nice slice of 50's piano-based novelty rock n' roll. at first this sounded pretty average to me, but when the second verse kicked in, and he started singing like a girl as he'd mentioned earlier in the lyrics, i knew it was a keeper. if you hang in there for the third verse, you'll hear where the man got his nickname, too:). i'm heavily into fifties and early sixties "semi-novelty" records, so this was pretty much like hitting the jackpot.
it's the only song of his i've heard that's done anything for me, though.
08 Sep 04 ·n-jeff: Heh, I put this song on this years holiday tape I did for my 6 year old daughter. Quality, cheered me up whenever it rained. I went to see him perform in the 80's in a little pub in Putney. Can't remember a thing about it though apart from it being an old style Rhythm and Blues session. The only other song of his I know (and it was a big hit IIRC) is a ballad in the style my grandmother would have loved. And I can't remember the name of it, but its not a patch on this one.
"I sing like a girl, and I sing like a frog" 16 Aug 06 ·bmsmithsmith: Good choice. First heard this on the Sounds of Monsterism Island compliation. It's a great feel good rock 'n' roll number guaranteed to put a smile on your face.
brilliant version of the marvin gaye classic. the funk bassline, primitive drumming and the sheer energy of ari up's semi-braying vocals is what makes the song for me. often i find the slits' songs a bit directionless, but this one really hits the spot. look into miy window while this is playing. chances are i'll be doing some sort of jerky white guy- dance.
available on CD - cut (bonus track) (antilles)
11 Feb 05 ·Ricard: Totally agree... straight from the ominous chanty intro and drum break this one really makes you want to dance.
one of my favourite tracks from the new album. it's one of his dark plucked string- ballads, quite a simple melody really, but the subtle brass and the mournful moaning of the background vocals makes truly beautiful. and then there's the lyrics..
"behind a smoke coloured curtain, a girl disappeared
they found out that the ring was a fake
a tree born crooked never grows straight
she sunk like a hammer into the lake"
stunning.
i am SO going to buy this album when it comes out, even though i've got the mp3's (sorry mr waits!). a part of me hoped that this album wasn't going to leak, so that i could get the whole package with the liner notes and all at once, but then again some things are just too good to wait for..
(hope they avoid the glossy plastic paper of the alice booklet this time. that was just plain wrong. didn't fit the subject matter at all..)
the perfect teen heartbreak country ballad. the arrangement on this just BLOWS me away. check out the dissonant strings and the gentle steel guitar! not to mention skeeters vocals.. she never sounded better in my opinion, it just comes across as so goddamn heartfelt. marvel at the heavy, deadpan spoken word section at the end!
A desert island break-up song if there ever was one:)
Why does my heart go on beating
Why do these eyes of mine cry
Don't they know it's the end of the world
It ended when you said goodbye
19 Oct 04 ·jeanette: Skeeter sadly died earlier this month. This is a gorgeous song, also brilliantly done by brit-chick Twinkle who I've enthused about elsewhere on these pages. I also love Skeeter's poppier moments, in particular the superlative I Can't Stay Mad At You. 19 Oct 04 ·olli: twinkle covered this? ooh, can't wait to hear it, i totally dig "golden lights"!
checked it out for the novelty value, stayed with it because it's simply a beautiful song. wouldn't have guessed this insane bastard had something as good as this inside of him. reminds me a bit of a starker, less musically developed townes van zandt actually.
