In spite of being “odd birds even by English rock standards”
(from the 1992 edition of the Rolling
Stone Album Guide), the Housemartins may be the best band that almost no
one on this side of the pond has ever heard of, a “sweet-voiced quartet whose
albums blended gloriously melodic guitar pop with stridently moralistic lyrical
invective. … [Their first LP] sheathes its political agenda in an almost
irresistible string of melodies, casting the songs in such energetically
tuneful terms that you almost don’t notice the pro-temperance message of ‘Happy
Hour’ or the anti-conformity diatribe hidden within the lush harmonies of ‘Sheep’”.
This compilation pretty much has it all, with its 24 tracks
pushing the limits of the CD medium at over 78 minutes. “Happy Hour” and “Every
Day’s The Same” are the most upbeat musically; the former did get plenty of
airplay on WHFS (and presumably on other similarly-progressive counterparts).
“Flag Day” is the most biting and passionate, while “Caravan Of Love” and “He
Ain’t Heavy” demonstrate what they could do with a capella renditions of songs originally written and performed by others; the former
actually hit #1 in the UK. Despite the frequent bleakness of their lyrics, the
band maintained a sense of humor: the liner notes for this compilation document
the number of copies several of their singles sold in New Zealand (80 for
“Sheep”), and the CD version of their first album features on its cover the
phrase "16 songs – 17 hits!".
Trivia note: bassist Norman Cook went on to become much
better known as DJ and producer Fatboy Slim.
Favorite Tracks:
Every Day’s The Same
Think For A Minute!
He Ain’t Heavy
Bow Down
Build
Hopelessly Devoted To Them
Sheep
