Submit Response is a weblog by Jack Mottram, a The Vaselines
This morning I had to write a short piece on The Vaselines, justifying their inclusion in a forthcoming list of the 50 Greatest Scottish Bands… Ever! (I don’t think it’ll be called that, but you get the idea.)
It was quite a tricky proposition. Sure, you can say things about their combination of effortlessly crafted pop songs and a shambling, inept, erm, sub-pop style. Or go on for a bit about how much Kurt Cobain liked them. And I did. But - and bands like this are rarer than hen’s teeth - there’s no way you can persuade someone to love The Vaselines by comparison to other bands, or lengthy eulogies to their short-lived genius, or daft journalese cant sugggesting that they sound like Lou Reed shagging all the Supremes at the same time. Nope, you have to play them Son Of A Gun. And then they will love The Vaselines too.
So, on the offchance anyone reading hasn’t heard it before: The Vaselines - Son Of A Gun (4.4MB MP3).
(The above file will only be available for a limited time, and is intended as an encouragement to buy The Way Of The Vaselines: A Complete History, or similar. Go on, what are you waiting for? And if any ex-Vaselines, or their pals, are reading and don’t like this music sharing lark, let me know and I’ll take down the file.)
i just recently started listening to the vaselines. i’d heard of them of course, because of nirvana, and kurt’s rather zealous gospel spreading. But it wasn’t until a couple of weeks ago, when i happened to see the way of the vaselines in a record store, that i’d even heard the real versions of their songs (as opposed to the nirvana covers).
…it blew me away, it’s so cute and unpretentious, without being annoyingly twee. and what can i say… i’m in love with this band!
Posted by Annalise at 3am on 01.10.04