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Friday, 31 May 2024

50,001 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong

 


I was very late coming to the party as far as The Fall were concerned.

The only album by them that I have is 50.000 Fall Fans Cant be Wrong which I suspect is anathema to diehard fans.

I also have a copy of The Complete Peel Sessions which I gave to my pal Gordon for his 40th. He was a bigger fan than me and we twice went to see them play at the Renfrew Ferry. The first time was excellent and the second time awful which I have come to realise is something that was probably par for the course.

A couple of weeks ago I stuck on the headphones (to avoid Mrs CC shouting for me to turn it down/off) and listened to the Disc 2 in its entiriy. It was terrific.

I need to give the Peel Sessions an airing.


The Fall - U.S. 80's-90's

The Fall - Masquerade

The Fall - Touch Sensitive

Thursday, 30 May 2024

They Are Heavy


 

When the shuffle threw up Heavy Metal Drummer by Wilco for Saturday's post I headed to the music folder to get the MP3 file for download.

A search for the word Heavy threw up some interesting songs none more so than Heavy Manners by Prince Far I

In recent years I have have enjoyed the output of Big Thief and also the solo work of  Buck Meek and Adrianne Lenker. From 2022 here are Big Thief with Heavy Bend from their album Dragon New Warm Mountain I Believe in You which is a bit of a mouthful.

Another band who seem to be getting better and better are The Hanging Stars. They have now released five albums and are terrific live with their recent concert at the Glad Cafe being my gig of the year so far. Heavy Blue is from their 3rd album 2020's A New Kind of Sky.

Let's throw in a band for a laugh. Here are Dutch band  The Heavy Dwarfs with Moeder Natuur

I may well get heavy again next Thursday

Prince Far I - Heavy Manners

Big Thief - Heavy Bend

The Hanging Stars -Heavy Blue

The Heavy Dwarves - Modeder Natuur

Wednesday, 29 May 2024

No Time For Dreaming

 


I was going to write that a few years ago I saw a documentary about  funk and soul singer Charles Bradley which completely blew me away until I called up this post which informs me that it was as far back as 2013. Gulp!

That post gives some background on the documentary and the fact that it prompted me to purchase his then recently released second album Victim of Love before the programme was finished.

Much more recently at the Record Fair in East Kilbride where I bought Fear of Music I stumbled across this one his debut 2011 album No Time For Dreaming. It was also duly purchased.

It features the sounds of the Menahan Street Band and has the honour of being the first Daptone album that I have on vinyl, It was critically well received scoring 79/100 on the Metacritic Aggregator. Mojo also placed it as number 40 in their 50 albums of the year.

The World (Is Going Up In Flames) Ain't that the truth.


Charles Bradley - The World (Is Going Up In Flames)

Charles Bradley - No Time For Dreaming

Tuesday, 28 May 2024

On Your Bike - Ernie

 


Following on from Brian's excellent suggestions last week Ernie has also got on his bike and provided me with six bike songs all of which are new to me. Therefore all the information below comes courtesy of Mr Google.

Kerri Powers channels blues and soul with an eye-to-eye, earthy sensibility that makes for honest listening and reflection. She's your sage girlfriend speaking from the heart and does so with a new collection of songs written from a place of grief and longing – something that speaks to us all.. Bicycle Boy is taken from a Ramblin Roots Sampler

Robi Mitch hails from Falmouth in Cornwall where I once went on holiday with George and our pal Pete.. He has a Bandcamp page (Robi not Pete) and his dreamy yet groovy sound is inspired by 70s psychedelia and 90s mixtapes, Bike Endless Summer is from his Future Perfect album.

Next up are The Wingdale Community Singers with Bike Shop Boy. The WCS (as I have christened them) are David Grubbs, Hannah Marcus and Rick Moody who have appeared in various bands. Bike Shop Boy is from the eponymous album.

Finally an act that I have actually heard of! French-Canadian  folk sisters Kate & Anna McGarrigle chip in with The Bike Song from their Matapedia album.

Blurt are an English post-punk band, founded in 1979 in Stroud, Gloucestershire. The Fish Needs a Bike was a single from May 1981 on Armageddon Records

We conclude with Yellow Bike by  American Indie band Pedro the Lion from their 5th studio album Phoenix from 2019 on the PolyvinylRecord Co label.

Many thanks for these Ernie. I particularly enjoyed the first and the last one,

Any more budding cyclists out there?

Kerry Powers - Bicycle Man

Robi Mitch - Bike Endless Summer

The Wingdale Community Singers - Bike Shop Boy

Kate & Anna McGarrigle - The Bike Song

Blurt - The Fish Needs a Bike

Pedro the Lion - Yellow Bike

Monday, 27 May 2024

Ramshackle Beauty

 


2024 Charity Shop Purchases # 33 - Daniel Wylie - Ramshackle Beauty

My third and final Helensburgh purchase is an upgrade of a digital copy that George provided me with in 2019.

Ramshackle Beauty by Daniel Wylie, erstwhile frontman of the Cosmic Rough Riders, was released in 2004 on Measured Records. I previously wrote about it here

Not much has changed since then . It is still a collection of  melodic pop tunes with a country or power pop tinge on occasions and remains very pleasing on the ear. I've opted for a couple of different tunes this time.

In the interim I also acquired Atoms and Energy released by Last Night from Glasgow in 2021 and is billed as Daniel Wylie's Cosmic Rough Riders. (I've just noticed that I have a digital copy of this so I will post something here in due course)


Daniel Wylie - Make Love to the World

Daniel Wylie - Brighton Beach


Sunday, 26 May 2024

Sunday Highway Songs - 8

 


I've just looked at that picture and it definitely says Carefree Highway as opposed to Carfree Highway. That would be a different beast altogether

When it comes to Carefree I suspect that there were few more carefree than Gordon Lightfoot who wrote the song Carefree Highway .According to Soundfacts.com Lightfoot got the idea for this song from a road sign he saw just north of Phoenix, Arizona. The Carefree Highway intersects I-17, and leads to Carefree, Arizona, a small community north of Phoenix.

He goes on to say I thought it would make a good title for a song. I wrote it down, put it in my suitcase and it stayed there for eight months. And that folks is how you write a song

We have previously had Ghost on the Highway by The Gun Club. Now we have Haunted Highway by The Daintees. There is something spooky going on. Spoiler alert- there are another couple of scary ones further on in this series

Iggy Pop on the other hand is just content to sing a Highway Song.


Gordon Lightfoot - Carefree Highway

The Daintees - Haunted Highway

Iggy Pop - Highway Song

Saturday, 25 May 2024

Saturday Shuffle 53

 


I forgot to acknowledge last week that we had reached  a full year of Shuffling. Then again, given that there are actually 52.1429 weeks in a year perhaps this week is  more appropriate.

As a special bonus to celebrate this achievement and for those of you who were feeling hard done by with not getting The Cramps version of Goo Goo Muck a couple of weeks ago here are Poison Ivy, Lux et al with Garbageman.

Some Heavy Metal? Well here is some of sorts with Wilco performing Heavy Metal Drummer from the Yankee Hotel Foxtrot album.

Some Rockabilly? Happy to oblige Here is Brian Setzer with Cock-a- Doodle Don't the final track on his 2104 album Rockabilly Riot! All Originals from 2014 on the Surfdog label.

More random nonsense next Saturday

The Cramps - Garbageman

Wilco - Heavy Metal Drummer

Brian Setzer - Cock-a-Doodle Don't


Friday, 24 May 2024

Ten Pence Specials - Olivia Newton John

 


2024 Charity Shop Purchases # 32 -Olivia Newton John - The Ultimate Collection

This one was chosen by Mrs CC. She also picked up another one ( they were 10p after all) with nearly identical tracks. It has gone back.

She likes the entire range of Olivia's stuff - the early Country stuff, the ballads and the songs from Grease. Me - I much prefer the Country stuff.

This concludes this brief series. In addition to the 3 I have featured  and the other ONJ one there was also Beautiful Noise by Neil Diamond which I can't bring myself to post and a Best of Dr Hook which with the exception of Sylvia's Mother was unlistenable. It was swiftly dispatched.

So all in all 6 CDs for 10p each. I very generously gave them a pound!


Olivia Newton John - Xanadu

Olivia Newton John - Banks of the Ohio

Olivia Newton John - Take Me Home Country Roads

Thursday, 23 May 2024

Kojak Variety

 


2024 Charity Shop Purchases # 31 - Elvis Costello - Kojak Variety

For years I was a huge Elvis Costello fan. I have his first dozen albums from 1977's My Aim is True up to 1991's Mighty Like a Rose often buying the later ones on release. I also have a few compilations and a couple of later Charity Shop purchases. I rarely listen to any of them now

I was aware of 1995's Kojak Variety but never felt the urge to acquire it until I saw it in Oxfam in Helensburgh. As the small print in the top right hand corner of the sleeve states it is a covers compilation of Rhythm & Blues Popular Ballads

Now some Covers Compilations work and some don't. Elvis has one of each. The Country Covers album Almost Blue divides opinions but I am a big fan. Kojak Variety not so much.

I hope George is sitting down as I give you his takes on the Louvin Brothers classic Must You Throw Dirt in My Face and James Carr's Pouring Water on a Drowning Man.

You can't improve on perfection!   

Elvis Costello - Must You Throw Dirt in My Face

Elvis Costello - Pouring Water on a Drowning Man




Wednesday, 22 May 2024

Even Serpents Shine

 


2024 Charity Shop Purchases # 30 - The Only Ones - Even Serpents Shine

I like to post my Charity Shop purchases chronologically but sometimes there are exceptions. For example if I pick up a couple by the same band I like to stagger them a little. In the case of Monday's Helensburgh post I wanted  to get it out there while it was still fresh in my mind. Old age does not come itself after all.

Therefore it jumped the queue in front of one I got in Cupar as we returned home from St Andrews. One, in fact, that I am pretty chuffed with and which I suspect will be one of my best charity acquisitions this year.

From 1979 Even Serpents Shine on the Columbia album was the second album by The Only Ones. Although I have had the eponymous 1978 debut album on vinyl for years I think this may well be the first time that I have ever heard this album.

I am however familiar with a few of the tracks as they feature on The Only Ones Peel Sessions CD which I persuaded my dear old Mum to pick up from Virgin Records for my Christmas in 1989.

Here are two which feature on both.

A find!

The Only Ones - From Here To Eternity

The Only Ones - Miles From Nowhere




Tuesday, 21 May 2024

On Your Bike - Brian

 


It's Transport Tuesday once again but from this week our choice to transport has changed from buses to bikes.

I gave some advanced warning and a couple of suggestions have come trickling in including these ones from our dear friend Brian

Brian's first suggestion was a very  simple one namely Bicycle by Mark Olson and Gary Louris from their 2008 album Ready for the Flood. I have this album by the two Jayhawks but I hadn't listened to it for a while and  it was not on the hard drive and so was not on my initial list

Brian then goes for a band who were a pseudonym for XTC in the late 80's. Yes, here are none other than the Dukes of Stratosphear with Bike Ride to the Moon.

It wouldn't be Brian if he didn't include some jingly jangly pop from the Bay Area. Here than are Chime School with Get a Bike.

Finally we have the one that I found hardest to source. The Claim were an English indie rock/pop band from Kent who were active between 1985 and 1992. From 1990, on the Caff Corporation label, Mike the Bike was the b-side to Birth of a Teenager and features Vic Templar.

Thanks for these Brian you may now dismount. Ernie it's time to get those bicycle clips on and saddle up!

Marc Olson &n Gary Louris - Bicycle

The Dukes of Stratosphear - Bike Ride to the

Chime School - Get a Bike

The Claim - Mike the Bike

Monday, 20 May 2024

On the Buses -Charity Shop Excursions - Helensburgh

 


2024 Charity Shop Purchases #29 - Kim Richey - Kim Richey

When I got my bus pass in July 2021 one of the things I planned to do was to set off on day trips exploring nearby towns and cities and incorporating visits to charity shops in search of booty.

It was not until July 2022 that I actually did just that heading off to Prestwick and Kilmarnock . Since then nothing until last week.

Mrs CC has gently being prompting me to get my ass into gear and last week I headed along the north Clyde coast to the town of Helensburgh It is only a journey of about 35 miles but the bus takes around a hour and a half. It meanders through west Glasgow areas such as Whiteinch and Scoutstoun before finally reaching Clydebank, Thereafter the bus goes under the Erskine Bridge to Old Kilpatrick and Bowling then onto Dumbarton before finally arriving in Helensburgh.

It is a pleasant and relatively affluent coastal town with plenty of charity shops (about half a dozen) . After having my packed lunch by the sea the weather picked up and I hit the charity shops  ending up with three CDs. I resisted the temptation of going for a pint as I didn't trust my bladder to behave for an hour and a half on a rickety bus with no toilet.

One of my purchases was the self titled debut album by Kim Richey from 1995 on PolyGram. She is a great songwriter who does songs on the cusp between Americana and Mainstream Country. We saw her at the Glad Cafe a few years ago with support from Carla Easton  and she put on a good show.

I intend to make my next trip sooner rather than later.

Kim Richey -From Where I Stand

Kim Richey -Just My Luck







Sunday, 19 May 2024

Sunday Highway Songs 7

 


Although the picture refers to The Blues Highway we are starting off this week with some Americana courtesy of The V-Roys albeit in starts with a nice Blues Riff.

I'm not sure if Highway 61 is straight but the one that the V-Roys are singing about  certainly is.

We now come to one of the first songs that immediately sprung to mind  when I first thought about this series. It was second only to Lost Highway. From as far back as 1965 here is the title track from what I consider to be Bob Dylan's greatest album Highway 61 Revisited. Caution - Genius at Work.

How do you follow that? The answer is you don't although Nanci Griffith has a decent stab with Gulf Coast Highway.

Fortunately these highways tend to be long which is just as well as there are still quite a few miles left in this series


The V-Roys - Straight Highway

Bob Dylan -Highway 61 Revisited

Nanci Griffiths - Gulf Coast Highway

Saturday, 18 May 2024

Saturday Shuffle 53

 


The shuffle this week has thrown up songs from two great compilations and one from a great band celebrating 40 years in the business.

The first song up is Feed the Flame  from Ted Taylor taken from the magnificent Kent  compilation Sanctified Soul. A good few of the 26 tracks have appeared on these pages but this is the first time round for Ted. He has however appeared here before in the Oklahoma post from George's great State of the Union series.

Another great compilation is Viva Americana featuring 16 new and exclusive tracks released by London's Boka label in 1998 one of the many Americana albums I bought in Salvation Sounds in the Shawlands Arcade. Today it is The Derailers who are suffering from Painful Days & Sleepless Nights.

Finally the only one of today's acts who I have seen live and a band who are celebrating a significant anniversary. From as far back as 1985 (gulp!) and taken from the album Night of a Thousand Candles here are the mighty The Men They Couldn't Hang  with the equally mighty Ironmasters.

More mighty shuffling next Saturday.

Ted Taylor - Feed The Flame

The Derailers - Painful Days & Sleepless Nights

The Men They Couldn't Hang - Ironmasters

Friday, 17 May 2024

Ten Pence Specials - Waylon Jennings

 


2024 Charity Shop Purchases #28 - Waylon Jennings - The Taker /Tulsa

I would have been a fool to turn down a Waylon Jennings. CD for 10p. Indeed anyone would be a fool to turn down a Waylon Jennings CD for 10p 

It is not a two albums on one CD, as I initially thought, but a studio album originally released on RCA Nashville  in 1971.The CD version is from Sony BMG Music Entertainment from 1971.

The Taker written by Kris Kristofferson and Shel Silverstein was a top 5 single with the album reaching #12 on the Billboard Country Charts. It is one four songs written by  Kristofferson which appear on the record.

It is not a bad album but is not a patch on the other one of his that I have 1966's Leavin' Town. Still in is still well worth 10p of anyone's money.

Waylon Jennings - The Taker

Waylon Jennings - Lovin' Her Was Easier ( Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)

There is a note on the CD sleeve that states  FBI Anti-Piracy Warning: Unauthorised copying is punishable under federal law. You have been warned!

 


Thursday, 16 May 2024

Inside Over Here

 


2024 Charity Shop Purchases #27  -Rozi Plain  -Inside Over Here 

Another 50p Folk CD purchase but one which is radically different from yesterday's offering by Cara Dillon.

It was our dear friend The Swede who first brought Rozi Plain to my attention leading me to purchase her2015 album Friends. Therefore when I saw her 2008 debut Inside Over Here for 50p in a St Andrews charity shop I naturally pounced. It is on the Fence label and given its history and local proximity to St Andrews I was fairly chuffed to nab it.

It was subsequently re-released on Lost Map Records the label run be ex Fence Collective  member Johnny Lynch (aka The Pictish Trail). On their website Johnny rants about the record in his inimitable style 

Here is a lo-fi, naturalistic collection of home-spun recordings that marks the arrival of a unique new voice in British alt-folk. These ten songs capture the burnt haze of endless summers, ebbing and flowing woozily, washing like the tide over your feet. 

Rozi’s ethereal, breathy vocal takes centre stage, harmonising over itself, without need for reverbs or studio frills. Clarinet, saxophone, accordion, banjo, soft percussion and drums each play a supporting role, but often the voice is accompanied only by itself and a guitar. Songs practically inhabit the rooms within which they were recorded, bouncing around the four walls; they sway back and forth with the crackling hiss of tape and creak of floorboards on opening track ‘Let’s Go’; they jauntily click, purr and whistle on the banjo­led ‘Knives and Forks’; they slide and squeak over acoustic guitar strings on ‘Foot Out’. 

There is no way I can compete with that!

Rozi Plain - Foot Out

Rozi Plain - Knives and Forks

Wednesday, 15 May 2024

After The Morning

 


2024 Charity Shop Purchases #26 - Cara Dillon - After the Morning

Had I not lost my enthusiasm for the recent Home Nations series the next entry could well have been the Folk Home Nations.

Had that been the case the Northern Ireland representative would have been Cara Dillon. Many years ago I picked up her 2003 album Sweet Liberty in the (sadly missed) Record Library and subsequently burnt it. 

I was reminded of this when I saw the 2006 follow up After the Morning in a Charity Shop for 50p and thought it would be foolish not to pick it up. I find it interesting that both albums are on the Rough Trade label one I wouldn't necessarily associate with Folk Music.

This is her third album (she is now up to 7 studio and 1 live ones)  and is produced by her husband Sam Lakeman. They write the majority of the songs with a couple of traditional numbers thrown in for good measure.

Here's one of each:

Cara Dillon - Here's a Health

Cara Dillon - The Snows They Melt the Soonest

Tuesday, 14 May 2024

Haud the Bus -A Guest Post

 


JC writes:

Haud the Bus.

I couldn’t let this series go without drawing attention the vehicle that has just left the depot and is picking up some passengers. Probably best of we start with the driver.

The Frank and Walters - Happy Busman

The indie-poppers from Cork enjoyed a modicum of success in the early 90s and still have something

of the cult status about them all these decades later. Their two initial EP 

came out on the Dublin-based Setanta Records, the positive reaction to which led to Go! Discs dangling a contract with the

promise that Edwyn Collins would produce the debut album. Happy Busman was the lead-off single,

reaching #49 in March 1992.

Approaching the next stop, another denizen from the city of Cork wishes to get on board.

The Fatima Mansions - Only Losers Take the Bus

The late and great Cathal Coughlan formed The Fatima Mansions after the break-up of Microdisney.

His new band was named after a notorious housing estate in Dublin. Cathal was pretty pissed off.

with a lot of people in high places in the late 80s, and this was his response to Thatcher’s statement

that if a man finds himself a passenger on a bus having attained the age of 26, he can count himself a

failure in life.

Haud the bus a minute, please. One of Cathal’s best friends in the pop business wants to hop on.

Luke Haines - Ivor on the Bus

The hits with The Auteurs and Black Box Recorder may just be a distant memory, but the solo

material remains an absolute joy. This can be found on the magnificently titled Setting The Dogs On

The Post Punk Postman. Here’s how a contemporary review described this one:-

“….the most experimental track on the album. An ode to Scottish poet and humorist Ivor Cutler, it

features cosmic tinkling, sound panning between speakers and an interview snippet with the subject

matter while Haines odes a man with “a wheezing harmonium and an old age pensioner pass.” It’s

almost as winningly eccentric as its focus of attention”

And finally, as if to prove that bus songs tend to be written by those who are a tad on the eccentric

side, here’s the Bard of Boston.

Jonathan Richman - You're Crazy For Taking the Bus

One of the many enjoyable songs that can be found on the 1990 album, Jonathan Goes Country.


CC writes

Many thanks  for this Jim. Just as we were about to give up four corkers came along at once!

Monday, 13 May 2024

Camera Obscura at Barrowland

 


Camera Obscura at  Barrowland on Saturday night was quite possibly the hottest concert that I have ever been to and that was with me wearing shorts and a tee shirt (green and blue were avoided given that Celtic and Rangers had played earlier that day!)

It was the final show in their short UK tour to launch Look to the East, Look to the West their first album in 11 years and the first since the death keyboard player Carey Lander in 2015. Donna Maciocia has now taken up this role as a permanent member of the band.

I haven't acquired the new album yet but I liked what I heard on Saturday and it will be on the shelves following my next trip into town. 

It was the first gig that I have been to when the band were introduced onto the stage by Pat Nevin The Partick Thistle mascot Kingsley also made an appearance much to the chagrin of Airdrie fan Drew given that Thistle had beaten Airdrie the previous evening in the play offs. Unfortunately we didn't bump into each other which is perhaps not surprising given it was a sell out crowd.



Their songs are great when a trumpet and percussion  are involved.

 The new songs were well received but inevitably the biggest cheers were for the songs that the audience were more familiar with.  I feature three in November when the tickets first came out. Here are two more you might be familiar with plus Big Love from the new album.

All in all an excellent evening. Get your ticket for Seattle Brian!


Camera Obscura - Eighties Fan

Camera Obscura - Country Mile

Camera Obscura -Big Love


Sunday, 12 May 2024

Sunday Highway Songs 6

 


It's week 6 on the Highway and as yet there is no sign of flagging.

We start with the Highway Queen herself Outlaw Country singer Nikki Lane. Or at least the title song of her third album from 2017 on New West Records.

We follow Highway Queen with Kings Highway by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers. This thing isn't just thrown together you know. The song is taken from their album Into the Great Wide Open. There is another Highway link in that we always associate this album with where we stayed on our honeymoon in Skye which we christened Tom Petty Highway

Finally for this week we have Steve Young with Alabama Highway .I saw him back in 1995 at King Tuts and there can't have been more than 30 or 40 folk in the audience. By way of compensation today's picture is of Alabama Highway Patrol vehicles in action..

We will hit more Highways next Sunday.

Nikki Lane - Highway Queen

Tom Petty & the Heartbreakers - Kings Highway

Steve Young - Alabama Highway

Saturday, 11 May 2024

Saturday Shuffle 53

 


There was a large orange thing in the sky over Glasgow yesterday which led to much anxiety and confusion. I was so anxious and confused that I spent several hours in the garden which resulted in the Saturday Shuffle being a bit of a rush job.

Fear not, however, as there is no diminution in quality. Far from it - and here's the proof.

Willie Hightower from Gasden, Alabama was a soul singer who operated on the fringes of the Muscle Shoals scene in the late 60s and who had a couple of minor hits on the Southern Soul charts. One was Back Road into Town. He was largely forgotten about until 2004 when London's Honest Jon Records released a compilation of his work .It is one that you really should have.

If that was a tad obscure the same could not be said of Teenage Kicks by The Undertones. Famously John Peel was so enamoured with it that he played it twice back to back on the radio and subsequently announced it as his all time favourite song. This is one that you will all have.

I would like to say that Lie Dream of a Casino Soul by The Fall first crossed my radar when it was released as a single in November 1981 reaching number 5 in the Indie Charts but that would be untrue. It was not until I got my copy of the 2004 compilation 50.000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong that I first heard it .

More shuffling next Saturday if I haven't melted.


Willie Hightower - Back Road Into Town

The Undertones -Teenage Kicks

The Fall - Lie Dream of a Casino Soul



Friday, 10 May 2024

Ten Pence Specials - Frankie Miller

 


2024 Charity Shop Purchases #25 -Frankie Miller - The Very Best Of

We were in St Andrews recently and in the Salvation Army charity shop Mrs CC turned and said to me "there is a box of CDs for 10 each"

"That will be a right lot of tosh" I thought but it would be foolish not to have a peak. By and large it was a right load of tosh BUT there were one or two which caught our respective eyes.

One that jumped out immediately was The Very Best of Frankie Miller on the Chrysalis label from 1993. Prior to this the only thing I had by him was a second hand copy of the Darlin' single.

From Bridgeton in Glasgow he is up there as one of the very best UK male Blue Eyed Soul singers alongside the likes of early Rod Stewart and Steve Marriott.

I was only fortunate enough to see him once at the Glasgow Fleadh at Glasgow Green  way  back in 1992 and he was very good indeed.

Sadly he suffered a brain haemorrhage in 1994 and after a few months in  a coma was unable to speak or  sing. More fortunately he is still with us at the age of 74.

I've gone for his first three charting singles from 1977 to 1979.

10p well spent.

Frankie Miller - Be Good To Yourself

Frankie Miller - Darlin'

Frankie Miller - When I'm Away From You

Thursday, 9 May 2024

Baptism of Fire

 


2024 Charity Shop Purchases #24  -Eddy Shaver - Baptism of Fire

I was familiar with the name Eddy Shaver as I have three Americana albums where he features with his dad Country star Billy Joe Shaver  collectively as Shaver.

I was aware that he had died from a heroin overdose (December 2000 aged 38) and that he was an excellent guitarist. Indeed it turns out that he was tutored by Dickey Betts from the Allman Brothers Band.

Therefore I decided to take a punt on this album for a pound. From 1996 on the French Dixiefrog label it is his only solo album.

As depicts an album with an Allman Brothers influence it is somewhat guitar based and probably could be described as Heavy Metal. "Is that Heavy Metal you are playing" asked Mrs CC. Prog Rock last week, Heavy Metal this week. What on earth is going on??

I was thinking of putting it back but there are a couple of tracks which could grow on me. More importantly the median price on Discogs is £20 so it is perhaps worth holding onto it as an investment.


Eddy Shaver - Good News Blues

Eddy Shaver - Baptism of Fire

Wednesday, 8 May 2024

This is Modern Folk

 


2024 Charity Shop Purchases #23 - Various Artists - This is Modern Folk

I know what you are thinking. What's going on? He is busy downloading compilations prior to dispatching them to charity and he goes and buys another one!

Two main reasons for this. It has been a couple of weeks since I made a Charity Shop purchase and I was beginning to get a bit twitchy!

More importantly it is a Folk compilation and there is room in the Folk section on the shelves so there is no need for it to go in the boxes on the floor which are slowly being cleared. Also it is on Cooking Vinyl (from 1998) and I already have a few of their Compilations/Samplers.

Oh, and it has the late great Jackie Leven on it with Desolation Blues. What's not to love?

Next up is Billy Bragg with The Boy Done Good. Billy has appeared here on countless occasions but I think this song is making its debut.

Finally we have Chuck Prophet with New Years Day. In May? I'm afraid so as it is never going to appear on New Years Day proper as that is reserved for Hank Williams and Townes Van Zandt. I'm sure Chuck understands and is happy to stand aside.


Jackie Leven - Desolation Blues

Billy Bragg - The Boy Done Good

Chuck Prophet - New Year's Day

Tuesday, 7 May 2024

On The Buses 4

 


I'm grateful for the guest posts from BrianKhayem and after a fashion Ernie. It is good to see so many bus lovers out there.

Unless anyone out there has a burning desire for me to repeat the songs from Bus Pass Day or has a guest post to submit I will conclude with some stragglers.

I'm not sure how Bus to Baton Rouge by Lucinda Williams escaped the State of the Union and A-Z of American Cities series' , but escape it did. But not for long!

Tom Russell is another fine Americana story teller and here he is checking in from the Bus Station.

Kissinger contributed to the truck series. Here they are again with Girl on the Bus. Finally, in the comments, John gave a shout out for ZZ Top. Happy to oblige.

Unless that missing bus finally turns up it's bikes next on Transport Tuesday. I might just about stretch to two posts unless we travel in tandem


Lucinda Williams - Bus to Baton Rouge

Tom Russell - Bus Station

Kissinger - Girl on the Bus

ZZ Top - Waitin' for the Bus


Monday, 6 May 2024

Duane Eddy

 


George writes:

Duane Eddy died on May 1. He was 86. And I felt sad at this news.  Which is a bit strange, I never knew him at all, except through his records of course. These deaths  of singers, pop and rock stars, I rarely give them more than a passing thought, even those whose music features heavily on my shelves. Not Mark E Smith, not Bowie. But George Michael, absolutely yes, and Duane Eddy too. 


Duane Eddy - Cannonball


There’s definitely something very appealing about that sound, it never fails to make me smile, the records are simply joyous, even as they lumber along like this:


Duane Eddy - 40 Miles of Bad Road


One of the first singles I bought (and I still have it) was the 1975 UK hit Play Me Like You Play Your Guitar. And 50 years on I still know those opening lines


Duane Eddy & the Rebelettes - Play Me Like You Play Your Guitar


(And 50 years I’m still unsure what those lyrics mean). The 12 year-old me was a Duane Eddy fan, and the 61 year old me still is. Our musical tastes change, bands and singers come and go, but I’ve been a fan of Duane Eddy’s music for nearly 50 years. And if Mr CC will indulge, here’s a fourth song, my absolute favourite of his, I love the anticipation for the moment the great man hits those deep twangy notes.


Duane Eddy - Because They're Young


That song frequently appears in the ever evolving list of Top Ten Records of All Time.


Thank you, Duane Eddy, you’re a bloody legend.


CC writes:

Many thanks George. A lovely tribute. From the heart. Good music can do that to you.


Sunday, 5 May 2024

Sunday Highway Songs 5

 


Week 5 and we encounter our first Ghost on the Highway. From  1981's Fire of Love the debut album by The Gun Club featuring the late great Jeffrey Lee Pierce. As SWC would have it an essential album. Every home should have one

Every home should also have Rockin' From the Roots - A Hightone Record Anthology .One of the artists featured is the great Rosie Flores with the song Blue Highway. If you ever find yourself in Austin on August 31st raise a glass to Rosie as it is designated as Rosie Flores Day. (I may stow that away for a future post)

Finally another two artists who should have designated days. Here is Steve Earle with the title song from Highway Butterfly: The Songs of Neal Casal . Sadly Neal took his own life in August 2019 aged just 50. 

Highway Butterfly  has 41 acts interpreting Neal's songs with any proceeds going to the Neal Casal Music Foundation created to inspire future musicians and to provide mental health support to musicians "already on the path" A worthy cause as I'm sure you will agree.

We will be rolling on down the highway again next Sunday


The Gun Club - Ghost on the Highway

Rosie Flores - Blue Highway

Steve Earle - Highway Butterfly

Saturday, 4 May 2024

Saturday Shuffle 52

 


A Goo Goo Muck Hazy IPA from Fall Brewery? Don't mind if I do.

I know you will all be thinking "oh good it's The Cramps at last" and maybe seeing them in your mind's eye. I was going to apologise for disappointing you but I suspect that most of you will not be disappointed with the original from Ronnie Cook and the Gaylads. This is taking from a terrific compilation Keb Darge & Little Edith's Legendary Wild Rockers - a Collection of Rare Rockabilly, Surf and Exotica available here .Every hose should have one.

How do you follow that? San Francisco jingly jangle band The Umbrellas give it a go with Lonely the opening track from their eponymous 2021 album available here They have  recently released a follow up Fairweather Friend which is also available on Bandcamp.

Hear no bullshit? You certainly won't here. Unless of course it is Hear No Bullshit (Fire Mix) on the Enough is Enough CD single by Chumbawamba & Credit to the Nation.

Join us next Saturday for a bullshit free shuffle.


Ronnie Cook & the Gaylads - The Goo Goo Muck

The Umbrellas - Lonely

Chumbawamba & Credit to the Nation - Hear No Bullshit (On Fire Mix)


Friday, 3 May 2024

The Prog Home Nations

 


I'm assuming that anyone who has ever read this Blog will immediately recognize that this is a Guest Post and that a good few of you will correctly suspect that it is from George.

Take it away George:

I used to play some  prog.  to classes in my last year of teaching (I don’t think it was my last year of teaching because of this, although two students did raise a formal complaint that I was playing music during teaching time). The band in question was Gong, whose music will not be featured here today. (Thank Christ - CC)


So, English prog. First, and tempted as I am to have a Jethro Tull track or King Crimson, I have decided on an act rarely praised in these pages.  Or any others. And it’s Gnidrolog, named after reversing the surname of two founding members, partially undoing that reverse then inserting an extra vowel because Gnirdlog would have been an idiotic name for a band. There’s only one Gnidrolog album in the collection, Lady Lake, and here’s a track from it. Not track 1, my favourite of the 6, but at nearly 12 minutes it’s not for the faint-hearted, so you can have track 4, a mere 8 minutes of sax-heavy prog (“Jesus Christ this gets on your nerves” I’ve just been told):


Gnidrolog - Lady Lake


I think it’s Northern Ireland who come next, and I suppose the young men of that country had more pressing matters to deal with in the late 60s early- 70s than prat and prance about in prog bands, but somehow 4 young men found the time to do so, and they gave the world Fruupp. They are not titled from reversing founder member Declan Ppuurf’s last name. But they did have an oboe playing member (Stephen Houston) and the obligatory key-board playing member (Stephen Houston). 


Fruup - Lord of the Incubus


(could I sneak this into my Bus series? CC)


Next up, Scotland, and I am personally acquainted with the founding members of a Scottish prog. band, but they have yet to release any recordings, which is probably because they are a Genesis tribute band.(Jesus Christ - CC) Overall, there’s a dearth of prog. bands from the country of my birth, and thus a dearther dearth of decent prog bands. But there is Beggars Opera, who were a bloke from Edinburgh, some Weegies, and a couple of other probably very hairy men., Their first album is an aural pleasure, especially this belter:


Beggars Opera - Memory


I am saving the best until last, with the band from Wales. It’s the best band to come from Merthyr Tydfil, and that is of course Man, and this eleven minute classic has Dave Edmunds on pedal steel guitar.


Man - C'mon


Maybe Mr CC should have a series about bands named after musical instruments. (And, as always, many thanks to him for posting this piece)


CC writes

Jesus Christ! Had I met George during his Prog phase we may well not have become friends

Gnidrolog -Jesus Christ! That takes me back to school in the late 70's when the "Punks" occupied a small bridge near the gym hall while the Greatcoat wearing "Hippies" polluted the common room with music such as this.


Thanks George - I think!