Dead Pop Stars - Altered Images

[ODH]

Now. If you're familiar with Altered Images, you're probably thinking "Clare Grogan vocal? Really?".  I know.  Fair play.  If you drew the circa 1980 Grogan with the 2014 me on a Venn diagramme, there wouldn't be a lot of overlap.  The touch-points are few and far between*.  And to some extent it was only after I'd done the backer and came to the vocal that I fully realised this.

In some ways, though, this kind of constraint will lead to creativity and I had to find a way to get it done.  

So here it is anyway.  My take on Dead Pop Stars.  Recorded and broadcast October 1980, 34 years ago.  I was lucky enough to be recording songs off the Peel show the night the session was first broadcast, and I've loved it / them ever since.

It's right in the middle of that 78-82 Post-Punk era and I've played that up as best I could.  That's where my musical identity comes from really that time.  I was 13-17 years old.

*As a 15 year old at the time, Clare Grogan's touch-points of particular interest

Dead Pop Stars

Altered Images

[Oldrottenhead]

Absolutely love this. This brings back many happy memories for me. I went to see Pere ubu and Claire was standing a few feet in front of me. I spent the entire gig lusting after her my eyes glued to her beautiful derriere. I also informally knew their guitarist from that era a guy with the moniker Caesar
 he went onto form the band the wake signed to factory records. Around this time Glasgow was awash with great bands and you could go out and see bands any night of the week. Heady days indeed. Thankyou for this one.

[Hook]

Don't know the original but I dig this tune. It's dripping with that late 70s rawness but the tone of the Drums is quite modern and I love the way it works. Your vocal is excellent, well done brother.
Rock on!

[Groundy]

Brilliant, just brilliant.........Take a Bow............Alex

[Hilary]

I don't remember the original but this sounds quite creepy. Really well put together, as always. I've never understood the whole, it was sung by a male/female so the cover needs to be sung by someone of the same gender thing.

[ODH]

Thanks for your comments all, never quite sure how a song will go down

I went to see Pere ubu and Claire was standing a few feet in front of me. I spent the entire gig lusting after her my eyes glued to her beautiful derriere

I have a similar story with Bjork.  I went to a gig where there was this tiny little girl in front of me dressed in a skin tight black cat outfit with tail and ears and everything.  When the next band came on - KUKL (support to A Flux of Pink Indians on the Crass label) - she got up on the stage and started singing.  I had no idea who Bjork was at the time (this is 1984) it was only later she became famous.  It was only because I'd bought the KUKL album I knew.

I've never understood the whole, it was sung by a male/female so the cover needs to be sung by someone of the same gender thing.

I agree with you Hilary, I was referring more to the idiosyncracy of Clare's performance than her gender.  I was seriously considering Becky Bondage / X-Ray Spex "Oh Bondage, Up Yours!" for this fest.

[Pete C]

Nice one Nick - its a few years since I heard the original but this certainly captures the feeling of the time.  I could imagine lying in bed as a teenager listening to this on the Peel show with my headphones on so as not to wake my mum and dad ! Well done...

While we're on celebrity stories (and this artist is very relevant to the Peel Sessions), I was coming back from a meeting in London about 14/15 years ago and got on the tube back to the train station.  I thought I know that face sat opposite then realised it was Feargal Sharkey (of the Undertones).  Travelling back on the train there was a trolley service so as I knew Mrs C was going to pick me up at Wigan station, I decided to indulge myself in several cans of Stella Artois to ease the journey.  Back in Wigan, I jumped in the car and blurted out "you'll never guess who I saw on the tube - Sheargal Farkey !!"  The response was "You're drunk !"

PS Wasn't it Polly Styrene in X-Ray Spex?

[ODH]

Shit yes, of course it was!  Becky Bondage was Vice Squad (who I also talked to at one of her gigs once).  

[bruno]

Been catching up on all the stuff I've missed - this is awesome, and you've been pretty busy with this Peel fest. I really enjoyed this - you music captures the spirit of the original music, with your own spin, which is really cool. Well done Nick.
B