Three classic songs for you today. All songs and artists from around the same era. They will all have featured here before (probably more than once) but never on the Shuffle
We kick of with the Tom Robinson Band and 2-4-6-8 Motorway . Originally released as a single in 1977 it also featured on their 1978 debut album Power In The Darkness which remains a fine record.
I didn't realise that Days by Kirsty MacColl was not released until 1989 so maybe not quite all from the same era! I'm sure that even Ray Davies , the author of the song, would concede that hers is the definitive version. Sadly missed.
We return to 1977 with Wreckless Eric and Whole Wide World which remains a strong candidate in the unlikely event of me featuring on Desert Island Discs.
Fast approaching 50 years old ( or 40 in Kirsty's case) they certainly have all stood the tests of time.
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.
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.
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
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.
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.
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