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Monday 30 November 2020

Monday Long Song

 


Given that I don't have any prog rock and very little in the way of psychedelia on the shelves I don't often participate in this feature.

However the Mojo Almost Famous compilation which I featured on Friday contained a track which fits the criteria and which is worthy of inclusion.

From 1979 Funk You Up by The Sequence on Sugarhill was the first hip-hop  song to be released by a female rap band. It was the second single on the  Sugarhill label following on from the brilliant Rapper's Delight by the Sugarhill Gang.

The three rappers were Southern gals from South Carolina namely Cheryl "the Pearl" Cook, Gwendolyn "Blondy " Chisolm and Angela "Angie B" Brown the lead singer who later went on to record as Angie Stone. I have Black Diamond one of her CDs on the shelves bought for a fiver from Europa Records in Stirling. I must give it a listen.

The Sequence - Funk You Up

Sunday 29 November 2020

Val's Vinyl

 



We are out of the chill out zone and back on the dance floor this week with Sister Sledge.

Love Somebody Today from 1980 is the fourth studio album by the band joining their third We Are Family on the shelves.
On the Cotillion label (a division of Atlantic) it was written by the legends that are Nile Rogers and Bernard Edwards.One of the four albums that the Chic duo put out that year along with albums by Sheila B Devotion, Diana Ross and Chic themselves. Diana Ross got Upside Down and I'm Coming Out. It would have been good to see the sisters tackling those songs.

It is pleasant enough but gets a bit Jazz Funk in places and may have benefited from the tracks being a couple of minutes shorter.You would be knacked dancing to the first one in particular.

I guess you could say that the sisters reached their peak with We Are Family. 





Saturday 28 November 2020

50 Americana Albums to Hear Before You Die - Walk Alone

 


Three albums to go to complete this series and at least one of them is a bona fide classic. Maybe not this one though.

But wait the Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash as described by Rolling Stone as pure Americana heart and soul. Wiki  states that they are an Americana/alternatve country band so there you go naysayers (you know who you are)

Fronted by Mark Stuart they received permission from rthe great man himself to use his name and he personally invited them to record songs for Walk Alone at his home in Henderson, Tennessee.  Bonus tracks on the album were produced by his son John Carter Cash That's good enough for me.

Walk Alone is their 2001 debut full length album on Ultimatum Music//Artemis although they had a 6 track demo EP from 1996 and a 9 track Lasso Motel from 1999 both released indepedently by the band.A furher five albums were released up to 2013 along with 3 live ones.

I saw them playing live at Glasgow's ABC 2 which has now been sadly demolished after being caught up in the second Art School fire. I think William Elliott Whitmore may have been the support act

Maybe the wouldn't have featured had I got round to editing that list but their inclusion is worth it alone for Truckstop in La Grange

Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash - Texas Sun

Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash - Truckstop in La Grange

Bastard Sons of Johnny Cash - Trains Gonna Roll


Friday 27 November 2020

Almost Famous


2020 Charity Shop Purchases 65 - Various Artists - Almost Famous (Mojo)

Almost Famous -20 Early Rarities a Mojo Collections CD from Autum 2001 looked quite interesting.

Early songs from famous artists before fame came knocking and according to the blurb songs that should you wish to buy them on originsl 45s and LPs, would currently set you back over £1500.With the vinyl revival lets up that to two grand.

Now it is fairly easy to identify most of the artists - Sex Pistols, Marc Bolan, David Bowie (who appears twice once with The Lower Third) and the Kinks among others.

In some of the other cases it is not as easy to work out

Nico for instance is relatively well known.I mean to say she was a girlfriend of John Cooper Clarke for instance.There was also some involvement with the Velvet Underground and a banana. This cover of a Gordon Lightfoot song is rather lovely.

If I mentioned the band First Gear to you I imagine most of you wouldn't have a scoobie. If I said First Gear (feat Jimmy Page) it would be a different story. The song isn't much cop but the guitar solo ..

The Bystanders were a band from Merthyr Tydfil. That alone should qualify them for inclusion but apparantly they are a previous incarnation of Man. I can't say I'm any the wiser.

As I said above quite interesting

Nico - I'm Not Sayin'

First Gear (feat.Jimmy Page) - Leave My Kitten Alone

The Bystanders - When Jesamine Goes



Thursday 26 November 2020

Mermaid Avenue

 



I was playing Mermaid Avenue (the first one ) by Billy Bragg & Wilco over the weekend and was wondering whether it had featured here or not. Over eight years now and it turns out it hasn't. Time to right that wrong.Obviously both acts have featured here several times in their own right.

There is a sticker on the front of my copy which tells the tale of how this album came to be and it is probably easier for me to copy it verbatim rather that cobbling something up myself

Mermaid Avenue , Coney Island is where Woody Guthrie lived with his family in the late 1940's and early 50's. Here he wrote hundreds of songs which he never recorded.When he died he left only the lyrics. Billy Bragg and Wilco have written new tunes to these songs. Features California Stars plus guest vocals by Natalie Merchant.

That pretty much covers it  other that to say that Billy was asked by Woody's daughter Nora to carry this out. There was a subsequent falling out between Billy and Jeff Tweddy  but not before Volumes II and III and The Complete Sessions were commited to tape.

Oh and if you were wondering who Eisler was wonder no longer

Billy Bragg & Wilco - California Stars

Billy Bragg & Wilco -Way Over Yonder in the Minor Key

Billy Bragg & Wilco -Eisler On the Go

Wednesday 25 November 2020

Eight Years

 


Charity Chic Music is eight today.
Eight years ago I dipped my toes in the blogging waters with a post called New Kid on the Blog.
Hopefully my presentation skills have improved  somewhat since then if not my writing.

It can be a struggle from time to time fitting it in with all life's challenges or when your blogging mojo disappears.
But I enjoy our little community in a small corner of the internet with all it's friendship and mutual support. That's pretty much what keeps me going so I will continue to plod on
Who knows maybe even for a further Eight Years.

I may even continue to post something  or come up with a new series every now and again that even George likes.



Tuesday 24 November 2020

Tubthumper

2020 Charity Shop Purchases 64 - Chumbawamba - Tubthumper

I've seen this on  a number of occassions and never thought to pick it up.However I was on a roll so I thought I would give it a listen.

I was a bit apprehensive as I've always considered Tubthumping to be a bit of a novelty song. It reached number 9 in the UK singles chart after being released in August 1997.

Tubthumper was the first album by Chumbawanba to be released on a mainstream label namely EMI and reached number 19 in the UK charts. It sold a staggering 3.2 million in the States. There may well have been more shifted as Alice Nutter gave an interview encouraging folk to steal it from the larger chains.

Not bad for an anarchist and socialist band whose first album from 1986 was called Pictures of Starving Children Sell Records. Their signing to EMI led to Oi Polloi  releasing an EP called Bare Faced Hypocrisy Sells Records.

Suddenly they were everywhere and all over the papers particulalry when Danbert Nobacon poured a jug of water of Labour Deputy Leader  John Prescott at the BRIT awards. They had changed the words of Tubthumping slightly following Labour's refusal to support the Liverpool Dockers Strike but it still seems strange that they appeared at these awards.

The album doesn't do much for me. and indeed to received mixed reviews. I'm not convinced that it's a keeper. Not because it is the worse CD I've ever bought or even the worst from this haul. I just don't see me listening to it again.

I'll stick with my CD singles of Timebomb and Enough is Enough with Credit to the Nation thanks


Chumbawamba - Tubthumping

Chumbawamba - Amnesia

Chumbawamba - Drip, Drip, Drip





 

Monday 23 November 2020

Stumble Into Grace

 


2020 Charity Shop Purchases 63 - Emmylou Harris - Stumble Into Grace

Following a short interval we are back to charity shop purchases following a reasonable hall  from a charity shop on Glasgow's Battlefield Road last weekend. Unfortunately given our current Level 4 restrictions it will be the last haul for a while.

From 2003 on the Nonesuch label Stumble Into Grace is the 20th studio album from Emmylou Harris the first being from as far back as 1969. About half of them now grace the shelves.There appear to be two alternative covers for this one.

It is of the usual high standard. Let's face it you can't really go wrong with Emmylou .All songs written (or in the case of a traditional song arranged) by Emmylou or by her and collaborators.

My first selection I Will Dream is a collaboration with Kate and Anna McGarrigle .As well as Kate & Anna, Buddy and Julie Miller feature as do Ethan Johns,Daniel Lanois,Bernie Leaden,Linda Ronstadt and Gillian Welsh among others.

When Emmylou shouts (although it is hard to imagine her shouting) the great and the good come running.

Emmylou Harris - I Will Dream

Emmylou Harris - O Evangeline

Sunday 22 November 2020

Val's Vinyl

 


It's not all disco dancing in Val's world. When she's not getting down on it she likes nothing better than a bit of American soft rock.

And what could be better than The Sound of Bread? It contains their 20 finest songs for goodness sake

There is Best of Bread,a Best of Bread 2, Anthology of Bread, Retrospective  and The Very Best of Bread among others but I suspect that this is the one that you all recognise. I shudder to think how many millions it has sold. A Slice of Bread and Crumbs (The Outtakes) will surely follow.

Featuring the dulcet tones of David Gates here are their two biggest songs Make it With You from 1970  (number 1 in the US and number 5 in the UK) and a number 3 in the US and 14 in the UK from 1973 Baby I'm a Want You. Not proper English surely?

As bread goes this is a supermarket budget loaf as opposed to anything more substantial.

Bread - Make It With You

Bread - Baby I'm a Want You

Saturday 21 November 2020

50 Americana Albums to Hear Before You Die - Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room

 


I know what some of you are thinking - what is a man with a big hat and shiney teeth and loads of awards from the CMA doing in this series.

The answer to that is obvious namely you clearly haven't listened to his early albums. Do yourself a favour and listen to Dwight Yoakam's  first 5 albums up until 1993's This Time. As I said in my ICA over at JC's place I wouldn't bother with anything thereafter. Nothing from then on in would come remotely close to featuing here.

If this series was called Alternative Country as opposed to Americana or even New Country you could see where his early stuff fits in. Him and Steve Earle were probably mainly responsible for turning me onto country. Whereas Steve stuck to his roots Dwight became mainstream pretty quickly.

There are those who would argue that his 1986 debut album Guitars,Cadillacs, Etc.,Etc is his best I would argue that that particular honour goes to his third album Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room from 1998 on the Reprise label.

His biographer Don McLeese states the subject matter is almost relentlessly bleak, occasionally lethal and  a descent into the depths of honky-tonk hell.

Thom Jurek on Allmusic points out that it goes from murderous jealousy to homicide in the first five songs. Wiki feels  that Side two maintains the album's thematic grimness and melancholy. 

Dwight later quipped  of the song cycle, "I get moody. I kill someone. Then I get religion in the end.

Hell, if that's not Americana then I don't know what is 

Dwight Yoakam - One More Name

Dwight Yoakam - Buenas Noches From a Lonely Room (She Wore Red Dresses)

Dwight Yoakam - Streets of Bakersfield


Friday 20 November 2020

70's Back to School

 


Mrs CC came in at the weekend with one of those compilations which she picked up for a couple of quid in Oxfam in Troon

70's Back to School is a 3 CD  compilation containing 60 tracks. I'm fairly confident that about 90% of them will be familiar to most of you. I know my demographics.

CD 1 concentrates on disco and soul lite, CD 2 is more pop with CD3 getting ever so slightly rocky.

Chances are you will not like everything on it. I certainly don't  but the reasonably good probably outweighs the terribly bad.

Here's atrack from each CD for you (Yes Sir, I Can Boogie is omitted as it featured very recently)

Odyssey - Native New Yorker

David Essex - Gonna Make You a Star

Lulu - The Man Who Sold the World

Thursday 19 November 2020

When The Fallen Angels Fly

 


Jason Isbel's raging. Sturgill Simpson too.

The reason ? The Country Music Association (CMA) saw fit to ignore the passing of Jerry Jeff Walker, Billy Joe Shaver and John Prine at their recent awards ceremony. Maybe they were not quite bland  or shiney teethed and big hatted enough?

Jason and his wife Amanda Shires were so incensed that they ripped up theiir membership cards.

Forget CMA. There is alway a place at CCM for Jerry Jeff, Billy Joe and John. And for Jason, Amanda and Sturgill too for that matter.

Here is some real country for you . Country with soul, attitude and passion

Jerry Jeff Walker - Backslider's Wine

Shaver - When The Fallen Angels Fly

John Prine - He Was in Heaven Before He Died


Wednesday 18 November 2020

Woodenbox

 


Today's offering is not a charity shop purchase but did come to me in a charitable sort of a way. Let me explain.

A few months ago I ordered something from Olive Grove Records . I can't remember which purchase it was off hand but when it  arrived Lloyd had thrown in End Game a 2013 album by Woodenbox  free gratis and for nothing.

I gave it a quick listen, stored it away and forgot all about it. I revisited it again recently and was very impressed with what I was hearing and it has been played several times since.

After a hiatus they are scheduled to  re-release their debut album Home and the Wildhunt on Olive Grove soon.

By way of a taster they appear on Get Into the Grove a compilation album celebrating 10 years of Olive Grove which you really should buy

Woodenbox - Everyone Has a Price

Woodenbox - Asphyxiation

Tuesday 17 November 2020

Push The Sky Away

 


2020 Charity Shop Purchases 62 - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Push the Sky Away

Although there are now five Nick Cave albums on the shelves either belonging to me or Mrs CC (six if you include Grinderman; there is also the CD single Henry Lee with PJ Harvey) I wouldn't describe myself as a huge  fan.

I feel that he has got a big hit for himself and that some of his stuff can be pretentious twaddle. However I was not going to pass by a sealed copy of Push the Sky Away his 15th studio album from 2013 on the band's own Bad Seeds Ltd label.

On this one we get the mellow Nick as opposed to the thrashy Nick. Barry Adamson appears for the first time since 1986 but it is the band's first album not to feature Mick Harvey. The cover shows Cave opening a window shutter to illuminate his naked wife. What was I saying about pretentious?

I think it is pleasant enough background music but given its critical acclaim I should perhaps spend some more time with it to see if it becomes a grower.

On the first track Nick indulges himself with a little bit of Prince spelling

My final holiday purchase but worry not as I picked up another haul over the weekend which will feature as and when I give them a listen

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds -We No Who U R

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - Jubilee Street


Monday 16 November 2020

She Hangs Brightly

 


2020 Charity Shop Purchases 61 - Mazzy Star - She Hangs Brightly

The penultimate Fort William purchase and indeed the penultimate holiday purchase is She Hangs Brightly the 1990 debut album by Mazzy Star on  Rough Trade although my copy is the re-release from Capitol Records from later on in that year. 30 years ago - wow.

A band that past me by at the time but one which I discovered via the blogging community and this is now the third of their four albums which I have on the shelves.

The mainstays of the band were Hope Sandoval on vocals and David  Roback on guitar, keyboards and piano and the man who wrote almost all the music and recorded all the songs.He was previously a member of Paisley pattern band Rain Parade and sadly passed away in February this year at the age of 61.

Rolling Stone describes the album as coldy beautiful with Allmusic declaring Hope's vocals to be sultry. It was also one of Kurt Cobain's top 50 albums of all time.

If you want a copy of the vinyl re-issue it's yours over at Rough Trade for £44.99 which is about £44 more than I paid for the CD

Mazzy Starr - Blue Flower

Mazzy Star - Be My Angel





Sunday 15 November 2020

Val's Vinyl

The third instalment from Val's Vinyl is the first one which was randomly selected to accompany dinner. Unlike Cuba Gooding I suspect that most of you are familiar with this week's act

Something Special from 1981, on the De-Lite Records label, is the thirteenth album by Kool & the Gang and their third consecutive platinum album after Ladies' Night and Celebrate.These three albums cover the period 1979 to 1981 when disco was probably at it's peak although Wiki describe Something Special as post-disco,urban,funk and R&B

It was their first hit album in the UK on the back of the success of Get Down On It peaking at number 10.

Needless to say this one's a keeper

You can have it if you want it.- satisfaction guaranteed

Get down on it

Kool & the Gang - Take My Heart

Kool & the Gang - Get Down On It





 

Saturday 14 November 2020

A Monkey Off Our Backs

 


50 Americana Albums to Hear Before You Die - Furnace Room Lullaby

 


Furnace Room Lullaby from 2000 is the second album from Neko Case and her Boyfriends following on from 1997's The Virginian. Both were released on Chicago's Bloodshot label under licence from Mint Records in Vancouver..

By my reckoning after Ryan Adams she is probably the artist from Bloodshot who went on to have the most fame and recognition.

Wiki only gives a cursory mention to the two albums featuring her Boyfriends band focussing instead on the next album Blacklisted and its successors. To me, however, these two are her best with Furnace Room Lullaby just shading it. She says of the title track that she wanted to write a murder ballad as she was such a fan of the Louvin Brothers. That statement alone merits her place in this series.

The lyrics are certainly reminiscent of the Louvins, dark and with a gothic feel to them with each song touched by personal tragedy and propelled by a peculiar desperation. (Pitchfork) Twist the Knife is a brilliant example.

Travis and Dallas Good of the Sadies, her great pal Kelly Hogan and Ron Sexmith are among those lending their talents to this record

As well as  recording with the Boyfriends and as a solo artists  she has appeared regularly as a member of the Canadian act The New Pornographers, with Carolyn Mack as the Corn Sisters, with the Sadies and as a third of case/lang/viers.

This still remains my favourite record by hers 

Neko Case and her Boyfriends - Set Out Running

Neko Case and her Boyfriends - Twist the Knife

Neko Case and her Boyfriends - Thrice All American 



Friday 13 November 2020

The Dylan EP


 

2020 Charity Shop Purchases 60 - Roddy Hart & Gemma Hayes - The Dylan EP


A few years ago on Noisetrade I picked up a copy of The Dylan EP  by Roddy Hart & Gemma Hayes ( or by Roddy Hart & the Lonesome Fire with Gemma Hayes as it says on the back cover ) which was released on Vertical Records in 2011 and I have previously posted two of the four tracks Most of the Time and It's All Over Now, Baby Blue on these pages

When  I spied a copy in Fort William ,still sealed , it seemed foolish not to upgrade

The Vertical Records website provides some blurb which explains the genesis of this release

After successfully curating ‘Forever Young: A 70th Birthday Tribute To Bob Dylan’ at this year’s Celtic Connections festival – featuring a host of international artists including Rosanne Cash, Josh Rouse, Thea Gilmore, Kris Drever, Eddi Reader and more, and broadcast by Radio 2 and Sky Arts – Scottish singer/songwriter Roddy Hart and his band The Lonesome Fire join forces with another of the night’s performers, Irish singer/songwriter Gemma Hayes, to release “The Dylan EP” on Vertical Records.

A bit lazy but there you go. Here are t he two tracks I didn't feature the last time round Oh, Sister and a particularly lively version of Not Dark Yet



Thursday 12 November 2020

Boxer


  2020 Charity Shop Purchases 59 - The National - Boxer 

When I picked up Alligator my first album by The National a couple of months ago it was obvious that further exploration was required.Therefore I asked for recommendations.Echorich replied that all their albums were essential but in particular Boxer and High Violet.

Therefore it was another no- brainer when I saw Boxer on the shelves in Fort William. From 2007 on Beggars Banquet it is the follow up to 2005's Alligator. High Violet is the next one from 2010 so this was perhaps their purple patch?

There were three singles from the album - Mistaken For Strangers, Apartment Story and Fake Empire. All good songs but I have gone for another two. Squalor Victoria was the one that immediately jumped out and grabbed me.Sufjan Stevens, a neighbour of  band members the Dessner brothers, makes an appearance on Racing Like a Pro

I've now got my eyes peeled for High Violet.

The National - Squalor Victoria

The National - Racing Like a Pro


Wednesday 11 November 2020

Mend


 2020 Charity Shop Purchases 58 - De Rosa - Mend

The first offering from the final holiday haul today. A successful foray into the BHF shop in Fort William on the way home proved to be fruitful.

De Rosa have osbscurely crossed my radar a couple of times over the last few months.When Alisdair Gray died I went looking for a track I was sure I had by them called Lanark in tribute to his greatest work. Turns out it was in fact called New Lanark and I couldn't find it.

Then in an e-mail chat with Lloyd Meridith heid honcho of Olive Grove Records following my purchase of a Henry and Fleetwood EP he said that he had been a fan of Martin John Henry from his De Rosa days.

So it was a no brainer when I spied their June 2006 debut album Mend on the Chemikal Underground label on the shelves.

Voted by Mojo as the 16th best album from 2006.As well as  Martin John Henry (vocals, guitars and keyboards) the band consisted of James Woodhouse (bass) and Neil Woodside (drums) who I assume are brothers.They look similar in the pictures on the CD inner sleeve

In addition to New Lanark there are further West of Scotland references in the songs Cathkin Braes and  the Hattonrigg Pit Disaster at Bellshill in 1910

De Rosa - New Lanark

De Rosa - Hattonrigg Pit Disaster

De Rosa - Headfirst

Tuesday 10 November 2020

Broadford Beatles Bonanza

 


There are no charity shops in Lochcarron or the surrounding villages so the only one visited during the second week of our holiday was the Blythswood Care shop on Broadford on Skye which we visited en route to the Old Inn at Carbost beside the Talisker distillery.

Now I am on record as not being a Beatles fan but Mrs CC is so it seemed foolhardy not to pick up a number of their CDs which were on the shelves.

Somebody had obviously fairly recently handed in their Beatles collection and we came away with With the Beatles (1963),Beatles for Sale (1964), Rubber Soul (1965),Revolver (1966), The Beatles 1967-1970  and  the second and third double CDSs of The Beatles Anthology.  Don't  worry I'm not going to feature them all. Mrs CC also got a Denby tea set so she was happy.

The nice gent who served us was looking forward to his wife getting out of hospital the next day. Hope she's home and feeling well

The Beatles - All My Loving

The Beatles - Roll Over Beethoven


Monday 9 November 2020

Ain't No Mountain High Enough

 


There Ain't No Mountain High Enough. I  think I can say that with some confidence given that the final score in the River Deep or Mountain High series was a resounding River 5 Mountain 2.

The Gracious Losers were the winners (strange as that may sound) with their Where The River Meets the Sea routing the Fleet Foxes with Tiger Mountain Peasant Song  by 8 votes to 2.

I'm sure that Fleet Foxes will be gracious losers unlike the soon to be former US President Donald J Trump.

A bit of a strange series this one. It started brightly, lost some momentum in the middle and then finished strongly.

It will probably be next year before I contemplate a further compare and contrast series. Suggestions weicome.

There is a pretty interesting back story to River Deep, Mountain High here and here which I was blissfully unaware of. Some amount of talent involved with this record.

In the meantime take it away Tina


Ike & Tina Turner -River Deep ,Mountain High

The Supremes & The Four Tops - River Deep, Mountain High

Marvin Gaye & Tammi Terrell -Ain't No Mountain High Enough




Sunday 8 November 2020

Val's Vinyl


 Week two of Val's Vinyl and it is time for the Love Dancer.

If the name Cuba Gooding rings a bell I suspect that it may be because you are thinking of his son the actor Cuba Gooding Jr.

Cuba senior as I'm sure that you are all aware was a member of and subsequently became  the lead singer of Harlem band The Main Ingredient. He left  in 1978 or 1979 to pursue a solo career and released two records on the Motown label. I'll say that again - he released two records on the Motown label.

The 1st Cuba Golding Album was not surprisingly the first of these with today's Love Dancer being the recond. It looks as though they pretty much sank without trace, apart from in Val's world, as I can't find out very much about them.

But Hey! The Party's in Here

Cuba Gooding - Disco Royale

Cuba Gooding - Hey! The Party's in Here


Saturday 7 November 2020

50 Americana Albums to Hear Before You Die - Drag Queens in Limousines

 


I acknowledge that there has been a bit of a debate as to whether the last couple of albums in this series were actually Americana.They probably weren't. There can be no debate this week. If you were to look up Americana in the dictionary there is a fair chance that the description would simply read Mary Gauthier.

Drag Queens in Limousines from 1989 is her second album and was released on Munich Records.As Country Standard Time says it was not what at the time passed for typical fare.

I've previuosly written the title track may well be autobiographical given that she ran away from her adopted parents and lapsed into a world of drugs and alcohol spending her 18th birthday in jail.

I Drink is almost certainly autobiographical given her battle with the bottle. Thankfully she managed to turn her life around given that she has been sober from 1990. She wrote her first song at the age of 35.

I've seen her a few times.Fairly early in our relationship I took Mrs CC to see her at the Arches. We had to leave as she found it too depressing.
Obviously when it comes to Americana the more depressing the better (despite what Uncle Tupelo say).

If you like your country music real and gritty, and yes depressing then Mary Gauthier ticks all the boxes.



Friday 6 November 2020

Clear Spot

 


 2020 Charity Shop Purchases 57 - Pernice Brothers - Clear Spot (CD single)

It's beginning to look like CD single week on CCM

The second of the two Dingwall CD singles is Clear Spot a song from the Pernice Brothers debut album 1998's Overcome By Happiness.

Some observations:

It is entirely possible that  this single was handed in by the same person who handed in  purchase 51 picked up in Muir of Ord a mere 7.5 miles south.

Dingwall has always been a rich hunting ground for Americana purchases.Previous visits have provided music from the Guthries, Loomer, Jim White, Alana Davis and the Redlands Palimino Company.I think this is because there used to be a community hub called the Greenhouse which may have hosted a community radio station. The fact that some of the purchases are promotional copies adds wait to this supposition.

This should please Rol who apparantly loves the Pernice Brothers

50p well spent.

Pernice Brothers - Clear Spot

Pernice Brothers - Love My Way





Thursday 5 November 2020

Single Girl


 
2020 Charity Shop Purchase 56 - Lush - Single Girl (CD Single)

A short journey from Muir of Ord to Dingwall and we finally got some soup. A lovely cup of tomato soup, a roll and a strawberry tart from Harry Gow's Bakers (est. 1979) . I know that as the top of the box was retained to temporarily record the holiday purchases.
Lean pickings compaired to Muir of Ord and I only came away with two CD singles for the grand total of 50p. I had a bit of a wait to purchase them as a lovely old lady was buying a pair of bed socks and paying for them with coppers.

The first of the two is Single Girl (disc one) by Lush. From 1996 (released on Jan 8th according to the promotional sticker)  it was the first single taken from their fourth and final album Lovelife which reached number 21 in the UK singles chart (their joint highest position along with 500 (Shake Baby Shake)) . It joins their other single from the album Ladykillers on the shelves doubling my Lush collection.

Hey Miki you're so fine, Hey Miki








Wednesday 4 November 2020

Ain't That Enough


2020 Charity Shop Purchase 55 - Teenage Fanclub - Ain't That Enough (CD Single)

Teenage Fanclub singles are just like Corporation buses - none for ages then two or three come along at once.

A couple of months ago I picked up Mellow Doubt a single from Grand Prix  in a local charity shop and then during my holidays I picked up not one, but two from Songs From Northern Britain in Muir of Ord.

I've spaced tham out a bit featuring Start Again as the first post from that particular haul leaving Ain't That Enough as the last of the six purchases.

Ain't That Enough is the second track on SFNB but was the first single released from the album and was released in June 1997. As was the norm back then there were two different versions released . The one I acquired has Torness Nuclear Power Station on the front cover with the other two songs being Kickabout and Broken, two .songs by the band.. The other version had covers of the Velvet's Femme Fatale and Alex Chilton's Jesus Christ.

I'm not sure whether Brian will be as impressed with the " b-sides" as those on Start Again.

On returning from holiday I picked up the re-released vinyl versions of Grand Prix and Songs From Northern Britain meaning that I now have the lead songs from the 3 singles on vinyl, CD, CD Single and digital formats.

Teenage Fanclub - Ain't That Enough

Teenage Fanclub - Kickabout

Teenage Fanclub - Broken



 

Tuesday 3 November 2020

White Winter Hymnals

 


2020 Charity Shop Purchases 54 - Various - White Winter Hymnals 

Reference was made yesterday to Fleet Foxes and the record label Bella Union. Today we are still in Muir of Ord and are featuring White Winter Hymnals the only compilation CD in the haul an Uncut compilation from April 2009 

The supplementary title is 15 brilliant tracks from the Bella Union label with a little sticker remind you that they were the label who brought you Fleet Foxes and more.

No Fleet Foxes today. Rather two bands I have songs from but no albums that I am surprised have not featured before and a band I had not heard off. It also has Songs My Friends Taught Me which has prompted my to give the album Troubled by the Fire by Laura Veirs  another listen

Beach House are a dream pop duo and have appeared on an ICA by SWC over at JC's place. I have those songs and a few others on my PC but none from their eponymous 2006 debut  from where Master of None comes from.

Midlake are a folk rock band from Denton, Texas and were previously recommended to me by my friend Magoo. I haven't yet properly followed up that recommendation by after listening to Bandits from their 2006 album The Trials of Van Occupanther I really should do so

San Francisco folk band Vetiver are new to me but I was quite impressed with Sister from their 2009 album Tight Knit.

A decent compilation

Beach House - Master of None

Midlake - Bandits

Vetiver - Sister


Monday 2 November 2020

River Deep Mountain High 8



Last week OV Wright established an early lead with Everybody  Knows (The River Song) but was pegged back somewhat by Robert Knight and Love on a Mountain Top and then surged away again to win by 6 votes to 3. Southern Soul seeing off its Northern counterpart
More importantly the scores that matter are now River 4 Mountain 2
.
First to 5 the winner so it is a big week for the Mountaineers. The act given the task to keep them in the contest are the Fleet Foxes with Tiger Mountain Peasant Mountain.
The Gracious Losers get the first opportunity to see the river people over the line with Where The River Meets the Sea
Seattle versus Glasgow . Bella Union versus Last Night From Glasgow



Sunday 1 November 2020

Val's Vinyl

 


A new Sunday series which the musos amongst you would probably do well to avoid.

My room mate at work Val  had been threatening to give me some records from her attic for ages and returned from a week off with a bag containing  around 30 albums and 12" singles.

It's a bit of a mixed bag. There are a few that I like, quite a lot that Mrs CC likes and a few that neither of us like.Some will be kept and some wont

Sone artists appear on more than one occassion but will only feature once in this series. Neil Diamond appears to be the most popular with four appearances ,

We have taken to playing a random  Val's vinyl selection over dinner the most recent being Mr Diamond's Sweet Caroline  on MCA/Music for Pleasure. Yours for between £5 and £15 on e-bay or for nothing if you are a roomie of Val's

Mrs CC is a fan and I think that there are a lot worse out there than Neil so probably a keeper.

More Val's Vinyl next Sunday

Neil Diamond - Cracklin' Rose

Neil Diamond - Mr Bojangles