Is a Dream a Lie if it Don't Come True?

 

The River the 5th studio album by Bruce Springsteen from 1980 was the first album of his that I bought on vinyl at the time of release.(the only other one being Western Stars).

I played it half to death around then. As his popularity grew many of the songs, and in particular, Hungry Heart, were played continuously on the radio and soon lost their allure.

The title track popped up on the I-pod the other day when I was peeling apples  and stopped me in my tracks - I know any opportunity. The lyrics are astonishingly good.

It was followed by the even more brilliant  Nebraska and then came Born in the USA and it was pretty much downhill from there on in.

Bruce Springsteen - The River

Bruce Springsteen - Out in the Streets

Bruce Springsteen -Cadillac Ranch

Phoebe 1,2,3

 

I Know The End, the final song on Phoebe Bridgers' second solo album Punisher from 2020 popped up on the MP3 player when I was on the rowing machine at the gym yesterday.

This got me thinking that I had music by her as a solo artist, as part of a duo and as part of a trio. It also got me thinking that it would be a good idea for a post here.

The duet in question is Better Oblivion Community Center who she was in with Conor Oberst  and who only released one eponymous album which was my album of the year for 2019.

The trio is boygenius  (annoyingly and pretentiously lower case) who are usually referred to as an Indie Rock Supergroup and where she is joined by Julien Baker and Lucy Dacus. They released a self-titled EP in 2018 and followed it up with  an album The Record in 2023.

Here is one from each iteration.

Phoebe Bridgers -I Know The End

Better Oblivion Center - Didn't Know What I Was In For

boygenius - Emily I'm Sorry

The First and The Last

 

I came up with this one by myself!

Posts featuring Sade are like Corporation buses - none for ages and then two come along at once! However it's Never as Good as the First Time.

Not to be out done the Lotus Eaters weigh in with The First Picture of Summer.

In the last corner we lick off with Last Days of the Dying Sun the title track of an album by Rain Parade from last year.

And last but certainly not least it is the legend that is Lucinda Williams with Last Call for the Truth from her recent album Stories from a Rock 'n' Roll Heart

The last shall be first next week or the first shall be last. Something like that.

Sade -Never As Good As The First Time

The Lotus Eaters -The First Picture of You

Rain Parade - Last Days of the Dying Sun

Lucinda Williams - Last Call For the Truth

The Spider and the Fly

 

Last week I put out a request for suggestions for new series' here on CCM.

I got a few which I am grateful for and most will be followed up. One from George was for Insects/Creepy Crawlies. This got my thinking about Spiders and Flies and for the two or three weeks I will share a couple of each.

I think I will start with those which reference both the spider and the fly .I think I've found three.

Let's start with Mercury Rev with Spiders & Flies from their 2001 album All is Dream which I played last week for the first time in ages and thoroughly enjoyed.

Buffalo Tom follow with The Spider and The Fly from their album Besides.

Last but by no means least we have mid 60's Colorado psychedelic garage rock band The Monocles with Spider and the Fly.

More spiders and/or flies next week

Mercury Rev - Spiders & Flies

Buffalo Tom -The Spider and the Fly

The Monocles - Spider and the Fly

And I Need You More Than Want You

 

A month or so ago I noticed that above book The Wichita Lineman by Dylan Jones in Waterstones. I subsequently ordered it from the library and have just finished it.

It is interesting but a bit heavy going and scholarly in places. It is however worth persevering with. In the Amazon 4.4/5 Review it is described thus Written in 1968 by Jimmy Webb, "Wichita Lineman" is the first philosophical country song: a heartbreaking torch ballad still celebrated for its mercurial songwriting genius 50 years later. It was recorded by Glen Campbell in LA with a legendary group of musicians known as "the Wrecking Crew", and something about the song's enigmatic mood seemed to capture the tensions of America at a moment of unprecedented crisis.

It is remarkable to note that whereas Glen Campbell was 32 , Jimmy Webb was only 21 when he wrote it. It is also interesting to note that although they were both good ole Country boys their politics were radically different with Campbell being a staunch Republican with Webb being much more liberal and left leaning.

You will note that the subtitle reads - Searching in the sun for the world's greatest unfinished song. This was something that I was unaware off.

It seems that Jimmy  sent off a demo with the first two (out of a scheduled three) verses to Glen and his people who promptly released it on the back off the success of Jimmy's previous number By The Time I Get to Phoenix. It became a phenomenon leading Webb to never feel the need to complete it. Indeed to him it was just another song whereas most consider it a work of genius.

I have a few versions of the song .Here they are ranked in order with Glen Campbell's version firmly at the top.

Glen Campbell - Wichita Lineman

Johnny Cash - Wichita Lineman

R.E.M. - Wichita Lineman

Smokey Robinson & the Miracles - Wichita Linesman

Glen Gregory - Wichita Linesman

The book also mentions this You Tube clip featuring some brilliant guitar work by Glen Campbell.

Saturday Shuffle 74

 

The Prince

Some interesting shuffled selections for you today.

We kick off with The Rockingbirds. Allmusic sum them up neatly - The Rockingbirds were an anomaly, a British country-rock band on the hip Heavenly label whose peak activity unfortunately coincided with the fallow period between the roots-rock movement of the 1980s and the "No Depression" resurgence of the mid-'90s. 

Here they are with Jonathan,Jonathan a song paying homage to the great Jonathan Richman.

Staying with great artists they are followed by Michael James Williams. Michael James Who I hear you asking? He was none other than the great Prince Far I  who sadly died in 1983 at the tragically young age of 38 having being shot during a robbery. Heavy Manners indeed.

We conclude with the Scottish blues, freakbeat and psychedelic pop band  The Poets with That's The Way It's Got to Be from as far back as 1965.

More freakbeat shuffling next Saturday.

The Rockingbirds -Jonathan,Jonathan

Prince Far I - Heavy Manners

The Poets - That's The Way Its Got To Be

I Like Birds 15 - The Duck

 

I feel a little bit like a duck with this series. On the surface everything likes calm but under the water I'm paddling away like crazy!

Still I've managed to eek it out for another week  with some ducks - the common name for numerous species of waterfowl in the family Antidae.

You will be relieved to note that I do not have The Ugly Duckling by Mike Reid although I'm sure you could track it down if you are that way inclined.

It's three duck songs and two duck bands this week.

We start with Jackie Lee and the simply titled The Duck a 1966 soul song written by Fred Sledge Smith and Earl Nelson. It seems that Jackie Lee is actually Earl Nelson  and was moonlighting from the duet Bob & Earl.

Taj Mahal is also moonlighting as a Blues singer as opposed to his normal role as a mausoleum in Agra, India. Here he is with Diving Duck Blues.

Next up is the wonderful Kelly Hogan with Rubber Duckie from the Bloodshot  children's compilation The Bottle Let Me Down - Songs for Bumpy Wagon Rides and yes I actually have the CD as I was picking up anything that the label released at the time .

I was originally only going to feature English pub rock band Ducks Deluxe as the band name but I have also decided to include 60's Canadian Garage group The Ugly Ducklings who I am assured have absolutely nothing to do with Mike Reid (or bloody Orville for that matter!)

Have all the birds flown the nest or will we be back next week?

Jackie Lee - The Duck

Taj Mahal - Diving Duck Blues

Kelly Hogan - Rubber Duckie

Ducks Deluxe - Love's Melody

The Ugly Ducklings- She Ain't No Use to Me

PS - thanks for all the Series suggestions. I will be following some of them up.

Transmissions From The Satellite Heart

 

2024 Charity Shop Purchases # 64 - The Flaming Lips - Transmissions From The Satellite Heart

I spotted this Flaming Lips CD among the detritus in the 99p section in Oxfam on Victoria Road and felt that it was my duty to liberate it. 

From 1993 and on the Warner Brothers label Transmissions from the Satellite Heart is the 6th studio album from the band and it replaces The Soft Bulletin (which I bought in Woolworths in Leek) as the oldest one of their albums that I have on the shelves.

It was critically well received and by 2002 had sold over 300,000 copies world wide which is pretty impressive. The only song of the album that I recognised was the novelty number She Don't Use Jelly which I have on a compilation somewhere.

First impressions are favourable although I have yet to comply with the instructions on the back cover namely Please Play All Tracks at Maximum Volume.

I was pretty shocked to find that the last of their albums that I have At War With The Mystics is from as far back as 2006 and that they have released a further 11 studio albums since then which is pretty impressive.. Clearly I don't have my finger on the pulse these days.

The Flaming Lips - Turn It On

The Flaming Lips - Plastic Jesus

The Sun Shines Here

 

The Sun Shines Here (Roots of Indie Pop 1980- 1984)  is a 3 CD Box set from Cherry Red released in 2021 (track list here) It is one that I a-hem acquired but for some strange reason I only appear to have copies of the first two CDs - that equates to 49 tracks so I suppose I shouldn't grumble.

Plenty then to chose from and I'm sure you will all be able to find a good few acts from the track list that would be of interest to you.

As is the case in these things there were some who went on to enjoy fame or a modicum of success and some who fell by the wayside.

There are plenty to chose from  including a good few Scottish acts but I am going for four female acts who encouragingly are reasonably well represented on this compilation.

Dolly Mixture -Step Close Now

Girls at Our Best! - Go For Gold!

The Raincoats - Running Away

Marine Girls - That Fink, Jazz- Me- Blues Boy

Fractious

 

I'm a bit stuck for inspiration and would welcome some suggestions for new series'.

In the meantime I'm not quite sure how or why but I've come up with fractions for today's post.

We will do these in descending order starting with a half or 1/2 . Adrianne Lenker, of Big Thief fame, does the honours with Half Return.

It is a third or 1/3 next and we turn to the Inkfields with The Third Side of the Coin

Next up is a quarter or 1/4 and who else could we turn to other than Zoe Muth and the Lost High Rollers and If I Can't Trust You with a Quarter ( How Can I Trust You With My Heart?) .A great library find.

For an eight of 1/8 I give you Hazel O'Connor with Eighth Day

Last , but certainly not least for a tenth or 1/10 it is Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band with Tenth Avenue Freeze Out.

I'll get my coat.

Adrienne Lenker - Half Return

The Inkfields - The Third Side of the Coin

Zoe Muth & the Lost High Rollers - If I Can't Trust You With a Quarter (How Can I Trust You With My Heart?)

Hazel O'Connor - Eighth Day

Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band -Tenth Avenue Freeze Out

Gladys and Sade

 

The weekend saw us in a Soul mood.

The album chosen at random by Mrs CC to accompany Saturday's breakfast was All the Greatest Hits by Gladys Knight and the Pips.

On Sunday I opted for The Best of Sade proving that she was not just a two album pony.Like everyone else I picked up the first two at the time and over the years I have acquired several more including The Best of in Charity shops.

A nice way to gently ease you into the wet and windy week.

Sade - Jezebel

Gladys Knight & the Pips - Friendship Train

Sade - The Sweetest Taboo

Norman and Carla

 

On Wednesday we jumped on a number 4 bus to Cottiers in Hyndland to see Norman Blake of Teenage Fanclub perform a solo concert.

The support act was Carla J Easton who I have seen a few times before. I enjoyed her earlier stuff but have found her more recent songs a bit to poppy for my taste, Here she was joined by Paul Kelly and unusually for her she was playing guitar as opposed to synthesizer. I liked the songs she was airing prior to her next album and her patter was good despite her feeling unwell.

Norman Blake is probably the most down to earth music star that you could ever meet. He confessed that he didn't play solo gigs all that often but you would not have known given his delivery of the songs and his chatter.

He concentrated on songs that he had written from Teenage Fanclub's back catalogue mostly on guitar but with a couple on piano. His encore included covers of songs by Warren Zevon and Robert Wyatt's Matching Mole.

All in all it was a good night out despite the seats being extremely uncomfortable. As a bonus we caught the bus home straight away..

A solid 7/10. You should check him out if he is playing anywhere near you.

Carla J. Easton - Impossible Stuff

Teenage Fanclub - The Concept

Teenage Fanclub - It's All in My Mind

Matching Mole -Oh Caroline

Saturday Shuffle 73

 

Let's start  this week's shuffle with a bit of reggae courtesy of the mighty Sly and Robbie and  their brilliant single  Boops (Here to Go)

How do you follow that?. You don't really but Waxahatchee is brave enough to attempt it with Witches a song which is pretty topical with Halloween just around the corner.

Finally for this week we have Paul Westerberg, erstwhile front man of The Replacements, with Postcards from Paradise off his solo album Stereo.

That should be enough to keep you going until we get shuffling again at the same place, same time next Saturday. Worth tuning in after Saturday Snapshots

Sly & Robbie - Boops (Here to Go)

Waxahatchee -Witches

Paul Westerberg - Postcards From Paradise

I Like Birds 14 - The Pigeon

 

I have done a pigeon post before dedicated to George and Jo's rescue pigeon Walter (no relation to our blogging chum Walter!)

I used up four potential pigeon offerings on that one but fear not I have been able to rustle up a further four in respect of the domestic pigeons which hang out in our gardens and in Trafalgar Square. I have vivid memories of getting pigeon blood on my purple platforms as they pecked for seed there during my Primary 7 trip to London!

Writing something about them and playing some Pigeon tunes may help to alleviate the trauma.

Let's start with twins Rachael and Paul Swinton who are known collectively as Cloth with a song simply title Pigeon.

John Prine is slightly more expansive as he gives us his version of Clay Pigeons the Blaze Foley song which featured last time round.

Port O'Brien weigh in with Pigeonhold  which seems to be about Pigeonholes.

Lieutenant Pigeon were the band of choice last time round. This time round it is the turn of Leeds band  The Pigeon Detectives with I'm Not Sorry.

If you are wondering where Stool Pigeon is it appeared here relatively recently

Hopefully we can struggle on with more of our feathered friends next Friday.

Cloth - Pigeon

John Prine -Clay Pigeons

Port O'Brien - Pigeonhold

The Pigeon Detectives - I'm Not Sorry

Hello Hello

 

2024 Charity Shop Purchases # 63 - Laura Cantrell - The Hello Recordings

It is rare to see anything by Laura Cantrell in the wild. It is even rarer to see something by her which you did not know existed.

From 2004  The Hello Recordings is a 15 minute 5 track mini CD consisting of 4 tracks originally recorded for the Hello CD  of the Month Club a subscription only record company which operated from 1993 to 1996. It was organised by John Flansburgh of They Might Be Giants and Marjorie Green.

The first four tracks appeared on the July 1996 version with the final track Lee Harvey Was a Friend of Mine being taken from a back porch barbeque at Quiet Life in Brooklyn, New York on 13th June 1993. There is a roll call of those involved  given at the end of the song which saves me doing it.

Discogs has the label as Diesel Only Records but my copy is attributed to Glasgow's Spit & Polish label which seems to have been the home for early stuff by her released  in the UK. Discogs also confirms that I got a slight bargain given that I paid a pound whereas their median price is £2.93 with the highest price paid a whopping £4.43. Add postage to that and it is even better.

Laura Cantrell - The Curse of Hook Mountain

Laura Cantrell - Lee Harvey Was a Friend of Mine

Keeping It Local

 

A quick update on some recent purchases all of which are by acts which are relatively local to me.

On the back of Constant Follower's recent show at Webster's Theatre I picked up a copy of Even Days Dissolve a collaboration with Scott William Urquhart on the  Golden Hum label  which is also available on Bandcamp . It is well worth a listen and will keep me going until Constant Follower's new record The Smile You Send Out Returns to You comes out early next year.

Glasgow based Alison Eales is a member of Butcher Boy as well as a solo artist and has been championed on more than one occasion by JC (he even gets a name check on the album!) . I have a copy of her 4 track EP  Four For a Boy and followed it up last Bandcamp Friday with her album Mox Nox on the Fika label - Link here

I have long been an admirer of Martin John Henry and have music by him as a solo artist, as part of the band De Rosa and  with the duet Henry and Fleetwood. His latest project is Jewel Scheme named after a housing scheme in his native Bellshill . Here is some blurb courtesy of the Skinny. Bandcamp link here.

Support your local artists.

Scott William Urquhart & Constant Follower - Watching the Black River Run

Alison Eales - Fifty-Five North

Jewel Scheme -You're Not Wrong

Revolutionary Spirit

 

About a month ago Swiss Adam reviewed Paul Simpson's book Revolutionary Spirit- A Post Punk Exorcism.

I had seen it in the library a few times but I  didn't recognize the name or feel tempted to take it out. All that changed after I read Adam's review . It is a terrific read - amusing, informative and bitchy at the same time. It is up there with his friend Julian Cope's book Head On.

He seemed to know everyone in Liverpool at that time and all the in places which Adam would have been aware of as a student.

The Wild Swans passed me by at the time but have since crossed my radar thanks to Blogging chums with JC  including Revolutionary Spirit as part of a guest post.

Please read Adam's review which is much better and more informative than anything I could do and read the book.

It seems that Paul is now living in Glasgow and given that he includes Last Night from Glasgow in the credits some new material and/or re-releases may be forthcoming.

The Wild Swans - Revolutionary Spirit

The Wild Swans - God Forbid

The Jones Boy

 

I was playing George Jones the other day and I found myself wondering when he had last featured here.

4th April 2022 was the answer as part of my Keeping Up with the Joneses series.Before that it was as far back as 2016.

Jez featured him yesterday but I figure that you can't have too much of a good thing.

Here are what I consider to be his three greatest songs. Feel free to disagree.

George Jones - He Stopped Loving Her Today

George Jones -She Still Thinks I Care

George Jones - Things Have Gone to Pieces

Washington Bullets - The Final Salvo

 

Before things went awry on the technical front I had posted two Washington related posts here and here. I thought I just about had enough material for a third and final post and somewhat belatedly here it is.

Initially the posts focussed on musical artists with Washington as either their first name or surname.As is the way of such things when it gets trickier it gets more flexible or for the more cynical among you more spurious.

Cecil Washington was a 60's Soul Singer and a big Northern Soul favourite from Washington DC. His featured song here is I Don't Like to Lose

I'm indebted to Ernie for providing me with some songs by Blues artist  Walter "Wolfman" Washington, one of which is Goody Man.

Albert Washington was a Georgian Blues and Soul singer who led a group called The Kings Variations.Today's offering is Hold Me Baby.

That's the artists called Washington exhausted which leaves us with Woodie Guthrie and his Washington Talking Blues.

We conclude this mini series with the great Iris DeMent and a song called There is a Wall in Washington about the national Vietnam Veterans Memorial which attracts more than five million people each year.

That's all folks.

Cecil Washington - I Don't Like to Lose

Walter "Wolfman" Washington - Groovy Man

Albert Washington - Hold Me Baby

Woodie Guthrie - Washington Talkin' Blues

Iris DeMent - There is a Wall in Washington

Saturday Shuffle 72

 

No more skiving - Saturday Shuffle is back with three random beauties.

First up is Hillbilly Country Blues artist the late great Junior Kimbrough who is joined by the Soul Blues Boys on Slow Lightnin' from a Mojo compilation The Black Keys present The Hill Country Blues.

Next up are Bloodshot act Sarah Shook and the Destroyers with Solitary Confinement from the album Sidelong the only thing by Bloodshot that I have on vinyl.

Finally we have Hefner with The Day That Thatcher Dies. It may be dated  but those of us that lived through her regime can all still sign up to the sentiment.

More Shuffling next Saturday.

Junior Kimbrough & the Soul Blues Boys -Slow Lightnin'

Sarah Shook & the Destroyers - Solitary Confinement

Hefner - The Day That Thatcher Dies

i Like Birds 13 - The Flamingo

 

He's back!

The laptop has finally been discharged by the doctor. The good news is that all my music has been retained. The not so good news is that I have had to reinstate various music related apps. Slowly after a bit of effing and jeffing things seem to be gradually getting back to normal.

We start normality with the 13th post in this series and with one of the more unusual birds, the Flamingo, a wading bird from the family  Phonicopteridae  with  four species native to the Americas and two native to Afro- Eurasia.

The song which will immediately spring to most of your minds is Pretty Flamingo by Mannfred Mann. However, for some strange reason, it does not feature in my music folder and given that I have others available I have not bothered to source it.

For example we have the simply titled Flamingo by former Scottish Indie favourites Tuff Love. 

The Subterraneans were a band led by Nick Kent who released My Flamingo in 1980. The Royaltones were an instrumental band from Dearborn in Michigan who released Flamingo Express way back in 1961.

Van Morrison surely needs no introduction. Flamingos Fly is a song from his 1977 album A Period of Transition.

And finally, if only to wind up Rol  and Ernie   we conclude with Chicago doo wop band The Flamingos and Love Walked In.

I feel this series may well be reaching its conclusion but I will try to eek it out for a few more weeks.

Tuff Love - Flamingo

The Subterraneans - My Flamingo

The Royaltones - Flamingo Express

Van Morrison -Flamingos Fly

The Flamingos - Love Walked In

Out of Order

I’m sorry to report that CCM is currently out of order.

My laptop is out of action with diagnostic issues. It is likely to be a couple of days before it is back up and running.

Normal service will resume as soon as possible.

Admin

Brenda(s)

 

Last year Last Night From Glasgow released the eponymous debut album by female Punk Pop trio Brenda.

I went to the album launch at the Glad Cafe on 28th July and in my Live From 2023 post towards the end of the year I wrote:  It was a bit shambolic but in a good way. I'm not sure they had played all the songs before. The  eponymous album is good though and grows on me after each listen

Here is the Bandcamp link for anyone interested.

Just over a year later I have not heard or read anything else about the band.

Worry not, however, as there are plenty of other Brenda's available

Brenda - Pigs

Brenda Lee - All Alone am I

Brenda Holloway - Tell Me Your Story

Brenda George - I Can't Stand It

Kris Kristofferson RIP

 

It was sad to hear about the death of Kris Kristofferson at the age of 88. Walter and Rol posted fine tributes yesterday

Rhodes scholar, helicopter pilot, actor, janny - there was nothing he couldn't turn his hand to. Fortunately for us he turned to singing and songwriting with the support of his great friend Johnny Cash.

We had the privilege of seeing him very briefly on two occasions at Celtic Connections in 2016 when he did a cameo appearance with The Chieftains and a few songs as part of the Roaming Roots Review.He was quite frail as he had been suffering from Lyme disease but he still had a huge aura and presence.

There will be those out there who will say that Me and Bobbie McGee was his best song but they will be wrong there.

Clearly his best song was Sunday Mornin' Coming Down and I'll fight anyone who says differently.

Probably the last of the Country greats.Who else had a cartoon fox named after them?

I'm off to look out my cleanest dirty shirt.

Rest easy Kris.

Kris Kristofferson -Sunday Mornin' Coming Down

Kris Kristofferson - To Beat the Devil

Kris Kristofferson - Loving Her Was Easier (Than Anything I'll Ever Do Again)