Aug 182009
Here’s another mix that hints at a type of Olde Time music, but of the English variety. For some reason, this nation’s old-fashioned music seems less foreign than my own country’s pre-rock music. Must be something about English envy.
This is a collection of rock music, mind you, but I think some of you will find it challenging.
For this mix, I SUMMON none other than one of our proudest Americans in the Halls of Rock, Townsman Mwall.
The rest of you are also encouraged to dip into this mix and share your experiences.
I’m looking forward to listening to this bur right now the link doesn’t seem to be working, at least for me. I’ve been able to download the others no problem.
Yes, there’s something wrong with the link.
I managed to download these. You need to change the coma to a period after the “www” in the link.
Thanks, cdm. I’ve downloaded it and am prepared to listen to it from my pro-American music perspective.
I hope people won’t be surprised if I turn out to know this music better than they think. But hey, maybe I won’t.
Let me guess. Is track 4, Steve Hillage or Gong with Hillage on Guitar. It sure sounds like him.
It’s definitely Hillage, Geo, with or without Gong. I say without, because the arrangement’s not otherwise overly fussy, although the choral vocals kind of blow.
Man, these things are coming too fast and furious for me to keep up!
I had no clue about a lot of this stuff. I finally figured it out, but I was going to ask how come the last track sounded so much like XTC even though that’s not Andy or Colin singing.
I agree that the last song sounded like an overly watery and indulgent XTC, Steve.
I’ve played this music ONLY for the last two days and have my report ready to write up later.
As requested, I have listened to this music and this music only for the last three days. I’m now stopping and providing my report:
Track 1: Maybe this Hear Factor CD really was made to challenge me, because some of you may know that “Village Green Preservation Society” is my least favorite Kinks song. And yes, three days later I still hate it. I found a new way to think about it though that could almost make me like it better: take the lyrics to be that of a character(s). That way the phony nostalgia becomes a sketch of a voice obsessed with an out-of-touch rural fantasy. That almost works, except I don’t hear enough irony to make this new version automatically seem convincing. It still could be that the Kinks believe (or half believe) this shit. Ultimately I can’t tell. By the way, a rock band that became famous on oh-so-modern power chords bemoaning the loss of a fakely nostalgic rural past is about as convincing as an Indy 500 driver wanting to go back to the horse and carriage age. Still, the song otherwise has good musicianship throughout.
Track 2: Either a Roy Wood tune (though it’s perhaps too acoustic for that) or someone else whose music I really don’t know. Maybe Roy Harper? There’s some intriguing guitar. Got me. The song is indeed a bit off and weirdly pitched in all its elements, but it was fun.
Track 3: Okay, I like modernized electric versions of British folk material. I don’t recognize this song or band: Renaissance? Early Strawbs? Still, while I enjoyed it, similar songs by Fairport Convention or early Steeleye Span kick its ass.
Track 4: Steve Hillage’s “Electrick Gypsies.” What a goofy song. The lyrics are pure 1968 but the song was first released in 1979. I like the sound of the guitar but the choral vocals are a little worse than goofy. Enjoyable prog that’s laughably out of touch.
Track 5: A pretty good glam tune. To be honest I checked my own collection to make sure this wasn’t a deep track off “The Hoople” that I’d forgotten about, although the singer obviously isn’t Ian Hunter. But in fact it’s more campy even than that album.
Track 6: A nice sub-VU groove. Mixed feelings about the corny novelty low vocals. Good guitar here. Funny keyboard break. No idea who it is.
Track 7: For a moment I was wondering if this was Wreckless Eric until I realized he was singing the following song. Good groove, goofy strings, funky break, good guitar. No clue who this is, but I don’t think I’ve ever heard Ian Dury, which was a name that crossed my mind.
Track 8: Okay, here’s Wreckless Eric’s “Semaphore Signals.” I like this song. Funny though: minus the vocals it sounded like it could be an early Screaming Trees song.
Track 9: Can this band sound any more like the Byrds at the opening? It becomes a bit more British and power pop later. Nothing to write home about, as far as I’m concerned.
Track 10: A pretty enjoyable psychobilly number, if a little restrained compared to the best Cramps. Don’t know who this is. It has too much tunefulness to be Gun Club and plus it’s British, right, or at least not American–Nick Cave (my knowledge of his work is spotty) crossed my mind, but I’m pretty sure it’s not him.
Track 11: This is Martin Newell, yes? Very Brit pop post-XTC sound. Lyrics didn’t quite do it for me although they were okay. The song sags in spots where XTC would rock. It’s okay but didn’t come close to wowing me.
Overall, I enjoyed listening to this comp quite a bit. There were indeed entertaining quirks throughout. I could be convinced to hear some of these songs in the context of their original albums. Still, most of them reminded me of other better songs that I already know.
Great job, mwall! You got 1, 3, 4, 7, 8, and 11.
I’ll give more details tomorrow in case anyone is intrigued by your comments and wants to play along.
Track 2 is The Incredible String Band, right? The tip off was the weird falsetto vocal part with harmonies at the end of the chorus. It sounds a little less full of finger cymbals and droney lutes than their usual sound. Is this one of the earliest albums?
At one point in the early 70s, I had my fill of English bands. I got over it, though.
I still occasionally listen to Steve Hillage’s first record, Fish Rising. Great Dead-inspired English Psychedelic noodling.
Track 6 is Kevin Ayers. From this distance, is seems very influenced by Lou Reed circa Transformer, especially the arrangement/production. Think “Vicious”.
Bingo on 2 & 6
Pretty deece. Most of it was not particularly my cup of tea but overall not a bad listen.
Cool guitar in #4
I liked 6 a lot. It reminds me a bit of the Spanish Stroll by Mink DeVille (God rest his soul).
8 was definitely my least favorite. I’ve not heard that much Wreckless Eric haven’t like any that I’ve heard.
I really like 9. Maybe it’s derivative but it sounds great.
Who’s #10?
By the way, everything the Goodle Days mix was right up my alley. I’ve been meaning to check out the Light Crust Dough Boys for quite some time. They kicked ass. Also, is that the original version of Ragged but I’m Right? I’ve only heard George Jones version. Excellent stuff.
Cdm, there’s a very reasonably priced 4-CD set called Doughboys, Playboys and Cowboys: The Golden Years of Western Swing that has the Light Crust Dough Boys, Bob Wills, Spade Cooley, etc. I recommend it highly. Tracks 2, 3, & 4 from the Goodle comp are included on there, and I recommend it highly.
I think I’ve seen that one before. I’ll check it out. Thanks BigSteve.
I didn’t make this comp to challenge anyone; I guess that’s Mr. Mod’s job to link up the collection with an RTHer.
I long ago recognized my affection for eccentric British artists and this comp was an attempt to gather those types together (although I did forget Roy Harper – whom mwall mentioned – who also falls into that category and into my collection).
Here’s the track list:
1 The Kinks – The Village Green Preservation Society
2 Incredible String Band – Cousin Caterpiller
3 Strawbs – Benedictus
4 Steve Hillage – Electrick Gypies
5 Wizzard – Ball Park Incident
6 Kevin Ayers – Stranger In Blue Suede Shoes
7 Ian Dury – Superman’s Big Sister
8 Wreckless Eric – Semaphore Signals
9 The Soft Boys – Queen Of Eyes
10 Julian Cope – Hanging Out & Hung Up On The Line
11 Martin Newell & Andy Partridge – The Jangling Man
And now for a trip down Al’s memory lane…
The Kinks were one of my first loves back when they were stilled banned from touring in the US and VGPS has long been my favorite Kinks album.
Nearly 40 years ago, I was visiting a friend in Baltimore and we went to a record store, agreeing that we would each buy an album unlike anything we had. I bought Canned Heat & John Lee Hooker’s “Hooker ‘N’ Heat and Joe bought The Incredible String Band’s “The Big Huge” (sold separately but really part of a 2 LP set called “Wee Tam & The Big Huge”). My album was nice enough but I’ve never bought another Canned Heat or John Lee Hooker album; however I have about a dozen ISB albums.
The Strawbs’ “Benedictus” was a favorite of mine from back in the day when WMMR was a fresh new underground radio station, challenging Hy Lit’s WDAS-FM. I’m not sure how eccentric head Strawb Dave Cousins is but at the time I was compiling this set I wanted to hear Benedictus, so it made it on.
Steve Hillage’s L was a used find at the original Plastic Fantastic. Damned if I can remember why I bought it though; possibly the cover of Donovan’s “Hurdy Gurdy Man” except much as I loved Donovan, covers of Donovan songs never held any appeal.
Wizzard, of course, is Roy Wood in another guise. Roy’s been a favorite since I picked up the 2 LP Best Of The Move (the one with the moving van on the jacket) from someone selling albums from cardboard boxes at UPenn back in my college days.
Kevin Ayers is a real eccentric whom I stumbled upon when buying June 1, 1974 at E.J. Korvettes. It was cheap – two bucks I think – even though it was a recent release. I bought it because it also featured John Cale, Eno, and Nico. I had nothing by any of them but had read enough about them for $2.00 to seem like a good investment. That ended up costing me a lot of money, as I went on to buy lots of Cale, Eno, & Ayers (not so much Nico) along with VU, Lou, and Roxy.
Ian Dury and Wreckless Eric I discovered on that Live Stiffs on tour album.
I won’t tell you how many Robyn Hitchcock / Soft Boys albums I have – but it’s over 50.
Don’t remember how I first discovered Julian Cope, I think maybe I took a flyer on a cheap CD, Peggy Suicide.
Martin Newell comes to me because of the Partridge connection. I’ve never liked any of his other albums nearly as much as this collaboration.