The G's That Got Away

 

The original Surfer of the Zeitgeist our dear chum Ernie Goggins  very kindly provided three songs for consideration for The A-Z of American Cities - G

I used one of his suggestions Glendale Train by New Riders of the Purple Sage. I dismissed Greencastle Blues by Todd Snider as Wiki advised that Greencastle was in fact a fishing port in County Tyrone,Ireland. I said that I was happy to be corrected. Ernie then came back to correct me by pointing out that Greencastle is in fact also a city  in Indiana with a population of  46135. Apparently named by its founder Ephraim Dukes  after his hometown in Pennsylvania which in turn is named after the one in Ireland so we got there in the end. Happy to set the record straight.

I think that we have ascertained that Gettysburg is not a city but given its place in American history following the Gettysburg Address it would be churlish not to include the song by Simone Felice

Todd Snider - Greencastle Blues

Simone Felice - Gettysburg

The Best of Bowie

 

2023 Charity Shop Purchases #59 -David Bowie -The Best of Bowie

Another trip to Debra in Shawlands to look at furniture .The CDs were back to the usual suspects unlike my previous visit. A quick rummage in the LP box threw up The Best of Bowie  a 16 track 1980 compilation on K-Tel.

Despite having nearly everything from this period (either on vinyl or CD or both) I naturally bought it as it was in excellent condition and it only cost me a pound. I've since read that it includes rare 7 inch edits of Fame and Golden Years  and unique edits of Life on Mars? and Golden Years. So all in all a good find.

I've gone for Starman a song which is now over half a century old and still as fresh as a daisy. It is one I'll never tire of.

My second selection is Sorrow from the 1973 covers album Pin Ups which along with The Man Who Sold the World are the only albums of his from the 70s thst I don't have on vinyl

Essential stuff.

David Bowie -Starman

David Bowie -Sorrow

Formanka

 

2023 Charity Shop Purchases #58 - 18 Wheeler - Formanka

A recent trip to Troon saw the obligatory visit to the Oxfam book and music shop. Happily amongst all the usual suspects I was able to come up with something  reasonably interesting.

I must admit I had never heard of the band 18 Wheeler but it was on Creation and had an interesting cover. It turns out that Formanka which is the second of their three albums from 1995 seems pretty good. Shades of Oasis in places but by and large it is more jingly jangly and more reminicent of another Creation band at that time Teenage Fanclub.

Had I known about it at the time it would have got a few points in SWC's Creation Records Countdown.It will be interesting to see whether it makes the top 20 and if so how high.

It turns out that they are a Scottish band and that their main claim to fame appears to be that they were the band that Oasis were supporting at King Tuts when Alan McGhee "discovered" them. More interestingly guitarist and singer David Keenan is now a cult author who wrote This is Memorial Device amongst others.

18 Wheeler - Steel Guitars

18 Wheeler - Winter Grrrl

An A-Z of American Cities - G

 

As I think I said last week things are now starting to get a bit more tricky. One sprang to mind immediately and then I got another. I went searching for a particular third  and that was me stuck. Thankfully our dear friend Ernie was happy to share his G-Spots with one and all.

The obvious one  and the one Alyson alluded to in last week's comments is the Texas Gulf city of Galveston with a population of just over 54K. I was going to be obtuse and post the Sparklehorse cover but you cannot ignore the majesty of Glen Campbell a man who may turn up again later on in this series. There is small village in Galloway called Garlieston which has some interesting WW2 history .Whenever I visit or indeed see a road sign I find myself singing Mr Campbell's song.

I actually have two songs about Greenville. I'm not sure if they refer to the South Carolina one  with a population of 72K or the North Carolina one of 87K. Pretty confusing , eh? Whatever  - here is another legend, Lucinda Williams with a song called Greenville. The other song in contention was Greenville to Baton Rouge by the Drive By Truckers.

I went looking for a song about Gallup, New Mexico the county seat of Mckinley County with a population of around 22K most of whom are Native American . On the coast to coast drive of America made infamous by the previously mentioned Amarillo we spent a night there in a motel so filthy that we slept fully clothed on top of the beds.Gallup Ain't Going Nowhere is a Mickey Newbury number which is sung here by Clay Hart.

Time for Ernie's G Spots of which he has three although it looks to me that two are not actually US cities. Todd Snider sings Greencastle Blues. From what I can ascertain Greencastle is in fact a fishing port in County Donegal, Ireland. Happy to be proved wrong. Ernie wasn't too sure about Gettysburg a song by Simone Felice.He was right to be unsure as it is merely a borough and the county seat of Adams County. Pennsylvania.

He was correct however with Glendale which is a large city in the Los Angeles County area of California with a population of c200k. I looked out the Neil Young album Glendale but alas there are no songs which reference the name in their title. Thankfully the New Riders of the Purple Sage are season ticket holders on the Glendale Train.

In case you were wondering the map above, despite the reference to Las Vegas Limousines, is actually  from North East Glasgow as opposed to California.

H next week. It is early days but I only have two so far. More research is required. Meanwhile hopefully Ernie is busy looking out the Preparation H.

Glen Campbell -Galviston

Lucinda Williams -Greenville

Clay Hart -Gallup Ain't Going Nowhere

New Riders of the Purple Sage -Glendale Train

The Saturday Shuffle 7

 

This week's shuffle  from my gym MP3 player starts with the song I Think I'm in Love from Ladies and Gentlemen We Are Floating in Space an album from 1997 by Spiritualised. A band and album I had heard of but one that I had never heard until a couple of years ago. My excuse is that I was walking about in a space helmet that was piping in only Americana at the time.

I'm afraid that King Tubby was another relatively late discovery which was aided and abetted by me picking up the 2000 compilation Crucial Dub in a charity shop about five years ago. Dub Experience struck a welcome cord with its sampling of Ring of Fire. Dub can be good gym music

I'm pleased to say that I was more on the ball when it came to Martha Ffion picking up her 2020 album Nights to Forget when it came out on the Lost Map label in 2020. Some pleasant indie including the song Rosaleen from a Glasgow based Northern Irish lass. When I bought the vinyl album Lost Map (the label run by The Pictish Trail) very kindly threw in a CD version as well.

More shuffling of a random variety next Saturday.

Spiritualized - I Think I'm in Love

King Tubby - Dub Experience

Martha Ffion -Rosaleen

The People's Key

 

2023 Charity Shop Purchases #57 Bright Eyes - The People's Key 

Since mid 2017 I have acquired seven albums by Bright Eyes a band led by Conor Oberst all of which have come from charity shops. The latest one is The People's Key from 2011 their ninth studio album and on the Saddle Creek label.

Most of these albums can be described as curate's eggs - good in parts and not so good in others.However they usually come up with enough good stuff to keep me happy . If I see one I don't have I will always pick it up.

The People's Key received a mixed to positive critical reception which is fair. NME pushed the boat out calling it a sleek electro-tinged classic.

Bright Eyes -Shell Games

Bright Eyes - Ladder Song

Dropkick Me Jesus

 

Dropkick me, Jesus, through the goalposts of life
End over end, neither left, nor the right
Straight through the heart of them righteous uprights
Dropkick me, Jesus, through the goalposts of life

So sang the great Bobby Bare and who are we to argue? What is the meaning of Dropkick me Jesus?Written by Paul Craft this tune envision Jesus as a divine American Footballer who can send the narrator soaring past the temptations in life with a heavenly drop kick. I think it is safe to say that the lyrics did not meet with universal approval.

The same could by said of the epic Jesus Built My Hotrod by Ministry with some even disapproving of the music.I have an abiding memory of George and I tumbling out of a car at a French service station playing air guitar to this at full volume to the bemusement of our fellow travellers. I hope it was worth the wait SWC

Surely no-one could ever take issue with the Five Blind Boys of Alabama particularly when they are Living for Jesus

You will not hear many better songs today

Bobby Bare - Dropkick Me Jesus

Ministry - Jesus Built My Hotrod

Five Blind Boys of Alabama - Living For Jesus