Sequential Saint Etienne

I stuck on Too Young to Die - the album featuring the early singles of Saint Etienne a week or so ago and thought I should share some of it with you.
On checking the back catalogue to ensure I was not duplicating any tracks I was quite surprised to notice that they have appeared on these pages once  a year since 2013.
Surprised given that I would not consider myself a huge fan, I only have two albums and a single of theirs plus I can't say that I play them all that often.

Time to maintain the sequence though.

Saint Etienne - Kiss And Make Up

Saint Etienne - People Get Real

Ended Up A Stranger

The recent charity shop acquisition Ended Up a Stranger is the 4th of the 14th studio albums released by The Walkabouts to grace the shelves.
I think it may be a promo as there is a sticker advising that the release date will be 29th October 2001.
It lists some recommended tracks (the first featured here being one) and handily lists the songs which contain swearing (so you don't have to go looking for them).
It also gives a quote from Q Magazine  advising that since 1984 The Walkabouts have been making music with a graceful, epic sweep as big as the heavens.
I've just read that they finally hung up their boots in 2015.
They never did anything  that came remotely close to their album Satisfied Mind (the greatest covers album of all time) but this one, on the Glitterhouse label, is another enjoyable outing by Carla Torgerson, Chris Eckman and the gang.

The Walkabouts - Lazarus Heart

The Walkabouts - Cul-de-Sac

Road to Hell

Back to work today after two snow days, an annual leave and the week end.
These songs seem somewhat appropriate.
Mrs CC came in with this album the other day the one which saw Chris Rea moving from a respected blues musician to an artist with an international profile.
Fair play to him in that he never let success go to his head and was quite happy doing what he felt like doing.
Sadly his health has deteriorated in the last couple of years and in December he was taken to hospital after collapsing on stage in Oxford.

I'm sure we all wish him a speedy recovery. One of the good guys and true to his Middlesborough roots.

Chris Rea - The Road to Hell (Part 1)

Chris Rea - The Road to Hell (Part 2)

A Sunday Single # 9

Apologies for the quality of the recording. I could have posted a less crackly version from the Best of CD but that  would rather defeat the point of this series.
Having said that I'm not sure how much gas is left in the tank but we will plod on for a wee while yet.

Victims was the single which came after Karma Chameleon apart from in the States where it was felt to be too depressing to release as a single.They opted for Miss Me Blind instead.
Apparently about the not then publicly known relationship between Boy George and the band's drummer Jon Moss.
It reached number 3 following its release on 28th November 1983 remaining in the charts for 10 weeks. Another one of Mrs CC's.

The b-side Colour By Numbers is the title of the album on which Victims appears but does not feature on the album.

Culture Club - Victims

Colour By Numbers

Covered By Cash - Pocahontas

It's the final countdown and would you believe it it has gone right down to the wire.

Accusations of subterfuge were flying around after Johnny was pitched against Sheryl Crow scoring a decisive victory with his interpretation of Redemption Day  making the score Cash 9 the Rest 9.
In my defense Sheryl was originally scheduled to be before Steve Earle which would have resulted in the same score but in a different order.

I was considering pitching Johnny against Soundgarden this week with their respective versions of Rusty Cage but I figured that would be too easy.
So he is up against Neil Young. I've decided not to go with Heart of Gold as I think Neil would win easily.
Instead I've gone for Pocahontas as I feel this will be a lot closer.
Mr Young may feature in a similar cover series further down the line.

Two excellent versions. I guess it boils down to whose voice you like best or which you dislike least.
I'm going for the Man in Black. However had I chosen the version from Unplugged as opposed to Rust Never Sleeps my decision may well have been different.
Your last chance to concur or disagree.
Next one the winner.

Johnny Cash - Pocohontas

Neil Young & Crazy Horse - Pocahontas

Don't Talk To Me About Heroes

I was probably too old for Madchester and  was certainly too old when the dregs of the Happy Mondays got together as Black Grape in 1993.
I also always felt that necking copious amounts of pills whose provenance was unknown was an incredibly stupid thing to do.
It didn't stop me liking some of the music though.
It's Great When You're Straight ... Yeah unsurprisingly reached number 1 following it's release in 1995

The three singles still sound pretty good to me but I feel that the rest of the tracks are pretty weak and haven't aged too well.
An iconic cover featuring Carlos the Jackal. An album which regularly pops up in charity shops these days.

Black Grape - Reverend Black Grape

Black Grape - Kelly's Heroes

Artists I've Seen in Someone's Garden in Austin - Volume 2

The reason we were prowling the streets of Austin suburbia was not to see the Polyphonic Spree, pleasant though they were, but to catch a glimpse of Will Johnston.
He was the lead singer of Denton, Texas band Centromatic who we had first been alerted to by Adam Reichmann of the band Nadine while chatting to him in a pub in Helensburgh, as you do.

We had previously caught Centromatic at SXSW proper and they put on an excellent show. We subsequently got to see Will a couple of times in Glasgow when his other band South San Gabriel played at King Tuts and when he performed solo as the support act to The Great Lake Swimmers at the Admiral Bar.

Sheryl Crow used to be his babysitter.

These two tracks from one of his solo albums Vultures Await conclude this mini-series.

Will Johnson - Catherine Dupree

Will Johnson - Vultures Await