Haystack Appreciation Society

I'd never heard Haystack before this week, but it's screaming up my chart of Top Five Songs About (Or That Seem to Be About) Heroin:

1. "I Believe In You" - Talk Talk
2. "Mercy Seat" - Ultra Vivid Scene
3. "White Light White Heat" - The Velvet Underground
4. "Haystack" - Kevin Hewick
5. "Smack My Bitch Up" - Prodigy

It's no shame being No. 4, as Mr. Hewick easily bests his idol Neil Young, who fails to make the Top 10.

If anyone can show that NO's "True Faith" is about heroin, it would surely debut at No. 3.

P.S. Slots 6-19 are all Ultra Vivid Scene tracks. If Kurt Ralske likes one thing more than shooting up, it's writing songs about shooting up.

All together now:

In an open air surgery, in an open aiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiir..............

surgery.

Originally posted by Spotnick > 5. "Smack My Bitch Up" - ProdigyThat's about heroin?!?We learn every day!!

The lyrics of The Prodigy are a rich tapestry of text and metatext, conveying multiple levels of meaning that speak across cultures and generations. ;)

Is U2's "Bad" about heroin? That could be No. 5.

In other chart news, Buckcherry again tops the cocaine chart with "Lit Up," while the Luniz' classic "I Got 5 On It" continues to hold Cypress Hill out of the top spot.

This week's long distance dedication goes out to the chick at Starbucks on Euclid Avenue who always comes into work too smacked up to see the keys on the cash register/till.

Gnu,youre very kind but surely Neil Youngs "The needle.."is way above "Haystack" ..and how about The Heartbreaker`s "Chinese Rocks"!!

Originally posted by kevin hewick Gnu,youre very kind but surely Neil Youngs "The needle.."is way above "Haystack" ..and how about The Heartbreaker`s "Chinese Rocks"!!

Kevin

What´s your opinion about Echo & The Bunnymen ? Do enjoy McCulloch solo work ?

They´re my no.3 (JD and NO - 1st and 2nd Places) :D

Count me in!

Love will tear us apart:I am not as up on Echo and co as I should be.I rather liked the "Evergreen" album when I heard it.Ive never seen them live.I read Mick Middles book on McCulloch a few years back..I have a slight problem with his rather arrogant attitude toward Adrian Borland and The Sound who were on the same label,Korova,and toured with The Bunnymen.The Sound got accused of being Bunnymen copyists - Borland did have a voice not unlike McCullochs but he wasnt copying..and in my humble opinion he was a vastly better singer/songwriter and The Sound were a far greater band - yes,he/they were THAT good!.. McCulloch once called Adrian Borland "The Singing Pig"..so,I guess that makes him "The Singing Wig" then - all that hair cant be his own surely?! On a better note..I thought the one everyone slags off,Electrafixion was GREAT.. ..Feel my pulse,Zephyr,Sister Pain..GREAT songs.. ..but then again I am one of the tiny few people that loved Bowie in Tin Machine,especially the second album..Betty Wrong,Goodbye Mr.Ed,Amalapora or however you spell it..magical stuff,I didnt read the music press then and thought they must be right into it - how wrong I was!Ditto with Revenges first album I believe?Im not sure on this but wasn`t it rather cooly recieved by the press etc??I thought it was an involving ,inspired collection..Fag Hag/Kiss the Chrome..even the song titles alone exuded a sweet debauched menace..Oh well..Perhaps its just my funny taste in music - and thats what matters..you love what YOU love,whatever turns YOU on..

Thanks for the words Kevin.I am becoming your fan too :D

Kevin,

Excellent to have someone with such great inside knowledge of factory's golden era willing to talk to us. I'll certainly be getting your album as they only other stuff I'd heard, apart from Haystack, was 'Ophelia's Drinking Song' on the Factory Video - typically light, cheery stuff :-)

I have to ask you about that recording session with NO as that whole time intrigues me. What sort of state where they in so soon after the death ? Did they talk about their future plans much, what songs they had written, future direction, Gillian joining, getting a new singer, upcoming gigs ? Anything at all, no mater how trivial, would be very interesting to hear.

Thanks.

Just as I went to write this reply - in Ice Mango cybercafe in my native Leicester as usual - I spilled a cup of coffee on my lap!.So,when I leave here Ill have to walk through the city looking like Ive peed myself..Uncool or what??!!Now I really WILL have that mincing walk Tony Wilson accused me of!(See Ned Nurks "Wilson at RFH last night" thread!).. Anyway,to Love will tear us apart,a big thank you..Im amazed that theres a few of you in Brazil whove written in about "Haystack" on various threads on this site..proof of the power of this internet thing ! Taboo(cant find a hash key on here!)7:I had but a tiny glimpse into that "golden era"of Factory - just think of the book Alan Erasmus could write about it for one! When I recorded with New Order they appeared in good spirits and spoke of Ian with great affection.I was struck that,just over a month on,they were still very sad about it but were also determined to carry on,looking ahead.Joy Division was over,this was to be something new,hence the name change,suggested by Rob Gretton,Peter said,the night before. The way they built their parts on my songs must have been pretty like how they did their own -but time,and my lack of experience with the whole studio process,went against us. I dont recall Gillian being mentioned at all.It seemed to me more like Peter would be the singer then but it wasnt that clear really,it was very early days..there were bits of jamming and so forth but again nothing clear. We took kit back to the rehearsal room they shared with ACR,the one in the "Love will tear us apart" video,a grim place.It struck me how it was all very lug your own drumkit/amps etc..my fan images of them living in some dreamlike cloud contrasted with the almost workmanlike reality.They seemed down to earth,grounded people whod just endured a terrible loss but it wasnt going to stop them.The spirit was still there,the creativity,the humour,the courage..and we all have to go through stuff like that in our lives don`t we..Onward and ever on eh?

interesting stuff, the # key is three to the right of the L on my keyboard btw....

mcculloch may have slagged borland off - but he was part of the crucial three, that has to count for something?

McCulloch?..I think hes one of the key figures of the last 20 odd years,no doubt,and weve all said mean things about people and Adrian was here then and as open to opinions,good or bad,as anyone in music,ditto with Ian Curtis back then.. ..but,speaking as someone whos ,er,somewhat thinning on top,I just cant believe that that McCulloch hair is real..still,theres plenty of others,no names,but many of my ,er,more mature musical heroes also have suspect stuff atop their scalps..none of NO of course! ..I still cant see a hash key on this Apple Mac thing tho!..

as an entry fr the top five heroin songs - what about "she's got betty davis eyes"?

(joke courtesy of johnny giles)

what the? why has this posted three times?

makes me look a right idiot! (or like shug with his continuous double postings)

too bad "haystack" got the retro box set chop :-(

Cat scratch fever!

Bruno..I was rather excited when I heard there was an NO box set coming out,even more so when I heard there was going to be a rarities CD included in it..with typical vanity and self delusion I thought surely they`d acknowledge "Haystack" at last..and yes,there was a rarities CD in the set..complied by Miranda Sawyer!*!&..and thus my new dawn faded..!

Oh that bit wasnt Miranda Sawyer,she did POP..but come to think of it "Haystack" was pop..Mike Pickering did "Dance"didnt he?...Ah,M People..no mention of THEM in 24 Hour Party People..mind you the film didn`t do NO much justice did it?