April 2008 Archives

Driving home with the Stone Roses' classic, funky, epic, dancey, (insert other superlatives here) tune I Am The Resurrection blasting out the stereo got me thinking.

That timeless, eight minutes of sonic heaven, closes the Roses' wonderful self-titled debut album(which, incredibly, will be 20 years old next year! Doesn't time fly...). And I would offer the opinion that it is probably the best debut album of all time.

I started trying to think of better ones and I admit there are some serious contenders in my collection. I mean when you consider the first albums of The Specials, Chemical Brothers, The Las, Kate Bush, Massive Attack, Guns N Roses, The Velvet Underground, Ramones, Sex Pistols, The Strokes, Beastie Boys and Led Zeppelin to name a tiny few of so many, picking one out as the best seems impossible.

But, after giving it considerable thought, I still come back to the awesome, genre-crossing opening statement that brought four cocky Manchester boys to the music world's attention.

So, come on then. Let's hear it...what do you think is the best debut album of all time?

Here is my review of some of the singles released this week. And this week they will be given a rating using the following guide:

***** Billie Piper
**** Sport Billy
*** The Beverley Hillbillies
** Billy from EastEnders
* Billy Ray Cyrus

"Our Time Now" - Plain White T's
Yeah, ok it's upbeat and seems to be wanting to welcome the summer in but it's just, well, bland and a few minutes of nothing in particular.
And if this is considered single material then I think I'll give the album a miss.
**

"Courtship Dating" - Crystal Castles
At times, the sounds on this are reminiscent of a game loading up on the ZX Spectrum or an Atari. Which is great!
Unfortunately not as mental or noisy as "Alice Practice" but don't let that put you off as this is more melodic and another winner.
****

"Your Love Is A Lie" - Simple Plan
A mid-tempo rocker which will no doubt be lapped up by crowds at festivals and stuff. A bit like Green Day's "Boulevard of Broken Dreams", only not as good.
It's one of those songs which will be played on the radio a lot and people will recognise it but you won't find anyone admitting to actually buying it.
**

"Cold Shoulder" - Adele
A cracking tune, a cracking voice making an all round cracking song that deserves to be as successful as Chasing Pavements.
Blue-eyed soul in the noughties exactly how it should be.
****

"Maps" - Phil Campbell
Blimey! I saw his name and immediately thought of the lead guitarist of Motorhead.
So imagine my shock when, rather than being a solo single from the thrash metal axeman, it turned out to be a country-tinged rock effort sung with a polished radio-friendly voice.
***

"This Gift" - Sons and Daughters
Remember the early 80s Aussie soap Sons and Daughters? Nothing to do with this single, I was just asking.
Produced by ex-Suede guitarist Bernard Butler, this has a more power pop feel to it than their previous efforts. Very catchy indeed.
***

"She Doesn't Belong To Me" - Pete and the Pirates
Not as immediate or memorable as "Mr Understanding" but quirky enough to warrant your attention.
Plus their name is pretty cool and that matters a lot!
***

"The Girl You Lost" - Sia
Buy, beg, steal or borrow a copy of this song because it's just utterly fantastic and unquestionably my single of the week.
She has always had a voice to fall in love with with songs to match and this is no different. Absolutely wonderful.
*****

"Paris, Tokyo" - Lupe Fiasco
Following "Superstar" was always going to be a difficult task but credit to Mr Fiasco as I think he has made quite a smart move with this one.
Sort of laid back and cool in a Fun Lovin' Criminals kind of way.
***

"Backfire At The Disco" - The Wombats
Arctic Monkeys-style "young working class bloke" lyrics? Check. Inexplicable hype surrounding the band? Check. No different to gazillions of bands out there? Check.
But hang on. Hasn't this been released before? Or is that familiarity just a sign of its unoriginality? Whatever, no doubt it'll be played to death on raido, used on adverts before it crowbars itself into your head.
**

Don't worry, I'm not going to talk about the trendiest and most popular rehab camp for celebrities. No The Priory I want to draw your attention to is far healthier and contains more talent within.

For those of you not in the loop, they are one of the best unsigned bands around. Annoyingly, it's hard to pin the Wolverhampton four piece down to any genre when trying to describe them but that's minor complaint when you are presented with the thrilling music.

Of course, they have been featured in the Mail a couple of times in the past and news of them is spreading further afield. They supported The Twang just before they broke through (and respect to the Brummies who have since plugged their pals in the national music press) and earned their way on Radio Two DJ Janice Long's playlists.

They are currently working on an album, although they are an even better proposition live! Luckily, they have a show lined up at the Kamikaze! 444Club at The Rainbow in Birmingham on July 4.

You can get their Human Make-up EP on iTunes (featuring my personal favourite Ask Yourself) and you can find out so much more about them at http://www.myspace.com/thepriory

Do yourself a favour and check them out...

Last weekend saw the return of Britain's Got Talent. I have to admit, these TV talent shows are not my cup of tea. But I do respect Simon Cowell. Anyone who can turn the likes of Steve Brookenstein and Michelle McManus into pop stars, albeit briefly, and become stinking rich on the back of them must have something about them.

I'm not intending on watching it but I'm willing to bet the following incidents will take place over the coming weeks:

*Simon will insult someone and is then confronted by them/their family in a "dramatic" showdown
*Amanda Holden will burst into tears during an "emotional" performance
*A 16-year-old will tell Ant and Dec that they have waited "all their life" for the opportunity to show off their talents to the public
*Simon will tell one wannabe that they could be the next Leona Lewis
*Piers Morgan will try to out-do Simon in the bad judge stakes
*We will have the obligatory "against all odds" contestant who is suffering from some sort of illness or affliction
*Having seen the success of Sutton six-year-old Connie Talbot last year, pushy young parents will offer up their newborn babies in a desperate attempt to make their child the youngest ever entrant
*A countless number of "new" Paul Potts (he was last year's winner, remember?!) will audition under the misguided belief that an opera singer will win for the second year in a row
*The most entertaining acts will not be music-based so, naturally, they won't win
*A youngster who fails to make it through will cry his or her eyes out moaning how their life is over...at the age of 12.
*A brilliant entrant will be touted as one of the favourites, only for some controversy to emerge that means they have to be kicked out
*The winner will not be the bookies' favourite

Not that I think the show is predictable and formulaic...

A review of some of the many singles out this week. And they will be judged by the following ratings:

***** Sean Connery
**** Pierce Brosnan
*** Roger Moore
** Timothy Dalton
* George Lazenby

"I Can't Wait" - Akon
After the first listen, this just sounded like a bland, R&B by numbers song. I couldn't bear to listen to it again, so if it's a grower I'll probably never know. To be honest, it sounded so bad I'd rather listen to a Britney Spears song...
*

"Break The Ice" - Britney Spears
Ok, I asked for that. But, actually, this isn't as bad as I feared, considering the car crash that has been her recent life. In fact, considering her troubles, I'll give her extra credit as this is a solid, pop song. Dare I say it, even one of her best. Although, let's be honest, that's hardly high praise, is it?
***

"Machine Gun" - Portishead
Stop what you're doing, gather everyone around the record player (or computer if you shop at iTunes) and listen to this slice of brilliance. They are back, with Beth Gibbons singing like an angel over dark, industrial beats. Oh, just go ahead and buy it...NOW!
*****

"I Should've Been After You" - Rooney
Nope, Man U's Wayne hasn't decided to follow in the footsteps of singing football legends Hoddle & Waddle to try to match their 80s masterpiece "Diamond Lights". Instead, this toe-tapping, quite charming little effort with clever(ish) lyrics will delight fans and...well, just fans really.
***

"Corners (EP)" - The Rushes
Oh terrific, a guitar band called 'The' something - exactly what we need and have lacked...Mildly catchy, nothing ground-breaking but if you are a fan of Snow Patrol and The Killers and wondered what a mash up of those two would sound like...then you probably need help.
**

"Cry For You (You'll Never See Me Again)" - September
(Good)
*

"Happiness" - Goldfrapp
A gorgeous song with Alison Goldfrapp's breathy, lush vocals sounding perfect over a lovely tune. "How do you find happiness?" she asks on this. Well, listening to this certainly helps with the search.
****

"Belief In God Is So Adorable" - Gay For Johnny Depp
This song comes across a little like a heavy metal Muse...well, to these big ears it does anyway. And at just under two minutes, the song is unlikely to ever outstay it's welcome. Plus their name makes me giggle so they deserve a mention!
***

"Let It Go" - Keyshia Cole feat Missy Elliot and Lil Kim
Blimey! How much help do you need on one song? While all three have put their names to better stuff than this, it steers well clear of the mess it could have been.
***

"Wanderlust" - Bjork
Now I'm a big fan of Bjork so you could accuse me of being biased. But then I wouldn't be a big fan if it wasn't for her wonderfully unique, unpredictable, music, like this gem. So there!
****

...who decides what goes into these themed compilations anyway? On what basis do they decide the songs which go in, say a Mother or Father's Day collection?

According to these people, my dad loves stuff like Mott the Hoople's All The Young Dudes and Steppenwolf's Born To Be Wild. They really haven't met my dad...

And why do they think all mothers love Il Divo and Westlife? My mum can't stand most, if not all, music made after 1990. She really prefers stuff like The Police or Blondie over Boyzone or the Spice Girls. But when was the last time a record company opted for Roxanne or Rip Her To Shreds over You Raise Me Up or some other sugar-coated, sickly excuse of a song, eh?

Cracking story in the Mail on Wednesday about Redditch Crematorium offering people the chance to have funerals broadcast on a pay-per-view internet site. But what got me thinking was the factbox listing 20 typical and unusual funeral songs.

Why don't record companies produce CD collections giving people a selection of funeral songs? We get compilations focusing on dance music, indie music, rock music, morris dancing music (probably) and jazz music. You can also find songs suitable for Mother's Day, Christmas, St Patrick's Day etc etc. So why no death compilations? What happens if someone doesn't want "Wind Beneath My Wings", "All By Myself" or "Without You" to be blasting out as the coffin is lowered or sent into the flames?

So with that in mind, here is a comprehensive list of songs I think would fill a double CD "Greatest Funeral Songs Album In The World...Ever!" collection:

1. One Step Beyond - Madness
2. Going Underground - The Jam
3. Death Disco - Public Image Ltd
4. That's The Way Life Goes - Jimmy Cliff
5. Long Shot Kick De Bucket - The Pioneers
6. Hell is Round The Corner - Tricky
7. Don't Fear The Reaper - Blue Oyster Cult
8. It's All Over Now - The Rolling Stones
9. Way Out - The Las
10. Fade Away - Blondie
11. Death Trip - Iggy And The Stooges
12. Sound Of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
13. Go Now - The Moody Blues
14. That's No Way To Say Goodbye - Leonard Cohen
15. Heaven Knows I'm Miserable Now - The Smiths
16. Highway to Hell - AC/DC
17. Great Gig In The Sky - Pink Floyd
18. Who Wants to Live Forever - Queen
19. The End - The Doors
20. The Next Life - Suede

There, think I've covered all the bases with that one...

I read one of the most heartwarming music-related stories the other day. No, it had nothing to do with Leona Lewis getting to Number One in the States (who, incidentally, is looking remarkably healthy considering she has been constantly whining about how she "keeps bleeding" for the last four bleeding months).

No, the punch-the-air-in-delight tale I refer to is the reopening of The Polar Bear record shop in York Road, Kings Heath. Now, I've got to admit I've never even set foot inside the place or have any connections with it.

But, while this may read suspiciously like a free plug, my point is it's great to read about an independent record shop still fighting the good fight and trying to compete with the big chain stores and supermarkets.

In my hometown of Walsall, we lost both Sundown and Bridge Records within months of each other in 2005. Sundown's closure in particular was a sad moment as I'd spent hundreds in there and had been going regularly since my early teens. Then a year later, Reddington's Rare Records shut up shop in Birmingham. Thing is none of these could compete with the bigger chain or supermarkets who could buy in bulk and sell CDs cheaer. Add the growing internet market and it meant bye bye independents, while the soulless big boys carried on.

Now, I was always prepared to pay a little extra at Sundown. They were flexible enough to offer good deals off the cuff, they'd order stuff in for you without tutting and sometimes throw in some free goodies to us regulars. Plus, as a music geek, I felt more comfortable dealing with fellow enthusiasts rather than say, a chain store employee. I once went into a Virgin store and asked exactly when an imminent Nirvana singles boxset was being released and I was told they weren't aware one was being released!

We hear about campaigns to support corner shops or local greengrocers, but no one seems to care that independent record shops are becoming so extinct that David Attenborough will be making a documentary lamenting their demise.

So I wish Polar Bear owner Steve Bull the very best of luck following the reopening of his newly refurbished shop and this will be one independent store that doesn't bite the dust.

*Recommended listening: what else but "Declare Independence" by Bjork, off her superb latest album Volta. And the Icelandic pop pixie will be at Wolverhampton Civic Hall on April 25 - result! Check out the track and several others on her MySpace site: http://www.myspace.com/bjork