This week, a piece of weirdery from 1990.

They Might Be Giants: Birdhouse in Your Soul

This Del Amitri song was first released as a single in 1989 (making a stellar no 59 in the UK charts) but did a bit better on re-release the next year after the relative success of Nothing Ever Happens (which, criminally, did not reach the top ten.) That time it reached the stunning heights of no 43.

Del Amitri: Let’s Kiss This Thing Goodbye

I haven’t posted a Lightning Seeds track for a while.

So here’s a no. 12 from 1997.

Lightning Seeds: Sugar Coated Iceberg

I saw in the Guardian that Angelo Bruschini, guitarist for Massive Attack from 1995-2003 has died.

I can’t say that trip-hop was ever my thing but it was a significant genre in the 90s.

Massive Attack: Angel

It seems some mystery surrounds Bruschini’s birth date.

Angelo Bruschini: 1960/1 – 23/10/2023. So it goes.

Despite his protestation about playing their hit (singular) this song actually reached no 20 in the UK before Babylon did.

David Gray: This Year’s Love

Another classic from Radiohead. From 1998 this time.

Radiohead: No Surprises

It was a shock to hear that Sinéad O’Connor has died. She was only 56 and as far as I knew wasn’t in poor health.

I had been thinking for some time about including her first UK hit Mandinka among my Friday music posts but thought there would be plenty of time for that.

She was one of those people who do not find it in themselves to compromise. An admirable trait but also one which can make life difficult. Her famous ripping up of a photograph of the Pope as a protest against child abuse in the Catholic Church was, unfortunately for her, ahead of its time.

It was Nothing Compares 2 U though which sealed her place in the music firmament (even if I of course deplore the text speak in the title.) Her lasting achievement.

Sinéad O’Connor: Nothing Compare 2 U

Shuhada’ Sadaqat (Magda Davitt,) born Sinéad Marie Bernadette (Sinéad) O’Connor: 8/12/1966 – 26/7/2023. So it goes.

Not their first UK hit but the song that moved Travis into a bigger league.

Travis: Why Does it Always Rain on Me?

A nice piece of jangly pop from 1995 – though it wasn’t a hit till 1996.

Here it is in a performance from Later with Jools Holland.

The Bluetones: Slight Return

When I checked this out again before including it here the opening few acoustic guitar chords of this reminded me of A Day in the Life; but it’s something entirely different.

But typically The Verve.

The Verve: Sonnet