Two songs from The Housemartins who were a big concern during my first year at Norwich, which was my university town and where I'm back now for work for a few days, for those who are taking notes, (form an orderly queue). It was possibly a sign of those times that they were so highly esteemed at the time they emerged. It was a period of dearth for great British guitar bands. Johnny Marr, for example from The Smiths, clearly the best group around at that point was slightly disdainful when they were mentioned as major opposition.
Nevertheless, they were a fine band. As Robert Christgau, a disputatious Rock Critic who pops his head up on this blog occasionally commented:
'Fashion leaders in their cardigan and baggy pants, these unpretentious soul-boys-in-a-pop band are so perky you think they're about to breat into a cereal commercial, but in fact they have a different product in mind, socialist revolution. i'd leave it at something vaguer (Marxist Christianity say) if that disdain for fence-sitters and other sheep wasn't so fervent, so bitter, and rarest of all - so just. And if their catchiest hook didn't go (hum along now) ' don't shoot someone tomorrow / That you can shoot today.'
Here are a couple of great tracks, one each from their two studio albums. Any number of others might have substituted equally well!
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