Before Eugenius there was Captain America until someone at Marvel, for some strange reason, took umbrage at Eugene Kelly for borrowing the name of one of their most well known comic strip superheroes. Captain America were formed in 1990 by Eugene Kelly following the dissolution of his former band, The Vaselines, and to my knowledge only released two singles, '91's "Wow" and '92's "Flame On" which also landed them in bother, this time with C&A after using their logo on the sleeve of the single.
Years ago Radio 1 used to have a show that was similiar to Desert Island Discs where a pop star of the day would come on and share their top 10 fave tunes with the nation.
It was on one of these shows that I first encountered the wonderful, strident vocals of one Polystyrene after Alison Moyet picked "Oh Bondage Up Yours" as one of her top tunes. It may even have been her top choice. No matter it was in there somewhere and was my introduction to the music of X Ray Spex.
One of the great punk bands of the late '70s, it's just a shame they only released the one album during the punk era. But what an album it was, with Styrene's songs focusing on the
artificiality of modern life and music that remains hugely influential today. "Oh Bondage Up Yours" is one of punk's great moments.
I've never been a huge fan of guitar solos over the years but there is one in particular that still makes the hairs on my neck stand up almost 30 years after it was released and that is the one on "Forest Fire", courtesy of Neil Clark.
I have written before about the masterpiece that is Rattlesnakes and although the entire album is pretty much perfection the standout track has to be "Forest Fire". I love the way it starts with those hushed vocals and minimal
instrumentation with the tension slowly building until being finally released
with that long, lyrical guitar solo which turns an already remarkable song into a classic.
I was fortunate to see The Commotions on their comeback tour a few years back at The Barrowland and heard the full beauty of that solo in the flesh. Simply sublime.
She crossed herself as she put on her things
She has promised once before not to live this way
If she don't calm down she will burn herself out
Like a forest fire, well doesn't that make you smile
If you don't slow down, I swear that I'll come round
And mess up your place, let's go for a spin
They say we shouldn't even know each other
And that we'll be undone
Don't it make you smile like a forest fire
I believe in love, I'll believe in anything
That's gonna get me what I want and get me off my knees
Then we'll burn your house down, don't it feel so good
There's a forest fire every time we get together
Doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo doo doo
Doo doo doo doo doo, doo doo doo doo doo doo
Hey pick you up, put you down
Rip you up and spin you round
Just like we said we would
'cause we're a forest fire
Believe you me, we'll tear this place down
If we get caught in this wind then we could burn the ocean
If we get caught in this scene we're gonna be undone
It's just a simple metaphor, it's for a burning love
Don't it make you smile like a forest fire..
There is a very good reason why Glasgow was named UNESCO City of Music in August 2008. From Postcard Records onwards Glasgow has (probably) got the most vibrant music scene in the UK.
I was looking at a list of venues in Glasgow recently for a gig to go to and was blown away by the amount of places for bands to play. From smaller venues such as Stereo, through to venues like Oran Mor and The ABC, and then up to your less intimate venues like The SECC. Compared to Edinburgh it is literally bursting with great venues. And great bands to play in them. For every household name there is a corresponding unsung hero and none more so than Stephen McRobbie.
The first time I heard The Pastels was back in '85 with "I'm Alright With You" which has stood the test of time really well. Over the next couple of years they released a few singles, the highlight for me being the wonderful, "Truck Train Tractor" as well as '87's unique, inspiring album "Up For A Bit".
For the last 20 years or so the line up has revolved around Stephen and Katrina Mitchell with contributions from the likes of Gerard Love, Norman Blake and Alison Mitchell. I thought that The Blue Nile took forever between albums but even for them 16 years would be a bit much. That was how long it took, however, for The Pastels latest release although it was well worth the wait for this year's simply beautiful "Slow Summits".
Revered by the likes of Teenage Fanclub, Sonic Youth, The JAMC and Kurt Cobain, The Pastels are one of the most enduring and inspirational Glasgow bands of the last 30 years and are beloved by many discerning music fans for very good reason.
Let's hope there is not so long to wait for the next offering from Mr McRobbie and co....
"The boy Gedge has written some of the best love songs of the Rock ‘n’
Roll Era. You may dispute this, but I’m right and you’re wrong!" Great quote from John Peel and so true...
For the first time in many moons I put on The Wedding Present's "Tommy" and I had completely forgot how fucking great those early tracks are. "Tommy" is not only the definitive look at the early Wedding
Present, it's one of the great albums of the mid-'80s U.K. indie scene. "Tommy" collects the band's first four singles,
originally self-released by the band on their Reception Records label, along with the b sides and selected tracks from early Radio 1 sessions. This record is every bit as
historically and musically important as the Postcard label singles
and the Smiths' "Hatful of Hollow".
But you don't need me to tell you that..you know all that already...
I have posted here before about Washington based post punkers Dot Dash but as they have been sending me some lovely emails I felt it was only right to do another small posting.
Their third album, Half Remembered Dream, has just been released and is well worth half an hour of your time. Energetic, plaintive and rammed full of melody it, for me, evokes the spirit of Joy Division, The Only Ones and The Buzzcocks amongst many others. I saw a review of their second album recently that said "If Sonic Youth had decided to be a pop band, they would have sounded an awful lot like Dot Dash". That's a pretty neat description.
