I Swear...

Accusations of Tourettes have been flying around this blog of late. I try to limit my expletives to the occasional bloody, due to the knowledge that parents may be reading, however Coldplay made me utter the C word, as Kev pointed out, twice.

Here is a little snippet from everyhit.com

The Super Furry Animals 1996 hit "The Man Don't Give A..." contained 49 expletives; a record for a Top 40 single. The most for a solo hit is 33 in Eamon's 2004 track "F**k It (I Don't Want You Back)." This single also holds the record for most expletives in a chart-topper. The 'award' for most profanities in a hit by a female artist goes to Frankee whose 2004 number 1 "F.U.R.B. (F U Right Back)" (an answer song to Eamon's) contained 22 swear words.

Swearing. Swearing on record, the first time I heard actual swearing wasn’t on any punk single, I quite frankly didn’t know what frigging was, even if there was fuck all else to do, I heard swearing on record rather late in life, in my mid teens I heard Billy Idol effing and blinding on the b-side to Rebel Yell, Do Not Stand In The Shadows. I felt like a rebel listening to it.



Do Not Stand In The Shadows by Billy Idol

The previously referred The Man Don’t Give A Fuck, really does go all out in the swear stakes, ridiculously catchy and if memory serves me, which it rarely does, initially released as a limited edition, available for a week then deleted. The cover feature Cardiff player Robin Friday, Friday truly did not give a fuck, as perhaps this quote off his Wikipedia page testifies.

“Whilst playing against Mark Lawrenson for Cardiff against Brighton on the 31 October 1977, Friday became agitated by the future BBC pundit. He kicked Lawrenson in the face and received a red card before defecating in Lawrenson's kit bag”.



The Man Don’t Give A Fuck by Super Furry Animals


Lets not dwell on football though, back to the swearing. Some years ago I had the misfortune of seeing the band Minty in concert, when the balding mechanic off of the Eastenders didn’t take the stage and a bunch of that London art rockers did, I knew then it was going to get messy. Minty went on to be one of my wife’s favourite bands and during their career they produced a fiercely sweary track in Useless Man. The balding mechanic off of the Eastenders didn’t.
Useless Man unless I did a compilation for you between 96 and 2001 (it had a long shelf life) you are unlikely to have heard it, it really does set a new standard in recorded swearery, The Beatles may have exclaimed bloody! On I Am The Walrus, but that’s Sunday School compared to this.

“Boot lickin, piss drinkin, fingerfriggin, tit tweakin,
love bitin, arse lickin, shit stabbin, mother fuckin,
spunk lovin, ball bustin, cock suckin, fist fuckin,
lipsmackin, thirst quenchin, cool livin, ever givin
USELESS MAN"

What can I say, although sweary it did have a good beat.



Useless Man by Minty

These days though its common place to have the odd expletive in a song, you can spot them a mile off, the ever faithful bleep has been dispensed with, they just dip the sound or a radio edit loops a different word.

Glee, the current invader of the pop charts look to chart this week with Kanye West’s Gold Digger, a great song, truly magnificent and loved universally in our house, some say for its take on Ray Charles, some say its for his fly lyrics, but on the whole its because we love the swearing.



Gold Digger by Kanye West

“If you fuckin' with this girl then you betta' be paid
You know why
Take too much to touch her
From what I heard she got a baby by Busta
My best friend say she used to fuck with Usher
I don't care what none of y'all say I still love her”

Wisely the Fox produced serial Glee chose not to go into the girls dalliances wit’ Usher and Buster, sorry Busta.



Gold Digger by Glee Cast

Mary Prankster, Baltimore singer and songwriter now retired from performing and living in New York could and has shown the big boys how to do it. Too numerous to list all her potty mouth moments, such as Tits and Whiskey (“fuck the rhythm and lets break out the tits and whiskey cos that shows we’re anarchists”) Piss Off, Mercyfuck, you get the idea of that.
Tits and Whiskey is perhaps the only song in existence that rhymes Fuck Me with Rubber Ducky.

“Fuck me, fuck me, fuck me, fuck me
I am Ernie’s rubber ducky
Kiss me, kiss me, kiss me, kiss me
Let’s break out the tits and whiskey”

Mercyfuck by Mary Prankster


2 Live Crew, NWA, Eminem, I suspect even Vanilla Ice dropped the F-Bomb when the need presented itself, from Gwen Stefani telling us this shit is bananas, b-a-n-a-n-a-s, to Lennon telling us we are all fucking crazy as far as he could see. From bands such as Fuck, The Shits and Anal Cunt, Swearing, big AND clever.

Down and Out.

It seems that Peter has turned into a Stafford based Barry Norman/Roger Ebert type today (albeit with mild Tourettes), and that we have transmorgified into a film related blogorama in full IMAX surround sound 3D with popcorn and nachos and an organ player that pops up from the floor at the start of the show. Who am I to question our new direction? Next week I believe we're reviewing the 50 Best Manbags.

The closest I personally have ever come to the evil dead was a game at Birmingham City in the 80's, and as horror is not my favoured genre I shall turn my attention to what I like to call 'the down and out on the way back up'. Think Rocky, think Mickey Rourke in the Wrestler (think Mickey Rourke in real life), think Liverpool FC at the moment, you get my drift. One last shot at the big time before the inevitable crash and burn.


Jeff Bridges, who I like tremendously as an actor (how else would I like him?) has just bagged himself a Golden Globe for his portrayal as Bad Blake, a fifty-something year old alcoholic country singer-songwriter, in the movie Crazy Heart. The character is apparently based on a combination of real life characters, Waylon Jennings, the effortlessly cool Kris Kristofferson and Merle Haggard. T-Bone Burnett (him of Krauss & Plant production fame, Walk the Line soundtrack, Oh Brother soundtrack, and on and on) wrote the music and the whole thing is based on Thomas Cobb's novel. 'The Weary Kind' also won best original song. The soundtrack sounds well worth investigating, as it has Billy Joe Shaver, Lightnin' Hopkins and The Louvin Brothers, although I did also notice the words 'Performed by Colin Farrell', which gives cause for concern.

Evil Dead

I am one of those people that consider the film, The Evil Dead to be amongst the upper 10% of the best films ever made. I also believe its sequel, Evil Dead 2, to be amongst the top 5 best films ever made. I think it was these films that made me realise that Horror films were my friend and not something that made the 70’s version of me check behind the bathroom door every time I went in there.
Evil Deads impact on music is marginal to say the least, but it has had an impact of sorts.

The original films roots sprang from the Super 8 amateur production that was Within The Woods, a 30 minute film that has never had a commercial release due to the fact that Sam Raimi, Campbell et als disregard to copyright in relation to the music they used. Time was short, so any old music was put on the thing. It may have been fine in the 70’s as effectively a commercial to raise cash for the bigger picture, but in these days of DVD extras, it is the most glaring omission of all Evil Dead DVD’s.

Bruce Campbell, the trilogy’s star in Ash was not a crooner, the boy has the chin but not the pipes, and his musical contribution is in purely tribute form. MC Lars, comedy rap punk pours that tribute out in “Do The Bruce Campbell”.

“Get on the floor and do the Bruce Campbell
Get on the mic wax a chump like a candle
Four MC's we're more than you can handle
Protect your neck and do the Bruce Campbell”

It isn’t it has to be said the greatest song in the world, and it isn’t particularly about Bruce Campbell or specifically Evil Dead, its more a song about the horror genre. It’s a bit shit.



Do The Bruce Campbell by MC Lars.

Musically that’s not where Evil Dead connections end, In 2004 a production opened in Canada called Evil Dead: the Musical. George Reinblatt based his story and lyrics on the original film and it is quite an oddity, obviously a comedy, but perhaps as odd as Spiderman: The Musical. I will come to that connection shortly. But with regards, Evil Dead: The Musical, it seems that Raimi and Campbell will just about endorse anything.



What The Fuck Was That from Evil Dead: The Musical

Evil Dead’s director, wunderkind Sam Raimi, has had a long and mostly auspicious career, as well as a long relationship and friendship with Bruce Campbell, responsible for Evil Dead, Evil Dead 2 and Army of Darkness, and also The Spiderman franchise and Drag Me To Hell. I like Sam Raimi. Sam Raimi though is responsible for the most cringeworthy moment in film, musically speaking or otherwise though and that is the dance scene in Spiderman 3, where Peter Parker dances in a nightclub, Sam Raimi, Director of Evil Dead, what the hell were you thinking.



Spiderman 3, really? Really!

I am unsure as to how much of a hand Raimi has had in Spiderman: The Musical, currently in production with music provided by Bono and The Edge. Lord help us, lets hope none.

Finally we come to the third film in the trilogy, Army of Darkness, Medieval Dead if you will. Cohort of Tim Burton, Danny Elfman initially started soundtracking this film, but it seems that common sense prevailed and regular Raimi collaborator, Joseph LoDuca was thankfully pulled in to score the film. Thank Christ for that, I couldn't think of anything more tedious than Danny Elfmans musical theatre nonsense. You can hear LoDucas work on the current US show Leverage, that and the He Man movie. But what maybe the more surprising id that Loduca occasionally performs live with his wife, Lucy Lawless, or Xena as she is more widely known.



Hallelujah by Joseph LoDuca and Lucy Lawless


It should be noted that Army of Darkness also features Bridget Fonda, who is married to former Oingo Boingo man, Danny fucking Elfman.

Libertines reform?

I have a bit of a love hate relationship with The Libertines, admittedly they haven't produced anything that I found disagreeable. I just don't like the band though, I don't like their image, the members, their videos, anything at all outside of their music. Like the bastards they are, they produce some pretty good songs.
Today I see a report that they are due to reform in 2011, but hold on a cotton picking minute before you rush out to source tickets for this fictional date in the distant future as you will see almost from the moment they split up this fictional reformation has been mooted with alarming regularity.



OK, so December 2004, Libertines dissolve, Doherty, the drug addled buffoon was more intent on the crack than the craic and he was in the paper more than a battered cod. Dirty Pretty Things was a little bit away, so when do we see the first green shoots of reforming? A mere 18 months later talking in The Scotsman Carl Barat said,

"I like to think I left it on ice. We're obviously busy with other things, but I like it when I see Pete as long as it's not really public," Barat told the Scotsman.

"By the very nature of my and Pete's relationship, we could be back on stage before you know it."

Before we know it? OK so maybe he was a little premature, let's keep our gobs shut Carl till we have something a little more concrete.

10 months later and what do you know Barat is at it again, this time he is talking to XFM,

"We're doing different things, but at some point I'd be happy to work with Pete. Our relationship hasn't really faded away."

Fair do's Barat, its implicit not explicit, you would like to work with him. I would like to have Drew Barrymore bring me breakfast in bed whilst the missus was on an extended visit abroad, you get me Barat? We all want something. Lesson learnt Barat?



A couple of months later and what do you know, Glastonbury 2007 and bingo it looks like the Libertines are going to put their differences aside according to Digital Spy.

Pete Doherty and Carl Barat are reportedly to reunite The Libertines for Glastonbury festival's Acoustic Stage.

Excellent, I suspect that will be that blabbermouth Barat who gave them that juicy vignette?

A source told Mirror: "The lads have been talking about it for months.

"Although they've both got their own bands now, neither has had anything like the acclaim The Libertines had.

Did it happen then? No even with months of preparation or as sources like to call it "talking" they still didn't pull it off. OK, these bands just get my hopes up, that's it isn't it? Won't fall for that again, no sirree Bob.

12 months later of course we do have another rumour that The Libertines are reforming, this time for Glaston... what the devil. Stop it source.

The Sun reported that not only were they going to be playing the festival, they had actually already been working together.

According to The Sun,

the duo have been writing music together and want to road-test their material at the festival.

The lying shits. 2008 and still no Libertines reformation, let's just draw a line under this misinformation shall we.

No, it seems that source has been running his, or her, mouth off again.

a source told The Mirror that Barat will need assurances that Doherty is serious about the reunion, saying: "Carl thinks it might work, but he needs to be 100% sure Pete won't let him down again before he signs up".

A word to the wise Mirror pay no heed to source, he chats a lot of shit.

Doherty however tells the truth, how about 2 million to reform, yep, he said that, this time in February 2009, the NME lapped up this codswallop, they also bought a handful of magic beans.

"We had some ridiculous offers to headline Reading and stuff. Like £2 million to headline this festival, £1 million to headline that festival and I said, Why don't we just do it? Let's get the old band back together".

Then the crack wore off and I found that I had soiled myself and was alone in the middle of a Bavarian forest. He may have added that bit whilst the tape wasn't running.

Later in the same month though that 1 or 2 million carrot seems to add some impetus to the reformation as he is abso-bloody-lutely certain it's going to happen, again in the NME.

"There's probably another on the way, there's an amazing Babyshambles record on the way and The Libertines is going to happen in the next couple of years, by hook or crook."

At which point the NME journalist coughed into his hand and the word bollocks was audible.

The Libertines version of Aziz Ibrahim, went one better in April 2009 and removed the cough telling 6 Music.

"I bet it will happen but I don't think it will be anytime soon."

I bet a black man will be President of the USA one day but not anytime so...oh...OK.



2009 was a very busy year fro rumours of a reformation, no rumours of Glastonbury though, which was strange, maybe source was sacked? In July Doherty finally set a date, in The Times no less. Excellent!

"I think we're gonna make a record, and tour. Get The Libertines to take it to the next step, next stage. Next year."

Next Step, Next Stage, Next Year. All you need is Simply The Best playing in the background and you have a full blown sales conference.

So 2010 is the year that The Libertines are to reform, the time is now!! He even backs this up in an NME interview.

"It's going to happen, you know. I spoke to John Hassall, he's well up for it. Powell said he would."

No Barat then, OK. He will come round, that was August, that's almost a full year until he is needed, learn a few lines, sorry words, bad turn of phrase. We are still close to the illusive reformation though.

It seems today that Barat like an errant plumber has changed the date, 2010, nah mate, need to order a part, I am booked, fully booked mate, how does 2011 grab yer? best I can do.

"It's not definite-definite. I can say 2011, but it's hard to plan The Libertines until next Tuesday," he told the Evening Standard. "But 2011 is where there's room for that to happen. So if everything is all right, then, yeah, it would be glorious to get on the old jacket and venture forth, into the known."

So it looks like the glorious return of The Libertines is due not definitely definitely 2011, but possibly 2010. Don't bank on it though.

Fandom

Should it come as any surprise that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, unelected but leader of Iran, is a Chris de Burgh fan? What is it about that news that makes it non-revelatory? It's equally as non-revelatory as finding out that Robert Mugabe is a Cliff Richard fan. This one can be explained by the relentless do anything it takes approach to cling on to fading but hopeless power and success approach taken by both. How about Gaddafi and Clapton? That one is less obvious, but all the others are explained by clicking the links above. Gaddafi Jnr is a Beyonce fan.

We like to appeal to all, so this one is for the Colonel.


Come back next week for news on which biscuits are the chosen snack of UN peacekeeping officials.

My Shameful Novelty Record Past

Its a fine line between comedy and genius. My Ding a ling, comedy. Johnny B. Goode, genius. Maxwells Silver Hammer, comedy, Blackbird, genius. Killing In The Name, comedy...well you get the idea of that.
I have a checkered history with the comedic, the novelty, the rather embarrassing side of recorded music, we all have, haven't we?
I have close friends that owned, or indeed own Chalk Dust by The Brat, this friend buries this part of his life deep down when professing his love for Morrissey. We have all shameful pasts.
My first dalliance with novelty pop was Keith Michell and his tale of Captain Beaky, as a 9 year old this was incendiary stuff that the big kids wouldn't, or couldn't understand. Maybe they were more preoccupied with The Ramones who in January 1980 were just a few places lower than Michell on that weeks hit parade. I adored Captain Beaky, it was hilarious but also it had pathos, that cursed Hissing Sid. Oddly Captain Beaky and His Band had an effect on more than just me, someone has dedicated a website to them st www.captainbeaky.com



Captain Beaky and His Bandy by Keith Michell

From Capatain Beaky, perhaps the shame of that sent my novelty record passions underground for a number of years, during 1987 when my indie leanings were coming more and more to the fore. You would think I would have some form of quality control, no, it will become apparent that I had no quality control. I bought a single that haunts me to this day, I bought a single by The Firm. I know what you are thinking, Peter that is nothing to be ashamed of, Jimmy Page, Paul Rodgers, thats something to be proud of. No, not that The Firm, OK, OK, perhaps the NAZ fronted Hip Hop supergroup, Dr Dre produced that joint, be proud Peter, thats the mother flipping H bomb. No. No. No. The Firm single I bought was the follow up to Arthur Daley, He's Alright, that didnt float my boat, I found that rather pedestrian, the follow up though, that made me part with my 75p at Our Price, that was Star Trekkin. Peter what were you bloody thinking. I have no idea. At least I didnt record a parody of a novelty record, some one did though, someone and I want to say DLT or Steve Wright parodied it in 1987, but as a kind of Beastie Boys act and the track was Start Wreckin. You see what they did there.



Star Trekkin by The Firm

You would think that would be the end of it all, I was entering adulthood, my music taste was getting more and more discerning, 2 stinkers in a lifetime of record buying, thats not so bad. Let me be frank, those two exmaples are just two that I have elaborated on, add to that list World Cup Willie by Lonnie Donegan, I wasnt even born in 66!!!!, The Streak by Ray Stevens and D.I.V.O.R.C.E by Billy Connolly, to name but a few. Its a curse, trust me it is.
So fast forward to 1998, I am in my late twenties, indier than thou, and for some inexplicable reason Isaac Hayes' Chocolate Salty Balls from South Park seemed like the most hilarious thing ever recorded. That should have been it, that should have been the end of it and I should have laughed and then pulled on my duffle coat and went off to buy a fanzine. No. Common sense didnt prevail and for some reason last over time I owned a CD single of Chef's Chocolate Salty Balls. I blame it on Eric Cartmans take on Styx's Come Sail Away that graced the B-Side, that could be the only reason.



Come Sail Away by Eric Cartman

So thats an insight into my novelty record buying, add to all of that Ghostbusters, Captain Sensibles One Christmas Catalogue and Donald Where's Your Trousers. Enough though I have to pop out and buy Hale and Pace's The Stonk.

Marissa Nadler

We had a paella night last night, as the name suggests we had a paella. Paella night is more than that though, Paella night involves wine, lots of wine and music, lots of music. A paella, the making of is a long process so we listen to music whilst its forming.
Anyway, rather randomly I put on a track, Ghosts and Lovers by Marissa Nadler. I had never heard of or indeed heard Marissa Nadler, she has had 4 albums out and not one appeared on my radar.



No Surprises by Marissa Nadler

Her style is kind of odd, difficult to compare it to anyone, kind of cocteau twins, folky, certainly "ethereal". That sounds great??? No?



Ghosts and Lovers by Marissa Nadler.

Ghosts and Lovers is from her last album, 2009's Little Hell released on Kermodo Records, home of Langhorne Slim and dont let this put you off, the intro reminds me of a Metallica song, but it is nothing like a Metallica song. I may have to look more into this girl, but for now I thought you might like to hear Ghosts and Lovers, her cover of the Radiohead song, No Surprises and Heart Paper Lover also from Little Hells. Its all quite stunning.



Heart Paper Lover by Marissa Nadler.

Wanna Meet Henry?

Hello People, or should that be Hello Peter, co-blogger supremo and realistically the only other person to read this. Forgive me Peter for I have sinned. It has been many weeks since my last post. Yes, I know, even our wives don't read it, but guilt engulfs me. You have been keeping our collective blogging end up, not easy to do given the freezing conditions in the UK and also finding a Coldplay cd in your Ford Fiesta. You are a brave soldier, but worry ye not, for I am back - bigger, fatter, stronger, balder. It is I, Kevin T. No, I'm Spartacus. No, I'm Spartacus.

I'm sure you're thinking 'He has come back to write about the sad news that Teddy Pendergrass has died', but no, Peter, I have not. What has rocked me out of my vegetative state is a rather good article in The Independent by Spencer Leigh (I am presuming it is the radio presenter Spencer Leigh) about Eddie Cochran and Gene Vincent's UK tour. You can read even more about Mr Vincent here, or Mr. Cochran here. My 'Wanna Meet Henry?' post title will make sense if you read the article.

So, here's Gene Vincent prior to his UK black leather persona....


A nice 7 min Eddie C vid


By the way, if you like those, check out this!

Recovering The Satellites

Time is a bit of a luxury at the moment and you will notice as the reviews get ever more swifter. Todays commute CD was the Counting Crows album, Recovering The Satellites.
I was given this and another Counting Crows album by someone that didn’t like the band very much, the other album I quite like, this one, not so much. It’s a bit dull you see, its long, samey, American easy listening rock. It has I am sure soundtracked a romantic scene in Friends or some Meg Ryan romantic comedy. Today it soundtracked me going past junction 6 on the M6. No Meg Ryan, and no comedy.
Like Kev work is ramping up a bit and so the commute CD element of this blog is going to take a break for a few weeks, I have podcasts to listen to. Counting Crows in a nutshell then, 3 out of 10. Must try harder.



A Long December by Counting Crows

International Velvet - Review

Some Cooper Temple Clause is what is should have been yesterday, it should have been but as it is one of those protected CD’s meant that it wasn’t and couldn’t be played in the car. Makes no odds to me, never liked them anyway, it’s one of my wifes CD’it may have been great but I suspect it wasn’t.
Today though I didn’t retreat to the arms of Chris Evans, (admittedly I did dip back in at the end of todays CD and was rewarded with Journey at ear splitting volumes. Top stuff.)
Todays CD was Catatonia’s International Velvet. This is a CD I need to split in two, I will remove for the purposes of this review, at least initially, Mulder and Scully and Road Rage. They are removed.
This CD was absolutely marvellous, beautiful vocals off Cerys, lyrically very enjoyable, lilting, lifting and a seriously great record that has stood the test of time. My Selfish Gene in particular appealed to my liking of lyrical wordplay, and then on Game On and Strange Glue we are treated to two singles high points from the bands career. I Am The Mob still sounds excellent and I was singing away at the top of my lungs whilst stuck in traffic outside of Lichfield, an excellent album. Truly excellent. 9 out of 10.

Then I come to Mulder and Scully and Road Rage. Lord when you take me, when my days are ended and my past crimes are totted up against my good name, you weigh up the good against the bad and find that the other place can have me, the music that will be playing will be Mulder and Scully and Road Rage on the flipping loop. I detest these songs, made all the more galling is that Mrs D, who owns this album, also owns those singles. I need a new wife. 2 dropped for these songs therefore International Velvet. 7 out of 10.



My Selfish Gene by Catatonia

Way Beyond Blue - Review

Catatonias debut was the sound of a small car cutting through the West Midlands snow. Before Im a celeberity, before she sold her story to the tabloids, before she welshified her voice by 500% on Mulder and Scully.
Its a blooming good album, one that I havent played in something like 10 years, why would I anyway, like most of the non Cash C's this is one of my wife's, she had a thing for the Welsh, as will become apparent when we hit the G's.
Anyway coming back to the disc, its nice, its lovely in parts, the oh shit I'm pregnant You've Got A Lot To Answer For, the possibly not about a lost cat, Lost Cat and the mighty fine and Catatonia at their most sweetest, Sweet Catatonia.
There is more stuff on this album, the dreaded secret track, I bloody hate hidden tracks, it is forgivable though. 7 out of 10.



You've Got A Lot To Answer For by Catatonia

A Rush Of Blood To The Head - Review

I am sat here waiting for the secret life of the dog on BBC2, they promise its going to be excellent and Darren Hayman reckons his dog Beullah is the double of the intelligent dog who features. I think Darren Hayman is doing that thing that parents do when they think their kid is actually not as smart as they really are. I am waffling, to the commute CD.
I beleive everything has a tipping point, and none more so than toast. Toast is only good for spreading butter on 15-20 seconds after the toaster has spewed the toast. There is a 15-20 second window to get the butter on the hot bread ad after that, well it just aint nice, thats the tipping point. Its a bit like that scene in interview with a vampire when short cult nutter Tom Cruise drinks from the dead lady, its too late Tom, the toast has cooled!
Coldplays tipping point was the day they performed Yellow acoustically on Jo Whileys show, it had yet to be released, a platinum selling career was but a dream away and to put it in the words of my wife, Chris Martin was yet to turn into a Bono emulating cunt. Apologies for the C word.
Todays album is a Rush Of Blood To The Head and Martin is a cunt and I have not got the first clue as to how or why we own this album, yes I like The Scientist as I am a romantic that cries at eastenders, I will cry at anything, The Scientist video being an example. That track aside, I am lost as to why this pretentious mind numbing bollocks has made it into our CD's.
The dogs are on 1 out of 10 as I still like The Scientist.



The Scientist by Coldplay

Bad Music For Bad People - Review

It was a snowless Stafford on the way into work and deep snow on the way back. The soundtrack both was the cynical IRS cash in album that was The Cramps' Bad Music For Bad People.
Musically its a great album, it is however reminiscent of the two Cramps albums I have sampled thus far on the commute, most notably Off The Bone from last week. Yes there are differences but not major differences and its similarities are the most attractive, and you know I wouldnt mind a few different ornaments on the mantlepiece.

What we do see here is Goo Goo Muck, Human Fly and She Said, yes all very good but as I said familiar. I Can't Hardly Stand It, Uranium Rock and Save It, again, faultless but we had these tracks only last week. Garbage Man, New Kind Of Kick and Love Me, you get the picture, all of these so far were on Off The Bone.

One solitary song wasnt on Off The Bone, TV Set, a good song, but if I had known this I may have bought my wife a different Cramps album, for The Cramps, 10, for IRS, -10 therefore 0 out of 10. Bad label.



TV Set by The Cramps

Recurring Dream, The Best Of Crowded House - Review

Happy New Year. Some jokers on the M6 caused an accident this morning, resulting in gridlock on the minor roads that lead to Birmingham. That’s where you would have found me for 2 hours this morning, listening to Recurring Dream, The Best Of Crowded House. Re-read that last sentence, now re-read it without doing Alan Partridges voice.
When this album was released in around 1996 the resultant TV campaign went along the lines of “you know more Crowded House songs than you think you do”, a valid point, they may have also said, “you fell for the tut that The Beautiful South put out, why not this”
I must confess I didn’t buy this, my dwarfish sidekick, Little Ern, she had a number of Crowded House albums, on tape, but that’s it, unless I am proved wrong over the next few weeks, this compilation is one that was copied for us and you know it aint half bad. I know more Crowded House songs than I thought I did.
It takes you through the singles up to 1996 and on the whole they are very good, some of them suffer from over play, in particular Weather With You, it always seems to be the soundtrack of choice when local news does a weather based montage.
The down points of this album, and I cant explain why it sounds like this to my ears. Years ago when I worked at Butlins during Easter the site would be took over for a religious festival called Spring Harvest, born agains a-worshipping and enjoying the holy spirit. Now the night time at these things were fuelled by Christian rock bands, and the audience used to sway, hands aloft, head cocked to one side awaiting the rapture. When I listen to some Crowded House, they remind me of those Christian rock bands.
I don’t think I need to tell you too much about this album, its Crowded House, its fairly pleasant, on the whole good, during a few songs its actually great, and on Fall At Your Feet they hit perfection, 6 out of 10.



Fall At Your Feet by Crowded House