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Unsung Forum » Any Felt fans? |
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drudeawakening 138 posts |
Dec 24, 2020, 13:17
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Am slowly working my way through the oeuvre of the above, and they've become a bit of an obsession. I can't say I'm into everything that they've done, and on paper they wouldn't really tick that many of my boxes. 'Forever Breathes the Lonely World' and 'Ignite the Seven Cannons' seem to have bedded themselves into my brain but I really like the instrumental-only, 17 minute 'LP' 'Let the Snakes Crinkle Their Heads to Death' (aka 'Seventeenth Century') which is small and perfectly formed. Interestingly, Peel apparently didn't like them, quite famously, which their singer Lawrence says is why they didn't make it to Smiths level of acclaim. I'd be interested to know if anyone else here is into them!
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Repossessed 79 posts |
Edited Dec 24, 2020, 16:12
Dec 24, 2020, 16:12
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I'm a big fan myself, and every few months their whole output gets a spin. Personal favourites are "The Splendour of Fear" and "The Strange Idols Pattern and Other Short Stories". In my opinion, much of the magic was lost when Maurice Deebank left. That said, "Forever Breathes the Lonely Word" and "Poem of the River" are also highly recommended.
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Hunter T Wolfe 1707 posts |
Dec 24, 2020, 16:31
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Yeah, I'm a fan, though it took many years for me to get round to investigating them properly. Not sure how widely avaialble their albums were at the time, and as mentioned, Peel dodn't play them and back then that meant you got hardly any exposure as an indie band. 'Primitive Painters' is the only track I ever recall hearing on the radio. I went round to Lawrence's flat and interviewed him for a big career retrospective piece a couple of years ago. Lovely guy, real eccentric, and a total one-off. https://thequietus.com/articles/24054-lawrence-felt-denim-go-kart-mozart-interview
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Monganaut 2375 posts |
Dec 25, 2020, 19:07
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Yeah, I remember buying Splendor of Fear at a record shop called Rockers on Hurst Street, Birmingham (not there anymore, and they went on to be Swordfish Records, still about....just). Loved the early stuff, not so much the later. Nor Denim, tho i know Roj from Broadcast loved em' and tried to turn me onto their charms. Not sure Peel can be blamed for not breaking the band, thou he was an important conduit for new bands. Being part of the 'scene' back then, Brummies were not the best as supporting their own (the Band Birdland were pretty much hated locally when they were about). How I wish it was Felt Peel played rather that The Smiths, bar a few songs I can't stand em'. Lawrence has had his problems and ups and downs over the years but he's deffo an original. Nice little vid on Youtube 'Lawrence of Belgravia' -https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3SH4yejKSTI
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Howburn Digger 986 posts |
Dec 26, 2020, 13:39
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I'm a huge fan of Felt. I jumped on nearly 40 years ago with "Something Sends Me To Sleep" and the run of fantastic Cherry Red 7"ers which followed. I think "Penelope Tree" was on every mixtape I made in the 80s. I never bought all the lps until the end of the 80s/ early 90s, though I had picked up a french compilation 12" which had all their early Cherry Red singles on it. I still have all the singles and albums. I have a big "Felt" compartment on my MP3 player in the car and it is regularly prised open for lengthier journeys. I really cannot decide between the earlier cymbal-less Deebank guitar-led Felt and the later Martin Duffy keyboard line-up. They both have exceptional qualities in my book. I wouldn't want to choose between "A World As Soft As Lace" and "Riding On The Equator". Oddities, strays and left-overs can be found here. http://feltribute.xyz/
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Popel Vooje 5373 posts |
Edited Mar 25, 2021, 18:18
Dec 26, 2020, 21:04
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Yes - I've been a fan since hearing "Primitive Painters" when it came out. It's true that John Peel didn't play them much - if at all - but then Lawrence probably didn't help matters by sending Peel an angry letter complaining that he hadn't played "Index" and demanding that he sent it back! They did get fairly frequent exposure on both Janice Long and Andy Kershaw's shows though, and not just for that one song either. They were lucky to have had two highly gifted instrumentalists in the band with Maurice Deebank and then Martin Duffy - both of which elevated the songs to a level of proficiency that was beyond the reach of most UK indie bands at the time. Then again, they probably both benefitted from being reined in by Lawrence's more self-taught post-punk era sensibilities as well. Of the two imstrumental albums I find "Let the Snakes..." more engaging than "Train Above the City", (an album of fairly pedestrian cod-jazz miniatures that I never cared much for, despite Martin Duffy's obvious talent).
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elegant chaos 2390 posts |
Edited Dec 30, 2020, 01:56
Dec 30, 2020, 01:56
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Got the whole collection. Saw them a dozen times including the final gig at Burberries. I also interviewed Lawrence - in 2003 when Cherry Red first reissued the entire album catalogue. In January I went with Cult Figures to record at Woodbine St Studios with John Rivers - the studio where Lawrence recorded a fair bit of his Felt stuff and still goes there now with Go-Kart Mozart. http://www.furious.com/perfect/felt.html
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Monganaut 2375 posts |
Dec 30, 2020, 18:09
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elegant chaos wrote: final gig at Burberries Bloody hell, there's a blast from the past. Saw so many great gigs there. Last night before finally closing was fun/sad too. Think Clint Mansell/PWEI were DJ's for the evening.
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ayjayemm 32 posts |
Jan 01, 2021, 20:54
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Love Felt. Kinda feel they're two seperate bands; the Cherry Red / Deebank vs the Creation / Duffy incarnations. Both excellent but different. I even love the much maligned MJQ-esque 'Train Above The City'; partly because it irks the purists so much !
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