britpop Archives - Vinyl From The Vault

The Jam “All Mod Cons”

sfilzen — Thu, 14 Jan 2021 18:38:39 +0000

The Jam “All Mod Cons” 1978. The Jam’s third album, All Mod Cons went to #4 in the UK and several British publications rank it among the best British albums ever released (it failed to crack the main US charts). I’ve had Britain/London on my mind all week so spinning The Jam seemed pretty obvious, with Paul Weller (“The Modfather”) the recipient of the “Best British Male” award (twice!) and a huge influence on the 90′s Britpop resurgence. All Mod Cons is a pop celebration and commentary on England, and London in particular, with tracks like “English Rose,” “David Watts” (a cover of the Kinks, The Jam’s version went to #25 in the UK as a double-A-side single with “’A’ Bomb in Wardour Street” which also appears on All Mod Cons, named for a street in Soho, London; the track mentions the Vortex Club location the street, a venue where punks and new-wavers performed at the time) and “Down in the Tube Station at Midnight.” “Down in the Station” went to #15 in the UK and was a song I found myself singing (under my breath) several times a couple of summers ago in London while riding the tube (though technically never at midnight, that’s way too late for me!). The flip-side to the single was a cover of the true Modfathers The Who’s “So Sad About Us.” I also really love “Billy Hunt” and the title track “All Mod Cons” which is a play the British advertising phrase for modern conveniences and The Jam’s position as mod revivalist heroes.

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Johnny Marr “The Messenger”

sfilzen — Wed, 31 Oct 2018 15:08:42 +0000

Johnny Marr “The Messenger” 2013. Today, October 31st, is Johnny Marr’s 55th birthday (b. John Martin Maher, 1963). Considered one of the best guitarists in Britain (by the BBC, NME, others), Marr released his first solo album The Messenger – after spending most of the 80′s in The Smiths and then many, many other groups and projects (Electronic, The The, Modest Mouse, etc) through the 90′s and 2000′s – and it went to #10 on the UK album chart. Consequence of Sound wrote “The Messenger provides glimmers of shoegaze, new wave, Britpop, garage, experimental, alt, and indie rock amid tight musicianship and economical songwriting (eight of the 12 cuts clock in at under four minutes). This consolidation of his various projects achieves an amalgam of styles and genres that the transient guitarist has assimilated and crafted through his prolific career” and NME wrote: “The Godlike Genius and guitar-slinger for hire finally goes it alone, rifling through pop history to reveal himself as a natural born frontman and a writer to rival his old mate Moz…Each tune throws up a different style, creating a one-man compilation album that rifles through 25 years of lush or edgy genres, perfecting every one.” My favorite tracks tend to be both lush and edgy including the album opener “The Right Thing Right,” the title track “The Messenger” (more lush than edgy, with bright jangles on vocals and guitar), the tensely upbeat tracks “Generate! Generate!” and “Sun and Moon,” and by far the best track, the haunting and achingly gorgeous “New Town Velocity.”

Allmusic writes in its review that The Messenger stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the greatness that was The Smiths: “Considerable portions of The Messenger are filled with riffs and guitar textures Marr could conceivably have used during the band’s brief life, and the effect isn’t a desperate attempt at recapturing the past but rather an embrace of his core strengths as both a guitarist and songwriter. The latter is as crucial as the former, perhaps more so, as Marr’s painterly skills as a guitarist have never been in question while his steadfast avoidance of releasing new songs under his name has obscured how he was the sonic architect of the Smiths. One quick listen to The Messenger brings all his signatures rushing back – the intricate, intertwining arrangements, the insistent riffs finding a counterpoint in the elastic yet precise melodies, a romance with the past that doesn’t negate the present. Marr has avoided these traits, so hearing each in full bloom on The Messenger is rather thrilling; he’s no longer wandering, he’s found his way back home.”

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Johnny Marr “Adrenalin Baby”

sfilzen — Mon, 10 Sep 2018 16:58:52 +0000

Johnny Marr “Adrenalin Baby” 2015. Live double LP recorded live at Manchester Apollo, Glasgow Academy and O2 Academy Brixton in 2014. Included is a large poster of Marr. Adrenalin Baby made it to #96 on the UK album charts.

Adrenalin Baby is a mix of Marr’s solo material, mainly from his 2014 release Playland and The Messenger from 2013, but also included is a song from his band with Bernard Sumner (of New Order) Electronic (“Getting Away With It”), an excellent cover of “I Fought the Law” (originally by Sonny Curtis of the Crickets but my favorite version is by The Clash) and several cuts from The Smiths. My favorite tracks on Adrenalin Baby from The Messenger are “The Right Thing Right,” the title track “The Messenger,” the propulsive “Generate! Generate!” and the achingly gorgeous “New Town Velocity.” From Playland: the title track “Playland,” “Easy Money,” “Candidate” and the rollicking “Boys Get Straight.” And then there are The Smiths songs which Marr does more than an adequate job substituting his vocals for Morrissey’s – “The Headmaster Ritual,” ‘Bigmouth Strikes Again,” “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out” and the epic “How Soon Is Now?” – Marr’s guitar on that one has been utterly slaying me since ‘85. Though some critics complain about Marr’s vocals in general (most recently on reviews of his latest release Call the Comet), it’s impossible to disparage Marr’s guitar abilities; the live production of Adrenalin Baby beautifully highlights his textured, soaring melodies. Marr is currently on tour for Call the Comet but unfortunately I won’t be able to see any of the shows. The closest he’s getting is Chicago (at Riot Fest) this upcoming weekend but I’ll be working.😞

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