Category: Ruby Tuesday (Page 4 of 4)

Ruby Tuesday: Rialto, “Love Like Semtex”

September 18, 2007 / David Medsker

Spawned from the ashes of Kinky Machine, Rialto was singer/songwriter Louis’ Eliot’s foray into widescreen pop, a blend of Oasis and ABC, as crazy as it sounds (and with two drummers, in an apparent nod to .38 Special). The band’s debut, Rialto, was a nifty little pop record, the kind that any fan of British pop both present and past would appreciate (“Summer’s Over” steals a big chunk of “A Day in the Life” for its chorus). The biggest problem was that the album came out in 1998, a good three years after Brit Pop peaked. By that time, only the most devoted Anglophiles paid the band any mind.

I would be one of those Anglophiles.

I was hooked by “Love Like Semtex” from the moment I saw the title, since I had been in a rather combustible relationship eerily similar to the one Eliot describes here. Also, being a fan of the Pixies and Nirvana, I like quietLOUDquiet songs, so when this tender ballad, um, blows up in the second half, I had already been hooked, gutted, put on ice and lacquered for mounting.

Rialto released one more album, 2001’s Night on Earth, which was arguably better than their debut. They had moved on from Oasis, and went after Duran Duran, Depeche Mode and the Pet Shop Boys. Again, an Anglophile’s dream, but “Love Like Semtex” will stand as the band’s lighter-waving moment.

Rialto – Love Like Semtex

Alternative, External Music, Rock, Ruby Tuesday, Songs

Ruby Tuesday: Novo Combo, “Welcome Innervision”

September 11, 2007 / Mike Farley

You might remember the band Novo Combo from their modest MTV hit, “Tattoo,” which was from the band’s self-titled debut album on Polydor. But you may not recognize anything from their followup album, Animation Generation, that came out one year later (1982, for those of you keeping score). And after Animation Generation, the band unceremoniously split up. But after doing a Lost Bands feature on Bullz-Eye.com, I interviewed lead vocalist Pete Hewlett and was re-introduced to Novo Combo’s music.

“Welcome Innervision” was the first song I heard off of Animation Generation, once upon a time when you heard new music on the radio that was worth a damn. And I remember almost driving off the road because not only was this a great song, but the guitar solo by axe man Carlos Rios (who was making his Novo Combo debut) was one of the best I’d ever heard. In fact, it’s still one of the best I’ve ever heard, 25 years later.

Novo Combo’s two albums are out of print, but I managed to find copies of both. So for your listening pleasure, I give to you “Welcome Innervision.” And I trust that you’re sitting at your computer and will not drive off the road.

Novo Combo — “Welcome Innervision”

Lost Bands, Pop, Rock, Ruby Tuesday, Songs

Ruby Tuesday: Tasmin Archer, “Sleeping Satellite (Fitz Mix)”

September 4, 2007 / David Medsker

Welcome to a the inaugural installment of Ruby Tuesday, where we discuss a hidden or lost gem from music’s past. Yes, we’re very clever with our titles. Stayed up for days coming up with it. Seriously.

Our first subject is Bradford, England’s Tasmin Archer, a soul popster from the early ’90s who, thanks to her UK #1 smash “Sleeping Satellite,” was quickly dubbed the Female Seal. She was not the Female Seal, of course — anyone who bought the album that spawned “Satellite,” 1993’s Great Expressions, learned that lesson the hard way — but there is no denying that “Satellite” could easily pass for the twin sister of “Crazy.” Both songs have an airy quality to them, and both have dance-ish beats but aren’t exactly danceable. It was an apt, and as favorable, a comparison as Archer was likely to find.

The hit parade for Archer ended quickly. She scored one more Top 20 hit in the UK with “In Your Care,” though one could argue that its chart success owed more to its B-side — a remix of “Sleeping Satellite” — than the song on the cover. A few more singles crawled their way into the UK Top 40, but she never dented the US charts again. She continues to make music, but I personally have not seen anything of hers in the CD racks since the 1994 Shipbuilding EP, where she covered a handful of Elvis Costello tunes.

Such is the fate for far more musicians than you would think. Knock the one-hit wonder all you want, but at least people remember their big hit. Archer, on the other hand, has practically been erased from the history books. Which is why I would like to submit “Sleeping Satellite” — yep, it’s the remixed version from that single for “In Your Care” — as the first ruby. Enjoy.

Tasmin Archer – Sleeping Satellite (Fitz Mix)

External Music, Pop, Ruby Tuesday, Songs