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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Showing posts with label Half A Cow Records. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Half A Cow Records. Show all posts
Sneeze are an Australian band that formed away back in 1991. Consisting of Nic Dalton (owner of Half A Cow Records and one-time Lemonhead) and Tom Morgan (Smudge) plus an array of friends when the mood takes them.
Shaky Ground is a song I discovered a long, long time ago when Evan Dando of The Lemonheads, at the height of his pin-up days promoting It's A Shame About Ray, played an acoustic set that went out on the Evening Session with Mark Goodier in 1993. At one point Dando had to stop the show to ask people to stop screaming.
That night he came on stage and introduced himself with the line; 'Hello jolly children of the universe, my name's Evan Dando and I was born in the spring of the summer of love.' I think I might have swooned myself!
NME cover, September 1993
I taped the show and it was a real favourite bootleg of mine for a long time. Just Dando with an acoustic guitar, playing stunning storytelling songs, originals and covers, in his warm and loving way.
The set was actually released as a bootleg called Suck On This.
Back to the original.
Dando's 1991 trip to Australia really did change things for him, meeting kindred spirits in Morgan (who he would co-write with, as well as covering a number of his songs) and Dalton, (who joined The Lemonheads on bass) as well as their friends and bandmates, including Alison Galloway who Dando wrote Alison's Starting To Happen about.
From what I can gather, Dando recorded Shaky Ground before it's authors could. The song crops up as a b-side on a number of UK/US releases in 1992. Dando also mentions the song in the Lemonheads film Two Weeks In Australia when he is giving the camera a talk through about all the etchings on his guitar.
Dando in a Smudge t-shirt
Sneeze finally got a debut album out on Nic Dalton's Half A Cow records in 1994. 41 songs in 47-minutes has songs as short as 18-seconds, while Shaky Ground is one of the longest at 1 minute 55 seconds.
It is a really beautiful song.
A girl (Alannah Russack I believe) and boy (Tom Morgan) trade lines in the verses and join together in the choruses. Like most of Morgan's songs, it tells a story. Around the time I discovered the song there was a girl who would walk her dog near my house and if I saw her I'd go out to accidentally bump into her, so I particularly love the line;
When I wanna see you, I take Jersey for a walk
What's with all this secrecy, when all we ever do is talk?
I love this song so much. The feeling from the playing, the vocals - male and female on their own and then together for the chorus. The sheer love that comes across in the song , in the performance, never fails to warms my heart.
Dando's version finds him taking on both the male and female lyrics & character, his voice softening when taking on the female lines.
Hey Jim, how ya doing, do you need someone else?
Well actually Jemima, I'd prefer to be by myself
Sometimes it helps to have someone else along
But if my girlfriend sees us, she'll come to the conclusion it's wrong
Does this mean we're on shaky ground?
I'm happy when you're around
So let's not put our friendship at bay
I love you in a different way
Paradise and catastrophe, they go side by side
You should tell your baby, we've got nothing to hide
When I wanna see you, I take Jersey for a walk
What's with all this secrecy, when all we ever do is talk?
Smudge formed in Sydney, Australia, 30-years ago back in 1991. Tom Morgan wrote the songs, sang (most of the songs) and played guitar, Paul Duncan was on bass (later replaced by Adam Yee) and Alison Galloway was on drums.
The story behind their formation is kind of strange, Morgan and Galloway were asked to form a band and contribute a song (Tom wrote Tea, Toast & Turmoil),to a split EP on local label Half A Cow records, run by Nic Dalton who went on to play in The Lemonheads during their most prolific, successful and exciting period.
Storytelling, melodies, humour and clever word play over fuzzy/acoustic guitars were at the heart of Smudge and they quickly set about releasing singles and EP's via Half A Cow and also Domino Records.
Three EP's were collated on the 1993 compilation Tea, Toast & Turmoil before the band released their debut album Manilow in 1994.
One of the many things I love about Smudge is that a song only lasts as long as it needs to, or, as much as Morgan had written at the time it was recorded! Funny You Should Mention That is only 24-seconds long, Top Bunkin' Duncan is only 4 seconds! While the sublime Real McCoy, Wrong Sinatra is 1 minute 21 seconds. If Smudge want to record squalling guitars feeding back - they do.
But it's the power punk/garage pop gems and the sweet acoustic songs that Morgan seemingly tosses out for fun that I love the most.
In 1991, not long after forming, Morgan met Evan Dando from The Lemonheads during an Australian tour and they became close friends. Dando returned and the two got together, writing/co-writing a number of songs that would appear on It's A Shame About Ray, Come On Feel The Lemonheads and Car, Button, Cloth.
Dando and Morgan appeared a match made in heaven. I'd love for them to get together again to see what they could come up with.
You, Me, Carpark Now (1996) and Real McCoy, Wrong Sinatra (1998) completed a trilogy of albums for Smudge. Although I'd highly recommend their 2010 compilation This Smudge Is True, collated by Nic Dalton and released on his Half A Cow label, which contains an epic 28 songs. If you are new to the band then it's a great place to start.
Smudge still play a handful of shows every year in Australia. Tom Morgan released a solo album, Orange Syringe, in 2013, while he is also still a member of Sneeze with Nic Dalton.
Here are 10 of my favourite songs by Smudge with YouTube links to them all, plus some bonus Lemonheads/Dando versions.
Opening with an infectious guitar riff before Morgan sings without coming up for air, flying through the song, telling a story about getting up in the morning after the night before. I particularly love the section from 42-seconds in (below) where things just flow so effortlessly - listen out for Galloway's little backing vocal - wash my hair - followed by a giggle. CLICK HERE if you don't see the video below.
And it scares me, when I find out
I've been falling
And jumping like a jack in the box
Well I'm gonna go home
Yeah I'm gonna stay in
Gonna wash my hair (wash my hair)
Scary Cassettes
A love song to more than one person, certainly to Lou Barlow and Lou Reed.
I've been told that you've been bold with Harry, Mark and John
That's my second favourite line from my fifth favourite song
Hope you like Lou
Morgan goes on to mention Lou being pride of place at number 1 and 2 and lay his heart on the line with the declaration;
And if you're gonna make a move
For some space in my life
You gotta share it with Lou
It's all over in 72-seconds, guitars fizz, the drums crash and there is just the right use of organ to underpin everything else going on over the top. CLICK HERE
Divan
A perfect example of Morgan's songwriting genius. I imagine he literally turned conversation he had with a friend into this gem of a song. Beginning by telling his friend exactly what a Divan is.
Well it's not much like a lounger, it's more like a sofa bed
And if you get the feeling you'll be hanging around
Well you can, crash out on my divan, you can, crash out on my divan
You can, crash out on my divan, you can, crash out on my divan
Tenderfoot
I love how Morgan begins each line in the verse with this is ...
It works so well, Morgan's vocal sounds as urgent as the guitar riff that introduces the song.
This is the place where I save face
This is the spot where I jump off
This is the part where I lose heart
There is then a beautiful chorus;
Over the pain and I'm past the bleeding
It's not the tracks, it's where they're leading
The song ends with the hook it's irrelevant, I'm an elephant, she's a mouse. Genius! I could imagine this being a huge hit in the hands of Dave Grohl. CLICK HERE and here is Evan playing it live.
Don't Wanna Be Grant McLennan
An early example of Morgan's humour and clever songwriting as he talks about self-doubt he feels about writing songs, lyrics come out like cliches and he sounds like someone else. He wants to be like Robert Forster from legendary Australian band The Go-Betweens but the songs I write in the middle of the night make me sound like Grant McLennan - also of The Go-Betweens.
Morgan cleverly mentions song titles, fits in the names of all The Beatles and rhymes McLennan with John Lennon. This was actually the last song I chose for this feature, but I kept coming back to it as it's so fun, I can imagine being a teenager in Sydney and going to see Smudge blasting this out.
The way Morgan and Smudge flow into a lyrical and melodic nod to The Go-Betweens Bye Bye Pride is genius.
Cos I want you to know
That I didn't know someone could be so lonesome
Didn't know a person could give off so much emotion
Impractical Joke
Smudge in full flight; a bass groove, driving rhythm guitar, acoustic at times, gelling perfectly with electric, chiming in all the right places and a yearning Tom Morgan vocal.
Waiting with that baited breath, for the wind to change
It's just a well-worn out suggestion, to occupy the day
Alison Galloway (I presume) takes on lead vocals for this song. The lyrics to the first verse into the chorus/bridge are so clever; comparing sleeping on the side of the bed furthest from the wall and closest to the door with living by the side of the beach that's furthest from the town and closest to the sea.
Galloway then ponders if this is a tendency to want to be able to get away quick and easy, which is a delicious hook.
Galloway's vocals are super cool, I'd love to hear her sing more. I wouldn't be surprised if she sings in a band that I haven't heard of yet.
Gotta have the time to take time
The time it should be mine
For skating down the line
I love the flow of this song, the big noisy fuzzy guitars, the hooks, the break, the instrumental and then the closing section where the song breaks down to be just Galloway singing over Morgan playing guitar.
At only 1 minute 21 seconds long, this is Morgan in full flow, telling a story and singing a song that seems to just roll off his tongue. I love this live version - below or click here and here is Evan singing it.
She's just a little bit
Less out of it
Than she was when we first met
Meth amphetamine
And dirty magazines
And still buying cigarettes
Down About It
Fellow fans of The Lemonheads will recognise this from the Come On Feel The Lemonheads album. Morgan co-wrote 8 of the 15 songs with Dando. Perhaps, Morgan was particularly fond of this one (or wrote the lions share of it) given that he also recorded it with Smudge.
After a short intro the words just flow out so naturally at a beautifully fast pace, just right. And I love the little instrumental to conclude. All over in 2 minutes 19 seconds. Listen here
It gets the same every time I shy
Away from the blame and I stand my time
But you still wonder why
I get so down about it
Outdoor Type
The finest example of Morgan's storytelling with humour approach to songwriting. This is a genius at work. A chiming electric picks notes over a battered acoustic as Morgan tells his tale of falling for a girl and lying to say that he is an outdoor type like her.
Recorded on a to a Tascam 244 4-track, Outdoor Type funny, heartfelt, melancholic, reflective, sad but also somehow uplifting. This is the art of songwriting at it's absolute best.
Dando covered it with The Lemonheads, but this original is the best version. I do love this version of Evan playing it acoustic in Smudge's native Sydney with the crowd singing along. Goosebumps!
You'll find the full lyrics below the video. And also a list of previous Ten From ... blogs.
Always had a roof above me, always paid the rent
I never set foot inside a tent
Couldn't build a fire to save my life
I lied about being the outdoor type
I never slept out underneath the stars
The closest that I cam to that was one time my car
Broke down for an hour in the suburbs at night
I lied about being the outdoor type
Too scared to let you know
I knew what you were looking for
I lied until I fit the bill
God bless the great indoors
I lied about being the outdoor type
I've never owned a sleeping bag, let alone a mountain bike
I can't go away with you on a rock climbing weekend
What if something's on TV and it's never shown again
It's just as well I'm not invited, I'm afraid of heights
I lied about being the outdoor type
Never learned to swim, can't grow a beard or even fight
I lied about being the outdoor type
Previous 10 from blogs (all at the time of writing)
The Lemonheads cover Love Positions – Into Your Arms
Welcome to a special bonus cover version of the month blog by my sister Carla.
It's a cracker on the beautiful Into Your Arms by The Lemonheads, probably the first band we bonded over many, many years ago. The song was originally written by cult Australian duo Love Positions (Robyn St Clare & Nic Dalton) who recorded songs with a Tascam 244 4-track on to cassette in various houses in Melbourne, Carnberra and Sydney between 1985 and 1989.
The results came out as the album Billiepeebup on their own Half A Cow Records in 1990. Evan Dando, then touring Australia with The Lemonheads, became friends with many Australian bands including Smudge (he covered a number of their songs and also co-wrote many with Tom Morgan) and Love Positions.
Anyway, enough from me, over to my sister. I think I'll try and get her to write another blog soon!
Carla
I've been a fan of The Lemonheads since I was 7. That's what age I was when their cover of Mrs Robinson was released and it became the first 7” in my record collection. I've still got it all these years later. The paper sleeve is torn on every edge possible and the surface is scratched to fuck though, unbelievably, still manages to play without skipping. The B Side is Being Around – one of the greatest love songs of all time. It almost harks back to the girl-group songs of the late fifties and early sixties, so many questions are asked but instead ofwill you still love me tomorrowwe are askedif I was the fridge would you open the door? After all these years, the sentiment is the same. Will you accept me?
I accepted The Lemonheads wholeheartedly into my life at a young age. Interviews and performances of them were duly recorded off the TV onto VHS labelled 'Murray Only – DO NOT TAPE OVER' and I would watch these snippets for hours. My mum wasn't happy when Alison's Starting to Happen came on the cassette player in the car on family holidays to the East Coast. Probably because of the mention of a pierced tit (it was the nineties afterall) but I didn't care about that. All I cared about was that she was the puzzle piece behind the couch that makes the sky complete. That line stuck out like a diamond to my young ears and it's still one of my favourite lyrics of all time.
Imagine being in my twenties and supporting Evan and Juliana at SWG3 with my band TeenCanteen. I could barely contain it. We got paid 30 quid to be the only support at a sold out show but really didn't give a fuck about the pay. And yes – before leaving I did swoop around the stage and gather up the set lists and handwritten notes of forgotten lyrics before leaving. I'm not ashamed.
What I've always loved about Evan's songwriting is his ability to say so much with so little words and his nursery-rhyme-esque melodies. By that I mean, they seem so obvious that they must have just fallen out of the sky. Into Your Arms was always one of my favourites.
I know a place where I can go when I'm alone
Into your arms whoa into your arms I can go
It's beautiful in it's clarity and simplicity. I guess I was so young when I first heard it that I never questioned it NOT being a Lemonheads song. Imagine my surprise when my brother sent me the link to Love Positions version of this love canon last year. My mind was, considerably blown.
And if I should fall I know, I won't be alone Be alone anymore
I read a book on Wabi Sabi a while ago – traditional Japanese aesthetic involving impermanence and the acceptance of all that is imperfect and transient. It's a small, fairly unassuming book and I've leant it out to so many friends over the years I am sure it has been half way around the globe by now. Anyway, I'm not bringing up Wabi Sabi or trying to demonstrate whether or not I am well read, but merely because Love Positions recording of their song Into Your Arms is so wonderfully imperfect it's perfect. It's Wabi Sabi. I love it because it's imperfect. Love is imperfect.
Robyn St Clair
Written by Robyn St Clare in 1989, Into Your Arms appears to have been released on their album Billiebeepup in 1990 on Half A Cow Records in Australia (naturally went looking for a copy on Discogs). Other half of the band, Nic Dalton, went on to join The Lemonheads in 1992 and thus the song ended up on the 1993 Lemonheads album Come On Feel The Lemonheads. So now we know how it ended up in my ears originally. But to get back to the Love Positions original recording...
It's 1 minute and 38 seconds of utter gorgeousness. A gently strummed acoustic guitar starts things off before a whisper of wind chimes introduces Robyn's wonderfully naïve voice. That nursery rhyme melody shines through but this is so lush in it's simplicity it's almost lullaby like. A verse, a chorus, a verse again. A guitar, some shimmer and a vocal. It's like listening to an intimate thought or secret. And maybe it is? Maybe it's a daydream walking down the street and realising you are with exactly who you are meant to be with right now. And sometimes that's all you need in a song. And sometimes we just need the rawness and immediacy of 2 musicians recording a song exactly at the point they figured it out and not before they could overthink it. I will always love The Lemonheads version of this song, but I have a place in my heart for both. The declaration by Evan and the inner thoughts of Robyn.
A list and links to all previous cover version of the month blogs is below.
You'll find a Spotify playlist if you search for Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions or CLICK HERE
