Blog Country 137 - Madagascar

 

It's Madagascar this time round - the world's fourth largest island, the second largest island country (after Indonesia) and the 46th largest country overall and quite possibly the only one to have a film named after it.

As it is an African country I'm contractually obliged to share Ernie's African Odyssey post.I've tried to select some acts that he hasn't previously covered.

The wonderfully named Eusebe Jayojoby has appeared at his place but not as part of the Odyssey. He is a singer of salegy, a musical style of north west Madagascar. Here he is with Manantany.

Rabaza are a group from Taolagnoro (Fort Dauphin) on the southern cost of Madagascar who perform a blend of traditional musical styles.Today's offering is Pelamainty.

Paul Bert Rahasimanana  thankfully is better known as Rossy. He  performs a fusion of hira gasy instrumentation and vocal style with contemporary rock, funk and folk sounds to create a Malagasy genre of contemporary popular music. Unfortunately he also has a Gasy Car.

It's time for the ladies Vaivay Chila  is a vocalist and composer of salegy music from the northern coastal region of the country and is the most popular female salegy artist of the last decade.. Here she is with Tsisy Prestige.

We conclude with Wendy Cathalina who apparently has emerged as one of country's promising young musical talents. See what you think with Tsôtsôro.

We are off to the Caribbean next time round

Eusebe Juojoby - Manantany

Rabaza - Pelamainty

Rossy - Gasy Car

Vaiavy Chila - Tsisy Prestige

Wendy Cathalina - Tsotsoro

The Roots of Psychobilly

 

2026 Charity Shop Purchases #12 - Various Artists -The Roots of Psychobilly

It's time to give your Tuesday a much needed kick up the backside with the 50 track double CD  The Roots of Psychobilly from 2012 on the Not Now Music label.

Like me I'm sure you will recognise some of the names - Link Wray, Dick Dale, Johnny Burnette etc but that many will be new to you

According to a post on E-Bay Psychobilly is generally thought of as being a blend of '70s punk with '50s rockabilly. It first surfaced in the 1970s with bands like The Cramps, then expanded into the '80s with a whole wave of bands led by The Meteors and King Kurt, and went one step further in the '90s with Tiger Army and all the bands that followed in their wake. However, it s only the roots of Psychobilly that concern us here, in this collection of wild vinyl oddities from the '50s and early '60s: a curious mix of rockabilly, surf instrumentals and overall beatnik weirdness, often thrashed out by genuine wildmen in the middle of nowhere.

Three songs for you today taken pretty much at random.

I may well revisit this one in due course for a Psychobilly Friday or two, or three

Dwight Pullens - Sunglasses After Dark

Freddie & the Hitch Hikers - Sinners

Gene Summers and his Rebels - School of Rock' n' Rolll

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