Understandably, fans of the Wild Swans have always flocked to the
early stuff, and
'The Coldest Winter for a Hundred Years' has quickly become a staple too. It's the middle material,
'Bringing Home the Ashes' and
'Space Flower,' that divides us. Even Paul Simpson doesn't seem to like these albums all that much. Well, I do. Today's selection is the opener from the latter.
'Space Flower' was produced by Simpson's old pal Ian Broudie. Ian McNabb and Chris Sharrock from the Icicle Works joined Broudie and Simpson to create a trippy collection not unlike the neo-psychedelic side of the "Madchester" sound all the kids were dancing to around the time this album was released in 1990. "Melting Blue Delicious" is worlds away from "Revolutionary Spirit," to be sure, but I find its lightness quite catchy and fun.
I was a big collector of the 'Just Say Yes' CD samplers Sire Records was putting out in the late '80s and early '90s. Volume IV, called
'Just Say Da,' had a special version of "Melting Blue Delicious" that was remixed by the legendary Bill Drummond, along with Dave Balse. I believe this was meant to be part of a 12" or CD single, but, to the best of my knowledge, this mix only ended up appearing on the label compilation. If I'm wrong about that, let me know.
The Wild Swans - Melting Blue Delicious
The Wild Swans - Melting Blue Delicious (St. Petersburg Mix)
4 comments:
I love Space Flower. This is far more reflective of what I wanted out of the whole Madchester/Life Up North era of music that preceded the boredom of Britpop. And give me psychedelic pop over Grunge any and all days!!
Simpson will get around to liking this music again once tides change and the middle albums by TWS become critics favorites again.
I love bringing home the ashes although coldest winter is my fav. For some reason I have never heard space flower, so thanks for this taster
A definite Soft Boys influence I feel which lets face it is no bad thing
Echorich, I know this one came out right on the cusp of when you gave up on the scene. Happy to hear you got this one. Hope you're right about Simpson's views. He and the rest of the world are bound to come around.
FORW, Is it possible Space Flower never got a proper release in the UK? Seems ridiculous, but I'm pretty sure I read that somewhere. Echorich and I are Yanks. I love Bring Home the Ashes too, and I certainly remember you touting Coldest Winter on your old blog. That's why I bought it. Unfortunately, I don't have the reissue with all of those bonus songs. It's on my very long list. Did you buy it again?
As for your reference, Charity Chic, I like it very much and plan to steal it and use liberally.
Post a Comment