In Praise Of Company Sleeves

In mainland Europe during the 60's and 70's vinyl 7" singles were very often housed in picture sleeves, but in the UK they were much less popular until the late 70's when the arrival of punk and new wave initiated an explosion of picture sleeves which continued apace into the 80's.

Most of the singles up to that point were sold in what are referred to as "company sleeves" which, as well as promoting the label and brand awareness, they sometimes had advertisements for make-up, hair dryers and other ephemera that appealed to the spotty youths who were the target demographic.

For many older collectors (like myself) these company bags have a nostalgic appeal beyond their often basic design. Some have perfunctory almost utilitarian designs, but even the simpler ones have become iconic over time.

For example, my favourite company bag design, amongst all the gaudy and artistically superior designs, is the humble 60's Decca bag. Each time I look at the simple orange and white pinstripe pattern my mind goes back to one of the first record I bought, "The Last Time" by The Rolling Stones.

A while ago I put together a little video that shows many of these company sleeves, some instantly recognisable, some quite hard to find. You can view it here:

https://youtu.be/duOZdYsAx7I?si=-1YoQXf0hQg03FeR

We Need To Talk About The New U2 Album

On the 17th March 2023 legendary rock band U2 released "Songs Of Surrender", a sprawling 4CD, 40 track, re-imagining of songs from their vast back catalogue.

I am a huge U2 fan, and consider their body of work to be almost beyond reproach, excepting the puzzling misstep that was 1997's "Pop".

The habit of re-hashing old material is not something that happens often in popular music. Bryan Ferry (with mixed results) sprinkled his early solo singles with re-workings of Roxy Music songs on the b-sides, but it was Joni Mitchell's incredible "Travelogue" from 2002 that raised the bar for such endeavours.

So I was a little nervous before listening. Was it a self-indulgent vanity project? Was it a sign that U2's creative well had run dry?

Well, they haven't let us down. The 40 songs are a cornucopia of delights, with no discernable filler to my ears. We are presented mostly with stripped down acoustic arrangements, with piano and sampled percussion to the fore. There are brass sections, new lyrics, new chords, new keys (presumably to assist with Bono's older voice), and new sentiments, with updated lyrics sometimes reflecting the ever-changing political landscape that is often the subject of Bono's words.

There's enough meat on the bones here to keep this set high on my playlist for some time to come, and if you are a U2 fan that might be considering passing on this, I urge you to check it out.

John Hodgson - April 2023

Five "Euphoric" Moments In Rock

I was just spinning Greatest Hits Of The Jam CD in the car when I once again listened to "Going Underground", there's a point in the middle of the song when it just takes off, it explodes, it gives the listener a feeling of euphoria. This is partly achieved by a "key change", which is a very common device in song writing to give the song a lift, to retain the listeners interest. Popular music is inherently repetitive, and such "tricks" are used time and again to break things up.

But Paul Weller is a supremely talented writer, and they key change at that moment is only one ingredient that contributes to the overall feeling of positively in that moment. It got me thinking, what other songs over the years have that "certain something" within them that gives the same feeling of "euphoria". Here are five that I know of:

1. The Jam - Going Underground (see above) here's a Youtube link, the moment happened at 1:49 - https://youtu.be/AE1ct5yEuVY?t=95

2. Genesis - Supper's Ready - The 20+ minutes of this magnum opus is littered with special moments, one of the most impactful occurs at the 19 minute mark when singer Peter Gabriel re-enters the song with his manic vocal, following an inspired off the wall keyboard solo over a frantic 6/8 rhythm by Tony Banks. https://youtu.be/p1Qyp6m1gm4?t=1109

3. The Who - Baba O'Riley - Can't let this list omit a Who song, I could have picked moments from "Won't Get Fooled Again" and "Who Are You" to name but two, but I went for the bit in "Baba O'Riley" when Daltrey comes back in with "Sally take my hand..." and Townshend resumes the main riff - a tingle down the spine moment at 2:33 - https://youtu.be/x2KRpRMSu4g?t=136

4. Yes - Close To The Edge - Another prog masterpiece, from one of the most perfect albums ever recorded, the ascending lines of "I get up, I get down..." reaches a climax at precisely 12:12 when Jon Anderson's wailing plea is replaced by Wakeman's crunching organ, pure magic. https://youtu.be/51oPKLSuyQY?t=706

5. David Bowie - Suffragette City - You could probably compile a whole list just with Bowie songs, but here's one that stands out - the main hook is being beaten into the ground in a wild ending to the song, and just when you think it's over - it isn't! The "Wham bam thank you ma'am" moment hits at 2:51 - https://youtu.be/rq1bcVOmyjw?t=154