Poppsaga
Iceland’s Pop Scene 1972-1977 (RPM Records Retro 943)
Dropping down my chimney via Albatross Post the other day, ‘Poppsaga’ is a pleasing, welcome and sometimes puzzling peek into the parallel world of the Arctic and its pop gods.
The music The Sugarcubes grew up with is, on the evidence of this 19-track CD, not so different from the glam racket, sci-fi weirdness and high-end ballads that made up much of the British pop charts of the same period. All sung in English and with their sky-coloured eyes firmly on UK and US success, only bad luck seems to have prevented some of these disparate groups from achieving fame outside of their rocky home.
Pelican’s ‘Jenny Darling’ is a strong opener, a light bluesy beat with wide-awake ‘Hey-Hey’ vocals and a lively guitar solo. ‘Change’ come over very Easybeats/Bowie-like in ‘Lazy London Lady’, throwing in a little phasing in the vocal for good measure. ‘Paradis’ give us a change of rhythm and some light, bright organ sounds for their straight-ahead celebration of the comic book superhero, ‘Superman’.
‘Svanfridur’s ‘Woman of our day’ has a soul-y ‘Wonder Woman theme feel to it, with a tough, fuzzy rhythm guitar backing up the crashing keyboards and declamatory vocal, and a lead guitar solo that seems a little out of place in such a slab of pure pop. Johann G. Johannsson’s ‘Don’t try to fool me’ picks up on the then huge market for the kind of lushly orchestrated, nostalgic love song favoured by such Continental Lotharios as Sacha Distel.
‘Svanfridur’ second appearance show off their more acoustic, heartfelt side, on ‘What’s hidden there’, with its ‘Wicker Man’ pipes and deft arpeggio guitar work making it a little chart-shy but nonetheless pleasing. ‘Change’s next effort may have a title liable to misinterpretation in ‘Yaketty Yak, Smaketty Smack’, but the steady organ, pedestrian guitar and sweet harmony-backed lament has a ‘Pretty Flamingo’ feel that should have sold it well beyond the Arctic Circle.
The patrynomic naming system of that distant island gave Johann G. Johannsson such an easy to recall moniker, yet his musical style is anything but predictable. The bluesy bump of ‘I need a woman’, with its screaming lead guitar, is a complete change from the previous, MOR-ish effort. Johann’s voice may be a little thin for a blues, and the use of a kitchen-wall echo does it no favours, but it’s still definitely worth a listen.
Celsius ‘Days Pass Me By’ hints at being funky, and does have a nice bit of guitar twiddling thrown in, but the voices are a little thin for this kind of music, that was being done to huge acclaim elsewhere in the world.
The magnificently named Magnus Thor’s delivers ‘Blue Jean Queen’, a slice of string-laden disco, not unlike the kind of confection peddled by the likes of Barry Blue a couple of years earlier in the UK. Poker’s ‘Driving in the city’ did not get a release at the time, in spite of its solid, dirty beat and its palpable sense of danger that surely had a chance of success even in the snotty punk days of 1977.
Paradis’ ‘Rabbits’ is a piece of silliness that did get a release, however, and its jumping rhythm and crazy guitar sounds like a stab at something like ‘Mr Soft’, but fails to impress. Johann G. Johannsson returns for the solid, if by-the-numbers ‘Joe the Mad Rocker’, which nevertheless doe the business with its screaming guitar, descending rhythm and handclapping, good times atmosphere.
Magnus and Johann’s ‘Mary Jane’ will have all the Big Star fans out there pricking up their ears en masse, a very sweet, simple song with no-frills guitar and subtle organ backing it up without getting in the way. Poker’s ‘Get on to a sure thing’ , also inexplicably unreleased, is a fine slice of soul/funk, with plenty of brass and wandering keyboards, and the convincingly rangy vocal all contribute to make this a suitable candidate for a film theme, at least. Record executives, where were your heads at?
The Pal Brothers ‘Candy Girl’ is an unashamed piece of pure pop; voices, guitars, drums and strings all in co-operation to make something that surely belonged in a chart of the early 70’s, as much as songs like First Class’s ‘Beach Baby’ did. Pelican’s jokey ‘My Glasses’ would have made a Kenny B-side, if luck was on its side, but got a release in 1974. The kazoo does nothing to improve it.
Poker’s ‘Take Me To The Sun’s organ, swell of strings and urgent riffing, is by turns liturgical and romantic, and the sheer scale of its ambition is reminiscent of John Miles’ grandiose ‘Music’. The CD closes with Celsius ‘Poker’ an unreleased romantic ballad that recalls the fraught, claustrophobic and haunting atmosphere of ‘Lilac Wine’. BUY HERE!
Crispian St Peters
The Pied Piper: The Complete Recordings 1965-1974 (RPM Retro D941)
One of RPM’s more unexpected releases, a double CD of the mid 60’s to mid-70’s career of the man who brought us ‘The Pied Piper’, Crispian St Peters.
The song which became his signature tune is instantly accessible and highly memorable as one of the quirkier hits of the psychedelic age, but it was to prove a success that was hard to repeat. It was also totally uncharacteristic of Crispian’s preferred style, a Country singer of some skill.
Tracks like ‘At This Moment’s slightly tinny vocal and fairground organ recall the teen schlock of Joe Meek, with a hint of Jim Reeves to ‘You’ll Forget Me, Goodbye’, but they nevertheless have charm. ‘No No No’s good, strong beat stands foursquare with a happy, humming song that could only have been made in the 60’s, contrasting with ‘Three Goodbyes’ condemnatory tone over San Franciscan guitars.
‘You Were On My Mind’ comes over all Buddy Holly doing a ‘Love Is Strange’ type tune, just when we need it, with organ build up and sax to fill it out. ‘What I’m Gonna Be’s acoustic guitar takes us through a sweet song, leading into ‘The Pied Piper’, the ultimate childhood song-or is it? The honeyed imprecations continue with ‘Sweet Dawn My True Love’, just a voice and a gently picked guitar, and no more needs to be said.
A short detour into a more Roy Orbison style sound in ’Your Love Has Gone’, all twangy guitar and echo, closely followed by the Holly-like ‘Jilly Honey’, ably assisted with some trebly twang and even a little fuzz. ‘When We Meet’s vocal veers toward Country Elvis P., and its ascending/descending piano chords and slide guitar adds a little drama without detracting from the song. ‘It’s A Funny Feeling’s deft acoustic guitar complements a wistful song.
‘So Long’s pedestrian beat and double tracked vocal plods along in this lament, to little good effect. ‘But She’s Untrue’ saves it, with its lively guitar arpeggio, subtle organ and fine vocal. ‘Goodbye To You’s climbing the stairs tune, jolly vocal and sliding guitar all assist Crispian in getting away with some yodelling toward the end. ‘Willingly’s emotionally charged performance once more recalls Jim Reeves in his more dramatic moments, but ‘Without You’s silly, wistful vocal over a rock ‘n’ roll beat takes us back into uncomfortably schlocky latitudes.
‘That’s The Way I Feel’s regretful message has the kind of piano and guitar accompaniment a country song always benefits from. ‘That Little Chain’s nice, chunky roll masks another lament, almost blending into ‘Changes’, but with a drum trip and a rangy vocal that only improves as the song goes on. ‘My Little Brown Eyes’ subtle intro, shimmering guitar and strong bass take us through a drama once again. ‘Your Ever Changin’ Mind’s excellent late 60’s production and the song’s challenging message make it a standout track.
‘Almost Persuaded’ recalls the Big O’s ‘It’s Over’ in its dramatic beat, in a tale of narrowly avoided infidelity. ‘You Have Gone’s gentle pleadings and ‘Free Spirit’s lover’s apology hint at weakening material, but ‘I’m Always Crying’ closes the first CD with a bit of Rock ‘n’ Roll, and a happy song in spite of the title.
The second CD’s bouncy opener, ‘Laura’ disguises a plea for a lady to stick around, but a maudlin follower like ‘I Fall To Pieces’ proves a poor option. ‘Sweet Lies’ is a far better bet, a cautionary tale about a faithless woman. ‘That’s The Time’s departure into balladeering is welcome at this point, with its ‘waves on the sea’ flute and slow, ‘island’ beat. ‘The Silent Times’ is another, less distinguished slow ballad, but ‘Low Bad Hurting’ livens the proceedings up, with its high, piping organ and yelping vocal. ’No Longer Mine’s heartfelt vocal and galloping beat is perhaps the most conventionally C ‘n’ W song here, and ‘Look Into My Teardrops’ continues the wild horse pace, with its gently bitter vocal. ‘Carolina’s sense of longing fails to catch, but ‘That’s Why We Are Through’ s twangy guitar and excellent vocal hammers the message home for the former lover to ‘Throw Down My Heart’.
‘Wandering Hobo’s jolly tune, happy delivery and shuffling rhythm cloaks a revenge song, leading into ‘No Longer Mine’, whose vocal and piano keep it alive, but fail to make it memorable. ‘On And On’s sad piano duads and camp strings ensure that the song does indeed go on… and on… ‘I Made Her That Way’ stereotypically sad Country song has a sardonic edge to it, and ‘I Met You’ is in a similar musical vein, but without the dark message.
‘Please Take Me Back’s sophisticated piano piece is one of the few departures on the CD collection, still a little Big O in style, and vocally impressive. ‘Look into My Teardrops’ alternative stereo cut is a world away from the earlier gallop, a joyous vocal with fine string support. ‘Monumental Queen’s slide guitar-ridden tale of a girl gone bad articulates disappointment beautifully, and ‘Love, Love, Love’s weary rhythm soon builds up to a huge, welling chorus.
‘I’m Gonna Have A Little Talk With You, Friend’ proves, if nothing else, that Country stars had a sense of humour when it came to naming songs; regrettably its stereotypical subject and over-lively backing take it into C ‘n’ Schlock territory. It’s up to ‘Soft As A Rose’ to try and restore reputations, and its soft, slow ballad with subtle drum work and singing does it with ease.
The home stretch takes in ‘I’ve Cried A Mile’s jokey lost love story, ‘Do Daddy Do’ should probably have been offered to Daniel Boone, but ‘Every Time You Sinned’s ‘Told You So’ lyric, delivered strongly here, and is a very good way to end this extensive compilation.
60’s Country may not be your bag, so you could remember Crispian St Peters for his psyche-mild, bona-fide hit; but if you’re after a little grit with your honey, you could do worse than take a listen to this. BUY HERE!
