Altered Images

THE 7″ LUCKY DIP (27) : Altered Images – I Could Be Happy

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It was back in 2015 that Altered Images featured in the Sunday Singles series.  I actually wasn’t sure about doing a full series on them or not, but my mind was then made up after a fair number of positive reactions to this post.

——

They began as a post-punk band championed by John Peel and Siousxie Sioux but within a relatively short period of time their move into pure pop music saw them conquer the singles charts before all of a sudden they fell spectacularly out of fashion and breaking up before the lead singer had reached her 22nd birthday after which she moved into acting.

I loved Altered Images. They were great fun. And Clare Grogan was, and still is, gorgeous.

The band were mere teenagers when they formed in 1979. Their first two singles were released to almost complete indifference in early 1981 but seemingly out of nowhere Happy Birthday hit the #2 spot in the UK on its release in August 1981. Over the next nine months, they were rarely out of the singles charts thanks to the success of I Could Be Happy and See Those Eyes with Clare’s ‘little-girl on helium’ vocals and persona making them stand out just that bit more than most.

The age-old issue of failing to deliver a decent follow-up LP to the debut in 1982 was a setback and led to two-fifths of the band leaving on less than amicable terms and a whole change in direction in both sound and look. Veteran producer Mike Chapman was brought in to bring a more polished and mature sound while Clare turned overnight into an Audrey Hepburn lookalike. It did bring initial success through the outstanding 45 Don’t Talk To Me About Love, but it wasn’t sustainable and before 1983 was out the band were no more.”

—–

The band’s fourth single highlighted, more than any other, the two distinct sides to the band.

mp3: Altered Images – I Could Be Happy

It’s pop at its most disposable.  Great wee eardrum of a tune with nonsense, almost nursery-rhyme lyrics.  It got to #7 in January 1982.

The b-side is quite different – it’s still pop music but with a harder-edge and a nod to the sounds of early Banshees, Cure, Bauhaus etc.

mp3: Altered Images – Insects

JC

Wedding Present

THE WEDDING PRESENT SINGLES (Part Fifty-Nine)

It really was Lucky 7 when it came to the Wedding Present‘s 24 Songs project of 2022 as the single released on 15 July turned out to be a gem.

mp3: The Wedding Present – We Interrupt Our Programme (7″ version)

A spiky and upbeat tune that plays host to a catchy chorus of ‘what we want and what we get are not always the same’.   And it’s one of those Gedge tales, of the type that I’ve always thought he does better than any others, in that he’s on the receiving end of the ending of a relationship.  But in this case, he sounds as if he’s quite relieved about it all.

Spoiler alert!!!   After all 12 singles had been released, they were compiled into an album, unsurprisingly called 24 Songs.  Some of the tracks were now made available in their full form, having been edited down a bit for the 7″ release.  We Interrupt Our Programme was one of those, with the album version not fading out just after the 4:20 mark but continuing on its merry and noisy way for another 80 seconds or so – and it was always the longer version that was aired in the live setting.

mp3: The Wedding Present – We Interrupt Our Programme (album version)

The single was attributed to the four members of the band who were active throughout 2022 – David Gedge, Jon Stewart, Melanie Howard and Nicholas Wellauer.  The flip side, Telemark, is a tune that was dusted down from a few years previously, as it is attributed to the line-up which had been together up until the end of 2019 – David Gedge, Danielle Wadey, Melanie Howard and Charles Layton, which, if you recall from earlier entries in this long-running series, was broken-up when Danielle and Charles became parents to a newborn baby. 

mp3: The Wedding Present – Telemark (7″ version)

The unusual thing about this one is that the verses are delivered in a spoken-word manner, while the chorus is sung.  There’s also a distinct change in tempo and pace just short of the three-minute mark, which is not something that the band have done too often over the near 40 years that their music has been written and recorded. 

As with the A-side, the full length version (just under a minute longer) was made available on the subsequent album.  Not only does it not fade out, but there’s an additional spoken-outro from a female voice, with the words presumably being in Norwegian, given that Telemark is a region of Norway……

mp3: The Wedding Present – Telemark (album version)

One of the many fan sites dedicated to the band, indicates that Telemark was originally part of the live set back in 2019, only to be heavily re-worked and released for the 24 Songs project, and looking back on the set list for the show at the Classic Grand in Glasgow on 25 October 2019, it was indeed aired.  But as this fan-shot footage from a gig in Paris a week prior to Glasgow demonstrates, it was indeed a bit different from the version that was eventually recorded, albeit the change in tempo and pace was there.

 

 

Chrysanths

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #436: CHRYSANTHS

Today’s accompanying picture is of a gig last year at which myself and Aldo were much entertained….I had meant to write up a short review afterwards, but other things got in the way. I’m now going to be really really lazy, and quote extensively from the website of Chemikal Underground Records, as the label was responsibel for releasing the debut album by Crysanths, and the gig on 16 October was just one of two in which a full band was put together to perform it in its entirety as part of the promotional activities:- “Dancing slowly into view with grace and poise, Chrysanths’ debut album Leave No Shadow feels like a major work from the start. A deep, technicolour world landscaped by multi-instrumentalist Emily Scott, Leave No Shadow evokes the immediacy of the moment, the richness of the senses, the flow and drama of existence. Intersecting with her fluid piano playing, Scott weaves complex string arrangements that invite in her effortless vocal performances. It’s the sound of a unique artist finding their voice. “Recorded in Scotland with Emily Scott firmly in the producer’s chair, Leave No Shadow finds the artist flowering in new territory from that associated with her band, Glasgow-based Modern Studies. The most distinctive sonic elements here are the swirling, enveloping string arrangements written by Scott. With Susan Bear’s thoughtful bass guitar and Owen Curtis Williams’s delicate drums, the album takes on a luxurious timbre reminiscent of Jean Claude Vannier’s late 60s studio work or the evocative world-building of Fontana-era Scott Walker. “Written between 2020-22, Leave No Shadow finds Scott revelling in insularity, zooming in on the small details of her home and immediate environment, spinning universes of sound that feel like they erupt from every moment. Although Chrysanths’ compositions and timbres are sometimes mournful, they’re infused with colour and bold shifts in tone that often provoke joy. The introspection of the writing invites the listener into Chrysanth’s private world, a flowering imagination full of the immediacy of the senses.” It really is an album full of beauty and wonder, and to hear it performed in such a small and intimate space such as the Glad Cafe – there were six musicians on stage, including three string players on cellos and violins – was an absolute treat.  All this coming after TVV favourite Adam Stafford had delivered a short but enjoyable set with music taken mostly from his 2024 album, Daylight Slavings, on which he concentrates on his keyboard skills. Leave No Shadow came close to making the cut of my favourite albums of 2022, and it is well worth a few minutes of your time to give it a listen over here at the bandcamp page.   You might just be tempted to pick a digital or physical copy. mp3: Crysanths – Rising As my dear friend Dirk might say, enjoy.

JC

Big Country, China Crisis, Colourfield, Echo & The Bunnymen, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, Madonna, Prefab Sprout, Simple Minds, Smiths, Spear of Destiny, Talk Talk, Talking Heads, Thomas Dolby

WHEN THE CLOCKS STRUCK THIRTEEN (January)

The 1979 series was so well-received that I felt there really should be some sort of follow-up.

The 1979 series went into great detail, partly as I wanted to demonstrate just how magnificent a year it had been for singles.  The spotlight on 1984 won’t quite be as intense, but I still intend to pick out quite a few tunes that have stood the test of time.

The year began with the #1 slot being occupied by a novelty song in the shape of The Flying Pickets acappella cover of Only You.  The rest of the Top 20 was equally gruesome, with the likes of Slade, Billy Joel, Status Quo, Paul Young, Cliff Richard and Paul McCartney all vying with Roland Rat Superstar for the right to be exchanged for the record tokens that had been left under the Xmas tree. There were a few decent enough tunes from the likes of The Smiths, The Style Council, Aztec Camera, The Cure and Blancmange in the lower end of the charts that had been released towards the tail end of 1983 to make things slightly bearable.  But in terms of new entries in the chart of 1-7 January 1984, there was nothing to write home about.

Fast-forward a week, and The Police had the highest new entry, at #32, with the distinctly underwhelming King of Pain, the fourth single to be lifted from the album Synchronicity.  Just a few places below that was the fifth chart 45 from one of the many bands to emerge out of the Liverpool area in the early part of the decade:-

mp3: China Crisis – Wishful Thinking

In at #36, this was given a wonderful retrospective write-up by Post Punk Monk back in October 2011, and I’m sure he won’t mind me quoting him:-

“This single is one of my all time favorites by the group in that the A-side is sweetly melancholic and unapologetically gorgeous, with a wonderfully played synthetic string section sweeping the tune along. Other tracks on the album this single is from have live strings, but I guess the recording budget didn’t extend that far. The synth strings still sound rather good and more importantly, the addition of oboe and fretless bass, two of my favorite instruments, on this track lends it a gentle nobility that carries it far above the sound of the crowd in the charts at the time of its release.”

Loads of folk in the UK clearly agreed with him, as Wishful Thinking would eventually climb all the way to #9 and prove to be the band’s best charting single.

This week’s chart also saw the debut of someone who would, in quite a short period of time, become, arguably, the biggest pop icon of the late 20th century.  It’s a tune that was later given this accolade many years later on one of the biggest digital sites out there:-

“A song as utterly ’80s as Rick Astley or the Pet Shop Boys, it is also surely the most evocative theme tune ever created when it comes to packing a suitcase and jetting off for beach cocktails […] A feel-good pop giant with an infectious chorus – and the closest thing we have to bottled sunshine”.

mp3: Madonna – Holiday

In at #53, it would reach #6 in mid-February, the first of what thus far have been 64 Top Ten hits in the UK for Madonna, of which 13 have reached #1.

The third of the new entries into the Top 75 being highlighted this time around turned out to be one which became a big hit six years down the line:-

mp3: Talk Talk – It’s My Life

The lead single from the band’s forthcoming second studio album came in at #67, and two weeks later peaked at #46.  It was then re-released in May 1990 to support a Greatest Hits package, at which time it reached #13.

Scrolling down now to the chart of 15-21 January.

mp3: Big Country – Wonderland (#13)
mp3: Thomas Dolby – Hyperactive (#45)
mp3: The Colour Field – The Colour Field (#53)
mp3: Spear of Destiny – Prisoner of Love (#60)
mp3: Talking Heads – This Must Be The Place (#61)

I’m not going to argue that all of the above have aged well, but they provide a fine snapshot of the variety that was on offer to anyone seeking to expand their 7″ or 12″ vinyl collection. I certainly bought all five back in the day.

22-28 January. Have a look at what hit #1

mp3: Frankie Goes To Hollywood – Relax

Even back then, in an era when it was possible for a slow-burner to reach #1, it was almost unheard of for it to take 12 weeks. But that’s what happened with Relax. Released in late October 1983, it had spent two months very much at the lower end of the chart, reaching #46 in the final chart of that year, and reaching #35 in the first chart of 1984, which earned Frankie Goes To Hollywood an invitation onto Top of The Pops for the show broadcast on 5 January.

The following week it climbed to #6, at which point Mike Read Reid, one of the highest-profile DJs on BBC Radio 1, publicly expressed his disdain for the single and said he wouldn’t be playing it on any of his shows, leading to a chain of events where the single was banned right across the BBC on radio and television. None of which stopped it being played on independent radio stations, or indeed on The Tube TV show which aired on Channel 4; Relax would spend five weeks at #1, and indeed would go on to spend a total of 48 weeks in the Top 75, not dropping out until the chart of 14-20 October.

All of which kind of overshadowed these new entries that week:-

mp3: Echo and The Bunnymen – The Killing Moon (#17)
mp3: Simple Minds – Speed Your Love To Me (#20)
mp3: The Smiths – What Difference Does It Make (#26)
mp3: Prefab Sprout – Don’t Sing (#62)

Looking back at things, the singles charts of January 1984 weren’t too shabby, were they?

As with the 1979 series, I’ll be consulting my big red book of indie singles to identify those 45s that didn’t bother the mainstream charts, but were well worth forking out some money for. It should be with you in the next week or so.

JC

PS : Total coincidence that thirteen songs feature in this post…….or is it?????

(It is!!!)

Princess Kaiulani

ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN SINGLES : #079

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Sexy Loser

#079: Princess Kaiulani – ‘Alamoana Fade Away’ (Motorway Records ’99)

Hello friends,

well, let’s be honest – this was bound to happen one day: a record I know NOTHING about whatsoever!

Those of you who listened to Peel more or less frequently back then will be able to confirm that some of the stuff he played was of quite some obscurity at times … still great, but nevertheless obscure. But despite of this it doesn’t happen all too often that you don’t find anything at all about the obscure record in question nor about the band on the internet these days – one would think there are at least an additional handful of people on the globe who had approved of it as well.

Not so today! But I always liked this single so much from the moment on I first heard it, it simply had to feature here. On the other hand you might be relieved that you don’t have to bear with my usual debouchery this time, who knows?

So here are the facts:

a) Princess Kaiulani (as pictured above) is correctly spelled Princess Ka’iulani, with an apostrophe, or, for the faultfinders amongst you, Victoria Kawēkiu Kaʻiulani Lunalilo Kalaninuiahilapalapa Cleghorn.

b) she was Hawaii’s last princess and she died in 1899, aged only 23, after „gleefully galloping through the rain without a coat“ (now, this should teach you not to do the same – alway wear a coat when riding your horse!).

c) she was, and probably still is, famous in Hawaii for standing up against the American annexation of the island.

d) Motorway Records are based – or at least they were in 1999 – in Chiba, Japan.

e) „Ala Moana“ is a huge shopping center and also a hotel in Honolulu.

And that’s it, to be frank, fact fans. Feel free to figure out by yourself what all of this means or may not mean: did the band come from Hawaii, did they come from Japan? No one can tell, for all I know they could have come from the nearby village, the one I look at when staring out of my window right now!

If all of this hasn’t already put you off, listen to the tune: it’s rather hard to describe other than ‘avant-garde’, but still worth a few minutes of your time. Perhaps it even grows on you the way it grew on me, who knows? If so: mission accomplished, I would think!

mp3: Princess Kaiulani – Alamoana Fade Away

Enjoy,

Dirk

Tristwch Y Fenywod, Welsh Wednesdays

WELSH WEDNESDAYS : #9 : TRISTWCH Y FENYWOD

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Is This The Life?

#9: Blodyn Gwyrdd by Tristwch Y Fenywod

This week’s band comes from the ancient Welsh-speaking heartland of Leeds, a…. wait, Leeds? Let me just check that……. Nope, I’m right, they’re from Leeds. So what the hell are they doing on Welsh Wednesday? Well, I mean, their name, right? And the song title? And the fact it’s sung completely in Welsh. Oh, and at least two of the members are actually Welsh. Look, Julian Cope qualified back in the original series because he was born a few miles the right side of the border, so if he gets in, so do Tristwch Y Fenywod.

Gwretsien Ferch Lisbeth, Sidni Sarffwraig and Leila Lygad are all members of other bands on the underground scene in goth’s first city. They collaborated following trips to North Wales and deciding to play instruments other than their usual ones. Leila, usually a vocalist, learned the drums, while Gwretsien invented a new instrument, which essentially consists of two differently tuned zithers stuck together.

The result: a band whose name translates as Sadness Of Women and who sound like a cross between early Dead Can Dance and The Cure (‘Pornography’-era). They definitely would have been signed to 4AD back in the 80s, and would have played the same festivals as Sisters Of Mercy, The Rose Of Avalanche and numerous other Leeds-based goth luminaries.

They released their self-titled debut album back in August, a record described as an “unholy grail of edgy, atmospheric, occult feminist goth emissions.” Blodyn Gwyrdd (trans. Green Flower) is the record’s opening track, and is without a doubt the most haunting music you’ll hear today. And a tad unsettling too, perhaps.

mp3: Blodyn Gwyrdd – Tristwch Y Fenywod (‘Tristwch Y Fenywod’, 2024)

These mysterious elfins seemingly shy away from visuals, so there’s no video this week. I did toy with finding some classic Welsh goth as an alternative, but the only band of that ilk I could track down was Gene Loves Jezebel, and they were shite…

The Robster

Uncategorized

WHEN JONNY CALLED JC

Some of you may recall that last June, a proposed trip for myself and Rachel to the Los Angeles area was postponed at the very last minute after I was unexpectedly admitted to hospital to sort out an issue with one of my kidneys. We were to be the guests of Jonny the Friendly Lawyer and Goldie the Friendly Psychologist at their family home in Santa Monica. As part of celebrating the trip, Jonny had compiled an ICA celebrating various neighbourhoods and communities in the LA area.

A number of those previously unfamiliar locations were all over the news last week, and indeed remain so just now as a result of the devastating wildfires that have engulfed the area. Here’s what Jonny wrote about the Pacific Palisades area:-

“The Palisades is a town on the coast immediately north of Santa Monica. It’s where GTFP went to high school (classmate: Susanna Hoffs), 10 years after Sparks’ Russell Mael was quarterback of the football team.”

The photo above is what remains of the home Goldie lived in as a teenager, which she and Jonny had only sold last April. The new buyer hadn’t moved in yet as he intended to do some renovations, so luckily he didn’t lose a house full of possessions. But now, with the whole block gone, it’s uncertain what he can or might rebuild.
The day after the fires broke out, I contacted Jonny via e-mail, hoping that he was somehow OK and to wish him well over the coming days. He replied quickly to say:

“It’s really bad, Jim. Some of our friends lost their homes–we don’t know how many. Three of my bandmates evacuated. Not sure if the fires near us are even partially contained. I’ll keep you posted. Thanks for checking in.”

5pm or thereabouts last Saturday, the phone rang with Jonny coming through via FaceTime. I thought he looked as if he’d aged ten years over the course of events, but he was insisting he was fine, as was Goldie. He talked about the impact of the multiple fires across the LA region, mentioning how many people he knew had been directly impacted, adding in the details surrounding Goldie’s former home in the Palisades that I referred to above.

He went on to explain that where he lives in Santa Monica (the southern part of the city) had managed to avoid any of the wildfire reaching his community, but not too far away, where there had been less shelter, more brush and at a higher level where the winds would blow stronger, it was utter devastation.

The number of Jonny and Goldie’s friends and acquaintances who have lost their homes is over 30. And that’s about the same number for everyone they know–the impact is hard to comprehend. He described a surreal scene, of whole areas where nothing remained other than rows of brick chimneys that somehow still reached into the sky, while the rest of the structures had collapsed around them. Of burnt out cars and trucks and of whole blocks of buildings in what had previously been densely populated and thriving neighbourhoods now just vast areas of still smouldering wastelands.

It was no wonder that Jonny looked in such a state of shock, and while I know he is an incredibly resilient individual, he looked frightened as there were still all sorts of issues and problems expected over the coming days. When I asked after Goldie, I was not surprised to learn that she was spending every spare minute that she had, out there lending a hand, not just to people she knew, but total strangers.

The TV pictures and the accounts across the UK media have, in their own way, conveyed how awful things have been in Los Angeles, just as they do whenever there is any sort of natural disaster across the world. Lives have been lost – the actual number is rising with each passing day – and likewise with the homes, businesses and properties that were everything to those who lived and/or worked in them. But it was only after spending 20 or so minutes on a call with Jonny, did I get a fuller understanding of what had happened, but even then I found it impossible to comprehend what it must have been like to have been an actual eyewitness.

This little corner of t’internet is very insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but it has organically developed its own small community of like-minded people brought together by a love and appreciation of good music. I’d like to think we all look out for, and care about, one another, and that Jonny, his family and friends, and indeed everyone who has been impacted by this natural disaster, are in our thoughts during these dark times.

Kind of feels a bit trite to offer up any sort of song after all of that. I hope, however, this is acceptable.

mp3: Wilco – California Stars

Written in the dim and distant past by Woody Guthrie, with the tune being composed by Jay Bennett and Jeff Tweedy as part of the Mermaid Avenue project, recorded alongside Billy Bragg.

 

 

JC

Fall

ON THIS DAY : THE FALL’S PEEL SESSIONS #7

A quick reminder that this is a new series for 2025 which will feature all twenty-four of the sessions The Fall recorded for the John Peel Show between 1978 and 2004.

Each session will, going forward, be posted on the actual dates each session was first broadcast, but this one and the one which opened up the series last week, were originally broadcast in the very early days of January, and to stick fully to the plan would have involved new material while the blog was on its festive break.  We’ll get fully on track next time around.

Session #7 was broadcast on 3 January 1984, having been recorded on 12 December 1983.

Another transitional session: the debut of Smith’s then-wife Brix, with the band on the cusp of signing to Beggars. While future B-side ‘Pat-Trip Dispenser’ is tentative, ‘2×4’ points to the Wonderful and Frightening rockabilly that lay ahead and Brix’s increased role within the band. ‘Words of Expectation’, all nine minutes 15 seconds of it, was originally to be featured on the last Sanctuary Peel sessions CD, but it didn’t.  Now you can hear again its low-key detective music, which was an intermittent concert favourite between 83-86, with its vocal patterns predicting ‘Living Too Late’. The refrain of ‘I’m The Head Wrangler’ provides one of Smith’s classic moments, backed by some almost fretless-sounding bass.  Of course, ‘C.R.E.E.P.’ divided The Fall audience when released as a single, and here it is in a early form, all bright and poppy.

DARYL EASLEA, 2005

mp3: The Fall – Pat-Trip Dispenser (Peel Session)
mp3: The Fall – 2×4 (Peel Session)
mp3: The Fall – Words of Expectation (Peel Session)
mp3: The Fall – C.R.E.E.P. (Peel Session)

Produced by Tony Wilson, engineered by Martin Colley

Mark E Smith – vocals; Brix Smith – guitar, vocals; Craig Scanlon – guitar; Steve Hanley – bass; Paul Hanley – drums; Karl Burns – drums

 

JC

Wedding Present

THE WEDDING PRESENT SINGLES (Part Fifty-Eight)

I’ve long felt, in terms of quality control, there’s an enormous risk attached to issuing twelve new singles across a calendar year.  I say that as I would have thought it’s a hard enough challenge for a band, especially one that’s been on the go for over thirty years in some shape or form, to come up with say 14 new tunes in a year from which a decent album could be made up, including a couple that could be held back to support any release of a single in some sort of physical form.  Even when a band comes to selecting the dozen or so songs for the new album, there will most likely be some that aren’t as ‘strong’ as others, a position that surely is only intensified when it comes to working out if something is ‘good enough’ to be an actual single.

Which is my sort of confused way of saying that Once Bitten, the sixth single across the 24 Songs project, released on 17 June 2022 is merely an ‘ok tune’.  

It actually has a really decent opening lyric, the sort which David Gedge has been coming up with all his life.

You are an empress so I’ll grovel
You’re a beauty from a bygone age
You are a pop song
You’re a novel and I can’t wait to read another page

But it kind of descends into some bad sixth-form lovelorn poetry by the end which is just a bit too cringey:-

Is this the moment when we kiss because I’ve been hurt before when I’ve been through things like this?
I long for your touch but it can wait; the thought of getting it wrong again’s too much to contemplate

On the other hand, it has a decent enough tune of the sort that The Wedding Present seem so capable of writing, recording and performing without breaking any sweat.

mp3: The Wedding Present – Once Bitten

It turns out that this is another of the 7″ releases in 2022 when I found myself preferring the b-side, one that was given the strange title of Kerplunk!, which itself is the name of a children’s game invented in 1967 that involves sticks and marbles:-

“With the Kerplunk game, kids test their skills and their nerves. Players compete to keep their hand steady enough to pull out the sticks without dislodging the marbles. One wrong move and the marbles will come rolling down the chute! Take turns carefully pulling out sticks from the Kerplunk bowl but watch out for a marble avalanche sending marbles rolling down the chute! The player who finishes the game with the fewest marbles wins.”

mp3: The Wedding Present – Kerplunk!

This is actually a bit of a hidden gem.  It’s one of those Gedge-imagined tales of bad romance in which he’s been on the receiving end of his partner calling an end to the relationship to run off with someone else, and then he bumps into his old flame about a month later and learns she is on her own again.  He takes a bit of delight in this new twist…….

 

 

Chrissy Barnacle

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #435: CHRISSY BARNACLE

From the website of Olive Grove Records:-

Glasgow-based singer-songwriter, Chrissy Barnacle, is one of those rare artists whose music can literally stop you in your tracks.

A cult figure on the music scene, Barnacle twists together folk and pop music, intertwining them in songs that tread paths along which you’ll be touched, laugh and be carried blissfully on a poignant journey within the space of a composition.  Writing from the heart, Barnacle’s nylon-stringed folk pieces  spanning witchcraft, cannibal rats and the impossibility of love, are filled with raw intimacy and emotional heft.

This was written to support the release of Archipelago Vol 2, part of a series of six EPs issued by the label during 2019.  This is, in my view, (not that it counts for much!!), the best of them. mp3: Chrissy Barnacle – Witches

JC

Pavement

THE CD SINGLE LUCKY DIP (16) : Pavement – Shady Lane

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Shady Lane was the second and final single taken from the album Brighten The Corners (1997).  In some ways, it was a strange release, being a full four months after the LP had come out. But in saying that, it was always regarded as one of its best and most accessible tracks and a great candidate for a stand-alone single…with a caveat!

The track on the album is, in effect, split into two halves – Shady Lane followed by J vs S, with the latter being a languid piece of instrumental music which begins around the 2:30 mark as the last notes of Shady Lane are played and sung. The version that was issued as the single removed J vs S, and offered a modified title:

mp3: Pavement -Shady Lane (Krossfader)

Four other songs were split across the 2xCD format….one was in a standard jewel case with the other being a digipak….and it was the digipak version I eventually picked up.

mp3: Pavement – Wanna Mess You Around
mp3: Pavement – No Tan Lines

The former is just 87 seconds in length, and the allmusic description of it being dynamic, noisy punk is accurate. It’s total throwaway stuff…..and a word of warning…..there’s a bit lot of swearing in the chorus!

The latter is more of an actual song and while it has something of a feel of a something still in demo form, it could easily have been licked into shape for inclusion on Brighten The Corners.

JC

Go-Betweens

WHEN COLIN MET LINDY

Regular readers will be aware of the pivotal role Comrade Colin played in getting the original blog off the ground back in September 2006, and indeed in providing the support for it to be reincarnated in July 2013 just a matter of hours after Blogger had pulled the plug on things and I flitted over to WordPress.  His own, long-lost and much missed blogs (Let’s Kiss and Make Up and And Before The First Kiss) were the inspiration for TVV, and it didn’t take too long before we became close friends, mainly due to a common love of much great music.

I mentioned previously that, late last year, he went to Australia, for a trip that would combine work, a family holiday and a pilgrimage to various sites and locations that are part of the story of the Go-Betweens, while also unashamedly admitting that I was insane with jealousy.

He used some acceptable social media platforms to keep those of us not in Australia up-to-speed with his adventures, including some of the treasures he had unearthed in various record shops, including a copy of Your Turn, My Turn, the third single released by the Go-Betweens on Missing Link Records back in 1981.  As if that wasn’t enough, he then let us know that he had made contact with Lindy Morrison, the long-time drummer with the band during their glory decade of the 80s, and had arranged to have lunch in a beachside location close to her home.

He posted some photos of their lunchtime meeting, adding the commentary that it turned out to be a perfect day, during which Lindy had been thrilled to learn that someone from Scotland was now the owner of a copy of such an old single. He also passed on the info that Lindy had, naturally, been more than happy to sign the sleeve with a personal dedication to said owner.  In looking at the photo, and zooming in on the dedication, my jaw dropped, a large lump got stuck in my throat and tears filled up my eyes:-

“Dearest Jim. All my very best to you. Lindy”

The single had always been intended for me from the moment Colin found it in Rocksteady Records in Melbourne.  The idea of having it signed by Lindy was something that came to him later.

I still haven’t been able to find the right words with which to thank Colin for his incredible act of generosity.  He told me it was just his way of saying a huge thanks for being such a good friend over the many years, and that he knew just how much it would mean to me.

mp3: The Go-Betweens – Your Turn, My Turn
mp3: The Go-Betweens – World Weary

I’m still in disbelief.

JC

Pys Melyn, Welsh Wednesdays

WELSH WEDNESDAYS : #8 : PYS MELYN

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Is This The Life?

#8: Defaid by Pys Melyn

I’m aware that this run of Welsh Wednesdays has not yet featured any acts from the North (or “y Gogledd” – down here we refer to our northern compatriots as “Gogs”). It’s time to put that right with a bit of psychedelic folk from the coastal town of Pwllheli on the Llŷn Peninsula (a part of the world you really need to visit).

Pys Melyn (Yellow Peas) began releasing singles in 2018, and in 2019 formed Ski-Whiff Records. They were ejected from their first ever gig, at Cardiff’s Clwb Ifor Bach, because they were underage: “We were 15, with about three pieces of facial hair between us.” They persevered nonetheless, and their debut album ‘Byd Llonydd’ (Still World) was nominated for the 2021 Welsh Music Prize. Like a lot of Welsh bands, they do have a slightly quirky sound, but they do integrate all kinds of influences into their music. More recently, Pys Melyn have supported Gruff Rhys and Spiritualized, and played a live session on BBC 6 Music. Cate Le Bon is also a fan, so that’s more than enough of an accolade.

Their second album ‘Bolmynydd’ was released in the summer of 2023. It draws on a range of styles from the 60s and 70s, and lyrically it’s political and humorous in equal measures. It features today’s Welsh Wednesday pick, the short-and-sweet Defaid, which is Welsh for… sheep. Yes. Go on, snigger away. Cliché it may be, but the song is one of disillusionment and resignation. The third verse translates (roughly) as:

The sheep in the field have never been in the gutter / Eating grass all day is a fucking easy life
I’m sure worrying my life away is my fate / Because I have to.

mp3: Defaid by Pys Melyn (from ‘Bolmynydd’, 2023)

Here’s an early track that has a rather different feel to it.

 

The Robster

Primal Scream

ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN SINGLES : #078

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Sexy Loser

#078: Primal Scream– ‘Velocity Girl’ (Creation Records ’86)

Hello friends,

another B-side today, but what a B-Side, ey? I mean, be honest: can anyone of you sing along to the A-Side? No, you cannot, to be sure! ‘Crystal Crescent’ it was called, just to remind you.

And ‘Crystal Crescent’ was Primal Scream’s second single, preceded by ‘All Fall Down’/’It Happens’ in 1985, both songs might ring a bell with those of you who are old enough to have bought the according Creation-compilations at the time. Nice tunes, yes, but nothing in comparison to what was about to follow. I know, the majority of you will say: “… and this second single was nothing in comparison to what Primal Scream did afterwards”, and you even have a point here. But I always had severe difficulties in comparing the very early ‘Primal indie/jangle/noise-pop Scream’ to the later ‘Primal dance/triphop/Screamadelica Scream’: two different pair of shoes for me, always were.

So the early stuff it is for me, as usual. I understand very well that people who did not witness the original release of the famous NME ‘C86’ compilation, opened by today’s song of choice, probably cannot estimate its importance. ‘Groundbreaking’ is one of those adjectives which are being used too inflationary, if you ask me, but in this context it fits perfectly well! ‘C86’ managed to compile the best of the British indie guitar bands of the time, so by and large all of the songs on it were wonderful, obviously. But still the opener was somewhat special, and quite rightly it was praised a lot, some even say it defined the whole genre, which might be a bit over the top, but there you are.

It certainly was an influential/iconic pearl, let’s settle for that – one of those songs you won’t get tired of listening to, as vintage as it might be today. Hard to tell why this is, Bobby Gillespie’s desperate and naïve vocals perhaps, perhaps the simplicity of the rhythm, perhaps the jangly guitars, perhaps a combination of all of it, who knows? And, more importantly, who cares?

mp3: Primal Scream – Velocity Girl

The song was partly inspired by the actress, model and Warhol superstar Edie Sedgwick, so this is why she’s on the cover of the 2019 Sony re-release for Record Store Day – in all of her stunning beauty.

Someone once said about this song, ‘in pop music, 82 seconds can be an eternity’. Well, I’m all for that!

Enjoy,

Dirk

Fall

ON THIS DAY : THE FALL’S PEEL SESSIONS #13

A new series for 2025.  It’s an idea that came to me a few months back.  Some of you will hate it…….

The Fall recorded twenty-four sessions for the John Peel Show between 1978 and 2004.  Back in 2005, these were issued as a 6xCD box set by Castle Music, a collection which has long been out of print and has a going rate of upwards of £70 on Discogs, with the price being a little bit more if you want one carefully looked after by any previous owner and can be described as being in ‘near mint’ condition.

The plan for the series is not to feature them in chronological order, as that would be far too sensible.

Instead, I’m going to post them on the actual dates each session was first broadcast, which will almost certainly interfere with the regular stuff which you’ve come to anticipate/expect/dread * on Saturdays and Sundays, and perhaps on Wednesdays if The Robster is willing to extend his guest series beyond his initial commitment of ten parts.  Each post will also include the commentary within the booklet for each of the sessions.

*(delete as appropriate)

The thing is, the series is getting off to something of a stuttering start as a couple of the sessions were broadcast in the very early days of January, and to stick fully to the plan of posting on a particular anniversary would have involved new material while the blog was on its festive break.  We’ll get fully on track in due course.

Session #13 was broadcast on 1 January 1990, having been recorded on 17 December 1989.

Introducing the new sound of the full-on, pop reborn Fall, signed to a major label, welcoming back original guitarist Martin Brammah and heralding the imminent release of February 1990’s ‘Extricate’. We have a tight and humorous ‘Hilary’; a cover of The Monks ‘I Hate You’, re-titled ‘Black Monk Theme’, marking the flailing debut of Kenny Brady’s fiddle. ‘Chicago Now’ gives the recorded version a run for its money. ‘Whizz Bang’, which was to see the light of day as ‘Butterflies 4 Brains’ on the back of ‘Popcorn Double Feature’ was never broadcast, and it makes its debut here.  It’s not the greatest slice of The Fall you’ll ever hear. But it is here.

DARYL EASLEA, 2005

mp3: The Fall – Chicago Now (Peel Session)
mp3: The Fall – Black Monk Theme (Peel Session)
mp3: The Fall – Hilary (Peel Session)
mp3: The Fall – Whizz Bang (Peel Session)

Produced by Dale Griffin, engineered by Mike Engles.

Mark E Smith – vocals; Martin Brammah – guitar; Craig Scanlon – guitar; Steve Hanley – bass; Marcia Schofield – keyboards, vocals; Simon Wolstencroft – drums; Kenny Brady – fiddle

JC

Auteurs

AN HOUR OF…..THE AUTEURS

As usual, I’m (kind of) closing the blog down over the festive period.

Every day, weekends and holidays included, up to Monday 6 January 2025, you will find an hour-long mix featuring one particular band.

mp3: One Hour of……The Auteurs

Showgirl
Chinese Bakery
Everything You Say Will Destroy You
American Guitars
Buddha
Housebreaker
The Rubettes
Bailed Out
Unsolved Child Murder
New French Girlfriend
Brainchild
Lenny Valentino
Light Aircraft On Fire
Back With The Killer Again
After Murder Park
Subculture
The Upper Classes
How Could I Be Wrong
The Future Generation

Formative years were a drag. But we passed the time somehow.

The blog returns to normal as from tomorrow.

JC

Fall

AN HOUR OF…..THE FALL (3)

As usual, I’m (kind of) closing the blog down over the festive period.

Every day, weekends and holidays included, up to Monday 6 January 2025, you will find an hour-long mix featuring one particular band.

mp3: One Hour of……The Fall (Volume 3)

Green Eyed Loco Man
Industrial Estate
Victoria
Totally Wired
Hit The North
Idiot Joy Showland (Peel Session)
Fiery Jack
Cab It Up!
Telephone Thing
Cruiser’s Creek
Spoilt Victorian Child
Just Step Sways
Dead Beat Descendant
Hey! Student
New Face In Hell
No Bulbs 3

There’s a party going down around here……

JC

Pixies

AN HOUR OF…..PIXIES

As usual, I’m (kind of) closing the blog down over the festive period.

Every day, weekends and holidays included, up to Monday 6 January 2025, you will find an hour-long mix featuring one particular band.

mp3: One Hour of……Pixies

Holiday Song
Debaser
Nimrod’s Son
Head On
Gigantic
Wave Of Mutilation
Broken Face
Velouria
Cecilia Ann
U-Mass
Bone Machine
Isla De Encanta
Monkey Gone To Heaven
I’ve Been Waiting For You
Tame
Is She Weird?
Caribou
Subbacultcha (Peel Session)
Dig For Fire
Gouge Away
Planet of Sound
Where Is My Mind?
Here Comes Your Man

23 slabs of big big love.

JC

Carter USM

AN HOUR OF…..CARTER THE UNSTOPPABLE SEX MACHINE

As usual, I’m (kind of) closing the blog down over the festive period.

Every day, weekends and holidays included, up to Monday 6 January 2025, you will find an hour-long mix featuring one particular band.

mp3: One Hour of……Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine

Surfin’ USM
A Perfect Day To Drop The Bomb
The Only Living Boy In New Cross
After The Watershed (Early Learning The Hard Way)
Bloodsport For All
Elvis Lives (& Carterbreakamerica)
Everytime A Churchbell Rings
Anytime Anyplace Anywhere
Midnight On The Murder Mile
Shoppers’ Paradise
This Is How It Feels
Say It With Flowers
Rubbish
Rent
Sheriff Fatman

Coming soon in 2025.  Carter USM get the Sunday singles series treatment.

JC

Half Man Half Biscuit

AN HOUR OF…..HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT

As usual, I’m (kind of) closing the blog down over the festive period.

Every day, weekends and holidays included, up to Monday 6 January 2025, you will find an hour-long mix featuring one particular band.

mp3: One Hour of……Half Man Half Biscuit

I Was A Teenage Armchair Honved Fan
Four Skinny Indie Kids
The Trumpton Riots
Bob Wilson – Anchorman
With Goth On Our Side
Totnes Bickering Fair
Everything’s A.O.R.
Westward Ho! Massive Letdown
The Bastard Son of Dean Friedman
What Made Columbia Famous
The Light At The End Of The Tunnel……
Midnight Mass Murder
All I Want For Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit
Mr Cave’s A Window Cleaner Now
Joy Division Oven Gloves
Twenty Four Hour Garage People
Knobheads On Quiz Shows
National Shite Day
Time Flies By (When You’re The Driver Of A Train)
Stavanger Töestub

It’s turned out nice again (even with the sweariest song ever written to close things off).   Happy New Year.

JC