The Dear Departed

Introduction

In the fifties and sixties, there was a remarkable obsession with songs about lovers and friends who died, usually in violent circumstances. These were not like the folk songs and murder ballads that I wrote about here, but romanticized death in these three-minute eulogies.

Many of these were banned by radio stations on the grounds that they showed death as being desirable in a relationship. To me, a lot of these were stories like "Romeo and Juliet" or Greek tragedies, but that is all they are stories to entertain, and maybe make us a little grateful that we are still here.

We never forget the ones who are gone, but we don't want to join them just yet.

Some of these are covers of the originals and this was inspired by Doctor John Cooper-Clarke and Hugh Cornwell's cover of John Leyton's ghostly "Johnny Remember Me" complete with Joe Meek's treatments from the album below.

Thinking on this, where i use a cover I will include the original. I hope this doesn't disturb people too much, as I know losing a loved one can be traumatic.

But I will start with the song that inspired this playlist.

Dr. John Cooper Clarke, Hugh Cornwell - "Johnny Remember Me"

This is from the covers album "This Time It's Personal" which I play quite often, these are a lot of songs that my mum and dad liked (think how weird that will sound to some people given my age). The song does hark back to the stuff that Joe Meek did, and if you don't know who Joe Meek is you need to check out the film "Telstar" and my piece on the genius here. This contains the John Leyton original and many others, but I have included the original as well.

Robert Gordon and Link Wray - "Endless Sleep"

This is a song about a drowned lover calling for her other half to join them in their watery grave. I loved this because is was ha heavy update featuring Link Wray's brooding and vicious guitar. I used to have it on a 12" vinyl single, I think I might look for a replacement copy.

The original by Jody Reynolds still sounds good, I was expecting it to be weaker than the cover, but it does match it. It was covered by Marty Wilde in the UK and hit number four on the UK singles charts.

The Shangri-Las - "Leader Of The Pack"

One of the first records I remember that used sound effects, another "Romeo and Juliet" spin, and you know how this ends. The drama of the production on this is incredible, and still sounds as effective sixty years after we first heard it and it skids into oblivion.

Ricky Valance - "Tell Laura I Love Her"

A story of a Stock Car race gone wrong, I remember my uncle had this record on a seven-inch single with a green label. Even as a kid, I found this far too insipid, and listening to this now I find its saccharin tones and words far too sickly.

Worst of all Skeeter Davis recorded this absolutely awful response, using the same tune and many of the words in the original.

Eddie Cochran - "Three Stars"

I will close this playlist with Eddie Cochran's tribute to Richie Valens, The Big Bopper, and Buddy Holly. It may sound sentimentally mawkish but he was one of my favourite performers and was responsible for some great songs as well as being an amazing guitarist (check out "Eddie's Blues").

Cochran died at the age of 21 in St Martin's Hospital, Bath, Somerset, after a road accident in Chippenham, Wiltshire, at the end of his British tour with Gene Vincent on 16 April 1960.

I am going to bookend this with another Joe Meek production, a tribute to Eddie Cochran by the amazingly white bequiffed Heinz.