This compilation The Rubens Room-El Records: In Camera is the soundtrack to the book Bright Young Things-The Art And Philosophy Of El Records by Mark Goodall, that sounds like it will be a very interesting read. The album was put together by original El records head honcho Mark Always who ran the label between 1984-88. I'll admit this music was far too pretty for my tastes in the mid 80's, I mainly head El Records when they were played by either John Peel or Andy Kershaw. The only act here I saw in the 80's was Momus. This compilation is a great introduction to the world of El Records who seemingly created the loungecore scene single handedly.
The album opens with 5 songs by Louis Philippe starting with Anthony Bay a beautiful choral piece, that in places uses African style chants while they sit on a rock looking at the shelter.
Like Nobody Do has a soft tropicalia feel almost like Louis wants to be the male Francois Hardy.
Guess I'm Dumb is more in the vein of the Shangri La's or The Crystals, with a delicate bassline and soulful vocals, for how she has broken your heart once more, the brass section adds emotion and feel.
Touch Of Evil is gently strummed mandolins, trumpets stabs and soft vocals that seem to echo the themes of the film it's named after, the breakdown adds an askew element of wonderment.
If You're Missing Someone is a soft lament for a lover whose gone walkabout, you yearn and ache for the warm embrace you used to have together, but that they have now taken elsewhere.
Now Listen is the first of two songs by Anthony Adverse and is somewhere between the Allessi Brothers and Manhattan Transfer, this is cocktail soul for lovers in need of some direction, gorgeous harmonies accompany this soft shuffle.
Ulysses And The Siren has a stripped back acoustic guitar strum for this tale of ancient myths sung with husky Sade like imprecations.
A Picture Of Dorian Gray is the first of three tunes by The King Of Luxemburg a chamber pop epistle to the myth of Dorian Gray, letting us know he would be welcome to come over for a day.
The Rubens Room is a trip to a gallery by the sea to gaze at those magnificent paintings, the music tries to match the beauty captured on those canvases, Viola and acoustic guitar create a sumptuous air of yearning and tenderness.
Smash Hit Wonder is surprisingly spry jangle pop nugget, taking aim at the ephemerality of the pop music scene, with a brilliant freak out middle eight and rather arch lyrics.
The Camera Loves Me is the first of three tunes by the Would-Be-Goods written from the perspective of one of Cecil Beatons girls and how much she knows the camera loves her, with the odd wry look at what could happen after a gin or tonic or two. Wondering if you will ever be more than anther few shots in his portfolio.
Velasquez And I takes us off to Florence for some more art action and the wish to be transformed into one of his ballerinas while name checking a variety of artistic enfant terrible, while only want to be Velasquez inspiration.
Cecil Beaton's Scrapbook takes a leisurely look through the master's portfolio, find the wonder in the beauty he captured, do you want to be his latest Narcissus, or one of his favourite Russian ballerinas.
Curtain is the first of three songs by Marden Hill that seems to re-work Everybody's Talking At Me into a choral, lushly harmonic early 70's sounding European TV soundtrack bed.
Oh Constance is almost whispered in our ears at all the things you want from Constance if you can take her away, the cafe jazz stylings will surely win her over to you.
The Execution Of Emperor Maximillian is sound tracked as if it was an episode of the High Chaparral, replete with timpani, whistles and all sorts of vocal accenting, the action unfolds on that fateful day, Maximillian awaits the firing squad.
The three tunes by Bad Dream Fancy Dress open with Choirboys Gas that is a wonderfully askew look at the life of a choirboy, from a young girls dreamy eyed perspective, this goes in several directions, shifting cleverly and is rather amazing.
Where Have All The Schoolboys Gone is a chamber pop retort to Slaughter & The Dogs boot boys, in this case they are lusting after teenage schoolboys, all the teenage misbehaviour and all the way these teenage girls like to gaze at those young boys who are all yet to turn 18.
Lemon Tarts is a wondrous pop tune that declares the way to this girls heart is to make her a Lemon Tart, chocolates ok but the real and only way to her heart is that Lemon Tart, it's far better than sniffing glue apparently.
The only tune by The Monochrome Set is the bands classic single Jet Set Junta the swirling organ for an almost perfect pop song, about being able to do what you want, your part of said Jet Set Junta, you lord it over the locals and all sorts of nasty things happens, while you look the other way.
The first of two tunes by Always is Thames Valley Leather Club a wonderfully odd chamber pop evocation of being at a rather outre fetish club, hanging out in the dungeon, the whips crack away, while sounding a lot like The Jazz Butcher.
Park Row takes us deep into the darkened heart of Mayfair, dark twanging guitars signal heels tapping on the pavement, doing the walk of shame once more, in more pastoral ways than Nick Drakes Mayfair manages, the early morning birdsong accompanies the escape.
The first of two songs from Momus is John The Baptist Jones that is full of fragile beauty, Momus imagines himself back in the day as John The Baptist Jones up to all sorts of adventures through history like he is playing lead in a 70's time travel TV series.
Paper Wraps Rock could be about a small package of drugs, but is far more complicated than that, this wanders through a wonderful cavalcade of historical incidents, the acoustic guitar gives way to strings on this wonderful song.
The album closes by allowing Simon Fisher Turner to take us to the Umber Wastes a short poem with hummed choral backing over slow elongated tonal figures this is almost fugue like.
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