A Coming Of Age Track by Track pt3 of 12

3. Up In Flames

I am the Resurection by The Stone Roses, Pounding by Doves, Keep on Running by The Spencer Davis Group, Be My Baby by Vanessa Paradis. Snare, Snare, Snare-Kick, Snare-Kick. Every band should have a song with this rhythm and I wanted one for a long, long time. It just makes you want to jump up and down, it’s instantly danceable.

This one started with a few Johnny Marr major seventh chords on the guitar and the Earl Van Dyke piano riff came swiftly after. It probably sounds very Motown on first listen, especially with the multi layered Temptations backing vocals but to me it’s Dexy’s Midnight Runners all the way.

This was one of those tracks in rehearsal that went “Paul can you play this drum beat, Russell here’s the chords play something on top of that, the piano starts up, in comes Ivor and away we go. It really didn’t change much from there on in. I think it was the first or second song we wrote for this album and for me, it could easily be on ‘The Great Unwanted’, it’s a transitional one.

I aimed for a smooth Phillie soul feel with the strings and there’s a few shiny Rhodes keyboards in there but quite consciously didn’t put the horns in to avoid pastiche. Whether that worked or not, I’m not sure, it still sounds pretty 6T’s but it’s all good fun anyhow. It’s not far off the magic 3 minute mark and it’s very poppy lyrically with the usual miserable overtones. It’s really stomping live.

I think this was Art’s first recording for lucky soul. Art came to tune Barbara, my rattly old piano and we hit it off instantly talking about The Staple Singers and Glen Campbell. He has his own band- Art Terry and The Fairies and his music is a wonderful half way point between Curtis Mayfield and Van Dyke Parks. Needless to say he’s an amazing piano player and is almost unbearably cool, and we hope this rubs off on us a little. You can quite often find him entertaining in The Gladstone in Borough which is one of the best little pubs in London.

Oh my I nearly forgot the best thing about this song! When we were in Britannia Row recording this, I think on the 3rd take, Russell’s (I’m gonna call him Rusty from now on) bass amp caught fire. Literally went up in flames! How weird is that? It was a beautiful vintage Fender head as well, such a shame. I had a bit of a wobbly Brian Wilson moment, having only very recently been criticised by our Japanese label for my depressing lyrics, thinking that I’d cursed the entire band with this song. I stopped short of making everyone wear fire helmets though and thought twice before asking if we could bring a horse in the studio for the song ‘Upon Hilly Fields’ which you will find out in a couple of episodes time but for now..

What you gonna do when it all goes up in flames? When your luck’s gone running and your dream’s gone sour and you’ve only got yourself to blame?

Up In Flames by Ruffa Lane Records