Tindersticks are an alternative band from Nottingham, England. Their sound … Read Full Bio ↴Tindersticks are an alternative band from Nottingham, England. Their sound is characterized by a synthesis of orchestral backing, lounge jazz, and soul; the lush orchestrations of multi-instrumentalist Dickon Hinchliffe and the smoky baritone of lead vocalist Stuart A. Staples are the band's hallmarks. Tindersticks have employed electric guitars, as most rock bands have done, but augment their instrumentation with a wide array of instruments: Rhodes piano, glockenspiel, vibraphone, violin, trumpet, trombone, clarinet, bassoon, Hammond organ, and many more are prominently utilized in the music of Tindersticks.
The band has a cult following in the United Kingdom and continental Europe, although the eclectic and unique sound Tindersticks possesses never made significant inroads in the mainstream.
Personnel
* Stuart Ashton Staples, born 14 November 1965 - Lead voice, guitar, melodica
* Dickon James Hinchliffe, born 9 July 1967 - violin, guitar, voice, piano, string and brass arrangements
* Neil Timothy Fraser, - born 22 November 1962 - lead guitar, vibraphone
* David Leonard Boulter, born 27 February 1965 - keyboards, percussion
* Alasdair Robert De Villeneuve Macaulay, born 2 August 1965 - drums, percussion, trumpet
* Mark Andrew Colwill, born 12 May 1960 - bass guitar
The band formed in late 1991, Staples, Boulter, Frazer, Macauley and Hinchcliffe having previously been members of Asphalt Ribbons. The final band line-up for the "old horse" mini-LP (1991) was: Stuart Staples (vocals) Dave Boulter (organ & accordion) Neil Fraser (guitar) Dickon Hinchliffe (Guitar & strings) Al Macauley (percussion & drums) John Thompson (bass). Mark Colwill was recruited when John Thompson left the Asphalt Ribbons, but it is not sure if he played any gigs under the Asphalt Ribbons name. Then they changed their name to Tindersticks after Stuart A. Staples discovered a box of German matches on a Greek beach.
Tindersticks started recording demo tapes in 1992, and were signed by Tippy Toe Records who released their first single, "Patchwork".
Their self-titled first and second albums established their signature sound and received widespread critical acclaim. Their live performances, often augmented by large string sections and even, on occasion, a full orchestra, were rapturously received. (The live album Bloomsbury Theatre 12.3.95 is a recording of one such concert.) By the time of the third album, Curtains, however, it was clear that a change of direction was called for. There was a certain ennui to the songs, and the lengthy "Ballad of Tindersticks" was a weary swipe at the pressures of being a touring band.
The fourth album, Simple Pleasure, lived up to its title with a series of snappy, direct songs influenced by soul music. The female backing vocals on several tracks, and the respectful cover of Odyssey's "If You're Looking For A Way Out", signalled the band's wish to move towards lighter, more soulful material. However, the inner sleeve's documentation of the number of takes each track went through was evidence that the band continued to adopt a painstaking approach to recording.
The fifth album, Can Our Love, continued the band's soulful direction, in particular evidence on the tender "Sweet Release" and in the nod to the Chi-Lites in the title of "Chilitetime".
The sixth and most recent album, Waiting For The Moon, was more stripped down and introspective in nature, particularly on the harrowing "4.48 Psychosis" (based on the play of the same name by the British playwright Sarah Kane) and "Sometimes It Hurts". Only the bouncy "Just A Dog" lightened the otherwise melancholy mood of the album.
In 2005 Staples embarked on a solo career and there was resultant speculation that the band had split. Staples has so far produced two solo albums, Lucky Dog Recordings 03-04 and Leaving Songs. The title of the second album, and Staples' notes on it, indicate that Tindersticks may indeed be at an end: "These are songs written on the verge of leaving the things I loved and stepping into a new unknown life, both musically and personally. I was always aware that these songs were the end of something, a kind of closing a circle of a way of writing that I started so long ago and I knew I had to move on from."
In September 2006, the band played a one-off concert at London's Barbican Centre, performing their second album in full with a nine-member string section and two brass players, including former collaborator Terry Edwards on trumpet. This concert brought the band's members back together. A new recording process in 2007 resulted in a new album, The Hungry Saw, which was released on April 28th 2008.
In the meantime, in July 2007, Island Records had released The BBC Sessions, a double CD compilation of the band's sessions for BBC radio programmes. Also in 2007, a stripped-down line-up of three of the original band, Staples, Boulter and Fraser, spent time writing and recording in a newly-equipped studio in Limousin, France. They were joined by Thomas Belhom on drums and Dan McKinna on bass, with Ian Caple engineering. The resulting album, The Hungry Saw, was released on Beggars Banquet in April 2008. Tindersticks played a number of other European dates during the summer festival season and also announced a winter 2008 European tour.
In 2010, the eighth album Falling Down a Mountain was released on 4AD / Constellation Records with a changed band line-up, with Earl Harvin replacing Belhom on drums and David Kitt, a solo artist in his own right, joining the band on guitar and vocals.
The group's ninth album The Something Rain was released in February 2012.
As well as their nine studio albums, the band has produced the soundtracks for four films by the French director Claire Denis: Nenette et Boni,Trouble Every Day, 35 Rhums and White Material
They recorded a cover of the Four Tops song, "What Is A Man", for the theme to the British TV series The Sins.
The Tindersticks song Tiny Tears was featured prominently in the Series 1 episode "Isabella" of HBO's The Sopranos. Additionally, a version of "Running Wild" was played during the ending credits of the penultimate episode of the series, "The Blue Comet". In the Season One Finale of Brotherhood, "El Diablo En El Ojo" is used twice.
* Tindersticks (aka First Album) (This Way Up, 1993)
* Tindersticks (aka Second Album) (This Way Up, 1995)
* Curtains (This Way Up, 1997)
* Simple Pleasure (Island, 1999)
* Can Our Love... (Beggar's Banquet, 2001)
* Waiting for the Moon (Beggar's Banquet, 2003)
* BBC Sessions (2007)
On 17th October 2014, Tindersticks released the commissioned soundscapes from the In Flanders Fields WW1 museum in Ypres, Belgium.
See the band's site at www.tindersticks.co.uk.
The band has a cult following in the United Kingdom and continental Europe, although the eclectic and unique sound Tindersticks possesses never made significant inroads in the mainstream.
Personnel
* Stuart Ashton Staples, born 14 November 1965 - Lead voice, guitar, melodica
* Dickon James Hinchliffe, born 9 July 1967 - violin, guitar, voice, piano, string and brass arrangements
* Neil Timothy Fraser, - born 22 November 1962 - lead guitar, vibraphone
* David Leonard Boulter, born 27 February 1965 - keyboards, percussion
* Alasdair Robert De Villeneuve Macaulay, born 2 August 1965 - drums, percussion, trumpet
* Mark Andrew Colwill, born 12 May 1960 - bass guitar
The band formed in late 1991, Staples, Boulter, Frazer, Macauley and Hinchcliffe having previously been members of Asphalt Ribbons. The final band line-up for the "old horse" mini-LP (1991) was: Stuart Staples (vocals) Dave Boulter (organ & accordion) Neil Fraser (guitar) Dickon Hinchliffe (Guitar & strings) Al Macauley (percussion & drums) John Thompson (bass). Mark Colwill was recruited when John Thompson left the Asphalt Ribbons, but it is not sure if he played any gigs under the Asphalt Ribbons name. Then they changed their name to Tindersticks after Stuart A. Staples discovered a box of German matches on a Greek beach.
Tindersticks started recording demo tapes in 1992, and were signed by Tippy Toe Records who released their first single, "Patchwork".
Their self-titled first and second albums established their signature sound and received widespread critical acclaim. Their live performances, often augmented by large string sections and even, on occasion, a full orchestra, were rapturously received. (The live album Bloomsbury Theatre 12.3.95 is a recording of one such concert.) By the time of the third album, Curtains, however, it was clear that a change of direction was called for. There was a certain ennui to the songs, and the lengthy "Ballad of Tindersticks" was a weary swipe at the pressures of being a touring band.
The fourth album, Simple Pleasure, lived up to its title with a series of snappy, direct songs influenced by soul music. The female backing vocals on several tracks, and the respectful cover of Odyssey's "If You're Looking For A Way Out", signalled the band's wish to move towards lighter, more soulful material. However, the inner sleeve's documentation of the number of takes each track went through was evidence that the band continued to adopt a painstaking approach to recording.
The fifth album, Can Our Love, continued the band's soulful direction, in particular evidence on the tender "Sweet Release" and in the nod to the Chi-Lites in the title of "Chilitetime".
The sixth and most recent album, Waiting For The Moon, was more stripped down and introspective in nature, particularly on the harrowing "4.48 Psychosis" (based on the play of the same name by the British playwright Sarah Kane) and "Sometimes It Hurts". Only the bouncy "Just A Dog" lightened the otherwise melancholy mood of the album.
In 2005 Staples embarked on a solo career and there was resultant speculation that the band had split. Staples has so far produced two solo albums, Lucky Dog Recordings 03-04 and Leaving Songs. The title of the second album, and Staples' notes on it, indicate that Tindersticks may indeed be at an end: "These are songs written on the verge of leaving the things I loved and stepping into a new unknown life, both musically and personally. I was always aware that these songs were the end of something, a kind of closing a circle of a way of writing that I started so long ago and I knew I had to move on from."
In September 2006, the band played a one-off concert at London's Barbican Centre, performing their second album in full with a nine-member string section and two brass players, including former collaborator Terry Edwards on trumpet. This concert brought the band's members back together. A new recording process in 2007 resulted in a new album, The Hungry Saw, which was released on April 28th 2008.
In the meantime, in July 2007, Island Records had released The BBC Sessions, a double CD compilation of the band's sessions for BBC radio programmes. Also in 2007, a stripped-down line-up of three of the original band, Staples, Boulter and Fraser, spent time writing and recording in a newly-equipped studio in Limousin, France. They were joined by Thomas Belhom on drums and Dan McKinna on bass, with Ian Caple engineering. The resulting album, The Hungry Saw, was released on Beggars Banquet in April 2008. Tindersticks played a number of other European dates during the summer festival season and also announced a winter 2008 European tour.
In 2010, the eighth album Falling Down a Mountain was released on 4AD / Constellation Records with a changed band line-up, with Earl Harvin replacing Belhom on drums and David Kitt, a solo artist in his own right, joining the band on guitar and vocals.
The group's ninth album The Something Rain was released in February 2012.
As well as their nine studio albums, the band has produced the soundtracks for four films by the French director Claire Denis: Nenette et Boni,Trouble Every Day, 35 Rhums and White Material
They recorded a cover of the Four Tops song, "What Is A Man", for the theme to the British TV series The Sins.
The Tindersticks song Tiny Tears was featured prominently in the Series 1 episode "Isabella" of HBO's The Sopranos. Additionally, a version of "Running Wild" was played during the ending credits of the penultimate episode of the series, "The Blue Comet". In the Season One Finale of Brotherhood, "El Diablo En El Ojo" is used twice.
* Tindersticks (aka First Album) (This Way Up, 1993)
* Tindersticks (aka Second Album) (This Way Up, 1995)
* Curtains (This Way Up, 1997)
* Simple Pleasure (Island, 1999)
* Can Our Love... (Beggar's Banquet, 2001)
* Waiting for the Moon (Beggar's Banquet, 2003)
* BBC Sessions (2007)
On 17th October 2014, Tindersticks released the commissioned soundscapes from the In Flanders Fields WW1 museum in Ypres, Belgium.
See the band's site at www.tindersticks.co.uk.
Paco De Renaldo's Dream
Tindersticks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴
It was a dream I had
This room was in the middle of a sandy plain
The walls were gone but the doors and windows remained
At the side of the bed were soft cushions
Two-dimensional ships like ocean liners sailed across this desert
As they passed, their huge bulks disappearing into a thin line
These ships were always full of people facing windows
And sometimes find their problems seem like a day's work
Following deep tracks, the boats kept passing by
Came to an unmanned sort of harbour
Stood on the sand in no water
( ? ) lowered it's doors
And one by one the ships descended to the sand
And sailed off in different directions across the desert
The carrier was then refilled with ships arriving in perfect time
I watched seven or eight of these drop-offs
And realised the process, the ships and the people within them never differed
I thought about following any of these ships to the end of their journey
But suspected I would end up back here
Or a place so similar that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference
I can't sleep in this bed anymore
It's like a padded cell
The sheets are too tight
( ? )
A man of your success
I'm tired of it
( ? )
Walked over to the window
Climbed on the window-ledge
And jumped out
I wasn't scared
I know I can fly
A quiff, a whiff of smoke, an empty egg
Roses north (I don't know how long we'd been waiting)
A front room (endless hours, weeks, years even)
Lino, yellow formica (we didn't know)
Lots of milky tea (only onward, forward, inward, in, over a field) (I don't want to do this)
Unmatched to match the unmatched plates (the sun sets in the west) (I really really really don't want to do this)
Straight-backed chairs (this is where we started each night) (you made me do it)
Steamy glass-pane window (we could only travel at night) (bang bang bang on the door)
Warped door, embassy no. 6 ashtray (we would conceal ourselves in the missing light 'till darkness fell) (I awoke, ran downstairs)
Chewy chop (nobody knew where we were) (a letter dropped to the floor)
Toasted cob, mustard (where we were going) (I bent, reached)
Crinkly-cut chips, bendy fork (a vague sense of direction) (swang open)
Polyester, pink gingham (( ? )) (cracked my head)
(nothing told us where we were) (unconscious fell)
(we always somehow managed to keep a straight line) (I awoke, the dog)
(licking my dick)
This room was in the middle of a sandy plain
The walls were gone but the doors and windows remained
At the side of the bed were soft cushions
Two-dimensional ships like ocean liners sailed across this desert
As they passed, their huge bulks disappearing into a thin line
These ships were always full of people facing windows
Following deep tracks, the boats kept passing by
Came to an unmanned sort of harbour
Stood on the sand in no water
( ? ) lowered it's doors
And one by one the ships descended to the sand
And sailed off in different directions across the desert
The carrier was then refilled with ships arriving in perfect time
I watched seven or eight of these drop-offs
And realised the process, the ships and the people within them never differed
I thought about following any of these ships to the end of their journey
But suspected I would end up back here
Or a place so similar that I wouldn't be able to tell the difference
I can't sleep in this bed anymore
It's like a padded cell
The sheets are too tight
( ? )
A man of your success
I'm tired of it
( ? )
Walked over to the window
Climbed on the window-ledge
And jumped out
I wasn't scared
I know I can fly
A quiff, a whiff of smoke, an empty egg
Roses north (I don't know how long we'd been waiting)
A front room (endless hours, weeks, years even)
Lino, yellow formica (we didn't know)
Lots of milky tea (only onward, forward, inward, in, over a field) (I don't want to do this)
Unmatched to match the unmatched plates (the sun sets in the west) (I really really really don't want to do this)
Straight-backed chairs (this is where we started each night) (you made me do it)
Steamy glass-pane window (we could only travel at night) (bang bang bang on the door)
Warped door, embassy no. 6 ashtray (we would conceal ourselves in the missing light 'till darkness fell) (I awoke, ran downstairs)
Chewy chop (nobody knew where we were) (a letter dropped to the floor)
Toasted cob, mustard (where we were going) (I bent, reached)
Crinkly-cut chips, bendy fork (a vague sense of direction) (swang open)
Polyester, pink gingham (( ? )) (cracked my head)
(nothing told us where we were) (unconscious fell)
(we always somehow managed to keep a straight line) (I awoke, the dog)
(licking my dick)
The lyrics of Tindersticks' song "Paco De Renaldo's Dream" describe an ethereal dream in which the singer is in a room situated in the middle of a sandy plain. The walls of the room are gone, but the doors and windows remain, and the bed is accompanied by soft cushions. The dreamer witnesses two-dimensional ships that resemble ocean liners, sailing across the desert. As the ships pass by, their huge bulks disappear into a thin line. These ships are always full of people facing windows and seem to face problems that seem like a day’s work. The boats continue to follow deep tracks as they pass by.
Eventually, the dreamer finds themselves at an unmanned harbor standing on the sand with no water to see. He watches as a carrier lowers its doors, and one by one, the ships descend to the sand and sail off in different directions across the desert. The carrier is then refilled with ships arriving in perfect time. The dreamer watches seven to eight of these drop-offs and makes the realization that the ships and the people within them never differ. He considers following any of these ships to the end of their journey but suspects he would end up back where he began. He ends the dream by nightmarishly describing how he can't sleep in this bed anymore as it's like a padded cell, and he feels trapped.
The meaning of the song is up for interpretation, and the narrative appears to be a surrealistic and ambiguous mixed collage of images without an immediately apparent unifying theme. Perhaps the song explores themes of entrapment, isolation, feeling lost, and futile journeys. The song's cryptic lyrics explore an alternative reality that exists outside of logic, but the vivid descriptions and emotions add a dream-like quality to the song, making it feel more like an invitation to a raw and intimate experience than a puzzle to be solved.
Contributed by Layla O. Suggest a correction in the comments below.
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@claudealain85
j'aime vraiment beaucoup ce que Stuart Staples et les Tindersticks réalisent depuis 15-20 ans mais il y a un souffle dramatique dans leurs trois premiers albums qu'on ne retrouve plus vraiment... c'est normal, c'est la vie... un moment, il faut bien se poser...
@francia3
Classic group, classic song, classic album...Thanks for putting that on Youtube!
@bjorns
thanks, love this one!
@MrPeterPrem
Thanks for upload! Was looking for it years! ;)