I-Pod Playlist - Cowboy Copas

 

Cowboy Copas is probably the shortest playlist on the I-pod with only 26 songs.

However here at CCM we are more concerned with quality as opposed to quantity so it shouldn't be an issue.

We start with the great Ray Davies, the frontman of The Kinks, and the song Vietnam Cowboys from his 2007 album Working Man's Cafe. My copy came free with the Sunday Times via my mother-in-law.

Next up we have a cover with Laura Cantrell 's version of the Lambchop song Cowboy on the Moon.

We then go a bit psychedelic with Jonathan Edwards and Honky Tonk Stardust Cowboy.  A wee change of scene from his triple jumping and church going!

Finally, it would be churlish not to feature something by our title star.

It's Devil Gate Drive next. Will Suzi get a mention?

Ray Davies - Vietnam Cowboys

Laura Cantrell - Cowboy On The Moon

Jonathan Edwards - Honky Tonk Stardust Cowboy

Cowboy Copas - Tennessee Waltz

More Sounds of the New West - The Best of Americana 2000

 

I've selected  an Uncut compilation More Sounds of the New West - The Best of Americana 2000 to feature as the 26th entry in this series.

Coincidentally I featured this CD at almost the same time last year. This is not a significant problem as it is a compilation which merits more than one post. It did mean that I had to alter my tracks selection somewhat.

That wasn't an issue as there were plenty more excellent tunes to choice from.. We start with The Flying Burrito Brothers surely one of the Godfathers of the genre. Here they are with their version of Dan Penn's  classic Dark Side of the Street a song that featured on Ernie's occasional Single Song Sunday Series.

Calexico are a band who are no stranger to CCM and several other Blogs. Their song The Ballad of Cable Hogue from their album Hot Rail is a big favourite here.

We conclude with Giant Sand and their song Raw.

Rest assured that should this CD ever feature again there are still plenty more great songs to choose from.

The Flying Burrito Brothers - Dark End of the Street

Calexico - The Ballad of Cable Hogue

Giant Sand - Raw

Saturday Shuffle 137

 

The Rockingbirds are no strangers to the Blog or indeed the Shuffle. When they are not Gradually Learning or singing the praises of Jonathan Richman they can be found In Tall Buildings.

Quiz time. How many of you can name an Edwin Starr song which is not War? I'll wait.

I'm sure you will have come up with something and Chapeau to any of you who came up with the title track of his 1965 album Twenty Five Miles

I woiuld like to dedicate the song War to Messrs Trump and Netanyahu

I'm sure that many of you are wondering what the heck the picture above is all about and its relevance to the Shuffle 

Well I'll put you out of your misery by posting the third and final song on the shuffle namely a Bobby Rush song from 1972 called Bowlegged Woman, Knock-Kneed Man.

More Bowlegged Women and Knock- Kneed men next Saturday but hopefully no warmongers.

The Rockingbirds - In Tall Buildings

Edwin Starr - Twenty Five Miles

Bobby Rush - Bowlegged Woman, Knock- Kneed Man

Relegation Material

 

Once again I have reached the stage that many Bloggers will be familiar with namely the Space Conundrum.

It is getting close to a one in, one out policy and drastic action is required.

The somewhat ad hoc blues/ rockabilly/ rock'n' roll section is full to bursting with no space to expand or to allow for newer CDs

It is time then to be ruthless and to downgrade some physical Burns to digital Downloads.

The first burn to receive this measure is the album Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats from 2015  on Stax by the band of the same name. It was released to a fair degree of hype but it is one that I've never really taken to.

The second album subjected to the same fate is Fish Ain't Bitin' by Bluesman Corey Harris from 1997 on the Alligator label. It probably came to my attention via The Blues Show with Paul Jones which used to be on Radio 2. 

I gave it its first listen in an age and felt fully justified with the downgrade. It's one I can't see myself listening to any time soon.

I suspect that there will be a few posts along these lines in due course.

Nathaniel Rateliff & The Night Sweats - S.O.B.

Cory Harris - Fish Aint Bitin'

i-Pod Playlist - Countrywise

 

This week's I-Pod playlist is Countrywise i.e. songs that reference Country names in their title.

There are plenty to choose from and hopefully I have gone for three which you  wouldn't necessarily think of immediately.

Having said that I may well have failed on the first hurdle as I give you Big in Japan by Alphaville. Back in the day when Mrs CC noticed that I was looking at my Blog stats she would ask " Are you big in Japan?" Our Japanese friends are reasonably frequent visitors but I haven't seen any recently. Should any visit this post I hope that they don't find it too patronising.

It is unusual but not unknown for cover versions to be better than the original songs. I'm sure that you all can come up with some examples. For me a prime example is Sinead O'Connor's version of the John Grant song Queen of Denmark.

We are heading back to the Orient for today's final offering. Indeed we are going Somewhere In China in the company of the Shop Assistants.

Next weeks Playlist theme is Cowboy Copas and you will be relieved to know that we are now over halfway through this series.

Alphaville - Big in Japan

Sinead O'Connor - Queen of Denmark

Shop Assistants - Somewhere in China

The Life of Brian

 

A couple of weeks ago Ernie very kindly brought the eponymous album Railcard here on Slumberland Records to my attention.

It is a very pleasant listen with plenty of jingle jangle included. About 30 seconds in I thought that this one would interest Brian.  I sent a message to him saying that this would be right up his street if he did not already have it.

It was no great surprise when he replied that he did indeed have it. I would have been more surprised if he hadn't.

He also gave me a rundown on some of the music that he was currently enjoying. One such band was  Pugwash a power pop act from Dublin who have been going strong since 1999. The track below is taken from their 2015 album Play This Intimately (As If Among Friends). A band I would definitely go and see.

Another band that he namechecked was Would- Be- Goods a UK band fronted by Jessica Griffen. They have recently released an album on Skep Wax called Tears Before Bedtime. If you like your music slightly twee this is the one for you.

Thanks for widening my horizons  Ernie and Brian 

So much music so little time, money and space!

Railcard - Railcard

Pugwash - Kicking and Screaming

Would - Be - Goods - Tears for Leda

Mr Tambourine Man

 

My quest to obtain all 8 of the 1960s albums by The Byrds has taken another step forward with the acquisition of their 1965 debut Mr Tambourine Man.

Sadly it is not the original vinyl copy that I pickued up but rather the 1989 European CD release by CBS.

The band at this time  consisted of  Jim (Roger) McGuinn, Gene Clark, David Crosby,Chris Hillman and Michael Clarke

12 tracks (including 3 Bob Dylan songs) and 31.35 minutes long. Ir would be remiss not to include the title track, penned by Dylan, particularly as it is quite probably the original reference to jingle jangle.

I Feel a Whole Lot Better was written by Gene Clark with  The Bells of Rhymney being penned by Idris Davies and Pete Seger.

Only Dr Byrds & Mr Hyde (March 1969 US  and April in the UK ) and Ballad of Easy Rider released in the US in November 69 and the UK in January 1970 to get.

The Byrds - Mr Tambourine Man

The Byrds - I Feel a Whole Lot Better

The Byrds - The Bells of Rhymney