The Pale Fountains:
The Pale Fountains:
Les Disques du Crepuscule:
Out 4th November:
8/10
Michael Head and his cherished young troubadours The Pale Fountains remain a mystery some thirty years after their initial inception. For a start, they were barely out of shorts when they wrote a few of the songs on this part-studio and part-live collection, yet sound like they'd been around for a decade already. Then there are the influences on their music - there's Bacharach and David, there's little snippets of John Barry, even a nod to the likes of Billy Fury, Adam Faith and, dare I suggest, early Cliff, yet little in the way of photo-shoots or evidence of appearing on Top of the Pops by the time the band caved in some five years later.
And therein lies the travesty, tragedy and mystery (to coin a song-title by the not dissimilar scousers China Crisis) - The Pale Fountains should have been as big as, say, Aztec Camera or Everything But The Girl, but ended up gambling on a move to Virgin Records and seeing their light melancholic brand of bedsitter cool head down the proverbial tubes. But why? All of the reference points above point to a band at the top of their game from the off, yet cruelly ignored with a flurry of critical shrugs and public indifference.
Although some of this material appeared on the Marina album of the same name some twelve years ago, the majority of the live material hasn't seen the light of day before now. Now back in the hands of spiritual home and label Les Disques du Crepuscule, TWI 119 displays a talented outfit, way ahead of its time, if a little frazzled and frayed at the edges.
Perhaps one of their greatest achievements was laying down the first three songs on this super new vinyl album which gathers Crepuscule tracks up with a whole host of rare live material from concerts in Belgium in 1982. "Just a Girl", "(there's always) Something On My Mind" and "Lavinia's Dream" formed the band's debut 12" on Crepuscule (or 7" on Operation Twilight, minus the latter) and are the equal of anything Postcard, Rough Trade and the like were putting out at the time. Prime songwriting dressed up in carefree acoustically-minded pop, what's not to like? And then there's the killer "Benoit's Christmas", lifted from the compilation Ghosts of Christmas Past and the unissued single-that-never-was' namely "Longshot For Your Love".
And then there's Andy Diagram's fabulous signature trumpet passages. Previously a member of the not-dissimilar Dislocation Dance, it's Diagram's subtle blowing that serves as one of TPF's USPs, as well as Head's no-nonsense but distinctive songwriting. The live tracks are the bare bones of the band's involvement on the Crepuscule Move Back/Bite Harder tour in 1982. Engaging, sprightly and wide-eyed, only Head's occasionally atonal operatics affect an otherwise faultless run through of their then-new songs. "Shelter", which finally appeared in studio form on their second full-length album From Across The Kitchen Table, is exemplary, while "Thank You" was soon to be their major-label debut - you can see why Virgin threw an advance at them.
On a bonus CD, you get both the Leuven and Brussels sets from the tour and a pick and choose between the versions. The band's cheeky take on the Bacharach and David standard "Walk On By" nudges the Leuven batch into first place.
The album comes in a facsimile of the band's aforementioned debut 12" and looks the part, bolstered by informative liner-notes by Geoff King and an attention to detail. One for the purists perhaps, but a must-have for the curious as well.
The Pale Fountains:
Les Disques du Crepuscule:
Out 4th November:
8/10
And therein lies the travesty, tragedy and mystery (to coin a song-title by the not dissimilar scousers China Crisis) - The Pale Fountains should have been as big as, say, Aztec Camera or Everything But The Girl, but ended up gambling on a move to Virgin Records and seeing their light melancholic brand of bedsitter cool head down the proverbial tubes. But why? All of the reference points above point to a band at the top of their game from the off, yet cruelly ignored with a flurry of critical shrugs and public indifference.
Although some of this material appeared on the Marina album of the same name some twelve years ago, the majority of the live material hasn't seen the light of day before now. Now back in the hands of spiritual home and label Les Disques du Crepuscule, TWI 119 displays a talented outfit, way ahead of its time, if a little frazzled and frayed at the edges.
Perhaps one of their greatest achievements was laying down the first three songs on this super new vinyl album which gathers Crepuscule tracks up with a whole host of rare live material from concerts in Belgium in 1982. "Just a Girl", "(there's always) Something On My Mind" and "Lavinia's Dream" formed the band's debut 12" on Crepuscule (or 7" on Operation Twilight, minus the latter) and are the equal of anything Postcard, Rough Trade and the like were putting out at the time. Prime songwriting dressed up in carefree acoustically-minded pop, what's not to like? And then there's the killer "Benoit's Christmas", lifted from the compilation Ghosts of Christmas Past and the unissued single-that-never-was' namely "Longshot For Your Love".
And then there's Andy Diagram's fabulous signature trumpet passages. Previously a member of the not-dissimilar Dislocation Dance, it's Diagram's subtle blowing that serves as one of TPF's USPs, as well as Head's no-nonsense but distinctive songwriting. The live tracks are the bare bones of the band's involvement on the Crepuscule Move Back/Bite Harder tour in 1982. Engaging, sprightly and wide-eyed, only Head's occasionally atonal operatics affect an otherwise faultless run through of their then-new songs. "Shelter", which finally appeared in studio form on their second full-length album From Across The Kitchen Table, is exemplary, while "Thank You" was soon to be their major-label debut - you can see why Virgin threw an advance at them.
On a bonus CD, you get both the Leuven and Brussels sets from the tour and a pick and choose between the versions. The band's cheeky take on the Bacharach and David standard "Walk On By" nudges the Leuven batch into first place.
The album comes in a facsimile of the band's aforementioned debut 12" and looks the part, bolstered by informative liner-notes by Geoff King and an attention to detail. One for the purists perhaps, but a must-have for the curious as well.