… to discover the National. In terms of the wider picture, this will undoubtedly be one of the most pointless postings I’ve done (so far)! but since MPT is about me and music, I’m still going for it. Continue reading ‘I’m The Last Boy In The World …’
MPT’s brief over the last 12 months has been to cover predominantly music and books but every now and then I feel compelled to chuck something else in. This morning I want to put on record my sadness at the death yesterday of Motherwell captain Phil O’Donnell at the age of 35. Continue reading ‘Phil O’Donnell (1972-2007)’
I’d planned to post again yesterday but was so choked with the cold I pretty much spent the day in bed. On the positive side that means I feel almost human today and can resume some sort of existence.
But it’s fair to say that yesterday I was as far removed as possible from the title of the Raveonettes’ current LP ‘Lust, Lust, Lust’. Continue reading ‘Almost Human’
The Triffids – Early Singles (Domino Records, Boxset)
The latest instalment of the Triffids’ reissue programme hit the doormat the other day and, for me, the ‘Early Singles’ boxset is by far the most exciting release of the series.
The boxset comprises the band’s first five 7” singles in their original sleeves and for me it’s also a treasure trove of unheard material. Whilst the wonderful audio page on the official site has made a handful of these songs available in MP3 format (and there’s a couple of tracks which were either re-recorded or saw official UK releases), I hadn’t heard the majority of songs until the last couple of days.
The Triffids of course had an extensive history before they hit UK shores in 1984. Never mind the singles, there were something like 8 cassette albums but it was a history that wasn’t really covered in the UK music press at the time. And finding anything out about a band from foreign shores in these times, of course, was far harder than now because the internet didn’t exist.
The 14 tracks here therefore offer a peek into the band’s development between 1981 and 1983 and it’s fascinating to see the band develop from the lightweight debut single ‘Stand Up/Farmers Don’t Visit Nightclubs”. From there on there are hints of the brooding gothic elements which were to dominate their early UK live shows on songs like ‘This Boy’ and ‘Left To Rot’ as David McComb’s songwriting explored darker areas than the propensity of farmers to visit nightclubs. Meanwhile the likes of ‘Being Driven’ and ‘Beautiful Waste’ point the band in the direction of debut LP ‘Treeless Plain’.
The packaging is also a treat – all of the singles reproduced in their original sleeves. From this perspective it’s difficult to see how any Triffids’ fan wouldn’t want to own this package.
Here’s the A-side of the debut single:
The Triffids – Stand Up (from ‘Early Singles’ boxset) [Buy it]
This release is limited to only 500 copies, so go and get it quickly.
I like to think of myself as an optimist and certainly the notion that ‘We’re All Going to Die’ could be Christmas Number One was being optimistic in extremis.
When you pay not the slightest attention to the charts it’s easy to forget that, at this time of year, one record is going to have the benefit of an extended promotional campaign on prime time television for weeks in advance.
So the idea that an independent artist could compete even if he generates as much publicity as he has ever done in his career is more than a little fanciful. To many, music is just an adjunct to TV and these sheep will buy what they’re told to buy. And this year, as usual, they have done exactly that.
So Malcolm Middleton isn’t going to be number one for Christmas. He has however entered the “grown up” charts for the first time and at a respectable placing of 31 at that. In fact, I think there were only 3 higher placed new entries as well as a slew of reactivated Christmas hits of yesteryear above him.
It would be nice to think that he could have gone higher but reality (and money) bites. However having made the chart means that more people listening will at least have heard the single today and the hope is that some of them will go out and buy the ‘A Brighter Beat’ LP as well. More than anything, that was the point.
So, ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Christmas number 31:
Malcolm Middleton – We’re All Going To Die (from ‘A Brighter Beat’) [Buy it]
Coming soon, another song which includes the words ‘we’re all going to die’ from the reissue of the year.
Footnote – you can download Malky’s entire Christmas session (including an entirely different take on WAGTD) for the Beeb at his Myspace.
I’m going to resist the end of year lists for wee while yet as I endeavour to catch up on some other stuff. One of which is “Scottish Fiction” by Idlewild. Now Idlewild have featured a lot on MPT this year, in no small part due to their busy schedule which has included a new LP, 2 tours and a Best Of package.
“Scottish Fiction: Best of 1997-2007” came out a couple of months back in both vanilla CD and also limited edition CD/DVD flavour. The CD is probably the least interesting aspect of the package for fans since there are no new tracks. So kudos from this particular corner at least in not trying to bleed fans dry for a limited amount of new material. The most interesting thing for the fans on the CD is that the songs have been remastered. That is particularly noticeable on the earlier tracks which sound just a little bit more robust than their earlier recorded incarnations.
Of course, ‘Best Ofs’ are not done for fans but are intended to introduce a band to a slightly different audience. Sadly however this record seems to have failed to have done so for Idlewild as the LP hasn’t exactly set the charts on fire.
As an introduction to the band the CD may serve its purpose but it’s the DVD which really holds the most interest for fans. All the band’s videos are collected here and these have been enhanced with some wry commentaries from Roddy Woomble, which are both self deprecating and entertaining. There is a strong degree of overlap with the CD but a surprising number of the singles aren’t on the CD.
Perhaps of greater interest though is the live footage, principally based on a gig at the Aberdeen Music Hall in March. The performance of the band is great but largely due to an apparently unresponsive audience it’s not perhaps the best representation of the Idlewild live experience.
There’s plenty of other stuff as well, such as other live performances and a documentary of the making of ‘Warnings/ Promises’, so as a dip into the Idlewild experience this is pretty good.
However I can’t help feeling that an opportunity has been missed here. As tends to be the case there are quibbles over the selection of tracks for a ‘Best Of’ (the omission of ‘A Film For The Future’ is perhaps the most glaring, even if it is on the video section). But it’s the treatment of the live footage that wrankles the most.
It seems to me to be odd, in this day and age, that the whole show isn’t included. Maybe that’s down to space to fit everything else in but one consequence is that each clips fades in and out giving no overall sense of the gig. To make matters worse ‘Everything (As It Moves)’ is not included in the main concert sequence but as an “extra” alongside the other live footage.
So is this worth having for the diehard? Absolutely (if you can still get it). But as a package it falls short of its potential.
From the live segment:
Idlewild – Satan Polaroid (from Scottish Fiction 1997-2007 CD/DVD package)
You can still get the limited ‘Scottish Fiction’ and other Idlewild here. There’s also a companion rarities compilation available via download only – try here.
