New Musical Express, October 8, 1983: Difference between revisions
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It must be a question on all our lips at the time of year when Elvis Costello comes back to raise us from our daily death, the video'n'roll stupor of the ''Top Teen Hit Pops''. | It must be a question on all our lips at the time of year when Elvis Costello comes back to raise us from our daily death, the video'n'roll stupor of the ''Top Teen Hit Pops''. | ||
Something under his skin perhaps. I'm ashamed now that I ever doubted him, that I couldn't accept how ''soul'', whatever that is, could be made by someone who ''knew what he was doing''. There was a time I'd sneer if you blue white stax in my ear. And still I went home to "Can't Stand Up," "New Amsterdam," "Motel Matches" … | Something under his skin perhaps. I'm ashamed now that I ever doubted him, that I couldn't accept how ''soul'', whatever that is, could be made by someone who ''knew what he was doing''. There was a time I'd sneer if you blue white stax in my ear. And still I went home to "Can't Stand Up," "New Amsterdam," "Motel Matches"… | ||
As a simpleton I had problems with the bejewelled jungle of ''Imperial Bedroom'' (nothing that wasn't remedied by a little concentration), but the Clive Langer/Alan Winstanley-produced ''Punch The Clock'' gave no quarter. Either I plunged in there or it was pension time. | As a simpleton I had problems with the bejewelled jungle of ''Imperial Bedroom'' (nothing that wasn't remedied by a little concentration), but the Clive Langer/Alan Winstanley-produced ''Punch The Clock'' gave no quarter. Either I plunged in there or it was pension time. | ||
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''Elvis, why are we here? Don't you sometimes wonder if ''Smash Hits'' and ''No. 1'' aren't being more realistic about pop music? | ''Elvis, why are we here? Don't you sometimes wonder if ''Smash Hits'' and ''No. 1'' aren't being more realistic about pop music? | ||
Well, there's even some idiots in the record business today who think that ''I'' should conform to that — they're people who want to see everybody in those terms, because they run scared whenever this happens in pop music. And it does happen periodically, that you get a load of people pretending to be homosexuals in shorts. There's nothing worse than that fake effete pop. Some of these groups write good songs, but when the record company people start trying to get me to do | Well, there's even some idiots in the record business today who think that ''I'' should conform to that — they're people who want to see everybody in those terms, because they run scared whenever this happens in pop music. And it does happen periodically, that you get a load of people pretending to be homosexuals in shorts. There's nothing worse than that fake effete pop. Some of these groups write good songs, but when the record company people start trying to get me to do that… | ||
''At the same time, you may be treated as an artist, yet not want to speak "as an artist" … | ''At the same time, you may be treated as an artist, yet not want to speak "as an artist"… | ||
I was asked some pretty serious questions in America, so I was hoping for some light relief here! | I was asked some pretty serious questions in America, so I was hoping for some light relief here! | ||
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On ''Punch The Clock'', we had the discipline of a production ''team'', who do actually take ideas and put them in a bit more logical order than I did when I was ordering the music of ''Imperial Bedroom''. I mean, what Geoff Emerick did on that record was nothing short of a miracle, to make sense of some of the stuff that I wanted to do. | On ''Punch The Clock'', we had the discipline of a production ''team'', who do actually take ideas and put them in a bit more logical order than I did when I was ordering the music of ''Imperial Bedroom''. I mean, what Geoff Emerick did on that record was nothing short of a miracle, to make sense of some of the stuff that I wanted to do. | ||
In that way, the songs were overdeveloped, because nobody was stopping me and saying, no, take ''that'' | In that way, the songs were overdeveloped, because nobody was stopping me and saying, no, take ''that'' bit… and the same thing goes for Steve, particularly, because Clive was really ruthless about getting him to play the same thing twice, since Steve comes up with lots of brilliant ideas, any one of which might make a good piano figure on a track. I have the same problem with singing, sometime I get bored with singing something the same way. But I don't think ''Punch The Clock'' was any less ambitious, it may be less diverse but then <!-- replaced "were were" with "we were" --> we were actually attempting to make something brighter and more forceful than ''Imperial Bedroom''. | ||
''Was it reasonable of one reviewer to suggest that Imperial Bedroom was a kind of cleansing, a purging of obsessions? | ''Was it reasonable of one reviewer to suggest that Imperial Bedroom was a kind of cleansing, a purging of obsessions? | ||
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Yeah, even down to the fact that we tweaked the vocal up, leant on it so it's slightly higher, younger-sounding. They do that on Michael Jackson records. But yes, a lot of the planning, the imaginary production, of this record relates very much to pop music ''of the moment''. | Yeah, even down to the fact that we tweaked the vocal up, leant on it so it's slightly higher, younger-sounding. They do that on Michael Jackson records. But yes, a lot of the planning, the imaginary production, of this record relates very much to pop music ''of the moment''. | ||
"Pills And Soap | "Pills And Soap" was "The Message" UK, you know… we've got Wham! UK, now we need Message UK. I was intrigued to know that Jerry Dammers has also got a line about Wham! in one of ''his'' songs, coz the second verse of "The Greatest Thing" is about Wham! In fact, that song is sort of an answer record to "Young Guns," because I love answer records, I think that's a tradition that should never have died out. | ||
Some of the things Wham! say really irritate me, because I think they're making people feel small for things they believe in. There are plenty of people who are 19 and married who must resent being told that they are jerks. ''I'' resent it, because ''I'' was married when I was 20 and my wife was 19. | Some of the things Wham! say really irritate me, because I think they're making people feel small for things they believe in. There are plenty of people who are 19 and married who must resent being told that they are jerks. ''I'' resent it, because ''I'' was married when I was 20 and my wife was 19. | ||
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''When you described Get Happy as "somewhat unfinished," you probably gave away its secret. For me, it's like the bare bones of a sort of new wave MG's sound, as opposed to an attempt to ''match'' the Stax sound. It means it's a great record to sing along | ''When you described Get Happy as "somewhat unfinished," you probably gave away its secret. For me, it's like the bare bones of a sort of new wave MG's sound, as opposed to an attempt to ''match'' the Stax sound. It means it's a great record to sing along with… there're gaps to fill in. | ||
We've got live arrangements of ''Get Happy'' songs that fill in those gaps, like "Possession" and "King Horse" are now much more realized numbers. "Clubland" is also vastly improved. As I remember, it sounded absolutely devastating to play in the studio, because the torn torn sounds were very deep, but they were almost impossible to get on a disc. If you play ''Trust'' extremely loud, it sounds great. | We've got live arrangements of ''Get Happy'' songs that fill in those gaps, like "Possession" and "King Horse" are now much more realized numbers. "Clubland" is also vastly improved. As I remember, it sounded absolutely devastating to play in the studio, because the torn torn sounds were very deep, but they were almost impossible to get on a disc. If you play ''Trust'' extremely loud, it sounds great. | ||
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Only as tired as I've ever been. If something lacks substance, lacks anything to move you, then it's only of any use to the people who like that flavour of candyfloss, but I don't have a hatred of it. | Only as tired as I've ever been. If something lacks substance, lacks anything to move you, then it's only of any use to the people who like that flavour of candyfloss, but I don't have a hatred of it. | ||
I've been somewhat amused by the attitude that I'm a good guy now, which seems to be the current popular opinion. Last year I was supposed to be in search of an audience, which again was a blanket opinion subscribed to by both people who don't think and people who think too | I've been somewhat amused by the attitude that I'm a good guy now, which seems to be the current popular opinion. Last year I was supposed to be in search of an audience, which again was a blanket opinion subscribed to by both people who don't think and people who think too much… people like Julie Burchill, who is currently top of my hit list. She just makes me really sick, you know, she's the Glenda Slag of modern pop writing. | ||
I really object to a little thing she wrote in ''The Face'', which I thought was really unnecessary. I think for someone who has a child herself, that was a pretty spiteful thing to do. | I really object to a little thing she wrote in ''The Face'', which I thought was really unnecessary. I think for someone who has a child herself, that was a pretty spiteful thing to do. | ||
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Not really, it's sort of sad but in a different way. It's a pornographic sketch, if you like, not sad like "Shabby Doll" is sad. "The Flirting Kind" is much more related to that sort of song, "Boy With A Problem" or "Long Honeymoon." | Not really, it's sort of sad but in a different way. It's a pornographic sketch, if you like, not sad like "Shabby Doll" is sad. "The Flirting Kind" is much more related to that sort of song, "Boy With A Problem" or "Long Honeymoon." | ||
Basically, ''Punch The Clock'' is outward-looking, where ''Imperial Bedroom'' was inward-looking. The more uptempo songs, like "TKO," are modern day equivalents of "I'm So Proud" or "Keep On Pushing" … even "The World And His Wife," which, despite its nauseating scenario, is really music for a big knees-up. | Basically, ''Punch The Clock'' is outward-looking, where ''Imperial Bedroom'' was inward-looking. The more uptempo songs, like "TKO," are modern day equivalents of "I'm So Proud" or "Keep On Pushing"… even "The World And His Wife," which, despite its nauseating scenario, is really music for a big knees-up. | ||
''You recently voiced a certain chagrin that you don't have the "direct communication" that Paul Weller or All Campbell have with their audience, which goes back to that feeling of "And In Every Home," that "I don't have a job, I'm disconnected." Does it really matter? | ''You recently voiced a certain chagrin that you don't have the "direct communication" that Paul Weller or All Campbell have with their audience, which goes back to that feeling of "And In Every Home," that "I don't have a job, I'm disconnected." Does it really matter? | ||
It seems to have limited them, actually, coz they've both run away from it, or at least decided they wanted someone else to take the strain of being spokesmen for their generation. What I find a little sad is if somebody ''is'' going to take that position, it's important that they do it with some intelligence than just in a rather empty | It seems to have limited them, actually, coz they've both run away from it, or at least decided they wanted someone else to take the strain of being spokesmen for their generation. What I find a little sad is if somebody ''is'' going to take that position, it's important that they do it with some intelligence than just in a rather empty way… I mean, put it like this, "When You're Young" is nine times the song of "A Step In The Right Direction." What you really want is not songs that tell you what to think but songs that teach you to think for yourself. It's not a mantle I would want to pick up, and clearly no one else wants to either. | ||
''Jerry Dammers is another person who doesn't step into the light, promising to show us the way. | ''Jerry Dammers is another person who doesn't step into the light, promising to show us the way. | ||
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''Almost Blue'' might have been, but I don't think it applies to ''Get Happy'', since they tend to treat any references to soul music as a joke. | ''Almost Blue'' might have been, but I don't think it applies to ''Get Happy'', since they tend to treat any references to soul music as a joke. | ||
''It struck me that Almost Blue was maybe the most soulful of your records, even if also the most depressing, especially if one sees country as the white man's soul | ''It struck me that Almost Blue was maybe the most soulful of your records, even if also the most depressing, especially if one sees country as the white man's soul music… | ||
Well, the title was a giveaway. After a while we just got overwhelmed by being in Nashville, and the pointy boots were too much, and in that respect the more successful songs were "Sweet Dreams," "Success," "Colour Of The Blues," "How Much I Lied" and "I'm Your Toy" — that's the ''soul'' stuff. I believed in "Sweet Dreams," that was the one that I thought had all the feeling, and that's the one I naturally wanted to be the big record, the same way I believed in "Accidents Will Happen" or "High Fidelity." | Well, the title was a giveaway. After a while we just got overwhelmed by being in Nashville, and the pointy boots were too much, and in that respect the more successful songs were "Sweet Dreams," "Success," "Colour Of The Blues," "How Much I Lied" and "I'm Your Toy" — that's the ''soul'' stuff. I believed in "Sweet Dreams," that was the one that I thought had all the feeling, and that's the one I naturally wanted to be the big record, the same way I believed in "Accidents Will Happen" or "High Fidelity." | ||
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''Your favourite singer early on was Rick Danko — now you're talking country soul! | ''Your favourite singer early on was Rick Danko — now you're talking country soul! | ||
I finally met him on this tour, actually. Him and Levon Helm were doing this folk thing at the Lone Star in New York, with just a bassist and a dobro player, and they did a few traditionals, a few Band things like "Ain't No More Cane," and then halfway through the set Danko did "It Makes No Difference," which was actually a very sophisticated song to be doing in that set, but he was so brilliant, I was practically in | I finally met him on this tour, actually. Him and Levon Helm were doing this folk thing at the Lone Star in New York, with just a bassist and a dobro player, and they did a few traditionals, a few Band things like "Ain't No More Cane," and then halfway through the set Danko did "It Makes No Difference," which was actually a very sophisticated song to be doing in that set, but he was so brilliant, I was practically in tears… just unbelievable. | ||
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*[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_Hoskyns Wikipedia: Barney Hoskyns] | *[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barney_Hoskyns Wikipedia: Barney Hoskyns] | ||
*[http://www.flickr.com/search?safe_search=3&sort=date-posted-desc&text=N.M.E.%2008%3A10%3A1983 Flickr: littletriggers] | *[http://www.flickr.com/search?safe_search=3&sort=date-posted-desc&text=N.M.E.%2008%3A10%3A1983 Flickr: littletriggers] | ||
*[https://twitter.com/nothingelseon/status/1184369682742034432 Twitter: nothingelseon] | |||
{{DEFAULTSORT:New Musical Express 1983-10-08}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:New Musical Express 1983-10-08}} |
Revision as of 01:37, 12 November 2019
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