Simply delicate...

As Simple Minds undertake another world tour, turning up in Scotland in mid-December, it's interesting to note that they're selling out the bigger venues once again. I doubt there is a more maligned Scots band as the Minds, perhaps with some justification, and it's interesting to examine how, and why, that happened.

Not many bands have the run of critically acclaimed works that Simple Minds did in the early 80's. From their debut release Life in a Day(1979) to the wonderful, in every sense of the word, New Gold Dream in 1982, which was one of the best not just of that year, but of the decade, they made music that seemed to be European in influence rather than Celtic.

This was an incredibly vital time for Scottish music with Orange Juice releasing You Can't Hide Your Love Away for Ever, Altered Images Pinky Blue and The Associates Sulk in this year, all of which featured in end of year best of lists. The Cocteau Twins had released Garlands, Roddy Frame's Aztec Camera were just about to release High Land, Hard Rain and The Blue Nile were working on their debut A Walk Across the Rooftops . For me, when you throw in bands like ABC, early Prince, Scritti Politti and Human League, this was a high point of pop music; literate, interesting and arresting. Simple Minds appeared to belong in such company but where others continued to experiment the Minds decided to pump up the volume and bombast. I have a soft spot for 1984's Sparkle in the Rain, but you can see that was where things started to change. For that record they worked with Steve Lillywhite, who had worked with U2 on the War album and he seemed to increase their sound by turning up the drums and bass, as witnessed on the single, Waterfront.

Their new sound was perfect for the increasing amount of large venues that were appearing at the time, such as the SECC, Manchester Arena and Wembley Arena, as there was no problem reaching those at the back. By Once Upon A Time in 1995 everything had been turned up and backing vocals added making Simple Minds the perfect stadium band just in time for Live Aid. For many lovers of music this event was the worst thing to happen in the 80's, putting aside all good intentions. Acts who thought their time had come and gone, such as Elton John, Status Quo, Phil Collins and Queen, saw their careers get a huge shot in the arm and the new bands who benefited were the ones whose sound fitted the huge venues. It can be argued that U2's career took off from their Live Aid performance, although I'm sure they were heading to world domination anyway. Simple Minds performed in Philadelphia on the day, and this reflected their growing status in the US.

I have no real problem with the acts themselves, only personal likes and dislikes (and some political differences), but what Live Aid allowed was for the record companies to see that they didn't need to put money into new bands who they could not guarantee would be successful. They could repackage their older acts back catalogues for little investment and huge reward. U2 and Simple Minds were already big enough to be deemed worthy of backing, but if both bands had been starting off in 85/86 it is doubtful that they would have been picked up in the post Live Aid music industry. Of course the industry was being short sighted, but that's no surprise as it seems the rule of much of the music business is to make the money while you can because who knows, or cares, what tomorrow may bring. The positive thing to come out of this was the increased importance of independent labels such as Creation, Rough Trade and Mute, who managed to keep an indie scene going when that term actually meant something. Also, the lack of new live music being made coincided with the rise of club culture, and it was in this scene that the more interesting new music was being made by the end of the 80's.

By this point Simple Minds couldn't have been further away from the club scene, but this is where they started. Below is a very odd early video for their 1981 single Love Song, and again this post is being used as an excuse to show it. In the video there is obviously an attempt to portray the band as sort of Clockwork Orange style gang with better shirts, winding up and fighting with people because they can. They don't really manage to carry of this supposed menace, with Charlie Burchill looking particularly uncomfortable. But I think it's a great song, and as they tour again it's to be hoped that this is the period they concentrate on, and that Mandela Day, or covers of Peter Gabriel's Biko, will be conveniently forgotten.

Soft Top, Hard Shoulder, rarely seen...

Last night I watched Soft Top Hard Shoulder for the first time since seeing it in the pictures in 1993 after finally tracking a copy down on eBay. The script was Peter Capaldi's second screen play after Franz Kafka's It's a Wonderful Life which he also directed and is even harder to find. Although Soft Top, Hard Shoulder hasn't the magic of Bill Forsyth's best work, which it is clearly inspired by, it has bags of charm and is a lovely way to spend and hour and a half.

In the film Capaldi moves on from his innocent turn as Danny Oldsen in Forsyth's Local Hero to play someone more cynical, struggling artist and ice-cream heir Gavin Bellini, and the flashes of temper which occasionally appear give a hint to what was to come in his masterful performance as Malcolm Tucker in The Thick of It and In The Loop.

But it's Capaldi's real life wife Elaine Collins who is perfectly cast as the unlikely hitchhiker Yvonne. It is unthinkable that such a likable screen presence has been involved in so few films. I presume this was by choice, but her absence is TV and cinemas loss. Some folk might remember her from the first series of BBC Scotland's late 80's sitcom City Lights where she played the frustrated girlfriend to Gerard Kelly's likable loser Willie Melvin, but she has appeared in little since Soft Top, Hard Shoulder.

The film itself takes the form of an Odyssey, with Gavin racing to get home and being way laid by all sorts of characters and his own failings. There are some lovely cameos that stay on the right side of easy stereotypes, and the film shows long forgotten parts of the countryside as they travel the b-roads of England and Scotland. A particular pleasure for those Glaswegians of a certain age (you know who you are) are the final scenes in the city, including some in George Square from a time when it had beautiful trees and grassy areas. The councillors who decided to wipe the square clean should be tarred and feathered for making The Dear Green Place slightly less so.

But I digress. Highly recommended, with a wonderful supporting cast, Soft Top, Hard Shoulder is one of those rare films that appears every now and again; a British comedy that is genuinely funny.

Top Twenty (+1) Vids of the OO's...ever!

In no order whatsoever her are 21 of my favourite tracks and/or vids from what some folk still call 'the noughties'. You'll find no Scottish bands represented here as I'm going to have separate Top 10 lists for Scottish music, books, films etc in the run up to the new decade. Also, that allows me to include more music than I can fit into this list, but it's hopefully an interesting selection and it's a good representation of what I listened to in the last ten years. Up first is Emilliani Torrini's haunting To Be Free:

Next is the most recent of this selection, its Wild Beasts XTC like All The King's Men:

I know some people find them a bit arch, bit I love the Vampire Weekend. This is A-Punk:

Some of the best stuff from the decade came from Iceland. This is Mum with The Island's of Children's Children:

I'm always one for a disturbing video. These are The Doves with There Goes the Fear:



Probably the best gig I went to in the last ten years was Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings at the Barras. The crowd was spellbound for the whole set. Pure magic. Probably my favourite singer around today, and this is the promo for Elvis Presley Blues:

Were Gorillaz the best thing Damon did this decade? It's a close thing, but for the use of the legendary Sean Ryder I had to choose Dare:

I'm doing this over a few days, and today this is my favourite song ever. I need uplifted and this always does the trick. Lambchop and Up with People:

While I'm feeling all elegiac I think it's time for Kate Bush. I love Kate Bush and this is King of the Mountains:

I imagine that The White Stripes will feature heavily in such lists elsewhere, but I listen to The Raconteurs albums more often. This was their debut release Steady As She Goes:

Next are two videos from albums I played almost constantly in the early part of the decade and I include them to represent the whole rather than loving these individual songs in particular. The first is Back of My Hand by Gemma Hayes from Night on My Side:

The next is from Zero 7's Simple Things and features the fantastic voice of Sia who made some great music under her own name. This is Destiny:

Another of my favourite artists of all time is Polly Jean Harvey. Always brilliant even at her most challenging. One of the best albums of the decade was Stories from the City, Stories from the Sea, and one of the best singles was this, This is Love:

One new voice that I fell for was Josh Rouse who released a string of albums that were effortlessly engaging, any of which I could have chosen from. This is Directions from the album Home:

I can take or leave Beck normally, but 2002's Sea Change is not only his best work, but one of the best of the decade. I listened to this more than anything else in the past ten years, which is perhaps slightly worrying, but this is Guess I'm Doing Fine:

To prove it wasn't all doom and/or gloom as far as my listening tastes are concerned, a couple of tracks that are pure pop genius. The first was one of those songs which everyone loves, and Outkast were making some of the best music around. This is the brilliant Hey Ya!:

This is a lesser known track from a band that had critical kudos but little success. Yes it's a return to the eighties, but they were hardly alone in that, and at least they took inspiration from the better bands. This is Captain with Glorious:

Another band who lit up the decade were Arcade Fire. Again I could have picked almost any track but here's No Cars Go:

I'm going to finish with three legends, at least they are in my house. The first is the title track from Dig, Lazarus, Dig by Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds who, for me, get better and better:

This is a track from my artist of the decade, Will Oldham. Nobody produced so much consistently brilliant work in the last 10 years. This is from the Superwolf album that he did with Matt Sweeney, but to be honest I could have filled every slot on this list with his stuff and been satisfied. This is the beautiful I Gave You:

This list was originally going to be 20 songs long, but then I remembered the video that had me weeping uncontrollably when I saw it. A fitting tribute to a man and his music, made all the more poignant as it is sung by the man himself. Usually videos are used to promote the song, but when they are at their best the combine with the song to create something greater. This is a classic example. It's Johnny Cash's cover of Hurt:

So, for what it's worth, that's my list. I'm sure if I was to start again tomorrow there would be some changes, but it's a good representation of what I was listening to. What do you think? Already I'm thinking where are The Guillemots, The Decemberists, Common, Rachael Yamagata, The Sleepy Jackson, Lucinda Williams, Phoenix, Brendon Benson, Costello etc, etc, etc..??

Look out for the Top 10 Scottish songs/vids of the decade which will be coming soon, along with some other best of lists.

The Scottish Bergman?

For anyone interested in film a must see is the Bill Douglas trilogy of films which were released for the first time by the BFI on DVD last year. The trilogy comprises of My Childhood (1972), My Ain Folk (1973) and My Way Home (1978) and the three films combine to create some of the most moving and humane cinema you are ever likely to encounter.

The films are founded upon personal recollections of the young Douglas's life, at first growing up in Newcraighall, a mining village near Edinburgh, in the 1930's and 40's, then life in an Edinburgh children's home and finishing with a stint in the army. The poverty and bleakness of his early life are shocking, but it is the use of black and white film, and the courageous choice to have minimal dialogue, that make these films so unforgettable. What could have become mawkish and sentimental remains poignant, moving and strangely beautiful.

The films are unlike other British cinema from the time, and Douglas appears to be influenced by European directors, particularly Ingmar Bergman, and in turn may have been an influence on Ken Loach, and particularly Terence Davies. Using naturalistic acting and forcing the audience to linger on the characters on screen Douglas shows a life and allows the audience to discover their own feelings in their own time rather than have them pulled into shape by overbearing dialogue or grandstanding dramatic statements.

This excellent essay on the trilogy by filmmaker Rhys Graham (http://tinyurl.com/y9c98zj) should whet your appetite more than my brief appraisal; it's worth checking out. Below is a clip from the end of My Way Home. It's not particularly typical of the rest of the trilogy, and in a sense I should give a *spoiler alert* as it does give a glimpse of what may be to come, if not what has gone before, but it allows you to get a feel of the style and beauty of Douglas's vision:

Douglas went on to direct one more film, 1986's Comrades, which had an eclectic, if slightly odd, cast including Keith Allen, James Fox, Vanessa Redgrave, Barbara Windsor(!!) and, playing 14 different parts, Alex Norton. Again the comparisons with Bergman, or in this case Fellini, particularly Amacord, are relevant . How rare to have a film director whose vision seemed to be unaffected by commercial concern, and how typical that the result of this is that all we have of his artistic vision is his trilogy of childhood films and Comrades. Below is an odd clip from a documentary about Bill Douglas, the making of Comrades, and his love obsessive of cinema:

Apparently Douglas had been working on a screen play of James Hogg's classic 1824 novel The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, something which I would have loved to have seen. There are always rumours that someone is going to make a film adaptation of this incredible novel, but has yet to happen. Bill Douglas died too young at the age of 54.

Never mind the width, feel the quality...

There's a new collection of Janice Galloway short stories on the bookshelves at the moment which collects the stories from Blood (1991) and Where You Find It (1996). Whether you have read Galloway before or not this is a great collection of work, and again it gives me an excuse to bang the drum for the short story as a literary form as I believe it is so often ignored.

Some of the most interesting work from some of our greatest writers is to be found in their short stories. Ali Smith, James Kelman and Alasdair Gray are all masters of the form, in fact some claim, including Glasgow's poet laureate Liz Lochhead, that Kelman's best work is to be found in his short story collections such as Not Not While the Giro (1983), The Burn (1991) and The Good Times (1998). The form suits his style as the reader arrives in the middle of the protagonists life, occasionally in the middle of his thoughts, and then leaves again just as abruptly. Because short stories are rarely little contained stories but snapshots of lives in passing, with only a few clues as to what went before or is to come. Surprisingly few writers even attempt to publish short stories, and even fewer do so successfully, so when you discover someone who does they should be cherished. I have already spoken about Agnes Owen's underrated contribution to Scottish literature (In praise of: Agnes Owens ) and the perfect place to discover her is through the short stories.

Perhaps the best short story writer at work today is A.L. Kennedy. I've got a copy of her collection from earlier this year, What Becomes, at the top of the pile of books on my bedside table at the moment, and that position speaks volumes for how good it is. But her previous collections are also worth checking out, and considering how prolific she is it's amazing that the standard is so consistently high. If you want recommendations then her debut Night Geometry and the Garscadden Trains (1990)is a must, and also 1997's Original Bliss, but it's all good, and they can be picked up on Amazon for literally pennies.

I won't say that they are better than Kennedy's longer fiction as I think her last two novels Paradise (2004) and Day (2007) are masterpieces, the formers' depiction of a woman's struggle with her alcoholism being particularly powerful, but her short stories are great to go to if you fancy a quick bite of quality fiction. Just don't make the mistake of thinking that less means less, with short stories there is often much more.

Shameless self promotion

Today sees the first entry in a monthly column which I'm writing for .Dear Scotland, a website for Scots and anyone else around the world who are interested in the cutural in and outside of Scotland.

You can find them at dearscotland.com
and my column at http://tinyurl.com/yfohhgq and even if you think I'm talking keech there's great stuff appearing there on an almost daily basis.

Let me know what you think either here or at .Dear Scotland and I hope you'll follow it over the coming months.

Go to GOMA

I popped into the Gallery of Modern Art in Glasgow yesterday for the first time in ages not expecting much new. However the video installation 'Gobstopper' by Roderick Watson always lifts my spirits. It's footage of kids holding their breath in the back seat of a car as said car is driven through the Clyde Tunnel. The rules are you hold your breath as you enter the tunnel and try not to exhale until you're out the other side. I hope this doesn't sound weird or even cruel as it is utterly joyful and it transports you back to the simple things that used to seem so exciting in childhood.

But there was something else to recommend. There is an exhibition of art work that is owned by the BBC and used to be hung in their old premises on Queen Margaret Drive. The artists on show include some of the best known painters from the 1980's and 90's, as well as less well known but fascinating work. The focus is on the figurative and it does appear that the collection was put together with some thought and taste. There are works by Peter Howson, Ken Currie, Will Maclean, Elspeth Lamb and a quite beautiful self portrait by Alison Watt.

It's a terrific snapshot of Scottish painting from the end of the last century and always worth your time if you're in Glasgow city centre and find you have 40 minutes to spare .

In praise of: Lloyd Cole

I think that it says almost everything about this year of Homecoming that I have almost no thoughts about it at all, but then I suppose it wasn't for me. Some insist that the year has been successful in promoting the country around the world, but I'm not sure how such things are calculated. Certainly a lot of people turned out for The Gathering in July which had echoes of George IV's visit to Scotland in 1822 in that Edinburgh was festooned in tartan to confirm the stereotypes of visitors. It was like a Highlander convention. I have some sympathy with those who feel the need to say that such promotion perpetuates notions of the shortbread tin, does nothing to advance the idea of a multi-cultural Scotland, and therefore lets a modern country down, but these arguments, or similar, have been going on for so long now it's difficult to overly care. I feel that while I was aware of Homecoming's existence it was there to be enjoyed by other people, like BBC3 or Dr Pepper. If pushed I would comment that I see nothing wrong with appropriating imagery that is recognisable around the world, as long as that is not all there is. Bring them in with tartan, but let them leave with memorys of great art, music, theatre etc.

An attempt to celebrate a more modern Scotland will be the series of Homecoming Live concerts that are to be held at various venues in Glasgow on 28th/29th November. You can click on this link (http://www.homecominglive.com/) to see the line-ups and other info, but it gives me the great excuse to write about another of my heroes; Lloyd Cole. Lloyd is appearing on what is obviously the nostalgia bill alongside Deacon Blue, Hue and Cry, The Bluebells and Midge 'Jim' Ure. But, while I have nothing against a little nostalgic trip, I think Cole deserves better than that. When people are pushed for the 'greatest album of the 1980's' the usual suspects normally include The Clash's London Calling (yes, I know it was released in the dying days of the 1970's), The Pogues' Rum, Sodomy and the Lash, De La Soul's Three Feet High, and Rising, Dare by the Human League, REM's Green, anything by The Smiths, Public Enemy, Elvis Costello, Prince... and so on as I realise it was a mistake to start such a list here. But the record I have not only played most, but also means most is... well, it's actually The Blue Nile's Hats, but I'll deal with them at length later. A close second would be Lloyd Cole and the Commotions' 1984 debut Rattlesnakes.

Rattlesnakes is a thing of beauty and a joy forever. Lyrical, melodic, heart breaking and arch, it ticked so many boxes for a young man with pretensions, and it still does now that the same man is, slightly, less idealistic and has a dickey ankle. People concentrated on Lloyd's vocals and lyrics, but they found a perfect partner in Neil Clark's twangy guitar. I could have picked any of the tracks to play as every song's a winner, but the following video of Forest Fire is pretty rare and it gives the uninitiated a great idea of what to expect from the rest of the album. basically if you don't like it, then perhaps Rattlesnakes is not for you:

It's difficult to follow a debut that arrives perfectly formed, and although The Commotions still produced great songs, nothing matched Rattlesnakes and they split up in 1989. Lloyd inevitably went solo, and I thought the first, self titled album, was terrific, but unfortunately not many others did and, with rumours abound of a serious golf habit, many folk, including myself, thought that would be that. Moody troubadours were out of fashion at the time as the funky-drummer beat and over-sized clothes took over this part of the world while distorted guitars began to wail over the Atlantic. But in the mid-90's I bought his album Love Story and fell all over again. Since then I've kept buying his music and have seen him live whenever I can. He doesn't let me down. This is a favourite of mine, and of whoever took this film by the sound of it. It's called Undressed:

There are a few musicians whose music grows as they and their audience do but they're rarer than you think. Elvis Costello, Kate Bush, Roddy Frame and Boo Hewerdine are a few I can think of off the top of my head. These are the company in which Lloyd Cole belongs. If you get the chance to see him live I urge you to do so, especially if you were a fan of The Commotions. He invites you in with the promise of old favourites, but it's the newer stuff that stays with you afterwards. Just like the perfect Homecoming.