Grown Up Backwards

Massive Attack/William DeVaughn

2012-03-03T08:09:00.001Z

Be Thankful For What You've Got (1991)

My love of classic soul and genuine R&B grooves just hasn't been reflected in this here blog of late, so there I was the other day, blasting William DeVaughn's wonderful 'Be Thankful For What You've Got' (a hit in 1974) so all the neighbours could enjoy it as well and I knew I'd be bunging this one up pretty soon. Then I remembered Massive Attack's version from their first album, Blue Lines (1991) and wanted to throw that one at you. In the end, you have a choice. Choose both. Beautiful. Enjoy.

Though you may not drive a great big Cadillac
Gangsta whitewalls, TV antennas in the back
You may not have a car at all
But remember brothers and sisters
You can still stand tall
Just be thankful for what you got.
Diamond in the back, sunroof top
Diggin' the scene with a gangsta lean

Be Thankful For What You've Got (1974)

The Upsetters

2012-03-02T07:48:00.001Z

Clint Eastwood (1970)

The Upsetters were ace producer/madman, Lee 'Scratch' Perry's house band. Scratch is, without doubt, one of the great movers and shakers of Jamaican music, from his days running with Clement Dodd's sound system (until their acrimonious split which led to Perry's track 'I Am the Upsetter' and, hence, one of his nicknames and, hence, the name of the band), through his time producing seminal sides with The Wailers to his work in the mid-70's at his Black Ark Studio (which he later burned to the ground), Mr. Perry is pretty untouchable. I'll have to attempt to do him some justice with a far more extensive piece some time soon. In the meantime, here's The Upsetters with 'Clint Eastwood', which can be found on an album of the same name from 1970. The reason I chose this for today is that it was just one of the many reggae classics I played yesterday as I attempted to paint the kitchen ceiling. The music kept me going but the results, thus far, are not to my liking and I'll be back to square one with the decorating today. I bloody hate DIY but the soundtrack was cool.

Happy St. David's Day: Man

2012-03-01T07:13:00.000Z

Kerosene (1974)

It's St. David's Day over here in Wales. How come it's not a national holiday? Everyone should have the day off. As an Englishman transplanted into Cymric culture I want say hello to all my Welsh family and friends and use this day as an excuse to post another piece of music by the best group Wales has ever produced, Man. This is the splendid 'Kerosene' from the 1974 opus, Rhinos, Winos and Lunatics. The legendary and much missed Micky Jones on vocals and guitar for this one. Keep on crinting.

Davy Jones R.I.P.

2012-02-29T20:27:00.001Z

Daydream Believer (1967)

Just heard the really sad news about the death of Davy Jones, lead singer of The Monkees. Although they started life as a blatantly manufactured TV cash-in on the back of Beatlemania, even in their earliest days, they really possessed something uniquely their own, even if that was mainly heaps of charm. It helped, of course, that they had great songwriters behind them in the shape of Tommy Boyce and Bobby Hart, but when the band tried to establish their own identity through touring, making the album Headquarters and their film, Head, they certainly made a genuine contribution to alternative pop culture of the late 60's. It is certainly arguable that fellow Monkees, Mike Nesmith, Micky Dolenz and Peter Tork all had more to offer the group creatively but Davy Jones had something they didn't have - the advantage of Britishness (and a north west England accent) at a time when it was cool to be such. Remember that? Davy Jones and The Monkees were a big part of my childhood. Farewell, Mr. Jones, thanks for the fun and some bloody good songs.

Trixie's Big Red Motorbike

2012-02-29T07:33:00.000Z

White Horses (1983)

It's a leap year...let's go crazy.

To paraphrase Julie Andrews, here we have a collision of two my favourite things: a version of the classic TV theme, 'White Horses', as performed by very great but highly obscure 'indie' band from the early 80's, Trixie's Big Red Motorbike. It's true to say that 'twee' was quite a big thing back in the olden days but with just the right balance of innocence and a small belly laugh it worked a treat. This, and the song below, is taken from one of their sessions for John Peel. My favourite Trixie's song was actually something called 'Whatever Happened To The Tree Tops?' but I can't find that anywhere. It always reminded me of a long-lost orange squash called Tree Tops. It came in a rather fancy shaped bottle for the 1960's. Anyone else remember either the song or the fruity drink? As for 'White Horses', the original was sung by Irish singer, Jacky, who also had a big hit with the very fine 'Rupert The Bear'. I'll post them soon as I'm a big Jacky (or Jackie Lee) fan, too.

That's The End of That (1983)

The Groundhogs

2012-02-28T07:15:00.001Z

Split Part 1 (1971)

Talking of madness, The Groundhogs, the UK's premier psychedelic blues band of the late 60's and early 70's, addressed the very issue on their awesome album, Split (1971), written as a result of leader/guitarist/singer Tony McPhee experiencing some kind of psychotic breakdown. The fabulous music on this tremendous album does perfect justice to the maelstrom of mental turmoil and psychological disintegration. Hyperbolic? Check it out.

Split Part 2 (1971)

The Kinks

2012-02-27T19:27:00.001Z

Acute Schizophrenia Paranoia Blues (1971)

The history of popular music would sometimes seem to suggest that career of The Kinks became an irrelevance by the time the 70's really got underway. It's true that they never again enjoyed the same levels of success as they had when they were producing classic hits such as 'Waterloo Sunset', 'Sunny Afternoon', 'Dead End Street', etc etc. I suppose that, by the end of the 60's, they were no longer quite part of the zeitgeist but Ray Davies was still writing some great songs and here's one of them, from their highly underrated 1971 album, Muswell Hillbillies. We've all had that feeling, Ray.

Looks like this was probably filmed for the legendary Old Grey Whistle Test, the best music show ever to grace British television screens.

Peter Hammill

2012-02-27T07:38:00.001Z

Time Heals (1977)

Peter Hammill is best known as vocalist/pianist/guitarist etc. with Van der Graaf Generator, one of the finest bands to ever emerge from the shores of this (dis)United Kingdom. VdGG have, in recent years, become an active proposition once again, though they have had a somewhat chaotic history since forming in the late 60's. All through the years, whether or not the band has been active, Hammill has maintained a parallel solo career, releasing albums of intensity, great challenge and some beauty. His voice is an impassioned instrument that, in some other universe. would have led him to superstardom. Of course, that's never been part of his master-plan but I'm sure greater recognition would not have been unwelcome. A big influence on one John Lydon (Johnny Rotten) of the Sex Pistols and Public Image Limited. This is a superb track from an amazing album called Over (1977). The whole record reflects on the break-up of Hammill's relationship at the time. Hold on to your hats, it's Blood On The Tracks double plus.

Stars On Sunday: The Melodians

2012-02-26T07:51:00.000Z

Rivers of Babylon (1970)

Rocksteady straight form the streets of Kingston town, Jamaica. This is the original version of 'Rivers of Babylon', recorded by vocal band The Melodians for producer Leslie Kong, that was later put through the horror of a Eurodisco shredder by Boney M. Based on Psalm 137, which looked to the exile of the Hebrews in Babylon as they yearned for release and return back to their homeland. This theme was taken up enthusiastically by the Rastafarian movement in Jamaica and the song became a big hit on the island as well as enjoying some UK success.

Have a hopeful and peaceful Sunday.

Review: Mr. M by Lambchop

2012-02-25T23:22:00.000Z

Mr. M (2012), Lambchop's eleventh official studio album (if you count Aw Cmon (2004) and No You Cmon (2004) as two) is dedicated to musician Vic Chesnutt, close friend of 'Chop main-man Kurt Wagner, who took his own life in 2009. Across the nine songs and two instrumentals, Mr. Wagner ruminates on life, loss and love in his unique, somewhat impressionistic fashion, drawing on the mundanities of every day in order to express something deeply soulful and poetic. The result is undoubtedly the band's finest work since 2002's Is a Woman, and marks another high point in the strange career of this very special group from Nashville, Tennessee.

The first words you hear on Mr.M (retitled from the original Mr. Met due to some US sports cartel objecting to the use of the name of a club mascot) are 'Don't know what the fuck they talk about', which leads us into the beautiful 'If Not I'll Just Die'. Lyrically, the song appears to have been constructed from snatches of very random conversation and, perhaps, the passing thoughts of the narrator. Behind all this are some gorgeous swathes of strings, overlaying an almost typically Lambchopian minimalism. You end up knowing exactly what Kurt Wagner is trying to say without ever knowing exactly what he's saying. This is swiftly followed by '2B2', an album highlight among many, which seems to take the narrator one step beyond the numb despair of loss as he makes an attempt to pick up the pieces of his life via TV, cooking and phone conversations with friends. The band then give us the lovely 'Gone Tomorrow', which, again, contemplates the inevitability of change - for better or worse. Is it 'all things must pass' or just 'what the fuck?' Having been acquainted with Mr.Wagner's work for some years now, I suspect the latter (see 'sometimes, William, we're just screwed', from their mini masterpiece 'My Blue Wave'). Also notable on 'Gone Tomorrow' is a radical string arrangement that seems to take us off into a parallel world for a few minutes and it works.

Gone Tomorrow (2012)

The 'title' song, 'Mr. Met', is a marginally more direct lyrical take on the subject of friendship and loss ('met' being the past tense of 'meet'). Clearly, there is always a residue of anger and resentment when someone close leaves us of their own volition - 'I think of you today, boy what an a-hole. You made me spare, like used software. I will not follow you.' The song, however, is couched in such tenderness that, for all the rage, the love shines through. Next up is the first of two instrumental tracks, 'Gar', played beautifully by the band, though I'll admit that my favourite 'Chop instrument is probably Kurt's voice, so when I don't hear him, I feel we've lost something almost elemental. However, this isn't the first time that they have included music only pieces on their albums and, in terms of pacing, it all works well. The following track, 'Nice Without Mercy', redirects the listener again to the core story of the album but one touched with great hope in the aftermath of sorrow: 'And the shadows disappear in a day that breaths forever and God comes and gathers up his jewels' (which quotes an old Hank Williams classic). 'Buttons' swiftly (well, slowly, actually) follows through with a sucker-punch of empathy for the 'dumb ass' fellow on the street (we could be looking into mirrors here) who turns out to be not such a jerk after all - after all, we are him, whatever we may think.

One of the nice little surprises on Mr. M is the song 'The Good Life (Is Wasted)', which must be the closest Wagner has ever come to writing a 'straight' country song. For once, the tune has a splendid melodic predictability straight from the streets of Kurt's home town. Equally surprising, perhaps, is the closing track, 'Never My Love', which directly addresses the 'L' word in a way unheard of in any previous Lamchop song. It's a beautiful little vignette of deepest feeling where KW confesses, 'Love I've never thought about it, just some silly word that people use'. That he can round off a record that is so full of 'love' with this admission is quite something and indicates a level of catharsis and maturity that has been paid for on a hard road - but one we all walk.

In conclusion, Lambchop, following the long wait since 2008's solid OH (ohio), which crept up on the heels of Damaged (2006), an album where Kurt Wagner confronted his own mortality after a period of serious illness, have risen to the challenges of living and pressing on in the face of pain with a collection of songs that I believe will stand among their highest achievements.

Buttons (2012)

Genesis

2012-02-25T14:27:00.003Z

I Know What I Like (In Your Wardrobe) (1973)

Friends, there was a time, a time before balding men in big 80's style jackets; a time before 'I Can't Dance'; a time before plodding arena rock done up with classical frills. There was time when Genesis were a genuine progressive rock band, making music that pushed the boundaries and had depths known only to British 6th formers (exclusively male) and under-graduates with little chance of getting a girlfriend but possessing a nice line in army great coats and unkempt greasy hair. Some will yell, 'prog sucks!' (that's you Flaming Pixie) but we just don't care.

In the days when Genesis still had the great (and bonkers) Peter Gabriel on vocals and Steve Hackett on guitar and the annoying bloke was confined to his role behind the drums (very good he was, too), they made a handful of superb albums, my personal favourite being Selling England By The Pound (1973), which, for all its mellotron-centred 'brainbox' nonsense, was actually an interesting, if slightly off-kilter reflection on the state of 70's Britain and ranks, for this listener, alongside the first Clash album as a supreme piece of social commentary - even if those commentators happen to have not long ago been propping up the class system in the halls of Charterhouse posh school for knobs. Look, Joe Strummer was a former public schoolboy, too, so don't worry. 'I Know What I Like' is an easily digested highlight from the '73 album (much loved by John Lennon by all accounts).

Below is a 'Musical Box' from the first truly great Genesis album, their third long-playing release, Nursery Cryme (1971)

Musical Box (1971)

Tune Doctor Blog

2012-02-25T08:54:00.001Z

Hey! I've been fortunate enough to have the honour of a guest spot at Tune Doctor. Please click on the link to find out about my close encounter with Van The Man.

Many thanks to all the great folks at the ever excellent Tune Doctor.

Sandy Denny & The Strawbs

2012-02-23T07:00:00.000Z

Who Knows Where The Time Goes? (1967)

Have I done this before? I don't know - probably at some other version of this blog somewhere - but it matters not because today I want to place something beautiful at your feet. 'Who Knows Where The Time Goes?' is one of Sandy Denny's best known songs but this first version, recorded when she was a member of the early Strawbs line-up, is by far my favourite: it's simply breathtaking. When Sandy joined Fairport Convention the song became a staple of their set and they recorded their own fabulous, electrified, version for the Unhalfbricking album in 1969. Sandy went on to make some fine solo albums as well as a couple of good ones with her band Fotheringay but she was tragically taken from us far too soon. Her influence on other singers and songwriters of her own era and of today is immense.

Alabama Shakes

2012-02-22T19:22:00.004Z

Heard a fab new band on Steve Lamacq's Radio 6 show tonight. Maybe you've heard them before but they got me pretty excited and it's nice to hear something really fresh. There I was, innocently doing the post tea-time washing up, thinking to myself, 'Maybe I'll have another go at getting some of those ghastly tiles off the ceiling when I've done with this job', and then Mr. Lamacq started an interview with this band from (guess where?) Alabama who call themselves Alabama Shakes. Seems they have their debut album on the way in April and their sound is a kind of musical melange of blues, rock and roll, rockabilly, soul and heavy rock. They said that their influences range from Black Sabbath to James Brown to Otis Redding via Hank Williams and Led Zeppelin. What's not to like? Of course, there is a danger that such an experiment may not work but, from what I heard, it works very well indeed. Here's a great song from the soon come LP. Can't wait for it to hit the shops.

Hold On (2012)

Buzzcocks

2012-02-21T07:55:00.001Z

Nostalgia (1978)

Keeping with our punk theme, here's Manchester's Buzzcocks with one of my all-time favourites, 'Nostalgia', from their 1978 album, Love Bites. Buzzcocks were one of the very first punk bands outside of the initial London scene, forming immediately after that fateful evening when The Sex Pistols played to a handful of folks at the Lesser Free Trade Hall in 1976. It would seem that the only people who were that night went on to form seminal bands: Mark E. Smith of The Fall, Ian Curtis of Joy Division (possibly Barney and Hooky, too), Morrissey....and of course, Pete Shelley and Howard Devoto who formed the core of the first Buzzcocks line-up. Devoto bailed after the first EP, Spiral Scratch (1977), but went on to further success with the excellent post-punk of Magazine.

In their first phase, Buzzcocks released three superb albums between 1977 and 1979. Pete Shelley had some solo success in the 80's but the group reformed some time in the 90's (I think) and I believe they may well be ploughing on from time to time. I suppose the bills have to be paid but you can't repeat the past (although, didn't Dylan say, 'of course you can'? Who knows?

Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've?) (1978)

Here's a live version of their biggest hit. Caught the band 'in concert' myself in 1979, with Joy Division as support. It was one of the greatest things I have ever heard.

Alternative TV

2012-02-20T08:25:00.002Z

Splitting In Two (1978)

Classic punk from Mark Perry's Alternative TV. 'Splitting In Two' is from their first album, The Image Has Cracked (1978). More than any other group, Alternative TV inspired my own attempts at joining the world of 'popular' music. Singer/guitar-strummer Perry was the founder of the legendary Sniffin' Glue fanzine, a foundation stone of the British punk DIY ethic and, naturally, took the logical step to form his own group. So, you thought, 'If he can do it...', which was the whole point.

I used to carry the first two ATV albums to school with me all the time and we were allowed to take over the record player at lunch times and torture our fellow pupils with their punk magic. The next thing I knew, me and my English comprehensive school system write-off mates had formed a 'band'. Being ever so slightly pretentious, we decided to call ourselves The Samuel Beckett Band, after the famous Irish framer of words for the theatre. I know, it was terrible, but we did like the absurdist juxtaposition of 'high art' and the bog-standard word 'band'. There was your host on vocals, Dave 'Rex' Rexworthy (guitar), Martin 'Dickie' Lethaby (bass), Martin 'Martin' Williams (guitar) and Les (drums). We performed for the public twice and I'm sure it was awful. Thankfully, there is no recorded evidence to prove how crap we were but our set list, along with wayward stabs at 'Sympathy For The Devil', 'Pretty Vacant' and Led Zep's 'Rock and Roll' (huh???), included our version of ATV's version (if that makes sense) of Frank Zappa's 'Why Don't You Do Me Right?'. If you can imagine an even wonkier go at Uncle Frank's tune, you may be somewhere near to how we sounded.

Why Don't You Do Me Right? (1978)

Alternative TV went on to become even more 'out there', changed their name to The Good Missionaries and then disappeared. I think Mark Perry has revived the group from time to time, so they may be out there somewhere. I continued, over a number of years, in my attempts to make music, sometimes more successfully than others. Very few listened, which is probably fair. More stories of failed musical adventures another time.

Stars On Sunday: The Flying Burrito Brothers

2012-02-19T08:15:00.000Z

Continuity Announcement

Sin City (1969)

One of my favourites from The Flying Burrito Brothers, 'Sin City' takes us deep into the heart of darkness that is the contemporary urban world, with particular reference to LA in the late 60's but it could be anywhere today, yesterday or tomorrow. A high point of the two albums that Gram Parsons recorded as part of the band, this one was a joint composition with fellow ex-Byrd, Chris Hillman, who also sings on the track along with Parsons. Country-Rock was never bettered. Have a pleasant and spiritually invigorating Sunday, friends.

Anne Briggs

2012-02-18T07:48:00.000Z

The Snow That Melts The Soonest (1971)

Two songs from the amazing Anne Briggs, quite probably the most reluctant 'star' in all British folk music. She first recorded for famed folklorist A.L. Lloyd in 1963, but her first full album was not released until 1971. Indeed, that year, she managed two LP's and then disappeared more or less for good.

Born in Nottinghamshire in 1944, Anne started singing around the folk clubs in the early 60's.The purity of her voice and sheer honesty of her interpretation of traditional song soon caught the attention of the 'shakers and movers' on the scene. In the mid-60's she moved down to London and became closely associated with Bert Jansch (who first recorded 'Black Waterside' in 1966) and others such as The Incredible String Band and John Renbourn.

Always a restless and free spirit, Anne travelled around Britain and Ireland with fellow musicians Sweeney's Men and became more and more erratic in her lifestyle (this was in the midst of the 'hippy' years) before finally getting down to doing some recording, leading to the release of Anne Briggs and The Time Has Come in '71. Both records contain Anne's own songs as well as traditional material. By the mid-70's, Briggs had moved up to the Hebrides in the Scottish Isles and has rarely been seen or heard of since.

Black Waterside (1971)

It is said that Richard Thompson's beautiful song, 'Beeswing', is a tribute to Anne, so I offer you this as an extra. It's from his album, Mirror Blue (1994). I'm not sure where RT stands as far as it being exactly about AB but it certainly captures her spirit wonderfully.

Richard Thompson 'Beeswing'

Plone

2012-02-17T08:16:00.000Z

Top and Low Rent (1999)

Electro from Brum (that's Birmingham for anyone reading this who's not British). This is a track from Plone's album, For Beginner Piano (1999). It seems they did record a follow-up but it was never released and the group split in 2001. Shame. I really like the ghostly 70's style TV soundtracks they conjured up. I don't have an awful lot to more to say about them except that their whole aesthetic is still very much in vogue if you're a follower of the likes of Advisory Circle, King of Woolworth's, Belbury Poly etc. I know I am. See you there. Have another one.

On My Bus (1999)

Dave and Toni Arthur

2012-02-16T09:13:00.003Z

The Cruel Mother (1970)

Dave and Toni Arthur made a handful of fine albums in the late 60's and early 70's before Toni found greater recognition as a presenter of children's TV programmes, most notably Playschool, seminal viewing for all youngsters who will now be of a 'certain age'. Oh, Humpty and Ted, where art thou now? Whither Hamble? 'The Cruel Mother', one of the truly great ballads of British folk music, is from their album Hearken To The Witches Rune (1970), which, if you want to scare yourself half to death with a clutch of songs, is well worth hearing on a darkening evening as you sit alone with just the ticking of the clock for company. Alternatively, bung it on your MP3 player and take it up into the woods like I do when I meander with my hound. Spooky. I dare say, as with so much great music, it isn't actually available to buy anywhere at this moment in time.

Shirley Collins

2012-02-15T07:28:00.000Z

Adieu to Old England (1974)

I note there has been a great deal of Americana here of late and, with all due respect to my friends on the other side of the Atlantic, it is high time I rebalanced things a little with some Anglicana and what better place start than with the High Priestess of English folk music, Shirley Collins.

I doubt if it is possible to overstate Shirley's importance in the English folk revival of the 50's and 60's (she's right up there with The Watersons). Hailing from Sussex on England's south coast, the greater part of her material has always been rooted in the English soil, although she was massively exposed to US tradition when she travelled the Southern States in the late 50's with folklorist Alan Lomax. She went on to cut seminal albums with her sister Dolly, folk guitar giant Davy Graham, as part of The Albion Band and as a solo artist. Just check her out if you don't know her - there's a whole world waiting for you. Sometime in the 70's she developed hysterical dysphonia and found she could no longer sing (she put this down to her break-up with Ashley Hutchings of Fairport Convention and Albion band fame) and has not recorded to any great deal since. She was coaxed into the studio by David Tibet of Current 93 for a 2006 recording, so maybe we'll still hear Shirley again one day. A true great.

This is the title track from her album of 1974. A prison song we can all understand, I think.

Adieu to Old England, adieu,
And adieu to some hundreds of pounds.
If the world had been ended when I had been young,
My sorrows I'd never have known.
Once I could drink of the best,
The very best brandy and rum.
Now I am glad of a cup of spring water
That flows from town to town.
Once I could eat of good bread,
Good bread that was made of good wheat.
Now I am glad with a hard mouldy crust
And glad that I got it to eat.
Once I could lie on a good bed,
A good bed that was made of soft down.
Now I am glad of a clot of clean straw
To keep myself from the cold ground.
Once I could ride in my carriage,
With servants to drive me along.
Now I'm in prison, in prison so strong
Not knowing which way I can turn.

How Can a Poor Man Stand Such Time and Live?

2012-02-14T17:56:00.002Z

My employers (for how much longer, I'm really sure at the moment...another story and not in a good way) have sent us all a lovely Valentine's Day gift: our new terms and conditions of employment which we have to agree to in the next couple of months. To say they are an insult would be understating the nature of their 'offer' to a such a ridiculous degree that the word 'insult' would have to take on a whole new meaning. Basically, it's a massive cut in an already pathetic hourly rate; a reduction in annual leave/holidays; no sick pay for the first three days off and if you're unfortunate enough to be ill for anything much more than a month - kiss your wages goodbye. I could go on but you don't need all the gory details. I'm sure they won't care if people just up and walk - they'll find other poor saps (probably from Eastern Europe or Africa) who'll take minimum wages in desperation. Besides, the valleys aren't exactly overflowing with work opportunities at the moment. What's our union doing about it? Not much as far as I can see. If we were public employees (the bulk of their membership) there would be a national strike but we work in the 'voluntary sector', so who cares? F*%£ing utterly depressing.

Blind Alfred Reed (1929)

Blind street singer, Alfred Reed, of Virginia, USA, recorded this classic in 1929. Ry Cooder, one of the finest of America's musical curators and interpreters of folk tradition, performed this lovely version, below, in 1987.

Ry Cooder (1987)

Leonard Cohen

2012-02-14T08:07:00.000Z

Sisters of Mercy (live, 1972)

I've been giving Len's new album, Old Ideas (2012) a few listens of late and am mightily impressed. The man is 77 years old and his capacity to create moving, meaningful art seems undiminished. I'll admit I've often had an ambivalent attitude to Mr. Cohen but as I get older myself his songs make more and more sense to me and touch me more deeply. Above is a version of what is possibly my favourite of all his tunes, 'Sisters of Mercy', which originally appeared on his first record, The Songs of Leonard Cohen (1968).

Show Me The Place (2012)

From Old Ideas. A voice from the bottom of a well of experience.

Weird

2012-02-13T17:26:00.000Z

How come my last three posts all say I blogged them on Sunday? Only one was done then. I wonder what this one will say?

Loudon Wainwright III

2012-02-12T21:22:00.002Z

Your Mother and I (1986)

Loudon Wainwright has a way to make you laugh and cry, often at one and the same time. Often brutally honest in his songwriting (sometimes painfully so), his life is his work and his work is his life. This may not have always gone down well with his kith and kin but one always feels that he writes from love and he is by far his own sternest critic. He was married to the late, great Kate McGarrigle, with whom he shared Rufus and Martha Wainwright and his later relationship with Suzzy Roche of the Roches resulted in their daughter, singer/songwriter Lucy Wainwright Roche.. I think he'll admit he screwed up most of his relationships in one way or another (Martha wrote a song called 'Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole' about her old man and Rufus's 'Dinner at Eight' is centred on a family argument) but he has still managed to continue to work with his kids from time to time. He has also written touchingly about his parents and his own childhood. A flawed but very human being.

'Your Mother and I' is from his 1986 album, More Love Songs. Beautiful.

Nobody's Fault But Mine x 2: All Hail Blind Willie Johnson

2012-02-12T20:12:00.000Z

Blind Willie Johnson (1927)

Blind Willie is one of my all time favourite blues players. In certain respects he's not typical of many of the artists of his era because he stuck firmly to a gospel based selection of songs, straight outta the church and onto the street. Salvation with blood and thunder. Having said that, the depth and, at times, darkness of his performances put him, for these ears, deep, deep in the blues tradition (Texas, style). Equally, his slide guitar playing was second to none and an influence on just about every player who picked up a bottleneck or fretted with a pen-knife after him. Willie had a horribly hard life - blinded as a child and died, apparently of pneumonia, after sleeping on a soaking wet bed when his house burned down. Makes you wonder, doesn't it?

Jimmy Page and Robert Plant (1994)

Led Zeppelin covered 'Nobody's Fault But Mine' on their album Presence (1976) (credited to themselves, I believe). Page and Plant revisited the song with this very fine version when they reunited in the mid-90's. Looks like the video was shot in a disused slate quarry in North Wales (which it probably was). Perfect.

Stars On Sunday: George Harrison

2012-02-12T09:07:00.002Z

Hear Me Lord (1970 demo)

The finished version of this plea to God is the closing track on what was the first proper solo album by an ex-Beatle, George's All Things Must Pass (1970). This rough demo still carries much power. Below is something closer to the completed article. It's a beautiful song. I love it.

Hear Me Lord (1970 early take)

Help me Lord please
To rise a little higher
Help me Lord please
To burn out this desire

More stars another Sunday.

John Lee Hooker

2012-02-11T09:44:00.001Z

Serves Me Right To Suffer

Superb clip of one of the masters of the blues, John Lee Hooker, laying it on the line. I think this was filmed some time in the 60's when John Lee was enjoying the patronage of the news blues enthusiasts on both sides of the Atlantic. Hooker's blues, coming directly from his heart and the Mississippi mud (via Detroit), seem to take us right back to the very roots of the form and even further back to something beyond our ken. The voice, the guitar, the man - the blues.

The Flaming Lips

2012-02-10T08:10:00.000Z

Shine On You Crazy Diamond (1999)

Somewhere Over The Rainbow (1999)

To make total sense of this post you must listen to each track in sequence. Two covers by The Flaming Lips from a session they did for KCRW Radio in 1999, around the time of the release of their masterpiece, The Soft Bulletin. Wayne Coyne's voice is beautifully stretched just too far but it actually adds to the poignancy and beauty of these songs. The first, of course, is Pink Floyd's tribute to lost band member, Syd Barrett:

Remember when you were young?
You shone like the sun.
Shine on you crazy diamond.

God, may we all find a way to shine on.

Glenn Gould

2012-02-09T19:21:00.000Z

J.S. Bach's Goldberg Variations (1-6)

I needed some solitude and rest this afternoon and felt compelled to reach for my CD of Glenn Gould's interpretation of Bach's Goldberg Variations. Originally written for the harpsichord, Gould's piano genius takes them into music heaven. It's also noticeable how you can hear Gould humming away in the background (very apparent on the recording I have) which I expect some purists must find annoying but it doesn't bother me - the man is digging the music. One of my other favourite pianists, Keith Jarrett, has the same habit.

Black Sabbath

2012-02-09T10:30:00.001Z

Supernaut (1972)

Just heard the news that Tony Iommi of Black Sabbath has contracted Lymphoma. I hope and pray he will beat this cancer. I'm posting this, one of my favourite Sabbath tracks, from what I consider to be their best album, Vol.4 (1972) in honour of the great man who basically invented heavy metal guitar. Get well soon, Tony.

Billy Cobham ft. Tommy Bolin

2012-02-08T07:04:00.000Z

Quadrant 4 (1973)

Billy Cobham was a respected and in-demand jazz drummer/percussionist a long time before he got around to making his first solo album as band leader. He came to the notice of the wider musical world through his work with Miles Davis and The Mahavishnu Orchestra when jazz-fusion was at the cutting edge of 'where-it's at'.

'Quadrant 4' is the opening track from the aforementioned debut solo outing, Spectrum (1973) and first came to my attention when the young guitar player who rules this track, Tommy Bolin, went on to join renowned hard rockers, Deep Purple, in '75. For Tommy, signing up with DP was surely a mistake, even though the album they made together, Come Taste The Band (1975), was excellent in its way, it wasn't really Deep Purple and Bolin wasn't a heavy rock player. For one thing, in that field, he could never replace Ritchie Blackmore but, more to the point, he was far too funky and filled to the brim with jazz chops for Purple. This is very, very far from a criticism of Tommy Bolin - I love his music (his solo albums are a real treat) and 'Quadrant 4' really shows off what he was all about. Sadly, he was also possessed by demons that led to his tragic death from a heroin overdose in 1976. The music, however. lives on. I'll post some solo Tommy Bolin soon.

Lambchop

2012-02-07T19:28:00.000Z

Lambchop - Gone Tomorrow by MergeRecords

Gone Tomorrow (2012)

Lovely track from Lambchop's new album, Mr.M, which is released this month.

Karen Dalton

2012-02-07T07:19:00.001Z

Blues Jumped The Rabbit (1970)

Karen Dalton is one of the great lost voices of the American folk revival. A close associate of another reluctant 'star', Fred Neil, like Neil, Dalton seemed to believe utterly in the purity of the music and sought little applause for herself. Very reluctant to enter a recording studio, she was only ever captured on tape a handful of times but we do, thankfully, now have a small collection of her songs available to us on CD. Dylan himself has said that Dalton was his favourite singer on the Greenwich Village scene of the early 60's and even performed with her a few times. Sadly, alcohol and drugs seemed to be bigger pulls to Karen than anything like a 'career' and she disappeared from the music world completely by the 1970's. Her lifestyle caught up with her in 1993 and she was lost to the world. I'm looking forward to hearing another newly unearthed batch of recordings by Ms. Dalton that are due for release any day now.

The Sex Pistols

2012-02-06T07:52:00.000Z

God Save The Queen (1977)

Elizabeth II became the monarch of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and a collection of former colonies sixty years ago today. Apparently, it's her Diamond Jubilee and we'll be spending this year in celebration mode. I'd like to make my own small contribution to the festivities by posting a video of one of Liz's favourite groups, The Sex Pistols, who, back in 1977, celebrated her Silver Jubilee with this ditty that has become one of the great rock songs.

Back in '77 we were all supposed to be having street parties in honour of our monarch and, it has to be said, many of her subjects did engage in some public drinking and dancing to toast her 25th year on the throne. I well recall the little 'do' in our cul-de-sac on the council estate my family lived on at the time; how we watched from our window as the neighbours frolicked under the bunting, dancing to the sounds of Abba and Hot Chocolate and maybe even a little Rod Stewart. Yes, we were the only family who declined the invitation to the party. Miserabilists, eh? I'd prefer to think we had principles. My dad had had plenty of up-close contact with the royals when he served in the Grenadier Guards for twelve years before being shown the door due to ill-health. He'd done the whole guarding Buckingham Palace, Changing The Guard, Trooping The Colour...oh and also the bits where they send you abroad and get you to kill people/burn down Malayan villages/keep the warring Palestinians and Israelis from bombing and shooting one another. You'd think we'd be pretty patriotic, wouldn't you? No chance. During the street party I went up to my bedroom and blasted 'God Save The Queen' (Pistol's version) at top volume with the window open...childish, I know)

Funnily enough, I did go out of my way to see Mrs.Windsor and her husband when they visited Bristol on the Jubilee tour. I was working in my first job as a clerk for the Council at their transport and sanitation dept. (£25 p.w. but lucky to have a job) and they gave us an extra hour off one day to watch her arrive at Temple Meads station and set off on a little carriage ride. We got up quite close to her and Phil: she looked happy enough and we had an extra hour for lunch.

How much longer do we have to put up with the Von Battenberg mafia?

Stars On Sunday: Van Morrison

2012-02-05T08:22:00.001Z

Just A Closer Walk With Thee (1991)

It's Sunday, folks, and time to turn our hearts to the things of the spirit. Van Morrison is a man who knows a thing or two about religion - he's tried a few! Just a little joke there, Van. To be fair to Van The Man he's been pretty consistent over the years when it comes to Jesus Christ but, a little like Bob Dylan, he seems to get most of his sustenance and inspiration via songs of The Lord, rather than any kind of absolute creed. Fair play - I can understand that completely. Here's Mr. Morrison with his version of the gospel jewel, 'Just A Closer Walk With Thee', from his much underrated album Hymns To The Silence (1991). I just love the way he equates walking with God with the transcendence of great music:

Jazz and blues and folk
Poetry and jazz...
Words...memories...take me way back...
Hyndford Street and Hank Williams
Louis Armstrong, Sidney Bechet and Sunday afternoons in winter
Sidney Bechet! Sunday afternoons in winter!

Previous! Previous! Previous!

Thus ends today's sermon.

Yep, Van is probably a bit nuts but, then again, so am I.

The Handsome Family

2012-02-04T20:00:00.000Z

Weightless Again (1998)

Alt. Country from Chicago. The Handsome Family were formed in the early 90's by Brett and Rennie Sparks (who also happen to be married to one another). Their sound is a bit like country music played in a gothic theatre, surrounded by impenetrable forest. Does that make sense? Probably not.

'Weightless Again' is from their album, Through The Trees, which is a good record to start with if you're interested in exploring the band. We all want to feel weightless sometimes, don't we? I know I do.

Mississippi Fred McDowell (1904-1972)

2012-02-04T09:49:00.000Z

You Gotta Move

Yesterday's Prince Far I post couldn't help but remind me of one of my favourite country blues singers, the great Fred McDowell and his song, 'You Gotta Move'. The tune was made famous by The Rolling Stones when they covered it on Sticky Fingers, gifting Fred and his family a nice little pay-day in his twilight years*.

Fred McDowell had been playing in the North Mississippi region since the 1920's, so his music goes right back to the roots of the blues but I believe I'm right in saying that he wasn't actually recorded until the end of the 1950's when he was 'rediscovered' by white blues enthusiasts. He went on to record a number of fine albums through the 60's, displaying his exemplary slide guitar style, until his passing in in 1972.

* Unlike the rather unscrupulous activity of Led Zeppelin who appropriated a number of blues classics for themselves, thus depriving the originators of their rightful dues.

Prince Far I

2012-02-03T07:47:00.002Z

Under Heavy Manners (1976)

Reflecting the times and t'ings...Prince Far I, with a voice from the depths of a man's soul, like water drawn from the darkest well, was one of the great DJ/toasters of Jamaican reggae at the height of the roots boom back in the 70's. When I want to get in touch with what's real I turn to the big man.

When Jah Ready You Got To Move (1979)

Jah bless, Prince Far I.

Rory Gallagher

2012-02-02T07:52:00.000Z

Race The Breeze (1973)

I know it was only a few days ago that I posted about Rory Gallagher but I'm on a big Rory kick at the moment, having dragged out all the stuff I have by him, so here's some more. The first RG album I ever got hold of was Blueprint (1973). I suppose I must have been about 13 or 14 years old at the time. It was definitely in the early days of my record collecting and I can actually recall walking to the record shop one dark evening after school, with my well-earned paper round money in hand, and coming home with its striking blue and pink cover under my arm. This was when I was starting to get truly serious about music and beginning to realise I was going to be caught up in its web forever. Blueprint, needless to say, knocked my socks off, with 'Race The Breeze' being one of the highlights. Rory was an Irishman but the way he played the blues could have placed him deep in the Mississippi Delta or out somewhere on the Texas plains. For me, this is as good as anything that Ry Cooder or J.J. Cale have ever done and ranks as one of the great 'train' songs. Please enjoy.

Lambchop

2012-02-01T10:03:00.002Z

Soaky in the Pooper (1994)

I would have said this before but I'll say it again: Lambchop, from Nashville, Tennessee, led by ex-hardwood floor fitter, Kurt Wagner, are my favourite group. Hence, they have probably featured here quite a few times and, for that at least, I make no apologies. I was thinking about 'Soaky in the Pooper', from their debut album, I Hope You're Sitting Down/Jack's Tulips (1994), this morning, probably as I stood over the bathroom sink, preparing to greet the Welsh freeze, and recalled that it was the first 'Chop song that caught my attention. I believe I heard it on one of those free CDs that they give away with music mags - possibly one of those long-gone ones like Select or Vox or some such nonsense. Anyway, this is the song that pointed out what a genius Kurt Wagner is - just listen to those lyrics. Here's my favourite lines:

As his face turns bluish
And his eyes roll back into his head
The funeral was Jewish
All the mourners travelled in one car

Wonderful.

George Harrison

2012-01-31T10:10:00.001Z

While My Guitar Gently Weeps (1968)

My favourite song by my favourite Beatle. This is the solo acoustic version that you can find on Anthology 3. Nothing to add.

Eric Dolphy

2012-01-30T08:01:00.000Z

Gazzelloni (1964)

Sometimes I just want to share with you what I happened to have been listening to last night and this is a case in point. 'Gazzelloni' is a tune from Eric Dolphy's great album, Out To Lunch (1964). Woodwind player Dolphy first made his name in line-ups with both John Coltrane and Charles Mingus before leading his own bands and recording under his own name. Out To Lunch is definitely one of the seminal albums of 60's jazz with a stellar line-up of Freddie Hubbard (trumpet), Bobby Hutcherson (vibes), Richard Davis (bass) and Tony Williams (drums) joining Mr. Dolphy's sax, flute and bass clarinet. If you like your jazz a little angular and unexpected without being totally 'free', this should be right up your street. This track particularly appeals to me as I'm a sucker for any outing with some flute.

Richard Thompson

2012-01-29T09:20:00.001Z

Money Shuffle

RT has a new DVD out and available to one and all. Now, I'm not normally one to care to promote someone's 'product' but, in his case, I'll make an exception. As Bob Harris more or less says in the intro, Richard Thompson's simply stupendous. World's greatest guitarist? Quite probably. Best British songwriter of all time? Definitely. Anyway, this is from the Celtic Connections DVD, filmed during last year's tour to promote his album, Dream Attic. Caught the gig in Cardiff and it was totally brilliant (obviously).

Jenny Lewis & The Watson Twins

2012-01-27T09:26:00.001Z

Run Devil Run/The Big Guns (2005)

Feeling pretty shitty this morning, I've bumbled around the front room to avoid actually facing the day only to make a surprising discovery - I found an album I thought I'd lost about a year ago. For perhaps twelve months I've wondered what ever happened to my copy of Rabbit Fur Coat (2005) by Jenny Lewis and The Watson Twins. I ripped this place high and low to find it and had come to the conclusion that someone just needed it more than me and decided to give it a new home. I've been meaning to get myself a new copy. Anyway, I browse along my shelves today and...there it is! Huh? Back from the ether. This stuff happens. Hope it's a good sign 'cause I feel like a need one at the moment. Peace.

Rory Gallagher

2012-01-25T12:02:00.000Z

Cradle Rock (1974)

Feeling in hyper-nostalgic mode today, wishing I could be transported back to being that 14 year old kid who was discovering music at a rate of knots and everything was up for grabs. Thus, I bring you the wonderful Rory Gallagher with 'Cradle Rock', recorded on his '74 Irish Tour, which spawned an excellent film and accompanying live album - one of the finest of the era. Rory was a blues-rocker, with a heart for traditional music as well, who played directly from the soul with no frills, no nonsense. Certainly one of my favourite players of all time. I have nothing but love for the man. Next up, Rory from the same tour, playing 'Tattoo'd Lady'.

Tattoo'd Lady (1974)

Rory Gallagher: much missed and one of the greats.

Harry Nilsson/Scott Walker

2012-01-22T19:51:00.001Z

Cowboy (1970)

Was listening to some Nilsson this afternoon, including this song, 'Cowboy', which was actually written by Randy Newman and released on Nilsson's 1970 album, Nilsson Sings Newman. Harry Nilsson was a very fine songwriter himself, of course, but if you put his great vocal style together with the musical pen of Mr. Newman - magic happens. Note how the theme from Midnight Cowboy, for which Harry supplied his version of Fred Neil's 'Everybody's Talkin'', is quoted at the end.

I need to add that Scott Walker also did a great version on his 1973 album, Any Day Now. Here it is:

Cowboy (1973)

Gruff Rhys

2012-01-21T09:22:00.002Z

A Design for Life

Didn't want anyone to think I've given up on all this but I have been waylaid somewhat by the aforementioned lurgy. Still struggling but, as I prop myself up by the old computer, I give you Wales's own Gruff Rhys of Super Furry Animals and his take on Manic Street Preachers classic 'A Design for Life'. I hope to be back to full strength soon. Please send good vibes.

Tom Russell

2012-01-17T19:10:00.001Z

Nina Simone (2009)

Was supposed to be seeing Tom Russell live tonight. Had to let my mate Paul down and not show due to the old flu. Hope you managed to give my ticket to someone more deserving, Paul. This is Tom's tribute to the great Nina Simone, from his album Blood and Candle Smoke (2009). Hope it's a good gig. Sorry, mate. Sniff. Cough.

Keith Jarrett

2012-01-16T21:38:00.002Z

Koln Concert Part 1 (1975)

Koln Concert Part 2 (1975)

Solo piano performances by Keith Jarrett, recorded in 1975 in Cologne. Simply some of the most beautiful music I think I've ever heard.

Alice Coltrane

2012-01-16T14:27:00.001Z

Hare Krishna (1971)

Haven't been able to post anything due to feeling like a bag of crap (flu, bad chest etc.). In case anyone wants to know, I have been listening to Alice Coltrane over the weekend. This is from her very fine album, Universal Consciousness (1971). Must go and lie down. Hope to be back in action soon. Peace.

The Band

2012-01-13T08:02:00.000Z

It Makes No Difference (1975)

Sometimes it's enough to post a song for no other reason than its sheer brilliance; that's certainly the case here with The Band and their beautiful, 'It Makes No Difference'. Written by Robbie Robertson, sung so soulfully by Rick Danko, it's to be found on the album Northern Lights-Southern Cross (1976). There's also a fine live version on the soundtrack to The Last Waltz. Here it is:

This is a song that speaks to your heart. They don't make 'em like that anymore.

Margaret Thatcher

2012-01-12T20:45:00.003Z

There's a film out at the moment starring Meryl Streep as Margaret Thatcher. I've not seen it and I won't be seeing it. I understand that it's not simply a piece of hagiography (although near enough) but, from what I've read, it also fails to question the results of her political policies as British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990. For my money (pun intended), her ideals of rampant capitalism, anti-trade unionism, community destruction and soulless individualism left this country in a state of spiritual disrepair that it has, thus far, failed to recover from. Of course, there is always a chance, with the right people standing up for the right things, that we could yet turn it around. Never despair. I wish Margaret Thatcher no personal ill but I hate all that she stood for as a politician and despise all who sailed with her - from her fellow Tories and co-conspirators in the Institute of Economic Affairs and Centre for Policy Studies to traitors like Blair and his pals who refused to roll back the tide of greed and feelings of hopelessness she gifted to our country. Thanks, Mrs. Thatcher. I hope you're proud of yourself. Some of us have long memories. Enough politics? Enjoy the music.

Elvis Costello 'Tramp The Dirt Down' (1989)

Billy Bragg 'Which Side Are You On?' (1985)

James Holden

2012-01-12T08:06:00.001Z

Idiot (2006)

As promised, here's a track from Border Community label big cheese, James Holden. It's from his 2006 album, The Idiots Are Winning. A big favourite on the Bear MP3 player at the moment. I'd like to dedicate this to Cameron, Clegg and Miliband (and The Welsh Assembly, county councillors and our blessed Royal Family). Schmucks.

Herbie Hancock

2012-01-11T20:56:00.003Z

Watermelon Man (1962)

Watermelon Man (1973)

A study in contrasts. Two versions of Herbie Hancock's 'Watermelon Man', illustrating his mastery of two styles of jazz - hard bop and fusion. Pianist Hancock first recorded the tune for his debut album as band leader, Takin' Off (1962), when he was just 22 years old. This was a couple of years prior to him joining up with Miles Davis in Davis's supreme mid-60's quintet. Hancock worked with Miles for the next few years, turning to electric keyboards for Davis's controversial jazz-rock fusion phase, first heralded on albums like In A Silent Way and Bitches Brew. Through this latter period Hancock continued to lead his own groups and recorded some experimental jazz sounds before getting seriously funky on his Head Hunters album of 1973. Herbie Hancock has, at times, been criticized by jazz snobs for 'selling out' but, surely, if it sounds good it is good, that's all.

Woody Guthrie (1912-1967)

2012-01-11T08:04:00.000Z

Following yesterday's Roscoe Holcomb post my mind was inevitable led to another giant of American folk music who was born 100 years ago this year: Woody Guthrie. So much has been said and written about Guthrie's influence on the folk revival (and 20th Century folk and pop culture in general) that it hardly needs repeating here. I found my way to Woody the way that most people since the 60's have - via Bob Dylan. Listening to the directness, honesty, truth and poetry of his songs, sung in his dry Oklahoman voice, filled with passion and wit, inspired me, as a young man, to both sing and become politically active. Woody Guthrie was like punk rock - get out there and do it! Everything felt possible. Reading his fabulous book, Bound For Glory, and Joe Klein's excellent biography, one learns that Guthrie, along with so many of his contemporaries, suffered great hardship but he always believed in the power of the human spirit to overcome darkness. This is not to say he was perfect: like many of us, he was a very flawed individual who made life difficult for family and friends alike - but when you get to his art, the light shines through. Below are some Woody related treats. Please enjoy

There are only a bare handful of film clips of Woody Guthrie. This one (above) includes a rollicking performance of 'John Henry' in the company of Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee.

I Ain't Got No Home

Singers and musicians have been recording and reinterpreting Woody Guthrie's songs for many years: Dylan famously based his entire early career on Woody and so many others, from Pete Seeger and Ry Cooder to Billy Bragg and Joe Strummer, to name a mere handful, have used Guthrie as their guiding light. One of my favourites is Woody's son, Arlo. who's version of 'Deportee', from his 1972 album, Hobo's Lullaby, has always had a special place in my affections.

Deportee

Roscoe Holcomb (1912-1981)

2012-01-10T08:09:00.000Z

Across The Rocky Mountain (recorded 1972)

Man Of Constant Sorrow (recorded 1961)

This year is the centenary of the birth of the great Roscoe Holcomb, who was born in Kentucky in 1912. He's the man for whom the term 'high lonesome sound' was actually coined and if you listen to these tunes, you will hear why. Haunting, soulful, beautiful. Roscoe sang what is often called 'old time' music, which included hymns, ballads and blues from the folk tradition of Southern USA. He was a master of both banjo and guitar and a massive influence on many artists of the 50's and 60's folk revival. That's Pete Seeger you see with him as he sings 'Across The Rocky Mountain'.

Isao Tomita

2012-01-09T09:28:00.000Z

Clair de Lune (1974)

Isao Tomita (born 1932 in Japan) is a pioneer of electronic music who's ground-breaking use of Moog Synthesizer to interpret orchestral scores by classical composers pointed the way for the use of synths in pop and ambient music as well as the later Trance sounds of the 90's and beyond. 'Clair de Lune' is from his album Snowflakes Are Dancing (1974), which consists of arrangements of the works of Claude Debussy. These tracks can take you away on poetic reverie that's good for the heart and soul.

Faust

2012-01-08T16:33:00.001Z

The Faust Tapes (1973)
'Stretch Out Time'/'Flashback Caruso'

Faust were a German avant-garde band of experimentalists who came up in the late 60's along with other, so called, Krautrock groups such as Amon Duul 2, Kraftwerk, Can and Tangerine Dream. For all the rampant weirdness that these great bands laid down, Faust were definitely at the extreme end of it all. These pieces are actually two of the more conventional tracks on the album, which, in its vinyl form, comprised a side each of tunes, stitched together into a sound collage.

I must have come across the album in about '75, when I was still mostly listening to more mainstream rock, such as Black Sabbath, Yes and Deep Purple. Virgin Records put it out as a cheap budget release, retailing, I believe, at 49p (around the same time, I purchased another Virgin budget release, Camembert Electrique by Gong, which really opened my mind). Even then, I picked up my copy of The Faust Tapes secondhand at a market bookshop I used to frequent, so I couldn't have paid much at all for it. It did make a big impression on me and prompted some sound experimentation from myself and my mate, Ben, which I recall we recorded onto a cassette and dumped in a few racks of unsuspecting record shops. The problem was that the only equipment we possessed was an acoustic guitar, an up-right piano and a melodica, so we would drop the mic from the cassette player down inside the piano and the sound hole of the guitar and get as much distorted noise as possible. Of course, it was terrible rubbish. Faust, on the other hand, sometimes touched greatness, espcially when they got out the pneumatic drills!

Jethro Tull

2012-01-07T09:44:00.000Z

Songs from the Wood (1977)

Just as the righteous storm of punk broke all over Britain, Jethro Tull, prog dinosaurs of this parish, replied with...a folk-rock album. Let's be serious, Ian Anderson, flute playing, cod-piece wearing leader of the band named after the inventor of the seed-drill, was never going to hit back with a Ramones style half-hour of buzz-saw guitars and gobbing. Shame, really. No matter - because if you are open hearted and big-minded enough to dig a bit of prime prog-folk, this is glorious indeed. The title track sets us up nicely for a journey into the darker bye-ways of Olde England and, in a sense, is so 'out of time' it's almost perverse. At the time, like so many others, I just laughed and hid my Tull albums behind Never Mind The Bollocks and Horses but that was just the folly of youth. Don your cod-pieces! I've it said before and I'll say it again, you can't beat a nice bit of flute.

Seams

2012-01-06T20:57:00.000Z

Hung Markets (2010)

Seams has been brought to my attention by Madam Mim, who pointed out to me that he has worked with Gold Panda (see post below). I toddled off and did a little research to find that Seams is an electro musician who has also worked with the excellent James Holden of the Border Community label (more on both Holden and Border Community soon but if you check the post I did on Nathan Fake some time ago, you'll begin to get the picture). All these great connections. 'Hung Markets' is from an album called Tourist (2010), which Seams a while back after spending time in Berlin. This is good stuff. Thanks, Mim!

Lal & Mike Waterson

2012-01-06T09:36:00.000Z

The Scarecrow (1972)

The Waterson's are arguably the first family of English folk music. Their music, rooted in the North Yorkshire mists, soil and sea, has had an enormous influence on so many other artists of the folk revival that the landscape of English folk would have been utterly different without them. Together, the core of the family, siblings Mike, Lal and Norma (later along with Norma's husband, the legendary Martin Carthy), they made some simply fabulous records that are a must for all fans of trad. folk song. The group took a brief hiatus in the early 70's and one of the fruits of this break was the beautiful album, Bright Phoebus (1972), written and performed by Mike and Lal. This was where we first glimpsed the haunting originality of their own songs, as you can hear on 'The Scarecrow' and, below, on 'Fine Horseman'. Please explore. Incredibly, I believe the album remains unavailable, which is a travesty. Sadly, Mike died last year, following Lal into music heaven.

Fine Horseman (1972)

Nick Drake

2012-01-04T08:43:00.000Z

Pink Moon (1972)

Title song from Nick Drake's third and final album. Apart from the slight piano motif you hear, all you get on the remainder of this brilliant and very dark record is Nick, his voice and guitar. By '72 , Nick Drake had become very withdrawn and quite probably deeply depressed. He'd given up attempting to play live some time before, would go missing for long periods and was generally worrying his friends and associates with his behaviour. The album was recorded quickly over two days following a brief stay at Chris Blackwell's Portuguese holiday home, which, it was hoped, would raise Nick's spirits and health. What he he came up with was an apocalyptic masterpiece that proved to be his swan song. Breath taking - like Robert Johnson is reborn in Middle England.

Focus

2012-01-03T22:13:00.001Z

Dutch prog rockers Focus were one of the most innovative groups of any era but their peak was undoubtedly in the 1970's when they had both founder/leader Thijs Van Leer (keyboards/flute/vocals) and Jan Akkerman (guitar) in the line-up. Their influences ranged from classical to jazz via rock and roll and folk and are probably best remembered today for their wild 'yodelling' hit, 'Hocus Pocus' (1972). Akkerman was very interested in traditional music, especially that of the Medieval and Renaissance eras, which is something he spent more time pursuing when he left the band in 1977 and to honour that great man of the guitar here are two of his mellower tunes from early albums Focus III (1972) and Moving Waves (or Focus II) (1972). Sit back and let the strains of the day wash away with Focus.

Elspeth of Nottingham (1972)

Janis (1971)

Tape

2012-01-02T18:11:00.001Z

Moth Wings (2008)

Enchantingly lovely track from Tape's album, Luminarium (2008). Tape, like Abba and Volvos, are from Sweden and I suppose they fall into the vague 'post-rock' category, where you'd also find the likes of latter day Talk Talk and Sigur Ros. I've been enjoying Luminarium on the drive to work of late and have found it to be the perfect panacea to the bullshit of the daily grind. Please take the time to enjoy this.

Gold Panda

2012-01-01T09:33:00.000Z

You (2010)

Gold Panda is an electro musician from Essex and 'You' is from his album, Lucky Shiner (2010), which was his first full-length release. Working basically in the minimalist/glitch/IDM area, Gold Panda makes sounds that appeal to these ears greatly and I shall be eagerly anticipating new material in 2012.

Josh Rouse

2011-12-31T11:19:00.000Z

1972 (2003)

We're going through the changes
Hoping for a replacement
Until we find a way out of this hole

Ruminative - the act of pondering; meditation.

New Year's eve and, having already gorged myself on a set from Miles Davis's classic mid-60's quintet (check out Live in Europe 1967 if you haven't already), I looked for contrast and flipped a mini-album by Chester into the tray. Chester was a short-lived project led by Josh Rouse and Lambchop's Kurt Wagner. Anyway, this isn't quite the point. One thing often leads on to another and I inevitably searched out my copy of Rouse's lovely album 1972 (2003), something I haven't heard for a while. It's a beautiful folk-pop record that somehow captures some of the feel of the era it's named after in its rootsy but smooth production. It makes me feel good, even in or, perhaps, because of, its more reflective moments. Let's hope for more good feelings in 2012. Happy New Year and a huge thank you to all who have taken the time to read my words this past year.

A Message From Bob

2011-12-25T09:20:00.003Z

Bob Dylan

The Innocence Mission

2011-12-24T11:13:00.001Z

O Little Town of Bethlehem (2011)

A peaceful Christmas to you all.

Festive Folk

2011-12-22T22:24:00.000Z

The Watersons - Here We Come A-Wassailing (1965)

From their debut album, Frost and Fire (1965), Hull's Waterson family sing in the new year with a slice of rural tradition.

Best Jansch - In The Bleak Midwinter (1974)

We lost Bert this year - here's his version of Christina Rosetti's hymn, set to music by Gustav Holst. Thanks for all the great tunes, Bert.

The Flaming Lips

2011-12-21T08:49:00.002Z

Christmas at the Zoo (1995)

Just in case some poor soul has only stumbled down here in error, can I reassure you that I do normally put more effort into my posts, which can be infuriatingly rambling affairs at least nominally related music. In the run up to Christmas, however, due to the general chaos of the season and a shit-load of other stuff you don't want to know about, I'm just offering some festive treats. So, here's Wayne Coyne and the gang with 'Christmas at the Zoo' from Clouds Taste Metallic (1995).

The Fall Remember Those Less Fortunate In The Season of Good Will

2011-12-20T19:18:00.001Z

No Christmas for John Quays (1979)

There is no Christmas for John Quays
No girls
No curls
Just the traffic passing by
Bye bye bye bye bye bye bye bye
1,2,3,4
No Christmas for John Quays

Eek-A-Mouse Sends Us A Reggae Christmas

2011-12-20T08:44:00.004Z

The Night Before Christmas

Nothing like the sounds of JA over the Christmas hols. I hope to be grooving to this when I'm unwrapping my new tam and playing with my new nyahbinghi drum set. Jah lives!

Don Charles Presents - The Singing Dogs

2011-12-19T21:20:00.002Z

Jingle Bells (late 50's)

My fellow melodic mammals produced this beauty back in the 50's. Enough said.

Love from The Roches

2011-12-19T09:38:00.002Z

Winter Wonderland (1990)

One of the loveliest of all Christmas records is We Three Kings (1990) by The Roches. Chock full of delights, the New York based sisters can be relied upon to add fun to any gathering with this fine album. Here's their take on 'Winter Wonderland', which was a regular in their wintery set when they were busking around the Big Apple.

Tom Waits Sends Yule-Tide Greetings

2011-12-18T09:53:00.000Z

Christmas Card from a Hooker in Minneapolis (1978)

Seasonal fare from Mr. Waits, to be found on his album, Blue Valentine (1978).

Bob Dylan Gets Festive

2011-12-17T08:12:00.002Z

Must Be Santa (2009)

Not only is he the most important popular music artist of the last century or so, Bob Dylan also made the best Christmas album ever a couple of years ago. More seasonal kicks soon.

Best of 2011: Tune Doctor

2011-12-16T17:03:00.001Z

If anyone is interested in hearing some of the tracks that have moved me most this year, then go to the very fine Tune Doctor blog, where those good people have been kind enough to include my ramblings on their guest list. Then you can read the thoughts of the Tune Doctor team on the great things they have heard this year in the complete set of 2011 Tune Doctor 'best of' posts.

Greg Lake

2011-12-16T08:22:00.000Z

I Believe in Father Christmas (1975)

I make a concession to the season of good will to all men and bring you my favourite Christmas song, 'I Believe in Father Christmas' by Greg Lake. Lake was vocalist and bass player in Prog Rock monsters, ELP, but his biggest singles chart success came with this beauty which, whilst musically capturing the spirit of the season managed to spread a peppering of reality dust lyrically. There have been some utter monstrosities at No. 1 over Christmas time, this, happily is one of the truly deserving. Have a good one.

Nancy Priddy

2011-12-15T09:55:00.000Z

Ebony Glass (1968)

Musician and actress Nancy Priddy made her debut album, You've Come This Way Before, in 1968. She'd started out in the mid-60's, performing in Greenwich Village clubs with The Bitter End Singers and seemed uncertain whether to throw her energies into singing or acting but did come up with a classic album of 'psychedelic folk- jazz- pop' (my own ugly invention to describe what she did) which no one bought. Nancy dropped out of the music world in order to raise her daughter, the actress Christina Applegate, did some minor film and TV work but did come back in 2008 with an album called Christina's Carousel. I heartily recommend You've Come This Way Before, which is where you'll find the spooky 'Ebony Glass'.

Langley Schools Music Project

2011-12-15T07:57:00.001Z

Desperado (recorded 1976, released on CD 2001)

This one comes from an album that reached us a few years ago, recorded in the 70's by a Canadian music teacher and his pupils. Basically, this 'too cool for school' bloke decided to give the kids a shot at covering what were hits of the period and before and the result is, perhaps surprisingly, good. Not all the tracks get too far beyond the merely kitsch but there are some moments that can be considered transcendental, including this heartbreaking version of 'Desperado', far better than any other attempt I've heard. Perhaps some people listened to Langley Schools Music Project with an ironic ear but, for me, this is very good art. The album is titled, Innocence and Despair, which is perfect.

Spacedog

2011-12-14T23:31:00.002Z

For Laika (2011)

Spacedog are an English experimental music group consisting of Sarah Angliss (composer, roboticist, theramin and other), Stephen Hiscock (composer, percussion) and Jenny Angliss (vocals). They have very recently released their first album, Juice for the Baby (2011) and are influenced by TV, folk tales and Tommy Cooper. This beautifully mournful tune is their homage to Laika, the first animal to orbit the earth, who died in a Soviet Sputnik spacecraft in 1957. Spacedog are named in memory of Laika.

Smith & Mighty

2011-12-14T07:54:00.000Z

Walk On By (1988)

An early release from Bristol's Rob Smith and Ray Mighty, this is a cover of the Bacharach and David classic done over break beat style. Smith and Mighty were a duo of producers/musicians who were an integral part of the development of the 'Bristol Sound', which was made famous by Massive Attack, Tricky and Portishead. They released a handful of excellent albums through the 90's and into the 21st Century but I think they have been inactive as a partnership for a few years now. I recommend all their recordings.

Yes

2011-12-13T08:02:00.001Z

Then (1970)

Before all the Prog nay-sayers in the universe turn this off without giving it a chance, I ask you to just stay your hands and go with it. Yes went on to create massive, neo-symphonic rock suites that aren't everyone's cup of tea (though, much of it hits the spot for this listener) but their first couple of albums are filled with concise jazz-influenced rock of the highest calibre. 'Then', a song written by singer Jon Anderson, is from their second album, Time and a Word (1970), which featured Tony Kaye on keyboards (eventually replaced by Rick Wakeman) and Peter Banks on guitar who is not in the video as his replacement, Steve Howe, was in situ by the time it was filmed. To add to the confusion, bassist, Chris Squire, mimes the keyboards whilst Kaye messes about on the bass. To complete the line-up, that's the incredible Bill Bruford on drums. After Time and a Word things definitely got super-proggy but I'd recommend the early stuff to all lovers of fine music.

Fossil Collective

2011-12-12T07:59:00.001Z

On and On (2010)

Fossil Collective are Leeds based duo, David Fendick and Jonny Hooker. They used to be part of an indie-band called Vib Gyor but as that project folded in 2010 Fossil Collective rose. They make highly agreeable folk-tinged melodic rock with hints of Midlake, Neil Young and (ahem) Fleetwood Mac. They are very good and are a band to watch out for in 2012. 'On and On' is from their debut EP, Honey Slides (2010). Here's 'Without a Fight' from the same recording.

Robert Wyatt

2011-12-11T21:30:00.001Z

Solar Flares Burn For You (1973)

I post this video as much for the visuals as the music, although the sounds are splendid, coming from the heart of the wonderful Robert Wyatt. This track, later reworked for the 1975 album, Ruth Is Stranger Than Richard, acted as musical accompaniment to a short experimental film by Arthur Johns which documents a melange of contrasting urban, semi-rural and natural images and some general weirdness. All very much of its time and pretty groovy for that.

Ivor Cutler

2011-12-11T09:19:00.001Z

Women of the World (1983)

From Wales we travel to Scotland to encounter the land of oats and kilts' finest poet, Ivor Cutler. This one goes out to all the ladies in the audience. It's short and sweet, so won't delay you long but the message hits home. Ivor Cutler was a multi-talented master of music and mirth with a heavy-duty maudlin/surreal view of life. He started out as a teacher at the famed 'free-school', Summerhill (founded by educationalist, A.S. Neill), but found fame in the 60's and 70's for his odd-ball but highly compassionate poems, songs and art work. In my book, a genius. Happy Sunday. Dedicated to Baby Bear, who's birthday it is today.

The Sun Also Rises

2011-12-10T17:58:00.004Z

Taste of Jesamine and Suicide (1970)

Told you there'd be more Welsh music soon...here it is! I was pointed in the direction of psyche-folk duo The Sun Also Rises (Graham and Anne Hemingway - hence the band name) by my mate Paul, who, I believe, knows these good people somehow or other. I'd not heard of them before but, apparently, they were active in the Cardiff area in the late 60's and early 70's and were clearly under the spell of The Incredible String Band (and various substances, one suspects). Beautifully freaked out in ways that really should be getting their sole, eponymous, album a new hearing. Nice.

Man

2011-12-10T17:23:00.000Z

Day and Night (1975)

I've felt as though I really have neglected the music of my adopted homeland of late, so I've been thinking about some of my favourite Welsh groups. My mind, inevitably, began to ponder the likes of Super Furry Animals, Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, Manic Street Preachers (at least up until about 1999), Young Marble Giants, Amen Corner and more but I just didn't feel like focusing on any of those right now, so I came back to the group I consider to be the finest that the land of song has ever produced - Man.

Man formed in the late 60's and created a number of totally classic psychedelia tinged albums, which gave a very firm nod to American West Coast bands like Quicksilver Messenger Service and Grateful Dead, as well as picking up on more obvious British sounds of the era. They went through a host of line-ups but the vital core of the band was always the ever-present Mickey Jones (lead guitar/vocals), Deke Leonard (guitar/vocals) and Terry Williams (drums). By 1975 they had simplified their sound a little and, with Ken Whaley on bass, they made the very fine Slow Motion album, which cut down on the improvisation and extended solos (which was a shame) but had some really very good song-writing and playing. The band only lasted one for one more album after this as punk rock swept all before it but they reformed in the 80's and have carried on in one form of another ever since. Sadly, the mighty Mickey Jones, who was reputed to be one of Frank Zappa's favourite guitarists, passed away a couple of years ago.

More Welsh rock soon.

Bobbie Gentry/The Geraldine Fibbers: Fancy

2011-12-09T08:01:00.000Z

Bobbie Gentry 'Fancy' (1970)

Bobbie Gentry was writer of the wonderful 'Ode To Billie Joe', the groovy 'Mississippi' and, this, the tale of a young southern, 'white trash', girl who's mother encourages her to take the only way she can see out of poverty's prison, 'Fancy'. Gentry was a big name at the end of the 60's, even making it to MOR TV success despite being, at heart, an incredible funky and truthful musician. Strangely and, as far as I can tell, inexplicably, she seems to have dropped out of the whole 'showbiz' thing within a few years of her initial success and has hardly been heard of since. If anyone knows why, I'd be interested to know. 'Fancy' is, quite simply, a fabulous and touching song.

The Geraldine Fibbers 'Fancy' (1995)

90's alt.country band, The Geraldine Fibbers, released their version of 'Fancy' as a single in 1995. Check it out, it's bloody hot. Don't be put off by the 9.21 track time, it's only half that, so well worth your indulgence. I only wish it WAS that long.

Bruce Springsteen: Adam Raised a Cain

2011-12-08T11:30:00.003Z

Original from Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978)

Live 2009

Wasting time today in preparation for the late shift at work, I did something I rarely do and slapped on some Bruce Springsteen. It's not that I have anything against Bruce, I just don't listen to him often. I really like the stuff he did up to Born In The USA, which, production-wise at least, I found a bit of a turn off. Since then (which is a long time, I know), my interest in 'The Boss' and his work has been pretty limited but I'm sure there are good things I need to sit down and listen to one day.

I'm in a bit of a quiet rage today, with one thing and another, so I'm putting up two versions of my favourite ever Bruce Springsteen song, 'Adam Raised a Cain' from what I think is his best album, Darkness on the Edge of Town (1978). Aside from the excellent writing, what I like best about Darkness is that it lacks some of the earlier bombast that I associate with Bruce. I know you have to love 'Born To Run' and 'Thunder Road' etc. but it can all get a bit too much. For me, Darkness is closer to reality and, thus, that little bit more effective. Listening to 'Adam' at full blast just now, I haven't changed my mind. This song suits the howling weather, too.

Belbury Poly

2011-12-07T22:08:00.001Z

Owls and Flowers (2006)

As United crash out of the Champions League in the group stage following a defeat to lowly Basel, I go in search of solace in the grooves of the second album by Ghost Box Records favourites, Belbury Poly. This is a track from their long player, The Owl's Map (2006), which is a beautifully disturbing and enchanting record that takes me back to the uneasiness of childhood days. Belbury Poly is the recording name of Ghost Box's Jim Jupp, who manages to create a peculiarly English sound that, at once, references TV soundtracks, folk song and prog rock. Splendid.

Horace Silver

2011-12-07T08:41:00.002Z

Song For My Father (1964)

Time for a little more jazz, methinks. Pianist and composer, Horace Silver, was a leading player in the 'Hard Bop' movement of the 50's and 60's, where the more wild ornamentation of be-bop gave way to a stripped down and funky sound that came out of gospel and the blues. A denizen of the legendary Blue Note label, Silver's music typifies all that was cool and spiffingly great about jazz of the period, which also saw fine hard bop recordings by the likes of Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Art Blakey before the former pair's more experimental nature took jazz off in new directions by the mid-60's. 'Song For My Father', from the album of the same name, was clearly a big influence on Steely Dan (and they know a thing or two about good music).

Pulp

2011-12-06T20:24:00.002Z

Babies (1992)

Featured on Pulp's best album, His 'n' Hers (1994), this is the original mix of 'Babies' which was released as a single in 1992. One of my favourite songs of the 90's, this, for me, sums up all that was great about Pulp - humour, class consciousness, intelligence, a little sadness and excellent social observation, all wrapped up in a majestic tune. Although the band went 'mega' with Different Class (1995), for me, they reached their peak just before this and seemed uncomfortable with fame and being lumped in with the 'Brit Pop' scene. Pulp had to wait a long time for the success they deserved but maybe it wasn't as much fun as they'd hoped. Not sure what the current status of the band, although they did play some gigs recently, so maybe Jarvis Cocker will give them another go around and treat us all to more revelations form his peculiar mind.

Melody Gardot

2011-12-04T21:36:00.001Z

Our Love Is Easy (2009)

One of the most beautiful love songs I have ever heard. Melody Gardot is a fabulous jazz singer and songwriter from Philadelphia, USA. 'Our Love is Easy' is from her superb second full-length album, My One and Only Thrill (2009). Whenever I listen to Ms. Gardot I have dreams of walking through rainy Parisian streets in the early hours of the morning, possibly with a beautiful woman on my arm (or alone if I'm feeling particularly existential). There is a fascinating back-story to Melody's career to date but as I may have told this already so I won't go into it here. If you are interested, just look her up on the old internet. I'd have to say that she is, in my opinion, one of the finest talents in the music world today. This is real singing, chums.

Midlake

2011-12-04T09:41:00.002Z

Rulers, Ruling All Things (2010)

Slow off the mark with Midlake, I'm afraid, but this is a story of odd synchronicity, which is more common than you might think and has been a theme through much of my life. Take what you have gathered from coincidence.

I do recall an old friend of mine mentioning Midlake somewhere back down the rusty road and I have some kind of memory of seeing them on the telly but, being a bit averse to the new(ish) folk thing once I heard Fleet Foxes in Starbucks one day (I know, I shouldn't have been there either), I have not bothered to find out more about them. Anyway, about two or three weeks ago, I thought, 'let's give this Midlake thing a go,' and duly checked them out on 'the' YouTube only to find myself knocked out by their sound, which reminds me of a bunch of backwoodsmen who've been locked in a cabin with nothing but early Fairport Convention to listen to and C.S. Lewis's Allegory of Love for reading matter. I buy their last two albums second hand, love them, then comes the regular odd bit. My mate Paul tells me he heard a band whilst checking out a hippy record shop in Totnes looking for Ron Sexsmith, thinks they are called something-lake; he was very impressed by them, have I heard them? What?! We've been through this before with Quintessence, Paul (we must be the only Quintessence fans in a two hundred mile geographic area). So, now we share Midlake in common, too. Freaks, eh? This is from their most recent album, The Courage of Others (2010).

Bill Fay

2011-12-01T07:48:00.000Z

I Thought I Heard Someone (2009)

I've posted about the great Bill Fay before (it's possible these posts were in previous incarnations of this blog, so a 'search' here may not help). He's a massive favourite of mine and, truly, one of the finest 'lost artists' in that questionable sub-genre, beloved of music journalists everywhere (especially in MOJO and Uncut). A brief summary: Bill Fay made two albums across the late 60's and early 70's, both of which are superb and then disappeared completely. He resurfaced very, very briefly in the early 80's, releasing another fine collection before fading into the ether once more. How he has kept the wolf from the door in all these times, I've no idea. Perhaps he stacked shelves in Tesco or was a professional gambler. No matter. A couple of years ago, Bill popped up again, well into his sixties, and gave us a double album which was a mix of old but previously unreleased material and some new songs as well. This is one of the new ones. To my knowledge, Bill's only live appearance in recent times came a few years ago at a Wilco concert in London where he performed his beautiful 'Be Not So Fearful' with the band.

Miles Davis

2011-11-30T10:53:00.004Z

Stella By Starlight (1958)

Last night, my job, perhaps surprisingly, took me to a lovely little jazz session by local musicians who get together once a month to jam. I know - nice work if you can get it - if only you knew the sad, mundane reality. Anyway, it was a very pleasant evening, spent with pleasant people in pleasant surroundings, so I ain't complainin'. Most of the tunes they hit were jazz standards, people bringing along their own charts for the fellows to follow and this, played without chordal or melodic guidance as far as I could see, was one of them. The guy on the piano, who came up from the floor and was not one of the 'house band', played it beautifully and improvised nicely too. This is the version by Miles Davis's late 50's sextet with John Coltrane (tenor sax), Cannonball Adderley (alto sax), Bill Evans (piano), Paul Chambers (bass) and Jimmy Cobb (drums), which, if my memory serves me well, was the basic line-up for the sessions that created the incredible Kind of Blue (1959). I always say that there is nothing to match the sound of Miles's trumpet - nothing.

Les Crane/Richard Harris

2011-11-30T09:11:00.001Z

Two more greats from the odder regions of Bear Mansions. The first, Les Crane's seminal take of the poem, 'Desiderata', was a favourite when I was a kid playing singles on the old radiogram. I remember it being on the vibrant green Warner Brothers label (also home to my copies of America's 'Horse With No Name' and 'School's Out' by Alice Cooper, trivia fans). My mum loves this and I think she probably bought it back then. This is for you, mum.

Desiderata (1972)

'Didn't We', by Richard Harris is from the brilliant album he recorded with Jimmy Webb, who wrote all the songs, called A Tramp Shining (1968). His most famous song is probably the deservedly lauded 'MacArthur Park' but this is great, too, dripping, as it does, with pain and pathos. You have to love Mr. Harris.

Didn't We (1968)

William Shatner

2011-11-28T20:31:00.002Z

Common People (2004)

Rent a flat above a shop,
cut your hair and get a job.
Smoke some fags and play some pool,
pretend you never went to school

In 1968, when James T. Kirk was lighting up our skies with the U.S.S. Enterprise and its spaced-out crew, William Shatner released an album called The Transformed Man, which has become something of a cult classic, containing, as it does, camp and hammy spoken-word interpretations of the likes of Shakespeare, Bob Dylan and The Beatles. It was so good, of course, that Bill just had to follow it up with an album called Has Been (2004), made in collaboration with Ben Folds (so blame him). I was driving along the other day and heard this on the radio - Shatner's supreme take on Pulp's 'Common People'. Simply amazing. I could not believe my ears - I LOVE it. It also features vocals by Joe Jackson (the fine English singer-songwriter, not Jacko's dad). Must get the album.