Thursday 17 April 2014

Henry Badowski ‎– "Life Is A Grand" (A&M Records ‎– AMLH 68527) 1981

From the Good Missionaries to major label solo album?How did this happen?
Ten simple minimalist pop tunes, moving from the Twee to the amusing, won Henry a contract with A&M,and Miles Copeland's IRS in the USA?!
These evil capitalists made sure that this album was well buried.Envious of the units the independents were shifting,they tried to sign anything they saw as having sales potential with the aim of starving the alternative charts of bulging sales figures. It worked of course,Henry, for example, never worked again.
This LP however is a fine example of Alternative Pop, with a hint of tongue in cheek. Another in the early eighties trend of infiltrating the business from the inside, like ATV's "Strange Kicks" amongst other noble failures. The Human League is a fine example of what could go wrong with this tactic by the UK underground.
A noble cause and idea, but it never achieved these objectives.
Now we have the internet to bring down the record companies, and reintroduce lost albums like this.

(Check his earlier singles HERE!)

Tracklist: 

A1  My Face
A2  Henry's In Love
A3  Swimming With The Fish In The Sea
A4  The Inside Out
A5  Life Is A Grand
B1 Silver Trees
B2  This Was Meant To Be
B3  Anywhere Else
B4  Baby, Sign Here With Me
B5  Rampant

DOWNLOAD a grand life HERE!

8 comments:

Stu said...

Thanks. Really enjoying this.

Any Instant said...

love this record! Thanks! Henry's In Love has a near fatal skip... could we get a re-rip? Thanks again!

Jonny Zchivago said...

I'll give it a go,bare with me.

Adult Friend Finder Reviewer said...

You are a legend! Thanks for this link

23 Daves said...

Thanks for this - I was going to buy the LP on Discogs but it's really hard to find a good quality copy at a reasonable price now.

JWishbone said...

"Now we have the internet to bring down the record companies, and reintroduce lost albums like this."

Indeed; so let us profit from this opportunity for so long as it lasts. Thx JZ always wanted to hear this.

Robert Wegmann said...

This disc was very important in my youth. As a young musician it was a template that molded my songwriting. You are golden for giving us this precious resource...

Jonny Zchivago said...

Indeed, one of the more talented of the Damned/Johnny Moped clique from croydon. I really must listen to this again.