REVIEWS:
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(reviewed by Rob Eustace)
HIGH POINTS: The Paperboy Song, Baz's Party, Jilted John, I was a Pre-Pubescent, I Know I'll Never, Shirley. LOW POINTS: Karen's Letter
The late 70's UK New Wave movement threw up some incredible artists and equally incredible albums of which Jilted John is surely one. Graham Fellows (aka Jilted John) a Manchester drama student gave birth to an album which many may view as blatant opportunism at a time when you could practically release anything and get away with it. Others may equally cast it aside as naive childish nonsense, but in reality it's a whole lot more than that and potentially an influencial piece of work and possibly one of the great concept albums of the era and maybe even of all time.
Released in December 1978 during the period that Sham 69 were taking Harry down the pub and The Dickies were covering "Banana Splits", Jilted John rode in on the crest of the same wave at had brought in the likes of Ian Dury & Elvis Costello and hit the higher reaches of the UK charts with the parent albums infectious title track. These were truly strange days indeed, following the 1976/77 period when the movement was all anarchy, aggression, and kill the rich, a new stream of artists were breaking through with tongues firmly in cheeks, taking the "anyone can make a record" motto and doing just that.
Fellows had wandered into records shops, asked questions and eventually sent demo's to Rabid Records who liked what they heard. Rabid released the "Jilted John/Going Steady" single which quickly picked local interest, it soon also attracted the attention of the popular music press and more importantly the eternally respected John Peel. Before long the major labels had sat up and taken notice and the single was subsequently re-issued through EMI and shot into the top 5 of the UK singles charts. The sight of Fellows performing in his anorak on Top of the Pops was a sight to behold amongst the second wave of sneering "plastic" new wave acts such as The Skids, The Members and good old Billy Idol (with his Generation X) who could never seriously hope to follow the trail that The Pistols, The Clash, The Damned or The Buzzcocks had walked during the previous summers.
Jilted John had matured into a kind of Morrissey forerunner by the time the album was recorded. The album gloriously tells tales of all things adolescent, everything is contained from girls and broken hearts through to teenage drinking, paper rounds and puberty. Fellows vocal styling had changed a little for the album, the hilariously camp delivery of "Going Steady" and "Jilted John" had been replaced by what can only be described as a slightly more professional singing voice, but the albums subject matter made it instantly accessible to any 70's teenager. Musically the album is built around quick fire piano/synth led melodies with sharp punchy percussion, nothing ground breaking at all, but everything here is wonderfully catchy, drawing you in with it's gloriously humorous tales.
The first side of the album deals with everything from teenage house parties in the form of "Baz's Party", "I'm drinking as fast as I can, while we all sing Telegram Sam" John declares, and following a failed female liaison everything culminates with the host throwing up in the lavatory, ingenious. "I Know I'll Never" and "I was a Pre-Pubescent" deal with the commonly accepted view that your schooldays are the best days of your life. The catch is of course that in reality most of us never fully accept that fact until much later in life, John knows differently however telling the joys of being 12 years old and sums it up by stating "I've got no worries cause I live for today, and I know I'll never reach puberty". The remainder of side one continues the teenage years theme hilariously, along the way he deals with pet relationships in "Fancy Mice" and more familiar relationships through "Jilted John" and "The Birthday Kiss". "Jilted John" is a re-working of the classic single and is not quite as sharp as the original, "Birthday Kiss" was the follow up that bombed despite John Peel playing it every night for what seemed like months.
The second side of the album kicks off with the fabulous "The Paperboy Song", never a truer word has been spoken on vinyl "before we went we I usually, nicked some penny chews and bubbly", the track ends by introducing the theme for the remainder of the album, the joys of teenage romance "she asked if I wanted to buy anything, and I said no I'm quite happy just looking". The remainder of the set delightfully handles Disco's, Bus Shelters, Chip Shops, Love Letters and running away to the big city. If you grew up in the UK during the 70's you can instantly relate to practically everything that's going on during this album, and if any of the subject matter didn't happen to you personally, you'll sure as hell know someone to whom it did.
Jilted John was a welcome relief appearing when it did at time when newsagents shelves were stacked with magazines with titles such as "Punks not Dead". Not dead?, Siouxsie would soon be covering Lennon/McCartney, The Pistols were covering Cochran and Sinatra, Poly Styrene had turned to religion and Hugh Cornwell had started crooning, make your own mind up. The second "plastic generation" earlier mentioned believed they could simply pick up where the first wave of acts had dropped off, they couldn't have been more wrong and Jilted John laughed squarely in the face of these acts. Punk was inevitably important in that it paved the way for acts like Fellows to be able to get a deal and release such and album, and it surely livened up a desolate disco drenched wasteland that was simply stagnating during 1975-76. But you couldn't replicate the energy, influence and effect that the first new wave bands brought to the table no more than you could replicate the formula of The Beatles or The Stones 15 years earlier, in essence Billy Idol was to the Pistols what Billy J Kramer was to The Beatles, or what The Yardbirds were to The Stones.
Jilted John is an awesome late 70's album born out of the new wave ideals and but laughing at the movement rather than taking a part in it. It is widely appreciated by all those who come in contact with it, Damon Albarn and Jarvis Cocker are apparently two of it's more recognised followers. Anyone growing up during 70's should experience this album at least one as it's wonderfully entertaining from start to finish. Those who feel Morrissey speaks to them really should also listen to what Mr Fellows had to say, it maybe a little more humorous than "Suffer Little Children" or "Pretty Girls Make Graves" but it's also frighteningly honest.
Despite the original 1978 vinyl release only selling 15,000 copies Jilted John thankfully managed to secure a CD release via the incredible Castle label in the UK, and this disc is a most treasured possession even if they sadly couldn't include the Snakes and Ladders game contained within the sleeve of the original, simply stunning.
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