Shall we have an album of the week? It’s been a while. OK then…
In their minds, Jack are Artists with a capital A, true Bohemians, the last of the great romantics. They rub shoulders with Warhol and the Velvets, are on first name terms with Pasolini and Fellini, discuss Satre and poetry in Left Bank cafes and woo starlets in underground clubs in Berlin. They’re “behind in the rent and ahead in evolution”. They find romance in cheap booze and tragedy in cigarette embers.
They are unashamedly pretentious and faintly preposterous. Their liner notes contain “Further reading” lists. Their third album boasts the immortal line “I am the ‘and’ in Tolstoy’s War and Peace“.
And yet – they carry it off superbly. Suspend your disbelief for 50 minutes, and you’ll discover an incredibly accomplished debut album. The brooding seven-minute spoken-word opener “…of Lights” (yes, they’re the kind of band who start song titles with an ellipsis) is a panoramic, apolcalyptic vision of London on “the eve of the revolution”. “Wintercomessummer” sounds like The Fall colliding with early REM. Brett Anderson would kill to write a song like “Filthy Names”. The Tindersticks are another point of reference, with the string arrangements and Anthony Reynolds’ rich baritone. There’s some gorgeous guitar work, smart lyrical turns and widescreen production from Scott Walker producer Peter Walsh.
The follow-up, The Jazz Age, is equally impressive (my first paragraph above probably applies more to that album). But if a semi-malevolent genie made me choose, I think I’d have to plump for this one. I know bethnoir and tracyk are fans, and former RR-er CraneSpire used to nominate them a lot. The rest of you… it’s boxed, or listen below (and if anyone has the 10th anniversary edition with the bonus CD, let me know…)
The 'Spill 
Ooh, ta barbryn. Too tired tonight, but will certainly be homing in on this tomorrow. You’re right about tracyk; she once did me a Jack compilation, but unfortunately neither my PC nor any players chez DsD would recognise or play the disc.
Goodnight.
New to me but enjoying it so far. Is it just me though, but does track 4 sound a bit like ‘Secret Agent Man’?
Didn’t know the song, but having just listened to it, I’d have to say, er, yes. Although it’s a fairly standard minor chord sequence. And it’s surprisingly easy to steal inadvertently, apparently (see below).
Great song btw. I chose the Johnny Rivers version on YouTube, rather than David Hasselhoff. Assume that was the right choice.
My preferred version is Devo’s, but there’s also a really good punky Spanish version (‘Hombre Secreto’). Can’t remember the name of the band off the top of my head, but it’s on the ‘Repo Man’ soundtrack.
barbryn, I bow to your excellent taste and deeply admire your first paragraph. I love this album and pretty much everything Anthony Reynolds has been involved in since. I have the 10th anniversary bonus CD, you want it? Let me know.
I prefer the Jazz Age myself, but that’s because I inexplicably missed Pioneer Sounds when it first came out, so the Jazz Age was the first one I fell in love with after hearing Nico’s Children on an Uncut Magazine CD.
I fully recommend Anthony Reynolds first album released under his name, British Ballads, absolutely beautiful work, poetic, Romantic, pretentious and warming to the senses as ever.
Hope some new fans result from this AOTW 🙂
Love The Jazz Age too – “Lolita Elle” and “Cinematic” are probably my favourite Jack songs, but there’s something about the overall feel of this album – or just the fact that it’s the first I heard, aged 18 and impressionable. I haven’t listened to any of Anthony Reynolds solo stuff. Didn’t he also write some of Dot Allinson’s first album?
Would love to hear the bonus CD…
happy to oblige, dropbox?
Please!
go lookee, I think I managed to box it.
I think that the Jacques albums (with Momus) are less successful that the Jack ones, I’m not so keen on the third Jack album, but it is still perfectly alright. Dot Allinson sings on the opening track of British Ballads, Vashti Bunyan also features on the album, another reason to buy it.
It’s more grown up and world weary than Jack, but aren’t we all these days?
p.s I remember CraneSpire, I wonder where he went?
Beth,
I met CraneSpire at one of the Socials in London, and seem to remember he lived only 15 miles or so away from me over by the Lancs/WYorks border. (I could be wrong; I had drunk rather a lot of Stella that night!!)
Have no contact details for him though, I don’t think, so no idea why he lost interest.
Ooh! Not true Beth: I do have an email address for CraneSpire, but not for you apparently, so couldn’t copy you in on the polite prod I’ve just sent him.
If he replies, I’ll let you know.
Please do keep me informed, I’d be pleased to see him on RR again.
I can see why people go away from RR, if you do it hoping to get nominations in the list, you have to be very patient and difficult to irritate, we’ve all been there haven’t we?
The camaraderie is worth the annoyance usually though 🙂
If you’re going to steal my writing, please do not insert spelling mistakes. Thankyou.
Hello. I’m not aware of having plagiarised anyone, although re-reading the above I realise there’s a typo in “apocalyptic” – it was after midnight.
But I’ve just googled “C.Roberts” + “Pioneer Soundtracks” and found this. Is this what you’re talking about? I commend it to anyone who wants an excellent appreciation of the album:
http://www.betweenplanets.co.uk/2007/02/19/jack-re-issue-pioneer-soundtracks/
What a very gracious response, barbryn! I have read Mr (?) Roberts’ review and can confirm that it seems to me a wholly different piece of writing to yours. Not quite sure why he’s got his knickers in such a twist.
PS But both of you write beautifully (apolcalypses notwithstanding!). Just listening now. Me likee…
Loving this Barbryn, and am now wondering how Jack slipped under my radar.
As for C.Roberts claim – I also read his article, the only similar phrase I could see was “pioneer soundtracks”…
Or he could be talking about the sleevenotes for the album, which google tells me he wrote. Chris Roberts must be a pal of the band – in which case, why are you bothered about your friend’s record being brought to a new, appreciative audience?
Chris Roberts was and is a champion of the band, he wrote about them at length in Uncut and elsewhere, possibly using similar language, as the band kind of go with certain words and concepts.
He’s a fabulous writer, I used to turn to his reviews in Melody Maker as soon as I had it in my hands and was inspired and excited by them.
I’m guessing something in what Barbryn wrote must have been like one of his previous Jack articles, I’m sure it wasn’t intentional though and I’m sorry it’s provoked bad feeling.
Here’s a link anyway
http://www.rocksbackpages.com/writer.html?WriterID=roberts
Ah, I see. My copy doesn’t have sleevenotes.
I’m guessing the offending word, since he mentioned spelling mistakes, is “apo[l]calyptic”, but that seems like a fairly obvious choice of adjective for a song that contains the line “what if the world wasn’t ending?”
Anyway, really glad you’re enjoying it.
I listened, and enjoyed, but I feel like I need to listen again when I have less distractions. (Will that time ever happen?) Might I say, to plagiarize mr. BIsh…I cannot believe how gracious you were in your response to C. Roberts! I’m in awe.
I’ve always admired your writing, as it happens, all else aside.
Thanks for drawing my attention to something entirely new to me.
Good to hear this again. Cheers, Barbryn.
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