Showing posts with label Creation Records. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Creation Records. Show all posts

Friday, 3 July 2026

I Love You

Trust me #118
Love You by Primal Scream

The cover of Reverberations ( Travelling In Time)

Way before the beats, groove, futuristic sounds and strobe lights of Screamadelica and the leather-clad rock n roll swagger, funky jams and blissed out ballads of Give Out But Don't Give Up, Primal Scream were a band (like many from Glasgow) influenced by the West Coast California sounds of bands like Love and The Byrds. 

The sun kissed music from America was filtered through the Glasgow rain, Southside tenement bedrooms and the romanticised vision and imagination of Bobby Gillespie to create the original Primal Scream sound. Gillespie was a kid obsessed with music - if he was forming/joining a band, then it had to be as good as the music of his heroes.

In addition to his ambition, Gillespie also happened to look absolutely magnificent. Super cool, with a floppy fringe haircut that you can just imagine kids reading the NME / Melody Maker at the time wanting to replicate. Whether drumming with The Mary Chain, fronting Primal Scream or running the Splash One night - Gillespie had exceptional style, vision and energy. Something that John Charnley from The Clouds touched on in an interview for my blog last month.

Gillespie formed Primal Scream with his friend Jim Beattie whose 12-string Rickenbacker guitar was all over their early recordings. All Fall Down b/w It Happens was released as a single in 1985, followed by the seminal Crystal Crescent b/w Velocity Girl in 1986. Velocity Girl was the opening track on NME's legendary C86 compilation tape. Here is a blog I wrote on the song back in 2019 where I describe it as 82-seconds of a sugar pop rush, pure and perfect.

Bobby Gillespie & Jim Beattie
Year and photographer unknown

The Reverberations compilation album released in 2023 is a beautiful time capsule of early Primal Scream, primarily focusing on rounding up  the early singles and a series of Janice Long and John Peel sessions from 1985 and 1986 - way before the Primals released Sonic Flower Groove, their debut album, in October 87. 

Reflecting on the release of these archival recordings, Bobby Gillespie said: “This music proves we really had something special going on back then. I'm very proud of this album, I'm glad these sessions are finally being released.”

One of the songs included is I Love You, from a 1st December 1985 John Peel session, later released as Love You on Sonic Flower Groove, almost 2-years later. The Peel Session version evidences the early confidence and belief that surged through Primal Scream from the off.  Gillespie's band had the ambition and ability to write songs that felt important. 

Beattie's Rickenbacker cascades with a crystaline, sun-drenched shimmer, allowed to run for 20-seconds before Gillespie starts to sing. Moe Tucker style beats come in. This is The Velvet Underground with Roger McGuinn on guitar. Gorgeous.

I sometimes misunderstand, things you say

Lose all since I command

We collide in a time, almost drowning

I love you, I love you

I love you, I love you

Primal Scream sound fantastic on this Peel session. Gillespie is beautifully vulnerable, sincere, singing heart-on-sleeve lyrics, wide-eyed and head over heels in love. Pure, true and soulful. 

Time may tell if I'll entail

Maybe I, can hear your shout prevail

Or shall faith we betrayed

Become far soon

I love you, I love you

I love you, I love you

On the Peel version, Beattie plays the song out after the second chorus, the whole song lasts just 2-minutes 22 seconds. By the time Primal Scream recorded it for Sonic Flower Groove they doubled the length to create sublime, lush psychedelic pop. 

The song structure is all there, remaining true to the Peel version, but after the second chorus, instead of fading things to conclusion, Beattie adds some kick and fizz to his guitar for a solo over a dreamy 35 second instrumental. 

Gillespie comes back in to croon the chorus and then adds a gorgeous don't walk away coda, strings come in over the chiming and jangling guitars and Primal Scream sound like the best band on the planet.

I've thoroughly enjoyed delving into the 85-87 Primal Scream era. The Reverberations compilation of sessions and early singles is a fascinating archive of the band developing their sound, leading to Sonic Flower Groove.

Love You and I Love You from the 85 Peel Session are both added to my Trust Me playlist; search for Everything Flows - Trust Me on Spotify or CLICK HERE. Check below for all previous blogs in my Trust Me series.

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton
1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells
2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond
3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell
4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot
5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon
6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras
7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans
8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland
9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave
10. Sometimes by James
11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time
12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre
13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields
14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals
15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser
16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes
17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth
18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter
19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground
20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub
21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub
23. Belfast by Orbital
24. Clouds by The Jayhawks
25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral
26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair
27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke
28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones
29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze
29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells
30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor
31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton
32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich
33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem
34. Mondo 77 by Looper
35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton
36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats
37. How High by The Charlatans
38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands
39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.
40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective
41. There She Goes by The Las
42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes
43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo
44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell
45. Revolution by The Beatles
46. Lazarus by The Boo Radleys
47. Wrote For Luck by Happy Mondays
48. American Trilogy by The Delgados
49. Loser by Beck 
50. Silent Sigh by Badly Drawn Boy
51. Comedy by Shack
52. Take The Skinheads Bowling by Camper Van Beethoven
53. Freakscene by Dinosaur Jr
54. Thank You For Being You by The Pastels
55. I Think I'm In Love by Spiritualized
56. Chestnut Mare by The Byrds
57. Cannonball by The Breeders
58. Like A Rolling Stone by Bob Dylan
59. You Make Me Weak At The Knees by Electrelane
60. Lucky by Radiohead
61. Strange Currencies by R.E.M.
61. I Am The Cosmos by Chris Bell
62. Like A Ship (Without A Sail) by Pastor TL Barrett and the Youth for Christ Choir
63. Nothing But A Heartache by The Flirtations
64. Made of Stone by The Stone Roses
65. Tonight In Belfast by Orbital, David Holmes, DJ Helen and Mike Garry
66. Anything by Adrianne Lenker
67. I Hold Something In My Hand by Bill Ryder-Jones
68. I Meant Every Word by Burnett Sisters
69. Dream Baby Dream by Suicide
70. Stove by The Lemonheads
71. Red Lady by Phil Cordell
72. Little Fluffy Clouds by The Orb
73. I Can Do It With A Broken Heart by Taylor Swift
74. Turnin' My Heartbeat Up by The M.V.P.'s
75. Razzle Dazzle Rose by Camera Obscura
76. Such Great Heights by The Postal Service
77. The Rat by The Walkmen
78. My God Has A Telephone by Aaron Frazer
79. Unfinished Sympathy by Massive Attack
80. Sweet and Tender Romance by The McKinleys
81. Hoppipolla by Sigur Ros
82. 69 Police by David Holmes
83. Hey Lisa by David Holmes
84. I Am A Rock by Simon & Garfunkel
85. Kung Fu by Ash
86. Kids by MGMT
87. Slight Return by The Bluetones
88. Give Peace A Chance by John Lennon / Plastic Ono Band
89. Cut Your Hair by Pavement
90. Race for the Prize by The Flaming Lips
91. Waitin' for a Superman by The Flaming Lips
92. Acquiesce by Oasis
93. This Is Music by The Verve
94. Lone Swordsman by Daniel Avery
95. Sparky's Dream by Teenage Fanclub
96. Common People by Pulp
97. Let Our Love Grow Higher by Eula Cooper
98. Regret by New Order
99. Keep On Keepin' On by Nolan Porter
103. Life Is Sweet by The Chemical Brothers 
104. How Can I Tell You (To Love Me More) by Brooke Coombe
105-107. Wigan Casino - Three Before Eight - Time Will Pass You By by Tobi Legend, Long After Tonight Is All Over by Jimmy Radcliffe, I'm On My Way by Dean Parrish
108. Cobra by Geese
109. All I Have To Do Is Dream by The Everly Brothers
110. Vapour Trail by Ride
111. Teardrop by Massive Attack
112. Since I Left You by The Avalanches
113. Good Dancers by The Sleepy Jackson
114. Kiss My Love Goodbye by Bettye Swann
116. Get Out Of My Dream by The Clouds
117. Sundress by Ben Kweller

 

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Tuesday, 20 January 2026

Vapour Trail

Photo by Joe Dilworth

Cover version of the month #116
Trespassers William covers Ride's Vapour Trail

Trust me #110 - Vapour Trail by Ride

I started revisiting, reading and writing about Ride's blissful Vapour Trail for my Trust Me series and playlist. I'm still going to add it to that playlist. However, while researching the song, I discovered a gorgeous slow burning cover by a band called Trespassers Williams, hence, Vapour Trail is added to my cover version of the month series and playlist. Read on!

Ride burst on to the independent music scene in 1990 with a trilogy of EP's and debut album Nowhere. Aged between 18-20, the band seemed to be in their own world. Andy Bell, Mark Gardner (guitars and vocals), Steve Queralt (bass) and Loz Colbert (drums) looked fantastic, like a real gang and the four friends had a clear vision for their sound and values. 

Many labels were in the race to sign Ride from early doors, but Creation Records was the label Ride wanted - The Mary Chain and My Bloody Valentine being crucial factors. There is a great section on Creation chasing and getting Ride in the magnificent Creation book My Magpie Eyes Are Hungry For The Prize by David Cavanagh.

Vapour Trail, the closing song on Nowhere, seems so perfectly formed. Magical. If Ride's EP's and much of their debut album had a wall of noise that marked them as shoegazers, Vapour Trail had more space, a string quartet and a crystaline, chiming 12-string riff that really highlighted the bands development and maturity.

The song rides in on warm chords and Andy Bell singing the first line before the band fall in behind him.

First you look so strong, then you fade away

The sun will blind my eyes, I'll love you anyway

Thirsty for your smile, I watch you for a while

You are a vapour trail, in a deep blue sky

There are only 2 verses, with Bell singing about a love that seems to be fleeting (like a vapour trail), while he wants more. Each verse is followed by a la, la, la, la, la refrain. i particularly like the third line in the second verse - Bell is all in.

Tremble with a sigh, glitter in your eye

You seem to come and go, I never seem to know

And all my time is yours as much mine

We never have enough time to show our love

"I remember writing the riff in a hotel room on a very early Ride tour. We were in a bed and breakfast type scenario, and I was sitting on a bed with an acoustic to get that four-chord pattern which is really very simple. It’s played on two 12-strings. People seem to be quite interested with the guitar sound on this record, if there are fades or effects, but there’s not; it’s just two 12-strings. It’s just one of those magical songs. That’s the one that everyone talks about on the album in my experience. These songs are the easiest to write and the ones that you don’t really think about at the time. It came out so easily and it has that effortless feel to it. I guess it is the one I’m most proud of from that era." Andy Bell, MTV Hive, 2011

The second refrain finishes just before the 2-minute mark and everything cuts to leave the guitars before the drums come crashing back in, bass underpinning everything. Then comes the gorgeous string quartet over the top, the guitars continue to chime, the drums are cool and the bass is holding it all. 

Ride are lost in the music and invite the listener to do the same, letting things flow for almost 2-minutes before the guitars and Loz's ferocious drumming cut to leave the string quartet to play the song out. Sublime! Heart-achingly beautiful.

As mentioned above, I've recently discovered a gorgeous slow burning cover of Vapour Trail by Trespassers William who released their version as a single in 2003. The song also featured on the Bella Union UK version of second album Different Stars, that was initially a self release in 2002.

Anna-Lynne Williams and Matt Brown are the two constant members in the band, who released three albums between 1999 and 2006. Cast, a compilation album of b-sides and rarities came out in 2012.

How on earth do you cover Vapour Trail?!

Well, Trespassers William don't just show their love for the song by playing and replicating it. Instead, they slow the whole thing down, it's a dreamy swoon. Anna-Lynne Williams has a voice that sounds like a secret being whispered in your ear. It’s fragile, melancholic, and utterly captivating. You can tell they've spent a lot of time with this song. 

Gentle and persistent piano, reverb-drenched vocals, distant echoes of slide(?) guitar, then a little jangle, before a solo is introduced over the top. Oooft this gives me the tingles.

If Ride's version is a teenage Andy Bell writing about the excitement of new love and infatuation, the Trespassers William cover is like a heart-aching reflection of a love that's long gone, but fondly remembered.

Utterly gorgeous. Enjoy.

Ride's original and the Trespassers William cover of Vapour Trail are added to my Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions playlist on Spotify which also features all of the songs listed below. Search for the title or CLICK HERE I've also added it to my Trust Me playlist.

Previous covers of the month blogs

13. Hurt
39. ABBA-esque
40. Jumpin' Jack Flash
64. Lola
82. Drop
87. Indian Rope Man + bonus Strawberry Fields Forever + This Wheels On Fire
92. Valerie
101. Shout!



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Tuesday, 27 August 2024

Oasis - the reunion

The only way to keep them together?

And so ... it's on.

Oasis are back and their reunion will make a lot of people extremely happy, some very rich, some fans very poor (tickets won't be cheap - prices are notably not being announced in advance of tickets going on sale!) and it will no doubt piss off a few people as well. 

I have mixed feelings about it. I always thought that Noel would adopt the approach of Paul Weller, his friend and idol, who has passed up numerous offers to reform The Jam.

However, an Oasis reunion is on a completely different scale. In fact, it may well be off the charts. Early indications are that Noel and Liam will each make 50 million in 2025. Noel, as songwriter, will likely make even more from the increase in streaming, radio plays and album sales.

I'll have a look for tickets, but I'm not excited by paying loads of money to stand miles away from them in a stadium or field. Will there be VIP golden circle options?! How much will they be? Will they play warm up shows? 

Truth be told, I found the 8am announcement this morning a little cold. I hope that Liam and Noel will come together for a press conference in advance of tickets going on sale, or issue a full press release with details about how their reunion has come about. The photo (below) to accompany tour dates being announced looked photo-shopped. It turns out that the brothers were in the same room for a shoot. Hopefully they smiled at some point!

The contrast between the Roses press conference to announce their reunion and the accompanying Penny Smith photos of them hugging and laughing is stark. I was also super excited about the Roses reunion, but that was due to the fact that I never caught them live. I kind of did Oasis and got the t-shirt; the small shows, breakthrough shows and Knebworth. 

So, while I'm pleased that Liam and Noel are getting together again, I'm not excited ... yet. I suspect that will change when I see them together, laughing, joking, vibing off each other.  

Why are people excited by an Oasis reunion? It's the question that TV channels, radio shows and countless social media accounts have been asking.

Well, here are 6 immediate reasons;

  • Passion and Personality

Liam and Noel kicked down doors that were (and are) very much barricaded to working class kids from a council estate. They had a label (Creation) who believed in them and encouraged them to be true to themselves and their roots. Indeed, Alan McGee wanted their debut single to be Bring It On Down rather than Supersonic. He loved the Pistols punk vibe and the lyrics;

You're the outcast

You're the underclass

But you don't care

Because you're living fast

The Gallagher brothers were up for it, in more ways than one. They gigged relentlessly, took all the drugs they could get their hands on, did all the media going and kept on partying.

Their interviews were hilarious. They spoke like normal people! They'd slag off other bands, talk about girls they fancied, big themselves up, talk about their love of The Beatles, Adidas trainers, Clarks desert boots and their Mam. They wore 'normal' clothes, which Noel beautifully reflects on in the Supersonic documentary when they arrive at Knebworth virtually wearing the same clothes they had on when they started the band. They regularly shopped at M&S!

Oasis were a different world to 'indie' bands or grunge. They were real, authentic, very funny and soulful. 

  • Escapism

The world is a pretty f**ked up place at the moment. Losing yourself in music and songs is arguably even more important than ever. Oasis songs, especially the early ones, were all about dreams and escapism. It's why they have stood the test of time. 

Live Forever - Cause I just wanna fly
Fade Away - Fantasy was real, now I know much about the way I feel
Rock n Roll Star - In my mind my dreams are real
Slide Away - We'll find a way, of chasing the sun
Sad Song - Cause it's all just the same at the end of the day


Noel could write something off the cuff that became vital and anthemic, whether the dreamy lyrics of above, or something like stand up beside the fireplace, take that look from off your face line from Don't Look Back In Anger, something his Mum used to say to him. That line is immediately followed by the beautiful;

You ain't ever gonna burn my heart out

As Noel said in an early interview; "It's about the man in the street. When the milkman is whistling your tune, you know you've done it."

We didn't really know what a Wonderwall was, or what it meant to be walking down the hall, faster than a cannonball, or what a champagne supernova was. It didn't matter. When Liam sang, we knew, we connected.

  • Those songs, that voice

You can wait for a lifetime, to spend your days in the sunssshhhiiiiiinnnnneeee

In his recent interview with John Robb, Noel memorably describes his own voice as being like a half pint of Guinness on a Tuesday afternoon. While Liam's is like 10 shots of Tequila on a Friday night!

Liam Gallagher's voice was remarkable. Oasis played 288 gigs across 1994, 1995 and 1996 and Liam's voice just got stronger and stronger, despite his appetite for drugs and alcohol. 

When Liam sings lines like; I only wanna see the light that shines behind your eyes it's spine tingling. He looked incredible and he sounded even better. Like no-one before or since. 

Liam did become a bit of a caricature of himself, in appearance and voice. In later years his voice seemed shot, but he has worked hard on his lifestyle to get it back, he sounded great on the DM30 tour.

Of course, 30-years on, it is different, but Liam singing Noel's songs is very much the main reason that people are excited by the reunion.

  • The brothers gonna work it out

I'd love Oasis to walk on stage to The Chemical Brothers Leave Home with the refrain the brothers gonna work it out blasting from the speakers. 

Oasis fans worldwide are thrilled that the two Gallagher brothers are speaking to each other again. Never mind the fact that we will undoubtedly have hilarious press conferences and interviews, they will be rehearsing, there might be small and intimate warm up shows (they won't immediately go and play a stadium ... will they?!) and the concerts. 

They will also be delighted for their Mum Peggy. Noel and Liam have always spoken so fondly of their Mum, from their very first interviews. It must have been heartbreaking for her not to see them getting on.

Blood's thicker than mud, it's a family affair 

  • The tension

Noel and Liam's relationship has a lot of tension in it! Even the new photos show that! Are they happy about this?! For all that these shows have been booked and tickets are going on sale, the fact is - the relationship will be tested between now and next summer! They will be in the same room A LOT and they are bound to have arguments at times. That's just Liam's nature, he can't help himself. How will Noel react? How will Liam react to Noel's reaction?! Will they make it to next summer? Will it all implode?


But ... that's all part of the charm and attraction.  When it comes to the Gallagher brothers, and Liam in particular, you just don't know what is going to happen!

But with tens of millions of pounds at stake, I'm sure the shows will go ahead by hook or by crook!

  • The first time - a new generation

Lets not forget that for many, this will be their first choice to see Oasis. Many will have seen the brother doing their thing, but not together.

Many people of my age (and older) have introduced younger people to Oasis. Liam's shows attract scores of teenagers pining for Oasis songs. DM30 gave them a a healthy taste, now for the main course!


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Thursday, 1 December 2022

Lazarus

Trust me #46 

Lazarus by The Boo Radleys

Released 30-years ago, towards the end November 1992, Lazarus was a statement single from The Boo Radleys ahead of their Giant Steps album in 1993.

Sales, sadly, didn't quite match the statement, Lazarus reached number 76 in the charts. But for the band, putting out a 12-inch single at 6 minutes 22 seconds in length was just what they needed to do. It was 'giant step' forward from their standard shoegaze sound, that of a band enthralled by labelmates My Bloody Valentine. Now it felt like The Boo's were exploring all kinds of music to find their own sound(s).

The Boo's had released Everything's Alright Forever back in March 1992. If you go back to check that album out and then listen to Lazarus, you'd struggle to believe it's the same band, same personnel. 

Beginning with distorted white noise, teases of key riffs and beats kicking in, the 12-inch version of Lazarus builds for almost 2-minutes before everything seems to come together. There is an almost reggae groove going on, then a horn section, acoustic rhythm guitar, synths, effects ... rmodern psychedelia and beautifully so.

Horns kick in just before 3-minutes to lift the song, to lift the listener out of a lysergic dream. Everything soars skywards before falling gently to the first verse. Singer Sice (Simon Rowbottom) sings tenderly, vocals gently distorted. 

I, I must be losing my mind

I keep on trying to  find a way out

There's no need you don't lock the door anymore

At the end of the second verse horns and electric guitar, full of fuzzy effects, kick in euphorically to fly high for an instrumental before swooping back down for two further 3 line verses.

Now, maybe now I should change

Because I'm starting to lose all my faith

While those around me are beaten down each day

After the fourth verse (above) horns, guitars and beats kick in again and are looped for a full minute, extra layers being added, a little more urgency comes in and the inspired groove is one to get lost in. I'd love to hear this extended. 

There are remixes of Lazarus that you can check out via the links below and through the expanded release of Giant Steps on streaming platforms, but none of them really take this riff on. It's a remix/edit in the making. 

Lazarus is an astonishing song. It was in in 1992 and it is now; the power, the ambition, the care that went into it have ensured that it stands up 30-years down the line. 

Despite universal high praise for the Giant Steps album, The Boo Radleys didn't have a hit on their hands. None of the singles from the album broke the top 40 and while the album reached number 17 and sold 60,000 copies in 1993 (Creations most successful album that year), the incredible reviews didn't translate to the sales Creation anticipated.

After being inspired initially by label mates My Bloody Valentine and then the transformation and ideas showcased by Primal Scream with Screamdelica, Martin Carr, leader and songwriter for The Boo's, was then inspired by the hits that Oasis were experiencing. He wanted a piece of the action! 

That would come with Wake Up Boo! released in February 1995, although I always associate it with summer.  Legend has it that a postcard by Alan McGee was on permanent display on the mixing desk, encouraging Carr and his bandmates to use every trick in the book to create a hit single.

Here is a snip of the ecstatic NME review for Giant Steps. I'd highly recommend checking or revisiting the album. From pure guitar pop to dub, reggae and psychedelic sounds, it's a cracker.

It's an intentional masterpiece, a throw-everything-at-the-wall bric-a-brac of sounds, colours and stolen ideas. That The Boo Radleys (of all people!) have decided to accept their own challenge and create a record as diverse and boundary-bending as this is, at first glance, staggering. Isn't this the job of the U2s and the leisured idols of rock, unable to do anything without the tactit approval of history? Fortunately not? The Boo Radleys are sifting through time (the mid-60s mostly) and conjuring up something that's as cut-up and ambitious as anything you'd care to mention. NME

Lazarus 12-inch version

Album version 

Secret Knowledge remix

Augustus Pablo  mix

Ultramarine mix

A list of all previous songs I've blogged about in my Trust Me feature are listed below, along with links to each blog. Lazarus (12 inch mix) joins them.

I've also collated them all into a playlist on Spotify that you can find by searching for Everything Flows - Trust Me , or you can CLICK HERE

Previous Trust Me blogs

1. Something On Your Mind by Karen Dalton
1A. Crimson and Clover by Tommy James and the Shondells
2. I Am, I Said  by Neil Diamond
3. Where's The Playground Susie?   by Glen Campbell
4. If You Could Read My Mind by Gordon Lighfoot
5. Gimme Some Truth by John Lennon
6. Gone With The Wind Is My Love by Rita and the Tiaras
7. In The Year 2525 by Zager and Evans
8. The Music Box by Ruth Copeland
9. The Ship Song by Nick Cave
10. Sometimes by James
11. I Walk The Earth by King Biscuit Time
12. Didn't Know What I Was In For by Better Oblivion Community Centre
13. When My Boy Walks Down The Street by The Magnetic Fields
14. The Man Don't Give A F**k by Super Furry Animals
15. All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun by Jeff Buckley and Liz Fraser
16. Are You Lookin' by The Tymes
17. A Real Hero by College & Electric Youth
18. Feelings Gone by Callum Easter
19. Sunday Morning by The Velvet Underground
20. Did I Say by Teenage Fanclub
21. Don't Look Back by Teenage Fanclub
23. Belfast by Orbital
24. Clouds by The Jayhawks
25. Dreaming Of You by The Coral
26. Everlasting Love by Love Affair
27. Walk Away Renee by The Left Banke
28. Teenage Kicks by The Undertones
29. Shaky Ground by Sneeze
29. Rill Rill by Sleigh Bells
30. I Can Feel Your Love by Felice Taylor
31. The State We're In by The Chemical Brothers w/ Beth Orton
32. Sunshine After The Rain by Ellie Greenwich
33. Losing My Edge by LCD Soundsystem
34. Mondo 77 by Looper
35. Les Fleurs by Minnie Riperton
36. Rat Trap by The Boomtown Rats
37. How High by The Charlatans
38. I Can't Let Go by Evie Sands
39. Pop Song 89 by R.E.M.
40. Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective
41. There She Goes by The Las
42. We're Going To Be Friends by White Stripes
43. Autumn Sweater by Yo La Tengo
44. Sister Rena by Lomond Campbell
45. Revolution by The Beatles


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Monday, 13 December 2021

Teenage Symphonies To God


Back in the 1960's, an acid fried Brian Wilson described the songs he was writing for his Smile project as "teenage symphonies to God". Quite a description! I'm kind of amazed that it took until 1994 for a band to steal the phrase for an album title.

The band in question was Velvet Crush, from Providence, Rhode Island. Formed by Paul Chastain vocals/bass and  Rick Menck on vocals/drums, the two had played in bands through the 80's before forming Velvet Crush. On Teenage Symphonies To God they were joined by Jeffrey Borchardt on guitar. 

Velvet Crush signed to Creation Records in the UK, perhaps aided by a cover version of Teenage Fanclub's Everything Flows as an extra track on their 1991 CD single Ash & Earth. 

Chastain and Menck's Teenage Symphonies To God are not as complex as the arrangements Wilson was working on all these years ago. Their symphonies are like the ones thousands of American kids blasted out in garages and basements throughout the country - guitar(s), bass, drums - power pop. 

Lord knows what happened to my CD copy of it. I always loved the artwork - super cool. And it has been great to listen back to the songs - full of hooks, harmonies and warm guitars. If Teenage Fanclub were influenced by Big Star around this time, then Velvet Crush sound like Big Star.

Opening with Hold Me Up, you're immediately into the sun soaked world of Velvet Crush and it's a rather lovely place to be, particularly at time when it gets dark around 4pm and every time you turn on the news you don't know what will be coming next. 

Velvet Crush can rock out/jam on, beautifully demonstrated on their cover of Matthew Sweet's Something's Gotta Give, where they sounds like a dream band you could discover playing in your local bar.

They can bring it down too, #10 is absolutely beautiful. A different kind of Big Star. And then you have the likes of Weird Summer and Time Wraps Around You, both full of harmonies and chiming Byrds-esque guitar, sounding and feeling wonderful.

Speaking of The Byrds, Velvet Crush cover Why Not Your Baby by Gene Clark, their harmonies at their peak, a variety of guitar sounds colliding to sound glorious. 

Star Trip is possibly my favourite song on the album. Sun kissed and dreamy guitar sounds and melodies.

I'm on a dream cloud

Higher than the sun but I'm coming down

From my dream, my dream cloud

I shot for the stars but I hit the ground


I can't feel it, it feels alright

Keep On Lingerin' closes the album, Velvet Crush highlighting that The Flying Burrito Brothers also feature heavily in their record collection.  

Overall, Teenage Symphonies To God has a lovely waves of warm guitar sound and an infectious sense of energy. I've really enjoyed listening to the album again and I hope you do too. Or if you decide to check it out for the first time then let me know what you think.

Star Trip

#10




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Monday, 29 November 2021

Bandwagonesque at 30

My battered and worn 30-year copy of Bandwagonesque

30-years ago I was a 15-year old developing a healthy obsession for music. Raiding my parents record collection, buying the NME and Melody Maker every week, listening to Peel occasionally, the Evening Session a lot and making trips to Missing Records in Glasgow or Impulse Records in Hamilton. 


But arguably my biggest musical education stemmed from conversations and mixtapes at school. I distinctly remember a tape my friend Grant Mitchell made me containing Everything Flows and Don’t Need A Drum by Teenage Fanclub.


Living in the Lanarkshire backwater of Carluke, I was intrigued that this band from Bellshill, a 20-minute car/train ride away, were generating such a buzz. Then all of a sudden there were new singles; the blitz of Star Sign and the impeccable The Concept. Teenage Fanclub were a band happening NOW! I was falling for The Beatles and there is never a bad time to fall for The Beatles, but I was 30-years too late. I'd fallen heavily for the Stone Roses, but I was playing catch up on all their singles and I was 2-years too late, 2-years too young to get into them at their peak.


Bandwagonesque might have been the first album I really looked forward to buying upon release as a teenager, certainly the first from a band so close to home.


This wasn't Manchester, London or Seattle. This was 4 guys from Bellshill, just up the road from me in Carluke. They were playing London, going to America, in the NME, the Melody Maker, recording a Peel Session, they were on MTV and December was even background music for a hot air balloon feature on Blue Peter!


Teenage Fanclub felt like the perfect band, at just the perfect time and Bandwagonesque was the perfect album. They felt real, within touching distance.


Why was it the right album? For all the reasons it still is.


The humour, or at times just blatant cheek. The star kissing harmonies, the glorious guitar sounds, the brilliant use of swearing in Alcoholiday, the kind of cool but also kind of sh*tty sleeve. 3 different songwriters and singers, a crazy drummer. The innocent lyrics in songs like Sidewinder  ‘saw you there with long blonde hair, eyes of blue, oh baby, I love you’ that fitted in so perfectly for young teenage boys (like me) who fell in love with a different girl every day.


Yeah Teenage Fanclub were special, Bandwagonesque was special. They both still are.


The intro lyrics to opening song The Concept still make me smile and tell you so much about the bands humour;


She wears denim wherever she goes

Says she’s gonna get some records by the Status Quo

Oh yeah, oh yeah


I could be jumping around my bedroom singing yeah, yeah, yeah to The Beatles or oh yeah, oh yeah to Teenage Fanclub. The closing extended outro of The Concept gets better with age. The guitars, the harmonies, I'd be happy if it went on forever.


The riff of Satan always makes me reminisce about the band breaking into it live, the chiming guitar of December and Gerry Love singing she don’t even care, but I would die for her love struck a chord as a teenager, now it’s like a symphony, just perfect. 


What You Do To Me is 2-minutes of guitar pop perfection. So simple, so sublime, so pure, so perfect for fitting on to either side of a C90 mixtape you were making for your friend, or to now bring a burst of sunshine to a playlist. McGinley’s guitar on I Don’t Know mesmerises, Star Sign shimmers beautifully and bursts into life in a way that still makes me want to pogo and I don't think I'll ever lose that feeling.



Flip to side 2, Metal Baby still makes me smile, Pet Rock and the aforementioned Sidewinder echo of young innocent love and infatuation, while Alcoholiday is another song that ages like a fine wine, the guitars sound more glorious, Blake singing ‘there are things I want to do, but I don’t know if they will be with you’ tugs on heartstrings. And the last 80 odd seconds of guitar - swoon! 


Guiding Star is so blissfully dreamy and Is This Music? allows you to get lost in the hypnotic riffs and answer - yeah, yeah it is music. And it’s by Teenage Fanclub, my favourite band in 1991 and my favourite band in 2021. Still creating brilliant albums with guitars, harmonies and full of songs to soundtrack my life.
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