It's Rude To Stare

I am sure that minty sharp as you all are you'll already be familiar with this track, but I have to tell you that it popped up on shuffle at me one sunny morning just recently and I said to myself 'DavyH, By George And By Jingo But There Is A Mighty Fine Little Pop Song If Ever You Heard One, Oh Yes' and since this place is only ever about me posting things I've been enjoying or thinking about, here it is now for you.

Do you think if I wear a jacket and trousers like that into town tomorrow the G20 anarchists will leave me alone?

Spiral Starecase - 'More Today Than Yesterday' (1968)

Frank Post

Frank Sinatra - 'Saturday Night Is The Loneliest Night Of The Week' (1958)

Friday Reggae # 10 - SKA!

Oh, yes!

Available separately....

Prince Buster - 'Madness' (1963)
Dandy Livingstone - 'Rudy, A Message To You' (1967)
The Maytals - 'Monkey Man' (1970)

....or as a handy party Threepack.

"Two-Tone, black & white - that's the whole thing" - Jerry Dammers.

[Me and Mrs H are off to a PTA quiz at the girls' school tonight - I bet they don't ask proper questions like "Who played on both the original version of 'Rudy, A Message To You' and The Specials cover?"...Damn and blast them.]

"We've Got A Whisky Named After You"

All of this talk about what we had for our tea and did for our holidays back in 1970s Britland has set me off on what we watched when there was no school at about 10 o'clock in the morning whilst our mums hoovered upstairs and it was a bit boring outside.

I tell you, for years I thought there were countries where people spoke perfect, clipped Home Counties English but were somehow strangely unable to move their lips in synch with it.

Jacky (AKA Jackie Lee) - 'White Horses' (1968)

PS: I am aware that there is a version of this by Kitchens Of Distinction and bog knows how many other fey indie bands but really, come on, everyone knows this is the best record ever made by anyone ever.

PPS: Why is the TV version better than the record? Has it got more 'phasing' or 'reverb' or 'dampening' in it or something? Or what?

Friday Reggae # 9

This week, cool down your temper and jump the train to Zion because he who thinks only of silver and gold shall surely, surely lose his soul.

Sweet vocals and dub-heavy riddims from the punky reggae party - inspiration, Don Letts.

Davy H's Train To Zion Threepack (2009)

Ingredients
Linval Thompson - 'Cool Down Your Temper' (12") (1976)
U-Brown with Linval Thompson - 'Train To Zion (discomix)' (1976)
Junior Byles - 'Fade Away' (1976)

Conscious. Where are you listening and what's your poison?

Waves

I get this great big unstoppable longing for the sea on days like these. When I was a teenager I'd have whizzed off on my bike to St Mary's Bay or Mansands or Scabbacombe Head to get a blast of sharp cold salty air and blow the blues away; there'd be no-one up there on a weekday. Then on the way home I'd have stopped by the little electrical shop in Brixham that sold records upstairs and flicked through the singles. Therapy.

It's been a while since I went down. The Aged Ps grow more Aged and the journey on clogged motorways with all of the family paraphernalia less and less easy-breezy.

I should do the solo train trip with the iPo and a toothbrush again along the railroad by the sea.

Forgive me, I'm just thinking out loud.

The Jam - 'English Rose' (1978)

Can I Save You Any Time?

Come on, give it to me - I'll keep it with mine.

Fairport Convention - 'I'll Keep It With Mine' (1969)

Friday Reggae # 8

This week, the mighty Don Carlos - roots man with the sweetest voice.

Available separately...

Don Carlos - 'Crucial Situation (Version)' (1981)
Don Carlos - 'Prophesy (Version)' (1981)
Don Carlos - 'Roots Man Party' (1982)

...or without gaps as a Davy H Threepack.

Righteous music. Turn up the bass and tell me where you're listening.

Wednesday Week(end)

Side one, track one, nice one.

Alison Statton, I will always love you.

Weekend - 'The End Of The Affair' (1982)

Friday Reggae # 7

I been busy in Babylon with the scissors and paste, so open the windows and give it some bass.

'Davy H's Ruff Roots Reggae mix' (2009)

Ingredients
Jackie Edwards - 'Invasion' (197?)
Jackie Edwards - 'Invasion (Version)' (197?)
Culture - 'Natty Dread Takin' Over' (12") (1977)
Eek A Mouse - 'Heroes Dead And Gone' (12") (1982)
20 minutes of crucial dub-heavy riddims - enjoy x (and let me know where you're playing it!)

Softly Telling Me

Mrs H went out with the girls last night and said this was playing in the bar (they asked what it was). She says she walked home in rain that fell so straight and gentle it made her feel happy, but that may just have been the wine.

Jon Lucien - 'Rashida' (1973)

South West

 

John Surman - 'Tintagel' (1990)

Thinking 'Bout A Life Of Crime

 Got this for 30p today at the local Oxfam shop (closing down).

I think it was one in Naughty Alan's collection that I missed.

Dydd Gwyl Dewi Hapus!

Dave Edmunds - 'Queen Of Hearts' (1979)

Yeah Baby

This track's so hot I had to wear oven gloves just to post it; so slip me another cold one and come shake your tail over here sugar.

Richard "Groove" Holmes - 'Grooving With Mr G' (1971)

Ta Dah!

It's Mrs H's birthday. And this is one of her all time tip-top favourite tunes, which only recently did the daughters cease to believe was an elaborate musical tribute to our current Prime Minister ('Gordon Brown, texture like sun'). Under interrogation I had to confess it actually was not.

(Er, no, I haven't told them it's about 'drugs' yet).

We're off out to lunch later, so be advised I may return the worse for drink.

The Stranglers - 'Golden Brown' (1982)

(PS: Thanks for the present suggestions: she's going for some pampering here; just like Joan did).

It's Only Springtime

Breathless, breathless and I've still all the shopping to fit in for Mrs H's birthday on Thursday, but we'll be seeing Feb out and March in this week and there are always daffs on the day as a sign of spring.

Saint Etienne - 'Spring' (1991)

*sigh* What on earth do I get the woman who has everything?

Yeah Baby

Like the man said, tempus do fugit don't it sweetcakes, and here we are at Friday already already. So fix me my potion and hit me with your Kraut groove daddy-o, not dancing in this joint's for squares.

Paul Nero - 'This Is Soul' (1968)

Tempus Fugit

To the lady who looked at me askance as I told my daughters that Hans Holbein was Dutch I apologise, he was German of course, but we did all like this painting. And we walked around to the edge in the customary manner to look at the big distorted skull from an angle so it magically contracted to the right shape ('How do they do that?' asked the youngest).

Then we had dim sum in Chinatown, with a pot of tea and everything.

But it's Thursday already tomorrow and half-term tempus fugit - don't it always?

Miles Davis - 'The Dream' (1991)

New Music Tuesday (yes, again!)

Charlie Nieland writes from New York City....

'Hi Davy, we really enjoy The Ghost of Electricity and we also think you will like our new CD Blue.'

Well Charlie, you're right - I do. Very much. And I hope you and Nance won't mind if I share the rather lovely title track with the good people out there, on condition that I point them at your website and suggest that they may like to investigate further?

Splendid.

Her Vanished Grace - 'Blue' (2009)

Big Swing Friday

Instructions for use:

1. Download track
2. Pour drink (large)
3. Set volume (loud)
4. Play track
5. Commence weekend

The Buddy Rich Big Band - 'The Beat Goes On' (1967)

[Vocal - Cathy Rich, aged 12]

Hit The North

I'm a bit excited about this.

I bought this legendary cassette in Piccadilly Records, Piccadilly Gardens on a trip to Manchester in 1988, but it has gone the wonky-murky way of so many old tapes. I had a go at uploading it a while back and it sounded dreadful.

But this week, thanks to a kindly Morrissey forum contributor's* upload from the very limited edition (1,000 copies) vinyl edition of the comp I did not until now even know existed, I finally have a clean-copy; it's like meeting up with an old friend you haven't seen for twenty years and finding you get on again sparkily from the very first beer.

Some nerdnotes for the keen:

1. The tape was a joint venture of bop cassettes and Manchester's City Limits magazine.

2. It was compiled by the Manchester music writer Sarah Champion in autumn 1988.

3. It's a snapshot of the Manchester indie music scene of the time (post-Smiths, pre-'Madchester'); and like most snapshots, it contains some good bits.....and some not so good you might 'crop'. None of the songs had been released before, and some acts were unsigned.

I find I like most of it now as much as I did 21 years ago, but then I'm a daft old sap sometimes.

Side One

1. The Man From Delmonte - 'Australia Fair'
2. Inspiral Carpets - 'Joe'
3. Pepplekade 14 - 'Uptown'
4. New Morning - 'Working For The Payroll'
5. The Waltones- 'Smile'
6. Jean Go Solo - 'In Salford The Sun Doesn't Shine'
7. Penny Priest - 'Sometimes'

Side Two

1. James - 'Sky Is Falling'
2. Bradford - 'Lust Roulette'
3. The Railway Children - 'Sunflower Room'
4. Johnny Dangerously - Subway Life
5. Milltown Brothers - 'Janice Is Gone'
6. Raintree County - 'Nice Time At The Disco'
7. Dub Sex - 'Instead Of Flowers (Dub Mix)'

*'Dave 2006' we thank you.

[If you fancy any of the tracks I haven't uploaded, just shout. The Raintree County's a cracker and the Dub Sex one's terrible, by the way].

New Music Tuesday (no, really!)

This has been described by a proper trendy mp3 blog as 'a reverbed-out San Francisco sad-pop project', which either will or will not endear you to it.

I heard it during another of my Radox With Radcliffe & Maconie moments, and have to say I rather like it (especially the spacey hammy Hammond).

They are/he is on the same as label as Beach House, who a whole bunch of us who are too cloth-eared/unhip/fat/old/lazy to discover new music for ourselves undoubtedly heard courtesy of Colin's wonderful 2008 round-up CD/zip.

Hurrah!

Papercuts - 'Dictator's Lament' (2009)

Papercuts' MySpace.

Blue Monday

Today's Oblique Strategies card - Just Carry On.

The Durutti Column -'Favourite Descending Intervals' (1983)

To Hell With Other People

When you've been waiting a long time for the train of inspiration, with no announcements to suggest when it might come, the best thing is probably to post some Dutch indiepop you like and have done with it.

Bettie Serveert - 'Hell = Other People' (2006)

Miscellaneous: Manchester, Mandolins

I've been in Manchester - which, true to form, had sleety rain while the rest of us had snow. I trudged about the city centre on Monday night, 24 hours too early to see The Airborne Toxic Event, in search of a convivial bar and a haloumi burger, but 'sorry love, we don't do food in the evenings'.

I fetched up in a minimalist restaurant opposite the hotel with an attentive gay waiter dressed in skinny black and a chef whose enthusiasm for raw red onions (served with starter, main course and cheese board) I could not share. Damn fine coffee mind.

----

Hearing 'Losing My Religion' on the radio this morning I thought, 'Hmmm. I like a mandolin' - especially a Blue one. And the one in this band, famously 'played' by John Peel on another song on Top Of The Pops.

Actually, it was really plucked on that and this by Ray Jackson, from Lindisfarne (he tried to sue for co-writer credits on 'Maggie May').

'The coldest winter/In almost fourteen years' eh?

Rod Stewart - 'Mandolin Wind' (1971)

PS: As we have discussed here before, if you only know/hate Rod as 'Sexy' in leopardskin leotard or averagely crooning Cole Porter ballads on Mothers Day-marketed CDs, you really ought to listen to 'Every Picture Tells A Story'.

Bottle

Thought all you people living through a properly cold winter (and taking beautiful pictures thereof) would appreciate the humour in the UK media's prediction that tomorrow night temperatures here will 'plummet' (!) to minus 4C!

I know! You BARBECUE in that in Ohio, right?!!

Anyway, Mrs H, ever the loving and dutiful mother, today bought our two girlies a fluffy hot waterbottle each. Such excitement!

These things (in their primitive, unfluffy, versions) were standard issue in my UK 70s childhood.

It was cold there.

Central Heating was a concept unknown; we had an open fire in the front room and a stinky paraffin heater in the back, and that was it. Rooms and heating sources would never be used simultaneously. Basically, you shut the door on your room of choice for the evening and you Stayed In There. If you had to go to the toilet (best avoided), you ran upstairs (ascent of The Eiger), did your business and ran back down again quick as you could to rejoin humanity and re-shut the door, repositioning the crudely-fashioned-by-auntie sausage-dog draught excluder swiftish, or there'd be trouble.

At bedtime you cleaned your teeth in 30 seconds, sluiced the coldest tapwater you'd ever tasted down your throat and dived under the blankets; and you clung to that hot waterbottle for dearest life until the bed, or at least 10 square inches of it, became (allegedly) warm.

Meanwhile, as you struggled to sleep, frost spread like streptococchi across your bedroom window. On the inside.

Pah! Young people today!

White Stripes - 'In The Cold, Cold Night' (2003)

Me & Alan McGee

Some of you younger people may not recall a time when Creation Records was not about Oasis or even The Boo Radleys but artistes like these and when The House Of Love in particular were a deeply exciting musical prospect and reality and The Man at Sony hadn't yet taken his share (and Alan lost his marbles).

I've had this record since Back In The Day but it's come alive for me again in the last couple of weeks in digital form, and crikey but for the most part the stuff on it's held up well (I especially like 'Jetstream'); listening to it does tend to make you want to grow your fringe, wear black moley jumpers* and drink endless mugs of tea mind, but then it is Friday and don't say I didn't warn you.

Jasmine Minks - 'Cut Me Deep' (1988)
The House Of Love - 'Christine' (1988)
The Weather Prophets - 'Well Done Sonny' (1988)
The Jazz Butcher - 'Lot 49' (1988)
Nikki Sudden - 'Death Is Hanging Over Me' (1988)
Pacific - 'Jetstream' (1988)
Momus - 'A Complete History Of Sexual Jealousy (Parts 17-24)' (1988)

* which I am in fact currently doing.

Nerdnote: The record came out in the autumn of '88, and as far as I can tell all the tracks are from that year, but if I'm wrong about that, do shout. See here for the whole track listing.

John Martyn (11th Sep 1948 - 29th Jan 2009)

And may you never lay your head down
Without a hand to hold
May you never make your bed out in the cold.

x

Ruby Tuesday

In one of those thrillsome bloggy world coincidences that we all know and love, I see Mondo posted some erzatz psychedelia this morn when I planned to post this but ran out of time.

We were talking here about cassettes (yes, we were)....and twenty years ago a kind soul who I have sadly forgotten lent me a tape of this record (then impossible to find) that I taped on my tape-to-tape deck (oh! object of desire Tottenham Court Road emporium late 80s!).

It was the time of 'Bye Bye Badman' and the Second Summer Of Love (sic), but I think it would have been me lauding Surrealistic Pillow wot won it.

The West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band - 'Shifting Sands' (1966)

Generations of indie bands wanted to sound like this!

The WCPAEB'S unlikely story here.

Meanwhile...

Blistering!

Elvis Costello - '(The Angels Wanna Wear My) Red Shoes' (1977)