In just over three weeks time, myself and Mrs Villain will make the trek south to Manchester where, at long last, I will get the opportunity to catch one of my all-time favourite bands on stage.I was a bit late to Magazine, but not by much. However, the one time I could have caught them live in Glasgow back in their heyday I decided to give it a miss. It was more or less down to a lack of cash to pay for a ticket.
The frightening thing is that I've just realised that Howard Devoto is now in his late 50s, as indeed are most members of the band. While I've no doubt that sound-wise it will all be fine, is it going to be an unedifying spectacle that will turn me against the band?
I really hope not, for the 1980 LP The Correct Use of Soap is one of the best things I have in my collection. In places, its as good a punk record as you'll ever hear, while in other places its as good a dance record as you'll ever shake your booty to. It also contains, in the shape of You Never Knew Me, a gut-wrenchingly brilliant bit of poetry inspired by a broken-heart that would surely have been a hit single if picked up by some sort of pretty-boy chart fodder. Not that any cover would ever have improved on Howard's way, backed of course by the most gorgeous backing vocal from Laura Teresa.
The opening track is a work of genius. The opening 10 seconds make you want to pogo, before the guitar solo of the late great John McGeogh makes you want to play air guitar...and pogo at the same time which really isnt all that easy a thing to do (but was a whole lot easier when I was 17 years of age than it is now I'm 45....). Look what fat's done to my body.....
mp3 : Magazine - Because You're Frightened
I know I say this now and again, but I really mean it when I say that no serious or even semi-serious music collection is complete without this LP. Buy it here.
mp3 : Magazine - You Never Knew Me
Happy Listening.
7 comments:
Couldn't agree more with your assessment of this album and the group in general. Picked up a copy of this for a buck a few years ago, vinyl that is.
Unfortunately in a fit of stupidity I sold all my old punk albums and singles 10 years ago in one lump sum to a record shop in St. Mark's Place in NYC that surely isn't there anymore...
In that way lost all my original Clash albums and 45s, plus a ton of great stuff that I've missed ever since. Got about 150 dollars total.
I blame it all on my girlfriend at the time, a real nightmare looking back, who convinced me they were taking up space, I was never gonna play 'em again, as I had no turntable at the time, etc.
But a few years ago I bought a combo CD player/turntable and have been trying to replicate as much of the old collection as possible. Just the other day picked up a remarkably clean copy of All Mod Cons by the Jam, plus the first Godfathers album, and some other old albums, 6 records for 5 bucks in a used record store in the neighborhood run by a friend. Looks like he's gonna have to close the shop due to lack of business.
Anyway, apologize for rambling here on this very snowy New York City morning. Just one laid-off man's opinions, disjointed as they are, but if we can't ramble here on the Internets, then where can we rumble.
Great site if I hadn't mentioned that.
Luckily I kept this one (and 'All Mod Cons') when I sold a lot of vinyl. Though my copy has a white cover which I can't remember where I got it from.
JC's post regarding Upside Down the other day reminded me of a mate talking about an alternative version of 'The Correct Use of Soap'.
And sure enough that ever reliable source wikipedia lists a Canadian version of the record as follows:
Side A
1. "Because You're Frightened" – 3:54
2. "The Light Pours Out Of Me" (Howard Devoto / John McGeoch / Pete Shelley) – 3:28
3. "You Never Knew Me" – 5:23
4. "Upside Down" – 3:48
5. "Sweetheart Contract" – 3:18
Side B
1. "A Song from Under the Floorboards" – 4:07
2. "Philadelphia" – 3:54
3. "I Want to Burn Again" – 5:16
4. "Stuck" – 4:04
5. "Thank You (Fallentinme Be Mice Elf Again)" (Sylvester Stewart) - 3:48
The version of 'The Light ...' is presumably the 1980 re-recording (B-side of Upside Down).
I've got a notion that the alternate LP was white with green writing which perhaps squares with londonlee's version.
Here's the Wiki link
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Correct_Use_of_Soap
Always liked Magazine since the first song I bought "Give me everything" and from then on I was hooked and got the lot, a let down was the "Magic, Murder and the Weather" album a right let down indeed.
paul
Wow, what were the Canadians thinking? The light pours out of mee is a great song, but it does not fit on this album. Model Worker was a fantastic song (I'm sick of working on the land, I want to work with machines and look handsome) and I can't imagine it out of place, out of context.
This is an album where music and lyrics were perfect. I never thought of You Never Knew me as the key poetic track, to me A Song from Under the Floorboards was THE track and the greatest poem I know.
I used to write it out as a carthatic exercise in my longcoat days !!
"I am angry, I am ill and I'm as ugly as sin.
My irritability keeps my alive and kicking.....
Hey Mr Villain, love your blog.. its a must read in this cubicle.
Always loved Magazine, Devoto, and the gang. If you ever get around to posting his solo efforts from Dream again, bless you.
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