State of the Union - Texas

George writes:

How often is it that the best song an album is the final one? Today, the outstanding track you can play is The Day Texas Sank To The Bottom Of The Sea, from the album Micah P Hinson and The Gospel Of Progress. A long, slow heartfelt belter of a song, and again (you’re welcome!) the best song you will hear today.

Micah P Hinson - The day Texas sank to the bottom of the sea

On a more upbeat note, Merle Haggard bought the largest round of drinks, ever, in 1983, in Fort Worth. It was for 5 095 people.

In a search for interesting things, I discovered that in El Paso (the city) it is illegal to urinate on the streets. I spent some time wondering why this is deemed noteworthy in “strange laws of Texas”, and I just can not work it out. The implication, if this is indeed a strange law, is that it is legal to urinate of the streets of many places in the USA.

Music. There are just not enough German bands making Americana music with a bit of yodelling thrown in. But not here, not today, just go and buy Son Of Kraut.

Centerville, Texas, is not only home to the black-eyed pea festival (or feijão frade to us) but is also home to Samuel John Hopkins. Lightnin’ Hopkins has a song called Abilene, which is not to be confused with that dire country song of the same name

Lightnin' Hopkins - Abilene

That’s Texas. Only 10% desert. And that disgusting soft drink Dr Pepper originated in Texas.

Note to CC: Just because it is Texas this week in no way allows you to post a track by weegie band Texas!

CC writes : Fair enough

Ray Wylie Hubbard - Screw You, We're From Texas

We are away for a few days  (not to Texas) so there will be a reduced servcie until early next week

Dick and Andre RIP

Sad news that over the weekend  two great octogenarian artists passed away.
Dick Dale - The King of the Surf Guitar  - was 81.His incendiary style was before it's time and a huge influence on many who followed.
He latterly achieved some well deserved fame when his song Miserlou featured in Pulp Fiction.

Andre Williams would have been a contemporary of Dale in the early 60's when he recorded songs such as Jail Bait and Shake a Tail Feather.
He succumbed to drug addiction and homelessness but began to record with Bloodshot Records in Chicago where he was living  in the late 1990's.
He died aged 82.

Rest easy guys.

Dick Dale & his Deltones - Miserlou

Dick Dale - Night Rider

Andre Williams & Sally Timms - Glue

Dead Letter Office

An executive decision was taken at the last Board meeting at CCM HQ
The motion which was carried  unanimously read " in future the only R.E.M. albums purchased will be those on the I.R.S. label"
This motion has now been put into practice with the purchase of Dead Letter Office a collection of rarities and B-sides released in 1987.
The first song selected today Burning Hell is the b-side of Can't Get There From Here from the Fables of the Reconstruction album released in 1985.
Toys in the Attic is the first Aerosmith song to appear on these pages. Rest assured Aerosmith will never appear here. This was a  b-side on the 12" single of Fall on Me from 1986's Lifes Rich Pageant .

I've a few to go. I had most, if not all, of them on tape back in the day. Looking forward to filling in the blanks.

R.E.M. - Burning Hell

R.E.M. - Toys in the Attic

A Happy Country Song

They said it couldn't be done but I beg to differ.
Yes. I've managed to find a happy country song!
From Come Fly With Us a compilation album from the great German Glitterhouse label (21 bands,74 minutes of music) here are the aptly named  Sunshine Club with Happy Song.

To show that this is somewhat of a one-off the other song by the English artist Michael Weston-King , formerly of the band The Good Sons, reverts to type with a song about death.

Normal service now resumed.

Sunshine Club - Happy Song

Michael Weston -King - Lay Me Down

Double Initials - JJ

A lot of fantastic suggestions this week. So much so that I am thinking of revisiting this at some stage during the week.There were easily about 20 that I could have chosen. 

There seems to be a lot of love out there for Australian singer songwriter Julia Jacklin with George getting in first swiftly followed by the Swede and Ernie Goggins.

I can see why after hearing a couple of songs from her new album Crushing. Meanwhile here is the title track from her debut album.

Ramone666 has clearly got the hang of  this series as he sent me four great songs to choose from. He advises that the pick of the bunch is Johnny Jenkins and who am I to argue.

Rigid Digit  came up with the final offering for today.

It gives me another chance to tell the story of when I worked on a kibbutz where there was an American volunteer called Jordan who happened to be a Mormon. I'm sure you can work out the rest.

It is KK next. Two very quickly sprung to mind and thereafter I got stuck.

Over to you

Julia Jacklin - Don't Let The Kids Win

Johnny Jenkins - Down Along the Cove

Jilted John - Jilted John

Introducing The Style Council

I thought I would feature a couple of songs from The Singular Adventures of the Style Council today. So I had a quick check to see what songs of theirs I had previously posted.. None was the answer, to my surprise, as they have never featured here before.
Dee C. Lee has featured with one of the song's being her take on The Paris Match.
I can't find any mentions of Paul Weller as a solo artist although I'm fairly sure that I've featured Stanley Road.
Hell,  even the Jam have only ever appeared twice and even then only very briefy..


There was a bit of a mixed reception when Weller reappeared with The Style Council given the fairly radical change of direction. Some embraced it, others were not happy at all.
I was reasonably indifferent either way.
I liked them well enough to pick up Home and Abroad and subsequently the Singular Adventures.
Can't say that I listen to them much these days though.


These two are on both records:

The Style Council -Walls Come Tumbling Down

The Style Council - Shout to the Top!

Trying to Get My Mojo Working

Apart from the Saturday Double Initials post  and George's Weekly State of the Union address I have been struggling a bit recently to get my mojo working.
The few recent purchases briefly gave me a new lease of life but that seam has now just about been exhausted.
Fortunately I was playing a Mojo compilation called Southern Soul  in the car this week and it features two songs which have the word Mojo in the title.
So they will have to do until something else comes along.

Ike & Tina Turner - Mojo Queen

Don Varner - Mojo Mamma