The Sports - The Definitive Collection

YOURZ

One of my favourite pieces of flat black plastic, otherwise known as vinyl, is a much-played copy of All Sports, a compilation of some of The Sports best tracks and released in 1982.  (And even after all this time, this album still sounds as good as it did back then - I bet the same can't be said for a CD of the same age).

This, The Definitive Collection, with two CDs, obviously has a lot more songs than that old vinyl album and covers the entire period the band were together from 1976 to 1981, including both inspired and dubious selections for cover songs (I still can't believe they even bothered with Donovan's Sunshine Superman but love their versions of both Wedding Ring and Walk In The Room).  Given the short period the band were together, their output and, more importantly, the influence they had on other artists, defines them as one of the best bands of their time.

Defined as a new wave band, an amazingly thin definition, The Sports were so much more.  Smarter than the average punk rocker, more intelligent then most other bands and defiantly original, they wrote songs with enough twists and turns to mark them uniquely their own.  They also knew how to write a great hook.  Stephen Cummings voice is unmistakably his own (although James Reyne made a successful career out of copying his style) and the band comprised of some of the best musicians of the time.  That they were signed to the same British label as Elvis Costello - Stiff Records - probably says more about them than anything else.

In the six years they were together, they gave Australian and world audiences such classic tracks as Who Listens To The Radio, Reckless, Strangers On A Train, How Come and Don't Throw Stones as well as lesser known but equally as fine tracks such as Suddenly, Black Stockings (For Chelsea) and Live Work And Play among many others.  It goes without saying that if this band were British or American, particularly at the time they were performing, they would have been huge.  In my mind, they still are... 

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

So, I guess it's time for me to trot out my Sports story.  Or really it's a Stephen Cummings story - he's the lead singer.  Anyway, I worked in a bar on New Year's Eve in 1983.  And anyone will tell you, it's a bummer working NYE and even more so if the people you're serving are getting legless while you stay resolutely sober.  Of course, all the waitresses had begun the night sampling a little weed, as we did, but that wore off pretty quickly once we'd served our third round of cocktails. 

I was keen to wrap things up pretty quickly once it hit 1984 and head off across town, where my future husband (the first one, not YourZ) was having fun at a party in the very decorative Victoria Barracks.  Have I mentioned he was an Army officer?  They threw great parties.  So I've walked and I've walked and I've walked across town, with not a taxi in sight, when on the back streets of King's Cross I manage to hail one by leaping across the road, heedless of life or limb.  To steal the cab from Stephen Cummings.  And let me tell you, even though I was in awe of the man, I had no regrets, having been on my feet for hours beforehand and walking half way across the city before finding the cab.  However, I'd like to take this opportunity to apologise.  Sorry, Stephen.  Hey, we bought this CD... hope you got a royalty or two.  And I really, really like it!

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://lovetown.net/discog/sports.html (scraping the bottom of the barrel for this one)

Led Zeppelin - Remasters

MINE

OK, there's not much I can say about this.  While they're giants of rock, all hail the mighty quartet, they were always firmly in the boy-music side of my brain.  So it's nice we have the remasters, and I can listen to it and admire the sheer mastery of the music.

BUT, this means I can tell you the story my girlfriend told me about the time Page & Plant were touring, not so long ago.  She was working at the hotel they were staying at in Sydney, and said Pagey was so out of it, he was dribbling in his meal.  Her words?  "Not that good in close-up, a bit crumbly".  This kind of confirms what I've always called the "rotting dinosaur flesh" part of rock.  It's sad when you see what used to be a great talent, and they're only just holding it together.  But then there are people who just go on and on and on and stay feisty and perform like the true troopers they are.  Elvis Costello, anyone?

Anyway, back to Zep.  Listening to this, I noticed there seems to be a suppressed snicker at the start of Whole Lotta Love.  Wonder why?  I always thought this would be a great stripper's song. Anyone else? Only me, then.  (YourZ sez: nah, I'm with ya, hon - I'd be happy to talk to a few strippers about this, if you want).

If you haven't got any Zep, this would be the (double) album for you.  It's got all the great stuff (Immigrant Song, Dazed and Confused, Black Dog, and of course Stairway - hi Kevin!)  plus of course the overblown and ridiculous (Battle of Evermore and Achilles Last Stand) but in every way it celebrates a band at its peak.

VERDICT:TURN IT UP

YOURZ

Woah, boy, what is it about this band, ay?  I remember when I was 13 or 14, lying on the lounge room floor of a friend's place, listening to Led Zeppelin II for the first time, in quadrophonic stereo, and being absolutely blown away by the soaring rush of Track 1, Side 1 - Whole Lotta Love. 

Page's guitars and Plant's voice screamed back and forth over my head.  I remember the hairs standing up on the back of my neck and feeling a rush unlike anything I'd ever felt previously.  I think it was this single incident that set me on the path to pursue the rock and roll dream. 

What is it about a band whose last proper album was released in 1979 yet still have such rabid support and unswerving loyalty.  (Yeah, I know, if I could find this secret, I'd be a fuckin' rich man by now).  Even so, there are not too many other bands in the world who garner the same sort of passionate fandom. 

But Led Zeppelin weren't just about the music; they were everything.  Fashion icons, cultural landmarks, trendsetters, innovators and inspirators; this band of four men changed the rock and roll landscape forever.  Boys wanted to look like them and girls wanted to... well, you get the drift.  Their capacity for the lifestyle was prodigious, the stuff of legends (although perhaps overblown) while their music is still as engaging today as it was when they first made it.

This collection isn't definitive, at least not for me.  I think this is probably how a lot of people feel about this collection because Led Zep fans have their own personal favourites, album tracks (when albums were still being made, unlike a lot of today's releases which are singles and fillers) which haven't made the cut for re-release, songs that hold special significance for the individual.  But isn't it always the way?

Oh yeah, and about that young lad lying on his friends floor and dreaming of being a rock star?  Well, the dream faded sometime ago but thankfully, at least for Led Zeppelin, their songs will always remains the same.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.ledzeppelin.com/

The Stax Story

YOURZ

Welcome to the second of our compilation reviews.  The choice of this collection was another no-brainer for both Mine and YourZ (truly).  It is a stunning document of a label whose influence is without doubt.  Just look at their roster: Carla Thomas, The Mar-Keys, Booker T & The MGs, Otis Redding, Albert King, Isaac Hayes and so much more.  I mean, whether you like R&B, soul or blues music, there is no denying the potency of the Stax label.

I have to thank Mine for having the good sense (and taste, of course) to ensure she had this in the collection.  The only problem I have with reviewing it is trying to figure out which disc (there's four of 'em) I most prefer.  What this essentially comes down to for me is familiarity (as it does for most of us).  Tracks such as Green Onions and Groovin' by Booker T & the MG's, Walking The Dog by Rufus Thomas, Soul Man by Sam & Dave and Dock Of The Bay and These Arms Of Mine by Otis Redding all evoke powerful memories from my childhood. 

But there are also some lovely surprises among the tracks too.  I am very familiar with Elvis Costello's version of I Can't Stand Up For Falling Down but had never heard Sam & Dave's version (still prefer Elvis' version more).  And to hear Isaac Hayes sing the disco classic I Never Can Say Goodbye is a treat, as is the original version of Respect Yourself by The Staple Singers.

I've only really touched on some the gems contained on The Stax Story.  There are so many more (anything touched by Booker T, for instance or some of the other tracks by Sam & Dave or Otis Redding).  If you like this music, you may well already have this collection or, at the very least, some of the artists featured here..  If you don't know this music, you couldn't do much better than this as a starter kit for your learning pleasure.  Either way, you gotta have soul, man.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

I was introduced to the idea of this kind of compilation back in the 80s, with the Atlantic Rhythm & Blues collection.  Back then I was poorly paid (some things never change) and couldn't afford the whole thing so I bought Volume Six.  And I'd love to hear it again, but it's currently languishing with the rest of the vinyl, unplayable.  (Do you begin to see a pattern here?) (YourZ sez: lets put it on the to-do list, huh?)

So when the Stax Story became available, at a more reasonable four-volume set, I snapped it up.  And it's been a regular on my CD player ever since, with great tunes I never knew had originals (What A Man), plus old favourites like Green Onions.  I must admit I don't play the Blues album as much as the rest, but then my general meh-ness toward the blues has already been well documented on these pages.  I defy anybody with an ounce of soul in their system not to groove along with the Hits, Finger-snappin' and Live albums in the set.

Now I yearn for the Atlantic recordings to again be mine... I'm really looking at bidding on a decent turntable in good condition on eBay.

VERDICT:TURN IT UP (get on down)

For more information: http://www.history-of-rock.com/stax_records.htm

Billy Bragg - William Bloke

MINE

Ah, Billy.  Our relationship began all those years ago, on a late-night TV music show, not with any of your recordings but with the vocal stylings of one late-lamented Kirsty MacColl (of whom, I'm freely betting, more will appear here).  Her version of your song  A New England held me transfixed.  In fact, so enamoured was I of Ms MacColl's version, I sneered at yours when I was introduced to it a short time later.

It wasn't until I heard Talking with the Taxman About Poetry - which opens with the delightful Greetings to the New Brunette and also features the transcendant  Levi Stubbs' Tears - that I really understood what you were all about.  But I've always preferred your personal songs to your political ones, despite agreeing with what you have to say, you old-skool lefty.

I've seen you - um, three or four times, can't remember - and for a while there you were one in a whole range of blokes-with-a-guitar I saw back-to-back (Luka Bloom and Elvis Costello also featured as such, I recall).  But William Bloke doesn't have much on it I like.  Everybody Loves You Babe made me smile, and The Space Race is Over echoed my feelings so well - didn't we all dream of walking on the moon?  But generally this doesn't have much in it to warrant keeping it in the collection.

Fear not though Billy, I think your best-of album Must I Paint You A Picture? will be on my to-buy list.  I can see this blog's going to prove expensive, in the end.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT


YOURZ

If there is such a thing as English country music, then Billy Bragg is definitely one of its biggest proponents, particularly on William Bloke, his eighth album.  Musically, this album moves between quiet, stripped back tunes reminiscent of Randy Newman (with a similar kind of humour too) to mid-tempo numbers.

Lyrically, Billy continues to tread pretty much the same ground he's always done, moving between quasi-political and protest songs to more personal songs about love.  Gone is the raw, raggedness of his earlier releases and in its place is a smoothness in production that, quite frankly, makes it bland and boring.

I like Billy.  He's intelligent, articulate and passionate.  He also enjoys a beer or three. He has a wonderful wit and because of this, his column in Q Magazine is one of the first things I read with each new issue.  As it is, I would love to say I enjoyed listening to this and although I tried hard to, I couldn't. Sorry Billy...

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

For more information: http://www.billybragg.co.uk/

Elvis Costello - Girls! Girls! Girls!

YOURZ

In other words, this is a 2 CD greatest hits collection of a sort. And compiled in 1989, so exclusive of the last 20 years this prolific singer, musician, songwriter and producer has worked. This works for me because, pardon the cliché, I like his old stuff better than his new stuff.

Early in his career, Elvis Costello wrote music for beach parties held by people who read Sartre and Proust. The music was referential without being derivative while his lyrics were sneery and intelligent without making him sound like a smartarse. And his delivery, coupled with his nerdy looks, fitted his spiky rock template perfectly. His marvelous band, The Attractions, only furthered his appeal.

I’ve seen Elvis a number of times live but the first time is the one that sticks in my head the most. With my younger brother, a work-mate and his girlfriend, I saw him at a small theatre in my hometown. Prior to the show, we smoked the fattest, strongest joint I’ve ever had in my life. I don’t know what else was in that spliff, but I think I experienced my first rush of true punk angst thanks to Mr. Costello.

Or maybe it was just the drugs…

Anyway, the live set included favourites such as (I Don’t Want To Go To) Chelsea, This Year's Girl, Lipstick Vogue, Accidents Will Happen, Watching The Detectives, Oliver’s Army and, of course, Pump It Up, all of which are included on this collection. While these songs haven't lost any of their vitality or relevance, there are plenty of tracks on this collection which, frankly, bore me to tears.

Having said this, the collection works as a taster for those who might not be familiar with the many aspects of this artist. For me, however, it just makes me wanna go out and by his first three albums again.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP (for the first disc, anyway)


MINE

I have a confession - I've fallen asleep at an Elvis Costello concert. In my defence, it was the Almost Blue tour (both kinds of music, country and country), and I'd just had a large Chinese meal with a couple of drinks. But it's still a blot on my career as a Costellophile.

I spent a great deal of my 20s and some of my 30s in what used to be called "serial monogamy" (despite being somewhat shaky on the monogamy part hem hem) and Elvis Costello was always part of what I still call "boy music". In fact I first bought this collection on CD for a live-in man (in a record shop in Chelsea, oh the irony). But when I had a long spell of boylessness I determined I would rectify the non-Costello part of my music collection, and re-bought this double album especially for me.

It's a reasonable collection of songs - although it misses Veronica and Good Year for the Roses, among others - and the CDs have performed a good stop-gap. But now I want to go out and buy My Aim Is True, This Year's Model, Armed Forces and Get Happy. Because all of these have spent time on turntables (remember them?) in houses I've lived in, and I'm sure Your won't mind if they make a return.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP (for Pump It Up, especially)


For more information: http://www.elviscostello.com/