Rod Stewart - Every Picture Tells A Story
Rod the Mod finds his solo footing, headed for stardom, with the Faces in his wake.
6:00 AM GMT 22/06/2011
Features Disc of the day
Half Man Half Biscuit
Four Lads Who Shook The Wirral
(Probe Plus, 1998)
Birkenhead’s masters of deflation operate at their customary high standard.
Those who know Nigel Blackwell’s unique catalogue well know that you can pretty much pick any of Half Man Half Biscuit’s albums at random and be sure of top-drawer amusements whose sharpness and invention seem inversely proportionate to the modesty of their presentation. But even so, there’s something extra-satisfying about Four Lads Who Shook The Wirral. To the sound of tuneful, punky pop with country and northwestern touches, the deadpan singer turns stupefaction with the idiocy of modern life into joyous, somehow benign mockery. Along the way, backpackers, fire eaters and sports commentator Elton Welsby (in drag) among others get the wet carpet treatment, and at one point he instructs the band to let loose with the words “let’s pedestrianise the high street”. This is life lived on a more realistic scale than offered by much rock music – see Soft Verges’ distillation of the weariness that comes from reading Sunday supplement interviews with overpaid celebrity-types, or Moody Chops’ wondering why so many acclaimed musicians strive to appear pained and complicated. Other standouts; A Country Practice, You’re Hard and Turn A Blind Eye. True, in the latter song, Romos and Dani Behr may not have quite the topical cache they once did, but reboot this song to include Alexa Chung or Nu-Ravers and it’d still be valid.
Ian Harrison
Posted by Ross_Bennett at 6:00 AM GMT 17/09/2008
Further Listening
Half Man Half Biscuit – This Leaden Pall (Probe Plus, 1993)
I, Ludicrous – 20 Years In Show Business (Sanctuary)
Flight Of The Conchords - Flight Of The Conchords (Warner, 2008)
Previous Disc of the day
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Earl Brutus - Larky
Last salvo of Ginsters Pasty-Warholism from Britpop ramraiders.
12:04 PM GMT 08/06/2011
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Loudon Wainwright - T-Shirt
An overlooked small wonder from an unpredictable career.
6:00 AM GMT 03/06/2011
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Landscape - From The Tea-rooms Of Mars… To The Hell-holes Of Uranus
Dry computer club Futurists, upon hitting implausible chart paydirt.
6:00 AM GMT 17/05/2011
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-
Causa Sui - Summer Sessions Vol 1-3
Epic Danish jams, for when the neighbours get you down.
6:00 AM GMT 12/05/2011
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