#The Springfields

[bandcampsnoop]

11/2/24.

Thanks to Ian Henderson (Fishrider Records, Pop Lib blog) for posting about this lost/found gem of New Zealand rock. Springloader were part of the 1990s era of New Zealand music. Listening to the 4 songs on "Just Like Yesterday" it's really impossible to not hear the 1990s. Teenage Fanclub (listen to that guitar on "Just Like Yesterday"), Stone Roses, Ride came to mind for me.

Ian added some bands I need to familiarize myself with - most notably The Someloves. He also mentioned The Springfields.

This was recorded in the 1990s and now is seeing the light of day thanks to Failsafe Records (Christchurch, New Zealand). This label has been around since the early 1980s - they released the excellent Mainly Spaniards CD a few years back.

[whitetrashsoul]

Indie Pop/Power Pop legend Ric Menck holding Big Star's debut somewhere in Illinois (1985).

[tweehearts]

promotional sarah records poster from 1988. in their own words, straight outta their website:

"A poster to advertise the release of SARAHs 7, 8, 9 and 10 in the summer of 1988. Not quite sure what we’ve had done with this, to be honest, beyond sticking it on the wall in Revolver Records in Bristol…"

[allthemusic]

Week ending: 13th February

We're here, and what can I say? There's just not much that feels comparable, at least not to me. Perhaps our first Elvis number? But even then, Elvis' music feels distinctly old-fashioned, to me. When it's good, it's great, but it's rock and roll music, it's 1950s and 1960s music, it's something from a bygone era. I don't generally listen to Elvis and hear popular music as it is today, 2025. Today's band? They're pop musicians, here to pull popular music kicking and screaming into the future. Move over Cliff, move over Frank, move over Del, there's a new group in town. They're a right scruffy bunch of oiks. But I think they've got potential, I really do!

Please Please Me - The Beatles (peaked at Number 2)

Because yes, it's the Beatles. They're a group I've loved for quite a long time, and, I mean, they're the Beatles, they're the definition of iconic. Ask anybody on the street, even with the slightest notion of popular music history, and they'd probably be able to tell you something about the Beatles' innovations in the realm of pop music, their success in the US, the absolute madness that was Beatlemania. We'll eventually see them become stars at a scale never before seen, and rarely since.

And yet, we meet them here before a lot of that. They'd formed in 1956 as the Quarrymen, a high school skiffle band from Liverpool, and saw a few personnel changes before finally settling into their final form, as "the Beatles", a name chosen as a pun and a riff on Buddy Holly's Crickets. They fairly famously then end up getting a residency in Hamburg, honing their craft in the rowdy clubs of the Reeperbahn red light district, before returning to Liverpool and gaining in popularity there, most famously at the Cavern Club. So they were known, and fairly experienced. But it was only in 1962 that Brian Epstein picked them up, and only in 1963 that they got signed. Famously - it's almost mythological at this point - they auditioned for Decca first, and were rejected, on the grounds that "guitar groups are on the way out". Fortunately, EMI with George Martin saw sense. Swap the drummer out for Ringo Starr, and you've got the iconic lineup, just in time for them to start releasing new singles, first Love Me Do, which saw moderate success, but not too much. Still, it was enough for George Martin to give them another shot. And the result is this, Please Please Me.

Immediately, you notice that it's a just an exciting track. It's fast, with a full, driving sound, lots of fashionably twangy guitar, Frank Ifield-style harmonica, and some absolutely beautiful harmonies. None of these are completely new, but the combination, and the sheer fullness of the sound, something about the rhythm of it, the pace, does feel very fresh. It's a sound that was linked particularly to Liverpool, hence the name for the genre, Merseybeat. And this, in and of itself, a distinct shift in the geography of the UK music scene. Until now, it's been folks like Cliff - from London, and recording soft rock and roll ballads in London. The Beatles, with their Northern accents, their catchy melodies and their simple but slightly raw edge, are a complete shock to the system, and even recording in London, as they are now, at this point, their music just sounds different, in a very refreshing way.

I will also say that I already like Lennon-McCartney's songwriting. The first listen-through I really didn't focus on it, fixated as I was on the sound. I zoomed in on the guitars, the drums, the prettiness of the harmonies, and I didn't really think too hard about the lyrics, beyond the please please me hook. I assumed it was just a song about the Beatles asking a girl to show an interest in them. But actually, it's more about being with somebody who's not giving as much as you are, in a relationship. Hence the opening set up, last night I said these words to my girl. It's a lover's spat, a disagreement. I know you never even try, girl, they sing, asking why they always have to be the one encouraging their girl. I don't want to sound complaining, they complain, but you know there's always rain in my heart / I do all the pleasing with you / It's so hard to reason with you. They're actually kind of harsh lines, very guilt-trippy, but in a realistic way. And yeah, it doesn't sound like the girl's entirely innocent here, either. And, at the end of the day, it's just really catchy stuff. You've got lots of nice little touches like the double meaning of "please", the fun mid-line half-rhyme with "pleasing" and "reason", the almost-ironic way that the Beatles continue to refer to their girl as "love" even as they complain about her not making enough of an effort. And it's all wrapped up in beautiful harmonies, a convincingly desperate-sounding slightly snarly delivery on the come on bits, and more whoahs as you can shake a stick at.

If Love Me Do was good enough for them to make another record, this is the record that made the Beatles. It debuted in January 1963 and on one of the worst winters in living memory, a large part of the UK population apparently ended up snowed-in watching them on a popular music show, Thank Your Lucky Stars, for lack of much else to do. Please Please Me caught the national imagination, as did the Beatles themselves, with their distinctive mop-top hairstyles and general charm. They were quickly booked for various tours and performances nationwide, and got bumped up the bill on tours they were already booked for - including Roy Orbison, who this song was initially meant to emulate.

Island of Dreams - The Springfields (5)

I always feel sorry for songs like this, up against some giant like the Beatles. That said, this one does fairly well for itself. We start with yet more harmonica - at which point I wonder if we're maybe having a bit of a harmonica moment, right now? Between Frank, the Beatles and this, we're getting a lot of them. One instrument aside, though, this is pretty different to Please Please Me. Where Please Please me was an intense, forward-facing Merseybeat rocker, grounded in a very straightforwardly-described romantic dilemma, Island of Dreams feels a lot more traditional, a folksy country number, and a lot flowerier and more poetic with its lyrics.

Not that the Springfields are much happier in love than the Beatles were. I wander the streets, they sing, and the gay crowded places / Trying to forget you. Unfortunately, whatever they do, their memories haunt them, their mind straying back to our last sweet embraces / Over the sea on the island of dreams. They're lost in memories, it seems. And interestingly, the take-away from this doesn't seem to be "please take me back" or "please let us be reunited" or even just a basic "wahhhhh, look at me, I'm so sad". Instead, the song veers to a bird, flying high in the sky. Please carry me with you, the Springfields entreat it / Far far away from the mad rushing crowd. They're broken-hearted, and they just want to get away from the streets they're currently stuck wandering, just want to be brough somewhere where they're left in peace to wallow in happier memories.

In all this, I could have sworn that the Springfields were an American band, just based on the accents. But no, they were Brits, a vocal trio from London, including none other than Dusty Springfield, as well as her brother, Tom, and a friend of theirs, Tim Feild. I quite like Dusty, and knowing it's her voice, I can absolutely hear it. She's a fantastic singer, and in general, the harmonies and vocals here are pretty tight. I think I'd be giving them a lot more praise here if I hadn't just heard the Beatles with some even tighter, prettier harmonies. Still, let it be noted that this song does sound nice. It almost makes me think of bands like the Teddy Bears, with To Know Him Is to Love Him - a song with some similarly squishy harmonies and dramatic tendencies. Which might be another reason I assumed this was American?

Irrelevant, but I also will note that the version of this I'm listening to has a fabulous picture on the album sleeve of the two men, both in some hilariously ugly beige suits and light green stripy ties (!) flanking Dusty, who had a very 1960s hairstyle, a massive poofy skirt and a purple blouse that doesn't match the men's look at all, plus she's is leaning on an absolutely huge conga drum. It's such an amusingly awkward promo picture, and I love it dearly.

I will say, if you'd asked me what the first Beatles track we'd cover was, I don't think I'd have said Please Please Me. They're the Beatles, so even their "lesser-known" hits are pretty big. Ask a random person on the street, and I think there's a reasonable chance of them knowing Please Please Me, or at least being able to name it as a Beatles song. But still, in the grand scale of things, Please Please Me feels like quite a rogue song - less recognisable than Love Me Do, despite officially being the more successful of the two, and less Beatles-y than, say, I Wanna Hold Your Hand, the song that would eventually bring them to widespread success in the US, kicking off the British Invasion proper. Still, it's a good track, and has all the elements in it that made the early-days Beatles good - we've got a driving beat, a simple but catchy melody, harmonious vocals, some solid but straightforward songwriting, and, of course, a distinctive, eye-catching stage presence. The scene's set. And it won't be long at all until we see them again.

Favourite song of the bunch: Please Please Me

[destielmemenews]

"The Haitian Bridge Alliance made the move after inaction by the local prosecutor, said their attorney, Subodh Chandra of the Cleveland-based Chandra Law Firm."

"Trump and Vance, a U.S. senator from Ohio, are charged with disrupting public services, making false alarms, telecommunications harassment, aggravated menacing and complicity. The filing asks the Clark County Municipal Court to affirm that there is probable cause and issue arrest warrants against Trump and Vance."

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[flyinghellfish]

[sjw-irritant]

[ethereal-forest-furry]

[mcr-heritage-posts]

hey everyone - i know there’s a lot going on in the world right now, a lot of causes that need support and visibility now more than ever.

i’d like to take an opportunity to highlight a cause that’s very literally close to home for me: i live very, very close to springfield, ohio. the haitian community there has always needed help and support but now, with white supremacist rhetoric and bold faced lies being circulated nationally, with threats of violence and heightened ignorance being more common than ever, they need it perhaps more than they ever have.

there has been a lot of hate since trump and his little bootlicker attack dog jd vance have started this shit, but there’s also been an outpouring of love and community outreach in the weeks since springfield was thrust into the worst kind of spotlight.

the hatian community support and help center has been invaluable in helping hatian refugees get what they need to start a new life here. they are headed by a team of haitian immigrants that are personally familiar with what their fellow immigrants need. they have been instrumental in keeping their community from falling through the cracks.

i’m humbly asking, if any of you can - please, please consider donating to the HCSHC. every bit helps. and if you can’t donate, please, please share this around. if you’ve ever reblogged one of my posts or found them funny, if you’ve ever scrolled through and liked and reblogged what i’ve put here, i implore you to share this too. this is a very personal cause for me; i want to see these people who are new here, who enrich our community but are met with too much derision and spite, receive the help, respect, and dignity they deserve.

[doyoulikethissong-poll]

Dusty Springfield - Son of a Preacher Man 1968

"Son of a Preacher Man" is a song written and composed by American songwriters John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins and recorded by British singer Dusty Springfield in September 1968 for her fifth studio album Dusty in Memphis. The single, released in late 1968, became an international hit, reaching number 9 in the UK singles chart and number 10 on Billboard's Hot 100 in January 1969. "Son of a Preacher Man" was Springfield's last Top 30 hit until 1987, when her collaboration with UK synthpop duo the Pet Shop Boys yielded the huge hit "What Have I Done to Deserve This?". "Son of a Preacher Man" found a new audience when it was included on the soundtrack of Quentin Tarantino's 1994 film Pulp Fiction; a re-release of the single reached number one in Iceland in 1995.

In 1968, songwriters John Hurley and Ronnie Wilkins wrote the song with Aretha Franklin in mind, according to a 2009 interview with Wilkins. Atlantic Records producer and co-owner Jerry Wexler, who was recording Dusty Springfield's album in Memphis at the time, liked the song and suggested it to Springfield for the Dusty in Memphis album. The song was recorded in 1969 by Franklin for her This Girl's in Love with You album. Franklin's older sister Erma Franklin also recorded the song and included it on her 1969 album Soul Sister.

Rolling Stone magazine placed Dusty Springfield's recording at number 77 among "The 100 Best Singles of the Last 25 Years" in 1987. The song was placed at number 43 among the "Greatest Singles of All Time" by New Musical Express in 2002, and in 2004, the song was on the Rolling Stone list of "The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time". Samples from "Son of a Preacher Man" were used on Cypress Hill's "Hits from the Bong" on their album Black Sunday. The song is also featured in the 2016 video game Mafia III.

In 1966, Springfield topped popularity polls, including Melody Maker's "Best International Vocalist", and was the first UK singer to top the New Musical Express readers' poll for best female singer. She has been inducted into the National Rhythm & Blues Hall of Fame, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and the UK Music Hall of Fame. Multiple critics and polls have lauded Springfield as one of the greatest female singers in popular music. In 2020, the album Dusty in Memphis was selected by the Library of Congress for preservation in the National Recording Registry for being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant". In its official press release, the library stated that despite its modest sales when first released, "over time, Dusty in Memphis grew in stature to become widely recognized as an important album by a woman in the rock era."

"Son of a Preacher Man" received a total of 85,4% yes votes!

[voguefashion]

Dusty Springfield photographed by Dezo Hoffmann, 1964.

[gentlemensarts]

[thafreedomwall]

[theamericanpin-up]

Bill Medcalf - 1962 Kelly Springfield Tire Company Advertising Calendar Illustration - Brown & Bigelow Calendar Co. - Original art sold by Heritage Art Gallery 2015

[theobjectivemind]

Harris 2024!!