A Journey Through My Dusty Record Collection (Top 10 Singles)

Member Name: marandina

Product:	Top 10 Singles
Date:	28/05/02 (150 review reads)
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Well, as I’m having to wait for Dooyoo to install their new front end or whatever it is then you’ll have to make do with this opinion instead. I’ve written a rather nifty one on a great album from the late 70’s but you’ll just have to wait for that won’t you (sorry, Ilikeblue but be patient lovely Dooyoo folk)?

So, top 10 singles and sooooo many to choose from. Did you know that if a scientist were to lift up the top of your cranium and prompt certain parts of your brain with an electric shock it would prompt you to recall certain events with vivid clarity? Music’s like that too and you will have a strong association with certain records. You know, you’re driving along in your Ford Mustang or chilling on the beach when a certain song comes on transporting you to heady days or even sadder days depending on the circumstances.

So to my top 10: I’ll start of with a band that means more to me than most i.e. The Jam. Struth I could list loads of singles by the Jam as they jointly top my all time favourite band list but I suppose the single with the most evocative memories is "Going Underground" released by Polydor in 1980. I’ll always remember them singing it live on TOTP, which was a rarity in those days. Paul Weller had a pinny on for some reason but the whole rendition was oh so cool. They followed it up with a mimed version of the "Dreams of Children" which was the intended A-side of a double A release but a mix up with the pressing in France meant that Going Underground came out as the A and the rest is history. It’s an anti-nuclear piece that decries the Government stockpiling nuclear weapons when it could be spending the money on kidney machines and the like. I remember seeing The Jam at Bingley Hall in Birmingham in the early 80’s and it was the best gig I ever went to (despite the huge Mod presence in the middle of the hall). Going home after that I can&#
8217;t recall ever being so pumped up and full of adrenaline. Yeah, The Jam rocked and this single was the business. It’s been re-released now as a World Cup 2002 anthem, which you may have gleaned from listening to Virgin.

Also joint top would be The Damned. A punk band spawned in the late 70’s Dave Vanian, Rat Scabies, Captain Sensible and various bass players came to prominence in 1976 when New Rose entered the charts. Some consider it to be the first official punk single chart success but there were earlier bands that others consider punk (Lou Reed et al) so it’s a moot point. Hell fire, picking a favourite Damned single would be darned difficult but I have a special penchant for "Smash It Up". Appearing on the immortal Machine Gun Etiquette album (one of my favourites) "Smash It Up" was released in 1979. It’s made up of parts 1 and 2 where part 1 is a slow instrumental Captain Sensible stroll, very melodic and typical of the under-rated guitar playing that the Captain was capable of. Part 2 launches into a frenzied guitar thrash complete with crazy lyrics and is just so damned cool. I saw the band at the Locarno in Brum in the late 70’s and what a gig that was. Supported by Anti-Nowhere League and Charge GBH the band turned up very late nearly precipitating a riot!! For some strange reason, for a while I got called Captain Sensible and it may have had something to do with my blonde hair that was curly at the back and the fact that I was always horsing around. The captain was/is a complete idiot, you see, although a deceptively brilliant guitar player and songwriter.

Sadly, Stuart Adamson is no longer with us after his death a few months ago but he did belong to a band that really kicked ass. "The Crossing" by Big Country is a wonderful album and a number of singles were spawned from it. Appearing on the Mercury label, "Fields of Fire" was released in 1983 and is a wonderful
reflection of a superb LP. Big Country were just the best at guitar-orientated songs with a real passion and drive which always took me away to the Wild West in the US, at least in my minds eye. "Between the father and the son/Between the city and the one/Before the teacher and the best/Before the journey and the rest". I’ve seen BC a few times like when they appeared at the Odeon, New St in Brum supporting U2 and in Cardiff when they supported David Bowie on his Glass Spider tour.

In 1983, "Porcupine" was released on Korova records. Made by a band I love dearly, Echo and The Bunnymen fronted by Ian McCulloch released a number of excellent albums of which this is the best. As ever, it spawned some great singles and "The Back of Love" is a great example. High tempo, pacey guitar work and IM invective tones produced a brilliant single that became something of a club hit when re-released in later years. I saw the Bunnymen at the Odeon in Brum in the mid-80’s. I always remember my wife nodding off during the concert and us having a row on the way home as I was convinced that she’d insulted my group. Hey, what did she know anyway? She was a big fan of Tin Tin Duffy!!

Pete Wylie is a man with a brilliant voice. Fronting The Farm at one point, he was responsible for a single I still play constantly today. "The Story of The Blues" was an Eternal Recording released in 1982. Featuring Pete Wylie, Washington and some girlies according to the sleeve, this is a strong track with prominent drum back up as Pete Wylie sings a wonderful blues tune that is close to my heart. The 12" version that I have merges parts 1 and 2 (the story of The Reds). Produced by Mike Hedges, The Mighty Wah! came up trumps with a real anthem that stands the test of time.

As well as the rock side of things, I did love the New Romantic era (yes, I had a peroxide blonde wedge haircut for a few years!). Blancmange was
made up of Neil Arthur and Steve Luscombe and in 1982 they came up with "Living on The Ceiling" issued on London recordings. It was a totally different tune with a synthesiser base but I just love the lyrics and the whole ethos of the song. "Living on the ceiling/No more room down there/ Things fall into place..". Blancmange never really lasted as long as they should have but were one of the more original bands of their type.

How could I exclude Frankie Goes To Hollywood? From 1983 and produced by the omnipresent Trevor Horn, "Relax" was immediately banned by TOTP for it’s supposedly explicit content. The DJ Mike Reid guaranteed the band stardom by initiating the ban on his breakfast show as Holly Johnson and his ever so slightly camp crew made it to no.1. There’s no doubting the naughty nature of the video as simulated ejaculation features towards the end but the track is excellent and well worthy of a place in anybody’s record collection. "Relax, don’t do it/When you wanna go to it/Relax don’t do it/When you wanna come."

Something of an underground feature to start with, the John Peel sponsored Smiths rose to fame through the nerdy turned hip Morrissey. Famed for having flowers jutting out of the rear of his trousers, the eccentric Manchester set came up with "This Charming Man" in 1983. Glad Hips Music were the glad recipients of the proceeds of a brilliant song that was to set the scene for a spectacular career. "Punctured bicycles on a hill side desolate..." wailed Morrissey as he established a reputation for a sobering outlook on life. His lyrics were insightful and often bordered on brilliant, this being one of their earlier tunes and one of the band’s first hits.

OK, just 2 more to go so time to think carefully. This is hard you know as back then I used to spend all of my money on records.

1979 was the release of Inflammable M
aterial by The Stiff Little Fingers. Fronted by the ebullient Jake Burns the band built on the success of their 2 singles released under their own label Rigid Digits in 1978. Again, the catalyst for their success was the saintly John Peel who played both "Suspect Device" and "Alternative Ulster" over and over again on his show. Alternative Ulster was written as a flexi-disc giveaway to promote the fanzine of the same name prior to the making of the LP. Fingers wrote about life in Belfast and "Alternative Ulster" is a powerful anthem that infused a thousand kick the cans in discos everywhere. SLF are one of the most powerful, politically reflective bands I’ve encountered and this signature tune of life in Northern Ireland established their name. It’s al about the desolation under seemingly military rule under the British but the group were never supportive of the para-military organisations either, merely wishing for better days and a new dawn.

Last but not least – "The Paris Match" by The Style Council. After the Jam had run their course, Paul Weller joined up with the talented Mick Talbot to form the Style Council. "Speak Like a Child" was their first hit and they went on to chalk up a successful career. "Long Hot Summer" was an adventure in romance for Weller but the 12" featured the wonderfully evocative "Paris Match". This is truly an awesome love song that brings to mind Paris straight away and makes the listener yearn to be in love. It’s very reflective as you’d expect but think of Parisian sunsets and illicit meetings in the shadow of The Eiffel Tower and you soon get a feel for the emotions this song evokes. It’s a beautiful piece done extremely well and is followed by the equally beautiful instrumental "Le Depart".

Oh well, there you have it, a journey through my dusty record collection. Yes, everyone featured is eithe
r a 7" or 12" on vinyl and you are welcome to search them out on Amazon. I think most are still available today. Thanks for reading and, on this occasion, listening. I consider myself to have a wide taste in music but maybe you won’t agree? Maybe that’s the beauty of music after all? It caters for everyone.

Marandina

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