Sometimes you wonder how a song that ticks so many of your boxes manages to evade you for 21 years. Heard this for the first time (I think at least) this weekend and its wonderful piece of jangly, harmonic pop. Greg Gilbert’s voice is the star of the show (although it is a fantastic ensemble show). The album it is from (the wonderfully named Faded Seaside Glamour is also fantastic. The other albums seem very highly regarded so I ma looking forward to delving deeper.
Video in the comments.
Long Time Coming (also from Faded Seaside Glamour) was (and is) a favourite of mine. I first heard it on an Uncut CD and played it over and over.
Great thread! I just discovered this gem which has been out there since 1966 FFS. I shall be investigating The Creation further.
I hear The Delays on the wireless about once a year, usually on a late-night drive home from a gig, and think to myself “I should get that”. But I never do.
I’ve just read that Delays singer Greg Gilbert was diagnosed with stage 4 bowel cancer in late 2016 and died in 2021.
This isn’t a “how did I miss this?” story as I bought the CD single in a “5 for a quid box” from a long gone record shop not long after in was released. Great track, great band:
But it did lead me to a similar sad story about their singer, Josh Clayton Felt:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Josh_Clayton-Felt
My own recent, “How did I miss this?” song is Time in a Bottle by Jim Croce which dates back to the early 70’s. It was #1 in the US, #60 in Australia and didn’t chart at all in the UK. Jim’s only previous claim to fame for me was that he was the writer of the classic “Bad, Bad Leroy Brown.” It was so famous in the US the Muppets sang a version of it but it missed me completely.
Methinks I’m doing the Delays exploring thing too.
My recent “going in big time” discovery (granted it’s only 15 years old, but that is the same amount of time between Let It Be and Live Aid):
I knew, bought and very much enjoyed Dawes – All Your Favourite Bands, but went no deeper.
Until this popped up on Youtube random play thingy
When My Time Comes
This (St Augustine At Night) by Dawes is IMO fantastic too.
And this:
Delays were a fantastic band & their track Hideaway from the follow up to Faded Seaside Glamour is also worth a listen. It comes up on shuffle every now & then leading to a 4 minute ‘tea break’ for a proper listen.
As far as hearing something for the first time years after release, I give you Circlesquare by The Wonder Stuff. They are band I have never particularly liked, but this was on a BBC4 thing recently & stopped me in my tracks. A wonderful song with some great lyrics
The Wonderstuff wrote excellent songs and I played the arse out of their albums in my youth. I haven’t listened to them for a while so this is a good reminder for a Stuffies weekend.
I have always lazily pigeonholed/dismissed them as ‘that band who did the tune with Vic Reeves’ I need to investigate further as this is a fantastic tune. Which album would you recommend as a starting point @Leedsboy ?
The first 3 are great. Go in order – Eight Legged Groove Machine (It’s Yer Money I’m After, Baby, Give, Give Give and A Wish Away are standouts). Hup (Radio Ass Kiss, Don’t Let Me down, Gently and Circlesquare) and Never Loved Elvis (Welcome to the Cheap Seats, Caught in my Shadow and Size of a Cow).
Who Wants to be The Disco King is a splendid non album single.
Much obliged, thank you very much – that is this weekends listening sorted 🙂
To echo Leedsboy, the first 3 in order make for great listening.
If you’re short on time If The Beatles Had Read Hunter…The Singles gives a great introduction, and the dig in from there
Thirded.