Entertainment For Lively Minds
The one band guaranteed to make you smile
Following on from, but different to, I think, the 'Comfort Albums' thread a while ago. And prompted by a certain band coming up on shuffle in the car as I dragged my weary bones home from work tonight.
There I was, busy day, face like a slapped arse, about to face the car park that is the Preston traffic system. When, courtesy of Southstand's 'Chicago' compilation, on came The Hold Steady's "Chicago Seemed Tired Last Night".
And do you know, gentle reader, my face lit up like a beacon. As it always does when the Minneapolis Funsters turn up on the record machine. And it struck me that, although I love many, many bands, most of them I have to be 'in the mood' for.
Apart from The Hold Steady. Whatever my mood, whatever the situation, they always make me smile. I love them to bits.
Why should this be?
Craig Finn can't sing. Well, he can, a bit, but not really. For a Midwest bar band punching above their weight, they don't half choose some odd time signatures. And a lot of the time, the lyrics and the tunes stalk each other like a pair of hesitant internet daters who have yet to be properly introduced to each other.
And yet...I really do love them to bits.
They are quite possibly the best live band I have seen since seeing The Clash in 1978.
They exude a joy, an overwhelming wave of euphoria on stage that reminds you of just what a powerful thing music is - in the right hands.
They make a middle aged man feel like he's a teenager again.
I can understand why some might not 'get' them - all I can say is go and see them live, if you come away unmoved then you might just be clinically dead.
They are piggin' loud, though.
So come on - that's my banker for an uplift - which bands will without fail turn the corners of your mouth up?
Look at this man. How much is he enjoying this?
Anyway. This band will always make me smile. Who always makes YOU smile?
Look at this! Glastonbury 2007! I'm in the front row somewhere, the first time I ever saw or heard the band! And is that the same shirt he's wearing, three years earlier?
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Well, Paul....
...you might not have heard of them, but it's a band from New York via Minneapolis/St. Paul called The Hold Steady. Every. Single. Time.
After what was frankly a shitting pig of a day, I got home, had a snack and went to the gym. And THS were the first thing on. (Rapidly followed by Auf der Maur, actually, but for different reasons.)
My choice was "You Gotta Dance..." as a kick-off.
I love them. I love them I love them I love them. They may never recapture the magic that was their first four records, but for those four records alone, they'll always be one of my favourite bands. And yes - they always make me smile.
Here they are doing Constructive Summer. I make no claims for the (user-made) video.
A smile and a warm glow..
Comes across me after hearing almost any Super Furry Animals song, but this can brighten even the dullest of days:
That singer
looks like Alan Carr's less cool brother. He dances in a different time to everyone else. His singing voice is only 9% more musical than his stage banter voice. He looks like he's won the lottery just being allowed to be in The Hold Steady.
He's bloody great isn't he?
We had a couple of their albums on the ipod on holiday. The car was always a happier place when they came on shuffle.
He's a bit of a Springsteen fan .......
The quality on this clip ain't great, but fast forward to watch the 4.00 - 5.40 min. section, and you'll see a man so happy he's about to explode. Or piss his pants. Or both.
It's joyous.
You have no idea
Just how wide my grin is now. That is absolutely wonderful.
I'm in ...
Never heard anything by them but that bloke sums up what music means to me so I'm taking the plunge and have ordered BAGIA from Amazon. For £1. It better be worth it !
That made me chuckle out loud
Looks like a man who's birthdays and Christmases have come at once
...with added monkey...
They're great but throw in another great band, a man in a monkey costume, lots of not big or clever swearing and a song about AC/DC and i'm getting lockjaw from my smile...
Never fail to cheer me up
I only have to hear the line 'Tramps LIke Us/ And We Like Tramps' and it makes me beam.
The opening to Charlemagne in Sweatpants...
...is some of my favourite lyric writing ever, made doubly special by Craig's funny old sprechgesang:
When he's holding, then the streetlights
They look an awful lot like spotlights
And sometimes Charlemagne gets uptight
Running numbers between bars
Running girls between the cars
And sometimes Charlemagne feels alright.
Charlemagne had eyes just like a lover
But last winter there was weather
And his eyes, they iced right over...
Motörhead...
Every time. Here's The Chase Is Better than the Catch.
I'm starting with Heaven Is Whenever.
Where should I go from here?
Bearing in mind that I like what I have heard thus far..
TBH Len it gets a lot better.
Boys and Girls in America is the classic, but Separation Sunday and Stay Positive are not far behind. Then A Positive Rage ( the live album) and Almost Killed Me (the first) are also well worthy of your attention.
But buy BAGIA tomorrow. If you don't, I'll buy it for you. In my top ten albums ever. It's that good.
Buy? BUY??
Paul, darling.. I stream..
*adjusts paisley scarf, struts from room*
Seriously
If you don't own the album by next Friday, I shall present you with a copy for you to love and treasure. I consider it a duty to spread the word.
Agreed, Paul
Lenny, you have to get BAGIA, every single track is brilliant. There are few albums I think are completely perfect, but this is one of those.
First time I heard Stuck Between Stations on Colin Murray's old R1 show, I had to pull the car over to punch the air.
I never get tired of it.
Another nice entry level album would be the acoustic Live At Footprints EP thing.
It's how we all got into them.
BAGIA is *wonderful*. And when you've spent some time absorbing and loving it, you go back to Almost Killed Me and Separation Sunday, and fall in love with those too. SS is my favourite THS record now, but BAGIA is definitely the best inroad.
Thank You!
I have a new addition to my favourite band list. Very reminscent of...
Video shows Graham Parker & The Rumour, Heat Treatment (1976)
The band to make me smile
I give you - The Divine Comedy. Guaranteed smiles all round when they are on
aaah
you beat me to it. Duckworth Lewis for me too.
All this time
I've had Stuck between Stations on my itunes and not listened to it - it was on Word Best of 2007, ripped and passed over until now. Well, thanks Paul, Bob et al - that's been rectified. I think I feel a CD purchase coming on...
To paraphrase Craig Finn
There is so much joy in what they do. Couple of years ago I saw them three times in the space of about 6-7 months and was beginning to fear that Finn's 'exuberance' might be becoming a bit schtick. It's not. They're brilliant and this has made me very happy. Thanks,
Oh yeah, a LOT of their live stuff is available from the usual sources and much of it is really quite good.
Just browsing...
...before starting work today and this has made my (admittedly average) week.
There are very few bands I can genuinely claim to "love", but the Hold Steady are one. As is the Divine Comedy. As are Motorhead.
There are very few songs I've heard "cold" that have stuck with me and made the kind of impression you never forget.
Sally Barker covering Richard Thompson's I Misunderstood.
Sam Brown's Letting Go.
Kate Rusby's My Young man.
Duke Special's Freewheel. (Which I'll hopefully hear live tonight!)
Stuck Between Stations is one also. A band who may only have one idea, but they do it pretty well.
GABIA is indeed a killer album, and is on pretty heavy rotation chez bobness.
Their gigs are tremendous. You have to love a band who play like it's the best job in the world, because I suspect we'd all swap fairly willingly...
And finally, the Auf Der Maur gig at the Rescue Rooms in Nottingham a few years ago was another absolute belter.
So, many mentions of my favourite things above. Stick Steve Earle in there too and I'm done.
Thankyou all.
And now, back to the number crunching.
Auf Der Maur
Have got two mentions in this thread - I have to admit that I have never heard them, or even of them before.
What am I missing? Where do I start?
Melissa Auf Der Maur
Erstwhile very hot ex Hole bass player and knocked off a superb solo album with Josh Homme. Terrific record.
It's really...
...a solo project for Melissa Auf der Maur, former bass player with Hole and Smashing Pumpkins. Her first, self-titled album is a corker, featuring a heavy Josh Homme presence. Listen to Followed The Waves and Real A Lie on Ewe-Choob.
Ah yes
With you now - the name sounded familiar but I couldn't place it.
Will give it a go - thanks, 6Dog/Bob.
Bands that make you smile>? MADNESS
Every single time. From the opening bars of One Step Beyond to the closing codas of The Liberty of Norton Folgate, both live and on record, you're guaranteed to come away with a shit eating grin.
Summed up everything I was going to say
So have an up
Summed up everything I was going to say
So have an up
Double post
But only one up.
...for me it's Jonathan Richman
...if it was available on CD, it would be the Rockin' and Romance album. As it isn't I have two 20+ tracks Best ofs I have compiled that are guaranteed to raise the mood...It helps to be able to picture him in the eye of your mind...
Other than that, I find High Land, Hard Rain by Aztec Camera still takes me back and lifts the spirit after all these years.
Martin Stephenson
Then...
and now(ish)...
Nicest man in folk/pop/country/you name it.
I don't do it often.
But I'm bumping this thread. Several people on Twitter have sent Paul, Leedsboy and myself tweets and DMs thanking us for enthusing about THS, which I find encouraging, 'cos I can't normally get anyone to give them houseroom. But please. Let The Hold Steady into your life. They are life-affirmingly wonderful.
*televangelist face*
The Undertones
I am of a certain age and The Undertones encapsulated everything it meant to be a male adolescent in the late 70s. Yet, they always sounded uplifting, even when expressing deeply unpleasant complexities. I suspect it was the twin driving guitars, the glorious hooks, the blessed brevity of the songs, the rhythm section's reckless attack and, of course, Feargal's famously choirboy voice.
Here's a song about childhood suicide that will make your heart zing!!
Jimmy Jimmy - The Undertones 1979
PS. Bob, what does 'bumping this thread' mean?
Sorry.
"Bumping" - posting inconsequentially in a thread purely to put it back at the top of the Recently Updated list. Like, erm, this.
I'm with you there Tiggerlion...
They are a great uplifting band and, for me were the highlight of the recent Electric Picnic festival here in Ireland, playing their first album track by track. They're still a really tight band and their sound is perfection. I'm a fan of their "new", singer Paul McLoone and don't miss Fergal Sharkey at all. In fact I bumped into him in a Dublin pub over the weekend and drunkenly thanked him for their great performance. This is my own recording of one of "I Don't Wanna Get Over You". Apologies if you can hear more of my singing than the band's.
I'm also surprised no one has mentioned Half Man Half Biscuit yet. Just sticking Cammell Laird Social Club into the CD player and hitting shuffle is a guaranteed smile generator.
Mad Dogs & Englishmen?