Submarines

FROM THIRTY YEARS AGO (4)

Returning again to the series looking at some of the bands on C87, a 3xCD box set issued last year by Cherry Red Records, as a 74-track compilation of material that was released across different indie labels in 1987.  The only rule for featuring is that the act in question has to be making a debut on the blog.

It was the ever-knowledgable Brian from Linear Track Lives who mentioned Egg Records in a recent comment, and that labels pops up within the booklet comments that accompany Track 23 on CD1:-

“This obscure Scottish band comprised Paul McNeil (guitar/vocals), Brian Kane (guitar), Craig Keaney (bass) and Scott Blain (drums). The Submarines’ sole release was the wistful, Weather Prophets-ish “Grey Skies Blue” (backed by the equally wonderful “I Saw The Children”) on Jeff Barrett’s Head label. Sadly, it disn’t launch a glorious career and the band was no more by 1989. However, Jim Kavanagh’s Egg label did an excellent excavation job, raiding the vaults for “Telegraph Signals : Recorded Artefacts 1986-89”

It is indeed a great lost 45 of the era:-

mp3 : The Submarines – Grey Skies Blue

I’ve managed to track down the b-side and it too is well worth a listen:-

mp3 : The Submarines – I Saw The Children

This got me interested in seeking out that Egg Records compilation; turns out it was issued on CD in 2004. There’s only one second-hand copy kicking around on Discogs and the asking price is £30 plus postage from the Phillipines. I think I’ll pass for now…..

JC

 

Joy Division

OCD EPs : #6 : JOY DIVISION

A GUEST POSTING from DAVE GLICKMAN

OCD EP #6 – Joy Division

Quite honestly, I hardly feel worthy writing about a band so seminal to the post-punk movement that I generally prefer to sit in silent reverence and awe. Fortunately, thanks to the wonderful New Order/Joy Division Recycle project of several years back it has all been written before (almost certainly more accurately than I would be able to muster). And since, the Recycle site has long since been deleted, I feel no shame in reposting their words.

When it comes to assembling a Joy Division OCD EP, the exercise is really not more difficult than asking, “Was it compiled on Heart and Soul?” Here are four that were not, with notes from the Recycle team.

Side One

1. Digital (Genetic Demo)

[This] is a diligent – and FAST – run through for (and produced by) Martin Rushent, part of a series of demos recorded at Eden Studios, London on 4 March 1979 for Genetic Records. Oddly enough the only track from these sessions not to be released on Heart and Soul, I find this take – while pedestrian – as gravitating as the Hannett recording. Slightly cleaned up from a low-generation cassette copy, [this track was] originally sourced in the early 1980s from an unnamed band member.

2. Atrocity Exhibition (Piccadilly Radio session)

[This] track was recorded on 3 June 1979 at Pennine Sound Studios, Oldham for Piccadilly Radio, produced by Stuart James. It is unknown if this session was ever actually broadcast. Four other tracks from this session (These Days, Candidate, The Only Mistake, Chance (Atmosphere)) were released on the Heart and Soul box set, but this track was held off. [Previously] available [only] on noisy bootleg releases, this particular version was sourced from the private collection of a longtime friend of the band, who received it from an unnamed band member in the early 1980s.

Side Two

3. Transmission (Central Sound Rough Mix)

4. Novelty (Central Sound Rough Mix)

The first true kickass JD track, Transmission and its sibling Novelty were recorded twice by Martin Hannett. The first attempt is captured here in never-before-heard quality. These were recorded in July 1979 at Manchester’s Central Sound Studios, and as the title implies, are presented here as “rough mix” versions. As far as we know these are the only versions that ever made it out from the masters. Two other tracks recorded at the same session, Dead Souls and Something Must Break, are on the Heart And Soul box set – though in lesser fidelity. [These tracks were] sourced from a recently-surfaced (Ed. note: at the time of the Recycle project) extremely low generation “rough mix” tape, from an unnamed band associate or member.

That’s it for bands in my library that warrant the OCD EP treatment, so unless any other readers want to pick up the gauntlet or until the “I’ve got to have everything they ever recorded” bug bites me again, it is time to say goodbye to this series.

DG

JC adds……but what a way to bow out!!!  I’m hoping Dave will come back again soon with more ideas.

 

Paul Weller, Pogues

HAD IT. LOST IT (Parts 3 & 4)

I’ve been blown away by the rich and varied responses to the request for suggestions for inclusion in this series looking at those who had it and then inexplicably lost it. Thank you so much!

I think I can make five categories up from the suggestions:-

1. STICK-ONS FOR INCLUSION

This category is for those I had either already been mulling over or whose suggestion provided a light-bulb above the head moment:-

Rod Stewart
Simple Minds
UB40
Paul Heaton/Beautiful South
Mansun
The Kinks
Rolling Stones
The Strokes

2. YUP, BUT DID THEY EVER HAVE IT IN THE FIRST PLACE

These are those singers or bands who, on the face of it, should be included but there’s a debate to be had on whether they ever had it:-

Spandau Ballet (I think they did have it, and indeed have already drafted something for future posting)
U2 (who, if they did ever have it, actually managed to find it again and then carelessly lose it a second time)

3. GREAT SUGGESTIONS…..JUST A PITY I DON’T KNOW ENOUGH TO BACK IT UP…..SO HOW ABOUT BACKING UP THE CLAIM WITH A GUEST CONTRIBUTION???

Thomas Dolby
Depeche Mode
Dwight Yoakam
Yello
Midge Ure (solo)
Ultravox
Paul McCartney
The Who
Roxy Music
Lou Reed
Aerosmith
Ringo Starr
Robert Plant
Grace Slick (and thank you Moz for such a brilliant comment that made me laugh out loud!!)
Roy Wood
John Lennon
Erasure
AC/DC
ELO
Bob Dylan

4. NOT QUITE SURE WHERE TO PUT THEM…….

Wet Wet Wet

This was a very interesting suggestion from Mopyfop – I concur with his view that initially they had it with having caught the band live on a number of occasions in 1985 and 1986 thanks to a flatmate, who was from their home town of Clydebank, being very friendly with a number of the band. But outwith the excellent debut single, which has featured before on the blog, there’s nothing other than personal memories to back up the claim that that they ever had it….

Adam Ant

On the face of things, should be a stick-on; but I can’t quite find the words to back it up….maybe this should be a Cat 3 and over to postpunkmonk to tell us why.

Kate Bush

It’s a brave man or woman who suggests she lost it……I’m not up to that task!

Neil Young

It’s probably true that his recent material is nowhere near the quality of his 70s output, but could it be argued that he’s another who having lost it did manage to find it again for the MTV generation to pick up on him only to get careless in the 21st century? Probably best that someone offers up an ICA before condemning him to this particular series

Primal Scream

The C86 version of the band is so different from the Screamadelica era and beyond that there’s a question to be posed as to them taking their time to have it before losing it

5. DISQUALFIED SUGGESTIONS

New Order –their most recent album was a return to form

The Fall – may have shown signs of losing it on a few occasions over the decades but MES always seems to pull things back from the brink when you least expect it

The Clash – yes, they did lose it with ‘Cut the Crap’ but was it really The Clash without Mick Jones? And besides, they broke up once they realised it was a turkey

Echo & The Bunnymen – totally lost it in late 80s and did the decent thing by breaking-up; the majesty of comeback single Nothing Lasts Forever gives them a lucky free pass

Arcade Fire – only on the basis that I haven’t had time to listen to the new LP yet….the may move to a different category in due course

The Beta Band – agree that they never bettered the debut material, but that’s not to say they lost it. If the series was to look at singers/bands whose debut was their best ever effort, it would never end. See also De La Soul

You’ll therefore see that this is a series with huge potential, but in the same way that the ICAs took off and then endured, it will rely heavily on guest contributions. No words and sounds will ever be rejected!!!

I was surprised nobody mentioned Morrissey, but I reckon he’s another I’d need to disqualify on the basis that, like MES, he has an uncanny ability to release a great album when you least expect it, although he is currently sitting on two strikes right now as a result of his last album being a turkey and his offensive outburst in recent times.

I’ll offer up a controversial one today….and really this one is all down to personal taste and I’m not confident that too many of you will agree with me. It’s a short summary too rather than any well-argued case.

He had it big time with The Jam; held it together initially with The Style Council but lost it towards the end with the prosecution relying on the evidence that was led in 19-part singles series back in 2105/16; and in this one time fan’s opinion, he never ever got it back with his solo career that was just far too dad-rock for my liking (exception being the Wild Wood 45); oh and he was also responsible for the heinous crime of inflicting Ocean Colour Scene upon us.

The Good : The Jam – When You’re Young
The Bad : The Style Council – How She Threw It All Away
The Ugly : Paul Weller – Peacock Suit

Just after completing all of the above, an e-mail dropped in, courtesy of Walter of A Few Good Times In My Life fame: –

Hi Jim,

Many months ago I started an ICA about The Pogues but I couldn’t finish it. I always asked myself about the reasons and now I know it: they had it and they lost it. So I think it is the right time to write about them in your new series.

From the first time I saw them in a small club at my place back in 1982 I got a huge fan of their music and I liked the way they combined traditional Irish music with the punk influence of various band members. While Red Roses For Me was a rough gem where they tried to find their style the subsequent two albums were milestones in new music in the mid 80’s. Elvis Costello led them on Rum Sodomy & The Lash to the height of their career. Brilliant songs were also on the following record If I Should Fall From Grace With God and marked the end for me. The following records weren’t too bad but never reached the quality of the first ones. Probably because the leading figure of the band, Shane MacGowan got more and more problems with the booze they were no more able to make great songs again and playing live with the verve they had in their early days. Even Joe Strummer couldn’t bring them back to what they were once had.

I remember their last concert I saw, when Shane walked up the stage with a bottle of red wine in his hand, singing two songs and than falling on the floor. I felt sorry for him and Strummer had to sing the songs till the end of the concert. So here are some songs that had the magic that I listened to often:

The Sick Bed of Cuchuliann
Bottle of Smoke
Streets of Sorrow/Birmingham Six
Haunted

Hope everything is well in Glasgow. Have a good time

Walter

JC adds….a perfect example of what I’m looking for in guest contributions!!

Tindersticks

SOME SONGS ARE GREAT SHORT STORIES (Chapter Two)

TAKE 2 : APOLOGIES FOR NOT POSTING THE SONG FIRST TIME ROUND

Do you remember my sister? How many mistakes did she make with those never blinking eyes? I couldn’t work it out. I swear she could read your mind, your life, the depths of your soul at one glance. Maybe she was stripping herself away, saying

“Here I am, this is me
I am yours and everything about me, everything you see…
If only you look hard enough”
I never could

Our life was a pillow-fight. We’d stand there on the quilt, our hands clenched ready. Her with her milky teeth, so late for her age, and a Stanley knife in her hand. she sliced the tires on my bike and I couldn’t forgive her

She went blind at the age of five. We’d stand at the bedroom window and she’d get me to tell her what I saw. I’d describe the houses opposite, the little patch of grass next to the path, the gate with its rotten hinges forever wedged open that dad was always going to fix. She’d stand there quiet for a moment. I thought she was trying to develop the images in her own head. then she’d say:

“I can see little twinkly stars
Like Christmas tree lights in faraway windows
Rings of brightly coloured rocks
Floating around orange and mustard planets”

“I can see huge tiger-striped fishes
Chasing tiny blue and yellow dashes
All tails and fins and bubbles”

I’d look at the grey house opposite, and close the curtains

She burned down the house when she was ten. I was away camping with the scouts. The fireman said she’d been smoking in bed – the old story, I thought. The cat and our mum died in the flames, so dad took us to stay with our aunt in the country. He went back to London to find us a new house. We never saw him again

On her thirteenth birthday she fell down the well in our aunt’s garden and broke her head. She’d been drinking heavily. On her recovery her sight returned. “A fluke of nature,” everyone said. That’s when she said she’d never blink again. I would tell her when she started at me, with her eyes wide and watery, that they reminded me of the well she fell into. She liked this, it made her laugh.

She moved in with a gym teacher when she was fifteen, all muscles he was. He lost his job when it all came out, and couldn’t get another one, not in that kind of small town. Everybody knew every one else’s business. My sister would hold her head high, though. She said she was in love. They were together for five years, until one day he lost his temper. He hit over the back of the neck with his bull-worker. She lost the use of the right side of her body. He got three years and was out in fifteen months. We saw him a while later, he was coaching a non-league football team in a Cornwall seaside town

I don’t think he recognized her. My sister had put on a lot of weight from being in a chair all the time. She’d get me to stick pins and stub out cigarettes in her right hand. She’d laugh like mad because it didn’t hurt. Her left hand was pretty good though. We’d have arm wrestling matches, I’d have to use both arms and she’d still beat me

We buried her when she was 32. Me and my aunt, the vicar, and the man who dug the hole. She said she didn’t want to be cremated and wanted a cheap coffin so the worms could get to her quickly

She said she liked the idea of it, though, I thought it was because of what happened to the cat, and our mum.

mp3 : Tindersticks – My Sister

Originally released on Tindersticks II in 1995. One of the finest examples of a short story set to music. And not for the first or last time by that particular band.

JC

Lloyd Cole & The Commotions

IT REALLY WAS A CRACKING DEBUT SINGLE (1)

Another stab at an occasional series. This will look back at what I consider to have been an outstanding debut single that many years later has not only stood the test of time but reckoned by some out there never to have been bettered.

mp3 : Lloyd Cole and The Commotions – Perfect Skin

Perfect Skin by Lloyd Cole and The Commotions was released in May 1984. It enjoyed a ten-week stint in the Top 75, gradually but slowly making its way to #26 after seven weeks before falling away quite quickly. This demonstrates it was one of those songs that didn’t make an immediate impact on radio listeners and the record-buying public but the more familiar they became with it,  the more they appreciated it and the more numbers went out and spent money on it. After all, there was no other alternative as the frontman was a complete newcomer to the music scene although at least one of the backing band, Lawrence Donegan, had experienced some success with The Bluebells.

There’s a wonderful quote given by Lloyd in an interview to one of the UK music papers in 1984, just before debut LP Rattlesnakes was released:-

“If I hadn’t listened to ‘Subterranean Homesick Blues’ I could never have written ‘Perfect Skin’. I was totally drunk on Dylan at the time I wrote that song and all the imagery is deliberately Dylanesque. I thought, ‘why not be blatant?’ The only difference is, Dylan would have written a song like ‘Perfect Skin’ in an hour. It took me a week!”

I didn’t make that connection at the time as I wasn’t the slightest bit interested in Bob Dylan. All these years later, with my tastes thankfully less narrow than they were in my formative/poseur period, I do get it.

mp3 : Bob Dylan – Subterranean Homesick Blues

Perfect Skin was issued in 7″ and 12″ formats. Here’s the more than listenable b-sides, with the latter of them initially being exclusive to the 12″

mp3 : Lloyd Cole and The Commotions – The Sea and The Sand
mp3 : Lloyd Cole and The Commotions – You Will Never Be No Good

But was it the band’s finest 45?

IMHO…………..No.

That accolade goes to Rattlesnakes, released as the third single from the LP in November 84.

JC

XTC

THE XTC SINGLES (Part 23)

Grass had flopped badly and Skylarking had been the first XTC album to fail to crack the charts. It was a gloomy time for all concerned, but a second single was lifted and released in February 1987, on 7″, 7″ clear vinyl and 12″:-

mp3 : XTC – The Meeting Place
mp3 : XTC – The Man Who Sailed Around His Soul

I was sure this would have been my first exposure to this song but on hearing it I had an inkling I had prior knowledge of it – turns out I has seen it on The Tube on Channel 4 when I hadn’t thought much of it (and still don’t). That and it being on Jonny’s ICA….sorry mate…….we can occasionally agree to disagree!!

The b-side is wholly unexpected. It’s damn near a jazz/swing number!! To paraphrase Star Trek….it’s XTC but not as we know it, Jim. I do quite like it, but it’s not one that I’d return to week-after-week.

The 12″ had four demo songs on it…and yup, I’ve tracked them down for today:-

mp3 : XTC – Terrorism (home demo)
mp3 : XTC – Let’s Make A Den (home demo)
mp3 : XTC – Find The Fox (home demo)
mp3 : XTC – The Troubles (home demo)

First one is all Andy Partridge

Second one is all Andy Partridge. It’s a song that Todd Rundgren insisted should open side two of the album Skylarking. The band had a go at it in the studio but it fell victim to the constant fighting between the producer and the songwriter

Third one is all Colin Moulding

Fourth one is all Andy Partridge

JC

Endor

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #88 : ENDOR

This is the only song I know from Endor and its thanks entirely to its being included on Get While The Getting’s Good, a 19-track compilation of Scottish bands that was released on the German-based Aufgeladen Und Bereit label back in 2007.

mp3 : Endor – Hold On

A bit of digging via Bandcamp reveals the band, consisting of Mark Church, Richard Ferguson, Calum Johnston & David McGinty, released a self-titled album in 2010 but Hold On wasn’t part of it.

A bit of further digging reveals that Richard Ferguson and David McGinty are currently in a band called Fake Major and this can be found on wiki:-

Fake Major was formed by David McGinty and Richard Ferguson in 2013. They were former members of the band Endor (2001–2012), which split up after 10 years. Endor consisted of four members, David McGinty (Vocals/Guitar), Richard Ferguson (Drums/Vocals), Calum Johnston (Bass) and Mark Church (Guitar/Vocals).

Endor released an EP “Without the Help of Sparks” and a self-titled album which featured music played with drums, guitars, glockenspiel, harmonica, melodica, organ and rhodes.

A second Endor record was considered but Richard Ferguson and David McGinty, being the main song writers of Endor, decided to start their own project as a duo. McGinty and Ferguson prepared their Fake Major EP before officially announcing the disbandment of Endor.

JC

Graham Parker & The Rumour

CHARGED PARTICLES (12)

THE GUEST SERIES FROM JONNY THE FRIENDLY LAWYER

JC writes……..

Jonny has come back with another batch of Charged Particles, and as I cut’n’paste from his e-mail I also want to share with you some other exciting news from him:-

“Happy Summer, JC! Things are rocking along over here. I am excited to say I will be recording with the Aces in a few weeks’ time. I only ever recorded once and that was back in 1987! Very psyched to get into a proper studio (first time out was just two takes per song in a converted brownstone in Brooklyn — we recorded live in the living room with the mixing board in the kitchen.) This will also be the first time I get to record backing vocals. I’ll email again when it happens – hoping it’s as fun as I anticipate.”

As I said before when news came that JTFL was, in his early-50s, getting a chance to be part of a touring and recording country band…..WOW!!!!

Here’s his latest very fine contribution to this little corner of the internet.

—————————-

Charged Particles #2 featured a pair of tracks by Elvis Costello, who I described as “everyone’s favorite wordy old uncle.”   Today’s set features a couple from his cantankerous older brother, Graham Parker.

Protection.  From Parker’s best LP, 1979’s  ‘Squeezing Out Sparks’.  Featuring the classic Rumour lineup:  Schwarz, Belmont, Bodnar, Andrews and Goulding.

Stupefaction.  From ‘Sparks’ follow up 1980’s ‘The Up Escalator’.  All of the Rumour save Andrews featured again.  This time out keyboard duties were handled by ivory legend Nicky Hopkins and The E Street Band’s Danny Federici.  (The Boss himself turned up for background vocals on ‘Endless Night’.)

It’s a toss up between ‘Local Girls’ and ‘Stupefaction’ as my favorite GP song.  What’s amazing to me is how the thoroughly English Parker managed to capture the mood of Los Angeles in the latter song.  Or at least I always understood him to mean LA.  Surely the lines about driving on Sunset (Blvd.), “the bodies so revealing,” and the “cameras without action” are all references to Hollywood?  In any event, while Parker was arguably operating near the level of Costello at the time (EC’s ’79 and ’80 releases were the spectacular ‘Armed Forces’ and ‘Get Happy’) I think he peaked with ‘Escalator’.  His subsequent albums without the Rumour never really did it for me.

JTFL

Grandaddy

AN IMAGINARY COMPILATION ALBUM : #131 : GRANDADDY

Here’s The Robster again…..

Hi Jim

I swore I wasn’t going to do any more ICAs, but the other day Walter posted something that inspired me. He mentioned he’d seen Gemma Ray at a festival and enjoyed her immensely despite having never been familiar with her before. So I took that as a cue – I’ve done a Gemma Ray one.

While putting it together, I found another ICA I started last autumn then seemed to have forgotten about – Grandaddy. So I set about finishing it off after the Gemma one and reckoned you might as well have it too.

As usual, do what you want with them. Hopefully you’ll enjoy them.

Hope all is well with you in sunny Glasgow!

Rob

I started compiling this ICA back in September last year, shortly after the release of Grandaddy‘s comeback single Way We Won’t. And then, for some inexplicable reason, I forgot about it; although the tracklisting was in place, everything else was only half written. I wrote about my excitement for their then forthcoming album, hoping it would live up to the standards they had set themselves over the course of the decade or so they existed first time around.

Since then, said album has been released and I’ve seen them live. They’ve not disappointed me. Far from it; in fact, ‘Last Place’ rates among their best records. I’m sure most of you know a Grandaddy track or two, and they were one of my favourite bands during the first half of last decade. Like many, I first became aware of them through their second album ‘The Sophtware Slump’, though they had been going for eight years by that point. Their earliest material was released on homemade cassettes and was raw and fast, influenced heavily by US punk and the so-called ‘slacker’ scene (Dinosaur Jr., Pavement, etc).

Over time, they refined their sound and became one of the most instantly identifiable bands around. Their blend of vintage electronics, psychedelia, Americana, alternative rock and acoustic melancholy gave them a sound of their own. Their discography boasts only five proper studio albums, but there’s a plethora of singles, EPs and compilations in there, which makes compiling a satisfactory ICA all the more difficult.

I’d argue that Grandaddy got better with each album. I know the purists are squealing – let them squeal. If I am going to listen to any Grandaddy album beginning to end, it would most likely be the new one or their 2006 swan song ‘Just Like The Fambly Cat‘. Having broke up just prior to that record being released, frontman Jason Lytle has made two solo albums, a soundtrack, a mini-album and a live album.

So having rediscovered the unfinished ICA while preparing the Gemma Ray one I did recently, I decided to resurrect it. It does not include anything from the new record; it’s too new so go buy it. That said, even taking that one out of the equation, some very tough choices had to be made and there are some significant omissions (Crystal Lake, anyone?). I’m sure you’ll point them out…

1. AM 180 (from ‘Under The Western Freeway’, 1997)

Best known in the UK for its use in a BBC ad for it 6 Music radio station, as the theme tune for ‘Charlie Brooker’s Screenwipe’ and in the zombie flick ’28 Days Later’. It’s one of those that sticks in your head and refuses to budge. The best track on the debut album for sure.

2. Now It’s On (from ‘Sumday’, 2003)

The opener from Grandaddy’s third album is one of their best songs. ‘Sumday’ was the album that really showed off Jason Lytle’s progression as a songwriter. It’s got some cracking tracks on it, two or three that I really wanted on this ICA but couldn’t find a place for. To me, Now It’s On sounds like it’s about coming out of a period of darkness and making a fresh start, something I know a bit about.

3. Hewlett’s Daughter (from ‘The Sophtware Slump’, 2000)

One of the highlights of what many believe to be Grandaddy’s finest hour. ‘The Sophtware Slump’ was a triumph for sure, a huge leap in quality from their previous works. It’s an unusual record that throws all kinds of sounds and moods at you, but every so often a pop gem leaps out. This is one of them.

4. Aisle Seat 37-D (split single, 2003)

In which Jason Lytle imagines himself on a plane falling from the sky. While all around him descend into panic and chaos, he remains calm, looking for the picture he carries of his loved one while having one last drink of wine before it all ends. Sometimes, Lytle can write the most touching music you’ll ever hear.

5. Jeez Louise (from ‘Just Like The Fambly Cat’, 2006)

This tale recounting a lost love whose parents disapproved of the relationship was the loudest, fastest track Grandaddy had made for some time. Yet it retains that melancholic air and winsome vocals that they do so well. Even with the guitars turned right up, there was still plenty of room for a dead good tune.

6. Taster (second single, 1995)

Pre-dating the first album by some two years, the somewhat appropriately-titled Taster was the first sign of what Grandaddy were to become. It’s their most melodic and melancholic early track and even though it lacks some of the band’s later idiosyncrasies, it’s recognisable as the Grandaddy that we all came to know and love.

7. The Group Who Couldn’t Say (from ‘Sumday’, 2003)

I love the lyrics of this song. It’s the story of a bunch of office-bound city folk who spend a day in the countryside and realise a whole new existence. It has one of my favourite Grandaddy lyrics:

Becky wondered why she’d never noticed dragonflies
Her drag and click had never yielded anything so perfect as a dragonfly.

8. Disconnecty (from ‘Just Like The Fambly Cat’, 2006)

My fave Grandaddy track of all. No further explanation needed. Probably because I don’t have one…

9. Miner At The Dial-a-View (from ‘The Sophtware Slump’, 2000)

This track, more than any other here, sums up the quirkiness of Grandaddy. Lytle explains it thus: “After a certain point, when the earth has been tapped of all its resources, they start mining other planets. And there’s these machines, and the idea is to add coins to it, and you can punch in the latitude and longitude of places on earth, and revisit wherever you want. And he’s actually revisiting his house, and he’s seeing the girl that he’s got back home is hanging out with some other guy, and he misses home.”

10. Goodbye? (from ‘Excerpts From The Diary Of Todd Zilla’, 2005)

Grandaddy’s penultimate release (prior to their reformation) was an EP which closed with this song. I wonder if it foreshadowed what the band probably knew at that point – that they were breaking up. Though in that case, why didn’t it appear on the final album? And does the question mark signify that this might not really be the end, that there was a chance we’d see them again? As with much of what Grandaddy did, there are untold mysteries and plenty of unanswered questions. As it turned out, they did reform and they did make another (very good) record.

Sadly, the joy of Grandaddy’s comeback has been tempered by the sudden death of bass player Kevin Garcia back in the Spring. It remains to be seen whether the band will continue without him.

THE ROBSTER

The Great Leap Forward

FROM THIRTY YEARS AGO (3)

Returning again today to the series looking at some of the bands on C87, a 3xCD box set, released last year by Cherry Red Records, as a 74-track compilation of material that was released across different indie labels in 1987. The only rule for featuring is that the act in questio has to be making a debut on the blog.

Track 13 on CD1. Originally released on Ron Johnson Records

mp3 : The Great Leap Forward – My Grandfather’s Cluck

Here’s what the info booklet says:-

EX-BIG FLAME STALWART Alan Brown formed The Great Leap Forward announced by the EP ‘Controlling The Edges of Tone’. which contained ‘My Grandfather’s Cluck’. More melodic yet as quirky and political as bIG fLAME, the group progressed with ‘A Peck On The Cheek A La Politique’ (1987) and 1988’s ‘Who Works The Weather’ before the Heart & Soul EP appeared on Communications Unique. A debut album, ‘Don’t Be Afraid of Change’, appeared in 1988 prior to a compilation Season 87-88. Brown temporarily quit music but returned in 2008 with the album ‘Finished Unfinished Business’ and now plays with A Witness.

It is akin to bIG fLAME in as much as it has the same vocalist but the spiky abrasive guitars have been toned down somewhat. I’m guessing their hardcore fans would have been appalled!

JC

Elton John, Stevie Wonder

HAD IT. LOST IT. (Parts 1 & 2)

It’s not easy coming up with fresh ideas for this little corner of the internet that have the ability to run’n’run. The ICAs have worked, Jonny’s charged particles are proving to be popular and I suppose the weekend features will always generate copy. This one might work…but will again likely depend on the views and opinions of the readership.

I want to look at singers or bands who, at some point in time, had ‘it’ (however you choose to define ‘it’) and then all of a sudden, and usually without warning, lost ‘it’ and never recovered ‘it’. I’m not meaning those who gave us a stellar debut album and a bum follow-up as the rock and pop worlds are littered with such acts. This is about folk who were massively popular and deservedly so only for their music to go a bit ‘meh’; sometimes their popularity remained intact and their profile remained high while others would see their sales plummet and fade quietly into obscurity. Oasis are an example of the former while most of their Britpop peers can be filed under the latter.

I’m doing parts one and two in a single sitting. Two of the biggest stars whose music once made me smile but then made me squirm.

1. ELTON JOHN

It was this incredibly imaginative advert that helped remind me of how much I enjoyed listening to Elton John songs when I was a young kid.

Rocket Man was a huge hit back in 1972, hanging around the singles charts for months when I was turning nine years of age. Like probably just about every other kid of that age and of that era, the idea of space travel was particularly exciting with tales of the exploits of astronauts all over newspapers and television, while Star Trek was a show that was watched and enjoyed my parents (whom I’ve just realised would have only been in their mid-30s at this time) as well as my five and six-year old younger brothers. Elton’s hit 45 just seemed to be part of the magic of that time.

I guess that made me something of an Elton John fan, albeit I wasn’t yet at the stage of going out and buying his, or indeed, anyone’s records. Besides, I didn’t need to as some of my older cousins, whose house I’d go and visit every two weeks or so, seemed to have all his albums and they would let me hear his stuff, whether on vinyl (with record sleeves that always seemed so vivid and colourful) or on 8-track cartridge, which one cousin told me would soon make bulky record collections a thing of the past.

Here’s a reminder of some of the 45s that I would be exposed to over the next few years:-

mp3 : Elton John – Saturday Night’s Alright For Fighting
mp3 : Elton John – Crocodile Rock
mp3 : Elton John – Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
mp3 : Elton John – Bennie and The Jets

In 1976, after many years of trying and near misses, Elton John finally hit the #1 spot; it took a duet with Kiki Dee to hit the pinnacle but Don’t Go Breaking My Heart just left me ice-cold. The thirteen year-old me didn’t have the capacity to offer any critical analysis of the song other than to say it was fucking shite (even as a pre-pubescent teen, I already had a capacity for swearing but never in front of my parents!). My admiration for Reg had come and gone. And it’s never come back.

Some of you will recall that myself and Jacques the Kipper pulled together a Billy Joel ICA for a bit of fun on 1 April 2016. We had a bit of a chat on the way to the football one day as to how we could follow it up this year and I really wanted to do similar to Elton John’s 1980s output. You know, the classic songs that area such a part of everyday listening on the smooooooooooooth radio stations.

Nikita; I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues; Sad Songs; Kiss The Bride; I’m Still Standing.

Jacques talked me out of it. I suppose I should thank him as I would have needed to listen to the songs again if I was to have a stab at such an ICA, even for piss taking purposes.

2. STEVIE WONDER

Stevie Wonder has been making music for some 55 years so inevitably there’s going to be a variation in quality. Some of the very earliest material hasn’t stood the test of time all that well but there are some golden nuggets to be unearthed such as this from 1965:-

mp3 : Stevie Wonder – Uptight (Everything’s Alright)

But it’s the period from 1968-1977 that holds up to anything anyone else has ever produced over a similar length of time. Fifteen of his singles went Top 20 in the Hot 100 in the USA; he was just as successful in the UK with thirteen Top 20 hits. Some of them were straightforward love songs, others were brilliantly conceived socio-political commentaries on the issues facing black and poor people in his home country. All of them had tunes that were just killer. Here’s four such examples:-

mp3 : Stevie Wonder – Superstition
mp3 : Stevie Wonder – Living For The City
mp3 : Stevie Wonder – I Wish
mp3 : Stevie Wonder – He’s Misstra Know It All

The first sign of decline came with the double album The Secret Life Of Plants in 1979, albeit this was more a soundtrack to a documentary than a ‘proper’ commercial release. The following year saw the release of Hotter Than July, an LP that turned out to be his most successful album in the UK, selling more than 300,000 copies and spawning four Top 10 singles.

One or two of the songs on the album are up there in quality with his 70s output but others are just awful, not least Happy Birthday, his the well-intended and heartfelt tribute to Martin Luther King that suffered immediately from being hijacked for every single celebration party of that period. But, given that the song did so much to raise the profile of the campaign to have Dr King’s birthdate declared as a national holiday in the USA, I really shouldn’t really be so curmudgeonly. The sad thing, however, is that it’s an LP that has, for the most part, dated really badly and the ballads/love songs in particular are not a patch on his earlier efforts in that genre.

But what followed afterwards in the early-mid 80s was cringeworthy. Ebony and Ivory – the toe-curling and insufferable duet with Paul McCartney; I Just Called To Say I Love You which seemed to be #1 for months on end in 1984, no matter which country you lived in; Part Time Lover, a song that sits alongside those of Phil Collins as examples of what was so wrong about the charts of the era.

In 2017, Stevie Wonder remains a hugely important and influential recording artist and social figure. Just don’t ask me to listen to his recent music.

Now. Any volunteers to come up with Part 3?

XTC

THE XTC SINGLES (Part 22)

It would be eighteen months before XTC released their next 45 in September 1986 during which period spin-off psychedelic band The Dukes of Stratosphear had issued six-track mini-album, 25 O’Clock, from which this was issued as a single:-

mp3 : The Dukes of Stratosphear – The Mole From The Ministry

Meanwhile, back in the real world, the band had been teamed up with American rocker Todd Rundgren to work on the new album which would be released with the title Skylarking. It’s a record I’ve never bought, partly based on some rotten reviews at the time and also the fact that I couldn’t understand why Virgin Records had thought an act so quintessentially English would get something out of working with someone I regarded as so antiquated and likely unsympathetic to the band. Turns out that Andy Partridge hated the idea too but not Dave Gregory as this excerpt from a 1990 magazine piece illustrates:-

“Todd and Andy were like chalk and cheese as personalities, they didn’t hit it off from the start. Things just went from bad to worse. Andy was saying how much he hated the album, and when we returned home, he was very depressed about it. My only misgiving was that it was badly recorded. Perhaps Todd was trying to recreate a Sixties sound to capitalise on our Beatles fixation: but having said that, Skylarking is probably my favourite XTC album. Personally, I like what Todd did with the songs.”

Here’s its first single and the bonus track on the 12″:-

mp3 : XTC – Grass
mp3 : XTC – Extrovert

The b-side to Grass was later re-released as a 45 in its own right and I’ll return to it in due course. For now, I’ll simply say that Grass (which JTFL had included as part of an ICA) it’s not as bad as you would fear – but it does sound a lot like Modern Life Is Rubbish-era Blur from a few year later. What it doesn’t sound like at all is XTC……unlike Extrovert but it suffers from having those awful 80s horns-sounding keyboards on it.

JC

Endgames

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #87 : ENDGAMES

Formed in Glasgow in 1980, they released two singles on Mercury Records in 1982 that were well received in some quarters (Martin Fry was a fan) but ridiculed for a lack of originality in others.

The next year saw them draft in Brian McGee who had been the original drummer with the now increasingly successful Simple Minds and in due course were signed by Virgin Records to a multi-album deal in 1983. In the end, they were let go after four flop 45s and a poor-selling LP despite the fact the band had toured extensively both under their own steam and as support to a number of high-profile synth-pop acts. Endgames broke up in 1985.

This is the second of their singles for Mercury Records. It’s very much of its time and hasn’t date well at all. It’s easy to see why Martin Fry liked them bit also why so many didn’t rate them:-

mp3 : Endgames – First, Last, For Everything

JC

Various

CHARGED PARTICLES (11)

THE GUEST SERIES FROM JONNY THE FRIENDLY LAWYER

This series has covered a lot of different acts and a lot of different styles of music. What it hasn’t included is a lot of women. That’s not right, so here are some charged particles featuring favorite females:

Vision: Autoclave

Connection: Elastica

Intuition: Feist

Levitation: Beach House

Petition: Tennis

Precaution: Pylon

Situation: Margaret Glaspy

 

JTFL

JC adds……this is the last of what was the initial batch of Charged Particles pieces submitted by Jonny a few months back.  Fingers crossed he finds time for some more.

Morrissey

OCD EPs : #5 : MORRISSEY

JC writes….

Another very unexpected e-mail.  Some of you will recall Dave Glickman came up with a great idea in May 2016 for the OCD EPs which he again explains in his intro to today’s piece.

Over the next few months he supplied the blog with such EPs for Father Sculptor, The Smiths, Gene and Joe Strummer, the last of which was some eleven months ago.  He’s come back and decided to feature Morrissey, without doubt the most featured artiste within this small corner of the internet but somone I have been avoiding in recent months as my own silent protest at some of the stupid and offensive things he’s been uttering around politics and race.  But, I’ve always said that guest postings will be taken for what they are, regardless of my own thoughts on the singer/band, and besides, what comes is, again, of a very high quality.  Here’s David to say more…..

OCD #5 : THE RARELY PLAYED SYMPHONIES

Well, after a rather extended hiatus, I am back with another installment in this series. Admittedly, the public clamoring over the past year for more has been less than deafening. However, I have only two more collections in my library that warrant this treatment and, after all, the series is about obsession and compulsion, isn’t it?
For newer Vinyl Villain readers and long-timers for whom the earlier posts had no lasting memorable impact, here’s a bit of repeat from what came before:

“And then one day, you just have to have it all…

I don’t know about you, but every once in a while I come across a band where I eventually decide that I have to get my hands on everything they ever recorded. It usually starts innocently enough – one album purchased on iTunes or a couple of songs downloaded from my favorite indie music blog. Perhaps I’ll find a b-side collection on a fan site and pick out a few favorites or come across a video of a particularly stellar radio or television broadcast. And then suddenly, the obsession kicks in. What else in their catalog is still purchasable? Where can I find the best quality rips of those broadcasts? And, by god, why didn’t I download all those b-sides when I had the chance?
With all this in mind… the OCD EPs are intended to be short collections of the best or most interesting obscure, off the beaten track songs that only the most ardent and obsessed fans might be familiar with and have in their libraries.”

Today’s selection is in honor of the boys and girl from WYCRA and in memory of their dearly departed blog. After all, it was their policy of deducting Saturday Song Challenge points for any and all mentions of The Smiths or Morrissey that finally motivated me to pick up my pen again and get on with it.

 

Side One

1. Striptease With A Difference (outtake)

At an earlier point, there was quite a bit of unreleased material from the Viva Hate and Bona Drag sessions. However, over the years, most of it has been released as b-sides or bonus tracks on album reissues. This would be the exception. Striptease is a rather witty lyric about Moz hoping to lose a game of strip poker over music that, to be honest, is nothing to write home about. Surely though, it can’t be worse than Get Off The Stage, can it?

2. Why Don’t You Find Out For Yourself (alternate electric studio outtake)

One of my favorites in the entire solo catalogue, there really isn’t a bad version of this song. While the acoustic album version is in keeping with the overall mood of Vauxhall & I, the band also did a few amped-up takes. There are several electric versions floating around the internet, but this fairly recent leak is my favorite.

3. It’s Hard To Walk Tall When You’re Small (Maladjusted b-side session version)

There is a track of the same name officially released as a b-side to the Irish Blood, English Heart single and later collected on Swords. However, this is something rather different. Apparently, seven years earlier Moz tried similar, though not exactly the same, lyrics over a ballad written by Spencer Cobrin. Quite an interesting find!

For reference: It’s Hard To Walk Tall When You’re Small (official version)

Side Two

4. I’m Playing Easy To Get (BBC Radio Session)

From Passions Just Like Mine: “This song must have been written at some point in 2004. Its only confirmed studio recording is Morrissey’s appearance on Janice Long’s radio programme on BBC2, on 17 December 2004….A proper studio version was allegedly recorded at the end of 2004 alongside material meant to be used for b-sides on the “I Like You” single (which ended up being shelved).”

I absolutely adore this song and its twisted take on playing hard to get. In my view, the track actually has a-side potential, though obviously Moz does not agree as he hasn’t even released this radio session version. Now, if only I could get my time machine to work, I’d be heading back to Los Angeles on November 12, 2004 for its one and only live outing.

5. Sweetie-Pie (Michael Farrell version)

As I understand the story, Morrissey and the band worked on this ballad for quite a while during the Ringleader sessions but were never able to put down something they were satisfied with. Instead, the decision was made to cover it over with noise and additional vocals by Kristeen Young (just another term for “noise”) and release it as a b-side. While some people consider the officially released version to be some sort of avant-garde masterpiece, I am not one of them.

In any case, Michael Farrell took the tapes home, kept working on the song and then played his version on a radio program in 2009. This new version, which I find superior to the official one in virtually every way, was subsequently leaked on the internet.

6. The Bullfighter Dies (promo video version)

In an ill-fated promotional attempt, Harvest produced a number of spoken word videos to accompany the release of World Peace Is None Of Your Business. No doubt, these must have played some role in the subsequent falling out between Moz and the record label which led to the severing of their relationship and the eventual deletion of the album from the catalog.

While the sound from most of these videos is hardly worth your attention, the spoken word version of The Bullfighter Dies is the exception. Backed by muted trumpet and piano, Moz brings out a deeper, more serious emotional tone to the lyrics.

DAVE

Strangeways Glasgow

BONUS POSTING : INVITATION TO A SPECIAL NIGHT (AND FOR A GREAT CAUSE)

One of the most enjoyable events in many a year happened just a few months back at The Admiral Bar in Glasgow when Strangeways (a collective made up of Robert, Hugh and Carlo) held their first ever There Is A Night That Never Goes Out. I was lucky enough to be asked to contribute a short set at the beginning of the night before the professionals took over. I wrote about it all afterwards.

As you’ll see from the above poster, the second such night is taking place in a little over two weeks time, once again at The Admiral. It sold out last time round and fingers are crossed that this will do the same as all monies rasied will go towards Starter Packs Glasgow, a charity that provides household items to those who most need them.

http://starterpacks.org.uk.websitebuilder.prositehosting.co.uk/

The night will also have a fabulous guest DJ involved in the shape of Gavin Dunbar (Camera Obscura) but there’s also a likelihood that I will get to slip in 45 mins worth of tunes early on. I’m working on a possible set just now and hope to send it off to the team over the weekend in the hope they like it.

If you’re in the Glasgow area on the 26th, then please feel free to drop by and say hello. It really is a great night. And the Strangeways team are among the nicest folk you could ever hope to meet….and the crowd they attract to their nights are just as lovely.

Here’s one from last time out:-

mp3 : The Psychedelic Furs – Pretty In Pink

JC

Indietracks 2017, Various

INDIETRACKS 2017 : A PERSONAL APPRECIATION FROM OUR SPECIAL CORRESPONDENT

A GUEST POSTING FROM ALDO

Indietracks is an indiepop festival which takes place annually on a heritage railway in rural Derbyshire. This was our sixth successive jaunt down to the event.

I first attended in 2012, looking for a different kind of festival fix after years of attending Scotland’s annual behemoth T in the Park, and I came away from the weekend totally hooked, much in the way I’d felt going to those first couple of T’s. The whole setup appealed so much, not least being shuttled on a vintage train the mile journey from the entrance to the main festival site.

Although the music is always first and foremost the main appeal, there is no doubt that it’s the folk that attend who add just as much to the event as anything else. Firm friendships have been forged over the years, and there’s always plenty time spent greeting many a familiar face. In fact this year I ended up sharing accommodation with one such mate from Belfast when his wife, and my usual sparring partner and roommate, were both unable to attend this year.

Proceedings get underway on the Friday evening, easing everyone into the weekend, and as usual there were three bands set to grace the main stage.  We were, however, somewhat relieved when, supping pints in our usual pre-festival boozer, one of the gang arrived with news that, as a result of the forecast for inclement weather, the bands were now to perform on the indoor second stage.

First up were Scots, Kid Canaveral, making their second appearance at the festival, they had drafted in a couple of stand-in members for this show due to the logistics of having to then travel to the Isle of Eigg off the west coast of Scotland for Lost Map’s Howlin’ Fling that same weekend. They got things off to a great start, playing a set largely drawing on their most recent release Faulty Inner Dialogue, and being a particularly big fan of the band I thoroughly enjoyed them. They were followed by Chorusgirl, who I’ve seen a few times before, most recently at the Fortuna Pop! farewell weekender in London in March. Again they delivered a hugely enjoyable set.

So on to Martha, they are a perfect example of the type of band which the festival seems to foster, moving up the billing with each festival, and akin to the Spook School the previous year, burgeoning into a group which were more than justified Friday headliners. Much like watching a child or a sibling flourish, the love for them among the crowd was palpable when they emerged to take the stage. Running through pretty much all the favourites from their first two albums, they also included a cover of Semisonic’s Closing Time thrown in for good measure, and left us all in good spirits.

mp3 : Martha – Precarious (Supermarket Song)

Although some sore heads were being nursed after the previous evening’s visit to the disco tent, we all made it down in time for Saturday’s 1pm start, and the first band up in the indoor stage were Pillow Queens, a four piece all female outfit from Dublin playing a mix of alt-pop punk. Next on the agenda were Crumbs from Leeds who were gaining quite a few mentions pre-festival and certainly lived up to my expectations with a hugely energetic and engaging set. There was a brief venture outdoors into the sunshine for 10 minutes of Spain’s Cola Jet Set, before ensuring I was back in the train shed for TeenCanteen. Like Kid Canaveral, this was their second appearance at the festival, and there were a number of remarks with regard to just how much they had improved as a live force. This is definitely true, and they gave us a great set of pure pop.

mp3 : Crumbs – Weasels Can Wait

We then hotfooted it over to the main stage for the much touted Peaness, and it’s fair to say that there’s much to admire beyond their slightly smirk inducing name, proving that they’ve got all the credentials to be the next darlings of the Indietracks crowd. They were followed on the main stage by Glasgow/London band Shopping, who feature one half of recent Scottish Album of the Year Award winners Sacred Paws. Although I’m a fan of their album Why Choose? and have witnessed them live on more than one occasion, for some reason they never really got me going here.

However, I very much got back into my groove with the next act, Indietracks heroine, Emma Kupa formerly of Standard Fare, and appearing in no less than four bands over the course of the weekend! On this occasion she was teaming up with ex-Hefner main man Darren Hayman in the imaginatively titled Hayman Kupa Band. I’ve not always been taken by Hayman’s solo output but the set they delivered here was immensely enjoyable.

mp3 : The Hayman Kupa Band – Someone To Care For Me

The fact half the festival appeared to require food at the same time meant that unfortunately I only heard Frankie Cosmos’ set from the burrito stall queue. However, once sated it was back indoors for a beer and a short blast of the ever excellent Joanna Gruesome, before heading to join the queue for the tiny church stage to see The Hearing, a female solo singer from Finland who produces ethereal sounds to a dreamy electronic accompaniment. It was a pretty decent performance, although I wasn’t raving about it quite as highly as some were. After this it was a refresh of our pints before making our way over to the main stage for a superb headline performance from The Wedding Present, it was a near flawless festival set, finishing with My Favourite Dress and Kennedy to leave the crowd in raptures. The only decision then was to be that evening’s choice of entertainment – karaoke or indie disco. The karaoke won, and was an unexpectedly brilliant end to the day.

mp3 : The Wedding Present – Kennedy (live – John Peel’s 50th birthday bash)

Following a late after party at the hotel, I was the only one of our group who emerged in time to catch Maybe Don’t who were first up on the Sunday. They were pretty decent, though my enjoyment was tempered by the fact that their loud energetic sounds were at odds with my slightly hungover state. Luby Sparks, the Japanese five piece who followed, were a little kinder to these ears with their jangling, C86 tinged, melodies. Next we shuttled between short glimpses of Suggested Friends (one of those other Emma Kupa bands) and Cowtown, a noisy mob from Leeds, before an absolutely lovely set in the sunshine by The Orchids, another of the great bands to come out of Glasgow over the years.

mp3 : Luby Sparks – Water

Staying in Scotland, the next band on the main stage were Indietracks ‘legends’ the Just Joans – somehow in the parallel universe that is Indietracks the Joans (whose appearance supplies the image which illustrates this post) are one of the best known bands in the world. We of course were down the front for a great mix of new songs and old classics, unfortunately one of the sing a long numbers expected at the end was cut from the set as a result of them running slightly over time, and perhaps just as well as a huge downpour began as they played their final notes.

This rearranged the schedule slightly as Monkey Swallows the Universe were moved indoors, which sadly didn’t do them justice as they were somewhat of an afterthought as the near whole capacity gathered in the train shed.

Once the sun came out again and the bulk of the crowd headed for the Wave Pictures on the main stage, those of us who elected to stay indoors were treated to a great set by Skinny Girl Diet, two sisters from London who describe themselves as gothic grunge, and make glorious racket.

mp3 : Skinny Girl Diet – Yeti

They were followed on the indoor stage by another band who Indietrackers have fully taken to their hearts, The Tuts. First coming to our attention when they opened the festival four years ago, those of us watching then might have felt they were a novelty, just there to get the party started, however, they’ve blossomed into the kind of group which the festival is all about. Politically charged but with no shortage of fun to go with it. The three of them gracing the stage in wedding dresses, and a wonderful set ended with them getting ‘married’ to the crowd and each other. In amongst the fun there were some emotional moments, when discussing experiences of mental health issues, and in that vein they were joined on stage by various other groups for a mass singalong of Linkin Park’s ‘In The End’ in tribute to Chester Bennington.

mp3 : The Tuts – Let Go Of The Past

The final act of the weekend on the main stage was Cate Le Bon, who I’d really enjoyed when I caught her in Glasgow last year, but to be honest after the Tuts set I just wanted a beer and a blether with some mates who were about to depart. I did catch the last few numbers by Cate, and by all accounts she was on top form.

All that was left was one last disco boogie, and despite being encouraged to carry on until the wee hours at the legendary campsite disco, which I’ve never yet been to, I decided to be sensible for once and head for bed. One year I’ll make the campsite shindig, one year…

ALDO

JC adds…..I’m really pleased that Aldo took the time to put together such a comprehensive and honest rundown of what sounds like an amazing weekend.  I took it upon myself to choose the songs today, all based on the words he supplied.  Other than The Wedding Present, they are all new to my ears and I’ve a feeling most of you will enjoy them too.

Gemma Ray

AN IMAGINARY COMPILATION ALBUM : #130 : GEMMA RAY

JC writes…….

Thanks to a faulty charger that turns out not to be the easiest to track down a replacement, I have been laptop free for around ten days now and most of the the posts have been mined from those that I have in reserve for emergencies.  I’ve tried to stay on top of e-mails from my PC at work and the great news is that a few very high quality guest postings have been submitted during the period and I’m going to post them over the coming days.  It begins with an absolute cracker of an ICA from The Robster, turning the spotlight on someone never featured here before, and in doing so he took inspiration from another of the regulars.  Over to The Robster……

Shimmering: A Gemma Ray ICA

I’ve no doubt everyone pays regular visits to Walter‘s most excellent site A Few Good Times In My Life. If you don’t, GET YOURSELF ROUND THERE NOW! Those of us who do will have been engrossed in his recent recounting of the Maifeld Derby festival in Mannheim. In one instalment, Walter told us of his discovery of the rather wonderful Gemma Ray who he’d never come across before. As a long-time fan, I got to thinking that perhaps I should put together an ICA for the benefit of Walter and anyone else who has not been fortunate enough to encounter one of England’s best kept secrets.

So here’s a little collection of some of Gemma’s best moments. I’ve made sure each of her seven albums are represented, but truth be told this could easily have become a double album, and even then some great tunes would have had to be jettisoned. It weighs in at a mere 36 minutes, but I’ve always been a firm believer in quality over quantity and I think I’ve achieved that here in abundance. Ladies and gentlemen, introducing the pop-noir of Gemma Ray.

SIDE ONE

1. The Wheel (from ‘Milk For Your Motors’ 2014)

By the time ‘Milk For Your Motors’ hit the shelves in 2014, Gemma had already built herself an impressive back catalogue. To date, she’d barely put a foot wrong. This, her sixth album, was her most expansive and featured an array of collaborators. On this track, Giant Sand’s Howe Gelb lends his deep dark voice to the proceedings.

2. Hard Shoulder (from ‘The Leader’ 2008)

Gemma’s debut album, like most of her early work, is dominated by her beloved twangy guitar Li’l One-Arm. Hard Shoulder was her second single and the first track to be heard from ‘The Leader’, setting a bar rather high for such a young artist.

3. 100mph (In 2nd Gear) (from ‘Lights Out Zoltar!’ 2009)
4. Fist Of A Flower (from ‘Lights Out Zoltar!’ 2009)

‘Lights Out Zoltar!’ is one of my favourite Gemma Ray albums. It followed hot on the heels of her debut as, due to illness, she wrote it instead of touring. She was clearly on a roll and churned out some of her strongest material.

5. How Do I Get To Carnegie Hall? (from ‘Gemma Ray Sings Sparks With Sparks’ 7″ 2012)

Now this is a treat. In 2012, Gemma teamed up with Russell and Ron Mael. She’d arranged two of their songs, putting her own spin on them. They produced the single and backed her. Yes, it’s Gemma, but I don’t think it matters what you do to a Sparks song, it’s always going to sound like a Sparks song. Nevertheless, a fine job was made of it.

SIDE TWO

1. The Letter (from ‘Down Baby Down’ 2013)

As you can imagine, Gemma’s work has graced numerous movies and TV shows. She has scored a German movie (Vorstadtrocker) and worked with Wim Wenders on a project restoring his early material. ‘Down Baby Down’ saw her team up with Thomas Wydler (yes, one of Nick Cave’s Bad Seeds) and was her attempt at a fantasy movie soundtrack – a soundtrack without a movie, if you will. Wait – An Imaginary Soundtrack… sounds like a blog series to me…

2. Alight! Alive! (from ‘Island Fire’ 2012)

One of my favourite tracks. Alight! Alive! opened Gemma’s fourth album ‘Island Fire’, probably her best work. The album was partly written in Australia while unable to fly home due to the eruption of the Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull which caused flights worldwide to be grounded. Another stroke of luck as it turned out. Alight! Alive! has a lovely big bright sound, and any song that uses a Theremin is more than OK by me.

3. Big Spender (from ‘It’s A Shame About Gemma Ray’ 2010)

Gemma’s third album was a rather daring effort. Sixteen cover versions of one of the widest range of artists you could ask for. Alternative rock (Gallon Drunk, Obits, Sonic Youth) mixed it with jazz and blues (Billie Holiday, Etta James, Memphis Minnie), songs from musicals and all sorts of other delights. I almost included her take on Mudhoney‘s proto-grunge classic Touch Me I’m Sick, but in the end plumped for this gorgeous, glistening rendering of Shirley Bassey‘s timeless classic. Just Gemma and Li’l One-Arm alone.

4. Motorbike (from ‘Milk For Your Motors’ 2014)

By contrast, here she is in full motorik Krautrock mode. It may not surprise you to learn that Suicide’s Alan Vega is involved here, but it proves Gemma ain’t no one trick pony.

5. Shimmering (from ‘The Exodus Suite’ 2016)

Last year’s ‘The Exodus Suite’ brought with it the latest in a string of critical acclaim. Another ambitious record, it saw her stretch herself yet further. The whole thing was recorded live in one week and sees her adding more than a little touch of psychedelia to her sound. I’d love her to expand on this direction on her next record – whenever that will be.

http://afewgoodtimesinmylife.blogspot.co.uk/2017/07/the-maifeld-derby-2017-diaries-day-1.html

THE ROBSTER

http://isthis-thelife.blogspot.co.uk/

David Bowie

WHAM-BAM THANK YOU MA’AM

One of my favourites from the Ziggy Stardust LP, I hadn’t realised it has been a flop single a few years later in 1976 when it was issued to accompany the release of the Changesonebowie compilation.

mp3 : David Bowie – Suffragette City

I still love getting up on the dance floor if this ever gets aired at an indie-type disco…which doesn’t happen often enough if you wany my tuppence worth on the subject matter. The Little Richard-style boogie-woogie piano bit is courtesy of the multi-talented Mick Ronson.

The b-side of the 1976 single was an edited version of Stay, a track originally been released on Station to Station the previous year. Again, until looking it up for this posting, I wasn’t aware that the shortened version of Stay had been a single in the USA. It’s some three minutes shorter than the album version.

mp3 : David Bowie – Stay (US single edit)

JC

XTC

THE XTC SINGLES (Part 21)

The third and final single lifted from The Big Express was a Colin Moulding composition. Given it was the opening track on the album it was always a reasonable bet that the record label had it down as a potential single from the off. It’s a song that makes a promising start with the late 70s/early 80s era choppy guitars but it doesn’t really develop all that much with changes in tempo and volume proving to be a bit distracting:-

mp3 : XTC – Wake Up

The single version was about a minute or so shorter than the album version (which itself featured on the 12″ release). The b-side of the 7″ was a very old track, and indeed Take This Town featured earlier in this series as one half of a split single with The Ruts. Oh and there was a second b-side made available:-

mp3 : XTC – Mantis On Parole (Homo Safari Series No. 4)

And so, after six years the Homo Safari series was finally out there for all to appreciate…..

The 12″ contained all three of the songs on the 7″ but threw in three additional tracks. Only thing was, they were three of the earlier and better known singles – Making Plans For Nigel, Sgt Rock (Is Going To Help Me) and Senses Working Overtime – as if somehow folk buying Wake Up were completely new to the band.

A #95 flop in February 1985

JC