The Carpenters – A History of Dubious Taste

Friday Night Music Club Vol 27

Evening all.

I mentioned last week that I had prepared and stockpiled several mixes whilst I was away, and it turns out this was quite fortuitous, as I’ve had a few technical issues with iTunes and the DJ mixing app I use, which I haven’t been able to fully resolve yet (and which I won’t bore you with here). I mention it now merely as apology for the absence of any posts this week.

I also mentioned last week that some of the mixes needed “…need a bit of tweaking…” and when I managed to listen back to them all, it transpires that there was something about a lot of them that I wasn’t entirely happy with, be that the running order or the song choices.

Also, having (finally) returned to work last week, albeit on a phased return/reduced hours, and working from home, I haven’t quite got the work/home ratio quite right yet. When logging off my work laptop, the last thing I then felt like doing was cranking up my own one and starting all over again.

But enough about my own woes; what I’m trying to say is this: this week we have a playlist which wasn’t planned to be posted for several weeks, but hey ho, here we are.

Anyway, it’s the usual mix of indie tunes and pop songs either fondly remembered or pretty much forgotten (with good reason, some might say) that you’ve come to know and, in some instances, if not love then quite like.

Chocks away!

Friday Night Music Club Vol 27

And here’s your tracklisting, but no sleeve notes this week, I’m afraid:

Teenage Fanclub – Dumb Dumb Dumb
Gnarls Barkley – Crazy
The Monochrome Set – Jacob’s Ladder
The Farmer’s Boys – In The Country
The Housemartins – Me and The Farmer
The Byrds – I’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better
The Weather Prophets – Hollow Heart
Inspiral Carpets – Commercial Rain
The Fall – Hit The North Pt 1
Chumbawamba & Credit to the Nation – Hear No Bullshit (On Fire Mix)
Major Lazer feat. Mr Evil & Mapei – Mary Jane
Groove Armada – Purple Haze (Edit)
The Go-Go’s – We Got the Beat
Bruce Springsteen – Cover Me
Patti Smith Group – Because the Night
Natalie Cole – Pink Cadillac
Paula Abdul – Opposites Attract
The Carpenters – We’ve Only Just Begun

Yes we have. But we’ve also finished for another week.

More soon.

Replenishing the Vinyl

Back in 1994 I got my first credit card.

Armed with it, I ventured into Cardiff, determined to purchase some music.

My girlfriend at the time feared the outcome, thoroughly expecting I would blow the whole of my credit limit in one go.

Obstinate bugger that I am, I returned home with just one CD, one of those tribute albums, where current cool bands cover songs by one particular artiste.

This particular one was called “If I Were A Carpenter”, a tribute to – you guessed it – The Carpenters, featuring acts like American Music Club, Sonic Youth, Grant Lee Buffalo, Sheryl Crow, Redd Kross and, as they say on irritating adverts, many, many more.

The Carpenters are, I think, one of those bands that people consider sickly sweet, a bit naff, a guilty pleasure, but as you know, we don’t like that phrase round these parts.

No, as the sticker on the front of the CD proclaimed “The Carpenters are cool!”, and these bands and this album gave those who secretly liked their records permission to out themselves as fans.

When I worked in a motorway café as a teenager, often after work we would go back to someone’s house, have a few drinks, play a few records and have a bit of a sing-song. And The Carpenters, without fail, were always played, because everyone knew they were great, and everyone knew all of the words.

Curiously, though, I’d never owned anything by them.

Until recently, when I stumbled over a double Greatest Hits album of theirs, on sale second hand. Ker-ching!

The story of The Carpenters is, of course, tragic. Karen never wanted to be the front woman; she was a drummer by trade, and as fame found her she yearned for nothing more than to be allowed to get back behind the skins, sticks in hand.

Conversely, brother Richard did want the stardom, but the public, and, more importantly, the record label, wanted Karen out front. As a result (probably) of her unwanted place in the spotlight, Karen developed anorexia nervosa, and died from heart failure caused by complications from her illness at the tragically young age of 32. Too young, far too young.

Here’s some of their finest moments which I now proudly own, sugar sweet, glorious and catchy as hell:

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