Future Sailors!
Slight change in the technology due to my luddite mindset, same Spill Game – it’s just split into 2 sections. Eleven tracks, you have to decide which one you’d get rid of one…but only one.
It’s probably easiest to leave comments in the second section once you’ve listened to all of the tracks..if you listen to all of them…
No specific genre this week , although there might, possibly , be more than one punk track. There’s no specific theme either , unless you count “Songs I really like that I haven’t nominated repeatedly on RR”
There is a special bonus challenge though: which of these songs does Mrs wyngatecarpenter say sounds like the Mighty Boosh* doing an 80s song? – answer tomorrow.
*Mighty Boosh – surreal TV comedy duo who do send ups of different musical styles.
1) The Restarts – Wouldn’t Wanna – Might as well start as you’d expect me to!
2) Peter & The Test Tube Babies – Louise Wouldn’t Like It – Again you might expect them on the list, but this isn’t typical, at least musically. But is it sexist? Or just an observation on a very familiar situation?
3) Simple Minds – Today I Died Again – Reminds me of wearing long coats and hanging around near the Berlin Wall looking moody. I’ve never done that, but that’s what it reminds me of. Strange.
No enormodome full of people waving lighters anywhere in sight at this point in their career.
4) Gun Club – Brother & Sister – Even moodier, and a bit desperate sounding, but more melodic. The lyrics are a bit mysterious but the title tells you all you need to, but probably don’t want to, know about the song
5) Ellery Bop – We Deny – I don’t know that much about these, but they were a lesser known part of Liverpool’s famous post punk scene. This is from 1983 and it sounds like it! They supported Killing Joke on tour in 85, then disappeared (possibly to have nervous breakdowns if the tales of other Joke support acts experiences are anything to go by)
Well, I’m gonna comment in two halves – as I do it as I listen, so it’s easier that way. I’ll reserve judgement on what’s going till the end though.
The Restarts: Pretty much what I expected. It’s alright. Not much (musical or lyrical) beauty in there though, is there? Or anything really to relate to other than the testosterone.
Peter & The Test Tube Babies: Sounds like a murkier Cult. To begin with anyway. Or “Love Like Blood”-era Killing Joke perhaps. Or early Cure. Oh I don’t know. Much better than the first one. Quite like it actually. Keep.
Simple Minds: Ooh how very portentous (bordering on preposterous). I quite like the self-importance actually. It’s only pop music, Jim love, chill out! You may be ever-so-serious now but one day you’ll marry Patsy Kensit. Oh yes you will.
Gun Club: Rather washed over me. It was OK, if a bit anonymous “alternative 80s”. Better verse than bridge/chorus, which don’t quite work for me. That “you used to say” bit sounds out of tune to me. May be one for the chop.
Ellery Bop: For a split-second there, I thought we might be about to get a female vocalist. As worthy of ongoing renown as any that have featured so far, I guess.
Thanks for giving it all a listen Bish.
Beauty is not really something The Restarts are renowned for I don’t think – it’s a hard world out there in Hackney. Interesting comment about testosterone though, not the most testosterone-fuelled band I’ve ever come across!
Strangely I’d never noticed the Test Tubes / Joke similarity on this track but I think you’re right. This was about ’86, both bands were trying to vary their sound and do something a bit more commercial at the time.
I quite enjoy a bit of Jim Kerr early-80s self-importance as well. I read some interview from 1981 when he was suggesting that music critics were “scared” by their music!
Jeffrey Lee Pierce can sing out of tune all he likes!
Funnily enough it did occur to me that I had no female vocalists in the list, the fact is that I just don’t listen to as many female artists, the one I kept thinking of is a recent release which I’m reserving for a different post. I suppose I just like a bit of aggression in my music, and occasionally a bit of moody pretensiousness – male artists tend to be predominant in both fields.
1. Straight in there with a classic rhythm, oh that’s a filthy mind and rhythm and a perfect instrumental section. Brilliant. I can imagine a great dance scene being set to this in a hardnut British b-movie. Maybe someone, somewhere else is getting banged while this plays in the movie.
2. One of the things about the Test Tubes is the way they observe ordinary life. Very kitchen sink drama.
3. Simple Minds are just so good in that early period. The soundscapes they created and the images they conjured were perfect for their era. The less sense they made the better. I love this.
4. I think the Gun Club would be praised to high heaven today. But every song I’ve ever heard by them just suffers from not being Sex Beat. Actually, most songs do. A sound somewhere between the Cramps and early green on red means top points from me.
5. Jeez. I’ve not heard this in years. A bit Bunnymen B-side or a Porcupine outtake, just lacks the power of Mac’s voice and decent production. Hit’s my 1980′s spot but doesn’t move me.
I thought you might appreciate some of my selection.
I like Sex Beat but it’s not an all time favourite. I think this is my favourite Gun Club song, followed closely by Stranger In Our Town and Port Of Souls.
Someone else who’s heard the Ellery Bop track! I think your comments here are spot on – as I really like a lot of Bunnymen b-sides and my favourite Bunnymen album is Porcupine so that would explain why I like it (except that I herd this before I started buying Bunnymen records)
I do remember Ellery Bop. But I probably heard them way after Porcupine came out. Probably would’ve accused them of ripping off the Bunnymen, although, like many a young youtube user today, I’d most likely have been wrong as to who was copping whose sound. Cheers, great selection.
I love the Mighty Boosh, wish they’d release their album of music which they’ve recorded but left in the USA somewhere. Having got that off my chest, I shall listen to the selection
The Restarts have a bit of a Meteors thing going on with their logo haven’t they? Are they of a similar ilk? I like the vocalist, he reminds me of Lemmy and there is some persistent cymbal bashing going on, I like the energy.
I would expect Peter and the Test Tube Babies to be on your list, in fact I’d be disappointed if they weren’t. It’s got lots of things I love in it, the guitar sound is gorgeously 80s, the bass is tasty, kind of chanty vocals I quite like, I am not Louise and I do like it.
I do not like Simple Minds in general, but I’ll try to be open minded… quite Human League, is this the Boosh one? They’d have done it better and had more interesting make up, it’s got hints of bland stadiumness which puts me off.
I already like some of the Gun Club (don’t have more than 3 albums by them) so I thought I’d enjoy this and it was not disappointing, doesn’t feature either Blixa Bargeld or Patricia Morrision, I think, but still good.
Ellery Bop sound like a good support band for KJ, bit Bunnymen in vocal style, quite like it. On to part 2, of these P&TTTB is the winner.
The Restarts / Meteors logo is similar I suppose with the odd backward letters, but they are more like politicised work dodgers from Hackney squatland instead. In fact this is probably the least political song they’ve ever recorded.
I still think the Simple Minds track is a long way from their stadium days, it’s easy to think Simple Minds = stadium fodder in hindsight I suppose. But then they always had Genesis tendencies, so you might have a point.
I would also think of Ellery Bop as a good KJ support, although I know that in the day KJ also used to have supports such as Aztec Camera, presumably as bait forthe audience
I’ve never been inclined to explore Simple Minds, I expect they have an album I’d think was okay, but because I first heard of them in their bland stadium rock days, they are not top of the list. I don’t like Genesis either.
That’s mean of KJ to inflict their audience on Aztec Camera et al. Being a support band can be a rubbish job.
Beth: did you see Waldemar Januszczak destroy the reputation of the Goths last night on BBC4? Apparently they were devout Christians who created some beautiful, colourful, religious art and poetry, and even invented the horseshoe arch. They seem to have been a victim of the usual historic propaganda process.
we watched him last week getting excited about early Christian art, but his peculiar way of speaking was so annoying we didn’t watch it last night. It is recorded though. I think goths always have been a lot about art, spirituality and the finer things in life as well as snakebite and black and crimpers
Liked the Restarts just fine. I have a place for that kind of music.
Loved the Test Tubes, dond of this set. Reason i think i like them so much, aside from their lyrics, is that they’re musically interesting and can play their instruments. Not unfamiliar with melody either.
Simple Minds – I first knew them from the Don’t You Forget About Me stuff (still love that song, sorry.) Haven’t liked much of their older stuff, and this one bored the crap out of me. One for the toss.
Bish said Jim married Patsy Kensit? Didn’t know that, but i believe he was married to Chrissie Hynde (pre-Ray Davies), i think they have a kid together.
Liked the Gun Club ok, The Ellery Bop seemed a bit like the Bunnymen, but have to say it didn’t do much for me either. Onto the next batch then.
Cheers, thought Test Tubes would go down ok with you obviously.
Jim Kerr seemed to be getting married as often as Elizabeth Taylor at one point (it seemed like that anyway). He married Chrissie Hynde in 84 I think, but it didn’t last long, Patsy Kensit was next.
The Restarts – Yep, OK. Bit Motorhead in places, which is OK with me. Slightly uninteresting, though.
Peter and the Test Tube Babies – Quite like this. Sexist? Probably. They’re young, they’re male, it goes with the territory.
Simple Minds – Am I voluntarily going to listen to Simple Minds? Hmmm. Got to 0.50. That warrants a good effort in my book.
Gun Club – Better, but reminds me of Morrisey, which is never good. I think I kind of missed the ’80s.
Ellery Bop – My history teacher was called Miss Ellery. Or Celery, naturally. She wasn’t given to bopping – not really areo-dynamically suited – but I digress. I quite like this, lots of energy.
So Simple Minds for the chop, so far.
Re The Restarts agree on the first point, Motorhead have to be one of the most influential bands in the history of punk, despite not actually being punk.
“Sexist? Probably. They’re young, they’re male, it goes with the territory.” Fair cop, ultimately Test Tube Babies are probably guilty as charged, although this song still reminds me of certain people I have known.
Unexpectedly poor old Simple Minds are suffering death by a thousand bins, in fact the Today I Died Again is turning out to be a very apt title.
“but reminds me of Morrisey” – Nooo!!!!!
dude, i’m a Stones fan. Sexist is a concept i’m obviously willing to overlook to the point of it very nearly not even registering.
ditto that with Nick Cave, great big blind spot with his song writing about women!
1) The Restarts. Yes, it has energy. Not much else, though.
2) Peter & The Test Tube Babies. A bit of a tune in this one, alongside the traditional bloke-gripe. Louise should probably find someone a bit older.
3) Simple Minds. What an oddly-constructed soundscape: a muted Telstar squaw dance.
4) Gun Club. Is that a bit of slide guitar in there? It sounds like they could have made something more musically sophisticated but decided instead to conform to the genre rules of drumming and imperfect vocals. The lyrics are intriguing: not too many punk songs quote from the Lord’s Prayer, I imagine.
5) Ellery Bop. My favourite of this section, for reasons I can’t quite explain. A standard guitar/drum set-up but there’s a great ‘on-the-edge’ feeling and I really like the multiple voices.
Cheers Chris. I never think of Gun Club as a punk band though (the idea here being to go have a bit more variety than 11 bands like The Restarts). The phrase “punk blues” gets bandied about a lot in relation to Gun Club but I don’t think genre rules is something they really paid a lot of attention to.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SULu6gWlNys&feature=player_embedded
half decent!