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Sunday 31 July 2022

Albums on both CD and Vinyl - Rattlesnakes

 


I was absolutely gobsmacked to discover that Lloyd Cole and the Commotions have only ever appeared on these pages once before today. Not only that when they did appear it was with two out of the five tracks from the compilation album Lloyd Cole and the Commotions 1984 -1989 which don't appear on their first two albums.

That's correct, nothing then from their second album Easy Pieces (1985) and even more criminally nothing from their masterpiece debut album 1984's Rattlesnakes released on Polydor. Rest assured I've given myself a severe talking to.

My vinyl copy is second hand from Missing Records which cost me £1.99 and which is still in tip top condition. The CD version belongs to Mrs CC and contains an extra four tracks.

However you are not getting any of them. No siree. .Rattlesnakes has 10 tracks and is 35 minutes 29 seconds long without a second  being wasted. I have selected three for today but if I had instead gone for any of the other seven you would not have been short changed.

One of the great Scottish albums

Lloyd Cole & the Commotions - Perfect Skin

Lloyd Cole & the Commotions - 2cv

Lloyd Cole & the Commotions - Are You Ready to Be Heartbroken?

I suspect that a post on Easy Pieces may also now appear sooner rather than later.

Saturday 30 July 2022

Seen at King Tuts - The Felsons, Dean Owens et al


 

As this series rapidly draws to a conclusion it is time to pay homage to some of the support acts that I saw a good few times at King Tuts some of whom later when on to head the bill in their own right. 

I  saw Edinburgh based band The Felsons  numerous times. If an Americana act were on there was a fair chance that they would be supporting them. As you can see above they finally graduated to top billing.

The released three records - One Step Ahead of the Posse (1996), the mini album Lasoo the Moon (1997),  and Glad (1998) all of which are worth having.

The band split after frontman Dean Owens left to pursue a solo career. I've seen him countless times starting off at Tuts. He is still going strong and has amassed an impressive discography although I don't think that he has ever bettered his 2001 debut The Droma Tapes.

Another Edinburgh band The Sunshine Delay were also a regular support act. I have their self titled debut and recently got hold of 2011's Keep it Together as well. Here is a potted history of their career. I don't appear to be able to burn anything from their DIY debut so here is something from the later one


Finally a West of Scotland band!  Radio Sweethearts were fronted by a train conductor from Lanark called John Miller and also featured Francis MacDonald, of Teenage Fanclub fame, and fiddler John McCusker  at times.They released two albums New Memories(1996) and Lonesome Blue (2000).They probably vied with the Felsons as to the act I saw most at King Tuts.

Happy memories.

 The Felsons - I Ain't Been Anywhere Yet

Dean Owens -Raining in Glasgow

The Sunshine Delay - A Slow Day for Love

Radio Sweethearts -Every Other Song


Friday 29 July 2022

4AD -The Kim and Tanya Show

 


 2022 Charity Shop Purchases #35  Various - 4AD Sampler Uncut

I was quite excited to spot this one. A sampler of music from the great 4AD label. It took me a wee while to find out some more information around this one but I eventually found out that it was a CD from Uncut magazine from November 1998. There is a stellar cast on the 19 songs as you can see above or in a bit more detail courtesy of Discogs

The first one that jumped out at me was former Throwing Muses and Belly singer, songwriter and guitarist Tanya Donelly with Lantern  a song from her 1997 debut solo album Lovesongs for Underdogs

Then along came This Mortal Coil with You & Your Sister which is essentially a beautiful duet between Tanya and Kim Deal.

I then wanted to feature Saints by The Breeders a band in which both Tanya and Kim appeared.

However my burning software never got any further than 60% probably because the CD is not in particularly good condition. Given that it was in the same shop as Mind Bomb which was in a similar condition it is highly likely that they were both handed in by the same person.

Obviously I didn't want to let you all down so I obtained a copy of Saints from an alternative source. Don't say I'm not good to you.



Thursday 28 July 2022

Bittersweet Me

 


 2022 Charity Shop Purchases #34 - R.E.M. - Bittersweet Me (CD single)

As I mentioned on my recent post featuring Mindbomb it was not until BHF, my fourth and final charity stop, in Kilmarnock that I struck lucky.

The first  CD that caught my fancy was Bittersweet Me the second single taken from R.E.M.s 1996 album New Adventures in Hi-Fi. Coincidentally the only other CD single I have by them is E-Bow the Letter the first single of the album.

As with E-Bow the songs appear in a variety of formats including soundchecks ,live and acoustic versions.Rol, it is probably best that you give the third track a wide berth. In their defense in it considerably better than the version by Glenn Gregory

Tucked into the inner sleeve I noticed a small yellowing piece of paper. It turns out it was a receipt for the original purchase at 10.34 am on 26/10/96 in Our Price in Kilmarnock. Sadly Our Price and any other record shops in Kilmarnock are now long gone.

Yesterday a band who sound like R.E.M. - today the real thing

R.E.M. - Bittersweet Me (Memphis soundcheck)

R.E.M. - Undertow (Live - Atlanta)

R.E.M. - Witchita Linesman (Live - Houston)

R.E.M. - New Test Leper (Acoustic - Seattle studio)

Wednesday 27 July 2022

Swedefest - Welcome

 


The next instalment of Swedefest is Welcome the third and final album  from 1992 (on Frontier Records) by Portland,Oregon garage band Dharma Bums

The personnel at the time were Jeremy Wilson (vocals), Eric Lovre (guitar), John Moen (drums) and  Jim Talstra (bass). It took me a bit of searching to find out who was playing what.

Allmusic write that Welcome consists of intriguing slices of moody jangle pop and country-tinged alt-rock that are all the more refreshing for the fact that none of them particularly sound like REMThey must have been listening to a different band to me as I think that in places they could pass as an R.E.M. tribute band. For the record sounding like R.E.M. is not a bad thing.

They also reference moody jangly pop, country-tinged alt -rock and power pop all of which I kinda get.

I wasn't too sure after the first listen but the second time around suggests that it will probably be a keeper.

I'm only guessing but I think that they are probably named after the Jack Kerouac novel as opposed to the women's yoga and performance activewear.

Dharma Bums - First Time/Last Time

Dharma Bums -Wreck Around Town



Tuesday 26 July 2022

Birthday 61

 


I'm 61 today. How did that happen? As the sign suggests I am now officially old.

When thinking of what to play to commemorate (if that is the right word) this occasion there could only really be one song.

That's right.Ladies and Gentlemen I give you the title track from Bob Dylan's greatest album. From August 1965 it is almost as old as me, but not quite. It was the album that first got me interested in the great man when my room mate in the staff chalets at the Royal Hotel, Ullapool in 1980 had a copy on cassette. It was  subsequently the first Dylan album that I ever bought.

His Bobness is followed by a couple of covers by PJ Harvey and Dave Alvin neither of which are remotely in the same league as the great man.

These are followed by Australian post punks Sacred Cowboys who for some reason appear to loose the word Revisited from the title.

Finally we have the late great Jimmy La Fave with another song about the famous road taken from his 1988 album Highway Angels .. Full Moon Rain.

Wonder if there are any charity shops out there on Highway 61?

Bob Dylan - Highway 61 Revisited

P.J.Harvey - Highway 61 Revisited

Dave Alvin - Highway 61 Revisited

Sacred Cowboys - Highway 61

Jimmy La Fave -Deep Down 61 Delta Highway Blues




Monday 25 July 2022

Mind Bomb

 


 2022 Charity Shop Purchases #33 - The The - Mind Bomb

Now where were we again? Oh yes, that's right - on a bus from Prestwick to Kilmarnock.

I've only ever really been to Kilmarnock for the football. It was therefore quite interesting to have a wander around the town centre. I must say that it was pretty run down but you could say that about most town centres these days. There were about three or four charity shops but it was only at the last one British Heart Foundation just by the bus station that I struck lucky.

It is not that often that you see anything by The The in a charity shop. In fact I think that this may well have been a first for me and I wasn't going to miss the opportunity to pick up Mind Bomb  their 3rd album from 1989 on  Some Bizzare/Epic.
I opened the box to check that the right CD was in place to be met with a CD of their album Soul Mining which I have on vinyl. No biggie I thought I'll still take it. I then noticed that Mind Bomb was underneath it. Result!

It wasn't until I got back home that I noticed that the playing side of the CDs were in really bad condition. Loads of scratches and even a slight split on Mind Bomb. Even after cleaning it up a bit my burning software was having problems copying it although fortunately it plays ok on the hi fi CD player

By fair means or foul I have two tracks from the album for you today. It strikes me that Armageddon Days are Here (Again) and The Beat(en) Generation are just as relevant today as they were in 1989

The The -Armageddon Days Are Here (Again)

The The - The Beat(en) Generation

Sunday 24 July 2022

Albums on both CD and Vinyl - Parallel Lines



I'm just easing myself back in gradually after about a week or so of not drafting any posts for this place.

I had plenty of options for today but I thought that I would go for one of the easier ones. Parallel Lines the third album from Blondie ,from 1978 and on the Chrysalis label, is one that I assume that you will all be familiar with..
If not have you been living in a bubble? It has sold over 20 million copies worldwide and spent 106 weeks in the UK albums chart over the 70s  including four at number one in 1979.

Four of the twelve songs were hit singles  in the UK with two (Heart of Glass and Sunday Girl) occupying the number one spot.
The other eight tracks are equally as good and I would wager that many of you will know them all word for word. It looks as though four of the songs on the album have featured here before so it pretty much a case of perm 3 from 8 given that they are all of a consistantly high quality

Here you go

Why wouldn't you have at least two copies of this?







 

Saturday 23 July 2022

Seen at King Tuts - Victoria Williams & the Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers

 


Victoria Williams & the Original Harmony Ridge Creep Dippers

Thursday 1st October 1998                         £12.50.           Ticket No: 00032

Although the ticket has Victoria Williams in much larger print this was essential an Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers gig. It was one of the strangest ones that I have been to at Tuts and also one of the more expensive.

Due to Victoria's health issues (she has MS) the audience were asked not to smoke this being in the days before smoking bans.Not an unreasonable request.

However, I seem to remember that the audience were asked to sit on the floor as opposed to stand and that the lights remained on during the show.

It has to be said that Ms Williams ' voice is very much an acquired taste and I'm not sure that I have ever fully required it. We were primarily there for the Jayhawks connection given that her then husband and fellow Creep Digger was none other than Mark Olson. I must have been reasonably impressed as I came away with their CD Pacific Coast Rambler duly signed by Victoria, Mark and the third band member Mark "Razz" Russell

I don't have any of her solo material apart from the occasional track. Summer of Drugs comes from the Rough Trade shops compilation Singer Songwriter 1. I'm not sure where I got it but Sunshine Country was a track from her 2004 album Loose. Miss William's Guitar is taken from the brilliant Jayhawks album Tomorrow the Green Grass.

Victoria Williams - Summer of Drugs

Victoria Williams -Sunshine Country

The Original Harmony Ridge Creek Dippers - Give My Heart to You

The Jayhawks - Miss Williams' Guitar

Monday 18 July 2022

Jimi Jimi

 


 2022 Charity Shop Purchases #32 - Jimi Hendrix -The Ultimate Experience

By the time I got off the bus in Prestwick I needed the loo. A quick check of my phone suggested that there was a Sainsburys near by so I set off in the general direction. There was no sign of it but when I asked two ladies on seperate occasions they assured me that it was just along the road. I was just about in Ayr and bursting by the time I got there.

Prestwick is a nice wee place with a fairly bustling high street  with a variety of shops, restaurants and pubs. There were four charity shops but the only one I struck lucky in was Sue Ryder.

I am only a week or so off turning 61 and following the purchase of the above album it is the first time that I have ever owned any physical music by Jimi Hendrix. That's not to say that I am not familiar with many of the songs 

The lady behind the counter told me that someone had just handed in some "classic" rock compilations whivh was similar to a recent visit to Newton Stewart. There was a right load of  rubbish such as Jethro Tull and Uriah Heep but I was happy to come away with this.

A quick pint in the Red Lion and then off to get the bus to Killie.

Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze

Jimi Hendrix - The Wind Cries Mary

Nothing here until Saturday due to holidays, weather and general lethargy

Sunday 17 July 2022

Albums on both CD and Vinyl - Hipsway

 


The vinyl version of  Hipsway the 1986 debut album by Glasgow band of the same name belongs to Mrs CC and was bought around then. I subsequently picked up a CD version  a few years ago in a Charity shop in North Berwick.

The image above is the cover of the record. My CD only has the band's name - same size and font - but no pen pics of the band. The band at the time were Grahame Skinner - voals, Pim Jones - guitar, Harry Travers -drums and Johnny McElhone - bass. McElhone went on to form Texas.

I've featured The Honeythief a couple of times before and make no apologies for doing so again. It is a tremendous song with an instantly recognised intro which  is guaranteed to get Glaswegians of a certain vintage up on rthe dancefloor. There is even a beer named after it


More recently Last Night from Glasgow have picked up the baton with a 35th Anniversay gatefold LP and also another gatefold of the band's third and final album Smoke and Dreams - available here

The light of deep regret
Let me see what I don't get


Hipsway - The Honeythief

Hipsway -Ask the Lord

Saturday 16 July 2022

Seen at King Tuts - Son Volt

 


Son Volt

Saturday 8th November 1997                             £6.00         Ticket No: 00041


I was  not fortunate enough to have ever seen the legendary  Uncle Tupelo but did see the two equally  legendary bands that followed their break up which was primarily brought about by the tensions between Jay Ferrar and Jeff Tweedy.. I've seen Wilco on two or three occasions but this was the only time I saw Son Volt. I did however also see Jay Farrar play at the 13th Note Club during his solo period on 31st March 2001.

This tour was part of the European tour  to promote the band's second album Straightaways which was released on April 22nd on Warner Brothers. My copy of the CD came from Missing Records at a cost of £4.99 which according to the attached sticker was a low price

Jay would have been accompanied by fellow ex- Uncle Tupelo member Mike Heidron on drums, Jim Boquist on bass and Dave Boquist on guitars,fiddle,lap steel and banjo.

A Son Volt concert was never quite a laugh a minute experience given that Jay is quite intense.There is not much chit chat or audience interaction. Despite all that is is still a very enjoyable experience

The band have had a hiatus or two but are currently still playing having released their tenth album Electro Melodier in 2021

Here are a couple of songs from Straightaways which almost certainly would have featured and Windfall from their 1995 debut album Trace  (or rather from the 2015 20th Anniversary edition)

Son Volt - Creosote

Son Volt -Last Minute Shakedown

Son Volt - Windfall



Friday 15 July 2022

On the Buses - Charity Shop Excursions - Prestwick and Kilmarnock

 

He's off!

 2022 Charity Shop Purchases #31  - Prefab Sprout - Jordan: The Comeback

The first in an occassional series.

I first got my free bus pass almost exactly a year ago and one of my plans was to go on excursions throughout the country to explore various towns and their charity shops.

However to date apart from my recent Edinburgh trip and a visit to East Kilbride to get my phone fixed it has been used exclusively to get me in and out and out and about in Glasgow.

That all changed the other day when I caught the number 4 to Prestwick stopping off at Kilmarnock on the way back.I played safe as it is only a 70 mile  round journey plus I could get the bus from quite near my house rather than having to go into Buchanan bus station in the centre of  town.

There are three or four charity shops in the Ayrshire seaside town of  Prestwick but there were slim pickings to be had. Nevertheless, I managed to break my duck in Sue Ryder coming away with a couple of CDs

One was Jordan: The Comeback the 5th studio album by Prefab Sprout from 1990 on Kitchenware. It joins Steve McQueen and From Langley Park to Memphis on the shelves. With the possible exception of When Love Breaks Down the main man Paddy McAloon has never sounded better than on We Let the Stars Go.

An encouraging start. More to follow.

Prefab Sprout -We Let the Stars Go

Prefab Sprout -Carnival 2000


Thursday 14 July 2022

It Came From Dundee - So This is Great Britain?

 


The Holloways can comfortably expect to be the biggest band in the world  by the end of this year - NME

Moral of this story - don't ask the NME to choose your lottery numbers

So this is Great Britain? the 2006 debut album from North London band The Holloways  on the Orchard label was my solo pick from trip two to Euans. He had already picked those he wanted and two other pals who were also there to watch the Scottish football team put on an absolutely pathetic performance against Ireland got first dibs.

To me it is a bit neddy/chavvy in an Oasis/Stone Island sort of a way. All lyrics about young lads getting pissed and trying, not always successfully, to pull "birds". So the title is pretty accurate then?

16 years on you could ask the same question in a slightly different context given everything that is going on at the minute.

The name must have rang some sort of vague bell in my mind for me to pluck it from the box but I couldn't have told you the names of any of their songs. Incredibly the have appeared here before as their track What's the Difference? appeared on a Magnet New Music sampler that I picked up somehow, somewhere along the way.

Even more incredibly it appears that they have had five number 1 singles in the UK Indie singles charts and several top 40 singles Here are the first two singles from the album.

I can't really see me ever playing this again so it will be going to charity rather than taking up shelf space.

Given that this is the last selection tthis represents the end of this mini series

The Holloways - Two Left Feet

The Holloways - Generator



Wednesday 13 July 2022

The Household Clearance cds. Part 11.

 


George writes:

I am going to be more upbeat this week about the cds. And here’s the first one

:It features music from Riverdance, Lord of the Dance and Titanic, amongst other selections. Can  ANYONE on the bloody planet  be positive about this pile of absolute dross? I don’t even need to try because, joy of joy, there’s no cd inside!! How’s that for being upbeat? On a more sombre note, it’s cd 2, so I am slightly worried about what my hand will find in the box.



Now a cd single, again with the COSMOPOLITAN title, containing a pair of songs by Além Mar and a pair by Ciganos d’Ouro. (Beyond the Sea and The Golden Gypsies) Além Mar’s best known song is Deixa-me olhar (let me look…….(oo err missus)), and on this cd they give us a couple of earnest soft-rock ballads. The Ciganos d’Ouro initially played at gypsy events. No real surprise there, then. The two upbeat and lively songs here showcase the band’s “appealing sound”, a “fusion” of latin-music, balkan and fado styles. As you will hear, here:



(cd burner on this laptop still not working. And as it is 8 years old, bought 2nd hand, is likely to stay that way)


Next, is “Soccorro, eu gosto-te”. Or “Help, I like you”. Like in this instance means being fond of, hoping to have a relationship with or currently in one. The list of songs on the back are all Beatles songs, here they are performed by “Cavern Sounds”. Inside the sleeve I see that there are 23 cds in a series, with titles like “What a body”, “You’re as good as corn”, “next time I’ll give you flowers”, and some more mundane ones such as the “congratulations” (I’m only guessing but I don’t think it’s a set of covers of that Cliff Richard song). The inside sleeve contains something I think the previous owner wrote to her husband, because it begins “my dear husband” and it feels like snooping to read any more. So I did not. I just played the cd. Straightforward, faithful-ish to the originals, so unfortunately not terrible enough to sneer at. Time to move on…..




And, you’ll be glad to know, the final offering today. An album originally priced at €24.50, but the owner snapped it up for €3.47. It’s by Spray, and if you like your 1980s-style electro-almost-indie-pop, you’ll like this. Especially if you like it sung in Portuguese and at times slightly out-of-tune. Painting by Moonlight (the album by Spray, or João Carlo Neves to his granny) was quite the success here, in 1997, 22 weeks in the charts, and it’s just been remastered and re-released. I’ve not played that version, but I wonder if the vocals have been re-tuned.

I’d had enough by track 9, the initial promise of the first few tracks did not last. 


Spray - o nome pintado no luar


Spray - Sobre o mar (sinto ao longe esse teu olhar)


You’ve heard a lot worse than that!

(I played track 10, the final track on the album, for completeness)


More next week.


CC writes:

Does João Carlo Neves not play for Benfica?

I've heard worse than Spray. Further up this post for instance.




Tuesday 12 July 2022

Swedefest - Night of the Furies

 



The third instalment of Swedefest is aptly the third album by Raleigh, North Carolina band The Rosebuds released on Merge Records in April 2007.
The band consisted of Ivan Howard and Kelly Crisp and were on the go from 2001 to 2014.

The  CD is a promo and has come to me without a front cover but as you can see I have managed to track one down.
As it is a promo there is the usual blurb pontificating as to how good it is. For example:
The danceable beats meld with catchy melodies built on themes both dark and seductive. Thematically, the songs are presented a individual and random parts of a larger story. The mood is onimous yet enticing;dangerous yet enchanting.
Lyrics explore revolution and struggle,actions and consequences, but also love and redemption. 
One can easily just bounce along on the infectious pop hooks. Dig a little deeper, however, and a larger story and unified themes beging to unfold.
Christ Almighty you would think that it was Pet Sounds or Sgt Pepper or something.

I'm not totally convinced. It may merit a second listen but it seems a bit samey in places. I do like track 9 the last and title song on the album which puts me in mind a little bid of Mt. Doubt. Sadly, I have just learned that they are calling it a day with frontman Leo Bargery going on to pursue new projects. I'm glad I got the opportunity to see them a couple of times and I will keep an eye out for more from Leo.


The Rosebuds -My Punishment For Fighting

The Rosebuds - Night of the Furies

Monday 11 July 2022

Summer of Motown

 




 2022 Charity Shop Purchases #30  - Summer of Motown -Various Artists


The sun has been actually shining for  the last couple of days which in this part of the world is pretty unusual. It reminds me of Billy Connelly's observation that when the sun shines Glaswegians go from blue to white to red.

What better time then to play Summer of Motown my second purchase from the second hand shop in Mount Florida which may or may not have charity status. I was unaware, until I got it home, that it was in fact an Uncut offering from September 2004. Lets face it though any Motown compilation is well worth having.

15 tracks and I have chosen three pretty much at random. Any of them would have been worthy of inclusion with the possible exception of Teena Marie.

Now, where is that cold beer?

Martha & the Vandellas - Nowhere to Run

The Temptations - Law of the Land

Jimmy Ruffin - It's a Desperate Situation


Sunday 10 July 2022

Albums on both CD and Vinyl - The Best of Dropkick

 


If I'm ever summoned to see my bank manager to discuss my music expenditure one of my lines of mitigation will be "it's Brian's fault."

An example. His favourite albums of 2020 post had The Scenic Route by Edinburgh band Dropkick with the following description

They're a little bit country (early Jayhawks) and a little bit rock 'n' roll (Teenage Fanclub around 'Songs From Northern Britain') and have somehow improved upon 2018 album 'Longwave...' and that's saying a lot.

Now if that is not enough to have you reaching for the trigger I don't know what is. The Scenic Route was duly purchased within a matter of hours and Brian very kindly provided me with a copy of their previous album 2018's Longwave.

Both these albums had me wanting more but what to buy.? A bit of a dilemma given there were 16 previous albums available begging the question " how come I have never heard of them before?"

The band very kindly solved my dilemma by announcing the release of a double album The Best of Dropkick to celebrate their 20th anniversary of recording.

A total no brainer. It was ordered at the earliest opportunity and in addition to a lovely personalised note from the main man Andrew Taylor it also came with 2 CDs containing the 30 tracks from the album together with an additional 20 bonus tracks. Value for money or what?

Here are two from The Scenic Route and one from Longwave that appear on the album.

You know what to do

Dropkick - Feeling Never Goes Away

Dropkick - I'm Over You, Goodbye

Dropkick - Come Around

Saturday 9 July 2022

Seen at King Tuts - Juliet Turner

 


Juliet Turner

Friday 23rd April 2004                             £7.00         Ticket No: GA2 34


This one is a bit of a puzzle.I have absolutely no recollection of this one or why I went given that I wasn't aware of her music at the time. I can only assume that I heard something on the radio or I just went for something to do given it was a Friday. From the tickets it looks as though I went to a lot of gigs in 2004 .Well I was a lot younger and had a lot more disposable income than I do now

An internet search tells me that Juliet Turner is a singer/songwriter from Northern Ireland who appears to have released 5 albums between 1996 and 2006. Her third album Season of the Hurricane was released in 2004 so I assume that this concert was part of a tour to promote this record

Fast forward to 2018 while on holiday I picked up a copy of her second album 2001's Burn the Black Suit from the Highland Hospice charity shop in Broadford on Skye.. It duly featured here. it seems I bought it after confusing her with Juliette Lewis.. There is absolutely no reference to me having seen her at King Tuts so the concert has clearly been expunged from my memory.

The album was pleasant enough but it was not a keeper and was duly return to charity after I downloaded a couple of tracks for my post one of which is re-posted below.

It proved quite tricky to find anything from Season of the Hurricane out there. Eventually I managed to track down one of the tracks Everything Beautiful is Burning from You Tube

It would appear that she has now given up music to concentrate on her career as a Speech and Language Therapist

This series is reaching its conclusion with a month or so to go

Juliet Turner - Sorry to Say

Juliet Turner - Everything Beautiful is Burning

Friday 8 July 2022

It Came From Dundee -No Direction Home : The Soundtrack

 


Volume 7 in the Bob Dylan Bootleg Series. Rather than me wittering on about it I have taken the liberty of copying the introduction blurb in the accompanying booklet which is not short on hyperbole:

This volume of the Bootleg Series is a companion to the two-part documentary No Direction Home directed by Martin Scorsese which traces Bob Dylan's musical journey from Hibbing High School rock'n'roll enthusiast to electric barnstormer through Europe in 1966 .Classic tracks and rarities illuminate a trajectory which was as fast and fraught with ramifications as a Mercury space capsule or a Dallas bullet

This is not a soundtrack in the tradition sense. The film's structure plays fast and loose with time,using a generous helping of unearthed footage from Dylan's controversial 1966 tour of the British Isles as a centerpiece. The compilers of this collection used the songs in the film as a reference point,finding alternative takes,rare live performances and unreleased tracks that amplify the pivotal sequences in the film and avoid duplication with previously released tracks.

The documentary is well worth seeing.A genius  on a roll and at the peak of  his powers.

This becomes the third member of the Bootleg Series on the Shelves

Bob Dylan - Masters of War (Live)

Bob Dylan - A Hard Rain's A-Gonna Fall

Bob Dylan - Chimes of Freedom (Live)

Thursday 7 July 2022

Speedway

 



 2022 Charity Shop Purchases #29 - Genie in a Bottle/Save Yourself - Speedway

Despite the fact that I am still working my way through the piles of CDs generously provided by The Swede and the Dundee ones from my pal Euan I have been getting withdrawal symptoms given my recent lack of charity shop activity.

This was maybe rectified when I visited a second hand shop in my former stomping ground Mount Florida on the South Side of Glasgow which proudly claimed that it is not for profit. I have my doubts but the less cynical among you may be happy to put it down as charity.

Anyway I came away with 2 CDs for a pound the first of which was this CD single by Paisley band Speedway. Given that I already have a charity shop copy of their only album 2003's Save Yourself I bought it in the full knowledge that I may already have both tracks. It turns out that both tracks are on the album so it is going back. It was worth a punt though. They have appeared briefly on these pages before but never with either of these songs

It turns out that Genie in a Bottle is a cover of a song by Christina Aguilera. Who knew? Certainly not me. I was totally oblivious to that fact. Probably given that connection it was the most successful of the band's four singles  reaching number 10 in the UK singles charts.

If the band's singer sounds familiar that is because it is none other than Jill Jackson a subsequent Country and Torch Song singer who Rol is an admirer of.

Speedway -Genie in a Bottle

Speedway - Save Yourself

Wednesday 6 July 2022

The Household Clearance cds. Part 10.

 


George writes:

I’ve picked out 4 this week, After going through 18 cds, and possibly nearly half way through the collection, I get the strong impression I’m not going to unearth any aural treasures; also, whilst I listen to every single track (with the single exception referred to last week), it gets a bit tedious. So I’m beginning to consider not posting a track from an album if what I consider to be the most listenable is, again in my opinion, actually just a load of old bobbins that no one would want to play. Of course, if I am instructed by CCM himself to stick to the original idea, I will do as he says.


 And it’s not particularly difficult to put a cd on, sit outside at the farm, gaze at the serra, hear Parsley’s bell chiming, listen to the sparrows twittering. The first selection is a cd single that seems to be titled Cosmopolitan, that has 4 tracks by 4 artistes. And the first up, by Silence 4, called My Friends, is very listenable, the vocal reminded me of David Byrne and I convinced myself that it has a 1980s new wave feel.



The burner on this laptop has decided to malfunction, hence the video. I was surprised that a video was available, but the lead singer is a bloke called David Fonseca who is quite famous (in Portugal), and the band’s first (of two) album sold 240 000 copies. In Portugal. One for every fitty people in the country.


The other three songs are, I think, dreary ballads (so forgettable.  I’m typing this having just played them). Apologies to the performers, who I’m sure are lovely and kind to their grandparents and all of god’s creatures.



Next up is a compilation, Grandes Vozes do Seculo XX, which is probably better translated as Major Voices rather than Big Voices. The latter puts me in mind of a teacher friend who although not a big man has a big voice. And he’s not on this album. A glance at the contributions does suggest that the album title is not wholly inaccurate. Here they are: Aretha Franklin (who admittedly had a BIG voice), Whitney Houston (yes, another BIG voice), CIA (who?), Joe Cocker (smallish man - 1m 74cm, big voice), Pedro Abruinhosa & os Bandemonio Lou Reed, Marvin Gaye (major not big), Stevie Wonder (major, not big voice), Percy Sledge (neither), Otis Redding, Ben E King, The Temptations, The Platters, Ella Fitzgerald, Gloria Gaynor, Barry White, Ray Charles, Nina Simone, Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin, Paulo do Carvalho, Tom Jones, The Everly Brothers and Green Windows (performing “the day of the king’s birthday”). An album that maybe CCM would buy for 50p if he saw it in the Help The Aged shop in Dumbarton.


The songs by the 3 artistes unknown to you are disappointingly tedious. Here’s  something that is decidedly not:



I suspect that the “1” you see on the album cover implies more albums in this series.


Today’s selections were not an unpleasant listening experience.Maybe next week I can work up more enthusiasm.


CC writes:

Enjoyed both of today's songs.

It is your slot to do what you feel fits George.

Have not been charity shopping in Dumbarton yet, may have to dig out the bus pass.I would quite possibly fork out 50p for Grandez Voices