7 inch singles collection: Frazier Chorus - Nothing

Some indie dance pop:

FRAZIER CHORUS

A-side: Nothing

B-Side: Little Piece Of Hell
(Virgin 1990)


Frazier Chorus originally started out on the 4AD label,(in fact there'll be something from then from that period another time), and at the time were seen as similar to other bands on that label such as Cocteau Twins as being dreamy and ethereal, with maybe a few more pop sensibilities. 

Nothing still has a languid dream like quality to it, but the poppy dance elements are clearly much more to the fore here. Of course this was at a time when the "baggy" movement was all over the places and every two-bit guitar bands were adding in funky rhythms and claiming that they always had a dance element to their sound. As it happens I think the Frazier Chorus always did have that style, but it became more prominent over time. Nothing starts with a groove and a pounding house-style piano lays down the backbone of the song - so far so ordinary, and nothing noteworthy. The distinctive feature here being the the vocals - these are delivered in an almost bored and languid fashion. Whilst saying something sounds bored may not be the greatest compliment ever given, I think it also what saves this track from fizzling away under it's own blandness. It's tempting fate to name a song Nothing, and it's only just about gets away with not living up (down?) to it.

To me Little Piece Of Hell is the more attractive of the songs on this record - it tones down the dance element, and ups the poppiness of the song - almost literally as a popping noise is a recurring motif throughout this track. The bassline still brings home enough groove for you to shuffle around to without it shouting "This is a dance track" - which is much more my cup of tea. The vocals sound more engaged too - altogether a much more spirited performance.

Next time the granddaddy of all charity singles...

7 inch singles collection: Judy Collins - Send In The Clowns

Something from a Sondheim Musical:

JUDY COLLINS

A-side: Send In The Clowns

B-Side: Houses
(Elektra  1975)

You probably know this song - it's been done many times by a variety of singers and actresses each bringing their own interpretation to it whether it is as a stand alone song, or as part of "A Little Night Music". It's Sondheim so you would expect a well written, and perfectly crafted piece of music, and of course he delivers.

Many people, and I would include myself amongst them, would agree that this version of Send In The Clowns is the definitive one. Judy Collins has a sweet and pure voice, and tones she use bring out the bittersweet melancholy of the words and music. The orchestral arrangement is in perfect sympathy with her voice - supporting and adding texture, but never leading or dominating. The video that I've linked to has actually clowns in the background - but as it's from the Muppet Show - it's pitched perfectly and doesn't ruin the song or detract from it. Unfortunately the same cannot be said for another version of the song that I remember from the late 70's/early 80's it was a comedy show and one half of the duo was trying to sing Send In The Clowns, and on the chorus the other came in all Entry of The Gladiators ruining the song (it was probably Little And Large that sounds exactly like their schtick). I know it was meant to be funny, but whenever I think of this song - that's always the first thought that comes into my mind and it spoils it a little for me.

On the B-side is a song called Houses which seemed to me to be an oddly prosaic name for a song, especially as prior to this listening I cannot recall ever listening to it before. I must have done when I bought the record originally - but it obviously made so little impression upon me that until now I've had no call to listen to it again. I'll be honest and say that it hasn't made much of an impression upon me this time either! It's a pleasant, light sounding piece with nice folky tinges, and appropriate swoops and troughs through the melody, but not attention-grabbing enough for me to even notice what she was singing about! It could have been a a bland description of different types of Houses, or a scathing attack on a society which allows homelessness to happen, but I just didn't notice, and to be honest I not bothered enough top go back and listen to it again.

One quick tangential note - I love the picture on the label of Elektra records from this period - it's really eye-catching and distinctive. Also you'll notice that this particular copy may have come from a jukebox, because it's got that distinctive hole-too-big in the middle and needs that lovely plastic widget to go in the middle in order to be played on a home record player. 

Next time some early 90's dream pop.

7 inch single collection: The Shadows - Wonderful Land

It's my favourite band:

THE SHADOWS

A-side: Wonderful Land
B-Side: Stars Fell On Stockton
(Columbia  1962)

So this'll be the first of may posts featuring the Shadows as I've got more singles by them than by any other artist. they're the first band that I ever got into, so I feel a kind of brand loyalty to them. I'm just glad that this first single to come up is one of the good ones, so I don't have to start on my heroes by trashing one their records.

Wonderful Land was a number one for several weeks in 1962 - I think it even knocked Cliff off the top spot. It's a big sweeping record. Hanks guitar cries out proudly and strong - the name and he melody evokes the sound of standing on mountain top, on wild moorland or in forests in the summertime giving a sense of appreciation of all that surrounds us. The extra pizazz of genius on this record is supplied by Norrie Paramour, the producer, it was his suggestion that the horns and strings were added, not unheard of in rock music at the time, but still  uncommon. If you've heard the version recorded before the orchestral parts were added it does sound naked, and not sexy naked, but stark and bare. that added strings provide that filigree of lingerie for added tantalisation, (and I'm stopping there before that metaphor gets too carried away.)

Whilst Wonderful Land does epic and majestic Stars Fell On Stockton is much more more whimsical, suggesting more of rummage through a village hall jumble sale, than the proud vistas of Wonderful Land. Whistling in rock music has been much maligned, and so when The Shadows whistle the main riff of Stars Fell On Stockton it's a surprising treat (or a moment of odd tweeness depending on your point of view). Adding to the eccentricity of this track is the percussion - much of which is played on a wooden clip-cloppy sounding thing (I think that's the technical name). The apparent quaintness of the track does much to disguise the rapid and deft musicianship that runs throughout this piece.  That the two tracks are so different and yet so enjoyable in their own right is proof enough that The Shadows didn't just produce a load of stuff that sounded more or less the same.

Talking of not sounding the same for those of you who may be interested the name of this blog is taken from a Shadows single, however in a cruel stroke of irony it's one of the few of their singles that I don't have on vinyl - so I won't be featured later on! So as a bit of a bonus click here for The Rise And Fall Of Flingel Bunt

Next time A Little Night Music...

7 inch single collection: Cliff Richard - Carrie

It's Cliff!!!:

CLIFF RICHARD

A-side: Carrie
B-Side: Moving On
(EMI  1980)

I kind of feel like I have to be defensive when talking about Cliff - he's almost been ostracised by the British media partly because of his refusal to talk to the ever prurient about his private life, and partly due to his evangelical Christianity. Also as far as the media is concerned the old adage about only being as good as your last record is true, and Cliff's last few records haven't been aimed at the media, or airplay, but generally at his hardcore fans - it doesn't matter how anodyne and safe they sound to the rest of us, they're made for people who like Cliff. So he's become almost a figure of fun, some used to evoke twee mediocrity - a man who has managed to produce one of the worst records ever known to mankind (The Millennium Prayer). However it's easy to forget that he's also the creator of one of the finest pieces of music in the known universe (Move It). All his other recording fall somewhere on the range between the both. If I was to chart a personal rating of all of Cliff's singles from the start to now it would come up with a line with a lot of peaks, troughs and plateaus - with for me most of the peaks being in the 50s and 60s.

Carrie would probably be the last high peak on that chart. This is a great well crafted pop record. The style suits Cliff spot on, and he nails the vocals from the start. The instrumentation is atmospheric and even in places a little unexpected, which just adds to the drama of the story in the song. It's pretty much a perfect piece of period pop.

Whilst everything seems to mesh together on Carrie to make it the song it is, Moving Out just doesn't have the same charisma. It an almost run of the mill piece, there are a few touches in there that try to lift it into something more special. The song has on odd structure, (you could never dance to it), the rising crescendo on the chorus, the nice guitar riff in the middle, and the country-style guitars all try to make Moving Out something special it doesn't work. It's the kind of song that you would look a bit odd trying to dance to, but on the other hand if you're dancing to a Cliff Richard B-Side you're probably not all that worried about how odd you're looking.

Whilst you could argue that Carrie is better than the sum of it's parts, Moving Out just isn't equal to the sum of it's parts.

Next Time it's Cliff's backing group.

7 inch single collection: All About Eve - Scarlet

Folk-Goth anyone?:

ALL ABOUT EVE

A-side: Scarlet
B-Side: Our Summer (live)
(Mercury  1985)

I'm partial to a bit of All About Eve, so this won't be the last time you see them appear on this blog. I've often wondered why All About Eve got labelled as Goth, certainly they don't pose the same sense of theatre and pomp as many of their Goth contemporaries, and musically they are not as bombastic as many of he Goth bands are prone to be. It might be the people they they hung about with there was a lot of involvement with the Mission, and the guitarist did end up leaving to join Sisters of Mercy.  I can only conclude that there is a spectrum of Goth and All About Eve fall into the mellow, folky end.

Scarlet in particular definitely has the feel of a folk song. With it's muted acoustic guitar, and string session backing giving a melancholy tone to the song. There's a touch of flamenco style guitar thrown in there partway through, that adds an extra touch of he exotic to the song. Julianne Regan's voice sounds tremulous and vulnerable which cocoons you in the warmth of the melody.

On the flip side of he record is a live version of Our Summer, a song that comes from their earlier days. This is slightly more rocky than Scarlet - it's certainly more upbeat, and forceful, and dare I say it more joyful.  However as with so much of All About Eve it still feels autumnal - there are few bands that I find can evoke such a specific feeling in me - their music feels like a translation of the red, browns and yellows of leaves that are about to fall on a day that is sunny, but cool and crisp.

Next time The C-Word!

7 inch singles collection: Eva - A Boy, A Girl And New York

Something quite obscure now:

EVA

A-side: A Boy, A Girl And New York
B-Side: Half Asleep, Half Awake
(In Tape  1988)

No You Tube link for this! So the above link is to a preview on iTunes - it's the best I can find. I did a quick Google on this and apart from that iTunes link there's not much about on the web for this. There's a few sites trying to flog copies of the 12" and on of them describes this as "cute indie pop". Well I won't argue with the pop bit, and it's indie in the sense that In Tape were an independent label, and cute is probably subjective - she's certainly looking cutesy on the cover of the record - but what with all the artistic blur I reserve judgement on that. However that description doesn't really cut the mustard when it comes to describing this single.

A Boy, A Girl And New York hits a funky groove from the start and offers up a rapturous dancey number filled with choppy guitars and swooning vocals. It's very catchy - even after having never thought about it for years the melody and the groove came straight back to me when I pulled the record out of the box, before even sticking it onto the turntable.

Hoping for more of the same on the B-side, I quickly discovered that Half Asleep, Half Awake fits the "cute indie pop" label a lot more, the disco-y elements and the tempo have been dialed down to be replaced by jangly acoustic guitars. All very nice, but certainly not got the wow factor that the A-side has. I must admit being to being disappointed by this side of the record - and in general I'm a bit of a fan of jangly guitar stuff. 

I know noting else about Eva - there do seem to be several artists out there with the same name, but nothing that appears to be related to this one. The record I've got has a stamp on the back of it saying "Promo Copy Only - not for re-sale" - maybe she didn't get more than a promo release, which is a shame as A Boy, A Girl And New York certainly deserves a wider audience.

Next time something a bit folkish.

7 inch singles collection: The Adverts - No Time To Be 21

After a few mellow records it's time to clear the air with a bit of punk:

THE ADVERTS

A-side: No Time To Be 21
B-Side: New Day Dawning
(Bright  1978)

The Adverts had a hit with a brilliant record called Gary Gilmore's Eyes. I don't have that record - you'll notice a bit of a theme coming through this collection in that I often don't have the big, well-known hit record, but have the less well-known ones that came out after or before. Not to say that these records are any less good, just maybe not as publicly recognisable. This is one of three Adverts singles I've got, plus another by front man, T.V.Smith's, next group Cheap, so more on their background later.

No Time To Be 21 is as nihilistic and as angry as you'd want a punk record to be. Railing against the world which is dead set against the youth, so you might as well cause trouble and be an outcast, because joining in makes you as dead and as hopeless as the rest. This raises in me two distinct and separate feelings. One that says "Yeah I know how you feel - stick it to the man!" and the other which says "oh, don't be so hopelessly naive".

The B-side whilst still being very Punk and interestingly angular it it's rhythms is much more postive. No Time To Be 21 is very much nobody likes us , so we're going to sulk in a corner, whilst New Day Dawning see them wondering if something better can come along and maybe the right people can make a difference if they plow on, fighting not for glory but for right and justice and to make the world better for all.

Both sides are make great listening and both, clocking in at just over 2 and a half minutes, are a blast of much needed energy.

Next time a record so obscure I can't even find a YouTube link for it!