7 inch single collection: The Distractions - It Doesn't Bother Me

Something a bit post-punk new wavey...

The Distractions

A: It Doesn't Bother Me

B: One Way Love
(Island 1970)

Who these guys are I don't know, and whether this single bothered the charts or not I don't particularly care. What's important (to me!) about this record is that it's on white vinyl. That is almost certainly the thing that attracted me to this record in the bargain bin. I'm a complete sucker for something a bit different to get me to part with cold hard cash for a record.

When leafing through my record collection the impression that I get whenever my eyes alight upon this particular specimen is a feeling of - it's good and I like it - but inevitably it will get passed over for a listen for something else.

It Doesn't Bother Me is a bright upbeat  slice of post-punk power-pop. It's upbeat with a crisp and clean guitar sound , with an unusual and welcome background organ punctuation. I bounced along to this song, and sang along with the chorus. There was a good false ending, on which I particularly enjoyed the drum sound.

Flipping this lovely milky white disc over we find One Way Love (not the 60's big, bold, brassy pop song by Cliff Bennett and The Rebel Rousers, for those of you who were wondering - I was).  It's equally up-tempo, with the kind of four-square rhythm that almost forces you to clap along with. It terms of overall sound it's not that different to the a-side, but that's no bad thing. Then it stops before it has the chance to go on to long and bore you..

This was a really enjoyable record, that three minute after I'd finished listening to it I couldn't remember the tunes or the words - they'd just gone. It was, appropriately, a distraction, but a welcome one. I expect next time I'm flicking through my record collection I'll see it and nod and smile in recollection of a good record, but still won't play it.

Next time a bit of dodgy 80's American rock...

7 inch single collection: The Farm - Stepping Stone

As promised, over 3 years ago some baggy Scousers...

The Farm

A: Stepping Stone

B: Family of Man
(Produce 1990)

I don't anything about the history of The Farm, but if any artist screams "We're jumping on to indie/dance (Baggy) Bandwagon" more loudly then I can't think of then.* Just look at that record sleeve - surely even the designer is taking the mickey: its a sheep! A sheep wearing the silly hat, baggy jeans, and trainers uniform of the baggy crowd. Just in case you're thinking, but they're called The Farm, and it's a sheep - surely that's reasonable? Just go and find the album cover - it's designed to look like generic brand washing powder - it's basically saying here's some more similar product to go on the shelves.

Let's not worry about that now; what else do I know about this band. Not much except I can tell you they made one good record and one famous one - this record is neither...

You may recognise that name - Stepping Stone - it's that song beloved of many a garage band in the late 60's. Most famously recorded by both The Monkees and The Sex Pistols. The songs starts off with some fake phone call samples a twang of bass, and then a twang of guitar - and sounds quite promising, then the drums break into a slouchy shuffling rhythm that persists throughout the song. At the same time an insistent bell-like ringing noise kicks in and just doesn't stop - it's like rhythmic tinnitus. Once the band is locked into this lolloping groove it's not too bad, until the singer starts up. You may be familiar this song - lyrically it can be interpreted as arrogant and aggressive, or alternatively, painfully self-delusional. The Farm have decided to interpret is as boredom - because there's no energy or passion in the singing, just "Ho, Hum - you're using me then, fair enough". I'm a big fan of taking an old song and doing something new or different to it - but this feel more like nicking someone else's lyrics and sticking them to your own tune out of sheer laziness.

It's a double a-side, this time, and on the other a-side is Family of Man. This starts off with some house-style piano, and a pretty good, if slightly generic baggy groove gets going, and then, as before, the singer starts up, and the whole thing falls a bit flat. The overall effect is dullness. I kind of stopped listening until a few seconds before the end when from out of nowhere, this screaming hard-rock style guitar solo bursts in all very showy and completely incongruous. Just, NO!

It's not the worst record in my collection, and I was rather fond of it back in the day, but that fondness has diminished over time, and now it's one of those records that commits the cardinal sin of being a bit dull really.

*Yes, I can actually - it's Northside (eventually to be covered in a later blog)

Next time a bit of obscure pop-punk/new wave from the turn of the 70's...

7 inch single collection: Green On Red - You Couldn't Get Arrested

Alt-country, or Nu-Country or Americana, or Whatever it's called now...

GREEN ON RED

A: You Couldn't Get Arrested

B: Broken Radio
(China 1990)

Green on Red were a country music group - although in the late 80's/early 90's country music was so unhip that acts like this had to label themselves alt-country to make any kind of stab at respectability. It still happens today and this kind of music gets bracketed as "Nu-Country", or to distance itself even further "Americana". I'm not quibbling over names of genres - it sounds like country music to me. Also the guitarist is called Chuck Prophet, and you don't get much more cowboy than that, unless you're wearing a Stetson and are being played by John Wayne.

I've already said what genre the record is - so what does it actually sound like? You Couldn't Get Arrested has a slow twangy feel with rasped vocals, proving a veneer of sneer over the melody. It's the sound of an isolated desert township, empty except for the occasional tumbleweed. There's a subtle and understated organ underneath the stark guitar part. There's not much to it in the end, but it's highly likable despite that.

Broken Radio on the flip side is even more laid back - if that's possible! It's got a proper slide guitar or possibly pedal steel guitar on it. It's even more redolent of that stereotyped image of canyons and Badlands, with some lonesome cowboy riding off into the distance. Broken Radio is a melancholy tune, filled with a nostalgia for something that probably never existed.

It's a good record, but, ultimately, one that I'm unlikely to listen to too often, just because it's something that I really have to be in the mood for. However what I can say is that this is country music and it's good country music.

Next time some baggy scally scousers...

7 inch single collection: ABBA - Under Attack

Scandinavia's most famous musical export...

ABBA

A-Side: Under Attack
AA-Side: You Owe Me One
(Epic 1982)      

The thing that I like most about ABBA is the fact that made up the band name from their initials - that's the kind of creativity I like. Their music on the other hand has always left me a bit cold - not really my kind of thing. It's odd how ABBA's reputation has changed over the years - they were in their hey day a highly popular, but ultimately throwaway pop act, not serious music listening at all. Then in the mid-80's this began to change, people who didn't seem the sort to like ABBA began to take their music very seriously, at first it seemed like an ironic enjoyment, but now they appear to be highly regarded in the critical world. I suppose it takes time from initial impact to see the kind of lasting effect that some bands have - it seems that ABBA had the right skills and talents to ensure that they created a sound that would last, and remain unique and distinctive. Still doesn't mean that I like them that much...

This double a-sider is late period ABBA neither song being amongst their most remembered. Thus from a time when the camp and glamour were fading and things were getting grayer, and seemingly interpersonal relationships were eating away at the group.This manifests itself in Under Attack it's oddly low key on the verses, and whilst it's got a disco feel it's not the high energy sound tat you might expect. There's a building up through the verses into the climax of the song, with some odd vocoder style voices at points. It's a song that has all the characteristic hallmarks of the ABBA sound, but without hooks or the strident upbeat sound that you'd normally think of.

You Owe Me One has a bit more of a generic pop feel to it - particularly the clean bright sounding pop that typically comes out of Scandinavia. The verses have a nursery rhyme feel to them. It's almost entirely unremarkable - that alone would be remarkable for ABBA, however there is is slight twist to the instrumentation, there is an exotic, almost eastern groove teasing in the background of the song. That almost makes it worth listening to.

A bit of a low-key and largely unmemorable record for me.

Next time we head out west into Americana territory...

7 inch singles collection: The Boomtown Rats - Diamond Smiles

Bringing us the glamorous side of suicide..

THE BOOMTOWN RATS

A-Side: Diamond Smiles
B-Side: Late Last Night
(Ensign 1979)      

Back to The Boomtown Rats then, and I'm not sure that I've got anything more to add to what I said about them last time they cropped up, which is probably just as well, as I wrote more than intended to about the Beach Boys in my last entry. So I'll gloss over any more preamble and get down to the business of this blog. 

Diamond Smiles is record that I really liked when I first got it. I played it a lot, it's got a staccato feel, Bob's voice goes from a sneer that is distant and disapproving commentary on events, to become something more involved and passionate over the progression of the song. It was only after many. many listens that it actually clicked what the subject matter of the song was. It is, if you didn't know, about a young woman who, seemingly fed up with life commits suicide. Is this a good choice for a catchy pop song? Well why not - taboos are made to be broken, and highlighting the issue of suicide amongst the disaffected youth by singing about it is as good a way to bring the issues under a mainstream spotlight as any other. On the other hand much of the rest of the lyrics seem to be about the style over substance of the burgeoning yuppie culture - a perfectly acceptable target. What this means, though is that this song is neither an in depth look at either subject, and so fails to have the necessary depth to make it hard-hitting on either issue. This is entirely fair enough - it is just a piece of pop music after all - but I get the feeling that Geldolf is wanting us to sit up and notice the objects of his anger. It doesn't quite work, yet, but, as we all know, he does eventually channel his righteous fury into something that millions of people take notice of.

The flipside, Late Last Night, is as generic a Boomtown Rats b-side as you could expect. If you know what the band sounds like, you can probably guess what this song is like. It's an upbeat piece of power punk pop. The words are about a nightmare, although any scares that could be put in the song are undercut by a line about "something I ate". It sounds like they're going for creepy but failing to get there. There's nothing else particularly distinctive about this song.

I still enjoy this record and still think that Diamond Smiles is a good song, but maybe I don't love it as much as I did once. Suicide is a complex and important issue that needs to discussed more openly, however this blog whic is meant to be trivial and lighthearted is probably not the place to that. Nevertheless, as an act of public service I'd like to say that if you are reading this blog and having been having suicidal feelings please, please, please go and talk to some one about it - it's the first step in a long and difficult journey, but it's a step in the right direction and less irrevocable than the alternative.

Next time something Scandinavian...

7 inch singles collection: The Beach Boys - California Dreamin'

Harmonies and California it must be

THE BEACH BOYS

A-Side: California Dreamin'
B-Side: Lady Liberty
(Capitol 1986)      

I reckon that most people would think that there are three distinct eras of The Beach Boys - the first when they released all the famous stuff about surfing, cars, and girls, the second era is when they were doing thing innovative and new, making Lennon & McCartney jealous, and being critical favourites. The third era that follows is basically everything else. This is possible a little harsh especially as the first two eras together make up no more than about 8 years, and the third era is coming on to at least 45 years. So let's look at this third era in a bit more detail, and I think this can again be neatly subdivided into 3 parts. The first of these I think we can label "The Seventies" without too much argument. The Beach Boys were still putting out new, and often interesting, and occasionally very good material. A lot of it veered off into soft rock, a genre which has always had limited critical or commercial cachet. After this period there were still original and new records - although with less frequency, and it has to be said less good records. It's during this period that there seems to start up a lot of in-fighting over who owns the name of the band, and whether it's better to just live off performing on the oldies, or doing new material - I'd say that this seems to be another 10 or so years. After that things fall apart Mike takes the name and Bruce Johnston and tours all the old hits, Brian goes off and does his own mercurial thing, Al's left touring with a band that may have contained people who were session musicians and part of the touring line-up of The Beach Boys at some point in the past, and Carl and Denis are deceased - this is the current period it seems to be made up of the band suing and counter-suing each other, then getting back together for brief friendly reunions, and one-off records, then falling apart again.

It's towards the latter end of the second of the periods in the "everything else" era that California Dreamin' was released. On paper it makes quite a bit of sense it's a song about California, and is all close harmony - two things that practically define The Beach Boys. Another thing that I think you will all agree with me on is that the original version of California Dreamin' is a most magnificent song - so deciding to cover it is going to take something special. The best cover versions always bring something new to a song, shake it up a bit, with new arrangements and stylings, and it's to The Beach Boys credit that they try to do it that here. They go for a rockier feel, with thudding drums, twanging guitars and a decent sax solo, they also up the tempo of the song slightly - and they nearly pull it off, but not quite; they've lost the melancholic, isolated feel of the original, and the absence of female voices as a counterpoint to the males harmonies is something that lets this version down. It's never going to match The Mamas and The Papas original version, but I've heard worse versions. (If I ever get through this blog plan in full I've got a delightfully bad disco version - something for you to look forward to!)

Lady Liberty on the flip-side is based on a piece of music by J.S.Bach, I'm sure Bach purists will see this as a bit of sacrilege, however I'm not being a Bach purist so I have no problem on this front. I am however a Beach Boys purist and the fact that this is a re-write of possibly the best track from their 1979 album L.A.(The Light Album). [I'd strongly recommend you go out and listen to this album, because if I can't abuse my position as a trusted blogger by trying to get my readers to listen to a hard to find mediocre Beach Boys album, then what's the point]. Anyway Lady Lynda is a heartfelt and tender love song, Lady Liberty is a song of jingoism going on about the stuff that we should identify with America - you know the sort of the thing truth, justice, apple pie, high school massacres, etc. Even going as far as to quote, in a spoken word bit, the old "Give me you tired..." bit of polemic that's written on the Statue of Liberty. Tunewise it's a nice little number - not entirely down to Bach - it's got an engaging bassline, and a lightness of tone that is quite sweet - but with the re-written patriotic lyrics it goes beyond sweet and into saccharine

All in all an odd record that takes two better songs and makes them worse - one slightly, one even more so. A shame, but probably seemed like a good idea at the time, a cry to the general public that The Beach Boys were still around.

Next time something about suicide...

7 inch singles collection: Sally Oldfield - Silver Dagger

It's not Tubular Bells it's,

SALLY OLDFIELD

A-Side: Silver Dagger
B-Side: Sometimes I'm A Woman
(CBS 1987)      

I discussed the reasons for buying records before, especially for those records that were bought unheard. The reason for this purchase was simply because Sally Oldfield is Mike Oldfield's sister. Now, I know full well that just because one person creates something you enjoy, it doesn't mean that their sibling will produce something good or even something in the same oeuvre*. Nevertheless when you're in a record shop and there's a number of cheap bargain bin singles all screaming "BUY ME!" at you, then some arbitrary decisions have to be made. This purchase was the result of one such decision. No video link for this one as all the links on YouTube have been removed for copyright reasons - there does seem to be one on a German site, but I'll let you hunt that down yourselves.

I thought that this was going to fall into the singer/songwriter territory that we found ourselves in for the previous blog entry, so I was surprised when Silver Dagger turned out to be much more of pop sound. Although the kind of pop that is aimed at grown-ups, so it's all twinkly synths, and a glossy overproduction. It's that production that lets the side down here - because structurally Silver Dagger sounds like a traditional folk song, and Sally Oldfield has the kind of warbly voice that sits well with folk - like Maddy Prior or June Tabor. The lyrics are dark and about jealousy and infidelity and a "Gypsy's Curse", if the arrangement had been fiddles and mandolins instead of synthesizers this may have worked more to the songs advantage.

The opposite problem is true on the flipside - there's not enough production. Sometimes I'm A Woman, should be a big diva-esque number the kind that belongs to your Whitneys, Mariahs and Celines - but instead the production is a bit dowdier. It wouldn't particularly be my cup of tea, but it would have a spark. Come back with me to the mid 1980's - it's Saturday evening and you're watching The Two Ronnie. It's come to the part where Ronnie Corbett leans forward in his chair and says "Now it's our very special guest, Barbara Dickson..." This song is just like one of those songs that's she would have sung, only slightly browner. For those of you wondering about the title of this song, Sometimes I'm A Woman, the lyrics make it clear that when she's not a woman she's a child - a fairly dull answer which matches the rest of the song. I wish she'd sung that "sometimes I'm a woman, but sometimes I'm a dinosaur"- it would have given the song a bit of a lift.

Two songs then that are neither here nor there, sung by a singer that can't decide between folk singer or diva and so settles, unsatisfying somewhere between the two.

*Yes I do have an album by Chris Jagger, why do you ask?

Next time were California bound...