When I was growing up in the 70s my life was soundtracked from the moment I switched on Radio 1 in the morning till my regular nighttime obsession with Radio Luxembourg - playing FAB 208 under my pillow till I couldn't stay awake any longer. And if you've dipped in and out of my blog over the last ten years or so you'll probably have a feel for the kind of music I consumed (glam, essentially) and the tunes I took onboard (a bit like osmosis, I guess) - tunes that are still lodged firmly in my brain. And if I said my palate mainly comprised Sweet, Slade, T. Rex, David Bowie and Alice Cooper et al you'd probably be able to piece together yourself what a typical day would sound like in my head.
But glam had a younger brother. Bubblegum. Not as brash, not as lairy; but fun nonetheless. For every Slade there was a Rubettes and for every Sweet there was a Racey. Great pop bands both, but no grit; no substance. Which was fine - it was all grist to Radio 1's mill: Tony Blackburn and Diddy David Hamilton lapped it up; well they would, wouldn't they? What's not to like?
And that's kinda how I feel about Kasabian: I have no strong feelings about them one way or the other. But it seems to me that, recently anyway, when they've been trying to write glam anthems (Bless This Acid House anyone?) they come across sounding more like Hello than Mottt the Hoople, more Alvin Stardust than David Bowie. Which, as I've just said, is no bad thing.
Here they are sounding like a cross between Lieutenant Pigeon and the Glitter Band.
Kasabian - Put Your Life on It (2017)
" a cross between Lieutenant Pigeon and the Glitter Band."
ReplyDeleteSome people will think that's a bad thing. They are, of course, wrong there
Couldn't agree more, George. And I hope I you don't think I'm being sniffy about Kasabian; far from it. 'Put Your Life on It' and 'Bless This Acid House' are both bangers. There, I've said it.
DeleteDespite your efforts here, John, I remain "sniffy" about Kasabian
DeleteHadn't heard this tune before, but definitely get the Lieutenant Pigeon vibe - all it needs is a gravelly voice intoning the title as a chorus and you're there.
ReplyDeleteAs regards your various 1970s obsessions, you are clearly my brother from another Mother, but we already knew that didn't we?
Thank you, TS! What a lovely thing to say; yes, clearly we are.
DeleteI can't believe it's almost three years since you came to our 1st Vinyl Session; a return visit must surely be on the cards.
Ah such memories. I had a subscription to a magazine called Fabulous 208 and if I ever share pages from my teenage archive, more often than not from it.
ReplyDeleteGood analogy above.
That's right, Fab 208. And Popswop, Look In, Music Star, Disco 45. They were gateway magazines for me that led to Sounds, Melody Maker and the NME...
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