I've a fair number of singles/EPs/LPs by Cocteau Twins and Everything But The Girl in the collection. Yes, I've bought much of the stuff for the music, but I've also been attracted to both bands by the talents of their vocalists, Elizabeth Fraser and Tracey Thorn.
However.....I reckon my favourite songs that they have ever sung on are by Massive Attack.
Protection can be found on the LP of the same name, and was also released as a single in January 1995, climbing to #14 in the charts. It's a song that I find moving and uplifting in equal measures, and it was a touch of genius to ask Tracey to take the vocal as her voice is that great mix of strength and fragility that holds together a truly amazing piece of music.
Teardrop is on the LP Mezzanine, and it was released as a single in April 1998, reaching #10, and in the process becoming the biggest hit for Massive Attack, and indeed for any record that featured Elizabeth. A stunning five and a bit minutes of beauty.....it slides along perfectly, and just as you think the vocal has finished and you're into the fade out with the music she comes back at you with a final cry of 'it's tumbling down.....' and then the gorgeous instrumentation begins again.
Oh and of course both songs came with videos that were truly groundbreaking....
This is a song about something there there is something about this song we did the clubs what ass i was hoping to have her in the sack i was looking handsome she was looking like an erotic vulture i was all dressed in black she was all dressed up in black every thing was fine down here what you call it here
call it what you will here way down down down in this subbacultcha her warm white belly in the life i'd lived had seen nothing
finer she shakes and she moves me or something she's like jellyroll like sculpture i was wearing eyeliner she was wearing eyeliner it was so good down here saving for my scrapbook here way down down down in this subbacultcha now we live on the sea and relax and ride the tack drug running on this panamanian schooner she walks the deck in a black dress and me i dress up in black and we listen to the sea and look at the sky in a poetic kind of way what you call it when you look at the sky in a poetic kind of way you know when you grope for luna.
mp3 : The Pixies - Subbacultcha (Peel Session)
Recorded in June 1991. By FAR the best version of one of the best sings they ever recorded.
Nothing was made available between February 96 and July 97 but it was a period when Edwyn Collins was busy producing loads of other acts.
The single that climbed into the charts, reaching #32, was already well known to loads of folk thanks to it appearing over the closing credits of the movie Austin Powers, International Man Of Mystery which had been released earlier in the year.
Infectiously catchy if a wee bit annoying after too many back-to-back listens:-
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - The Magic Piper
It was made available on 12" single as well as 2 x CDs. The 12" had The Macrame Mix of A Girl Like You (as first made available on the Expressly EP back in October 94) along with this new songs:-
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - Welwyn Garden City
CD1 had three other new songs:-
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - More Than You Bargained For
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - Red Menace
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - It Takes A Little Time
CD2 also had Welwyn Garden City as well as two versions of another new song:-
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - Who Is It?
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - Who Is It? (halterbacked by the Victorian Spaceman)
Regular readers may recall that the Victorian Spaceman (aka Sebastian Lewsley) had previously worked on one of the many remixes of A Girl Like You that had been made available at some point or other.
Welwyn Garden City is a four-minute instrumental with vocoder that is more irritating than inspirational.
And while it was good to get all the new songs to listen to at the time, the sad thing was that More Than You Bargained For and Red Menace are tracks that are quite easily forgotten.....in other words bog-standard fillers. It Takes A Little Time is a track that can be listened to a few times and is the four minutes that redeems an otherwise disappointing CD1.
I can't get over how similar in some ways the opening to Who Is It? sounds like Wrapped Around Your Finger by The Police....which has always put me off the track. And yet it has a really good lyric - one that has Edwyn seemingly questioning the futility of a career in pop music, and so it does have a place on the i-pod shuffle, albeit one that I sometimes skip when I'm not in the mood. The remix is just strange.......
This is a series that I'd completely forgotten about!! The plan was to give you the opportunity to listen again to old 45s by Radiohead together with the other tracks released on various CD singles. Past efforts have featured No Surprises, Paranoid Android, Highand Dry and Knives Out.
The reason the series was kick-started in the memory banks was me chancing on the genuinely creepy and disturbing promo video for Karma Police on a video channel on satellite telly the other night.
Released in August 1997, the single reached #8 in the UK singles charts. Years later, Thom Yorke was happy to explain in a newspaper interview that the song was about stress and and as for the lyrics "It's for someone who has to work for a large company. This is a song against bosses. Fuck the middle management!"
And given some of the struggles I've often had in the workplace over the years, that will do nicely enough for me.
As for the b-sides.....
mp3 : Radiohead - Meeting In The Aisle
mp3 : Radiohead - Lull
mp3 : Radiohead - Climbing Up The Hills (Zero 7 Mix)
mp3 : Radiohead - Climbing Up The Hills (Fila Brazillia Mix)
Meeting In The Aisle is an instrumental that is very James Bond-esque while and Lull is a terrific wee songs that would not have sounded out of place on OK Computer....both are proof that the band were in a very rich vein of form in that particular era. The remixes are of course of one of the tracks from that very LP, both by UK electronica acts, and both are radically different and longer than the original.
As written back in 2006 when this single appeared:-
Clean George IV make a kind of racket they like to call 'pop-rock'. Originally from Edinburgh they have been together for around a year (in various guises/lineups), have already supported Babyshambles and Clor and count Bloc Party’s singer, Kele Okereke, and drummer, Matt Tong, among their fans, as well as a veritable legion of other indie players... They comprise of mainman/flagship George McFall and various musicians stolen from other bands. They are equal parts Eno, Devo, Erasure and Country (Big).
It was one of the other bloggers who alerted me to this. Could very well have been Ed over at 17 Seconds. Saw it in a shop soon after and bought it.
Hugely misogynist title. Don't take it literally........
mp3 : Clean George IV - First Blast Of The Trumpet Against The Monstrous Regiment Of Woman
mp3 : Clean George IV - The Great Highland Crack Epidemic
Fabulous stuff.
Oh and thanks to said Ed from 17 Seconds for pointing out the files hadn't been loaded. Blame the heat.....
The third of the singles from the 84-89 era as appears on the compilation LP wasn't a 45 as such.
BEG120 was a EP entitled Call For Escape Route. It featured five tracks, three of which were on a 12" single while the other two were on a 7" single that came with it. I know....it would just have been as easy to have all five tracks on the one bit of vinyl. But The Fall never do things the easy way.
This was one of the tracks on the 7":-
mp3 : The Fall - No Bulbs 3
See...it is The Fall you can dance to.
The personnel were:-
Bass – Steve Hanley
Drums – Karl Burns
Drums, Keyboards – Paul Hanley
Guitar – Craig Scanlon
Guitar, Vocals – Brix Smith
Vocals, Piano – Mark E. Smith
This is still a fantastic sounding piece of indie-funk some 17 years after it was first released:-
mp3 : Black Grape - In The Name Of The Father
mp3 : Black Grape - Land of 1000 Karma Sutra Babes
mp3 : Black Grape - In The Name Of The Father (Choppers Mix)
By all rights, Black Grape should not have been a success after the way that Happy Mondays had broken up. But the talent and genius of Shawn William Ryder should never be underestimated. Having said that, the remix version of the single is a bit dull.
A #8 hit in the UK. But the Americans never took to it. I guess radio stations were scared of the backlash from the religious fanatics if they put it on the playlists.
A #30 hit in the UK singles charts in 1992, the same year that Sugar took the UK by storm, with the album Copper Blue winning out at the end of year poll in the NME.
Having toiled away for years with Husker Du in which record sales didn't come close to matching the critical acclaim that came from all directions, Bob Mould thoroughly deserved the fame and fortune that came his way with his next band. Having said that, it didn't seem to make the notoriously miserable and cantankerous frontman any the happier and less than two years later the band had broken up.
I can't claim to be any sort of expert on the life and work of Bob Mould, but I know a man who is. Take a trip over to Mike at Manic Pop Thrills (just click here) and type in 'Bob Mould' to a wee search engine at the top of his blog. You'll find loads of informative stuff.
Me? Well I do highly recommend this CD single:-
mp3 : Sugar - If I Can't Change Your Mind
mp3 : Sugar - The Slim (BBC Session)
mp3 : Sugar - If I Can't Change Your Mind (BBC Session)
mp3 : Sugar - Where Diamonds Are Haloes (BBC Session)
I had the time of my life a couple of weeks back when a group of friends from Canada came over to Scotland and fulfilled their dreams of playing golf on some of the finest courses there are in Scotland.
I was with them every step of the way from their arrival in Glasgow on 2 May. I stayed with them at their rented house in Edinburgh, acted as their tour guide to all the golf courses, distilleries pubs and restaurants throughout their packed itinerary. It was great to be with them and the memories will live long.
The only downside was that their stay meant there was no point in me trying to get a ticket for the Dexy's Midnight Runners gig in Glasgow on Sunday 6 May as I was a long way away from the city that day and night. I knew I was going to miss something special.
Amazingly, the night I got back to Glasgow I bumped into my sidekick Aldo on the train back home. He told me the gig was the most amazing thing he'd ever seen, but beyond words to try and describe.
The next day I spoke to my boss at work. He too said it was something that was beyond words...even his teenage kids had come away blown away by the brilliance of the show.
And then to top it all....a very dear friend whose musical taste is as wide and eclectic as anyone I know....and someone who under the name of cullen skink has written some excellent pieces for TVV over the years got in touch to say that while he too thought the show was beyond words he was going to try...so much so that the gig inspired him after all these year to start up his own blog. And without shame or embarrassment, I'm lifting his review straight from said blog:-
Yesterday I wrote on Facebook... "A band makes three albums. Their stock-in-trade is emotion without restraint, expression without compromise. Soul-baring belligerence. You're a teenager and they're your favourite band. You listen to their three albums more than any others, throughout your teens and beyond. They make a fourth album. And you find yourself in your forties. HOW DO YOU FEEL?" ...a roundabout way of saying that I was going to see Dexys. And that listening to Dexys has been an intrinsic part of my life. But I'm not that teenager any more. Different things appeal to me. So who was to say the emotional extremes of Dexys would still ring true? I needn't have questioned it. The show was billed as a performance of the new album One Day I'm Going to Soar. I've listened to clips online - and it sounds promising. But live and in its entirety... it was incredible. If any other band made an album after 27 years away, it'd be irrelevant, probably regrettable. But this set of songs is VITAL. It's pure Dexys - passionate soul music full of ideas, incredible singing, conversation, Kevin Rowland beating himself up. Cottiers Theatre was an unbelievably intimate venue to witness this in. I was probably about 20ft away from Kevin, and there wasn't even a stage to raise him above us. It was more like theatre than any regular gig. As ever the band were tailored to perfection. And the songs were performed as dialogues, monologues, explosions of emotion. Every detail arranged with insane precision. Love and sex figured large, approached with utter candidness. Kevin sang two songs to a projection of his ideal girl, then suddenly she appeared in person! Whereupon the songs became a conversation between the two of them. And just when their weird dynamic got uncomfortable - an older man slavering over a beautiful young girl - Kevin turned it on its head and declared himself "incapable of love". He shrank from her in front of our eyes - cast himself out, enraging her. It was mind-blowing to witness in a concert. We might think of Dexys as Kevin's search for something to believe in, but this is a more tangible story: a man getting old without a loving relationship, and - of course - it's laid out with brutal honesty. But it wasn't just Kevin with a backing band, this was truly Dexys: a living, breathing collective, matching the singer's passion. Rather than re-inventing the Dexys sound, the 2012 version seamlessly combines all the previous incarnations. New blood and old blood flow together. Band members Mick Talbot and Dave Ruffy are heroes too. Pete Williams is a big part of Dexys' history. But most of all, Big Jimmy Paterson on trombone: Dexys fans know his story, and to hear him back in the band, playing beautifully once again, was profoundly emotional. After the new album, there followed a set of old songs I wouldn't have dared imagine: Old (now with its point-of-view reversed), Until I Believe in My Soul, Tell Me When My Light Turns Green, Come On Eileen, This is What She's Like, and an extended routine in which Kevin tried to make a statement to a policeman (yes, Pete got costumed up) about the burning feeling he'd had since 1971. It was hilarious, bizarre, and utterly heartfelt. Kevin is beyond unique. Even when he's assimilated heroes like Van Morrison, it's impossible for him to be derivative - he just puts himself out there in ways no one else would. And after so many wilderness years, the triumph of his return was a joy shared by everyone in the room. The whole thing was positively REDEMPTIVE. It's (with no apologies for the use of the word) WONDERFUL that Kevin Rowland has formed a band, and written and recorded an album, which more than live up to the name. Dexys can still be my favourite band.
What a brilliant and heartfelt review. I know that my mate doesn't mind me lifting his words lock, stock and barrel.
Sadly, my mate's wee boy has been quite poorly this past few weeks and his blog hasn't quite taken off as he'd intended. But when it does, I'll be drawing your attention to it. In the meantime, here's one of the new Dexy's tracks:-
mp3 : Dexy's Midnight Runners - Nowhere Is Home
And here's two clips from their appearance last week on Later with Jools Holland:-
The picture above is the fantastic view of the home ground of Dumbarton FC.
As wiki explains,
Dumbarton Football Club is Scotland's 4th oldest football club – founded in 1872, just after Queen's Park (1867), Kilmarnock (1869) and Stranraer (1870). They come from the town of Dumbarton in West Dunbartonshire and play their home games at the Dumbarton Football Stadium,sponsored by DL Cameron, next to Dumbarton Castle.
The club were one of the greatest clubs of the nineteenth century, winning the Scottish Football League in the first two seasons of the competition.
Since then the club have spent the majority of their history outside the top flight, and last played at the top level in 1985, thus being the only existing Scottish league champions to not have competed in the current Scottish Premier League.
The clubs' badge features an elephant with a castle on its back, this represents Dumbarton Rock with Dumbarton Castle upon it, Dumbarton Rock, a volcanic plug is said to resemble an elephant & the teams nickname 'The Sons' is derived from the phrase 'Sons of The Rock' a term used for those born in the town of Dumbarton.
The 2,025 all seated stadium has been used since December 2000. The main (and currently only) stand is overshadowed by Dumbarton Rock & sits aside the banks of the River Leven, which makes it one of the most picturesque stadiums in the UK. Prior to that the team played at Boghead Park from 1879 until the end of the 1999–2000 season, 131 years is currently the longest a senior British club has stayed at the same grounds.
Son of The Rock is the name taken by one of the most loyal and regular readers of TVV. He's not only from the town but he's a huge fan of his local team....and this afternoon, on a weekend when so many important football matches were played across the UK and Europe, his team triumphed in a play-off match to earn the right to compete next season in Scottish League Division 1....where they will play against, among others, Raith Rovers FC. I'm delighted for him and all the other Dumbarton fans. It will be a great way to celebrate the team's 140th Birthday....and I look forward to meeting up and having a few beers on each of the four occasions our respective teams will play one another.
And here's a great wee song that commemorates a match/incidents played at the team's former ground:-
mp3 : The Supernaturals - High Tension At Boghead
It was a song on this 1997 single which reached #38 back in 1997:-
As featured loads of times before on TVV. And it's always been with an apology.
mp3 : Clare Grogan - Love Bomb
mp3 : Clare Grogan - I Love The Way You Beg
mp3 : Clare Grogan - Love Bomb (extended)
mp3 : Clare Grogan - Love Bomb (dub)
Still can't believe that Davey Henderson was involved with it. Top of the Flops 1987.
The first TV appearance came a full 2 months before the single was released. It was on the same Earsay show on 31 March 1984 as had featured Sandie Shaw:-
Simon Goddard has pointed out that Rough Trade's TV campaign to promote the single was relentless...something they had to do as The Smiths refused to make promo videos...as famously proclaimed by the lead singer in a live TV interview for The Tube in January 1984:-
So you had that very strange Charlie's Bus clip that was featured last week....and now the singer could be seen being very uncomfortable on Eight Days A Week and Pop Quiz on BBC telly on 25 and 26 May:-
But the mainstream telly stuff did the trick in terms of giving the new single exposure. Morrissey made his third BBC appearance in five days the following Thursday:-
On 14 June 1984, just as I was about to turn 21 years of age....they went Top 10 for the first time and went back to the TOTP studio:-
mp3 : The Beautiful South - Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now
Next up. One of THE greatest Top Of The Pops appearances of all time.
I'm so happy 'cause today
I found my friends They're in my head I'm so ugly that's okay 'Cause so are you Broke our mirrors Sunday morning is everyday For all I care And I'm not scared Light my candles, in a daze 'Cause I've found God Yeah yeah yeah yeah Yeah yeah yeah yeah Yeah yeah yeah yeah Yeah I'm so lonely, that's ok I shaved my head And I'm not sad And just maybe I'm to blame for all I've heard I'm not sure I'm so excited I can't wait to meet you there And I don't care I'm so horny, that's okay My will is good Yeah yeah yeah yeah Yeah yeah yeah yeah Yeah yeah yeah yeah Yeah I like it I'm not gonna crack I miss you I'm not gonna crack I love you I'm not gonna crack I killed you I'm not gonna crack I like it I'm not gonna crack I miss you I'm not gonna crack I love you I'm not gonna crack I killed you I'm not gonna crack I'm so happy 'cause today
I found my friends They're in my head I'm so ugly, but that's okay
'Cause so are you Broke our mirrors Sunday morning is everyday For all I care And I'm not scared Light my candles in a daze 'Cause I've found god Yeah yeah yeah yeah Yeah yeah yeah yeah Yeah yeah yeah yeah Yeah I like it I'm not gonna crack I miss you I'm not gonna crack I love you I'm not gonna crack I killed you I'm not gonna crack I like it I'm not gonna crack I miss you I'm not gonna crack I love you I'm not gonna crack I killed you I'm not gonna crack
If Smells Like Teen Spirit hadn't grabbed all the attention then I reckon this is a 45 that would have been getting talked about all the time nearly 21 years on.
mp3 : Nirvana - Lithium
mp3 : Nirvana - Been A Son (live)
mp3 : Nirvana - Curmudgeon
It reached #11 in the UK singles chart but only #64 in the US singles charts. Probably cos the video didn't get as much airplay as those for earlier singles...for if ever a rock band was broken by MTV it was Nirvana.
I know that most of the stuff I rave on about tends to be from years and indeed decades ago. But how about recalling some cracking singles by Scottish singers or bands from more recent times. In no particular order of preference
mp3 : Paul Haig - Trip Out The Rider (Radio Mix)
The original version can be found on the 2009 LP Relive but a series of mixes, including one by Fred Deakin of Lemon Jelly were put out as a limited edition 7" single or download in November 2010. Long-awaited new material from Paul Haig is expected sometime soom.
mp3 : Meursault - A Few Kind Words
Back in 2009, Meursault released 2 x 7" singles. One was William Henry Miller Pt1/The Dirt & The Roots and the other was William Henry Miller Pt2/A Few Kind Words. The track featured is an excellent example of what has been described as folktronica.....i.e. beardy music you can dance to in clubs. Again, much anticipated new material should be with us in 2012.
mp3 : The Vaselines - Sex With An X
From 2010. The first 45 from Eugene and Frances in 19 years. The wait was well worth it.
I'll happily defend the quality of the material on the first two Oasis LPs and some of the stuff that they came out with from about 2005 onwards. But the run of albums from 1997 - 2002 were a crock of shite in which they believed their own hype.
And yet, in the middle of it all, Noel Gallagher again collaborated with The Chemical Brothers to provide us with a really impressive dance track that was a deserved Top 10 hit.
mp3 : The Chemical Brothers - Let Forever Be
Cracking video courtesy of the vivid imagination of Michel Gondry
The CD single also has two repetitive bits of music, both of which sample tracks from the LP Surrender:-
mp3 : The Chemical Brothers - The Diamond Sky
mp3 : The Chemical Brothers - Studio K
The former samples the title track of the LP while the latter samples The Sunshine Underground.
The big hit had finally come Edwyn's way. He looked as if he would be financially secure for life on the royalties from A Girl Like You.
Keen to build on his success, Edwyn penned another cracking single that was tailor-made for radio. One that celebrated Northern Soul. One that was every bit a dance classic as so many from that genre.....and ultimately it went on to enjoy as much chart success as the very best of Northern Soul....in other words it flopped.
Released in February 1996, in terms of Edwyn's solo career a #45 hit would have been more than respectable, but I'm sure he was hoping for something better to maintain the momentum of the previous late summer and autumn when he was never off the radio.
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - Keep On Burning
It was made available on two CD singles.
The first featured Edwyn's faithful version of a wonderful Vic Godard song that he had recently produced, one new caustic composition (that seems to predict years in advance the growth of alt-folk!!) and a great live version of A Girl Like You as performed live a year earlier on telly with Bernard Butler....well before it became the smash hit.
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - Won't Turn Back
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - You've Grown A Beard
mp3 : Edwyn Collins &; Bernard Butler - A Girl Like You (live on 'The White Room')
CD2 gave us a new and strange instrumental track as well as two radical remixes of some old favourites:-
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - If You Could Love Me (In Time And Space)
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - Lava Lamp
mp3 : Edwyn Collins - The Campaign For Real Rock (Battle of Brazil Mix)
It would be the best part of 18 months before any more new material appeared......
The Cinematics were an alternative rock band from Scotland, consisting of Scott Rinning (vocals and guitar), Larry Reid (lead guitar), Adam Goemans (bass) and Ross Bonney (drums). The original line-up, with Ramsay Miller on lead guitar, formed in Glasgow, however, the members originally met at school in Dingwall. The band were signed to TVT Records in 2005 after playing at an In the City showcase gig in Manchester. Their debut album A Strange Education was produced by Simon Barnicott (Arctic Monkeys, Kasabian, Editors, Kaiser Chiefs) and Stephen Hague (New Order, Blur, Pet Shop Boys), and released on March 6, 2007. In early 2008, it was reported that TVT Records was suffering financial difficulties and was forced to file for Chapter 11/Bankruptcy. The label and its assets were purchased by New York-based digital-distribution company, The Orchard. Much of the TVT roster was dropped, but The Cinematics’ recording contract was retained. Around the same time, the band parted company with Ramsay Miller, who was replaced by Larry Reid, who had previously played with the band live on tour. In their Myspace blogs, the band reported at various stages that they were writing and self-producing their second studio album, despite suggestions that it would be produced by Richard Gottehrer (Blondie, Dr Feelgood, Richard Hell).
The Cinematics' second album, Love and Terror, was released on 6 October 2009. The band released a five-track EP, entitled Silent Scream EP, on May 22, 2010. The EP was recorded partially live while on tour during late 2009 and early 2010. As with Love and Terror, the EP was produced by guitarist, Larry Reid.
In 2010, Reservoir Media Management acquired 100% of the Cinematics publishing assets which had formerly been administered by TVT Music Enterprises, LLC. The Cinematics began recording their third studio album in Berlin in 2010. In July 2011, however, Reid announced in an interview with The Pop Cop blog that the band had split up before completing it. (click here for said interview)
The track 'Rise and Fall' from their debut album appears in the 2011 Hollywood box office hit 'What's Your Number', starring Anna Farris, Chris Evans and British actor Martin Freeman.
I actually have just the one piece of plastic by The Cinematics in the cupboard and I'm guessing it's quite rare. Its a one side 7" records:-
mp3 : The Cinematics - Be In The World (demo)
I bought it the one time I saw the band. I know this cos the ticket stub is still inside the sleeve of the 7".
It was in Glasgow on Friday 5 August 2005 when they opened for an up and coming band who could have sold out the venue three or four times over by that time in their career. The lead act was Editors. And as I'm sure Jacques the Kipper will testify, it was as fine a night as we've ever had at King Tut's...
I'm only sorry I never really picked up on The Cinematics for they were an excellent support that night.
Here's a link to a track they've made available on their website...one that would have been on the aborted third LP.
Next up.......Clare Grogan (so regular readers will know exactly what's coming!!!)
The effort to turn the debut single into a bona fide chart hit via a guest vocalist was a stroke of genius. There were three different TV appearances.
First up was on Channel 4's Earsay programme in late March 1984 - Earsay was one of the programmes that took the place of The Tube in the Spring and Summer months. There was an interview followed by a performance:-
Sandie has gone on record as saying in this clip she looks like a demented housewife.
Just under a month later, the single went Top 40 and this gave Sandie Shaw here first Top Of The Pops appearance in 14 years. The three band members performed barefooted in homage to the singer was famed in the 60s for shoe-less appearances on the show):-
The third and final appearance wasn't to perform the single, but the previously shown clip of Jeane. And as was pointed out, the full excruciating clip is available to cringe at:-
In the days when all you had was a CD player in the car and you couldn't burn your own CDs via a PC (young folk don't know how lucky they are!!), it was well worth trying to pick up some bargain-priced compilations to shoe on to help pass long journeys. With me never having passed my driving test I was fully responsible for the in-car entertainment and navigation systems (I was the human equivalent of a Tom-Tom) while Mrs V got us from A to B in record time (so much so that one day the speed cops got her on the motorway not far from Bolton).
One CD that usually found its way onto the system at some point was this 1991 compilation on Telstar Records. 18 reasonably good new wave tracks for the most part rather than genuine punk classics. All that is really missing is The Clash.
The Undertones - Teenage Kicks Elvis Costello & The Attractions - Pump It Up Ian Dury & The Blockheads - Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll The Damned - Neat Neat Neat Bow Wow Wow - C30, C60, C90 GO Stiff Little Fingers - Alternative Ulster Sham 69 - Hersham Boys 999 - Emergency The Stranglers - No More Heroes The Jam - The Eton Rifles Adverts - Gary Gilmore's Eyes Boomtown Rats - She's So Modern Blondie - Rip Her To Shreds Buzcocks - Orgasm Addict Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant (live) Tenpole Tudor - Swords Of A Thousand Men Department S - Is Vic There? Jilted John - Jilted John
Looks a bit like a modern-day Radio 2 playlist mind you.........
Here's the Pistols as they sounded in 1976:-
mp3 : Sex Pistols - Pretty Vacant (live)
While here's one of the lesser known tracks:-
mp3 : 999 - Emergency
Takes me back to when I was a precocious brat more than 30 years ago. Some would say I haven't changed all that much. Certainly not in terms of the type of music I like. But that's really I suppose what TVV is all about.
From an incident that happened exactly 3 years ago today and was first posted on 15 June 2009:-
It's a story I've been dying to share with you for weeks, but I didn't want to interrupt the series of guest postings.
It was Saturday 9th May, and I was with three friends travelling by train from Glasgow to Kirkcaldy (via Edinburgh) for the final football match of the season. Despite the weather being absolutely miserable, we were in great spirits as my team, Raith Rovers, had clinched the league title the previous Saturday, and the final match was all set to be played in a party atmosphere with the trophy being presented to the players afterwards.
We were a bit late in getting on to the train so we couldn't find four seats together round a table. I sat with Dawn at one table facing backwards in the direction of travel, while Micky and Mark sat together in two seats nearby but facing the direction of travel (these details are important).
The four of us were talking about football in general, and a lot of it was spent slagging off Manchester United (Dawn being a big fan, me thinking they are the anti-Christ) and none of us were paying any attention to anyone sitting around us. Then the bloke with the refreshments trolley came by and asked if we wanted something...at which point the bloke sitting opposite me and Dawn, and who all this time had been engrossed in a broadsheet newspaper (The Guardian since you ask) turned to his companion and asked if she would like anything.
Hang on I thought.....that voice is awfully familiar. So I looked across the three feet or so and realised that diagonally opposite me was David Gedge......
Regular readers will know I'm a bit of a fan of the band. But what a dilemma I was now in. My pal Dawn is not a music aficionado of any sort, so she wouldn't have had a clue who it was. Besides David was travelling with a companion, and I reckoned the last thing he would have wanted was pestered by a fan. The clinching thing was that Micky, who was seated nearby but not in any way that he could see the other two folk at my table, is also a big Weddoes fan and I know he would not have been shy at coming forward with adulation.
So for the remainder or the journey, I tried real hard to be normal and keep the conversation going with Dawn and not get caught staring at one of my idols. I failed rather miserably though....cos I was so excited that I knocked over the vodka and coke I had bought from the refreshments trolley. Luckily, it went all over me and not David, or even worse, the woman he was travelling with....
After another 25 minutes or so, it was time for us to get off the train at Haymarket to get our connection to Kirkcaldy. As I stood up, I turned to David and said, 'This is all a bit embarrassing, but here's what I've got to keep my head dry today' and pulled out a black beanie hat emblazoned with the words The Wedding Present in green stitching - something that I had bought at the gig the band had played in Glasgow back in January.
David smiled and then wished me all the best for the game. He had obviously heard us talking about the Rovers ( I was also wearing a Rovers replica jersey) and he explained he knew all about the team as his current drummer is from Kirkcaldy and a fan. I said thanks and that I hoped it wasn't too long before he was back on stage...at which point I got up to leave, but not before I tapped Micky on the shoulder and asked that he look at who had been sitting opposite me during the journey. He stood there open-mouthed....but in the 30 seconds before the doors opened and closed, he still had time to run up to David and make a plea for a 20th Anniversary tour to commemorate the release of Bizarro.
So we got off the train with big grins on our faces, and David continued on his own merry way, waving to us as the train departed the platform.
For the record, the game was a 0-0 non-event. But I couldn't care less.....I had a great wee story to place on the blog.
mp3 : The Wedding Present - Always The Quiet One
mp3 : Cinerama - Starry Eyed
mp3 : The Wedding Present - Our Lips Are Sealed
And of course....Micky got his wish a wee while later with that very tour.
Returning for another look at this newest of wee series on TVV, highlighting the run of singles released by The Fall on Beggars Banquet between 1984 and 1989.
I said last time round and I will repeat it every time.....the Beggars Banquet singles are for the most part absolute classics. The Fall you can easily dance to. And they're all available (and have been since 1990) on one compilation CD called 458489 A Sides. Oh and the B Sides were also brought together on one CD as well.
Today it's the turn of BEG 116, originally released on 24 August 1984. The line-up was Mark E Smith, Craig Scanlon, Stephen Hanley, Brix Smith, Paul Hanley and Karl Burns with John Leckie in the producer's chair:-
I really loved this lot when they burst onto the scene back in late 2002. It was this thrilling song and wholly memorable video that first got me hooked:
This led me to go out and buy a mini-LP called Whip It On. Every single one of the tracks was recorded in the key of B-Flat Minor (not that I have a clue about these sorts of things...but it is a claim made on the front of the sleeve and seemingly can be substantiated).
All 8 songs rattle along at a cracking pace...most between 2 and 3 minutes in length and the longest at 3:14. There isn't time to get bored with any track as the next one is not far behind.
In addition to Attack Of The Ghost Riders, there was this other excellent single:-
mp3 : The Raveonettes - Beat City
While the other track that I adore from that particular recording is this:-
mp3 : The Raveonettes - Chains
It took a full year for the debut LP to be released. And quite clearly the band felt 'if ain't broke, don't fix it' as it was very similar to Whip It On. But this time on Chain Gang Of Love there were 11 songs, with the times ranging between 1:44 and 3:16. Oh and the album was recorded entirely in B-Flat Major (like I could tell!!)
The whole LP can be devoured in around 33 minutes. It contained yet another classic single:-
mp3 : The Raveonettes - That Great Love Sound
But if truth be told. I was left a wee bit disappointed at the time as I didn't think the LP was as good as the mini-LP of 12 months earlier. And while I haven't altered that opinion, I gave Chain Gang Of Love a fresh listen in its entirety and really enjoyed it. Especially this:-
mp3 : The Raveonettes - New York Was Great
I know that Drew has remained a bit of a fan over the years and he has excellent taste in music. I've made up my mind that next time I'm in one of those shops that often sell old CDs at reduced prices I'll have a peek to see if the later Raveonettes material is available.
Douglas Veitch, better known as Champion Doug Veitch (born 1960, Hawick, Scotland) is a Scottish musician and songwriter. The self styled 'King of Caledonian Swing' rose to some prominence in the mid 1980s. A favourite of John Peel, for whom he recorded two radio sessions, he holds the record for having most (six) consecutive NME singles of the week. His music was a ground-breaking polycultural mix, using elements from dub, reggae, country Music and Scottish folk music, which foretold the cross cultural mixing more common in later years. In 1985, he co-founded the label DiscAfrique with his colleague Owen Elias, which was one of the first world music labels in the United Kingdom, releasing records by The Bhundu Boys, Orchestre Baobab and The Four Brothers amongst others.
In 1989, he released an album of Scottish dance music with his wife under the moniker Martin, Doug and Sara.
He later drifted out of the music industry due to personal issues, and took a Ph.D. in woodland management. However, he later reunited with Bhundu Boys guitarist Rise Kagona under the name Culture Clash. Unusually Veitch sings the songs in Shona rather than his native tongue. The duo released the album Tanzwa Neku Tambura: We've Suffered Enough in 2007.
And this is the one bit of vinyl I have in the cupboard, It's a 12" single from August 1986:-
mp3 : Champion Doug Veitch - Margarita
mp3 : Champion Doug Veitch - Margarita Mix Mescales
mp3 : Champion Doug Veitch - One Black Night (re-mix)
The two tracks on the b-side were mixed by this bloke.
WARNING.....THIS WEEK'S EFFORT IS A BIT OF A LET-DOWN......
Prior to its release as a single, it was part of the what should by now be familiar Derby Assembly Rooms broadcast from December 1983:-
On 26 January 1984, after it went into the charts at #26, the band made the second visit of their career to the studios of Top Of The Pops. This was the debut of the hearing aid:-
Now I know there's folk who aren't that fond of this particular single, but this was probably the most exciting TV appearance the band had made in their short career at this point in time.
Twelve days later, they performed a live version on the BBC North YES programme which was the first time the NHS glasses made an appearance. Sadly, I haven't been able to track down a copy of this particular performance. But there is an audio only one kicking around:-
With the single climbing to #13, they returned to the Top Of The Pops studio just 48 hours later on 9 February:-
(you need to click on this one as I cant embed it...but it's a duller TOTP performance than the previous one).
The very next night the band were back on the telly. This time on BBC2's The Oxford Road Show which was broadcast at 7pm on Friday nights which meant you could switch over just as The Tube on Channel 4 had ended.....I know cos that's exactly what I did. And I have a copy of this performance on a VHS tape in a box under the stairs. I'm sure other folk have it as well. It's just that nobody seems to have loaded it onto youtube yet....
mp3 : The Ukranians - Spivaye Solovey
(yup.....its their unique indie-folk six-minute version of this hugely underrated single)
Next week....its Sandie Shaw and the barefoot band.
The first Thursday in May is always, by tradition, one that sees elections take place in the UK. This year, it is mostly for local councils but also for the Mayor of London.
Exactly 33 years ago to the day, on Thursday 3 May 1979, the country went to the polls. And with a 5.2% swing, the largest ever seen since 1945, threw out the Labour government led by Jim Callaghan and voted in our first and to date only female prime minister. Margaret Thatcher would be in 10 Downing Street for the next eleven and a half years.....and I resented every single day she occupied that address.
Today, for the first time since 1979 I won't be involved in some shape or form in a May election either as a campaigner or administrator. They've been a big part of my life since I was a teenager and indeed it was the May 2007 Scottish elections that led me to spend time working in Canada later that summer not long after I started up TVV.
It somehow seems apt that the first time I'm not involved in any formal way with the elections that I'm instead hosting a return visit by my Canadian colleagues and friends as they come over to Scotland for just over a week of golf and visits to distilleries. They touched down yesterday and today will mark their first full day in Scotland. We're off to try and tame Carnoustie, one of the toughest and most challenging golf courses in the world. At least it will stop me being angry all these years later about Thatcher.
Here's a single from that time:-
mp3 : Simple Minds - Life In A Day
mp3 : Simple Minds - Special View
Oh dontcha think the live version not just sound like Magazine???
REVIEW OF HELLO VIDEO/THE FIRE AND I/TOMMY REILLY/LITTLE KICKS/ FATHERSON/KASSIDY/BOMBSCARE : ABERDEEN EXHIBITION CENTRE : 28 APRIL
Having acquired a (very small) stake in Scottish craft beer hipsters Brewdog, this entitled me to attend, along with a mate, their AGM/5th Birthday party being held at the cavernous AECC in Aberdeen.
Initially I was looking forward only to sampling some of the Company’s excellent beverages, however, further info provided nearer the event highlighted that there would also be a number of bands entertaining the assembled shareholders from late afternoon. Therefore, the event basically took on a part beer festival, part indoor music festival guise.
Some of the names in the lineup I was familiar with, however, I had never knowingly heard a note from any of the bands on the bill.
Up on stage first were Hello Video, a competent 3 piece band who peddled a particularly undemanding brand of indie rock. They weren’t bad, but they weren’t great either.
They were followed by The Fire and I, a two piece, who were in a similar vein to Wet Nuns who JC and I had enjoyed earlier in the year. This was a heavier sound than the previous act, shades of Nirvana at times, though also employing the use of synths on occasion. They definitely stood out for me, and their set was one of the day’s highlights.
The next act was given a bit of a build up from the compere, given that compared to the others on the bill he was arguably the most well known of the lot. Not that I’d heard of him mind. His name was Tommy Reilly, and having previously won Channel 4’s Orange Unsigned competition, clearly had a few fans in the room judging by the reception he received. I’ll try not to be too unkind but, singer songwriters in this mould tend to turn me off. Up on stage himself with just a guitar, he was struggling to be heard in the vast hall over the noise of 2,000 beer drinkers enjoying a swally.
Things got back on track with the next group, local boys The Little Kicks, who had released their second album towards the end of last year, and who an acquaintance had recommended to me a while back. I can see why they thought I would like them. And I did. I described it as fairly commercial indie at the time, but very enjoyable nonetheless. A number of influences came through, occasional echoes of Franz Ferdinand were in there, along with shades of Echo and the Bunnymen at times. They even employed a small brass section for a couple of songs. Whilst not going to be the next big thing, I’d definitely like to see and hear more.
Fatherson, described as alternative rock powerpop were next to entertain us. Now it’s either the fact that by this point Brewdog’s potent beers were beginning to take effect or Fatherson did little to grab my attention, that my recollection of them is a little hazy. From what I do recall, they just weren’t my thang,
Now the next band were the ones whose name I was most familiar with, having seen numerous posters for gigs and their new album around town in their native Glasgow, Kassidy. I had high expectations, despite me not having a clue what they looked or sounded like. Then four guys appeared with long hair, beards and leather jackets, looking like Kings of Leon, but sounding like The Eagles. The next 45 minutes or so was a pretty mediocre re-imagining of 70’s Americana/Folk/Rock. I expect they may well become big and secure decent slots at a festival near you over the summer, but they’re not my cup of tea. Oh and apparently the lead singer already has a celebrity girlfriend, I’ll let you Google that yourselves if you’re even remotely interested……
After the turgid Crosby, Stills and Nash of Kassidy, the final act Bombskare brought life back to the hall. A 9 piece Ska group, looking and sounding just as you’d expect. The band were exceptionally tight and managed to get the remaining crowd moving more energetically than any of the previous bands. Certainly it would be difficult to argue that they weren’t very good at what they do. After dancing til we were dead on our feet, we made our exit to the still energetic 2-tone sound pumping away…..
All in all it was a great opportunity to catch a varied mix of different groups, some which I will definitely keep an eye our for in future, and others which I’d hope to avoid.
Back in 1980, the members of Magazine must have cut a very frustrated bunch.
The Correct Use Of Soap, an album that was packed with perfect tune after perfect tune, had stalled just inside the Top 30 of the charts. Two absolute belters of 45s - A Song From Under The Floorboards and Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) had flopped. But the group returned for one last attempt at fame and a wee bit of fortune and so recorded a new song and for the b-side did a re-tread of one of their most popular tracks from their debut album released a couple of years ago. Nothing changed for them. It too flopped:-
mp3 : Magazine - Upside Down
mp3 : Magazine - The Light Pours Out Of Me (version)
It would take the break-up of the band and a critical reappraisal of their influence in the ensuing near 30 years to finally give them the recognition they deserved. A real shame it came after the death of their great Scottish guitarist who is currently featuring in an occasional series on TVV.
