I’ve just finished reading Paul Simpson’s Revolutionary Spirit., and I’d highly recommend it, particularly for anybody who has an interest in the late-70s and early 80s Liverpool music scene that centred around Eric’s. But it is also a very honest tale of a talent that never realised his full potential, and of somebody who seemed to constantly want to sabotage his own success.
Simpson was a co-founder, along with Julian Cope, of The Teardrop Explodes. He formed his own band, The Wild Swans, who have been critically lauded but never had any success (apart from, somewhat bizarrely, in the Philippines), and backed out of this collaboration with Ian “Lightning Seeds” Broudie just as they were completing their debut album.
As a key figure in the scene that gave birth to Echo and The Bunnymen, Wah!, OMD and others, including The Lotus Eaters (who were formed when The Wild Swans decided to sack Simpson, their lead singer and founder), and dubbed at the time the best voice on the scene, Simpson could be bitter. But his story is anything but – a tale populated with great characters and ridiculous scenes, an individual who is aware of what he has squandered, but has come to terms with it (and there is a new Wild Swans record due next year).
If you’ve ever heard a Paul Simpson song, chances are it’s this one. Not that you may realise it. Flaming Sword was what they used to call a “radio hit” – played to death on Radio 1 on its release in the spring of 1983, but the great listening public chose not to pay attention. Peaking at number 48 in May of that year, it then proceeded to sink without trace, although Broudie did record a version with The Lightning Seeds. With no effective band to promote the record, the album wasn’t released, and it wasn’t until 1997 that a compilation of the Care recordings finally crept into the sunlight. But it is definitely worth checking out – Flaming Sword is (in my opinion) the best track on there, but there are some other great tunes from the band-that-was-never-to-be.
So here’s one to sing with gusto. The song sheet is quite straightforward – with the exception that it’s almost impossible to do without incurring some flattened chords. This version is true to the original key, although the recording is at a slightly odd speed which means it doesn’t quite sound right. I’ve also tabbed out the very simple intro / instrumental riff to sit over the top of the chords. Enjoy!
Uke Tunes 