Friday, October 19, 2012

Sheriff Jack - Let's Be Nonchalant ep (1986, Midnight)

This is one of the more interesting UK retro discoveries I've come across in the past few months.  Sheriff Jack was the brainchild of Lewis Taylor, who eventually parlayed his avant-leaning proclivities into a solo career in the '90s and '00s.  The Let's Be Nonchalant ep, however isn't particularly madcap, and in fact it's wondrous opening salvo “Buy Everybody a Cake” bursts out of the starting gate, fusing the best parts of the Soft Boys and the Records into a dazzling jangle-rock melange.  From what I've been able to discern in my online findings, Taylor has frequently been likened to Robyn Hitchcock.  "We're Gonna Be in Love" is far less overwhelming, but of the three remaining tracks here, it's the closest in ethos to "Cake."  The trumped-up trumpets that dominate "Whatcha Gonna Do?" is anathema to my brass-phobic ears, but "Buttered Slice of Democracy" compensates with a rhythmic aplomb that faintly touches on what Gang of Four and APB were trying to accomplish just a few years prior.  Two albums followed Nonchalant, Laugh Yourself Awake in 1986, and a year later, the facetiously dubbed What Lovely Melodies!   Evidently, Laugh Yourself... offers a rendition of Big Star's "Back of a Car."  Both albums are available from Amazon downloads, Emusic, and one would assume iTunes.  

01. Buy Everybody a Cake
02. We're Gonna Be in Love
03. Whatcha Gonna Do?
04. Buttered Slice of Democracy

Hear

10 comments:

Beefheart Smiles said...

http://beefheartsmiles.blogspot.com.ar/

This is it.

I already placed your site in my list of blogs.

Cheers!
Mariano

Rolo Tomasi said...

Great song Buy Everybody a Cake, thanks for sharing

. said...

I never knew this was Lewis Taylor! I had this back in the day, remember enjoying it and would love to hear it again, now I know the Taylor connection.

Any chance of a re-up? Please?

spavid said...

The link has been updated.

. said...

Thank you very much indeed!

Unknown said...

Sheriff Jack also released another EP back in 1986. Everybody Twist included three tracks not available on either the Laugh Yourself Awake or What Lovely Melodies albums. Any chance that you coulde upload a link if possible?

spavid said...

The link has been updated. I don't have Everybody Twisst. Sorry.

noisyneil said...

Big LT fan here. Just thought I'd mention the blatant lift from Jimi's Ezy Rider in Buttered Slice. There, I did it. :-)

Unknown said...

Noisynell. where is the blatant Jimi rip-off on Buttered Slice? I don't notice it at all

Unknown said...

Spavid. Everybody Twist EP is available on iTunes. was issued a couple of years ago.