Friday, January 30, 2009

Me & Alan McGee



Some of you younger people may not recall a time when Creation Records was not about Oasis or even The Boo Radleys but artistes like these and when The House Of Love in particular were a deeply exciting musical prospect and reality and The Man at Sony hadn't yet taken his share (and Alan lost his marbles).

I've had this record since Back In The Day but it's come alive for me again in the last couple of weeks in digital form, and crikey but for the most part the stuff on it's held up well (I especially like 'Jetstream'); listening to it does tend to make you want to grow your fringe, wear black moley jumpers* and drink endless mugs of tea mind, but then it is Friday and don't say I didn't warn you.

Jasmine Minks - 'Cut Me Deep' (1988)
The House Of Love - 'Christine' (1988)
The Weather Prophets - 'Well Done Sonny' (1988)
The Jazz Butcher - 'Lot 49' (1988)
Nikki Sudden - 'Death Is Hanging Over Me' (1988)
Pacific - 'Jetstream' (1988)
Momus - 'A Complete History Of Sexual Jealousy (Parts 17-24)' (1988)

* which I am in fact currently doing.

Nerdnote: The record came out in the autumn of '88, and as far as I can tell all the tracks are from that year, but if I'm wrong about that, do shout. See here for the whole track listing.

20 comments:

  1. I think Momus is giving away his albums for free from his website currently, in much the way Billy Franks did a few years back.

    I met Alan McGee once or twice when I was working as an engineer in studios. I worked on a single by a band he'd freshly signed back in the early 90s. He came in for the final mix playback and god was he off his face. He was so wired he was rattling, and it was only about 1 in the afternoon.

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  2. I love such stories. Speaking of which, I'm reading the Alex James book at the moment - it's a hoot.

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  3. I've got this, on vinyl, my first intro to proper independent music. Great blog by the way

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  4. Simon, was he calling My Bloddy Valentine his joke band then. Complete arse, although he did catch the zeitgeist on more than one occasion.

    Thanks for these Davy.

    Airborne Toxic Event tonight.

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  5. Enjoy! And cheers to you there swissadam.

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  6. hello dave the rave.

    brass monkeys up the shed; 3 bar working overtime. nip or 2 of glen-something-or-other in my coffee. even the field mouse has a knitted bobble hat on.

    Not well up on this young un music. Is this McGee fellow the one who was Two-Ton Ted From Teddington and the Honey Monsters 'mummy'?

    Simon's a bit of a dark horse troubadour minstrel and no mistake.

    I love to learn from you lads. You're like a sturdy gusset; supportive, quietly comforting and largely under-estimated. (Any lines about being full of bollocks will be expunged forthwith).

    cheers

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  7. Dickie, Dickie, Dickie, the sad and horrible truth is that this 'young uns' music is twenty years old and rising - tempus do fugit don't it?

    Come in out of the shed though dear boy, we don't want to read JAM FAN FROZE IN ARCTIC SHED SHOCKER type headlines in The Yorkshire Post on Monday...

    That Mr Simon? Oh, yes, he's a one.

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  8. btw, hat worn by Dickie's mouse available here

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  9. Ah davester. I've come in now - spookily and I kid you not - to read the Yorkshire Post and have a tom tit.

    You could almost be singing 'I Know Him So Well'.

    Given the prospect of the weather forecaster favourite of "blizzard-like" conditions, (surely it is a fuckin' blizzard or it's not)it may be pre-frost prudent at this juncture for you and your good lady to locate your stopcock.

    By the way, who said with alarming regularity, "Ladies and gentlemen, Barbara Dickson?"

    Blimey mate, i think someone musta slipped me a Mickey Finn in the Lonestar Saloon by the Station this evening prior to my train ride home.

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  10. "Ladies & gentlemen - Barbara Dickson!" was, of course, The Two Ronnies (see also - "Ladies & gentlemen - Lynsey De Paul!" etc).

    Stopcock? STOPCOCK? Haven't seen it in years matey.

    Where are we? Rockbottom.

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  11. Inspired...

    Anyone recall (fondly) Arnold? Post Creation... Poptones...?

    "I will live my life/from pleasure to pleasure.."

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  12. Poptones vaguely, but don't ask me to sing any of their songs...Arnold, only for strange sleeves I think.

    Sorry : (

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  13. pacific were nowhere near being on my old record label but ringing them up from a phone box at the end of my road obviously wasn't quite as impressive as what creation did. i think they'd've fit our quite good but don't really sell any records ethos better though.
    x

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  14. And you'd have had lots of rare things to share with us too! Sad now.

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  15. The album came out in the summer of 88; Ballad of the Band came out in 86 and All Fall Down in 85. Well, you did ask...

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  16. Enjoyed this very much, i had a little online debate with Alan Mcgee a couple of years ago after i questioned his constant plugging of terrible bands on myspace. He seemed really quite angry that his judgement not be followed.

    The Jazz Butcher!! Thats Pat Fish, who i know reasonably well in Northampton, lovely chap.

    I've just posted a Poptones track by Arnold:

    http://blankstaresandcricketclaps.blogspot.com/

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  17. Oh. Poptones is a label. Stoopid me. Cheoz Michael.

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  18. Re: the Momus free lbums thing - if anyone's interested, and I think they might be, try this link: www.ubu.com/sound/momus.html

    Ed

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