One Hundred Years From Now

This week’s pictures all come from a visit to Hack Green ‘secret’ nuclear bunker, a Cold War concrete box and bunker in Cheshire from where regional government would take place in the event of a nuclear war. The Cold War officially ended in 1989 following an agreement and announcement from Bush and Gorbachev. The USSR broke up in 1991, the USA won and everyone was happy. The bunker was already outdated at this point I suspect. The machinery and computer systems, dormitories, radio broadcast equipment and all the rest of the gear designed to administer the north west of England in a post- apocalyptic world look pre-1980s. The idea that much could happen from here to successfully help Britain survive an attack by the Soviet Union seems ridiculous (in the same way that the rockets and modules that took three men to the moon fifty years ago look like tin cans held together by the type of screws and nuts most of us have in our tool boxes- thankfully the moon equipment worked while the nuclear infrastructure never faced the test it was designed for).

The year before than the moon landings The Byrds switched from psychedelic rock to an older, gentler sound. The arrival of Gram Parsons in 1968 had pushed them in a solely country rock direction. Gram’s appearance was the subject of some legal disputes and his lead vocals on several songs had to be re-recorded by Roger McGuinn and Chris Hillman. It’s also been suggested that McGuinn was uncomfortable with giving over so many lead vocal slots to Parsons and wanted to re-establish the older Byrds as the key voices. Gram was still irate about this wiping of his voice and McGuinn’s re-recordings in 1973 and who knows, if still alive today, he might still be unhappy about it- the Gram vocals have since been re-released on various box sets and extras. There aren’t too many albums that can claim to have kick started an entire genre but Sweetheart Of The Rodeo is one- all country rock, alt- country and Americana can be traced back to the eleven songs contained within its grooves.

One Hundred Years From Now

 

You Were Putting Me On

I found this clip recently and it made me smile, Teenage Fanclub back in 1995 or ’96 playing live on The White Room, covering The Byrds 1965 B-side (B-side!) I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better, if push comes to shove my favourite Byrds song.

There’s nothing wrong with this clip at all- Teenage Fanclub in 1995, a band in love with music and the sheer joy of playing, Norman and Gerry sharing the vocals, a group who could out jangle anyone, totally Byrdsy. There’s some frantic tambourine rattling too from roadie Guitar George.

I’l Feel A Whole Lot Better opens with that wonderful chiming Rickenbacker riff by Jim McGuinn and then lifts off, with all the harmonies, the uncertainty of the lyric- ‘Ill probablyfeel a whole lot better when you’re gone’-  and that rocket fuel rhythm section, a perfect slice mid 60s folk rock, all over and done with in two minutes and thirty two seconds. I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better was written and sung by Gene Clark and released as the flipside to Mr Tambourine Man, their first self- written song that sold in its millions.

I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better

In 1989 Dinosaur Jr covered the song, released on a Byrds tribute album called Time Between, an album that also had covers by the likes of the Mock Turtles, Thin White Rope, Miracle Legion, Robyn Hitchcock and The Chills. J Mascis, Lou and Murph go at it fast, ragged and in one take. Gene Clark said this is his favourite cover of the song and I can’t disagree with that. I don’t have a copy of this anymore- I owned the album once but have no idea where it is now. If anyone has an mp3 of this version I’d be more than happy to take a copy off your hands.

 

Daytime Just Makes Me Feel Lonely

I had an urge to hear the music of The Byrds this week, the mid 60s, jingle-jangle, folk-psyche Byrds. It was the result of listening to Michael Head’s Adios Senor Amigo in the car going to and from work this week. There’s a Byrdsian influence on Adios Senor Pussycat, in the playing, the chords and the harmonies.

A long time ago I posted Feel A Whole Lot Better, my favourite Byrds song, with its chiming Rickenbacker guitar riff. But I also found a lot to re-love in this one, a minor key Gene Clark masterpiece, written when The Byrds were still The Jet Set. It’s shot through with melancholy and loneliness as he describes being in the big city Los Angeles, without her. The opening guitar riff seems to hint at what would happen in 1966 with Eight Miles High.

Here Without You

Eight Miles Again

Husker Du’s version of Eight Miles High is just indescribably good, a 7″ single worth its weight in gold. Blistering, white hot, ferocious, 60s rock meeting 80s punk, with Bob Mould lacerating his vocal chords and fingertips.

Eight Miles High

There are several live clips on Youtube. This one is Husker Du live in Camden in 1985. Astonishing, sheets of metal feedback from Bob and manic drum thumping from Grant Hart.

Live in 1987 at a Dutch festival from someone’s collection of home recorded VHS tapes, slightly less manic…

And Then We Touch Down

The Byrds and Eight Miles High- when folk rock became acid rock. It’s the trippy guitars that get all the attention but the bass playing is way out there and the vocal harmonies are superb. I have loved this since I first heard it sometime in the mid 1980s. It was only twenty years old then but felt ancient.

Eight Miles High

>Probably

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A slight change of tack now- from 80s electronic dubiness to 60s folk-rock. I’m not sure this song is folk-rock, more template making guitar pop. The Byrds’ I’ll Feel A Whole Lot Better was a B-side from 1965 and an album track. Written and sung by Gene Clark (far left in photo), the chiming 12 string Rickenbacker guitar, pounding tambourine and three part vocals add up to perfection, and my shoddy writing in no way does it justice. One of your favourite guitar bands is in here somewhere I’ll wager. The lyric adds it’s own little sardonic twist, Gene Clark weighing up the departure of a girl who’s done him wrong and deciding he’ll feel a whole lot better when she’s gone. Well, probably. While I’m here, check out the hair. Best 60s fringes? Probably.

I\’ll Feel a Whole Lot Better.wma#2#2

Signs In The Street That Say Where You’re Going

The punk cover (as opposed to it’s second cousin the ironic cover) is one of the pleasures of post ’77 punk rock. Husker Du’s cover of The Byrds psychedelic masterpiece Eight Miles High may well be the high point of both all punk covers and Husker Du’s back catalogue. It’s absolutely blistering and well worth a few minutes of your weekend.

01 Eight Miles High.wma