Happy Lanimers!

About 100% of you will not know what I'm going on about but today was Lanimer Day in Lanark.

Between you and me it's a big Gala Day, with a twist, it's held on a Thursday as oppossed to the tradition of a Gala Day being on a Saturday. But never, ever tell a Lanarkian that, to them it is so much more. So much so that, and this is the truth they tried to get Thatcher to re arrange the 1987 General Election because it was going to fall on the same day as Lanimers, I shit you not.

Anyway, I have never seen as many underage drunks in my life as I saw today. You see another of the quaint customs, is that the pubs open at six in the morning and that the law of the land, stating that you cannot drink openly in the street is waivered on this day and so you see teams of teenagers openly wandering around the town drinking Buckfast and MD20/20 with impunity.


Still, it's all for the kids.

Nouvelle Vague - Friday Night, Saturday Morning

2 Days To Go

Well 2 days to go until JC and I force the dubious pleasure of our combined record collections on the unsuspecting patrons of The Flying Duck . I have to admit that I'm a little apprehensive about the whole thing now.

Last night the first thing I did when I got back from Belfast was check my singles box to see if there were any that should come out and I suspect that,  that will not be the last time I will do that before Saturday.

Due to the fact that I will be going into Glasgow by train and it is a fair old hike from Central Station to the Flying Duck, I have limited myself to one singles box (which holds around 200 7"s) and my Ninja Tunes Wax Sack which I can just about force 60 twelves into. My mate C, said to me earlier in  the week, "are you sure you've got enough tunes?" which got me fretting and trying to calculate exactly how much music I was taking with me, then trying to deduct the multiple singles by some artists and how much of certain genres there was until I realised that that way lay madness and to just lighten up and if I end up playing something twice or a couples of track by The Jesus and Mary Chain, or a few too many northern soul tracks then so be it.

There is one track which I know for a fact I will not play, although I would love to, to see if it garners the same reaction nearly thirty years after the last time I heard it out.

As I mentioned before when I first came to Lanark, the two guys I got in tow with Stiff and Span were punks,  I also liked punk but  had a love of Heavy Metal which neither of them could fathom.

Anyway, once a month, a disco was held in the Guide Hall which we would attend with all the other primary 7s, first and second years. One particular night stands out for a couple of reasons.

Firstly, it was the night that the three of us went wearing ill fitting, by which I mean about 3 sizes to big for us, WWII British Army Battle Dress Jackets that stank and were as jaggy as hell.  We thought we were so cool. The reason that we had bought these, I think,  was that we had recently seen Julian Cope wearing this type of jacket on Top Of The Pops when Teardrop Explodes were on doing Reward, although I could be completely wrong about this.

I will get to the point of the post eventually.

The second reason that this night stands out in particular is because one of the older punks took along a copy of Hanx! the live album by SLF. The guy spent half the night haranguing the DJ (Turps) to put the album on and when the dj eventually capitulated, true to form Turps played the wrong track.  Instead of playing Alternative Ulster he put on Johnny Was.

Those of us who had studied this album were incredulous, if that is possible for an eleven year old,  because we knew that it was a long track and not the sort of tune that was likely to win over the unconverted. A few brave boys tried to pogo but even with the stamina of youth they all gave up about half way through leaving a deserted dance floor and half clearing the hall but give Turps his due, to our astonishment he played the whole thing, all ten minutes of it.

And there you have in a convoluted way, the point of the post, I will not be playing Johnny Was but would secretly love to, to see what kind of response it would get now.

So,  if your in the town on Saturday night why not come along and not hear me playing Johnny Was.

The version posted is not the version from Hanx but is still a live rendition, recorded some twenty six years later in 2006 at Glasgow Barrowlands.

SLF - Johnny Was

Just Because

This came on the ipod earlier today. It always makes me feel melancholic, nearly as much as That Summer Feeling.

Somehow I don't think think that Gordon McIntyre believes that "someday we will be millionaires".

Ballboy - Dumper Truck Racing

Our Time

I'm back over the water in Belfast for a couple of days, so in the meantime here is my favourite track by another uber cool indie band from the early noughties.

Yeah Yeah Yeahs - Our Time

The Kills

Way before they got their celebrity endorsement as a result of Jaimie Hince sleeping with model about town and celebrity ligger, Kate Moss I stumbled upon the Kills one night in June 2003 in King Tuts.

My interest was piqued in the band earlier that year when I read about them somewhere and they were being grouped in with my favourite new live band of the time The Raveonettes. So I bought the first ep Black Rooster which had been released the previous year and the follow-up Fuck The People. The sound was raw and kind of bluesy but unlike the The White Stripes who certain parts of the music press were saying that they were copying (the Kills had yet to be crowned with the mantle of cool), I felt there was a real edge and scuzzyness to it.

Live this rawness and edge was palpable and the air hung heavy with the apparent sexual tension between the two members Hince and Alison Mosshart ( I can not bring myself to call them V.V. and Hotel). At times it looked as if the duo were ready to fight and at other times I thought that they were going to get it on right there on the stage at King Tuts and all the way through Mosshart smoking like a lum. It was one of the best performances I've ever seen. As with the Raveonettes, the size of the Wah Wah Hut seemed to suit the Kills.

Their debut album, Keep On Your Mean Side, is an outstanding example of less is more with just the guitars, drum machine and the vocals,  it is raw and exciting with the underlying threat of violence which you expect to break out at any minute.

About 18 months after seeing them in Tut's I saw them again in Oran Mor but this time they failed to pack the same punch as before. I don't know if it was the venue or the fact that they had been so good the first time but I came away disappointed.

The same can be said about the two subsequent albums.  The law of diminishing returns seems to apply. The second album, No Wow is good but doesn't quite reach the heights of the first and the third, Midnight Boom, more or less washed over me and I don't think that I have revisited it more than half a dozen times.

It may just be me being fickle or contrary due to the celebrity endorsement but I truly don't think that the band have ever surpassed Keep On Your Mean Side.

The Kills - Wait

Moving Targets

How about a rather nice piece of extremely short, jangly indie pop to start the week off with.

This is the sort of thing that guys in Breton shirts, anoraks and brown suede hush puppies would listen to in their bedrooms while watching subtitled films wondering why they never had a girl friend back in the 80's, apart from the fact that this was released in 2007 as part of an ep entitled Nothing Matters When We're Dancing on the rather good Cloudberry Records.

I really miss Flip!

The Jealous Sea - Moving Targets

The Definitive Version? You Decide

On yesterday's post I mentioned Every Little Bit Hurts and, how good Ms Holloway's version of the Ed Cobb song, the man also responsible for penning Tainted Love, was.

Swiss Adam in the comments section mentioned a version of the song by The Clash that if the truth be known I have always been rather ambivalent towards.

Last night I decided to play all three versions of the song and have to admit that there is not much in it between The Small Faces version  and Brenda Holloway's, although the Motown version still just shades it,  in my opinion. The big surprise is that the version by Stummer et al has it's merits too, however fails to pack the emotional punch of the other two and is probably why it remained unreleased until CBS were looking for extra product to make the Clash On Broadway boxset more appealing ("turning rebellion into money", indeed.)

So here are the three versions of the song that I posses. I know that these are not the only recorded versions of this song that exist. I think that their is a version by The Jam out there but I remain to be convinced that this is a song which would gain anything being covered by Weller and Co..

You decide

Brenda Holloway - Every Little Bit Hurts

The Small Faces - Every Little Bit Hurts

The Clash - Every Little Bit Hurts

An Extremely Underrated Voice.

Another sunny day up here.

Time for some up tempo northern soul, from a woman I reckon is one of the most underrated artists who recorded on the Motown label, Brenda Holloway. She started recording for the label in 1964. Her first single was the absolutely amazing Every Little Bit Hurts. If you are only familiar with the Small Faces version I suggest you seek out the Holloway one, it will blow you away.

Holloway didn't receive the commercial success of some of her colleagues and friends on the label did, however she was a familiar face on the TV, appearing on shows such as Shindig. In 1965 she was asked to bee the supporting act for the Beatles on their US tour and was the opening act when the Beatles played Shea Stadium. She is best known in northern circles for Think It Over (Before You Break My Heart) a.k.a Reconsider, which amazingly was never released back in 1966 and was unearthed some considerable time later by Peter Lowrie.

She retired from performing in 1969, however in 1992 she came out of retirement and started recording and performing again after the death of her friend Mary Wells and is still performing to this day, I think that she has been over here in the last couple of years performing at one of Togetherness gatherings.

Here she is with a classic northern soul track, written by Ashford and Simpson and released in 1967. The track is so upbeat until you listen to the lyrics. An absolute belter and that is a fact.

Brenda Holloway - Starting The Hurt All Over Again

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

I think that a little bit of minimal tech house is the order of the day. There must be some geek somewhere who's job it is, to dream up new sub genres for House Music.

Anyway this is a great track, it starts off sounding like a rip off of French Kiss and just keeps on building ever so slightly for just over 10 mins. It's just the sort of easy going tempo needed in this sticky heat (this post was conceived on Thursday night, so apologies, if the weather has turned cold and dreich again).

Levon Vincent hails from NYC, has been djing since 1991 and runs two labels Novel Sound and Deconstruct Music labels.

Late Night Jam was released last year on the German label Ostgut Ton.

Levon Vincent - Late Night Jam

Lucky Soul

I think that we shall stick with retro 60s grooves that would have appealed to the 3 button suit and bowling shoe wearing end of the scooter riding fraternity.

Lucky Soul are a band from South London who first came to my attention when their first single, My Brittle Heart was made single of the week in the Guardian.  I sought out their myspace page listened to the track, purchased the single and have bought everything ever since, except the new album which was released a couple of months ago now, only due to the fact that I haven't got round to it yet. The tracks that I have heard, Woah Billy and White Russian Doll are as good as anything on the first album, The Great Unwanted, with the exception of the track posted here which I think is absolutely stunning but not typical of the rest of the album which is rather more upbeat.

If the band were about back in the day I can imagine the album sitting next to the Makin' Time albums in Dave The Mod's record collection.

Lucky Soul - Baby I'm Broke

The Come Ons

Here's a little bit of 60's Motown and Hammond organ inspired indie from Detroit.

Although grouped in with the likes of the White Stripes and the Von Bondies, I suspect due to the the fact that they were from the Motor City and their early releases were on the very hip Sympathy For The Record Industry label, I think what differentiates them from their label mates and fellow residents of Detroit is the timeless feel of their music without being out and out retro.

Here is the opening track from their second album, Hip Check! released on the a fore mentioned label in 2001.

The Come Ons - It's Alright

Bank Holidays In Days Of Yore

Way back in the mists of time when I was a teenager,  Bank Holiday weekends meant endurance tests.

As part of a scooter club you were expected to go on scooter runs. There were a series of National events organised throughout the year, with the Easter Weekend, usually seeing the first and then periodically until the last at the end of October and all bar one would be south of the border meaning that the Scots always had a considerable distance to go.

I don't know how many of you are familiar with the delights of riding Lambrettas or Vespas, so I think I should explain a little.

These feats of Italian engineering  usually have an engine capacity  between 125 and 250 cc and a top speed in the region of between 50 to 65 miles per hour. They are designed for zipping in and out of traffic in Italian cities not for riding twos up with a load of camping gear, supplies of buckfast and a change of clothing (if you were like me and had some semblance of personal hygiene) from say, west central Scotland to the South Coast of England.

As a result of the design of the scooters and the punishment of travelling such long distances an AA or RAC membership or preferably both was as essential to a scooterist as 2 stroke oil and it was not unknown for scooterists to attend runs courtesy of the RAC and then get home with the assistance of the nation's forth emergency service and vice versa. When traveling to runs it was common to see groups of scooterists performing what is the mechanics version of open heart surgery on the hard shoulder to their beloved machines. There was one member of our club who did away with luxuries such as a tent or a change in clothing in order to carry with him all the components of a spare engine.

When you did eventually get to the camp site, which was usually the shittiest bit of waste ground in or near the town, the real problems began. Who's got the tent? was the first cry and if the person who was supposed to bring it remembered and it hadn't fell off the back of the scooter during the trip you were off to a good start. Where are the poles? What do you mean you haven't got them? This I hasten to add was not as rare an event as you would think and resulted in  some novel methods of tent erection being employed.

Once the tents were up, it was time to find somewhere to drink. This  usually entailed trying to get a couple of thousand scooterists into the 2 or three pubs in the town which hadn't barred us before we even had a chance to do something wrong.

When all else failed you ended up spending a couple of days drinking warm cans of lager and eating crap from the dubious burger van on the camp site, using what could only in the loosest term be called washing facilities and not sleeping due to the real chance of being run over by some drunken scooter boy who has decided that it is a good idea to ride up and down the camp site in the middle of the night after drinking Buckfast and lager all day while also toking on more weed than your average Rastafarian will consume in a week.

Then after a couple of days without sleep and after drinking too much it was time to get back on your machine if it had not been bundled into the back of a van during the night by some shady guys, (you know who you are) and ride the two to three hundred miles home praying to god that you don't hole a piston or have a seizure on the road home.

As you can probably guess scooter runs weren't my favourite weekends away. Being a lightweight who enjoys the finer things in life such as a flushing toilet, running water and a bed, going on these expeditions wasn't high on my list of priorities and I attended 2 to 3 a year if really unlucky. I did have friends such as Stiff, Gordon and Mick who would try not to miss any, always had a ball and came back with some brilliant tales of hedonism and pure stupidity that if I were to re tell them would not be believed but all did in fact happen. They even made the trip down to Margate, a particularly gruelling journey only to find that the scooter run was actually the following week!

So in celebration of Bank Holidays of the past, here is a particular favourite northern soul track of our scootering fraternity, the LSC (Lanarkshire Scooter Club).

R Dean Taylor - There's A Ghost In My House

Dennis Hopper 1936 - 2010

Dennis Hopper, one of my favourite actors died today from prostate cancer at the age of 74.

Go easy Dennis 

Kathryn Williams - The Ballad Of Easy Rider

Kid Canaveral

I think that my muse has packed a rucksack and fucked off for the bank holiday weekend.

In the meantime, here is a track by the best band in St Andrews

Kid Canaveral - Smash Hits

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

I was at a loss as to what kind of track to play this week, as, although I'm never bored with "dance music",  as in the 80s and 90s big bass and 4/4 beats definition of the term, it was getting a bit obvious, a bit, shall we say, repetitive and as any cheesy quaver who doesn't suffer from memory loss can tell you, as a result of Clause 58 of the 1994 Criminal Justice Act you can go to jail for the playing of repetitive beats or at the very least have your equipment confiscated. At the moment that wouldn't be a very good idea as the gear will be needed in a couple of weeks time.

I thought,  that after spending more than half the working week "dan sarf " it may be time to redress the balance with a bit of northern soul. I have a couple of of belters in the wings that I want to feature but neither actually feels like a Friday kind of tune.

There has been a track which I have played a few times over the last couple of weeks which fits the bill nicely.

So with the distinct possibility of stepping on Mr H's toes,  albeit not intentionally, I'm going to post a bit of disco on a Friday. The Ghost Of Electricity  has probably posted this song in the past as part of his excellent Friday Disco series. So sincere apologies Davy, but it must have been a while ago and I think that the track really should be aired again.

I just love the acoustic guitar and the lazy but impossible not to start to move or should that be groove to tempo of the track.

Grace Jones - La Vie En Rose

Luton

Oh Joy!

King Creosote - So Forlorn

Part Time Rock Star, Full Time Legend!

Another busy week ahead, down south in Englandshire for 3 days. So no posts either Wednesday or Thursday.

Swiss Adam posted a Pete Wylie track the other day and I think  it's about time for more from the "part time rock star,  full time legend " to be posted on the interweb.

If you don't know the back story behind one of the Crucial Three, have a search on the web, as it would take far too long for me to go into detail here, suffice to say that the statement above is only slightly taking the piss.

Here is a track from Songs Of Strength And Heartbreak from 2000

The Mighty Wah! - Loverboy

Let's Chill

Another cracking sunny day in Scotland and the pale blue people are beginning to turn lobster red, sales in After Sun will rocket this weekend.

Anyway, when the weather is like this, there is nothing else to do but chill. So here is a bit of ambient noodling from Fourtet remixed by the Floating Points.

Four Tet - Sing (Floating Points remix)

What Did You Do On The Hottest Day of The Year So Far?

Smashed up an old bloody piano!

About 2 years ago when our neighbours were moving down south we inherited a piano. F asked L if she knew of anybody who wanted a piano, L decided that that was exactly what we needed in our already cluttered home and volunteered me to go and move the thing which I duly did and nearly killed myself in the process.  Piano's aren't the lightest of things to shove uphill and round the corner. All the while J couldn't believe his luck as he no longer had to solve the problem of the unwanted, out of tune piano.

So for the last 2 years the bloody thing has been gathering dust in the dinning/music room and every time I go in there to play some music the monstrosity catches my eye and I get irate.

About six months ago, L casually stated that the piano was taking up too much room and she was going to see if anybody would like it. Of course,  no bugger wanted it. Everyone she asked cottoned on quicker than me as to what would be involved in moving the thing.

The only thing left to do was to destroy it and take it down to the cowp, as the Council don't uplift pianos either.  I really wasn't into the idea of smashing up a musical instrument, however last night after a few gins, while playing some vinyl I started eyeing up the piano and wondering how I would go about it. Before I knew it I had the lid off and dismantled the bits that could be done reasonably quietly.

And so today, there was nothing else for it but to wheel it out onto the driveway and attack it with an axe much to the amusement and the horror of a few of the many passers by.

All in all quite a productive day, now all I need to do is liberate my IKEA swivelling armchair which L currently has in number 2 son's bedroom and my corner of the dinning room will be back to normal.

Outrage - That Piano Track

That Summer Feeling

Drove down to Liverpool and back today for a meeting, a round trip of 422 miles. Ipod and sunglasses all the way.

Came home, walked out to the Loch with L & L for a bite to eat. M is at a friend's for a sleepover, when did all these Americanisms take hold?  In my day it was "staying over at such and such's bit".

The sun is still out and I'm just about to pour a large gin.

There really is only one track to play.

Have a good weekend people.

Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers - That Summer Feeling

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

Anybody up for a bit of Gallic Techno?

Laurent Garnier started djing in the Hacienda in 1987 under the alias of DJ Pedro, while over here working as a chef. In 1988 he returned to France to perform National Service, after which he returned to djing.

As is normal with all of the top dj's he turned his attention to remixing, for the likes of Felix Da Housecat, System 7 and a whole load of others and recording in his own right. In 1994 he started up his own label F Communications.

Garnier's style is rather diverse spanning most genres from deep house to Detroit Techno and has been found to go off in a jazzy direction from time to time. The track posted was released on F Communications in 1997 and is a splendid example of how good Techno can be when created by a master.

Laurent Garnier - Crispy Bacon

Meursault In Mono

Off to see Meursault tonight, as part of a Song By Toad Showcase in Glasgow.

This is a gig that I have really been looking forward to as the latest album, All Creatures Will Make Merry is as good if not better than the debut. I've only seen a couple of people in Mono before but I think that the intimate atmosphere will suit the band.

Meursault - Song For Martin Kippenberger

While The Flies

I don't know why I haven't featured The Joy Formidable before. Ever since hearing the first single Austere a couple of years ago I have looked forward to each release, although I was too slow off the mark with regards to that first single.

Since then the Welsh  band have released a further 4 singles, one a digital give away, a mini album A Balloon Called Moaning and the live album First You Have To Get Mad.

Unfortunately, I have only seen the band live once, as the last time they played Glasgow I was other wise engaged. The time I did see them they were supporting Howling Bells. The brief set they played was excellent loud indie rock and with a guitar sound which harked back to the sound of the likes of Slowdive at their best.

The track posted is from the limited edition  live album released at the back end of last year. Of which I have only one criticism and it also applies to A Balloon Called Moaning, why release an album with a cover which folds out into a poster which due to it's size I cannot file with the rest of my cds.

The Joy Formidable - While The Flies

Difficult Questions

I've just came back from a kick about with M, god I'm unfit!

M has decided that he really does like football after all. The only problem is that living in the west of Scotland most of the kids grow up identifying with one side of the old firm or the other depending which school they go to. So at the moment I am trying to persuade him not to follow the pack at school and if he is not going to support Airdrie then I suppose that he will have to support Motherwell, the nearest premier league team to where we live.

It is becoming increasingly difficult when asked for the one hundredth time "why can I not support Rangers?" not to just tell him the truth but I'm just not up to making him aware of the real hatred that can be involved in the supporting of either of those two teams.I do however realize that he is not buying the ," they are not your local team" any longer.

Gl      as - Flowers And Football Tops (full version)

Blog Rocking Beats

We have finally decided upon a name for our foray into the realms of djing in a proper venue in front of the general public.

What, I hear you ask have you come up with?

Well with extensive brainstorming, ie using the comments section of this blog on Friday night, a couple of emails back and forth from Aruba and the aid of some Tanquery, the consensus was that Blog Rocking Beats was the best that we could come up with and as a logo I've decided to use the image of the universal 45 record adapter as pictured above.

I was going to post the Chemical Brothers but that would be a little too obvious, so instead here is a record which in order to play I have to use one of said adapters, however the one which comes with an SL1200 is a solid metal one.

Dr Rubberfunk - Dr Rubberfunk's Fantasy Funk Band

Fever

This came up on shuffle the other day.

It's from a great compilation of rare jump-up and rockabilly singles curated by Keb Darge and Cut Chemist.

Carlos & The Bandidos - Fever

Sing Me To Sleep

I have featured American Laundromat Records here before with the excellent High School Reunion compilation which got a load of American indie bands to record their favourite tracks featured in the John Hughes films of the 80s with the likes of the Caulfield Sisters covering Please, Please, Please Let Me Get What I Want This Time and a brilliant cover of Bring On The Dancing Horses by The Atomic Hep Cats. If you don't have a copy it is well worth getting hold of.

On the back of the success of HSR, American Laundromat released 3 subsequent tribute albums, one of Pixies songs (Dig For Fire), one of Kim Deal tracks (Gigantic) and one of  Cure songs (Just Like Heaven). These albums feature the likes of Tanya Donelly, Joy Zipper, The Wedding Present and many others.

The latest compilation from Joe Spadaro and his team is entitled Sing Me To Sleep and is a collection of indie lullabies. This album is aimed at the more discerning child, ensuring that they drift off to sleep to a soundtrack which oozes indie cred. Before you know it they will be demanding Converse All-Stars and skinny jeans.

If that weren't enough to make you go out and buy the cd, it is also in a good cause,  as all of the artists and studios gave their time for free in the knowledge that all of the profits from the sales of the album will go to The Valerie Fund, which provides care and support for children, with Leukemia, brain tumors, sickle cell disease and other cancers.

So if you want your kids to drift off to the likes of Stars covering Asleep and Neil Halstead's version of Cloudbusting follow this link. I guarantee that you will love it as much as the kids, especially O + S's version of You And Your Sister.

This cd comes M & L approved.

Tanya Donelly - Moon River

Superstar DJs (not!)

For some time now I have been nursing the idea of putting on a night and playing some of the tunes that I've posted here over the past year and a bit but decided it would be too much hassle.

However, recently I decided, why not. So I thought instead of doing it myself I would enlist the help of some of the reprobates listed down the right hand side of the blog, well the ones within traveling distance of Glasgow. As I have a theory that I think that every music blogger has a yearning to play their music really loud outwith the confines of their own home.  So I emailed  JC, Gareth and ANCB to see if they would be interested in playing their tunes to more than their spouse's, progeny and pets who,  let's face it must be sick of hearing these records.  I got a positive response from all three, although ANCB is the exception to my theory as he has no desire to dj but would come along.

The next hurdle was finding a venue. For this I employed the opinions of a couple of hipster friends of mine who live in the toon and they gave me a comprehensive list of suitable venues. I contacted a few of these and whittled them down to a couple but one really appealed to me. When I didn't get a reply from them , I decided to give it one last try and if still nothing then  I would just give up on the idea. To my surprise and delight, Barney from The Flying Duck responded and was interested in putting on the night. So today, I finalised the nights (yes, we've been offered 3 nights).

All that is left now is to think of a name, as my original idea Bloggers Delight has already been used (bugger),  The Bloggers Coalition, I've been told is crap and The Vinyl Villain Asks From Across The Kitchen Table, How Does That One Go Again? doesn't exactly roll off the tongue and would take up a whole flyer.

So if you are in the vicinity of Glasgow on June 12th, July 10th or August 14th and want to see 3 sad gits play what can only be described as a cornucopia of different styles of modern and not so modern music,  come to The Flying Duck at the top of Renfield Street between 8pm and midnight, admission free before 11pm and laugh at us or buy us a pint.


The Indelicates - The Last Significant Statement To Be Made In Rock And Roll

With Simon's help I've decided on Blog Rocking Beats, I know but it's the best I can do.

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

I've had a weird old week.

What with being down in London at a conference and wandering round the Dome for two days.

My hotel was at the opposite end of Westminster Bridge from the Houses of Parliament and on Tuesday evening I decided to take a stroll across the bridge and see what was happening on College Green before I attended, the mandatory Gala dinner. A couple of colleagues and I stayed there for about half an hour and headed back to the hotel to get ready for the festivities to come, as at that point nothing was happening. Later on I found out that another couple of friends , braver than I,  decided to be late for the dinner and found themselves outside Downing Street as Gorden Brown gave what was probably one of the most dignified resignation speeches I've ever heard, his mentor the great John Smith would have been proud.

The last time I was at the Palace of Westminster was when John Smith took me round as a wide eyed school boy, but that's a story for another day.

Anyway, over the last few days I've learned a few things.

Firstly, I now realise I work in an industry where more people, how shall I put it, lean to the right than the left.

Next, that Beardyman is one talented individual, not only is he probably the best beatboxer in the world but he also has a really good singing voice and is quite a talented comedian.

Also that being funny and being part of a great television comedy does not mean that you have  good taste in music and are any good at djing, as it was also my dubious pleasure to catch Mathew Horne djing with cdrs no less!

Another thing I found out is, how much I love the space we have up here in Scotland and how sorry I feel for anybody that has to endure the torture that is the London Underground on a daily basis. I only had to be on it for one stop from Greenwich to Canning Town at rush hour but that was enough. Those of you that can endure that each working day have my admiration and sympathy.

And finally, I was informed by someone during a discussion on NHS spending and mortality rates in Glasgow, that I and my fellow countrymen and women are genetically different. Take from that what you will but I'm sure that the well educated and influential individual was not being complimentary.

All of this has absolutely nothing to do with dancing but I thought that I would share it with you.

To lighten the mood here is Fatboy Slim, with a track from his first and in my opinion best album, Better Living Through Chemistry and yes, I have posted this before but it was only this or Rez that I felt like posting today.

Fatboy Slim - The Sound of Milwaukee

A Bit Of Soul For A Monday

A bit of northern soul to start the week off.

I'm going to be in the big smoke for a couple of days this week, at a company meeting, so probably no posts 'til Thursday when it will undoubtably be a rant about corporate bullshit and the waste of money that company meetings are.

Not that much to look forward to really!

Dobbie Gray - Honey You Can't Take It Back.

Tones (For Sara)

I'm having to go through iTunes manually again and get rid of a lot of the dross that I have acquired since the last time I had to do this.

I recently bought a new laptop and had to transfer iTunes over, which is supposedly really easy to. So I followed all of the steps and voila, all of my playlists failed to transfer over. So I decided to give it another try and I don't have a clue what happened but I lost the lot. So I have had to import the whole library from the external drive.

The problem is that I have 152 gb of music, so far too much to put on my iPod and being the saddoe I am,  I don't want a selection of tracks when syncing it, it may not include that vital obscure Orb mix of something or other which is essential. So I have un-ticked all of the selections and manually ticking the tracks that I want on my player.

As much of a tedious job as this is, I am finding it quite interesting as it is throwing up some interesting things that I have no recollection of downloading or had completely forgotten . Today's track is one of those which I had completely forgotten about and on finding yesterday wondered why I had gone to the trouble of ripping from vinyl as I can't remember it at all. It is however, after listening again a rather soothing piece of ambience which rather fits in with my mood at the moment.

Bill Van Loo - Tones (for Sara)

Ain't Got No Problems

Ijust found this track in my itunes library, classic northern soul.  Don't know anything about it other than it was released on the Chess label.

Enjoy

Sunday - Ain't Got No Problems

Forest Fire

Haven't really got much to say about this track apart from it is up there with Another Girl Another Planet  and That Summer Feeling in the emotions that it evokes in me and isn't that guitar in the last minute one of the best sounds you ever heard?  A sound that later,  Deacon Blue would base a whole career around.

I'm pretty sure that this was the first single off of the debut album Rattlesnakes. It was definitely the first time that I had heard of the band.

Lloyd Cole And The Commotions  -  Forest Fire

Lloyd Cole And The Commotions - Forest Fire ( Richard Skinner session)

It's Friday . . . Do You Feel Like Dancing?

Well, what now?

Today's track was originally released in 1997 and was the first release from Mancunian JS Zeiter. It has been reworked and brought bang up to date by the artist himself. It is a lovely piece of deep and dubby minimal techno which comes on rather cool grey marbled vinyl.

JS - JS-01 (revised)

Just Because

When I was a teenager I would take solace in the words and music of Dick Gaughan when I was depressed. I don't know what it was about his voice and guitar playing, his voice is quite rough and his guitar playing is extremely forceful but I always found the combination soothing.

When I came home tonight after voting and getting the kids ready for bed I had this urge to listen to the Sail On album, especially No Gods And Precious Few Heroes, after playing which I needed more so for the past wee while I've been listening to the folk singer from Leith and yes it is strangely comforting on possible one of the shitiest days I've had for a few years.

I know that this isn't everybody's cup of tea but I thought I would share it anyway.

Both tracks posted are other people's compositions . The first a cover of of a song by Joe South and the second a version of a song by Richard Thompson

Dick Gaughan - The Games People Play

Dick Gaughan - 1952 Vincent Black Lightning

Lest We Forget

If you are anything like me, you already know who you are going to vote for, so my trying to influence your vote is pointless.

All I will say is, remember what the 80's were like and if you're not old enough ask someone who was around then.  17%  interest rates, over 3 million unemployed, little investment in state education or the NHS and if you were one of those unemployed, what was the advice you were given "get on your bike".

If you are lucky enough to be in the 3 percent who will benefit from Cameron's main tax pledge, to cut inheritance tax, then by all means vote for the Bullingdon boys, if not please think about it,  as for all the talk of Blair being Thatcher's heir, he was just the young pretender, Dave is the real deal.

I would like my boys to grow up as part of a tolerant, fair and just society, where everybody is valued no matter where they come from class, or country and from previous experience that is not under a Conservative government.

The name gives the game away for a start does it not?

Fine Young Cannibals - Blue

* for all of you who just come for the music, my apologies, normal service will resume on Friday with a belter of a very recent dance track.

The Serenade Is Dead

I've been thinking a lot about the 80's this past week and of all the diverse styles of music that I sampled during that time. The ones such as acid house and northern soul which I dove head first into and got submerged in and the other which I dabbled in, liking bits and pieces of but  couldn't embrace fully.

One such genre was the anarchist punk stuff of the early 80s. I was drawn into this by the politics, which although even then I found naive the beliefs did appeal, all except the ardent veganism. I never could bring myself to stop munching on dead animals. The anarchists were always the coolest guys on the CND demos, what with their black flags and dyed black army fatigues, they were always the ones with a bit of gear and some Merrydown.

The soundtrack however left a lot to be desired in most cases. There were the exceptions, Hagar The Womb, Flux Of Pink Indians and Chumbawamba to name three and the Mob could have been a really good band if the singer wasn't quite so tone deaf.

For the most part, however it was rudimentary stuff, with lots of shouting and swearing and lyrics that didn't quite fit in time with the music unless they were spat out at over 10 syllables per second.

Crass were the major force in this musical movement and I loved their ideals and even quite liked some of their songs, with titles like How Does It Feel (To Be The Mother Of 1000 Dead) and Bloody Revolutions it wasn't hard to figure out what they were going on about.

The band that followed in the wake of Crass and who subsequently Steve Ignorant, chief shouter with Crass joined was Conflict. If Crass were angry Conflict were permanently livid, there music and lyrics being even more brutal and in your face than Crass. I never could get into them, I tried but it just didn't do anything for me. S on the other hand loved them and I think still has everything that they ever produced.

There was one track by Conflict that I did like and a few months ago I borrowed it from S and ripped in order to post but it never seemed to be the right time until now. Don't ask me why,  as Conflict like all the other anarchists didn't believe in party politics or elections but somehow I think that this week is the time to post this song.

Conflict - The Serenade Is Dead

There Is Always Hope

I have never been a fan of Tina Turner's solo efforts but I am quite partial to her 60s & early 70's output with then husband and downright bad bastard Ike.

Here they are doing It's Gonna Work Out Fine which I intend to believe until it is mathematically impossible sometime on Friday morning.

Ike & Tina Turner - It's Gonna Work Out Fine

Choice, What Choice?

This week,  depending on which colour of rosette you favour, may be something you have been waiting for since 1997 or may fill you with dread as you can hear that shrill, heartless voice of the so called Iron Lady in your head and have visions of striking miners and city boys with red braces climbing into Porches.

I have never felt more despair at an election in my life than I do now. My allegiance as most will have been able to work out by now is with the Labour Party but I have no enthusiasm for them this time  and when in discussion with others as why we should vote Labour my argument, to me let alone any one else is half hearted as I know soon enough someone will mention Iraq and I will have no come back, no retort as it is unjustifiable whatever way you look at it or whatever excuse you use as the reason for embarking on the folly.

This attitude is so different from the one which I had back in 1987, when I had just turned eighteen. I campaigned with vigour for the party on the doorsteps, leafleting in the streets and having a running disagreement of the merits of the 'Vote Labour' poster in my window with my parents, who have never been ones to espouse their beliefs to the masses, let alone the neighbours.

Even although I knew in my heart that Labour didn't have a hope in hell of gaining power, my cause was right, the Party was just and fair and open to all and above all democratic and accountable to its  membership. All of this made the eventual defeat a little sweeter and easier to take as I knew that our time would come and we would be proven right and a fairer society would prevail ( yes I was once that naive).

Twenty three years later, I know that I will vote Labour, for an MP, who to be fair to him is not a bad constituency MP. But I will place my cross with a heavy heart, as no matter the outcome I think that we will be rolling the clock back to the early 80's and hell mend you if you don't fall into Cameron's "hard working families" ideal.

Is it just that we get more cynical with age and lose all of that vigour and enthusiasm that we once had? I'm not so sure, as back in the late 80s I remember lots of people older than me who were still up for it, still idealistic and enjoying the campaigning. I think that there has been a change in people due to the disappointment that they have endured and also the anger over Iraq, MPs expenses etc.

As I said above I will vote Labour on Thursday as the alternative I think will be too dreadful to contemplate not exactly a ringing endorsement for the party which I once had such high hopes that is.

I'm not sure how it will be possible to re-engage people in Politics. Certainly nothing I have seen over the last three weeks has made me more enthusiastic about the next parliament, especially not Nick Clegg and his I'm different from the other two, it is easy to say popular things when you have absolutely no chance of being able to implement them.

Electoral reform as we have up here in the Scottish Parliament may be the way ahead but first you will have to get the buy in from Labour and the Tories and as they say, turkeys don't vote for Christmas.

Aztec Camera - The Red Flag

Fourth Time Lucky?

Play offs again!

Not on top form today and shaking like a battery hen.

Code 9 & The SpaceApe - Ghost Town

Just Another Saturday

Today I'm going to the football with S and his older brothers, an all to infrequent event for me. But it is not just any old football match. Events at New Broomfield and at other first division grounds around Scotland today will decide whether Airdrie will be relegated straight off, have to endure the play offs or the slim possibility,  if all the results go the way of the Diamonds they may be "safe" in the First Division for another season.

Afterwards the four of us will hit the high spots of Lanark, yet to work out what they are but we will find them. Lots of Guinness will be imbibed, the inevitable post mortem of the match and season will take place, last Saturdays debacle at Studio 24 will come up and generally a lot of bollocks will be talked.

Tomorrow, well that will be another story!

The Stone Roses - This Is The One

* the song has absolutely no relevance at all, just after a posting by Swiss Adam during the week I  wanted to post it.

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

This Friday's track brings together one of the Belleville Three, the original innovators of Detroit Techno with 2 of the big names of Progressive House in the UK and responsible for the best dance album ever made in my opinion.

Inner City was a collaboration of Kevin Saunders, producer and Paris Grey. Their first single Big Fun was released in 1988 and reached number 8 in the UK, the follow up did even better reaching number 4 and in the end they had 12 top 40 hits in the UK.

Leftfield's duo of Paul Daley and Neal Barnes  were two of the most influential producers on the UK dance scene during the early 90's and as I said above responsible for an album, Leftism which just blew me away when it was released in 1995. They also produced some of the best remixes, for acts such as React II Rhthym, Stereo MC's and Inner City amongst others. The duo eventually split in 2002.

The track posted comes from a double 12" pack of remixes called Testament '93

Inner City -  Hallelujah (Leftfield Glory mix)

M.I.A. returns

At other times you need something that just screams out AAAARRRRGH!

I was alerted to the fact that M.I.A. is back when Mulrine posted the quite disturbing video for new track Born Free at Pop Cultureddd.

The track is absolutely brilliant, can't wait for the album.

M.I.A. - Born Free

You can check the video out for yourself either at Pop Cultureddd or at http://www.miauk.com/

The Time has Come

Sometimes all you need is a lazily strummed guitar and a lovely voice covering a track by an English Folk singer of the 70s.

Rose Melberg - The Time Has Come

Milkshake Donor

Haven't really posted that many mash up's here but this is one that I love.

I wanted to post Kelis' Caught Out There yesterday,  just for the 'I hate you so much right now' refrain, for obvious reasons but realised that I hadn't ripped the single to iTunes and then couldn't find it. But searching for it reminded me that I had a rather good mash up using Milkshake and my second  favourite DJ Shadow track.

Organ Donor can be found on Josh Davis' groundbreaking first album Endtroducing. The track is rather slight, clocking in at under 2 minutes but after Influx it is in my opinion the best thing he has done. I must have played it hundreds of times but that organ still gets the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. I realise that this has been purlioned from elswhere but its  use is truly inspired and is just plain creepy.

The splicing together of Organ Donor and a rather suggestive, R&B track really shouldn't work but it does.

Dj Shadow vs Kelis - Milkshake Donor

*Can't find a scan of the record anywhere and can't be arsed to find the camera and do it myself, so you've got a picture of Kelis

Nothing To Say Really

I've been sitting, staring at the screen for the past hour hoping that inspiration would come, alas no.

I could rant on some more about frontmen taking the piss out of the people who keep them in beer and fags but that is yesterday's news.

Instead here is a track by the Redskins, the gist of which we should all heed.

The Redskins - Take No Heroes

Ain't that the truth Chris..

I've Been Duped and Sadly It Probably Won't Be The Last Time!

I fully expected this post to be about how great the Fall were last night and then I was going to tell you how wonderful the new album is and that you really should go out and buy it.

Unfortunately my view of the gruppe, I really mean Smith here is rather jaded after the brief performance I and the rest of the audience were privy to last night.

I have never really been fond of seeing The Fall in Edinburgh, I always think that there is more of a chance that Smith may not turn up or be completely drunk and unable to function due to the fact that he knows the city well having lived there for a time. So when I heard that they were playing Edinburgh my enthusiasm was somewhat lacking from the off and the fact that it would be the opening night of the tour only added to my pessimism. Then I found out that it would be in Studio 24, which I had been informed was a toilet owned by an ex member of the Exploited, possible the worst punk band in the world. It was not looking too inviting and to top it off, with the booking fee, it would be around 30 quid for a ticket which is fucking outrageous considering that on the previous tour both nights at the Renfrew Ferry cost £27. I decided that I would pass this time.

That was until I turned my work phone on last Monday morning to find a text from S saying that he had bought tickets and we would be going after all and his eldest brother, a Fall virgin would also be coming. So all week I have been looking forward to the gig.

We arrived early and were pleasantly surprised to find the venue not half as bad as we had expected. There was the usual, I hope he turns up feelings but after getting M a t-shirt from the lady from Action Records I felt reasonably confident that all would be well. Until I noticed the screens either side of the stage, which can only mean one thing at a Fall gig and that is that Safi Sniper  is in the house. Trying to explain what Safi does is pointless as you really have to witness it to fully understand how bad it is. He calls himself a video dj and he picks out bits of old rock film and time stretches the image and the sound but one image and a single beat or note and stretches it and loops it for what seems to be an eternity, it is truly fucking awful, however Smith insists on having him open for the Fall, probably due to the hostile reaction he receives from the crowd. So my mood changed knowing that we would have to endure this before the Gruppe took to the stage.

The support act, Gabriel's Wish were inoffensive enough a sort of mixture of the Fall, Killing Joke and Joy Division, the singer however was a complete cock what with is cringe inducing stage persona.

Then came Safi, a good 15 minutes of the twat.

Finally the Fall came on and they sounded brilliant from the off.  This line-up have gelled really well and have become a very tight garage band, Smith sauntered on stage two thirds of the way through the first song and all of my fears dissipated. The next couple of songs were great and then during Bury Smith started fiddling about with Pete Greenway's amp to such an extent that the whole of the song was done guitar less as he had turned it right down. At the end of Bury Smith left the stage which is not uncommon, he always goes back stage either for a fag or some speed or a drink or god knows what, however it was a bit early into the set which was a bit concerning. The band launched into an instrumental and followed it with I've Been Duped, which Elena sings anyway and during which MES usually returns to finish the song off. The song seemed to go on and on and on with no sign of Smith reappearing and S turned to me and said "that's it" to which I could only reply "looks like it". The band then left the stage.

There were a lot of stunned faces and quite a few who were now resigned to the fact that, that was it. The band did reappear about ten minutes later. Elena saying something about the steps up to the stage being very steep and that we would have to do without smith's presence which went down well. They then launched into a half hearted version of Mr Pharmacist, with fucking Safi on vocals and then left the stage rather sharpish.

And that was it, over! Smith had maybe been on stage all of 25 minutes the band 35.

I was fucking raging! but got even angrier on overhearing a group of guys saying "well that's the chance you take coming to see the Fall and that's why we love him".

No it fucking isn't. I go to see the band and expect to be entertained for about an hour, which isn't too much to ask when I'm parting with my hard earned fucking cash. I'm sick to death of people making excuses for Smith, whether it be his total disdain for the audience, who are keeping him in beer and fags, his late appearance or his tendency to sing from back stage and most of all his walk offs.

I am also sick of hearing about his work ethic, not very apparent last night Mark, or does he actually think that 20 odd minutes is acceptable? 

s. I wouldn't say that it is a return to form, as I don't think that they have made a bad album over the past decade but it is the first since Fall Heads Roll that is consistently good and has absolutely no filler.

Will I stop buying the recorded output of the gruppe? Of course not.

Will I go and see them live again? Most definitely.

And this is what makes me angry at myself, the fact that I know that I will go back and see them and  that I know that Smith banks on Fall fans having this attitude. I wouldn't do it for any other band and I don't quite understand why I have this attitude towards the Fall but I know that I am not alone.

Chet Baker - The Thrill Has Gone

Sunny

A quick post this morning as a busy day ahead. A trip into Glasgow and a wander down Byres Road. Then over to Edinburgh to catch the Fall, magic.

Marvin Gaye - Sunny

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance Like it's 1986

When it comes down to it, for all I love northern soul and house music, the record which never fails to get me onto the dance floor and jigging about like an idiot is from a band of miserable gits from Manchester.

I have posted this track before here. But as it is my birthday and I reserve the right to repeat myself.


New Order - Bizarre Love Triangle

Saturday Soulfest

In honour of Miss Ally's upcoming soulfest and to get those going in the mood the soul keeps coming.

If I didn't have an appointment with a certain Mr Smith in Edinburgh and I was in London on Saturday there would be no where else I would be than upstairs at Betsey Trotswood.

Where is that I hear you ask?

Well that would be at 56 Farringdon Road and a bargain at under a quid to get in.

You may remember this track's use in a cat food advert (catfood! FFS) a few years ago, with music this good not even that fact can taint it.

Rubin - You've Been Away

Guilt

I haven't really got much to say about this track by The Long Blondes, a band I know virtually nothing about apart from the fact that they were from Sheffield and had to call it a day, tragically after their guitarist,  Dorian Cox had a stroke in June 2008.

Pantha Du Prince, known to his mother and friends as Hendrilk Weber provide the remix. Weber is a German producer and DJ who is associated with Hamburg's minimal techno label Dial Records. The album Black Noise which was released a couple of weeks ago is worth checking out.

I am not even sure where I got this remix but it has got that sort of mid week feel to it, if you know what I mean.

The Long Blondes - Guilt (Pantha Du Prince remix)