The Birthday Party: "Release the Bats" / Jon & Vangelis: "State of Independence"

20 August 1981

"This band is not shy."

"Not normally the kind of thing I would listen to, this was the surprise of the pile."

— Charlie Gillett

Well, time hasn't done anything to endear me to either of these records. I approached this (re)entry thinking that at least one of "Release the Bats" or "State of Independence" would throw me, making me wonder why I was so swift to dismiss one or both of them just over four years ago. Alas, I'm as unmoved as ever — even vaguely resentful of having to evaluate them once again — and I'm not even sure I can understand why Charlie Gillett chose them anymore.

People love their Nick Cave, or so I've been told. I've never known any devoted Cave fans but I imagine they're the sort of people who think The Boatman's Call is in fact one of his weaker albums and not at all representative of his musical talent. Nevertheless, I think most people will agree that he was at his best alongside The Bad Seeds. The Birthday Party, his first group of note, were certainly distinctive but Cave wasn't able to put the care into his songwriting during these early years as he would be towards the end of the eighties.

Many have stated that "Release the Bats" was seminal in the burgeoning goth rock movement. Cave has disputed this but he ought to take that up with youngsters in black who heard it and were inspired. It has been suggested that the song was meant to be a joke but The Birthday Party's "frightening intensity" ensures that the gag is lost on all but the most studious of observers.

Contrary to what punk advocates will have you believe, progressive rock didn't simply shrivel up and die in 1977. Well, it didn't die. During the considerable layover between the end of ELP and Gabriel-era Genesis and the rise of second generation acts like Kajagoogoo, Nik Kershaw and Tears for Fears, holdovers such as Yes went commercial. Prog hadn't been challenging for listeners since the heyday of King Crimson but now it had become especially tame and toothless. Supergroups Asia and Jon & Vangelis were about to inflict far more damage upon prog than the Sex Pistols ever could have.

Jon Anderson had departed Yes and and the late Vangelis had long since bid farewell to Greek act Aphrodite's Child when they formed their partnership. With the latter getting deeper into film scores — his biggest success of 1981 was the soundtrack to Chariots of Fire and would soon work on the music for the overrated Blade Runner — this duo may have been an attempt to keep at least one foot in the pop world. Success for the group was sporadic and it would be a while before they began to reap some financial reward for composing "State of Independence". This windfall came mainfully from Donna Summer's solid cover version. It's much stronger than the original and indicates that Jon & Vangelis had a sturdy composition on their hands, even if they couldn't make much of it on their own.

As if to avoid having to write a proper review, I took up the bulk of my time in this co-Single of the Fortnight's post categorizing some of the other records reviewed by Gillett with oh so clever titles. This time I thought I'd provide classifications for The Birthday Party and Jon & Vangelis. Let's see how I do this time.

People Who Aren't Currently Relevant but Will Be Praised Someday for Their "Influence"

The Birthday Party: "Release the Bats"

As Brian Eno once said, only 10,000 people bought the first Birthday Party album but everyone who did formed a band and bought cowboy hats in an attempt to make goth seem more rustic or something.

People Who Aren't Yet Aware That They're Irrelevant

Jon & Vangelis: "State of Independence"

As Brian Eno once said, over 1,000,000 people bought the J&V album The Friends of Mr Cairo but not one of them formed a band because of it (and it did nothing for the goth cowboy hat industry either). No one seemed to think so at the time but wasn't Kate Bush far more progressive than these two? Vangelis had much more of a future with ambient, impressionist film soundtracks. As for Anderson, I'm sure he had enough money stashed away to open up a pub.

~~~~~

Also Reviewed This Fortnight

Cliff Richard: "Wired for Sound"

(aka People Who Will Have a Hit (Even If They Don't Deserve To), aka People Trying a Little Too Hard to Keep Their Career Renaissance Going)

Cliff's late-seventies revival of "Miss You Nights", "Devil Woman", "Carrie" and "We Don't Talk Anymore" (a better period than his early-sixties heyday, if you ask this humble blogger) entered the eighties with the popular and well-remembered "Wired for Sound". I'm in agreement with Gillett that the song doesn't deserve Cliff and that it's "clever rather than engaging". The fact that he was soon to dry up almost permanently — even though "Saviour's Day" being a great song is a hill I will die on — probably helped fans have fond memories of this good-but-not-great number. Nevertheless, it would have been my SOTF runner-up, trailing only the brilliant "Mother's Hour" by Ludus. (As Brian Eno once said, only only person bought the first Ludus album but everyone who did formed a band called The Smiths and flirted with racism)

(Click here to see the original post)

The Birthday Party: "Release the Bats" / Jon & Vangelis: "State of Independence"

20 August 1981

"John Peel...has nominated this as his record-of-'81; I'll settle for it being...not normally the kind of thing I would listen to...the most compelling, uncompromised...immaculate sequencer grooves...the singer rants with frightening intensity...and sax overdubs."
— Charlie Gillett

A mischievous start to this one on my part. This is our first look at a co-SOTF and, as a warped tribute to this landmark, I've decided to mash up Charlie Gillett's pair of glowing reviews into the above "quotation". I have, therefore, taken his analysis completely out of context. Anyone who wishes to see what he actually wrote is invited to do so by clicking on the link up top.

I suppose this week's entry is about understanding a reviewer's perspective rather than agreeing with it. Neither of Gillett's picks do much for me personally but I can see picking them, particularly in light of most of their competition. "Release the Bats" is indeed intense, yes, frighteningly intense even, an early example of goth rock's chilling power — though sadly free of the sympathetic touch that Nick Cave would later develop. "State of Independence" is a last-gasp for prog rock, a super-duo laying down some wonderful ideas that don't quite work out in the finished product. One YouTube comment describes it as reggae from outer space, an opinion I can't disagree with even if the sentiment fails to lift me from my apathy. Nevertheless, the two records do stand out: Singles of the Fortnight that I don't especially like but kind of get.

More interesting than the bulk of this fortnight's singles is Gillett's approach to presenting his reviews, which, again, I can understand if not necessarily desire to emulate. He has the records classified into three categories: Best of the Bunch; People You've Heard Before (and Will Hear Again) and, finally, People You Haven't Heard (but Will One Day). I can certainly see the appeal of this while immediately detecting its flaws. Leaving aside the first one, the second presents us with those who've experienced some chart success and/or critical acclaim. Given that he assumes readers are already aware of these figures it's strange, then, for him to begin one entry by asking "Have you heard of Ry Cooder?" Granted, this is a query that is well worth asking, even today. In addition, The Look (who?) seem to be a conspicuous pick here. They were soon to fall out of chart favour and into ver dumper.

Then we come to the third category. It's nice of Gillett to assume this eager eight all had bright futures ahead of them and obviously he wasn't to know that they were all destined for obscurity. Two of this bunch — The Bore-Town Bop and The Lucky Saddles — appear with the only singles they ever released. It's neigh on impossible to watch out for groups who disappear so rapidly.

Still, I like having the singles classified this way. If anything, perhaps Gillett just didn't have enough categories to lean on. I've come up with a few of my own with some very brief reviews to accompany them.

People Who Think They're Still Relevant (but Have Actually Gone Down the Dumper)

Kim Carnes: "Draw of the Cards"

A retread of her one hit and not nearly as good. The vocal smokiness is beginning to pale.

People You've Heard Before (and Never Want to Hear Again)

The Moody Blues: "The Voice"

At least Jon and Vangelis are trying, The Bloody Muds are just rehashing the same old stuff that was never especially great to begin with.

People You Keep Hearing About (but Never Get Round to Listening To)

Ry Cooder: "Crazy 'Bout an Automobile" / "The Very Thing That Makes You Rich"

Do I know Ry Cooder, Chuck? I know of him. It's been on my list for the last twenty years but I promise to check out the Paris, Texas soundtrack anytime now.

People Who Will Have a Hit (Even If They Don't Deserve To)

Cliff Richard: "Wired for Sound"

In no way whatsoever does a song called "Wired for Sound" have any business being done by His Cliffness. Gillett claims that it "doesn't deserve the feeling that Cliff manages to bring to it". Either that or perhaps our Cliff puts too much feeling into material that needs someone who understands irony.

Or I should just stick to a category I know. Namely...

~~~~~

Also Reviewed This Fortnight

Ludus: "Mother's Hour"

Towards the end of his life John Lennon began taking note of the influence of his wife Yoko Ono on up and coming new wave acts, citing in particular The B52's and their cult hit "Rock Lobster". (Fun fact: a Canadian number one!) He could just as easily have been talking about Ludus (you know, assuming he ever had the chance to hear them). Vocalist Linder sasses it up in the verses while getting her inner Ono on in the chorus. Reflecting this polarisation is her band who play some supple free jazz mixed with the sneering ferocity of punk. If a biographer/liner note writer ever needs to fill space with a quote they could do worse than this: "Ludus are the missing link between Yoko Ono and Morrissey". They may even take me way out of context for all I care.