The Endless Note

Split Personalitxy

2007-07-06T09:57:00.001+01:00

2007-06-30T15:28:00.001+01:00

The Endless Note Has Moved

2007-06-01T16:37:00.000+01:00

This blog has for the present relocated, we may be back here in the not too distant future, however, in the meantime you can keep up to date with us and enjoy new and old music and videos and the ramblings and recollections of an old fool by re-directing your browser to:-

"Helpless Dancer's The Endless Note"

The Blues - Frankie Miller

2007-05-30T07:44:00.001+01:00

Today is a journey to the edge of the blues, Frankie Miller may not be the first name that comes to mind when talking about the blues.

Miller is without doubt one of Scotland, if not the world's, greatest vocalists, his is a unique and strong voice which can project both power and intimacy in equal measures.

Steeped in R&B/Stax his albums were often patchy but as a songwriter he also produced some excellent songs which have over the years been covered by many artists, "Ain't Got No Money" from the above album "The Rock" being an ideal example as a big hit for Bob Seger and as such is a deserving "Track of the Day".

The Last Goodbye

2007-05-29T11:20:00.000+01:00

Ten years ago today Jeff Buckley was lost to this world, for an artist with only one full album "Grace" released to the public, the loss would not be fully appreciated until his continued influence grew, we can only wonder what form his ever evolving music would have taken in the last ten years.

The "Track of the Day" must be "The Last Goodbye" which you can enjoy on video below:-

Steven Lindsay Update

2007-05-29T08:27:00.001+01:00

When posting the recent blog on Steven Lindsay I mistakenly when cutting and pasting omitted the originators credit and link which I rightly normally provide when passing on quality articles.

Therefore apologies to Duncan, particularily when the article was so good and helped promote a artist who deserves so much more critcal and commercial acclaim.

You can link below to Duncan's original article to see it in it's full glory.

http://www.londonist.com/archives/2007/03/interview_steve.php

Birthday Boy!

2007-05-28T10:19:00.000+01:00

It's my main man's 6th birthday today can't believe time has flown by so quick.

Normal posting will be resumed tomorrow, in the meantine click over to "Helpless Dancer" for some more birthday media.

Helpless Dancer's New Blog

2007-05-27T19:46:00.000+01:00

We have a new site up and running though under test for a period of time, this will provide greater and easier access to the music we love via sound and video files.

After a suitable test period we will make a decision as to which site we will commit to in the longer term.

Feedback on preferences or opinion would be appreciated, the site is still under construction so the finished article for comparison may be a few days away.

In the meantime you can check out what's there by using the link below:-

"Helpless Dancer"

The Evidence

2007-05-27T13:36:00.000+01:00

A Grand Day Out

2007-05-26T09:13:00.000+01:00

Pass the cheese Gromit!

It's Scottish Cup Final Day today, though don't know how much I will see as it's probably going to be a bit of a heavy day all round.

In the meantime enjoy a Scottish Folk classic appropriate for cup final day from the great Matt McGinn and look out later for live posts from the depths of inebriation!

The Blues - Cyril Davies

2007-05-25T09:46:00.000+01:00

Cyril Davies the blues harp maestro is one of the unsung heroes of British Blues his early death in 1964 at the young age of 31 deprived him the opportunnity to progress further and earn the respect of his past work and no doubt the work he would have produced.

He was a total blues fundamentalist steeped in the traditions of Leadbelly he was somewhat scathing in the rock and roll approach to blues and was scathing of The Stones plagerism, a young Jagger once asked him how to bend noted and was dismissed with "get a pair of f***ing pliers".

He founded the London Skiffle Club in 1955 where he met Alexis Korner with whom he was to team up with in Blues Incorporated and was the shining light and ispiration in the legendary 1962 recording "R&B At The Marquee".

He left shortly after this release to form his own "All Stars" with Long John Baldry, sadly there was only time for two singles and an EP before his death from leukaemia, but his amplified harmonica playing inspired the next generation of brit-bluesers most notably the also departed Duster Bennett

A canadian fan maintains a very informative web page in his memory which you can link to below:-

http://www.cyrildavies.com/

Enjoy a couple of tracks from "R&B From The Marquee" below:-

Nick Drake Cover

2007-05-24T15:24:00.000+01:00

My recent Nick Drake posts on the forthcoming "Family Tree" compilation attracted a fair amount of interest with one poster, a good friend of mine Big Rab, highlighting the great "Way To Blue".

I will therefore stand back, light the torch and await with interest comments and views on this cover of that very song undertaken by no other than Elton John back in 1968.

Records That Changed The World - Bob Marley & The Wailers

2007-05-24T13:22:00.000+01:00

The music of Bob Marley & The Wailers had a far reaching influence, to Marley music had a purpose beyond pure entertainment, his aim was to reach out and try to bring together people no matter what colour or creed.

"Exodus"(1977) was the album that went a long way to helping him close in on his goal.

It was without doubt the first major cross over reggae album bought by listeners who had never been exposed to reggae before, it may not be his best, or even my favourite, album but it did expose him to a massive new audience around the world as such the importance of this album is it's universal message, it broke all barriers. One Love.

The Blues - Rory Gallagher

2007-05-24T08:55:00.001+01:00

Rory Gallagher is without doubt one of the key foundations to my musical education, as such I need to bore you with a bit of reminiscing in order to place his level of importance to me in context.

As an only child I had no older brothers or sisters to influence my music intake as a youngster therefore during the early 60's my listening was determined often by what was coming out my mothers transistor radio in the kitchen.

Corgi cars, train sets and subbuteo dominated my mind therefore when something musical did hit through it tended to be either via a movie such Mary Poppins (send the men in white coats now) or something through the radio which was "catchy".

The Beatles "She Loves You" was sung at great volume purely for the "Yeah Yeah Yeah" same applied to many other songs of the time.

By 1970 the playground in the school had awakened me to Top of the Pops which soon brought the delights of Glam with Slade, Sweet and I confess Middle of the Road suddenly been seen as more than just noises from the radio that were catchy. It is fair to say that unless something was heard on the radio or seen on TOTP I would be blissfully unaware of it.

My iPod still carries some gems from this innocent era almost as "Guilty Pleasures" or as aide memoirs to the golden age of long hot sunny summers.

Things changed when I went to the big school, there my first new friend was a guy called Hugh Fraser (Shug) who had an older sister who was going out with Billy Porterfield a drummer in a local band. Shug was well into rock, the only rock I was aware of was that which we brought bavk from Blackpool, and with the fashion for lending and swapping albums I was soon immersed into this new found music.

My first proper "rock" album was Wishbone Ash's "Argus" and even to this day it remains one of my all time favourites. I am finally getting to the point because my next album was "Rory Gallagher - Live In Europe" now this introduced me to the concept of "live" albums and though I didn't actually know it at the time it was my first encounter with the blues, live albums (especially doubles or god forbid triples), gatefold sleeves and the blues have been amongst my passions ever since!

"Bullfrog Blues" and "Pistol Slapper Blues" were my first blues experiences and the former remains one of the best live performances even to this day.

Rory's second live album, this time a double, "Irish Tour '74" is preferred by many critics and at the time was duly added to my ever increasing collection of albums sponsored mainly by my grandpa who over the years had found himself moving from pieces for my train set, through subbuteo teams to these weird looking and awful sounding records!

Rory Gallagher remains a passion for me and it remains an ambition to visit the "Taste" cafe in Cork which is themed on him, "Taste" of course being the band he was in before going solo.

He was aborn guitarist, like Claption he was a total natural, the instrument was part of his body, however, he never stopped listening and learning and perfecting and personalising the age old techniques of the blues in it's infinite variety.

Defender of the blues
by Anil Prasad
Interview date: March 22, 1991
© Copyright 1991 by Anil Prasad. All rights reserved.

June 14, 1995 was a blue day for the blues. On that date, Rory Gallagher, one of the most influential and passionate blues-rock performers of all time, departed from this sphere. At 47, Gallagher was a victim of both liver failure and music industry apathy.

The self-taught musician first came to great acclaim as the leader of Taste, an enormously successful late '60s rock trio. The band was a fixture at London's Marquee Club where it wasn't out of the ordinary to see John Lennon standing in awe with the rest of the enraptured audience. Taste sold several million albums before disbanding in 1970.

The '70s and early '80s saw the Irishman release many remarkable, scorching solo albums including Tattoo, Blueprint and Calling Card. Other highlights included his work on Muddy Waters and Albert King records. He also won Melody Maker's top musician award—dethroning Eric Clapton in the process. And performers including Jeff Beck, Jimmy Page and Paul Rodgers regularly cited his rollicking guitarwork and gritty vocals as key influences.

But the mid-to-late '80's weren't kind to Gallagher. Faced with record label disinterest and changing musical tastes, Gallagher's sales and audience declined. But that started to change with the release of 1990's Fresh Evidence. The disc lived up to its name as it delivered an enthralling, uncompromising collection of Gallagher originals full of ripping electric and acoustic workouts. It held great potential to re-establish Gallagher as one of the most potent blues-rock forces in the business. A new record deal with IRS for North America and increasing media coverage seemed to foretell of great things to come. Unfortunately, a decline in his health prevented him from enjoying the fruits of his labor.

News reports stated Gallagher's liver had been damaged over the years by accidental overdoses of prescription medicine. He underwent a liver transplant operation in April of 1995. He never fully recovered from the procedure and died two months later.

Rory Gallagher's body failed him, but his musical soul continues to triumph. The music, memories and magic live on in his many recordings and in the hearts and minds of millions around the world.

Records That Changed The World - The Doors

2007-05-23T08:42:00.000+01:00

Released in 1967 "The Doors" was a classic debut album, recorded in 10 days it exhibits a band at a time when it had so much energy and which didn't fit into the laid back "love and peace" hippy summer of love vibe which had overtaken at least West Coast America.

The band had almost a jazz background but with a singer/poet in Jim Morrison who was the ultimate showman. Whilst steeped in the blues the band recorded an album which tilted it's hat to the blues ("Back Door Man" being the Willie Dixon song made famous by Howlin' Wolf and "Break On Through" was based on "Shake Your Money Maker") but which stretched out in all different directions ultimately being the template for such bands as Echo and the Bunnymen and many more shoe gazing bed sit folks through the seventies to the present time.

The Doors sound is unique and whist their flame burned only a short time it burned bright.

As such the "Track of the Day" has to be their cover of "Back Door Man" which you can watch below:-

The Blues - Howlin' Wolf

2007-05-23T08:01:00.001+01:00

Howlin' Wolf at 6'4" was an imposing figure with a voice to match his physique and a harmonica style drenched in the sounds of the streets of Chicago.

His debut collection of singles "Moanin' At The Moon" was released in 1959 and included the Chess classic "Smokestack Lightnin'" with it's now legendary guitar riff from Hubert Sumlin, the song was a constant live favourite from the Yardbirds both with Clapton and Beck on guitar.

The Wolf was the most influential bluesman in his own state of Mississippi, even today local singers still imitate his growling vocals.

It was his second collection of singles "Howlin' Wolf" (known as the Rocking Chair Album due to the cover) which when released in 1962 that had the biggest impact on the growing British blues scene. By this time The Wolf had teamed up with Willie Dixon and tracks such as "Spoonful", "The Red Rooster", "Going Down Slow", "Tell Me" and "Back Door Man" would be covered and aired in all the blues clubs of the time.

Next to Robert Johnson The Wolf is probably Clapton's next biggest influence and "Spoonful" was duly covered in the Cream debut album "Fresh Cream", the Stones of course added "Little" to "The Red Rooster" and I don't mean just in the title!

These albums and artist continued to influence beyond the original blues boom with late seventies band "Dr Feelgood" and eighties legends "Nine Below Zero" both heavily basing their sound on The Wolf's vibe.

Beyond these two albums we must not forget perhaps one of my all time favourite songs "Killing Floor" which appeared on the 1966 album "Real Folk Blues" or the legendary London Sessions of the early seventies when The Wolf was backed in the studio by many of his pupils!

Enjoy these videos:-

The Final Countdown

2007-05-23T07:05:00.001+01:00

The Blues - Robert Johnson

2007-05-22T14:44:00.000+01:00

The "Blues" perhaps more than any other musical genre has managed to re-generate through the ages and adapt to new generations of believers who will gain entry via their current favourite band and trace that band's influences back to the origins of the blues.

Many people more qualified and experienced than I have written about the blues and it's journey through time but once again, almost by means of recharging my own blues battery, I wish to indulge myself and bring to you some of my own key records of the blues genre through the ages.

He may not have been the first, in fact he most certainly wasn't, but he has probably influenced more rock bands than any other bluesman. The influence has most probably been enhanced by the "legend" of selling his soul to the devil at the Crossroads in exchange for his extaudinary guitar skills.

Like much of the early blues we rely on compilations of songs rather than albums and as such there can be none more influential than "King Of The Delta Blues Singers".

This record provided the Delta blues influence and inspiration to John Mayall, Eric Clapton, Peter Green, even Keith Richards though his main influence lay elswhere and will be covered in future posts.

Eric Clapton has been often quoted as stating this album was his main influence and has often covered Johnson's songs in all the bands he has played with and relatively recently released a whole album's worth.

First a little history to put these recordings in context.

The first known recorded sighting of a blues musician was in Mississippi in 1903 by band leader WC Handy who noticed a black man playing lap-style slide guitar and singing "the weirdest music I ever heard".

It was however a further two decades before anyone bothered to record this new music, experts believe that Sylvester Weaver has his place in history as the first recorded artist via his 1923 recording of "Guitar Blues", innovative song titles have never even to this day been common place! However the first true blues icon was "Blind Lemon Jefferson" who is the key influence from the '20's.

By 1926 Chicago had become the centre of blues recording, however, the deepest blues strain remained the Mississippi Delta with Charley Patton, Son House and the influential if under rated Willie Brown. Delta style reached it's peak in the mid '30's with Robert Johnson's recordings who had learned first hand from Son House and Willie Brown, despite the folklore it is somewhat unlikely that RJ had sold his soul to the devil, his guitar prowness was as a result of listening to the recordings of Lonnie Johnson, Leroy Carr and many others.

His influence was to extend for decades and generations but it was local musicians Elmore James and Muddy Waters who through their bottleneck guitar technique were often your average rock guitarist's first port of call.

The story ends there for the present but no doubt in future postings in this series we will be back in the Delta again.

Enjoy the two videos below:-

Records That Changed the World - Billie Holiday

2007-05-22T14:09:00.000+01:00

The current issue of "MOJO" carries an article entitled "100 Records That Changed The World" whilst no one will entirely agree with the choice of songs I doubt that many will even agree that songs can change the world.

However as the introduction to the article explains the intention was to sujectively identify songs, 45's 78's or albums which have made us see the worldy differently perhaps by awakening social or political opinions, understanding other cultures, feelings any generally stirring those human emotions we collate as soul.

Essentially they have chosen the most influential and inspirational recordings ever made and like all such lists and Top Whatever eveyone will have their own views particularily where music is concerned and it is that variety which will forever keep old and new music alike exciting and vibrant.

Over the next few days I will bring you my picks from their Top 100.

There will be many people who do not like my first choice of song as it is vertainly not a song in any comfort zone, however, few would be able to argue against it's inclusion in a list of influential and inspirational recordings.

At No67 in the list is "Strange Fruit" (1939) as sung by Billie Holiday, the album sleeve above is a marketing man's rose tinted image of a tortured soul and as the artist "Joan The Policewoman" notes this anti-lynching anthem broke devasting new ground for popular music.

Many people hooked by the melody are are often not immediately aware of the lyrical meaning, the vocal performance reflects the life of Billie, no acting is required nor is there any need for vocal dramatics the song is delivered from experience.

Billie Holiday had to fight hard to to record the song and as such she reflects through song her life, the way you are every day is the way you are as an artist when it is one and the same more often than not the result is influential and inspirational.

Watch the video below:-

New Music - Steven Lindsay

2007-05-22T08:46:00.001+01:00

Steven Lindsay was the singer with The Big Dish and this summer releases his second solo album titled "Kite".

A cover version of The Pixies "Monkey Gone To Heaven" is attracting all the interest and as such you can watch the video below and listen to the original claasic 1989 track.

Interview: Steven Lindsay

Not only is Steven Lindsay in possession of a spellbinding voice that's as rich in tone and nuance as a vintage claret, there is also a queue of admirers for the cinematic songs he fashions for it. Keane’s Tom Chaplin and novelist Ian Rankin joined a chorus of critical praise for Lindsay’s 2004 solo debut, Exit Music, and now the urbane singer/songwriter from Glasgow, once leader of chart act The Big Dish, is preparing to release the follow up, Kite, which is due out on May 7th. Londonist caught up with him last week as he showcased his new material for the first time at the Enterprise in Camden.

How does the new album compare to its predecessor?

It’s a bit more colourful. Exit Music was more a breakup record. This is a bit more worldly, more uplifting in some ways, trying not to be too down. Some of the tracks are quite resonant, so I would say it’s more light hearted, but there’s still the old melancholy moments on it. The new record’s more “realised” I suppose is the word, more layered. I’ve spent more time thinking, “Where do I want to go here?” whereas Exit Music was more instinctive.

What’s been happening between Exit Music and now?

I didn’t do many gigs off the back of Exit Music, so I more or less started writing songs straight away after it, trying to move on from there. I’ve signed with Echo [part of Chrysalis] and there’s a bit more clout behind the whole thing, so rather than hang about I decided just to push on. I’ve spent most of the time in the studio, writing lots of songs and trying to get the right ones.

Which usually comes first for you, words or music?

Normally the music. Usually I’ll get an idea for a song title and take something from that. I have to work quite hard at the lyrics. Some other people find the easy thing is writing lyrics, but I spend a lot of time on it. I’m quite particular about it. Kite’s a bit more challenging, more adventurous on the lyric front so we’ll see what the critics say!

The first single from the album will be a cover of The Pixies’ “Monkey Gone To Heaven”. How did you come to record that?

When I was in a band before, there were a few occasions when the record company said, “You should do a cover version,” and when they tell you think, “Nah, I don’t want to do it”, but when it’s your own idea it seems like a better plan. I was a Pixies fan and I always liked that song and it tied in with the oblique nature of some of the other things I was listening to, plus it was a bit of a challenge to do something different with it. I did it in about a day. I didn’t have any intention to make a big deal of it. Initially I thought, “That’ll be interesting. We’ll stick it on the MySpace site or something,” but when people heard it they were like, “Oh, that sounds alright!”

Your MySpace site namechecks many influences. If you had to choose the three most significant, which would they be?

David Bowie, Roxy Music and probably Neil Young. It’s growing up, isn’t it? It’s growing up at that certain age when music can mean everything to you. It’s difficult to say whether they’ve had any influence over what you do, but they were my three favourite artists at that time.

Which studio do you record in?

I just do it in Glasgow, in my home. It’s all you really need nowadays, depending on what kind of group you’re in, but I’m fairly self-sufficient. I program it all, play it all without trying to be, you know, “I’m a great drummer!” or anything like that. It’s a sort of DIY album as was Exit Music to a certain extent other than getting some string players on it.

On Exit Music you deliberately avoided the guitar you used so much with the Big Dish and wrote exclusively for the piano. How has that experiment influenced “Kite”?

The songs are mostly again piano based which maybe on the next record I’ll try and get away from, but it’s just a case of get a bunch of songs, pick the best ones and they seem to be more piano than guitar based. It wasn’t a conscious decision. There’s maybe a bit more guitar on it, but there’s no acoustic guitar, it’s all electric. The reason I started writing on the piano in the first place is that I didn’t just want to do another Big Dish album. I didn’t want to sound like that again.

Do you have a favourite track on Kite?

There’s a song on it called “Put up the Flag” which I’ll play tonight. It’s quite long as well. It’s a prog rock album, this! There’s a couple of tracks that are over five minutes! In the past when I’ve been on major record labels they were always saying to me, “Keep the single in mind. When you’ve written something don’t make it too long,” but when you get a bit older you’re thinking, “I’ll take it wherever it goes”. If it’s long, then good. There’s also one track that’s an instrumental and it’s about forty, forty-five seconds and it felt right that it should end there.

When was the first time you came to London and what was your impression of it?

It was a school trip when I was twelve and they took us to all the sights. They took us to the London Palladium to see Cliff Richard and I’ve never recovered! It was a kind of variety show and I think Little and Large were on it as well. It was awful. We stayed in a hotel in Pimlico and they took us to Jimmy Savile’s radio programme called “Speakeasy”. We did that and then we went to Boulogne for the day. I love coming to London. I love going to art galleries and stuff like that. I love the Tate Modern, just the whole scale of the building. You’ve got the chute thing, haven’t you, that you slide down? I haven’t seen that yet. In the Big Dish days, when the record companies were spending loads of money on you, we had a flat in Sloane Square for about six months at one point. We came down and stayed there and had a great time. Most of the recording we did was in London. At that time, in the eighties, you usually came down to work with the producers because they wanted to work here. That’s all changed now obviously. I’ve recorded all over London. I quite liked the Town House in Goldhawk Road because at the time I was signed to Virgin and they owned it and they had a flat above it, so they gave me this flat and I had the run of the place.

Do you have a favourite restaurant in London?

We used to go to an Indian restaurant called Khan’s at the top of the Queensway. Other than that I used to go to a lot of Japanese restaurants because you didn’t get them in Scotland. You get them now, but there’s only one or two.

What was the last gig you went to?

A Scottish band called Aberfeldy that I like. I also bought tickets to go and see Brian Wilson a couple of years ago.

What else does 2007 hold for you?

I’m hoping to put a full band together and do a tour. Whether that’ll be a support tour or not, we’ll see what happens. The plan is definitely to go out and start touring because nowadays it’s all about live music. People just want to go and see you rather than buying the CDs.

What are you listening to at the moment?

I’m listening to John Foxx, his electronic albums and revisiting a lot of old stuff that I listened to when I was growing up. Post punk records like Magazine. That Arcade Fire record’s got a great review, but that would get a great review anyway, wouldn’t it? A lot of old Bowie records, I like getting them all out again. You get bands like the Kaizer Chiefs now. There’s no substance to what they do. They probably know that anyway, but I think there’s a gap for some pretentiousness again. Let’s get some arty pretentious bands and celebrate it!

New Music - Spoon

2007-05-21T09:51:00.000+01:00

Spoon are new to me but have been around for a while now, there new album "Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga" is schedule for a July release, however, some tracks have leaked out and are the current hot tracks on the net, as such one just has to be "The Track of the Day".

"Don't Make Me A Target" - Spoon

The band was formed in 1994 by lead singer/guitarist Britt Daniel and drummer Jim Eno during a party on Kimbolton Avenue. The name Spoon was chosen as a respectful salute to the 1970s German avant-garde band Can whose hit record "Spoon" was the theme song to the movie Das Messer. Incidentally, the film title translates to another utensil (and band)—the Knife.[1]

Spoon signed with Elektra Records in 1998, but the contract was dropped soon after the band released A Series of Sneaks. In response to being dropped, Spoon released a two-song EP titled The Agony of Laffitte, referring to Elektra A&R man Ron Laffitte, and were eventually signed to Merge Records, although their work is released through Matador Records in Europe.

After the release of their more recent albums, Spoon has been met with widespread critical acclaim. Girls Can Tell, released in 2001, sold more copies than both their previous releases combined. Kill the Moonlight accomplished the same feat a year later.

Their latest album, Gimme Fiction, was released on May 10, 2005 on Merge Records. They have appeared on many late night talk shows, such as The Late Show With David Letterman, The Late Late Show With Craig Ferguson, and Last Call with Carson Daly, as well as the PBS show Austin City Limits.

In a recent article on Pitchfork, the new album's release date is stated to be July 10th, and includes track titles such as "Don't Make Me a Target," "Rhthm and Soul," and "Black Like Me." Pitchfork recently confirmed that the album will be titled Ga Ga Ga Ga Ga.

Chris Cornell Update

2007-05-21T09:45:00.001+01:00

As promised I can now bring you a live unplugged track from Chris Cornell.

Recorded in 2006 the thirteen track "album" is widely available on the net and is well worth downloading, the track I have chosen is his cover of one of my favourite Led Zeppelin songs "Thank You".

"Thank You" - Chris Cornell (Unplugged In Sweden)

Hangover Cure

2007-05-20T09:31:00.001+01:00

Walk up the farm with the dugs

English Cup Final Day

2007-05-19T17:05:00.001+01:00

Scottish Football legends heading towards state of non sobriety!

New Music - Chris Cornell/Smashing Pumpkins

2007-05-19T10:48:00.000+01:00

Two "New Music" posts for you this morning both of which veer dramatically away from the recent run of female singer/songrighters.

Both are from "new" rock icons, Chris Cornell was vocalist with Soundgarden and Audioslave and with Smashing Pumpkins were brought to our attention in the wake of Nirvana grunge.

Chris Cornell has a solo album just around the corner entitled "Carry On", the track gaining the most attention is his dramatic cover of "Billie Jean", there is a super live acoustic version around as well which I will bring to you whenever I can, in the meantime you can download the album version below and enjoy the video from his recent Bond Theme.

"Billie Jean" - Chris Cornell

The new Smashing Pumkins album "Zeitgeist" won't be with us until July, however, a track has leaked out and is eagerly being devoured in certain rock circles, you can download "Tarantula" below.

"Tarantula" - Smashing Pumpkins

Cartoon Dog

2007-05-18T19:05:00.000+01:00

A bonnie Bonnie!

New Music - Serena Ryder

2007-05-18T14:54:00.000+01:00

I seem to have hit a rich seam of female singer/songwriters recently, well although she is a singer/songwriter Serena has come to the attention of a wider audience via her performance at SXSW which featured tracks from her 2006, and now re-launched in 2007, album "If Your Memory Serves You Well".

The album title may give it away but this release concentrates on a series of cover versions of fellow Canadian artists, including The Band, Leonard Cohen and many more.

I have chosen for you a track written by Shelton Brooks which has previously seen the light of day via covers by Louis Armstrong and Billie Holiday, I love the way the track moves from mono crackles through to a modern sound.

"Some Of These Days" - Serena Ryder

A beautifully emotive rendition of Leonard Cohen's "Sisters Of Mercy" opens the album, followed by a swaggering take on Dylan's "This Wheel's On Fire" which gives the disc its title (and always reminds me of Absolutely Fabulous). "Some Of These Days" is a Shelton Brooks tune previously sung by Billie Holiday and Louis Armstrong, the lofty vocal showcase "My Heart Cries For You" is a Percy Faiths song once recorded by Ray Charles, and "Morning Dew" was made famous by Rod Stewart and The Grateful Dead.

There are also covers of Lovin' Spoonful's "Coconut Grove", Paul Anka's "It Doesn't Matter Anymore", and Ed McCurdy's 1947 anti-war anthem "Last Night I had the Strangest Dream." And the disc includes a surprising revival of "Good Morning Starshine" from the musical Hair, as well as a recording of a 7 year old Serena singing Buddy Holly's "That'll Be The Day".

One would expect the inclusion of Ryder's three original songs at the end of the disc would make for an uneven jumble after so many vintage gems, but the new tunes blend in well with the preceding covers. "Just Another Day" was previously featured on Ryder's Unlikely Emergency album, and "Out of the Blue" was co-written with Randy Bachman.The lyrics of "Weak At The Knees" are somewhat typical post-break up fare, but the strength of Ryder's voice and the catchy arrangement keep it from sliding into too familiar territory.

A trailer video for the album can be viewed below.

Track of the Day - Terry Callier

2007-05-18T13:53:00.000+01:00

Terry Callier is an artist I have somewhat admired from a distance as I only have a couple of his albums in my collection.

He is difficult to pigeon hole as his music is a brew of folk, blues, jazz and R&B, however, the "Track of the Day", most definitely veers towards the R&B element of his music, I found this on another bloggers page, and it is taken from his 1973 album "What Color Is Love", apologies for the dodgy sleeve!

"You Miss Your Candyman" - Terry Callier"

New Music - Watermelon Slim & the Workers

2007-05-18T13:22:00.000+01:00

Good contemporary blues can often be thin on the ground, however, 2006 was a good year from Dylan's blues infused "Modern Times" to Seasick Steve's year end majestic performance on Jools.

!Watermelon Slim & the Workers also raised their profile with the above album achieving one of the albums of the year status in MOJO, a new album "The Wheel Man" is just around the corner so watch out soon for a track from that in the meantime enjoy a Mississippi Fred McDowell cover from last years record.

"Frisco Line" - Watermelon Slim & the Workers

Review by Steve Leggett, All Music Guide

You could see this one coming. Watermelon Slim's last album, 2004's sparse and arresting Up Close & Personal, revealed a contemporary bluesman with a scholar's understanding of the genre and a truly skewed, passionate approach to performing it that hinted at even deeper possibilities. Watermelon Slim & the Workers is the payoff.

The sound on this record (which was produced by Chris Wick, who also plays bass on one of the tracks) is simply huge, and yet Slim's songs and field holler vocals keep it all appropriately intimate, making this release one of the best contemporary blues albums in years. On the surface Slim (his real name is Bill Homans) seems always to be working on the edge of parody, but this ex-truck driver who is also a member of MENSA (and owns several university degrees) is after bigger things. His passion for the blues makes these songs pulse with a gospel-like joy and intensity, and his new band the Workers gives him the kind of raggedly perfect backdrop to make it all slam home.

Beginning with the opener, the shuffling and stomping "Hard Times," things never let up through the loose-limbed "Dumpster Blues," the spooky "Devil's Cadillac" (which sounds a bit like a revamped take on Screamin' Jay Hawkins' "I Put a Spell on You"), the revealing and convincing "Bad Sinner," and the rolling rhythms of "Juke Joint Woman."

One of the highlights on an album that is filled with them is a version here of Fred McDowell's "Frisco Line," which Slim and company tackle like they're on a careening blues train, and while Slim isn't quite the fluid slide guitar player that McDowell was, he's still darn good. This remarkable set is capped off by the closing "Eau de Boue," which outlines Slim's passionate devotion and commitment to the blues, and since he is perhaps the smartest ex-truck driver to ever sing this stuff, Slim sings it in French, maybe just because he can. For Watermelon Slim the blues isn't so much a musical genre as it is a calling, and beyond that, a shot at redemption. This guy is the real deal, and this is a great album.

Live Blog On The Road

2007-05-17T11:21:00.001+01:00

Picture to show I do have to work

New Music - Paul McCartney

2007-05-15T18:09:00.000+01:00

This week Paul McCartney announced that his back catalogue will for the first time be available to purchase from the internet via download.

Of course it is purely coincidental that he has a new album around the corner to promote entitled "Memory Almost Full" will it need the back catalogue to help it sell?

Judge for yourself with this limited availabilty download of a track from the album.

"Ever Present Past" - (Sir) Paul McCartney

New Music - Mary Weiss

2007-05-15T17:50:00.000+01:00

Due to heavy committments tomorrow, all in a good cause, you are receiving tomorrow's "New Music" today and first out the traps is the return of one of the voices of the 60's "Mary Weiss".

"Stop And Think It Over" - Mary Weiss

Don't call it a comeback. There has to be a better way to describe Mary Weiss' re-emergence on the music scene after being away for nearly 40 years. In the Sixties, Mary Weiss fronted the Shangri-La's, and as a teenager supplied that powerful, seductive, and captivating voice behind memorable numbers like "Remember...Walking In The Sand," "Leader of The Pack," and "Give Him a Great Big Kiss." Weiss was 18 when the Shangri-La's disbanded in 1968 in the middle of legal mess, and aside from one performance at CBGB's in 1977, she hasn't been heard from since.

Surprisingly, when Mary Weiss was asked about recording, and touring again in a recent interview with Norton Records, her reasons for the comeback were quite simple. She had built a successful career in the real world, and now she found that she missed rock and roll. I expected more -- there had to be some tragedy, and renewal. There had to be a life changing moment fit for a prime time interview. Yet, as I thought about that simple answer, I came to the conclusion that there really isn't a better answer to the question, "Why now?" She's not in it for the money (The Police) and she's not trying to fix a ruined reputation (Rage Against The Machine), it's the music that matters.

Admittedly, a big draw to Mary Weiss' new album, Dangerous Game, is going to be the nostalgia trip. Even though the Shangri-La's broke up years before I was born, I still remember that voice, and I suspect that you'll find it instantly recognizable as well. Once that first syllable from "My Heart Is Beating" hits, the memories start to flow. For me, it's long road trips with the folks and being thankful that our family wagon could pick up an oldies station in the middle of Pennsylvania, and being even more thankful that mom and pops listened to my incessant whining and turned the dial away from the country station.

The first time through Dangerous Game, I kept trying to compare the voice I heard coming through my headphones with the voice that lurked in my memories. Did it sound just the same? It's been 40 years. Was it older, or was it stronger? There's all these songs about boys and girls. Isn't she past singing about boys?

On repeated listens, however, all of this became less of a concern. With Memphis' Reigning Sounds, providing the music, Weiss supplying that strong voice, and songwriting from Greg Cartwright (Reigning Sound), John Felice (The Real Kids), Andy Robertson (Tough and Lovely), Andy Maltz (Little Killers), Andy Shernoff (The Dictators), and Billy Miller (A-Bones), this is rock and roll right in line with modern girl garage rock groups like The Detroit Cobras, The Charms, and countless others who owe a debt to her style, sound, and tough girl attitude.

Songs like "Nobody Knows (Like I Do)" and "Stop And Think It Over" rekindle the magic of the Sixties, yet stay relevant in the modern world. The Reigning Sound do a remarkable job of not falling into the flashback trap by keeping the rhythms tight, letting the drums kick, and laying down enough raw guitar sound to match the presence of Mary Weiss' vocals. "Don't Come Back," and its Rockaway Beach style surf-guitars is an homage to another era: NYC punk and The Ramones. Meanwhile, on "Stitch In Time," Weiss delivers a mature, soulful performance over organ and muted guitar that's fit for a Quentin Tarantino soundtrack. As Dangerous Game nears it's end, with the ballad "You Can Stay With Me," there's a real sense of comfort, as Weiss intimately sings "When there's only me and you, you can stay with me."

I'm still reluctant to call Dangerous Game a comeback album. After all, I can't think of another artist who's gone 40 years between albums, who still managed to produce a work so compelling. Additionally, my ties to her past are limited to a voice I knew from memories deeply buried in my brain. Mary Weiss wanted this album, and her return to the stage, to be about the music, and similarly, I'm less concerned about her past, or her legacy. It's a consistently rewarding rock and roll album by a strong, confident, and mature woman.

"Bill Rocks Cleveland"

David Byrne (Talking Heads)

2007-05-15T09:37:00.000+01:00

Yesterday was the birthday of David Byrne of Talking Heads fame who is a true Son of the Rock having been born at Overtoun House, Dumbarton, therefore today's "Track of the Day" just has to be the classic "Psycho Killer" from the soundtrack to the movie "Stop Making Sense" which is without doubt one of the best concert movies ever made, as such the only way to enjoy this track is via the video below:-

Frank Sinatra

2007-05-14T16:05:00.000+01:00

It is now as of today NINE years since the world lost one of it's greatest singing voices, therefore the "Track of the Day" just had to be from Frank.

"Don't Worry About Me" (Live at The Sands) - Frank Sinatra

Also below you can find a "tribute" song by Scott E Moore.

"Bye Bye Frankie" - Scott E Moore

2007-05-14T14:47:00.001+01:00

Lazy Sunday

2007-05-13T15:08:00.000+01:00

Sorry, too hungover to post meaningfully today, therefore like me enjoy a "Lazy Sunday" courtesy of the brilliant Small Faces.

Beverley Knight

2007-05-12T15:07:00.000+01:00

Beverley Knight has without doubt a great R&B/Soul voice but has perhaps in the past been let down by poor choice of material to sing.

She has a new album out just now called "Music City Soul" which I hadn't paid much attention to, however, a fantastic performance on last night's Later With Jools" persuaded me to purchase some downloads from the album.

You can enjoy "Black Butta" from last night's show below together with a video of one of the other songs she performed "Ain't That A Lot Of Love" below.

"Black Butta" - Beverley Knight (Later With Jools 11/05/07)

Track of the Day - Here Is My Song For Europe

2007-05-12T14:50:00.000+01:00

Tonight is Eurovision Song Contest night.......thank goodness I'm out, but it does give me an excuse to delve into a classic early nineties album from Lawrence the ex-Felt singer who felt (sic) the need to produce a tribute to the 70's album.

The "Track of the Day" is taken from the album as is the video below a mention for 70's popsters the "Middle of the Road"

"Here Is My Song For Europe" - Denim

Teenage Cancer Trust

2007-05-11T12:56:00.000+01:00

The Who while headlining one this years fund raising concerts at The Royal Albert Hall, click on the TCT logo above to access their site.

Youth focus for new cancer unit

Rock legend Roger Daltrey will open the centreScotland's first specialist unit providing dedicated care for young cancer patients is being opened.

The six-bed ward at the Beatson West of Scotland Cancer Centre in Glasgow will treat youngsters aged 13 to 25.

Roger Daltrey, singer with The Who and patron of the Teenage Cancer Trust, will launch the new facility.

Patients will have TVs, game consoles and internet access to help keep them occupied and stay in touch with friends and family.

It is the trust's eighth unit in the UK but many more are needed, according to Daltrey.
Daltrey, who along with The Who will headline this year's Glastonbury Festival, said: "It's great we've been able to open a ward in Glasgow but we need more of them so that every teenager in the UK can have access to one."

The £500,000 unit aims to give teenagers going through cancer treatment the chance to be treated with people their own age and in comfortable surroundings.
The facility will ensure that Scottish teenagers with cancer are getting the best possible treatment

More than 2,000 teenagers are diagnosed with cancer in the UK each year, about 160 of them living in Scotland, according to TCT. The trust says it hopes to open further units in Glasgow and Edinburgh.
Chief executive Simon Davies said: "We are delighted to have opened Scotland's first Teenage Cancer Trust unit at the New Beatson in Glasgow.
"The facility will ensure that Scottish teenagers with cancer are getting the best possible treatment.

"We are grateful to all at the New Beatson for their continued support and assistance in creating this state-of-the-art facility."

The Who will begin a major European tour later this month.
The band, formed in the 1960s, will visit almost 30 cities starting with Lisbon on 16 May.

Please use the link below to see how YOU can help>

http://www.teenagecancertrust.org/sponsor/

Finally the video below is a prime example of the "extremes" Roger will endure to raise money for TCT and which no doubt was the reason he received his royal gong....he has no fear!

New Music - Holy Hail

2007-05-11T09:13:00.000+01:00

Holy Hail's limited-run UK 12", "Born of a Star / I Owe," released on Adventures Close to Home Recordings April 2, 2007.

Snatch up your copy here.

Digital-only single "County Fair (Part Two)", released by playlouderecordings, is available now for download here, at iTunes and other online digital shops.

"like the dirty south of The Gossip mixed with some B-52s madness or maybe even something like the Scissor Sisters mixed with Rilo Kiley. Like if Rilo Kiley wasnt dripping in Omaha infused country and the Scissor Sisters werent totally overproduced Top Of The Pops nonsense. New wave vs. house music for the thinkers."- bigstereo

"Holy Hail...are in sum far more than their four charmingly lo-fi parts. Wielding new-wave keys, post-punk bass lines, and occasional hip-hop beats, the quartet masterfully constructs moody backing tracks at once languorous yet spirited, innocent yet sinister under girl/boy vocals."- flavorpill"Crush-worthy singer Cat has reemerged with a new band, Holy Hail, whose demo finds New Wave keyboards driving oddball country-tinged harmonies and an original-sounding brand of freak-hop enhanced by Cat's knowing "Who me?" tease of a voice.” - new york magazine

North American Booking & US Press: Matt CornellExclusive European and Rest of World Booking: http://www.primary.uk.com/primary/bates.htmlEuropean Press: mailto:beth@toastpress.com

Watch the video for the above single below.

Richard Hawley

2007-05-11T08:34:00.000+01:00

Richard Hawley, (born January 17 1967 in Sheffield, England) is a critically acclaimed guitarist, singer, songwriter and producer. Hawley initially found success as a member of Britpop band The Longpigs in the 1990s. When a drug-filled torpor after an extensive tour of America brought the band to the brink of extinction in 1997, Hawley was asked to play with Pulp by his close friend and Pulp frontman Jarvis Cocker. "They saved my life," Hawley later recalled, "I was going mental with drink and drugs." The subsequent world tour in support of Pulp's album This Is Hardcore left Hawley emotionally and physically drained on his return to his home city. During this time, he even considered leaving the music industry altogether.

It was an encounter at Hawley's Sheffield home that led the longtime collaborator out of the shadows. Impressed by a home demo of his songs, both Pulp's Jarvis Cocker and Steve Mackey urged Hawley to head into the studio and begin work on his first solo release. 2000s eponymous mini album encouraged Hawley to return to the studio once more. In 2001 Late Night Final, named after the cry of vendors selling the Sheffield Star evening newspaper on the streets of the city, was released to positive reviews from the press, if unspectacular sales. Two years later Hawley released Lowedges, another Sheffield reference, this time to the curiously named suburb of the city that had so entranced the young Hawley when he had seen it on the destination board of a bus. NME called Lowedges the "first great album of 2003" and it topped an end of year poll held by Virgin Radio. Critical praise was widespread, leading many big names such as Coldplay, Radiohead and R.E.M. to enthuse about Hawley's work.

After the demise of Setanta Records in 2004 Hawley eventually signed to Mute Records, a division of the giant EMI. Legal wrangling delayed Coles Corner, Hawley's fourth release, until September 2005. Again Hawley mines the theme of his beloved home city, this time referencing the location where courting lovers meet. Coles Corner eventually gained a nomination for the acclaimed Mercury Prize in 2006.

Hawley's work as a session musician and producer remains in high demand. After contributing towards her eponymous 2004 release, Hawley also supported Nancy Sinatra on her European tour in 2005. Praise from R.E.M.'s Mike Mills led to him being approached to support the Georgia group on several concert dates that year. In the past, Hawley has also worked with artists as diverse as New York's A Girl Called Eddy, All Saints, for Nellee Hooper's soundtrack for Baz Luhrman's Romeo and Juliet, with Jarvis Cocker's Relaxed Muscle project and on Cocker's 2006 solo album. He played the guitar solo on the cover of "Under the Bridge" by pop group All Saints. He has also contributed guitar work on the Gwen Stefani song Wonderful Life. The track was produced by Nellee Hooper and also features guitars by Martin L. Gore. The song is on her second solo album, The Sweet Escape.

Aside from his solo and session work, Hawley occasionally gigs with The Feral Cats, a side project that enables him to explore his interest in rockabilly music.

Possibly due to his aforementioned rockabilly interest, Hawley once auditioned for the role as guitarist in the rockabilly-inclined Morrissey's band.

Fiercely proud of his working class upbringing, Hawley once described himself as "jurassic labour" in response to a question about the New Labour project. He lives in Sheffield, with his wife and children and is an avid Sheffield Wednesday supporter.

Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Hawley"

You can download for a limited time only the brilliant "Darlin' Wait For Me"

"Darlin' Wait For Me" - Richard Hawley

Watch the video for "Just Like The Rain"

Track of the Day - Here Comes The Weekend

2007-05-11T08:28:00.000+01:00

The "Track of the Day" is an ideal Friday song, look out for the appropriate follow up seven weeks today (29th June) "I Knew The Bride (When She Used To Rock and Roll)".

"Here Comes The Weekend" - Dave Edmunds

Track of the Day - The Clash

2007-05-10T08:54:00.000+01:00

There was ayoung band showcasing at Barfly last night who reminded me of the raw energy and spirit of early Clash.

The had an interesting mix with a guitarist with a low slung guitar who looked like a young Joe Strummer, a double bass player straight out the Stray Cats and a singer who looked like Bon Scott re-incarnated !

The "Track of the Day" a compilation only Clash song is dedicated to them.

"Kick It Over" - The Clash

Night of the Stiltskin - Two Cultures Clash

2007-05-10T08:39:00.000+01:00

My attendance at last nights Ray Wilson & Stiltskin gig was my first visit to Barfly on Clyde Street in Glasgow.

It operates a two gig policy with single admission to both ground floor and basement attractions, hence the "Two Cultures Clash" headline, age catches up with us all. Whilst waiting on the main event in the basement, as above, the more than occasional visit to the "Gents" was required, courtesy of Magners Cider, a sign of an ageing body in itself.

In doing so and being open minded in a musical sense I couldn't resist the temptation to venture to the ground floor where it would appear a showcase of up and coming, soon to be able to shave (including the girls), bands were playing short, LOUD and furious sets.

The enthusiasm was there in abundance the energy levels would require a significant intake of Red Bull for any person over eighteen and the music was raw and loud. It is truly brilliant that the young folk are still still hell bent on achieving the musical goals of being able to holler through an entire set without a word being understood or more than four chords being "played".

Us old folk can't be too dismissive since it wasn't that long ago that I believed that The Lurkers "Ain't Got A Clue" was a work of genius, and yes it still is, or that mid eighties Glasgow band The Primevils, led by the bloke from Bloggs Records were going to rule the stadiums of the world.

Unfortunately the latter didn't happen though their classic album "Sound Hole" remains an all time favourite, why didn't it happen?

Well there has always been "live" music and the "recorded" art form. Not all music translates well to vinyl, sorry showing the age again, mp3's, and even for the likes of The Arctic Monkey's it takes a "good record" to take bands beyond the local club circuit.

What's all this rambling got to do with Ray Wilson and his Band well it was a microscopic experience of the diversity of the current musical scene and the difficulties faced by bands on the first rung and those more experienced campaigners who still strive to find their rightful place in the hierarchy.

No matter how hard we try not to, the natural reaction to music is to pigeon hole the material by reference to key influences, hence as we watched Ray's support band, another one sponsored by Mothercare, my reaction was that they wore their hearts on their sleeves as part of the children of Paul Weller/Ocean Colour Scene and the Brit Rock scene, however their music still displayed links back as far as the classic "Nuggets" sound of american garage bands such as The Seeds who would ultimately influence The New York Dolls and by default the whole UK punk scene of the late 70's, I know this to be true as the singers father told me so....only kidding.

It was interesting to watch their families reaction to Ray and the Band's performance as the realisation hit home that their own highly valued youthfull exuberance had been blown away by a tight band who produced a set with enough shades and twists to keep the guy in front of me happy even in a Genesis "Three Sides Live" tour shirt now three sizes too wee for him and the odd "youngster of the dark" who had ventured down from above tempted by the thundering guitars of "Taking Time" and it's refernces to their mates the via the number of the beast!

For the rest of the crowd those who knew what to expect will have been well pleased and even had the unexpected rendition of "Space Oddity" surely pure coincidence that one of the upper floor bands had a singer in the "son of Ziggy" mode, sponsored by Boots No17 no doubt.

It looked like the band would take time to get going, hindered by the crashing noise hurtling down the stairs from above every time the doors were opened. despite the hard working attempts of Tyla to keep them closed, and "technical issues" with Lawrie's in ear but silent monitors, however, what turned out to be a long set just flew by as songs from all stages of the Wilson musical heritage were dispatched either in an acoustic format, by the way Dolores O'Riorden beware Ray armed with only an acoustic may well, particularily in main land Europe set a standard so high that it may cause you to linger on your choice of support act for quiete some time, or with the full power of an on song band who have used the space provided by the absence of keyboards to great effect.

By the time we had cruised through some acoustic songs from "Change" with some fabulous 12 string work courtesy of Ali Ferguson, is there a better guitarist out on the circuit just now....probably but not many, the guy has the touch and feel of a real artist no matter what canvas he is asked to paint, and steamrolled into a closing threesome from the original Stiltskin album the crowd were as one, from the guy in the t-shirt who had forgotten all about Genesis, the parents of the support act who now realise the differnce between enthusism and real hard earned talent, the children of the beast who had to accept that "that guy from "Yes" can sing a bit" to the rest of us who probably knew what to expect but were once again enthralled by the diversity of the material on show.

Now therein may lie the problem can you be successfully pigeon holed into more than one box?

World wide media are extremely lazy they don't like their "product" to vary too much, if you are acoustic you are in BBC 6 territory, if you are "classic rock" and had the audacity to be in Genesis it's Radio 2 for you my boy, and if you are boy/girl bands with a neat dance routine or a graduate of the dreaded "reality" shows you will be played to boredom on Radio 1, and what of the children of the beast? well they are still sending the demos to the gone but never forgotten John Peel.

It's a crazy musical world we live in and we give thanks for it's variety, it's continuing metamorphosis by the introduction of youthfull exuberance (take a bow you children of the beast) and we give special thanks as amongst it all nothing can still beat a great voice and band performing great songs, the key ingredient of success.....unless you are in the record business or the media of course.

Only disappointment, no "Fame" or artificial breasts, though compensated by the inclusion of "Not About Us" a particular favourite of mine even with the backing vocals of the "Three Sides Live" t-shirt, though he can be forgiven as his mate bought "She" the album!

Defeat the pigeon holing, support live music and BUY some records/CD's/Downloads whatever is your chosen form and most of all buy Ray Wilson in all his disguises.

See yesterday's post for links to methods and means of purchase.

Night of the Stiltskin

2007-05-09T12:48:00.000+01:00

Ray Wilson and Stiltskin hit Glasgow tonight and you can catch them at Barfly.

See you all there!

http://www.raywilson.net/2006/rwsl/rwsl/

Follow the link below for some live Stiltskin video:-

New Music - Nick Drake

2007-05-09T12:29:00.000+01:00

New music and Nick Drake were not a combination I thought I would need to use, however, his sister has been trawling her archives and has come up with a new compilation of unreleased tracks featuring early Nick Drake compositions and Drake in learning mode on a series of traditional covers.

Whilst it is unlikely to win new fans for his music it will be a treasure trove of pleasure for Nick Drake disciples.

The release is called "Family Tree" and will be available late June 2007, in the meantime you can download his take on an old blues standard below.

"Black Water Blues" - Nick Drake

Family Tree, to be released on June 19th, 2007 on Tsunami LG/Fontana, will feature previously unreleased tracks from the vaults of the Estate of Nick Drake. The album, produced by Drake Estate manager Cally, tells the story of Nick Drake’s musical development in the years prior to recording his official debut, Five Leaves Left.

Family Tree explores the upbringing of an artist who-- in his tragically short career-- produced three albums which continue to be treasured by fans. Recorded in the late 1960’s, the 28 tracks feature lo-fi recordings made on a reel-to-reel tape recorder at his home, Far Leys in Tanworth In Arden, as well as eight songs recorded on cassette during his sojourn in Aix En Provence. The inclusion of two songs, “Poor Mum” and “Try to Remember”, written and performed by Molly Drake bears testament to her musical influence on her son, conscious or otherwise.

After Nick Drake’s death in 1974, his parents Rodney and Molly Drake began to receive visits from fans compelled to understand more about the source of his music by traveling to the place where he lived and died. For Rodney and Molly, this was no invasion of privacy. On the contrary, aware that this might be the beginning of the recognition that their son had longed for in his lifetime, they invited those fans in and quite often shared the music a young Nick had recorded on an early reel-to-reel recorder. Often fans left with their own cassette tapes of those songs.

Some third and fourth generation versions of these tapes circulated among collectors on rare bootlegs for decades. The overwhelming fan demand for unreleased material or stronger versions of these poor-quality bootlegged songs has thrown up a challenge to the estate to release something worthy of his legacy.

The Family Tree release will include a letter written from Gabrielle Drake to her brother in which she reminisces about their growing up, their family life, and explains how she has tried to preserve his legacy as she thinks he would approve. “I hope that, in the circumstances, you could have given “Family Tree” your blessing. Or if not, that you could have at least looked on with that wry smile of yours.”

Family Tree, unlike Nick’s albums which contained only his own material, features the young artist mastering the compositions made famous by Bob Dylan, Blind Boy Fuller, and Jackson C Frank. It also showcases his early songwriting skills on tracks like “They’re Leaving Me Behind”, “Blossom” and “Come Into The Garden”. In segues between tracks, the listener hears Nick speaking aloud to himself, even laughing in between takes. The album also includes two versions of songs that ended up on Nick’s first album ‘Five Leaves Left’ which were recorded by his arranger Robert Kirby whilst they were both studying at Cambridge University in 1968.

You need only hear Nick and Gabrielle’s exquisite blood harmonies on “All My Trials” – or Nick playing clarinet with his aunt and uncle on “Mozart’s Kegelstatt Trio” – to realize that this was a house whose inhabitants entertained themselves and each other by playing music. In the album closer “Do You Ever Remember?” Molly Drake sings not just for their sorrow, but also for the laughter that once resounded throughout a happy, loving home. It’s a laughter that resounds – sometimes literally – throughout the whole of Family Tree. In doing so, it brings us closer to who Nick Drake was than perhaps any written account of his life thus far.

In addition to the release of Family Tree, 2007 will see the release of an upgraded version of the Fruit Tree Box Set – which includes Nick Drake’s three original studio albums; a new book; as well as a DVD of the “A Skin Too Few” documentary. Fruit Tree will also be available in limited edition vinyl.

http://brytermusic.com
http://myspace.com/nickdrake

Track listing:
1. Come In To The Garden (introduction) (Nick Drake)
2. They're Leaving Me Behind (Nick Drake)
3. Time Piece (Nick Drake)
4. Poor Mum (M.Drake) performed by Molly Drake
5. Winter Is Gone (Traditional, arr: Nick Drake)
6. All My Trials (Traditional) performed by Nick and Gabrielle Drake
7. Kegelstatt Trio for clarinet, viola and piano, (W.A. Mozart)
8. Strolling Down the Highway (Bert Jansch)
9. Paddling In Rushmere (Traditional)
10. Cocaine Blues (Traditional)
11. Blossom (Nick Drake)
12. Been Smokin’ Too Long (Robin Frederick)
13. Black Mountain Blues (Traditional)
14. Tomorrow Is A Long Time (Bob Dylan)
15. If You Leave Me (Dave Van Ronk)
16. Here Come The Blues (Jackson C. Frank)
17. Sketch 1 (Nick Drake)
18. Blues Run The Game (Jackson C. Frank)
19. My Baby So Sweet (Traditional)
20. Milk And Honey (Jackson C. Frank)
21. Kimbie (Traditional)
22. Bird Flew By (Nick Drake)
23. Rain (Nick Drake)
24. Strange Meeting II (Nick Drake)
25. Day Is Done (Nick Drake)
26. Come Into The Garden (Nick Drake)
27. Way to Blue (Nick Drake)
28. Do You Ever Remember? (M. Drake) performed by Molly Drake

New Music - Ryan Adams

2007-05-09T12:22:00.000+01:00

The "Track of the Day" is a song which has been around in the ether for awhile, however, it has now been confirmed as a track on the prolific Ryan Adam's new album "Easy Tiger" which is due in June.

You can however enjoy it now by downloading from the link below.

"Off Broadway" - Ryan Adams

New Music - Guns 'n' Roses

2007-05-08T17:36:00.000+01:00

Was the long long wait worth it? Naw!!!!!!!!!!

You can judge for yourself by downloading the title track from the forthcoming (allegedly) album "Chinese Democracy".

"Chinese Democracy" - Guns 'n' Roses

New Music - Alexa Ray Joel

2007-05-08T17:21:00.000+01:00

Alexa Ray Joel has famous parents in Billy Joel and Christina Brinkley, unfortunately in looks and music she takes after her father.

You can catch her in the video below and download her cover version of the Neil Young song "Don't Let It Bring You Down" from her ep "Sketches".

"Don't Let It Bring You Down" - Alexa Ray Joel

Her name is synonymous with great American music, and as those who have heard Alexa Ray Joel will tell you, she lives up to the expectations.

In August 2006, Alexa put out her first musical release, a six-song EP called “Sketches,” complete with her original artwork. The EP, a minimally-produced sampler of original music with her own piano accompaniment and band is available through iTunes and Target. Alexa is the first independent artist ever to have exclusive EP distribution through Target.

Playing nearly 100 shows since leaving NYU’s Musical Theatre Program just over a year ago, Alexa has honed her skills as an eclectic singer, songwriter and performer. Jazz, pop, blues, country, funk and rock only begin to classify the diverse repertoire she has put together in her brief, yet blossoming, career.

Two extensive tours in 2006 sent Alexa cross-country, most notably putting her in headlining slots at Hard Rock Cafés and in front of thousand of fans she has acquired through the dedication and loyalty she gives to her MySpace page.

Pete Townshend and Me!

2007-05-06T17:50:00.000+01:00

Self gratification posting time the Pete Townshend video below is the brilliant "Won't Get Fooled Again" from his Lifehouse concert at Sadlers Wells in 2002.

You don't need to look too close to see me and my yellow shirt when the camera pans from behind Townshend.(00.10 on the video countdown meter)

Sunday Best - Sarah Chang

2007-05-06T10:49:00.000+01:00

Classical and opera are not my favourite musical genres, however, when a piece of music does hit home it tends to be very emotive or stirring.

Sarah Chang is a fantastic musician and plays with feeling as well as incredible technique.

You can watch her perform one of my favourite classical pieces Jules Massenet's "Thais" below.

Violinist Sarah Chang, now 20 years old, is recognised the world over as one of classical music's most captivating and gifted artists. Appearing in the music capitals of Asia, Europe and the Americas, she has collaborated with nearly every major orchestra, including the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, the Boston Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony and the Pittsburgh Symphony. In Europe she has appeared with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Orchestre National de France, the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Philharmonia. Among the esteemed conductors with whom she has worked are Daniel Barenboim, Sir Colin Davis, Charles Dutoit, Bernard Haitink, James Levine, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, André Previn, Sir Simon Rattle, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Leonard Slatkin and Michael Tilson Thomas.

Her notable recital engagements have included her Carnegie Hall debut in 1997 and performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Symphony Hall in Boston, the Barbican Centre in London, the Philharmonie in Berlin and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. She has reached an even wider audience through her many television appearances, including several concert broadcasts, and her best-selling recordings for EMI Classics. The remarkable accomplishments of her career to date were recognised in May 1999 when she received the Avery Fisher Prize, one of the most prestigious awards given to instrumentalists.

Ms Chang’s 2000 – 2001 season is highlighted by return engagements with the Bavarian State Orchestra in Munich, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Monte Carlo Philharmonic, the Montreal Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich and the Toronto Symphony. Her close association with the London Symphony Orchestra continues with several concerts in London as well as major tours of the United States and Spain. She also travels to China for appearances at the Beijing Music Festival.

Sarah Chang records exclusively for EMI Classics. Her first album – “Debut”, featuring virtuoso pieces by Sarasate, Paganini, Elgar and Prokofiev, among others – was recorded when she was 9, using a quarter-sized violin. Released in September 1992 to exceptional acclaim, “Debut” quickly reached the Billboard’s chart of classical best-sellers. Her subsequent releases have included the Tchaikovsky Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis; the Paganini Concerto No.1 and works of Saint-Saëns with Wolfgang Sawallisch and the Vieuxtemps’ Violin Concerto No.5 with Charles Dutoit leading the Concertgebouw and Philharmonia orchestras, respectively.

She has also recorded The Lark Ascending as part of Bernard Haitink’s Vaughan Williams series with the London Philharmonic. In February 1997 EMI Classics released Simply Sarah, a collection of shorter pieces for violin and piano, and in March 1998 EMI Classics released her recording of the Sibelius and Mendelssohn Violin Concertos with the Berlin Philharmonic under Mariss Jansons.

Other recent releases include the Richard Strauss Violin Concerto with Wolfgang Sawallisch from October 1999, and a disc of Goldmark including the Violin Concerto in A minor and the Overture from ‘Prometheus Bound’ which came out in March 2000. This year she will make two recordings, an album of popular shorter works for violin and orchestra, with Placido Domingo conducting the Berlin Philharmonic for release in October 2001, and a disc of chamber music for strings (Dvoøák’s Sextet and Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence) with current and former members of the Berlin Philharmonic currently due to be released in February 2002.

Born in Philadelphia to Korean parents, Sarah Chang began to study the violin at the age of four and within a year performed with orchestras in the Philadelphia area. Her early auditions, at age 8, for Zubin Mehta and Riccardo Muti led to immediate engagements with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra, respectively. In 1999 she graduated from High School in New Jersey and from the pre-college programme at the Julliard School, where she has been a student of Dorothy Delay. Sarah Chang is a past recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant as well as a special 1993 Gramophone award as "Young Artist of the Year" and the German "Echo" Schallplattenpreis and the "Newcomer of the Year" honours at the International Classical Music Awards (1994).

Violinist Sarah Chang, now 20 years old, is recognised the world over as one of classical music's most captivating and gifted artists. Appearing in the music capitals of Asia, Europe and the Americas, she has collaborated with nearly every major orchestra, including the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, the Boston Symphony, the Cleveland Orchestra, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the San Francisco Symphony and the Pittsburgh Symphony. In Europe she has appeared with the Berlin Philharmonic, the Vienna Philharmonic, the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, the Leipzig Gewandhaus Orchestra, the Orchestre National de France, the London Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic and the Philharmonia. Among the esteemed conductors with whom she has worked are Daniel Barenboim, Sir Colin Davis, Charles Dutoit, Bernard Haitink, James Levine, Lorin Maazel, Kurt Masur, Zubin Mehta, Riccardo Muti, André Previn, Sir Simon Rattle, Wolfgang Sawallisch, Leonard Slatkin and Michael Tilson Thomas.

Her notable recital engagements have included her Carnegie Hall debut in 1997 and performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C., Orchestra Hall in Chicago, Symphony Hall in Boston, the Barbican Centre in London, the Philharmonie in Berlin and the Concertgebouw in Amsterdam. She has reached an even wider audience through her many television appearances, including several concert broadcasts, and her best-selling recordings for EMI Classics. The remarkable accomplishments of her career to date were recognised in May 1999 when she received the Avery Fisher Prize, one of the most prestigious awards given to instrumentalists.

Ms Chang’s 2000 – 2001 season is highlighted by return engagements with the Bavarian State Orchestra in Munich, the Danish National Symphony Orchestra, the Helsinki Philharmonic, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Monte Carlo Philharmonic, the Montreal Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Philharmonia Orchestra, the San Francisco Symphony, the Tonhalle Orchestra of Zurich and the Toronto Symphony. Her close association with the London Symphony Orchestra continues with several concerts in London as well as major tours of the United States and Spain. She also travels to China for appearances at the Beijing Music Festival.

Sarah Chang records exclusively for EMI Classics. Her first album – “Debut”, featuring virtuoso pieces by Sarasate, Paganini, Elgar and Prokofiev, among others – was recorded when she was 9, using a quarter-sized violin. Released in September 1992 to exceptional acclaim, “Debut” quickly reached the Billboard’s chart of classical best-sellers. Her subsequent releases have included the Tchaikovsky Concerto with the London Symphony Orchestra under Sir Colin Davis; the Paganini Concerto No.1 and works of Saint-Saëns with Wolfgang Sawallisch and the Vieuxtemps’ Violin Concerto No.5 with Charles Dutoit leading the Concertgebouw and Philharmonia orchestras, respectively.

She has also recorded The Lark Ascending as part of Bernard Haitink’s Vaughan Williams series with the London Philharmonic. In February 1997 EMI Classics released Simply Sarah, a collection of shorter pieces for violin and piano, and in March 1998 EMI Classics released her recording of the Sibelius and Mendelssohn Violin Concertos with the Berlin Philharmonic under Mariss Jansons.

Other recent releases include the Richard Strauss Violin Concerto with Wolfgang Sawallisch from October 1999, and a disc of Goldmark including the Violin Concerto in A minor and the Overture from ‘Prometheus Bound’ which came out in March 2000. This year she will make two recordings, an album of popular shorter works for violin and orchestra, with Placido Domingo conducting the Berlin Philharmonic for release in October 2001, and a disc of chamber music for strings (Dvoøák’s Sextet and Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence) with current and former members of the Berlin Philharmonic currently due to be released in February 2002.

Born in Philadelphia to Korean parents, Sarah Chang began to study the violin at the age of four and within a year performed with orchestras in the Philadelphia area. Her early auditions, at age 8, for Zubin Mehta and Riccardo Muti led to immediate engagements with the New York Philharmonic and the Philadelphia Orchestra, respectively. In 1999 she graduated from High School in New Jersey and from the pre-college programme at the Julliard School, where she has been a student of Dorothy Delay. Sarah Chang is a past recipient of the Avery Fisher Career Grant as well as a special 1993 Gramophone award as "Young Artist of the Year" and the German "Echo" Schallplattenpreis and the "Newcomer of the Year" honours at the International Classical Music Awards (1994).

New Music (kinda) - Bruce Springsteen

2007-05-05T09:49:00.000+01:00

Springsteen's last release was "We Shall Overcome The Seeger Sessions" a tribute to one of his heroes Pete Seeger, it allowed him for awhile to ditch his responsibilities as a songwriter and put together a real hot recording and touring band and have some fun paying homage to one of the founders of white american protest music. Springsteen has already several years previously contributed significantly to tribute albums to other peers such as Woody Guthrie and Leadbetter.

This was however a greater committment which extended to an extensive highly respected world tour.

Coming shortly is a 2CD+DVD set from the tour recorded in Dublin.

In the meantime you can enjoy a television appearance by the Sessions Band performing "John Henry".

In addition you can also watch "Rosalita" from his ground breaking UK debut show at the Hammersmith Odeon, London from 1975 which prompted the famous quotation "I have seen the future of rock and roll and his name is Bruce Springsteen".

New Music - Editors

2007-05-04T12:58:00.000+01:00

Editors debut album "The Back Room" released in 2005 was a slow grower for me, however "All Sparks" is now a regular entry in my Current Playlist.

The new single "Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors" and an album "An End Has A Start" comes our way in June.

The first album was very much in awe of Joy Division and the new material is not on the cheery side either.

An End Has A Start features ten songs in total, including forthcoming single Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors. The album drops on June 25th, with the single preceding on June 18th.

Editors have also leaked this video containing snippets of the new material, which you can view below.

Track Listing:

01. Smokers Outside The Hospital Doors
02. An End Has A Start
03. The Weight Of The World
04.Bones
05. When Anger Shows
06. The Racing Rats
07. Push Your Head Towards The Air
08. Escape The Nest
09. Spiders
10. Well Worn Hand

Mavis Staples Update

2007-05-04T11:16:00.000+01:00

I make no apologies for posting further on Mavis Staples fantastic new album "We'll Never Turn Back", the combination of Mavis with Ry Cooder is made in heaven and it truely is the Best of '07.. so far!

You can watch a video of another track from the album "Eyes On The Prize" below and thereafter read one of the many world wide superalive review.... then go and buy the CD.

By Renée Graham, Globe Correspondent April 29, 2007

Mavis Staples doesn't so much sing a song as baptize it in truth.

Whether on such Staple Singers classics as "I'll Take You There" and "Respect Yourself," or solo tracks like "Will the Circle Be Unbroken" and "God Is Not Sleeping," it's more than just her ability to tweak a phrase, or cajole a note into something extraordinary. Like the great preachers she heard while growing up in Chicago, Staples infuses each song with a soul-quaking depth fired with dignity and faith.

With such qualities as a vocalist, Staples' s sublime new CD, "We'll Never Turn Back," seems like the album the 66-year-old singer was born to make. Produced by Ry Cooder -- perhaps best known for resurrecting the once-forgotten careers of splendid Cuban musicians and uniting them as the Buena Vista Social Club in the mid-1990s -- "We'll Never Turn Back" is Staples' s first album since her 2004 comeback "Have a Little Faith."

If that CD re introduced Staples to listeners, her latest effort is a mission statement on her greatness. Hers is a voice of tremendous warmth and magnanimity, and through this album's 12 tracks, she never delivers a false note or emotion. On the opener, a sinewy reading of J.B. Lenoir's "Down in Mississippi," there's a quiet defiance in Staples' s voice, and she receives ample support from the legendary South African vocal ensemble Ladysmith Black Mambazo , who also appear on "Eyes on the Prize" and "We Shall Not Be Moved."

Several of the songs here are well-known civil rights-era anthems, yet in Staples' s caring hands, there's nothing dusty or distant about selections such as "This Little Light of Mine." On several songs, such as the spare "Jesus Is on the Main Line," Staples contributes additional lyrics, giving them even deeper poignancy.

For "I'll Be Rested," a new Cooder-Staples composition, she includes her beloved father, Roebuck "Pops" Staples, on a heavenly roll call of civil-rights martyrs and gospel greats, including Malcolm X and Mahalia Jackson, respectively.

Staples has always been a singer of texture and brio, and her distinct contralto has picked up a bit of grit with age, but it gives her songs, such as "Turn Me Around," the patina of life and its hard-won lessons.

This album plays well as a companion to "Freedom Highway," which Staples recorded with her father, brother Purvis, and sister Cleotha in 1965. Released shortly after Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.'s historic march from Selma to Montgomery in Alabama, it became the stirring soundtrack of a movement.

On "We'll Never Turn Back," Staples summons the same intensity and fervor, creating new battle cries for our own troubled times with songs that resonate with resilience and hope. In the turbulent wake of Hurricane Katrina, global and domestic unrest, and another unpopular war for another generation, Staples's songs breathe with the rousing determination of one still committed to fighting the good fight.

More than a half-century after her career began, she maintains the candor and resolve of a woman who understands what it means to bend, but never break.

© Copyright 2007 Globe Newspaper Company.

Claire Martin Update

2007-05-04T09:53:00.000+01:00

A few weeks ago I brought you "Forget Me" an advance track from Claire Martin's super new album "He Never Mentioned Love", the album is now available to download from Linn Music in a variety of forms ranging from standard MP3 to studio master quality downloads, be warned if you choose the later you will need a massive hard drive memory and the patience of a saint.

Having now heard the whole album it is her most consistant for a while and will be the perfect soundscape to all the forthcoming sunday afternoon's in the sun with a glass of vino and the sunday papers.

As a bonus treat you can download the cute "Trav'llin' Light" below.

"Trav'llin' Light" - Claire Martin

New Music - Candie Payne

2007-05-04T09:03:00.000+01:00

Candie Payne isn't exactly new to the scene as she was launched last year and is shortly to undergo a tactical re-launch.

Musically she is certainly different from most singer/songwrites around at present, she has a strong powerfull voice and for musical references a popular comparison is "Dusty In Memphis" though the soul of that particular album has in this case been replaced with a degree of bluster resulting in a soundscape which is more John Barry than Muscle Shoals.

Shirley Bassey for a new generation?

The "Track of the Day" is her single from last year and you can download it below.

"All I Need To Hear" - Candie Payne

"I wish I Could Have Loved You More" is the "debut" album and will be released at the end of May, the title track will be the lead single and you can watch the video below.

Press Release 29/03/2007.

“After a successful debut tour with The Bees and with two highly sought-after limited seven inch singles under her belt, Candie Payne releases a new single I Wish I Could Have Loved You More, a retro-futuristic gem that sounds like the Neptunes collaborating with Phil Spector on the soundtrack to a sixties Kitchen Sink drama.

After several years spent playing in bands in Liverpool and fronting Liverpool indie group Tramp Attack, Candie signed as a solo artist to Deltasonic, the same influential Liverpool label that brought us the Coral and The Zutons.

Now, after writing and recording with Simon Dine (Noonday Underground), Candie’s debut album is due in May 2007.”

Sony BMG Press Release 2007

Candie Payne was four when she was uprooted from an idyllic suburb of Liverpool to 1980’s pre-Guiliani New York. Hip hop was the sound on the streets, and this fast moving, multi-racial metropolis was a world away from what the young Candie and her family expected she would be growing up in. She spent her pre-teen years’ roller skating around the landings of the many apartment blocks she was to move in and out of during this time in her life. “We were always in Queens, just different areas of it; Jackson Heights mostly.” It was a precocious talent for drawing that helped her bridge the gap between herself and her peers at the many different schools she attended “I wouldn’t say I was shy, but I was very sensitive and quiet, so I just used to absorb myself in my pictures and the other kids would come over to see what I was drawing, and get me to draw things for them. That’s how I would make friends.” It was art that would remain her passion up until her late teens, right through her permanent move back to Liverpool in the early 90’s- From block-rockin beats to smiley culture. Toughened up by her formative years in the Big Apple, Candie returned a more confident and outspoken character.

It was in her early teens that the music which had so far permeated her everyday life via her musical family began to gain real interest for her. “My mum and dad have always had fantastic records, Artie Shaw, Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra, any of the greats you could name, and they were always on.” Aside from her parents’ quality taste in music, there were her elder brothers’ record collections to broaden her listening spectrum even more, bands like The Who, Nirvana, The Byrds and Jimmi Hendrix. And of course the obligatory tea making duties of a little sister as her brother made demos in his bedroom. Her reward? Committing her very own versions of ‘Norwegian Wood’ and ‘A Day In The Life’ to tape.

Fast-forward through a teenage happy hardcore rave phase, and Candie’s ambitions still lay in the art-world, particularly fashion design. So much so that she was already designing and making clothes for herself and her friends as a sideline to her exams. This enthusiasm continued until an ill-fated and short-lived spell on an art foundation course left her disillusioned and re-thinking her long held dreams of a career in the art-world. “I was totally directionless, I knew I wanted to do something creative, I just didn’t know what, so I made a conscious decision to be open to any opportunities that came my way.” And these proved to be many, due to a plum job landed in the trendy vintage clothes shop Resurrection in the centre of Liverpool, with all the bands, dj’s, photographers, movers and shakers passing through for jeans and stopping for coffee to exchange records or gossip, “It was in this environment that my interest in music stepped up a gear, and my lifestyle began to reflect that. It was in that shop that I heard bands like Sly and the Family Stone, Funkadelic, and The Metres for the first time; records I may not have heard otherwise. To me, those years spent working in Resurrection were as formative in musical terms as hustling on and off subways in New York was character building.”

So in between the modelling, illustration and other sideline offers that she dabbled with, Candie first dipped her toe in the musical waters with a rendition of the Dolly Parton classic “Jolene,” performed with local heroes Tramp Attack. The word spread and she was quickly headhunted by ex-Stairs lead man Edgar Jones to front his new project, and honed her skills in earnest for the best part of a year. A change of direction in the band and Candie jumped off at the next stop, which was little more than the occasional turn with a Liverpool based jazz band. However, fate was to intervene when Bandwagon lynchpin and long time friend Gary Bandit, introduced her to producer Simon Dine, who happened to be looking for a singer to co-write with. A rough demo and a clutch of hand written verse later, and Candie and Simon set to work in the studio on what was soon to become the debut album.

So how does Candie Payne sound?

The title track blasts off in confidant style, with an incessant melody and pounding drums and a soaring vocal. Next, ‘Why Should I Settle For You’ draws you into one of the albums many dark corners. Such as ‘A Different You’, a big brash epic – all booming drums and syncopated percussion that makes Candies’ love lost lyrics sound all the more fragile and beautiful. At the other extreme ‘By Tomorrow’ canters along like a three-minute white knuckle horse back ride. And ‘Hey, Goodbye’ beefs up Candies sixties sound to the point where is sounds like a train is coming.

Make no mistake this album is trenchantly modern, updating the sonic and stylistic tricks of decades past. There is a fresh and spontaneous sound to this record that stems largely from this 24 year olds’ passion for singing, music and recording. She recently recorded a selection of songs from the soundtrack to Bugsy Malone, just for the fun of it and because “they are amazing songs, and taken out of the context of the film, they stand alone as classic tunes.” Look out for them on future b-sides.

In all, ‘I Wish…’ evokes Dusty in the daisy age, an air of Francoise Hardy, Nancy Sinatra, John Barry, or Scott Walker with a warped modern approach not dissimilar to that of Aphex Twin or the Wu Tangs’ RZA. Her furious girl meets boy kitchen pop songs recall late sixties British cinema or a Smiths single sleeve. “It’s pop music on the surface, in the sense that it’s catchy. But there is an underlying eeriness and even loneliness. These songs are trying to communicate the thoughts and feelings that go through your head when you’re struggling in a relationship, the things that you might not be ready to say out loud yet. And they are very personal to me. I felt I could only write and sing about things I knew a little bit about.’

New Music - Amy MacDonald

2007-05-03T14:13:00.000+01:00

I had originally planned to hold back this post until the weekend, however, word is spreading fast in Blog World about this 19 year old Glasgow gal.

Her first single "Poison Prince" written by Amy, is a dark, vitriolic strum about how she feels about those talented musicians who dabble in drugs and before they know it, go from superstar to nothing and is available now as a digital download so buy it like I have, however, in the meantime you can watch the video below.

Her debut "This Is The Life" album isn't due until 30th July but hopefully other tracks will leak out.

Track Listings

1. Mr. rock n roll
2. This is the life
3. Poison Prince
4. Youth of today
5. Run
6. Let's start a band
7. Barrowland ballroom
8. LA
9. Wish for something more
10. Footballers wife
11. The road to home

It's all Pete Doherty's fault. No, it's down to Red Hot Chili Peppers. Or do we finger Fran Healy of Travis? Nah, sod it, let's blame Ewan McGregor and Jake Gyllenhaal. They're movie stars, proper ones. They're used to shouldering serious responsibility.

If it weren't for these artists, Amy Macdonald wouldn't be the teen-sensation singer-songwriter she is now. She'd still be kicking round Glasgow, an undergraduate at university, studying social sciences with an emphasis on geography. The highlight of her year would continue to be her annual pilgrimage to T In The Park, where she and her mates would party under canvas for 48 hours, forget their own names, and maybe see some bands. Amy Macdonald would still be a nobody, instead of a somebody out of whom great songs just flood.

Amy was 12 when her world wobbled on its axis. She was on a family outing to Rothesay on Scotland's west coast. Her gran gave her some money to treat herself. Instead of buying a tenner's worth of ice-cream she bought a CD: The Man Who by Travis. It was the first album Amy ever owned. She was blown away: simple songs ("Driftwood", "Why Does It Always Rain On Me?", "Writing To Reach You"), sung brilliantly, roaring powerfully in her ears and in her head.

Inspired, adolescent Amy picked up one of the guitars her dad had lying round the house. He never played them; he'd never been in a band and had only 'mucked about' on the instrument with his pals when he was younger and Amy just taught herself how to play the thing.

There were no genetic influences, nor even lessons. Just a good ear and few chord patterns found on the internet. And a huge, burning, raging desire to write and play songs.
At first she would just play tunes she loved from the radio. Then one day she was sat in her big sister's room. Big sis was obsessed with Ewan McGregor, and had a wall full of posters of the Trainspotting star. Amy thought about this, and wrote "The Wall", 'about how people idolise stars'. "You never fail to amaze me," it went, "everything you do is out of the blue..." It was rubbish, but the sentiments displayed a switched-on wisdom beyond her years.

The first song Amy wrote that was any cop was "Fade Away". Again, it was her sister's love of famous people that sparked her imagination – Red Hot Chili Peppers were the culprits this time. By now Amy was in her third year at school (Year Nine in England). A community music group called Impact Arts visited her school. Local musicians, including someone who was in Eighties Scottish pop band The Bluebells ("Young At Heart"), came to work with kids interested in music. Amy was head and shoulders above her peers, and was soon doing shows round Glasgow organised by the Impact team.

It was just her and her acoustic guitar onstage. She was 15. Mostly she would play her own songs, but chucked in a few covers: "Everybody Hurts" by REM and "Mad World" by Tears For Fears – 'but it was the slow version,' says Amy, 'the one from Donnie Darko. It wasn't a single yet, and I never imagined it was gonna be the Christmas Number One. I just loved Jake Gyllenhaal. He's just the most beautiful thing that's ever been created.' Clearly not above a little star-worship herself, Amy later wrote a song about the actor, called "LA". It took her five minutes. She's that into him (and she's that gifted).

Soon she had a gig in Starbucks in Borders Books in Glasgow. A good reception at their Friday night open-mic spots led to her doing the same at the Edinburgh branch, and landing gigs in Glasgow venues like the Barfly. She started hanging out with other teenage musicians. 'Me and my pals used to sneak into a pub on Sauchiehall Street on Saturday afternoons when we were 16, so I could play at their acoustic spot. We'd hide at the back till it was my turn. I got a good reception and that egged me on a bit.'

She left school early, having secured places at two universities. She deferred entry for a year and stayed home, writing and playing and reading NME. And going to see Babyshambles. A lot. 'God knows how many times I've seen them,' she grins. 'I saw Pete Doherty's first gig in Glasgow after he left Libertines. It was a great night – he did a little acoustic thing at the aftershow party too, and we got into that. Then me and my pals went back to someone's house and just sat, passing the guitar round, singing songs. It was a brilliant night. The next morning I wrote "This Is The Life" about it, cause I realised, this is the life.'

During her year off Amy began sending off demos – recorded on eight-track in her bedroom – to labels and management companies and talent houses who advertised in the back of NME. After a couple of nibbles of interest she was taken on by Melodramatic Records, a London-based production and management company ran by Pete Wilkinson. He helped Amy, still not yet officially an adult, record better-quality versions of her songs, and he spurred her on creatively. Within six months she'd secured a publishing deal with Warner Chappell and a record deal with Vertigo, home of Razorlight and The Killers.

Last year, with Wilkinson producing in Soho and rock legend Bob Clearmountain mixing in Los Angeles, Amy Macdonald recorded her debut album. It's brimming with great tunes. As well as "This Is The Life" there's "Mr Rock & Roll", sung in Amy's rich, bell-clear, gutsy vocal and possessing a compelling rhythmic punch and a chorus surely set to wow those T In The Park masses. "Barrowland Ballroom" – studded with honky-tonk piano and blaring brass – is her fast-paced, skiffling tribute to the iconic Glasgow venue and memories of many a great gig (Razorlight, Babyshambles again, Travis again...).

"Footballer's Wife" takes ominous strings, thunderous drums and a haunting vocal and uses them to wallop a pop culture that encourages silly young women (Chantelle, Colleen) to write their autobiographies. 'They're only 19, 20 years old or something – I don't know how anybody could write their lifestory at this age. It's pathetic.'

Ever the patriot, Amy has recorded a version of a modern Scottish folk classic, "Caledonia." She's heard that Paolo Nutini has sung the song live, but Amy doesn't care. The song moves her. And that's all she wants from songs, whether other people's or ones she's written herself. That's what Travis did to her all those years ago, and what – on a good night – Pete Doherty can do to her now.

It's no coincidence that one of the most affecting songs on Amy Macdonald's debut album is the trumpet-laden, atmospheric "Let's Start A Band": a simple song, sung brilliantly, roaring powerfully in her ears and in the head, about how magic it is to love a band, follow a band, be in a band. When you're a teenager, that's all that matters.

"Poison Prince" is the first single to be taken from Amy's extraordinary debut album This Is The Life out on July 30.

Jeff Buckley

2007-05-03T11:55:00.000+01:00

As a massive fan of Jeff Buckley I am duty bound to point out the forthcoming new compilation "So Real Songs From Jeff Buckley". There will be little to interest Buckley fanatics with only one previously unavailable track and that "I Know It's Over" is a Smiths cover.

For a man who only released one full album before his tragic early death his mother who "looks after" his heritage has sure rung the cloth dry with the incompleted "Sketches" album, a series of live releases, box set of singles and an expanded re-release of "Grace" which we will forever be grateful for as it included the previously unreleased brillian "Forget You".

The can must surely now be empty, please let him be remembered for the fantastic "Grace" album and his live work captured on "Live at SinE" and on DVD.

At least they didn't call this "Greatest Hits" or "Best Of" as for that you need only acquire "Grace".

"I Know It's Over" - Jeff Buckley.

Recording Techniques

2007-05-03T11:25:00.000+01:00

Fran Healy of Travis was in the papers recently discussing the forthcoming Travis album and commenting on the fact that a return to "older" analogue based recording tecniques had delivered the warm sound he wanted for the album.

Co-incidently Pete Townshend had been making similar comments on his own Blog, which all you techie anoraks can read below:-

Recording by Pete Townshend

In the past week I have been discussing with a couple of people I hold in high esteem about the way we used to record music. This comes down to a simple thesis. When the Who were in the studio for their first session back in 1964 the engineer, for the purpose of this post let's imagine it was Glyn Johns, would set up a microphone over the drums, put one on the bass drum, and that was pretty much that.

I have read that on early Beatles recordings only two mikes were used on Ringo's kit. These two mikes would go into a simple mixing box, sometimes with big black round knobs, to be combined with the bass guitar, electric guitar and piano into a single channel of sound. From there they would go into what is called a 'compressor', a device that literally compresses (squashes) the sound dynamically, the loud bits are made quieter and the quiet bits louder. This is a sound characteristic we are all quite familiar with from radio broadcasts where sound is aggressively compressed to make the most of the signal strength.

All four instruments would be recorded on one track of a three track tape machine that looked like it was built to survive the Normandy landings in World War 2.The remaining two tracks were used for a vocal, and some extra stuff like tambourine and backing vocals. The interesting part above is that the essential gist of the music was so simply recorded, and forced onto a single track.

The reason I describe this is that my friends and I are nostalgic for the days soon after, the late '60s and early '70s when three tracks grew to four, then soon to eight. I still record on eight tracks today, at least to start with, only adding tracks if I really need them.My point here is not to claim the superiority of these methods of olden days, but rather to claim that there really wasn't a lot an engineer could do to alter the sound.

A studio like IBC where the Who recorded - or Abbey Road where the Beatles recorded, or the first Olympic studios where the Stones recorded - had simple ways of doing things. One kind of mike was always used for drums, and certain mikes were favourites for vocals and piano and so on. In many cases the engineer would simply position the mike, go sit at his console, and turn up the volume.

What is the thesis? It is that the quality of the equipment used in the old days, and the limited scope for modification of sound, placed the focus entirely on the music itself, and of course on the sound of the room in which the recording was made. So many wonderful recording rooms have been lost in the last twenty years, all around the world. Rooms that had either been 'found' to sound good, or 'helped' to sound good, or 'designed' to sound good are now serving duty as Loft-style apartments. Old deconsecrated churches and church halls were once commandeered to serve as recording rooms back in the late '50s. Now they are all gone.

If someone offered me a church today I would have to produce a couple of million pounds to fight off developers who would rather turn it into apartments, and in any case the local council would rather have people in apartments they can tax and fine and sniff around than musicians making noise.

Today nothing has been lost technically speaking. If you gave me the original room at Olympic in which the Stones recorded Give Me Shelter, I could make a band sound almost as good recording onto a modern, compact, $300 handheld WAV recorder. There are a few available today that have mikes built in that sound pretty good. In the same room, if it still existed, I could set up my Mac laptop, a couple of boxes hanging from it, and record several tracks onto its Hard Drive.

The point I'm making is that still, the music, the performance and the space in which the music is made is what is most important. If an engineer is doing more than switching on the gear and pushing up a fader or turning a control knob, there may be too much interference with the performing process.

The nostalgia I speak about is triggered by the fact that my partner Rachel is recording next week, and I would love to have a studio for her to work in like the ones in which we made our middle-period recordings. An 8-track analogue tape-machine, a simple mixing desk, some good microphones, some basic compressors, and a good sounding room. I would - acting as engineer - set up the microphones, route some cables, push up the faders, and sit back. I think such a studio would be a magical place, uncluttered, containing just a few grey boxes, a piano. It would send a message to anyone who walked into the room that this is place to perform music, not miracles.

Old Music - Betty Davis

2007-05-03T09:08:00.000+01:00

Betty Davis: punk-funk pioneer.

Betty Davis: original soul sister. The past is a vast and wondrous place. Musically speaking, there's lots of treasures and gems that get lost among the classic albums we've all come to know and love.

Thank God for Light in the Attic Records, whose mandate is to reissue long-lost classic records as well as attempt to develop artist's hoping to record a future classic.Light in the Attic has gotten a lot of attention for their recent back catalogue reissue of 60's pop group The Free Design. The label is broadening its scope, as well as its sound by reissuing some great 70's funk courtesy of Betty Davis (ex-wife of one Mr. Miles Davis). Her profile page on the Light in the Attic page says it best:

"One can hardly imagine the genre-busting, culture-crossing musical magic of Outkast, Prince, Erykah Badu, Rick James, The Roots, or even the early Red Hot Chili Peppers without the influence of R&B pioneer Betty Davis. Her style of raw and revelatory punk-funk defies any notions that women can't be visionaries in the worlds of rock and pop. In recent years, rappers from Ice Cube to Talib Kweli to Ludacris have rhymed over her intensely strong but sensual music."

Two albums, "Betty Davis" and "They Say I'm Different" will be (re-)released on May 15, but you can buy them online now by going to the label's site (see link below).

Betty Davis, "Anti Love Song"

Betty Davis, "If I'm In Luck I Might Get Picked Up"

buy Betty Davis' albums at Light in the Attic.

New Music - B.R.M.C.

2007-05-03T08:38:00.001+01:00

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, to give them their full name, delivered the first great song of the new millenium with "Whatever Happenned To My Rock & Roll" from their debut album in 2000.

They never really reached the same heights again particularily when the lost their drummer and turned down the amps and went a bit "americana" on us.

They have now returned with their drummer and a new album "Baby 81" has just hit the shelves, whilst nothing hits the spot like "Whatever" the single "Weapons Of Choice" which you can listen to below is a return to form.

Reviews:: Black Rebel Motorcycle Club Baby 81

Black Rebel Motorcycle Club are back, and they remembered to bring their electric guitars. After two psychedelic, swirling space rock records, they completely changed gears with the Americana, folk heavy Howl release.

They reunited with their drummer and planned on cranking up the amps again. The record – Baby 81 – is a nice combination of old and new, using elements of all of their records. Mixing droning space out rock (Killing the Light) with traditional folk elements they unleashed on Howl (Am I Only), BRMC has found the sound that will impress both the critics and their long standing fans. It’s big and brash, but still crisp & tight.

This record manages to sound classic and fresh at the exact same time. 666 Conducer starts like an unearthed Zeppelin track, complete with pulsing and guitars, the nu-metal riff on Take Out a Loan will appease the people looking for the next JAMC, but the band touches of some many influences it's hard to type cast them on this record. Lien On Your Dreams jumps into a classic rock riff out of nowhere that completely off sets the Broken West, errr George Harrison/California pop feel of It’s Not What You Wanted.

But it must be said, the sound on this record isn’t really as JAMC as I’ve heard it being called (at least in my opinion). The single – Weapon of Choice – is more of a 90s rocker track, and the catchy foot stomping riff and Beatles influenced sounds of Window is a pleasant surprise. Even the opening track is more of a U2 nod than anything else. It's impossible to not nod to the sing-along oh oh ohs of Need Some Air.

Jumping past the bluesy/folk sound they used on Howl without completely losing the influences and structure has led to a collection of addictive rock n’ roll tracks. It’s way more accessible than anything they come up with so far, but the band also takes some big risks. Adding a 9 minutes anthem, like American X, isn’t really a recipe for the pleasing the common listener, but the spacey jam and nice guitar solo sounds great to me and adds some gaze to the rocking effort.

New Music - Rufus Wainright

2007-05-02T15:50:00.000+01:00

Rufus Wainright has an amazing musical heritage as both parents (Loudon Wainright III and Kate McGarrigle) were "unique" performers in their own right. Add to that a highly talented singer/songwriter sister in Martha Wainright and you can see that his family have a real track record.

Rufus hasn't done so bad himself with a hit appearance on the Shrek Soundtrack with a cover of Leonard Cohen's "Hallelujah" not as good as Jeff Buckley's but a piano driven second best. Two albums "Want One" and "Want Two" established a strong fan base including Elton John and two tribute shows to Judy Garland held earlier this year in London highlighted his uniqueness.

Rufus has a voice that most people will either love or hate, but for me it can work wonderfully well at times but on other songs detract rather than add to the experience.

He has a new album out in June entitled "Release The Stars" and I am pleased to say that the advance track I have "Rules and Regulations" works really well and has some super trumpet accomanyment, check it out below.

Old Music - Martin Stephenson and The Daintees

2007-05-02T15:20:00.000+01:00

The 1986 "Boat To Bolivia" album release was an oasis in the middle of a sea of synthasized pop, new romantics and shoe gazing bed sit rock.

The "Track of the Day" from the album is chosen as a result of the mini heat wave we are enjoying as I thought you may like to download a little "Rain".

"Rain" - Martin Stephenson and The Daintees

New Music - Elvis Perkins

2007-05-01T16:28:00.000+01:00

I am away tomorrow on business so here is tomorrow's "New Music" today.

Elvis Perkins' story is a terribly sad one. His father, the actor Anthony Perkins, died of AIDS when Elvis was 17, and his mother, Berry Berenson, was a passenger on one of the planes that hit the World Trade Center on 9/11.

Perkins examines both of those events on his debut, "Ash Wednesday," but rather than being angry or self-pitying, his music comes across as gently reflective and warmly melancholy.

The lovely, loping "While You Were Sleeping" is a prime example of Perkins' gift and calls to mind the work of singer-songwriters like Van Morrison and Townes Van Zandt.

"While You Were Sleeping" - Elvis Perkins

Ted Astley Update

2007-05-01T15:43:00.000+01:00

In a recent post relating to P.J. Moore of the Blue Nile I made reference to Ted Astley as a musician, composer and arranger of note.

I have now come across this interesting interview with his former son in law Pete Townshend which may be of interest.

Lifehouse Method Music Update

2007-05-01T12:41:00.000+01:00

"Musician Pete Townshend has launched a new software programme called "The Method" that will enable everyone with a computer to create their own piece of 'musical DNA.'

The programme was developed with composer and mathematician Lawrence Ball and computer developer Dave Snowdon from an idea Townshend had as an art school student back in the 60s.

In the early 70s, the Who musician came up with the concept that everyone has their own musical fingerprint, and he explored this in writing a film script called The Lifehouse. Although fathoming how to make the idea come to life to a further 30 years of technological advancements, his work at the time led to the renowned Who album "Who's Next" - spawning classic tracks such as "Baba O'Reilly", "Behind Blue Eyes" and "Won't Get Fooled Again."

With the advent of the internet, Townshend with Ball and Snowdon have been able to make capturing a snapshot of an individual's personality with music a possibility now.

For The Method to take it's 'picture' - users aka 'sitters' simply have to input four samples; two of which are sounds such as a voice, a photograph of something significant and a rhythm sample - into the software which then 'composes' a piece of music based on the data put in.

Each piece has infinite possibilities for instrumentation, style, mood and tempo so each piece will be unique to the user.

It is also possible to layer tracks together from several users, the software replicates one within the other - so you could, for example, see what you and your partner 'sound' like together.

Townshend places great emphasis on the part of the 'sitter' as part of the artistic process in making an orchestrated piece of music. Although nothing is finalised yet, Townshend is looking at ways round the complicated copyright licensing laws to give sitters a third of the publishing rights to their individual track.

The software was first used experimentally on the track "Fragments" on the most recent Who album "Endless Wire" and, as was demonstrated at the launch yesterday (April 25) - each piece of music composed via The Method is able to be layered, elaborated, edited and enhanced with arrangements and lyrics, until it feasibly ends up as a bona fide song.

Townshend and Ball will be picking up newly created tracks that interest them to work on over the coming months. "

Uncut April 2007

I have now completed two of my three sittings for Pete Townshend's Method Music experiment.

You can download both resultant pieces of music below which I have entitled "Variation One" and "Variation Two".

The pieces of music are created via Townshend's synth loops based on the inputs you make as collated by the software developed by Lawrence Ball. For each piece of music you require to input 10-15 secs of your voice, any image you feels reflects you and your personality, a sound of your choice and a rythm of your choice to provide your mood.

What comes out the other end is a 5 minute piece of electronic sounds "composed" in theory by the person inputing the information, Townshend and Ball.

You can have a go yourself by logging on to:-

http://www.lifehouse-method.com

"Variations One" - Lawrie, Townshend, Ball.

"Variations Two" - Lawrie, Townshend, Ball.

To compensate for the above enjoy the video below which is real music from circa 1989:-

New Music - *SONS

2007-05-01T12:31:00.000+01:00

Even without listening to this band's debut song I knew I had to post it purely for the irony of the band and song name.

"Kill The Culprit" - *SONS

All you Sons fans out there can choose your own "culprit" in the meantime enjoy the song as it's a rockier Stone Roses.

Listening to Viracochas, the debut album from Chapel Hill's *SONS, is akin to a lucid dream in which every melodic movement in rock from glam to grunge gets synthesized into a compact 34-and-a-half minutes.

Vocalist Scott Endres coos like Marc Bolan amid the spacey blend of psych and shoegaze pedal pushing supplied by Endres, William J. Bratcher and resident guitar hero Hugh Swaso."Kill The Culprit" mashes heavy psych distortion and grungy power-chords into the band's swirling style. But on "F Train," the band drops into a watery suspension of sparse chords and massive reverb coupled with backing vocals from Heather McEntire (Bellafea, Un Deux Trois).

*SONS avoids going overly heavy, instead focusing on covering melodies with layers of soothing guitar noise. The most overtly structured song is a restrained cover of Syd Barrett's "Gigolo Aunt," which, while not out of place, offers a reprieve from the dense layering of the other songs.

The band's riff-based psychedelic shoegaze is an obvious worship of guitar, with the effects-laden instrumentation taking the fore. The players' skill takes vocal melodies and the rhythm section to an audible, but indiscernible low.Even at its murkiest, most suffocating density, Viracochas is entirely pleasant.The band envelops its listeners, lulling them into a trance and capturing their attention such that at the end of "Cielo," the album's final track, the abrupt silence is deafening.

New Music - Carbon/Silicon

2007-05-01T09:02:00.000+01:00

Carbon/Silicon are primarily Mick Jones (The Clash, Big Audio Dynamite) and Tony James (Generation X, Sigue Sigue Sputnik) and they have been a bit of a "sleeper" band for the last few years existing mainly on the net with some low key live shows.

The band started with a Tony James song titled mpFree with echoed the belief that free music on the net could comfortably exist alongside commercial downloads. The band over the last few years continued in this belief and have made available free versions of their developing catalogue of songs with some appearing more than once as they are developed.

They are about to cross the line into the commercial domain once more as they are currently in the studio working on more new tunes aided by Bill Price whose credits include The Libertines and Babyshambles. Finally, the band has expanded to a four piece with the addition of Leo 'E-zee-Kill' Williams (B.A.D and Dreadzone) on bass and Dominic Greensmith, (formerly of REEF) for their live dates in England this summer.

Before they hit it big you can download an early version of the single "Why Do Men Fight" together with one of their latest tracks "Prophet" below.

"Why Do Men Fight" - Carbon/Silicon

"Prophet" - Carbon/Silicon

Finally you can view some audience shot footage from one of their concerts as they perform "mpFree" note the "My Generation" samples.

What Is Soul? This Is Soul

2007-04-30T13:33:00.000+01:00

The classic Atlantic Records 1968 compilation "This Is Soul" has recently been released all be it in an expanded format.

For me it was a cornerstone in my music education and forever gave me a deep rooted love of 60's and 70's soul with the Atlantic/Stax stable just edging it for me over Motown.

I first became fully aware of this album and the musical heritage it represented by accident. I had an aunt, not a blood aunt but a close family friend who I knew as "aunt" she had two daughters both older than me with the youngest being four or five years older than me.

When we visited it was this poor girl who was asked to keep an eye on the me, now at my current age 4 or 5 years doesn't make much difference, however when I was 12 and she was 16 or 17 that is a world of difference.

As usual a common love of music was suggested as a means of getting along, thus I had been invited to bring some of my limited record collection to play on her Dansette mono player.

Unsurprisingly my Rory Gallagher or Uriah Heep platters didn't go down well, this was not a surprise to me as even most girls of my own age didn't see anything good about these records as they were still either hooked on Cassidy, Osmonds or had progressed to Marc Bolan, Bowie and Roxy Music.

It was that sort of sound I expected to hear this time, but no I was opened up to the sounds of soul as "Otis Blue" and "Lady Soul" were played in there entirity as well as the "This Is Soul" compilation and I was forever in awe of this girl with the hip musical tastes.

Still it was several years later before a true appreciation of the music developed, I suppose at 12 Subbuteo Teams and gatefold sleeve double live albums were still more important than girls....but not for long and soon soul music had a whole new meaning.

Thanks for the music Joyce.

Download a track from the compilation below.

"What Is Soul? - Ben E King"

Watch Otis Redding from Monterey in 1967 with "I've Been Loving You Too Long"

Finally some Aretha Fraklin and "I Say A Little Prayer"

New Music - Richmond Fontaine

2007-04-30T08:43:00.000+01:00

Richmond Fontaine is a four-piece alt country band based in Portland, Oregon.

The band was formed in 1994 by guitarist / lead vocalist Willy Vlautin and bass player Dave Harding at the Portland Meadows horse race track. Many of the band's songs relate to horse racing.

Richmond Fontaine first started out working the Northwest live circuit on the back of their first two albums released on Cavity Search and down into Texas with friends Grand Champeen. The band self released their fourth album Winnemucca which started to get them noticed outside of the US. They have worked with a variety of musicians and a few labels over their career.

Their big break happened in Europe during 2003 with signing to Decor Records and receiving two Albums of the Month in UNCUT Magazine which declared both Post to Wire (2004) and The Fitzgerald (2005) as masterpieces, unheard of at this time for an unknown band. They have since broke across Europe but like many fellow bands past and present, Willard Grant Conspiracy, Gun Club, Green on Red etc. are still not properly appreciated in their own country.

Their songs consistently evoke lyrical imagery of Reno, Nevada, Portland, the Western United States and Mexico while telling stories in a style that has been compared to Raymond Carver.

Musically the group has cited influences such as Gram Parsons, X (U.S. band), Green on Red and Dave Alvin. Lead Singer and songwriter Willy Vlautin has recently published his first novel The Motel Life and the band's new album Thirteen Cities is getting even more rave reviews across Europe. The Sun newspaper has put Vlautin's writing on par with that of Springsteen, Waits, Steinbeck and Carver.

You can download a track from "Thirteen Cities" below and watch another on video.

"$87 And A Guilty Consience That Gets Worse The Longer I Go" - Richmond Fontaine

"Capsized" - Richmond Fontaine

Control : The Ian Curtis Film

2007-04-29T19:56:00.000+01:00

Control is being produced by LA / Pittsburgh Based Claraflora with Deborah Curtis as co-producer.

The film expands on Deborah's Touching From A Distance book, which was a personal account of her life with Ian Curtis, to give a fuller account of the man and his life. To achieve this, writer Matt Greenhalgh interviewed all the relevant people including Annik Honore. Ian Curtis's was in a relationship with Annik at the time of his death and she has previously declined to discuss the matter with the media simply saying it was "too painful".

Directed by lifelong Joy Division fan Anton Corbijn the film is in black and white to reflect the atmosphere of Joy Division and the mood of the era. Anton is keen to point out that the film is about Ian Curtis - not Joy Division.

A cover of "Shadowplay" by The Killers from the soundtrack to the film which is released in September 2007 can be downloaded below.

"Shadowplay" - The Killers

You can also watch Joy Division with the original below.

New Music - Bob Dylan

2007-04-27T12:15:00.000+01:00

A "new" Bob Dylan song appears on the US release of the soundtrack to the movie "Lucky You" released earlier this year.

The song "Huck's Theme" sound more akin to "Oh Mercy" than the 2006 Album of the Year "Modern Times" with a more country vibe than the roots blues of "Modern Times" I personally would suspect that this is a song Dylan had in the can rather than being written specifically for the film, though with Dylan you never can tell and the Dylanoligists out there will no doubt prove me wrong, in the meantime you can give it a listen below.

"Huck's Theme" - Bob Dylan

Monday sees the long awaited UK release of the digitally remastered and extend "Don't Look Back" DVD set.

I'll be first in the queue as the shop's open, this is without doubt one of music's classic road documentaries.

You can watch the trailer below.

Ella Fitzgerald

2007-04-27T09:26:00.000+01:00

Ella would have been 90 years old this week, although she is gone her voice is timeless and as long as people listen to music she will be remembered as one of the greatest interpreters of song.

Along with Sinatra there is no real point in listening to anyone else sing the Great American Songbook.

You can watch her perform "Angel Eyes" below which will forever, despite ever changing musical tastes, be in my Top 10 favourite songs.

New Music - The White Stripes

2007-04-27T09:15:00.000+01:00

At last some music has leaked from the forthcoming new album by The White Stripes which carries the great title of "Icky Thump". The album is due late June and the first single, the title track is released on 11th June.

The single received it's first radio airplay earlier this week on xfm radio and you can hear it below with the "added bonus" of DJ chat!

New Music - Prince & Patti Smith

2007-04-26T10:19:00.000+01:00

Not together as that would be real odd, however their recent cover versions of two iconic songs may seem equally odd to some, but you know the old saying "you can't keep a good song down" well Prince nearly has.

From the "A Tribute To Joni Mitchell" album comes Prince's version of an all time favourite song of mine "A Case Of You"

You can listen to it below and would be very interested in people's opinions.

Patti Smith's cover of Nirvana's classic "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is from her recently released album of covers titled "Twelve" for me this is an ideal cover as it does not attempt to replicate the original but gives an old war house a new lease of life, again you can listen to it below and see what you think (grunge fans need to think out the box for this one)

The Lifehouse Method

2007-04-26T09:32:00.000+01:00

Not a new form of birth control but a new method of music birth, the concept to me is interesting but perhaps too mathematical or scientific in it's approach without the necessary key ingredient in all good music emotion and soul.

This is not surprising as the Townshend concept of "Lifehouse" as a musical, play or film was based in a bleak brave new world where the general population is fed a government sponsored stream of "experiences" through "the grid". Now remember this was in 1970 way before the internet but with the dominance of the net and more importantly the trash we can be forced fed through corporate TV perhaps Townshend was a bit too close to the truth for comfort.

We can however rest assured that the human race rebelled in the story and were saved by love and live music.

We "Won't Get Fooled Again"

The music which derived from the original Lifehouse can be heard on "Who's Next", "Who Are You" and more concisely on Townshend own solo collection "The Lifehouse Chonicles" which can be purchased from www.eelpie.com.

I was proud to be at the only two "Lifehouse" concerts Townhend has played at Sadler's Wells, London back in February 2000 where he performed with the London Chamber Orchestra.

25.04.07 Pete Townshend's 'Method' Finally Ready For Unveiling

April 25, 2007, 11:25 AM ET
Lars Brandle, London
for Billboard.com

Pete Townshend's decades-old vision of creating musical portraits through technology has come to fruition. The Who guitarist today (April 25) unveiled his music creation, now dubbed the Lifehouse Method, to a small gathering of journalists in London.

The Method is an Internet-based software program that enables the user -- or "sitter" - to generate music from unique, inputted data. The sitter can upload four strands of personal information into the system, consisting of a digital photo, a rhythm, a sound and a voice."This is a step in doing something which is a true, authentic, elegant artist process, based on the incredible [software] system," he said. "I love what this produces and my vision for it now is that I think, yes, we could have a gathering in some future time where we could share our music together."

Townshend explained that the project was the culmination of an idea which had percolated since his art school days in the 1960s. The concept was first introduced in the early 1970s via music intended for the Townshend-penned "Lifehouse" song cycle and planned concept album, which eventually morphed into the Who's "Who's Next" album.

Music composed through the Method's technology formed the basis of the track "Fragments" on the most recent Who album, "Endless Wire." Today's launch, Townshend noted, was an attempt "in essence, [to] close the book on the great lost project of Lifehouse, as a Who legendary non-event."

The Method was developed by mathematician/composer Lawrence Ball and software developer Dave Snowdon, under the patronage of Townshend."What is produced by the program is music that generally Lawrence and I tend to like. Whether you like [it] is absolutely immaterial," he quipped. "The composer is king, in this respect. What we are trying to do is to approach the truth."

The service will accept registrations beginning May 1. The user will be entitled to three, free "portrait sittings" until July 31, after which time a subscription offer will roll out. "I'm hoping that further down the line there can be some commercial elaboration," Townshend said, adding that copyright was an issue currently being looked at.

You can watch The Who perform "Fragments" on their recent US Tour below.

As an alternative, as he is a massive fan of The Who you may support Jeremy Claskson's view of the computer.

Ray Wilson & Stiltskin Coming To A Venue Near You

2007-04-25T17:25:00.000+01:00

Ray Wilson & Stiltskin kick off their UK leg of the tour next week and you can catch them in Glasgow on Wednesday 9th May at Barfly.

All other dates and live video clips can be found on their web page where you can also purchase the "She" and "Live" CD's.

http://www.stiltskin.org/

In the meantime enjoy these two videos:-

The original promotional video from the original Stiltskin for "Inside"

Ray with Slitskin and his little ditty "The Airport Song"

Maggie Bell

2007-04-25T14:57:00.000+01:00

A true Scottish treasure the time is ripe for a Maggie Bell appreciation revival.

Maggie Bell & Stone the Crows

When Maggie Bell's group Stone The Crows broke up in 1973 it was time for Britain's finest female singer to launch her solo career. Since her earliest days in Glasgow, the Scots lass with the soulful voice had been impressing audiences with her powerful and passionate style. She was used to singing with bands, but now she was thrust into the spotlight on her own. It meant more freedom, but more responsibilities, and it wasn't always an easy task.

She set to work on two albums (produced by the legendary Jerry Wexler), 'Queen Of The Night' (1973) and 'Suicide Sal' (1975), both now re-issued by Repertoire. They gave her the chance to choose her favourite material and work with the finest musicians. Among the artists on 'Queen Of The Night' were Reggie Young and Cornell Dupree (lead guitars), John Hughey (pedal Steel) , Chuck Rainey (bass) and Steve Gadd (drums). The Sweet Inspiration provided background vocals. Critics and fans praised the results, and she set out on the road to promote the albums. There would be some problems along the way, as Maggie later discovered, but it was nothing she couldn't handle.

Maggie Bell was born in Glasgow (January 12, 1945) and came from a musical family. As a teenager she sang with local dance bands, then went to Germany in the mid-sixties to sing at US airforce bases. Returning to Scotland, she and the band's guitarist Leslie Harvey, formed a new group called Power which later became Stone The Crows. They were managed by Mark London and Peter Grant, the man behind Led Zeppelin.

After Leslie was accidentally electrocuted on stage in 1972, the heart went out of the group. They worked for a while with fellow Scots guitarist Jimmy McCulloch, but broke up after a year. Explains Maggie: "When Leslie died, it was never the same. The band continued for a while, then we agreed it was the end of an era. Colin Allen, our drummer, was offered a job with Focus and Jimmy joined Wings. Meanwhile, Peter Grant and Mark London said they would help me to make a solo album.

The funny thing about 'Queen Of The Night' is that I made two previous albums for Atlantic in New York - one with Felix Pappalardi of Mountain and the other with Felix Cavaliere of the Young Rascals - which were never released." Maggie is frank about the reasons: "The record company said they weren't good enough. I was quite upset about that! To this day I believe it was wonderful stuff. I think it was down to a load of politics."

Luther Vandross did the vocal backings and there were many other top notch players involved with these projects. "But it wasn't to be and at this point Jerry Wexler stepped in. He told Atlantic, 'She can sing. I'd like to take over and see if I can make an album with her. And if you don't like it you can burn the tapes!' So we went ahead and made a good album. What more can I say? Jerry had worked with Aretha Franklin and Ray Charles. Just about everybody."

Wexler and Bell sat down together and listened to over two hundred songs in the search for suitable material. "He's very meticulous about picking the right song. It was the most important time in my life musically. It was to be my first solo album and it had to be right! We got on very well socially and of course, he had worked with Lulu and Dusty Springfield as well. He said that he couldn't believe how when some people get a chance to make an album they really dedicate themselves, while others couldn't care less. Jerry tells everyone to do their homework, including the musicians and arrangers, and that it makes it better for everyone.

I learned all the lyrics before I went into the studio. No pieces of paper allowed! He said that's what made Aretha Franklin and Tina Turner so great. They really learned their songs. If you read from cue sheets it detracts from the music. You have to learn your craft." Maggie spent two months preparing the eleven songs on 'Queen Of The Night' before the first note was sung in the studio.

The album kicks off in fine style with 'Caddo Queen' which has a real Confederate rock flavour. One of the songs 'Oh, My My' was written by Ringo Starr and Maggie could have had a hit with her version - if Ringo hadn't brought out his own a week earlier. (It got to Number Five in the US chart in March, 1974.) The title song was written by Ronnie Leahy, the keyboard player with Stone The Crows. "I always had it in mind to do that song," says Maggie.
"‘Trade Winds’ was another great song that has been covered by many people after I did it, including Randy Crawford. It was written by Ralph McDonald, one of the finest percussion players in America."

Another one of her favourites is 'A Woman Left Lonely.' "That's a real woman's song and it was also covered by Rita Coolidge. It's a country and western thing, a style I'd never done before in my life."
Maggie has always loved John Prine's music and she aired his composition 'Souvenirs' hotly pursued by J.J.Cale's 'After Midnight', a song also associated with Eric Clapton. "We did a Latin American treatment on our version with lots of percussion. 'The Other Side' was done in a kind of Mae West style. 'Hey Mister - can you help me! I'm looking for a ride over to the other side.' It's got a very American, razzmatazz feel."

After all her hard work Maggie was rewarded by rave reviews. "It was wonderful. People like Bette Midler said it was the best solo album from a female artist she'd ever heard, and it got great notices in the American magazines. There was even an article about me in Time Magazine! The record got to Number Ten in the charts, so it did really well." She put a new band together with Joe Jammer from Chicago and did a couple of tours of the States joined by Thunder Thighs, who did the 'doop de doops' on Lou Reed's 'Take A Walk On The Wild Side.'

"Everyone thought they were three black American girls, but one was Jewish, one was Irish and the other was English - from Shepherds Bush! They were a great bunch of girls and it was one of the best tours I'd done in my life."
Maggie remembers doing some dates with Earth, Wind & Fire in the Deep South, when the group were at the height of their fame. "I had to open the show and the audiences were all sitting there with their mouths hanging open and doing nuthin'." She hit on an idea to break down their resistance and asked her road manager to make a wooden screen. "I told him that I wanted to sing the first song behind the screen and then come on stage just to see what the response was like. Well, the response was unbelievable! You see they couldn't accept a white woman from Scotland singing the blues. 'Scotland? Where's Scotland - is that near Alaska?' But we used the screen and then it was OK - ha, ha!"

Maggie Bell toured Germany in 1975 to promote 'Queen Of The Night' and the response was so good she was encouraged to record her second excellent album 'Suicide Sal'. After some years of touring she settled down with her family and concentrated on acting roles and writing music for films and TV during the Eighties. In recent times she has returned to the road, working with the old Alex Harvey Band and also singing alongside veteran soul man Chris Farlowe. "I like to keep busy," says Maggie. "I could never give this business up!"

CHRIS WELCH, London, 1997Taken from the Repertoire reissue of "Queen of the Night" (REP 4661-Y)

You can download below, for a limited time Maggie's version of "Jealousy" from the Frankie Miller Tribute Album

"Jealousy" - Maggie Bell

For the finale watch her at her peak with Stone The Crows and "Danger Zone"

New Music - The National

2007-04-25T14:42:00.000+01:00

The National is an indie rock band from Brooklyn, New York, founded in 1999 by friends (including two pairs of brothers) from Cincinnati, Ohio. Their first self-titled album was released in 2001 on Brassland, a label founded by two of those brothers, Aaron and Bryce Dessner, and their friend, writer Alec Hanley Bemis. The band had played few shows before the release of the album.

Influences range from Tom Waits to U2. The band's morose, self-deprecating lyrics are written and sung by Matt Berninger in a distinctive, deep baritone. The band is rounded out by Scott & Bryan Devendorf. Padma Newsome, from sister band, Clogs, often contributes strings, keyboards, and other arrangements and instrumental flourishes.

The band's early gimmick was that the members had all given up good jobs to work on the project, because several of the members had participated in New York's dot-com boom in the late 90s. However, this is rarely mentioned in more recent biographical materials.

Their last album, Alligator, was rated highly in "Album of the Year" charts in the LA Times, Insound, Uncut, and many other publications. Some of their most well-known songs appear on the album, such as "Mr. November" and "Abel." Recently, the television show One Tree Hill featured two songs from earlier albums -- "Lucky You" and "About Today" -- increasing their renown.

On their last tour the band played a handful of new songs. Their next album, called "Boxer", will be released on May 22, 2007.

You can listen to an advance track from the alnum below.

"Fake Empire" - The National

Who 2

2007-04-24T12:47:00.000+01:00

A final treat for the day this time for all fans of The Who.

The band have just completed their North American tour and kick start in Europe next month finishing off with a headline spot at Glastonbury.

Obviously they are not the same band as they were with Moon and Entwistle but for guys in their 60's they can sure rock and live they are still second to none.

Daltrey is the one who suffers most as his aged voice still has to soar out above the savage guitar of Townshend, better than ever, and the pounding drums of Zak Starkey.

Townshend knows that to progress further they need to change and the sound created on their "Endless Wire" album reflected that need changing away from the soaring guitars and being more reflective and acoustic based.

Townshend was for a long time uncertain whether Daltrey would or could adapt and move away from the rock god cliche but it was the performance shown below that convinced Townshend that there still was a future for him and Daltrey to work together in some form.

It may not be a guitar smashing epic like the Smothers Brothers My Generation clip or a spine chilling Woodstock finale or even a laser filled Won't Get Fooled Again but when all is done it will still be a finite moment in the bands long history.

Seasick Steve Best Video 2006

2007-04-24T12:29:00.000+01:00

Seasick Steve stole the show on Jools Holland's New Year's Eve Special you can now see it again below if you missed it first time round.

Buy his album "Dog House Music" for more of the same, da blues lives on!

The Runaways - Part 2

2007-04-24T12:13:00.000+01:00

This clip is The Runaways in their last effective form appearing on The Old Grey Whistle Test playing "School Days" from the "Waiting On The Night" album from 1977.

New Music - Mark Ronson

2007-04-24T11:46:00.000+01:00

Mark Ronson is a leading light in the new wave of performing producers and was the man behind putting the "black" into Amy Winehouse's latest album "Back In Black" with some great 60's motown/stax arrangements given a modern twist.

Amy has reciprocated and appears on one of the tracks from Ronson's (no relation to Mick) latest albun released this week called "Version" a neat name for an album of covers all with guest vocalists.

Amy handles The Zutons "Valerie" and you can listen to it below.

"Valerie" - Mark Ronson (featuring Amy Winehouse)

The Runaways - The Queens Of Noise

2007-04-23T13:34:00.000+01:00

The Runaways were intended by their manager Kim Fowley to be the new Monkees and he had hoped to manufacture them into a pop rock band but when have women ever done what men tell them.

The band grew a career of their own relying on raw live performances to counter the sheen that Fowley tried to bring to their recorded output. As a band they were highly influencial on the post 80's boom in women in rock with attitude and were great favourites of mine in the late 70's with their Live In Japan album being a treasured possession.

There is not a great deal of video footage around however enjoy this grainy reel from the "Queens Of Noise"

The original band lost bassist Jackie Fox to a life more ordinary, singer Cherie Currie to KiM Fowley's pop dream, unsuccessfull though it was, and carried on with the album "Waiting On The Night".

Eventually the group split Joan Jett had some solo success and guitarist Lita Ford tried her hand as a AOR guitar godess.

Drummer Leslie West sadly died recently after a battle with cancer but in recent times had come from behind the drum kit to front her own band as a guitarist and singer.

New Music - Elliot Smith

2007-04-23T08:45:00.000+01:00

Regretably I only found Elliot Smith and his music after his tragic early death. Whilst far from an expert on his music heritage I do count his song "A Fond Farewell" as one of my all time favourites.

One of his earlier record companies are about to release a double CD entitled "New Moon" which is a collection of rarities and out takes and will be fondly treasured my his legions of devotees across the world.

You can listen to an advance track below.

"High Times" - Elliot Smith

When Elliott Smith died late in 2003, he took with him one of the unique songwriting gifts of his generation: part folk grandeur, part punk fury, and virtually bottomless in eight short years of solo recordings.

Thankfully for that generation, and many to come, he left behind two dozen songs that his Portland, Oregon, producer and pal Larry Crane has crafted into a retrospective celebration of Smith's contribution to music. Mostly house-recorded demos plucked from the fertile three years that followed his 1994 debut Roman Candle (including an early take of "Miss Misery"), there's an eminent clarity to these songs that makes them sound like they were recorded yesterday.

A lone acoustic guitar is the general accompaniment to Smith's lamenting wail, his self-deprecating lyrics forever a contrast to the sheer beauty of the melodies. "What are you doing hanging out with me?" he asks in "Whatever (Folk Song in C)," his double-tracked harmonies mocking both Simon and Garfunkel. Along with fragile versions of "Angel in the Snow," "Looking over My Shoulder," and a cover of Big Star's "Thirteen," it's as eternal as anything Smith offered when he was with us, and, as one of several shining moments, makes you forget he ever left.

Elliott Smith
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Official website

Steven Paul Smith (August 6, 1969 – October 21, 2003), better known as Elliott Smith, was an American singer-songwriter and musician. His primary instrument was the guitar, but he was also proficient at piano, clarinet, bass, harmonica and drums. Smith had a distinctive vocal style characterized by his "whispery, spiderweb-thin delivery", and use of multi-tracking to create vocal harmonies. Although born in Omaha, Nebraska and raised primarily in Texas, Smith spent the majority of his life in Portland, Oregon.

After playing in the rock band Heatmiser for several years, Smith began his solo career in 1994 with releases on the independent record labels Cavity Search and Kill Rock Stars. He eventually signed a major label contract with DreamWorks Records in 1997, for which he recorded two albums. Smith rose to mainstream prominence when his song "Miss Misery", written for the film Good Will Hunting, was nominated for an Oscar in the Best Original Song category in 1998.

Smith battled with depression, alcohol and drug addiction for years, and these topics would often appear in his lyrics. At age 34, he died from two apparently self-inflicted stab wounds to the chest; the autopsy evidence was, however, inconclusive.

Two Legends Return

2007-04-22T12:44:00.000+01:00

The next couple of months see the return of two musical legends each with a rare new album to promote.

Mavis Staples' new record We'll Never Turn Back (Anti-) is both a look back to the civil rights movement and a commentary on today's still less than perfect political environment. Ry Cooder produced the record and also co-wrote the title track. Mavis Staples, as part of the Staples Singer's, experienced the civil rights movement first hand as Martin Luther Kings veritable backing band.

Excerpt from the liner notes:

"The music you are listening to right now was the soul of that revolution. It was this music that gave us hope when it seemed like all hope was gone. It was the heartbeat of this music and its steady, reassuring message that bound us together as one solid force. So when we were beaten, arrested and jailed; when we stood together on picket lines or marched through the streets of the Deep South; when we faced the guns drawn, the billy clubs and the bullwhips raised; when we were teargassed, trampled by horses, or scattered by fire hoses, it was these songs that lifted us and pushed us to a higher place.

It is my hope that when you hear Mavis Staples, when you hear the Freedom Singers, and the other artists on this CD, that you too will be inspired. I hope this music will help you find the courage to stand up, speak up, and speak out and answer the call of your own conscience. It is my hope that this music will help you see what ordinary people with extraordinary vision can do when they decide they will never turn back."Rep. John Lewis

You can listen to a track from the album below.

"On My Way" - Mavis Staples

Next up is the long overdue return of Chuck Brown

While some may debate the musical classification, influences, and origins of go-go, there is no question that Chuck Brown (1934) was a fundamental force behind its creation. Brown was born in North Carolina, but moved to D.C. with his parents at age seven. He grew up listening to jazz and blues and took up playing the guitar. He began his musical career in the early '60s, making his on-stage debut with Jerry Butler and the Earls of Rhythm. In "65 he began performing with a Latin-inflected band called Los Latinos, whose syncopated backbeat thrilled him.

Affectionately referred to as the "Godfather of go-go," Brown pioneered a musical blend of Latin beats, African call-and-response chants, rhythm and blues, and jazz whose heavy, complex, and non-stop rhythm arrangements inspired people to get up and get down to a brand new funk:
"I got sick and tired of watching people sitting around. Disco was too fast people didn't want to get all sweaty, and they just sat down. So we cut the beat in half (and called it Go-go) because it never stops."

Go-go in this case is not the popular music of the 1960s that inspired a dance and fashion craze, but rather a music and social scene deeply rooted in Wahington DC. Brown exploded onto the scene with his first hit "We the People" followed by the gold album "Bustin' Loose" and its number one single of the same name. Building on the international success of his mid-80's album Go Go Swing, Brown went on several tours around the world to play packed international venues.

Today, the sound of go-go is still heard in clubs and dance halls, as well as on the playgrounds and street corners, of D.C. The music continues to hold a large international following and Brown spends much time touring Europe and Asia.

In 2000, go-go music was featured at the Smithsonian Folklife Festival, and Brown was presented with the District of Columbia's Mayor's Arts Award for his pioneering contributions to the music of the city. The 2005 opening game for the Washington Nationals baseball team featured Chuck Brown singing "Bustin' Loose" and "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" during the seventh-inning stretch. Brown was the recipient of a National Heritage Fellowship from the National Endowment for the Arts that same year.

Advance tracks from the album are rare therefore you can download a track from the album "The Other Side" Chuck did with Eva Cassidy.

"Let The Good Times Roll" - Chuck Brown and Eva Cassidy

New Music - Wilco

2007-04-22T10:58:00.000+01:00

Today's "Track of the Day" has a link to yesterday's Ian Hunter track as that featured a guest vocal from Jeff Tweedy who is the main inspiration and front man for Wilco.

Wilco have a new album "Sky Blue Sky" just around the corner and there are a few advance songs floating in the ether. I could easily have chosen "Impossibly Germany" one of my current favourite songs with it's distinctive Tom Verlaine style guitar but have instead chosen "Hate It Here" which has a good Sunday groove in the field of Ronnie Lane or slow Stones with that Gram Parsons or Woody Guthrie touch.

"Hate It Here" -

Wilco

Wilco is an American rock band based in Chicago, Illinois. The band was formed by musician and songwriter Jeff Tweedy in 1994 after the breakup of alternative country group Uncle Tupelo.

While originally playing a musical style similar to Uncle Tupelo's previous recordings, Wilco is now mostly known for its rock, alternative rock and, sometimes, experimental style. The band current line-up also features bassist John Stirratt, guitarist Nels Cline, drummer Glenn Kotche, multi-instrumentalist Pat Sansone and pianist Mikael Jorgensen.

The band has released six studio albums, a live album, and two tribute albums to American folk musician Woody Guthrie in collaboration with English musician Billy Bragg. Their fifth studio album A Ghost Is Born won two Grammy Awards for the best alternative album and for best recording package in 2005.

Primary songwriter/singer Jeff Tweedy was a member of the seminal 1980s and 1990s alternative country group Uncle Tupelo. Tweedy shared songwriting and singing duties with bandmate Jay Farrar, who later formed Son Volt.

Tweedy formed Wilco with the last incarnation of Uncle Tupelo : drummer Ken Coomer, bassist John Stirratt, and string player Max Johnston. They had been featured on the last Uncle Tupelo recording "Anodyne". The band was named after the aviation term "Wilco", a military term that means "Will Comply".

Sky Blue Sky

On May 8, 2006, Glenn Kotche said that the band was in the writing and demoing stages of creating a new record, and that four or five of those songs had made it in to the band's recent live sets. The new songs include "On and On and On," "The Thanks I Get" (later announced to not be on the record), "Walken," "Impossible Germany," "What Light," "Let's Fight," "Either Way" "Let's Not Get Carried Away," "You Are My Face," "Patient With Me," "Sky Blue Sky," "Glad It's Over," "Shake It Off," and "Side With the Seeds."

Kotche also said that some of the new songs were written on the spot in the studio by the band as a whole, as opposed to Tweedy fleshing out the song and bringing it to the rest of the band.
Following the fall tour, which ended with Nov. 24 and 25 shows in the band's hometown, Wilco went back into the studio to finish recording its album.

In a June 2006 interview, guitarist Cline revealed that the band would be writing and demoing new songs in August, followed by recording sessions in November.

The band's next album is currently slated for a May 2007 release. On January 17th at a solo performance in Nashville, Tweedy revealed that the new album is titled Sky Blue Sky, and it is currently set for release on May 15, 2007.

In February 2007, Wilco announced the 12-song album's tentative track listing with the following message on its Web site: "Direct from Gateway Mastering Studios in Portland, Maine... here's the tracklisting, as of now, for Sky Blue Sky ... 1. Either Way; 2. You Are My Face; 3. Impossible Germany; 4. Sky Blue Sky; 5. Side with the Seeds; 6. Shake it Off; 7. Please Be Patient With Me; 8. Hate it Here; 9. Leave Me (Like You Found Me); 10. Walken; 11. What Light; 12. On and On and On"

(Almost) New Music - Alexi Murdoch

2007-04-21T10:01:00.000+01:00

In this music biz today so few artists actually want to "pay dues". The microwave "instant gratification" generation of artists often groan when presented with the work aspects that go on behind the scenes once signed to a label.

The antithesis of this mentality is Alexi Murdoch. Alexi Murdoch knows that "paying dues" helps generate buzz, sales and connects him & his music closer to the people who want to hear it.

In a move that is usually reserved only to generate hype for marquee acts, Alexi Murdoch went out on a six-week "free instore performance only" tour to promote his 2006 release 'Time Without Consequence'.

Alexi Murdoch has been compared to everyone from David Gray (no way!) to Nick Drake (yes) to Van Morrison (maybe) and his emotive yet commercial and evocative songs turn heads upon first listen.

Alexi Murdoch
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Alexi Murdoch is a London-born, Scottish-bred, singer-songwriter. He came to the U.S. to study philosophy at Duke University.

His self-published EP, Four Songs, was released in 2002, becoming the all time No. 1 selling record in CDBaby history. [1] Murdoch's newest album, Time Without Consequence, was released on June 6, 2006.

One of Murdoch's most popular songs is "Orange Sky". In an interview, Murdoch said when he took the music to a record company that the recording executive popped the disc into his computer rather than a stereo and then proceeded to stare at the counter on the screen waiting to see how long it took to get to the refrain. The executive's reaction supposedly convinced Murdoch to take the indie route of releasing his music.

His song Orange Sky has been used in a number of television and movie productions, including The OC, House, Prison Break, "Ugly Betty", Ladder 49, and a trailer for the film Paradise Now. The same song was also featured in the movie Garden State, although it did not appear on the official soundtrack. Another song of the album, All My Days, was featured in a Season 4 episode of The OC. More recently, the song "Home" was featured on a Season 2 episode of Prison Break.

Discography

Four Songs, 2002 (EP)
"Silent Night", 2004 (single)
Time Without Consequence, 2006

Official website
Alexi Murdoch Myspace
CD Baby: Alexi Murdoch

You can listen to the brilliant "Orange Sky" from "Time Without Consequence" below.

New Music - Ian Hunter

2007-04-21T09:48:00.000+01:00

Let's be honest Ian Hunter is not a new artist all you old dudes will remember him from Mott The Hoople who put the rock into glam in the seventies.

Since the collapse of Mott and the end of the Hunter Ronson Band and the ultimate death of Mick Ronson Ian Hunter's profile has been lower than it should be given his great musical heritage.

Hopefully this will change with the coming release of his new album "Shrunken Heads"

Your can hear for yourself via the "Track of the Day" "Words (Big Mouth)" below.

(Almost) New Music - Sia

2007-04-20T14:35:00.000+01:00

Sia has been around for a while now, originally as a vocalist for dance band Zero 7 she has been gradually moving from the dance scene towards a true torch singer following the style of Billie Holliday.

Enjoy her best known track from the album "Colour The Small One"

"Breathe Me" - Sia

And listen to a track from her earlier album "Healing Is Difficult" with the classical sample and the vocal style now successfully adopted by Amy Winehouse.

"Taken For Granted" - Sia

Finally also listen to her latest studio release which prefaces the new live album.

"Pictures" - Sia

The new live CD is now available as a download from iTunes

Biography: Sia

Sia (full name Sia Furler) hails from the famously laid-back Australian city of Adelaide. Boasting a powerful, soulful voice, she worked the Adelaide jazz circuit during the '90s as a vocalist for the band Crisp. However, the blonde, blue-eyed antipodean's big break came only after she followed in the footsteps of many other Aussie artists and hopped on a plane to the U.K.

While in London, Sia landed a gig as a backup singer for the very popular and extremely hip English outfit Jamiroquai. In early 2000, she released her first solo single, the alternative pop tune "Taken for Granted," which debuted at number ten on the busy U.K. singles chart.

Soon after, a string of big names in the British music scene asked for Sia's services; projects with Massive Attack, Zero 7, and William Orbit ensued. In mid-2001, Sia once again made a splash on the U.K. singles chart with the moody offering "Drink to Get Drunk," a track that would appear on her 2002 full-length debut, Healing Is Difficult. Ironically, it was only after her considerable success abroad that she began to make a real impact down under.

Colour the Small One appeared a year later. The track "Breathe Me" from the album gained attention when it was used in the elaborate final scene of the Six Feet Under series that aired in 2005. After a successful 2006 tour, as well as more appearances on Zero 7's album Garden, Sia has just issued the live album Lady Croissant, which also included the new studio song, "Pictures." ~ David Peter Wesolowski, All Music Guide

Live Sounds From Sia… “…as soothing as an aromatherapy candle”'Lady Croissant', recorded live at Bowery Ballroom in NYC, has been confirmed for release on May 7th. This is Sia's third album as a solo Artist and she has just completed a sold out tour in the US.

'Lady Croissant' includes songs from both Sia's solo career and Zero 7 and this live album captures Sia performing such songs as new studio track 'Pictures', 'Numb', 'Breathe Me', as well as a cover of The Pretenders song, 'I Go To Sleep'. The full track listing is: 1. Pictures (new studio track)2. Don't Bring Me Down 3. Destiny (Zero 7)4. Blow It All Away5. Lentil 6. Numb 7. I Go To Sleep (inspired by The Pretenders)8. Breathe Me 9. Distractions (Zero 7)

The US release of her album 'Colour The Small One' saw Sia cited by Rolling Stone as “one of 10 Artists To Watch” and she was called “…as soothing as an aromatherapy candle” by People magazine.The album ‘Lady Crossiant’ is released on May 7th

But the Australian singer, who also sings frequently with Zero 7, tells Spinner her new studio album, dubbed 'Some People Have Real Problems,' won't be far behind. "I'm almost finished," she says. "I'm just putting backing vocals and the strings are going on at the moment and that'll be out in September."

And while she says much of the same cast from the 'Colour the Small One' CD is back, she does have some guests, including Beck, who sings on a track called 'Academia.' "It's about brain versus guts," she says of the song. "The chorus is, 'Oh, academia, you can't pick me up, soothe me with your words when I need your love.' You know how people who can't really express themselves sometimes bury themselves in knowledge? Well, maybe I might know someone a bit like that."

Another song that gets a boost from some friends is 'Death By Chocolate,' which features actors Jason Lee and Giovanni Ribisi -- Beck's brother-in-law -- doing "BVs," as she calls them. Ribisi's daughter, Lucia, also has a solo on 'Little Black Sandals.'

As for the remaining new tunes, Sia has yet to finalize the tracklist. "There are a couple [of songs] that are from some sort of pop, like 'Buttons' and 'Blame It On the Radio,'" she says. "I don't know how we're going to keep them on the record 'cause then there's all these slow, moody, old soul songs. I recorded 19 and I guess I'll choose 11."

New Music - Manic Street Preachers

2007-04-20T10:41:00.000+01:00

Time for some "new music" now in a series featuring exclusive tracks from forthcoming releases or my some new kids on the block.

We start with a well established band the Manic Street Preachers, they have never been one of my favourite groups as I feel when they are good they are very good but a lot of their songs leave me cold.

A new album "Send Away The Tigers" is just around the corner and the track below is expected to be the lead single.

It features a duet with Nina Persson of The Cardigans and has one of these hooks that will get right into the middle of the grey matter.

Enjoy listening to:-

"Your Love Alone Is Not Enough" - The Manic Street Preachers

Track of the Day - The Beat Farmers

2007-04-20T08:11:00.000+01:00

San Diego is my favourite city in the whole world and it has also been the home of some great music.

The Beat Farmers
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Beat Farmers were an alternative rock and country music band formed in San Diego, CA in August 1983, and enjoyed a cult following throughout the 1980s and early 1990s before the premature death of lead singer and drummer Country Dick Montana.

Their music has been described as an amalgamation of cow punk, jangle pop, roots rock hard-twang Americana, country-rock, swingabilly, and Creedence swamp-pop.

In 1983 a former record store owner, and past president of The Kinks Preservation Society fan club, Country Dick Montana, drummer for the pioneering San Diego punk band The Penetrators, forms the Beat Farmers with ex-Shames singer-guitarist Jerry Raney. The two musicians quickly recruit singer-guitarist Buddy Blue and bassist Rolle Love from local rockabilly band The Rockin' Roulettes. The new group begins a residency at the Spring Valley Inn, then moves to Bodie's, near San Diego State University. The band started to gain a following in San Diego and Los Angeles clubs, satisfying a need for roots-based rock &' roll.

1984 - By March they were signed to a record deal with Rhino Records for a one-off-deal with a 4,000-dollar budget. The first album, Tales of the New West, was produced by Blasters / Los Lobos saxophonist Steve Berlin and released in January 1985. It included the cover song Happy Boy by Doctor Demento, a favorite of the group's live shows and perhaps the only song of the 1980s to contain the chorus: Hubba-hubba-hubba-hubba-hubba, and was extensively played on San Diego radio station KGB-FM by disc jockey's Jim McInnes and Pat Martin. The album also included cover songs Reason to Believe by Bruce Springsteen, and There She Goes Again by The Velvet Underground, along with 12 other original songs.

The first studio experience, according to guitarist Buddy Blue,“Was pretty intimidating, I remember at the studio Barbra Streisand was in one room and Jermaine Jackson was in another. Later we did overdubs in a smaller studio and there was this big tank of nitrous oxide. That album was kind of cut in between everybody taking trips over to the tank and huffing nitrous!”

1985 – During a month-long tour of Britain the band records a six-song EP for Demon Records, Glad 'N' Greasy,. It was co-produced by Graham Parker & The Rumour keyboardist Bob Andrews. The EP included an outrageous version of Beat Generation performed in a Rod-McKuen-meets-Richard-Hell style by a bassoon-voiced Montana and featured intoxicated backing vocals from Dave Alvin, Nick Lowe, Gene Taylor, Dan Stuart, and Loudon Wainwright III.
According to guitarist Blue, “[Loudon Wainwright] just happened to be in London, too, so he was hanging out with us drinking in pubs.” The British critics loved the band; the editor of Melody Maker followed them around and subsequently compared them to The Beatles.

1986 – After Britain came a grueling American tour and a seven record deal with Curb Records followed by a souring experience making the next Beat Farmers record, Van Go. According to Blue, “Curb Records wanted the next Dire Straits.” A disgusted Blue gave his notice and went solo. Montana wanted to replace him with Joey Harris and Paul Kamanski, both formerly of top local rock band The Fingers. Raney objected that the band does not need three singer-guitarists, so only Harris is added to the lineup. Joey Harris, a guitarist and mandolinist, had worked earlier with Montana in a precursor to the Beat Farmers called Country Dick and the Snuggle Bunnies.

1987 – Curb Records/MCA releases The Pursuit of Happiness. The album features Kamanski's Hollywood Hills and a memorable cover of the Johnny Cash chestnut Big River. Hideaway, written by Joey Harris, is featured in the soundtrack to the film Major League. The band also begins a tour in Europe, where the passion for blues-rock, roots rock and country rock runs higher than in parts of the U.S. The single Make It Last got airplay on nearly 45 country western stations. However, once country radio programmers listened to the rest of the album, they dropped the song. Many programmers felt the rest of the album was too rock 'n' roll oriented.

1989 – Poor and Famous is released and includes King of Sleaze, a notable collaboration by Montana and Mojo Nixon. Later in the year, Montana and Harris formed a side project with Nixon and Alvin called the Pleasure Barons, a group that specialized in lounge music.

1990 – Live, Loud, and Plowed, a live album released by Curb Records without the bands knowledge. It was recorded in San Diego at the Bacchanal and captured the vibrant essence of the band. It featured cameos by Nixon and Iron Butterfly alum Jack Pinney.

1991 - Montana was treated for a thyroid condition and continued to visit the doctor's office for cancer treatments. The band grew dissatisfied with its relationship with Curb Records and attempted to get out of their seven-album contract. Montana continued side projects in the Los Angeles area, including the Incredible Hayseeds, Country Dick's Petting Zoo, Country Dick's Garage, along with the Pleasure Barons.

1993 – Finally free from its contractual obligations with Curb/MCA, which reportedly hoped to oust Montana from the band, the group records Viking Lullabys in Vancouver, Canada.

1994 – Viking Lullabys is released in August by Sector 2 , an Austin, Texas record label. The band toured heavily to support the release, while working on a second album for Sector 2.

1995 – Curb/MCA puts out The Best of the Beat Farmers, without the band's consent. Sector 2 releases Manifold in September; however, it was released two weeks earlier in San Diego to coincide with the San Diego Street Scene Outdoor Festival. The group toured the U.S. in September and October, playing venues in Texas, Chicago, Detroit, and New York. On November 8, Country Dick Montana died of a heart attack while performing The Girl I Almost Married, three songs into the set at the Long Horn Club in Whistler, British Columbia. The remaining Beat Farmers decide to dissolve the band three days later; however, the remaining members formed several new bands including Raney-Blue, Powerthud, The Mentals, and Flying Putos.

1996 – Bar None Records of Hoboken, N.J posthumously released The Devil Lied to Me, a Country Dick Montana solo album. The performers include Katy Moffatt, Rosie Flores, Nixon, and Alvin. The selections include Dave Alvin's Rich Man's Town, Paul Kamanski's Indigo Rider, a cover of Tom Petty's Listen to Her Heart, and the originals King of the Hobos, as well as a tribute to amateur rappers Bum Rap.

2003 – Buddy Blue releases The Beat Farmers Live at the Spring Valley Inn, 2003 on his own label, Clarence Records. Happy Boy was featured in the 2003 movie Dumb and Dumberer.

2005 – The newly named Farmers (Blue, Raney, Love and drummer Joel Kmak) release Loaded, also on the Clarence label. The Farmers have played at local San Diego venues, thrilling the crowd with old Beat Farmer tunes on request. One of them, Watching the River, closes out the re-released and extended edition of Tales of the New West; its inclusion makes a nice coda to the story of the Beat Farmers’ early-and best-years

2006 - Buddy Blue dies on April 2, suddenly and unexpectedly at his La Mesa home at the age of 48.

Country Dick Montana was known for lying on his back and drinking his beer using only his feet, like a grizzly bear and bantering with his audiences, whom he often sprayed with beer. After performing a show, he would often walk around the club, shake hands, sign autographs, and chat with fans. Despite being treated for throat cancer twice, he was always ready for a beer run.
The Beat Farmers were a band that stayed true to what they believed, which is good, honest, and straight ahead rock and roll music. Their sound is difficult to describe. It has some minor Neil Young-like country overtones and some fun novelty-type songs that add to their live shows; however, it is still rock and roll. They were an influential and unusual band insomuch as they had two lead guitarists and three lead vocalists.

Today's "Track of the Day" is taken from the "Glad 'n' Greasy" album and is a Neil Young cover.

"Powderfinger" - The Beat Farmers

Bonus Tracks of the Day - Stealers Wheel

2007-04-19T18:09:00.000+01:00

Despite being in the midst of a n 80's American Garage Rock series I have been reliably informed that a certain Gerry Rafferty has picked up his bus pass this week and that this should not go unnoticed.

Gerry Rafferty, along with Joe Egan, Rab Noakes and Ian Campbell formed Stealers Wheel in 1971 after countless hassles with management their dream of being the British Cosby Stills Nash and Young was dashed.

"However Rafferty and Egan survived and brought in new personel to record the eponymous "Stealers Wheel" which contained one of the most enduring pop hits of all time "Stuck in the Middle With You". Then refusing to tour the USA to promote the album Rafferty left. However a few months later Rafferty and Egan teamed up again as Stealers Wheel, hired some session musicians and recorded "Ferguslie Park" with legendary production team Jerry Lieber and Mike Stoller.

Rafferty and Egan only recorded one more album together, the rather lacklustre Right or Wrong in 1975 befeore their management company went bust and Rafferty went on to solo success in 1978 with the superb City to City album from which the worldwide smash Baker Street was lifted." (Robert Ryan of Harmonica Lewinsky)

So please enjoy the track below taken from "Ferguslie Park"

"Blind Faith" - Stealers Wheel

In addition I also gift you the Roger Daltrey and Adam Faith cover of "Stuck In The Middle With You"

"Stuck In The Middle With You" - Roger Daltrey & Adam Faith

John "Rabbit" Bundrick

2007-04-19T14:25:00.001+01:00

Thursday, April 19, 2007

Sue Bundrick

"Rabbit (John Bundrick) says good bye to his wife Sue today at a funeral in the West Country.

Sue had two daughters, Jackie and Cathy. Sue was born in 1944 and married Mike Vickers of the Manfred Mann group who had a string of hits in the UK in the '60s and early '70s.

Rabbit and Sue met in 1978 and got married when their respective relationships fell apart. They have been together through many ups and downs ever since. Sue didn't have a bad bone in her body and everyone in and around the Who loved her very much and will miss her. Our hearts go out to Rabbit, the girls, and the grandchildren this afternoon.

Bye Sue!"

Pete Townshend 19th April 2007

http://www.petetownshend-whohe.blogspot.com/