Not dissing Saxondale
No indeed - I'd go so far as to say that I'd be suspicious of anyone (or anybloke let's say) (it's A Bloke Thing) who didn't identify just a teensy tiny bit with Saxondale... recognise a glint of affinity
It's a top tune, any road.
I wonder what Aaron Copland made of it. I checked and he was still alive when this was a hit.
Now this - Mussorgsky Moogified - doesn't sound nearly as good but the visuals are mad
"Groundbreaking cinematic techniques" said Richard Williams, the presenter of Old Grey Whistle Test when they played a clip (at 8.02)
But it's just the same howlround plastic-fantastique FX used on Top of the Pops whenever they had a glammy groop on.
And a barrage of comic strip Pop Arty images in garish hues overlaid.
I don't know why they turn the FX off half way through - after that, who wants to look at Emerson Lake and Palmer au naturel?
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
What are the other Saxondale jams?
"Jessica" by the Allman Brothers?
(Aka the Top Gear theme tune)
ELP rock harder than I'd expected in that live clip. They sound like Add N to (X).
ReplyDeleteAs a character study, Steve Coogan got it spot on with Saxondale. I moved to the East Midlands a few years and quickly discovered that Tommy Saxondale walks among us. A typical conversation with older work colleagues will run thus: "In the '70s I saw Zeppelin three times at De Montfort Hall. Do you know what they have on next week? Kaja-bloody-googoo, and it's only half the original members!"
ReplyDeleteFunny thing is, Kajagoogoo were full of great musicians - particularly the bassist. They could easily have been Steve Hillage's backing band. So that should have satisfied, or at least surprised, the Saxondale-style rockists if they'd trudged along to the De Montfort Hall after all.
DeleteI believe the blonde bassist formerly of Kaja is currently playing with Steve Wilson either in his solo band or The Porcupine Tree, I can't remember. Wilson being famous for his obsessive-compulsive, cleaner-than-clean remixes of classic prog albums. One of Hemel Hempstead's few claims to rock renown.