Wrong Side of Memphis

 

2024 Charity Shop Purchases # 62 - Johnny Dowd - Wrong Side of Memphis

George was in town over the weekend. We had arranged to go for a meal and as everybody else was running late I was charged to get there on time to ensure that we did not loose our table.

However I am happy to report that as I got off the bus I found a little bit of time to quickly scan the two rows of CDs in Barnardos. Among the usual detritus I was amazed to see Wrong Side of Memphis the 1998 debut album by Johnny Dowd on the Dutch Munich label.It was snapped up

Helpfully the CD back cover includes some blurb which saves me having to search for something to write:

A moving man from Ithaca, New York, embarks on the scariest ride of the year in this homemade work of genius - Top Ten Release of 1997  Chris Morris , Billboard

.. dark, telegraphically visual songs that come off like a fusion of Johnny Cash and Lou Reed stepping out of the pages of a Charles Burns graphic novel .. Top Ten Release of 1997  Jackson Griffith, Tower Records/Pulse!

The jaw-dropping intensity of his dark, twisted country blues makes Johnny Dowd an outright godsend. This exquisite debut is proof that not every story has been told - Top Ten Indie Release of 1997  David Sprague, Request

The intense description is apt as the only time I saw Johnny play (in the Barfly in Glasgow)  he was so intense that my pal Big Pete had to retire upstairs to the bar (that's his excuse anyway).

Shame that second track wasn't available to me back in the Transport Tuesday days.

Johnny Dowd - Ft. Worth, Texas

Johnny Dowd - John Deere Yeller

Laughing Len Sunday - Songs From a Room

 

2024 Charity Shop Purchases # 61 - Leonard Cohen - Songs From a Room

All good things sadly come to an end and sadly today sees the fifth and final Leonard Cohen album recently purchased in the Wigtown Community Shop. It shares  a jewel case with last weeks New Skin From The Old Ceremony

For those of you who are bereft  worry not as this his second album from 1969 is probably the best of the bunch It is one that I also have on vinyl and in what can only be described as a remarkable coincidence it was also purchased in Wigtown but in the Book Shop as opposed to the Community Shop.

It actually reached number 2 in the UK albums charts. Wiki writes like his debut LP, it received mixed reviews from critics, who were put off by his unusual singing voice but intrigued by the songs

And therein lies the rub.

You know what might be a better idea? Get Johnny Cash to record the songs!

That's us all Lenned out and as things stand Charity Shop Purchases out. I shall try and rectify the second one sooner rather than later.

Leonard Cohen - Bird on the Wire

Leonard Cohen - The Old Revolution

Johnny Cash - Bird on a Wire

Saturday Shuffle 69

 

We start this week’s shuffle with the band who were probably my favourite band on the planet around the mid 1990’s From the great 1995 album Tomorrow the Green Grass here are The Jayhawks with track 9 namely Nothing Left to Borrow. I saw them a few times around then and this was a big live favourite.

The Jayhawks are followed by a band that sadly I never saw live. Back from when John Lydon was still relevant here are Public Image Limited with their 1986 album imaginatively titled Album and track 6 Rise. 

Anger is an energy.

We take it down a notch or three for the magnificent Zimbabwean band The Four Brothers. Here is Uchandifunga  from their 1998 album Makoroto on  the Cooking Vinyl label . They were a band championed by Andy Kershaw who provided the photographs for the album cover.

I may be right, I may be wrong but the Saturday Shuffle will reappear here next Saturday for its 70th iteration.

The Jayhawks - Nothing Left to Borrow

Public Image Ltd - Rise

The Four Brothers - Uchandifunga

I Like Birds 10 - The Owl

 

There are five resident species of owl within the British Isles - four native species the barn, tawny, long eared and short eared and the little owl which was introduced in the 1800s,  There is also the occasional eagle owl kicking about but they are not listed as a native species. I have no idea as to whether the one pictured above is one of them. I'm not sure that I've ever seen an owl

Owls can rotate their heads up to 270 degrees and twist them nearly upside down which let's face it is a pretty neat party trick and surely worthy of a vole or two.

To the music. Stephanie Dosen an American singer songwriter, knitwear designer (under the brand Tiny Owls Knit) and member of the band Snowbird. She is a new name to me.

The late great Paisley Buddy Gerry Rafferty surely needs no introduction and appears today courtesy of the title song to his 1999n third solo album Night Owl

We go from Night Owl to Nite Owl  a song by Tony Allen and the Champs from as far back as 1955 with the crackles to prove it. 

We conclude the Owl title  songs  with the appropriately  named An Owl Song by Canned Heat.

Eagle owls got a brief mention above ,There is also a lo-fi/indie folk band from Edinburgh called Eagleowl whose lead singer is coincidentally or otherwise  called Bartholemew Owl who also performs as part of Broken Chanter.

More birds who don't have tilted heads and/or haven't played with Broken Chanter next week

Stephanie Dosen - Owl in the Dark

Gerry Rafferty -Night Owl

Tony Allen and the Champs - Nite Owl

Canned Heat - An Owl Song

Eagleowl - For the Thoughts You Never Had

The Soul Queen of New Orleans

 

It is not just Blues which has been neglected here of late. Posts featuring Soul music have also have also recently been scarcer than hen's teeth.

In an effort to compensate for this I shut my eyes and pointed a finger at the music folders on the screen and it landed at Irma Thomas who is also known as the Soul Queen of New Orleans.

She has graced these pages  on a few occasions, as a search will illustrate, but not since November 2018. I feel quite guilty about that particularly as she is still going strong at the age of 83 having appeared on stage with the Rolling Stones as recently as May this year when she duetted with Mick Jagger on Time is On My Side a song that she recorded prior to the Stones better known version.

A true talent. Long may time remain on her side.

Irma Thomas - I Done Got Over It

Irma Thomas - Time is on My Side

Irma Thomas - I'm Your Puppet

Burnside Blues

 

It has been a while since the Blues appeared on these pages so by way of compensation here are some Burnside Blues.

No not music from the most affluent part of Rutherglen but rather the Mississippi Bluesman R.L. Burnside who enjoyed some belated fame on the Fat Possum label in the 90's with his stripped down North Mississippi Hill Country Blues alongside fellow Mississippian Junior Kimbrough a style which was to influence the likes of The Black Keys. ( long sentence!)

After a heart attack in 2001 his doctors advised him to stop drinking which he did but he reported that this change left him unable to play!

He popped up on the MP3 player at the gym the other day and I felt that he merited a further airing.

Great stuff but I suspect that it will not do much for my dwindling figures.

RL Burnside -Going Down South

RL Burnside - Jumper Hanging on the Line

RL Burnside - Miss Maybelle

Spaceships Over Glasgow

 

A month or so ago I had some time to kill in the library while waiting for a bus to visit a friend in hospital. 

I pulled Spaceships Over Glasgow the autobiography by Mogwai frontman Stuart Braithwaite from the shelves and read the first couple of chapters. I put it back with a view to taking it out later. Of course it was never on the shelves whenever I visited and I had to request it. Equally predictable the day I collected it there was  also a copy available on the shelves.

I must admit I am not really a fan of Mogwai but it is a good read particularly if you are from the Glasgow and Lanarkshire areas as it references a lot of  bands and venues that you will be familiar with. Also if you are into Post Punk there will be plenty to whet your appetite.

The subtitle Mogwai Mayhem and Misspent Youth  is pretty accurate given that  there is a lot of references to  youthful hedonism and copious consumption of drink and drugs.

Among the interesting facts is that his father was Scotland's last telescope maker.

It is  well worth a read but still hasn't converted me to Mogwai. It does give me a good excuse though to post the first song.

Mogwai - George Square Thatcher Death Party

Mogwai - Mogwai Fear Satan

Home Again

 

There is nothing on the shelves by Orange Juice except for a battered 12 inch copy of Rip It Up belonging to Mrs CC.

There are, however, a few CD albums and singles by Edwyn Collins. When replacing the latest Leonard Cohen back on the Folk/Singer- Songwriter section it was adjacent to a burn of Edwyn's 2007 Home Again on the Heavenly label. This prompted me to give it a spin.

It was actually recorded in 2004 but was not completed and released until early 2007 following  two brain haemorrhages in February 2005 leading to a long period of hospitalisation followed by rehabilitation..

There were three further albums but nothing since 2019. Edwyn now contents himself with production at his studio at Helmsdale in the Scottish Highlands.

Edwyn Collins - Home Again

Edwyn Collins - 7th Son

Laughing Len Sunday - New Skin For The Old Ceremony

 

2024 Charity Shop Purchases # 60 - Leonard Cohen - New Skin For the Old Ceremony

This week we are going as far back as 1974 with Leonard Cohen's 4th studio album New Skin for the Old Ceremony. Back to the time when he was still under the illusion that he could sing rather than croon.

Amazon describes it as telling intensely personal stories, with tales of love, loss, regret and a degree of political activism, each verse feels lovingly crafted. According to Wiki on this album, he begins to evolve away from the rawer sound of his earlier albums, with  violas, mandolins, banjos, guitars ,percussion and other instruments giving the album a more orchestrated (but nevertheless spare) sound

Chelsea Hotel#2 is apparently about a fleeting liaison he had there with Janis Joplin

The CD is part of one of those old 2 x CD packages which came in a jewel case about an inch thick and which take up a lot of room on the shelves. The other CD will conclude this series next Sunday.

Leonard Cohen - Chelsea Hotel #2

Leonard Cohen - I Tried To Leave You

Saturday Shuffle 68

 

Another week, another shuffle

First out the blocks this week is R.E.M. with Radio Free Europe. It is the first track from the band's 1993 debut album Murmur and was the one which first brought the band to the world's attention. Coincidentally I gave Murmur a spin earlier in the week for the first time in ages.

Somewhat criminally Martha and the Vandellas have only ever graced these pages once before when Nowhere to Run featured as part of a tribute following the death of Lamont Dozier  Honey Chile is yet another song taken from the compilation Jon Savage's 1968:The Year the World Burned.

I'm sure our final act Los Texmaniacs would feel privileged to appear with such exalted company. I think that Polka Politos is the third song from their Americano Groove album to appear in the Shuffle and it is a mighty fine finale.

More of the same  or maybe something different next Saturday.

R.E.M. - Radio Free Europe

Martha and the Vandellas - Honey Chile

Les Texmanics - Polka Palitos

I Like Birds 9 - The Chicken

 

When I was in the RAF I had far more important things to do than write Blog posts about Chickens!

As well as staring in Chicken Run, quite possibly the greatest animated film of all time, the Chicken (Gallus gallus domesticus)  is a large and round short-winged bird, domesticated from the Red Junglefowl of Southeast Asia around 8,000 years ago. Most chickens are raised for food primarily for providing meat and eggs.

I like that they have the word Gallus in their Latin name as Gallus is a Glaswegian word  which can be described as bold, cheeky or flashy.

For me there was only one song to kick off today's selections and that was Louis Jordan with Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens.

Dixie Chicken by Little Feat was a close second.

Others worthy of a mention come from John Grant, Bobby Rush  and Hasil Adkins and I couldn't resist concluding with Dr John Cooper Clarke and Evidently Chickentown.

More finger lickin' birdsong next Friday.

Louis Jordan -Ain't Nobody Here But Us Chickens

Little Feat - Dixie Chicken

John Grant - Chicken Bones

Bobby Rush - Chickenheads

Hasil Adkins - Chicken Shake

John Cooper Clarke - Evidently Chickentown

Made For Each Other

 

I'm quite surprised that I haven't featured Paisley band The Muldoons before.

I'm turning to Five Rise Records for some blurb on their 2020 album  Made For Each Other on the Last Night From Glasgow label:

The long awaited debut album from Paisley’s Muldoons is a glorious jangly guitar lovers dream.

The music will excite lovers of Lou Reed, Lloyd Cole, Lawrence and of course, the sound of Johnny Marr’s guitar.

The Muldoons are inspired by bands like the Brilliant Corners, The Bodines, June Brides and all the great indie outfits who might have graced John Peels evening shows.

Recorded at Studio 1790 in Cumbernauld and mastered by Colin McGeoch at La Chunky Studios in Glasgow, Made For Each Other pays homage to the alternative music of yesteryear and is a memoire of “growing up, getting drunk and falling in and out of love every week” in the band’s hometown of Paisley featuring anthemic three-chord post-punk accompanied by brass and string compositions.

Originally formed in the early 90s, The Muldoons are a 5-piece outfit comprising of childhood friends who bonded over an enthusiasm for three chord post-punk and alternative music whilst growing up i their native Paisley, Scotland. The Muldoons reformed in 2018 for a supposed one-off hometown show.

Energised by the success of the sold out show, The Muldoons embarked on a recording project which has yielded their debut album.

There that saved me a bit of time and effort. I gave it a spin for the first time in ages earlier in the week and thoroughly enjoyed it, particularly the trumpet bits. I suspect that Brian will concur!

The good news is that they have a follow up album We Saw the View scheduled for release by LNFG on 29th November this year - not long now!

The Muldoons - Every Week is the Same

The Muldoons - Made For Each Other

Captain, It's Wednesday

 

Yes it's come to that!

I'm so short of inspiration that I'm posting stuff relating to the day of the week. Fortunately if as few people read this as was the case with yesterday's offering I'll probably get away with it.

When I was working I used to feel that Wednesday was the hump of the week and thereafter it was downhill to the weekend. Now it's just another day.

To make it even just a little bit interesting which is your Worst Wednesday and which is your Wow Wednesday?

One thing for sure is that The Siddeleys will be  bang on the money as up here in Glasgow it will almost certainly be a wet Wednesday.

In no particular order here are:

Emiliana Torrini - Wednesday's Child 

Simon and Garfunkel - Wednesday Morning 3am

The Siddeleys - My Favourite Wet Wednesday Afternoon

The Undertones -Wednesday Week

Ronnie Dyson - A Wednesday in Your Garden

Hop, Skip and Jump

 

You may well have thought that after George's  recent Beg, Steal and Borrow series that that would be the end of the three word phrases. Well you would have been wrong there.

On Friday night and stuck on the couch I found myself watching athletics for some reason. One of the disciplines was the Triple Jump which is known more colloquially as Hop, Skip and Jump.

That sprung to mind for today's post when I had nothing else in the tank.

Kip Tyler and the Flips were a rockabilly band who have been described as an influence for The Cramps. They provide the Hop part of this post with the song Jungle Hop.

For Skip we turn to Country and Dwight Yoakam with My Heart Skips a Beat a song from his 2007 album Dwight Sings Buck an album I was unaware of up until now. I had moved on from him by then as his music became more and more mainstream.

Who needs Van Halen with Jump when you can have the Pointer Sisters with Jump (For Me Love)?

Kip Tyler and the Flips - Jungle Hop

Dwight Yoakam - My Heart Skips a Beat

Pointer Sisters - Jump (For My Love)

September Gurls and Boys

 

September the 2nd! How did that happen? Two thirds of the year gone already.

More importantly what happened to the summer? It has probably been one of the wettest ones that I can remember and I've been around the block a few times.

Time then, before we contemplate turning on the heating and dread the cost, for some music to cheer us up.

Let's start with something that is far to positive  and bouncy for the ninth month namely September by Earth, Wind and Fire.

This is followed by another song again simply called September this time by David Sylvian.

September When it Comes sings Rosanne Cash. Get with the programme Rosie it is already here!

Gillian Welsh is somewhat optimistic given that she is holding out for a Fair September.

An artist called September you say? Here is September Jones with I'm Coming Home. As far as I am aware she is not the September Jones the former Miss Universe contestant who was stripped of her crown after having sexual relations with all five judges.

In case you were panicking I have saved the best for last. It is of course the great September Gurls by Big Star

Earth, Wind & Fire - September

David Sylvian - September

Rosanne Cash - September When it Comes

Gillian Welsh - Fair September

September Jones - I'm Coming Home

Big Star - September Gurls

Laughing Len Sunday - Ten New Songs

 

2024 Charity Shop Purchases # 59 - Leonard Cohen - Ten New Songs

You may or may not be relieved to hear that we are now over half way there to completing this mini series.

There is no chronological logic to this series. Rather they are plucked from the shelves at random. We started with 1979's Recent Songs, his 6th and then 2012's Old Ideas his 12th.

Today we are featuring Ten New Songs his 10th album from 2001 and his first in 9 years and as always on the Columbia label. It was co-written and produced by Sharon Robinson and I'm guessing that it is she who is accompanying him on the cover.

The album was number 1 in Poland and Norway and was also well received elsewhere with Steven Chean from Rolling Stone writing that the album  manages to sustain loss's fragile beauty like never before and might just be the Cohen's most exquisite ode yet to the midnight hour

Enough of that as I know you are desperate to get to the songs, In My Secret Life is the album's opener and first single.

For my second offering I have chosen Here it Is solely because it was covered by Jonathan Richman  on his album Because Her Beauty is Raw and Wild.

Leonard Cohen - In My Secret Life

Leonard Cohen - Here It Is