God, I’d forgotten how ****ing incredible this album was at making you forget everything and feel instantly better for two sides of yellow vinyl (only in the UK for some reason apparently) .
So why was I listening to it? Well…
A quick trip to the shops, and ‘Ain’t That A Shame’ came up on the stereo’s random shuffle. Oh my God. I pulled over, found the whole album, pressed play, and just kept driving.
This was MY teenage rebellion album, MY driving too fast music, MY fist-pumping-headbanging-white-man’s-overbite (© Billy Crystal, ‘When Harry Met Sally) don’t-give-a-crap-about-anything-or-anyone music. Side Two is just seminal – Ain’t That Shame, I Want You To Want Me, Surrender, Goodnight and Clock Strikes Ten, to which I have driven (and been driven) waaaaaaaaaaay too fast too many times, banging the s**t out of the steering wheel and dashboard.
I defy anyone of our age to listen to it (with the original tracklisting, no CD-added extras) and not thump their steering wheel at least a little.
Here’s a link to the whole album:
Do it.
Alastair Swinnerton 