Putting a Polka-Dot Bow on This Series

It's a story we read all the time. From smash in 1985 to split in 1986, Strawberry Switchblade's time came and went in the blink of an eye. There were clearly thoughts of a second LP, and you only need to look as far as the band's appearance on John Peel's show in the spring of '85 as evidence. "Sixty Cowboys" was a new song, and "Cut With the Cake Knife," we would later learn, was already in line as Strawberry Switchblade's next single. Alas, it was not meant to be.

Rose McDowall took some of those last songs and recorded several others between 1986 and 1988. If you followed McDowall's career in the late '80s, you may also know she was performing with a new band of Creation alums that included, among others, Lawrence of Felt fame and the rhythm section of the Weather Prophets... a real time machine moment if there ever was one. If you caught them, I would love to hear about it.

The songs from this era would finally see the light of day in 2004 and be reissued again in 2015. For fans like myself, 'Cut With the Cake Knife' was like a gift from the gods. Some of the songs are not a world away from the sounds of Strawberry Switchblade, but you can hear McDowall going in a different direction in others. She did just that after these sessions. Here is a particular favorite of mine. "Tibet" is a sad lament about a friend leaving masked by some pretty sounds and melodies. You must know by now I'm a sucker for that combination.

Tibet