Idlewild – THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN

THEIR SOLE TOP 10 SINGLE

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Idlewild are another on the long list of bands who I’ve a lot of time for without ever immersing myself fully with their material.

I’ve actually a fair number of CD singles sitting on the shelves, most of them picked up cheap after they dropped out of the charts or as second-hand copies. I knew the band had been successful, but I was surprised to find out that they had a run of twelve successive Top 40 singles in the UK, beginning with When I Argue I See Shapes (#19, February 1999) all the way through to El Capitan (#39, July 2005). There’s actually enough more than decent songs from this short space of time to make up a listenable ICA, but I’m sure any true fan with real knowledge of the band would look to the earlier and later material to make it a more rounded and representative effort.

Idlewild formed as far back as 1995, and are still very much on the go today, albeit there have been short periods where they were on hiatus with members concentrating on solo projects.

The one time they cracked the Top 10 in the singles chart was May 2002, when the lead single from their fourth album, The Remote Part, crashed in at #9 on the week of its release:-

mp3 : Idlewild – You Held The World In Your Arms

Ok, it’s got a touch of the anthemic about it, with a chant-a-long chorus helping to drive things along. But with the synths and strings also playing their part, it manages to soar majestically above being bog-standard stadium rock, to the extent that I’d argue it would make for the perfect ICA opening track, one that would surely have got then through the ongoing World Cup group stages if they had been eligible to enter.

It was released on limited edition 7″ vinyl and 2 x CDs. I’ve CD1 in the collection – picked up for 99p after it fell out of the charts – and here’s its two additional tracks:-

mp3 : Idlewild – All This Information
mp3 : Idlewild – No Generation

The first of the b-sides is a reminder that many have made a suggestion that Idlewild can occasionally come across, melodically, as the Scottish R.E.M. It’s a really decent listen.

The second of the b-sides is also worth a few minutes of your time. There are many bands who would have shoved this out as an a-side if they had come up with it.

JC

Idlewild

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #143: IDLEWILD

From allmusic.com

The Scottish alt rock group Idlewild formed in Edinburgh in late 1995, originally comprising singer Roddy Woomble, guitarist Rod Jones, bassist Phil Scanlon, and drummer Colin Newton. A year of steady touring preceded the release of the band’s 1997 debut single, “Queen of the Troubled Teens,” which immediately found favor with Radio 1 DJ Steve Lamacq. The resulting media exposure brought Idlewild to the attention of Fierce Panda, and the London-based label agreed to issue their sophomore single, “Chandelier,” which doubled as their first recording with new bassist Bob Fairfoull. A mini-album, Captain, followed in early 1998, and as word spread of their chaotic live shows (described by one U.K. magazine as “a flight of stairs falling down a flight of stairs”), the group signed with Food Records and released Hope Is Important in late October. 100 Broken Windows followed in early 2001, with a subsequent U.S. tour launching later that spring.

The next year, Idlewild issued The Remote Part. “American English” and “You Held the World in Your Arms” were massive hits in Europe, making the album Idlewild’s most successful project to date. Not everyone in the band was happy, though, and bassist Fairfoull was kicked out of the lineup after an Amsterdam show in September. Guitar technician Alex Grant stepped in to fill his shoes for the remaining European dates. Gavin Fox (bass) and Allen Stewart (guitar) were added permanently to the lineup early the following year, just prior to the American release of The Remote Part in March.

Warnings/Promises followed in 2005, featuring songs that had been written during an inspired four-month session in the Scottish Highlands. Fox left the band the following spring and was replaced by former Astrid bassist Gareth Russell, who made his debut on the 2007 album Make Another World. Meanwhile, Woomble made his solo debut with My Secret Is My Silence, an intimate acoustic album featuring background vocals by Kate Rusby, and joined folk musicians Kris Drever and John McCusker to record the collaborative Before the Ruin in 2008. One year later, Idlewild bucked convention by releasing their sixth album, Post Electric Blues, as a free, fan site-only download; a traditional release followed in October. In 2010 the band went on a hiatus which was to last three years. During that time, Jones launched a solo career and formed the side project the Birthday Suit, while Woomble released two further solo albums. Idlewild reconvened in 2013 on the Isle of Mull to start sporadic work on their seventh studio album, with new bassist Lucci Rossi replacing Russell. The album was finally finished and set for release in February 2015. Entitled Everything Ever Written, it was produced by Jones and self-released through PledgeMusic. The grungy lead single “Collect Yourself” saw the band exploring a new direction, with a distinct funk influence.

I’ve enjoyed much of what the band have released over the years and they never disappoint in the live setting. Here’s a single from the 100 Broken Windows era:-

mp3 : Idlewild – Little Discourage

JC

Idlewild, Simply Thrilled

IT REALLY WASN’T A CRACKING DEBUT SINGLE

It’s Friday. It’s the 13th of the month. I’ve been running a Scottish theme all week here. It’s the eve of an all-English ICA World Cup final. I feel it is appropriate to sabotage the blog.

Today’s offering is the debut 45 by the rather spendid and usually tuneful Idlewild.

Queen of The Troubled Teens was released on Human Condition Records, an Edinburgh-based indie label, but such was the small extent of the distribution that few copies got outside of the city, and as such it is highly sought after by fans (and no, I don’t have a copy; I used villainous methods to get a hold of the songs for today).

Idlewild had played their first shows in early 1996, as teenagers, and they soon earned a reputation for loud, chaotic but energetic shows. It wasn’t until February 1997 that their debut single was released by which time their bass player, Phil Scanlon, had quit to concentrate on his studies and so these three songs are his sole contribution to a band which has now released seven studio albums, three compilations and twenty-three singles in a largely stellar career.

Here’s what Roddy Woomble, lead singer and main songwriter with the band has said this about the debut:-

The thing is that it’s rubbish. I mean, for what it is – when I look back, like I do with fondness at copies of a favourite book or something – musically it’s just a bunch of 19-year-olds. Of course it’s part of the band’s history, but I think things have moved on.

He’s not wrong you know….

mp3 : Idlewild – Queen of The Troubled Teens
mp3 : Idlewild – Faster
mp3 : Idlewild – Self Healer

I can safely predict that these are unlikely to be aired at Simply Thrilled.

JC

Billy Bragg, Idlewild

AN UPDATE ON AN OLD POST

In April 2014 I featured CD2 of a single by Idlewild with the following words:-

Back in 2000, Idlewild released a hugely enjoyable LP called 100 Broken Windows.

Four singles were lifted from the LP, all of which charted – none higher than #23 and none lower than #38 when they were all deserving of a minimum of Top 10. It was an era when singles came out in multiple formats, which was usually 2 x CDs but sometimes you’d also have a 7″ single thrown in.

It’s no real surprise that many acts ended up putting remixes or different versions of previously released material to fill up all the required b-sides, while cover versions were also a popular way of doing similar.

CD2 of the third single lifted from 100 Broken Windows is a perfect example of what I mean as it featured an acoustic version of the most recent single and a cover of an Echo and The Bunnymen track that was bound be well-known to and therefore be of appeal to most of the band’s fans:-

The acoustic version is quite lovely and rather fragile. Not only does it show how good a song it is but it helps display a softer and highly accomplished side of the band that is all too often neglected. The cover however, in the opinion of someone who is a fan of both bands is rather pointless and bitterly disappointing. It just sounds like a pub covers band’s take on the song…

The third single lifted from that album was These Wooden Ideas and the other week I picked up CD1 and gave it a listen. One of its two b-sides was a really decent Idlewild original which, coming in at just under two minutes was probably disregarded from the LP purely on the basis of its shortness, while the other is yet another cover, this time of a Bob Dylan number from 1964 and I’m delighted that this time, the Idlewild boys did it proud. As a guitar-driven band it’s really interesting to hear the band going down the route of a song that leans heavily on piano and a vocal that isn’t totally reliant on Roddy Woomble.

So all in all, five tracks over 2 x CDs with just the one duff song to endure.

mp3 : Idlewild – These Wooden Ideas
mp3 : Idlewild – There’s Glory In Your Story
mp3 : Idlewild – When The Ship Comes In
mp3 : Idlewild – Actually It’s Darkness (acoustic version)
mp3 : Idlewild – Rescue

The other week I mentioned how underrated Gene were. I’d say that Idlewild fall into the same category – a band who released a ridiculously good number of singles and albums over the years and who never got the fame they deserved. They were never ever hip enough….

And since I feel this post is kind of short-changing regular readers, I thought I’d throw in another tremendous but more traditional cover of Mr Zimmerman’s number:-

mp3 : Billy Bragg – When The Ship Comes In (live)

Enjoy.

Idlewild

B SIDES KILLERS AND FILLERS

Back in 2000, Idlewild released a hugely enjoyable LP called 100 Broken Windows.

CD2 of the third single lifted from 100 Broken Windows is a perfect example of what I mean as it featured an acoustic version of the most recent single and a cover of a track that was bound be well-known to and therefore be of appeal to most of the band’s fans:-

mp3 : Idlewild – These Wooden Ideas
mp3 : Idlewild – Actually It’s Darkness (acoustic version)
mp3 : Idlewild – Rescue

The acoustic version is quite lovely and rather fragile. Not only does it show how good a song it is but it helps display a softer and highly accomplished side of the band that is all too often neglected. The cover of the Echo & The Bunnymen track however, in the opinion of someone who is a fan of both band is rather pointless and bitterly disappointing. It just sounds like a pub covers band’s take on the song…

Enjoy…..in parts.

Goodbye Mr Mackenzie, Hey! Elastica, His Latest Flame, Idlewild, Jack Butler

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SINGLE (Parts 56 – 60)

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..

(56) Goodbye Mr. Mackenzie – The Rattler b/w Here Comes Deacon Brodie : Capitol Records 7″ single (1989)

Read more about Goodbye Mr Mackenzie here

(57) Hey! Elastica – Eat Your Heart out b/w Clay Hips (1st Movement) : Virgin Records 12″ single (1982)

From Edinburgh and part of the glorious age of Scottish pop that rode on the back of the critical acclaim afforded to the likes of Orange Juice. Not everyone’s cup of tea but I loved them. And discovered many years later that so did my good mate Jacques the Kipper.

Four criminally ignored singles and one LP before Virgin cut their losses and dropped the band. Hugely energetic and entertaining live, if not, it must be admitted, the most accomplished. This is the debut single

(58) His Latest Flame – America Blue b/w Tongue Tied : London Records 7″ single (1989)

Formed in the mid 80s in Glasgow and regarded by many as the nearest we ever got to The Bangles, albeit many of the records had a political kick to them. The early singles were on Go! Discs but the latter material, including their only LP, was issued via London Records. Tricia Reid has a mighty fine voice……..

(59) Idlewild – No Emotion b/w Lookin’ For A Love b/w No Emotion (Caucasian Dub – Trance Mix) : Sequel Records 2 x 7″ singles (2007)

Read more about Idlewild here.

Deliberate choice to go with a later lesser-known single, partly for the b-sides of a Neil Young cover and a weird-as-fuck dance effort

(60) Jack Butler – Velvet Prose b/w Candles b/w He Got No Game! : Whimsical Records CD single (2006)

Hailing from Stirling (a town in Central Scotland about equidistant from Glasgow and Edinburgh), Jack Butler are a four-piece consisting of Liam Kelly (vocals and guitar), Chris Lowdon (guitar), Allan Conry (bass) and Greg Moodie (drums).

Their debut LP Fit The Paradigm was released in April 2009 to a fair bit of excitement around these parts, and not only among the blogging community as one of the biggest selling tabloid daily newspapers gave the release excellent reviews and tipped the band for stardom.

I don’t own a copy of the album which I regret, certainly based on this two-person review:-

T: Wow, this sounds like Robert Smith on a crateful of speed.

N: Umm, well that’s left our readers with absolutely nothing from which to draw.

T: Ummm, what about leaving them with the image of Robert Smith on a crateful of speed?

N: I guess that’s one image I briefly toyed with, but to no avail, as Robert is now really getting too old to be toying with speed, let alone a crateful. Let me start, Jack Butler, a four piece from Stirling and described as “one of the freshest bands in Scotland” not forgetting to add “at the moment”, as they have a hell of a lot of competition here, take Aztec Camera (the most immediate reference), Trash Can Sinatras, or maybe Orange Juice. But one thing’s for sure, these guys are not excusing their harking back to post-punk 80’s vibe and who could blame them?

T: They sound like a train has crashed through your ceiling and is driving around your walls flashing disco lights while all the nightporters and commuters dive out of the carriages and do little dances around your bed. Which is great when they’re nice looking totty but not so good when they’re heifers. Most of the time though, they’re pretty damn attractive.

N: And this is the over-riding thought this band conjure up?

T: Yep. 9/10

The thing is, it had been the best part of three years previous since I had picked up a copy of their debut single having heard it on a blog and in the absence of anything else ever appearing in the shops I had assumed that they had gone through the ‘release a single and break-up’ routine. I certainly never picked up on the fact that an LP was out there….but then I’ve never been great at keeping up with developments as they happen.

Anyways….back to the 2006 debut. and I remember thinking that it was an absolute belter. Lead track Velvet Prose did have a wee bit of the standard indie-pop sound that was all over the charts at the time but I was more taken by the two b-sides which took me back a fair bit to some of the best bits of the 80s. Candles seems influenced by the early Zoo Records stuff of the Teardrop Explodes and the Bunnymen with the angular guitar work found on Josef K songs. But it’s He Got No Game! which is by far the standout – it sounds as if the Associates have reformed…..yup, it’s that good.

It’s a real pity it took so long for the LP hit the shops as I reckon based on these three songs Jack Butler could have gained a bit of momentum and gone on to carve a niche for themselves in the Scottish pop pantheon.

Parts 61 -65 next Saturday…..