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.
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Tindersticks Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
On top of the cupboard there
Sits next to you
And see
There on the ceiling
A ghost
Waiting to be free
In the bathroom
Like a ghost
Like a ghost of himself
They say
Like a ghost
The stuffing knocked out of you
She will search
And buys his paper in the morning
Hello Mrs. Wilson
With his cat on his lap
He watches the TV
And he doesn't cry or get angry anymore
And he doesn't want to change the world anymore
Let it keep its own counsel
On top of the cupboard there
Sitting next to you
There on the ceiling
Unseen
A ghost of himself
Waiting to be free
And from here I imagine you
Not in my bed
Collecting apples, windfallen
From here I imagine you
But not hanging over me
Wrists on my shoulder
But driving your car
Swearing beautifully
I imagine your body
The tips of your elbows
The pads of your feet
Pampered completely
I imagine reaching for you, touching you
But not with tears
With the beauty of every day
Over and over
I imagine you in the sunshine, maybe
Whatever the weather
Whatever is on TV
I imagine you
The opening verse of Tindersticks’s song “Like a Ghost” sets up a haunting narrative that continues throughout the track. The first line, “It’s there, on top of the cupboard there," suggests a presence, something tangible and real, albeit possibly forgotten or neglected. This something, or someone, is “like a ghost of himself,” existing as a shadow of what they once were. This ghostly figure is depicted as present but unfree, restrained by circumstance, perhaps a figurative representation of someone who is stuck in the past or trapped in some way.
The lyrics then take a sharp turn, shifting focus to an elderly man named Mr. Wilson. He is described as someone who has lost his passion for life, someone who “doesn’t cry or get angry anymore” and “doesn’t want to change the world anymore.” This is a stark contrast to the ghost-like figure introduced in the beginning of the song, who seems to be struggling to break free from their own predicament.
The final verse continues the theme of imagination, with the singer conjuring up images of their lover. They imagine the person collecting apples and driving a car, describing their body in detail. The lyrics suggest a desire to connect with this person in a meaningful and intimate way but without the pain and sadness of tears.
Overall, “Like a Ghost” is a melancholic song that explores the complex interplay between memory, longing, and the passage of time.
Line by Line Meaning
It's there
The subject matter is present
On top of the cupboard there
The subject matter is located on top of a cupboard
Sits next to you
The subject matter is situated beside you
And see
The artist prompts the listener to observe
There on the ceiling
The artist draws attention to the existence of something on the ceiling
A ghost
An apparition or specter
Waiting to be free
The ghost is patiently anticipating liberation
In the bathroom
A room in a house used for personal hygiene activities
Watching you bathe
The ghost is observing the person taking a bath
Like a ghost
This a simile that compares the ghost's presence to that of a ghost
Like a ghost of himself
This line likens the person to a diluted version of their former self
They say
The artist offers hearsay
The stuffing knocked out of you
Something has eliminated the strength or courage of the person
She will search
An unclear subject will embark on a quest
And buys his paper in the morning
The aforementioned subject buys the newspaper in the morning
Hello Mrs. Wilson
A greeting directed at Mrs. Wilson
With his cat on his lap
The subject is in the company of a feline on their lap
He watches the TV
The subject is viewing a television set
And he doesn't cry or get angry anymore
The subject no longer experiences feelings of sadness or rage
And he doesn't want to change the world anymore
The subject is no longer interested in changing the world
Let it keep its own counsel
The artist suggests that the world should be allowed to keep its own secrets
Unseen
The ghost is invisible or not seen by others
And from here I imagine you
The singer imagines a person from a distance
Not in my bed
The person is not in the artist's bed
Collecting apples, windfallen
The person is gathering fallen apples
From here I imagine you
The singer continues to offer a description of what they imagine the person is doing
But not hanging over me
The singer does not want the person to loom over them
Wrists on my shoulder
This line hints at the possibility of the person embracing the artist from behind
But driving your car
The artist imagines the person behind the wheel of a car
Swearing beautifully
The subject matter is using vulgar language with elegance
I imagine your body
The singer imagines the physical form of the person
The tips of your elbows
The artist brings attention to the elbows' extremities
The pads of your feet
The artist directs attention to the undersides of the person's feet
Pampered completely
The person is indulged or spoiled in an extraordinary way
I imagine reaching for you, touching you
The singer imagines an interaction involving touching or reaching for the person
But not with tears
The artist does not want tears to be involved
With the beauty of every day
The singer desires an ordinary and simple beauty in the interaction
Over and over
The singer suggests repetition in the imagined action
I imagine you in the sunshine, maybe
The singer imagines the person in sunlight or states that it's possible to imagine so
Whatever the weather
The artist doesn't mind what the weather is doing
Whatever is on TV
The artist is indifferent to the programming being aired on the television
I imagine you
The singer continues to imagine the person
Lyrics © BMG Rights Management
Written by: Robert McKinna, Stuart A. Staples
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Blanche Dubois
I have a song, want to sing with you. Because ... I don't want to call it coincidences. This is state of mind rather. My art is connected with yours in some way. Because I have created something that is connected to you :) I am glad you exist❤️
Elisa Vieira
Beautiful I love your songs thanks
luispinheirodosmontes
Seen you in Lisbon at the end of the 90's and I knew you would stick around for "some" years... I love this album, can't wait to see you again, but this time somewhere in the Netherlands 🙏🙌
drumamaxas
Hope we can see you in a concert in Greece!!!
Юлия Якубович
"
I imagine reaching for you, touching you
But not with tears
With the beauty of every day
Over and over
"
mmmmmmmmm)
Laila Thorvaldsen
"I Imagine you" It's icy beautiful and warm .
Rosario Vidal Ferreño
Love!!!
Blanche Dubois
Magical
Nancy Karela
Rainy day...❤️ 🎶 ☕🚬