Spring, My Arse!

We have about 4 bloody inches of snow lying outside the house, so much for turning the heating off. This is getting beyond a joke, it has been known,  for us to get the odd flurry of snow up here at the end of March beginning of April but not for it to resemble the bloody set of Dr Zhivago.

Still both boys are down, which is a bonus as M didn't fall asleep 'til half past ten last night, meaning that I was cleaning the kitchen at bloody midnight.

I think a bit of Isobel Campbell is in order.

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - The Circus Is Leaving Town

The Reality Is . . .

I'm too old to to party all night!

Last night I rediscovered the delights of Red Stripe and this morning I remembered why I stopped drinking that particular beverage.

Isobel Campbell - Why Does My Head Hurt So?

Isobel Campbell & Eugene Kelly

I'm being whisked away to Edinburgh for dinner and an overnight in Malmaison today, which will be nice.

Here are a couple of my favourite tracks from Isobel Campbell's collaboration with Mark Lanegan Ballad of The Broken Seas. On these versions, however the Lanegan part is sung by Eugene Kelly, formerly of The Vaselines, Eugenius and others. The first couple of times I saw Campbell perform the album Kelly performed and did a sterling job filling in for Lanegan. They did a particularly good version of Son of A Gun.

Isobel Campbell - Honey Child What Can I Do? (Napster session)

Isobel Campbell - Ramblin' Man

Missed Hell's Kitchen last night but am not happy that Ms Dynamite has been sacked. There is far too much sympathy for aging soap actresses going on for my liking. Think that my allegiance will have to switch too Daneille now, best out of a bad bunch.

Fallen From Grace

The Gentle Waves were Isobel Campbell's side project when she was still a member of Belle & Sebastian and before she hooked up with that bad boy of rock Mark Lanegan and produced the excellent Ballad of The Broken Seas. The sound is heavily influenced by French 60's pop and folk.

The track Fallen From Grace was the lead single from Gentle Waves second album Swansong For You released on Jeepster records. It always evokes visions of sixties London and Michael Caine in his Harry Palmer persona in me.

The Gentle Waves - Fallen From Grace

Why does My Head Hurt So? is from Isobel's second solo release, a six track ep which is quite an eclectic mix of collaborations with the likes of Eugene Kelly (The Vaselines, Eugenius etc) and covers . This track features the first duet between Campbell and the afore mentioned Lanegan

Isobel Campbell - Why Does My Head Hurt So?