I’m typing this up before seeing any reaction to Issue 1, so I’m not sure if this will be the second and final part of the series or if in fact there is a wish from readers to see it continue, hopefully with a few guest contributions.
I own a vinyl copy of this week’s song:-
mp3: The Maccabees – About Your Dress
I’m not actually sure as to why I bought it back in 2007 other than the fact that I had maybe six months or so previously acquired my first USB turntable with the intention of converting loads of old vinyl into mp3s, and in the process, started up The Vinyl Villain in September 2006. Thinking back, and looking at the overall vinyl collection, it was a period when I would pick up 7″ singles on spec when browsing in any of the independent shops, partly as I was wondering if I happened to pick something up by a then unknown or minor band who went on to be massive, then I might have something that would later become ‘valuable’ in my hands – as an aside, this has actually happened with the likes of the early Frightened Rabbit and The Twilight Sad singles, (not that these were bought on spec!!).
About Your Dress is, sadly, indie-pop by numbers. It was a relatively minor hit, reaching #33, but this would actually prove to be The Maccabees biggest selling 45 in a career which spanned 2005-2015, during which all four of their albums went at least silver, (with a gold disc for 2012’s Given To The Wind).
I should mention that the single is on yellow vinyl – it was also available on blue vinyl with a slightly different sleeve and a different b-side recorded in the studio Mine’s has this live version of their previous single
mp3: The Maccabees – First Love (live at University of London Union, 5 December 2006)
Oh, and by the way, I knew nothing of this lot before putting this piece together. Turns out, they have the poshest collection of names I have ever seen in one group:-
Orlando Weeks – vocals, guitar, keyboards
Hugo White – guitars, backing vocals
Felix White – guitars, piano, backing vocals
Rupert Shepherd – bass
Robert Dylan Thomas – drums
Finally, I paid £3 for the single. A mint copy of it goes for £6 these days on Discogs. Not bad for something that I’d say is very much landfill indie……..
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 