Jane Russell (June 21st 1921- Feb 28th 2011)

Friday Reggae # 20

I was playing this last week and almost did a double Friday Reggae post I was so struck, once again, by how brilliant it is. But 'No, no davyh,' says I to myself, 'Hold fire till next Friday and let's cap off perhaps a whole week of things punky reggae/reggae in a manner fitting' and so it has come to pass companeros, so it has come to pass.

Celebrating British roots reggae at its finest.

I shall require a beverage, ya kna.

Steel Pulse - 'Ku Klux Klan' (1978)

(Still) Livin' In-A Babylon

@Johnnywas25 (AKA our Simon) set me off on this with his lovely early commuter train iPo #nowlistening Tweets which recently mentioned The Ruts Peel Sessions. I'd only a couple of things by them, the obvious ones, so thought I'd track their Beeb stuff down.

Here's something that neatly extends the punky reggae vibe from the last post, baby.

The Ruts - 'Black Man's Pinch' (Peel session) (1979)

Protest And Survive

This is something I have on an old tape I made from the Peel Show in 1982 or 3, a song like other things I've mentioned here over the years that has burrowed its way into my consciousness when so much else of arguably greater significance has fallen away. It's proven a pig to track down since, online or offline; I didn't even know what it was called for years, then found out it was the B side of the group's first not-quite hit single and fully expected to turn it up in a charity shop, but no dice. The interweb finally came through today.

The band were set for wacky pop image and promo vids (via The Young Ones) from this point on, but I can see why JP fell for this sub-Slits slice of No Nukes punky reggae. So did I.

Amazulu - 'Greenham Time' (1983)

Friday Reggae # 19

Listen to the beat, move your dancin' feet

And tune in to BBC4 at 9pm, if you can.

I'll be well up for it after cooking my celebrated veg chilli with avocado salsa.

Is someone going to the bar?

Toots & The Maytals - 'Reggae Got Soul' (1975)

Blue Valentine

Tom Waits - 'Blue Valentines' (1978)

A Pop At The 80s

Our occasional series of extended 80s classics builds into a magnificent library your whole family will enjoy.

This week, another song sort of suggested by the Liverpool book, and one of the first things I remember being excited to find on iTunes before I knew how to computerise my records. This though is a Full Fat, 100% real fruit luxury sound rip from the original 12 inch vinyl. Because I loves ya.

Crazy guy that Wylie.

I'm tired and old and broke but I'll say hello to a little drink, if you're asking.

Wah! - 'The Story Of The Blues Part I and Part II' (1982)

Blue Monday

But let's be clear, blue in a good way - rainswept, melancholy; that sort of thing.

Horace Silver - 'Lonely Woman' (1964)

A Pop At The 80s

Our occasional series of extended 80s classics builds into a magnificent library your whole family will enjoy. Innit.

Propaganda - 'Duel' (Bitter Sweet) (1985)

[The download versh is longer than the video; the pen is mightier than the sword. John Wayne is big leggie. Etc]

Call To Prayer

So Mondo's book on the train is the splendid Eno biog I loved so much last year, which has sent him into a Brian-Tweeting frenzy, and me back to the 'canon' too (like I ever 'left' it).

Here's a quite hard-to-get thing - pulled from all but the earliest issues of My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts after complaints from the World Muslim Council and never reinstated, not even as a bonus on reissues.

'...featuring a field recording of Algerian devotees chanting Koranic verses (appropriated from the first track of Eno's Music In The World Of Islam LP)' [Sheppard]

Brian Eno & David Byrne - 'Qu'ran' (1981)

John Barry (3rd November 1933 – 30th January 2011)

He was, never mind our greatest film composer, one of our greatest composers of any kind.

Simply, a giant.

Just twelve years ago he wrote a kind of soundtrack to the film of his life, which may well be his masterwork and now sadly sounds like his epitaph.

Rest In Music JB.

John Barry - 'The Beyondness Of Things' (1998)

What Does God Say?

Orbital - 'Are We Here?' (1996)

The Quality Of Mersey

Great record this, and though the original's a lost soul classic, I still think I prefer the cover.

And I was pleased Paul Du Noyer was so kind about The Searchers in his book - 'the sound that was so special....radiant, chiming twin-guitars...a profound influence on The Byrds' Roger McGuinn' ; they weren't songwriters and couldn't compete with the Lennons and McCartneys and Davies and Stones, but their singles were so much a part of our late 60s infancies, always there, in the air, needles and pins-ah - shimmering clean.

I don't remember this one from the time, which made me love it all the more when it finally reached me on a reissue label sampler, sometime in the early 90s when it was otherwise all squall and baggy and blast.

The Searchers - 'Goodbye My Love' (1965)

The Smiling Hour

Last night I went to a 'do' and stayed up very late, or was it early, drinking outrageously priced gin and tonics bought for me on someone else's expense account and generally doing the schmoosy sorts of things I do not habitually do.

Today has not been entirely productive.

I shall require an early night.

And some sweet, sweet Nancy.

Nancy Wilson - 'Almost In Your Arms' (1963)

Shadow Play

A quickie whilst I'm waiting in for the washing machine repair man, and a sort of response to this and this.

Richard Hawley - 'I'm Absolutely Hank Marvin' (featuring Hank Marvin) (2005)

Letting It Fall

So - January eh? Dark mornings, thick rain, sparse cash and slim vinyl pickings in the second hand record shops. I had a heart-stopping moment when the left channel went dead on my ancient amplifier's 'phono' setting before a judicious thump to the top restored it, but was less lucky when I prized open the iPo to fix the wobbly headphone socket and triggered Apple's self-destruct mechanism, which they will of course deny exists. In other electrical news the washing machine's stopped heating the water and smells funny and the lights in the back room blew up. It's a Perfect Appliance Storm.

Actually, I'm desperate for something new on an old fashioned LP. Something warm and faintly crackly again like that last post, something to spin as the rain sets in. Computerising more of the old jazz archive is my default action in such times. Reawakening those tracks. And this is just swell; another from The Symphonic Ellington, don't you know.

Peace, as they say, out.

Duke Ellington - 'Non-Violent Integration' (1963)

Sure Thing

This Friday I fancy some smooth classic Stax with the warm, faintly crackly, sound of a davyh vinyl rip.

Yer tiz.

Ollie & The Nightingales - '(I Know) I Got A Sure Thing' (1968)

New Thing

I think this is the first new thing to have reached me via Twitter, so thank you @markbuckley1979.

Her album came out in November and is full of songs about working double shifts in low rent waitressing jobs, and such.

I see her record company have given a few tracks away as samplers, so I hope they won't mind if I slip you this on the qt.

I like it.

Amy Bezunartea - 'I Lie Away At Night (But That's Alright)' (2010)

Yeah Baby

As this blog enters its sixth (!) calendar year I become increasingly prone to 'senior moment'-type mallarkey. "Did I tell you the story about me and Cool Jim singing this on the bus back from seeing The Jam at Shepton Mallet Showground in 1982, our jackets soaking with sweat from the mosh pit and - ?"

'Yes Dad (yawn)'.

I even had to double check I hadn't posted it before (don't think so).

Yer tiz then, as they say in Devon.

I shall require a beverage*

The Chi-Lites - 'Stoned Out Of My Mind' (1973)

* not cider, thanks.

Going Forward, Going Back

Well it's about time I, er, opened my blogging account for 2011.

And if it's OK with you I'd like to do it with something old - old to me too, though lost for many years and restored just recently.

What an uplifting monster of a record this is.

Born in darkness
But I fought my way up to the sun

Yeah baby.

Garnet Mimms - 'As Long As I Have You' (1964)

Happy New Yeah Baby

Older readers will know that I like a pint of Guinness with a slug of champagne in of a New Year's Eve: it is the only time of year I drink this, but it is a tradition, and I stand by it. How fortunate then that the youngest daughter won a bottle of Moët on the tombola at the primary school Christmas Fair in late November, and not the box of rose-scented soaps right next to it. We have been keeping it safe ever since. I will have to get in there quick before Mrs H makes a dent in it, but this is a practice in which I am well-versed.

Some of you will be attending glittering social gatherings tonight, I have no doubt; others will muster in the local boozer. Young Drew is having a rockabilly night. It's a shame he doesn't live next door.

Will you be first footing? Or will someone first foot you? I can't really remember how this works, to be honest, but I know there's something involving lumps of coal.

Anyway.

Our occasional series of extended disco classics builds into a spectacular collection your whole family will enjoy.

One last time.

I shall require several beverages and a take away curry.

Happy New Year x

The Jacksons - 'Shake Your Body (Down To The Ground)' (12") (1978)

A Post Not Containing My Best Records Of 2010

There's nothing worse than a Christmas song after Christmas, is there? Well, there are a few things obviously: famine, disease, serious injury, that sort of thing. But you get my point.

Hawley needs to come off the top.

Instead I would really like to post something from an album I discovered late this year, thanks to Colin, that I *heart* very much, but that's exactly the sort of thing likely to attract the unwanted attention of the copyright police. So let me just say (again) Warpaint - 'The Fool' - top record, if you like Tanya Donelly-esque woozy riffage, slightly opaque lyrics, that sort of thing.

I liked the School Of Seven Bells one too: more than their first, in fact.

And thank you Simon for the Rose Elinor Dougall tip, though I don't at the moment think there's anything else on the album quite as good as this...




I'm afraid I'll have to go now because I have a busy kitten on my desk who has just written rrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr and then wswswswwwwwssssssss by standing on the keyboard.

See you back here tomorrow for a Last Post of the year.

Christmas PS...

I always planned to post this on Christmas Eve, but Lee beat me to it with his vid of the lovely live version.

Then today I thought nah - I should post it anyway.

Because you've been nice, not naughty.

Sleep tight.

Richard Hawley - 'Silent Night' (2009)

Merry Christmas To All Our Readers

Is this on TV somewhere over Christmas? It should be.

There comes a point, doesn't there, when even if you haven't got 'everything' your capacity for looking for it and/or your capacity to afford it just bloody runs out, and that is how it should be and that is fine.

I told them perishin' kids they'd catch a cold out there in the snow in inappropriate clothing and now we've all got the sniffles; the mother-in-law's due tomorrow and the place is a mess; we're going to be sleeping on that blow-up bed in the back room and I'm not convinced the pump's working neither.

None of this matters in the least, of course.

*

I can't believe we've almost come to the close of another blogging year. This has remained one of the happiest places in my world, thanks to you, the best commenters and nicest people on (must we call it?) the 'blogosphere'.

So I wish you all you wish yourselves for Christmas - and we're all old enough now to know that it's not about the material things.

Hug the ones you love and who love you forever and celebrate all that you have.

And well, OK, one material thing - always keep a cold one in the fridge x

Anything Can Happen

A snowbound Lake Wobegon story for you for Christmas.

Just 13 minutes long.

But if you have an unhardened heart you may want some tissues handy.

Garrison Keillor - 'Hansel' (from Leaving Home) (1987)

Sweet Little New Thing

Here's a sweet little new thing that last I heard was a contender for Radcliffe & Maconie's record of the week; on sale right now via iTunes and so not the sort of thing I would usually post, but since it's also on a festive CD free with this month's Mojo I figure what the hey.

Hannah Peel has a penchant for re-making 80s synth pop quirky-folk style with a music box. Here for example she rather pluckily takes on the Cocteau Twins 'Sugar Hiccup'... Good luck to her, eh?

I am having to trudge one last time into town today but am thereafter officially on my Christmas hols, all satsumas, Quality Street and the double issue Radio Times.

Yay.

Hannah Peel & Tunng - 'Hey Santa!' (2010)

Traditional

Then I played this and realised that it too features an (off-kilter, lo-fi) organ.

It's another re-post I'm afraid, but maybe you can more charitably think of it as an emerging tradition, this being my 5th bloggy Christmas and all?

Altogether now -

On our way from Stockholm
It started to snow....

Low - 'Just Like Christmas' (1999)

With Mistletoe & Candle Green

That churchiness in the Nick Cave is down to the organ I suppose, which is why it always reminds me of this, one of my very, very favourite things.

Cave's an Aussie rebel raised an Anglican and John Cale famously a son of the Welsh valleys where the Chapel cast thick shadows; ye amateur psychologists make of that what you will (Cale lyric: 'Nothing frightens me more/Than religion at my door'), I think I'll just (re)post this bloody lovely song, which as I have written here before seems to have nothing to do with the Dylan Thomas story, except for its title.

Always my first song of the Season.

Enjoy.

John Cale - 'A Child's Christmas In Wales' (1973)

Dark

I'm playing Nick Cave's Boatman's Call a lot at the moment; its dark, churchy love songs seem so right for these short, pre-solstice days, and driving back from the Aged Ps last week I confess a few made me well up, a bit. The ice lacing the trees between Newbury and Swindon on the way down had cleared coming back to dull scrub again and it all whirred through my head, all of the things you'd expect, and a load of random nonsense besides.

I do not know a better opening line to a Track 1, Side 1 than 'I don't believe/In an interventionist God' and the words to this one, too, are - well, just perfect.

Up those stone steps I climb
Hail this joyful day's return
Into its great shadowed vault I go
Hail the Pentecostal morn

The reading is from Luke 24
Where Christ returns to his loved ones
I look at the stone apostles
Think that it's alright for some

And I wish that I was made of stone
So that I would not have to see
A beauty impossible to define
A beauty impossible to believe

A beauty impossible to endure
The blood imparted in little steps
The smell of you still on my hands
As I bring the cup up to my lips

And no God up in the sky
And no Devil beneath the sea
Could do the job that you did baby
Of bringing me to my knees

Outside I sit on the stone steps
With nothing much to do
Forlorn and exhausted, baby
By the absence of you.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds - 'Brompton Oratory' (1997)

The Track Of My Year

Hands down, no contest.

Well, unless it's 'On Coming From A Broken Home' - Parts 1 & 2 - from the same LP.

No Potato Roasting Music today - we're off to the panto (oh yes we are) - with a family pizza first.

He's Behind You.

x