Euros Childs - Summer Special

I have long loved Euros Childs' work ever since I first came across Gorky's Zygotic Mynci in 2000. At the time, I was into a number of 90s Britpop bands, and had someone recommend their Spanish Dance Troupe album. They were definitely more playful and psychedelic than the other Brit acts I was listening too, and that immediately grabbed my interest. I was thankful to see the band live, in their full splendor, when they toured behind their How I Long to Feel That Summer in my Heart release.

Last summer, I completed a few posts here related to the bands career, celebrating their influence. 

Since the group broke up, Euros Childs has been a very busy man, releasing nearly 10 solo releases, a collaboration with Meilyr Jones called Cousins, and the excellent team-up with Norman Blake from Teenage Fanclub titled Jonny. Nearly all of his solo releases have been made available on Euros' National Elf Library label as free downloads.

His most recent work,Summer Special, is his best solo material to date. Within the first 5 minutes of the record, I felt like I was thrown into an unreleased Gorky's record. There were lush arrangements, well crafted vocal harmonies, and a real sense of joy and wonderment. Anyone who felt Euros' recent solo releases were a bit too "out-there" for their tastes will be thrilled to see him return to form here.

You can download the record for free here, and buy a CD from his website.

A summer with Gorky’s – Middle Period

Gorky’s was a pretty prolific Welsh band that put out a slew of singles, EPs, and full lengths in their history. One of my favorite records came from what I call their “middle period”, when they moved away from the psychedelic extremities of the pop scene and started to play more traditional poppy music. Spanish Dance Troupe was released by Mantra Records in 1999, and saw the band refine their sound to a significant degree. The first single provided here, “Poodle Rockin’” still has the noise and chaos of the early records, but the record was really the voice of a band coming to terms with their more mature stage in their career. The second song here, which the title of the record is taken from, is one of the best British pop songs of the 90s. Doubt me? Well, see for yourself and get ready to be schooled.

Poodle Rockin'


Spanish Dance Troupe