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There was a segment on Radio5live this morning about Lana Del Rays album 'Jaguars, H&M and Mulberry' and how it starts and ends with a three minute soliloquy of her mutterings (gotta fill that CD somehow) and they were asking for listeners to text in with suggestions of spoken word that works. Man they sent in a right load of terrible; William Shatner etc, as well as songs that only had a bit of talking in them and ones that were really more like singing; Thriller and 'I've never been to me' etc The basic sway of the segment was; 'Talking in Songs is always terrible' and I was thinking...WRONG!

So where does it work?

My starter for three.

Fingerprintz -Wet Job Arab Strap 101, great to dance to and...the best song by a Scottish band about getting stabbed with a poison tipped umbrella I can think of.

Coil - The Golden Section voice by Paul Vaughan, best known for Horizon on the BBC.

The Eccentronic Research Council - Autobahn 666 for me the 'interesting' album of the year, perhaps hard to fathom if you aren't from the UK, it's very location specific and reads like the Northern Socialist, Feminist Manifesto. The voice is Maxine Peake, noted UK actress. I would have chose Ghost Of Old Lizzy Southerns Returns but can't find it to link to, the words are hilarious.

So lets hear those talkies.

D

His Last Summer

and of course

Anti-personal laziness rant

UlricvonCatalyst wrote:His Last Summer

and of course

Anti-personal laziness rant

Peel flashback!

Oh and callow young me promptly wrote off to 'join' the Temple, much as one would the circus...yeah I was unhappy at home.

A few other good ones

Linton Kwesi Johnson - Sonny's Lettah another real Peel track.

Bauhaus - The Party of the First Part with footage from the original source. This would make a great theme to the X Factor.

Heavy Trash - The Pill the best song to mention a Neubauten tattoo I can think of.

D

Blumfeld - Sing Sing (full length version from the L'Etat et Moi LP)

...can't find it streaming anywhere,unfortunately, but it rules.

Droodnik Vintage Offset Content-a-go-go!

and also

Bad Seeds, anyone?

and lest we forget

Everything by The Fall (including this, my son.)

Face the wrath of my bombast! Cap! Het! U skinny rats!

Can I put in an early word for Sonic Boom's entire career? 26 years of not quite singing.

Some prime examples: Spectrum - And Then I Just Drifted Away

Sonic Boom - Angel

Spacemen3 - Ode to Street Hassle


And of course, Laurie Anderson and Lou Reed, who built a marriage on it.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IlAU83sZeB4 This is a Bukowski poem

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_zLcaS76OtM

off the top of ma head

Tons of spoken Waits songs but here's two more

Waits from alice
Big time

and of course

Queen Victoria, Mr Cohen

Slint - Breadcrumb Trail
Slint - Don, Aman

Everyone should own a copy of this album! It's in my top 5 all-time greats list!!!

In fact, most of Slint's stuff is spoken word.

UlricvonCatalyst wrote:Advice for young people

Handy advice.

I forgot one IMO of the greats Disco Inferno- Summers Last Sound

One of my Mrs faves Barry Adamson - The Vibes Ain't Nothin' But The Vibes

David Toop - Ceremony Viewed through Iron Slit weird but great

And of course Blume.

I wanted to pick Jah Wobble - Lonely London but no linky available

D

King Missile - Martin Scorcese

Another band who like their fair share of spoken parts.

theworkoffire wrote:Can I put in an early word for Sonic Boom's entire career? 26 years of not quite singing.

totally off topic but have you heard Psychic Dancehall? feel you might like it.

D

There seems to be more love for the whole Bad Seeds/Birthday Party/ City Solution axis than even Sonic Youth/Grungecentral/MBV these days.

Here's a wee antidote:

Take it away, Cap'n Bill!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jcaXD--UINo" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Mutiny in Heaven.