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 Hawaiibut 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.
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.
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:
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?
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)
The extensive music collection doesn’t have anything by Mambo Taxi other than their final single released on Clawfist Records in 1993. It was their third 45/EP of that particular year although 1994 would see the release of their only album, although its 13 tracks didn’t feature either of these:-
mp3 : Mambo Taxi – Do You Always Dress Like That In Front Of Other People’s Boyfriends?
mp3 : Mambo Taxi – I Want To Marry A Serial Killer
They were a band that I only ever knew from Jacques the Kipper including an earlier single of theirs on one of his compilation tapes and the reason I bought ‘Dress Like That’ was I thought it and the b-side had cracking titles and it was only £2 for a decent condition second-hand copy. The songs are top stuff with the b-side being akin to one of those mad instrumentals that Blur used to throw at us on their early LPs.
Mambo Taxi weren’t with us for very long, and most commentators of the day described their sound as a mix of garage, punk and pop which on the basis of these two tracks seems accurate enough.
In all the years since I first blogged I have aspired to match the quality of writing and/or deliver the breadth of ideas that are constantly on show at Plain Or Pan?, courtesy of the talents of its sole contibutor Phil Spector (although in recent times he has dropped the non-de-plume for the good old fashioned and very Scottish Craig McAllister)
I’m thrilled that he’s come on board with an ICA, and featuring an artist much loved by so many readers. Oh and he supplied today’s unforgetable image too…..
Over to Craig……..
Following a recent post on Plain Or Pan, JC wrote me a lovely and flattering begging letter, asking if I’d contribute a piece on PJ Harvey for The Vinyl Villain. Now, just to qualify, I’m no expert on Polly Jean. I’m a huge fan and I have most of her back catalogue (the odd collaborative effort aside) and while there are other artists that I obsess far more over and go to first when choosing something to play on the rare occasion I have the house to myself, PJ is always somewhere in the background, shuffling up unannounced but always welcome on my iPod during the commute to work, or peeking out at me in-between my George Harrison and Richard Hawley albums. The bulk of her music still thrills and amazes and stands up to repeated listens long after the time of release, which is surely the mark of a true artist.
It’s incredible to think that PJ Harvey has been making records for nigh on a quarter of a century. From the lo-fi scuzz of Dry via the Patti Smith-isms of Stories From The City, Stories From The Sea and the stark, piano-only White Chalk right up to her most recent collection of WW1-themed songs on Let England Shake (not forgettting the one-off single in support of Guantanamo Bay prisoner Shaker Aamer), she’s one of our most consistent musicians. Daring, unpredictable and true to herself, she’s right up there with the best of ’em.
Excitingly, she has a new LP in the offing. April, I believe. The first fruits are spinning heavily on BBC 6Music every day just now, and they’re sounding terrific. As a primer, JC asked me to collate a compilation for the uninitiated, put together any way I saw fit.
I begin with the caveat that the tracks I’ve chosen today might not necessarily be the ones I’d chose tomorrow, but I’ve chosen one track from each of her 8 studio LPs (excluding the 4 Track Demos stop-gap LP or those collaborative efforts mentioned earlier). Some of the tracks were singles, some were hidden away in the darkest corners of the album from whence they came. All are classic PJH; garagey, bluesy and occasionally down right dirty. There’s the odd bit of cello and throw-away sweary word. But there’s always the voice, her primal moans sexy as hell one moment, skyscrapingly stratospheric the next.
Sheela Na Gig
Sheela Na Gig was PJ’s second single and also appeared on Dry, her debut LP. She sets her stall out early here, singing about ‘child bearing hips‘ and ‘ruby red lips’. Hearing this for the first time as a 21 year old, I had no idea what a Sheela Na Gig was (Google it), so I listened to this thinking “Oh! Aye!” I always had this faint idea from then on in that one day she’d go out with me, until she met that bastard Nick Cave. Oh well, her loss.
50ft Queenie
50 ft Queenie was the lead single from 2nd album Rid Of Me. Rid Of Me is such a quiet record, which has always irked me. For an artist who apparently revels in creating a whirlwind of chaotic noise, the album seemed so quiet and tame by comparison. I’m sure there must be some sort of audiophile reason for it, subsonic frequencies and the likes, but who knows? When you play it next to something like, oh, I dunno, Definitely Maybe (like comparing jam with cheese, I know), PJ’s album sounds limp and flimsy compared to the sonic boom of the monobrowed magpies.
Anyway. 50ft Queenie. The drum track sounds like the Eastenders theme falling down the stairs, a right royal ramalama of tumbling toms and clattering cymbals all underpinned with a bluesy riff and topped off with those sexy/skyscraping moans and screams. “You bend ovah, Casa-nova…” Indeed. Great one note guitar solo too.
I have a clear memory of seeing her perform this in the Barrowlands, wearing a pink feather boa, knee high boots of shiny, shiny leather, a Gretsch Country Gentleman and not much more. A spectacular sight and sound. If you’ve never heard this before, make sure you strap yourself in first.
Come On Billy
Come On Billy can be found on the Mercury-nominated To Bring You My Love LP. Featuring some frantically scrubbed acoustic guitar and see-sawing cello, it’s PJ’s Nick Cave (aye, him again) moment. There’s a terrific, understated string section playing below the whole way through, the first evidence that PJ had more to her arsenal than bent blues notes screaming through a tower of Marshall stacks. I’ve always liked how she hiccups her way through the adlibbed chorus at the end.
The Wind
The Wind (from the Is This Desire? LP) is a slow-burning cracker. For such a slight ‘n skinny woman, PJ’s tune packs more muscle than it has any right to. It‘s her Barry Adamson moment; filmic, bass-heavy and full of brooding menace.
It fades in on a ripple of marimba and a stutter of just-plugged-in guitar, with PJ’s vocal quickly taking centrestage. Whisper-in-your-ear sultriness one moment, understated falsetto the next, it tells the story of St Catherine of Abbotsbury who built a chapel high on a hill near to where PJ lives.
The whole track is carried along by the bassline. When it comes in, after that second ‘noises like the whales’ line, it brings to mind some New York street punk, hands deep in the pockets of his leather bomber jacket, docker’s hat pulled hard and low over his forehead, eyes shifting from left to right and back again, looking to start trouble, looking to avoid trouble, but, looking for trouble.
It’s produced masterfully by Flood who brings an electro wash to the finished result. In fact, it wouldn’t sound out of place on any given recording by Harvey’s fellow West Country contemporaries Tricky and Massive Attack. There’s subtle tingaling percussion, quietly scraping cello and layers of synthetic noise. When the vocals begin their counter-melodies in the chorus, it’s pure Bjork.
Kamikaze
Kamikaze is taken from Stories From the City, Stories From The Sea, PJ’s second Mercury-nominated LP. Her most straightforward pop/rock album, most of the tracks had the knack of sounding like Patti Smith on steroids.
Kamikaze is terrific, a down-the-hill-with-no-brakes-on, headlong rush of close-mic’d guitars, polyrhythmic drums and yet more skyscraping hysterics. It’s a close cousin of 50ft Queenie , only with far better production and mastering.
If you’re new to PJ and any of these tracks have so far piqued your curiosity, I’d start with this track’s parent album and take things from there.
Who The Fuck?
Now we’re talking! PJ’s angry. Someone’s pissed her off and she can’t wait to tell us. Coming across like a demented Jon Spencer Blues Explosion, WTF? kicks like an angry mule, a fuzztoned, vocally distorted, brilliant mess of a record.
It’s a sloppy, stroppy, brilliantly sweary track. If you took ten wasps in a jar and stuck them in a food blender with the short-lived RRRRRiot Grrrrrrl movement, it would sound something like this.
The Devil
The White Chalk LP is a difficult listen. Very difficult. I listened to it once then filed it away. For the purposes of this article I dug it out again and spent one dreary afternoon (it’s only about 35 mins long, but honestly, I’d rather stick pencils in my eye than have to listen to it again) waiting patiently until I ‘got it’. I still don’t.
I chose The Devil as it’s the lead track, and from experience, the lead track is usually a statement of intent from the artist. Well, PJ sets her stall out early with this one. The whole album is funereal in pace, delicate, flimsy and abso-fucking-lutely boring. PJ coos and woos and plays her piano with all the deftness of a concert pianist, but damn, there’s nothing there that grabs. No balls-out rockers, no dirty, sweary, innuendo-filled garage band fizzers. Nothing. For all its gossamer-thin lightness, it’s an extremely heavy listen. Maybe you think differently. For me, it’s the one clunker in a stellar back catalogue. And every artist is allowed the occasional clunker, aye?
The Glorious Land
Following the stark, piano-led White Chalk, Let England Shake was PJ’s triumphant return to the guitar. Much of the album is loosely concept, relating to the atrocities of WW1. If this seems a bit heavy, the music therein was often light and airy; gone for the most part were the blooze blunderbuss guitars, replaced with lightly chiming 6 strings, clean and pleasant on the ear. Radio 2 music, even.
The Glorious Land begins with such a guitar, playing atop a rallying military bugle. Without getting too ‘muso’ about it, the chord changes are sublime and the vocals are always to the fore. There’s almost a male/female duet in the verses, between PJ and (I think) a moonlighting Mick Harvey who come across like a 21st century Lee ‘n Nancy on helium, while PJ duets gloriously with herself in the chorus and outro. You might want to discover the rest of this album for yourself. It’s one of her best.
And there you have it, 8 tracks o’ PJ. A cross-album introduction I’d be happy to pass on to anyone with a PJ curiosity.
Most bands put out singles as tasters for upcoming albums but then again The Clash have always been a bit different.
Give Em Enough Rope had been released on 10 November 1978 to a fair amount of critical acclaim even if there were some who remain bemused by the choice of producer in Sandy Pearlman whose main work had been over seven albums by American rockers Blue Oyster Cult. There was certainly a sharper sound to the band, but many at the time felt this was more likely to each member becoming more proficient the more they played in the live setting and got used to the studio environment. It would emerge later on that Pearlman had played a significant part in the record trying to raise the instrumentation within the final mix, particularly the drums, as he felt Joe Strummer‘s voice lacked quality and took away something from the songs.
Two weeks after the LP hit the shops, a single was lifted from it:-
mp3 : The Clash – Tommy Gun
It was a song driven along by the ferocious playing of Topper Headon, the rat-a-tat-tat of his drum breaks akin to the sound of machine gun firing. It was a million miles away from the softer paced approach of previous single (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais and certainly grabbed the attention of those who loved their punk rock raw, hard, explosive and loud as it gave the band their biggest hit to date, taking them into the UK Top 20.
It also contains a fabulous b-side albeit it was one that the punk purists balked it, being a straight-forward love song, albeit played at a high tempo:-
mp3 : The Clash – 1-2 Crush On You
Listening back, it’s clear that this was a band approaching the very top of their game, capable of turning their attention to all sorts of songs and styles. That’s a b-side which would have sounded great on radio, but its release as a 45 or indeed as an album track would have led to cries of sell-out as the band still needed to maintain punk/new wave credibility at this stage in their career. Wouldn’t be long though before they could throw off those shackles and become a good old fashioned rock’n’roll band to whom no label could be accurately applied.
Here’s the essay from the box set.
TOMMY GUN : Released 24 November 1978 : #19 in the UK singles chart
I was aware of The Clash as a kid. They were part of the nameless soundtrack to my early life. My mum and dad had these punk compilation tapes they used to play at home and Should I Stay Or Should I Go and London Calling were on there. I didn’t know who the other groups were but I knew The Clash.
As I got more into music I read about them being punk icons, bit they were always appealed more than the Sex Pistols. They wer more intelligent, they had more to say. Tommy Gun evokes that age. It’s a product of the volatile climate of the late 70s – all those references to Baader Meinhoff and The Red Brigade. It’s like a punk adaptation of The Beatles’ Revolution: “Tommy Gun, you ain’t happy less you got on!” Fucking great.
It seems to me they were doing the same thing Rage Against The Machine did later – letting the audience know what’s going on politically, with the band in the position of outlaws spreading the news. The snare drum at the start is fucking great too.
A mate told me a funny story about the ad lib near the end where Strummer sings “OK, so let’s agree about the price, and make it one jet airliner for ten prisoners.” apparently he texted it to a mate who couldn’t figure out what the lyrics were, and the next morning some heavies from M15 turned up on his doorstep demanding yo know what he was up to! That alone proves Tommy Gun is as relevant now as it was back then.
Some three months ago, I put together an ICA for Prefab Sprout. It was a bit of a cop-out in that I went for one side of Steve McQueen and then chose another six songs for the other side.
I spotted this morning that someone had left a detailed comment behind which in effect was his own stab at an ICA for the band. I thought it was too good to leave well hidden and so have lifted it out and turned it into a bonus post.
It’s from Gil Gillespie….and as far as I know this is the first ever comment he has ever left behind…..and it’s a big thank you for this…especially for reminding me again of just how great your opening track is:-
SIDE A
1. Green Issac (from Swoon)
Perfect opening announcement, building slowly to a typical Prefab Sprout crescendo. Contains the immaculate line: “But to shine like Joan of Arc, you must be prepared to burn.”
2. Appetite (from Steve McQueen)
What a beautiful song, such poise, such heartbreak, such elegance. Has anyone ever understood melody as subtlety as Paddy McAloon?
3. Bonny (from Steve McQueen)
If you have just split up from your girlfriend and you haven’t slept for 4 days and are in the back of a car going to Cambridge with Patrick Duff from Strangelove who hasn’t slept for about 3 months, this song will make both of you cry.
4. Enchanted (from Langley Park To Memphis)
I reckon this is the band’s most under-rated song. It is also, quite possibly, the happiest song ever recorded. It bounces along with self-assurance, McAloon tumbling lyrics over themselves as he refers to Romeo & Juliet’s warring factions as a crew. Why wasn’t it released as a single?
5. Looking For Atlantis (from Jordan: The Comeback)
I’ve just checked to see where this single got to in the charts when it was released in 1990. Number 51 on the UK Chart. Number 51? That is almost beyond belief. It is an irresistible song with production so lush it takes your breath away. Surely, CBS are at fault for the band’s shockingly poor chart history.
SIDE TWO
1. Cars and Girls (from From Langley Park to Memphis)
A glistening hub cap of a single, the Springsteen-bating ode to a more sophisticated mindset somehow only reached number 44 in the charts. It really should have sold millions.
2. Wild Horses (from Jordan: The Comeback)
For the pin drop perfection of Thomas Dolby’s production alone, this deserves its place.
3. Desire As (from Steve McQueen)
Heartbreaking, just heartbreaking. Someone on You Tube put it best: ‘Amazing how songs can perfectly express a moment in time, its memories, the exact colours and feelings. Thank you forever, Paddy McAloon. You´re genius.’
4. Real Life (Just Around The Corner) (from NME EP Drastic Plastic)
A strange but typically life-affirming oddity that hints at just how far into the left field they could go if they wanted to. Not too far away from Parisian sophisticates, Phoenix
5. The Golden Calf (from From Langley Park to Memphis)
This is their Crazy Horses, a driving, faux metal guitar anthem complete with McAloon almost doing a Metallica impression.
mp3 : Prefab Sprout – Green Isaac
mp3 : Prefab Sprout – Appetite
mp3 : Prefab Sprout – Bonny
mp3 : Prefab Sprout – Enchanted
mp3 : Prefab Sprout – Looking For Atlantis
mp3 : Prefab Sprout – Cars and Girls
mp3 : Prefab Sprout – Wild Horses
mp3 : Prefab Sprout – Desire As
mp3 : Prefab Sprout – Real Life (Just Around The Corner)
mp3 : Prefab Sprout – The Golden Calf
Today’s offering features a band that seemed to almost appear out of nowhere a couple of years back.
In early-2005, they were touring the UK and appearing at the tiniest of venues such as the Debating Chamber of Glasgow University. Word of mouth got out that as a live act, they were unlike anything that had come along in recent times. Their cartoon video for the single Power Out was on heavy rotation on MTV2. But still they seemed to be something of a mystery….unless of course you were one of those who surfed the internet where you would find thousands of people prepared to say that Arcade Fire were the future of rock’n’roll.
Then came the summer festivals in Europe, Japan and North America. Arcade Fire seemed to be on the bills of just about all of them, and this is where they really grabbed the attention of the casual listener/watcher. The last six months of 2005 saw debut LP Funeral fly off the shelves of record shops everywhere, but particularly in the UK. The round-up of music for the year saw many pundits/writers/columnists list the LP as their favourite of the previous 12 months, thus maintaining a momentum in sales in the all-important pre-Xmas rush.
Suddenly, everyone seemed to believe what the bloggers had been saying for months – Arcade Fire truly were the best and most exciting band in the world. The pressure really was on to deliver a follow-up LP that met these expectations. The band spent most of 2006 locked-up in Montreal writing and recording the songs, and the lack of live appearances and new material only seemed to heighten the expectations amongst fans and critics alike.
Neon Bible came out in the early part of 2007. The reaction was, in my mind, bizarre. To the likes of myself who hadn’t quite picked up on the band in the first weeks of hysteria, it sounded like a great follow-up. Yes, it was far more polished and accomplished than the debut, and it maybe did lean heavily on other influences rather than their own sounds. It certainly wasn’t a clone of Funeral…
And yet, those who were in at the start seemed to turn on the band rather viciously and accuse them of recording something akin to a commercial sell-out. It was almost as if they were jealous that their little secret was now so well-known and proving to be popular. I remember reading one particular critic saying that he could no longer give any time of the day to Arcade Fire now that their LPs were on sale in supermarkets such as Tesco and Asda (the latter being part of the Wal-Mart group), which I really thought was the height of cultural snobbery.
It will be hugely interesting to see what sort of LP is next, and what sort of reaction the band will get. I think their reputation for being such a fantastic live act will ensure the fan base remains high and tickets for shows will be hard to come by (even REM over the past 8-10 years with critically-panned and poor-selling LPs have sold out the arenas and large outdoor shows). Does indie-orchestra have a long-term future?? I think so….
By the time I latched on to Arcade Fire, the early singles had sold out and were out of print. So you’ll need to make do with a lift from the LP:-
mp3 : Arcade Fire – Rebellion (Lies)
Drums, bass, piano, guitars and strings are all at the fore at one point or other during this incredible five and a bit minutes. And then there’s that fabulous sing-a-long chorus. A far better tune than the more lauded Wake Up (although I will admit that the latter is a live tour-de-force)
If, 30 years ago you’d have said that one day I’d be raving about a band like Arcade Fire, I’d have sneered in your face. Back then all that mattered were scratchy guitars, a tune that made you leap around and sweat profusely while shouting along with the chorus on singles lasting no more than 2mins 30 secs in length.
The times they-are-a-changing.
More mutterings about growing old coming your way next week.
The left hand photo was taken when Stephen Clark (born in Glasgow, Scotland on 19 February 1966) was around 21 years old – he’s in the middle flanked by two of his best mates – Gerry on the left and Paul on the right – all clad in identical U2 t-shirts. One of the very few photos that none of them happen to be holding lager.
The right-hand photo was taken much more recently, and he’s with his son Liam who is resplendent in his Raith Rovers replica strip and Orlando City FC scarf.
I suppose like many other siblings, we weren’t hugely close as we grew up. The three years age difference felt like a huge gap at times, and it wasn’t really till Stevie reached the age of 18/19 and I’d done my four years at university and was away working in Edinburgh that we really began to bond properly. By this time, he’d become a dad at the age of 17, devoted to his son (also called Stephen) although he and the kid’s mum were far too young to ever stand a chance of staying together.
In the very early 90s, he decided that there was little happening for him in his home country and so he upped sticks and moved to seek a better life in the USA, landing in Orlando where he ducked and dived for a bit, doing all sorts of work like cleaning out swimming pools, working in bars and driving distribution trucks, all the while financially looking after his son back in Glasgow.
In due course, he would meet a lovely Welsh lass who was also living and working in Orlando. Adele had used her nursing qualifications to launch a career in healthcare in the States and they first got together soon after she had arranged for Stevie to be treated in hospital after the daft bugger had done himself an injury playing football. Romance blossomed and in due course they would end up getting married in 2000.
That’s the Reservoir Jocks on the day of the wedding in Florida. My late brother Davie is on the left and I’m on the right on one of just two occasions that I’ve donned a kilt. Stevie is in the middle flanked by his very bald mate Paul (who you can see with the full head of hair in the U2 photo above) and his son Stephen who by this point in time was 16 years old.
Adele and Stevie now have two incredible kids of their own….one of whom was born a matter of months after Stevie’s first grandchild was born here in Glasgow.
My wee brother has really made a great life for himself, becoming a fairly successful self-employed floor fitter and also obtaining American citizenship. He’s also not changed a bit in all the years….not withstanding the hair loss…..and he’s still the laid-back, easy-going bloke who’ll always put others well before himself at all times. A genuine all-round good guy.
We of course don’t see each other all that often nowadays but we speak plenty enough and all these years on, he’s my best mate and as well as my only surviving brother. And I can’t quite get to grips with the fact that he turned 50 today. These are for him, all from bands I know he’s loved over the years:-
mp3 : U2 – Two Hearts Beat As One
mp3 : Del Amitri – Kiss This Thing Goodbye
mp3 : Spear of Destiny – The Wheel
mp3 : Hipsway – The Honeythief
mp3 : Hothouse Flowers – Don’t Go
mp3 : Lloyd Cole & The Commotions – Rattlesnakes
The success of Our Favourite Shop made the release of a third single somewhat inevitable, but to be fair to the band they tried to offer fans something a wee bit different.
Which is why album favourite The Lodgers was given a fresh recording while the live sound of the band was captured to a fair degree for the b-sides. All told, 23 minutes of music were made available on the 12″ version of the single which in effect was almost like half-an-LP:-
mp3 : The Style Council – The Lodgers (extended version)
mp3 : The Style Council – The Big Boss Groove (live)
mp3 : The Style Council – Move On Up (live)
mp3 : The Style Council – Money Go Round/Soul Deep/Strength Of Your Nature medley (live)
mp3 : The Style Council – You’re The Best Thing (live)
I was quite excited at the prospect of the release, partly as the band had been an exciting force on the couple of occasions I’d caught them live. Sadly, it all turned out to be a bit flat. The re-worked version of the single wasn’t a patch on the album version while the live tracks, recorded in Liverpool and Manchester, just didn’t seem to capture the energy and force that I’d witnessed in Glasgow.
None of which stopped the single reaching a very respectable #13 in the UK singles charts in September 1985.
Here’s something rather splendid, unusual and rare dragged from the back of the cupboard and given a listen to for the first time in ages.
Sixteen folk are or have been part of Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds over the past 33 years (!!) since their inception. Anita Lane remains the only fully fledged female member although many other women have performed on the various records and as part of the live performances.
She was part of the original Melbourne scene from which Nick et al would emerge – indeed she was the first of his many muses who would and have continually inspired him in many different ways – and in due course she would join and become an important part of The Birthday Party, including songwriting contributions to some of their most popular numbers such as Dead Joe
The title track of the first Bad Seeds album, From Her To Eternity, was attributed to the six members of the group, one of whom was Anita Lane; she left the band almost immediately after the album was recorded, but despite no longer being is a relationship with the singer she remained on good terms with him and the others, contributing lyrics to songs on later albums.
Her own, albeit ultimately low-key and rarely commercially successful solo career, began in 1988 with the release of these four songs on an EP entitled Dirty Sings on Mute Records:-
mp3 : Anita Lane – If I Should Die
mp3 : Anita Lane – I’m A Believer
mp3 : Anita Lane – Lost In Music
mp3 : Anita Lane – Sugar In A Hurricane
Her friends of old helped write the three original songs as well as joining her in the studio. The lead track has Barry Adamson as a co-writer (with whom she would collaborate further in years to come) and is very akin to sort of sound that would propel Julee Cruise to brief fame a couple of years later ; I’m A Believer isn’t the Neil Diamond number but an Anita Lane/Nick Cave composition while the strange and haunting (and Kate Bush inspired?) Sugar Hurricane sees a co-credit for Mick Harvey. All three of them, together with another bad seed – Thomas Wydler – were the backing musicians with Harvey doubling up as producer under the name of Dicky Russcombe.
And yes…..Lost In Music is a cover of the Sister Sledge disco classic. And to my ears, it’s an inspired cover.
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 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?
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 another podcast that can be listened to here:-
or downloaded as an mp3 file:-
mp3 : Radio 236 – Chem Underground (Volume 1)
Here’s a list of the songs that make up this particular mix:-
H.D.B.A. Theme – Human Don’t Be Angry The Howling – The Phantom Band Accused of Stealing – The Delgados Big Blonde – Aidan Moffat & The Best Ofs It’s The Quick – Miaoux Miaoux Buckstacy – RM Hubbert K To Be Lost – Sister Vanilla Loneliness Shines – Malcolm Middleton Helps Both Ways – Mogwai The Shy Retirer (Dirty Hospital Remix) – Arab Strap Old Ghosts – Emma Pollock
And here’s footage of a live performance of of one of the above tracks:-
It was just a week after the break-up of The Smiths that Johnny Marr penned a tune he quickly sent onto KirstyMacColl who, at the time, was needing a bit of help overcoming a bout of writer’s block. It turned out to be exactly what she was looking for although it still took a few years, with the addition of lyrics, a bit of melody and a little bit of rap, before it was shaped into the hit single Walking Down Madison.
It reached #23 in the summer of 1991 with Johnny contributing guitar to the recording process. It was released in a number of formats and it is CD2 I’ve turned to today for the fact that it also enables contributions from Ray Davies, Billy Bragg and Johnny Moped.
mp3 : Kirsty MacColl – Walking Down Madison (urban mix)
mp3 : Kirsty MacColl – Days
mp3 : Kirsty MacColl – Darling, Let’s Have Another Baby
mp3 : Kirsty MacColl – Walking Down Madison (LP extended version)
The second of the tracks is of course the record company being lazy by including Kirsty’s #12 hit from just two years earlier, the rich and gorgeous take on the song first made famous by The Kinks.
The third of the tracks is a duet with the Bard of Barking which sounds as if it was great fun to make. It’s a cover of a song by the infamously legendary Johnny Moped, a mid 70s pub/punk band considered by many to be pretty talentless in the grand scheme of things, although their number at one point in time did include the man who would become Captain Sensible of The Damned and then later on provide us with a novelty #1 hit single.
Woth mentioning too that Johnny Moped scored a #15 appearance in the 1977 edition of the John Peel Festive Fifty (which that year was NOT a listener’s chart but entirely the choices of the late DJ):-
Drape Yourself in Greenery – A British Sea Power Imaginary Compilation.
I love British Sea Power, I love the way that they sing songs about ice caps, the coastline, George Orwell, places in Bhutan and insects. I love the way that they play gigs in caves, embrace small festivals (including running their own at the Uk’s highest pub The Tan Hill Inn), run their own crazy club nights in which the basically tested songs from their next album and then sold them as limited edition EP’s, and soundtrack films about Britain. I love the way that they have taken a brass band on tour with them, and then done gigs with them in small mining towns and then made an album of their songs rearranged into brass. I love the way that when I saw them live a few years back they had a poet supporting them. I love the way that they recently appeared on comfy middle class Sunday night TV programme ‘Countryfile’ and didn’t once come across as pretentious rock stars trying to be cool. They went on it because they were fans of the show. I love the way in which they support authors, write books about their mums, and set up their own Book Club. Oh and I love their merchandise. I think that’s everything – oh I’m quite keen on the viola player too. That is definitely everything. Nope, hang on – One last thing – I love the way that ‘Open Season’ the second BSP album has a secret track on it that up until 17 seconds ago, I didn’t even know existed.
I first saw British Sea Power at the Cavern Club in Exeter, this was three days after the single ‘Apologies to Insect Life’ was released and I adored their raw Pixies-ish sound, a sound that has mellowed over the year. I was hooked instantly. I’ve seen them on every tour that they have done ever since and once travelled to Worthing to see them play in a 1930’s art deco jazz venue housed on a pier. I’ve also seen them in a cave, at several festivals and an old abandoned hospital. I’ve also danced with a 9ft polar bear during the filming of a video of theirs, but I’m not saying which one.
A couple of weeks ago British Sea Power was announced as the headline act of the Sea Change Festival in Totnes. I was in Totnes and spoke to the guy in the record shop organising the festival – I asked him how he got British Sea Power to headline a festival where the biggest venue will be a 500 capacity Arts Centre, he said he baked them a cake shaped like a duck and they accepted on the basis of that alone. I think he was joking.
I’ll shut up here for fear of being labelled an indie schmindie fanboy by all and sundry. But if you are fed up with gloomy no personality rock bands, then BSP will rescue you.
Here is my imaginary compilation – with four additional tracks that I just couldn’t find the heart to leave out – that can be released separately as an EP – but I’ll get the band to launch it at a club night housed in a docked submarine or something.
Side One
North Hanging Rock (from Open Season)
Beneath the tiny quiet piano chords and some graceful arcs of feedback you can make out the twittering of birds and the crushing of leaves underneath some feet. Then you hear a whisper and Yan the singer starts ‘Drape yourself in greeney, become part of the scenery’. He is singing about death of course, but he could be singing about anything – it’s just a lovely lovely track.
Observe the Skies (from Valhalla Dancehall)
One of the bands more radio friendly tracks, and one that I find myself humming every time I hear it. It makes really good use of some keyboards and is a close to a conventional pop record as you will get from British Sea Power.
Hail Holy Queen (from Machineries of Joy)
Hail Holy Queen is apparently an homage to a French Body Builder turned erotic movie star. This song I think underlines the quieter side to the band brought about by the introduction of the aforementioned viola player (Abi Fry) – here you get Hamilton on vocal duties and he uses this mysterious falsetto to warbles “I’m at your feet/I’m at your command/Hail Holy Queen of the scene”and then you get this viola that meanders along and I think it sounds almost exactly like ‘Venus In Furs’ by the Velvet Underground and that makes it one of their finest ever songs.
Remember Me (from The Decline of British Sea Power)
If you needed proof that British Sea Power are actually fantastic, then this their first proper single emphatically proves the argument. ‘Remember Me’ has the possibly the most urgent, compelling and exciting opening to a record that I have heard. There must be a full 90 seconds of pounding drums, guitars and seaside sound effects before you even hear a single word uttered. A swirling psychedelic fury filled bastard of a song, a song according to my blogging partner swc, that is so good is sounded like Joy Division had reformed.
Like A Honeycomb (from Open Season)
The first three tracks of ‘Open Season’ are a whirl of backbeats, guitars and knackered sounding synthesizers, then you get ‘Like A Honeycomb’. A track that sounds like it was recorded for high school proms, that switches between synths and folky strumming and vocals that stamp all over a chorus – you get Yan vocals on this one “In between the morning and the evening light/That’s how the days go by”– and you get the lyrics delivered with gruff abandon. It’s wonderful.
Side Two
Waving Flags (from Do You Like Rock Music)
A massive call to arms, the band re released this last year at the time of the election as an Anti UKIP record. This is a song that urges unity and wants us to welcome our European cousins who were at the time arriving in the Uk. The message is one of reassurance, that we can all be friends, live and work together like a happy family. Indeed, do one Farage.
No Lucifer (from Do You Like Rock Music).
Possibly the greatest example of the lyrical brilliance of BSP – this rears up full of brawn and gusto and the cries out “give me the dummy, tit” and then you get surrounded by the familiar chants of “Easy” – which I am told is a tribute to Shirley Crabtree, a wrestler better known as Big Daddy – who used to knock people over with his massive belly.
Stunde Null (from Valhalla Dancehall)
Apparently the titled refers to the zero hour in Germany at which World War II ended. Again this is a Yan song in which he sounds almost triumphant when declaring that “You’ve been on standby for half a century”and you get this fuzzy bass and those synths again before the song soars upward in a this wonderful chorus and those great punky guitars again.
Down on the Ground (from Krankenhaus EP)
Down On The Ground should have been a massive hit but for some reason they chose to hide this track as track three on the wonderful ‘Krankenhaus EP’ – behind the equally excellent ‘Atom’ (see below) – but again here is an example of some of the fine tracks that this band record and seemingly just chuck away. This song made me smile almost as much as I did when I got given a toy aeroplane to play with when I was four.
Lately (from The Decline of British Sea Power)
Well I can’t think of a better way to end the album. The rocks in at nearly fourteen minutes evolving from a simple guitar melody into a geological chant of “Do You like my megalithic rock” then “Do you Like My prehistoric Rock”and so on – and then descends into a full on Mogwai style guitar wall of noise.
Become Part of the Scenery – The Free EP
So there are four songs that I wanted to include but had to leave off – here they are
Atom – (from Krankenhaus)
Simply because the line “When you get down to the subatomic part of it, that’s when it breaks you know, that’s when it falls apart”is too good a line to ignore.
2. Favours In the Beetroot Fields (from The Decline of British Sea Power) 3. When a Warm Wind Blows Through the Grass (from Machineries of Joy) 4. Carrion (from the Decline…)
And there we have it. I could have done several of these if I am honest. Please enjoy and buy all of their albums tomorrow.
Tim B.
mp3 : British Sea Power – North Hanging Rock
mp3 : British Sea Power – Observe The Skies
mp3 : British Sea Power – Hail Holy Queen
mp3 : British Sea Power – Remember Me
mp3 : British Sea Power – Like A Honeycomb
mp3 : British Sea Power – Waving Flags
mp3 : British Sea Power – No Lucifer
mp3 : British Sea Power – Stunde Nulle
mp3 : British Sea Power – Down On The Ground
mp3 : British Sea Power – Lately
mp3 : British Sea Power – Atom
mp3 : British Sea Power – Favours In The Beetroot Fields
mp3 : British Sea Power – When A Warm Wind Blows Through The Grass
mp3 : British Sea Power – Carrion
JC adds…….
BSP were on my list of bands to feature in an ICA but when Tim offered to do this, I willingly stepped aside. I’m a big fan of the band, owning most of their records and catching them live on four occasions. Tim however, is a bit of an uber-fan but he’s not alone in this regard as they are the sort of band that really do attract a devoted following,
I think this is down to a combination of factors such as their constantly innovative approach to their craft with every album being different in style from its predecessor, the wit and intelligence of the song-writing, the blistering live shows which usually involve some sort of crowd participation or just simply that they are a perfect cult band content to make people happy at the price of not chasing commercial success.
In his accompanying e-mail to this piece, Tim said ‘I loved every minute of writing this.’ That certainly comes through in the writing. He also hinted that it broke his heart for two other named songs not to make the cut. Well, I’m not having that:-
mp3 : British Sea Power – The Pelican
mp3 : British Sea Power – Canvey Island
How appropriate that this should be slated for inclusion on Valentine’s Day as it is the song by The Clash that I am most in love with. It’s a song that features highly in my all time list of singles and I’ll be saying a bit more in that particular series in due course.
It’s also got a belter of a b-side.
mp3 : The Clash – (White Man) In Hammersmith Palais
mp3 : The Clash – The Prisoner
I’ll leave the majority of words today to those who contributed essays to the singles boxset.
(WHITE MAN) IN HAMMERSMITH PALAIS : Released 16 June 1978 : #32
The Clash’s first album always sounded a bit rough to me. It was only when I saw the band live on their “Out Of Control” tour that I found out how potent they could be. It was October 21st 1977 in Trinity College Dublin and it was way more than just a gig. This was a tribal gathering and it had a seismic impact on the Dublin subculture.
White Man In Hammersmith Palais came out June 16th 1978. It was the first Clash song that drew influence from the reggae music of their “front-line” Notting Hill Gate neighbourhood. It was also the first song that really revealed the bands political depth. Written after a disappointing reggae gig at the Hammersmith Palais featuring seminal Jamaican stars Dillinger, Leroy Smart and Delroy Wilson, it mocks both the gun-toting braggarty of the reggae artists and the shallow attention seeking UK punk rockers for missing the real danger; the rise of the neo-Nazi movement.
Maybe more interesting than the political message was the evidence it gave us of a new-found musical ambition that set The Clash apart from their punk rock peers. This was one of the greatest bands of all time coming into their own.
The Edge, U2
Has anyone else ever managed to combine great tunes with such ferocious moralising? Dylan, in his early years, possibly, although Dylan pinched a lot of his tunes from elsewhere. It wasn’t just that Joe Strummer made you believe his outrage; he made you share it too. I have listened to this song hundreds of times and I’m still not entirely sure how he gets us from a reggae show at the Palais to Adolf Hitler in a limousine. I do know, however, that by the time you get to the fantastic, soaring finger-pointing last verse, you’re willing to leave your job and your family in order to right any wrong that Joe tell you to. The irony is that the Four-Tops-stage-right showmanship that Strummer bemoans is replicated, in part, by Mick Jones’ pop sensibilities – that’s why we’re all still listening now. This is a great single by one of England’s two or three greatest-ever bands.
Nick Hornby, novelist (High Fidelity, About A Boy, Fever Pitch)
So here we finally have something from probably the most talked-about band across cyberspace*
*(well they were back in 2008!!!).
I was very very lucky to see Radiohead at the outset of their career on two occasions – the first when they were complete unknowns in September 1992 as the support act to The Frank and Walters at The Venue in Edinburgh. Just over a year later, having had success in the USA with Creep, they were given the support slot with James and this time it was Glasgow Barrowlands just before Xmas 1993.
I’d be a liar if I said that on the basis of those two gigs I could have predicted that world domination would soon be theirs. In fact, I’d go as far to say that having bought debut album Pablo Honey on the back of the 1992 gig and been a bit disappointed with it, I wasn’t all that looking forward to seeing them support James. But that night, they gave a pretty decent performance, and a bit of hope that they were going to be more than one-hit wonders.
Problem was, the band seemed to disappear from view thereafter as the UK went barmy for Britpop. As we now know, it was in fact to begin the long and drawn-out process to write and record songs for their second LP, on which work began in early 1994 but which wasn’t released until May 1995.
And its my considered opinion that The Bends might just be the best LP of all time…..its certainly the one I’ve listened to more than any other over the past 13 years (up to 2008!!!!). Yup, I much prefer it to the more-critically lauded OK Computer.
Part of this is down to the existence of the song that has made #25.
You can scour the internet and see that the song is pretty special to a lot of people, but there’s a bit of argument as to what exactly it is about. What can’t be denied is that Thom Yorke delivers an incredibly intense and moving vocal while the boys in the band deliver a haunting and memorable tune and melody.
It is clearly about something that is far from natural – the constant use of words like rubber, plastic and polystyrene only help emphasise that point. But is it about an artificial feeling of love that the protagonist has for someone, or does it have a deeper meaning? Is it indeed the template for Radiohead’s manifesto for the future in which their disgust about the way the planet is being treated would come to dominate how their songs sounded as well as the band’s philosophy and outlook on things?
I’m not entirely sure, and I’ve said previously, I tend not to delve too deep into the meaning of lyrics. They are important, but no more so than the music.
I know that many of you will disagree that this in fact the finest single ever released by Radiohead. While I had a bit of a debate with myself about which song to select for certain bands, this one was, as the cliché goes, a no-brainer. This is a song that can provoke so many emotions in me, depending on my mood and state of mind, and there’s not many others that I can say that about.
mp3 : Radiohead – Fake Plastic Trees
mp3 : Radiohead – India Rubber
mp3 : Radiohead – How Can You Be Sure?
Surprisingly, the single only reached #20 in the UK charts, and it was later single Street Spirit (Fade Out) that was the big seller.
The most important and influential record label ever to come out of Scotland has just reached its 21st birthday, and I want to pay tribute.
I’ve actually been lucky enough, through my day job in an office just a few hundred yards from their HQ in the east end of Glasgow, to get to know and work on some projects with the folks who run Chemikal Underground. I still pinch myself that I’ve become friendly with musicians whom I idolised as a fan not too many years ago and I’m thrilled that in an era when labels of all sizes have endured all sorts of turmoil and issues as a consequence of the ways we all ‘consume’ music nowadays, that Chem is still able to produce the most wonderfully diverse and rich output you could wish for – and in 2016, thanks to the new album from Emma Pollock, have just released what I think will soon be referred to as a classic.
I did think about approaching Stewart Henderson and asking for an interview from which I’d try to create a blog post, but an article has appeared today in one of the biggest selling tabloid papers in Scotland which really does the business. And so, in the spirit of the villainous ways that I do things round here, I’ve gone for the cut’n’paste approach
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THEY started in the kitchen of a flat on Glasgow’s south side, creating a record label to release their own music.
Twenty one years later, they’ve launched the careers of some of Britain’s best-loved indie bands and been garlanded with an array of industry gongs.
Chemikal Underground remain one of the most important and influential record labels the country has ever produced, surviving against the odds with a mixture of luck, loyalty and endeavour.
They were established by the members of The Delgados to release their first single in 1994. Within 18 months, they’d signed Glasgow’s bis, got them a memorable slot on Top of The Pops with single Kandy Pop and started thinking outside the kitchen
Founder Stewart Henderson said: “We decided to record songs and do things ourselves and there was quite a vibrant DIY scene at the time. Putting out the first Delgados single Monica Webster was a high, but bis lit the touch paper.
“It catapulted us out of (fellow Delagados) Paul Savage and Emma Pollock’s kitchen and into an office. Within a week we’d gone from pressing 3000 CD singles to 30,000.”
The label are now based in an office in Bridgeton in Glasgow’s east end.
They’ve won two Scottish Album of the Year Awards in four years, with records by RM Hubbert and Aidan Moffat, seen The Delgados LP The Great Eastern nominated for a Mercury music prize and established the weekend-long East End Social music festival along Duke Street as part of the Commonwealth Games 2014 culture programme.
Stewart said: “It’s significant that a label like Chemikal Underground have been able to endure 21 years. It’s important people see a company like ours surviving when the landscape of the music industry has changed so dramatically.”
Emma Pollock’s new LP, In Search of Harperfield, kicked off the label’s 2016 release schedule, with more coming including a soundtrack to Graeme Obree documentary Battle Mountain from Alun Woodward.
Stewart said: “People talk about labels like Postcard records with love and admiration. But some were like magnesium flares. They burned quickly and brightly then collapsed in on themselves.
“The fact we’ve survived this long is a testament to the amount of music being made in Scotland.”
Here, label boss Stewart Henderson picks his top 21 Chemikal Underground records of their 21 year history.
Bis: ‘Kandy Pop’ from ‘The Secret Vampire Soundtrack’ (March 1996)
Chemikal’s third release catapulted this Glaswegian teenage trio onto Top of the Pops and essentially made the next 21 years possible.
We’ve had so many important acts on the label but bis it the touch paper and no mistake.
Arab Strap: The Week Never Starts Round Here (November 1996)
Controversial to plump for Arab Strap’s debut album rather than their later (more polished) records but this has ‘The First Big Weekend’ on it and remains one of our favourite ever releases.
It’s an incredibly brave, uncompromising statement by a band that would go on to influence and shape independent music in Scotland.
Mogwai: Young Team (October 1997)
If bis provided the commercial catalyst for Chemikal Underground then Mogwai have fuelled our progress ever since.
Nearly twenty years old, this album still sounds furious and beautiful in equal measure: what an opening gambit by one of Scotland’s most consistently creative bands.
The Delgados: The Great Eastern (April 2000)
A big album (in every sense) for Chemikal when it mattered most: with Mogwai and Arab Strap having moved on from the label, The Great Eastern earned the label’s founders a Mercury-nomination and showcased The Delgados’ flair for leftfield orchestral splendour.
Radar Brothers: And the Surrounding Mountains (May 2002)
Another long-standing favourite, the Radar Brothers hailed from Southern California and released five albums with us over the years.
They evoke such a brilliant sense of the outdoors, of longing and of thoughtful reflection that we suspect the only true place to listen to this album is on a long Greyhound bus journey as the landscape dances past the window…
Arab Strap: Monday at the Hug and Pint (April 2003)
The only band to feature twice on this list and with good reason.
Arab Strap’s second spell at the label delivered another batch of great albums but this one got a pub named after it and features ‘The Shy Retirer’ which rhymes ‘moanin’ with ‘serotonin’.
The defence rests.
Malcolm Middleton: Into the Woods (June 2005)
Malcolm’s musical input to Arab Strap was incalculable, the perfect foil for Aidan Moffat’s lyrics, but this album highlighted what a great songwriter he was in his own right.
From the brilliant AA Milne inspired artwork, through a host of musical styles and some darkly comic lyrics ‘Into the Woods’ is a classic.
Aereogramme: My Heart Has A Wish That You Would Not Go (February 2007)
Another giant on Chemikal’s roster, the much-loved Aereogramme made three extraordinary albums including this, their swansong in 2007.
Craig B and Iain Cook would go on to release another two albums on Chemikal as The Unwinding Hours before Iain found global success with CHVRCHES and Craig launched his acclaimed solo project A Mote of Dust.
Various Artists: Ballads of the Book (March 2007)
An important and influential album for Chemikal Underground, this was an idea of Idlewild’s Roddy Woomble who, having worked with Edwin Morgan (Scotland’s Makar), was keen to unite Scottish literary figures’ lyrics with the music of various bands and recording artists.
The product was ‘Ballads of the Book’ featuring stellar collaborations between the likes of Alasdair Gray, Ian Rankine, Ali Smith, King Creosote, Norman Blake, Vashti Bunyan, AL Kennedy, Trashcan Sinatras and more.
The Phantom Band: Checkmate Savage (January 2009)
A debut album from an unknown band that took everyone by surprise.
Only The Phantom Band could fuse Captain Beefheart, krautrock, old world folk and doo wop into one album and pull it off perfectly.
A band for every music fan to cherish.
De Rosa: Prevention (March 2009)
Our second Alasdair Gray designed album cover, Prevention was De Rosa’s second album and remains a high-water mark for sophisticated, eloquent songwriting.
Everything about this album is class and the band have recently reformed too, releasing ‘Weem’ on Mogwai’s brilliant Rock Action label.
Roky Erickson with Okkervil River: True Love Cast Out All Evil (April 2010)
Alt-rock legend and 13th Floor Elevators frontman Roky Erickson teamed up with fellow Austin, Texas band Okkervil River to make this emotional, uplifting testament to faith, hope and forgiveness.
Devastating.
Bill Wells & Aidan Moffat: Everything’s Getting Older (May 2011)
The winner of the inaugural Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) Award, Everything’s Getting Older is a wry, poignant – and at times quite filthy – modern classic.
Wells’ subtle melodies provide the perfect foil for Moffat’s peerless lyrics, just listen to The Copper Top if proof were needed.
The finest song in Chemikal Underground’s entire catalogue.
Rick Redbeard: No Selfish Heart (January 2013)
Phantom Band frontman Rick Anthony released this solo debut under the name Rick Redbeard and gifted us one of Chemikal Underground’s very best albums.
Recorded in his Glasgow flat and his parents’ Aberdeenshire home, No Selfish Heart seems instantly recognisable, timeless even, evoking the careworn confessionals of Neil Young and Tom Waits.
Conquering Animal Sound: On Floating Bodies (March 2013)
The work of Anneke Kampman and James Scott, this dazzling record inhabits a world almost entirely of its own.
Created over 18 months it weaves intricate electronica and samples with Anneke’s extraordinary vocals.
Cosmology, philosophy and semantics framed in all their otherworldly glory.
RM Hubbert: Breaks & Bone (September 2013)
Following his SAY Award win in 2013 for Thirteen Lost & Found, Hubby found his voice on Breaks & Bone, singing half the tracks while the other half highlighted his trademark flamenco-inspired guitar style.
A technically brilliant musician and a gifted songwriter full of wit and warmth, his music’s a key part of Chemikal’s legacy. He’s brilliant at swearing too.
Holy Mountain: Ancient Astronauts (April 2014)
Courted by Chemikal when they were still a blistering duo of guitar and drums, we finally secured Holy Mountain’s services as the ultimate rock power trio channelling the likes of Black Sabbath, Iron Monkey and Deep Purple.
They brought the noise alright, what an album.
Adrian Crowley: Some Blue Morning (November 2014)
On his third album for Chemikal (his seventh in total), Galway’s Adrian Crowley seemed to perfect his brand of evocative, cinematic songwriting.
Currently finishing his debut novel, this wonderfully modest man of letters makes music that brings to mind the drama of Scott Walker, the poetry of Leonard Cohen and the sweep of Lee Hazlewood.
Miaoux Miaoux: School of Velocity (June 2015)
Glasgow-based songwriter, multi-instrumentalist and producer Julian Corrie delivered Chemikal’s finest foray into smart, electronic pop with this irresistible release from last June.
Referencing early Prince and Scritti Polliti while squeezing in the odd Nile Rodgers flourish, School of Velocity is a masterclass in melody and leftfield pop.
FOUND: Cloning (November 2015)
Nearly up to date now with an album by the tirelessly creative Edinburgh outfit FOUND who were responsible for Chemikal’s only edible release – a chocolate 7” back in 2011.
Cloning finds them in full-on synthesiser mode, recalling Vangelis and Tangerine Dream in this glorious sci-fi soundtrack to a film that hasn’t been made yet.
Emma Pollock: In Search of Harperfield (January 2016)
Last but not least then, and fitting that it should be penned by a Chemikal Underground founder and member of The Delgados.
Emma’s first album in six years has already been hailed as a triumph and for good reason.
A sophisticated, articulate pop album that explores family, responsibility and loss is quite simply the best album of Emma’s career and a jewel in the crown of the label she created with three of her friends.
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Here’s a few tunes to remind you of the quality of stuff this very fine Glasgow and Scottish institution have brought us over the years:-
mp3 : Bis – Kandy Pop
mp3 : Arab Strap – The Shy Retirer
mp3 : The Delgados – No Danger
mp3 : The Phantom Band – Throwing Bones (single version)
mp3 : RM Hubbert & Emma Pollock – Half Light (recorded live at Aberfeldy Distillery)
They also have has some ingenious films/videos made to accompany various releases. None better than this for what Stewart has said – and I agree with him – is the finest song in the entire catalogue
I really do urge everyone pays it a visit and if you haven’t already, sign up for their newsletter which is always a great and brilliantly-written piece of work that won’t clog up your inbox,
COMPETITION TIME
I’d like to mark this momentous occasion by offering T(n)VV readers the chance to pick up items of their choice from the Chem shop, up to a value of £50, that I will pay for in lieu of me sending Stewart & co. a big bottle of champagne and a tacky 21st birthday card.
All you have to do is answer this simple question, the answer to which can be found over at the Chem website:-
Which two musicians make up the Chem act Aloha Hawaii?
Huge apologies about the terrible pun – it’s the sort of thing you’d cringe at when you picked up an NME in the mid 80s. But as far as I know, it’s one I’ve come up with by myself.
There’s loads can be said about Ben Watt – the laziest and easiest thing I can do is refer you to this wiki page. Hard to imagine that back in the 90s, he experienced a very rare and life-threatening illness with his recovery only enabled with the removal of 15 feet worth of intestines….I read the other day that he’s going out on tour this year with a band that will feature Bernard Butler on guitar; the pity for me being that his Glasgow gig on Saturday 28 May coincides with me being away that weekend so I’m sadly going to miss it (but I will be back in time for the following night’s big event which is Robert Forster playing at King Tut’s……)
It seems that Ben will be including tracks from his 1983 debut solo album within his setlists.
North Marine Drive is a very good but not great album. While it is a work that predates anything he made with Tracey Thorn, it is very evident that it is a close relative to the first few Everything But The Girl LPs. It’s also an album that I reckon Paul Weller listened to a lot back in the days for there’s quite a few of the songs quite similar in mood and tempo as many an album track or b-side by The Style Council. It’s really no surprise that Ben and Tracey ended up guesting on Cafe Bleu.
So why do I say good and not great??
Listening to it afresh all these years later, I still can’t find anything to criticise about the five tracks that make up Side A. But I still get annoyed by the opening song on Side B – Waiting Like Mad – and it’s all down to the inclusion of a saxophone piece that makes it sound like some sort of inoffensive but totally bland bit of muzak that wouldn’t be out-of-place at dinner parties where guests were more interested in the sound of their own voices and boasting about how quickly they would make their next million on the stock market.
It’s five minutes of hell in an album that is only 33 minutes in length, containing 8 original Ben Watt compositions and a Bob Dylan cover. It’s a record I played a lot in my student days – always without fail skipping Track 1 on Side B – and it’s a record that takes me right back to a particular era when life did seem so much carefree and less worrying; when getting out of bed before noon wasn’t a necessity; when your circle of friends were always around you and you saw them every day, and when I was umpteen stone lighter, thinner and there was more hair on the top of my head.
Oh and to when I dressed exactly like Ben Watt in the picture above….even in the summertime. Except for the white cotton socks. Could never bring myself to wear them.
mp3 : Ben Watt – Some Things Don’t Matter
mp3 : Ben Watt – Empty Bottles
mp3 : Ben Watt – North Marine Drive
Happy Daze indeed…..hard to take in the fact that it was 33 years ago!
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 