I've been away from the computer lately, but thought that over a month without a post was a bit of a long time. And there was a post I've been meaning to make for ages:

A long time ago...

It was December 1987 when Kendra Smith left Opal to live in the mountains. With a tour left to complete, Opal called on Hope Sandoval to complete the tour. Though she only perfored two shows (being incredibly shy), she became a permanent member and primary lyricist. In 1990, the band released their debut album She Hangs Brightly which contained the song "Blue Flower." The CDs credits read only "All songs published by... except" which, In the pre-Google age, made it near-impossible to discover who (if anyone) performed the original.

Mazzy Star on Later with Jules Holland, July 1994.

Another piece of the puzzle came first, in 1992, with the release of Pales Saints' In Ribbons. Though it only stated that the song was written by "p. blegvad and a. moore", I was at least able to rule out Mazzy Star as the source - which is what I had convinced myself of during the two years since She Hangs Brightly. At some point between 1992 and 2006, my copy of In Ribbons had been lost and replaced by the UK version, which lacks the inclusion of " Blue Flower" (though I can't imagine why), and a few months back, I came across a used copy.

Mazzy Star on Later with Jules Holland, July 1994.

The song (chronologically)

Slapp Happy "Blue Flower"

14 years had passed since I last thought about who wrote the song, and a few searches led me to Slapp Happy, and their 1972 album Sort Of. The 1972 original is defined by the distinct vocals of Dagmar Krause, Peter Blegvad's articulated bass line, and the violently played piano by Anthony Moore. The most upbeat of every version, it could have been more sucessful has the band decided to play live, "like a real pop group."

Mazzy Star "Blue Flower"

28 years later, Mazzy Star (who also hated to play live) brought the song back into the spotlight. Slowing the song down, Mazzy Starr replaced the romp of Slapp Happy's bass and piano with a wash of electric guitar and tamborine. Hope Sandoval's voice make an interesting point of comparison with an equally recognisable voice to that of Krause. Perhaps in an effort to make the song more palatable the final 2 minutes of the song was omitted.

Pale Saints "Blue Flower"

Though Mazzy Star's version is probably the most widely known, the Pale Saints' version is perhaps the most defining. Without a doubt, The Pales Saint's version exists only because of Mazzy Star's cover (The first Pale Saints album includes a cover of "Fell From the Sun" by Opal). Doing away with the lengthy introduction the song stars of with single guitar notes and vocals (with a very quiet bass line). The song is about the contrast between the prettiness of Merial Barham's voice and the wash of guitars. Any trace of the Slapp Happy original has disappeared.

Bonus: Herrmann & Kleine "Blue Flower"

This version by Herrmann & Kleine is a direct homage to Pale Saints. The structure is the same and vocalist Ariane Hensel (her German accent not concealed) follows the template set by Merial Barham. Perhaps the most interesting addition to the song is the electronic beats now laid underneath the shoegaze-y guitars. Herrmann & Kleine would record only one other song with vocals - a cover of Slowdive's "Dagger" - that clearly underscores the influence of shoegaze music. From the 2002 album Our Noise.