The Music - The Truth is No Words

The final 7" I bought from The Music's first album (and maybe the final 7" they released from it? There weren't that many more songs on it that weren't already singles!) was The Truth is No Words. It’s arguably a better song than Getaway, but lacks vocally - we know the guy can sing, so why he doesn't try on the verses here is beyond me. The b-side, What's It For is another simple acoustic song that would have sounded thoroughly out of place on the album. It's fine, but I certainly wouldn't consider it a vital part of their back-catalogue.

As a final note, I do enjoy the consistent art style they went for over the first EPs, singles and album - it's simple but it works. Whilst picture discs sound shit because the vinyl is so thin, this artwork was surely always begging to be on a picture disc like these ones.

Format: 7", picture disc

Tracks: 2

Cost: £1.50 new

Bought: HMV Winchester

When: 17/02/03

Colour: Picture disc

Etching: none

mp3s: no

The Music - Getaway

Getaway was another single from The Music's debut album, and another 7" picture disc I bought a record fair for £3, just a few months after buying Take the Long Road and Walk It. As a single Getaway isn't as strong as the others, but it's fine.

The b-side here is Dragon Song, another non-album track. Unlike Alone it wouldn't have sounded out of place on the album, but possibly didn't make the cut because it just wasn't as good. It's also a fine song for the band, but doesn't really do anything they'd already done on a bunch of other songs on the album.

Format: 7", picture disc
Tracks: 2
Cost: £3 new
Bought: Record Fair, Southampton
When: 25/01/03
Colour: Picture disc
Etching: none
mp3s: no

The Music - Take the Long Road and Walk It

Take the Long Road and Walk It was one of the singles released from The Music's debut, self-titled album. The People had got a lot of play on MTV ahead of the album release and I'd bought a copy as soon as it came out. I found this 7" at a record fair in Southampton and was fairly happy to add it to my little collection of The Music records. At that age, picture discs were an appealing thing, rather than the pain I know them to as an adult.

It's still a fun song, and very representative of what they were doing at the time. I can't say I play this 7” very often (ever), but I can vividly remember the appeal of the band. The b-side is a slow, mostly acoustic song called Alone; it’s not remotely like anything else the band had released up to that point, but it kinda works. The singer's voice is stretched in different ways, but it's good to hear. I have a few more The Music 7"s, and I probably bought them partly because I enjoyed this b-side so much.

Format: 7", picture disc
Tracks: 2
Cost: £3 new
Bought: Record Fair, Southampton
When: 26/10/02
Colour: Picture disc
Etching: none
mp3s: no

The Music - You Might As Well Try to Fuck Me

I just wrote about The Music's The People EP, but before that 12" came out, they released an EP called You Might As Well Try to Fuck Me. I found this record for about £2 in Newbury Comics in Boston about nine months after it came out; it was a very long way from where the band were from.

I have no idea how well the band went down in the States (although the price tag on this, presumably, imported 12" suggested not very well) but I can see how a music exec might have seen their potential over the pond. Bands like Q And Not U and Les Savy Fav were doing very interesting things with indie music and they had the potential to fit in well with that arty New York crowd. On the other hand, they were incredibly British and I suspect the States were still trying to get over Britpop too.

The title track is a bit more traditionally rocky than how the first album turned out, which is possibly why it wasn't included. The other songs are a mixed bag - Karma is a slower, trippier affair (comparisons to The Verve are rife here), Treat Me Right On has an annoying bit of guitar in the verses but a surprisingly heavy chorus, and Too High sprawls (for even longer than on the album); as an epic closer, it actually benefits from being a bit longer.

Much like The People EP, I'm surprised at how well this 12" has aged.

Format: 12", picture sleeve

Tracks: 4

Cost: £2.10 new

Bought: Newbury Comics, Boston

When: 05/08/02

Colour: Black

Etching: none

mp3s: no

The Music - The People

Who remembers The Music? For a short while, they were the hottest new thing. It was 2002; Britpop was long dead and indie bands had begun crossing over with dance music. It was the perfect scenario for a band like The Music to rise to prominence.

This is The People EP, a four-song 12" featuring one of the highlights from their debut album. As a song, The People stands up quite well - you can see why it was very popular at the time - it's upbeat, something you could dance to or sing along to. The singer had a very distinctive northern accent, one that would have been very familiar to people who had lived through The Verve and the other big indie bands from the north in the 90's. But it's also quite a smooth voice and complimented the songs well.

The other songs on the EP are fine, but you can see why they weren't album cuts. I found this 12" about a year after it was released in Soho for £4. I had a bunch of their 7"s and thought it'd be a good addition. Plus, I think at that point I was still quite enjoying the band. Needless to say, this record hasn't had a lot of play in the last 10 years or so, but it's aged far better than I expected it to have.

Format: 12", picture sleeve
Tracks: 4
Cost: £4 new
Bought: Soho
When: 07/03/03
Colour: Black
Etching: none
mp3s: no