OH YOU HANDSOME DEVIL......

Go on.  Don't be ashamed to admit it.  The late and great Billy McKenzie was a fine looking chap.  With an amazing voice.  Even if most of his lyrics didn't make sense.  As can be heard on the 12" version of one of the few Associates tracks to crack the charts:-

mp3 : Associates - Club Country (extended)

The fault is, I can find no fault in you
Assault is say it or I'll say it for you
If we stick around we're sure to be looked down upon
What better way or should I say?

Alive and kicking


Alive and kicking at the Country Club
We're old and sickening at the Country Club
A drive from nowhere leaves you in the cold
Refrigeration keeps you young I'm told


Alive and kicking at the Country Club
We're old and sickening at the Country Club
Your limitations are our every care
Every breath you breathe belongs to... someone there


At all's two words could they be soldered as one
Therein lies the perfect pseudonym
To think you've learned to know someone and find
That you don't know don't know them at all


Alive and kicking


Alive and kicking at the Country Club
We're always sickening at the Country Club
A drive from nowhere leaves you in the cold
Refrigeration keeps you young I'm told


Alive and kicking at the Country Club
We're old and sickening at the Country Club
Your limitations are our every care
Every breath you breathe belongs to... someone there


Sad to see that you're suffering
Work hard at being a something
Sad to see that you're suffering
Work hard at being a something
Sad to see that you're suffering
Work hard at being a something


Alive and kicking at the Country Club
We're old and sickening at the Country Club
A drive from nowhere leaves you in the cold
Refrigeration keeps you young I'm told


Alive and kicking at the Country Club
We're always sickening at the Country Club
Your limitations are our every care
Every breath you breathe belongs to someone there

Quite.
 
Bonkers but brilliant with a bass-line unlike any other.  6 mins and 57 seconds of perfection. And unbelievable to think that its 29 years of age........and listening to it again earlier today brought back loads of great memories of dancing at Level 8 at the student's union of Strathclyde University.  Where have the years gone????
 
Here's yer b-sides:-
 
mp3 : Associates - A.G. It's You Again
mp3 : Associates - Ulcragyceptemol
 
Both are magnificent.  The former is a remix of the instrumental track Arrogance Gave Him Up which can be found on the LP Sulk, while the latter has Billy singing, yelling and screaming all sorts of gibberish over a tune that I think would make a tremendous goth anthem........(ie it reminds me of The Cure)
 
Oh and here's something a wee bit different for you:-
 
mp3 : Associates - Club Country (demo version)
 
Happy Listening.

A SET OF REMIXES TOO FAR FOR THIS FAN....

12 x 12 is the title of a series of  12-inch singles released by New Order  in February 2006 through a label called New State Recordings. The discs contain a mixture of both new and previously released remixes of   songs.

I didn't even try to seek them out at the time.  In fact I had forgotten all about them until I stumbled upon this in a second-hand shop a few weeks back:-

mp3 : New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle (Richard X Extended Remix)
mp3 : New Order - Jetstream (Arthur Baker remix)
mp3 : New Order - Shellshock (John Robie remix)
mp3 : New Order - Thieves Like Us (12" extended mix)

Even though I only paid £2 for the disc, I still felt a bit cheated.  The versions of Shellshock and Thieves Like us were no different from those released back in the mid 80s and I already had the originals on 12" singles.What made it words was that the sound quality on the 2006 disc was was way inferior to the originals.   Jetstream is an appalling song....I really hoped that Arthur Baker would do something special with it....perhaps turn into something akin to Confusion on which he had previously worked with the band. Sadly no....

To be fair, the mix of Bizarre Love Triangle is a bit different from others in the collection, but it is still inferior to the original.  Still.  Nothing ventured, nothing gained.

Here's a link to a live clip from 2008.  I'm somewhere in the audience......

http://youtu.be/Y8d91WpU4fo

Happy Listening.

ANYONE FANCY SOME EARLY BLUR?

The song that brought the early progress to a grinding halt.

Blur had enjoyed critical success with debut She's So High and then both critical and commercial success with There's No Other Way which reached #8 in the early summer of 1991.  But within weeks, and it literally was weeks, the Madchester sound and its 'baggy' variants which were being churned-out by so many British bands was totally out of fashion and grunge and Seattle were in vogue.

Bang stalled at #24 in July/August 1991.  The band later admitted that it was churned out in about 15 minutes as a response to the record company screaming for another obvious single for the debut Leisure released at the same time.  It took Blur an awful long time to recover commercially - three years to be precise - although the singles and album they released in 1992 and 1993 were as good as anything else in their long and illustrious career.

Here's the four songs from the 12" single:-

mp3 : Blur - Bang (extended version)
mp3 : Blur - Explain
mp3 : Blur - Luminous
mp3 : Blur - Uncle Love

Of the three b-side, Luminous perhaps gives an indication of the way the band wanted to go rather than try and churn out stuff that would appeal to the baggy brigade. You can also hear why the record company determined to chase chart positions were appalled.

A thought.

If someone had told you on the basis of Bang and the b-sides that Blur would turn out to be one of the most important and influential bands of the decade and early 21st Century - and that Damon Albarn would become such a revered figure in the music industry for the way he would branch out - you would surely have laughed out loud. 

Here's yer promo:-



Happy Listening

THE MONDAY CORRESPONDENT

I received a really nice e-mail the other day, and its author has very kindly allowed me to use its contents as the basis for a guest post:-

Your post on Temptation just thrilled me because it's my favorite New Order song of all time and I had never heard the 98 version or the live one you posted. Awesome. Thank you so much.


Since you like it so much I wanted to share two covers with you. They are both from a long gone band from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania called The Affordable Floors. If you were into alternative music in the late 80's and early 90's and you lived in Pittsburgh you were a fan of the Floors. They were an amazing band and it really sucks that they never got any national or international recognition. They got signed to a major label and recorded an album called 1000 Days. I was doing college radio at the time and got a promotional pre-release cassette of this incredible album. When we tried to get more we were told that we got it by mistake and should not have it and that we should send it back. We didn't and I made a copy. On this album was an awesome cover of Temptation, which had become a staple at their shows. I was heartbroken when the label tanked and this album never got released. Then my copy was borrowed and never returned and I thought I would never hear it again.

They then put out an independent CD a few years later called "All The Things I Meant To Be" which included re-recorded versions of some of the songs from their unreleased album, and it included a new version of Temptation. I was so happy to have that, but even though it had been years since I'd heard the first version I always remembered that I seemed to like it better. A little while ago the drummer from the floors put up a web page where you could download 1000 Days since it had never had a proper release all those years ago. So I'm happy to now have both versions on my iPod. They both have their merits so I thought I'd send you both. Enjoy.

Sincerely

Don

I did a wee bit of research and found an official website devoted for The Affordable Floors.

Here's the covers as supplied by Don:-

mp3 : The Affordable Floors - Temptation (1000 Days version)
mp3 : The Affordable Floors - Temptation (All The Things I Meant To Be version)

It's interesting to hear what I reckon would have been an archetypical college-rock type of band's take on what was, after all a song that straddled the New Order that leaned heavily on Joy Division and the New Order that was focussed on the dance-floor.  They've turned into a radio-friendly anthem and to my ears it sounds a bit like The Psychedelic Furs when they went pop albeit with an American vocalist.  There's other times when it reminded me of Deacon Blue.....

I'm not 100% convinced by the covers, but I reckon there will be folk out there who will really like them and I'm sure there's the many fans of The Affordable Floors, like myself now getting on in life, who will be pleased to see them get an all too rare mention in the blogosphere.

Happy Listening.

THE STORY OF SARAH RECORDS (Issue 1)

Dear Readers

I'm genuinely excited about this new Sunday series.

It all came about over a quiet pint in a Glasgow pub.  Comrade Colin from And Before The First Kiss wants to use TVV to tell the story of Sarah Records, the most indie and twee of all the indie and twee record labels there have ever been.   And I use indie and twee as compliments.  I won't waste any more time.  Here's the good comrade:-

IT'S ALL ABOUT YOU, SARAH

The best place to start, unless you are George Lucas, is at the very beginning. And so it will be here – from Sarah 001. This new series for The Vinyl Villain will be a complete (well, almost complete) run through the jingle jangle vaults of Sarah Records. Yes, that will be around one hundred postings, although, just to be clear, this series won’t go into much detail about the fanzines. Similarly, I won’t say an awful lot about the thirty or so 10” and 12” albums that were released by the label. Also, and I am very sorry about this, I don’t think I can really talk about the compilation releases either. I hate to be a purist about it all but the focus, for just now, is mostly with the 7” singles. That’s just the way of it, ok? The majority of the postings - but not all - will be ripped from the original vinyl (and flexi-disc), where feasible. That seems to be in keeping with the ethos at Jim’s house and I respect that enormously. Oh, um, and to stop it getting very boring or predictable I won’t necessarily post in chronological/release order and I won’t always feature the ‘A’-side. Ok then, that’s the points of order and disclaimers out of the way. Let’s begin.

Well, let’s almost begin. First some background – I guess that’s quite important, especially if you are wondering who this Sarah person is anyway. As you probably do know, Sarah Records was an independent label based in Bristol and Clare Wadd and Matt Haynes were behind it. The label came about as a kind of natural progression from involvement in fanzine culture (especially with Matt’s involvement in the truly shambolic and/or magnificent ‘Are You Scared to get Happy?’) around 1987. I guess this development is comparable to the way that blog culture today has spawned a few notable record labels (e.g. Song, by Toad, 17 Seconds etc.). The Sarah label was born, with its first release, in November 1987 and then died a very deliberate death in August 1995. Just eight lovely years, all told, and one hundred releases - with a memorable music newspaper advert entitled ‘A day for destroying things’ finishing things off for good. More of that much later on, though (and yes, true, Matt did follow up Sarah with the Shinkhansen label but that, for sure, is another story altogether).

So, where did it all begin? Well, released in November 1987, Sarah 001 is from The Sea Urchins. It was a three-track 7” single and it was ‘Pristine Christine’ that truly shined and was the ‘lead song’, the ‘A’-side, if such a thing ever existed with Sarah (I mean, to the credit of the bands and the label, the ‘B’-sides were hardly ever that shoddy really, certainly a lot better than any of the ‘A’ sides by bands like Kingmaker or, well, Toploader, I don’t know). I’m actually playing ‘Pristine Christine’, on repeat, as I type this out and it still sounds wonderful to me, summing up what the label was all about. As for The Sea Urchins, they formed in West Bromwich in 1986 and, for this release, they were James Roberts on vocals and acoustic guitar, Simon Woodcock on rhythm guitar, Robert Cooksey on lead guitar, Darren Martin on bass, Bridget Duffy on vocals, organ and tapping on a tambourine and Patrick Roberts on drums. They were stupidly young when they recorded this first single for Sarah and, of course, amazingly talented. Together they made a glorious noise and it was a truly fantastic start for the new label. The Sea Urchins will feature again in this series, but only a couple of times more, alas (the average life-span of a sea urchin is not one of its strengths you know – ten to twelve days apparently – though some do get to a grand old age, as much as thirty years. Um, sea-life lesson over.).

And, so, this is where it all began. Tune in next Sunday for more Sarah delights. It won’t be Sarah 002, I can tell you that much. But it won’t be Sarah 50 either (for that was actually a boardgame, called ‘Saropoly’ of course!).

mp3 : The Sea Urchins - Pristine Christine
 
Colin, Sunday June 26 2011

ONE SONG BY THE SMITHS....A SERIES FOR SATURDAYS (Part 42)

History was made not long before 10pm on Monday 20 June 2011 at the Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline.

A solo Morrissey performance of a song by The Smiths was better than the original.  That the original was this makes that last sentence all the more astounding:-

mp3 : The Smiths - I Know It's Over

Most fans say There Is A Light That Never Goes Out is THE highlight of the LP The Queen Is Dead, but I'll always argue that I Know It's Over is way superior.  Not only do I think it's the best ballad The Smiths ever recorded, I think it's the best ballad any band has ever recorded.  There can be no disputing that it is one of Morrissey's greatest ever vocal deliveries (if not the greatest).  And the arrangement is perfect.

It had been some 25 years since I last heard it performed live before the other night.  It wasn't just the high point of that particular gig but the most spine-tingling and moving few minutes of any of the 13 solo gigs I've seen over the years.  As the saying goes....he nailed it. 

It was stunning.  And with his band playing so quietly and gently that you hardly noticed them it hit me that Moz should stick to the ballads when re-visiting the songs of his old band nowadays.  It also was a sharp reminder that his voice is far better than his many critics give him credit for.

I Know It's Over - a song for which the word epic was invented.....

5 GREAT ALBUM TRACKS FOR FRIDAY (Part 21a)

As I admitted last week, I know all too well that Tindersticks are a band who you either get or don't get, and subsequently you either love or loath.   If you're in the latter camp, my apologies for them appearing here two Fridays in a row. 

Today's five tracks come from the 1995 LP called Tindersticks (which confuses the hell out of some folk as their 1993 debut was also called Tindersticks).

It is always a difficult for any act to follow up a debut LP which has blown away the majority of critics and given you a fanbase that adores the music.  Very few pull it off. 

Tindersticks took two years to follow-up their debut, which you will recall was named record of 1993 by a number of critics.  But the wait was more than worth it.  For Tindersticks (II) from 1995 is their true masterpiece.

The best part of 70 minutes of music over 16 tracks, ranging from an instrumental track (which bizarrely is entitled Singing) that clocks in at under a minute in length to the epic eight-minute plus soap-opera of My Sister, the lyric of which manages to be a mixture of black comedy and tragedy in one sitting.  This is an album with some of the most heartbreaking ballads ever recorded - Tiny Tears was later used as the song which accompanied the mental breakdown suffered by Tony Sporano in the outstanding TV series and was absolutely perfect for the scene - and the most perfect duet in Travellling Light in which two very world-weary voices accept that it truly is over.  No More Affairs has an astonishingly brutal lyric and if it had been recorded by a a mainstream artist would surely have been a world-wide smash (and no doubt would have been murdered in karaoke bars galore).  Cherry Blossoms is a part spoken-word number that has long been a live highlight and the strangely named Snowy In F# Minor will get you dancing!!  But there really is no track that lets this record down. Honestly.

On first listen, you might find yourself thinking that it's an album dominated by Stuart Staples deep and smoky vocal, but it really is the music that makes this record.  Loads of keyboards, strings and acoustic guitars throughout and some incredibly understated drumming and percussion.  The instrumental tracks (there are three of them have a cinematic feel to them)

Warning.  Do not come home late at night alone and half cut and put this LP on when you're feeling a wee bit sorry for yourself or a bit lonely.  You will be weeping buckets at the end.  It will seem as if you've listened to the soundtrack of your life and you will probably have also tanned in another bottle of red wine while doing so.  I'm sure I'm not the only one that's happened to.

I'm only allowed five tracks today.  It's a tough call. Especially as it's an album that really is best listened to from beginning to end (which is why I prefer the CD version than the vinyl......the need to first of all turn the LP over from Side 1 to Side 2 and then to dig out the second bit of vinyl for Sides 3 & 4 can spoil the mood).  And with no singles allowed, I cant include the above mentioned Travelling Light or No More Affairs, so taking a deep breath, here goes:-

mp3 : Tindersticks - El Diablo En El Ojo
mp3 : Tindersticks - Tiny Tears
mp3 : Tindersticks - Snowy In F# Minor
mp3 : Tindersticks - She's Gone
mp3 : Tindersticks - Mistakes

Again, if I was typing this tomorrow, I'd probably change my mind.

Here's promos from the singles I wasn't allowed to feature!!





And some alternative versions:-

mp3 : Tindersticks - El Diablo En El Ojo (live in Lisbon, October 2001)
mp3 : Tindersticks - Tiny Tears (Marc Radcliffe Show, February 1997)
mp3 : Tindersticks - Snowy In F# Minor (John Peel Show, January 1994)
mp3 : Tindersticks - She's Gone (live, ICSA London , November 1996)
mp3 : Tindertsicks - Mistakes (live, Bloomsbury Theatre, London, March 1995)

More next Friday......

NOWADAYS THE GREEN LOBBY WOULD OBJECT

And if you listen now
You might hear
A new sound coming in
As an old one disappears
See the world in just one grain of sand
You better take a closer look
Don't let it slip right through your hand
Won't you please hear the call
The world says


Put the message in the box
Put the box into the car
Drive the car around the world
Until you get heard

Now is the moment
Please understand
The road is wide open
To the heart of every man
A few simple words
So a mule could understand
He don't want tomorrow
If it's just crumbling into sand
Won't please hear the call
She says


Put the message in the box
Put the box into the car
Drive the car around the world
Until you get heard


Until you get heard


The World says
Give a little bit
Give a little bit of your love to me
Cos I'm waiting right here with my open arms
She says give a little bit
Give a little bit of your soul to me
Cos I'm waiting to behold your many charms
Is that love in the air
She says


Put the message in the box
Put the box into the car
Drive the car around the world
Until you get heard


Until you get heard
Until you get heard
Until you get heard
Until you get heard


Nice sentiments Karl, but think of the carbon footprint....surely there's a better way to get heard than clocking up the miles......

mp3 : World Party - Message In The Box
mp3 : World Party - You're All Invited To The Party
mp3 : World Party - Happiness Is A Warm Gun
mp3 : World Party - Nature Girl

A cracking bit of pop music from 1990.  All lovely and warm and perfect for a summer's day....not that we've had too many of them in Glasgow in 2011.  So far.....(he says more in hope than expectation).

Oh and surely I'm not alone in thinking You're All Invited To A Party is one of the the best rip-offs of the Rolling Stones circa 1964 there's ever been....(and yes, I know they were ripping off blues musicians by then).

AN ACCEPTED INDIE-POP CLASSIC, BUT.....

.......it took until its re-release on the third time of asking for it become more than a cult hit.

November 1988 was the first attempt.   Having considered it had been lost in the crazy way record sales traditionally go in the run up to Xmas, Go-Discs tried again in January 1989.

Then the track was given the remix treatment by star-producer Steve Lillywhite and in October 1990 this version was the one that propelled The La's to a #13 hit:-

mp3 : The La's - There She Goes
mp3 : The La's - Freedom Song

Even after all these years, it still has the ability to sound fresh and fantastic.

DID YOU KNOW THAT JOHNNY MARR CO-WROTE THIS HIT?

I had completely forgotten that he had written and played on one of the few solo hits that Kirsty MacColl ever enjoyed, with it reaching #23 in the summer of 1991.  As was the practice in those days, the single was released in a number of formats, and the one I have in the collection features a superb alternative mix of the single, a previous Kirsty hit, a hilarious duet with Billy Bragg and the LP version of the single:-

mp3 : Kirsty MacColl - Walking Down Madison (urban mix)
mp3 : Kirsty MacColl - Days
mp3 : Kirsty MacColl & Billy Bragg - Darling Let's Have Another Baby
mp3 : Kirsty MacColl - Walking Down Madison (LP extended mix)

The duet above was written by Fred Berk who was a member of 70s London punk act Johnny Moped and the song originally appeared on the 1978 LP Cycledelic.  And thanks to the wonders of the internet:-

mp3 : Johnny Moped - Darling Let's Have Another Baby

Oh and here's some footage of Kirsty performing the hit single on Top of The Pops some 20 years ago:-



And finally, something which is exactly what it says on the tin:-

mp3 : Johnny Marr - Walking Down Madison (instrumental demo)

Happy Listening.

MORRISSEY, MORRISSEY, MORRISSEY.......

I have no doubts that most of the audience going along to this evening's show at the Alhambra Theatre, Dunfermline will be doing the chant.  I will observe quietly from the sidelines all thw while hoping (and expecting) that the great man delivers a memorable performance and praying that the butchering of the classics from his old band is kept to a minimum.

I dont keep an exhaustive list of gigs that I've been to, but flicking through this excellent site makes me think tonight could be the 13th time I've gone to a Morrissey solo gig - and the seventh different Scottish city or town I'll have seen him perform.  I also was fortunate enough to see The Smiths play live on six occasions, so I've spent a fair amount of money on tickets, t-shirts and paraphernalia over the years, and most of it has been worth it.

I wanted to do something a wee bit different to mark tonight's event, and so I scoured the internet for something I knew existed but didn't have a copy. 

The NME and Morrissey have had an on-off relationship over the years.  Simon Goddard sums up succinctly:-

His history with the NME is a tragicomedy unto itself. In the 1970s, they shunned his attempts to join their exclusive club as a freelance writer, barring him at the threshold of their letter page and the classified columns.  Exacting the ultimate revenge, in the 1980s they lauded him as their pop saviour, the would-be critic having transformed himself into the object of their stupified desire. In the 1990s, as if suddenly humiliated by their sycophancy, they would try to destroy him.  And in the 2000s they would beg him back on bended knee only to end their affair once and for all with an act of monumental dull-wittedness.

The bended-knee approach incorporated a Morrissey-curated free CD given away with the 19 June 2004 edition of the NME.  The editor at the time, Conor McNicholas, penned these words:-

Morrissey hopes this compilation will say everything to you about your life, and maybe a little about his. Over the course of this CD Morrissey leads you by the hand from spiky punk to sun-kissed country grooves via bands he's influenced and new acts he's now consciously endorsing as the legacy of his talent and work.  It's a fascinating compilation and we're very proud to present it. Now it's all yours.

A wee bit over the top perhaps, but to be fair the 17 tracks are extremely diverse and as a free CD it is better than most (unbeatable value!!)/ I was going to be selective and pick out a handful, but thought it better to go for the bumper give-away.  There really should be something for everyone who reads TVV. At the same time, there will inevitably be stuff that gets on your tits.....

mp3 : Morrissey - The Never Played Symphonies
mp3 : The Killers - Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
mp3 : Gene - Fighting Fit
mp3 : Sparks - Barbecutie
mp3 : The Slits - Love Und Romance
mp3 : The Ordinary Boys - (Little) Bubble
mp3 : New York Dolls - Vietnamese Baby
mp3 : Franz Ferdinand - Jacqueline (live)
mp3 : Raymonde - No One Can Hold A Candle To You
mp3 : Ludus - Let Me Go Where My Pictures Go
mp3 : Sack - Colorado Springs
mp3 : Remma - Worry Young (Demo Version)
mp3 : Pony Club - Single
mp3 : Jobriath - Morning Star Ship
mp3 : Damien Dempsey - Factories
mp3 : The Libertines - Time For Heroes
mp3 : Sir John Betjeman - A Child Ill

Morrissey himself would release a copy of the Raymonde track later that year as a b-side:-

mp3 : Morrissey - No One Can Hold A Candle To You

Happy Listening one and all.

THE SUNDAY CORRESPONDENTS

Webbie from Football and Music was the bloke who got so many of us involved in keepingitpeelday back in last October. We had a wee exchange of emails afterwards - I congratulated him on what he achieved and he, among other things, said that he hoped I would do a posting on Kitchens Of Distinction.

His reason being "I was listening to Drive That Fast. What an epic song and a beautiful noise.

I said yes of course I would.

Problem was, I had very little knowledge of the band other than the fact I knew Comrade Colin had been a fan and had, on one of his former blogs, written about them in glowing terms. So I had to do my research, and more importantly, get listening to some songs.  But even then I still couldn't do it justice, so the good comrade has stepped in and bailed me out:-



What on earth is that sound?

Who is making it?

And how is that even possible?

I remember thinking all these things when I first heard Kitchens of Distinction. And, being of a certain age, I first heard them through a track on the cassette tape ‘Gigantic! 2’ that was released via Melody Maker/Rough Trade in 1990. It was a live recording of ‘Shiver’, a track from their debut album ‘Love is Hell’ (One Little Indian, 1989), that was included on the music paper compilation and I confess it haunted me for weeks and weeks.

It was the ethereal, shimmering sounds that appeared to be coming from what might have been several guitars with many effects pedals being put to good use. And that voice, my God, what a voice howling and bellowing with intent and rage, layer upon layer. It was 4 minutes and 43 seconds I would come to know very well as I couldn’t stop playing it on my old Sony Walkman and I think this was because, looking back now, this one song alone had all three of the essential ingredients that even today attracts me to the music I prefer to listen to: guitar playing that can stop you dead in your tracks, often featuring lots of effects and seemingly otherworldly sounds; lyrics that are thoughtful, cryptic, melancholic, playful and witty; and, lastly, a drum/bass mix that can make you feel as if your insides may spill out in seconds as the notes lurch from a drastic swoop to a literal howl. You know what you like, as they say, and I loved this band like no tomorrow.

Anyway, having eventually worn out that ‘Gigantic! 2’ tape with the hundredth ‘play/stop/rewind/play’ cycle, I ventured to the independent music shops to discover more delights from the Kitchens and it was a wonderful privilege to do so. I followed this band religiously from that first play of ‘Shiver’ until they split in 1996. I bought everything I could, from albums to EPs. I hunted for live cassettes at Music Fairs. I saw them play, usually staring at Patrick’s beautiful face, hard, or Julian’s pedal board. I also adored the shirts Julian used to wear, he had some classics. I liked Patrick’s glasses an awful lot. Dan had a smile that really meant something. And even still, many years later, there is no other band, to my mind, that can touch the sum of the parts that they each brought to the band and the creative fusion - the friendship - that was so evident when they played.

The magicians were: Daniel Goodwin who played drums, Julian Swales was on the guitars and Patrick Fitzgerald walloped his bass and penned the lyrics and sang his sweet, broken heart out – lyrics often touching on his identity and life as a gay man, at a time when to do so in ‘indie’ circles was not something that was as welcomed as it is, arguably, today. He put himself out there, writing about what he knew about in an honest, direct and brave way. And, no one played keyboards. That’s quite important to remember when you take a listen.

Please listen.

mp3 : Kitchens of Distinction – ‘Shiver’ (live) (4.43)

The place to start is this essential compilation. Or the aforementioned debut album.
Patrick still performs as Stephen Hero. Julian is a composer writing soundtracks for TV and film. I have no idea what Dan is up to, I’m afraid.

NB: This wee postcard was supposed to be a kind of ‘everything you ever wanted to know about the Kitchens of Distinction but were afraid to ask’. It didn’t quite happen that way, I’m afraid. I got rather caught up in remembering that first moment of hearing that one track, ‘Shiver’. It just took over. I might try again, another time, to define exactly why this band mattered so much and give them further words; words they so deserve, as you can tell.


And that dear readers seems as perfect a way to bring an end to the Sunday Correspondents series.  As with everyone who has contributed over the past 18 months, Comrade Colin has written with passion and soul and brought something special to this little corner of the blogosphere.

I'm not saying this is the end of guest contributions - I couldn't keep this going and get by without a lot of help from my friends - and from now on any posts sent in by readers will appear as and when instead of just a Sunday.

But I can revel that next Sunday sees the start of a new series on TVV....one that is probably the most ambitious so far and likely to enthral, entertain and educate loads of folk.  Including me!!!  Tune in next Sunday and find out for yourself......

THREE YEARS ON....AND STILL MY FAVOURITE ALL TIME 45

The original and best. All 8 minutes and 50 seconds of it-

mp3 : New Order - Temptation (12" version)

The 7" version isn't too shabby either:-

mp3 : New Order - Temptation (7" version)

The inferior but better known version thanks to Trainspotting:-

mp3 : New Order - Temptation 87

Moving on a few years:-

mp3 : New Order - Temptation 98

Here's the video and audio of my favourite live version:-



mp3 : New Order - Temptation (live at Montreux, 1993)

And a wee cover to finish things off:-

mp3 : Cobra Verde - Temptation

Fuck me I'm getting old.

5 GREAT ALBUM TRACKS FOR FRIDAY (Part 21)

Back at the beginning of January, I took a wee break from this series and instead highlighted 5 great non-album tracks by Tindersticks and said I'd get round to featuring my favourite 5 non-single album tracks.

OK, so it's taken a while. And the reason is partly that the series itself stopped as I took a break from blogging and then found it difficult to get right back in the saddle again.  But it is also the fact that I simply cannot narrow it down today.  No matter how hard I try.

And so what I've had to do is break it up into three parts.  There will be five tracks from each of the first two LPs and then another five from the remaining LPs.  I know it's a cop-out.  But I really cannot do justice to their work without having it in three parts.  I'm sitting here with 15 tracks written down in front of me and I just cannot cut them down to five.

I know all too well that Tindersticks are a band who you either get or don't get, and subsequently you either love or loath.  If you do love them, then you will hopefully have some empathy with me today.  I'm not saying everything they've released is fantastic - indeed I've been a bit disappointed with a few things, especially since Mark Two of the band came into being a few years back - but what I do find is that they are an act where it is best to decide to listen to an album in its entirety rather than skip through tracks.  And I rarely have them on shuffle on the i-pod as other than my all-time favourite LP track and a couple of the singles, I don't like to listen to their stuff in isolation.

There have been 8 studio LPs in all from the self-titled debut of 1993 through to Falling Down A Mountain in 2010.  It's from that self-titled LP that these five bits of musical magnificence come today:-

mp3 : Tindersticks - Milky Teeth
mp3 : Tindersticks - Jism
mp3 : Tindersticks - Raindrops
mp3 : Tindersticks - Her
mp3 : Tindersticks - Drunk Tank

The album was named Record of the Year by the music paper Melody Maker.  It was hugely acclaimed critically but slow to be picked up on by the record-buying public only reaching #56 in the charts on its release.  But it will be one of those records that has sold way way more in the years since its release than it did when it first hit the shops.

It has 22 tracks in all on four sides on vinyl (21 tracks only on the CD as the running time was too long for it to fit on a standard length CD).  And barely a second of time is wasted.  In naming it album of the year, the UK weekly paper Melody Maker summed it up better than I ever could:-

Tindersticks is sprawling, ambitious, faltering, brilliant, romantic, spontaneous, spooky, flawed and delightful.

And even more impressively was the fact they were magnificent when they played live, whether as a six-piece or supplemented by a horn section or on the odd occasion by a full-blown string section (which really was something to see and hear).

At least 12 of the non-single tracks from the debut could have made it today.  Jism was always a certainty as it remains my favourite bit of music the band have ever recorded.....the others only made the cut after a lot of soul-searching. 

And to show just how extraordinary good this lot were, here's some live or BBC session versions of some of them as well along with the original older version of Milky Teeth:-

mp3 : Tindersticks - Milky Teeth (original version)
mp3 : Tindersticks - Jism (live at the Bloomsbury Theatre, March 1995)
mp3 : Tindersticks - Raindrops (live at the Coliseu dos Recreios de Lisboa, October 2001)
mp3 : Tindersticks - Her (Mark Radcliffe Show, BBC Radio 1, February 1997)
mp3 : Tindersticks - Drunk Tank (John Peel Show, BBC Radio 1, April 1993)

Happy Listening

IT WAS A BIT REMISS OF ME

I wrote not that long ago of the surprising lack of chart success, singles-wise, for Elvis Costello. I really should have mentioned the fact that this is my all-time favourite single he's ever released:-

mp3 : Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Man Out Of Time

It was criminal that this only reached #58 in the charts.  I can't recall it getting much radio airplay back in 1982, but then again I wasn't really listening to much daytime radio in those days as I was too busy attending lectures at university.......(ha)

To be fair, it's not exactly the sort of song that lends itself to daytime airplay, thanks in part to the ear-splitting shrieks that open and end the song.  Plus at five and a bit minutes in length, it would just get in the way of the jingles and adverts.

Here's the b-sides from the 12":-

mp3 : Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Town Cryer (alternative version)
mp3 : Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Imperial Bedroom

The former is a rather different version of the closing track on the LP Imperial Bedroom while the latter, despite having that title, didn't appear on the LP until a mid 90s CD re-release.  Both are well worth a listen.

The first time I ever heard this single was a live TV appearance - I'm 99.99% certain it was on The Last Resort, one of the earliest shows that Jonathan Ross presented on Channel 4.  It was a truly majestic performance in which all of The Attractions showed off their talents, but in particular Steve Nieve on the piano. And thanks to the wonders of modern technology, some very kind individual has converted their near 30-year VHS copy onto youtube but sadly it seems to be set in a way that it can't be embedded elsewhere. Here's the link:-

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lYftZ0hd4FQ&playnext=1&list=PL765533D8C9211B8D

And having watched it again today for the first time in all those years, I reckon it is the definitive version:-

mp3 : Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Man Out Of Time (live)

Happy Listening

AS DEBUTS GO, THIS IS UP WITH THE BEST OF THEM...

Again my memory played tricks on me.  I had this in my mind as being 5 years ago at the very most.  Turns out the self-titled debut LP was released in the summer of 2004......

The sound made by The Futureheads is a notch about your average indie-guitar band. They remind me a lot of early XTC thanks to the catchiness of the songs, complete with sing-a-long choruses, particularly the debut single First Day.  And there is something quite beguiling about the fact that the vocals are delivered in their local accent - that of the Mackems from Sunderland (which is totally different and distinct from that of the Geordies in Newcastle).  Oh and all the songs are superbly short and sharp as well........

The fact that they came to most people's attention courtesy of a rather superb cover version of a Kate Bush number was a bit of a double-edged sword.  It was seen by some as a bit of a novelty and it totally distracted from the fact that their own compositions were every bit as good as the cover.  But it was the cover that helped take the debut album to #11 in the UK charts in March 2005, a full eight months after if first hit the shops.  Here's the four singles that were lifted from the LP:-

mp3 : The Futureheads - First Day
mp3 : The Futureheads - Decent Days And Nights (radio mix)
mp3 : The Futureheads - Meantime
mp3 : The Futureheads - Hounds Of Love (radio mix)

First Day really deserved to do a lot better than #52.  I think it is a cracking bit of indie-pop.  As I said above, it's very reminiscent of early XTC.

Decent Days And Nights was actually a hit twice over, in 2004 and 2005 when it was re-released as the follow-up to the hit cover.  On both occasions it reached #26.  Catchy as fuck is about as succinct a way as I can put it.

Meantime sounds like Wire on speed.  I can pay it no higher compliment.

As for the cover.....well I've always thought the best of them are when a band takes something quite unique when originally released and yet twists it into something that sounds as if they themselves have written and recorded it.....and The Futureheads more than achieve this with Hounds Of Love.  I think Ms Bush would have approved.

Here's a couple of promos:-





And here's a live acoustic version of the cover:-

mp3 : The Futureheads - Hounds Of  Love (Live Radio Session)

With thanks to Richard from the the ever-excellent To Die By Your Side for originally posting this years ago.....

Happy Listening.

YOU MUST REMEMBER THESE......

From around 1987 - 1996, a series of albums/tapes/CDs were issued on Beechwood Music, the aim of which was outlined in the sleeve notes:-

The Indie Top 20 series of indie chart hit singles.  The number one indispensable guide to the British independent music scene. Now up to the 23rd volume, nowhere on the planet can you find all these excellent singles on one CD.

The particular description for Volume 23, which came out in October 1996 said this:-

The Indie Top 20 is back once again with a priceless selection of the finest moments from the Indie Chart. Suede, Blur, The Boo Radleys & Ash have all been brought together on one album which really does highlight the breadth & strength of the scene in general.


We have also been lucky enough to include some bands who have never before been on the series such as Morcheeba, Collapsed Lung & Northern Uproar who are all creating a noise in the music industry at the moment & making people sit up & listen.

The full list of the songs and artists was as follows:-

Trash - Suede
What's In The Box (See Watcha Got) - The Boo Radleys
From A Window - Northern Uproar
Sale Of The Century - Sleeper
Charmless Man - Blur
Goldfinger - Ash
Your Smile - Octopus
Tape Loop - Morcheeba
Eat My Goal - Collapsed Lung
Born Slippy - Underworld
Goodnight - Baby Bird
Mouse In A Hole - Heavy Stereo
The Aim Indeed - Pusherman
Talk To Me - 60ft Dolls
Crabs - 18 Wheeler
Phasers On Stun - Urusei Yatsura
Are You Ready? - The Gyres
One In A Million - Sussed
I'm Doing Fine - TC Hug
Andrex Puppy Love - Orange Deluxe

Looking back now, it's easy to mock.  Outside of the songs that made the actual charts, it is quite hard to actually recall most of these.  It really was the fag-end of Britpop and most of the acts on the compilation weren't really on indie labels but the alternative smaller labels set-up, financed and controlled by the majors.  And so when Britpop went quickly out of fashion at the tail end of 96 and early 97, most of these acts were unceremoniously dropped and quickly forgotten about other than die-hard fans.

I've only got three of the Indie Top 20 in the CD collection - but this website provides details on all the releases in the series, including compilations and video releases.  It's fair enough to comment that all of the compilations had high and low points and there's at least one or two forgotten bands on each and every one of them. But somehow Volume 23 seems particularly poor and lacking in depth.

The sleeve notes end with this prophesy:-

The Indie Top 20 will be back in a few months to deliver another unique collection of what's going on at the cutting edge of the Indie scene. Until then relax & enjoy.

But there never was a Volume 24.  For such small mercies we should be grateful.  Anyhow, here's five songs I can't ever recall:-

mp3 : Octopus - Your Smile
mp3 : Heavy Stereo - Mouse In A Hole
mp3 : 18 Wheeler - Crabs
mp3 : TC Hug - I'm Doing Fine
mp3 : Orange Deluxe - Andrex Puppy Love

Of this lot, I vaguely remember 18 Wheeler as they were often quoted as being the band on top of the bill at King Tut's in Glasgow the night that Alan McGhee signed support act Oasis to Creation Records.  And I'm sure that one of Heavy Stereo would later join Oasis......(Just checked and turns out it was the case....Gem Archer is the bloke I had in mind...). 

Doing a bit more delving and it turns out that Octopus were a band from just outside Glasgow who released four singles and an album on Food Records (the one featured above reached #42),

Orange Deluxe might well have been unlucky.  The London-based quartet recorded an album which a few thousand copies indicating they had a fair sized fan base.  But before they could tour, one of their members broke his back playing football and by the time he was fit enough again to play guitar the world of music had moved on.

But I've drawn a blank on TC Hug.........

Happy Listening

IN WHICH THE B-SIDE IS A BRILLIANTLY TITLED LOVE SONG

and is also, in my humble opinion a better song than the A-side

mp3 : The Monochrome Set - The Strange Boutique
mp3 : The Monochrome Set - Surfing S.W.12

This was the band's fifth single.  It was released in 1980 on DinDisc.  The Strange Boutique was also the name of their debut LP.

Do you think the boys at Franz Ferdinand were influenced by The Monochrome Set?

Happy Listening

THE SUNDAY CORRESPONDENTS

I fear, dear readers, that the Sunday Correspondents series is coming to an end.

The cupboard was already very bare when I sent out a note asking for contributions consisting of great songs with crap videos.  Only two suggestions came forward - The Robster last week and this as suggested by Eric:-



I've asked Comrade Colin if he's be kind enough to close the series with a special piece on a band I've been asked by a few folk to write about. I've refrained from doing so as I don't know enough about them, although I have nabbed about a dozen of their tracks from different blogs over the years and always liked what I've heard.  But that's for another time.  For now here's your mp3 of the video:-

mp3 : Yo La Tengo - Avalon Or Someone Very Similar

Happy Listening

ONE SONG BY THE SMITHS....A SERIES FOR SATURDAYS (Part 41)

I think the photo gives away the fact that today's song is one of the instrumentals:-

mp3 : The Smiths - Money Changes Everything

The b-side to Bigmouth Strikes Again, this was the second instrumental track the band released.  There's no mistaking that this is a Johnny Marr tune, and it would have been interesting to see what sort of lyric Morrissey could have come up with for it if he had the inclination.  That the band were determined to see if regarded as a fully-fledged part of the canon can be seen from it becoming the first ever instrumental incorporated into set-lists when it was played throughout the 1986 tour of North America, as evidenced here:-

mp3 : The Smiths - Money Changes Everything (live, Laguna Hills, August 1986)

But who would ever have thought Bryan Ferry was familiar with the work of The Smiths?  It's long been a contention among the purists that he worked with Johnny post break-up to put a lyric to the tune and deliver a Top 40 song in October 1987:-



Maybe Mozza was right to give the tune a wide berth after all........

Happy Listening

IN WHICH THE B-SIDE IS NAMED AFTER A FORMER DRUMMER...

About 18 months or so ago I did a piece about The Monochrome Set and was very pleasantly surprised that a lot of folk left behind comments saying that they were also fans.

For anyone not sure who the hell I'm on about, I'll repeat what I said back then:-

The original line-up consisted of Indian born lead singer and principal songwriter Bid (real name Ganesh Seshadri), Canadian guitarist Lester Square (real name Thomas W.B. Hardy), drummer John D. Haney, and bassist Charlie Harper. The band went through several bassists in the next few years, including Jeremy Harrington, and Andy Warren of the Ants, a childhood friend of Bid.
Experimental filmmaker Tony Potts began collaborating with the band in 1979, designing lighting and stage sets with film projections for their live appearances. The band's early persona was defined by the shadowy, uncertain stage images created by the films to such an extent he is often described as being the band's "fifth member."


They released several singles for the Rough Trade label before recording their debut album, "Strange Boutique", produced by Bob Sargeant, for Virgin Records' imprint DinDisc in 1980, as well as their follow-up effort, Love Zombies, produced by Alvin Clark and the band later that same year. John Haney left the band in 1981 and was replaced by Lexington Crane.


In 1982, the band switched labels to Cherry Red to release their third full-length album, Eligible Bachelors, produced by Tim Hart. Lester Square and Lexington Crane left soon afterwards, and were replaced by keyboardist Carrie Booth and drummer Nicholas Weslowski. This line-up recorded 1982 single Cast a Long Shadow, for Cherry Red before Booth was in turn replaced by new lead guitarist James 'Foz' Foster.


In 1983, Cherry Red released Volume, Contrast, Brilliance... sessions & singles vol. 1, a retrospective of the band's early Rough Trade singles, BBC and Capital Radio sessions, and other unreleased early sessions.


In 1985, with the same line-up as on Cast a Long Shadow, The Monochrome Set recorded the relatively mainstream album The Lost Weekend for major label Warner Bros. Records. The Lost Weekend failed commercially, and after a few singles, the band officially broke up, though they served as Jessica Griffin's backing band on the first album by the Would-Be-Goods, The Camera Loves Me.


In early 1990, Bid, Lester Square and Andy Warren reformed the band, with the addition of keyboardist Orson Presence and drummer Mike Slocombe (who was quickly replaced by Trevor Ready). The new band toured extensively—especially in Japan, where Bid had become a major star.


The band released several low-key albums for Cherry Red Records during the 1990s, and has been on hiatus since 1998, though Bid has since recorded a number of albums with his new band, Scarlet's Well. The song "He's Frank" appears on the popular tv series "Heroes" in the second season.
The band reunited on 8 October 2008 for a one-off performance at Cherry Red's 30th Anniversary party at Dingwalls, London. It also marked the 30th year of The Monochrome Set. Bid, Andy Warren and Lester Square were joined by Jennifer Denitto (drums) and Sian Dada (keyboards) of Scarlet's Well, and performed 13 songs.


Do you want to know something else about this largely-forgotten band? They were big favourites of both Johnny Marr and Morrissey....and musically and lyrically they were an influence on the Manchester magicians. All sound quite interesting doesn't it???

I've a couple of their old singles in the cupboard full of vinyl thought I'd give you the chance to have a listen.  Today's is the band's first single for Cherry Red, released in 1982:-

mp3 : The Monochrome Set - The Mating Game

How can you just not want to dance around the room while singing along??? 

There's also a cracking but not entirely serious little b-side written about and dedicated to the band's original drummer John Haney who had taken his leave of the band just before they moved across to Cherry Red:-

mp3 : The Monochrome Set - J.D. H.A.N.E.Y.

OK.....it might not be 'cracking' in the sense of a brilliant and memorable song, but as a kiss-off to a mate and former colleague, it takes some beating.

The thing is.....the band played in Glasgow a few months back and I missed them as I only heard about it afterwards.  And I'm kicking myself for it.

For all sorts of reasons, I've been struggling to keep up with what's happening musically in 2011.  I haven't bought all that much and whereas I used to be an avid reader of blogs and sites that kept me up to date with what was happening, I just haven't done it at all this year.  I reckon this time in 2010 I had been to maybe 30-40 gigs of all shapes and sizes.  In 2011, I'm still waiting to get along to my first one. 

Must get my act in gear..........

5 GREAT ALBUM TRACKS FOR FRIDAY (Part 20)

OK.

I know its Thursday, but I've brought this post forward by 24 hours as it allows me to share a wee bit of news with you.

Butcher Boy have inked a deal with a new label.....and the long-awaited new LP is likely to hit the shops next month.  I'm indebted to this interview that guitarist Basil Pieroni gave to the Indietracks blog the other day:-

Today our interviews for 2011 reach double figures, which means that the festival is getting ever closer! We're delighted to be chatting to Basil from Butcher Boy ahead of the release of their much-anticipated new album Helping Hands later this summer. Butcher Boy are from Glasgow in Scotland and have been performing since 1997. Their debut album ‘Profit in Your Poetry’ was released in 2007 on London-based label How Does It Feel To Be Loved?. Their second album, ‘React or Die’ was then released in April 2009 and received ecstatic reviews, including glowing five star reviews in the Times and Sunday Telegraph.


This summer, their latest album ‘Helping Hands’ will be released (hopefully in time for Indietracks!) on Damaged Goods. And as Basil mentions, the forthcoming Indietracks 2011 compilation (available from next Monday!) will be the first chance to hear one of the new Butcher Boy songs!


Hi Basil, Tell us a bit about the new album Helping Hands. Which are your favourite songs from the new record?

Wow - straight in with the hard questions! There's lots of changes of tempo and feel and three instrumental tracks on the album, so it's hard to choose. But as we're giving the Indietracks compilation a download of 'I Am the Butcher' I'll go for that as my favourite for today. This is the first track from the new Butcher Boy album Helping Hands available anywhere! It's a weird wee song that sounds Scottish and vaguely Spanish at the same time and swings along with what the old folks refer to a 'a good beat'. The title references the band's name of course, and one of John's favourite French films 'Le Boucher', so thematically there's a lot going on even before you get your ears around the lyric. I also got to make a nice twangy sound with my Guild Duane Eddy guitar and a plate reverb - and if the kids don't like that then there's no hope (these opinions and observations may not necessarily reflect those of the band, or anyone else for that matter...).

Butcher Boy seem to play live very rarely. Would you like to play more shows or go on tour?

I think we'd all like to be making music full-time but with the exception of our string players we make our livings doing other things. If we were younger (specifically me!), or doing less demanding jobs, or had fewer commitments then we'd probably try and play more shows. However, I think that because we don't play live that often, when we do it means more to the band than if we played regularly. We're not about to become blase or jaded any time soon!


We want to do more shows around the album launch (hopefully July, definitely through Damaged Goods). We actually enjoy touring, we treat it as a holiday where you go out every night in a different town and meet old pals.

You've played in bowling clubs, libraries and film theatres in the past. What do you think makes a perfect venue for a Butcher Boy show?

Anywhere that isn't a regular 'rock' venue works well for us - we try to make each show special and memorable for everyone involved and on a pragmatic level there's too many of us to fit on most stages. Having said that, some of our best shows have been at the likes of the Luminaire and Metro (it has been a long time between tours...). I fancy doing a tour of arthouse cinemas or community centres in the Scottish highlands.

What are your favourite memories from playing Indietracks in 2009?

Oh, we had a blast in 2009! Indietracks is a real gem of an event, like a church fete without the religion and better music. It's the only time we've played a festival and it was a lot of fun. In fact it was the first time most of the band had even been to a festival...So there's no-one more surprised than us that playing in the daylight worked and that we enjoyed it.


My favourite memory was seeing Cats on Fire play in the engine shed - they were on magnificent form. I'd promoted a show in Glasgow for them a couple of days before and had the pleasure of their company as houseguests so I was rooting for them anyway, but it felt like my team won!

Who are you looking forward to seeing at this year's festival?

We did a day trip in 2009 but we'll be there on the Saturday for the duration this time. I'm hoping to catch Edwyn Collins as he's as close to a hero as I have these days. The Hidden Cameras are insanely good live so I'm looking forward to seeing them and singing along. We haven't seen the running order yet so I'm hoping to avoid a clash (hint, hint). Also, our John is doing some National Pop League style dj-ing and that, along with real ale, is a cast iron guarantee of a good time! I'm also looking forward to having time to see some new bands and hopefully take a train ride.

Thanks Basil - can't wait to see Butcher Boy at the festival!

So that's 3 great bits of news:-

(1) Butcher Boy are playing the Indietracks festival.  More info here
(2) Butcher Boy have a new home at Damaged Goods.  More info here
(3) Butcher Boy are previewing a song from the new LP on a compilation LP called Indietracks 2011 which is available to download from 13 June

I was tempted to keep Butcher Boy back from inclusion in this series until Helping Hands was released.  But the fact is, having been lucky enough to have been at the studio for the album playback, as well as getting to hear a number of the tracks played live at the end of 2010, then its very likely the five tracks would have been lifted from the next LP.

So for now, here's my five favourite Butcher Boy LP tracks.  Actually, my five favourites today.  For if I was typing this tomorrow, there's every chance it would be different songs altogether.  They simply have never  put a dull bit of music out there.....and I love each song/tune as much as the next.  But for now, enjoy these five:-

mp3 : Butcher Boy - There Is No-One Who Can Tell You Where You've Been
mp3 : Butcher Boy - I Could Be In Love With Anyone
mp3 : Butcher Boy - I Know Who You Could Be
mp3 : Butcher Boy - When I'm Asleep
mp3 : Butcher Boy - You're Only Crying For Yourself

Back in November 2008, I tried to get folk interested in Butcher Boy by saying:-

Butcher Boy are a Glasgow band, one that was first brought to my attention by Comrade Colin who is currently temporarily residing in Seattle. With a sound that consists of piano, strings and horns on top of the traditional guitars, bass and drums, Butcher Boy have the feel and sound of something that is the offspring of a union between Belle & Sebastian and Tindersticks. Oh and on some of the songs, it could be The Smiths crossed with Lloyd Cole & The Commotions....oh and I also hear some Ballboy....and The Delgados.


OK...so I've hopefully name checked enough influences to get a few of you interested, but I also need to say that Butcher Boy are no mere pastiche or homage to others . This is a hugely mature record jam packed with joyous and beautiful tunes that will leave you scratching your head in wonderment that the band remain so obscure.  (I was talking about their debut LP)

Twelve months later, I said this:-

I didn't think Butcher Boy would be capable of topping their debut album - very few bands ever do. But React Or Die has shown itself to be a magical collection of 10 songs. I'm almost tempted to call it a work of perfection, but to do so by definition will mean it cannot ever be bettered.....so I will settle for calling it the best record of 2009.

I think you can see I'm a fan.  I'd love all TVV readers to become likewise.

You can visit Butcher Boy at their myspace site right here.

Oh and you can buy the first two LPs direct from their former record label here.

Happy Listening,

PS : The first track of the five just happens to be the ringtone on my mobile phone!!

PPS : Here's a bonus cover version:-

mp3 : Butcher Boy - a cover that can't be named

(Hint....Spruce Bringsteen track that won an Oscar)

NOT AS GOOD AS THE STUFF WITH HIS OLD BAND

Back in 2007, having just come back from seeing Jarvis Cocker on stage during the tour that was to promote his debut solo LP, I used the blog to describe said show as patchy, which was also the word I used to describe said debut LP.

I gave the LP a listen again the other week for the first time in ages, and I'm still not convinced entirely by its contents.  Having said that, I think I was a tad harsh at the time.  Maybe it was the disappointment of him having seemingly been away so long and not producing a masterpiece that led to the comments rather than being completely subjective about things.

This was the first single taken from the LP:-

mp3 : Jarvis - Don't Let Him Waste Your Time

I actually bought this unheard.  I did do so because a local indie record store was doing a deal that you could buy all three formats of the single for £4 - that was a CD plus 2 x 7" bits of black plastic.  When I first played it, I wasn't sure what to make of it.  I liked the lyric but wasn't so keen on the tune.  It's one of those songs that even today, I still don't mind hearing every now and again when it comes up on random play but am glad it is likely to be a while before it comes on again (unless I'm really unlucky when I hit reset).

It's just not a classic Jarvis Cocker record. 

And going by the poor sales of his solo stuff, I'm seemingly not alone in that view.  This single reached #36 and is the only hit 45 he has enjoyed as a solo star, while neither of his two LPs have set the heather on fire.

Nevertheless, he's still one of the most talented and original pop stars of my generation and I'll no doubt go out and buy his next set of new material.

Here's you b-sides:-

mp3 : Jarvis - One Man Show
mp3 : Jarvis - Big Stuff
mp3 : Jarvis - The Mouse, The Bird And The Sausage

The last of these is a spoken word piece and was on the CD single along with a karaoke video for his track Running The World.



Happy Listening.

I WAS SO SURE THIS WAS A #1 HIT....

It seemed at the time, which was the summer of 1998, that whenever you switched on a radio. or indeed went any place where music was played to entice in customers, Fatboy Slim was blaring out of the speaker(s). I was certain that it had hung around the charts for months, including an extended stay at the top spot, but it turns out to have peaked at #6. It also didn't spend all that many weeks on the chart, but I'm guessing that DJs, radio producers and whoever it responsible for putting together packages of music for shops and pubs came to a collective decision that the song would be the anthem of the Summer of 98 (and I was again amazed to realise it was all of 13 years ago....)

Now I'm far from an expert in dance music, but there's something about The Rockafeller Skank that makes it a significant and memorable dance record. Maybe it's just the fact that it made such an seamless crossover to the mainstream, or perhaps its joy and beauty lies in the simplicity of its repeated lyric. No matter what, I'm a fan.

mp3 : Fatboy Slim - The Rockafeller Skank (short edit)
mp3 : Fatboy Slim - The Rockafeller Skank
mp3 : Fatboy Slim - Always Read The Label
mp3 : Fatboy Slim - Tweakers Delight

The track entitled Tweakers Delight, has to be played very loud or through a reasonably good set of headphones for maximum effect.  Some of you however, will find it particularly annoying. It may also upset any dogs in the immediate vicinity.  Always Read The Label is almost as catchy and infectious as the lead track......

Oh and a wee footnote.

The info on the single says 'Rockafeller Skank is taken from the forthcoming Skint album "Let's Hear It For The Little Guy" ' when in fact the album, when it was released four months after this single was called You've Come A Long Way, Baby.  I've no idea why there was the late change of mind.

THE PEEL SESSIONS (Part 2)

The retuen of a series which will feature when I cant really come up with anything original to say or do.

Loads of great acts went into the studios and recorded sessions for the John Peel Show over the years. Indeed there are blogs out there dedicated to bring you the best of these.

Many of the acts in questions have gathered these sessions (along with others recorded for other BBC shows) and made them available as LPs or as tracks on b-sides to singles.

Back in 2000, Magazine put together an excellent 3-Cd box-set called Maybe It's Right To Be Nervous Now, which was subtitled 'A Collection including Rarities, B-sides and Peel Sessions'.  The third of the CDs has 15 tracks drawn from four sessions recorded in February 1978, July 1978, May 1979 and January 1980.  I was tempted to go for one from each session but thought it would be more interesting to feature the session from July 1978:-

mp3 : Magazine - Give Me Everything (Peel Session)
mp3 : Magazine - Burst (Peel Session)
mp3 : Magazine - I Love You Big Dummy (Peel Session)
mp3 : Magazine - Boredom (Peel Session)

The first track was the only completely new song and was eventually released as a single four months later.  One of the great lost singles of the psot-punk era if you will allow me to offer my opinion.

The second track was lifted from debut LP Real Life and in the typically perverse style adopted by Howard Devoto it was one of the most prog-rock tracks on the record, so why now go for a Peel Session version where punk was so in vogue....

The third and fourth tracks are covers.  No let me re-phrase that.  The third and fourth tracks are blistering covers of songs originally recorded by Captain Beefheart and Buzzcocks respectively.

Readers of old will know that the decision to reform and tour is one that gave me a huge amount of pleasure.  I see they are on the road again soon.  Hope they make it north of the border again....

Here's some footage from way back when......



Happy Listening