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Re: Heston's Best'uns - SLF

Posted: 17 Apr 2010, 4:49pm
by Wolter
Silent Majority wrote:
Purple Hayes wrote:
Marky Dread wrote:
101Walterton wrote:There was 3 singles on the album so they probably thought 4 would be too many, still no need for Bloody Dub and a Specials cover that was barely a year old.
No one complained when The Clash covered Police & Thieves which was contemporary.
Lydon did.. ;)
Lydon complained when Matlock wrote melodies.
Lydon complains when Tuesday insists on following Monday.

Re: Heston's Best'uns - SLF

Posted: 17 Apr 2010, 4:52pm
by Marky Dread
Heston wrote:
goforit.jpg
After the ramalama punk of the first two albums, this is where SLF decided to take their foot off the gas and stretch out a bit. Jake says his intention was to write an album where every song was a contender for a single, and though he failed on that score, this is an excellent album. Oh, and anyone who remembers the lyric sheet on the original LP version probably still has a headache!

Roots, Radicals, Rockers and Reggae - 10. An absolutely stonking opener and a searing vocal from Jake. They take an obscure Bunny Wailer track and put their own indelible stamp on it. If anyone's heard the original, this is nearly a different song, lots of new lyrics and a completely different feel. Probably my favourite SLF song.
Just Fade Away - 8. A straight up anti-love song, shot through with melody and attitude.
Go For It - 7. A brave move putting an instrumental this early on an album but it works. A great shuffling beat, loads of percussion and put to good use as their walk-on music later in their career. I still hear it getting used on tv shows, the royalty cheques probably come in handy.
The Only One - 8. Henry Cluney would sing 3 tracks on this album and this is his best. Great chorus and a wonderful solo from Jake.
Hits And Misses - 6. The weakest track on the album for me. An admirable attempt at a song about domestic violence but the tune is wishy-washy and the lyrics aren't the greatest.
Kicking Up A Racket - 8. Simple but effective, with some nice production effects.
Safe As Houses - 10. Fantastic song about unfulfilled potential, great riff, great singing, another classic.
Gate 49 - 7. Another one of their slight-but-enjoyable songs, this is a nice Rock and Roll pastiche.
Silver Lining - 9. SLF add a horn section to their sound and it works, more great lyrics and very melodic.
Piccadilly Circus - 10. Another storming end to an SLF album, this is a powerful story of a friend who was stabbed whilst shopping in London. Heartfelt vocals and a brilliant outro, top notch stuff.
Nice review I would've liked "Back To Front" instead of "Hits & Misses" which is B-side material but hey the reissue cd has it so everyone wins in the end. I always thought "Safe As Houses" was about a cheating partner that didn't stray too far from home and always returned to where his or her bread was buttered best. "Just Fade Away" is a 9 for me and as an opener "R,R,R,& R" is up there with "Safe European Home". "Piccadilly Circus" is the best album closer bar none!

Re: Heston's Best'uns - SLF

Posted: 17 Apr 2010, 4:54pm
by Marky Dread
Wolter wrote:
Silent Majority wrote:
Purple Hayes wrote:
Marky Dread wrote:
101Walterton wrote:There was 3 singles on the album so they probably thought 4 would be too many, still no need for Bloody Dub and a Specials cover that was barely a year old.
No one complained when The Clash covered Police & Thieves which was contemporary.
Lydon did.. ;)
Lydon complained when Matlock wrote melodies.
Lydon complains when Tuesday insists on following Monday.
Oh come on get real when did Tuesday ever follow Monday. Maybe in the days of the week top 10 "Ruby Tuesday" follows "Blue Monday" nah it just doesn't work.

Re: Heston's Best'uns - SLF

Posted: 17 Apr 2010, 4:55pm
by Marky Dread
Purple Hayes wrote:
Marky Dread wrote:
101Walterton wrote:There was 3 singles on the album so they probably thought 4 would be too many, still no need for Bloody Dub and a Specials cover that was barely a year old.
No one complained when The Clash covered Police & Thieves which was contemporary.
Lydon did.. ;)
No he was unhappy they didn't cover Van de Graaf Generator.

Re: Heston's Best'uns - SLF

Posted: 17 Apr 2010, 4:56pm
by Silent Majority
Wolter wrote:
Silent Majority wrote:
Purple Hayes wrote:
Marky Dread wrote:
101Walterton wrote:There was 3 singles on the album so they probably thought 4 would be too many, still no need for Bloody Dub and a Specials cover that was barely a year old.
No one complained when The Clash covered Police & Thieves which was contemporary.
Lydon did.. ;)
Lydon complained when Matlock wrote melodies.
Lydon complains when Tuesday insists on following Monday.
"Tuesday? It's just absurd! I've nothing against it personally, but it's so unoriginal. I was coming before Monday thirty years ago and it's only now these cunts have picked up on it. Tuesday - Tuesgay - offers nothing but dishonesty. My days are about true emotions, true feelings, things that matter. That's the only way I can be, you know?"

Re: Heston's Best'uns - SLF

Posted: 17 Apr 2010, 4:57pm
by Wolter
Silent Majority wrote:
Wolter wrote:
Silent Majority wrote:
Purple Hayes wrote:
Marky Dread wrote: No one complained when The Clash covered Police & Thieves which was contemporary.
Lydon did.. ;)
Lydon complained when Matlock wrote melodies.
Lydon complains when Tuesday insists on following Monday.
"Tuesday? It's just absurd! I've nothing against it personally, but it's so unoriginal. I was coming before Monday thirty years ago and it's only now these cunts have picked up on it. Tuesday - Tuesgay - offers nothing but dishonesty. My days are about true emotions, true feelings, things that matter. That's the only way I can be, you know?"
:applause:

Re: Heston's Best'uns - SLF

Posted: 17 Apr 2010, 5:12pm
by Marky Dread
Wolter wrote:
Silent Majority wrote:
Wolter wrote:
Silent Majority wrote:
Purple Hayes wrote: Lydon did.. ;)
Lydon complained when Matlock wrote melodies.
Lydon complains when Tuesday insists on following Monday.
"Tuesday? It's just absurd! I've nothing against it personally, but it's so unoriginal. I was coming before Monday thirty years ago and it's only now these cunts have picked up on it. Tuesday - Tuesgay - offers nothing but dishonesty. My days are about true emotions, true feelings, things that matter. That's the only way I can be, you know?"
:applause:
Careful he'll want to ban wednesday next.

Re: Heston's Best'uns - SLF

Posted: 17 Apr 2010, 6:58pm
by Heston
Marky Dread wrote:
Wolter wrote:
Silent Majority wrote:
Wolter wrote:
Silent Majority wrote: Lydon complained when Matlock wrote melodies.
Lydon complains when Tuesday insists on following Monday.
"Tuesday? It's just absurd! I've nothing against it personally, but it's so unoriginal. I was coming before Monday thirty years ago and it's only now these cunts have picked up on it. Tuesday - Tuesgay - offers nothing but dishonesty. My days are about true emotions, true feelings, things that matter. That's the only way I can be, you know?"
:applause:
Careful he'll want to ban wednesday next.
That reminds me, isn't Wednesday Week by the Undertones just a perfect song?

101, put me on your foe list for week, I'll be reviewing SLF's best album very soon. ;)

Re: Heston's Best'uns - SLF

Posted: 18 Apr 2010, 5:48am
by Marky Dread
Heston said "That reminds me, isn't Wednesday Week by the Undertones just a perfect song?"

I heard it never happened at all.

Big debt to the Velvet Underground on that tune.

Some early and very rare live Undertones on my blog. With covers of The Velvet Underground, New York Dolls, RAMONES, 13th Floor Elevators, and The Stooges.

Re: Heston's Best'uns - SLF

Posted: 18 Apr 2010, 11:54am
by simo
I love the reissues. The interviews with Jake at the end are really entertaining, and of course, the bonus tracks are nice too.

Re: Heston's Best'uns - SLF

Posted: 18 Apr 2010, 4:00pm
by 101Walterton
Heston wrote:
Marky Dread wrote:
Wolter wrote:
Silent Majority wrote:
Wolter wrote: Lydon complains when Tuesday insists on following Monday.
"Tuesday? It's just absurd! I've nothing against it personally, but it's so unoriginal. I was coming before Monday thirty years ago and it's only now these cunts have picked up on it. Tuesday - Tuesgay - offers nothing but dishonesty. My days are about true emotions, true feelings, things that matter. That's the only way I can be, you know?"
:applause:
Careful he'll want to ban wednesday next.
That reminds me, isn't Wednesday Week by the Undertones just a perfect song?

101, put me on your foe list for week, I'll be reviewing SLF's best album very soon. ;)
Hanx for the warning.



Warning Derren Brown mind tricks at work.

Re: Heston's Best'uns - SLF

Posted: 18 Apr 2010, 4:06pm
by 101Walterton
Marky Dread wrote:
101Walterton wrote:There was 3 singles on the album so they probably thought 4 would be too many, still no need for Bloody Dub and a Specials cover that was barely a year old.
No one complained when The Clash covered Police & Thieves which was contemporary.

I was referring to the time frame, when SLF covered DMA the ink was still wet on Dammers page but I thought P &T was older than 76 !!

Re: Heston's Best'uns - SLF

Posted: 18 Apr 2010, 7:31pm
by Marky Dread
101Walterton wrote:
Marky Dread wrote:
101Walterton wrote:There was 3 singles on the album so they probably thought 4 would be too many, still no need for Bloody Dub and a Specials cover that was barely a year old.
No one complained when The Clash covered Police & Thieves which was contemporary.

I was referring to the time frame, when SLF covered DMA the ink was still wet on Dammers page but I thought P &T was older than 76 !!
It was the theme tune to the Notting Hill carnival where the idea for White Riot came from.

Police & Thieves 1976
The Clash 1977
The Specials 1979
Nobody's Heroes 1980

Both a year apart identical time frame.

Re: Heston's Best'uns - SLF

Posted: 18 Apr 2010, 8:33pm
by Heston
nowthen.jpg
nowthen.jpg (19.49 KiB) Viewed 4907 times
I'll conclude my review of SLF's best albums with a report on my favourite album of theirs, Now Then. Looking at the ghastly cover, you'd be mistaken for thinking this was a dying whimper of a once important punk band, and evidently the masses did. Poor sales of the album and its attendant singles, coupled with low ticket sales, led to the band calling it a day. I'd say the main reason for the album's failure wasn't its tunes, but the fact that their audience had moved on. The kids who wanted the raucous punk anthems had bands like the Expoited to turn to, others were stroking their chins to the more progressive end of the punk market, New Romanticism was blossoming and SLF found themselves a band out of time. Right album, wrong year.

I'll just add that I got into SLF around 82/83 and I heard all their original albums at roughly the same time, so my lack of participation in the Punk Wars may colour my opinions.

1. Falling Down - 8. I'm sure the Edge was taking notes, the intro guitar figure is very U2ish. Superb melody, ultra-tight band performance and some nice vocal harmonies.
2. Won't Be Told - 8. If I'm not mistaken, the first sighting of an acoustic guitar on an SLF song. This is probably the point where the Mohicans went running back to the record shop for their money back. It actually kicks arse once the song kicks in properly.
3. Love of the Common People - 9. Great cover of the Nicky Thomas tune, later ruined by Paul Young. I'm convinced if they'd released this song as single it would have gave them the hit single they needed and maybe opened a new audience for them. Young (who was a good mate of Jake's) later took it to no.2 in the British charts with an admittedly fluffier version.
4. Price of Admission - 7. The acoustic guitar comes out again for a nice ballad which is let down by its slightly monotonous chorus. Good lyrics though, nice twist at the end.
5. Touch and Go - 10. Always been one of my favourite SLF songs, Green Day would have cleaned up with this in the '90s. Poptastic!
6. Stands To Reason - 9. Another favourite of mine, props to Ali McMordie on this one, the bass is superb. More great lyrics turning stereotypes on their heads.
7. Bits of Kids - 9. Still a live favourite, a song which is lyrically more relevant than ever. Nice sitar too.
8. Welcome To the Whole Week - 8. New drummer Dolphin Taylor wasn't just a pretty face, he wrote and sang this catchy little number, a song about how fantastic it is being unemployed. A bit rich coming from a Rock Star you may say, but it's done tongue in cheek and is a nice "fuck you" to the bastards who were running the country at the time.
9. Big City Nights - 7. Henry Cluney's only vocal on the album, and it's a strange one. Very eerie and half-spoken, it makes for a nice change of mood.
10. Talkback - 8. I'm a bit surprised this wasn't a hit at the time, horn-driven and very reminiscent of late period Jam. Very catchy chorus and when you're starting to expect a bit filler towards the end of the album, this keeps things trundling along nicely.
11. Is That What You Fought the War For? - 8. They saved the punkiest for last, though the presence of Timpani drums and synths later in the song shows they were trying to move on, what a shame not many chose to go with them.

Re: Heston's Best'uns - SLF

Posted: 18 Apr 2010, 8:46pm
by Dr. Medulla
Heston wrote:3. Love of the Common People - 9. Great cover of the Nicky Thomas tune, later ruined by Paul Young.
Off the same album where he ruined "Love Will Tear Us Apart" (shut up, Hoy; the sensible people are talking). And yet, I really love "Wherever I Lay My Hat," so I can't totally write off Paul Young (even if he looks like he's always got a runny nose).