It Ain't Gay (To Love Jesus)

 

I've just realised that I have failed to acknowledge Ernie's  significant contributions to this series. He sent me a folder which I named as Ernie Jesus which contained a few songs which have previously featured before plus the first two below. He has been too polite to take issue with my negligence. My (feeble) excuse is that I merely type Jesus into the search box and select from those which pop up.

The song that gives this post its title is by The Git Right Gospel Review who you would think from the name would be the band to provide the final most spiritual song but you would be wrong there.

Another from Ernie (making sure I  belatedly get the namechecks in) is I Met Jesus in a Bar by Jim Lauderdale. Another one involving alcohol  - there could have been a whole  seperate series there.

The final spiritual song is from a Country rather that a Gospel Act. Ernie is not responsible for Jesus is the One by Carl and Pearl Butler. George is the man when it comes to them.

This series will be back on its normal day of Thursday next week unless I can come up with another series to replace it.

The Git Right Gospel Review - It Ain't Gay (To Love Jesus)

Jim Lauderdale - I Met Jesus in a Bar

Carl and Pearl Butler - Jesus is the One

The Grand Old Dukes and Duchesses of York

 

By the time you  (and I ) read this we will be safely ensconced in York in the company of Alyson, The Swede, John Medd and C for the second annual BlogCom following on from Edinburgh 22.

I'm sure laughs will be had, stories will be told, drinks will be drunk and there may even perhaps be the odd reference to blogging and music.

I'll post some bands from York I thought but I could only come up with Shed 7. Apologies for that. I did however discover The York Song by The Orchids a band from Penilee in Glasgow who recorded on the Sarah label.

No doubt more snippets will sneak out from the linked pages above in due course.

Shed Seven - Going For Gold

Shed Seven - Speakeasy

The Orchids -The York Song

An A to Z of American Cities - J

 

Somewhat naively I thought that this one was going to be slightly easier. I've plenty of songs about cities beginning with J but it seems that most of them are either about Jackson or Jacksonville.

Until now I was blissfully unaware that according to the Guinness Book of British Hit Singles & Albums ,Prefab Sprout's  name was a mondegreen from the song "Jackson" ("We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout"), misheard by frontman Paddy McAloon. I was also blissfully unaware that there was a word called mondegreen.

Jackson is the most populous city in Mississippi with a population of 154K. We requested the Johnny and June version for the first song at our wedding party.We got Brown Eyed Girl by Van Morrison instead. Today you are not getting Johnny and June or indeed Lee and Nancy but rather Gillian Welch and Dave Rawlings from their All the Good  Times album. Lucinda Williams also has a song called Jackson. Don't worry Lucinda fans she has more songs which may yet appear in this series.

Jacksonville is the most populous city in Florida with a population of just under a million. Sufjan Stevens has a song called Jacksonville  somewhat obtusely on his album Illinois. Good as it is you are not getting that one but rather Jacksonville Skyline by Whiskeytown.

I'm not sure whether the Johnson City that Wayne Hancock sings about is the Tennessee one (Pop 71K) or the Texan one (Pop 1756). Given that he is from Texas it could well be the latter.

And finally for Rol who had me looking up the Prefab Sprout  mondegreen here is John Mellencamp  with a song about Joilet the third largest city in Illinois with a population of 150K. Joilet Bound was written by the legendary Blues artist Memphis Minnie and as a bonus you are getting a crackly video which is obviously better that the Cougar.

K next which hopefully should be relatively straightforward. Famous last words

Gillian Welch & Dave Rawlings - Jackson

Whiskeytown - Jacksonville Skyline

Wayne Hancock - Johnson City

John Mellencamp - Joilet Bound

The Saturday Shuffle 10

 

The  Saturday Shuffle reaches double figures this week with another three random tunes from my gym MP3 player.

We start with one of the great one hit wonders of the early 80's from the Canadian band Martha & the Muffins with Echo Beach. It seems, however, that there was indeed more than one string to their bow as this ICA from Alec G over at JC's place suggests.

A little bit of Rockabilly is always welcome while exercising and a couple of rockabilly numbers have already featured in this series. Here we have Brian Setzer of Stray Cats and Brian Setzer Orchestra fame.I Should'a Had a V8 is taken from his 9th solo studio album 2004's Rockabilly Riot!All Original.

I'm not sure that Billie Holliday is necessarily the best fit for gym music but I'm always up for any opportunity to feature her. He's Funny That Way  is taken from a terrific Uncut compilation The Devil's Music a selection of Blues, Soul and R&B classics curated by Keith Richards.

More shuffling next Saturday

Martha & the Muffins - Echo Beach

Brian Setzer - I Should'a Had a V8

Billie Holiday - He's Funny That Way

She Left Me For Jesus

 

Apologies for my absence yesterday I was auditioning for a musical. I nailed it!

One of the songs which may well feature is She Left Me For Jesus by Hayes Carll. Amusing the first few times you hear it but after that it begins to sound a little bit like a novelty number.I'm not sure that the same could be said about Hiss Golden Messenger and his proclamation that Jesus Shot Me in the Head.

Perhaps both should enrol On Jesus' Program as advocated by O.V. Wright & the Sunset Travellers.

I'm off back to rehersals.

Hayes Carll - She Left Me For Jesus

Hiss Golden Messenger - Jesus Shot Me in the Head

O.V.Wright & the Sunset Travellers - On Jesus' Programme

Albums on both Vinyl and CD -Songs From the Big Chair

 

A brief return to this series with a band who have never featured here before

From 1985 on the  Phonogram label Songs From the Big Chair was the second album from the duo of Roland Orzabol and Curt Smith who are known collectively as Tears For Fears.

The vinyl album has lain ( largely unplayed) on the shelves for a good few years. I'm not sure if it is mine or Mrs CCs. The latter I suspect as I am not particularly a fan. I neither dislike like them or like them. Rather, they are one of those bands whose music completely washes over me without causing irritation.

There was a CD copy kicking around at Mrs CC's mums so I thought I would "borrow" it to give it the once over. I'm afraid I never made it to the end. Here are the two huge singles that you will all be familiar with.

I believe that they are still on the go on the Retro circuit.

Tears For Fears -Shout

Tears For Fears -Everybody Wants to Rule The World

Apologies in advance if you tune in over the next few days and there is nothing to see here .I am pretty busy at the moment with one thing and another and have no new charity purchases or anything pre-prepared. As a minimum I will try to keep some of the series' going. I'm conscious that the last two posts have been a bit barrel scraping.

Eddy Grant x 3

 

The pleasant weather we are currently enjoying is custom made for a little bit of Reggae lite and who better fits that bill than the Guyanese/British singer Eddy Grant.

Mrs CC came in a few days ago with the above CD Eddy Grant -The Greatest Hits from 2001 on the EastWest label.

It means that we now have three Best Ofs/Greatest Hits by Eddy with this one joining the vinyl Eddy Grant  -All the Hits and the CD The Essential Eddy Grant - see here They are all pretty much the same but ever so slightly different meaning that Mrs CC won't let me recycle any of them.According to Wiki there are 13 compilation albums so plenty more to accumulate.

Gimme Hope Jo'Anna and Electric Avenue appeared here the last time round but there are still a good few to choose from.

Eddy Grant - Living on the Frontline

Eddy Grant - Baby Come Back

Eddy Grant - War Party

An A to Z of American Cities - I

 

Indianapolis

Probably the first really hard one. I started off with one in mind and then had to rely on suggestions by fellow Bloggers and a fair degree of artistic licence.

The one I had in mind was Indianapolis by The Bottle Rockets. It is the capital and most populous city in Indiana with a population of  882K. Famous for the Indianapolis 500 motor race.

There are a four States in the US  begining  with the letter I and I wondered if they had associated capital cities beginning with the same initial.There doesn't appear to be an Indiana City in Indiana but Rol has done his research and advises that there a place called Indiana in Pennsylvania but unfortunately it appears to be a borough and county seat as opposed to a city.Bang goes Indiana wants Me.

There is an Iowa City but I couldn't find a song with Iowa in the name. There is however also an Idaho City which is the County seat of Boise with a population of 484. Cue the B-52s.

On the off chance I googled Illinois City which appears to be an unincorporated community with a population of 159 some of whom are very tall.It has City in the title so it is in

I was on board with John's suggestion  of From Auschwitz to Ipswich by Jarvis Cover given there is an Ipswich in Massachusetts but it appears to be a town rather than a city. Sorry John.

Following all those tenuous links (some very tenuous!) we are back to an actual city and a song that appears to have a connection to it. Another suggestion from Rol was Inglewood by k.d. lang.  It is indeed a city in California with a population of just over 100k.I have the album Sing it Loud by  k.d . lang and the Siss Boom  Band  from which it is on but  missed it.

There you are we got four and didn't have to go down the Independence route

Next week will be J which will be far easier and less tenuous.

The Bottle Rockets -Indianapolis

The B-52's - Private Idaho

The Handsome Family -The Giant of Illinois

k.d.land and the Siss Boom Bang - Inglewood

The Saturday Shuffle 9

 

Another Saturday, another Saturday shuffle.

This week we have acts from Nashville, Birmingham and Glasgow.

Let's start with some Country/ Americana from Nashville band BR5-49. Even if it's Wrong is the opening track from their eponymous 1996 debut album which is one of the 50 Americana Albums to Hear Before you Die. They were never the same after they dropped the hyphen.

I am old enough to remember when UB40 were good. The Earth Dies Screaming is a track from their 1980 Signing On debut album on Graduate Records. The song below is the extended 12 inch version 

Finally today we have Glasgow band Sacred Paws consisting at the time  of Rachel Aggs and Eilidh Rodgers. Stars is a song taken from their 2017 debut album Strike a Match on Rock Action which won the 2017 SAY (Scottish Album of the Year) award.Some excellent jingle jangle.

More assorted nonsense next Saturday

BR5-49 - Even if it's Wrong

UB40 - The Earth Dies Screaming (12" version)

Sacred Paws - Stars

Heatwave

 

UK readers - it may have escaped your attention but recently it has been rather balmy with no sign of the current hot weather ending. Global warming - it is a thing.

It appears that we are now officially experiencing a heatwave which the Met Office describes as an extended period of hot weather relative to the expected conditions of the area at that time of year, which may be accompanied by high humidity.  In otherwords hot and sweaty.

It is amazing how quickly the novelty of a sustained period of hot weather wears off  with folk becoming more and more crotchety and looking for shade. It is recommended that you keep your fluids up. I find that a beer garden is useful for this.

All the interesting and informative stuff above is merely a preamble to a search of the hard drive for songs  by the band Heatwave or with the word heatwave in the title. There appears to be five.

Of course this post will guarantee pouring rain.

Heatwave - Boogie Nights

Heatwave - The Groove Line (Extended Version)

Julien Baker -Heatwave

XTC - Heatwave

Fay Ray - Heatwave

Jesus and Tequila

 

Jesus, is this STILL going on? Yes I'm afraid it is but I think that I will require to up my game on the back of JC's excellent ICA

Here goes. The debate of Jesus' drinking habits is still on-going. Lydia Loveless was adament that Jesus was a Wino wheras Chuck Prophet insists  that Jesus was in fact merely a social drinker .This week it is the Minutemen whose life appears to revolve around Jesus and Tequila.

Swamp Dogg and Jesus appear to go way back to the extent that Mr Dogg attests that When Nobody Knew Him (I Knew Jesus) There is always someone ahead of the curve.

Now that we have dispensed with the nonsense I am indebted to George who furnished me with a copy of an album called Fire in My Bones - Raw and Rare African-American Gospel 1944-2007. 27 excellent gospel songs but with only two referencing Jesus in the title. Here is the opening track Jesus' Blood by the Golden Stars of Greenwood, SC

More songs from the Gospel according to CC next week

Minutemen - Jesus and Tequila

Swamp Dogg -When He Was No One (I Knew Jesus)

Golden Stars of Greenwood, SC - Jesus' Blood

C'mon Carlene

 

The other day I got a text from Mrs CC who was out and about.  There was a picture of two album covers - this one and Heartaches & Highways - The Very Best of Emmylou Harris. The text read " Do we have these?"."No and Yes" was my response and Carlene was duly purchased.

From 1996 on the Giant label as the title suggests Hindsight 20/20 is a Best Of. It has a stonking 20 tracks. Carlene Carter is very much Country royalty - the daughter of June Carter and  Carl Smith and the step daughter of Johnny Cash and  a half or quarter sister to Roseanne Cash who is the daughter of Johnny and his first wife Vivien Liberto.

Not only that one of her four husbands was Nick Lowe and she describes Howie Epstein as her best friend.

I'm keeping the connections going with the songs as on Baby Ride Easy she is accompanied by Dave Edmunds . As my brother would say - it's a small world, but I wouldn't like to paint it.

From 1993 Little Love Letters appears to have been her most successful album  with Every Little Thing reaching number three on The Billboard Hot Country Songs chart. Up until now I was blissfully unaware that there was such a thing.

Carlene Carter -Baby Ride Easy

Carlene Carter - Every Little Thing

Fire Songs

 

2023 Charity Shop Purchases #62 - The Watson Twins - Fire Songs 

The Watson Twins (Chandra and Leigh) first crossed my radar when they accompanied Jenny Lewis on the album Rabbit Fur Coat released in 2006 on Rough Trade . It has appeared here before as one of the 50 Americana Albums You Should Hear Before You  Die. As I said on that previous post  I subsequently saw them put on a cracking show at Glasgow's GUU.

Ever since then I have kept an eye our for any of their solo material. I have come across the odd track here and there with their cover of Richard and Linda Thomson's Shoot the Lights Out having appeared here before.

I had nothing physical by them so I was pretty chuffed to pick up a copy of their album Fire Songs in a St Andrews Charity Shop. From 2008 on the Vanguard label it is their first full length record following on from the 2006 EP Southern Manners.

It is fair to say that it has received mixed reviews. While complimenting their harmonies Pitchfork feel that some of the songs blend into the background. AllMusic is slightly more positive giving it 4/5  saying that the twins  vocals have a sincere, personable Earth Mother tone that keeps this rooted in a recognisable reality even when they float into the land of dreams. (I think that's good).

I wasn't to sure on the first listen but came away more impressed after the second particularly with regards to these two songs.

The Watson Twins - How Am I To Be

The Watson Twins - Old Ways (Fire Song)

Where the Wild Roses Grow

 

2023 Charity Shop Purchases #61  - Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds & Kylie Minogue - Where the Wild Roses Grow ( CD Single)

I had a moment of doubt when I picked up Where the Wild Roses Grow by Nick Cave and Kylie Minogue in  a Cupar charity shop. I knew I had one of the Murder Ballads CD singles already but as they are not yet catalogued I wasn't sure if it was this one or Henry Lee the one he did with P.J Harvey.

Fortunately when I got home I discovered that it was the latter

A single from 1995 on the Mute label it was the lead single and also the 5th track on the aforementioned 1996 Murder Ballads album .As it was the lead single, or perhaps because it featured Kylie, it was the most successful of the two  .It was in fact the most successful  single by Nick & the Bad Seeds reaching number 11 and being in the charts for 4 weeks.  It did reach number 1 in the UK Indie Charts. Nick and P.J. only made number 37 and number 7 on the Indie charts.

The second song The Ballad of Robert Moore and Betty Coltrane sounds like it should be on Murder Ballads but it isn't. 

The third song The Willow Garden has vocals by the Bad Seeds pianist and organ player Conway Savage. Sadly Conway died in 2018 aged 58 following a brain tumour.

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds & Kyle Minogue - Where The Wild Roses Grow

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds -The Ballad of Robert Moore and Betty Coltrane

Nick Cave & the Bad Seeds - The Willow Garden

An A to Z of American Cities - H

 

Hackensack

I had a couple of cities beginning with H lined and and then had to rely on pals to provide the others or to provide inspiration.

The first one I had in mind was Harrisburg which is the name of a song on Golden Age of Radio the debut album by Josh Ritter. Harrisburg is the capital city of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and with a population of 50K is the 9th largest city in the state.It has also been rated as the second best place in the US to raise a family.

Where possible I have been resisting the big guns - Dallas, Boston, etc but for the trickier letters I will fall back on them. Thus Houston the biggest city in Texas and the fourth biggest in the US  with a population of  2.3 million is included .Ernie suggested Houston Chicks by Doug Sahm and I also have Home to Houston by Steve Earle but I have gone for the more simple Houston by R.E.M. from their Accelerator album.

C  kindly pointed me in the direction of Fountains of Wayne and their song Hackensack. A city on Cass County, Minnesota it is easily this week's smallest stopping of point with a population of only 313. Nevertheless it is a city so it's in.

Alyson made reference in last week's comments to Hawaii and it's capital Honolulu (population 351K) and Ernie suggested Honolulu Rock a Roll a by Eartha Kitt which I may well come back to.In the end I went for Honolulu Lulu by Jan and Dean. And here was me thinking that she came from Dennistoun.

I is tricky. I have one and maybe  some more if I am allowed a little bit of artistic licence.

Josh Ritter - Harrisburg

R.E.M. - Houston

Fountains of Wayne - Hackensack

Jan and Dean - Honolulu Lulu

The Saturday Shuffle 8

 

An absolute calamity occured earlier this week. When I arrived at the gym and opened my bag I discovered that my Gym MP3 player was still lying on my desk in the music room. I was therefore subjected to the piped inane drivel that they have the cheek to call music. I highlight this on every survey they send but it makes little to no difference.  Rant over.

Let's look at what I could have been listening to. First up the classic We're Gonna Make It by Little Milton from an excellent Southern Soul compilation.

From Southern Soul to Rockabilly courtesy of The Bullets whose song I Got the Green appears on a compilation called 21st Century Rockabilly.

Finally some folky blues from the genius that is Bob Dylan with the monumental From a Buick 6  taken from yet another excellent Jon Savage compilation 1965 - The Year the Sixties Ignited. Apologies if the picture above is not a Buick 6 - I know absolutely nothing about cars.

That's how to do it Gym proprietors!

Little Milton - We're Gonna Make It

The Bullets - I Got the Green

Bob Dylan - From a Buick 6

A Mao Disney 45 from Glasgow

 

2023 Charity Shop Purchases #60 - A Mao Disney 45 from Glasgow

I've just got around to listening to the third single I bought a few weeks back alongside Julian Cope and The Fun Boy Three

It looked an intersting find. From 2013 and on the We Can Still Picnic label it is a double A 45.

The A Side says Bill Drummond which was my primary reason for buying it. However it turns out that Bill Drummond is actually the name of the song  with the band Wake the President  being the artist. It seems that they were  a Glasgow band formed  in 2003 by brothers Bjorn and Erik Sandberg in 2003 and disbanding amicably (depending on which twin you ask) in 2012. One for Rol to maybe store away for his Celebrity Jukebox series.

Having ascertained the order in which the band and song appear on the sleeve I worked out that the AA side was by the band Casual Sex with a song called North. Somewhat apprehensively I googled them remembering to include the word Band. They are a band that I have vaguely heard of but not heard anything by.. They have  built up a reasonable discography and have been described by the Scotsman as one of the most exciting bands in Glasgow right now and by the Guardian as maybe the best Scottish indie band since Franz Ferdinand. LNFG  are planning to release their complete works next year. On the basis of this song I won't be rushing to buy it.

This one will probably be going back

Wake the President - Bill Drummond

Casual Sex - North

Jesus, Jail,or Texas

 

Talk about hard choices. Jesus, Jail or Texas is a song by James Scott Bullard from his 2018 album Full Tilt Boogie. I'm not sure how it found its way on to my hard drive but for the sake of this series I'm glad it did.

Things now go even further downhill with some German Disco Jesus  © Ernie . However on this occasion Ernie cannot take the blame as it was George who forwarded me the song below for consideration. Yes he actually bought Music with a Message: Celestial Explorations into German Church Rock. Every house should have one.

Thankfully The Sensational Nightingales are on hand to ensure that some sanity will prevail.

For those of you requesting Jesus,When is This Series Going to End? it will feature in due course

James Scott Bullard - Jesus.Jail or Texas

Siegfried Fietz - Wer Ist Jesus von Nazareth

The Sensational Nightingales - Jesus Took My Burden Away

Based on this series JC has done a brilliant ICA at his place here

The G's That Got Away

 

The original Surfer of the Zeitgeist our dear chum Ernie Goggins  very kindly provided three songs for consideration for The A-Z of American Cities - G

I used one of his suggestions Glendale Train by New Riders of the Purple Sage. I dismissed Greencastle Blues by Todd Snider as Wiki advised that Greencastle was in fact a fishing port in County Tyrone,Ireland. I said that I was happy to be corrected. Ernie then came back to correct me by pointing out that Greencastle is in fact also a city  in Indiana with a population of  46135. Apparently named by its founder Ephraim Dukes  after his hometown in Pennsylvania which in turn is named after the one in Ireland so we got there in the end. Happy to set the record straight.

I think that we have ascertained that Gettysburg is not a city but given its place in American history following the Gettysburg Address it would be churlish not to include the song by Simone Felice

Todd Snider - Greencastle Blues

Simone Felice - Gettysburg

The Best of Bowie

 

2023 Charity Shop Purchases #59 -David Bowie -The Best of Bowie

Another trip to Debra in Shawlands to look at furniture .The CDs were back to the usual suspects unlike my previous visit. A quick rummage in the LP box threw up The Best of Bowie  a 16 track 1980 compilation on K-Tel.

Despite having nearly everything from this period (either on vinyl or CD or both) I naturally bought it as it was in excellent condition and it only cost me a pound. I've since read that it includes rare 7 inch edits of Fame and Golden Years  and unique edits of Life on Mars? and Golden Years. So all in all a good find.

I've gone for Starman a song which is now over half a century old and still as fresh as a daisy. It is one I'll never tire of.

My second selection is Sorrow from the 1973 covers album Pin Ups which along with The Man Who Sold the World are the only albums of his from the 70s thst I don't have on vinyl

Essential stuff.

David Bowie -Starman

David Bowie -Sorrow

Formanka

 

2023 Charity Shop Purchases #58 - 18 Wheeler - Formanka

A recent trip to Troon saw the obligatory visit to the Oxfam book and music shop. Happily amongst all the usual suspects I was able to come up with something  reasonably interesting.

I must admit I had never heard of the band 18 Wheeler but it was on Creation and had an interesting cover. It turns out that Formanka which is the second of their three albums from 1995 seems pretty good. Shades of Oasis in places but by and large it is more jingly jangly and more reminicent of another Creation band at that time Teenage Fanclub.

Had I known about it at the time it would have got a few points in SWC's Creation Records Countdown.It will be interesting to see whether it makes the top 20 and if so how high.

It turns out that they are a Scottish band and that their main claim to fame appears to be that they were the band that Oasis were supporting at King Tuts when Alan McGhee "discovered" them. More interestingly guitarist and singer David Keenan is now a cult author who wrote This is Memorial Device amongst others.

18 Wheeler - Steel Guitars

18 Wheeler - Winter Grrrl

An A-Z of American Cities - G

 

As I think I said last week things are now starting to get a bit more tricky. One sprang to mind immediately and then I got another. I went searching for a particular third  and that was me stuck. Thankfully our dear friend Ernie was happy to share his G-Spots with one and all.

The obvious one  and the one Alyson alluded to in last week's comments is the Texas Gulf city of Galveston with a population of just over 54K. I was going to be obtuse and post the Sparklehorse cover but you cannot ignore the majesty of Glen Campbell a man who may turn up again later on in this series. There is small village in Galloway called Garlieston which has some interesting WW2 history .Whenever I visit or indeed see a road sign I find myself singing Mr Campbell's song.

I actually have two songs about Greenville. I'm not sure if they refer to the South Carolina one  with a population of 72K or the North Carolina one of 87K. Pretty confusing , eh? Whatever  - here is another legend, Lucinda Williams with a song called Greenville. The other song in contention was Greenville to Baton Rouge by the Drive By Truckers.

I went looking for a song about Gallup, New Mexico the county seat of Mckinley County with a population of around 22K most of whom are Native American . On the coast to coast drive of America made infamous by the previously mentioned Amarillo we spent a night there in a motel so filthy that we slept fully clothed on top of the beds.Gallup Ain't Going Nowhere is a Mickey Newbury number which is sung here by Clay Hart.

Time for Ernie's G Spots of which he has three although it looks to me that two are not actually US cities. Todd Snider sings Greencastle Blues. From what I can ascertain Greencastle is in fact a fishing port in County Donegal, Ireland. Happy to be proved wrong. Ernie wasn't too sure about Gettysburg a song by Simone Felice.He was right to be unsure as it is merely a borough and the county seat of Adams County. Pennsylvania.

He was correct however with Glendale which is a large city in the Los Angeles County area of California with a population of c200k. I looked out the Neil Young album Glendale but alas there are no songs which reference the name in their title. Thankfully the New Riders of the Purple Sage are season ticket holders on the Glendale Train.

In case you were wondering the map above, despite the reference to Las Vegas Limousines, is actually  from North East Glasgow as opposed to California.

H next week. It is early days but I only have two so far. More research is required. Meanwhile hopefully Ernie is busy looking out the Preparation H.

Glen Campbell -Galviston

Lucinda Williams -Greenville

Clay Hart -Gallup Ain't Going Nowhere

New Riders of the Purple Sage -Glendale Train

The Saturday Shuffle 7

 

This week's shuffle  from my gym MP3 player starts with the song I Think I'm in Love from Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space an album from 1997 by Spiritualised. A band and album I had heard of but one that I had never heard until a couple of years ago. My excuse is that I was walking about in a space helmet that was piping in only Americana at the time.

I'm afraid that King Tubby was another relatively late discovery which was aided and abetted by me picking up the 2000 compilation Crucial Dub in a charity shop about five years ago. Dub Experience struck a welcome cord with its sampling of Ring of Fire. Dub can be good gym music

I'm pleased to say that I was more on the ball when it came to Martha Ffion picking up her 2020 album Nights to Forget when it came out on the Lost Map label in 2020. Some pleasant indie including the song Rosaleen from a Glasgow based Northern Irish lass. When I bought the vinyl album Lost Map (the label run by The Pictish Trail) very kindly threw in a CD version as well.

More shuffling of a random variety next Saturday.

Spiritualized - I Think I'm in Love

King Tubby - Dub Experience

Martha Ffion -Rosaleen

The People's Key

 

2023 Charity Shop Purchases #57 Bright Eyes - The People's Key 

Since mid 2017 I have acquired seven albums by Bright Eyes a band led by Conor Oberst all of which have come from charity shops. The latest one is The People's Key from 2011 their ninth studio album and on the Saddle Creek label.

Most of these albums can be described as curate's eggs - good in parts and not so good in others.However they usually come up with enough good stuff to keep me happy . If I see one I don't have I will always pick it up.

The People's Key received a mixed to positive critical reception which is fair. NME pushed the boat out calling it a sleek electro-tinged classic.

Bright Eyes -Shell Games

Bright Eyes - Ladder Song

Dropkick Me Jesus

 

Dropkick me, Jesus, through the goalposts of life
End over end, neither left, nor the right
Straight through the heart of them righteous uprights
Dropkick me, Jesus, through the goalposts of life

So sang the great Bobby Bare and who are we to argue? What is the meaning of Dropkick me Jesus?Written by Paul Craft this tune envision Jesus as a divine American Footballer who can send the narrator soaring past the temptations in life with a heavenly drop kick. I think it is safe to say that the lyrics did not meet with universal approval.

The same could by said of the epic Jesus Built My Hotrod by Ministry with some even disapproving of the music.I have an abiding memory of George and I tumbling out of a car at a French service station playing air guitar to this at full volume to the bemusement of our fellow travellers. I hope it was worth the wait SWC

Surely no-one could ever take issue with the Five Blind Boys of Alabama particularly when they are Living for Jesus

You will not hear many better songs today

Bobby Bare - Dropkick Me Jesus

Ministry - Jesus Built My Hotrod

Five Blind Boys of Alabama - Living For Jesus