I want to be wrong about: UK '80s

[Brother Spoon]

It's their weakest record, imo. Have you tried many of the others?

Just 'Psychocandy' actually, which I like, but had led me to believe they may be a one trick band. So, I've learned from this album that they're not.
I'll get to the rest eventually.

And this one, I'll just put as an aside:

Hmmm, not sure how the Band PLayed Waltzing Matilda cn leave anyone cold. It's an astonishingly beautifully sad song about some guys in a war. I didn't think it was possible not to like this record

Well, you learn something new every day, I suppose.
It's not that I didn't like it, but I didn't know what to think about it, so I returned to something I did know I liked. Perhaps it will dawn on me ten years from now. That's happened before.

[The Modernist]

Weekend - La Varieté

For all the vaunted bossa nova influences, I hadn't heard anyone doing anything original and worthwhile with them yet. But Weekend does. Like some sort of twisted forefather of trip hop, the songs drift off into lazy, relaxed, vaguely Latin American grooves with all sorts of surprising sounds layered on top, drifting in and out of focus.
In the same way as trip hop, a little of this goes a long way, and the recurring melodies and 'remixes' of tracks (I'm guessing this since I have no information about the record), drag the record down a bit, but there's more than enough music I can enjoy here. And I hang in there for those final couple of ghostly tracks which almost seem to disappear alltogether but sound more haunted doing so than most gothic rockers' entire oeuvres.
I didn't for a minute make the connection with Young Marble Giants, but having thought about it, it sort of makes sense.

I'm pleased you enjoyed this. They were a bit more substantial than the mid eighties bossa nova revivalists, for a start they had people like spike hawkins who were stalwarts of the British jazz scene involved. The original vinyl album didn't have any remixes or anything btw. does the cd reissue feature Past Meets present? in my view their most haunting song, a truly mesmerising record with a a wonderful string arrangement. you might like to check out Working Week who came out of weekend (minus alison statton), not quite as good but they certainly had their moments, particularly Vencemeros with robert wyatt.
I don't know why you decided to review The Shop Assistants and Bogshed, but I can assure you they weren't taken seriously at the time. Very much the runts of the indie litter.

[copehead]

I don't know why you decided to review The Shop Assistants and Bogshed, but I can assure you they weren't taken seriously at the time. Very much the runts of the indie litter.

Bollocks, I took them seriously.

Bogshed are funny, quirky, driven and energetic. How can you not laugh at "Fat Lad Exam Failure" How can you not do a mad 80s skank to "Hand me down Father"?

I was gald to see some one else falling for the naive charm of the Shop Assistants as well. They may not have set the world alight by they were a damn good band who wrote great pop songs. And I can confirm that they were very good company; three beautiful women and a very charming bloke. They make a joyful, righteous racket, only disliked by po-faced chin strokers , but then I adore bis as well so what do I know?

[The Prof]

I don't know why you decided to review The Shop Assistants and Bogshed, but I can assure you they weren't taken seriously at the time. Very much the runts of the indie litter.

Bogshed are funny, quirky, driven and energetic. How can you not laugh at "Fat Lad Exam Failure" How can you not do a mad 80s skank to "Hand me down Father"?

Listen to Copehead at this point!

the Shop Assistants.........make a joyful, righteous racket, only disliked by po-faced chin strokers

Don't listen to Copehead at this point

[copehead]

Joyless, chin stroker.

[Brother Spoon]

does the cd reissue feature Past Meets present? in my view their most haunting song, a truly mesmerising record with a a wonderful string arrangement.

I don't know. The copy I have has 16 tracks and runs to 66 minutes, so I'm guessing not all of those tracks would have been on the LP. I don't know the tracknames, my copy certainly doesn't correspond with the tracklisting I found on AMG.

Perhaps Neige can help here.

It's not that any of the tracks are less than excellent, but it's a bit much in one sitting. I like it a lot.

[Brother Spoon]

Bogshed are funny, quirky, driven and energetic. How can you not laugh at "Fat Lad Exam Failure" How can you not do a mad 80s skank to "Hand me down Father"?

It gave me a bit of a headache, to be honest.

I was gald to see some one else falling for the naive charm of the Shop Assistants as well. They may not have set the world alight by they were a damn good band who wrote great pop songs. And I can confirm that they were very good company; three beautiful women and a very charming bloke. They make a joyful, righteous racket, only disliked by po-faced chin strokers , but then I adore bis as well so what do I know?

Yes, they sound like great fun. If they were a local band, I would go see them whenever I had the chance. But not all of their charm seems to have made it onto the recordings, if you see what I mean.

[The Prof]

Not all of their charm seems to have made it onto the recordings

by a strange coincidence none of their charm ever made it into their live gigs either.

[Brother Spoon]

Not all of their charm seems to have made it onto the recordings

by a strange coincidence none of their charm ever made it into their live gigs either.

But still, lovely people to hang out with, I gather.

[copehead]

Not all of their charm seems to have made it onto the recordings

by a strange coincidence none of their charm ever made it into their live gigs either.

Yeh but you don't like the Pastels either. I love all that shambolic amaturism, especially when they write killer pop songs.

They may not have been the tightest band ever, but they were one of the most fun bands I have ever been to see, and if I could go back in time to 10 gigs again, one of theirs would be in there.

Off you go chin stroker

[Brother Spoon]

What the hell?

Someone actually put these things up in 'Classic Threads'?!

Thank you.

[The Modernist]

What the hell?

Someone actually put these things up in 'Classic Threads'?!

Thank you.

If I reply to this does it mean my reply will also appear in the thread in classic threads? Or will it be like two alternate universes?

[Penk!]

What the hell?

Someone actually put these things up in 'Classic Threads'?!

Thank you.

If I reply to this does it mean my reply will also appear in the thread in classic threads? Or will it be like two alternate universes?

I guess we'll never know.