Buy This Book

Today I received my copy of The Festive Fifty Number Ones, by Lee Thacker. The book is rather informative on all off the festive 50 number ones and also the All Time Festive fifty, with plenty of anecdotes from Lee and some rather wonderful illustrations.

I haven't got a lot of time, so won't review the book in depth but I though that I should bring it to your attention as I think that most people who read this blog would really love this book.

Lee also sends a cd containing the countdown from 2000 of the All Time Festive 50 which has produced a few watery eyes and lump in the throat moments while listening to it during work today.

The book can be ordered here

Chez Nous

The picture above shows what will be the family abode for the next fortnight ,when we eventually get there late Saturday evening, after leaving Lanark early Friday morning.

Situated in the heart of the Dordogne, about 10 km from Sainte-Foy le Grand, in a small hamlet of nine or ten houses surrounded by loads of vineyards which produce very, very good claret and some of the crispest, dry white wine I have ever tasted.

It is a bit of a trek, what with the drive to Dover and then 920 km the other side but it is well worth it. L and I have had the good fortune to have holidayed here on three previous occasions, as the house belongs to a family friend. The difference this time is that we are going in July,  on the previous visits it was the end of September/ beginning of October.

Being a member of the pale blue race I'm not overly fond of the heat; anything above the low twenties and I'm uncomfortable so I don't know how I'm going to handle daily temperatures of + 30 degrees. One thing for sure is I will not be napping in the hammock in the garden of an afternoon as was my want on previous occassions, I will probably be lying on the stone floor in the dinning room with the shutters firmly shut.

Anyway, going on holiday gave rise to what to do with the blog for 2 weeks, should I just shut up shop for the duration, do as JC did last year and get in some guest posters or do a load of posts in advance.. As I've done absolutely nothing about it the second idea is not even an option, the third even less so as I'm not that organised and I'm worried if I don't post anything for 2 weeks, those of you who do read this will find pastures new and not return. So I have decided to recycle some of the previous five hundred odd posts.

So apologies if you have read the posts and downloaded the tracks before but in the end I had no alternative.

Normal service will hopefully resume on Monday 19th July.

A bientot

Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazelwood - Summer Wine

Bonnie Tyler - Lost In France

My Baby Left Me

Straying into Swiss Adam territory here, however I'm not sure of SA's views on modern day rockabilly or if it's just the real deal 50s stuff that floats his boat. If you haven't checked out Bagging Area's Friday Rockabilly feature you really should, all killer no filler as they say and after 18 weeks not far off a cracking compilation although due to the length of the tracks you could probably wait 'til week 28 or 30.

Anyway, here is a cover version of My Baby Left Me,  an Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup penned tune recorded by Elvis Presley at RCA's New York studios in 1956 which was the b side of Presley's I Want You, I Need You, I Love You.

Here it is covered by the Irish Rockabilly screamer,  Imelda May who has featured on this blog a couple of times before. Again, the track is used as a b side, this time for May's Latest single Psycho. In my opinion the b side is the stronger of the two tracks but maybe that is because I'm more familiar with it.

Imelda May - My Baby Left Me

Best Glastonbury Performance Ever

Only one man would turn down Mick Jones' amp.

Sheer Brilliance

Sunday Morning

I've just been over at Earth Capitol, where Artog has posted a rather lovely version of  Transparent Radiation by Spacemen 3, so to compliment that, I thought that I would post this.

Spiritualized - Feel So Sad (Rhapsodies)

Sometimes Context Is Everything

This post was going to be about Joan As Policeman but after listening to her again I have decided that she is incredibly boring and I can't find anything enthusiastic to say about her music at all. This surprised me, as earlier in the week, I was in my used to be Swedish but then American and now Dutch owned car dealership waiting for my car which was in for new brake disks and pads in preparation for next weekend's mammoth drive ( more about which later) when a rather, at the time, pleasant track came on as I was enviously looking at the shiny new Saabs. I thought, I will do a post on that track later in the week.

So last night, I played the track, The Ride by Joan As Police Woman fully intending to then type a piece on how good this mellow track was. However after the first 30 seconds of listening to it all I could think is bland, bland, bland and couldn't wait for it to end, christ! I thought to myself this is boring. I had to play it again to confirm that this was actually the track I had listened to a couple of days previously and alas it was.

I started to ask myself, why did I think that the track was good only a couple of days earlier and the only thing that I could cone up with was,  that being the impatient git that I am, I will consider anything good if it takes my mind off of waiting about, doing nothing. But then I thought, I had seen this woman live and don't have any strong anti Joan As Police Woman feelings after the event but when I consider the performance I have absolutely no feelings about seeing her live whatsoever. I have vague recollections of her on stage at the QMU but cannot tell you anything she played or how I felt about it. What puzzles me even more is why did I then buy this single from the merchandise stall that night? I know it wasn't alcohol induced as I was driving but I have no recollection of why I made the purchase.

Anyway here is a track by the headliners that night four years ago and a single which I believe was my favourite single of the previous year, at least it is the number one track on my 2005 playlist and when I played it tonight I got the same rush as I got the first time I heard it on 6 music and every subsequent time since when I have played it.

Guillemots - Trains To Brazil.

BTW - the reason why the last few tracks have been on MediaFire and the like is because for the first time ever I have exceeded my bandwidth during the month on Box.net  which I suspect is a result of changing the posted files to MP3. If you cannot download something from earlier in the month you will have to wait 'til the 01/07 and you can blame Chocolategirl_64 and kendo as it is down to them that I changed the format.

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

Let's have a nice bit of Techno.

Today's track is taken from a limited edition clear sampler from Sandwell District. The 12" is one of 2 samplers released on the label this month, the other a lovely shade of blue both featuring tracks which will may or may not appear on the upcoming album release.

Sandwell District are a rather anonymous record label which doesn't have a myspace page or website but does have a fax # if you want to get in touch. They have been infrequently releasing quality techno since 2002 in the tradition of Underground Resistance and Basic Chanel.

The label, it appears,  believe in giving the minimum information on their records, we do get the name of the artists but nothing so mundane as song titles.

There are a few protagonists behind the music on the label, such as DJ Caspar (Silent Servant|), Female (Pete Sutton) and US producer Dave Sumner who records under the name Function, who provides the track featured here.

The artists on the label are from New York, Los Angeles, Chicago,  Berlin and Birmingham,  Sandwell being an area in  Birmingham.

 Function - A side (aa)

There's Nothing Else To Say

Let's get back to the northern soul dug up at the weekend which was lying in the back of the cupboard. I actually feel quite guilty about this stuff out of the way and not being in any semblance of order.

There's Nothing Else To Say was first released in 1966 on the Audio Arts label and was issued a year later in the UK on the Stateside label. The track has some rather classy strings in it which  makes it a really distinctive release which brings to mind  I'm Not Strong Enough by the Four Perfections although it sounds absolutely sod all like it.

The Incredibles - There's Nothing Else To Say

England Expects . . . What Exactly?

Whereas we just wish to fuck that we were there to be put out at the groups stages yet again!

Jamie T - Chaka Demus

The Fall Mike Joyce Session pt 2

Here are the other two tracks from last week's Fall session for Mike Joyce's Radio Show, especially for George.

The Fall - Over! Over!

The Fall - Mexico Wax Solvent (pt2)

It Ain't Necessary

Back to the northern soul gems unearthed at the weekend during the search for Keep On Keeping On by N.F. Porter.

It Ain't Necessary is a brilliant up tempo track, written by Jerry Butler, responsible for classics such as Right Track and Moody Woman and one time member of the Impressions.

The song was released on the Chicago soul label St Lawrence Records in April 1966 and narrowly missed entering the US charts.

Mamie Galore was born Mamie Davis in 1940 and records for Sack, Thomas and Imperial records. She also  recorded Special Agent 34-24-38 for the above label and a northern rarity titled It Right Now which will set you back more than 750 quid these days. She also appeared on a few duets for Imperial with Dee Irwin.  She continued to perform in her native Mississippi until her death in 2001.

The weather we are having up here at the moment compliments this music beautifully, so you may have to endure a few more northern tunes over the next wee while as I'm listening to it at the exclusion of everything else at the moment, well everything apart from The XX, of course.

Mamie Galore - It Ain't Necessary

Let Them All Eat Culture.

It has been far too long since the talents of the Boy Wonder have appeared on this blog.

In my book he is the finest song writer and one of the best guitarists of his generation. Hyperbole? maybe,  but you would have to come up with an extremely convincing argument for me to even begin to swither from this position.

There are very few songwriters amongst his contemporaries who could have written the lyrics to songs like  We Could Send Letters, The Birth Of The True,  Killermont Street and above all Good Morning Britain.

When you see him live you realise just how much of a virtuoso he is, especially when playing The Boy Wonders or Spanish Horses. If you are still to be convinced of his prowess, seek out the Vinyl Villain's footage of him letting rip during A Girl Like You at the ABC in Glasgow when he was playing guitar for Edwyn Collins.

After writing the last couple of paragraphs,  I've had to rethink the post I was in the midst of writing.

The post was supposed to bring to your attention the delights of the Frestonia album, much over looked and underrated in my opinion, I may do this at a later date. But now I just want to post Good Morning Britain as the lyrical content seem strangely pertinent in relation to goings on in the UK over the last couple of weeks but then again maybe that's just me.

Written in the darkest days of Thatcher's stranglehold on this country. Frame pens a state of the nation address in a verse for each of the four home nations of the UK. In it's original form the song was a rather powerful rallying cry made even more so with the aid of Mick Jones on rhythm guitar and vocals but later Frame would turn the song into a rather sad and moving lament. I've posted both version, see which you prefer.

Aztec Camera - Good Morning Britain

Aztec Camera - Good Morning Britain (Live From Ronnie Scott's)

Just Because

Somethings need no explanation, L came in this afternoon humming this and well ...

Every time I hear this I see the opening credits of The Pope Of Greenwich Village

Frank Sinatra - The Summer Wind

Random Covermount Track

After having to search the other day to find a misplaced northern soul single for Swiss Adam, I decided to check out what other delights were to be uncovered in that particular cupboard.

Stacked in no particular order on the shelves are well over a hundred cds which came free with music magazines. There are cds from the likes of  the much missed Jockey Slut to Q and a hell of a lot of MixMag ones.

So I decided to take an hour out and scour these cds for anything interesting but didn't get further than half a dozen when I found one from Mojo that I remember being particularly good. The Score is a collection of 20 ultra-cool soundtracks or so it says on the cd cover.

Among the delights on the cd are John Barry's theme to Midnight Cowboy, Roy Budd's Get Carter nad Watermelon Man by Mongo Santamaria. The stand out track by a country mile is by Mrs Washington & Co and is entitled You Cut Up The Clothes In The Closet of My Dreams, brilliant title or what?

Apparently the song is from a film of a musical by Melvin Van Peebles, Dont Play Us Cheap,  in which an imp and the devil take on human form and try to break up a house party in Harlem. Have never seen the film and after reading the Wiki entry I think that there are many more worthwhile things I can be getting on with that take up a hundred minutes. The track by Mrs Washington on the other hand is a soul/gospel treat which I can listen to over and over without getting bored, Mrs Washington has a rather wonderful voice.

Mrs Washington & Co - You Cut Up The Clothes In The Closet Of My Dreams

The Fall Sessions

The Fall recorded 24 sessions over twenty six years for John Peel and it is an established fact that many of the definitive versions of some of the best Fall tracks were laid down in the BBC's studios in Maida Vale. In fact the first airing a lot of the tracks was during these sessions which raised the level of expectation every time Peel stated "tonight we have a new session from the Fall".

When John Peel, sadly died, way too early,  it looked as if it would also be the end of Fall sessions and I'm not aware of any that have been recorded with UK radio stations since.

That is until now, because on Wednesday the Fall recorded a session for Mike Joyce's Coalition Chart Show which was broadcast the following evening on eastvillageradio.com.

Although the session includes  no new tracks it does contain 2 quite brilliant versions of Mexico Wax Solvent and a cover of Frank Zappa's Hungry Freaks, Daddy, a live favourite and only previously available on The Last Night At The Hammersmith Palais cd/dvd.

Although Joyce is no Peel, there is an alright interview with Smith interspersed between the session tracks here.

Here are a couple of the tracks from the session.

The Fall - Mexico Wax Solvent (part1)

The Fall - Hungry Freaks,  Daddy

Weird moment of the week was hearing Kirsty Young announce on Desert Island Discs on Friday, " the Fall and Rowche Rumble", even though it was Frank Skinner on DID it was still very very strange hearing Kirsty Young say this and Andrew Collins played Edinburgh Man, this morning on Radio 6.

Saturday Half Rant

I started off in a really good mood this morning, got up early. pottered about, ripped a load of old northern vinyl and a few new techno twelves that I purchased recently to mp3. I then started to sort out the singles which I had taken to the Flying Duck and put them all back in the correct boxes. All of this before anyone else in the house stirred.

L went out got the paper and rustled together breakfast which I eagerly tucked into and I turned to the Comment section of the Guardian when after reading Polly Toynbee's article my mood started to change. By the time I had read Ian McMillan's excellent piece I had become thoroughly depressed.

For the past couple of weeks the feeling of foreboding has been growing in me over the policies being unveiled by the Coalition of the social climbers and the power hungry. The idea of any clown with enough money being able to open a school and set the curriculum makes me feel very sorry for parents south of the border, Education being a devolved matter means that this will not apply to Scotland and in my opinion would never have a snowball in hell's chance of being brought into statute if ever seriously proposed here.

The projects which were scrapped during the week such as the proposed hospital in Hartlepool and the withdrawal of the loan to Forgemasters in Sheffield reek of the punitive measures Thatcher used to heap on Scotland for not voting Tory. Remember the Poll Tax? It was introduced here first.

Another sight which made me want to retch this week was that muppet Osbourne in his finery, talking bollocks about fairness to all those other gits at the Lord Mayor's dinner. None of whom will be affected by library closures, public sector job losses, cuts in benefits and the rest of the painful but necessary measures that will be implemented next week.

On Tuesday we will find out to what extent that "we are all in it together" and I would be more inclined to bet on England winning the World Cup than on the chances of even the slightest of tax rises for those who can most afford it.

And you know what,  Clegg and his cronies will not even have the decency to be ashamed of sharing the same benches as the Bullingdon Boys.

I will stop now, as I'm beginning to get even more depressed and if you are now more pissed of than you were before reading this then I apologise.

King Creosote - Not One Bit Ashamed

That Beatin' Rhythm

Earlier tonight while digging around looking for N F Porter's classic Keep On Keeping On for Swiss Adam, I came across some excellent northern tracks that I haven't played in far too long. So I think for the next few days you will have to endure a few storming, under played (in this house anyway) northern classics.

First up is an absolute belter of a dancer from Richard Temple, the lyrics of which completely sum up the appeal of northern soul.

That Beatin' Rhythm was released on the Mirwood record label. An instrumental version called Cigarette Ashes credited to Jimmy Conwell also exisits. Jimmy Conwell and Richard Temple are the same person.

This northern soul stuff is all very confusing.

Apologies for the crackles and the fact that it sticks at the end, the record is quite old.


Richard Temple - That Beatin' Rhythm

Jimmy Conwell - Cigarette Ashes

It's Friday . . . Let's Dance

The sun is shinning, hopefully, so here is a track that has a real sunny vibe for me probably due to the Prince Buster sample.

This weekend I will be mostly drinking rum, I think.

Have a good weekend,  people

Mint Royale - The Sexiest Man In Jamaica

Do You Mind?

Here is another track I never got round to playing last Saturday night.

I really love The XX, the album hasn't  been off the turntable or ipod much over the past few months, to such an extent that if I had to scrobble the iPod, I think that they would now be giving The Fall a run for their money, okay slight exaggeration but only slight.

Here they take Kyla's funky R & B track,  strip it down to its basics and produce a moody but still funky, in it's own way track that's absolutely astounding. This band has a knack with covers, check out their version of Womack and Womack's Teardrops, or Hot Like Fire originally by Aaliyah which can both be found on the same ep as Do You Mind?

The ep could only be purchased at the gigs on the last tour, the Edinburgh leg of which I was unable to get a ticket for. I had to resort to getting the 7" off of ebay, spending a small fortune for it into the bargain and to make matters worse it is now going buy it now for half of what I paid for it!


The XX - Do You Mind?

Wonderful Night

I've always quite liked Norman Cook, not overly keen on his other half. I'm sure she's a lovely girl but always strikes me as a pain in the arse. The fatboy on the other hand seems the sort of guy you could go for a couple of pints and talk absolute bollocks with. I would also like to get a look at his record collection.

As I've said before, when his first Fatboy Slim track Everyone Needs A 303 in 1995, he brought something back in to dance music which had been sadly lacking for a couple of years, some humour and not taking yourself too seriously. I will even forgive him for some of those lurid shirts and being the catalyst for so many crap records being released in the name of Big Beat,  on the back of the Praise You and Weapon Of Choice alone.

He has produced some amazing singles such as Gangsta Tripping, Going Out Of My Head etc and has sampled everybody from the Just Brothers to John Martyn to great effect.

This track is from the forth Fatboy Slim album Palookaville and features the rapping talent of Lateef The Truth Speaker.

Fatboy Slim - Wonderful Night