Saturday 28 July 2012

Nothing To See Here



We're off for a week of sun, sand and spam to Machrihanish.

Feel free to empty the fridge and the larder but leave me some rum for my return, I fear I will be needing it if the weather forecast iss correct!

King Creosote - And The Racket They Made

Friday 27 July 2012

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance




During the late eighties and early nineties, the weekend started on a Thursday and finished in the early hours of a Monday morning. I'm still not sure how much I actually achieved on either a Friday or a Monday. I do actually remember coming back to reality at 11 am one Monday morning and finding myself eleven storey up working on a roof which was quite a sobering moment.

Anyway, during the early 90s on a Thursday evening I would make my way round to my mate, the chef's flat with an armful of 12" inches that had been bought since the previous week. While it took him the two hours or so to get his shit together so we could hit the pub I would play the records and relax with a couple of beers and spliffs. So by the time we eventually got round to going out we were both rather chilled.

If there was a band/act that soundtracked these nights it would probably have been the Orb and especially the first album which was a big favourite of both of us.

What has this got to do with Friday and dancing, I hear you ask. Not a lot really but I'm sure that I 've heard Little Fluffy Clouds out at the start of the weekend and it is the dance mix after all.

Have a good weekend people.

The Orb - Little Fluffy Clouds (dance mk2)

Thursday 26 July 2012

500 Miles done!



Well that's the peace shattered and the house back to the default condition of Lego, Star Wars figures and all sorts of other stuff left where they fell.

It was weird but with the kids away I seemed to have even less time than normal. Still the first 500 miles of the marathon run-in is complete, you will be glad to know and I had the Scooter above 50 mph for the first time on Tuesday night, magic. I am already thinking of bigger carbs and expansion kits but have settled on a sports exhaust for the moment which will be fitted next week when I'm in, hopefully sunny Machrahanish.

Here is a brilliant track which was flogged to death at Scooter Club dances in the mid to late 80s.  The Magic Touch was recorded in 1966 but lay gathering dust, unreleased until the mid 80s when it was put out by Ady Croasdell on an anniversary 100 Club single. At just over two minutes the track may be short but it is a perfectly performed dancer.

Melba Moore - The Magic Touch

Monday 23 July 2012

Come And Get It



Not sure what the purists will think about this but personally I love it.

I first heard Come And Get It when ANCB dropped it during his set at the second Blog Rocking Beats. I immediately saught it out, unfortunately it was only available on a promo cd single or the album. I hadn't heard enough to take a punt on the album so I bought the cd promo.

A few weeks ago while checking the northern 7" singles on Ebay I came across a copy of the single and promptly hit the buy now button. Since then I have seen a few copies of the single crop up on the auction site all for a few quid less then I paid but I'm not complaining as I think that it was worth every penny.

Have checked out a few Youtube clips and think that the album may well be worth investing in.

Eli 'Paperboy' Reed - (If You Want The Love Of A Man) Come And Get It

And here is a clip from Live At Daryl's House that I can't believe I'm posting, as when a mate told me that he watched this I gave him pelters, maybe I have been missing out.

Sunday 22 July 2012

Kicking The Arse Out Of It



So Lynn rocks in about quarter to one this morning with seven equally inebriated women in tow, just as I have gone to bed after having had a pleasant evening playing tunes with just the right amount of Havana Club on board and intending to drift off while watching Grosse Pointe Blank.

My presence was demanded to play "us some of the old tunes". I grudgingly got out of bed, got dressed and went down the stairs. It was not a pretty sight that greeted me. It was apparent that a good time had been had by all and it was blatantly obvious that this would have been an appropriate point for them all to retire for the evening and I told them so to be met with a volley of abuse and a couple of " just get a drink, play some music and shut up".

I lasted about an hour but when one of the rockets seriously suggested playing Screamadelica in it's entirety I decided it was time to call it a night. So as the diehards continued in their quest to see who would have the least braincells today. I made my excuses, told them that they could play any cds they wished but leave the Technics and the vinyl well alone and climbed the stairs and went to bed.

L is really kicking the arse out of this no kids in the house situation.

Here is  Joe and the Mescaleros version of one of the tracks I missed from the film last night and I hope the hangovers are suitably large this afternoon.

Joe Strummer and the Mescaleros - Rudie Can't Fail

Saturday 21 July 2012

All is quiet



"L, do you hear that?"

"Don't hear anything"

"Exactly"

Very strange unusual Saturday morning across the kitchen table, no bickering, no shouting or throwing of star wars figures across the room. Just the occasional forlorn meaow from a cat missing his pal.

The reason for this is my parents took the boys away for a week to visit my brother and his wife in Colchester, so there will probably be much kerfuffle in their otherwise idylic world this morning.

Not sure I can put up with too much of this, though!

Here is a track for sitting and listening to with no distractions

Spiritualized - Feel So Sad (Rhapsodies)


Friday 20 July 2012

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance



Well, that was a bit of a week with one thing and another!

On the plus side, I only have 136 miles to go before I can open the scooter up to 3/4 throttle, actually get a bit of speed up and stop pissing off drivers who are unfortunate enough to get stuck behind me on the country roads around here.

Today's track is just a baw hair the right side of the progressive house/trance divide, it's the breakbeats that keep it from going completely over to the darkside.

Le Voie Le Soliel was one of those tracks that is synonomous with Cream just when that club was turning into the super club that it became helping the evolution of the superstar dj. It was originaly released on XL and again in 1996. I have posted the original mix and not the Way Out West Summer Of Love mix which is pure trance pish but not quite as bad as the remix Nick Warren produced for the 96 release..

Have a good weekend people.

Subliminal Cuts - Le Voie Le Soliel

Thursday 19 July 2012

A&E



I was never really that into Goldfapp. I do however think that this is a beautiful song.

Taken from the Seventh Tree album, A&E was released as a rather lovely 7" picture disc in 2008.

Goldfrapp - A&E

Wednesday 18 July 2012

Jesus, I could do with a drink!

It's been a pretty traumatic day.

First of all the washing machine man tells us that the machine is done in.

Then I had to take Spike, one of the two cats to the vet's to be told that he had heart failure. L and I had to make the decision whether to have him put down or let him struggle on for a few more, days, weeks,  who knows how long. Not the easiest decision in the world to make but we decided on the former course of action as it would have been even more heartbreaking if the kids were to have found him one morning.

Still,  he had a pretty good innings, fourteen, considering about 10 years ago another vet giving him a prognosis of a couple of years at the most due to having an under developed heart or something.

His brother Baxter, they were from the same litter,  is moping about. I'm pretty positive he knows the score.

Didn't think I would have been as upset as I am.

Played this a few times on repeat tonight for no particular reason.

Gillian Welch - Wrecking Ball

Tuesday 17 July 2012

Cramp Stomp



Sometimes The Cramps are all you need.

Been having a bit of a Cramps fest over the last couple of days.

Not the most profound song in the world, you say.  But who needs lyrics when you can have Lux a whoopin' and a hollerin'.

The Cramps - Cramp Stomp

Monday 16 July 2012

Jon Lord R.I.P.



Although I haven't listened to much of their music over the past twenty years I still have a soft spot for Deep Purple,  so I was saddened to hear of the death of Jon Lord.

Here is probably Deep Purple's signature tune and one of the first things any young boy of my era who was into metal learned to play. The version here is from the infamous Last Concert In Japan album. It is said that Lord carried the band through the performance on the night the album was recorded due to the fact Tommy Bolin was unable to do much more than play chords having a dead arm as he had slept on it and injured it or that the damage had been done while injecting class A substances.

Deep Purple - Smoke On The Water 

You and Me



Today's piece of soul is a single that I took a chance on. I came across You and Me in the racks and liked the look of the label so decided to just go for it. I had never heard of Penny and the Quarters before.

Apparently I was not alone, as when I got home and after playing the single three times on the bounce, it's that good, I decided to have a look on the net and see what I could find out about the record, virtually nothing.

What I did discover was that the track was found in a box of tapes at an estate sale in Columbus, Ohio in amongst a load of demos and rehersals. The track is most likely only a rehersal but the Numero Group decided to release it on a limited 7" single. It was also used in a film called Blue Valentine, ?, me neither.

Honestly, if this does not brighten up your Monday morning, then there is no hope for you.

Penny & The Quarters - You And Me

Sunday 15 July 2012

St. Swithin's Day



Just realised what day it is and it hasn't rained , up here anyway.

One of my favourite Billy Bragg tracks, then again there aren't any from the first four albums that I don't love.

Billy Bragg - St Swithin's Day

Saturday 14 July 2012

C'mon Everybody



I received an email last week informing me that the new Raveonettes album had been completed and would be released shortly, news that if the truth be told I greeted with less than fervoured excitement as the last lp had been a bit of a disappointment. Following the link to the first track from said album, She Owns The Streets I found a perfectly acceptable but rather forgettable song. So my expectations for the new album aren't very high. I will buy it as I have every other release by the band except the Evil LA Girls cd which was free to the first 666 people who emailed, I was a bit slow of the mark with that one.

What has got me excited is the prospect of seeing them live again as a European tour is in the offing and they will be at Oran Mor in Glasgow on the 30th November, ya beauty!

It is not the duo's stage presence that I'm looking forward to seeing live again as to be honest they have as much presence as an empty white room but, as I've said before the sound that they produce live is so much better than anything suggested by any of the music they have recorded. And I can but hope that they will have a new range of mugs on the merchandise stand.

Here's a cover of an Eddie Cochran song which came out as a promo cd back in 2003.

The Raveonettes - C'mon Everybody

Friday 13 July 2012

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance




This week we will go back to what for me was one of the best years in dance music, 1991 but I would say that being an old git probably there have been better years but I was probably at the height of my clubbing days in 91/92.

I have mentioned before how you couldn't really go wrong with William Orbit's Guerrilla label as soon I saw the distinctive urban camouflage label I would buy the 12".

React 2 Rhythm only produced one album and a handful of singles, I didn't buy the album but do have all of the singles which I think have stood the test of time reasonably well. Today's track is the Leftfield mix of the band's second release. A lovely piece of throbbing progressive house.

Have a good weekend people.

React 2 Rhythm - Intoxication (Clubfield mix)

Wednesday 11 July 2012

Whitechapel



I first became aware of S.C.U.M., bloddy terrible name,  earlier this year when they covered a track by Big Deal on a RSD single. Since then I have bought a couple of 12" singles both of which are pretty good. The band seem to me tyo be ploughing the same furrow as the Horrors and I would certainly not classify them as Shoegaze as I saw somewhere on the net. They have released four singles and one album and I'm sure I read somewhere that the album was being re-released which would be strange since it only came out last year.

Here is title track of their second single.

S.C.U.M. - Whitechapel


Tuesday 10 July 2012

We're not terrific but we're competent



I don't listen to Belle and Sebastian all that often., This is due to the fact that when I do play them, it is exclusively and I end up sickening myself off of them for a good wee while.

I do believe that the 3 eps and the single that followed them are some of the best "indie" tracks ever. The music on these releases differs so much, you have the pop brilliance of Lazy Line Painter Jane, the wistfully beautiful Century of Fakers and then there's Dog On Wheels which sounds like something Arthur Lee and Love should have recorded. All showing that the band were a bit special but unfortunately for me they have never been as consistently brilliant since. There have been outstanding moments such as Legal Man and Funny Little Frog but the albums don't really grab me and suck me in the same way these early releases do.

This Is Just A Modern Rock Song from the opening strumming had me hooked the first time I heard it. There is something about the song, it seems so desolate and sad but there is something really hopeful and uplifting about the way the track builds and builds but never really reaches a crescendo and how could you not love that trumpet. And before you know it seven minutes has passed and you play it again as you can't believe that it has gone on that long.

It also contains one of my favourite couplets ever We're four boys in corduroys, we're not terrific but we're competent.

Belle and Sebastian - This Is Just A Modern Rock Song

Monday 9 July 2012

Two Can Make It Together



Two Can Make It Together is a great piece of blue-eyed soul which became a bit of a classic amongst the Mod fraternity.

Tony and Tandy were Tony Head and Sharon Tandy. Tony Head was the singer with Freakbeat band Fleur De Lys who provide the backing track on the single.  Sharon Tandy who was Head's girlfriend and  is one of the few white singers ever to record tracks at Stax's McLemore Avenue studios, although this is not one. This single was released on Atlantic in 1969.

Tony and Tandy - Two Can Make It Together

Sunday 8 July 2012

I know, let's tag on a concert



There is one thing about family holidays when it's pissing down and you are trying to ignore the kids tearing lumps out of each other and that is it gives you time to think. I've been doing a lot of thinking over the past week. Don't worry I'm not going to get angsty here, I'm not talking about life, the universe and everything and that kind of shit, no something far more important than that,  gigs.

Not gigs in general but the ones that seem to latch themselves onto every other event that is talking place. It seems to me that these days any kind of gathering  must have a huge open air concert with lots of the least relevant artists prancing about the stage singing songs from their past glory days.

Why can't we just have the Olympics doing what it used to do, some folk, running, swimming etc and if they are good enough getting medals, end of story. Why do the organisers have to show just how out of touch they are by getting a load of has-beens and manufactured acts going through the motions on stage to promote the thing.

After giving this  much thought I can now point the blame in the direction of Bob Geldolf, the wee bloke with the funny 'tache & raincoat and Harvey Goldsmith. As their charity not change concert showed would -be promoters and musicians on a downwards trajectory in both sales and talent that all they needed to seize the cash cow would be to get on the bill of some concert or other which would be going out on TV or better still these days organise one for someone else and get yourself on the honours list into the bargain while paying all the proceeds of the subsequent downloads and cds into your off shore account, perfect.

I have never been an advocate for illegally downloading music but any artist involved in one of these concerts I think is fair game. Do you think that they are performing out of altruism or because they really wanted to be Olympians but went down the sex, drugs and rock and roll route instead? No there in it for the money. So if after one of these concerts there was a huge increase in illegal downloads of the artists involved then maybe, just maybe they would think twice about taking part, the promoters profits wouldn't be so certain, so less of them would be be willing to take the risk and we would have less of these pish events,  sporting events  could go back to being sporting events and old women wouldn't have to sit through shit like that Jubilee rubbish. As much as I have no time for the Windsors, I did feel sorry for the old dear having to listen to Cliff Richard and the like that's akin to torture. I think I would rather have had a UTI that sit through that.

Anyway, that's the kind of things that go through my head when I'm bored out of my skull.

Here is bit of blissed out balearica which will sound great when the sunshine eventually arrives, when I'm back at work and every other bugger is off. It's the b-side to an even better a-side by Almunia that came out last week on the Claremont 56 label, strangely reminiscent of John Martyn.

Almunia - The Magician


Friday 6 July 2012

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance



Well that is our week in Cornwall almost over and it has either been sunny and we have had a great time on the beach, or I have been doing my best in the role of UN Peacekeeper with two very bored boys who have been trying their best to rip each other limb from limb. The joys of parenthood!

Here is a belter of a progressive house chugger from Kris Needs and Wonder. Swamp fever was released on the Leftfield owned imprint Hard Hands in 1994.

Have a good weekend people.

Delta Lady - Swamp Fever (Delta Baptism mix)

Wednesday 4 July 2012

What's Happening



Not got a lot to say, as it is 20:39 last Thursday and I've still got loads to do before leaving tomorrow and haven't really got time to work on these posts as you can probably tell.

Here is quite an apt song for how I feel at the moment and the second best single ever released on Creation.

The Jasmine Minks - What's Happening

Monday 2 July 2012

Just A Touch Of Your Hand



A  gorgeous bit of deep soul to start the week.

Al Gardner wasn't the most prolific of artists, as far as I can acertain he only recorded three singles but by god they are all wonderful pieces of soul.

This is probably my favourite, from possibly 1968

Al Gardner - Just A Touch Of Your Hand

Sunday 1 July 2012

The Cure, Balearic?



I was never the biggest fan of The Cure. I don't own any albums but have bought a fair few singles in my time, the first of which was The Love Cats. My favourite is probably Pictures of You.

A few weeks ago I bought a four track 12" called The Balearic Sound Of The Cure, primarily for the original 12 inch version Close To Me  but all four tracks are brilliant and I suppose sound Balearic whatever that may mean. The real gem is the dub mix of Pictures Of You

The Cure - Pictures Of You