THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN

PET SHOP BOYS SINGLES (Part Eighteen)

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We’ve now reached 2006, a time when I was paying no attention whatsoever to the Pet Shop Boys. Don’t blame on the sunshine, don’t blame it on the moonlight, don’t blame it on the good times, but blame it on the blogging.

Yup. This was the time I got myself a cheap USB turntable and began to very seriously resurrect my lifelong passion for guitar-based indie-pop, and immersing myself in a new hobby that has led to millions of words being typed out.

I had no idea that 2006 was the year that Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe released a political album, one which reflected a falling out of love with the Labour government fronted by Tony Blair. Much of it was to do with the Iraq war, but other factors were at play. Here’s a few extracts from a contemporary review penned by the always excellent Alexis Petrides in The Guardian on 19 May 2006.

“Earlier this week, BBC2’s Dead Ringers compared Tony Blair to the bunker-bound Hitler. Another symbol of the PM’s decline in popularity may therefore seem otiose, but that is what the Pet Shop Boys’ ninth album turns out to be. Neil Tennant and Chris Lowe spent election night 1997 not only attending the Royal Festival Hall bash, but also an aftershow party at a Park Lane hotel, where, Tennant remembered, champagne flowed and entertainment was provided by MPs “forming the government”. Until recently, Tennant could be relied upon to support the government – initially, he backed the Iraq war – but with Fundamental, things take a disagreeable turn.

“It touches on regime change, immigration, ID cards and the politics of fear. It features, the PM will doubtless be overjoyed to learn, another in what appears to be a series of Pet Shop Boys songs depicting him as a hapless lover in thrall to a hopeless partner.

“In fact, there is every chance Blair will miss the song. For one thing, he has rather more to worry about than the Pet Shop Boys implying he’s having it off with George Bush. In addition – surprisingly for a Pet Shop Boys single – I’m with Stupid seems to have mislaid its chorus amid the electronic pyrotechnics provided by Trevor Horn, still best known as Frankie Goes to Hollywood‘s producer. It’s one of two moments when Fundamental misfires. The other is Numb, the work of songwriter Diane Warren. You can see the conceptual, camp appeal of the perennially poker-faced Pet Shop Boys working with the queen of the blockbusting power ballad, but the result sounds strangely wan.

“Indefinite Leave to Remain is an aching love song conducted in the official language of the asylum seeker. Twentieth Century concerns Iraq, yet it’s really about second thoughts. “I bought a ticket to the revolution and cheered when the statues fell,” concedes Tennant. “Everyone came to destroy what was rotten but they killed off what was good as well.” On Integral, the poker face slips slightly: as he protests against ID cards, you catch the faintest tremor of rage in Neil Tennant’s voice. He sounds angry, a bracing new sensation almost 25 years into the Pet Shop Boys’ career.

“The reunion with Horn – their first since 1988’s glorious Left to My Own Devices – proves similarly inspired. Opener Psychological sounds subdued: quite an achievement, given that it features an orchestra, a harp and “a sample from the recording of the Song of the Most Holy Theotokos for Tatiana Melentieva from the album Svete Tikhiy (O Gladsome Light)“. Its understatement fits the song’s theme of nameless dread, but you have to wait until The Sodom and Gomorrah Show before Horn pulls out what you might call the Full Frankie: timpani, thwacking hi-NRG bass, cascading synth lines, jagged guitar chords and, as was once mandatory on his productions, a booming voiceover that breaks into puny-earthlings-I’ll-destroy-them-all cackling. Employ Paul Morley to write some dada-influenced cobblers for the sleeve and the image would be complete. But it’s a perfect fit, the apocalyptic hedonism of Two Tribes or Welcome to the Pleasuredome updated for a different, but equally paranoid era.

“Elsewhere, its gaze shifts away from current events. Minimal sounds pleasingly like Kraftwerk mounting a defence of the Turner prize. Casanova in Hell concerns a man who mysteriously can’t get it up in the presence of a lady (“it’s queer,” Tennant winks, “that here he can’t cast his spell”) but rewrites his life-story to cast him as a perpetually tumescent lothario: “His erection,” the song divertingly claims, “will live in history.” Cue gag about Neil Tennant getting his mouth around an erection, but instead, a more elevated thought comes to mind. Not for the first time during Fundamental, you listen wondering who else in pop music would do something like this. And not for the first time, the answer comes back: nobody.”

Three singles were released from the album, all of which are mentioned in the above review. Strangely enough, two of the singles were the occasions when Petrides felt the album misfired.

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mp3: Pet Shop Boys – I’m With Stupid

It’s an unusual sounding number that musically comes a bit close to a quiet-loud-quiet type of number (albeit the quite moments can be counted in micro-seconds) and contrary to what was suggested in the review, there is a chorus, albeit it’s very basic. It was released on 8th May 2006, and in keeping with how all PSB singles had been performing in recent years, it went in high at #8 before falling away with three or four weeks.

It was issued on CD, DVD and, perhaps to reflect that the genre was making something of a comeback, on 7″ vinyl in the shape of a picture disc.

CD single

mp3: Pet Shop Boys – The Resurrectionist

It’s really unfair to say that this rather excellent upbeat, club effort is PSB by numbers, but it is the sort of things they had been able, over the decades, to do in their sleep. Another of the numerous quality b-sides that I hope this series has been able to highlight.

7″ picture disc

mp3: Pet Shop Boys – Girls Don’t Cry

It’s really unfair to say that this rather excellent mid-tempo pop effort is PSB by numbers, but it is the sort of things they had been able, over the decades, to do in their sleep. Another of the numerous quality b-sides that I hope this series has been able to highlight.

The new album appeared in the shops just two weeks after the lead-off single (and two quality b-sides!). It followed the same pattern as the single in that it entered high at #5 but was outside the Top 75 just over a month later. It was a long-way removed from the multi-million sales of previous decades, but there’s a sense that neither of the duo really cared, as it was all about the art nowadays.

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The second single to be lifted from the album was released on 24 July 2006

mp3: Pet Shop Boys – Minimal

This is the one that Alex Petrides thought sounded pleasingly like Kraftwerk mounting a defence of the Turner prize. I’m not qualified enough to say if that’s accurate or not, but it is a rollocking and fun song. This one peaked in its first week at #19.

It was issued on CD, DVD, CD maxi single and 7″ clear vinyl. Given its uptempo nature, there can be no surprise that a number of the b-sides/extra tracks were remixes, but there was still space for two previously unreleased numbers.

CD single/7″ clear vinyl

mp3: Pet Shop Boys – In Private

It’s a pop song. It’s a duet. Elton John is on co-vocal. It’s a re-recording of a song written originally for Dusty Springfield, and had been a Top 20 hit back in 1989. Lots of folk will love this song, and I can see why as it has all the hallmarks and attributes of a pop classic, and in particular the hook. But it’s not one of my favourites.

DVD single

mp3: Pet Shop Boys – Blue On Blue

I’ve no idea why this was thrown away as an extra track on a format which only the diehard fans would seek out*. It’s not ground-breaking by any stretch of the imagination, but it’s another upbeat and danceable b-side that’s well worth a few minutes of your time.

*In February 2012, the compilation album Format would be released, consisiting of 38 tracks that had featured as b-side/remixes on various singles between 1996 and 2009. Blue On Blue was among them.

There was one other bit of otherwise unavailable music on the DVD single:-

mp3: Pet Shop Boys – No Time For Tears (7″ mix)

It wasn’t a completely new number. It dated from 2004 when PSB had composed music accompany a new outdoor screening of the 1925 silent film Battleship Potemkin in Trafalgar Square, London, an event which attracted 25,000 people., The following year, the soundtrack album was recorded in Germany, along with additional screeings over four successive nights in September 2005 in Frankfurt, Bonn, Berlin and Hamburg.

The 7″ mix is about a minute shorter than the version on the soundtrack.

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The third and final single lisfted directly from Fundamental was released on 15 October 2006.

mp3 : Pet Shop Boys – Numb (single edit)

Alex Petrides, in his April 2006 review, had described this as a misfire. I’m not sure if it was originally intended as a single but millions of TV viewers had, in July 2006, heard the song as it was used by the BBC to accompany the montage footage they had pulled together when the England football team had been knocked out of the 2006 World Cup, once again via a penalty shoot-out, this time at the hands of Portugal. Neil and Chris chose to base the new edit on the way the BBC had used it in the broadcast.

This one only reached #23 and this became just the second single since the very early days to miss out on the Top 20.

It was issued on CD, CD maxi single and 7″ vinyl.

Two new songs appeared on the CD maxi single, with one of them also being included as the b-side to the 7″.

mp3 : Pet Shop Boys – Party Song

As the cliche goes, it does exactly what it says on the tin. It’s worth recalling that a lot of angst and anger had gone into the making of Fundamental…..this might well have been their way of letting off a bit of steam. It’s great fun.

mp3: Pet Shop Boys – Bright Young Things

This is one that actually dates from 2003 in that it had been written and recorded for use in a film of the same name, but was turned down by the producers. It does have that feel of the sort of number that would play over the closing credits.

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One further track that originally appeared on Fundamental would be issued in single form.

8th October 2007 saw the release of the album Disco 4. It contained 8 songs, six of which were PSB remixes of tracks written and originally released by The Killers, David Bowie, Yoko Onon, Madonna, Atomiser, and Rammstein. Two PSB originals were given the treatment, one of which was also made available as a download-only single as part of the promotional activites.

mp3: Pet Shop Boys – Integral (Perfect Immaculate Mix)

The next actual physical single would be released in March 2009. It’ll be included in the next part of the series.

JC

Uncle John & Whitelock

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #356: UNCLE JOHN & WHITELOCK

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From wiki:-

Uncle John & Whitelock were a Scottish horror punk band from Glasgow. They were active from 2001 to 2006 and were noted for their live shows which incorporated elements of performance art.

Formed in 2001 by singer and guitarist, Jacob Lovatt, and bass player, Raydale Dower, the three-piece line-up was completed with the addition of Andrew Hobson on drums. The band was expanded to a five-piece line-up in 2002 with the addition of drummer Matthew Black and keyboard player Nic Denholm, Hobson moving to guitar.

Denholm and Hobson left in early 2005. They were replaced by Jamie Bolland on keyboards and David Philp, on guitar.

The band had a reputation for the originality of their live performances which incorporated elements of theatricality and performance art. These performances might see the band playing on stage inside a specially constructed wooden shack, unseen by the audience, or with scratchy black-and-white, 16 mm film projected over the band as they played, giving the impression of an old silent movie.

Live reviews often focused on Lovatt’s stage presence, describing him for example as a ‘demented frontman’, or a ‘crazed urban preacher’, while the band as a whole were described as ‘the best live band in Glasgow’ and ‘perhaps the best undiscovered band in Scotland’.

The music was described as ‘steel-toed subterranean rock’ and ‘frighteningly visceral blues’, and this blues sensibility, coupled with Lovatt’s distinctive vocals, led to the band being compared with Dr John, Captain Beefheart, Tom Waits and Nick Cave, while their songs were noted for their disturbing and anarchistic content.

The band were supporters of the charity the Scottish Association for Mental Health, appearing on their One in Four CD. In October 2005, they appeared at an awareness-raising music festival in Ljubljana, Slovenia for World Mental Health Day.

The band maintained a heavy gigging and touring schedule from 2004 to 2006, playing with bands as diverse as Franz Ferdinand, Babyshambles and The Fall. Their final show was played on 23 December 2006 at King Tut’s Wah Wah Hut in Glasgow.

I caught them live on a couple of occasions, but came to the conclusion they were an acquired taste. I have one song on the hard drive, courtesy of having a copy of the One In Four CD mentioned above.

mp3: Uncle John & Whitelock – The Train

JC

Andy Rourke

(BONUS POST) ANDY ROURKE, R.I.P.

Learning that Andy Rourke has passed away was a sad start to my day. He was 59…..seven months younger than me…..and in terms of the greatest 80s band of them all, he’s the first of the gang to die.

The increasingly divisive and racist behaviours of Morrissey over recent years have led me to refrain from knowingly playing and listening to records by The Smiths. It’s a behaviour that has been ridiculed and criticised by a number of visitors to TVV, but I know that I’m not alone in having such an embargo. And like many others, I’ll be doing something about it, even if it proves to be just for today as it would be churlish not to pay tribute to the talents and contributions of the late bassist. I’m guessing that the first track many will reach for is this:-

mp3 : The Smiths – Barbarism Begins At Home

My introduction to Barbarism Begins At Home would have come on the first time I saw the band when they played the Queen Margaret Union at Glasgow University in March 1984. The debut album was not long out, and the set list drew almost entirely from it and the early singles/b-sides. But there was one totally unknown song, one that was much longer than most of the rest of the set-list. I don’t recall Morrissey saying anything about its title, and if he did, none of those who were together at the overcrowded, sweaty and intense gig, picked it up. One of my flatmates said we should just refer to it as the dancey one.

Turns out, we were right, as many years later I was sent a CD with a copy of that show from a recording made by a local radio station:-

mp3 : The Smiths – Barbarism Begins At Home (live, QMU, 2 March 1984)

A few weeks later, the band debuted the song to those who hadn’t been fortunate to catch them on the recent tour:-

It was a Friday evening. It was The Tube, the weekly live music show that was broadcast between 5-7pm on Channel 4. I always made sure to be back home visiting my parents whenever that show or Whistle Test on BBC 2 was being aired for the simple reason that I wanted to capture things on VHS tapes.

I went back to my own student flat later in the evening, where I was greeted with the question, ‘Did you get it?’. Everyone had watched it in absolute awe – and to be fair, it was as much for the breathtaking performance of Hand In Glove as much as this new song, which we still didn’t know the name of as there was no mention on The Tube and there was no caption provided. When I said that I had, the decision was taken there and then to club resources and go hire a VHS machine for the flat, which arrived with a few days. No need to ask what was the first thing watched…….

A few years later, when Andy and Mike Joyce launched their court action against Morrissey and Johnny Marr for a greater share of the performance and recording loyalties, I said to a friend and fellow band devotee that they were sure to win – all they had to do was play the judge that clip from The Tube.

As history shows, Andy settled quickly for a relatively small sum in the grand scheme of things, while Mike Joyce went all the way and emerged not only with a large lump sum, but a share in things going forward. An illustration of how bad the settlement was for Andy is that he ended up being declared bankrupt in 1999, an unthinkable situation for someone who once had more money he could ever have imagined would come his way growing up in working-class Manchester.

It was another example of life giving Andy Rourke an unfair kicking. Some would say that he brought some of it on himself, blaming it on his use of heroin, which led to him being sacked from the band, albeit it was really done as a warning shot as he was brought back in after just a few weeks but having been subjected to all sorts of tawdry headlines in the music and mainstream press.

His decision to play on Morrissey recordings, and be part of his live band in the wake of the split of The Smiths in 1987, cost him his friendship with Johnny Marr, which had begun the best part of a decade before they became members of the same band. They wouldn’t reconcile for almost 20 years, with the spark being when the guitarist agreed to be part of a Manchester v Cancer charity event that the bassist had organised.

Andy’s bass playing was part of what really came to define the very best of indie music across the 80s, setting a template for many who would follow. His skills remained in demand throughout the years and as well as being part of the early Morrissey bands, he would tour with The Pretenders, Badly Drawn Boy, Killing Joke and Ian Brown. He would also form new bands with Manchester based musicians, including Freebase alongside Mani and Peter Hook, albeit Andy played guitar. There was one album, It’s A Beautiful Life, released in 2010.

mp3: Freebase – The God Machine

In later years, after moving to live and work as a DJ in America, he formed D.A.R.K., a trio alongside New Yorker Ole Koretsky , with lead vocals supplied by Dolores O’Riordan, who was most famous through her time with The Cranberries. Their sole album was released in 2016.

mp3: D.A.R.K. – High Fashion

I hope I’ve managed to demonstrate that there was much more to the life and career of Andy Rourke than the few years he spent with The Smiths, albeit that is how at least 99.99% of music fans will come to remember him.

It was Johnny Marr, through social media, who broke the news of Andy’s death. His words really say it all:-

“It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Andy Rourke after a lengthy illness with pancreatic cancer. Andy will be remembered as a kind and beautiful soul by those who knew him and as a supremely gifted musician by music fans.”

Indeed.

JC

Soft Cell

60 ALBUMS @ 60 : #23

Soft Cell – Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret (1981)

Is Tainted Love the biggest ever hit involving the cover of a previously obscure and unknown song? I’m struggling, off the top of my head, to come up with anything else.

Released in August 1981, it would go on to spend 16 weeks in the Top 75, including five at either #1 or #2, selling in excess of 1 million copies. The original version, by Gloria Jones, dated from 1964, and was a b-side. A second version in 1976, produced by Jones’s boyfriend Marc Bolan, was issued as a single to absolutely no fanfare at all. The fact it was, like many others labelled as Northern Soul, such an obscurity was a big factor in many people initially believing that Soft Cell‘s electronic take was an original.

The hit single helped create a huge buzz of expectancy around the duo’s debut album, helped also by the fact that Bedsitter had proved to be another hit single.

But the album was something of a flop in that it didn’t go Top 10 on its release in November 1981. Part of this was down to very harsh reviews in the UK music papers, with the NME being particularly scathing.

“The Soft Cell sex strategy should offer something spicy, rude and even a little wonderful… but Soft Cell are conceptualists who rely on too many preconceptions and play around with too many ideas to convince you of any personal energy or commitment… Soft Cell are very plain fare – unspectacular music and very drab and flat lyrics, wrapped in a hint of special promise which is never realised”

It was also compared unfavourably to synth albums by the likes of Human League, OMD, Depeche Mode and Heaven 17, while the tabloid papers had a field day suggesting it was a perverted record that no parent would want in their home, coverage which led some of the larger retailers, such as Woolworths and WH Smith, to go easy on the promotion activities with it being hidden away rather than on full display. It would take the later success of Say Hello, Wave Goodbye to finally turn Non-Stop Erotic Cabaret into a Top 5 album.

They were very strange times. Marc Almond and Dave Ball simply ignored all the fuss and got on with making music in the studio – like most synth bands, with the exception of OMD, the idea of going out and performing around the UK tour circuit was never entertained. It also enabled more time to be devoted to the making of promo videos, something that was just beginning to become an increasingly important part of the efforts to make every single a huge hit.

I fell for the charms of Soft Cell from the outset in a way that I never did with the likes of Depeche Mode. I’ve just about everything by the former and next to nothing by the latter. It was partly to do with the album, which I thought was great fun from start to end, albeit fun with a dark, creepy and sinister edge, but also from the brilliant 12″ mixes of their singles along with what always seemed to be quality b-sides.

Soft Cell, like all synth groups, did eventually take things into the concert halls, theatres and arenas. But it took until 2021 before many of the songs from the debut record were played live, with the opening show being an adrenalin-filled night in Glasgow, an occasion that made this late 50-something feel like he was in his late-teens for one last evening. This was a particular joy….a kinky middle-class suburbia tale straight out of the Sunday tabloids in the era when mobile phone hacking was just something out of a science fiction novel.

mp3: Soft Cell – Secret Life

There are some synth-orientated albums still to feature in the rundown, but it can’t be too much of a surprise to everyone when I say that guitar bands will increasingly be to the fore.

JC

The The

60 ALBUMS @ 60 : #24

The The – Soul Mining (1983)

This is a wonderful example of my being of an age when not only did I have a lot of time to listen to music, but I was in an environment where everyone I socialised with seemed to be as nuts about pop and dancing as myself.

I was convinced that Soul Mining was a massive success back in 1983, as too were the various singles lifted from it. It’s all down to the fact that all my friends, and I do mean ALL, had a copy of this kicking around their flats or houses. Everyone was talking about it, possibly more so as one of its guest musicians was our adopted local legend Zeke Manyika, the Zimbabwe-born drummer who sat on the drum stool for Orange Juice, with his contributions certainly being a major factor in making the album sound so vibrant and powerful.

I was also sure that almost every music critic fawned over the album, welcoming the fact that in an era when short and sweet had been ruling the roost, here was a musician unafraid to let his songs extend out to epic lengths without resorting to the painfully obvious studio gimmickry or production techniques that were in vogue, especially on 12″ singles.

Turns out that the critics did love the record, and they also thought Matt Johnson was something of a brooding genius. He was….it’s just a pity that some of his views as he’s become older, and in particular his social media posting postings about conspiracy theories and COVID which are, at best, disingenuous, and at worst downright dangerous.

I’m digressing. Sorry. Back to 1983. Soul Mining was featured in most, indeed if not all, the end of year rundowns in the UK music papers. But in terms of sales, they were really poor. It came in at #27 which was its peak position, and within five weeks it was outside the Top 100, never to return. Lead-off single, This Is The Day, which felt like THE anthem of the latter half of the year, peaked at #72. Uncertain Smile, held up by many as the pop centrepiece of the record, thanks in part to the piano solo from Jools Holland of Squeeze, came in at #100 and failed to improve.

As it turns out, it’s an album which has become increasingly popular in recent years. It took until July 2013, almost a full 20 years after I picked up my copy, before the BPI certified it for a Silver Disc, signifying 50,000 sales. However, it took less than another six years to hit 100,000 sales and a Gold Disc, with the landmark being reached in March 2019, a short time after Matt Johnson brought the band out of a very lengthy hiatus and played a series of live shows in the UK, Europe, the USA and Australia.

I can still very happily listen to the album all the way through. My vinyl copy is a bit battered and worn, but remains very listenable, while I’ve also a copy of its first release on CD, which contained an eighth and additional track, much to the annoyance of the album’s creator – the later 2002 remastered reissue went back to seven tracks.

mp3: The The – I’ve Been Waitin’ for Tomorrow (All of My Life)

The album opener. Those of us who regarded Zeke as being a gentle and pop-orientated drummer couldn’t help but be blown away by this one.

JC

Crimea

(BONUS POST) : ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN SINGLES : #018

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Sexy Loser

#018– The Crimea – ‚Lottery Winners On Acid’ (Warner Bros. Records ’06)

crimea

Hello friends,

and today I come up with yet another band which was grievously underrated at the time, The Crimea. And although The Crimea came from London and have nothing to do with “the other” Crimea, the Eastern Europe peninsula located in the Black Sea, both Crimeas have one astonishing similarity: no one ever gave a flying fuck about them when it was high time to do so. And the world was given several chances, because this awesome tune was presented in various forms:

First on CD only in 2002, on Shiny Beast Recordings. Did anyone care? No, everyone was busy listening to Ronan Keating’s ‘If Tomorrow Never Comes’. Then our tune was re-released, again on CD only, in 2004 on Double Dragon Music. And if you think the public noticed its brilliance then, you’re wrong – apparently LMC together with the twat with the hat’s awful ‘Take Me To The Clouds Above’ was more enjoyable.

And to make things even more curious, also in 2004, in March in fact, The Crimea’s debut album, Tragedy Rocks was issued, again on CD, as you might already have gathered, both on Klutz Inc. and on Warner Bros. Records. Did it include ‘Lottery Winners On Acid’? You bet it did – still Britney Spears ruled the charts with bloody ‘Toxic’!

Finally, the song was issued on vinyl, as a 7” on Warner Bros. Records. 2006, that was. Now the vinyl enthusiasts would have gone mad, one thinks. Oh, you couldn’t be more wrong – perhaps they were so skint that only one vinyl single could be afforded …. and that would have been Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s ‘Déjà Vu’, as it seems.

So, to sum it up, we were given four opportunities, each and everyone of which was shamefully missed. On the plus side, we now have four different versions of the song. By and large there are no big differences, as far as I can tell, they are all wonderful. But still The Crimea never received the attention they should have received upon the strength and greatness of this song.

And this, dear friends, closes the circle, and we come back to The Crimea, the Ukrainian peninsula … you remember? Exactly the same as above happened when it was invaded by The Russians in 2014:

No one noticed and/or cared at all … everyone was singing along to Ed Sheeran’s ‘Sing’ instead, I reckon.

In conclusion, at least in my book, the world would be a better place today if everyone had taken more care in the past: the Ukrainian people wouldn’t have to live in fear for their lives, their families and their homes and we in greater Europe wouldn’t have to be constantly afraid of a sudden nuclear attack by bloody Putin. And, perhaps equally important, it would be more worthwhile to live in this world if Calvin Harris + Ellie Goulding weren’t ruling the charts any longer with ‘Miracle’ – it could be The Crimea instead, mind you!!

So here they are for you. I do love this tune, let me tell you:

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mp3: The Crimea – Lottery Winners On Acid

Stay safe & enjoy,

Dirk

Paul Quinn & The Independent Group

60 ALBUMS @ 60 : #25

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Will I Ever Be Inside Of You – Paul Quinn & The Independent Group (1994)

There are just so many reasons as to why this album means so much to me.

You’ll all probably be bored reading my opinion that Paul Quinn is the best vocalist ever to emerge out of Scotland. He’s the great lost voice of a generation, one whose potential, it now seems from the outset, was fated never to be realised.

His legacy isn’t substantial in volume, but quality wise, it’s hard to beat, as was evidenced by the contents of Unadulterated, the lovingly curated limited edition box-set that brought together the two Independent Group albums alongside unreleased live and studio tracks. It was so tempting to include the box-set in the rundown, but given how limited a release it was (just 300 copies were pressed), I ended up going back to the two studio albums from the 90s and choosing from them. Oh, and for what it’s worth…..if I had included the box-set in the rundown, it would have come in at #1……

Alan Horne resurrected Postcard Records in 1992, partly to release some old stuff by Orange Juice, but also to give a home to Paul Quinn & The Independent Group.

This truly was a legendary Glasgow ‘supergroup’ – James Kirk (ex Orange Juice), Campbell Owens (ex Aztec Camera), Blair Cowan (ex Lloyd Cole & The Commotions) and Robert Hodgens (ex Bluebells) were just some of the members, with much of the music underpinned by the guitar work of the largely unheralded Mick Slaven who has appeared on stage over the years with just about everyone who is significant in pop music from Scotland over the past 40 years.

The first album, The Phantom and The Archetypes, came out in 1992. It’s an excellent album, but one which really benefits from repeated listens rather than having an ability to make an immediate impact. On the other hand, the second album opens with this:-

mp3: Paul Quinn & The Independent Group – Will I Ever Be Inside Of You

The title track. More than nine minutes long, but there isn’t a single second wasted. The talents of the musicians (who doubled up as the producers) are very much in evidence, but it really does all boil down to that voice, supplemented in this instance by a contribution from one of the country’s leading opera singers of the era.

It sets the scene for a quite extraordinary album, one that, if circumstances had allowed, would be much more than a cult classic. The tragedy being that, within a short period of time, Paul Quinn would be struck down by a truly debilitating disease that left him unable to perform. There was very little done in the way of promotional activity, and all too soon Alan Horne brought an end to the second incarnation of Postcard Records.

Some of us kept the flame burning in our own ways. The original version of The Vinyl Villain featured a lot of Paul Quinn, going back to the Jazzateers and Bourgie Bourgie days, as well as the short-lived solo career on Swampland Records in the late 80s. The postings attracted the attention of a few other fans, but none more so than Rob Fleay, who was in the process of opening, in 2009, the Punk Rock Hotel, a fan site dedicated to the music of Paul Quinn. We were soon exchanging emails on a frequent basis, and I was always excited when Rob got in touch with news of the latest piece of treasure that he’d unearthed.

I think it is fair to say that Rob’s work was something of a catalyst for the eventual release of Unadulterated, a project on which Alan Horne and Paul Quinn brought him on board as ‘Technician’. Those of us who are fans owe him a huge thanks.

Will I Ever Be Inside Of You remains a difficult album to track down, although there are some copies, particularly on CD, out there on Discogs and e-bay. Digital copies can be found here. Trust me, you won’t be disappointed.

JC

Pulp

60 ALBUMS @ 60 : #26

Pulp – Different Class (1995)

I’ve a great many CDs, singles and albums alike, from the Britpop era. Not many of them have really stood the test of time.

Different Class is an album on this list which was down at 40-something when I began musing over things. It’s not an album I’ve played all that much in recent times despite the fact that I bought a reissued version of it on vinyl a couple of years back – indeed the fact that the actual pressing left a lot to be desired has contributed to how little I’ve played it.

But one glance at the list of songs on the back of the sleeve soon had me moving it a few spots, and then there was the actual ‘fuck it’ moment where the realisation that Different Class is home to something which truly is an anthem for a particular generation.

mp3: Pulp – Common People

Even if the other eleven tracks were unlistenable, there would still a case to be made for this record to be in the Top 60. It’s the song that turned Jarvis Cocker into a national treasure just a couple of years after being widely regarded as a joke figure by almost every single music writer.

The thing is, almost all the other eleven tracks have a great deal going for them, to the extent that they are very much overshadowed by Common People. The reason for the use of the word ‘almost’ is that I’d be more than happy never to have to knowingly hear Disco 2000 ever again……it’s a dirge.

JC

Carter USM

60 ALBUMS @ 60 : #27

Carter The Unstoppable Sex Machine – 30 Something (1991)

It’s quite exhausting trying to write about all these albums without feeling as if I’m repeating myself. I’m sort of taking today off, as what follows is largely an adaptation of some words that were written about this album on the old blog back in 2011 and then repeated on the new version of TVV in 2015, along with a short postscript concerning Rachel (aka Mrs Villain).

February 1991 saw the release of 30 Something on Rough Trade Records. It was at this time that I got my first ever live experience of Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine with an incredible performance in the tiny space at Glasgow Tech Students Union (Jacques the Kipper was with me that night). I caught them live again later in 1991 and was once more amazed by the show. They were energetic, lively and hugely entertaining. And in 30 Something, they were promoting what I reckon is one of the best and most overlooked LPs in critics lists – one that has stood the test of time more than 30 years on.

Reputedly costing less than £4000 to record and produce, 30 Something is a masterpiece. From the opening snatched and oh-so accurate dialogue lifted from an episode of Red Dwarf:-

“When You’re younger you can eat what you like, drink what you like and still climb into your 26-inch trousers and zip them closed. But then you reach that age….24, 25…your muscles give up, they wave a little white flag and without any warning at all you’re suddenly a fat bastard” ….

….all the way through to the melancholy and sadness of the closing track, The Final Comedown, there isn’t a wasted moment across its entire 41 minutes.

There’s great passion, energy and humour in the lyrics even when they are dealing with really dark and serious issues such as alcoholism, racism, bullying, domestic violence and depression. There’s a great warning of the perils of consumerism which include the use of a sample of the voice of Joe Strummer and so many attacks on the state of UK society with the have and have-nots thanks to Thatcherism. For me…..it is the most punk of albums with an electronic twist. And as I say, one that today still hasn’t lost its ability to have me jumping around the room like an idiot (even if nowadays I do it in my head rather than in reality….)

mp3: Carter the Unstoppable Sex Machine – Bloodsport For All

Also released as a single, that I was sure was a hit….but turns out it only reached #48. It’s one of Rachel’s all-time favourite bits of music. One that, when aired at that Barrowlands gig, led to an incident which, again, I’ve mentioned via the blog.

“There we were at a Carter USM gig at Barrowlands, Glasgow in the early 90s – me, Mrs Villain and Jacques the Kipper. Us blokes being experienced moshers felt it was just a bit too crazy with all those young folk being awfully lively down the front, so we were strategically placed just left-of-centre maybe halfway back.

Then the opening notes came through the speakers.

DAH-DAH-DAH-DAH-DAAAAAAAH

And before the same notes were repeated prior to the crashing guitars, Mrs Villain had gone….right down into the melee. I was gobsmacked.

But I left her to it – we hadn’t long drawn up wills leaving all our possessions to one another.

5 and a bit minutes later she came back, drenched in sweat but with the most fantastic grin on her face.”

JC

Pet Shop Boys

PET SHOP BOYS SINGLES (Part Seventeen)

2003

2003 got underway with the release, in February, of Disco 3,a remix album containing ten tracks, none of which, deliberately, were released as singles. The remainder of the year, musically, proved to be quiet until 17 November, and the release of new material:-

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mp3: Pet Shop Boys – Miracles

Those who had felt let down by the tunes on Release would no doubt have found some comfort in the return to electronica, but I’m of the view that it’s not really one I can get excited about. Enough people liked it to ensure it entered the charts at #10, but as was becoming the norm, it very quickly dropped out of sight.

2 x CDs and a 12″ remix single were put on sale. CD1 had just one other track on it.

CD1

mp3: Pet Shop Boys – We’re The Pet Shop Boys

It’s actually a cover, having been written and recorded originally the previous year by the New York based electronic band My Robot Friend. Chris and Neil were quite tickled by the idea of a tribute being paid to them in such a way that they chose to do their own version. Sadly, the idea is better than the execution, as the song itself isn’t much to write home about.

CD2 came with an extended version of Miracles, along with a remix by Lemon Jelly. But there was also a very odd sounding previously unreleased song.

CD2

mp3: Pet Shop Boys – Transparent

It has all the attributes of one that Chris came up with, with a load of different influences to the fore. It also sounds as if it might be him on lead vocal, albeit through a vocoder, or perhaps the duo had sneaked one of their many famous fans to record anonymously. Turns out it is Neil whose voice has been hugely distorted.

All in all, Miracles and the b-sides proved to make for the least appealing (IMHO) of any PSB single thus far.

One week after the release of Miracles, the compilation album Pop Art : The Hits was issued. Those of you who are keeping up with the 60 albums at 60 rundown will be aware that I included this at #33 on the basis that it’s impossible not to have it above any studio album given that among its 35 tracks across the standard 2xCD issue, you can find some of the greatest pop singles released by any singer or group in the late 20th century. There was only one completely new track on Pop Art, and it was no surprise that it was the next single, issued on 29 March 2004.

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mp3: Pet Shop Boys – Flamboyant

It was actually a slightly different mix from that included on Pop Art, and is some ten seconds or so shorter in length. It’s a classic PSB hit single by numbers, one that reached #12 and got them was an increasingly rare appearance on Top of The Pops given how little of their music was now being aired on Radio 1.

2 x CDs and a 12″ remix were all that you could find in the shops, although there was also a limited edition 12″ remix single issued for the European market. CD2 was filled with remixes, which meant the only new song was a track on CD1.

mp3: Pet Shop Boys – I Didn’t Get Where I Am Today

This probably caught a few folk out as it is very unlike the PSB. The electric guitar, courtesy of their old mate Johnny Marr, is very much to the fore and there’s a bit of ‘hey hey hey’ backing vocal that wouldn’t have sounded out of place in a 60s single. Indeed, although the ex-Smiths man had no hand in writing the tune, it sort of is the template for what would appear on his much later solo albums. If I was on Jukebox Jury, I’d vote this one a hit…..

JC

U.N.P.O.C.

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #355: UNPOC

U.N.P.O.C.

From wiki:-

Tom Bauchop (born 1978), best known by his stage name U.N.P.O.C., is a Scottish musician and member of the Fence Collective. He has released two albums on Domino Records, Fifth Column and the limited edition Live at King Tut’s. Fifth Column featured only two musicians: Bauchop, and drummer Stu Bastiman.

From the Domino Records website:-

The mysterious U.N.P.O.C. – affiliate of the Fence Collective, gnostic troubadour – released Fifth Column in 2003.

Fifth Column is a lo-fi production where the sentiment is high; it’s an out of time pop masterpiece. As well as melodic nods to The Kinks, Buddy Holly and The Ronettes, it’s also reminiscent of Roky Erickson’s field recordings and the outsider pop-art of Brian Wilson.

And here’s the full contents of the main page of the U.N.P.O.C. website (which consists of 6 pictures and a few sentences) :-

Hi, I’m Tom. There I am in 2003. This is my website for my band, unpoc, and especially for my 2003 record, Fifth Column. Maybe you’re here from Greece, and heard my song on the 2022 Sky Express TV ad? Hello to you!

Have a little (6-picture) read about unpoc below, if you like.

1/6: Edinburgh, 2001: I had been writing music for a few years.

My musical friends said my latest songs were sounding good, and I should do something with them. So we sent a demo tape to London.

2/6: Domino Records liked the songs. We got things organised and put out a record.

Unpoc means “unable to navigate, probably on course”.

3/6: The album got some nice press reviews, especially in Sweden.

4/6: I was invited over there to play some shows. There we are, in Stockholm.

5/6: One of the songs was used in a film, Hallam Foe (Best Music award, Berlin Film Festival) and also in a cinema advert (Golden Horse Film Festival, Taiwan).

Then it was used in a TV ad campaign in Greece, and got into the Greek Shazam Top 200, peaking at number 7.

6/6: I still write music now, but my Fifth Column songs are my most popular ones.

It’s nice when I meet people who like the album or were at my concerts, so make sure to say hello if you see me.

Bye for now./Tom

——

I caught U.N.P.O.C. at King Tut’s as the opening act for James Yorkston in late 2003. It appears that was when the live CD album was recorded. I don’t have a copy (and it’s going for nearly £100 on Discogs) but I did enjoy the show so much that I bought a copy of Fifth Column from Tom the same evening. It’s going for £1.32 on Discogs.

It’s a hugely enjoyable listen. Here’s the song that was included on the Hallam Foe soundtrack and which seemingly later became a hit in Greece.

mp3: U.N.P.O.C. – Here On My Own

JC

Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy

60 ALBUMS @ 60 : #28

The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy – Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury (1992)

There’s maybe a subliminal reason as to why the debut album by The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy features so high on the rundown.

It’s all to do with me really being quite late to hip-hop, as mentioned when previously writing about Beastie Boys. There are very few albums from the genre that were bought at the time of release, and thus they are, under the self-imposed rules, unable to be considered for inclusion.

Jacques the Kipper opened up one of his 1992 mixtapes with this track:-

mp3: The Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy – Television, The Drug Of The Nation

He handed it to me at work one day. I played it on the train journey back from Edinburgh to Glasgow. Actually, that’s a lie. I played the opening track on the mixtape and then hit rewind so that I could hear it again. And then I repeated the manoeuvre a couple more times.

The next day, I bought the album on CD, thus making sure in this instance that I was quick to not miss out on what was surely going to be the next sensation within the hip-hop genre.

The album spent just three weeks in the UK charts. It’s two accompanying singles initially managed just a combined three weeks in the UK charts, all outside the Top 50, albeit a re-released ‘Television’ later in the year would hit #44, but sadly what would surely have been a dynamic appearance on Top of The Pops never happened.

Of course there are ‘better’ and more important/influential hip-hop albums out there, some of which I did buy at the time – for instance Three Feet High and Rising by De La Soul – that haven’t made the rundown, (and apologies if anyone was waiting to see what number it was going to come in at), but Hypocrisy Is The Greatest Luxury was on very heavy rotation throughout the whole of 1992, and indeed beyond, and when it found its way onto the shortlist, I just found myself looking back to that time and coming to the realisation that the issues which made Michael Franti so angry and frustrated still haven’t gone away; indeed, on the back of Trump’s four years in power, many of them are in even more evidence today than they were more than three decades ago.

The cherry on top of the cake is their take on the Dead Kennedys classic. They actually got to perform a version of it on UK television.

JC

Echo & The Bunnymen

60 ALBUMS @ 60 : #29

Echo and The Bunnymen – Heaven Up Here (1981)

I’m kidding myself on if I really believe that the next 28 albums in this rundown are really less favoured than Heaven Up Here. I’m typing these words a few weeks after putting the final list together. I’m typing up each piece in reverse order, and I surprised and indeed shocked myself when I realised it was now time to witter on about Echo and The Bunnymen‘s second LP. I did look up and down the list of what’s still to come and contemplated shifting it up a few places, but I told myself that I had to stay disciplined and stick with what was decided back at the end of February.

1981 proved to be the band’s breakout year. A Promise brought their first Top 20 single and Heaven Up Here went Top 10 in the album charts. Their media exposure was greater than ever, although it would still be a few more years before Mac graced the cover of Smash Hits and found his face pinned to the walls of thousands of impressionable teenagers.

Nope. The Bunnymen were among those that were vying for the mantle of the band best placed to grab the affections of the raincoat-wearing brigade who were still reeling from the shock of Ian Curtis‘s suicide and for whom music was a very serious business. It wasn’t quite my profile, as can be illustrated by my increasing love for synth-pop that very year, but there is no doubt that this was the album that made me really sit up and take notice that the latest Fab 4 from Liverpool were genuine contenders.

I’ve written before that listening to the album’s two opening tracks – Show of Strength and With A Hip – felt at the time to be as powerful and immediate an opening one-two punch as anything I had in my growing record collection. More than 40 years on, and I still believe it is up there. The third track isn’t too shabby either:-

mp3: Echo and The Bunnymen – Over The Wall

The fade in and slow build-up perhaps tricks listeners into thinking it’s a comedown and non-event after the opening two songs, but the catchiness of the simple, almost nursery-rhyme-like chorus, allied with Will, Les and Pete‘s combined attacks on your aural senses gives way to a realisation that you’re listening to gothic atmospheric rock at its very finest.

The big hit singles would come later on in the band’s career. They would also, in the shape of Ocean Rain in 1984, make another genuinely sensational album that came close to making this rundown. But as I suggested yesterday when talking about Tindersticks, the more mood and atmosphere that can be brought to an album, the better. Heaven Up Here, from its sleeve to the contents of its grooves, is packed with both.

JC

Creamers

(BONUS POST) : ONE HUNDRED AND ELEVEN SINGLES : #017

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Sexy Loser

#017– The Creamers – ‚I Think I’m Gonna Be Sick’ (Fierce Recordings ’89)

creamers

Hello friends,

as you might already have gathered, quite a lot of the singles which I chose for this series, the ones I consider to be amongst the best ones ever issued, I first heard on John Peel’s Music. Now, even if not all of you have followed Peel as religiously as I have done, you will surely know that his musical tastes often were somewhat, let’s say, difficult to accept by the average listener. ‘Obscure’ was a word which didn’t exist in his vocabulary, but it surely existed for record companies/distributors/importers … consequently it wasn’t always that easy to get hold of specific records, at least not in the German diaspora where I grew up.

The thing is: there seems to be a linear ratio between the obscurity of a record – or a band – in the 80s and the lack of information about it/them on the internet as per today. You would imagine every bloody little thing to be available online by now, but this is not always the case, I found.

Today’s band, The Creamers, are a suitable example: I wish I were able to tell you more about them, apart from the fact that by now they are being considered as one of the best “second wave” LA/West Coast punk bands of the 80’s and 90’s. Comparable to The Lazy Cowgirls (in fact the bassist and the drummer eventually became Cowgirls), but with the distinction of a great female vocalist (Leesa) and female guitarists (Rosa and Judy).

These days you take this for granted, of course, but in 1989 “girls on guitar”, especially in the punk scene, by and large still were an anomaly … perhaps this is why The Creamers blew me away the way they did. This and the music, of course, them churning out their brand of Ramones style gut-whirling, ear-rupturing brand of punk rock was just unbelievable!

So, it might come as a bit of a surprise, that my choice for today (again a B-Side: what is wrong with me?) is a little more melodic perhaps, although not lacking at all in toughness:

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mp3: The Creamers – I Think I’m Gonna Be Sick

The band went through many changes and put out many more records, but this single – and the album it came from (‘Love, Honor & Obey’) is always what I think of when I think of The Creamers. A great band and if you love old school punk rock with scalding female vocals, this one’s for you!

And if it was, well, that’s what the comment section is for!

Enjoy.

Dirk

Tindersticks

60 ALBUMS @ 60 : #30

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Tindersticks – Tindersticks (1995)

I mentioned yesterday that it was relatively easy to home in on a particular Prefab Sprout album for this most personal of charts. Today’s, on the other hand, was a real dilemma. So many options.

The debut album, also confusingly known as Tindersticks, that was released in 1993.

A live CD recorded at the Bloomsbury Theatre in London in 1995.

Two later live CDs from 2001, available only to begin with on the merchandise stalls at shows – one recorded during a four-day residency in Brussels and the other from a single show in Lisbon – were also thought about long and hard, as too was the studio album Curtains from 1997.

What I can say is that the golden era for Tindersticks was in the 90s and early 00s before they imploded and half of the original members left.

But it’s the 1995 studio album, often referred to as Tindersticks (II) to distinguish from the debut, which is coming in at #30 to start off the second half of the rundown.

I know this was issued on vinyl, with a free 7″ single thrown in for good measure, but I’ve always regarded it as a CD release. Sixteen tracks, on which you can hear cellos, trumpets, saxophones, French horns, trombones, violins, violas and cellos, in addition to the standard drums, bass, guitars and keyboards, spread out over 71 minutes, and almost always underpinned by the crooning of Stuart A. Staples.

mp3 : Tindersticks – Tiny Tears

I had to put the song in at this particular point of the today’s post or else I’d have spent a few hours listening to the album over and over, constantly changing my mind as to what my favourite part of it is. Tiny Tears must sit very close to the top of any list of the most compellingly beautiful songs about troubled and failing relationships.

One contemporary reviewer described the album as an awesome triumph of mood and atmosphere, and given that I’m very partial to both of these, it can be no surprise to find it so high up on this rundown.

But there’s still another 29 to go. And this is where it begins to get really tough in terms of ranking them.

JC

Prefab Sprout

60 ALBUMS @ 60 : #31

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Steve McQueen- Prefab Sprout (1985)

There were some singers or bands whose collective bodies of works were analysed in a forensic fashion before a particular album was put forward for consideration in this rundown. Prefab Sprout weren’t one of them.

I do have a fair bit of time for a number of their other LPs, but Steve McQueen really stands many heads and sets of shoulders above the others. It’s responsible for a piece of history in the ICA series in that Side A is identical to Side A of ICA #51, which I pulled together back in November 2015. With your permission, here’s a cut’n’paste of what I said back then.

“The early 80s was a great time to be a follower of new music in the north-east of England. Indeed with bands such as Hurrah, The Kane Gang, Prefab Sprout and Martin Stephenson & The Daintees all on the Newcastle-based Kitchenware Records, there was a scene that wasn’t that far removed from Glasgow and Postcard Records of just a few years previous.

It was Prefab Sprout who turned out to be the most commercially successful of the acts, thanks in the main to the songwriting and tunesmith talents of Paddy McAloon, but also to the marketing men who pushed hard until the elusive breakthrough hit emerged.

The band came to prominence in 1982 with a couple of singles that were hits on the indie-chart, as well as a 1984 LP Swoon (short for ‘Songs Written Out Of Necessity’) that was well received by the critics.

By now, although the records were still coming out on the Kitchenware label, Prefab Sprout had the might of CBS Records behind them, and the band was pushed into the studio with a big-name producer for an album that was intended to be released in 1985.

There were many who predicted a disaster. McAloon was a fairly shy, laid-back individual who was seemingly being put under immense pressure to deliver something that justified the large contract signed with the major label. There was also the fact that despite Prefab Sprout being a band known for melodic, acoustic-based songs, the producer was the electronic pioneer and chart-act Thomas Dolby, and no-one could imagine any chemistry between the two.

Against all the odds, a masterpiece emerged.

The first hint we all got was the release of a single – When Love Breaks Down – which kept all the majesty and magnificence of a McAloon tune but had some beautiful bits added courtesy of keyboards that were clearly the work of Dolby. Despite this, the radio stations didn’t really pick up on it, and the single failed to trouble the charts.

The album came out soon after. It had the strange title of Steve McQueen.

I thought at the time it was bloody marvellous. And I still do and I will argue long into the night and right through the next day after the sun has come up that Side 1 is perfect; the CBS record bosses obviously thought so too, choosing to release four of the six songs as singles.

Except for the opening and closing tracks, it is not an album to get up and dance to. Instead, it is one to wake up with on a Saturday or Sunday morning if you’ve had a memorable time the night before and take great joy in life itself.”

mp3: Prefab Sprout – Moving The River

Opening track of Side B of the album and not included on that old ICA. Paddy McAloon surely is, a truly gifted kid.

JC

James, Steve Mason, Yard Act

(BONUS POST) SOME THOUGHTS ON SOME RECENT LIVE GIGS

I recently went to three totally contrasting gigs in six nights, all of them brilliant in their own way that it’s impossible to say what was the best.

First up, Yard Act gave us one of those nights at the Barrowlands that makes you think that it could very well be the best venue on the planet, such is the way an enthusiastic audience gets committed and involved. This action photo of frontman James Smith has been pinched from elsewhere.

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Three days later, almost 36 musicians/singers were on the stage of the Armadillo, again in Glasgow, for an orchestral show by James marking 40 years of the band being together. Old hits done in new ways, obscure b-sides and deep cuts from the back catalogue, mostly delivered in a slow-mid tempo for a seated audience, was a different kind of magic. There was a pre-gig announcement asking audience members not to take photos or record anything via their phones, one that I was happy to comply with.

Finally, and this was last Wednesday night, I nipped down on the train to Manchester and then stayed overnight after seeing Steve Mason do his thing in front of maybe 450-500 people. His new album, ‘Brothers and Sisters’ is proving to be one of THE releases of 2023, and this time round there was very little chat other than to say thanks after each song, but he was in great voice and his touring band/backing singers didn’t miss a beat. Utterly professional beyond belief, and throwing in some Beta Band and King Biscuit Time songs just added to the occasion.

mp3: Yard Act – The Overload
mp3: Steve Mason – The People Say

Be Opened By The Wonderful is the title of the double album being released by James on 9 June. It’ll consist of 19 songs (vinyl) and 20 songs (CD) that have been reimagined and re-recorded with an orchestra and choir. Here’s one that’s been offered up as a preview.

Next up for me is a trip down to Leeds to see Spare Snare, while great seats have been purchased for John Cooper Clarke‘s visit to Glasgow this coming Sunday.

JC

Cocteau Twins

60 ALBUMS @ 60 : #32

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Head Over Heels – Cocteau Twins (1983)

Second successive part of this rundown day in which I’m going to cheat.

Decided to ask Chat GPT, “Why is Head Over Heels by the Cocteau Twins such a great album?” The reply was immediate….

As an AI language model, I do not have subjective opinions or personal preferences, but I can provide you with some objective information about the Cocteau Twins and their album “Head Over Heels”.

“Head Over Heels” is the second studio album by the Scottish rock band Cocteau Twins, released in 1983. It is often considered a breakthrough album for the band and one of their most influential works. Here are some reasons why:

Ethereal sound: The Cocteau Twins are known for their unique sound, characterized by Elizabeth Fraser‘s haunting vocals, Robin Guthrie‘s atmospheric guitar work, and Simon Raymonde‘s melodic basslines. “Head Over Heels” showcases this sound in its purest form, creating a dreamlike atmosphere that transports the listener to another world.
Experimental approach: The Cocteau Twins were not afraid to push boundaries and experiment with their sound. “Head Over Heels” features unconventional song structures, otherworldly lyrics, and a mix of electronic and acoustic instruments, creating a truly unique listening experience.
Influence on shoegaze and dream pop: The Cocteau Twins were one of the pioneers of the shoegaze and dream pop genres, and “Head Over Heels” is a prime example of their influence. The album’s ethereal sound and unconventional approach inspired countless artists in the years to come.
Critical acclaim: “Head Over Heels” received widespread critical acclaim upon its release and is still considered one of the Cocteau Twins’ best albums. It has been praised for its otherworldly atmosphere, experimental approach, and hauntingly beautiful sound.

In summary, “Head Over Heels” is a great album because of its ethereal sound, experimental approach, influence on shoegaze and dream pop, and critical acclaim.

That’s all fair enough, but it doesn’t really capture the real ‘wow’ factor upon its release in October 1983. The debut album, Garlands (July 1982) and the first EP, Lullabies (October 1982), had brought attention to a group who were a bit different but whom I was a little bit sceptical of, based on seeing them live in April that same year when they opened for The Fall at show in Glasgow. The second EP, Peppermint Pig (April 1983) was very much a step forward, but the quantum leap came with Head Over Heels, quickly followed up the following month with the Sunburst and Snowblind EP.

My first exposure to the album was via the flatmate who has been previously mentioned in this series. The sounds coming from his expensive stereo system were astonishing, almost unworldly at times. When I bought my own copy a few days later and played it on my cheap stereo, it sounded good, but not as majestic as it did on the equipment sitting in the bedroom through the wall. It was then that I vowed to save to get myself a bigger, better and more powerful set-up, which I achieved some nine months later, thanks to the generosity of my parents on the occasion of my 21st birthday….and I’ve always made sure, ever since, that my equipment, whether for vinyl and/or CDs, has been decent but affordable.

mp3: Cocteau Twins – Musette and Drums

Still my all-time favourite Cocteau Twins song, by the proverbial country mile.

JC

Pet Shop Boys

PET SHOP BOYS SINGLES (Part Sixteen)

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A little bit of background as it’s something I was very much unaware of. This is all from the ‘History’ section of the Pet Shop Boys official website.

On 6th February 6 2002, the Pet Shop Boys begin a brief tour of English colleges. “We’d never done it before so I thought it would be a laugh,” says Chris. “The original idea was based on Paul McCartney and Wings just upping off and playing universities during the lunch break and stuff. It just seemed like a nice way to play lots of songs off the new album. And also to get a band together.”

Neil plays guitar, Chris plays keyboards are there are two other guitarists and a percussionist onstage. “It was really good having a band – noisy,” says Chris. “It was quite interesting because the Pet Shop Boys have never presented themselves as being musicians before on stage, with the exception of when we played at the ICA in 1984,” says Neil. “We’ve always presented ourselves within a visual context on stage, which has been what we’ve become well-known for, and all of a sudden we thought it would be quite interesting to present ourselves as musicians.”

At one concert, in Middlesborough, they encore with a version of Eddie and the Hot Rods’ “Do Anything You Wanna Do”. The tour is completed by a one-off date in Cologne, Germany, on February 16.

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On 16th March, they record a live concert for BBC Radio 2 with their live band, playing a shortened version of their college tour set. Two days later, a new single is released.

mp3: Pet Shop Boys – Home And Dry

It is interesting that the BBC, and indeed Chris and Neil, now saw their natural home as being Radio 2 and not Radio 1, which is the station aimed at younger listeners with its playlists, certainly during the day, concentrating on the current chart hits.

This is not meant as an insult, but Home and Dry is a perfect Radio 2 song and PSB were very much an ideal Radio 2 group. The station is the most listened-to in the UK, and its DJs have the task of broadcasting a very wide range of content, including hits from bygone eras.

It’s a song that it is very hard to date as there are all sorts of 80s influences on it, but it has the crisp production standards of the 21st century. It got to #14 on the singles chart, which is a decent performance, given that a move to Radio 2 tends to come at a time when singers/groups are now seen as being more about their albums and live shows.

2 x CDs and a DVD version were put on sale. CD1 had the single plus two new tracks

CD1

mp3: Pet Shop Boys – Sexy Northerner
mp3: Pet Shop Boys – Always

The former is yet another superb b-side, full of humour and delivered with a knowing wink. Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty must surely have given this a listen and been proud that their influences were still very much to the fore.

The latter, while not as outstanding as Sexy Northerner, is one that would have raised hopes for the quality of the next studio album, given it was ‘deemed’ only good enough as an additional track on the lead single. It’s another wonderful Radio 2 record, with a hint just after the three-minute mark of the same synthetic trumpet blast that was found on West End Girls.

There was one ‘new’ track included on CD2.

CD2

mp3: Pet Shop Boys – Break 4 Love

Here’s an edit from wiki.

Break 4 Love is a song written, produced and recorded by Vaughan Mason, the principal member of American house music group Raze, the song’s original credited performer. The song, the group’s only significant US hit, featured vocals by Keith Thompson and Vaughan Mason, as well as sexual sound samples by Erique Dial. The single peaked at number 28 on the UK Singles Chart and topped the US Billboard Hot Dance Club Play chart in 1988. It is still considered a classic of the early house music genre.

In 2001, Break 4 Love was covered by Peter Rauhofer (an Austrian-American DJ/remixer who passed away in 2013) and Pet Shop Boys, released under the name “Peter Rauhofer + Pet Shop Boys = The Collaboration”. The single was not released in the United Kingdom but was a B-side to CD 2 of their single, “Home and Dry”.

It’s maybe a reminder to their long-term fans that, while they may have gone out on tour in the UK with some guitars to the fore, house/club/dance music was still very much in the DNA of the Pet Shop Boys.

A few weeks later, on 1 April, the eighth studio album hit the shops.

Release was a significant departure from the norm, and I now get why they went out on that type of tour at the start of 2002. It’s not a club or dance album, and was perhaps the duo’s way of staving off any sense of stagnation, or maybe their way of suggesting that they were intending to grow old with a touch of grace and style. Neil was approaching his 48th birthday, while Chris was almost 43 – no age at all in the grand scheme of things but it was now more than 20 years since they had started working together.

Release, and this is not meant as an insult, is a perfect Radio 2 album, helped by the fact that DJs could talk about the fact that Johnny Marr had added his guitar-playing skills to mlost of its songs. Sales, however, proved to be disappointing – the album did enter the charts at #7, but then disappeared from the Top 100 within four weeks. It took until July 2002 before a second single was taken from it.

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mp3: Pet Shop Boys – I Get Along (single edit)

This slow, piano-led single was as far removed from the ‘atypical’ Pet Shop Boys singles as can be imagined. The version released as a single shaved about the best part of two minutes off the album version, but still came in at over minutes long. Those who just wanted to dance must have listened and wondered ‘WTF’? I’m not a fan. It entered the charts at #18, but was back out of them again within two more weeks, the shortest stay thus far of any PSB 45.

Again, 2 x CDs and a DVD version were put on sale. CD1 had the single plus two new tracks, both recorded at the same time as the sessions for Release, but held back with the intention of being extra songs on any singles. CD2 had some live songs as the additional tracks.

CD1

mp3: Pet Shop Boys – Searching For The Face Of Jesus
mp3: Pet Shop Boys – Between Two Islands

Given what I’ve written above about the album, neither of these should come as a surprise.

The year would end with another first, one that would have been unimaginable when they were releasing banger after banger. The duo recorded a session for John Peel on 2 October that was broadcast on 10 October.

Peel references the fact that London was slated as the next single, but it never materialised.

JC

Twinsets

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #354: THE TWINSETS

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One of two songs from on the hard drive. This one’s a demo, as provided on Disc 3 of the Big Gold Dreams box set.

mp3: The Twinsets – Out Of Fashion (demo – recorded 1982)

Here’s the blurb.

Based around the vocal harmonies of sisters Gaye and Rachel Bell, Edinburgh’s The Twinsets gave a punky edge to cocktail bar swing-time covers. Also recorded during one of their John Peel sessions, this demo version of Johnny Green and lyricist Edward Heyman’s jazz standard had been Bing Crosby’s first hit in 1931 before numerous versions being recorded by the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Lena Horne and Frank Sinatra.

In August 2018, the Bell sisters reunited onstage for two songs as part of Since Yesterday, a concert at the Edinburgh International Festival to celebrate the lost female voices of Scottish pop.