troubled diva

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Saturday, February 24, 2007

Which Decade Is Tops For Pops? - Year 5 - the Number 3s.

"Can I just say that one of the things I really like about this project is that over the years many people with considerably different tastes, backgrounds and influences have been reasonably candid about their views on these records and there has never been a mocking of people for holding those views, and certainly no personal attacks. It's a model of how the personal internet should work."

Hear hear, Gert. And if it's a diverse range of opinions that you're after, then look no further than the previous round, where it's still neck and neck between The Tremeloes, Man 2 Man and En Vogue. Meanwhile, back at the Number Sixes, the Rolling Stones and Heatwave are also still slugging it out for pole position. I ask you: could it get more exciting? Could it? No, but could it though?

Time to chuck five more songs into our democratic melting pot. Hold onto your hats, it's the the Number Threes!

1967: I'm A Believer - The Monkees. (video)
1977: Don't Give Up On Us - David Soul. (video)
1987: Heartache - Pepsi & Shirlie. (video)
1997: Don't Speak - No Doubt. (video)
2007: Starz In Their Eyes - Just Jack. (video; alternative X Factor spoof video)
Listen to a short medley of all five songs.

Proof positive, should any still be needed, that so-called "manufactured" pop can be as capable of transcendence as music made by any other means, The Monkees more or less defined the classic boyband template, setting the bar high as they did so. They also benefitted from working with some of the top songwriting talents of their day - such as Neil Diamond, who wrote "I'm A Believer", and still includes it in his live show to this day. Flawless stuff, and so much a part of the iconography of pop that any fresh objective assessment is rendered almost impossible.

Like the Monkees, Dishy David Soul came to prominence as part of a hit TV show (Starsky and Hutch), and was therefore almost guaranteed to gain major-league exposure with his first single release, if only for the curiosity factor. With its winsome pleading for a second chance from his Lady Love, "Don't Give Up On Us" plays perfectly to Dishy David's adoring female fanbase - and its the underlying sincerity of his performance which rescues it from the slush bin. Plus there's a strong tune and a deft arrangement, which always helps.

Pepsi & Shirlie's curiosity-factor fame-boost sprang from their roles as backing singers for Wham!, and it proved just about enough to sustain them through two Top Ten singles in early 1987 - despite "Heartache" earning a slagging from none other than Margaret Thatcher on BBC1's Saturday morning children's show Swap Shop. ("Very professional, the voices, yes, but where's the heartache?") The sub-"Billie Jean" rhythm and the horrid, horrid 1980s hi-gloss/hi-tack airbrush production job haven't worn well, and the whole track feels lifeless and forced.

Making her second appearance in this year's Which Decade, Gwen Stefani enjoyed prolonged success as the lead singer with No Doubt before going solo, and the adult-contemporary maturity of "Don't Speak" stands in marked contrast to the dayglo juvenalia of her more recent work. Although the track isn't for me stylistically, I'll happily concede that as a break-up song, it strikes all the right chords. This stands as yet another example of how it's often the unfashionable songs which endure the longest.

And so to Just Jack's utterly splendid "Starz In Their Eyes", which - once you've got over the obvious comparisions with Mike Skinner of The Streets, which in my case took several weeks - delivers a timely and welcome broadside to talent-show-pop culture, with articulacy and wit. There's something about the chugging funkiness of the chorus which reminds me of 2000-era disco-house cuts such as Spiller's "Groovejet" and Modjo's "Lady (Here Me Tonight)", and there's something about Just Jack's vocal delivery, particularly in the "Dog and Duck karaoke machine" section, which sticks in the memory in the most deliciously compelling way. This is my favourite track in the 2007 Top Ten to date, by some distance.

My votes: Monkees - 5 points. Just Jack - 4 points. David Soul - 3 points. No Doubt - 2 points. Pepsi & Shirlie - 1 point.

OK, so the Monkees are almost certain to keep the 1960s ahead - but hey, just look at the plucky Noughties, snapping at their heels in joint second place. Will Just Jack spell further good news for our plucky underdog of a decade? Over to you.

Running totals so far - Number 3s.

1967: I'm A Believer - The Monkees (149)

OMG..the Monkees. I have an unatural adoration for The Monkees. In my early television viewing years the show used to be on every afternoon sandwiched between H.R. Puffenstuff and The Banana Splits, all three were the 1970's equivalent of a pre teen psycadelic trip. Just the mere opening refrain of that somg makes me bop in my seat, it's just so damn HAPPY. (jo)

Being a big fan of the songs that Neil Diamond wrote, I do like this a lot. and I have to say that the Monkees sing it better than Neil! I never minded the maunfactured nature of the Monkees, they were there to sing nice songs and they did! (Gert)

Whoever "manufactured" the Monkees made sure that they had some good pop songs. (Amanda)

It's deceptively simple and bright for all it's manufacture. There's no irony or cynicism here. How refreshing. (asta)

I remain astonished that anybody hasn't given this five points - it's nigh perfect. (diamond geezer)

By any criterion you care to name, this pisses all over Strawberry Fields/ Penny Lane from a great height. (jeff w)

One of those songs that almost sum up the "sixties so far" before the "summer of love". (Alan)

A classic, but looking a little worn these days. (Adrian)

I think it's best I don't say what I think about the Monkees. (Marcos)

1997: Don't Speak - No Doubt (106)

At the height of Britpop, No Doubt sailed to the top of the charts and showed us how it was meant to be done. (Oliver)

I sense that's probably not going to be a popular choice, but this month ten years ago my marriage was breaking up, and I sat around listening to this song over and over and it helped me out a vast amount because it summed up everything I was feeling at the time, so it is always going to be a hugely special song for me. (Alan)

Why oh why do I love Gwen and her extremely odd way of singing, those lips, the pouting...but every song turns into an ear worm for me. (jo)

An earworm if ever there was one. Memorable song and vocalisation, but still unsure if this is my cup of tea. (Hedgie)

Sugary and soppy, yes, but sung from the heart since she wrote it after being dumped by the bass player. (Marcos)

Not their best song but it has a very distinct sound and it better than a lot of subsequent solo Stefani stuff. (Will)

One of those corny songs that plays on cheap emotions that was obviously going to be a big hit but still appealing for all that. (betty)

This sounds like an Eighties throwback even though it's from the Nineties. (Amanda)

Over-exposed commercial-radio-fodder - grates more with every play. (diamond geezer)

A sort of poor woman's Tori Amos. In her voice I can hear that she is grimacing in a way to convey emotion. I think she might be building up to vomit after the unimaginative dance bit. I think by this stage I was being very picky-and-choosy when it came to pop. (Gert)

Don�t sing, more like. Oh how I hate this band and this song is a primary factor. Ghastly, the guitar solo is the icing on a poisonous marzipan-filled cake. (loomer)

2007: Starz In Their Eyes - Just Jack (102)

Clever, tuneful and hip - who'd have thought it of modern music? (diamond geezer)

Just seems to be a step above millions of other tracks of that ilk. You want to hear more. (JonnyB)

When he first popped up I was annoyed that he so clearly derived from The Streets. However this is bloody good. (Hedgie)

I'm not sure about the chorus but it definitely has a Streets-style mockney charm. (Amanda)

I often feel that the newer tracks suffer from being that much less familiar. While one tries to judge them on merit alone, I find it hard not to give the track I know really well the nod ahead of the one I'm less familiar with. I have the feeling this might've been higher had I heard it more times, but for now 3pts. (Oliver)

I'm getting a little bored of "daan to earf geeza" music to be honest, but as far as it goes this isn't too bad. (Alan)

Just Jack is getting overwhelmingly mocked in my current social circles, to the extent that I've had to reluctantly defend "Starz in Their Eyes" from some of the more venomous attacks. Reluctantly cos, well, it's Alright and no more. Lyrics score zero for insight, but perhaps five out of ten for pathos. And the music's quite catchy innit. (I gather many of Jack's other songs sound like Jamiroquai. Oh dear.) (jeff w)

Don�t mind this too much, but hardly a cutting-edge target is it? (loomer)

I hated this when I first heard it (on Later....) and thought he was insipid. It's grown on me masses though. I'm not sure it's as clever as it thinks it is, to be honest. "V.I. Person"? horrible line. (SwissToni)

Just poor. The Streets with a bit of a tune (or is that just me?) (Lionel d'Lion)

Just incredibly annoying singer songwriter pumped up a bit to make him look a bit street. (Geoff)

Hmm, he sounds like a nagging old char woman. Seems to have been annoying me on the radio and telly for the past three months at least. (betty)

1977: Don't Give Up On Us - David Soul (75)

It's not hip, it's not clever, but it's got that something. Great seventies orchestral arrangement that's intelligent rather than James Last, and a superb bridge section, like wot 'proper' songs have. (JonnyB)

Now if this had been a straightforward love song I'd have liked it less. A charming bastard pleading and trying to put responsibility for being dumped onto her, when he'd misbehaved, yes, that cuts through the smooch and works for me. (z)

If the Monkees were up against Silver Lady or This Time I'm Going In With My Eyes Open, they would have to yield first place. But this was the weakest of David Soul's big three. This was just about the time I was systematically getting into pop and I veered between this sort of song and punk. It's a nice song, and he has a nice voice. (Gert)

One huge trip down memory lane. Reminds me of my parent's New Year parties in the 70s - I thought they were so glamorous (even with my Dad's dancing). (Sarah)

He was a source of ridicule at the time, especially as one of my friends had a huge crush on him. Er, I wonder if she ended up getting married to an older man? This has aged better than I would've expected, in that it's not completely intolerable. (betty)

David Soul got rightly mocked in my (10 year old) circles at the time for pandering so blatantly to the female record buyers of the UK. Even our mums liked this - hardly rock'n'roll, was it? Not compared to the excellent fusion-funk by Lalo Schifrin and Tom Scott you heard week in, week out on Carkeys and Clutch anyway. Today? "Don't Give Up On Us" is probably ripe for reclamation by Sean Rowley if he hasn't done so already. "Silver Lady" is better though. (jeff w)

Unlike the work of Cat Stevens, this falls into my definition of soppy and sappy. (Amanda)

One of those K-Tel abominations from the 70's. A little bit of Bread with a twinge of Air Supply. (jo)

Nice voice, but why couldn't he have stuck to car chases? (Alan)

A severe afront to the auditory organ. (Marcos)

Like drowning in a vat of sickly treacle. (diamond geezer)

This one is so bad that I suspect forced listening is grounds for human rights charges before the International Criminal Court. (asta)

When I was a kid, I used to squeeze my brow together in an attempt to get a deep vertical furrow above my eyebrow like David Soul's. Thirty years later, I really, really wish I hadn't. (David)

1987: Heartache - Pepsi & Shirlie (48)

It�s taking me all my objectivity not to let nostalgia win out again and award this top marks, but this is my favourite classic 80s pop record here yet! Wonderful, this was produced by SAW (though uncredited) who were still vital and great in 1987, before becoming horribly overexposed and wretched in the last 2 years of the 80s with Kylie/Jason/Sonia/Big Fun(!) et al. (loomer)

Oh, how very School Disco. There was a very particular way 80s female vocalists were coached to sing, wasn't there? Very Madonna. (Clare)

80s through and through, plastic synth lines, and boppy ladies. (Stereoboard)

A tacky guilty pleasure. (David)

Dreary hack work. (Hedgie)

Maybe it was just me who wondered why they were singing "It's a hard egg"? (diamond geezer)

This was the time I began to get a bit jaded with pop, not being prepared to accept that people would buy crap like this. I am not sure I can anything positive about this, but it's not quite awful enough to justify any meaningful criticism. Definitely one for demonstrating the engineer/producer's talents. (Gert)

I'm so disappointed in the 80s representation. I'm starting to doubt my memories of my favourite decade... (Sarah)

The 1980s is full of this sort of plinky nonsense, isn't it? (Will)

Arse-paralysingly grim (Marcos)

Their finest hour was probably doing a promotional makeover for Rimmel cosmetics in a magazine. Shirlie was wearing Passion Fruit lipstick if I remember correctly. God, this song has absolutely nothing going for it, has it? (betty)

Decade scores so far (after 7 days).
1 (1) The 1960s (28) -- Not a trace of doubt in my mind!
2= (3) The 2000s (20) -- Maybe you'll make the evening news!
2= (2) The 1970s (20) -- We're still worth one more try!
4 (4) The 1990s (19) -- It looks as though you're letting go!
5 (5) The 1980s (18) -- Tell me, am I history?

Labels: whichdecade07

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SwissToni's Earworms.

I've been doing a spot of guest-blogging over at SwissToni's Place, as part of his excellent "Earworms of the Week" series. The concept of the series isn't necessarily to list your ten current favourite tracks; it's more about listing the ten tracks which have been occupying the most space on your internal jukebox. It's a subtle but significant difference...

Labels: guesting, linkage, lists, popmusic

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The Reluctant Nomad Amsterdam Anagram Metro Map.

My dear friend Alan, who has been living in Amsterdam since the beginning of the year, really has excelled himself with this one. Take a look at his version of the Amsterdam metro map, with all the station names replaced by their anagrams, and hover your cursor over each station name for its real-life equivalent. (Background and explanation is here.)

If you think that sounds a bit dull and non-clickworthy, than all I can say is: wait until you see the station names. Oo-er!

Labels: amsterdam, friends, linkage, travel

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Friday, February 23, 2007

Freelance Friday.

In order to introduce some semblance of consistency into this here rag-bag of a blog, I'm only going to post freelance pieces here on Fridays from now on - so you'll get all the "pro" stuff in one dollop.

This week, we have:

1. An interview with the Living Goddess that is Joan Baez. The honour!

2. An interview with Jason Reece from ...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead, whose Nottingham show I'll be reviewing on Sunday night. When reading the piece, please try to imagine Jason's heavy, deliberate, infinitely world-weary drawl, shot through with heavy irony. That one took all of my "rapport-forming" skills, I can tell you. But I made him laugh a couple of times, before he got bored towards the end, so that was cool.

3. A review of the X Factor live show, which ended up as half think-piece, half gig report. I basically hated the whole show, and returned home fuming, with hatchet freshly sharpened - and so the extended preamble is really just my way of calming myself down. This review - to my mild alarm, as it might well have made me The Most Hated Man In Nottingham in some quarters - also turned out to be my first cover story for the paper, in that it was plugged at the top of the front page, alongside a colour photo of Leona Lewis. "Read our verdict inside! Page 26!" Yeah, that's right, spell it out for everybody...

Highlights from the show which didn't make it to press included Chig texting one of the backing dancers during the interval - as he recognised two of them from last year's Eurovision in Athens, where they performed as part of the Turkish entry. He is such a pop tart. I am in awe. The backing dancers were also doubling up as "backing singers" for the various X Factor "stars". I think those quotation marks tell you all you need to know.

But the best moment? That was when we realised that some sharp wag at the Arena had decided to pipe Just Jack's "Starz In Their Eyes" over the PA system during the interval. For those that don't know it, it's a blisteringly accurate demolition job on the whole "reality pop" phenomenon. Sheesh, talk about apposite.

4. A gig review of Duke Special, who I interviewed last week. A slight disappointment, given the expectations which he had set - but a decent little gig all the same.

There, that little lot should keep you busy. Happy reading, pop-pickers.

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When Mike met Joan.

This article originally appeared in the Nottingham Evening Post.

A slightly croaky but otherwise buoyant Joan Baez spoke to EG from her home in California. Congratulations duly offered on her recent Lifetime Achievement award at the Grammys, our conversation turned to the recent re-release of Ring Them Bells, a double live set from 1995. Recorded over two nights at the Bottom Line club in New York�s Greenwich Village, this features six previously unreleased tracks, and collaborations with Mary Chapin Carpenter, Janis Ian, the Indigo Girls and many others.

According to Joan, the club � which shut for good in 2003 � was chosen for its intimacy and its reputation as a landmark venue, despite the �terrible, notorious� state of its backstage area.

�It was the perfect place. I wish they could have cleaned up the dressing rooms - but they could afford to be all sloppy, because everyone wanted to be there�, she recalled with a wry chuckle.

Baez has been known throughout her career for mixing self-penned material with carefully chosen covers, often by emerging songwriting talents. When performing, how does she strike a balance between the two?

�It�s more a case of: how do I cover fifty years? Even though there�s mountains of material, it�s not always that easy to make it flow properly. But there�s enough leeway to add and subtract things � and that in itself is an art.�

�It�s good to be spontaneous � and the audience loves it when you make a mistake. They like it best when you completely forget the words.�

As a long-standing critic of the political establishment, Baez has been known for her campaigning work almost as much as her music � and many will remember the 2003 landmine benefit in Leicester, when she was joined on stage by Chrissie Hynde, Billy Bragg, Steve Earle and Emmylou Harris. Have other causes taken precedence since then?

�Actually, my family�s taking precedence. I have a grandchild of three, and my parents are both ninety-three. Things I never allowed myself to do in the 1960s, like spending time with the family, I do a lot of now.�

�The politics remain the same, and the way I feel about things hasn�t changed � but I have made the choice not to try and be out front, unless it really makes sense for me to that. There�s a value in being selective, but I didn�t realise that when I was younger. I tried to do everything!�

As a figurehead of the original civil rights movement, did Joan think that there was a place for a similar movement in 2007?

�If so, then it�s a place which people are going to have to make for themselves. If it�s left up to this government, then there�s no place for anything. People are only now beginning to realise that they can make their own place. People were so terribly intimidated, for so many years, by this bunch of bozos in office!�

Compared to the surge of music which sprung up as a response to the Vietnam war in the 1960s, and also to the nuclear arms race of the 1980s, it feels as if there has been a remarkably quiet musical reaction to the issues raised by the Iraq war.

�There are lots of songs, but they�re not played on official radio stations. But more than that, if we wait for history somehow to repeat itself � �Why isn�t somebody writing Blowing In The Wind or Imagine?� � then sorry, but it just doesn�t work that way.�

�First of all, in the 1960s it almost became the vogue to write protest songs. There was a superfluity of them. And then there were those strange years � the Reagan years, and forward from that � where it became not even a concept for people, at least on a commercial scale.�

�The good writers, who have a sense of feeling beyond themselves, do write what could be considered protest songs � but they�re not anthems. The people who are still waiting for that are missing the point. In a sense, you could say that the Internet has replaced what we had back then. The cohesiveness we have now is coming from the Internet.�

Most of us are able to move on from the things that we�ve said and done in our younger days, but an artist is constantly reminded of all their past words, thoughts and deeds. Is it possible to stand by the words of thirty or forty years ago � or does it feel strange to sing them now, when perhaps you have become a different person?

�It feels strange sometimes to hear the delivery�, admitted Joan, �but the basic roots of my beliefs have remained astoundingly the same.�

�Sure, many of us look back and wince a little bit at the appearance, or the style � but what surprises me is the amount of what I said and did that still rings true to me. I�m glad about that, as a lot of people change to the point where they wouldn�t want to hear any of it.�

Many artists burn brightly for a short while, but then fade away. A lucky few might return in later life, after a period in the wilderness. As someone who has never really been away, what is it that keeps Joan Baez out there, still going strong?

�Talent!�

A refereshingly honest answer, if a little short on detail. After some prompting � and no small measure of laughter � Joan elaborated further.

�It�s also tremendously hard work. At the beginning, it wasn�t work at all. That was one of the problems; I just sang for the first twenty years, and I assumed that was how it would always be. I�d open my mouth, and the voice would come out. And lo and behold: I was mortal, and I had to start working with a coach. Which I do now, and I�ll do as long as I�m singing.�

�There�s no difference between the muscles in my throat and the muscles in a tennis player�s arm. How he breathes and moves and exercises, and so on � it�s a never-ending re-learning.�

One final, topical question. As a lifelong supporter of the Democratic Party, does Joan favour Hillary Clinton or Barack Obama for the presidential candidacy in 2008?

�Obama�s adorable, isn�t he? But at this point, for the first time ever in my life, I�ve thought: well, it really is necessary to bump these psychopaths that we have running the country. And if Hillary is the most effective and efficient, then okay.�

�I don�t really like any of them much, though. I can�t say that on a personal level, because I don�t know them personally. But my politics has always been done from a different angle. I think if Martin Luther King had run for president, he would have lost his strength. I think he was smart enough to know that. They wanted to draft him to run for president, but he really belonged on the streets, and in the churches, as that way he could say what he wanted to say.�

People sometimes say that politics is the art of the possible. They particularly say it when seeking to justify the compromises which they have to make along the way. Perhaps we also need others out there who feel free enough to demand the impossible, in the hope that it may become possible in the future. If we do, then Joan Baez � feisty, outspoken and staunch in the defence of the principles which have sustained her for the past fifty years � is someone who surely fits that latter category.

Labels: eveningpost, interviews, popmusic

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�And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead: interview with Jason Reece.

This article originally appeared in the Nottingham Evening Post.

This touring lark; it�s not all freewheeling rock and roll mayhem, you know. For the Trail of Dead�s Jason Reece, domestic duties sometimes feature higher on the agenda.

�The tour�s going good; I did laundry today. Oxford is the traditional laundry stop on our UK tours.�

The clothes weren�t washed by hand, surely?

�Well, no. We use machines these days. There�s a launderette near the venue, and it seems to be the only one in the northern UK.�

As our conversation threatened to get bogged down in a comparative analysis of launderette facilities in the US and the UK, I moved Jason on to other matters.

Playing in Glasgow last week, some over-enthusiastic use of the percussion had resulted in a broken bass drum pedal � a reminder that the band haven�t always enjoyed the best of luck with their equipment over here. At a show at the Boat Club in 2000, they recklessly dismantled their drum kit and passed it over the heads of the crowd � now, there�s rock and roll mayhem for you � only to find themselves missing a cymbal at the end of the night, and sheepishly having to ask for its return. Seven years on, do they still get the urge to hand out pieces of kit to their audience?

�The urge might be there � but we don�t usually do it until the very last day of the tour.�

Because things still have a habit of not being returned?

�It�s probably a worse problem in the UK. But I don�t think that we emphasise the kind of spectacle that we used to, back in the day. We�re a little bit more focussed on playing music.�

Back in 2000, the typical Trail of Dead set was speedy, thrashy, and full-throttle. Listening to the most recent album (So Divided), it�s clear that the music has gone through some big changes. How would Jason describe the band�s musical journey over the past seven years?

�As an increase in maturity. It�s also had its moments of disillusionment: starting off with an optimism about the state of music, and then seeing that such hopes were futile. Then coming out of that tunnel, to realise that you can�t really force people to appreciate music other than the way they want to. So you�ve just got to go with it, I suppose.�

That initial sense of optimism, so evident in the early shows, stands in marked contrast to many of the lyrics on So Divided. One song, Eight Day Hell, sounds at first like a surprisingly sweet, conventional pop song � but it in fact describes a pretty miserable tour of the UK. Are we always that bad, or was that a particularly awful tour?

�Well, it was opening up for Audioslave, if that explains anything.�

Oh, bad luck�

�It wasn�t really playing for our audience, but more like playing for someone else�s audience. What�s that guy�s name, Kurt Cobain? Oh, sorry � Chris Cornell. I get those two mixed up.�

Meow, Jason. Claws away!

�It wasn�t very fun at all, and it was very disillusioning � especially thinking that�s what fandom is about. We can fool ourselves into thinking that we�re creating worthwhile music � but at the end of the day, you�re filling stadiums up with people who want to listen to freaking Black Hole Sun, you know? So you�re like: OK, if that�s what they want, then they�ll burn in hell��

Was there a deliberate irony in wrapping those feelings inside an atypically chirpy, bouncy pop tune, with the risk that people might just hear the bouncy pop and miss the message?

�To me, songs are all about the lyrics. If a person isn�t really listening to the lyrics, then I don�t think that they�re getting the song at all. It doesn�t matter whether it�s happy sounding or sad sounding � if you don�t listen to the lyrics of the song, then you are obviously appreciating music for the wrong reasons. The lyrics are the message; it�s like the libretto of an opera.�

The same lyrical themes are evident on the song Wasted State of Mind, which takes a similarly bleak view of touring. (�You can run, but get no further than three city blocks from where you began.�) Does travel not broaden the mind?

�It can, when the travel is good. However, you�ve got to understand that by the time that we did that tour, we�d played the UK and Germany and America eight or nine times � and I don�t think that going back to the same places over and over again is necessarily travelling. I can get excited about us going to Russia or Greece for the first time � but us going to Cologne, Germany for the eighth time is hardly exciting.�

So travelling as part of a rock band is essentially like anyone travelling on business. Airport, hotel, the usual dull routine�

�Yeah, and especially when you�re somewhere as boring as Cologne, Germany.� Ouch.

�But believe me, all of that beats touring in America, which can be really, truly tedious. It doesn�t always come down to the �excitement of travel�. It can sometimes come down to the tedium of having to go to a dead-end town, and the reminder that outside of your happy metropolis is just a wasteland of culture, you know? It�s what millions and millions of people are seeing day to day, growing up there and dying there. That�s a pretty bleak picture.�

Following disputes with the record label over a perceived lack of promotion for So Divided � and particularly over a recent promotional video, which was filmed without the band�s knowledge or consent � will the band be looking for a new label for the next album?

�You know what - if they want another record from us, we�ll put another one out. I feel like I tried really hard to get them to drop us with this record - but they seemed to like it, so there you go. To me, a label is about as arbitrary as anything could possibly be. It doesn�t really matter what you come out on. It doesn�t even really matter whether the label supports you at all. Promotion has so much more to do with the way that the band promotes itself, rather than anything that can be generated in the press.�

One of the band�s defining characteristics is the way that they swap instruments with each other during the course of their live sets. Is this swapping as arbitrary as choosing a record label?

�No, that�s not arbitrary. It�s very pre-meditated. That goes back to a philosophy of the band: that whoever is suited to play an instrument on a song, ought to. It doesn�t have to do with musicianship, and it�s not to do with who played what instrument when the song was first recorded. It�s more to do with how we can make the song sound best for the live performance. And that changes from tour to tour.�

On the basis of our decidedly downbeat conversation, it sounds as if the Trail of Dead are a band in sore need of cheering up. In which case, why not come along to the Rescue Rooms on Sunday night, and see if you can put smiles on their faces. Just don�t go touching that drum kit, OK?

Labels: eveningpost, interviews, popmusic

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The X Factor Live � Nottingham Arena, Wednesday February 21.

An edited version of this review originally appeared in the Nottingham Evening Post.

First things first. The X Factor is a talent show. For the contestants, it�s a chance to make dreams come true � however short-lived those dreams might turn out to be. For the voting audience, it�s a chance to identify with the ordinary people who apply for the show � to follow their journeys, and to stake a claim in their success stories.

As a talent show, The X Factor can only measure potential. Its contestants are forced into a bear pit, which magnifies their hunger for fame � but its very nature dictates that they are never given the chance to develop as individual artists. Instead, a series of well-worn classics from established stars is forced upon them, setting up comparisons which are rarely fulfilled.

In a live setting, the na�ve inexperience of these hopefuls is magnified to an almost cruel degree. Some acts, such as the show�s much put-upon underdogs the MacDonald Brothers, stepped up to the mark, and acquitted themselves with competence and dignity. They understood the game. Knowing that these are the biggest stages that they will ever appear on, they seized the moment and had a ball.

For other, lesser talents, the underlying desperation could not be masked. Witnessing Robert earnestly massacring All Night Long and Ashley clumsily grandstanding his way through Easy was, to anyone who cares about music as opposed to mere spectacle, a depressing experience.

Opening the show�s second half, gravel-voiced Ben Mills played shamelessly to the crowd, smothering any chance of making an emotional connection under layers of directionless bombast. Pint-sized swinger Ray Quinn opted for the sentimental angle, belting out My Way in pure Las Vegas style. Only Leona Lewis � the show�s ultimate champion and a truly gifted, soulful vocalist � displayed anything resembling real star quality. The night belonged to her.

Labels: celebs, eveningpost, gigs, popmusic

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Duke Special - The Social, Nottingham, Monday February 19.

This review originally appeared in the Nottingham Evening Post.

Following a well received support slot with the Divine Comedy last November, the Irish singer-songwriter Duke Special returned for his first headline appearance at a sold-out Social.

Wreathed in raggedy dreadlocks and dark eyeliner, Duke describes himself as a mixture between a soul singer and a vaudeville performer. Sounding at times like a gentler Rufus Wainwright, but shot through with a more pronounced Irish brogue than is apparent on his recorded work, his vocals were pitch-perfect and faultless.

The three piece band � featuring an outstanding clarinet and saxophone player � gave the songs an old-fashioned feel, which evoked the spirit of Kurt Weill. They were at their best on rousing numbers such as Everybody Wants A Little Something and Last Night I Nearly Died, which stirred a respectful but subdued crowd into a massed singalong.

However, there was no escaping a sense of expectations that were not fully delivered. Despite promising playfulness, theatricality and illusion, the bulk of the set was played disappointingly straight, and failed to strike a sufficient rapport between performers and audience.

Just as fatigue was setting in, the band pulled out all the stops. A yearning, soaring Freewheel ensnared our emotions, and an extended, free-form Salvation Tambourine saw Duke balancing precariously atop his battered upright piano.

A terrific encore started with an intimate rendition of Drink To Me Only With Thine Eyes, complete with fluffed lines and laughter, and ended with the band standing on the bar, performing without amplification, and charming the socks off the whole venue.

Labels: eveningpost, gigs, popmusic

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Thursday, February 22, 2007

Which Decade Is Tops For Pops? - Year 5 - the Number 4s.

You know: for a while back there, I thought that we were going to get our second ever run of perfect 5s, to match Harold Melvin's recent triumph. But no: for a couple of you renegades (and I name no names here), Mason & Princess Superstar's chunky club track has the edge over The Beatles' all time classic (© Mojo, Uncut, The Word, Rolling Stone, Dad Rock Monthly etc etc). Such heresies are what we live for, here at WDITFP.

As for today's selection, things could get a little more unpredictable once again. At the time of writing, I have no idea which one of these five tunes is going to come out on top. Could we be looking at our closest photo-finish since the epic tussle - still going strong, incidentally - between The View and Depeche Mode, back in the Number 8s? Set your stop-watches: it's the Number Fours.

1967: Here Comes My Baby - The Tremeloes. (video)
1977: Side Show - Barry Biggs.
1987: Male Stripper - Man 2 Man featuring Man Parrish. (video)
1997: Don't Let Go (Love) - En Vogue. (video)
2007: This Ain't A Scene It's An Arms Race - Fall Out Boy. (video)
Listen to a short medley of all five songs.

Every year without fail, one or two hidden gems reveal themselves during the course of assembling the project - and here's a case in point. Over the past few weeks, I've devloped quite an unseemly obsession with the first hit to be scored by The Tremeloes, following their split from front man Brian Poole. "Here Comes My Baby" has so many of the elements I love: it's ridiculously catchy, with a spirited rhythmic thrust that puts me in mind of "If I Had A Hammer" by Trini Lopez - and to top it all, THERE ARE COWBELLS. I'm such a sucker for a good cowbell - in fact, it's probably half the reason why I retain such a soft spot for Hi-NRG.

Despite all of its surface cheeriness, "Here Comes My Baby" sports a incongruously melancholic set of lyrics - thus pre-dating the collective oeuvre of Steps by over thirty years. Sticking with the love-lorn and the bereft, Barry Biggs' "Side Show" provides a neatly turned example of the time-honoured "sad showman mocked by the gaiety of the fairground" lyrical archetype. This time, however, both the jauntiness and the melancholy are reflected in the song's light pop-reggae stylings. There's a wonderfully haunting quality to the tune and the arrangement - plus a great el cheapo synth break further down the line, which somehow evokes the gaudy cheapness of the fun fair - and in other circumstances I would have had no hesitation in doling out the 5 points...

...except that, with Man 2 Man featuring Man Parrish on the agenda, no-one else was likely to get a look in. "Male Stripper" is the second late-period Hi-NRG hit in the 1987 Top 10 - and my my, it has lost none of its power over the years. In fact, I think it still makes me feel a little bit "funny" down there. Hey, I never said that my sexuality was sophisticated. Shall we move on?

Much as I enjoyed En Vogue's soulfully sassy early 1990s hits such as "Hold On" and "My Lovin'", R&B and rock have never struck me as a particularly winning combination. Fine on their own - but stick 'em together, and they don't half curdle in the churn. Throw in a dollop of Power Ballad, and the stench can become unbearable. Although I dare say it will find its supporters in the comments box, I find "Don't Let Go (Love)" a deeply annoying piece of music, which is currently tying with Five Star as my Dud Of The Year. (Hey, at least Michael Crawford has some comedy value.)

And so to Fall Out Boy, who make their second consecutive appearance on Which Decade, following last year's "Sugar We're Goin Down". (Oh, so they're American, are they? Why did none of you correct me last year? I feel such a fool!) This is another case of a single which would normally fall into the Not My Sort Of Thing category, but for which I have developed a creeping fondness. I like the slight nods to pomp-rock, especially with some of the backing vocals - and as such, I guess that you can forge certain stylistic links between this song and the recent work of My Chemical Romance and Muse. (Er, can you? How the hell should I know; this falls so far outside of my generational demographic, that it's almost embarrassing to be caught discussing it in public.)

My votes: Man 2 Man - 5 points. The Tremeloes - 4 points. Barry Biggs - 3 points. Fall Out Boy - 2 points. En Vogue - 1 point.

As I say, this one's wide open. Will Man 2 Man give the lagging 1980s a much needed boost? Or Will The Tremeloes widen the 1960s' lead even further? Over to you.

Running totals so far - Number 4s.

1987: Male Stripper - Man 2 Man featuring Man Parrish (102)

It's crass, it's banal, it's pointless, it's predictable, and it's absolutely bloody excellent. (diamond geezer)

Homoeroticism pure and simple. No pretence at being gender neutral. (Amanda)

Wonderfully camp. Makes me want some poppers. (Clare)

A great favourite with the Women's Institute and as backing music on Strictly Come Dancing, so I've heard. (betty)

Ah, more nostalgia. What a great chart it was back in early 1987. This rather frightened me as a young gay, such unabashed homo lust. I always wondered how this sneaked onto the playlists and living rooms of Middle England and seemed pretty subversive and defiant at the height of AIDS panic. But I think the marketing angle was more in the way of some Chippendales dancing to it on TOTP and it was cast as some heterosexual men-stripping-for-women hen-night anthem. LOL @ the youtube comments of The Chuckle Brothers being in the video, didn�t realize they were leather daddies! (loomer)

All my friends told me this was rubbish, but I insisted on enjoying the raw NRG of this track. For all I know it might be a rip off of something else but it still sounds innovative, and well constructed, with the different elements - dance tracks, two different vocal lines etc, all molding together. Then the change of key, temp and mood. It's sophisticated. If not quite a classic, it has considerable merits. (Gert)

There's a certain appealing crudeness to the composition here. Strange but catchy, and 80s in a very good way. (Simon C)

Splendid in its way, but it's not for me in any sense, is it? (z)

A little too stripped down for me. (asta)

The music sounded like it belonged on an old mega-drive video game. (Alan)

1967: Here Comes My Baby - The Tremeloes (93)

Madras plaid,chinos and Mookie and Cee Cee at the clam bake. What fun. (asta)

They didn't let any old rubbish into the top ten 40 years ago, did they? (diamond geezer)

There are other songs of theirs I'm willing to confess to liking a lot. If I've been drinking. This isn't one of my stand out favourites though. (betty)

I have also, like Mike, been rediscovering late period Tremeloes recently. There's a good compilation that Sanctuary put out a couple of years ago, that made the case that they were proto-bubblegum, especially circa 1967. Not sure I buy that, but this song is tremendous. (jeff w)

I once came across an ex Tremeloe whilst on holiday on a Greek Island. Looking at the video I can't figure which one it was. (Amanda)

Look Mum, I bought a formula for how to have a hit. Derivative. In almost every bar I expected it to turn into some other Merseybeat tune. Harmless enough, I suppose, but no better than what many local amateur groups could do on a Friday night at the youth club. (Gert)

1997: Don't Let Go (Love) - En Vogue (80)

Great song. Probably the best of their hits, can't understand your prejudice against it - I still have the tape you made me of their album. The intro instantly takes me back to the dancefloor. (Dymbel)

Very run of the mill by their standards. They were clearly running out of steam. (betty)

I loved their early 90s stuff (Funky Divas is an excellent album), but their '97 "comeback" was unnecessary, to put it mildly. (jeff w)

Again, this is a differnet version than the one I remember being released over here. I still loved the 'Rock' chick in the group. (jo)

From the title I can just picture the Elbow cover - a la Independent Woman. Sadly the Northern accent is missing and replaced with some run-of-the-mill r'n'b. (Adrian)

Love them, was there ever a girl group with so much vocal talent where all the girls could really sing? Never much liked this song though. (loomer)

The talent's there, but they just can't get beyond the packaging. (asta)

It's not bad; it's like a combination of various mediocre components addingup to less than some of their parts. And that ghastly pre-menstrual wailing which masquerades as emotion. Get rid of it. (Gert)

Crank! Creak! Moan! (Hedgie)

2007: This Ain't A Scene It's An Arms Race - Fall Out Boy (78)

Fall Out Boy are probably the most consistent of the recent wave of so-called 'emo music' bands (and I don't think you need to an alienated 14 year old to appreciate them). This is a great, anthemic rock tune and I had half expected to give it the maximum points... (jeff w)

Sorry, but this wins by miles. Weapons Grade Earworm. (SwissToni)

The title's a clunker, but it's nice to hear that angry rock is alive and kicking- even if it's in pseudo-surrealist art film costumes. (asta)

Shamefully I quite like this, their best song yet. That Pete Wentz is highly annoying though, and why is he the frontman? He isn�t even the singer. (loomer)

Shouting disguised beneath a tune, but not an especially talented tune. (diamond geezer)

They can't seem to decide if they want to be proper emo or Blink 182. (Alan)

Loses me after the arresting first line, "I am an arms dealer". (Amanda)

I initially thought it was a cover of something else. It's just noise without any inherent musial values. I presume by the title it's supposed to have a meaning but as I can't actually decipher the lyrics it's lost on me. (Gert)

1977: Side Show - Barry Biggs (67)

'Side Show' is right up there in my pop-reggae canon. I have happy memories of it during its original chart run and upon rediscovering it in more recent times on Trojan compilations. Such a sad, sweet vocal from Biggs, that perfectly fits the mood of the song. (jeff w)

Ah, this is nice. Warm and snuggly. (Clare)

I think we've hit a vein of records that evoke fond recollections of early days at comprehensive. I'm on the verge of not mentioning the pale-reggae backdrop. (Stereoboard)

I only knew the song as performed by Blue Magic and it remains my favourite. I just can't wrap my head around this one. (jo)

I almost like the chorus, but I can't sit through the verse without falling asleep. (diamond geezer)

This is bad. The cheesy strings, the attempted reggae beat, the laboured cadences, the thin wispy colourless unexpressive strained voice. If you don't have the high note, don't attempt it, even in the studio. (Gert)

Decade scores so far (after 6 days).
1 (1) The 1960s (23) -- Here comes my baby! Here she comes now!
2 (1) The 1970s (19) -- No doubt about it, satisfaction's guaranteed!
3 (3) The 2000s (18) -- And I don't really care which side wins!
4 (3) The 1990s (16) -- There'll be some lovemaking, heartbreaking, soul shaking!
5 (5) The 1980s (14) -- Built like a truck! I'd bump for a buck!

Labels: whichdecade07

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Tuesday, February 20, 2007

Which Decade Is Tops For Pops? - Year 5 - the Number 5s.

Well now, there's a thing. At the time of writing, "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes has scored a maximum 5 points from every single voter, making it the first single ever in the history of Which Decade to do so - and therefore, if you stick with my admittedly patchy logic, The Best Single Ever In The History Of Which Decade, If Not Of All Time.

But hark! And hist! What's that coming over the hill? Could it be a victory to rival that of Harold Melvin? Only one way to find out: it's the Number Fives.

1967: Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane - The Beatles. (video)
1977: Isn't She Lovely - David Parton.
1987: Almaz - Randy Crawford.
1997: Clementine - Mark Owen. (video)
2007: Exceeder - Mason. (video)
Listen to a short medley of all five songs.

As JonnyB rightly points out in the previous comments box, The Rolling Stones were actually in the Top Ten with a double A-side single, which combined "Let's Spend The Night Together" with "Ruby Tuesday". I'd feel guiltier about this oversight if the Stones weren't already in the lead - but I'm certainly not about to make the same mistake with this double A-sider from The Beatles.

Despite breaking their four year run of consecutive Number Ones, "Strawberry Fields Forever"/"Penny Lane" is regarded by many - myself included - as the Best Beatles Single Ever, and regularly tops the sort of magazine polls to which men of my age and background are so irresistably drawn. I've written about it before, so shan't bang on for too long - except to re-state that "Penny Lane" evokes memories of my 1960s childhood with an almost supernatural accuracy, and an almost overwhelming poignancy. Meanwhile "Strawberry Fields Forever" - Side One, Track One on the first album I ever bought - more or less invented the future. Not bad going for a pop single, is it?

Given Stevie Wonder's refusal to release "Isn't She Lovely" - already a major airplay hit - as a single from his massively successful Songs In The Key Of Life, it fell to some previously unheard-of (and never to be heard of again) jobber called David Parton to seize the commercial opportunity, and to milk it for all it was worth with this carbon-copy cover version. Since the song is dedicated to Wonder's baby daughter Aisha - even mentioning her by name - Parton's already shabby opportunism looks all the more artistically indefensible. Still, since carbon-copy cover albums (such as the perennial Top of the Pops series) were still selling well in the late 1970s, nobody outside of the music press and the Wonder fan club cared too much - indeed, Parton was widely hailed as nobly fulfilling a public demand, in the face of Wonder's stubborn intransigence - and "Isn't She Lovely" duly peaked at Number Four. God, but the Seventies could be such a shabby decade.

Randy Crawford, whose breezy, carefree, seemingly effortless vocals worked so well on The Crusaders' "Street Life" in 1979, got bogged down during the 1980s with a right load of syrupy cabaret gloop, and "Almaz" is one of her very gloopiest. It's a pleasant enough tune, and the essentially likeable Crawford does her best with it - but the song itself's an utter dog, whose endurance - often as source material for TV talent shows - totally baffles me.

By early 1997, so-called "manufactured" pop was right at the bottom of the cycle of popularity, the rise of the Spice Girls notwithstanding. East 17's final hit was on its way down the charts, Kylie had "gone indie", and the former members of Take That were having to adapt to survive, with mixed fortunes. Gary Barlow was enjoying an immediate but short-lived flash of success as a pretender to the thrones of George Michael and Elton John; Robbie Williams was floundering and looking increasingly marginalised (this was still 10 months before "Angels" saved his career); but on the face of it, Little Marky Owen (The Cute One™) seemed to be re-inventing himself quite successfully as a more "mature" artiste, working with Radiohead producer John Leckie and replacing the cheesy grins with moody pouts.

I say "on the face of it", because "Clementine" - like "Almaz" before it - is another array of pleasant noises thrown over another utter dog of a song (in this case, a remarkably depressive ode to a desperate single mother). Weirdly, it also sounds as if it could have fitted - stylistically at least - onto Take That's all-conquering comeback album. However, when placed next to TT's two current Top Twenty singles - "Patience" (justly voted Best British Single at last week's Brits) and "Shine" (lead vocals by one Mark Owen), it stands revealed merely as an object of minor historical curiosity.

And so to Mason, whose club hit "Exceeder" has been re-worked as a mash-up with the vocal line from Princess Superstar's "Perfect". Or so I've read, at any rate; never having heard either of the originals, the combination of the two sounds perfectly natural to me - as if it was always meant to be. I like the chunky electro-house feel, and I like the way that the basic themes are subtly developed over the course of the track, and I particularly like the "whooshy" bits later on (they're not on the MP3), which sound like something that the rather ace dance act Vitalic might have put out two or three years ago. Heavens to Betsy, a more-than-decent club track in the Top Ten, whoda thunk it? There is hope.

My votes: Beatles - 5 points. Mason - 4 points. Mark Owen - 3 points. Randy Crawford - 2 points. David Parton - 1 point.

OK, so the Beatles are a shoo-in for first place - but how are the rest of the votes going to pan out? As predicted, former leaders the 1990s have taken a nasty tumble, as the old order of the 1960s and 1970s re-establishes itself. Can Mason keep the 2000s in the running? Or will Randy Crawford lead a resurgence for the rapidly flagging 1980s? Over to you.

Running totals so far - Number 5s.

1967: Strawberry Fields/Penny Lane - The Beatles (151)

As soon as I saw the list I knew that this would be my number one by a mile, and I suspect the same for almost everyone else, although in RL I know a couple of people who really hate the Beatles. Objectively, this has to be the best, because it has that enduring and widespread popularity amongst such a range of people including professionals, critics, the discerning public, small children etc etc. Both of these fulfill the first basic requirement of a song - a tune, and the second basic requirement of being accessible on first hearing (I guess...) and yet issuing a sense of freshness on subsequent hearings despite the elapse of time and the familiarity/ubiquity... (Gert)

Proving how incredibly rare it is to be able to write something perfectly simple and simply perfect. Twice. (diamond geezer)

I've been to Strawberry Fields. I've even stayed in an apartment overlooking Strawberry Fields and I've heard upteen wannabes perform unspeakable vocal assaults on Penny Lane, but when I close my eyes, I'm in The C kids' rec-room on a Saturday night being introduced to magic. It's still magic. (asta)

It's almost unfair to the other songs to have these on the list, innit? You cannot feel stressed when you hear Strawberry Fields, and Penny Lane is so uplifting. (SwissToni)

Ah yes. I - er - have this one on 45RPM as well. Isn't the trumpet solo the best moment in pop music that there's ever been? Great bass playing as well. (JonnyB)

Penny Lane takes me back to being 5, too. In my dad's car driving round London for some reason although I'm sure there wasn't a radio in it. (Geoff)

This is like comparing a ferrari with 4 horse-drawn carts, and possibly the best ever song with a mellotron? (Marcos)

As much as I hate to be such a blasphemer, the 'genius' of this track (these tracks?) isn't quite as obvious to me as most other voters seem to think it should be. Personally, I do feel people lose their ability to discriminate when it comes to the Fab Four. 'S'alright I suppose. (Oliver)

OK, cards on the table: I really really dislike Strawberry Fields. I hate the vocals, the guitar, the lyrics, the self-consciously arty production... "Penny Lane" is ace, of course, if a little twee. It could have earned my 5 points on its own. But right now, there's no way I'm voting Macca over the Superstar. (jeff w)

2007: Exceeder - Mason (98)

I do much prefer the original "Perfect" by Princess Superstar - and I urge you all to check out the bonkers concept album from whence it comes, My Machine, a satire on celebrity set in the future - but it's been edited nicely with "Exceeder", a brilliant rave track in its own right. (jeff w)

This really ought to be awful, but even I can imagine being drawn onto the dancefloor by it. (diamond geezer)

This sounded amazing in the mind-blowing new room at Fire this weekend. (David)

The different components are brought together really well whilst keeping their different flavour. (Amanda)

This doesn't do anything that isn't done by a raft of other contempory dance tracks, but it's catchy and quite likeable. (Adrian)

The Princess Superstar rap is funny but I loathe the trance backing track which sounds like Benny Benny Benassi�s �Satisfaction�. The video is better, some of the girls in it are surprisingly ugly. (loomer)

Dreadful. Perhaps I'm just too old to have my heart's natural rhythms attacked like that. I wouldn't mind so much if it was real percussion but it's just a random arrangement of bits and bytes that my fifty quid keyboard could do. Shame really because all the other No. 5s are at least tolerable. (Gert)

OMG...that was horrid. If that turns into an earworm I'm going to have to hunt you down. (jo)

1987: Almaz - Randy Crawford (86)

The endearingly acceptable side of tear-flecked balladeering. (diamond geezer)

I don't listen to the words. Her vocal line is gorgeous. (Hedgie)

When you've got a voice that good, the song doesn't really matter. (Alan)

Very mushy, but something about her vocals always affects me when I've got PMT. Ahem. Then again, I am a dimwitted middle aged housewife, so this is ideal to listen to when I'm crying into the washing up. (betty)

I like the voice. The melody is simple, but not particularly interesting, and badly orchestrated but the lyrics. Dear Lord. " Men will want her, because life don't haunt her" urrrgh. (asta)

I'm conflicted. Hearing it now, it has a reasonable tune, and she has a reasonable voice, although not especially to my taste. The words have some meaning, perhaps not to me. But I also recall how very very annoying it became when it was in the charts and on the radio. (Gert)

1977: Isn't She Lovely - David Parton (68)

I don't mind this cover of "Isn't She Lovely" - true it knocks a few of the rough edges off Stevie's version, but it's also commendably shorter than Stevie's. Did we really need five minutes of bathtime gurgles, Stevie? No we bloody well didn't. (jeff w)

It's not a bad imitation, and frankly if Westlife can make a career out of it why shouldn't this guy. (Alan)

Before I was a wizened teenager I was tricked in my early preteen years into buying some of these carbon copy hits. Thinking when I saw them in the shops that I could buy two of these albums with my allowance...two! Why were the ohers so expensive? Perhaps this store had a deal. My preteen angst at realising that I had been had and my determination to not let any of my friends to know what an idiot I had been has led me to not make this confession until this very moment. Bastards. (jo)

I don't know if it was cowardice or good sense that kept this from release in North America. I'm grateful, either way. (asta)

The original is one of my least favourite songs of all time, and this is a hundred times worse. Nothing against Stevie Wonder in general but all musicians who feel compelled to write songs about their newborn children should be SHOT. (betty)

1997: Clementine - Mark Owen (62)

He can�t sing or pronounce his �R�s� but this was his most memorable song, which at the time was compared to Marti Pellow. He annoyed me in Take That by being the so-called �cute� one, but at least he isn�t Robbie. (loomer)

Adequate, but not really the best song to kick-start an oh-so-fragile solo career. (diamond geezer)

I always have a problems with his vocals. I always have a problem with ex boyband members going slightly rocky and slightly profound. (betty)

It's not bad, but the drum and cymbal put me off. The amateur percussion acts as a barrier to hearing what lies behind it. (Gert)

Oh Marky - thank goodness you're back to singing along with the boyband. 'Shine' is one of my top ten current tunes... (Sarah)

It was rubbish at the time and still is. And yet as I type Take That are singing (well, miming) their new Scissors-esque single on Dancing on Ice and entertaining me so at least it ended happily. With better competition, this would be bottom. (Will)

So forgettable I've forgotten what it sounded like and I only listened to it thirty seconds ago. (Alan)

Decade scores so far (after 5 days).
1= (3) The 1960s (18) -- Nothing to get hung about!
1= (2) The 1970s (18) -- Isn't she pretty! Truly the angels' best!
3= (3) The 2000s (14) -- Try a little harder honey! Give me some more!
3= (1) The 1990s (14) -- It was never meant to be this way!
5 (5) The 1980s (12) -- You lucky, lucky thing!

Labels: whichdecade07

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Sunday, February 18, 2007

Which Decade Is Tops For Pops? - Year 5 - the Number 6s.

Ooh, but it's getting close down there. At the time of writing, Depeche Mode have drawn level with The View in the battle of the Number Sevens, and Taffy is slugging it out with Apollo Four Forty for second place in the Number Tens. Which means that, yes, every vote does count, and can significantly affect the final result. So it's never too late to get involved.

With that in mind, let's check out the Number Sixes.

1967: Let's Spend The Night Together - Rolling Stones. (video)
1977: Boogie Nights - Heatwave. (video)
1987: It Doesn't Have To Be This Way - Blow Monkeys.
1997: I Shot The Sheriff - Warren G.
2007: How To Save A Life - The Fray. (video)
Listen to a short medley of all five songs.

This is the third time that the Rolling Stones have represented the 1960s, having finished in first place on both previous occasions ("Nineteenth Nervous Breakdown" in 2006, and "Not Fade Away" in 2004). "Let's Spend The Night Together", while not perhaps quite the equal of its two predecessors (although its unambiguously libidinous intent highlights all the deficiencies of the Akon/Snoop effort in a most instructive and timely manner), has only one real rival in today's selection...

Heatwave's "Boogie Nights" is the second single in our 1977 Top Ten to have lent its name to a 21st century nostalgia-based musical show. Like Boney M, Heatwave began their career in West Germany, before moving to the UK and teaming up with songwriter Rod Temperton (later to write "Rock With You" and "Thriller" for Michael Jackson) and producer Barry Blue (a minor star of the glam-rock period). "Boogie Nights" is a fine early representation of the sort of overground disco music that was to reach its commercial peak in 1978 and 1979 - although my aforementioned crypto-Maoist Year Zero punk rocker 15-year old self loathed everything which it stood for. That's sexual repression for you.

(I also misheard the lyrics, for many years, as "one two three four dancing, three four dancing", but that's AM radio for you.)

The Blow Monkeys are a prime example of the sort of act which seemed cool in the obsessively style-conscious climes of 1987, but whose music has largely failed to stand the test of time. Although this was their biggest hit by some considerable distance, they had better material, such as the still-rather-nifty "Digging Your Scene" from 1986. They were also brave enough to commit commercial suicide just three months later, with a doomed piece of eve-of-General-Election Thatcher-bashing/wishful thinking called "Celebrate (The Day After You)", featuring guest vocals from no less a figure than Curtis Mayfield, if you please. The band's hit-making career never really recovered after that, and so it would be tempting to redress this historical injustice by awarding "It Doesn't Have To Be This Way" oodles of points - but sadly, WDITFP doesn't work like that. Harsh but fair; it has to be this way.

To endure one lazily rubbish rap remake of a pop classic in the space of a single Top Ten might be a misfortune; to endure two in a row smacks of carelessness. But then, there was a lot of it about in 1997; Notorious BIG's "Mo Money More Problems", which massacred Diana Ross's "I'm Coming Out", was a few months away from charting, as was Puff Daddy's deeply yucky mega-smash "I'll Be Missing You". The self-styled "G-funk" artist Warren G had promised so much in 1994, with the sublime "Regulate" - but by 1997 his artistic stock was much diminished. Not that the singles-buying public (puh, them) cared, as "I Shot The Sheriff" duly followed his late 1996 assault on "What's Love Got To Do With It" into the Top Ten. Tellingly, Youtube doesn't have a video for this one, either.

And so to The Fray, who would appear to be a US take on the likes of Coldplay, Snow Patrol, and most especially Keane. "How To Save A Life" has all the earnest, preachy, mid-paced ponderousness of the above three acts, and positively drips with the sort of unfocussed "meaningfulness" which can so frequently drive me to distraction - and yet, a dozen or so listens down the line, I have formed a kind of grudging accommodation with it. If preachy ponderousness is the lingua franca of the day, then at least The Fray execute it with a tolerably acceptable efficiency. It's not for me, but I don't particularly begrudge its existence.

My votes: Heatwave - 5 points. Rolling Stones - 4 points. The Fray - 3 points. Blow Monkeys - 2 points. Warren G - 1 point.

Over to you. The 1990s are holding onto their lead, but I fear that the combined weight of LL Cool J and Warren G are about to change all of that. Meanwhile, the 1980s are trailing badly, with two last places (Michael Crawford and Five Star) in four days. Today has to be a good one for the 1960s and the 1970s, doesn't it? Could Heatwave be about to nudge the 1970s ahead? It's all up to you...

Running totals so far - Number 6s.

1967: Let's Spend The Night Together - Rolling Stones (126)

Time for my annual "I Can't stand the Rolling Stones but this is their best song ever and a classic!" comment. Love that piano. Also love the temp/beat etc. Good old-fashioned rock'n'roll! (Gert)

risque lyrics perfectly disguised beneath a singalong classic (diamond geezer)

I would have never believed this was from the same decade, let alone week as the previous '67 entries. And I'm not a Stones fan. Good work boys. (NiC)

Hard to believe this caused a lyric-changing ruckus on the Ed Sullivan Show. (asta)

Yes, I remember that edition of TOTP. And the woman who said "And so what do you think they were going to do all night?! Huh? Huh?" My mother hated it too. But of course, I'm not swayed by any such subjective judgement and put it top because I like it best of the five. (z)

The production on this track is quite muddy. It doesn't really fulfill its anarchic potential. I prefer the David Bowie cover. (Amanda)

A good song but there's something about the production here - the too prominent piano perhaps? - that irritates slightly. Much prefer the Bowie cover of this. (jeff w)

There's shock from the Norfolk jury at some of the Stones comments. I'd put it down as one of their best singles, by far. I've got it on 45RPM, and it's dynamite - the production was cleaned up a lot for the various CD 'best ofs'. When I was a kid I didn't even realise there were any other instruments on it other than piano and drums - there's a bit of organ audible at the end. The muddiness is why it sounds so great. And Ruby Tuesday on the other side. That's not a bad bit of vinyl. (JonnyB)

1977: Boogie Nights - Heatwave (121)

It's almost pure disco perfection--the beat, the vocal harmonies, the funk guitar, and it's about dancing. (asta)

5 points, partly because I feel guilty about pretending to hate disco when I was young. (David)

utterly groovy, but probably too cool to be a wedding disco floor-filler (diamond geezer)

Fine production and use of harmonies and different voices. But it's all rather controlled. It doesn't make me want to dance. (Amanda)

I normally love disco, but this is too dirgish and repetitive for my liking. (chris)

I'm afraid that the video put me right off. Odd costumes and peculiar stilted hand movements. Not my sort of music, but good of its type. (z)

It's kind of memorable and kind of good, but I think even so, 1977 was crying out for Punk at this point. (Gert)

1987: It Doesn't Have To Be This Way - Blow Monkeys (90)

Odd, but I can still have this one in my head without need to recourse to the MP3. Ergo, it has some kind of staying power... (Lyle)

There is an atmosphere about this, something about it being in a minor key (I think?) that makes it haunting. I seem to recall this being an anti-thatcher anthem, but I can't see that from this clip. (Gert)

No wonder Red Wedge failed to get Labour elected, eh! (betty)

It's a classic, I suppose, but that doesn't meant it's any good. (SwissToni)

2007: How To Save A Life - The Fray (69)

One of those songs on at the end of TOTP2 where Steve Wright demonstrates that there genuinely is still some great music out there for us middle aged folks, with tunes and heartfelt lyrics, and it's not just all noise and shouting and youngsters in silly clothes. (betty)

I like this. It seems that the Noughties are consistently better than the Nineties. Still not enough to make me care. I like non-singing if it sounds like this. (Gert)

So entertainingly earnest. (z)

I can't turn the radio on at the moment. I don't think I really like it, but I sort of do... if you know what I mean. No? Me Neither. (SwissToni)

Like The View song a few days ago, it sounds familiar even when heard for the first time. Maybe that's what people are aiming for these days. (Amanda)

This caught my attention the first time I heard it. Then Grey's Anatomy picked it up a demi-eon ago and there was nowhere to turn on the dial that wasn't playing it. Now I wish it would go hang itself. (asta)

I can't forgive them for forcing my mates' band to change their name to The Felons, so minimal points from me. (Adrian)

Maybe lots of sixth formers bought it as a Valentine's Day present. (Stereoboard)

This sort of shit MUST UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCES BE ENCOURAGED. NiC - "harmless" and "forgettable" music is the enemy... (Ben)

1997: I Shot The Sheriff - Warren G (44)

But I did not shoot him dead, you see, as introduced on the radio by a friend's mother) (Pam)

The real surprise package of this bunch is the 90s. When I read the words Warren G covering "I Shot the Sheriff" I immediately thought "oh good grief" (I'd forgotten the track) but actually this has a fantastic beat, and the production (by Warren G himself) makes nice little silk purses from the sow's ear that was the Clapton cover. In fact, I think I like this just as much as Marley's Live! At the Lyceum take. So there. (jeff w)

I thought Bob Dylan performed the most annoying version/interpretation of this song. I was wrong. (asta)

Well, I've heard Sonny Curtis sing this live. I also have records of Eric Clapton, Bob Marley etc, and this track is an insult to all of them and us. They have no business releasing this. Arrogant tossers. (Gert)

I've taken to ratings based upon whether I would change the radio dial if a track came on. If WArren G. came on I might, in fact, shoot my radio to save it the misery. (jo)

Decade scores so far (after 4 days).
1 (1) The 1990s (15) -- Why you wanna pull me over? Cuz I'm bumpin'?
2 (2) The 1970s (14) -- Get that groove, let it take you higher! Make it move, set this place on fire!
3= (2) The 1960s (12) -- You need some guiding, baby! I'm just deciding, baby!
3= (4) The 2000s (12) -- And you'll begin to wonder why you came!
5 (4) The 1980s (8) -- You've only got yourself to blame, for playing the game!

Labels: whichdecade07

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