Frente! Marvin the Album 21st anniversary tour
For those of you who don't already know, @frenteofficial will be performing the Adelaide gig of their Marvin the Album 21st anniversary tour this Friday 6 June at the Governor Hindmarsh (www.thegov.com.au).
I've had a great past few months casually going back and forth with Simon Austin and @angiehartmusic in the build up to the tour. It's been fun sharing some mutual love of 70s soul, generally pissfarting and convincing some musically inclined friends to record covers of Frente tracks. I even had the ego boost of Angie contacting me to say I was the inspiration for Frente to hold a song writing workshop in conjunction with the Australasian Performing Right Association @APRA. Nice!
This is where the truth comes out: I have never owned a legit copy of Marvin the Album. Ahh the shame, but I have my reasons.
Back in the grungey days of '92, I first heard 'Ordinary Angels' and instantly loved it. I went out and bought the Clunk ep the next day. I was at a perfect, lovesick, maudlin teen stage and spent months listening and obsessing over that thing. Carefully examining the lyrics. Looking at the cover, wondering where you meet someone with a nose ring. Refusing to look at the inside pic because I thought Angie looked like Countdown Revolution host Tania Lacy.
When I wasn't calling the RAGE phone number to see if the video would be playing, I was forcing the CD to be played at friend's houses in between Nirvana, Mudhoney and The Melvins. Making sure I always skipped straight to 'Paper, Bullets & Walls' because that was the one with 'fuck' in the lyrics.
Now whatever magic I was working back then paid off, and I somehow managed to get myself a real life girlfriend. The romance may have only lasted a number of months but it meant a big deal. She came from a fairly strict religious household where they didn't really listen to music a whole lot. I don't recall if she owned any CDs but I remember she had a secret cassette of Billy Joel's Greatest Hits that she would listen to when she had the opportunity.
Over time, her parents came to accept me a little and I think became conscious of how potentially cut off she had been. As a gesture of change, her mother approached me privately for advice about what music they could buy for her approaching birthday.
Undoubtedly thinking that I could tape myself a nice little copy, I suggested Marvin the Album. Her mum took my word for the recommendation and it was done.
When that birthday rolled around it was a perfect excuse for me to crash around to the house and crank shit out of that CD. Which I would do whenever I visited. But I only ever listened to it casually. It was something in the background while I tried to get her alone. She spent time with it, listening, living it by herself. It meant something.
Like most teen romances, this one ran its course. I think in my usual tactful fashion, I had designs on some other girl and we gradually parted company. When it did finally end she offered the birthday CD to me.
I didn't take it.
As consolation she copied me her Billy Joel's Greatest Hits cassette.
I've never owned a copy of Marvin the Album.
Sorry Frente.