Normal for Bridgwater

Some West Coast Americana for you today - the west coast of Somerset that is.
Peter Brutnell is a New Zealand born British Americana artist who stays in Somerset and has released an album called Normal for Bridgwater.
Neither of these songs are from that album.
The excellent Here Came the Swells is from his 2002 album Ends of the Earth although I have taken it from a Loose records compilation Loose Reflections
Darling I Suppose is from another Loose compilation New Sounds of the Old West - volume two.

I've seen him live on a  few occasions and he always puts up a good show.

Peter Bruntnell -Here Come The Swells

Peter Bruntnell -Darling I Suppose

Some Sunday Soul

When Percy Sledge died last April it highlighted to me that I should own more of his music than the meagre amount that I currently have.
I took a very small step towards this the other week when I purchased a copy of his single Cover Me in a record shop in Dunbar, East Lothian (more of which in a later post).
It is the Marlin Greene and Eddie Hinton song Cover Me. You will all be delighted to know that I also have the Bruce Springsteen song of the same name which I may subject you to if you don't behave.

According to the sleeve the b-side consists of  Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham's You Tear Me Up and Chips Moman and Dan Penn's Dark Side of the Street.
However it is not Dark Side which is on the record but Eddie Hinton and Donnie Fritts' You're All Around Me
I can live with this as I have Percy's version of Dark Side of the Street along with 15 other versions  copied onto a CD. Pretty good but obviously not in the same league as James Carr.Also You're All Around Me  is pretty tasty.

More Soul next Sunday

Percy Sledge - Cover Me

Percy Sledge - It Tears Me Up

Percy Sledge - You're All Around Me

Celtic Connections 2012

Gerry Rafferty died in January 2011. In what has now become an annual tradition of paying homage to recently deceased Scottish artists a tribute concert was one of the main features of the Celtic Connections 2012 programme.
Here is Gerry with the title track from his debut album dating back to 1971
One of the  key people in putting this tribute together was fellow Scottish musician Rab Noakes who is also now a producer for Radio Scotland. Here is Mississippi which is for Erik if he is out there.

Francois and the Atlas Mountains as far as I am aware have no connection with Gerry Rafferty but this is a lovely song.
The final offering has been selected more for it's social history component as opposed to the quality of the music. Here is Arthur Johnstone's slant on the Upper Clyde Shipbuilders Work In


Gerry Rafferty - Can I Have My Money Back

Rab Noakes - Mississippi

Francois & the Atlas Mountains - Les Plus Beaux

Arthur Johnstone - Doon Through The Years

Birthday Boys

Today would have been the 84th birthday of the Man in Black Mr John R Cash.
It is also the 53rd birthday of retired blogger cum peanut farmer George,

To commemorate this momentous occasion here are a couple of tracks from the recently released "lost" album Out Among The Stars featuring previously unreleased songs recorded in 1984 which Mrs CC bought for me on my last birthday
The version of She Used to Love Me a Lot is the bonus track on the album and is the one which is produced by Elvis Costello.

Happy birthday chaps
It is also Michael Bolton's birthday

Johnny Cash - I Drove Her Out Of My Mind

Johnny Cash - She Used To Love Me A Lot

Redwalls and Universal Blues

On the 7th of May 2005 at Glasgow's King Tuts I saw The Redwalls support and completely blow away Nine Black Alps.
On the strength of their performance I purchased their recently released album De Nova which I have previously featured.
Thereafter they completely slipped off my radar - remember this was pretty much pre Internet days.

Step forward to  14th February 2016 when  in the Shelter charity shop on Edinburgh's Corstorphine Road I happened across their 2003 debut Universal Blues.

Result!

The Redwalls - Colorful Revolution

The Redwalls -It's Alright

Trash

Until recently the only Trashcan Sinatras album I was familiar with was their third album from 1996 A Happy Pocket on Go!Discs which I won in a Radio Scotland competition.
That recently changed following a visit to the Glaisnock Cafe and Bookshop in Wigtown when I came away with a copy of their 1990 debut Cake purchased for the princely sum of a quid.

From Irvine in Ayrshire, Scotland they play  sophisticated indie rock with lovely harmonies.
For much more informative stuff around the Trashcans can I point you in the direction of the ever excellent Plain or Pan. Craig is a huge fan and given his geographical location I suspect that he may well also be an acquaintance of the band.

Without trying I appear to have selected the first two songs chosen as singles

The Trashcan Sinatras -Obscurity Knocks

The Trashcan Sinatras - Onlt Tongue Can Tell

Simples

I  recently purchased  1981's Sister Feelings Call by Simple Minds for 50p in a community thrift shop in Ballantrae, South Ayrshire.
This gave me a long awaited opportunity to finally posting The American which along with Chelsea Girl are pretty much my favourite Simple Minds songs.

Staring out as Johnny and the Self Abusers, the Minds are from  Toryglen a pretty rough and sadly neglected area of Glasgow quite near Hampden Park.
Toryglen's other main claim to fame is as the star of an advert for the Sony Bravia




Despite the name it is a safe bet that  any Tory  would not last long were they ever foolish enough to enter Toryglen


Simple Minds - The American

Simple Minds - Chelsea Girl

The Blues Collection - Little Walter

I recently revisited Stranraer. I did not come away with any Americana this time but did find three additions to The Blues Collection taking the total up to 43.
Today's offering is the only person inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame specifically as a harmonica player namely Little Walter or to give him his Sunday name Marion Walter Jacobs. Little Marion somehow does not have the same ring to it.
Born in 1930 in Marksville, Louisiana  (although other sources suggest he may have been born as early as 1925) he died aged 37 in 1968 in Chicago when his love of alcohol and fighting finally caught up with him.

Described as the king of post-war blues harpists he wrote a lot of his own stuff and also had a great voice. However I have gone for his versions of songs by Willie Dixon and Stan Lewis which have gone on to become Blues standards
Both recorded in Chicago in 1955 and featuring on the Boss Blues Harmonica album

Little Walter - My Babe

Little Walter - Boom, Boom Out Goes The Light

Some More Sunday Psychedelic Soul

It is the final installment of the Terence Trent D' Arby trilogy today with 1995's Terence Trent D'Arby's Vibrator* (* Batteries included)
The album's title and cover together with songs such as Supermodel Sandwich and  Supermodel Sandwich w/Cheese tend to confirm what many had previously suspected - old 'Tel had completely lost it.

However, as always, there are  Undeniably a couple of gems in there as these two songs clearly demonstrate.
His last album before being released by Columbia in 1996 and his subsequent reincarnation as Sananda Maitreya in 2001.

I'm off to lie in a darkened room.

Terence Trent D'Arby - Holding On To You

Terence Trent D'Arby - Undeniably

Celtic Connections 2011

A few comments and a few hits for 2010 so I shall stop pathetically canvassing for support.
Some really good female artists from the 2011 compilation for you today.

First off, a big favourite in the CCM household from her album Traiveller's Joy on White Fall Records here is Dumfries' finest Emily Smith with Gypsy Davy.
Emily is followed by Irish musical royalty in the shape of Sharon Shannon and Imelda May.Robster I hope that I haven't stolen your thunder and that this does not clash with your latest Devil's Music offering.
Finally Steele the Show featuring another excellent Scottish singer Karine Polwart.

2012 next week

Emily Smith - Gypsy Davy

Sharon Shannon (feat. Imelda May) - Go Tell The Devil

Steele The Show (feat Karine Polwart) - Heave Ya Ho

Salt and Sauce

I was in Edinburgh the other day that strange city where you get salt and sauce on your chips as opposed to salt and vinegar.
It got me thinking as to what music I have by Edinburgh artists. Not a lot seems to be the short answer.
I could only come up with country bands The Sunshine Delay and The Felsons although I'm sure there are others.

Here are a couple from Glad the third and final Felsons album from 1998 prior to Dean Owens going solo. Deano is joined by Calais Brown on guitar, Kev McGuire on bass and upright bass and K.W. Burns on drums

You'll have had your tea.

The Felsons - Boomerang Boy

The Felsons - Joseph Black

God Gave Me Gravity

My CD single of God Gave Me Gravity by Cable must rank as one of the most unusual  ones in my collection.
It is a clear disc and some feathers and pebbles are contained within the jewel case.
I suspect that I got it for the novelty value as opposed to anything else but actually it is not bad at all.

A bit of research tells me that they were from Derby and that they were active from 1992-1999. God Gave Me Gravity is from 1997. At one point they went from being Cable to cable.

One of the feathers has just escaped.

Cable -God Gave Me Gravity

Cable -Freeze The Atlantic (Supercharger Remix)

'Til Things Are Brighter

portrait by Jon Langford

I featured Marc Riley's version of Wanted Man for 1998's 'Til Things Are Brighter on Monday.

It  later occurred to me that this is probably not the easiest album to hunt down so I thought that I should share some more of it with you good people.
Recorded as a fundraiser for The Terence Higgins Trust in addition to Mr Riley it also features Johnny Cash covers by Stephen Malinder, Steve Mack, Sally Timms, David McComb, Pete Shelley, Cathal Coughlan, Brendan Crocker and Mary Mary.

There is also a quite magnificent version of Man in Black by Marc Almond which I have previously posted.
These are the other three songs on the album

Michelle Shocked - One Piece At A Time

Tracy and Melissa Beehive - Five Feet High and Risin'

Mekons - Folsom Prison Blues

Somewhat criminally this is the first time that the Mekons have featured on CCM  * hangs his head in shame*
Rest assured they will feature again.

Harvest Moon

Mrs CC was playing Harvest Moon at the weekend and the first two tracks jumped out at me and I thought I should feature them.
After Freedom and Ragged Glory a return to his acoustic stuff.
I had a wee debate with myself as to whether to post the Harvest Moon versions or those from his Unplugged album but after much swithering I plumped for the former.

A quick search of previous posts to ensure that these had previously not been featured before shows that Neil Young has been mentioned in more posts than he has actually featured which goes to show the influence he has - on my music collection at least.

Neil Young - Unknown Legend

Neil Young - From Hank to Hendrix

Wanted Man in Brooklyn NYC

Delila

The Bob Dylan penned song Wanted Man has long been a favourite of mine.
I love the way it lists a number of Southern towns whose names I suspect sound more exotic than the towns actually are .
I have previously posted the definitive Johnny Cash version so today we have 6 Music presenter and former Fall member Marc Riley.
Taken from an album 'Tl Things are Brighter - A Tribute to Johnny Cash put together by Marc and Jon Langford to raise funds for the Terrence Higgins Trust

Brooklyn's left leaning The Last Internationale currently consisting of Edgy Pires and Delila Paz also have a song called Wanted Man on their album We Will Reign  which over time could become just as iconic.


Marc Riley - Wanted Man

The Last Internationale - Wanted Man

Some Sunday Psychedelic Soul

It's Soul Jim but not as we know it

A couple of months ago I posted Introducing the Hard Line according to Terence Trent D'Arby. At the time that was the only stuff of his that I had heard apart from a couple of songs posted on Scott's ever excellent and sadly missed Spools Paradise blog.

That has however changed as I recently purchased a 3 CD box set (for £1.49) which included Hard Line and two others.
This week we will feature his third album from 1993 Terence Trent D'Arby's Symphony or Damn. Being Terence it is subtitled Exploring the Tension inside the Sweetness.
I was pleasantly surprised to find that it was much better than I expected it to be.
Here are one particularly soulful song and one which is somewhat more psychedelic.

More TTD next Sunday


Terence Trent D'Arby - Do You Love Me Like You Say?

Terence Trent D'Arby - Penelope Please

Celtic Connections 2010

Four years into this series and still only one comment! Still these posts are getting a couple of google plusses so someone out there must like them.

Maybe the first song will change all that as it is a first for  CMM - some traditional morna music from Cape Verde.
Mayra Andrade was born in Cuba to Cape Verdean parents and now lives and works in Paris. This is the title track from her 2009 album Storia Storia 
Mayra is followed by some bluegrass courtesy of Alecia Nugent from her album Hillbilly Goddess on Rounder Records.

For our traditional offering we conclude with a Robert Burns number courtesy of Pur  the collective name of Katie Mackenzie and Shona Donalson from the album The Lassies'  Reply

2011 next week

Mayra Andrade - Storia Storia

Alecia Nugent - Wreckin' The Train

Pur - My Heart's In The Highlands

Not The Blues Collection - Louis Jordan

There is a Louis Jordan CD in The Blues Collection. However it is a live recording of a concert in Paris in 1973 when he is well past his best and it is almost vaudeville on occasions. So I will not subject you to that.

Rather you are getting a couple of his classic songs from a compilation series called The Golden Greats.
Is You Is Or Is You Ain't (My Baby) was a particularly popular sing-a-long song on the 806 night bus from  Glasgow's George Square to Clarkston in the early 80's along with Laurel and Hardy's Trail of the Lonesome Pine

My first inclination if asked to describe his music would by jazz or swing rather than blues. However the ubiquitous on-line font of all knowledge (allegedly) informs me that it is in fact Jump Blues - a swinging, up-tempo dance-orientated hybrid of jazz, blues and boogie woogie. So there you go

Louis Jordan - Is You Is Or Is You Ain't (My Baby)

Louis Jordan - Saturday Night Fish Fry

I Love Your Friends, They're All So Arty

Time for a bit of FF without the S.
Their second album You Could Have It So Much Better from 2005 on the Domino label continues with the same rich vein of art school indie dance music from their eponymous debut album the previous year

Like all good pop music they burnt quickly and brightly for a while and by the time their third album Tonight: Franz Ferdinand came out in 2009 the world had begun to move on to newer things.

Good looking, talented, intelligent and very much part of the in -crowd you really want to hate them. However, their music makes that nigh on impossible.

No relation to  Rio and Anton.

Franz Ferdinand - Do You Want To

Franz Ferdinand - You're The Reason I'm Leaving

No Elvis, Beatles or The Rolling Stones

I've been meaning to post something from 1977 the 1996 debut album from Ash  for ages so here goes.
Two stonking thrashy songs.
The album is so named to commemorate the birth of two members of the band (FFS!). the release of the first Star Wars film and also of the first punk albums.

The latter was most firmly in my mind given that as soon as I thought 1977 I found myself shouting No Elvis, Beatles or The Rolling Stones - as you do

Ash - Girl From Mars

Ash - Kung Fu

The Clash - 1977

Total coincidence but today happens to be Ash Wednesday!

The Return of Happy Valley

In May 2014 when the BBC TV series Happy Valley was first aired I posted the theme tune Trouble Town by Jake Bugg.
For the one and only time CCM went viral with over 10,000 hits and counting. Pretty extraordinary when I doubt that any other post has had any more than a couple of hundred hits.
The second series starts today so it will be interesting to see whether I get a second spike.

No Jake Bugg today but rather a song called Happy and one about a Valley. Folk'll get a shock if they come on looking for young Jake.


Jenny Lewis with the Watson Twins - Happy

Giant Sand - Valley of Rain

The Fall - 85 Vintage

Drew recently commented on my Patti Smith post that he sat (or stood) through two playings of the first disc of Land whilst waiting for the Fall to deign to grace the audience with their company. Anyone who has been to a Fall gig can surely emphasise.

I've never been the world's biggest Fall fan but I find myself enjoying them more as I get older.
I got a pal The Complete Peel Sessions for his 40th and subsequently borrowed it back and copied it.
I spend a  couple of pleasant mornings in the car last week listening to sessions 8 to 15 ( May 85 to January 1992)
From Session 8 recorded on 14th May 1985 and on disc 3 here are a couple of crackers.

The Fall are neither Scottish nor particularly soulful

The Fall - Cruiser's Creek (Peel Session)

The Fall - Spoilt Victorian Child (Peel Session)

Some Sunday Scottish Soul

Some serious funk for you today from deepest darkest Dundee courtesy of The Average White Band.
Looking at the picture above you would have them down as a heavy metal combo as opposed to the most successful British soul act of all  time

Two members were employed as session musicians on Chuck Berry's My Ding-a- Ling so arguably the only way was up.
After supporting Eric Clapton in 1973 they were signed by Atlantic records for goodness sake and enjoyed a Billboard number 1 in 1975 with Pick Up The Pieces leading to James Brown's backing band the JB's recording Pick Up The Pieces, One by One as AABB - Above Average Black Band

I don't own any AWB records. These two tracks are from Volumes 1 and 3 of The Greatest Scottish Album Ever which came free with the Daily Record. Surely somewhat of a misnomer given that Darius and Jim Diamond feature on Volume 3

More Soul of sorts next Sunday

The Average White Band - Pick Up The Pieces

The Average White Band - Let's Go Round Again

Celtic Connections 2009

Three years into the Celtic Connections through the years series and still relatively little interest out there if statistics are to be believed. However track 3 may change all that.

Cara Dillon is the first Irish artist to feature in this series with The Parting Glass from her album Hill of Thieves.
Richard Thompson obviously has a rich folk music heritage given his involvement with Fairport Convention.
1000 Years of Popular Music was a live album from 2003 featuring songs from the period 1068 -2001
Blackleg Miner is a 19th Century Northumberland folk song. I was put in mind of JC's recent post featuring the Council Collective whilst listening to this.

I have been trying to end these posts with something more traditional. I'm not sure that this particular track ticks that box but it begins with the dulcet tones of Robbie Shepherd and that's good enough for me.

2010 to follow shortly.

Cara Dillon - The Parting Glass

Richard Thompson - Blackleg Miner

Ross Ainslie & Jarlath Henderson - Break (Fairly Funky Mix)

Shoot Out at the OK Chinese Restaurant

If you are going out for a Chinese meal tonight please exercise some caution.
Some more Americana for you today but Stranraer does not feature. Purchased in Glasgow and more than likely in the sadly missed Salvation Sounds in Shawlands Arcade.

Shoot Out at the OK Chinese Chinese Restaurant is the 2000 debut album by Ramsay Midwood. Available on the Vanguard label in the States but my copy is on the mighty Glitterhouse label from Germany.
I've not got much gen on him. He is from Texas I believe and clearly had some Bob Dylan and Woody Guthrie records kicking about in his youth.
I think that he has subsequently released another two or three albums.
I have never felt the urge to track them down as I would describe him as a bit one-dimensional - but in a good way.
I think I may have seen him play at Blackfriairs along with Randy Weeks

Ramsay Midwood - Chicago

Ramsay Midwood - Spinnin' On This Rock

Rock 'n' Roll Ain't Noise Pollution

Enfant terrible Ryan Adams and I have a bit of a chequered history.
I followed him from his Whiskeytown years through to the time he hooked up with The Cardinals.
From King Tuts to a sold out Barrowlands.
Then we parted company. As he became more prolific (three albums in 2005) the quality began to suffer. An ego the size of Texas combined with industrial quantities of drugs is probably a bad combination and he gradually disappeard up his own backside.
I walked out a concert at the Carling Academy as he spent more time wittering inanely rather than singing.

Recently, however, he has shown signs of growing up with his last two albums being somewhat of a return to form.
Whereas I got his first three solo albums upon release Rock'n'Roll was a charity shop acquisition picked up by Mrs CC much further down the line.
It's not bad at all.

Ryan Adams - 1974

Ryan Adams - Note to Self: Don't Die

K.T.

Can it really be 12 years since K.T.Tunstall  released her debut album Eye to the Telescope and subsequently shot to fame with her performance of Black Horse and the Cherry Tree on Later.. with Jools Holland?
Apparently so.
She has subsequently released a further 3 albums one of which 2007's Drastic Fantastic has previously featured on CCM.
She is from St Andrews and is a contemporary of Fence Collective artists such as King Creosote and James Yorkston.
She did a radio show on Christmas Night on Radio Scotland which confirmed that she has great musical taste.
She has moved to Los Angeles to pursue a soundtrack musical career and prepare a fifth stdio album - as you do.

K.T. Tunstall - Black Horse and the Cherry Tree

K.T. Tunstall - Suddenly I See

Land Ahoy

Another female singer today but a totally different can of worms from yesterday's offerings.
I have finally gotten round to listening to Disc 2 of the Patti Smith anthology Land (1975 -2002) which features demos, live tracks and the occasional final track.

Let's start with one which was mentioned in dispatches by commentators when I featured Disc one. Here is a demo from 1975 of  Redondo Beach the final version of which graces Horses.There is a lovely reggae feel to this one.
The live version of 25th Floor which features on Easter has more of a rock'n'roll feel about it Recorded in Eugene, Oregon in 1978.
Wonderful

Patti Smith - Redondo Beach (Demo)

Patti Smith -25th Floor (Live)

Let's Here It For The Girls

Pottering about at my mother's the other day I came across a CD Let's Hear It For The Girls.
A compilation of girl groups and female singers on the Crimson label which I suspect was advertised on the telly with most of the sales being through supermarkets.
It was one that I thought I should "borrow"
Classic girl groups such as The Shirelles ,The Shiffons and The Shangri- Las feature but that's for another day as I have decided to concentrate on UK 60's singers today.
From 1964 we have Downtown the classic song by Petula Clark written by Tony Hatch a number one in the States and a number 2 in the UK.
Sandie Shaw has appeared before on CCM with a truly awful version of Sympathy For the Devil. Today she makes amends.
Dusty is no stranger to CCM or to others in this corner of the blogosphere. Indeed recently as someone wrote (it may even have been me) You can never have enough Dusty

Petula Clark - Downtown

Sandie Shaw - (There's) Always Something There to Remind Me

Dusty Springfield - I Only Want to Be With You