March 15th
The Woodentops-Love Affair With Everyday
Living-Giant
Some
albums are lost classics. Not lost as never released, like The Beach Boys
“Smile” or Princes “The Black album” (though as record companies become
increasingly desperate, the amount of those unreleased albums become smaller
and smaller), but lost, as in undiscovered or merely forgotten. It may be that
they were just badly promoted when they were issued, or not part of any current
vogue at the time. They may have been overshadowed by something that was more
critically acclaimed at the time, or seen as irrelevant. At times it can be
that they were over-hyped when they were issued and quickly, yet unjustly, fell
out of favour. Sometimes it’s because
the band is breaking up or that they’ve fallen out with the record company. It
can just be bad luck. I’ve got quite a few of these classics, and some of them
I forget about until I stumble across them and realise how good they actually
are. The Woodentops’ “Giant” is one of these very albums.
I wouldn’t really know what it should be
categorised as-pop, indie, post-punk? It was issued in 1986, so I suppose at
that time that indie music was hitting a peak, and it was just before it all
imploded into Brit-pop. The album did quite well-it hit the lower reaches of
the main charts and did well in the indie charts. There’s a mix of brass and
acoustic instruments and a dead clear production by Bob Sergeant (a bit
80’s-ish, but crystal). He also produced The Beat’s first album, which to me,
is also another missed classic. The songs on “Giant” though, are all fast
played, heavily strummed, breathless and frenetic pop songs. It’s as if they
just had to get the songs out as quickly as possible. Listening to it again, I
am surprised about how intensely romantic it all is. Lyrically it’s an extended love letter-full
of the hope and naivety of youth. It takes me back to a time when I was clearly
much less cynical than now.
Live
they were something else as well. I went to see them play shortly after the
release of “Giant” with my mate, Andy, at some smallish club in Manchester. (Probably
I think that’s the only time I’ve seen anyone play in Manchester. Don’t really
know why, it’s only 35 miles away). When we arrived the club was packed to the
rafters and it was as hot as hell. Like a tribute to the cliché of the Cavern
in the 60’s, the wall were dripping. This was only as the support act finished.
When the Woodentops came on stage the place went berserk. There was no room to
move, everybody was jumping up and down-it was like being at the match in the
old days. The Woodentops started with a fast song and got faster and faster and
louder and louder. After an hour or so of this and by the end of the gig, we
were knackered and decamped to a nearby pub for a much needed pint and to cool
down. Being in an area of Manchester neither of us knew, we made the mistake of
walking into somewhere that was entirely frequented by angry looking skinheads.
A big Union Jack over the bar should have given the game away. It was like
stepping into something in the Wild West. If there had been a piano playing it
would have stopped. We beat a hasty retreat. Giants we were not.
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