WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF FANTASY ALBUMS WHERE MUSIC FANS ARE PUT TO THE TEST TO DECIPHER THEIR ULTIMATE COLLECTION
The rules are simple(ish): they can’t repeat an album, and to just make it that little bit more interesting they have to use the same track number from another album. For example, Track 1 could be the opening track of the incredible Stone Roses’ debut ‘I Wanna Be Adored’. Track 2 could be Blur’s ‘Song 2′ – you get the idea? – basically their favoutite track 1, 2, 3 etc from 10 different albums.
This month’s fantasy album has been curated by Shirley Lee, singer with the London band Spearmint. Their new album ‘Holland Park’, hailed as their best yet, tells the story of a fated 70’s rock band, seen from the perspective of their members in the present day. In honour of this, Shirley’s fantasy album takes us on a trip through British music in the seventies. Spearmint’s new single ‘Albion’ is released on 19th November, along with a brand new Christmas song ‘Santa Lives in my Building’.
“I’m of a mind to compile a second album featuring some of the great soul and reggae tracks that came out of Britain in the 70’s, but for now this selection stays on the rockier side of the tracks. We start in 1971 with the opener from Oldham’s finest’s second album ‘Once Again’. Their catalogue is a little hard to navigate this far out, but this album is a great place to start. “
Next up is track 2 from 1972’s ‘Ziggy Stardust’ album. Bowie was the seventies really
“I struggle to like the vocals on a lot of Led Zep tracks, but I love Jimmy Page’s arrangements. They remind me of Johnny Marr’s work with the Smiths (or vice versa). This is the third song on their 1973 album ‘Houses of the Holy’. “
“It is my understanding that ‘where’s Wally?’ comes from repeated announcements at a festival in the early 70’s asking for Wally to report in, and I think this often forgotten Yorkshire band were named after this too. This is the fourth track on their excellent self-titled 1974 debut. “
5 ‘The Big Ship‘ – Brian Eno
“Track 5 on Eno’s 1975 record ‘Another Green World’. This is probably the most future-facing selection here – Eno’s solo albums and work with Bowie and Talking Heads cast a long shadow.”
“Perhaps because they had a couple of over-familiar number one records, it’s easy to now dismiss just how innovative and inspirational 10cc were. This is the sixth track on ‘How Dare You’ from 1976.“
“And the world changed… widely regarded as the first British punk single in 1976, this still sounds pretty brattish today. It became track 7 on their 1977 debut, produced by Nick Lowe. “
8. ‘The Light Pours Out Of Me‘ – Magazine
“Fabulous band, fabulous 1978 debut album. This track is kind of nihilistic Motown. People in bands love Magazine, and I’m in a band.”
9 ‘Typical Girls‘ – The Slits
“Much loved and extremely influential, this is the ninth song on The Slits’ incendiary 1979 debut album ‘Cut’, produced by Dennis Bovell, who is still doing great work and can be spotted in the ‘Lovers Rock’ segment of Steve McQueen’s wonderful ‘Small Axe’ project. “
10. ‘I Can’t Stand It‘ – The Specials
I wanted to end with something that pointed towards the future (the 1980’s), but this album is such a striking one-off that I don’t think it points anywhere else really. It’s still a great way to end our tour in 1980 though, with Terry and Rhoda duetting on the tenth track from the classic ‘More Specials’ album. Take care getting home, and if you’ve enjoyed our trip, then please don’t forget to thank the driver…
We don’t have many themed Fantasy Albums so this has been a thrill to discover this journey through the seventies
To check out Spearmints other releases and to discover news on future tours, visit https://www.spearmint.net/
Check out the video for ‘Bundunyabba Blue’ below from their critically acclaimed current album ‘Holland Park’