The 24-hour delay in bringing you the results was due to the need to get the offer of a free ticket to the upcoming Glas-Goes Pop festival out to everyone. If you missed that, then all you need to do is scroll back or down to yesterday’s post.
It was Aldo who perhaps best nailed what was most intriguing about Group B
“First glance I thought I knew my 8, but after a listen through, half of those were discarded, and I had to whittle down.”
This proved to a group with just about everything. The top four were neck-and-neck from the get-go, and while qualification for each of them was secured early enough, the question of who would top things went to the wire.
Two more acts secured plenty of votes early on to ensure likely qualification, which left two slots up for grabs among the rest, although Chuck Moseley/Faith No More, Clearlake and Quickspace never really looked likely.
In the end, it all came down to the very last set of votes cast by DAM with one of his choices breaking what had been, up to that stage, a tie.
Joy Division 31
Electronic 30
Blondie 29
Belle and Sebastian 27
Stevie Wonder 24
Black Box Recorder 23
Hot Chip 19
Fad Gadget 17
DAM cast a vote for Fad Gadget and thus eliminated The Siddeleys on 16.
Looking from the outside, the big shock is the failure of Blur to get through having gained just 14 votes which was the same as Urusei Yatsura, while Joe Jackson perhaps paid the price of a lesser known track being the ICA opener and was eliminated after receiving only 12 votes. Josh Ritter got a lot of early votes and was very much in the running, but eventually proved unable to get more than 10 all told.
As ever, I’ll leave you with a song that will now be unable to make an appearance in future rounds when It may well have been something of an ace card to play:-
mp3: Joe Jackson – Is She Really Going Out With Him?
Hybrid Soc Prof offered up 18 ICAs in a fairly short period of time, with his first being on 14 January 2019 and his last on 24 June 2020.
His alias gives away the fact that he was an academic, and if you go back through his postings, you’ll see he was based in Michigan, but that his writings covered many years of interest in music across many parts of the USA.
I have no idea what stopped HSP being such a lively contributor. His last post came at the tail-end of the academic year and was, of course, during the time when COVID was rampaging through North America. I’m trying not to think the worst……
All 18 songs on offer today come from his different ICAs, which means he’s guaranteed eight representatives in the knock-out stages. My decision to devote an entire group to HSP is based largely on the fact that his offerings were on singers and bands rarely featured otherwise on TVV and I like the idea of a few lesser-known or appreciated acts being able to progress.
Once again, the songs are competing for your votes today are #1 from all the relevant ICAs, and they are offered up in alphabetical order of the singer or group involved.
The Black Angels – Currency (ICA 239)
The Black Keys – A Blueprint of Something Never Finished (ICA 246)
Vic Chesnutt – Flirted With You All My Life (ICA 232)
The Dream Syndicate – Kendra’s Dream (ICA 204)
The Feelies – The Boy With Perpetual Nervousness (ICA 218)
Giant Sand – Happenstance (ICA 213)
Michael Hall – Let’s Take Some Drugs and Drive Around (ICA 235)
Chris Isaak – Solitary Man (ICA 255)
The Lyres – You’ll Never Do It Baby (ICA 230)
Morphine – You Look Like Rain (ICA 215)
Chuck Prophet – Pin A Rose On Me (ICA 207)
Rainer Ptacek – Me and The Devil (ICA 242)
Queens of The Stone Age – I Appear Missing (ICA 241)
The Thin White Hope – Dead Grammas On A Train (ICA 202)
Uncle Tupelo – Moonshiner (ICA 211)
*this track is actually a solo offering by Dave Schramm on an ICA otherwise consisting of songs by the group
I’m looking for you to cast votes for up to eight songs, but don’t worry if you decide to go under that number if not all the songs fully appeal to you….but every vote counts!
As usual, voting closes at midnight (UK time) next Saturday, which is the 30th of July.
Group D next week will have the normal thing of some stuff from myself and a bundle from guest contributors.
Late last year, I was strong-armed into joining the works Christmas Party team, a role I’m sure you can imagine I attacked with all the vigour of a substituted soccer ball player.
As is the norm with this sort of thing, our directions were that we had to come up with lots of games which would promote teamwork, which we duly did.
But about a week before the event, Covid rules changed. We should now only meet up if absolutely necessary, which this clearly wasn’t.
And so it shifted to an online, virtual Christmas Party, and we had a lot of time to fill.
“Can you knock together a Christmas pop quiz, Jez?”
At last. Here was my calling, my vocation.
But I couldn’t just do any old “What was the Christmas No. 1 in 1978?” type quiz. (Boney M with Mary’s Boy Child/O My Lord, in case you’re playing along at home), as the bloke who did it the year before had done that.
So instead I plumped for Christmas songs which you assume reached the coveted Christmas #1 slot, but didn’t. I wittily called it “The Christmas Number Two Quiz”, but decided not to include Mr Hankey, The Christmas Poo for wanting-to-keep-my-job reasons.
For those of you who don’t know me, my daytime job is working for the London Borough Council I lived in until fairly recently. In what I assume is a cost-cutting exercise, my Head of Service also performs the same role at a different London Borough Council.
She emailed me a day or so after our online Party to ask if she could use my pop quiz for the Christmas party for the other Borough. She’s my boss, what am I going to do, say no?
And so I became “Pop Quiz Guy”, not a title I have shied away from to be honest.
A couple of months ago, I was approached by one of our other managers, who was putting together a shared-service day, where employees in both Boroughs under the rule of the aforementioned Head of Service would meet up for a day of jolly training.
“Can you do a pop quiz for us, please?”
Of course, I agreed. It’s nice to be wanted, and also this manager is also my boss, what am I going to do, say no?
I dutifully prepared an “Identify the song from the lyric” quiz, fifteen songs, a point for the song, another if you got the artiste right.
And then, having attended a different training session a few days earlier, I tested positive for Covid, so couldn’t host it. I press-ganged some colleagues into filling in for me, but I felt an emptiness, a vacuum within me (by which I don’t mean I had inserted Henry the Hoover where the sun don’t shine).
Which brings us here, with extreme hot weather warnings ringing in our ears, a sort of summery mix for your delectation, you lucky people.
Named as a homage to the British media’s obsession with covering climate change by way of sending a photographer/camera person to a beach in the hope of catching a bit of tit to bolster their article about how it’s hotter here than it is in (enter any country more renowned for being warmer than the UK is), this is
mp3: Various – Phew! What A Scorcher!!
And here’s your track-listing, with ICA style sleeve notes where required (and rest easy regulars at my place, Chas & Dave don’t feature (although Quo very nearly did):
1. Super Furry Animals – “Hello Sunshine”
2. Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci – “Patio Song”
Parts 1 & 2 of the Welsh contingent of this playlist
3. Spanky Wilson – Sunshine Of Your Love
Nobody does a cover version like Spanky. And heaven forbid I would be compelled to include the original, sung by the right-wing “God”
4. Belle And Sebastian – Legal Man
Safe to say that, with its “Get out of the office and into the springtime”refrain, it won’t be featuring on Walter Softey tribute act Jacob Rees Mogg’s Desert Island Discs selection
5. The Kinks – Rainy Day In June
Reality check. No matter how great the weather is, or is forecast to be, you can rely on one thing: it’ll start pissing it down the second you unfurl your picnic blanket. If the wasps and ants don’t get you, the weather will
6. The Alarm – Rain In The Summertime
Here’s the 3rd of our Welsh contingent, a record which, up against some very stiff competition, manages not to be their worst single. Still, props for trying to put a positive spin on shit weather. Which is especially commendable when you imagine how pissed off you’d be to have rain ruin all those hours of furious back-combing and industrial levels of application of hairspray
7. The Delgados – Mr Blue Sky
Because I’d never get the original past JC’s watchful eye
8. Weezer – Island in the Sun
True story: I once had a brief dalliance with a young lady once; she flicked through my record collection and asked me to put together a mix CD for her. She’s the one, I thought. I duly obliged (in more ways than one, knowwhatImean?), she made this her ringtone on her phone and then ignored me for the rest of eternity
9. Dinosaur Jr. – Take a Run at the Sun
A record I will forever associate with my dear departed buddy Llyr. We used to make mix CDs for each other, I would never provide a track-list, preferring to see how he reacted to what I had put together (and, if I’m honest, check he’d actually listened to it). There is no greater joy than receiving a text which just reads: “Take a Run at the Sun!!!”. And because J Mascis trying to be Brian Wilson: what’s not to like here?
10. Barracudas – Summer Fun!
Because I thought an ad break was due. And because it’s chuffing brilliant. Bonus points for the inclusion of an exclamation mark.
11. The Undertones – Here Comes The Summer
Because no summer playlist is complete without it
12. Ramones – Rockaway Beach
Because the idea of four goofy NY dudes in black leathers hanging out at the beach is inherently ridiculous
13. Supergrass – Sun Hits the Sky
If you were fortunate enough to catch their recent life-affirming Greatest Hits set at Glastonbury, you’ll know there’s no such thing as a bad Supergrass tune
14. Squeeze – Pulling Mussels (From the Shell)
You’ll be aware that JC writes a wonderful series about songs which tell a story. This tale of a seaside coach trip’s journey home being delayed because one of the group is off shagging is ripe for inclusion at some point. This, or pretty much any other song from Squeeze’s canon
15. Kirsty MacColl – He’s On The Beach
It was a close call between this and the Lemonheads version. Kirsty wins, as she always should
16. Martha & The Muffins – Echo Beach
Quite simply, one of the greatest escape-from-the-daily-grind summer records ever
17. Fatboy Slim – Sunset (Bird of Prey)
Featuring Jim Morrison on guest vocals, spouting 6th form poetry, with his knob out (probably). This is the end.
JC adds..
This really should have been posted up earlier this week when the UK was experiencing record-high temperatures…and to be fair to Jez, he did fire it over in advance of things, but I had been too busy to look at the TVV inbox.
And for those of you not all that familiar with the sort of things Jez comes up with on a daily basis, then you really should take a leisurely stroll over to A History of Dubious Taste.
I’ve already got my own mixtape ready to roll when August comes around, but if anyone else wants to put something together, then there will always be a spot available.
And finally for today, a link to a guest posting I pulled together for SWC over at No Badger Required. Click here for musings on Toronto and its baseball team.
I was away from home all of last week (up in St Andrews with a group of Canadian visitors over for the golf) and couldn’t keep up with the blog all that much. I was stunned, thrilled and, yes, over-the-moon-David, to see the number of responses to the opening Group of the ICA World Cup 2022.
I got home to Glasgow yesterday and immediately started tallying the votes. I did feel when the draw emerged that Group A didn’t bring together too many of the so-called ‘big guns’ and wouldn’t make for too much excitement.
How wrong could I have been?
OK, it was clear from quite early on that six of the eight qualifying spots were destined for Cocteau Twins, Buddy Holly, The Jam, Nirvana, Iggy Pop and Roxy Music, while the likes of Dum Dum Girls, The Fall, Luke Haines, Robyn Hitchcock, Iceage and Mudhoney never really got going.
Of the others, Say Sue Me and Tracey Thorn faded after decent starts, which left Ash, Dinosaur Jr. and Jazz Butcher battling out in a tight contest for the final two spots.
The final tallies at the top of the table:-
Iggy Pop 39
Roxy Music 37
Buddy Holly 30
Cocteau Twins 28*
The Jam 28
Nirvana 24
Ash 19
Jazz Butcher 18*
Dinosaur Jr. 18
In football terms, there were two penalty shoot-outs – which in reality was a toss of a coin. Cocteau Twins snatched 4th place in the group, (which may be crucial in terms of the draw for the knockout stages), but also saw Jazz Butcher progress to the next phase instead of Dinosaur Jr.
It is, I have to admit, a very cruel way to be eliminated. Especially when this song was likely to make an appearance at some point:-
All the postings for the initial Group stages are being typed up, readied and posted at the same time, weeks in advance, and as such I have no idea how well (or badly) folk responded to Group A. I’ll be going forward in any event, certainly for the next seven weeks, but like a gig or festival which is cancelled late on due to poor ticket sales, I’ll be keeping a close watch on things as they head towards the knock-out stages.
Once again, sixteen songs are competing for your votes today, with eight of them set to qualify for the knock-out stages. As mentioned last week, all the songs, in the group stages, will be #1 from all the relevant ICAs, and they are listed below in alphabetical order of the singer or group involved.
Belle & Sebastian – The State That I Am In (ICA 165)
Black Box Recorder – Child Psychology (ICA 179)
Blondie – X-Offender (ICA 198)
Blur – Crazy Beat (ICA 189)
Chuck Mosley/Faith No More – We Care A Lot (ICA 247)
With all respect to Group A, this week’s mix is one to get the juices flowing, with a few big names coming out of the hat, and not all of them certain to get through. Bernard Sumner makes two appearances this week, again by chance. He’s been denied the hat-trick as there’s no eligible ICAs from NewOrder or Bad Lieutenant.
As usual, voting closes at midnight (UK time) next Saturday, which is the 23rd of July.
Welcome to the first week of the ICA World Cup 2022. Are you excited or totally indifferent?
Seventeen songs are competing for your votes today, with eight of them set to qualify for the knock-out stages. All the songs, in the group stages, will be #1 from all the relevant ICAs, and they are listed below in alphabetical order of the singer or group involved.
Ash – Jack Names The Planets (ICA 190)
Cocteau Twins – Hazel (Peel Session) (ICA 310)
Dinosaur Jr. – The Wagon (ICA 312)
Dum Dum Girls – Jail La La (ICA 287)
The Fall – Crap Rap/Like To Blow (ICA 171)
Luke Haines – Rock’n’Roll Communique #1 (ICA 180)
Robyn Hitchcock – Kingdom of Love (ICA 190)
Buddy Holly – That’ll Be The Day (ICA 285)
Iceage – Hurrah (ICA 221)
The Jam – Pretty Green (ICA 152)
The Jazz Butcher – Next Move Sideways (ICA 158)
Mudhoney – In n Out of Grace (ICA 283)
Nirvana – Where Did You Sleep Last Night? (ICA 222)
As I said last week, the draw has been designed to split up contributions from various guest contributors, with each group also having a handful from my own ICAs. Group A is quite eclectic, and many of the so-called ‘big hitters’ didn’t get drawn out, so it sets up for some tastiness in the remaining groups.
Voting closes at midnight on Saturday, 16th July. Voting must be done through the comments section.
AND JUST TO AVOID ANY POTENTIAL CONFUSION, I’M HOPING EVERYONE COMING ON TO VOTE WILL MAKE UP TO 8 CHOICES FROM THE ABOVE LIST.
I KNOW……I’M ASKING A LOT!!! BUT IT WILL GET EASIER ONCE WE REACH THE KNOCK-OUT STAGES!!!!!!!
Thanks to everyone who commented on the Trumpets ICA and especially all the folks who accepted the invitation to suggest their own favourite tunes. More than enough for a second eleven, with selections by:
Bill: Prefab Sprout – Billy. Not only does this tune prominently feature a lead trumpet, but the whole tune is about trumpets!
Friend of Rachel Worth: Pale Fountains – Longshot For Your Love. This was a new one to me. Seems like the Fountains came and went, but not before releasing “…From Across the Kitchen Table,” presumably the namesake of Drew’s blog. (JC adds…..it sure is!!)
Rol: Feargal Sharkey – You Little Thief. There might be a saxophone happening underneath, but this song’s really got the trumpet working.
Conrad: Bowie – Jump They Say. Impressive how Bowie (David) was always looking for interesting folks to record with. Bringing in Lester Bowie, a straight up jazz dude and co-founder of the Art Ensemble of Chicago, was a genius move.
The Swede: Housemartins – Think for a Minute (single version). I never heard this version, but it’s ten times better with the trumpet. Great call by the Swede.
DAM: Manic Street Preachers – Kevin Carter. This was on a list of songs I sent to JC to see if anyone suggested ones other than my choices. Very impressed with DAM for picking this one and the TVV crowd for coming up with so many stellar ideas.
FlimFlamFan: Allez Allez – Flesh and Blood. I wasn’t familiar with this Belgian 80’s outfit so I found a clip on YouTube. In their live performance, the horn part was played by a sax, but on the record it sounds like a trumpet. (Might also be a synth, but it’s a great tune, so let’s go with it.)
JC: Billy Bragg – Levi Stubb’s Tears. Probably should have included this classic by William Bloke, but it’s just so sad.
Mark: Eric Matthews – Fanfare. This song made the whole experiment worthwhile. I knew Matthews from Cardinal but was otherwise unfamiliar with his recordings. ‘Fanfare’ is an absolute killer—my new favorite song.
Khayem: Julian Cope – Beautiful Love. I had to decide between this one and the Teardrops song, so cheers to Kieron for making sure this one got in the mix.
Walter: Chumbawumba – Tubthumping. Is there any reason not to play this infectious, banging song at every possible occasion? No, there is not.
JTFL
JC adds……
There’s been quite a few more suggestions since Jonny fired over this second edition. I’m surely not alone in asking that he come up with Volume 3?
23 July 2018 when The Jam won the first ever ICA World Cup, beating Billy Bragg in the final.
If you weren’t reading all my nonsense back in 2018, I best explain.
The ICA World Cup was the idea of occasional contributor, jimdoes.
“…so I’ve had a thought… there’s 130 different teams in the ICA’s… what if there was a world cup between them to find which one was the best…?? it would all be very arbitrary but it might work…”
It got underway in January 2018, and it finished on 23 July 2018, the date of the actual final of the FIFA World Cup. It was done on a straight knock-out basis, with 129 teams being whittled down round after round. (A certain Manchester solo artist was excluded on the grounds of his abysmal human rights record).
The ICAs eligible were from #1-#150, but the reason for there being fewer than 150 ‘teams’ was that singers/band with more than one ICA weren’t permitted multiple entries.
For the 2022 World Cup, the ICAs from #152 – 314 are eligible – from The Jam (ICA #152) on 25 January 2018 to Cats On Fire (ICA #314) on 31 May 2022.
There remains the caveat on multiple entries, as well as excluding ICAs on themes, such as record labels, genres and producers (which is why ICA #151 about Factory Records is excluded). It all means that 135 singers/bands can take part.
That number, however, is far too large to have a straight knock-out competition in the time available – the final of the FIFA World Cup 2022 takes place on Sunday 18 December, which is the day I’ll be aiming for the ICA World Cup to end.
To achieve this target date, there’s going to have to be a very severe cull from the group stages to the knock-out phase :-
GROUP A – 17 teams (8 to qualify) : Sunday 10 July
GROUP B – 16 teams (8 to qualify) : Sunday 17 July
GROUP C – 18 teams (8 to qualify) : Sunday 24 July
GROUP D – 17 teams (8 to qualify) : Sunday 31 July
GROUP E – 17 teams (8 to qualify) : Sunday 7 August
GROUP F – 17 teams (8 to qualify) : Sunday 14 August
GROUP G – 17 teams (8 to qualify) : Sunday 21 August
GROUP H – 16 teams (8 to qualify) : Sunday 28 August
Round of 64 : Week 1 (4 matches) : Sunday 4 September
Round of 64 : Week 2 (4 matches) : Sunday 11 September
Round of 64 : Week 3 (4 Matches) : Sunday 18 September
Round of 64 : Week 4 (4 matches) : Sunday 25 September
Round of 64 : Week 5 (4 matches) : Sunday 2 October
Round of 64 : Week 6 (4 matches) : Sunday 9 October
Round of 64 : Week 7 (4 matches) : Sunday 16 October
Round of 64 : Week 8 (4 matches) : Sunday 23 October
Round of 32 : Week 1 (4 matches) : Sunday 30 October
Round of 32 : Week 2 (4 matches) : Sunday 6 November
Round of 32 : Week 3 (4 matches) : Sunday 13 November
Round of 32 : Week 4 (4 matches) : Sunday 20 November
Round of 16 : 8 Matches : Sunday 27 November
Quarter-Finals : 4 Matches : Sunday 4 December
Semi-Finals : 2 Matches : Sunday 11 December
Final : 1 Match : Sunday 18 December
The arrangements for the draw, like all things in modern football, became a bit complicated as I tried to ensure a fair spread across the eight groups from the different contributors. Of the 135 ICAs included, I’m responsible for 35 of them, and these will be spread evenly and randomly across six of the groups – A, B, D, E, G and H.
Group C, which has 18 teams, consists entirely of ICAs contributed by Hybrid Social Professor (HSP), who rather sadly seems not to have contributed at all to the blog since June 2020 having been ridiculously prolific up to then.
Group F has 17 teams, and consisting of six ICAs by Alex G, five ICAs by Middle Aged Man and six ICAs by Khayem.
All the remaining guest contributions have been spread out so that almost nobody will find themselves with two teams in the same group – for instance, JTFL has four teams and these will be placed in Groups B, E, G and H. The almost nobody exception is SWC, who has seven entries spread across six groups, with one doubler (I warned you it was complicated!!!)
As you can tell, this is really depending on a decent level of audience participation, especially in the group stages, where you will be asked to submit eight songs to enable a singer or band to progress. In the event of ties, the rolling of a dice will determine which side(s) progress.
Tune in next week for details of Group A. Voting will open as soon as the posting appears and will close at midnight, UK time, the following Saturday. All votes will be through the comments section – I had an e-mail option last time around, but it proved difficult to keep a track of, with some responses going into the junk folder and not being counted.
I’ll finish off this week with a very fine World Cup theme tune to get you in the mood:-
mp3 : The Scottish World Cup Squad 1982 – We Have A Dream
Featuring John Gordon Sinclair, of Gregory’s Girl Fame.
I’ll hopefully see some of you here next Sunday…..otherwise I’ll have a huge flop on my hands!!!
It’s the first of a new month. This mix was almost called ‘Let’s Hug It Out’.
mp3: Various – Thank Your Lucky Stars
Theme from ‘The Persuaders’ – John Barry Goodbye Joe – Tracey Thorn Safari – The Breeders Purple Zone (extended version) – Soft Cell/Pet Shop Boys Dreaming Of You – The Coral Shut Up And Let Me Go – The Ting Tings Natural Blues – Moby Grumpus – Lambchop Easy Money – Johnny Marr Hey Ya!- Outkast Fidelity – Regina Spektor Chelsea Hotel #2 – Lloyd Cole Who Can Say – The Horrors It’s For You – The Wedding Present Never Fight A Man With A Perm – IDLES The Last Significant Statement To Be Made In Rock’n’Roll – The Indelicates The Bastard Son Of Dean Friedman – Half Man Half Biscuit
Twenty seconds beyond sixty minutes.
JC
PS : A small plug for a series that is warming up nicely in a blog curated some 450 miles south-west of Villain Towers. I’m referring of course to No Badger Required
SWC has come up with the quite magnificent idea of a rundown of the best 100 songs with one-word titles. Where many of us would have gone about this in a dictatorial manner, he recruited a group of peers and got folk to vote on things. I was one of them, and I know that some of the TVV cognoscenti also offered up opinions.
I should also mention that while it isn’t immediately obvious, it is possible to leave comments at No Badger Required. You do have to click on the title of a particular post, and it will open in a separate tab with a comments box at the foot of the new page.
A GUEST POSTING (and Invitation) from JONNY THE FRIENDLY LAWYER
I love the sound of a trumpet in rock music. Yes, there are plenty of songs and bands we all love that feature a full brass section, or at least a trumpet accompanied by a sax or whatnot. But I’m not talking about those. I mean just a trumpet, either as part of the instrumentation of a song, or as the featured lead instrument. So here’s an imaginary compilation of my favourite songs with a trumpet. All the tunes are by bands that would typically show up over here at JC’s place. Otherwise, there’d be way too many to list. (So our host will have to do without ‘Penny Lane’ this time out.)
Cake: Short Skirt/Long Jacket.
Cake are sort of an acquired taste, but I acquired it. Groovy bassist, solid drummer, ace guitarists, and Vince DeFiore on trumpet. If you’re okay with John McCrea‘s vocals, you’ll probably like the band, too. This is a single from the band’s fourth album, Comfort Eagle, released way back in 2001.
The June Brides: Every Conversation.
This one’s the only song I know by this band, which was included on some anorak-Postcard-Creation compilation or other. It’s a fun track played in a lovably amateurish way that I still like to listen to almost 40 years on.
Beulah: Gene Autrey.
Anyone remember Beulah? They’re a forgotten favourite of mine. Kind of the equivalent of Clearlake, whom I thought were genius and no one ever heard of (see ICA #279). Beulah were from San Francisco and released four great albums to no acclaim whatsoever. The idea for this post comes from this song, incidentally. I have it on a playlist and was driving around (that’s what we do in LA) and all of a sudden the trumpet solo erupted out of the speakers. You wouldn’t know it’s coming from the beginning of the tune, and then–bam! Magnificent music.
The Teardrop Explodes: Reward.
Bless my cotton socks, it’s the arch-druid and his band’s biggest hit, a non-album single from 1981. I read someplace that the band included the trumpet because they were inspired by Love‘s 1967 psychedelic classic, Forever Changes.
Calexico: Alone Again Or.
Speaking of which, here’s a version of the lead track from Forever Changes. Calexico are in fine form here. It’s loose, the hand-claps give it kind of a flamenco vibe, and the trumpet solo is perfect. Loads of bands covered this song, including the Damned, but I had other plans for them.
The Damned: Grimly Fiendish.
Is this where the Damned went Goth, or was that just the album cover? Not sure, but we’ve moved quite a bit forward from New Rose with a jazzy trumpet solo. This was released as a single in 1984. Christ, I’m old.
Belle & Sebastian: Dress Up In You.
Here are some truly insulting lyrics, sung very sweetly. Like our friends Cake and Calexico, Belle & Sebastian had a trumpet player on board for most of their career, including this track from 2006’s The Life Pursuit. Toss up between this song and Stars of Track and Field.
Talking Heads: Houses in Motion.
Everyone’s played it straight so far but not, of course, the Heads. This tune, from 1981’s Remain in Light, features fourth world pioneer Jon Hassell on a trumpet solo given the full Eno treatment.
Sloan: Everything You’ve Done Wrong.
I don’t know too much about Sloan, except that they’re from Canada and have had the same lineup for over 30 years. ‘Everything’ is a straight-up radio-friendly pop tune wearing its trumpet on its sleeve. This song was released in 1996, and I’m beginning to wonder if trumpet is just out of style nowadays?
The Beta Band: Dry the Rain.
Another 90’s highlight. This song always seemed to me like an indie Hey Jude. Goes on for a while and ends with a sing-along chorus with trumpets over the top. I only saw the band once, and they were fantastic, but I can’t remember if they did this number.
Elvis Costello: Shipbuilding.
EC’s best ever lyrics, according to the man himself. Shipbuilding really is a monumental song. It would have been a classic before jazz legend/tragedy Chet Baker got into the studio, but his trumpet part is one of a kind. If there’s a “best trumpet solo in rock” it’s this one.
Honourable mentions:
The Who: 5:15.
The ‘oo were my favourite band growing up, and Quadrophenia was and still is my Favourite Album of All Time. This would have been top of the list, except Entwistle‘s playing a french horn, not a trumpet.
Sublime: Wrong Way.
A great song by doomed ska-punk luminaries Sublime, with a funky trombone solo.
The Cows: Heave Ho.
Oh, man, the Cows were a riot in action. This raucous number typifies their sound, right down to the singer’s trusty bugle.
XTC: That Is The Way.
This was going to be in the mix until I read the liner notes and saw that it’s Dick Cuthell (Specials, Madness, Pogues, Eurythmics) on flugelhorn.
…and now, the Invitation.
It took me ages to narrow this list down to just ten songs. That’s why it’s eleven songs. But I’ve got a whole second set, which I sent to JC. I’m curious to see if anyone else shares my interest in trumpet in rock and, if you do, which songs you’d pick for an ICA. So, I invite the TVV crowd to suggest some songs in the comments. Let’s see if they include the rest of mine or, even better, are trumpet songs I haven’t heard yet.
In recent days, JC has entertained us with 8 Days of Indietracks Compilations and it’s been an enjoyable journey from this ageing indiepop kid.
Following the post for 2013 I wondered, as I sat on the beach, if I had transferred any indiepop compilations to my phone. I wasn’t too surprised to learn that I had, hello CD86 & Scared To Get Happy. Hmmm…. what’s this lurking in shadow of indiepop compilations, why it’s Pick ‘n’ Mix. At this point you’re most probably thinking “Pick ‘n’ What? Never heard of it.”
Torn between CD86 and Pick ‘n’ Mix (Scared To Get Happy, over 5 CDs requires considerably more commitment), I chose Pick ‘n’ Mix. I hadn’t listened to the compilation in over a decade. I nestled into my perch, stared longingly over the sea and hit play.
Felix D’ Arcy – Pictures From The Pavement
About 45 minutes later, CD1 was complete. I may have forgotten to mention Pick ‘n’ Mix is a 2 CD compilation. 13 songs that I hadn’t heard in the longest time, all of which seemed instantly recognisable – like bumping into an old friend in the street. That’s actual, real people, on tarmac streets (litter optional).
Leaving Mornington Crescent – Seventeen
Memories, fast, furious and welcome popped into my head: club nights, gigs, popfests, launch nights and late nights. Lots of late nights. Phew!
My intention was to listen immediately to CD2. However, the weather had other ideas, and I was rained off. On my speedy and damp walk back, I promised myself I’d listen to CD2 the following day. I did. I experienced the same rush: faces, places and any other word that will fit here to make up UK government health advice…races? No, that doesn’t make sense. Not making sense never stopped the UK government, but I digress…
I made a bold statement to myself that I’d write something up for TVV. To my utter astonishment here it is…
Hyperbubble – I Like Birds But I Like Other Animals Too
Pick ‘n’ Mix was released in 2009 by Bubblegum Records, Glasgow.
Glasgow is often regarded as a supportive hub for musicians/artists etc. but that hadn’t been my experience, or that of those behind Bubblegum, at that time back in 2009 as Glasgow ran mostly as a closed shop.
The same people owned numerous venues many espousing ‘independence’ despite being owned by large companies with relatively tight control of venues. Pay to play was rife – even in the ‘cooler’ establishments.
Zipper – Cosa de Artistas
When Bubblegum began it had lots it wanted to achieve. Key among those achievements was to challenge pay to play and to change negative perceptions of indie and indiepop. It seemed others agreed, myself included, yet Bubblegum was largely derided by the Glasgow ‘scene’. It seemed no matter what the label did, or did not do, in its brief existence, it just wasn’t good enough. Some examples…
When Pick ‘n’ Mix was launched (what a great night that was) free copies were given to the first 50 people alongside all of the previous releases, a fanzine and vegan sweets etc. The next 50 ‘only’ received free copies of Pick ‘n’ Mix, a fanzine and vegan sweets. Not good enough.
The label put on a staggering number of bands. There was, in most cases, an agreement that the bands would be paid a specific amount of money. Even if the gig ran at a loss, the band got their agreed amount. No band ever paid to play. Not good enough.
Probably the most generous food and drinks rider most of the bands had received. Not good enough.
Managing Glasgow Popfest – covering all costs on a DIY no sponsorship basis. Not good enough.
It put on free Indietracks warm-ups gigs. The line-up included bands appearing at Indietracks or bands whose members would be attending Indietracks. Not good enough.
For reasons unknown to those close to the label, and to the label itself, the animosity seemed inexplicable. Apparently, it was twee. Twee was somehow perceived as a threat?
Hari and Aino – On My Usual Catch Up With Celia
A little backstory can, I think, be helpful, but now to the matter in hand.
Pick ‘n’ Mix contains 27 songs. The label was advised by close friends – some in bands – not to release a compilation “they don’t make money.”
Undeterred by financial loss, Bubblegum put out an over-reaching call to a number of bands fully expecting a high percentage of rejections – due in part to the exceptionally tight timescale to get the CD completed for the hoped for launch date. Few rejections were received, which meant the original idea of a single CD compilation became a 2 CD compilation.
The roster for the CD is a real globetrotter: Brazil, Sweden. USA, Wales, Spain, France, Norway, Scotland, Indonesia, England, Australia & Japan (thanks, internet).
Le Ameida – Nunca Nunca
All indiepop sounds the same? Here’s another list to confound that theory… ska, pop, synthpop, twee, indiepop, rock, girl-group, bubblegum punk & shoegaze. Why have I left this excellent compilation languishing in the dark? I have no idea.
It’s so evocative of a specific time when a small group of people really did try to do things a little differently. Obscurity knocked (did you see what I did there?) as it has for many small DIY labels over the years.
I recall that at the Pick ‘n’ Mix launch I had a wholly stilted dance where I thought I must look like someone’s dad. I’m now only too aware that in the intervening years dad would be replaced by grandad. Where’s my dancin’ shoes?
Amphetameanies – Nothing’s OK
JC has written about Bubblegum before (here and here). On those occasions, I have been transported to thoroughly enjoyable times. Indirectly, the Indietracks compilations, stirred something in me and I’m delighted to have re-found Pick ‘n’ Mix and the memories it holds. Thanks, JC.
Does anyone else have experience of a local, relatively unknown DIY label that they hold in regard?
P.S. In an attempt to get ‘facts’ straight I sought support from the internet. For some bizarre reason some streaming sites have I Like Birds But I Like Other Animals Too as The Lovely Eggs. Although written by The Lovely Eggs it is in fact a cover version by Hyperbubble. However, pop fact, The Lovely Eggs did play 2 Bubblegum gigs.
Sorry if you’ve popped by thinking you’ll find Jonathan Richman hanging round the front porch……
mp3: Various – That Summer Feeling
Town Called Malice – The Jam Graffiti – Maximo Park So When You Gonna… – Dream Wife The Overload – Yard Act Senses Working Overtime – XTC Pictures Of You – The Cure Road Rage – Catatonia Atomic – Blondie I Love Myself and I Always Have – Robert Forster Don’t Sit Down ‘Cause I’ve Moved Your Chair – Arctic Monkeys Portions For Foxes – Rilo Kiley Wrecking Bar (ra ra ra) – The Vaccines With Handclaps – Y’all Is Fantasy Island Slow Train To Dawn – The The He’s Frank (Slight Return) – The Monochrome Set Being In Love – Wet Leg Bankrobber – The Clash
Five seconds beyond sixty minutes for the second successive month. Don’t be fooled by the title….it’s simply down to it being June’s offering.
Slow Hands – Interpol Brand New Cadillac – The Clash Hand In Glove – Christian Kjellvander & Lise Westzynthus Time For The Rest Of Your Life – Strangelove Too Drunk To Fuck – Nouvelle Vague Love Me Like You Do – The Magic Numbers Keep On Keepin’ On (Die On Your Feet Mix) – The Redskins Orgasm Addict – Buzzcocks Caught Out There – Kelis Doers – Bodega The Black Hit Of Space – Sarah Nixey Stereotypes – Blur A Song From Under The Floorboards – The Wedding Present There There My Dear – Dexy’s Midnight Runners Date With The Night – Yeah Yeah Yeahs Age Of Consent – New Order R U A Feminist? – Breakfast Muff
Five seconds beyond sixty minutes. Quite a few cover versions (5) this time around. I’m still very willing to take guest contributions for June and beyond if anyone can be motivated.
The title of today’s post should provide the clue that I’ve tested positive for COVID.
It’s something I can’t quite get my head around – not the fact I’ve got it, which is hardly a surprise given that I’ve recently gone to well-attended and busier than normal football matches and made a much-delayed return to the Barrowlands (it was for The Twilight Sad), but more to do with the unlikely timing of a positive test at a time when I was feeling fine and showing very few symptoms.
I was testing more regularly as last Friday night I was pulling together a social evening, namely a leaving-do of sorts.
A full 106 weeks after it had been cancelled, there was to be a get-together of folk to celebrate my retiral from work. The numbers for the original night were expected to have been around 150, including ex-colleagues from the different places/departments I had worked over that 35-year spell, along with some close friends who just like a good night out. This time round, I decided to restrict it to just the 25 or so folk who I had last worked with – it felt a bit disingenuous to invite folk I hadn’t seen in a long while to an event that was now two years out of date.
It was a great wee evening, albeit just under half the numbers could make it, thanks to a combination of an increase in COVID cases and the fact it was taking place as many folk were heading away on holiday for the Easter period with the schools having closed down. Oh, and to show how much my former colleagues really know me, there were three items handed over following a very generous collection:-
1. A bottle of expensive rum
2. A voucher to spend at my golf club on some new equipment or clothing
3. A gift card for Ticketmaster, meaning that I’ll get to a number of gigs of my choosing.
The following morning, in advance of heading up to the football for another stint in the match day announcer’s box, and armed with a killer playlist to entertain everyone, I took a test, and it came up positive, despite the fact I was feeling fine other than having an annoying head cold and the very occasional cough. No loss of taste, no loss of smell. Nothing that would have kept me from travelling, except the two red lines showing up.
I’m typing this on Monday morning, 48 hours on, and feeling fine. Only thing is that Rachel is showing all the symptoms and feels a lot worse than me, despite which she is still testing negative.
Why am I sharing all this? For one, it means I’m going to miss out on a much-anticipated gig on Wednesday night when Luke Haines and Peter Buck come to Glasgow as I won’t be out of the required isolation period.
Secondly, it has put a question mark over my plans for this coming Friday, which had already been the subject of change thanks to the propensity of the rail industry in the UK to fuck up travel plans at peak holiday periods.
The Haines/Buck show in Glasgow was a late addition to my schedule, as the intention had been to go and see them at Hebden Bridge Trades Club in Yorkshire. These tickets were bought a long time ago, for a show originally scheduled for April 2020, and later moved to September 2021 and again to April 2022. Each rescheduling involved booking new train tickets and accommodation – indeed, for Sep 2021, rather than seek refunds, myself and Rachel used the arrangements to enjoy an overnight trip to Hebden Bridge.
Everything was set for this Friday in that the accommodation was sorted and the train journey down on the day of the gig was booked. No cheap train tickets were coming up online for the return journey the following morning….indeed, no train tickets were on offer at all for the following morning. It transpired that the West Coast Main Line will, in effect, be closed over the Easter holiday weekend for engineering works at various locations, primarily at its terminus point at London Euston. All of which meant the Hebden plans had to be shelved.
I’ve managed a bit of a rescue in that I picked up a return ticket for the Friday evening, which means I’m going to be heading to Manchester on a morning train, arriving lunchtime and getting the joy of spending a few hours in the company of Adam, before catching a train back up to Glasgow at around 5pm.
Assuming, of course, that I get a negative test in advance. Fingers and toes are crossed.
What it does mean is that there are two tickets for Haines/Buck at Hebden Bridge going spare for this coming Friday if anyone out there is able to make use of them…..just drop me an email to the usual address.
There’s a few lines from a song buzzing around my head just now:-
mp3: Basement Jaxx – Red Alert
And I’m gutted to be missing out on hearing songs from an album, bought around the time I retired from working back in 2020, and whose promotional tour has had as much bad luck as my efforts to have a well-attended leaving-do:-
mp3 : Luke Haines and Peter Buck – Beat Poetry For The Survivalist
Here’s the opening para from the booklet in the box set.
The first Factory record was a double 7″ EP, originally planned as an orthodox compilation album to be released in collaboration with Roger Eagle and Pete Fulwell of Liverpool punk club Eric’s. Eagle and Fulwell proposed a regional sampler showcasing two groups from Liverpool, and two from Manchester: The Durutti Column, and Joy Division. However, after the more experienced Liverpudlians baulked at the complexity and cost of a double 7″ package Wilson decided to go it alone.
Peter Saville has gone on record as saying that his design for the Factory Sample was based on the FAC 1 poster., and that he was trying to convey the mood rather the music, to the extent that he didn’t listen to any of the tracks before he did the cover. The music was recorded in October 1978 and the vinyl was released into the shops in December 1978. There were 5,000 copies pressed, and the two records, along with five stickers, were all hand-wrapped into a silver sleeve which was then sealed in plastic, The two records played at 33 1/3 rpm and not the standard 45 rpm.
I’m holding the facsimile from the box set in my hand. The packaging is sturdy and the attention to design detail throughout is impressive, even to my untrained eye. There’s a dedication within the sleeve – “For Don Tonay without whom….”
Don Tonay was the owner of the Russell Club in Hulme where the Factory nights had been held. He would be portrayed by Peter Kay in the film 24 Hour Party People, but by all accounts, the real Don Tonay was nothing like the blunt northern club owner stereotype he came across as in the film – but then again, it was a film in which the legend was used throughout for entertainment purposes.
As mentioned above, Joy Division and The Durutti Column were always going to be part of the FAC 2 release.
John Dowie was a Birmingham-born musical comedian who had first come to prominence (of sorts) at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in 1972. He had already released an EP, Another Close Shave, on Virgin Records in 1977, but when it failed to sell in any decent numbers, the label dropped him. He was a friend of Tony Wilson and, added to the fact that his material was inexpensive to produce in the studio, he was an easy addition to help make the release affordable.
Cabaret Voltaire had formed in Sheffield in 1973, but it took until November 1978 before their debut single was released on Rough Trade, with their contribution to FAC 2 was their second appearance in quick succession. They were known to Tony Wilson from playing at the Factory Club. Cabaret Voltaire had been trying to get the New Hormones label, run by Richard Boon, interested in their music, but being unable to afford anything, Boon had passed the tape to Wilson, after which the invites to play at the club and then contribute to A Factory Sample were made.
mp3: Joy Division – Digital
mp3: Joy Division – Glass
mp3: The Durutti Column – No Communication
mp3: The Durutti Column – Thin Ice (detail)
mp3: John Dowie – Acne
mp3: John Dowie – Idiot
mp3: John Dowie – Hitler’s Liver
mp3: Cabaret Voltaire – Baader-Meinhof
mp3: Cabaret Voltaire – Sex In Secret
One thing you can say about the music is that it didn’t conform to any type, style, genre or whatever, and I reckon you’d have been hard-pressed to find someone back in December 1979, outside the Factory family, to say they cared for all the tracks. Even then, Peter Saville has said on a number of occasions that the only song he actually likes is Digital.
If you’re fortunate enough to have an original copy of A Factory Sample, which is in very good nick and still has all five stickers as part of the package, then you could expect it to fetch upwards of £600 if you wanted to flog it. The cheapest copy on Discogs just now is £300, but the seller admits that there is storage wear to the sleeve and the stickers are long gone.
As mentioned before, I’m going to try and make a fresh one at the start of each month during 2022.
mp3: Various – Stick or Twist
Super Fi – Urusei Yatsura The Facts of Life – Black Box Recorder Rebellion (Lies) – Arcade Fire He’s On The Phone – Saint Etienne Skipping – Associates Colin Zeal – Blur Always The Quiet One – The Wedding Present VtR – The Twilight Sad Confide In Me – Kylie Minogue Scooby Snacks – Fun Lovin’ Criminals Kinky Afro – Happy Mondays Summertime – The Sundays King of Carrot Flowers (Part 1) – Neutral Milk Hotel All Falls Down – Kanye West (feat. Syleena Johnson) Allow Yourself – Broken Chanter C.R.E.E.P. – The Fall
Two seconds beyond sixty minutes. The title refers to a line in the lyric from one of the songs. Play it all through in one go…..or fast-forward if you prefer. The choice is yours.
JC
PS : Completed and readied for posting before I saw that Kanye West had been a tad on the offensive….again!
PPS : In case you didn’t know, one of our fellow bloggers has got himself into a spot of trouble with a recent posting delivering a nasty backlash. Click here for more info.
With age comes beauty. This beauty was well worth the wait.
To state that the influence of Sarah Records continues to resonate would be somewhat of an understatement. Only the foolhardy, or terminally biased, would argue otherwise.
Throughout a particularly respectable life span in pop’s spotlight, Sarah Records (1987 – 1995) was loved and derided – probably in equal measure – as it ploughed its own path; ignoring the naysayers. It’s legacy, much like Postcard Records before it, sees copies of rare releases change hands for hundreds of pounds to fans keen to indulge themselves in the authentic sound of the twee revolution.
In celebration of the attitude and music released by Sarah Records, Skep Wax release the fourteen track LP, Under The Bridge. I like to think that the LP title suggests that a lot of water has passed ‘Under The Bridge’ since these, once label mates, came back together to create this remarkable tribute. You could be forgiven for thinking that the bands involved have been inactive throughout the intervening years, however many have continued to release under their original names, some have morphed into new bands and others continue to play live.
Lovingly cuddled by Luxembourg Signal’s dream pop grandeur to The Wake’s dream pop raggedness, these 14 tracks tell an updated, unfolding story of a disparate music scene from bygone days; its naivety, its defiance and its enduring influence that cast a net far beyond the indifferent, suffocating term of ridicule, ‘twee’.
Under The Bridge waves a warm welcoming hello to fans past and to fans present, for they are legion. It offers an engaging smile to the curious and to those unfamiliar. It sticks a forceful two fingers in the face of historical detractors, cemented in their self-imposed limitations.
Make no mistake. Under The Bridge is an exemplary exercise in genre defiance.
Imagine, if you will, placing this gorgeous vinyl on your turntable only to be immersed in: hazy psychedelic pictures painted by Miles Davis; authentic 60s pop in the vein of Francoise Hardy; the sound of Television and Magazine in a post-match punk / new wave fisticuffs showdown – non-innocent bystanders include the Fire Engines; bristling fuzz-jangle that makes you yearn for The Shop Assistants and Strawberry Story; a suave, 80s pop-nod that wouldn’t sound out of place nestled within The Pet Shop Boys’ cosmopolitan playbook; the brutal noise and blissful echoes of Swervedriver, Slowdive and 14 Iced Bears; the caustic and oft-times riff-induced, Stiff Little Fingers; reverb-drenched vocal harmonies that lift you skywards ever hopeful and reminiscent of Lush; a wigged-out, space-drone that pulses with nostalgia – akin to Loop and Spacemen 3; an acoustic, Smiths-like, instrumental trip that drips like vegan honey – sophisticated in its charm and twisted Girl Group sounds that ooze the incandescent joy of a twenty-first century Shangri-Las.
We think we can dispense with the dismissive and lazy “Twee? C86? It all sounds the same”nonsense. Can’t we? Many of the bands, once disgruntled with the Twee / C86 definition, have come to embrace the term, reclaim it in much the same way as many fans did in the midst of time with their Tweecore call to arms of Twee As Fuck. Whatever the Twee / C86 movement or scene was, it was never one sound. If anyone was to listen to a collection of songs from this scene and claim they all sounded the same we’ll counter-claim that they hadn’t actually listened. With so many bands involved, and so many personalities and egos in those bands, it could never be one sound. Not ever.
We had heard only a few tracks from the album when Ian Key at Louder Than War noted in his review of the LP
“Under The Bridge is a pop gem. Some are punk rock, some are indiepop, others are dreamy swirls of fuzz. Some are gentle, some are full of rage, but all of them are defiantly sensitive, literate and full of DIY spirit.”
Having now heard the LP in its entirety, we’d be fools to disagree.
Sarah Records and Skep Wax artists and bands would, we imagine, acknowledge at least some of the above influences on their own musical journeys and will, we hope, agree that in turn they have influenced such movements as: Riot Grrrl, Shoegaze, Grunge, Britpop and Indiepop. Certainly, bands from all of the above scenes have, at one time, cited Sarah bands as influences.
The scene, whatever you want to call that scene, had and continues to have its feet firmly planted in a punk DIY spirit. Under the Bridge is a welcome addition to that hallowed, defiant tradition.
It’s a wonderful collection of pop music for those discerning enough to listen.
It’s available on 12” vinyl (including 16-page booklet) and CD, or it can be downloaded directly, all fromSkep Wax at:
This is another first for the blog. It’s one I’m particularly excited about for all sorts of reasons that I won’t dwell on just now for fear of giving too much away.
The blog, for the next three days, is being taken over by The Three Masketeers, a trio of allegedly mysterious indie-pop aficionados whose obvious love and affection for the music and the musicians who make said music, will surely help to brighten up your days and perhaps introduce you to some songs you may otherwise not be familiar with.
There will be three separate but interlinked pieces, beginning with an ICA, followed by an exclusive interview, and rounded off on Thursday by a review of a soon-to-be-released album.
So, I’m off on a holiday (of sorts) till Friday, but in the meantime, you can find yourselves in the very capable hands of Don Diego de la Vega, Eustache Duager and Kathy Kane.
AMELIA FLETCHER GOES FORTH: A GUEST ICA by THE THREE MASKETEERS
A number of contributors to this blog have previously claimed that narrowing things down when pulling together an ICA is a near-impossible task. Having spent hours agonising over how to distil the output of Amelia Fletcher into a single, albeit wholly imaginary piece of 12” vinyl, we can confirm this to be the case.
This one contains 12 songs. As you’ll see from the specially created album sleeve, it encompasses a career which started in 1986 and continues still to provide great joy and delight in 2022. It’s not a chronological ICA, but it does start with one of the earliest songs on which Amelia took centre stage, and ends with something from a very unexpected but wonderful album released at the tail end of last year.
SIDE A
1. Talulah Gosh – Talulah Gosh (1987)
The blame for all what follows could, allegedly, be pinned on the fact that The Pastels provided their fans with wonderful badges back in the day. Amelia Fletcher and Elizabeth Price happened to strike up a conversation with one another at a gig in a small venue in Oxford in 1985 thanks to them wearing such badges.
They soon formed Talulah Gosh, a five-piece band and in 1986 signed to the Edinburgh-based 53rd & 3rd Records, finding themselves at the forefront of a scene that was soon labelled as ‘twee’ by the UK music press. The fact that Amelia called herself ‘Marigold’, while Elizabeth went by the name of ‘Pebbles’ and that early songs included Pastels Badge and Beatnik Boy, perhaps gives an idea of the sense of fun and mischief involved.
Elizabeth took leave of the band before the year came to an end, and was replaced by Eithne Farry as co-vocalist and on tambourine, with her first contributions being on this, the band’s third single release in May 1987. It is, quite simply, the greatest mission statement in all of indie-pop history. (Eustache Dauger)
2. Heavenly – She Says (1991)
It was awfully difficult to choose just one Heavenly song for this ICA, and in the end a bit of a personal curveball won the day.
She Says is from 1991, but isn’t on the original Heavenly Vs. Satan LP of that year. In fact, this 7” single came out not on Sarah Records of Bristol at all, but on K of Olympia (capital, no less, of Washington state).
A curveball? Simply because I’ve only recently truly fallen for She Says’ jittering, twitchy charm. It’s a less immediate prospect than other Heavenly singles – debut I Fell In Love Last Night (1990), its follow-up Our Love Is Heavenly (1991) or the likes of the more robust P.U.N.K. Girl and Atta Girl, both from 1993. But She Says’ spine of recurring doo-doo-doos, angel-class harmonies from Amelia and Cathy Rogers, plus a construction that’s almost located in the quiet/loud arena won the day.
Fancy a look at an amusing video of the band gadding around, in the indiepop style? (Kathy Kane)
3. Sportique – How Many Times….? (2002)
To paraphrase Anthony Strutt, “Sportique isn’t really a group. It is an underground indie supergroup…”
Amelia contributed to Sportique from the second LP onwards. Founded by ex-members of The Television Personalities and the Razorcuts, How Many Times…? sounds kitsch, anachronistic and just a wee bit shouty. I love it! With its throbbing bass, stabbing guitar and swirling, psychedelic keyboard charging towards that pleading vocal refrain… “how many times will I ask the same question…”A gem. (Don Diego De La Vega)
4. Marine Research – Bad Dreams (Peel Session, 1999)
Taken from Marine Research’s solitary Peel session (broadcast 18 May 1999), Bad Dreams is notable in employing a call-and-response device featuring Amelia and David Gedge – whose own Wedding Present and Cinerama ventures pop up often on this blog.
By lending a vocal Gedge was of course returning a favour, Amelia having guested on the Weddoes’ debut album George Best way back in 1987 (as well as supplying backing vocals and shrills to the band’s 1988 Beatles cover Getting Better).
Bad Dreams pits Gedge’s dialled-down delivery against Amelia’s zappier replies. The effect, and the lyrical content – fixated on the somewhat lost under-achieving male and the smart, successful female – magics up a picture of an indie odd couple: a contrasting pair of soulmates kind of doomed to be life partners despite it all.
Amelia has often advanced less-travelled takes on relationships, sometimes skewering male excess and manipulation, as well as traditional gender roles and assumptions. Continuing that theme – one demonstrated by previous band Heavenly in songs including Hearts And Crosses, Itchy Chin and Sperm Meets Egg, So What? – Bad Dreams casts the female as the empowered, positive breadwinner.
The file offered here is taken directly from the Peel broadcast. It’s topped and tailed with the DJ’s comments, including an endearingly unnecessary grammatical correction. (Kathy Kane)
5. Catenary Wires – Face On The Rail Line (2021)
Although Catenary Wires formed in 2014. It was 2016 before I became acquainted. Stripped down at this early stage to a duo, with long time musical, and life partner, Rob Pursey, Intravenous wafted like a wonderful breath of the freshest air. It is gorgeous.
I’m sure that some of you will appreciate that when someone asks you to name your favourite song by a particular band your answer may not be a straightforward as the questioner hoped. I zigged. I zagged. I hummed. I hawed and eventually decided upon Face On The Rail Line, recorded with a full band, and reminds me, in some ways, of Take Me Home, Country Roads which then diverges and soars leaving me to hit repeat. Hit repeat! Hit repeat!! (Don Diego De La Vega)
6. The Pooh Sticks – Who Loves You (1991)
Following a big, confident, swaggering intro, Who Loves You (its title devoid of question-mark) swiftly switches to matters indiepop via a shift in pace and Amelia Fletcher’s brightly-delivered opening lines. Head Pooh Stick Hue Williams takes on the bulk of the rest of the song, prior to a closing – this time duetting- reprise of the intro. This bouncing 1991 single is from the Pooh Sticks’ excellent Great White Wonder LP on the Cheree label and is loads of fun.
A bit of personal indulgence if that’s OK: this song, and the LP it’s from, is forever connected with what will be coyly referred to as the Amelia Fletcher Converse Vandalism Incident– an infraction that, allegedly, took place in Edinburgh in July of 1991. (Kathy Kane)
SIDE B
1. Heavenly – I Fell In Love Last Night (1990)
Talulah Gosh called it a day in 1988. Three-fifths of its members when that day was called went on to form Heavenly, whose membership was augmented by Rob Pursey, an original member of Talulah Gosh but who had left very early on. Yup, the same Rob Pursey mentioned by my dear friend Don Diego at Track 5 on Side A of this ICA.
Heavenly signed to Sarah Records, and over the course of seven years would release four albums and seven singles (eight, if you count a split 7” released with bis in 1996).
I Fell In Love Last Night was the debut. A melodic and upbeat number about the break-up of a relationship, with more than a passing nod to the harmonies of 60s girl groups. It has featured previously on this blog, in a guest post written by the imperious Comrade Colin. He put it far better than I’m capable of doing:-
“Heavenly…..were the perfect Sarah band, and not just because of their history as Talulah Gosh or the fact they clearly hearted The Pastels. They just seem to capture the essence of what Sarah was all about; the guitars, the lyrics, the look and the love for, well, love. And, yes, in the beginning, the Heavenly view of love was a wide-eyed and hopeful vision of love, for sure, but what’s wrong with that, exactly? Oh, also worth mentioning is the fact that the ‘A’ side is relatively epic for a Sarah single – over 5 minutes long – but it holds together brilliantly and has a great run-out in the closing few minutes, building and building into a crashing finale. Lovely stuff.” (Eustache Dauger)
2. Catenary Wires – Mirrorball (2021)
It somehow feels natural that a song about falling out of love should be followed immediately with something from the other side of the coin.
The setting is a seemingly appalling, 80s-theme night in which the music is dominated, for the most part, by chart fodder. The wishes of those with, shall we snootily say a more refined taste, are very much along the lines of hanging the DJ. And yet, amidst the noise, chaos, drunkenness and bedlam, something quite magical happens.
A lovely wee video was made for this one. You’re a heartless bastard if this doesn’t put a smile on your face.
Oh, and coming up next, something which shows that even back in the day, the indie-kids loved their disco dancing. (Eustache Dauger)
3. Amelia Fletcher – Wrap My Arms Around Him (1991)
Wrap My Arms Around Him appears on the 1991 single/ep Can You Keep A Secret? The first time I played the EP I genuinely felt a parting of the ways. This wasn’t Talulah Gosh. This wasn’t Heavenly. What was it exactly? Initially, the opening track Can You Keep A Secret? was just too close to PWL for my liking, with those upfront keyboard ‘stabs’. Then came Wrap My Arms Around Him… still a sense of unease. However, on each track I did enjoy the vocals.
To quell my unease, I convinced myself that Wrap My Arms Around Him sounded rather like the much-vaunted new kid on the block St. Etienne, particularly Kiss And Make Up (Sarah Cracknell version), which is perhaps unsurprising as it’s a ‘re-imagining’ of Let’s Kiss And Make Up, a song by Amelia’s Sarah Records label mates, The Field Mice.
It took no time at all for me to love this uplifting ep. While there has been a bit of an internal bun-fight in choosing a favourite, regular plays put my choice of Wrap My Arms Around him in little doubt.
Of the EP Amelia has said “…I wanted to be a disco diva, in the Yazz or Lisa Stansfield mould.” (Don Diego De La Vega)
4. Marine Research – Hopefulness To Hopelessness (1999)
Marine Research was a short-lived vehicle for Amelia, lasting depending on who you believe, between eighteen months and two years (1997 – 1999). It’s my own personal view that the band members were more driven during this period as they played live (even making trips to the USA), recorded radio sessions – some of which were filmed – and played live radio sessions, within what is a short timescale. The opening lyrical salvo suggests Amelia wasn’t quite done with her diva inclinations…
“I still want to have a chart hit Go to pop parties I still want to go to Paris in the spring I still want to get my hair cut Just like Jean Seberg”
Hopefulness To Hopelessness. A song about hope and defiance driven by a pulsing bass. (Don Diego De La Vega)
5. Tender Trap – Do You Want A Boyfriend? (2010)
So sweet that even the top-brand toothpastes struggle, prepare for rhymed references to Walking In The Rain and the Jesus And Mary Chain as Amelia and co. – ‘co.’ being fellow Trappers Katrina Dixon, Elizabeth Morris, John Stanley and, of course, Rob Pursey (whose presence decorates all of this ICA) ponder the track’s title query.
The song’s as out-and-out joyous as the likes of Talulah Gosh’s Bringing Up Baby or Over And Over by Heavenly, and that’s a tone assisted by a fun video of the band playfully interpreting the single’s theme. That said, a perhaps-darker response to its query is hinted at via the lines:-
“I bought new clothes and played guitars I even changed my hair But I don’t really see what I’m doing for me” (Kathy Kane)
6. Swansea Sound – Corporate Indie Band (2021)
A new band full of familiar old faces and one of those rare positive things to emerge from the lockdown situations associated with the efforts to suppress the COVID outbreak.
Rob Pursey has just written a new song that he feels is just too fast and frantic for Catenary Wires. He decides to fire it off to head Pooh Stick Hue Williams.
Hue declares that he loves it. He re-records the vocal, from a cupboard in his house in Wales, returning it to Rob who is with Amelia in their home in Kent. Before long, work gets underway on a second song, using a similar process where the musicians don’t actually meet up in person.
The decision is taken to release the two songs as a mail-order limited edition cassette single. They get played on BBC Radio 6 Music and the cassette sells out quickly, and, almost by accident rather than design, Swansea Sound comes into being as a fully-fledged and active band.
With the addition of Ian Button on drums, and some guest vocals from The Crystal Furs, an indie-trio from Portland, Oregon, an album’s worth of material emerges, and is issued at the end of 2021 by Skep Wax Records, earning a recommendation as an ideal Christmas gift by this blog’s esteemed and urbane host, JC. (Eustache Dauger)
JC adds……
I know I said I was going to shut up for a few days, but just like the Four Tops, Gene, and Edwyn Collins….I Can’t Help Myself.
A huge thanks to The Three Masketeers for a delightful edition to the ICA canon. As mentioned at the outset, they will remain in charge of TVV for the next couple of days, and there’s more treats on the way in the shape of an interview with someone involved with Sarah Records back in the day, followed by an album review.
This time last week, I offered up a sixty-minute mixtape comprising seventeen songs with the word ‘love’ in the title. In doing so, I said that I was going to make a fresh one at the start of each month during 2022, but would willingly make space for a guest posting if anyone out there wanted to have a go.
To my absolute delight, the mighty Jez from A History of Dubious Taste was very quick off the mark. Here he is…..
Hello. My name is Jez and I am addicted to making playlists.
It has been three days since I put together my last playlist.
I’ve done mixes – compilation tapes, CD-mixes, playlists – for years now, always managing to find spaces where they could be heard: when I was younger, there were compilation tapes in the 6th Form common room, or in the motorway ‘restaurant’ I worked in during the holidays at 6th Form and at college (and for a year after I graduated). I would craft a new tape every other evening to take in the following day with which to wow my friends and work colleagues. Like snowflakes (the old usage of the term), no two were ever the same.
Becoming a DJ at college was almost inevitable and my plans for world domination moved on at pace: I started off by taking over the fortnightly Indie Night, before also becoming the regular DJ at the retro-80s night (which, incredibly, started in 1990), occasionally hosting the retro-60s & 70s night, playing between and after the bands on live music night, and eventually even the coveted Saturday night “Chartbuster” gig. (The fact that I was the Social Secretary and decided who got paid to DJ which nights was *coughs* entirely coincidental.)
After I graduated, I worked in a video shop for a few years, which only had a cassette player to play music through, so the compilation tapes kept coming. But as technology progressed I willingly followed, creating CD-mixes and then iPod playlists to soundtrack many a Friday night in with my flatmates, when we were too skint to go out, but between us could afford the ingredients to make several pints of White Russians until one of us inevitably fell asleep in the bathroom. This was the birth of the Friday Night Music Club which I’ve recently resurrected over at my place, A History of Dubious Taste (a link for which you can find over in the sidebar should you care to investigate further).
And of course, there was the far-more-frequent-than-I-care-to-admit compilation tape or CD-mix lovingly prepared for a young lady I was trying to impress. If you’ve ever read Nick Hornby’s High Fidelity, (and if you’re reading this, then I would be extremely surprised if you haven’t) then you’ll know, if you didn’t already, that there are rules one has to observe when making such a thing.
For example (and I’m paraphrasing here):
• Thou shalt not include the same artiste more than once in the same mix; and
• Thou shalt bury a particular song which you want the recipient to hear somewhere towards the end of the mix (but not within the last three songs, and definitely not the final track) – mid-way through the second “side” of a C-90 compilation tape should be about right.
As you’ve probably guessed, it’s my love of putting together playlists which brings me here today. For last week, whilst laid up with a touch of the Covids and trying to decide what could feature in this week’s mix at my place (which is now last week’s mix, do try to keep up), the latest missive from our host dropped. It included a playlist, which, as one would expect from such an eminent source, was rather fine, featuring a load of songs with the word love in the title.
And there, at the end of the post, JC had written these words: if anyone out there wants to have a go, I’ll willingly make space for a guest posting.
Now, one of the things I love about doing a mix is trying to make a theme of it, but drunken flatmates would inevitably roll their eyes when I started to grill them as to what the theme might be each week, so I try to shy away from them these days (themes, that is: I got rid of all the flatmates years ago).
But here was an invitation to create just such a thing, so I knocked this mix together and sent it to JC.
As with most of my mixes, it’s predominantly Indie Disco but with a fair smattering of pop tunes chucked in for good measure:
(Love is…also not caring that neither of you appear to have genitals…unless it’s just cold there….)
mp3: Various – “Love Is…”
• Squeeze – Labelled With Love • Sandie Shaw – Long Live Love • Erasure – Victim Of Love • Sub Sub feat. Melanie Williams – Ain’t No Love (Ain’t No Use) • Little Boots – Love Kills (Buffetlibre vs Sidechains remix) • Icona Pop featuring Charli XCX – I Love It • The White Stripes – Fell in Love with a Girl • Frank Wilson – Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) • Kim Wilde – Chequered Love • Echo & The Bunnymen – The Back Of Love • Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Love Burns • The Smiths – Last Night I Dreamt That Somebody Loved Me • The Bluetones – Autophilia Or ‘How I Learned To Stop Worrying And Love My Car’ • The Wedding Present – Give My Love to Kevin (acoustic) • Half Man Half Biscuit – I Love You Because (You Look Like Jim Reeves) • The Beautiful South – Love Is…
My usual Friday Night Music Club disclaimer applies: any skips and jumps in the mix are down to the mixing software I use; any mistimed mixes are down to me; all record choices are mine.
*****
It turns out that I had rather misunderstood the request, and JC wasn’t asking for playlists on the same theme as he had created.
Doh!
Still it’s done now, so you may as well give it a whirl.
At the very least, if you’re not familiar with my place it gives you an idea of the sort of stuff I usually post (along with sentences which are far too long and have waaaay too many brackets and semi-colons in them): stuff you’ll know; stuff you might not; stuff you’ve forgotten and are pleased to be reminded of; some you wish had stayed forgotten – all posted under the Where There’s No Such Thing as a Guilty Pleasurebanner, which gives me carte blanche to post anything I fancy.
See?
Feel free to drop by sometime.
Oh, and: more soon
Cheers,
Jez
JC adds.………
A few things worth mentioning.
Jez has incorporated at least four songs I had on my shortlist when pulling together the previous mixtape, and it’s great to hear them surrounded by others I wouldn’t have thought of.
Jez has also plucked out some songs I know nothing or very little about – Little Boots and Icona Pop/Charli XCX are certainly making their debuts on TVV – and I can’t ever recall hearing that Kim Wilde number before.
Jez has also included The Smiths. This will be the first time since December 2017, when ICA 150 was put together, that a Smiths number which isn’t an instrumental has been featured on these pages. I’m still not quite ready to make time to knowingly listen to The Smiths, and by that I mean pulling out a single or album and placing it on the turntable, but I won’t go out of my way to fast-forward a mixtape or hurriedly switch to another radio station if a song comes on. It was really lovely to hear ‘Last Night….’ once again. Maybe it’s the beginning of me being softened up…I certainly had to resist the strong urge, after coming home the other Sunday from an open mic event, to not play Rusholme Ruffians, having enjoyed listening to an old punk from Ayrshire offer his take on His Latest Flame. Who knows? If I do end up digging out some Smiths songs to listen to, I’ll be sure to write about it.
All of which is a bit of a side issue. I really hope you enjoy Jez’s contribution – there’s a few cracking pop songs in there that are most unusual for TVV, but that’s exactly why I really value guest contributions. It would be a bit monotonous if it was just my own musical preferences on display every day.
So… who’s next for a mixtape? I’m sure there’s a bit of Jez in all of us……..
The other day when driving my daughters to school it so happened that my phone, connected to the audio system of the car, even if in shuffle mode played 3 songs in a row that all contained the word “violent” or “violence” in the title, and this struck me as a topic for an ICA – even if not necessarily presenting anything new to the TVV crowd. The current situation along the Ukraine border had an uncanny touch to the sudden appearance of so much violence from my media library…
Rules were simple, I had to have the music myself, and it was the song not the artist that should contain a form of the word violence. So no Violent Femmes included.
Side A:
Violently Happy – Björk.
Violence as a reinforcement for feelings. No further introduction needed.
Violence – Grimes feta. i_o.
A bit ambiguous lyrics, somewhere in-between good and bad I guess. Makes me want to dance, from her latest album, Miss Anthropocene.
Violent Delights – CHVRCHES.
IMHO the best new thing out of Scotland this last decade, with a patent sounding track about being left with just haunting dreams.
A Violent Noise – The xx.
IMHO maybe the best new thing out of England this last decade, with a patent sounding track about being left with just haunting longing. Am I repeating myself?
Shining Violence – Chromatics.
Like an extension of the two preceding tracks, words are unnecessary.
Side B:
Lost In Violence – Siglo XX.
The Belgian cold wave act heavily influenced by Joy Division. Dark and moody, the influences are not exactly subtle.
Violent Playground – ionnalee.
2020 saw ionnalee release a compilation (Kronologi) of re-recorded tracks from her 10-year career as iamamiwhoami and ionnalee. This was one of the oldest tracks on the album (and a bit of a joker in the deck) dealing with men’s violence.
Quiet Violence – Hante.
French darkwave artist Hélène de Thoury delivers a haunting vision of hiding quietly in the dark, waiting for something bad to happen.
Violence Of Truth – The The.
Matt is upset. Matt makes great music when he is upset.
Violent Playground – Jonna Lee.
You guessed it, this is the original version by Jonna Lee which is her given name, and the only track on the aforementioned Kronologi album originating before the two electronic monikers of hers. Her two albums as Jonna Lee, 10 Pieces, 10 Bruise & This Is Jonna Lee, are much more traditional guitar based indie records. This track was however only released on a compilation album by her then label, Razzia Records.
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 