PILOT - “January”
Well, first of all, love the intro and instrumental hook - glam guitars arcing over the track like a Red Arrows flypast - but then? The chorus of “January” seems feeble in contrast, with follow-the-bouncing-ball phrasing not exactly helping. So what we have here is a battle of the hooks - one huge, promising a much more expansive track than the mopey shrug the other settles for. I can buy that - he’s tongue-tied as his girl’s leaving, and the skyscraping bits are how he really feels - but this is still an annoyingly lopsided piece of pop. 5
Site powered by
Waldo on February 13th, 2008
I can’t remember Pilot featuring on “New Faeces” but they might as well have done as this was very lightweight indeed and certainly passed by without attracting teenyboppers or any other discernible followers to Pilot’s Edinburgh door. Safe, pleasant and not particularly annoying, “January” was simply something out of nothing from a nothing pop group. Probably sold bucket loads in the Home Counties, a few less in Lambeth, I would suggest. Neither fish nor fowl, this one. It just came and went. Rather like January, really.
Marcello Carlin on February 13th, 2008
Um, the Proclaimers were omitted because I hoped someone would do a Best of Fife thread to incorporate the Skids and Big Country and…um…er…
FT's Lena on February 13th, 2008
…Barbara Dickson and KT Tunstall and Ian Anderson…(wiki says they’re all from there)…
Marcello Carlin on February 13th, 2008
…and The Fence Collective in general! Thanks missus! ;-)
Barbara D usefully had a hit in 1980 entitled “January February.” JUDGE DALE SEZ: “Good single.”
Waldo on February 13th, 2008
What are you two? Richard and Judy, now?
Marcello Carlin on February 13th, 2008
Our Book Club is MUCH better than theirs!
Waldo on February 14th, 2008
Yes, I’m sure that’s right, and I bet you and wifey don’t hoodwink the public with the old phone scam. Ten bob a time. Ker-chink! I thank you!!!
Billy Smart on February 17th, 2008
TOTP Watch: Pilot performed January on Top of the Pops on five occasions, only one of which survives in the archives. This is from the edition of the 2nd of January 1975, presented by Jimmy Saville. Also in the studio that week were Wizzard, The Wombles, Philip & Vanessa, Kenny, Mud and Pan’s People (interpreting ‘Help Me Make It Through The Night’).
Marcello Carlin on February 17th, 2008
Christ, Philip & Vanessa - a cover of “Two Sleepy People” IIRC?
Billy Smart on February 17th, 2008
“Philip & Vanessa featuring the Top of the Pops Orchestra” for complete musical excellence.
Waldo on February 17th, 2008
John Holt made a fine fist of “Help Me Make It…” I would imagine that Pan’s People’s invitation would have been readily snapped up by any bloke with a pulse.
Caledonianne on February 17th, 2008
I’m with Marcello. This is a song for days like today - brilliant blue sky, not a cloud in the sky and a fierce, uncompromising nip in the air. Wondrous, happy bouncy days. It’s one of those songs that always makes me feel happy - like the Alan Price version of Simon Smith and the Amazing Dancing Bear or Dexy’s Come on Eileen.
My Scotland was buzzing in 1974-78 - new sense of political self-confidence, Nats doing well, the national football team qualifying for the World Cup while England was at home twiddling its thumbs;-) Pilot are a genial part of the jigsaw of my then happiness, and for that I thank them.
The host album, Second Flight, is one I still play today and enjoy with a sort of comfort-blanket nostalgia, and I’m not quite sure whether this or Magic was my first-ever purchase from Itunes. In the canon of great Scots intros its up there with the famous saxophone riff from three years hence that heralds the intro of a certain record by my (post-amalgamation) school’s most famous alumnus.
Marcello Carlin on February 18th, 2008
Performed by the man Jimmy Young always insisted on calling R.A.F. Ravenscroft (you see).
Waldo on February 18th, 2008
Yeees, the dancing bear song. A happy, feelgood offering indeed. Of course what wasn’t mentioned in this delightful little ditty is the bit where Simon Smith brays the poor fucked-up creature with a massive stick when it stops dancing.
Billy Smart on February 18th, 2008
Hm, I’ve always read Simon Smith as being a bittersweet song about poverty, more than anything else…
Marcello Carlin on February 18th, 2008
You never can tell with that Randy Newman.
Mark G on February 18th, 2008
Didn’t call him randy for nothin’…
mike on February 18th, 2008
Can I get away with a copy-and-paste reprint from this time three years ago, when “January” popped up on my annual Which Decade Is Tops For Pops Project (which by the most astonishing coincidence has just relaunched on my blog this very evening)?
“…once the “ooh, I remember this one!” thrill has faded, all you’re left with is a rather slight, anaemic confection; nicely turned in several respects, but with some shrill, jarring qualities which tend to jar ever more with repeated listens. It also loses points for disobeying Pop Law, by failing to rhyme fire (FYE-yah!) with desire (diz-EYE-yah!).”
(Sorry I’ve been away, folks. I couldn’t think of anything interesting to say about “Lonely This Christmas”, then the wind changed and I stayed that way…)
Erithian on February 19th, 2008
Marcello (#34) - Christ, Philip and Vanessa would be some trio!
Marcello Carlin on February 19th, 2008
Sadly, Christ was unavailable for contractual reasons.
According to iMDB Philip & Vanessa were Canadian (!!!!!).
Caledonianne on February 19th, 2008
The Newman and Price versions (and Newman is one of my five all-time favourite artists) have always felt very different to me.
Of course perhaps the Geordie Boy was just having a try-out for what later gelled as the jaunty desperation of the Jarrow Song?
(Just finishing the last chapter of Maconie’s Pies and Prejudice, where he’s dealing with Geordies and sundry South Tynesiders, and recognising the Sassenach members of my family in his pen portraits).
Billy Smart on February 19th, 2008
Surely now would be the ideal time for Marcello to capitalise on this interest and put his long-promised Alan Price essay online…
Marcello Carlin on February 19th, 2008
Yes, Bill’s right to pull me up on this. I promised/trailed the Price piece a mere three-and-a-half years ago but then I got a bit lost in that Koons ‘74 jungle and I really need to do something about putting that to bed. I’ve got about 75% of my entry on the Goodies written but that’s as far as I’ve managed to date.
Still the Price thing would be a good stand alone piece so I might try to work it into Blue in the Air sometime in the near future.
Waldo on February 19th, 2008
Oh, and Marcello. Don’t forget your other promised project, that thesis on Scottish boy soprano Neil Reid and his Bobby Goldsboro moment with the temptress that was Molly Weir…
Marcello Carlin on February 19th, 2008
*eats lunch twice*
Erithian on February 19th, 2008
Your mind is one sick place Waldo!
Waldo on February 19th, 2008
I know, buddy. But what you gonna do?
Marcello Carlin on February 20th, 2008
You’ve done it all! You’ve broken every code!
Waldo on February 21st, 2008
Good one, Marcello. And bless you. One tries one’s best!
intothefireuk on March 21st, 2008
I have no problem at all in elevating January to classic status. Yes, Magic was a better song and possibly so good that this pales alongside it but it shouldn’t be dismissed that easily. A bright and breezy pop gem (did The Feeling base their career on this ?) it seems to have aged well chiming more with me now than it ever did then. The soaring lead guitar, high pitched vocals & exquisite production are probably reminiscent of Beatles et al due to the fact that Alan Parsons is on production duties. By the way the first group to be dubbed the New Beatles was almost definitely the Macca produced Badfinger.
Caledonianne on March 24th, 2008
#41 Like the Great Nations of Europe? ;-)