Last Friday night during the Raveonettes encores, they shouted for James to come up on stage and sing a song. I don't think many people had a clue wjho they were asking up onto the stage but up came James Allen from Glasvegas who sang Love Can Destroy not a particular favourite of mine but it sounded pretty good.
On the way home I wondered to myself why I haven't really played anything by Glasvegas for ages. It probably has something to do with the stushie after the first album when a lot of bloggers who had been very vociferous in their promotion of the band started to get cease and desist orders for posting demo versions of songs. But it also has a lot to do with the fact that I really couldn't get into the second album which disappointed me a lot as I absolutely loved the first album and the Sane Man singles.
So when I got home I poured myself a rum and got the first couple of singles out and played them a few times over all four tracks as the b sides are equal to the a's and for me I think that Flowers and Football Tops is better than Daddy's Gone, not by much granted but for me it just edges it. I think that the way Allen dealt with the subject matter, that of the murder of Kriss Donald in 2004, writing the lyrics from the point of view of the boy's mother waiting for him to come home was increadibly empathetic and tugs at your heart.
Here is the original version of the track from that first Sane Man single.
Btw - James Allen up close still looks uncannily like Joe Strummer.
Glasvegas - Flowers And Football Tops
4 comments:
The second record seriously tanked, I rarely think about this band these days.
I've always been a sucker for 'The Prettiest Girl On Saltcoats Beach'.
Almost 2 years ago now I spent a memorable Monday night i James Allen and the rest of Glasvegas' company. He told me many funny/overblown stories that couldn't possibly be mentioned in public, lest a good lawyer would be straight on your case. You can read about some of it here:
http://philspector.wordpress.com/2011/01/14/viva-glasvegas/
Good post, BTW
And fact fans let's remember (for all future pub quiz questions) James Allan is the only person to grace Hampden park both as a footballer in the professional leagues (Queen's Park) and as a musician (when Glasvegas supported U2)
Variations could include who was nominated for both a Mercury Prize and Scottish League Division 3 Player of the Month awards?. etc.,
g.
I'm glad someone is addressing this..... I've always found Glasvegas take themselves far too seriously. Big turn off....
Anyway keep up the good work.
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