First and Last Bands

 

Hot on the heels of last week's First and Last Songs this week I give you First and Last Bands

The first First is appropriately enough First Choice. They were a Philly vocal group who were active from 1971 to 1984 who released a number of dance floor classics including  Armed and Extremely Dangerous.

The first Last are The Last Internationale a New York band consisting of Edgey Pirez and Delila Paz. Delila is this week's cover star above. They were introduced to me by my late dear friend Harry who had seen them support Robert Plant.

The last First are the great Country Rock Band Kenny Rogers & the First Edition with the classic anti war song Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town.

Finally the last Last are a band I know next to nothing about called Last Train Home who get the nod as the song is called Last Good Kiss. Two for the price of one.

More Firsts and Lasts next week

First Choice - Armed and Extremely Dangerous

The Last Internationale - We Will Reign

Kenny Rogers & the First Edition - Ruby, Don't Take Your Love to Town

Last Train Home - Last Good Kiss

MAGA - Vote Harris

 

It's Election Day in the USA today and Bonfire Night in the UK - two incendiary events.

To most of us in the UK it is inconceivable that anyone would vote for Trump (but then again some folk vote Tory here). As things stand the polls seem neck and neck.

If Trump wins he will be even more unbearable than usual. If he looses it will be 6th January all over again with bells on. He will claim that he has been robbed and cheated. Democracy is a alien concept to him

Here are some Make - America - Great  - Again  songs with my take on things.

Low - Just Make it Stop

Billy Bragg - Help Save the Youth of America

Janis Ian - The Great Divide

Curtis Mayfield - Back to Living Again

Spiders and Flies

 

Some more spiders and flies for you today. Sourcing the Spiders was relatively straightforward but when it comes to Flies you have to differentiate between the insects and people travelling in the sky

Last week it was three songs featuring both spiders and flies. This week we have two individual fly and spider tracks.

For the first fly who else would you go for other than The Cramps with Human Fly?

How do you follow the Cramps? You don't of course. Pylon, however, make a brave attempt with Spider from their Chomp album. That album also has a song called Reptiles which might come in useful later on.

Tim Buckley provides the second fly number with Buzzin' Fly. Why is it flies can get into your kitchen with all doors or windows closed but won't leave if every window is open?

The more clever among you will have worked out that today's final track is the title one from the fifteenth studio album by Robyn Hitchcock (in this case with the Venus 3) from 2006.

More beasties next Monday.

The Cramps - Human Fly

Pylon - Spider

Tim Buckley - Buzzin' Fly

Robyn Hitchcock & the Venus 3 - Olé Tarantula

100 Not Out ......

 

A little bit of history has just occurred here at Charity Chic Music.

I have always been interested to check my stats to see where the viewers and bots come from.

I tried to install a Flag Counter onto the Blog but was unable to do so. Therefore I resorted to a manual spreadsheet which is updated whenever a new Country pops up on the stats.

As you would expect the views are dominated by the big hitters - UK,USA, Germany, France etc, Portugal for some strange reason, and the Bots from Singapore and Hong Kong.

The number of countries has been gradually increasing including such exotic places as Curacoa, Mayotte and both the UK and US Virgin Islands.

As you can probably also imagine it becomes increasingly more unusual for a new Country to pop up and I was stuck on 98 for a while. And then in the last few days Nepal popped up as number 99 with Morocco swiftly on it's heels to make up the century.

The United Nations recognizes 193 member countries and a further 2 independent nations so I'm now over half way there.

To celebrate this milestone here is one song from Nepal and two from Morocco. For Morocco it was tempting to pinch a couple from Ernie's African Odyssey but I've sourced another two albeit one of the acts appeared at Ernie's place.

Here's hoping that Country 101 pops up soon

Astha Raut - Nakaimi Fuli

Bab L'Bluz - AmmA

Cheb Mimoun El Oujdi - Sawlouh

Saturday Shuffle 75

 

Three legendary artists/bands for you on the shuffle this week.

We kick off with She Does it Right a song written by the late great Wilko Johnson and taken from Dr Feelgood's 1974 debut album Down by the Jetty.

Neil Young wrote Ohio in response to the Kent School shootings of 1970 here. I'm sure that we are all fervently hoping that something similar does not occur when Donald Trump is hopefully defeated on Tuesday. This version is taken from Bootleg 1971.

We conclude R.E.M, with Perfect Circle from their 1983 debut album Murmur.

More shuffling next Saturday if we survive Tuesday.

Dr Feelgood - She Does it Right

Neil Young - Ohio

R.E.M. - Perfect Circle

I Like Birds 16 - Assorted Sea Birds

 

An assorted selection of seabirds  for you this week

If I was to mention the largest seabird, the Albatross, you would immediately think of the instrumental song by Fleetwood Mac. You would be wrong  there as that has already featured in the second post in this series.

Instead you are getting The Asp and the Albatross by Americana band Freakwater. The Asp could just as easily have featured in my current Spiders and Flies mini series.

Again for the Seagull many of you might be thinking of Song to a Seagull by Joni Mitchell. It was in contention but has been usurped by Be-Bop Deluxe and their song Sister Seagull.

I think from the picture above that you will agree that the Shag is totally cool. Billy Graves certainly thinks so.

For this week's band name we are off to London to meet the Guillemots who, quite rightly giving the price of electricity ar  asking Who Left the Lights off Baby? and therefore saving some hard earned  cash

More feathered friends next Friday hopefully.

Freakwater - The Asp and the Albatross

Be-Bop Deluxe - Sister Seagull

Billy Graves - The Shag is (Totally Cool)

The Guillemots - Who Left The Lights Off Baby

Is a Dream a Lie if it Don't Come True?

 

The River the 5th studio album by Bruce Springsteen from 1980 was the first album of his that I bought on vinyl at the time of release.(the only other one being Western Stars).

I played it half to death around then. As his popularity grew many of the songs, and in particular, Hungry Heart, were played continuously on the radio and soon lost their allure.

The title track popped up on the I-pod the other day when I was peeling apples  and stopped me in my tracks - I know any opportunity. The lyrics are astonishingly good.

It was followed by the even more brilliant  Nebraska and then came Born in the USA and it was pretty much downhill from there on in.

Bruce Springsteen - The River

Bruce Springsteen - Out in the Streets

Bruce Springsteen -Cadillac Ranch