The previous time I featured Cousteau on the blog was in August 2014 when I posed the question ‘Anyone Remember This Lot?’
It was very pleasing that a number of very favourable comments followed on, including a couple of personal anecdotes from folk who knew, for one reason or other, vocalist Liam McKahey.
This oustanding piece of music is tailor made for this particular series.
mp3 : Cousteau – The Last Good Day Of The Year
Around the turn of the century, Cousteau briefly enjoyed a fair bit of media exposure with many comparing their sound to the likes of Scott Walker and Burt Bacharach. Such comparisons were the results of the song-writing and arrangement talents of multi-instrumentalist Davey Ray Moor (who had previously enjoyed a very successful career composing advertising jingles and TV soundtracks) and vocalist Liam McKahey whose delivery and style were a real throwback to the easy listening era some 40 years previously. Personally, I always thought he was more akin to Graeme Skinner who is best known for fronting 80s hit band Hipsway.
The band was given a lot of critical acclaim which never quite got them beyond cult status with the record buying public. They initially released two LPs and a smattering of singles between 1999 and 2002 before Moor decided he’d had enough. McKahey took on the task of songwriting and a third LP was released in 2005 before the band called it a day altogether.
I’ve a CD copy of the debut album on the shelf, picked up in a bargain bin for £2.99. It’s certainly more worthy than that albeit it’s a very long time since I listened to it all the way through. The album does have one genuine standout track that deserved to be a huge hit:-
mp3 : Cousteau – The Last Good Day Of The Year
My big book of indie discography informs me there were two other singles lifted from the debut LP and here, just for your aural pleasure, they are:-
mp3 : Cousteau – She Don’t Hear Your Prayer
mp3 : Cousteau – Wish You Were Her
Enjoy
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 