#clive langer

While Costello's calculation to make a hit record paid off (Punch the Clock peaked at #3 in the UK and #24 in the US and included his first US Top 40 single, "Everyday I Write the Book"), it was poorly reviewed and Costello himself later expressed regret for chasing musical "fads."

Yet another gem of a disk that I had zero awareness of when it initially hit the racks.  Not that it caught fire, or to my knowledge was even released in the States.  In fact Clive Langer's stature in his native UK wasn't know primarily on the basis of his namesake, rather his involvement in more renown acts Big in Japan and Deaf School.  For the five song I Want the Whole World Langer wasn't one to dig in his "punk" or "wave" heels, but instead opted for a more natural approach.  In his case, "natural" was loosely akin to what the Kinks were dispensing around the same time (coincidentally, Langer's vocal aplomb wasn't dissimilar to Ray Davies).  Deftly crafted tunes like "Lovely Evening" and "I Know I" are pleasingly sophisticated without resorting to anything pretentious, and are ample proof that the man and his accompanying Boxes boasted considerable talent.  A follow-up LP, Splash, surfaced a year later.

Absolute Beginners by David Bowie - Director: Julien Temple

Little Things by Bush from the album Sixteen Stone - Directed by Matt Mahurin

chewing off my own face as I listen to the lyrics of this song tbh