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Friday, 10 July 2026

Tired Of Taking

 


Having subjected you to some gentle female singers this week in the shape of Tracy Chapman and Rumer, and not forgetting Andrew Lloyd Webber, I thought that I should finish the week on a slightly louder note.

Step forward Tippi, Soup, Gill and Rosie collectively known as The Hedrons.

I was a big fan of their 2007 debut album One More Won't Kill Us and have featured it here on a few occasions. 

More recently they were taken under the Last Night From Glasgow wing  leading to the follow up album Tired of Taking in late 2023 some 16 years later.

This excellent article in Goldmine gives a more detailed account than I could begin to muster.

These two should blow away the cobwebs.


The Hedrons - Give Me a Chance

The Hedrons -Heartache

Thursday, 9 July 2026

This Girl's In Love


 



2026 Charity Shop Purchases #18 - Rumer -This Girl's In Love

It has been a Smooth Radio week on CCM what with Tracy Chapman, Andrew Lloyd Weber and now Rumer. I may have to finish the week with something more noisy.

From 2016 on East West Records - This Girl's In Love - A Bacharach & David Songbook is the 4th album by UK/Pakistani singer Sarah Joyce.

As you would expect her interpretations of the B&D Songbook are on point. Let's face it she could read out the phonebook and it would sound brilliant.

Perhaps not quite in the same league as Seasons Of My Soul and Boys Don't Cry but still perfect Sunday morning music.


Rumer - The Look Of Love

Rumer - You'll Never Get To Heaven (If You Break My Heart)

Rumer - A House Is Not A Home

Wednesday, 8 July 2026

The Musicals of Andrew Lloyd Webber. 2.

 


CC writes - he's back for Part 2. Strap yourselves in!

George writes:

Joseph, son of Jacob, who was a grandson of Abraham, had a truly remarkable life. Someone should write about it in a book, or even better, write a musical about him. And thanks to Mr Lloyd Webber, we have a musical, filled with many songs, and I’ve even heard of one of them. Unfortunately Dolly Parton’s great song was somehow left out. Yes, it’s Joseph and the Amazing Technicolour Dreamcoat this week.


Here’s a song that references the coat,  it’s called Joseph’s Coat:



And there’s this version, which is even better (and better for not featuring the yowling tantrums of Ms Joplin):



And here’s the song that Mr Lloyd Webber wrote:



I could have opted for Stone The Crows, a rather splendid soul  song by Jackie Robinson (no, not the bloke referenced by Joe Tex in Buying the Book).



Or this version by Faith Brown




Wait a minute…….Faith Brown, wasn’t she that comedian who did Thatcher impersonations? 


And here’s the song you’ve been waiting for……




There are many more musicals attributed to Mr Lloyd Webber. I’ve no idea if I’ll be allowed back here to tell you about them. (oh, and for the sake of your sanity, don’t listen to too much of that last song).


Thanks for reading, and thanks to Mr CCM


CC writes:

Thanks George - I think!

I'll leave it to the jury as to whether they are ready for trip 3!


Here is a song by the Glasgow band Stone the Crows who had Maggie Bell (of Taggart theme tune fame) and Les Harvey (brother of Alex) among their members


Stone The Crows - On The Highway

Tuesday, 7 July 2026

Tracy Tracy

 


A Charity acquistion but not one that counts in my yearly list as this one was purchased by Mrs CC.

Like most folk I suspect I was aware of her eponymous 1998 debut album  ( Tracy Chapman not Mrs CC!)but nothing else. Collection  a compilation from 2001 contains 4 tracks from that debut album, 3 from Crossroads (1989), 2 from Matters of the Heart (1992). 4 from New Beginning (1995) and 3 from Telling Stories  (2000).

This CD then saves us the bother of tracking them all down.

The two that most caught my attention after an initial play were Give Me One Reason from New Beginning and All I Have Is Your Soul from Crossroads. Perhaps these two require further attention.


Tracy Chapman -Give Me One Reason

Tracy Chapman - All That You Have Is Your Soul

Monday, 6 July 2026

Slobberbone Monday

 


A month or so ago I was in Missing Records and saw a Best Of compilation by Denton Texas' finest Slobberbone for four quid.

I hummed and hawed and decided not to buy it given I have 2000's Everything You Thought Was Right Was Wrong Today and a burn of 2002's Slippage

It's obviously stuck with me as it popped into my head the other day. Looking at their back catalogue in addition to the two above there are four from 1996 to 1998 and the said Bees and Seas: The Best of Slobberbone from 2016.

I think I made the correct decision.


Slobberbone - Engine Joe

Slobberbone -Gimme Back My Dog

Slobberbone - To Love Somebody


Sunday, 5 July 2026

Blue Rose Collection Vol 5

 


We are back in Abstatt, Germany this week to hook up with the good people from Blue Rose Records.

Blue Rose Collection Volume 5 is the third, and I think last, compilation from the label that I have. We appear to be doing it in reverse chronologically given we started with Vol 8, then Vol 7 and now Vol 5

By and large the usual suspects appear with some being more obscure than others as befits such a compilation.

Obviously I can't see past Steve Wynn so we kick off with his song Mandy Breakdown. Farmer Not So John also have a presence on the blue shelf so here they are with Undertow.

I've also gone for two of the five bonus tracks. Firstly I give you Big In Iowa with a cover of the Neil Young classic Cinnamon Girl.We conclude with Rich Hopkins & Luminarios  and the song Poker Face thankfully not a cover of the Lady Gaga number.

This is number 40 in this Sunday Series. I'm aiming for 50. My spreadsheet says  64 but I suspect some of them may be a bit spurious. Not that that's ever stopped me.


Steve Wynn - Mandy Breakdown

Farmer Not So John - Undertow

Big in Iowa-Cinnamon Girl

Rich Hopkins & the Luminarios - Poker Face

Saturday, 4 July 2026

Saturday Shuffle 151

 

 

Welcome to Saturday Shuffle 151 - with a bullet.

The first shot is Savoir Complex track 8 from Punisher the 2020 album by Phoebe Bridgers.

The Bullet Hole theme is inspired by the song of the same name by The Dream Syndicate  from their 2019 album These Times the one that caused me to get back into them in a big way.

I would imagine that the late Jamaican reggae artist and producer Keith Hudson would have been no stranger to the occassional bullet hole or two. Here he is with the Soul Syndicate on the song Nuh Skin Up Dub off  the 2007 Mojo Compilation  Sun is Shining here

Hopefully the sun will still be shining next week when we return with SS 152


Phoebe Bridgers - Savoir Complex

The Dream Syndicate - Bullet Holes

Keith Hudson & the Soul Syndicate - Nuh Skin Up Dub