Day 390

Love, Burns: let’s start with my friend Phil and his solo project Love, Burns. He has released two new songs, “Wired Eyes” (alternate mix” and “Hard to Fall” as a new digital single especially for Bandcamp Friday. The idea of this new single is that all profits are going to the Sandy Hook Promise. That’s really nice. On top of it all the songs are really good. It is no surprise that Phil can make some beautiful jangle.

Shiny Times: of course, I’ve recommended Shiny Times many times. But then there was no physical release. Well, now there is. A CD on the fine Thessaloniki label Melotron Recordings! The mini-album “Let’s Get Shiny” is being released on May 16 and includes 6 songs. Right now we can preview the fifth song, “Scroll Away the Night”, which is really ace. On top of that it has artwork by our friend Casio Van Doesburg. Superb pop!

Tambourina: now to Kalamazoo, Michigan. This project is new to me. Also it mentions the band members have been in bands like Glowfriends, Overly Polite Tornadoes and Vida Eterna. I don’t know these projects either. I must say I don’t know much of any scene in Michigan. My fault. But it is great to discover this band who is releasing their album “Tambourine Dream” on both vinyl and CD on April 22. Now we can preview two of the songs, the opening track “Acknowledge You” and the closing track “Dedicated”. Good stuff.

Impossible Tymes: back to Greece. Remember I interviewed Impossible Tymes? Well now is a great time to refresh our memories because the great label Make Me Happy has 7 songs by the band on their Bandcamp. I don’t know if they will be released in physical format. I hope so. It would be amazing. For now we can enjoy all the tracks online.

The Hannah Barberas: and we close this review with the wonderful new 7″ by The Hannah Barberas! Wow! And it sounds ace. It is titled “Party from Hell” and has 3 songs, the title song, “Love’s Coming Back in Fashion” (nice nod to Biff Bang Pow!) and “Puppet Show”. The record is out now on Spinout Nuggets and Doo Lang Records. And it sounds really good. I think this might be my favourite release of theirs so far!

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It has taken me a while to sit down and be able to write this post. Sheggi from The Fat Tulips passed away last November. Sheggi’s only other band as far as I know was The Melons. Then she moved to the U.S., and here she wasn’t involved with music I think. I’ve been meaning to write a piece about her music, a bit of a tribute, a bit of something important I wanted to say, both of her bands were favourites of mine, and I wasn’t sure how to approach this.

In the end I thought I know more about The Fat Tulips. They were a band that have accompanied me for so many years. I know a lot of people say they are a singles band but I love the album as well. I’ve played it so many times. I wonder how it hasn’t been reissued yet. Actually how come their back catalogue still hasn’t got a reissue. That’s a big question.

The Melons were a band I discovered later. They didn’t release that many records. I knew they were a duo. I knew Sheggi was half of The Melons. But to be honest, aside from owning all the 7″s they released, I know very little.

I’ve DJed many times “From Hell to Helsinki”, what a song. I always wondered, after moving to NYC, if I was going to ever stumble with her. Maybe at one of the Popfests. It never happened. I never met her. Never exchanged emails as I have with other favourite bands of mine. I did meet once a Fat Tulip in London. I wanted to release a band he was in those days called The Cutouts. That never happened. But that was the closest I was to Sheggi. Very far away indeed!

I don’t know any details about her passing away. Anyways, it doesn’t really matter. I want to celebrate her music, learn more details about her time in The Melons. About the Fat Tulips, well, I really hope I get to interview a band member one day. That’d be cool. About The Melons and interview would be great as well. Who knows.

The Melons started their adventure in 1993 releasing a flexi called “Show Me Wishes Worth More Than These”. It was released on Nottingham’s Heaven Records (HV07). This label of course was ran by The Fat Tulips. It made total sense to support this new project.

Three top songs were included in this single-sided clear flexi, “Fire-Engine Girl”, “Wishes” and “A Hard Day’s Rut”. The release also included the Heaven Sent fanzine volume 8. A terrific fanzine that included for example a story about a football match between Sarah Records band members and Heaven Records band members. So much fun!

The fine US label Sunday Records picked them up for the band’s second release, the “Strictly Melonhead EP” 7″ (Sunday 034) in 1994. Now we discover four terrific songs, “Me and Finn” and “Strictly Melonhead” on the A side and “Throw Your Arms Around Me” and “Doormat” on the B side. All songs were recorded at The Track Station, the same studio in Burton-On-Trent where the Fat Tulips recorded their “Starfish” album.

The photography on the sleeve was credited to Alison Wonderland while Shelly Melon is credited for guitar, bass, organ and backing vocals and Helen Melon for vocals and keyboards. Shelly Melon was the name Sheggi Clarkson used in The Melons.

Then the band started working with Damaged Goods. With them they released the “From Heell to Helsinki” 7″ in 1995 (DAMGOOD 79). This song is a true favourite of mine. Makes me happy all the time. This song appeared on the A side while on the B side you find “See If I Don’t” and “That Sunshine”. This time around the band recorded in Nottingham and again Alison Wonderland is credited for the photos. The drawing on the sleeve was done by Colin while the overall design by Katy. Now Vanessa Turner was on vocals and keyboards. I guess that’s Helen Melon from the first record. Sheggi appears as Katy now. Then Nigel is credited for additional bass and Colin for additional guitar. According to Discogs these were Nigel Turner and Colin Altuccini.

Damaged Goods released in 1996 the “Fast Lane” 7″ (DAMGOOD 91). This one had the title song on the A side and “Little Death Wishes” and “Losing it (Toot Sweet Mix)” on the B side. All songs were recorded at Square Centre Studios in Nottingham in January of that year. Now the photography is credited to Andrew Turner, we see Vanessa, Sheggi/Katy, Colin and Nigel being credited. But also a Rob. According to Discogs this is Rob Scott.

The last release was a new 7″ in 1997. Now on a different label, Pickled Egg Records (EGG 1). This record is actually the one I am missing! I thought I had all! I will have to track it down. It had “Black and Blue” on the A side and “Eskimo” on the B side.

I am thinking now a retrospective album would be amazing. I would do it. But I am not sure who to contact. Damaged Goods would be helpful? Seems like a biggish indie label, maybe they wouldn’t give the songs just like that. Or maybe they do. Or maybe they can do this release, in their website they mention they might do a compilation someday. It doesn’t matter who does it. It would be fantastic. Also keep in mind that the band must have had more songs.

I think they did have more songs because for example in 1994 there was the song “Me and Finn” on the tape compilation “Restaurants, Bars and Pop Stars” released by Sticky Records (Sticky 14). Then a song called “Big Freeze” appeared on “Suction Prints” an LP compilation released by Sorted Records (SRLP4) in 1998.

In 2002 Elefant included the song “Eskimo” on their classic “Casablanca” (ER-1056) compilation. Much later, in 2018, Sunday Records included “Strictly Melonhead” on the “Songs About Our Past Vol 3” (SUNDAY 970) CDR comp.

According to Damaged Goods it was actually Dan Treacy of the TVPs who recommended the label to check them out and to sign them. Here it also mentions that the band did a session with Mark Radcliffe. I’ve found that this session happened on May 18, 1995. The band played three songs, “Hell to Helsinki”, “Losing It” and “Throw Your Arms Around Me”. Oh! I would love to hear this session!

But that’s not all. The band actually recorded a second session for Mark. It was on March 15 (my birthday) of 1996. This time around they played “Fast Lane”, “The Big Freeze” and “Wishes”.

Last.fm has a bit more details about the band. Here it tells that Katy Shelagh Gaffin, or Sheggi Clarkson, moved to NYC to get married with Josh Gaffin. I believe she got a job at the Rockefeller Center. I worked there for a bit too, but never saw her! It also mentions that Vanessa Turner is married to Tim Vass from The Razorcuts and proud mum of two. Cool. Another interesting detail is that the band consisted of the two and a drum machine though at some point Paul from the Fat Tulips filled in when Sheggi destroyed the drum machine with a Scottish battle-axe after a royalty dispute!

And who else but my friend Alex would write about the band on his 7iete Pulgadas blog. He did back in 2007! The one detail I find interesting here is that Alex says that Sheggi was in a band in NYC called The Tub Sharks! I never heard of them! Would really like to hear if there were any recordings.

He also mentions that Sheggi offered making a CD with all The Melons songs… I wonder if she ever sent that to him. I should check with him!

And that’s all I could find about The Melons! It makes me happy to remember. I have been playing their songs for hours today. The legacy of the band is lovely, all of their songs are great. I don’t know if this post serves as a little tribute to Sheggi, I hope it does. I am a fan who never saw neither the Fat Tulips or The Melons live. I hope there’s a new  interest in the bands, that reissues happen, more people writing about the bands, it is what is deserved!

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Listen
The Melons – From Hell to Helsinki