This Heart of Mine

Today's piece of sublime soul isn't as obscure as some of the stuff that has featured here in the past. This one was actually a hit, reaching number 25 in the R&B Billboard when it was released in 1965. The Artistics started out as the backing singers for Major Lance but were then signed to Okeh records as a group in their own right in 1963, however it took two years and their third single release, this one for them to make any impression, however their career afterwards was pretty patchy and they called it a day in 1973 but reformed briefly in 1999 to record some tracks for Ian Levine's much maligned Motorcity Records project. Although this single did reach the charts and therefore must have sold fairly well, copies are scarce and command three figure sums. The song is a great example of male harmony group soul which leaves you with a warm glow even though the lyrics written by Barrett Strong are like most good soul songs full of potential loss and longing.

The Artistics - This Heart Of Mine

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

Here a little jaunty upbeat piece of danceable music, well in it's original form at least to brighten up your Friday. This ep by the Berlin trio To Rcoco Rot was released in 2010 and also contains a Shackleton remix of Fridays, which it was my intention to post but for some reason, the glitchy abstractness of it annoyed me when I listened to it this morning, so you get the original mix of Forwardness and the Traversable Wormhole mix, (Adam X's alter ego). Both tracks come from the excellent Speculation album, one well worth tracking down. Enjoy!

This weekend although it is the first home game of the season, I will be in Drymen attending a friend's wedding instead. Airdrie made a promising start to the season last week with a 3-1 win away to Queen's Park. Let's hope they get a similar result against Livingston tomorrow.

Have a good weekend people.

To Rococo Rot - Forwardness

To Rococo Rot - Forwardness (Traversable Wormhole mix)

Olympics, hmmm

I can't really get enthused about the Olympics, being a lazy bastard doesn't help. But mostly I think it has to do with the IOC and their total capitulation to Putin and his drug cheats. I don't think that there is much of a difference between the IOC and FIFA,  both rather pathetic, morally bankrupt organisations.in my opinion. As for those overpaid, badly dressed golfers who have decided to pull out of representing their countries I hope that they  all suffer from just enough back pain so they  never win another competition and have to get a real job. Golf shouldn't be an Olympic sport anyway.

The above was just an excuse to post this song by Gordan McIntyre's Ballboy.

One last thing, how long do you think that it will be before every English commentators , and sorry guys, but they are  99,9% English , to stop compairing everything to 2012, just the next 50 years or so!

Ballboy - Olympic Cyclist

Motown In Dub

By all accounts I missed a great Fall gig a couple of Saturdays back at Oran Mor. I think I read "a return to form" but I also noted that Smith is still at the buggering off stage of periods of the gig patter and that the band had to drag him back on for the final couple of songs, so no change there then, well a slight change he did come back on and completed a 60 minute set.

What the fuck has this got to do with the title of the post Drew? I hear you ask. Well, the last time I saw the gruppe and decided enough was enough was way back in November 2012 when they played a not too bad gig at the Arches but on top of the previous two shit gigs in Edinburgh I decided enough was enough. At the Arches Dj Twitch was djing and produced a top set of rockabilly, dub and garage. One track in particular caught my ear and it was a dubbed out version of an old Supremes song from 1966 which I knew that I would have to seek out. After the gig I hit the laptop and after a bit of searching found out that the re-edit was done by someone called Manjah and was on a 4 track 12! single which took a bit of time and effort to track down but I was eventually successful. I know nothing about Manjah but according to his Soundcloud page he is located in Athens, Greece not Georgia. The bass on this can  move objects in the room when played loud and I suspect is not too good for the speakers.

Manjah - My Dub Is Empty Without You

Baby I'm Gone

You would be forgiven for thinking that today's frenzied piece of garage rock came out of the Midwest of the USA in the mid sixties. it was actually recorded in 2001 and first released in 2014 and re-released last month on an incredible small run of 200 clear vinyl 7", you can pick up a copy here for a very reasonable fiver + postage. The band hail from Southend-On-Sea and have been on the go since the mid 90s but as far as I am aware have only released this single and a 10" single back in 1998.. The lyrics are a bit rudimentary but the singer's wild harmonica playing makes up for it somewhat. Stirring stuff.

The Phrogs - Baby I'm Gone

She'll Come Running Back

Machrihanish was good, we had four out of six days dry but when it rained, christ did it rain! I got the kite out and flying. I wish I had found kites a lot earlier in life, they are great things for  getting rid of stress, I think that if I had had one when I tried to stop smoking the whole experience would have been easier but maybe not as I stopped smoking in January 2004 and the weather in Scotland at that time of the year isn't very conducive with kite flying. We also witnessed a pod of dolphins doing their thing for what seemed like ages off of Westport beach which was really cool. We did a bit of plane spotting too when we  spottted an A400m Atlas,  replacement for the Hercules approach Machrihanish airfield coming in to land, or so we thought as just as it was about to hit the runway it pulled up and headed west never to be seen again. My brother who knows about these things from spending twenty odd years throwing himself out of Hercules' (and was with us in his absolutely pristine caravan ) informed me that they were doing test flights and that the plane would spend that day doing similar manoeuvres at airfields up and down the country.

I would like to recommend Alan McGee's Creation Stories, however all the way through it I found myself thinking, "did ye aye?" (copyright Kevin Bridges) it was all just a bit of a yawn, On the front cover  Bobby Gillispie compares McGee to Malcolm McLaren and Anthony H Wilson,  not sure what Mr G was on when he uttered that statement but for me the arrogance is there but the wit and intelligence of either man is severely lacking. Don't get me wrong, I believe that without McGee we would never have had the Jesus and Mary Chain, Primal Scream or the Jasmine Minks and for those three I will be forever grateful but I just don't believe at least half of what's in the book.  That's maybe to do with having read David Cavanagh's excellent book previously and also due to some of McGee's statements in the press like "My Bloody Valentine were my joke band". In the end it just wasn't much of a read, probably why it's in the two for a fiver pile in Fopp.

Enough of this, it's the music your here for and as it's a Monday some soul of the northern variety is the order of the day. This is a classy "shuffler" of a track which was unearthed by Ian Levine and instantly became a classic. It came out of Chicago in 1969 on the Fip label. Sadly Mel Britt is another soul singer who is no longer with us as he died in 2013. He had a varied career, served with the army in Vietnam after which he worked in the steel industry in Gary, Indiana before moving to California to pursue a career in the music business touring with the likes of Junior Walker and appearing on the soundtrack to Animal House. As far as I know he only produced the one single but what a single it is.

Mel Britt - She'll Come Running Back

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

Today's track is either a great piece of indie dance or a cynical piece of bandwagon jumping by a bunch of chancers depending on your point of view. I'm strictly in the former camp, I have always had a soft spot for The Soup Dragons not just because I met Jim McCulloch in a pub in Lanark once and he was a cool guy or that they are from the 'shire. It may have had something to do with the hard time that they received from some sections of the music press when they found their groove which was in complete contrast to how Primal Scream's third transmogrification was greeted. Or the fact that from their days as an anorak band I always enjoyed the music they made. No matter what stance you took over the Soup Dragons, you have to agree this cover from 1990 featuring Junior Reed  of a fairly mediocre Rolling Stones song along with Loaded is the epitome of indie dance. I have had more than a few pleasurable nights jigging along to this song.

There is a Boy's Own mix by Terry Farley of I'm Free that I was sure that I had ripped but can't find. If I have time later I will add this too.

We're off to Machrihanish tomorrow for a week of listening to the rain batter down on the tin roof of a caravan and the odd spot of kite flying and body boarding. the latter by the boys not me of course, so nothing to see here until next Saturday.

Btw - If you are pondering whether to buy the Zomby/Burial collaboration, don't waste your money, it's utter gash.

Have a good weekend people.

Soup Dragons - I'm Free 

FSOL Excursions

A few weeks ago I was digging through the Expedit in my office that houses all of the dance 12"s looking for stuff for the Friday feature and I pulled out the half dozen Future Sound of London records that I have there and took them downstairs to give them an airing, well all except Papua New Guinea which gets played more than the rest anyway. What became apparent was that three of these singles wouldn't really fit the Friday dance thing being aimed a bit more at the head than the feet. However I stuck Cascade on and after about a minute an idea started to take hold, this single along with Lifeforms and My Kingdom were supposed to be listened to in their entirety and so I decided to rip them as such as three long form pieces of music rather than chopped into the parts as listed on the record covers.

So here is the first of these epic pieces of music, Cascade from 1993. A lot of this featured on the first Future Sound of London Essential mix if I remember correctly which at the time was a deeply religious experience that totally screwed with my head as no previous essential mixes sounded quite like this. But, anyway back to Cascade, what to say, at the time like the essential mix, it was dance music but not as we knew it, the beats were there, not always 4x4,  the rhythms to but very strange and we were used to weird samples from the Orb and others but not as weird or diverse as on here. I'm not doing a very good job of describing this, it's best if you just listen.

Future Sound Of London  -Cascade (Parts 1 - 5)

Future Sound of London - Cascade (Zipped)

45 Forever

I really enjoy driving in France, especially the Peage with it's lack of traffic jams and roadworks makes it much easier to go long distances without getting stressed out with the exception of when French taxi drivers are blockading bridges and slip roads and you have to do a 100 km detour!  But my favourite thing about driving over there is the distinct lack of nagging that I get for my music. There are no stupid requests for Radio 1 or Woman's Hour on the radio, the rest of the car realise that it is my ipod or nothing.  When away I tend to just leave it on shuffle being pleasantly surprised by some of the choices and making mental notes to delete the odd track as well.

45 Forever was one of the tracks that the Touch selected on our recent trip to Brittany. A lovely summery indie pop homage to the best format for listening to music. I sort of remembered buying the single which was a white label with a colourful hand made sleeve but nothing else about the band and so I consulted Discogs. The single was released in 2008, the second of 4 by the band who have also released two albums and are also known as Tanaou,

The All New Adventures of Us - 45 Forever

Home Made Lemonade

On my return from holiday I found the debut album from Ette waiting for me and I spent Sunday playing the album over and over, I can't pin down what it is about this album but it has really struck a chord with me, there is something really uplifting about it , even in it's melancholic moments. I think that this will become a bit of leftfield pop classic, I know that I am not the only person on our little corner of the blog world to extol the virtues of Carla J Easton's side project from Teen Canteen a collaboration with Joe Kane, as both the Swede and CC have featured the first song (not single, as it hasn't been released on 7" vinyl, however it most certainly should have been as I tweeted to Olive Grove Records) released from the album, Attack of the Glam Soul Cheerleaders.

If you are in need of some classic feel good indiepop with a  gloriously distinctive Glasgow vocal and who really doesn't go here and order the album, I guarantee that you will not regret it and if you get it on vinyl it's a lovely pink bubblegum colour.

I have posted my favourite track from the album below but to be honest it's only a baw hair better than any of the others,  but there is no download function, so if you like it you know what to do.

Ette - Bones 

Take Me For A Little While

I am going to be generous again today as when I was ripping this cover of the Trade Martin song made famous by Evie Sands and Jackie Ross who both released versions in 1965 I flipped it over and played the b-side which I haven't heard for ages and I'm not sure if it was the mood I was in yesterday or what but it blew me away, An absolute stormer of a soul ballad, total,ly different from the a side which is usually interpreted as a slow ballad but which the Mirettes re-interpret as a four to the floor northern dancer, The single was released on Revue label in 1968. If the Mirettes sound familiar that is because they were called the Ikettes but when Ike Turner hired another group of Ikettes, the original trio of Venetta Fields, Robbie Montgomaery and Jessie Smith parted company with Turner sans group name as that belonged to Tina's disagreeable other half.. The changed their name to the Mirettes and after a change of label from Mirwood to Revue had some success with this and another great cover of In The Midnight Hour. They also recorded Let Me Do It under the name of the Belles.

The Mirettes - Take Me For A Little While

The Mirettes - The Real Thing

It's Friday. . . Let's Dance

I'm a bit late today sorry.

Just back from Newcastle and not had any time to prepare anything. How about a bit of mad Italian acid from Lory D that came out on Numbers in 2012 to frazzle your brain before the weekend even begins after three full on days in the North East I am feeling rather ragged around the edges already. I can't decide between the a-side and track 1 on the b side so have both. That's the kind of guy I am.

This weekend I will be mostly trying to get the new scooter running, Long story that I will regale you with later and tomorrow it is time to go to the Excelsior stadium tomorrow to pick up my season ticket  as the season starts next weekend with an away fixture against Queens Park at Hampden, unfortunately I will be in Machrihanish, the last time I was at the national stadium the Diamonds were "narrowly" ahem,  beaten by Celtic in the Scottish Cup Final twenty one years ago. Happy Days.

Have a good weekend people.

Lory D -  B-I-1-3-2 Acid

Lory D -  Acidattak

What An Edit!

On the way up the road from Portsmouth on Saturday I was listening to Richard Searling on Radio Stoke until we lost the signal around Lancaster as I hoped that some quality northern tunes would stave off the gloom that was descending as the realisation of the Monday morning to come and back to work started forming in my head.  It was working too until we got to around Lancaster when the signal was lost and seeing it was Saturday I re-tuned to 6Music where the Craig Charles Funk and Soul Show was in full swing. He was playing some quality tunes but when this edit of Groove Is In The Heart came on I nearly flipped, it is the dogs bollocks and so first thing on Sunday I was on the net to see if it had been released, preferably on vinyl. Alas it hasn't but it can be picked up for a small donation along with another 14 refits here.  I can assure you you will not be disappointed.

Deee-Lite - Groove Is In The Heart (The Reflex revision)

The Witch

I've got a bit of a mental few days coming up, down south, in the north east, if you get me. Not my favourite place after they all decided to vote for us to go back "to a past that never was" but enough of all that. Here is a great bit of 60s garage from everybody's favourite band from Tacoma Washington. The Witch was the band's first single released on Etiquette Records in 1964 and backed with the equally brilliant Psycho.

The Sonics - The Witch 

The Sonics - Psycho

Funky As A Really Funky Thing!

Nick Weston has unearthed and released more than a few gems on his Mukatsuku label over the past ten years, this screamer from the sadly departed Loleatta Holloway being a prime example. It was first released in 1971 and is nothing like the disco classics such as Love Sensation that she is better known for. The Mukatsuku release came out in 2014 and was backed by a classy piece of downtempo soul from Ron Henderson & Choice of Colour.

Loleatta Holloway - Bring It On.

My Love Is Getting Stronger

Did you miss me?

Thought not.

I think that a classy bit of soul is the best way to ease me back to "pit boots and purridge" as my mother used to say. I posted a version of today's tune way back in 2010, sung by Tommy Ridgley. today's version is from Gloria Edwards and was never released on 7" single until the beginning of this year. Not quite as good as the Ridgley version but brilliant none the less.

Talking of all things northern, on holiday I read Stuart Cosgrove's excellent book on the subject coming quickly on the heels of his previous tome Detroit 67 which I thoroughly enjoyed I was looking forward to this and it didn't disappoint. Cosgrove knows his shit on the subject and his passion is also very evident however as with the previous book there are quite a few things repeated and I found myself saying, "you've told us this already" more than once. Also he does seem to go off on tangents which I actually quite liked but could get frustrating. Overall it is well worth reading for anyone with any interest in the northern scene. There is quite an extensive section on the all-nighters at Allanton Miner's Welfare that I frequented a few times and transported me back to my angsty youth and had me smiling remembering the exploits of some scooterist mates the first time we went there.

There has always been one thing that has enraged me about the northern scene and that is the OVO (original vinyl only) stance. I can understand it in the early days and through the heyday when there weren't that many clubs and few djs all trying to make a name for themselves and needing something to give them that edge over others to get the bookings but when I got into the music I always thought straight from the start quite a bit of hypocrisy with this elitist attitude that you can't play the record out unless it is an original and has cost you an arm and a leg. Yes I know, that some people went to great lengths to unearth these records by going to the States and searching through warehouses and bringing back their finds. I appreciate all that and I realise that there wouldn't be a scene at all if this weren't the case. The inconsistancy with this stance for me comes when these people start going on about the bootleggers who inevitable got in on the act, reproducing loads of copies of in demand records, The argument is that they were all just vultures descending on the scene  and making money out of records they had no publishing rights to or involvement in, exploiting the northern fans with poor quality copies and also the artists who would not see a bean from these releases. I hope that someone will prove me wrong but every time that a dealer, collector or dj sold on a copy of an in demand tune did they then send a percentage of the profit they made to the artist, I suspect not. Or when the crate diggers found copies of singles they knew they could get a kings ransom for back home did they inform the seller of  the value in the UK and reimburse them accordingly? Again I rather suspect they kept that knowledge to themselves and paid what ever the asking price was or tried to haggle. As someone with children and other priorities I am in no position  to pay 500 quid for a copy of Say Something Nice To Me by Bobby Kline on MB Records but I would still like to be able to put it on a turntable as opposed to putting it on a drawer  to disappear into the player or worse still only be able to hear it the once every year or so I got to go to a soul night. I know that some could argue that I am just envious of those who do own the records and wish that I was in that position but is that an argument that really should be pursued,  "the politics of envy" one? I just know that if it hadn't for legal, semi legal and downright shady re-presses of classic northern tunes that I heard at scooterist do's back in the mid 80s this glorious form of music would have passed me by and I would have been a worse person for it but not only that, at least a couple of dozen other people would never have heard of artists such as Willie Hutch, Otis Smith. Melba Moore and the rest that I ranted on to them about until they either got it or ignored me..

Just so as you know, if I didn't have kids, a mortgage and a need for too many jackets and Adidas trainers then I probably would spend a lot more cash on northern soul singles, however I still think that I would be of the opinion that OVO is elitist wank.

Gloria Edwards - My Love Is Getting Stronger

En Vacances

There will be nothing here until a week on Sunday as this afternoon we will make the trek down to Portsmouth where we will get the ferry tomorrow morning to Caen. I haven't been on holiday in Brittany for twenty five years but looking forward to it. It will be a bit different to Gurson , quite a few degrees cooler for a start and more cidre than Claret but I dare say I can live with that.

The picture has sod all to do with the post or the music. I have been waiting to use it for ages but with me being away for the semis and the final you can have it just now

Mind and put the bins out on Wednesday.

Aztec Camera - Rainy Season (Live)

Jeanette

I love this tune from the piano intro onwards, it just oozes class. It was released on Ramsel Records out of Chicago  back in 1968. Wade Flemons is probably best remembered as a musician in Earth, Wind and Fire but was active as a solo artist from 1958 until the late 60s. He released a couple of singles which made an impact on the northern scene, Jeanette and That Other Place, Flemons passed in 1993 at the young age of 53. An original copy of Jeanette will set you back in the order of £800.

Wade Flemons - Jeanette

Mellow Sunday

This is my favourite Siouxsie song apart from the stuff she did as The Creatures, Still can't abide Goths though. Apologies for the crackles, I have had a few copies of this single over the years and they have all been the same, it must have been a really shite batch of vinyl.

Siouxsie & The Banshees - The Last Beat Of My Heart

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

I had a rather dark slab of acid for today and then I thought, no we need something a bit more uplifting in response to recent events in the UK and I'm Free by the Soup Dragons sprang to mind for some reason but after about 10 seconds I realised that this might send out the wrong message, wrong song right era, Just now I wan't to think back to a time when although we had a Tory government but there was an optimism about the place, people were coming together in a good way full of hope and passion.

It couldn't all have been down to the E could it?

This weekend I will mostly getting ready to go on holiday, as next Tuesday we are off down to Portsmouth to catch the ferry to France, not our usual destination of Gurcon in the Dordogne  but my brother and sister-in-law's holiday home in Brittany which will be different.

Have a good weekend people.

Happy Mondays - Step On (Twistin' My Melon Mix)