TVV IS 4...

... and the band who have turned up to play at the party are Josef K, and as a special treat its all 10 of the tracks released on the only LP ever released on Postcard Records. The mp3s are ripped from the original vinyl of The Only Fun In Town which was given a release number of 81/7.

mp3 : Josef K - Fun 'n' Frenzy
mp3 : Josef K - Revelation
mp3 : Josef K - Crazy To Exist
mp3 : Josef K - It's Kinda Funny
mp3 : Josef K - The Angle
mp3 : Josef K - Forever Drone
mp3 : Josef K - Heart Of Song
mp3 : Josef K - 16 Years
mp3 : Josef K - Citizens
mp3 : Josef K - Sorry For Laughing

The Only Fun In Town was recorded in Brussels in April 1981 and was in the shops by late June. It was only recorded after the band had deemed the original efforts for an LP to be called Sorry For Laughing, due for release in January 1981, to be inadequate and unrepresentative of their sound.

The production on The Only Fun In Town stunned quite a few fans and those in the press who were championing the Postcard acts as being the best thing since punk. It was abrasive and edgy, with the guitars high and the vocals low, perhaps reflecting that Paul Haig has never, even to this day, regarded himself as a good singer (incidentally, he's wrong about that!!!)

The press hated the album and the reviews were pretty scathing. Within weeks.....16th August 1981 to be precise, Josef K had played their final gig and officially split a few days later.

The thing is, while a lot of music that was released in 1981 now sounds awfully date, there's a case to be made that The Only Fun In Town has aged well. Yes, the production is a bit bizarre, but then again, it does allow you to enjoy better the guitar talents of Malcom Ross. The difficult thing is judging whether the versions of Crazy To Exist, It's Kinda Funny and Sorry For Laughing are better or worse than those that had been released as earlier singles or b-sides. Personally, I call it a score draw with one being an improvement, one being poorer and the other being as good as.

Seems apt writing about Josef K on the 4th Birthday given that some of the most enjoyable moments at TVV have been around Paul Haig Day and Paul Haig Day II on 6th April 2009 and 2010 respectively. I asked Evan his manager for a wee update on what the great man has been up to and was told, by email :-

Remix of Trip Out The Rider is scheduled for October release on 7" and ayetoons

Rumour has it Avalanche Records Kevin Buckle is trying to persuade domino to release the Entymology album on vinyl.

Also Paul has found some 24 track masters of Josef K tracks. Would need baked but have floated the possible idea to domino regarding remixing some tracks.

Could maybe via the blog see if anyone has good quality live recordings try to unearth some hidden gems.

Oh maybe we could find the lost 24 track masters for Sorry For Laughing, It's Kinda Funny, Chance Meeting etc - maybe Alan Horne has them in his postcard wardrobe...

Rumours of a best of Paul Haig album to accompany Entymology but nowt definite as load of ownership red tape to untangle ...

Paul is working on new material and is quietly pleased that La Roux used Big Blue World on her compilation thing...

More As It Happens.....

Don't know about the rest of you, but all of that has whetted my appetite for going ahead with Paul Haig Day III in 2011. But before then, plans are afoot to have all sorts of blogs commemorating John Peel on the 26th October. I'll have more details about it all and details of how you can get involved early next week.

Cant believe that this time next year I'll be old enough to go to school.

Here's a video clip for you:-



Happy Listening

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS WEEK (3)

That lot pictured above are Rosa Mota. That's Rosa Mota the band as opposed to Rosa Mota the famous marathon runner.

The band formed in 1992 by and consisted of Ian Bishop (vocals/guitar), Julie Rumsey (vocals/guitar), Sacha Galvagna (guitar), Michelle Marti (bass) and Justin Chapman (drums). Their first two singles were released on Placebo Records after which they signed to Mute imprint, Thirteenth Hour Recordings.

The debut album was called Wishful Sinking and was released in 1995.

But it was only with the release of the follow-up, Bionic, in 1996, that they first came to my notice.

And all because of Clare Grogan.

Readers of old will know my infatuation with the ex-Altered Images singer and will understand why I sat up and took notice of Rosa Mota.

The most perfect woman ever to stride planet pop had been a long time away from the scene, concentrating instead on an acting career. But then the world was informed that she had sung joint lead vocals on one of the tracks on Bionic and there were even rumours she might join the band. The music papers carried a story that Clare had co-wrote a song not featured on Bionic for use on a future single, and quoted her as saying

"It was amazing, it was really nice, no pressure, and it made me realise that I enjoy being in a band. Working with Rosa Mota brought the fun back into it for me."

That was good enough for me, so out I went and bought the CD.

Which turned out to be nothing more than OK, although it does have the brilliantly titled From Her To Maternity as an album opener (sadly the title is better than the song).

Clare's effort is however, well worth a listen:-

mp3 : Rosa Mota - This Grudge

Just a pity the proposal came to nothing. On this evidence, we could have had something asking to the pixie of pop fronting a PJ Harvey type band.

The album was produced by Steve Albini and is full of his trademarks such as sonic guitar bursts and a near live feeling to the record with few overdubs. But while there is very little on the album to make it truly stand out as distinctive and special, it does contain a genuine hidden classic that was released as a 45:-

mp3 : Rosa Mota - Space Junk

Another that should have been a hit when you think of all the Britpop crap that got into the charts roundabout the same time.

Happy Listening.

Oh and come tomorrow for the actual birthday posting......

GIG REVIEW - GRINDERMAN - GLASGOW BARROWLANDS - TUESDAY 28th SEPTEMBER 2010

It's about 45mins since Grinderman left the stage at Glasgow Barrowlands. I reckon it was 15 songs including the encore over about 85 mins. Not one of the songs was a cover, nor were any of them stuff from The Birthday Party or The Bad Seeds. And at £25 a ticket, plus booking fee, you might think I'm going to grumble about being disappointed or feeling ripped-off.

Far from it. For this was a blinding live show. One of the best in years. Honestly.

That I'm making such a claim may come as a surprise for those of you who have dismissed Grinderman records as being the Nick Cave equivalent of Tin Machine - and to be fair, there's a few times I've thought the same myself - but with musicians of the quality of Martyn P Casey, Warren Ellis and Jim Sclavunos on board there was always a fair chance it would be entertaining.

But I never anticipated mind-blowing.

The main set was drawn mainly from songs on Grinderman 2, an album that has had the critics fawning. Me?? Was so-so about first few listens, but over past few days have accepted it is a reasonable record let down by two or three average songs. But tonight, even the most average of songs was transformed beyond recognition.

Kitchenette is a track which drags and plods on for over 5 minutes on record but which tonight was turned into the most erotic, sexy, sassy and knicker-wetting number since Prince was at his peak all those years ago. Nick Cave, shirt open almost to the navel, sweat pouring off him as he pounced across the stage like a lion king on heat singing and rapping about how he could make a bored housewife feel good again......let's just say, Mrs Villain would have left me for him right there and then if she was given the chance.

I don't know how many of you have ever been to the Barrowlands - its one of those old fashioned grimy venues in a rundown part of town that many promoters avoid nowadays. They don't like it cos the bars are too small and you dont make enough money and there's hardly any room to sell t-shirts and the like. You cant quite squeeze every penny out of the punters - they're too busy working up a sweat in a low-roofed venue with a wide stage which has an astonishing, almost magical ability to bring out the best in a band. And inevitably, the crowd responds by going apeshit.

It was that kind of night.

But at one point it did threaten to go pear-shaped when the encore began with what i think is a rather lacklustre song Man In The Moon from the debut LP. But it was extended out way beyond its 2 mins on record to something truly spectacular - I couldnt help but compare it to the final few minutes of Paranoid Android........

And to close it all off, we had the song Grinderman. All four band members playing as if their very lives depended on it - Ellis in particular looking like a 21st century Rasputin staring down his would be killers and trying to hypnotise them with his banging of his cymbals and his dervish playing of his violin.

Nick Cave had us all believing his closing words - 'I'm The Grinderman, Yes I Am.' But I reckon that many of us would have also believed him if he had sang that he was The King......

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS WEEK (2)

Size Matters.

And I should just let the music speak for itself.

So here's all the Soft Cell 12" singles that I have in the cupboard:-

mp3 : Soft Cell - Tainted Love/Where Did Our Love Go
mp3 : Soft Cell - Bedsitter
mp3 : Soft Cell - Say Hello, Wave Goodbye
mp3 : Soft Cell - Torch
mp3 : Soft Cell - What
mp3 : Soft Cell - Where The Heart Is
mp3 : Soft Cell - Soul Inside

Now if you send the children out of the room, you can have a look at this often talked about but rarely seen promo. It's actually a bit naff if the truth be told but utterly shocking in its day:-

No sleaze tomorrow. I promise.

BIRTHDAY CELEBRATIONS WEEK (1)

Thanks to everyone who contributed to the charity over the past few days. Hugely appreciate your support. And although I've enjoyed having a few days off, it is good to be back.

TVV turns four years old later this week. There have been times over that period I've felt like packing it in and going back to being a mere consumer of the many other excellent music blogs out there. But its the comments and the emails that lift me out of any gloom or self-doubt and bring me to the keyboard time and again. So again, thanks to those who make the special effort.

I thought I'd try and mark the occasion with a few unusual postings this week. So how about the debut EP from the last band signed to Factory Records before the label went tits-up in 1992?

mp3 : The Adventure Babies - Camper Van
mp3 : The Adventure Babies - Barking Mad
mp3 : The Adventure Babies - Lifetime At The Sink
mp3 : The Adventure Babies - Long Night Narrow Boat

One of the poppiest things ever released on the label - it was certainly quite different from Happy Mondays. I love Camper Van. As the lyrics suggest, it's just a happy happy song that always make me smile.

I'll be honest and say up until I dug out the vinyl, I couldnt really recall any of the other three songs, Not sure if any of them really have stood the test of time but it was awfy brave of them to put the folk-like eight and a bit minutes of Long Night Narrow Boat on a debut LP. Cant imagine too many Hacienda punters were fond of it.

This EP was released in late 1991 with the catalogue number FAC 319. The debut LP, Laugh (FAC 335) and a second single, a different version of Barking Mad (FAC 347) followed in early 1992. None of the releases sold well, and to the best of my knowledge the band broke up when the label folded a short while after.

Tried tracking down a promo but now joy.

Happy Listening nonetheless.

LISTEN UP FOLKS.....I WANT YOUR HELP

The little fella pictured above is the reason I have a charity button over on the right hand side of this blog.

Readers from way back will know the story, but I make no apologies for repeating myself if only for the benefit of anyone who is a bit new to TVV.

It's a picture of L, the son of Ctel and its the last image that he used to illustrate one of the most moving and incredible blogs I've ever come across. It's a blog that detailed in quite graphic terms, the L's battle against brain cancer and the effect it had on his parents and the extended family.

Tragically, L lost his battle, and passed away at the end of September 2007. He was a few months shy of his fourth birthday. I was working and living in Canada at the time, and when I found out by visiting the blog, I was totally devastated. I'm not ashamed to admit that I was in tears for hours.

I've always been astonished at the bravery, not just of young L, but also of Ctel for opening up so much of himself over an extended period of time. If you haven't read any of the story, then I would urge you to do so. There are bits that will make you laugh out loud in the same way as any kid growing up has the ability to make adults laugh out loud. There are bits that will make your blood boil with rage as the bureaucracy of health care just gets in the way. And there are many passages that will simply leave you slack-jawed in awe for many different reasons. Click here.

Ctel used to use his Acid Ted blog to ask readers to make an occasional contribution to the Samanatha Dickson Brain Tumour Trust in lieu of downloading the music from his site. All that stopped when he gave up on the blog for a while - but I was honoured when he said he was happy for me to put a button on TVV in the hope of getting some donations.

I've resisted the temptation to often draw attention to the charity, preferring instead to allow the curious to have a peek and perhaps do something.

But today, I want to be a wee bit different.

I want to mark the upcoming third anniversary of L's passing by asking TVV readers to consider making a donation - no matter how small - to the charity. Especially if you've been fortunate enough over the months and years to have found a few songs here that you've downloaded and maybe not then gone out and bought them direct from your record shop or on-line. Or perhaps you've picked up a track that has long been out-of-print....

Think of it as an indirect way to contributing to the costs of bringing TVV your way every day, what with my file hosting subscriptions, the old vinyl I track down in second-hand stores or on e-bay or the time I give up to sit and chunder away at the keyboard. And I promise, I won't ask you agian. Well not until around this time next year anyway.

mp3 : Aztec Camera - Song For A Friend

Thank You one and all.

PS. So that as many folk as possible see this posting, I'm taking a few days off blogging. Will be back one week from today.

THE SUNDAY CORRESPONDENTS

THE VASELINES (Bongo Club, Edinburgh, 15 September)

When you can dispense something as good as Molly’s Lips only two songs in, then you know you’re going to be in for a good night.

So it came to pass, as Young Al and I squeezed into the Bongo Club to see the first night of the first ever headlining UK tour by The Vaselines. Not a bad achievement for a band formed 24 years ago.

If you’re reading Vinyl Villain then you probably know the back story but just in case (and this is only selected highlights)…

Songwriters Eugene Kelly and Frances McKee first came together in 1986. James Seenan and Charlie Kelly (yes, brother) were recruited and the Vaselines signed to Edinburgh indie label 53rd and 3rd. A couple of seminal EPs came and went, then in 1989, what should have been their finest moment, the release of their first album, Dum Dum. Slight problem – the band had split. The story goes that it happened on the actual day the album was released, but then the Vaselines were always slightly mythical. And things were to take an even stranger twist.

As Eugene and Frances ploughed separate musical furrows, Planet Nirvana had taken hold. Kurt Cobain proclaimed the Vaselines among his favourite bands of all time and proceeded to cover three of their songs during his (painfully short) career. There’s even a theory that Kurt and Courtney’s child, Frances Bean, was named after Ms McKee, though it may be that the American actress Frances Farmer (now there’s another story worth tracking down) was the actual inspiration. Suitably deified by association with Nirvana, the Vaselines became a legend destined never to reform. But time seems to be a great healer and come 2008 Eugene and Frances had settled their differences and reformed to do the odd show.

The odd show became let’s bring in a few other musicians and do another album, and so was born this week, Sex with an X. And the aforementioned UK (and US) tour. Not to mention the first ever Vaselines promo, which I’m sure JC will link to.



Back at the Bongo, we’re enjoying possibly the best sound I’ve heard at a gig ever. For me, the perfect balance between guitars and vocals. And we all managed to cope without filming the band’s every move on stage through our mobile phones.

Let’s be clear, I’m not a Vaselines Devotee (though that may be changing). I don’t think, surprisingly in retrospect, I even saw them live first time round, preferring the likes of (Buba and) the Shop Assistants and The Pastels.

But tonight what a set. A heady mix of old and new. My highlights from the main set include the aforementioned Molly’s Lips, Monsterpussy, Rory Rides Me Raw, Jesus Wants Me For A Sunbeam and the new single Sex with an X. Young Al, who was probably playing hide and seek in a Fife playground when the band were originally around, nominates Molly, Jesus, Sex and newie I Hate the 80s. Given how long it’s been and this the first night with “Vaselines virgins” in the band, the music was fast, fuzzy and fantastic. I would say “tight”, but given much of the between song banter, that might be misconstrued as a reference to the aforementioned monsterpussy. Truly a brilliant set and nary a song longer than three and a half minutes. No need for noodling guitar solos here thanks very much.

The call of the curfew caught up with us and we blasted out with the Vaselines’ tribute to another genius now sadly no longer with us, Divine - You Think You’re A Man, and old, old favourite Son Of A Gun.

As the band headed for signing duties at the ‘merch’ stall where about half those present were now queuing, we headed to a pub, astonished by what we’d just witnessed. Probably the best gig I’ll see this year. And, if the band are to believed, by the time they get to Glasgow, they’ll actually be quite good at this playing live lark.

mp3 : The Vaselines - Molly's Lips
mp3 : The Vaselines - Son Of A Gun

Go see. I doubt you’ll be disappointed.

Jacques the Kipper, Sunday 19 September 2010

ONE SONG BY THE SMITHS....A SATURDAY SERIES (Part 11)

Lasting almost 7 minutes, today's song is the longest track The Smiths ever recorded:-

mp3 : The Smiths - Barbarism Begins At Home

One of the most danceable numbers they ever made, the track owes just as much to the bassline of Andy Rourke as it does Johnny's guitar-picking or Moz's lyrics, singing and yepling.

Although Barbarism Begins At Home wasn't released until February 1985 as a track on Meat Is Murder, it was one that many fans had heard before as it had been part of many live sets during 1984, including at their very first Scottish gig in Glasgow:-

mp3 : The Smiths - Barbarism Begins At Home (live)

It is quite unlike anything else they ever recorded, and at one point was mooted as a single. Whether it would have given the band a bit of cross-over appeal away from the Ben Watt lookalikes who made up much of their fanbase, we will never know. What is clear from this early March 1984 TV appearance is that the band collectively enjoyed performing the song:-



Wonderful stuff. You really hear how important the bassline is in the live clip, but its also fascinating to watch Morrissey and Marr shaking their hips. And it wasn't a one-off:-



Just like me and The Kipper at many an office Xmas party.......still don't understand why many colleagues gave us strange looks

IT'S FRIDAY, I'M IN LOVE....WITH GREAT SCOTTISH SINGLES (Part 40)

Back in July 1983, Strawberry Switchblade released their debut 45 Trees And Flowers on a very small indie label called 92 Happy C. What was hugely impressive was that the duo, Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall, persuaded Roddy Frame to play acoustic guitar on the single.

Coming to the attention of the legend that is Bill Drummond, the girls were soon signed to Korova Records, part of the Warners Music Group, and best known for being the imprint on which Echo & The Bunnymen material was released.

The first Strawberry Switchblade single released on Korova was Since Yesterday in October 1984. It took its time but eventually got into into the charts around Christmas time, eventually reaching the giddy heights of #5

It did seem as if the girls, who looked like goths but sang twee-like pop songs, had hit the jackpot and would be with us for years to come. Sadly, it was not be. The follow-up 45 Let Her Go didn't flopped to just #59, but that was a minor triumph is comparison to the next again single, Who Knows What Love Is, which didn't even break into the Top 75.

The duo had one last stab at re-finding the fame with a nifty cover version of Jolene - yes, the same song made famous by Dolly Parton, but when it too failed to do anything spectacular, Strawberry Switchblade officially disbanded.

So they are to all intents and purposes, your classic one-hit wonders. But a damn fine hit is was, even if the production now sounds oh-so-very 80s:-

mp3 : Strawberry Switchblade - Since Yesterday

Here's the b-side from the 7"

mp3 : Strawberry Switchblade - By The Sea

And here's a wee TOTP clip to enjoy as well:-




And while I'm on, here's the two sides of the final single:-

mp3 : Strawberry Switchblade - Jolene
mp3 : Strawberry Switchblade - Being Cold

Happy Listening

JUST BECAUSE....

The night of Wednesday 12th October 1994 was one of the most memorable nights of my entire life.

And I know that is was also one of the most memorable of Jacques the Kipper's as well.

If you click on this link, scroll down and you'll be able to read a wee bit more about it as well as a few reviews, not all of which are entirely complimentary.

All I'll say is that the performance of this, was up there with the best moment of any gig I've ever been to:-

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

Someone has said somewhere else that the gig was captured for a video or TV showing. I personally can't remember any cameras capturing the performance. I may well be wrong. But it's very sad only the few hundred who got tickets to the Glasgow Film Theatre were witness to something truly astounding. Why couldn't phone cameras have been invented a bit earlier?

Oh and many thanks to Frances who does such an outstanding job managing the Punk Rock Hotel....aka the Paul Quinn site listed on the right hand side of this blog. It's well worth spending a few minutes browsing round what truly is a a 5-star establishment.

Will I Ever Been Inside Of You? is one of the most astonishing and beautiful nine and a bit minutes of music ever recorded. Fact.

JOHNNY'S FINEST MOMENT POST-SMITHS??

Not counting the various appearances with others as a guest on the occasional track, the best guitarist of my era has, since his original band split up years ago, recorded full albums with Electronic, The The, Modest Mouse, The Cribs and with a backing band of his own, Johnny Marr and The Healers.

Some of the work has been outstanding. Some less so.

And I was thinking to myself the other day just what was my favourite record he's played on since The Smiths broke up.

My instant answer to myself was Love Is Stronger Than Death by The The which I featured on TVV a few weeks back. It's a song that is high up on my all-time list (it was only kept out of the 45 45s at 45 rundown a few years ago by This Is The Day), but there's no doubt that it is very much a Matt Johnson composition on which Johnny plays.

But this single from 1996 is a different kettle of fish altogether. It's a tune that is unmistakably Marr-esque that wouldn't have been out of place a decade earlier. And to be fair to Barney, he does not too shabby a job with the lyric:-

mp3 : Electronic - Forbidden City

A modest #14 hit, this, like so many other songs I've featured over the years at TVV, deserved to be so much bigger and better-known.

As ever, here's yer extra tracks on the CD single:-

mp3 : Electronic - Imitation Of Life
mp3 : Electronic - A New Religion

Decent enough video was made as well:-




Happy Listening

FROM UNDER THE COVERS (Parts 69 & 70)

I so enjoyed posting Josh Rouse yesterday that I thought I'd do an immediate foll0w-up with a couple of more than able cover versions of outstanding songs:-

mp3 : Josh Rouse - Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want
mp3 : Josh Rouse - Straight To Hell

The first can be found on the single Dressed Up Like Nebraska. It's a live recording from back in April 1998 at a studio in New Jersey.

The second was given away with Uncut magazine back in 2003. It was one of about 30 different Clash covers on 2 x CDs, some of which were iffy, some of which were inspired. I reckon Josh's effort is the latter.

Happy Listening

CHRIST, THIS IS A RIGHT CHEERY ONE

mp3 : Josh Rouse - Winter In The Hamptons

I just felt that as its a Monday morning, and as most of us will be a bit gloomy at having to return to work after another action-packed and enjoyable weekend, I should do my own wee bit at trying to put smiles on at least some of your faces.

I've got a lot of time for Josh Rouse. He's released a lot of quality material since first appearing on the scene back in 1998. I'm especially fond of this single which dates back to 2005. Awfy catch dontcha think?

Here's yer b-side:-

mp3 : Josh Rouse - Under Cold Blue Skies (live in Nashville)

Happy Listening

THE SUNDAY CORRESPONDENTS (in absentia)

ANOTHER FREE NEWSPAPER GIVEAWAY

Got to give The Observer a fair bit of credit for this as when it appeared in late 2003, The Strokes were one of the hottest acts in the UK.

It was there to promote the release of the band's second LP Room On Fire and the five tracks were:-

mp3 : The Strokes - When It Started
mp3 : The Strokes - New York City Cops (live in Iceland 2002)
mp3 : The Strokes - Last Nite (original demo)
mp3 : The Strokes - Meet Me In The Bathroom (Home Recording)
mp3 : The Strokes - 12:51

The first track was a b-side on Last Nite while the last track was taken from the album the sampler was promoting.

Wasn't too bad an investment. The paper probably cost about £2 and the CD is on sale on-line for £10.

Happy Listening.

ONE SONG BY THE SMITHS....A SATURDAY SERIES (Part 10)

This week featuring the single that never was.

One of Morrissey's all-time favourite tracks by the band, Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before was intended to be the single released around the same time as the LP Strangeways Here We Come.

But the tragic events in the small town of Hungerford, Berkshire on 19th August 1987 put a stop to to that. That was the date when a gunman went on the rampage killing 16 people before turning his weapon on himself. That this sing has the lines:-

I smelt the last ten seconds of life
I crashed down on the crossbar
and the pain was enough to make
a shy, bald Buddhist reflect
and plan a mass-murder

was enough for everyone involved - the record label, band and management alike - to accept that the lyric would be construed as wholly insensitive to the families and friends of those mown down.

Instead, I Started Something I Couldn't Finish was issued as the single.

Which is a pity because, with the band having already broken up, the idea of a single with a title that is a full-frontal assault on the many critics who had them pigeon-holed as mere miserabilists would have been priceless. It's a strange song mind you - opening and ending with some sterling guitar picking by Johnny but inbetween seemingly speeding up and slowing down just ever so slightly all the way through to make it damn near impossible to dance to without making a fool of yourself. Or is that just me???

mp3 : The Smiths - Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before

For all that the band liked the song, it was never one they played live before the break-up. Morrissey however, revived it on tours during 2006 and 2007 where his band, rather unusually, managed to do a reasonable job on it:-



Nah. The real butchering was done by a right dickhead:-



Feel free to disagree.

IT'S FRIDAY....I'M IN LOVE WITH GREAT SCOTTISH SINGLES (Part 39)

Oh dear. My good friend ctel/Acid Ted didn't like Bis last Friday. He's bound to hate this lot as well.....

The Rezillos formed in Edinburgh in late 1976/early 1977 and became one of the first new wave bands to emerge from Scotland. They were very quickly snapped up by Sire Records, home at the time to Talking Heads and The Ramones among others. In the summer of 1978, they enjoyed a huge hit with this great sing-a-long number that paid homage to the UK's most popular music show:-



And while there's no denying that Top Of The Pops is a genuine new-wave classic, I much prefer the follow-up single which came out in November 1978, a 45 that deserved to be every bit as massive as the song that made them temporarily famous:-

mp3 : The Rezillos - Destination Venus
mp3 : The Rezillos - Mystery Action

Both sides of the single were written by the band's guitarist, Jo Callis, He later found real fame and fortune as a member of Human League between 1981 and 1985, the period when the Sheffield outfit were among the biggest acts in the world. And Jo Callis was one of the principal songwriters.......

Anyway, Destination Venus stalled at #43 in the charts, a huge disappointment given the previous single had hung around the charts for months. Within a year, the band technically were no more. although some of the members re-formed under the name The Revillos, but there was no more chart success to be had in the UK. Mind you, like Bis, they were big in Japan for a while.

Cartoon post-punk at its very best. You can't deny it.....



Happy Listening.

MOST OF THE TIME YOU ARE HAPPY....

....you're a weirdo.

And a song title that I always spell wrongly as it breaks the 'i before the e, except after c' rule that was drummed into me as a kid at primary school 40 years ago.

The Charlatans, contrary to what many folk think, are not from Manchester - they just happened to emerge at the same time as the likes of The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays and were lumped into the Madchester scene. The majority of the original band were originally from the West Midlands, and lead singer Tim Burgess was from Northwich in Cheshire.

They have become one of the most enduring of UK bands to emerge from the late 80s - its now 11 studio albums, 5 compilations, 3 live releases and an astonishing 35 singles. They had a huge hit with The Only One I Know which was just their second single and went Top 10 in July 1990. It would be another six years before they reached such dizzying heights again, but arguably, some of their best material was released in the period before they became mega-popular.

Weirdo was the band's seventh single and the first lifted from the 1992 LP Between 10th and 11th. Opening with a keyboard sound that sounds as if a car is having trouble starting up on a cold winter's morning, it is easily my favourite track they've ever recorded. Great groove that pulls you up onto the dance-floor the moment it kicks off:-

mp3 : The Charlatans - Weirdo

Here's yer 3 other tracks on the CD single:-

mp3 : The Charlatans - Theme From 'The Wish'
mp3 : The Charlatans - Weirdo (alternate take)
mp3 : The Charlatans - Sproston Green (U.S. version)

And looking around youtube, I found this :-



I know not everyone likes mash-ups. But it's an excellent example of the genre.

Happy Listening.

EDWYN'S NEW SINGLE & VIDEO

Find more videos like this on Edwyn Collins

(including a couple of live clips I've filmed and submitted to the site, and a VHS clip that I had from an old Scottish Television show that Frankie kindly converted and sent in)

Similar to the fabulous Keep On Burning.

The title track of the new LP - Edwyn's seventh solo album and the first since his forced sabbatical. Recorded at West Heath Studios, side by side with his regular recording partner Sebastian Lewsley, Losing Sleep has twelve tracks long and features the an incredible guest list. Those who have co-written with Edwyn on this record are:

Ryan Jarman
Johnny Marr
Roddy Frame
Alex Kapranos
Nick McCarthy
Romeo Stodart
The Drums

Those who play on it include Paul Cook, Dave Ruffy, Carwyn Ellis, Sean Read, Barrie Cadogan, Andy Hackett, Luca Santucci and a cameo from Will Collins.

Losing Sleep comes out on 20th September. There's live dates as well:-

September

10 End Of The Road Festival, Larmer Tree Gardens, Dorset
11 Berlin Festival, Templehof Airfield, Berlin
23 Queen Elizabeth Hall, London (sold out)
24 Reeperbahn Festival, Docks, Hamburg, Germany


November

4th Brighton Komedia
5th Oxford Academy 2
6th Leeds Brudenell Social Club
7th Glasgow Oran Mor
9th Newcastle Cluny
10th Manchester Deaf Institute
12th Preston 53 Degrees
13th Liverpool The Well in Liverpool Anglican Cathedral
14th Bristol The Fleece
15th Birmingham Glee Club

November UK tickets onsale now, all £15, available from:
www.ticketweb.co.uk (Brighton, Oxford, Glasgow & Newcastle), www.gigsandtours.com (Manchester, Bristol & Birmingham), www.lunatickets.co.uk (Leeds), www.seetickets.com (Preston) and www.ticketline.co.uk (Liverpool).

19th Crossing Border Festival, The Hague, Netherlands
25th Primavera Winter Club, Barcelona
26th Primavera Winter Club, Barcelona
27th Primavera Winter Club, Madrid

December

10th All Tomorrows Parties , Minehead, Somerset (with Teenage Fanclub)


I'll be there at the Glasgow gig......

ASK ME, I WON'T SAY NO....HOW COULD I?? (2)

Another lovely email arrived from deepest darkest cyberspace the other day:-

My name is Vivek. From the States near DC and Baltimore. 2nd Gen Indian-American.
Anyway found that your blog posted a Buzzcocks song.
I was trying to find "Harmony in my Head" on Hypem but no playable posts.
I downloaded it from Amazon.
I'd just like to get it posted on your blog so maybe they pick it up.
How do I about doing this? Thanks.

Look no further Vivek:-

mp3 : Buzzcocks - Harmony In My Head
mp3 : Buzzcocks - Something's Gone Wrong Again

The band's eighth single, released in July 1979. Different from any of the others in that it Steve Diggle wrote it and did the lead vocal. All of the others of course, had been the work of Pete Shelley.

It reached #32 in the UK singles chart. As with all other Buzzcocks singles, it deserved to do a lot better. It was also the last time the band got a chart hit.


Here's a TOTP appearance:-



And here's the song for some strange reason I always think Harmony In My Head is related to.....anyone else hear a similarity????

mp3 : The Damned - Smash It Up (Pt 2)

Happy Listening

ASK ME, I WON'T SAY NO....HOW COULD I??

I received a very nice email the other week from a reader in Germany - Sven Deurkhop - along with a very nice attachment (more about that later).

In thanking Sven, I asked if there was anything he's like to see featured on TVV. In reply, he said:-

A post or even a series about The Housemartins or The Beautiful South would be nice.

I think, especially The Housemartins are often overlooked when it comes to British 80s music. If there wouldn't have been Morrissey I'm sure that Paul Heaton were considered the most talented and witty lyricist in British music of the last 25 years.

Take for example gemstones like "The light is always green" ("We dig our models with the brains the size of models") or the sheer and blunt political statements like in "Get Up Off Our Knees" or "The People Who Grinned Themselves To Death". All those angry and sharp lyrics well-clad in harmonious and highly addictive pop-tunes - what's not to like?

The same with "The Beautiful South" - especially their first two albums. The pure beauty of "Let Love Speak Up Itself", again the wrath of "I've Come For My Award", the irony of "Straight In At 37" or "Love Is" leave me amazed again and again. Paul Heaton has just finished his second solo record and toured the UK by bike (!) last spring. He played only pubs, which made me (again) regret not to live in the UK.

It is quite strange that while the cupboard and shelves have both of the original LPs released by The Housemartins and the first three CDs by The Beautiful South, I've not really given them much exposure on TVV. Can't really offer up a reason why other than I did get a wee bit fed up with TBS after a while, and stopped listening to them. I haven't even put much of their stuff onto the i-pod. But the 1988 Housemartins compilation Now That's What I Call Quite Good is something I give the occasional listen to - especially on long bus or train journeys as it seems to pass the time away quite quickly. But I cant bring myself to listen to the acapella smash that was Caravan of Love. Hated it then. Hate it still.

But Sven is quite right to praise the talents of Paul Heaton. He enjoyed a barrow load of hit singles and albums in the 90s, and I'm guessing that if that hadn't been the case, he would be one of those songwriters bloggers would be writing about every day. Instead, we ignore him because he was a friend who became successful. And as someone else once wrote, we hate that....

So looking back over the stuff that I own by both bands, here's five tracks that I still enjoy:-

mp3 : The Housemartins - Flag Day
mp3 : The Housemartins - Get Up Off Our Knees
mp3 : The Housemartins - Five Get Over Excited
mp3 : The Beautiful South - Straight In At 37
mp3 : The Beautiful South - I Think The Answer's Yes

And to round things off, here's the attachment Sven sent over:-

mp3 : The Beautiful South - Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now

Happy Listening

ALL YOU FASCISTS ARE BOUND TO LOSE....

From the pages of today's Edinburgh Evening News:-

POP STAR'S FURY AS BNP WEBSITE USES HIT SONG

City rocker Edwyn Collins demanded that the BNP remove his song from a "bizarre" party website that is being investigated by police.

The Edinburgh-born star's hit A Girl Like You featured on a Lothians British National Party website behind images of Asian men burning a union flag and veiled women waving banners saying "God Bless Hitler".

The "Lothians BNP Video" site has now been taken off-line and its creator, BNP Central Scotland organiser Mike Coyle, has resigned from the party.

Police are investigating whether any action can be taken against the site. Edwyn Collins' wife and manager, Grace Maxwell, warned the BNP against using copyrighted material on their websites.

Ms Maxwell said: "There are many iffy videos on YouTube using A Girl Like You without permission and we are normally very relaxed about it.

"Whilst we don't believe that viewers would imagine for a moment that Edwyn has sanctioned the use of his track in this bizarre setting, for the removal of any doubt, we will require it to be deleted and will take the necessary steps to ensure that this happens."

The site, which was accessed via a link on the BNP Scotland website, also featured Louis Armstrong's What A Wonderful World with a montage calling the founder of Islam a "murderer" and "a paedophile", and several original songs by a Whitburn-based heavy metal band called Mott & Bailey.

The tracks railed against "invaders marching through our land, coming in like the night" and "darkness bringing down the walls". Videos accompanying the tracks featured images of 9/11, the London bombings and processions of coffins being carried through Wootton Bassett intermixed with images of British mosques and protesting Muslims.

Mr Coyle initially defended the site, stating that he saw nothing criminal in its content and claiming that "the BNP are not in the business of upsetting people". However, within hours of being contacted by the News, copyrighted content had been removed and the site had been re-branded "The Unofficial BNP Video Site". Mr Coyle then resigned.

The father-of-four said: "My last act as a BNP member was to dismantle this site. I put my head above the parapet and ended up being lied to. I set up this website with the full approval of the Scottish party, but now that my name stands to be dragged through the newspapers they have failed to show me any support.

"When I stood as a candidate in the last election my children were subjected to death threats, but I stood firm. They have lied to me for the last time."

The BNP Scotland website carries contact details for party members, party news and a page of material written by BNP Scotland leader Gary Raikes.

But Mr Raikes described it as "an unofficial blog". A line has been added to the site stating, "This is an unofficial BNP site".

He said Mr Coyle's site was set up with his support but was not officially sanctioned by the party.

He said: "We are sorry to lose Mr Coyle over this. Many sites support the BNP and we are glad for that support but cannot be held responsible for content. This would appear to be yet another witch hunt by the left-wing press."

BNP national leader Nick Griffin declined to comment.

Muslim activist Osama Saeed, founder of the Scottish-Islamic Foundation, said: "The videos show the BNP are stuck in a time warp, laden with images from the Crusades. The far-right always try to isolate and stigmatise particular groups and the latest is Muslims."

A police spokesman said: "Inquiries will be made in order to establish whether any further action can be taken."

mp3 : Billy Bragg and The Blokes - All You Fascists Are Bound To Lose

WITH THANKS TO JACQUES THE KIPPER FOR BRINGING THE STORY TO MY ATTENTION...

THE BOY WITH THE THORN BY HIS SIDE

Sorry about the terrible pun which came to me as I was putting together last Saturday's piece about The Smiths.

There's loads can be said about Ben Watt - the laziest and easiest thing I can do is refer you to this wiki page.

But returning somewhat to the roots of this blog, I'm going to have a wee look at his one solo album as an artist to date (and given it is now 28 years old, will probably be the only thing he ever releases under his own name).

North Marine Drive is a good but not great album. While it is a work that predates anything he made with Tracey Thorn, it is very evident that it is a close relative to the first few Everything But The Girl LPs. It's also an album that I reckon Paul Weller listened to a lot back in the days for there's quite a few of the songs quite similar in mood and tempo as many a b-side by The Style Council. It's really no surprise that Ben and Tracey ended up guesting on Cafe Bleu.

So why do I say good and not great??

Listening to it afresh all these years later, I still cant find anything to criticise about the five tracks that make up Side A. But I still get annoyed by the opening song on Side B - Waiting Like Mad - and its all down to the inclusion of a saxophone piece that makes it sound like some sort of innoffensive but totally bland bit of muzak that wouldnt be out of place at dinner parties where guests were more interested in the sound of their own voices and boasting about how quickly they would make their next million on the stock market.

It's five minutes of hell in an album that is only 33 minutes in length, containing 8 original Ben Watt compositions and a Bob Dylan cover. It's a record I played a lot in my student days - always without fail skipping Track 1 on Side B - and just before putting this post together, I listened to in its entirety for the first time in at least 20 years.

And with it being an unusually warm, lovely and sunny day in Glasgow, especially for the time of year, I was taken back to an era when life did seem so much carefree and less worrying. When getting out of bed before noon wasn't a neccesity, when your circle of friends were always around you and you saw them every day, and when I was umpteen stone lighter, thinner and there was more hair on the top of my head. Oh and to when I dressed exactly like Ben Watt in the picture above....even in the summertime. Except for the white cotton socks. Could never bring myself to wear them.

mp3 : Ben Watt - Some Things Don't Matter
mp3 : Ben Watt - Empty Bottles
mp3 : Ben Watt - North Marine Drive

Happy Daze indeed.....

THE SUNDAY CORRESPONDENTS

A GENIUS RETURNS

London, place of opportunity and excitement. A glamorous place for a provincial boy from (insert place name). London, fortune made, loses its charm. A place of sin, crime and dirty squalor. A need to return to / relocate to a place of more honest virtue (insert place name). This difference between everywhere in the UK and London seems only to be told in these two ways. Here's something slightly different.

I'm from London. OK, so I'm from Metroland. No inner city kid me. But I'm more comfortable on the Tube than in a car. But at 18 I left to live in another part of the UK. Of my own volition and everything. I went to Wales. Swansea (Abertawe) to be precise. I knew the accents would be different but I didn't expect any culture shock. After all, it's only Wales.

SOCIAL INTERACTION

First day. I'm at a bus stop waiting to go to Mumbles. There's me and an old woman waiting. We've been there about 30 seconds. And she asks me where I'm going. Just like that. Its not like we'd waited an hour or anything before catching each other's eye and asking for a while about the lack of a bus before conversing. I am gripped with fear. What is she after? Money? Cigarettes? Or worse? I realise I'm stuck with a nutter. I mutter something, edging way. But she comes over and chats away until the bus mercifully comes. I am shaken and worried what will happen on the bus. But I can't not get it now its here. We get on the bus and she sees a friend and joins her. With a sinking feeling I realise it was just that. She was having a conversation. I'm relieved. And scared. Oh no! Other people will want conversations in future. I'm going to have to walk everywhere if I want to avoid this.

LANGUAGE

I love the sound of Welsh. I watch S4C (Welsh language TV channel) and am amused at the adoption of English words (like Snooker, which is Snwcr but pronounced 'snooker') until I realise that English has always taken on words from other cultures, especially for new things. But I do like the fact that on a Welsh soap opera (might have been Pobl y Cwm) there is a fierce argument between a couple over her unplanned pregnancy full of consonants and phlegm but ending (in English) with "...up the spout". As if there is no Welsh term for unplanned pregnancy. The unexpected use of English is really amusing. But I do come a cropper with the language.

I take the coach back to London at the end of each term. It takes forever. I look for things to mark stages. One of the last ones on leaving Wales by the bridge is a place called Gwasanaethau. It becomes a signal of returning to England. I look for it for almost two years with increasing affection. Then I get invited by a real Welsh person to visit their farm in mid-Wales. We go by car and on the way I'm astounded to see a sign for Gwasanaethau. My friend looks equally confused that I've got so excited about a sign saying Motorway Services.

Enough meandering. A couple of Welsh tracks from The Alarm and Llwybr Llaethog, representing North and South Wales. Of The Alarm, discogs laconically notes that "The Alarm are a Welsh alternative rock band, who were most popular in the 1980s." They aroused strong pro and anti passions with their big hair and bigger choruses:-

mp3 : The Alarm - Hwylio Dros Y Mor (A New South Wales) featuring the Morriston Orpheus Male Voice Choir

Llwybr Llaethog are a seminal anti-establishment North Walian production outfit that pretty much invented Welsh-language hip-hop. The sounds primitive today but is of its time:-

mp3 : Llwbyr Llaethog - Ai Bod Dub (To Be Dub)

Acid Ted, Sunday 5th September 2010

Note from JC

The name Acid Ted should be familiar to many of you. It was the name of a blog, written by ctel, a long-time friend and ally of TVV.

The thing is Acid Ted was savagely removed from the interwebby without any warning back in April 2010. Read more here for a reminder of what happened.

I got a great email the other day, from the man now formerly known as ctel. He calls himself Acid Ted nowadays. Not only did he offer up a Sunday Correspondent piece, but let me know that he had retrieved the 1300 lost posts and has quietly reinvented the blog elsewhere.

Right here if you must know.

And that, boys and girls, is the best bit of news to break in a long long long time.

ONE SONG BY THE SMITHS....A SATURDAY SERIES (Part 9)

There was something I hated about The Boy With The Thorn In His Side when it was released as the ninth single by The Smiths - it had a promo video.

This was the band that had vowed never to make such a thing. Indeed Morrissey had been vehement in the early days of the band that videos were the perfect example of image over substance. And those of us who really championed the band and held them up as something truly unique in an increasingly shallow and materialistic world felt badly let down at the time. Especially when the promo was such a tame affair:-



But over time, I've been able to divorce the song from the promo debacle and accept that while its not as immediate as some of their earlier 45s, this is another wonderful bit of music written by Johnny Marr with a Morrissey lyric that is a clever attack on those in the music press and wider industry who still didn't believe he or the band were genuine articles.

mp3 : The Smiths - The Boy With The Thorn In His Side

Released in September 1985, it reached #25 in the singles charts - so much for the idea that a promo video would be of some help. A marginally different version would appear on the LP The Queen Is Dead some nine months later, which neatly allows me to offer you this cover version by yesterday's TVV featured artist:-

mp3 : Bis - The Boy With The Thorn In His Side

Taken from The Smiths Is Dead, a CD put together in 1996 to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the release of The Queen Is Dead.

Happy Listening

IT'S FRIDAY....I'M IN LOVE WITH GREAT SCOTTISH SINGLES (Part 38)

This lot are famed for being, in March 1996, the first 'unsigned' band to appear on Top Of The Pops when they performed Kandy Pop, a track on their Secret Vampire Soundtrack EP.

The band comprised Manda Rin (vocals & keyboards), Sci-Fi Steven (vocals & synthesisers) and John Disko (guitars) - their real names were Amanda MacKinnon and bothers Steven & John Clark. At the time of the TOTP appearance they were were 18, 19 and 17 years of age respectively.

But the truth was that while technically unsigned, Bis had the comfort of knowing their records would be released by Chemikal Underground, the label formed by members of The Delgados. Furthermore, The Secret Vampire Soundtrack was in fact their third release, so its not as if they were total novices.

They soon signed to Grand Royal, a label run by the Beastie Boys, allegedly after turning down 50 other options. But the hype around Bis did create a huge backlash in the UK and while the EP did eventually reach #26 in the singles charts, it was the most success they would ever enjoy in their native land. But it was a totally different story in Japan where their 1997 debut LP The New Transistor Heroes shifted well in excess of 100,000 copies.

Subsequent singles and LPs didn't do all that well and most folk dismissed the band as something of a one-trick pony capable only of nonsensical shouty lyrics over the top of seemingly out-of-tune synth tracks.

So it all turned very sour very quickly for bis and it was no real surprise that they called it a day in 2003 - and not one of the band was close to being 30 years of age.

There have been a couple of efforts to reform since then, most notably in 2007 to commemorate the 10th Anniversary of the release of the debut LP, but these were not met with any huge acclaim outside the cult following the band latterly cultivated.

But while there may have been some disappointing stuff released in the latter part of their recording career, there's no escaping the fun and frolics of the hit EP. It's kind of a cross between Altered Images and the post-punk sounds of bands such as Swell Maps:-

mp3 : Bis - Kandy Pop
mp3 : Bis - Secret Vampires
mp3 : Bis - Teen-C Power
mp3 : Bis - Diska

Happy Listening

DEATH OR GLORY

I had forgotten just how good this is:-

mp3 : Marc Almond - The Idol (Part 1)

The first three seconds start off as an homage to The Jean Genie, it soon turns into a sort of Stars on 45 tribute to the glam rock that I recall from the early 70s. Great guitar riffs, amazing backing vocals, and a pumping chorus. This was tailored made for radio,when it was released in 1995, but criminally, it stalled at #44 with next to no support on the mainstream daytime shows. Just too dark a them y'see.....

Oh and if you did make the effort to buy the single, there was real treats tucked away on the b-side:-

mp3 : Marc Almond - Law Of The Night
mp3 : Marc Almond - Adored and Explored (Live at Radio One)
mp3 : Marc Almond - Bedsitter (Live at Radio One)

The 'Unplugged cover' of the Soft Cell hit is particularly wonderful.

No synths - just acoustic guitars and harmonicas. And proof that Marc was a better singer than most gave him credit for.

But if you want to see how great the full version of this single was, here's the full 9 and a bit minute version from the LP Fantastic Star:-

mp3 : Marc Almond - The Idol (All Gods Fall) (Parts 1 & 2)

And while it took a while for his prophesy to come true....he was proved right:-

Hail Hail the Idol
Hail Hail the Idol

Idol be bad
Idol be wild
Martyr your heart
Father a love child
We need all your kinks
And your dark attitude
We live on your sins
And your volatile moods

We love you, we love you
We love you, we love you
You're a pop up poster of a teenage dream
We love you, we love you
We love you, we love you
A fur inferno on a twisted scene

Go for the gold
Never grow old
In the bed or the car
It's the end of the star
Burn yourself out
Do yourself in
Don't try to mend
All gods fall in the end

Hail Hail the Idol
Hail Hail the Idol

We loved you in black
We adored you in pink
Up in the dock
Or drowned in the drink
Wrapped up in foil
Anointed in oil

We love you, we love you
We love you, we love you
Rip out your soul as
you're playing the role
We love you, we love you
We love you, we love you
Nail up your hands to fulfil our demands

Go for the gold
Never grow old
In the bed or the car
It's the end of the star
Burn yourself out
Do yourself in
Don't try to mend
All gods fall in the end

Sweet crucifixion

We hate you, we hate you
We hate you, we hate you
Watch them turn cold as you
start to grow old
We hate you, we hate you
We hate you, we hate you
Vinyl to burn as the crowd starts to turn

Go for the gold
Never grow old
In the bed or the car
It's the end of the star
Burn yourself out
Do yourself in
Don't try to mend
All gods fall in the end

Be what you are
In the bed or the car
In the bath or the bar
It's the end of the star
Burn yourself out
Do yourself in
Don't try to mend
All gods fall in the end

Fail Fail the Idol
Fail Fail the Idol
Fail Fail the Idol
Fail Fail the Idol

All gods fall in the end

Valentino the sheik was the God of them all
But his macho was dented and he took a fall
Garland sang tragedy touching our hearts
But her life was a tragedy more than her art
Fabian and Avalon gold lamed and cute
Kissed fickle fame and went straight down the chute
Elvis the cat loved us tender with youth
But what we were seeing was never the truth
Just wanted to sing but fame made its demands
And died while still young trying to please all his fans
James was a rebel that stood for an age
A drink and a drive and then death took the stage
Poor Billie Holliday paid all her dues
When her close friend the needle gave her the blues
Janis at night cruised for boys on the strip
But death by the bottle is what made her hip
Marylin's beauty showed age every day
But her sinister end helped her keep age away

We love you, we love you
We love you, we love you
We love you, we love you
We love you, we love you

Brian Jones had an aura that Mick soon would crave
But pills and a pool set the scene for the grave
Jim lived his life to put edge to his songs
But he died in the bath to reach where he belongs
Jimi played notes that were all heaven-sent
But the drink and the drugs made sure that's where he went
Osmond and Cassidy records all gold
But they made the mistake of growing too old
Bolan got fat was not pleasant to see
But we loved him again when he met with a tree
Kurt was unhappy with fame and success
A gun in the mouth and one hell of a mess
And who will be next on the big cross of fame?
A white sequinned glove and a big famous name?


Happy Listening.