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.
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Trust me #111 Teardrop by Massive Attack with Elizabeth Fraser
Released in 1998 as part of their Mezzanine album, Teardrop is one of many masterpieces in the Massive Attack catalogue. Quietly and confidently powerful, utterly sublime from start to finish.
Ah... the start, a heartbeat kick-drum, a hypnotic harpsichord loop, liquid bass, piano chord and then, just after 1-minute, Elizabeth Fraser’s crystal clear voice. Ethereal. Haunting. Perfect.
Love, love is a verb
Love is a doing word
Fearless on my breath
Every time I listen to Teardrop, I find myself waiting for the song to explode. The power that Massive Attack build through restraint is incredible. Just when it finally threatens to blow, as Fraser sings you're stumbling down, everything cuts to the harpsichord, then it is only the beats before the loop returns. Wow!
One of the things I enjoy about writing blogs like this is spending some time listening to a song a few times in a row and researching it. As I'm doing so, I very often discover something I didn't know about the band, songwriter or the song. That is definitely the case here!
Teardrop was written by Mushroom from Massive Attack and he sent a demo to Madonna, who was keen. But his band mates, 3D and Daddy G, voted against him as they favoured Fraser. It's quite a story! While it would have fitted in perfectly with Madonna's 1998 change of direction and image with the superb Ray of Light album (think Frozen), no-one on earth can sing like Liz Fraser.
Teardrop on the fire
Fearless on my breath
You hang on every note as Fraser has a voice like no other. Angelic, yet haunting. Sheer melancholic beauty. She sings not just words, but emotions. Fraser recorded her vocals just after learning of her partner Jeff Buckley’s passing, meaning it all hits even harder.
Check this previous blog on Buckley and Fraser's outstanding All Flowers In Time Bend Towards The Sun.
The video (see below) for Teardrop, directed by Walter Stern is a pioneering, surreal, weirdly comforting vision of a foetus in the womb, lip-syncing to Fraser’s voice. Although after watching it back a couple of times, I found the end to be slightly unsettling. Light appears, as if the baby is moving to birth, then as the music slows, things get darker and the baby slows in time with the music. Does the baby make it?
Dreamy, mesmerising ... unique. Massive Attack pushed and broke boundaries with their music and art.
Teardrop is 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.
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
Cover version of the month #91 Sonic Youth / Ciccone Youth cover Robert Palmer
Have you ever wanted to hear Kim Gordon singing Robert Palmer's monster hit Addicted To Love? Even if you haven't previously, I bet you do now!
If asked to think of a 1980's music video, Robert Palmer's Addicted To Love might be the first one you think of. It's certainly up there with Jackson's Thriller and Dire Straits Money For Nothing for me. The Addicted To Love video become pretty iconic with the singer backed by a band of female models, his blow dryed hair (he sure didn't take 2 bottles into the shower!), white shirt and black tie, with his band of models stoney faced with bright red lipstick, hair slicked back and all in black - it still looks incredible. So powerful and it has been mimicked many times.
Palmer released the song as a single in 1986. Produced by Bernie Edwards from CHIC, it is a brilliant slice of pop rock. Brash drum beats kick things off, followed by buzzsaw distorted guitar and stabbing horns. Palmer begins to list things that are going wrong due to his addiction.
You can't sleep, you can't eat
There's no doubt, you're in deep
Your throat is right, you can't breath
Another kiss is all you need
We've all been there, haven't we? Head over heels, can't think about anything else, craving that fix of love, touching and feeling. Then the monster chorus with the kiss off hook kicks in. It's a great tune, I imagine this song would generate a positive response in almost any DJ set. It's fun, powerful and has a great feel to it.
Whoa, you like to think that you're immune to the stuff, oh yeah
It's closer to the truth to say you can't get enough
You know you're gonna have to face it, you're addicted to love
Ciccone Youth, a side project of Sonic Youth, began life in 1986 when the bands friend Mike Watt (formerly of Firehose and Minutemen) jammed with them and they recorded a cover version of Madonna's Burning Up, released as Burnin' Up on a 7-inch record.
Eventually, The Whitey Album was released in 1989, a year on from breakthrough album Daydream Nation, compromising of songs recorded between 1986-1988. The quality of the recordings is pretty mixed to be honest, as is the quality of the songs or experimental noise the band created.
However, it definitely sounds like they had fun! J Mascis guests on a song with the utterly brilliant title Two Cool Rock Chicks Listening To Neu! Sadly, the 'song' isn't as good as the title!
Sonic Youth's cover version was allegedly recorded in a karaoke vocal booth. Kim Gordon sounds breathless, cool and super sexy. If the recording was DIY then so is the video, completely the opposite of Palmer's iconic shoot. Gordon dressed a little like Madonna, dancing and miming in front of a video screen.
Sonic Youth may well have been the coolest independent band on the planet at this point. The aforementioned Daydream Nation album and Teen Age Riot single had stamped their mark and expanded their audience. Next up was 1990's Goo album, their first for a major label. But here they were having fun with their friends and covering Robert Palmer. Super cool! You'll also hear Thurston Moore covering Madonna's Into The Groove if you do check The Whitey Album. But I prefer Kim singing Palmer.
The Robert Palmer original and Sonic Youth cover version are added to my Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions playlist on Spotify which also features all of the songs below. Search for the title or CLICK HERE
Is Madonna's The Immaculate Collection the most appropriately named 'best of' collection of all-time? 17-songs of immaculate pop are collected in one place; taking in Holiday and Lucky Star, early singles from 1983 through to 1989's Cherish and Express Yourself with 2 new songs coming in the shape of the lush, seductive and sexual Justify My Love and Rescue Me.
Madonna was exceptionally prolific through the 1980's, the quality and quantity of her modern pop mixed with her looks, personality and media manipulation propelled her to become one of the most famous people in the world.
The Immaculate Collection is an album I own on vinyl and it is one of the few records never to have strayed from my DJ bag - an essential album with songs guaranteed to bring smiles to faces and feet to the dancefloor.
Like A Prayer is my all-time favourite Madonna song and one that I regularly played near the end of nights that I used to put on, I'd turn down the mix at times to listen to people singing a-long to the euphoric chorus.
I rarely DJ these days, but it is still there. My friend Craig's 40th a couple of years ago just highlighted the power of this song and the power of pop. Someone else had been on the decks and had played a wildly eclectic mix of techno, dub and reggae before I took over. They had also virtually cleared the living room.
My own sets can be quite eclectic too but I like to try and keep people dancing and there is a pop element in virtually everything I play - hooks matter. Don't bore us, get to the chorus.
The girl DJ-ing raised an eyebrow and even said really? when she saw me queueing Like A Prayer up on the turntable. I smiled and dropped the needle but even I was taken aback by the crowd of people that came racing through from the kitchen to dance and sing. The girl joined in too.
Like A Prayer is a glorious melting pot of gospel, pop and electronic music coming together to create something really special. It came out in March 1989, just after I had turned 13, and my teenage hormones went into overdrive as I watched Madonna dance and groove in the video, with the dress straps falling down her shoulders. She smouldered; looking incredible and oozing confidence as she danced in front of burning crosses.
Listening back to The Immaculate Collection is like a lesson in pop music. The groove, hooks and choruses all get hammered home, repeated again and again. All the songs have an energy about them, like a forcefield. There used be an advert for Fruit Pastilles with the challenge 'I bet you can't put a Rowantrees fruit pastille in your mouth without chewing it'. Well I bet you can't listen to The Immaculate Collection without singing or dancing to it.
Holiday is sensational good time pop music celebrating the joy of having a holiday to look forward to - we need a holiday -aayy It was Madonna's breakthrough single, her first hit (third single) and no wonder - she uses every trick in the book to get it. Something everyone can relate to, hooks and choruses galore.
Lucky Star is over 7-minutes of pop electro brilliance, written by Madonna with the intention that it would be played at New York City's famed Danceteria club and that comes across, especially in the 7-minute mix that is rightly included on The Immaculate Collection rather than the radio edit.
Then we have Borderline, probably my second favourite Madonna song. It was the fifth single to be released from her eponymous debut album and noted by the likes of Seymour Stein as the song that made her a star. More complex and lyrical than the likes of Holiday and Lucky Star, Borderline is a pure pop rush of a song from start to finish. Madonna's voice sounds better than ever, listen to the way she pushes herself at times.
Something in the way you love me won't let me be
I don't want to be your prisoner so baby won't you set me free
Did I mention a pure pop rush - then jeez, times that by 10 for Like A Virgin! This was the lead single and the title of her second album. It is almost bubblegum pop, but then bubblegum pop could also be clever and enjoy a little innuendo.
Innuendo, that doesn't describe half of it. Like A Virgin was cheeky, suggestive, implicit and completely perfect for Madonna. Written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly, originally conceived as a ballad, Madonna knew she could make it a hit as soon as she heard it.
The fact that Nile Rodgers came on board as a producer helped - but he didn't like it at first and thought Madonna was taking things too far. It was only afterwards, when he realised that he couldn't get the song out of his head, that he fell for the song. I would highly recommend Nile's Le Freak autobiography for his full take on working with Madonna and other legendary artists. It was Madonna's first number one single.
Material Girl was also lifted from the Like A Virgin album and it captured the 80's perfectly and Madonna lived out her Marilyn Monroe fantasies in the video. More perfect pop - play this to someone who has never heard it before and they will be singing a-long before the song finishes.
Even the slower songs have a sense of euphoria thanks to Madonna's powerful and soulful voice, just listen to Crazy For You.
You want a statement of intent - you can dance for inspiration - is the opening line of Into The Groove and that is exactly what Madonna does as the beat kicks in. It is a real groove, the song is like one big long chorus but it lifts even higher when Madonna reaches the choruses. The flow from start to finish is ....well....immaculate.
I'm tired of dancing here all by mself
Tonight I wanna dance with someone else
Get into the groove where you've got to prove
Your love to me
We do get a breather in the shape of Live To Tell which is a real 80's ballad from Madonna's True Blue album. Things pick up with Papa Don't Preach which begins with a glorious string section, Madonna's voice is rich and soulful, full of emotion. The bridge to the chorus is sensational, really lifting things to the inevitable brilliance of the chorus.
The one you warned me all about, the one you said I could do without
We're in an awful mess and I don't mean maybe, please
Papa don't preach, I'm in trouble deep
Papa don't preach, I've been losing sleep
But I made up my mind, I'm keeping my baby
La Isla Bonita was another huge hit, I vividly remember being entranced by Madonna in the video, the aforementioned Like A Prayer is divine pop, Express Yourself takes you on a trip to the dancefloor, whilst Vogue IS the dancefloor - a slice of club pop electro heaven all about getting lost to music on the dancefloor. The closing section riffing names and ending with the following lines is pop perfection, so cheeky, so cool, so Madonna.
Don't just stand there, let's get to it
Strike a pose, there's nothing to it
VOGUE
If Madonna flirted and tease with sex from the off, she goes for a homerun with Justify My Love which even now makes me flustered and in need of a cold shower! Madonna is literally breathless as she teases her audience about traveling, running naked in a rainstorm, making love on a train, wanting, needing and waiting ... you know the saying 'couldn't take my eyes off it'? I can't take my ears away from this, it is a big slice of sex on vinyl.
The Immaculate Collection is an immaculate conception of pop through the 80's by arguably the decades biggest star - only Michael Jackson could really run her close.
I hope this blog causes you to play the album or at least some of your favourites from it. Go on, have a dance and sing-a-long :-)
Teenage Fanclub have never been shy in terms of wearing their influences on their sleeves. The band have released countless cover versions on b-sides or one-off singles and played them regularly at their shows.
I got into the band as a 15-year old, thirsty for discovering all kinds of music. I couldn't have picked a better band than the Fanclub to fall in love with - and they were from Bellshill, just up the road from Carluke! The Byrds, Dylan, Neil Young, Big Star, Alex Chilton, The Beatles, Madonna, The Velvet Underground, Yo La Tengo, Sebadoh....all artists covered by TFC.
My favourite? - well it is either Free Again which they released on an extremely limited 7-inch (and I have one) or this - an absolute romp through The Byrds Feel A Whole Lot Better on the White Room.
I decided to compile my favourite ten cover versions performed by Teenage Fanclub. Here they are with links to the Fanclub version and also the original.
Unfortunately there were no links to their cover of Association by International Airport (details here) so that isn't included but it is well worth tracking down if you can.
Top 10 Teenage Fanclub covers
1. Feel A Whole Lot Better
Norman and Gerry take turns on lead vocals, the Fanclub at their joyous best. The Byrds released this as the b-side to Mr Tambourine Man - also covered by Teenage Fanclub.
2. Free Again
What a tune, a romp through the Alex Chilton song, an artist truly loved by the band.
Norman on stage with Alex
3. Don't Cry No Tears
A Neil Young song released on the b-side of the Everything Flows CD single. One of the first songs I ever learned to play on the guitar.
4. I Heard You Looking
Absolutely f**king beautiful. Almost 13-minutes of instrumental genius on this cover of a Yo La Tengo song. Released on the Neil Jung (alternate version) CD single.
5. Burned
Multi-format releases in the 90's was the perfect excuse for Teenage Fanclub to record a cover version or three. This, the original was by Buffalo Springfield, was on one of the Sparky's Dream CD's and Gerry Love just sounds like he is loving singing it.
7. Take The Skinheads Bowling
I used to have a couple of Fanclub cassette bootlegs, including a brilliant one from the Reading Festival when the band played this. A cover of a Camper Van Beethoven song. Just brilliant.
9. Mr Tambourine Man
I loved the Reading Festival bootleg I had. Teenage Fanclub came on stage, played an instrumental and then introduced themselves by saying 'Hi we're called Teenage Fanclub and this is a song by The Byrds.' I bought The Byrds greatest hits that week and subsequently discovered Bob Dylan.
10. Like A Virgin
Guitar pop punk rip through the Madonna classic - what's not to like?!
What a night! The cheer that reverberated around the 02 Academy in Glasgow last night when Nile Rodgers and Chic finally paused between songs, following their classic Le Freak, was among the loudest I have ever heard in 22-years of gig going in Glasgow. And it didn't stop, it went on again, again and again. Nile smiled and looked genuinely amazed. The cheer came back again and Nile asked his keyboard player to take a picture of the crowd.
@murrayeaston My ears are still ringing from the ROAR of the crowd! True Fact!
11h11 hours ago
The Academy was a complete sell-out and Nile strolled on to the stage alone to chat to to the crowd and introduce the video for Chic's new single I'll Be There, an up temp disco beauty that plays on the old Sister Sledge classic Got To Love Somebody.
Nile then returned with his exceptional band and got everyone straight into the groove with an amazing opening trio of Everybody Dance, Dance Dance Dance (Yowsah Yowsah Yowsah) and I Want Your Love!
The crowd responded by dancing, clapping, waving their hands in the air and generally having the best Monday night ever. It didn't let up!
Nile announced he would be playing songs he had written and produced over the years and kicked off with a Diana Ross double - the blissful I'm Coming Out and the exquisite Upside Down. This was disco heaven, Nile patrolling the stage playing and feeling his guitar; letting us hear and see some of the best disco funk riffs of all time.
A medley containing the likes of He's The Greatest Dancer (one of my highlights of the night), We Are Family, Madonna's Like A Virgin, Lost In Music and Duran Duran's Notorious had the crowd in raptures.
This was a musical lesson; short verse, huge choruses hammered home again and again, raising it up, taking out the beat and bringing it all back in again. All the time underpinned by Rodgers unique guitar playing.
The two female singers were brilliant and Nile took time to thank them and all of his band.
Thinking Of You is one of my all-time favourites and it was a real hands in the air moment while the cover of Carly Simon's Why was superb.
I'll Be There is the new single and Nile told us about how he was diagnosed with cancer 5-years ago and how he decided he wanted to let the doctors do what they do and he would do what he does - make music. I'll Be There was a highlight, as was the delicious Get Lucky, Nile's single with Daft Punk that gave him a whole new audience.
The set was all one big highlight but the closing quartet of My Forbidden Lover, an outstanding romp through Bowie's Let's Dance, the aforementioned Le Freak and the closer Good Times really raised the roof, with Rodgers inviting people on stage to dance.
This was a special night with Rodgers blown away by the audience response - this was a Monday night; he should try a Saturday night at the Barrowlands!
So tonight I was turned on to 'Losing You' by Solange and a particularly brilliant performance of it on the Jimmy Fallon show in America.
Quite a lot of music has probably passed me by this year. A new job and a young baby certainly mean that chilling out and catching up on new music is something of a luxury these days. Thankfully the joy of social media ensures that I am friends with a number of people I can rely on for their taste so if they gush about something especially good then I make sure I check it out.
Thankfully I checked this out.
What a tune! I was hooked from the start; the funky beats are followed by soothing synths, the guitarist looking pretty damn cool and a soulful and emotional vocal from Solange.
Starting with the chorus is always a good move in my book, a perfect pop trick and it worked on me. The verse has a melody and performance that wouldn't be out of place on Madonna's 'Immaculate Collection', as would the whole song.
The arrangement is as stunning as the performance, falling and rising in all the right places. It is a brilliant song and this live take fully demonstrates the confidence of the artist and her band in the strength of the song.
If you discover it through this blog then I hope you enjoy it too.
LOSING YOU
Tell me the truth boy, am I losing you for good We use to kiss all night but now it’s just no use I don’t know why I fight it, clearly we are through Tell me the truth boy, am I losing you for good
I knew you waiting for the rest that you can't get from me Just treat me good and baby i'll give you the rest of me I'm not the one that you should be making your enemy I'm not the one that you should be making your enemy
Tell me the truth boy, am I losing you for good We use to kiss all night but now it’s just no use I don’t know why I fight it, clearly we are through Tell me the truth boy, am I losing you for good
There's something I know you taking it away from me I gave you everything and now there's nothing left for me I'm not the one that you should be making your enemy I'm not the one that you should be making your enemy
Tell me the truth boy, am I losing you for good We use to kiss all night but now it’s just no use I don’t know why I fight it, clearly we are through Tell me the truth boy, am I losing you for good
Tell me the truth boy, am I losing you for good We use to kiss all night but now it’s just no use I don’t know why I fight it, clearly we are through Tell me the truth boy, am I losing you for good
