Miscellaneous - December 2004/January 2005

  by Dixie Ernill

published: 9 / 2 / 2005

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Article

December 2004 December is always a quiet month for new releases (unless you want some re-issued best of Xmas songs or Sir Cliff’s latest dirge), so I took the opportunity to snap up an older release I’d been eyeing up a while. Step up to the plate the Kitchens of Distinction! I’d first come across them back in my university days (It’s no wonder I only lasted a year when I spent most of my time buying records or watching gigs!) in 1990. A fellow, older, student, who certainly knew his music, told me they were worth checking out, so I bought a white label copy of their classic 'Drive That Fast',a few months later and I was hooked. Driving, but melodic guitars, genius lyrics and a decent voice won me over. I bought all future releases and tracked down much of their early stuff as well, but somehow their last LP 'Cowboys and Aliens' slipped by and the group disbanded soon after. The singer, Patrick Fitzgerald, re-surfaced as Stephen Hero in 2000, but some of the spark had gone. A couple of years back, a retrospective best of CD, 'Capsule', was released. So when I saw it in my usual second hand record shop for a miserly £6, I purchased it without hesitation. All the classic tracks from their first 3 albums were there and some from the aforementioned 'Cowboys and Aliens' too. To make things even better, a second CD of rare B-sides and demos came with it, which kind of contradicts my theory about best of’s at Xmas time! I also bought a couple of new singles in December, Morrissey’s '“I Have Forgiven Jesus' (not my choice of new single from the excellent 'You Are The Quarry'” LP, but the timing of the release highlights Morrissey under-rated sense of humour) and Gene’s farewell single, 'Let Me Move On'. I like Gene. When they burst onto the scene in 1994 with a string of superb singles 'For The Dead', 'Be My Light, Be My Guide' and the anthemic 'Olympian') and spell-binding live shows, I was convinced they would be massive. The usual press back-lash followed and while their later releases never really matched those early triumphs, they still had a lot to offer and still knew how to put on a performance. Unfortunately, I didn’t catch them on their final round of gigs, but at least I bought the single to ensure my collection of their records remained complete. The last item I shelled out for was the Cinerama DVD (I’m finally catching up with technology – an iPod will follow in 2008!), 'Get Up And Go.' A fly on the wall on the road (if there is such a thing!) documentary. It’s OK, but I would have preferred a few more interviews than it contains rather than footage of vans being loaded and unloaded, with a soundtrack. January 2005  January is a different fishy kettle altogether. Despite the usual New Year resolution (prompted by the usual debate about lack of storage) to spend less on music, I spend loads in January. Far more than the sparse amount of Xmas money I have been given. Still, I’m addicted, so needs must and equally importantly, new groups are still emerging even in these Pop Idol times, great songs are still being written and I’m still discovering loads of great old stuff.    I’d read a few books about Morrissey/the Smiths recently and learned that the title of the classic song 'Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now'was inspired by the Sandie Shaw song '“Heaven Knows I’m Missing Him Now.' Spurred on by this gem of knowledge, I tracked down 'The Best Of Sandie Shaw' on promo CD (for just £4), which included the above song. I’m no stranger to Ms Shaw’s music – my parents had regularly played a tape of some of her sixties hits (including the brilliant 'Message Understood') during my childhood and I had collected a number of these on 7” since – but stupidly, I half expected the song to sound like the Smiths. Of course it didn’t, but the collection is still a fine example of her work! I also received the unexpected news from a friend in Germany that he had tracked down a copy of the promo only '1000 Screaming Girls' CD single by the superb Experimental Pop Band, and it was winging its way from Berlin to Summerseat. Coming with 2 excellent unreleased tracks, it brought my collection bang upto date. As a “thank you” I sent him a parcel of various odds and sods of old vinyl, which he fully appreciated. Music transgresses borders in a way nothing else can! I also received another parcel from overseas, but this time I’d ordered its contents - a split CD single featuring 4 tracks from both Novillero and the underrated London pop merchants, Spearmint. It was the latest release in the Intercontinental Pop Exchange series on the great Canadian label, Endearing. Also included was a free 20 track sampler of other bands on their label, which had some pretty neat stuff on it. I say again “music transgresses borders in a way nothing else can”! I also had another blitz on 7” singles, buying them up like a bargain hunter at a car-boot sale. Interpol’s 'Evil' and the Wedding Present’s great 'I’m Further North Than You' being the pick of a fine crop. It’s great the have the Wedding Present back (not that David Gedge’s interim musical vehicle Cinerama were a disappointment), but I’ll expand more on them after I catch their home town gig in Leeds on 6 March. Other bits and pieces that have made it back with me from secret shopping trips (to avoid questioning eyes from my better half) include CDsingles by I am Kloot ('Dark Star '– I already had a promo copy, but now they are making strides again, I thought I’d better complete my collection with it), Cranebuilders (good stuff – check them out), Weather Prophets (fine compilation of singles etc. from late 80’s) Amsterdam (patchy) and Adam Green (catchy). The one big disappointment of January is that the under-rated Trash Can Sinatras played in Manchester on the one night I was out of town. Their UK gigs have been limited over the years and I doubt they will be in Manchester again………still I’ve got a few gigs lined up for the rest of the Spring, so at least I’m seeing live music again and meeting one of my resolutions!  

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