unpopular

Back When My Hair Was Short

As I’ve mentioned already, I love the Red Telephone 66 blog. A finer source of late ‘60s psych pop I have not yet found (mind you, that could be because I’ve not really looked). That said, I admit that I do normally ignore anything on there that was released later than 1969. Yes, I know there were some fine records released in the early 1970s, it’s just that I’ve yet to discover very many. I’m exaggerating of course, but still… it certainly seems to me to be a period of diminishing returns. For me, at least. I’m sure if I adored prog rock I’d feel differently, but whatever. You just don’t find many soft pop or bubblegum classics from 1973.

Having said that, I did take a stab at the eponymous Gunhill Road set from 1973 and discovered a real gem. The record was most famous for the inclusion of the re-recorded ‘Back When My Hair Was Short’; a kind of comedy number about growing up. I reckon it would have been kinda cool in an episode of Freaks & Geeks. The first, 1972, recording has edgier lyrics with drug references, and is also well worth hearing. That number really does stick out on the album as an oddity. A cute oddity, sure, but an oddity nonetheless. When I heard it I immediately thought of They Might Be Giants, which I should point out is no bad thing. Made me want to go and dig out those first couple of albums, and of course the big hit ‘Birdhouse In Your Soul’. I hadn’t played that song for so long. It does still sound wonderful.

But Gunhill Road. Yes. What a lovely record. There are some exquisite moments on there.  Gorgeous harmonies and some sweet guitars. Some tunes on there really took my breath away: the glistening sunrise on Malibu beach softness of ‘Sag Harbor’; the five and a half minute lush meander of ‘Callin’ Atlanta’; the enchanting  ‘My Antoinette’. And all produced by Kenny Rogers! Yes! That Kenny Rogers. I’ll never think of 1973 the same way again.

Gunhill Road – My Antoinette
Gunhill Road – Back When My Hair Was Short (single mono version)
Gunhill Road – Back When My Hair Was Short
They Might Be Giants – Birdhouse In Your Soul

Sparkle That Shines

I meant to post this mix a couple of weeks back. A corny mélange of things with, I hope you will agree, a smattering of quite delicious gems both comfortingly familiar and sparklingly new. That Jan & Lorraine cut in particular thrills me.  And good to hear Straitjacket Fits again, huh? Obligatory track listing below:

Midnight In a Perfect World - DJ Shadow
Why Don't You Take Me - One Dove
You And The Wine - Russian Futurists
How We Met - The Lucksmiths
Anyway That You Want Me - Spiritualized
Polar Bear - Ride
Slow - My Bloody Valentine
Sparkle That Shines - Straitjacket Fits
You're Just What I Was Looking For Today - The Everly Brothers
Music And Memories - Jackie DeShannon
In My Time Of Sorrow - Gay Shingleton
Why You Smile - The Answer
Daydreamin' Of You - The Fashionettes
Break Out The Wine - Jan & Lorraine
The Burning Of The Midnight Lamp - Rotary Connection

Anyway Again

Okay, so I mentioned that Spiritualized take on ‘Anyway That You Want Me’ a little while back. Izzy says she has been dropping it into every DY set she’s played the last four years and I can see why. What I didn’t realize is that Spacemen 3 also did it. As I’ve said, I pretty much studiously avoided Spacemen 3 at the time, so there’s no reason why I would have known. It’s nice discovering it now though. It sounds rather lovely.

Not nearly as lovely, however, as the version of the song I just stumbled upon last night by The American Breed. It’s on the Pumpkin, Powder, Scarlet & Green set from 1968. Here’s what Kupa99 at Rate Your Music says:

The words "psychedelic opus" come to mind for this one! Long deemed "bubblegum" and/or "blue-eyed soul", the American Breed pulled out all the stops on this prolific beast.

Step 1. Find the most colorful dayglo suits you can find complete with ascots and love beads.

Step 2. Create four songs dealing with the seasons and assign each member one psudeonym.

Step 3. Buy a Coral Electric Guitar and use it on the most blistering song of your career ("Master of My Fate").

Step 4. Redo the Troggs' classic "Anyway That You Want Me", turning it into a totally different sound arrangement.

Step 5. Release the most misunderstood/unknown lp in Chicago's history.

Fabulous stuff. So to celebrate, here’s that Troggs cover for your delectation. And here’s ‘Master Of My Fate’ as a bonus. You can snag the whole album from the intoxicatingly ace Red Telephone 66 blog. Far out.

Oops

The download link for the 'Don't Forget To Dance' files mentioned at the weekend should actually now work... Or just go here.

Mags brought this to my attention. I'm just gutted that neither Freaks & Geeks nor Undeclared made it to the list. In protest we started watching the Freaks & Geeks DVDs again last night. Yes, we know each episode almost by heart. And yes, they are as terrific every time we watch them.

--

Empire Magazine has revealed its list of the 50 Greatest TV Shows EVAH.

1. Bold the shows you watch/used to watch.
2. Italicize the shows you’ve seen at least one episode of.
3. Underline the shows you own on DVD (or VCR tape).
4. Post your answers.

50. Quantum Leap
49. Prison Break
48. Veronica Mars
47. Star Trek: Deep Space Nine
46. Sex & The City
45. Farscape
44. Cracker
43. Star Trek
42. Only Fools and Horses
41. Band of Brothers
40. Life on Mars
39. Monty Python
38. Curb Your Enthusiasm
37. Star Trek: The Next Generation
36. Father Ted
35. Alias
34. Frasier
33. CSI Las Vegas
32. Babylon 5
31. Deadwood
30. Dexter
29. ER
28. Fawlty Towers
27. Six Feet Under
26. Red Dwarf
25. Futurama
24. Twin Peaks
23. The Office (for me, that's the USA version...)
22. The Shield
21. Angel
20. Blackadder
19. Scrubs
18. Arrested Development
17. South Park
16. Doctor Who
15. Heroes
14. Firefly
13. Battlestar Galactica
12. Family Guy
11. Seinfeld
10. Spaced
09. The X-Files
08. The Wire
07. Friends
06. 24
05. Lost
04. The West Wing
03. The Sopranos
02. Buffy the Vampire Slayer
01. The Simpsons

three years later...

I was always wary of The Research. I don’t know why. Probably something to do with my natural mistrust of anything that becomes suddenly beloved of the hipsters (and that comes under the veil of a ‘major’ sponsored ‘indie’ label). I know lots of people loved them. I know they were on the cover of Plan B.

But there was talk of the dreaded ‘twee’ word. There was something about that whole DIY schtick. I read the interview. It annoyed me. Put me off listening to them. Trying too hard, I thought. And pretending not to. Which is the worst.

But now I have finally heard them and you know what? They sound pretty neat. I’m still glad I didn’t listen to them in 2006, but you know, three years later it’s all okay. I don’t care so much about any of that other stuff now. Maybe it’s my age.  Can three years make that much difference? God knows. But what strikes me most is that, erm, The Research are kinda like Esiotrot but with more tinkly toy keyboards and less ramshackle charm. Or like Matthew Sawyer and The Ghosts only without the raw chasms of spooky darkness. Do you think that’s why they’ve sold more records?

Three choices?

A very good friend of mine sent me an email forward this morning. You may have seen it too. A story about a boy with disabilities and a baseball game. The whole point of the email is about how we so often “send thousands of jokes through the e-mail without a second thought, but when it comes to sending messages about life choices,  [we] hesitate.” Now personally I don’t do that. Send jokes, I mean. And as most people I know will tell you, I’m constantly saying how annoying it is that the media impression of, say, ‘young people’ is so negative and how that’s not my experience of the vast majority. Most young people are great. Many are remarkable and wonderful. That’s from my day-to-day experience of working with them. I know I’ve never naturally been a glass half full kind of person, but still… I try really hard to stay positive.

Anyway, the email is titled ‘Two Choices’ and the two choices are supposedly to ‘delete’ or ‘forward’. I don’t think it’s that simple. In fact I think the very act of sending a supposedly positive story via email forwarding dilutes the message massively. Especially when the text is in 48pt red Comic Sans…

I also think there is a third choice. It’s this: make your own positive contribution. Make your own story positive. Much harder than pressing a button on your email software, but so much more powerful.

sheltering

sheltering, originally uploaded by unpop.

The heavens opened on my bike ride today, just as I was passing through Copplestone. Fortunately there was a little bus shelter I could hide in until the worst passed over.

I Can't Help Thinking Of You

It’s been a while since I posted a mix, so I thought I would rectify that with a little collection I strung together last night whilst supping some fine wine. A fine confection, I’m sure you will agree. Download it from here. 

Tracklisting ahoy:

Up Down Turn Around World - Neighb'rhood Childr'n
Midnight to Six Man - The Pretty Things
Declaration Of Independence - Count Five
I Can't Help Thinking Of You - The Bucket
Think About Now - Country Coalition
When Everybody's Here - Bill Cowsill
The Time Of The Year Is Sunset - The New Colony Six
What Does It Feel Like - The End
Got To Be On My Way - The Moon
Mindless Child Of Motherhood - Turquoise
The Nightmare Of J.B. Stanislas - Nick Garrie
Just Beyond Your Smile - Roger Nichols Trio
Smile - The Choir
Wave The Flag And Stop The Train - The Move
Come With Me - The Idle Race
Captain Sad And His Ship Of Fools - The Cowsills

Not forgetting to dance...

Speaking of PDF’s and fanzines, the first two issues of my own ‘Don’t Forget To Dance’ are available here. Minus the funky tracing paper inserts and covers, of course. I keep thinking I should do a new issue, but never seem to have the time. Maybe in February half term, which is a tantalising three weeks away…

Meanwhile, the second issue of the fanzine might be featured in the UK DIY exhibition at the Turnpike Gallery in Greater Manchester. The exhibition runs from February 14th to April 25th, so if you find yourself up North you might want to check it out. Sounds like a good exhibition.