When I think of the Subway artifact I hold most dear, Subway One from Shop Assistants is what springs to mind first, but the next five would all be by the Flatmates. If we bump into each other on the street, ask me their assigned numbers and I'll run them off like a winning lottery ticket... 6, 9, 14, 17, 21. Those are the band's five Subway singles, and I love them all. They were big indie hits too. Four of the five made the top 10, and the one that petered out at No. 18, "I Could Be in Heaven," is the song most revered on indie-pop compilations in the 21st century.
The seeds of label boss Martin Whitehead's own band were planted in 1985 when he met a drummer named Rocker (as nicknamed by the Blue Aeroplanes for the way he danced) at a show in Bristol. Rocker's flatmates Kath Beach and Debbie Haynes were later added on bass and vocals, respectively. Thus, the band name. Kath was replaced rather quickly by Sarah Fletcher, and the Flatmates were off and running. Because Martin and Rocker were indie-show promoters in Bristol, the Flatmates were able to pencil themselves in as opening acts for the likes of Half Man Half Biscuit and the Wedding Present. Their sound on stage was quite a bit harder than how they came off in the studio, and Martin has said more than once that their quick cover of Ramones' "I Don't Care" on the B-side of the "Happy All the Time" 12" probably came the closest to the way they were live.
You may wonder why the guy that controlled Subway never put out a long player of his own band. As Martin tells it, after the success of the "You're Gonna Cry" single, the band got representation. Management said to wait on an album until the big boys came calling. London Records showed interest in the band and even paid to have some demos laid down. Unfortunately, the band had a big row on stage at a huge London University show in front of major-label brass. All their momentum came to a screeching halt. The Flatmates called it quits soon after. Martin has resurrected the Flatmates name for most of this decade, but that's a story for another day.
I have featured my two favorite singles, "I Could Be in Heaven" and "Shimmer," before. Let's listen to the other three today. Other tidbits to consider while listening: "Heaven Knows" is the only single, EP or proper album to get released on CD during the active years of Subway. Fortunately, I have the 7" vinyl edition. "You're Gonna Cry" was written by Rocker, his only A-side, but he didn't even play on it. He left and was replaced by Joel O'Beirne after the second single. As a little bonus, I'm including "Trust Me." Had the Flatmates continued, this was going to be the sixth single. It can be found on Cherry Red's 2005 compilation 'Potpourri {Hits, Mixes, Demos '85-'89}.' A must for fans.
Finally, I wanted to include my favorite promo photo of the band. This is an insert from the single "You're Gonna Cry." Fall approaches. I hope you enjoyed the Summer of Subway.
Happy All The Time 12" SUBWAY 9T (Apr 1987, No. 3)
Happy All The Time
You're Gonna Get Hurt
Thinking Of You
I Don't Care
You're Gonna Cry 7" SUBWAY 14 (Oct 1987, No. 5)
You're Gonna Cry
Life Of Crime
Heaven Knows 7" Subway 21 (Oct 1988, No. 10)
Heaven Knows
Don't Say If
And from the aborted sixth single...
Trust Me
The Complete Summer of Subway series:
The Flatmates
The Chesterf!elds
Razorcuts
The Groove Farm
Pop Will Eat Itself
Cowboy and Spin Girl
Choo Choo Train
Fastbacks
Sex Clark Five
The Charlottes
Bubblegum Splash
Shop Assistants
The Soup Dragons
Rodney Allen
The Rosehips
Korova Milk Bar
The Clouds
2 comments:
Thanks mate, very cool! Very much looking forward to get home from work later this afternoon where I will immediately listen to the 'Heaven Knows' - 7": the only one which I don't know so far. I can't imagine any of the two tracks will beat 'Shimmer' though, which has always been my favorite of theirs … a much missed combo indeed, The Flatmates!
Ich mag diese Songs wirklich.
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