wikipedia says a primary reason for JA stopping is to care for her autistic son.
Last year, Heaton said:
“She’s not ill, like people are worrying. But we have to let her be and not put pressure on her.” “I have to work with people who are able to match my work levels, and through no fault of her own I felt after the last album she wasn’t able to commit. Very sad, but there’s always a song for Jacqui to sing."
Did Johnny Marr not accuse the Housemartins of ripping off the Smiths.
If only I'd known this before I started my lunch. My review would have been much differentWhile I'm here, for any whippersnappers listening on streaming platforms the original album stops after Freedom (and for my money the additional tracks are superfluous).
That's a bonkers review.It's a catchy toe tapping easy listening 7 from more. As long as I'm not paying too much attention. Then it fails by the standard it sets for itself by being overly sincere and guilty of the same failings it critiques in Flag Day.
Stop reading here if you don't want me to annoy you.
I wrote a BBC sitcom just this morning. It's called Barge Life and features two middle aged men building a new life for themselves whilst traversing Britain on a barge.
Episode 1:
We open the episode with Dave at the small funeral of his mother. We find she died during the winter and she lived a frugal life. He is then going through her house and finds an envelope with £3,000 in cash with his name on it. His mum had managed to save so much for him by living with so little. Later he's in the pub with his mate Chippy mourning his mother and lamenting how the community she was raised in has been destroyed due to the influx of Londoners working at Media City. In a drunken stupor they come up with a plan to buy a barge from a local gypsy they know (Alan the Gypsy) and float it into the Salford Quays basin where they plan to spend their time insulting the employees of the BBC. Not knowing much about barges or canals they struggle to get it into the basin with hilarious results. Finally as the episode ends they get it into the right place and they cross out the previous name of the barge and rename it "The Onion".
Episode 2:
Dave and Chippy are causing a nuisance at Media City by insulting the employees and mooning the BBC office. We get some guest appearances from Gary Linekar and Anita Rani. They are confronted by a security guard who was raised in Ordsall and is sympathetic to Dave and Chippy's protests. However a over officious southern BBC employee is causing trouble for them, threatening them with the police and eviction etc. At some point Pudsy the Bear is drinking on The Onion before falling overboard and having to be rescued. The conflict between Dave, Chippy and the BBC employee eventually results in a couple of police officers coming to arrest our heros but in the scuffle the barge breaks free from its moorings and the duo escape. Their plan is now to sail their barge to freedom in France.
Episode 3 & 4:
The boys are figuring out how barges and canals work trying to plot a route to France and evade the law. They meet the good normal working class folk of Britain along the way many of whom attempt to help them or disguise the barge to escape capture. They eventually make their way further south towards the English Channel
Episode 5:
The boys are now close to entering the English Channel but the police are hot on their tail. The barge is also facing mechanical issues and there is a race against time to get the barge fixed and into the Channel. A humorous chase entails involving Dave and Chippy, the police and local news before Gary Linekar appears and causes a disturbance with the police that entails The Onion's escape. We end the episode with our two heroes toasting their success but in the background we see the skies darkening and a storm brewing.
Episode 6:
In our final episode the boys are battling the storm trying to reach France. Emotions are high, Dave and Chippy argue as Chippy wants to turn back to safety but Dave wants to continue into the storm. As the storm and the argument reaches a crescendo Dave breaks and confesses to Chippy how unhappy he is and how the adventure they've been on was ultimately a futile attempt to escape his depression and unfulfilling life. Dave and Chippy make up and they make the decision to return to Britain. The episode ends with the two finally making it back to shore where they are bundled into the back of a police van. Fade to black.
The theme song for the sitcom is Reverends Revenge from the Housemartins debut album London 0 Hull 4.
There are a couple of Housemartin songs that I knew (Caravan of Love and Happy Hour) and one of the Beautiful South albums was playing heavily by my mum growing up so this album was a constant surprise and delight on the first few plays. Happy Hour is an absolute banger and there are no real low points on the album but the more you Think For A Minute the more you realise there is more depth to the songs than you realise. Being self aware the band even reference it in We're Not Deep but it's at this point the super sincerity of the album begins to irritate.
Lean on Me is a distant cousin to Stand Be Me and is fine BUT carries so much sincerity but so little weight that it feels like karaoke. Paul Heaton has a nice voice but just doesn't have the raw gutter to make this work. Similar things are happening in I'll Be Your Shelter (Just Like A Shelter) but it feels even more like a pastiche. When Heaton starts directing the band and tells them to let it cook I just can't believe this is serious BUT IT REALLY IS. Then this gospel section culminates in the acapella People Get Ready I just cannot move past that The Housemartins are conflating the class struggles they describe with the American Civil Rights movement. For me it's a crass comparison which doesn't work. They then repeat the People Get Ready trick with He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother and the album almost collapses under the weight of its own sincerity BUT it doesn't.
The reason I can still appreciate the album is because the tunes are so poppy, uplifting and nice BUT it then fails to live up to the standard it sets in Flag Day. This should not be a nice album. It should be angry and challenging but it just isn't. It lets you off! You can sing Happy Hour with your mates and enjoy the drink without realising it's a song about hating the people you're drinking with. The album IS a jumble sale when it should be semi feral living in a forest setting fire to rich peoples horses. At the very least it should have a bit more self awareness.
Still it remains a 7 and a super easy album to have on and put a smile on your face. The only time it made me close to any other emotion is the Gospel of Marx section but for all the wrong reasons. The revolution will be televised on the BBC red button and presented by Jo Whiley and Nihal Arthanayake.
That’s Nihal (I’m a Tottenham fan and I’ll take every opportunity to mention it live on air) Arthenyake if you don’t mind!It's a catchy toe tapping easy listening 7 from more. As long as I'm not paying too much attention. Then it fails by the standard it sets for itself by being overly sincere and guilty of the same failings it critiques in Flag Day.
Stop reading here if you don't want me to annoy you.
I wrote a BBC sitcom just this morning. It's called Barge Life and features two middle aged men building a new life for themselves whilst traversing Britain on a barge.
Episode 1:
We open the episode with Dave at the small funeral of his mother. We find she died during the winter and she lived a frugal life. He is then going through her house and finds an envelope with £3,000 in cash with his name on it. His mum had managed to save so much for him by living with so little. Later he's in the pub with his mate Chippy mourning his mother and lamenting how the community she was raised in has been destroyed due to the influx of Londoners working at Media City. In a drunken stupor they come up with a plan to buy a barge from a local gypsy they know (Alan the Gypsy) and float it into the Salford Quays basin where they plan to spend their time insulting the employees of the BBC. Not knowing much about barges or canals they struggle to get it into the basin with hilarious results. Finally as the episode ends they get it into the right place and they cross out the previous name of the barge and rename it "The Onion".
Episode 2:
Dave and Chippy are causing a nuisance at Media City by insulting the employees and mooning the BBC office. We get some guest appearances from Gary Linekar and Anita Rani. They are confronted by a security guard who was raised in Ordsall and is sympathetic to Dave and Chippy's protests. However a over officious southern BBC employee is causing trouble for them, threatening them with the police and eviction etc. At some point Pudsy the Bear is drinking on The Onion before falling overboard and having to be rescued. The conflict between Dave, Chippy and the BBC employee eventually results in a couple of police officers coming to arrest our heros but in the scuffle the barge breaks free from its moorings and the duo escape. Their plan is now to sail their barge to freedom in France.
Episode 3 & 4:
The boys are figuring out how barges and canals work trying to plot a route to France and evade the law. They meet the good normal working class folk of Britain along the way many of whom attempt to help them or disguise the barge to escape capture. They eventually make their way further south towards the English Channel
Episode 5:
The boys are now close to entering the English Channel but the police are hot on their tail. The barge is also facing mechanical issues and there is a race against time to get the barge fixed and into the Channel. A humorous chase entails involving Dave and Chippy, the police and local news before Gary Linekar appears and causes a disturbance with the police that entails The Onion's escape. We end the episode with our two heroes toasting their success but in the background we see the skies darkening and a storm brewing.
Episode 6:
In our final episode the boys are battling the storm trying to reach France. Emotions are high, Dave and Chippy argue as Chippy wants to turn back to safety but Dave wants to continue into the storm. As the storm and the argument reaches a crescendo Dave breaks and confesses to Chippy how unhappy he is and how the adventure they've been on was ultimately a futile attempt to escape his depression and unfulfilling life. Dave and Chippy make up and they make the decision to return to Britain. The episode ends with the two finally making it back to shore where they are bundled into the back of a police van. Fade to black.
The theme song for the sitcom is Reverends Revenge from the Housemartins debut album London 0 Hull 4.
There are a couple of Housemartin songs that I knew (Caravan of Love and Happy Hour) and one of the Beautiful South albums was playing heavily by my mum growing up so this album was a constant surprise and delight on the first few plays. Happy Hour is an absolute banger and there are no real low points on the album but the more you Think For A Minute the more you realise there is more depth to the songs than you realise. Being self aware the band even reference it in We're Not Deep but it's at this point the super sincerity of the album begins to irritate.
Lean on Me is a distant cousin to Stand Be Me and is fine BUT carries so much sincerity but so little weight that it feels like karaoke. Paul Heaton has a nice voice but just doesn't have the raw gutter to make this work. Similar things are happening in I'll Be Your Shelter (Just Like A Shelter) but it feels even more like a pastiche. When Heaton starts directing the band and tells them to let it cook I just can't believe this is serious BUT IT REALLY IS. Then this gospel section culminates in the acapella People Get Ready I just cannot move past that The Housemartins are conflating the class struggles they describe with the American Civil Rights movement. For me it's a crass comparison which doesn't work. They then repeat the People Get Ready trick with He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother and the album almost collapses under the weight of its own sincerity BUT it doesn't.
The reason I can still appreciate the album is because the tunes are so poppy, uplifting and nice BUT it then fails to live up to the standard it sets in Flag Day. This should not be a nice album. It should be angry and challenging but it just isn't. It lets you off! You can sing Happy Hour with your mates and enjoy the drink without realising it's a song about hating the people you're drinking with. The album IS a jumble sale when it should be semi feral living in a forest setting fire to rich peoples horses. At the very least it should have a bit more self awareness.
Still it remains a 7 and a super easy album to have on and put a smile on your face. The only time it made me close to any other emotion is the Gospel of Marx section but for all the wrong reasons. The revolution will be televised on the BBC red button and presented by Jo Whiley and Nihal Arthanayake.
10 out of 10 would watchThat's a bonkers review.
Reminds me of a sitcom a colleague and I outlined about the hapless boss of the F.A. and his lacky.
In one episode they conspire to lose the World Cup bid because it would interfere with their summer holidays. They devise a cunning plan that involves showing the FIFA delegates the very worst stadiums but it backfires when the FIFA delegates love the quaint, sloping pitch at Yeovil etc.
In another episode, they make a left-field choice for the new England manager who surprises the media with his first England squad selection - it only contains player with ginger hair.
I was trying to think of the most inoffensive people I knew.That’s Nihal (I’m a Tottenham fan and I’ll take every opportunity to mention it live on air) Arthenyake if you don’t mind!
I have to say I preferred monkey tennis.That's a bonkers review.
Reminds me of a sitcom a colleague and I outlined about the hapless boss of the F.A. and his lacky.
In one episode they conspire to lose the World Cup bid because it would interfere with their summer holidays. They devise a cunning plan that involves showing the FIFA delegates the very worst stadiums but it backfires when the FIFA delegates love the quaint, sloping pitch at Yeovil etc.
In another episode, they make a left-field choice for the new England manager who surprises the media with his first England squad selection - it only contains player with ginger hair.
It's a catchy toe tapping easy listening 7 from more. As long as I'm not paying too much attention. Then it fails by the standard it sets for itself by being overly sincere and guilty of the same failings it critiques in Flag Day.
Stop reading here if you don't want me to annoy you.
I wrote a BBC sitcom just this morning. It's called Barge Life and features two middle aged men building a new life for themselves whilst traversing Britain on a barge.
Episode 1:
We open the episode with Dave at the small funeral of his mother. We find she died during the winter and she lived a frugal life. He is then going through her house and finds an envelope with £3,000 in cash with his name on it. His mum had managed to save so much for him by living with so little. Later he's in the pub with his mate Chippy mourning his mother and lamenting how the community she was raised in has been destroyed due to the influx of Londoners working at Media City. In a drunken stupor they come up with a plan to buy a barge from a local gypsy they know (Alan the Gypsy) and float it into the Salford Quays basin where they plan to spend their time insulting the employees of the BBC. Not knowing much about barges or canals they struggle to get it into the basin with hilarious results. Finally as the episode ends they get it into the right place and they cross out the previous name of the barge and rename it "The Onion".
Episode 2:
Dave and Chippy are causing a nuisance at Media City by insulting the employees and mooning the BBC office. We get some guest appearances from Gary Linekar and Anita Rani. They are confronted by a security guard who was raised in Ordsall and is sympathetic to Dave and Chippy's protests. However a over officious southern BBC employee is causing trouble for them, threatening them with the police and eviction etc. At some point Pudsy the Bear is drinking on The Onion before falling overboard and having to be rescued. The conflict between Dave, Chippy and the BBC employee eventually results in a couple of police officers coming to arrest our heros but in the scuffle the barge breaks free from its moorings and the duo escape. Their plan is now to sail their barge to freedom in France.
Episode 3 & 4:
The boys are figuring out how barges and canals work trying to plot a route to France and evade the law. They meet the good normal working class folk of Britain along the way many of whom attempt to help them or disguise the barge to escape capture. They eventually make their way further south towards the English Channel
Episode 5:
The boys are now close to entering the English Channel but the police are hot on their tail. The barge is also facing mechanical issues and there is a race against time to get the barge fixed and into the Channel. A humorous chase entails involving Dave and Chippy, the police and local news before Gary Linekar appears and causes a disturbance with the police that entails The Onion's escape. We end the episode with our two heroes toasting their success but in the background we see the skies darkening and a storm brewing.
Episode 6:
In our final episode the boys are battling the storm trying to reach France. Emotions are high, Dave and Chippy argue as Chippy wants to turn back to safety but Dave wants to continue into the storm. As the storm and the argument reaches a crescendo Dave breaks and confesses to Chippy how unhappy he is and how the adventure they've been on was ultimately a futile attempt to escape his depression and unfulfilling life. Dave and Chippy make up and they make the decision to return to Britain. The episode ends with the two finally making it back to shore where they are bundled into the back of a police van. Fade to black.
The theme song for the sitcom is Reverends Revenge from the Housemartins debut album London 0 Hull 4.
There are a couple of Housemartin songs that I knew (Caravan of Love and Happy Hour) and one of the Beautiful South albums was playing heavily by my mum growing up so this album was a constant surprise and delight on the first few plays. Happy Hour is an absolute banger and there are no real low points on the album but the more you Think For A Minute the more you realise there is more depth to the songs than you realise. Being self aware the band even reference it in We're Not Deep but it's at this point the super sincerity of the album begins to irritate.
Lean on Me is a distant cousin to Stand Be Me and is fine BUT carries so much sincerity but so little weight that it feels like karaoke. Paul Heaton has a nice voice but just doesn't have the raw gutter to make this work. Similar things are happening in I'll Be Your Shelter (Just Like A Shelter) but it feels even more like a pastiche. When Heaton starts directing the band and tells them to let it cook I just can't believe this is serious BUT IT REALLY IS. Then this gospel section culminates in the acapella People Get Ready I just cannot move past that The Housemartins are conflating the class struggles they describe with the American Civil Rights movement. For me it's a crass comparison which doesn't work. They then repeat the People Get Ready trick with He Ain't Heavy, He's My Brother and the album almost collapses under the weight of its own sincerity BUT it doesn't.
The reason I can still appreciate the album is because the tunes are so poppy, uplifting and nice BUT it then fails to live up to the standard it sets in Flag Day. This should not be a nice album. It should be angry and challenging but it just isn't. It lets you off! You can sing Happy Hour with your mates and enjoy the drink without realising it's a song about hating the people you're drinking with. The album IS a jumble sale when it should be semi feral living in a forest setting fire to rich peoples horses. At the very least it should have a bit more self awareness.
Still it remains a 7 and a super easy album to have on and put a smile on your face. The only time it made me close to any other emotion is the Gospel of Marx section but for all the wrong reasons. The revolution will be televised on the BBC red button and presented by Jo Whiley and Nihal Arthanayake.
Can you summarise said points? ;)Well the good news is whilst you remain in the loving bosom of your family the authorities won't consider you a danger to yourself or others and won't come for you.
As ever within your Joycian ravings you make several salient points not all of which I agree with but I can see where you're coming from.
words are a hell of a drugWell the good news is whilst you remain in the loving bosom of your family the authorities won't consider you a danger to yourself or others and won't come for you.
As ever within your Joycian ravings you make several salient points not all of which I agree with but I can see where you're coming from and entertaining as ever.
I liked it. Gospel isn't for everyone. 7Can you summarise said points? ;)
Aaaaaaaaaaaameeeeeeeennnnnn!I liked it. Gospel isn't for everyone. 7
Classic album. A pleasant listen for once.
Nailed it. I feel that way too after two listens.Fast ones all the same tunes.
Master of Puppets is indeed a fine album!The second best album of 1986 and I was there at the opening night of International 2 on Plymouth Grove to see them live (having left at mid day on the Sunday at Glastonbury, to drive back in time for the Argentina v England Hand of God game - the band were on at 1pm)
This was never off my turntable on a daily basis.
Great politico pop tunes such as ''Get up off of your knees" with lines like "countries will be countries, borders will be borders, some have lots of folks at war, some have given orders" and 'paupers will be paupers, bankers will be bankers, some have pennies in a jar, some own oil tankers - don't wag your fingers at them and turn and walk away, don't shoot someone tomorrow, that you can shoot today''
The first two singles ''Flag Day'' with it's anti monarchy tone, unbelievable wealth held by the very few whilst charities rely on Blue Peter to launch an appeal, and "Sheep'' with the disillusionment with the willingness for the majority of folk to simple fall in with the crowd and toe the line unquestioning.
My favourite song is the "We're not deep'' an ode to the advantages of being unemployed. "I open my curtains at 7am, just so you think I'm up with the rest of the men, and I know, what you think, what you think about me, thoughts like that sink home, to you we're not deep'' and ''the evening is yours but the morning is mine, dont knock me I'm doing fine, you'll do yourself a favour if you give yourself a rest, but just right now you know what's best....'
''I'll be your shelter'' closes the album with a soulful love song.
Just a fantastic album. Fantastic band. It is a testament to the songs that I've written this 39 years on without having to play it and recalled the lyrics quoted straight from my egghead. I loved their whole plan of ''two albums and that's it". 9/10.
Had it been the greatest album of 1986 then it would have had a 10