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
Gene Clark departed The Byrds in 1966 after a whirlwind period of recording, releasing, and touring. In just a few years, the band had blazed a trail—three albums, a string of hits (including two number-one singles), and pioneering sounds that reshaped the landscape of guitar music. From the chiming 12-string perfection of Mr. Tambourine Man and Turn, Turn, Turn to the psychedelic folk-jazz brilliance of Eight Miles High, The Byrds (pardon the pun) were in full flight.
Clark was at the heart of it all, including penning the pure adrenaline rush ofI’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better—one of favourite songs by The Byrds. Gene, as well as writing songs, playing guitar and singing, was effortlessly cool with a tambourine in hand.
The Byrds had soared, but what goes up must come down. With a lineup brimming with talent and strong-willed songwriters, creative tensions were inevitable. Clashes ensued, departures followed. Clark was the first to leave, with David Crosby not far behind.
Clark didn't hang around, releasing his debut album Gene Clark With The Gosdin Brothers (later reissued as Echoes) in January 1967. Clark wrote 8 songs and co-wrote another couple.
One of those songs was So You Say You Lost Your Baby, 2-minutes 7 seconds of utter bliss. In that short time there is driving rhythms, beautiful orchestration, a dreamy melancholic melody and emotional vocals, mixed effortlessly with stunning harmonies.
Riding in on an electric guitar riff that sends tingles down your spine, So You Say You Lost Your Baby is performed, arranged and produced absolutely perfectly. Strings float in behind Gene Clark as he begins to sing;
Well you're smolderin' with fly words
Catch the moment on the run
The Gosdin Brothers harmonise effortlessly;
And you stand inside your wind stilts
Watch the sentence act begun
There's a brief pause before a gorgeous little lift in the strings after the second verse and chorus, Clark and the Gosdin Brothers sound sublime together, the beat drives things to conclusion
So you say you lost you're baby
Do you know that you're the one?
Almost 40-years down the line, Death in Vegas, Richard Fearless and Tim Holmes, were forging a reputation for fantastic taste in music, production and ambition. Psychedelia was in their hearts; taste, knowledge and appreciation of great songs from 60's, mixed and matched with passion for electronic music and all the possibilities it brought.
2003's Scorpio Rising album saw them collaborate with Liam Gallagher on a sprawling title track, Hope Sandoval on the heart melting Killing Smile, Dot Allison on the dreamy wonder Diving Horses and Paul Weller on their version of So You Say You Lost Your Baby.
That Death in Vegas stay very true to Clark's original is testament to the band and Weller's love and affection for the song. The main difference is probably the fact that Weller is singing on his own with no harmonies. Death in Vegas also play a little with the aforementioned string lift after the second verse and chorus. Weller's voice, as I witnessed first hand at the Barrowland last November, is exceptionally strong, perfect for this slice of psychedelic pop.
Noel Gallagher was so taken with the album that he approached Death in Vegas to produce Don't Believe The Truth. The sessions collapsed after 3-4 weeks with Gallagher reflecting that Fearless and Holmes were trying to polish a turd. An honest assessment. If the songs had been up with Gallagher's best then it is tantalising to think of the string arrangements and effects that DiV could have introduced. But that's potentially another blog for another time.
The Gene Clark original and the cover by Death in Vegas and Paul Weller of So You Say You Lost Your Babyare 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
The first time I heard Hope Sandoval's voice may well have been her gorgeous dreamy swoon on Fade Into You from 1993's So Tonight That I Might See album.
I would have been 17 and religiously reading the NME and Melody Maker every week, listening to the Evening Session and John Peel when I could. Hope Sandoval captivated me, with her voice, her looks and her style.
Around this time I was always writing lyrics and playing around with my guitars. I actually wrote a song with the working title Mazzy Star (Song For Hope Sandoval), imagining her lush whispery voice over acoustic guitars and strings. I still have the lyrics in an old folder that I found up in my Mums loft a couple of years ago. Maybe I should send them to her!
Mazzy Star always seemed pretty mysterious. I don't recall them touring often, indeed I can only find a record of them playing in Scotland once - at King Tuts in Glasgow back in 1993. So I've never seen her play live. Something I'd love to rectify at some point in the future.
Sadly it won't be as Mazzy Star. David Roback passed away in February 2020. Roback left a celebrated body of work from his time with The Rain Parade, Opal and Mazzy Star.
Mazzy Star released 4 albums; She Hangs Brightly (1990), So Tonight That I Might See (1993), Among My Swan (1996) and then following their reformation; Seasons Of Your Day (2013)
Hope Sandoval and The Warm Inventions were the post Mazzy Star outfit that Sandoval formed. To date, they have released 3 albums; Bavarian Fruit Bread (2001), Through The Devil Softly (2009) and Until The Hunter (2016).
So many have fallen for Sandoval's sublime voice. The Jesus and Mary Chain, The Chemical Brothers, Massive Attack and Death In Vegas have all invited Hope to sprinkle some magic on their songs.
I think the opportunity to work with a singer like Hope really inspires them to create some really beautiful, atmospheric, magical music. Check this spellbinding version of Cherry Blossom Girl with Air.
I've enjoyed digging back through Sandoval's back catalogue to choose ten of my favourites.
You can check this Spotify playlist and my musings and videos of my choices below.
Let Me Get There It's all in the groove, let me get there sings Sandoval on this truly sensational duet with Kurt Vile. Stretching beyond 7-minutes, the band and singers are in no rush, there is plenty of space for everyone.
And it is all in the groove. Sandoval and Vile trade lines over a country blues vibe with a slight tinge of psychedelia coming from the reverb on their vocals. Some of the guitar playing is exquisite.
Vile sounds beautifully stoned while there is a chilled determination in the way Sandoval sings let me get there. Echoes of Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra.
A gem of a song.
Look On Down From The Bridge
Get ready to have your heart melted.
Sandoval's voice is fragile and beautiful as she sings How could I say goodbye? over a beat so gentle is is barely there, as Roback conjures stunning sounds from his guitar. The church organ creates an incredible atmosphere, listening to this with headphones brings tears to my eyes.
Look on down from the bridge
There's still fountains down there
Look on down from the bridge
It's still raining up here
Everybody seems so far away from me
Everybody just wants to be free
This is the closing track from 1996 album Among My Swan. It's almost impossible to describe how delicate and beautiful it is. Just listen ... with your headphones on and your eyes closed.
Disappear
How f**king gorgeous is this song? One of Sandoval's dreamiest vocals. I could listen to her voice for days. Roback's fingers dance over his guitar, there is a gentle tambourine being tapped and all kinds of gorgeous reverb-y echo effects.
Close your eyes and look at me
I can't believe what I cannot see
Drop
A cover of a Jesus and Mary Chain song, Drop is the song that Hope chose to open her debut album with the Warm Inventions. I love the opening lines of the first verse quoted below.
The way you drop
Is like a stone
Make out you're flying
But you've just been thrown
Into Dust
This song feels and sounds special. At their very best Mazzy Star capture magic on record. Into Dust is exceptionally atmospheric, I hang on every word and sound.
Paradise Circus (with Massive Attack)
Sandoval's voice is set against very different soundscape. Rumbling dub like bass and little flickers of piano. Listening back to this song made me appreciate how little bass there is in a lot of Sandoval's song. Of course, it's Massive Attack, the bass is heavier than most acts, but it does rumble delightfully and the contrast with Sandoval's voice is stunning.
Love is like a sin, my love
For the one that feels it the most
Look at her with a smile like a flame
She will love you like a fly will never love you again
Asleep From Day (with The Chemical Brothers)
The Chems totally get Hope Sandoval and create a magical comedown track
The chilled build up and then the drop at 2 minutes 41 seconds is beautiful, for those of us who have lay on floors at friends houses after a night of clubbing, you'll know that feeling; you've had a great night dancing and talking with friends, now your energy has gone and you're lying dozing, dreaming, listening to music to help you unwind ... if something like this came on you would drift off blissfully into a psychedelic dream.
I've got a lot of friends
And they've got beautiful eyes
That make my heart feel surprised
Sometimes Always (w/ The Jesus and Mary Chain)
This duet with the Mary Chain never fails to bring a smile to my face. The chiming guitars, Hope's sweet voice against Jim Reid's cracked pleas for one more chance.
Hope stands firm but in the end gives in and lets Jim back. It's all over in 2 and a half glorious minutes. Guitar pop perfection.
Killing Smile (w/ Death In Vegas)
This song absolutely floors me with its majestic beauty. The strings ushering in an acoustic guitar and then the most gorgeous vocal.
You can spend your life behind my falling star
This life will meet you with a long and killing smile
Don't have a feeling but I wanna waste my time
By the time we get to the line And you know I want to the follow up with you is so hushed and whispered that you can hardly hear it.
This is my favourite song featuring Hope Sandoval, everything about it is just perfect.
All the while I spent my time making schemes
Now I know when things are always what they seem
The strings are heart achingly beautiful, the melody being plucked on a banjo (?) just tweaks the heart strings and I could listen to Hope Sandoval singing like this for days on end.
Fade Into You
Another absolutely sublime song. Another perfect song.
There is a reason it is is Mazzy Star's most famous sand celebrated song. From the off, there is a little extra urgency in Fade Into You, with the acoustic strum, with the dreamy slide guitar and even the beat. Sandoval, of course, sounds incredible.
I look to you and I see nothing
I look to you to see the truth
Everything is perfect. This is dream music, dream pop.
You live your life, you go in shadows
You'll come apart and you'll go black
Some kind of night into your darkness
Colours your eyes with what's not there
There is reflection and then the realisation that her love never knew.
Fade into you
Strange you never knew
It's easy to get lost in this song, so go on, lose yourself for 5-minutes. Marvel at its beauty.
The latest section of the mixtape is wildly eclectic; taking in the pure pop euphoria of Robyn, a crazy song title by Nina Simone, a song by Bob Dylan that I hadn't heard before (well he has plenty!), a couple of cool cover versions, a little nod to David Holmes, some beauties by Death In Vegas, the giants of Marley, Hendrix and Brown and plenty more besides.
I add to the Never Ending Mixtape, my Spotify playlist on a monthly basis and blog about it here. There are now almost 350 songs on the playlist; dig in and enjoy. You'll need to scroll down to play the latest additions that are listed below.
Search for Everything Flows Never Ending Mixtape or click HERE.
Dancing On My Own - Robyn
Shhhhh (For A Little While) - James Brown
Cissy Strut - The Meters
Dancing Drums - Ananda Shankar
Crosstown Traffic - Jimi Hendrix
Funkier Than A Mosquito's Tweeter - Nina Simone
Higher Ground - Ellen McIlwaine
Tom Cat - Muddy Waters
Holiday Girl - Arab Strap (David Holmes remix)
Take Another Little Piece Of My Heart - Dusty Springfield
Sacrilege - Yeah Yeah Yeah's
Little Green Bag - George Baker Selection
The Man In Me - Bob Dylan
Just Dropped In (To See What Condition My Condition Was In) - Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
I Heard Wonders (Andrew Weatherall mix) - David Holmes
69 Police - David Holmes
23 Lies - Death In Vegas w/ Susan Dilate
Help Yourself - Death In Vegas w/ Hope Sandoval
Could You Be Loved - Bob Marley
OK, I always said I wouldn't....but I finally got Spotify. Hey, it is 2016, almost 2017!
Spotify is handy, I'll always treasure vinyl and my CD's are unlikely never to be thrown out, only taken from boxes in the loft if I go to play something on iTunes and realise I haven't exported it. Although with Spotify I don't even have to do that anymore. In fact, I haven't used iTunes since getting Spotify.
I'm enjoying making mixes. Or playlists as the kids call it in 2016.
So I thought I would start a mixtape and add to it every month, becoming a regular blog. So here is the first instalment on what may well become - The Never Ending Mixtape..... CLICK HERE TO LISTEN
Watch The Sunrise - Big Star
Starting the never ending mixtape with a song I discovered via a mixtape by The Chemical Brothers a long, long time ago in the 90's. This is beautiful.
Rock and Roll - The Velvet Underground
The Velvets are always a good and cool band to feature on any mixtape ad I am pretty sure they will feature again.
Feel so Sad (Glides and Chimes) - Spiritualized
A band that can really take you on a journey. See previous blog. Makes Me Wanna Die - Tricky Safe From Harm - Massive Attack Killing Smile - Death In Vegas Hey Lisa - David Holmes Little Fluffy Clouds - The Orb
Tricky, Massive Attack, Death In Vegas, David Holmes and The Orb are all bands I discovered through my best mate Reddy. We had so many incredible nights in and out in our late teens discovering, listening to and talking about music. Reddy had such a cool and eclectic taste. He still does. One night we listened to Screamadelica non-stop until dawn. Reddy really feel for the Bristol scene led by Massive Attack and Tricky and The Orb's Little Fluffy Clouds is a song I can't listen to without thinking of times together. Good times. Kathleen Sat On The Arm Of Her Favourite Chair - Hooton Tennis Club
Indie guitar bands are still alive and kicking - thank God. Two guitars, bass and drums, a sense of humour, some hooks...sublime Feed The Tree - Belly
OK i had an indie crush on Tanya Donnelly....and still do. This is brilliant. Shaky Ground - The Lemonheads
Nic Dalton and Tom Morgan played a HUGE part in The Lemonheads by writing some incredible songs for Evan Dando that fitted him like a glove. This is songwriting at its best for me. Fade Into You - Mazzy Star
Just sublime, Hope Sandoval is also on the Death In Vegas track. Reel Around The Fountain - The Smiths Stolen Car - Beth Orion Here's Where The Story Ends - The Sundays The Only Living Boy In New York - Simon and Garfunkel Bitterblue - Cat Stevens Burned - Buffalo Springfield Ultimate Painting - Ultimate Painting L.S.D - The Pretty Things Opus 40 - Mercury Rev He's Simple, He's Dumb, He's The Pilot - Grandaddy
Girls Keith - Scoundrels, Dirty Gentlemen
Stones-y rock n roll Superb! Don't know much else about it - Spotify discovery!
I missed my 5 for Friday yesterday, so here are 6 for Saturday.
I hope you enjoy them.
We start with a 7 minute epic from Wilco's new album, a melodic and orchestral trippy song that more than justifies the length.
We stay on bands beginning with 'W' as I listened to 'Tommy' by The Who for the first time in years this week. This is 'Go to the Mirror'. The guitar riffs are stunning, drumming suitably outrageous and the refrain 'See me, feel me, touch me, heal me' has to be one of the all time greats.
We change pace with 'Your loft, my acid' by Death In Vegas, who are about to return with new album 'Trans-Love Energies'. Richard Fearless is someone I admire for his ear for a tune and ability to experiment with sound. This track lives up to the title, pulsating at times, old skool techno at others, always pushing boundaries.
Another new tune out is 'AKA What A Life' by Noel Gallagher. A driving beat with a housey piano kic the tune straight into life. I, for one, am looking forward to the album. This pisses all over Beady Eye from an almighty height.
Earlier this week I was talking about long lost C4 programme The White Room on twitter. I loved that show and this performance by The Charlatans shortly after the death of Hammond player Rob Collins is one that lives long in the memory. Raw, emotive and full of passion. The Charlatans kept on keepin' on. Tim Burgess looks cool as f**k in it as well.
We end this weeks songs with the immense 'Decades' by Joy Division, a song that I once heard on a Death In Vegas 'All Back To Mine' compilation. It really does make you wonder what this band could have gone on to do had it not been for the sad loss of Ian Curtis. Beautiful soundscapes that just take off on a journey. The 'Where Have They Been?' chorus/refrain is just stunning as the beat drops and the keyboard riff changes.
