Bevis Frond – He’d Be a Diamond

I was going through my A–Z song page recently and came across The Bevis Frond. I had already covered one of their songs, Lights Are Changing, but I had one small problem. I couldn’t remember who the hell they were. The comments were very positive, and people really liked them. So do I, again.

There are just too many bands to keep up with. So I looked them up again, started listening, and quickly remembered why I liked them in the first place. Then I heard the opening of this song.

That was enough. The guitar sound is what sold me immediately. It’s big, loud, and full, but there is a wonderful jangle underneath it. It has some Byrds and sixties psychedelic DNA, but it doesn’t sound like someone simply trying to recreate 1967. The guitars seem to surround the song.

Apparently I’m not the only one who likes it. It also found admirers outside the band’s audience. Mary Lou Lord recorded a version, and Teenage Fanclub later covered it as well.

The Bevis Frond is essentially the creation of English singer, songwriter, guitarist, and multi-instrumentalist Nick Saloman. He started releasing records under the name in the mid-eighties, initially recording much of the material himself. Over the years, the project developed into a proper band, but Saloman has remained the constant.

This song appeared on the 1991 album New River Head. It’s one of those songs that shows another side of a musician who can also stretch out into long psychedelic guitar workouts. This isn’t one of those. It’s compact, melodic, and sounds like it could have slipped out of several different decades.

I can understand why. Underneath that wall of guitars is a really good pop song. That’s an important distinction for me. You can have all the fuzz, distortion, and psychedelic effects in the world, but there still needs to be a song underneath it. This one has both.

Sometimes I hear a song and spend a few listens deciding whether I like it. Other times the sound coming out of the speakers answers the question before the singer even gets started. I love the jangle, but I especially love how large everything sounds. It has that combination I always fall for a great melody surrounded by guitars. This was one of those. And apparently I liked The Bevis Frond before. I’m glad Max (whoever the hell he is) recommended them to me again.

Bonus Song!

If you want to hear another side of The Bevis Frond, try New River Head, the title track from the same album. This one is different from the power pop of the other. It’s darker, heavier, and much more psychedelic. Saloman lets the guitars wander without losing the mood of the song. He’d Be a Diamond shows his power-pop side. New River Head shows what happens when he opens things up and lets the guitars go wherever they want.

He’d Be a Diamond

When the tape runs out, the music keeps playing
When the walls come down, it’s still hard to cross the line
And when his love is gone, he says he still needs her
And he wants to let you know
That if he had his chance again, he’d be a diamond

When you dab your eyes, the tears keep on falling
And when you blow your nose, it still gets blocked up and runs
And though you feel like shit, he says you look beautiful
And he swears by all the saints
That if he had his chance again, he’d be a diamond

Is he lying to get what he wants, or does he mean it this time?
Is he running low on affection and feeling dumb?
And running bored, and an ugly down list to shag?

When you turn your back, you still see what’s behind you
When you start afresh, you still think of days gone by
And when a heart is broken, it still goes on pumping
And he told me just last night
That if he had his chance again, he’d be a diamond