Beastie Boys

THE BEASTIE BOYS BOOK

Santa was really good to me…but then again she always is. A sackful of music and books greeted my awakening on 25 December, and everything on the wish list was able to be ticked off.

I then spent the best part of a full week engrossed with the near 600 pages of The Beastie Boys Book.

I’ve always considered myself more an admirer than fan of the band, owning some but not albums, grateful that they had gone on to prove there was so much more to them than the cartoon antics and childish japes that were associated with their breakthrough album and tour back in the mid-late 80s.  The reason I was keen to get my hands on the book was the near universal positive reviews, from critics and fans alike, with many saying it was as good a rock/pop/music bio as any.

First up, let me say that the early reviews are bang on as it is a superb book – entertaining, engaging and incredibly informative.  It is, in the words of the promotional material issued by the publishers:-

“…their story, told for the first time in the words of the band. Adam “AD-ROCK” Horovitz and Michael “Mike D” Diamond offer revealing and very funny accounts of their transition from teenage punks to budding rappers; their early collaboration with Russell Simmons and Rick Rubin; the almost impossible-to-fathom overnight success of their debut studio album Licensed to Ill; that album’s messy fallout; their break with Def Jam, move to Los Angeles, and rebirth as musicians and social activists, with the genre-defying masterpiece Paul’s Boutique. For more than twenty years, this band has had a wide-ranging and lasting influence on popular culture.

With a style as distinctive and eclectic as a Beastie Boys album, Beastie Boys Book upends the typical music memoir. Alongside the band narrative you will find rare photos, original illustrations, a cookbook by chef Roy Choi, a graphic novel, a map of Beastie Boys’ New York, mixtape playlists, pieces by guest contributors, and many more surprises.”

It’s also something of a love-letter to the late Adam ‘MCA’ Yauch, the member of the band who passed away from cancer in May 2012, without whom you get the distinct impression very little of what happened and how it happened would have ensued.

The Beastie Boys Book was an expensive gift, with a cover price of £32 (albeit you can get it discounted from many places) but the reason is immediately with a high-quality design, layout and lavish production to be enjoyed.  It is, indeed, like no other rock biography I’ve ever come across (and I’ve about 200 of the things lining shelves and taking up space in Villain Towers) with dozens of chapters/short stories/montages covering every aspect of their career, some of which, as indicated above, come from guest contributors.

The early part of the book, before they became famous, was a particularly superb read.  It is a recollection of teenage life and events in NYC in the late 70s and early 80s in which I imagined blog friends Echorich and Jonny the Friendly Lawyer were privy to have been part of.  Indeed, I half-expected both of them to have their names appear in the appendix at the back.  The amount of info and detail constantly led me to put the book down and pick up the i-phone to find out more, whether it be a venue, a person who was central to the particular part of the story or the neighbourhood in which it was set.  Indeed, this continued to be the case throughout the book, which is why it ended up taking six days to read.

I went into the book knowing the basics about the band.  I ended it with a huge admiration for them, genuinely believing that they were bona-fide geniuses (and Yauch in particular) with an uncanny ability to look beyond what was happening in the now and to be at the forefront of what was about to happen.  The book sheds light on all this, and it pays credit to those who brought certain things to their attention, such as the nerdy fan who helped them be among the first musicians to grasp the significance of the internet.

There is also a great deal of self-deprecating humour, including what must be the best and funniest review of an album ever committed to paper (pages 384-386 on Ill Communication), and the opportunity is also taken to say sorry for a few wrongs that have been committed throughout the course of the career.

It is a very entertaining book, packed with words and photos that will make you smile and laugh out loud. It is also very moving in places, none more so than the words which deal with the death of their great friend and colleague:-

“Getting into details of what was going on personally after the record (Hot Sauce Committee Part Two, 2012) came out is a heavy thing to write about. It was unintentionally our last record. The band didn’t break up. We didn’t go our separate ways. No solo project fucked things up to cause animosity. This was our last record because Adam got cancer and died. If that hadn’t happened, we would probably be making a new record as you readd this. Sadly, it didn’t turn out that way. Sadly. Sadly. Too fucking sad to write about.”

And that is the only reference to what happened….nothing about how unjust it was, how angry it made them feel or how bitter they are are having a career abruptly come to a halt.

I cannot recommend The Beastie Boys book highly enough.  I’m sure, as is the case with all biographies, there will be some who were part of or close to the scene who will find things to nitpick about or point out inaccuracies in the stories being told, but I’m more than happy to take this is as the definitive version.

Oh, and it is also has given me hints and pointers for a few new posts at this little corner of t’internet as well as making me determined to make sure that I get all of their albums into the collection at some point over the coming years:-

mp3 : The Beastie Boys – Ch-Check It Out

JC

 

 

Edwyn Collins

FROM THE ARCHIVES – 6 JANUARY 2007

PUT THE NEEDLE INTO YOUR GROOVE

I’ve no football match today, so here’s a bonus posting.

Santa Claus was very very good to me. Mrs Villain scoured e-bay for something unusual, and a box of 7″ singles from Altered Images/Edwyn Collins/Orange Juice ended up coming down the chimney in the old man’s sack. A total of 30 records going back to the Postcard era and containing a few rare gems such as flexidiscs and a Clare Grogan solo single.*

And now that I’ve got my act together and sorted out a replacement stylus for the USB Turntable, I thought I’d share one of the more rare recordings with you.

It’s a very early solo single from 1987 , produced by Robin Guthrie from Cocteau Twins. Like so many songs I end up posting on this blog, it should have been a hit…..but wasn’t.

mp3 : Edwyn Collins – Don’t Shilly Shally (Side One)
mp3 : Edwyn Collins – If Ever You’re Ready (Side Two)

The single is on the Elevation label (part of WEA Records) and has the catalogue number ACID4.

*from recollection, the job lot was a little over £30, including postage.  The mania from a vinyl revival was still a couple of years off…..you’d certainly be looking at £100 and upwards nowadays….there were three postcard singles in the bundle along with every 7″, in mint condition, released by Altered Images, including rare picture discs.

JC

Various

FROM THE ARCHIVES – 5 JANUARY 2008

HATS OFF TO THE BUSKERS

I don’t know if the ongoing slump in record/CD sales is being mirrored similarly in the circulation figures of music papers and magazines.

Nowadays I’ll only buy something if there’s the promise of a decent-length article on someone I particularly admire. Failing that, I’ll grab a hold of a magazine or two to take away on holiday just in case there turns out to be a hellishly long flight delay and the battery on the i-pod decides to give up the good fight.

Every now and again I will hand over a few pounds if the CD that’s attached to the cover is of any interest. I rarely give a second glance to a CD that is a round-up of tracks from recent LP releases, but I’ll admit to being a sucker when a special effort is made to produce a tribute CD. I did the other month with an edition of Uncut which comes with Like A Hurricane – A Tribute to Neil Young.

I mention this as a rather rambling intro to what today’s songs are all about.

A few years ago, mid- 2003 to be precise, I actually bought two copies of a particular edition of Uncut, simply because they had two separate CDs entitled White Riot – A Tribute to The Clash, featuring a total of 32 singers and bands doing cover versions of the songs of Strummer/Jones (and Simonen and Headon).

Like most tribute albums, some of the offerings turned out to be half-decent, and one or two I would even go as far as to say are truly inspired. Others are just insipid, while others are plain weird.

Most annoying of all however, is the fact that a couple of them are what I would class as lazy – covers which note for note and beat for beat are far too similar to the original.

Some of the songs were taken from other tribute LPs or were a gathering together of b-sides or album tracks, while some turned out to be exclusive recordings previously unavailable before (or indeed since). And while I would never dream of claiming that any of them were superior to the original recordings, there’s some of them been given space on the above mentioned i-pod.

Things like these:-

mp3 : Edwyn Collins – 1977
mp3 : The National – Clampdown
mp3 : Josh Rouse – Straight To Hell
mp3 : Pete Wylie – Stay Free

Incidentally, the last of the above was recorded live at a tiny pub in Haddington, East Lothian at a gig that I’m sure a mate of mine was at. If you’re reading this Mr Greer, be sure to tell us all if that was indeed the case.

JC

Various

FROM THE ARCHIVES – 4 JANUARY 2017

OVERDOSING ON COVER VERSIONS (8)

Is it really any wonder that all us adolescents fell for Siouxsie Sioux when she had been photographed ‘dressed’ like she is above

The finest moment in any of her records comes, and I use the word advisedly, at the 4:55 mark on the 12″ version of this marvellous single from 1982:-

mp3 : Siouxsie & The Banshees – Slowdive (12″ version)

A mate of mine once took that one second gasp and recorded it back to back something like 30 times in a row just so that he could imagine the punk/goth goddess was having an orgasm.

Twenty three years later, a very intriguing version of it, originally recorded for a radio session, was snuck out on a b-side:-

mp3 : LCD Soundsystem – Slowdive

As far as I know, the band Slowdive never made a cover of the song albeit they did record a song by that name as their first ever single back in 1990:-

mp3 : Slowdive – Slowdive

JC

Pretenders

FROM THE ARCHIVES – 3 JANUARY 2013

TALK ABOUT GREAT POP MUSIC

The cover of the NME from 18 October 1980 featuring James Honeyman-Scott and Chrissie Hynde of The Pretenders – those were the days my friends when being on the cover of that paper meant something.

The thing is, James and Chrissie were on the cover despite not really having anything to promote, but obviously were of such interest and significance that they were seen as liable to attract additional readers that week.

They’re are a band that not too many bloggers seem to write about, certainly compared to many of their contemporaries, and I’m certainly guilty of neglecting them over the years at TVV. But over the festive period I gave listen to their Greatest Hits CD for the first time in years and realised that I’d forgotten just how great their earliest releases really were.

Stop Your Sobbing – a cover of a Kinks song that spent nine weeks on the chart between February and April 1979, peaking at #34

Kid – one of THE great records of a great year for music; it spent seven weeks on the chart in July and August 1979, peaking at #33

Brass In Pocket – the #1 hit that brought them to the attention of a wider public. Seventeen weeks on the chart between November 1979 and April 1980

Talk Of The Town – held back until Brass In Pocket slipped off the radar, eight weeks on the chart in April and May 1980, peaking at #8

Message Of Love – the comeback single after a period out of the spotlight. Seven weeks on the chart in February and March 1981, peaking at #11

Some of you might only know the band only through Brass In Pocket or the later radio-friendly rubbish like Don’t Get Me Wrong or the perennial Xmas effort 2000 Miles. It’s hard to imagine that previously, The Pretenders had been a more than half-decent band. But then again, that was before the deaths of two of the four founding members….

mp3 : The Pretenders – Stop Your Sobbing
mp3 : The Pretenders – Kid
mp3 : The Pretenders – Talk Of The Town
mp3 : The Pretenders – Message Of Love

JC

Wild Swans

FROM THE ARCHIVES – 2 JANUARY 2016

A LAZY STROLL DOWN MEMORY LANE : 45 45s AT 45 (31)
ORIGINALLY POSTED ON FRIDAY 11 APRIL 2008

Wild%20Swans%20Backside

Now look, its my chart and I’ll have obscure 45s in it if I want to.

The Wild Swans were one of the key bands in the Liverpool Scene that also produced Echo & The Bunnymen, The Teardrop Explodes and Pete Wylie/Wah! As a band, they were in and out of existence from 1980 to 1986, during which time they recorded a number of BBC sessions but released just one single (released in 1982) and no LP. Then, in 1988, they reformed and finally recorded an album which was disowned almost immediately by all concerned and thus received a limited release…

Talk about perverse…..

Somehow a further album was recorded in 1989 (despite the departure of half of the band), but again to little acclaim. The Wild Swans called it a day shortly afterwards and retreated into cult obscurity.

Revolutionary Spirit/God Forbid was the last single to be released on the legendary label Zoo Records which was run by the equally legendary Bill Drummond. As I mentioned above, it came out in 1982. It was produced by the late Pete De Freitas who also drums on the record.

I remember hearing both sides of the single on Radio 1 – it was most likely on the John Peel show but I can’t be certain – and then trying to track it down in shops in the coming days. It proved an impossible task. One of my mates did however know someone who had a copy (I think it was a cousin in Liverpool) and he sent us up cassettes of the record.

In those days, maybe it was the sheer obscurity of the songs that helped make it all so special but in all truth they both perfectly capture so much of what was great about the sound of new young Liverpool. It took me until 1990 to finally got a hold of my own copy of the songs thanks to the purchase of a Zoo compilation which brought together every single the label had released between 1978 and 1982. It was so good to finally get ‘clean’ copies to listen to.

Lead singer Paul Simpson enjoyed more cult success with his next band, Care, alongside Ian Broudie who would then find fame and fortune with The Lightning Seeds. Much of the distinctive sound of The Wild Swans was down to guitarist Jeremy Kelly and he became part of Lotus Eaters who were one-hit wonders with The First Picture Of You in 1983.

As mentioned above, The Wild Swans did reform in 1988 to release a debut album, and while they still had a hardcore following of fans, their time had come and gone. The music they were now making was part of a different era, and certainly to the ears of this listener, was a disappointment, being nowhere near the class of the debut single, nor have the consistency of the releases by Care. I have however, since re-assessed things somewhat over the past few decades and have a fair bit of time for much of the later material. But they never quite matched the majesty of the Zoo single.

Oh and despite the wonders of e-bay and my rekindled interest in vinyl, I have still not yet been able to pick up a reasonably-priced vinyl copy of the single, originally released in February 1982**:-

mp3 : The Wild Swans – Revolutionary Spirit
mp3 : The Wid Swans – God Forbid

** that was back in 2008. I now have a copy in the collection, albeit it’s not in all great condition.

PS : If you’re wondering about the photo that now accompanies this post, its of the fantastically entertaining Dirk from Germany who runs a superb blog called Sexy Loser.

By ‘sheer coincidence’, he also posted Revolutionary Spirit on the day of this original posting and and he couldn’t resist showing off that he has long had a mint vinyl copy of the single……

I’m determined to meet the handsome devil in the flesh one day…..***

PPS : ***regular readers will know the dream became reality in May 2017. Click here for a reminder of part 1 and here for part 2.

I’ve got to get myself to Germany in 2019……..

JC

Altered Images, Ballboy

FROM THE ARCHIVES – 1 JANUARY 2012 (and a few other New Year’s Days)

MORE BITS OF BLOGGING TRADITION

mp3 : Altered Images – Happy New Year

It might only be 23 seconds long, but the sentiment is there.

Here’s hoping 2012 2019 turns out to be a good ‘un for all concerned.

mp3 : Ballboy – Welcome To The New Year

And my oh my, haven’t this lot’s image changed a fair bit since 1983……

Tune in all year from 7 January 2019 for new random and incoherent thoughts from your humble scribe.

JC

Pixies

FROM THE ARCHIVES – 31 DECEMBER 2012

A VERY SHOUTY SHOUTY RECORD

Mrs Villain and myself have some common tastes in music but far more differences that most would imagine.

Santa Claus brought her a digital radio with the intended use really being in the summer when she’s out in the garden or over at her allotment where she grows vegetables.

She has been road-testing it this past few days and mostly it has been tuned into Kerrang Radio. It’s not been as bad as I thought – there’s been a few half-decent bands appeared now and again but even then it’s been the better-know Hard Cafe establishment-types rather than any obscure indie-rock bands.

Mrs V has a penchant for what I call shouty-shouty music….the sort where either the vocalist’s very loud delivery is meant to signify his angst or anger. Not exactly my cup of tea….but as Mrs V has pointed out, I do have an an occasional shouty lyric that gets me dancing. Here’s the evidence:-

mp3 : Pixies – Tame

The second track on the outstanding 1989 LP Doolittle. Just about every fan of Pixies will have this in their all-time Top 10 songs by the band. Here’s a live version:-

mp3 : Pixies – Tame (live)

It’s also a song that was given an unofficial remix a few years ago – one that I think is a bit on the cracking side:-

mp3 : Pixies – Tame (McSleaszy remix)
mp3 : Pixies – Tame (McSleazy extended remix)

McSleazy is regraded by many as the best-ever in the mash-ups/bootleg genre which was incredibly popular around the turn of the century. His real name is Grant J Robson and he’s from the town of Paisley which is just down the road from my home city of Glasgow. I’ve taken this from his own site:-

McSleazy started in 1999 as an outlet for some electro tunes GrantJRobson had made. BBC Scotland had an amazing show called ‘Electronica’ which aired these experiments, and McSleazy was go. Shortly after inception, Electronic Arts commissioned 8 tracks from McSleazy for their racing game ‘Superbike 2000’. McSleazy, as a live band, played at many places including legendary club night Optimo, T in the Park and supporting Jimi Tenor.

As a DJ tool, McSleazy mixed up some tunes together “just to see the reactions on peoples faces”, and he was on the mash-up path. “The Best Bootlegs In The World Ever” featured McSleazy’s Song 2 v Don’t Call Me Baby bootleg in ’99, Radio 1 jumped on the bandwagon and the internet took care of the rest. A short while later, McSleazy founded Get Your Bootleg On (now GYBO5) which became – and remains – the online home of the mash-up.

MTV Mash followed, which featured dozens of McSleazy creations across it’s three series and led to DJing trips across Europe, and to Bootie in San Francisco. The Franzie Boys ep, featuring four Franz Ferdinand v Beastie Boys tracks, immediately sold out it’s initial run through HMV orders alone and received a thumbs up from both bands as well as a nod in Q magazine’s top tracks of the year.

DJing stints included becoming a ten year resident of the NME Stage at T in the Park and touring with The Charlatans and Embrace as support. Mixing duties continued with the Popjustice album 100% Solid Pop, and an official remix of The Charlatans ‘You Cross My Path’. McSleazy was given his own show on XFM and then went on to provide music for New Line Cinema’s Antonio Banderas film Take the Lead. Mashups continued to dominate the landscape, and McSleazy worked on Activision / Freestyle Games’ award winning DJ Hero, contributing music which formed part of the final product.

In 2010, Grant’s musical output stretched beyond McSleazy. The first pieces of work credited to GrantJRobson began to emerge, in a very different vein to the earlier electro work. Early pieces such as Wilbur’s Lullaby were warmly received, and had a more orchestal / soundtrack feel to them. This led to Grant being asked to provide the soundtrack to a promo film for fashion chain White Stuff.

After a trail through the hard drive, a seven track EP of instrumental McSleazy experiments called Pop Round My House was put online by McSleazy in April 2011. The intention was to air some unreleased material, and give bootleggers and pop-song writers something to play with. The future aims to consist of writing more under the GrantJRobson banner, but that doesn’t mean that McSleazy won’t, at some point, generate a little bit more music.

And that dear readers brought an end to the posts across 2012, a year in which I hadn’t been as prolific as before,  but as I said, I was happy enough to have kept things going especially as there were a couple of times I did feel like calling it a day, but that I was intending being here for a wee while yet….certainly up to and beyond the impending 50th birthday. (and I certainly will do all i can to gry beyond the now impending 56th birthday in six months time).

Happy New Year when it comes to your timezone.

JC

Twilight Sad

FROM THE ARCHIVES – 30 DECEMBER 2009

FROM UNDER THE COVERS (Parts 64, 65 & 66)

When I saw that Glasgow’s very own The Twilight Sad had recorded a cover version of a great David Gedge song for the b-side of one of their singles earlier this year, I knew I just had to have it.

It wasn’t what I expected. But that made it all the better.

That’s three cover versions I now have by this lot – they’ve all been of songs that I’ve adored for a long, long, long time. And all of them get the TVV seal of approval:-

mp3 : The Twilight Sad – Suck
mp3 : The Twilight Sad – Half A Person
mp3 : The Twilight Sad – Twenty Four Hours

JC

Concrete Bulletproof Invisible

FROM THE ARCHIVES – 29 DECEMBER 2013

CULT CLASSICS – BIG TEARS by CONCRETE BULLETPROOF INVISIBLE
a guest posting by Phil (of the former Corn Poppy blog)

Is there an implication that a bunch of people actually liked a bona fide cult classic? I’m not sure anyone else ever heard this. But here’s a disc that in that parallel universe would have been a smash – Big Tears by Concrete Bulletproof Invisible. CBI were actually Doll by Doll with Glen Matlock on bass. Wikipedia says:

Doll by Doll were a London based rock band formed by Jackie Leven in 1975. They came to prominence during the New Wave period but were largely ignored by the music press of the time – their emotional, psychedelic-tinged music was judged out of step with other bands of the time.

The original line up was Jackie Leven – vocals and guitar, Jo Shaw – vocals and guitar, Robin Spreafico – vocals and bass, and David Macintosh – vocals and percussion. This line up only recorded one studio album Remember before Spreafico was replaced by Tony Waite (1958–2003). In this configuration they released the albums Gypsy Blood (produced by John Sinclair) and the eponymous third album, Doll By Doll, before the band split up.

At the time of final LP Grand Passion, only Leven was left of the original line-up, joined by Helen Turner (vocals and keyboards) and Tom Norden (vocals, guitar and bass) with a number of guest musicians, including David Gilmour of Pink Floyd. Mark Fletcher (bass) and Chris Clarke (drums) played with the group live. Doll By Doll finally fell apart in 1983, though Leven, Shaw and Macintosh plus ex-Sex Pistol Glen Matlock, released a single Big Tears under the name “Concrete Bulletproof Invisible” in 1988. Leven became a prolific solo artist, releasing a series of albums featuring more folk orientated material.

In 1983 Jackie (from the Kingdom of Fife) had been mugged and half strangled leading to him losing his voice for a time and giving up singing all together. There were no more Doll by Doll albums and nothing else from Jackie until the mid 1990s when he started to release a string of albums which gave him a genuine cult following. But this one single did sneak out.

Big Tears was a Matlock song, on the b-side was Braid on my Shoulder, written by Leven. These are a cracking pair of songs with all the punch of Matlock’s best powerpunk swagger and Jackie’s still powerful voice. There was a UK 12″ version which added Good Thing and a US 12″ with Love Kills. This was Concrete Bulletproof Invisible’s only record but the name was used as the title of a John Foxx instrumental (the song is credited to Foxx/Leven).

Jackie Leven had a chequered career often on the verge of greater success, never quite grasping it. Sometimes it seemed like deliberate sabotage on his part. In 2000 or thereabouts he settled in the Hampshire village of Botley, just opposite the pub, often popping out for a pint (usually with a vodka in it) or to tour Germany or Norway. A friendship with crime author Ian Rankin led to Rankin naming his last two novels after Leven lyrics. He died in November 2011 six weeks after releasing one of his best albums (Wayside Shrines). One day a song of his will be used in a car advert and suddenly everyone will love him.

mp3 : Concrete Bulletpoof Invisible – Big Tears
mp3 : Concrete Bulletpoof Invisible – Braid On My Soulder
mp3 : Concrete Bulletpoof Invisible – Good Thing
mp3 : Concrete Bulletpoof Invisible – Love Kills

PHIL

James

FROM THE ARCHIVES – 28 DECEMBER 2009

WHEN THINGS WERE AT A REALLY LOW EBB…

I’ve written before about how tough things were for James back in the late 80s and how it was the generosity of a bank manager who was a fan that got them out of a particular hole and allowed them to continue writing and performing.

The story of the single Ya Ho really illustrates just how bad things were.

It was originally scheduled for release in September 1987, but wasn’t issued until 12 months later. However, the catalogue number didn’t change, which is why it is NEG 26 when the previous single What For had the number NEG31. Having been shelved, Ya Ho was only resurrected to coincide with the very belated release of the LP Strip-Mine.

The version released as a single is different to that released on the album, being the original mix produced by Hugh Jones before Steve Power was drafted in by the label to remix songs in an effort to make it sound more commercial.

I’d been on the look-out for this single for a while and some sites had it on offer for the £15-£30 mark which I was thinking of paying but shied away from. Then about six weeks ago I found a copy in a Glasgow shop for just £3. A bargain and a half:-

mp3 : James – Ya Ho
mp3 : James – Mosquito

The band also released a 12″ version of the single which had two additional tracks on the b-side (and was therefore known as Ya Ho & 3). Now if any reader has these b-sides – Left Out Of Her Will and New Nature – I’d love to be passed on copies…….*

Oh and to show just how annoying the record label were becoming , have a listen to the soul-less, artificial and more commercial version:-

mp3 : James – Ya Ho (album version)

*I do love it when readers do help me out…..

mp3 : James – Left Out Of Her Will
mp3 : James – New Nature

JC

Various

FROM THE ARCHIVES – 27 DECEMBER 2016

OVERDOSING ON COVER VERSIONS (2)

All the greats eventually get the full-blooded cover version treatment with singers and bands queing up to pay tribute to those who greatly influenced them. The late Leonard Cohen has had his songs covered more than most, including various compilation LPs over the years which have been commercially released or given away free with music magazines. There’s even been specially curated gigs at which some of the great and good have appeared on stage to pay tribute.

So many tracks to choose from, but I’ve gone for one which, in its original recording, is not much more than a gravelled voice and some backing oohs and aahs over a toy synthesiser with its cheap drum pattern:-

mp3 : Leonard Cohen – Tower of Song

The opposite tack was taken by Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds who, in a drink and drug fuelled frenzy one day in a studio, eventually cut what became an infamous 33 minute version of the track in which all sorts of musical genres are eventually thrown in. It’s not for the faint hearted:-

mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Tower of Song (full length)

An edited version was made available for inclusion of the tribute/compilation album I’m Your Fan, released in 1991:-

mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Tower of Song (album version)

Here’s two more versions worth giving a listen:-

mp3 : Lloyd Cole – Tower of Song
mp3 : Martha Wainwright – Tower of Song

And finally, the daddy of them all in which Lenny C is given the shoegaze treatment:-

mp3 : The Jesus & Mary Chain – Tower of Song

Outstanding.

JC

Happy Mondays and Karl Denver

FROM THE ARCHIVES – 26 DECEMBER 2017

A TAD TENUOUS


Bummed, the album released by Happy Mondays in 1988, is, by any definition a classic of its time that has aged rather well, partly as a result of the quality of the songs but also the great production from Martin Hannett.

One of its tracks, Lazyitis, was remixed and given the new title Lazyitis – One Armed Boxer. This version featured Karl Denver, a Glasgow-born singer (his real name was Angus Murdo McKenzie which is about as Scottish as it gets), who had enjoyed a string of yodelling hits in the UK at the beginning of the 60s.

mp3 : Happy Mondays feat Karl Denver – Lazyitis – One Armed Boxer

You have to admit that the cast who came together alongside the Happy Mondays to compose this song – Lennon/McCartney, David Essex and Sly & The Family Stone – is fairly impressive!

It’s here today as 26 December is known as Boxing Day in the UK…and there was no chance that I’d feature the Morrissey song about that sport, so Happy Mondays it is (even though it is not that day of the week)

JC

Sultans Of Ping

FROM THE ARCHIVES – 25 DECEMBER 2007 (and most Xmas Days)

HO, HO, HO.

Here’s the obligatory Christmas posting, featuring, without any question, the best festive-themed song ever. If only for including the line..’Christmas in Glasgow.’

Natives of Cork, Ireland, they were once known as The Sultans of Ping FC, then just The Sultans of Ping, before eventually becoming The Sultans.

Their career initially lasted from 1988 to 1997, but they reformed again in 2005, and continue to be hugely popular in their native land and in Japan.

This particular offering was on the b-side of a 1993 single – during their period as The Sultans of Ping – that just missed breaking into the UK Top 40.

mp3 : The Sultans of Ping – Xmas Bubblegum Machine

Merry Christmas Everyone.

JC

Jens Lekman

FROM THE ARCHIVES – 24 DECEMBER 2010

THAT’S ALL VERY WELL JENS, BUT ITS FUCKING BALTIC OVER HERE….

This was from a newspaper report on 5 December 2010:-

After a week of the heaviest snow in Scotland for nearly 50 years, forecasters are warning that it could persist into the New Year. Although they are predicting less snow, there is no prospect of the mounds of white stuff melting away.

Temperatures are expected to remain mostly below zero for several weeks, with widespread danger from ice and freezing fog.

According to the Met Office, between 30 and 50 centimetres of snow has fallen in the last few days across Scotland. The last time there was anything comparable was in November 1965.

Temperatures towards the end of the week fell below minus 10 degrees centigrade in many places. The coldest place on Thursday night was Braemar, which registered minus 20.4 degrees, with minus 16.8 in Aberdeen, minus 15 in Edinburgh and minus 10 in Glasgow.

The coldest place all week was Altnaharra in Sutherland, which registered minus 21.1 degrees on Wednesday. The remote hamlet was besieged by journalists, who found local people shrugging their shoulders and getting on with it.

The Met Office is predicting the cold weather will continue for at least the next 30 days, with periods of snow, sleet, freezing rain and fog. “For the remainder of December and into the start of the New Year, temperatures look set to remain well below average for much of the UK, with often widespread frost and ice,” warns the official forecast.

And do you know something…..they got it right. Its been a nightmare. Maybe it will inspire someone over here to write something as wonderful as this chap from Gothenburg:-

mp3 : Jens Lekman – The Cold Swedish Winter

JC

Malcolm Middleton

FROM THE ARCHIVES – 23 DECEMBER 2008

GIG REVIEW : MALCOLM MIDDLETON’S ‘BURST NOEL’

FAIRFIELD CLUB, GLASGOW : FRIDAY 19th DECEMBER

Now I could take the really lazy way out and simply direct you to a website where my compadre and boozing partner for the evening (Mike of Manic Pop Thrills) has already penned a glowing review, as well as provide a link to an amazing album of snaps from the event.

But that wouldn’t be the done thing…..

As I mentioned in the preview, it was initially actually a bit of a toss-up between going to the inaugural Burst Noel shindig and making a return visit to see Martin Stephenson for a second successive night. In the end, it was the great line-up, combined with the intrigue of getting along to another different venue in Glasgow, not forgetting the attraction of the celebrity DJ, that led to a night out in the environs of a club that still bears the name of a long-closed shipyard in the Govan area of the city.

And while I know from talking to a friend who had his first ever sighting of Martin at the Accies Club last Friday that I missed out on something pretty special, I am willing to utter the phrase….. je ne regrette nien.

All three support bands on this bill had their moments, although technical difficulties (i.e. a violin that wouldn’t allow itself to be miked up) meant that Strike The Colours had to cut the set to a mere 4 songs. I hadn’t seen The Phantom Band before last week, nor indeed heard any of their stuff, but I reckon there was enough to make me want to find out more about them, and I’ll probably purchase their debut LP when it hits the shops in early 2009.

I was familiar enough with De Rosa in that I’d seen them live on a few occasions and have a copy of the debut LP Mend in my collection. Their set was topped and tailed with familiar songs, but the bulk of it was drawn from as yet unreleased material that was more than satisfactory and which went down well with most of the audience, which I reckon was about 300-strong.

But none of them came remotely close to matching the performance of headliner Malcolm Middleton. This was a gig unlike any other I’ve ever seen from him – for one thing he didn’t automatically close his eyes when he was singing lead vocals – and he was more than happy to trade words with members of the audience.

It was a set list that drew from all four of his solo albums, as well as a couple of new songs. And it confirmed what I’ve always maintained in the face of incredulous non-believers – that Malky makes music you can dance to.

I’ll admit things were probably helped by the fact that I had enjoyed a few vodkas over the previous few hours at incredibly low prices (£1.24 for a generous measure), and that I was in a great mood thanks to the efforts of the support bands and the DJs. But from the moment you walked into the venue and saw the low-stage with minimalist backdrop, as well as the old fashioned disco lights, it was clear that this was a night when fun, fun, fun was the name of the game.

And just as with The Wedding Present the other week, it was a fantastic one-two near the end that proved the personal highlight – in this case We’re All Going To Die and Death Love Depression Love Death which led to a spontaneous bit of pogoing from your scribe (and I can only apologise to anyone who was there and found themselves distressed by the sad efforts of a fat bloke in an old Blur t-shirt thinking he was 20 years younger…).

It was not far short of midnight, and after around an hour on stage that Malky called a halt to proceedings, with a truly wonderful and moving version of Love Comes In Waves that showed off not only his talents as a song-writer and guitarist, but demonstrated that he fronts a band that has got better and better with each passing show.

If I thought that was the end of the joy and festivities, I was well wide of the mark. The dance floor was filled for the next 45 minutes or so with an eclectic mix of songs – I won’t publicly admit to liking all of them, but hell, it was a party and parties are there for dancing……and making a fool of yourself. So a big thumbs up has to go to superstar DJ Aidan Moffat and his wonderful sidekick Noj for the way they kept the entertainment going in between the band performances through a combination of great music, hilarious patter and the way they organised and managed (in the loosest sense of the word) the funniest game of musical chairs you could ever hope to witness.

All this, plus a quick chat (and photo) with the gorgeous Emma Pollock, made it a night to remember.

So……. I do insist that if Malky organises a follow-up in 2009 that every last one of you make your way to Glasgow so that you can be reminded just how much fun a decent Xmas night out really can be….. and if we can turn it into a two-day/night bender involving a gig with The Daintees, then the world will seem a nigh on perfect place.

mp3 : Malcolm Middleton – Death Love Depression Death Love
mp3 : Malcolm Middelton – Love Comes In Waves

JC

Fall

FROM THE ARCHIVES – 22 DECEMBER 2006

THIS NATION’S SAVING GRACE

Last week it was Morrissey who made a long-overdue debut on the blog. This week it is the band dominated by the mercurial, (isn’t that always the adjective that you have to apply?), talents of Mark E. Smith.

I’m referring of course to The Fall.

I’ll be honest – I wasn’t someone who loved this band from the outset. I did hear them on John Peel time after time, but I didn’t quite ‘get it.’ And things weren’t helped by my first live experience of the band back in late 1982 (it might have been early 83) at Night Moves in Glasgow.

I’d gone along to see the Cocteau Twins but stayed on to watch the main act, which turned out to be The Fall. It was a pretty poor gig – the sound was all over the place and the band were not even talking to one another far less having any communication with the audience. Thankfully, it turned out to be a short event (maybe 30 mins at the most), and then there was an hour or so of ‘indie-disco’ to send everyone home in a good mood.

So I more or less ignored them for a while. But a couple of years later, a move to a new record label – and a crucial change in personnel – led to the release of a run of records that were easier to listen to, and to the horror of the hip-priests, The Fall got radio-friendly with a broader appeal. I started paying attention again.

With a recording history going back almost 30 years, featuring dozens of singles, EPs and albums, there’s plenty to choose from. But I’m sticking with a song that has turned into something quite personal in recent years.

I’ve been lucky in that almost all of my close friends are still alive*. But there is one who passed away a couple of years ago after a long illness, and I do think of him every now and again. Especially at this time of year.

This is for AGF. And while he would have abhorred The Fall – he was a classical music buff – he would have been very amused that there is a song out there that makes me think of him every time I hear it.

mp3 : The Fall – Edinburgh Man

It’s a 1991 release, originally on the LP Shift-Work. It’s also available on a multitude of compilations, but surprisingly not on 50,000 Fall Fans Can’t Be Wrong – 39 Golden Greats which is pretty much indispensable.

 

*that was a situation which would change over the next few years….there’s been a lot of tragedy since 2006 and I wouldn’t have coped anything like as well without the amazing support from so many blogging friends.

JC

Simply Thrilled

AND NOW THE END IS NEAR….

This will be the final original post on the blog in 2018. I’m going to take a wee break over Christmas/New Year and so what will appear here over the next couple of weeks are archive postings relating to the date in question.

I thought I’d finish off with a look back to three weeks ago and the Simply Thrilled St. Andrew’s Night Shindig, the one in which we had Aidan Moffat and his sidekick Noj appearing as guest DJs.

The review has been delayed by my going off on holiday almost immediately after the gig and I was concerned that my initial euphoria would have worn off somewhat by the time I got to the keyboard, but that’s not been the case. If anything, it’s a night that I look back on with ever-increasing amounts of happiness and disbelief that it turned out the way it did, and in particular the realisation that I spent time sharing a DJ booth with more than one modern-era hero….

Here’s what I put on Facebook the following morning:-

“Here’s the set list from the sold out, five-hour long Simply Thrilled St Andrew’s Night Shindig which I helped put on last night at The Admiral in Glasgow.

When I say set list, it’s the ones we remembered to write down (it got enjoyably chaotic towards the end)

I think you’ll find there truly was something for everyone…keep scrolling past the indie obscurities that took up the first 2 hours before the party truly got started…

Mouths Full of Blood – Kathryn Joseph
J is for Jamie – Butcher Boy
Trees and Flowers – Strawberry Switchblade
In Recognition – The Proclaimers
Steal The Keys (1996 Tears) – The Just Joans
A Better Ghost – Butcher Boy
Number One Son – Camera Obscura
Gettin’ Dirty – BMX Bandits
Sometimes Always – Jesus & Mary Chain
Coming In From The Cold – The Delgados
Think That It Might – The Wedding Present
You Lost Me At Hello – Tesco Chainstore Massacre
Crawl Babies – The Pastels
Big Rock Candy Mountain – The Motorcycle Boy
The Life and Times of Alex Johnston – Edinburgh School for the Deaf
Seems To Be – Shop Assistants
The Cabbage – Teenage Fanclub
The Day I Was A Horse – The Vaselines
Fotzepolitic – Cocteau Twins
Dark Matter – Siobhan Wilson
Love Is A Momentary Lapse In Self Loathing – Malcolm Middleton
Give Him A Great Big Kiss – The Secret Goldfish
With Handclaps – Y’All Is Fantasy Island
Fast Blood – Frightened Rabbit
Donald in the Bushes With A Bag of Glue – Ballboy
Fall Forever – Honeyblood
Hang Ten – Soup Dragons
Foxheads – Close Lobsters
Lost Weekend – Lloyd Cole & The Commotions
Cath – The Bluebells
Don’t Talk To Me About Love – Altered Images
I Only Want To Be With You – The Tourists
Candyskin – Fire Engines
Darts of Pleasure – Franz Ferdinand
The Shy Retirer – Arab Strap
Rip It Up – Orange Juice
Shampoo Tears – Win
Breaking Point – Bourgie Bourgie
The Rattler – Goodbye Mr Mackenzie
I Travel – Simple Minds
The Honeythief – Hipsway
Radio – Teenage Fanclub
Oblivious – Aztec Camera
A Girl Like You – Edwyn Collins
Since Yesterday – Strawberry Switchblade
The Boy With The Arab Strap – Belle and Sebastian
Jailbird – Primal Scream
Heaven or Las Vegas – Cocteau Twins
Obscurity Knocks – Trashcan Sinatras
Old, Old Fashioned – Frightened Rabbit
Happy When It Rains – Jesus & Mary Chain
Blue Boy – Orange Juice
Promised You A Miracle – Simple Minds
Rattlesnakes – Lloyd Cole and The Commotions
Do You Want To? – Franz Ferdinand
Good God – Jock Scot
My Big Kilmarnock Bunnet – Alexander Brothers
Shout – Lulu
Japanese Boy – Aneka
Feels Like I’m In Love – Kelly Marie
Do You Think I’m Sexy? – Rod Stewart
Thorn In My Side – Eurythmics
Somewhere In My Heart – Aztec Camera
Rocks – Primal Scream
Shang-A-Lang – Bay City Rollers
It’s Shite Being Scottish – Trainspotting
Ebeneezer Goode – The Shamen
New Emotion – The Time Frequency
Once In A Lifetime – Talking Heads
Donald Where’s Yer Troosers? – Andy Stewart
Into The Valley – The Skids
Party Fears Two – Associates
Smalltown Boy – Bronski Beat
Swastika Eyes – Primal Scream
Eurodisco – Bis
Modern Girl – Sheena Easton
Highway to Hell – AC/DC
500 Miles – The Proclaimers
Don’t Leave Me This Way – Communards
Heart of Glass – Blondie
Sisters are Doing it for Themselves – Eurythmics & Aretha Franklin
It’s Raining Men- The Weather Girls
Heaven Is A Place On Earth – Belinda Carlisle
Loaded – Primal Scream
Everything Flows – Teenage Fanclub
Girls Just Wanna Have Fun – Cyndi Lauper

One of my FB friends, Steve Fleming, made the observation that there was a Scottish theme running right through all the artists until near the end and wanted to know what had happened. I replied by saying that folk were having fun…it was party central….the dance floor was mobbed…and Aidan Moffat was on the decks and knew exactly what he was doing!!! Robert, one of the founders of the Simply Thrilled concept, was a bit more direct when he added “Moffat got pished is the real answer Steve”

Aidan and Noj took over the decks around 11pm when the rest of us had fulfilled our duties of initially playing the indie-schmindie and getting a few folk onto the dance floor. Their set began with this:-

mp3 : Franz Ferdinand – Do You Want To?

If you look at the above set-list you’ll see that they went straight into full on party mode. None of us would have dared play the disco classics alongside some traditional Scottish music for such an extended period…well maybe we would have if we too had filled the floor and kept it that way

I was on door duties at the time and could only look on in admiration at what the dynamic duo were achieving and then the night took on a totally surreal feel for me as I got to welcome, and provide a wristband to, around a dozen people whose names had been given to us as a guest list by Aidan’s – namely all members of The Twilight Sad and their wives/girlfriends/mates – all of whom were coming along to fully join the party which was now very much in full flow.

Before too long, James Graham, lead singer of the Sad, had joined Aidan in the DJ booth, from where he took the lead in some communal singing and/or danced his ass off. The atmosphere was like no other…..and can best be summed up by Robert’s own posting to the Simply Thrilled Facebook Page the following day:-

“The people behind Simply Thrilled have collectively and individually been putting on nights for more years than we care to mention but last night for us was by far and away the best we have ever been part of.

It was a party …

We just want to say a huge thanks to everyone who came along but also to Aidan and Noj who just made its so special. Their set was like a lesson to us on how it should be done and I think it’s safe to say we learned something last night that we will definitely be putting into practice in the future. We should probably also thank the Twilight Sad and especially James who by default turned in another guest DJ (although I don’t think he played a tune .. but he was in the mix).

And we think playing Belinda “Carlisle” was a tenuous act of genius.

We also think our second night being a sell-out is pretty good going so much so we are already starting to plan our next night which is happening in the new year, until then have a great festive period and we will see you soon.”

In terms of the St Andrew’s Night Shindig, I don’t think I can add much to that. In terms of this little corner of t’internet, my thanks, as ever, to everyone who has taken the time to pay a visit over the past 12 months, with a very special appreciation from me to those of you who have taken the time to leave comments, send e-mails or contribute guest postings. I wouldn’t still be keeping things going without your incredible backing and support.

I’ll leave you with one of my favourite songs of 2018, from an album that I’ll be giving a mention to at some point when normal service resumes after Monday 7 January 2019:-

mp3 : Port Sulphur (featuring James Kirk) – Orient Express

Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year everyone.

JC

Jesus & Mary Chain, Primal Scream

I SAW THE LIGHT

The Jesus and Mary Chain emerged blinking and battling into the sunlight at a period when I temporarily stopped caring so muc about music to an extent that I got very cynical about things, genuinely believing that there would be very little to emerge in the following years that would thrill or excite, far less sound unlike anything that had come before. I was 25 years old and my pessimism/doom’n’gloom turned out to be well wide of the mark, as I hope I have proved on many occasions through postings on this little corner of t’internet.

My thoughts on the JAMC were clouded by the fact that the noises coming out of the speakers were just a variation on the shock of punk rock, taking the sacred cow of the Velvet Underground who had been lauded by so many of the indie bands on the 80s and throwing some feedback on top. The antics of the stage performances, where fights and riots would be instigated from a ‘couldn’t give a fuck’ attitude seemed no different or more confrontational than that of The Birthday Party who themselves had grown up and subsequently grown weary of it, and therefore it was only a matter of time before the Brothers Reid did similar.

I didn’t mind some of the songs I was hearing but not enough to make me rush out and buy anything….until the day I was exposed to a b-side and a cover version at that:-

mp3 : The Jesus and Mary Chain – Surfin’ USA

The Beach Boys were, and still are, a band that I ever quite ‘got’. The 80s were a particularly annoying time for me as so many journos from that period were fond of wanking themselves into a frenzy over Pet Sounds being the greatest album of all time. I’ve listened to that album in my teens, 20s, 30s and 40s and never once been remotely impressed with it. Hearing this wonderfully energetic and irreverent take on the song, not to mention the sampling of the religious nutters at its end, at a period in history when there were some bad bad people on the right (and on the rise) in the land of the free, made me smile and made me take a liking to the JAMC.

A few weeks later, I got my hands on the 12” single on which it had appeared. This was the era when vinyl didn’t sell out instantly and you could find copies of singles hanging around the shelves many months later. It was my first exposure to this:-

mp3 : The Jesus and Mary Chain – Darklands

Hadn’t until now apprecaited that they made such great pop singles, tuneful and memorable and at exactly the sort of pace and tempo that so often fitted my mood.  The five minutes that converted me.

Many years later, a former member of JAMC offered his band’s take on it….and in doing so made it sound like one of his own:-

mp3 : Primal Scream – Darklands

JC

Wave Pictures

AN IMAGINARY COMPILATION ALBUM : #201 : THE WAVE PICTURES

A GUEST POSTING by PHIL H

The Wave Pictures consist of Davy Tattersall (vocals and guitar), Franic Rozycki (bass guitar) and Jonny Helm (drums).

The Wave Pictures are a little difficult for some people to get their heads round. They are a properly independent band, self-releasing many of their records, constantly touring the indie clubs and pubs of Britain, Europe and the world, and embodying a truly punk ethic in terms of doing things their way (e.g. improvised recording sessions, single mic set-ups, vinyl-only issues on obscure labels). But they are at odds with much of what’s come to define the ‘indie’ sound: whilst some of their early recordings exhibit the kind of lackadaisical attitude and jangly guitar work that has come to exemplify “indie”, their later releases exhibit a virtuosity that those who think that the guitar solo in ‘Rip It Up’/’Boredom’ is the high watermark of civilisation will probably find a bit much. I know friends who find Davy’s increasingly lengthy and bluesy guitar solos a bit of a turn-off, and their metamorphosis from Leicestershire’s answer to The Modern Lovers to a blues rock trio isn’t everyone’s idea of progress. ‘Instant Coffee Baby’ – their 2008 breakthrough album – is fundamentally different in style than their two 2018 LPs (‘Brushes with Happiness’, ‘Look Inside Your Heart’), with the jangle of the former giving way to a bewildering mix of late-night stoner blues, 60s power pop and faux country-rock. But throughout there are some constants, most notably the oblique and surreal lyrics, delivered in Davy’s thin, tremulous voice, which some have compared to other non-singers like Reed, Richman, Goddard.

Did I mention they are prolific? Since 2008 they’ve released a dozen or so ‘proper’ albums, collaborative efforts with Stanley Brinks and Darren Hayman as well as four albums covering the songs of artists as diverse as Bruce Springsteen, Jason Molina, Herman Dune and Daniel Johnston. Coupled with their early self-released CDRs, that makes something like 300 different songs to choose from when compiling an imaginary album, plucked from albums varying in style from the semi-improvised late night blues of ‘Brushes with Happiness’, the power punk of ‘Great Big Flamingo and Burning Moon’, and the lo-fi genius of ‘Sophie’ and ‘Instant Coffee Baby’.

The ten tracks I have plumped for are a little obvious – mainly singles and live favourites – with only a couple of curveballs thrown in. They come from 10 different records/years so give a fairly good overview of the band’s career: presented in no particular order, this then is The Wave Pictures, Britain’s only indie rock blues power punk trio.

Side One

Stay Here and Take Care Of The Chickens

Whilst this might sound corny, this opener from 2011s ‘Long Black Cars’, pretty much summarises what The Wave Pictures are about: good tunes and good times. For a moment, the guitar solo threatens to break into Sultans of Swing by Dire Straits, but Davy just pulls it back in time, thank God. With its call and response refrain, this is a live favourite and one that asks the urgent and insistent question – just who is going to look after the chickens? Music to put a smile on your face.

Pea Green Coat

Recorded with Sir Billy Childish, ‘Great Big Flamingo Burning Moon’ is the Wave Pictures most incendiary album where they filter the sound of the Medway delta through their own warped world view to produce something that is visceral and insistent but still cerebral and witty. Pea Green Coat doesn’t make a lot of sense to me – just who is the woman in a Pea Green Coat, and just why do they owe Davy £3000? – but it’s got a killer riff. The Wave Pictures show they can rip it up.

Three Songs Called Louise

The b-side to the single Strawberry Cables. The a-side is pretty good and demonstrates Davy’s preoccupation with fruit (see also: Avocado Baby, Strange Fruit for David, Apple Boy) but this is arguably even better: the lyric about the jet plane’s wing stretching out just like a diving board gets me every time.

I Love You Like a Madman

This is a little bit of an outlier in the Wave Pictures’ discography, a northern soul stomper complete with a horn section. In an alternative universe people I’d like to imagine people dancing at weddings to this rather than “Come on Eileen”. The lyrics about staying with your in-laws at Christmas and your partner wanting to plunge a pair of nail scissors in your neck because you’re being a dick resonates with me for reasons I can’t share here.

Roosevelt Sykes

Named after a US blues musician (nicknamed the Honeydripper), this track from 2018’s “Look Inside your Heart” is more inspired by the afrobeat of the Bhundu Boys or The Four Brothers than delta blues (see also: ‘Red Road’ parts one and two). A joyous little tune.

Side Two

Missoula

A track that wouldn’t be out of place on ‘Transformer’: three chords, syncopated ba ba bas and unabashed sentimentality as Davy proclaims earnestly, “I love you”. Elsewhere the Wave Pictures have covered Lou Reed’s ‘I Love You’, just in case we missed the Velvety reference points. Rock and roll plagiarism for sure but an absolutely wonderful song: is there any middle-aged man out there who can’t relate to the lyric about a ‘beer belly bouncing in the afternoon’? From City Forgiveness, the 2013 double album rightly regarded by some as a career-high as there’s very little filler amongst its 20 tracks.

Pool Hall

In which The Wave Pictures set down the blueprint for the gentrification blues. As one reviewer notes, it sounds defiant, as if the Wave Pictures would play on even if the venue around them was torn down brick by brick. A great single from 2016’s excellent ‘Bamboo Diner in The Rain’, which followed hot on the heels of the less essential vinyl-only acoustic album ‘A Season in Hull’.

The Little Window

From the bluesy, drunk, improvised ‘Brushes with Happiness’ (2018), the story of a drift through an unidentified European city where Davy loses his blue purse, takes a tram ride and meets a female boxer who agrees that all national anthems are basically horrible. Meandering lyrics and a slight tune, but it’s enchanting and entrancing nonetheless.

Long Island

A stomping, piano-driven track that seems to be about a club that has a raffle every Friday night, where a boy burnt his tongue by drinking soup straight from the urn and where tortilla dip accompanies every round. First released in lo-fi form on ‘Sophie’ in 2006, this version is from the Pigeon EP released in 2008.

Now You Are Pregnant

Another live favourite. Possibly a song about falling in love with the girl at the shoe shop on the day Johnny Cash dies. There are two versions of this, and the version sung by drummer Johnny “Huddersfield” Helm is worth checking out too. The refrain – ‘It’s not like Elvis’ – is both joyful and heart-breaking, and speaks of disappointment and unrequited love: the final acoustic guitar solo and strings are very redolent of The Go Betweens too, and there’s no higher recommendation than that.

Bonus track

Orange Juice by Stanley Brinks and The Wave Pictures

Not about that Orange Juice, sadly, but the reparative value of vitamin C, alcohol, caffeine and love. This is a song that my kids like because of the verse about there being so much shit on the streets you can’t even move (hence the Itunes warning of ‘explicit lyrics’ ahead). This is another one that can’t help but bring a smile to your face, and it seems a good place to finish.

PHIL H