Fresh from the double triumph of The Culture Show, and a fascinating South Bank Show last weekend, one of Englands greatest living icons reminds us why he has this status.
This years Meltdown curator takes the track Fat Children from his first solo album on Rough Trade the critically feted Jarvis.
Hear it and weep.
Released On Rough Trade 16th July 2007
Formats:
7 A Side: Fat Children (Album Version) B Side: Loss Adjuster
Special Limited Edition 12 A Side: Fat Kidz "Let Them Eat Acid" Extra-Large Mix B Side: Fat Children (Album Version)
Can't see myself rushing out to buy this one. 'The loss Adjuster'??????? A live track would have done nicely if he has no songs left for b-sides. Or why not hold back a couple of weeks and put something intresting on there from Meltdown? The Disney Songbook track he's going to perform springs to mind! The remix best be a fucking good one!
Majorly dissapointing. The only hope that sprung to mind was a full version of The Loss Adjuster; please don't let it be two piano twinkles...surely not.
Yeah, I thought the same about The Loss Adjuster. It's got to be a full-length song (yeah... it's called 'Roadkill'). Interestingly the preview blurb for the South Bank programme mentioned ''the film also follows Jarvis on a song-writing journey starting in Paris, as he completes a new song Loss Adjustor, taking him back to his hometown Sheffield to record the song." Unless I missed it, I don't recall that featuring on the programme? It did strike me as odd that they would go into detail on a 20 second rehash of a Pulp song...
As for the single, the lack of a CD format is interesting. Whilst their popularity has dwindled with the rise of downloads, it would still have been worth it for us trainspotters if they'd put a new song on it (at least we're spared the Jarvcast). That will surely affect the chart position, though I don't suppose Jarvis or Rough Trade are that bothered with that. Though I presume a video has been made?
I'm quite impressed by the remix, mostly the build - up at the end. Hpoe we do get a video tho', & they'd better release Loss Adjuster digitally - if it IS a new song!!
Why is Loss Adjustor on the 7" (8 minutes) and Fat Kidz (5 mins) on the 12" ? Not heard Fat Children anywhere on radio. And no sign of a video. Very puzzling release.
As expected, with no CD single, accompanying video or radio playlisting, the single is nowhere to be seen in the charts.
It did however enter at number 2 in the Indie charts, behind Fluorescent Adolescent. Another Sheffield band, Reverend & The Makers, are at number 28 in the official charts yet 3 places behind Jarvis in the Independent singles. I take this to mean that downloads are not counted in the Indie chart, only physical copies? Maybe Arrgee or someone could confirm that.
I still don't quite understand the half-arsedness of the Fat Children single. If it's to treat the fans with a new remix and a full (marathon) track from the Loss Adjuster album excerpts then fair enough, though there's probably easier and more generous ways of doing that (a CD EP with one or two of his live cover versions perhaps?) because the single was never going to make a dent on the mainstream the way it was released.
you can get it on iTunes for $1. for 8 minutes plus, that's alright.
i think it's fantastic. better lyrically than anything on Jarvis. in fact, the song has a pure, overall effect that i can't quite get enough of. it's beautiful.
Yeah but yeah but... I can't download stuff with this blasted computer! Well good to hear that it's a new one and hopefully I'll stumble upon it somewhere!! Would be great to see the lyrics though. Hopefully they'll be up on one of the sites soon.
i think there's only 700 copies of the Fat Children single with Loss Adjuster as the b-side. you're going to have to ebay it then...
here's the lyrics though...damn those yokels...
"Sitting in the World's End with some indie friends A newsflash on the TV says the world's about to end. Can't catch all the details 'cos the volume's turned down This is the last night on Earth, as spent in Camden Town."
There's no way to escape This is it. Tomorrow we will all be gone So check what time the band are on Let's go outside.
"Yeah and this was the night I was going to balance the books The night I turned a minus into a plus. The night my adjustment became complete I could start again with a clean sheet.
Now I can't get through 'cos all the networks are down And fires are starting all over town. And you're probably being gang-banged by tattooed locals - Damn those Yokels! Damn those Yokels!
And a girl cries as she stumbles by, 'No, the world can't end now - it's got to wait It can't end when I haven't got a boyfriend and I'm half a stone overweight.'
And the guys from Arlington House are marauding the streets And convent girls are screwing every man that they meet And the album you just bought will never get heard Oh yeah - complete social breakdown has occurred.
And you find yourself thinking about Egyptian Sue And the evil things that she used to do And the night you almost did it after the wedding reception But you didn't have any contraception And anyway, you couldn't get an erection.
Now what the hell made you think of her? Could it be that old saying coming true? That 'nothing could survive a nuclear holocaust Except cockroaches, and Egyptian Sue.' But even Sue won't make it through No, even Sue won't make it through this time.
It was around this time that the levels of hysteria around the Kentish Town Road area caused a warping of the Space / Time Continuum And I found myself face to face with a version of myself from fifteen years earlier, when I'd lived in the area. 'Greetings Indie Legend,' said I. 'Fuck off Sad Bell-End,' came the reply. I wanted to warn him about the rough times ahead But for some reason he had his coat pulled over his head and wouldn't listen. I left him trying to extricate a punctured Spacehopper from under some rubble in a skip. 'He'll find out soon enough,' I thought.
And then suddenly I realised that I could no longer breath."
Here we go Move along One last time The loss adjuster lost his mind Too many claims, too little time To file them.
"And suddenly it was a Tuesday afternoon And I could see it all crystal-clear Like a giant chandelier, turning slowly in the sideways sunlight Hanging by a thread with only seconds to last And each time you rang it was like an Indian call-centre on the line 'Yes, I'm doing fine - just like the last time And the last time Make this the last time.'"
We'll all be gone by Monday morning This is it, your final warning You never did see Dog Day Afternoon. Here today, but gone tomorrow Now you could hang your head in sorrow Or you could do it But you'd better do it soon.
Now we'll all be gone by Monday morning This is it, your final warning You never did see Dog Day Afternoon. Here today, but gone tomorrow You could hang your head in sorrow You could do it But you'd better do it soon.
We'll all be gone by Monday morning This is it, your final warning You never did see Dog Day Afternoon. Here today, but gone tomorrow Now you could hang your head in sorrow You could do it But you'd better do it soon.