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
This months additions to the Never Ending Mixtape on Spotify begin with three songs from Scottish artists; The Bluebells Forever More, Flying by newcomers Hairband with the beautiful refrain I know a place where we can try to learn how to fly and Girasol by Lightships (Gerry Love).
Elsewhere we have Scotland represented by Stealer's Wheel, Eurythmics and Teenage Fanclub. In between we have a gem from Nick Drake that you imagine Stuart Murdoch must have listened to a few hundred times. Rainbows by Dennis Wilson is a song that I am always blown away by, Carole King at her absolute best with Where You Lead, Gene Clark is well represented, we have Burt Bacharach and even Petula Clark. And if you don't get a shiver down your spine when you listen to Harry Nilson's Without You then ......
Search for Everything Never Ending Mixtape on Spotify or CLICK HERE.
The playlist is now approaching 900 songs. Play from the start, anywhere in between, click on shuffle or scroll to near the end to play the latest additions that are listed below.
Forever More - The Bluebells
Flying - Hairband
Girasol - Lightships
Hazey Jane II - Nick Drake
Reason to Believe - Karen Dalton
The Shining - Badly Drawn Boy
Come Pick Me Up - Ryan Adams Rainbows - Dennis Wilson
Spanish Dance Troupe - Gorky's Zyngotic Mynci
All You Good Good People - Embrace
Stuck In The Middle With You - Stealers Wheel
Where You Lead - Carole King
Here Comes The Sun (live) - Ritchie Havens
Up With The People - Nixon
Wow and Flutter - Stereolab
Tired of Waiting for You - The Kinks
Strength of Strings - Gene Clark
Some Misunderstanding - Gene Clark
Why Not Your Baby - Dillard and Clark
Eight Miles High - The Byrds You Tore Me Down - Flamin' Groovies
I Got Kinda Lost - Chris Bell
Fallen Star - Flamin' Groovies
Johannesburg - Gil Scott-Heron and Brian Jackson
Without You - Harry Nilsson
South American Getaway - Burt Bacharach
Don't Sleep In The Subway - Petula Clark
(They Long To Be) Close To You - Burt Bacharach
You Don't Own Me - Dusty Springfield
Love Is A Stranger - Eurythmics
Thorn In My Side - Eurythmics So Much Love - Dusty Springfield
Then He Kissed Me - The Crystals
Don't Look Back - Teenage Fanclub
Going Places - Teenage Fanclub
Pacific Ocean Blue is an album that I return to regularly. It is like a fine wine, getting better with every passing year....and I find more in it every year....like it grows with me. (the Spotify link is at the end of this blog).
Wilson's voice is incredible; beautiful, yet hurt and broken at times, rich and raw but also soulful and soothing. The lyrics pull you in, the guy has loved and lost, he still loves and he wants to tell all. River Song and Rainbows are my favourites, just sublime.
Released in 1977, Pacific Ocean Blue was the debut album by Beach Boy Dennis Wilson (indeed his only album as the follow up Bambu was unfinished at the time of his death in 1983).
Two of the best songs from the sessions for the album were unreleased - the stunning Only With You, one of the best love songs you will ever hear - and the beautiful instrumental Holy Man.
One of the best love songs of all time
Dennis had written Only With You for The Beach Boys Holland album, but the lead vocals were taken by Carl. The rich rawness of Dennis' vocal on the Pacific Ocean Blue album take it to another level.
Incidentally, this was the song that turned me on to Pacific Ocean Blue. Norman Blake from Teenage Fanclub recorded it for a tribute album Caroline Now - The Songs of Brian Wilson and The Beach Boys. That and I think Bobby Gillespie mentioned the album in an interview.
The opening piano riff to River Song that leads to Dennis backed by a gospel choir sends a spine tingling shiver of joy every time I hear it.
Dennis' voice is throaty, raspy and soulful as he talks of being struggling to breath in the city and longing for the river; this leads to a glorious break before a beautiful middle eight (below) before the faded ending that sounds like it could otherwise have gone on forever with Dennis urging You've got to run away, you've got to run away
It breaks my heart to see the city
I wonder why it ain't so pretty
Oh I want to cry, I want to cry
Come on you've got to do it, do it, do it
River Song is simply stunning, the perfect introduction to Pacific Ocean Blue, but over too soon at 3 minutes 38 seconds. You just have to go back and listen again - it is that good. And just to check Dennis really does pack all those changes and soul into that short space of time?
Pacific Ocean Blue has so much to offer. Wilson has the blues (bad!), losing himself in music and singing of it in songs like Dreamer. Just wait for the break to
Oooh let the wind carry your blues away
That's all we're trying to say
How about a better day
Fall in love
Be warned, your heart may ache and break. Moonshine will move you and just wait for the incredible lyric; It was you who said there won't be tomorrow, you said you love me now in another way
Thoughts Of You will break your heart. Just listen to Wilson's soulful voice straining, breaking and sounding so fragile and true over piano right from the off. The melody is absolutely gorgeous.
The thoughts of you fill my heart with joy again
I'm sorry
I miss you
The song then takes off on a psychedelic trip before coming back to the original melody and Wilson's incredible vocal.
Loneliness is a very special place
To forget is something that I've never done
Silently, silently you touch my face
Wilson puts his heart out on Time, talking of being the type of guy who messes around before singing I love you, I really do with incredible feeling and soul. His voice is sensational, the break into the hold on takes things to another dimension and it sounds like Wilson is giving himself advice.
Did I mention heart ache and break? Farewell My Friend will rip your heart out. It was the song played at Wilson's funeral following his death at the age of just 39 following years of alcohol and drug abuse that eventually saw Dennis homeless.
Rainbows is one of my favourite songs, all of a sudden Wilson sounds positive and full of love. The surging melody and build to And I want you to know, I love you, I love you so leads into the glorious second verse with the backing vocals just lifting things higher.
The album finishes with the appropriately named End Of The Show. Just listen to Wilson's voice in the thank you very much section. Pure emotion, pure soul.
Here we are
With our dreams in the sky
We all have our dreams
It's wonderful to know we're alive
At the end
It's over
Rather incredibly, the album sold less than 5,000 copies upon release in 1977, quickly becoming out of print and a cult album. The 2008 deluxe double edition CD of Pacific Ocean Blue and Dennis' unreleased follow up Bambu shone a light on a remarkable album and that light deserves to shine.
The 3 additional songs added to the Pacific Ocean Blue CD were Tug Of Love, the aforementioned Only With You and the truly stunning instrumental masterpiece Holy Man. Wilson had recorded vocals but deleted them as he felt he couldn't get the melody quite right. The music stands up on its own.
I'll write a blog on Bambu another time, but for now, please dig in and treasure this masterpiece.
Everything Flows - Teenage Fanclub Sound and Vision - David Bowie The Mirrors Reflection - Dr Cosmos Tape Lab Love and Mercy (live at the Roxy) - Brian Wilson The River Song - Dennis Wilson Nigerian Princess - JR Green Teenage Kicks - The Undertones
Reach for the tissues for this one, I don't think I have listened to it for 4-years. I had it on my nano when I was travelling, I love the different voices and opinions, the soothing synthsm, the 'bow bam ba bow bam' backing vocals. Funny at times, very moving at others.
Beautiful. The bit at the end sends a shiver down my spine.
Hey, what can I say? I am a romantic.
We'll go on a love theme this week and lets move forward with this outstanding song and performance by Al Green.
How cool is Al Green? The feeling and flow of this song is just stunning.
When it comes to love songs the duets between lovers Marvin Gaye and Tammi Terrell are hard to top. This must be as close to perfect as you can get. Check out the Funk Brothers instrumental version of this tune too though - schweet!
The Bee Gees have some amazing songs. I have fond memories of a post club party back at my mate Phil's and our friend Fraser taking over the decks and playing loads of Bee Gees tunes at some ungodly hour and us all just singing along and dancing.
This is heartbreaking at times, the production and musicianship are outstanding, the lyrics and vocals just keep tugging at the heartstrings.
The Beach Boys have written some amazing love songs and this must rank up at the top of them. The lyrics are so simple yet so meaingful, sublime.
The Beach Boys version is on their Holland album. Dennis Wilson version would also re-record it for his stunning solo album Pacific Blue. Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake also has a version here.
Rainbows - Dennis Wilson
You Tore Me Down - Flamin' Groovies
So Much Love - Dusty Springfield
