Thursday, November 12, 2015

Song(s) of the Day # 662 Joan Armatrading


One of my first teenage parties on Richmond Hill. sat underneath enormous speakers listening to this album with my best friend ranting at me about the Argentinian's invasion of The Falklands. He's changed his stance on the situation since. Not necessarily the hippest record ever but a fine one nevertheless. The whole thing is excellent.



It's an album I've since picked up from Oxfam for 99p. If you ever get a similar opportunity I suggest you seize it. It makes more sense to me as I look through its credits to see a whole list of great players on it. It has Sly and Robbie as its rhythm section. Strangely it features Andy Partridge of XTC on guitar. Thomas Dolby on keyboards. It's also produced by Steve Lillywhite who was a much sought after man at this point in time.


It all adds up. It's not cool. But it is warm There's a song called Eating the Bear where a male backing vocalists sings out 'Some days you eat the bear...' in an utterly ridiculously deep voice which at a stroke wipes away any shreds of credibility the rest of its finely written companions might have mustered up to now. Joan's ordinary. She's like us. And her cares and concerns are like ours. This is what makes her so special. She's also got soul. Lots of it.




In a way she stands alone. She's not really credible, often forgotten, but the quality of the stuff she's done over the years is difficult to deny. I'll always associate her with that party on Richmond Hill. It wasn't the hippest record our host Stephen might have chosen. But it was the right one.


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