Album: Squirrel and G-Man Twenty Four Hour Party People Plastic Face Carnt Smile (White Out)(Factory,1988) Chart pos:N/A
Shaun Ryder's only claim to fame in the mid 1990's was being barred from being able to appear on live TV (although to be honest i think Chris Evans was more deserving of this fate). When you look past the the chavvy image Shaun Ryder is an underrated lyricist. Anyone who can string together offbeat lines such as 'A maggot sleeps on her desk he wears a sleeping bag as his vest/ And he's getting too too bothered about the spots on his chest, chest, chest' is a genius in my opinion. Mark E Smith may have all the critical kudos when it comes to gritty kitchen sink surrealism, but Shaun Ryder ain't far behind. Its just a shame that he took the party way to far and the band imploded way too soon.
Unfortunatly that TFI appearance is on youtube but the bastards at Channel 4 have disabled embedding.
Wednesday, 15 September 2010
Friday, 10 September 2010
Sousxie and the Banshee's - Peek a Boo
Album:Peepshow (Polydor,1988) Chart pos: UK#16 US#53
A couple of years ago i went through a bit of a Sousxie Sioux phase which didn't last long as I realised that i wasn't a massive fan. Despite this i did like some of her albums but I generally found them a bit patchy easier to admire than like. This admiration is probably down to the fact that they invented gloomy post-punk a while before Joy Division managed to get their nightmarish vision on to wax.
Like many bands that found themselves stuck in the eighties, the group went pop. Although Sousxie still managed to maintain some kind of dignity in the process. 1986's Peek-a-Boo is possibly one of the quirkiest pop singles from that era with its back masked instruments and its lyrical lifts from Jeepers Creepers.
A couple of years ago i went through a bit of a Sousxie Sioux phase which didn't last long as I realised that i wasn't a massive fan. Despite this i did like some of her albums but I generally found them a bit patchy easier to admire than like. This admiration is probably down to the fact that they invented gloomy post-punk a while before Joy Division managed to get their nightmarish vision on to wax.
Like many bands that found themselves stuck in the eighties, the group went pop. Although Sousxie still managed to maintain some kind of dignity in the process. 1986's Peek-a-Boo is possibly one of the quirkiest pop singles from that era with its back masked instruments and its lyrical lifts from Jeepers Creepers.
Thursday, 9 September 2010
Billie Holiday - I Get Along without You Very Well (Except Sometimes)
Album: Lady In Satin (Columbia,1958) Chart pos:N/A
While under the influence of alcohol I admitted to a female acquaintance that I'm a massive fan of Etta James. This led to her bringing up Billie Holiday, to be honest Ive never really tried to get into her music bar this song; (that was originally composed by Hoagy Carmichael). I was familiar through listening to Nina Simone's version but this particular reading of the song blew me away. As much as I'm a fan of Nina Simone , I think her version pales in comparison to Cher Bakers and Billie Holiday's. Billie Holiday sang it in the twilight of her career and it shows with the amount of substance abuse she endured had affected her voice. However this beautifully arranged song manges to eek out some beauty from her croaky, smack addled voice making it somewhat affecting.
While under the influence of alcohol I admitted to a female acquaintance that I'm a massive fan of Etta James. This led to her bringing up Billie Holiday, to be honest Ive never really tried to get into her music bar this song; (that was originally composed by Hoagy Carmichael). I was familiar through listening to Nina Simone's version but this particular reading of the song blew me away. As much as I'm a fan of Nina Simone , I think her version pales in comparison to Cher Bakers and Billie Holiday's. Billie Holiday sang it in the twilight of her career and it shows with the amount of substance abuse she endured had affected her voice. However this beautifully arranged song manges to eek out some beauty from her croaky, smack addled voice making it somewhat affecting.
Saturday, 4 September 2010
The Crystals - And Then He Kissed Me
Album:N/A (Philes,1963) Chart pos: US#6 UK#2
I was in a video class a while back and when describing the Steadicam I instantly give the example of the scene where Ray Liotta leads Loraine Bracco kitchen of the Copacabana on a date. This little number from the Crystals sound tracked one of the finest scenes in a film which is possibly my favourite film of all time. This marks the fifth time I've mentioned a Phil Spector produced song in this blog, I must really like his production work (despite the fact he was a homicidal manic with a napoleon complex).
I was in a video class a while back and when describing the Steadicam I instantly give the example of the scene where Ray Liotta leads Loraine Bracco kitchen of the Copacabana on a date. This little number from the Crystals sound tracked one of the finest scenes in a film which is possibly my favourite film of all time. This marks the fifth time I've mentioned a Phil Spector produced song in this blog, I must really like his production work (despite the fact he was a homicidal manic with a napoleon complex).
Friday, 3 September 2010
Buzzcocks - Why Can't i Touch It?
Album: Singles Going Steady (EMI, 1979) Chart Pos: UK#29 (B-Side to Everybodys Happy Nowadays)
Possibly the greatest B-side ever.
This is a band i keep on forgetting about until somebody looks through my MP3 collection and tells me how wonderful this band is. Singles Going Steady is possibly one of the greatest best-of's ever made in the fact that it flows as well as any of their albums. Which is pretty good for a compilation album that was tossed off for the US market. One of the lesser known songs on the album Why Cant I Touch It? was the B-side to the already brilliant Everybody Happy Nowadays, yet still manages to surpass the A-side. Even though the song deals with the same old themes that they dealt on every other song they did (e.g. teenage lust and sexual frustration) it manages to sound much different. This is down to the fact that the song has a relaxing, hypnotic and angular groove that's so damn good even if the song went on for another ten minutes, it'd still be difficult to press the skip button.
www.megaupload.com/?d=lpecfaf9
Possibly the greatest B-side ever.
This is a band i keep on forgetting about until somebody looks through my MP3 collection and tells me how wonderful this band is. Singles Going Steady is possibly one of the greatest best-of's ever made in the fact that it flows as well as any of their albums. Which is pretty good for a compilation album that was tossed off for the US market. One of the lesser known songs on the album Why Cant I Touch It? was the B-side to the already brilliant Everybody Happy Nowadays, yet still manages to surpass the A-side. Even though the song deals with the same old themes that they dealt on every other song they did (e.g. teenage lust and sexual frustration) it manages to sound much different. This is down to the fact that the song has a relaxing, hypnotic and angular groove that's so damn good even if the song went on for another ten minutes, it'd still be difficult to press the skip button.
www.megaupload.com/?d=lpecfaf9
Thursday, 2 September 2010
Johnny Ace - Pledging my Love
Album:N/A (Duke,1955) Chart pos:US#17
Watching allot of Martin Scorsese's films its easy to realise that he is the master of using popular music in films, even Tarantino pales in comparison. This song in particular was used within a fight scene in Mean Streets. Every time I listen to the song it seems to bring up images of Scorsese or Abel Ferrera's grittier films (the song was also used in Bad Lieutenant). Also what seems to strike me is how haunting this song sounds, much of this is possibly due to the fact that Johnny Ace like that guy from Chicago (the band not the city) blew his brains out playing Russian roulette* a year before the song's release. Either that or the fact it was also used in the film Christine.
*allegedly
Watching allot of Martin Scorsese's films its easy to realise that he is the master of using popular music in films, even Tarantino pales in comparison. This song in particular was used within a fight scene in Mean Streets. Every time I listen to the song it seems to bring up images of Scorsese or Abel Ferrera's grittier films (the song was also used in Bad Lieutenant). Also what seems to strike me is how haunting this song sounds, much of this is possibly due to the fact that Johnny Ace like that guy from Chicago (the band not the city) blew his brains out playing Russian roulette* a year before the song's release. Either that or the fact it was also used in the film Christine.
*allegedly
Wednesday, 1 September 2010
Jimmy James & the Vagabonds - A Man Like Me
Album:N/A (Stateside/EMI, 1972) Chart pos:N/A
Since discovering Northern Soul music I have discovered that many British act liked to cover or steal from popular northern soul 45's. The Jam, The Dexys Midnight Runners and (ahem) Simply Red owed much to the rare soul music that was championed by the northern soul scene. This 45 in particular was the basis for the Dexy's mammoth hit Come on Eileen. Jimmy James originally was from Jamaica but ended up setting in the UK where he gained somthing of a following in the 60's and 70's. The Vagabonds also managed to have a professional rivalry with US ex-pat Soul singer Geno Washingington who in turn was the inspiration for the Dexy's other mammoth hit Geno.
Since discovering Northern Soul music I have discovered that many British act liked to cover or steal from popular northern soul 45's. The Jam, The Dexys Midnight Runners and (ahem) Simply Red owed much to the rare soul music that was championed by the northern soul scene. This 45 in particular was the basis for the Dexy's mammoth hit Come on Eileen. Jimmy James originally was from Jamaica but ended up setting in the UK where he gained somthing of a following in the 60's and 70's. The Vagabonds also managed to have a professional rivalry with US ex-pat Soul singer Geno Washingington who in turn was the inspiration for the Dexy's other mammoth hit Geno.
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