Style Council

THE STYLE COUNCIL SINGLES (14)

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The band’s popularity at the beginning of 1987 was such that their third studio LP, The Cost Of Loving would hit #2 in the charts on the first week of its release, despite it being almost universally panned by critics in the music press.

I’m guessing that many fans were like me, thinking that the criticism was over the top and unjustified, and was in fact only being levelled at Paul Weller and The Style Council as some felt he needed taken down a peg or two.  Sadly, it turned out that the album was indeed a stinker, full of bland, occasionally clunky and instantly forgettable songs.

The proof of the pudding came four weeks after the album had been released when the second single lifted from it entered the charts at #52…..and dropped down a place the following week before disappearing altogether. This was unprecedented for a TSC single but in all honesty it was exactly what it deserved:-

mp3 : The Style Council – Waiting

I picked up the 7″ of the single for 20p in a bargain bin not long after its release, more for the sake of completeness than anything else but hoping I’d find a gem of a b-side.  Instead it was a strange and rather pretentious sounding strings-laden ballad that I think I played once and hadn’t listened to in nearly 30 years until resurrecting it for this series:-

mp3 : The Style Council – Francoise

Maybe I was a bit harsh or maybe my tastes have broadened a bit but it’s not quite as awful as I remember at the time.  But that is damning something with very faint praise.

It was at this point I turned my back on TSC, and indeed the remainder of the singles that will feature in this series have only been picked up over the past few years since I started up the blog and re-kindled an interest in vinyl.  As such, they will be viewed from a 21st century perspective rather than from the late 80s.

 

 

Bourgie Bourgie, Paul Quinn, Paul Quinn & Edwyn Collins, Paul Quinn & Nectarine #9, Paul Quinn & The Independent Group

AN IMAGINARY COMPILATION ALBUM : #66 : PAUL QUINN

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This is another one of those compilations that, on the face of it, should be easy to pull together. After all, Paul Quinn never achieved anything more than cult status and his career was cruelly cut short by a degenerative illness. But, as is always the case when it involves a real favourite, the very notion of limiting it to ten songs turns into a tortuous exercise.

It was also very tempting to go for things in a chronological order as that would have supported an effort at plotting Paul’s career in some detail, but I just love this man’s voice so much that I stuck to the principle of trying to create the perfect album.

Here’s a link to what was eligible for consideration, compiled with great care by the Proprietor of The Punk Rock Hotel. I decided immediately that unless Paul was on lead or at least co-lead vocal then I wouldn’t look to include it. I’m lucky enough to have just about everything which is on that list, including some of the unreleased material, but some of the quality is a bit on the ropey side and not having the professional tools to clean things up or improve them then these too had to be ruled out. But having said all of that, it would have been difficult in the end for any of the ten songs included today to have been displaced….

Oh and in case anyone is wondering why there’s a slew of records from 84/85 and then nothing till ’92…..the contract which Paul signed in the 80s precluded him being able to appear on any other label for a certain number of years.  Criminal.

SIDE A

1. Will I Ever Be Inside Of You? (album track by Paul Quinn & The Independent Group, 1994)

Even if this had been the only song that the great man had ever been part of then his legendary status would have been sealed.

The opening track of the band’s second and final LP may extend to over nine minutes in length but there isn’t a single second of waste or excess. The Independent Group were ridiculously talented but then again what else would you expect when it was made up of some of the greatest musicians to ever have come out of Scotland at any time in our history, never mind that short period in the aftermath of punk and when a certain type of indie music gained a foothold. Add in lush orchestration and a contribution from one our then leading opera singers and you have a recipe for something unique and unforgettable.

2. Pale Blue Eyes (12” single by Paul Quinn & Edwyn Collins, 1984)

Paul and Edwyn were great friends and Alan Horne was determined that somehow he could get them working together. In 1984, Orange Juice had finally imploded and Edwyn was in the throes of establishing himself as a solo artist and Paul had just quit Bourgie Bourgie before the debut album was finished. The conditions for the perfect storm were completed by London Records deciding to give Alan a wad of money to operate a new label which he christened Swamplands. This stunning cover of a Velvet Underground number was the first release on the new label. It’s ridiculous that it failed to garner much radio support and subsequently flopped, especially when you think just how much dross was dominating the charts that year.

3. The Damage Is Done (album track by Paul Quinn & The Independent Group, 1992)

Legend has it that Alan Horne resurrected Postcard in 1992 for the sole reason of putting out records featuring Paul Quinn. It’s certainly the case that The Phantom & The Archetypes was the first release on the label in more than eleven years and the excitement among those of us of a certain age in Glasgow was palpable when news emerged that the band would include James Kirk, Campbell Owens, Bobby Bluebell and Blair Cowan with Edwyn Collins also involved via the production desk. The end result however, turned out to be a lot different from what was imagined as it was not in the least bit indie nor was it any point jangly.

Indeed, a lot of the album sounds on initial listens as if it has been delivered by a Las Vegas lounge band – the sort of music that you hear in the background of a suitably noir or cult crime thriller – not all that attention grabbing except for the velvet-like vocal delivery.  Perhaps the point wasn’t to allow the music to dominate at any point but after repeated listens, things start to dawn and there’s a gradual appreciation of the nuances of the instrumentation, with Cowan’s keyboards in particular proving to be at the heart of the material, albeit beautifully buried deep in a masterful production. This is one of the best examples of what I’m rabbiting on about.

4. Breaking Point (12” single by Bourgie Bourgie, 1984)

The opening burst of cello will grab you and look to get you hooked immediately. If that doesn’t work, then surely you won’t be able to resist the voice.

This was my personal introduction to Paul Quinn as a lead vocalist in his own right (I’d first heard him on Barbecue which was a b-side to the 12” of I Can’t Help Myself by Orange Juice). In all truth I was as excited by the fact that Bourgie Bourgie was going to have a number of ex-Jazzateers in its line-up as I felt they were one the great ‘lost’ Scottish bands of the era. (If you don’t have a copy of their 1983 self-titled debut album on Rough Trade then I can only recommend you track down a copy – there’s a few out there at not too stupid a price.) But once I heard that voice I was smitten.

Worth also noting the classy and crisp production courtesy of the then little known Kingbird, aka Ian Broudie, whose work with so many bands in Liverpool and then later in his guise as Lightning Seeds has lit up many an indie disco over the past 30 plus years

5. Change Of Attitude (12” b-side by Bourgie Bourgie, 1984)

The follow-up single was Careless which is a decent enough stab at making a lush pop single in a style that was all the rage for a short while in the 80s – again it enjoyed a fine production courtesy of Mike Hedges who was usually found working alongside the Banshees, Cure or Associates for the most part. But to my ears, it’s the eight minutes plus on the b-side of the 12” which gives an indication of just how different and influential a band Bourgie Bourgie could have been if they hadn’t messily imploded after just two singles.  Having said that, I’ve no doubt MCA Records would have baulked if the rest of their output turned out this way. Production duties courtesy of Stephen Lironi who had done so much to shift the sound of latter day Altered Images.

SIDE B

1. Stupid Thing (single by Paul Quinn & The Independent Group, 1993)

Even if this had been the only song that the great man had ever been part of then his legendary status would have been sealed.

The lead track on the single that came between the two albums.

I’d even make a case that it is the greatest ever single in the history of Postcard Records (but I’d likely withdraw it when provided with the counter argument of Blueboy….but it’s a close run thing).

I’d even make the case that the two other tracks on the single – Passing Thought and a cover of Superstar – make this the greatest 3-track single in all of history (and then immediately withdraw it when provided with the counter argument of William/How Soon Is Now/Please Please Please….not quite such a close run thing).

I can’t think of anything else to add. It’s an impossible task with mere words to do this song justice.

2. Punk Rock Hotel (album track by Paul Quinn & The Independent Group, 1992)

The strength of this ICA is the voice, but here’s a track in which the other members of the Independent Group are allowed to shine and there’s a lot of enjoyment to be had from the guitar solo which comes courtesy of James Kirk. Or it might well be the work of Robert Hodgens. I can’t say for sure as the sleeve notes have the two of them down as guitarists but don’t indicate who played what part on each track.

Punk Rock Hotel is of course the name taken for the tremendous fan site dedicated to Paul Quinn. It’s inclusion here on the ICA is as much of a tip of the hat to the Proprietor as anything else. But it does fit in well at this juncture.

3. Passing Thought (album track by Paul Quinn & The Independent Group, 1994)

Each of Stupid Thing and Passing Thought were re-recorded for inclusion on the subsequent album a year later. It was a worthwhile exercise as some of the band personnel had changed and in particular the addition of the very talented Mick Slaven added a new dimension, certainly on the very few occasions that they were ever able to play live. This newer version is lusher and at times more menacing sounding than the original and demonstrates that there was lot more to Blair Cowan’s keyboard skills than he’s generally been given credit for going back to his time as a Commotion.

4. Louise Louise (radio session, 1984)

As mentioned earlier, Paul worked with Orange Juice providing a lead vocal on a b-side and backing vocal on other tracks such as Mud In Your Eye and Rip It Up (it’s his very distinctive wail that you hear as the hit single goes into its outro phase). It was no real surprise during the time that he and Edwyn worked as a duo that their material would include OJ songs but the only recording that has survived in any decent shape or form is from a session recorded for BBC Radio 1 back in 1984 and broadcast by Richard Skinner.

Louise Louise is one of the oldest OJ songs, dating back to the Postcard era but not given an official release until the second Polydor LP. It features some fantastic guitar work but suffers a bit from a rather fragile almost twee vocal partly as it was on the edge of Edwyn’s vocal range. No such issues with Paul who somehow pulls off the trick of maintaining the beautiful sentiments of the song despite a delivery that is the polar opposite of Edwyn’s.

Obscure fact – guitar on this track is played by Craig Gannon, ex-Aztec Camera and ex-Smith.

5. Tiger Tiger (single by Paul Quinn & the Nectarine No.9, 1995)

Following Fire Engines and Win, 90s Postcard signing Nectarine No.9 became the third of the great groups to be fronted by Davey Henderson.

I’m guessing it would have been Alan Horne’s idea to have Paul Quinn link up with them. The first result of the fruits of their collective labours was Tiger Tiger, a cover of a song by Head, a band who had briefly shone in the 80s without ever getting beyond cult status.

Worth noting that one of the members of Head was Garth Sager who had first come to notice with post-punk outfit The Pop Group in the late 70s; by 1995, Sager was a member of……The Nectarine No.9!!!

It was the lead track on a 4-song CD entitled Pregnant With Possibilities Vol.1 which was really a Postcard sampler. Whether it was always going to be a one-off collaboration or there were further irons in the fire, nobody other than Paul and Alan can truly say as this turned out to be the last time the great man performed a lead vocal of any sort as the sad news came not long after that he had been struck down by a debilitating illness that would subsequently be revealed as MS.

It’s a song that has always filled me with sadness. I don’t think anyone realised that it would be Paul’s final release and even when word came out that he was ill there was always hope that somehow he’d be well enough to sing again. No such luck.

Still, we’ll always have these and the others that didn’t make the cut….

mp3 : Paul Quinn & The Independent Group – Will I Ever Be Inside Of You?
mp3 : Paul Quinn & Edwyn Collins – Pale Blue Eyes (12″)
mp3 : Paul Quinn & The Independent Group – The Damage Is Done
mp3 : Bourgie Bourgie – Breaking Point (12″)
mp3 : Bourgie Bourgie – Change Of Attitude (12″)

mp3 : Paul Quinn & The Independent Group – Stupid Thing (single version)
mp3 : Paul Quinn & The Independent Group – Punk Rock Hotel
mp3 : Paul Quinn & The Independent Group – Passing Thought (album version)
mp3 : Paul Quinn & Edwyn Collins – Louise Louise
mp3 : Paul Quinn & The Nectarine No.9 – Tiger Tiger

Sigh.

Doves, Sub Sub

BONUS POSTING : SOME OF JIMI GOODWIN’S FINEST MOMENTS

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It hit me as I was putting the posting together for The Cost Of Living EP that I’d never given any space on this blog to the work of Jimi Goodwin who contributed the very fine essay to the booklet for the box set.

Potted history.

Jimi Goodwin is the bassist, vocalist and guitarist for Doves whose other two members are twin brothers are Jez and Andy Williams.

They had been school friends but it wasn’t until 1989 that they formed a dance band called Sub Sub, enjoying the patronage of Bernard Sumner from New Order and eventually a huge chart hit in 1993 with Ain’t No Love (Ain’t No Use).

Three years later, the band’s Manchester studio caught fire and burned down, leading them to abandon their previous style and start afresh with an alt-rock anthemic sound under the name Doves. They started off on Casino Records, which was owned and run by Rob Gretton (manager of New Order) on which they released three EPs in 1998 and 1999. After Gretton’s sad and untimely death, they shifted to Heavenly Records and enjoyed a fair amount of commercial success with nine Top 40 singles and four Top 20 albums (including two which reached #1) between 2000 and 2009.

I don’t actually have all that much from Doves in the collection but thought by now they would have been nominated for an ICA by a discerning reader. In the absence of such, here’s some fine songs on which Jimi Goodwin has played and/or sang, in chronological order of release:-

mp3 : Sub Sub – Ain’t No Love, Ain’t No Use
mp3 : Sub Sub (feat Bernard Sumner) – This Time I’m Not Wrong
mp3 : Doves – The Cedar Room
mp3 : Doves – Pounding
mp3 : Doves – Black And White Town

Enjoy

Clash

THE CLASH ON SUNDAYS (9)

The Clash - The Cost Of Living EP - Front

Disc 9 is The Cost Of Living EP.

I mentioned last week that when English Civil War had been released as the second 45 off Give ‘Em Enough Rope how Joe Strummer had promised that any fans who maybe felt a bit short-changed would have it made up to them with the next 45.

It was only a three-month wait till the next release and it came in the shape of an EP with four songs, one of which was the band’s first stab at putting out a cover as the lead track, another was the re-recording of an old favourite that was proving expensive to track down and own, while there were two brand new songs to enjoy that were only ever going to be available on the EP.  Oh and it came with a degree of fancy packaging, the concept of which lampooned a popular brand of soap powder in the UK.

The Cost Of Living EP was a stupendous release.  The cover version sounded as punky as anything they had recorded up to that point and didn’t feel like a song dating back to 1966.  The two new tracks were incredibly catchy and listenable and bordered on pop…..one of them even featured a harmonica solo ans acoustic guitar….and then there was the tongue-in cheek approach to the re-recording of Capital Radio with Joe’s mad ad-libs and then signing off with a crazy spoof sales jingle .

mp3 : The Clash – I Fought The Law
mp3 : The Clash – Groovy Times
mp3 : The Clash – Gates Of The West
mp3 : The Clash – Capital Radio Two

Turns out the box set falls down a bit at this juncture as the version of Capital Radio Two is the same as later made available on the import LP Black Market Clash. To get the full effect you need a vinyl copy of the EP from back in 79, so it’s just as well I have one in the collection:-

mp3 : The Clash – Capital Radio Two (with jingle)

There’s another excellent essay in the box set booklet from a musician who, as a kid, was mesmerised by The Clash.

COST OF LIVING EP : Released 11 May 1979 : #22

I was an eight-year-old punk when “The Cost Of Living” came out.  My dad was well into his music and for my birthday present he took me to see The Clash at the Apollo in Manchester. I can still remember seeing the sign outside as we arrived : “LIVE TONIGHT – THE CLASH”

Joe Strummer was totally wired, throwing his guitar around the stage. We were sitting in the balcony and by the end the whole place was going crazy. Seats were getting ripped out and flying everywhere. My old man was like, ‘we’d better get you out of here.’  The first line of “I Fought The Law” is the killer : ‘Breaking rocks in the hot sun’. Fucking brilliant.  After that you can do anything.

I found out recently that “I Fought The Law” was written by Sonny Curtis, the guitarist in The Crickets. It’s weird, it’s better than anything Buddy Holly ever did! And of course, Bobby Fuller was dead at 22, which only adds to the mystery.

It’s a great track, but then The Clash always did brilliant covers: “Police and Thieves”, “Brand New Cadillac”. I’ve still got my dad’s vinyl copies of the first album. I dug it out the other day. As a kid, I’d written all over it in crayon: ‘Jimi Goodwin – Punk Rock Lives’. The seeds of everything I’ve done since were sown there, I reckon!

Jimi Goodwin, The Doves

Skids

A LAZY STROLL DOWN MEMORY LANE : 45 45s AT 45 (22)

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON THURSDAY 24 APRIL 2008

AND ADAPTED SLIGHTLY FOR A RE-POST ON SATURDAY 2 AUGUST 2014

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I’m just about halfway through this epic adventure, and maybe it’s a bit of fatigue that’s set in.

But its getting more and more difficult to put into words, in a different way, just why a particular 45 means so much to me.

I think I’ve also thrown myself by Buzzcocks appearing way down at #23. Can I really justify that it’s better than what you’re getting today? Looks like I’m going to have to…

My love for this song is very much down to two things.

Firstly, The Skids were the first Scottish band to really make a big impact on the punk/new wave scene. And by that, I mean they were probably the first to get themselves onto Top Of The Pops.

Given how little exposure bands got on TV back in the 70s, getting your face on TOTP was an incredibly important arena to be seen on. And the debut performance from Richard Jobson et al will stay etched firmly in the minds of everyone who saw it. As well as in the minds of their parents.

This truly was the first time I heard my dad say something completely negative about something on TOTP. He was 43 years of age when this came out…..his taste was a little bit of Johnny Cash, a little bit of Neil Diamond, a little bit of Supertramp and a little bit of Status Quo. He knew that music was important to me, and never did he slag off anything that I brought into the house or that I professed to loving when watching TOTP.

Then he saw and heard The Skids.

I don’t think he swore – at that time, he wouldn’t do so in front of any of his sons. But he laughed out loud at Richard’s efforts at dancing and singing, which truly were like nothing else on the planet. I didn’t realise it at the time, but this was the generation gap finally showing through.

Of course I went out and bought the record a few days later with that week’s money from the paper round. Of course I played it louder than anything else I owned at the time. Of course I tried, behind the privacy of a closed bedroom door, to dance the way I had seen Richard dance (remember kids, no VHS tapes in those days, you saw something once and you had to commit it to memory).

There must have been thousands doing the same as me because the single continued to rise up the charts. TOTP had a policy of not having bands on two weeks in a row (unless they were at #1), so it was a fortnight before the band got back onto the show. This time my dad went into the kitchen and made a cup of tea as he was thoroughly sick to his back teeth with the song by now. I was a teenage rebel……at last.

Oh and the second reason why I love this song? One of the best b-sides ever. No arguments.

mp3 : The Skids – Into The Valley
mp3 : The Skids – TV Stars (live at The Marquee, London)

The TOTP performance is now widely available thanks to youtube. As is a hugely clever advert featuring the song, which I’m sure must have made my dad laugh many years later.

Happy days.

Rezillos

BONUS POSTING : LINK TO A NEW SITE BY AN OLD FRIEND

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One of the links on the right hand side is to The Corn Poppy, primarily an art/photography blog which is run by Phil Oates who has long been a supporter of this and indeed the original Vinyl Villain in the google days.

Phil has been in touch about a great piece of nostalgia he’s been working on, and he tells a self-deprecating tale which may well be familiar to many of us who have been at hot and sweaty gigs.

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Thought I’d let you know about a new blog I’ve put together. Its a time limited event, 40 or so posts, each featuring a months worth of artists who performed at Liverpool’s Eric’s Club, between October 1976 and March 1980. Each post will include a flyer/member’s notice and contemporary videos of the bands. A couple of these (Clash, XTC) feature the audio of their Eric’s gigs and there’s footage of Elvis Costello on stage at Eric’s. There’ll be one post a day until we get to March 1980 in mid April. It’s called, with no imagination, Liverpool Eric’s and you can find it at http://liverpoolerics.blogspot.co.uk/

Eric’s was a wondrous place, the first gigs in October ’76 were Stranglers, Runaways and Sex Pistols; the night the Clash played in May ’77 was the night Julian Cope, Ian McCulloch and Pete Wylie set out to become rock stars/legends. I can remember my first gig there, headlined by Scots band The Rezillos. I was a bit young for Eric’s; it was a member’s club with a minimum age of 20. I was 16 first time I went. I recall one occasion when Jimmy the Bouncer asked me how old I was. 16 year old me says 20. Jimmy asks if I have any proof. “Well” I say, my voice cracking and going up an octave, “yer can phone an’ ask me mam”. That wasn’t this first night. Back to the Rezillos.

Most of the gigs I went to in those days were at the Empire, a 2,500 seater, where you stayed sat until the encore, then ran down the front for the last 15 minutes. Eric’s was very different. For the Rezillos it was one big mosh pit. They were incredible. Total energy. I was right at the front pogoing, bouncing up and down, loving it. It was so hot, there was no air, after a while I had to get out , get to the bar, get a drink. I fought my way out to the bar at the back of the room. I asked for a pint.

The barmaid said we’ve got no pint glasses left, do you want two halves. It made sense so I walked off with a half pint glass in each hand. I’d passed over all the money I had, I wasn’t sure how much drinks cost in a club. I didn’t take any change. I walked away from the bar and . . . passed out. Dropped the two glasses. Came round, no money, no drink, dehydrating, in a room like a sauna. Walked towards a stairway, not the entrance, crashed through the fire escape out into Mathew Street. Walked off into the Liverpool night in a daze. Couldn’t wait to go back the following week………

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JC adds……

I’ve never passed out before, but only because I’ve pulled myself out of the mosh pit and either gone out for fresh air (sometimes not getting back in thanks to evil bastard bouncers) or got water and poured it all over myself.  I remember coming out of a particularly crazy Bunnymen gig in Glasgow in a tiny venue in the early 80s and the amount of steam coming off me was ridiculous.  That many of the smaller venues nowadays have some sort of ventilation system that wasn’t around 30-odd years ago is a godsend.

Phil’s musings about Eric’s are worth checking out and I’ll be adding a permanent link over the weekend.

In the meantime…..

mp3 : The Rezillos – Destination Venus
mp3 : The Rezillos – Somebody’s Gonna Get Their Head Kicked In Tonight
mp3 : The Rezillos – Top Of The Pops

Enjoy

 

Suede

LOOKING BACK ON IT, THEY SPOILED US VERY EARLY ON

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I received a rather lovely e-mail the other day from Berlin courtesy of Thomas in which he queried whether I had a disdain for Suede given that they hadn’t featured on the blog.  I was surprised this was the case – the band had certainly been on the old blog a few times  – but indeed Thomas was right.  In what is now fast approaching 1,000 posts, I haven’t mentioned Suede except in passing.

I wasn’t fortunate enough to latch on to them so early that I saw them in 1992 when they played what is now regarded as a legendary gig at King Tut’s in Glasgow, but I was in the audience on 1 April 1993 when they returned to the city on the tour promoting the self-titled debut LP that had been released just a few days earlier.  The gig was at the now demolished Plaza Ballroom on the south side of the city and it remains in my memory as one of the most dynamic and energetic performances that I’ve ever witnessed, in the main down to the astonishing guitar playing from Bernard Butler although to be fair Brett Anderson was a terrific frontman.

There were three singles issued in advance of the album.  I bought all of them on CD and what was particularly impressive was the quality of the b-sides.  In all, you’d find nine tracks and there’s a case to be made that almost all of them would all find their way onto an ICA…well they would if I was penning it.

The down side was that having made so many great tracks available so early on that some of the tracks on the debut LP initially sort of felt like a bit of a letdown in comparison.  A few weeks later a fourth single then lifted from the album (again with two new b-sides – no remixes or live versions for these boys) and then on Valentine’s Day 1994 the band issued their fifth single, a brand new song with two more new songs.

It was an astonishing run of 45s that even now, more than 20 years on are well worth a listen.  It’s not that I fell out of love with Suede after this, but they had set such a high standard that was going to be impossible to maintain that I became a bit detached. I still bought the singles and albums but never went out of  my way to see them in the live setting.  Besides, and although the new line-up was still enthralling, it wasn’t the same without Bernard.

mp3 : Suede – The Drowners
mp3 : Suede – To The Birds
mp3 : Suede – My Insatiable One

mp3 : Suede – Metal Mickey
mp3 : Suede – Where The Pigs Don’t Fly
mp3 : Suede – He’s Dead

mp3 : Suede – Animal Nitrate
mp3 : Suede – Painted People
mp3 : Suede – The Big Time

mp3 : Suede – So Young
mp3 : Suede – Dolly
mp3 : Suede – High Rising

mp3 : Suede – Stay Together (edit)
mp3 : Suede – The Living Dead
mp3 : Suede – My Dark Star
mp3 : Suede – Stay Together (full version)

Enjoy.

Chemikal Underground Records, Pavement

CHEMIKAL UNDERGOUND COMPETITION – WINNER OF THE

chemwinner

For those of you can’t read my appalling handwriting, the bit of paper in the right hand of Stewart Henderson reads MICHAEL BOYES.

His was the name drawn from the 32 who entered the competition to win £50 of stuff from the online shop at Chemikal Underground. Incidentally, every entrant was a bloke….

I’ve been in touch already with Michael and will also be dropping an e-mail to those who entered but were unlucky in the draw. Stewart has come up with an idea of a consolation prize for all concerned…..

Many many thanks to everyone, and in particular the folks at Chem for supporting the idea for the competition.

Here’s a bit of music non-Chem related, but from a band who would have been a perfect fit for them:-

mp3 : Pavement – Winner of The

Yup, that’s its title.  Winner of The.  It was the b-side to the CD single release of Stereo.

Style Council

THE STYLE COUNCIL SINGLES (13)

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The music press had reported in Autumn 1986 that the band had been busy in the studio writing and recording what would be their third studio album with plans in place for everything to appear in early 87.  Indeed, it was the second week of January that saw the release of a new 45 which, given that Have You Ever Had It Blue? was a re-recording of an old song, meant it was the first new material in almost two years – almost unheard of with Paul Weller given how prolific he’d been his entire career.

It Didn’t Matter was a catchy enough pop single to merit attention from fans and critics alike, not to mention radio DJs desperate for something other than Christmas song after Christmas song.  Maybe not the greatest Weller single thus far but not the worst. It entered the charts at #15 and then climbed up to #9, giving the band their seventh Top Ten success.  Little did any of us know it would be their last:-

mp3 : The Style Council – It Didn’t Matter

Slightly concerning was the lack of material for b-sides, which as you’ll have seen from most of the previous singles featured in the series wasn’t ever a problem.  The 12″ had an instrumental version of the a-side together with this which was also common to the 7″:-

mp3 : The Style Council – All Year Round

A tune that bore than a passing resemblance to The Big Boss Groove, the song that had been the double-A release with You’re The Best Thing.  Maybe the great man was running out of ideas…..

Kanye West

AN IMAGINARY COMPILATION ALBUM : #065 : KANYE WEST

A GUEST POSTING BY ROUGH S.F aka GANG$TA RHYMES

Kanye

This is that Goon’s Shit. An Imaginary Kanye West Compilation by Rough S.F aka Gang$ta Rhymes

I hear what you are saying about Kanye West.

“Kanye West is an asshole.”

“He’s a self-absorbed prick who rants just to get attention.”

That sadly is the point with Kanye West, I don’t like his public persona, but I tell you what, I’m not going to sit here and deny his talent. Whether this is behind the production desk on the mic – he has this magnetic quality that always keeps you wondering what he is going to do next. This is the man that put a Raekwon (a member of the Wu Tang Clan) and Justin Bieber on the same record and made it work. Somehow. For the only time in my life, I listen to a record with Justin Bieber on it. This is also the man who launched ‘Yeezus’ by releasing ‘New Slaves’ a brutally angry record about racial segregation in American prisons by plastering his face all over random buildings all over the world.

You think he cares what you think of him?

He’s the man. Now I’m not stupid enough to argue that just because you win an award you are any good, I mean some years ago, Lulu won an Oscar. Lulu. Also I think Gary Barlow has three Ivor Novello awards for songwriting. Gary Barlow – but Kanye West has won more than 20 Grammys. How many other artists have won that many?

He’s the man. I’m also not stupid enough to believe everything the music press right about stuff – I mean ‘A Rush of Blood to the Head’ by Coldplay was voted Album of the Year by seven mainstream papers when it was released. But Kanye West has more records in Rolling Stones Top 500 albums of all time than any other rapper. Pitchfork magazine voted two of his records in the Top Ten (1st and 8th) greatest records of this decade. Time Magazine voted him one of the most influential people in the world last year, and yet still people say he’s shit.

He’s the man. I’m also not stupid enough to say just because people copy you or be influenced by you that this is a good thing. But. When West released the Daft Punk sampling ‘Stronger’ he single-handedly paved the way for a disco and electro revival in the States in the latter part of the ‘noughties’ (sorry, terrible term) and paved the way for a new breed of hip hop acts to change the way it looked at life, much of the ‘Gangsta’ persona has been dropped, acts like Frank Ocean, The Weeknd, Future and Drake arrived and Hip Hop changed, and in the last ten years it’s been better than it has been for years and years.

Whatever you all think, let’s face facts. Kanye West is one of the greatest hip hop acts of all time. He is as bold and creative artist as ANY of the boys with guitars we all adore. His sound continues to evolve with each release. His albums range from soulful (College Dropout) through autotune hell (808s & Heartbreak) to the experimental genius of ‘Yeezus’. So he is an arrogant self-publicising wankpuffin, who cares! He is a rapper, that’s what rappers do. So what that he has a mouth the size of the Brooklyn Tunnel, He’s a rapper. Get over it. So he dissed Taylor Swift and married a Kardashian. He also dissed George Bush, funded numerous inner city charities (google the Kanye West Foundation), and helped to launch the careers of several excellent rappers through his constant work and involvement in the American Hip Hop scene. Alongside Jay – Z and possibly Kendrick Lamar, Kanye West is probably one of the most influential people in the world right now – whether you like or not. So – here it is, a Kanye West Imaginary Compilation. Enjoy it you muthafucking jive turkeys.

Side One

Jesus Walks – From ‘The College Dropout’ (2004)

They said you can rap about anything except for Jesus—but Kanye did just that, and made a certified hit. It also got praise from critics and fans alike. The drums on this are perfect, the gospel chants are unlike anything else in hip hop. The fact that this is as religious a song as you can feasibly get without turning a bit Cliff Richard is incredible.

Niggas in Paris – From ‘Watch the Throne’ (2011) (with Jay Z)

By 2011, West had become a rap icon. So when he linked with his mentor Jay-Z to record the collaborative ‘Watch The Throne’ album, it was merely a shits‘n’giggles LP recorded for their own amusement. Such opulence was apparent on album anthem ‘Niggas in Paris’, which introduced the term “cray” and reminded us all that we’re mere minions to the throne. That shit cray.

Runaway – From ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’ (2010)

Chilling, brooding and poignant, ‘Runaway’ was the clear centrepiece of ‘My Beautiful Dark Twisted Fantasy’. After six minutes of intricate self-loathing with collaborator Pusha T, ‘Ye emphasises the point with another three minutes of piano-laced reflection, this time distorting his vocals to the point of incoherence. Even if you hate Auto-Tune, you have to respect his artistic approach here.

Through The Wire – From ‘College Dropout’ (2004)

Before Kanye would crash Taylor Swift’s parade and highlight then-US President George Bush’s apparent disdain for black people, he was just a regular dude trying to get on. These days, it’s crazy to think that Kanye’s career almost ended before it got started. For ‘Through The Wire’, he rapped through a wired jaw, the result of a nearly fatal car accident in 2002. This track was Kanye at his most human, before all the flash and decadence that keeps the artist from fawning adoration. Oh and it samples Chaka Khan, and that is essential listening.

New God Flow – From ‘New God Flow’ Single (featuring Pusha T) 2012

While “New God Flow” is heavy on the samples (most notably Ghostface’s “Mighty Healthy”) it provided the perfect backdrop for Kanye to shed some light on the recent violence that had been plaguing parts of the States. “I’m from the 312/Where cops don’t through/And dreams don’t come true” he tells us. Kanye has always created certain songs with packed stadiums of festivals in mind – which probably explains the military call and response at the end. Heavenly.

Side Two

New Slaves from ‘Yeezus’ (2014)

My favourite Kanye moment. This is just vicious. A song about racial segregation and not following the crowd “You see there’s leaders and there’s followers/But I’d rather be a dick than a swallower” he raps near the start. That, is an inspired lyric. Even if you hate rap, hip hop, anything without a guitar, applaud its genius. The song is pretty basic with this lovely little bassline running through it – but then this truck of beat drives through it to an aggressive conclusion. “Fuck you and your Hampton house” he spits – and you get Frank Ocean as well, cooing sweetly at the end.

Heartless from ‘808’s & Heartbreak’ (2008)

Due to a string of tumultuous events in Kanye’s life (relationship breakdown, mothers death, the collapse of the regime in Burkino Faso, that sort of thing), his album ‘808s & Heartbreak’ broke from his past and took an entirely different path. Favouring Auto-Tune and erm, singing over traditional rapping, 808swas a total departure. And mostly it was difficult to listen to, but then you get this.

Cold and hollow, “Heartless” probably best describes this dark yet beautiful moment in his career. The tones Kanye brought to life may have sounded heartless, but the song was really all about affairs of the heart. Tragedy in love is something every human on the planet can relate to. Bad break-ups happen, and since Kanye was living through one at the time, his honesty bled through. That’s probably why the song sold 5.5 million copies worldwide. He’s shit though, right?

Can’t Tell Me Nothing (single)(2007)

If there were one song to describe Kanye West and his career, this would be it. A statement, a promise, and a motto—“Can’t Tell Me Nothin’” set the tone for his defiant third album, Graduation; and gave West his first-ever street anthem. This song also marks the exact moment in his career when he went from rapper to international superstar. Its his finest moment.

Black Skinheads from ‘Yeezus’ (2014)

This tackles the tricky subject of a black man dating a white woman – note the reference to people ‘coming to kill King Kong’. On this song, West sounds as savage as he ever has done. He is fit to burst. He claims to be wiser than he’s ever been before and its this song that the ‘haters’ come in for particular attention. ‘If I knew what I know in the past, I would have been blacked out on your ass’ he tells them. Watch your backs, Kanye’s angry. Essential stuff.

Good Friday from ‘G.O.O.D Friday’ (2010) – features a cast of thousands

In 2010 West released a series of singles from his ‘G.O.O.D Friday’ series – which was kind of to launch the ‘G.O.O.D’ records label and gave them all away as free downloads. This was the fifth instalment and about 600 people guessed on the record. An ode to going out ‘I know the city getting ready for me’ he states and with that a classic joint was done.

He’s the man. Accept it.

GR

mp3 : Kanye West – Jesus Walks
mp3 : Kanye West – Niggas in Paris
mp3 : Kanye West – Runaway
mp3 : Kanye West – Through The Wire
mp3 : Kanye West – New God Flow

mp3 : Kanye West – New Slaves
mp3 : Kanye West – Heartless
mp3 : Kanye West – Can’t Tell Me Nothing
mp3 : Kanye West – Black Skinheads
mp3 : Kanye West – Good Friday

JC adds…….

Love or loath the man, there’s no getting away from the fact, as GR highlights, he’s made a lot of great music over the year.

Adam Stafford

IT’S FINALLY MARCH 2016

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The rather strange title of today’s posting simply reflects the fact that I’ve been waiting patiently for an awful long time for March 2016 to arrive as it marks the month when Adam Stafford finally gets to release his new album.

I’ve said before that if Adam lived and worked in somewhere like New York, Berlin or Tokyo he would be hailed as a visionary genius making the most extraordinary music, much of which would be famous to millions thanks to it being snapped up by directors and producers for use on film soundtracks or as themes to strange and unfathomable TV commercials. It’s his rotten luck to be Scottish and while he is revered by those of us who are fans there are just far too many folk out there who never get the chance to hear or experience this most incredible of talents.

His last work, Imaginary Walls Collapse, should have won the Scottish Album of The Year after its release in 2013 but had to make do with simply making the long list of finalists. It was an album that defied conventional description, with a thin white duke playing his guitar, beat-boxing, crooning and using effect pedals to make sounds unlike any other release that year. And it worked even better in the live setting.

I feared that an album of such magnitude couldn’t be topped but I’m thrilled and amazed that Taser Revelations, which comes out on Song By Toad Records on Monday 14 March, achieves that by some distance as it is an alt-music opus in the truest sense of the phrase.

If you like your music to be accessible, radio friendly and occasionally danceable in an indie-disco sort of way then there are a number of songs on this album which will more than tick all of your boxes. On the other hand, if you prefer things to be more experimental, weird and reminiscent of the sort of stuff that would stop you in your tracks when spun by John Peel, then there is a great deal within its grooves that you will never tire of.  It’s a captivating album that seems to offer something new and different with every listen with all sorts of subtle and clever bits of melody, instrumentation and vocal delivery (often thanks to the wonderful harmonies provided by Anna Miles). Oh and then there’s the continued evidence that Adam Stafford is one of the finest guitarists of this era.

The songs have been in the live sets for quite a while and indeed it was as long ago as ten months that a taster single was released :-

mp3 : Adam Stafford – Atheist Money

A second single, Phantom Billions is due for release soon. It contains steel drums and is set to a foot-tapping, head-nodding and infectiously catchy beat that pisses all over anything in the charts right now. I’ll get round to sharing that tune with you when the promo video becomes available!! (one has been made which is a first for the record label and the artist). In the meantime, I recommend that you demonstrate your impeccable taste by getting a hold of the album, which is available on pre-order, from here.

Finally….and at the risk of becoming repetitive, I have to emphasise that hearing the music of Adam Stafford is one thing – seeing him perform on stage is something else altogether. Thankfully there’s an upcoming short tour:-

March 11th (Fri): Summerhall, Edinburgh, The Dissection Room w/Robbie Lesiuk & Withered Hand (solo)
March 17th (Thurs): Mad Hatters, Inverness w/Robbie Lesiuk
March 18th (Fri): The Old Bridge Inn, Aviemore w/Robbie Lesiuk
March 19th (Sat): Aberdeen, Downstairs, w/Robbie Lesiuk & Special Guests
March 20th (Sun): Glasgow, The Hug & Pint w/Robbie Lesiuk, WOLF and Sweethearts of The Prison Rodeo

I’ll certainly be at the Edinburgh and Glasgow gigs. Most likely weeping with unbridled happiness down the front.

Chemikal Underground Records

CHEMIKAL UNDERGROUND COMPETITION : FINAL CALL FOR ENTRIES

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21 years of the most important and influential label ever to come out of Scotland and I’m marking it by dipping into my pocket to spend £50 at the Chemikal Undergound Records online shop with the selections being made and shipped to one lucky T(n)VV reader, no matter where they live.

All you have to do is answer a question – and even if you don’t know the answer immediately you’ll find it available after a quick look on the Chem website.

Q : Which two musicians make up the band Aloha Hawaii?

Send your answer to thevinylvillain@hotmail.co.uk

But be quick about it as entries close at midnight tonight (UK time). The winner will be drawn out of a hat by none other than Stewart Henderson, MD of Chem and of course the bass player with The Delgados back in the days.

And to help you along, I’ve been compiling some Chem playlists and featuring them here. This is the third and last of them:-

You can also download it:-

mp3 : Radio 236 – Chem Underground (Vol 3)

Here’s a list of the songs that make up this particular mix:-

Father’s Eyes – De Rosa
Foxtrot Vandals – Zoey Van Goey
Any Way I Can – Rick Redbeard
The Actress – The Delgados
The First Big Weekend – Arab Strap
Leave You Wanting More – Sluts Of Trust
The Copper Top – Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat
Exits – Aereogramme
Look After Your Wife – Lord Cut Glass
Oh Yeah…You Look Quite Nice – Mother & The Addicts
A-Z And Back Again – Magoo
Trouble – Adrian Crowley

And here’s a promo of one of the above songs:-

Good luck

Clash

THE CLASH ON SUNDAYS (8)

033052e7bfbd234c9e2abdaa5f2cca0fDisc 8 is English Civil War.

The end of year polls in 1978 had been good to The Clash.  They were still seen as being a band for the people, not willing to compromise or sell-out with the continued non-appearances on the likes of Top of The Pops to promote singles being held up as a particular example.

It was also known that they weren’t keen for singles to be lifted off albums, and indeed the decision by CBS to issue Remote Control off the debut LP had caused huge friction.  But there was hardly an eyebrow raised in surprise when it was revealed that a second single was to be culled from Give Em Enough Rope a full three months after the LP had been released.  Part of this was down to the band not making a fuss – indeed it seemed as if they wanted it released as they felt it was important to bring as much attention as possible to their fears and concerns around the growing rise of a neo-Nazi right-wing in the UK.

English Civil War was a loud and very punky track with a tune that was taken from an old marching song dating back to the American Civil War.  Joe’s new lyrics to the jaunty tune drew attention to the fact that if the rise of the right continued in the way it was threatening to then it would be up those who cared most to fight against it in the streets.  And as if to really drive the message home, the lyrics were printed on the rear of the single which had as its front cover, a still lifted from the animated version of Animal Farm as its front cover.

mp3 : The Clash – English Civil War

The fact that the band could their message across in graphic and musical fashions allayed any overriding concerns that fans were being ripped off – and besides, Joe told everyone that they would make it up to everyone in a special way with the next single.

The b-side was a punky cover of an old reggae tune recorded by The Maytals in 1969 and which came to wider attention when it was included on the soundtrack of the movie The Harder They Come:-

mp3 : The Clash – Pressure Drop

It reached #25 in the singles chart, which was an outstanding achievement for a song that most fans would already have owned. The essay in the booklet is a good one….

ENGLISH CIVIL WAR : Released 23 February 1979 : #25 in the UK singles chart

I bought Give ‘Em Enough Rope in the record department of Rumblelows in Northwich. I’d bought Sandanista a few weeks before, and I was at that stage where you want to hear everything you can. The first three tracks just blew me away – Safe European Home, Tommy Gun and English Civil War. I’d never heard a record which sounded so big and powerful. 

I love English Civil War. It’s a marching song. The intro is all on one chord, then Strummer just screams “Alright!”.  At  14, it sounded fucking incredible – all-guns-blazing rock’n’roll. I’d go round to my mate’s house and put it on and we’d all jump around the bedroom.  It’s the sound of the last gang in town arriving through the speakers.

I think the lyrics are adapted from an old American Civil War song.  I remember singing along to ‘When Johnny Comes Marching Home Again’ but I never really knew what it was about. I just knew it must be about standing up for what you believe in. It really fired up my imagination. Looking back, dancing around that bedroom with my mates to English Civil war was my first experience of finding a community through music, outside of school.  They were a gang, and so were we.

The Clash weren’t just a brilliant rock’n’roll band. they made me realise it was possible to live out my dreams.

Tim Burgess,  The Charlatans

Buzzcocks

A LAZY STROLL DOWN MEMORY LANE : 45 45s AT 45 (23)

ORIGINALLY POSTED ON WEDNESDAY 23 APRIL 2008

Buzzcocks_-_EverFallenInLove_-_SingleCover

Now you might not believe this, but it is true.

When I was typing out the words and thoughts to accompany the song that made #24 on this chart, I couldn’t remember what it was that had made #23.

But it turns out to be the 1978 song I had in my mind when I was wittering on about scratchy guitars, a tune that made you leap around and sweat profusely while joining in on a chorus to die for and all in the space of something lasting less than 2mins 30 secs in length. (OK….the song is actually 2 mins 43 seconds in length)

Do I really need to say anything else?

mp3 : Buzzcocks – Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t Have)?
mp3 : Buzzcocks – Just Lust

Some stats. The single was released in September 1978. That means it’s more than 37 years of age!!!!! (Go back the other way and its unimaginable that in 1979 there would be anyone raving about a ‘minor’ hit song from 1941.)

It was the band’s biggest hit, reaching #12 in the charts.

I’m actually at a loss to work out how Ever Fallen In Love? is only at #23 in the rundown.

I suppose its because I think there are 22 singles better than it…..but even I’m having doubts.

 

Stranglers

AN IMAGINARY COMPILATION ALBUM : #064 : THE STRANGLERS

A GUEST POSTING FROM JONNY THE FRIENDLY LAWYER

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What to make of The Stranglers? The band came to prominence during the first wave of UK punk, but didn’t exactly fit the ‘young, loud and snotty’ mold. Drummer Jet Black adopted a suitable moniker, but he was nearly 40 when the band started releasing records. Singer/guitarist Hugh Cornwell held a university degree in biochemistry and did research in Sweden towards a Ph.D. Bassist Jean-Jacques Burnel was a classically trained guitarist. And what the hell was Dave Greenfield doing onstage behind a fucking Hammond organ? Old, educated, musically adept—plus a Dylan-era keyboard into the mix—no wonder Johnny Rotten sneered them off as “hippies with short hair.”

Live, the band were tremendous, if unfriendly and antagonistic. Burnel was a menacing figure—a muscular black belt lurching around as if he’d jump offstage at a moment’s notice to kick some ass. He had a great sound: a Fender Precision with the tone knob dimed, played with a pick directly over the bridge. This gives the bottom end a nasty growl that typified the ‘Gers early recordings. (Example: ‘Dead Ringer’ from No More Heroes.) Black was an unflashy but perfect time-keeper, comparable to, say, the Bunnymen’s Pete De Freitas. Cornwell did the talking for the band, what little there was. True to punk form he didn’t play extended guitar solos. Untrue to punk form, his songs were filled with tight, well-arranged vocal harmonies. Greenfield’s organ, it must be admitted, provided a signature musicality that distinguished the band from their contemporaries. I always thought he was kind of a prat, though, because in concerts he’d sit a full pint prominently atop his keyboard which he’d ignore until it was time for a complicated organ bit. Then he’d reach for the glass and take a pull to show off that he could play the hard part one-handed. Loser.

The Stranglers got off to a great start: their first five albums all were top 10 UK hits; three went gold and one platinum. They weren’t slowed down by Cornwell’s imprisonment for a drug bust, the whole band’s jailing for inciting a riot in Paris, or repeated accusations of misogyny and violence (Burnel infamously socked Jon Savage during an interview). They began the 80’s as an established post-punk act. Their sound grew more complex, and the group began to experiment with longer tunes with odd time signatures. In fact, their biggest ever single, 1982’s ‘Golden Brown’, is written in waltz time. The song made it all the way to number 2, and was only kept out of the top spot by The Jam’s ‘Town Called Malice’.

The band continued to make great records until…they stopped making great records. I can’t explain it. For no apparent reason, Stranglers music got weaker, sappier, more commercial but less appealing. The energy and aggression dissolved. “European Female”, from the 1983 LP Feline, was the last top 10 single the band wrote. It was also the first song on their new label, Epic. Later songs that did manage to chart couldn’t come close to the quality of the band’s earlier album tracks, or even b-sides. Cornwell hung around for 3 subsequent LPs, then bailed after 1990’s unmemorable 10. Unbelievably, the Stranglers are still a going concern—Wikipedia tells us they’ve released another 7 studio LPs and are actively touring, albeit without Black (now in his late 70’s).

This imaginary compilation focuses on the band’s tenure with United Artists and EMI, from 1977 to 1982. It goes chronologically, taking a song from each of the band’s albums on those labels, with some non-album tracks and a couple of tunes from the later Epic albums for the sake of completion. If I was just picking favorites I might not have made it out of the 70’s. And I’m completely discounting anything the band did after Cornwell left. (The Doors released a couple of albums after Jim Morrison’s death; post-Cornwell Stranglers merit the same level of attention.) So, without further adieu…

1. (Get A) Grip (On Yourself)

The band’s first single, from 1977’s Rattus Norvegicus. This is the quintessential Stranglers song: if you don’t like this track you can pretty much skip the rest. Melodic, snarled vocals, tight harmonies, punchy drums, driven by the bass and the ever-present swirling Hammond—this is the band’s blueprint.

2. No More Heroes

Title track from the second LP, also released in 1977. The band were considered a pretty scary bunch, but I always thought their stance was a tongue in cheek act, and that there was a sense of humor behind the angry stares. Dunno, a band that rhymes “heroes” with “Shakespearoes” never struck me as one that took itself too seriously.

3. 5 Minutes

A non-album single from 1978. Lead vocals on this one by Burnel, with nasty lyrics about rape, knives and revenge. (Okay, maybe there was something to the violence accusations, but it’s still a great tune.) At this point, the band still had more good songs than could fit onto their albums.

4. Tank

Leadoff track from 1978’s Black and White LP. Also a b-side to a free single given away with the UK version of the album. (The A-side was a cover of the Burt Bacharach/Hal David tune ‘Walk On By’, a hit for Dionne Warwick in 1964.) Everyone had a song they played before going out for the night, and this was mine. Never mind that it’s about how much fun it would be to drive around in a tank, or the corny artillery explosions—that’s what teenage kicks are all about!

5. The Raven

Another title track, this one from 1979. By now the band is stretching out and flexing their musical muscles; it’s over 5 minutes long and the vocals don’t kick in for a full minute. Atypically for the band, Cornwell gets in a lot of guitar work—some very interesting figures on his battered Telecaster. The song and album loosely implies Norse mythology, and is a precursor of sorts for the group’s subsequent concept LPs.

6. Just Like Nothing On Earth

And the first concept album would be 1981’s The Gospel According to the Meninblack. To be charitable, it was an interesting diversion from their previous work. To be honest, it was half-baked unintelligible sci-fi conspiracy nonsense about some wack-ass alien visitation that influenced Christianity. Okay. No one really got whatever the boys had in mind, but this is a fun song that features all the band’s strengths, with a few weirdo elements (pitched up vocals, mostly) tossed in.

7. Golden Brown

The favorite of many a Stranglers fan. Is it about heroin or a woman? Both, according to Cornwell, who wrote the lyrics. Originally released on 1981’s La Folie, another concept album theoretically about love or, literally, the madness of love. Very few pop songs to compare this one to, by anyone. Still beautiful and unique today.

8. Strange Little Girl

The follow up to ‘Golden Brown’ was actually one of the band’s earliest songs. Stranglers were leaving EMI and owed them a single, so they offered this track, a demo of which EMI had ironically rejected in 1974. Co-written by Hans Warmling, a friend of Cornwell’s from his student days in Sweden and an original member of the band. EMI put it out as a single and as part of a compilation album titled The Collection 1977-1982. Many Strangler’s fans’ own ICAs would likely be drawn from that same collection.

9. Skin Deep

By the time of 1984’s Aural Sculpture, Stranglers’ second LP for Epic, the band could still produce a good single or two, but the rest of the album was filler. It was a toss up between this one and ‘No Mercy’, the other album single. This one has the nicer vocal melody, but either represents which way the band was limping along. (You might have notice I passed right by 1983’s underwhelming Feline without stopping.)

10. Always The Sun

Arguably, this is the last ‘good’ Stranglers tune. Leadoff track and single from the band’s 1986 LP Dreamtime. It’s okay, I guess, but not a patch on tracks from the first 4 LPs that are much better. ‘Goodbye Toulouse’, ‘Nuclear Device’, ‘English Towns’, ‘Nice ‘n’ Sleazy’ all come to mind. Most discouraging (for me anyway) is the once terrifying Burnel playing a muted pump bass throughout, as if the band hired in Adam Clayton for the session. Dreamtime was followed by 1990’s 10, which featured a boring cover version of the 1966 Farfisa number ‘96 Tears’ by ? and the Mysterians as a single, and nothing more of note.

Bonus Tracks

Straighten Out

1977 B-side of the UK-only ‘Something Better Change’ 7”.  Also released as the b-side to the ‘Choosey Susie’ single given away free with Stranglers IV, a compilation LP made for the US market of tracks from The Raven (which didn’t get a US release) and some earlier songs.

Sverige (Jag Är Insnöad På Östfronten)

Swedish release of ‘Sweden (All Quiet on the Eastern Front)’ from Black and White.

N’emmenes Pas Harry

French release of ‘Don’t Bring Harry’, another reference to Heroin, from The Raven.

Old Codger

A weirdo track appearing on the ‘Walk On By’ single. Features some geezer called George Melly and harmonica from Lew Lewis, of Eddie & the Hot Rods, who went on to record on Sandanista! tracks ‘Version City’ and ‘Look Here’.

Looking back on what I wrote, I wonder if TVV’s audience realizes just how unnoticed The Stranglers were in the US. Despite their massive UK and European success, only Dreamtime charted in the States, barely making a scratch at number 172. None of their singles charted at all. To this day, I never once heard a Stranglers song on the radio.

JTFL

mp3 : The Stranglers – (Get A) Grip (On Yourself)
mp3 : The Stranglers – No More Heroes
mp3 : The Stranglers – 5 Minutes
mp3 : The Stranglers – Tank
mp3 : The Stranglers – The Raven
mp3 : The Stranglers – Just Like Nothing On Earth
mp3 : The Stranglers – Golden Brown
mp3 : The Stranglers – Strange Little Girl
mp3 : The Stranglers – Skin Deep
mp3 : The Stranglers – Always The Sun

mp3 : The Stranglers – Straighten Out
mp3 : The Stranglers – Sverige (Jag Är Insnöad På Östfronten)
mp3 : The Stranglers – N’emmenes Pas Harry
mp3 : The Stranglers – Old Codger

Enjoy.

Uncategorized

CHEMIKAL UNDERGROUND COMPETITION : IMPORTANT INFO

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There’s been a great level of interest in the competition to win £50 of merchandise from the on-line shop of Chemikal Underground and I’m thrilled, honoured, delighted and excited by the fact that company MD and ex-Delgado, Stewart Henderson, has agreed to make the draw next week.

BUT…..some of you may have submitted an entry but not, as yet, have been put into the hat.

I’ve learned from three different folk over the past 48 hours that e-mails which had been sent to the hotmail address at various times haven’t reached me. I’ve no idea how widespread the problem was – the original emails were never re-directed to spam and none of them had content that would have caused an issue. Indeed, one of them was from someone entering the competition who I happened to bump into the other day. I mentioned that I was surprised he hadn’t entered only be told he had!

(one of the other missing e-mails I now know about was from Italy offering something for use on the blog while the other was someone responding to an e-mail I had sent them….so there’s no obvious rhyme or reason as to why things weren’t getting through)

The thing is, everyone whose name I’ve already put in the hat will have received a reply e-mail from me by now.

If however, you have sent in an e-mail with the answer to the question asking for the names of the members of Aloha Hawaii but haven’t yet heard back from me, then please, please, please re-submit as and when you’re able and certainly no later than 29 February as that is the closing date.

Cheers folks

Style Council

THE STYLE COUNCIL SINGLES (12)

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There was a great deal of hype and expectation around the film adaptation of Absolute Beginners. The first piece of music to be released was the title track, courtesy of David Bowie, which was a #2 hit in April 1986. The film makers said this was just the first of many great bits of music that would make up the soundtrack, pointing out that there were to be new and original compositions by various singers and bands, including The Style Council.

Being a fanatic, I bought the soundtrack on its release as I thought it would be the only way to get my hands on this new TSC song. I was disappointed to find that it was just a new version of the track Everything To Lose that had been on the LP Our Favourite Shop and I felt as if I’d been ripped off as the album was quite expensive at the time of its release with no discounts on offer from any of the chain stores.

I was even more disappointed when two weeks later the track was released as a 45, in both 7″ and 12″ form with a new track available on the b-side. I didn’t buy it at the time but have since picked up a decent enough second-hand copy of the 12″ from which these are taken:-

mp3 : The Style Council – Have You Ever Had It Blue (uncut version)
mp3 : The Style Council – Gave You Ever Had It Blue (cut version)
mp3 : The Style Council – Mr Cool’s Dream

Thankfully, the new song turned out to be a bog standard Mick Talbot instrumental, so I didn’t really miss out on much.

The single reached #14 in the singles chart which was, at that point, the poorest showing by any 45 attributed to The Style Council.

Incidentally, the version which appears on the LP soundtrack is longer still than either of the versions on the single:-

mp3 : The Style Council – Have You Ever Had It Blue (soundtrack version)

While here’s the original from which the single was adapted:-

mp3 : The Style Council – With Everything To Lose

EXCEPT………………

it isn’t as proved by a great bit of detection work by Craig McAllister the blogger behind Plain Or Pan? (and author of the PJ Harvey ICA on these pages just 72 hours ago)

In a posting last December entitled The Steal Council, our Craig demonstrated that debut single Speak Like A Child was awfully similar to a track called Surrender To The Rhythm by 70s pop/rock band Brinsley Schwarz.

mp3 : Brinsley Schwarz – Surrender To The Rhythm

He then pointed out that Have You Ever Had It Blue had an awful lot in common with this…..

mp3 : Harper & Rowe – The Dweller

This dates back to 1967 and is, to quote Craig, a more obscure part of sunshine pop.

His full rather playful piece over at Plain or Pan? can be read here.

Enjoy.

Frank Sinatra

MIXING POP AND POLITICS….IT’S OLDER THAN YOU THINK

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The contest to choose the Democratic and Republican nominees for the 2016 Presidential election in the USA is both grotesque and fascinating. The news clips we get here in the UK usually has a reporter talking to camera at the end of a rally in which a politician is waving to a crowd while a well-known pop or rock song plays in the background.

I had thought this was a fairly recent phenomena, dating back to the 90s when Clinton and Blair used their youth to appeal to voters, part of which was about sharing their musical tastes with the electorate. But nope, it goes back way beyond that, to at least another youthful candidate who was trying to barge in on things.

OK, the 60s was an era for mixing pop and politics ( (c) Billy Bragg) with all the protest songs about Vietnam. But I certainly hadn’t known that Frank Sinatra, arguably the biggest singing star on the planet back in 1960, had made a recording endorsing the virtues of a US presidential candidate.

I can’t imagine that too many readers of this blog were around when John Fitzgerald Kennedy burst on to the scene, so it’s hard to really get a proper picture of how much of an impact he actually had.

History has, on the whole, been very kind to JFK. The popular conception we have is of an incredibly charismatic individual blessed a common touch who appealed to all sectors of society, offering a brand and style of politics never seen before. It might then come as a bit of a surprise to learn that he did not have an easy passage to the White House in the 1960 presidential election. Far from it.

That particular presidential contest was extremely close – Kennedy beat his rival Richard Nixon by only 0.2% in the popular vote.

The endorsement of Kennedy by the likes of Sinatra and his buddies in the showbiz world might just have been what helped him stumble over the line as the winner. Maybe that’s a slight exaggeration, but it certainly didn’t do him any harm. Here’s what one blogger, at whose place I found said song had to say about it:-

“In 1960, Frank Sinatra was very involved in helping to get John Kennedy elected President. He was an active campaigner for JFK and performed at countless Democratic fundraisers. If you believe the rumors, Sinatra even acted as the middle man between Joe Kennedy and the mob to help deliver the union vote in West Virginia and Chicago. After Kennedy won the election, Sinatra was given the task of personally planning the inauguration gala.”

So it’s hardly surprising that modern-day politicians are keen to get the endorsement of high-profile musicians when they seek public office. Words of support at a concert might just encourage a few more voters to go one way rather than the other, and in a close contest make all the difference. But surely we’ll never get to hear anything as astonishing as today’s offering. It would be like Bono re-writing the lyrics to one of the singalong U2 numbers. Be amazed and bemused and entertained by:

mp3 : Frank Sinatra – High Hopes (JFK version)

Enjoy

Chemikal Underground Records

JUST A QUICK ADDITIONAL REMINDER OF THE ON-GOING COMPETITION

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The most important and influential record label ever to come out of Scotland has just reached its 21st birthday, (see this posting for more details) and  as mentioned before, I’m currently running a competition to commemorate the fact.

To have a chance of winning £50 worth of music of your choice from the Chemikal Underground on-line shop, then send me the answer to this simple question…

Which two musicians make up the Chem act Aloha Hawaii?

Send your answer to thevinylvillain@hotmail.co.uk

First name drawn out of the hat after Monday 29 February will win the prize.

There’s a great selection of music to choose from, and to give you a taster, I’ve pulled together yet another podcast that can be listened to here:-

or downloaded as an mp3 file:-

mp3 : Radio 236 – Chem Underground (Volume 2)

Here’s a list of the songs that make up this particular mix:-

Packs Of Three – Arab Strap
Wayward – The Unwinding Hours
Machine Age Dancing – FOUND
No Danger – The Delgados
A Glamour – The Phantom Band
The Rebel On His Own Tonight –  Malcolm Middleton & Alan Bissett
Blue Lead Fences – Loch Lomond
School Disco – bis
Red Orange Green – Emma Pollock
Car Song – RM Hubbert (feat Aidan Moffat)

And here’s a promo of one of the above songs:-