20 November 1985
"And finally In Embrace are neglected, and justice must be done."
— Sorrel Downer
— Sorrel Downer
The 1985 crop of Singles of the Fortnight is nearly up and I have to say what a pleasant surprise the bulk of them have been. I've long been on the side of eighties music in the face of critics who dis the production and keytars and bad hair but even I didn't relish looking at pop songs from the decade's midpoint year — the one in which New Pop had completely vanished, the yuppies were taking over and hoary old sixties rockers had gained a second wind thanks to Live Aid.
I hadn't thought of such a thing until now but one of my goals with this blog is to get one of these groups that have slipped through the cracks to an audience that otherwise never would have encountered them. Ambitious for someone with a tiny social media presence and a "selective" readership but there you go. Groups that had their moment and are still well-remembered for that one hit single don't need me pumping them up. Nor do indie faves with still devoted followings. But I'd very much like for someone out there to discover Pink Industry, Weekend, Spectral Display or Colourbox because of what I had to say about them. Or In Embrace.
Sorrel Downer feels that they haven't received their due and she's right. Making "This Brilliant Evening" her SOTF is a nice gesture which couldn't have hurt their chances but other factors would have been holding them back. Let's take a look at a few.
Print
Yes, a fine young critic with a top pop mag has given it her stamp of approval but so what? Who else was busy scribbling away about In Embrace and their fine new single? When Downer mentions them being neglected she may very well be alluding to the very same journal she was writing for. Nothing the Bitz section in this or any other issues from the latter stages of '85 and where the jiggins are their earlier singles? Their terrific 1983 release "The Living Daylights" never got to be salivated over by Deborah Steels or championed by Mark Steels (no relation, I think) or poked fun at by Neil Tennant. Nothing.
The Wireless
Obviously I can't say for sure on this one but just who was playing this great song? Most of Radio 1's presenters had stuff with commercial potential to keep them busy and this was probably a bit too soft for the likes of John Peel to bother with. Though The Jesus & Mary Chain rightly hailed a forthcoming noise pop that hip types got all excited about, it left a void for the kind of lovingly pieced together twee music that In Embrace, well, embraced. Following suit, the pirates would've gone for more of that hardcore stuff. Where's Radio FEY when you need it?
The Telly
Again, I have no way of knowing if these chaps got got themselves on TV at this time but I very much doubt it. Of course, Telly being a much more regional concern in the eighties perhaps they ended up on some dodgy late-night Midlands music program which probably helped with the local following that they probably already had. Gaining a foothold in Leicester wasn't an issue but how about getting on the TV in Edinburgh, Dorset and Chelmsford?
Ver Kids
No, we weren't buying: not literally and not the other kind. We were schmucks. Given the neglect of the above, what choice did we have? I wasn't there in '85, I wouldn't be residing in Essex for another three years, but what was I doing about it? I'd read and reread a Tom Doyle or William Shaw SOTF in ver Hits and imagine how it might sound and make up a plausible chorus to go with the song title but I never sought these records out: I didn't request them of the radio, I didn't think to see if they might pop up on The Chart Show or Going Live (of course we went away a lot on weekends so I didn't have much flippin' choice there) and I certainly didn't go into Parrot Records at Basildon Town Centre or Adrian's in Wickford to have a look and possibly drop a couple bob. And even if we did happen to hear it, would the majority of us have cared either way? We had Duran Duran and Wham! and Five Star and stuff.
The Record Labels
I dig the fact that indie labels in the eighties formed all over the UK on shoestring budgets and got records released by local acts who EMI and CBS and WEA weren't going to touch and many of these singles represent the backbone of what made music of that time great. But what was Cherry Red going to do to get In Embrace or Eyeless in Gaza some exposure? They didn't have the funds to do so and it really wasn't something they cared about doing. As I just said, the majors weren't going to have any use for these local acts just starting out and, with such little national attention, what reason did they have to seek them out now?
The Fans
The Embraceables, as I like to call them, were based around Leicestershire for the most part and fawned upon their favourite band. They bought all their records, went to all their shows and scooped up any and all nifty In Embrace paraphernalia (In Embrace tea towels, In Embrace denim jackets, the In Embrace Annual) they could get their hands on. This kept the band's income steady and they didn't have to go on the dole or try to find a job to supplement their income. This is great but fans can be too bloody precious with their favourite singers and groups — and, indeed, bands can be likewise with their fans. Pish to the punters! Go try to attract a new audience instead of playing to the same crowds.
A Blog
So, here I am with a blog no one asked for and I'm telling you that In Embrace's "This Brilliant Evening" is superb for all the reasons Downer has stated — even that bit about vocalist Gary Knight sounding "somewhat like Edwyn "Should Have Been a Star" Collins". It gets better with every listen with a tune that stays with you but with lyrics that you have to keep going back to check on. And on those lyrics: Downer likes its "good and proper corny lines" like "with a bed and breakfast, you could make a meal of me" and she's absolutely right. With just a hint of the hopeless high school-age poet about them, they are indeed corny but also funny and touching — songwriting that requires a combination of self-awareness and bravado to pull off. I'm just repeating what Downer already said three-and-a-half decades ago. I'm trying to promote her work as well as their's. Justice has yet to be done.
~~~~~
Also Reviewed This Fortnight
I hadn't thought of such a thing until now but one of my goals with this blog is to get one of these groups that have slipped through the cracks to an audience that otherwise never would have encountered them. Ambitious for someone with a tiny social media presence and a "selective" readership but there you go. Groups that had their moment and are still well-remembered for that one hit single don't need me pumping them up. Nor do indie faves with still devoted followings. But I'd very much like for someone out there to discover Pink Industry, Weekend, Spectral Display or Colourbox because of what I had to say about them. Or In Embrace.
Sorrel Downer feels that they haven't received their due and she's right. Making "This Brilliant Evening" her SOTF is a nice gesture which couldn't have hurt their chances but other factors would have been holding them back. Let's take a look at a few.
Yes, a fine young critic with a top pop mag has given it her stamp of approval but so what? Who else was busy scribbling away about In Embrace and their fine new single? When Downer mentions them being neglected she may very well be alluding to the very same journal she was writing for. Nothing the Bitz section in this or any other issues from the latter stages of '85 and where the jiggins are their earlier singles? Their terrific 1983 release "The Living Daylights" never got to be salivated over by Deborah Steels or championed by Mark Steels (no relation, I think) or poked fun at by Neil Tennant. Nothing.
The Wireless
Obviously I can't say for sure on this one but just who was playing this great song? Most of Radio 1's presenters had stuff with commercial potential to keep them busy and this was probably a bit too soft for the likes of John Peel to bother with. Though The Jesus & Mary Chain rightly hailed a forthcoming noise pop that hip types got all excited about, it left a void for the kind of lovingly pieced together twee music that In Embrace, well, embraced. Following suit, the pirates would've gone for more of that hardcore stuff. Where's Radio FEY when you need it?
The Telly
Again, I have no way of knowing if these chaps got got themselves on TV at this time but I very much doubt it. Of course, Telly being a much more regional concern in the eighties perhaps they ended up on some dodgy late-night Midlands music program which probably helped with the local following that they probably already had. Gaining a foothold in Leicester wasn't an issue but how about getting on the TV in Edinburgh, Dorset and Chelmsford?
Ver Kids
No, we weren't buying: not literally and not the other kind. We were schmucks. Given the neglect of the above, what choice did we have? I wasn't there in '85, I wouldn't be residing in Essex for another three years, but what was I doing about it? I'd read and reread a Tom Doyle or William Shaw SOTF in ver Hits and imagine how it might sound and make up a plausible chorus to go with the song title but I never sought these records out: I didn't request them of the radio, I didn't think to see if they might pop up on The Chart Show or Going Live (of course we went away a lot on weekends so I didn't have much flippin' choice there) and I certainly didn't go into Parrot Records at Basildon Town Centre or Adrian's in Wickford to have a look and possibly drop a couple bob. And even if we did happen to hear it, would the majority of us have cared either way? We had Duran Duran and Wham! and Five Star and stuff.
The Record Labels
I dig the fact that indie labels in the eighties formed all over the UK on shoestring budgets and got records released by local acts who EMI and CBS and WEA weren't going to touch and many of these singles represent the backbone of what made music of that time great. But what was Cherry Red going to do to get In Embrace or Eyeless in Gaza some exposure? They didn't have the funds to do so and it really wasn't something they cared about doing. As I just said, the majors weren't going to have any use for these local acts just starting out and, with such little national attention, what reason did they have to seek them out now?
The Fans
The Embraceables, as I like to call them, were based around Leicestershire for the most part and fawned upon their favourite band. They bought all their records, went to all their shows and scooped up any and all nifty In Embrace paraphernalia (In Embrace tea towels, In Embrace denim jackets, the In Embrace Annual) they could get their hands on. This kept the band's income steady and they didn't have to go on the dole or try to find a job to supplement their income. This is great but fans can be too bloody precious with their favourite singers and groups — and, indeed, bands can be likewise with their fans. Pish to the punters! Go try to attract a new audience instead of playing to the same crowds.
A Blog
So, here I am with a blog no one asked for and I'm telling you that In Embrace's "This Brilliant Evening" is superb for all the reasons Downer has stated — even that bit about vocalist Gary Knight sounding "somewhat like Edwyn "Should Have Been a Star" Collins". It gets better with every listen with a tune that stays with you but with lyrics that you have to keep going back to check on. And on those lyrics: Downer likes its "good and proper corny lines" like "with a bed and breakfast, you could make a meal of me" and she's absolutely right. With just a hint of the hopeless high school-age poet about them, they are indeed corny but also funny and touching — songwriting that requires a combination of self-awareness and bravado to pull off. I'm just repeating what Downer already said three-and-a-half decades ago. I'm trying to promote her work as well as their's. Justice has yet to be done.
~~~~~
Also Reviewed This Fortnight
10,000 Maniacs: "Just as the Tide Was a Flowing"
Some indie pop geniuses are ignored while others slowly develop a following and get the critical acclaim and something of a national presence. I don't know if there's much to choose from between In Embrace and 10,000 Maniacs but I'm happy that at least one emerged to become enjoyed and remembered by enough. Their open secret was Natalie Merchant's lovely voice but the band seems to be trying to drown her out. Perhaps they were trying to do for folk what Lone Justice were doing for country but the forcefulness of the playing doesn't really work. They'd go on to do better but by then their singer was beginning to realise that she didn't need them.
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