Ambition was never the Pastels' strong suit, and luck was rarely on their side; as the group's members -- now including bassist Martin Hayward and drummer Bernice Simpson -- devoted their primary focus to their studies, new music appeared only sporadically and to little notice, on a seemingly random series of labels. After 1983's "I Wonder Why" was released on Rough Trade, they moved to Creation, where they hit their stride with the 1984 drone-pop gems "Something's Going On" and "A Million Tears." After one further single, 1985's "I'm Alright with You," the Pastels split with Creation, moving to the tiny Glass label. In 1986, their track "Breaking Lines" appeared on the influential C-86 collection assembled by the New Music Express, transforming the anorak movement into an overnight media sensation quickly accompanied by intense critical backlash.
Regardless of prevailing musical trends, however, the Pastels soldiered on: after recruiting one-time Shop Assistants keyboardist Aggi Wright, they recorded the 1986 single "Truck Train Tractor," followed by Crawl Babies and Comin' Through. Finally, in 1987 the group found time to assemble an LP, Up for a Bit with the Pastels, followed in 1988 by Suck on the Pastels, a collection of unreleased Creation-era material. In 1989, former Vaselines frontman Eugene Kelly and ex-Shop Assistant David Keegan joined the fold for Sittin' Pretty, the final LP to include Superstar, Hayward, and Simpson. The remaining duo of Pastel and Wright expanded to include Katrina Mitchell for the 1991 collaboration Jad Fair and the Pastels, followed by the 1994 EP Olympic World of Pastelism. Their third album, Mobile Safari, was released in 1995 by Domino in the U.K. (which began a long-running alliance) and Up Records in the U.S. It featured a lineup including longtime band associates Norman Blake and Gerald Love (both from Teenage Fanclub) and ex-Shop Assistant guitarist David Keegan, and a guest appearance from Luna's Dean Wareham.
Their next album, 1997's Illumination, was issued by the same configuration of record labels and featured a similar lineup, only with the addition of guitarist Jonathan Kilgour and guest shots from Belle & Sebastian's Isobel Campbell and pianist Bill Wells. A remix album, Illuminati, was released in 1998 and featured reworks of tracks by Kevin Shields, Stereolab, Cornelius, and other A-list indie rockers. This burst of recognition and activity was derailed when Wright decided to leave the band in 1998, throwing Mitchell and Pastel into a spin. Instead of jumping back into making music right away, the band went on hiatus while figuring things out. The duo next formed Geographic Records in 2000 as an offshoot of Domino, and began releasing records by friends (Future Pilot AKA, International Airport) and obscure acts (Nagisa Ni Te, Maher Shalal Hash Baz.) The band reappeared at last in 2003 with the mostly instrumental soundtrack for the film The Last Great Wilderness. The album was produced by the Sea and Cake's John McEntire and featured International Airport's Tom Crossley along with a vocal feature for Jarvis Cocker. A friendship with Japanese band Tenniscoats led to their next release, 2009's collaborative effort Two Sunsets. The core band was expanded to include Crossley and Mitchell's sister Alison, with Love still there, too. With the record label slowing its pace and releasing one album a year, the band turned toward recording an album of their own, and in 2013 their fifth record, Slow Summits, was released. McEntire was again in the producer's chair and guitarist John Hogarty had joined the ranks. Also on board as guests were To Rococo Rot's Stefan Schneider and Robert Lippok, as well as Norman Blake (again), and original bandmember Annabel Wright. (c)Jason Ankeny
2) An American 50s pop group formed by Dee Irwin while he was serving in the military. Consisted of DiFosco "Dee" T. Ervin Jr. himself, Richard Travis, Tony Thomas and Jimmy Willingham. They toured widely until splitting up in 1959.
Unfair Kind of Fame
The Pastels Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
You were a boom man and a camera grip
You pioneered it, yeah you dug your own graves
And built your own crosses
Out of cardboard and nails
Down to the film set
Saucers, spotters and flames
All you asked for
Was a little acclaim
But what they gave you
Unfair kind of fame
You hired cheap actors
But they gave you their best
And you stayed proud
And you believed in yourself
Down to the film set
Saucers, plotters and planes
You left nothing to chance
You learned that from playing chess
The lyrics to The Pastels' song "Unfair Kind of Fame" describe the story of a person who is a filmmaker, who wrote his own scripts and also worked as a boom man and camera grip. This person was a pioneer in his field and dug his own graves and built his own crosses, a metaphor for the sacrifices he made to achieve his goals. He worked tirelessly, surrounded by different professionals like saucers, spotters, and flames on the film set. All he wanted was a little acclaim for his hard work, but what he received in return was an unfair kind of fame.
The filmmaker hired cheap actors, but they gave him their best, and he stood proud and believed in himself. He left nothing to chance, having learned that lesson from playing chess. The meaning behind the song may be that despite the sacrifices made and the hard work put in, what one receives in return is not always the recognition they deserve. The fame that is gained is not always fair, and it can come with harsh criticism and judgment.
Line by Line Meaning
Directing movies, you wrote your own scripts
You were the one calling the shots and creating the storylines
You were a boom man and a camera grip
You had to work behind the scenes to make sure everything was in place
You pioneered it, yeah you dug your own graves
You started something new and innovative, but it ended up causing your downfall
And built your own crosses out of cardboard and nails
You unknowingly set yourself up for failure with your own actions and decisions
Down to the film set, Saucers, spotters and flames
You were heavily involved in every aspect of the filmmaking process
All you asked for was a little acclaim
You only wanted some recognition for your hard work and dedication
But what they gave you, Unfair kind of fame
The attention and notoriety you received was not what you expected or deserved
You hired cheap actors, But they gave you their best
You didn't have a lot of resources to work with, but the actors you hired still put in their best effort
And you stayed proud, And you believed in yourself
You didn't let your circumstances bring you down and always had faith in your abilities
Down to the film set, Saucers, plotters and planes
You were heavily involved in every aspect of the filmmaking process
You left nothing to chance, You learned that from playing chess
You were always prepared and thought ahead, just like in the game of chess
Writer(s): Katrina Mitchell Copyright: Universal/Momentum Music Ltd.
Contributed by Violet L. Suggest a correction in the comments below.