It's Friday . . . I'm Not In The Mood To Dance

All I've got to say today is FUCK David Cameron!

Still,  blue passports, eh.

Taken today, got to love Glasgow.

William Orbit - Adagio for Strings

Stop

A bit of blue-eyed soul for a Tuesday.

This upbeat track was released on the Columbia label in 1966. As is usual with a lot of these tracks I can find very little about either Diamond or the record. I am sure that I once read that Bobby Diamond was better known as an actor and had a part in the original Death Wish film but I can't verify that. One thing for sure he did release a cracker of a record way back when.

Bobby Diamond - Stop

Monday's Long Song

A year ago today I was going to feature the live version of John Coltrane Stereo Blues from the RSD release "How We Found Ourselves . . . Everywhere!" by the Dream Syndicate.  This version was recorded in Philadelphia for WXPN, the University of Pennsylvania's radio station, excellent as this version is with the duelling guitars sounding so good, I do wish it had been the live recording that the band had done for KEXP that had been included in this release which is another three and a bit minutes longer.

link now sorted

The Dream Syndicate - John Coltrane Stereo Blues

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

A bit of Tech House from what I thought was a couple of years ago until I pulled out the shelves yesterday and looked at the date, 2013, so just the 7 years ago then. Desire is the lead track from the Mr Jones double pack 12" from Nina Kraviz. Quite minimal but very effective stuff. I have it on good authority from two of my nephews that Miss Kraviz is an excellent dj and knows how to work a Techno crowd.

Well that's the cup run over for another year. Airdrie were well and truly pumped last Saturday at Tynecastle. Hearts may be pish but they are pish two levels above the Diamonds and it showed. Back to the league this week and a home clash against Stranraer in the promotion bid. Although sitting at the bottom of the league, Stranraer were only beaten 2 nil by The Rangers not scudded five nothing, so another nail biting 90 minutes seem to be in prospect.

Have a good weekend people.

Nina Kraviz - Desire

Laugh At Me

God I love this cover version. It was originally written and recorded by Sonny Bono and released as a single in 1965. In 1969 Mott The Hoople recorded the song for their debut album and to say it is a tad Dylanesque would be a bit of an understatement and of course it's Ian Hunter's  voice that first grabs your attention but it's the music that holds the attention when it reaches it's peak it reminds me of You Can't Always Get What You Want, it may just be the organ. I once read somewhere that Hunter's vision for Mott The Hoople was Dylan backed by the Rolling Stones and it feels to me that he attained it on their first album.

Mott The Hoople - Laugh At Me

Boy

Cleveland Robinson born in  Macon, Georgia, raised in Pittsburgh then in the early 60s he moved with wife to Cleveland, Ohio where he recorded 15 singles and one album. His first single These Are The Hands after being picked up by the Ascot label caused interest from a few major labels, undeterred when none of the deals came to fruition, Robinson decided to start his own label, Nosnibor Records to release his music, he was now singer/writer/producer and label owner. Boy featured here was the 12th release on the label, another great soul side that failed to set the heather on fire but would set you back at least £250 if you were lucky enough to find a copy.

Cleveland Robinson - Boy

Monday's Long Song

Last week, the Swede posted a brilliant track by Mythic Sunship. I discoverd the Danish group last year and as you do, I noted the label that they were on El Paraiso and checked it out on Discogs and to my joy but also distress as what this may do to my finances noted that the label had been going for since 2011. I decided to check first check out a band called Kanaan, for no other reason than  that was just below a Mythic Sunship release on the page.

Kannan's  album is described thus on El Paraiso's website "Winborne is debut album from the Young Norwegian power trio Kanaan. With components from jazz, fusion and post rock they have created six extended pieces of blazin freeform psychedelia" 

Worth a listen then?  Of course it is and also worth picking up. They also have a second release Odense sessions scheduled for release in February and available for pre order here or from Amazon. I duly did on the strength of Winborne. A Hausenbecken below is the first track off of that debut.

Kanaan - A. Hausenbecken 

It's Friday . . . Mon The Diamonds!

January isn't getting any easier is it. I've got to that bit of the month that I realise exactly just how skint I am and it is getting me down, more so when it dawns on me that there are a couple more significant dunts to my bank balance to come before the wages drop for records that I just couldn't live without and bought through Paypal and ticked the pay in 14 days box. What I and I suspect quite a few of you could also do with is a tune that gives you a warm glow with memories of long drawn out warm sunny days.

The Sun Rising anyone?

Well tomorrow sees Airdrieonians take on Hearts in the Scottish Cup for the first time since the semi-final replay on  April 14th 1992 when the game ended one each and Airdrie came out on top after penalties and went on to lose 2-1 to Rangers in the final. Hopes are high as Hearts are right pish at the moment but knowing our luck tomorrow will be when their new manager Daniel Stendl's team click and we get pumped. Unconfirmed rumours on Twitter have said that the Diamonds have sold 3500 tickets, they have certainly sold out the allocation that was given but whether it's as many as that we shall see. One thing for sure is Leo is really excited about this game as it will be the largest he has attended and he is looking forward to going to Tyncastle for the first time. For me it will be the first time in over 25 years!

Have a good weekend people

The Beloved - The Sun Rising 

Suicide Is Painless

One of my favourite TV programs when growing up was M*A*S*H. So I was quite happy couple of months before Christmas after re-tuning the digi box in the bedroom and stumbling upon an episode on the newly acquired Sony TV channel (48) late one night which turned into being quite ecstatic when I realised that they were repeating the whole show all eleven series on weekday nights, well early mornings to be precise and therein lay the problem, four episodes a night from midnight. I was lucky to get to the end of the second each night before either falling asleep or being told to "turn that bloody telly off". Also after discussing the series with someone on Twitter I started to becoming increasingly annoyed with the canned laughter track. This had not been present when it was originally shown on BBC on I think a Wednesday night at 21:00 and I had successfully blocked it out until it had been brought to my attention.

As it was not going to be practical for me to watch all of the episodes I began to wonder if I should just record them all on the BT box downstairs but as it had already reached series 4 I decided that I would look and see if it would be possible to purchase the dvds of series 1-3, so I consulted Google, not only could I purchase all 11 series (260 episodes)  and  various specials on a 36 disc box set for the bargain price of £26, so I was sold before even reading that I could select to cut the laughter track from the sound, magic.

I am not sure how old I was when I started watching M*A*S*H first time, I couldn't have been that old but I must have at that time watching repeats as I can remember Col Blake and Trapper. I'm sure that I only partly understood it back then, I certainly didn't appreciate the subtlety, cleverness or excellent dialogue and it is certainly a lot darker then I remember.One thing I do remember from when I was a kid is that I was really upset at the last couple of episodes and now am not ashamed to admit I cried, although there is no way I would have admitted that as a fourteen or 15 yr old.

In 1992 the NME put out a a compilation album, Ruby Tracks, The Roaring 40 where they got 40 contemporary artist to cover classic UK #1 singles to commemorate 40 years of the publication. The album is worth owning for the Fall's version of The Legend of Xanadu alone. Other notable performances are Roddy Frame's (If Paradise Is) Half As Nice, Little Red Rooster by The Jesus and Mary Chain and The Manic Street Preachers rendition of The Theme From M.A.S.H which was also released as a single and reached #7 in the UK Charts.

Manic Street Preachers - Suicide Is Painless

Divine Intervention

Matthew Sweet had been in bands from the early 80s in his home town of Athens, Georgia, where he collaborated with a certain Michael Stipe and his sister in a band called the Oh-Ok. In 1985 Sweet went solo and signed with Columbia Records for whom he released a couple of albums. His debut Inside garnered critical acclaim but little in the way of sales. In 1989 he released a second album which fared just as badly as the first resulting in his being dropped by Columbia and to compound his woes his wife left him around the same time.

In 1990 he started work on the album which would eventually see the light of day under the title Girlfriend but which was initially titled Nothing Last. The title was changed due to the fact that Sweet wanted to use a picture of a 14 year old Tuesday Weld on the cover. Weld, those permission was sought for the use of the image, was in middle age at this time and although had no objection to the picture being used she did have reservation of the connotations around the use of the picture and the title and so Sweet changed it.

On it's release the album sold extremely well in the US and gave the artist the break he had been seeking. The theme of relationships in all their guises and Sweet's honest confessional lyrics struck a chord with the record buying public and critics alike.

From the first chord of the album's opening track, Divine Intervention I was hooked, the guitar sound has a very late 60s psychedelic feel to it and when it comes back in all to briefly after the false ending it never fails to give me shivers. Absolutely wonderful stuff that should have been a single.

Matthew Sweet - Divine Intervention

It's Growing

The Contours were one of the early male singing groups to join Berry Gordy's Motown soon to be empire. However Gordy turned the group down the first time they auditioned for him. The bass singer  Hubert Johnson, the bass singer was not going to take no for an answer and so visited his cousin, one Jackie Wilson who knew Gordy to ask if he could persuade the label owner to give them another chance which he did and after hearing the exact same songs as the first audition he signed the group to a 7 year contract. The group are probably best know for their million seller from 1962 Do You Love Me. My favourite track by them is Just A Little Misunderstanding, however this version of the Smokey Robinson penned, Temptations hit runs it a very close second. Prior to Richard Searling including the song on the first version of Tamla Motown Connoisseurs this was only ever available on a UK budget album from the early 70s.

Gorgeous stuff.

The Contours - It's Growing

Monday's Long Song

I had a shock last week when I pulled out the album that today's track is from and realised that I had owned it for thirty six years! One of the best live albums from one of the most underrated guitarists ever. Also from an album recorded in parts somewhere that not too many people would go to back in the early 70s. Rory Gallagher did not ignore his many fans on both sides of the divide during "the troubles" and played Northern Ireland all through the 70s.

An extremely talented guitarist who sadly died way too soon.

Rory Gallagher - Walk On Hot Coals 

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

There are two reasons that we need to end the working week with a complete banger this week.

Firstly, it has probably been one of the sairest, longest,  most fucking awful weeks of the year and let's just celebrate that we have put it behind us.

The second reason is Andy Ryan has returned to Airdrie on loan from Dunfermline until the end of the season. ANDY FUCKING RYAN! I know that this will mean sweet F A to most of you but to me, a few hundred others and especially Leo this IS the second coming, Andy Ryan only made 32 appearances for the Diamonds between May 2016 and August 2017, however during that time he scored 24 goals.

You may not be aware of this but the might Airdrionians are doing no bad at the moment , sitting second, two points behind those pesky Raith Rovers. Lets hope the signing of Ryan, Leon McCann and others who have committed their futures to the club mean that we go into the second half of the league with stability and some well deserved confidence.

Have a good weekend people.

ANDY FUCKING RYAN!

Mighty Dub Katz - Magic Carpet Ride (Fatboy Slim Latin Ska Acid Breakbeat mix)

Eleven

It's been touch and go over the past twelve months but I have managed to keep this thing semi-active for another year.

As always,  thanks.

The Pale Fountains - . . . From Across The Kitchen Table.

Deceived

Very little is know about this track or the artist that recorded it. Deceived was the flip side of the 1966 single Feminine Ingenuity released on Gold Token Records out of Los Angeles in 1966. It was first aired on the Northern scene in the mid to late 1980s and if you were looking to buy a copy of this lovely bit of soul it would set you back upwards of £600.

Ruby - Deceived 

Monday's Long Song

In one of my moodier moments I could possibly describe today's long piece of music as |"meandering pish", it is however the sort of gentle, none too taxing kind of thing needed to ease in the next working decade.

Chocolate Hills is a side product of Alex Paterson's in collaboration with Paul Conboy . They released a rather lovely ambient album, A Pail of Air, last year. And At The Same Time was one of the two bonus tracks with the digital release. A word of warning if you are considering buying the vinyl album, so far both of my copies have had to be returned due to excess noise and in the case of the second one loads of shit in the grooves of the vinyl.

Chocolate Hills - And At The Same Time