Named after the debut single by Teenage Fanclub.
This blog is all about being a music lover in Glasgow; reviews, interviews, memories, old faves, new discoveries (past and present), playlists and more. Thanks for visiting - I hope you discover something amazing you have never heard before, or that you rediscover an old favourite.
Regular features/playlists; Never Ending Mixtape / Cover Version of the Month/ Trust Me.
Insta - @everythingflowsglasgow
Cover version of the month #49 Dillard and Clark cover The Beatles
I've written about Don't Let Me Down by The Beatles a number of times through the blog, most recently in my Confidently Top 10 blog. It is my favourite Beatles song - so pure, so heartfelt, Lennon so in love that he has to say it in four words rather than three.
So I'm not going to talk about the original version that makes me picture the fab 4 on the Apple rooftop, Lennon's hair blowing in the wind and the friends gelling and laughing as they play their final show. Just watch and listen - magical.
Instead, I'm going to discuss the Dillard and Clark version that I recently discovered. I'm digging into the back catalogue of Gene Clark following the BBC documentary The Byrd Who Flew Alone.
Through the Morning, Through the Night was the second album released by Dillard and Clark, coming out in August 1969, only 10-months after their debut LP.
I've yet to find out how Dillard and Clark discovered the song before it was released on The Beatles Let It Be album in May 1970, but somehow they did.
Their version keeps the bluesy feel of The Beatles but turns it into country bluesgrass blues. Clark's voice is unaccompanied for the first few seconds before bass, drums, acoustic and lead guitar kick in. The vocal is beautiful and when the harmonies come in, especially if you are listening on headphones, it is pretty spine tingling.
My favourite section of the song is the middle eight;
I'm in love for the first time
And I know it's gonna last
It's a love that lasts a lifetime
It's a love that has no past
Clark changes a couple of words and the way his voice lingers on no past is just stunning. Dillard and Clark with over one minute of Clark repeatedly singing don't let me down backed by beautiful harmonies/backing vocals. The song fades ... I wish they had kept it going, it is sublime.
Sonny Marvello celebrate their 10th anniversary as a band with a show at Stereo on Thursday 26th May.
Here are 10 amazing memories I have of the band as a fan, manager and friend;
1. Seeing them for the first time
Back in November 2008 I went to the aftershow party of Glasgow versus Cancer at Sloans in Glasgow City Centre. I was rather drunk and stumbled into one of the upstairs rooms where a number of bands were scheduled to play. Kassidy (who went on to be signed) were on and I was reminded of Mr Big!
I stumbled into another room where Will Sergeant from Echo and the Bunnymen was playing some cool sounds and then back to the live room to see who was on next.
The performance I witnessed may well be my favourite ever from an unsigned act in Glasgow. The five piece smashed it out the park. They had a gaggle of loyal friends and fans down the front but more importantly they got others who had never heard of them, never mind hearing their music, dancing.
They had a song that sounded a little like Girls and Boys by Blur, echoes of The Beatles and Bowie, they were sensational. They looked the part, dressed in vintage blazers and the singer had a red top hat on.
I asked the bassist between songs who the band were called but I couldn’t make it out. I think I asked him at least 3 more times including once on the stairs afterwards.
The next day I woke with a stinking hangover (although not as bad as the one my friend Wigs had when he woke up on my sofa) and I couldn’t remember the bands name, or find any trace of them in the listings for the aftershow online.
Finally I tracked them down...the band were called Sonny Marvello. And I wanted to manage them. I sent them a message on MySpace to talk about how I was blown away.
2. Meeting Stephen Farrell for the first time.....and then the rest of the band
In April 2009 I met with singer and songwriter Stephen Farrell in the 13th Note and we shared several pints of Stella to discuss music and the bands history. The band were prolific, they’d self funded a trip to New York City for a week and had an incredible time, winning best unsigned act at a prestigious festival. They’d played the popular Burlesque night Club Noir and smashed it out the park, they’d set up their own Sssshhhh club night - kidnapping people and taking them to secret locations in a bus, they’d gone close to being signed but like so many had been f**ked over by people promising them the earth and failing to deliver.
They wanted to release music. (check their BANDCAMP page as they have put up loads of old demos)
Within a couple of hours I had scribbled together a plan and we were a team.
After winning Stephen over we then arranged further beers with Mick Caldwell (guitar), Craig Douglas (bass), Mike Walker (keys and synths) and Michael Bryans (drums). We met at Bar Soba in Mitchell Lane and got quite pissed (again) before heading back to Sloans where i had invites to a showcase by a band called Sugar Crisis that producer John McLaughlin had somehow got signed!
They were terrible but I was keen to network. When I told the band where I was off to it was like a red flag to a bull. I found out that John had messed them around a little.
The band came along and waltzed into the venue. Stephen found John and called him something unprintable in this blog. As much as I respect what John has achieved in the music industry, I thought this was great - PUNK ROCK!
3. The Oxfam Basement photo shoot
First things first, I wanted to get some band promo shots done that highlighted their style and image. I knew Andrew who managed (and still does) Oxfam Music and Byres Road and I had been down into their basement and being the geeky kind of music guy I am, I thought ‘this would be great for a photo shoot’.
My friend Dave took some great shots of the band checking records and goofing around. It was my first experience of the Sonny Marvello gang mentality. They were in a different zone, bouncing off each other, ripping the piss, generally just being sound guys.
I love the photo’s. The band just looked and sounded great, I had really fallen for them.
4. The Stereo shows
The band wanted to get some money together to record with Brian O’Neill at Cava Studios in Glasgow - not cheap! I asked them how many people they could realistically get to a Glasgow show. They said 200 no bother so I went out and booked Stereo for a show in early July.
They packed the place out and we easily cleared £500 after rewarding the support acts with some good money.
We rebooked Stereo for September and all of a sudden the band had more than £1,000 in their account to head into Cava. I think it was at the second show that a fellow Castlemilk band called The Cinnamons (led by Gerry Cinnamon) supported. The atmosphere was incredible, everyone was totally up for it, it was a celebration of music and art from Castlemilk.
The area of the city has a rough reputation. Through Sonny Marvello I have met some amazing people, all based around Castlemilk Youth Complex - an amazing facility that offers kids in the area an opportunity into the arts.
Sonny Marvello were super tight; Stephen patrolled the stage, hit all the notes and gave it 100%, Mick Caldwell was the best guitarist I had (and have) ever seen on the unsigned band circuit, Craig Douglas held it all together with funky bass and amazing harmonies, Michael Bryans created beautiful beats and Mike Walker played keys and synths to lift things even higher,
5. Easy Boys/We’re All Cruel 7-inch single
A fan of the band ran a blog called Bluesbunny and wanted to start a label. He liked the recordings from Cava and so pressed up some delicious 7-inch singles on gatefold vinyl.
The feeling I had of getting the test pressing and then the final copies was incredible. Easy Boys was the song I thought sounded like Blur. It was total euphoric pop.
We’re All Cruel was epic (and the band went on to make it even better) later in life for their Sparks to Fire album.
6. The Pull Me Up EP
The next release was the Pull Me Up EP. The review above captures it pretty perfectly. Then there was time for another photo shoot with Dave, this time in a field on the outskirts of my hometown of Carluke. It was another great day with the band....being a band and we had a great time.
7. Charlie Sheen
Stephen is writing songs and coming up with ideas all the time. In an ideal world he would be a songwriter based in New York or London.
Around the time of Charlie Sheen’s meltdown with drugs and orgies I sent Stephen a text and set him the challenge of writing a song called Charlie Sheen - You’re Living My Dream
Stephen responded the next day and published a film of him, Craig and Mick singing it acoustically into an inflatable crayon!
The lyrics were clever and playful, I particularly like;
I saw you once in my hometown, scoring some Charlie
8. The 100 club - Fire Went Out and the Ruby Tuesday’s Vintage Store secret show
I was keen to keep momentum going and came up with the idea of a fanclub to raise funds. For £10, people would get a mini acoustic album (on a CD that looked like vinyl), a badge and access to a secret gig. Early crowdfunding!
So another £1,000 was raised.
The mini-acoustic album was recorded in just one day and features my favourite Sonny Marvello song, the absolutely stunning Fire Went Out. The closing section still sends shivers down my spine. I think it shows just how close they are as a band and friends and how supremely talented they are.
The secret show mentioned as part of the 100 club was to be held at a vintage clothes store above a tea room in Bath Street following a talk and performance at the Apple Store surrounding the use of Apple products at Rocket Science studios and for filming the above Fire Went Out video.
Everyone invited followed me up Buchanan Street and along Bath Street to the ‘secret’ location. It was hilarious. Federico (who owned the now closed store) was the perfect host. We got in loads of booze and the band played an acoustic set. Kevin Harper, friend and fan of the band, also ended up playing an impromptu set from the roof outside the shop!
Good, good times with good, good people.
9. The Loch Lomond Festival
The band were keen to keep things going and I was also keen to make sure the band were a little different. Rather incredibly (considering their songs and ability) they were overlooked for festivals in favour of bands deemed a little cooler.
Being the creative and determined guy that I am, I thought ‘I’ll organise our own festival’, so I did!
My original idea of booking a campsite was cancelled as I worried about the weather and the logistics involved. Instead Craig and I drove up to a youth hostel on the banks of Loch Lomond to meet the manager and agreed to book out the whole hostel for a Saturday night in October for a festival.
Tickets were £40. For that you got a roof over your head, Sonny Marvello, Model Jet Pilot, Kevin Harper and entertainment by rising magician Ryan Davidson. Oh and i DJ’d long into the night.
What a day and night it was! Check in was at 2pm and drinks were flowing shortly after. Someone took a dip in the loch at midnight, there was the mystery of the dump in the sink (don’t ask!), Sonny Marvello somehow blagged a laser light show and smoke machine, Kevin Harper was sensational and we had a great laugh talking music and film, Model Jet Pilot rocked and everyone had an amazing time.
10. Rocket Science and the Sparks To Fire album
All the momentum and all the fun we had was incredible. It really was a great time. After all the fun there was a different kind of momentum as the band got down to the serious business of recording an album at Rocket Science studios with Ross Hamilton and Michael Bannister.
It took a while! But the results were incredible.
Time moved on and I suggested (foolishly looking back) that perhaps a change in band name would be good for the band. So the band name changed to Flash Talk for the Sparks to Fire album.
The album is incredible! It really is; check it here - now newly (and rightly) available as Sonny Marvello.
Going into Rocket Science Studios to hear the songs being played back was a different kind of excitement and fun. They were f**king good. Tiny Little Sparks was played on Radio 1 only days after being completed.
Check the videos for Miracle and Run to the Horizon below. I/We should have done more with them.
Life kind of caught up with the dream of being a band - quite a lot of crazy stuff happened around that time. I still hope that this album will be picked up in some shape or form one day. Ripe for TV, film and advertising.
Making friends
My best memory though is of making friends. I had some great nights out; Stephen and Hayley’s wedding, Beatles guitar band, the Buff Club, various bars and venues, the Complex for Craig’s 30th and I still play 7-a-sides most weeks with Craig and Walker. All of the band (and I) have experienced and shared highs and devastating lows in our time as friends. That’s life I guess...and it is a little easier to get by with a little help from your friends.
Sonny Marvello may have a new album out next year. Stephen has also recorded some solo stuff under the guise of...Stephen Solo and I’ll be blogging about that in the very near future.
It’s been great looking back at some of the achievements, the music and thinking about what could have been, what should have been.
The band play Stereo on Thursday 26th May.
Be great to see you there.
The band are also looking to the future and should have a new album out next year. The first side was recorded over 3-days at a rented house in the countryside, the second side is being recorded at present.
(What's The Story) Morning Glory? was the album that propelled Oasis towards Maine Road, Knebworth and breakdown. The band pushed it as far as they possibly could between 1994 and 1996 - they burned bright - white light, white heat.
It was released 20-years ago today. I was 19-years old. The band had been an important part of my life, a fixture, since April 1994 when I saw them supporting The Boo Radleys at the Tramway in Glasgow ahead of the release of Supersonic. They blew my mind - the look, attitude, the songs...
They were f**king consistent - in fact they were better than that - they were improving all the time; live and in the studio. Noel was becoming more confident by the month.
Lets take a look back at the album that took over the world in 1995.
It's worth noting the b-sides that were released at that time and thinking of the album it could have been! Talk Tonight, Acquiesce, Round Are Way, The Masterplan...
On to the album - it just blew up. Some Might Say and Roll With It were the singles that proceeded the album. Cracking songs, much in the vein of Definitely Maybe. But Morning Glory was much more varied than Definitely Maybe, which in the words of Noel Gallagher was '10 singles with a nice corny track at the end.'
Morning Glory had the mellow acoustic moments like Wonderwall (an out and out love song) and Cast No Shadow, the emotional Don't Look Back In Anger (with Noel on lead vocals!) and the sky scraping Champagne Supernova. Definitely Maybe remains my favourite Oasis album, but Morning Glory was an important step away from the debut - along with the b-sides mentioned above, it highlighted that Noel was developing as a songwriter and he had a lot to his cannon. Noel wanted his band to mean as much to people as The Smiths, The Roses, The Jam and The Pistols...he succeeded!
The album opens with the cheeky glam stomp of Hello with Liam singing 'it's good to be back, it's good to be back'. In truth, the lads hadn't been away. They kept on gigging and releasing throughout 1994 and 1995 and all the while Noel Gallagher was writing and storing songs away. An interview with Bonehead from the time of release said that he was in tears when Noel played the album on acoustic guitar to him.
Everyone was familiar with Roll With It due to the summer slanging match with Blur that set the peaking point of Britpop that lasted a full year until Oasis reached Knebworth the following summer.
Wonderwall was the song that took Oasis to a different audience. A crossover smash hit, this was a song that transformed and transfixed the nation. I remember going for a drink in neighbouring Wishaw at the time of release and me and my friends were walking about town after the pub closed and unfortunately came across a gang who looked like they were going to kick our heads in. They shouted across the road asking what we were doing in their town and despite not being a fighter I remember taking my belt off, thinking I'll get a good whack in first before we take a kicking.
Then one of them saw I had an Oasis t-shirt on. Within seconds, both groups of lads were singing Wonderwall and punching the air in delight! Next time we were in town we met for a drink!
This song probably deserves a blog in its own right. For all their self proclaimed love of The Beatles, this was the first time Oasis produced something that could be termed Beatlesy and the nation fell in love with it.
Liam's voice sounds incredible - rich and soulful. He was only 23 when it was released, so would have been a youthful 22 when he recorded it. His voice stretched and strengthened from over a year on the road from the release of Supersonic.
The structure is what would become classic Noel - verse - bridge - chorus. Some bands talked of only writing and recording songs for themselves, in interviews around this time Noel talked of writing songs to be whistled by the milkman and the guy off to buy his 20 Benson and Hedges. With Wonderwall, he got the country singing.
Noel famously said to Liam during recording the album - 'You can either have Wonderwall or Don't Look Back In Anger, but not both.'
Liam took Wonderwall and despite a heft trawl through the wonders of the internet - there seems to be no evidence that he ever demo'd or has ever sang Don't Look Back In Anger - at least not recorded.
So Noel gets DLBIA which begins with the chords of Imagine pounded out by a kid from Burnage. It is a bitter sweet song, Noel is in fantastic form with vivid lyrics and his voice suits the song, soaring for the chorus. Funny at times, especially with;
Please don't put your life in the hands, of a rock n roll band
Who'll throw it all away
Other lyrics go back to his childhood - stand up beside the fireplace, take that look from off your face
And the you ain't ever gonna burn my heart out line was one that you sang from the very bottom of your heart with full gusto. And did we ever find out who Sally was, or is the myth that Liam suggested the line true?
Hey Now, at least in my humble opinion, is a total plodder. Round Are Way, The Masterplan or Acqueisce would have been a much better selection on the album. From memory Noel said he was wanting to write something like Neil Young - he failed. In comparison to the highs of Wonderwall, DLBIA, Cast No Shadow and Champagne Supernova then this is a low and probably the most boring song in the Oasis cannon up to that point. It unfortunately lasts for almost 6-minutes, far too long.
Swamp Song is 45-minutes of a promising jam with all kinds of gutsy attitude that would become Oasis entrance music for a while.
Meanwhile, Some Might Say soars towards the stars. The guitars are turned up and sound magnificent. This was Oasis' first number one. It is pop rock perfection. Doesn't really mean anything, doesn't matter. Noel dovetails Liam throughout and it all just sounds glorious. And any song that allows Liam Gallagher to sing suuunnnnnssssshiiiinnnnneeee is a winner in my book.
Some might say, we will find a brighter day
Cast No Shadow is dedicated to the genius that is Richard Ashcroft in the sleeve notes (remember them?!). Mellow, heartfelt and soulful, it is one of Liam's best vocal performances. Check out his exceptional performance at Knebworth below.
Bound with all the weight of all the words he tried to say
And as he faced the sun he cast no shadow
One of my abiding memories of Morning Glory is travelling from Carluke to neighbouring Lanark in my mate Dave's car listening to the album. We were heading to the house of some guy he worked with at the time and it was in quite a rough part of Lanark. The sun was shining, windows were open and the sounds of Morning Glory were everywhere. It was incredible. She's Electric was blasting out of Dave's friends house, it just sounded absolutely perfect for the time and the environment. I love The Beatles story of McCartney taking Sgt Peppers to a party and opening the windows of the flat at dawn to blast it out. It seemed like every single house in this estate in Lanark was playing Morning Glory on this sunny Autumn day.
SomehowShe's Electric has become a bit of a staple at weddings. It is poppy, catchy and funny. You can't fail to like it.
Morning Glory is electric - absolutely sensational - Oasis in pure punk form and Liam really going for it with the vocals. I was lucky enough to be at Knebworth in 1996 (in the front pit after bribing security) and my mate Elliott hoisted me on his shoulders for this. Looking back at 125,000 people going nuts was unbelievable. Ferocious.
Untitled/Swamp Song 2 eases us into the closer. Paul Weller allegedly appears on Swamp Song and Noel apparently wanted to call it The Jam which would have been amazing!
Champagne Supernova is a skyscraping anthem. It feels fantastic, starting off with acoustic guitars and Liam singing his heart out and then it just builds and builds. The beat kicks in and Liam and Noel lead the song towards the sun.
Cause people believe that they're gonna get away for the summer
You and I, we live and die
The world's still spinning round
We don't know why
Why, why, why, why?
There is a brief respite and then Noel launches into one of his most stratospheric guitar riffs, just to tease us, before Liam comes in and lulls us down before it all kicks off again.
Someday you will find me, caught beneath the landslide
In a Champagne Supernova, a Champagne Supernova in the sky
This is a gem, an absolute belter, with moments of searing brilliance leading to some of the most tender and soulful Liam lyrics in the Oasis catalogue.
Where were you while we were getting high
We were getting high, we were getting high....
Oasis were certainly getting high 20-years ago and they took a hell of a lot of people along for the ride. Take some time to listen back to (What's the Story) Morning Glory? over the weekend and think back to those heady days when Oasis kicked down the door to the mainstream and a whole heap of bands rushed through. A seminal album from the time.
The Monkees, cider, children's TV shows from the 80's and sci-fi movies (good and bad)
are all ingredients to the sounds of Dr Cosmo's Tape Lab.
Jeez - if that description doesn't encourage you to step inside Dr Cosmo's Tape Lab then I don't know what will, maybe this blog will help!
The bands debut album Ever Evolving Lounge was a favourite of mine last year; jam packed with McCartney style melodies, a lysergic take on guitar pop, a nod to the Beta Band and a glorious feeling of 'we couldn't give one flying f**k what other people are doing - this is the kind of music we love and create.'
Needless to say I have been looking forward to their follow up for a while...it doesn't disappoint.
Beyond The Silver Sea is available on silver (naturally) vinyl via Sugarbush Records and comes with artwork, a badge and also immediate download. You can also get it on CD or just opt for boring old download.
Anyway, on to the album....
It builds on everything I enjoyed about Ever Evolving Lounge and adds a little more; each song is proceeded by a narrative about our hero Max in a kind of Small Faces Odgen's Nut Gone Flake way - done in a nice nutty Glaswegian manner.
The songs are exceptional; Joe Kane and Stuart Kidd are extremely talented musicians creating some majestic moments, particularly on The Mirror's Reflection and The Star's My Destination and the closing trilogy. If their debut was perhaps a collection of songs by friends seeing what they could do, this is definitely an album.
We are introduced to Max before harmonies, beat, walking bass and a sense of urgency bring in City and the Stars that closes with classic Beatles-y backing vocals and a raucous guitar solo followed by a glorious breakdown.
The Mirror's Reflection is absolutely stunning melodic pop rock; The Beatles and Macca are in there for sure, the songwriting, playing, vocals, structure and production are exquisite. This is currently my favourite song of 2015 - genius.
The twist towards the end of Face Of Another is pure Exile Stones, raw harmonies with a country twang.
You can cry in the heart of the morning
You can cry 'til your eyes are blue
You can cry in the middle of nowhere, my dear
You can't stand tears not falling over you
The way Time Enough For Love develops and then flows beautifully is a joy, as is the dinky piano solo, while the guitar solo on The Painted Birds positively fizzles.
Meanwhile, in the narratives, Max has found a time-machine and travelled back in time to Camden in 1966; Pie, Mash and Liquor is a mash (pardon the pun) of Chas n Dave, Blur, Lovely Rita and Gorillaz.
Dr Cosmo's Tape Lab come up with eccentric ideas for songs and then use them as platforms to show off their outrageous musical talent; Storehouse Of Fools being a prime example with some superb electric guitar lifted straight from 1966.
If a love of the Small Faces influences the narration between songs, then it is also displayed on songs like Dr Chester's Pleasure; total power pop.
Meanwhile The Star's My Destination sets controls for outer space and in under 4-minutes it takes you on a trip you won't want to end, just float away, feel alright......
Joe Kane and Stu Kidd - the genius talent behind Dr Cosmo's Tape Lab
I love the raw soulful feel that Dr Cosmo's can conjure; there is a pureness that a lot of modern bands could never obtain due to over production and the use of too many programmed instruments - including drums. And also due to the fact they just aren't as talented as Kane and Kidd.
The Long Sleep soon leads into Space Dream and it doesn't get much more dreamy; the harmonies are lush and we flow to the closer and title track Beyond The Silver Sea.
Another day is gone
And you're still holding on
To a dream tomorrow just won't bring
Beyond the silver sea
Dreams don't come for free
Don't it take much time
For your dreams to fall in line
It might cost you half your mind
We can try to find
Things we want to be
Beyond the silver sea (be yourself through everything)
So this is more of a diary than a blog or review, seeing as I manage Sonny Marvello. And what a pleasure that is.
This was the slightly late launch of the bands debut single on Mteropolicana Records due to problems with mastering, pressing, delivery and the drummer going to Japan for 6-weeks.
All of that was forgotten last night when Sonny Marvello took to the stage for their first gig of 2010.
But before that, lets begin at the start of the night. Ross Hamilton AKA Rosco played a short solo set to warm up the crowd before The Cinnamons brought their American college-rock/pop influenced sounds to Stereo. Despite technical problems during their first song this was the best I have seen them. Lead singer Gerry made full use of the large stage, shimmying around to the beats and riffs produced by the rest of the band. Highlights included the single Dead Mans Shoes, Armed Robbery and a glorious Analog Man.
A soundtrack consisting of Wings, Bowie, Motown and Blur brought Sonny Marvello on to the stage before a packed and eagerly awaiting crowd. The band launched straight into debut single Easy Boys with singer Stephen Farrell working his charm on the crowd and giving it his all. The band then played new song Made of Magic for the first time. It's a poppy track that embeds itself in your head on first listen with the closing section being particularly memorable; 'M A G I C what you're made of, is magic'.
Don't Want To Be Held and Whispering Song were old favourites, with the latter drawing a particularly good crowd response before the band played another new song entitled Tiny Little Sparks. Mick Caldwell's guitar was beautiful, this is a song that Chris Martin would be proud of.
The double-a-side We're All Cruel showcased the bands songwriting ability and it sounded big enough for Hampden, never mind Stereo.
Pull Me Up is guitar pop heaven and the crowd were dancing and singing along to one of Sonny's poppiest moments. My Lover kept the crowd dancing and singing, with the band throwing in a little bit of the Bee Gee's Jive Talking for good measure.
There was no way the crowd were going to let them off without an encore and the and dutifully returned to play the excellent Love Ain't Sweet. Another stadium anthem in the making.
This was an excellent night for Sonny Marvello. The money raised will go straight into recordings as the band look to record and release regularly throughout 2010.
