Tuesday, 31 December 2013
Hailu Mergia
If you're a fan of artists such as Mulatu Astatke and Getachew Mekurya, then 'Hailu Mergia & His Classical Instrument:
Shemonmuanaye' is an album you really should track down. Recorded in 1985, but only gaining a wide release this year, it's a
contagious meeting of Ethiopian rhythms and African pop. Bewarned, if 'Hari Meru Meru' doesn't get your party grooving
gently, medical assistance may be required. Happy new year and thanks for stopping by in 2013.
Saturday, 28 December 2013
Saturday Scratch #33 - Zap Pow
We came unstuck on Thursday, as we attempted to maintain our Boxing Day tradition of pub lunch followed by a bracing coastal walk. This year I chose a remote country pub a little inland, to be followed by a 2 mile walk along a nearby river, through a nature reserve, onto the beach and beyond. Lunch was delish, but it soon became apparent that we weren't going to get very far along our chosen route. I hadn't taken into account the residue from the recent dreadful flooding in our part of the world. We were quickly overwhelmed as pathways, fields and the river merged into one vast watery expanse before us. Ah well, there's always next year.
Recorded at the Black Ark in 1977, here's Zap Pow, produced by Lee Perry, with their own, haunting, 'River'.
Boxing Day Blues - Too wet to walk...
Recorded at the Black Ark in 1977, here's Zap Pow, produced by Lee Perry, with their own, haunting, 'River'.
Labels:
Lee Perry,
Reggae,
Saturday Scratch,
Walking,
Zap Pow
Tuesday, 24 December 2013
T'was the Night Before Christmas...1963
Christmas Eve, the one night of the year that my
parents didn't have to cajole, persuade or shout
at me to go to bed. Newly purchased comic in hand,
I'd head up the wooden hills to bedfordshire as
early as I could get away with. The plan was to
read myself to sleep in the quickest possible
time. The sooner I fell asleep, the sooner it'd be
time to wake up and open the pressies that had, by
then, mysteriously arrived at the foot of my bed
- this was usually around 5am, if not earlier.
Here's one such Christmas, 50 years ago.......
I'll leave you with the mighty Long Ryders, performing under the guise of The Spinning Wighats and musing on 'Christmas in New Zealand'. Stay tuned until the end to catch what Sid Griffin wanted for Christmas in 1986.
A happy, peaceful Christmas to you and yours, from all at Swede Towers.
Me. Right, I'm off to bed.
Mum. What now? You've only just had your tea....
Me. (Yawn...) I know, but I'm done in....nighty
night!
(A few hours later)
Me. Hmmm. This is a good haul; games, chocolate, a
yacht...one new slipper apparently, but where's
that special present I asked Santa for?
Me. Ah, there's the other slipper and.....yesssss!
Boxing gloves, just as requested! I wonder if I
can wear these when I start school next year?
I'll leave you with the mighty Long Ryders, performing under the guise of The Spinning Wighats and musing on 'Christmas in New Zealand'. Stay tuned until the end to catch what Sid Griffin wanted for Christmas in 1986.
A happy, peaceful Christmas to you and yours, from all at Swede Towers.
Monday, 16 December 2013
Version City #22 - Arctic Monkeys sing John Cooper Clarke
John Cooper Clarke happened to be a guest on
Radcliffe & Maconie's 6Music show a few days after the release of the Arctic Monkeys
fifth LP, 'AM'. JCC was, as you'd expect, asked for his thoughts on Alex Turner & co's reading of his own 'I Wanna Be Yours', which closes the album. The hosts were a little taken aback when the Bard of Salford confessed to having not yet heard the number in question, a situation quickly rectified by RadMac. At the tune's conclusion an unusually quiet and clearly moved JCC gave the interpretation a big thumbs up.
Sunday, 15 December 2013
The Sufis
Fancy taking a spin through 22 of 2013's grooviest
waxings? Then hot-foot it over to Monkey Picks and check out
Mark's rather splendid year-end playlist (here).
While I was sampling the delights on offer, 'No
Expression' by Nashville combo The Sufis popped
up, a tune I heard on the radio just once back in
the summer. At the time, I was so impressed that I
scribbled the title down on a scrap of paper,
which, with horrible inevitability, subsequently disappeared. So,
thanks for the reminder Mark!
Friday, 13 December 2013
Ezra Furman
The shortlist for my 20 favourite albums of 2013
currently runs to a hefty 53 titles and so, in an effort
to trim down the numbers, I'm diligently spending
a bit of quality time with each one of the lucky
blighters. Among them is Ezra Furman, who recently
reappeared in my collection after a gap of five
years. I lost touch with his output after his
second LP, 2008's 'Inside the Human Body', but
'Day of the Dog', his fifth, is a very fine piece of work that had me scuttling off to catch up with
what I've been missing.
Saturday, 7 December 2013
Stirring Up Memories
Consciously and unconsciously, Dad taught me a lot
of important stuff during his life, including the
value of respect, a love of music and the joy of
laughter. To my eternal regret, however, one thing
I never did learn from him was his own unique
bread recipe, which he'd perfected after many
years of tweaking. He tried to share this secret with me on a couple of occasions, but my mind was
elsewhere and as he never wrote it down, it's now
gone forever. He did teach me his method for
making good porridge though. I guess the time that
it took was about perfect for my attention span.
Now that the porridge season is upon us, I often
find myself, early in the morning, coffee in hand,
standing over a steaming saucepan of oats, with
Dad's voice echoing down the years, '...stir,
stir, stir, stir......keep stirring.....don't stop
stirring.....it's very important that you keep
stirring.....that's the secret of good
porridge....never stop stirring.....' Not so much a
method as a mantra. I stir Dad, I stir, but it
never tastes as good as yours did.
On the subject of oats, I found this old sheet music in a charity shop last week and it sparked a warm glow of recognition. I became aware of 'Mairzy Doats' at 7 or 8 years of age via BBC Radio's Junior Choice, where 'Stewpot' played the contemporary version by The Innocence, while Dad, of course, was already familiar with the song from previous recordings dating back to his own childhood in the 1940's. Together he and I would sing this silly little song ad infinitum, much to Mum's bemusement. That's another thing Dad taught me - there's nothing wrong with a little silliness every now and then.
On the subject of oats, I found this old sheet music in a charity shop last week and it sparked a warm glow of recognition. I became aware of 'Mairzy Doats' at 7 or 8 years of age via BBC Radio's Junior Choice, where 'Stewpot' played the contemporary version by The Innocence, while Dad, of course, was already familiar with the song from previous recordings dating back to his own childhood in the 1940's. Together he and I would sing this silly little song ad infinitum, much to Mum's bemusement. That's another thing Dad taught me - there's nothing wrong with a little silliness every now and then.
Friday, 6 December 2013
Roy Orbison

A week later, I ran into a friend who'd attended the concert. My heart sank as he raved about the show, confirming what is now commonly known to be the case, that Roy Orbison never 'phoned in' a performance in his life, not even in the lean years. His voice, a magnificent mystery, hit every glorious note and continued to do so, right up to his untimely death in 1988, 25 years ago today.
Thursday, 5 December 2013
Jonathan Wilson - Live in Concert

Jonathan Wilson's sound is past-acknowledging and
forward-looking, musically rich and subtly
complex, where time signatures shift and solos go
off at unexpected tangents. Grandstanding is not
his style, but it's quietly intricate, frequently
breathtaking stuff all the same. Touchstones
include everything from CSN&Y (collectively and
individually) to elements of progressive rock, Pink Floyd
in particular. One gets the impression that he is
only just beginning to flex his musical muscles.
Miss him at your peril.
Tuesday, 3 December 2013
Saturday Scratch #32: Special Edition - R.I.P. Junior Murvin
Very sad to hear of the passing of the legendary Junior
Murvin at the age of 64 (or 67 depending on which
report you believe). Murvin recorded with a clutch
of great Jamaican producers over the years, but
it's his work with Lee Perry on 1977's seminal
'Police & Thieves' LP for which he'll inevitably
be best remembered. Here, from those sessions, is
'Memories', the b-side of the album's second
single, 'Tedious'.
Saturday, 30 November 2013
'You Old Rascal...' - Bob Dylan Live at the Royal Albert Hall

'Duquesne Whistle' and 'Pay in Blood' knock their recorded counterparts into a cocked hat, but it's 'Love Sick' that stops me in my tracks. A towering performance. The audience seems caught off guard by this one and there's a micro-silence between the end of the song and the explosion of applause, no-one wishing to break the spell we're under. 'Forgetful Heart', if anything, is even more intense. This is masterful stuff. I guess I must have breathed at some point during the song, but I don't remember doing so.

All too soon we're in 'Scarlet Town', knowing the end is near, but first, 'Long And Wasted Years', undoubtedly the song of the tour. Dylan as grizzled narrator and his band at their best. No 'Roll On John' for us tonight. Not a song I'm overly fond of, though I nevertheless welled-up on hearing the Blackpool rendition. 'Watchtower' and 'Blowin'' allow us all to kick back and let our hair down - we're in familiar territory. Bob high-fives some lucky front rowers, takes a last long look around and is gone.
(Stockholm, October 13th)
Wednesday, 27 November 2013
Version City #21 - Bruce Springsteen sings Suicide
I'm delighted to note the inclusion of 'Dream Baby
Dream' in the tracklisting of Bruce Springsteen's
new studio LP, 'High Hopes', which is slated for release in
January. Springsteen performed his interpretation
of the 1979 Suicide single on over 60 occasions in
2005, releasing one of those live versions as a
limited edition 10" single in 2008.
A few years ago there were a large number of audience recordings of the song floating about on YouTube, all taped throughout 2005, though many have disappeared in the interim. A few still cling on, however, and I'd recommend checking out the whole lot. From the early tentative run-throughs, to the glorious, epic performances towards the tour's conclusion, Springsteen's take on 'Dream Baby Dream' rarely fails to floor me and I'm pleased that it'll now gain the wider recognition it deserves.
A few years ago there were a large number of audience recordings of the song floating about on YouTube, all taped throughout 2005, though many have disappeared in the interim. A few still cling on, however, and I'd recommend checking out the whole lot. From the early tentative run-throughs, to the glorious, epic performances towards the tour's conclusion, Springsteen's take on 'Dream Baby Dream' rarely fails to floor me and I'm pleased that it'll now gain the wider recognition it deserves.
Labels:
Bruce Springsteen,
Cover Versions,
Suicide,
Version City
Saturday, 23 November 2013
Low - In Concert
There was a point, during Low's performance at the Norwich Arts Centre a couple of nights ago, when I became aware of having no idea how long I'd been watching the band, or indeed how long they had been playing for. It could have been ten minutes or ten hours. I was lost in music. It was as if the passage of time had been rendered immaterial.
Standing a couple of feet away from me, a man struggled to control his emotions as the evening progressed. He wasn't alone. At the conclusion of 'Just Make it Stop' he snapped, yelping an involuntary, 'Perfect!', ahead of the cascade of applause that filled the hall, dismantling the audience's breath-held rapture. Nicely put Sir.
Monday, 18 November 2013
The Furrow Collective
'Hirta Songs', the fine new collaborative album by Alasdair Roberts and poet Robin Robertson, has barely had time to seep into my consciousness since the CD dropped onto my doormat late last week and yet already comes news of Alasdair's next project, The Furrow Collective. The Collective, who tackle 'the obscure world of balladry at its darkest and quirkiest', consists of folk luminaries Lucy Farrell, Emily Portman, Rachel Newton as well as Alasdair himself and their debut LP, 'At Our Next Meeting' is scheduled for a February 2014 release. A couple of teasers from the record have already been unleashed, one of which is 'Hind Horn'.
Thursday, 14 November 2013
Cate Le Bon
Cate Le Bon's terrific new LP, 'Mug Museum',
featuring contributions from Sweet Baboo and H.Hawkline, is her third full length release and
first since relocating from Cardiff to Los
Angeles. After just a couple of plays it's looking
odds on to feature in my top ten albums of the
year. Here's Cate, demonstrating another string to
her bow, with 'Are You With Me Now?'.
Wednesday, 13 November 2013
Version City #20 - Christmas Number One
I note that a Facebook campaign has recently been
launched, with the admirable aim of getting
AC/DC's 'Highway to Hell' to the Christmas No.1
spot. All well and good and no doubt infinitely
preferable to any of the likely alternatives on
offer, but give me Ed Kuepper's interpretation any
day. Ed Kuepper for Christmas No.1? Where do I
sign up?
Labels:
Christmas,
Cover Versions,
Ed Kuepper,
Version City
Saturday, 9 November 2013
Version City #19 - Hamadth Kah sings The Police
For the past couple of days I've been immersed in
the varied musics of West Africa, courtesy of
Sahel Sounds. The label's output is diverse,
ranging from raw, atmospheric field recordings
to pitch-bending, auto-tuned experimentation and beyond. The
best stuff is very good indeed and I'll be
featuring more in the future, that's for sure.
For now, here's a familiar tune by Hamadth Kah, taken from the 'Laila Je T'Aime' compilation of field recordings.
As a bonus, my favourite cut from the same LP, the mesmerising 'Kaounare' by Alkibar Gignor.
For now, here's a familiar tune by Hamadth Kah, taken from the 'Laila Je T'Aime' compilation of field recordings.
As a bonus, my favourite cut from the same LP, the mesmerising 'Kaounare' by Alkibar Gignor.
Labels:
Alkibar Gignor,
Cover Versions,
Hamadth Kah,
Sahel Sounds,
Version City
Thursday, 7 November 2013
Own Up Time
Old Pa, over at Tune Doctor, recently regaled us with the story of Steve, a man convinced of his own irresistibility to the opposite sex. The tale reminded me of Mark, a guy I knew when we were both about 18. Much like Steve, Mark thought he was God's gift to all women. He drove a souped up Ford Escort complete with the inevitable furry dice and whenever he spied a young lady he wanted to try and impress, he would sit at traffic lights in 1st gear revving and revving to get their attention, then let the clutch up as the lights changed and screech off, wheels spinning, down the street. He must've spent a fortune on tyres.
One day I was sitting in the passenger seat of his car, as Mark pulled up to red traffic lights and commenced his party piece for the millionth time. I just couldn't take it anymore. My right arm was leaning on the central armrest, so as he held the clutch down and revved the engine to attract the eye of a lady he'd spotted, I was able to pull the gear-stick back from 1st to neutral with a quick flick of my fingers. Unaware, he continued to rev, winking and smiling at the young lady in question as she crossed the road in front of us, until the lights changed, at which point he let the clutch up and floored the throttle. Except, of course, we didn't move an inch. It did, however, make a hell of a racket and everyone in the vicinity turned to see what was going on. The engine roar echoed around the narrow streets as Mark, red-faced, frantically tried to find a gear in which to slink away from the traffic lights. It was a glorious moment. Amusingly, after recovering from his embarrassment, he assumed that he'd missed the gear himself and never suspected me! 35 years later - I confess!
One day I was sitting in the passenger seat of his car, as Mark pulled up to red traffic lights and commenced his party piece for the millionth time. I just couldn't take it anymore. My right arm was leaning on the central armrest, so as he held the clutch down and revved the engine to attract the eye of a lady he'd spotted, I was able to pull the gear-stick back from 1st to neutral with a quick flick of my fingers. Unaware, he continued to rev, winking and smiling at the young lady in question as she crossed the road in front of us, until the lights changed, at which point he let the clutch up and floored the throttle. Except, of course, we didn't move an inch. It did, however, make a hell of a racket and everyone in the vicinity turned to see what was going on. The engine roar echoed around the narrow streets as Mark, red-faced, frantically tried to find a gear in which to slink away from the traffic lights. It was a glorious moment. Amusingly, after recovering from his embarrassment, he assumed that he'd missed the gear himself and never suspected me! 35 years later - I confess!
Monday, 4 November 2013
Portrait Gallery
A splendid figure of a man don't you agree? I'm assuming he's a butcher and that it might be a leg or thigh wrapped up and tucked away under his arm. Whatever his trade, I wouldn't like to mess with him - he doesn't look the sort to suffer fools gladly. He's a recent car-boot sale acquisition.
The majority of my small collection of old photos are tucked away in boxes and albums, but a select few grace the wall I face as I type these words - including my friend the pipe smoking butcher. My very own private portrait gallery. If you think that's a cue for a song, you're bang on. Here's Luke Howard with a beautiful piece from his recent album 'Sun, Cloud'.
Thursday, 31 October 2013
Last Night I Said Goodbye to My Friend
These days most bands reform eventually, to
some extent or other, and by the time they
do, it's old news thanks to social media. In
1993, when word spread that the Velvet
Underground were reuniting for a European
tour, it was a huge surprise. Two shows were
scheduled for London, one at Wembley Arena,
the other at The Forum in Kentish Town. It
would have made sense to apply for Wembley
tickets, with much more chance of being
successful, but somehow the thought of VU in
a barn didn't sit right with me, so I gambled
on the smaller venue, sent off my cheque and
stamped addressed envelope, sat back and
waited. The gamble paid off.
It was a privilege to be in such a small room with The Velvet Underground during that brief reformation and witness, at close quarters, the glances, nods and smiles between band members as they rediscovered and rekindled their magic in front of us. The songs seemed frail, almost stapled and gaffa-taped together in places, by turns brutally primitive and utterly transfixing. When it came to the encore, we all howled.
It was a privilege to be in such a small room with The Velvet Underground during that brief reformation and witness, at close quarters, the glances, nods and smiles between band members as they rediscovered and rekindled their magic in front of us. The songs seemed frail, almost stapled and gaffa-taped together in places, by turns brutally primitive and utterly transfixing. When it came to the encore, we all howled.
As a postscript, here is the very last
performance by The Velvet Underground. A song
of farewell to their fallen comrade Sterling
Morrison, filmed at the band's Rock'n'Roll
Hall of Fame induction in 1996. Watch out for the glances, nods and smiles.
Wednesday, 23 October 2013
Jonathan Wilson
Two years after the fabulous 'Gentle Spirit'
comes Jonathan Wilson's new LP, 'Fanfare',
featuring contributions from Jackson Browne,
Graham Nash, David Crosby, Roy Harper and
Gary Louris of The Jayhawks. Wilson is a
respected producer, with, personal favourite,
Father John Misty's 'Fear Fun' among his
credits. 'Fanfare' is, in it's own way, as
quietly diverse as that LP, basking in the
golden glow of the Laurel Canyon one minute,
before heading off into prog-lite noodlings,
folky flourishes or gentle funk workouts the
next.
In common with so many of my favourite efforts of 2013, 'Fanfare' is, unapologetically, an 'album' - best enjoyed when listened to from start to finish. Here though, by way of a taster, is 'Dear Friend'.
In common with so many of my favourite efforts of 2013, 'Fanfare' is, unapologetically, an 'album' - best enjoyed when listened to from start to finish. Here though, by way of a taster, is 'Dear Friend'.
Tuesday, 22 October 2013
Version City #18 - Zee Avi sings Morrissey
Since we're on a Morrissey tip, here's
Malaysian singer, songwriter and ukulele
player Zee Avi's divine interpretation of
'The First of the Gang to Die'. This tune
cropped up on one of the, otherwise
interminable, background muzak compilations that we were obliged to play on permanent rotation at the coffee shop in which I
worked. The discs, though regularly updated,
consisted of 99% dismal aural wallpaper, with
just a very occasional gem randomly dropped
into the mix. It was little moments of pop
delight such as this that got me through the
day.
Thursday, 17 October 2013
If you must write prose and poems the words you use should be your own...
It was once such a regular activity, to leave
the house, go to a record shop and buy a new
single or album on the morning of release - I
must have done it a hundred times, if not more. Today
though, I did something I've rarely done before - I purchased a
book on the actual day of publication. After
catching a breathy review of Morrissey's
'Autobiography' on the radio over breakfast,
I made a mental note to look out for it in
town later on, while in reality
doubting that I'd actually be able to find a
copy locally. WH Smith didn't make it easy
either. I'd all but given up the search when
I found a small pile of them at the very back
of the shop in a small alcove near the Post
Office, on the floor, literally.
So now I pause awhile in my quest to re-read all of Kinky Friedman's books before the year
is out, in order to take a gander at what
young Steven Patrick has to say for himself.
Initial observations? No chapters or index
pages and an opening paragraph that spreads
itself over 4½ sides. So far so good.
Tuesday, 15 October 2013
Toy
Saturday, 12 October 2013
Saturday Scratch #30 - Leroy Sibbles
Form an orderly queue! This is recent bounty from the allotment, currently sitting on the window sill until it's ready to be transformed, magically, into spicy, hearty soup by Mrs S. The allotment produced many a mouthwatering treat this year, in spite of the best efforts of the local rabbit population. We're in the process of erecting a fence around our plot, which will hopefully keep the blighters at bay. Next year we might need a bigger window sill.
Here, from 1979, is one of the very last great tunes to emerge from The Black Ark Studio. Produced by Lee Perry, it's Leroy Sibbles talking about the 'Garden of Life'.
Previously on Saturday Scratch.
Labels:
Lee Perry,
Leroy Sibbles,
Reggae,
Saturday Scratch,
Vegetarian
Tuesday, 8 October 2013
Yesterday's Hero
For a few precious months in 1967, the mean streets of Walthamstow were made safe by a mysterious masked superhero, wearing a hood, cape and, erm, sandals. He didn't shelter in a Batcave. He didn't need a Batmobile. He had no use for a Utility Belt. For he had in his possession a weapon that made the criminal fraternity of the day quake in their boots. He had one of his Mum's wooden coat-hangers with the metal hook taken out.
Saturday, 5 October 2013
Version City #17 - Elvis Costello sings John Lennon
Here's some thrilling audience footage from a gig by Elvis Costello & the Roots in Brooklyn a couple of weeks ago. The one-off show was to launch the new LP, 'Wise Up Ghost', but, in addition to album tracks and old favourites, Elvis and the band found time for a couple of choice covers, The Specials' 'Ghost Town' (wittily re-titled 'Wise Up Ghost Town' for the evening) and this, John Lennon's 'I Found Out'.
'Wise Up Ghost', incidentally, is one of the surprises of the year for me. An inspired collaboration and a very fine LP indeed. Check it out here.
Labels:
Cover Versions,
Elvis Costello,
John Lennon,
The Roots,
Version City
Wednesday, 2 October 2013
Bloody Eye
Today we took ourselves off to Southwold for a
refreshing blast of sea air, a chippy lunch
and a pint of Adnams, beer of the Gods. As I
wandered back from the bar after ordering the
aforementioned feast, I had the sudden
sensation of having been poked in the eye,
even though I hadn't - a very odd feeling.
When I reached our table Mrs S's expression
spoke volumes. A vessel must have popped and
the white of my right eye was already becoming
blood red and fairly unpleasant to look at.
There is little better, after such a fine lunch, than an invigorating walk along an out-of-season beach, when the wind is howling and the waves are crashing into shore a few feet away. Bracing is the word and it really does remind you that you're alive, even if you are wearing sunglasses to hide an unsightly, bloody eye.
There is little better, after such a fine lunch, than an invigorating walk along an out-of-season beach, when the wind is howling and the waves are crashing into shore a few feet away. Bracing is the word and it really does remind you that you're alive, even if you are wearing sunglasses to hide an unsightly, bloody eye.
Friday, 27 September 2013
Vieux Farka Touré
The sun is shining in a clear blue sky and the
weather is still somewhat balmy, so allow me to recommend that you grab a glass of what you
fancy and head on over to Tune Doctor, in order
to sample an exquisite Desert Blues playlist, put together with tlc by flycasual.
It's a beautiful labour of love and a mighty
fine way to spend an hour.
Here's the haunting 'Ay Bakoy', from Vieux Farka Touré's recent 'Mon Pays' album, to get you in the mood.
Here's the haunting 'Ay Bakoy', from Vieux Farka Touré's recent 'Mon Pays' album, to get you in the mood.
Wednesday, 25 September 2013
If You Want to Get Ahead....
I am a man of many ongoing projects, all of
which involve transferring the contents of teetering boxes of
stuff (be it audio or visual) onto a digital
medium, and few of which I'll probably ever
completely finish. Still, I'm having a great
deal of fun along the way, particularly with
my recent car-boot sale acquisition, a photo
scanner, which is allowing me to fully explore
the family negative and slide archive. Mind
you, I've only just begun to scratch the surface and have already discovered many a dodgy snapshot of yours truly - the moustache period of the mid-1970's,
what was I thinking? Then, of course, there
was my early 1960's penchant for very small
hats.
Monday, 23 September 2013
A State of Emergency
A Small Good Thing - Saloon Dreams
Famy - Dogg Dogg
Elvis Costello & the Roots - Can You Hear Me?
Derrick Morgan - Under Heavy Manners
Paul Duncan - Red Eagle
Houndstooth - Thunder Runner
Ernest Rogers - Mythological Blues
H.Hawkline - Telegram
Thursday, 19 September 2013
Version City #16 - Edwyn Collins sings David Bowie
I'm working my way through some boxes of old
cover mount CD's at the moment, ripping a few
tracks here and there as I go, while
rediscovering a handful of forgotten treats.
Here's one from a David Bowie tribute CD
issued with Uncut in 2003. The compilation's a
bit uneven as a whole to be honest, but Edwyn
Collins' excellent reading of 'Gospel
According to Tony Day' is worth the price of
admission alone.
Tuesday, 17 September 2013
MGMT
Time is kind of tight round these parts just at the moment, but I'm
lovin' the excellent new MGMT single, 'Your
Life is a Lie', taken from their self-titled
third album, which is out today. Look and
listen.
Friday, 13 September 2013
Pond on Pond
With five albums since 2009 and a sixth
already in the can (or perhaps on the hard-
drive), Australian psych-rock combo Pond
aren't hanging about in their quest for world
domination. Their new LP, 'Hobo Rocket',
contains the massive 'Xanman' - think George
Harrison's 'Wah Wah' turned up a few notches.
Hold on to your hat.
Long before Nick Allbrook put his Tame Impala offshoot together, there was another Pond, a powerhouse three piece formed in Portland in 1991. The band produced three albums in total, but their self-titled debut on Sub Pop is the one to go for. It's loud, tight and melodic. Let's call it by it's name - it's grunge! I saw Pond perform in front of a criminally sparse crowd at the Camden Underworld in 1993 and they were a spectacular proposition in concert too. This is 'Agatha'.
Long before Nick Allbrook put his Tame Impala offshoot together, there was another Pond, a powerhouse three piece formed in Portland in 1991. The band produced three albums in total, but their self-titled debut on Sub Pop is the one to go for. It's loud, tight and melodic. Let's call it by it's name - it's grunge! I saw Pond perform in front of a criminally sparse crowd at the Camden Underworld in 1993 and they were a spectacular proposition in concert too. This is 'Agatha'.
Wednesday, 11 September 2013
Version City #15 - David Bowie sings Paul Simon
It became a little ritual of mine that, on the
final evening of a visit to my relatives in
New York, I would spend a couple of hours at
the top of the World Trade Centre, watching
the sun set on the city, before catching up
with the family for one last dinner before I
headed home the following morning. At the time, they lived on 23rd Street, but in the summer of 2001 they bought an apartment in Tribeca, which, thankfully, they hadn't yet moved into by the September of that year.
By chance, I came across this photo a few days ago. I took it on the final evening of my trip in 1996. The apartment that my family were destined to acquire, five years later, is in the brown building, at the very bottom and centre of the frame, with sunlight hitting the upper floors and what looks like just a small white roof between it and the base of the image.
By chance, I came across this photo a few days ago. I took it on the final evening of my trip in 1996. The apartment that my family were destined to acquire, five years later, is in the brown building, at the very bottom and centre of the frame, with sunlight hitting the upper floors and what looks like just a small white roof between it and the base of the image.
Labels:
Cover Versions,
David Bowie,
new york,
Version City
Monday, 9 September 2013
Version City #14 - Kronos Quartet play Bill Evans
'Peace Piece' by Bill Evans is an unrehearsed,
solo piano improvisation, recorded in December
1958 and released early the following year on
the brilliantly titled LP, 'Everybody Digs
Bill Evans'. If you're not usually a fan of
jazz, or the term 'improvisation' alarms you,
fear not! This is a thing of singular beauty.
In 1986 Kronos Quartet included their own sublime interpretation of 'Peace Piece' on the LP, 'The Music of Bill Evans'.
In 1986 Kronos Quartet included their own sublime interpretation of 'Peace Piece' on the LP, 'The Music of Bill Evans'.
Labels:
Bill Evans,
Cover Versions,
Jazz,
Kronos Quartet,
Version City
Saturday, 7 September 2013
H. Hawkline
I doff my titfer in gratitude to James Dean
Bradfield for drawing my attention to the
music of H. Hawkline, when he sat in for
Stuart Maconie on 6Music recently. Oh my word
it's good stuff. Mr Hawkline (Huw Evans to his
friends) is a Welsh songwriter who also works
with Cate Le Bon and Sweet Baboo and I urge,
nay implore, you to go here to check out his
slim, but exquisite back catalogue. Fans of
artists such as Kevin Ayers and Gruff Rhys
should definitely form an orderly queue.
Meanwhile, enjoy 'Ghouls' from his current EP, which can be sampled in its entirety here.
Meanwhile, enjoy 'Ghouls' from his current EP, which can be sampled in its entirety here.
Friday, 6 September 2013
Telephone Thing
Like most things that come into my possession,
I'll continue to use my mobile phone until it,
or I, conk out. I'm the same with cars, CD
players, computers and clothes. I use them
until they are unusable and only then do I go
out and look for an upgrade or replacement.
I've had the same simple pay-as-you-go phone
since the previous one died in 2007.
Although it goes everywhere with me, I use it chiefly as a watch. I put £10 credit onto it in March, the only time I've topped up since October last year, and my balance is currently £6.14, so that gives you some idea of how often I reach for it to make a call or send a text. So when the phone slipped from my pocket and down inside the sofa while I was enjoying a coffee this morning, I was caught off-guard by my initial reaction to its inaccessibility - something approaching mild panic. After virtually disassembling the sofa to retrieve the blighter, I'm forced to acknowledge that this little-used lump of technology in my pocket is my own version of a mid-life security blanket.
Although it goes everywhere with me, I use it chiefly as a watch. I put £10 credit onto it in March, the only time I've topped up since October last year, and my balance is currently £6.14, so that gives you some idea of how often I reach for it to make a call or send a text. So when the phone slipped from my pocket and down inside the sofa while I was enjoying a coffee this morning, I was caught off-guard by my initial reaction to its inaccessibility - something approaching mild panic. After virtually disassembling the sofa to retrieve the blighter, I'm forced to acknowledge that this little-used lump of technology in my pocket is my own version of a mid-life security blanket.
Thursday, 5 September 2013
Monday, 2 September 2013
Photographs and Memories #2
Dad had a good eye for a photo opportunity and, in the 1960s at least, owned a reasonably good camera. He felt that he couldn't justify the expense thereafter and made do with a series of cheap and cheerful point and press cameras for the rest of his life. Here are a couple of his snapshots from our travels in the 1960s.
At the time, I wrote 'The best photograph Dad has ever taken' on the back of this one.
Yours truly at the beach. Eat your heart out Gered Mankowitz.
Thursday, 29 August 2013
Flip It! #3 - John's Children
While flicking through a scruffy cardboard
box of old 7" singles, on a junk stall on
Walthamstow Market, one Saturday morning in
early 1973, my fingers alighted on a picture
sleeve for 'Desdemona' by John's Children. I
was nearly 13 years of age and knew
that before T.Rex there had been
Tyrannosaurus Rex, whose albums I had
recently discovered via the 'Toofa' double
LPs released by Fly. I also knew, somewhat
vaguely, that before Tyrannosaurus Rex Marc
Bolan had briefly been a member of a group
called John's Children and made a single
with them, but that was back in 1967, nearly
half my lifetime ago. I'd certainly heard no
music by John's Children and had seen only
one photograph of the band, which, luckily,
was the very one used on the picture sleeve
in front of me. If it hadn't been for that
particular shot, I might well have flicked
right on by to the back of the box, none the
wiser.
So I was aware that this was a potential rare gem, but convinced that when I pulled the record from the sleeve, I would find either a copy of 'Desdemona' so damaged as to be unplayable or, even worse, a Frank Ifield single in the wrong cover. In the event, the sleeve contained a near pristine copy of 'Desdemona'. With uncharacteristic maturity, I tried to control my breathing and told myself not to become over-excited, as I swallowed hard and asked the price. The man in the cap who ran the stall took a drag from his cigarette, sucked his teeth, thought for a second and said - '10p'. That was the hardest moment of all, I stifled a yelp of delight. He didn't realise the significance of the record! Hands shaking, I gave him the coin, he dropped the single into a brown paper bag and I was off home, heart beating fast and sweat trickling down my back.
Back in my room I fired up my trusty Fidelity HF43 mono record player and listened to 'Desdemona' a couple of times. It was impossibly thrilling to hear Marc's voice, instantly recognisable, as he echoed the title refrain. Then, needless to say, I phoned all my friends to gloat about my good fortune. Everyone was at my place within the hour and it was orange squash and jaffa cakes all round as we played the single several times over to let it all sink in and make all-important attempts at transcribing the lyrics. Then we played the b-side. If we'd considered 'Desdemona' to be somewhat raw and primitive, compared to the lush Tony Visconti T.Rex productions our ears were attuned to, the opening few seconds of 'Remember Thomas à Becket' completely blew our young minds. 40 years on from that first play, it still sounds pretty far-out to me.
'Remember Thomas à Becket' features no Marc Bolan involvement - that's his predecessor in John's Children, Geoff McClelland, on guitar. The song was re-written and re-recorded later in 1967, emerging as a slightly more trippy, less freaky A-side, with the flowered-up title, 'Come and Play With Me in the Garden'.
Diane Wynd, wherever you are, thank you.
So I was aware that this was a potential rare gem, but convinced that when I pulled the record from the sleeve, I would find either a copy of 'Desdemona' so damaged as to be unplayable or, even worse, a Frank Ifield single in the wrong cover. In the event, the sleeve contained a near pristine copy of 'Desdemona'. With uncharacteristic maturity, I tried to control my breathing and told myself not to become over-excited, as I swallowed hard and asked the price. The man in the cap who ran the stall took a drag from his cigarette, sucked his teeth, thought for a second and said - '10p'. That was the hardest moment of all, I stifled a yelp of delight. He didn't realise the significance of the record! Hands shaking, I gave him the coin, he dropped the single into a brown paper bag and I was off home, heart beating fast and sweat trickling down my back.
The old faithful.
Back in my room I fired up my trusty Fidelity HF43 mono record player and listened to 'Desdemona' a couple of times. It was impossibly thrilling to hear Marc's voice, instantly recognisable, as he echoed the title refrain. Then, needless to say, I phoned all my friends to gloat about my good fortune. Everyone was at my place within the hour and it was orange squash and jaffa cakes all round as we played the single several times over to let it all sink in and make all-important attempts at transcribing the lyrics. Then we played the b-side. If we'd considered 'Desdemona' to be somewhat raw and primitive, compared to the lush Tony Visconti T.Rex productions our ears were attuned to, the opening few seconds of 'Remember Thomas à Becket' completely blew our young minds. 40 years on from that first play, it still sounds pretty far-out to me.
'Remember Thomas à Becket' features no Marc Bolan involvement - that's his predecessor in John's Children, Geoff McClelland, on guitar. The song was re-written and re-recorded later in 1967, emerging as a slightly more trippy, less freaky A-side, with the flowered-up title, 'Come and Play With Me in the Garden'.
Wednesday, 28 August 2013
Left-off Wearing Apparel and Sacks of All Kinds
Vintage photographs, old newspapers,
forgotten letters, ancient advertisements,
antique documents and random aged scraps of
paper. Ephemera, I love it. A glimpse into a
world long-gone. How many hands has this
ostensibly worthless item passed through
before it fell into my possession? How did
it survive this long? What stories could it
and it's previous owners tell?
Take this old flyer for instance, though the term flyer wouldn't have been recognised at the time of it's distribution, as it probably dates from around the First World War, if not earlier. Mr Evans is clearly in the market for a broad range of products, from rabbit skins to mangles, and to prove it, he's written a poem. It's like a primitive jingle!
And here's a pair of photographs, plucked at
random from a growing collection. Four
dapper young men, in a splendid array of
hats, pose for the camera. Nothing
interesting here you might think. Brothers?
Work colleagues? Drinking buddies? Take a
look at the next shot of the same four men.
I wasn't prepared for that either! The costumes are so ridiculous and the faces so straight, I assume that these young men must be stage performers, perhaps in the Music Hall. Wouldn't it be great to know more though? Every picture tells a story, but I wish I could hear theirs.
Take this old flyer for instance, though the term flyer wouldn't have been recognised at the time of it's distribution, as it probably dates from around the First World War, if not earlier. Mr Evans is clearly in the market for a broad range of products, from rabbit skins to mangles, and to prove it, he's written a poem. It's like a primitive jingle!
I wasn't prepared for that either! The costumes are so ridiculous and the faces so straight, I assume that these young men must be stage performers, perhaps in the Music Hall. Wouldn't it be great to know more though? Every picture tells a story, but I wish I could hear theirs.
Saturday, 24 August 2013
Saturday Scratch #29 - Buddy Raphael
Yesterday was another of those heavy,
sultry, humid days, resulting, late in the
evening, in a Hammer Horror style mist on
the marsh. Difficult to capture on film, but
a wonder to behold.
This morning - rain! Lashing down and hopefully clearing the air a little. To celebrate, here's Buddy Raphael's 'The Rain Come' from 1975, recorded at the Black Ark, with Tesfa McDonald sitting in Scratch's producer's chair, and released on McDonald's own Tesfa label.
This morning - rain! Lashing down and hopefully clearing the air a little. To celebrate, here's Buddy Raphael's 'The Rain Come' from 1975, recorded at the Black Ark, with Tesfa McDonald sitting in Scratch's producer's chair, and released on McDonald's own Tesfa label.
Previously on Saturday Scratch
Wednesday, 21 August 2013
Should It Stay or Should It Go?
There's been some discussion of late, among
the folks who gather at the old watering
hole, concerning how we buy, store and even
listen to music in 2013. We each have our
own problems, solutions and suggestions in
this regard, but the common thread that
binds us is that we are all in it for the
long haul. By whatever means necessary,
we'll be grooving to our favourites and
digging the new, until we drop.
My primary issue is one of space. I've no doubt that if I had the funds and enough square footage, I would have a music collection of John Peel proportions. In the real world, however, we have a front room that I have to occasionally remind myself actually is a room, so crammed is it with boxes of books, CD's, records and sundry other stuff accumulated along life's highway. It needs addressing, both to reclaim the room and to be able to unbox and enjoy the stuff we do have. To that end, I've purchased a 4tb external hard-drive and begun wading through CD's, ripping as I go. It's a bittersweet experience I can tell you, as nearly every one of them is a memory of some kind. My aim is to get the physical collection down to a manageable level while backing-up and dispatching what's not essential, though, as we all know, what might appear non-essential today may well be life-affirming tomorrow.
On the subject of life-affirming, I had long ago discounted a purchase of the forthcoming Clash box-set on the grounds that a) it isn't as comprehensive as it could be, b) I have all the music on it (sometimes in multiple copies), c) the expense and d) the dimensions! It would take up a ton of potential shelf-space that I'm trying to free-up. I was pleased with my resolve and proud of my self-restraint. Then, a few days ago, the following footage appeared online.
Familiar stuff to the average Clash fan, but in drastically better quality than has previously been available. As I watched this glorious performance, two of the four songs played by the band on the US TV show 'Fridays' in April 1980, my resolve melted, my self-restraint ebbed away and I slipped, tripped and fell in love all over again. I ordered the box-set. Something slightly less life-affirming will have to go to make way for it.
My primary issue is one of space. I've no doubt that if I had the funds and enough square footage, I would have a music collection of John Peel proportions. In the real world, however, we have a front room that I have to occasionally remind myself actually is a room, so crammed is it with boxes of books, CD's, records and sundry other stuff accumulated along life's highway. It needs addressing, both to reclaim the room and to be able to unbox and enjoy the stuff we do have. To that end, I've purchased a 4tb external hard-drive and begun wading through CD's, ripping as I go. It's a bittersweet experience I can tell you, as nearly every one of them is a memory of some kind. My aim is to get the physical collection down to a manageable level while backing-up and dispatching what's not essential, though, as we all know, what might appear non-essential today may well be life-affirming tomorrow.
In my dreams....minus the carpet
On the subject of life-affirming, I had long ago discounted a purchase of the forthcoming Clash box-set on the grounds that a) it isn't as comprehensive as it could be, b) I have all the music on it (sometimes in multiple copies), c) the expense and d) the dimensions! It would take up a ton of potential shelf-space that I'm trying to free-up. I was pleased with my resolve and proud of my self-restraint. Then, a few days ago, the following footage appeared online.
Familiar stuff to the average Clash fan, but in drastically better quality than has previously been available. As I watched this glorious performance, two of the four songs played by the band on the US TV show 'Fridays' in April 1980, my resolve melted, my self-restraint ebbed away and I slipped, tripped and fell in love all over again. I ordered the box-set. Something slightly less life-affirming will have to go to make way for it.
Happy Birthday Joe
Monday, 19 August 2013
Version City #13 - Ed Kuepper sings The Kinks
Monday, 12 August 2013
Nora Dean
Produced by Duke Reid in 1969, Nora Dean's
'Ay Ay Ay' (sometimes titled 'Angie La La)
is one of the stranger records to fall under
the reggae banner. The vocal is odd and
disconcerting, full of squawks, whistles and
ticks, while the tune itself has a
claustrophobic arrangement that wouldn't
seem out of place in a Mulatu Astatke
release from the same period. Once heard,
never forgotten.
Saturday, 10 August 2013
This is Radio Clash
While not wishing to become a permanent
advert for the BBC, another short programme
aired yesterday evening on Radio 4 that
deserves wider recognition. Front Row
dedicated it's entire ½ hour to The Clash,
including a new interview with Mick, Paul
and Topper, reunited to promote the
forthcoming box set. In addition, fiery
excerpts from a vintage Joe Strummer
interview were also broadcast and, if you
ask me, were worth the 30 minutes of your
time alone.
Labels:
Clash,
Joe Strummer,
Mick Jones,
Paul Simonon,
Topper Headon
Wednesday, 7 August 2013
Nic Jones
My thanks go to the always wonderful Caught By the River for pointing me in the
direction of a moving Radio 4 documentary,
'In Search of Nic Jones'. The programme
doesn't seek to comprehensively detail Nic's
career, but rather examines the man and his
music, before and after his life-changing
accident, via contributions from friends and
family.
Nic is there too of course, modest, unassuming and seemingly without a trace of bitterness. He is content that the past can't be changed and is, to all intents and purposes, irrelevant - what matters to him most, is the 'Now'.
Nic is there too of course, modest, unassuming and seemingly without a trace of bitterness. He is content that the past can't be changed and is, to all intents and purposes, irrelevant - what matters to him most, is the 'Now'.
Saturday, 3 August 2013
Saturday Scratch #28 - The Meditations
The Meditations were an in-demand vocal
harmony group in the mid-1970s, recording
artists in their own right and contributors
to performances by Bob Marley, The Congos
and Gregory Isaacs among others. They worked
with a number of producers, but here's a
fine Ansel Cridland penned tune, 'No Peace',
produced by Lee Perry and released in 1978.
Previously on Saturday Scratch
Labels:
Lee Perry,
Reggae,
Saturday Scratch,
The Meditations
Friday, 2 August 2013
Parquet Courts
We've had a long hot day out and about in
celebration of Mrs S's birthday. I doubt we
drifted more than 20 miles from home, but
would surely have been hopelessly lost in
the unfamiliar lanes and villages were it
not for the trusty ol' satnav. With it's
help we found a little country pub and had a
rather scrummy lunch as crazy thunder storms
raged on the horizons around us - somehow we
missed them all.
We're both feeling the pace of such a sweltering, sticky day now, but need to keep ourselves alert in the run-up to wine o'clock! So to help us stay upright, here's a stonking live version of 'Stoned and Starving' by Brooklyn band Parquet Courts, from their recent LP 'Light Up Gold'.
We're both feeling the pace of such a sweltering, sticky day now, but need to keep ourselves alert in the run-up to wine o'clock! So to help us stay upright, here's a stonking live version of 'Stoned and Starving' by Brooklyn band Parquet Courts, from their recent LP 'Light Up Gold'.
Tuesday, 30 July 2013
Los Porcos
A new song, 'C.F.W.', was quietly uploaded
to Los Porcos's Soundcloud page a few days
ago, the third since Famy's Bruce Yates replaced departed vocalist Ellery Roberts and the band's name was amended from Wu Lyf. Fine
though it is, for me, the pick of their
three available tunes is 'Jesus Luvs U
Baby'. Insistent and subtly funky.
Saturday, 27 July 2013
Kiran Leonard
'Dear Lincoln' was written and recorded by Kiran Leonard in June 2010 (when he was just 14 years of age!) and has been knocking about the internet for a while, though it's now going to receive an official release for the first time. He has a lot of music available to check-out via Bandcamp and Soundcloud including an incredibly ambitious 24 minute prog epic, 'The End Times', but with 'Dear Lincoln' he says all he wants to say in 112 thrilling seconds.
Tuesday, 23 July 2013
Temples
Here's another shimmering psych-pop treat
from Kettering's finest export, Temples.
'Colours to Life' continues the fine
tradition of the band's earlier tuneage,
'Shelter Song' and 'Prisms' - well
recommended listens if you've not already
bumped into them.
Thursday, 18 July 2013
Flip It! #2 - David Essex
The first three CBS released David Essex singles in
1973 and 1974, 'Rock On', 'Lamplight' and
the often overlooked 'America', were exotic
little pop oddities that retain their quirky
appeal today. Flip these singles over and
you'll find 'On and On' (a theatrical power
ballad), 'We All Insane' (a bass-driven
curio with nonsense lyrics, a drum solo and
an unexpectedly sudden conclusion) and, best
of all, 'Dance Little Girl'.
Once again driven by it's bassline, 'Dance Little Girl' is a strangely unsettling amalgam of stabbing strings, sleazy horns and a fairly peculiar, multi-layered, at times deliberately off-kilter vocal from Mr Essex himself. Loved it then, love it still.
Once again driven by it's bassline, 'Dance Little Girl' is a strangely unsettling amalgam of stabbing strings, sleazy horns and a fairly peculiar, multi-layered, at times deliberately off-kilter vocal from Mr Essex himself. Loved it then, love it still.
Monday, 15 July 2013
Version City #12 - David McComb sings Leonard Cohen
The late great David McComb of The Triffids
was clearly an admirer of Leonard
Cohen, particularly, it seems, of laughing
Len's least loved LP, 'Death of a Ladies
Man'. First McComb (with Adam Peters)
covered 'Don't Go Home with Your Hard-On'
for the 1991 tribute album 'I'm Your Fan', then two years later, in cahoots with The
Blackeyed Susans, he delivered this sparkling
reading of 'Memories'.
Previous visits to Version City.
Wednesday, 10 July 2013
deathrowradio
American comedian Steven Wright is the man
responsible for my all-time favourite
paraprosdokian, 'I went into a general store,
but they wouldn't let me buy anything
specific'. Genius. He's also the voice
behind this sublime moment from Reservoir
Dogs.
Wright's use of the word 'behemoth' came to my mind yesterday evening, when I happened to catch the last few minutes of Steve Lamacq's BBC 6Music radio programme, where, as his final selection of the show, Lamacq played 'Hocus Pocus' by deathrowradio, a mighty behemoth of a tune if there ever was one.
Chris Tate and Paul Christian Patterson have been making music together as d_rradio for several years, creating experimental sounds of a slightly more ambient persuasion, plus a very nice folk-tinged EP in collaboration with Lianne Hall. Now, having amended their working name to deathrowradio, they've traded their laptops for guitars on their new album 'Yummy', a bracing sonic assault of subtly shifting psych-inspired riffage.
Get a load of this glorious racket and then check out the whole darned thing here.
Wright's use of the word 'behemoth' came to my mind yesterday evening, when I happened to catch the last few minutes of Steve Lamacq's BBC 6Music radio programme, where, as his final selection of the show, Lamacq played 'Hocus Pocus' by deathrowradio, a mighty behemoth of a tune if there ever was one.
Chris Tate and Paul Christian Patterson have been making music together as d_rradio for several years, creating experimental sounds of a slightly more ambient persuasion, plus a very nice folk-tinged EP in collaboration with Lianne Hall. Now, having amended their working name to deathrowradio, they've traded their laptops for guitars on their new album 'Yummy', a bracing sonic assault of subtly shifting psych-inspired riffage.
Get a load of this glorious racket and then check out the whole darned thing here.
Tuesday, 9 July 2013
Flying Saucers Have Landed
Pole Hill, a section of Epping Forest in
Chingford, was a regular haunt for me and my
pals in 1972 and '73. The reason?
Uninterrupted views across two massive
reservoirs, long-rumoured locally to be a
centre of heavy UFO activity - the Area 51
of North East London if you will. With our
imaginations fuelled by too much Star Trek
and Erich von Däniken, we would head off on
a Saturday morning and spend hours sitting
on the grass, cameras in hand, gazing out
through our binoculars, waiting
for....something, anything to happen.
Funnily enough, we never did see any little
green men, but I'm pleased to note that all
these years later, the rumours of their
existence in the area persist.
The soundtrack to our Pole Hill excursions and to our fevered discussions about every new titbit of UFO-related gossip, was 'Flying Saucers Have Landed', a groovy single by Paul St. John, released in 1972, but even then sounding more late 60's than early 70's.
The soundtrack to our Pole Hill excursions and to our fevered discussions about every new titbit of UFO-related gossip, was 'Flying Saucers Have Landed', a groovy single by Paul St. John, released in 1972, but even then sounding more late 60's than early 70's.
Saturday, 6 July 2013
Saturday Scratch #27 - Candy McKenzie
If you ever find yourself down Camden Lock
way on a hot, sticky afternoon and in need of cool refreshment, I can
heartily recommend a visit to Chin Chin Labs, a shop where white coated boffins use
liquid nitrogen, to dramatic effect, in order
to create incredible ice cream before your
very eyes. Delish.
Here's Full Experience member Candy McKenzie, with an appropriate tune taken from the LP 'Lee Scratch Perry Presents Candy McKenzie', recorded at the Black Ark in 1977, though not released until 2011.
Here's Full Experience member Candy McKenzie, with an appropriate tune taken from the LP 'Lee Scratch Perry Presents Candy McKenzie', recorded at the Black Ark in 1977, though not released until 2011.
Previously on Saturday Scratch
Labels:
Candy McKenzie,
Lee Perry,
Reggae,
Saturday Scratch
Wednesday, 3 July 2013
Nightingale
We're off to the smoke for a couple of days
to catch up with the visiting New York
contingent of the family, where we'll be
swapping the veritable cacophony of birdsong that currently forms the soundtrack of our lives here, for the more general
cacophony that is London.
A recently arrived and very welcome visitor to these parts is a lone Nightingale who has taken up residence in the tree across the lane, from where he flits back and forth to our chimney, charming all and sundry with his astounding range of whistles and trills. Bit of a show-off really.
A recently arrived and very welcome visitor to these parts is a lone Nightingale who has taken up residence in the tree across the lane, from where he flits back and forth to our chimney, charming all and sundry with his astounding range of whistles and trills. Bit of a show-off really.
Saturday, 29 June 2013
Saturday Scratch #26 - Hugh Mundell
In the Summer of 1977, Hugh Mundell stopped
in at the Black Ark studio to record two
sides with melodica genius Augustus Pablo in
the producer's chair, 'Why Do Black Man Fuss
& Fight' and today's featured tune, 'Let's
All Unite'. Both cuts were released as
singles and would eventually find their way onto
the following year's LP, 'Africa Must Be
Free By 1983'.
Hugh Mundell wrote his own songs and was already a remarkably assured artist by 1977, all the more remarkable when you consider that at the time of this recording he had only just turned 15 years of age. A friend, the toaster Jah Bull, describes Mundell as '...a very young youth at the time but a very serious youth. When I say serious I mean he was like a likkle man, not a likkle boy.'
In October 1983, Hugh Mundell's house in Kingston was burgled and while the guilty party was caught and jailed, the perpetrator's brother later confronted Mundell on the street, shooting and killing him.
Hugh Mundell wrote his own songs and was already a remarkably assured artist by 1977, all the more remarkable when you consider that at the time of this recording he had only just turned 15 years of age. A friend, the toaster Jah Bull, describes Mundell as '...a very young youth at the time but a very serious youth. When I say serious I mean he was like a likkle man, not a likkle boy.'
In October 1983, Hugh Mundell's house in Kingston was burgled and while the guilty party was caught and jailed, the perpetrator's brother later confronted Mundell on the street, shooting and killing him.
Previously on Saturday Scratch.
Labels:
Augustus Pablo,
Hugh Mundell,
Lee Perry,
Reggae,
Saturday Scratch
Thursday, 27 June 2013
The Rolling Stones
It's only Thursday morning and already there
are discussions about the possible contents
of The Rolling Stones setlist at Glastonbury
this coming Saturday. Really? Surely it will
be a crowd pleasing hits set - and why
shouldn't it be? I don't foresee any
Springsteen-style fan requests, magic-markered on pieces of cardboard, being
gathered up by Mick for impromptu consideration. Nor any
odd, painfully obscure, rarities appearing in the running order for the satisfaction (sorry) of
Stones geeks and completists.
All that being said, if the band should unexpectedly lurch into the following tune on Saturday evening, this correspondent's ears would certainly prick up.
All that being said, if the band should unexpectedly lurch into the following tune on Saturday evening, this correspondent's ears would certainly prick up.
Wednesday, 26 June 2013
Down By the River
After the ankle returned to full working
order, following my little mishap in April,
I initially restricted myself to walking
only on country lanes and paths - good solid
flat surfaces that presented little risk of
another painful twist. Gradually though,
I've carefully reintroduced a series of
favourite local circular walks that wander
off-road and down along the uneven surfaces
beside the river.
There's one particular spot on the riverbank that I can't pass without at least pausing for a moment, though quite often I will stand there in silent contemplation for several minutes. It's a very simple outlook along a straight passage of what otherwise is a fairly meandering river, but for some reason it rarely fails to imbue me with a tremendous sense of well-being. If my camera is to hand, I'll invariably take a photo in an attempt to capture the moment - and fail to completely. For this reason I have dozens of shots from the same spot. Here's yesterday evening's effort, not bad, but you should've been there.
There's one particular spot on the riverbank that I can't pass without at least pausing for a moment, though quite often I will stand there in silent contemplation for several minutes. It's a very simple outlook along a straight passage of what otherwise is a fairly meandering river, but for some reason it rarely fails to imbue me with a tremendous sense of well-being. If my camera is to hand, I'll invariably take a photo in an attempt to capture the moment - and fail to completely. For this reason I have dozens of shots from the same spot. Here's yesterday evening's effort, not bad, but you should've been there.
Monday, 24 June 2013
Bobby 'Blue' Bland R.I.P.
One summer evening in 1982, at the
Hammersmith Odeon in London, I had the great
good fortune to spend some time in the
company of Blues royalty in the form of a
triple headed concert bill that featured B.B. King, John Lee Hooker and Bobby 'Blue'
Bland. The three giants played individual
sets, Hooker, beneath a single spotlight, on a
bare stage with just his guitar and
stamping foot for company, while King
fronted a large, gregarious, well-groomed
band, though in truth, it was Bland I was
mainly there to see. I'd recently become
enthralled by a series of his albums from
the 1970's, 'Come Fly With Me', 'His
California Album' and, best of all, 1974's
'Dreamer', thereafter working my way
backwards through his catalogue and
discovering his, often majestic, Duke
recordings of the 1950's and 60's.
At the conclusion of the show back in 1982, the three legends gathered on stage to perform a short series of songs together, to rapturous applause. The highlight of the evening came a little earlier for me though, when Bobby Bland led his own modest band through a terrific reading of 'St James' Infirmary'. Here, to mark his passing, is his sublime 1961 recording of the song.
Two more great Bobby 'Blue' Bland tunes are featured on these fine blogs, here and here.
At the conclusion of the show back in 1982, the three legends gathered on stage to perform a short series of songs together, to rapturous applause. The highlight of the evening came a little earlier for me though, when Bobby Bland led his own modest band through a terrific reading of 'St James' Infirmary'. Here, to mark his passing, is his sublime 1961 recording of the song.
Two more great Bobby 'Blue' Bland tunes are featured on these fine blogs, here and here.
Friday, 21 June 2013
Denis Jones
Denis Jones throws the Dick Van Dyke notion
of a one man band out of the window and is
surely some kind of technical genius,
embellishing his songs with loops, pops,
crackles and beeps created live and in the
moment. Yet for all the inanimate gadgets
and gizmos on display, a resolutely human
heart beats at the core of his songs.
Jones hasn't added to his tally of two long players since 2010's 'Red + Yellow =' (available to hear with associated visuals here), this though, is an absorbing live reading of 'Beginning', the perversely titled closing track from his 2007 debut album 'Humdrum Virtue'.
Jones hasn't added to his tally of two long players since 2010's 'Red + Yellow =' (available to hear with associated visuals here), this though, is an absorbing live reading of 'Beginning', the perversely titled closing track from his 2007 debut album 'Humdrum Virtue'.
Thursday, 20 June 2013
James Gandolfini R.I.P.
Today we heard the terribly sad news that James Gandolfini, star of The Sopranos, one of the greatest TV series to come out of America, has passed away very suddenly at just 51 years of age. This evening i'll drink a glass of red in his honour, but for now I salute him with my morning espresso.
Wednesday, 19 June 2013
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band
I've spent the past couple of days mulling
over just how many superlatives I can get
away with using in a piece on Bruce
Springsteen and the E Street Band's concert
at Wembley Stadium on Saturday. Whatever my
allocation, though, it could never be
enough.
Overcoming a personal antipathy of the 'stadium experience', this was my first Springsteen show in ten years, my first show since the band suffered the devastating losses of Danny Federici and Clarence Clemons and was a joyous and moving celebration of those who are gone and those who remain.
We got 'the hits'. We got newer songs, in vastly superior versions to their recorded counterparts. We got audience requested fan favourites. But what those of us lucky enough to be there will always remember, is that we got a quite staggering performance of 'Darkness on the Edge of Town' - the whole LP, start to finish.
From the many shaky clips of the show available to view on YouTube, here is the intense reading of 'Lost in the Flood', an audience request, originally released on 'Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.', Springsteen's 1973 debut.
Overcoming a personal antipathy of the 'stadium experience', this was my first Springsteen show in ten years, my first show since the band suffered the devastating losses of Danny Federici and Clarence Clemons and was a joyous and moving celebration of those who are gone and those who remain.
We got 'the hits'. We got newer songs, in vastly superior versions to their recorded counterparts. We got audience requested fan favourites. But what those of us lucky enough to be there will always remember, is that we got a quite staggering performance of 'Darkness on the Edge of Town' - the whole LP, start to finish.
From the many shaky clips of the show available to view on YouTube, here is the intense reading of 'Lost in the Flood', an audience request, originally released on 'Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J.', Springsteen's 1973 debut.
Friday, 14 June 2013
Lightning Strikes #5 - Dennis Brown
The range of it's catalogue was diverse,
eclectic and downright odd in places (and
I've only scratched the surface over the
past five days), but Lightning Records
greatest commercial successes and critical
acclaim came with their many licensed reggae
releases, usually from the Joe Gibbs stable
and most notably with the Number One hit
'Uptown Top Ranking' by Althea and Donna. So
with that in mind, it's only fitting that I
conclude this little trawl through the
Lightning records in my own collection with
a classic reggae selection.
'Money in My Pocket' by the late Dennis Brown was originally issued in Jamaica on Joe Gibbs Music in 1978, before gaining a UK release on Lightning the following year. I initially had every intention of posting the full 12" version, complete with a brilliant and uncredited toast by Prince Mohammed (check it out here), but recently came across this wonderful live vocal performance from Top of the Pops and instantly knew it had to be the one. How great is this?
'Money in My Pocket' by the late Dennis Brown was originally issued in Jamaica on Joe Gibbs Music in 1978, before gaining a UK release on Lightning the following year. I initially had every intention of posting the full 12" version, complete with a brilliant and uncredited toast by Prince Mohammed (check it out here), but recently came across this wonderful live vocal performance from Top of the Pops and instantly knew it had to be the one. How great is this?
Wednesday, 12 June 2013
Lightning Strikes #3 - Jet Bronx & the Forbidden
Day 3 of a haphazard look at singles from my
collection on the Lightning Records label,
finds us in December 1977 with 'Ain't Doin'
Nothin' by Jet Bronx & the Forbidden. It's a
red vinyl 7" that I still notice in charity shops and at car-boot sales from time to time, so I
assume that the 'limited edition' may have
run to substantially more than the 15000
indicated on the sleeve.
The band is a handy one to keep in mind should you ever find yourself in the position of putting together a pub quiz, as their guitarist, and composer of this catchy little number, is the aforementioned Jet Bronx, also known as Loyd Grossman - yep, that Loyd Grossman. I wonder whatever became of that old punk?
The band is a handy one to keep in mind should you ever find yourself in the position of putting together a pub quiz, as their guitarist, and composer of this catchy little number, is the aforementioned Jet Bronx, also known as Loyd Grossman - yep, that Loyd Grossman. I wonder whatever became of that old punk?
Monday, 10 June 2013
Lightning Strikes #1 - Lucy
Flicking through a box of my old 7" singles
recently, I was surprised to find how many
releases I owned on Lightning Records.
Lightning was a Warner Brothers sponsored
independent label in the late 1970's, with
no uniform profile, releasing novelty
singles, proto-NWOBHM, Rock & Roll reissues
and second division punk alongside cutting
edge reggae from the likes of Culture and
the mighty Prince Far-I.
From Monday to Friday this week I'll be featuring a single a day from my box, as originally released on the Lightning label. First up is Lucy with 'Really Got Me Goin'', one of two 1977 singles that form their entire recorded output. A quick glance at existing photos of the band tells you a great deal about the period; unfashionable beards, flares and long hair rub shoulders with ripped tee-shirts, short back & sides and drainpipes - not to mention a glammed up bassist with something of a Steve Priest fixation. It was a confused time! One gets the distinct impression of a band caught between two stools, forced by the changing musical climate to 'punk' their sound up a bit, resulting in a somewhat clunky, but enjoyable approximation of the burgeoning genre .
Guitarist Phil Collen went on to find fame and fortune with Def Leppard - who'd have thunk it?
From Monday to Friday this week I'll be featuring a single a day from my box, as originally released on the Lightning label. First up is Lucy with 'Really Got Me Goin'', one of two 1977 singles that form their entire recorded output. A quick glance at existing photos of the band tells you a great deal about the period; unfashionable beards, flares and long hair rub shoulders with ripped tee-shirts, short back & sides and drainpipes - not to mention a glammed up bassist with something of a Steve Priest fixation. It was a confused time! One gets the distinct impression of a band caught between two stools, forced by the changing musical climate to 'punk' their sound up a bit, resulting in a somewhat clunky, but enjoyable approximation of the burgeoning genre .
Guitarist Phil Collen went on to find fame and fortune with Def Leppard - who'd have thunk it?
Saturday, 8 June 2013
Saturday Scratch #25
At the very moment that all the tiny newborn
balls of fluff, flapping and screeching
behind their parents, need it most, we've
once again been forced to severely reduce the
supply of bird food in our garden. The
reason? A very ingenious rat. It stretches,
it jumps, it climbs, it dislodges, it prises
open and it devours. No matter what lengths
we go to to put the feeders in out of the
way and out of reach locations, Mr
Norvegicus outwits us, usually in broad
daylight while we sit just a few feet away
and watch. Why do we just sit and watch?
Because he's actually pretty impressive in
his cunning and guile and also because if we
chase him off, he just waits until we are
safely back indoors before recommencing his
endeavours. He's a clever little thing and
certainly a lot less ugly than the gnarled bruiser
we had in the garden last year.
So, for the time being, we've removed all but a couple of the bird-feeders, which are hung from the middle of the washing line for maximum inaccessibility, in the hope that our unwanted guest will grow frustrated and wander off to explore pastures new. He's just doing his thing, I certainly don't want to kill him, merely dissuade him and reduce the risk of him getting into the house if we happen to leave the back door ajar.
Here's Scratch in 1977, talking about a very different kind of rat.
So, for the time being, we've removed all but a couple of the bird-feeders, which are hung from the middle of the washing line for maximum inaccessibility, in the hope that our unwanted guest will grow frustrated and wander off to explore pastures new. He's just doing his thing, I certainly don't want to kill him, merely dissuade him and reduce the risk of him getting into the house if we happen to leave the back door ajar.
Here's Scratch in 1977, talking about a very different kind of rat.
Previously on Saturday Scratch
Thursday, 6 June 2013
Flip It! #1 - Earle Mankey
Earle Mankey was guitarist with the pre-'Kimono My House' Sparks, but in 1973, when
Ron and Russell relocated to the UK, Mankey
stayed in LA and began a long career in
record production that continues to this
day. Along the way he's twiddled the knobs
for such artists as The Long Ryders, The
Three O'Clock, The Dickies and Concrete
Blonde, in addition to engineering albums by
Elton John and The Beach Boys.
Mankey the performer has reappeared only sporadically since the Sparks days, one 7" single, 'Mau Mau', on Bronze Records in 1978 and two mini-albums in the 1980's being the sum total of his output. Look out for a copy of 'Mau Mau' on your travels, it's a good tune, but not as good as the brilliant 'Crazy' on the flipside.
Mankey the performer has reappeared only sporadically since the Sparks days, one 7" single, 'Mau Mau', on Bronze Records in 1978 and two mini-albums in the 1980's being the sum total of his output. Look out for a copy of 'Mau Mau' on your travels, it's a good tune, but not as good as the brilliant 'Crazy' on the flipside.
Wednesday, 5 June 2013
Gaz Coombes
'One of These Days', a gorgeous, if slightly sinister, new single from Gaz Coombes, enhanced by an equally unsettling video.
Monday, 3 June 2013
Recognise Your Age
I appeared in a few, inevitably
shambolic, infant school nativity plays when I was very young, but
Christmas 1969 was the real beginning of my
glittering showbiz career. I played the
snowman in the school production of, erm,
The Snowman - no, not that one. This little
play was, I believe, cooked up by one of the
teachers, though it no doubt shared some of
the values and themes of Raymond Briggs'
1978 book and subsequent 1982 film, albeit
minus all the flying and the dulcet tones of
Aled Jones. After this, I went on
to feature in many a future school
play and also joined some pals in the local amateur dramatic society (though we all called it the drama club).
In 1973, the drama teachers were preparing one the school's occasional variety shows and were looking for a musical item to slot between two spoken word pieces. My mates and I, having not a musical bone between the four of us, got together and suggested we mime to a pop hit of the day, the original choice being '20th Century Boy' by T.Rex, with yours truly as Marc Bolan. As T.Rex were something of a one-man-band, performance wise, we gradually came round to the idea of The Sweet as an altogether more colourful proposition.
My memory is that the show ran to three performances. One to the rest of the school, one for the parents and a third that was open to the general public. Me and my pals, dressed up to the nines, myself in the Steve Priest role wielding a mock bass made in woodwork, mimed to 'Hell Raiser' and, well, not to put too finer point on it, we went down a storm! So successful were we, that for every show, play and pantomime at school and the drama club over the next 2½ years, we were invited to reprise our little act, which we did, to often memorable effect.
Between 1973 and 1975, in addition to 'Hell Raiser' we mimed to 'Blockbuster', 'Ballroom Blitz', The Six Teens', 'Burn on the Flame' (when a teacher played the wrong backing tape!) and 'Turn it Down'. The best of the lot, though, was 'Teenage Rampage', which we performed for five consecutive nights as a musical interlude in a pantomime in 1974, the audience noise behind the song providing a great fake atmosphere.
In addition to my ridiculously heavy, solid wood bass, we also made two microphone stands (one held together by gaffa tape so that our 'Brian Connolly' could 'break' it over his knee, rock vocalist style) and some fake drums, all of which seemed convincing to us at the time, but in retrospect looked exactly as you would expect them to, made by a bunch of 13 year-olds in their woodwork classes!
For each successive show I (with help from Mum) tried to find more and more garish and outlandish clothes to wear, which were invariably complimented on the night by the make-up department going to town on my face with ever increasing relish, with the result that I often looked less Steve Priest and more Alice Cooper. As well as performing these little fake musical excursions, the boys in 'the band' also had roles in all the productions, so they were busy nights for us, after full days at school. On more than one occasion I walked home, exhausted, through the streets of Walthamstow in full Steve Priest costume - what was I thinking?
'Sweet Drama', as we were imaginatively christened by one of the teachers, came to an end in 1975 when my family moved out of London. Myself and my chums were all getting into prog by then and would have quite happily performed as 'ELP Drama' if anyone had asked, but after one last 'Turn It Down' we were done, as indeed was my youthful foray into the dramatic arts. I never stepped on a stage again.
In 1973, the drama teachers were preparing one the school's occasional variety shows and were looking for a musical item to slot between two spoken word pieces. My mates and I, having not a musical bone between the four of us, got together and suggested we mime to a pop hit of the day, the original choice being '20th Century Boy' by T.Rex, with yours truly as Marc Bolan. As T.Rex were something of a one-man-band, performance wise, we gradually came round to the idea of The Sweet as an altogether more colourful proposition.
'At 13 they were fooling....'
My memory is that the show ran to three performances. One to the rest of the school, one for the parents and a third that was open to the general public. Me and my pals, dressed up to the nines, myself in the Steve Priest role wielding a mock bass made in woodwork, mimed to 'Hell Raiser' and, well, not to put too finer point on it, we went down a storm! So successful were we, that for every show, play and pantomime at school and the drama club over the next 2½ years, we were invited to reprise our little act, which we did, to often memorable effect.
Between 1973 and 1975, in addition to 'Hell Raiser' we mimed to 'Blockbuster', 'Ballroom Blitz', The Six Teens', 'Burn on the Flame' (when a teacher played the wrong backing tape!) and 'Turn it Down'. The best of the lot, though, was 'Teenage Rampage', which we performed for five consecutive nights as a musical interlude in a pantomime in 1974, the audience noise behind the song providing a great fake atmosphere.
(Here I am in full-on dramatic guise in a play written by myself and three friends. In this scene, bitten by something unknown, I had turned into a werewolf and proceeded to kill everyone in grisly fashion, wasting lashings of fake blood in the process. Good, wholesome, family entertainment folks!)
In addition to my ridiculously heavy, solid wood bass, we also made two microphone stands (one held together by gaffa tape so that our 'Brian Connolly' could 'break' it over his knee, rock vocalist style) and some fake drums, all of which seemed convincing to us at the time, but in retrospect looked exactly as you would expect them to, made by a bunch of 13 year-olds in their woodwork classes!
For each successive show I (with help from Mum) tried to find more and more garish and outlandish clothes to wear, which were invariably complimented on the night by the make-up department going to town on my face with ever increasing relish, with the result that I often looked less Steve Priest and more Alice Cooper. As well as performing these little fake musical excursions, the boys in 'the band' also had roles in all the productions, so they were busy nights for us, after full days at school. On more than one occasion I walked home, exhausted, through the streets of Walthamstow in full Steve Priest costume - what was I thinking?
Are you ready Steve?
'Sweet Drama', as we were imaginatively christened by one of the teachers, came to an end in 1975 when my family moved out of London. Myself and my chums were all getting into prog by then and would have quite happily performed as 'ELP Drama' if anyone had asked, but after one last 'Turn It Down' we were done, as indeed was my youthful foray into the dramatic arts. I never stepped on a stage again.
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