Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CDLXXXIV--The Clash: Hitsville U.K.

What's all this fuss about being late?

This week's tune came from the much-anticipated follow-up album to The Clash's stunning masterpiece, London Calling.  It was a three-record set, sprawling and experimental and adventurous...and it took a while to grow on me.  But once it did, holy shit, what a record.  Always reminded me (not musically, just in its disparate songs) of The Beatles' unwieldy but brilliant White Album (and Lord have mercy would The Clash have ripped my heart out of my chest for that comparison).  And in its disparity, it yielded one of their more pop oriented songs, with a tongue-in-cheek nod to Motown....

I wrote about The Clash in Volume CCXXX, and as Joe Strummer hasn't risen from the dead (not from lack of trying, I'm sure), and Mick Jones, Paul Simonon, and Topper Headon have repeatedly said they have no desire to reunite or go on an oldies tour (like The Clash have anything that could remotely be called an oldie), I'll just leave it at the very good bio (if I do say so myself) of "The only band that matters" that I wrote for their first post.

"Hitsville U.K." was the second single released from the band's revolutionary named three LP set, Sandinista! (exclamation point theirs, not mine--the Sandinistas were a revolutionary left-wing Nicaraguan political group).  The single hit #56 in the U.K. but did not chart in America.  The album reached #19 in Great Britain and #24 here in the States.  It was also ranked at #323 on Rolling Stone's list of "The 500 Greatest Albums of All-Time."

Fun Fact:  Despite the fact that Joe Strummer sang the vast majority of their songs, somehow I've managed to pick two that were sung by Mick Jones (though this week he is ably supported by his then girlfriend Ellen Foley).

Every now and again, a song has a small but indelible moment.  In "Hitsville U.K.," it's about halfway through right before the instrumental break when Jones says (with his English accent) "So 'it it."  Can't ever listen to the song without waiting for that two second blip--it was one of the first things I noticed about the song when I first heard it some forty-three years ago.  The song, its title a nod to Motown's nickname "Hitsville U.S.A.," is a paean to the then burgeoning indie music scene in Great Britain, and how it had opened up the music business for everyday boys and girls.  It features nice vocal play between Foley and Jones, some funky ass bass work from Simonon, and is, much like my last post on The Clash, much more pop oriented than their usual fare.  Wonder why I'd like those two so much....

Lyric Sheet:  (Remember)/They say true talent will always emerge in time/When lightning hits Small Wonder/It's Fast Rough Factory time..."

Enjoy:

Republicans = Nazis

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CDXXXIV--The Belle Stars: Sign of the Times

 Regular readers (both of you) will recall that I've written a time or two about songs that I discovered thanks to promotional singles that were sent out back in the day by record labels.  This week's featured tune is another such song, though it was helped liberally by heavy rotation on MTV back when the "M" in MTV still stood for "Music...."

The Belle Stars (a nice play of words on Belle Starr, famed outlaw of the old west) had a very brief though fairly productive career in the 1980's.  The eight piece all female band formed in London in 1980, and released several cover versions as singles, three of which charted in the U.K., which lead to their first--and only--album.  The band released their first original song and it became their biggest hit...and from there it was all downhill.  The band would release four more singles without much chart success and by 1985 five of the band members had left.  The remaining three would record one album, but after the first single did not chart, the album was shelved and by 1986, the Belle Stars were no more.  While the band only had on studio album, they have managed to release not one, not two, not three, but four--yes, four--greatest hits albums.  Also, their cover version of "Iko Iko" would reach #14 on the Billboard Hot 100 after it was featured in the movie and opened the soundtrack for Rain Man.

Fun Fact:  Much to my surprise, my weekly half-assed research found that the Belle Stars opened for The Clash three times in May of 1981...which goes to show that concert opening acts make for some strange bedfellows.

"Sign of the Times" was released in 1982 and was the fourth single released from their first and last album, the oh, so inventively entitled The Belle Stars.  The single would reach #3 on the U.K. Singles Chart, and #75 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100.  The album peaked at #15 in Great Britain but only reached #191 in America.

One of the recurring themes of Friday Night Jukebox has been my love for female vocalists, and when you add in some tasty harmonizing you have a recipe for an emaycee fave.  There's some nice bursts of jangly guitars, and the drums provide a pulsing beat to a break-up song with attitude.  The chorus is to die for--it's so catchy it's contagious.  While there are obviously major differences, one can almost see the blueprint for the Spice Girls in the Belle Stars, and in this one, girl power turns into a glorious piece of pop pie.

Lyric Sheet:  "This is the sign of the times/Piece of more to come/This is the sign of the times/Time to be alone..."

Enjoy:

Republicans = Nazis

Peace,

emaycee

Friday Night Jukebox, Vol. CCXXX--The Clash: Train in Vain

In 1980, WLS-AM out of Chicago began playing a single from an English punk band and upon hearing it I ran to the nearest music store, picked up a copy of their latest LP with a big sticker proclaiming that said single was on it, and took it home for a listen.  When I got home I noticed that the track wasn't listed on the back cover, but since the big sticker said it was on the LP, I began methodically listening to each side.  Side one...nope.  Side two...still nope.  Side three...nope, starting to get a wee bit nervous.  Side four...down to the last song...and there it was.  Little did I know at the time, but the hit single--this week's tune--had been added at the last minute and the cover art had already been completed, so it was added to the last side of the vinyl without a listing.

The Clash (truly one of the greatest band names in the history of rock and roll) formed in London, England in 1976 and like a number of bands featured here on FNJ had a career that is hard to recap in a paragraph.  Joe Strummer, Mick Jones, and Paul Simonon began their journey and were joined shortly thereafter by drummer Topper Headon which became the band's classic line-up.  Buoyed by the punk movement, The Clash exploded in their native U.K. in 1977 with the release of their debut album.  While starting out as a punk band, they eventually branched out embracing not only punk, but rock, ska, jazz, rap, reggae, country and western, and a host of other musical styles.  While their career was relatively short, the band appears on numerous best bands of all time lists, and has several albums that are ranked likewise.  Exceedingly political, the band made a name for itself as a socially conscious band (at one time they were proclaimed as "the only band that matters").  The Clash released six albums (all six of which were top 20 on the charts in the U.K. including two which reached #2, three made the top thirty thirty in the U.S. with one cracking the top ten), numerous singles (with a top ten in the States, though none so high in the U.K.), and continue the line of bands who have more compilations than studio albums (near as I can tell, including box sets, it's fourteen).  They were also known for being an explosive live band.  Topper Headon was fired from the band in 1982 for excessive drug use (heroin), and Mick Jones was fired in 1985 for wanting to enjoy a little too much of the good life and by 1986, The Clash were no more.  The band members discussed reuniting several times, but Strummer's death in 2002 from congenital heart failure ended any hopes for a reunion.  The remaining band members have played together on occasion, mostly for charitable causes through the years. Their legacy, however, will live on.

"Train in Vain" was released in 1980 on The Clash's seminal LP London Calling (one of the best albums ever made, from beginning to end, and on a side note, also one of the best album covers).  Surprisingly, the song was not released as a single in their native U.K., but went on to reach #23 (with a bullet!) on the Billboard Hot 100.

Fun Fact:  Though Jones denies it, it's believed the song's title (words which are never sung in the song) refers to how he used to take a train to see his girlfriend who would stand him up repeatedly.  He therefore, took the train..in vain.

One of the comments I read while doing my half-assed research for this week's song said that "Train in Vain" sounded the least like The Clash of any song they ever recorded.  I'm not so sure about that--much like the Ramones, for a punk band The Clash had excellent pop sensibilities, and those sensibilities really came to the fore in "Train in Vain."  Jones sang lead vocals (somewhat of a rarity as he usually only took lead on one song per album) and sings them in such a way as to reflect the protagonists anger and hurt at being betrayed by his lover, without being either vicious or maudlin.  Headon's drumming shines throughout, though I forgot how great his lead in to the song was.  Jones and Strummer have some great guitar work (the plucking sound from the intro is killer), and the entire band pulls it altogether with their backing vocals.  Bonus:  we have an emaycee fave--harmonica!  It's a nice little solo that somehow manages to capture the spirit of the whole song while it breezes along.  I tell you what--I was twenty years old when this song came out and I'll be sixty in a few days, but I'm here to tell you the song sounds even better forty years down the road and I absolutely marveled over the past few days as I listened to it again and again at what a true pop masterpiece it was and still is. A truly great song from a truly great band.

Lyric Sheet:  "Now I got a job/But it don't pay/I need new clothes/ I need somewhere to stay/But without all these things I can do/But without your love I won't make it through..."

Enjoy:

Fuck Donald Trump,
emaycee

Now I got a job, but it don't pay

With their record on job creation about as sterling as a charcoal briquet, republicans are turning to their age old bullshit:  there's plenty of jobs out there, but no one can pass a drug test and those lavish unemployment benefits are keeping people from taking a job.  Why, they're saying, all sorts of businesses are having these problems.  Setting aside the facts that a) drugs cost money, and b) unemployment benefits are finite, here is a lesson in employment economics:

I have a "friend" who has been unemployed for some time now.  Said friend has never used drugs (doesn't drink, either) and unemployment benefits ended a couple of years ago.  My friend has given up on finding a full-time job (wise decision, they're just not offering those jobs anymore) and decided to look into a part-time position with several nearby retailers (all of which are nationally known).  My friend found that the only jobs available average fifteen to twenty hours a week, and that an open availability was required.  My friend has one child and a spouse who works in retail, as well.  The numbers for one week:

           Michigan minimum wage ($7.40) x 20 hours:          $148.00
           Taxes (conservatively @ 20%):                             -$29.60      
           Gas expense (again conservatively):                        -$15.00
           Child care expense (10 hours at $5 an hour):          -$50.00
           Net pay:                                                                  $53.40

Keep in mind that I figured my friend could get some hours when the child was at school/the spouse wasn't scheduled.  If that didn't happen, my friend would fucking lose money if you add the half-hour travel time per scheduled day.  As is, this comes to roughly $2600 a year--and for that my friend has to work nights, weekends, holidays, swallow customers bullshit, swallow management's bullshit, entrust the child's care to strangers, and receive zero benefits..all for what is effectively $2.50 an hour. It's often said that part-time minimum wage jobs are good for students, but if our national merchants had to run their stores with nothing other than students working for spending money they'd be out of business in a few weeks.  Frankly, these comapnies are run by people like my friend, but absent a living wage, it's easy to see why so many of them are saying fuck you and staying home.

One of the great early lessons my parents taught me and my siblings was that in this world, you get what you pay for.  I'm not the slightest bit surprised that many businesses are having trouble finding candidates to fill all their open positions--when you pay next to nothing, you get next to nothing.

My hunch is that the ignorant mavens who run our businesses don't care either.  They'll just make everybody who is working for them work harder to make up for the lack of help.

After all, masters can do that with slaves.

Peace,
emaycee