Thursday, 3 March 2016

That's Entertainment : Joan Armatrading




When some misguided individuals I hear say ‘oh chicks…they can’t rock!’, I bow my head and cringe.  It shames me.  It really does.  

Not that I need to list them, but Suzie Quatro, Joan Jett, Alanis Morissette, Suze Demarchi, Chrissie Amphlett, Shirley Manson, Chrissie Hynde - just in two seconds of thinking.

Anyway.  I digress.

One lady who rocked out and is a fave of mine is Joan Armatrading.  With a career spanning 40 years and 18 studio albums, Joan is one of those artists that writes, plays and records all her own music, surrounding herself with loyal bandmates who then go on tour and deliver.

And deliver she did and does.  Often in rock music circles, there’s an anecdote about overseas rock bands and they say that if you can win over an Australian audience playing live, then you’ve won the battle because Aussies will be very loyal to that band.  And it’s true, bands like the Tea Party swear by it.  And it was true of Joan Armatrading in the 1980’s when she released a slew of pop rock albums littered with soft gems and rock-pop staples that propelled her not only up the US and UK charts, but on the Aussie chart too.

This is the period I really love of Joan’s.  She had the balance right.  Songs like Me Myself I and Drop The Pilot are still FM radio staples and when ever they come, the volume gets cranked up.  Another I like is the rough and ready blistering fret shredding of (I Love It When You) Call Me Names.  That’s one that I can just sing and sing with its deliciously spiteful lyrics and boogie and shout out chorus.  

Joan Armatrading also has the distinction of lending backing vocals to what I consider one of the worst - if not THE worst - Queen song in Don’t Lose Your Head.  It’s a throwaway number inspired by The Kurgen in The Highlander film, but with a lyric that includes don’t drink and drive my car, don’t get breathalysed, don’t lose your head…you’ve got to really wonder what Queen (and Joan) were thinking.  

All in all, the Australian music public loved Joan Armatrading in the 1980s and to this day, Joan loves us.

Even now…my toe taps.  The boogie makes me shake my hips.  I want to rock out!  It’s the weakness in me.






(I Love It When You) Call Me Names https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xc_WJFp6fRs




Queen - Don’t Lose Your Head (backing vocals)



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