It’s time to partially close down the blog for the period over Christmas and New Year. This time around I’m going to put up a re-posting from times gone by, and I’ll try my best to have all of them feature musicians whose appearances have been infrequent.
I’m opening with one which was mined from the old Blogger platform, where it was originally published in June 2009 and then regurgitated on the WordPress version in July 2018.
SKELETONS IN MY CLOSET (Part 9)
I may have thought I was really cool back in 1982 with my ever expanding record collection full of great indie music, but every now and again I fell for the charms of sheer radio fodder.
Blame it on the hormones, as I couldn’t take my eyes off the telly screen whenever the bikini-wearing Coconuts were there doing their stuff on backing vocals to Kid Creole.
But let’s be honest, listen to the sax playing on ‘Wonderful Thing’ and accept it’s not far removed from that which appears on Rip It Up…..
From seemingly out of nowhere (although it turned out he had been part of bands or production teams for a few years), August Darnell hit payola with his alter ego as Kid Creole & The Coconuts had a triumphant year in 1982. Three Top 10 singles in the UK and a Top 2 LP that hung around the charts for some nine months, and loads of TV appearances in the days when we had just the three terrestrial channels in the UK.
From 1979. The second single released by the then 25-year-old Joe Jackson, one of the new singer-songwriters whom some record company bosses (in this case A&M Records) believed had a way with words and tunes that could harness the energy of this new wave stuff that was taking hold of the youth’s attention.
It’s quite likely that this song would either get banned or, more likely, result in Joe having to come with a re-write to enable airplay. Indeed, it’s very likely that if he was sitting down today to try and come up with the songs, then he would likely have refrained from the opening couplet:-
Mother doesn’t go out any more Just sits at home and rolls her spastic eyes
Otherwise, the song certainly details an awful lot of what was wrong with British society back in those days, when a number of Sunday newspapers would sell in their millions thanks to their obsession with scandals, crime and sensationalism, very often not caring if what was being printed was the truth. Some of the worst offenders may have gone by the wayside since 1979, but nothing much has changed, and indeed with the frightening and unregulated growth of social media, things have become a lot worse and frightening.
Spastic was a common word back in the late 70s – there was even a UK charity called Spastics Society which raised a fair amount of money and did a great deal to try and change attitudes towards people living with disabilities. But all too often, the word was shortened to ‘spaz’ and used as a derogatory and offensive term. The Collins Dictionary now defines spastic to mean ‘an old-fashioned and offensive name for a person who has cerebral palsy’.
The Spastics Society changed its name in 1994 to SCOPE, marking what should have been the final stage of making the word totally unacceptable in everyday language.
Joe Jackson had long recognised the need to amend the lyric. Indeed, he did so just a few years after the song had been recorded.
I don’t wanna go out any more I read the news, I can’t believe my eyes
Indeed, the entire lyrics of the song had been changed beyond recognition, possibly for his American audiences whose knowledge of the UK tabloid newspaper industry would have been scant.
At the time, back in ’79, I didn’t really get the Joe Jackson/Elvis Costello comparisons that many critics were making. As time has gone by, I really hear it now.
#042– The Jesus and Mary Chain – ‘You Trip Me Up’ (Blanco y Negro Records ’85)
Hello friends,
yes, to Scotland we go today – to East Kilbride in fact, because this is where The Jesus & Mary Chain come from. By the way, did you know it’s just ten miles from East Kilbride’s town center to Glasgow’s Sauchiehall Street?
Now, the question I have been asking myself for quite some years is (quite a long sentence to follow, so grab yourself a beer and be prepared): how on earth is it possible that Jim Reid, probably one of the world’s most miserable gits, although sulking depressively most of the day, and, but that’s just my personal opinion, by all accounts having had a few too much to drink most of the day, is able to express himself in a tone which is absolutely easily understandable, totally problem-free even (also for me – and English is not my mother language), regardless whether he speaks or sings – whereas you just stand there, perplexed, helpless, because you don’t understand A SINGLE BLOODY WORD whenever JC or Drew open their mouths?! And, believe it or not, those two are a big fluffy bed of roses against Craig from Plain or Pan ….. and, as I said, it’s just ten fucking miles ..wtf!!!
The Mary Chain, well, all has been said about them, right? I won’t bore you with details, so, like their songs, this may well turn out to be a brief post, if you’re lucky. What is important though, I think – and I have been contemplating about this a lot, didn’t come to a different conclusion though – in all of the mid 80’s, there has not been any other band that changed music for me as drastically as The Jesus & Mary Chain have done. Their stuff was so “new” to me, so unheard – I immediately fell in love with them, bought their records and even had the chance to see them live a few times in their early days.
But which single to take for the series? I mean, there are quite a lot to choose from, all very good. And that’s another bonus of the band: they remained being wonderful, at least in my book. Differently, yes, but wonderful (I mean, come on – even ‘Damage & Joy’ had its moments, right?). To be honest I first wanted to include the double 7” of ‘April Skies’ from 1987, a brilliant song by all accounts, no question about this. But then I realized that ‘April Skies’ doesn’t really stand for what made the band so ‘big’ to me back in 1985, so I invested a bit more cash to buy and put this one into the 111 singles – box:
I still have the original 12”, you see, but this doesn’t count, obviously. And although the purchase might have been a bit nerdy perhaps, I needed to have it. Why? Well, it always was my favorite track from ‘Psychocandy’ and thus it best represents the musical change that The Jesus & Mary Chain managed to institute with me in 1985.
North Of Cornwallis. The one song I have is a nice bit of indie-pop as included on the NME C86 box set, consisting of 72 tracks across 3xCDs, as issued on Cherry Red Records back in 2014:-
Info is hard to come by. The song was written by Lester Noel and Robert Adamson. The former was previously part of Grab Grab The Haddock, a band that had been formed by Jane and Alice Fox following the disbanding of Marine Girls (the first band in which Tracey Thorn was ever involved).
I’ve also found that Lester Noel later joined Beats International, the dance group formed by Norman Cook and who enjoyed a #1 hit with Dub Be Good To Me in 1990.
North of Cornwallis don’t appear to ever have released any singles, EPs or albums, with just a couple of tracks making it into compilations back in the day or retrospectively.
Before I even pull up the charts for December 1983, I’m anticipating this being a post where not too many songs will feature as the record companies were almost certainly pushing hard forthe Christmas market through the perenials and novelty records. I’ll take a few deep breaths and dive in…..
I had forgotten all about this one. Tears For Fears had enjoyed a very decent year, with three singles going Top 5 and debut album The Hurting reaching #1. As a new and young group, they would have been on the receiving end of ‘advice’ from the record label execs, which is why they came to write and record a new song for release in the period just before Christmas, with one eye on giving the album a little extra promotional boost.
As wiki records, Roland Orzabal and Curt Smith have been uncompromising in their dislike for the song in the years following its release, Orzabal stating it was “the point we realized we had to change direction”, while Smith was even more direct in proclaiming it “the worst thing we’ve done”.
I agree that, at this point in time, it was their worst song. But future releases down the line would eclipse it.
Chart dates 4-10 December
First thing to mention is that Uptown Girl by Billy Joel had its five-week stay at #1 ended by the Flying Pickets a cappella take on Yazoo’s Only You, which itself would stay at the top of the charts for the next five weeks, gaining the coveted ‘#1 at Xmas ‘title.
Here’s who came into the charts this week with new entries.
#11: Culture Club – Victims #22: Billy Joel – Tell Her About It #36: Status Quo – Marguerita Time #38: UB40 – Many Rivers To Cross #40: Barry Manilow – Read ‘Em And Weep #44: Adam Ant – Strip #49: Kool and The Gang – Straight Ahead #51: Chas and Dave – My Malancholy Baby #58: Elton John – Cold As Christmas #63: Santa Claus & The Christmas Trees – Singalong-a-Santa Again #70: Rod Stewart – Sweet Surrender #72: Slade – Merry Xmas Everybody #74: The Klaxons – The Clap Clap Sound #75: Dayton – The Sound Of Music
I don’t think I ventured near a record store that week….or indeed the rest of the month.
Those of you who live outside the UK probably don’t fully get the horror of the singles charts in the months of December. That new entry at #63 is about as awful as it gets. It was a follow-up to a single from exactly 12 months previous, one which got as high as #19 and earned an appearance on Top of The Pops.
Feel free to stop right there and go find something better to do than read the rest of this rubbish.
Chart dates 11-17 December
A few record labels had been a bit slow in getting their novelty records into the shops and missed out on the bonanza of the first couple of weeks of the month. But it’s never too late to fleece the punters.
#48: The Jingle Bells – Christmas Spectre
I’ve just looked at Discogs. It was a 12″ only release on Passion Records. There’s 38 copies up for sale, ranging from 50p to £15, plus postage and packaging. It’s a medley of the following songs. Frosty The Snowman, I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus, Rudolph The Red Nosed Reindeer, Winter Wonderland, Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town and White Christmas. How can you resist?
#52: Dennis Waterman and George Cole – What Are We Gonna Get ‘Er Indoors
The following week, this would hit #26. As introduced on Top of The Pops by John Peel. His look of horror as he worries that it might make a late run for a spot on his show’s Festive 50.
#54: Paul McCartney – The Pipes Of Peace #61: Frida and BA Robertson – Time #63: David Essex – You’re In My Heart
#70: Malcolm McLaren – Duck For The Oyster
I wonder what John Lydon was thinking?
#71: Bing Crosby and Grace Kelly – True Love #73: The Jets – Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree #74: Bucks Fizz – Rules Of The Game
Chart dates 18-24 December
It still wasn’t to late to inflict pain:-
#34 : Frank Kelly – Christmas Countdown
I had to look this one up.
And yup, it was a hit single for the bloke who would later, and quite brilliantly, play the role of Father Jack in the 90s comedy series, Father Ted. I had no idea, and until now have never heard it. It eventually climbed to #26, and led to a rather surreal Top of the Pops appearance in the first week of January 1984.
But seriously, people bought this shit?????
There were other equally awful singles that crept into the charts this week and indeed the following week. But I’ve had enough, as I’m sure you have too. Just to mention in passing, that among all this nonsense, the following singles were still listed in the Top 75 of the final week of 1983.
Waterfront – Simple Minds Oblivious – Aztec Camera This Charming Man – The Smiths Relax – Frankie Goes To Hollywood The Sun and The Rain – Madness The Love Cats – The Cure A Solid Bond In Your Heart – The Style Council
Thanks for sticking with me through this series. It’ll be back next year, but this time will involve a 45-year look back at the 45s that were making all the noise in 1979 (but don’t worry, I won’t be looking at the full charts in any depth!)
A month after Kennedy had grabbed the indie-world by its lapels and given it the most almighty of shakes, the debut album via RCA was released.
Bizarro didn’t disappoint, other than perhaps it peaked at #22 in the charts, the exact same position as the Ukrainski Vistuip v Johna Peela mini-album. The end of the year came, and The Wedding Present and Bizarro were both high up in all the readers polls in the UK music papers.
David Gedge has since said that Brassneck, one of what he thought would be the key tracks on the album, hadn’t quite turned out as he’d hoped, certainly when compared to its power and intensity in the live setting. He had, for some time, wanted to work with American engineer Steve Albini, and so he floated the idea of recording an EP, with its lead track being a re-recording of Brassneck.
The new version was different in many ways. It was still recognisably TWP, but Albini had trimmed about 35 seconds from the song, and given it more of a harder-edge rock sound. And somehow, he seems to find a way in which the lyric’s full mixture of resentment, anger and regret come through. It did help that one word from the original was changed near the end of the song.
No, I sent you that letter to ask you if the end was worth the means Was there really no in-between? And I still don’t feel better I just wondered if it could be like before and I think you just made me sure But then that’s typically you And I might have been a bit rude but I wrote it in a bad mood I’m not being funny with you But it’s hard to be engaging when the things you love keep changing
Brassneck Brassneck. I just decided I don’t trust you anymore I just decided I don’t trust you anymore
The first time you came over, do you remember saying then you’d stay for good? No I didn’t think you would Well we couldn’t have been closer But it was different then, and that’s all in the past, There…I’ve said it now at last! You grew up quicker than me I kept so many old things; I never quite stopped hoping I think I know what this means It means I’ve got to grow up It means you want to throw up
Brassneck Brassneck. I just decided I don’t trust you anymore I just decided I don’t love you anymore
Oh, I know you weren’t listening, were you? Oh, just go, whenever you’d prefer to I said it means a lot, when you use an old phrase But then so what? We can’t have it both ways I know you’re not bothered are you? Even so, I’m not going to argue He won’t object; keep writing to me Just don’t forget you ever knew me
Released in early February 1990, this reached #24 in the charts and led to an appearance on Top Of The Pops….in which the group played along enthusiastically with the miming that was required, while the singer looked totally bored and uninterested. I don’t think it went down well with the folk at RCA, but once again it was the group’s way of showing that they were calling the shots.
As with Kennedy, this was issued on 7″, 12″, cassette and CD, with three other songs to pick up and enjoy.
Three absolute belters. Sounded great then and sound just as good now, almost 34 years later. In keeping up with what was now becoming a tradition, one of the songs on the 12″ was a cover. Box Elder was by an American band called Pavement who next to no-one had heard of. Indeed, the label for Brassneck had to give hints, with it saying
‘Box Elder’ : Written by Pavement from Stockton, CA.
It’s now known that Pavement had not long played their first live show (December 1989) and Box Elder had been one of the songs on their debut EP Slay Tracks. But with just 1,000 copies of the EP having been pressed, they were almost totally unknown. It seems that the song had initially been picked up by Keith Gregory, TWP’s bassist, with everyone else agreeing it would make for a great cover.
Before long, John Peel got interested, and having aired the TWP version, he actively sought a copy of the original and began giving it regular spins on his show. It was from there that Pavement took off in the UK and then further afield.
Your Elders, as far as I could make out, only ever released two songs, appearing on two separate compilation albums issued by Glasgow-based Bubblegum Records back in 2009. There is absolute no info out there, so I issued an SOS to a couple of folk who were involved with the label….and they duly came up with the goods. It’s a wonderful little tale.
———-
Your Elders is a Glasgow-based one-man-band. And that one man is the affable Carter Anderson.
Two Your Elders numbers are found on releases from Bubblegum Records, a Glasgow label and a friend of this blog. Both these tracks are worthy of a bit of a spotlight. So here’s some quick info about Carter himself, the label he released on and, of course, the songs themselves.
A lover of comics and pop music, art and literature, professionally Carter found his niche in the advertising industry. It was a great fit, though hardly traditional. That’s because on the creative side of advertising, you’re generally either a words or pictures specialist – so that’s copywriting or artwork and its direction. But across his considerable time in the ad game, Carter was both.
Unusual also was a workmanlike and unpretentious demeanour – qualities that persisted even as he assumed a Glasgow agency’s top-banana role of Creative Director. So with personal peacocking and flash AWOL, panache and flamboyance manifested instead in the work. This was largely located in a pre-social media era – a time characterised mainly by TV and radio ads, press and print. AKA The Good Old Days. It’s no surprise that the energy and zap that typified Carter’s ad work also manifested in the two Your Elders track featured in this post.
Now, if all this sounds like a bit of an obituary, don’t fret. Carter’s disarming manner is today benefitting his charges via a new role as a teacher of English. And I can think of no person better equipped to make an engaging case for Shakespeare and all that other lot.
When introduced to the music for the first time, Bubblegum Records was taken by what it perceived as an intense Bowie/Roxy Music/Eno feel – glam without the sham, not forgetting those all-encompassing distorted guitars.
Your Elders appeared on two Bubblegum Records compilations Pop Vol. 1 and Pick ‘n’ Mix. Both compilations sought to highlight the international nature of independent pop music and that ‘indie’ didn’t have to sound ‘schmindie’ although there’s nowt wrong with a bit of ‘schmindie’.
Pop Vol. 1: (August, 2009).
A four track EP that takes us from Israel to the USA, to Scotland, then back to the USA with Your Elders offering an eponymous track.
Your Elders’ next appearance was on the truly international 27 track, double CD, Pick ’n’ Mix which spanned five continents of DIY talent. Your Elders provided the CD closer, The Ghost In The Machine.
Released in time for Christmas, the double CD was given away free to those that attended the Bubblegum Winter event, with an additional fifty lucky people receiving the double CD and all five previous releases in their goody bag.
Pick ‘n’ Mix marked a significant achievement as far as the label was concerned. From serious musicians recording in studios to solo artists experimenting in bedrooms, the compilation illustrated not only the DIY nature of some of the bands/artists, but also the label itself.
Carter created the majority of the art work for the label, capturing both its spirit and irreverence.
—————
So….I was right about there only ever being two songs. But they are more than decent songs to listen to and enjoy. The eponymous track is a pop number which seems to pay homage to all sorts of influences from across the decades, while The Ghost From The Machine is a more gentle offering. What strikes me is that both sound as if they are the work of a band rather than an individual, and it does seem remarkable that they are the work of someone who was very much interested in making music as a ‘hobby’ with no intention of seemingly ever giving up the day job. A couple of hidden gems for you…..
#041– The Jasmine Minks – ‘Cold Heart’ (Creation Records ’86)
Hello friends,
let’s be honest: we all loved Creation Records, didn’t we? I mean, come on: The Jesus & Mary Chain, Oasis, Primal Scream …. all the big names, ey? But you have to be a) really old or b) a real nerd or c) both in order to remember Creation’s beginnings – and the handful of bands the label started with: Biff Bang Pow!, The Legend, Revolving Paint Dream, The Pastels (which Creation bought from Rough Trade) … and a Jam-influenced four piece from Aberdeen: The Jasmine Minks.
The Jasmine Minks released their first single (‘Think!’) and also their first mini album in 1984, the album being only the third one for Creation to put out, in fact. Only shortly before that just 700 singles had been pressed for The Legend, Primal Scream and The Jasmine Minks, quite a contrast to 1995, when 15 million copies of Oasis’ ‘(What’s The Story) Morning Glory’ were issued.
Alan McGee, Creation’s boss, once said that those beginnings set the scene for Oasis’ success. Obviously this has to be taken with a pinch of salt, but nevertheless The Jasmine Minks’ importance should not be under-estimated, I think: after all The Jesus & Mary Chain borrowed The Minks’ equipment for recording their debut single, ‘Upside Down’ … so let’s just imagine a world without The Mary Chain in case The Jasmine Minks hadn’t been so generous back then.
In October 1984, the band went on tour with The Jesus and Mary Chain and Biff Bang Pow!, and they must have had heavy nights by all accounts, due to The Jesus & Mary Chain being, well, The Jesus & Mary Chain: “when the Jasmines went on (stage)’, relates Adam Sanderson, one of their two frontmen, ‘Jim [Shepherd] and I kept turning our backs to the audience during instrumental parts, in a synchronized way like the anti-Shadows.’ This was no dance routine. Sanderson had a claw hammer in his back pocket, Shepherd a steel pipe, and they wanted the crowd to know it.
Still, to be honest though, as you might have gathered, The Mary Chain stole the show, by and large. It is hard to say whether The Jasmine Minks already disappeared from people’s radar that early, or whether this came a bit later. The thing is, you see: they always were true to themselves and their style (60-s influenced, but most of the time rough as fuck) – but alas it was a style which didn’t meet with the approval of all too many. This certainly came to light when their second (self-titled/’proper’) album was released in 1986, one could argue that they already were a year or so out of date at that time.
The album isn’t ‘bad’, you see – if you find it somewhere for a reasonable price you should get it, that’s my recommendation. Then again all you need to have is this, the only single from the album, and what a bloody masterpiece it is, and always has been for the last 37 years – at least in our house – I cannot find the right words to say how much I love this single:
Now, whatever became of Creation Records, you might all be wondering? Well, McGee ceased operations in 1999, only to create the Poptones Label one year later. When its shares were listed on the Alternative Investment Market that summer, Poptones was valued as high as 17 million British Pounds. Among those hurrying to acquire a GBP 50.000 stake in McGee’s multimedia future was the Queen of England.
Nine months later, the acts on Poptones’ roster included a 40-year-old former rhythm guitarist in the Undertones, an Elvis Presley impersonator from Los Angeles … and the Jasmine Minks. So there you are.
Take good care,
Dirk
JC ADDS…….
The Jasmine Minks have just released a brand-new album on the Last Night From Glasgow label. Click here for info.
This is a rather random post. I was sat on a train heading West to East (Central Scotland). As usual my earbuds were in – some gentle tunes to ease the journey, not that the journey is in any way arduous. Music tends to enhance most things, I find.
The LP I was listening to finished and for reasons unknown the following popped into my head like a bolt of nonsense-lightning… “If I was DJ-ing the two songs from that LP I’d play back to back would be Never Understand followed by You Trip Me Up”.
A stream of bands and associated songs popped into my head – joyful memory jolts…
I then wondered if anyone had ever set up a club night that consisted of the DJ playing two songs back to back, from different bands, all night? I suspect my own epiphany is nothing new to music blogs, forums etc. over the years, but it kept me amused, for a time.
It was time for me to depart the train and catch my connection. My mind wandered to more mundane matters.
Of course! An absolute must in this situation. I was a little disappointed that it had taken me so long to think of what must be one of the most obvious of choices.
I appreciate that the songs above are old-school indie. Songs, in some respects, for nostalgia buffs, although they are as vibrant today as they ever were.
I then asked myself the question “would I go to a club night like that now if someone were to host one?” The answer? “No.” Would my younger self attend? “With bells on… indie bells, obviously”.
My younger self has fortunately danced his little legs off to all of the above songs – some might say with gay abandon? I’m intrigued to know what my next random musical thought might be.
I hope you’re now thinking of back to back songs that you dance your legs off to, or at the very least, would tap your toes lightly to.
I’ve been digging through my RIDE collection lately and thought about doing an ICA, so I went back to read RIDE ICA 004 (004!) and realized that it’s already pretty damn great. When I think of RIDE there are some tracks that simply cannot be left out (Leave Them, Chrome Waves, Vapour Trail, Dreams Burn Down) and they are all there.
So in the spirit of my Weddoes ICA (ICA 339) I decided to do a kind of RIDE alt-ICA, if you will. None of these tracks were the A1 of a single, or radio play favorites (at least not on college and modern rock radio out in California). So that means none of the usual suspects, and no Chelsea Girl, Daydream, Unfamiliar… you get the idea. I also tried not to overlap the 1st ICA so they can complement each other (spoiler alert, I failed, twice). It’s a chance to showcase just how deep the bench was on all their records.
Dance with the one that brought ya. It was this track off their debut single that hooked me. An obvious highlight of all live shows, I wonder if this couldn’t have been the lead track on the EP. It certainly feels more in keeping with what came after.
It’s tempting to include 3 Today Forever b-sides. The TF EP exposes the thinness of this concept. How can you consider the other 3 tracks on this EP “B-sides” when it’s as close to a perfect 4 song EP as you are gonna get.
Ride dip their toe in math rock territory and blow the roof off. I often wonder what would have happened if they pursued this direction over the classic rock feel of their remaining 90s work.
This one starts off pretty unassuming. I wonder if that’s why it didn’t make the album. However as it progresses it grows into something with a lot more complexity. The chorus is a great sing-along that sticks in my head.
Even a stopped clock…There’s a wistfulness to this track that gets me every time. And then at the end when they start playing with dropping beats, it just kills me.
I was reminded of the genius of this tune at the reunion shows. There’s just something elegant about the construction: a simple concept that is worked to the point of perfection.
You will notice some records aren’t represented. There’s nothing from the 3rd or 4th records, or the most recent. The only reason for that is simply that I don’t have them on vinyl (yet). Also, nothing from the Like a Daydream EP. It’s not that they aren’t great, I just don’t get that ‘above the rest’ feels.
I thought about being cheeky and including Grasshopper. I remember back in the day fans would yell out “Freebird!” at shows to try to get them to play it (ask your dad). I only remember it happening once. At the time it seemed like such an over the top move of self indulgence, but as I get older, I find myself returning to it quite a bit. It’s the space and patience of the track that get me now.
From the often neglected area where a relatively small number of 10″ singles are stored.
The Raveonettes, hailing from Copenhagen, had gained a bit of a following in the UK back in 2002/03 thanks to a handful of excellent singles that were accompanied by fairly memorable promo videos – but let’s face it, the visual thing was quite easy to pull off when the two main members of the band, Sune Rose Wagner and Sharin Foo, had such striking looks. The debut album, Chain Gang Of Love, was a moderate success in terms of sales, but there was a feeling that firm foundations had been laid to take them to the next level.
It helped that the band was signed to Columbia Records, meaning that recording and promotional budgets weren’t too much of an issue. The second album, Pretty In Black, was recorded in two studios in New York City in 2004, which made it rather easy for a couple of genuine superstars to drop by and add their touches to what was the selected as the lead-off single:-
The drums are courtesy of Mo Tucker of The Velvet Underground who seemingly came to the studio on her 60th birthday. The backing/co- vocals are from Ronnie Spector. The results are kind of like putting all the different parts of a jigsaw together to make for a very satisfactory outcome. Sadly, nobody paid too much attention to the single, and it limped its way to #78 in the UK singles charts, but then again, it was only actually made available on 10″ vinyl, other than a handful of promotional CDs. My second-hand copy was picked up many years later, and it wasn’t expensive. Even today, you can find it on Discogs for £3.
Yup….the old Hank Williams country classic, done in a very straightforward way with just an acoustic guitar with Sune Rose on lead vocal, but joined in harmony by Sharin. It’s quite a contrast to the sort of production with which the band had made its name, but it’s a take on things that I quite like.
The lead track of this 1984 EP came to my attention thanks to it being included on the 90-track boxset compilation, Make More Noise! : Women in UK Independent Music 1977-1987, released a few years back by Cherry Red Records.
Here’s the backstory (with thanks to the website of Damaged Goods Records).
“When punk rock group the Pop Rivets broke up in 1980, Billy Childish joined forces with Mickey Hampshire, a Pop Rivets roadie who had been performing in a group called Mickey and the Milkshakes with his cohort Banana Bertie. The two began writing songs together and the group released their first LP, Talking ’bout Milkshakes!in 1981.
With Childish and Hampshire sharing guitar and vocal duties, Bruce Brand on drums, and Bertie on bass (later replaced by Russ Wilkins then John Agnew), the Milkshakes’ sound was a primitive blend of British beat groups, like the early Kinks at their toughest, and hard-rocking American guitar instrumentalists like Link Wray. This sound came to be known as the “Medway sound” and the core members have been playing a variation on it throughout their whole careers.
The Milkshakes were a very prolific group, recording nine records in their four years together, and the band was very much a blend of Childish’s primitive songwriting and Hampshire’s more melodic leanings. The group also masterminded and backed a Medway girl group, the Delmonas.
The Delmonas were a trio whose members went only by their surnames of Sarah, Hilary and Louise. This EP was the first of their own releases:-
The first two songs were covers, while the latter two were penned by Billy Childish and Mickey Hampshire, and The Milkshakes provided the musical accompaniment.
The Delmonas would, over a four-year spell, go on to record and release a handful of EPs/singles along with three albums of material, all of which, in the words of the Damaged Goods webiste, ‘ mixed cover versions from the ’50s and ’60s with original compositions that sounded as if they came from that era — upbeat ravers in the spirit of the Shangri-Las, Lesley Gore, Nancy Sinatra, and other tough-but-tender girl acts. If they didn’t quite have the vocal range of those artists, they made up for it in attitude and enthusiasm.”
Make of these four tracks what you will. The title track is to celebrate that Should be back in the UK today.
The next 45 from The Wedding Present has proved to be the most popular of them all among the fan base. But before we get to there, there’s a few more bits of the backstory needing to be told.
With the series focussing on the singles, I omitted to mention last week that a further album had come out on Reception Records in July 1988. Tommy was a 12-track compilation of the early singles, b-sides and material from radio sessions. It’s easy to forget that much of the early material was only ever pressed in relatively small numbers, so this was a good way of ensuring the ever-increasing number of fans wouldn’t feel left out. Tommy reached #42 in the album charts, some five places higher than George Best had achieved.
Something from even further back also needs to be mentioned.
The band’s second John Peel session, recorded in October 1986, included a short instrumental called Hopak. This was a traditional song from Ukraine, the country of birth of the father of the band’s guitarist Pete Solowka, and often played as part of pre-gig tune-ups while touring.
From this, an idea emerged that they should return for further Peel sessions, in which the sets would consist solely of their versions of Ukrainian folk songs. These duly took place in June 1987 and March 1988, with both sessions being so popular with listeners that they were each repeated on four occasions within short periods of time. These sessions were augmented by two guest musicians – Len Liggins (violin/vocals) and Roman Remeynes (mandolin), with David Gedge more than willing to step back and concentrate on playing rhythm guitar.
The plan was then to release both sessions in mid-1988 on an EP via Reception Records, which you will recall was the label owned and run by the band. However, the distribution company Red Rhino, on whom Reception and many other small labels relied, unexpectedly went bust. Having weighed up all the options, including shifting to a new distribution set-up, The Wedding Present chose instead to close down their label and take up the offer that had been put to them by RCA Records, one of the world’s biggest major labels.
Cue the cries of ‘sell-out’ from the indie purists and music critics. The band said publicly, and on more than one occasion, that they would be the ones dictating things to the label, with them having the final say on what would be released.
And, as if to prove this was the case, the first release via RCA Records, in April 1989, was a mini-album, on 10″ vinyl, called Ukrainski Vistuip v Johna Peela, consisting of the eight songs recorded over the two Peel Sessions. This entered the charts at #22, proving just how more effective the major labels were with marketing, sales and distribution into the shops.
All of which takes us up to May 1988. Another Peel Session is recorded, but this time it consists of four new and original TWP songs. The excitement around the first releases under the RCA banner was really growing, with the previous sell-out shouts being largely forgotten.
I’ve said before, but this is the point in time when I finally ‘discovered’ the band, after hearing this played on the radio during the Top 40 rundown. I was hooked…….
Last year, a new book about TWP songs was published, in which fans contributed their stories as to why one was a particular favourite. There’s hundreds of different tales on offer, but the song which was most nominated and featured was Kennedy.
And rightly so. It’s the song that made me a convert to the church of David Gedge, and I’ve been a faithful member ever since. I’m a regular attendee at the places of worship (ie gigs), and I’ll also contribute as and when required to the coffers (ie records, t-shirts, videos, CDs, etc). It’s just such a tremendous tune, and the chorus (as such) is bonkersly brilliant…..too much apple pie indeed.
Released on 7″, 12″, cassette and CD, there were three other songs to pick up and enjoy.
Yes….the Tom Jones song! The cover versions were becoming increasingly inspired.
Oh, and a special shout-out for Unfaithful. A song that really deserved to be given a much higher profile than a b-side. It could have, and arguably should have, been a single – one that would have demonstrated a slower and more melodic side to the band than they were known for at this point in time.
Apologies for the length of this post, but hopefully you’ll understand why it turned out that way.
In October 2015, Edinburgh-based Song, By Toad Records released a compilation album called David Cameron’s Eton Mess. The label proclaimed it to be ‘a collection of the very finest lo-fi, slacker, outsider pop tunes Scotland has to offer.’
Very few of the acts would ever do much beyond being featured on the compilation, and information on many of them is hard to come by. The alphabetical run-down of Scottish bands on the hard drive has reached one such act:-
The fact that Youngsterr Joey would later enjoy a cassette-only mini-album on Song, By Toad, for which there was a little bit of info put out, enables me to state that it is the recording name taken by Cal Donnelly for his solo material.
Cal is someone who has (and maybe still is?) been part of a few cult Scottish acts such as Breakfast Muff, Spinning Coin and KAPPUTT. It’s hard to know, with so many not continuing to perform/record after the disruption caused by the COVID lockdowns, who might still be on the go.
It’s obviously getting to the stage where the letter ‘Z’ will soon feature, but I just want to say that it won’t be the end of the series.
For one thing….the artistes whose name begins with a number come on the hard drive after ‘Z’.
Secondly, I began this odyssey back in February 2015 with A.C. Acoustics. I’ve continued to buy new music since then, and a few additional singers and bands from Scotland have ended up being added to the hard drive well after their alphabetical turn had already come and gone….so it will be a few more months during which I’ll pick up anyone who has been missed out before it all comes to a natural end.
Tough luck if it’s not a feature which captures your imagination!
I Am A Poseur – X-Ray Spex
Pigs – Brenda
Heaven Help You Now (12″) – Paul Haig
My Doorbell – The White Stripes
Mo’Pop – Dot Allison
Wrote For Luck – Happy Mondays
Sabotage – Beastie Boys
Heads Will Roll – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Love Is Short – Otoboke Beaver
Up Up And Away (Happy Sexy Mix) – The Beloved
My Delirium – Ladyhawke
Abba & The Bunnymen – Go-Home Productions
Well Done Sonny – The Weather Prophets
Last Nite – The Strokes
Grand Final Day – Ducks Ltd.
You can just about see the room that myself and Mrs Villain are currently occupying. During the daytime, we will likely be making use of those blue beach umbrellas
Bodega Birth – Bodega
Just Step Sways – The Fall
Dreaming – Allo Darlin’
Dog-Eared August – Hamish Hawk
A Cloud In A Box – Pet Shop Boys
Chaise Longue – Wet Leg
Heads Will Roll (summer mix) – Echo and The Bunnymen
For You (single mix) – Electronic
Landslide – The Popguns
White Man (In Hammersmith Palais) – The Clash
Man o’ Sand to Girl o’ Sea (single version) – The Go-Betweens
Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey) (Party Line Mix) – De La Soul
Each and Everyone – Everything But The Girl
Dennis and Lois – Happy Mondays
Carte Postale – George Pringle
Shampoo Tears – Win
Moscow Olympics – Orange Juice
If I Can’t Change Your Mind – Sugar Brimful of Asha (Fatboy Slim remix) – Cornershop Seether – Veruca Salt Speed-Date – Arab Strap Daft Punk Is Playing At My House – LCD Soundsystem Sub-Culture – New Order Tainted Love – Gloria Jones Wrote For Luck – Happy Mondays Slave To The Rhythm – Grace Jones To Lose My Life – White Lies Totally Wired – The Fall Satisfaction – Rolling Stones Love Plus One – Haircut 100 Ever Fallen In Love…? – Buzzcocks Blue Boy – Orange Juice Kennedy – The Wedding Present Roi (reprise) – The Breeders
Freeworld – Kirsty MacColl
Has It Come To This? – The Streets
Frozen – Curve
Black Lucia – Aztec Camera
Monday Morning – Pulp
Would You Fuck – The Lovely Eggs
Firestarter – The Prodigy
Sleepwalk – Ultravox
Funeral Pyre – The Jam
Reggie Song -PiL
Microscopic Baby – Brenda
Rotten To The Core – Friends Of The Family
Cannonball – The Breeders
Debaser – Pixies
Free Range – The Fall
Pristine Christine – The Sea Urchins
Upside Down – The Jesus and Mary Chain
Mirrorball – The Catenary Wires
If You Don’t Want Me To Destroy You – Super Furry Animals
Deceptacon – Le Tigre
Lithium – Nirvana
The HOUSE oF ALL – The Magic Sound
Maniac – Cinerama
The Shy Retirer – Arab Strap
I’m Done With Drugs – Eugene Kelly
To Know Your Mission – Jens Lekman
Entschuldigung! – Pet Shop Boys
Open Your Heart – The Human League
Friday Night Saturday Morning – The Brilliant Corners
Marquee Moon – Television
Before 1988 came to an end, The Wedding Present once again hooked up with Strange Fruit, the commercial arm, musically, of the BBC, to release another 12″ single.
This time, it was from the Janice Long Show for a session recorded back on 20 April 1986 and broadcast on 15 May 1986. Three of the songs were TWP originals, with the other being a cover from a band much associated with Leeds.
The last of these was written and recorded by Gang Of Four and included on their 1979 debut album, Entertainment! As covers go, I’ll suggest it’s just on the right side of OK, with the original angular guitar sound getting replaced by something just a bit faster, which means it’s all done and dusted in around 40 seconds less time.
This was the sixteenth in what was known as the Nighttracks series, but was the first to be given both a vinyl and CD release. It didn’t chart, but then again it was really only aimed at hardcore fans and everyone seemed satisfied given that the versions of the TWP songs differed a bit from the studio versions, but I still can’t get used to there being no whistling on Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft.
What nobody knew at the time was that 1989 would take the band to a place of horror for many of their diehard and hardcore fans as they accepted an offer that was put to them by a major record label….
THE NEW VINYL VILLAIN 