I Get Water From Wine--William Arthur and Glide after 10 Years--I Don't Want To Show My Insides Today

Take The Chip Off My Shoulder

I heard about the fantastic Australian alternative band Glide late in the game, via the Big Takeover magazine and greatly enjoyed their final album Disappear Hear, which was released here in the US. His other records were a little harder to pick up. Not to be confused with Will Sergeant (Echo and the Bunnymen) side project. Absolutely great songwriting and exhilarating melodies. Shortly thereafter I was really saddened to learn that singer/guitarist William Arthur had died tragically at the age of 34. I then heard that the bands manager was releasing a Cd of Glide and William Arthur demos, things they had been working on before the untimely loss.

The day the disc arrived, after coming home from work, I put the disc on immediately and listened to the energetic piano driven beauty of Baby Now, the first song. Oh, my god!!! I actually choked up. What a damned waste, what a terrible, terrible thing happened when he left this world. I think I listened to the song three times before I moved on. The music on this disc, entitled Last, was so great that I was sad like Cobain shooting himself sad. As much as I love his earlier music, there is a stripped down intimacy to these recordings, a sadness and searching feeling--maybe in light of his problems you almost feel a connection with Arthur. Listening to this record is almost like a seance-- Even ten years on I feel like he's in the room with me.

Aside from being a very emotive vocalist, I think William Arthur had a real knack in arrangements. I love how his guitarwork compares and contrasts with his melodies. It doesn't sound like a big deal, but I think that he captured lightning in a bottle on his best tunes. I think that even though they are not known very well outside Australia, that they are a musicians band, like Nick Drake and Big Star were before their posthumous popularity. I saw the friends list on MySpace page for the band and there is a big varied list of groups who obviously admire the band, and a lot of them probably never saw them or knew them. So maybe time will tell with their legacy--thankfully most of their music is now available digitally on itunes.

Maybe I make more of these songs because of Arthur's death--purportedly he overdosed. It sounds like he had demons, but I don't know him, and I hope that his death was just an unfortunate accident, and that he was a happy man.But the song I Wonder sounds to me like one of the saddest songs ever, William's raspy lead boiling with frustration and resignation. His voice is definitely higher in the mix on this disc, and you can really appreciate what a great singer he is here. On quieter songs like Show Me, and Spit and Smile he really demonstrates his contemplative side, crooning melancholy songs of nostalgia and loss.

The tour de force here is Always Fall, a beautifully powerfully bitter expression of frustration. But there is still hopefulness here, due to his will, because of his determination not to give up. One of my favorite songs of all time, with great guitar riffs in the chorus. Perversely when I hear it I visualize Charlie Brown trying to kick that football Lucy is holding. Other noteworthy songs here are the scathing You're Welcome, the romantic and sexy Bed For Two, and the more upbeat closer Pull In Your Claws.

I just found out that former members of Glide reconvened to do a few memorial shows in Australia last month. I started this post before I knew about this, much as I did with my post on Plastic Bertrand and his lip syncing scandal. It's like a Wings reunion without McCartney, but I sincerely hope that it helps to promote the bands deserved legacy. They should be remembered and introduced to a new generation. And hopefully these records will be re released in Cd form someday. Today these Cd's are pretty hard to find and are prohibitively expensive. (Open Up And Croon, Shrink Wrapped Real Thing, Disappear Here, Last). But do yourself a favor please, and check these guys out--it really doesn't matter which record you choose as they are all really really great.