Should Have Been Loved - the Proclaimers
Bringing together two recent themes - great albums, and bands who are remembered for one song which often blots out the appreciation of the rest of their output - the Proclaimers are now known as those cuddly Scots identical twin brothers responsible for "I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles)" or merely "500 Miles" as it's better known. This song, perhaps by endless repetition, and the use of it as a celebrity fundraising vehicle, has become naf but don't make the mistake of thinking this extends to their other work.
Normally I take the comments of the Youtube uploaders with a pinch of salt - it's the music that counts - but in this instance they're absolutely right. The 2003 album, "Born Innocent", their fifth studio album, is a cracker, every track a beaut and should be bought by everyone.
The great thing about the Proclaimers, apart from the consistently high quality of their output, is their anger and sense of social injustice which never becomes preachy (or Presbitarian) yet is always tuneful.
Love the anger here:
"You've been let down, messed around told to get your feet back on the ground when you should have been loved....
you've been ripped off, written off told an act of kindness made you soft when you should have been loved...."
and
"You've slept rough, stolen stuff
been beaten by a guy to show he's tough
when you should have been loved...."
and later tellingly, the moments of hope are dashed:
"....and anything new you tried to do
got treated like a jumper in a queue
when you should have been loved....."
yet
"....when there was pity and when there was wealth
you wasted neither on yourself...."
and you know the same goes for Charlie and Craig Reid who remain as authentic as their Scottish accents.