19 Questions: Frank Sidebottom

This post marks the start of a new semi-regular feature here at 'Start the Revolution Without Me'. 19 questions, to be posed to various musicians, bands and people I like... It'll always be the same 19 questions, so it will be interesting to see how the answers vary over the months.

I'm delighted to say that Frank Sidebottom is my inaugural guest, and provider of the very first 19 answers! Yes, Frank Sidebottom, he of paper maché head, cult comedy hero and maker of genius records for some 25 years or more. Over to you Frank....

19 QUESTIONS: FRANK SIDEBOTTOM

1. How are you?
very well boss...

2. Where are you at the moment?
at my mum's in timperley..

3. Who inspired you as a child?
scott, the tracy brothers..

4. What was the first record you ever bought?
one of paul mccartneys first band (the beatles)....

5. What's your all time favourite song(s) or album(s)?
i like all my songs and the mini album "introducing thunderbirds"

6. What was the first gig you ever attended?
i supported r.e.m. at the gallery in manchester in the early 80's (there were 35 people in)

7. What was your 'biggest break' or 'luckiest moment' in establishing your career?
supporting r.e.m. at the gallery in manchester in the early 80's .... their singer said i was "far out" !!!

8. How would you describe the music you make?
ace,.. fantastic ,... and top!

9. What's your most 'Rock n Roll' moment?
being chased by gary glitter's roadies at salford university... (you'll have to wait for the movie).

10. Worst moment of your career?
being chased by gary glitter's roadies at salford university.... (the movie is currently being cast,... but i don't know who will play me yet !).

11. What are you most proud of?
having a movie made about my life (by film 4)

12. One bit of advice you'd like to be able to give the 17 year old you?
"only a year to go till your 18 frank!"

13. If you could perform with any artist (dead or alive), who would it be?
paul mccartney (without wings)

14. Name one artist you really think I should check out?
my manderin greenhouse

15. What's currently on your iPod\CD player?
i've been listening to "tadpoles" - the bonzo's,.. "lil' beethoven" - sparks ,... and camera rolls a & b from the "get back" sessions this week.

16. What's the last album you bought?
"coco rosie" i think ?

17. Which song do you enjoy performing the most?
"mr. custard" at the mo,... and "this perfect day" - the saints.

18. What are you working on at the moment?
"frank sidebottom saves coney island" u.s. vinyl only release,... and two tribute tracks for a john cooper clarke album,... plus my own "e,f,g & h" album,.. and my next "franksworld" animation.

19. How can people find out more about you?
www.franksworld.co.uk


19 cracking answers there ("...you know they were... they really were...")!! Many thanks to Frank for being such a good sport. As well as his official site, you can also find out more about Frank at the following sites:

Franks entry on Wikipedia

Loads of info over at www.franksidebottom.co.uk/

Franks official MySpace Page.

Here's Franks' very own version of The Smiths' Panic:




Here's a clip from Franks' TV Show - The interview with Iain Lee is fab!

Piley

Piley in Cilla Black 'Surprise Surprise' Style Shocker!

Way back in 2007 I did a post about my first ever gig. It was in 1981, when a 'heavy metal' band called Cyrus played at my school. The postscript to this story was that 15 years later, a chance conversation with a work colleague (Martin) exposed the fact that he was IN Cyrus!! Well, I now have an even better postscript to my postscript!!!

I rarely look at my site stats these days, but as luck would have it I did have a glance a couple of weeks back. I was surprised to see that someone had hit my blog by typing in the following on a search engine "Pete Calvert Cyrus"... Blimey I thought, what's the chances of that?? But when I checked my e-mails later that evening, it all became clear. A certain Mr Pete Calvert was on-line, and couldn't help doing a bit of 'ego surfing', and stumbled onto my post.

The best bit about it though, is that Pete and Martin had lost touch with each other about ten years ago, and 'Start the Revolution Without Me' has been able to re-unite 'em!

I've been speaking to Martin in the last few days, he told me they became friends at Grays Comprehensive school in the early 70s, and Pete was responsible for teaching Martin to play guitar. They started their first band together at school, called 'Bad News' - which I'm reliably informed was years before the Comic Strip spoof heavy metal band! Pete later went on to start Cyrus, and in the early 80's recruited Martin into the band when their original lead guitarist threw in the towel.

According to Martin, the last he heard from Pete was a phone-call sometime in the 90's. Half way through, Pete said "can I phone you back in ten minutes..." Once the new millennium kicked in, I think Martin finally realised the return call may not be coming, and he later heard Pete had upped-sticks to Hong Kong! Pete is now back living in deepest, darkest Essex, and the lads have arranged a hook up. No doubt first on the agenda will be what the hell happened to that return phone call!

So there you have it, the internet works in mysterious ways! If you have a long lost buddy, or are looking for that perfect partner, why not drop me a line and I'll see what I can rustle up!

The below video is especially for Pete and Martin!

Oh and by the way, should this lead to a reform of Cyrus or Bad News, I'm putting in my stake now for 10%!

Piley

Guilty Pleasures No.162

Every Christmas, the 'lads' get together for their seasonal drink, and every year a 'top 5' list is requested in advance. We've had top 5 films, albums, debut albums, tracks, disappointing albums etc etc, but Christmas 2008 was "all time worst records". Now in my book there's really only two types of bad record... things that can't be taken seriously (e.g. Barbie Girl, Mr Blobby, Timmy Mallett etc etc) and things that ARE supposed to be taken seriously (e.g. anything by Cliff Richard!). I can't get too worked up about the first lot, but I can about the second!

The thing is, everyone knew what my worst ever record was going to be before I even turned up, as it's been the same record for over 25 years, and I doubt it'll ever be beat... Uptown Girl by Billy Joel. I hate every possible thing there is hate about this record, I hate the cheesy sound, I hate those "wooo-ooooo-oooo-ooooh" bits, I hate that pathetic little drum roll towards the end, I hate the use of the word 'mine' like this.. my-yi-yine, and the word 'time' like this... tie-yi-yime', I hate that smug video, and I HATE when they play it at naff weddings or parties and people start linking arms and kicking their legs... why do they do that??!

But now here's the rub, and promise me you wont tell anyone... I like Billy Joel! And the REALLY surprising thing is that I got into him after Uptown Girl!

Between about 1984 and 1988 I ran a record shop (and it really was records in those days!). Around 1986 a guy opened up a shop opposite me selling sports shoes. He was a really nice guy, and turned out to be the brother of my hairdresser at that time. The only problem with him was his obsession with Billy Joel! From opening time to closing time he played Billy Joel, every single moment of every single day. Uptown Girl was still fairly fresh at that time (only 3 years old), and I made sure I let him know how much that record sucked! But over the months, the more I heard, the more I realised there was more to 'ol BJ than I thought. Eventually, the guy compiled me a tape of bits and pieces and I have to say it won me over. I'm pleased to say Uptown Girl was not on the tape! In fact, nothing much past the 70's was on there, and for me, that is the period where the mans genius lies.

I guess like many artists who keep going through the decades, Joel's career has been 'watered down' over the years, and is now no doubt seen as some kind of sub-Elton John non-entity. Yet believe it or not, in the 70's and very early 80's (i.e. pre Uptown Girl!) he was a musical force to be reckoned with, and his first 9 albums are all pretty much essential listening. I've picked them all up over the years, but have never dared venture any further. Yeah, there are the lovey dovey romantic ballads in there (Just the Way You Are, She's Always a Woman etc), but there are also some raw, angry songs in there too.

Lyrically the songs he wrote for these albums are incredibly clever and intelligent, they are Dylan-esque at times, sometimes Springsteen, sometimes McCartney\Beatles... but always Billy Joel, and he can tell a story through a song like no other. Take Piano Man for example, which tells of a young Joel, when he used to play in bars and clubs, highlighting the unfulfilled dreams of both himself and the clientele...

Now John at the bar is a friend of mine
He gets me my drinks for free
And he's quick with a joke and he'll light up your smoke
But there's some place that he'd rather be
He says, "Bill, I believe this is killing me"
As his smile ran away from his face
"Well I'm sure that I could be a movie star
If I could get out of this place"

Or how about Captain Jack, about the neighbourhood dealer he used to see selling heroin to the local kids when he was growing up in Long Island.

You sister's gone out, she's on a date
And you just sit at home and masturbate
Your phone is gonna ring soon,
but you just can't wait
For that call

But Captain Jack will get you high tonight
And take you to your special island
Captain Jack will get you by tonight
Just a little push 'n' you'll be smilin'

Then there is Tomorrow Is Today from his debut album in 1971. The lyrics to this one come from the note Joel had written when he tried to commit suicide the previous year.

People tell me life is sweeter
But I don't hear what they say
Nothing comes to change my life
So tomorrow is today

Though I'm living and I'm singing
And although my hands still play
Soon enough it will all be over
'Cause tomorrow is today

Scenes from an Italian Restaurant is a masterpiece. An incredibly complex track, which at times sounds like McCartney at his tip top 70's best. This almost 8 minute track is 3 songs fused together (much like Macca used to dabble with), and tells the story of a restaurant called Fontana di Trevi that Joel used to frequent. In the song he recalls some of the diners and the conversations he overheard.

For me, my favourite will always be The Entertainer. At first listen it sounds like a nice jolly affair, but listen to the lyrics and find a barbed song highlighting his frustrations during the early years of his career, when he was being generally ripped off by the music business. When Piano Man was released as a single, the record label decided it was much too long (almost 6 minutes), so drastically cut it to make it radio friendly (and cutting half the story it tells in the process). Joel was incensed by this, and there is a reference it in The Entertainer:

I am the entertainer,
I come to do my show.
You've heard my latest record,
It's been on the radio.
Ah, it took me years to write it,
They were the best years of my life.
It was a beautiful song
But it ran too long
If you're gonna have a hit
You gotta make it fit
So they cut it down to 3:05

The other thing I love about this track is how it builds up momentum as the song progresses. It starts with a simple acoustic guitar riff, then adds more and more instruments with each verse. Have a listen here:

BILLY JOEL - THE ENTERTAINER



ENTERTAINER - Live on the OGWT



PIANO MAN - Live on the OGWT

SCENES FROM AN ITALIAN RESTAURANT (audio only)

CAPTAIN JACK (audio only)




If you asked me for one essential Billy Joel album to pick up, it would have to be 1977's The Stranger. More than 30 years on, it is still a stunning piece of work.


Piley

I Name This Shop...

Back in the late 70's/early 80's, a near legendary punk outfitters called 'NASTY' was the place go in Southend for all your alternative clobber. It eventually closed, but the shop has re-opened (and subsequently closed again) dozens of times over the years under many different names, but never recapturing the glory of its heyday.

The shop has been empty for some time, but in December 2008 it re-opened its doors to once again offer the 'yoof' of Southend some alternative clothing (all be it in a more 'emo-friendly' kinda way). The name above the door is now 'Threads Atomic Dustbin', and I bet the new owners musta worked on that one for days! Mind you, I'm reckoning that the only people who will get the 'joke' will be in their 40's (Neds never really were a household name were they??!), the same people who will have little interest in shopping there!! (I mean, do they even make those massive black flared jeans in 40+ waist size??!).

On discussing the name change with another former 80's goth-type in the office, we were sure we could come up with something even better. Since then, the text messages have been flying backwards and forwards, with the puns getting worse and worse as the days go by. Here are just some (the least worst!) of the rubbish we came up with....

We started off trying to think of more emo-friendly bands, like:

• Bonnet for my Valentine
• System of a Gown
• Mink 182

Then, being old buggers, we had to widen the criteria a bit...

• All About Eve-ningwear
• Anti-Nightware League

Then, in desperation, it was just ANY type of shop!!

• punk delicatessen - Ham 69
• Mad-chester baby clothes - Nappy Mondays
• goth dog kennels - Bow-Wow Haus
• goth Mexican restaurant - Alien 'Tex-Mex' Fiend
• shop specialising in toilet rolls and tissues for Metal lovers - Bums & Noses
• Electronic shoe shop - Baltic Feet
• a shop split down the middle selling fruit preserves on one side, and hob-nobs, digestives etc in the other, or to put it another way - Half Jam, Half Biscuit (look, I was pretty desperate by this time OK??!)

Oh you get the idea, and yes, these were some of the better ones!!! I therefore hand it over to you dear reader, to provide me with more (better??) band related shop names, come on, don't be shy!

Piley

Hasta La Vista.... Vista?

About 5 or 6 months ago I finally got round to buying a new PC, because the old one was getting so old and unreliable. The new one came pre-loaded with Vista, and I (wrongly) assumed that was a good thing... A good thing until I tried to actually put anything vaguely old on it that is... At first it was a minor irritant that something wouldn't load, but as the weeks and months have gone by, pretty much everything I try and bring over to my new machine won't work. Here's just a few of the things now deemed 'useless' by Vista:

- My modem didn't work on it, so I had to go buy a Vista friendly one just to get back on the net.
- My printer won't connect to it (yeah it's a few years old, but its a great printer).
- My version of Dragon (version 8, that I paid the best part of £100 for only last year) won't load.
- My version of Paint Shop Pro wont load on it.
- My Creative MP3 player software wont load on it.
- The fantastic external sound card that I use to MP3 up LP's and tapes wont work on it...

In fact, pretty much fuck all will work on it, unless you go buy a brand new Vista friendly product. I've been to the websites of all the above products and, predictably, no updated software\drivers for ANY of them have been released. As if that isn't bad enough, Vista isn't 'all that' anyway, I can't see I've gained anything with it at all.

So what happened to 'upwardly compatible'? and how come I haven't really heard anybody else moaning about this? Or is everyone so Microsoft compliant these days that they just do what Bill tells em, and go buy new stuff that will work?? I am currently as skint as a skinty thing, and have no chance of buying a new printer, MP3 player, sound card etc etc, and why the hell should I? I already have all these items and they work great!

Has anyone else hit this wall? Whats the solution, save all my files to disc, reformat and load Windows XP on it? If so how difficult is that to do?? And is Windows NT still supported? or will I just get tons of viruses as all the remaining virus loop-holes remain un-fixed?

Any tips, tricks or ideas are most welcome!

Piley

Carl Giles

I doubt I realised it at the time, but Carl Giles was almost certainly responsible for my love of comics. Long before I'd ever read a Buster, a Whoopee, a Whizzer or even a Chip, my dad used to show me the Giles cartoons in his newspaper. At first a bit non-plussed, my dad encouraged me to really study his drawings, as there was just so much going on in and around the panel. I loved it, and it wasn't long before I was demanding my Giles fix! And although the 'joke' (usually relating to the previous days news) almost certainly went over my head, the drawings were a real treat for me. In the mid 70's, a copy of the Giles Annual appeared in the 'ol Christmas stocking (is there NOTHING that Father Christmas doesn't pick up on??!), and it quickly became a yearly tradition, a tradition I pretty much kept up for the next 30 or so years. It was my interest in Giles which must have led me to become a childhood fan of Leo Baxendale. Arguably the greatest kids comic artist ever, Baxendale created some of the ultimate classics... from The Bash Street Kids to Little Plum, from Minnie the Minx to the Three Bears, from Clever Dick to Sweeney Toddler... and just like Giles, he crammed ever millimetre of his panels with drawings. So it was with some excitement that I recently visited the Cartoon Museum to see their Giles exhibition, the first showing of his work for twenty years or more...

Unlike so many other artist from days gone by, who's artwork was not at all cared for (often just thrown away in the rubbish by the publisher without a care), Carl Giles kept just about everything he ever did. When he died in 1995, his collection (6500+ cartoons and 1500+ drawings and sketches) passed to his family. To their credit, they passed the whole lot over to The British Cartoon Archive at the University of Kent, and it is a selection of 70 or 80 of those beautiful originals that are currently on display at the Cartoon Museum.

The first thing that took me was the shear size of some of these originals. Considering they were somewhere in the region of A5 when published, the vast majority of the originals are A3 size, with some at A2 and even a couple at A1... HUGE!!! I'm sure I spotted some intricate detail that couldn't possibly have survived after being shrunk for the newspaper.

Not really knowing much about the man, other than his 'funny' cartoons, I found the exhibition really informative, and I learnt a fair bit about Giles himself, not least the incredible revelation that he was actually blind in one eye from the age of 27, after a motorcycle accident....

He started off in 1930 as an office boy for a film company in London, and was soon promoted to an animator in their cartoon department. He continued to be involved in animation for various companies up until 1937, when he started work for a left wing newspaper 'The Reynolds News', where he created topical cartoons as well as his own strip 'Young Ernie'. His work soon came to the attention of the Express newspapers, who eventually hired him in 1943 - although Giles said he always felt guilty about it, as he never agreed with the politics of the Express.

Rejected for military service due to his sight, the Express sent Giles into various World War II locations as their very own 'War Correspondent Cartoonist', and some of his wartime sketches are also on display in the exhibition. He was assigned to the Coldsteam Guards and was with them when they liberated Belson concentration camp. Apparently the Express asked him to draw the full horror that he saw at Belson, but Giles always refused, choosing instead to just draw the various rooms and cells, rather than the thousands of dead bodies that he witnessed. Years later Giles remarked that not a day went by without him thinking of the atrocities he witnesses during that time. Again, some of the haunting personal sketches that he did whilst at Belson are on display at the museum.

Originally, Giles drew topical, war related cartoons for the Express, but the end of the war meant he also lost most of his regular 'characters' (Hitler, Goering, Goebbels, Himmler, Mussolini etc), so in 1945 he introduced the 'Giles Family' as their replacement. The family became his new medium for expressing life in post-war Britain, and appeared in more than 2000 of his Express cartoons. Head of the family (and by far the most famous character) was the old battleaxe herself, Grandma. Then there was 'Father' (Grandma's son) and 'Mother', their children 'George', 'Ann', 'Carol', 'Bridget' and 'Ernie', 'Vera' (George's wife), 'George Junior' (George and Vera's son) and the twins 'Lawrence' and 'Ralph' (Ann's illegitimate children). Oh, and not forgetting Natalie the cat and Randy the goldfish! Phewwww!


There is something about those Giles cartoons that is quintessentially British. Some years ago, a good friend of mine - Dave, and his wife were travelling through Manila in the Philippines, and had an experience that sums Giles up perfectly... here it is in his own words:

"The heat and humidity was indescribable, the roads grid-locked with honking cars belching noxious emissions which made the air even more unbreathable. Even walking down the streets was difficult, clothes clinging to you through visible perspiration. We entered a small shopping mall just to get out of the heat for a while and it was there that I found an open fronted second hand book shop, with books and magazines all laid out in messy rows on a dozen or so long tables. While browsing, I found one familiar book I wasn't expecting to see -- an 'old faithful' from England in the form of a battered Giles 'Annual'. Opening it up in that busy shop, I was immediately transported by beautifully drawn cartoons, back to far away Blighty. Snow covered roofs, double decker buses, shabby garden sheds in unkempt gardens, English style churches and terraced houses, policemen and traffic wardens, the welcoming interior of a pub. He seemed to be able to sum up all that was England. Perhaps it was simply because I was a long way from home that the images resonated so much, but these Giles cartoons were never more powerful and mesmerising than on that day."

A great anecdote, and no doubt it was his uncanny ability to conjure up such wonderful imagery that led to him (quite rightly) being voted ‘Britain’s Favourite Cartoonist of the 20th Century’ in 2000.

Giles left the Daily Express in 1989, as his cartoons were being given less and less space. However he continued working for the Sunday Express until he was 75 years old (1991). He died in 1995.

If you find yourself in or around London, the Giles exhibition is a real treat, and runs until the the 15th Feb (and is located just by the British Museum). Full details can be found at The Cartoon Museums website.

Find out all about the great work that The British Cartoon Archive is doing with the Giles colection over at their website.

Finally, thanks to Dave Whitwell for letting me use his words above, and also for providing me with the wonderful book scans below.


Giles Annual Number 34 (1980): Front Cover

Giles Annual Number 34 (1980): Back Cover (note: the original artwork to this annual is just one of the great pieces on display at the Cartoon Museum)

Giles Annual Number 31 (1977): Front Cover

Giles Annual Number 31 (1977): Back Cover

Giles Annual Number 32 (1978): Front Cover

Giles Annual Number 32 (1978): Back Cover

Piley

The Best of 2008 (Part 2)

Bugger! Just like last year I can't quite do it! So this year my top 5 consists of no less than 7 albums! In 4th place it's...

Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid (Released March 2008)
Elbow have been around forever (well since 1990 anyway), and I've always found them just 'alright' to be honest. Then in February last year I happened to see them performing 'Grounds for Divorce' on the Jonathan Ross show, and I was genuinely stunned by it... and that guitar riff had the hairs on the back of my neck up every time! I picked up the album as soon as it came out, just on the strength of that track. It turned out to be a smart move, although to be honest, it wasn't the album I was expecting after seeing that track on Jonathan Ross. It's a beautifully layered album, with a very varied sound. From the Zeppelin-esque 'Grounds for Divorce' to the acoustic guitar sound of Mirrorball. From the 60's soundtracky feel of 'The Fix' to the Spanish influenced sound of 'The Bones of You', this is a very diverse album. Stand out track has to be the incredibly moving and uplifting 'One Day Like This' - this swirling, string laden track gets me every time. I managed to catch the TV coverage of Elbow performing this track at Glastonbury last year. It was one of those rare occasions where the atmosphere of the event actually came across to the TV viewer. Stunning.

My first tip off... 'Grounds for Divorce' on Jonathan Ross:



The glorious 'One Day Like This' at Glastonbury 2008:



In third place it's...

Silvery - Thunderer and Excelsior (Released Auguest 2008)
I banged on at great length about this album when it came out, so my thoughts on it can all be found in my original review here. A real gem mixing some of my very favourite ingredients (Bowie, Sparks, XTC, Blur, Kaiser Chiefs) together with a big dollop of Silvery creativity. Nothing more to add other than to say it just got better and better the more I played it. Silvery finished the year with a cracking single (not on the album), a cover version of 'You Give A Little Love' from the Bugsy Malone soundtrack! Expect this band to be huge sometime soon!

In second place it's...

Sparks - Exotic Creatures of the Deep (Released May 2008)
2008 was the year of Sparks for me. The incredible feat of performing all 21 of their albums over 21 nights in London really caught the imagination, and although I play them a lot anyway, the 21x21 event ensured I reacquainted myself with some of those albums I perhaps don't dig out as often as I should. It's Incredible that almost every one of those 21 albums is a quality release, with perhaps just 2 (definitely no more than 3!) that are maybe a little below par... not bad in a nigh on 40 year career! The 21x21 gigs were a rather elaborate way of promoting their new (21st) album 'Exotic Creatures of the Deep'. If you are a regular reader, you'll already know that I've raved about the Mael brothers recent material (album number 20 not only being my favourite of all their work, but one of my favourite albums full stop). Well album 21 was, incredibly, right up there as well. I don't know where these guys continue to get their creativity from, but they are still producing incredible music. Number 21 is yet another flawless album, bursting at the seams with ideas. Just reading some of the track titles made me know this was going to be another slice of Mael genius... "I Can't Believe That You Would Fall For All The Crap In This Song", "The Director Never Yelled 'Cut'" and "(She Got Me) Pregnant" for example! "Lighten Up Morrissey" is a real gem, and is Sparks at their delightfully quirky best... Russell is having girl trouble, because his girl loves Morrissey and poor Russ doesn't live up to him (in her eyes at least!). So Russell pleads with Mozza to "lighten up" in the hope it may put him in a better light with the girl!

She won't dine out with me, no, she won't dine out
Says my t-bone steak is at fault
She won't dine out with me, no, she won't dine out
With a murderer, pass the salt

Loved the fact that people were complaining to Radio 1 that the first single from the album "Good Morning" was a rip-off of the Scissor Sisters!!! Sit back in the chair and we'll get someone to plug it in....

Sparks - Good Morning (Audio only... sorry!)



My favourite album of the year goes to....

The Wolfmen - Modernity Killed Every Night (Released August 2008)
I've been buzzing on the howls of the Wolfmen for over a year now. You may remember that a 5 track sampler CD got me really fired up a while back (it even made it into my best CD's of 2007!). Well the promise of that sampler was more than delivered when their first album was released in August. All the songs from the sampler have made it to the album (although most have been remixed, tweaked and sharpened), which for me gave it a great 'new and old' feel. Fantastic to hear the final nailed versions of the tracks I knew so well, and a real buzz to hear 6 new songs from Marco, Chris and the boys. The thing I love about this album is how it reminds me of every great musical journey of my youth... from the Stooges to the Ants, from Bolan to Roxy, from Bowie to The Velvets. It cherry picks everything that's great from the 60's, 70's and 80's and teleports them all into the 21st Century... providing you with the freshest sounding album of 2008.

Check out this blistering cover of 'Needle In the Camel's Eye':



The Wolfmen joined the merry band of bloggers here on Blogspot this week. Why not pop over and catch up on all the very latest news here.

Piley

The Best of 2008 (Part 1)

Unbelievably, it's time once again for my traditional top 5 'best of last year' run down.... I say traditional... I've done it once! last year!!! (2007 Pt 1 here and 2007 Pt 2 here). Personally, I don't have 2008 down as one of the best years for new albums, but I certainly found a few interesting bits and bobs to keep me going...

Black Mountain - In The Future (Released January 2008)
I love it when an album takes me by surprise... the rest of my top 5 I kinda expected great things from, but this little beauty was a bolt out of the blue. Considering it's steeped in a classic 70's psychedelic-ey, rock sound, this album sounds so incredibly fresh and exciting. You hear so many influences (Led Zeppelin, Floyd, Deep Purple, 70's Krautrock, Neil Young, Hunky Dory era Bowie... right up to Spiritulized, Duke Spirit and The Black Angels), yet never at any point is it a lazy copy of any of those artists. There is just so much going on, this stayed in my CD player for weeks at the beginning of 2008, and continued to be revisited throughout the year. It gets better and better the more time you give it. I think it would have made my top 5 just for the 17 minute track 'Bright Lights' alone! But fortunately, every track is a winner on here. Here is the video for Wucan:




Hot Chip - Made In The Dark (Released February 2008)
I've always loved Hot Chip's geeky, synthy, quirky electro indie-pop, and it's just as well, coz Made in the Dark was yet more of their tried and tested sound! But somehow, this album is just that bit better than the others... more polished, more realised. Their previous two albums were both great in places, but always left me with a finger on the 'forward' button, wishing for a little more. This time though they have made a great album from start to finish (OK, OK, maybe 'Wrestlers' is a weak link!). For me a great album is STILL so simple... well structured great tunes, catchy hooks and intelligent lyrics. If that's your recipe too, then this could be an album for you! Stand out track for me is Hold On - a really great, intelligent dance track, a thumpin full on disco bass laced with scratchy guitar sounds and the funkiest of rhythms.

Here's a clip of the first single 'Shake a Fist' for you to have a peep at. Unfortunately no official video was made for this track, but this promo video for Urban Outfitters using the track is still worth a go!




The Damned - So Who's Paranoid? (Released November 2008)
Seven years ago in 2001 I nervously bought the first 'official' Damned album for 15 years, Grave Disorder. I expected very little from it to be honest, but it turned out to be an absolute corker. Had you not known better you'd have sworn it was from their Black Album\Strawberries period. So this time I couldn't win... How could I doubt them again after the last success? But on the other hand, surely they couldn't do it again??!! Well they have!! 31 years after the release of their debut album, the Damned turn up trumps once again, sounding fresh as a daisy in the process! This album continues on where Grave Disorder finished... definite nods to previous periods of their career, but also not scared to experiment with something new too, it's just the right mix all wrapped up in a swirling psychedelic haze. And check out the creepy, psychedelic gothic genius of closing track Dark Asteroid... all fourteen minutes of it! A Curtain Call for the 21st Century! Like all the albums in my Top 5 this year, not a bad track on this CD.

I'll be back in a few days time to post my top 2 albums of 2008, but in the meantime, let me know what little gems you picked up last year....

Piley

Happy New Year!

Well I hope everyone had a good Christmas and stuff?? Mine was OK, but I came down with the dreaded flu bug thing... gawd I was rough. I blame Rockmother, she had a stinker, and I'd been on her site only 4 or 5 days before I got it...

Missed out on me works Christmas meal (which I'd already paid for) and me mates Christmas meal too... Still it's a few pounds less for me to try and shift in Jan. Talking of which, does anyone still bother with New Year resolutions?? Half arsed dreams that'll never make it past Jan 15th??? The top 10 resolutions are (apparently) as follows:

1. Spend more time with the family and friends

2. Get fit

3. Lose weight

4. Stop smoking

5. Enjoy life more

6. Stop drinking

7. Get out of debt (Ha! some chance!)

8. Learn something new

9. Help others

10. Get organised

So any of those ring any bells? I was delighted to see in the Telegraph yesterday that trying to stick to New Year resolutions can actually be bad for you, especially if they are aimed at personal problems or insecurities. Mind (the National Association for Mental Health) report that the pursuit of perfection and self improvement can create a negative self image and lead to feelings of hopelessness, low self-esteem and even depression.

Mind chief executive Paul Farmer said: "New Year's resolutions can sometimes focus on our problems or insecurities such as being overweight, feeling unhappy in our jobs or feeling guilty about not devoting enough time to friends and family throughout the year".

So there you go, don't make any resolutions and beat yourself up about it or, alternatively, make some.... and THEN beat yourself up about it... the choice is yours!

Whatever you decide, I wish you all a healthy an peaceful 2009.

Piley

The Brian Setzer Orchestra: Boogie Woogie Christmas

Well so far I've covered the good, the bad and the Cheesy! But the final part (for this year anyway!) of this rummage through my Christmas albums is a genuine, sure-fire winner.

The king of rockabilly swing Brian Setzer has released two of the finest Christmas albums to ever grace my collection. I've picked 2002's Boogie Woogie Christmas to review here (but that doesn't mean 2005's Dig That Crazy Christmas is any less of an album). It's got everything you could ever want from a Christmas album, all wrapped up in a plastic jewel case. There's rockabilly, there's blues, there's a big band, there's croonin' and there's Setzer's incredible guitar playing. And even though it's a Christmas album, there's not a hint of cheesiness about it.

The diversity of the tracks included on here is incredible... from classic Christmas numbers to Hymns, from brand new Setzer songs to swingin' takes on winter themed classical music, it's all here.

There is more than a nod to the classic Elvis Presley Christmas album here too, as Brian just about out-Kings the King with his renditions of Blue Christmas and Santa Claus is Back in Town. He even manages a duet with Ann-Margaret, one time girlfriend of the burger King, and co-star of Viva Las Vegas.

Setzer breathes a breath of fresh air into his versions of Jingle Bells, Winter Wonderland and Sleigh Ride, all brought bang up to date with his brand of rockin' guitar led swing.... they can't fail to get you in the Christmas mood! His reworked 'highlights' medley of The Nutcracker Suite is also a revelation! Half Glen Miller half Stray Cats! It's really shouldn't work, but it really does! The new Setzer tracks slot into this album a treat, each one is an instant classic and sit perfectly next to the standards. The album finishes with a genuinely moving version of O Holy Night followed by The Amens. Both of which could sit proudly on any of Presley's gospel albums.

If you're tempted, this year Brian has released a 'best of' his Christmas albums 'Christmas Rock', which also includes a couple of previously unreleased gems. But if you're feeling flush, for a few measly quid extra you can get the deluxe version which comes with a full length Christmas concert DVD - an STILL get change from a tenner! You can buy in on Amazon HERE.

To finish, here's a couple of samplers from Boogie Woogie Christmas. Just try an stop those toes a-tappin!

SANTA CLAUS IS BACK IN TOWN:

SLEIGH RIDE:

Well that's the last of my Christmas album reviews.... not even had time to touch on yuletide offerings from the likes of Twisted Sister, the Wurlitzer Organ or even my favourite Bluegrass version! Always next year though eh?! Normal service will now be resumed!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Piley

Christmas Perversions No. 3: Richard Cheese - Silent Nightclub

So little time, so many dodgy Christmas albums to share with you!!

I did a post some time back on the genius of Richard Cheese... So it's only right that I include him in my perverted Christmas album collection. The thing I love most about his Christmas album is, well, it's not all that Christmassy! A first glance at the track listing usually brings a "WTF?" type response, but after a closer inspection of the chosen songs you 'get it'. I mean, some of the classic Christmas toons you'll find on Silent Nightclub include Live a Virgin, Ice Ice Baby, I Melt With You, Holiday in Cambodia,
Personal Jesus, Naughty Girl.... You get the idea!

But there is a vague smattering of yuletide songs on here too, including 'Silent Night', 'Christmastime is Here' (from the classic 1966 Charlie Brown\Peanuts cartoon!), the self penned 'Christmas in Las Vegas' and the oddest version of 'Jingle Bells' you're ever likely to hear! Richard Cheese has released 7 albums of his lounge-i-fied cover versions, and always states on the album who the original was by. However I was a tad confused when he gave an original artist for 'Jingle Bells', I mean, nobody has cornered the market on this track have they? Surely there is no need to mention any one artist? But once I played it, the whole thing made sense! It's genius! and it's below for you to listen to right now... no, don't thank me, just think of it as an early Christmas present!

RICHARD CHEESE: JINGLE BELLS:


If this has got you going, and you want more Sinatra-fied cover version madness (and who in their right mind wouldn't?!) check out my previous Dick Cheese post HERE, where as well as his festive version of Holiday in Cambodia (!), you can also here his take on Radiohead and Slipknot!

Piley

The X (Mas) Factor!

I've already resigned myself to the fact that the X-Factor has now cornered the market for Christmas number ones (believe it or not, this year will be the 4th year in a row), but it's getting even more serious now.... If today's mid-week chart is anything to go by, it looks like the whole of the Christmas top 5 could be (in one way or another) X-Factor related:



1. HALLELUJAH - ALEXANDRA BURKE (This one goes without saying)

2. RUN - LEONA LEWIS (2006 X-Factor winner)

3. HALLELUJAH - JEFF BUCKLEY (yeah, I KNOW what you're thinking, but would it have been shifting these sort of units if it wasn't for the exposure the song has had via X-Factor?)

4. IF I WERE A BOY - BEYONCE (the song Beyonce performed on the X-Factor final at the weekend)

5. LISTEN - BEYONCE (re-entry for this song that Beyonce and Alexandra Burke performed as a duet on the X-Factor final at the weekend)

and there's more!!!

14. HERO - X-FACTOR FINALISTS (obviously!)

35. HALLELUJAH - LEONARD COHEN (see 3 above!)

Apparently if Jeff Buckley's version sells another 10,000 or so by the weekend, he could snatch the Christmas number two slot. I don't think there has ever been a time when numbers 1 and 2 in the chart were the same song.

So how did we get to a point where the X-Factor is such a big influence on the charts? Y'know what, I think the answer is actually pretty easy... Like it or not, The X-Factor is now the only mainstream, prime-time music show on TV. Sure there are some great music shows tucked away in the schedules for us more discerning customers... none more so that our very own Rockmother and her tip-top From The Basement. But there is a (worryingly) large army of people out there for whom music does not play all that big a part in their lives, and they are happy to listen to whatever is put under their nose. They like what they see on TV and hear on the radio, and by and large - that's what they buy. So, if the X-Factor is the only music show these people see, it's not surprising how it is influencing so many sales\downloads. Perhaps the loss of shows like Top of the Pops is finally starting to show. I mean it was never great, but it did always show a cross section of music and styles, from The Smiths to the Spice Girls, The Sisters of Mercy to Cleopatra (commin at 'cha!), they were all on there. Towards the end of it's life it even gave 'new releases' an airing too. Much better than having a show limited to what Simon Cowell wants you to watch\listen to\buy. But what do I know??!

Incredibly, over 170 people have covered Hallelujah in the last 20 odd years. So who's version is the best? (where's Harry Hill when you need him??!) Personally, I couldn't give a flying fuck! but here's the 3 versions 'of the moment'.

LEONARD COHEN:


JEFF BUCKLEY


ALEXANDRA BURKE


Piley

Christmas Perversions No. 2: Slade - Crackers

Continuing the delve into the stranger side of my iffy Christmas record collection..... Slade's 'Crackers' album was originally released over 20 years ago in 1985, and it's one of the few 'LPs' that I still regularly dig out and give an airing to (only at Christmas tho... i'm not THAT much of a Christmas pervert!). If you can get by the naff cover, this album is actually a right 'ol rocker! But then, Slade always did rock didn't they? Hugely underrated by the music snobs... (yet Oasis were trying to be Slade during much of the 90's and everybody loved that!!).

Not really a Christmas album in the traditional sense, this is more 'party' fodder, mixing cover versions, Christmas songs and Slade originals. But by and large it does the job well, and is worth the money just for the rousing covers of 'Santa Claus is Coming to Town' 'Let's Have a Party' and 'Lets Dance' (the Chris Montez track, not the Bowie one). Slade always did have the knack of injecting some atmosphere and fun into their recordings (I mean Merry X-Mas Everybody still does the trick 35 years on doesn't it?!), and on the whole they succeeded in fueling this album with plenty of that party spirit, full of crunchin' guitars and Noddy Holder's shouty vocals!

Whilst wandering round Tesco's a couple of weeks ago I was gobsmacked to see a CD copy sitting in the racks, and with a much better 70's style cover to boot. A snip too at just three of four quid, and I snapped it up.... but buyer beware, it isn't quite a straight copy of the original release. There are no less that FIVE tracks missing (We'll Bring the House Down, All Join Hands, Do You Believe in Miracles, My Oh My and Run Runaway). I'm guessing here, but as this album was a mish-mash of specially recorded tracks plus recent (at that time) Slade singles, my bet is the licencing for the singles was owned by someone else, and it was probably easier just to remove them rather than get involved in multi-licencing. Still for the pocket money price, you can't go wrong with this one. The low point is an ill-advised cover of 'Do They Know It's Christmas (Feed the World)'. I guess you can forgive them for trying, and it was probably quite an 'up to the minute' track at the time. But it sticks out like a sore thumb now, and although it is the most recent song on the album, bizarrely, it is the one song that makes the album look dated.

Here are a couple of tasters from 'Crackers', one Christmas-y the other not so:

SANTA CLAUS IS COMING TO TOWN:


LET'S HAVE A PARTY:

Piley

Bettie Page - 1923 - 2008

I heard that she had suffered a heart attack last week, and had been in a coma ever since, so I was kinda expecting the worst. Yet the news that she died this morning still came as a bit of a shock. Weird really, as for 30 odd years everyone thought she was dead anyway! I'd only just got used to the idea of her actually being around again, and now she's gone. For good this time.

The legendary 1950's model has been a cult figure for over 50 years, loved by millions, yet completely unknown by millions, all at the same time. Someone at work today asked me about her, and the best I could do in one sentence was say she was like an underground Marilyn Monroe (since then I've heard that Page will be burried at Westwood Cemetary in California next week, the same place where Monroe is burried).

I discovered Bettie in the mid-80's and have been infactuated with her ever since. You know how you get into stuff, really buzz about it for a bit then lose interest? well it's never been like that with Bettie, and I've remained completely fascinated with her throughout... hell, I even have her tattooed on me! (yes, really!). When she resurfaced in the 1990's she signed up with CMG Worldwide agency, and to earn herself some money, she agreed to autograph photographs for them to sell. Apparently it took her about 10 minutes to sign each autograph, she ended up not doing that many, and the asking price was extortionate.... it's still the best thing i ever bought....

I've been meaning to do a Bettie Page post since I started this blog, and I will do a proper one at some point. But for now, RIP Bettie Page.

Piley

Carry On Christmas!

OK, I admit it... I'm a Christmas album pervert!! You hear these rock 'n roll stories where bands are living in such debauchery, that 'normal' sex just don't do it any more... So they have to 'up the ante', and of course, this becomes the norm and boring too. So the bar is continually raised until they are officially 24 carat pervs! Well that's me... but on Christmas albums (honest!).

I did a post last year about my weakness for Christmas albums... Y'know there was a time when a straight 'crooner' album of all the traditional classics would hit the spot for me every time. But there's only so many similar versions of 'Chestnuts Roastin On an Open Fire' you can buy before you start to lust after forbidden fruit, and for the last two or three years, that's what I've been pretty much exclusively buying... mad Christmas albums!

This 'Swingin Christmas' album is a good example. The cover has been designed to make you think it's a 50's album, but although there are no dates included in the sleeve notes, these tracks are much more likely to be from the 70's (maybe even early 80's), so are much cheesier on the ear than you might have expected!

Most of the tracks on this album sound like the closing credits to a 1970's Carry On film! (yes, really!), rather than 50's Sinatra cool swing (as they are trying to make you think), BUT as a Christmas album pervert, that suits me down to the ground! (I've got way too many 50's swingin type Christmas albums anyway).

I also love the cheekiness (some would call it pure fuckin laziness!) of including what I was fully expecting to be a new, undiscovered Christmas tune... Mr Santa. I've got a pretty good knowledge of Christmas songs (even the pretty obscure ones), but this one had me intrigued, I'd never heard of it or seen it listed on any other album before. So imagine my disappointment when on playing it I discovered it was actually that well know Christmas favourite 'Mr Sandman'!! If there had been some vocals it might have been something, but seeing this is a strictly instrumental album, I can't help but feel its inclusion was a bit of a rip off!! I mean, what next??? 'I Wanna Whole Lotta Christmas'? 'Ride a White Christmas'??!

Here's a taster from this album, which I can't listen to without picturing a cartoon caricature of Sid James cackling maniacally whilst givin the 'ol thumbs up!

JINGLE BELLS - DON LUSHER

More Christmas perversions comin soon... maybe!

Piley

(Cr) Appy Christmas??

What's the deal with these Bavarian\German\French markets that seem to pop up in the High Streets in November and December? The one that appeared in Southend High Street last month (Bavarian\German) is, as was largely predicted, pants! When you hear a Bavarian market is headed your way, your mind conjures up wonderful images of snowy alps, lederhosen, Beer Kellers, Oompah bands, maybe even a bit of yuletide bear baiting... but transfer the lot to a chavy seaside town, and somehow the whole thing goes a bit naff!

I don't think I've spotted a single thing for sale that you can't buy in one of the normal shops in the High Street. I mean, one 'ol fella has lumped a few ton of 'pick n mix' over (that classic Bavarian delicacy!)... yeah, thanks for that mate, we've only ever dreamed of jelly strawberries and gobstoppers in Southend! I swear it's the same 'pick n mix' that you get in the cinema! And of course, this poor chump has paid to have it all carted over, and is no doubt having to pay for digs every night for a month to boot... and if he's sold more than a quids worth I'll be shocked!

And has anyone ever bought one of those hideous orange 'rock lights'? I use the word 'light' in the loosest term, as those things are so dim that I'd imagine the room gets darker when you switch it on! Again, you see the same rock lights in exactly the same position day after day, week after week... Who on earth persuades these poor people that Southend is the Mecca for 'pick n mix' and rock lights??

However, I was delighted to see that an open air yuletide bar had been set up at the top of the High Street, selling German beers and various mulled wines... Now that DID appeal! The only thing is, they've set the whole thing up right next to the permanent High Street sign warning you can be fined £500 for drinking alcohol there! That's gotta affect business!

The other thing of course is that because the overheads are so huge, most of the prices throughout the market are extortionate! £6 for a small gingerbread heart anyone? Toffee apple for £3? a manky bag of roasted peanuts for a fiver? Just what people are looking for in a credit crunch Christmas!

Other delights on sale right now in Southend High Street include

• A "big meat stick" made from "Turky"


• How about a "big knuckle" for six pound? or if you're feeling flush, why not add "cabbage and noodles" for an extra quid?? Yum!


• Biltong Droewors (I tried some, and yes they taste ever bit as nice as they look! See pic below)

Hey! an open air Bavarian bar! That looks tempting....

Hey! A £500 fine for drinking at the open air Bavarian bar? Not so tempting!

But Piley likes to live dangerously, and risks a pint anyway....

Biltong Droewors anyone?

Surely you can't resist a big knuckle? Someone should have told them that knuckle sandwiches are already common (and free!) in Southend High Street, especially after closing time...

Meat on a stick? Come on mum, give the kids a treat!

Traditional Bavarian white and pink chocolate mice...

Froehliche Weihnachten!

Piley