarah 52), and a song from that bit of plastic will feature later in the series. Do enjoy. :)

-

mp3 : Tramway - 'Star' (2.56)

Comrade Colin, Sunday 21 August 2011

ONE SONG BY THE SMITHS....A SERIES FOR SATURDAYS (Part 49)

mp3 : The Smiths - There Is A Light That Never Goes Out

For sooooooooooo many people not just the best thing The Smiths ever recorded but THE ultimate indie-anthem.  Radio 1 DJ Annie Nightingale on 31 December 1989 had a three hour show based on requests for the best songs of the decade and this was the song that got most votes out of all the ones submitted for The Smiths (it wasn't the song that got most requests for the show - that particular honour went to Tainted Love by Soft Cell).  But I reckon if you move forward to 2011 and have a similar show, There Is A Light That Never Goes Out would in all likelihood come top such has been its enduring popularity and all it has come to represent what makes The Smiths so special to so many people and not just the original fans from when the band were in their prime.

A love song that wishes death upon the two main protagonists so that the love will remain eternal.  Angst (and not just teenage angst) taken to its ultimate conclusion.

I do love the song.  Have done since the first time I heard it when I bought The Queen Is Dead all those years ago,  Haven't ever gotten sick of it......not even the solo outings by Morrissey in recent years have diminished its appeal as his bands have tended to deliver a reasonably sympathetic delivery for the most part (albeit it is very much now a sing-a-long number which 90% of the audience will below at the top of their voices).  But its nowhere near my favourite Smiths track of all time.  It's not even in my Top3 favourite tracks from the LP.....but I would never deny it is a very special and flawless  track that confirms just how extraordinary a songwriting partnership existed between Johnny Marr and Steven Morrissey.

Happy Listening

5 GREAT ALBUM TRACKS FOR FRIDAY (Part 24)

I thought long and hard about this.

Do I include five songs from just the one solo album from 2003 that James Kirk has released?  Or do I include tracks he recorded in the 80s under the moniker of Memphis??  Either way, the songs would make this a more than half decent posting given some of the difficult stuff you've had to endure these past two days....

In the end I've gone for the solo album alone.

mp3 : James Kirk - Get On Board
mp3 : James Kirk - Rehab
mp3 : James Kirk - Houston, Texas
mp3 : James Kirk - Felicity
mp3 : James Kirk - Western Pier

This record caught out many by surprise when the German based label Marina Records released it in 2003 - including yours truly who missed it entirely.  But when I did finally catch up with it in 2007 it was never off whatever the CD equivalent of a turntable is called for months on end.

It's a record to which all sorts of Scottish indie pop royalty made a contribution.  Past and present members of Aztec Camera, Bourgie Bourgie, Del Amitri, Teenage Fanclub and Trashcan Sinatras all play on it, while two of the songs were co-written by Alan Horne and Paul Quinn.

For anyone who doesn't know James Kirk was a founder member of Orange Juice but who left the band after the release of the debut LP and before the chart success of Rip It Up. Other than the occasional guest appearance as a member of bands, he more or less put music on the back burner and instead trained to become a chiropodist.  I reckon just about everyone thought that was that....but as I said, at the tail end of 2003 You Can Make It If You Boogie was released.

It is an astonishingly good record.  All 13 of its tracks are worthy of a listen and it was tough narrowing it down to the five selected.  Of them, one is a track that is a tribute of sorts to the now disgraced Scottish politician Tommy Sheridan, one shares a title with a song made very famous by the late Amy Winehouse,  one features James rapping (well it's a form of rapping....!!), one is a 'cover' of an Orange Juice song and the last of the tracks is the lovely, melodic and smooth album closer to show it's not all jingly-jangly pop.

It's an album well worth getting your hands on.  It's not the easiest thing to find, but it is available over at the Marina Shop just now for 20 euros.  It might seem a bit hefty but I think it is worth it......

Happy Listening

MORE UNEASY LISTENING

The initial copies of The Skids 1980 LP The Absolute Game came with a bonus second disc entitled Strength Through Joy.  Unlike nowadays when bonus discs have a premium attached to them this was a genuine free giveaway with the first pressings of the LP.....my copy still has the £2.99 price label on it (it looks as if it was purchased from a branch of John Menzies, which in those days was the Scottish equivalent of WH Smith in that it was a newsagent/bookseller who also sold records.)

My copy of the bonus disc is pretty much in mint condition for the simple reason that I played it maybe two or three times at most when it was purchased and then never again until a few days ago when I dug it out to play and convert into mp3s.  I'm really not sure, other than for the novelty factor, whether it was worth the effort.

Don't go thinking this is a disc of some long-lost Skids classics or studio outtakes.  It's best described as experimental.....at a time when lead singer Richard Jobson wanted to give the band to a  more traditional, fol-style and artistic bent when guitarist and lead songwriter Stuart Adamson wanted to keep things going just they way they were, the recording of this bonus LP probably played a big part in keeping the band together for a wee while longer.

The first side of The Absolute Game contains five tracks of which three were released as singles.  The other two tracks could easily have been 45s as well as they are hugely catchy and commercial.  The second side is a bit more patchy, but overall, the LP musters pass marks, and if I was into ratings it would be a 6 or a 7.

The bonus LP though is, to my ears, a bit of a dud. At best a 2 out of 10  Wiki says it is a collection of songs in which members of the band played each other's instruments.  That may well be the case, but it's not the playing that grates so much as the dullness of the tunes. Judge for yourself:-

mp3 : The Skids - An Incident In Algiers
mp3 : The Skids - Grievance
mp3 : The Skids - Strength Through Joy
mp3 : The Skids - Filming Africa
mp3 : The Skids - A Man For All Seasons
mp3 : The Skids - Snakes and Ladders
mp3 : The Skids - Surgical Triumph
mp3 : The Skids - The Bell Jar

I was of the impression that these tracks have been unavailable for years, but it turns out that a 2008 CD reissue of The Absolute Game saw them made available along with the single edits of the 45s and this rather  ordinary near- instrumental but brilliantly titled piece of music which was originally a b-side:-

mp3 : The Skids - Monkey McGuire Meets Specky Potter Behind The Lochore Institute

The Lochore Institute really does exist.  Click here to read all about the village and its attractions.....

Whether Monkey McGuire and Specky Potter were real people only Mr Jobson now has the answer......

UNEASY LISTENING........VERY UNEASY LISTENING

The earliest Public Image Ltd material in 1978 and 1979 was commercial and new wave enough to deliver a few hit singles and retain much of the Sex Pistols fanbase as well as other dedicated followers of new wave.  But all the time in interviews, John Lydon made it clear that his band was moving in an entirely different direction and he gave plenty of warnings that the next record, which would be recorded without the departed and highly influential bassist Jah Wobble, was one that would be different.

So different that many have said it remains to this day the least commercial record ever handed over to and then subsequently released by a record label.  I can't comment as it is not an LP I own.  I was really put off by the reviews at the time which were very unkind and for the most part said the record was unlistenable.

In fact it wasn't until 1990 that I finally recall hearing the title track from the LP thanks to its inclusion on a P.I.L. Greatest Hits CD that I picked up - I really don't recall any of my friends from my student days having the record or if they did  I cant ever remember them playing it.  My first reaction was that it was a track that was uneasy listening , certainly when surrounded by the various other singles on the CD, but not anything as bad as I had been expecting.  I suppose that in the intervening period the sort of drumming sounds had become much more familiar listening - think for instance of how Adam & The Ants went for tribal drumming to conquer the charts.

So when I spotted a 12" copy of the single in a shop a while back, I couldn't help but buy it.  I suppose it's the sad collector in me.  I've a lot of the P.I.L. singles on vinyl in the cupboard and this would fill a hole in the collection.  So I handed over £3. And I'm pleased to share the results with you today:-

mp3 : Public Image Ltd. - Flowers Of Romance (extended version)
mp3 : Public Image Ltd. - Home Is Where The Heart Is

Now the b-side is VERY uneasy listening.  Please don't ever confuse it with the song of the same title released by Soft Cell a few years later.  Almost seven and a half minutes long.....it just meanders along and gets a bit wearying all too soon.....the one thing I will say is that I wish I had an expensive listening system with huge speakers to hear it through.  It sounds as if there is a lot going on in there.

Happy Listening

BORED OF REPEATS?? ME TOO.....

It was the Autumn of  1979 that this magnificent single climbed its way into the Top 20 of the UK singles charts which was probably a bit of a surprise to XTC and their label Virgin Records.

The band had already released two LPs and a handful of singles over the previous two years without ever really threatening to set the heather on fire.  They had a fair amount of fans in the then influential weekly music press but they also had an equal number of detractors who felt the songs were too lightweight and pop-orientated to be considered any good in the new wave era.  As a 16-year old who felt his finger was on the pulse, I hadn't paid them too much attention in the early days but changed when I heard Making Plans For Nigel coming over the airwaves on Radio 1 one morning as I was getting ready to go to school.

Even all these years later it's a record that brings a smile to my face when it comes up on random play on the i-pod or whenever I decide to give a listen to its parent LP Drums & Wires.  Little did I realise that XTC were just the latest in a long-line of brilliant English guirar-based bands specialising in of matching up lyrics full of great wit, humour and parody alongside a number of tremendous and catchy tunes.....that part of my musical education was still to come.

Again this was a single long lost to the collection, but a copy was found for just 50p in a charity shop a while back:-

mp3 : XTC - Making Plans For Nigel
mp3 : XTC - Bushman President
mp3 : XTC - Pulsing Pulsing

That's a fair bit of crystal ball gazing to predict the rise of George and Dubya to the White House!!!

AUGUST - THE MONTH OF REPEATS : CHELSEA GIRL

From TVV, Sunday 21 June 2009...

The only thing is I cant tell you what I said.

This was a post that brought a DMCA notice to TVV.  It was a post full of praise for this 1979 single and b-side:-

mp3 : Simple Minds - Chelsea Girl
mp3 : Simple Minds - Garden Of Hate

It was the band's second ever single.  At this point in their history, Simple Minds were hugely innovative. It was my love for them that led me to discover, among other bands, the works of Magazine.  I still maintain that even into the mid 80s a lot of their material is worth listening to and has dated well.  It all began to go belly-up though around Sparkle In The Rain and Belfast Child.......

Anyway enough of my nonsense.  Here's a great live clip and the promo:-





Happy Listening and viewing.

THE STORY OF SARAH (Issue 8)

It's just one of those days...'

Sarah 54 was a one-off, two-track, 7" single by The Forever People, better known as the extraterrestrial superheros Gregory Webster and Tim Vass. The duo had previously been in legendary bands like Razorcuts and Cinematics and this single for Sarah was an unusual release in that it was a 'benefit' project for Friends of the Earth. Inside the sleeve there was a membership application form and words of encouragement to join the developing NGO and help 'make a difference'. The song featured below was the 'B' side but, as ever with Sarah, it was as good as, if not better than, the 'A' side (well, in my opinion at least).

-

The Forever People - 'Sometimes' (4.18)

Comrade Colin, Sunday 14 August 2011

ONE SONG BY THE SMITHS....A SERIES FOR SATURDAYS (Part 48)

It wasn't all jingly-jangly poptastic stuff as you well know.   The Smiths could play very fast and very loud when the mood took them, as evidenced on this blistering b-side:-

mp3 : The Smiths - London

Originally recorded in October 1986, it was put out as the b-side to Sheila Take A Bow in January 1987.  Some would say it could have made an excellent if totally different sort of single.  I'm one of them.

A live recording of the song was also made available on the posthumous LP Rank:-

mp3 : The Smiths - London (live)

But I reckon the definitive recording was the one recorded in late 1986 for a John Peel Session. A version that has yet to be officially released......

mp3 : The Smiths - London (Peel Session)

And finally.....a rather dreamy cover from Mr Gedge & Co.

mp3 : Cinerama - London

This post is dedicated to all those innocent people caught in the mindless nonsense that took place in the city earlier this week.......

AUGUST - THE MONTH OF REPEATS : LOVENEST

From TVV, 12 September 2008


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.

Happy Listening.