Tales From The Crypt - Cathal Coughlan Tribute (June 2022)

I've been thinking of writing something about Microdisney and especially the combination of their tunes and lyrics, once described by the late, but inestimably great, John Peel, as 'an Iron Fist in a Velvet Glove'.  Sadly, on the 18th of May, Cathal Coughlan died, before I got to write anything.

Instead, then, this post will be a tribute to the great man.

Where to begin? Well, I first heard Cathal (as part of  Microdisney) on the John Peel wingding back in the early 1980s.  Guess it may have been 'Pink Skinned Man' that I heard first, but whatever it was I know I was struck by Cathal's lyrics and voice. After that, I was hooked.  I listened to every session and early plays of new songs that Peelie got hold of and went out and bought the albums and singles as they were released. I became a huge advocate for the band, though few other people I knew got it.

Their first album, 'Everybody Is Fantastic' (a sarcastic title if ever there was one), came out in 1984 and I hot-footed it down to a local record store (remember those?) to buy it on the day of release (vinyl back then).  I loved it, played it to death, and already hungered for more songs.

Sadly there aren't any official tracks from the album on YouTube at the moment (they are all on Spotify, however, pop pickers), though there may be live recordings or session variants and I shall search shortly.  I don't think there's a song on the album I don't like, but highlights for me remain the following: 'Idea'; 'A Few Kisses'; 'Dolly'; 'Dreaming Drains'; 'Sun'; 'Moon'; 'Before Famine' and 'Everybody is Dead'.

My hunger for more songs was satisfied the same year by the release of the more sharply titled 'We Hate You x x Bastards' (x x being two words I've chosen to remove), later re-released as the less confrontational 'Love Your Enemies'. This was a compilation of their singles/releases from 1982 to 1984, prior to the release of 'Everybody is Fantastic'. Amongst the tracks were several of their greatest songs as well a quirky favourite of mine, an instrumental called 'Patrick Moore Says You Can't Sleep Here'.  I earmarked this tune to be the theme tune for my Peel-inspired radio show which, so far, I've not got. One day.

Here it is:

What was it about Microdisney that was so attractive to me?  Well, I think it was a number of things.  I liked Cathal's singing voice and Cork accent for sure, I also liked the way they viewed the UK as outsiders and especially their contempt for the politics and actions of the Thatcher government at the time. It wasn't that their lyrics were aligned to any political party, more that Cathal, Sean and the band cared about people, kindness, consideration and human rights, in stark contrast with the Thatcher regime. Most of all, though, I think it was the contrast between the melodic tunes and the often acerbic, but always literate lyrics that I liked the most. Cathal was a man who liked words and understood their power.  As the band developed, so Cathal's lyrics developed too.

'Dreaming Drains' from 'Everybody is Fantastic' contains these lines which I always liked:

Nobody objects when I

Push people, these people

Who madе me beg

Just savour this moment

Whеn your heart is broken

How long since I told you

How much I hate you

The character in the song is clearly not a nice one, but there is an interesting contrast between the views presented by the lyrics Cathal and Sean sing.

I also love the opening verse of 'Dolly':

When the day is ending

He is looking out at the rain

Whipping at the naked trees

Oozing through the bedroom wall

In contrast 'Moon' is a very brief song, lyrically, with a long intro and outro, but the lyrics are very evocative:

It's easy to kick at the tired legs of someone you don't love

Oh my God, I thought you were great

And I swam in your every whim

Fat little man in the moon

There is something about the tune and the lyrics together that I find intoxicating and I almost prefer the version they recorded for a John Peel session, most of all because of the sound of Sean O'Hagan's fingers rubbing across the guitar strings. Something deeply human and warming about the sound.

I could write so much more about 'Everybody Is Fantastic', but the best thing you could do is listen to it, better still track down a copy and buy it!

I wasn't planning on writing much about 'Love Your Enemies', but it does contain several great Microdisney songs, especially 'Loftholdingswood' and, live and personal favourite, '464'.  The latter is so good, I have to have it here...

'464' is different to most other Microdisney songs, musically at least, though perhaps it prefigures the direction Cathal would take with Fatima Mansions.  I love the sharp contrast between the different sections, but most of all I'd love to know why it has the title it does.

In 1985, Microdisney released the album generally regarded as their best, namely 'The Clock Comes Down The Stairs'.  Like 'Everybody Is Fantastic', the cover features another cool London landscape.

Another album where I like all the songs though, of course, I have my favourites. (Fun fact: The album also features Geoffrey Richardson from another favourite band, Caravan) 

[At this point in writing this tribute I've realised that if I carry on at this level of detail it's going to be a book, not a blog.  There are two more Microdisney albums, then all the Fatima Mansions albums, then the solo albums, then the Telefis album and finally the collaborations. The solution to this problem (which is really about time rather than lack of interest) is probably a brief history and some more favourites.]

Highlights of 'The Clock...' include 'Birthday Girl', 'Are You Happy', 'Begging Bowl', 'Goodbye It's 1987', and 'And'!

Here's 'And', before I go into potted history mode.

'The Clock...' is a magnificent album and I urge you to listen to it, it really does repay repeated listens.

After 'The Clock...', Microdisney recorded two more albums - 'Crooked Mile' and '39 Minutes' - before splitting acrimoniously. Both albums contain some great songs, many of which would be on my Microdisney favourite songs list.

'Bluerings' from '39 Minutes'

After the split, Sean went on to develop a solo career and form 'The High Llamas', resulting in a lot of production work with bands like Stereolab etc.

Cathal formed a new band, Fatima Mansions (named after a block of flats in Dublin), which married his even more vitriolic lyrics to an equally ferocious musical backdrop.

The first Fatima Mansions album, 'Beyond Nature', released in 1989 was a stepping stone from Microdisney, before the full blast of 'Viva Dead Ponies' in 1990.  Many of the songs were full-on sonic assaults, but Cathal still wrote tender ballads as well.  The targets of his lyrics were religion, dictators, the Pope and other authority figures, and the Guardian described him as "the most underrated lyricist in pop today".

Contrast these two songs: first 'The Day I Lost Everything' from 'Against Nature'

Then 'Angel's Delight' from 'Viva Dead Ponies' (Warning: Some might find this song offensive. You are warned!)

Fatima Mansions released three further albums: 'Bertie's Brochures', 'Valhalla Avenue' and, in 1994, 'Lost In The Former West'.  

The band broke up amidst contractual issues and various other problems, and these contractual problems resulted in silence until the release of his first solo album, 'Grand Necropolitan' in 1996.

'Payday' from 'Black River Falls' deals with death, grief and suicide and is a favourite from the album.

In contrast, from the album 'The Sky's Awful Blue', a love song titled 'You Turned Me'...

Cathal released four more solo albums (personal favourites being 'Black River Falls' and 'The Sky's Awful Blue' - see above) before unexpectedly getting together with Sean again to play the Microdisney album 'The Clock Comes Down The Stairs' live, in full again. 

I was lucky enough to attend their gig at the Barbican in London on Saturday the 9th of June 2018.  What an incredible gig! One of the best I've attended, ever. Many of the songs had never been played live before and after the entire album was played, they chose songs from across their back catalogue. Truly wonderful.  Little did I know, it would be the last time I'd see Cathal play live.

This is how the Barbican billed the gig: "The cult Cork band reconvene after some 30 years for a performance of their seminal album The Clock Comes Down the Stairs and more from their short but significant career.

Microdisney’s 1985 record takes the listener on a dark journey through emigrant London and stands up as one of the finest Irish albums of modern times. Released on Rough Trade, The Clock Comes Down the Stairs is dark, acerbic and witty, yet swathed in lush pop melodies and adorned by distinctive crooning vocals.

Described by John Peel as ‘the iron fist in a velvet glove’, Microdisney are defined by Cathal Coughlan’s bitingly articulate lyricism and Sean O’Hagan’s sweet but unabashed Pop arrangements, marking them as a band of fierce intelligence."

They went on to play further sell-out dates in Dublin before a final hometown gig in Cork.  The Cork gig was professionally filmed and will hopefully be released someday (especially as I paid money to fund it!!)

More great music followed, including the final solo album, 'Songs of Co-Aklan' in 2021 and in 2022, a collaboration with producer Jacknife Lee under the moniker Telefis.

Hopefully, there are unreleased recordings out there, as a back catalogue release programme is overdue, not to mention all of the Peel sessions. 

I'm ending with Uncut's obituary for the great man, which really captures the significance of Cathal. 

[[R.I.P.]]