U Turns

This sent in by our sometimes electro-pop correspondent (he lives in a shoe you know) Neil K

It’s big to admit your wrong, particularly after being so vocally anti something that it’s seen as a real back down. It’s happened to me on a few occasions musically, where early output from a band makes me take an instant (often illogical) dislike of them, and laugh loudly in the face of anyone that claims to like them. What? You’re that naïve you buy THAT!? … Sometimes it’s not so much the music but the personalities, or maybe inappropriate levels of press adulation or success, or because I’ve been told I’d like them because they’re like band “x” that I’ve been know to champion. Anyway, however it starts - 99.9% of the time it remains that way – but sometimes – just sometimes - something happens (usually hearing a particular song or a full album) where said band get rewarded with a reappraisal – or maybe they just raise their game and they really were crap. Either way, something happens where I see them in a different light and I think “you know what, on their day, they’re actually pretty damn good, and the world is a better place for their noise after all…”.

So, what examples of this phenomenon can I recall?

Feeder – What? The band that did that annoying Buck Rogers (“it’s got a cd player –player – player” indeed) that the Radio overplayed – and still plays now? The joke Welsh rockers with the Japanese Adam Clayton? This was until I heard a work colleagues (you remember ‘Pete’ don’t you Kevin T? – came in Our Price and stood there staring at you?) copy of Echo Park – and in particular the glorious “Turn”. That song got stuck on repeat play for many a day after that. Since then, I’ve discovered other highlights such as Tender, Feeling A Moment, Purple and the gloriously souring Silent Cry. A band that can rock but also do subtle and heartfelt. One of those bands where you look at the lyrics and think it’s a bit clichéd – but when your hear the delivery by Grant – you feel it. They really do regret and loss incredibly eloquently. One band I’m still hoping to get chance to see live one day.

Green Day – What? Those cartoon punks? Fronted by the Cliff Richard of Punk? Following the Punk A-Z handbook. Piercings? Check. Bright hair? Check. Throwing TVs out of Window? Check. Rich boys acting poor? You betcha. Sooooo rock ‘n’ roll… Until I heard “Boulevard of Broken Dreams”- the ultimate ode to taking comfort in solitude. Perfect meld of melancholy and melody. One of those moments where the words and music and mood and image just works together to produce something stellar. Holiday was alright too, and American Idiot was just the right side of a joke song. That said, the 20th Century bollocks CD (do you mean 21st Century? - Kevin T) was a big let down and they’re close to going back in my bad books.

The Smashing Pumpkins – What? Baldy screacher looking like someone from the Adams Family? “Tonight…” Who’s dragging their nails down a black bored?! Arrggghh!?!?!??! Be quiet – let me just listen to the music. Until I heard Ava Adore CD – where thankfully Billy Corgan's singing is generally more restrained and thus more bearable. I still can only take one album at a time before my ears start bleeding, but I can recognise the beauty in the melodies and hear the words without the barbed wire delivery. He also wrote Hole's only good song (and I thus hold him responsible for keeping the despicable Courtney Love in the public eye for so long). Songwriter for hire however is probably a good direction for him to take - let a singer sing it.

Beastie Boys – Fight For Your Right To Party indeed. You may have gathered - joke songs I don’t like. Punk I wasn’t keen on at that time. I wanted my pop stars to leave me in awe, not make me think I could do what they did but better. I thought and hoped these guys would disappear within 15 minutes. They didn’t. They actually developed their sound and went on to produce gems such as Sabotage and Intergalactic Planetary. And they’re still going – so much for 15 minutes.

I’m still waiting for the Billy Brag reassessment mind you, I’m beginning to think it will never happen...
Anyone out there with similar cases?

3 Foot Elvis

In 2002 I went to a one day festival that Green Day were headlining, it was 2 stages and had acts such as Snuff, A, Rival Schools, Iggy Pop and The Wildhearts playing throughout the day, it wasn’t so bad and was the first time that I had seen Green Day, so it was pretty enjoyable (I saw them a couple of years later doing exactly the same set and the same schtick, I saw them a couple of years after that and again almost the same set and the same guffing patter), anyway, at this one day festival I was walking through the crowd after going to the bar, without my wife or daughter or daughters friend and I chanced upon a 3 foot man clad in Las Vegas era Elvis suit. I thought it was potentially the surrealist thing I had seen. After going back to my wife and explaining it, there was it had to be said, an air of disbelief, and suggestions that it may have been a child in a little bit of “spangle”, I was quite severe in my protestations and a little while later I went searching for the 3 foot Elvis, but alas it was to no avail. Isnt that always the case when you are looking for a 3 foot Elvis?
Later that day we were watching The Wildhearts and who should turn up on stage with them, yes, you see where I am going with this, a 3 foot Elvis. I punched the air in delight.



Vanilla Radio by The Wildhearts

Anywhere But Here

This mornings ridiculously early soundtrack to my new route I may add, was Anywhere but here by The Ataris. Another chunk of pop punk and the weakest of their early to mid career albums in my opinion. Kris Roe is too heavily influenced by Green Day and to a lesser extent NOFX on this album. Not to way it isn’t quite wonderful but it does get a little repetitive after 20 tracks. I have to say it was good though and one that I recall I only played once or twice, its no So long Astoria but of the genre it’s a definite 6 out of 10.

Blue Skies, Broken Hearts...Next 12 Exits

Todays sojourn through my CD’s is the start of what I think will be three days of The Ataris, todays is Blue Skies, Broken Hearts...Next 12 Exits. This album contains my favourite Ataris song in San Dimas High School Football Rules. A song that initially got me into The Ataris and a song I still love today. The album was fantastic to listen to and a great pick me up after the last few mediocre albums. Extremely enjoyable and will potentially be the album of the week for me, depending on if so Long Astoria is tomorrow or not.
Pop punk at its best I think, as good as Green Day or Blink 182 at their very best and after playing 2 whole times each journey still enjoyable each run through. Marvellous. 8 out of 10.

Wednesday Top 5

Is it Wednesday? No actually it isn't Wednesday it's Tuesday, I write this a day early as I have to give serious thought to the top 5. I was considering doing a Prince top 5, mainly because the wee fella is in a bit of trouble for not flogging his scent as per a contract, but as he is rather particular about his copyright I think I would struggle to turn up the goods in Youtube.



So where to go from there? OK, if you can't have Prince, what do you go for?



This weeks top five is the top 5 songs dedicated to wanking.



The first song is the rather splendid and future top 5 artist, Hello Kitten by Hefner. Hefner are normally coupled with the phrase Peel Favourites and it was Peel who once said it was always about sex with Hefner. He was absolutely right with this classic, with the refrain I'm gonna make myself go blind tonight, this ode to the joy of self was a fan favourite and when singer Darren Hayman trots it out at his solo shows these days it is met with a joyous reception. I used to have a website called hello kitten, it wasn't about masturbation, it was about hefner. Hefner came from the south, they released near perfect albums and then they split up, that's how it should be.



Darren Hayman and Jack Hayter performing Hello Kitten at Primavera Sound


Obvious number two is The Violent Femmes ode to the joys of fiddling with ones self, Blister in the sun. Lately used as the soundtrack to Fosters supping shade hunters, but historically the most well known of the wankthems. The Violent Femmes appeared in Sabrina the Teenage Witch and once cancelled a UK tour so they could go on a fag sponsored tour of the US, also Gano sold the advertising rights to this song to the US burger chain, Wendys. This song confirms them as wankers.



The Violent Femmes performing Blister In The Sun

Men who are not wankers but also sing about it, The Buzzcocks and the third best song about spanking the monkey is Orgasm Addict. I recall vividly the first time I heard and got The Buzzcocks, for ten minutes one summer whilst I was working at Butlins they were my favourite band and I still have a soft spot for them to this day, this is a million miles from their best work, but as What do I get isn't about self love, it will have to do.




The Buzzcocks performing Orgasm Addict at Shepherds Bush Empire in 2003

Which brings us neatly to Longview, the first time I heard Longview was the result of Kev T playing it a lot at the record shop we worked at, I say record shop, we could have been selling shoes, but prior to him playing Dookie, I knew little about them, other than they played that punk rock music. It was over a decade later before I realised it was essentially about onanism. Obviously Green Day weren't as in your face as Ivor Biggun.




Longview performed by Green Day

Finally we have Jackson Browne, I love Jackson Browne, Its a recent thing and I am unsure if it will be a fleeting love or I will be consumed, time will tell. Rosie is Jacksons tale, a rather sad tale of a roadie and his unluckyness in love, I say love, if it was love Jackson would be telling the tale of a roadie solitarily watching Sleepless in Seattle and not singing an ode to his hand.




Rosie performed by Jackson Browne in Maryland in 1975