Leap Year

 

Since I retired I can just about remember which day of the week it is. But don't ask me what the date is as I wont have a clue.

However I am aware that given this is a leap year that today is Thursday 29th February. Commiserations to the poor sods who are still working and have to work an extra day.

I believe it is a day that traditionally women  ask men to marry them. So congratulations if that's the case for you.

I'll do a post with Leap songs I thought, but it turned  out to be harder than I anticipated. I managed two songs and two bands.

You should all be familiar with the two acts performing the songs but maybe less so with the acts with Leap in their name. Some of you I am sure will be familiar with the Scottish Indie band Randolph's Leap named after a scenic beauty spot on the River Findhorn. You will probably be less familiar with the Manchester Band The Great Leap Forward. I know I was.

Stay tuned for a similar post in four years time

The Dave Clark Five - Look Before You Leap

Billy Bragg -Waiting For the Great Leap Forwards

Randolph's Leap - Up In Smoke

The Great Leap Forwards - My Grandfather's Cluck

Brothers, Sisters ... 20

 

 

It's the final countdown! The last entry in a score of Brothers and Sisters groups. This week it is disco funk versus Americana roots.

First up it is the Jackson Sisters. You can come out from behind the couch as it is NOT Janet and LaToya! Rather it is the far more talented Gennie, Pat, Jacqueline, Rae and Lynn. The sisters were originally from Compton but who were based in Detroit for their career which lasted from 1971 to 1977. They released one album during this period which is pictured above.

The Wood Brothers are an American roots band consisting of brothers Chris (upright bass) and Oliver Wood (acoustic and electric guitar) along with multi instrumentalist Jano Rix. I appear to have a download of their 2019 album Live at the Fillmore but have absolutely no recollection of having downloaded it or listened to it  until now.

The Wood Brothers seem very earnest and good at what they do but clearly there can only be one winner this week. Get down on it!

A good way to conclude this series although a small codicil may appear next week.

Jackson Sisters - I Believe in Miracles

Jackson Sisters - Where Your Love Is Gone

Wood Brothers - One More Day

Wood Brothers - Snake Eyes (Live)

Keep on Truckin’ 5

This may or may not appear on time today due to on-going technical problems. Could be expensive given the amount that mechanics charge and as for parts ....

Hopefully we manage to  to this week’s trucks on the road in time. We are pulling out all the stops.

We are starting up in Canada this week with Fred Eaglesmith with a song from Falling Stars and Broken Hearts. (You would be correct in assuming that he is a Country artist).  Fred proclaims that he wants to buy your truck (assuming it is in working order). He’s a big lad so best not to argue …. or haggle.

Stephen Pastel is far too nice a man to argue or indeed haggle. He knows his modes of transport though which he demonstrates as the Pastels sing of Truck, Train, Tractor from their album Up for a Bit With The Pastels from 1987. A Monorail is obviously his transport mode of choice.

Hopefully a band with a name like the Bottle Rockets will have the sense to ensure that there is a designated Truck Drivin’ Man who ideally is prepared to give it all he can.

Hopefully the mechanics will ensure that we are ticking along nicely and back on the road again for next week

Fred Eaglesmith - I Wanna Buy Your Truck

The Pastels - Truck, Train, Tractor

The Bottle Rockets - Truck Drivin' Man (Give It All I Can)

Jesus This is Iggy

 

2024 Charity Shop Purchases #14 - American  Caesar

There are still a couple from my Auchterarder Folk Haul to feature but I thought that I would  mix things up a bit.

My next successful charity foray was to Oxfam in Troon* where I picked up my first ever Iggy Pop CD namely American Caesar from 1993. In case you are wondering why on earth it has taking him so long to get something by Iggy wonder no more as I have The Idiot (1977), Lust for Life (1977) and Blah Blah Blah (1986) on vinyl. And of course Raw Power by The Stooges.

Described by Stephen Thomas Eriewine as a grungy detour and by Mark Demming of AllMusic as an overlooked masterpiece it's great fun

The front cover includes an in-built sign which reads Parental Warning:This is an Iggy Pop record. Sure there is the occasional sweary word and numerous references to sex and drugs but it is hard to get offended by them. As the sign points out it is Iggy Pop after all.

I couldn't let this post go by without including Iggy's take on Louie Louie.

Iggy Pop - Mixin' The Colours

Iggy Pop - Louie Louie

* Oxfam Troon CDs 99p

* Oxfam's Glasgow CDs £2.99

Rosie

 

2024 Charity Shop Purchases #13 - Fairport Convention - Rosie

It became clear in the Chest, Heart & Stroke charity shop in Auchterarder that someone was pruning back their folk collection.

I wasn't about to turndown Rosie by Fairport Convention. From 1973 on the Island label Rosie was the band's eighth album since their debut in 1968 and it is clear that it came after the "good ones" My copy is the 2004 Remastered Deluxe version with live versions of 5 out of the 10 tracks included

It´s the successor to "Babbacombe Lee" from 1971 with several line-up changes. Simon Nicol had left the band and former Fotheringay members  Sandy Denny's husband Trevor Lucas (vocals, acoustic guitar) and Jerry Donahue (guitar) had joined. Simon Nicol was the last remaining member from the original line-up which meant that the line-up on Rosie didn´t feature a single original members of the band. The album was produced by new member Trevor Lucas.

Richard Thompson and Sandy  Denny did however contribute guitar and backing vocals respectively to the title track.

AllMusic gives it 2.5/5 with a user rating of 3.5/5. I think that I would go with the former. A couple of good songs here and there but not a patch on some of their earlier classics. At times it sounds like a different band which in reality is what it actually is.

I'm not convinced that this one is a keeper.

Fairport Convention - Rosie

Fairport Convention - My Girl

Saturday Shuffle 43

 

War, huh, yeah

What is it good for?

Absolutely nothing uhh

Wise words indeed from Edwin Starr. Perhaps someone could remind Messrs Putin and Netanyahu. Also, I wouldn't put money on the Tories trying to broker their way to a war (the Falklands again perhaps?) to give them more time to plunder the country's coffers prior to getting kicked out.

There are times when I think that side 3 of Live Rust from which this version of Cinnamon Girl is taken, is the greatest slab of live music ever. Scratch that I don't think it is, it is!

Are Seven Days Too Long? or can you hold out for the next edition of Saturday Shuffle?

Edwin Starr - War

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Cinnamon Girl (Live)

Dexy's Midnight Runners - Seven Days Too Long

The Rum Shack baby

 

Monday Barbara Dickson at the Royal Concert Hall, Saturday Savage Mansion at the Rum Shack. That's how I rock

It was the first time I had been to the Rum Shack on Glasgow's South Side. It is an impressively large venue and much less claustrophobic than the likes of the Glad Cafe and the Hug and Pint. The only downside was the price of the drinks.£4.75 for a can of Red Stripe and £6.20 for a pint of Bitter & Twisted. Well it is in Strathbungo which is Hipster central. Lots of man buns on display, far more that at Barbara Dickson!

The concert was primarily  to launch The  Shakes the new album by Savage Mansion on the Pictish Trail's Lost Map label.

First up was Northern Irish singer Martha Ffion who also coincidentally happens to be married to Craig Angus the frontman of Savage Mansion. I have her previous album Nights to Forget  here and so was keen to hear her performing songs from her newish album The Wringer. I was not disappointed.

The second act consisted of about a dozen ridiculously young musicians known collectively as Mallet Space. They seemed to be enjoying themselves but I'm afraid their music did nothing for this old fogey.

Finally the main act Savage Mansion came on with a set that heavily featured The Shakes. As I wrote here they put me in mind of Pavement which let's face it is no bad thing.

All in all it was a good night particularly as Mrs CC dropped me off and picked me up. I made good use of my Christmas money by picking up both The Wringer and The Shakes which after a first listen seem to be   well worth having.. Here are the title tracks from both.

Martha Ffion - The Wringer

Savage Mansion - The Shakes