I was a huge fan of the Housemartins. Not quite as hot on the Beautiful South, but I borrowed their cds and boiled it down to one long cdr that I listen to often. Has Heaton produced any really good solo records? I'm certainly not looking for any Housemartin/BSouth re-treads, but has he written any of those catchy records with well thought out lyrics that I admire? Anyone still follow him? His voice was pretty awesome back them.
Paul has one essential solo album: The Cross Eyed Rambler. Don't forget his collaborations with Jacqui Abbott, which are tremendously entertaining. Paul Heaton - The Cross Eyed Rambler Paul Heaton + Jacqui Abbott
Haven't really kept up with his most recent stuff but always thought he was a good songwriter. Beautiful South had a great run of singles in the late 80's to early 90's and what a fantastic record 'A Little Time' was.
I like him, loved the Housemartins and really like quite a lot of The Beautiful South. There is something about his singing style that puts me off, but his melodies and lyrics are good enough to keep me listening.
I've dipped into his solo albums but never really gave them the time they probably deserve. Loved the Housemartins. Great lyrics. Shame they called it a day so early. Still listen to them today. Be nice if there was ever an expanded release of The people who grinned themselves to death like there was with London 0 Hull 4. The Beautiful South splitting over "musical similarities" make me chuckle back in the day as well.
The solo stuff hasn't grabbed me yet, but the 3 albums he's made with Jacqui Abbott are all really good, with plenty of those great lyrics you're looking for. I put him in the top 3 British songwriters of the last 40 years, with Paul Weller and Noel Gallagher.
As a denizen of the East Riding it pains me to say that this most famous resident of Hull is actually the second best songwriter to emerge from the Wirral.
Good question......I always thought that he was up there with Elvis Costello and Ray Davis as a lyricist, perhaps a bit too quintessentially British for major popular acclaim. Before his recent `comeback`, he seems to have been content just hanging out in the pub that he owns and doing occasional performances there. Many years ago I used to have a stall at the Record fairs at Hull City Hall, and the `Housemartins` were regular customers, mainly seeking out `Soul` records. "From Meccano to Legoland, Here they come with a brick in their hand, Men with heads filled up with sand, It's build. It's build a house where we can stay, Add a new bit everyday. It's build a road for us to cross, Build us lots and lots and lots and lots. Whistling men in yellow vans They came and drew us diagrams. Showed us how it all worked out And wrote it down in case of doubt."
New anthology from Paul just released which includes "hits from his days in the Housemartins, through his time in the multi-platinum pop co-operative The Beautiful South, his solo years, and up to the present day in his long-standing collaboration with former Beautiful South singer Jacqui Abbott." Paul Heaton Crowned ‘The Last King Of Pop’ With New Anthology 1. I Gotta Praise - Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott 2. Don't Marry Her - The Beautiful South 3. Poems - Paul Heaton 4. Happy Hour - The Housemartins 5. Moulding Of A Fool - Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott 6. Prettiest Eyes - The Beautiful South 7. Me & The Farmer - The Housemartins 8. Good As Gold (Stupid As Mud) - The Beautiful South 9. Real Hope - Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott 10. You Keep It All In - The Beautiful South 11. The Austerity Of Love - Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott 12. Build - The Housemartins 13. Rotterdam (Or Anywhere) - The Beautiful South 14. She Got The Garden - Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott 15. Old Red Eyes Is Back - The Beautiful South 16. Flag Day - The Housemartins 17. Manchester - The Beautiful South 18. D.I.Y. - Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott 19. Perfect 10 - The Beautiful South 20. I Don't See Them - Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott 21. Song For Whoever - The Beautiful South 22. A Little Time (2018 version) - Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott 23. 7" Singles - Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott
I'm really digging this new version of "A Little Time." I like "7" Singles" too. I may have to get this.
Just got the signed 2LP version of the compilation. Instead of getting an actual signed LP, it looks like they had Heaton sign a flat and then pasted it to the regular album cover. May not have an opportunity to listen to this for a few days...
Yes, I absolutely love him and his songwriting, which is 1st-rate. (Having said that, I haven't listened to his solo albums yet.) His lyrics and style have never seemed overly British to me, the way Ray Davies' or Damon Albarn's do. I can totally get into his worldview, which I can't with those guys. As a songwriter, I'd rate him above Noel-3-chord-Dad-rock-Gallagher and Paul-nobody-cares-about-me-except-Brits-Weller. Those guys are boring and humorless, by comparison. Heaton's stuff is hilarious, witty, sharp, pointed, and purposeful. Very accessible, too, as I mentioned. I think the best album so far was Welcome to the Beautiful South. But everyone needs that Housemartins compilation with the blue sleeve.
Ok so I finally had some time to look at this, and have to say it’s one of the stupider packaging ideas I’ve seen. The other day I noticed the still shrink-wrapped 2LP wasn’t signed on the cover, but instead had an album flat/slick that was signed and stuck on the cover and then shrink-wrapped. So I take the shrink off and now I see they affixed the signed slick to the ALREADY SEALED gatefold album. What’s the point in that? If I want to look at the inner gatefold I have to remove the shrink and then I no longer have a signed album.
My reaction too...I was expecting the usual remake...slightly modern sounding but pretty much the same song....that wasn't what they did at all. I don't know if I like it yet but I do think it was a cool thing to try.
I thought that it was really good. Saw Heaton backing Madness a few years back and he was excellent - Caravan of Love was stunning live, and I am really only a casual fan of his - talented bloke.
Interesting insight into the world of Paul Heaton. Never realised that their were underlying tensions in the Housemartins! Wondered why Stan Cullimore wasn't featured?
