Song of the Week: How Long
Ace
How Long
Staying with the MOR theme of late, this weeks song is by UK band Ace. I’ve only recently managed to acquire this track, largely because I have spent at least ten years labouring under the impression that it was by someone else (Little River Band if you’re interested, because Glenn Shorrock does sound a bit like Ace singer Paul Carrack if you’re not listening properly).
Anyway, How Long was Ace’s debut single from 1974 and I don’t think that they ever topped it. They were out-classed/out-MORed by Steely Dan, Boz Scaggs and the Eagles and by the late 70s the band had fallen apart – leaving Paul Carrack free to record with the likes of Squeeze, Roger Waters, Roxy Music and The Smiths before he completely lost the plot and shamelessly helped inflict Mike and the Mechanics on the world.
But lets forget that – How Long was ace. Sorry.
‘How Long’, Ace from Five-a-Side, 1974
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Tags: song of the week
September 26th, 2008 at 10:49 am
I’ve got it on the fabulous Guilty Pleasures comps – classic seventies soft pop
His voice is great on this tune and love it on Squeeze’s ‘Tempted’ – I was amazed when I first found out he was the same croaky, crusty ol’ giffer fronting the weary, dreary soundscapes of M*ke and the M***anics
September 26th, 2008 at 11:57 am
I know! I was shocked. I still find it hard to get my head around the fact that the thing that links ‘How Long’, ‘Tempted’ and ‘The Living Years’ is Paul Carrack. And he plays keyboards on Reel around the Fountain!
Didn’t know you had any guilty pleasures though PM?!
September 26th, 2008 at 1:53 pm
Both the GP albums are crackers – but I do have a real guilty pleasure – (it’s an 80s album from an American band) I won’t say what it is, as it really is just too embarrassing. I don’t know why I like this particular album – the style, the production , the look of the band contains almost everything everything I dislike about music – but for some reason on this one album it works for me. It came into play on the way to the station funnily enough this morning and I loved every minute.
September 26th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Oh, go on. I don’t believe in guilty pleasures. Most of my record collection is a guilty pleasure. I like Whitney Houston and Captain & Tennille for heavens sake! It’s not something like Boston is it? Chicago? Journey? Toto? Heart? Poison? Cinderella?!!!
September 26th, 2008 at 5:09 pm
grrrr guilt pleasures indeed, if i like a record I like it I don’t care who knows it it’s only music. I noticed at lattitude that alot of the people dancing to gp tunes weren’t old enough to have witnessed some the horror the first time around. I have a inkling it’s Bon Jovi for PM (they are abit essex after all)! Not sure what mine could be I like queen (although only have the greatest hits) who are meant to be beyond the pale and I have tiffany record aprt from that I like C&W and not just Johnny cash but that doesn’t count.
Paul carrick use to be my mates celebrity stalker mines Alan Bennet!
September 26th, 2008 at 5:21 pm
Queen are not a guilty pleasure. And neither are Bon Jovi (as I believe you know my feelings about BLTP). Mr Guilty Pleasure Sean Rowley’s idea of a GP is generally a top pop tune which would go down stormingly on a wedding danceflooe e.g. Come on Eileen
The only people who have guilty pleasures are people who took the NME too seriously in their youth! And, dare I say it, men!!!
September 26th, 2008 at 8:17 pm
Yes it is one those you’ve named (and by coincidence I mentioned them in the blog today ) – it’s their fourth album that does it for me. I don’t know why -( perhaps the slight sort of jazz funk tinge) but it just clicks. I’ve never told anyone about this before, and normally I don’t worry about ‘guilty pleasures’ and have no shame in owning up any album or band no matter how odd, out of fashion or unpopular they are and in fact have got albums by most of the others you mentioned – but there’s something so naff, safe, and soft about this lot they make Will Young look like Lemmy – it’s genuinely the only CD I’d hide if knew friends were coming round .
September 26th, 2008 at 11:35 pm
Hee Hee, I know the one. That record won a lot of grammys I believe, and has at least 2 very good singles on it which make me bop around the house. I don’t own the LP, but I might well look out for it now.
And I’m obviously relieved that your GP isn’t Mike and the Mechanics. You have to draw the line somewhere.