THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN

Afrika Bambaattaa and The Soul Sonic Force, China Crisis, General Public, Icicle Works, Propaganda, Questions, Scritti Politti, Specials

WHEN THE CLOCKS STRUCK THIRTEEN (March)

The 1979 series was planned with the knowledge of just how great that calendar year had been in terms of chart singles. In going for 1984 as the follow-up, I was really leaning on the idea of the book, and also the artwork from the film, as inspiration, quite unsure of how good or bad the charts had been. January and February have proven to be more than OK, but then again I’ve got to acknowledge that many of the chart hits across both months had a lot to do with being part of albums from 1983 rather than new material in a new year. Heading now into early spring as the month of March comes around, I’m curious to see if there was any sort of shift.

4 – 10 March

The highest new entry came from Lionel Richie, with the excruciating ballad, Hello. In at #25, it would get to #1 before the month was out, spend six weeks at the top and going on to be the 7th best-selling single across the entire year.

For the purposes of this series, there’s a handful of new entries worth highlighting:-

mp3: Afrika Bambaattaa and The Soul Sonic Force – Renegades of Funk (#39)

This is another which dates from 1983 but seems t0 have taken a long time to become a commercial hit in the UK. It came in at #39, and the following week reached #30, which was as high as it got. Seventeen year later, the song would be re-interpreted by Rage Against The Machine, giving rise to the title of their fourth and final studio album, Renegades, which itself consisted of 12 cover versions.

mp3: Scritti Politti – Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin) (#50)

I’ve often said that Songs To Remember, the 1982 debut album from Scritti Politti, will always be among my all-time favourites. I’ve blogged before about its eventual follow-up, Cupid and Psyche ’85, and am more than happy to offer up this cut’n’paste:-

“It’s an album that would likely have bankrupted Rough Trade if Scritti Politti hadn’t been allowed to take up the offer dangled in front of them by Virgin Records. It’s an album that most certainly was aimed at the mass-market rather than bedsit land. It’s an album of pop at its purest and its finest…..but it was hard for this particular fan to admit a pure love for at the time of release. In saying that, hearing the first new song post-Songs To Remember was a real joy.

Wood Beez (Pray Like Aretha Franklin) still sounds astonishingly good all these years later. Released in February 1984, it was accompanied by a stunning and glossy video featuring Michael Clark, the new superstar of modern ballet who had previously worked with The Fall. It sounded immense coming out of crackly radios and beyond belief when played over the sound system in the student union. It deservedly went Top 10 and enabled Green Gartside, with his new haircut that seemed to pay equal tribute to George Michael and Princess Diana, onto Top of The Pops.”

Yup….12 weeks in the Top 75, peaking at #10.

mp3: The Questions – Tuesday Sunshine (#53)

A band from Edinburgh who caught the eye of Paul Weller, firstly being invited to support The Jam and then to sign to the singer’s own label, Respond Records. The first of their singles had been released in 1978, but it took until mid-1983 that they finally had a Top 75 hit with Price You Pay. The plan from Respond seemed to have been to launch the band with a series of singles in 83 with a view to an album in 84. The problem was that the sales didn’t match the hopes of all concerned, and indeed when the album failed to breach the Top 100, the band called it a day shortly afterwards. Tuesday Sunshine proved to be their biggest hit, reaching #46. Bassist and vocalist Paul Barry would eventually find fame and fortune many years later, after moving to America, as a songwriter of some note, including #1 hit singles for Cher and Enrique Iglesias.

mp3: China Crisis – Hanna Hanna (#63)

The follow-up to Top 10 hit Wishful Thinking didn’t quite do so well, eventually peaking at #44. The band would, however, enjoy two Top 20 hit singles in 1985.

mp3: Icicle Works – Birds Fly (A Whisper To A Scream) (#64)

The fact this is the first ever appearance from Icicle Works on this blog after more than 18 years is an indication that I never quite took to them, but I’m guessing a few of the regular visitors to this corner of t’internet will be fans. This was a re-release of a flop single from July 1983, to capitalise on the success of Love Is A Wonderful Colour, which hit the charts in late 83 and actually peaked at #15 in mid-January 1984….maybe I should have mentioned that in the first part of this particular series. No apology is offered!

mp3: General Public – General Public (#66)

The Beat had broken up in late 1983. Two of its members, Dave Wakeling and Ranking Roger, decided they wanted to continue working together and persuaded keyboardist Mickey Billingham (Dexys Midnight Runners), bassist Horace Panter (the Specials) and drummer Stoker (Dexys Midnight Runners) plus one other to form a new ‘super-group’. The one other was guitarist Mick Jones (the Clash) but he left during the recording process of their debut album, although he listed and credited with playing on some its tracks.

This eponymous 45 was the first that the general public got to hear of the band. It’s one that I really liked and still do. Not too many folk were on the same wave length as me as it got no higher than #60. The band would release a total of nine singles between 1984 and 1986, all of which flopped. Neither of the band’s two albums reached the Top 100…..

11-17 March

An unusual chart this week in that 39 of last week’s Top 40 were still in this week’s Top 40. The highest new entry was at #41, and it was UB40 with Cherry Oh Baby, the fourth single to be lifted from the 1983 album Labour of Love, which itself was an LP of cover versions. I know UB40 were well-liked back in the day, emerging in 1980 and enjoying a great deal of chart success over a 25-year period, but I never took to them.

Madonna with Lucky Star was the next highest new entry at #47, and thus quickly proving that she wouldn’t be a one-hit wonder after the success of debut single, Holiday.

Just as I was beginning to despair of this latest chart offering up nothing…….

mp3: Propaganda – Dr Mabuse (#66)
mp3: The Special AKA – Nelson Mandela (#68)

The former is one of THE great debut 45s, and the latest assault on the senses from the ZTT label. It’s been mentioned a few times on the blog before, including as part of the ‘It Really Was A Cracking Debut Single’ series back in November 2021. Echorich, as he so often did when he was a regular visitor here, absolutely nailed it:-

Propaganda was, in my mind, the greatest achievement of ZTT. Dr. Mabuse is a single that, more than any other, exemplifies the label’s mission statement. It was a crystal production, had literary influence and strove to be post modern pop. A Secret Wish would build on this in an explosive way. Nothing else ZTT released ever had the same impact on me as this single and debut album.

The latter? I’m not sure just how many people knew of the life and struggles of Nelson Mandela prior to Jerry Dammers penning this single. I was a politically-active student in the early 80s, and a fully-fledged member of the Anti-Apartheid Movement (among many other things), and taking part in protest matches and demos, while worthy in themselves, didn’t seem to be making a real impact in terms of raising awareness. This song, being aired on Radio 1 with live performances on TV shows such as The Tube, really helped…and the fact it was so fantastically catchy with a chorus taken from a slogan long chanted at demos, saw enough people buy it in the shops that it would reach #9 about a month later.

It would take a further six years, until 11 February 1990, before the great man was given his long overdue freedom.

I think to write anything else within this particular post would be trite. I’ll deal with the last two weeks of the March 1984 singles charts in a separate post.

Many thanks

JC

Super Furry Animals

SUPER FURRY SUNDAYS (aka The Singular Adventures of Super Furry Animals)

A guest series by The Robster

#2: Moog Droog (1995, Ankst Records, ANKST062)

Not ones to rest on their laurels, Super Furry Animals spent the summer of 1995 either gigging to promote their debut EP or in the studio. Just four months after that absurdly-titled initial offering, another 7” EP was unleashed into the wilds of record store land.

As would become a common theme, the title was a play on words, incorporating both Welsh and English. Wikipedia explains it rather well:

‘Moog Droog’ is an ironic anglicised spelling of the Welsh phrase mwg drwg (“bad smoke”), slang for marijuana, making a pun on the Moog synthesizer (and/or its inventor) and the slang word “droog” (based on the Russian for “friend”) from A Clockwork Orange. The letter w can be a vowel in Welsh, and in phrase mwg drwg it is pronounced approximately like the English oo in “zoo” or “too” (although the name Moog is more correctly pronounced /ˈmoʊɡ/, rhyming with vogue).

mp3: pamV? (trans: Why Me?)
mp3: God! Show Me Magic
mp3: Sali Mali
mp3: Focus Pocus/Debiel

Opening track pamV has always been one I’ve loved, yet it has always been overlooked by the band on their numerous compilations in favour of the closer. I don’t really get why, but who am I to argue. The title is another example of the band’s love of word play. The phrase ‘pam fi’ means ‘why me’, the Welsh for ‘me’ being ‘fi’ – the letter v doesn’t exist in Welsh, instead a single f is pronounced like an English v.

Track two is the first recorded example of the band singing in English. They had increasingly been performing English language songs in their set, much to the derision of the Welsh-language media. The band didn’t care – they wanted to increase their fan base, and they could only do that by venturing across the border and allowing new audiences into their lyrical world. From Wiki again:

After gigging in London in late 1995, they were noticed by Creation Records boss Alan McGee. The band have said that having watched their gig, McGee asked them if they could sing in English rather than Welsh in future shows. In fact, by this stage they were singing in English, but McGee did not realise because their Welsh accents were so strong. Super Furry Animals received some criticism in the Welsh media for singing in English, something which the band felt “completely pissed” about. According to drummer Dafydd Ieuan: “It all started when we played this festival in West Wales, and for some reason the Welsh media started foaming at the mouth because we were singing songs in Welsh and English. But they get The Dubliners playing, and they do not sing in Irish. It’s ridiculous.”

God! Show Me Magic was re-recorded the following year as the opener on the debut album.

Sali Mali is a character in a series of children’s books, later made into a TV show. Many Welsh-speaking children learned to read through Sali Mali books. The song showed a different side to the Furries, being slower and more melodic than much of their previous material.

The final track is intriguing. It has two distinct sections – the first, a chaotic punkish blast with a flute solo in the middle. The second a more laid-back, keyboard-led coda, ending as it does with repeated la-la-las. In terms of its titles – I’m not entirely sure about this, but Focus Pocus appears to be a reference to Dutch prog band Focus and their massive #1 hit Hocus Pocus, while Debiel is Dutch for moron. Interestingly, moron is the Welsh word for carrot…

Moog Droog was released in October 1995 on 7” and CD. Its artwork was a variation of the same picture used on the Llanfair… EP. Also, curiously, it lists the band members on the back alongside pictures of gorillas. Only four members are listed – Cian is missing, which is odd as I was certain he had joined the band before the first EP. Maybe he just didn’t want to be shown as an ape… Like its predecessor, Moog Droog was re-issued on both formats a couple of years later with new artwork. On one of those two occasions, it zoomed up the charts to number 163.

Before the year was out, the band recorded two sets of demos. The first, back in June, with the second around the time of Moog Droog’s release. Many of the songs recorded in these sessions would appear fully formed on the debut album ‘Fuzzy Logic’ the following year. They also signed for the aforementioned Creation label who, in December 1995, and probably keen to start letting the media know about their new acquisition, issued a one-sided promo 12” featuring one of those demos.

mp3: Frisbee [demo]

All those demos were released as part of the 3xCD 20th Anniversary deluxe edition of ‘Fuzzy Logic’ in 2016. I’ll return to them over the next few weeks.

Britpop was beginning to suffer under the weight of its own obnoxiousness and excess. Did we really need another new band in 1997? Hell yeah, we did, and as we’ll find out in the coming weeks, Super Furry Animals were the perfect antidote.

The Robster

Colin Steele Quartet

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #442: COLIN STEELE QUARTET

Over the years I’ve purchased a number of compilation CDs, and as is usually the case with such things, there will be songs that meant nothing to me when the purchase was made. Sometimes, I’ll grow to enjoy such tracks, but there are just as many instances when the song fails to grow on me at all.

Given that the Colin Steele Quartet is a jazz combo, it’s maybe no surprise that today’s latest offering in the alphabetical tun through of songs by Scottish singers/bands/performers for this series is one that I don’t listen to.

mp3: Colin Steele Quartet – You’ll Never Steal My Spirit

From wiki:-

Colin Steele is a jazz trumpeter who played with Hue and Cry during the 1980s. After two years in France he studied jazz at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama before returning to Scotland. He has been known for influences from Latin music and funk and has recorded several well-regarded albums. He has been increasingly influenced by Scottish folk music, an influence carried into the additional instrumentation in his group Colin Steele’s Stramash, as well as playing in Ceilidh Minogue’s horn section.

The song I have on the hard drive comes from Goosebumps – 25 Years of Marina Records, the compilation released in 2018 in celebration of the German-based label which has long had a very close connection with independent artists from Scotland, driven in the main by Douglas McIntyre of Creeping Bent Records. The track was originally released in 2017 on the album Diving For Pearls (Jazz Interpretations Of The Pearlfishers Songbook).

The Pearlfishers were featured as #241 in this series back in December 2020.

Veronica Falls

THE 7″ LUCKY DIP (30) : Veronica Falls – Teenage

In which I’m more than happy to re-produce the PR blurb, from back in the day when this was released on 7″ vinyl as the lead-off single from Veronica Falls’ second LP, Waiting For Something To Happen, as I agree with its every word.

“You may have had them tagged as goth-tinged pop fantasists, but with their much anticipated sophomore album Waiting For Something To Happen, Veronica Falls easily shrug off any notions of a difficult second album to create something that is easily more polished, more affecting, and more enduring than their peers could dream of making, and stake their claim as one of the most gloriously unpredictable and invaluable bands on the scene right now.

“Lead-off single “Teenage” was was posted on Soundcloud in November 2012 and became an instant indiepop anthem. By popular demand we’re now making “Teenage” available as a limited edition 7″ single and digital download. It’s the ideal encapsulation of Veronica Falls; perfectly balancing joyous melodic pop with undercurrents of sadness and adolescent yearning. The vocal harmonies are pure heaven, and the economical playing and arranging showcase a band operating at a level of skill and craft not often found in today’s indiepop scene. Plainly put, “Teenage” is perfect pop and sure to be one of the finest singles of 2013″

mp3 : Veronica Falls – Teenage
mp3 : Veronica Falls – Talk About You

I don’t think I need to add anything else.

JC

Siouxsie & The Banshees

SONGS UNDER TWO MINUTES (11): 20th CENTURY BOY

The original version of 20th Century Boy by T.Rex was released in March 1973. It lasted 3 mins and 39 seconds.

There have been quite a number of cover versions over the year, but I would reckon this one from 1979 is probably the fastest take on things:-

mp3: Siouxsie & The Banshees – 20th Century Boy

The b-side of The Staircase (Mystery), the band’s second single, which got to #24 in the charts. Fast, frantic and fun…..and very much enlivened by Siousxie‘s big miaow before the guitars, bass and drums kick in.

JC

Les Rita Mitsouko

ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN SINGLES : #085

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Sexy Loser

#085: Les Rita Mitsouko – ‘C’est Comme Ça’ (Virgin Records ’86)

Dear friends,

if you’re lucky, this one will turn out to be rather a brief piece, because I don’t know all too much about today’s band, I must confess. Well, I know about their beginnings, but nothing about what they did after 1986.

Probably I should investigate further here, I mean, based on the strength of their first works, it could well be worthwhile to do so, I reckon.

But today we go back to the mid 80s (again). Les Rita Mitsouko (Catherine Ringer and Fred Chichin) came together in 1979, had two singles in 1982, but did not release their first album before 1984. They were still called Rita Mitsouko back then, but apparently people thought that it was a lady called Rita Mitsouko doing the singing bits, so they decided to add the ‘Les’ to their name. It was Rita because Catherine was very fond of Rita Hayworth, the actor, and ‘Mitsuko’ is a Japanese first name, which roughly means ‘mystique’.

So thinking about this all, I guess I better should have filed them under ‘L’ in the singles box (I always thought the ‘Les’ just meant ‘The’), but now that’s too late, obviously. Ah well, every day is a school day …

Anyway, if you don’t know their debut album, you will surely know one of the singles from it, ‘Marcia Baïla’ – this tune was their breakthrough, I think it’s fair to say. They moved to Cologne to have it produced by Conny Plank, him of Neu! – fame and this may or may not be one reason why they were quickly seen as t.h.e. Avantgarde cult band of the time.

Still, as ace as ‘Marcia Baïla’ is, it’s nothing compared to my favourite of theirs, ‘C’est Comme Ça’ from their second album from 1986, ‘The No Comprendo’. The whole album, produced by Tony Visconti, is neat, but this single is simply great! Obviously there are a lot of records from this era which haven’t aged particularly well. ‘C’est Comme Ça’, at least to these ears, sounds as fresh as ever – and the same goes for the absolutely fantastic video which accompanied it back then. Do yourself a real favour, watch it at immense volume at the earliest opportunity (and while you’re at it, watch the one for ‘Marcia Baïla’ too, it’s great as well)!!

mp3: Les Rita Mitsouko – C’est Comme Ça

Les Rita Mitsouko went on and worked with Sparks, Iggy Pop, Killing Joke, just to name a few. But then, sadly, Fred Chichin suddenly died of cancer in 2007, just 53 years of age. Unbeknownst to me, Catherine Ringer had continued with music, her latest album seems to be from 2020.

As I said at the start, perhaps I should try to explore the band’s back catalogue – or hers.

Enjoy,

Dirk

Various

NO ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE WAS USED

First midweek day of a new month. You should know what to expect by now.

mp3: Various – No Artificial Intelligence Was Used

The xx – Intro (long version)
The Passions – I’m In Love With A German Film Star
Cocteau Twins – Pearly Dewdrops’ Drop
The Cure – Primary (7″ mix)
Ladyhawke – Magic
Echo & The Bunnymen – Heaven Up Here
The Nectarine No.9 – Don’t Worry Babe, You’re Not The Only One Awake
Fatboy Slim – Weapon Of Choice
Cornershop – Sleep On The Left Side
English Teacher – Nearly Daffodils
The Pains of Being Pure At Heart – Young Adult Friction
The Magic Numbers – Love Me Like You
M.I.A. – Born Free
Bodega – Margot
The Saints – This Perfect Day
Sons & Daughters – Medicine

JC

Fall

ON THIS DAY : THE FALL’S PEEL SESSIONS #21

A series for 2025 in which this blog will dedicate a day to each of the twenty-four of the sessions The Fall recorded for the John Peel Show between 1978 and 2004.

Session #21 was broadcast on this day, 3 March 1998, having been recorded on 3 February 1998.

The final recording of ‘the old Fall’, if you will, pre-the New York on stage disintegration. If anything, it demonstrates why the schism in the group was sorely needed. For the first time, the group actually sound jaded. Compare ‘Touch Sensitive’ here with the one that appeared on ‘The Marshall Suite’ over a year later, you know what I’m talking about. Tempos seem to be mired in sludge. The ‘Masquerade’ B-side, ‘Calendar’ fails to thrill, and only its flipside’s trickery comes near the album version. ‘Jungle Rock’ is actually, er, not very good. At all. The tape intro of ‘Masquerade’ deeming that ‘this is new, fresh’ sounds doubly ironic.

DARYL EASLEA, 2005

mp3: The Fall – Calendar (Peel Session)
mp3: The Fall – Touch Sensitive (Peel Session)
mp3: The Fall – Masquerade (Peel Session)
mp3: The Fall – Jungle Rock (Peel Session)

Produced by Mike Robinson

Mark E Smith – vocals; Steve Hanley – bass; Julia Nagle – keyboards, guitar; Simon Wolstencroft – drums; John Rolleson – backing vocals

JC

Super Furry Animals

SUPER FURRY SUNDAYS (aka The Singular Adventures of Super Furry Animals)

A new guest series by The Robster

It was St David’s Day yesterday. We should mark the occasion in a suitable fashion…

So let’s start at the beginning. Towards the last quarter of the 1980s and the beginning of the 1990s, a myriad of Welsh bands came and went in the blink of an eye, barely noticed by anyone in the industry in this tiny province of ours, let alone the rest of the UK. Anyone remember a twee indie-pop group called Emily? No? Didn’t think so. Yet, their one-time drummer would go on to form a band with a former member of U Thant. Ring any bells yet? U Thant also spawned a guy who would team up with the drummer of punk legends Anhrefn to start a group called Catatonia. Yes – THEM.

Still with me? Now, the band formed by said ex-drummer of Emily and other bloke from U Thant were called Ffa Coffi Pawb. They soon became one of the most popular cult acts in Wales, spreading their upbeat, vaguely psychedelic sounds across the nation. After three albums, they split. A couple of them went on to form Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci, who you have DEFINITELY heard of.

But seemingly by sheer fate, FCP’s vocalist Gruff Rhys and drummer Dafydd Ieuan (the moonlighting ex-Anhrefn drummer who was also still in Catatonia at the time) found themselves teaming up with two more ex-members of U Thant, Guto Pryce and Huw Bunford, along with an unknown, wannabe actor called Rhys Ifans and another musician, Dic Ben. They called themselves Super Furry Animals and started to make music together. It was largely rave-influenced to begin with, but then became more guitar-based. One or two recordings were made but not released. The very first of them was this:

mp3: Of No Fixed Identity – Super Furry Animals (1993)

Ifans quit when he realised he was a better actor than he was a singer. A good move, as it turns out – the lad’s not done bad for himself since. Gruff Rhys subsequently switched to vocals and at some point, Ben left and Daf recruited his techo-loving younger brother Cian Ciaran, who had been part of the electronic outfit Wwzz. Before long, more tracks were recorded, some of them deemed good enough to actually release to the public.

And so it was that the greatest band to ever emerge from the Land Of Our Fathers started their journey into the conscious (and often unconscious) minds of the music-loving consumer. Over the next 30 weeks (!), I will be guiding you through the thrills and spills of a curious and wonderful career. Every single released by Super Furry Animals, complete with b-sides, alternative versions and one or two little surprises to boot. We start with a record that to this day is in the Guinness Book Of Records for having the longest ever title for an EP:

#1: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyndrobwllantysiliogogogochynygofod (In Space) (1995, Ankst Records, ANKST057)

As an opening salvo, this is as good an introduction to the early Furries sound as you could wish for. Quirky, upbeat, Welsh lyrics and a bit of weirdness. The EP title, in case you don’t know, is an amalgamation of the Welsh village with one of the longest names in the world, and the Welsh phrase for “in space”. Not sure why they felt the need to add the English translation at the end.

Released in June 1995, and comprising four songs pressed on a 7” playing at 33rpm on a local indie label, it was never going to be a big seller, although the meagre amount of copies pressed did sell out. What it showed was a band who knew a good tune, had a lot of energy, and didn’t sound like they were taking themselves too seriously. Listen to Gruff’s vocal on Crys Ti and tell me it doesn’t sound like Elvis on acid…

mp3: Organ Yn Dy Geg (trans: An Organ In Your Mouth)
mp3: Fix Idris
mp3: Crys Ti (trans: Your Shirt)
mp3: Blerwytirhwng¿ (trans: Interspersed? or Inbetween?)

Each side of the 7” had a locked runout groove, meaning tracks 2 and 4 could play infinitely if you let them. I’ve given you not-infinite versions: Fix Idris is from the ‘Out-Spaced’ b-sides album, and Blerwytirhwng¿ from the ‘Songbook’ singles collection, as the ‘Out Spaced’ version drags that end noise out for far longer than necessary…

The EP was later reissued on 7” and, for the first time, CD with different artwork, whereupon it reached the dizzy heights of number 151 in the UK charts. ‘Twas a more than decent debut, but there would be more to come before the year was out. Britpop was at its peak, but Cool Cymru was brewing, and its most interesting band was just getting started…

The Robster

Cloth

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #441: CLOTH

From all music:- “The project of Glaswegian twin siblings Rachael and Paul Swinton, Cloth makes hauntingly sparse songs that draw from dream pop, post-rock, and indie. The eloquent interplay between the duo’s hushed vocals and minimalist guitars — and the space around them — on 2019’s Cloth led to radio support in the U.K., but the Swintons’ music continued to evolve. Their first release for Rock Action, 2022’s Low Sun EP, boasted a fuller but still subtle sound that bloomed on the following year’s Secret Measure, an album that reflected the growing drama and complexity of Cloth’s music as well as its intimacy. Rachael Swinton (vocals, guitar) and her brother Paul (guitar) formed Cloth in 2016 and spent the next couple of years honing their sound. Equally inspired by Cocteau Twins‘ lush dream pop and the moody restraint of the xx, they wrote songs that began as notes on their phones and were ultimately recorded at Chem19 Recording Studio. Within weeks of posting their first track, “Demo Love,” Cloth signed with local indie Last Night from Glasgow which gave the song an official release in June 2018. Receiving airplay on various BBC stations and host-curated music programs, their second release, “Tripp,” was remixed by producer Wuh Oh (Peter Ferguson), and they made their BBC Radio 1 debut with late 2018’s “Old Bear.” That year, Cloth started playing live shows, including dates supporting Arab Strap. They went on to play the BBC Music Introducing stage at Latitude Festival in the middle of 2019 before returning to the studio to put the finishing touches on their full-length debut. Released in November of that year, Cloth was a critical success, making the shortlist for the Scottish Album of the Year Award and winning fans including Elbow‘s Guy Garvey. In 2020, “Old Bear” appeared in the hit television adaptation of Sally Rooney‘s novel Normal People. mp3: Cloth – Old Bear By the middle of 2022, Cloth had joined the roster of Mogwai‘s Rock Action label which issued their Low Sun EP that October. To make their second album, they decided to open up their creative process. For the first time, Cloth worked with an outside producer, recruiting Ali Chant and recording at Bristol’s Toybox Studio. A more layered and polished set of songs that emphasized the electronic underpinnings and direct songwriting of the duo’s music, Secret Measure appeared in May 2023.” JC adds…… I’ve plenty of songs/tunes from the LNFG era, but I haven’t got round to picking up anything from the Rock Action era. It’s really down to, having enjoyed the debut album, I was bored rigid when I saw them play live in support of Arab Strap and lost interest.

Echobelly

THE CD SINGLE LUCKY DIP (17) : Echobelly – Insomniac

The second ever single by Echobelly popped on via shuffle on the i-pod the other day. It’s been decades since I last knowingly played it, which seems a bit of a shame. It might well be very much of its time and place, but the hooks do deliver something which is a cut above your average Britpop tune.

mp3: Echobelly – Insomniac

Released in March 1994, it got to #47.

I had no idea till doing a bit of research for this post that Insomniac had featured on the soundtrack to the hit comedy film Dumb and Dumber, which must have been a nice financial fillip to the songwriters, Sonya Madan and Glenn Johansson, who remain part of the band all these years later, still recording and performing.

The CD came with two other tracks:-

mp3: Echobelly – Centipede
mp3: Echobelly – Talent

The former makes for a good listen, although a bit like the lead track it has a real mid 90s feel to it, and it does help illustrate that Ms Madan was, and no doubt remains, a fine singer. The latter is a bit more filler than killer….reminds me of Toyah songs from a decade earlier.

JC

Julian Cope

THE 12″ LUCKY DIP (19): Julian Cope – Charlotte Anne

R-561577-1470292597-2275

Julian Cope is not a fan of his 1988 album, My Nation Underground, as can be seen from his comments in a later interview:-

“It was just me figuring I ought to do another album and not feeling sure of what I wanted to do. That was a bad time. A bad album… “Charlotte Anne” is a good song, but one good song is not enough. Perhaps it was a coherent album, but it was nothing like what I had inside me. I couldn’t put it out, I just could not get it out. If anyone thinks it’s even halfway decent then I’m pleased ’cause I was trying, blasting my mind apart.”

The afore-mentioned Charlotte Anne was the first single to be lifted from the album.

mp3: Julian Cope – Charlotte Anne

It’s a decent enough pop song with an infectious chorus. If you don’t pay too much attention, you’ll probably think it’s an ode to a girl of Julian’s dreams. But the tune actually hides the fact it’s quite a bleak and self-deprecating number, and he is most certainly not singing Charlotte Anne……

The 12″ release is quite interesting for its choice of b-sides. Two covers and an original.

mp3: Julian Cope – Books
mp3: Julian Cope – A Question of Temperature
mp3: Julian Cope – Christmas Mourning

The first being one he co-wrote with Ian McCulloch back in the days before either of them were pop stars. The Bunnymen would record it as Read It In Books while The Teardrop Explodes kept the original title. Julian’s solo effort sort of goes down the road of garage-rock.

The same sound is very much to the fore on A Question of Temperature, a song dating back to 1967 when it was recorded by The Balloon Farm, a New Jersey-based band, and Julian’s take on things is quite faithful to the original. It’s good fun.

The final song might have Christmas in the title, but I don’t think it would find its way onto all that many festive compilations. It’s a damn good song, another of those that deserved a fate much better than stuck away on an obscure b-side.

Charlotte Anne got to #35 in the singles chart.

JC

Happy Mondays

THE 7″ LUCKY DIP (29) : Happy Mondays – Loose Fit

I’ve reached the stage where I own just above every piece of vinyl that I truly want. Yes, there’s still loads out there that would be nice to have, but there are no more ‘Holy Grails’ on which to ~~waste~~ spend countless hours wading through on-line sellers on the likes of Discogs.

I’ve done OK over the years when it comes to buying through Discogs. I’d reckon maybe as many as 95% of the transactions have been, at the minimum, satisfactory. with quite a few exceeding my expectations in terms of how the condition of the vinyl and/or sleeve were in on arrival. Of the few that have left me down, one was a 7″ single from the Happy Mondays, that I was keen to get a hold of as the edits were seemingly otherwise unavailable.

Within seconds of it going on the turntable, I knew it had been misleadingly sold, as there was no way it could be described as ‘Very Good +’, given how much surface noise, static and popping was coming through the speakers. Fearing damage to my stylus, it was very quickly removed. I did turn it over to the b-side, but it was almost as bad, and again the needle was quickly removed from the groove.

I have managed to get my hands on both edits, so while these aren’t from my own vinyl, given that a copy, albeit an unplayable one, is sitting here in Villain Towers, I have no qualms above featuring the songs in this series:-

mp3 : Happy Mondays – Loose Fit (edit)
mp3 : Happy Mondays – Bob’s Yer Uncle (edit)

The original versions are both on the album Pills ‘N’ Thrills And Bellyaches. This was the third single to be lifted from the album, and it reached #17 in March 1991.

JC

10000 Maniacs, Biff Bang Pow!, Ian Dury & The Students, Marc Riley, Revolving Paint Dream

WHEN THE CLOCKS STRUCK THIRTEEN (February Pt 2)

It’s now time to look at some of the 45s released in February 1984 that didn’t make enough impact with the record buying public to leave a dent in the singles charts but have proven to be of enough cultural significance to be recalled here in Villain Towers. By cultural significance, I mean I either bought a copy or danced to it to at the student disco….or perhaps actually discovered it many months/years later and kicked myself for being late to the party. Or it might well be that I think its inclusion in this piece will be of interest to someone out there who drops by this blog on the odd occasion. (and yes, that is a word for word repeat of how I opened up the January part of this series….I’ll likely stick to it for the remainder of the year).

I’ll open with one that I don’t recall hearing back in 1984….indeed it would take until 1987 and the release of the band’s third album before I became fully aware of them.

mp3: 10,000 Maniacs – My Mother The War

The band had come together in Jamestown, New York 1981, with a then 17-year-old Natalie Merchant on lead vocals. An early EP was followed by the album Secrets of The I Ching in late 1983. One of its most popular tracks, My Mother The War, was licensed by a small UK label, Reflex Records, and became the band’s first release outside of the USA.

mp3: Marc Riley with The Creepers – Cure By Choice

Having left The Fall in 1982, Marc Riley formed his own band and began writing and recording. A Peel Session was recorded in November 1983, and within three months, had been issued as a 12″ EP on Riley’s own label, In Tape. The lead song, Cure By Choice, bears more than a passing resemblance to some of the material written and recorded by The Fall, which can’t be too much of a surprise.

mp3: Revolving Paint Dream – Flowers Are In The Sky
mp3: Biff Bang Pow! – 50 Years Of Fun

Two 45s released on the newly formed Creation Records. Indeed, they have the catalogue numbers of CRE 002 and CRE 003. Footnotes in what became quite the story over the years.

Now to something which had me scouring the internet to little effect, as it was the name of an act I’d never heard of!

mp3: Ian Dury and The Music Students – Very Personal

These details are lifted from a website devoted to Ian Dury:-

In 1981 Ian Dury and the Blockheads disbanded and Ian left Stiff Records and signed instead to Polydor, who released the album Lord Upminster. This included the controversial single Spasticus (Autisticus). For this record, Dury was re-united with Chaz Jankel, and they recorded in the Bahamas with the legendary rhythm section of Sly Dunbar and Robbie Shakespeare. A second Polydor album, 4000 Weeks’ Holiday was released in 1984, and it was toured with a new band, Ian Dury and the Music Students.

There’s a wiki page devoted to 4000 Weeks’ Holiday, and it lists the personnel who played on the album – Ian Dury (vocals), Michael McEvoy (bass, keyboards), Merlin Rhys-Jones (guitar), Tag Lamche (drums, percussion), and Jamie Talbot (saxophones, clarinet). It also states:-

If accounts by Dury himself and Music Student member Merlin Rhys-Jones (who would continue to work with Dury and co-write songs with him until his death) from Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll: The Life of Ian Dury are correct, it would appear that it was Polydor Records who suggested and insisted on Dury working with young musicians.

Contradictorily, Ian Dury & The Blockheads: Song By Song purports that Polydor had wanted The Blockheads to play on the album, with the group rejecting the idea after learning they wouldn’t be paid due to Dury spending most of his advance on his previous solo effort Lord Upminster. Song By Song’s account is corroborated by Norman Watt-Roy (bassist for the Blockheads).

Either way, the album didn’t sell well while Very Personal, the only single to be lifted from it, failed to chart.

JC

Pixies

SONGS UNDER TWO MINUTES (10): BROKEN FACE

I’m sure we can all agree that Black Francis really did come out with some twisted and fucked up lyrics. This must be up there with the most twisted and fucked up.

mp3: Pixies – Broken Face

I got a broken face
I got a
I got a broken face
Uh-hu, uh-hu, uh-hu, uh-hu, ooo
I got a broken face
I got a broken face
I got a broken face

There was this boy who had two children with his sisters
Who were his daughters, who were his favourite lovers

I got no lips, I got no tongue
Where there were eyes, there’s only space
I got no lips, I got no tongue

I got a broken face, uh-hu, uh-hu
I got a broken face

There was this man who smashed his brain in little pieces
And then they drilled holes, and then they put ’em back in there

I got no lips, I got no tongue
Where there were eyes, there’s only space
I got no lips, I got no tongue
I got a broken face
Uh-hu, uh-hu, uh-hu, uh-hu, ooo
I got a broken face

The little thing who does my laundry
Speaks no English
But if you saw her
You’d say “isn’t she lovely”

I got no lips, I got no tongue
Where there were eyes, there’s only space
I got no lips, I got no tongue

JC

Wedding Present

THE WEDDING PRESENT SINGLES (Part Sixty-Four)

I started this series on 23 October 2013. I had no idea how many parts it would entail, as I wasn’t quite sure how to actually define what had been a single. Would I count EPs? Digital only-releases? Foreign-language songs recorded for issuing on Record Store Days? Limited edition releases which had only been available if ordered direct from the band’s website or purchased at gigs during particular tours? In the end, the answer to all of the above was yes, and I do think I’ve featured everything that could conceivably be considered as a single by The Wedding Present.

I also had no idea that the series would take a welcome break, thanks to strangeways offering to pen a series on all the singles released by Cinerama – and it was his forensic approach to that particular era of the career of David Lewis Gedge which set the standard for how I went about the second half of the TWP series. Before getting to the final single and it’s b-side, here’s a reminder of what has already featured:-

1. Go Out And Get ‘Em Boy (1985)
2. Once More (1986)
3. You Should Always Keep In Touch With Your Friends (1986)
4. Peel Sessions EP (1986)
5. My Favourite Dress (1987)
6. Anyone Can Make A Mistake (1987)
7. Nobody’s Twisting Your Arm (1988)
8. Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now? (1988)
9. Radio 1 Sessions : The Evening Show (1988)
10. Kennedy (1989)
11. Brassneck (1990)
12. The 3 Songs EP (1990)
13. Dalliance (1991)
14. Lovenest (1991)
15. Blue Eyes (1992)
16. Go-Go Dancer (1992)
17. Three (1992)
18. Silver Shorts (1992)
19. Come Play With Me (1992)
20. California (1992)
21. Flying Saucer (1992)
22. Boing! (1992)
23. Loveslave (1992)
24. Sticky (1992)
25. The Queen of Outer Space (1992)
26. No Christmas (1992)
27. Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah (1994)
28. It’s A Gas (1994)
29. Sucker (1995)
30. The Mini EP (1996)
31. 2, 3, Go!(1996)
32. Montreal (1997)
33. Interstate 5 (2004)
34. I’m From Further North Than You (2005)
35. Ringway to Seatac (2005)
36. The Thing I Like Best About Him Is His Girlfriend (2008)
37. Don’t Take Me Home Until I’m Drunk (2008)
38. Santa Ana Winds (2008)
39. Holly Jolly Hollywood (2008)
40. You Jane (2012)
41. Club 8 aka Metal Men (2012)
42. 4 Chansons EP (2012)
43. Journey Into Space (2012)
44. 4 Lieder EP (2013)
45. Two Bridges (2013)
46. 4 Cân EP (2014)
47. The Home Internationals EP (2017)
48. Huw Stephens Sessions EP (2018)
49. 7777777 (joint release with Cinerama and featuring White Riot) (2018)
50. Davni Chasy (2019)
51. Jump In, The Water’s Fine (2019)
52. Shaun Keaveny Session EP (2020)
53. We Should Be Together (2022)
54. I Am Not Going To Fall In Love With You (2022)
55. Go Go Go (2022)
56. Monochrome (2022)
57. X Marks The Spot (2022)
58. Once Bitten (2022)
59. We Interrupt Our Programme (2022)
60. Each Time You Open Your Eyes (2022)
61. We All Came From The Sea (2022)
62. Astronomic (2022)
63. Science Fiction (2022)

I’ve only just realised, the way I’ve gone about this task means there were 32 singles prior to Cinerama forming and there have been 32 since The Wedding Present reformed, thanks to this being the last in the 24 Songs project, released in December 2022:-

mp3: The Wedding Present – The Loneliest Time Of The Year (7″ version)

It’s a Christmas song. A proper Christmas song. Complete with a video.

You’ll possibly recall that the previous effort to compose and record a Christmas song, Holly Jolly Hollywood, had left me quite cold when it was released at the tail end of 2008. It doesn’t help that Christmas records, by their very nature, have a ridiculous ability to annoy me to the extent that I have something of a gag reflex with most of them.

But…………..there’s something about The Loneliest Time Of The Year which doesn’t provoke such a reaction.

Sure, it’s got a kind of soap opera feel to the lyric with the protagonist basically saying that his other half shouldn’t leave because not only is it Christmas, but the snow has started falling. It’s the sort of plea that’s made by someone who really has reached rock bottom, and what’s more, the musicians have come up with a tune that is equally tear-jerking, with Melanie’s choir-like vocal contribution being nigh-on perfect….oh, and let’s not ignore the casual way the sleigh bells close things off (although you don’t get to hear that in the 7″ edited version as it fades out about a minute or so before the end, but watch the video version for the full effect).

It’s something quite different from the norm in terms of what The Wedding Present have long been feted for, and as long as there’s a promise that any new material will revert to the fast and frantic style with which we have all become accustomed, then I’m more than OK with it.

The b-side?

mp3: The Wedding Present – Memento Mori

I’m sure someone once said that all TWP songs sound the same…..but then again, when they’re all this good, why worry?

I think that’s an apt way to close this series off.

A huge thanks to everyone who has dropped by for a browse over the past 15 months, and an extra thanks to those of you who have offered up your views, thoughts and opinions via the comments section along the way. And an extra special word of thanks to strangeways for providing loads of inspiration.

Oh, and I think it’s now that I can reveal that later this year, all being well, myself and Rachel will be seeing the band outside of the UK for the very first time. A major tour of North American tour is scheduled from 16 May–7 June, opening in Austin before heading to Dallas, Atlanta, Columbia (South Carolina), Durham (North Carolina), Washington DC, Brooklyn, Cambridge (Massachusetts), Montreal, Toronto, Cleveland, Chicago, Saint Paul, Seattle and San Francisco, before the tour ends in Los Angeles….which is where we will catch them, courtesy of being invited to visit and stay at the home of Jonny the Friendly Lawyer (aka fiktiv) and Goldie the Friendly Therapist.

Can’t wait…….let’s just hope that I don’t suffer another unexpected bout of ill-health at the 11th hour that stops us travelling.

Circle Meets Dot

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #440: CIRCLE MEETS DOT

After a week’s break to accommodate the latest instalment of The Fall‘s Peel Sessions, it’s a welcome return to the Scottish Song series. It’s quite incredible that this is the 440th different singer/band/act to feature – and a reminder that they must have at least one song on the hard drive of the Villain Towers laptop to qualify for inclusion. I’m going full cut’n’paste from Bandcamp this week for a song dating from March 2020:-

“Made up of the impressive component parts of indie folk luminary Jo Mango, and Californian troubadour, A. Wesley Chung (The Great Albatross/ Boris Smile), Circle Meets Dot is a meeting of minds, sparking with energy blending Scottish folk Californian alt-country to form something truly magical.

“Despite having been friends for a number of years, and both having been high profile collaborators (Mango with the likes of Vashti Bunyan, Norman Blake, Admiral Fallow, RM Hubbert; and Chung with Avi Buffalo, Evan Weiss of Into It. Over It and Kate Grube of Kittyhawk) it took a songwriting weekend away teaching others to set the first embers of Circle Meets Dot smouldering. Having set others the challenges of writing their own song, the pair soon thought – “why don’t we?”. After squirrelling themselves away in a corner of the kitchen, carefully crafting every word and note of melody together, they formed their first song ‘Two Tiny Builders’, which is also the lead track from their debut EP.

“With Chung wanting to explore more of his country and American folk influences and Mango hankering to be in a band where she “didn’t have to cart about 25 different wee instruments” to her shows, the pair relished in the opportunity to work on a project with no pressure or expectation; something that could just be fun. Despite forming Circle Meets Dot as something for themselves, the duo’s early demos caught the attention of Lloyd at Olive Grove, who was so impressed by what he heard that he begged them to be part of the series of Archipelago EPs. Thankfully they agreed and in late 2019, Mango and Chung recorded their debut EP with Paul Gallagher at Glenwood Studio in Glasgow.

“Slow, considered melodies weave their way throughout Circle Meets Dot’s debut, with meditations on aspects of time, pondering on the future and the past. Mango expands: “a lot of them explore difficulties of love – the challenges of building a life with or without someone. They mostly aim towards hope and encouragement and rebuilding though.”

“Given their different musical backgrounds, it should come as no surprise that Mango and Chung’s approach to writing songs together was different each time, giving each song their own unique feel. The partnership saw Chung generating the starting point of a harmonic idea, with Mango then bringing in the lyrical ideas. ‘The Walnut and the Hammer’ is just one example of their perfect pairing with Chung having written a harmony and melody for a song which just happened to fit perfectly with lyrics that Mango had in waiting.

“On Circle Meets Dot’s debut, Mango and Chung have managed to produce something spellbinding in its elegance and virtuosity; we’re lucky to have them.”

mp3: Circle Meets Dot – Two Tiny Builders

It’s rather lovely, don’tcha think?

Red Lorry Yellow Lorry

ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN SINGLES : #084

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Sexy Loser

#084: Red Lorry Yellow Lorry – ‘Hollow Eyes’ (Red Rhino Records ’84)

Hello friends,

again, a very special record today – special to me, of course: not necessarily special to you, I assume.

Growing up in the middle of nowhere on the cold and foggy plateaus of West Germany in the early 80s meant that you had to endure people at your age who listened to nothing else but late 70s Prog Rock – Heavy Metal – Hard Rock stuff. They had never heard of, say, Joy Division or The Cure – and when they had to go to the next town to see the doctor, and they would see a Goth or a Punk there in the distance, they returned with feverish eyes, as if they had experienced the pure evil, shook their long hair in disbelief … and quickly returned to their Led Zeppelin collection! And me, I was trapped in the middle of this musical hell, all alone basically.

But thankfully one day I happened to encounter Robert, the brother of a chap who I went to school with. Robert (long dead alas, by the way – drugs) probably was the prototype for an introvert, and we would constantly talk about “different” music: he totally adored Felt, for example – I still have all the Felt-album-cassettes he gave to me. One day Robert told me about a radio program he had heard about, some guy called ‘John Peel’, all in English, but perhaps we should try it out nevertheless?

So, to come to an end with all this, we did … and I was instantly hooked. Peel turned out to be my only source for non-mainstream music in those pre-internet times, so basically you can thank Robert for this series and this wonderful essay: if it weren’t for him, I would probably just sit here now and caress my new Twisted Sister-tattoo.

On November 25th 1984 Peel ended the first song he played that night with the words “Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, getting our program on the way, with ‘Hollow Eyes’” – and this was the very first of many thousand songs I taped from his BFBS show. So, this is one reason it’s special to me, another one is that back then Red Lorry Yellow Lorry (despite their stupid name) from Leeds were just terrific. I even had the chance to see them live a year later, one of the first “real” gigs I went to, with a moshpit and Goths and Punks and everything – great!!

As you know, people tend to put bands into genres, for some reason. And exactly this happened to Red Lorry Yellow Lorry – they were quickly styled as ‘Goth’, and throughout their career they never managed to get out of this corner they had been painted into. To me, they were more Wire than Bauhaus, I always thought. Then again, a) I didn’t know Wire back then and b) I’ve never been a friend of categorizing bands – I never really saw the point of that.

What counted for me was the music, and although The Lorries certainly have never been the most sophisticated band on earth, I really loved them when I was 16/17. This is their fifth single, along with ‘Spinning Round’, an absolute highlight in their back-catalogue:

mp3: Red Lorry Yellow Lorry – Hollow Eyes

You see, there is not always an urge for fragility and Dylanesque lyrics: sometimes a numbing guitar drone, a powerfully throbbing bass, a pounding drum machine and cavernous vocals is all you need.

Well, at least I do.

Enjoy,

Dirk

Book Reviews

BOOK OF THE MONTH : FEBRUARY 2025 : ‘TOO MUCH TOO YOUNG : THE 2 TONE RECORDS STORY’ by DANIEL RACHEL

First published, to much acclaim, in hardback in 2023, an updated paperback edition was printed and issued by White Rabbit Books in April 2024. Here’s the blurb from the publishers:-

In 1979, 2 Tone exploded into the national consciousness as records by The Specials, The Selecter, Madness, The Beat, and The Bodysnatchers burst onto the charts and a youth movement was born.

2 Tone was black and white: a multi-racial force of British and Caribbean island musicians singing about social issues, racism, class and gender struggles. It spoke of injustices in society and took fight against right wing extremism.

The music of 2 Tone was exuberant: white youth learning to dance to the infectious rhythm of ska and reggae; and crossed with a punk attitude to create an original hybrid. The idea of 2 Tone was born in Coventry, masterminded by a middle-class art student raised in the church. Jerry Dammers had a vision of an English Motown. Borrowing £700, the label’s first record featured ‘Gangsters’ by The Specials’ backed by an instrumental track by the, as yet, unformed, Selecter. Within two months the single was at number six in the national charts. Dammers signed Madness, The Beat and The Bodysnatchers as a glut of successive hits propelled 2 Tone onto Top of the Pops and into the hearts and minds of a generation. However, soon infighting amongst the bands and the pressures of running a label caused 2 Tone to bow to an inevitable weight of expectation and recrimination.

Still under the auspices of Jerry Dammers, 2 Tone entered in a new phase. Perhaps not as commercially successful as its 1979-1981 incarnation the label nevertheless continued to thrive for a further four years releasing a string of fresh signings and a stunning end-piece finale in ‘(Free) Nelson Mandela’.

Told in three parts, Too Much Too Young is the definitive story of a label that for a brief, bright burning moment, shaped British culture.

So…the question that arises. Is it the definitive story?

I think the answer has to be a resounding ‘Yes’, and indeed none other than Pauline Black, the lead singer with The Selecter says the same thing in her foreword to the paperback edition. She describes the book, the hardback edition of which appeared when a remastered copy of the 1981 film Dance Craze, along with its accompanying soundtrack had been released as a ‘….comprehensive, cautionary, but nonetheless celebratory saga of the 2 Tone label.’

It rightly focusses on the life and work of Jerry Dammers, but it really benefits from giving voice to a cast of many dozens who were involved, be they musicians, producers, band management, promotors, tour organisers, fans, journalists or record company execs. It also benefits from fantastic research by the author with countless quotes given at the time to the various music papers and magazines being used to shape the narrative.

The book, despite being almost 500 pages in length, rattles along at a fast pace. 2 Tone was an instant success, with Gangsters by The Specials reaching #6 in the summer of 1979, and before the year had ended, each of Madness, The Selecter and The Beat would also hit the charts with singles released on the label.

As the publisher states, the book is in three parts, the first of which will be the best known, taking in those early hits, the subsequent departures of Madness and The Beat as well as the signing of The Bodysnatchers. It genuinely is incredible to be reminded of just how much happened in that short period of time, not just in terms of a new and highly successful record label emerging out of nowhere, but that it was all done against a troubling background where the idea of mixed-race bands didn’t go down well with many elements of society, while the punk element of the music, also attracted the wrong sort of attention.

The story of the 2 Tone Tour, in which The Specials, Madness, and The Selecter crisscrossed the UK from September through to December (during which time all three appeared on the same edition of Top of The Pops) seems beyond belief, not least how the musicians and their entourage faced up to the constant fear and worry of crowd violence from racist right-wing thugs, all of which sadly came to a terrifying crescendo at gig in Hatfield on 27 October. It was reading about such violence that led to me deciding not to use the ticket I had for the show in Glasgow the following month – a decision I came to regret as the show passed without incident and by all accounts was one of the best nights that the now long-closed venue of Tiffany’s had ever seen.

The second part, which takes in events from late 1979 through to the autumn of 1981 when Terry Hall, Lynval Golding and Neville Staple left The Specials to form Fun Boy Three, was the section of the book I found to be most fascinating. The mix of contemporary quotes/ interviews given to the press and subsequent recollections from many of those involved paints a complex picture of the issues and problems facing the label, its bands and indeed the individuals within the bands, along with the increasingly- thorny relationship with parent label Chrysalis Records. The deliberate effort by Jerry Dammers to move away from what was the atypical 2 Tone sound, culminating in the songs to be found on More Specials, the band’s second album released in September 1980 and the single Ghost Town, released in June 1981, caused all sorts of friction, and while some think it was just bloodymindedness on his part, others believe it was the mark of his unique talent and genius. The author leaves it to the individual reader to make their own mind up.

The final part, with a satisfying and welcome amount of detail, covers the final five years of 2 Tone’s existence, with chapters devoted to Rhoda Dakar, The Appollinaires, The Higsons and The Friday Club. It might well be a long way removed from the happy times of the opening chapters – I certainly had a feeling of melancholy as I turned the pages – but again, praise has to be given to the author for the skilful way he navigates his way through the turbulent waters.

The 2 Tone legacy is far greater in quality than quantity. There were just 29 singles, 6 studio albums and 2 compilations across the six years. Just twelve of the singles were released between 1982 and 1986, and only one of them was a chart hit. But it’s the voices of the people involved that make this such great, engrossing and essential read. The author, in his acknowledgements at the end, offers ‘an enormous thank you to all the contributors who generously gave their time to talk to me’. It’s a list which runs to over 100 names all told, which in itself tells you how deep the research has been.

I’ll just about leave the last word to Suggs.

‘Daniel Rachel has bagged the whirlwind of 2 Tone with joy, honesty and compassion.’

He sure has.

mp3: The Specials – Ghost Town (12″ version)

JC

Fanatica Indie (Chile), Various

AN IMAGINARY COMPILATION ALBUM : #384: FANATICA INDIE, CHILE

A guest posting by SWC (No Badger Required)

An ICA compiled by the best Radio Stations in the world– Part 1 – Fanatica Indie, Chile.

Recently, I have been having a recurring dream, no not that one involving Helen Baxendale and Usagi from Alice in Borderland, another one. In this dream, I am in the desert, walking blindly towards the horizon. My water bottle has pretty much run out, my feet are sore, I have a beard, and my hair has grown long and straggly.

As I stumble in no particular direction, I see something to my right, half buried in the sand and I stagger towards it, and then I dig using my hands and reveal a radio, an old crappy transistor radio like what my grandad used to listen to the racing results on, in fact it’s probably the same radio.

Then I usually slump on to the ground, exhausted and switch the radio on. There is nothing, so I whack it on the side and a stupid amount of sand falls out of it. Then I play with the volume and the tuner, there is static, then a crackle and then from nowhere there is the faintest chime of music, I turn the tuner a little more and the sound becomes clearer. Then I realise it’s the music of Ed Sheeran, and so I retune but every radio station that I find is playing the same sodding Sheeran song, and then I wake up shaking and covered in sweat. Man, its horrible.

Luckily, thanks, mainly to the Internet, or in my case an App on my phone, there are actually thousands of radio stations that we can now listen to and the chances are that at least one of them won’t be playing Ed Sheeran if you tune into them. I love the radio, and I often find myself tuning into radio stations from across the world for an hour or two just because I can.

Sometimes these radio stations are incredible, for instance there is a radio station broadcasting out of Debrecen that has a live gypsy punk band session every Wednesday evening at around 9pm (UK Time). There is another somewhere in deepest Alabama that only (or seems to) plays heartbreakingly beautiful acoustic country songs sung by females. It’s great because you simply don’t know what you are going to hear.

So, I have decided to do write something about the thrill of listening to brilliant music on the radio in the form of an ICA. I have asked my daughter to pick a number from 1 to 17 (that’s how many radio stations are on my favourites list) and whichever one she chooses I will make an ICA from the first ten songs that it plays. So, it could be awful, it could be amazing.

She picks number 8 – which has Fanatica, Indie written next to it. Fanatica Indie is based in Chile and I have written over at my own blog before about how great it is – you can find it on the Internet – it comes recommended. Here’s what it was playing between 8pm and 9pm (UK Time) on a Wednesday evening.

Side One – Made up of the first five tracks

High Pressure Days – Units (1980, 415 Records)

This kind of what I was talking about when I mentioned the thrill of the unknown, because I’ve never heard of Units before. Google tells me that they are synth pop pioneers from San Francisco. They are sort of brilliant as well. They sound a bit like Devo and a lot like OMD if that helps you out. ‘High Pressure Days’ comes from the debut album ‘Digital Stimulation’ and that too is excellent, as I have found out in the last few days.

Breakfast – Anteros (2015, Distiller Records)

Another band completely new to me. Anteros are an indie band from London and ‘Breakfast’ is taken from their second EP, which was also called ‘Breakfast’. They sound like Wolf Alice, which is no bad thing; most of the female fronted bands that emerged in the teenie decade sounded like Wolf Alice.

World Is The One – Bel Air Lip Bombs (2023, Third Man Records)

A third new sound in a row. The Bel Air Lip Bombs are from Australia and they play a punchy, hook-laden brand of indie rock, and they are really really good. I’ve just listened to their debut record ‘Lush Life’ and it’s great, like what The Strokes would have sounded like if they had PJ Harvey fronting them

Telephone Baby – Delights (2021, Modern Sky Records)

The new bands keep on coming, this one though is not so great. Delights are from Manchester and they play radio friendly indie pop. They want to be Snow Patrol but they sound like Athlete.

Tripped – Whipping Boy (1995, Sony Records)

Side One ends with the best song played so far (although Units runs it close). I adore Whipping Boy and ‘Tripped’ is taken from their second album ‘Heartworm’ which just happens to be one of the best albums of the nineties. Totally ace.

Don’t you just love the radio.

Side Two – made up of the next five tracks.

Doomsday Prepper – Adult DVD (2024, Self Released)

Side Two starts with a relatively new track from Adult DVD. Now those of you who read my own nonsense of a blog, No Badger Required, will know how much I rate Adult DVD. They are put simply one of the finest new bands to have emerged in the last five years. To hear them being played on a radio station broadcasting in Santiago is just mind blowing.

One Thing – China Drum (1997, Mantra Records)

Next up we have China Drum. I love China Drum, but for some reason the choice of song annoys me. I think it’s because the Drum’s first album was just so good and their second (from which ‘One Thing’ is taken) just wasn’t.

Painting of My Time – Floodlights (2023, Self Released)

This is getting weird. Floodlights are an Australian band, they are excellent. Their music is post punk but with a dark pop edge. I really like them. What’s weird is that in November I saw them live on the same night as I saw Adult DVD and now here I am listening to them both in the space of eight minutes on a Chilean radio Show. It’s like they have tapped into my Amazon algorithm

Rain – Wunderhorse (2024, Communion Group Records)

Wunderhorse are next up, they are another rising indie rock band who released their second album ‘Rain’ last year. They have been compared to bands like Fontaines DC and early Radiohead. That sort of holds up. This has been a very good hour indeed (Delights and dodgy China Drum album track asides).

Laid – The Pains of Being Pure at Heart (2011, Painbow Records)

Yup, its that ‘Laid’. It’s a great version of it as well – it’s quite loyal to the original but hearing it sung by a female voice gives it something different and unique. Brilliant way to end the hour.

And there you have it. All things said, not a bad way to spend an hour on a wet Wednesday evening. I hope you enjoyed the music, because, well I’m doing the whole thing again next week, but then the music will come from a Belgian radio station that specialises in ‘Electropop’ – expect lots of Soulwax then.