The Best Record of 1989: Day 24- The Beautiful South vs. Keith Jarrett

Today's battle sees some sophisti-pop squaring off against some improv jazz.

Good morning!

Today we’re taking a look at Welcome to the Beautiful South by The Beautiful South and Keith Jarrett’s Changeless.

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Note: As many of you know, I recently wrote about a Best Record of 1989 challenge and noted that I'd be occasionally writing some of these up.

I've started doing some quick hits of each matchup and posting them directly to the page. Some will be longer, some won’t, and some might just be a handful of sentences. There'll probably definitely be some typos.

Check 'em out and let me know your thoughts! Chin wags & hot takes welcome! Sharing and restacks are always appreciated.

KA—

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Whatever else you might say about Paul Heaton, he's definitely got a flair for the subversive. Few others can wrap acerbic lyrics in sunny pop melodies the way he can. Before we even get to that, we have the band name itself. The Beautiful South is a bit of dry wit for a band from Hull (very much in the north). The group itself came into being when Heaton and David Hemingway left Housemartins at their peak. This, of course, also meant that Norman Cook was now free to reinvent himself as well. If that name doesn't ring a bell, maybe Fatboy Slim does.

Then we get to the cover, featuring a woman with a gun in her mouth and a man lighting a heater. Wild album art conceals some gorgeous-sounding sophisti-pop. And that gorgeous sound? Well, that's covering up some of the most acerbic lyrics you'll hear in this bracket challenge. No one pairs angsty words and upbeat, catchy sounds quite like our Mr. Heaton. See also: The Housemartin's Happy Hour Again

Distilled own, the one-liner for this record could be "Housemartins as Sophistipop." or "Close cousin to the Smiths." Heaton's less of an asshole than Morrissey turned out to be, so that's good. I might also throw in a cheap comparison to Prefab Sprout, but that might be because Two Wheels Good just turned 40, which means I've been playing it a lot lately. That Petrol Emotion as well just in case someone wants another one.

The melodies are bright. They'd be right at home in an elevator, er, "lift." The topics are alternately between cynical and straight-up grim (looking at you, "Woman in the Wall"). Along the way, we get treatises on love lost, irony, and no shortage of brass which is a nice touch.

"Oh Blackpool" is a standout for this writer and feels like a 45 rpm of Happy Hour Again played at 33. And then there's a cover of Pebbles' "Girlfriend." Because, of course, there is.

Welcome to the Beautiful South is Heaton at his peak— and that's coming from a staunch Housemartins fan. The arrangements are on point, and the lyrics are pointed. It's pop, but he still makes you work a bit for it (the first two tracks are each 6 minutes, for example.

Being jaded never sounded so fun.

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So, fair play to Keith Harrett (or rather, the "Keith Jarrett Trio"), but I probably shouldn't have played this at 6:13 in the morning. This is relaxing piano bar stuff. It's the sort of thing you wash down with a finely aged scotch, not 2-3 cups of coffee that come from a Bunn machine. Changeless is nice jazz (not derogatory), but this is/was the wrong time and place for it. It's also a live record, which I didn't realize until I was well into it. The crowd is that muted- even when adjusting for scale/genre. that's all well and good, but man, if you're gonna do a live record, leave some of that energy in! If we wanted a studio album, we'd play one, ya know?

Also: The short track on here clocks in *just* under 9 minutes, which, I mean, ok.

A review I read of the album refers to it as "subversive,' but having just come off the Paul Heaton ride, I'm not sure what to make of that statement. Apparently, in this context, it's in regards to the improvisation. Turns out this entire record was made on the fly. That’s truly admirable! No snark from me on that point.

Another one gifted us this gem: As per usual, Peacock sparks the trio's deepest-running flame, and his amplified bass line herein lulls us into a memorable groove. The ostinato feel builds through Jarrett's grinding left hand while DeJohnette's never-cease-to-amazing subtleties draw us in.

Jesus.

As if jazz fans didn't already have a (usually undeserved) reputation for being haughty and aloof. Can you imagine someone reading a review like this and being inspired to run out and grab the record? Dear reader, I most certainly cannot. And we haven't even made it to the liner notes, which are wild. Talk about being high on your own supply.

To wit:

And that's a shame, 'cause honestly, this is pretty solid all around. “Lifeline”--all 11 minutes plus of it— was a favorite, and I could see myself cueing it up again at some point.

Also, New life goal: work "ostinato" into as many reviews as I can.

NOTE: I want to give a huge shoutout/thanks to friend of the newsletter Greg Layton who helped a ton by lending his expertise and perspective, as well as unearthing a copy of the liner notes and some reviews. His help was invaluable. Greg runs The Jazz Tome, which is a goldmine of record covers, liner notes and more. Seriously, cancel your plans and go check it out.

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Bottom Line: Two well done records, neither of which would normally normally be in my wheelhouse. Both are well polished, shiny gems. One has Paul Heaton’s sardonic wit. The other has “ostinato feel.”

My vote: bracket and ballot are both going to our friends from Hull.

Any thoughts on either of these records? Agree/disagree with my takes? Which one of these would you vote for? Sound off in the comments!

Check out the full bracket here.

Info on the tourney, voting, and more is here.

As always, thanks for being here.

KA—

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