The Housemartins - London 0 Hull 4

 

The Housemartins burst on to mine, and the nation's, consciousness when their third single "Happy Hour" became a top three smash hit. A jangly indie-pop song supported by a great video featuring animated plasticine figures, which were popular at the time, with four geeky looking blokes performing dance routines to the song. Many people at the time misunderstood the lyrics of the song. Rather than being a celebration of after work drinking it was a sobering critique of the misoginistic views of city trader types.

The title of their first album underlined their modest statement that they were only the fourth best band in Hull, after Red Guitars, Everything But The Girl and The Gargoyles, and there were no decent bands from London. At the time I had only heard of Everything But The Girl, and that is still the case !

I thought the album was terrific, with mostly, simple, breezy fun pop songs, strong harmonies with clever lyrics displaying a mixture of angst, frustration and wit. There were many sharp observations in amongst the unusual mix of Christianity and Marxism

"Happy Hour" remains an almost perfect pop song and the follow-up "Get Up Of Our Knees" doesn't let the side down, with another great tune, some piano and a chanted chorus. Mid-way through the song fades to some softly spoken lyrics before eventually the loud angst returns.  "Why shoot someone tomorrow you can shoot today !". Other outstanding lyrics included :

"Paupers will be paupers, bankers will be bankers
Some own pennies in a jar, some own oil tankers
What may sound like tomorrow could be ours today
There's no more need for sorrow if we get off our knees to pray, off our knees to pray"

There is a change of pace with "Flag Day", a slow piano ballad that's over 5 minutes long and perhaps a little too earnest for its own good.

The upbeat tempo returns with "Anxious", with a 1960s skiffle riff and the rest of the band sing the chorus.

"Reverends Revenge" is a short harmonica dominated instrumental, only one minute 28 long. Its a lively toe-tapper although the guitar riff is similar to that in "Happy Hour".

Side One ends with "Sitting On A Fence" another jangly pop song, with a high pitched vocal for chorus.

With a sigh to begin with "Sheep" starts Side Two. Another simple, strong pop song with a nice bass line and great backing vocals. With a short staccato guitar solo, it's a killer pop song and a surprise it wasn't a monster hit.

"And when you see a cane, I see a crock
And when you see a crowd, I see a flock
It's sheep we're up against"

"Over There" is another tuneful pop song and I love the pre-chorus :

"Every hour I have to count to ten
And a thousand times I've thought again
But it seems I've given all that I can give"

"Think For A Minute" is the second slower paced number, and another with a high pitched vocal from Paul Heaton. For me, it was an odd choice for the final single from the album.

"We're Not Deep" has some catchy singalong "ba ba baba baba ba" do-wop singing, and there is more nice bass from Norman Cook.

"I open my curtains at 7am
Just so you think I'm up with the rest of the men"

The gospel influenced "Lean On Me" is the final ballad, featuring just piano and voice. It's not to be confused with the Bill Withers song of the same name !

The album finishes with "Freedom", a standard R&B offering.

London 0 Hull 4 remains an enjoyable album to listen to despite some of its politics. It's hard to think that Paul Heaton went on to form the Beautiful South whilst Norman Cook became Beats International and Fat Boy Slim !

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. Happy Hour
2. Get Up Off Our Knees
3. Flag Day
4. Anxious
5. Reverends Revenge
6. Sitting On A Fence

Side Two :

1. Sheep
2. Over There
3. Think For A Minute
4. We're Not Deep
5. Lean On Me
6. Freedom

Released 1986
UK Chart Position : 3

Singles :

Flag Day ( - 1985 )
Sheep ( No 56 - 1986 )
Happy Hour ( No 3 - 1986 )
Think For A Minute ( No 18 - 1986 )

Heart - Dreamboat Annie

 

I had never heard of Heart when a friend at school gave me their first album to listen to. Given that he was into bands such as Deep Purple and Dr Feelgood, I was a little surprised to hear a mostly melodic album with a nice mix of acoustic guitars and mainstream rock songs. I liked it, but it was a few years before I purchased my own copy, snapping it up at a bargain price of £4.29 in a sale, although I don't know where from !

Early in their career, Heart were viewed as a Canadian band, being part of the music scene in Vancouver and at a time when radio stations had low quotas on non-Canadian bands that could be played on the radio, Heart qualified as being domestic. It was only a while later that I discovered that they were actually American and came from just over the border.

One of their unique points, at least in the 1970s, was that their material was written by two sisters, Ann and Nancy Wilson, with Nancy being one of the two guitarists in the band, whilst Ann was the vocalist.

The three singles from the album were hits in the USA to break the band in their home country and became rock radio staples, and although the singles failed to register in the UK, the album entered the top 40.

I thought side one was particularly strong, and I can still remember all five songs, but apart from the reprise of Dreamboat Annie, my memory of side two was a little hazy.

The album opens with "Magic Man". A simple, rocking beat, extended guitar solos and keyboards give it a more “epic” feel beyond its melodic hook in the verse and chorus. It's a well constructed song with a great vocal.

The first of three version of "Dreamboat Annie" follows,  "( Fantasy Child )" is only 70 seconds long with a gentle plucked guitar and a gorgeous vocal. It probably should have opened side, like "Pigs On A Wing" on Pink Floyd's Animals.

"Crazy On You" is another stunning song. The finger-picked acoustic intro leading into fast paced strumming before the riff comes in. It has a good hook, magnificent interludes, and a pleasing middle section and guitar solo.

"Soul Of The Sea" is outstanding. A tender guitar ballad with layered strings, lovely guitar patterns and a majestic vocal. The middle section is odd, and has sometimes been referred to as being Led Zeppelin-esque although I can't say I see this,  but it works, before drifting back to the original chords and verse.

The side closes with "Dreamboat Annie", a fast paced folk song version with layered harmonies and picked acoustic guitar and banjo. At just over two minutes, it could go on for longer !

Side two begins with "White Lightning & Wine" a standard, bluesy rocker.

I had forgotten just how great the next song was. "( Love Me Like Music ) I'll Be Your Song" starts with strummed acoustic guitar and has some nice slide guitar and liquid bass lines making the vibe almost country. It's a beautiful song, with a great sing-a-long chorus.

"Sing Child" is an aggresive rocker featuring a Jimi Hendrix style guitar solo and jam in the middle along with some Ian Anderson-like flute by Ann Wilson. This does sound like Led Zeppelin and Ann even sings like Robert Plant. It's my least favourite song on the album though.

"How Deep It Goes" is another nice song, with an acoustic guitar intro, nice bass flourishes, some strings, piano and more flute.

The album closes with the melancholic "Dreamboat Annie ( Reprise )". A much slower pace, with piano and strings, a tender flute solo ahead of dramatic strings, before the acoustic guitar outro from the Fantasy Child version brings it to an end.

It was great to listen to Dreamboat Annie for the first time in many years, and it remains a classic album.

 

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. Magic Man
2. Dreamboat Annie ( Fantasy Child )
3. Crazy On You
4. Soul Of The Sea
5. Dreamboat Annie

Side Two :

1. White Lightning & Wine
2. ( Love Me Like Music ) I'll Be Your Song
3. Sing Child
4. How Deep It Goes
5. Dreamboat Annie ( Reprise )

Released 1975
UK Chart Position :36

Singles :

Magic Man ( - 1975 )
Crazy On You ( - 1976 )
Dreamboat Annie ( - 1976 )

Hawkwind - Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music

 

I purchased Hawkwind's "Astounding Sounds, Amazing Music" shortly after it had been released in 1976. The single "Kerb Crawler" had received reasonable play on Capital Radio's Nicky Horne's late night show and I thought it was a pretty good song. I was unaware that bassist/vocalist Lemmy had been sacked and poet Robert Calvert had been rehired as vocalist/lyricist.

I was aware of Hawkwind from their 1972 hit single "Silver Machine" but was ignorant of any other of their work. The purchase of this album was more in faith of being a "well known" band it must be good !

The reality was though, that I thought it was a patchy album, with the three Calvert-Brock compositions being the highlights but the rest were forgettable apart from a vague recollection of "Kadu Flyer". in fact looking at the track listing only "Reefer Madness" and "Kerb Crawler" were the only songs I could confidently recall.

Side one opens with "Reefer Madness" with the sound of underground train to start with, a great guitar riff, high energy, then rock and roll piano for the chorus. The mellotron instrumental break is reminiscent of Yes, then there is the sound of jet fighter, weird saxophone, and the spoken lyrics the type of which you might hear in a Vincent Price film. Lyrically, it is about the nightmare of smoking Marijuana, where Calvert's finger falls off and steals his stash. I'm not sure how the rest of the band felt about this anti-drug song, given their alleged reputations, but overall it is an impressive song.

"Steppenwolf" is nearly 10 minutes long and has the typical Hawkwind guitar riff. Additionally, there is Roxy Music Sax and a strong bass line throughout. The song is based on Herman Hesse's half man-half wolf character, not the Born To Be Wild band. 

There is a hypnotic violin in the middle section and some lyrics chanted in German.  Although mostly a dark piece, at times there are some nice keyboards and sax, and whilst I wouldn't go so far to give it the classic status that many Hawks fans give to it, the track sounds a lot better now than I thought at the time.

Side one closes with the instrumental blues/funky feel "City Of Lagoons". The slow guitar could be from mid 1970's Pink Floyd whilst the keyboards were part ELP/part Yes, but overall it was dull and I guess hardly something Hawkwind fans would have been expecting.

Side Two begins with "The Aubergine That Ate Rangoon",  another instrumental track with a strong bass line intro and a Kraftwerk synth pattern. Despite some nice sax and a good title, it is forgettable.

The single "Kerb Crawler" has another good riff, a driving bass line and girly backing vocals. It is the most accessible, commercial rock song on the LP and a stab at being mainstream despite a fab guitar solo.

"Kadu Flyer" has wind sound effects and piano and mellotron as part of the intro, but the vocal by Nik House is weak and the song would perhaps have benefited from being sung by a better vocalist. The long outro features sitar and violin, and the sax is more Arabic than Himalayan. The song ends with some crashing cymbals.

Side two ends with "Chronoglide Skyway", an instrumental with a dreamy synth intro but the rest is nothing special. It has been described as being psychedic Tangerine Dream.

In summary, the view that the best parts are the three Calvert/Brock songs remains, whilst the three instrumentals are largely forgettable.

Hawkwind were often describe as "Space Rock" but perhaps the phrase "spaced out" might have been more appropriate.............

Track Listing :

Side One :

1. Reefer Madness
2. Steppenwolf
3. City of Lagoons

Side Two :

1. The Aubergine The Ate Rangoon
2. Kerb Crawler
3. Kadu Flyer
4. Chronoglide Skyway

Released 1976
UK Chart Position : 33

Singles :

Kerb Crawler ( - 1976 )