Sunday Songs on Monday

Just teasing.
You are not getting Pleasant Valley Sunday be The Monkees as this has previously featured. No rather you are getting the cover version by the boy Gedge.
Now I'm not really a betting man but I am willing to wager a small sum that The Wedding Present and Daniel Boone have rarely, if ever, featured together on the same post.
For  reasons that I have never been able to fathom Beautiful Sunday by Daniel Boone is a particular favourite of Dundee United fans. So this is for the Shed Boys.
I think I may be able to stretch this out for one more week. You have been warned

The Wedding Present - Pleasant Valley Sunday

Daniel Boone - Beautiful Sunday

Some Sunday Soul Stirrers

The Sam Cook Era

As you may be aware George formerly of Jim McLean's Rabbit is now far too busy lounging about the beach to bother posting.
His Gospel Sunday series is sadly missed so for those of you in withdrawal here are two songs from a Soul Stirrers Compilation - This is My Prayer 1946 -1954 that I recently picked up in Oxfam on Glasgow's Byres Road
You will not be surprised to note that each of the 20 songs is of a very high standard
Amazingly The Soul Stirrers in various incarnations have been on the go since 1926 and are still going strong.
The two songs today will feature probably their most famous lead singers.
The version of I'm a Soldier in the Army of the Lord was recorded in Chicago in 1947 and has R.H. Harris doing the lead vocal honours.
RH is followed by the most famous Soul Stirrer of them all a very young Sam Cooke with Peace in the Valley recorded in Los Angeles in March 1951.
Terrific stuff
More soul related stuff next Sunday

The Soul Stirrers -I'm a Soldier in the Army of the Lord

The Soul Stirrers - Peace in the Valley

Saturday Lucky Dip

Last week music inspired by The Byrds. This week music inspired by The Band. So not so totally random then.
These songs are taken from Across the Great Divide -an Uncut compilation from April 2005.

First up is Danko/ Manuel a Jason Isbell song - a tribute song "for and about a couple members of The Band who are no longer with us." and one which features on the Drive-By Truckers 2004 album The Dirty South.
Jason explains further When I started writing this one, I wanted to capture some of Levon Helm's feelings about the deaths (and lives) of Richard Manuel and Rick Danko. The longer I worked on the song, the more impossible that became. I felt like the best I could do was to explain my own attitude toward being a working and traveling musician.

The DBT's are followed by Little Feat with a terrific live version of The Band's Rag Mama Rag taken from Little Feat Live at the Rams Head,
Finally we have The Band themselves with the mighty King Harvest (Has Surely Come).

So no tenuousconnections this week
More random nonsense next Saturday

Drive- By Truckers - Danko/Manuel

Little Feat - Rag Mama Rag

The Band - King Harvest (Has Surely Come)

Some Derailed Honky Tonk

It's Honky Tonk Friday courtesy of The Derailers and their album Full Western Dress my latest charity shop acquisition (Oxfam, Clarkston Toll, South Glasgow since you ask)
Who could fail to by tempted by such an album cover and an album which is produced by the mighty Dave Alvin to boot
Described by a popular search engine as Ameripolitan -  a genre of contemporary original music encompassing four prominent roots influenced subcategories: Western swing,Honky-tonk, Rockabilly and Outlaw. A new one on me.
It puts me in mind of The Mavericks and a slightly more cheerful Rex Hobart and the Misery Boys.
I would describe this record as good rather than excellent.
Some ok songs, one or two fillers (Then She Kissed Me anyone?) and one or two crackers such as those below
Buck Owens also makes a brief appearance.

The Derailers - The Lost and Found

The Derailers - My, Myself and I

Pavement Stories

I suspect that I may well be taken to task in certain quarters but the only album I own by indie favourites Pavement is Terror Twilight their fifth and final album from 1999 on Domino Records.
I have nothing by Stephen Malkmus either nor have I knowingly heard any of his stuff.
I have given Slanted and Enchanted a cursory listen but whereas it features in numerous best of lists it didn't do much for me I'm afraid.
Perhaps it is due another listen given that Terror Twilight is somewhat better that I remembered.
Feel free to enlighten me.

Pavement - Spit on a Stranger

Pavement - Major Leagues

Smithereens Smashes

Round about 1996 or 1997 I travelled to Boston for a couple of weeks to visit a pal who had got a job there.
I had an interesting time wandering about whilst he was working and drinking far too much beer when he wasn't.
My wanderings took me to several second hand record shops and I know for a fact that I came away with a good few CDs. However for the life of me I cannot say with absolute certainty which of my many CDs came from this trip.With one exception.
I am 100% sure that my copy of 11 the 1989 album  by The Smithereens was purchased there.
I'm not at all sure how they crossed my radar but I'm pretty certain that it wasn't a totally random choice.I think I may have been familiar with A Girl Like You
It has been a while since I've played this until now and there are some good power pop songs on the album.These two in particular
Having said that I have never really felt the urge to explore them further.

The Smithereens - A Girl Like You

The Smithereens - Blues Before and After

Anytime Tommorrow

It's Americana time again folks with the great Neal Casal and a couple of tracks from Anytime Tomorrow his 2000 album on Germany's Glitterhouse Records.
He has featured before as a member of Hazy Malaze.
He was also one of Ryan Adam's Cardinals, a member of the Chris Robinson Brotherhood and also Hard Working Americans.
I've also seen him playing guitar as part of Lucinda Williams band.
So he has been a busy boy over the years
I would recommend Anytime Tomorrow but alternatively Leaving Traces: Songs 1994-2004 is perhaps a better place to start
He is also a talented photographer contributing pictures for a number of records but not, I suspect, all those featured above.

Neal Casal -Willow Jane

Neal Casal -Eddy and Diamonds