My Record Collection 114

Garbage – a nineties band from America with a Scottish girl singer, who seemed to sound a bit different.  A post punk sound but it was really the vocal drawl and the angry lyrics I liked.  I gor the debut self-titled album which had a couple of singles on it – and really it still sounds pretty good.  The singles ‘Stupid Girl’, ‘Only Happy When It Rains’ and ‘Queer’ are all good, as are most of the songs – but somehow I wasn’t really into groups at this time and only bought this and the follow up Version 2, which came out in 1998.  Well, not so bad on reflwction – it just doesn’t have the same oomph as their debut.  ‘Special’ and ‘When I grow Up’ are okay though. 

Art Garfunkel he was the singer of Paul Simon’s songs, though at the time hardly any of us knew that it was Paul Simon (see S) who wrote them.  After the slightly acrimonious split Art had some small success.  I bought this double album The Singer and The Song for my Mum one year, but copied it for myself. It is okay, not my sort of schmaltzy stuff really – but as a record (and you know what a completist I am) it stays in the collection.  But apart from the one or two hits, and a few half-decent covers it disappoints.  Also, a major mistake was to include Simon and Garfunkels Bridge Over Troubled Waters (and a couple of others) – as it shows up the rest of the songs for what they are – second rate.  At the time of their split we struggled to understand why Paul was dispensing with such a beautiful voice – but then it slowly dawned on us – he was THE Talent.

Bob Geldof – After the fame of organising Live Aid, the lead singer of the Boomtown Rats decided on pursuing a solo career.  Deep In The Heart Of Nowhere came out in 1986.  I remember at the time that I quite liked it; Bob was a folk hero and the album was produced by Dave Stewart (see E – Eurythmics) and featured a host of stars.  But listening now it seems a bit flat and ordinary; such is hindsight.  Best songs ‘In The Pouring Rain’, and ‘Beat of the Night’   Two years later and quite a change of style; gone was the bombastic production and in came a folky, Irish and gentler sound.  Not such a bad record at all.  Best songs ‘The Great Song of Indifference’, ‘Love or Something’ and ‘Walking Back To Happiness’. Bob has made the occasional album since but I am not buying any more. .