This Sweet Old World

 

2024 Charity Shop Purchases # 43 - Lucinda Williams - This Sweet Old World

A couple of Saturdays ago we found ourselves at Clarkston Toll on the South Side of Glasgow. We were pushed for time as we had to get back for an appointment but I managed to quickly pop into Oxfam for a quick browse.

Someone had handed in a few CDs of the more recent Lucinda Williams albums which is something that you don't see every day. I thought I had them all but was wondering why Sweet Old World was under a different cover. It was only on the way home that I remembered that in 2017 she had re-released an updated version in 2017 as This Sweet Old World.I went back up on the Sunday and fortunately it was still there.

It is interesting to her the difference in her voice between 1992 when Sweet Old World was released as her 4th album and 2017 with This Sweet Old World being her 13th album.

It received universal acclaim scoring 86/100 on the Metacritic Aggregator and it got me thinking whether she would have continued this project re-recording subsequent albums had Covid and her stroke not intervened. Car Wheels on a Gravel Road would have been next.

It's time to compare and contrast. 

Lucinda Williams - Six Blocks Away (1992)

Lucinda Williams -Six Blocks Away (2017)

Lucinda Williams -Something About What Happens When We Talk (1992)

Lucinda Williams - Something About What Happens When We Talk (2017)

On Your Bike - Khayem's Lap of Honour

 

Just when you thought that all things bike had been exhausted Khayem has pitched in with a lap of honour.

Take it away K

As the series reaches it’s last gasp (actually, that’s just me being chronically unfit…) I’ve found a few more round the back of the bike shed that I’d like to offer up.

Firstly, Madness got tired of driving their car and decided to rewrite the song as a paean to the pushbike on the 12” B-side back in 1982.

Unfortunately, Amy of Amyl & The Sniffers was less fortunate as someone nicked hers, but at least it inspired a short sharp rant on their Giddy Up EP in 2016.

Lurking around the corner and trying not to look suspicious are Peter Hook and David Potts, better known here as Monaco, with this B-side of 1997 single What Do You Want From Me? that doesn’t at all like New Order, honest.

Lastly, Rol previously delivered Pink Floyd’s original and definitive version of their song Bike. Not an obvious one to cover, unless you’re electronic duo Fortran 5 in 1991. Not just any old cover version though, this one painstakingly cut and spliced a comedy legend’s dialogues from numerous Carry On films to create a word - if not note - perfect reproduction of the lyrics. Sid Sings Syd indeed. With apologies to CC listeners everywhere and C in particular!

Madness -Riding on My Bike

Amyl & the Sniffers - Stole My Push Bike

Monaco - Bicycle Thief

Fortran 5 - Bike (Sid sings Syd) ft Sid James

Thanks Khayem.

A reminder that we move on to two wheeled motorised transport  next Tuesday. Ernie has already pitched in with sone excellent suggestions and a title for the series CC revs the CC's

Frontejas

 

I know what you are thinking. Why is he featuring Tish Hinojosa yet again when she appeared here only 18 days ago with her album Homeland?

There is a very simple explanation. Ernie had a copy of  her 1995 album Frontejas,  on the great Rounder Records label, which was in his charity pile. Rather than that he very kindly gifted it to me when we met up in Newcastle. Such is the generosity of the man given that it has a median value of £3.11 on Discogs

Dangerous Dave provides a helpful review on Amazon explaining the rationale behind a Spanish only album, The  CD helpfully gives the song titles and lyrics in both Spanish and English.  DD, as I like to call him, writes that the songs themselves vary from up-tempo tex-mex polka with guitar, drums and accordion to ballads, sometimes with minimal accompaniment but others with piano and horns.

He likes the ballads but I am more of a tex-mex polka man myself. I think I have counted at least 6 six accordionists on the album. I've gone for track one Pajarillo Barranqueño (Little Riverside Bird) featuring Santiago Jiminez Jr and Déjame Llorar (Let Me Weep) featuring the mighty Flaco Jiminez.

Thanks very much for this Ernie but I still can't quite fathom why you considered letting it go.

Tish Hinojosa - Pajarillo Barranqueno

Tish Hinojosa - Dejame Llorar