Day 481
Croma Nueve: just discovered the label Sursum Tapes from Granada, Spain. Their latest release, the self-titled Croma Nueve tape is already sold out. But here I am checking it out. It was released last May and included 5 songs. You can check their lo-fi bedroom pop on Bandcamp.
A Days Wait: another nice discovery is this project from Hamilton, Canada. Just a week ago Adam Alfano, the person behind this band, published a punchy pop track called “Lost Anyway”. Previously he had released “Ties that Bind (B-Side)” and “Falling Forward iPhone Demo” on Soundcloud.
Fantasy Postcards: wow! a new song by my friends Johan and Mattias Jonsson from Uppsala, Sweden. This one is called “(Where there was) No Goodbye” and as usual is a superb slice of jangly pop!! Thumbs up! I heard a rumour somewhere that they are releasing something in the near future? I hope it is true!
Evergreen Days: remember I told you that My Secret Garden Recordings are releasing a compilation by the amazing Evergreen Days on November 25? Well, to promote this wonderful release a video has been made for the song “Until Then”. This is one release that is essential this year.
Frown Line: and we end this Monday recommendations with another Canadian band, Frown Line from Ottawa. I’ve been meaning to visit the capital for many years, but I haven’t yet. Would be nice. The one song on Bandcamp have reminded me of those plans. This song is called “September” and was recorded by a girl whose name we don’t know but that she is 19 and played everything on it. Nice!
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Back in 2014 the venerable Jigsaw Records that our friend Chris Mac runs released “Thank You for Nothing!” (PZL064) a retrospective compilation of the band formed by Andy Huscroft on bass, Malcolm (Mala) Reay on vocals and guitar and Steve Minto on drums, in the early 90s.
This compilation is available to listen in its entirety on Bandcamp. It includes a whopping 28 songs! These came from their three singles, one split flexi and many compilations, which we’ll look later on, and some from their never released album. The songs for you completists were “Make it Better”, “Why Does the Sun Fall from the Sky?”, “4 Walls”, “Salt in the Wound”, “Sacred Ground”, “Another Day”, “Wish You Luck”, “St. George’s Way”, “Worldly Wise”, “Come in from the Cold”, “Do You Really Know What’s Going On?”, “Money Talks”, “Make a Big Decision”, “Goodbye to Stephen”, “A World of your Own”, “Pull the Boat in”, “Close to Home”, “Think it Over… And Start Again”, “Happy Again”, “The Devil’s In your Shoes”, “This is Your Life”, “A Suit of Wood”, “Watch the Rain”, “You Live by the Sword… You Die by the Sword”, “Sad”, “Chocolate Rain”, “You Need a Heart of Stone” and “Ever Get the Feeling You’ve Been Cheated?”. If you remember, once upon a time I named a Cloudberry 3″ compilation like the last song.
That last song, “Ever Get the Feeling You’ve Been Cheated?” appeared on the split flexi I mentioned. This flexi, shared with The Lavender Faction, came alongside the This Almighty Pop fanzine, number 3. Catalog number for it was DR002, the label was Dolphin 7. The artwork features The Beatles.
On this flexi we learn too that the band hailed from Gateshead.
Gateshead is a large town in Tyne and Wear, England, on the southern bank of the River Tyne opposite Newcastle upon Tyne. Gateshead and Newcastle are joined by seven bridges across the Tyne, including the Gateshead Millennium Bridge. The town is known for its architecture, including the Sage Gateshead, the Angel of the North and the Baltic Centre for Contemporary Art. Residents of Gateshead, like the rest of Tyneside, are usually referred to as Geordies.
In 1991 the band released their first proper 7″, the “Make it Better” single (TURN 05). It came out on the German label A Turntable Friend and had three songs. “Make it Better” appears on the A side and “Pull the Boat In” and “Sad” on the B side. The songs had been recorded in June of that year and on the sleeve there seems to be a woman I should know perhaps, but I can’t tell who it is, looks like a movie actress. Who is she?
In 1992 the band releases a tape on Elefant Records called “Happy Hymns” (ER-014). This tape had 15 tracks, can it be considered an album? Maybe not, most probably a collection of demos: “All Fall Down”, “Money Talks”, “The Devils in Your Shoes”, “Chocolate Rain”, “Think it Over, Start Again”, “Good Luck” and “Happy Again” on the A side and “Come in from the Cold”, “Watch the Rain”, “This Could be Heaven”, “Sacred Ground”, “Goodbye Stephen” and “Do You Really Know What’s Going On?”. Impressive as many of these songs don’t appear on the Jigsaw compilation.
1993 sees the band release “St George’s Way” 7″ (TURN 13) again on A Turntable Friend. Two songs on this one, “St George’s Way” and “Why Does the Sun Fall from the Sky?” on the flipside. Again some interesting photos for the artwork, perhaps known images from TV or movies but I can’t pinpoint them. Not much more info other than who wrote the songs, Graham for “St Georges Way” and Huscroft and Reay for the B side. Now, who is Graham? Was he a new member?
Elefant would work again with the band and release “The Route of Evil – 4 Songs” 7″ (ER-128) in 1994. This EP had “Salt in the Wound” and “Another Day” on the A side and “Make a Big Decision” and “Worldly Wise” on the B side. Weirdly in Elefant’s website it says that the band hailed from Australia.
When it comes to compilations the band shines. They were very active during the 90s! I’ll try to do it quickly and chronologically.
On the 1990 legendary tape “Positively Teenage” released by Stephen Maughan’s Dolphin 7 label we find their songs “All Fall Down” and “Devil in Your Shoe”. In 1991 the song “Watch the Rain” is on the Red Roses for Me tape compilation “Honey at the Core”. That same year on the Spanish tapee “Film Fun ‘There’s No Stopping Her!'” released by El Vicio Secreto de Sister Mary to accompany the first number of thee eponymous band contributed “Come in from the Cold” and “Sacred Ground”. Lastly that same year the song “Sleep like a Dream” ended up in the tape “123456 Road Runner” by Glidge Records (Glidge001).
1992 was quite prolific as well. On the French Anorak Records tape “Teeny Poppers” (SHOUBIDOUWA 01) they included the songs “Worldly Wise” and “Everything Today”. On another French tape, “Garden Party” released by Aliénor Records (Alien alpha) they had the song “Happy Again”. Elefant included the song “Sad (Demo Version)” on “Positively Dolphin Friendly” (ER-007) tape. Lastly on the classic “C92” released by Rainbow the band had yet another two songs “Come in from the Cold” and “Why Does the Sun Fall from the Sky?”.
In 1993 the songs “Make a Big Decision” and “World of Your Own” ended up on Grapefruit’s “Lime Green” (Grapefruit Four) tape comp. Bliss Aquamarine would also have them on “Peacock Blue” (BLISS 002) compilation with the songs “Chocolate Rain” and “Watch the Rain”.
More recently the band had “Why Does the Sun Fall…” on the “Jigsaw Records 2015 Sampler” a CDR sampler by Jigsaw Records and in 2017 they appeared on “The Test of Time” (TURN50) a CD and vinyl compilation by A Turntable Friend that announced the comeback of the mighty label.
When it comes to other bands they have been involved with, well we know Malcolm Reay had worked with our friend Stephen in Kosmonaut. Very cool indeed. I don’t know much about the other two members. Did they play in any other indiepop bands? I believe Andy Huscroft was on The Hipflasks who I wrote about (but still haven’t been in touch with!)
I look for more info. I find a blog called “…Your Heart Out“. Here the author writes a nice post about Malcolm Reay. This piece dates from November 2010 and teells us that The Gravy Train had great t-shirts. Would love to see one. He mentions too that the Malcolm loved the band Hurrah!
The other blog that wrote about the band is the great 7pulgadas by my friend Alex from Spain. Not much info about the band but always lovely to read the passionate texts of this blog.
Not much info, but hopefully we’ll find out more details about the band soon! I hope the connections between bands that I am friendly with may help with contacting The Gravy Train members!
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