Ed Ball : Classic / Dud

I understand that Rev-Ola (in their initial Creation incarnation) issued an CD of O Level and Teenage Filmstars recordings, called "A Day In The Life Of Gilbert And George". I've never seen it. I knew a fellow who claimed to have a CD-R of the thing, in America.

what is classic is calling every ed ball record classic regardless of content.

plus i enjoyed the lounge-core album.

what is classic is calling every ed ball record classic regardless of content.

Very cunning, Doomie. You're leaving it up to us to guess which use of the word 'classic' there means 'dud'.

What Momus calls obsequious upthread, most people just call "being a nice bloke". The idea that ED BALL, of all things represents "all that was wrong with Creation Records" just beggars belief.

Ed wrote some of my all-time favourite songs and played on lots of great albums. More than most people. More than Momus. The first four Times albums and the first four Television Personalities for starters. They are all great albums. Another good late period album is "If A Man Ever Loved A Woman" which preceeded Catholic Guilt. I still have not heard the O-Level disc though.

I think his role in the TVPs gets underplayed. There's a really depressing TVPs doc on youtube which completely ignores him, focussing mostly on Dan and his drug and drink issues. My feeling is that Ed was as important as Dan in that band. I doubt Dan would be performing today if Ed wasn't around.

I still have not heard the O-Level disc though.

I found this pretty randomly for a buck or two a couple of years back!

I think all my Times albums were cheap random discoveries. But that one has proved elusive. I'll get it one day.

i agree about ball's importance to early TVPs, but the stuff he's done without dan (that i've heard) is k-boring.

I thought "CG" was OK, so I guess that "man/woman" is one to find.

I admit I never heard the loungecore album.

I should take it to Spotify, I gues.s..

A Day in the Life of Gilbert & George has The Times, Teenage Filmstars, and O Level. Patchy but some fantastic tracks, like

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3cB74P1TWkE

it starts exactly like Part Time Punks!

Always loved that one...

I have never heard of Teenage Filmstars, tho aware of TVPs, and just got listening to Star, and while it's pretty erratic, when it's good it's GREAT imo. There are all kinds of things that surprise and delight, like yesterday I was listening to those weird martial/marching snares on Flashes, and I can't figure if I've ever even heard that before. Someone had to have done that before?

Well, Mull of Kintyre LOL. There's a bit of it on Little Boy Soldiers by the Jam, which is barely worth mentioning as it doesn't sound anything like the Teenage Filmstars. But of course the entire track sounds like a blueprint for the Times.

So, have plunged in, a bit, and found cheap (enough) copies of "If a man...", "Why do I need a gun.." and the Times' "Alternate Crossover". And the Teenage Filmstars "Buy our record" and "Rocket Charms" for balance/unbalance..

I did find "The wonderful world of Ed Ball" a year or so ago. Tippa Irie? OK..