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  1. 2023 Albums Thing 093 - Deaf School “English Boys/Working Girls”

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    This is another one I owe to my ex-girlfriend’s older brother, Doris. A record I would hear him playing while I was hanging out with his sister and eventually had to hear in full for myself.

    Deaf School were formed in Liverpool in 1974 and their 3 albums recorded between 1976 and 1978 were a bulwark against the prevailing blues rock and prog of the times. They had a style influenced by Roxy, Bowie, cabaret and theatre as you might expect from students from Liverpool Art College. They were a lasting influence on many Liverpool musicians that followed them. Frankie Goes to Hollywood singer Holly Johnson has said “They revived Liverpool music for a generation” and journalist Paul Du Noyer wrote "In the whole history of Liverpool music two bands matter most, one is The Beatles and the other is Deaf School."

    “English Boys/Working Girls” is their 3rd album and musically is in a more aggressive style than the previous records, possibly as a reaction to Punk which rose just as they released their debut. It’s one of those records that I heard back then and it fitted perfectly into the New Wave of the time without ever being a part of it. I had no knowledge of their history before this album, it just had the sound (see also Bill Nelson’s Red Noise “Sound On Sound” later on), so I had no preformed idea of what or who they were.

    The members of Deaf School went on to other things after the band ended. Guitarist Clive Langer became one of the most prolific producers of the 80’s and 90’ working with Madness, David Bowie, and Dexy’s Midnight Runners among many others, and co-wrote “Shipbuilding” with Elvis Costello; singer Bette Bright formed The Illuminations and later married Suggs from Madness; singer Enrico Cadillac Jr formed bands with Ian Broudie and Steve Nieve; vocalist Eric Shark helped set up the Probe Plus indie distribution network.

    This is music that sits comfortably in the Bowie and Roxy art-rock scene but had something about it that made it work for the New Wave fans. It’s a superb album and I’d recommend anyone to check it out. Deaf School are one of the UK’s great ignored bands.

    English Boys (With Guns) - https://youtu.be/wBHwlUJBnug

     

  2. 2023 Albums Thing 092 - Miles Davis “Kind Of Blue”

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    A recent acquisition and purely because it’s something my Dad used to play when I was a kid and it stuck. Sunday morning, with a good cup of coffee in hand, this is an absolute joy, you should try it.

    The musicians on this record are all legendary, Miles Davis, John Coltrane, Cannonball Adderley, Bill Evans, Jimmy Cobb, giants in the world of Jazz. This is here because it brings back memories that I like…do I need any other reason ?

    So What - https://youtu.be/ylXk1LBvIqU

  3. 2023 Albums Thing 091 - The Damned “Damned, Damned, Damned”

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    The first of the Punk bands to release a single (“New Rose”) and also the first to release an album. Now, no matter what I say here, I do love this record, but…

    I was 14 when this was released, I didn’t hear it until after I’d already gorged on the debuts by the Pistols, The Jam and The Clash. I knew that they made the first Punk single and there was also “Neat, Neat, Neat” that I’d heard (gawd love ya John Peel) so I was always gonna like this album. We read things back then about influences on Punk and we knew ABOUT the Velvet Underground, the New York Dolls and Iggy & The Stooges but we’d never really heard them so we didn’t know. So come on, let’s call this for what it is, as much as I like this record it is basically a rewrite of the first two Stooges albums !

    And that’s OK. I guess if you were one of those people in 1976 who was lucky sussed enough to be intimately aware of Lou, Iggy and the Dolls you laughed at this pastiche. But this was everything we wanted it to be at the time, loud, fast and musically anarchic (I’ll leave the politics of anarchy to others).

    Produced by Nick Lowe the album is thrashy, confused, funny and messy. Both the singles are here kicking off either side. 12 tracks all done and dusted in around 30 minutes. With absolutely no shame at all The Damned close things out with a cover of the Stooges “1970” they just retitled it “I Feel Alright”!

    At the time of release it was claimed that a printing cock-up caused a few sleeves to be printed with a picture of Eddie & The Hot Rods on the back instead of the Damned. These have become very sought after and collectible. I only discovered in recent years that it wasn’t a printing cock-up but a Stiff Records publicity stunt, how very Stiff.

    I Feel Alright - https://youtu.be/Hg_ASTGuR-4