I've Been to a Concert

 

It took until the day that the clocks go forward but I have finally attended my first  concert of 2025.

A combination of finance, illness and accidents has led to this sorry state of affairs. I'll be very surprised if I make double figures this year.

The act I had gone to see was Dropkick at Glasgow's Glad Cafe on Saturday. It is the 4th, or possibly the 5th time, that I have seen them and the 2nd, or maybe the 3rd time. at the Glad Cafe. I  blame Brian

Despite getting there reasonably early I missed the start of the first act who was Kev Sherry formally the frontman of the sadly missed Attic Lights band. It is not often you see an artist singing in his stocking soles. It also takes balls to sing a song called Young Presbyterians in Glasgow!

The next act were Star Trip a band from Valencia. Ian, from Dropkick, introduced them as " the Spanish Teenage Fanclub" They made a splendid racket and had the audience, and their Spanish fans, boogieing furiously.

They are certainly a band worth pursuing further. I would definitely try to see them again and will try to obtain some of their music

They were certainly a hard act to follow and it took Dropkick a wee while to get the audience fully engaged with their set, They finally got there and the  delivered some top tunes from their extensive back catalogue. They included a couple of songs from their recently released album Primary Colours.

It was duly purchased but I have yet to listen to it.

A solid 7/10 and maybe even a 7.5/10 if fractions are aloud. 

Here are the first 2 tracks from their 2021 Best Of album which formed part of the their set

Dropkick - Until I Fall Away

Dropkick - Out of Tune

Candi Covers Sunday

 

George very kindly forwarded me a copy of  legendary Soul icon Candi Staton's recent album Back to My Roots, I haven't had the chance to listen to it yet but the reviews seem pretty positive including from Americana  and Blues  sources. 

Let's face it Candi could recite the phonebook and it would be brilliant. She can pretty much turn her hand to anything as these covers of three classic songs demonstrate.

I look forward to giving Back to my Roots a listen

Candi Staton - In the Ghetto

Candi Station - Stand By Your Man

Candi Staton - Jolene

Saturday Shuffle 93

 

The World has spun around it's axis again, or something like that

Yes, it's Saturday Shuffle time again and I'm pleased to report that I've got three belters for you this week. I think that all three acts have graced this series before but don't worry - they are not  one trick ponies.

We start with Camera Obscura with the brilliant Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken. I think I detect a little smirk on Mr Cole's face above.

An act who always makes you smile is the late great Little Richard who today is urging you to shake a hand.

A band who certainly knew how to have a good time were Mott the Hoople who were often prone to a little Boogie down Honaloochie way.

More heartbreaks, hand shakes and boogieing next Saturday

Camera Obscura - Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken

Little Richard - Shake a Hand

Mott the Hoople - Honaloochie Boogie

Earth, Wind and Fire Friday

 

If you have been doing this malarkey for as long as I have you often run the risk of repeating yourself.

An example -I was listening to the band Hazy Malaze the other day and came up with the idea of a Hazy Friday post only to discover that I did one in  November

On the other hand I was fairly convinced I had done one featuring the individual components of Earth, Wind and Fire but it seems not.

Let's give it a bash then. Let's kick of with Last 2 on Earth from the Americana/Indie duo Plains.

For Wind I have opted for The Golden Tree (Grahame Skinner and Bobby Bluebell) with their cover of Donovan's Catch the Wind.

There are plenty of Fire songs to choose from ( files that away for future reference) Here is a version of Light My Fire by the late great Minnie Ripperton featuring Josie Feliciano.

Finally it is only fair to acknowledge the band who inspired this post.

I may well revisit this in due course.

Plains - Last 2 on Earth

The Golden Tree - Catch the Wind

Minnie Riperton (ft Jose Feliciano) - Light My Fire

Earth, Wind and Fire - Boogie Wonderland

More Sounds of the New West

 

Monday's post featuring James McMurtry and Ray Wylie Hubbard has sent me down an Americana rabbit hole.

From  January 2001, when Americana was probably at its zenith, Uncut released an essential compilation entitled More Sounds of the New West - The Best of Americana 2000. A quarter of a century ago - gosh.

Just look at this tracklist I would say that the vast majority of the songs on this CD are essential. Available on Discogs for a couple of quid it should really be on your shelves.

By my reckoning I have seen 13 out of the 18 acts featured and  have albums by all the acts except Slaid Cleaves and The Mayflies USA.

Here are Lou Ford, Slaid and The Handsome Family. Don't be surprised  if I return in the near future with some of the others.

Lou Ford How Does It Feel?

Slaid Cleaves - Horseshoe Lounge

The Handsome Family - So Much Wine

Blog Country 114 - Côte d'Ivoire

 

No were are not off to Ireland this week; We are in fact off to the Côte d'Ivoire or as us Brits like to call it the Ivory Coast. I'm going for the former as that was the name that popped up on my Blog Stats.

For all things African I find it best to refer you to Ernie  and he has a veritable smorgasbord of Ivorian treats on offer.

I also found a terrific playlist of Retro Ivorian Songs. I was particularly taken with this one by Antionette Konan

I also realised that I had Veto de Dieu by Alpha Blondy  on Rock the Kasbah a relatively recent Charity acquisition

In addition to Mr Blondy a quick trawl of the World Wide Web yielded another couple of interesting acts. 

Dobet Gnahoré (born 17 June 1982) is an Ivorian singer and the daughter of percussionist  Boni Gnahoré she plays with the group Na Afriki, consisting mainly of French and Tunisian musicians, who accompany her with the guitar, sanza balafon, calebasse   and bongos. Due to the civil war, she moved to France in 1999

Yodé & Siro is an Ivorian zouglou band from Abidjan. It was formed in 1996, and composed of Gervais Dali Djédjé, and Sylvain Decavailles Aba.

Next week's one will be an absolute doddle and I am really surprised that it took this long to record visitors from this country famous for its music

Alpha Blondy -Veto de Dieu

Dobet Gnahore - Issa

Yode et Soro - Enjailement a l'Ivorienne

That was the prog that was. 10.

 

George writes:

And it’s Fife again this week, the once industrial town of Methil. The town was famously referenced by the twins from Auchtermuchtie. I must have gone in my dad’s car as there were no train links, and I would have been in the Ferry for Christmas. And this was a time before the Boxing Day Bailout so I was not in Glasgow in Mr CC’s flat known as The Ice Station.

As is usual I have absolutely no recollection of going to the ground, or the game itself. But it seems I was one of 895 who witnessed a 2 - 0 home win. Here are the teams:

And note that Willie Carver, or Mr Carver as I called him, was not playing. He was at home, next door to my mum and dad. And he was 77 years old at the time, his East Fife playing days far behind him.

The AITT (singles and albums) are barely worth a mention, and of course there can only be one song to include, this absolute masterpiece:

That, of course, is their finest song.

Thanks for reading, and thanks to Mr CC.

CC writes:

I've never been to East Fife's Ground either old or new,

Come to think of it I'm not sure whether I've ever been to Methil!

I have seen The Proclaimers twice though.

I'm not sure whether this is the last post in this series or not.

If so thanks George. If not I look forward to the next one

I wonder if the Countess of Fife has every graced Bayview (old or new)?

The Countess of Fife -Wandering Star

McMurtry Monday

 

It's been a wee while since the great James McMurtry has graced these pages.

From 1989 to date he has released 13 albums including a Best Of and two Live Ones.

I only own his 1989 debut Too Long in the Wasteland along with copies of 2015's Complicated Game and 2021's The Horses and the Hounds - the last courtesy of Rol

Here's one from each.

I was shocked to discover that I don't have a copy of his legendary Choctaw Bingo. You will have to make do with a great cover by Ray Wylie Hubbard.   ( see Comments below) 

I was also a wee bit surprised to find out that he is actually a wee bit younger than me!

James McMurtry - Too Long in the Wasteland

James McMurtry - South Dakota

James McMurtry - The Horses and the Hounds

Ray Wylie Hubbard - Choctaw Bingo

M. John Henry

 

M. John Henry has a new album  called Strange is the Way available for pre-order on Bandcamp. I've ordered it and you should do so too.

I've long been an admirer of his work. He fairly recently released an album as part of the band Jewel Scheme

Previously he was with band De Rosa and also the duet Henry and Fleetwood with harpist Gillian Fleetwood  amongst other projects as well as releasing a number of solo albums.

He is an artist that I have yet to see live and I hope to rectify that sooner rather than later.

Here are some tasters to tempt you into pulling the trigger

De Rosa - New Lanark

Henry and Fleetwood - Forestry

Martin John Henry - Some Evil Ways

Jewel Scheme - You're Not Wrong

Saturday Shuffle 92

 

Another Week, Another Shuffle

We start this week's shuffle with what is quite possibly my favourite ever song. I reckon  I could play Another Girl, Another Planet by The Only Ones everyday for the rest of my life without getting bored of it. I can't think of any other song that I could say that about.

Spinning Coin are a Glasgow band who have been on the go since 2014 without ever quite making it. This is a shame as some of their stuff is pretty good and deserves a wider audience. Here is one Raining on Hope Street the opening track from their 2017 debut album Permo on Stephen Pastel's Geographic label

We conclude with Fairport Convention from as far back as 1968  with Throwaway Street Puzzle  which it seems was a bonus track on the re-issue of What We Did on Our Holidays. It is not on my CD copy of the album on the 5 Classic Albums series. My file is instead taken from Jon Savage's compilation 1968 - The Year the Earth Burned.

More scorchers next Saturday

The Only Ones - Another Girl, Another Planet

Spinning Coin - Raining on Hope Street

Fairport Convention - Throwaway Street Puzzle

It's All Greek to Me

 

Last night Scotland played Greece in the first leg of the Nations League play offs.

I wrote this before the game kicked off so I may come back with something in the comments section to highlight our glorious victory or the fact that we were robbed. Probably the latter.

There are only three Greek artists in the Music Folder and no I'm sorry to disappoint you but they are  not  Vangelis, Demis Roussos and Nana Mouskouri . I was tempted to include Georgios Kyriacos Panayiotou  aka  George Michael but he was born in East Finchley.

Tango With Lions is a Greek-German band project led by singer-songwriter and singer Katerina Papachristou. They have released a number of records on the Inner Ear label which are available on Bandcamp.

I have a copy of their 2018 album The Light which is well worth a listen.

Yuri's Accident are a band from Athens founded in 2010 - further details here . I have a couple of tracks by them with one included below.

Finally I give you My Drunken Haze which probably describes your average Scotland fan who was at the game. Discogs   describe them ( the band, not the Scottish fans) as a Greek pop band born in spring 2010 in Athens. 60's, cinematic, psych and dream pop is their main sound origin.

I hope the result went in our favour.

Tango With Lions - What You've Become

Yuri's Accident - Lights (On Her Eyes)

My Drunken Haze - Carol Wait

 

That was the prog that was. 9.

 

George writes:

This week, it is November 12, 1988, we’re off to the heart of the old Fife coalfields, to a town whose name bemused and amused me when I was very young and living in England, and a town that elected the only communist MP to parliament (for 20 years). And the reason I went is all down to a lad called Ewan Hamilton, an avid Dunfermline fan, who told me about a pub near the ground. So, before the match, you could find me in Wee Jimmies in Cowdenbeath, drinking a pint of light light. Yes, light light, although I could have opted for a pint of dark light. Or even a pint of heavy, but I already knew what heavy was, and I don’t think I’d heard of light. Heavy was what we (and I think most people) called 80-shilling, and light was 60-shilling. I believe there was also a 70 shilling beer. I just think my life is more complete for having gone to a bar and asked for a light light

I was one of 462 at the game in Central Park, 1-1 since you ask, and much to my joy, standing alone at one corner of the ground, there was actually an old man in a bunnet with his dog. It was a scene from Oor Wullie. Looking at the teams I of course recognise no players, but the manager stands out for me, John Brownlie, once of Hibs and Scotland. And he stands out because when he was playing for Hibs I distinctly recall him scoring a tremendous goal, blootered into the top left of the goal, from about ten yards out. Unfortunately, it was into his own net. But What A Goal!

As for that AITT, here it is, and I recognise just one song.  The album charts are just as awful. But never fear, because Cowdenbeath is the home town of the original drummer of the Skids, Tom Kellichan:

The Skids - Melancholy Soldiers

Thanks for reading, and to Mr CC

CC writes:

Thanks George.

Cowdenbeath are another team from this series now languishing in the Lowland League.

I'm disappointed that you didn't stay for the Saturday evening Stockcar Racing to witness the Cowdenbeath Wall of Death in action!

Richard & Linda Thompson - Wall of Death

Blog Country 113 - Nicaragua

 

This week we are traveling just over 3000 miles from Paraguay in South America to Nicaragua in Central America.

The coat of arms in the middle of the flag might not be different on both sides like Paraguay but it is one of only a handful of flags of sovereign states to include the colour purple.

Moving from flags to music it was considerably easier to source some Nicaraguan music than it was for Paraguayan. I'll leave it to you to decide whether any of it is any good or not

We kick off with Hernaldo Zúñiga a singer/songwriter who sings in the Trova  style of itinerant musicians which started out in Cuba. Herny,as I feel obliged to call him. offers up the song Procuro Olividarde which translates from the Spanish as I Try to Forget You.

Herny is followed by La Cuneta Son Machin. Don't worry I'll not try to abbreviate that name. La Cuneta incorporates Nicaraguan regional slang extensively in their music. The group's music blends cumbia and rock with traditional Nicaraguan music. There appears to be an amalgamation of two songs Soup on the Table and Verana Caliente which translates as Hot Summer.

I don't think that Luis Enrique is the same one who currently manages Paris Saint- Germain but you never know. Yo Voy Pa Encima which features El Mola translates as  I'm Going on Top. I'll leave that to your imagination.

Finally (you'll be glad to hear) I give you Otto de La Rocha with the traditional Folk Song Managua, Linda Managua. I haven't been able to ascertain whether she is/was a real person or not.

We are back in Africa next time round.

Hernaldo Zuniga - Procuro Olividarte

La Cuneta Son Machin - Soup on the Table/Verano Caliente

Luis Enrique ft El Mola - Yo Voy Pa Encima

Otto de la Rocha - Managua, Linda Managua

More Toilet Tunes

 

On my latest visit to the loo in my local Shopping Centre the tune blaring out was a song called Shotgun. I vaguely recognised it. It seems to have been sung by some boy called George Ezra. I'm none the wiser.

It got me thinking about other (better) Shotgun songs. I've come up with five.

First up we have Jr Walker and the All Stars with the simply titled Shotgun. Junior is followed by a man who I suspect was no stranger to a shotgun. I refer to the Blues legend Lightnin' Hopkins and Bring Me My Shotgun.

Strange but true - did you know that Bachman Turner Overdrive actually have other songs that You Ain't Seen Nothin' Yet? Here is some proof  with the song Shotgun Rider.

Lest I get accused of being sexist or ageist I would like to suggest that the fairer sex and our elders can also handle a shotgun. Proof?  Here are Gillian Welsh with Shotgun Song and Ann Castle with  Go Get The Shotgun Grandpa.

That's me run out of bullets.

Jr Walker & the All Stars - Shotgun

Lightnin' Hopkins - Bring Me My Shotgun

Bachman Turner Overdrive - Shotgun Rider

Gillian Welsh - Shotgun Song

Ann Castle - Go Get The Shotgun Grandpa

The Brunch Bunch

 

My first CD selection to accompany Sunday Brunch was a burn of 3+3 by The Isley Brothers. Unfortunately it started playing up after a few tracks and it required to be replaced.

Ever the gentleman I asked Mrs CC to chose something else and she opted for Tracy Chapman and her 1988 eponymous debut album duly took its place.

When it finished Mrs CC commented " I'm not sure why but she reminds me of Tanita Tikaram. I'm not sure why either!

The vinyl copy of her debut album Ancient Heart (again from 1988) was duly dusted down and given an airing. She is well worth a follow on Social Media.

One from each I think.

The Isley Brothers - That Lady

Tracy Chapman - Fast Car

Tanita Tikaram - Twist in my Sobriety

A Pocket of Wind Resistance

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases #8 - Karine Polwart with Pippa Murphy - A Pocket of Wind Resistance

From 2007 on the Hudson Records label A Pocket of Wind Resistance, created alongside sound designer Pippa Murphy, is the studio adaptation of Karine Polwart's award winning and critically acclaimed Wind Resistance show which premiered at the Edinburgh International Festival in 2016.

As such the CD is a combination of Karine singing and the spoken word. This does not bother me as I could listen to Karine reciting the phonebook but I'm not sure how it will come across on a couple of MP3s. Some of the song titles sound like they are from a Prog album (see below!)

In essence in concerns the migration of around the migration in the autumn from Iceland and Greenland to Fala Flow a peatbog on the edge of the Lammermuir hills near Karine's home in Pathhead. This has Karine wondering in what way humans are like geese and how they can they sustain their sense of being part of a skein

I haven't seen the show which I think would make it easier to understand but hey it is Karine and is therefore a pleasant listen and one which I wasn't about to ignore.

Karine Polwart - Tyrannic Man's Dominion

Karine Polwart - Sphagnum Moss for a Dead Queen

Saturday Shuffle 91

 

Let's start this week with a bit of disco courtesy of Gonzales with I Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet. That should get your toes a-tapping.

Once he has finally stopped it is likely that he will be so knackered that a Substitute may be required. Fortunately The Who are happy to oblige.

We conclude SS91 with the Jayhawks a band who haven't appeared in this series nearly often enough. Today's offering is I'm Gonna Make You Love Me a track from Smile their 6th album which was released in 2000. 

It is one that I haven't played for ages which is something I shall try to rectify over the weekend.

I wonder who will be coming off the bench for Saturday Shuffle 92 next Saturday?

Gonzales -I Haven't Stopped Dancing Yet

The Who - Substitute

The Jayhawks -I'm Gonna Make You Love Me

Lost In The Dream

 

We've all got them. Albums or CDs that we buy, play once or twice then file them away only to gather dust.

One such CD I have is Lost in the Dream the third studio album by American band War on Drugs which was released in 2014 on the Secretly Canadian label.

It was released to critical acclaim .Indeed, based on 139 year-end top ten lists compiled by Metacritic Lost in the Dream was the most critically acclaimed album of 2014, appearing on 54 lists and being named first on 13 of them

This may well be the reason I bought it. I can remember playing it at the time but I'm not sure if I've played it many times, if at all, in the last 10 years until the other day.

I quite enjoyed the opening track Under the Pressure, all 8 minutes and 52 seconds of it, but thereafter it all got a bit samey and pretty bland.

I can't see me playing it again any time soon and it is one that I don't think will escape the inevitable cull when space  becomes an absolute premium which probably will be sooner rather than later.

It has been downloaded into the Music file in anticipation of  such an eventuality. 

The War on Drugs - Under the Pressure

The War on Drugs - Red Eyes

That was the prog that was. 8

 

George writes;

I have a particularly fond memory of this week’s match. It’s 1989, and I learned where East Stirlingshire played (not Stirling, but in Falkirk).  I assume I got a train to Falkirk Grahamston and met up with that damned fine chap Mr CC. Did we have a pint in the clubhouse? I can’t remember. But this I do remember: about 5 minutes before half time the ball-boy near us turned and asked us to take his place so he could go and get his half-time pie (obviously a certain Manchester United co-owner would disapprove of such largesse). And Man Alive were we chuffed, indeed honoured, to play our part in keeping the game flowing.

Here are the all important teams (I do not recognise any of the players):

And, unfortunately if you’re an East Stirlingshire fan, they lost 3-0. Even worse, they finished bottom of the league that season. And even worse than that, Firs Park has now been abandoned, the bits of stadia knocked down, and the pitch now seems to be covered in trees and bushes - but it could have been even worse(!) it could have tarmaced over or built on. 

As for the AITT, even before looking at it,  I dread to think what bobbins occupied those places. Here goes - and I recognise only one song (Ride on Time), but I’ll listen to snippets of the others so you don’t have to.

So those snippets have revealed that I do know this one:

Here is that AITT, some of you might remember some or all of those songs. And playing some of the songs was an extremely depressing experience. (And whoever was responsible for Big Fun should have been strangled at birth).

Thanks for reading, and thanks to CC for posting.

CC writes:

It was indeed a great honour.

Sadly East Stirlingshire were an early victim of the pyramid system and are now languishing in the lower reaches of the 5th tier Lowland League Here

It's The Wolf

 

Does anyone remember the cartoon It's the Wolf?

It's the Wolf. followed the comic exploits of a wolf named Mildew, who aspires to catch and eat a sure-footed lamb named Lambsy, but is always thwarted by the dog Bristle Hound

All of which of  course is just an excuse to post a further selection of Wolf songs .As per last week I give you five songs and  acts with Wolf or Wolves in the title. I'm not convinced that the quality is as good as last week. Joni Mitchell's The Wolf That Lives in Lindsey has been ruled out on the grounds that it is unlistenable. The same perhaps could be said about The Fall

You will be glad to know that we are now wolfed out. I won't be drawn in to making the mistake of including Wolfmother for a second time.

Jimmy La Fave - The Lone Wolf

Mechanical Bride - Peach Wolf

Wolf Alice - Fluffy

The Fall -Wolf Kidult Man

Emily Rose - Three Blind Wolves

Blog Country 112 - Paraguay

 

     

At first glance you could be forgiven for thinking that the flag of South American country  Paraguay is pretty boring.

But you would be wrong there! It is in fact the only national flag with different symbols on both sides. How good is that?!

I'm not sure that I can follow that up with the music which was much harder to source than the likes of Mongolia and Kosovo. It seems that Paraguay is famous for it's harp music and that's about it.

It was hard to come up with three but I've done my best. 

First up are  Paraguayan Boy Band  Rumberos with Loco Por Ti. I didn't need Google Translator to work out that is Spanish for Crazy For You 

From one extreme to another we have Nelson Gonzalez with Vete Vete  which is much more like it.

I tried not to but I'm afraid I've come up with a harpist namely Arami with the song Pajaro Chogui , Pajaro Compana.

We head slightly further north next time round when if possible I will try to avoid harps 

Rumberos - Loco Por Ti

Nelson Gonzales - Vete, Vete

Arami - Pajoro Chogui, Pajaro Compana

Lyle Lovett and his Large Band

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases #8 - Lyle Lovett - Lyle Lovett and His Large Band

I'm an admirer of the early work of Lyle Lovett from the  late eighties/early nineties. Not that big an admirer right enough that I was prepared to pay north of £50 to see him perform recently at Celtic Connections.

I was happy enough, however, to pay a pound in a local charity shop to pick up a copy of  his third album Lyle Lovett and His Large Band from 1989 on the MCA/Curb. According to a sticker on the back of the jewel case the previous owners were a couple from Netherlee.

It is Big Band meets Country with Wiki also adding the description of Country Swing which I suppose is pretty apt. Or as the New Yorker would have it Lovett reveals his weird splendor in a schizophrenic jumble of smoky jazz and twangy country that revives whole swaths of neglected popular American music

This trio from the third quarter of the album, including a Dolly Parton cover, are probably the pick of the bunch and are enough for it to be filed in the Country section.

Lyle Lovett - I Married Her Just Because She Looks Like You

Lyle Lovett - Stand By Your Man

Lyle Lovett - Which Way Does That Old Pony Run

All The Records On The Radio Are Shite

 

2025 Charity Shop Purchases #7 - Ballboy -All The Records On The Radio Are Shite

Ain't that the truth?

I had my first Charity Shop foray in over a month the other day on Glasgow's Battlefield Road and came away with three purchases.

First up was All the Records on the Radio are Shite a CD single from 2002 from Edinburgh band Ballboy on  the local SL Records

I'm pretty chuffed as it is the first physical thing that I have by the band. Yet another act I discovered via the Blogging community in particular via JC, Drew and Dirk (I'm scared to search the Internet for a link to Sexy Loser)

Therefore I have plenty of their songs downloaded along with a digital copy of the compilation Club Anthems.

Gordon McIntyre is a great songwriter with a deadpan delivery as these songs should testify.

It's gone down as a find.

Ballboy - All the Records on the Radio are Shite

Ballboy - Stars and Stripes

Ballboy - Building for the Future

Ballboy - Welcome to the New Year

Saturday Shuffle - 90

 

This week the Saturday Shuffle reaches the 90s with some stonking tunes.

We kick off with Primal Scream and the version of Rocks from the Original Memphis Recordings of Give Out But Don't Give Up featuring the late great Denise Johnson who shockingly the band have airbrushed out of the album's credits.

Next up we have Kirk Brandon and Spear of Destiny with the  belter that is Liberator.

These two tunes are quite possibly the catalyst that led Ian Dury and the Blockheads to observe that There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards. For Primal Scream omit the word clever.

More Liberators and Clever Bastards next Saturday.

Primal Scream - Rocks (Original Memphis Recording)

Spear of Destiny -Liberator

Ian Dury & the Blockheads - There Ain't Half Been Some Clever Bastards

1967 - Vacations in the Past

 

It seems to be a thing these days for artists to reinterpret other people's songs.

For years Rod Stewart has been busy murdering The Great American Songbook.  Up here Karine Polwart has released Karine Polwart's Scottish Songbook and The Golden Tree (Grahame Skinner and Bobby Bluebell) have given us Scottish Songs Observed Volumes 1 &2.

In most cases some songs work and others don't .The latest to get in on the act is Robyn Hitchcock with 1967- Vacations in the Past and his interpretation of 12 songs from that year - see Bandcamp

In fairness to the great man he released it to accompany his Memoir 1967: How I Got There and Why I Never Left. I suspect that will be well worth a read.

Talking of great men I wonder what Uber fan The Swede makes of it all? 

Me? I refer you to the above. Some work and others don't

Robyn Hitchcock - Waterloo Sunset

Robyn Hitchcock - A Day in the Life

That was the prog that was. 7.

 

George writes:

You might have noticed by now that this series is not chronological, and today it’s March 1981. The sequence is based on programme size, if you are interested. This week, it’s south London, to the former Glaziers (who were pathetically and pretentiously re-nicknamed the Eagles by the wonderfully flamboyant Malcolm Allison) and the pathetically and pretentiously titled (by the totally scrupulously honest Terry Venables) team of the eighties. Who were relegated in this season, although Venables had left under mysterious circumstances in October 1980.  It was a bottom of the table clash, Sunderland managed to survive, just. I went with my Dad and my grandparents’ lodger, Howard. As usual I recall nothing at all apart from what Howard and I thought was some crowd trouble part way through the game and rushed to get away from it. Unlike my father, who obviously knew better and laughed at us as we went back up to him in the terraces.

Looking at the teams, I recognise two names from Palace, one of whom has been described as “tough-tackling and uncompromising” ie he kicked the shite out of his opponents. One of the Sunderland team subsequently played for Dundee and went on to manage United for about a year. Sunderland won 1-0.

The AITT of that week has 4 splendid tunes, and some absolute drivel . What are those 4 splendid tunes, you ask?

Adam & the Ants - Kings of the Wild Frontier (I've got that album)

Roxy Music - Jealous Guy (I've got the single)

Ultravox - Vienna (yes, got that album, and the follow-up)

There are some top tunes in the 11-20 section too.

Thanks for reading, and thanks to CC for posting this.

CC writes

Thanks George

I had a Crystal Palace top as a kid. This one I think

That's Bobby Kellard - not me as a kid.

Vienna? It means nothing to me!

Two Ultravox albums is a bit exsessive. There is one here on the shelves. It is not mine