Cock Sparrer, formed in 1972 and influenced by the movements of pub and glam rock, released their new album Hand On My Heart on the 5th of April. This is their first in 7 years, 46 since releasing a self-titled debut in 1978 and to my mind, these boys have nailed the art of songwriting. Why you may ask. When sitting down to eat dinner, after only one listen, I found the melody of those tracks I had just listened to, once again, just breezed through my psyche. The choruses, the tune and the rhythm were solid enough that they remained intact as I tucked into my spaghetti, making this the complete experience and even more delicious.
This 10-track album could well find itself resembling a Quality Street selection box, but with more favourites than toffee centres. Songs from their previous catalogue have been envied, or covered, by the likes of Rancid, The Interrupters, Bouncing Souls and Dropkick Murphys, among many more, and I see no reason why this won’t continue. In 1976 the legendary Malcolm McLaren had considered managing Cock Sparrer alongside the Sex Pistols, so with this pedigree in mind, I could be onto a sure thing. The first number ‘With My Hand On My Heart‘ rattles along at a fair lick, in what seems to be a passionate song, as vocalist Colin McFaull voices the sentiments “…don’t take the world for granted and just set yourself apart, yes I swear with my hand on my heart…” continuing, long-time guitarist Mick Beaufoy offers his intent lick, as I continue to break down those lyrics. It used to be considered the punk genre to be one of anarchy and angry young men, but from the line “…One life to live, live it fast live it well, take a chance if it’s worth it, but take heaven over hell and I’ll never let them stop you from following a star, and I swear with my hand on my heart”, that I feel it’s right to say that this was written with McFaull’s offspring in mind, be them a child or grandchild. The album continues at the same pace, but this time during the song ‘Mind Your Own Business’ it turns from delight to threat as the vocalist offers the words “…I’ll stay out of your way, you keep out of mine, mind your own and everything is fine…”, so on this occasion not so much a song from the heart, than it is a song of menace, but still with that passion in mind. To paraphrase its author, “…just mind your own…”. This is a wonderful song, with a memorable hook that’ll take you through the day, although perhaps internalise those words, when the boss asks you how your work is progressing.
I mentioned that in their early days, the band had been courted by Sex Pistols manager Malcolm McLaren, well after listening to the song ‘Rags To Riches’, I took from the line, “…you gave me a pound for the bar, but a pound don’t go that far…” and recalled the story that they had turned down McLaren’s offer, apparently for not buying a round of drinks! So if anything should come from this, it’s to always put your hand in your pocket when drinking with friends, or associates. You may never know when this experience might find its way into the public realm, pity McLaren will never hear this one. From tracks ‘Take It On The Chin’, ‘One Way Ticket’ and ‘Nowhere To Be Found’, these sub-4-minute tunes rattle along at a pace in keeping with a fairground filly and will keep you smiling as they race down the home stretch.
I think I can say with confidence that we’ve all heard of Stock-Aitken-Waterman, the songwriting trio who wrote tunes for the popular music scene, from the 80s to early 90s, when not so many of us will have heard of the songwriting team behind the catalogue of Cock Sparrer. I can state categorically that these would stand up tall in a howling gale, while those of the earlier mentioned might find themselves in the next field. Although these may not have made it onto TOTP, any night of the week, anywhere in the world, if they’re playing, the Sparrer faithful will turn up en masse to party with McFaull and co. Later in the year will lay claim to this, as the band play Hellfest alongside the Foo Fighters and Queens of the Stone Age. The 27th to the 30th of June will become a melting pot of music, as Clisson, France plays host, with Cock Sparrer playing the final Sunday. They might have turned down McLaren, but the band are not doing badly, 52 years since they struck their first chord, as this sparrer still sings.
