The beat breaks down so we pick it up
World of Twist were never a lucky band, and prone to bad timing. Their album came out midway between press fads baggy and shoegazing, and nobody much bought it. They lost a deal and I heard – vaguely – about all sorts of feuds and bad business deals: lead Twist Tony Ogden kicked around the indie scene a bit working on other bands (like Mum and Dad) and when I paid attention I caught rumours of reissues and suchlike – some overdue affection and notice for a cult act. Then yesterday the news broke that Ogden had died. Bad timing, even in death – Arthur Lee died the next morning and that’s a much bigger story.
Quality Street was one of those records I wanted to love from the moment I picked it up. I thought the look was terrific - Northern disreputables in shabby Regency chic – and the titles enticed. “The Spring”, “The Lights”, “The Storm”. I knew “The Storm” already – dark and cheap Casio psychedelia. The rest didn’t disappoint, even if some of the tracks were shakily produced or a little rough round the edges. The sound, if you don’t know it, is sixties-influenced and about halfway between the Happy Mondays and pre-stardom Pulp: pop, but peeling at the edges. (The look didn’t lie). Like those bands, I never went off World Of Twist even when I was at my most anti-indie: every time I put the record on, I’d be scared it wouldn’t stand up; every time, I listened through to the end.
Sadly but aptly for a band which seemed to be in everyone else’s shadow, the one ‘fact’ about WoT on the 6Music news reports was that Oasis almost named themselves “Sons Of The Stage” after a Twist song. Oasis were never fit to tug World of Twist’s tassles but here at least they showed good taste. “Sons Of The Stage” is excellent, and so is “The Storm”, “Sweets”, even their cover of “She’s A Rainbow” has grown on me over the years.
They had an instrumental called “The Sausage”. Pop is a sadder place today.
That’s very sad. Sweets I remember as being one of my favourite songs from that late baggy era, along with the oft-discussed Perfume by the Paris Angels. The other ‘fact’ about World Of Twist, I suppose, is that they are namechecked in a (rather fine) Saint Etienne song. – Mark M
Nice tribute.
“Unlucky” indeed. I bought Quality Street on vinyl, then managed to scratch it badly about 2 days later. The vinyl accentuated the dodgy production values that you mention as well. In theory, still one of my favourite 90s records, even if it never gets played.
Don’t know how rare this is, but there’s a cracking WoT track called “New Electric Pop And Soul” on the Icerink label sampler We Are Icerink (link).
World of Twist were lumped in with the Madchester bands but they weren’t really part of that! WoT were sadly one of the greatest bands never to come out of Manchester.
I have never heard of this band before – I’m quite glad because they sound like the inspiral carpets produced by Pete Waterman