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Heavenly: Heavenly vs Satan – album review
Heavenly: Heavenly vs Satan (Skep Wax) Vinyl Only Out now Available here Heavenly, formed from the smouldering ashes of Talulah Gosh in Oxford in 1989. The debut album Heavenly vs Satan has been reissued on vinyl only via Skep Wax. The band were one of the pioneers of Indiepop. While the punk noise of Talulah […]
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Heavenly: Heavenly vs Satan
(Skep Wax)
Vinyl Only
Out now
Available here
Heavenly, formed from the smouldering ashes of Talulah Gosh in Oxford in 1989. The debut album Heavenly vs Satan has been reissued on vinyl only via Skep Wax.
The band were one of the pioneers of Indiepop. While the punk noise of Talulah Gosh had exploded and expired, they retained the energy and attitude of their former band and used it to fuel catchy, infectious pop melodies. The influence of 60s girl groups was never far from the surface. This was girl-pop, but with the girls in control. Loved by many but derided as ‘twee’ by some.
Heavenly released four albums in the early 1990s. The vinyl is hard to obtain these days, so Skep Wax (owned by band members Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey are beginning a re-issue campaign for all four over a two year period. Each album will include a 7” booklet with lyrics and new sleeve notes by the members of the band.
Recorded in the Oxfordshire countryside, the first Heavenly album was a bid to make a pure pop record. It’s true that the punk influences aren’t hard to discern (drummer Mathew’s favourite band was The Ramones), but it’s Pete’s elegant guitar and Amelia’s melodies and multi-layered harmonies that win out on these recordings.
When Heavenly played live it was a different story: the band was driven by Mathew’s and Rob’s energetic rhythm section, and the guitar amps were turned up. Mathew refused to play ‘Shallow’ – possibly the most popular track on the album – as it was too slow for his tastes. Audiences often complained, demanding a performance of their favourite song. Mathew gave in with a smile, but made sure the band played it at top speed.
Originally released as an eight-track album by Sarah Records in 1991, this Skep Wax re-issue of Heavenly vs Satan includes the first two Sarah Records singles – I Fell In Love Last Night/Over And Over and Our Love Is Heavenly/Wrap My Arms Around Him
Snap it up now before it’s too late!
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Listen to Iain Key’s Interview with Amelia Fletcher and Rob Pursey on Louder Than War Radio here
All words by Iain Key. See his author profile here or see him on Twitter as @iainkey
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Source: louderthanwar.com
