Surf's Up Dudes...
THE BEACH BOYS
A-Side: Fun, Fun, Fun
B-Side: Why Do Fools Fall In Love?
(Capitol 1964)
Ahh, The Beach Boys, one of those bands that I am really rather fond of, throughout their various shifts in style over the years - so my thoughts on this record are probably not going to be unbiased.
I think that the popular image of The Beach Boys is that of a bit of a party band - perpetually churning out fast, upbeat tunes about surfing, dancing, cars and girls. This image is probably justified for their early hits and what cemented their reputation. As many of us are aware though they've gone through troubled times and a number of styles, and maybe their more interesting work is miles away from those early party days - however that's a thought for another record, at another time.
Fun, Fun, Fun is fun, doubtless you are already aware of the song anyway. The bright, treble-y, guitars, the playful harmonies, and the organ break all give the song a verve and energy that sweeps you along. The cheeky lyric of a young woman who's adept at driving her sports car around and turning heads is enough to make you smile, but as ever with The Beach Boys the hint of teenage rebellion is never played out to violence and destruction. In this case the sensible adult has stepped in and "Daddy took her T-Bird away". For the narrator this is a good thing because now she's got no car to worry about they can have "Fun, Fun, Fun" all by themselves, making their own amusement. (They're probably going to play chess or something.) I do like this song very much but in the whole genre of Surf Music about women who are unexpectedly exceptionally good at driving hot rods* this only manages to come in second to Jan and Dean's Little Old Lady (from Pasadena).
Another familiar song is on the flip-side of this platter. Why Do Fools Fall In Love? has been covered many times since Frankie Lymon took it to the top of the hit parade in the late 50's, and to be honest this is just another version to add to the list. It's nothing special - the harmonies that carry the song are very much the Beach Boys stock-in-trade - the instrumentation is low in the mix, with only the drums making a notable presence. Interestingly they feel a bit ragged and ramshackle - whether this is experimentation or just a bit slapdash I don't know, and with Beach Boys it could equally be either.
*a bit of niche genre, I know.
Next time more summery pop from a generation later...
Looking for something noisy...
THE TELESCOPES
A-Side: Everso
B-Side: Wish Of You
(Creation 1990)
The Telescopes came to my attention through their first album (Taste) and an earlier single (To Kill A Slow Girl Walking) - both showed a band who had a good handle on noise and could produce a visceral wail of a sound, mixed with a good tune, and some interesting lyrics. This didn't last they branched off into a slightly different direction, in fact they may even be accused of jumping on a bandwagon, or following the herd, because their sound went from something that was often nightmarish, to something more dreamy. I would go as far as to lump them in with the scene that the music papers called "shoegazing". I'm not going to go into that whole scene right now, as I have some good examples of that to come into the future.
The change in direction was heralded by this single, Everso, bought in the expectation of one thing but ultimately delivering another. I was disappointed at the time, not so much because of the music itself, but because they were a lot of other bands doing something similar and doing it well, and I thought The Telescopes already had a great sound going for them. What do I think now? Well it's not so great a leap as I thought, nearly quarter of a century ago. It's still noisy, but the noise is less harsh, there are layers of guitar that wash in and out - all with the full range of effects; lots of delay, and reverb, and echo. The vocals are very low down in the mix almost incidental to the whole song. It's livelier than I remember though, and still has some of the aggression that I had thought was gone - and it's coupled with a funky drum beat. I quite like the way the music stops for the singer to drawl our "Everso" briefly, before it all fires up again. The sleeve is quite apt as that is as good a visual representation od the sound of the song as you could ever get.
On the flip side is Wish Of You - is is just me, or does that seem like a somewhat awkward title? It's a bit less "on trend" than the a-side, in that there were no obvious hooks, the rhythm wasn't as straight forward and it was much slower. It starts very quite with some "uhs" being vocalised, then the chiming guitars work their way into the song. The vocals are more prominent than the a-side, but pretty much as indecipherable. It's much more reminiscent of how the Telescopes used to sound.
It's pretty much a transitional record for a group that are moving (albeit everso slightly) from one sound to another. There is much that is enjoyable about this record, but little to make me come back to it regularly.
That was the fifth record in a row from 1990 - next time something not from that year...
A new direction for an old new wave band...
PERE UBU
A-side: I Hear They Smoke The Barbecue
B-Side: Invisible Man
(Fontana 1990)
Firstly apologies for the video which is a recent live version, couldn't find a contemporary video, and also has a long spoken intro which isn't on the record.
Pere Ubu, had something of a mystique to their name back in the day. From what I'd understood from bits and pieces in the music press, they were darlings of the American new wave, releasing challenging and difficult records, and being one of the secret delights of the underground. This made me go out and listen to some of their record for this period, and I found out that they weren't as challenging or as different as I hoped - merely a good, but not outstanding post-punk collective.
The release of I Hear They Smoke The Barbecue was their first record in a considerable time and was much anticipated. I bought it at the time in the hope that I would connect better with Pere Ubu than I had before. I was at the time disappointed, and found it dull and ordinary. One of the delights of doing this blog is being able to revise these opinions after the passage of time, and this is one of those records that is a lot better than I remember it. Listening to it now for what it actually is, rather than what I expected it to be has given me a fresh perspective. It's not a towering piece of complex noise, what it is however a superior example of alternative rock, a style that is often referred to as college rock. I Hear They Smoke The Barbecue has a bright, poppy edge to with vocals delivered in an almost laid back soft rock style. The guitar intro is strong and the tune is toe-tapping. Not entirely sure what it's about - people (aliens?) who want to be other people, maybe? There may be an anti-racism message in there, but it's not obvious. Another plus is that it mentions Yogi Bear in the lyrics.
On the other side Invisible Man still has that college rock style, but the structure of the song is a bit more varied, and more in keeping with the band's reputation. The voice is much more distinctive and growlier, and there's some odd noises in the instrumentation, which piques the interest. The rhythm is driving, and I was just starting to really get into it when it ended.
A record that I wasn't really looking forward to listening to, which turns out to be better than I thought, I make that two in row. It's possible that I have better taste than I thought.
Next time prepare to gaze at your shoes...
An ode to the joys of unemployment...
THE PARACHUTE MEN
A-side: Every Other Thursday
B-Side: Quiet Life
(Fire 1990)
I can't tell you much about The Parachute Men. I know they were one of a number of indie bands of the period that had a female singer (almost always blonde) backed by 3 blokes (probably in well-worn, creaky leather jackets) on guitar, bass and drums.
I remember seeing The Parachute Men live at the Gloucester Guildhall - for a short while there was something called the Banana Club, where, (once a month maybe - can anyone else remember?), they'd have a couple of indie bands on - one or two usually someone with an actual record deal touring the provinces, plus extra support from unsigned local entities. The Parachute Men were either a headline act, or supporting Carter - USM, (of whom more will be spoken at a later date).
The Every Other Thursday of the song title refers to the day of turning up to the job centre to sign on and get your dole money. You might expect that given this subject matter, the the song would be grim and dour, but it's not. It's an upbeat, even jaunty, piece of jangle pop. The lyrics don't dwell on the miserable side of joblessness, or even try to make political comments on the situation, but instead focuses on the relief, and pleasure that getting the fortnightly dole money brings. The vocals are strong, but unlikely many contemporaries don't get all sweet and girly, and there is a wistfulness to the voice, that brings an edgier counterpart to the upbeat feel of the tune.
Turning the record over we find Quiet Life, a song which lives up to its name. It's slower and quieter, with an almost folky acoustic sound. For me two things provide an unexpected texture to this song, and stops it from being just pleasant and lifts it into the very good category. I mentioned the singer's voice for Every Other Thursday, here there's an odd catch to it which brings you in. The second thing that elevates this song is, surprisingly, the drums. The drum patterns are unusual, and more than just keeping time.
Before I listened to this single I was expecting something pleasant but bland and unmemorable, what I got surprised me by being lighter and more textured than I could have hoped for.
Next time alternative new wave stalwarts try for the big time...
Something geeky...
THEY MIGHT BE GIANTS
A-side: Birdhouse In Your Soul
B-Side: Hot Cha
(Elektra 1990)
Ahh, They Might Be Giants, a couple of blokes called John, playing strange instruments, singing songs with unusual subject matters, often very witty, and yet never falling into the trap of being overtly kooky or goofy, which helps them not wear out their welcome. They've been around for years and are still going - apparently they split themselves these days between doing the music they've always done, and recording albums of songs about Maths, Physics and the like for kids.
When I'm thinking of They Might Be Giants I'm always reminded of a bus journey I took from Gloucester to Manchester with my friend Jex, around 1991/92. We were chatting, and the conversation turned, as it often did, to music. Jex asked me to guess who I thought was the band that he was most impressed with at that time. I spent ages making wrong and ill-considered guess, and he started to give me clues, citing things like their instrumentation, their clever lyricism, their propensity to short and to the point songs. Eventually I arrived at They Might Be Giants. At the time I conceded the point and admitted they were an admirable band indeed, even though I thought they weren't up to scratch compared to some of the bands I'd guessed. I get it now though - I completely understand what he was on about, and now I think they are a band worthy of high esteem.
Birdhouse In Your Soul was the breakout hit for They Might Be Giants, it marked the transition from an indie label to a major, and an in-road into the charts. Of course it was ultimately their only big hit - but it did at least put them into the public consciousness. Birdhouse In Your Soul is a bouncy song with an engaging organ sound, jolly blast of horns. Lyrically it is darker than that, I think (please feel free to correct me if I'm wrong). It's ostensibly sung from the point of view of a night-light, looking after its charge, but is the night-light the only friend this person has, and who looks after the light when it's alone. Odd - but something to think about. Any song that can (non-gratuitously) include the word filibuster has to have something going for it!
More oddness on the flip side with Hot Cha. I'm not sure what the time signature is on Hot Cha, but it's not 4/4, the horns on this side are staccato and parping, punctuating the jazzy 40's feel of the music. There's a great piano breakdown in the middle. Then after less than two minutes it stops. I think the brevity of the song has led me to dismiss this tune before, and not really to listen to it, but I'll admit that it's grown on me. Short, and certainly sweet.
I'd encourage everyone to let a little They Might Be Giants into their soul.
Next time some indie miserablism...
Loud, shouty and very silly...
LUNACHICKS
A-side: Cookie Monster
B-Side: Complication
(Blast First 1990)
There were many all female grunge bands around in the early 90's. Many were politically motivated pushing feminist agendas, and rallying against sexism, others were proving their point, not with political diatribes, but just by simply rocking out as well as any all bloke band could. Lunachicks probably don't fit too well into the first category, and an argument could well be made for the second one, but on the limited evidence that I have I would say that their main agenda was to have fun.
Cookie Monster from Sesame Street is a character I feel a certain affinity with, a love of particular baked goods being just one shared attribute. It seemed, then, almost inevitable that I would buy this single - which was cemented into certainty by the fact that the above sleeve is actually a wrap-around fold-out poster, which I'm afraid that I'm unable to replicate in it's full glory here. (i.e. it's too big for my scanner, and I'm sure that it's family appropriate!). However to give you an impression I've included back of the sleeve showing the band.
Cookie Monster is a nursery counting song liberally coated in grunge trappings. The vocals are growling, the instruments are fast and noisy. There are actual Cookie Monster impersonations as backing vocals. Part way through is slows right down to a grindcore style, before speeding up again to breakneck speed, coming to a sudden stop. It's not big, it's not clever, but it is very silly, and for that I love it.
To be honest the b-side is more of the same - you didn't expect it to be anything else did you? It's similarly noisy stop/start hardcore, but without the Cookie Monster hook. The title - Complication - is the only lyric that is intelligible. It's got a a good driving sound, and is good for what it is, but I have no desire to listen to it again. Can't really say much more than that.
An enjoyable record overall, that I probably won't listen to very often, but nonetheless I think it's important that records like this do exist, and there is a place for silliness.
Next time something a little geekish...
Laid back and quirky, it's...
PAVEMENT
A-side: Gold Soundz
Kneeling Bus
B-Side: Strings Of Nashville
Exit Theory
(Big Cat 1994)
Pavement are often lumped in with the whole grunge movement of the early to mid 90's, but I'm not sure how grunge they really were. Sure they had loud and occasionally abrasive guitars, but their sound seemed to have it's roots less in punk and early heavy metal than other grunge archetypes. Indeed they owe as much to the laid back sounds of 70's west coast style soft rock. This is definitely a good thing, as it is something that singles them them out from the crowd. Not that standing out from the crowd was any problem for Pavement - the band they get most compared to is The Fall, not necessarily because of sonic similarities but more for the fact the they plow their own furrow on the peripheries of any scene that happens to be about. Just like the Fall, they employ a different styles and sounds to come up with their own unique Pavement-ness, that is instantly recognisable as their own.
Gold Soundz is from a 4-track EP, (haven't had one of them for bit!) The title track is mellow grunge overlaid with chiming indie guitars. The singer has a distinct nasal voice, that once you've accepted it, is not unpleasant. It's upbeat and poppy, whilst remaining perfectly relaxed. There's nothing radical on show here, but it's got enough of a something to leave you with a lasting memory of the tune. The other track on the a-side of this record is Kneeling Bus. Just like Gold Soundz this has a stop/start signature, that is recognisably Pavement. It's a spiky sounding instrumental, that is fuzzy and short - and as such there is little else to say about it.
Strings of Nashville, the first song on the b-side, instantly makes me think of later period Velvet Underground. It's got an easy vibe, that's as much about atmosphere as it is about song. The vocals and almost hidden and practically impenetrable. There is a slightly spooky feel to the sound, enhanced by the impression that the whole thing is ever so slight off-key. More atmosphere is by the instrumentation being sparse, and the addition wave sound effects during the song. Just like on the a-side, the second song here is almost a short afterthought. Exit Theory is a set of disjointed sound, there is a sudden build up to noise, which dissolves into chaos and is over in seconds.
At the end of the day this I quite like this record, not as much as some other Pavement songs, but Gold Soundz works well as a single. The overall effect is something that is oddly feelgood.
Next time some proper noisy grunge...
