On the surface, "Sleeper" isn't the most rock n roll band name you could come up with. It suggests either someone catching forty winks or a huge chuck of wood train tracks roll over. Or maybe that Woody Allen film where Woody gets cryogenically frozen and wakes up 200 years later when everyone's forgotten what a perv he was.
Here are a selection of Sleepers... what's the collective noun for Sleepers? I want to say "snooze". Which ones wake you up... and which ones should be put to sleep?
SLEEPER #1
We start with a slice of jolly Hawaiian pop rock from 1980, and a band who endeared themselves to me greatly with this poster...
The handwritten "Their first single on sale here!" suggests a rather limited marketing budget.
SLEEPER #2
Proper US power pop next, from 1981. I'm a sucker for this kind of thing. This Sleeper came from Quad Cities, Idaho. Could have used that when we were struggling for Qs in CC's A to Z of American Cities.
SLEEPER #3
Meanwhile, down in Portsmouth, another early eighties Sleeper were kicking up a bit of a scene. Apparently this song was written for Shakin' Stevens, but when he didn't want it...
SLEEPER #4
Those of us of a certain vintage (predominantly, me and Martin) have a very special place in our hearts for the divine Ms. Louise Wener, who single-handedly won the Britpop battle for the fairer sex. (Justine who?)
SLEEPER #5
Emo band out of Staten Island in the early 90s. Discogs tells me, "After a few releases as Sleeper, the band was offered $125,000 for the exclusive US rights to the name by a UK-based band of the same name. The US Sleeper accepted the offer, and changed its name to Serpico."
That's got to be the easiest $125,000 anyone ever made.
SLEEPER #6
Melbourne alt-rockers, also from the early-mid 90s, who later changed their name to Fragment, and then to Rail. No mention if they got $125,000 for doing so, but if they didn't, I'm betting they're mighty peeved now.
SLEEPER #7
Here's a Japanese Sleeper from 2008, taken from their album Get Happy!!! No relation to Elvis Costello.
SLEEPER #8
I know this type of thing from 2011 isn't my bag, so I'm not best placed to make judgement, but it sounds like a backing track waiting for a vocal to me. Get Iggy to ramble on over the top about murdering someone and burying them in a carpet, then you're onto something.
SLEEPER #9
Finally, we have a Netherlands rock band from a few years back whose career progression appears to have been rather hampered by the covid lockdown.
Make your decision, then sleep well. Hopefully none of the above will cause you to have nightmares...
If any of you have access to the Disney+ streaming service, can I recommend the Australian TV show Mr. Inbetween? It's got nothing to do with this song, but it is very worth watching. Only 25 minute episodes too, so they're easy to get through before you fall asleep at the end of the day.
And now... from Norwich... it's the quiz of the week!
Where do I begin?
For a start, the theme tune is instantly recognisable, so clearly I watched this quiz show every week when I was too young to know better. I didn't remember the rules, so I looked them up. Contestants started with £10 and answered questions to boost their kitty - though they lost money for wrong answers. At various points in the show they were allowed to use their winnings to purchase the mediocre prizes that were on sale... so a brand new Mini Metro wouldn't really have cost you £140 back then.... would it?
The most memorable part of Sale of the Century (far more memorable than Nicholas Parsons and his "dolly birds") was that opening announcement... "Live from Norwich...!" I don't want to be mean to the people of Norwich (Alan Partridge does a good enough job of that), but it's hardly Las Vegas, is it? Nevertheless, the original UK version of SOTC (based on a US game show) ran from 1971 - 1983, so I guess it was a ratings winner.
Pointless trivia time - the show was revived by Sky in the late 80s, featuring the TV debut of one Simon Cowell. He won £20 worth of cooking utensils. If only his 15 minutes had ended there.
Here are some songs that pay tribute to The Quiz Of The Week, starting with the band John Squire formed after quitting The Stone Roses...
The word "Satellities" is clearly one that's ripe for inclusion in a future edition of Namesakes. It looks like it would be a very long edition, even by this blog's patience-testing standards. Here's one of the more recent contenders, with lead singer Johnny Vic performing live with a 16 piece choir at the Church of Saint Saviour in Hampstead.
A picture of Eddie Cochran obviously, said Charity Chic in response to my request for songs with the name Edward, Eddie or Ed in them. And as he wrote obviously rather than "obvs", I went with his suggestion.
Of course, there were many other famous musical Edwards I could have gone with, including the recently departed Eddie Van Halen, Ed Tudor-Pole, Edward Sharpe & The Magnetic Zeroes (from George), Edward Ball, Eddie & The Hotrods, Eddie Vedder, Eddie Floyd, Eddie Boyd, Eddie Jones, Charles & Eddie (from Alyson), Eddie Rabbit, Eddie Kirk, Eddie Fisher, Eddie Holland, Eddie Money (see this week's Saturday Snapshots), Eddie Kendricks... the list goes on and on. But did any of them ever record a song as iconic as this...?
Whereas Swiss Adam directs us to Edward Barton, the poet responsible for this little ditty, originally recorded by his girlfriend Jane (long before Opus 3 got their mucky dance paws all over it)...
Anyway, that's not why we're here. We're here to celebrates songs about Edwards (or at least songs that mention them). So let's get cracking, because there's loads to go at...
And continuing on a pretty-boy rock star vibe, RD added...
Iron Maiden's omnipresent/ever changing mascot is called Eddie. He has given his name to a Maiden-based video game and a compilation album (both titled Ed Hunter)...
Coincidentally, my millennial hipster politico friend, Ben, recommended this (from the album Ed Hunter) as his favourite Maiden track this week.
...which... well, I hope you'll excuse me if I steal an explanation from elsewhere on t'internet...
This song tells the story of the beginnings of British heavy metal band Iron Maiden, personified as a gay love triangle between original lead singer Paul Di'Anno, Eddie (“Eddie the Head,” the band’s mascot who appears on their album covers, and in this song represents the band as a whole), and Bruce Dickinson, the band’s second singer who replaced Paul in 1981.
Fat Mike explains:
I was just thinking that some of their songs are so good and they were just so cool when they had Paul Di’Anno in the band. Then they got Bruce Dickinson, this falsetto fuck, and for me, it just ruined everything.
Charming. Poor old Bruce D.
Anyway, while we're here with my millennial hipster politico friend, Ben... well, he obviously had some spare time on his hands this week. His short-list was almost longer than mine...
Have to live up to this idea you have of me as a hipster!
Is that what hipsters listen to then? My current (not for much longer!) next door neighbour is a hipster and he blasts out Snow Patrol. I'm not convinced hipsters have set musical affiliations. I may be wrong.
Anyway, I have no idea what Death Grips are on about, but there were quite a few Eddies in there. Including the great Ed 'Lou Grant' Asner. God knows why.
Now this is why I keep Ben around. Because in the middle of all his hipster suggestions, he'll throw in a b-side by The Small Faces or an early John Cougar song, a track even the internet can't quite decipher the lyrics to, although most sites tend to agree that are a couple of Eddie references in there.
Ah, but wait, the mention of Edward Scissorhands allows us to zip over to Canada, where Douglas has a related suggestion...
Just one to put forward for your consideration, to prevent the lost from getting out of hand: the always delightful Lucksmiths with the song "Edward, Sandwich Hand". Delightful wordplay and a whistling riff to hook you into the chorus.
Jeff Rosenstock is someone who Ben introduced me to a while back. He produces some very cool tunes (if occasionally a little too loud for these aged ears) and has a strange attitude to the music industry in that he seems not too interested in making any money out of it. For example, you can get his latest collection of songs from Bandcamp... but he doesn't want your money.
Please do not feel obliged to spend money on this music. I do not intend for it to be monetized. Any money that comes in through Bandcamp for these songs will be donated to charitable causes, but less money will get taken out if you just do that directly on your own - which I encourage you to do if you can afford it. And if not, it's cool.
Anyway, there's another Edwards Scissorhands reference in the track above, if you can dig it out.
Which brings us, finally, to Walter, who also appeared to have a bit of spare time on his hands this week...
His blue Morris van is parked in an alley Just by Montague street His friend Eddie he did the respray So he couldn't drive it all last week And it cost most of the money That he had saved up To pay Eddie's receipt But he figures it's worth it Cause the disguise is a must When they go missing They're gonna look for the van first She whispers slowly "it'll be alright" I took some cash from my building society And my monthly check came in just right If only they knew they weren't giving it away
That came very close to making the ten, Walter. As did this...
Edward, see those alluring lights ? Tonight will be your very last night
Don't worry though, some of your other suggestions really hit home. But no, Ed fROMOHIO, singer and guitarist of fIREHOSE doesn't get a mention, if only because of his abuse of the CAPS LOCK key.
OK, time to scrap the barnacles off the side of the boat. Here's the rest of the long-list from my hard-drive this week...
But now Eddie the Eunuch is a rock and roll critic Sucking like a super star Slicker than a shoe-shine Quicker than a two-time Eddie what a thang you are Eddie makes a damn good livin', baby Putting other people down
Ah yes, songs hitting back at music critics... there's got to be a Top Ten in that somewhere.
Featuring Eddie Argos from Art Brut and David Devant (minus His Spirit Wife). Only available on MySpace, it seems. (I know, I didn't even know MySpace was still a thing either.)
Oh and there's 'Eddie & Sheena' by Wayne County & The Electric Chairs, says C, one of the first bands I ever saw down at our little local club when I was 14 (Wayne was quite something to behold, especially in 1978) and they gave everyone a free Eddie & Sheena badge at the door - soon to be defiantly pinned to my school blazer of course!
I'm always too late here nowadays, says Alyson, so will get in quick with a name-check. Brenda and Eddie - Scenes From An Italian Restaurant by Billy Joel.
A seemingly throwaway suggestion, though in the process Alyson has stuck a pin in one of my all-time favourite Billy Joel songs. (I feel my love of Billy Joel has recently been vindicated by Hughie in The Boys. If you know, you know.)
You have to wait for the tempo change, but Brenda and Eddie play an important role in this song...
I'll obv(iou)s(ly) go for Sleeper - Nice Guy Eddie, said Martin (courting disaster with his barely hidden attempt at evoking the yoof-speak I banned last week), and not just because I'd listen to Louise sing the phone book ;)
Nice Guy Eddie, of course, turned out to be not such a nice guy after all...
Most weeks this would have been Number One, as I share a similar devotion to the divine Ms. Wener as Martin. However...
This week's winner is going to be one of those where I'm biased and play to my favourites, but thankfully Walter was with me...
1. Bruce Springsteen - Meeting Across The River
Amid all the rock 'n' roll bombast of the greatest album of the 70s comes this quiet slice of desperate lowlife storytelling set over a haunting, noirish solo from jazz trumpeter Randy Brecker. And Roy Bittan's characteristic piano playing and another jazz musician, Richard Davis, on double bass.
It doesn't sound like anything else on the album (although lyrically, it follows similar themes), but it's perfectly placed as an intimate pause for breath as the penultimate track on side two before the epic finale of Jungleland.
Hey, Eddie, can you lend me a few bucks
And tonight can you get us a ride?
Gotta make it through the tunnel
Got a meeting with a man on the other side
Hey Eddie, this guy, he's the real thing
So if you want to come along
You gotta promise you won't say anything
'Cause this guy don't dance
And the word's been passed this is our last chance
We gotta stay cool tonight, Eddie
'Cause man, we got ourselves out on that line
And if we blow this one
They ain't gonna be looking for just me this time
And all we gotta do is hold up our end
Here stuff this in your pocket
It'll look like you're carrying a friend
And remember, just don't smile
Change your shirt, 'cause tonight we got style
Well, Cherry says she's gonna walk
'Cause she found out I took her radio and hocked it
But Eddie, man, she don't understand
That two grand's practically sitting here in my pocket
And tonight's gonna be everything that I said
And when I walk through that door
I'm just gonna throw that money on the bed
She'll see this time I wasn't just talking
Then I'm gonna go out walking
Hey Eddie, can you catch us a ride ?
The obvious E for a girl's name would have been Emily, but it turns out I already did that here...
Not sure what my final verdict is on Dave Matthews... but he's no Eddie Cochran. He's not even Hootie & The Blowfish.
Onto those of you who accepted the inevitable but offered alternatives for variety, starting with Martin (who only owns one Bruce Springsteen album, so I might have to send him some more in the post)...
And I was born in the back seat of a Greyhound bus
Rollin' down Highway 41
All of which brings us to today's obvious choice, as identified by The Swede, Alyson, Lynchie and Martin. Inspired by the death of Amadou Diallo, an innocent young black man who was mistaken for a rape suspect by plain clothes police officers in 1999 and shot dead.
Roger Daltrey illustrates this week's entry in our countdown - 57 Varieties, from The Who Sell Out.
There was an obvious answer this week, and a less obvious answer: both came from the same artist... who most of you will be aware is a favourite of mine. Which song did I choose? Wait and see. In the meantime, a few alternatives from you guys...
I can see Elvis, skinny like he was back in '57.
...and Firecracker by Sleeper, which has:
57 kids, and all of them ugly...
So, then: the winner. Most of you seemed to think I'd choose 57 Channels (And Nothing On) which is certainly a fine tune, even though it comes from Bruce's fallow period in the 90s.
For me though, this is even better. From his second album (his first with the E Street Band), this 8 minute epic points the way to Born To Run both in its length and its storytelling. It also contains what is for me one of the best lines Bruce ever wrote - or at least, one of those lines that pops into my head all the time and has done throughout my life...
"Johnny, it falls apart so easy and you know hearts these days are cheap"
There are certain lyrics that do that in my head. They've almost become part of my internal idiolect. (Other lines from Bruce that do the same thing are "if you can take a man's life for the thoughts that are in his head" from Johnny 99 and the lines at the top of the page from No Surrender. Plus most of Born To Run & Thunder Road.)
Anyway, with apologies to 90s Bruce... 70s Bruce will always win in my book...
Next week... 56? I can sense a Nobel Prize winning suggestion, but beyond that it's a pretty open playing field...
