In no particular order some of my favourite music moments. No27 Shine On By The House of Love.
A soaring alternative anthem, Shine On is without doubt one of the strongest indie debut 45s of all time.
A statement of intent, it was the first of a trio of superb singles that firmly established The House of Love as the band most likely to take on the mantle of The Smiths as the nation’s premier guitar band.
Shine On and its successors Christine and Destroy The Heart highlighted the key talents of the band’s principal creative forces – singer-songwriter Guy Chadwick and guitarist Terry Bickers.
Chadwick’s precise vocals and chugging rhythm guitar anchor the song allowing Bickers’ glittering psychedelic lead guitar to take flight.
In one extraordinary week in 1988 I saw both The House of Love and the emerging Stone Roses live at the Hummingbird in Birmingham.
Of the two Chadwick’s band, climaxing with their dazzling cover of The Stooges‘ I Wanna Be Your Dog (see Great Moments No 3) looked by far the most assured and destined for glory.
Sadly it was not to be.
A combination of Herculean drink and drug consumption, combustible egos, and a disastrous move to major label Fontana meant the band lost momentum at crucial moments.
Bickers walked out, forming so-so space-tock outfit Levitation and a combination of mediocre sales and health issues led to the eventual collapse of the band in 1993.
Amazingly, despite savaging each other in the music press for a number of years, Bickers and Chadwick buried the hatchet and revived The House of Love in 2007.
They are an active unit to this day, but Shine On remains a testament to the truly great band they could have become.
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