The Cribs - Payola
- Written by Richard Wink
I've always considered that when a band reaches the point in the career when they release a ‘Greatest Hits’ collection that they’re actually quite proud, even if at times putting out such a collection enables a band to tick off a contractual obligation of x amount of albums, or a label is trying to cash in on an asset.
In some ways it’s like the factory worker who has toiled away for twenty five years only to get given a shitty engraved clock that he has to go out and buy two double AA batteries for. Deep down he’s actually proud of what is a poor product, more so because what of it represents. Most Greatest Hits collections get it wrong, with some glaring omissions, and given we can nowadays make our own compilations and playlists with a few points and clicks, the Greatest Hits album is one for the completists only.
Referencing the unethical shenanigans in the title of this collection that go on within the Music Industry The Cribs have readied themselves for any backlash that might come their way for releasing this album, but the timing is actually impeccable. In The Belly Of The Brazen Bull came off the back of a trying time for the band and it seems like a good point to pause and take stock of things before working on new material. When I reviewed that album for Muso's Guide last year I proclaimed it to be the band’s "best album". This retrospective looks at the last decade, and attempts to document all the adventures the Jarman brothers have been on. What you notice is The Cribs raw ramshackle approach to recording has stayed true, despite some of the more dynamic production on their later releases. The essence, that tumultuous elixir that fuels rock n’ roll spirit, it burns bright.
Though the ‘Anthology Edition’ of Payola contains 18 B-sides and rarities I think it best that I offer a few thoughts on the track listing of the bog standard release alone. Opening with the battle cry for belonging ‘Another Number’, The Cribs have often been on the periphery of things, whereas fellow Yorkshire bands such as the Kaiser Chiefs and The Arctic Monkeys hit the big time, The Cribs were never able to strike a chord with the mainstream. Perhaps the band's ethos, almost modeled on the principled American strain of indie rock, and their unhappy knack of self sabotage was something to do with this. Maybe, and more pertinently it is because they haven’t yet written a song which truly resonates with the hoi polloi. Either way it doesn't really matter.
We go back and forth, up and down through the albums, and the uneven selection makes this a trying listen. ‘Back to The Bolthole’ fits perfectly on ITBOTBB however feels bloated sandwiched between ‘Cheat on Me’ and ‘We Were Aborted’ from Ignore The Ignorant. Then tracks like ‘Direction’ from the band’s debut slot in inappropriate places. I suppose the appeal of The Cribs would be better showcased if there was some kind of chronology to this collection.
Yet I’m reminded also that this is why I became a fan of the band in the first place, they are a bit all over the place, and they certainly aren't perfect, in fact at times The Cribs can be rather infuriating as they indulge in pretension and dabble with the experimental. ‘Be Safe’ is a glorious example of mixing Lee Ranaldo’s dreamy spoken word with an impassioned meat and potatoes Saturday night sing-along.
‘Leather Jacket Love Song’, the final song that featured special guest member and honorary Jarman Johnny Marr, is a very poppy number that oddly enough sounds like a ‘hit’. It is therefore fitting that they've found a place for this song in amongst a pile of tracks which provide a skittish summary of the last ten years.
Payola is out on February 25th and available from amazon