Gary Glitter Fan Convention - The Bitter Springs (from ‘Everyones Cup Of Tea
I wrote briefly about The Bitter Springs back in 2010 as part of that year’s advent series and it’s tempting to simply point you there now because frankly what more is there to add? Simon Rivers is still a genius and if the ‘Everyone’s Cup Of Tea’/‘The Bitter Springs Destroyed My Life’ double CD collection that snuck out in February of this year found favour in the hearts of those already firmly cognisant of that fact rather than winning over an army of new devotees then hey, them’s the times we live in and all that. The sublime and surreal ‘My Life As A Dog In A Pigsty’ that cropped up in that 2010 advent was certainly one highlight of the ‘Everyone’s Cup Of Tea’ collection, but for me nothing quite matched this 2011 single's magnificent portrait of heartbreak and separation. Punctuated by Rivers’ typically marvellous metaphors (that line about baggage and carousels is just magic) and a surging sax solo, it manages that tricky feat of wrapping up sadness and defeat into something that sounds celebratory and victorious.
“That’s nice, innit” runs the sample at the song’s end (it sounds like Kenneth Connor to me). You’re not wrong Kenneth. You’re not wrong.
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