Musings on the byways of popular culture
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Paul Heaton has gone and released a Best Of/Greatest Hits/Career Retrospective thingy from The Housemartins to a re-recording (with Jacqui Abbott) of A Little Time, and abrand new track (is it possible to release a Best Of these days without including a new track?). The new one, 7″ Singles, has a whiff of The Specials about it, and is one of those “spot the artist references” toons.
My one criticism – it doesn’t include his cover of The Heppelbaums track This Old Skin
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This time “re-imagined” in a New Orleans stylee
“Sacrilege” or “Interesting”
I’m in the latter camp
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First album bought: Iron Maiden – Number Of The Beast Last Album Bought: Matt Berry – Television Themes Desert Island Album: The Who – Quadrophenia Last Album Listened To: Thin Lizzy – Live & Dangerous 2018 recommendation: Wreckless Eric – Construction Time And Demolition
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New, and still sounding darn fine
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But will it happen? There were plans for a 40th Anniversary re-release that was kiboshed by those at The Apple Top Table. Hopefully it will see the light of day – a huge box set please of original film, (proposed) re-edit, and a stack of unused footage
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When one of our beloved, not so beloved, or known but not too bothered about, musician types passes away, the Media go to the same few people for comment. But there will come a time when Paul Gambaccini and Bob Harris, and latterly David Hepworh and/or Mark Ellen, will be too old and infirm to comment. The dulcet tones of John Peel are no longer available, and whilst you can’t deny his enthusiasm, Danny Baker rarely makes a successful jump from radio to TV or print
Mark Radcliffe, Stuart Maconie and Lauren Laverne appear to be gradually making inroads into becoming the go to mouthpiece.
Similar for Music documentaries – the same voices are being heard. OK, Nigel Planer has done a few, but you feel he’s reading the script rather than imparting his own passion for the subject. And a lot of documentaries now are built as films and use archive footage to tell the story (with text blocks inserted to explain the context) – so there is less need for the narrator.
So … Gambo, Whispering Bob, Heppo and Tony Blair’s bass player can no longer be bothered to comment. Radcliffe and Maconie withdraw labour due to be » Continue Reading.
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as it ever did. My old Hometown is my current Hometown, and has always been (I have never lived more than 6 miles from the Hospital I was born in)
Familiarity breeds contempt, and it is easy for us to regard our surroundings with suspicion and annoyance that it has done very little to feed the world of popular culture. Reading (for that is my home) was famous for Beer, Bulbs and Biscuits – none of these industries remain in the town. But we have got Microsoft, Oracle, Pepsi and offices for ING Direct, PwC, KPMG, Deloitte and Ernst & Young[6] and KPMG.
Reading’s contribution to popular culture: Oscar Wilde was in Prison here (so was Stacey Keech (briefly) Chris Tarrant Mike Oldfield was born here and stayed until his early teens Kate Winslett made her first stage performances in a youth Theatre Group And we also gave the world Ricky Gervais (who loved Reading so much, that when he filmed Cemetry Junction it was done in Loughbrough)
Beyond Mike Oldfield, musically we have given you: Bennett The Hoosiers Chapterhouse Slowdive Vincent Crane (plus the Crazy World Of Arthur Brown was formed here when Brown met Crane whilst at Reading » Continue Reading.
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The Ordinary Boys debut album (Over The Counter Culture) of 2004 was a fine, fine collection of late-Britpop meets The Jam meets The Smiths with a wallop of Two Tone chucked in for good measure. 12 songs and well worth 40 minutes of your time. The second album, Brassbound, is competent but not as great as the first – it does contain some great moments (the single Boys Will Be Boys for example) but doesn’t have “it”.
Granted, The Ordinary Boys weren’t the biggest band around at the time, or (if I’m honest) ever in danger of filling the O2, but I’m guessing they had a loyal fanbase and could pay the bills.
And then came the career killing actions of lead singer Sam Preston: 1. Going into Celebrity Big Brother in 2006 2. Marrying the fake-Celebrity who eventually won the competition 3. Walking off Never Mind The Buzzcocks in a huff probably now his most famous act. In defence, Simon Amstell was acting a bit “smug-bully-tw*t” which caused him to walk rather than fight back
He can’t be the only bod who has been given duff advice or knackered their career with one or more daft actions
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The World Cup still has a couple of days to go, but there is no rest for the Footy fan as the Premier League Season kicks off in less than a month. So, it’s time to get Fantasy Footballing again. The Afterword “Classic” League has been renewed (code: 190408-38669) The Afterword Head To Head League has been created (code: 190408 – 77605)
To Salah or Not To Salah – that is the question?
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I have never knowingly gone to the CD collection and said: “I think I will listen to The Shadows today”,
But now I have, I am pleasantly surprised / reminded how fine those early hits sound. The later years when they became a be-suited cabaret band with guitars was all professionally done, just doesn’t sound as exciting.
One or two of those early tracks would not sound out of place in a Quentin Tarantino movie probably involving underground criminal been wronged by a dyslexic drug dealer who has mis-sold the Gangleader bloke a consignment of Heron.
Picture the sign – 2 dark suited gangster types wander through the New York subways looking a bit mean with this playing in the background.
The Shadows – The Savage
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nmqGmqSUiw8
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The Arctic Monkeys debut album was a thing of genuine excitement. Once I got past the super-hype surrounding it, it was a pure blast of indie-rock excitement. Dour and grotty in it’s story-telling, yet full of energy. Favourite Worst Nightmare added to the story, and whilst it was (probably) a better album, couldn’t surpass the debut. Humbug came along, changed things about, had it’s moments, but just didn’t have “it”. Suck It And See has probably not been listened to since it was released (maybe I completely missed something?) And then came AM – the energy, urgency and interest was back.
I haven’t bought the new one (Tranquility Base Hotel & Casino) yet, but fear I may be buying just out of catalogue completion/loyalty. Not massively impressed with what I’ve heard so far (maybe it’s not for me?). So the question is: Am I missing something in Arcticmonkeyland, and should I get the new one?
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Not relevant to the post, but …
When I first read the name Joy Division in Smash Hits, I thought she was a MOR singer of the Elaine Paige, Barbara Dickson variety, and fully expected to see her pop up on The Two Ronnies or Tom O’Connor’s Big Nigh Out.
Anyway, back to the point …
The title of Joy Division’s second album is: Closer (as in nearer) or Closer (as in the last act, about to end) ?
I’ve always gone for the former, but in idle moment the correct pronunciation is now bothering me (There are more important things to concern ones brain with, I’m sure, but this is now bugging me)
I’m still bothered by the change of pronunciation of the Milky Bar manufacturer from Nes-alls to Nes-lay
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Probably!
Jesus and Mary Chain – Taste Of Cindy
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Juliana Hatfield has released an album of covers of Olivia Newton-John songs – and it aint half bad.
“A Little More Love” (the video link) is, for me, the pick of the bunch. A well done version of a great little pop song
I wonder if there were plans to duet with Evan Dando, Bob Mould or Robert Smith for the two Grease biggies?
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The obvious answer is “Yes – they can happily co-exist”.
But this is a fine, fine Wreckless Eric track (disagree if you wish – but you’re wrong)
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That’s because they all albums seem to be linked to the artist name Steve Ellis
?
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It has sold nigh on 30 million since its release in 1987. In June it gets a fully remastered and expanded re-release. 4 CDs, 79 tracks and a whole host of ephemera (or tat?)
I like the album, still enjoy the album after 30 years (or 20 years in my case as I refused to admit it’s worth as a result of sibling rivalry (ie my brother liked it)). Just not sure I need a host of half-finished songs and demo recordings
The fully loaded Vinyl set – Locked n Loaded has a suggested retail price 1p short of £850
Appetite For Bankruptcy?
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What does it sound like?:
26 years in and they’re still going. Still releasing albums of commitment, passion and energy laced with thoughts and musings on dignity, self-empowerment, in-justice, and forgotten Heroes and Heroines. They came in on a bubble of hype and expectation, found a core (if niche) audience with two further releases, and then re-invented themselves (after the loss of Richey Edwards) as the enfant terrible of Stadium Rock (with a bit of socialist politics thrown in). They then had a third incarnation where they stripped back the political posturing, strapped on a Gibson and rocked out with ‘Send Away The Tigers’. If I’m honest, whilst the period between ‘Everything Must Go’ and ‘Lifeblood’ may have been the most commercially successful, it was also not as interesting or bombastic as the incarnations before and after. There’s no denying, the Manics are now the elder statesman of indie-rock, but they’re not letting up, and ‘Resistance Is Futile’ is another valid addition to their catalogue. There are moments when the lyrics smack of 6th Form Poetry, you feel they’re being too wordy or the trope of whacking on a string section start to become predictable, but these are minor » Continue Reading.
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When Alexander of Macedonia was 33, he cried salt tears because there were no more worlds to conquer … Bristow is only 27.
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What does it sound like?:
By 1980, Punk was pretty much dead – it had splintered into many genres and sounds. All the bands that would have a future career had been signed up by the major labels (or were enjoying major label-type exposure and success on the bigger indies). Or the major labels had just chucked money at whatever guitar wielding angry bands they could find (not always with guaranteed success). One of the splinters was the Oi movement, heavily supported (invented?) by Garry Bushell. Like a lot of media-supported genres, Oi was pretty much London-centric. As a response, and to prove there was life outside that London, the genre of “Streetpunk” (latterly hailed as UK82) took shape. Both suffered a backlash of overt violence and believed right-wing tendencies – whilst there may be a modicum of truth in the “violence” bit, the nazi sympathies and racist accusations were, in 99.9% of cases, complete bunk.
To paraphrase Jimmy Pursey: For once in their life they had something to say …
And a couple of guitars, a drum kit, a microphone gave them a chance – and many of them took that chance, even if it only meant » Continue Reading.
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No sooner have participants assembled, sent, listened and reviewed CDs based on the theme of “Cold” then The Beast From The East doth return.
Can we convene a third CD Swap in late May titled “Heatwave” and check the science on this one?
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What does it sound like?:
The phrase “recorded at home” either fills the prospective listener with dread that the CD they are holding is filled with demo takes of songs where all the vocals and instruments fight for attention, and the general feeling of being recorded in a cardboard box or a barn with no acoustic worth. Or the recording may have gone through several computer-based doctoring processes (Pro Tools et al) fleecing it of any honesty or reality.
In this instance, Jean Oliver’s wholly honest recordings were done in a home studio, but a very well appointed home studio, and produced by someone who knows how to drive the sliders, buttons and blinking lights in front of them.
This debut album is a collection of songs from a (sometimes deeply) personal perspective of life, love and loss. I am not going to explain the gestation of these songs, because the author tells the story far better than any reductive tone I may place upon it.
(link in comments below)
The 10 songs here all adopt a similar style and tone – one that I identify to be rooted in the folk-ish singer/songwriter mould.
They are a collection of » Continue Reading.
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… or how Keith Emerson’s drunk noodling on a keyboard led to a revolution
https://flashbak.com/hail-synthesizer-electronics-whiz-kids-gave-1980s-signature-sound-395152/
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(inserts smiley face with double thumbs-up icon thingy)
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Their last 3 albums had me jumping round the kitchen like a loony, and I reckon the new one – out at the end of March – might have the same effect.
Just me then …
