Music is the wine that fills the cup of silence - ROBERT FRIPP.
Information is not knowledge;
knowledge is not wisdom;
wisdom is not truth;
truth is not beauty;
beauty is not love;
love is not music;
MUSIC IS THE BEST - FRANK ZAPPA.
I think we're a little happier when we have a little music in our lives - STEVE JOBS.
Music in the soul can be heard by the universe - LAO TZU.
Rock and Roll is fire, man. FIRE. - DAVID BRIGGS.
Music grips you, gets into your soul -
GEORGE MARTIN
The Stranglers Nice 'N' Sleazy/ Shut Up (United Artists, K 7123, 1978) The Stranglers Skin Deep/ Here And There (Epic, ES 1006, 1984) Guilty pleasure? The Stranglers fit the bill. Nice 'N' Sleazy is almost a manifesto for the band who were often accused of sexism amongst other things (live versions of N'N'S often used strippers to make some sort of point). Again, it's the stabbing guitars that I love here and the barking mad Moog solo. Remember this is in the aftermath of punk! By 1984 the band had gone through a few musical changes; the mid tempo hit Skin Deep (like Golden Brown) could not have happened in the early Get A Grip days. At the time it secured a lot of airtime and made the top 20 in New Zealand.
Hidden gems: Not really times two - Shut Up is a punk thrash which quite rightly didn't appear on the parent album (Black and White). Here And Now is also rare in that it didn't appear on the parent album (Aural Sculpture) but has turned up as a (dubious) bonus track since then.
The Stone Roses One Love/ Something's Burning (Silvertone 12", ORE T 17, 1990) I first heard The Stone Roses at Roger Marbeck's house. While waiting for dinner one night, the song I Am The Resurrection came on via Rog's stereo system and completely blew me away. I hadn't heard guitars like that and outlandish sentiments like that for ages. I fell hard for the band and, like millions, bought and loved the wonderful first album - The Stone Roses. I was still a fan by the time the wonderful second album, Second Coming, came out (it's fashionable NOT to like it but I love those guitars).
One Love is on neither album - it's a stand alone single, although it's ended up on various compilations since. For me, it forms a great bridge between the breezy first album and the blues rock of the second. The song has a great groove and vibe; deserved to be a hit when it came out. The 12 inch has the 7 plus minute stretched out version which I prefer. Hidden gem: The B side was also a non album track and has also ended up on compilations like Turn To Stone. Like One Love, it's lengthy with that same dreamy stardust vibe from the period between the two albums.
Stiff Little Fingers At The Edge/ Running Bear, White Christmas (Chrysalis, K 7835, 1980) Stiff Little Fingers Listen, Sad Eyed People/ That's When Your Blood Bumps, Two Guitars Clash (Chrysalis 12", X 13080, 1982) I had a thing for SLF back in the late seventies, early eighties. Their refreshing approach was pop punk with huge energy, a social conscience (without the sneer), stabbing/riffing guitars, and bags of honesty. At The Edge is a great example - teenage angst from an Oirish perspective. Jake Burns sells the song with some excellent vocals. By 1982 the band had moved more onto the pop continuum with this EP (also known as £1.10 or Less). Listen has some great football chant style moments but it's not a hit single. Sad Eyed People is in the same vein (without the football chant style moments). The band continue to perform to this day and all power to them and Jake Burns (the only constant member throughout their history)! Hidden gems: Their punk thrash drunken rave up through Running Bear/White Christmas is raw, rough and very endearing. Yep - a couple of gems. ...Blood Bumps has a cool looping reggae style (which I'm a sucker for), but it's Two Guitars Clash, driven along by some great bass guitar and a fab chorus that gets my blood really bumping (and the reason I never sold off this single).
Jim Steinman Storm/ Rock And Roll Dreams Come Through (Epic, EX 7524, 1981) Jim is, of course, the genius behind Meatloaf's greatest moments (Bat Out Of Hell and Deadringer -those are all Jim's songs). The follow up to the mega successful Bat was put on hold because of Meatloaf's health issues. Jim decided to record the songs himself and they were released as Bad For Good. A terrific album! This single was actually part of the Bad For Good package. That explains why Storm is the A side. It's a prologue for the album - as such it kind of sets the epic scene (btw - how appropriate that this comes out on the Epic label!!). Epic because it's a full on Wagnerian rip tear bust instrumental! Hidden gem: The B side went on to become a hit for Meatloaf. Here it is intended to be the epilogue to the album. It works too. Jim's rock and roll dreams had really come through and this was another crafty pop song from the maestro. The theatricality is superbly recreated in this barking mad video. Overblown with nothing left to the imagination (the guitar as phallic symbol? Check!). Enjoy!
Steely Dan Do It Again/ Fire In The Hole (Probe, PROBE 51, 1972) Isn't that a great record label. I loved the Probe label with those arrows in the O and the beautiful pastel pinky purple. The small print under the Probe is spot on too: A great name from ABC/Dunhill records, USA. Cool! We're great - we've thought of a great name and we'll tell you it's great in case you missed it. So Steely Dan!! Do It Again was my introduction to the Dan. What a great loping beat and the enigmatic lyrics: In the mornin' you go gunnin' for the man who stole your water And you fire 'til he is done in but they catch you at the border And the mourners are all signin' as they drag you by your feet But the hangman isn't hangin' and they put you on the street. Whaaat? That leaves a lot to the imagination - exactly as I like it! Donald Fagen's laconic delivery also makes the song special. In 1972 no one was doing stuff like Steely Dan. An electric sitar solo? Only SD. Hidden gems: Is there actually a bad Steely Dan song out there? Anywhere? The B side, a track off Can't Buy A Thrill is as superb as the A side. Class, pure class!
Status Quo In My Chair/ Gerundula (Pye, 7N-17998, 1970) Status Quo Paper Plane/ Softer Ride (Vertigo, 6059 071, 1972) Early Status Quo is like early The Who - they did some amazing singles without setting the world on fire with their albums. In My Chair was only released as a single, Paper Plane was from the awesome Piledriver album. Both songs made excellent singles. In fact the Paper Plane single would be right up there in my top ten of non Beatle related singles. Back in the seventies I boogied around my bedroom playing air guitar to both it and the B side countless times. That the record still plays on my stereo is a testament to the strength of vinyl! The lyrics (as quoted in the post title) give you a clue as to the band's strength - the churning riffs from Rossi and Parfitt! Hidden gems: Softer Ride (not included on Piledriver) completes the awesomeness of that single - a masterclass in groove and riff. Gerundula is almost a prototype for the boogie explosion to come (they redid the song for the next album - Dog Of Two Head).
Ringo Starr Only You/ Call Me (Apple, NZP 3488, 1974) Ringo Starr No No Song/ Call Me (Apple, NZP 3510, 1974) And so we begin the long slow decline years until the All Starr Band relaunched Ringo as a nostalgia act (and yes, some would argue he started on that path with Sentimental Journey). The Goodnight Vienna album isn't that bad - it's just not Ringo. Doesn't help that the FABs curated material for Ringo is much reduced (limited to John Lennon's input only) and even that feels a little forced. BTW, I much prefer John's own party hearty version to Ringo's more laconic delivery, but that's just me. Anyway - back to these two A sides: Only You is a golden oldie and smacks a little of desperation - a failed attempt to recapture the magic of You're Sixteen. The No No Song is the kind of novelty number that Ringo can carry off without too many problems, but, being a novelty number, the appeal wears off pretty quickly. Hidden gems: Call Me is not a gem, hidden or otherwise. Why he uses it twice as B side is like a bad dream, dear.
