The subject of yesterday's post - Scritti Politti - would find fame and fortune after departing Rough Trade Records for Virgin Records.A similar outcome befell Aztec Camera after they left Rough Trade for a major.
I don't think I'm alone in thinking that they lost something upon signing to WEA, with none of the subsequent releases living up to the consistent brilliance of the 1980 debut High Land Hard Rain. However, there's no doubt The Boy Wonder (aka Roddy Frame) was always capable of writing the most amazing and memorable songs, albeit they were often ruined by the production fads of the day.
The 1987 LP Love spawned a huge hit in Somewhere In My Heart, as well as two other minor hit singles (and one total flop).
I'm not a huge fan of the album due to the naked ambition of the record label to make Roddy a pin-up poster boy for the Smash Hits generation. But it does have one track that stands out among the best he's ever written. It closes the LP and must be one of the most gorgeous songs ever written about Glasgow and its environs:-
As the city asleep
Shares its dreams and desires
Every wish that we keep
Will trace a line to other times, other places
Though the song of the proud
Howls and dies, never fall for defeat
Take a trip to reprieve
Every hour they leave
From Killermont Street
Drink a drink to before
And our memories spill
Adding on as they pour
From our Saturdays and secret sensations
Drink a drink to tonight
Whisky words tumble down in the street
With the pain that they cure
Sentimentally yours
From Killermont Street
And with collar upturned
I made it south to see
That the love I had spurned
Was just the hate in me
As the ships and the steel
Slip away to the cry of 'compete'
There's a message for us
We can get there by bus
From Killermont Street
Roddy Frame was brought up in East Kilbride, a town some 8 miles south of Glasgow. Growing up, he would only have got to the city by bus, and he would have arrived or departed at one of what were then two main bus stations in Glasgow city centre.
The largest of these is still in place today. Although it is known as Buchanan Bus Station, it is located on Killermont Street. You still get some buses to East Kilbride from there.......
mp3 : Aztec Camera - Killermont Street
As I said. Gorgeous.
Today's post is dedicated to Greer at A Sweet Unrest - a wonderful blog that combines music and poetry and which is the work of the a big fan of Roddy Frame.
14 comments:
Yup, you hit the audio nail on the vinyl head here Big Man. A glorious song. And I also agree with what you say about the ramifications of the move to WEA from Rough Trade. As a by-the-by, the cover art for High Land, Hard Rain is still my 'all-time' favourite album cover art.
I'm glad you mentioned Greer because every time I see any mention of Aztec Camera or especially Roddy Frame, I think of her. Glad to see I'm not alone.
I discovered Aztec Camera through Love, then worked my way backwards. As a result, although I do think Somewhere In My Heart was somewhat murdered by excessive radio play, I'll always have a fondness for the album, especially Killermont Street and How Men Are.
Thank you JC. Just about my favourite artist. Still. I guess at 15/16 when you fall in love with a band as I did, ironically from just down the road, it seems to mean so much more to you and never leaves you. I'm from EK originally, am still a huge fan of Roddy, sported my fringed jacket, long hair and cowboy shirts around the pubs and 'disco's' of EK back then at a tender age and yes, used to stand with my mum waiting for the bus back to Calderwood, EK (the other side of town to Roddy's Westwood). Had the pleasure of meeting him on a few occasions as he was an old friend of my sister's back in the Rough Trade/HLHR period. So as an expat who left Scotland 20 years ago now (gulp) this song means alot to me. As Roddy once said 'it's a song about Scottish migration where people left from the bus station on all kinds of journeys'. I'll vouch for that. I corresponded with David Band, the artist responsible for the HLHR, Walk Out To Winter artworks (as well as Spandau at the time). He's based in Melbourne now and sadly didn't have any prints. But I love this song. my facebook profile simply has a pic of the street sign. Sad but true. Stuck HLHR on last night. Still magical. Thank you and big love from Sydney.
Oh and i think it was '83 it was released.
JC, you should make this a series "Artists who moved from an Indie to a Biggie"
Killermont street in IMHO is to Glasgow what under the bridge is to LA a beautiful love song to the best wee city in the world
Son of the rock
Great selection JC from one of my top 3 fave artists! I wrote about Roddy myself recently... well first instalment anyway - so much to say!
Cheers for a great site.
Nev
So which song from Love was the "total flop"? I'm intrigued...it must be either Deep and Wide and Tall or Working in a Goldmine and I love both of those in equal amounts.
Deep and Wide and Tall got heaps of airplay and a massive label push in Asutralian in '88 ands it gives me a lovely nostalgic buzz everytime I hear it.
David....
Deep & Wide was the flop. #79 first time around and #55 on a subsequent re-release.
What Stevie said!
Think "Love" was 1987, though?
The production on the album was what killed it, though I love D&W&T. When Roddy plays Somewhere...accoustically, it can still melt my heart.
"Whisky words tumble down in the street..." Sigh.
sigh.
Thank you JC, I admire him so much and he is definitely a favorite as are you my friend.
And going on from Lorraine's point above, if the production on the later songs is too much for some, his two live albums (available through his online shop) will make it all better.
Fountains of Wayne do a cracking version of 'Killermont Street'. Think it was on a b-side or something. Not as good as the original of course, but cracking all the same.
Thanks. I assumed you meant D&W&T. It was either very late 87 or early 88 it was released in Australia and was everywhere (tv, radio) but doing a quick internet check it appears it didn't chart here either. Must have just been me buying a copy of each format.
Shame. Love the song, adore the video. Roddy's outfit in that video inspired my wardrobe for some time to come.
I concur the Love production (and Stray, Dreamland and Frestonia) all tend to put some people off but as a previous commenter wrote if you track down Roddy's two live solo albums you can here what amazing songs they really are.
Post a Comment