"The average white boy stands with his face to the crowd" could be Rob Paul Chapman's life story to date. Essex boy made good: passionate, creative, refusing to grow old or grumpy, Chapman has more fingers in more Leeds pies than is good for his sanity.
This single is a triumphant blast of confidence in impossibly grand (and intelligent) pop music. It's an exhilarating listen and it's madly danceable. The lyrics are fast, furious and just a little demented. The backing vocal tracks on the chorus are breathtaking. Up to 40 tracks in the mix, I believe. They sound immense: they are beautifully clear, in tune and controlled. There's a quality guitar part, subtly adding an African lilt to the defiant White Boy stance and there's a fast, furious, luxurious brass section with some of the punchiest trombone you're ever going to hear on a pop song.
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B side "Round and Round" is sharper and shorter, but just as dense and tightly orchestrated. It’s jittery and funky and multiple vocal lines batter your ears for attention. It has a cheeky slow nod at late Beach Boy harmonies (with bass), but with drumming as crisp and propulsive, high tempo 80s post punk is much more what it’s about. Andrew Harvey's drumming is outstanding on both tracks.
I can’t think of anything even remotely like this in contemporary repertoires. When Chapman did his recent round-up of Leeds current music on BBC 6Music he played some eccentrically off the wall tracks - but none quite as megalomaniac crazy wonderful as this.
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