Hellish week ahead.

Not in a great mood after yesterday's result, so let's hope that the healing power of soul music can help.

Jackie Lee & Dolores Hall - Whether It Is Right Or Wrong

Diamonds ARE Forever

In just under 4 hours the most important football match of the weekend will take place, forget about your Champions League Final or your Scottish Cup, the real drama of the weekend will take place at New Broomfield in Airdrie, where Airdrie United take on Dumbarton in the second leg of the Division Two play-offs. At stake,  a place in the Scottish First Division where the Diamonds rightly deserve to be.

Airdrie go into this match with a slight disadvantage; we are two one down from the first leg but both Stiff and myself are confident that we can overcome this position and win the match (that's just put the death knell on any chance the team had!).

I sort of fell out of love with football in 2002, when David Murray called in a debt which put Airdrieonians out of business at the time Murray said :

“I apologise to Airdrie’s supporters but something had to be done about this debt. Business is business and Carnegie Sports also have wages to pay,”

I hope the irony of that statement isn't lost on the true blue loyal who have found themselves in a similar situation recently.

Airdrie rose again in the form of Airdrie Utd after the Chairman bought over another club in financial trouble,  Clydebank and relocated them to Airdrie and changed the name. But I just couldn't get that enthusiastic about the team and only ever went to the ocassional match but still checked the results every Saturday night.

But that is all history now, as over the last six months of taking Max to the home matches my passion for the team and football in general has been re-ignited and as I type this I find myself as nervous and excited by the prospect of today's game as I was when my team played Rangers and Celtic in two Scottish Cup finals in the nineties or when subsequent to the Rangers final my dad and I found ourselves walking down Gartlea Hill to the sight of the UEFA flag flying above Broomfield when we took on Sparta Prague in the Cup Winners Cup.

So if you are at a loss for something to do today and fancy some drama and 'real' football tune in to BBC Alba at 4pm and cheer on the Diamonds.

Arctic Monkeys - Diamonds Are Forever (Live At Glastonbury)

Update 
We got royally humped. Second Division football again next season.

The Beautiful Music.Com

Around the middle of October last year I received an email from a guy called Wally on the back of the Roddy Frame review I had posted. He said that he ran a small independent label in Canada and had an artist on the label Armstrong, who if I liked Roddy Frame I may be interested in and if so he would send me a copy of the Armstrong cd to listen to.

A few weeks later I received a package from Canada that contained a plethora of releases from the label including two cds from Armstrong, Skytone,  Roy Moller and the recent release by Dot Dash that I know Swiss Adam and Ed over at 17 Seconds had reviewed.

The Armstrong cds were good but really not for me as in my opinion it was to close to Roddy Frame which kind of put me off. Don't get me wrong the songs were good and not a simple pastiche of Frame's material but when listening to the cd I had the overwhelming urge to take it off and listen to Surf or Frestonia.

Also included in Wally's package were three cds which really interested me. These cds are part of what can only be termed as a labour of love -

" to gather some of the greatest names in music to record for a label so small that it is practically non-existent and convince them to cover one of your favourite songs by one of your all time favourite bands . . . a 10 volume tribute to the Television Personalities to be released over the course of the next ten years and to feature some 200 covers of TVP songs both old and new."


I first became aware of the TV Personalities when I was about fourteen or fifteen. A couple of friends older brothers, the ones with the quiffs, that got their gear from Flip and talked about The Velvet Underground and Josef K were into the TV Personalities. But when I listened to the the music, I couldn't see what all the fuss was about, to me the music was under produced which I suppose was part of the charm for some and the singer's voice really got on my nerves, so I never got into them but loved the covers!

In my mid twenties I tried again to get into them, when somebody gave me a couple of singles and I bought a compilation cd but sadly I still didn't get it and to this day after buying a few other things I still don't. I do however, recognise Daniel Treacy as a good/great lyricist and have often wondered how something like If I Could Write Poetry or The Prettiest Girl In The World would sound performed by say David Gedge or Roddy Frame. For this reason I was intrigued by these cds and although, neither Gedge or Frame appear in the series so far and most of the bands are not household names I have listened to the cds a fair bit and have gained a different perspective on the music of the TVPs.

If you are a fan of The Television Personalities then you will be interested to hear how contemporaries of Treacy such as Nikki Sudden and Duglas T Stewart interpret the songs they have chosen. But if you have never heard of Treacy or the band and have the most fleeting interest in leftfield music you will find plenty in these cd to hold your attention and possible jump around the room like an edjit to.

Even if you have no interest in The Television Personalities tribute check out www.thebeautfulmusic.com as you will probably find something there that you will like, if you like the music posted on here.

Semion - The Prettiest Girl In The World

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

Twenty years ago if I was out clubbing I would be found at The Arches or occasionally the Sub Club. There was as much chance of me going to the likes of Resurrection or Fantasia as there was me going to see Take That. All that turbo nutter stuff was not for me. Did fancy going to one Street Rave Do at Prestwick Airport for the sheer novelty value.

So,  I haven't a clue where I first heard Let Me Be Your Fantasy. Probably from one of my cheesy quaver friends who did frequent clubs specialising in the madder end of dance culture. It was one of the few hardcore tracks that I heard and did not dismiss instantly as rubbish. Don't know what it is about the track but like Sweet Harmony it has the piano sample and the breakbeats, so maybe I was a closet breakbeat fan and didn't realise it.

The track was released on the  Production House label and was remixed by Acen, a mix I'm not aware of ever hearing but imagine will be even more hardcore than the original. It was bastardised and re-released in 2000 in a Garage stylee which is absolutely pish and should be avoided at all costs.

Have a good weekend people

Baby D - Let Me Be Your Fantasy

Sweeping The Nation

Here's a track I featured way back in the early days of the blog. Then I was looking for a little bit of positivity at a time when all was doom and gloom, how things stay the same eh?

Sweeping The Nation was released in 1997 and first came to my attention due to the rather effective use of a sample from Dobie Gray's Out On The Floor Tonight but the song as a whole is a rather splendid piece of pop.

Spearmint - Sweeping The Nation

Welt Am Draht

Here's a bit of upbeat, minimal techno. Yes I know minimal techno is not renowned for being upbeat. But Hendrik Weber doesn't really conform to the rules. I'm not sure if Welt Am Draht was inspired by the Fassbinder film of the same title; not having seen the film or even knowing of it's existence until I just googled the phrase, in translation it is World on a Wire by the way.

The track comes from the third album, Black Noise released on Rough Trade a couple of years ago.

Pantha Du Prince - Welt Am Draht

Another Brilliant Deadboy Remix

This is magic

Come See About Me

Let's kick of the week with a lovely version of a Holland-Dosier-Holland song better know in it's Supremes version.

Nella Dodds interpretation came out on the Wand label in 1964 and is as good as the better known version.

Nella Dodds - Come See About Me

Donald "Duck" Dunn RIP

Sad news

Booker T & The MGs - Time Is Tight

Daydreaming

A few weeks ago I confessed that I wasn't really up on my UK Garage but posted a track by Paleface featuring Kyla that I really liked. Since then I have investigated a little and to be honest still don't know that much about the genre but have decided that I really quite like Kyla.

So here is the follow-up to Do You Mind which I think is actually better.

Kyla - Daydreaming (extended mix)

Koolaid (Global Tyranny)

This is another of those records that I decided to take a punt on after reading a review of the album somewhere as I had never heard of the band..

The review went as follows -

"So, we get a tape of this in the post, yes, a tape, and thought it was pretty wild, then heard nothing...then we get a CDR, well two of them, some mix cassette, and a CD containing some OTT modern day Pop Art sleeve design that is retina rubbling!....with a scrawled note claiming, "when you put the record out, you have to limit it to 500 LPs with a bonus free CD version that has a different mix of the music on it, NO Downloads whatsoever, and while your are at it, make some giveaway cassettes up of the mixtape we sent to go with it, and the sleeve has to be wrap-around, like it could be a poster, on thicker card too, full colour mind!...we are Koolaid (Global Tyranny) on this record...send us some copies when its done".

So with no mention of what the music would be like I decided that I would take a chance on it and am very glad that I did so. I'm not sure how to describe the music, my first thoughts were that it was a more fucked up and trippy version of the Fuck Buttons with the layering of noise and samples but that doesn't really do the sound justice as that just covers the first track I think for the most part it is like not much else that I own but has lots of elements of other stuff all mashed together.  There is a live feel to the recording, I may be totally wrong but I get the kind of feeling that this was put down in one take.

I have been unable to find out much more about Koolaid (Global Tyrany) which I suppose doesn't really matter when the sounds are as good as they are. Although any info would be appreciated

Worth checking out.

Kool Aid (Global Tyranny) - Intercity Firm (vinyl mix)

It's Friday (only just) . . . Let's Dance

As I've just been reminded on Twitter it's Friday. Apologies for the tardiness of this post, actually wasn't going to bother due to full on week and being in Birmingham yesterday and today but here you go.

Here is a cover version of an Eagles song from 1990 which used to make all of dudes in double denim in the pub where I worked incandescent with rage when I used to put it on. For that reason alone I loved it along with a rather dodgy version of You Can't Always Get What You Want by Roman. But I actually think that it is a rather good track and there are also a couple of really good Orb remixes.

Have a good weekend people.

Jam On The Mutha - Hotel California (Ibiza 90mix)

Just Because . , ,

. . . I am wallowing in the glorious noise that is Psychocandy and the pure pop of Darklands at the moment. Two absolutely brilliant albums that have stood the test of time. I really loved the Mary Chain back then.

The Jesus And Mary Chain - Cherry Came Too

F

Love and Desire

Here is one of my favourite female sung northern tracks. Patrice's sister Brenda is probably better known but this 1966, Capitol release is as good as anything Brenda recorded, well everything apart from Think It Over (Before You Break My Heart) of course and Every Little Bit Hurts.

Patrice Holloway - Love and Desire

Move On Up

It's a bank holiday Monday so you all have some time to spare. I can't think of a better way to spend eight and a half minutes than listening to the sweet vocals, bright brass and funky guitar of Move On Up.

Apologies to those of you working today. I'm off to Kelvingrove Art Gallery with the family and maybe a wee visit to Oxfam Music and then Heart Of Buchanan on Byres Rd. But we won't mention that to L just yet!

Curtis Mayfield - Move On Up

Some People Say

Here's a lovely piece of winsome indiepop to brighten up your Sunday. Not that it needs brightening up, up here the sun is shining for a change.

Some People Say is lifted from Europe,  the second album by Allo Darlin'. This release is stylishly much the same as the debut but has a kind of sadder,  ever so slightly darker and dare I say it,  less twee feel to it than it's predecessor. Another very good album released last month.

Allo Darlin' - Some People Say

Jenny Ondioline

I have a somewhat ambivalent relationship with Stereolab some of their stuff I think is absolutely wonderful but a lot of the time I find their output to be rather self indulgent footerings that go nowhere and does nothing for me. None of which ever stopped me from buying their albums as there was always at least two or three tracks which made them worth buying. And seeing them live which was always very entertaining.

Stereolab - Jenny Ondioline

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

Let us return to the days of boilersuits, glow sticks, Vicks and all things mental.

N-Joi had been making and performing music at underground Raves for a couple of years before they decided that what they needed was a front women to basically mime all of the diverse vocal samples for their next single and so they were joined by Saffron or Samantha Sprackling to the folk she went to school with, either that or she sounded just like Gwen Guthrie on some of the vocals and a couple of completely different singers at other points on the track. Anyway sod all like she did in Republica.

I still love this track although it does sound a bit tame now.

Have a good weekend, people.

N-Joi - Anthem

Hollie Cook

It's been quite a good month for new albums what with Spiritualized, Alabama Shakes and Nick Waterhouse just to name three.

Here's a track from an album that I bought on the strength of the cover and just to hear a dub of a Reggae version of Walking In The Sand and I'm very glad I did as the whole album is excellent.

Hollie Cook's debut album was released last summer and was championed by the likes of Steve Lamacq. A couple of weeks ago the companion piece Prince Fatty presents Hollie Cook 'In Dub' was released which does exactly what it says in the title, turning the almost pop Reggae original tracks in to late night listening that King Tubby would have been proud to have produced.

Oh and Hollie has a famous dad who has been recently carrying out drumming duties for Edwyn Collins and a member of an influential punk band.

Hollie Cook - Walking In The Sand Dub.

Eighties Fan

I should be in Luton today but due to a last minute decision to hold the meeting by WebEx I'm actually at home, not needing to get the stupid o'clock flight down and the even more ridiculously timed flight home, So I have reasons to be cheerful this morning as it looks as though this will be the norm going forward. Ya Dancer!

In light of this here is a not too miserable track by Camera Obscura originally released as a single in 2001.

Camera Obscura - Eighties Fan

btw - don't know why some files aren't transferring to MP3 in iTunes, sorry.

2:54

A while ago I featured a track from the first single by 2:54. Since then the sisters have released a follow-up 10" single and a few weeks ago a further 7" entitled You're Early and apparently the debut album is to be released on 28th May.

Here is the title track from the 10". Very reminiscient of Souixse And The Banshees to me with a hint of The Jesus And Mary Chain. I'm actually surprised how much I like this as it is rather Gothic sounding.

2:54 - Scarlet

Hiding In Shadows

Some lovely deep soul from Eddie & Ernie to kick start the week. Every time they break into the chorus I get shivers up and down my spine.

Another soul act that most of us would have unaware of it it hadn't been for Dave Godin, that man should be given a lot more credit for all of the amazing music he unearthed and championed.

Just wonderful

Eddie & Ernie - Hiding In Shadows

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

The use of possibly the worst rap this side of World In Motion, a mega cheesy piano line and samples of Pink Floyd and the Osmonds wouldn't usually mean a sure fire dance classic, well not in my book anyway. But that's exactly what Is There Anybody Out There? is.  A raver's anthem that made it overground and bothered the charts that much that it got to number 5 in the UK.

The early 90s were strange days indeed.

Have a good weekend people.

Bassheads - Is There Anybody Out There?(Extended)

I Found A Reason

Some of my favourite covers have been versions of songs of the Velvet Underground like the Kills version of Pale Blue Eyes and  Lone Justice's Sweet Jane. Most of the band's output has been covered at one point or another with Beck covering the whole first album to varying degrees of success.

Here is another of my favourites, where Chan Marshall does a gorgeous version of one of the standout tracks from the Velvets final album.

Cat Power - I Found A Reason

Take A Good Look

The most expensive purchase of the weekend was also the spurr of the moment one. When checking through the listings of what was available I pretty much discounted the Fame Singles Box as it was far too expensive sure it would be nice to have just for the Art Freeman single alone but unjustifiable.

Thst position changed as soon as I got in the door of Monorail and I saw the boxset calling out to me from the shelf behind the counter. There was no point trying to fight it as I knew that if I didn't buy it I would almost certainly one drunken Saturday night  a few months down the line pay even more for it on eBay.

The stand out single has to be Keep On Talking by James Barnett an increadibly rare 45 which goes down a storm in northern circles. But for me the real find is the flip-side a tune more in keeping with the Muscle Shoals sound and which reminds me of Ted Hawkins interpretation of Bring It On Home To Me.

James Barnett - Take A Good Look

Kiss My Love Goodbye

A bit of crossover soul from 1974. The kind of thing that when I was in my late teens and early twenties would dismiss as "seventies pish". Bobby the jobbing brickie once offered me a mint copy of this and a handful of other 70s northern singles for a mere twenty quid. Unfortunately I declined to take him up on his offer. Something I have reflected upon and cursed myself for on a few occasions over the years.

Bettye Swann - Kiss My Love Goodbye

Another Year Older

Not the best way to start the week, shit!

Fine Young Cannibals - I'm Not The Man I Used To Be (Jazzie B & Nellee Hooper mix)

Alteria Percepsyne

A  lovely bit of dub Techno for a Sunday.

I know absolutely nothing about Alteria Percepsyne apart from her real name is Emily Griffiths and the fact that she has produced two CDs. The first I have never heard but Cloaks of Perception where this track is lifted from is pretty special stuff very reminiscent of DeepChord's Echospace series.

Alteria Percepsyne - All You See Is A Ghost

Record Store Day 2012 pt 2

I now have had time to listen to all my purchases, reflect on the day over a meal out with the family and can still say that the Fall single is pish and best avoided if you have any love for this gruppe whatsoever.

Max and I left the house at 06:40 this morning, yes that bloody early and we arrived outside Monorail at 07:15 to be confronted with 14 people in front of us in the queue, the best placing in the last three years and funnily enough the two guys who joined behind us were the guys who were in front of us last year. I also spotted a guy I'm sure was at Aberdeen at the same time as me twenty five years ago about five or six behind us with his daughter. If that was you Spence then I apologise for not speaking but I wasn't sure.

I had my list of wants which wasn't too large, top of the list was the afore mentioned Fall single, closely followed by the Sweet Jane 7",  also the Raveonettes double pack and Rosebud by the Jezabels and I said to myself if I got those then I would be happy. I did have other things like The Slow Club lp but at twenty quid, it was a bit steep and a few other 7" which would have been nice to have.

When I actually got into Monorail I realised that it was going to be a far costlier day than I had budgeted for, as I saw the Fame singles box set and decided that it had to be purchased. So when I got to the front of the queue this was the second thing asked for after Sweet Jane and I was also successful with the Raveonettes and Fall, as you will be aware, I also forked out for a copy of the MC5/Africa Bambaataa 7" of Kick out the Jams and the Big Deal vs S.C.U.M. single which is excellent.

I was wanting to hang about for a while but I had promised Max a visit to Forbidden Planet which also ended up costing me a small fortune.

Now, everywhere I look on the Internet I see less than favourable comments about Record Shop Day but my feelings are that anything that gets people into record shops is a good thing. I have seen tweets saying "record shop day is everyday for me" and good, so it is for a lot of people me included, if I were lucky enough to be able to get to a record shop every day. But to a lot more people they just aren't that important and anything that can get people into the mindset of visiting their local record shop while out shopping for other things has to be beneficial not just to the record shop but also the individual who will hopefully hear or see and buy something which they would have other wise been oblivious too. Days such as today must contribute to this as the atmosphere in the queue and also inside of Monorail which greeted my son was so completely different to the elitist, unfriendly atmosphere which greeted me when I started buying record  being only a a few years olderthan he is now.

As for the arguement that the real fans don't get the records and most end up in the hands of dealers who then put the items on ebay for sale at exorbitant fees. Well fuck them, don't buy the stuff from these leeches leave them with their "product".

I know, that's rich coming from somebody who got everything they wanted today, but last year I thought twice about the St Etienne box set and decided not to buy it, as it was too expensive at thirty quid; for months it was on ebay for fifty/sixty quid. Three months ago I got a copy from a seller on ebay for £13 including postage.

Here is a track that has naff all to do with RSD but comes from the best album I have bought this year and that is including the Spiritualized one. I do urge everyone to go get this.

Alabama Shakes - Boys & Girls

Aw fuck, I forgot the Hangover Lounge Vol 3, shit!

Record Store Day 2012 pt 1

The Fall - Night of The Humerons, pish.

Laurence And The Slab Boys

Found this in my junk folder and decided to give it a listen. It is really rather good.

PR -
‘Mushroom’ is the debut single by the noise-pop collective, Laurence and the Slab Boys. The single was written and recorded in Berlin by multi-instrumentalist, Larry Reid.
Formalising their union under the moniker Laurence and the Slab Boys, the group is named after Scottish playwright John Byrne’s trilogy, The Slab Boys, which deals with issues such as institutional sectarianism, class-struggle, and mental-illness. Larry explains the curious signature -

“I was born in Paisley, where the plays are set. I read them years ago and thought the title had a nice, ambiguous ring to it. After my last band I wanted no part of music industry, and I tried to create something the music industry would want nothing to do with either. I imagined the "Laurence" part might make things even less accessible. My parents think it’s a stupid name, which is a good sign.”
‘Mushroom’ pulsates into under-lit corners of emotional heft with fears of apocalypse and a Third World War. There’s a hushed vulnerability to Reid’s vocal laments, “I fear we’re gonna die young” he sings, yet as the song ascends there’s a sense that even in adversity there is comfort in togetherness:

“We don’t need to call it romance, let’s just skip the mystery dance. We can watch the mushroom cloud and shelter as the sky falls down”.

Underneath the deceptive simplicity, there is a ghost in the machine: a penchant for spooked minimalism, textural and spatial abstraction which is at the same time wholly listenable. It’s a ghost that allows Reid’s enigmatic lyrics to take centre stage.

With radio support from BBC 6 Music and BBC Radio Scotland, and a recent live debut backing The Pains Of Being Pure At Heart, the mushroom cloud looks to be lifting for Laurence and the Slab Boys. 'Mushroom' is taken from the forthcoming album, Lo-Fi Disgrace, set for release on Monday 18th June 2012.

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

Here is a track I was sure that I had posted before but apparently not, probably when I thought about posting it before I had the same dilemma as I had last night, which bloody mix to choose, they are all brilliant.

When I used to think of myself as a bit of a DJ, I would mess about for ages mixing dialogue from the Apocalypse Now soundtrack into this track and used to follow it with Homer's mix of Persian Blues which seemed to work very well or so I thought at the time. I came across a few homemade mix tapes, one including this track  the other weekend but haven't had the courage to listen to how bad the train crash mixing is, as yet.

The Disco Evangelists were Ashley Beedle, David Holmes and Lindsay Edwards they released two singles in 1993, De Niro and A New Dawn both are very good progressive thumpers but for me it will always be De Niro, which was first released on Black Sunshine records and then picked up by Positiva and given a wider release.

The pan pipes sample comes from possibly my favourite soundtrack music for the film Once Upon A Time In America bu Ennio Morricone.

Have a good weekend people.

I'm off to Monorail in the morning to spend way too much money.

The Disco Evangelists - De Niro (The Spaceflight remix)

OX4

I was never the biggest fan of Ride. Apart from the first Slowdive album all the shoegaze stuff just sort of washed over me. But I do remember hearing this track and really liking it. It took me by surprise yesterday when it came up on shuffle as I had forgotten just how good it sounded.

Ride - OX4

Cry Baby

Yesterday I finally got around to listening to the Alabama Shakes album and I was pleasantly surprised that the music actually lives up to all the hype. It did however have me reaching for a bit of this.

Janis Joplin - Cry Baby

Marvin Revised

If the man known as The Reflex had asked me beforehand what my opinion of his intention to re-fit songs by Marvin Gaye, I would have told him in no uncertain terms to leave them the fuck alone, there are certain artists that you do not muck about with and Marvin is one of them.

Just as well for me that my input was never sought as the results on the GAMM 12" of the refits of a couple of classic Gaye tracks and a very strange pairing of Amy Winehouse's vocals to Rehab over the backing track to He Was Really Saying Something, which works increadibly well, breathe new life into the tracks. Not that any of these tracks sounded stale in the first place but the new productions just add a different perspective which only prove that great songs are great songs and can deal with re-interpretation.

The Reflex - Ain't No Mountain

The Flirtations

I'm hoping that now I'm back at work and the bloody paiting is completed I might find some time to actually post something on here.

It is becoming a bit of habit posting some soul on a Monday. I can't think of a better way to start off the week than with some quality soul.

Here is a track from a group that started back in 1960 as the Gypsies and changed their name to The Flirtations in 1966 and appear to be still going strong, though I suspect like Trigger's brush in Only Fools And Horses not with the original elements.

Nothing But A Heartache was released on Deram records in 1968. It may be familiar as it was used in an advert for chicken products in 2007.

The Flirtations - Nothing But A Heartache

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

My postings have been rather pish this week down to spending all of my bloody annual leave painting both boys rooms. The only thing worse than emulsioning in my book has to be glossing and living in an old house with deep skirtings and enough fecking wood around the windows to build a shed it takes forever. This combined with me not being the most patient of people has got me rather vexed.

So I don't care that I have posted this track before, it's good enough to warrant another post. It is brilliant in fact, despite basically being made up of samples from another track and a breakbeat. To be honest with you it is probably on account of the samples that I love the track as nothing else the duo ever did hit the mark, for me anyway.

Have a good weekend people 

Liquid - Sweet Harmony with added crackles and pop

Twenty years ago, bloody hell tempus fugit as my Latin teacher was in the habit of saying.

Father /Sculptor

Back in February I went to see a band I was really looking forward to hearing, granted on the strength of a couple of singles but nevertheless I expected them to be very good. Turned out the two tracks I liked were their  two best tunes the rest being a bit, well innocuous or as Colin or Ctel would say, a bit meh.

First on the bill that night were a band that both JC and I thought stood out from the rest of the bill by a mile. and a couple of whom looked familiar to me. It turned out that the band Father/Sculptor contained members of another local band that I really liked when I saw them last year Johnny Reb.

A couple of nights ago I got an email from Philip the bass player informing me that their debut single is available for download as of Monday and very good it is too. I'm not going to say anymore give it a listen and see what you think.

Break, Some Break!

I really fucking hate painting!

Sex Pistols - No Fun (Winterland)

"Well, you know what they say . . .

. . . It's always a badass that makes a girl's heart beat faster.

      Wanna dance?"

LaVern Baker - Soul On Fire

LaVern Baker - Soul On Fire (Angel Heart OST)

Easter Parade

I think that it's only fitting to give this track another airing, what with the 30th anniversary of the Falklands Conflict being all over the news this past week and also the fact that it is Easter Sunday.

I watched Max Hastings piece about the conflict last Sunday, which got me reaching for my copy of Don't Cry For Me Sergeant Major, as his recollections of his participation differs slightly from what I remember being written in that book and I think I may also revisit  "A Soldier's Song", to further remind me of my brother's regiment's role in the conflict over the coming weeks.

At the time I was in second year in high school and got into a couple of fights and even more arguments over what seemed to me at the time as a hyping up of nationalistic fervour for islands that very few of us knew existed before the start of April 1982. I will also never forget the front page of the Sun the day after the sinking of the Belgrano for bringing to the fore all that was wrong with Britain at that time.

I feel that I need to add, that I never had anything but support for the Airmen, Sailors and Infantry sent down there, they were doing what the military had to do, enduring conditions nobody should have to put up with and which I certainly could not have endured.  As for John Knott, Margaret Thatcher, Henry Leach and the rest of the old men in suits that sent them there, well contempt doesn't really express what I felt at the time and still do. Also the justification that the conflict saw the demise of a dictatorship in South America doesn't really cut it when we weren't calling for democracy in Chile where Mrs Thatcher's pal, Pinochet was in charge.

But enough of the politics this song means a lot to me for a whole different reason which has been explained before here .

The Faith Brothers - Easter Parade

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

I thought since this week Orbital released there first album in eight years it was as good a time as any and look back at where it all started for probably the finest live techno act ever. I have always been amazed at the atmosphere being created by 2 guys and a wall of technology.

The groundbreaking Chime was first released on Oh'Zone Records in 1989 but was quickly picked up by FFRR,  reached number 17 in the UK charts which earned them an appearance on Top Of The Pops and the rest as they say is history.

This still sounds as good now as it did twenty two, yes twenty, fucking two years ago.

Have a good Easter weekend people.


Orbital - Chime

Nova

Seeing as this isn't going to get a digital release and not everybody will be lucky enough to get their hands on a physical copy.

What's it like? It's Burial and Four Tet innit?

I do think that eight quid for  five and a half minutes of music is a bit steep. Especially since the last Burial twelve gave us just under 30 mins of brilliance for six quid.

Burial and Four Tet - Nova

Do You Mind

Not really up with my UK Garage but I stumbled upon this track after finding out that one of my favourite xx tracks was actually a cover. I therefore investigated and found out that the original was every bit as good but radically different from the xx's stripped down cover.

Paleface ft Kyla - Do You Mind (Crazy Cousinz remix)

Life's A One Take Movie

I've been thinking back quite a lot recently, probably something to do with becoming another year older real soon.

Anyway, here is another brilliant single from a bygone age by the 'Boy Wonder' and one which should have had a much higher chart position than number bloody seventy but as Paul Quinn once sang,  Ain't That Always The Way".

My original  10" copy of this ended up in a charity shop, not I should add with my permission. But that was in the past and is probably best left there.

Aztec Camera - The Crying Scene

Update - here it is from the best gig of last year, Youtube is a wonderful thing!

I Still Love This So Much

Sometimes it takes a little time away from some things for you to really appreciate what it was that loved in them so much. This is just so simply and inexplicably gorgeous.

The xx - VCR

Don't Let Him Hurt You

Today's track comes from possibly the most collectable label for Northern Soul Connoisseurs but not one of my favourite labels. I'm not sure that the reason that singles from the label are in such demand hasn't more to do with the rarity of the vinyl as opposed to the quality of the tracks. I'm not saying that the music is not good just not as top notch, to me anyway, as the price tag would suggest.

The label was formed in 1965 in DC by Eddie Singleton and Raynoma Gordy, the head of Motown's ex wife and was in existence for only two years and released tracks by the likes of Ray Pollard, The Epsilons  and Bobby Reed.

The track posted by Les Chansonettes was released in 1966 and to refute what I said above is sheer class.

Les Chansonettes - Don't Let Him Hurt You

Old Raves End

I bought this album at the tail end of last year, listened to it once and duly forgot all about it until last week. After listening to it again I cannot understand why I have so criminally ignored this,  these past four or five months.

The trio that make up Swarms hail from Bristol and hence in the reviews of this album the usual Bristolian suspects all get a mention, Massive Attack, Portishead etc. Personally, I think that the album sounds like a collaboration between Burial and The Future Sound of London. It is one of those albums that flow and has to be listened to in it's entirety which doesn't mean that there aren't any standout tracks, there are, the one posted for example but they just all sound better as part of the whole rather than one off tracks. This album is well worth 42 minutes of anyone's attention and when listened to over and over only gives repeated pleasure.

Swarms - Flikr of ur Eyes

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

I never got into the Prodigy, Charly just annoyed me and the later stuff like Fire Starter and all that I couldn't understand what all the fuss was about. It all seemed to me rather cartoonish and obvious. The slightly "edgier" other side of the coin to the bland trance of Faithless.

No Good (Start The Dance) I did like so much so that I went to a shop miles away where I was unlikely to bump into anyone I knew and bought the 12" single. Don't ask me why I like this over any of the other Prodigy stuff as it has the breakbeats, the female on helium vocals etc. I have no idea I just do.

Have a good weekend people.

The Prodigy - No Good (Start The Dance)

Got A Fever Inside My Soul

This past week I have mostly been listening to Spiritualized.

Last Thursday's gig at the ABC is possibly the best SPZ concert I have ever seen and an early contender for gig of the year, it will have to be something extra special to knock it from the podium. The band were note perfect even during the wig-outs and although I thought that the sound was a bit low for the first couple of tracks it was soon turned up to a good level. The set list was nigh on impeccable, every tune just seemed to fit and I'm glad that the two backing singers seem to now be a permanent feature as they certainly add something special to the mix.

Although they didn't play the new album in it's entirety as was the case last October, the tracks they did play were all excellent and I'm waiting for this release more eagerly than I have for anything else for a good few years as I reckon it's going to be a belter and I urge you all to go out and buy it on the 16th April. You will not be disappointed.

Here is one of the highlights of last weeks gig, shit they were all highlights even the lengthy encore,  Cop Shoot Cop a track which it must be said I have had a certain ambivalance towards in the past.

 Spiritualized - Lay Back In The Sun

Well, Did You Evah!

In 1990 a compilation album of interpretations of Cole Porter songs was released to raise awareness of Aids and money for Aids charities. There are some great covers on the album. I initially bought it for Aztec Camera's beautiful version of Do I Love You. other favourites include the tracks by The Neville Brothers, David Byrne and Lisa Stansfield.

The standout by far has to be Well Did You Evah by Debbie Harry and Iggy Pop which is firmly tongue and cheek but still sounds great and also sounds like the two of them had great fun recording it. I have also posted the rather bizarre video but then again what else would you expect from something by Alex Cox.

Deborah Harry & Iggy Pop - Well, Did You Evah!