A Totally Random Purchase

Regards de Femme a 2002 album by Lauren Faure a totally random purchase from the Barnardos Book Shop in St Andrews

The ratioanale

• She's French
• The album cover looks vaguely interesting
• it only cost a quid

The conclusion

• She's no Francoise Hardy
• The album is comme ci comme ca
• It probably will not be a keeper

Lauren Faure - Une Femme Qui Pleure

Lauren Faure - Toujours Tout le Temps

The Men From Leith

Dick, Ross,Dean

On my holidays I picked up The Ballads of Peckham Rye by Blue Rose Code still sealed for a mere  £1.75.
The nom de plume for Ross Wilson I have seen him live on a couple of occasions and he is excellent.
He is also an interesting character having overcome addiction issues and a checkered past.

He recently got together with Dean Owens and Dick Gaughan as The Men of Leith to commemorate the re-opening of the Queens Hall in Leith.
Leith is the docks area of Edinburgh which has now been gentrified in places. Leithers do not consider themselves as coming from Edinburgh.
From interviews at the time there was talk of this not being a one off and having more collaborations in the future.
Having seen all three I sincerely hope this is the case.

Blue Rose Code -Edina

Dean Owens - Man From Leith

Dick Gaughan -Think Again

Some Yodeling Sunday Soul

We are going in deep today folks with  the narcotic grooves, seductive vocals slurs, leering electric pianos, and crawling guitars (Stephen Thomas Erlewine - All Music) of Sly and the Family Stone's 1971  solid stoned  out funky masterpiece There's a Riot Goin' On.
An album that reflects the end of the 60's era of love and peace and one recorded by a band who had been consuming industrial quantities of drugs.
It is almost certainly the only album in the Soul section which contains yodeling . It must be cross pollination from the neighbouring Country section

More Soul but no yodeling next Sunday

Sly and the Family Stone - (You Caught Me) Smilin'

Sly and the Family Stone - Spaced Cow Boy

Namechecked - Bruce Springsteen

                        
                                             Furlined seats and lettered windscreen 
                                             Elbow on the windowsill

                                             Eight track blazing Brucie Springsteen
                                             Bomber jacket, dressed to kill

When I first thought of this series these lines from Grey Cortina from the seminal Tom Robinson Band album Power in the Darkness were among the first to spring into my head.

It says a lot about the longevity of the Boss that he was being sung about in the days that eight tracks were still on the go

Bruce is currently touring the UK with The River tour.Hope you enjoyed Manchester Swede

Only fitting then that we go all the way back to 1980 (two years after Power in the Darkness) and feature the song of the same name from the album of the same name.

More namechecking next Saturday

Tom Robinson Band - Grey Cortina

Bruce Springsteen - The River

Coming Soon - Vintage Country Vinyl

Three vinyl purchases of vintage Country on my holidays have given my the notion for a new series which will appear shortly.
Unfortunately the pictured album by Bobby Bare will not feature.
It was purchased but sadly snapped in half as I was gently manipulating it in an effort to alleviate a slight warp.
Rest easy however as in an amazing piece of foresight an 11th hour purchase was The Essential Bobby Bare on CD for a quid (the vinyl was £2.99)
So here is Bobby with his version of Streets of Baltimore.
Needless to say his version, and indeed all others, pale into insignificance when compared to the genius that was Gram Parsons

Bobby Bare - The Streets of Baltimore

Gram Parsons - Streets of Baltimore

Tape Deck Heart

Another holiday charity purchase and this one is much more like it - this is what modern folk music should sound like.
The only previous Frank Turner album I have England Keep My Bones is on the Folk shelves and 2013's Tape Deck Heart will be joining it there.
Today's cheery topic is self harm. I'm not sure whether Tell Tales Signs is autobiographical or not but whatever Frank shows typical courage in tackling what is often still  considered a taboo subject.
After a slow start we then have something altogether more raucous It's great stuff but makes me think I am probably too old to be down in the mosh pit singing along.

Frank Turner - Tell Tale Signs

Frank Turner - Four Simple Words

Freedom Fields

Yesterday familial drug addiction, today a mining disaster - well you didn't come here to be entertained do you?
We were up in St Andrews for a few days last week and I picked up some charity shop purchases including Dartmoor's Seth Lakeman's 2006 album Freedom Fields.

Described on the annoying sticker by the Mercury Prize Panel as - urgent,thrilling and haunting
Now I like folk music as much as the next man, probably even more but I'm afraid that it fails miserably on all three criteria for me - sorry Seth.

The Colliers  is based on the true story ofone of the worst British mining disasters of the 20th Century at Gresford Colliery.
Lady of the Sea is inspired by a Cornish shipwreck in 1780 at Silver Dollar Bay where people still dig for treasure.

Seth Lakeman - The Colliers

Seth Lakeman - Lady of the Sea

Welder

I recently downloaded some Thad Cockrell tunes on Noisetrade.
It highlighted Snapshot by Elizabeth Cook in the "you may also like " section so I downloaded that as well.

I was familiar with her work as I had her 2010 album Welder copied from the library.
So named because she is a qualified welder as is her father and also Her Heroin Addict Sister which is a song on the album.
As well as being a welder her father honed his skills on the upright bass in the prison band whilst serving time for running  moonshine.

Ideal qualifications then for an Americana artist as I'm sure you'll agree

Elizabeth Cook - El Camino

Elizabeth Cook - Heroin Addict Sister

And here is one not on Welder

Elizabeth Cook - Gospel Plow

15 Songs

Courtesy of our chums at Cooking Up a Quiet Storm
Enjoy

We posed 15 questions, you submitted 15 answers. 
The result? An eclectic hour mix, in this case, supplied by Charity Chic. 
http://charitychicmusic.blogspot.co.uk 

1. A song by an artist or band who's name would be categorised under 'A' 
2. A song with a running time under 2mins 30sec 
3. A song with a colour in the title 
4. A b-side you played as much as, if not more than, the a-side 
5. A cover version 
6. A duet or a song by a duo 
7. An instrumental 
8. A song that's 'easy on a sunday morning' 
9. An original song from a film soundtrack 
10. A song released by a solo artist better known for being part of a group 
11. A song that you associate with your parents 
12. A song with an iconic sleeve 
13. A song not in the english language 
14. A song from the 80s that would NEVER feature on 'Now That's What I Call The 80s' 
15. A song for a compilation entitled 'Seminal Songs For Modern Teenagers' 

1. The Arlenes - Lonely Won’t Leave Me Alone
2. Little Richard - Tutti Frutti
3. Elvis Costello - Almost Blue
4. The Proclaimers - Gentle On My Mind
5. The Pogues - The Band Played Waltzing Matilda
6. The Louvin Brothers - Must You Throw Dirt In My Face
7. The Sadies - Pass The Chutney
8. Kris Kristofferson - Sunday Morning Coming Down
9. Bobby Womack - Across 110th Street
10. Jarvis Cocker - From Auschwitz To Ipswich
11. Glen Campbell & Bobbie Gentry - All I Have To Do Is Dream
12. The The - Infected
13. Nevski - Le Jardin
14. The Council Collective - Soul Deep
15. The Only Ones - Another Girl Another Planet

https://www.mixcloud.com/cooking_mixes/

Scottish Girl Groups

No downloads today.
Rather some music by predominantly female Scottish bands that you should make it your business to acquire.

I can't remember the last time I eagerly awaited the release of a new LP as much as I am waiting for the release of Sister by TeenCanteen the Glasgow all girl band.
I'm beginning to wish that I had signed up to the album pledge and then at least I would already have the download in my possession.
100 Fables are not exclusively female but are fronted by the inimitable Lynsey Liora and deliver as their website says a mixture of mid 70's CBGBs as well as post punk electronica. They have some interesting covers on You Tube and their new single Metropolis is well worth purchasing.
Tuff Love a duo featuring Julie Eisenstein and Susie Bear have been around for a wee while longer.
On The Pictish Trial's Lost Map Records from the island of Eigg they have recently released an album Resort a compilation of their previously released three EPs.

Enjoy and please support the artists














100

Some Sunday Soul

Archie Bell was born in Henderson, Texas. In 1996 in Houston he formed a group with The Drells who went on to form part of The Philadelphia Sound.
I'll let Archie do the introductions as part of their first hit Tighten Up.
By the time this became a hot in 1968 Archie had been drafted into the army and only learnt of its success whilst recovering in a military hospital from a shooting in Vietnam.
They went on to have some limited success in the 1970's prior to splitting in 1980.
Taken from The Platinum Collection - celebrating 60 years of Atlantic R&B in 2007.
I'm happy to report that Archie is still with us.

More Soul next Sunday

Archie Bell & the Drells - Tighten Up (Part 1)

Archie Bell & the Drells -Love Will Rain on You

Namechecked - Ernest Tubb

On the first track of Junior Brown's 1990 album 12 Shades of Brown he points out that My Baby Don't Dance to Nothing But Ernest Tubb
And indeed who can blame her?
Ernest Tubb, the Texan Troubadour, was one of the original pioneers of Country Music  from the 40's onwards and in particular of honky tonk music.
It is reassuring to note  that fifty years later the genre was still going strong in the safe hands of Mr Brown so no need to drive those nails into your coffin just yet Ernie

Junior Brown -My Baby Don't Dance to Nothing But Ernest Tubb

Ernest Tubb - Drivin' Nails In My Coffin

Do Whatever Turns You On

If you are ever in the neighbourhood you should take the opportunity to visit the small Perthshire town of Aberfeldy situated on the banks of the River Tay.
You could do worse than pop in to the Watermill Bookshop for a coffee and a browse
(Visit Scotland - please e-mail me for details as to where to send the cheque )
It is unlikely however that you will come across the band Aberfeldy as they are from Edinburgh and are named after Aberfeldy as main man Riley Briggs grandpa had a caravan there.

The band have been on the go since 2003 releasing three albums in the process.Do Whatever  Turns You On from 2006 is the middle one. Actually I'm not sure if they are still on the go as their last album was as far back as 2010

Pleasant indie pop in a Belle and Sebastianesque sort of a way

Aberfeldy -Hypnotised

Aberfeldy - Whatever Turns You On

There are Few Betta than Etta

I had Her Best by Etta James looked out to feature in my Sunday Soul series
However her blistering live rendition of Jimmy Reed's Baby,What You Want Me to Do is Blues personified so hence it's appearance on a  Thursday. Recorded live in the New Era Club, Nashville in September 1963.
Her 1962 version of Tony Clarke and Billy Davies' Pushover would certainly have graced Soul Sunday.
Another example of her astonishing versatility.

I have two Best ofs by Etta as this one from The Chess Legendary Masters Series which I bought first does not contain what I consider to be her greatest song, the previously featured  and utterly fabulous Almost Persuaded.


Etta James - Baby, What Do You Want Me To Do

Etta James - Pushover

Gasoline Alley

Gasoline Alley featured in a recent e-mail conversation. Further details to follow in due course.
It is Rod Stewart's second solo album from 1970 and features the Faces.All the Faces are namechecked on Wiki but the album's sleeve notes state that Mac was not available due to bus strike.

From the Mercury era also known as the When Rod Was Good era.
One of the 1001 Albums You Must Hear Before You Die apparently.
A Rod and Ronnie composition followed by an Elton and Bernie one.

Rod Stewart - Gasoline Alley

Rod Stewart - Country Comfort

Admirable

Kris Drever was as you would expect fantastic
There were purchases so look out for him featuring again.
Until then I will leave you with his cover of Allegory a song by Murray Attaway who was a member of a band called Guadalcanal Diary.

As an added bonus Louis Abbot of Admiral Fallow fame was part of the band. He was primarily on drums although at one stage he was drumming, playing keyboards and singing at the same time.Pretty impressive.
He has now lost the beard.
All of which is merely a preamble to me playing you another terrific cover


Kris Drever - Allegory

Admiral Fallow - Party Fears Two (Vic Galloway Session)

Bluegrass Monday # 10

Robbie Fulks or a Portuguese Peanut Farmer?

Just over half way through the month and the post which has attracted the most traffic  so far is Technical  Problems - four lines of text, with no music and no picture. There is a lesson in there somewhere.

I suspect that the statistics are unlikely to change any as I subject you to the tenth and final installment of the Bluegrass Monday series.
I'm beginning to struggle now (Yes, I know there are some out there who think I have been struggling for weeks)
We are off to Chicago to visit the great Robbie Fulks with two of the 13 Hillbilly Giants from his 2000 album of the same name and a welcome return to Bloodshot and Americana after a disappointing and ill advised dalliance with pop and rock (Let's Kill Saturday Night anyone?)
Covers of 13 lesser known country songs . The two I have chosen have a wee bit of a bluegrass feel to them. The instrumental Southern Comfort was originally recorded by Jimmy Arnold with Jimmy Murphy doing the honours with We Live a Long Time To Get Old

There is a terrific cover of  a Porter and Dolly song Jeannie's Afraid of the Dark which I will save for my sick and maimed young children series which will of course also feature The Handsome Family 

Robbie Fulks - Southern Comfort

Robbie Fulks - We Live a Long Time to Get Old

Some More Sunday Concept Soul

The Defamation of Strickland Banks from 2010 is the second album by English soul singer and rapper Ben Drew better known as Plan B.
We turn to the font of all knowledge for a brief description of the concept (well it saves me doing it)
the album's songs tell the fictitious tale of one Strickland Banks, a sharp-suited British soul singer who finds fame with bitter-sweet love songs , only to have it slip through his fingers when sent to prison for a crime he did not commit.

So for the second day running of songs about miscarriages of justice - yesterday real, today fictional. There could well be a series in there somewhere
Not quite up there yet with What's Going On but it's only really a matter of time
Again like What's Going On it is probably best listened to in it's entirety

More soul, probably of the non-concept variety, next Sunday

Plan B - She Said

Plan B - What You Gonna Do

Namechecked - Bob Dylan

Welcome to my new Saturday Series - Namechecked
Before we get started a brief word about the also rans.
Dr George the Peanut Farmer's suggestion of charity purchases to be re-charitied has been discounted for reasons explained on my post on Monday
His other suggestion was to feature more of my brothers records. They will continue to pop up periodically
kevinpat's suggestion of travel songs was rather good and is one that  I will probably revisit

No the series is namechecked - and is inspired in no small part by the Robster's recent post of Charlotte Hatherley's song Kim Wilde
The idea is that I will play a song which namechecks another artist either in the title or the lyrics and will then feature a song by the artist namechecked
(Spell check is suggesting that name checked should be two words but I'm sticking with one)

Let's start with a pretty obvious one
A Song for Bob Dylan features on the classic David Bowie album Hunky Dory
Here this Robert Zimmerman I wrote a song for you
Bowie is followed by Bob with a namecheck song of his own from Desire. Not a musician but a boxer in that it is a protest song about the miscarriage of justice which led to the jailing of Rubin "Hurricane" Carter"

Hopefully you get the picture - more next Saturday

David Bowie - Song for Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan - Hurricane

Drever Revered

We're off to see Shetland residing Orcadian Kris Drever at Glasgow's St Andrews in the Square tonight.
I'm fair excited as it is our first gig since the Celtic Connections extravaganza in January

He has a new album out called If Wishes Were Horses which I suspect will be purchased.
As well as performing solo he is also a member of Lau and is/was part of the Scottish folk super trio Drever, McCusker and Woomble.

From This is Navigation Records here he is in his various incarnations



Lau - Gallowpark

Drever, McCusker & Woomble - Silver and Gold

Kris Drever - Navigator

CC Plays 10cc

10cc were the second band I ever saw live way back in 1976 at the Glasgow Apollo.
Although primarily viewed as a singles band they have produced some good albums with some fairly adventurous stuff on them
I have three of their studio albums on the shelves all charity shop purchases.
However being a lazy git I've opted for two songs off The Very Best Of CD.

I've never been quite sure of Dreadlock Holiday. Is it racist, xenophobic or patronising or is it just a rather good pop song?
 One thing is for sure it is hard to think of it being released today

10cc - Wall Street Shuffle

10cc - Dreadlock Holiday

Don't You Do What Your Big Sister Done

I'm sorry to report that I don't have  a physical copy of Elvis Presley's version of the Doc Pomus and Mort Shuman record Little Sister which he released in August 1961 as a double A side with His Latest Flame which hardly surprisingly reached number one in the UK singles chart





I do however have a version from 1979 on Ry Cooder's album Bop Til You Drop and also another from 1987 on Dwight Yoakam's Hillbilly Deluxe album.

So you'll have to make do with that.

Ry Cooder - Little Sister

Dwight Yoakam - Little Sister

Bellavista Terrace

The Go-Betweens have been featuring recently on our small corner of the blogosphere to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the death of Grant McLennan.

I was only vaguely aware of them at the time when they first surfaced in the early 80's. It was only reading and listening to them on other blogs who held them in  great affection that brought them to the forefront of my attention.

As you do I thought a Best Of was the place to start and acquired Bellavista Terrace: Best of the Go-Betweens.
A Best of as opposed to a Greatest Hits, because as Robert Foster pointed out in the sleevenotes they didn't have any.
Between that and Grant's early passing there is clearly no justice in this world.


The Go-Betweens - Was There Anything I Could Do?

The Go-Betweens - Cattle and Cane

Bluegrass Monday # 9

When I was looking for suggestions for a new series George the Peanut Farmer suggested charity shop records which should be re-charitied.
To date I have only done this on a rare occasion when the record/CD is truly awful.
At the moment I still have some space on the shelves but there may come a time when cull is required
An album which is unlikely to survive such a cull is Punch the 2008 debut by the Punch Brothers.

The first song Punch Bowl is a cracking bit of bluegrass, Thereafter  for me it goes down hill very rapidly with a form of classical and jazz based bluegrass/folk which is really not my cup of tea at all.
This includes a forty minute suite in four movements called The Blind Leading the Blind which I will spare you from.

More  bluegrass (of a non classical or jazzy variety) next Monday.

Punch Brothers - Punch Bowl

Punch Brothers - Nothing, Then

Some Sunday Instrumental Soul

I'm back!
The purchase of a second hand monitor for £15 seems to have sorted the problem.
However you will  have to wait until next Saturday now for my new series.

Today I had planned to feature Lee Fields. However, on listening to my Daptone Gold compilation on which he features I was drawn to two instrumentals which I felt had to go on today.
So good that he is he has been put on hold for another occasi.on
Saxophonist Neil Sugarman is joined by some chums on Down to It described in the sleevenotes as a heavy , bow-legged boogaloo stomp something you don't hear enough of.
The mighty Dap-Kings give Sharon Jones a well deserved day off as they get down on it with Nervous Like Me.

Sugarman & Co - Down To It

The Dap- Kings -Nervous Like Me

Technical Problems

Charity Chic Music will be out of commission for a few days due to technical problems.
Will hopefully be up and running again shortly
Apologies

CC

File Under L

An excellent slice of Americana today courtesy of Lou Ford from their 2000 album Alan Freed's Radio.
Purchased  for next to nothing around the same time as it's 1999 predecessor Sad, But Familiar when I was going through a short phase of bidding for music on e-Bay.

Filed under L as in this instance Lou Ford are a band as opposed to a person. Named after a character in Jim Thompson's 1952 novel A Killer Inside Me. Apparently, as I have never read or indeed heard of the book, he was someone comprised of various levels, where what you saw on the surface wasn't really the whole story. You can see how that would appeal to a band when choosing a moniker.
The main men are brothers Alan and Chad Edwards joined by the rhythm section of John Morris and Darrell Ussery with Mark Lynch on bass.

A gentle song to start with and then the more thrashy (for Americana) song Replacement which almost sounds like The Replacements are performing it.

Alan Freed was an American disc jokey celebrated as one of the pioneers of playing rock'n'roll until he got caught up in a payolla scandal.

Lou Ford - Storz' Bar

Lou Ford - Replacement

Election Day

It's Election day today which can only mean one thing - Billy Bragg

I must admit that following on from the Referendum and the General Election I am finding it hard to build up any enthusiasm for today's elections to the Scottish Parliament.
The SNP are home and hosed with the only debate being whether they will win another absolute majority. Labour remain a busted flush but perhaps the Greens and Rise will do ok in the list voting

The one thing we have learnt from this election however is that we need more rigorous interviewing of the party leaders by Gary -Tank Commander






Use your vote wisely

Billy Bragg - From Red to Blue

Billy Bragg and the Blokes - Take Down The Union Jack

Another Logo

Jamie enjoyed the picture of the badge with The Cramps logo so I thought I would follow it up with another logo this time that of uber crusties New Model Army.
Founded in Bradford in 1980 and still going strong with front man Justin Sullivan an ever present.
It seems that they have a fairly fanatical following. Indeed George the Peanut Farmer knew a postie in Newcastle Upon Tyne who had seen them over 70 times.
I suspect that he would have been familiar with these two songs from 1986 and 1987 when they were at the height of their popularity.
Taken from History - the Singles 85-91
I'm not sure whether they have really stood the test of time

New Model Army -51st State

New Model Army - Poison Street

Happy Birthday to the Oldest Psychobilly in Town

My baby brother turns 50 today.
Regular readers will know that he is a huge rockabilly and psychobilly fan and some of his records have appeared on these pages.
It has even been suggested in some quarters that his music collection is much better than mine

It is entirely possible
Here are a couple of prime examples.
Happy birthday Bro.

King Kurt - Destination Zululand

The Meteors - Somebody Put Something in my Drink

Bluegrass Monday # 8

The Coen Brothers very rarely make a poor movie. However they succeeded with  2000's O Brother, Where Art Thou a story of three escaped convicts starring George Clooney, Tim Blake Nelson and John Turturro.
Fortunately the film spawned a terrific soundtrack produced by the mighty T-Bone Burnett.
Some excellent  modern recordings of country, blues, gospel and folk songs appropriate to the Great Depression period the film is set in
And of course some fantastic bluegrass which is why it is featuring today
The Whites consisting of sisters Sharon and Cheryl with father Buck pitch in with Keep on the Sunny Side.
Then we have The Soggy Bottom Boys featuring Dan Tyminski who overdubs Clooney's singing on the film

I think I can keep this Bluegrass lark up for a couple of more weeks. It has been pretty well received with only The Meat Purveyors failing to attract a reasonable number of hits

The Whites - Keep on the Sunny Side

Soggy Mountain Boys -I am a Man of Constant Sorrow

Some Sunday Concept Soul

Marvin Gaye was lined up last week to follow Kim Weston but graciously stood aside for Prince
Playing Kim got me thinking that Marvin has never featured here with the exception of their hit duo It Takes Two.

Apart from the occasional song on compilations the only album I have of his is the 1971 masterpiece What's Going On.
A concept album written from the perspective of a Vietnam veteran returning home and witnessing a world of hatred, suffering and injustice.
It is one of those albums that is probably best listened to all the way through but I may be testing your patience and staying power by playing all 35 minutes 38 seconds
Rather I will feature two songs you will all be familiar with the latter subsequently being covered by Robert Palmer

Now I know I have Sexual Healing out there somewhere ......

More Soul next Sunday

Marvin Gaye - What's Going On

Mercy Mercy Me (The Ecology)