Friday, October 05, 2012

Now We Are Six

A Soft Southern Jessie

Never mind your Twitters and your Spotifys and your Mixclouds, it were all fields round here six years ago.

And, with notable exceptions, your "mp3 blogs" mostly blethered on about 'indie' (younger readers, ask a grown up): I'd be chuffed if I've played even the teensiest part in helping to change that a tad.

There needed to be more reggae - and pop and soul and disco and funk and hip hop and jazz and Krautrock and country and post-punk and Eno and Sinatra and, er, Elizabethan choral music - in the blogosphere. And more foolish bar-talk and less standing around in black trying to look cool.

So here's to you, companeros, near and far: for your kindness and your comments and your.....friendship; and for the many, many splendid records you've played me in return.

My life is the better for this, and you.

So 'it it!

The Clash - 'Hitsville U.K' (1980)

30 comments:

  1. Ta very much for all your work mate, one of my inspirations for starting. really should get back into it. Happy blogday!

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  2. Cheers Smoni - don't fret, we love you on Twitter.

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  3. by the way, in the Eno vein, these guys owe a lot to the fella's ambient works, but with a bit of jazzy beatyness in places:

    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marconi_Union

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  4. Incredible - six years. I hoped you've backed it up. Us long-haulers have stuck with it through allsorts of delights and dilemmas haven't we: DMCA take downs, new pals, old tunes, guest bloggers, stalkers (well in my case anyway)

    I missed my fifth anniversary this year (on holiday). Here's to another six

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    1. And the Chinese Spammers - who can forget the Chinese Spammers *two more from them later*

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  5. It's been an amazing journey Dermot

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  6. Happy 6th Mr H. Well done for seeing it out for so long. You're one of the reasons I got started myself (that might not be a compliment).

    Top song choice too, a much under-appreciated song.

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  7. Didn't you leave it off your 'Sandinista as a single LP' edit though? I mean... Cheers backatcha all the same SA, love the show.

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  8. PS: I saw an Ellen Foley LP in the Romanian Orphans charity shop last year: gave it a swerve, as Mondo would say, but only after checking there were no Clash members on it.

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  9. Mmmm I might have left it off. Difficult decisions to make y'know. I said it was under appreciate it. By me as well obvs

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  10. Bloody leaving comments by phone typo stuff

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  11. Has it been six years already, MrH? I'm awfully glad for this place. Here's to many many more x

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  12. Well, I'm awfully glad for yours G - thank you x

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  13. SIX YEARS!

    As that little myopic mole thing called Vince would say to Deputy Dawg .. "Wha' happened. Wha' happened?"

    Little Lord Fontledavy hits the half doz.
    We've had it all. Wonderment and ponderment. Inspiration, impulse and urbane rationale. From Sandy Denny, Jackson C Frank,Fiorino, A Man Called Adam covered in Lemon Jelly, Eno,Birkin, Dexys, Buckley, Harper, Kinks, quintissentially London. Rain sunshine mists and snow.

    Curve balls. Orbs. Great Northern appreciation. Funk-in-here nostalgia. Pretty girls are everywhere; think of me and we'll be there. Jenny Lewis (portion for John Foxx), Sandie Shaw, Vicky Leandross, Nancy Sinatra, Bettye, Françoise Hardy.

    Faith Brother keeps on keepin on. Spunky and Punky. Rat Trap glows in a damp dark Autumn in a damp dark country. Lots of *sighs*, travel, and love for aged Ps.

    Dance Fridays. Reggae that consistently hurt so good. ISP catastrophe. Bandwith mallarkey. Dogged & determined. Rummage thru' the Ronco. Anthony is Imperial. Soul in leafy suburbs.

    Cooking, Curtis and Corbijn. From Lady's Bridge to Coles Corner. You saw the crescent, I saw the whole of the McAloon. Mart & Manchester. Kipling, Bragg and Barry. Feelgood, Hot Rods and Old boys rockin'. Mortal frame versus grape and grain. Blame the North. Cold winter mornings - Cos you live and be thankful you're here.

    Judith Durham and clotted cream. The Courage Light Ale and the little room at the top of house filling with sound... The Place I Love.

    Very beautiful and wonderful things do happen, don't they?

    I could go on .. but it's far better if Mr H does.

    Every best wish, la-di-da davy.

    Dickie x


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  14. Bloody HELL Dickie, no one should have to re-read *that* much of all this tut: but you did, didn't you? You silly old tart.

    You're lovely, let's get married. You know it makes sense.

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  15. Can't believe I'm still at it either, feel like the party has moved on to your Twitter and Facebooks now.

    I've lost access to my previous blog (blame stupid Blogger) which is a bit of a shame.

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  16. Never mind, our Lee. You're still the No 1 Song In Fulham!

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  17. Late to the party.

    Best of the best to you Mr H, you know why I will always be in your debt.

    It's great to have a bolt hole like this to frequent on a Friday or any other night for that matter.

    But did we really need the Jones Girls put on the blogosphere?

    Oh and noticed that you were too modest to drop in the Guardian mention

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  18. What a nice place your virtual pub is Davy. I love to pop in for a rosado on a Friday (and maybe a pint during the week if its been a long busy day), enjoy your top juke box/live band and listen to the banter from the other locals and visitors from afar. Long may you run.

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  19. Lee's old blog was one of the 'notable exceptions'- mp3s that saved our lives, as Dickie might have said back then.

    Could do with some rum since it's late Drew.

    And some Lila kedgeree tomorrow (y'all should try some) x

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  20. Having some Wray & Nephew as I type, not too much mind, football tomorrow. It has been another one of those weeks.

    Have a listen to Dexys, you won't be disappointed.

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  21. PS: Twitter is ace Lee, you shoulds get yourself on it.

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  22. Happy Bday from another old timer (and in my case luddite as I remain firmly in the anti twitter camp). I always meant my offering to cover a wider music spectrum than it has ended up doing. I have been thinking of donning another old hat and starting up another blog to cover some other stuff.

    Typing this from very sunny Nerja after finally managing to hop onto a wifi from the apartment.

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  23. It's a hard life eh Darce! Gracias for popping in. Love your place on here - you've intro'd me to so much stuff, wouldn't change a thing about it.

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  24. Re. an earlier post, today's (saturday 6th oct) Guardian has obit. on Frank Wilson.

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  25. what would we do without you sweet boy? well have a rottener time for starters. the very bestest wishes
    x

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  26. dave,

    your musical choices, your asides and musings and your general soundness/fair-play is a most brilliant thing. Reading Dicks list above brought back a few happy memories. And a great place for the sentimental brigade to gather every friday for an hour.

    Thanks much.
    Did Ib from Siblingshot ever start up a new blog folks?

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  27. Yous are all v.kind, thank you.

    Putting ib down as another blogger MIA anto.

    For non-UK peops or anyone who simply didn't buy the paper yesterday (like me) that Frank Wilson obit G. mentions is here.

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  28. Righteous post, & many thanks for the Clash man.
    ~jim from mississauga

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