You're back again but I'm so sorry, it's too late

The Crocodiles - Tears (1980) *** 

Nominated by: Greg Knowles

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition:  New Wave Goodbye

I  do have a soft spot for The Crocodiles and especially Tokoroa born Jenny Morris. I even own a solo JM album! There. It's out!

There's the Mike Chunn connection, the Bruno Lawrence connection, the great vocal abilities of Jenny Morris, the clever clogs quirky songs musically/lyrically and then there is the single version of Tears. A ripper of a hit song in 1980.

The band were F.U.N. from start to flame out finish. But they were also pretty inconsistent and, I suspect, while fun, there wasn't enough substance to make it a going concern. Cue Jenny Morris heading to solo fame and glory.

But Tears (the album) does hold up, mostly. 'Mostly', because it's a game of two halves. 

Side one contains some sublime moments. New Wave Goodbye, the lead off song, immediately sets a high standard which is mostly sustained throughout side one. Tears (the song) is the other stand out with Jenny Morris in great form.

I do prefer her vocals over the males (Tony Blackhouse and Fane Flaws) - so side two contains some so-so material for me. The quality dips through Ribbons Of Steel and It's The Latest (although I do love the surf guitar hijinks and Beatle references).

Whatcha Gonna Do and It's The Latest are okay but not really up there with New Wave Goodbye and Tears.

It's very much of its time: right on the cusp of the eighties while still having a foot in the late seventies.

This time gonna head in the right direction

Dragon - Greatest Hits, Vol. 1 (1988) ***

Nominated by: K Simms esq.

Music club: Wander to Wozza's

Playlist addition: Are You Old Enough?  

Ah - Dragon. The Aussies tried to claim them for themselves, but they started out as Ponsonby boys and morphed into a drug addled hit machine after moving to Aussie. There was a high price to pay though wasn't there - a high casualty rate: three dead thanks to drugs (heroin and t'baccy).

Luckily Dragon had some trump cards: Paul Hewson's songs (then Alan Mansfield's); Marc Hunter's voice (what a singer!!); Todd Hunter's stickability.

Annoyingly, I have always found them wildly inconsistent as a band. They also succumbed to some of those eighties production techniques along the way. Their albums (apart from Bondi Road) are very patchy in quality, and this greatest hits collection is a glaring example.

Within these ten songs (why only 10?), are two amazing world beating singles - Are You Old Enough?; April Sun In Cuba; two really good songs This Time; Still In Love With You Get; and one almost good song - That Jive; and then five others of varying quality. These days these five would be called 'deep cuts'.

This is supposed to be a Greatest Hits compilation for goodness sake! 

Why isn't Education on there? Why wasn't Rain included? Dreams Of Ordinary Men's omission is another glaring one. Instead, the sloppy compiler haphazardly throws on Wait Until Tomorrow, Shooting Stars, and The Dreaded Moroczy Bird. Okay. But Greatest Hits?

Hence the three stars because to get higher than that with a Greatest Hits (and don't get me started with the Vol. 1 malarky) the collection needs to tell a story, be cohesive and do what it says on the tin.

Dragon have been particularly ill served by compilations - a real shame because the right songs would make for a killer set.

Think about the world I found spinning awry

Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats - Nathaniel Rateliff and The Night Sweats (2015) ***

Nominated by: Biggy Gee Dawg

Music club: Wander to Wozza's Music Club

Playlist addition:  Wasting time

You can't judge a record by the cover. I get that, but I'm not sure what the marketing team were aiming for with that terrible cover. Ricco Suave lounge lizard anyone?

The trick of not including your name on the cover has increased markedly since the days of Abbey Road, Music From Big Pink and Blonde On Blonde, but really - you need to be pretty iconic to get away with it successfully. Nathaniel Rateliff though? What's 'e playing at, eh?

Doh - I've just noticed his name in faint colours at the top of the cover - never noticed it the first few times I looked at it so my point (almost) holds - smiley face.

And the band's name! The Night Sweats? Whaaaat? Again - not drawn to that brand particularly. Surely a joke (I know - don't call you 'surely').

So I was a bit put off before putting the needle down (I didn't really put the needle down - it's on Spotify - so that doesn't help either).

Back in the day, records (yes - records) used to be events. We saved and saved and eventually bought a single. Now I can click a button and whole discographies are within easy reach. Bah humbuck. More is not more!!

But I digress. A lot. The music of Mr Rateliff is what I'm supposed to be listening to so I'll (attempt to) shake off the unfortunate cover, the unfortunate name and the less than ideal format.

The first track is a bit deceptive - are The Night Sweats a Blues Brothers/ Van Morrison style show band, I wondered. Cool. I'm partial to Blues Brothers/ Van Morrison style show bands. But then the song changes tack abruptly when Nat starts singing. Weirdly the momentum built by the opening disappears until the drums kick back in and then stops again. And then starts again. Yikes man!! This is the opening song! Keep that momentum going fer Pete's sake.

After that it took time for the album's riches to come to the fore. I heard some Mumford and Sons-isms (okay), a lot of Springsteen Seeger Session bar band rowdiness (meh), and some Bragg/Wilco mash ups (Mermaid Avenue style) in these grooves (if it had grooves yunnerstan). This is clearly stuff that's right down GK's alley!

Best tracks for me were when he dialed it back on Wasting Time, I'll Be Waiting, Mellow Out with some nice pedal steel, acoustic guitar and some expressive vocals.

So - all up, it's another three stars from me - for a mostly fine set of songs, but I suspect he has more laid back folky albums in his canon that I'd enjoy more.