Exclusive Martin Gordon Interview - Part 1

Martin Gordon has packed a lot into his 30+ years in the music business. From Glam to Punk to perfect 80’s pop to an accomplished solo career, he’s done it all (see my earlier Martin Gordon review here for more info!). Linking all these together is his distinctive bass sound and an ever-present talent for writing intelligent, quirky and original songs. Add to this a brief stint as a Rolling Stone and working with the likes of Blur, Primal Scream, Boy George and George Michael and you’ve got a very full and varied career... One I've been itching to find out more about for some time!

Earlier this month I was lucky enough to meet up with Martin in London for an exclusive chat. An enormously engaging interviewee, he was happy to talk about every aspect of his career, and I found him incredibly honest and candid. It turned into quite a lengthy chat, so below is the first part of this two part interview.


First things first, what instruments do you play, and when did you start learning them?

I play bass, all manner of keyboards, and guitar fairly crudely. I started learning at around 10 or 11 years old with piano and classical guitar lessons at school. And from classical guitar I ended up playing bass, it was a direct link. I think it was piano first, that’s what I really wanted to play, but it needed to be taught differently. In those days they didn't use the Suzuki method, you didn’t learn how to play a tune, and it was very frustrating, so I moved on to classical guitar, something I could directly play.

Who were your musical influences as a child, who made you want to be a musician?

I remember being completely obsessed with all things Jack Bruce. These days I can analyse it in a way that I couldn't back then - I see him as a very accomplished singer, a very accomplished arranger and a very accomplished composer -- and incidentally a bass player too. You can't really make a career out of just being a bass player, you have to be a bass player in the context of something else… what a great role model.. The only thing he doesn't do of course is write bearable words, but you can't win ‘em all.

Do you still go back to his albums now?

Yes, it’s timeless stuff. Jack Bruce is a good example of somebody who continues to make great music. If I get bored, I rediscover things that used to excite me. Another good example is the Mahavishnu Orchestra. They were one of the first live concerts I ever saw, back in 1972, and their first album [The Inner Mounting Flame] was one of the first albums I ever bought. Recently I've found a whole load of bootleg recordings of them that you can download. On that first album the songs were about five minutes long, these are expanded to 25 minutes live! It’s just so exciting. Over 30 years on, nothing has replaced it.

Your first band is always listed as Sparks, but were there any bands before that?

No, there was a school band, then there was one band which never played any gigs, so Sparks were my first proper band.

Sparks had just relocated to England at that time, and you answered an ad in Melody Maker looking for a "beard free bass player". Had you heard of Sparks at that point?

I'd seen them on the Old Grey Whistle Test about two weeks beforehand… and I didn't like them very much. But then I also didn't like the ethic of the Old Grey Whistle Test either, and Bob Harris was rather irritated by this group, so I thought okay, maybe they're not quite as terrible as I think they are. But actually I didn't really care too much, because I was just keen to do something.

Do you remember your audition for Sparks?

Yes, it wasn't a musical audition, it was a spoken one. The brothers were there and it was a personable, social audition at John Hewlett's house in Croydon. It was quite sensible really, to see if we could bear each other as people.

So they didn't ask you to play?

No, we just chatted and I didn't hear for some months and eventually I had a phone call saying "let's do it again" And I said "shall I bring the bass this time?" And they said "erm, oh yes, good idea". So I brought the bass along and we rehearsed at Barnet rugby club. I played Girls from Germany and some other songs that had the word girls in the title. I remember thinking "they have to broaden their subject material".

The fortunes of Sparks changed rapidly after you joined….

I'm glad you noticed that..

…a massively successful album [Kimono My House] and the hit singles that came from it [This Town Ain't Big Enough For Both Of Us & Amateur Hour]. It was a radically different sound for this third album compared to previous two, how much of an input did you have in this change of style?

Well, the main difference was they now had a bunch of people who could play, and who had been playing for some time. Various people say that I made a big contribution to things like arrangements, but to be honest, a lot of it was about tension, musical tension. There was Adrian, who hated all this glam, fey, limp wristed stuff, and wanted to make it tougher, and then you had this 'twinky' tendency going on in the other corner of the room. And it was actually all these tensions that produced something quite good. I came from the prog world, so I was another piece of the jigsaw, but I had communication skills, where as they would just do something and there it was and it wasn’t integrated necessarily, they wouldn't try and bend anything else around it.

It was quite an arty thing wasn’t it, where as a lot of the glam rock thing was very one-dimensional. Roxy were very arty to…

Yes, it had 'art concepts' behind it. To me when I think of glam, I think of the Sweet and Gary Glitter, I don't think of Sparks. Glam rock was more about double tracked tom-toms and not much else going on.

Ultimately though a short lived affair, and you were drummed out of Sparks before the fourth album. I hear various rumours as to why, but what's the real one? Did you grow a beard?!

No, no. The final straw really was being asked to play Ian Hampton’s bass [a Fender Precision], as they decided they didn't like the sound of mine [a Rickenbacker 4001]. But obviously that was indicative of greater issues.

They also weren’t keen on looking at some of the songs you were writing at that time is that right?

Yeah, I think "weren’t keen" is a very appropriate way of describing it. John Hewlett said recently that he felt he rather fucked up as a manager at the time, because a manager should have the confidence to smack his protégé around the ears and say “stop being so stupid, you’ve got someone who is contributing here”. To quote him he says they "felt threatened", whatever that means. Not physically, although they were threatened physically by my friend Chris Townson who once punched Russell in the face over dinner. Russell was being snooty, as he often was, about Chris's band Jook. These were the days before Chris had acquired anger management skills, so he said "don't you take the piss out my band" and BAM hits Russell in the face. whereupon Russell burst into tears and ran off. ….It always makes me smile..

I always get the impression that there is bad feeling between you and the Mael brothers even now, is that the case?

Well, I made an attempt to try and clear the air about this ongoing thing about Kimono royalties. I was invited to the after show party at the Shepherd's Bush Empire in 1994, we spoke but it was like…. in Berlin they have this expression they go… [Martin pulls a blank face and waves his hand in front of it].. meaning if somebody has a wall in front of their face, you can't get words through it. So it all remains unresolved.

And what about the Sparks fans, how do you think they feel about you? are they appreciative of what you did or do you think there is a clash of loyalties there too?

I have the impression that my 'fans', for want of a better word, are not from the Sparks community. I remember there was a rather nasty personal attack on me on one Sparks message board... I think I made it worse by joining in under another name, agreeing that I was a total and utter bastard and should be shot. but still the sentiment was unpleasant. Perhaps the fact that I am not a great ‘Mole’ lover is to blame. Or the fact that I find the aforementioned story of Chris Townson hitting Russell very funny. Quite why the fans insist on using the term 'the boys' about a couple of sixty year-old men leads me to think that some of them are not really all there.

So you weren’t asked to re-joining Sparks for the upcoming Kimono My House show then?!

What being the only living member of the band you mean? It's got novelty value at least. No, no.

But if they’d asked you, would you have done it?

John Hewlett asked me this last week, I said I would just play Barbecutie, in fact, just the Barbecutie intro, then hand the bass over. So on that symbolic level… maybe.

What do you think of Sparks idea to perform all 21 of their albums over 21 nights?

It’s very good, it's inventive. It has been done before of course, Cheap Trick did it, but it's not a bad idea. I don't know how it's going to work out financially though.

I always think of Sparks 4th album, Propaganda, as Kimono My House II. Although you had gone by that time, did you have any input into the songs that eventually turned up on the outcome?

No, I think a couple of songs we recorded may have turned up on it, but I'm not sure.

Let’s move on to your next band Jet, who at the time were considered a bit of a supergroup [Martin and Peter Oxendale both ex-Sparks, Andy Ellison and Chris Townson were both ex-John’s Children - Townson of course had also been in Jook, and Davy O'List had played in the Attack, the Nice, and Roxy Music]. Personally I think they were a really underrated band, that album is a classic! I recently interviewed James from Silvery (read the full interview here) and he described it as "a slightly more ridiculous Kimono My House, a real junk shop glam classic". I think that sums it up well, and to people who are aware of it, it is almost universally described as one of the ultimate glam albums.

Well it’s that thing we were talking about earlier with Sparks, it wasn't glam as in double tracked tom-toms, it was more art glam, and in that sense, yeah it was a glam band, but then when you have people dressed up as Little Lord Fauntleroy and dinosaurs, wearing white flowing capes, it’s hard to be anything other than glam, I suppose.

The album got re-released on CD a few years back, but it disappeared almost immediately. What's happening with that?

Well BMG, who now own it, are not interested in putting it out, for some reason. I get lots of e-mails from people saying "when's it gonna come out?". If BMG knew people were asking for it, perhaps they'd have a change of heart.

Or at least just put it up on i-Tunes, where there are no real overheads

Sure, there's no costs involved whatsoever if you use that medium. It's even remastered, so it's a bit short-sighted really.

What's your favourite memory of Jet?

Chris Townson said his favourite memory of Jet was the free sandwiches in the studio. In fact, he said it was his most joyous memory, and all the other memories of Jet were appalling. My favourite memory…. well, we once played a gig to one person in Dunoon. That was quite funny, but I wouldn’t like to do it again.

You didn't think to cancel it??!

Well, it was too late. We were on a stage which had curtains, they opened them and by that time you're committed. The guy became comatose halfway through the gig though, so he couldn't actually leave -- he slid down the bar and lay on the floor… probably just as well.

Did you mix with any other glam acts at that time?

I used to bump into the Sweet at Top of the Pops…. bunch of bricklayers. And of course the Glitter people because Mike Leander was the manager of Jet as well. But no glam soirées discussing the ins and outs of the glam concept.

Ian MacLeod replaced Davy O'List on guitar, and then Jet pretty much morphed into the Radio Stars, just as the music scene was morphing from glam to punk. You didn't particularly consider yourselves as punks, but you seemed to be accepted by the scene?

Yeah, being on a punk label (Chiswick) helped too - in fact Chiswick were just old rockers rather than punks really. But anyway we adopted suitable clothing and it was a fun thing, it wasn’t some sort of alien notion that had nothing to do with us. We got very good at that time though, we were playing 250 gigs a year, so it was very slick.


Was it a help or hindrance being associated with the punk scene?

Oh, it was a help because you can be identified by outsiders. We did get spat on a lot though.

There's a story that the Radio Stars were once wrongly introduced on Top of the Pops by Dave Lee Travis…

That's right as Paul McCartney and Wings. And we collectively went into a dreadful acapella version of Mull of Kintyre. It was never broadcast of course, but we added it to our set list after that. We did it as the encore at the Lyceum, our first major headlining gig. We’d always choose two different keys, Andy would sing one part and we would play the other… it was all rather confusing. And that was our encore.

What can you tell me about the new Radio Stars live CD, Something For The Weekend?

It's a compilation, I don't think we ever played all those songs in one go. That's why the quality is pretty good, it’s selected from lots and lots of material.

The best of what's available….

Yeah, well, the least worst...


The second and final part of this interview will be published in a few days time, where amongst other things we talk about the Rolling Stones, Marc Bolan, Blue Meanie, Martins solo work and Kylie’s bustier! Don’t miss it!

LINKS:

Visit The Radio Stars official website here

The Official Martin Gordon website

Buy Martin Gordon CDs at Amazon!

Not sure if this is the same website Martin was refering to in the interview, but you can certainly download a lot of free Mahavishnu Orchestra live audios here
Jazz Fusion Free Downloads!

See my Sparks article here, containing exclusive comments from Ron and Russell Mael,

When I Interviewed James from Silvery last year, we had a long chat about all maner of things, including his love for Sparks
read the full interview with Silvery here

Piley

The Radio Stars \ Martin Gordon - Live Review

The Radio Stars \ Martin Gordon – Live at the Metro Club, London. Saturday 1st March 2008.

Two top-notch shows tonight for the price of one…. the first live performance in over 30 years by 70s pop punkster's The Radio Stars, plus support from Martin Gordon. Both of these acts could have legitimately been the headliner, but seeing as Martin Gordon is also a member (and chief song writer) of The Radio Stars, it became a lineup too good to miss!

After almost 35 years in the music business, Martin Gordon has a very rare commodity…. an unblemished CV! From Sparks to 70s art/glam outfit Jet, from The Radio Stars to Blue Meanies, he has consistently written quality, intelligent tunes that stand the test of time and are glued to your brain from the very 1st play. Tonight however he’s showcasing his solo material, which to date consists of four excellent albums – hidden gems the lot of ‘em (just check out the reviews on Amazon, nothing less than 5 stars for all of them).

Martin’s solo work is an eclectic mix, which reminds me of so many things... 60s Britain, 70's Macca, early Squeeze, 90s Britpop (in particular on his 3rd album God’s on his Lunchbreak, Please Call Back, which you can easily imagine a Modern Life is Rubbish era Damon Albarn performing - no wonder Blur were so keen to acquire Martin's services a few years back). Add a quirky slant reminiscent of 90's US power-poppers Jellyfish, throw in a healthy mix of humour (ala the Bonzo’s), take a detour through traditional music hall, wrap it all up in Martin's trademark gift for a catchy tune... and you're still nowhere near describing just how good his solo albums are!!

Believe it or not, despite having such a wealth of quality material in his armoury, this is only Martin’s second-live solo show (a recording of his first -- in Boston USA last year -- is a free bonus disc issued with initial copies of the new Radio Stars album tonight). However, it's a polished performance from a band so tight, you'd think they'd been doing it every night for years, and Martin must rank as one of the best bass players in the business. This journey through his solo work was a joy, but the highlight must have been the delightful vaudeville run through of Gilbert and Sullivan's A Policeman's Lot Is Not A Happy One. Members of the audience were invited on stage, given song sheets and helmets and duly provided the traditional accompaniment. Looking around the room at the smiling faces of the audience, all swaying with their pints and singing along, it was easy to imagine a night out at Wiltons Music Hall or The Shoreditch Empire in the 1800's, as artist and audience became joined in song.

Before long, Martin retook the stage with the main event. This 'one night only' reform of The Radio Stars was predominantly to promote a new CD - Something for the Weekend, compiling some of the groups best live moments. Although their career was fairly brief in the late 70s, they certainly packed a lot in; two albums, chart success, TV appearances and hundreds of sold-out shows.. and 30 years on they still have a loyal following (hence the new CD!).

The band is made up of Andy Ellison (original vocalist of 60s wild men 'John's Children', Marc Bolan's first band) on vocals, Ian Macleod on lead guitar and Martin Gordon on bass. For this reunion gig, Steve Budney expertly handles the drums. I understand that due to logistical reasons (with band members travelling from England, Germany and the USA), only a handful of rehearsals had taken place beforehand, but you'd never have known, as they cranked out all the fan favourites as though their last gig were three days ago rather than three decades.

Energetic frontman (or should that be stuntman?!) Andy Ellison has lost none of his spark. Born to entertain, he scales drum kits and speaker towers throughout, regularly disappears into the crowd, and at one point, somehow manages to scramble through to the bar, clambering on top without missing a note, and eventually finishes the remainder of the song from behind the pumps! There is a stage presence and charisma that some of today's dowdy ‘ol bands could learn a thing or two from, and it was impossible to take your eyes off them as they ripped through blistering renditions of songs such as Nervous Wreck, Johnny Mekon, No Russians in Russia, Dirty Pictures and The Beast of Barnsley.

In the 70s they couldn't be pigeonholed - lumped in with punk for convenience, but it was much more than that… Pistol-esqe riffs combined with Martin Gordon's irresistible pop genius and a lead singer with all the energy of a schoolkid OD’ing on E numbers, equaled something a bit different back then. Today, they would be the Kaiser Chiefs or Maximo Park (who no doubt both own one or two Radio Stars CD's!).

There was an intoxicating atmosphere throughout the gig - as many band reunion shows tend to have. But it was more than that, almost the feel of a family reunion, as fans new and old made the pilgrimage to meet up with their long lost brothers. Even the (still) gorgeous Kelly (Martin Gordon's ex-girlfriend from that time, who poses seductively with the boys in the classic photo used on the cover of the new CD) was in the front row, and still appeared to know the words to every song!

A great night out -- made all the more special for me, as Martin Gordon kindly gave me almost an hour of his time prior to the show for an exclusive interview. He was a thoroughly charming and entertaining interviewee, full of anecdotes from almost 35 years in the business -- the transcript of our chat is coming soon, where amongst many other things Martin talks about his time as a temporary Rolling Stone (as replacement for an AWOL Bill Wyman), his fall out with Sparks, Glam Rock, memories of Marc Bolan and being mistaken for Paul McCartney and Wings!

Keep tuned to Start The Revolution Without Me!

LINKS:

The Radio Stars official website

Buy Radio Stars CDs at Amazon!

The Official Martin Gordon website

Buy Martin Gordon CDs at Amazon!

Piley

Medicinal Music

Firstly, I must say a big thank you to Planet Mondo for keeping the ‘ol bloggin seat nice and warm in my absence -- top work fella! If you havn't already checked out his blogs, do yourself a favour and pop over now!

Planet Mondo
Channel Mondo

Since my last eye test discovered my cataracts now really did require action, I have been on the waiting list for surgery, I had also put myself down for any last-minute cancellations…. and last-minute it turned out to be! I got a call at 1pm saying if I could get to the hospital by 2pm they would do me, and by 2:30pm I was on the slab!

Although not exactly looking forward to someone poking around in my eye with a scalpel whilst I was still awake, I was actually quite keen to have this operation. However, recovery has not been as straightforward as I had hoped, and led to me being 'signed off' for a couple of weeks after the procedure. It's amazing how little is left when you're down to one peeper and are told to "rest your eye". All the obvious things to do are out of bounds, no PC, no TV, no reading, no driving… It didn't take long to realise that the radio is pretty dire during the daytime (unless you like five hour phone-ins to discuss a football game that lasted 90 minutes!). But my trusty favourite hobby was there to stop me going completely crazy, and I spent my time doing little else but listening to music.

Although I always seem to be playing music anyway, this was a particularly concentrated two-week session, as there was little else to distract me (part of my recuperation required me not to bend down, so even changing dirty nappies was out the window!). It also meant I got to rediscover some gems I’d temporarily forgotten about… although this was not always planned. A large music collection combined with bad eyesight effectively turns the whole process into the largest iPod shuffle button in the world, as albums you thought you'd picked, turn out to be completely different!

It was during my enforced CD-athon that I started thinking about the musical journeys and discoveries you take in life -- how one artist leads to another like a musical family tree. Let me give you an example:

In 1977 I got into Bowie after hearing the single Breaking Glass. It opened the floodgates for me, and I started buying up everything I could. As I started reading more about the man, his work and his influences, I came across more and more names that I felt the need to investigate, such as Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, The Velvet Underground, Mott the Hoople etc. Iggy was an instant hit with me and unsurprisingly, led me back to the Stooges. In turn the Stooges were responsible for me discovering the MC5 and the New York Dolls, who in turn of course led me to Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers…. the list goes on and on. If you're really into music, I guess these links are continually expanding subconsciously, but it wasn't until now that I really started to notice it -- as a Bowie session geared me up for a play of Lou Reed’s Transformer, which in turn had me diggin out The Velvet Underground.

Inevitably these links will lead you to a few dead ends on the way (I could have probably done without the Dana Gillespie and Anthony Newley albums via my Bowie trail!), but it’s an organic process that on the whole works well and enriches your collection.

In the old days -- BC (before computers), you had to work bloody hard to establish these links, reading biographies, interviews, magazine articles etc. Today it couldn't be easier to sniff em out -- particularly with that fatal "customers who bought this item also bought…." tactic used by Amazon and others, guaranteed to keep the serious music buyer permanently broke.

Being a typical anal kinda guy, I started thinking a bit more about other musical family trees in my life, there are plenty of them. The below is a good example, which starts in my early teens when I discovered Soft Cell and Depeche Mode. The list is almost certainly not complete (I tried not to think about it too long!), but it shows just how wide and diverse the links can go (note -- there are some dead ends here too!).

Anyone else got an interesting 'family tree' to share?

Piley

Guest Blogger - Planet Mondo - Public Information Films

Poor ol' Piley's still on the mend but is hoping to be back next week, until then it's me again - here to have a rumble about Public Information Films.

Do they still make them? I don't think I've ever seen a contemporary 'Take Care' TV shortie for years - they seemed to be everywhere up until the Eighties.

The 'Charlie Says' DVD released a few years ago, collected the best of the Sixties and Seventies PI films and is an absolute joy packed with educational gems from end to end. Yes, there's all the textbook safety subjects...

Crossing the Road - Green Cross Code and The Tufty Club,

Swimming - Rolf Harris'Get in the Swim' and 'Learn To Swim '

Driving - Think Once. Think Twice. Think Bike and 'Clunk Click'.

But the real revelation is the volume (over 150 on Vol. 1 alone), and depth of Health and Safety issues spoon fed to the public.....

Tidy up at night, the dangers of chip pans, polystyrene ceiling tiles and rugs on overly polished floors...

Don't get me wrong, I'm not knocking these films, we could probably do with more of these punchy numbers today - mobile phones, dangerous dogs and stodge diets for starters.

Set dressed for earthy authenticity (apart from a few of the scenarios) these thumbnails capture an accurate snapshot of Seventies lifestyle and deliver all the detail lacking from the over dressed grotesques in shows like 'Life on Mars'. Why not treat yourself and have a peep at Billy Blunders with the great juxtaposition of "'ello me dandruffs back" and "me luck could be in 'ere" in the same sentence. (There's a complete set of shorts for each member of the Blunders family if you fancy filling your boots)

I Love the moment they've chosen to freeze frame at the end..


Or have a peep at the genuinly creepy Donald Pleasance as a Dark Rider/Grim Reaper in 'Lonely Water'


If you in the mood for more funky nuggets and youtube treats - why not pop over either of my pieces of ol' puffery for some Valentine's Day treats
Planet Mondo
Channel Mondo

Guest Blogger - Planet Mondo

Vox Not Popular

Hello bloggers and bloggettes, poor ol' Pileys unable to do any blogging at the moment, I'll let him give you all the details when he's back on the bounce. But in the meantime he's asked me to stop by as a guest blogger.

So I'm going to have a mumble, grumble and moan about certain voices that grate on me, the sort of singers that are hugely popular and sell by the sackload, but I find them about as listenable as dental drilling. People like those squiddly diddly 'Divas', Power Ballad lungbusters and X Factor autotune types but the real offenders on my list are...

Sophie Ellis Bextor - pretty as a pixie, but the bored nasal monotone drone of a pub Folk singer.

Neil Young - like Mickey Mouse hitting the helium.

Janis Joplin – as easy on the ear as a late night cat fight.

Ja Rule - the sound of a Rottweiler gargling broken bricks.

Dean Freidman - whiny whingemonger.

These are my nominations - but who would you put on a roll call of rotten singers?

If you need a break from a brainful of bad bellowing, why not pop over to my pieces of ol' puffery for some Funky nuggets, Punky rarities, Soul stompers, bootleg remixes and Youtube treats...

Planet Mondo

Channel Mondo

Everybody's on Top Of The Pops!

January 08 saw the death of someone who was probably more influential than anyone in setting me off on the road of a lifetime of obsessive record collecting. It wasn't a singer, musician or producer, nor was it a friend who showed me the path on how to keep yourself permanently broke. Nope, it was Cy Leslie, who founded Pickwick Records in 1950.

As a small child I don't think I really came into contact with 'new' records much. Sure my parents had quite a few, but they had all been bought when they were younger, and they didn't really add to their collection much when I came along. You can't fail to come into contact with CDs these days, a visit to a petrol station, supermarket, card shop, newsagent or post office are all likely to bring you in contact with em. But in the early 70's 'proper' records were predominantly for 'proper' record shops, and my parents didn't go in them. Pretty much the only exception to that rule was the spinning rack of Pickwick records.

I'm not sure how old I was when I first became aware of the Pickwick 'spinner', but I could only have been 4 or 5. The first one I remember was in the local supermarket (The Home and Colonial). It contained a selection of low budget LPs (which I wasn't really interested in at the time), and some brightly coloured 4 track 7" singles for kids - which I was very interested in! (these had their own 'Mr Pickwick' branding, complete with a friendly cartoon of the famous Dickens character). The kiddie singles were even cynically placed in the bottom row of the spinner, to ensure all the toddlers spotted them! I didn't get one on every visit to the supermarket, but I didn't do bad!

For me, Pickwick were the saintly equivalent of a dealer who stands outside a school - and both must have had a similar mantra... Get 'em early with a few cheap purchases, then once they are hooked, they'll be paying top dollar for the hard stuff! So 2 or 3 years later, when the interest in the kiddie singles was waning, I moved into phase two of the Pickwick range, the Top of the Pops 'sound-a-like' albums. An obligatory item for every charity shop and boot sale these days, but the number still floating around shows just how popular these albums once were. Between 1968 and 1979, Pickwick released a TOTPs albums every six weeks (91 volumes in total), each containing 12 'sound-a-like' versions of the very latest chart hits. Astonishingly, each album was recorded in less than 4 days, and it is common knowledge that a number of future stars appeared on them (Elton John, Rod Stewart etc).

It's weird to believe now, but in the early 70's there was no such thing as the chart 'compilation album'. It was buy the 7" singles or nothing. My pocket money didn't stretch to many 7" singles, so 12 hits on an album for less than a quid was a 'must have' bargain! The fact it wasn't the original artist didn't seem to matter much then (we were simple folk in simple times!). And what a great leveller they were too - they were the i-Pod shuffle of the 70's, where the (fake) Sex Pistols were followed by the Bee Gees, The Goodies, Clive Dunn, Blondie and Demis Roussos! With almost certainly the same musicians appearing on each track!

There is some real muse-o snobbery around these albums - no doubt from people who slam them as inferior, then happily attend a 'tribute act' concert, or sit down to enjoy Stars in Their Eyes on the box! They are seen as absolute tat these days, yet they once sold by the shedload (300,000 a piece at their peak) - in fact in the early years, the album charts used to be full of these LPs, until the 'proper' record companies complained, and had the chart rules changed, so the TOTP albums could no longer qualify. The legit labels weren’t the only ones to have their nose put out of joint by these albums, the BBC were miffed at the use of the title 'Top of the Pops' - however this was completely their own fault, as the Beeb had neglected to register the name. Sharp work by the Pickwick legal department! The Beeb were no doubt less than pleased with the design of the covers too, as each contained a model who looked like she'd just stepped out of Pans People. Sales started to dwindle in the late 70's (mainly due to companies like K-Tel and Ronco starting to release compilations featuring the real artists) and in 1979 they stopped making them. They did try to revive the idea in the mid 80's, but unsurprisingly, they didn't sell.

By about the age of 10 or 11, I had moved into the final phase of the Pickwick scene - the budget 'original artist' album. Slowly but surely, Pickwick had started to bolster this section of the label - picking up defunct albums from the back-catalogues of the major labels. It was around this time that I got completely obsessed with Elvis, but even then an LP was pretty expensive, and I struggled to buy much of his RCA material. Pickwicks re-issuing of Presley albums (often under their Hallmark label) was perfectly timed to meet my insatiable demand for 'the king', and I regularly trundled off to Woolworths with a pound note to purchase another addition.
Like a kindly old gent who nurtures sick animals and releases them back to the wild, Mr Pickwick finally set me free into the big world of record collecting around 1980, by which time I had been well and truly bitten by the bug. My Vinyl must have been 80% Pickwick and Hallmark at that point (and I still have them all today!), but I'd already decided that record collecting was the greatest hobby in the world (I still do!).

Piley

No More Heroes?

I mentioned in an earlier post about my obsession with real-life superheroes… and when we're going to get one!! (you can read the full article here).

So whilst idly flicking through the Sky box over Christmas, you'll perhaps understand why a show titled 'Who Wants To Be A Superhero' caught my eye! It transpired that the Sci-Fi Channel were doing a marathon run of this US reality TV show, screening all 8 episodes over a couple of days. At 1st glance it looked like the very cheesiest of the cheesy, but it was hosted by one of my all time heroes, Stan Lee (creator of the X-Men, Spiderman, Hulk, Fantastic Four, Daredevil and more), so I thought I'd give it 5 minutes… 3 hours later I kinda realised I liked it!!

The programme started off much like a lycra-clad X-Factor. An arena full of hopefuls in home-made costumes, all vying for a place in the finals. The rules were simple, contestants needed a name for their superhero, a costume and the 'origins' of the character. And what a prize on offer for the lucky winner… a brand new comic title would be released, staring our very latest hero (and written by Stan himself), and a special Sci-Fi Channel movie would be made featuring the character (played of course by the winning contestant).

Pretty soon we were down to the final 12, ready to enter 'the lair' (a cross between the Big Brother house and the Batcave!). Once encaserated, Stan started to set our heroic ones daily task, to help him whittle down the numbers. The tasks were the real genius of the show, and almost always had an alteria motive…. One in particular saw the remaining contestants (about 9 or 10 by this point) in what looked like a theme park. It's common knowledge that nobody ever sees Peter Parker or Clark Kent transform into their alter-ego. Therefore the task was for them to change from their civi's into their superhero costume (by this time, Stan had replaced all the homemade costumes with professional, film quality ones) without being seen, then belt it to the finish line as quickly as possible. A test of cunning, agility and speed (or so it seemed). One by one, each contestant was dropped into the park and the stopwatch began. Some very inventive 'changes' took place, followed by some pretty nifty speed. However, what most of them failed to see was the small distressed child, conveniently placed on the route of their 'home sprint'. Only 2 heroes spotted the child, forfeiting their race against the clock to safely escort her to security. Of course, it transpired that it was only the two who stopped who 'won' the task - as Stan pointed out to the team afterwards, real superheroes always put others before themselves, no matter what the consequences.

And in some shape or form, all the tasks were geared like that, and it soon became apparent that the essence of this programme wasn't really about finding the next Spiderman at all, it was actually about finding what used to be called in England an all round 'bloody good egg'! Not so much super-human abilities, more inner qualities. Maybe I was still immersed in the Christmas spirit, but it was this celebration of old fashion values that really made the programme (and SOME of the contestants) so endearing. We are so used to reality TV shows that bring the worst out in people, with their staple diet of back-stabbing, bitching and appalling behaviour in a effort to screw the other contestants and grab the prize. Wonderful role-models for our young indeed.

By the time the show had got down to the last 4, I'd have been happy for any of them to win it, but in the end, I think the best man really did win. Matthew Atherton (with his alter-ego Feedback) conducted himself impeccably throughout, and was genuinely a fan of comic book superheroes. In fact it transpired that tragically he had lost his father when he was a child, and in his absence, adopted Peter Parker (Spiderman) as a role model and father figure in his early years. A throwaway line from Stan in one episode, where he said something like "nice work son", reduced Matthew to genuine tears, as he pointed out to Mr Lee that nobody had called him that in a very long time.

Fast forward to a week or two ago, and I'm messing about on MySpace and genuinely stumble on Matthew's page. I drop him a quick line, not really expecting to hear anything back, but receive a wonderfully warm reply. It seems Stan really did pick the right guy, as Matthew excitedly told me of everything he'd been up to since winning the show. He pointed me to his website, and in particular his merchandise page, and requested that if I was thinking about buying the comic, would I consider buying it from him. The reason? Matthew is donating profits from all his merchandise to the 'Make A Wish' charity, and told me that from sales so far he'd "raised enough money to grant two entire wishes for kids who might not be with us much longer". Matthew has been keeping pretty busy since winning the show... In between numerous personal appearances, he's appeared in a Sci-Fi Channel movie (part of his prize) and been working with the audio drama company BrokenSea, producing free podcasts of the continuing adventures of his character. Shocker Toys are currently producing a Feedback action figure, due out any time now!

In answer to the question I posed back in September 2007, "when will we ever have a real-life superhero?" I think I've found him, his name is Matthew Atherton.


LINKS

Vist the official Feedback website here

Visit Matthews MySpace page here

Download free Feedback audio adventures here

Piley

The Best of 2007 (Part 2)

The second part of my favourite CDs from 2007.

Mark Ronson - Version (released April 2007)

Possibly a surprise inclusion for some of those who know me. The complete flipside of an album such as The Good, The Bad and The Queen. Damon Albarn's release really made you work for the rewards, but this album was an instant payout.

Despite my dislike for lazy, insipid covers (and with millions of songs to chose from, how come these reality TV show winners always release CDs with the same tracks on??!!), I'm a big fan of the cover version. My criteria for a good one is simple (yet rarely carried out!!):

- It shouldn't be an exact copy of the original. If it is, why bother covering it??

- It shouldn't be SO different, that you don't recognise the song any more

- The artist should (if they are of the right quality) be able to stamp their authority on it, and without changing it completely, make it sound like their own song.

As predominantly a covers album, this CD has a couple of interesting, quirky slants - the main one being that a few of the covers are sung by the original artists! Not every track is a winner, but the good far outweigh the bad.

The album kicks off with an instrumental version of Coldplays 'God Put a Smile Upon Your Face' - which despite being instantly recognisable, you'd swear came directly from one of those funky Studio 2 recordings from the 60's and 70's. The biggest surprise proved to me that 2 wrongs can indeed make a right, as an artist I'm not keen on sings a song I don't like to produce an absolute stormer! Yup, Mark's collaboration with Amy Winehouse convinced me that the Zutons' Valerie should have been a Motown hit of the 60's! Lilly Allen is also on hand to help cover The Kaiser Chiefs Oh My God, which she does in her tried and tested 'chav serving you in McDonalds' voice ("it dow matta ta me-eee"). Its not a bad cover by any means, but it's a shame it wasn't the far superier version Mark performed on The Jonathan Ross Show over Christmas, where Chief, erm, Kaiser Chief and Candie Payne shared the vocals. Maximo Park and Kasabian both contribute new vocals to Ronson re-workings of their own tracks. Worst track by far is Robbie Williams attempting to do The Charlatans, The Only One I Know. His voice isn't up to it and he just comes across like a Tim Burgess sound-a-likey on Stars in their Eyes.

It’s a real mish-mash of an album, with something for pretty much everyone included… everyone that is except possibly Morrissey fans! I love the fact that he dared to cover The Smiths on it (an odd mix of The Smiths' Stop Me If You Think You've Heard This One Before and The Supremes' You Just Keep Me Hanging On with vocals by Daniel Merriweather), which prompted some upset die-hard Smiths fans to actually send him death threats (one particularly jovial fan told him 'I want to stab you in the eye.'… nice!). Of course by being so ridiculous, this minority of idiotic fans are simply helping to confirming that stereotypical image that all Smiths fan have had to suffer with for years. Anyway, I know of at least one Morrissey fan who thought the cover was fab! (she is currently in hiding alongside Osama Bin-Laden!!).

If you missed the performance on Jonathan Ross, you can check it out right here!

The Wolfmen - 5 Track Promo\Sampler
Although not strictly an official release from 2007, this 5 track sampler gave me a lot of pleasure at the back end of last year. See my review of the CD here for full details.

Marc Almond - Stardom Road (released June 2007)
What can I say about Marc Almond? He's been at the very centre of my love of music for over 25 years, and still he keeps coming up with the goods. Marc has always been a prolific writer, but a near-fatal motorbike accident in 2004 left him with brain injuries that rendered him unable to compose (something I'm pleased to say is now starting to ease).

So, after dozens of operations and 3 years of intensive rehabilitation (and with the 'imposed' writers block in mind), 2007 seemed the ideal time for him to release an album of cover versions. I must admit that I was a little concerned when this project was first announced - recent lazy, lacklustre cover albums from the likes of Rod Steward, Michael Bolton, Russell Watson, X-Factor contestants etc have left a nasty taste in the mouth. But I needn't have worried, Marc is much more than cheap rip-offs of over used tracks. What we actually got were personal, re-interpretations of mostly little known classics that have influenced Marc over the last 50 years (in fact, the majority of the songs included are so obscure that the casual listener would be forgiven for assuming it was mostly new self-penned material).

From a 'twin peaks-esque' Dream Lover to a simply beautiful version of Third World War's Stardom Road, Marc takes these songs and makes them his own. Although a 50 piece orchestra was used for the album, the production is beautifully understated, creating the perfect atmopshere for Marcs 'off-centre' take on these songs. Marc has made a career out of 'doom and gloom' songs where every silver lining has a cloud, but this album is truly uplifting and inspiring (it's amazing what nearly dying can do to you!). There is not a bad track on here, but the stand out one for me (and probably my favourite song from the whole of 2007) was his version of Charles Aznavour's I Have Lived. Oddly, I actually have the original of this song in my vinyl collection, but it had never struck a chord with me before (although I doubt the lyrics would have hit me so much back in my 20's as they do now in my 40's!). Hats off to Mr Az, these lyrics are so touching and thought provoking - In fact I now know this is the song I want played at my funeral! I was like a teenager with this record, playing it over and over continually, and have still yet to tire of it.

2007 also marked the 1st live shows for Marc since the accident, and this album formed the centrepiece of these dazzling concerts.

So that's my top 6 Cds that were released in 2007. However the vast majority of CDs I purchased last year were 'back catalogue', and I don't think I can finish without mentioning at least a couple that really hit the spot.

2007 was officially the year of the Marc's (Almond and Bolan), and there was a big 'Bolan buzz' at Piley Towers throughout much of the year. Most of my Bolan collection has always been on Vinyl, but thanks mostly to Amazon 'new and used', I've now finally rectified that! I love almost all of Marc's albums, but the recent Edsel re-releases of the later albums, with a full extra cd of alternative takes and rarities was just too tempting. However it was Slider that I really fell in love with all over again, and it became the soundtrack to my summer. It's definitely Bolan's best work, and one of the greatest pop\rock album ever. Every track is so darn perfect, and it can happily be left on 'repeat' for days without annoying you!

I'd always liked what I'd heard of Barry Ryan (Eloise is the obvious track), but had never really investigated his work seriously. In 2007 I spotted that his 1st 2 albums (Barry Ryan Singing The Songs Of Paul Ryan - 1968 and Barry Ryan - 1969) had been re-issued on one disc so thought I'd give it a go - to be honest I expected to give it a couple of plays, be a bit non-plussed and then file it (never to be played again!). But what I got was quite simply a revelation! Ryan has gotten a raw deal over the years.. Whilst similar acts such as Scott Walker have been elevated to legendary status (and rightly so), Barry has remained languishing in the 'cheesey 60's pop' category (possibly due to his earlier 'pop' career as a duo with his brother Paul). But some of the material included on these two albums is right up there with the best of those 60's torch singers. I couldn't believe the quality of this disc, it's all very orchestrated, and OTT, but no more so that Scott Walker.

It's a long CD (24 tracks), but as soon as it finished I had to keep re-playing it, and if I went out I took it with me to play in the car. I think it kept me going for the best part of a month! One of the best ten pounds I've ever spent! This album lead to a spending frenzy, as I picked up a number of other Ryan CDs - alas, everything else available are just various compilations, and his other 'proper' albums all remain unreleased on CD.

Here is Barry Ryan with the wonderfully OTT Kitch




Piley

The Best of 2007 (Part 1)

Well, Unbelievably, yet another year has gone by. In these depressing times of real music being nudged out of the CD racks by reality TV show winners (AND losers!), it's heartening to know that good music is still out there… even if you do have to dig a bit deeper and search a bit harder to find it at times. This was going to be my Top 5 CDs of 2007, but I've had to bend the rules slightly, as I just couldn't quite narrow it down to 5! So it's gonna have to be my favourite 6 from last year.

Ash – Twilight of the Innocents (Released July 2007)
Ash are one of those band who, despite owning all of their albums, I always seem to forget how good they are - yet to date I have never been disappointed with any of their output (far from it). Last years release was the first since the departure of guitarist Charlotte Hatherley (after a 9 year stint), and Ash are once again back to the original trio that formed 16 years ago (YES, SIXTEEN!!!). They have an uncanny knack of producing sublime, beautiful and noisy tunes that are instantly memorable. In later years, sparing use of strings have been weaved into their distinctive sound to create their very own brand of anthems. This Cd shows the band are in top form at the moment, and contains some exceptional tunes, in particular Polaris and Twilight of the Innocents. Rave reviews all round, and many have said this is their best album since their debut, 1977. Probably the best thing about this album, was it re-igniting my passion for the band in general, and it instigated a spell of several weeks where I reacquainted myself with their earlier work, and in particular Meltdown, which for me is their finest (and nosiest!) album.

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club – Baby 81 (Released April 2007)
When these guys hit the scene back in the late 90's, they completely blew me away. I saw them live quite a bit at the time, and each time was mesmerised by the intensity of their sound. Two fantastic albums were released (B.R.M.C and Take Them On, On Your Own) but then it all went wrong with the 3rd one, Howl - and odd folky\country kinda thing that was truly awful! I've continued to play those 1st 2 albums throughout, but to be honest, did not expect to be adding to them. Alarm bells were ringing the moment I learnt of the release of this album - but I'm delighted to report the boys are back on top, ear-splitting form. Howl was a blip, and the BRMC 'wall of noise' is back with a vengeance. A Strong album throughout, but if you really push me, best tracks might be Weapon of Choice and Not What You Wanted.

The Good, The Bad and The Queen - The Good, The Bad and The Queen (Released January 2007).

Damon Albarn has been treading the fine line between self indulgence and genuine genius for some time now, but I'm a firm believer that he has remained in the latter category throughout. You can't argue that he hasn't been involved in some pretty diverse project in recent years, and this album continued that trend. Billed (not by him) as a supergroup (as well as Albarn, the band includes Paul Simonon - The Clash, Tony Allen - Africa 70/Fela Kuti and Simon Tong - The Verve), expectations were high for this release. After an initial listen I was unconvinced, and started to think maybe he'd finally tipped the scales into self indulgence, but after a few more plays, it was one of the best things I'd heard from Damon in many a year. An eerie atmosphere is present throughout this album, and it does not make for 'easy' listening…. It is however, essential listening (in the Piley household at least!). As his 'Modern Life Is Rubbish' was a statement on Britain in 1993, so The Good, The Bad and The Queen is Damon's lecture about the London of now. It's a sobering album, and needs a little patience to get the best out of it, but it is well worth the time invested in it. Standout tracks? Hmm, again no fillers here, but you've got to go a long way to beat Kingdom of Doom or Herculean.

I'll post the final three in a few days time - in the meantime, let me know your musical highlights of 2007.

Piley

Shameless Self Promotion!

Well it's the 1st day of a brand new year, and the very first e-mail I received in 2008 was from the comedy website chortle, telling me they had just published the article I submitted to them. If you fancy a look, you can view it here.

If you're quick, there is currently a link to it on the front page (click here), although you do have to scroll right to the bottom to see it (under the 'correspondents' section). The piece is titled 'Chuck Out The Chintz'.

Regular readers may find the article somewhat familiar, as it is a bastardised version of my Ross Noble review from October - but there was £75 on offer, and I'm not proud!! I cut it about to make it a little more generic, but it WAS readable. Unfortunately the Chortle boys (&\or girls) have given it a further pruning, and in the process have fucked it up little, but hey-ho!

Piley

My First Gig

It’s weird how articles can change once you start writing them. This post was going to be about the extortionate price of concert tickets these days, and as a lead in I thought I'd write a few lines about my early gigs. This got me thinking, who the hell was my first concert? I then went off down a completely different train of thought and below is the result! Rest assured my rant on the price of concert tickets will surface sometime next year!

I have been regularly going to concerts for over 25 years now. I’d been taken along to shows with my parents much before this (mainly easy listening stuff like Johnny Mathis, Jack Jones, Frankie Vaughan… Vince Hill anyone?!), but I don't count these as they were not really my choice. I've been racking my brains trying to remember what my first official gig was, then suddenly it all came back to me…

My first gig was staged after hours at my senior school in 1981 (I would have been 14 at the time). I have no idea how it came about, but all of a sudden the word went round the school that a heavy metal band were to play in the main hall. Posters went up a few days later to confirm that 'Cyrus' (not Billy Ray!) were indeed hitting King John School as part of their world tour. There was a big heavy metal vibe around at that time, and I recall a big interest in attending. I picked up my ticket -- something like 50p and the school laid on free orange squash all in the deal if I remember rightly.. what a steal! Jeans were strictly banned at King John, but as soon as the 'end of school' bell went, everyone changed into their regulation denim outfits that had been brought along especially for the show. Those really into metal, pulled out rather impressive denim waistcoats covered in all the relevant patches (AC\DC, Whitesnake, Saxon, Scorpions etc). I’m not entirely convinced these kids really knew who all these bands actually were, but in those days the 'sheep mentality' was all-encompassing, and I think poor suffering mums were sent off to the market to pick up the right patches and dutifully sew them on.

I remember there was a real buzz about the show, and it was the talk of the school for several days - this was almost certainly the first live music that the whole audience had ever seen. Finally the day arrived - all the greaser kids were head banging in front of the speakers and getting all sweaty, whilst the rest of us stood around awkwardly and tapped a foot! As concert virgins, nobody really knew what they were supposed to do! But it was an initiation to live music nonetheless, and must have had some impact on me as I've always remembered it and have a vivid recollection of the evening.

But there is an interesting footnote to the Cyrus story. Some 15 or so years later, I’m at some works piss up and talking bollocks to one of my colleagues. I have no idea how the subject came up, but I think he must of asked me what school I'd gone to. I tell him and he says "oh I know that school, I did a gig there once…". A couple more questions and then I realise I've been working alongside the chief axe man from Cyrus, Martin Read, for the last 5 years! The real bonus was Martin had photos of the gig which he subsequently brought in. It was really weird to see snapshots of something that had only existed in your brain for the last 15 years. It was too much to ask that a young Piley sipping orange squash would turn up in the background of the photos, but it was really interesting to see them -- and pretty close to how I always remembered it too.

Although I no longer work with Martin, I'm still in fairly regular contact with him, so I asked if he'd mind sharing his memories of the band around the time of my inaugural gig, which he kindly agreed to do – he also scanned a few of the photos taken at that King John School bash, shown at the top of this post - Martin is the one with the long hair (click on the photos to see a larger image). Thanks for being a sport and helping me out on this Mart, over to you:

I must have joined the band in early 1981 as my friend Pete Calvert (who I had played with in my first band while we were at school) had joined a bit earlier and managed to get me in when their rhythm guitarist decide to call it a day. They were originally a Christian rock band and although they were gradually moving away from this I think we still got the occasional gig on this basis. I think this was the case with the school gig you were at. This leads to one of my main memories of that gig which was the criticism we got from certain people connected with the band when we all shot off down the pub after setting the gear up and sound checking before the gig. I think Pete and me were seen as a bit of a bad influence on this front. Overall I think the gig went reasonably well apart from me suffering from every guitarists nightmare which was hitting the opening chords of the set only to find no sound coming out. This eventually turned out to be a broken lead, so a quick change and I was back in business. That's probably about as much as I can remember about the gig. As you can probably see from the photos I sent, Pete was a lively bass player and used to throw some great shapes on stage.

The band line up at that time was;

Pete Calvert - Vocals & Lead guitar & songwriter
Pete Einchcombe and his brother Dave on bass guitar and drums respectively (not sure about the spelling of the surname)
Me - Rhythm guitar

We also had 2 people come along to help out at gigs (Andy & Mick I think). We used to rehearse at a church hall in Rainham. We managed to do a few gigs here and there and got a couple of support slots at the Electric Stadium (now closed) in Chadwell Heath. We did the obligatory 4 track demo at a studio in Collier Row (I think). It all gradually fell apart although I'm not entirely sure why. I think Pete wanted to move on and I seem to remember it just went downhill from there. It was also around then that I started to lose the plot a bit and began disappearing into a haze of vodka and valium so I probably wasn't particularly easy to deal with at the time. The band must have actually been wound up as I eventually got a cheque for £35.00 after it had all finished. I did however resist the urge to move to Jersey.

Overall it was good fun and I'm sure we had plenty of laughs along the way. A few years later I got back together with Pete and Dave (the brothers), Andy and a new guitarist but it just never worked out and that was the last involvement I had.

Martin continues to play in a couple of bands, although I understand the free orange has been knocked on the head.

Happy New Year to all

Piley

Merry Christmas

Despite my musical snobbery at times, I'm a bugger for a Christmas album! I've got almost 100 of them - far too many to even play at Christmas in fact, yet I still can't leave it alone, and always end up buying a few more every year.

As a kid, one of my most vivid memories of Christmas is of my Dad digging out his impressive collection of Christmas albums. My father was at sea with the Merchant Navy for around 16 years (from the age of 16 until 32), and picked up many of his records when docking at places like the USA (New York was always the best place for records he tells me) and Canada (import albums in the 50's were virtually impossible to get hold of) . He had festive albums by all the classics - Nat King Cole, Perry Como, Andy Williams, Bing Crosby, Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Tony Bennett etc and I have since bought them all up on CD over the years. But the album I have the fondest memories of is the 1958 Johnny Mathis LP "Merry Christmas". In the last couple of years it has finally been released on CD (in fact I now have no less than 14 Christmas albums by Mathis!). In his 'guest editor' post a few weeks back, E.F Rice made some interesting observations, where music can take you right back to the past. Well even now, hearing that album (in fact just looking at the cover) takes me right back to those special Christmases of the 70's, and memories of those people I miss so much today.

Other Christmas gems I've picked up in recent years include The Carpenters, Paul Anka, Bluegrass Christmas, Ray Conniff and even Twisted Sister!! yes really! Nothing is too cheesy or OTT for my pallet when it comes to Christmas! (hell, I can even take about 20 minutes of the Chipmunks Christmas album after a few egg-nogs!), and the more sleigh bells, Christmas bells, kid choruses they can cram in the better! The Twisted Sister CD (A Twisted Christmas) is a bizarre one, featuring Heavy Metal versions of all your favourites, culminating in their very own version of the 12 days of Christmas (titled 'Heavy Metal Christmas'). Instead of the usual stack of shite that my 'true love' gives to me, Dee Snider and co provide a much more useful haul of gifts:- 12 Silver crosses 11 Black mascaras 10 Pairs of platforms 9 Tattered t-shirts 8 Pentagrams 7 Leather jackets 6 Cans of hairspray 5 Skull earrings 4 Quarts of Jack 3 Studded belts 2 Pairs of spandex And a tattoo of Ozzy Osbourne.

But they aren't all gold, the most disappointing Christmas album purchase was the Beach Boys - not a name that instantly reminds you of winter and snow admittedly, but I thought I'd give it a go anyway. It is truly awful, and the fact 'Little Saint Nick' is included no less that 3 times, shows they were probably struggling from the off.

But it's interesting to see just how many succumb to the lure of a Christmas record, and the potential cash involved must be a tempting lure (and make no mistake, if you get it right, a guaranteed income every 12 months for ever more, IS tempting, just ask Noddy Holder!). Who'd have thought 80's indie rockers the Wedding Present would come up with such a storming cover of Elton Johns 'Step into Christmas'? Or ex-Stray Cat Brian Setzer would release two of the finest rockin' Christmas albums ever? But one of the worst must Be Billy Idols version of White Christmas. When I spotted he'd recorded an album of festive faves (two now!), I imagined some right ol stompers, and with his classic White Wedding in mind, expected great things from his version of White Christmas. What we got was so turgid and boring, it made Bing's original seem quite a rocker! What a shame Bing died in 77, just before he could release his punk compilation album.

I had hoped to do a Christmas count-down in the lead-up to the big day, hosting some of the best and worst of my festive songs. But as it is, please enjoy these couple of gems, one is a Christmas cracker, the other most definitely a turkey.

The Aforementioned Wedding Present doing 'Step Into Christmas'



Possibly the worst Christmas cover version i've ever heard... Tom Mcrae really give it his all here. If you are having a party this yuletide, Tom is bound to get it going (be sure to leave the rope and razor blades in a handy place, so your guests have easy access). This guy has turned his had to Maccas 'Wonderful Christmastime' which while never a particular favourite, was a million times better than this rubbish. Give it a go, just to see how bad it is! and if you know of a glummer Christmas record than this, do let me know!



Well, that just about wraps it up for me, so thanks for all your kind comments and e-mails over the last few months, and remember…. "although it's been said, many times many ways, Merry Christmas, to you"

Piley

The Wolfmen Cometh

They say you have to kiss a lot of frogs to find a prince, and it's never been truer with music. Dreaded words from casual acquaintances like “Oh, my son\dad\brother\nan etc etc (delete where appropriate!) is in a band, I'll bring you in a CD” or “ I'll lend you the latest Sting album if you want” fill me with dread (usually for good reason). But when it goes right it makes it all worthwhile. I have some trusted friends who when they say “ you've got to listen to this…”, I sit up and take note. And that is exactly how I came across The Wolfmen. A mate popped round a couple of weeks back, and before the door had even closed, he was eagerly thrusting a CD into my hand… and it's pretty much remained in the CD player ever since (and I am dreading him asking for it back!). This was one of those rare finds, when the deal is sealed on the very first play and you instantly know it’s for you.

The Wolfmen contain some much loved musicians from my past, namely Marco Pirroni (chief ‘Ant’ and also Adam's right hand man during his solo career) on guitars and Chris Constantinou (also part of Adam Ants' solo set-up) on vocals and bass. Another former Ant - Chris Hughes (a.k.a 'Merrick'), has also been contributing to some of their material.

The quality of the material on this five track promotional CD I have here is so good, it could easily pass as a mini album, and I am stunned at the variety of sounds and styles crammed into this 16 minute disc. If The Wolfmen are happy to throw away tracks like these as mere samplers, I can't wait to hear the material they are saving for the debut album!

First up is Jackie Says. Of the five tracks on show here, this one comes closest to an Adam Ant solo sound (circa Viva Le Rock/Apollo 9). An upbeat rocker that is so damn catchy, it was engraved on my brain after the first play.

Next we see The Wolfmen take the Brian Eno track Needle in the Camels Eye and claim it as their own. There are nods to Roxy Music and a driving 'I’m Waiting for the Man' style riff underpinning it throughout. Add to this the unmistakable sound of Marco’s guitar providing a mesmerising solo midway through, and you have the classic cover version: respectful, fresh and bang up-to-date.

Track three is recent single, Cecile. It is an atmospheric little number, and Chris’s vocals evoke memories of a 1980's Iggy Pop, as he croons darkly. There is a genuine edgy feel to the song, which just when you think has reached its peak -- takes a surprising (and brilliant!) detour with a haunting flute solo. It's half Jethro Tull, half intro to 'Down Under' by Men at Work! but it works beautifully. Not enough flute in rock 'n' roll these days! There is a catchy little riff throughout this song, and everytime I hear it, it reminds me of Submission by the Pistols!

Track four is a stormer of the highest order. Love is a Dog is The Wolfmen doing T-Rex for the new millennium… 21st Century Boys if you will. A stomping Glam riff and even Bolan-esque vocals from Chris, make this the standout track for me, and a real contender for my top five songs of the year. Crank the PC volume up as high as it'll go and enjoy it for yourself.



The disc finishes with While London Sleeps. The vocals are firmly back in the Iggy Pop territory for this track, which has the most beautiful 'melt in the brain' melody that I defy you not to fall in love with the moment it touches your ears! Try it for yourself now!



This CD has left me buzzing for more and desperate to see them live (oh, and scouring eBay trying to track down a copy before my mate asks for it back!) - The guys played their inaugural gig last month (15th November) at the Islington Academy, and by all accounts it was an amazing night. Word is the next show will be in February 2008.

This episode sums up why music plays such a big part of my life -- fuck drugs and alcohol, ain’t nothing else around that can give me a high like the one I've been on since discovering this little gem.

I'd struggle to find someone who I wouldn't recommend this too. 60's\70's punk fans, 70's glam, 80's\90's Ant fans will all love it, but I genuinely think fans of today's indie scene will get it too. Just to prove their wide appeal, another recent release (October 2007), ‘Two Eyes’ was a collaboration with bhangra star Daler Mehndi – is there nothing they can’t turn their hand to?!

My thanks to Marco and Chris for allowing me to host two tracks here, for you to try out for yourselves.

The Wolfmen are currently working on their debut album, scheduled for release early to mid 2008.

Visit The Wolfmen Official website here

To see the Wolfmen on MySpace click here

Finally, view the video for Cecilie right here!

Guest Editor Week: Musical Memories by E F Rice

I'd like to say a big thank you to my very good friend E F Rice. I asked him if he'd consider writing an article for the blog sometime, and true to his work he has come up with the goods. E F Is one of a handful of very close mates who have been together through thin n thinner! Clubbin, pubbin, Gigs, football, cinema, we've done it all together over the years. These days it's usually a meet up in the local, and even after 20+ years, the conversation rarely strays beyond music, football and films! Just how I like it! Last Christmas the boys got together for their yearly Christmas piss-up, and were given a task... come armed with your all time top 5 albums, top 5 debut albums, top 5 songs and most disappointing album. Being a typical bloke, I can't tell you how agonising this was! It pretty much ruined my fucking Christmas worrying about it!! It was a great night, with a few surprises along the way (and a few guilty pleasures announced). E F Came up with some curve balls we weren't expecting, so I am very pleased he is explaining a couple of them again here. He did on the night of course, but it was several pints in.... So here he is, making a very good case that he really should start work on that empty blog of his! over to you E F:


When Piley approached me to contribute to his blog a few weeks back I was truly honoured. Being a parent myself I knew how pushed for time and energy he would be (and Julie of course!) and seeing as I hadn’t quite plucked up the courage to contribute anything to my blog site, this felt a great opportunity to cut my teeth. However, Piley’s blog is an excellent read and I feel under a lot of pressure as I type this (no way can I beat the Sputnik entry!).

The piece below has just come to me on the trudge home from work tonight, inspired by another s*** day in an organisation that can p*** 25 million people off at the click of a CD drive. It is about one of the main sources of enjoyment I gain from music, which is the memories and emotions I attach to certain tracks when I hear or play them. This is a top 5 below, there are plenty more but these seem to be the most prominent in my mind and I would hate you to lose the will to live.

1. Roxy Music ‘Angel Eyes’
I amazed my friends when I cited this as one of my top 5 tunes of all time last year, due to my heavy shoegazing tastes. This track brings me back to the late 70s and brother (aka Jack Gestures). We shared a room at home at the time and he rolled in one night and woke me to tell me about this fantastic film called ‘Alien’. Anyone who knows my brother will tell you that when he explains something he doesn’t do it by halves and you get a comprehensive account. You will also here the same story repeated many times in a short space of time, but that is a different topic.

So Jack tells me all the gory details of this Alien film, and promptly gets into bed and falls asleep. There lies me at 9 years old cacking myself that a little Alien will either a : erupt from my stomach or b: scuttle around our room! Roxy Music were on the Radio a lot at the time and my Mum played this track regularly on her cassette player in the kitchen. Everytime I hear the intro I s*** myself! I do think it a fine record by the way and I have lots of Roxy Music stuff.

2. David Bowie ‘Ashes to Ashes’
1981, St Thomas More High School for Boys, 11 years old, shy, tubby, stupid haircut, yep the start of secondary school and I hated every minute of it. This track got a lot of air play at the time and it is a classic for many. For me it brings back those horrid memories of the early days, older kids trying to destroy your brand new uniform, trying to make new friends, harder work and disgusting school dinners. I got through the next 5 years by enjoying English, History and Geography and grinning and bearing the rest. Ashes to Ashes always brings me right back to the school playground though.

3. Pulp ‘Sunrise’

I’m not a Pulp fan as such although there are bits and pieces which I think are master pieces. This track is fantastic for two reasons, namely the fantastic guitaring and secondly it is the first track I heard on XFM after I learnt I was going to be a Dad! My beautiful daughter Ellie was born 9 months later and there are now a whole host of records I associate with her five years of life so far.

4. Stone Roses ‘I am the Resurrection’
A fantastic track off a fantastic album, yet for 5 years after December 1989 I could not bring myself to play this track or virtually anything from the album. This album, which I loved so much, coincided with the loss of someone very close to me. It sounds pathetic saying it now but I could not contemplate playing it. As time grows and you get older my personal experience is the best way to cope with a bereavement is to remember and celebrate that persons life. As a result from about ’96 onwards this track and album were firmly back on the menu, and I smile everytime I hear it !

5. Jive Bunny medley type thing !
This one reminds me of Piley! I used to work with Mr P and during one particularly drunken Christmas party, Piley announced to me he was off home cos he was drunk and wanted to get a bus, he then left into the cold night. The following morning he arrived at work late and very distressed. It turned out the 'falling asleep on the last train home from London' syndrome, also applies to buses! Piley ended up on Canvey Island and if that wasn’t bad enough, he fell asleep on the return journey as well. Anyone who knows where Piley used to live will appreciate Canvey is a fair distance on from where he should have got off.

Anyhow, this Jive bunny stuff was kicking around the charts at the time, and I remarked to Piley how I would love to put his journey home to music and Jive Bunny would be my choice! I have no idea why I thought that was funny but as a result I’m sorry to say Piley, Jive Bunny reminds me of you!

I hope you have enjoyed this article. Cheers Piley!

E F Rice