TRASH CAN SINATRAS
On A B Road
(Bobame)
For the past 13 years it's been a strange existence for The Trash Can Sinatras. They came into the game during England's weakest pop hype in history, The Manchester/Baggy scene. Painfully obvious this many years on, they were light years better than the Stone Roses and were just as artfully nascent as Blur but with more to offer. Singles like "Obscurity Knocks," "Circling The Circumference," "Only Tongue Can Tell," "Hayfever" and "Bloodrush" are the proof that their '90-'93 phase was as impressive as The Smiths' early beginnings. Their albums (Cake and I've Seen Everything) hold up as pop beacons. Their US label dropped them shortly thereafter and by their ripe and ready return in 1996 with A Happy Pocket, it all fell off fast, despite a valiant effort.
Between 1997-2000 they were true wanderers scraping away and trying to get a handle on a new existencewith the advent of the internet and a website. Things like Japan mattered and they didn't forget about the good ol' USA where their rabid fanbase remained rabid. A "botched" fourth album came and went in 2001 despite four memorable live gigs in and around NYC. Fans waited. With their profile slowly growing and amore adept website giving more more more to the fans, things never seemed to dragged. With statesidehelp from Joe DiMaria who runs Bobame and the band's email newsletter, everyone's been updated on the progress and where the band stands with the elusive fourth album, Weightlifting. It's coming out in early 2004.
Since the wait between 1996's A Happy Pocket and today seems very excessive, the band's vaults have beenraided and there's a string of releases by Bobame including a 2-disc live collection and another 2-disc deal consisting of demos and rarities. Even though I want to hear the demos, I opted for the "B Sides And Cover Songs" comp. I think I made the right decision. Plus I wanted all the B Sides in one place and you can't beat the packaging which contains liner notes from the band.
What you get is 20 plus non-LP studio tracks that run chronological and nothing is missed. It's a must for fans and not a bad place for anyone else to peruse. Like Oasis, the band would sometimes unknowingly leave off some top-drawer material, most notably, "Drunken Chorus," "Useless," "Claw," "No Gasoline" and "Jane's Estranged," all included here with the rest of their proper flipside material. Their cover choices speak volumes of where their pop sensibilities lie and are necessary. Studio jobs on Patience and Prudence's "Tonight You Belong To Me" (via Steve Martin in The Jerk), an obscure '60s German children's TV program theme called "White Horses," Randy Newman's "Snow" (via Harper's Bizarre) and classic movie scores ("You Only Live Twice," "Alfie" and "Born Free") tell a large story. The rough live recordings and radio sessions include cool stuff like versions of The Jam's "Tales From The Riverbank," Scott Walker's "Little Things That Keep Us Together," The Smiths' "I Know It's Over," The Mekons' "Ghosts Of American Astronauts," Mink DeVille's "Spanish Stroll" (live at CBGB), XTC's "Love On A Farmboy's Wages" and "Senses Working Overtime" and a couple of not-so obligatory "Sinatra" tunes, "Something Stupid" and "The Lady Is A Tramp." |
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TRASH CAN SINATRAS
Fez - NY, NY
November 10th, 2003
Punishment for not finishing up with issue #22 of Yeah Yeah Yeah would've been missing the only US performance by The Trash Can Sinatras in 2003. I wouldn't let it happen. I also couldn't find any way to pony up the cash for the printing cost sooner, so delay delay delay. Ahhh, but that's the catch: Take Monday "off" for The Trash Can Sinatras and finish on Tuesday. Wednesday: rob the bank.
Maybe not.
I work a real job on Mondays; the long shift 7am to 9pm. I'd get out early and run straight into Manhattan to see Frank Reader along with John Douglas and Paul Livingston sing and perform what is now the most amazing current pop music being made, despite the band being perceived as "has-beens" by those not in the know. First I had to find a way to get in. The show immediately sold out upon word-of-mouth buzz a week or so prior to its taking place. The band was in town overseeing final mixes and mastering for the long-overdue fourth album, Weightlifting along with the help of Ivy's Andy Chase. Luckily, I had close enough ties with Andy Chase to post an inquiring email. The positive response lit me up like x-mas. I mean, there's hardly anything quite on this level of artistic brilliance. I coulda tried to go see Belle & Sebastian kinda wander about, be flighty, sometimes great and aloof. They were in town Monday and Tuesday as well; an odd Scottish pop circumstance. But no. I knew where the pop gods lie these days. It's the obscure acts who deliver the goods like The Beatles promised not the "hip" acts with too much indie cred and a haphazard attitude. Not that I wouldn't mind seeing Stuart Murdoch and his team, obviously, but this is the higher being.
Shortly after 10pm Frank Reader and company hit the stage of Fez and I was immediately convinced. They opened with "How Can I Apply" and "Easy Read" then launched into some new material. Stunning stuff. Reader's voice is still getting better with age and his live presence is striking, yet human. He looked great with a hip vintage clothing shop suit and Rubber Soul hair length. John and Paul were flanking him with fine musical accompaniment. For this quick one-off acoustic favor, they indulged the fans with more Cake material ("The Best Man's Fall," "Only Tongue Can Tell" and "You Made Me Feel") than last time out and a smattering of everything else, properly interspersing the brilliant new material ("What Women Do To Men," "Got Carried Away" and one I can't name off the top of my head). Cover choices ranged from an obscure Dusty Springfield tune (written by her brother, Tom) and a naturally fitted version of McCartney's "Junk." Other memorable highlights were the always striking "Send For Henny," "The Safecracker" and "Hayfever." To the delight of constant screams for the not-so obscure B-side "Drunken Chorus," came the evening's final song. A sweet high note to exit on and something that keeps anticipation high for their expected return in 2004. Things are still going up from here.
Originally appeared in Yeah Yeah Yeah Magazine.
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