PREPARING THE GROUND FOR FUTURE FRIDAYS (5)

Oh how the music snob in me hates posting this track......

Aztec Camera released 18 original singles (plus two re-issues) between 1981 and 1995, and many of them are up there among my personal favourites, especially the early Postcard records.

But the biggest hit of all was this annoyingly catchy song that reached #3 in April 1988:-

mp3 : Aztec Camera - Somewhere In My Heart
mp3 : Aztec Camera - Everybody Is A Number One (Boston 86 version)

OK, by 1988 Aztec Camera weren't really a band - more a name under which Roddy Frame recorded and toured. And as much as I had little time for the sound of the hugely over-produced Love LP, and the singles that it spawned, I was secretly pleased that Roddy was at last enjoying some long overdue commercial success and a wee bit of fortune. Oh and its not as if one producer was to blame for the sound of Love - there were a multitude of them. The hand on the buttons for this single and this version of the song that made it to the b-side was Michael Jonzun, best known in part for radio-friendly electro-funk stuff and for working with his brother Maurice Starr, who to intent and purposes, invented the boy-band phenomena of the 80s thanks to New Edition and New Kids On The Block (and there's two acts I bet you never thought would get name checked on TVV).

It was interesting that having tasted pop stardom, and all that it entailed in terms of promotion (daytime TV, kids shows, miming on Top of The Pops and similar shows across Europe), Roddy seemed to go out of his way to make a follow-up called Stray that was mostly downbeat and lovely, albeit it also had contained a massive hit with the ultra-catchy Good Morning Britain.
I mentioned the other week that in the days before collecting vinyl record became fashionable again that Mrs Villain had picked up a bundle of singles by Altered Images. Well, it was around the same time (late 06) that I got a job lot of mint-condition Aztec Camera singles for not much more than the postage. Happy days indeed.

JUST LOOK AT THE PICTURE....

Yesterday's posting wasn't just a coincidence.

Yup, TVV was born three years ago today. And I just want to say a big thank you to everyone who has helped out along the way, whether it was through initial encouragement, leaving behind comments (except the spammers) and of course everyone who has contributed guest postings. Oh and I must also give a huge thanks to those of you who have responded to requests for long-lost and wanted tracks, as well as the many unsolicited songs that have landed in my inbox, and the CDs and bits of vinyl that have come through my letterbox.

I'll even say a thank you to those who shoved up dmca notices, partly as it got me so angry that any thoughts I might have had about quitting soon dissipated, but mainly as it led to the wonderful and memorable Paul Haig day across so many continents.

But of course, the biggest thanks go to Mrs Villain...for if she hadn't pestered me and then bought the first USB turntable, then this would never have got off the ground.

I do genuinely think TVV wouldn't work without the contributions of so many others, whether via the comments section or direct emails. I can't think of three better songs than these to share with you today:-

mp3 : Orange Juice - Three Cheers For Our Side
mp3 : De La Soul - The Magic Number
mp3 : Beastie Boys - Triple Trouble (Graham Coxon remix)

And if you'll allow me a little bit of nostalgia. Here's the song that was the first posted on TVV:-

mp3 : James - Fireaway (extended version)

While here's the song that another blogger once posted for me at his place after I made a request and which was, if the truth be told, the defining moment that made me determined to start shoving up some long-lost stuff from my own collection:-

mp3 : The Go-Betweens - This Girl, Black Girl

Thanks Comrade.

Stat Attack........I've used one of the mp3 aggregate blog things (elbo) and it tells me that this is the 959th posting on TVV - not that I've been responsible for all of them. But if you count them on blogger there's only 939, which means 20 have been removed via dmca notices or some other sinister means....

Oh elbo also tells me that there have been 2,140 mp3s made available for your aural pleasure (but that's not 2,140 different songs). Still a fair bit to go mind you before I'm finished with you.....I've got over 20,000 tunes on the hard drive (and the back up!!).

Happy Listening.

TWO (OR MORE) OF THE SAME (vi)

I surprised myself by finding out that I last did this feature in February. I guess therefore that I better explain it for any new readers....

The idea is to feature different songs but with the same title. So far the series has featured:-

Part 1 - Careless by Bourgie Bourgie and Cinerma; Disappointed by Electonic, Morrissey and P.I.L.
Part 2 - These Days by Joy Division, Lloyd Cole & The Commotions and R.E.M.
Part 3 - Upside Down by James, The Jesus & Mary Chain and Magazine
Part 4 - Joe by Inspiral Carpets and PJ Harvey
Part 5 - Gone by Sons & Daughters, The Sundays and The Wedding Present

Today, its the turn of these three:-

mp3 : Forward Russia! - Three
mp3 : The Wedding Present - Three
mp3 : Massive Attack- Three

Forward Russia! are a band from Leeds who released a bunch of singles and and a couple of albums.

The Wedding Present are a band originally from Leeds who have released more singles and albums than it is healthy to count.

Massive Attack are a band from Bristol who have released fifteen singles and four original LPs.

Do I really need to say any more?

THE CLASS OF '79 (Part 32)

It was only over a four year period that Magazine recorded and released original material - its still unclear if the reincarnated band of 2009 will be content to entertain us through fantastic live shows or whether they will ever go back into the studio.

There were just nine singles ever issued and 1979 saw the least activity on this front, with only the solitary release on the 2nd of March. And like most of their 45s, it didn't get anywhere near the charts:-

mp3 : Magazine - Rhythm Of Cruelty
mp3 : Magazine - TV Baby

Four weeks later, the band released the LP Secondhand Daylight, and to the surprise and delight of most fans, it was a different mix of the song that was included:-

mp3 : Magazine - Rhythm of Cruelty

Magazine worked really hard throughout 1979. In late February/early March, they played 12 university/college gigs in the run-up to the release of the LP. In April and May, they toured extensively in the UK and Europe, with a total of 33 gigs (the UK leg of which is noteworthy for the fact that they were supported by Simple Minds), and in July they crossed the Atlantic for another 33 gigs over a six-week period.

And all the while, the record label wouldn't lift a second single from the LP, albeit probably the most memorable tune was the unplayable Permafrost thanks to the persistent use of the word 'fuck' in the lyrics. But then again, Howard had shown he was capable of recording a 'clean' version of the song as evidenced by this Peel Session version:-

mp3 : Magazine - Permafrost (Peel Session)

So why wasn't a re-recorded version put together and issued as a 7". One of life's great mysteries that is....

SWEDE SOUL MUSIC

One of my favourite bands that I dont feature too often round here are The Wannadies, a fabulous pop outfit who hailed from Skelleftea, a small town in northern Sweden.

Formed in 1988, they sadly announced their break-up earlier this year (some six years after they last released any material), but looking on the bright side, we have been left behind a small but damn near perfect back catalogue of seven studio albums. But where the band particularly excelled was the choice of singles/EPs, with all 20 of them being masterpieces.

Not too many of them cracked the charts, but hey, that's the loss of the great British record-buying public.

One of the few that sold well was this:-

mp3 : The Wannadies - You & Me Song

This was first released in Sweden in 1994, and in the UK the following year. But it wasn't until two years later, after it had been included on the soundtrack to Baz Luhrmann's remake of Romeo & Juliet, that a re-released version hit the Top 20. And its that version of the single I've dusted down today, with the CD also having these three tracks:-

mp3 : The Wannadies - Everybody Loves Me
mp3 : The Wannadies - I Like You A LaLaLaLa Lot
mp3 : The Wannadies - You & Me Song (Lounge Version)

One of my favorite bloggers, Adam, named his place after a line in a single by The Wannadies.

Happy Listening.

FRIDAY, I'M IN LOVE....WITH MORRISSEY (Part 35)

When he played his live gig at Glasgow earlier this year, Morrissey expressed surprise that his latest single from Years of Refusal had been such a monumental flop.

Peaking at #46, this is the lowest chart placing for any of the 37 solo singles other than Hold On To Your Friends, but given the general decline in sales of singles over the past 15 years, it's reasonable to assume that Something Is Squeezing My Skull is the poorest selling Morrissey product of all time.

On its own it's a song that doesn't deserve such a poor testimonial for it is a reasonable romp of a tune with an amusing enough lyric -and I do find it hard to accept that fans were more driven to purchase the drivel that was Roy's Keen - but then again given the heinous crimes committed on the b-sides of the 2 x CDs and the 7" bit of plastic, then SISMS really got all that was coming to it:-

mp3 : Morrissey - Something Is Squeezing My Skull
mp3 : Morrissey - This Charming Man (live)
mp3 : Morrissey - Best Friend On The Payroll (live)
mp3 : Morrissey - I Keep Mine Hidden (live)

I know I've harped on about it before in previous parts of this series, but over the years, his various bands have consistently failed to do justice to originals by The Smiths, and I'm guessing that now the whole approach is now to just to bludgeon them to death. Truly awful.

But to be fair they've added a bit of spunk to an otherwise ordinary track from the very ordinary Southpaw Grammar LP.

The one saving grace about the single is the artwork. The cover photos are of the great man beside the grave of Johnny Ramone, while the inner sleeves feature two rather nice paintings, one of The Bowery at Night (1895) by William Sontag that is normally on display at the Museum of the City of New York, while the other is of Camden Town Engine Room (1838) by John Cooke Bourne that is normally on display at the National Railway Museum in York, England.

Will this be the last ever single he releases???? Who knows......and I'm guessing that growing numbers of people will be saying 'who cares?'.

Happy Listening.

WAR, WHAT IS GOOD FOR?

Absolutely Nothing.

mp3 : The Skids - And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
mp3 : The Pogues - And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda

I can forgive Richard Jobson for all his pretentions simply for the fact that his inclusion of this song on Joy, the final LP by The Skids in 1981 was the first time I ever heard it. And made me realise that folk music was nothing to be afraid of.

And the delivery of Shane McGowan over the gorgeous playing of his band, perfectly produced by Elvis Costello, brings a lump to my throat every single time.

I really dont want to say anything else today.

IT DON'T MEAN A THING IF YOU AIN'T GOT THAT SWING

Although they've released something like 20+ singles/EPs, Tindersticks have never been a band to try and go chasing mainstream success or look for an appearance on Top Of the Pops in the days that the show was a mainstay of the UK telly listings.

One thing I particularly liked was the fact that they used the release of each single to provide fans with new songs (very often cover versions), live tracks (they were famous for different arrangements of songs on every tour) and the occasional remix. As such, the singles were usually been worth shelling out a few quid for.

In 1997, they released two singles from the LP Curtains, the second of which was Rented Rooms. But the surprise they unleashed on everyone was the big band version on CD1:-

mp3 : Tindersticks - Rented Rooms
mp3 : Tindersticks - Rented Rooms (swing version)
mp3 : Tindersticks - Make Believe

CD2 was also worth getting a hold of thanks to the live recordings of three tracks (Cherry Blossoms, She's Gone and Rumba) from a week's residency at the ICA. London in November 1996.

Don't ever say you don't get variety in these here pages.

A LOOK BACK AT OLD RADIOHEAD (1)

I first saw Radiohead in a tiny venue in Edinburgh opening for a then emerging band from Cork called The Frank & Walters. I remember thinking that they were a decent enough support act, but there was no way I could ever have predicted they would ever have become such rock gods in the later years.

Until a few weeks ago, I only owned Radiohead albums. It's not that I didn't like any of their singles, it was just that I wasn't driven to spend money on them. But I recently picked up a job lot on ebay, and I'm still amazed at the bargain it turned out to be as so few folk went into the auction.

My Iron Lung EP CD1
My Iron Lung EP CD2
Just CD1
Just CD2
Fake Plastic Trees CD1
Fake Plastic Trees CD2 (limited edition pack, including poster)
Fake Plastic Trees CD2
High and Dry & Planet Telex CD1
High and Dry & Planet Telex CD2
Street Spirit (Fade Out) CD1 (includes limited edition poster)
Street Spirit (Fade Out) CD2
Paranoid Android CD1
Paranoid Android CD2
Karma Police CD1
Karma Police CD2
No Surprises CD1
No Surprises CD2
Pyramid Song CD1
Pyramid Song CD2
Knives Out CD1
Knives Out CD2
There There
2+2=5 CD1
2+2=5 CD2
2+2=5 DVD single
Go To Sleep CD1
Go To Sleep CD2
Itch EP - Japanese Import CD
Com Lag - Japanese Import CD
Paranoid Android - 1 track promo CD
There There - 1 track promo CD

Including postage, I ended paying under £25 for all of the above. It more than makes up for some of the times I have ended up paying over the odds for some stuff.

But while I wont be delving into the whole collection, I will occasionally pull out one of the singles and treat you to some rarely-heard b-sides, and I'm beginning with CD1 of No Surprises:-

mp3 : Radiohead - No Surprises
mp3 : Radiohead - Palo Alto
mp3 : Radiohead - How I Made My Millions

A wonderful song in which a nursery-rhyme sort of tune disguises a really bleak and depressing lyric. And accompanied by one of the most original, stunning and memorable promo videos ever filmed, No Surprises reached #4 in the UK charts in early 1998.

The two b-sides give a great demonstration of Radiohead at their best or worst depending on your point of view, with Palo Alto leaning heavily on the guitar playing talents of Jonny Greenwood and How I Made My Millions being a piano driven ballad of despair that could really just be a Thom Yorke solo effort.

Happy Listening

BEFORE HE WAS FAMOUS

Take a close look at the sleeve, and in particular the bloke in the foreground. Vaguely familiar?

Yup, you're right......it is top comedian Ricky Gervais.

Back in 1982, during his last year at University, Ricky, together with his mate Bill Macrae formed a synth-pop duo called Seona Dancing and set out to take the world by storm. Signed to London Records, the duo got no further than a couple of flop singles in 1983, neither of which troubled the charts. But they must have got played on the radio, as I wouldn't have bought their debut effort without having heard it beforehand:-

mp3 : Seona Dancing - More To Lose (extended version)
mp3 : Seona Dancing - You're On My Side

I've done a bit of research and discovered that More To Lose was classified as reaching #113 in the charts (I didnt know the numbers stretched that far), while follow-up Bitter Heart did marginally better, reaching #70.

I know that I've posted this song before, but it was a long time ago. And besides, while watching an episode of Flight Of The Conchords last week when the boys changed their image thanks to hair-gel, I immediately thought of Ricky's first efforts at stardom as can be seen from the promo to Bitter Heart:-



Happy Listening. And Viewing

THE CLASS OF '79 (Part 31)

I reckon that just about everyone who is from my generation will be very familiar with the song Pop Muzik, which was an absolutely massive hit in both the UK and US in the summer of 1979.
But I wonder how many remember the follow-up, which totally flopped in the States and only reached a very moderate #33 in the UK:-

mp3 : M - Moonlight and Muzak (12 inch version)

It's another early version of synthpop, and if you have a listen to the first 45 seconds of intro it is very reminiscent of the sort of tunes that The Human League would enjoy huge success with a few years later. And with the vocal delivery from Robin Scott not being far removed from many of guitar-led new wave songs that were so prevalent in 1979, a case can be made for Moonlight and Muzak being the purest pop song of the year, far more than the big hit of a few months earlier.

Albeit, I'm willing to admit that the 12" version, of which a copy sits in the cupboard after all these years, has perhaps been stretched out by two minutes longer than necessary.

Happy Listening

IS THIS IT?

June 2001. The NME is moist with excitement as the band they have hyped beyond belief are finally releasing their debut single.

To be fair, for once the hype seemed justified as both tracks on the CD turn out to be pretty decent:-

mp3 : The Strokes - Hard To Explain
mp3 : The Strokes - New York City Cops

The Strokes had first come to notice via a demo EP in January 2001 which sparked off a bidding war among all sorts of record labels. And in a move akin to that by The Smiths two decades previously, they chose to sign to UK uber-indie Rough Trade.

Looking back, what is most surprising is the fact that the single only reached #16 in the UK charts, and I suppose this shows how insignificant the specialist music papers have become in making a success of a new act. For real fame and fortune, you've got to get yourselves in the red-top tabloids and the weekly chat-trash mags....

I was lucky enough to catch an early-ish show by The Strokes in late 2001 at Glasgow Barrowlands and was delighted to see and hear that they looked and sounded good under the harsh lights and in front of an expectant crowd. I know that many folk out there are suspicious of the band, thinking they're a bit too contrived and calculating to be 'for real', but I'm happy enough to admit that I'm a fan of most of their stuff, and am looking forward to hearing the fourth album whenever it sees the light of day.

Happy Listening.

FRIDAY, I'M IN LOVE....WITH MORRISSEY (Part 34)

And so we enter the final few entries in the Morrissey series with a look at what I reckon is an underrated single from December 1992.

mp3 : Morrissey - Certain People I Know

In addition to the sleeve of the CD single, I've sourced a copy of the promo single with its tribute to the T Rex 45s of the early 70s....indeed Mrs Villain still has a number of these kicking around from her teenage years....and its entirely apt given that the tune is near enough a rip-off Ride A White Swan, a record which peaked at #2 in late 1970.

I suppose its the fact that I'm quite fond of the T Rex singles myself that makes this one of the most enjoyable Morrissey offerings. And while I never bought any T Rex singles as they mostly predated my passion for pop music,I can recall them being played again and again and again on the Radio 1 Breakfast Show (which was always on as I got ready for school) and of course remember seeing Marc Bolan et al perform the hits on Top Of The Pops.

Certain People I Know was the third single to be lifted from the LP Your Arsenal, but it was a full five months after You're The One For Me Fatty. It was a strange time to issue a single in the midst of all the novelty records that traditionally appear at that time of year, and it was hardly a surprise when it only reached #35, which at the time was the poorest ever performance by a solo single (and it was the 14th in the career).

But there's one other things to factor in....namely that it was the first Morrissey release since the infamous August 1992 gig known as Madstock when the donning of a Union Jack at his first UK gig in 18 months led to a near riot and the subsequent pillorying of the great man in the NME as an alleged racist.

The fact that the crowd trouble was subsequently found to have little to do with the parading and discarding of the flag was glossed over. The fact that some of the song titles and sentiments were questionable were enough to have the verdict delivered as guilty.

It was a difficult time to be a Morrissey fan, and there's no doubt it had an effect on the sales of the single. The real irony of course came two years later when having pilloried Morrissey for use of the Union Jack when it was an emblem associated with the far-right extremist parties, the NME couldn't wait to picture Noel Gallagher with his Union Jack guitar or talk about Geri Halliwell and her Union Jack dress all the while claiming they were triunphs for British music.

Of the two b-sides on the single, one has become a bit of live staple over the years, although the version of Jack The Ripper banged out on stage by his band is often unrecognisable from the original release, while You've Had Her is a worthy enough song thanks to a wonderfully short but bittersweet lyric that is so dismissive of the blokes who ditch the girl as soon as they've had their wicked way....

mp3 : Morrissey - You've Had Her
mp3 : Morrissey - Jack The Ripper

The cover shot was taken by one of his oldest friends, Linder Sterling. There's an unsubstantiated rumour that the sleeve was changed at the last minute, with the word Morrissey written in black ink rather than being spelled out in red, white and blue.

** Update on Saturday 26th Sep. This post was given a dmca notice. Dont know why. So I've removed the mp3 link to the song that was the single.....

PREPARING THE GROUND FOR FUTURE FRIDAYS (4)

And the final couple of things to note about the singles that will be featured in the forthcoming Friday series is that they didn't have to have been released on a 7" bit of plastic.....and they can have been featured on TVV before. Maybe even more than once....

Late 1992 saw the release of The Phantoms And The Archetpes, the stunning debut LP from Paul Quinn & The Independent Group. The best vocalist Scotland has ever produced backed by some of its finest musicians including James Kirk (ex Orange Juice), Blair Cowan (ex Lloyd Cole & The Commotions), Campbell Owens (ex Aztec Camera) and Robert Hodgens (ex Bluebells).

But much better was still to come, and in particular this CD single from July 1993 that features two original compositions and a gorgeous rendition of a Carpenters song:-

mp3 : Paul Quinn & The Independent Group - Stupid Thing
mp3 : Paul Quinn & The Independent Group - A Passing Thought
mp3 : Paul Quinn & The Independent Group - Superstar

As I've mentioned before on this blog, Sonic Youth released a version of Superstar about a year or so after this single had come out and it was lauded as a work of genius and quality. And while I'm not saying that Sonic Youth didn't do a great job, its not a patch on the quality of that from the mighty Quinn.

In 1994 the band would return to the two original songs on the flop single and record different versions of them for the majestic LP Will I Ever Be Inside Of You?, an album that I really wish you could all own a copy of (try ebay, it comes up every now and again).

Please remember that if you click on the link on the right hand side over on the right hand side of this blog you will be magically transported to a site which has everything you could ever want to know about the life and career of Paul Quinn.

And now that I've given a flavour of what is going to be happening every Friday in a few weeks time, I'm letting you all know that I'm willing to take requests. As they say on the radio, I cant guarantee that your wish will be granted (I might not have the record....or it might be so awful that I couldn't play it....e.g Wet Wet Wet), but I do promise that to read all of your emails and comments.

Happy Listening.

PREPARING THE GROUND FOR FUTURE FRIDAYS (3)

And don't go thinking that the great Scottish singles soon to appear here every Friday will have all been flops or by bands/singers you might not have heard of. There will be loads of big hits such as this #7 smash from 1983:-

mp3 : Altered Images - Don't Talk To Me About Love
mp3 : Altered Images - Last Goodbye

Not long after I started TVV (which is almost exactly three years ago) it was still possible to rummage around ebay and pick up bargains in vinyl records as the USB alternative was still in its infancy and many folk probably reckoned they would never play their bits of plastic again. And so Santa Claus brought me the entire 7" collection of singles by Altered Images. All ten of them, in picture sleeves, with a couple of limited edition picture discs thrown as well. I'm sure Mrs V paid about £12 plus postage for them.

But I've always owned this particular picture disc. It escaped being part of the tragic loss of all my 7" singles for the simple reason that it was pinned up on my wall and therefore separate from all the boxes that were carelessly left behind in a moonlit flit. Clare is just soooooo gorgeous in the photo used on the disc.....almost as gorgeous as she is on this TOTP appearance:-



Don't Talk To Me About Love was the band's seventh single, and their third and final Top 10 hit. The commercial flop of the album Bite, along with Clare wanting more and more to concentrate on her acting career, saw the end of Altered Images within nine months of this TV appearance.

Oh and dont get me started on the fickle taste of the general public. Bite is one of the most gorgeous pop albums ever recorded - very akin to the sort of stuff that would initially make a star out of Paddy McAloon and Prefab Sprout - and far superior to the bigger selling Happy Birthday and Pinky Blue LPs.

Such is my love for all of the band's singles that many of them will likely to feature on the upcoming series.

Happy Listening. And Happy Ogling.

PREPARING THE GROUND FOR FUTURE FRIDAYS (2)

I don't want anyone to think that the upcoming series will feature only those singles from years ago recorded by bands that have long passsed into posterity. If it's good enough, it will find a way in here....

Kid Canaveral formed in the golfing mecca of St Andrews in 2004, and like many other bands began to get noticed through live gigs and the recording and releasing of self-financed singles in small quantities to a loyal fanbase. It was only after graduating in 2005 and 2006 that the band members began to gave a serious think about making a go of things in the big bad world of pop music.

The proper debut single was released on 5th March 2007 on the Straight to Video label, and it's quite splendid:-

mp3 : Kid Canaveral - Smash Hits
mp3 : Kid Canaveral - So Close To Beautiful

Since then, we've been treated to a further three great 45s, all released in 2008 (and all sitting nicely in the cupboard along with lots of other bits of plastic old enough to be their grandparents), while new EP Left and Right will be launched at the beginning of next month.

I do wholeheartedly recommend that you find out more about Kid Canaveral by taking a hop over to their myspace site here, or indeed their official website here.

Happy Listening.

PREPARING THE GROUND FOR FUTURE FRIDAYS (1)

In a matter of weeks, the long-running Morrissey feature on Fridays will come to an end as I'll have looked at all the singles he has released during his solo career. I've given a lot of thought to what should replace such a popular series, and having considered and subsequently discarded a number of themes, I'm delighted to reveal that when Mozza shuffles off (although there will be future cameos courtesy of album tracks and appearances with The Smiths), the postings will now be headed, Friday I'm In Love....With Great Scottish Singles.

And for the next four days, I'm going to give a taster of what you can expect to find. Starting with this absolute belter from 1981:-

mp3 : Fire Engines - Candy Skin
mp3 : Fire Engines - Meat Whiplash

Fire Engines were an Edinburgh band consisting of Davey Henderson (vocals and guitar), Murray Slade (guitar), Graham Main (bass) and Russell Burn (drums). They never really set out to conquer the charts....even in a post-punk situation it would be nigh-on impossible for daytime radio to give any time to Davy's distinctive vocal delivery and the screechy guitars that were tunefully out-of-tune.

By the time this single was recorded and released on the Pop Aural label in May 1981, the band had already released a self-financed single and mini-LP, the band were already on the road to breaking-up, which indeed they did after the follow-up single Big Gold Dream was released in November 1981.

Davey Henderson has never really gone away - enjoying moderate success commercially with Win and Nectarine No.9, while his most recent band was The Sexual Objects who released a couple of singles in 2008. Russell Burn was with him in Win and Nectarine No.9....

This wasn't a single that I bought on its release...indeed it was only after the band had broken up and I was going along to student discos that I even learned of the existence of Fire Engines. But luckily enough, I picked up Fond, a CD issued in 1992 that brought together everything they ever released.

The bit where the strings kick in about 20 seconds into Candyskin is one of the most perfect moments in pop history.

Happy Listening.

THE CLASS OF '79 (Part 30)

I heard this in a record shop in the Summer of 1980. It was in a box of 'Just In' singles and I remember thinking that I was dead clever at picking up so quickly on something so utterly quirky, mesmerising and unique. It was a single I bought with money for my 17th birthday.

My bubble got burst about three days later when my mate's big brother, who was very much into weird electronica music and hated, with a passion, the new-wave guitar bands that I was such a fan of, took immense pleasure in pointing out that I'd bought a re-released single and that if I really thought I was cool in my choice of music and wanted to stay ahead of the game, I had to be a bit sharper.

And while I wasn't among the first to pick up on The Human League, I'm still proud that I knew a bit about them before the the astonishing success they enjoyed from late 1981 onward when they unleashed the magnificent pop opus that was Dare.

Empire State Human is a magnificent record. I cannot to this day understand why it failed to chart on its original release in September 1979. It wasn't as if radio stations were totally adverse to electronic pop as Gary Numan was riding high in the charts throughout that year (and yes, he's likely to appear in this series before January 2010 come around and I move onto something new). It's one of those songs that sticks with you when you play it and you just cant get it out of your head. And its not an unpleasant feeling. It's also a bit of a prototype for Doctorin The Tradis, a #1 single for The JAMMS a few years later

mp3 : The Human League - Empire State Human

Go on, give it a listen. You'll love it.

MORE RANDOM STUFF FROM THE CUPBOARD

Readers of old will be bored by now of my true story of how I ended up losing a valuable collection of 7" vinyl the best part of 25 years ago, so I'm not going to repeat it again.

But one of the great joys of having a record deck once again and the ability to take the songs and put them straight onto the hard drive of the PC is that I spend loads of time browsing around dusty second-hand stores picking up copies of some of the things I was so bloody careless with all those years ago.

Now the thing is, I've had both the tracks on this particular single on CD for ages now, but when you see a copy in excellent condition, with a sleeve that's hardly creased sitting in a wooden box with a price sticker saying £1, you know I've just got to take it home and put it inside the cupboard with lots of other bits of plastic and paper:-

mp3 : Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Radio Radio
mp3 : Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Tiny Steps

Released in October 1978, it was not, as I originally thought, the third single to be lifted from the LP This Year's Model, but a stand alone single which reached a very respectable #29 in the UK charts. (thanks to London Lee from the ever excellent Crying All The Way To The Chip Shop for keeping me right)

It's long been one of my favourite Elvis tunes, an acidic an attack on the fact that mainstream radio stations were not entirely being fair in the coverage they were giving new wave acts. It's also killer b-side.....

Looking back, it was the middle of an astonishing run of Elvis singles between late 77 and mid 79 - Watching The Detectives, (I Don't Want To Go To) Chelsea, Pump It Up, Radio Radio, Oliver's Army and Accidents Will Happen. I used to have every one of them in 7" bite-sizes....

Happy Listening.

FRIDAY, I'M IN LOVE....WITH MORRISSEY (Part 33)

I'd be amazed if this, the fourth Morrissey solo single, from back in November 1989 was ever put at the top of any fan's list as being the best song he's ever released. In fact, I wouldn't be slow in calling anyone who said such a thing a big fibber.

It was not at all well received on release....in fact I didn't buy it right away so confident I was that it wouldn't be too long before I'd pick it up for pennies in a bargain bin. And that's exactly what happened. I think I paid 50p for it in the Cockburn Street branch of Fopp in Edinburgh...if indeed it was as much as that. There were loads of them in the bargain bin. Now, I see it's going for £12.99 at an internet site and is labelled as 'a collectors item'.

mp3 : Morrissey - Ouija Board, Ouija Board
mp3 : Morrissey - Yes, I Am Blind
mp3 : Morrissey - East West

It's a single rescued by the b-sides, and while Yes, I Am Blind is very much Morrissey-by- numbers, it's the sort of slow-tempo song he's done very well throughout his career.

The other track is a cover of a song written by Graham Gouldman (ex 10cc) and was originally the closing track on There's A Kind Of Hush All Over The World, the 1967 LP by Herman's Hermits. I remember playing the Morrissey version for the first time, and not realising it was a cover, and thinking that it wasn't that far removed from some of the later-day songs by The Smiths. A rare example of a half-decent cover by the great man. Although I've since found the original and there's no argument that it's a tremendous pop song which can't really be ruined if you stick to a faithful interpretation:-



Happy Listening and Viewing

TESTING TESTING.....

I believe this is one of the artistes that attract dmca notices.

Not released as a single in the USA, Girls & Boys hit #11 in the UK back in the autumn of 1986. It was the fourth hit single taken from the LP Parade, but I reckon the best thing about this 12" single is this particular version of Erotic City, seven plus minutes of filthy funk.

I feel however that I must warn readers, who may be easily offended, that the song features some swear words. Or maybe he is really saying funk.......

mp3 : Prince & The Revolution - Girls & Boys
mp3 : Prince & The Revolution - Under The Cherry Moon
mp3 : Prince & The Revolution - Erotic City (Make Love Not War Erotic City Come Alive)

Bring it on.

PERFECT SYMMETRY

Sorry if you tuned in a few hours ago and thought today's posting was missing. But I had to make sure that today it appeared at 09:09 hours on 09/09/09.

mp3 : iLiKETRAINS - Spencer Percival
mp3 : Propaganda - Dream Within A Dream
mp3 : Wah! - The Story Of The Blues (Parts 1 & 2)

All three songs last nine minutes and nine seconds.

I'll put my anorak away now.

SOMETHING I NEVER DO....

....is give an instant thumbs-up to a debut record by a new act.

But this album, which I bought just three hours ago, is so fucking astonishingly brilliant that I'm making an exception.

I can't do better than give you this extract from the sleevenotes, written by poet, actor and raconteur Tam Dean Burn:-

soars and swoops like none has done since that other wee man
the one with the whippets

Here's what their press release says....and for once there's no hype:-

The much anticipated first fruits of the collaboration between Malcolm Ross, the elder statesman of Postcard pop (Josef K/Orange Juice/Aztec Camera) and The Low Miffs, Glasgow’s young pretenders to the Post-Punk/Pure Pop throne.

Bristling with the kind of effervescent guitar-play you’d expect from a Postcard veteran, The Man Who Took on Love, the album-preceding download single, flits effortlessly from its Television-esque intro and explodes into the self-same virtuoso territory once occupied by both Sparks and The Associates, with an appreciative vocal nod in the direction of both Bowie and Scott Walker.

Ambitious? Yes, but in possessing an almost indecent array of collective musical dexterity, they carry it off with great aplomb! This is only one facet of The Low Miffs and Malcolm Ross, but gives some indication of what to expect from the stylistic diversity flaunted on the forthcoming, one-off, album.

The Man Who took on Love (and Won) is available as a digital download only, and is followed by the album Malcolm Ross and The Low Miffs on download/CD on September 7th.

Tracklisting 1. Cressida 2. Kind of Keen 3. Back of Midnight 4. Dear Josephine 5. Scarface 6. The Man Who Took On Love (And Won) 7. Mankind 8. As Good As It Gets

You've got to go out and buy this. I cant justify making an mp3 available, but watch this:-





I'm simply thrilled honeys.

WHY DID I START THIS THING (Part 4)

At the end of last month, in the run-up to mentioning Mrs Villain's birthday, I posted some tracks that I wouldn't have otherwise originally got my hands on if it hadn't been for the work of quality bloggers the world over.

I promised I would return to that theme...and so courtesy of Larissa (aka Anglopunk), FiL, Simon, tart, Bitter Andrew and Colin (again), I invite you all to enjoy:-

mp3 : Luke Haines - Going Off My Rocker At The Art School Bop
mp3 : Memphis - In The Cinema Alone
mp3 : The Questions - Price You Pay
mp3 : Friends Who Kiss - Eaten By Monsters
mp3 : The Valves - Ain't No Surf In Portobello
mp3 : The Man From Delmonte - My Love Is Like A Gift You Can't Return

Oh and the Memphis that FiL is responsible for is a different lot from that which James Kirk and Stephen Daly formed for this 1985 single:-

mp3 : Memphis - You Supply The Roses

More thanks will be given to other people in the fullness of time.

THE LIFE OF BRIAN

It was Friend of Rachel Worth at his blog Cathedral of Sound the other week who led me to dig out a long-forgotten mini-LP from 1992

It's best that the story of this artist and his records be told in his own words (?), taken from a myspace site:-

Dublin musician Ken Sweeney recorded two albums, three singles and an EP under the band name Brian between 1989 and 1999.

It all started when a good friend came across a demo of Ken's song A Million Miles and persuaded him it should be recorded as a single. Taking the example of The Smiths, the blandest name imaginable, Ken joined forces with pal Niall Austin to release the single under the band name Brian.

Moving to London in 1989 just before the record came out, Ken was amazed to hear his non-existent band's single had been voted number 4 single of the year in Hotpress Magazine's Critics End Of Year Polls 1989. A second single followed You Don't Want A Boyfriend (1991) which again did well in Hotpress Polls and led to a deal with London Irish label Setanta Records.

Locations around his home in Ealing, West London like The Western Avenue motorway and Hoover Factory inspired more songs from Ken with these demos released by Setanta Records in 1992 under the title Understand. By which time Niall Austin had left London and exited the band.

UK reviews and press coverage followed. But Ken lost confidence when follow up EP The Planes, his favourite Brian record, died a death. Very miserable in London, he eventually left in 1995 and returned to Ireland where he rediscovered his muse.

Renewing his association with Setanta Records, after about 50 years of studio, producer and publishing disagreements he released his second album Bring Trouble in 1999 with BBC Radio One Single Of The Week, Turn Your Lights On, which became a hit on Irish radio and was nominated Irish Single Of The Year in 1999's Irish Music Awards alongside acts like U2.

But it wasn't to be, as generally people preferred Ken's music to be sad and he decided against further recordings.

Said Ken "When I used to shop for records down at The Tape & Record Exchange in Notting Hill Gate London, it always struck me there are too many bloody albums out there. Don't add to it unless you've got something you really believe in. I've been lucky to have a few songs like that go through my hands but not for a long time and I suppose even with some of my favourite artists, you realise they've reached a stage where they're past making their best work. In my case that happened pretty quick."

I didn't realise that Understand was a collection of demos for they are quite lovely tunes that evoke memories of some of the slow stuff by The Smiths, mixed with the love-struck lyrics often associated with Paddy McAloon. Oh and a few years later when I heard Ballboy, it reminded me a lot of Brian.

And as much as I'm tempted to shove the whole LP up here for your pleasure, I'll make do with the two opening singles and the title track:-

mp3 : Brian - A Million Miles
mp3 : Brian - You Don't Want A Boyfriend
mp3 : Brian - Understand

It was Jacques the Kipper who first brought Brian to my attention all those years ago.....but are there any other fans out there?

THE CLASS OF '79 (Part 29)

One of my favourite songs back in 1979:-

mp3 : The Members - The Sound Of The Suburbs

At the time, I thought it was a great punk record and I used to play it really loud just to annoy the hell out of my old man. Looking back on it now, it was really nothing more than glorified pub-rock with a cracking shout-a-long chorus. Not all that far removed from the sort of stuff that brought fame and fortune to Sham 69.

But quite clearly, us kids love it cos it spoke to us all about how miserable and bring life was and collectively we dragged into into the pop charts where it reached #12 in the spring of 1979.

The follow-up single was one that I bought without ever hearing...and that's the cover pictured above. At the time I hated it......I had no idea what the hell it was about, and to be honest I didn't really care. Oh and the tune also annoyed me as it reminded me of Dreadlock Holiday by 10cc more than anything else. History shows that it was all just ahead of its time.....and by maybe around 1985, I realised that it was a genuine classic:-

mp3 : The Members - Offshore Banking Business

Trivia facts. The drummer in the band got his brother to produce some of the earliest material recorded by The Members. The drummer was Adrian Lillywhite...his brother's name was Steve....and he went on to become one of the best-known and biggest-earning producers in the 80s and 90s. Oh and he also married Kirsty MacColl.

Offshore Banking Business was a top 40 hit, and many of the lyrics were courtesy of JC Carroll who had been a trainee merchant banker before joining the band. The band never enjoyed any further chart success with any of their five subsequent singles.

IF YOU BELIEVE THAT ALL YOUR DREAMS WILL COME TRUE....

.....then sleep is all you'll ever do.

I wrote about Marion a little over a year ago when I was reminiscing about lost bands of the Britpop-era. Most of you seemed to also have fond memories....but not my old amigo Ctel from Acid Ted. So apologies to him for returning to the band, and in particular one song which came at me over the i-pod a few days back and made me go...wow, that was good.

Over a relatively short period, Marion released seven singles and two LPs, of which Sleep was the biggest hit, reaching #17 in the UK charts in March 1996. It was a deserved success, featuring the best use of a harmonica on a single since the days of Hand In Glove.

This however, was the second attempt to take the song into the charts. Just 12 months previously, the version with the sleeve pictured above reached #53 in the charts which was a big disappointment to the band and their record label. Still, a year of hard gigging, including support slots with Radiohead and Morrissey, and not forgetting the use of a snatch of the tune in a car commercial, and a limited edition CD single with an acoustic version, meant it did better second time around:-

mp3 : Marion - Sleep (first release)
mp3 : Marion - Sleep (second release)
mp3 : Marion - Sleep (acoustic version)

Here's the b-sides to the first release:-

mp3 : Marion - Father's Day
mp3 : Marion - Moving Fast

And here's those on the second release:-

mp3 : Marion - Waiting For No-One
mp3 : Marion - The Collector
mp3 : Marion - Violent Men

This version of Violent Men is a re-recording of their debut single....I'm on the look-out for an mp3 of the original which came out on Rough Trade in June 1994 if anyone has it....... ****

Thank You.

**** a really nice bloke called Craig who helps look after two excellent Marion websites here and here has been kind enough to pass on a copy of the original. Cheers.

DIAL 911 OR WHATEVER.....

Just the other day I mentioned that Blogger had changed its policy in respect of takedowns, in that instead of completely removing the post, it would re-set the post to draft and ask the author to remove the material that is in 'breach of copyright'. On doing so the author would be allowed to re-publish the post.

Well, my first such request has come in. But its a bizarre one.....

The post that was taken back to draft status by Blogger was a review of a single by Magazine that I shared withn th world on Tuesday 25 August. So, I'm guessing someone associated with the band's label didn't like the fact that I made both sides of the single plus another track available.

However, on Monday 31 August, I posted a review of a live gig by the band which also made three of their songs available.....but that hasn't been subject of a dmca notice. Well not yet anyway.

The whole thing has left me quite bemused.

The problem is, that I dont know which of the three songs the complaint filed in respect of the the 25 August posting has caused the problem. In fact, it might not even be any of the songs, for the use of the picture sleeve might well be what the complaint is about.

But I've taken a guess and removed one of the songs and re-posted. Feel free to have a look by scrolling down.

I'll keep you all informed if events move on.

FRIDAY I'M IN LOVE....WITH MORRISSEY (Part 32)

When I started out on this quest to review ever single released by Morrissey, I didn't have all of them in the collection - some 95% of them perhaps, but not all of them. I thought it would be a simple enough task to track down those that were missing.

Wrong.

This one proved a bit awkward unless I was prepared to pay over £40 for a copy.

Although I'm a fan of I Just Want To See The Boy Happy (trombone playing on a Morrissey record??? Hurrah!!!) , it was the fourth single lifted from Ringleader of The Tormentors and as far as I was aware, the b-sides only had live versions of old songs. It also was released not long before Xmas 2006 and I'm no different from anyone else in wanting to having other priorities for my pennies and pounds at that time of year. It was sheer stupidity that caused me to overlook the fact that a previously unreleased song was on the CD single...here was me only looking at the two versions of the vinyl.

The three different formats, combined with the new song, and a couple of the best live recordings he's shoved out, helped generate enough sales to take the single to a more than respectable #16 in the UK charts. But in January 2007, the record label made one final effort to get in some cash with a 12" picture disc, limited to 1,000 copies, with all the tracks on the different formats brought together. And when I began this series, I was determined to track down an affordable copy of the single, which I did thanks to a seller from Germany.

mp3 : Morrissey - I Just Want To See The Boy Happy
mp3 : Morrissey - Sweetie-Pie
mp3 : Morrissey - I Want The One I Can't Have (live)
mp3 : Morrissey - Speedway (live)
mp3 : Morrissey - Late Night, Maudlin Street (live)

The previously unreleased song, Sweetie-Pie, is a rather strange-sounding but entrancing track which I reckon should have been included on the LP just because it is so different from the majority of songs he was releasing at the time.

I really do like this version of Speedway, which I reckon is one of the best songs he's recorded at any point in his career, solo or with his old band, while the performance of Late Night, Maudlin Street is also more than passable (and non-fans can take heart from the fact its a couple of minutes shorter than the original studio version).

I will not pass comment however, on the cover of the song by The Smiths.

All three live tracks were lifted from shows at the Royal Albert Hall in September 2002. These were at a time when he was without any sort of record contract and are reckoned by many to be among some of the best he's ever played as he was determined to show the London media luvvies that he was still worth writing and talking about......it worked as he was back with a venegance less than a year later.

As with so many of the other releases at this time, the sleeve photos were taken by celebrated Italian fashion photographer Fabio Lovino.

Enjoy.

I WON'T SAY NO....HOW COULD I?

Although I've given out a health warning about the sheer awfulness of this single, I continue to be asked if I could repost it. Read here for more info.

This one is for Remy Quatre from somewhere in France.

mp3 : Clare Grogan - Lovebomb
mp3 : Clare Grogan - I Love The Way You Beg

I should have mentioned yesterday that the wonderful website Punk Rock Hotel, (http://www.duckworthsquare.com/paulquinn/) which gives you everything you need to know about Paul Quinn, has a couple of new things worth reading, including a recently conducted interview with Mick Slaven, a member of both The Jazzateers and The Independent Group. Mick manages to correct a few myths......

mp3 : Paul Quinn & The Independent Group - Punk Rock Hotel

It's Friday tomorrow. The Mozza series will return after last week's interlude.

A ROUND UP OF THE NEWS HEADLINES

BONG.......

Paul Haig, whose support for bloggers the world over has been mentioned here and here before, will release a new LP, entitled Relive, on 16th November 2009. Its the third new record in as many years from the man who once vowed never to sing or perform on stage again.

It's now been 28 years since his old band Josef K released their one and only album The Only Fun In Town, and while much has changed for Paul Haig and for the world. what remains is his gift for off-kilter pop melodies, meticulously arranged guitars, spiky attitude and angst-ridden lyrics.

At ten tracks and just over half an hour long, Relive is the kind of fat-free, brisk and brilliant album that Paul and his peers have the patent for. It was conceived as a mini road movie, and is more organic than his recent works, with less programming and more real-time playing with the aforementioned guitars at the core.

Here's a taster:-



BONG....

Our Illinios correspondent, tart, from the marvellously entertaining Love Shack, Baby has let me know that DMCA takedowns should now be less troublesome on Blogger thanks to changes in how they are handled.

Up until now, Blogger simply reacted with a takedown and deletion of a post whenever someone filed a DMCA notice. Now, anyone with a complaint must complete a particular form which insists that the complainer clearly demonstrates they actually have a copyright that has been breached. After that, Blogger will notify the author of the post of the complaint, but instead of a deletion, they will revert the post to draft form and allow the author to amend any offending parts and re-post.

OK...in a perfect world we'd all sing in tune, but let's face it, this is reality and we've been given some room. The big beef I've always had with my DMCA takedowns is not the removal of the mp3 but my own words and the comments left behind by others. I can live with that:-

mp3 : Blink - Happy Day

BONG....

Music Blog started up by contributor to the 40 days of Guest Posts feature.

I was delighted to receive an email from Friend Of Rachel Worth, author of this lovely posting about The Blue Nile for me back in June, letting me know he had 'taken the plunge' and started up how own blog. It's called Cathedrals of Sound, and the author describes himself as a 40-something with a soft spot for jangly guitars and pretentious lyrics.

The blog is only a few days old, but already FoRW has written about Paul Quinn, Lloyd Cole, Trashcan Sinatras, Miracle Mile, Dr Robert, The Waterboys, Billy Bragg, Brian (I've a posting on that particular artist in the pipeline....), The Triffids, OMD and Japan. Well worth a visit....just click here and see for yourself.

Here's a track from the LP that inspired FoRW to take that that particular nom-de-plume :-

mp3 : The Go-Betweens - When She Sang About Angels

BONG.....

Brilliant edition of comic hits the market.

Any of you who visit Sunset Over Slawit will know that its brains and talent, Rol, is an awfully accomplished writer. Some of you might not know that he produces a comic called PJANG - Rol does the stories and some of his mates who are dead good at drawing do the illustrations. Issue 3 has been available for a few weeks now, but I was late in putting my order in, so have only just got round to reading it. All three stories were hugely entertaining and great value for £1.75. Highly recommended. Oh and in case you're wondering why PJANG....

mp3 : Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - People Ain't No Good
mp3 : Lloyd Cole - People Ain't No Good

BONG......

And finally.......I get loads of nice emails from readers thanking me for what they find here, and every now and then I'm sent something that I don't have that folk think might be of interest. This happened recently when a reader, who wishes to remain anonymous, sent over a recording of a blistering set by The Wedding Present from 1992, recorded for The Black Sessions, a regular show on the radio station France Inter (more info here).

It's a truly astounding performance that must have bled the ears of the audience thanks to guitars that sound like a harpooned whale.....and here's the two openers:-

mp3 : The Wedding Present - Corduroy
mp3 : The Wedding Present - Dalliance

Tomorrow's posting will be a damn sight shorter.

A GREAT WAY TO START THE MONTH OF SEPTEMBER

A huge thank you to Gary Capper for giving me the chance to almost complete my Postcard Records collection. Here's the b-side from the previously missing single in all its glory:-

mp3 : The Go-Betweens - Stop Before You Say It

And I thought it would be nice to dedicate one of the b-sides from another single by Aussie's best ever pop group, released in October 1988, not only to Gary but to everyone who takes an interest in my daily nonsense:-

mp3 : The Go-Betweens - Was There Anything I Could Do?
mp3 : The Go-Betweens - Rock'n'Roll Friend
mp3 : The Go-Betweens - Mexican Postcard

It's songs like this that remind me of just how good The Go-Betweens were. It's a total mystery why they never once cracked the singles charts here in the UK.