One Thousand Violins 🎻
For all those people out there who were ever 'let down' by others, perhaps held someone on a 'pedestal' that couldn't have given a s**t about you, well this song might just be your anthem...
Catch it at the youtube link here: 'You Ungrateful Bastard'
Movies, Record Videos & Adverts
Possibly one of the best 'un-requited' love songs ever made, the video to which is quite brilliant in that it uses 'pastiches' of previous music videos such as Bob Dylan 'Subterranean Homesick Blues', The Levi Jeans advert and also even cheeky use of the Scots film of the '80's 'Gregory's Girl'. The track is fast paced almost 'twee' and 60's sounding but with lyrics that 'bite back'.
The song is by a Sheffield C-86 based Indie Rock/Pop band called One Thousand Violins and released in 1986 on the 6 track 'mini album' 'Please Don't Sandblast My House!' as per the record cover above.
Track List
- Please Don't Sandblast My House
- My Beautiful Shirt
- Ungrateful Bastard
- I Think It's Time That I Broke Down
- Though It Poured The Next Day
- To Make You Tea
The track was released initially as a single on the Dreamworld Label as mentioned further in this post and also on a 'mini album' by the Constrictor Records Label run by Phillip Boa and Pia Lund and released records by their own band Phillip Boa & The Voodooclub as well as acts such as The Membranes, The Creepers and The Television Personalities. Please Don't Sandblast my house reached #11 in the UK indie Charts back in 1987.
It has also been previously referenced on T.V. program 'Top Gear' where everyone (possibly deservedly so) calls Jeremy Clarkson an 'Ungrateful Bastard'. Have a check of 1000 Violins live performing the track 'You Ungrateful Bastard' Live at Brixton.
Band & Formation
One Thousand Violins were from Sheffield and formed in 1985
- Colin Gregory (guitar)
- John Wood (vocals)
- David Walmsley (keyboards/guitar)
- Peter Day (drums)
- Darren Swindells (bass)
Their first single 'Halcyon Days' was released in 1985 on the small Independent Dreamworld Record label, the label was set up by Daniel Treacy a British singer/songwriter and core member of the band The Television Personalities and Emily Brown also a singer/songwriter with 80's band The Hangman's Beautiful Daughters. The label itself was later to 'morph' into another Indie Label called Whaam Records.
The band themselves called it quits in 1989 after releasing three albums and nine singles/E.P.'s.
The debut single is really quite lovely, very melodic and yes has that whole 60's tinge to it, a track I can listen to over and over.
Colin Gregory went on to work with Alt Rock band The Dylans also from Sheffield and formed in 1990, you can catch their track 'Godlike' at the link, again a slightly 60's and 'baggy' sound, they too were signed to Indie Label Situation 2 Records and eventually split in 1994.
For more C-86 style check out my previous post 'Everybody Knows The Monkey' at the Featured post or for more Indie Pop sounds on this site the tag 'Indie Pop' and post link to 'All You Ever Say'.
Video Thanks
Picture Thanks
recordsmakegreatpets.wordpress.com
Photo by Josep Molina Secall on Unsplash