Today’s Track: Faith No More – “We Care A Lot”

November 20, 2019 — 2 Comments

How much do I care about just completely wiping the floor with the overexposure of the generic on the blog? I CARE A LOT!!! It’s finally time for your Wednesday blog post!

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “We Care A Lot” (1985)

Later being covered by the well-known metal band Korn in 2016, “We Care A Lot” was originally performed and recorded by Faith No More, a US hard rock group from San Francisco, California. This version of the track was the first single released by the band in 1985 under the band’s original lineup with Chuck Mosley at the helm, which has since undergone many significant changes over the years. The band went on to release six albums, before going on a hiatus in 1998, before kicking off a reunion tour and a new album in 2015. The track was released on an album with the same title, which was also released in 1985, being produced and recorded without the support of a major record label or much promotion from external sources until the late production stages of the record, where Slash Records decided to reissue the album as “Introduce Yourself” in 1987, which is still considered to be the first true Faith No More LP record, by their fanbase. The single has reached #53 on the UK Singles Chart.

“We Care A Lot” is an undeniably 80’s heavy rock track that still sounds very nerdy at it’s age, but the thrashing riffs and passionate vocals from Mosley keep the track run at an enthralling pace throughout and it creates a highly infectious energy, which creates the certainty that the track holds up today. The lyrics are sarcastic and charged by the cultural anxieties of the time of the 80’s release, referencing how the band cares a lot about the “disasters, fires, floods, killer bees” and the “starvation and the food that Live Aid bought”, along with the line: “It’s a dirty job, but someone’s gotta do it” over a chorus of crowd chants and an old-school rock n’ roll sensibility that calls back to the pioneers of punk and glam rock scenes in the 60’s – such as The Sex Pistols and The Velvet Underground. The sound of the track is fairly experimental, but it sounds youthful and full of aggressive confidence. The track has a very catchy prosperity and a type of short-fuse response, which makes it sound effective with immediate impact. The lyrical references and the political messages are not still highly relevant in this era, however, with the track briefly losing it’s footing in the quieter riffs in the main hook, but the roots behind the music has translated very well.

Pictured: Chuck Mosley (Lead Vocals), Jim Martin (Lead Guitar), Mike Bordin (Drums, Percussion), Billy Gould (Bass Guitar) and Roddy Bottum (Keytar, Rhythm Guitar, Backing Vocals)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow, as usual, with an in-depth look at a “Jacob Classic” track from a lesser-known dream-pop group from Lund, Sweden! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Prefab Sprout – “Lions In My Own Garden (Exit Someone)”

November 15, 2019 — Leave a comment

Like a Hot Dog and a Jumping Frog in Albuquerque, I’m back at it with your daily post!

Pictured: Paddy McAloon (Vocals, Guitar, Programming, Keyboard, Harmonica), Michael McAloon (Bass Guitar), Michael Salmon (Drums) and Wendy Smith (Backing Vocals, Percussion and Tambourine)

Before writing and recording their most famous, cult classic track “The King Of Rock N’ Roll” in 1998, which catapulted them to a high level of stardom, Prefab Sprout were simply a 3-piece indie rock group from Witton Gilbert, County Gilbert, who were trying to find their feet as an artist and get their foot into the door of the music industry. After being turned away by numerous major record labels in the early 1980’s, Prefab Sprout, led by brothers Paddy and Michael McAloon, set up their own label, Candle Records, in 1982, to publish their own material and get noticed by listeners outside of the mainstream. In 1982, Paddy released the first single of Prefab Sprout’s discography, as well as being the first overall song to be recorded by the band, “Lions In My Own Garden (Exit Someone)”. It’s not the catchiest of titles to ever surface, but it cleverly hides a message, as it spells LIMOGES, which is the name of the town in France where McAloon’s girlfriend, at the time, was living. This track was later described by Stuart Marconie, a journalist and BBC Radio 6Music icon, as “enigmatic, melancholic, tuneful and therefore perfect for a jobless literature graduate with girlfriend problems”.

The track definitely sounds melancholic and tuneful in nature, with a pace that is reflective and angular, instead focusing on acoustic instrumentation in comparison to the synth-pop production work of the band’s biggest hits. It’s easy to tell that Prefab Sprout haven’t quite found their identity yet, due to the free-flow structure of the record and the rough-edged jaggedness of the vocal harmonies from Paddy, but it’s the earliest example of the Sprouts’ subversive pop nature to exist and it’s a far cry from the disco influences you would hear in the likes of “The King Of Rock N’ Roll”, with Harmonica sections and tambourine arrangements adding a distinct layer of grittiness and callbacks to folk, which adds a strange unfinished effect to the sound that adds a more grounded dynamic to the track. Lyrically, McAloon recites a love letter to a distant partner, “So you’re living in Eden where, apples are good/But every narrow miracle, takes place on Earth, some militia have arrived/the percussion has come/And they’re pounding out messages loud on the drum” before promising to reach out and make amends when this distant partner needs his love and support: “That’s what I’ll shout when you just stay out of reach/And it doesn’t sum it up to say I’m singing the blues/And whoever learnt to walk in somebody else’s shoes/I’m screaming because I’ve found something to lose”, which Paddy composes with a spoken word tinge to link the perceived distance together with the sound. It may sound a little bit rough around the edges and the quality of the record may have outdated a bit, but it holds up as an early way for fans to fall in love with their sound.

Pictured: Cover Artwork for “Lions In My Own Garden (Exit Someone)” (7″ Single)

Thank you for reading this post! As usual, I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at a new track from an Australian Psychedelic Rock group who previously won the BRIT Award for “Best International Group” in 2016, with their upcoming fourth album set for release on February 14, 2020! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Sunset Gun – “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got”

November 7, 2019 — Leave a comment

That is a great motto for us all to live by! Good evening, it’s time for your new musing!

Pictured: Vinyl Artwork for “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got” (1984)

Sunset Gun were an indie pop/jazz group comprised of two sisters: Louise and Deirdre Rutowski, as well as Ross Campbell, who worked as a producer and a percussionist with the two sisters. It was later expanded to include a backing group, which was comprised of Jim Williams (lead guitar), Graham Brierton (bass guitar) and Gordon Wilson (drums). They released a couple of singles and an album for CBS Records in 1984, before becoming one of the first acts to sign with 4AD, an indie record label which is still strong to this day, with acts such as The National, Beirut and Future Islands signed up. “Be Thankful For What You’ve Got” is a track from 1984.

“Be Thankful For What You’ve Got” is a consistent staple of the lost 80’s time capsule list on my student radio station. In itself, it’s a poppier cover version of the track of the same name, originally written and composed by William DeVaughn from 1974, which is exactly a decade before the “Sunset Gun” cover version was released. This version of the track has a more electronic style, which is different to the grounded jazz and funk roots of the original. Louise and Deirdre open the track with: “Though you may not drive a great big Cadillac/Gangsta whitewalls/TV antennas in the back” over a bed of 80’s synth-guitar lines and an undeniable loyalty of funk, with the chorus hook of: “Diamond in the back, sunroof top/Diggin’ the scene/with a gangsta lean” adding a more choral arrangement, with the core message being delivered over a layer of soul-like keyboard chords: “But remember brothers and sisters/You can still stand tall/Just be thankful for what you got”, which has a fun and infectious groove to it. The lyrical themes of the track are a social comment on the materialism of greed and how having everything you may want isn’t what you actually need. I think the instrumentation is basic and simple to a point, but the vocals are gorgeous and it’s the unique take on the original’s soul influences that gives this a step in it’s own right!

Pictured: Louise Rutowski (Vocals), Ross Campbell (Percussion) and Deirdre Rutowski (Vocals)

Thank you for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with a track from a very niche experimental rock group who currently have a YouTube channel with only 72 subscribers! Yes, that’s right! 7-2! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Strawberry Switchblade – “Trees and Flowers”

November 2, 2019 — Leave a comment

The leaves on trees may be brown, but there’s no flowers here. It’s time for a new post!

I’m really busy with University work today, so I’ve got a quick one from my lost 1980’s time capsule! Strawberry Switchblade were a Scottish alternative pop duo who found relative success in the 1980’s, with the two members, Jill Bryson and Rose McDowall, becoming well-known for their signature outfits, filled with trademark bows and polka-dots. “Trees and Flowers” is a non-album single, the first single from the duo, which was released in July 1983. The track has a very soft sound, likely due to the duo still finding their feet as an artist. The guitar riff drones along with the clamping drums while McDowall laments a hate for natural beauty, and summer, it seems, with: “I hate the trees/and I hate the flowers/and I hate the way they tower over me” as the mood of the track darkens, despite the flashy costumes worn by the duo. The track is a document of McDowall’s agrophobia, which causes him to hate crowds and open spaces, but the condition gives McDowall a unique perspective on social life, which is seen through the closing chapters of the track, as McDowall laments: “Can’t you see/I get so frightened/No one else seems frightened/Only me, only me…”, conveying a sense of isolation and a layer of fear that contrasts the offbeat rhythm of the curious pop influences on the track. Overall, it’s not really my cup of tea and I find the song boring, with an interesting theme that doesn’t really kick into a higher gear, but it’s a very interesting document of a condition that can be ignored in today’s society, meaning the message of the track is still as relevant today as the day it was recorded.

Pictured: Rose McDowall (Vocals, Composition) and Jill Bryson (Vocals, Composition)

Thank you for reading this post! Make sure you check back with the blog tomorrow because it’s nearly time for another Scuzz Sundays post! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every new daily post is up and why not like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Bucks Fizz – “Making Your Mind Up”

October 3, 2019 — Leave a comment

If you’re debating whether to follow the blog or not, here is a brand new post that is 100% guaranteed to help with making your mind up! It’s time for your Thursday post!

Funny story, I was recently in a lecture and my tutor turned up, jokingly testing the microphone by saying he was “Stevey G” and he was going to “be playing all of your favourite records”, before questioning whether they play Bucks Fizz anymore. He’s a sound guy and naturally, I knew exactly what he was on about. As a result of this, I thought I would use the idea to write about the song on my blog. “Making Your Mind Up” is a pop track from 1981 which famously won the Eurovision Song Contest, representing the UK, in April 1981! That’s something that we never do any good at in now and something we’ll likely never win for any year in the foreseeable future because we’re leaving the European Union. It was a track that would have felt like a one-hit wonder, although they went on to become a very commercially successful British pop group over the 80’s, with the group topping the singles charts in many international territories and they have gone on to sell over 15 million copies worldwide, with other hits like 81’s “The Land Of Make Believe”, 82’s “My Camera Never Lies” and 83’s “When We Were Young”, all of which reached the top 10 in the UK Singles Chart. They went on to release 5 LP records, with the self-titled debut released back in 1981 becoming the most notable hit, although the critical reception was mostly unfavourable. The original line-up consists of Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan and Jay Aston, which changed over a few years, as Shelley Preston replaced Aston when Aston split from the rest of the group. Aston was 19 years old at the time.

Pictured: Bucks Fizz performing “Making Your Mind Up” at the 1981 Eurovision Song Contest

“Making Your Mind Up” was specifically produced for the Eurovision Song Contest of 1981, with an incredibly famous dance routine which saw the male vocalists of the group used to physically rip off the skirts of the female vocalists of the group to reveal a much shorter, controversial, skirt beneath it. It’s a move which they definitely wouldn’t be allowed to do in this day and age, which is certainly a good thing. I can see why the critics hated this track, as it has a very basic pop melody and no real artistic expression to it of any real credibility or merit, but it’s an interesting piece of trivia from it’s time that acts as a fascinating snapshot of how the pop music industry used to operate at the time of it’s original release. The track has an infectious groove to it, with lyrics that are absolutely poppy, but catchy and fashionable of the time: “You gotta speed it up and then you gotta slow it down/ ‘Cause if you believe that our love can hit the top you gotta play around/But soon you will find that there comes a time – For making your mind up” are cheesy and not a bad choice for a drunken Karoake performance. It’s essentially the 1980’s equivalent of fruity, gassy fizzy drink, with a sickly sweet melody, but with an uninspiring lack of taste which can overload your listening ear buds a stretch too far. It doesn’t really hold up very well in the grand scheme of things, but it’s a novelty and a bite-sized slice of 80’s nostalgia for some. It went on to become a certified gold record and Jay Aston recently became an MP in August to stand for Brexit! Let’s all hope that she’s making her mind up on the matter!

Pictured: Bobby G, Cheryl Baker, Mike Nolan & Jay Aston (all vocalists)

Thank you very much for reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at a brand new record which features Sal Principato on vocals, the lead band member of post-punk rock legends Liquid Liquid! It’s a track which was nicked, a little bit, from Principato’s original group! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Miami Sound Machine (feat. Gloria Estefan) – “Rhythm Is Gonna Get You”

October 2, 2019 — Leave a comment

Welcome to the blog! Today, I’m writing about a pop classic that’s coming to get you!

“Rhythm Is Gonna Get You” is a dance-pop track originally mixed by Miami Sound Machine, which features the vocal performance of Gloria Estefan. It was released back in June 1987. Interestingly, it took a year and a half for the track to become a chart hit in the UK mainstream, peaking at #16 in the UK Singles Chart in January 1989. It also hit #5 in the US Billboard Hot 100 chart. It was first released as a single from “Let It Loose”, the 10th LP released by Miami Sound Machine and the first in Estefan’s chronology, but the single was later re-released in February 1988 after the single was featured very prominently in “Stakeout”, a 1987 film, but it failed to hit the charts again. It was re-released again in December 1988 following the success of the singles “Anything For You” (a title which the LP was later re-released under with new cover art in 1988) and “1-2-3”, where it finally became a minor hit. The track was later used in many different pieces of media, such as a re-worked version for “Wheel Of Fortune”, a British game show. It was later sampled in many different Hollywood films, as well as several Bollywood film productions in India. Last year, it was selected by the Library Of Congress as being “culturally, historically or artistically significant”, to be preserved in the National Recording Registry. Not bad for a “minor” hit, right?

Pictured: Cover Art For “Let It Loose” (1987)

The track starts off with a chant that sounds like a distinct tribal call, as Estefan begins to command the vocal layer of the pop track after the 80’s pop synths and the world-inspired electronic instrumentation begins to instantly fizzle into the forefront of the track. The track is very fast-paced, a contrast to the slower ballad styles of other tracks from the LP. The track is infused with a Cuban drum percussion that makes it sound unabashedly 80’s, a relic of the era of which it was originally released in, also paving the way for the mainstream dance craze of the 1990’s. The fusion of different world instruments and the synthesized Latin pop-based sounds are unique, with the overall composition of the track feeling melodic, which is mostly down to the catchy vocal hooks from Estefan and the undeniably Salsa vibe. The track is very 80’s and it doesn’t sound very futuristic, but it’s still a fun little pop effort to listen to and it holds up pretty well as a song that very much references the time that was originally written and produced in. It’s a little bit commercial, but it’s still a decent record and the Reggae-inspired energy makes it an appealing bop to dance around in the kitchen to!

Pictured: Cover Art for “Anything For You” (album re-release) (1988)

Thank you reading this post! I’ll be back tomorrow with a look at another cheesy 80’s pop track from a British Pop group who won the Eurovision Song Contest for the UK back in April 1981! If you’re torn between two different guesses as to who they could be, then you better start making your mind up! If you really liked what you just read, why not follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here?: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Daniel Johnston – “Walking The Cow”

September 12, 2019 — Leave a comment

Rest In Peace, Daniel Johnston… It’s time for your Thursday post!

I’ve changed my plans slightly for today’s post on One Track At A Time as yesterday, we learned that Daniel Johnston sadly passed away of a heart attack after a battle with ill health that lasted for years. It’s a very tragic moment for the music industry, as Johnston was truly one of a kind, a man who really paved the way for intelligent songwriting and the rise of indie rock genre. Numerous cultural figures have paid tribute to Johnston today, like Beck – who posted “One of my best teachers” on his social media accounts and actor Elijah Wood, who has uploaded a touching tribute on his social media, as he wrote: “What a gentle, beautiful treasure. So sad to hear you’ve left us.” Judd Apatow, The Mountain Goats and Ezra Furman, among many others, also posted tributes. The sad news was confirmed by Johnston’s manager of over 25 years, Jeff Tartakov.

In case you’re less familiar with his work, Johnston was born on January 22, 1961 in North California and then raised in West Virginia. He was later diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder after suffering a manic psychotic episode during a plane flight, where he began to act like he was Casper The Friendly Ghost. Sadly, it ended in the plane crashing, which left him with minor injuries. He also suffered from diabetes and kidney infections, but he was always an artist who was full of absolute grit and pure determination! He would write and record an insane amount of work, ripping it on to loads of Casette Tapes in his own home. He became a huge favourite of Kurt Cobain and he is also the subject of an Oscar-nominated 2005 documentary film, “The Devil and Daniel Johnston”, which is well worth seeing if you would like to learn more about him. He is a very inspirational figure who went on to record 19 full-length albums and he was even working on a brand new LP album before his passing. He’s beloved for his music, visual artistry and comic book writing, but with music, it’s particularly in the lo-fi, avant-garde and alternative folk music genres.

“Walking The Cow” is one of the most loved singles from Johnston’s 1983 LP, “Hi, How Are You?”, which is regarded as one of his most critically acclaimed pieces of work. It was famously covered by Pearl Jam, who used to perform this track at every one of their solo concerts. Johnston also produced a remastered version of the track for his 18th LP, “Beam Me Up!”, which was released in 2010.

Pictured: Cover Art For “Beam Me Up” (2010)
Pictured: Cover Art For “Hi, How Are You?” (1983)

The track has pure child-like and dream-like qualities, starting off with psychedelic keyboard chords and distorted female vocals which ask :”Hi, How Are You?” as our narrator begins to question the feelings of love with: “Lucky stars in your eyes” and questioning her own existence: “I really don’t know how I came here/I really don’t know why I’m stayin’ here”, before she tries to pinpoint an excuse, “Tried to point my finger/But the wind keeps blowin’ me around/In circles, circles”, at the end of each pre-chorus, she reminds us that she is “Walking The Cow”. The lyrics are open to interpretation, but I love to think it’s about overcoming a situation that might seem very overwhelming on the surface. This is because although the lyrics seem dark and cryptic, the melodies of the upbeat organ chords and the gentle strumming of the guitar feel very light and soothing. I love the style created by the art collage of noises, which Johnston explores in the use of tape experiments in this track and the rest of the tracks on the LP. It’s a very calm and relaxing track which remains as one of Johnston’s most popular tracks for all of the right reasons. This is a track that has more heart than anything you might hear in the mainstream of today and it’s one of the tracks which proves that Johnston was an influential talent who could never get replaced.

Thank you for reading this post! I’d like to send my thoughts and prayers to Johnston’s family and loved ones on this day! If you really liked what you just read, please follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/

Today’s Track: Joe Smooth – “Promised Land”

September 7, 2019 — Leave a comment

Originally released as “The Promised Land” by Joe Smooth Inc. in 1987, “Promised Land” is an 80’s house classic that was later credited as “Promised Land” by Joe Smooth. It’s a track that I recently heard on BBC Radio 6Music which really captured my imagination as a self-confessed “old soul”. Although I wasn’t around at the time, I’ve undertaken some good research into Smooth and I’ve found out that he’s a DJ and producer who made a very significant impact in the shaping of house music as a genre. He made a name for himself in the Chicago club scene in the 80’s and he later produced records like “Going Down” and “Rejoice” which were both very influential dance tracks in the 1980’s and early 1990’s. “Promised Land” is his signature track. This skyrocketed Smooth to high international acclaim and it became a huge influence for contemporary dance acts like Daft Punk. Dance music was very popular in the underground scene at the time and it led to Smooth becoming a producer for the likes of huge mainstream artists like Whitney Houston, Destiny’s Child and New Order. The track originally reached #56 in the UK Singles Chart, but covers versions have been recorded by Paul Weller and The Style Council, with the latter cover version reaching the #27 spot in the UK Singles Chart.

The single has a very warm and spiritual feeling. It opens with quiet, but confident, vocals from Anthony Thomas, who proclaims: “Brothers, sisters, one day we will be free/From fighting, violence, people crying in the street” as the progressive Conga lines and the high-pitched Synth arrangements provide an instant burst of energy, which injects the house rhythmn with a melody that feels very colourful and reassuring. It has a disco-flavored bassline and a gospel-influenced style of lyrics that excel within the beauty and the power of the track. The piano chords add to the light-hearted mood with a larger sense of poignancy. The chorus stands out above all, where Thomas exclaims: “When the angels from above/fall down and spread their wings like doves/and we’ll walk hand-in-hand/brothers, sisters, we’ll make it to the Promised Land”, a hook of vocals that feel very Utopian in context, spreading a really empowering message of humanity being able to unify and resisting a divided society. It’s reminding people that we have, and always will have, the ability to love one another, despite a sense of political chaos that will always ensue in the world. It’s a track that I’d love to hear in a darkened nightclub near the end of a long night-out, as it’s very engaging and easy to dance or sing along to, but the lyrics have a very powerful message which, along with the mastered composition on the track, adds a feeling of complete bliss to it. This is a brilliant track that everybody can benefit from hearing a few times in their lives and it sounds massively timeless because the contextual themes of the lyrics will always be very relevant, no matter what time or place it is!

Pictured: Joe Smooth (2019)
Pictured: 12″ Release as “Promised Land”

Thank you for reading this post! As always, I’ll be back tomorrow with the third weekly edition of my Scuzz Sundays posts! If you liked what you just read, follow the blog to get notified when every daily new post is up and like the Facebook page here: https://www.facebook.com/OneTrackAtATime/