Tag Archives: love

#774: The Who – Love Ain’t for Keeping

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The Who’s 1971 album Who’s Next opens with two intense rockers. ‘Baba O’Riley’, one of the band’s most iconic songs, and then ‘Bargain’, a five and a half minute powerhouse of hard rock. So to slow the momentum down just a bit, ‘Love Ain’t for Keeping’ arrives as a bit of a country-folk acoustic number, steady to the ear and much easier to take in in comparison to its predecessors.

I’ve always been fond of this one. It’s only two minutes and ten seconds, probably gets a bit shafted because of all the other songs on the album too. But it shows that The Who were as great in their softer approach to their music rather than the usual balls to the wall performances. Keith Moon on the drums plays with just enough restraint and keeps control of the song’s rhythm alongside bassist John Entwistle, and Pete Townshend plays the acoustic guitar in both channels, covering the rhythmic role in the left and lead guitar lines on the right. I think the overall highlight of the song are its vocals. They’re a highlight on many a Who song but it’s a glorious feeling when Roger Daltrey comes in with the first ‘Layin’ on my back…’ line that opens this one, especially with the natural reverb that occurs when he drags out the long note. The three-part harmonies during the instrumental nearing the end are amazing too.

So what it’s about? Judging from the lyrics, I say it’s about a person living in the countryside feeling fine and wants to make use of the good times they have by making love. It’s not meant to be kept, after all. If you think this track is boring, there was another version of the song made with guitarist Leslie West during the sessions for Who’s Next. It’s a lot more like the Who performances you may know and prefer. Townshend also takes the lead vocal here. I think it’s okay. I’ll stick with the one that appeared on the album.

#654: The Beatles – It’s Only Love

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‘It’s Only Love’ was written by John Lennon sometime during 1965 and ended up on the Beatles’ first album to be released that year – Help!. He went on to claim that he thoroughly disliked this song calling it ‘lousy’ and particularly taking umbrage with its ‘abysmal’ lyrics. Lennon said he hated a lot of Beatles songs during his lifetime…. though it can be agreed that he definitely wrote a better set of lyrics than those on display here.

“I get high when I see you go by, my oh my, when you sigh my my inside just flies, butterflies” are the words of the first verse. Laughable to those who take lyricism very seriously. But I don’t think ‘It’s Only Love’ is supposed to be a totally serious song. That’s probably what saves it from being disgraceful in the end. Plus Lennon delivers them with such a wilting energy to them that they pale in comparison when that fantastic chorus comes in.

There’s not much to say here. It’s a short, mainly acoustic number that lasts for just under two minutes. Due to the retro mixing of the 60s, it’s quite hard to pick out what each instrument is doing. The emphasis is on George Harrison’s descending guitar riff at the beginning and end of the track. So, to recap, Lennon’s vocal performance and that guitar are the best parts of it all. I still like this song quite a bit though. Not the best track on the album but it does the job.

#596: Blur – I’m Just a Killer for Your Love

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‘I’m Just a Killer for Your Love’ is the tenth track on Blur’s self-titled album, released in 1997. For anyone who owns that album and holds it in particular high regard, it’s not hard to notice the slight quality difference in terms of production between this track and all the other 13 songs it’s placed alongside. It has an almost monoaural mix compared to the somewhat expansive sounds in ‘Beetlebum‘ or ‘Death of a Party‘, it sounds like the recording was accidentally started after Dave Rowntree starts drumming, there’s a Beatles ‘Yer Blues‘ feel to it in that it sounds like the band are just in this one room close together busting this thing out.

Well, there’s a reason for this. It’s the only song on there not to be produced by Stephen Street. Apparently, it was the very last track that the band worked on for the album and something the four members knocked out whilst working in Damon Albarn’s then new ‘Studio 13’. The track is very loose, rough around the edges, very slack in its execution but oddly seductive too.

This song predates Gorillaz’s first album by a few years but there are a number of things about it that remind me of what would appear on that project’s 2001 debut. The lyrics are a number of surreal images that when put together appear to make a coherent story, Albarn’s played up (or toned down, however you see it) vocal delivery is something he would go on to develop and play with more with the project, and just in general it’s almost experimental in its weird way.

Pay attention to Alex James really forcing that wah-wah effect on his bass, that’s some good stuff.

My iPod #544: The Futureheads – Hounds of Love

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It took a while for me to listen to the original “Hounds of Love” as recorded by Kate Bush in 1985. Twenty years later I was ten and beginning to get into this ‘indie music’ stuff when The Futureheads, the four-piece ‘post-punk revival’ band from Sunderland, released their cover of the song. At the time I was unaware of that it was a song that had already existed for two decades, though that does explain why her name was credited in the liner notes of the album.

The track is a prime example of what a cover version should be. The Futureheads don’t merely take the song and create a carbon copy, but add their own style whilst remaining true to the original’s musicality. Differing from the Prince Charming-like stomp of Kate Bush’s track, the band’s cover plays like a soundtrack of a man on the run from these hounds. Barry Hyde’s vocals succeed in expressing the passion and emotion displayed within the lyrics, he seems to elongate syllables and borderline shouts unable to contain himself, and the background ‘oh-oh’ vocals of Ross Millard, Jaff Craig and Dave Hyde give the track a great edge, providing a bold sense of solidarity as Hyde sings of this crisis he is going through.

One of my favourite covers. Good times.

Mac DeMarco – The Way You’d Love Her “Review”

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Yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay. A new song by Mac DeMarco. Great fan of this guy’s stuff. Been a fan for more than a year now. “Salad Days” is a brilliant listen. I listened to that before I did “2” but that is just as good. (Do prefer the former to it, I’m just gonna say). But right here, you get a bit of flavours from the two.

“The Way You’d Love Her” is the man’s first single from the upcoming “mini-LP” entitled “Another One”, which comes out in early August. It is very much more of the same as what you usually get from him. But the stuff you get is of a very good quality. His style’s just one that works every time. May people be tired of hearing the “same song”? Suuuure. But it depends. If you’re a Mac DeMarco fan, there’s no reason why you shouldn’t like this one.

I did think the music and melody of the verses were a lot better than the chorus. Normally I find that in DeMarco’s songs the verses are only the mere teasers before the greater melody is shown in the latter. But that’s how I felt yesterday. Everything will most likely fall into place.

He is coming to Manchester for the Parklife Festival, and I will see him no matter what it takes. 6-7 June, folks.