Captain Sensible-Revolution Now

Captain Sensible's third album Revolution Now is probably his masterpiece. When I first bought it back in 1989 it was like nothing I'd heard before. Of course Captain wears his influences on his sleeve and over the years I've picked up a lot of records that inspired the man himself. In particular albums from the Canterbury scene.

Missing The Boat is a sad little song that I thought about this morning after dreaming about a girl who I lost to another guy. It can't really be compared to anything I've heard before. Then there's The Shadows type instrumental Smash It Up Pt. 4 originally demoed for The Damned's Machine Gun Etiquette as a tail piece for Smash It Up itself. The Toys Take Over was released as a single in 1988 and was dedicated to the memory of Captain's daughter Bunty who died in a cot death. It's a nursery song with political points about giving children Action Man to play with alongside Teddy and Dolly. S.2 is a lilting instrumental that makes me think about watching a lost love walk down the aisle with her new man. Side one concludes with the Jimi Hendrix tribute A Riot On Eastbourne Pier.

Wake Up (You're Only Dreaming) is a punk pop hyperdrive classic while Green Light proves Captain knows a way or two with a Motown beat. The high powered soul backing vocals are what makes this song. Lib 2/3 is a surreal kaleidoscopic train journey collage with soundbites of political speeches that lead neatly into the title track which was the album's lead single and last release on A & M back in 1987. It's a rant about people who try to make a name for themselves through gimmickry such as Bob Geldof and Frankie Goes To Hollywood. Phone-In is a backlash to some of the stupid remarks Edwina Currie was coming out with back in the late 80s when she condemned the homeless.

Side Three kicks off with a cover of The Equals' I Get So Excited which features one of its writers Eddy Grant on lead guitar. It's one of the best singles Captain ever released but was sadly a flop. Then there's the curious Vosene that is a condemnation of companies that support arms supplies to foreign countries. It features Captain's brother voicing naive opinions to a monotonous drone. The Kamikaze Millionaire is a dig at Robert Maxwell. It's a pop song that ended up being a live favourite and now and again is supplemented by a mock Maxwell House commercial that apes the Mirror Pension Funds that Robert Maxwell promoted. Exploding Heads and Teapots (Past Their Prime) samples Margaret Thatcher at a Tory Party Conference that leads into another pop vignette.

The Coward Of Treason Cove a side long collage of music, sound effects and samples is often cited as Captain Sensible's pop masterpiece that stands alongside The Damned's Curtain Call as a punk prog classic. It originally appeared on the B side of the 12 inch of Revolution Now.

This album has continued to inspire me over the years as I have used a lot of collage ideas in my poetry performances as a way of telling a story. Revolution Now is like Captain Sensible's life story on an album and features a lot of his friends and family as well as ex Damned band mates Paul Gray and Rat Scabies. A great addition to any record collection.

Best Of British

The latest issue of Radio Times has a list of the best British films of all time. Put into categories the British film board have selected the following as the best films of their respective genres;

Comedy: Withnail & I
Love & Romance: Brief Encounter
Social Realism: Billy Liar
Costume Drama: Henry V
Thriller: Goldfinger
War: The Dambusters
Horror: The Wicker Man

For me the list could never be that decisive. My opinions change on a day to day basis. As my friend Baz says it depends what mood you're in and things do seem to change in your life to the extent that a film you once loved you could now loathe.

I would say that the Carry On films are amongst the best British comedy has to offer so I will nominate Carry On Dick. Not sure why this one in particular but I suppose there is a sense of realism amongst the high comic moments of which there are many. It was also the last outing for regulars Sidney James and Hattie Jacques and the last proper performance by Barbara Windsor.

As for romance I don't think you can go far wrong with Gregory's Girl. All right I'm an Altered Images fan so I'm biased towards Clare Grogan but it's the sort of film that could only really be made in Britain. It also gives me hope whenever I feel unloved. The ending is particularly touching.

A Taste Of Honey starring Rita Tushingham was one of the best early 60s films made at a time when social realism was to the fore. It tells the story of a schoolgirl who gets pregnant by a black sailor. A nice little film that doesn't so much educate but inform. There's also great support from Dora Bryan as the girl's mother.

One film that is artistically beautiful to look at is Stanley Kubrick's costume drama Barry Lyndon. At three hours long it may seem a bit of a mouthful but it tells the history of a bit of a Don Juan played by Ryan O' Neal. It's the sort of film I couldn't imagine them being able to make now cos we're all a bit too satisfied with special effects these days.

My favourite film of all time is the Roger Moore thriller The Man Who Haunted Himself . It's hard to say why I enjoy it so much. Perhaps it's cos Roger Moore was a part of my early childhood. As well as being on television in The Persuaders he bought a house near where I lived in North Wales and he shares my father's christian name.

Baz mentioned A Matter Of Life Of Death as being a favourite film of his. It's one of mine too but it's hard to categorize. For want of a war picture in my top films I'll have to go with this. Starring David Niven it's a romantic melodrama set in the war but has a fantasy element too. The scenes set in heaven are filmed in black and white which make the film a sort of reverse The Wizard Of Oz. I don't think Powell and Pressburger ever really made a film quite as brilliant as this again.

Finally I'll have to go for The Company Of Wolves for my favourite horror. It's The Brothers Grimm meets An American Werewolf In London. Angela Lansbury plays grandmother to Little Red Riding Hood. It's spooky and violent and lush and majestic. There's some great cinematography worthy of Jack Cardiff and there's also a cameo from 80s goth chick Danielle Dax as the Wolf Child. What more could you ask for from a film!

So they're my nominations for best British films but you know tomorrow I'll have totally changed my mind. So what's for tea tonight beef burger and chips or...actually that's all I have in. Hmmph!

Yeah Yeah Yeahs-Is Is

Yesterday I picked up the new EP by The Yeah Yeah Yeahs. Titled Is Is it includes five songs the band have never previously recorded but have regularly performed in concert. There is a CD available but I bought the vinyl version. This format is presented as two 7 inch singles in a gatefold sleeve. Oh a word of warning; A sides play at 33 and a third speed.
Tell Me What Rockers To Swallow is the title of the band's live DVD and is where I first heard the song of the same name. It's almost certainly the best song here. It's accompanied on side one by Kiss Kiss which is a lot more mellow than the first track and shows off Karen O's vocal to the Nth degree. She's like a Karen Carpenter for the No Generation. On the flip we have Down Boy which is an out and out classic which almost takes the band into John Barry mode. It sounds like the theme for a film yet to be made.
Side three features the title track Isis which is like something from an Egyptian epic. I can imagine mummies escaping from tombs and excavators running for their lives. It's melodramatic, heavy and lush all at the same time. At this point I must also praise Nick Zimmer for his masterful guitar playing that doesn't make you miss there not being a bassist.While Brian Chase is a drummer extraordinaire who plays very much in the style of a PiL drummer. No surprise then that the producer is Nick Launay who twiddled the knobs on PiL's Flowers of Romance back in 1981. The final track is 10 x 10 which I also first heard like Rockers and Down Boy on the live DVD. This is where Karen's voice takes centre stage and it's the reason why I think this band are the best band in the world today.