
British bassist Andy Bell is planning to be very busy in 2025. Having revived shoegaze pioneers Ride last year and released a new record from his GLOK alter ego, he has announced a new solo album, Pinball Wanderer. After that is released, he will undoubtedly be deep into rehearsals for the blockbuster Oasis tour, which will barnstorm around giant venues across the world later in the year, for those that won their battle with Ticketmaster. As a single from his new album, he has chosen a cover of The Passions’ proto-shoegaze song “I’m In Love with a German Film Star,” which singer Barbara Gogan wrote about a Clash roadie who had minor roles in German movies.
As the original was driven by the bass, Bell is on safe ground and Dot Allison carries the vocals with a more upbeat tone than the original. However the thing that elevates the cover is the guitar work of krautrock maestro Michael Rother. German films may not have carried much cachet in the early ’80s, but German music did, and Neu may have inspired the original. Rother’s work captures the tone of the work, adding colour, texture and allure.