Welcome back to Week 31 and before I head up to Anfield to watch The Champions-Elect take on some mid-table team from Manchester I thought I’d fill you in as to what we’ve been listening to this week….
Week 31
13th January 2020
Suede
Sci-Fi Lullabies
Did you know Ricky Gervais used to manage Suede before they got famous?
Me neither!
Suede are a band that I never really appreciated when they were at the peak of their powers in the mid Nineties and it was only their excellent singles such as “Animal Nitrate”, “Trash” and “Beautiful Ones” that I was only really familiar with.
Reading up on them I was made aware of the fact that they were one of the first acts from that period who would back up their aforementioned singles with a strong catalogue of B-Sides and we have a collection of them right here on this compilation album released in 1997.
They were formed in London in 1989 after singer/songwriter Brett Anderson and his then girlfriend Justine Frischmann (later of Elastica) placed an ad in NME which caught the eye of guitarist Bernard Butler.
Their lineup was then completed by the recruitment of drummer Simon Gilbert, and bass player Mat Osman – older brother of TV’s Richard Osman (Tall chap? Glasses? That fella off Pointless? That’s the one!).
With his dandy androgynous poise and sneering glam theatrics, the obvious comparisons to Morrissey and Bowie were inevitable yet fully justified as Brett Anderson pulled it of emphatically and Suede’s rise to the the top followed their first three albums.
By the mid-late Nineties they were classed as one of the “Big Four” acts alongside Oasis, Blur & Pulp in what lazily became known as the “Britpop” era – a term every band involved in that period hates!
This then is a collection of most of the bands B-Sides that were released during this period of major success and such is the strength of the material on offer here that this record has often been deemed good enough to be named as Suede’s “fourth” album in it’s own right.
Writing for All Music, Stephen Erlwine said this record is, “…as strong as any of their albums…absolutely essential material, confirming the group’s status as one of the ’90s’ greatest bands.”
Whilst The Independant labelled it, “The Greatest B-Sides album ever made.”
It is a double album consisting of 27 tracks and at over two hours long I was worried it would get a bit samey and repetitive but in reality I couldnt be further from the truth.
Considering I didn’t know any of the songs on offer here I have to say I’ve not had this off since I first played it on Monday morning and it’s certainly grown on me.
Songs like “Whipsnade”, “He’s Dead”, “Young Men” and my favourite “Killing Of A Flash Boy” have made this album a satisfying new favourite and I’m looking forward to hearing what the rest of Brett and the lads have to offer as and when we get around to it.
My Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Listen To: Killing Of A Flash Boy
Sly & The Family Stone
There’s A Riot Going On
“My only weapon is my pen and the frame of mind I’m in…”
When you spend your day off work lying on the couch watching videos of Sly Stone on Soul Train then you know it’s a day well spent!
When this popped up on The Playlist on Thursday I couldnt help but smile as I just knew I would love every single second of what I was about to dive into.
That’s right it’s the First Funk Family of San Francisco, Sly & The Family Stone.
Formed in 1966 they were the first band in America to have both male and female members in a racially integrated lineup and were pioneers in the “Psychedelic Soul” sound that emerged at the end of that decade.
After previously releasing four hugely popular and influential albums, plus a show stealing 4am (yes 4am) performance at Woodstock in 1969 (please…if you do anything today just watch THIS), here we have 1971’s “There’s A Riot Going On”.
No doubt influenced by “The Death of The Sixties”, political assassinations, police brutality, and the decline of the civil rights movement, coupled with Sly’s now infamous penchent for cocaine and PCP (Angel Dust) during this time, this record takes on an altogether darker, denser, murkier sound than the positive vibes of their previous efforts.
So where we had The Family imploring us to get up and “Dance To The Music” a few years earlier, here we have opening number “Luv ‘N’ Haight” and Sly telling us, “Feel so good inside myself don’t need to move”.
Whilst in “Spaced Cowboy” he assures us “Everything I like is nice, that’s why I try to have it twice.”
The title track is just four seconds of total silence with Sly saying the reason for that being is that there should be no riots, whilst the title itself comes as a repost to Marvin Gaye and his legendary album “What’s Going On?” which was released just six months earlier.
The most famous song here and also the bands biggest hit is “Family Affair” which features the legendary Billy Preston on keyboards and Bobby Womack on rhythm guitar and as one reviewer so eloquently put it, “It’s as if the musicians on this record walked into the oldest studio, with instruments left from years ago, and never bothered to clean the thin layer of film off of them before they began recording.“
The real testament to this album is that even through the murkiness, the genius of Sly Stone still shines through and it was named at an impressive 99th place in Rolling Stones “500 Greatest Albums Of All Time”.
As the saying goes,“There was soul music before Sly’s, there was soul music after Sly’s, but there was no soul music like Sly‘s.”
A must own.
My Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Listen To: Family Affair
Talking Heads
More Songs About Buildings And Food
What a week this is shaping up to be!
From 1978 it’s the second album from the indomitable Talking Heads and also their third entry into these Diaries following their debut “Talking Heads:77” from Week 8 and Live Album “Stop Making Sense” in Week 22.
For the production of this record, the band roped in the innovative-yet-slightly-mad Brian Eno for the first of his three album collaboration with them and he is the man who would give their sound that all too familiar danceable groove that we have since grown to love.
He achieved this by putting more emphasis on the rhythm section of Tina Weymouth on bass and Chris Frantz on drums whilst at the same time keeping the limelight focused on David Byrnes nervous vocal delivery
Speaking to Creem Magazine in 1979, Tina took full credit (or blame!) for the albums terrible title, saying, “When we were making this album I remembered this stupid discussion we had about titles for the last album. At that time I said, ‘What are we gonna call an album that’s just about buildings and food?’ And Chris said, ‘You call it more songs about buildings and food.“
The front cover was designed by the late American artist Jimmy De Sana, based on an idea by David Byrne and consists of 529 individual close-up Polaroid photographs of the band laid out in a photomosaic.
This is probably my least favourite of all Talking Heads albums but that’s not to say it doesnt have its moments. In fact that’s more of a compliment to the rest of their back catalogue as opposed to a slight against this record.
Songs like “Thank You For Sending Me An Angel”, “Stay Hungry” and “The Big Country” are all personal favourites of mine but by far the standout track on here is their superb cover of the Al Green classic “Take Me To The River”.
It gave the band their first Top 30 hit and years later David Byrne commented, “Coincidence or conspiracy? There were at least four cover versions of this song out at the same time: Foghat, Bryan Ferry, Levon Hulme and us. More money for Mr Green’s full gospel tabernacle church, I suppose. A song that combines teenage lust with baptism. Not equates, you understand, but throws them in the same stew, at least. A potent blend. All praise the mighty spurtin’ Jesus.”
Whilst we’re on the subject – did you see that footage of Bobby Firmino getting baptised in a swimming pool the other day whilst Alisson Becker was standing next to him crying his eyes out?
Bit mental that wasnt it?
Anyway, the Talking Heads version – in my opinion – is one of the best cover versions of all time, and if you dont believe me then watch this live version taken from the “Stop Making Sense” Concert.
If only to watch David in that legendary massive suit of his!
My Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Listen To: Take Me To The River
Leonard Cohen
Songs From A Room
To my detriment I have to admit I have never listened to a Leonard Cohen record and one of the main reasons we started this whole journey nigh on four years ago now was to give myself an opportunity to sample the delights of enigmatic artists like Mr. Cohen here for the first time.
So here, from 1969 we have the second album by the man Bob Dylan once called “The number one songwriter of our time”.
Originally recording began in Hollywood with David Crosby of Crosby, Stills & Nash due to produce it but after the first few sessions it was deemed by Leonard to be a fruitless exercise so the whole process was moved to Nashville, Tennessee where legendary producer Bob Johnston who had previously worked with Dylan, Johnny Cash and Simon & Garfunkel took up the mantle.
Lets rewind a few years here and go back to September 1960 when Leonard bought a house on the Greek island of Hydra with $1,500 which he had inherited from his grandmother. He lived here with Norwegian Marianne Ihlen whom he had a seven-year relationship with and who would be his muse for several songs throughout a career that spanned six decades.
One day whilst staring out of a window of this house, Marianne noticed several birds perched on a newly installed telephone wire and remarked how much they looked like musical notes.
In an effort to lift him out of his depression, she handed Leonard his guitar and suggested to him that he write a song about it.
The finished result was “Bird On A Wire”, the opening track on this album and the song that would open Leonard’s shows for the majority of his career.
Also featured here is “Seems So Long Ago, Nancy” which Leonard later admitted was based on a promiscuous woman he had grown up with back home in his native Montreal, saying, “I think that the world throws up certain kinds of figures. Another twenty years later she would have been just like you know, the hippest girl on the block. But twenty years before she was – there was no reference to her, so in a certain way she was doomed.“
Reading up on this album it seems the general consensus is that this record is bookended by superior material and that the albums Leonard released either side of this are a more rewarding listen.
I’ll certainly look forward to the day either of them pop up on here as I can honestly say this was a joy to listen to. Just stripped back, simple country-tinged folk songs from an artist I’ve disregarded for far too long.
Before I finish I have to tell you about Marianne and Leonard’s heartbreaking demise within months of each other.
In 2016 Marianne passed away from Leukaemia just three months and 9 days before Leonard died in his sleep aged 82 following a fall at his home.
In a farwell letter read out at her funeral, Leonard wrote:
“Dearest Marianne,
I’m just a little behind you, close enough to take your hand. This old body has given up, just as yours has too.
I’ve never forgotten your love and your beauty. But you know that. I don’t have to say any more. Safe travels old friend. See you down the road. Endless love and gratitude.
My Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Listen To: Bird On A Wire
The Dictators
Go Girl Crazy!
What an album cover that is!
As you can see from his jacket, that man is none other than “Handsome Dick Manitoba” – the roadie, occasional front man, mascot and self-styled “Secret Weapon” for New York’s Proto-Punk pioneers The Dictators and this is their debut album from 1975.
A commercial flop on its release, this record is now considered one of the major starting points for America’s Punk movement and has been called “a blueprint for bad-taste, humour and defiance”, although admittedly these lads are a band I was hearing here for the first time.
There’s a couple of half-decent covers here with Sonny & Cher’s “I Got You Babe” and the Surf-Rock anthem “California Sun” all appearing on Side A, and they do a good job of easing you in to the sound and humour of a band you can tell are having the time of their lives making this record.
All the while played with tongue firmly in cheek, they reference the excesses of drink, cars, girls, and even wrestling gets the odd mention(Manitoba plays his character out like a cross between a Vegas-era Elvis and Hulk Hogan!).
That’s not to say they cant play because they sound as good as anything that came out of New York around that period such as The Ramones or New York Dolls.
The band themselves never really got the breaks that their efforts deserved and after a couple of albums broke up in 1978, although there have been numerous incarnations and reunion/comeback gigs since then.
Their influence though cannot be underestimated and Punk Magazine founders John Holmstrom and Legs McNeil said it was after listening to this album that they decided to start their fanzine.
That in turn became the first magazine to regular feature what was happening in CBGB’s and the burgeoning music scene which was blossoming in and around New York at that time.
Great album this. Easy to get into, immensely enjoyable and a lot of fun to listen to. A new favourite.
Incidentally, Handsome Dick is still going strong and apparently has a successful Podcast online called YOU DONT KNOW DICK.
Good for him.
My Rating: ☆☆☆☆
Listen To: Two Tub Man
The Libertines
The Libertines
From the Punk of Mid-Seventies New York we head to the Garage-Rock revival of Mid-Noughties London and the self-titled second album from a band once labelled, “The most important band of their generation”, a title my brother in law Nicky would no doubt wholeheartedly agree with.
Released in August 2004 it came just two years after their much-heralded debut “Up The Bracket” although considering everything that occurred in between these two albums it’s a miracle it was even made at all.
What with Pete’s much-publicised battle with crack and heroin, numerous break-ups (and make-ups!), cancelled gigs and most famously Pete breaking into Carl Barât’s flat ending up in a six month jail sentence (later reduced to two months).
The front cover of this very album is a photograph taken at an emotional reunion now known as “The Freedom Gig” the band played at The Tap’n’Tin Pub in Chatham, Kent in October 2003 on the same day Pete was released from Wandsworth Prison.
Incidentally it was Carl who was waiting at the gates of the prison waiting to greet Pete on his release.
Later that year the band would go on to play three consecutive sold-out gigs at the London Forum, with each night ending with stage invasions by fans.
These gigs were later named amongst the “Best 100 Gigs Of All Time” by Q Magazine.
Their new manager during this period was none other than Alan McGee of Creation Records who would later call The Libertines, “The most extreme band I’ve ever worked with.”
Some going when you think who else he has managed!
Just like their debut, this album was produced by Mick Jones of The Clash and it’s content is a reflection of Pete and Carl’s love/hate/love relationship, opening with autobiographical lead single “Can’t Stand Me Now”, with Pete imploring “Have we enough to keep it together?”
The beautifully melancholic “Music When The Lights Go Out” has Pete reflecting on a friendship and a love that is still flickering yet has them reflecting on how nothing lasts forever and how they “…no longer hear the music.”
The album ends on a similar theme with second single “What Became Of The Likely Lads” and Carl asking his comrade “What became of the dreams we had?”
Sadly yet inevitably, they disbanded that same year. A year which also included Pete being arrested for carrying a blade after legging it from a Buddhist Monastery in Thailand whilst in another failed attempt at rehab.
Carl formed Dirty Pretty Things, Pete had Babyshambles and despite a couple of reunion gigs later on down the line, it was never ever going to be the same as those first two incendiary albums.
This record went on to become one of NME’s Albums of 2004 and was later named at No. 99 in their list of “500 Greatest Albums of All Time”.
It’s been far too long since I listened to this in it’s entirety and rediscovering again here made me appreciate just how good it really is.
A true modern classic and another must own.
My Rating: ☆☆☆☆☆
Listen To: Music When The Lights Go Out
That’s it for another week. Thanks for reading and dont forget to click on anything highlighted in blue to listen to every album featured or watch some vids relating to each album.
I hope you find something new to enjoy.
The Great Album Diaries 
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