Wyatt and Costello discuss the release of `Shipbuilding' on an early Channel 4 programme `Loose Talk'. Restored from a VHS tape before it was too late.
Robert’s voice is so poignant, it was perfect in every way for the song. It’s the best lyric Costello ever wrote. Everything about the recording still stands up today after all these years.
So few people now recognize Wyatt as the incredible musical genius he was. What a tragedy what happened to him. No surprise that Elvis Costello recognizes him.
Utterly sublime.There's a longing in Robert's voice that hints at the sadness of past times, unrecoverable. But it's not oversentimental either. Those disappeared traditional working class jobs in the mines, heavy engineering, shipbuilding and similar industries were hard, generally poorly paid and dangerous.And somehow, this song encapsulates much of this feeling on a human scale. an absolute masterpiece.
@@OldDunc Fair enough Old Dunc. But my comment was made only 3 years ago and Thatcher's failure to support Britain's heavy industries was part of a deliberate deindustrialization policy (mostly aimed at breaking union power and working class soldarity) which started in 1979 so I don't think I was that far out given when the song was written.
@@samjones9214 Understood (and i saw the date of your comment), but that's why talking about "the sadness of past times" doesn't work here. "Traditional working class jobs" were nothing to be nostalgic about, and the unions knew that. And the core of the song is about the war, though I agree that Thatcher's economic policies are in there too.
It’s a brilliant song. I remember a music teacher at school playing it for the class I was in (aged 13). Must have been maybe autumn 1983. At the time I was just developing a taste for more esoteric music but I think, like my classmates, it kind of went over my head. Can’t remember the name of the teacher now, but cheers and respect wherever you are.
Robert looks much younger and healthier in the interview. In the video he looks almost unrecognisable. Loved Robert in the Soft Machine. Fabulous band.
That's what I like about the video. Music videos generally are aimed at glamorizing the performer; Wyatt here looks ancient of days - they even show his wheelchair. It fits the song.
Two of my favourite artists combined in a great song - I still have the single as well as a recording by EC and play both regularly even now, 2021. Strange to see them looking so young. EC is a few months younger than me. I'd forgotten it dates from Falklands war
Well, the song is one of the greatest ever written and recorded as I'm sure everyone here will agree. But the interview is rather annoying. It's an Elvis interview that they let Robert sit in on, that's partly because Robert is completely out of his comfort zone here
Quiet a brilliant interviewer your brother was ,naturally when you work in channel 4 you can only be good ,I hope you and your big brother are doing well and seeing each other regularly .I will check out more interviews by Mr Taylor the journalist .
Do you have any more Loose Talk shows? I'm particularly interested in the one which featured Sade, which I think was from 11th April 1983. I know there are already some clips from that show on YoTube but I'd be interested to see the whole show.
Hi Andy, sadly not. I was a student back then and VHS tape was about a fiver for an E-180 (3hr tape). I used to spin them out for a long as possible by only recording things which were essential to me.
Here is Sade's performance. ru-vid.com/video/%D0%B2%D0%B8%D0%B4%D0%B5%D0%BE-pk7I4-x37Mw.html but yeah, it would be great to see the whole shows. I see Howard Jones and Cocteau Twins' performances on RU-vid, but gosh, the whole shows/interviews would be great.
Not to my knowledge Morgan, and I'm the chap who taped it....around about the time I was probably writing to you to praise your compilation `Minatures' to the skies ! It is POSSIBLE they maybe did an interview with Elvis too, which I wouldn't have kept at the time.
@@OldDunc At this time in the business the stylists and PR budgets seemed to on the new pop bands. I remember at the 80s when I was in a signed band on an independent label, we had no budget for that sort of thing! Different times they were, indeed. Looking at Wyatt as a drummer and a singer, he wasn’t going to be moulded into some sort of contrived image. After MTV exploded image was everything.
For anyone who doesn’t know, ‘I Believe’ from ‘Songs From the Big Chair’ was an attempt at a Wyatt style vocal delivery based on his performance on this song. I didn’t realise the origins of ‘I Believe’ until Roland Orzabal and Chris Hughes explained it on the Classic Albums documentary.
