Violent Femmes - Add It Up (1981 - 1993)

YOURZ

The Violent Femmes were a big part of my life around their first album.  I can't tell you how many times I've sung Blister In The Sun.  For a time, I was regularly playing solo sets at a local restaurant/nightclub in the aforementioned big country town and Blister... was a regular house favourite.  I've had chorus' of very drunk football players accompanying me, I've had a roaming trumpeter jump up and play an unforgettable solo accompaniment and I've had just about all the bar and wait staff on the stage one night, backing me up.  It's a true classic and one I never tire of hearing.  I still have the single of their version of Children Of The Revolution.

Listening to this collection takes me back to the start of the 90s, when, over a period of a few weeks, I saw The Violent Femmes, Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds and Nirvana, all at the same venue in the big country town known as the Capital of Australia, Canberra.  It was crazy, it was wild and it burnt away more brain cells than I care to think about (not that I can tell, anyway).

My Violent Femmes story starts when, as a music journalist for a street-press publication, I was given the task of interviewing the bass player, Brian Ritchie, before the show.  Ever the consummate professional, my nerves got the better of me and I asked the most inane question of him right off the bat - why he had cut his well-known long hair.  His response was basically "its just fucking hair, who cares?"  Suffice to say, the interview didn't go too well after this horrendous start, despite my fawning.  At least I still got my free tickets.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE:

Huh.  Odd, after yesterday's Teenage Fanclub fiasco, I can now tell you about a band I successfully saw at Selinas.  And the only mosh pit I've ever been in (for any time, that is, I did try and mosh to The Cult but that crowd was BIG and MEAN and we ran away quickly.)

So this would have been in about 89 or 90, right in the middle of this compilation, which as far as I'm concerned gives you all the best Femmes songs.  Gone Daddy Gone, Blister, Add It Up, 36-24-36, Gimme The Car - I can go on, but hey, if you like the Femmes, but don't want to buy all the albums, this is the CD for you.  It has some great live versions too.

So there I am, about three rows of heaving humanity from the stage at the Femmes and this guy falls down in the mosh pit in front of me.  I'm doing my best not to fall over or stand on him, and he reaches back to grab me to help him up.  And this other guy, moshing next to me, who sees that I am about 50 kilos wringing wet (those were the days) reaches out, grabs his hand and helps him up.  A polite mosh pit, but then wouldn't you expect that at the Femmes?

Unlike the Pogues, who I saw later that year and where I counted about 10 to 15 people emerging from the pit bleeding from varous parts of their bodies.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

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

Teenage Fanclub - Grand Prix

MINE

I knew this story would have to come out some day.  It's one of those moments I'll remember for ever, and to this day it elicits a wince and a blush when I think about that night.

I can't remember what year it was (91? 92?) but I think it was the Bandwagonesque tour, well before Grand Prix came out.  While I didn't own the album (hey, why not?  It's even better than Grand Prix as I recall) I did love the songs and was determined to see them play.  As luck would have it, they were performing at my local pub (I've seen many international acts there but Selinas doesn't operate as a band venue any more, more's the pity.)  I couldn't get anyone else to come with me, as that was my heyday of dance dance dance and all my friends at the time thought jangly Kinks-evoking guitar-based pop was so several years ago, so I bought myself a solo ticket.  No biggie, I'd done that plenty of times.

I was a single girl then, and prone to party hard.  As I had done that week. When the evening rolled around I was feeling a little weary, so I thought I'd have myself a disco nap, set the alarm and left the light on (my sure-fire way of ensuring I'd wake up).  And woke up at 3 am, when I'm sure the band were into their fourth or fifth post-gig drink.

I can laugh about it now, but I've never seen them live.  DAMN IT ALL...

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

YOURZ

It wasn't until I started doing a little bit of research for this review that I realised I've actually seen Teenage Fanclub at the 1994 Big Day Out, when it was still at Sydney Showgrounds (a much more intimate location).  On the same day, I also saw Soundgarden, The Breeders, Smashing Pumpkins and The Ramones, so hopefully you can understand why the poor old Fannies slipped back into the forgotten recesses of my memory.

The thing that gets me about listening to Grand Prix (and, in fact, just about anything by Teenage Fanclub) is the fact this is a band from Glasgow.  The harmonies, sound and production are pure West Coast, reminiscent of everything from The Beach Boys and The Byrds to contemporaries The Posies and Urge Overkill (who were also on the bill at that magical BDO all those years ago).  These are one of the bands I heard much of over the years but never actually owned anything by them.  Bandwagonesque was probably the most discussed among my peers at the time, but this comes a close second.  I mean, how can you go past the pure bliss that is Sparky's Dream, for instance.  There is so much to like about this, I can't help but smile when I listen to it.  It probably means we have to add yet another few discs to that growing list, Mine.

Now, if only I could actually remember that show all those years ago...

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

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

The Reindeer Section - Son of Evil Reindeer

YOURZ

Music is such a wonderful synchronistic art-form.  At the same time as this album was being made, The Polyphonic Spree were putting the final touches on their debut album (reviewed here)  There are a lot of similarities between the two; massive membership, uplifting music and hooks aplenty.

I actually prefer this over The 'Spree for a number of reasons - I believe the song writing is better and the personnel making up this band are, for the most part, stars in their own right.  Featuring members of bands such as Teenage Fanclub, Mogwai, Belle & Sebastian, Idlewild and Snow Patrol, this is a Scottish indie supergroup par excellence. The well-read members of our readership would remember my scathing review of Snow Patrol (see it here) but would also remember I said this is a very different listening experience.

Son Of Evil Reindeer is the second album by The Reindeer Section and is another particularly good very late night/early morning record.  If the first is anything like this, it could well find a home in our collection too. While Garry Lightbody of Snow Patrol is all over this (both as principal writer and vocalist) it's a pity his day band doesn't sound like this.  If they did, I'd be very happy.

VERDICT: TURN IT UP

MINE

I want to thank The Reindeer Section - for making an extra-long drive home in crawl-and-stop traffic bearable.  And I'd forgotten just how relaxing and uplifting these songs are.  I'd defy anybody wearing their cranky pants to keep them on (oo-er!) while listening to Son Of Evil Reindeer.

Which, by the way, leads me into a rant about names.  Don't people think before naming their albums and bands?  And how about album artwork?  I would never have bought an album called Son Of Evil Reindeer without knowing something about it first, but I would have bought an album by the Reindeer Section, no problem.  There was a compilation album on the World Music label some several years ago that I picked up and put down about a dozen times before buying it - because it had a weird-looking skull on the cover.  Yet it contained some of the most beautiful music by artists I'd never heard of.

OK, it'd be kind of silly for people to get together and form a band called A Nice Guitar Based Pop Band and then put out an album called Some Uptempo Numbers and A Couple Of Ballads.  But really.  Sometimes people annoy me by being misleading with this stuff.  It's called marketing, guys, do a bit of research.

Anyway, I'm obviously not listening to this CD now, because the cranky pants are well and truly in place.  The only other thing I can say about it is - it's lovely hearing that Scottish accent come through (when it does).  All-around gorgeous and I have to label this a Forgotten Gem for me.

VERDICT:TURN IT UP

For more information: http://www.myspace.com/thereindeersection

Snow Patrol - Final Straw

MINE

YourZ tells me I bought this.  Which frankly amazes me.  And as I don't actually recall handing over cash for the CD, I'm more inclined to believe he means that I brought it home - maybe from a radio station I was working at?  Because I really can't imagine I ever actually liked this.

When I confronted YourZ about it, he commented that they sounded like a "B-grade Coldplay" which was exactly what I was thinking.  And wherever the pointy stick lands, my friends, it aint gonna land on Coldplay, because we don't own any.  And nor should we own any Snow Patrol.

Did I really buy it?  This is gonna keep me awake nights....

VERDICT:THROW IT OUT

YOURZ

Well, I certainly didn't mean to cause Mine to lose sleep.  There is nothing much worse than a tired Mine, let me tell ya (if you don't believe me, I can even show you the scars).

I am a little annoyed she stole my line too.  While Coldplay generally and Chris Martin specifically give me the shits, Snow Patrol don't even interest me enough to annoy me. Having said this, it must be noted that we both like The Reindeer Section, the 30 odd strong Scottish indie super group formed by Snow Patrol leader, Gary Lightbody, and made up from members of Teenage Fanclub, Mogwai, The Vaselines, Belle & Sebastian and Idlewild, to name but a few.  From the outside, it might all appear to be the same but trust me, it is a very different listening experience altogether.

I can't even be bothered arguing with Mine about who added it to our collection.  But I'll be happy to see it go. My final words are ones of caution - misquoting Mr Frank Zappa - don't eat the yellow Snow Patrol.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

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

The Lightning Seeds - Sense

YOURZ

I have vague recollections of this band for some reason I can’t figure out. Listening to this album didn’t help. It kind of sounds like a Pet Shop Boys rip-off but I might be wrong. It certainly sounds like nothing I would pay money for even though I have brought some absolute crap in the past.

I’m hoping Mine thinks the same way.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

MINE

It's funny, but I haven't listened to this album all the way through for ages. And while the title track always makes me smile and sing along, by the time I got to A Cool Place I was thinking how this could be just another generic late 80's-early 90's British indie-pop band (think Prefab Sprout, XTC, Teenage Fanclub).

In fact the whole album's a bit same-y. Not to say that it's bad, but it made me realise why I've taken my favourite songs and put them on my iPod. Because I don't really need all of them. Mind you, although Blowing Bubbles isn't one of the songs I've iPodded, it'll always make me smile, because of its status as "The Michael Jackson song" in a previous relationship I had. (Get it? Oh boy, I've made some enemies there.)

I must admit I haven't bought any more of the band's work - although I've been tempted by Jollification and I'm very fond of their football song Three Lions.

Anyway, I've been wondering why I've hung on to this album for so long, and now I know. I've been waiting for the invention of the iPod! Objective achieved.

VERDICT: THROW IT OUT

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