"Gone" marks the spot where laconically friendly psychiatric nurse Alan Wilkes entered the musical equivalent of Mr.Ben's infamous clothing store and re-entered our collective consciousness as the enigmatic VINNY PECULIAR.
And, although it's not as cohesive as his two more recent albums "Ironing The Soul" and "Growing Up With...", "Gone" is still a notable debut. That it was largely ignored at the time is no surprise though, as the album was recorded around the tail end of Britpop and Vinny's quirky observations cut little ice just as the world was falling under the spell of heavyweights such as The Verve, Spiritualized and fellow ex-nurse Thom Yorke's Radiohead.
But "Gone" is still out there and it's ripe for rediscovery. Recorded in Liverpool with respected producer Rob Ferrier and several sympathetic musicians in tow, it's quite a different proposition to the band's current incarnation featuring ex-Smiths Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce, and stylistically it's a dense and sprawling affair. However, it's also shot through with caustic wit, insight aplenty and liberally sprinkled with quiet melancholy and self-loathing.
Proceedings kick off brilliantly with "Calm Me Down". It's a deceptively jaunty set-piece with swaggering guitars and embroidered with lyrical intrigue such as the wryly observed "Romeo and Juliet were taking the piss, happiness was something they were happy to miss". Vinny's work is peppered with such memorable insights and this is as good an introduction to his work as any.
Vinny's narrative skills also set up great tunes like the hereditary confessional "Blood Honey" and (deep breath) "What Are You Running From, Where Are You Going To, How Do You Know When You Get There?". The former is gentle and minimal musically, but simply lacerated with hurt as Vinny sings: "Once I was walking over fountains, through an ever-open gate/ I was spurting with the fountains, now you bury me with hate." Ouch. The wordy, Dylan-ish "What Are You Running From...", meanwhile, is brilliantly observed country-pop and - let's face it - any song that namechecks Thelma from 'The Likely Lads' is alright by me.
Elsewhere, Vinny indulges in superior English resignation of the twisted troubadour variety. "Gentle Life" is deceptively pretty with sweet harmonica but riven with classic quiet desperation, while "A Man Can Lose Himself" features an intro line ("She's got one shoe on and the other one off/ Here come the waves crashing into the rocks") Chris Difford would be proud of. "Someone" and "Guitar Star" are equally sparse in execution, but considerably darker in hue. The former is creepy and slightly voyeuristic ("There's someone sneaking into someone else's bedroom and shooting their load"), while "Guitar Star" has a heavily-treated vocal and is numb aned cold in a very Luke Haines kinda way.
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Too much of the acousticism might become a tad monotonous, but "Gone" also makes elbow room for upbeat tunes like "Shrinemaker" and "The Ballad Of Vinny Peculiar". "Shrinemaker" is wrapped in a coating of regret, vitriol and abrasive guitar, while "The Ballad..." is quite an exotic departure with a Mardi Gras bounce, trombones and organ. It's another fine narrative storyboard that - to these overheating ears - reminds of under-rated US singer/ songwriter Steve Wynn.
At 15 tracks, "Gone" is lengthy, but there's refreshingly minimal deadwood. The clanking, lurching blues of "Piggy In The Middle" is difficult to get a handle upon, while the mordantly amusing "Time For Bed" is basically the devil's guide to the alphabet ("V is for Velvets, behind their wall of sound!"). These are diverting rather than essential, and Vinny only just about gets away with the closing "A Guitar Fan's Imaginary Soundcheck At The Silver Spurs Country & Western Cafe, Bromsgrove, Circa 1976" which sounds - I suspect deliberately - like it was recorded under water for 20p and a bag of washers.
Still, these are minor blemishes that only minimally pockmark the skin of what remains a fascinating record and a fine introduction to a man who remains one of the UK's best kept songwriting secrets. You need "Ironing The Soul" and "Growing Up With Vinny Peculiar" in your life. "Gone" must also be added to this list forthwith.
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