Entertainment For Lively Minds
Not-quite-novelty songs
Posted by Andy Lynes on 3 May 2009 - 1:44pm.
There seems to me to be a whole sub-genre of songs that get played fairly regularly on daytime Radio 2 that could classed as not-quite-novelty songs. They're quirky, but not in a comedic way. They avoid gimmickery, but still stand out from the pack. They're good or very good songs, but something prevents them from being great. They might be one hit wonders, but even if they're not the artists will be cult stars rather than superstars. As you might tell, I'm struggling to put my finger on it so here's a couple of examples:
Is this a thing or a flawed theory? Does anyone else have some similar examples?
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Nizlopi- JCB
Would that be one?
Exactly that, yes.
Exactly that sort of thing, although the ones I have in mind tend to be from the 70's and 80's for some reason.
Bit of an iffy thread this...
but who am I to judge? So instead I'll join in with "You're Moving Out Today" (Carol Bayer Sager). Oh yes.
Your contribution has
Your contribution has legitimised this otherwise iffy endeavour.
How about
Oh Lori by The Alessi Brothers - hear that fairly regularly
"Safety Dance"? "Birdhouse in Your Soul"?
That sort of thing do you mean?
Driver's Seat quirky?
Like how? Because it was the only instance whereby a 3 (4?)album artist produced anything half-good? If that is quirky, this is going to be one long strand. Quirky to me is as Sheev suggests, the odd quasi novelty song, except no novelty intended as all their (TMBG, Men Without Hats etc) material is so styled. Driver's Seat is that archetypal wonderful song from a dreadful band. I could listen to it forever but made the mistake of buying the LP.
Quirky in that its the same
Quirky in that its the same three chords for the entire duration of the song- its a catchy riff in search of a proper home. I love it but its a flawed composition.
Sniff 'N' The Tears
Thrice NAY, Mr Retropath2, sir. Sniff 'N' The Tears did a brilliant album called The Game's Up that should appeal to any fans of The Feeling, for example.
Trumpton Riots &c
I'm not sure where 1/2 man 1/2 biscuit fit in here. From outside they appear to write novelty songs, but to my mind they aren't. With a title like 'Joy Division Oven Gloves' you'd expect some wry Stilgoe-sque comment on the Ian Curtis death industry but it's a rollicking Buzzcocks stream of consciousness tune. And some of their social commentary is at a Mike Leigh level - although embedded in an undefinable early 80s pop-punk idiom in the main.
To continue slightly off-piste
in the vein above - I think the one (or possibly two) off good record(s) by an otherwise ordinary artist/band could make up a pretty decent compilation.
No doubt fans of the such described will be up in arms and inundate with You Tube clips and Spotify links in advocacy. Which is a good thing, of course.
A good example, similar to Driver's Seat, it seems to me is "Babylon" by David Gray. Touching, tender, well realised. But - oh dear me - the rest of White Ladder?
And "Return of the Mack" as buff a piece of Nu-Soul (or suitable generic) as one might find - but the rest of Mr Morrision's oeuvre? Still, rarely have I heard a chap sound less pleased to have his overcoat returned to him.
The real "novelty" aspect of this is how odd the relatively recent past seems. Another country indeed.
I think 'White Ladder' is a well good album
What a sniffy, supercilious attitude you have Sheev. 'White Ladder' is a very very good album, ('Oh dear') and whatever you like or don't about M. Morrison 'Return of the Mack' is fantastic. I don't care what he's done since and I don't understand 'Buff Nu Soul' anymore than I understand the 'R&B' tag on modern black music. Who cares? You like what you like or not without putting silly labels on it. 'Nu Soul' my arse
Sometimes I feel in another country.....
Yes, poor old David Gray, deemed deeply unpopular for being, latterly at least, deeply popular. Tricky one, defending the indefensible, but I think he is worthy of greater than the disdain offered routinely by "us" cognoscenti and the knowing phone-it-in critics. Babylon is an OK track, picked up by the masses. However there are several much more than decent tracks on that LP, the next one and scattered across his wilderness pre-breakthrough years. And I would go as far as to say that his last proper record (as opposed to greatest hits)"Life in Slow Motion" is both his best and one of the best of it's year. But it was too late, he had already been lumped in lazily as progenitor of James Blunt and his ghastly ilk, to whom I see no comparison whatsoever. Shit hot live too, but I don't suppose that matters once the jury is in.......
well,
since I have come to value your opinion, I may, if I find the time, sometime, no promises mind, give DG another go. However, since The Great One Himself - Thompson.R - is a nut I have to crack fully as yet - time may be better spent in that direction you may concur.
I digress from matters threadular. This is a novelty record surely. Or has become one whatever the original intention. I liked it when I was 5. Still do, truth be told.
We agree
It's a shocker, I love it.
But not to be confused with:
which is still capable of making me vomit profusely.
But while we're doing good 'uns:
since
we seem to be having this conversation between ourselves - another tangent - there are examples of bands who are known by the many for one unrepresentative, arguably quasi-novelty track and known by the few to be possessed of a singular talent. Some punters may have bought The Royal Scam in the hope of finding tales of marital woe set to cod reggae a la Haitian Divorce. Which reminds me - given the ridiculous parallel drawn between 10cc and Dan. The one, Haitian Divorce - the other, Dreadlock Holiday.
But having a noodle in Prog HQ recently, I came across East of Eden who were bearded wonders of their day but are primarily known for this:
Pinball Wizard
Brian Protheroe's 'Pinball' is one of my favourite tracks of all time. However, try as I might (by that I mean I've listened to a couple of other songs and not thought them up to much) I feel it may be a rose amongst thorns (or, perhaps slightly kindly, a flower in the desert). I'm prepared to be proved wrong, if anyone has any suggestions.
Captain of Her Heart
Driving Away From Home
Driving Away
is indeed a great song but it is not alone in their catalogue which also contains the ching Blue Nile-ish ballad "New Brighton" a song with echoes of what Elbow have attempted to do with the best of their recent output.
Telephone man
I always thought this was good, especially her "bass" vocal in the chorus.
And this
Totally subversive version of the original which led to a court case banning it - happily I bought the single just in time.....
Utterly brilliant!
I remember that being a regular on the old
Annie Nightingale Sunday afternoon request show
Top 10
One of my top 10 all-time favourite singles, and a reminder of how good Annie Nightingale's evening show used to be (where I discovered this and many more).
It did get a brief re-issue on the "Doll in the Box" CD a few years ago, and can be found on iTunes & Spotify now as well as YouTube.
Ah, Cristina…
… if we'd deserved better she'd have become a massive star instead of Madonna.
Sleep It Off was a great album too, albeit the subject of one of the worst CD remastering jobs ever.
from a similar era
Here's Barnes & Barnes 'Fish Heads'
This is good too
never realised how many novelty songs I like...
shoorley shome of these
fall into the One Hit Wonders category?
Steady on, man
then we'd be doing one we did earlier.....
If I understand you right...
This would qualify -
whereas, this wouldn't -
Have I got it?
I think it really comes down
I think it really comes down to the sort of thing Steve Wright or Ken Bruce would play when they are trying to appear a bit edgy, so Black Betty is just the right side of that while One More Night is definately the wrong side.
The Lone Ranger by Quantum Jump nearly qualifies but unfortunately jumped the novelty shark and is therefore exluded.
O Superman?
I would post it but I just find it ineffably tedious
Colorblind James Experience..
B A Robertson…
… he had a whole string of hits (Bang Bang, Cool & The Kaftan, To Be Or Not To Be, etc), all of which would, I believe fit the profile. Like so many of the above, he seems to have been airbrushed out of pop history. I'm not so sure that's a bad thing…
Always in the kitchen at parties?
Stop the Cavalry?
Toast?
Toast is definately novelty
Toast is definately novelty - its virtually Benny Hill. To qualify for not-quite-novelty, the records take themselves seriously.
Self Portrait?
Oi come on Sheev, leave it aht - don' start all vat caper again...vem Dylan types have only jus' calmed daaahn
Flash and the Pan
Angus (AC/DC) Young's big bro', George, ex-Easybeat, and his old mucker Harry(?) Vanda, did some very very odd material. What was it all about? My old brown shoe, I ask you....
Loved it:
Thought their visual image didn't fit, Manson era Beach Boys (see Celluloid Dreams) would look so much more fitting to the tone of the songs.
Midnight Man is great as well.
Judy Teen
Steve Harley and Cockney Rebel
werewolves of london
warren zevon
Apologies in advance
I can't see the embedded clips here but my immediate thought was "The Future's So Bright..." by Timbuk 3 - which is the world's most useless band name.
Oh, and...
"Waiting for a Train" by Flash & the Pan - another useless band name.
"A Horse With No Name" by America.
"Wordy Rappinghood" - Tom Tom Club.