Plain Or Pan

Tell me more, tell me more, like did he play guitar? Paul Weller divides people into 2 camps – Godlike Genius or crap revivalist. I’m in the first camp. While I don’t worship at his Patrick Cox-clad feet, I’ve bought all his records (yes, even the Style Council box set), been to see him live loads of times and look forward to his next album, ep, single, song, chorus, verse, chord, anything. To yer average Weller fan (those who bought Stanley Road 12 years ago, or those beer bellied fatties who saw the Jam once in 1980 and chant ‘We Are The Mods’ at Ocean Colour Scene concerts), it would appear that this year has been quiet for him, but nothing could be further from the truth.

In the summer, Regal Records released his collaboration with Blur guitarist Graham Coxon. ‘This Old Town’ has Coxon on lead vocals. Weller takes a back seat, singing on the chorus and playing his usual blistering lead guitar. It sounds like one of those 70s power pop records. I’ve got it on super-heavy 7″ vinyl and it’s great. In fact, it’s one of my singles of the year. Here it is.

Weller met Andy Lewis when Lewis was working as a backline tech for the band Dogs, who supported Weller a couple of years ago. Lewis seized his moment, gave Weller a CD of some demos he was working on, and voila, ‘Are You Trying To Be Lonely?’ was born. It’s your classic brass-driven Northern Soul stomper, complete with key changes and all the rest of it. It’s just been released by Acid Jazz. Underlining the versatility of Paul Weller’s ouvre, it sounds nothing like his Graham Coxon single. This mp3 isn’t the best quality, but if you like it you’d probably want to buy it anyway.

Last October, the BBC ran its first Electric Proms. Weller played the Camden Roundhouse and had a few guests on stage with him – Richard Archer from the none-more-dull Hard-Fi, Carl Barat (who did a brilliant ‘Peacock Suit’) and Amy Winehouse, who came on and sang ‘I Heard It Through The Grapevine’ and this, ‘Don’t Go To Strangers’, a brilliant piece of Stax-inspired southern soul that if recorded in the studio wouldn’t sound out of place on a mid-90s Weller ep. I think Etta James did the most well known version of the song, but it’s one of those soul/blues standards that everyone’s done at one point. Mr Weller. Do yourself a favour. Get yourself into the studio with Amy Winehole (as Pamela Anderson calls her) and record this properly.

Devo ‘Satisfaction’. Quirky, jerky, punky and funky. Jeez, I’ve waited ages to use the phrase that best describes this track. Nothing like the Stones original at all. For all you young folk out there, imagine Franz Ferdinand doing the twist with Scary Monsters-era Bowie. Played on elastic band guitar strings.

The Residents ‘Satisfaction’ sounds nothing like the Stones or Devo’s versions, or indeed anything on earth. Bits of it sound like an aeroplane taking off, bits of it sound like those folk you hear playing solos in guitar shops, bits of it sound like the Butthole Surfers. It might as well be called something else, cos it’s almost totally unrecognisable from the tune you expect to hear. It’s uneasy listening and I don’t like it, but you might.  

Bjork & PJ Harvey ‘Satisfaction’ at the 1994 Brit Awards. PJ comes on like an out of tune ice queen doing Siouxsie Sioux for Stars In Their Eyes. Bjork gradually fades in with her out-in-the-stratosphere backing vocals, and the whole thing turns into a tense claustrophobic work out. Bjork’s singing is magic, and even PJ is in tune by the end. A hey-hey-hey!

Otis Redding ‘Satisfaction’. Otis turned Woodstock (or was it Monterey?) onto soul. White men can’t dance, but even Keith Richards acknowledges this version as being better than the Stones original. Stax horns replace the fuzztone guitar riff, the vocals are, well, blacker, and the whole thing packs a punch that only the cloth eared couldn’t appreciate.

Sandie Shaw is best known as being the bare-footed, bowl-cut headed Eurovision winner in 1967. The rest of the music world may have been happily psyching out to Syd Barrett, Hendrix and Woodstock but Sandie found success with her inoffensive brand of pop music.

Some of you may be aware that this work enjoyed a critical reappraisal in the mid 80s, thanks to the patronage of Morrissey. Indeed, the Smiths ‘Heaven Knows I’m Miserable Now’ was a direct steal (in title if not music) from Sandie’s ‘Heaven Knows I’m Missing Him Now’. She went on to return the favour by recording her version of 3 Smiths tracks (a later post for sure) as well as covering other stuff of the day like Lloyd Cole’s ‘Are You Ready To Be Heartbroken?’ What many people don’t know is that toward the end of 1969 she had a go at producing her own album.

The resulting album, ‘Reviewing The Situation’ was unlike anything she had done so far. The album contained covers of the more alternative acts of the day. In fact, she was the first person to cover a Led Zeppelin song. ‘Your Time Is Gonna’ Come’ (originally on the first Led Zeppelin album) is a belter. It’s fairly faithfull to the original. Starting out on a 12 string guitar, it comes on all heavy organ through the verses and features some brilliant double tracked vocals in the chorus. Better than Led Zeppelin’s? It’s not far off.

It also features a flute-happy, organ heavy version of Bob Dylan‘s ‘Lay Lady Lay’, Sandie’s whispered vocals to the fore. Not a patch on Dylan’s, but it’s always good to hear his songs done by other folk.

The last track on the album is her version of the Rolling Stones ‘Sympathy For The Devil’. Some frantic brushed drumming, piano riffing and bass playing, coupled with the slightly helium approach on the vocals make this sound a wee bit too fast. You’ll need to insert your own “woo-hoo’s” though. Points off for missing them out Sandie.

Following her success at Eurovison and beyond, Sandie was fed up at being treated like a conveyor belt pop star and saw this album as her chance of making it as a credible artist. But sadly for Sandie, Pye Records hated the album and did nothing to promote it. You can still get it, but enjoy these tracks while you can…

Bonus track not on the album. Sandie Shaw’s version of Paul McCartney‘s ‘Maybe I’m Amazed’. You will be amazed…(apologies if you are offended)…..

Sandie Shaw’s greatest hits. Sorry.