I’m familiar with the Pale Fountains and Shack (love “HMS Fable”), but not so much Michael Head’s later stuff. I just heard this on Gideon Coe’s show and I love it! Michael Head & the Red Elastic Band. The song’s called “Newby Street.”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rEvLapWdESE
It’s not unusual for a Michael Head song to roll along nicely and become an earworm; he’s brill.
Im another big fan of MH ( and his brother). The Shack stuff is ace as is the Red Elastic Band. Lots of references to 60/70s west coast bands especially Love on that Newby Street song (Im sure Shack did back Arthur Lee for a number of gigs ?)
Also check out the one-off album Michael Head and the Strands – this song is a beauty
Yes, The Strands album is fantastic, possibly my favourite thing he’s done. I found some of HMS Fable a little too shrill in places but most of the songs on the Strands, like X Hits The Spot, are sublime.
Such a gorgeously strange twilit album, it exists in its own dimension.
The Red Elastic Band album is wonderful and a bit under-appreciated
I can’t put my finger on why or how this is so wonderful. How do you write a song like this?
As on a lot of the Fable and Strands songs, one of the special elements is John’s middle-distance backing vocals.
Shack? Probably my 2nd favourite Scouse band and you are correct @Feedback_File I saw Shack back Arthur Lee in Liverpool in the early 90`s.
Why Shack never attained any reasonable level of success when other lesser talented (that means all of them) British bands did at the time I`ve never been able to understand. Obviously the same applies to Michael Head, I recommend both ofr his albums and if you can get your hands on his EP `Artorius Revisited` that also.
Who are your favourite Scouse band? Genuine question!
Mine? Icicle Works (ignore McNabb on social media pls) maybe It’s Immaterial, China Crisis, The Real People.
Probably the Icies.
….I was going to make a satirical point about Scouse not necessarily being the same as Liverpool/Merseyside. The La’s, Shack, The Real People are deffo Scousers. The Beatles, Julian Cope, Echo and his Bunnypersons….? hmmmm
Do It’s Immaterial wear trainees?
Pete de Freitas of the Bunnymen certainly wasn’t a Scouser. He was from somewhere in Oxforshire, I think. Great drummer, of course.
God rest him. Sad loss.
Icicle Works for me too unless we can count Teardrop Explodes who are not really scouse. Coral would be up there too.
The Coral.
Nah, only joking, The Coral are my third choice.
Rather predictable, The Fabs, gotta be them, my first gig and all that.
I would argue that the Fabs were/are not Scousers (except maybe Ringo).
The Coral are, though. Good shout by the way.
I used to work in Ormskirk (about 14 miles from Liverpool) where the people have a `Lancashire` accent. In Skelmersdale (about 17 miles from Liverpool) 75% of the people have a `Scouse` accent and most of them consider themselves Scousers.
I love the EP `Artorius Revisited` which includes Newby Street and an instrumental version of same; as well as he excellent Cadiz…
My favourite Shack album might be ‘Here’s Tom with the Weather’. This song by John Head sounds like a lost 60s classic by Bob Lind or Fred Neil
Obviously Michael is the most well known and heralded but I saw John Head do a very quiet and understated solo acoustic set at a festival about 10 years ago. I assumed an album would follow but if it has it passed me by. Anyone know any different?
Isn’t/hasn’t the problem with the Head brothers, Head by name and, all irony intended, Head by nature, been exactly that. I recall an interview with Michael, as he was coming round to sobriety, that John was nodding out during same.
Michael Head and Shack are new names to me. so this is all very interesting.
There is a live album on Spotify of their gig with Arthur Lee.
Here is some useful background stuff.
https://www.getintothis.co.uk/2016/02/lost-liverpool-6-arthur-lee-shack-bring-california-sunshine-wolstenholme-square/
I’ve got this album on CD, issued by Viper Records if I remember correctly, the label formed by Mike Badger, who formed The La’s with Lee Mavers. The label releases lots of Scouse ephemera and is worth checking out.