Wayward Genius of Martin Newell

Artist: Martin Newell
Label: Cherry Red UK
Category: Music

Average customer rating:

Media: Audio CD
Number Of Discs: 1
EAN: 5013929115422
ASIN: B00000ILLO

Release Date: 2006-04-06

Wayward Genius of Martin Newell

Related Categories:

General

| Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Britpop

| British Alternative | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Indie Rock

| Indie & Lo-Fi | Alternative Rock | Styles | Music

Neo-Psychedelia

Britain

General

| Rock | Styles | Music

Pop Rock

| Pop | Styles | Music

Tracks:

Julie Profumo - Cleaners from Venus
Drowning Butterflies - Cleaners from Venus
Living With Victoria Grey - Cleaners from Venus
Girl on a Swing - Cleaners from Venus
Blue Swan - Cleaners from Venus
World Strikes One - The Brotherhood of Lizards
Summer in a Small Town - Cleaners from Venus
I Will Haunt Your Room - Martin Newell
Mercury Girl - Cleaners from Venus
She Rings the Changes - Martin Newell
Clockwork Train - The Brotherhood of Lizards
Miss Van Houten's Coffee Shop - Martin Newell
Dark Lovely Daughter of the Trashman - Cleaners from Venus
Former Phonebox Vandal - Martin Newell
Popular Girl - Martin Newell
Mad March Hare - Cleaners from Venus
Johnny the Moondog Is Dead - Cleaners from Venus
It Could Have Been Cheryl - The Brotherhood of Lizards
Goodbye Dreaming Fields - Martin Newell
Albion's Daughter - Cleaners from Venus
Jangling Man - Martin Newell

Similar Items:

Living With Victoria Grey: The Very Best Of Cleaners from Venus
Tones of Town

Album Description

21 track 'best of', including cuts from his albums 'The Off White Album' & 'The Greatest Living Englishman', which XTC'sAndy Partridge produced & played drums on most of the tunes. Includes 'Miss Van Houten's Coffee Shop', 'Albion's Daughter', 'Living With Victoria Grey' and 'Clockwork Train'. 1999 release. The full title is 'The Wayward Genius Of Martin Newell'.

Album Details

23 Track 'Best Of' Collection featuring Solo Tracks as Well as Cleaners of Venus Tracks. XTC'S Andy Partridge Produced and Performs on Several Tracks.

Customer Reviews:

UK secret pop weapon.......2006-11-04

It's a crime that I had to discover this on Little Hits. I never heard of him before this summer only to discover someone who has been around for over 2 decades with a quality and quantity of music to rival Robert Pollard.

One of the best talents in pop and rock, bar none.......2006-06-15

I learned about Martin Newell from articles in the late '90s in both the Chicago Reader and the Chicago Tribune which spoke at length about Newell's infectiously catchy songwriting and shimmering vocals, and about how he might have become a famous pop star were it not for his tendency to run in the opposite direction from what is usually termed "success" in the music business. Were it not for this I believe he would have had at least several hits with the songs in this collection, and his name might have become something like a household word in the '80s. I honestly believe that as an overall musical talent (singer, songwriter, musician) he is up there with McCartney, Sting, and Elton John. Songs like "Mad March Hare" and "Goodbye Dreaming Fields" stand up against anything that the aforementioned superstars ever did, and in fact given a choice - if I had to choose only one CD to take with me to a desert island - I would choose this one. If you love British pop, you will be able to hear how Newell has absorbed the whole ethos of that style, improved on it, and moved it forward. You hear little borrowings such as the Beatles' "Till There Was You" in "Clockwork Train" or traces of the Hollys sound in his lush backing vocals (all done by Newell) that only enhance your appreciation of his work without ever sounding derivative or recycled. Being a guitar player and songwriter myself, I admire the fact that his songs, while almost always featuring Newell on guitar, never sound like they're written on guitar, but rather sound like they've been composed and arranged by someone with musical training, which I don't believe Newell, who didn't finish school, ever had. Sure, some of the tunes were recorded on a shoestring budget with Newell himself engineering and producing, but to me Newell's sheer talent punches through any limitations in production, and even calls into question the need for extravagant production when you're recording a truly talented musician. I would recommend this collection to anyone who grew up with the British Invasion and loved the music, and would like to hear more of it by way of this wayward genius.

Love this stuff........2004-08-23

Maybe Martin Newell is an acquired taste. It may account for his scant appearance on the US rock radar screen. But, if you like the Beatles, XTC, Elvis Costello or any British rock with witty lyrics and a creative "vintage" sound, Newell's your man. And I couldn't think of a better introduction.

This album includes a smattering of fantastic songs from all periods of his career--from early band days to a his collaboration with Andy Partridge of XTC on the album The Greatest Living Englishman. Newell thinks the Partridge stuff is his best, but I beg to differ. While great, I prefer his early work with the Cleaners from Venus and The Brotherhood of Lizards. Best cuts--Drowning Butterflies (a spartan dirge of jangling guitar and a soaring ending), Girl on a Swing (pop in its highest form), I Will Haunt Your Room (a lovely tribute to love after death), Clockwork Train (terrific lyrics, catchy as hell), and on and on.

Thank God the major labels are dead. Long live rock.

Lovers of songcraft, unite.......2000-01-22

Martin Newall is a singer/songwriter whose Englishness will hit you over the head like a cricket bat with every tune. And since almost all well-structured, intelligent pop songs tend to come from English artists, that's a good thing - like the great mid-60's Kinks albums (Face to Face, Something Else, Village Green)or the last six or seven albums by XTC, Newall delights in chronicling the small pleasures of English life, with occasional bursts of social commentary. His songs feature good melodies, plenty of harmonies, and interesting chord changes that should please those who admire clever structures in their music instead of "beats" and "grooves."

This compilation culls tracks from his entire career, in which he recorded as the Cleaners from Venus, the Brotherhood of Lizards, and simply as Martin Newall. (Don't worry - despite the occasional assist from a friend or two, Newall writes, sings, and plays almost everything in his inimitable style, regardless of the name under which it was recorded.) Newall records most of his songs at home (early recordings are from 4-track cassette!)and started releasing them only in small quantities as singles, or as cassette-only releases by mail order, before his cult grew and his albums began to be distributed more widely. This CD is therefore a godsend for the new fan, offering a broad introduction to his work before attempting to hunt down his many other releases. The drum machines and jangly guitar sounds date some of the Eighties tracks, and the flat (but certainly not poor) fidelity resulting from their "homemade" origins, will bother some - however, it's all charming in its emphasis on the song rather than the production technique, and unlike other "low-fi"/"indie" releases by other bands, nothing is sloppily performed or self-indulgent. This is thoughtful, tuneful, and tasteful.

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