Some Sunday Soul

Whilst doing my "research" for last week's Little Anthony post I looked out my copies of Volumes 1 to 6 of the Talcum Soul series.
The first of the series is subtitled The Sounds of Stateside and track one is the Northern Soul classic Seven Days Too Long by Chuck Woods from 1966 written by JR Bailey and Vernon Harrell.

Now I know next to nothing about Chuck Woods but I suspect that from the song, the picture and the  blurb above he could fairly accurately be described as a Young Soul Rebel.
And the fact that Seven Days Too Long was covered by Dexys suggests that he could well have been one of the ones that Kevin Rowland was Searching For.

Chuck Woods - Seven Days Too Long

Dexys Midnight Runners - Seven Days Too Long

Saturday Lucky Dip

It looks as though the Red Hot and Cool compilation gracing the CCM shelves came free with Red magazine.
It is billed as 10 -chilled out tracks -the perfect soundtrack to a Sunday morning.
Now Sunday as you all know equals soul so you are getting this on Saturday.
It features the likes of Moby, Groove Armada, Kinobe and Jon Hopkins - pleasant enough but not really my cup of tea.
It also has The Facts of Life by Black Box Recorder which is not too shabby.
My idea of chill out music is probably more some Southern Soul or a wee bit of murder and misery courtesy of a country song or two.
Somewhat bizarrely  The Ballad of Cable Hogue by Calexico is on the CD and rather neatly fits that bill.

More random nonsense next Saturday

Black Box Recorder - The Facts of Life

Calexico -Ballad of Cable Hague

Les Johnson and Me

Had I owned 15 Hands by Les Johnson and Me when the Tartan Texans series was on the go it would most certainly have been included.
Available on Holy Smokes Records it features the rich baritone of Kenny McDonald a well -kent face on the Glasgow Americana music scene  and has been described as somewhere between Jim Reeves, Johnny Cash and Tennessee Ernie Ford with a distinctly Glaswegian twang.
There is backing from the Shiverin' Sheiks and other Glasgow musical luminaries.
Dear Marvin is a fantastically off beat duet with Katie McArthur sharing the vocals.
It also puts me in mind of the Bloodshot act of Rex Hobart and the Misery Boys and also The Hacienda Brothers which is no bad thing.
All twelve songs written by Kenny. Pretty impressive given that he only wrote his first song at the tender age of 46.

Les Johnson and Me will be appearing at Stereo in Glasgow on 11th December 2014 as part of the Holy Smokes volume 4 night.

Thoroughly recommended.

Les Johnson and Me - Fifteen Hands

Les Johnson and Me -Dear Marvin

Stray Cat Singles -(She's) Sexy and Seventeen

The fourth single in the Stray Cats box and something of a return to form.
From Rant and Rave With the Stray Cats their third album (She's) Sexy and Seventeen was their fifth of six singles to chart entering the UK singles chart on 6th August 1983 remaining in the charts for 9 weeks and peaking at number 29.
Both the single and the  b-side Lookin' Better Every Beer were penned by Brian Setzer.

It was a bigger success in the States reaching number 5  following on from Rock this Town and Stray Cat Strut which were both released in 1982 considerably later than  from when they were hits in the UK.

One more to go.

Stray Cats - (She's) Sexy and Seventeen

Stray Cats - Lookin' Better Every Beer

Going Back to Houston to Get Me Some Pants

Odelay from 1996 is Beck's 5th studio album and the one that I would argue is his best - others may choose to disagree.
It is certainly his most  commercially successful and  most critically acclaimed.
It's got a little bit of everything on it - hip hop,rap, country, blues, jazz and psychadilia.
And some truly bizare lyrics
This list from Paste Magazine gives a flavour of his lyrics over the years - a bit Dylanesque I feel or bonkers depending on your point of view.

I've had a Devils haircut in my mind for the last few days which inspired me to post this
I hadn't listened to this in ages but had a good sing-a-long to it in the car today on the way back from work

Beck -Devils Haircut

Beck - Where's It At

I'm Tense and Nervous and I Can't Relax

Why a big suit?

I'm in a bit of a quandary today.
Part of me wants to state that Stop Making Sense by  Talking Heads is one of the top 10 albums of all time.
However, given that it is taken from the concert movie featuring the band live on stage it probably constitutes a sort of greatest hits and therefore probably does not make the criteria that is normally used when making such lists.
I am tempted to replace it in the top 10 with 77 but realistically that would make the long list as opposed to the short list.

Nevertheless Stop Making Sense is absolutely terrific. I saw the film at the GFT (Glasgow Film Theatre) along with The Ramones' Rock'n'Roll High School. It is probably the only music DVD that I have ever watched on more than half a dozen occasions.

Ce que j'ai fais, ce soir la

Ce qu'elle a dit, ce soir la

Realisant mon espoir

Je me lance, vers la gloire ... OK

Talking Heads -Psycho Killer

Talking Heads - Burning Down The House

My Drunken Haze

This picture is guaranteed to hack off all of us in the Northern Hemisphere who are currently experiencing the colds of winter.
It features a Greek Band My Drunken Haze who have just released their self titled debut album on Inner Ear Records
According to the blurb it is an album starring the character of a woman in search of love, longing, separation and redemption, set against a backdrop of daydreaming, drugs and the hot sand of a summer beach.  
Vocals by the wonderfully named ethereal singer Matina Sous Peau


Beats a Glasgow  winter!

My Drunken Haze - Yellow Balloon