Just come back from the dentist an hour ago. One filling…but I feel woozy as anything.
The Wedding Present have a new single out. This is one of the mixes. Go and buy it (download only) and see if you can give them another Top 40 hit…
Wedding Present -‘The Thing I Like Most About Him Is His Girlfriend (Jet Age mix).’ mp3
Must go and sleep. Hadn’t forgotten about you all though…
A mixed bag of stuff today, from eMusic, the record collection AND wondeful readers.
This was from 1992, the year when the Weddoes made twelve chart appearances in the UK. (That’s the official Top 40, not just the Festive Fifty)
Wedding Present -‘Sticky.’ mp3 (1992 Festive Fifty no.41)
As I continue with my massive task of collecting all the Festive Fifty stuff, I inevitably come across those bands I’d heard of but not heard. Until now…
Transglobal Underground -‘Sirius B.’ mp3 (1993 Festive Fifty no.49)
Transglobal Underground -‘Taal Zaman.’ mp3 (1994 Festive Fifty no.50)
yesterday I asked if anyone had it…within a very short space of time two readers pointed me in the direction of this track. Thank you!
Pavement -‘Circa 1762 (Peel session).’ mp3 (1992 Festive Fifty no.42)
And from one of the debut LPs of the decade (Slanted and Enchanted), a band like many other people I first heard courtesy of John Peel:
Pavement -‘Here.’ mp3 (1992 Festive Fifty no.10)
There is more coming. Much more. Watch this space. Tell your friends etc..
…Just what it says on the tin. So as to keep up the covers posts but make sure I was posting stuff I hadn’t posted before, these are tracks I’ve ripped from the b-sides of 7″s in my collection.
First up, Eddy Grant was in the Equals in the late sixties, a mixed-race British reggae band when this was quite a radical concept. They reached no.1 with the song ‘Baby Come Back’ later taken back to no.1 in 1994 by Pato Banton and and the Campbell Brothers from those ‘Kings’ of the reggae cover version, UB40. One of the Equals’ other well-known songs ‘Police On My Back’ was covered by The Clash in the 1970s. Last year Grime or Grindie (Grime and Indie, DO keep up) Lethal Bizzle (above) covered the song, including a sample of the Clash’s version.
Lethal Bizzle -‘Police On My Back (Equals cover).’ mp3
‘What A Waster’ was the world’s introduction to the talents of Pete Doherty and the Libertines. Moldy peach Adam Green covered it on the b-sides of one of his solo singles ‘Emily.’ Pete Doherty returned the compliment by covering the Moldy Peaches‘ ‘Who’s Got The Crack?’
Adam Green -‘What a Waster (Libertines cover).’ mp3
This song was originally by X-Ray Spex, and Scottish indie-poppers Bis covered it on the b-side of their 1998 7″ ‘Action And Drama.’
Bis -‘Germ-Free Adolescents (X-Ray Spex cover).’ mp3
Atomic Kitten were or are a fairly irritating all-girl band in the early part of the decade, but the Sick Anchors saw the potential of this Andy McLusky (Orchestral Manoeuvres In the Dark) number and turned it into something quite heartbreaking.
The Sick Anchors were Aidan Moffat (of Arab Strap), Stuart Braithwaite of Mogwai and Colin ‘Sheepy’ McPherson. This EP also included their version of The Fall’s Bill Is Dead.’
Sick Anchors -‘Whole Again (Atomic Kitten cover).’ mp3
In my humble opinion, Placebo‘s finest moment to date in their decade-plus long career is the single ‘The Bitter End.’ This was the b-side to the 7″ single , a cover of Boney M’s ‘Daddy Cool.’ Whatever that might sound like down on paper, it works really well, IMHO:
Placebo -‘Daddy Cool.’ mp3
The Wedding Present famously released 12 7″ singles, one a month in 1992. The August single was Boing! They all featured a cover version on the b-side, and that month’s was Isaac Hayes‘ Theme from Shaft.
Wedding Present – Theme From Shaft (Isaac Hayes cover).’ mp3
Ash have done some fine covers over the years, including their version of Abba’s ‘Does Your Mother Know?’ This song, a cover of John Lennon‘s ‘Give Me Some Truth’ was the third track on the 1995 7″ ‘Angel Interceptor.’
Ash -‘Give Me Some Truth (John Lennon cover).’ mp3
BONUS: Finally not an mp3 of any of the 7″s in my collection, but an m4a (will play in iTunes) of the Jesus and Mary Chain covering Syd Barrett’s Vegetable Man (THANK YOU, BEN!):
In honour of JC and his mammouth Orange Juice post over at The Vinyl Villain I humbly urge you to check it out and offer the Wedding Present cover of Felicity, which first appeared in a Peel session in 1986, along with James Kirk’s re-recording of his own song, which appeared on his 2003 album You Can Make It If You Boogie.
The Wedding Present -Felicity (Orange Juice cover).’ mp3
James Kirk -‘Felicity.’ mp3
Edx
But I heard it was valentine’s day and even that couldn’t get you to comment on Cat Power or Aberfeldy!
Tut tut…
In an attempt to let people get their hands on it again, I have reposted the final two tracks off the C86 cassette here:
The Shrubs -‘Bullfighter’s Bones.’ mp3 THIS LINK NOW FIXED
Wedding Present -‘This Boy Can Wait (A Bit Longer!).’ mp3 THIS LINK NOW FIXED
and here’s a view tracks that really should be heard:
Only Ones -‘Another Girl, Another Planet.’ mp3
Richard Thompson -‘1952 Vincent Black Lightning.’ mp3
Darling Buds -‘Uptight.’ mp3
Wherever you may be, hope you’ve had a good day. I’m still enjoying my new job and will be even happier when spring comes…
John Peel and his wife Sheila, affectionately known as The Pig
I’m glad that quite a few people have been enjoying these Peel posts. I won’t be doing these forever, or I may take a different approach to these, but for the time being, I will do a few more Festive Fifty posts (the only annoying thing about them is just how long they take to do!)
First up, a band who have evolved constantly over the last thirty years, even if they only released five studio albums and one compilation in that time. It’s hard to imagine it not being worth the wait, though. Green Gartside and his merry men:
Scritti Politti -‘Faithless.’ mp3 (1982 Festive Fifty no.13)
One of the most heartbreaking bands ever, with surprisingly their only festive fifty entry:
Trembling Blue Stars -’Abba On the Jukebox.’ mp3 (1996 Festive Fifty no.19)
Morrissey had many entries in the Festive Fifty with the Smiths and for the first few years of his solo career, quite a few too. This was the last of his:
Morrissey -’November Spawned A Monster.’ mp3 (1990 festive Fifty no.16)
Underworld only ever had two entries in the Festive Fifty, no surprise that this epic track was one of them.
Underworld -‘Born Slippy (NUXX).’ mp3 (1996 Festive Fifty no.5)
Another band I remember hearing on Peel and scrawling on my school bag…
Huggy Bear -‘Herjazz.’ mp3 (1993 Festive Fifty no.3)
Over the place of a decade, John Peel gave a lot of coverage to Cornershop. This was their final entry.
Cornershop featuring Bubbley Kaur -‘Topknot.’ mp3 (2004 Festive Fifty no.40)
An aching anthem about being an outsider…and this time, Morrissey wasn’t the singer
Bronski Beat -’Smalltown Boy.’ mp3 (1984 Festive Fifty no.48) (N.B. This is from my vinyl copy of the Age Of Consent and is a bit crackly in places)
As mentioned previously, The Wedding Present were up there with The Smiths and The Fall in terms of entries. This is my favourite song of theirs to make the Festive Fifty
Wedding Present -’My Favourite Dress.’ mp3 (1987 Festive Fifty no.6)
Rather like Blur, Radiohead actually seemed to do better on the Festive fifty further into their career than earlier on:
Radiohead -‘There, There.’ mp3 (20003 Festive Fifty no.37)
And finally, mad, and wonderful -Spizzenergi:
Spizzenergi -’Where’s Captain Kirk?’ mp3 (1980 Festive Fifty no.40)
Have a good Friday!
Edx
Hope everyone had a good Christmas. Mrs. 17 Seconds and I did, and we received some great presents, as well as giving them, and they weren’t all music either!
However, did receive a new mp3 from the Futureheads on Christmas Day, called ‘Crash’, (no, not The Primitives song!) so thought I would share this with you all:
The Futureheads -‘Crash.’ mp3
I posted this a few months ago, this was the free mp3 they gave away a few months ago:
Futureheads -‘Broke Up The Time.’ mp3
Really looking forward to the new album when it comes out.
Also, although I have removed the links to the Christmas stuff I posted, I did receive one request to re-post the Wedding Present tracks, so here you go:
Wedding Present – ‘No Christmas.’ mp3
Wedding Present -‘Step Into Christmas.’ mp3
Hope you’re all well, wherever you may be…
(The Wedding Present’s David Gedge)
And here are today’s seasonal pickings, courtesy of the USB turntable, and many years spent hanging around record shops…
First up, the Wedding Present. As has been well documented over the years, back in 1992, the Wedding Present released one 7″ a month, in a limited edition of 10,000. They all made the UK Top 30, and the A-side was a weddoes composition, the b-side a cover. Amongst the songs that made the b-sides over the course of that year were the Go-Betweens’ ‘Cattle and Cane,’ Isaac Hayes’ ‘Theme From Shaft,’ and Bow Wow Wow’s ‘Go Wild In The Country.’ For their Christmas single, it was inevitable that there would be a Christmas cover, and so it was that The wedding Present ended up covering Elton John.
Wedding Present -‘No Christmas.’mp3
Wedding Present -‘Step Into Christmas (Elton John cover).’ mp3
A few days ago, one of my older students, who has long chatted with me about music revealed that he had bought a couple of White Stripes’ 7″ singles, at £30, including this one, billed as ‘Merry Christmas From The White Stripes.’ ‘Ah yes, I said, ‘ I bought that one when it first came out.’ ‘I bet it only cost you a pound!’ he said, slightly agonised. Well, no, £3, if memory serves. It’s not particularly Christmassy, but I guess it came out for Christmas. The b-side features Jack White reading from Luke’s Gospel about the coming of The Magi (The Three Wise Men) and then Meg attempting to sing Silent Night. It’s more of a curio than essential listening, so here is the a-side:
White Stripes -‘Candy Cane Girl.’ mp3
I first heard this track, ‘Christmas Wrapping’ at some point in the late 90s. It had been a no.45 hit in the UK in December 82, the only time the band ever charted in the UK. the drummer was Billy Ficca who had been in Television. I still think it sounds like Blondie -in a good way. It’s now been on several Christmas compilations over the years, and I eventually found a copy for myself in a charity shop in 2003, on 12″ (also found an LP version of Songs The Lord Taught Us by The Cramps there that very day, too(I’m easily pleased). This is the 12″ version, Enjoy!
Waitresses -‘Christmas Wrapping (Long Version).’ mp3
And there will be more tomorrow…
(it’s really not far off this in Scotland now)
OK, don’t know how much I’m going to be able to post over the next few days, so here are seven covers for today. No linking theme, but hope you like them:
Muse -‘House Of the Rising Sun (The Animals cover).’ mp3
Big Star -‘Femme Fetale (Velvet Underground cover).’ mp3
The Pretenders -‘I Go To Sleep (The Kinks cover).’ mp3
Madness -‘It Must be Love (Labi Siffre cover).’ mp3
The Wedding Present -‘Felicity (Orange Juice cover).’ mp3
Slowdive -‘Some Velvet Morning (Lee Hazlewood and Nancy Sinatra cover).’ mp3
Big Black -‘The Model (Kraftwerk cover).’ mp3
Gig review: Wedding Present/St. Jude’s Infirmary
Edinburgh Liquid Rooms, October 24, 2007
In 1986, NME released their now-legendary compilation cassette C86, which compiled twenty-two then up and coming bands on indie labels. Though there were some who did ‘cross-over’ and sign to major labels (Soup Dragons, Fuzzbox), this was symbolic for defining the ‘indie’ sound as well as attitude, and makes an interesting companion to their 1981 cassette c81 (which had featured the likes of Orange Juice, Scritti Politti, Aztec Camera and the Raincoats). In 2007, there are only four of those bands still around and I am kinda proud that, considering I was only nine when C86 was released, I have seen all four: Primal Scream, Half Man Half Biscuit, the Pastels…and The Wedding Present.
The following year, the Wedding Present, by now very much NME and Peel favourites (they are just behind The Smiths and The Fall in terms of most votes ever in the annual Festive Fifty) released their debut, George Best. Fourteen gorgeously spiky songs about love and frustration, it has become widely regarded as a classic. And it’s this we have come to celebrate.
If anyone had told me that Saint Jude’s Infirmary were supporting tonight, I would have tried to have got there earlier. When Mrs. 17 Seconds and I arrive the band are onstage, instantly recognisable, very bloody loud and playing to a room that isn’t terribly responsive. If they play ‘the Church Of John Coltrane’ or ‘Goodbye Jack Vetriano’ then they do so before I arrive. The band are currently recording their second album which is due out next year. It might seem an odd choice to be supporting The WEedding Present, but songs like ‘American Sonar’ actually have quite a weddoes influence. They finsih with ‘All My Rowdy Friends Have Gone Away’ by which time the venue has filled up nicely and the crowd are much more appreciative.
For the headliners, Mrs. 17 Seconds and I are joined by Mr. Toad, of Song, By Toad fame (if you haven’t read his blog, you really should). The Wedding Present have a hugs following out there still, and if it’s not the original Gedge-Solowka-Gregory-Charman lineup, it really doesn’t seem to matter. Mr. Gedge is adored by his public (providing they don’t call him Gedgie, it seems, quite understandably!) They don’t go straight into George Best era stuff, but treat us to half a dozen songs beforehand, including ‘Brassneck’ ”Convertible’ and ‘Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah Yeah’ and a new song called ‘Don’t Take Me Home Until I’m Very Drunk.’ Gedge winds the audience up by saying ‘Good Evening Glasgow’ (believe me, there’s a lot of rivalry between us and them). When the opening chords to ‘Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft’ start, the cheer joy of everyone around you rmeinds you just how important and great this band is. When they get to ‘My Favourite Dress’ I try hard not to dance like an idiot up there on the balcony, but I give up, or give in rather, and Mrs. 17 Seconds smiles indulgently. There is just so bounce and fun in these songs. Down there on the dancefloor the audience -many of whom may very well have seen them on tour twenty years ago, are showing that age need be no barrier to moshing (though your humble correspondant gave up seven years ago after a Cypress Hill set at a festival).
In true Wedding Present style, they don’t play any encores, but they do play ‘Kennedy’ which gets perhaps the best reception of the night, especially the ‘Too Much Apple Pie’ bit(which always sounded slightly friendlier than the You! Fat!Bastards! chant at Carter USM gigs).
They played for an hour and a half, but it passed in a pleasant blur of joy and friendly chanting. May they be with us for many years yet. And if they would like to tour Bizarro and Seamonsters to mark those anniversaries over the coming years, I’ll get my diary out now…
****
If you haven’t bought George Best, you really should. This should whet your appetite…
Wedding Present -‘Everyone Thinks He Looks Daft.’ mp3
Wedding Present -‘My Favourite Dress.’ mp3
Wedding Present -‘You Can’t Moan Can You?’ mp3
And two Saint Jude’s Infirmary tracks, (even if they didn’t play them last night):
Saint Jude’s Infirmary -‘Goodbye Jack Vetriano.’ mp3
Saint Jude’s Infirmary -‘The Church Of John Coltrane.’ mp3