A big thanks...

The completist in me is now very happy indeed. 

Met up with my old school friend Chris this week for the first time in many years, and as a wonderful surprise gift he’d found me the remaining Wedding Present singles from 1992 that I needed for my collection. 

They are a delight to behold and a glory to hear on vinyl for the first time. Super chuffed and immensely thankful.  

'California' - The Wedding Present (1992)

"Anything you want to do,

I just know,

That I’ll want to do it too.

But we must go."

The completist in me is not happy. Twenty years ago, The Wedding Present had the ingenious idea to release a single a month. An original song on the A-side and a cover (from the Twin Peaks theme to an Elton John festive classic) on the reverse. Each limited to 10,000 copies on 7-inch vinyl only. It’s a novelty that would most probably have little impact today. But in 1992, it gave the Weddoes 12 Top 30 hits in one year – matching the record set by Elvis. And, as a result, it meant Top of the Pops became immensely enjoyable, as David Gedge would now make regular appearances to mumble and fumble around the stage.  

But the combination of me being on the dole that year and away from my beloved London indie stores meant that I only managed to pick up a couple of these wonderful singles – June’s ’California’ (produced by The Lightning Seeds’ Ian Broudie, fact fans) and December’s ’No Christmas’ (produced by Brian Paulson, er, Slint fans). For the other songs, I had to make do with the CD compilation – boo.

‘California’ was one of those rare Weddoes songs that wasn’t about searing heartache, and a few years later I managed to annoy my friend Charlotte by continually singing it on our way to the Golden State. "Let’s go to California, noooooooooow…"

Me. California. 1998.
In my summer wardrobe of black and more black

Spotify linky:

The Wedding Present – California

‘California’ – American Music Club (1986)

“If I have to be this lonely,
I may as well be alone.”

Walk into any supermarket in any town and you can buy a Westlife CD. Yet try and find this album in any shop in any country and you’ll be out of luck. It’s a depressing thought.

American Music Club were one of the many bands I discovered reading Melody Maker during break-time at school, but the first to introduce me to the delights of what would become 'the new sounds of the old west'. ‘California’ is their third album though the first I heard. It’s regarded as the one where they found their voice. Every song is a gem that sparkles with tales of yearning, devotion and addiction. My favourite musical cocktail.

Lead singer Mark Eitzel is unfortunately one of those artists destined to be recognised only when he’s no longer with us. I’ve only seen him live once and it was actually only last year, at a solo show in a church off Charing Cross Road. Why only once and after all these years? Well, you know when something is so special to you that you actually keep yourself away from it so as not to spoil it? Yes? Well, AMC songs are like that to me. I wasn’t sure I wanted to see them performed live with an audience as all my memories of their songs revolve around me on my lonesome. I’m pleased I went though. It was a night of beauty and pain. My favourite social cocktail.

Two decades of legal wrangles are still keeping ‘California’ from a re-release. And I’m sure the supermarkets aren’t exactly hollering to get it on their shelves. I want to live in a world though where I can find this CD in Asda. Is that too much to ask?

Spotify linky:
Mark Eitzel – Blue And Grey Shirt
‘California’ is also unavailable on Spotify, but this is a live version of one of the album’s tracks from a Mark Eitzel solo show back in 1991.