Album Description
Don't You Love Me No More? is the lead track and is a song that anyone whose ever slaved their hearts out for the corporate machine, only to be given a big fat kick in the teeth, will find is their new anthem. Elsewhere you'll hear a beautifully ragged Nashville-influenced backing to more biting wit and wisdom on all manner of subjects close to our hearts like Grey's the New Blonde, Old and - tackling the changing face of `the biz' - Did I Fight in The Punk Wars For This? and The Sacred Scrolls of Pop. But is this music for grumpy old men? "No!" Henry disagrees, "I'm just trying to write scruffy pop songs of pith, wit and poignancy...with the emphasis on scruffy," (referring to the fact that he played almost everything on the album himself).
In September 2007 he meets song-writer Tom Gilbert....armed with inspiration from the Rough Trade "Songwriter" series, & a boxset of The Kinks first 10 albums, and abiding by the "Nashville rules" of 3 hour writing sessions for each song, the duo come up with "Old" and "Did I Fight in the Punk Wars for This?" and Henry is bullied by Tom into singing for the first time since 1981, whence they realise they have (much more by accident than by design) created something a bit special....more writing sessions follow ...the songs just flow out...11 songs in 5 sessions, .including " Grey's the New Blonde", "The Sacred Scrolls of Pop" and "r.e.d.u.n.d.a.n.t (Don't you love me no more)"....
Produced, recorded and performed almost entirely by Henry in his home studio (with odd guest performances from friends who can really play, sent over the `net) the album has very much been done with a D.I.Y ethic (1977?), songs being thrown down with more attention to feel & honesty than technical ability & perfection. About the Artist
After 30 years in the music business - and with a credit list longer than both your arms - Henry Priestman is finally releasing his debut solo album! The Chronicles of Modern Life is the sound of a man who's seen the music world explode from punk (he supported the Sex Pistols in 1977) through to pop (three million albums with The Christians; a top five single for Mark Owen) through to the digital age (soundtracks for James Bond/Xbox; sessions with Sarah Cracknell and Ricky Maymi of Brian Jonestown Massacre) and still has something worth singing about.
Henry Priestman's "got form," his "previous" including Yachts (described in Gene Sculatti's The Catalog of Cool as "Cole Porter Punk"!), Bette Bright (alongside Glen Matlock and Suggs), It's Immaterial, The Christians (writing all songs on their 1987 triple-platinum debut), sharing a mic and a number one single with Paul McCartney. To say nothing of a roll call of sessions for fellow North West luminaries including Lightening Seeds, Johnny Marr, Ian McCulloch, Pete Wylie, Ian McNabb and Echo & The Bunnymen, plus vocals on Jools Holland/Tom Jones' 2004 CD.
In the run up to this very long-awaited debut solo album, Henry recently played his debut solo gigs: in May he supported 10cc at London's 02 Arena and in July supported Jools Holland at the 10,000-seater Liverpool Echo Arena! Chronicles... is also a homecoming to Stiff Records who released Henry's first ever single - and his first ever composition - Suffice to Say by aforementioned indie pioneers Yachts more than 30 years ago. October 1977 to be precise! But don't let it make you feel old...
Stiff Records sign Henry as a solo artist (30 years after he last graced the label with Yachts), and the final piece of the jigsaw is now in place: "It feels like coming home."1. Don't You Love Me No More?
2. Old
3. What You Doin' With Me?
4. It's Called A Heart
5. Grey's The New Blonde
6. He Ain't Good Enough For You
7. The Idiot
8. The Sacred Scrolls Of Pop
9. Did I Fight In The Punk Wars For This?
10. No To The Logo
11. It's What You Leave Behind
12. Goodbye Mr. Lee (...And Thanks)
Amazon USA:http://www.amazon.com/dp/B001CV197O/?tag=imwan-20Amazon UK:http://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B001CV197O/?tag=imwan-21
