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Happy
Birthday by Altered Images (Epic/ 1981)Suzy, my girlfriend, thinks this album is really rubbish — but I like it. Ultimately, I think our difference of opinion on this record is down to the fact that Sue is eight years younger than me. She likes music that is generally well played and has a discernible beginning, middle and an end. And despite my having explained it time and again, she just doesn't get that post-punk thing of music being more open-ended and less defined by conventional song structures. Nor, that such music was admirably created by bands who were able to innovate in the face of a complete lack of technical ability, and who at the same time embodied an unbridled sense of musical adventurism and experimentalism. Well, as it happens, 'Happy Birthday' has only one proper song on it, and that's the gimmicky title track, so I'm hardly surprised that she doesn't like it.
Largely produced by Steve Severin of Siouxsie and the Banshees, the album is admittedly, very derivative, largely taking its cue from the poppier side of the early Banshees sound. Indeed, the metallic rhythm guitar-playing on the tracks 'Idols' and 'Beckoning Strings' in particular, are more than vaguely reminiscent of 'Carcass' from the Banshees debut, The Scream. Nevertheless, with the addition of Claire Grogan's kindergarten vocal style, the album has a naive charm all of its own. Certainly, with its skeletal lead guitar codas and meat and potatoes drumming, the musicianship is rudimentary to say the least (drummer Tich was soon to be replaced as the record company sought to mould the band for chart success) but for me, the pay-off for such deficiencies is the wonderful sense of spaciousness and fragility within what are for the most part, unformed sonic sketches. Nevertheless, I can't help but wonder what those pop kids who bought the album on the strength of the one hit single, would have made of it. I mean, 'Happy Birthday' the single doesn't sound entirely out of place on 'Happy Birthday' the album, in spite of the fact that it was recorded by a different producer; Martin Rushent (who also produced the Human League amongst others). But you do get the impression that following its chart success, the tune was hastily shoehorned onto what was in all likelihood, a completed album, in a bid to sweeten it up and make it a little more palatable to the general pop public. And just in case anyone should miss the fluffy three minute confection at the beginning of side two, a short refrain from the song is used as both an intro and outro to the album — talk about labouring a point!
Starting with the 'Happy Birthday' the single, Rushent effectively succeeded in filling in the vast open spaces of Altered Images' music with chiming xylophones, and on the subsequent hit single, 'I Could Be Happy', with what sounded like tubular bells. And it proved to be a winning formula, with Claire Grogan and the boys appearing regularly on Top of the Pops, Tiswas and even the Old Grey Whistle Test (whispering Bob Harris would have turned in his grave had he been dead). Oh, and lest I forget, they were also lampooned on the comedy satire show, 'Not the Nine O'Clock News'. And I was certainly happy, because like many of my contemporaries, I was completely smitten with the wee Miss Grogan. Now, looking at her picture on the album cover, while she still strikes me as attractive, she was never a stunning beauty in the Debbie Harry mould. Rather, her appeal was that she looked like the kind of lass you might have gone to school with and even snogged round the back of the youth club (not that I did much of that). She was also slightly and intriguingly alternative, but most of all she was ultra cute and girlie in that clean, flouncy, 'sugar 'n' spice an' all things nice' party dress and ribbons kind of a way. And I liked that!
In 1983, Claire was given something of a radical makeover, appearing on the cover of the band's third album, Bite, in a little black dress with her hair slicked back, Holly Golightly style. And I liked that too. But though I never actually got to listen to the album, I do remember the single 'Don't Talk to Me About Love' as something of a sophisticated pop classic which was a million miles away from 'Happy Birthday'. Oh, and I've still never ever heard Altered Images debut single, 'Dead Pop Stars', in spite of it having been something of a John Peel Festive Fifty Favourite.