I don't think this got sent out, so I'm trying again. Apologies if it was only me who didn't get a copy sent to me... Chris Butler wrote:
Anyone care for "Grapes of Wrath" from Canada in the mid 80's? A little more folksy than the Housemartins, but similarities exist. Maybe it's a little bit of the harmonizations, not the song speeds. I'd recommend "Treehouse", I guess. Quite poppy in a small town kinda way... somehow I associate them with Prefab Sprout in my mind, even if they don't sound alike. Must be the time period.
Egads! Definitely not one of the bands from my past I'd ever expected to pop up here, of all places. Don't know if I'd equate the Grapes with the Housemartins, as Kevin Kane & co. were some of the most humourless, earnest folks to come out of Canada in years, IMO. None of the Housemartins' trademark wit. Musically, maybe there are some comparisons to be drawn, though the GOW were distinctly Beatle/Rubber Soul-ish. Had a fair bit of success in Canada before breaking up in 92 or 93. Kevin Kane went on to solo projects, and since he had the legal rights to the band name, the rest of the band became Ginger (terrible name...). The Grapes have now reformed, BTW, and are performing under the original name. Played a couple shows in Toronto this past weekend - don't know how they went over... BTW - the Grapes Of Wrath were my first concert ever. Inicidentally, that night was the first time I'd gotten stomped on by a girl (figuratively speaking...). Hmm - wonder if that's why I'm not so fond of the Grapes? Ah, memories of my youth...
Two other Canadian bands I found interesting from similar times: 1. Martha and the Muffins (M&M) - very indie, wonderful! (1982-1987) Daniel Lanois producing effort. "Danseparc" 1982, v.innovative. 2. Propaganda - "Secret Wish". A bit of 80's electronic with fairly catchy melodies. (1982?)
The most amazing of the bunch is Martha and the Muffins. They did quite a few albums and were long before their time in indieland. Funny how timing is important is making it in music. "Danseparc" has some similarities in rhythm to "Rock Lobster" of B52s fame, but obviously the band didn't fare as well.
Martha & The Muffins? I must admit, all I really knew of them was that Echo Beach song, which annoyed the piss out of me when I was little. Of course, back then if you weren't Honeymoon Suite or Platinum Blonde, you were automatically shite... I was young and impressionable, and their hair was oh-so big. How could I resist? -- Frank Yang "It's 'cause they're stupid, that's why. That's why everybody does everything." In my CD player: Spiritualized - Live At The Royal Albert Hall +----------------------------------------------------------------------+ +---+ Brought to you by the Sinister mailing list +---+ To send to the list please mail "sinister@majordomo.net". To unsubscribe send "unsubscribe sinister" or "unsubscribe sinister-digest" to "majordomo@majordomo.net". For list archives and searching, list rules, FAQ, poor jokes etc, see http://www.majordomo.net/sinister +---+ "legion of bedroom saddo devotees" +---+ +-+ "the cardie wearing biscuit nibbling belle & sebastian list" +-+ +----------------------------------------------------------------------+