Michelle Shocked - Anchorage

I first heard about the American singer / songwriter Michelle Shocked when I read a review of her first album "Texas Campfire Tapes" - a lo-fi recording on a Sony Walkman of her and guitar playing a series of songs, amid the sounds of crickets and the fire cracking - an unusual but charming introduction .  

The second album released in 1988 -  "Short Sharp Shocked" was a little more polished with a studio recording and full band supporting, but it was still an enjoyable collection of folk or Americana, highlighting her mature song-writing. There was also a political edge, the album cover photo, shows her in a chokehold whilst being arrested during a political protest. This incident also spawned her adopted stage name, a pun  on Miss Shell-Shocked, given to the arresting officer.

"Anchorage" was the first single from the album, and remains her most famous song, about friendship and change. Shocked writes to an old friend in Texas, and details the reply from Anchorage, Alaska. Her friend chides Michelle for losing touch (" it's about time you wrote / It's been over two years now my old friend").  She reminisces about their past - they worked together processing foreign telegrams (another dated 1980s reference) during the day, and the  "all night rock n' rollin', hey Chel we was wild then". 

They have not met since her wedding day, where of course Shocked played. Now she moved with her husband Leroy to Alaska, and has two children - "Hey Shell, I think I'm a housewife".  It is open to interpretation whether the friend is happy ? The key line "Anchored down in Anchorage" can be read two ways. Is she secure or trapped by her new domesticity ? Is she jealous of Michelle's freedom to be a "skateboard punk rocker" in New York City?

The song is based on her two real friends, JoAnn Kelli & Leroy Bingham, who feature in the black and white video. So I am guessing that she is happy, but just a little nostalgic for the her good friend. Finally she and Leroy, hope that Michelle will always "keep on rocking".

The music is a country / folk style, with the organ leading, and the acoustic guitar, fiddle, mandolin and drums following.  Despite good reviews, "Anchorage" was only a minor hit on US college radio, and gradually Shocked's career became  more selective (as Spinal Tap would say), and she has not released anything for over ten  years now.

Hear Now - https://vimeo.com/99288663 

Hear Next -  "Short Sharp Shocked" is her best album but also the "Texas Campfire Tapes".

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

The Beatles - You've Got To Hide Your Love Away

Choosing just one John Lennon Beatles song is nigh on impossible, and even limiting it to only 1965 isn't much easier - "Help" ? "Ticket to Ride" ? "Norwegian Wood" ? "Nowhere Man" ? But I have plumped for "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" as one of his most distinctive.

1965 was when Lennon was most influenced by Bob Dylan - his focus on oblique and downbeat lyrics grew ("I'm a Loser" was probably his first Dylan song), with stark, even weary voice (often dispensing with the previous double tracking of vocals).  "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" was also the first Beatles all acoustic track (ironically Dylan was making the fateful journey in the opposite direction).

It has a similar theme to yesterday's "Losing My Religion" of regret and unrequited or faded love.  It commences with another great opening line ("Here I stand with head in hand / Turn my face to the wall"). This is very similar to Dylan's "I Don't Believe You" -  "I can’t understand, she let go of my hand / And left me here facing the wall". The raucous "hey!" in the chorus seems a definite homage to "Mr Tambourine Man". 

He has been spurned, but the embarrassment is so bad  he feels that people are laughing and staring. He is bereft ("If she's gone I can't go on"). There is speculation that it could relate to their manager Brian Epstein concealing his homosexuality or Lennon hiding his wife at the outset of Beatlemania, but then again it works as a universal song of rejection.

It was recorded in one "Help" session on the afternoon of 18th February 1965, with just nine takes, only two of which were complete. It is the ultimate tribute that the Beatles could produce such consistently great work inside the whirlwind of world tours, films and fan madness.

The backing is much lighter, with Lennon playing a 12 string acoustic guitar, Harrison a Spanish acoustic, plus Ringo's maracas and tambourine. But most noticeable is the tenor and alto flutes from Johnnie Scott (only the second outsider on a Beatles song so far). It was just the start of pursuing different instruments and sounds (the sitar appeared in 1965 too).  It also slightly unusual for a Beatles song at that time, as it had a more extended outro.

 Brevity was a key characteristic of pre-1966 Beatles, with few songs reaching three minutes. "You've Got To Hide Your Love Away" is no exception at a compact two minutes ten seconds, a concise and poignant tale.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V8nLraecPRY

Hear Next -  The mid-era Beatles are best represented on the "Help" and "Rubber Soul" albums.

R.EM. - Losing My Religion

"Hey, is that a photograph of you and R.E.M. ?"

"Yes, that's me in the corner"

Like U2, R.E.M accompanied my adult life, from the jingle jangle guitars of the early years, to their world dominion of early 1990s and the decline of the three-piece in later years.

After years of relentless touring, the "Out of Time" sessions marked a pause and revaluation for R.EM. Peter Buck cast aside his trademark guitar, and picked up a mandolin. There seemed a desire for increased fame and sales - how else to explain the outlier that is "Shiny Happy People" ?

It was Buck's mandolin experimentation that led to the memorable riff for their most famous song "Losing My Religion". The title leads to a common misconception, but it comes from a southern American expression for losing your temper or being tired of something (although the religious imagery in the video confused the issue).

For once, Michael Stipe provided more clarity regarding the lyrics, describing it as a  song of obsession ("Trying to keep an eye on you"), unrequited love ("the distance in your eyes"), regret ("Oh no, I've said too much"), failed hopes ("that was just a dream") and secrecy (maybe for a sexuality?).  

It sounds so catchy with such a great melody, the mandolin and acoustic guitar are the key focus assisted by some strings, but the underrated drumming and minimal bass were always so important to the R.E.M sound.

Stipe's vocals, recorded in a single take, are as quirky and distinctive as normal but lose the mumbling of the early years. His opening "Ohhhhh life", the elongating of "spot light" and the second "fool" are particular delights.  

"Losing My Religion"  was a huge hit, top 5 in the USA, winning Grammys and heavy MTV rotation due to its artistic video. Initially it had seemed an unlikely hit single, as it clocks in at well over 4 minutes, predominately in a minor key and an unconventional song structure.

It is a great tribute to R.E.M.'s  ability to create idiosyncratic and abstract work that could still appeal to millions of people.

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

Hear Next -  "Out of Time" and "Automatic for the People" are the most accessible R.E.M. albums.

** The book of "Song from a Quarantine" is now available  on all Amazon sites in paperback and ebook formats - https://tinyurl.com/y43mbr2b 

Gotan Project - Santa Maria (del Buen Ayre)

In 2004 I spend a great ten weeks in Buenos Aires - a  cosmopolitan fusion of latin Europe and South America cultures - great architecture, the best beef steaks in the world, exciting football and Argentina's array of natural wonders. The people are friendly, passionate with a melancholy streak (it has the highest per capita number of psychiatrists in the world).

It is a passion (and melancholy) that extends to music and dance, with tango a national obsession. It was a joy to walk the streets of San Telmo or downtown, entranced by the sounds of tango buskers, and stunned by the skills of the dancers. The bandoneon (a type of  accordion) produces such a beautiful and aromatic sound, normally accompanied by guitar, violin and cello. It is also essential to attend one of the many milongas, a venue where locals dance the tango (and take pity on a rhythm-less Englishman with two left feet).  

By the start of the 21st century, there may have been a perception that tango music was old-fashioned, too traditional, too rigidly tied to its roots. An Argentine guitarist Eduardo Makaroff, and two Europeans in Paris formed Gotan Project (gotan is an anagram of tango). Their mission was to revitalise tango, with a new style to reflect the new era. They would retain the original instruments and styling, but supplemented by electronic beats and samples to create something new and exciting.

" Santa Maria (del Buen Ayre)" is the most famous track from their debut album, "La Revancha Del Tango". It is a joyful dance track, with repetitive motif and few lyrics. The typical tango staccato chords are joined by the relaxed beat and sampled phrases. It is airy and atmospheric, conjuring views of Buenos Aires streets and exotic dancers. The frequent reiteration of "Buenos Aires" and "Argentina" acknowledging its heritage but also its future.

With my excellent Argentine Spanish skills, I can explain the few female breathless lyrics. "Hay milonga de amor" - it is a dance of love, with the self referencing "a tremor of Gotan" and "este tango es para vos" -  this tango is for you. The title is taken from the city's original full name - Real de Nuestra Señora Santa María del Buen Ayre.

Purists may have been appalled, but Gotan Project were successful and gave the Argentine youth something of their own in the modern dance clubs.

If " Santa Maria" sounds familiar, then it has been frequently used in TV and advertisements, or maybe you saw Jennifer Lopez / Richard Gere's  "Shall we Dance?".

It is hard to describe it further, best just to enjoy with a steak and some wine from Mendoza.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mQusfSWFt6M

Hear Next -  "La Revancha Del Tango" remains the best introduction.

Kirsty MacColl - Caroline

Kirsty MacColl never received the popularity she deserved during her lifetime, but she had a varied career and was highly regarded by fellow musicians. She had sweet but strong voice, with a wide range, and heavily in demand baking vocals for artists as diverse as Happy Mondays, Climie Fisher, Talking Heads and The Smiths. She even sequenced U2's "Joshua Tree" album.

She is most famous for her feisty duet on the Pogues' "Fairytale of New York" and Billy Bragg's "New England".  It is a pity because she was such a great songwriter in her own right (maybe genetic as her father was famed folk singer Ewan MacColl).

  

She emerged as a self-contained pop star, with the classic "They Don't Know" (her high note on "baby!" is a delight), before reappearing later as a acerbic singer / songwriter - like a female Costello, documenting and chastising the 1980s era. As David Byrne aptly observed "the voice of an angel, from the mind & heart inflamed by Thatcher's England".

It was a hard decision, but I opted for "Caroline", a single recorded especially for her "Galore" best of album. It is typical of her work on that era, with a country swing feel, prominent acoustic guitar, cool voice,  with her crafted and wry lyrics, combining for a great pop song.

It is another song about a woman with a broken heart, as her lover has left her. But MacColl's ingenious twist is to sing as the woman who stole the man, and it was her best friend too !  She wanted to describe how Dolly Parton's Jolene would think, or Robyn's "Call Your Girlfriend".

It starts with a great, but dated line "She called me up the other day / And left a message on my machine"  (today it would be a text ?). Caroline doesn't know yet that the other woman is her best friend, and the narrator clearly does relish any future encounter "Oh how can I break the news like that?", and ultimately "Now I don't want to see Caroline".

She is distraught with the pain she has caused, knows it is wrong, but she could not resist him "I wish I'd turned you away / And my head said go, but my heart, my heart said stay".  She is still tormented "Now I lie here with you, can't get her out my head". She may have won the man, but she will never be at peace.

"Caroline" barely entered the charts, but Galore briefly gave MacColl renewed exposure, following it up with the excellent Cuban-flavoured "Tropical Brainstorm".

The tragedy and injustice of her death, robbed us of a great talent, but at least she will be remembered every Christmas as we hear "Fairytale of New York" for the millionth time.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AS0Cilys808

Hear Next -  "Galore" is a great collection of many finest moments, but I will always cherish 1989's "Kite" album.

Gerry & the Pacemakers - You'll Never Walk Alone

I cannot think of a song that evokes so many different emotions and so ingrained in our culture, more so than even our national anthem. "You'll Never Walk Alone" is probably the most important song in my life, the song I have heard and sung the most.

In a football context alone, it can encompass excitement or apprehension before the match, defiance at half-time (losing 3-0 to AC Milan in 2005) or jubilation afterwards (Barcelona in 2019).

But it is so much more. It is also a song of hope in troubled times. It urges strength and resolution "When you walk through a storm / Hold your head up high". Don't be scared, because after the storm is "a golden sky / And the sweet silver song of a lark".  Things will improve after even the worst adversity, if you keep in walking on. Your dreams may have been dashed, but don't lose all hope.

It has been so comforting and consoling, after tragedies like Hillsborough, a funeral staple, and today sung in the moving video clips from hospital wards to European balconies. It is not just Jurgen Klopp who has been reduced to tears by this powerful song of shared emotion.

"You'll never walk alone" was produced by Oscar Hammerstein II and Richard Rodgers, designed as an uplifting moment  in their "Carousel" stage musical and 1956 film. It has subsequently been performed by the best singers of their eras - Frank Sinatra, Aretha Franklin, Elvis Presley and Johnny Cash. So how did Gerry Marsden's version become the definitive ?         

Gerry & the Peacemakers, Merseybeat rivals of the Beatles, chose to record "You'll Never Walk Alone" as their third single, as Marsden recalling it from the movie. It was released in October 1963 and swiftly went to number 1. As part of the pre-match routine at Anfield, fans swaying on the Kop sang along to the top 10 records played over the PA. As an uplifting anthem by a local band, it became so popular, that it was retained even after the single fell from the charts.

The Pacemaker's  version starts quietly, drums and piano, then Marsden's fine vocals, hushed but raising to a crescendo at the end.

Over 50 years, it has immediately preceded the start of every Liverpool home match, accompanied by a massed display of scarves and flags, an iconic football song across Europe and the World (let's just say it is better than the "Z cars" theme).

I am not sure when I will go my next football match, but I am sure "You'll Never Walk Alone" will be an important and emotional part of it.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OV5_LQArLa0   (and as a bonus  Liverpool players and fans singing it after the Champions League final in 2019 -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=weec_jzudc8)

Hear Next -  "Very Best of Gerry & the Pacemakers" includes all the hit singles.

Bob Dylan - Sara

Of course, Bob Dylan's 1960s output is legendary and unassailable, but I also have a great affection for his mid-1970s trilogy of "Blood on the Tracks", "Desire" and "Street Legal" albums.

"Desire" is probably the Dylan album I have played the most, and it has captivated me since I borrowed the record from Chester library (remember to check for scratches) over 30 years ago. It closes with the 5 minute "Sara", a heartfelt and sweet love song to Sara Lownds, his wife since 1965. "Blood on the Tracks" had exposed marital difficulties, but they had briefly reconciled by the time of this recording. Unusually it seems she was actually in the studio for the first take of this song.

It is definitely his most personal and most explicit, as he expresses real emotions - a affectionate portrait of his wife and family life with the children. He flashes through their family holidays and precious memories - children playing on a beach, camping in the woods, "drinkin' white rum in a Portugal bar" or a marketplace in Savanna-la-Mar (Jamaica). It is as if he is flicking through a family photograph album.  It is unknown whether these images are from his real life, but they work as they are so evocative of any life.

There is also an intriguing memory of writing the epic "Sad Eyed Lady of the Lowlands" song for her in the famous Chelsea Hotel. There is no disguising in the chorus of  "Sara, oh Sara, Beautiful lady, so dear to my heart" and "sweet love of my life".  Even in his simplest love song, he still cannot resist a poetic flourish or mystical allusion (" Scorpio Sphinx in a calico dress"  "Glamorous nymph with an arrow and bow").

His voice is warmer and not as abrasive as the 1960s folk singer. The backing comes from his guitar, his beautiful harmonica (I love his harmonica sound so much), unobtrusive drums and  Scarlet Riveria's swirling violin.  It is performed in a waltz pattern and a minor key, again unusual for Dylan.

Towards the end, his doubts reappear, "You must forgive me my unworthiness". The beach is empty now, there is a bleakness as he pleads " Don't ever leave me, don't ever go.". 

The song did not succeed in that respect, as she divorced him in 1977, but it remains a rare moment to see behind the mask and Bob Dylan at his most vulnerable.  

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ma7BK2MJNqo

Hear Next -  Again, "Blood on the Tracks", "Desire" and "Street Legal" are truly great Dylan albums, the best way to enjoy his "middle" years.

Squeeze - Up the Junction

As with "Ode to Billie Joe", it takes great skill to tell a whole story in a short pop song, and Squeeze acquit themselves admirably with this 1979 classic. It is a kitchen sink drama of the rise and fall of working class couple's relationship.

It starts with a signature tune from Jools Holland's organ (the prominent organ is a characteristic of all the early Squeeze singles) and then a brief pause. There  is  a double drum fill, and Glenn Tilbrook delivers the classic opening line "I never thought it would happen / With me and the girl from Clapham".

But it did happen, they quickly moved in together, a "smelly" basement flat, enjoying evenings of "kissing" and  "telly". He got a job, but she was pregnant, so he worked long low-paid hours during the cold Winter, even sacrificing the television. A  daughter was born but within two years the relationship had floundered, due to his drinking and gambling. It ends with him alone in the kitchen, and his regrets, wanting her back as the band play out. A complete and sad story in barely three minutes.      

 

Chris Difford wrote the lyrics, homesick while on tour in New Orleans, words coming fast as he remembered his working class roots, and his love of 1960s TV dramas. It shares its title with a 1960s TV play and movie, and means to be in trouble or a bad situation.

The most distinctive element is the lyrics -  clever, poignant, colloquial, with its conspicuous rhymes - some good (forgiveness / business) some contrived (Stanley / handy) and some laughable ("This morning at four fifty / I took her rather nifty").  It was also his eye for detail of working class life ("had a bath on Sunday").

As normal he passed the completed lyrics to Tilbrook who composed the music (the Deptford Lennon and McCartney), and added such a great melody.

The song is unusual as it has no chorus (this was deliberate to accommodate the seven verses), and also the title only appears at the end of the song, a homage to Roxy Music's  Virginia Plain. There is also just one vocalist, and no backing vocals.

In 1998 they revisited the girl in "A moving story", as she left Clapham and moved to live by sea (few artists provide updates to their most famous works, but "Peggy Sue got married" is another example).

"Up the Junction" is the best example of the Difford / Tilbrook chemistry of an memorable rhythm and precise lyrics to form a great song, and provides a great drama from 1970s England.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RQciegmLPAo    (the video was shot in the kitchen of John Lennon's Ascot house)

Hear Next -  There are several good Squeeze albums, but the best entry point is "Greatest Hits" which contains all the early classics but also from the later reunions.


** The book of "Song from a Quarantine" is now available  on all Amazon sites in paperback and ebook formats - https://tinyurl.com/y43mbr2b 

The Stone Roses - I am the Resurrection

After naming a song "I am the Resurrection" and the subsequent album "The Second Coming", it is fair to say that The Stone Roses were never short of self-confidence and similarly fostered a messianic following.

In November 1989 the Madchester scene exploded nationwide as they and Happy Mondays  appeared on the same "Top of the Pops" episode. Although the Roses could be classified as dance music, there were also obvious 1960s and psychedelic influences from the Byrds to Simon & Garfunkel. The 8 minute epic "I am the Resurrection" is fitting climax and  to the seminal "Stone Roses" album.

It starts with a strong drum beat from Mani, then the guitar of John Squire is added. These will be the driving force and key components. Ian Brown opens with "Down, down, you bring me down", and quickly relates how his infatuation with a partner has turned to hatred, and he wants to end it promptly ("I need to be alone"). There is litany of abuse, from "don't care", the vicious "(you would) look better dead"  to the frankly bizarre "your tongue is far too long"

It takes over two minutes to reach the euphoric chorus, and it feels like a release "I am the resurrection and I am the light". 

After two choruses, the song could easily end (and it gives that impression) after three minutes. The singing has ended, but wait, there is an coda, an extended instrumental break, with drums and the chiming guitar. Solos can be often self indulgent and boring, but this is an exception, and takes the song further and cements its iconic reputation.

It is easy to spot the 1960s influences, the melody came from playing the Beatles Taxman chords in reverse and " Turn, turn, I wish you'd learn / There's a time and place for everything" is a definite nod to the Byrds.

The Stones Roses album was widely acclaimed then and now as one of the greatest albums on its era, an ambitions, self assured, sprawling debut. They never refound their magic after a long legal delay between albums, with an inevitable split in 1996, but "I am the Resurrection" is their lasting testament.

Hear Now - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vY9g-PgSiGA

Hear Next -  The aforementioned debut "Stones Rose" album without a doubt.

Bobbie Gentry - Ode to Billie Joe

There are certain songs that retain their mysteries (like who was so vain ?), and Gentry's tale of a teenage suicide certainly meets this criteria.

She narrates as the daughter in a rural Southern family ("another sleepy, dusty Delta day"), After a morning working on the farm, her mother informs them during lunch that "Today Billy Joe MacAllister jumped off the Tallahatchie Bridge". It is interesting to note their differing reactions to this tragic news - the father is insensitive "Well, Billy Joe never had a lick of sense, pass the biscuits, please", the son more reflective remembering their past, but the daughter is so mortified that she cannot touch her food. 

The talk moves on to a visit of the preacher, and then the mother drops another bombshell ("Oh by the way"), he had earlier seen Billie and a  girl ("alot like you") throwing something off the bridge. The song then moves on to a year later, the son has married and left town, "There was a virus going 'round, Papa caught it and he died last Spring" (very eerie writing that now), but the narrator is still in grief over the loss of Billie Joe.

So the big questions - why did he jump ? And what were they throwing off the bridge before ?  There has been lots of speculation - engagement ring, unborn baby, draft card - Gentry has never revealed, but stressed it doesn't matter, the song is about the family's reactions to the tragedy.

It is such a well constructed song, concisely telling the story, but adding the flavour of the South (plow, hay, biscuits, black-eyed peas, even the place names sound exotic) , Gentry's drawl extends the last word of every sentence. The minimal backing of her acoustic guitar, supplemented by two cellos and four violins.

In 1967, it was an unlikely to be a hit single, due to its subject and that it ran over 4 minutes (Gentry wrote even more verses originally), but people were entranced, becoming a number 1 single, won Grammys and even spawned a movie. 

In a whirlwind 5 years, Gentry recorded 7 albums, hosted a BBC show, and then removed herself from public view since the 1970s. A mysterious end to the writer of a mysterious classic.

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

Hear Next -  " The Girl From Chickasaw County " is an exhaustive recent collection of all her  recordings. I can also highly recommend Mercury Rev's recreation of her "Delta Sweete" album.