My p-p-p-pick of the Penguins comes from 1954 when it was originally released as a B-side to a forgotten tune, Hey Señorita. DJs began flipping it and playing the B-side and a million-selling record was born... one that iffypedia informs me, "became the first independent label release to appear on Billboard's national pop charts". Does that mean it was the first ever indie record? The band never had another hit, but a lot of lawyers made a lot of money out of various court cases regarding who actually wrote the song (among other contentious issues).
I, like many children of the 80s, first heard Earth Angel performed by Marvin Berry & The Starlighters (with Marty McFly on guitar) as the dramatic climax of the movie Back To The Future. That's when I fell in love with the tune... although it took me a while to finally hear the original...
In-depth analysis (or random, disconnected musings) of three
more of the songs from the 108th in-car CD I made for my son, Sam –
the CD that has passed into legend as the one to beat in his eyes/ears… although I’m
not quite sure why.
Track 4: INXS - Devil Inside
INXS are one of those bands who appear to have completely
disappeared off everyone’s radar. There was a point in the late-80s / early-90s when it seemed like they were poised for world-conquering greatness – an
Australian U2, but without the big God Complex eedjit and his dumb-ass cronies…
and with far better tunes (Baby Don’t Cry must surely make Bono weep buckets
every time he hears it).
Then, of course, it all went wrong. First there was
the rather duff 1997 “comeback” record Elegantly Wasted, followed soon after
Michael Hutchence's sudden death. There’s nothing to be gained from rehashing all
that, but I can’t help wondering what might have been. The band soldiered on
without their frontman, trying out a variety of new vocalists (including Terence
Trent D’Arby) and even putting themselves through the humiliation of an
X-Factor-style talent show as part of the auditions. But for many fans, the
idea of INXS without Michael was like Queen without Freddie or The Doors
without Jim. Sometimes it’s better to just call it a day.
Anyway, Devil Inside is by no means my favourite INXS song.
It wasn’t even a hit in the UK, unlike four of the other singles from Kick.
Personally, I’d choose anything from their creative zenith, the outstanding
disc Welcome to Wherever You Are. But it’s a good enough tune, I suppose, and
keeps the CD moving along nicely. Momentum is important in a compilation.
Track 5: The Byrds - I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better
Also not a hit in the UK, and not really one of their
better-known tunes, but I always like a good anti-love song… although there’s
much debate in Byrding Circles about whether this is a plain old diss track or a
more complex ode to indecision. They key word that suggests the latter is the
fact that Gene Clark sings, “I’ll probably feel a whole lot better when
you’re gone”. Because sometimes when we end a relationship, we’re left with a
nagging doubt over whether we’ve done the right thing.
There’s no reason why this tune should appeal to a 12 year
old who likes Juice WRLD, Alex Warren and Imagine Dragons… any more than
thousands of other songs I’ve introduced him to through these CDs. I doubt it’s
directly responsible for CD108’s legendary status… but it fits nicely into the
mix.
Track 6: Ocean Colour Scene - Huckleberry Grove
I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better started life in 1965 as the
B-side to All I Really Want to Do. And that leads us nicely onto another
B-side, or maybe even D-side, since it was track 4 on the CD single release of
Ocean Colour Scene’s first UK Top Ten hit, You've Got It Bad in
1996. Despite its ignoble birth, Huckleberry Grove went on to become one of the
band’s most-loved songs, first when it was given pride of place as Track 1 on
their ragtag off-cuts compilation, B-sides, Seasides and Freerides, and then
later when it popped up on their Greatest Hits collection alongside all the big hits.
It’s the very definition of the Little Engine That Could.
Now I know what many of you think about OCS – that they
somehow represent Britpop at its Satanic, nostalgia-inducing, Weller-shagging
worst – and I’m not about to change your mind about that here. But it’s a
lovely little tune if you can get past all that, and arguably much better than
the single it was initially bolted onto as a throwaway bonus track. (That particular single has yet to make it onto one of Sam's compilations. But I might add it to the next one.)
Where will this CD go next? Find out soon… as if you care.
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