the strangest manifestation

Orange Juice have received a fair bit of press recently. Edwyn seems to be recovering from his life threatening illness and their was the interest created by Franz Ferdinand's debt to their Scottish forefathers and the subsequent Postcard retrospective 'The Glasgow School'. I'm here to stick up for Orange Juice in their Polydor era, less hip than the 'Sound of Young Scotland' years but equally nourshing.

Orange Juice- Falling and Laughing


What drew me to Edwyn Collins' songwriting and still keeps me coming back for more is the combination of romanticism, humour and wordplay....the same things I get when I read PG Wodehouse. This version of 'Falling and Laughing' is more polished than the Postcard version and the line 'only my dreams satisfy the real needs of my heart' is one of those great lovelorn teenager lines that POP music is all about.

Orange Juice- Craziest Feeling


Craziest Feeling is from the 'Texas Fever' mini album. Here Edwyn does his 'soul' voiceover. Orange Juice helped to launch a thousand spindly white boy guitar bands who usually missed the point that the 'Juice were trying to synthesise the soul and funk that they loved through their untutored Glaswegian technique. It reminds me of the teenage Steve Marriott trying to be Otis or Solomon Burke, the fact they don't quite get there makes it all the more appealing.

Orange Juice- What Presence?!


If I had to pick a favourite OJ song it would have to be 'What Presence?', those clanging guitars and that easy flow of rhymes sung in that odd fruity voice....love it! Love 'em!

Buy Orange Juice- The Glasgow School here

This is his career as Edwyn sees it

Cheer Edwyn on here