This was something of a powerpop standard at the time, and it was often covered, most famously (if not most felicitously) by the Bay City Rollers. The Records' version, obviously, is vastly superior, but to my surprise the 1975 Tim Moore original -- which if memory serves is still the gold standard -- is not available on CD either.
In any case, this is a great track which has been brightening my iPod for a couple of weeks now, so I thought I'd share.
11 comments:
Steve, Are you talking about a different version from the album one? I have the album version on a twofer CD, an you are correct that it is better than The Records' or the Bay City Rollers' versions.
I don't know, but I think this version is on the "Smashes, Crashes and Near Misses" comp.
It should also be noted that the version of "Starry Eyes" on "Shades in Bed" is much different that the version that appeared on the U.S. version of that LP. The "Shades" version has acoustic guitars higher in the mix in that version.
one listen, and I'm all messed up and ready to go
The "Shades" version has acoustic guitars higher in the mix in that version.
also a different tempo, which makes the cascading bass go in very different ways. . . .
KC --
I just checked, and you are correct. This IS available on the Smashes comp.
I regret the error.
By way of penance, however, I'm gonna post Tim Moore tomorrow...
:-)
Gotta keep you honest, Steve! :)
A power pop classic, no doubt, and a fine example of the now-defunct subgenre of epistolary songs. Somehow "Rock 'N' Roll E-Mail" or "Rock 'N' Roll Facebook Status Update" just doesn't cut it!
Or "Rock N' Roll Tweet". You have a point.
Really cool stuff. I guess I had dismissed this song based on the Roller's version, which is kind of poofy and lame.
I, too, load my IPod with all sorts of weird stuff I find on the interwebtubes. Yesterday, on came a demo I found somewhere of the song "Magic" by Pilot. To my surprise, without the (over-) production of the released version, it's actually a fairly engaging little number, in a Badfinger-lite kind of way.
It made me wonder what Steve and other denizens of Powerpop make of that tune.
I have to admit to listening all the way through whenever I hear that song on the oldies station, but the then I can say the same for "I Want To Make It With You" and "Wreck of the Edmund Fitzgerald". So, no accounting for my taste, obviously.
Doesn't "Edmund Fitzgerald" include the line "As the big ships go, it was one of the biggest?
Right up there with Macca's "But in this ever changing world in which we live in."
Or Moby Grape's "How come you ain't got on no clothes on?"
:-)
Sir Paul addresses the "Live and Let Die" line in this WaPo interview from last week.
Upshot: he's not sure about it either.
The Records opened for Joe Jackson at my college when both of them were cresting. You could actually see girls heading up the aisles to get backstage after The Records' set.
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