B-side to A Lighter Shade of Pale and more typical of what their contemporaries were doing at the time.
Monday, July 13, 2015
Song of the Day # 540 Duran Duran
Duran Duran. Who'd have thunk it! Old Simon Le Bon's eminently punchable fizzgog leering out at you from this blog. I'd certainly not have thunk it when I set off on this particular exercise 540 days ago. Really from that time I'm a Dexys, Echo & the Bunnymen and Joy Division man and Duran Duran never fitted remotely in there. They were in another part of the classroom chatting up the girls.Watch them pout, preen and lip synch shockingly in the video to this.What a bunch of tarts!
Five pretty boy clothes-horses who rode out of Birmingham on the back of the New Romantic movement in the early eighties to fame and fortune and legions of screaming girls. And here's a song about absolutely nothing at all. It's full of that vague European paranoia that was so common in British pop music at the beginning of the eighties. The band soon shed all this Futurism with their next record of course along with their New Romantic clobber for suits and aspiration and sleeker, more refined songs. It all served them well.
Like I said they're not a group I would have expected to feature on here but I'm not particularly bothered about credibility at my point in life, The playground is far behind me.I don't own the records and most of them generally leave me cold. Sure they're an unashamed pop band but I'd go to Lexicon of Love or Dare from that era in preference. Like most muso types with our innate, inbuilt snobbery I'd plump for their first album rather than their second one given a choice. On second thoughts, most muso types would disregard this particular group altogether.
I found my way to this song the other day though and it did more for me than most of their stuff, largely for the 'Georgie Davis is coming out..' hookline that took me back. It seemsed strange and out of place as a Simon Le Bon lyric somehow. It's a particular reference to the time and place that they were in which was not like the band as for the most part they were about escape.
George Davis was an imprisoned felon in the late seventies who had a much publicised campaign built around him proclaiming his innocence round about that time. For the record, Sham 69 wrote a song about him but I'll leave it to you to track that down.
All of this would have meant nothing to Americans at the time. Instead, the line was misinterpreted and seized upon in Gay Clubs and turned into something of an anthem. ver the next decade Duran Duran built a credibility in The States that they never managed here. You can hear their influence in The Killers, The Bravery and the Dandy Warhols, possibly Arcade Fire. George Davis meanwhile is still maintaining his innocence decades later despite further convictions.
Sunday, July 12, 2015
Songs Heard on the Radio # 67 Tony Joe White
A nice thing to hear coming out at you on a balmy Sunday morning As the DJ commented, a touch of Bobbie Gentry here.
Song of the Day # 539 Blancmange
Food makes Song of the Day for the second time in a row. his time dessert. From the classic era of synth duos. This was their biggest hit, in 1982. There was a 'bloody' in the lyrics of the original version which they edited out to ensure they got radio play. A favourite of my dear friend Philip. A really strong memory of distant youth. So this is for him!
Saturday, July 11, 2015
Songs Found on my Local's Jukebox # 77 Morecambe & Wise
It was a hot Friday night. No regulars n Rosie's apart from me. Big groups of dressed up women making a pit stop before a night on the town. Put this on. This song is incredibly resonant for any British person of a certain age. Morecambe and Wise were the leading comedian of the sixties and seventies in the UK. This is their theme tune. Here's a statue of Eric Morecambe which you can find in the Northern seaside town Morecambe which is where he took his stage name. Below that is a picture of Rosie's. A pub that I love!
Song(s) of the Day # 538 Grapefruit
It's interesting to listen to the also-rans of previous eras who time's passing has almost covered over from collective memory. This one goes back almost fifty years. I'd never heard of this lot until yesterday, before some random shuffling on Spotify helped me chance upon them. Here are a few tracks from their debut album, Around Grapefruit which came out in 1968.
Grapefruit exist fully and utterly in The Beatles shadow with a dollop of Beach Boys added for good measure. You can hear echoes of Beatles songs though in every chord change, drum rolls, inflections in the vocals, the lyrical stabs at profundity. Snatches of lines from the first song here, Another Game, say it all. 'A long long time's gone by since yesterday', 'a rolling stone can't gather moss they say,' to rhyme with, 'does it matter anyway?' . Grapefruit are dreaming a dream that's already been fully realised elsewhere by other people. Whole swathes of bands were doing this at this point but Grapefruit never make it very far from the source.
When it works, it's great. Third song here Elevator is just wonderful, merging a Move-like take on the basic Beatles melodic blueprint and adding rolling waves of Beach Boys harmonies. It's like chancing upon a time capsule telling a tale of how euphoric it felt to be young and riding on that whole, giddy late sixties pop culture explosion, even if you never quite made it all the way down the road to the heart of the trip which was the case with Grapefruit.They can still say they were there and you can hear them living it in all its happy, fuelled intensity in the two minutes and six seconds of Elevator.
Elsewhere they come close and often topple fully over into self-parody like some invented Fab Four clone band, mocked affectionately in things like The Rutles and Spinal Tap. The band did in fact have close Beatles associations. Lennon named them after a book of the same name that Yoko was about to publish among other connections. They might have signed to Apple but didn't.
Surely the worst thing they ever did, is Lullabye from the same album, which remarkably was actually co-produced by Lennon and McCartney. It's such a series of Beatles steals from umpteen songs of the Sgt Pepper period that it's difficult to believe that it actually exists and no-one put a stop to proceedings before it made its way to vinyl. It was also called Circus Sgt. Pepper so perhaps it was just a big joke for all concerned, probably was given the 'houses of cucumber' line, but still!
Nevertheless, the first three songs from Around Grapefruit are a diverting way to spend ten minutes of your life. Especially Elevator. Should have been a hit. You'll do well to get through the whole album. Living on a diet of Grapefruit is not really an option or recommended. It's mostly second division stuff, very neatly arranged, and there's talent involved but the band never really forge an identity of their own. Bitter sweet. Oh, and singer and bassist George Alexander was the older sibling of the Young brothers Malcolm and Angus who went on to form AC/DC. Alexander chose to stay in the UK and pursue a music career when the rest of the family emigrated to America.Well, so much for Grapefruit. Time for breakfast . Though mine is going to be cooked.
Friday, July 10, 2015
Song of the Day # 537 Melanie
And then later, one of the real regulars of Rosie's who doesn't usually put on the jukebox played some songs. We got a bit of Melanie. Including this. First time I'd heard it. Melanie, was a hippie of course. She played Woodstock. Always a fairly sure sign. But don't let anybody tell you that this was always a bad thing. I direct you to Brand New Key, Look What They've Done to My Song Ma, Ruby Tuesday, this and then to investigate further which is what I plan to do.
Songs Found on my Local's Jukebox # 76 Lene Lovich
A beautiful evening in my local. Beer was involved. Can't remember exactly what I put on but there was The Jags, Funkadelic and this. This single went just about to Number One in the UK in 1979. An indication as good as any as to why Punk was a very good thing for the British charts.
Thursday, July 9, 2015
Songs About People # 106 David Seaman
The Lush post yesterday has brought on a Shoegazing phase. Here is the movement's supergroup comprising Miki Berenyi and Chris Acland of that band, Simon Raymonde of Cocteau Twins and Kevin McKillop and Russell Yates of Moose. The pony-tailed goalkeeper of Arsenal and England gives it its name. The title is in the track's pay off line. Clearly Tottenham Hotspur fans were involved. Given away with the Spurs fanzine 'The Spur', indicating there surely were.
R.E.M. - Murmur
Fast forward seven more years .It's that album again. The first thing I wrote about on here.The NME review.
B Sides # 16 Fleetwood Mac
Fast forward two years. Originally intended for Rumours, but left off at the last minute, an indication of just how strong that record is, and made b-side to Go Your Own Way instead. Masterful.
Song of the Day # 536 Brett Smiley
Interesting to look back at those on the Bowie / New York Dolls conveyor belt who ended up left there. Brett Smiley was a protege of Andrew Loog-Oldham who released the above single in the UK in 1974 and it tanked. Very much in the Bowie/Dolls/Jobriath/T.Rex mode, but lite and constructed somehow. He had a compilation of the demos he recorded at the time released thirty years later. An interesting listen but he was clearly too young and underdeveloped for the outfit he was being measured for.
He's otherwise best known for his TV encounter alongside Loog-Oldham with Russell Harty, ITV's leading chat show host at the time. The interview is a pretty uncomfortable watch. Harty, a pretty odious character at the best of times, makes little effort to hide his contempt. Smiley seems a lamb to the slaughter. Still, the songs themselves are an interesting listen and VaVa Voom at least sounds like a chart record to me.
Wednesday, July 8, 2015
Songs Heard on the Radio # 66 Younghusband
I love the moments when I'm sitting at my desk as the evening darkens when I suddenly hear something new, at least new to me, coming out of the radio, look up and the song takes my whole attention and I concentrate my full focus on it. Love it even more if I then go on a search and can post that song on here. I can tell you nothing whatsoever about Younghusband except that this track demonstrates they have an occasional, very nice turn of phrase and an understanding of chord and melodic changes sufficiently well to make the likes of me turn their heads and take notice. I'll give it another listen in a while to try to work out exactly what it is I liked so much about it. In the meantime it goes out there to you to see if you agree.
PS I've noticed on playing the link I've posted here that there's some background information about the band before the song starts courtesy of 6 Music DJ Marc Riley. The fact that Wire are fans of the band is recommendation enough. In explanation of my immediate attraction to this I'd say that the way it is constructed gives a good indication that the band has a proper understanding of how pop songs were put together in the sixties.
Lush
An early nineties Melody Maker live review of Lush that captures the rough and tumble of seeing bands live then. I saw them round about the same time playing with Pale Saints and they were just great. Some of this stuff is rather underrated!
Song of the Day # 535 John Hartford
Winding down yesterday afternoon at work, I was listening to The Rockingbirds first album. They're a London based Country and Western inspired outfit, originally around in the early nineties. I came across this song, the lyrics of which hit harder and cut deeper than the rest of their material. When I got home I traced my way back to this, which I think is the original. This is what we do.
Tuesday, July 7, 2015
B Sides # 15 The Bonzo Dog Doo Dah Band
The B Side of I'm an Urban Spaceman, their big moment in the Pop Sun. This was their other side. Literally in this case.
Songs Heard on The Radio # 65 XTC
Interesting to hear this song so late, just before I drop off coming out of the wires. Too late to comment on it now, put I'll get back to it at a later date and talk about it at greater length.
Songs About People # 105 Tom Verlaine
Because I love Tom Verlaine. Here's a comic strip picture of him with Lou Reed for good measure. The song is by a fairly generic late eighties indie outfit with no real identity or sound of their own but a good name and also pretty good taste.I bought it first time round on the basis of the name of the song as well as the fact.that it sounded great.
Song(s) of the Day # 534 Patrik Fitzgerald
Because it's been going round my head since I woke up this morning. Good a reason as any.
Monday, July 6, 2015
Songs Heard on The Radio # 65 Billie Holliday
Just a beautiful thing to hear last thing at night before it's time to go night night, sleep tight! The last thing I hear before my head hits the pillow. Zzzzzzzz!
Instrumentals # 38 Rhys Chatham
This was also played on Kim Gordon's show, but it's an extraordinary piece of music and deserves posting here though it's quite dizzying to listen to all eight minutes of it. Probably the most 'out there' thing I've ever posted on here. From New York Post-Minimalist composer Chatham. Glen Branca also plays on this.
Songs Heard on The Radio # 64 Hayley Mills
Kim Gordon, substituting for Iggy Pop the other night played a very interesting set of records, including Dave Brubeck, Chopin, The Girl From Ipanema, Black Flag and this which somehow slotted in rather smoothly. In fact I preferred it greatly to the Black Flag track that was played. So much for my credibility.
Sunday, July 5, 2015
Songs Heard on The Radio # 63 Johnny Hallyday
Another old school rocker. Always worth hearing how things sound in French. Second song in that language today. This is barely different in any respect from Hendrix's defining version of the song except that it's sung in French. And it was cut off on the radio after less that two minutes so here is the whole thing.
Songs About People # 104 Johnny Thunders
This series is on a roll. Like a batsman, (cricket reference for overseas readers), opening his shoulders having finally reached his century and looking for boundaries. This is from Shilpa Ray, a Brooklyn based artist and her fine album released this year Burning Bride. As often on here I recommend further investigation and will have to post more elsewhere. This is in the true, raw New York Punk tradition. She's particularly good on song titles. I point you in the direction of Colonel Mustard in the Billiards Room with Sheets of Acid.
Instrumentals # 37 King Curtis
More Sunday morning fare. Fund myself listening to the audio commentary of Withnail & I, where this is played over the opening credit. Paul McGann incorrectly states that King Curtis was shot in the face in the car park shortly after playing this. In fact he was stabbed on the steps of the building where he lived. In any case, a dreadful loss. Here's something else from him for good measure.
Covers # 12 Dillard & Clark
Just right for a Sunday morning. A bit of pedal steel 'geetar' from Sneaky Pete Kleinow with Gene Clark intoning on top. Really realises the Country potential and gentleness not quite realised in the original. The Beatles of course from Abbey Road. This comes from Dillard & Clark's second record.
Song of the Day # 532 Clothilde
For the leftfield and obscurist for the sake of it, this may be an ultimate discovery. A French female singer from the mid-sixties in the Ye Ye style of France Gall who only released a handful of vinyl releases with odd, idiosyncratic arrangements.Groovy! Some of this handful sound a little cloying to my ears, but this is a pretty wonderful three minutes and eleven seconds.
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Songs About People # 103 - Woody Allen
A beautifully realised pop record. Named after the regular cries of the old market stall holders directed towards her as lead singer Elizabeth Morris passed them in Soho on her way to work. The band's output over the course of two albums is consistently sweet and tuneful with finely judged lyrics about life and love. Here's a song named after someone who belongs in a category all of their own.
Songs Found on my Local's Jukebox # 75 Hank Williams
You could probably make some case for Hank Williams writing the first modern pop songs. He definitely had an incalculable influence. Inspiringly used in an early scene of The Last Picture Show.
Friday, July 3, 2015
Songs About People # 102 Gina Lollobrigida
From Cinerama, a Dave Gedge offshoot from The Wedding Present . For Gina Lollobrigida and why not? She brightens up the page. There she is again on the clip for the French version below!
Things I've Found on My Local's Jukebox # 74 The Ramones
This went on last night. Intended to shock I imagine and it probably did so when people first heard it. not any more of course now The Ramones are pretty much embedded into the canon.
Song(s) of the Day # 530 The Mystery Trend
The great lost San Francisco band of the mid sixties. Less overtly psychedelic than a lot of their better known contemporaries. Taking their name from the misheard 'mystery tramp' line in Dylan's Like a Rolling Stone, they released just one single during their lifetime (posted above), broke up inopportunely in the summer of 1967 and had a collection of their recorded tracks released retrospectively in 1998. The singer's voice is strangely reminiscent of Micky Dolenz. Endlessly inventive arrangements. More here. Oh by the way, it's Friday!
Thursday, July 2, 2015
B Sides # 14 Elton John
It must be an ageing thing but I have more time for Elton John, (well let me qualify that, early Elton John), with every passing year. This was b-side to Crocodile Rock. Also on Don't Shoot Me I'm Only the Piano Player.
P.S. I take some of that back. I've just listened to the album above and it's a shocker! Elderberry Wine is just about the only track worth listening to on there.
Songs About People # 101 Cecil Beaton
And while we're in the realm of fey eighties indie-ness, here's a song from typical janglers from those times, with a singer who apparently intones in received pronunciation. A paean to the famed twentieth century photographer, fashion designer and socialite. They also wrote a song in honour of no more eighties heroine Emmanuelle Beart but there's no room for that here.
Jane - It's A Fine Day
Well it is a fine day, Something of a heatwave in England at the minute. I'm listening to this and it takes me unerringly back to the eighties as I imagine it will for anyone from the UK of a similar age and an indie disposition. It was omnipresent on the radio at the time. Particularly John Peel. Still not entirely sure what I think of it thirty years but it definitely fits today.
Song of the Day # 529 Super Furry Animals
One of the performances of this year's Glastonbury came, for me, from this lot. Particularly wonderful was Run Christian Run but I couldn't find another version of them playing it live that conveyed the transcendence of Friday night's performance. It's on the BBC i-player if you have access to that. In the meantime, here's one of their other perennials.
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Instrumentals # 36 Anton Karas
You could do worse than choose to do what I've just done, moving onto the second half of the afternoon as the sky unaccountably clouds over threatening to curtail the brief heatwave we've been experiencing here. You could get onto Spotify or YouTube and listen to Anton Karas for twenty minutes.
Indelibly associated with the 1949 film The Third Man as it is with his soundtrack for it, a few minutes listening to pretty much anything by him is incredibly therapeutic. The film's success dragged him from relative poverty to international celebrity, which apparently he never really wanted much.
Sure enough the storm has broken. Meanwhile, Anton Karas is playing over my headphones. I don't care. Meanwhile, elsewhere The Third Man is playing at my local cinema and I probably need to get along and see it.
Song(s) of the Day # 528 The Replacements
The Replacements are a strange one. Their reputation is huge but so much of their recorded output was poor. I never saw them live so can't tell the whole story. They were pretty much an American Clash, or an attempt at it, at least I think so, having listened to them a fair bit yesterday, but without a second main lead, whereas The Clash had a couple of other guys in reserve which made them an incomparably better band. Let It Be is The Replacements record. Pretty much perfect in itself. Give it a listen if you haven't heard it.
Their other LPs and earlier releases are poor in comparison, and certainly much more variable. Their songwriting was dubious and on occasion negligible and sloppy. Paul Westerberg was the main guy in this respect. But just the same judgement stands for their general playing. Much of it sounds like missed attempts at AOR hits with the memory of Punk chucked in and the songs, even the bands best known numbers, sound patchy at best. Thrown away on alcohol and lost dreams.
Occasionally, the sun and inspiration shine through. For example on They're Blind, the only song worth a cent on Don't Tell a Soul. Suddenly Westerberg finds his tune, some energy and emotion and pulls off something worth listening to.
The other albums are more consistent, particularly Tim. The ace on this record, last track Here Comes a Regular, is as good a song, pretty much, as any recorded by anyone in the eighties. It's a documentary of life spent in bars, which is always an available lifestyle option, if you choose to travel down that road. Watching life passing by, staring at familiar walls, unchallenged much by anyone and in the company of like-minded souls while the seasons change and your life slides.
My choice from Pleased to Meet Me, would be I Don't Know, one of the few call and responses in The Replacement's canon. It's a joy from start to finish and one of relatively few occasions where the band truly live up to the reputation and trail they've left behind.
I generally bow before the canon. But in terms of The Replacements, I'd have to say they're overrated, and don't entirely deserve the golden terms in which they're spoken of by pretty much everybody. Many of their most reputed songs are half-assed, lazy and thrown away. They barely exist in fellow Minneapolis band Husker Du's shadow apart from Let it Be. I'll add b-side Beer For Breakfast, to this selection, stand by all five songs I've chosen here and direct you back towards Let It Be for further listening satisfaction.
Tuesday, June 30, 2015
Death # 6 P J Harvey
Death on a slightly larger scale here. From Harvey's genius 2011 record Let England Shake.
June 30th 1979 Anita Ward
Anita Ward is probably known for one thing and it's Ring my Bell. There could be worse fates as it's a pretty good record. It went to Number One this week in 1979 in the States. It also went to Number 1 in the UK.
B Sides # 13 Yazoo
It does you know. Fortunately, it's summer right now. B-side to Don't Go back in...1982 (off the top of my head).
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