"Suddenly It's Tuesday" - Part 1 (211-223)

 

Before I start on the list proper, there are a few things I want to emphasise. (I covered some of them in the introductory post, but they're worth reiterating, I think.)

• 'Ranking' any artist's work is a superficial and ultimately futile process, I'm well aware of that. However, it [a] provokes discussion [b] may help to promote said artist's work and [c] is a bit of fun that you can all interact with (no doubt by calling me a cloth-eared fool on occasion).
• I love The Wedding Present's body of work: it has given me as much pleasure as that of any other artist over the years. However, any band that has recorded over 200 songs is bound to have the occasional misstep. The TWP back catalogue, to be fair, is far more consistent than many artists of a similar longevity (and that definitely includes The Fall).
• I have to do this 'bottom to top'; doing it the other way round would be rather anti-climactic. Consequently, the first couple of posts will inevitably feel a little negative. As a whole, though, this will be a celebration of TWP's work. Trust me.

Right, let's get to it...

223 Secretary

(Going, Going..., 2016)

Well, something had to be at the bottom... 

A frantic, aimless, punky splurge that seemingly has no idea of what it wants to be. Gedge's vocals oddly panicky and are strangely disassociated from the ham-fisted cacophony surrounding them; the whole thing sounds forced and artificial. 

222 Holly Jolly Hollywood

(Holly Jolly Hollywood EP, 2008)

Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Cinerama and am rather partial to Gedge's explorations of 60s kitsch. However, 'Holly Jolly Hollywood' (even the title puts my teeth on edge) oversteps the mark by some distance. A piece of musical candy floss that is the very definition of twee and saccharine. Even the lead guitar part sounds emasculated.

221 White Christmas

(Holly Jolly Hollywood EP, 2008)

I'm not, in general, a big fan of TWP's cover versions, as will soon become apparent by the number of them that appear at the bottom end of this list. Although there's the odd exception, I don't feel that interpreting other artist's songs is one of DLG's strengths. 'White Christmas' is a pretty dreary song at the best of times; this take is soporific and Gedge sounds like he's struggling to conjure up much interest in what he's doing. Bah humbug.

220 Back For Good

(Huw Stephens Session, 2018)

Undoubtedly a classic pop song. TWP's version for the most part sucks all of the energy out of it and renders it flat and lifeless. There's a frantic section towards the end that works well enough, but the main problem is with David's vocal, which is frequently a bit stretched. I love his voice in most instances, but he struggles a bit with this.

219 Caroline No

(Do It Again: A Tribute To Pet Sounds, 2006)

Although I recognise that, for example, God Only Knows is a remarkable piece of work, overall I find The Beach Boys somewhat mystifyingly overrated. The original is somewhat drab; TWP's version (not available online as far as I can see) is morose and sluggish.

218 Step Inside Love

(Huw Stephens Session, 2018)

Another cover of a kitschy 60s tune, this time by Cilla Black. It's all a bit predictable and mannered; not hugely unpleasant, but limp and bland.

217 You Only Live Twice

(Marc Riley Sessions Volume 3, 2019)

Nancy Sinatra's original is a lush, melodramatic classic; Australian garage punks The Scientists did a wonderfully gnarly and abrasive cover. TWP's take is a predictable plod.

216 Lovin' You

(Huw Stephens Session, 2018)

Another one of those 'shrug your shoulders' TWP radio session covers. Minnie Riperton's 1974 original is striking (there are notes in there that surely only dogs can hear) but unbearably sickly. The song's vocal gymnastics would be beyond virtually anybody, although David makes a surprisingly decent and understated pass at it. However, it's only the crunchy guitar that rescues this from the very bottom of the list.

215 Theme from Shaft

(B-side of Boing!, 1992)

For the b-sides of the 1992 Hit Parade singles, TWP chose an interesting and eclectic bunch of covers. However, I think it's fair to say that the results were somewhat mixed. This is the least successful of them, a rather lumpen and flat-footed take on Isaac Hayes' slinky 1971 soul-funk classic.

214 Let Him Have It

(Watusi, 1994)

Derek Bentley was (dubiously) convicted of and hanged for murder in 1953. Although it was his fellow burglar Christopher Craig who actually pulled the trigger and killed a policeman, Bentley was convicted on the basis that he told Craig to 'let him have it' (the latter being underage). The ambiguity of this phrase led to the case becoming a cause célèbre, and Bentley was eventually pardoned posthumously in 1993. A film, starring Christopher Eccleston, was made about the story in 1991; Elvis Costello wrote a song about it. 

All of which is a great deal more interesting than this choppy, one-dimensional track and its repetitive and unenlightening lyric.

213 Big Rat

(Watusi, 1994)

A passable enough melody, but the arrangement is lackadaisical and the lyric is obvious and clichéd ('why can’t you see / that she meant absolutely nothing to me'). The half-arsed trombone solo adds to the overall 'will this do?' atmosphere.

212 Bubbles

(B-side of It's A Gas, 1994)

There's the germ of a decent song here, and the underlying guitar part is pleasingly atmospheric. It's let down, however, by a shrill, overwrought chorus. In addition,  'don’t you think at least that we’ve / shared one great night, whatever you believe?' is not exactly a lyrical highlight. Not on YouTube, apparently.

211 Shivers

(B-side of Ringway To Seatac, 2005)

There's something quite pleasing about the looped, lo-fi sample, and you can kind of see what they're going for, but 'Shivers' doesn't quite work out. It's all a bit knowing; too focused on capturing some kind of retro sound at the expense of the song itself. 

(I'm sure you've worked this out already, but I've done 13 songs for this post in order to get a nice round number; future posts will be ten at a time.)

To reiterate again: TWP have a large back catalogue, most of which I enjoy a great deal. Once we get out of the 200s, I like every song at least to some extent - so these posts will get a lot more positive pretty quickly.

Thanks for reading. Any likes / retweets / shares will be gratefully appreciated.

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