Frank Sidebottom – Little Box of Bobbins – Frank’s Fantastic Anthology 1985-1993
It’s a testament to the uniqueness of Chris Sievey‘s glorious creation, that despite his own TV show, guest appearances on countless other programmes, regular attempts at cracking the hit parade, relentless touring, books and a film semi-based on his life starring Hollywood A-listers, that Frank Sidebottom remains an enigma 40 years after his debut.
There are those who love Frank (I include myself in that camp) and those who hate him – hate might not actually be the right word. There are certainly people who were a little afraid of him, largely I suspect as he never broke character – what was really going on inside that massive head? Some claim immunity from his charms as they were the wrong age during his peak years of fame or they readily admit to not ‘getting the joke’. Of course, there really wasn’t a joke as such, it was a mirror held up to a world which held itself as sacrosanct. Frank was only pointing out the absurdity that was hidden in plain sight.
In terms of music, everything was fair game. If it was pompous, po-faced or in need of appreciation by a world that Frank felt had previously undervalued it, so much the better. Fundamentally though, Frank liked a good tune. As a pop star himself in another world as part of The Freshies, Frank gave Chris the chance to pay tribute to an art form he was genuinely in love with. Frank’s cover versions never outstay their welcome – melodies are faithfully reproduced and lyrics are toyed with, but in a way that somehow makes you re-evaluate them and appreciate them even more. Oddities now accepted as the norm are latched upon and wrenched from their moorings and held aloft for all to see.
“You’ve only 14 hours to save the world”
“I know, I’ve got me watch on”
‘Frank Gordon’
Across three discs we get 109 tracks, a great many presented for the umpteenth time, several never previously on CD, 20 never heard before anywhere. It’s pretty irresistible. Disc one covers ‘Frank Sidebottom’s ABC & D… The Best Of…’ previously released on Cherry Red, which acclimatises you nicely to the rarified air of Timperley, whilst zipping through Queen retrospectives, Christmas and football songs, and liberal mentions of his mum and Little Frank. ‘E, F, G & H. The Best Of… Volume Two’, the second part of Frank’s previously issued works covers more of the same ground, with some lovely time capsules of pop culture at the time they were created – The Smiths and Bros are both handled with the same amounts of respect, whilst themes from programmes like ‘Captain Scarlet and the Mysterons’ are played – more or less – straight. There’s something oddly poignant about Frank’s cover of ‘Mirrorman/Gimme That Harp Boy’ by Captain Beefheart. Two genuine outsiders perplexed by the world around them, Frank’s version thuds along in a way that shows there’s real affection for the source material, though the track sequencing pitches it close to his medley of songs from TV ads. From Van Vliet to Shake ‘n’ Vac in ten minutes. It’s Sidebottom in a nutshell.
The treasure trove is disc three – 16 tracks from Frank’s EPs for EMI offshoot Regal Zonophone, with 20 live tracks recorded at various gigs across Manchester from 1985-1988. Current hits are given what-for – ‘Love Missile F1-1’ by Sigue Sigue Sputnik; Frankie Goes to Hollywoods’ ‘Power of Love’ segueing into Lennon‘s ‘Jealous Guy’, and a joyous live rendition of ‘Caravan of Love’ by The Housemartins, in which “stand-ups” are followed by inevitable “sit-downs” and the less expected “do the shoppin’ for me mum”. Bowie‘s ‘Life on Mars’ is now forever tainted by Frank’s mangling of the lyrics:
“It’s a God-awful small affair
For the girl with a mouse in her hair”
The live tracks (all crystal clear) are a reminder of the sheer joy that accompanied Frank through his romp through barely 8 years. He made people happy; they forgot their worries and lived purely for the moment, surrounded by people with the same childlike affection for the man wearing a large paper-mâché head and a suit and tie, not really knowing what was happening and all the more grateful for it. I hope this doesn’t sound throwaway but he is truly missed and the world really isn’t the same without him. There’ll never be another. There really won’t.
Daz Lawrence
