The opening track of Edwyn's usually-overlooked follow-up to 1994's "Gorgeous George", this song is a perfect example of what orchestral pop should be.
from I'm Not Following You, available on CD (Epic)
This accursed short attention span of mine makes it nearly impposible for me to pay attention to lyrics. But Momus has a definite savoir-faire that just keeps me riveted. Nick Currie does his usual sardonic "thang" on this acoustic-guitar-and-sequencer ballad about just how great Howard DeSoto is. "I am/quite simply/the most important man alive." Makes me want to go to Montparnasse, too. Only available on Bungalow's "Suite: 98" compilation.
First heard on the NME C86 cassette which sort of defined mid 80's indie, and from well before Weatherall, 'Loaded' and samplers comes this gem. Less than 2 minutes long, Bobby Gillespie's sing song voice floats on top of super clean chiming guitars, no real verse/ chorus structure it just builds and leaves on the reverb off the guitar.
30 Sep 02 ·G400 Custom: This comes from the 12-inch of 'Crystal Crescent' as I remember, which I think is a much better song: loads of brass, a bit like the Teardrop Explodes. For what it's worth, I despise 'Screamadelica' like few other albums. The band: bunch of muppet longhairs with guitars. The music: crusty dance shite. Didn't anyone notice the discrepancy? Conclusion: Primal Scream themselves had sod all to do with the making of the album, although they did appear on its follow-up. Which was also crap. 02 Oct 02 ·n-jeff: Har, har. Get it off your chest, mate. I more or less disagree with all of that, but its not for me to criticise anyone for ranting..... 24 Jun 03 ·shaka_klaus: hey! i like that song. but i think it's probably written by beattie/gillespie. beattie later had some adventures in stereo if i'm not terribly mistaken.
Awesome reworking of the milqetoast Tommy James hit, using Sweet Inspirations-ish background singers, infectious bubbling percussion, rousing horns and some of the fuzziest guitar ever to appear on any Scottish person's record. An impeccable Miki Dallon production and a great example of British blue-eyed soul.
from I've Paid My Dues (Decca) available on CD - Indian Reservation/I've Paid My Dues (Edsel)
07 Dec 05 ·Swinging London: Very swinging indeed...never heard of Don...I'm gonna track him down though.
Very American 1969 sound...for a Scottish guy. 20 Apr 07 ·artlongjr: I thought he was English, not Scottish! Anyhow, I have
two 45s by him, "Indian Reservation" and "Lola". Of course, Paul Revere and the Raiders covered "Indian Reservation" and had a number one hit. Fardon isn't well known here in the U.S.
As any other hippie leaning lad would, I dabbled in the sound of The Incredible String Band in the late 60s. However, I don't remember anything sounding quite this good. "Charming" would be the key word here as the voices intertwine with big a dollop of moaning added for extra atmosphere. "This moment... is different... from any before it".
from I Looked Up (Elektra EKS 7401) available on CD - The Hannibal Sampler (Rykodisc)
