It's been a while...
Things have changed, you have changed, so have I and yet. We can't ignore the past.
I suspect that I've already mentioned this but... way back, in the way back. There was a band from East Kilbride named Aztec Camera (partly after 'Camera camera' by Teardrop Explodes). They aimed to blend The Fall, The Clash, Velvet Underground, Bob Dylan, Wes Montgomery, The Flying Burrito Brothers and possibly Love into one rather joyous cheeky little melange of jazz chords, intelligent lyrics, checked shirts and raucous gigs.
Aztec Camera first appeared on a Glasgow cassette-only compilation of local unsigned bands on the Pungent Records label. The band's first UKsingle release was sold as a 7" by Postcard Records—a Glasgow-based independent record label co-founded by Mr Edwyn Collins and Dame Alan Horne in 1981. The single featured the song "Mattress Of Wire" and a rather beautiful b-side entitled "Lost Outside The Tunnel". They also released in "Just Like Gold" and "We Could Send Letters" in the same year. An acoustic version of the latter song appeared on a compilation album, entitled C81. Following the two 7" releases with Postcard, the group signed with Rough Trade Records in the UK and Sire Records in the US for their debut album.
At this point, the band was officially a quartet: Roddy Frame (vocals, guitar, harmonica), Bernie Clark (piano, organ), Campbell Owens (bass) and Dave Ruffy (drums, percussion). Their debut album was produced by John Brand and Bernie Clarke at ICC Studios in Eastbourne. The stand out single was "Oblivious", which Roddy unashamedly admitted was an attempt to get the band on TOTP, which didn't make him a bad person!
Allegedly, in a late 1990s television interview, Frame explained that a "boy" image was associated with him during this era, and that he was annoyed by it at the time, as he was taking his music very seriously—"you don't want to be called 'boy'; especially when you're listening to Joy Division"—but he eventually stopped caring about it. - Seriously Wiki, is that in any way relevant?
Anyway, throughout the whole High Land, Hard Rain tour/time I followed the Aztecs around the UK and loved every single minute. We were collectively the Boy Wonders!
The Boy Wonders
I brought you some francs from my travelling chest
You'll spare me the thanks 'til you know I'm the best
So come Hogmonay when love comes in slurs
Resolutions I'll make and you can label them 'Hers'
We threw our hands up high we, nearly touched the sky,
We clicked our heels and spat and swore
We'd never let it die
You'll spare me the thanks 'til you know I'm the best
So come Hogmonay when love comes in slurs
Resolutions I'll make and you can label them 'Hers'
We threw our hands up high we, nearly touched the sky,
We clicked our heels and spat and swore
We'd never let it die
All those boy wonders
Sold their medals when they saw this train
Now this boy wonders
When he'll feel the fall of honest rain
I came from high land where the hopefuls have to hesitate
Now this boy wonders
Why the words were never worth the wait
Sold their medals when they saw this train
Now this boy wonders
When he'll feel the fall of honest rain
I came from high land where the hopefuls have to hesitate
Now this boy wonders
Why the words were never worth the wait
I'm waiting, waiting.In pastel paper pink over grey
We wrap, wrap, wrap and chuck, chuck away
The poor excuse they peddle as their prose.
The poor excuse they peddle as their prose.
Dry your tears, tie your tongue and you're never sixteen
And I'll give you a glimpse of the hard and the clean
And my travelling chest will be open to you
And boy will you learn that you haven't a clue
And I'll give you a glimpse of the hard and the clean
And my travelling chest will be open to you
And boy will you learn that you haven't a clue
I even asked my best friend but he could not explain
It hit me when I left him
I felt the rain and called it genius,
Called it genius.
It hit me when I left him
I felt the rain and called it genius,
Called it genius.
All those boy wonders
Sold their medals when they saw this train
Now this boy wonders
When he'll feel the fall of honest rain
I came from high land where the hopefuls have to hesitate
Now this boy wonders
Why the words were never worth the wait
Sold their medals when they saw this train
Now this boy wonders
When he'll feel the fall of honest rain
I came from high land where the hopefuls have to hesitate
Now this boy wonders
Why the words were never worth the wait
I'm waiting, waiting.
In pastel paper pink over grey
We wrap, wrap, wrap and chuck, chuck away
The poor excuse they peddle as their prose.
In pastel paper pink over grey
We wrap, wrap, wrap and chuck, chuck away
The poor excuse they peddle as their prose.
No comments:
Post a Comment