All Saints - Pure Shores

I may admit that  most of my previous choices could be labelled as too earnest or serious, but there is always a place for a classic pop song in my life.

By the end of the 1990s, few acts made better pop than All Saints, a more palatable girl group alternative to the Spice Girls. Songs like "Never Ever", "I Know Where's It At" and well-chosen cover versions, established them as a high quality act.

Their highpoint was 2000's "Pure Shores", a feel-good anthem of electronica and freedom.

The band's primary songwriter, Shaznay Lewis, was in Los Angeles generating ideas for the next album, when she was approached to write a key song for upcoming movie "The Beach", based on the Alex Garland novel. After just seeing a rough cut of one scene with Leonardo DiCaprio swimming, she was inspired, and joined forces with the producer William Orbit   Orbit brought his typical ambience soundscape, while Lewis supplied the pop sensibility.   

The song can actually resemble the sea from that fabled beach. It starts quietly, with ripples, hesitant and uncertain ("I'm intrigued, I'm unsure"). It is a search for a personal paradise, an elusive beach or dream. An epic quest across "water", "deserts", "moors" and "doors" (ok, the last one doesn't test the human endurance as much) . It swells to the chorus, before crashing like a wave ("Take me to my beach"). It is a song of hope and inspiration, every day, they are getting nearer their goal ("I'm moving, I'm coming").

The verses and bridges are shared by Melaine Blatt and Lewis, with the Appleton sisters sweet vocals joining in the chorus. The electronic backing shadowing them is dreamy and irresistible.

"Pure Shores" was a big hit instantly, reaching number 1 in the UK and the second highest selling single in 2000. is now a radio soundtrack to summers. It is also joins the select group of songs that did not feature its title in the lyrics, like "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Smells Like Teen Spirit" and "Space Oddity".

All Saints broke up shortly afterwards, and despite reunions, this is still their pop perfection..

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dVNdTXEJv1A 

Hear Next -  All Saints produced great singles, so "All Hits" compilation is the obvious choice.

John Prine - Hello In There

A late change of song today, to pay tribute to John Prine, who passed away on Tuesday, partly due to the Corona Virus.

In the early 1970s, the slew of male singer-songwriters, led to the frequent "new Dylan" epithet (or curse). Many disappeared quickly, but others (such as Springsteen) managed to forge their own distinctive careers. John Prine was definitely in the latter category.

I first heard "Hello In There" when it was performed by Michael Stipe and Natalie Merchant (why weren't they a couple?) as part of Glasgow's Year of Culture celebrations in 1990. It struck me a such a sad and beautiful song, and I later searched for the original by its songwriter John Prine.

Prine flitted between folk and country music, incorporating humour, traditional love songs, but also biting social commentary ("Sam Stone" was about a Vietnam veteran). His voice was gruff and unpolished, but added a realistic tone to his real-life stories.

His debut album "John Prine", released in 1971, was quickly acclaimed, with "Hello In There" as one of the standout tracks. It is a slow, melancholy discourse about the loneliness of senior citizens. The backing is sparse, but fitting, with typical country ensemble - acoustic guitar, pedal steel guitar and piano or organ.

He narrates as a old man, retired to his apartment with his long-time wife. Their children have left home, one son died in the Korean war ("I still don't know what for, don't matter anymore"). There is nothing left to discuss with his wife, and a call with an ex-colleague is similarly empty ("What's new?" "Nothing, what's with you? Nothing much to do"). Life is carrying on in an endless cycle ("news just repeats itself").

The chorus asserts that trees and rivers may be stronger as they mature, but "old people just grow just grow lonesome". It is a call for younger generations to "say hello". It is similar theme to "Cat's in Cradle", but much less cloying.

"Hello In There" has become a regular US standard, being covered by varied artists such Joan Baez, Bette Midler and 10,000 Maniacs (the group, not the cover artists). If you judge his reputation by his array of admirers alone (Dylan, Johnny Cash, Springsteen, Kristofferson, Roger Waters), then Prine was a unique and rare talent.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RfwGkplB_sY  and a bonus of the Stipe / Merchant version that I heard first - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=csAp1KeueUU

Hear Next -  There is an extensive back catalogue of 19 studio albums, but his debut "John Prine" remains his most best and most celebrated.

Ros Serey Sothea - Jam 10 Kai Thiet (Wait 10 months)

Cambodia will always have a special place in my heart. It may have had a very troubled past, but it has a great historic culture, very friendly people and delicious food (loc lac !), so living there for a year was a joy.

In the 1960s, musicians converging in Phnom Penh, lead by Sinn Sisamouth, were influenced by American Forces radio in Vietnam and imported French & Latin America records. They created their own unique version of rock 'n' roll with a Khmer twist, which became known as "Cambodia psychedelia". They would often add their own Khmer lyrics to a Western song (like "Hey Jude" or "Proud Mary") or write their own original. Recordings were made quickly, live in the studio, with guitars, drums and a Farfisa organ.

Ros Serey Sothea from Battambang became the most popular female singer, lauded as "The Queen with the Golden Voice" by King Sihanouk, no less. She established a reputation for ballads with her powerful voice, but also dabbled in rock 'n roll and frequently duetted with  Sisamouth. In a short career she produced a large body of work (the Internet has over 100 examples), and frequently appeared in Cambodian movies too.

"Wait 10 months" starts with fierce and thrilling guitar solo, then breaks into a typical Khmer pop song beat. Sothea's voice is sweet, high-pitched but still forceful.  Backing vocals in the chorus come  from Sinn Sinnamouth.  In the middle there is a distorted guitar solo and the organ fills out the joyful sound.

With my excellent Khmer skills ("SuesDay"), the song relates to a girl coming on age on New Year's Eve, (Cambodia traditionally added a year to the age at New Year, rather than the birthday). She has blossomed, and so has many potential suitors ("men are gazing at me"). However she is reluctant ("I do not need to respond"), and vows to stay single for another 10 months (why 10 months specifically is not explained).

Details of the song's production are sketchy, I cannot credit the songwriter, but it seems to have been released in 1970, a momentous year in Cambodian history.

Sothea's personal life was tumultuous with two failed marriages (one of them abusive) and support for the Khmer Republic (maybe even training as a paratrooper), but she kept performing . There are conflicting stories of her fate under the Khmer Rouge regime, but most agree she did not reach her 29th birthday.

However some of her music managed to survive on old vinyl and bootlegs tapes, before a revival was launched in the 1990s with the "Cambodian Rocks" CD.  This was more widespread in the 2000s with "City of Ghosts" movie (shot in Bokor) and the current US / Cambodian group "Dengue Fever" (who cover this song with the title "New Year's Eve").

The song is best enjoyed with a $2 mojito and Deb Toby Jeffery.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CEnrPITryBM

Hear Next -  "Don't Think I've Forgotten" is a compelling and heart-breaking documentary film about Cambodia's 1960's music scene, and  4 CD "Cambodia Rocks" is the best compilation.

The Clash - London Calling

The 1970s must have been a  worrying time in England, with the Cold War still raging, the three day week, "Winter of Discontent", oil price rises, so it must have frequently seemed that imminent destruction was just around the corner. The Clash closed the decade by releasing "London Calling", a dystopian nightmare, that still resonates today.

The Clash came out of the initial fury of punk, and blossomed into a great political band, mixing rock 'n roll, reggae, ska and even pop. They had already chronicled 1970s London with classics such as "London's Burning" and ""White Man in Hammersmith Palais", but  "London's Calling" took it to another level. Lead singer and writer Joe Strummer was an interesting contradiction - a punk "voice of a generation" rebel, but also a privately educated son of a Foreign Office diplomat.

In "London Calling" he imagines not one but several apocalypses simultaneously befalling London, encompassing war, flood, nuclear annihilation, oil shortages, new ice age and famine (but no pestilence?). The optimism of swinging London and "phoney" Beatlemania of the 1960s had been replaced by fear, terror and the police's "truncheon".

He instructs people to find their own solutions ("don't look to us"), and settles scores about punk "I was there, too / And you know what they said? Well, some of it was true!"

Strummer wrote the song after reading a newspaper report about the threat of London's River Thames flooding, and his concern  as "I live by the river". The recent Third Mile Island nuclear accident in America was also influence in raising the fear of the unknown. The title came from the BBC's World Service's historic radio call "This is London calling". 

The  song is fast and loud, and the backing is simple and effective. The drums stand out, and are in sync with the insistent staccato guitars. Strummer snarls and spits out the words, even yelping at one point, with backing on the "London Calling " phrase. There is a controlled guitar break before it ends with a morse code SOS signal played on guitar.  

The single was a top 20 hit in the UK, and it has become one of the Clash's most iconic moments, although surprisingly they also sold it to Jaguar and British Airways for TV adverts (Strummer was always very contrary).

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EfK-WX2pa8c

Hear Next -  The other Clash albums are good (apart from "Cut the Crap"), but the "London Calling" double album is undoubtedly their masterpiece.

** The book of "Song from a Quarantine" is now available  on all Amazon sites in paperback and ebook formats.

Aldous Harding - The Barrel

After Smokey Robinson's 1965 classic, an artist and song from 2019 that you may not have heard before.

With so much new music easily available today, in these days of with Spotify,  YouTube and MySpace (OK, maybe not the last one), it is always difficult to find which new music is the best and most essential.  I always try to listen to the end of year compilation CD samplers from Uncut and Mojo  magazines (I am their perfect demographic). When I played them in December, this is the song that jumped out for me, and I was curious about Aldous Harding.

I assumed they were an alternative US group,  but it seems she  is a New Zealand singer / songwriter (now based in Cardiff).  "The Barrel" is a melodic, catchy, but also elaborate and mysterious.

There many things I love about this song - the strong female voice, the sparing backing vocals,  its folk pop style, and especially the prominent piano part.

The curiosity is its meaning.  Harding cautiously divulges little in interviews, allowing the listener to make their own  conclusions (many Bob Dylan songs share this trait). So these are my conjectures, for what they are worth.

It seems to address the feeling of being trapped in a failed relationship and trying to break free. She knows the love has already gone ("time is up" "already dead").  Things have changed from the initial  joy of infatuation (" I rushed in to hold down your page / And now I sleep 'side words you do not read with me"). Her commitment has waned, and she won't be going any further  ("I'm not getting led along" "I'm not getting wet").  There is also the fear of adding a child into the mix ("When you have a child, so begins the braiding"). 

Perhaps the barrel itself signifies a closed space or confinement, but it is possible to escape ("I saw a hand arch out of the barrel") and the "look at the peaches" shows the joy of freedom ?  But I could be completely wrong about everything.  I also have little idea what several lines mean, especially "Show the ferret to the egg".

It winds gracefully through five minute, spinning its charm, but never giving up all its secrets.  I am sure I will enjoy playing it often in 2020, possibly gaining new insights, but more likely to never fully understanding, and that is fine with me.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QyZeJr5ppm8   (Warning - the video is a little strange and should not detract from the great song.)

Hear Next -  The Barrel comes from her third album "Designer", and other tracks I have played are similarly tuneful and challenging.

The Miracles - Tracks of My Tears

This 1965 song is pretty ubiquitous but I think I first heard it on a "Motown Heartbreakers" compilation cassette.  In fact, few people cover the whole range of emotions, better than Motown.

Being based in Detroit, Berry Gordy famously used Ford's assembly line concept to produce an incredible series of hit single for 1960s America. However you still need to find great performers  (like Marvin Gaye & Diana Ross) and  world class writers / arrangers (like Norman Whitfield and the famed Holland Dozier Holland).  Smokey Robinson falls into both categories.  Bob Dylan reputedly called him "America's greatest poet" (although you should never believe much of what he says).

This must one of the saddest songs ever, as Smokey Robinson testifies that his life is an sham and illusion since his partner broke up with him.  In under three minutes, we can feel his full pain and suffering. On the outside, he still seems the life of the party, making jokes, laughing, smiling. But it is an act and charade, because "deep inside I'm blue" and shattered.  The only way to tell is by detecting the remote marks on his face left by his tears. Even a new girlfriend cannot help him, there is just the plaintive "I need you! "

The melody was  initially written by the Miracle's guitarist Marv Tarplin (who gave himself the great opening chords), and then fleshed out  by bassist Pete Moore. It is a great sound, but the real highlight are Smokey Robinson's lyrics. Rhyming couplets are always difficult,  and can often appear clunky or contrived (Noel Gallagher), but Robinson is a master. I particularly like the  rhymes for cute & substitute  and masquerading & fading. There is also the  heart-breaking image of his smile being "my makeup since my breakup with you".

The song's style is more 1950s do-wop than soul or R'n'B, with Smokey's  sweet crooning ("I hear violins" - ABC), complemented by male chorus backing, especially on the call and response "I need you" - "need you"

It is such a great achievement  to produce such a heartfelt lament, and  even more impressive that he  matched it with "Tears of a Clown" five years later (other singles included "My girl is gone", "Broken-hearted", "What's so good about goodbye", "The love I saw in you was just a mirage" ).  I really hope Smokey didn't have that much misery in the 1960s!

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rNS6D4hSQdA

Hear Next -  Motown's strength in the early years were singles, so logically compilation of Smokey Robinson  and the Miracles, or Motown in general are unbeatable, especially the 4 CD "Hitsville USA".

U2 - Beautiful Day

U2 have been a constant throughout my adult life, from my teenage years to my 50s. Maybe they are not as important today (forcing everyone to have "Songs of Innocence" on iTunes backfired badly), but they have rich back catalogue of great moments.

After the electronic dance music of "Achtung Baby", "Zooropa" & "Pop"  (U2 albums can always be grouped in threes), and the post modern irony shows, U2 reconvened in 2000 with a desire to return to the original classic U2 sound.  The first single from next album  the irresistible "Beautiful  Day" ticked all the boxes of a U2 classic .

It starts quietly  with Brian Eno's piano, and restrained Bono's  vocals, almost spoken. The theme is set from the opening "The heart is a bloom / Shoots up through the stony ground ".  The human spirit can survive anything.

Within a minute, it  gets louder  as the big sing-along chorus hits, being joined by  the drums  and Edge's distinctive guitar (and less distinctive vocals). It is a feel good anthem, of finding joy in everyday life.  Even though things might be tough - " It's a beautiful day / Don't let it get away". 

The bridge  section "Touch me"  seems to borrow from A-ha, which we can forgive (although my sister might not).  Then Bono takes a trip around the world, finding beauty everywhere -  China, canyons, Bedouin fires, birds, even oil fields (maybe the last one was more of a stretch).

The final words are the summary - "What you don't have, you don't need it now ". Another multi-millionaire saying you don't need things to be happy. Like John Lennon's imagining no possessions.  The  song closes with more guitar and drums before a quiet fade.

Beautiful Day became an instant classic, with incessant radio play (especially in the Summer), beloved for TV  incidental music , and rewarded with a number 1 single in the UK, and a Grammy in the US. It became a staple in the U2 live show, a guaranteed crowd-pleaser.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=co6WMzDOh1o

Hear Next -  The two acknowledged classic U2 albums are "Joshua Tree" and "Achtung Baby", but there are strong tracks on most of the U2 albums.

Robert Forster - It Ain't Easy

During my 2010 - 2012 sojourns, the album I played most was "The Evangelist" by Robert Forster. I don't why, but the 10 songs appealed to me from Phnom Penh to Kathmandu to Botswana.  I first  became aware of the album,  as it appeared in many critics top 10s in 2008, and I liked the sample tracks that I downloaded.

Robert Forster  was a co-founder of the 1980s Australian group "The Go-Betweens".  I am not sure how I missed them at that time, but it was easy to do, as they were commercially unsuccessful and had no hit singles, as they bounced between record labels.  Forster shared song-writing and lead vocals with Grant McLennan, a kindred spirit and competitor.  The group  split in 1989 (McLennan had to inform his girlfriend and bandmate Amanda Brown,  who immediately became an ex-girlfriend too),  with  Forster and  McLennan becoming separate solo artists.

They reconstituted the group in the 2000s for three further critically praised but low-selling albums. Tragically McLennan died of a heart attack in 2006, as they were writing songs for a new album. In grief,  Robert Forster managed to use three of these songs on what became a solo album. 

He added words to his favourite McLennan melody to produce "It Ain't Easy",  his elegy and tribute to his colleague and great friend.  As he describes in the song " I write these words to his tune / That he wrote on a full moon".

It is a heartfelt homage, as he details their relationship and Grant's encouragement -  "It was a head trip, it was a friendship /He picked me up when I might have slipped and not done a thing".  Later he refers to "a movie was in his head", acknowledging his visual song-writing style and also their shared passion for cinema  (The Go Betweens first single was a love song to Lee Remick ).  Finally there is the weary acceptance that "We will not see his kind again anymore".

The idea of mixing his lament with the McLennan's jaunty upbeat music appealed to him, as he knew that is what Grant would have wanted, as he croons "it was melody he loved most of all". The female backing chorus adds to the effect.

Similar tributes is to ex-colleagues are  "Here Today" by Paul McCartney about John Lennon, and Pink Floyd's "Shine On You Crazy Diamond" for Syd Barrett.

Despite such a sad subject matter, Forster achieves his aim of a farewell with a great pop song.

Hear Now  - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3PqNonkfFXE

Hear Next  - "The Evangelist" is a great album,  and all of "The Go-Betweens" work is worth investigating too , especially "16 Lovers Lane", which should have made them huge stars. I would also recommend "Grant and Me",  Forster's book detailing life in "The Go Betweens".  

Aimee Mann - 4th of July

I have Elvis Costello to thank for introducing me to the American singer-songwriter Aimee Mann (sadly not literally - although I did shake his hand after the 2001 Europa Cup final in Dortmund, but that is another story) .  He loved her first solo album "Whatever", and raved about it in several interviews.

By 1992, Mann was in a turmoil, as her previous group, the underrated 'Til Tuesday, were dissolving, and her romantic relationship with co-lead singer Jules Shear had already ended.  She decided  to move away from the group's  1980s new wave layered pop sound  to a more personal, confessional  and acoustic guitar-led sound.

I first heard ""4th of July"  on a Q magazine sampler CD , and  I was instantly hooked from the start.  The strummed acoustic guitar introduction, then the sorry, bleak  opening line - "Todays the 4th of July".  It is immediately obvious this is a tale of sadness and regret  -  " And when they light up our town I just think / What a waste of gunpowder and sky ". She cannot share the happiness of the crowd on this American holiday.  Her life is full of regret at past events, probably the dissolution of a relationship or marriage -  "I can't quell my past".  

The chorus is a little more bitter, hoping that her ex-lover realises he made a big mistake, but she knows it is too late. Then it is back today and her boring and monotonous  life - "Another chapter in a book where the chapters are endless /And they're always the same ". Time is passing her by, slowly. Mann is a such a crafted  writer,  and the attraction for Costello is obvious, as not many pop stars use words like quell or pathos.

The backing is led by Mann's acoustic guitar, and it is no coincidence that several of my favourite songs  have this feature, as there is a purity and simplicity that is irresistible.  It is complemented by a mellotron, vibraphone and drums, but they are used sparingly and low key. The focus is on the guitar and vocals.

 She has frequently used heartbreak and sadness throughout her solo career (even titling an album "Mental Illness"), but it is never depressing.  She also has a nice line in self-depreciation, as displayed  in concert  or her guest spot on "Portlandia".

Aimee Mann has never  sold a large quantity of albums, but has a fiercely loyal band of followers, like Costello, director PT Anderson (the film "Magnolia" was based around her songs), Coen Brothers (she lost a toe in "The Big Lebowski"),  Nick Hornby (she might be in his book "31 Songs", but I haven't read it) and myself.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOYI85anqmQ

Hear Next -  "Whatever" is sill probably her best album, but "Bachelor No 2" is not far behind, as it includes her Oscar nominated song "Save Me", but then I have enjoyed all of her 8 solo albums.


** The book of "Song from a Quarantine" is now available  on all Amazon sites in paperback and ebook formats.

The Beatles - Long Long Long

As a teenager I was pretty obsessed by The Beatles, and still am today.  I always thought George Harrison was underrated, which is understandable as he was in a group with two of the greatest songwriters of the 20th Century.  However towards the end of the 1960s he became more prolific and several of his songs were comparable to Lennon and McCartney.

Choosing a single Harrison song is difficult. I was tempted by the acoustic version of "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" (brownie points for an obscure Anthology track), of course "Something" is a great love song ("a great song by Lennon / McCartney" - Frank Sinatra),  "Here Comes the Sun" is appropriate at this time of year, "Taxman" has a great sound (we noticed, Mr Weller), and even the Indian songs grow on you - The Inner Light is a classic Beatles B side.

However it was  the 1968 Beatles ("White") double album that allowed more of his songs and show his burgeoning talent, so I have plumped for "Long Long Long". I love the eerie and haunting sound, maybe similar to Bon Iver or ambient music today.  In many ways  - world music, veganism, ecology - Harrison was ahead of his times.

It starts so quietly with Harrison playing acoustic guitar and McCartney on a Hammond organ, a slow mournful fade in.  George's first vocals, understated and unsure. It builds in the middle, as Ringo's drums enter. This is one of the few times that the drums are so prominent in a Beatles mix, and it dispels the "Ringo wasn't even the best drummer in the Beatles" rubbish.  Harrison voice rises too, stronger and more certain.  

The end is more chaotic, the organ whirls, Harrison wails and the drums crash. There is also the sound of bottle of a "Blue Nun" wine vibrating on a speaker cabinet.  A happy accident they noticed when Paul hit the high notes on the organ.

The lyrics are simple, no more than two syllables,  short phrases like "I love you".  It is a song of reconciliation with a great love ("How could I have ever lost you").  As with many of Harrison's songs of this period, it is a hymn of devotion to his God.  However it effectively doubles as a touching love song to a partner ("Now I'm so happy I found you"). 

It was written in Rishikesh in India during the Beatles 1968 meditation retreat.  Harrison confessed that he used the same chords as Bob Dylan's "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands", but it also seems to have a similar mood to the Band's debut "Songs from the Big Pink". The recording seems to have been tortuous with 67 attempts at the backing track over a long night session, but then it was worth it.  

"Long Long Long" was placed as the closer to the third side of the Beatles album (when people had records), immediately after the contrasting "Helter Skelter".  It can seem a slight song that is easily missed,  but it repays further investigation.  Maybe not one of his most famous songs, but one of his best.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yp5elOxcT34

Hear Next - There are some excellent  Harrison Beatles songs  (don't forget the Yellow Submarine album) but undoubtedly his  finest hour is "All Things Must Pass" - the first great solo Beatles album.

** The book of "Song from a Quarantine" is now available  on all Amazon sites in paperback and ebook formats.