Simon Love It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time

The debut solo album from Simon Love, formerly of John Peel & Marc Riley favourites The Loves, is a sweary and irreverent tour de force, full of catchy hooks and offbeat lunacy. Taking its inspiration from maverick Seventies singer-songwriter Harry Nilsson & The Lovin' Spoonful, the album features guest appearances by comedian Stewart Lee and 60s pirate radio DJ Emperor Rosko, while indiepop ensemble for hire A Little Orchestra contribute lush strings and Rob Jones of The Voluntary Butler Scheme provides brass. Described recently by the Guardian as being “more early Kinks than the early Kinks”, Simon formed The Loves in Cardiff in 2000. After releasing their debut single on Radio One DJ Huw Stephens' Boobytrap Singles Club their second album Technicolor was made Album Of The Week in The Sunday Times. The band went on to play 4 Peel Sessions and as many for Marc Riley on BBC 6 Music before calling it a day in 2011. Full of giant pop songs and peppered with bitter love stories about bad relationships, It Seemed like A Good Idea At The Time opens with the expletive-heavy “**** (Is A Dirty Word)” before moving on to jubilant lead single “The New Adam and Eve”, in which Simon threatens to “punch a man in the face, with fists made out of jellyfish” before going on to “deny him any of my piss”. There's a Paul McCartney cover version (“Dear Boy”) a song about the voluntary removal of Simon's penis (“My Dick”) and a song about people who fuck you around (“Motherfuckers”), before side one closes with the 5 minute long psychedelic wig-out that is “Wowie Zowie”. Side 2 opens with the gorgeous, string-laden “Sweetheart, You Should Probably Go To Sleep” and the mid-paced 60s pop of “Don't Get The Gurl No More” before Simon and band pull out their best Booker T groove for “The Meaning Of Love”, featuring comedian Stewart Lee reciting the definition of love straight from Wikipedia. This is followed by what in the late 70s would be called a rocker, “You Kiss Your Mother With That Mouth?”, resplendent with sax solo, before the song most likely to lead to litigation, the epic “Elton John”, written from the perspective of Elton John's ex-wife Renate. The album closes with the title track “It Seemed Like A Good Idea At The Time”, with the album credits read out over the outro by 60s pirate radio DJ Emperor Rosko. Love's debut solo album is daring, unique, and definitely a good idea.