The Album Review Club - Week #139 - (page 1815) - Jeff Wayne's Musical Version of The War Of The Worlds

[Coatigan]

Seahorses,,do it yourself

 

[Mancitydoogle]

Ok I’ll make it easy now as I can’t think of any more clues

 

[Coatigan]

Sunhouse, crazy at the weekend

 

[RobMCFC]

Sunhouse, crazy at the weekend

Never heard of them, but the clues and facts seem to fit.

 

[Mancitydoogle]

Sunhouse, crazy at the weekend

Well done!

 

[Coatigan]

I mean you pretty much told us in the end.

 

[Mancitydoogle]

CRAZY ON THE WEEKEND



By



SUNHOUSE





I make no apologies for nominating this album even like most of my choices it’s in the ‘slit your wrists‘ genre
I can assure I’m actually a positive, upbeat guy even being a city fan for over fifty years! I just have a penchant for sad singer songwriters usually Americana artists, so this is a slight deviation.

I feel this album deserves to be heard, Sunhouse was the vehicle for the late Gavin Clark’s melancholic songs, they made one album which although critically acclaimed at the time ,not many people were aware of.

Gavin was born in Bermondsey but lived his later years in Stoke , where he met his biggest fan ,the renowned film director Shane Meadows while both were working at Alton Towers.

His songs featured in most of Shane’s films including Dead Man shoes, Somers Town and This is England.A couple of tracks on this album appear on 24/7 which starred Bob Hoskins.

Gavin was also in Clayhill and UNKLE

His posthumous album Evangelist featured the composer Einaudi.

He was also responsible for the best cover version of a Smiths song IMHO
’Please.please let met get what I want’played at the end of the’This is England’ Film.

Gavin was a tortured soul ,who suffered from depression and as a consequence Drug
abuse and Alcoholism.He died in 2015 from breathing complications as a result of his addiction, he was 46, leaving behind a wife and five kids..If you like this album there’s a retrospective solo album called’Broken Skeletons’
i think some of the proceeds go to his family.

Also watch Shane Meadows film ‘ the living room’ on you tube, it’s a documentary filmed in 2007 about Gavin and is both funny and sad.

Anways on to the Album, it came out in 1998 on the back of the Twenty Four Seven soundtrack. I bought it immediately after hearing the single’Crazy on the weekend’

I was immediately taken with Gavin’s voice, it’s not the best by any means
but you can hear the raw passion and emotion.
It was described as folk rock at the time, I see it more as a singer songwriter album in a similar vein to Nick Drake ,although his voice sounds more like Stephen Fretwell.
I like the way the vocals are at the fore and each song adds subtlety more instrumentation., but it’s the lyrics that get mainly get me, you can feel the pain in them.

I like all the tracks but standouts for me are

The title track,

Spinning around the sun

Monkey Dead

and ‘good day to die’

By coincidence listening to the latest 93.20 podcast today, Gavin was mentioned in glowing terms.

I hope you like it, as I’ve said I think Gavin deserved his songs to be heard.

 

[Mancitydoogle]

forgot to say the clues
Sunhouse we’re named after the local Chinese takeaway.

 

[BlueHammer85]

Love a harmonica

 

[RobMCFC]

CRAZY ON THE WEEKEND



By



SUNHOUSE





I make no apologies for nominating this album even like most of my choices it’s in the ‘slit your wrists‘ genre
I can assure I’m actually a positive, upbeat guy even being a city fan for over fifty years! I just have a penchant for sad singer songwriters usually Americana artists, so this is a slight deviation.

I feel this album deserves to be heard, Sunhouse was the vehicle for the late Gavin Clark’s melancholic songs, they made one album which although critically acclaimed at the time ,not many people were aware of.

Gavin was born in Bermondsey but lived his later years in Stoke , where he met his biggest fan ,the renowned film director Shane Meadows while both were working at Alton Towers.

His songs featured in most of Shane’s films including Dead Man shoes, Somers Town and This is England.A couple of tracks on this album appear on 24/7 which starred Bob Hoskins.

Gavin was also in Clayhill and UNKLE

His posthumous album Evangelist featured the composer Einaudi.

He was also responsible for the best cover version of a Smiths song IMHO
’Please.please let met get what I want’played at the end of the’This is England’ Film.

Gavin was a tortured soul ,who suffered from depression and as a consequence Drug
abuse and Alcoholism.He died in 2015 from breathing complications as a result of his addiction, he was 46, leaving behind a wife and five kids..If you like this album there’s a retrospective solo album called’Broken Skeletons’
i think some of the proceeds go to his family.

Also watch Shane Meadows film ‘ the living room’ on you tube, it’s a documentary filmed in 2007 about Gavin and is both funny and sad.

Anways on to the Album, it came out in 1998 on the back of the Twenty Four Seven soundtrack. I bought it immediately after hearing the single’Crazy on the weekend’

I was immediately taken with Gavin’s voice, it’s not the best by any means
but you can hear the raw passion and emotion.
It was described as folk rock at the time, I see it more as a singer songwriter album in a similar vein to Nick Drake ,although his voice sounds more like Stephen Fretwell.
I like the way the vocals are at the fore and each song adds subtlety more instrumentation., but it’s the lyrics that get mainly get me, you can feel the pain in them.

I like all the tracks but standouts for me are

The title track,

Spinning around the sun

Monkey Dead

and ‘good day to die’

By coincidence listening to the latest 93.20 podcast today, Gavin was mentioned in glowing terms.

I hope you like it, as I’ve said I think Gavin deserved his songs to be heard.

Like I said, never heard of them, but I’m looking forward to this one.