This popped up on my IPlayer album shuffle recently. I forgot how amazing it is. People often talk about “pure pop for now people” but that was just skinny tie / akimbo children’s sunglasses stuff.
William Lyall (ex-Pilot) made a solo album which is like all the most tuneful bits of early 10cc, ELO, Wings, “Hunky Dory” Bowie, Todd Rundgren at his poppermost, and I’m gobsmacked at this. He quite possibly timed this badly given it came out in 1976, and year-zero poonk this is not. But those who like sneaky pop tunes are in for a treat. Sadly, he died of the big disease with the little name in 1989.
a sample for those without time for the whole album yet:
Blimey, he’s thrown the kitchen sink at that hasn’t he!?
Unfortunately timed as you say. And doesn’t it start exactly like January?
Loving this. I knew about his association with Pilot but didnt know about this. Kitchen sink stuff for sure and so very listenable……great post, many thanks
Thanks, Bang; I love a bit of florid flouncing where glam meets pop meets showbiz (see “Aladdin Sane”), and this meets my needs nicely.
“florid flouncing where glam meets pop meets showbiz” – perfick!
I’m reminded that James Whild Lea (aka Jimmie Lea from Slade) had a very well received album that went nowhere in 1976.
And Tiggs gave up a shout for the Chas Smash/Cathal Smyth ( the shouting one who ‘plays’ trumpet in the videos from Madness) with an equivalently sunk without a trace record with good reviews.
That Cathal Smyth album made it to my albums of the decade list we did last year, so not lost to me……
The Cathal Smyth album is indeed fantastic but it’s not all for the faint hearted as it’s devastatingly sad in places…
Two that spring to mind from the 90s, although they’re probably far from forgotten round these parts, are ‘Superstar’ by ‘Superstar’ and ‘Crazy On The Weekend’ by Sunhouse. Classics the pair of them.
Oh yes, Sunhouse. Gav (RIP) is much missed.
Anyone I play his stuff to has always gone out and bought it afterwards. An unsung hero.
Oh yes indeed. And Clayhill:
There was a terrific compilation of Gavin Clarks demo tapes put together by lifelong friend and film director Shane Meadows called ‘Beautiful Skeletons’ .
Unfortunately only a limited vinyl / CD & DVD release and north of £150 – £200 for a copy.
Indeed. Still available as lossless download from Qobuz for a tenner, or as MP3 from the usual suspects.
This has been covered by the security-guard train set botherer so that I guess will keep the writer in 80 shillings. Fanstastic tune.
Maybe if Creation had released this version as a single, Superstar would have been…successful.
https://youtu.be/hQzOQFdDd08
Major thumbs up to both of above posts ..
This is my fave by Joe M and Superstar,,About 15 minutes too short IMHO.
https://soundcloud.com/joe-mcalinden/superstar-could-it-be-you
The Original Mirrors. I bought it at the bargain price of 75p as it had been racked out as a 12″ single.
Personnel – Steve ( Enrico Cadillac Jr) Allen, Ian Broudie, Pete Kircher
Sounds – A soulful Simple Minds type bombast with the angst stripped out of it
Enjoy – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8WjO93O34w0
Great idea for a thread Ive got a few of these Im sure but as ever my memory lets me down apart from this. The eponymous and only album by Eg and Alice. For some reason its not available to buy new and not on Spotty. Features the wonderful songwriter Eg White and err .. Alice (ok Dr Hook fans go on say it)
Fortunately the EG & Alice album is on the fade2grey site. The site appears to be dormant, but as they’ve used megaNZ, a lot of the links are still alive.
http://www.fade2grey.com/albums/eg-alice-6/
Eponymous?
My copy is called “24 Years Of Hunger”.
Put a track from this gem on one of my CD Swap discs, I recall.
Oh yeah – I told you my memory was bad.
One I recently discovered is “Free at Last” by someone called Josh Fix, who plays and sings more or less every note on this. The whole album is full of power poppy goodness, but here’s just one track from it:
Oh, what the hell, here’s another one:
Another band I completely missed while they were extant was 3 Blind Mice, who actually feature one of the current line-up of ELO. Here’s a fantastic song from their one album:
And another track from that album, featuring an astonishing guitar solo by said ELO member (it’s guitarist Milton McDonald in case you’re wondering).
Taken from the legendary unreleased Blue Meanies album, only available from Martin Gordons website. Some songs later escaped onto his solo material