I must have heard this song a dozen times in different places and never knew who it was. Then finally as I sat goggle-eyed watching ‘About A Son‘ it played out in its lo-fi grandness. Was a tad surprised that it was the Vaselines because I had always reasoned that they were a heavy punk outfit. I had also surmised that they were American given Kurt Cobain’s love for them but it turns out they were from sunny old Glasgow. And the revelations don’t end there as it seems the band have played several gigs this year (2008), some of them with members of Belle & Sebastian. ‘Son of a Gun’ was one of the first songs they wrote and is the original of the fey boy/girl call and response species. It is undeniably twee but all the more cutesome for that. And it’s somehow reassuring to hear vocalist Eugene Kelly finally join Frances McKee in bellowing out the chorus towards the end. If only Gedge had taken note. KD
The Vaselines – Son of a Gun
More Info: Wiki & Myspace
Buy Songs: The Vaselines
Year: 1987
Forgot how much i loved this. I had the best of the vaselines on CD and didn’t turn it off for the guts of a year. Nice one!
thanks for this, it’s been aeons since i listened to them and, like gardenhead, i’d forgotten how much i liked them.