Luxury Pop (part 2)

Meow!

So, I thought I might have to do a follow up blog after the last one! F*ck me you lot are picky! 'Wot no Sade?' 'Where are ABC?' etc etc. Time to put the Luxury Pop vibe into perspective once and for all. Let's break it down;

BANDS I LEFT OUT LAST TIME

ABC. Although part of me thinks they're 'Proto-Luxury' becasue of the date of the album, there's no mistaking the fact that Mr Fry and co make perfect luxury pop. Imagine a bar of Imperial Leather soap in song form...



Next up has to be The Style Council. I discarded them at first (I guess I thought they were more blue eyed soul than Luxury) but there's simply no denying how perfect Weller's brand of pop actually is....



Curiosity Killed The(Rescue)Cat...



Now, The Blow Monkeys. Here is a comment from the You Tube page. It says it all really...

'Terrific tune. It was a period of time during the 80's when soul music was blue-eyed bands. The sound was mature. England reinvented the soul music of the 70's with a very elaborated sound. Every period of time into the history of rock music is fascinating because it teaches a lot of. The problem today is that many people don't appreciate many good things and the reason is the poor intellectual societies that we have even in America'

Nicely put huh?! Luxury is definitely a British pop phenomonen. Anyway, here's the track....



Don't know about you but I fancy getting a job in the city, doing loads of coke and voting Tory.

Aztec Camera?! F*ck yes!



BANDS I'M NOT LETTING IN

Level 42. Although Mark King played bass for Swing Out Sister, they are just too 'Mondeo funk' for my liking. Here's some more about Mondeo Man...

'...We all know this bloke, right? Conservative at heart, New Labour by invention, upwardly mobile, a homeowner and a family guy, but, you know, not a total toolbag. Mondeo Man was the acceptable face of petit-bourgeois small mindedness..'



Harsh but you know where I'm coming from right?

Sade. This is tricky. She's smooth as an otter's codpiece but she's just a little bit too RnB/jazz for this category. Luxury is more about bands really. Oh I don't know, I'll happily change my mind about her if someone puts forward a decent argument...



Lloyd Cold and The Commotions. A bit too late and a bit too indie.

Frankie Goes To Hollywood are on the periphery but their roots are in dance pop really. The whole bondage/leather/military vibe isn't Luxury really either...



ONE HIT WONDERS

A few classics from the cannon, and then I REALLY do need to go and do some work...








Anyway, I've essembled a Luxury Pop playlist on MySpace if you want to have a listen.

CAT FACT NUMBER 84...

It has been scientifically proven that stroking a cat can lower one's blood pressure.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Luxury Pop (explained)

Yes bruv!
I was p*ssed at a 30th birthday party the other night (friends of my older sister of course) and someone stupidly arxed me what kind of music I made as Rescue Cat. Without missing a beat, I replied 'Basically, it's called Luxury Pop'. Cue howls of derision and laughter from my friends. They obviously wanted me to explain such a statement and so I thought it best I try and do that via my blog...
Ok, so....

Luxury Pop in it's purest form is mid/late 80s pop/rock with a certain panoramic/widescreen feel to the production. It's also more cerebral in it's lyrical approach than other certain pop outfits of the time such as Wham! or Her Madjesty (obviously, Howard Jones' self help physco-babble might not strictly fit in with this).
For me, some of the bands that best sum up this genre (one that our keyboard player Bear made up a few weeks back) are as follows...

Scritti Politti




Howard Jones



Duran Duran of course. Although, they do also fit into a genre all of their own that I like to call 'Yacht Pop' which does crossover. Robert Palmer is often in this category too.

Nick Kershaw



Prefab Sprout



The wonderful Talk Talk

Swing Out Sister (extra points to them for having been part of Post-punk fucksters ACR

The Thompson Twins




And although they came out of the Synth Britannia school, the following bands definitely became luxury. I like to call them 'Proto Luxury'

Human League



Tears For Fears

Lennox and Stewart of course



A few people contested that the following bands were Luxury, and for one reason or another, they were wrong. I'll explain...

Although expansive and synthy, Depeche Mode had their roots in synth Brittania but were always a bit too S&M and gothy for Luxury.

New Order Because of where they started I have to turn them down. They are too Post-Punk/Synth Brittania I think. Perhaps Proto. I really don't know. The jury is out...

Bowie is a tricky one. He's much too much of a pop chameleon to be put into one category but for sure, Let's Dance was all about the luxury.

And as much as they fit into the category perfectly, I won't allow Go West to be involved because quite frankly they're rubbish really. Don't agree? Watch this..



I realised I've opened a MASSIVE can of worms here. I will of course welcome any debate on who should and shouldn't be allowed to be allowed in our Luxury Pop genre! Let me know if I've made any glaring omissions and I'll post them up on the next blog. Bear, Simply Red are not allowed for similar reasons to Go West. Also, the album Stars was 90s.

Speaking of Luxury Pop, Rescue Cat will be playing Mother Bar, 333 Old St next Wed the 2nd Dec. It's our last date before the New Year so come along and share a mince pie or two.

CAT FACT NUMBER 3:

Recent studies have shown that cats can see blue and green. There is disagreement as to whether they can see red.

That's good one huh?!

Later yeah?

Rescue Cat Loves Rescue Dog (and CC)

I was struggling with topics to rant about for this blog when I was sent a link which made me re-examine the way I look at life, the unviverse and everything.
Poor doggy gets run over and then his little friend tries to drag him to safety. I can barely type this as my eyes are full of tears...



IN PRAISE OF CLAUDIA CARDINALE

I always like to bring sexy people from the past to your attention. My good friend Darkus (TM) and I are going to see a Western next week called Once Upon A Time In The West by the famous Sergio Leone and I swear the only reason we're both going (forget all that 'wonderful cinematography/stunning landscape/sombre themes of alienation' business) is for the titular talents of Miss Cardinale.
Despite having been in classics like 'The Pink Panther' and Federico Fellini's '8½', Cardinale never made a real attempt to break into the American market since she was not interested in leaving Europe for extended periods of time.
AND HERE'S THE COOL BIT, she has been UNESCO good will ambassador for the Defense of Women's Rights since 1999. In 2006 (World Water Year) she symbolically extended such a role for the Defense of the Rights of the Absolute Woman: Mother Earth while declaring her support for Powerstock, a sustainable electronic music festival that proposes a "water-consciousness" for youth culture and seeks to make sustainability an integral part of mainstream culture. She is involved in many humanitarian causes and currently lives in Paris. AND I LOVE HER.



Oh yeah, music stuff. We've got a gig with 'hot new Warner's signing' Animal Kingdom as part of a secret gig (not so secret now is it?) they're doing at Cross Kings on York Way NEXT WED the 28th Oct. It will be a very busy gig so please come down early, we should be on about 8.30pm. Please CLICK HERE for more info...

CAT FACT NUMBER 18:
The cat's clavicle (or collarbone) does not connect with other bones but is buried in the muscles of the shoulder region. This lack of a functioning collarbone allows them to fit through any opening the size of their head.

Later yeah?

RC x

Bardot's bum

How are we?
First things first. Happy Birthday Bridget Bardot! So what if she turns 75 on Monday? So what if she looks like this now and is a complete f*cking loon? I probably still would (lucky her!).
Oh BB, only you could pull off a catsuit as God awful as the one in this video...



If you're as much of an obsessive Bardot fan as I am, it might interest you to know that a gallery in Mayfair is showing a collection of rare photos of the French sex kitten. God bless them. Here's a taster pic...



Oops! She's naked!

Anyway, Rescue Cat is playing a gig on Monday to wish Bardot a happy 75th. She likes animals and so do I. Come along to Proud Gallery in Camden to see the show. It's a stellar line up featuring electro pop from Columbia's new signing Dansette Junior and soul pop from Zarif. Should be ace. Check this link for more details.

Have a lovely weekend!

CAT FACT 39:
Ancient Egyptian family members shaved their eyebrows in mourning when the family cat died.

Strictly Martina's butt (and Cattersea)

Yes bruv! What's good?
Instead of having to sit through Strictly Come Dancing to placate my girlfriend, I might choose to watch it this time around because sexy coked-up tennis ace Martina Hingis will be one of the contestants. I'm expecting big things from her...



Is she balancing a tennis ball on her arse? Amazing...



Right, standard sexist nonsense out of the way, let's talk about music and cats-two of my favourite things of course!
A couple of weeks ago Bear (our synth player) saw an article about the crisis facing the cattery at Battersea Dogs and Cats home. They were running out of space for the poor little kitties. He suggested doing a benefit show to raise some funds. Click here to see the heartbreaking story!
So, after pulling a few favours with a few people, we put on a show last night at The Abbey in Kentish Town and we managed to raise lots of money for our furry friends!
First up was a musician called Otto Fischer. Unfortunately, he decided to stop halfway through his set and leave so I didn't manage to take any photos of him. He said the immortal words 'Shut the f*ck up, I'm trying to sing' which didn't really help his cause. Anyway, fair play to him for showing up and playing. If I stopped everytime people were talking during my set it would sound like some John Cage opus named 'four hours of silence' or something.
Anyway, next up was yours truly. We introduced our new backing singer Cass to the world, she passed with flying colours. Here's a moody black and white shot..



You can't really make out my top but it's entirely covered in little cat heads. We offered a bottle of champagne for the best cat themed outfit of the night and I won hands down. There were no other entries but that's not the point.

Next up was brummie singer-songwriter David Garside. Lovely stuff from him as usual. His album comes out on Frizz records on the 28th Sept. Check out Rescue Cat's mascot Alan sneaking in the background...



Art terry was next to grace the stage. Imagine if Sly Stone was a children's storyteller or something. Anyway, weird and wonderful stuff from this Californian (via Berlin and London) singer-songwiter.



Last but not least, soulful ska from the lovely Joy Joseph with a guest appearance from Mc Angel and some joker with a cowbell...





Cat related tunes were spun by the famous Indie Dad. Here is the set list if you're interested..
Al Stewart - Year Of The Cat/Robert John - The Lion Sleeps Tonight/Carl
Perkins - Put Your Cat Clothes On/ABBA - The Tiger/Catatonia - I Am The
Mob/The Ramones - Pet Cemetary/Stiff Kittens - Fatboy/Cat -
Catpower/Kittenbirds - You, Me & Jesus/T-Rex - Cat Black/Tom Jones -
what's New Pussycat?/Cat Stevens - Wild World/Buck Owens - I've Got A
Tiger By The Tail/Stray Cats - Runaway Boys/Squeeze - Cool For Cats/Kits
- She's The Number One/The Rooftop Singers - Tom Cat/Chris Barber's Jazz
Band - Wild Cat Blues/Tiger - Race/Extradition Order -
Matches Meet Petrol (RESCUE CAT REMIX)

So, a very cool night. Massive thanks to those of you that got involved and made it down to support the cause, it was much appreciated and those kitties will love you forever! Someone showed me their cat socks at the end of the night but that champagne had my name ALL OVER IT!



CAT FACT NUMBER 34:
Recent studies have shown that cats can see blue and green. There is disagreement as to whether they can see red.

Later yeah?

RC x

'Does Barry Manilow know that you raid his wardrobe?'

It's sad day for all 80s children when John Hughes kicks the bucket. The ultimate 'F*ck you I won't tidy my bedroom' teen-angst film director, Hughes is responsible for one of my all time favourite films, The Breakfast Club.
Aside from the very cheesy 'When you get old your soul dies' last 10 mins, there is some great dialogue and I'll bet, just like me, if you were an impressionable teenage boy watching this film, you wanted to be John Bender! Look how on trend he is with the shirt. Legend!



A little while ago I was arxed by The Mahogany Blog to give them my '10 songs that influenced me' list thing. He did a little profile piece on me and then provided links to the songs I'd chosen. Take a look. Not really sure what it says about my music taste but the AC/DC video is a treat! Please leave a comment on the site too.

Tidy bit on animation here. He's got the cat down to a tee! Especially the chirping noises. Enjoy!



Bored at work? Try this site! Just upload a photo of yourself and you'll be able to see what you would have looked like as a 1950s jock or even a 1960s hippy. Had I graduated high school in 1980, I would have looked like this!



CAT FACT NUMBER 6:

A cat will almost never "meow" at another cat. This sound is reserved for humans.

Later

Pet hates, pop star's nipples and your fortune!

Wha'gwarn?
I'm afriad I'm not feeling that inspired today folks, so I think you all know what that means?! Yep....more tits! I know it's not very original but it's fun none the less I'm sure you'll agree?
Did anyone see those photos of Madonna looking like one of Gunther von Hagen's Bodyworld's pieces?

Ouch! Well, to take your mind of that, here's a picture of her way back in the late 70s when she modelled for some dodgy arty/soft porn photographer. Much better don't you think? Nice pussy too...



I actually owned the Playboy issue from 1985 that published those photos! I got in in New York from the same vintage store that Madge goes into in Desperately Seeking Susan and buys that weird pyramid jacket thing. Alas, the shop isn't there anymore and some f*cker stole my Playboy years ago. Life's a bitch huh?

CAT READS YOUR FORTUNE AND WISHES YOU HAPPITY HOCKS



No, I've no idea what that means either...

On a far more serious note, guardian.co.uk posted a blog a little while ago asking for people's most hated phrases. Unfortunately I couldn't remember my login details or I would have had a field day. Here are a short list of mine...

POPPED IN
'I just popped into the shop quickly'. Oh please f*ck off.

BUMPED INTO
'How funny, I just bumped into Jack in Budgens'. Really? You physically knocked into him? No, you SAW him didn't you? That's it. No f*cking 'bumping' was invloved.

CHAT
'Have you got time for a quick chat?' No, go away you dullard.

CUPPA (often used in conjunction with all of the above to great effect)
'Random! I popped into Starbucks and bumped into Sally. We had a nice chat and a cuppa' DO ONE CHUNKY!

I think the problem I have is that all of the above phrases are used by what I call Normal Bloke TM. The man on the street. Joe Normal. Do you know what I'm getting at? No, nobody else I know seems to understand either. I realise that all of you use these words all the time and have no problem with it. Sorry. Rant over. There are many more phrases that make me want to be sick on my white trousers but I've got more boobs to fit into this blog so I'll save them for next time...

Check dis out doe..


And these...


Jay-Z's done alright for himself considering he looks a bit like a camel.

Right, last but not least, Rescue Cat is playing at 93 Ft East NEXT Friday the 7th August at a club night called Slipped Disco. Should be lots of fun. Please come along. IT'S FREE!



CAT FACT NUMBER 18:

Cat's urine glows under a black light

Later yeah?

RC x