"The Frappachino Kid"
Horse Whispers - a personal evaluation
"Some are in it for the fame. Some are in it for the glory.
Some are in it for the sex and the drugs…but a few, a very
precious few…well, buddy, they’re in it for ROCK and
ROLL!"
- "Big Boy" Connolly, Mississippi, 1957
In these humdrum and homogenous days of soulless divas and gurning
pretty boys, in a world where Reality TV cannon fodder crash and
burn in 4/4 time and faux teen angst has become a marketable commodity
(Avril dear, you’re fooling nobody), it’s both easy
to forget and refreshing to know in equal measure that there are
still real musicians at loose in this world of men, unafraid to
express real feelings and writing real melodies on real instruments…21st
century Van Heusens and Cahns crafting articulate and insightful
lyrics with hooklines to die for! Despite all evidence to the contrary,
these are not arcane practises being carried out in darkened alleyways
and shady backrooms, accessible only through the correct combination
of nod, wink and secret handshake. They’re happening right
now and right here…right under your very nose!
Hollow Horse are a case in point. On Five Year Diary, songwriter
and vocalist Kenny Little displays a mastery of the pop palette
equal to both peers and musical heroes alike. To create these veritable
three minute symphonies, the band (which includes long-serving lieutenant,
David Wotherspoon, on keys), have bolstered the traditional rock
format with a stunning armoury of alternate sounds and colours.
Inspired and inventive arrangements abound but though trumpets may
sing, strings swoon, saxophones moan, bells chime and guitars blaze
a backward trail on occasion, at no time do these elements overwhelm
the song. The song is paramount. Always the song.
With a history approaching soap opera-esque proportions, this Horse’s
tale is indeed a complicated creature with a family tree so tangled
even the indomitable Pete Frame would think twice before attempting
to graphically document all those who have passed through the ranks
over the passage of years. It’s always a crying shame to lose
anyone from the Corps but it’s understandable. The road to
pop perfection is not an easy path for anyone to walk and, simply
put, not everyone has the stamina. It takes a steady hand, a patient
demeanour and an unshakeable belief that the music deserves to be
heard. In this instance, that belief is more than justified.
Appreciation, of course, comes in a variety of forms with commercial
success being only the most visible indicator. As far as the great
unwashed are concerned…"if it ain’t in the charts,
it don’t exist". If you genuinely think that BBC Radio
One plays the "Best of British", not only are your ears
missing some truly phenomenal music but you really shouldn’t
be on this site. Hell, you probably shouldn’t be left on your
own with an electrical appliance…or, for that matter, anything
with sharp edges!
Artistic success? Listen to the selection of sound samples from
Five Year Diary situated elsewhere on this site and work it out
for yourself.
As for recognition from one’s peers, I won’t embarrass
the self-effacing gentleman behind the pen and his able colleagues
by reeling off a comprehensive list of platitudes here. Suffice
to say that the band have previously appeared on stage and on record
alongside the likes of the Silencers, the Proclaimers and Teenage
Fanclub (to name but a few) and, amongst their recent admirers,
you might like to include the following…
Chris Difford, ex-Squeeze wordsmith and the dazzling lyrical mind
behind some of the best lines in the British pop pantheon.
Alan McGee, indie supremo and the guilty party who wandered into
a renowned Glasgow venue one evening, stumbled upon a Mancunian
retro outfit fronted by two dimwit brothers and, in one fell swoop,
sent the intelligence quotient of British pop into freefall for
the best part of a decade…only to redeem himself in recent
years by releasing a heady mix of eclectic musical delights on his
post-Creation label, Poptones. Personal favourites amongst an almost
perversely diverse catalogue include long lost highlights from the
shamefully underrated career of LA wunderkind Curt Boettcher, contemporary
and peer of Brian Wilson, Gary Usher and Van Dyke Parks. From the
ridiculous to the sublime, indeed. Do yourself a favour and add
some music to your day.
Marti Pellow…well, okay, we were probably all sick of that
bloody record from "Four Weddings And A Funeral" after
just the second week of its four month run at the top of the UK
charts but the man remains one of the finest white soul singers
this island has produced…and an arbiter of good taste, to
boot.
Daniel Wylie, previously the creative force behind Top 40 popsters
Cosmic Rough Riders and now burgeoning solo artist, who recently
took time out from prepping his eagerly awaited debut album to contribute
words of encouragement and backing vocals during the sessions for
Five Year Diary. A veteran of the Glasgow music scene and a true
gentleman, Daniel doesn’t just promise idly…he delivers!
So there you have it, dear friends. The art of perseverance in a
nutshell. I could, of course, divulge the minutiae of the band’s
torrid personal lives, I could regale you with epic tales of excess
and derring-do from years spent on the road that would keep you
awake at night or I could simply name names and settle old scores…but
I won’t steal any more of your precious time. There will be
plenty of opportunity for that later.
In the meantime, I’ll commend you to divert your attention
to the downloads page where you will find evidence to your advantage.
Beyond that, the decision is yours. By all means return to a mundane
plane of existence soundtracked by colourless nu-metal, vapid r’n’b
and insipid boy bands…or invest instead in Five Year Diary
and remind yourself of how music used to be made and how music should
be made…with fire and skill, heart and soul, love and affection,
rock and roll.
When you’ve heard the real deal, too much is never enough!
The Frappachino Kid
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