Car Trouble

My car's currently sitting in the snow outside my house, where it's been for over a week now. I won't bore you with the full story, but it's out of action and, after a garage inspection and service didn't resolve the issue, I now have to wait until 11th January when the nearest Vauxhall garage, north of Bristol, can take a look. It'll require a recovery vehicle to get it there, with an uncertain but undoubtedly expensive outcome. 

The week has therefore involved some creative efforts to traverse the county for work. Getting to Gloucester (approx. 25 miles away) took the best part of two hours via bus and train (thankfully on the day when they weren't on strike). Yesterday, I was able to work a bit closer to home (approx. 5 miles) which took about an hour, door to door. It was the same driver on the homeward bound journey. At that point he'd already worked seven hours and had another three to go. He told me he'd been doing this for twelve years and had had enough of rude people, delivery drivers blocking the roads whilst dropping off parcels and the godawful snow and ice. I didn't really know what else to say other than to empathise and thank him for getting me home safe and sound.

Things will be difficult - and expensive - this month and next, but I try to keep a sense of perspective. When employees get to the point where they have to go on strike, you know things are bad. And those who are criticising and vilifying the very same people who they clapped every week during the lockdown, shame on you.

 

Back to cars and music, today's selection has taken my sorry, first-world problem as inspiration, offering up 45 minutes of car-related musings. 

 

Adam & The Ants to start with Cartrouble. I've got the original vinyl issue of the Dirk Wears White Sox album on Do-It from 1979 but here I've plumped from the label's cash-in remix and reissue from 1982 on the Antmusic EP, following Adam & co's commercial success on CBS. Do It cannily drafted Chris Hughes - one of the two CBS-era drummers in the band - to remix Cartrouble. Unsurprisingly, the drums are a lot bigger here. I believe the Antmusic 12" split parts 1 & 2 across the two sides of vinyl but I got the unedited version with 2004's expanded CD edition of Dirk...

 

I couldn't resist including 4ft Car from Chris Morris' incredible Blue Jam radio series, later including in a CD of choice sketches released on Warp Records and then recreated for Channel 4's TV series, simply titled Jam. Kevin Eldon is the irate car owner in both, effing and jeffing all the way through. Seemed apt as the duff car in question is a Vauxhall. "Who do they think I am? Fucking Noddy?!" still makes me laugh out loud.

 

(By the way, the music underpinning 4ft Car is Go Faster by Propellerheads, seguing into Day For Night by Moloko).

 

Cars by Gary Numan is of course one of the greatest songs of all time about the motor vehicle and this demo version from 1979 shows that he was bang on it from the start.

 

And the selection had to end with Prefab Sprout. I bought this as a 10" single back in 1988 and it still holds a special place in my heart, 35 years later. Paddy McAloon is a superlative songwriter, but weren't Wendy Smith, Martin McAloon and Neil Conti fantastic also? Given it's the festive season, maybe it's a good time for a Sprout selection...

 

1) Cartrouble, Pts. 1 & 2 (Remixed By Chris Hughes): Adam & The Ants (1982) 

2) Car Crash: TrIcky ft. Costanza Francavilla (2003)

3) In The Back Of Your Car: Client (2005)

4) The Wrong Car (Single Version): The Twilight Sad (2010)

5) Killy Car Thieves (Special Mix): Band Of Holy Joy (1988)

6) 4ft Car: Chris Morris ft. Kevin Eldon (2000)

7) Cars (Demo Version): Gary Numan (1979)

8) Carwreck (Wagon Christ Mix By Luke Vibert): Funki Porcini (1996)

9) Fast Car / Slow Traffic (Erland & The Carnival Carnivalization): Paul Weller (2010)

10) Car: Built To Spill (1994)

11) Cars And Girls (Album Version): Prefab Sprout (1988)

1988: From Langley Park To Memphis: 11

1988: Gigantic! (Melody Maker magazine promo cassette): 5

1994: There's Nothing Wrong With Love: 10

1996: Carwreck EP: 8

2000: Blue Jam: 6

2003: Vulnerable: 2

2004: Dirk Wears White Sox (Expanded Edition): 1

2005: Pornography EP: 3

2009: The Pleasure Principle (30th Anniversary Edition): 7 

2010: Wake Up The Nation/Change Up The Nation (Deluxe Edition): 9

2010: The Wrong Car EP: 4

Car Trouble (45:09) (Box) (Mega)