Thursday 18 March 2010

Aural pleasures cont.

Album of the Day is The Best Of Altered Images. I'd heard a few tracks over the course of my few decades on the planet, but only got round to buying some after a long car journey with my friend Mark. Wearying of his serial-killer-related compilation (I'll discuss that later in the series), I chanced upon Altered Images and rammed it into the slot, expecting soothing jangly guitar indie.

That's what I got, with added Scottishness, joy (not adjectives often found together) and Claire Grogan's weird voice. Apparently, her role in the wonderful Gregory's Girl and subsequent pop career made her every indie boy's fantasy.

The most famous track is probably the insanely catchy Happy Birthday, but I particularly love the unhinged Dead Pop Stars and Insects, which is just bizarre but compelling.





5 comments:

Zoot Horn said...

I had a friend who vaguely knew Claire Grogan, and we saw her in Coventry and kind of chatted to her. She was lovely, but frighteningly small. She made me all broody.

violet said...

i am in the minority who dislikes her. but i love her singing- reminds me of... a later sarah records effort. plinky sounds.

http://www.last.fm/music/The+Wake/_/Crush+the+Flowers

The Plashing Vole said...

Mmmm, Sarah Records. How my heart leaps at the thought of Field Mice 10" LPs.

violet said...

yes- i still have mine ;) and my 7"s, and in some dusty box, gig tickets to sarah nights in bristol. still listen to 'letting go' and 'i can see myself...'

btw, are you actually a fencer??? i found you via a music search, and did not see it on your profile when i first looked (have word blindness and dyslexia, though- so it happens)- which weapon d'you fight ?
im (out on looong injury pro tem) a violent epee-ist. i fleche v. well. i have killed. almost.

i love fencers.i love the party attitude. when i phoned my bank to set up the DD the bloke was an archer, and said his club was a top one, w national team members/coaches, (i said mine too). they told him archers and fencers used to share acom at each olympics till archers asked to move because fencers too rowdy and drunk all the time, and kept the archers awake. said i had not heard that, was not surprised, and was proud.
i almost lost friends when i fenced- it was(for everyone else) one of the most boring obsessions i'd ever had.
friend i made second week of classes now in top 40 womens'; she lives out my obsession for me. d'you compete? i remember well the famous cakes at hendon....

is this too long a comment? im still not au fait w the ettiquete here; huge soz, if so. poss you cn delete?
ha ha -just noticed you request for inchoerant worthless rambelling- hey- my forté.

Anonymous said...

oooh, altered images. I've never really listened to them and had no idea they produced work of such unhinged new wave brilliance. Thanks!

Now it's off to spotify i go....