The Vapors – Turning Japanese (1980)

I was really sad to hear that Wilko Johnson had died yesterday.

I’ve previously posted two tracks on the blog featuring his outstanding rhythm guitar playing with Dr. Feelgood. Check here for “Roxette” and here for “Cheque Book” which I posted on the day in January 2013 when it was announced that Wilko had been diagnosed with late stage pancreatic cancer. Thank goodness that the cancer turned out to be less aggressive than originally feared.

Anyhow, back at the World Cup, after yesterday’s epic surprise of Saudi Arabia beating the much fancied Argentina, today served up an almost equally surprising defeat of Germany. Given the identity of their opponents, it was inevitable that I would have to post the new wave classic “Turning Japanese” by The Vapors – a band first spotted and later jointly managed by Bruce Foxton, the bassist in The Jam.

The preponderance of goalless draws in Qatar is rather driving a coach and horses through the effectiveness of my fantasy football methodology. Happily, Spain seem to be playing to form as I type and there might be some cash on its way later as a result!

1980 was one of my favourite years for music and I’ve posted a number of songs from the year on the blog. One that is tenuously relevant to England‘s thrashing of Iran on Monday is “Last White Christmas” by Basement 5 which might feature the only reference to Ayatollah Khomeini in a UK Indie Chart record? You can find it here.

Here’s the original video for “Turning Japanese”.

Play loud.

A Flock of Seagulls – I Ran (1982)

Every time a World Cup gets underway, I inevitably resolve to try and post one song every day that has at least some (tenuous) relevance to one of the day’s matches.

With this in mind, I observed that the teams playing today are Senegal, Netherlands, USA, Wales, England and, ahem, Iran …..

Presented with this open goal, I had no option but to post A Flock of Seagulls‘ stone-cold synth-pop classic “I Ran” which is possibly the weakest link that has ever been made with the repressive Islamic Republic. I’m pretty chuffed with that to be honest!

Anyhow, apart from watching the matches and working my way through my various fantasy football entries, the main bulk of the day has been spent sorting out the central heating system which I’ve switched on today for the first time this winter. Having got it going, it became clear that no one had bled the radiators for some years and so I nipped out to buy a suitable metal gizmo to enable me to release all the air that was trapped in them. This took rather longer than I had anticipated and required me to fill up the central heating system using the somewhat hard to discover filling loop on the boiler. No matter, I got there in the end and I’m now starting to work out what temperature I can afford to keep the house at given the cost of gas …. another excuse for the meticulous recording of meter readings and some basic manipulation of a new spreadsheet!

Anyhow, the Netherlands vs Senegal clash has just restarted after half time and with 5pm just having past, it’s time for a beer!

The original single version and video and then the longer LP version.

Play loud!

Elvis Costello – Watching the Detectives (1977)

With only a few hours to go until the start of the World Cup, I’ve had a pretty much perfect Sunday morning.

I was awake at 6am and, after a bit of a doze, I listened to a few articles from this week’s Economist magazine while having a damn fine cup of coffee. A quick shower, a glass of ice cold grapefruit juice and I then sorted out today’s seeds and sultanas for the ever growing flock of birds that are now visiting my garden several times a day. Within minutes of putting out the fresh food, it was being “wolfed down” (as it were) by a boisterous group of starlings – I just love watching the birds in the garden!

I’d arranged to meet my youngest daughter for a fried vegetarian breakfast this morning before she headed back to her RAF base around mid morning. The vegetarian and vegan options at the Olmo Lounge in Huntingdon are absolutely superb and the food was fresh, tasty and perfectly cooked. The quality was very much the equal of the fantastic meat-free breakfasts that I devoured down in Melbourne a few years ago after being introduced to them by my good friend from Canberra.

As we were preparing to leave the eatery, my “stylist” Sam came in with his lovely young daughter and we had a quick chat before we had to head off – I’m starting to bump into all sorts of acquaintances now as I settle in to my new home town.

After my daughter was picked up from Sainsbury‘s car park by her colleague, I strolled back to the house via Marks & Spencer, picking up a suitable bottle of wine to accompany tonight’s dinner. As I approached my home, there was a cacophony of bird calls and I was delighted to realise that it was all coming from my garden – the house really feels like a home now!

Anyhow, the soundtrack at the restaurant this morning was also superb featuring a gorgeous tune by Nick Drake, which is likely to get an airing on the blog soon, and also this, the stupendous “Watching the Detectives” by Elvis Costello from 1977 – one of my favourite singles on Stiff Records.

Once I’ve got this post out of the way, I’ll be completing my World Cup fantasy football preparations while watching the Abu Dhabi Formula One Grand Prix before turning my virtual attention 300 or so miles to the west to Qatar.

I’m so looking forward to my 2 and a half weeks football drenched holiday!

Check below for the original studio version and then an excellent, extended live version filmed in Germany in 1978.

Play loud!

The Bevis Frond – Lights Are Changing (1988)

The new house is nearly finished.

The old relationship is just the past.

So many people have been so kind over the last few months.

Those months have been a blur with no time to think or read.

And as things settle down, I’ve now found time to start reading again.

But I’ve also found time to start thinking again.

There’s a massive hole in my life that I need to work out how to fill.

You can see as many people as you like as often as you like but, when they’ve all gone home, you’re back on your own.

I need to pin down my new purpose and meaning.

In the meantime, why not listen to this?

An utterly perfect jangly guitar power pop type tune from 1988.

The best record Teenage Fanclub never made.

The lights are changing.

Talking Heads – Houses In Motion (1980)

Well it’s been quite a week.

I viewed a lovely property to rent in Huntingdon last Friday, a 2 bed Victorian terrace in an absolutely perfect location.

One or two things not completely optimal about the house and garden but more than good enough for me and so I put in an offer on the spot.

Paid the holding deposit within an hour but there were still another half dozen folk to look round it.

Landlord promised to get back to me on Saturday and kept his word, phoning me while I was outside a pub having a beer with my middle daughter.

The news was good and we celebrated in the grand manner with another half each.

Submitted my references which were approved on the Sunday (phew!), contract was digitally signed on the Monday and, by the end of the day, I’d also paid the deposit plus the first month’s rent.

Agreed to get the keys on 9 July and start renting from the following day.

I’ve been plotting the logistics of the move over the last couple of days and also checking out stuff that I need to buy for me to move into my own place for the first time since 1989 – there’s a lot!

I’m really excited and optimistic and just hope everything goes smoothly …..!

As such, “Houses in Motion” seemed the only tune to post tonight.

And what a tune! Taken from Talking Heads‘ peerless Remain In Light LP from 1980, this is the sort of smart, edgy, catchy and life affirming pop music that doesn’t seem to happen anymore.

Anyhow, it’s perfect stuff – three takes: the original LP version, an astounding live take from the early 1980s and then a David Byrne “solo” version from 2009 featuring cavorting dancers …!

Play loud.

Wreckless Eric – Final Taxi (1978)

On a beautiful sunny morning today, and after 21 years of faithful service, my “Metal Firecracker” (see here for details) took its final journey.

Goodbye old chum, I’ll miss you.

This seemed apt.

UK Subs – Warhead (1980)

I’ve managed to get back into a proper reading routine recently and finished 4 books in the last fortnight.

The first of these was John Cooper Clarke‘s autobiography, I Wanna Be Yours, which I managed to complete just before we went to see him live in Cambridge. It’s a pretty good read but becomes too much of a running commentary on his heroin habit to have lasting interest.

After that it was on to Julie Burchill‘s latest, Welcome to the Woke Trials. It’s entertaining, knockabout stuff with the odd killer line but, generally, involves too much splenetic invective to cohere. Also, a staggeringly bad quality of printing and editing! Not worth reading again and not one to recommend to friends or family.

Next up was Helen Joyce‘s outstanding recent book, Trans. This is a remarkably clearheaded explanation of one of the biggest drivers of the current culture war. I’d recommend it to everyone with even a passing interest in current political debates. I’m lending it to my middle daughter when she pops round for dinner tomorrow!

Finally, I also read Philip Lewis‘ lovely little book, The Discerning Heart, The Developmental Psychology of Robert Kegan. I found it to be enormously thought provoking as I learnt about Kegan’s framework for understanding human development and its implications for interpreting parental/child relationships and those between adults. I wish I’d read it years ago and I will be following up with one of Kegan’s own books in the next couple of weeks.

I’ve also made a start reading the late P.J. O’Rourke‘s, Holidays in Hell; a series of punchy articles describing his 1980s journeys through a range of the world’s then troublespots. My favourite line so far comes early, on the second page:

Earnestness is just stupidity sent to college

He also repeats a great joke overheard in Warsaw in 1986:

A Russian general is arguing with an American general.

The Russian says: “We feed our troops 1,000 calories a day!”

The American general says: “We feed our troops 3,000 calories a day!”

“Nonsense!” says the Russian general, “no one can eat an entire sack of potatoes in 24 hours”!

Anyhow, after waking up to the remarkable news of the sinking of the Moskva in the Black Sea, I nipped to the Co-op around 8am to buy some freshly baked bread rolls. Returning home under a cloudless sky and with the sun burning brightly in the East, I suddenly thought of this song and decided it would be apt to post today.

One of my favourite basslines back in the day.

The original single and then a performance from Top of the Pops.

Play loud!

The Cars – My Best Friend’s Girl (1978)

Well, I’ve already posted a tune today (here) and that was largely off the cuff after hearing that Nicky Tesco of The Members had died.

As it happens, that post – while waxing lyrical about the outstanding quality of this weekend’s birthday events – actually omitted one of my absolute highlights.

I was up really early today even though I’d been up really late last night.

I love the crispness of winter mornings.

I love the quality of the light.

I love watching the blackbirds devouring the mountain of soaked sultanas I put out for them.

I decided to nip to the Co-op to get food for the next couple of days.

The in-store sound system is always pretty good but it reached new heights this morning when this came on.

An absolute, stone cold, new wave classic.

Irresistible and compelling.

Even though I’d found what I was after, I found an excuse to continue perusing so I could hear this tune all the way through.

I even managed to throw in a couple of cheeky “shapes” near the chilled salads when no one was looking.

Life gets no better.

An all time pop classic.

The Members – Sound of the Suburbs (1979)

I’ve had the most magnificent birthday weekend.

Great live football and rugby.

Manchester City grinding out a 1-0 win at Everton.

A wonderful meal with most of the kids at a local pub who managed to do some proper veggie and vegan options.

Some lovely birthday gifts, some stunning music, a walk into town under cloudless skies this morning.

10,000+ steps, 500+ push ups.

More wine.

And still the Ukrainians heroically resist the shameful assaults of Putin.

Inspirational.

Just got a WhatsApp message from my eldest to say that Nicky Tesco has died.

The frontman of The Members has already appeared with his band on the blog here – their career high “Solitary Confinement”.

Randomly, my son got to know Nicky a few years ago and managed to get him to sign my CD copy of their debut LP, At The Chelsea Nightclub.

Nicky wrote “knock me down with a feather “.

A gent and a scholar who will be sorely missed.

Bought this in 1979 when I was 15.

A classic single.

And Johnny’s upstairs in his bedroom sitting in the dark

Annoying the neighbours with his punk rock electric guitar

Studio version and video.

Perfect pop music.

Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers – Egyptian Reggae (1977)

Over the years, I’ve read a fair amount about the “Suez Crisis” of 1956 but, truth be told, I’d never really understood the full context and the many machinations that underpinned the decision by the British and the French to encourage the Israelis to invade the Sinai Peninsula in a ludicrous attempt to depose Nasser, the Egyptian President, after he nationalised the Suez Canal Company.

However, a book on the history of the British Empire signposted me to read “No End Of A Lesson – The Story Of Suez” by Anthony Nutting which was published in 1967. Having tracked it down online, I have been both mesmerised and appalled by the story that the book tells. The power of the book rests on the fact that Nutting was the Minister of State at the Foreign Office in the lead up to the crisis and, commendably, resigned once the decision had been taken for the doomed military action.

While the French and the Israelis were the main drivers behind the military action they, at least, seem to have been motivated by naked self-interest. By contrast, the British came to the conspiracy quite late in the arrangements and seem to have been motivated by little more than the ego of Prime Minister Anthony Eden who comes across as a chaotic, inconsistent and incoherent figure. Of course, he was seriously ill but the damage he has ultimately done to the UK’s relations with Arab nations as well as allies like the USA is incalculable.

A quote from the book:

From the moment when Eden decided to go along with the Franco-Israeli conspiracy, the most elaborate precautions were taken to preserve absolute secrecy, even to the point of misleading our friends and ‘enemies’ alike.

As part of our cover plan, and to heighten the impression that Israel was about to attack Jordan, it had been agreed with the French and the Israelis that, as and when Israel began to mobilise her forces, feint concentrations should be made near the Jordanian border, after the rumour had been spread by the Israeli Military Intelligence that Iraqi forces had entered Jordan. At this point we were to ‘warn’ the Israelis that an attack on Jordan would bring into play the Anglo-Jordan Treaty. This, it was felt, would not only put Nasser off his guard, but would enable us to pose as true ‘peace-keepers’ in the Middle East.

Nobody was kept more completely in the dark than the President of the United States ….

It’s a shocking tale and I will be reflecting a lot on how it still frames and influences the politics of the Middle East today ….

In the meantime, here’s some instrumental whimsy from the peerless Jonathan Richman – a man for whom Suez is of no interest whatsoever!