The decade that was the 80s is one that divides opinion on whether it was a good era for music. On the one hand, there were some really appalling things inflicted upon us.....Jive Bunny, Shakin Stevens, Joe Dolce, The Birdie Song, Cliff Richard being #1 every Xmas, Bucks Fizz, T'Pau, Bowie & Jagger destroying Dancing In The Streets, Agafuckingdoo, Phil Collins, Billy Joel and soap stars becoming pop stars (Kylie Minogue excepted!!)But on the other.....well, there's been loads of great and often long-forgotten bands featured here on TVV which hopefully more than make up for the monstrosities listed above (many of which remain staple diets of loads of 'classic' radio and video stations).
The track featured today came up on random shuffle on the i-pod the other day. It's one that sums up a lot of the 80s for me....new emerging bands that made intelligent pop records that were jaunty and upbeat...the soundtrack to the seemingly continuous demonstrations against the bomb, nuclear power, the ideologically-driven attacks against the coal industry, the apartheid regime, homophobia, racism and Thatcher/Reagan. Every other weekend in 1984 I seemed to be off somewhere or other determined to make my voice heard...
mp3 : Everything But The Girl - Native Land
mp3 : Everything But The Girl - Riverbed Dry
The line-up on this single was an indie supergroup with Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt being joined by Phil Moxham of Young Marble Giants fame on bass and June Miles Kingston who was part of Fun Boy Three and later on was with The Communards playing drums. Oh and Johnny Marr played harmonica.....
The single should have been a big hit. But it only reached #73 and it would take another four years and a cover version for EBTG to enjoy real success.
I got a wee tear in my eye watching that video. It really did take me back to times, places and events I had not thought of for a long while.
7 comments:
very well written and all that link love you just poured out, great post, if this was a forum you would have a sticky on this.
Kylie Minogue should not be excepted, she's shit as well, vacuous throw away fluff.
Great post, JC, and great tunes. In case anyone's wondering, June's been up to some great stuff lately, appearing on Max Eider's latest, "Disaffection" as well as creating a video for a single off it, "Analgesia". You can see it here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9rDzZQEy9to
DC
One of the best singles of all time. Definitely the best thing they've ever done!
Spot on JC!! And I have been to many a EBTG show where they pulled a Morrissey/Marr song out of their musical hat and did it proud! The fact is that Tracey and Ben have always approached everything they have done with real conviction from the intimate pop and jazzy-ness of Eden to the deep and techy house of Walking Wounded and Tempermental. If you have ever had the pleasure of enjoying a Ben Watt DJ set, it is always a crowd pleaser without being of the Lowest Common Denominator type you get most of the time. Tracey's solo work is beautiful and if they ever choose to record again as a unit, I will be the first on line to buy every format available.
Great post; many thanks for taking us all back to 1984. And perhaps it would be a nice idea to start a series with the old EBTG singles... they have some fantastic bsides that are kind of lost in time.
I have to second @Andre here! EBTG were always great on both sides of the vinyl! Prime example - Laugh You Out The House which was a b-side to Each and Everyone (I believe) outside the US, is my favorite track of theirs bar none! It is also one of the hardest to come by I have found. If you had the US version of Eden, which was eponymously titled, it was included as this album was a mash of singles and album tracks from Eden.
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