Glen Matlock in Iceland.

 

,,Sid [Vicious] was a good singer, he was a great front man", pre-show Glen Matlock matter-of-factly informs a somewhat sceptical and puzzled yours truly about his clearly musically-challenged, albeit more (in)famous successor, in, arguably, the greatest Punk band of them all, the Sex Pistols.  Understandably though, he isn't quite so kind when it comes to discussing Sid's bass-playing abilities, or lack thereof; Matlock, in spite of having left the Pistols, played bass on their seminal, sole masterpiece, "Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols" - without receiving the credit for doing so at the time.  All the while - briefly - Vicious took the glory and the fame and became the face of Punk before succumbing to the life and, ultimately, death of a sad and pathetic heroin addict-cum-(most likely)murderer.
But that's an entirely different story altogether.

Meanwhile...

Spot, Kópavogur, Iceland, Thursday May 8th, 2014.

In between typically zealous sets from two locally-legendary Icelandic Punk acts Q4U and Fræbbblarnir, Glen Matlock, formerly of the Sex Pistols, and the Rich Kids, takes the stage delivering an impassioned acoustic gig to an overall indifferent and under appreciative audience, most of which clearly doesn't realize it is being treated to a performance by a living bloody legend.  IMHO.
Taking in all the major signposts of his career, from the Pistols to some of his latter-day solo stuff, Matlock's repertoire is a diverse beast, to say the least.
From the underrated Rich Kids, the massively misunderstood Power Pop band he formed after he left the Pistols - featuring, amongst others, former Slik and future Ultravox singer Midge Ure - both "Burning Sounds" and the powerful title track of their only LP "The Ghosts of Princess in Towers" (Quite possibly the coolest album title of all time!) get an airing.   And so does "Ambition", a song that was demoed by Rich Kids, but eventually recorded by Iggy Pop for his "Soldier" album in 1980, which featured Matlock as well.

 

A section of old faves and influences, including the Small Faces' "All or Nothing", The Kinks' "Dead End Street", and the Monkees'/Paul Revere & the Raiders' "(I'm Not Your) Stepping Stone" (The latter was covered by the Sex Pistols) follow suit.
The audience momentarily shows life signs during solo song "Yeah, Right".  Matlock's 1996 Creation Records solo set "Who's He Think He is When He's at Home?" (Quite possibly not the coolest album title of all time!), all simultaneously wall of noise, melody and guitars, is a lost treasure indeed.
A couple of the biggest canons from the Pistols arsenal - "God Save the Queen" and "Pretty Vacant" - get the crowd kinda going as well.

 

As someone who was famously kicked out of the Pistols because he liked The Beatles (or so John Lydon maintains although Matlock himself insists he left the band), Glen Matlock is nonetheless a vital part of the Pistols' history and, therefore, legacy.  Obviously, he had a hand in writing all of their key tracks.  And let's just face it, after he left/was kicked out, they were pretty much over and done with...Never mind Malcolm McLaren.  Plus the fact that Glen Matlock has been asked to join in all subsequent Sex Pistols reunions should lay the leather jacket wearing ghost of Sid Vicious to rest once and for all. 

 

Glen Matlock recommended listening:

 

Sex Pistols/"Never Mind the Bollocks, Here's the Sex Pistols" (LP, Virgin Records, 1977)

Rich Kids/"Ghosts of Princes in Towers" (LP, EMI, 1978)

Glen Matlock/"Who's He Think He is When He's at Home?" (CD, Creation, 1996)

 

Recommended reading:

 

Glen Matlock with Peter Silverton/"I Was a Teenage Sex Pistol" (Rocket 88, 2012)

 

 

See also: The Greatest Rock & Roll Band of All Time...

 

Darlene Love



After appearing as one of the subjects in the Oscar-winning documentary "Twenty Feet from Stardom", the name Darlene Love isn't likely to be forgotten any time soon.  Again, that is.  After having spent five decades in someone else's shadow, Ms. Love's time, seemingly, has finally come.  And although said shadows belonged to some fairly famous folks such as Elvis Presley, Cher, Aretha Franklin, Tom Jones, and Dionne Warwick, Ms. Love was just always somehow destined to become a star in her own right.

 

Once a member of the girl group The Blossoms, preacher's daughter Darlene Wright was spotted and singled-out by the incomparable Phil Spector in the early '60s.  He renamed her Darlene Love.  Soon thereafter she scored big hits with early Wall of Sound classics like "He's a Rebel", "He's Sure the Boy I Love" and "Zip-a-Dee-Doo-Dah".  Except they weren't issued under her own new-found name.  Instead Spector, apparently already the insufferable megalomaniac whom we've love to loathe, put them out under the names of already established girl group The Crystals, who were reportedly touring at the time, and Bob B. Soxx & the Blue Jeans, the latter of which comprised of Darlene along with fellow Blossom Fanita James and singer Bobby James (No relation).



After a couple of more mostly artistically unsatisfactory and frustrating years working for Spector, The Blossoms struck out on their own and quickly became known as the backing singers for hire on the U.S. West Coast, appearing regularly on T.V. shows such as Shindig as well.  From Doris Day to Marvin Gaye; if a trio of superb backing singers was needed The Blossoms were more than likely contenders.  Along the way, though, were the occasional one-off single releases under their own moniker, such as Laura Nyro's "Stoney End", which was issued on Lou Adler's Ode Records in 1967.  Arguably, it's their crowning achivement but it was sabotaged by both poor distribution and no promotion - not to mention Barbra Streisand's abominable cover hit version a couple of years later.



Spells working for the kings of Las Vegas, Elvis Presley, and Tom Jones, yet financially lucrative - momentarily at least - did little to further The Blossoms' career outside the back-up singing circuit.  Volatile relations within the group didn't help matters much and they had broken up by the early '70s, by which time Darlene had begun dating Righteous Brother Bill Medley, although that match made in music heaven didn't last.
The '70s Darlene spent mostly in the employment of diva Dionne Warwick, but an unexpected and needless to add, unwanted reunion with Phil Spector was imminent once he bought out her solo deal with Philly soul impresarios Kenny Gamble and Leon Huff in the mid '70s.  Back to square one, then.
By the early '80s Darlene Love had, perhaps understandably, all but given up on the music business and was making an honest living cleaning houses in Hollywood.  However, following steady gigs appearing on cruise ships, a mid-'80s Girl Group revival was ignited once the musical "Leader of the Pack - The Ellie Greenwich Story", in which Darlene Love had a starring role, briefly ran on Broadway and in return helped to properly re-launch her career.



Darlene's old pal from the '60s Cher quickly came calling for her expertise services, and all of a sudden things were looking up once more.  Further steady work came in the guise of Aretha Franklin, Luther Vandross, and others.  Also, annual appearances on the David Letterman Show performing what has become her signature song, the Wall of Sound chestnut "Christmas (Baby Please Come Home)" - one of the greatest Christmas songs of all time, have helped to keep her name afloat for a couple of decades now.  And let us not forget her acting role as Danny Glover's wife in the "Lethal Weapon" franchise!
So it really didn't come as a big surprise when somebody got the bright idea to make a documentary focusing on those unsung - excuse the poor pun! - heroes of the music business; backing singers.  And of course it didn't take a nuclear scientist to see that Darlene Love fitted the job description to a T...

Recommended listening:

"So Much Love - A Darlene Love Anthology 1958 - 1998" (Ace Records, U.K.  2008)
"Back to Mono, 1958 - 1969"/Various Artists (Phil Spector-produced) (ABKCO, 1991)

Recommended reading:

"My Name is Love".  Darlene Love with Rob Hoerburger (1998/2013)

Recommended viewing:

"Twenty Feet from Stardom".  Written & directed by Morgan Neville (2013)
"Girl Groups - The Story of a Sound".  A 1983 documentary based on the Alan Betrock book.



Harry Nilsson - in memoriam.

Last month it was twenty years since the passing of one Harry Edward Nilsson - often referred to as simply Nilsson, a singer-songwriter extraordinaire.
Over the past couple of years a renewed interest in the man and his music has resulted in a feature length documentary, a book, as well as a boxed CD set containing his complete RCA catalogue.
Although most fondly remembered as an excellent songwriter, it is all the more ironic that Nilsson's greatest successes as a performer came with songs written by other people, namely Fred Neil's "Everybody's Talkin'" and Badfinger's "Without You".  A number of artists also covered Nilsson's songs and it is my intention with this little tribute to highlight the best of those...in no particular order.

One of Nilsson's earliest admirers in the mid '60s was producer Phil Spector, who placed at least three of Nilsson's songs with artists he produced - although said songs were to remain unissued for 25 years.  Here are a couple of those:



Brian Wilson also loved this song and recorded his own version for a Harry Nilsson tribute album issued shortly after Harry's death in the mid '90s.

 

The Monkees were also early Nilsson fans via their then-producer Chip Douglas who had been a member of the Modern Folk Quartet before joining the Turtles for a short stint.  These couple of songs also appeared on Nilsson's first two solo albums for RCA:

 

British girl singers Lulu and Sandie Shaw also seem to have been listening to the first two proper Nilsson albums since each of them covered songs from those albums.  Unfortunately Lulu's excellent cover of "Without Her" (Renamed "Without Him" for the obvious reasons) is not available on YouTube. 

 

 



And Three Dog Night had a monster hit with Nilsson's "One" in 1969.  Undervalued Motown chanteuse Chris Clark covered it later that same year.  Aimee Mann also did a passable cover in the '90s.

 





Originally written for Welsh songstress Mary Hopkin in 1968, '70s teen idol David Cassidy took "The Puppy Song" all the way to number one in the U.K. in 1973, as a double A-sided single coupled with "Daydreamer".  Cassidy, clearly a massive Nilsson fan, also covered "This Could Be the Night" a couple of years later, and "The Story of Rock & Roll" a year or two after that.

 

Even Sinéad O'Connor has tackled Nilsson.  Her fine cover of "The Lord Must Be in New York City" popped up on the "You've Got Mail" soundtrack, which was a lot better than the movie itself.

 



 

"The Story of Rock & Roll" was, apparently, first offered to The Monkees although The Turtles ended up recording it - undoubtedly thanks to Chip Douglas.  Harry is rumoured to have played piano on The Turtles' studio version.

 

 

 

The Ronettes, The Shangri-Las and The Supremes all recorded a version of Nilsson's Girl Group opus "Paradise".  I have a tremendous difficulty picking one version in favour of the other two.  However, The Supremes' 1972 Jimmy Webb-produced possesses a certain understated charm...

 



 

In spite of all of the excellence entered above, it is better to start the excursion into all things Nilsson with the original source.  And as previously mentioned there are currently avenues aplenty to begin the journey.  Enjoy it.

 

Recommended listening: "Nilsson: The RCA Albums Collection" (17 CD's) (Sony Music/RCA/Legacy, 2013)

 

Recommended reading: "Nilsson: The Life of a Singer-Songwriter" by Alyn Shipton (Oxford University Press, 2013)

 

Recommended viewing: "Who is Harry Nilsson (And Why is Everybody Talkin' About Him)?" (Lorber Films, 2006)  Directed by John Scheinfeld.  DVD issued in 2010. 

  

 

The Greatest Rock 'N' Roll Band Of All Time....



 

....is without a shadow of a doubt (in my mind at least) The Sex Pistols.  In December 1977, they were nice to kids of striking firemen and clearly, in their heart of hearts, real softies.  They even censored the lyrics to the poisonous "Bodies" for the occasion.  You can have your Beatles and your Stones, good or bad, they say that attitude equals Rock 'n' Roll.  Or is it the other way around?  Whatever.  Never mind the nasty image, enjoy the Sex Pistols the way they really, truly were...

 

And R.I.P. Ronnie.  A true punk, if there ever was one.

 

 

Paul McCartney's Solo Top 45.

 

 

Being, quite literally, disgusted ("Goodnight Tonight" ?! "Say Say Say" ??!!  "Temporary Secretary" ???!!! - Y'all can't be serious!)  with the recent, so-called "Paul McCartney's 40 Greatest Solo Songs" in Rolling Stone magazine (OK, so it's Jann Wenner and who exactly has taken that guy seriously since the early '70s?), I decided to make my own list.  Except it's a Top 45.  And it's in chronological order, and ballad-heavy during the '80s.  So what else is new?  It's classic Macca!

 

"Maybe I'm Amazed" (1970)

 

"Another Day" (1971)

 

"Too Many People" (1971)

 

"Uncle Albert/Admiral Halsey" (1971)

 

"Monkberry Moon Delight" (1971)

 

"The Back Seat of My Car" (1971)

 

"Tomorrow" (1971)

 

"Give Ireland Back to the Irish" (1972)

 

"C Moon" (1973)

 

"Get on the Right Thing" + "One More Kiss" (1973)

 

"Live and Let Die" (1973)

 

"Jet" (1973)

 

"Band on the Run" (1973)

 

"Junior's Farm" (1974)

 

"Venus and Mars/Rock Show" (1975)

 

"Magneto and Titanium Man" (1975)

 

"Listen to What the Man Said" (1975)

 

"Silly Love Songs" (1976)

 

"Let 'Em In" (1976)

 

"Beware My Love" (1976)

 

"Girls' School" (1977)

 

"London Town" (1978)

 

"Daytime Nightime Suffering" (1979)

 

"Old Siam Sir" (1979)

 

"Getting Closer" (1979)

 

"Spin it on" (1979)

 

"Waterfalls" (1980)

 

"Take it Away" (1982)

 

"Tug of War" (1982)

 

"Pipes of Peace" (1983)

 

"No More Lonely Nights" (1984)

 

"Once Upon a Long Ago" (1987)

 

"My Brave Face" (1989)

 

"This One" (1989)

 

"Looking for Changes" (1993)

 

"Young Boy" (1997)

 

"Flaming Pie" (1997)

 

"No Other Baby" (1999)

 

"Brown Eyed Handsome Man" (1999)

 

"From a Lover to a Friend" (2001)

 

"Fine Line" (2005)

 

"Ever Present Past" (2007)

 

"Sing the Changes" (The Fireman) (2008)

 

"Queenie Eye" (2013)

 

 



Who is Brendan Benson (And why isn't everybody talking about him) ?



OK, these days when I'm not busy reading Åsa Larsson novels, I am listening to some music.  So what else is new?  Although, preferably, I like doing both at the same time.  And lately it's been Brendan Benson's latest, "What Kind of World" (2012), which has been on repeat play over at mi casa.
I first became aware of Brendan sometime back in the late '90s when his first solo album, "One Mississippi" (1996), for some reason or the other came into my possession.  Albeit briefly, since I didn't care too much for it at the time.
Therefore his sophomore effort, "Lapalco" (2002), completely and utterly passed me by.  But I have since become appreciative of a brilliant track, "Folk Singer", from that exact album which makes a reappraisal a definitive possibility in the not-too-distant future.



But the Benson breakthrough, as far as I'm concerned, came in 2005 when I heard - and purchased...and loved - "The Alternative to Love" album.  A minor Power Pop masterpiece which somehow, unusually, owed a lot less to the past as to the (then) present.  If that makes any sense at all.



Next up was, yuk, "super group" side (Read: vanity) project The Raconteurs.  Apparently Jack White, he of the White Stripes, was a fan and roped Benson in as a co-conspirator of said side/vanity project.  And, somewhat surprisingly (OK, you can tell I'm not the biggest White Stripes/Jack White fan around), their first album, "Broken Boy Soldiers" (2006), was pretty good.  Disappointingly, their second, "Consolers of the Lonely" (2008) was less so, though.  An unfocused mess, truth be told.



Wisely, a year later, Benson was back on track with his fourth solo set, "My Old, Familiar Friend".  Famous, overrated friends or not, it's always best to stick with what you know (and do) best.
And then last year (2012, to be precise and absolutely accurate here), Brendan Benson delivered his finest set of songs to date.  "What Kind of World" is that rare and unusual breed of a record where every song possesses its own unique appeal, yet somehow makes so much sense as a piece of the whole puzzle...or the concept, if you will  Think, for the lack of a better comparison, (Gasp!) "Pet Sounds" for the modern man.  From the playful Power Pop of "Happy Most of the Time" to the haunting wistfulness of duet (With Ashley Monroe) "Pretty Baby", "What Kind of World" is a constant and satisfying surprise throughout.  An absolute and uninterrupted joy!



So why - in all probability - haven't you heard anything about this album before reading this?  And why didn't we see it on any of last year's "Best of" lists by the music critics of this world?  Why, indeed?  Could it be simply because Brendan Benson, in spite of - or perhaps because of - reaching his full maturity so "late" in the game, isn't exactly the new kid on the block anymore, and, therefore, consequently, is no longer considered to be one of the cool kids?  The flavour of the month makes the world go around, eh?  Well, fuck that!  Never mind the snobs, it's a great record. 

Brendan Benson is touring Europe right now.  If I wasn't on the fringes, on the outskirts, of the region, I wouldn't miss that...

Tom Robinson Band



Arguably, TRB's "Power in the Darkness" (1978) is one of the finest debut albums in the history of popular music.  In my humble opinion at least.  Never mind the classic rock radio staple (The phenomenal "2-4-6-8 Motorway"), which, by the way, is NOT included on the original LP - it's just a cracking rock album, chock full of anthems and energy...as such albums should be.



So why isn't it more widely lauded then?  Well, wrongly pigeonholed in with the burgeoning Punk/New Wave movement of the time could have had a little something to do with it.  After all, TRB wore flares - a Punk no-no - and had a Hammond organ-player in their midst...although the Stranglers also had one of those.  Furthermore, perhaps, the gay rights posturing/preaching may have been a factor.  Say what you like about Tom Robinson, but he was/is never one to shy away from a topic close to his heart and mind.  Just take a listen to the unforgettable (You have been warned: A '60s hippie term coming up) 'protest song' "(Sing If You're) Glad to be Gay" (Again, NOT on the album!) to find out...

 

Produced by then-recent Sex Pistols/The Clash accomplice Chris Thomas, "PITD" packs a powerful punch.  "Long Hot Summer", "Ain't Gonna Take It", "The Winter of '79" (My favorite line: "Spurs beat Arsenal - What a game!") and single "Up Against the Wall" are just some of the highlights.

 

And odd as it may seem, Danny Kustow is for some reason not a household name today.  THE lost guitar god of the '70s if you ask me.

Inevitably, for the follow-up album, the big, currently hip American producer (Todd Rundgren, in this space and time) was flown in and the record was hastily finished in, eh, record time.

"TRB 2" (1979) wasn't an entirely bad record, but it wasn't very good either.  A Peter Gabriel co-write "Bully For You" (Later in the year nicked by Pink Floyd of all people for the depressing disco of "Another Brick in the Wall Pt.2") was a strong track and an obvious single, but which somehow - inexplicably - failed miserably chart-wise.

 



 

By then the writing was on the wall and by 1980 TRB had broken up.

Their fearless leader has never been completely out of the spotlight since, though in later years his profile has been somewhat lower.

But fear not.  Recently EMI had the good sense to put out the excellent and exhaustive 3CD/1DVD "Tom Robinson Band Anthology 1977-1979", containing all the essentials, previously unissued demos, live recordings and the like.  It should be available at a (net)store near you.

And, by the way, Tom Robinson Band recorded one of the finest Dylan covers the '70s served up.  But, yet again, it wasn't included on the album.  Which just goes to show how many good songs they had to begin with.  I suppose.