Archive for the 'Music' Category

02
Jan
12

Inner City Goldie

By Obscure Music and Football Leave a Comment
Categories: Music
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Obscure Music & Football is normally a one-man blog, but here’s a cracking guest post by Football League and music connoisseur Rob Langham, aka Lanterne Rouge, co-proprietor of the excellent Two Unfortunates blog and contributor to sites like The Art of Noise. You can follow Rob on Twitter at @twounfortunates.

Today’s dance music occupies an altogether more homely place than it did in the 1990s. Back then, Sasha and Digweed were ‘havin’ it’ in Eye-biza, Leftfield were soundtracking a Guinness advert and Faithless provided the background music to Grandstand. By contrast, there’s an introspection to much of today’s offerings – a reticence no more apparent than in the UK context where the likes of Ghostpoet and Burial provide a dissonant, downbeat take on life in British cities – a depressing but beautiful soundscape that makes perfect sense in the light of last Summer’s troubled times.

This lack of exuberance has been accompanied by the rise of net music. Before, one was forced to listen to what Pete Tong or Dave Pearce forced you to listen to, be it on the radio or in a club. The theory of the long tail has allowed us to break free from these shackles so there’s little need to engage with the outside world at all – cooped up in your Fallowfield or Cowley digs, you can explore the deepest recesses of spacesynth or crunkcore.

One of the musicians to bemoan this loss of collaboration and togetherness is one Clifford Price – ‘Goldie’ to you and me. Now it may seem odd to you that my genial host Chris has allowed me to write a piece on this gentleman given this site’s billing as ‘obscure’. This is a man, you’ll remember, who has starred in Guy Ritchie’s Snatch and James Bond movie, The World is Not Enough, dated Björk and Naomi Campbell and chalked up appearances on Celebrity Big Brother, Come Dine With Me and Strictly Come Dancing. That he has made first round exits, his speciality does little to obstruct the Black Country boy’s fame.

Through all this brouhaha, not to mention his involvement in a more edifying and admirable activities like a three part series designed to scour the country for new musical talent, it’s easy to forget the real reason why Goldie rose to prominence – for this is no Kim Kardashian-style professional celebrity.

Drum and Bass – I can find no consensus to indicate whether it should be spelt thus, or as ‘Drum ‘n’ Bass’ – was a rare phenomenon – an example of a British musical genre that really lit the blue touch paper in its time. Growing out of Jungle, the at times unlistenable underground sub-discipline that emerged around the time of early Britpop, its smoother edge was lent individuality by the defining coda of the rapid breakbeat – that ubiquitous musical tic of the time and a style it’s hard to think of the nineties without evoking.

Goldie was the chief witchdoctor of Drum and Bass. Sure, the likes of Fabio and Grooverider may have predated him, but he did more than anyone to popularise it. Fundamental to this was the Metalheadz night – a weekly event at the Blue Note in Hoxton Square that was aimed squarely at proper music fans – a world away from the grandstanding show-offery of a Club UK, let alone the bloated nights that hastened the demise of dance – Gatecrasher in particular. Taking place on Sundays – so only for the committed, Metalheadz was eventually accompanied by a record label of the same name as well as an album of Goldie’s himself – the majestic Timeless. The vocals of Diane Charlemagne on pivotal track Inner City Life were to define that clubby decade.

Yet there was humanity behind the sometime glossiness of the music’s sheen. I once attended a Goldie gig at The Forum in Kentish Town and arrived unfashionably early. Minding my own business at the bar, I was struck by the friendliness of the early arrivers – not least a puffa jacketed individual who came up to me to shake my hand. A split second passed and a glint of gold and I realised that the man himself had approached me to thank me for coming.

Later and in the wake of his second album Saturnzreturn, a problematic artefact not least because of its inclusion of an hour long track on one of its two discs entitled Mother and the presence of David Bowie and Noel Gallagher as guest vocalists, Goldie again produced an accomplished summary of drum and bass’s range. No longer quite part of the zeitgeist, though, the album was panned in the style that is now familiar to any student of music journalism in the United Kingdom of the past fifty years. Taking it upon himself to pen a positive customer review online, a friend of a friend was astonished to receive an email from Mr. Price himself, thanking him for his kind words – the suspicion that Goldie was not only a musical innovator but something of a good egg was now confirmed.

In many ways, Goldie’s career since has become increasingly postmodern, with his involvement in all kinds of media an inevitable development – although few would have predicted his receipt of honorary degrees from Brunel and Wolverhampton Universities. His musical contribution remains indelible, though – and as acts like James Blake and Sepalcure take this generation’s most distinctive music, dubstep, into the mainstream – let’s raise a glass to a man who did the same a decade and a half ago now.

01
Dec
11

Random music reviews #23: ‘Dream Kitchen’ by Frazier Chorus (1989)

By Obscure Music and Football Leave a Comment
Categories: Music
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Celebrity siblings: it’s a funny world. More often than not, the more talented celebrity brother or sister is the more respected. Could you imagine Nadia Sawalha matching Julia’s performance as Lynda Day in Central Television’s ‘Press Gang’? And while Jeremy Vine is a household name, his Daily Mail-esque persona doesn’t come near to matching Tim’s comedic timing. But, unfortunately, this isn’t the case with the Freeman brothers. Don’t get me wrong, Martin is a perfectly competent actor but the late 1980s saw something better. Let me tell you about Tim’s band.

Tim was the lead singer for Frazier Chorus; they’re probably most famous for the tracks ‘Cloud 8’ and ‘Nothing’, taken from their 1991 Ian Broudie-produced album ‘Ray’. But it’s their earlier material that stands out; in particular, their second single, and their first for Virgin Records, ‘Dream Kitchen’. Unlike their later material – ‘Ray’, for instance, sounds a little bit too much like indie-dance merchants The Beloved for my liking – there’s something comforting about ‘Dream Kitchen’. There’s an authentic sound wrapped around with genuine craft and it also feels home-made without any signs of rawness. It’s slickly produced but there’s a real labour of love within the song: the quiet confidence of knowing that you’re producing your best material in your own preferred way, rather than being dictated by a big-name record label.

While Frazier Chorus’ lyrics about “cups of coffee and carpets” helps to aid its homely and warm sound, the real answer to how the song works lies in the band’s arrangement and production. Frazier Chorus – released during the period when the likes of Madchester where slowly emerging – were perhaps more unusual than other pop groups, which had indie undertones, in that most of their earlier material didn’t contain electric, acoustic or bass guitars. There was, instead, a heavy reliance on percussion, and woodwind instruments such as the clarinet and flute. To the credit of the group, it didn’t sound either pretentious or too twee. It may not have been particularly heavy on the ears but ‘Dream Kitchen’ is a solid pop record that is commercially sound; it’s certainly radio friendly.

Despite this friendly and easy-going sound, it failed to make a dent on the UK Singles Chart as it peaked at Number 57 in February 1989. It wasn’t ahead of its time – mainly because ‘Dream Kitchen’ isn’t particularly groundbreaking – its release was just poorly timed. After all, ‘Dream Kitchen’ was released in the middle of a recession, during Thatcher’s reign, and its aspiration tone and lyrics probably didn’t fit the mood of the country at that time.

Had it been released in the early-to-mid 1980s, it may have been picked up by the “yuppies” in the same way that Strawberry Switchblade or Altered Images were. They may even picked up the cult fan-base that Prefab Sprout had. If it was released in the mid-to-late 1990s, again it may have been commercials popular; their LPs ‘Sue’ and ‘Ray’ may have been picked up by mums in Asda who were also purchasing ‘Ocean Drive’ by the Lighthouse Family.

Loosely comparing Frazier Chorus to the Lighthouse Family isn’t a criticism, as ‘Dream Kitchen’ has the broad commercial appeal that ‘Ocean Drive’ had. It also has the musical depth and sophistication to appeal to listeners with more highbrow tastes. The track may not be particularly original, but there are enough quirks for it to stand out from the crowd and be a real grower. Seeing that it also fits nicely into the band’s “nice” image, it does what it says on the tin: it really does sound like a dream.

13
Nov
11

The legacy of Gazza’s music career

By Obscure Music and Football Leave a Comment
Categories: Football and Music
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People were mad about Paul Gascoigne in 1990; the phrase “Gazza-mania” sums it all up. After Italia ’90, the number of Gazza-related products was endless: the annuals, videos, countless biographies, MB board games and video game sequels. And this is without mentioning his appearances in television adverts for Brut and Woolworths, and launching BBC Radio Five with a guest slot on Garth Crooks’ ‘Sporting Albums’ programme. He even won the Best Dressed Man and BBC Sports Personality of the Year awards in late 1990.

But, during the height of “Gazza-mania”, Gazza ventured into the music industry by releasing three records: something that would not just change the way footballers make music, but would also help to influence the rest of his career.

Chart stats

In order to explain this, some historical context is needed. In November 1990, Gazza teamed up with Lindisfarne to release a revised version of their most famous hit; this time, it was called ‘Fog on the Tyne (Revisited)’. There was the inevitable wave of press hype, and it was expected to be a breakout hit and immediately reach Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart. Despite being released over a month before Christmas – and having another single, ‘Geordie Boys (Gazza Rap)’, released by then – ‘Fog on the Tyne (Revisited’) was installed as the third favourite for the Christmas Number 1 spot, behind Cliff Richards’s ‘Saviour’s Day’ and Partners in Kryme’s ‘Undercover’. Smash Hits’ Ryan Lowe, for instance, wrote:

“So [Lindisfarne] rewrite the words to suit Gazza, stick a big booming house beat behind it and bob’s your uncle, it’ll be No.1 for about six million years. Well, for a bit anyway.”

Bearing in mind these high expectations, it’s fair to say that ‘Fog on the Tyne (Revisited)’ under-performed in the charts. It was the highest new entry in the UK Singles Chart at Number 11 and the next week it climbed up to Number 2 – as it was kept off the Number 1 spot by the UK’s biggest selling single of 1990, The Righteous Brothers’ re-release of ‘Unchained Melody’. Despite this, sales quickly dropped as it only spent two weeks in the Top 10 and nine weeks in the Top 75; by Christmas, it had slipped to Number 48.

It did not get any better when ‘Geordie Boys (Gazza Rap)’ was released, just seven weeks later, in a rushed attempt to get it out for the Christmas market. Being released so soon after Gazza’s début single meant that most of press promotion was about Gazza’s music career, rather than one particular single. Despite airings of the video on ‘Top of the Pops’ and ITV’s Saturday morning children’s programme ‘Motormouth’, the follow-up single performed poorly in the charts: entering at Number 43 in the 1990 Christmas charts. It eventually peaked at Number 31, but the damage was done and his LP, under the moniker of Gazza and Friends, also flopped.

The negative press reception towards ‘Fog on the Tyne (Revisited)’ did not help ahead of the release of ‘Geordie Boys (Gazza Rap)’ and neither did the sheer amount of hype attached to the début single. This led to Mark Moore from S’Express claiming – during an interview for Select Magazine in January 1991 – the hero and hype of 1990 was Gazza because of Italia ’90 and “the dance music overkill bandwagon”.

The fact that the release of ‘Geordie Boys (Gazza Rap)’ was pencilled in for the music industry’s busiest week was an indicator of its troubled genesis; it may have fared better in the charts if it was released during the quiet New Year period, alongside another press campaign. Iron Maiden, Wet Wet Wet and D:Ream all reached Number 1 in the UK Singles Chart, during the early-to-mid 1990s, by taking advantage of the fact that few records are released at the start of the year, and doing the same may have saved Gazza’s music career. Not only was it killed off within seven weeks, but it could also be classed as the first major backlash that the footballer had faced.

The marketing machine

But, despite the criticism from music critics, Gazza took his musical recordings seriously. This was to the extent that he told Lowe he wouldn’t spoof his famous tears in the ‘Fog on the Tyne (Revisited)’ promotional video. He said:

“That would be taking the piss out of something I’d done very seriously. What happened at that moment was something I was really upset about – England got beaten in the World Cup. A lot of other people were upset too and it would be taking the piss out of them if I made a joke of it now.”

In addition, during the interview with Smash Hits, he added that he was taking his music career seriously:

“I’m taking it seriously. I want it to do well. I don’t want to put no crap in the charts and I want it to do well because of the song, because it’s a good song, not because it’s a Paul Gascoigne song.”

Also, unlike ad-hoc recordings like Kevin Keegan’s ‘Head Over Heels In Love’, there seemed to be an actual strategy in place for a footballer-cum-musician for the first time. Details of Gazza’s LP and his follow-up single ‘Geordie Boys (Gazza Rap)’, for instance, were announced during promotion for ‘Fog on the Tyne (Revisted)’, which suggests that there were plans to turn the player into a fully-fledged pop star.

Although it is unknown whether this was a short-term plan – in order to milk Gazza’s boom in popularity, during the winter period of 1990 – there was an attempt to tailor the music towards Gazza’s personality and brand. Instead of making money out of one single, BMG Records, who used the subsidiary label Best for Gazza’s records, tried to make as much money as possible by releasing a series of records within a space of a few months; thus, further developing the concept of musicians releasing music.

This is in stark contrast to the approach taken when Glenn Hoddle and Chris Waddle’s ‘Diamonds Lights’ was released in 1987. The idea to release a single started off as a bit of fun at an budget car rental awards party and, while ‘Diamond Lights’ was eventually picked up by minor label Record Shack, it was never taken too seriously by either footballer and no long-term plan was apparent. In fact, considering that the release of ‘Diamond Lights’ coincided with the 1987 FA Cup final, it could be cynically suggested that the single was marketing ploy for Tottenham Hotspur’s appearance in the aforementioned final. A follow-up, ‘It’s Goodbye’, was released but failed to reached the UK Top 100 Singles Chart, partly due to Hoddle’s move to Monaco and his inability to promote the record.

While Gazza’s music career was equally short-lived, his earnest approach has similarities with other footballers-cum-musicians. Perhaps the one of the most notable is Neil Danns, who released his debut single, ‘Survive’, in March 2010. Although he has decided to concentrate on his career as a footballer, the fact that he has uploaded several tracks on his website, and completed a course in video editing and production at the London Academy, suggests that Danns could have plans of becoming a professional musician upon retirement.

Footballers seeing music as a long-term career goal, however, is becoming more prominent and is a natural development in how musicians make music. The most successful of these plans is Dion Dublin’s musical instrument, The Dube, which was commercially released in October 2010. Dublin first credited June 1975 as the first date in the history of his invention, which is a percussion instrument in the shape of a cube, and veteran musicians – such as Courtney Pine and Carl McGregor – are now using it.

The creative changes

But it is just not the business side of footballers making music that Gazza changed: its creative side also changed. Keegan’s ‘Head Over Heels In Love’ would not have sounded out-of-place on a David Cassidy or David Essex LP and, while Hoddle and Waddle’s had recorded their début single prior to it being snapped up by Record Shack, ‘Diamond Lights’ was undoubtedly influenced by the new romantic genre. Prior to Gazza’s recording career, not only were these records largely ad-hoc but there were also jumping on any old bandwagon to give it maximum exposure.

And, judging from ‘Fog on the Tyne (Revisted)’ and ‘Geordie Boys (Gazza Rap)’, this wasn’t going to change. This was mainly because it combined the emerging rap genre with the novelty genre that had been re-popularised by several artists; most notably, Timmy Mallet’s collaboration with Bombalurina – whose cover of ‘Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’ reached the Number 1 spot in August 1990.

However, it was Gazza’s LP, ‘Let’s Have a Party’, that really changed how footballers recorded music. Although it contained both of his singles, the album also had four medleys – based on Elvis Presley, Mowtown, 1970s disco and Gilbert O’Sullivan – and a cover of The Beatles’ ‘All You Need is Love’ that featured Gazza’s sister, Kenny Lynch and Danny Baker. Essentially, on paper, it was Black Lace meets Jive Bunny & the Mastermixers. Again, the LP was based on Gazza’s persona and it appeared in interviews that he also had a large input in making of the album.

Although Q Magazine’s Tom Hibbert needed to explain the concept of ‘Desert Isand Discs’ to Gazza, the midfielder eventually said: “If you want me on your Desert Island Discs, it’s got to be lot of tracks off Elvis.” In addition, he told Lowe:

“I used to dance like [Elvis], well, try to anyway. When I was a young kid I used to dance and bop and all that. I used to really like it. That’s why I’ve got the Elvis medley on the LP. It’s going to be very good – it’s a 17 minute mix of Elvis songs, there’s never been one of them before.”

‘Let’s Have a Party’, unsurprisingly, failed to reach the UK Top 100 Album Charts and was largely mocked by critics, but it was perhaps the first record that allowed a footballer to experiment with their own musical tastes and indulgences. A current example is Danns’ brand of, what he calls, acoustic indie-urban music, and he has also written and produced several tracks. There has, subsequently, been a recent wave of footballers that have recently records, which could be classed as self-indulgent.

This, however, creates a dilemma: while it boosts their own ego and allows them creative freedom, it has the risk of alienating potential listeners and not being commercially viable. Ryan Babel and Clint Dempsey’s rap recordings, for instance, have either been ignored or ridiculed, while others have explored their own influences to release something that’s more meaningful.

Former Nigeria Under-23 international Emmanuel Babayaro is one such example. Although his first singles, ‘Nijar Area’ and ‘My Party’, displayed his narcissism to significant levels, his 2010 album ‘Best of Both Worlds’ was a fusion of jazz and hip-hop. It was also well-received in Nigeria, as the album had three official press launches that has attended by several Nigerian celebrities including Chief Rochas Okorocha and Daniel Amokachi.

Gazza’s music critics

Perhaps the most lasting and defining legacy of Gazza’s music career was the possible influence that its press coverage had Gazza himself. You could say that, during the period between Italia ’90 and the release of ‘Fog on the Tyne (Revisited)’ Gazza was a hero: the everyday man of working class Northern England.

And Gazza was generally well liked before Italia ’90 as Steve Sutherland, during an interview with Gazza in Melody Maker, wrote:

“Paul Gascoigne hasn’t had that much “bad stuff” to content with yet – not really that bad, crawl away in a dark hole and die stuff like Boy George had. The best bad stuff the press have come up with so far was some half-cocked story about witnessing the death of a childhood friend which, according to some hack, accounted for Gascoigne’s apparently weird psychological make-up. No one’s yet accused him of silencing his Rottweilers by cutting their vocal chords or saving up for a sex change.”

A backlash, inevitably, had to come from somewhere: the music press. Kylie Minogue was also suffering from a backlash at the same time, from magazines like Smash Hits, as readers and journalists criticised her sexualised image during the release of ‘Step Back in Time’. She won several “worst” awards in the 1990 and 1991 Smash Hits Poll Winners Party and her ‘Rhythm of Love’ LP just scraped into the UK Top 10 Album Charts. But, with Gazza, it was different: the coverage of ‘Fog on the Tyne’ from the music press could be considered as more vicious and, to a certain extent, cruel.

The scale of the coverage that ‘Fog on the Tyne’ got from various music magazines was probably the root of the problem. Both Smash Hits and Melody Maker featured Gazza on the front page of their editions in late October 1990. Even considering the extent of “Gazza-mania”, this could be considering as a surprise; Gazza was featured ahead of Pet Shop Boys, Northside and Ride on the Melody Maker’s front cover, and he was chosen ahead of features about Madonna and Jimmy Somerville’s greatest hits LPs on Smash Hits’ cover.

Having Gazza on the front covers would have undoubtedly sold many copies, but there was probably also pressure from BMG Records to include the footballer on these covers. Therefore, the standards of these magazines had to be compromised: they loathed ‘Fog on the Tyne (Revisited)’ but, at the same time, they needed to sell copies. To the Melody Maker’s credit, they conducted an intelligent interview with Gazza, mostly about his media image and struggle to settle in London, but Smash Hits and Q Magazine did not spare any punches.

A troubling indicator of Smash Hits’ interview with Gazza was on the front page, which had the caption: “Gazza! The Man! The Myth! The ‘Music’!!” And things didn’t get better during Lowe’s feature, as the most scathing remarking was “honestly, it’s the most tragic LP ever made”. Lowe and Hibbert also seemed intent on showing Gazza up, by making him look as stupid as possible, normally by accenting his quotes. Describing Gazza’s primary musical influences, for instance, Hibbert wrote:

“Yur. Gazza,” [Gazza] goes. “Hurr…” And [Gazza] starts to sing. “I’ve got a brand new combine harvester and I’ll give you the key… Dee deedle dee deedle dee. D’you remember it? It was really good. It was by the Wurzels, weren’t it? That’s right. And I love Elvis. I like Elvis. Jailhouse Rock. But I’ve just really got into GI Blues. He’s got you, you know, with GI Blues, like, he’s got…” And [Gazza] starts to sing again. “You ever you ever get you ever get one you ever get one of them days you ever get one of those days boys… I can’t remember the words. Dum-di-dum-di-dum. Two two. Er…”

Before these interviews, Gazza was reluctant to participate. According to Lowe, he was treated badly by a few newspapers and had also been wary of reports because “[Gazza] thinks they’re all out to finding something bad about him.” He added:

“And it’s a very different Gazza who warily sits down to answer a few questions from Smash Hits. Gone is the confident, life and soul of the party bravado, gone is the big “isn’t it all a laugh” grin. He sits and fidgets with the zipper of his tracksuit. He won’t look you in the eye. He flicks through a paper while he’s talking. He’s nervous and uncomfortable, but he answers the questions politely enough in his quickfire two-thousand-words-a-second Geordie babble.”

For someone who was showing signs of emotional frailness and wishing he had “got the police onto it”, regarding an author who, according to Gazza, “went round telling loads of lies and he’s writing a book about Paul Gascoigne”, Lowe and Hibbert’s interviews could be classed as tactless. ‘Fog on the Tyne (Revisited)’ may have been musically questionable but being mocked for not knowing what ‘Desert Island Discs’ was may have worsened his psychological state.

Tony Dorigo, for instance, told ghost-writer Robin McGibbon in his 1990 book ‘Gazza! A Biography’ of Gazza’s state of mind during the Italia ’90 semi-final. He added:

“Dave Beasant was the first to spot Gazza crying and told us to keep our eyes on him. Sure enough, his face was all serous, as he fought to get the ball, but then he would suddenly stop and start crying again. It was like an on and off switch. He was running around, trying to tackle and close players down. Once, he sprinted at Matthäus and we thought has was going to tackle him, but Matthäus dropped his shoulder and passed him. Gazza stood there, his face scrunched up, and he started crying again. At that point, all the boys were looking at each other laughing. Gazza would compose himself and try another tackle and when he missed that he would cry again. And we would laugh.”

Also, after Italia ’90, the strains of “Gazza-mania” were starting to show. During Tottenham Hotspur’s pre-season tour of Norway, the midfielder got booked and substituted within 30 minutes of the first match and, in a friendly against Hearts, he was booked within the first 12 minutes. On Monday 3 September 1990, Gazza’s business advisers, on the advice of Terry Venables, had cancelled six personal appearances and announced that they would not book any more appearances.

The former Italian football correspondent for Shoot and World Soccer, Jane Nottage, provided further light on the impact of Gazza’s records in her 1993 biography, ‘Paul Gascoigne: The Inside Story’. She wrote:

“One of the more controversial stunts was the recording of the Gazza LP, with hits ‘Fog on the Tyne’, an old Lindisfarne record that went to number [two] in the charts, and ‘Geordie Boys’, written by Mel Stein. Gazza suffered hell in the dressing room, and although used to give as good as he got, it was yet more pressure and it was all getting rather wearing for him.”

Less than a year later, he ruptured a crucial ligament when he recklessly fouled Gary Charles in the 1991 FA Cup final. And, during his time at Lazio and Glasgow Rangers in the early-to-late 1990s, he was involved in numerous controversies including telling Norway to “fuck off” prior to an England international match; his infamous flute incident towards Glasgow Celtic; and his escalating problems with mental health, alcohol addiction and weight-related issues.

The interviews with Lowe and Hibbert were not the cause of these problems but they did not help and may have escalated them even further; it’s no coincidence because they were exploiting a vulnerable man for a few laughs and cheap digs. His charity work for the Make-a-Wish Foundation, for instance, was largely ignored, while newspaper columns about his groin injuries and transfer links would’ve unsettled Gazza even more.

There may have been worse things written about Gascoigne since 1990 but – at the very best – the music press’ response to Gazza’s music career escalated a slowly emerging trend of bringing Gazza down at his career peak. It’s certainly a depressing legacy, beneath the surface, that’s for sure.

25
Oct
11

#keepingitpeel: The greatest YouTube channel in the world

By Obscure Music and Football 1 Comment
Categories: Music
Tags: , , , , , , ,

While conducting countless hours of research for this blog (and other pieces of writing for other sites), during the past two or so years, I’ve come across some surprise discoveries. Some of them have been good and others have been bad, but this one is the very best one. I found the TheCarsThatAteParis YouTube channel, while researching last year’s #keepingitpeel piece, and it contains over 100-ish John Peel sessions (with, fittingly, just a tape deck in the background) from the late 1990s (as well as several Andy Kershaw sessions and other bits ‘n’ bobs).

Regarding this year’s #keepingitpeel, which marks the seventh anniversary of Peel’s death, it felt fitting to rummage through the contents of this channel to find some of the best and most under-appreciated sessions from the aforementioned period. I can assume that most who are reading this are aware of Half Man Half Biscuit, Super Furry Animals, Finitribe, Gorky’s Zygotic Mynci and Mogwai but you may or may not have heard of the artists mentioned below. But, whatever you do, make sure that you discover at least one piece of music today that you haven’t heard of before – whether it’s on iTunes, Spotify, YouTube or elsewhere.

‘Yes Sir, I Can Boogie’ by Velodrome 2000 (15 April 1998)

When you combine kitsch karaoke with post-rock, you get Velodrome 2000. The closest comparison to this little gem is Tim Ten Yen meets Sultans of Ping FC, and it all sounds effortlessly improvised. Heck, they even come away with some credit after covering ‘Back for Good’ on ‘Sindy Sex Aid’. Clichéd phrases like “inspired”, “genius” and “ahead of their time” are all applicable, here. And, if that’s up your street, also check out ‘Happy Together’ by Magoo and ‘Big Pussy Sound’ by Bette Davis and the Balconettes, aka Bis meets Huggy Bear.

‘Futura Trance No II’ by White Hassle (3 November 1998)

Go on, admit it: you’d laugh at a dinner-party version of Fatboy Slim’s ‘Gangster Tripping’. But don’t, as this is unexpectedly brilliant and irritatingly catchy. It has the right swagger and ambient feel, without feeling overwhelming or pretentious. It’s a genuine delight.

‘Things That Make You Spin’ by Done Lying Down (10 September 1997)

While ‘Things That Make You Spin’ may sound eerie and inexpensive, there’s an undoubted charm that overrides any flaws. The catchy hooks also ensure that it’s a grower and there are also some inventive touches that work well. All in all, it’s a solid piece of low-fi that perhaps merited more attention. Other excellent companions to this fine track include ‘Sanchez’ by Calexico, ‘Sinatra Cars’ by Scarfo, ‘Daddy’ by Clinic and ‘Situation Desperate’ by Dream City Film Club.

‘First Kiss Feelings vs Everyday Sensations’ by Girlfrendo (9 October 1997)

How on earth did Girlfrendo manage to go under the radar during the late 1990s? Don’t bother applying the indie-pop tag on this short-lived combo, this is pure bubblegum pop at its best. Some may think that it sounds a bit too ironic for its own good, but this is just a minor flaw; it’s still a “singing to the bathroom mirror on a Friday night” track. Overall, it’s marvellous fun.

‘Rock Freak’ by Black Star Liner (7 October 1997)

This is a frantic out-of-control slice of big beat and dub that never loses speed from the word go; it’s full of samples and has a strong edge to it. It offers something different to the dance genre and also manages to be instantly accessible to the listener. Black Star Liner were under-appreciated back in the day and this hasn’t dated one bit, that’s for sure. If you like the sound of this, you would do a lot worse than checking out ‘Mama Awaker’ by Pop Off Tuesday and ‘Plock’ by Plone.

‘Rhine & Courtesan’ by Rachel’s (22 October 1997)

This track got a brief mention in the last #keepingitpeel blog and it deserves a more thorough this time. ‘Rhine & Courtesan’ really can’t be praised enough: not only is it expertly performed, its understated tone is spot on and achingly beautiful. It may be simple and modest, but it’s perfect the way it is; adding any vocals or effects would’ve spoilt it. If you liked this, please do check out ‘Well of Comfort’ by Broken Dog and ‘I Set My Face to the Hillside’ by Tortoise; all three of them are worthy of a listen. And, while you’re at it, also check out ‘Ya Weledi’ by Natacha Atlas on ‘The Andy Kershaw Show’, given Kershaw’s connections to Peel.

01
Aug
11

Random music reviews #22: ‘Elephantine’ by Kitchens of Distinction (1989)

By Obscure Music and Football 2 Comments
Categories: Music
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The value of the stand-alone single could be something that has been repeatedly undermined in the music industry. Although these type of records are usually released during a long break in recording, to keep eager fans happy, it allow flexibility to experiment and try new musical styles. Sometimes the end result can be a self-indulgent mess but, mostly, it can help to refine a promising sound that hasn’t quite hit its stride. ‘Elephantine’ by Kitchens of Distinction definitely sits in the latter category.

There’s no denying that tracks like ‘Shiver’ from their debut album ‘Love is Hell’ were intelligent and passionate pieces of dream-pop, with dark post-punk undertones, but there was something missing. Their sound was finely crafted but was, perhaps, a little two-dimensional and didn’t mirror the complexity of Patrick Fitzgerald’s lyrics. The positives outweighed the negatives, though, and the group had a strong template – their musical style just needed to be more relaxed.

‘Elephantine’, released in October 1989 between their LP’s ‘Love is Hell’ and follow-up ‘Strange Free World’, did a lot to eradicate those minor flaws and create a more coherent style. It was not an extreme change, though, as the track was just part of the group’s natural development. Guitarist Julian Swales’s jangly riffs were still part of the furniture, but were now seamlessly overlapping with ambient and swirling effects to create a more multifaceted sound. It ending up feeling more complex and dimensional than previous efforts, which was far more in line with the band’s most controversial element: its lyrics.

Fans of the band have felt that the group’s lyrical content was the reason why they never a commercial impact, despite all of the critical praise. ‘Margaret’s Injection’, one of the tracks on the ‘Elephantine’ EP, fantasised about killing Margaret Thatcher, whilst Fitzgerald’s homosexuality was the main focus point (although it was an area that was openly expressed less frequently than some claim) in songs like ‘Hammer‘ and ‘Breathing Fear’ – which was unfairly seen as controversial at the time, mainly because an openly gay front-man in a independent band used to be more of a rarity. And ‘Elephantine’ was, again, thought-provoking – with its lyrics cleverly painting a subtle picture of poverty. The lyrical standard remained as high as ever but, even when put together with a more refined and evocative sound, the end product is challenging and rewarding that cannot be lumped into one particular scene.

If ‘Elephantine’ doesn’t sound particularly original in 2011, it’s perhaps due to the fact that other groups have used their sound as a template and furthered it – despite them being criminally undervalued in the music industry. Radiohead’s Jonny Greenwood, for example, has proclaimed Swalies as an influence numerous times – with ‘There, There’ particularly resembling Kitchen of Distinction’s sound. Bloc Party, meanwhile, had similar lyrical conceptualisation to Fitzgerald’s musings, despite Kele Okereke displaying greater political and sexual ambiguity. Also, the press coverage of Okereke’s sexuality is a stark reminder that Fitzgerald was a braver and more ground-breaking lyricist than he has been given credit for.

Although the group’s lack of commercial success signalled the sociological and political state of Britain in the late 1980s, they were not a band of their time. ‘Elephantine’ is just as intelligently written and produced in 2011, as it was in 1989, and the group should be regarded as an important band in helping to further develop the political outlook of the British music scene. And this makes it even harder to comprehend how their legacy is relatively non-existent. It just goes to show that the more significant can sometimes be under-appreciated.

02
Jul
11

Random music reviews #21: ‘Kinky Love’ by Pale Saints (1991)

By Obscure Music and Football 2 Comments
Categories: Music
Tags: , , , , , , , , , , , , ,

There are some things that some musicians should not try and attempting to cover a good summer song is one of them. Aaron Carter’s ‘Surfin USA’, ‘Cruel Summer’ by Ace of Base and Bombalurina’s ‘Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polka Dot Bikini’ are just some of the monstrosities that have been released, just because some artists have broken this rule. But there has been the occasional exception. One of them is Pale Saints’ version of Nancy Sinatra’s ‘Kinky Love’, which appeared on their ‘Flesh Balloon EP’.

‘Kinky Love’, on paper, could have suffered the same fate as other covers, by not giving the original version enough justice. Not because Pale Saints were a poor band – far from it, as tracks like ‘Half-Life Remembered’ and ‘Sight of You’ showed the group’s fetish for unobtrusive experimentation, but because they were completely different to Sinatra. Whilst her sound was seductive and classy, Pale Saints’ tone was more distant – despite both acts having dream-pop undertones. The band was also predominately male, including their lead vocalist: Ian Mathers.

This gave the group two options: to record an intriguing cover that stayed true to the shoegazing genre, even if it did not quite work out, or to produce a version that departed from their original roots and modernised Sinatra’s classic. They, unsurprisingly, went for the latter option and produced what was, almost, an exact replica of the original version. But, in doing so, it retained the original version’s charm. If the group had overused an effects pedal, it would have rendered the song’s sexiness redundant. By staying true to the original, they ensured that the teasing lyrics perfectly complemented the song’s sedated and relaxed feel.

And, because of that, it becomes an alternative summer song; as it does not become a stereotypically bouncy summer track, none of the subtleties associated with the track are lost. From the wobbling effects and break to the unfairly derided Meriel Barham’s soothing and harmonious lead vocals, ‘Kinky Love’ perfectly encapsulates the feel of a lazy summer’s day. It is the antithesis to the summer song, in essence; it does not need to be endlessly enthusiastic like The Beach Boys’ undisputed classic ‘I Get Around’, as this version is happily content with sunbathing in the park whilst eating strawberries.

You can see why the band went down this route. ‘Kinky Love’ had the jangly riffs and trippy production to keep the indie kids happy, whilst the sophistication associated with the original remained intact. Pale Saints’ record label 4AD were also likely to have influenced the decision to produce a radio-friendly record, considering that they probably invested a fair bit of money in trying to ensure Pale Saints became regulars in the UK Singles Chart (and this was generally common practice at the time – with the exception of those who were under-promoted by Creation etc – of course). But this never happened, as the ‘Flesh Balloon EP’ stalled at number 72 in July 1991.

It still remains one of the best alternative summer songs to have been released in the past 20 years, though, as well as being Pale Saints’ most mainstream and thoughtful track. A band’s finest moment can, sometimes, come from the unlikeliest of sources. And there is no denying that ‘Kinky Love’ does exactly that.

14
May
11

Random music reviews #20: ‘Better the Devil You Know’ by Sonia (1993)

By Obscure Music and Football 1 Comment
Categories: Music
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Sonia Evans is an odd one, even when you forget about her collaborations with Big Fun and the Gladiators in the early 1990s. She is less easy-going than she lets on, you know. From effectively warbling about stalking an unrequited love on ‘You’ll Never Stop Me Loving You‘ to continuously rowing with Dollar [but who could blame her] on ITV’s Saturday night flop ‘Reborn in the USA’ and being Lily Savage’s fictional daughter, Evans is a little drama queen. And nothing showed that better than her 1993 appearance on the Eurovision Song Contest.

In what was one of the most surreal television concepts in recent history, the BBC’s ‘Song for Europe’ contest was dedicated to Sonia. Yes, she sang the eight of the possible contenders and the public chose the best one. That really did happen. And, in the musical equivalent of giving the 2011 Eurovision entry to Lisa Scott-Lee, ‘Better the Devil You Know’ was the winner – which was an unsurprising result, considering that the rest of the entries were bad enough to make Gina G sound like Madonna.

But it is easy to see why ‘Better the Devil You Know’ was the run-away winner in the ‘Song for Europe’ selection rounds and finished second in the Eurovision final. Not only is the track’s lightweight tone easy on the ears, but its production is slick enough for it to be passable-enough slice of bubblegum pop. Which makes the fact that it is such a desperate-sounding pop song even stranger.

Just look at all of the clichés that the song has, for instance. The song has a Motown feel – which was undoubtedly brought in to show Sonia’s influences and is probably the biggest stereotypical influence of every manufactured popstar. It also has background vocalists who sound more natural than Sonia and a guitar break, which is clearly amplified at the wrong pitch.

Naming it after a popular Kylie Mingoue song tricked the audience into thinking that it sounded better than it really did, whilst Sonia’s ruthlessly ambitious lead vocal had a strong whiff of arrogance and pretension – something that is not in the spirit of Eurovision. And this was to such an extent that you expected her to start a capella at the drop of the hat and burst into tears if it was not greeted with a standing ovation. At the end, the three minutes became a spot the cliché game rather than a fun Eurovision entry.

That is the main problem of ‘Better the Devil You Know’. Its predictability coupled with the song’s superiority complex is a recipe for disaster, as Sonia seems to feel that she is recording an instant pop classic when it really is just mediocrity-by-the-numbers. She just misses the point of the Eurovision Song Contest; it is really about a set of tacky pop songs, competing in a competition that does not really mean anything.

By taking ‘Better the Devil You Know’ so seriously, Sonia zaps all the fun out of a chirpy-enough pop song and is made to look like a fool. And there is not a bigger Eurovision crime than that.

20
Feb
11

Random music reviews #19: ‘Drink the Elixir’ by Salad (1995)

By Obscure Music and Football 8 Comments
Categories: Music
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The music used during the famous Goal of the Month segment on ‘Match of the Day’ is arguably less important now than it used to be. Football supporters who grew up in a certain era will undoubtedly have fond memories of hearing ‘The Life of Riley’ by the Lightning Seeds and ‘Sequence Three’ by the Italian composer Gianfranco Reverberi once a month. Some may even suggest that Teenage Fanclub’s ‘Is This Music?’ is the best song to have appeared on the programme.

These pieces of music meant something to football supporters in the past and the producers of the show used to put some thought into the song choices, but now they just use any old indie claptrap like ‘In This City’ by the ridiculously named Iglu and Hartly. Popular nostalgia, however, seems to have forgotten that Salad’s ‘Drink the Elixir’ was used as the segment’s theme music during the mid-1990s.

It is fair to say that prior to the release of ‘Drink the Elixir’ in February 1995, Salad did not have the best of reputations in the music industry. They were ridiculed for having the MTV presenter and model Marijne van der Vlugt as their lead singer, and their early output was clunky at best. As the excellent Left and to the Back blog points out, even the band’s press officer admitted that they were “a bit shit”. And it’s easy to see, as early singles like ‘Diminished Clothes’ also had van der Vlugt as a keyboardist that had pathos in the same vein as Frank Sidebottom. It was a little bit embarrassing, to say the least.

Something changed, though, when ‘Drink the Elixir’ was released. Instead of going down the usual “lets change our clothes” route, when a band undergoes a revamp, it was the production values that changed. The messy and clumsy sound of ‘Your Ma’ went out of the window, and in came a slicker and more professional sound. It did not sound like it had been recorded in someone’s shed any more and they started to sound like a proper band, rather than a vanity project for some deluded satellite television presenter.

The erraticness of van der Vlugt’s keyboarding skills and the questionable lyrical content remained, as seen by several confusing lines – “I’ll wrap myself in bandages/’Till it gets ridiculous/And nobody will bother me” – but the attitude changed. The brazing guitar riffs were more forceful than ever, which helped to create a tighter melody, and the track also saw an improved and more natural vocal performance from van der Vlugt. ‘Drink the Elixir’ also used the approach – as used by The Breeders’ in their classic ‘Cannonball‘ – of having a series of soft but teasing verses, followed by a rapturous chorus that was bursting full of energy. The two contrasting styles blended together well – particularly during the superb break and subsequent end of the song – that had a strong sense of urgency, tempo and triumpahncy. They suddenly had a purpose and a concept, something that many Britpop bands failed to have.

Salad built upon this momentum after this, during their creative and commercial peak in 1995, with two further singles – ‘Motorbike to Heaven’ and ‘Granite Statue’– which both peaked inside the UK Top 50 Singles Chart. They also managed to have a Top 20 album in ‘Drink Me’, during this period. Both of these tracks had exactly the approach as ‘Drink the Elixir’ – having two contrasting sounds in the verses and chorus – so the band could be considered as being a one-trick pony, which possibly explains why their career never stepped up a gear after their appearance on ‘Match of the Day’.

What can be said, though, is that ‘Drink the Elixir’ was one of the most powerful and exciting records from the less than distinctive Britpop era. They finally released something that most bands would be more than satisfied with. In a nutshell: a belter of song.

13
Feb
11

Random music reviews #18: ‘Regina’ by The Sugarcubes (1989)

By Obscure Music and Football 7 Comments
Categories: Music
Tags: , , , , , , , , , ,

No one can deny that The Sugarcubes are one of the most important bands of the past 25 years, despite them never achieving the commercial and critical success of artists like Radiohead and Nirvana. Not just because it helped to launch the career of Bjork – who is one of the few pioneering musicians from this generation – but also because they represented what making music is about: that it is an art. And no other song by the group displays this ethos better than ‘Regina’.

The song’s musical technicalities are worthy of praise – from the ripping and hypnotic bassline to Bjork’s soaring vocals during the catchy chorus – but The Sugarcubes and ‘Regina’ were never about musical ability. They were about free spirit, anarchism, experimenting with different ideas and keeping true to their own creative beliefs. ‘Regina’ and the album ‘Here Today, Tomorrow Next Week!’, which has been panned by many listeners and critics, showed that they were unafraid to take creative and commercial risks which challenged an audience’s pre-conceptions of what music was about. The group, however, would see conforming to pre-conceptions and boundaries as a failure, as there were no limits for a band who wanted to be as different as possible.

The desire was never forced, though, nor were they ever ‘quirky’ for the sake of it. They managed to blend the more conservative elements of the late 1980s indie scene, with aspects that were completely unique. Einar Orn Benediktsson’s substantial involvement in ‘Regina’ shows this.

Although Bjork gives one of her most powerful and striking vocal performances, particularly during the chorus, the much-derided Benediktsson is the unsung hero of the song and the group. Many listeners may have resented his contributions, but his performances were what the band was about. His vocals may have been incoherent and bemusing, but they perfectly completed the more mainstream aspects of the group – including Bjork’s vocals.

Benediktsson’s bizarre and contradictory spoken-word rants also made sense in the context of the band. Take his rant about lobsters, for instance: “Hex and bitch and deserves lobster and fame /Oh Johnny teeth and gums in/ My life moon and sun in my life / Lobster and shrimp in my life /I really don’t like lobster”. Although it initially seems perplexing, it actually adds to the imagery and ethos of the band – the lyric is a snipe at celebrity culture and was influenced by Abba’s famous claim of “we’re only in it for the caviar and fame”.

As ‘Regina’ shows the band’s concept and sound developing organically, it does not feel self-aware of the fact that it is completely unique and is a piece of chaotic avant-garde goodness. It is clear that they are being true to themselves. That has been the problem with music since the 1980s – from Huggy Bear and Cud in the early 1990s to recent bands like Franz Ferdinand – as these bands are so aware of how hip, quirky and different they are. These bands are not natural, and they come across as forced and self-indulgent.

The originality and art of Bjork’s solo material shows that The Sugarcubes played a major role in discovering her own musical individuality and style. That kind of thing never comes from being something you are not. Without tracks ‘Regina’, we would never have had albums like ‘Vespertine’. Benediktsson’s contributions are something to be thankful for, rather than to be derided.

18
Jan
11

Alternative Desert Island Discs

By Obscure Music and Football 12 Comments
Categories: Music

Any self-respecting record collection is incomplete without the 12” single of ‘Sunshine Smile’ by Adorable.

‘Desert Island Discs’ is a show I’ve always wanted to appear on but, because I’ve got no intention of being famous, that day will never happen. My choices would have far too self-indulgent and pretentious for Kirsty Young, anyway.

I could have waffled on about The Beatles’ ‘She Loves You’ being one of the most striking pop recordings, how Miles Davis’ ‘So What’ is the greatest technical musical achievement and why ‘How Soon is Now?’ by The Smiths achieved unmatched levels of musical mastery.

But I haven’t, it would have been too obvious. It would be boring, dishonest and apologetic. After all, every Top 100 best singles or albums list features all the songs we are told that we should like and ignore the ones we actually like.

This is for anyone who is sick of every Q Magazine poll saying that the insufferable ‘Wonderwall’ is one of the best songs of all-time, and thinks that ‘Skylarking‘ by XTC or ‘Grand Prix’ by Teenage Fanclub is a better album than ‘Revolver’. You have my respect.

1. ‘Suzanne’ by Moose (1991; Hut Records)

You could write a dissertation on how well this fantastically complex song works. But I won’t. ‘Suzanne’ sees plenty of teasing riffs – as well as the intense and relentless panting heard throughout – gloriously combine with some expertly executed feedback and distortion, to create an exceptionally textured song that still remains melodic. With such acute production levels, the end result is compelling and ‘Suzanne’ ends up sounding like a bunch of songs rolled into one.

Even My Bloody Valentine couldn’t combine the hybrids of isolation, confusion, complexity and euphoria in one song as well as Moose did. If you only listen to one shoegazing song, please make it this one.

2. ‘My Love is Like a Gift You Can’t Return’ by Man From Delmonte (1989; Bop Cassettes)

At first sight, this group looks like a Prefab Sprout tribute act. That itself is an intriguing concept – the band even sound like Paddy McAloon’s fondly remembered band – but ‘My Love is Like a Gift You Can’t Return’ offers far more.

Its blissful harmonies, melodic-laden hooks and arrangements, as well as an outstanding performance from lead vocalist Mike West – he even managed to, remarkably, sound exactly like Michael Stripe halfway through the song – led to the song being described as “the most twee song ever” by one YouTube user. A statement that is so true, Stuart Murdoch couldn’t even complain.

It reeks so much of sugar-coated loveliness, that you almost expect the song to reach out of the record player and start hugging you at the most unexpected moment.

Recording the simple, yet flawless, three-minute pop song is no mean feat and is something most bands could only dream of, but this exceeds all expectations. The beaming joy of this wonderful song shines through in abundance. And that will never fade.

3. ‘Tilted’ by Sugar (1993; Creation Records)

One YouTube user has described this track as: “I can’t think of a more ferocious and exciting song in rock, especially the veering-out-of-control guitar break. Truly astonishing.”

I couldn’t describe or praise this magnificent song better, but I can tell you this: you won’t want to hear another rock record after hearing ‘Tilted’. Try it, you’ll believe me afterwards.

4. ‘Twisterella’ by Ride (1992; Creation Records)

When My Bloody Valentine released the seminal ‘Loveless’ (1991; Creation Records), something happened to the shoegazing genre. With various groups taking the hint that they were possibly unable to better it, they ventured into other genres. Chapterhouse released ‘Blood Music’ (1993; Dedicated Records), which ended up sounding like a confused early prototype for ‘Kid A’, whilst Slowdive released their ambient classic ‘Pygmalion’ (1995; Creation Records).

Ride, on the other-hand, decided to release ‘Twisterella’ – an unashamedly pure pop song. Whilst ‘Leave them All Behind’ (1992; Creation Records) is regarded as one of the best songs from the early 1990’s by some, they never bettered ‘Twisterella’.

Andy Bell, Mark Gardener, Loz Colbert and Steve Queralt seemed to have a telepathic connection with each other when recording it, as every single beat is perfectly timed with a thumping rhythm that has the speed of a sprinter. The pace never slows down at one point, with Gardener’s crisp vocal performance and the staggeringly beautiful break being memorable highlights.

With songs like ‘Twisterella’, serious questions need to be raised regarding why Bell was never a bigger part of Oasis. Noel Gallagher could never write a song as good as this, even if his life depended on it.

5. ‘To Kill a Small Girl Walking’ by The Telescopes (1990; What Goes on Records)

Jesus, this song is all about those bars. It’s even better than sex, I tell you. What starts with a whirlwind of colluding fury and energy, continues with even more aggression than The Wedding Present’s ‘Brassneck‘ (1989; RCA) and ‘Venice’ by Revolver (1992; Hut Records) combined. Stephen Lawrie’s anguished vocal performance very nearly steals the show, though.

Enjoy immersing yourself in the anger and loudness of ‘To Kill a Small Girl Walking; it’s probably the closest we’ll ever come to seeing a collaboration between Robert Smith and The Clash.

6. ‘Sunshine Smile’ by Adorable (1992; Creation Records)

Adorable probably even surprised themselves when they released this masterful debut single. What starts out as a slice of jangle-indie quickly turns into a roaring blaze of evocative musicianship and thrasing guitars delivered to epic proportions.

This tour-de-force has the intelligence to remain melodic throughout, with Adorable displaying the kind of musical maturity that takes other bands years to develop. They nailed it first time. A criminally underrated record that should have been recognised as the British ‘Smells Like Teen Spirit’. Easily the best thing to ever come from Coventry.

7. ‘The SAS and the Glam That Goes With It’ by Earl Brutus (1997; Island Records)

Earl Brutus, against all odds, managed to achieve the impossible by becoming a semi-coherent version of The Fall – whilst maintaining the DIY ethos and cryptic lyrical musings that are often associated with Mark E. Smith’s influential outfit.

In a song that was their most brilliant record from a number of brilliant records, ‘The SAS and the Glam That Goes With It’ has a delirious chorus that will refuse to leave your brain for weeks upon end. Having the great, late Nick Sanderson screaming his heart out with “You are your own reaction!” was a masterstroke.

With the pop sensibilities typically associated with the Island Records-era of Earl Brutus – alongside some inspired feedback and foreign language incepts during the break – music has rarely sounded more unapologetically raw, honest, and down-right surreal and warped. And thank god they were.

PLEASE NOTE: Those kind people at UMG are blocking the ‘The SAS and the Glam That Goes With It’ video from being embedded. Please watch it here.

8. ‘Town and Country Blues’ by Jim Jiminee (1987; Cat and Mouse Records)

Jim Jiminee: the great lost band that, alongside XTC and The Kinks, should have been one of the great British pop institutions. That never happened, but their severe lack of popularity makes them an even more remarkable discovery.

What makes ‘Town and Country Blues’ such an achievement, is how it breaks so many of pop music’s unwritten rules and does everything so perfectly. Not only does it have several saxophone solos – which, as Gruff Rhys from the Super Furry Animals puts it, are normally ‘vomit-inducing’ – but, of all instruments, it also features an accordion.

Given Jim Jiminee’s natural knack in finding an original yet contemporary sound, that could hook any audience, it still remains puzzling how their songs managed to flop so badly. ‘Town and Country Blues’ seemed destined to stay at Number One for an entire summer.

So that’s your lot. People are bound to scoff at this – as well as being chastised for not including ‘Fools Gold’ by The Stone Roses (1989; Silverstone Records) – but if it helps to shift another copy of ‘Tonight You Are the Special One’ by Earl Brutus (1998; Island Records), my work is done.

In case you’re wondering, my luxury item would be a turntable. What else would you play the records on?

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