I played this the other week at Blog Rocking Beats 2. And silently dedicated it to the wonderful Greer from A Sweet Unrest (who on no account should be confused with John Greer!!).Greer is awfully fond of a lot of music made by Scottish bands - and she has a bit of a crush on Roddy Frame (but don't we all??) and she has recently written about the Trash Can Sinatras in glowing terms after seeing them play live over in her native California. Click Here.
mp3 : The Trash Can Sinatras - Only Tongue Can Tell
Released back in 1990, a single that should have been massive but which flopped. I've still got the sticker on the sleeve that tells me I paid £1.99 for the 12".
I've always been a big fan of Frank Reader's lyrics. Here's an example why:-
Once upon a sign I read a warning and it said
'When in Rome don't feed the lions'
What is meant I can't hazard a guess
But now I've learnt my lesson
I'm a better person
I'm filled up with high hopes and I'm fed up with soft soaps
Long in the tooth and short on wisdom
Up to here with the ache of it
And if the matchmaker calls hand in hand
With a catch of the day I'll rise to the bait
But it'll still be more than a heart can take
More than feeling great
More than a tongue can tell
I'd need to take leave of my senses to get a moment's rest
Following in footsteps
Footsure in fancy dress
Head in my hands I'm making plans
Hoovering up for the day
When the matchmaker calls hand in hand
With the catch of the day I'll raise to the bait
But it'll still be more then a heart can take
More than feeling great
More than a tongue can tell
And the itch to get rich quick
Has never been so hard to reach
With my hands tied behind my back
Shin deep in cement and sand
Just like the anchor-man I broke loose
And crashed to the sea bed
Clutching the shortest straw
And if you threw me a line that's as smart as you think
It wouldn't stop me sinking down to cry
On what flashed before my eyes
There's a great site dedicated to the band called Five Hungry Joes (it is named after an EP released in 1995). I'll soon provide a permanent link to the site when I do a slight revamp of TVV, but in the meantime, please click here for more.
And here's the two other tracks that were on the flip side of Only Tongue Can Tell:-
mp3 : The Trash Can Sinatras - Useless
mp3 : The Trash Can Sinatras - Tonight You Belong To Me
Happy Listening
7 comments:
I alwys thought they should have been huge. And some of the best lyrics since Costello at his peak.
Genius. I remember buying the cassette single (?!) in Impulse Records in East Klbride, after first hearing Billy Sloan play the demo version on his show. Had them on again tonight...as usual...20years later. And a lovely cover of the track from The Jerk. Quality.
Greatest band ever, bar none.
One of the most incredible songs ever from one of the best bands ever.Reading the lyrics without the music clarifies my occasionally misheard words and makes it even more incredible.
They do write such great lyrics and as a band just get better with each release
They are awesome, hands down. I always loved the song and I have to admit, too, that I had no idea what the actual lyrics were...for the most part.
I was nearly in the video for this. I got chopped off right at the end. True!
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