Category: Clare Grogan

Clare Grogan

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #54 : CLARE GROGAN

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I can’t help it if she only ever released one solo single before calling time on her recording career and concentrating on the acting career. I know I’ve posted this song quite a few times over the years, always apologising for how dreadful it is, but it’s in the collection and so is worthy of featuring in this series. Besides it makes it an easy, lazy posting for me:-

mp3 : Clare Grogan – Love Bomb (12″ version)

Early Xmas present for you.

Stop laughing. She and the boys in the band were trying to earn an honest living.

Clare Grogan, Rosa Mota

WHEN CLARE MET ALBINI

rosaThat lot pictured above are Rosa Mota (but you can tell that as the promo picture says so).

It’s of course Rosa Mota the band as opposed to Rosa Mota the famous marathon runner.

The band formed in 1992 and consisted of Ian Bishop (vocals/guitar), Julie Rumsey (vocals/guitar), Sacha Galvagna (guitar), Michelle Marti (bass) and Justin Chapman (drums). Their first two singles were released on Placebo Records after which they signed to Mute imprint, Thirteenth Hour Recordings.

The debut album was called Wishful Sinking and was released in 1995.

But it was only with the release of the follow-up LP, Bionic, in 1996, that they first came to my notice.

And all because of Clare Grogan.

Readers of old will know my infatuation with the ex-Altered Images singer and will understand why I sat up and took notice of Rosa Mota.

The most-perfect woman ever to stride planet pop had been a long time away from the scene, concentrating instead on an acting career. But then the world was informed that she had sung joint lead vocals on one of the tracks on Bionic and there were even rumours she might join the band. The music papers carried a story that Clare had co-wrote a song not featured on Bionic for use on a future single, and quoted her as saying

“It was amazing, it was really nice, no pressure, and it made me realise that I enjoy being in a band. Working with Rosa Mota brought the fun back into it for me.”

That was good enough for me, so out I went and bought the CD.

Which turned out to be nothing more than OK, although it does have the brilliantly titled From Her To Maternity as an album opener (sadly the title is better than the song).

Clare’s effort is however, well worth a listen:-

mp3 : Rosa Mota – This Grudge

Just a pity the proposal came to nothing. On this evidence, we could have had something asking to the pixie of pop fronting a PJ Harvey type band.

The album was produced by Steve Albini and is full of his trademarks such as sonic guitar bursts and a near live feeling to the record with few overdubs. But while there is very little on the album to make it truly stand out as distinctive and special, it does contain a genuine hidden classic that was released as a 45:-

mp3 : Rosa Mota – Space Junk

Another that should have been a hit when you think of all the Britpop crap that got into the charts roundabout the same time.

Happy Listening.

Butcher Boy, Captain America, Champion Doug Veitch, Cinematics, Clare Grogan, Clean George IV, Close Lobsters, Cocteau Twins

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SINGLE (Parts 28-35)

Back on 8 October 2011, I started a series called ‘Saturday’s Scottish Single’.  The aim was to feature one 45 or CD single by a Scottish singer or band with the proviso that the 45 or CD single was in the collection. I had got to Part 60-something and as far as Kid Canaveral when the rug was pulled out from under TVV.

I’ll catch up soon enough by featuring 5 or more at a time from the archives..

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(28) Butcher Boy – Imperial b/w Juicy Fruit : Damaged Goods 7″ (2011)

One of my all time favourite bands.  That I was able to promote one of their gigs in Glasgow in 2011 will always be a memory to treasure.  

This is the thing they’ve ever made available on vinyl.  Still not prepared to make Juicy Fruit available on the blog as the 500 copies of the single have never sold out….

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(29) Captain America – Flame On b/w Buttermilk b/w Indian Summer : Paperhouse Records CD (1992)

Between calling themselves Captain America and ripping off the logo from a chain store, it can’t come as too much of a surprise that all sorts of injunctions soon forced changes and led to this 1992 single being deleted very very quickly. Captain America arose from the ashes of The Vaselines and sound a bit like the way Teenage Fanclub sounded in 1992.  The name was soon changed to Eugenuis which was the nickname some had given to frontman Eugene Kelly

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(30) Champion Doug Veitch  – Margarita b/w Margarita (Mix Mescales)  b/w One Black Night (remix) : Conga Records 12″ single  (1986)

Read more about Champion Doug Veitch here

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(31) Cinematics – Be In The World (demo) : Promo one-sided 7″ bought at a gig when band supported Editors : (2005)

Read more about  Cinematics here

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(32) Clare Grogan – Love Bomb (extended) b/w Love Bomb (dub) ; Love Bomb b/w I Love The Way You Beg : London Records 12 ” and 7″ singles (1987)

The ill-fated solo single that featured a few times over at the old blog…..and always with an apology.  Written and recorded with the help of Davey Henderson (ex- Fire Engines and Win (etc!!) this was a huge flope and led to an LP that was already in the can being shelved.  That more or less was the end of Clare’s musical career – tv and the stage awaited before the 21st Century phenomena of Rewind Festivals and appearances singing the old hits from the Altered Images days.

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(33) Clean George IV – First Blast Of The Trumpet Against The Monstrous Regiment Of Women b/w The Great Highland Crack Epidemic (Black Spring Recordings 2007)

As written back in 2007 when this single was first mentioned on TVV:-

Clean George IV make a kind of racket they like to call ‘pop-rock’.  Originally from Edinburgh they have been together for around a year (in various guises/lineups), have already supported Babyshambles and Clor and count Bloc Party’s singer, Kele Okereke, and drummer, Matt Tong, among their fans, as well as a veritable legion of other indie players…

They comprise of mainman/flagship George McFall and various musicians stolen from other bands. They say they are equal parts Eno, Devo, Erasure and Country (Big).

It was one of the other bloggers who alerted me to this.  Could very well have been Ed over at 17 Seconds.  Saw it in a shop soon after and bought it.

Hugely misogynist title.  Don’t take it literally……..

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(34) Close Lobsters – Going To Heaven To See If It Rains b/w Boys and Girls : Fire Records 7″ (1986)

I used to have a copy of this 7″ single but alas haven’t seen it in the collection for ages. Must have loaned it out and forgot all about it. I’m terrible for doing that with vinyl and books:- mp3 : The Close Lobsters – Going To Heaven To See If It Rains mp3 : The Close Lobsters – Boys and Girls Released in October 1986, this was the debut single. Still sounds great after all these years. Both sides of the single. Please don’t argue

Read more about Close Lobsters here.

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(35) Cocteau Twins –  Bluebeard b/w Three Swept b/w Ice-Pulse b/w Bluebeard (acoustic) : Fontana CD (1994)

Read more about Cocteau Twins here.

2013 Update

It takes about three times as long to pull out and paste pieces from the archives as it does to put a new post together thanks to the the search engine to the archives taking forever.  This particular post has been a brute.