Chris Stamey "The Summer Sun"

Ten days ago in Brighton I had one of those giddy moments that makes seeking out the record shop(s) in whichever town or city you visit totally worth all the effort.  A recent tweet from @Team Slumber (aka Mike Schulman of Slumberland Records) reminded* me of Chris Stamey's sublime, Alex Chilton produced, "The Summer Sun".  As it was released in 1977 on a label I'd never heard of (Ork Records), it wasn't the kind of record I thought I'd ever stumble upon, but stumble upon it, I did - in the bulging racks of Wax Factor.  It felt like some divine being had hidden it there just for me to find!  It was such a great surprise that I actually felt a tingle of adrenalin in my hands as I picked it up and took it to the counter.  Being a condition extremist, I quizzed the shop assistant about its condition and nearly had an attack of the vapours when he said that it was Mint but that I could give it a spin on the shop deck to check.  Mint it most definitely was.  The next time I play records in public it'll get an airing and as Chris Stamey's sings about the summer sun, I'll be daydreaming of walking back in the winter sun to my Brighton hotel with a smile on my face and a diamond in my bag.  Long live record shops!

* - 'Reminded' because the ever astute Did Not Chart wrote about it on his previous blog fireescapetalking.  I read the posting and resolved to hear it but, like a proper chump, promptly forgot to.  From the comments, I see that it's Harvey Williams' favourite record.  Smart man!

Baby, It's You

Bacharach and David's "Baby, It's You" is another of those songs like "I'll Keep It With Mine" and "She Does Everything For Me" which brings out the best in musicians and singers with the result that, to date, I've yet to hear even a semblance of a bad version. Both The Shirelles' and The Beatles' versions are as heartbreaking as you could ever wish for but it's Gary and The Hornets' tear-stained teenage boy version that takes the garlands*.  From that first 'sha la la la', which takes softness to a whole new level, it's uncommonly affecting.  Gary's vocal is stunning: pure, intuitive, nuanced (listen to the final 'suits ya!') and beautifully recorded.  Sure, he sounds a lot like a woman but then so did the Chris Montez when he sang "The More I See You" and "Foolin' Around" and they've always been my favourite songs of his.  There aren't all that many recordings on which I couldn't contemplate changing a single thing but this is emphatically one of them: the harpischords (?), the reverb, the backing vocals; all are perfect - strange to think that a group of soft boys made what in essence is now my favourite girl-group record..

The fact that I've heard of Gary and The Hornets at all is thanks to Teenage Fanclub and their memorable cover with Alex Chilton of the group's "Patti Girl" which came out in the mid-90s on one side of a mailorder-only 7" released by the NME. Apparently, they'd heard it first on a Calvin Johnson mixtape.  Copies of Smash Records' DJ promo of "Baby, It's You" crop up fairly frequently on ebay at around the 10-15 GBP mark for a clean copy (mine was at the lower end) but, really, just about any price would be worth paying to get your hands on such a gorgeous record.  There is a 100% chance that I will play "Baby, It's You" when I clumsily spin some tunes at the Glasgow Popfest in December (more on that nearer the time!).

Update: I can't believe I forgot that Dolly Mixture also did a wonderful version. It's not quite as moving as Gary and The Hornets' but it's certainly as cute!  Thanks A for the reminder.