Fear of Music

 

On Saturday, at a Record Fair in East Kilbride, I completed my Talking Heads collection with a vinyl  copy of Fear of Music. I say completed but I don't have a copy of Naked their final studio album from 1988. I don't consider it essential but for the sake of completeness I would probably pick it up on the off chance that I ever saw it (cheap) on CD.

From 1979 and their 3rd album Fear of Music produced by Brian Eno and on the Sire label IS essential. Indeed the first four albums - 77,  More Songs About Building and Food, Fear of Music and Remain In Light are all essential . The 5th, Little Creatures, is ok and True Stories is not that good. 1977 to 1980 was clearly their purple patch.

Nothing more to say really. If you like good music you will like Fear of Music. If you don't, you don't like good music. Simples.

Talking Heads - Paper

Talking Heads - Life During Wartime)

The Golden Tree

 Recently golfing buddies Robert Hodgens (aka Bobby Bluebell) and Grahame Skinner (ex Hipsway) got together as The Golden Tree to record Scottish Songs Observed Vol 1.

Bobby did the music and Skin the singing with the album being produced, recorded and mixed at Bobby's house. They re- interpreted 12 songs by Scottish artists (well 11 and one by Talking Heads. David Byrne was born in Dumbarton - so they count.) Tracklist here

From that description it all may sound a bit DIY but the interpretations of the songs is very good. Originally it was only released in CD format in a limited format but LNFG have now committed to a vinyl copy 

The words Vol 1 are encouraging as they suggest that there may well be further volumes somewhere further on down the line. Let's hope so.

All the songs are of a similar high standard. Here are a couple of examples

The Golden Tree - Catch the Wind

The Golden Tree - Why

On the Buses 3 - Mystery Tour

 

No guest posts this week but we have a bit of a mystery tour. I found a folder called Bus Songs in my Music file with the five tracks below.

I only had one of these elsewhere so I expect that they were provided by someone else (Ernie perhaps) following on from my Bus Pass Day post.  I've had a scout around and haven't got to the bottom of it yet.

It seems only fair that we include the songs in question. 

First up is British psychedelic rock band Dantalian's Chariot  with Fourpenny Bus Ride. This has got me thinking that George might be involved! It seems that it is taken from Chariot Rising originally released in 1967 with a re-issue from Cherry Red in1996.

Next up is Midnight Bus by Betty McQuade appropriately from 1961 the year of my birth which made me eligible for my Bus Pass. It seem that it is taken from Lux & Ivy's Favorites Vol.17 if that helps with identification.

Third on the list is Tyler Childers with Bus Route. Apparently he is an   American singer and songwriter. His music is a mix of neotraditional country, bluegrass, and folk. .I'm none the wiser.

Nuru Kane is a Sengalese singer which strongly suggests that Ernie is indeed the culprit. Number One Bus is the title track from a 2009 album. I'm a 4 or a 6 man myself.

Finally we have Professor Nuts with Ina De Bus which is the only one of the five included on my Bus Pass Day selections.

Something more mundane next Transport Tuesday unless some guest post comes winging in.

Dantalian's Chariot - Fourpenny Bus Ride

Betty McQuade - Midnight Bus

Tyler Childers - Bus Route

Nuru Kane - Number One Bus

Professor Nuts - Ina De Bus

St George's Tea's Out

 

 Last Tuesday was St George's Day the day which commemorates the Patron Saint of England.

To commemorate this occasion the true patriots draped themselves in the flag of St George, filled themselves with Belgian lager and headed to the Cenotaph in London for a scrap.

It seems that they feel that their Englishness is being threatened. While trying to get some examples of this a journalist was informed by a lady that we're a coffee nation, not a tea nation anymore. It is truly the end of days

Starbucks, Costa and Cafe Nero are now under armed guard.

If you own any of the songs below it is clearly your patriotic duty to burn your copies of them as soon as possible.

Squeeze - Black Coffee in Bed

Blur - Coffee & TV

Lightnin' Hopkins - Coffee House Blues

Otis Redding -Cigarettes and Coffee

Sunday Highway Songs 4

 

Happy Highway Sunday to you all.

As a Sunday treat you are getting another three songs from the series that will run and run if you pardon the pun.

Willie Heath Neal from Gwinnett County, Georgia is described by Discogs as an Outlaw Country singer .He has had an interesting life as this blurb from the splendidly named Chicken Ranch Records highlights. Out of Highway is the title track from his 2009 album on said label.

You will struggle to get a more country song than Highway 54 by Wayne Hancock from the brilliant 1998 album That's What Daddy Wants on the Ark label. It's all happening on this one.

It's country all the way this week as we conclude with New Highway an acoustic number from the great Dave Alvin

We will be hitting various highways again next Sunday

Willie Heath Neal - Out of Highway

Wayne Hancock - Highway 54

Dave Alvin - New Highway

Saturday Shuffle 51

 

A pretty eclectic trio for you today.

We start with BR-549 a Nashville band who treaded the margin between alternative country and rockabilly. You are getting  Even If It's Wrong from their eponymous  debut album. A word of advice. Only buy stuff of their which has a hyphen in the band's name. When they lost the hyphen they lost the talent.

Today's cover stars are Glasgow's all  female Punk band The Hedrons with I Need You from their 2007 debut album One More Won't Kill Us. It was followed up recently, some 17 years later, with Tired of Talking on LNFG

We conclude with the Lion of Zimbabwe himself Thomas Mapfumo with the Blacks Unlimited. Today's offering is Handina Munyama which translates from the Shona as I Am Not Unlucky - I was born right. The Spirits of my ancestors look after me. I know that I have the right parents and the right friends because of their deeds.

More eclectic nonsense next Saturday

BR5-49 - Even If It's Wrong

The Hedrons - I Need You

Thomas Mapfumo & the Blacks Unlimited - Handina Munyama

The Home Nations - 5

 

A pictorial representation of the Home Nations for you this week.

England is obviously the biggest of the four nations but it gets to go first for alphabetical rather than size reasons. Today's English offering comes from a true English gentleman Nick Lowe who sings about The Rose of England.

Northern Ireland next with the O'Neill brothers Damian and John making their second appearance in this series. The first time round it was as part of The Undertones. This time it is as part of That Petrol Emotion. They would rather cross the ocean than make a big decision. The best song this week by a country mile.

For Scotland this week I have chosen a song about Glasgow my home city. Here are local band Sister John with Glasgow is a Rainbow a song which has also been covered by fellow Glasgow band The Bluebells

I had absolutely no idea that the band The Automatic were Welsh. This is probably because I know absolutely nothing about them other than they had a monster hit with Monster.

I'm beginning to struggle with this series so it will be the final instalment next Friday

Nick Lowe - The Rose of England

That Petrol Emotion - Big Decision

Sister John - Glasgow is a Rainbow

The Automatic - Monster