Saturday 30 November 2013

On The Radio



I absolutely love this song but to my shame up until recently I didn't really listen to the rest of an album, what a twat! As it is a rather fine album that deserved a lot more attention.

Regina Spektor -  On The Radio

Friday 29 November 2013

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance





I am feeling very proud of myself today.  I have replaced the hard drive on my laptop all by myself and it is now running perfectly.

Anyway, what with having to traipse down to Luton after only three hours sleep yesterday I have not had much time to think about today's post. I did however, receive a comment during the week from kiano asking if I would re-up a One Dove track, not just a One Dove track but one touched up by a certain DJ kind of worshipped around these parts.

So how could I say no?

Here is one of the tracks from a 12" single that became a quest for me to find in the pre Discogs days as it was about nearly as rare as good Coldplay song.

Have a good weekend people.

One Dove - Transient Truth (Sabres Of Paradise Death Of A Disco Dancer mix)

Thursday 28 November 2013

Bloody Luton!



I am in Luton today.  Should really be grateful as everybody else was also here yesterday. I was given a reprise as I had a long standing appointment with the Bard of Barking last night at the Royal Concert Hall, which is a bit grand for the likes of Bragg. He was a) excellent or b) good*.  So I am tired and filled with revolutionary fervour!

Last month saw the 30th anniversary of Life's A Riot With Spy vs Spy and to celebrate Bragg released a remastered version of the mini album, side one being the remasters of the original and side two being a live run through of all the tunes as the second encore at a gig in London earlier this year.

Here is the live version from the Union Chapel gig of the song that first brought Billy to my attention all those years ago when he performed it on the Tube.

Billy Bragg - To Have And To Have Not (Live 05-06-13)

* this was written just before leaving for the concert, so the rating is dependent on how much of Tooth & Nail gets an airing.

Wednesday 27 November 2013

Verdi Cries




I was listening to Master Tapes on Radio 4 where John Wilson was talking to Natalie Merchant about Tigerlily,  her first solo album after leaving 10 000 Maniacs. It is an album that I have to admit that I haven't played much over the past decade or so and it was the last of her output that I bought as I wasn't really that taken with it I much preferred the stuff she produced with 10 000 Maniacs.

So last night I was mostly listening to In My Tribe, my favourite of their albums and I was instantly transported back to Aberdeen and the first half of 1988 when this record was never far from the red Panasonic ghetto blaster with the turntable on top.  I thought that I would post the last track from the album, the absolutely beautiful Verdi Cries which also turned up on the b-side of the single What's The Matter Here?

10 000 Maniacs - Verdi Cries

Tuesday 26 November 2013

Say Something New



I can't believe that I haven't posted anything by the Concretes before as I quite frequently play the second album and the singles from it, not so much the first album and the later ones.

The band formed in Stockholm in 1995 and released their first album Boy You Better Run Now in 2000. Three years later they released their eponymous album which brought them to greater attention and also saw them tour the UK. I saw them the following year at King Tuts and they were very very good, a little shambolic at times but that kind of added to the charm.

Say Something New was the fifth single from the band's second album.

The Concretes - Say Something New

Monday 25 November 2013

Heaven Must Have Sent You



I haven't posted that much Motown on the blog but I do love a bit of Detroit's best export.

The Elgins went through at three name changes before they settled on the name that with the aid of new female vocalist, Saundra Mallet would lead to them having a couple of hits on Gordy's label. The first single Darling Baby got to number one in the Billboard R&B Chart but it was the follow up that the group would be remembered for. First released in 1966, Heaven Must Have Sent You also charted on the Billboard R&B and got to number 50 in the Pop chart. It was re-released in 1971 four years after the group broke up and reached number 4 in the UK charts. Which just goes to show that not all of the best soul tunes were the obscure ones that didn't chart.

The Elgins - Heaven Must Have Sent You

Sunday 24 November 2013

Mellow Sunday



Here is a song that when I was much younger was one of the tunes that I frequently used to try and woo girls,  with very limited success. I'm almost certain that those who turned their noses up at it back then would think differently today.

John Martyn - Hung Up

Saturday 23 November 2013

3 mins 55 secs Of Casual Sex Anyone?



If that title doesn't bring ANONYMOUS back nothing will.

I'm not sure why I haven't posted this track before now as it has been a frequent visitor to the turntable since it's release in April as part of  Moshi Moshi's singles club.

There is more than a slight nod in the direction of the "Sound of Young Scotland" in the Glasgow four piece's debut single which tells the tale of doing the dirty on your girlfriend with her best mate fuelled on very strong Austrian rum, 160 proof Stroh 80 of the title. The effects of which I can vouch for as my boss in the Wallace Cave when I worked there once gave me a bottle as a present.

As far as I'm aware the band haven't released anything further which is a wee bit disappointing as this single is very good indeed.

Casual Sex - Stroh 80

Friday 22 November 2013

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance



During the mid to late 90s John Digweed released a mix cd about once a fortnight and along with Sasha was one of the superstar DJs that the Chemical Brothers were banging on about. I'm not sure if his popularity has waned as I don't buy Mixmag or DJ magazine or frequent house parties after the pub has shut where the soundtrack is meandering trance pish anymore, thankfully.

I was never really a big fan of his DJ sets,  as waiting for the next big breakdown to raise my arms in the air was not really my thing. However I did like his first foray into recording under the name of Bedrock along with Nick Muir. Although it does contain a huge breakdown at the time they were not as ubiquitous as they would become and the odd one could be tolerated. The single was released on Stress records in 1993.

Have a good weekend people.

Bedrock feat Kyo - For What You Dream Of

Wednesday 20 November 2013

Batches and Cookies



Absolutely loving this at the moment. Just wish I could have gone to King Tuts on Monday night where she was supporting Har Mar Superstar.



Tuesday 19 November 2013

Walk On In



I realise that the majority of folk who visit here don't come for the dance music, the download counts testify to this but please take 7 minutes out of your life and click on the soundcloud below.

Walk On In released on the Numbers label by the Welshman now residing in Berlin is most definitely going to be in my top five tracks of the year it is the best slab of dance music I have heard for a while and that is saying something as there have been quite a few things this year that I have loved.

Go on give it a go.

Monday 18 November 2013

You've Got To Be Willing



Another one I don't know very much about apart from that it is magic and commands a price of about nine hundred quid in vinyl form. Sadly I do not own a copy of it. Mines comes from a cd/dvd package that came out a few years ago called Soul Function. The dvd contains a short film which is alright and a documentary. The cd has quite a few tracks that I haven't got elsewhere which was a surprise as it wasn't full of the usual things that always get included on northern soul compilations.

Calvin Grayson - You've Got To Be Willing

Sunday 17 November 2013

Mellow Sunday




Here is a Johnny Thunders cover from Canadian Duo Lola Dutronic's New York Stories Ep for you to listen to while lounging about today.

Lola Dutronic - You Can't Put Your Arms Around A Memory

Saturday 16 November 2013

Suspense Kiss



Chicago outfit Panda Riot are one of those bands that I found via the Jon In The Morning show on KEXP when I was still office based in Edinburgh. Nothing new or groundbreaking about their sound.  Like quite a few bands at the time they must have been listening to a lot of My Bloody Valentine and fucking about with effects pedals and drum machines. I  liked what I heard enough to delve a bit deeper and sought out the debut cd,  She Dares All Things a collection of tracks recorded in their bedrooms which is actually pretty good.

I sort of left it at that as it appeared that they had disbanded as nothing new appeared from them until a single last year which was too costly due to the shipping from the States and earlier this year they released a second album which sounds quite good from the samples on Amazon, good enough for me to order the album.

Here is a track from that 2007 album.

Panda Riot - Suspense Kiss 

Friday 15 November 2013

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance



It's back to the days of one off night's in dilapidated old warehouses and industrial units, if you were lucky enough to find them and absolutely bizarre and wonderful slabs of machine made music on import on mediocre to really crap vinyl, you know who you are Trax records.

By the time DJ Pierre, Earl Smith and Herbert Jackson and crew released We Are Phuture in 1988 they had already produced the definitive piece of Acid House for me with Acid Trax. Where could they possible take the genre?  To the future of course with this pounding  almost industrial sounding track complete with weird dark vocal introduction from Spanky Smith and a wicked acid line. Fucking lovely stuff.

This track is included on an absolutely essential FIVE disc compilation of early acid and deep house sounds compiled by Terry Farley for anybody with any interest in the genre. I am a great lover of vinyl as you know but to hear some of these without the background noise on some of the 12" singles is a pleasure just wish that it was possible to turn the clock back twenty five years and relive those heady days.

Have a good weekend people. I will be mostly watching Airdrie and hoping that the new manager can do something to save us from languishing at the bottom of the Scottish Second Division.

Phuture - We Are Phuture

Wednesday 13 November 2013

Money



There have been many versions of Barrett Strong's non hit, not least by the fab four, which I must grudgingly admit that I quite like but then with material this good it is quite difficult to make a pig's ear of it but I bet One Direction could. My favourite version of the tune apart from the original must be the one by The  Flying Lizards but the Kingsmen version comes close.

The Kingsmen - Money

Tuesday 12 November 2013

Outta Tune



Here is a track from the quite brilliant Killer Rhythms & Red Hot Beats compilation.

Four guys. one mike, one take magic!

The Big Four - Outta Tune 


Monday 11 November 2013

You Can't Take It Away



I can find very little information about Azie Mortimer  apart from she released fifteen singles and one album on a variety of labels from 1963 until 1969. I think that I have posted Haunted before, a couple of years ago on Halloween. Today's single was her penultimate one from 1969 and on the Okeh label.

Azie Mortimer - You Can't Take It Away

Sunday 10 November 2013

Friday 8 November 2013

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance



Not had any time to think of today's post. I think myself lucky to be alive today after the worst flight and no exaggeration,  I have ever had back from Belfast last night, it was easily the scariest twenty five minutes of my life. When the plane thumped down on the runway there was a huge collective sigh of relief from most of the passengers and the guy next to me exclaimed "thank god , I thought we were goners". I am not a religious man but I did find myself praying to the big man at the time, hypocrite I know.

So due to that and also the fact that Max has now found Fatboy Slim here is a rather stripped down remix of Praise You.

Have a good weekend people. I will mostly be relaxing and contemplating the pros and cons of air travel.

Fatboy Slim - Praise You (Riva Starr mix)


Thursday 7 November 2013

Come On In, Wipe Your Feet On My Dreams



Why was this not an A-side? People talk about the quality of The Smiths b-sides but I think that this is as good a song as anything Pulp ever put out as a single. I like A Little Soul but I think that Like A Friend is the one.

The picture has nothing to do with the song just a still from a film I came across and quite liked.

Pulp - Like A Friend

Wednesday 6 November 2013

Tired Of Doing Day Jobs With No Thanks For What I Do



I've always loved this song. I think that the Rods had listened to Born To Run more than once, not a bad thing in my book, it has that same sort of feel about it.

Eddie & The Hot Rods - Do Anything You Wanna Do

Tuesday 5 November 2013

Mary Microgram



How about a bit of classic and much sought after on 7" girl group garage rock.

Denise Kaufman, is the Denise in the group name. She recorded this brilliant track in 1965 about  her ex-boyfriend Jann Wenner who would go on to be the co-founder of Rolling Stone magazine.

Kaufman had quite a bit of a time of it in the 60s, after recording this single she went on to join the Frantics who would evolve into Moby Grape. She then went on to form Ace of Cups with four other females with the same outlook as herself. At this time she also had an alternative exisitence as Mary Microgram, one of Ken Kasey's  Merry Pranksters  with whom she would tour the US staging Acid Tests.

Denise and Company - Boy What'll You Do Then.

Monday 4 November 2013

My Turn Now



Today's slice of soul comes from the Bay Area circa 1968. Gail Anderson fair belts this out.

Gail Anderson - My Turn Now

Sunday 3 November 2013

Mellow Sunday

Just one of my favourite songs ever, not quite in the top twenty one but not far away.

Saturday 2 November 2013

Back To Form



A few weeks ago on a Sunday night I went to see the Airborne Toxic Event. Expectations were not high as the last time they had played Glasgow they were very disappointing, the acoustics were crap (the Arches) and the band sort of went through the motions and didn't even complete their set. Another reason for my lack of enthusiasm was the recently released album Such Hot Blood which to me was a rather tepid affair containing sub standard versions of tracks from the first two albums just given new lyrics, there were one or two good songs but nothing brilliant.

Anyway off to the Garage we went after hitting the Brew Dog pub for a drink and bite to eat, L was with me or it would just have been straight to the gig. The Garage is a great wee venue in Glasgow, have seen a few bands in there before most notably the Wedding Present a couple of years back.

From the off ATE were up for it what a change from my previous encounter and were back with the enthusiasm which first drew me to them when they were supporting Frightened Rabbit in King Tuts five years ago. But it was striking as the gig progressed that the set was all stuff from the first two albums in fact it wasn't until eleven songs in that the band actually played a track from their third lp and by the end of the night I counted only four of the new tracks in the set list.

I am not complaining as the gig was excellent, the band back on top form and my faith in them fully restored. I have subsequently listened to the new album a few times and it's alright,  nothing more.

Here is the first and title track from the second album which I really like but who does it remind you of?

Airborne Toxic Event - All At Once

Friday 1 November 2013

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance



On this day sixteen years ago 27 close friends and family and one random paratrooper witnessed L and I vowing to stick together in good times and shitty times, there have been lots of the former and a few of the later in the intervening years.

After that we went down the valley to the Popinjay Hotel and had one of the best parties I've ever been to soundtracked by some of the naffest music ie typical wedding fodder and the odd Highland Scittoosh (not sure of the spelling) all expertly played by One Foot In The Grave, thee Wedding Band at that time in Lanarkshire.

L never really got into dance music but before we started going out she came up to me in the pub and asked if I had the Sunscreem single Love U More and would I tape it for her. So the next weekend in the pub I presented her with a tape containing all nine of the mixes. It wasn't until years later that she confessed that it was only the single version she wanted and not all those dancey mixes. It was an early lesson for L that with me you don't always get exactly what you asked for.

Have a good weekend

Here is one of those dancey mixes.

Sunscreem - Love U More (Slam)