Louis Eliot’s Rialto were a particular favourite of mine in
the late 90s post-Britpop landscape, mixing Suede’s urban glamour with more
personal, storytelling songs like Monday Morning 5:19
and Summer’s Over.
Although they didn’t really make it in the UK, apparently they were very big in
Southeast Asia, where they even managed to knock Celine Dion off the top of the
album chart. They split up in 2004 when Louis went solo… so I figured there was
as much chance of a new Rialto record this year as there was of Pulp getting
back together.
Neon & Ghost Signs picks up where they left off, as
though the last 21 years never happened. It was never going to win them an army
of new fans, but for anyone who remembers them from the first time round, it
does the job. Although the lead single clearly owes a huge debt to Kylie… but
there’s nothing wrong with that.
15. Todd Snider – High, Lonesome & Then Some
And so we say farewell to Todd Snider, an Americana hero of
mine since the moment I first heard Talkin' Seattle Grunge
Rock Blues when it cropped up on an Uncut CD back in the early 90s.
Todd’s final album, written and recorded while he struggled
with chronic pain due to spinal stenosis, is a rambling, bluesy, low key affair
which I wouldn’t recommend to anyone who’s not sampled his work before. Start
with Songs for the Daily Planet, East Nashville Skyline or 2021’s First
Agnostic Church of Hope and Wonder. For those of us who’ve been with Todd for
the long ride though, it’s his last hurrah, and just as worthy of our time as
anything he’s ever recorded.
14. Kathleen Edwards – Billionaire
Some artists keep reinventing themselves, striving for the
new sound, trying to keep ahead of the crowd. Others take the Tom Petty
template and refuse to tamper with a successful sound, just continue giving the
people what they want. Kathleen Edwards is from the latter camp – the songs on
her 6th album, Billionaire, wouldn’t sound out of place on her 2002
debut record, Failer. (And if half a dozen albums doesn’t sound much for 23
years, bear in mind that she took 8 years off to run a coffee shop in the middle
of last decade.) If you liked any of her previous records, chances are you’ll
find much to enjoy here.
As mentioned previously, Sam and I stayed at a famous budget hotel chain while away last week. Really all we needed was a couple of beds, and a bathroom and a kettle... and it's a good job, because that's pretty much all we got. Hotel chains are using the Covid crisis to strip back the service they offer to the bare minimum, so the famous "all you can eat breakfast" has been replaced by a box of cornflakes, cartons of OJ and milk, a flapjack and a dried up pain au chocolat. Sam loved it! I longed for the days of eating so much at the inclusive breakfast bar that I didn't need to eat again all day.
This wasn't the only evidence of stripping back. On arrival, we were told that "due to the pandemic", our rooms wouldn't be cleaned while we were staying... "to avoid us having to touch any of your things". I wonder if it's also to avoid having to pay a cleaner, as the lady on reception appeared to be the one cleaning vacated rooms... in fact, I have a strong feeling there was actually only one member of hotel staff active at any one time, since when she wasn't on the reception desk, she was replaced with a cardboard cut-out holding up a mobile phone number that allowed us to contact her wherever she was in the hotel if we needed her. We'd have to do that via our mobile phone though, as there's no phone in the rooms anymore.
Still, you pay budget, you get budget, I suppose.
I have slightly more sympathy for a colleague of Louise's who booked a luxury break at a 5 Star hotel for him and his wife last week, only to be called up two days before their stay and told he'd have to bring his own bedding due to a "national linen shortage". It's not actually the sheets that are running out, but the laundries that clean them are suffering shortages and cut-backs due to covid and Brexit.
Three days into this series and I'm already losing the will to shout at the sea anymore.
Six years ago, Canadian singer songwriter Kathleen Edwards turned her back on a successful music career and opened a Ottawa coffee shop called Quitters. A bad break up, disillusionment with the music scene, and depression led her to this decision... but thankfully, the coffee helped her cope, and early this year she released her first album since 2012, a revitalised collection in which she celebrates Total Freedom.
I've been a fan since her 2003 debut Failer (how could I resist a first album with a title like that?), so it was great to have her back. On top form too.
It's getting on for a decade since Kathleen Edwards packed in music and opened up a coffee shop in Ottawa to escape the strains of the music industry and her life imploding.
When I first heard her new single, from an album to be released in August, I did wonder if being forced to close up shop for lockdown had inspired her to pick up her guitar and start writing songs again. That'd make a great story, wouldn't it? As it turns out though, the album was mostly written and recorded pre-coronavirus.
Still, it's good to have Kathleen back. She's long been a favourite of mine, and she's sounding as good as ever...
(Sound philosophy too. We all need to keep our options open at the moment.)
Alyson nailed this week's band image. Who else but the Electric Six. Any excuse to play one of my favourite videos... with Jack White on guest vocals...
Next came C, who remarked that reading (last week's post) makes it sound/feel like we were all in the same room having a good old real-life conversation (remember those?) - and I love it.
You mean we can't do that anymore, C? Oh wait, no, you're right. That sort of thing is only allowed for senior government advisers, isn't it? Silly me.
Oh, and here's C's suggestion for this week, and a fine one it is too...
Swiss Adam was the first to remark that there were "Not so many sixes..." (in comparison to last week's epic), but you won't hear me complaining. Here are his suggestions...
Didn't we have that ten posts again? I'm not sure it counts this time.
There seems to be something called Six Pack by our old chum Sting and his fellow Policemen but that certainly won't be your pick if last week's comments were anything to go by.
I've actually nothing against Sting when he's fighting alongside the Boys in Blue. It's just once all the tantric wibbly wobbly stuff creeps in that he loses me.
The Police - Six Pack
Sadly though, this appears not to be a song but a box set of early Police singles. The best ones.
Wish we'd reached this number next week, as it would have coincided with one with all the sixes in the calendar - Just think, wouldn't it be something to have been born 60 years ago in 1960 on a date with all the sixes! Something devilish about that.
So if I save this post till Saturday, it can go out on the 6th of the 6th? Are you happy to sacrifice Saturday Snapshots just for that, Alyson?
No, I didn't think so.
Shortly after this, Lynchie and George got into a debate about Dundee and moustaches which didn't involve any sixes, but was quite amusing. Then George returned with this...
The Gracious Losers - Six Degrees of Separation
Sadly, I couldn't find that anywhere on t'internet, George. But here's another song from them to make up for that...
I will gladly take any further Lee Hazlewood suggestions you want to make, CC, as they're always excellent.
Oh look, The Swede's finally up! And he's remembered which way round I like my artists & titles this week. So let's crack on with his list, since he's no lightweight like Swiss Adam and Jim...
That, on the other hand, was even worse than could have been expected from a band called Dr Mix & the Remix. It sounded like someone had left a tape recorder running in David Lynch's bathroom.
Brian, who almost beat The Swede to the game this week, was very impressed with a couple of earlier selections.
Jim in Dubai had a couple of favorites this week with Tender Trap and, especially, Split Enz. My vote goes with one of the Swede's picks... Tom Waits. I love that era around Swordfishtrombones and Rain Dogs. Here are a couple of more:
I think that did appear on the #9 post, Walter... just before I introduced the Tom Robinson Rule.
From Germany to Canada for our final contribution this week, as usual it's Douglas McLaren...
I will stick to one offering. Not likely a contender for the winning spot (as it is nearly nine minutes and an instrumental), but I like the song, and the group deserves an award for the most evocative titles:
You see, if you're going to do an "intro waiting for a song", at least put your money where your mouth is and make it a nine minute intro waiting for a song!
OK, time for my scrapings. By the way, nobody guessed my winning tune this week. I had Martin down for it, but I suspect he might have been out on his bike. Shame, it would have been an easy win for him.
(No, that does not contravene the Tom Robinson Rule.)
OK, so that brings us to the end of this week's post, and for the first time in ages, nobody has guessed my record of the week. I even went around to Martin's house and shouted through his window to have a go (on Sunday night to boot!), and all I got back was this...
Struggling. Was going to pitch Mansun and Sneaker Pimps, and they've both gone already. What am I missing? Am I going to be kicking myself?
I don't know. Maybe.
Here's a clue...
No?
What's in the box?
It's only the sequel to Se7en...
...courtesy of Evan Dando and chums.
Only 5 left, folks. Who's going to take the fifth?
D12 (which stands for Dirty Dozen) was the rap band Eminem was in before he became famous. He got the old gang back together a few years later, notably for the song below...
Those of you with better memories than me (or The Swede) may remember that that song won #35 on the Hot 100 Countdown, and at the time I remarked: "don't expect it to show up again at number 12. I can easily think of a dozen songs that would come before it." Which may have been an exaggeration on my part, but I have to stick to my word.
That was obviously a popular suggestion with Alyson, who says: it was one of my first singles. I also had a Donny pillowcase and a Donny Cap (not a euphemism for a form of contraception as I was only aged 12 - apt).
Well, I suppose that's less embarrassing than Respect Yourself by Bruce Willis. Sadly, the only version I own of that song comes from this fellow...
Speaking of welcome returns, after my plea last week, Douglas McLaren returned to explain where he's been recently... and it seems as though life is pretty unpleasant for teachers in Canada... as I can attest it is in the UK. His explanation below sounds very familiar to these ears...
...our entire school system has moved during these times to an online platform, as we figure out how to get teenagers to do work from home while they are stressed and concerned about what is going on in the world beyond their doors. And that has meant trying g to figure out how to upload video lectures, hold virtual office hours online, screencasting, web-textbooks, and a whole lot of other insanely time consuming nonsense for an old dinosaur of the classroom like me to learn.
You have my sympathy, Douglas, as all this has nearly broken me over the past few weeks, not to mention the fact that Louise is also supposed to be working from home and we've got to home-school Sam while we're doing it. If I read one more article about "how to spend your free time" or "what to watch on Netflix now we're all at home, taking it east", I'm going to scream.
Anyway, here's Douglas to tell us about his suggestion for this week...
Great Big Sea are from Newfoundland on Canada's east coast, with their lyrical and folksy "Come And I Will Sing You (The Twelve Apostles)", which I think is worth the listen.
This week's winner though. Alyson got it, but first to name it was Martin who normally spreads his bets over a whole load of tracks but this week was so certain of a win, he piled all his chips onto one bet. And guess what? It paid off...
Makes you wonder why they weren't huge... although I guess a band that size had to sell a heck of a lot of records to break even...
Next week, eleven. After that, things get really tricky. I might need to come up with some new rules...
Division One is a League (even I know that, and I know nothing about football).
People are human (well, some of them).
This is the Redknapp (formerly Nurding) I was referring to...
(You've no idea how long it took me to find a picture of her where she wasn't just in her underwear. About as long as it took me to find a picture of The Human League where Phil Oakey wasn't instantly recognisable.)
3. The desperate enemy of ladies hits ice. Not as short as you think!
Desperate Dan
Enemy = Foe
Lady = Girl (or Gel)
Ice = Berg
Not as short as you think?
Lynchie really didn't want to admit to knowing this one,,, but he couldn't resist nudging C towards the answer.
Don't blame me if listening to this song sends you into a diabetic coma. However, it reminds me of an extremely foolish, if not entirely regretted, dalliance when I was young and very, very stupid...
The Swede begins his latest post thus: "How often, dear reader, have you opened a post of your own with the
phrase 'I don't know very much about this lot, but....', or words to
that effect?"
Well, quite.
I know nothing of Annie Keating, other than that I found her 2013 album For Keeps in a charity shop and took a flyer. Turns out that was an excellent move as this is right up my street: folky country rock... let's be frank, Americana... reminiscent of Lucinda Williams or Kathleen Edwards, both of whom I love. Although Ms. Edwards appears to have put music-making on hold at the moment to open a coffee shop in her native Canada... yes, it seems she prefers Americanos to Americana.
Thank you. I'm here all week.
Anyway, in the meantime, Annie Keating makes a very welcome substitute...
Bowie. Prince. Frey. Haggard. Rickman. Lemmy. Wogan. Shandling. Paul. Martin. Corbett. etc. etc. etc.
All gone.
Trump. Boris. Cowell. Kanye. Cameron. McIntyre.
Still alive and prospering.
Let's face it, these are the end times. But let's not be down. Let's celebrate instead with ten singers who know exactly where we're all going... and still plan on having a half decent time when they get there.
We'll start off this week with a blast of contemporary American hard rock from former Gossip Girl star Taylor Momsen and her band. It's wrong in so many ways, and for admitting to liking it... well, you know where I'm going.
I'm starting to think The Long Blondes were one of the last great British indie bands. Post Britpop, they never really made it as big as they should have, and their career was cut short when guitarist and songwriter Dorian Cox suffered a stroke in 2008. They're still missed. (Although lead singer Kate Jackson releases her debut solo album very soon.)
I never grow tired of listening to Kathleen Edwards, one of Canada's finest musical exports... even though she appears to have put her glorious voice on ice for a while to concentrate on running a coffee shop. That's a sign of the times, right there...
Ah, the 80s: so much to answer for. Chris Rea's biggest hit became synonymous with a particular type of uncool dadrock that Alan Partridge would have turned up to 9 1/2 in his Kia Optima and wound the windows down while cruising up the M6. But leave all that aside and this is still a wonderfully atmospheric slice of blues-rock aided greatly by Rea's gravelly growl, particularly if you listen to the full 7 minute version.
I do like Gerard Way. He's a proper pop star. He's nicked bits from Bowie, Freddie, Alice Cooper: he understands the theatrical nature of rock 'n' roll... this one even steals its rhythm from Susanna by The Art Company. He knows his stuff. Pity his solo record was a weak stab at Britpop (!) and he seems to be focussing his attention these days more on writing comics than dressing in silly black clothes and pogoing into the crowd.
If anyone was going to end up in Hell, Robert Johnson was a good bet... considering that deal he made at the crossroads to get him where he got (arguably creating popular music while he was there).
On this track, the devil comes calling for Robert. It was only a matter of time...
Because he was such an influential artist, I felt it important to own every single Robert Johnson recording. It's not hard to do - they fit comfortably on a double CD, including the alternative versions.
Me & The Devil Blues has been recorded by everyone from The Doors to Cowboy Junkies to Gil Scott Heron (and Clapton, obviously). But none of them ever tried to beat Bob...
As usual, Tom hits the nail on the head. What is he building in there?
Why be sweet, why be careful, why be kind? A man has only one thing on his mind Why ask politely, why go lightly, why say please? They only want to get you on your knees There's a few things that I never could believe
A woman when she weeps A merchant when he swears A thief who says he'll pay A lawyer when he cares A snake when he is sleeping A drunkard when he prays I don't believe you go to heaven when you're good And everything goes to hell, anyway
I was a big fan of Chris Isaak back in the early 90s, but he'd slipped off my radar somewhat until I heard him on Bob Harris a few weeks ago. This song in particular sold me on his latest album (2015's First Comes The Night), which turned out to be a terrific set of classic (original) rock 'n' roll songs. As on his most famous songs from back in the day (Wicked Game, Blue Hotel, San Francisco Days), he still owes a great debt to the Big O, but there's a wicked sense of humour at play amid the heartbreak: and Down In Flames is a song Elvis would have given his star spangled jumpsuit for in his latter days. (Well, except for that one line at the end of the second verse...)
James Dean bought it on the highway
Marilyn found it in a pill
Elvis died – or did he? – they're looking for him still
Some go soft and quiet
Some go out with a bang
Well it's way too late for the pearly gates I'm going down in flames
Down in flames
Down in flames
When the good times end and they count my sins
I'm going down in flames
Isaak claims to be a very bad boy in this song, but he seemed like a genuinely decent bloke when I heard him interviewed. Very funny and down-to-earth with a real passion for playing music live, even if he's no longer blessed with hits. But he'll be 60 this year and he doesn't look a day over 35... so maybe he did do a deal sometime in the early 90s that sealed his fate.
There are two distinct versions of this classic Morrissey tune. There's a typically jangly guitar-led live version which originally appeared on the Live at KROQ release and as the b-side to My Love Life. And then there's the mournful, piano-based torch original which closes the unfairly maligned Kill Uncle album, and still remains one of the most beautiful things Moz has ever recorded. Bizarrely, on Kill Uncle's 2013 re-issue ("repackage, repackage"), the latter was replaced with the former, which diminshed the whole album's impact greatly. Whoever was responsible for that switch... well, there's a warm place for you down below...
1. AC/DC - Highway To Hell
When songwriters die, we suddenly hear their lyrics in an entirely different way. That's been proved time and time again this year, from Bowie to Prince, Lemmy to Glenn Frey. But rarely was it more true than back in 1980 when Bon Scott drank himself to death in a Renault 5. Highway To Hell was Scott's last album, and many see the lyrics - particular those of the title track - as a great one-fingered salute to all those who were telling him to slow down.
Goin' down
Party time
My friends are gonna be there too
It's strange - but gratifying - the way AC/DC have become accepted by the masses over the last few years. You'll regularly hear tracks like Highway To Hell and Back In Black played on Radio 2 - a station that wouldn't have touched them 30 years ago. Bon Scott may be long gone... but he'll never be forgotten. I hope he's having a good time down there.
Which one will you be listening to when you reach your final destination?
See, I do take requests. (If you'd like to suggest a Top Ten subject, you know where the comments box is.) This one goes out to my old blogging pal Nota Bene who's been having a bit of trouble with his keys lately. Originally, I thought I might split it into two lists: songs about door keys and songs about musical keys... then I decided I'd be scraping the barrel a bit to fill 20 spaces. So they're all mixed in together here.
And if you're wondering where Melanie is... I'm saving her for another Top Ten. (Ditto, The Wurzels, but you might have to wait a bit longer for that one.)
Special mention to The Black Keys, The Mar-Keys and Stevie Wonder's Songs In The Key of Life.
You are so crazy
Should be under lock and key
You've got to be the worst thing
That's every happened to me
But I don't get angry
Got my skeleton key
I can open every door that
Stands in front of me
I tried to resist any metaphorical key songs - all the other songs on this list are about musical keys or keys that open locks. But this is really funky, and it's much better than the Urban Cookie Collective.
Sounds like the theme tune to Magic Roundabout turned into a psychedelic indie-pop song. Video looks like it was made by a bunch of 6th form Media Studies students. Therefore: brilliant.
No idea what this one's about, but as with a lot of Okkervil River records, it bounces along like a Barnes Wallis.
I'm a rich young sophisticate, I've got girls and friends.
I'm doing what I really like and getting paid for it.
There is no key, there's no plan; well, I discovered that.
And, truly, I don't think you'll find a happier man.
I'm gonna park my romance right alone the curb Hang a sign upon my heart "Please don't disturb"' And if I never fall in love again That's soon enough for me
I'll happily argue my case that in Fore!, Huey Lewis produced one of the Top Five pop albums of the 80s. But how do you follow an album as perfect - and packed with classic radio hits - as that? Well, the truth is, he couldn't. I have a great fondness for Fore!'s follow-up, Small World, but nobody could claim it to be a great record. And this, the album's big single, isn't fit to be mentioned in the same breath as The Power of Love, Stuck With You or Hip To Be Square. It kind of marks the point where the 80s started to go bad, musically. But I still love it in its own quirky way... and the video is hilariously awful. Huey always did some great comedy expressions.
Another never-before-recorded Woody Guthrie composition, brought to life by Billy & Tweedy from the Mermaid Avenue sessions.
Ain't nobody that can sing like me...
Too true, Billy.
1. Kathleen Edwards - The Cheapest Key
A great F-u song, possibly aimed at a former songwriting / romantic partner (though t'internet lets me down on revealing just who deserves Kathleen's ire). Definitely one of her best, anyway... and the video's an absolute belter, proving that in a sane world Ms. Edwards would be a star of Pink-like proportions.
I was wondering when a new record might be arriving from one of my favourite Canadians, but iffypedia informs me she's taking time off music to open a coffee shop. Which is great news for the caffeine-fiend residents of Stittsville, Ottawa... but a cold cup of dregs for the rest of us.
See also Copied Keys, another fine record from the divine Ms. E. She wins this one hands down.
Which one has the key to your heart? And which one gets stuck in your lock?
Much to Steve's horror, it came down to a toss-up between this and Right Here Waiting by Richard Marx... and you know how I love my shocking 80s tat. You'll be glad to know that sanity prevailed. For once.
No matter what video I click on tonight, youtube keeps trying to sell me the new Justin Timberlake album. Please, youtube: check my viewing history. Am I really going to bite?
Although Lou Reed doesn't actually sing that, does he? One wonders if the record company tinkered with the title because it was sung by a man... although they didn't seem too bothered about all the thinly disguised drugs references. Oh, those swinging 60s...
A great Byrdsy riff opens this classic from one of the most underrated bands in the world. I know they've had loads of success over the years, but Tom and the Heartbreakers still deserve more recognition.
1. Leonard Cohen - Waiting For The Miracle
I
first encountered this song in the soundtrack of Quentin Tarantino and
Oliver Stone's Natural Born Killers. It has the perfect mix of menace and
magic.
The Maestro says it's Mozart
But it sounds like bubble gum
When you're waiting for the miracle For the miracle to come.
Don't tell me you're still waiting for another song?
A songwriting partnership hits the ropes. Classic Kathleen.
You're cool and cred like Fogerty
I'm Elvis Presley in the 70's
You're Chateauneuf, I'm Yellow Label
You're the buffet, I'm just the table
I'm a Ford Tempo, you're a Maserati
The closing track of the greatest album of the 90s. In My Humble Opinion.
Oh and I could be a genius if I just put my mind to it, and I, I could do anything if only I could get round to it. Oh, we were brought up on the Space-Race, Now they expect you to clean toilets. When you've seen how big the world is, How can you make do with this?
1. Bruce Springsteen - Glory Days
One of the very best songs of the 80s. If I close my eyes and listen to it now, I can only remember the good parts of being a teenager...
Yeah, just sitting back trying to recapture a little of the glory of... Well, time slips away and leaves you with nothing mister But boring stories of glory days
Which one fills you with glory?
P.S. Glorious songs have been saved for another post. Don't mither.
