7 inch Singles Collection: Bobby Goldsboro - Honey

Tissues at the ready it's...

BOBBY GOLDSBORO

A: Honey
B: Danny

(United Artists 1968)

 

I know absolutely nothing about Bobby Goldsboro - so this pre-amble is going to be a little short and uninteresting. Didn't even know what he looked like until I found the YouTube link for the song - turns out he looks like a bit of a cut-price Neil Diamond. I know that this record was pretty big over here in the 60's and I'm assuming it was equally so in the states. Don't know if he kept managing to have hit records in the USA - but this one was it in the UK. He seems to be melding light country with pop and melancholy. It is entirely possible that I bought this record mistaking it for Bobbie Gentry's 'Ode To Billy Joe' -a similar genre of music, and thematically in the same ballpark as this platter (and a much better record, to boot!).

**SPOILER ALERT** - In the song Honey, Honey dies. There's no easy way to break that to you - but you should have worked that out from the opening few seconds of the song. The tune and the orchestration is sweetly maudlin, Goldsboro is using his best sad voice, and the lyrics only refer to Honey in the past tense. The record has one purpose, and one purpose only; that is to make the listener cry. If you're not crying at the end of this record then you are not the target audience, the target audience for this is the recently bereaved, or those who've lost loved ones prematurely and are still grieving, or at least need to have a good old wallow in that grief. Any one person's reaction to this song will differ dependant upon their emotional state at time of listening, if you're feeling chipper and in a positive frame of mind, then this is, without a doubt, a load of sentimental old tosh, that couldn't finish quick enough. However if you're feeling a little bit on the downside emotionally, then this song could be a sucker punch to the heart, and have you sobbing your eyes out by the end of it. It's a simple tale of a young couple in love, and them doing all the young coupley things that people do, then towards the end of the second verse the narrator comes home early and Honey is crying alone in the middle of the day, and the next line it's Autumn ('cos Autumn is sad), and Honey has euphemistically gone away. I believe that were supposed to think that it's some non-specific terminal disease (probably cancer), however if you're not in a sad state of mind you can go for the alternative explanation - the marriage is dull and miserable for her, and he's such a complete wet blanket that she's upped and left him, and he's pretending she's dead, so he doesn't look a fool in front of other people. There's another possible explanation afforded to us in third verse, the narrator says that the Angels came and took Honey while he was out - maybe she was kidnapped by gang of Hell's Angels high on PCP. I don't know - coming up with alternative explanations is the best way to get through this song without giving way to the emotional pressure it's forcing on you.

Right I'm going to flip this record over and look for something a bit sunnier on the B-Side. The music is slightly breezier, but then he starts singing about a child, the titular Danny, and lovely memories of him. It is at this point I stop the record for a breather. This still feels like were building up to another load of sentimentality.  At this point it could just be reminiscing on the childhood of a now grown-up offspring, which is enough to get some people going, but I can see two other options on the horizon, either the partner has left and taken Danny, and the narrator can no longer see him, or Danny's dead. To be honest I don't know which one I'd put my money on at the moment. I must gird my loins, dear reader, and start up the record again and find out, so you don't have to. OK - not as bad as I feared - it's just a proud parent singing about all the cute things that their toddler does - one maudlin moment when the narrator wonders about missing all these things when Danny grows up, but it could have been worse. The real issue is that I'm not interested in what someone else's toddler gets up to, I've had a couple of my own, and as any parent knows there's no cuter toddler than yours.

In summation, I realise that I didn't talk much about the music on either of these tracks, and that's because it's almost irrelevant - on both tracks it's soft, swaying and in there just as a background to the emotional nonsense that's being sung on top. I probably won't ever deliberately listen to either of these songs again.

Next time some sixties stalwarts try pushing their luck in the seventies...

7 inch single collection: Eddie Cochran - C'Mon Everybody

If we play some cool music will you please buy our jeans...

EDDIE COCHRAN

A: C'Mon Everybody
B: Don't Ever Let Me Go

(Liberty 1959)

 

Of course this is not the original 1959 release of C'mon Everybody - this was a 1988 re-release to tie-in with advert for Levi's 501 jeans. In a canny series of adverts base around nostalgia for a mythologised 50's and 60's, some good-looking lads and lasses, and soundtracked by a variety of cool numbers, these Levi's ads became quite talked about, and provided some career revival's and appreciation of dudes like Marvin Gaye, Ben E.King, Percy Sledge & Sam Cooke. So this advert was just another entry into this series - notable, in hind sight, in that it's Rock 'n' Roll not Soul, and that the narrative of the advert supposedly came from the reminiscences of Sharon Seeley (Eddie's girlfriend).

Eddie Cochran is part of my own personal holy trinity of Rock 'n' Roll along with Buddy Holly and Gene Vincent (Elvis who?) - all of whom are connected by their deaths. Buddy Holly went on his final tour because Eddie asked him to cover for him when he was unable to do. Out of guilt Eddie did an English tour that Buddy was supposed to have done, if he hadn't died. He of course died in taxi accident on that tour. Gene Vincent was also in that taxi, and that accident exacerbated an existing injury, and he felt guilt because of his friend's death - these two things led to his increased drinking, which precipitated the illness the cut his life short. I haven't fact checked any of that, so there might be some element of myth in there, but it's a good myth.

I'm guessing that you all know who Eddie Cochran was so I don't need to do a little bit of bio for background. I don't need to, but I want to, so here goes. He started off as part of a country duo called the Cochran Brothers (they weren't actually brothers), as part of this act they started to develop a more rockabilly sound, and then when Eddie went solo, he beefed up this to the more recognisable Rock 'n' Roll. A good looking young fella whose gorgeous honey coloured Gretsch guitar, was matched by his honeyed vocal tones.

My perception is that C'mon Everybody is part of popular music DNA like the other early rock 'n' roll classics like Johnny B. Goode, Great Balls of Fire or Peggy-Sue. However there may well be some young 'uns out there chancing upon this meandering nonsense who really have no idea what I'm going on about, so for there benefit of those guys C'mon Everybody is an up-tempo rocker, that's led by a strong rhythm section. The percussion is heavy and leads the beat, and is backed up by thumping double bass, which perfectly emphasises the "bare feet a-slapping on the floor" lyric. Over this Eddie strums his guitar and encourages the kids to go out and have a good time regardless of any consequences. As a song it encapsulates the energy rush of being an adolescent in late 50's USA, probably the first teenage generation with disposable income, and greater amounts of societal freedom, in an era of post-war emancipation. As such it's as much an historical document as it is a great song...and it is a great song.

On the flip side is Don't Ever Let Me Go - a charming, more melodic romantic ditty. It's pleasant, ephemeral seeming thing, with Eddie's golden tones pleading with his sweetheart to be with her forever, but there's a couple of interesting things going on in this tune. Most notably for me is the percussion, it's lower down in the mix, but the drums are adding a gentle swaying Calypso rhythm to the song. Added to this there are some background woos and whoops that are straight out of the Doo-Wop tradition. All these things are the little touches that lift what would be a pretty, if forgettable ballad, into something a mite more substantial.

So as a whole a great record, well worth the just over 4 minutes it takes to listen to both sides. What is more, regardless of the b-side, it is an important record in the history of popular music.

Next time some country schmaltz...

7 inch single collection: Amen Corner - Hello Susie

Grooving their way out of Wales it's...

AMEN CORNER


A: Hello Susie
B: Evil Man's Gonna Win
(Immediate 1969)


I can't give you much information on Amen Corner, other that they came out of the R'n'B boom from earlier in the sixties.

Originally on the British psychedelic label they transferred to the Immediate label, business of Rolling Stones manager, Andrew Loog Oldham. Probably a better fit as they were in the company of more soulful, bluesier sounding artistes like P.P.Arnold, The Small Faces and Humble Pie.

They became known for the just on the right side of saucy sounding "Bend Me, Shape Me", and then went on to have a number one hit in the form of the more more wistful "(If Paradise Is) Half As Nice" - so they were flying high prior to this record's release, although oddly failed to have any more hits after. Frontman Andy Fairweather Low, went on to have a long and solid successful solo career, and is still doing the round, I believe.

There's a blast of horns at the beginning of Hello Susie that instantly invokes bluesy soul music of Stax. The funky guitar licks and pumping piano sound just add further emphasis to that sound. Fairweather Low's voice has a pleasing rasp, and an urgency of tone that drives the tune forward. There's a few frilly slightly psychedelic organ bits in there that firmly place this record in the late sixties - but that's no bad thing, it adds shade to the sound, and throws complexity into what is, essentially a party record. You'll notice from the label that this tune was written by one R.Wood, and yes, I do believe that is Roy Wood, soon to become famous with Wizzard.

Evil Man's Gonna Win is a bit of a disturbing sentiment for a song title, but if there's any truth in the old saying that the Devil has all the best tunes, then maybe there's something in it. The Devil's music is, of course, the blues, and this track starts off much bluesier than the a-side.The guitar, bass and drums forming a laid groove, which is kicked up a gear within the introduction of funky organ. The song's title is then chanted over this groove for a few time. Then it slips back into it the original instrumental groove, and repeats. The record fades out, and you can easily believe that somewhere the band are stilling playing this take lost in their hypnotic groove.

If you want the place where blues meets blue-eyed soul meets psychedelia then this is it. It captures the essence of a time and place, whilst somehow being timeless and infinite. I quite like it.

Next Time some proper Rock 'n' Roll being pressed into service to sell jeans...

7 inch single collection: The Smiths - Sheila Take a Bow

Possibly the most "indie" indie band ever...

THE SMITHS

A: Sheila Take a Bow
B: Is It Really So Strange?
(Rough Trade 1987)

So here we are at The Smiths, and I'll confess that I didn't like them when they first came onto the scene, despite my cooler friends* trying to turn me on to them.

I had bought into the mythology that all their songs were depressing and miserable, and thought that Morrissey's voice was a bit of a whiny drone.

What changed my mind (somewhat) was the song "Ask". I heard this song, no scratch that I read a review of this song, that said something along the lines of Johnny Marr's guitar sounding like Hank Marvin - which if you know me is enough to set hares running. So I sought out "Ask", harder to do in those pre-internet days, (I think I eventually caught it on the Chart Show on Channel 4, one Saturday morning), and found it to be a thing of joy and beauty. I won't be coming to that single later 'cos I bought it on 12 inch - which falls without the scope of this blog. However it lead to a re-evaluation of The Smiths, and a realisation that maybe I'd judged based on ill founded pre-conceptions.

I'm not saying that I became a huge fan, but I did begin to like them a lot. These days I' much more ambivalent - they're not a group that I listen to often, but when I do I need to be in the right mood. I vacillate between thinking that Morrissey's lyrics are pretentious twaddle pretending to be deep and meaningful and them actually having some substance. Very much like their record covers of colour-washed, often slightly obscure, celebrities is either fantastic or utterly trite.  One thing that I am sure of is that most of the tunes, the instrumentation and playing are all to notch.

Sheila Takes a Bow is a bouncy little number, that belies the miserable reputation, with a message of going out and kicking life in the crotch rather than sitting round and moping. At least I'm guessing that's what it means because it's Morrissey's intonation always tends to land on the side of ironic, or sardonic even when he's being sincere. I know that everyone goes on about Morrissey/Marr being The Smiths, but this track in particular is buoyed along and, and enhanced by the bass and drums. So kudos to Messrs Rourke and Gannon to their contribution. Being just over two and a half minutes long may make this song feel less weighty, but it's probably the perfect length, for what is essentially a pop song.

The flipside of this single is a ditty entitled Is Is Really So Strange? What is strange are the references to killing a horse, killing a nun and leaving a bag in Newport Pagnell, a combination of odd and mundane, that feels like a self-conscious attempt to be different to everything else, but could just have easily been chucked in carelessly because they fitted the rhythm and melody. It maintains the bouncy feeling of the a-side, and even during the chorus has tiny bursts of rockabilly guitar - which is one of those things that happens in Smiths, and Morrissey solo records that keeps me interested in listening to them.

I enjoyed listening to this record, and whilst it's from the latter end of The Smiths' career, which many aficionados, feel is lesser, it's still one of their more entertaining records.

*Oh who am I kidding, all of my friends were** cooler than me.
** still are

Next Time a bit of Welsh pyschedelic blue-eyed soul...

7 inch single collection: L7 - Shove

Here comes some grunge...


L7


A: Shove
B: Fast
(Sub Pop 1990)


Grunge...Grunge...Grunge - what a word - it's so evocative. It's a messy, sludgy kind of word, all rough and ready, noisy, no airs and graces, just plaid shirts and old jeans. This single word encapsulates a style of music , so completely, that even people who've never heard this music know exactly what'll it'll sound like from the name. Part punk, part metal, and all attitude.

Seattle based label Sub Pop were the prime purveyors of top quality grunge, being home to Mudhoney, and the nascent Nirvana amongst others. L7's early career, as seen on this record, also had them spend some time with this cult label.

L7 were (maybe still are - not sure of their current status) an all female grunge band, who had some minor success in the charts. They had a very memorable appearance on "The Word" performing Pretend We're Dead - look it up on YouTube. That was a little after this record though, and when they'd moved to a more rock/metal sound and had reduced some the punk elements (the sound, if not the attitude!)

Shove is loud and heavy. The music has a viscous lava-like quality - it's hot, sludgy thing that rolls inevitably forward, anything in the way is just going to get rolled over. The lyrics match this feeling, going beyond the assertive, and well into the aggressive, and because of that it's feminist without pushing the political cause, by which I mean these women making this record stands as feminist statement without actually anyone saying this is what it is. Very much action rather than words - impressive. In it's own way it's prototype for the riot grrrl movement which would emerging from grunge around this time.

One the other side of the record is Fast (apparently slightly different to the LP version, called "Fast and Frightening"). Yes, it faster than the a-side, it's got a raucous fluidity of sound, still powering hard onwards, and with nothing to stop it. Whereas Shove announces its presence as it lumbers scarily towards you, Fast is upon you before you know it. It's as 'in your face', with maybe a little less aggression than the a-side.

I was going to say that this is a great grunge record, but actually it's a great record full stop. Melodically and lyrically it's strong and bold statement that sticks around in your head for a long while after.

Next time the archetypal indie miserablists...

7 inch single collection: Ringo Starr - Wrack My Brain

It's everybody's favourite Beatle, it's...


RINGO STARR


A: Wrack My Brain
B; Drumming is My Madness
(RCA 1981)


So, Ringo...hmmmm. I'm not sure how to start this one. I like Ringo, I'm sure many people do, he actually seems like the most personable member of The Beatles, but he seems to be the butt of so many jokes, and the popular perception is that he's not as good (musically) as the other three. Although this is not not uncommon perception with drummers. I reckon it's a bit unfair - I know that I couldn't do what Ringo does, and I've never heard a track on which he's performing and thought it sounded wrong, or too basic. In fact if his work is complementing and supporting melody, then actual he's doing his job and doing it well. Also he's not one of these jazz or rock drummers that think they's God's gift to percussion, and exercises it with lengthy, often interminable drum solos - nope - his work work is tight, and on the beat - just what is needed. Of course then he has to and go and sing...

Ringo Starr is unlikely to grace anyone's list of top 100 pop and rock vocalists - that's fine when making those kinds of lists many perfectly adequate and acceptable singers get left off, and Ringo is a perfectly adequate singer. This sounds like damning with faint praise, but there's plenty of mediocre singers out there who are more highly rated because the slack is taken up by the skill of their band, the orchestration and arrangement of their songs.

Wrack My Brain* is bright and breezy slice of pop. Honestly not much can be said, it's light, it's actually quite catchy. The guitar solo comes slightly from left field as it's a little (but not too much) country inflected. This goes for the little snatches of honky tonk sounding piano that pepper the arrangement. I quite like it, except just at they end when it ends in some very odd synthesised backing vocals - but that's a minor quibble.

Flipping the platter over we find Drumming is My Madness - which is good to know, that Ringo has a passion for his day job! Although the drumming here is doing nothing that particularly stands out - instead it's got a quirky groove, lead by a guitar, it's quite bassy, with some fun horns filling in. There's a couple of small drum breakouts, but actual there's a flute solo that stands out more. Ringo's singing is lesser than on the a-side of this disc. He alternately sounds either bored or amused at doing this, it's like this is just a fun piece that he's knocking off for himself, without ever anticipating that it'll see the light of day.

This record is light-hearted fun - never likely to trouble either the charts or serious musos, but as a snack between heavier bits of music it cleanses the palette, without filling you up.

*OK - so research is going against the ethos of this blog, but Wrack or Rack? I have a Yardbirds single called Rack My Mind (due on this blog one day!) - so surely one of these is wrong and I can get on my high horse about it! No - turns out that either are acceptable spellings, Wrack maybe slightly more old-fashioned, but it's just as acceptable.

Next Time some proper grunge...

7 inch single collection: Sandie Shaw - Puppet on a String

It's winner of the 1967 Eurovision Song Contest, it's...


SANDIE SHAW

A: Puppet on a String
B: Tell the Boys
(Pye 1967)


In England, at least, the Eurovision Song Contest seems to have become a bit of a joke. Public perception of it seems to have come round to the view that it's a slightly overlong camp-fest not worth taking seriously. Many people believe that it's only worth watching for the scores, and seeing how politically inclined they are. It's probably sour grapes - surely the nation that gave the world The Beatles, The Stones, Bowie, Queen and The Spice Girls should have no problems winning a song contest. Well, we do have problems, and we have done for a while, but it's not always been so - we've won it on a few occasions, and come second many more, and the shebang used to get taken relatively seriously.*

Puppet on a String was the winner in 1967, and was performed by popular singer Sandie Shaw - she'd had many hits before this time including a couple of number ones, and so was yer actual proper bona fide star. Popular myth is that Sandie hated this song (or maybe it's legacy and effect upon her career) - although she may have come to something of a rapprochement with it in the more recently. Back in those days a singer was chosen, and they were given a number of songs and the one that was the most popular was the chosen entry - so if you were the singer you could get landed with a right stinker of a song. Puppet on a String is not a right stinker, it's a pleasant upbeat number, that has a persistent oompah-oompah beat (just exactly how every Eurovision sceptic thinks every Eurovision song sounds!) I can imagine if this followed you round for years, it would stop being so pleasant, and could haunt your nightmares - so it's easy to forgive Sandie Shaw of any antipathy towards this song. Also I have to point out a bit of lyrically befuddlement - she sings about winning and losing on swings and roundabouts - both of these I've always held to be non-competitive activities. Surely winning on either of these is not ending up at your nearest spinal injuries unit.

On the flip-side Tell The Boys has a bit more to it. It's still up-beat and cheery lyrically, and makes full use of the brass section of the orchestra, but it has more nuance and shade to it - it's not so relentless. The verses have an accompaniment that feels almost minor key, this gives and edge to the optimistic lyrics. Also Sandie Shaw sounds invested in the emotion of this song. I think it's a little beauty, which is why (in a change from tradition) I've added a youtube link to this track too!

So a record of two halves, one half a bit of entertaining frippery, but the second a minor classic that should be me more widely celebrated.

* I don't mind the Eurovision - (I don't go out of my way to watch these days, though) - I quite enjoy hearing what other cultures think is the perfect distillation of a pop song.

Next time a solo Beatle, but probably not the one you're hoping for...