This is almost certainly the wrong time to be doing this. I’m sure most of us are otherwise engaged with pre-festive period activities such as shopping, cooking, visiting aged relatives or getting slaughtered at the office party and thus ensuring that the New Year’s resolution has a ‘never again’ theme to it.
But I’ve chosen to ignore all that as this is about the only free time I have all year and if I don’t do it now, I probably never will.
Here’s the idea, as promulgated by saneshane, of this parish…
Everyone who wants to play puts forward a track by Elbow, by way of a YouTube clip or a Spotify link or whatever means you have for sharing such things with the ‘Spill class. I then, as Spillmaster, select the best ten (or 15 or 20?) to put together the ultimate Elbow playlist for the edification of those who wish to learn the finer points of Manchester’s Bury’s finest!
There are five albums to choose from plus numerous singles with interesting B-sides and a handful of pre-major label EPs. Any live recordings? Obscure collaborations? Let’s make this the Elbow compilation to die for!
I’ll start the ball rolling by throwing out my current favourite taken from their breakthrough album, The Seldom Seen Kid.
I hate to say it but I have come to the conclusion that Elbow are a teensy bit overrated. Maybe because they are clearly such grafters – and Guy is so obviously such a lovely man… That said, I do love “Lippy Kids” from the latest album. On a train so not techno-savvy enough to provide a link. Will do later.
Thanks bish. Lippy Kids is a fine example of Guy Garvey’s expert wordsmithery. He’s great at coming up with phrases which sound like they’ve been around forever: ‘kerbstone cool’ and ‘that simian stroll’ to name but two. Great choice.
Here it is:
Sorry – did sound a bit curmudgeonly earlier. I do like various Elbow songs. I do think Guy Garvey is a great lyric writer particularly (seem to remember being a bit miffed not to get “Starlings” A-listed for best opening lines…). But a lot of their songs kind of drift by me without really making purchase on my lugholes (or my emotions). Nice but a bit aimless. Or perhaps just not ‘immediate’ enough for me. I look forward to the ‘best of’ we put together and hope it will clarify for me what is special about them.
Just had a text from DsD saying that he “cannot let Elbow Spillover exist without my and DsSis’s names against Scattered Black & Whites”.
His wish is my command …
Thanks, Toffee.
I bought Asleep In The back shortly after release (heard Newborn & Powder Blue somewhere and was smitten), but it was Scattered Black And Whites that near made me cry! I eventually got SB&Ws B-listed on RR (thanks, Dorian); then I finally got it A-listed on RR (Huge thanks, Maddy).
For those that don’t know the story, DsSis was quite a colic-y baby, with some of her worst attacks after a middle-of-the-night feed. To give DsMam a chance for at least some rest, I used to bring Jess down two flights of stairs into my office at stupid-o’clock, wrap us both in my Taz throw-blanket, stick SB&Ws on repeat on the stereo, and walk round in circles for anything up to two hours singing along gently to it.
I now sometimes look at my ten-going-on-fifteen, stroppy pre-teen, five-foot-plus, built-like-a-brick-s%@thouse eldest daughter and realize I had NO idea what I was getting into, but hey, I wouldn’t change a thing!
Oh, I specially need this, ToffeeBoy, since I’ll be seeing Elbow at the IOW Festival and want to know which songs to shout for. Thanks!
tfd – there won’t be a lot of point shouting for most of the songs I’ll mention: they tend to be the more delicate ones, not festival-set fodder.
Oh, I’m not bothered about that, DsD. I shall shout for the ones I like.
I don’t know Elbow that well, so I’ll look forward to this. Guy Garvey is obviously a national treasure.
My choice: I was doing the pre-Christmas supermarket shop last night. Thought 9pm would be quiet, but oh no – panic buying already in full swing… anyway, appropriately, “Grace Under Pressure” came on my mp3 player. Great song; great, great outro.
Also: “I’ve been working on a cocktail called Grounds For Divorce” is a quite superb opening line. As is “How dare the Premier ignore my invitation? He’ll have to go”. And overuse on TV shows hasn’t diminished the beauty of “One Day Like This”.
Collaborations: Guy provides (very quiet) backing vocals on Jesca Hoop’s wonderful, wonderful “Murder of Birds”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=35EeM5DHgRU
(Great comment on the YouTube video: “Anyone else think Guy Garvey is turning into Henry VIII?”)
An Audience With The Pope always resonates with me
So many to choose from! I’ll have to go for the song (and performance) that introduced me to them & made me fall in love – Fugitive Motel, here on Jools Holland
youtube= http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=uCqfVqFi0hs
(If that hasn’t embedded put it down to my tech failings, apologies)
On a slightly parochial note, I would point out that, far from being ‘Manchester’s’ finest, they are in fact from my home borough of Bury. Garvey comes from Whitefield, half a mile up the road from me, and the band got together at Bury College. A minor point, but seeing as Bury’s only other claim to fame is black puddings, one worth making.
Thanks exodus – parochial note noted and acted upon!
If you had to choose between Elbow and Black Pudding, which would you choose? The one you didn’t pick gets wiped from the earth forever.
Oh Elbow for sure, can’t stand black puddings.
Cheers Toffeeboy, & cheers for sorting the link out, unless it just magically appeared like Mr Benn’s shopkeeper.
It’s official then! Elbow are better than black pudding!
Game on, TB (and Merry Xmas). I had already decided, correctly as it turns out, to leave Scattered B&Ws to DsD. So my choice would be ‘The loneliness of the tower crane driver’. Great title, great track. Here it is at the Mercury prize winning ceremony, when after years of graft Elbow finally got some well deserved recognition.
I do have a nomination for this, but for reasons which may or may not become apparent in due course am unwilling to post it. My press officer has been instructed to meet enquiries with a brusque “no comment”.
I’m not sure if it’s acceptable to use the term ‘lol’ around here, but if it is…
The blanket of silence can now be lifted – see The Ones, above. Dond for “Jesus Is A Rochdale Girl” and to be honest just about anything by this splendid Little Band That Could. I sometimes can’t remember why I rate them so highly – surely something so apparently crowd-pleasing can’t be good? But it is, and it is.
Is the atmospheric photo of the ships’ graveyard in the Fal?
Right (sort of) part of the country. It’s the Torridge – a photo I took from the boat on our way out to Lundy. My favourite picture of the year.
Great shot…
The sole entry in my record collection for Elbow is one 7″ record from 2005, the A-Side is “Forget Myself”, this is my favourite Elbow song. I like the rhythm and the lyrics.
I’ll look forward to the playlist, TB. Like bish, I’ve always felt they were rather overrated (and I’m a Mancunian!) but the track posted around here a few weeks ago opened my mind a bit.
I hope there won’t be too many songs that rely on suspended fourths for tension: it seems to be their favourite trick but it makes me tune out instantly.
Not over rated but rightly rated. You are confirming that technical musical knowledge can interfere with enjoyment. Thank God I’m inept.
I’m happy to be convinced, shoey. ‘Suspended fourth’ is just a shorthand description of that tension-hold-and-release at the end of a lot of choruses in a lot of songs and in ‘classical’ music, and it’s an effect that enhances emotion but can sometimes sound slightly engineered (see Coldp..no, it’s Christmas, innit?). Being an ivory-tickler, I’m sure TB knows what I mean by it.
Way to hold back on the Coldplay bash. I’ll set the Shoeteens on you otherwise (currently conspiring to go see them in Tampa).
We all have our pet peeves, that can instantly turn us off to something & there’s nothing wrong with that.
The swirling, giddying, disorienting, romantic majesty of Newborn.
[youtube http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=syQOaO9s2Tw&w=640&h=360%5D
And to show they can do it live (unfortunately they’ve turned the embed function off for this)…
One day I’ll figure out these Youtube links…
Square bracket, youtube=urlfrombrowserwindow, square bracket. No spaces, and obviously no commas.
Oh, I wasn’t concentrating, sorry – you’ve obviously cracked it anyway!
Donds & welcome back.
Thanks for all the suggestions and comments so far – keep ‘em coming. I’ll leave it open over Christmas and aim to publish the final list on the 27th.
Cheers, ghe. Less cracked it than got it right randomly.
I never rated them either till I saw them on’t telly – a festival, can’t remember which – and I thought they were great. That said, I can’t remember any individual songs, so I will go with this cover of Peter Gabriel’s “Mercy Street” – one of my favourite songs. They were very brave to cover it, and it worked. Sniff (one of those songs that always makes me cry, no idea why?!)
Sorry Ali, nothing wrong with the cover. But, but it doesn’t add anything to the original. Would suggest Sinead & Willy (doesn’t add much either, but it’s Sinead & Willy). For an alt take try Fever Ray’s version. Can’t top the original though.
Scratch that. Sinead & Willy was the don’t give up. **Bangs head against bar**.
Little Beast from the 1st album. The 1st alert tune where I found out that they were something special.
The 2nd album is so good it’s hard to choose. Would add the early fumblings of Buttons & Zips & you can’t leave off Grace Under Pressure.
From the 3rd, would go with the political title track & the Everthere – one of the best songs about a long term relationship.
From the 4th would add The Loneliness Of A Tower Crane Driver.
Found the latest album a little bit of a retread of earlier ideas & was a little disappointed. Am prepared to be persuaded that I’m wrong.
Finally, would bypass Mercy Street & bung in their cover of Independent Woman.
Loneliness is a GHE dond. What good taste he has!
Donding Scattered, Fugitive & Weather.
No Elbow anywhere in my collection (except Scattered from a ‘spiller) – so will be interested in the results.. been listening with interest to the ‘spill list tracks.
ooo just found ‘Station Approach’ on an HMV Playlist CD from 2005 – that sounds alright too – has it been nominated yet?
Does he sing:
“I feel like I designed the building I walk by”
…that’ll do for a line to draw me in.
Coming home I feel like I/Designed the buildings I walk by.
Station Approach was on the songs about Northern England list (in the reign of Dorian), but it’s much, much more about going home, and home as a sanctuary. (Leaders of the Free World largely tracks the recovery from a break-up, albeit not all from the same relationship. It’s pretty much a concept album.) Garvey is a brilliant lyricist – his description of his friends in Puncture Repair as “The cavalry with tea and sympathy” sounds hugely understated but it carries a huge volume of emotion with it.
Thanks Shoey – it’s only the six-day weeks have kept me off here for so long.
Donds for Newborn, …Tower Crane Driver, Grace Under Pressure and naturally for One Day Like This (I got in fastest-finger-first on RR Euphoria week for that particular zedding).
Any other love for Switching Off?
Chris, I have NO idea what a “suspended fourth” is – is it something easily explainable to a musical dunce like me?
Well, a scan of clips so far posted reveals no obvious use of sus4: maybe all Spillers have a natural aversion to it!. In fact, they all sound rather interesting…
Does my comment to shoey above help explain what sus4 sounds like?
I’m still none the wiser, Chris! Keep pointing em out when you spot em – took me ages to recognise a middle eight… I doubt they bother me though. Some days I’m not fussed by that most manipulative of musical techniques, the hoary old key change.
My ‘problem’ with Elbow (and it’s not a massive one – I have all but one of their albums!) is maybe almost the opposite of yours, Chris: I want more of the big hooky hooks, etc. Without them, I find myself no longer really listening as gentle, thoughtful, sensitive song meanders into gentle, thoughtful, sensitive song. I want them ALL to sound like One Day Like This!
Well, this probably counts as love for Switching Off… John Cale picked it as one of his eight Desert Island Discs.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/radio4/features/desert-island-discs/castaway/de61f989
I can’t find the interview right now, but Garvey said it was one of the greatest moments of his life.
A few notes (see what I did there!!!) on the much-maligned suspended 4th.
As far as piano chords are concerned, your standard major chord consists of the first, third and fifth notes of the relevant key. Thus, Cmajor (usually referenced simply as C) consists of the notes C, E and G. In the suspended 4th, you play the first, fourth and fifth notes of the key, which creates a slighty plaintive, discordant sound. This is usually ‘resolved’ by songwriters by holding the chord for beat or two longer than you’d expect and then descending to a standard major chord.
A few examples from my repertoire:
Carol King’s It’s Too Late uses this to good effect at the end of the chorus: BbM7, FM7, Dm7, Esus4, Em7,
Something inside has died and I can’t hide and I just can’t fake it.
The Esus4 comes on the words ‘fake it’.
And Carol King also uses a suspended 4th in You’ve Got A Friend:
G GM7 CM7 Em7 CM7 Bm7 D7sus4 G
Winter, spring summer or fall, all you got to do is call, and I’ll be there yeah, yeah, yeah, you’ve got a friend.
Here the D7sus4 comes on the last yeah, holding it for a moment before returning to the G on ‘you’ve got a friend‘.
James Taylor, who clearly learnt everything he knows about song writing from his mentor Carol King, is a frequent employer of the suspended 4th and there are loads of examples in his songs but finally for now, something I’m sure everyone’s familiar with, whether they like it or not! – Billy Joel’s Just The Way You Are
G7 Gm D Bm Em7 Asus4 D
I took the good times, I’ll take the bad times, I’ll take you just the way you are
If you’ve got the idea, you should be able to work out that the Asus4 come on the word ‘just’ and is ‘relieved’ by the D on the word ‘are’.
Lesson over. Hope it makes some sort of sense…
*whispers* Don’t tell the Deadhead but I think I may find suspended fourths (or at least their resolution) rather satisfying…
I am finding myself thinking of having to learn about cadences in O Level Music – is the suspended fourth part of a particular type of cadence? Plagal maybe?
‘the Deadhead’ already had his suspicions about that, given some of the (insert ever-so-slightly dismissive yet still affectionate label)’s previously-stated musical tastes……!
Thank you, thank you, TB. That saves me a lot of thought and effort, trawling for examples. Beautifully clear (to me anyway).
I’m not maligning all uses of sus4, by any means (even a couple of you-know-who’s songs have ‘em). When employed subtly, it can be very effective but, in other’s hands, it can be a blunt manipulation, like the key change.
We all recognise a key change, right? Just think of Seasons In The Sun – I think that has about 35 of them….. (exaggerating again, eh? I’ve told you a milli… aw, shut up! – Ed.)
Even I recognise a key change! It’s the bit when Westlife get up off their man-stools and start flying without wings. Or something.
For reasons too convoluted (aka too embarrassing) to go into here, I have an extended version of Barry Manilow’s “Mandy” somewhere in my record collection in which he heaps key change on top of key change on top of key change. It is HILARIOUS.
@bish I met a sound engineer this week who worked on a Westlife album. ”NEVER AGAIN”, he said. They spent a whole afternoon with one guy trying to get a oo oo right. Only one of them could sing, he said; he’d come in and do his work in a day. It took weeks with the rest of them.
Luckily for him (and indeed the rest of us), the ‘Loife are no more.
‘Fugitive Motel’ is guilty as charged – the verse ends with a sus4 then resolves into the chorus with ‘I’ll blow you a kiss…’
Indeed it does – and I think the reason that it works so well (and not wishing to analyse a muscially-very-simple song to death!) is that the E7sus4 is used throughout the verse as a counterpoint to the CM7 so that the whole of the verse conjours up a feeling of loneliness and loss which complements the lyrics so well. The whole thing builds up and then explodes into the blowing of the kiss. Or not… Who knows?
Damn. Lost a big thank you comment to Chris & Toffee. Been shouted at to log off now -
see yuz.
Well, as no-one has suggested Powder Blue yet I will go with that although the whole of Cast of Thousands could be alternatives plus other superb songs from other albums. PB was the 1st song I heard from them and it sounds as pained and brilliant as it did 10 years ago. I still rate Cast of Thousands as one of the 10 best albums of the noughties. A genius band.
Whoops.
I know I’ve had one bite of the cherry, but as no-one else has mentioned this classic I had to throw it in the mix.
I love the people ‘all scented and descending from the satellite towns’ who are ‘hunting Picadilly in packs again’. Then there’s the bouncer ‘being born like a baby from the doors of the bars’. One of Garvey’s great lyrical gems.
Donds for ‘Jesus is a Rochdale Girl’. Not quite my favourite on ‘Build a Rocket Boys!’ (I like the full on sonic assault of ‘Neat Little Rows’ myself) but certainly the best, lyric Garvey’s produced to date – genius.
EEK! Blimpy, apologies – you got there well before me.