That Summer!

 

In a comments on a recent Saturday Shuffle post which featured She's So Modern by The Boomtown Rats our dear friend Brian made the following statement:

She’s So Modern is as good as the Rats ever got and one of the highlights from the best soundtrack ever assembled. Surely I don’t need to name it anymore.

Somewhat cryptic as I'm sure you'll agree but I for one completely got it . He was of course talking about That Summer! the greatest ever soundtrack from 1979 and from what was universally acknowledged as a crappy film.

You want proof? Just look at this tracklist which includes zero duds plus some of the greatest songs of all time

I used to have a copy (on cassette I think) but that has disappeared over the years and I have all the tracks digitally.

Coincidentally prior to Brian's comments I had been checking Discogs for vinyl copies. His comments were enough for me to pull the trigger and my vinyl copy has duly been delivered.

All, or at the very least the vast majority of the 16 tracks, have appeared here at some point and will likely do so again.

I make no apologies 

The Only Ones -Another Girl, Another Planet

Wreckless Eric - Whole Wide World

Elvis Costello -Watching The Detectives

Nothing to see here for a couple of weeks as we are off on a well deserved holiday to deepest, darkest  Galloway

Northern Soul Floorfillers

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 56 - Various - Northern Soul Floorfillers

The third of the four for a pound purchases in the Wigtown Community Shop.

This double CD contains 50 Original Dancefloor Classics so I make it 0.5p per track.

Now that is value for money in anyone's book but when you see the tracklist I'm sure you will agree that it is an absolute steal.

Realistically any of the 50 tracks could appear here and the quality would not diminish. I'm going to feature three of the female singers as they are often under represented. Fortunately that does not apply to this compilation.

Let's start with Mitty Collier with Don't Let Her Take My Baby. Mitty was the first artist to appear on the Blog as far back as November 2012

In contrast Geraldine Hunt is making her debut appearance with I Let Myself Go. Haven't we all!

Let's conclude with the great Etta James who has graced these pages many times in a Soul, Blues or Jazz capacity.Today she gives us Street of Tears.

Wonderful stuff.

Mitty Collier - Don't Let Her Take My Baby

Geraldine Hunt - I Let Myself Go

Etta James - Street of Tears

Rough and Rowdy Ways

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 55 - Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways

Rough and Rowdy Ways the 39th studio album by Bob Dylan  was released in 2020 to much critical acclaim and was far superior to those immediately preceding it. 

I picked up a vinyl copy at the time and found that the almost universal praise was indeed justified. Five years later I found myself in a charity shop where a CD copy was available for £1.25. Naturally I bought it as I considered it be an absolute no brainer.

Why do I need this album in two different formats? Maybe it is as Brian suggested when  I recently did the same with Searching For The Young Soul Rebels that we need help. I prefer to think that we Contain Multitudes and/or have Crossed the Rubicon.

Bob Dylan - I Contain Multitudes

Bob Dylan - Crossing the Rubicon

Bobby Bland - The Voice

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 54 -  Bobby Bland - The Voice - Duke Recordings 1959-69

I've got most of the 26 tracks on this album on Bobby " Blue" Bland - The Absolutely Essential 3CD Collection but hey when has that ever stopped me before.

Justification? 

• It's Bobby Bland
• There are a few of the 25 songs that are not on the 3CD compilation
• It's on the Ace label
• It's a good companion piece to the burn of Bobby "Blue " Bland - The "3B" Blues Boy- The Blues Years 1952-59 which I would replace with the CD should I ever see it
• I need help

There you are then- total justification

Further proof? Just listen to the songs below. To the best of my knowledge none of them have appeared here before

Bobby Bland - Who Will The Next Fool Be

Bobby Bland - Two Steps From The Blues

Bobby Bland - Sometimes You Gotta Cry A Little

Hotel Motel 11

 

Welcome to the penultimate instalment of the Hotel, Motel (but no Holiday Inn) series

Rol seemed confident that I could easily surpass the dozen but I'm afraid his confidence is unfounded as it has proved pretty difficult to even get this far.

Anyway, less grumbling and more music I hear you say. Fair enough. In the hotel corner I give you Brothers on a Hotel Bed by the band Death Cab for Cutie from their 5th studio album 2005's Plans.

Wiki says that the song addresses possible languor in a long-time relationship whereas Genius goes further stating that this song is about a couple growing old together, as their bodies age, and they grow apart. Gibbard portrays the couple's relationship as a platonic (symbolic for a marriage or relationship) the passion has died. Make of that what you will

Fortunately, as you would expect,with Moonlight Motel, The Boss is much more straightforward on the final track of the 2019 return to form album Western Stars

One more to go

Death Cab For Cutie - Brothers on a Hotel Bed

Bruce Springsteen - Moonlight Motel

s (symbolic for a marriage or relationship), the part.  portrays the couple’s relationship as a platonic relationship between siblings. Though they share a bed (symbolic for a marriage or relationship), the passion has died.

Shoeshine Records Sampler

 

For this Sunday's Americana Compilation ( SAC?) we are heading back to Glasgow and the year 2001.

Shoeshine Records was a label led by Francis McDonald, the erstwhile drummer of Teenage Fanclub, who also released records under the name Spit & Polish.

Their stable was a combination of local bands and some American acts who often turned up in Glasgow for concerts put up by Tom Hamilton  under the Death and  Taxes moniker.

I've gone for three acts that I saw on more than one occasion at the time.

We start with local band Radio Sweethearts who were ofter the go to band to support American acts appearing at King Tuts and other venues. Their track on the sampler is Don't Make Me Wait from their New Memories (SHOECD005) album. Or more accurately as  New Memories Revisited as it was originally released by St Roch Records in 1996 which is the copy I have on the shelves.

Next up is Peel favourite Laura Cantrell  with Do You Ever Think of Me from her debut album Not The Tremblin' Kind (SPITCD001)

We conclude with the wonderful Paul Burch & the WPA Ballclub  with Blue Notes (SPITCD005).

Wonderful stuff and a real trip down memory lane for me.

Radio Sweethearts - Don't Make Me Wait

Laura Cantrell - Do You Ever Think Of Me

Paul Burch & the WPA Ballclub - Forever Yours

Saturday Shuffle 120

 

It seems that today's cover star Del Shannon had more hits than just Runaway. Who knew? Jon Savage clearly does as Del Boy singing Stranger in Town was included as part of the compilation 1965 The Year the Sixties Ignited.

Suzi Quatro would have been 15 then. We had to wait until the early 70's and Glam Rock for Suzi to ignite. Given songs like Can the Can it was clearly worth the wait

Which Side Are You On? first came to my attention as part of the Between the Wars EP from Billy Bragg in 1985. It was originally written by US activist Florence Reece in 1931. Give the rise of the Far Right and scumbags like Trump and  Reform it is arguably as relevant today than it ever was - perhaps more so.

We shall keep fighting the good fight next Saturday.

Del Shannon - Stranger in Town

Suzi Quatro - Can the Can

Billy Bragg - Which Side Are You On?