Rough and Rowdy Ways

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 55 - Bob Dylan - Rough and Rowdy Ways

Rough and Rowdy Ways the 39th studio album by Bob Dylan  was released in 2020 to much critical acclaim and was far superior to those immediately preceding it. 

I picked up a vinyl copy at the time and found that the almost universal praise was indeed justified. Five years later I found myself in a charity shop where a CD copy was available for £1.25. Naturally I bought it as I considered it be an absolute no brainer.

Why do I need this album in two different formats? Maybe it is as Brian suggested when  I recently did the same with Searching For The Young Soul Rebels that we need help. I prefer to think that we Contain Multitudes and/or have Crossed the Rubicon.

Bob Dylan - I Contain Multitudes

Bob Dylan - Crossing the Rubicon

Bobby Bland - The Voice

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 54 -  Bobby Bland - The Voice - Duke Recordings 1959-69

I've got most of the 26 tracks on this album on Bobby " Blue" Bland - The Absolutely Essential 3CD Collection but hey when has that ever stopped me before.

Justification? 

• It's Bobby Bland
• There are a few of the 25 songs that are not on the 3CD compilation
• It's on the Ace label
• It's a good companion piece to the burn of Bobby "Blue " Bland - The "3B" Blues Boy- The Blues Years 1952-59 which I would replace with the CD should I ever see it
• I need help

There you are then- total justification

Further proof? Just listen to the songs below. To the best of my knowledge none of them have appeared here before

Bobby Bland - Who Will The Next Fool Be

Bobby Bland - Two Steps From The Blues

Bobby Bland - Sometimes You Gotta Cry A Little

Hotel Motel 11

 

Welcome to the penultimate instalment of the Hotel, Motel (but no Holiday Inn) series

Rol seemed confident that I could easily surpass the dozen but I'm afraid his confidence is unfounded as it has proved pretty difficult to even get this far.

Anyway, less grumbling and more music I hear you say. Fair enough. In the hotel corner I give you Brothers on a Hotel Bed by the band Death Cab for Cutie from their 5th studio album 2005's Plans.

Wiki says that the song addresses possible languor in a long-time relationship whereas Genius goes further stating that this song is about a couple growing old together, as their bodies age, and they grow apart. Gibbard portrays the couple's relationship as a platonic (symbolic for a marriage or relationship) the passion has died. Make of that what you will

Fortunately, as you would expect,with Moonlight Motel, The Boss is much more straightforward on the final track of the 2019 return to form album Western Stars

One more to go

Death Cab For Cutie - Brothers on a Hotel Bed

Bruce Springsteen - Moonlight Motel

s (symbolic for a marriage or relationship), the part.  portrays the couple’s relationship as a platonic relationship between siblings. Though they share a bed (symbolic for a marriage or relationship), the passion has died.

Shoeshine Records Sampler

 

For this Sunday's Americana Compilation ( SAC?) we are heading back to Glasgow and the year 2001.

Shoeshine Records was a label led by Francis McDonald, the erstwhile drummer of Teenage Fanclub, who also released records under the name Spit & Polish.

Their stable was a combination of local bands and some American acts who often turned up in Glasgow for concerts put up by Tom Hamilton  under the Death and  Taxes moniker.

I've gone for three acts that I saw on more than one occasion at the time.

We start with local band Radio Sweethearts who were ofter the go to band to support American acts appearing at King Tuts and other venues. Their track on the sampler is Don't Make Me Wait from their New Memories (SHOECD005) album. Or more accurately as  New Memories Revisited as it was originally released by St Roch Records in 1996 which is the copy I have on the shelves.

Next up is Peel favourite Laura Cantrell  with Do You Ever Think of Me from her debut album Not The Tremblin' Kind (SPITCD001)

We conclude with the wonderful Paul Burch & the WPA Ballclub  with Blue Notes (SPITCD005).

Wonderful stuff and a real trip down memory lane for me.

Radio Sweethearts - Don't Make Me Wait

Laura Cantrell - Do You Ever Think Of Me

Paul Burch & the WPA Ballclub - Forever Yours

Saturday Shuffle 120

 

It seems that today's cover star Del Shannon had more hits than just Runaway. Who knew? Jon Savage clearly does as Del Boy singing Stranger in Town was included as part of the compilation 1965 The Year the Sixties Ignited.

Suzi Quatro would have been 15 then. We had to wait until the early 70's and Glam Rock for Suzi to ignite. Given songs like Can the Can it was clearly worth the wait

Which Side Are You On? first came to my attention as part of the Between the Wars EP from Billy Bragg in 1985. It was originally written by US activist Florence Reece in 1931. Give the rise of the Far Right and scumbags like Trump and  Reform it is arguably as relevant today than it ever was - perhaps more so.

We shall keep fighting the good fight next Saturday.

Del Shannon - Stranger in Town

Suzi Quatro - Can the Can

Billy Bragg - Which Side Are You On?

For Truck's Sake

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 53 - Dale Watson - Truckin' Sessions Vol. 3

If you have been following this Blog from as far back as 23rd September 2025 you may well recall me featuring Dale Watson's Truckin Sessions Volume 2 here which I picked up in Newton Stewart.

You may also recall that I mentioned that was now contractually obliged to track down Volumes 1 & 3

Well it seems to be that Newton Stewart is the very place to go for Truckin' songs as on my next visit to the town I came away with Volume 3. This one is from 2015 and is on the Continental City label from the Netherlands,

As you can see from the tracklist Dale does not stray far from the general subject matter. I've gone for the opening track It's Been a Long Truckin' Day and Birmingham Breakdown. I assume Dale is refering to the city in Alabama as opposed to the one off the M6.

I will be keeping my eyes peeled for the missing piece of the jigsaw next time I'm in Newton Stewart.

Dale Watson - It's Been a Long Truckin' Day

Dale Watson - Birmingham Breakdown

Deliver Me From Nowhere

 

Over the weekend we went to the pictures to see Deliver Me From Nowhere the current Bruce Springsteen biopic.

I vaguely knew that a film was in the making but was unaware that it had been released so heads up to Mrs CC for discovering it was on and booking tickets.

The Guardian review here describes it as a solid biopic which both embraces and avoids cliche. It also gives a link to a trailer.

Without giving too much away it is set in the early 80s after the release of The River when Bruce is writing songs both for Nebraska and Born in the USA while tackling some demons which go back to childhood trauma.

I thought it was pretty good without being brilliant. It is not a patch on the recent Dylan biopic A Complete Unknown but is streets ahead of Bob Marley's One Love . Like the Guardian I would give it a solid 3/5. Jeremy Allen White is pretty convincing in the lead role.

It maybe says something about the demographic of fans of the Boss as several of our fellow audience members were using walking aids!

Regular readers will not be surprised that when it comes to Born in the USA or Nebraska I will choose the latter all day long.

I don't think I'm alone.

Bruce Springsteen -Nebraska

Bruce Springsteen -Atlantic City

Bruce Springsteen - My Fathers House

Themes For Great Cities

 

Whenever I check the music section in the library Themes For Great Cities - A New History of Simple Minds by Graeme Thomson is usually there.

Whereas I am not a huge fan of the band I eventually got round to taking it out. It is well written and a good read with contributions by four out of five of the band's original members - Brian McGee being the non-participant.

Somehow I have acquired five of their albums over the years. Their music can essentially be split into two parts - the first five albums  from 1977 to 1981,  which are all worth having, and from 1982 onwards when they effectively became a stadium band along the lines of U2. Having said that I found myself singing along to the songs on Glittering Prize 81/92 the other day.

It seems like a version of the band led by Jim Kerr and Charlie Birchill is still tootling away without setting the heather on fire.

If you were allowed only one album by them the 1982 compilation Celebration featuring sings from their first three albums would be the one to have.

Talking of Great Cities it should be acknowledged that they come from the greatest of them all!

Simple Minds -Theme For Great Cities

Simple Minds - Life in a Day

Simple Minds - Chelsea Girl

Hotel Motel 10

 

Time to press the lift (elevator if your posh) button and head to the 10th floor for the latest Hotel/Motel instalment.

In the hotel corner we have Jesse Malin with Hotel Columbia. The song references Hyde Park so it may well be in London. On the off chance that it is that one I have sourced the picture above.

I was about to give you Motel Blues by Big Star only to discover that it is a cover version of the Louden Wainwright 111 song which Ernie suggested for the first post in the series. Not to worry, Joni Mitchell has stripped off her tracksuit and is limbering up on the sidelines with Blue Motel Room.

Motel Blues is also a series of short stories by Jerry Raine or the French translation of Bill Bryson's travel book The Lost Continent which is pictured above.

The good or bad news depending on your perspective is that we are still aiming for a dozen posts in this series

Jesse Malin - Hotel Columbia

Joni Mitchell - Blue Motel Room

Americana 2012

 

Although the vast majority of the Americana Compilations that I have been subjecting you to on Sundays originate from the turn of the century there have been a few outliers.

For example Sounds of the New West Volume 7 is bang up to date. Today we feature another Uncut compilation  Americana 2012.

As is the way of such things some acts have slipped into obscurity, some shone brightly for a brief period and some are still going strong with a couple arguably having  achieved superstar status (artists 4 & 5?)

Here's a quick glance at the tracklist for you to pick your favourites. I've selected three,  the second and third of which I have subsequently acquired albums by. Then again maybe I just have a thing about bands beginning with D.

That's why picking up these compilations can be worth your while.

Beachwood Sparks - Forget The Song

Deer Tick - Main Street

Dawes - Peace in the Valley

Saturday Shuffle 119

 

We went to the gym yesterday for the first time in a while. When we got there I looked out my MP3 player to find it had not been charged so I had to make do with what I would describe as mizak. Fortunately it was not too loud so it did not annoy me as much as it usually did.

Worry not the MP3 player has now been charged so SS119  can proceed.

First up are The Umbrellas a jingly jangly San Francisco band with It's True from their 2021 eponymous debut album.I quite liked the album but have never felt the urge to follow it up. See Bandcamp for details of their output to date.

I would highly recommend that you hunt down anything and everything by today's cover star Dwight Yoakam pre 2000. Anything from 2000 onwards is best avoided. From Buenas Noches from a Lonely Room his third, and what I consider best album here is Dwight  covering Streets of Bakersfield accompanied by Buck Owens. It is widely thought that this song was written by Buck but it was in fact written by Homer Joy

From April 1978 She's So Modern was the 3rd single released by the Boomtown Rats peaking at number 12. The Guinness British Hits Singles book tells me that they were named after a band in a Woodie Guthrie novel something I was unaware of up until now.

More shuffled music and random facts next Saturday.

The Umbrellas - It's True

Dwigh Yoakam - Streets of Bakersfield

Boomtown Rats - She's So Modern

Blog Country 127 - Malta

 

Apologies for the delay in this occasional series. It is not due to the lack of countries I have to post (there are a few left but not many) but because of time constraints and other commitments.

Having said that it can take a bit of time sourcing the music and sorting out the wheat from the chaff.

Most of you I assume will be familiar with the Mediterranean island of Malta or to give it its Sunday name the Republic of Malta. Some of you may even have visited. I  haven't although the rest of my family did one summer when I was busy working.

A common theme when searching for material is that there is often a song or two referencing the country. Malta is no exception and I give you Freddie Portelli with Viva Malta.

Another common theme for European countries is Eurovision songs but  thankfully I think I have managed to avoid them this time round.

Beangrowers are a three piece indie rock band who are described on Bandcamp as a rare and delicate breed of band - managing to be intelligent without being ponderous,fun without being silly, outrageously poppy without being cheesy and rocking without being cliched or predictable. I'll leave you to decide whether You Are You Are fits that bill.

The Travellers are from the Maltese island of Gozo whose sound is characterized by Maltese lyrics accompanied by brass-based pop music .You want proof? Here is Hafi Paci Kuluri which I think is a glorious song.

Oxygn apparently are an Anglo/Maltese band here.Not to be confused with the World Fusion Music Band with a similar name or indeed Jean Michel Jarre

GENN are another Anglo/Maltese combination who annoyingly use capitals exclusively in their name.

That's your lot. Next time round I suspect will be much more challenging given it is a country I had never even heard of. 

Freddie Portelli - Viva Malta

Beangrowers - You Are You Are

The Travellers - Hafi Paci Kuluri

Oxygyn - Venom

GENN - Days and Nights

 

Soul Galore

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 52 - Various - Soul Galore - 60s, 70s & Northern Soul Classics

Following on from my Northern Soul Sunday series over the New Year following some Northern Soul compilations picked up in Castle Douglas I was in no particular hurry to pick up any further similar compilations which lets face it are ten a penny.

That all changed however on the visit to the Wigtown Community Shop and their 4 for a pound philosophy.

Soul Galore- 60s,70s & Northern Soul Classics was duly added to the basket..From 2006 on Music Deluxe it is a double CD with 40 tracks. By my calculations that equates to 0.625p per track which is a  bit of a steal as I'm sure you will all agree.

When I feature such compilations it is usually my habit to feature some of the lesser known artists, This time round I have gone for three of the big hitters.

Jackie Wilson - Because of You

Edwyn Starr - Running Back & Forth

Al Green - Keep On Pushing Love

Searching For The Young Soul Rebels

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 51  -Dexys Midnight Runners - Searching For The Young Soul Rebels

Like any sane person I've had a vinyl copy of Searching for the Young Soul Rebels since its release in 1980. It is an album that every home should have.

I'd never seen a CD copy in a charity shop before until I saw the 20th Anniversary Enhanced Remastered Edition.

Did I need it? No

Did I take it as part of a 4 for a pound package in the Wigtown Community Shop? I certainly did!

It was tempting not to include Geno as everyone must be familiar with but it is too good to leave out.

There There My Dear was the second single from the album but I'm going for Seven Days Too Long. Tomorrow it could be something else.

Och sod it, you can have them both!

Dexys Midnight Runners - Geno

Dexys Midnight Runners - Seven Days Too Long

Dexys Midnight Runners - There There My Dear

Hotel Motel 9

 

 

Instalment 9 of the Hotel, Motel but no Holiday Inn series. There maybe a vague  connection between today's two songs.

In the hotel corner we have Glass Hotel a song from the 1990 album Eye from the legend that is Robyn Hitchcock. According to Medialoper Glass Hotel seems like a break up song, in this case maybe about a discovery of infidelity from a partner who had been accusing him of the same.

There are definite suggestions as to infidelity in the Dicky Williams song In the Same Motel. This version is taken from the compilation There's a Heartbreak Somewhere. It is also included on Down and Out - The Sad Soul of the Black South.

More hotel/motel shenanigans next Monday.

Robyn Hitchcock - Glass Hotel

Dicky Williams - In the Same Motel

The Watermelon Sampler

 

The Watermelon Sampler Volume 1 is not necessarily an Americana compilation per se. Rather it is a 1995 collection of songs from Austin's Watermelon Records. Given that Austin is the spiritual home of Americana and many of the artists involved it merits its inclusion in this series.

Alejandro Escovedo will be no stranger to any long suffering reading of this Blog. In 1998 the Americana magazine No Depression named him as the Artist of the Decade and there are no arguments from this quarter with that accolade. Here he is with Five Hearts Breaking from his 1992 album Gravity.

Tish Hinojosa, you could argue, is the female equivalent of Alejandro. Manos, Huesos y Sangre which translates as Hands, Bones and Blood comes from her album Aquella Noche  - That Certain Night.

The Silos who have been active from 1985 are led by singer Walter Salas- Humara yet another artist from Mexican stock. Miles Away is the lead track from their album Hasta La Victorial.

Alejandro Escovedo - Five Hearts Breaking

Tish Hinojosa - Manos, Huesos y Sangre

The Silos - Miles Away

Saturday Shuffle 118

 

Let's kick off this week with our cover stars Jim Bob and Fruitbat. It seems that this song should only be aired After the Watershed but I won't tell if you don't .

Newt up  from the mountain tops to the sunny streets I give you  Westwood's finest namely Aztec Camera with a different drum playing to a different beat.

Chic are clearly Oblivious to all of the above as they are only concerned that Everybody Dance

We shall resume treading the boards next Saturday

Carter USM - After the Watershed (Early Learning the Hard Way)

Aztec Camera - Oblivious

Chic - Everybody Dance

Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures Volume 5

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 50 - Various Artists - Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures - Taken From The Vaults Volume 5

I know what you are thinking - what happened to Volume 4 ?The answer is simple. I was a bit rushed at the checkout and didn't see it on the rotating shelves. It may. or may not, have been there.

No matter as Volume 4 was the only one I previously had on CD. Volumes 1 to 3 have been upgraded from Burns with Volume 5 now  upgraded from my previous MP3 copy.

One reason for the change in format is that Volume 5 was not released until 2019 some 15 years on from Volume 4 and Dave Godin's death.

Here is the blurb and tracklist from Ace Records which saves me the time and trouble of cutting and pasting. As always it was hard to choose individual tracks from the 25 songs on the album but I think I've made some reasonable choices.

I'm chuffed to bits that I now have all five volumes in CD format. Finds like this don't come by too often.

Esther Phillips - Home is Where The Hatred Is

James Carr - These Ain't Raindrops

Lattimore Brown - I Will

Empress of the Blues

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 49 - Bessie Smith - Empress of the Blues

I already have a couple of Bessie Smith compilations - one as part of The Blues Collection (where she is the first woman to appear) and The Ultimate Collection subtitled The Empress of the Blues.

There are obviously some doublers in the 16 track  cheap and cheerful Empress of the Blues  as part of the Classic Blues series on CharlyRecords from1992 but enough new ones to justify adding this to the shelves

Her recordings took place between 1923 and 1933 and it is astonishing to think that some are therefore over a 100 years old. There is a wonderful biography by Scottish poet Jackie Smith which is a terrific read. This piece from the National Museum of African American History of Culture is also well worth a read before Trump inevitably gets around to shuting it down.

Bessie Smith - Downhearted Blues

Bessie Smith - I Ain't Gonna Play No Second Fiddle

Bessie Smith - Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out

A Madison Muddle

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 48 -Madison Avenue - Don't Call Me Baby - CD Single

Another CD Single muddle very much  along the lines of the recent Verra Cruz/Vera Cruise incident.

In the Faith, Hope and Charity shop in Whithorn I picked up the above CD single by Madison Avenue..It turns out that they were an Australian electronic duo consisting of Andy Van Dorsselar and Cheyne Coates as opposed to the Canadian folk duo Madison Violet featuring  Brenley MacEachem and Lisa McIssac who I had in mind.

I recognised the song and I suspect that you will too. I will spare you the two extended mixes as I don't see the point of them.

You can write out a prayer in the shop and it will be read out in the church.I was tempted to write one alone the lines of Dear Lord, please prevent me from buying CD singles from the wrong acts

Madison Avenue - Don't Call Me Baby

Madison Violet - No Fool For Trying

Kirsty MacColl -Walking Down Madison

Hotel Motel 8

 

Week 8 in the Hotel Motel (but no Holiday Inn) series. The aim is to reach a dozen posts. If that proves tricky 10 is certainly doable

In the Hotel corner we have Sheffield's Richard Hawley with the song Hotel Room from the wonderful Coles Corner album. There is no clue as to the location of quality of the hotel room in question so I've picked a random picture.

I think that the US Motel 6 chain can be described as being part of the budget market.I say that as I think I may have stayed in one. Yo La Tengo certainly appear to have stayed in one as they give us From a Motel 6. Not to be confuse with Bob Dylan and From a Buick 6 .

We are checking out now but will check in again next Monday

Richard Hawley - Hotel Room

Yo La Tengo - From a Motel 6

Come Fly With Us

 

This week's Americana compilation comes from one of the two great German Americana labels in this case Beverungen's Glittehouse Records

From 2000 it contains 21 artists over 78 minutes with a 16 page booklet  giving details of the selected artists and songs. Click here for the tracklist.

By my calculations I've seen at least 8 of the acts live and have music from a good few more. As is the case for many of the compilations in this series you could choose three tracks at random and the quality would still be good.

With that it mind I've gone for three acts that I've seen live. Let's start with Willow Jane from the late great Neal Casal. Neil is followed by Nadine and Closer We conclude with Ramsay Midwood and Mohawk River.

There is at least one more Glitterhouse compilation on the shelves which will feature in due course.

Neal Casal - Willow Jane

Nadine - Closer

Ramsay Midwood - Mohawk River

Saturday Shuffle 117

 

Apologies for the lack of a shuffle last week. Events, dear boy, events

To make up for it we start with an eponymous song by Bathgate band Goodbye Mr Mackenzie the band where Garbage's Shirley Manson first earned her chops.

Next up is Gene Clark with No Other the title track from his 1974 masterpiece. If you do not have this album you need to catch yourself on and acquire it henceforth, immediately and at once.

A Stray Cats b-side to finish of with? Why the devil not? I give you a live rendition of Drink That Bottle Down the UK b-side of their 3rd UK single Stray Cat Strut.Our American friends got You Don't Believe Me whereas What's Goin' Down was big in Japan.

More random goodies next Saturday unless I forget

Goodby Mr Mackenie - Goodbye Mr Mackenzie

Gene Clark - No Other

Stray Cats -Drink That Bottle Down

.

The Basement Tapes - Take 2

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 47  -Bob Dylan & the Band - The Basement Tapes

In addition to the two recently featured Volumes of Bob Dylan's Bootleg Series as part of my Newton Stewart haul I picked up a clunky copy of 1975's  The Basement Tapes to replace my burn completely forgetting that I had bought a vinyl copy in 2002 for the very same reason. Three copies seems a bit excessive so the burn has been binned.

A two CD job it came in one of those large jewel cases but I managed to transfer it to a smaller double CD case what with space being at a premium and all.

If you  are a Dylan fan at all you will be aware of this collaboration with The Band  recorded in the basement of Big Pink which had previously only existed in a bootleg format. If not I refer to to Wiki  and to my previous post above. Better still you should read the far more informative and detailed piece from the Bob Dylan Newsletter

Bob Dylan & the Band - Too Much of Nothing

Bob Dylan & the Band - You Ain't Goin' Nowhere

Bob Dylan & the Band -This Wheel's On Fire

Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures Volume 3

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 46 - Various Artists - Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures - Taken From The Vaults Volume 3

We are back with Volume 3. On the back of the CD case Dave Godin is described by Mick Taylor as God's own soul messenger on earth and by Tony Rounce as still quite likely the best friend real Soul Music ever had.

Released by Ace/Kent Records in 2000 as you can see from the blurb and tracklist there are more of what may be described as established Soul artists than on the previous two releases. While this in itself is no bad thing I have decided to stick with some of the lesser known artists.

Encouragingly by my calculations over 50% of the artists featured are female which is pretty unusual and to acknowledge this I include four of them for your listening pleasure today.

I'm starting with Chicagoan gospel singer Jean Plum with Look at the Boy. Jean is followed by two artists who really should have been included in my Double Initials series

I give you Bessie Banks with It Sounds Like My Baby and Doris Duke with He's Gone. We conclude with Maxine Brown and All In My Mind.

As with the previous Volumes the quality never falters.

Jean Plum - Look At The Boy

Bessie Banks - It Sounds Like My Baby

Doris Duke - He's Gone

Maxine Brown - All In My Mind

Verra Cruz v Vera Cruise

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 45 - The Verra Cruz  - Soul Collides CDsingle

A bit of a faux pas with my latest charity purchase as I confuse St Albans rock trio The Verra Cruz with Glasgow Americana band Vera Cruise. Easily done as you can imagine. Still it was only 50p so no real harm done.

The Verra Cruz formed in 2003 and have released 2 albums and an EP.. The Soul Collides CD single is from 2004 and is on the Crazeltown label. The first two tracks are a bit too rocky for me but I quite liked Rise. Not enough though for this to be a keeper.

Vera Cruise were from the same period with their album Come Alone and Fall Apart released by Loose Records in 2004. I have the album and saw them a couple of times back in the day. They have appeared here before most notably as part of my Tartan Texans series from as far back as 2014

The Verra Cruz - Soul Collides

The Verra Cruz - Air That I Breathe

The Verra Cruz - Rise

Vera Cruise - The Last Time Partick Thistle Won

Vera Cruise - Come Alone and Fall Apart

Hotel Motel 7

 

This week we dip our toes into some of the less  salubrious establishments who are hiring rooms.

The Chelsea Hotel in New York is famous for being the home of numerous writers, musicians, artists, and entertainers and infamous for famous deaths including Dylan Thomas and Nancy Spungen who was murdered there by Sid Vicious.

Chelsea Hotel #2 is a song written by Leonard Cohen. Here it is covered by Josh Ritter from the appropriately titled Mojo compilation Cohen Covered

Maybe I'm being unfair to Airways Motels as the one in Christchurch, New Zealand has 4 stars. However, I suspect that Airways Motel by Jack Ingram has more in common with the picture above,

More hotels and motels, salubrious or not, next Monday

Josh Ritter - Chelsea Hotel #2

Jack Ingram - Airways Motel

Down To The Promised Land

 

Around the turn of the century I was totally immersed in Americana and in particular the records released by the Chicago based label Bloodshot Records. I would order most of the CDs they released. Bear in mind that around then you didn't have to sell a kidney to pay the postage.

There was no way I was going to miss the 2000 compilation Down to the Promised Land - 5 Years of Bloodshot Records . For the most part the bands and artists  perform covers or new and unreleased songs on the 40 songs over the two CDs

We kick off with The Handsome Family and a cover of  a Bill Monroe classic country song I Hear a Sweet Voice Calling.

Renee and Brett are followed by Albuquerque band Hazeldine with Unforgiven a song exclusive to this album.

We move over to Disc 2 with Trailer Bride providing a cover of The Gun Club classic Ghost on the Highway

We conclude with a double act who could be described as Americana royalty namely Chip Taylor (the man who wrote Wild Thing and Angel of the Morning) and Mekons/Waco Brothers/Pine Valley Cosmonauts/Three Johns artist Jon Langford who also provided the album cover artwork. Here they perform Brixton a song by Chip.

Spoiler alert - there may possibly be more Bloodshot compilations in this series.

The Handsome Family - I Hear a Sweet Voice Calling

Hazeldine - Unforgiven

Trailer Bride - Ghost on the Highway

Chip Taylor with Jon Langford - Brixton

Rockabilly Riot!

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 44 - Brian Setzer - Rockabilly Setzer! All Original

Long suffering Regular readers will know that my brother is a  fanatical rockabilly fan. Accordingly, over the years I have acquired a number of copies of CDs by Stray Cats and Bryan Setzer. To date the only one I actually had as a proper CD was by The Bryan Setzer Orchestra called Dirty Boogie.

That number has now been doubled as I picked up Rockabilly Riot ! All Original as part of the Newton Stewart haul. From 2014 and on the Surfdog label it was his 9th solo studio album.

It does what it says on the tin as the two tracks below demonstrate

Bryan Setzer - Let's Shake

Bryan Setzer - Vinyl Records

Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures - Volume 2

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 43 - Various Artists - Dave Godin's Deep Soul Treasures - Taken From The Vaults Volume 2

Another week, another Volume 2 of Deep Soul Treasures -Taken from the Vaults. Unfortunately there was no typewritten letter by Dave Godin tucked into the sleevenotes this time . There are, however, 25 belting tunes given that the standards for this series never slip

Again I am referring you to the Ace Records website for some information on this CD which became Kent Records best seller to date.

As before any and all of the 25 tracks are worthy of inclusion to date. To save me having to make some difficult or random decisions I'm going for three of the songs referred to in the Ace article

You will be glad to note that there are more to come.

Eddie Holman - I'm Not Gonna Give Up

Eddy Giles - Losing Boy

Bessie Banks - Go Now

Hotel, Motel 6

 

Let's face it Hotel California was always going to feature in this series ... just not by The Eagles!

No, I give you Hotel California by Alabama 3 from their 2000 album La Peste. The follow up to the magnificent 1997 debut Exile on Coldharbour Lane it was a major disappointment as were their live shows from this period. Subsequently I have never felt the urge to pick up any more of their records or to go and see them live again.

I was unsure as to how Wooden Wand (the stage name of James Jackson Toth) first came to my attention until I carried out a search on the Blog revealed it was via a Mojo compilation The New Thunder Review. I was sufficiently impressed enough to track down a copy of the 2011 album Briarwood which includes the song Motel Stationary

More hotels and motels next Monday

Alabama 3 - Hotel California

Wooden Wand - Motel Stationary

Cowpunks

 

For this Sunday's Americana compilation I give you Cowpunks  

From 1996 on the UK label Vinyl Junkie  it contains 24 Trailblazing tracks as it says on the cover and here from Discogs is the track list. They also describe the music as Alternative Rock, Country Rock which I think meets my criteria.

The sticker on the back reads HMV £4.99 but I'm pretty sure that I picked it up from Missing Records cheaper than that.

Whenever I have featured this album Freakwater's version of Richard & Linda Thompson's Withered and Died always gets a mention as does Mojo Nixon and Jello Biafra with  Let's Go Burn Ole Nashville Down.

The Coal Porter's have also featured before  with Six Days on the Road but surprisingly He's a Dick by the legendary Americana Supergroup Golden Smog is  only now making its debut on these pages.

Another Americana Compilation next Sunday.

Freakwater - Withered and Died

Mojo Nixon & Jello Biafra - Let's Go Burn Ole Nashville Down

The Coal Porters - Six Days on the Road

Golden Smog - He's a Dick

Saturday Shuffle 116

 

We start this week with New York's finest Jesse Malin. I've seen him twice 16 years apart and both were pretty special. From his 2002 (around the time I first saw him) debut album The Fine Art of Self Destruction here he pays homage to the Queen of the Underground

Jesse is followed by today's cover stars  The Only Band That Matters . Career Opportunities - the ones that never knock, every job they offer you is to keep you out the dock

Apparently The Hicksville Bombers are a traditional Rockabilly band who play a unique style with plenty of double bass and original material.Until the Day I Die is taken from the compilation 21st Century Rockabilly Volume 2 but sounds more Country to me

More Shuffled nonsense next Saturday

Jesse Malin - Queen of the Underground

The Clash - Career Opportunities

The Hicksville Brothers - Until The Day I Die

The Rolling Thunder Review

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases # 42 - Bob Dylan Live 1975 The Rolling Thunder Review - The Bootleg Series Vol 5

Another week, another album from The Bootleg Series to get your teeth into.

Released in November 2002 as Bootleg Series Volume 5 the album   documents the Rolling Thunder Review led by Dylan prior to the release of the album Desire in 1975,

The Review featured  a diverse cast of musicians and collaborators like Joan Baez, Joni Mitchell, Mick Ronson, T-Bone Burnett, Rambling Jack Elliot  and Allen Ginsberg in a unique, circus-like atmosphere. Intended as an anti-corporate "travelling counterculture carnival," the tour played in smaller venues and aimed to reconnect Dylan with his audience after a long hiatus from touring. The event's spirit was captured in Martin Scorsese's 2019 Netflix documentary, Rolling Thunder Revue: A Bob Dylan Story, which explored themes of memory, truth, and illusion, alongside the music and performances of the tour

The CD contains a fascinating and informative account of the Review by Larry "Ratso"  Sloman 

If 22 tracks over 2 CDs is not enough for you a 14 disc collection  was released in 2019 to coincide with Scorsese's documentary . I can't see that popping up in a charity shop any time soon.

Bob Dylan - Isis

Bob Dylan - Simple Twist of Fate

Bob Dylan - Hurricane