Mike Bennett writesFriday iPod/MP3 Shuffle—Happy Birthday Dave Vanian Edition

Very few people realize this, but the first British punk band to release a full album was not The Clash or The Sex Pistols. Instead, it was The Damned. They didn’t have the social or political agenda like those two, but they clearly represented the bridge from pub rock to a faster and louder style of music that was rooted in traditional rock ‘n’ roll. Indeed, early Damned songs like “New Rose” weren’t big breaks with tradition, but brought back the basics with a dose of attitude. From there, the band explored many styles, from psychedelia to garage rock to pop to goth. The constant throughout these changes has been lead singer Dave Vanian. From early on, he was a self styled rock ‘n’ roll vampire, with his slicked back hair, dark clothes and near crooning voice. He was a the perfect frontman for this often madcap group, managing to be serious with taking himself too seriously. In honor of Vanian’s birthday, let’s celebrate by grabbing your iPod or MP3 player, hitting shuffle, and sharing the first 10 songs that come up.

1. KatJonBand — Conquered (KatJonBand): This was one heck of a one-off pairing, with Jon Langford teaming up with Kat Ex, the drummer of The Ex. Kat is an able singer, and she and Langford compliment each other well. The songwriting is definitely closer to The Mekons than The Ex, but having a percussion whiz as half of the band certainly impacts the songs, which all have a snap. This song cleverly conflates the language of military aggression with romantic interplay, all to a playful tune. A highlight on an unjustly overlooked album.
2. LMNOP — This Is Logical Thinking (Elmen Opee Elpee): I think I picked up this album in a used bin at the old Pravda Records, intrigued by song titles like “Breakfast Cereal” and “Life Is Like A Diatom”. Little did I know that Stephen Fievet, the man behind the Baby Sue zine, was a skewed pop savant. His tremulous vocals worked well with his vaguely arty power pop songs that seems to blend Buzzcocks, Shoes and various new wave acts. His lyrics were prolix and managed to hold up well with his buzzing melodic ditties. Jay Reatard could have easily covered this jumpy and nervous tune.
3. Kelly Hogan — Ways Of This World (I Like To Keep Myself In Pain): This new Kelly Hogan album is one of those records that right away sounds like it has been around for ages. Hogan’s gambit of getting top shelf songwriting talent to contribute tracks pays off, because, after all, who wouldn’t want to write for Hogan’s smooth yet slightly smoky voice, which can take on anything from country to jazz to rock to R & B? This song was particularly special, as it was penned by fellow Georgian, the late Vic Chesnutt, and it’s a classic early ’70s styled story song, and Hogan, of course, sounds amazing.
4. Devo — Race Of Doom (New Traditionalists): The follow up to the band’s commerical breakthrough, Freedom Of Choice, yielded no hits, but it was not due to a shortage of catchy songs. This is an urgent synth-pop song, where the forceful chorus that opens the song is contrasted by the somewhat ’50s ballad type melody in the verses, which are still performed urgently by Mark Mothersbaugh. The big difference between this and Freedom Of Choice is that the arrangements and production are much fuller. The quality of the songwriting is nearly as good.
5. Blur — Stereotypes (The Great Escape): The lead track on my favorite Blur album, the final LP of their brilliant Britpop trilogy. This is an attack on suburbia in the vein of XTC’s “Respectable Street”. The song seems to take a Kinks-like melody, and twists it with an Elvis Costello bitterness, making for a song that is sunny and serrating at the same time.
6. Jarvis Cocker — Baby’s Coming Back To Me (Jarvis): Jarvis Cocker’s solo career has been a great extension of his later work with Pulp. He still is one of the most acute lyricists around, and his mix of various styles centers around his strong persona. This song is definitely cut from the cloth of early ’60s melodramatic pop, with typical lyrics that aren’t as straightforward as they seem.
7. The The — Uncertain Smile (7” version) (Left Of The Dial): I have the longer version from the original album. I still remember when we got this at my college radio station. It fit in so well with other mid-‘80s stuff, but it certainly stood out, due to the overall sound of the record and Matt Johnson’s clear skill and control. The The went in many directions after that, but they were never boring. But I don’t know if they ever topped this song (with the possible exception of “This Is The Day”).
8. The Shazam with Carl Wayne — I Can Hear The Grass Grow (Live At Abbey Road)(Here’s To All The Misfits): This version of The Move classic, with original Move singer Carl Wayne, was recorded by the great Nashville power poppers for a BBC anniversary special, during the brief period where it looked like The Shazam had a shot of breaking into the UK market. Sadly, that didn’t happen, but The Shazam turn out to be a wonderful Move substitute on a vaguely more acoustic and pastoral rendition of this great song.
9. Pete Townshend — Give Blood (White City): One of the signature tracks from the pretty good mid-‘80s Pete Townshend solo album. It’s pretty typical of the slightly pomp rock/pop mix of his work in that decade. The production is dated, but it’s still a memorable tune, with a few hooks.
10. Green — I Play The Records (Green): The first Green album is local power pop classic. Frontman Jeff Lescher was well versed in ’60s rock, which formed the basis for his spunky tunes, with an especially strong Kinks vibe on some songs. But he added in other influences, giving Green a very distinctive personality. The falsetto vocals on this song seem to come from some R & B jam, while the song mixes The Kinks and The Monkees, with Lescher turning into a screamer in the chorus. Ridiculously catchy and toe tapping, and it sounds like no one else.