Finally available again, in a 2 disc, expanded 30th anniversary edition, is Scallywag Jaz by Thomas Lang, one of the best albums from the late 80s.
You may have seen Thomas and his band supporting Alison Moyet or Suzanne Vega in the late 80s, or caught the band on one of their many tours. You most definitely would have heard the most well-known Thomas Lang song – The Happy Man – on the radio or seen the song performed on The Tube.
But there is much more to Scallywag Jaz than The Happy Man. A fine version of the Billy Paul standard Me & Mrs Jones, along with the Hart & Rodgers Have You Met Miss Jones? and the original Shoelaces (Mrs Jones Part 2) tell the age-old story of lust and betrayal.
One of the standout tracks (and it still sounds wonderful performed live over 30 years later) is the albums opening track, Fingers & Thumbs.
A dark, brooding piece that really highlights the strengths of the early Thomas Lang material.
The albums pop / jazz feel led to comparisons to Sade at the time, but there was more depth to the material on Scallywag Jaz. Listen to the album and you will find yourselves telling all your friends that you have discovered one of the UK’s finest vocalists, and you cannot believe why he is not a household name. Be warned – don’t say I didn’t tell you.
Injury is lyrically the darkest track on the album, and features one of Tom’s finest vocals.
“If I could choose your injury
I would tear your heart into pieces”
Sleep With Me has long been one of my favourite Lang tracks, and it has not dated at all. Such strong swagger in this one!
Spirit features backing vocals from Sam Brown and some great bass and guitar work from John Murphy. John is now a successful film composer – whose work includes 28 Days Later & Sunshine.
The 30th anniversary reissue pulls together may long-lost Lang tracks from the era – of which the anti-war Sons Of is a particular highlight. The playful, fairground evoking arrangement (a great production by band-member David A Hughes) works so well with the dark, emotional lyrics.
“Sons of true love or sons of regret
All of the sons you cannot forget”
The second disc is a treasure trove for Lang fans. A couple of versions of The Happy Man, including the Robin Millar produced 2nd single version, kick off the disc.
Other notable rarities include a demo version of Sleep With Me, and a track from the rare as hens teeth vinyl only EP, Red, available on CD for the first time.
One of Tom’s finest early songs, The More That You Expect, is a highlight of disc 2. This song could easily have made the final cut on the original Scallywag Jaz release.
A couple of newer songs, recorded a couple of years ago appear halfway through the album. Thomas recently wrote that “Scared is about how difficult and painful it was to come out. Now I know how important it was to be honest and not to be scared, as its only made me stronger.” Scared is powered by a strong bass heavy groove and was co-written in the 90s with the late John Uriel. Vocally Tom sounds better than ever on Scared and the more uptempo Americana of I Believe.
The remainder of the album is made up of live tracks – from the Live in Tokyo 1991 limited release and some more recent, previously unreleased recordings from Liverpool. These tracks will really whet your appetite for the 2018 Scallywag Jaz tour that is on the horizon.
So first off buy the definitive version of the lost 80s classic that is Scallywag Jaz. Then buy the most recent Thomas Lang studio album, The German Alphabet. Ok, all done? Good – now why not follow Thomas Lang on Twitter and look out for the 2018 tour dates. You can now pat yourself on the back for acquiring such fine taste in music. It feels good, doesn’t it?
Buy Scallywag Jaz: 2 Disc Expanded 30th Anniversary Edition from Amazon
Buy The German Alphabet (CD) by Thomas Lang
Buy The German Alphabet (Vinyl) by Thomas Lang
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