Post by bencat on Jul 19, 2023 13:17:40 GMT
This is a personal one for me and in my view Colin was never as well known as I think he should have been . It may well be that others disagree so loading up a first initial write up and leave it to those reading it to decide if I should complete the next part .
Colin Vearncombe - AKA Black
This is an artist that I love and have done ever since seeing him live early in his career . Colin was Liverpool born and started out with local punk bands which were not really ever taken up . In most cases any bands were collections of players show casing Colins songs .
His first album on A&M was Wonderful Life which was the main song everybody knows Black for . This was in fact the second chart hit as a re-release as Sweetest Smile charted before it . Colin was often conflicted by this song as he felt it was all any one knew but he also said that it put his children through school . Much later on he came to trems with it and embraced it for the wonderful song it was . Wonderful Life was done on a budget and as a result there are less live players and more sampled synth instruments . But with Colin it is the voice that deep languid tone that reminds you of Scott Walker and others.
Second album was also on A&M and this was Comedy . More rich and powerful songs but also some really joyous numbers like Now Your Gone with wonderful strings and then that voice . The rest are excellent as well and this becomes a theme with Colins work the quality of the songs is very high .
Next comes one of his best works and his last release with A&M Black is just a very strong album with really strong tunes and great vocal performances all of them are good and deserve a listen but Feel Like Change and Fly Up to the Moon with Sam Brown are just wonderful . Colin has now grown in to his work as a vocalist and performer and really does make me feel he could sing the telephone directory and I would still sit entranced .
Next album was published by his own label Nero Schwartz and this would be the case until his last album . Are We Having Fun Yet is Colin’s nod to the jibe that all of his songs are miserable . This has some really wonderful music on it and is just amazing in the quality and grandeur that some of these songs achieve .
I am going to take a break now and leave anyone that wants to to have a read and hopefully search out some of this music . If the feeling is that it is positive then will continue with the rest of his albums . But if you are interested then Colin Vearncombe website can help fill in the rest and other details
This is an artist that I love and have done ever since seeing him live early in his career . Colin was Liverpool born and started out with local punk bands which were not really ever taken up . In most cases any bands were collections of players show casing Colins songs .
His first album on A&M was Wonderful Life which was the main song everybody knows Black for . This was in fact the second chart hit as a re-release as Sweetest Smile charted before it . Colin was often conflicted by this song as he felt it was all any one knew but he also said that it put his children through school . Much later on he came to trems with it and embraced it for the wonderful song it was . Wonderful Life was done on a budget and as a result there are less live players and more sampled synth instruments . But with Colin it is the voice that deep languid tone that reminds you of Scott Walker and others.
Second album was also on A&M and this was Comedy . More rich and powerful songs but also some really joyous numbers like Now Your Gone with wonderful strings and then that voice . The rest are excellent as well and this becomes a theme with Colins work the quality of the songs is very high .
Next comes one of his best works and his last release with A&M Black is just a very strong album with really strong tunes and great vocal performances all of them are good and deserve a listen but Feel Like Change and Fly Up to the Moon with Sam Brown are just wonderful . Colin has now grown in to his work as a vocalist and performer and really does make me feel he could sing the telephone directory and I would still sit entranced .
Next album was published by his own label Nero Schwartz and this would be the case until his last album . Are We Having Fun Yet is Colin’s nod to the jibe that all of his songs are miserable . This has some really wonderful music on it and is just amazing in the quality and grandeur that some of these songs achieve .
I am going to take a break now and leave anyone that wants to to have a read and hopefully search out some of this music . If the feeling is that it is positive then will continue with the rest of his albums . But if you are interested then Colin Vearncombe website can help fill in the rest and other details
