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| Tommy - The Wedding Present - 1986-1988 |
Label: Reception LEEDS2CD (UK)
Format: CD
From: UK
My rating: 7/10
Entered: 12/17/2002
Last updated: 12/17/2002
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Search on GEMM |  | There comes a time when you have to stand up and acknowledge the stuff that has influenced you. This is still true even if it happens that you have little respect for that music today. For me, the band that crystallizes this paradox is the Wedding Present. I grumbled for a few weeks about David Gedge's voice back in 1989, and then fell for the band big style. The stuff I have by them on CD was bought mainly in the mid-nineties out of nostalgia. The peak of my interest in the band probably came during the 1991 'Seamonsters' tour. So why am I listening to them right now and enjoying them so much?
I think that it's fundamentally a personal thing. That out-of-tune manic strumming releases some kind of chemical in my brain, and I get all gooey. It seems to have no relevance to my love of Astrud Gilberto, Lalo Schifrin, or Marcos Valle, certainly...
Anyway, Tommy is a collection of early singles and radio sessions. The most questionable recordings on the disc are probably also the best: 'go out and get 'em boy' and '(the moment before) everything's spoiled again'. These formed the A and B sides of the band's first single, and raw as they are, they are quite superb - emotional and catchy, with lots of nice twists. It's enough to make me want to record the songs again properly!
The standard of the recordings increases chronologically as the disc goes on. 'You should always keep in touch with your friends' is both catchy and tight.
If you don't know the band, the drill is the following: the songs are generally catchy, with dour yet tuneful vocals that recall a failed relationship. 'Never said' is a good example of this style.
The album's finale, 'My favorite dress' is probably its highlight. It's a beautifully crafted example of the formula described above. As a 17-year old, I painstakingly transcribed the guitar parts and bashed out a version with my band (yes, I realize this dates me to a not-very-often-recalled era). The bass sound is thick, and the chords are repetitive. I may not have a whole lot of respect for it any more, but it's good to listen to the Wedding Present every now and again. | The Wedding Present recommendations at Musical Taste
Brassneck
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