Category Archives: Young Marble Giants

17 Seconds is 7!

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Ed 2011

Yours truly in 2011

Well, who would have thought it?

17 Seconds is seven years old. And whilst I’m not always able to write every day, it’s a pleasure to do it as it still gives me the chance to do two things I still really enjoy: going on about music and writing.

And that’s lead to me writing for several online publications, being able to interview bands, get sent a ridiculous amount of music, be a judge for the Glastonbury unsigned competition, present a show on the local student radio, put on shows…if someone had told me when I was twenty I’d get to do this, I would have been thrilled. But I still am.

I still struggle with technology, and wish I was more savvy with stuff. But thanks to those of you who read, link, comment or whatever. Particularly my wife, and my Parents, but many more of you.

So for today, here’s seven tracks I love. Enjoy…

The Fat Lady Sings -‘Drunkard Logic.’ mp3 LINK REMOVED

Captain Beefheart -‘Ice Cream For Crow.’ mp3 LINK REMOVED

Emmylou Harris -‘Cattle Call.’ mp3 LINK REMOVED

Arctic Monkeys -‘Leave Before The Lights Come On.’ mp3 LINK REMOVED

Gil Scott-Heron ‘The Revolution Will Not Be Televised.’ mp3 LINK REMOVED

Junior Murvin -‘Police & Thieves.’ mp3 LINK REMOVED

Young Marble Giants -‘Final Day.’ mp3 LINK REMOVED

We will all die poor having had our say?

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threads_lead

Ever see Threads?

It was a film scripted by Barry Hines (of A Kestrel For A Knave/Kes) fame, about a nuclear bomb being dropped on Sheffield.

It was very good, seriously bloody scary and hugely influential on me. I saw it at school -and when I was teaching and used it I found it had lost none of its’ power on me, or those I was teaching. ‘How could anyone think nuclear weapons were a good idea?’ said the stunned students. I was actually asked not to use the film after a while, my head of department was getting nervous…

This song ‘Final Day’ is only ninety seconds long, even shorter than ‘Velocity Girl,’ but if you got any of the fear of living through the cold war, I guess you realsied you were not going to have long to reflect on nuclear annihilation:

“When the rich die last
Like the rabbits
Running from a lucky past
Full of shadow cunning
And the world lights up
For the final day
We will all be poor
Having had our say

Put a blanket up on the window pane
When the baby cries lullaby again
As the light goes out on the final day
For the people who never had a say

There is so much noise
There is too much heat
And the living floor
throws you off your feet
As the final day falls into the night
There is peace outside
in the narrow light”

Welsh band Young Marble Giants were a short-lived but awesome band and this song was covered a few years back by belle & Sebastian:

Young Marble Giants -‘Final Day.’ mp3

Belle and sebastian -‘Final Day.’ mp3

Update: Just reminded by the editor of Is This Music? of this classic:

See here for Peter Porter’s original poem