As we head even further into a new year, submissions for the ever popular Real Gone Singles Bar continue to be very interesting. This time around. We’ve got a perfect homage to those 90s classics from the 4AD label, the return of a great retro goth band, some British skacore, and even a lo-fi oddity that proves surprisingly effective. With a couple of rocky tracks along the way and some well played Americana, we hope most people will find something new to enjoy.
*
In 2023, Universal Music released the ultimate in Camel box sets. ‘Air Born: The Decca Recordings 1973-1984’ brought together all of the band’s official releases from their most commercially successful period, and combined them with a wealth of rare and unreleased material. For the fan who must have everything, it appeared to be a beautiful item – especially with new blu ray audio content and surround mixes bringing a new dimension to some much loved tunes.
As is often the case with such a set, a huge price tag would prove a sticking point for those fans without deep pockets. Consolation would soon come from Cherry Red Records, however, who reissued ‘Camel’, ‘Mirage’ and ‘Music Inspired By The Snow Goose’ as deluxe editions (complete with the blu ray content) a relatively short time later.
The early recordings by Dinosaur Jr are among the band’s most critically lauded, but a case could be made for 1993’s ‘Where You Been’ being the band’s finest and most consistent work. The first album to feature bassist Mike Johnson (replacing Sebadoh’s Lou Barlow, following his well publicised falling out with Dinosaur main man J Mascis), its material took on a slightly more commercial edge at times. The word “slightly” is more than apt here, however, since J’s vocal drawl would remain a stumbling block for those not entirely sold on the band’s sound, and a couple of noisier workouts ensured the heart of “older” Dinosaur was never far away. Nevertheless, the album connected with a broader audience than some of the band’s prior works, with ‘Start Choppin’ breaking into the UK top 20, and the album’s promotion including an appearance on the BBC arts programme The Late Show on February 23rd 1993, just two weeks after ‘Where You Been’ hit record shop shelves.
In the early 90s, The Fall hit upon a relatively commercial sound on albums like ‘Extricate’ and ‘The Infotainment Scan’, but as the decade wore on, they found themselves somewhat floundering. Unable to capture a distinctive sound, at least beyond Mark E. Smith’s trademark drawl, their albums became a little hit and miss. 1995’s ‘Cerebral Caustic’ traded in their sharper edged approach for something far more lo-fi; the swiftly delivered ‘Light User Syndrome’ sounded like Fall-by-numbers (although they were great on that tour), and 1997’s ‘Levitate’ abandoned most of the band’s post punk and garage tendencies for extra synths and a barrage of dance rhythms, creating the ultimate opinion-divider. The best bits of 1999’s ‘The Marshall Suite’ reminded everyone that the band were still capable of delivering a few bangers (‘Touch Sensitive’ would go on to become one of The Fall’s most enduring tracks), but by the turn of the millennium, it began to seem like The Fall mightn’t deliver a “classic” album ever again.
Taking some well earned time between band projects in 1975, the five members of the then current Yes embarked on solo ventures. As you’d expect, each release had elements which tipped the hat towards the mothership – especially strongly in the case of Chris Squire’s excellent ‘Fish Out of Water’ – but the freedom of writing alone and working with other musicians also brought a fresh angle. When heard as a whole volume of work, those five albums – Squire’s ‘Fish…’, Jon Anderson’s fanciful ‘Olias of Sunhillow’, Steve Howe’s underrated ‘Beginnings’, Patrick Moraz’s ‘I’ and Alan White’s ‘Ramshackled’ – make for an interesting listen. In some ways, the finest elements from each can be cobbled together to make a great Yes album that never was.
Predictably, the releases from Anderson, Squire and Howe all achieved UK success upon release, charting at #8, #25 and #22, respectively. Moraz’s rather complex ‘I’ has gained cult status over the passing decades, but White’s sole venture has often been considered the runt of the litter.