So yesterday morning on the way to work I was listening to the Craig Charles Show which I’d downloaded onto my phone. About halfway there I suddenly thought ‘Wait a minute, what’s this that’s playing? It’s brilliant!’ I rewound and listened from the start of the song – sounds better still. At lunchtime I went out and bought the CD reissue of ‘Crying Laughing Loving Lying’ that’s just come out. It’s rather wonderful too.
I’ve never really investigated Labi Siffre before. Any fans out there? Which albums should I focus on?
Everyone knows this but I do love it
Yep, everybody does know it. Lesson one on how to fuck up a good song, Take it away Bazz.
(the fact that he’s entertaining the mystified and presumably not that discerning crowd at the World Championships by being very shit is not entirely irrelevant.)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTeGwNHEEFk
Everyone knows he wrote this, but, until now, I hadn’t actually ever got round to listening.)
It certainly makes the Madness version a shoo-in for the tight covers strand over yonder……
I Got The, sampled by Slim Shady (at 2:10). Bass & guitar by Chas ‘n’ Dave.
I have a 2006 best of on EMI but the mastering quality is variable – a couple of the tracks are obviously from low bit-rate mp3 files.
Crying, Laughing, Loving , Lying is indeed a gorgeous album (esp Cannock Chase) I bought it off the strength of the Madness cover back in the eighties. My favourite track is Blue lady.
Why don’t they don’t write melodies like this anymore?
always get him mixed up with Lalo Schifrin.
Nice songs folks -thanks
Pretty sure someone I vaguely know did the same last month. I was talking to him at a record club about various things and he started talking about Lalo Schifrin, and mentioned that he once drummed for Chas and Dave. Now given that Labi Siffre worked with the Gertcha hitmakers, as mentioned above, I presume he meant this chap instead.
Although the idea of Lalo Schifrin playing on Snooker Loopy is somewhat intriguing!
Another brilliant song by Labi:
Almost bettered by Rod (for some reason this version lay in the vaults for years)
He was often a guest on Cliff Richard’s show in the ’70s, and he often performed this.
I love the Siffre original version of IMBL but for Madness to do what they did with it was remarkable.
How strange. I spent a good chunk of my early life living in the middle of Cannock Chase andd I’ve never heard that before nor heard of it. Thanks for posting