I’ve seen still photos of the band Slade during their early, skinhead period, but I’ve never seen this period of the band in action! This is not to celebrate what would become known as unsavory skinhead values, mind you, but a pretty cool Look and sound. Check it out!
Hrrundi, I am counting on your commentary, in particular. You’ve gotta dig the little bass=guitar player interplay captured around 1:35. You know, we’ve been through the fire these past couple of days. It’s important that newer Townspeople, who may have been frightened during the recent Steel Cage Match, see how an occasional walk through the fire can forge stronger bonds.
Here’s another clip from the same 1969 performance. This one doesn’t do it for me; in fact, it’s a real soft-on. However, it does open the door to some healing via highly anticipated/dreaded Beatles chatter.
I know Spinal Tap was based on a composite of bands from the era, but I hadn’t realized how much of that composite included Slade.
All right, I’ll start the Beatles chatter: What’s the first Beatles cover? Is it Hendrix doing “Sgt. Pepper”? Is the second clip of this post #2? It’s among the first completely unnecessary Beatles covers, that’s for sure.
For the complete list –
http://www2.wmin.ac.uk/clemenr/covers/coversfull.html#part1
Though I realize that early Slade Look was the result of the band saying “hey, everybody has long hair these days — let’s all have SHORT hair!” … it still results in a strange, out-of-time viewing experience for those of us in the 21st century. I kept expecting this to turn out to be one of those faux-vintage videos that pop up on the MTV every once in a while. (Note to bands and directors: stop using this gimmick, already!)
Look issues aside, that’s a pretty bumpin’ song — and you’re right, the testosterone-fueled aggro on display, sublimated through guitar though it may be, is thrilling to watch. Funny how this is so much *more* aggro than their “heavier” rock that came later. No distortion to be heard, but it’s definitely nosehair-singe-ing stuff.
I give the band props for picking a truly odd Beatles song to cover. I mean… why? I am also now convinced I know the *exact* Beatles tune that space alien/time traveler Jeff Lynne programmed into his 23rd-century Emulatron 2000 to come up with, you know, his entire career.
Thanks for sharing.
Speaking of Spinal Tap, have you noticed that someone (American Express I think) is using Gimme Some Money, the Spinal Tap song from their early beat group phase (kind of like that Spencer Davis Group number) in a commercial? Irony is dead.
HVB, great observation regarding Jeff Lynne’s use of “Martha My Dear”! Great summation of all that’s right about that first track. The way it’s shot and the quality of the video reminds me of the B&W sequences in that old Nirvana video, maybe among the first of the slew of videos in that style you point out needs to be capped.
BigSteve, I have noticed the use of “GSM”. Very strange.
hvb, i could be wrong, but…counting frontwards or backwards, there doesn’t appear to be much going on at 1:35 of this vuh-deo. i’m all like “whatchootalkinboutwillis???”
and as far as jeff lynne’s use of “martha my dear” for his “entire” oeuvre, or career is concerned…uhh…not really. maybe it prompted the bouncy tempo of “mr. blue sky”, but i keep trying to think of other ELO tunes that sound like MMD, and i can’t think of any. “MMD” is way too sparse to have inspired the lushness of the flanged out 1,000 strings approach on most ELO. so i’m all like “whatchootalkinboutwillis????” AGAIN!
either way, it’s a funny idea.
BigSteve, I immediately thought the use of “gimme some money” by AmEx was funny and ironic along with the slightly amused tone of the voiceover.
Despite his claims that it was Walrus that spurred the change to ELO, I wouldn’t be surprised if Martha My Dear was an inspiration on some level to the sound of Lynne’s half of the first ELO album, Mr. Radio and Queen of the Hours in particular.
I’m absolutely convinced, however, that the direct inspiration to Mr. Blue Sky was the McCartney section of A Day In The Live.
This, Alexmagic, gets at a topic long dear to my heart, yet never quite worked out: single songs that almost single-handedly launched the career of another artist.
This topic is probably related to another topic that I have better worked out and therefore will type as using title case: Songs for Which an Artist Would Give Left Nut to Ever Match. I have feelings along these lines regarding Sly and the Family Stone’s “Everyday People” and an artist whose works we’re presently not allowed to discuss by order of the Web Sheriff.
alex, what tunes on the misnamed “no answer” are you thinking of?
“look at me now” is an “eleanor rigby” rip. “nellie” is too soulful…maybe “battle of marston moore” owes a bit to “martha”…but other than that, i really don’t hear it…at all.
and all those low register sawed strings, and the generally sinister vibe on that album support lynne’s claim that walrus was the big influence. there’s more than a few late period move tracks that also back that up.
i do agree with you that “blue sky” is more like “woke up…fellouttabed” than “martha”. so is the much “horace wimp”, right down to the panting!
shit, alex…i can’t read. you already said which tunes you were thinking of. sorry.
i hear where you’re coming from on those two tunes, given your qualification that it’s the sound. but i still think they’re too “dressed up”, too filled with effects, to have been inspired by “martha”, which is quite natural sounding, surprisingly so given its era.
Yeah, I wouldn’t say that “Martha” is the sole or even main inspiration for the album, it’s more that I can hear a lot of White Album McCartney in the way that “Mr. Radio” and “Queen of the Hours” use that affected, retro-centric delivery of Martha and Honey Pie. The sawn cellos and strings definitely come from Walrus, and Walrus was surely the conceptual inspiration for the band as they’ve said, but the influence of “Glass Onion” is probably there, too, and overall a lot of sounds from all over the White Album – Glass Onion, Martha, Honey Pie and Piggies – ended up finding their way into Lynne’s songs (“Look At Me Now” and “Marston Moor” are Wood’s) on that first ELO album.
Good call on “Horace Wimp” coming out of that Day in the Life section, too. He really mined a lot from that. He also had at least two later songs (“Across the Border” and “The Way Life’s Meant To Be”) that must have come from listening to “Heroes and Villains” repeatedly.
yeah…i agree completely, alex!
you’re identifying a strain of beatles song that the late move / early e.l.o. Lynne was after…a mccartney-heavy arc (but not exclusive of john and george) of baroque-ish songs that extends from eleanor rigby with a terminus post quem at, oh, idunno, the goofiness and whimsey of maxwell’s silver hammer. i think it includes all the songs you’ve named.
i’ve only recently rediscovered the joys of that first e.l.o. album. it’s the one i like best.