Sunday, 8 February 2026
Twangfest - Edges from the Postcard 5
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Saturday, 7 February 2026
Saturday Shuffle 132
I was looking at previous Shuffles during the week and a noticed a few things.
There are two numbers 23,43,53 and 54, no 32 and one with no number. Therefore this is, I think, actually SS138. I don't have the time of inclination to go back and correct the mistakes. Also it is a good while this there was an error so I appear to have become more dilgent (for the time being) .
Three songs this week which I don't think have appeared in this series before. Given the above, please don't quote me on that!
First up are The Frank and Walters surely the finest band ever to have come out of Cork. Here is probably their best known song Fashion Crisis Hits New York.
There are a couple of live albums by Bruce Springsteen and the E-Street Band on the MP3 player. This version of The Promised Land was recorded live in Passiac, New Jersey on 19th September, 1978.
We conclude with Steve Wynn who I recently saw live as lead of The Dream Syndicate. Here he is with Amphetamine from the 2003 album Static Transmission by Steve Wynn & the Miracle 3.
SS 133 next Saturday ( or if you prefer SS 139!)
The Frank and Walters -Fashion Crisis Hits New York
Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band - The Promised Land
Steve Wynn & the Miracle 3 - Amphetamine
Friday, 6 February 2026
Blog Country 133 - Ghana
If you have a couple of days to spare and are looking for something to do you could do worse than to pop over to Ernie's place and type Ghana into the search function. The songs will keep you busy for days.
I usually try to avoid stepping on Ernie's toes when it comes to African countries but I had neither the time nor the inclination to check whether any of these artists featured there feature here.I suspect some may have but it will do no harm to hear more from them.
I discovered that Ed Sheeran has the Ghanaian flag tattooed on his wrist.That very nearly stopped me going any further.
In no particular order lets kick off with Wendy Shay who in March 2021 was among the top 30 Most Influential Women in Music according to the Ghanaian 3Music Awards. Here she is with Too Late.
Next up is Amakye Dede a high life musician i.e music characterised by melodic brass instruments, multiple guitars and rhythmic percussion. Here he is joined by Apollo Kings International with the song Asem to Mea Kabi Mame.
Ben Brako is another high life musician who rose to prominence in the mid to late 80s. His song today is Moko Mekrom.
We've managed to make some room for Paapa Yankson & the Christian Singers with Gye Me Oo.
Last, but not least,we conclude with some royalty courtesy of King Ayisoba a traditional musician known for his unique style of music alongside the kologo a traditional 2- stringed lute from Northern Ghana.The song is I Want to See You My Father
Apologies for the delay in this one. The enormity of the artists available had me avoiding diving in for too long.
Next time round it will be yet another African country.
Amakye Dede (ft Apollo Kings International) - Asem to Mea Kabi Mame
Thursday, 5 February 2026
News of the World - 3
It is every bit as salacious as the NoW but managed to sink to even lower depths when it "reported " on the Hillsborough Disaster of 15th April 1989 when 97 Liverpool fans ( a further fan died after the above picture) were crushed to death at Sheffield Wednesday's stadium in a FA Cup semi-final against Nottingham Forest
The South Yorkshire Police were also complicit in spreading such untruths and were widely criticised in The Taylor Report (see link above)
I remember that we were in a pub in Glasgow's West End when the news first came on the TV. My pal Pete, who stayed in Sheffield at the time, was rightly worried as he had friends attending the game. Thankfully they emerged unscathed.
The S*n was rightly boycotted by the majority of the citizens of Liverpool and to this day many newsagents there won't stock it. Never Buy the S*n as Billy Bragg rightly sings.
Today's second tabloid paper is the Daily Star which has run from 1978 as a S*n impersonator. Probably not what Belly had in mind when they released this single .
This weeks two news related songs as opposed to newspaper related are Turn on the News by Hüsker Dü and News at Ten by The Vapors.
Look out for your paper boy/girl next Thursday
Wednesday, 4 February 2026
The Clarkston Americana Haul - Marah
2026 Charity Shop Purchases #6 - Marah - If You Didn't Laugh You'd Cry
From 2005 and on the Munich label in Europe and Yep Roc in the US If You Didn't Laugh You'd Cry is 7th album by the band Marah.
It joins their second album Kids in Philly on the blue Americana shelves. Kids was an album I bought with some of my winnings from the Grand National sweepstake at work back in 2018
Like the Deadstring Brothers they can only loosely be defined as Americana, but where else would they go? Stephen King ( yes him!) describes them as probably the best band in America that nobody knows. He then slightly ruins it by calling then the American U2.
I don't see that myself. If I did it would be going straight back.
My instinct is that it is a keeper but that it will also be a grower. Feel free to quote me on that Mr King.
Probably worth 50p
Marah - The Dishwasher's Dream
That takes my Americana total up to 666!
Tuesday, 3 February 2026
The Dream Syndicate at Glasgow Art School
Saturday night saw me at the Glasgow Art School to see The Dream Syndicate. It was my first gig of the year and my first visit to the venue for about 40 years when I saw the likes of Carmel and the Bhundu Boys play.
It was a gig of two halves - the first half featuring songs from their recent albums since reforming in 2012 and the second half primarily concentrating on songs from their second album 1984's Medicine Show
The band consisted of Steve Wynn (guitar and vocals), Jason Victor (guitar), Mark Walton (bass), Linda Pittman (drums) and Chris Cacavas (Keyboards)
When I saw them at the Hug and Pint back in 2023 Vicki Patterson of Bangles fame was replacing Jason. Whilst she did a sterling job it was great to see Jason back on stage.I think that he is probably the greatest guitarist that I've ever seen.
Whereas the first half was excellent they upped the anti somewhat in the second half with, in particular, brilliant versions of The Medicine Show, John Coltrane Stereo Blues ( a particular favourite of Drew ) and Merrittville. Spine tingling stuff.
It was my first gig of the year and it will take something really special for it not to be my top gig of the year.
For feedback from their recent gigs it Italy can I refer you to Mike from Manic Pop Thrills
To top off an excellent evening I only had to wait ten minutes for my bus.
The Dream Syndicate -The Medicine Show
The Dream Syndicate - John Coltrane Stereo Blues
The Dream Syndicate - Merrittville
Monday, 2 February 2026
i-Pod Playlist - Soul 2 Soul
No not the Club Classics from Soul II Soul I'm afraid but rather some old time Soul classics from the 93 songs on the Soul 2 Soul playlist on the I-Pod. Ones that will pass the sands of time more than the Club bangers .
Is it proof you are wanting?
Look no further than Bettye Swann who is happy to Tell It Like It Is.
Sam Cook weighs in with A Change is Gonna Come,.First released in 1964 it is synonymous with the American Civil Rights movement of the 1960s. It is rightly preserved in the Library of Congress having been deemed culturally,historically or asthetically significant. It easily ticks all three boxes.
Isaac Hayes' song Shaft is certainly significant culturally as it was the theme song for the 1971 blacksploitation crime action film of the same name with Richard Roundtree playing the lead role of John Shaft.
Finally Gladys Knight & the Pips have had enough of California and are leaving on The Midnight Train to Georgia
Glorious stuff.
It's the State of the Union next and by god it is in a right old state at the moment.
Bettye Swann - Tell It Like It Is
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