Crackle and Pop 4

Everything But The Girl - Native Land

Everything but the Girl are Tracey Thorn and Ben Watt, who met at Hull University though both were already involved in music, Tracey more successfully via the Peel favourites the Marine Girls. The first joint album as EBTG was the very successful "Eden" (1984) a blend of minimalist guitars, vocals and jazzy influences. But they were never a group to stick to just one sound.
Its now late 1984 and Margaret Thatcher is possibly the most hated (by all left leaning folk) PM of all times. Lots of groups started railing against her via songs, but who would have thought that our bossa nova based chums EBTG would have been so radicalized? I suppose their songs had examined the personal politics of relationships so this was a natural progression. The album that followed in 1985 "Love not Money" explored the themes begun in Native Land. EBTG had also by now got over their Getz/Gilberto obsession and had found a new one - The Smiths, the album and this single being much more driven by chiming electric guitars. Here, on Native Land they even got Johnny Marr to play the harmonica!

Native Land (mp3 vinyl single)