Happy Halloween

“Scared Of Ghosts” – Stiltskin

To buy the music of Stiltskin click HERE

“My Beloved Monster” – eels

To buy the music of eels click HERE

Friday Fun The Encore

 

“Cars” – Gary Numan

 

To buy the music of Gary Numan click HERE

 

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Friday Fun

Apologies to all my lady friends!

“Chest Fever” – The Band

I know she’s a tracker, any scarlet would back her

They say she’s a chooser, but I just can’t refuse her

She was just there, but then she can’t be here no more

And as my mind unweaves, I feel the freeze down in my knees

But just before she leaves, she receives

She’s been down in the dunes and she’s dealt with the goons
Now she drinks from the bitter cup, I’m trying to get her to give it up
She was just here, I fear she can’t be here no more
And as my mind unweaves, I feel the freeze down in my knees
But just before she leaves, she receives

It’s long, long when she’s gone, I get weary holding on
Now I’m coldly fading fast, I don’t think I’m gonna last
Very much longer

“She’s stoned” said the Swede, and the moon calf agreed
I’m like a viper in shock with my eyes in the clock
She was just there somewhere and here I am again
And as my mind unweaves, I feel the freeze down in my knees
But just before she leaves, she receives

Music From Big Pink

To buy the music of The Band click HERE

Walls Come Tumbling Down

 

The Claw Stage Set

U2 are to play a free gig in front of the Brandenburg Gate at the Berlin Wall, Germany on November 5.

Playing as part of the ‘Fall of The Wall’ celebrations in the city, commemorating 20 years since the Berlin Wall came down, U2 will perform as part of this year’s MTV European Music Awards (EMAs) which take place in Berlin on the same day.

U2’s manager Paul McGuinness says on the U2 website: “It’ll be an exciting spot to be in, 20 years almost to the day since the wall came down. Should be fun.”

“They’ve played some interesting places in the past but this’ll certainly be the most ambitious – and most poignant – one to date.”

To register for a pair of free tickets and for more information see the band’s official website here: U2.com

Latest music and film news on Uncut.co.uk

Here is the whole U2 concert as broadcast by YouTube at the weekend.

Alternatively here are The Style Council.

“Walls Come Tumbling Down” – The Style Council

You don’t have to take this crap
You don’t have to sit back and relax
You can actually try changing it
I know we’ve always been taught to rely
Upon those in authority -
But you never know until you try
How things just might be -
If we came together so strongly

Are you gonna try to make this work
Or spend your days down in the dirt
You see things can change -
YES an’ walls can come tumbling down!

Governments crack and systems fall
’cause Unity is powerful -
Lights go out – walls come tumbling down!

The competition is a colour TV
We’re on still pause with the video machine
That keep you slave to the H.P.

Until the Unity is threatend by
Those who have and who have not -
Those who are with and those who are without
And dangle jobs like a donkey’s carrot -
Until you don’t know where you are

Are you gonna realize
The class war’s real and not mythologized
And like Jericho – You see walls can come tumbling down!

Are you gonna be threatend by
The public enemies No. 10 -
Those who play the power game
They take the profits – you take the blame -
When they tell you there’s no rise in pay

Are you gonna try an’ make this work
Or spend your days down in the dirt -
You see things CAN change -
YES an’ walls can come tumbling down!

To buy the music of The Style Council click HERE

Daltrey

Roger Daltrey is currently undertaking a solo tour through North America whilst Pete Townshend completes his latest opus “Floss”.

During my recent music collection re-organisation I re-discovered Daltrey’s debut solo album.

“Daltrey” was first released in 1973. The album took six weeks to record during January and February 1973. Sessions took place at Roger’s Barn Studio, Burwash, East Sussex, where the backing tracks were laid down; vocals, overdubs, and mixing were completed at The Beatles’ Apple Studios at 3 Savile Row (the vocals for “One Man Band (reprise)” were recorded on the Apple rooftop, where The Beatles had performed their famous final concert in January 1969), and at Nova Sound Studios.

With one exception, the songs were all co-written by the previously unknown Leo Sayer, who later became a well-known singer in his own right. The song “One Man Band,” which begins and ends this album, is one of Sayer’s signature tunes.

“One Man Band” – Roger Daltrey

The Musicians  who played on the album included:-

• Dave Courtney – piano
• Russ Ballard – guitar, keyboards
• Bob Henrit – drums
• B.J. Cole – steel guitar
• Dave Arbus – violin
• Dave Wintour – bass guitar
• Del Newman – string arrangements
• Jimmy Page – guitar on “There Is Love”

Here is a performance from The Old Grey Whistle Test of the surprise hit single from the album “Giving It All Away” featuring Russ Ballard on guitar.

To buy the music of Roger Daltrey click HERE

Clouds

 

“Cloud Nine”  – The Temptations

Dennis: The childhood part of my life
Wasn’t very pretty, see…
Temptations: Boom, boom-boom, boom
Dennis: I was born and raised
In the slums of the city,
Temptations: Boom, boom-boom, boom
Dennis: It was a one-room shack
That slept ten other children beside me,
Temptations: Boom, boom-boom, boom
Dennis: We hardly had enough food
Or room to sleep
Temptations: Boom, boom-boom, boom
Dennis: It was hard times…
I needed somethin’ to ease my troubled mind

Paul: Hmmmm listen…
My father didn’t know the meaning of work
Temptations: Boom, boom-boom, boom
Paul: He disrespected mama,
And treated us like dirt
Temptations: Boom, boom-boom, boom
Paul: I left home seeking a job
That I never did find
Temptations: Boom, boom-boom, boom
Paul: Depressed and down-hearted
And I took to cloud nine
Temptations: Boom, boom-boom, boom

Paul: I’m doing fine
Up here, on cloud nine
Paul: Listen, one more time
Paul: I’m doing fine
Up here, on cloud nine
Dennis: Folks down there tell me…

Dennis: They say give yourself a chance,son,
don’t let life pass you by,
Temptations: Woo, woo, woo-oo
Dennis: that the world of reality’s a rat race
Where only the strongest survive,
It’s a dog-eat-dog world
And that ain’t no lie,
Temptations: Ain’t no lie
Dennis: It ain’t even safe no more
To walk the streets at night

Eddie: I’m doing fine
Temptations: On cloud nine

Dennis: Let me tell you ’bout cloud nine…
Temptations: Cloud nine
Paul: You can be what you want to be
Temptations: Cloud Nine
Dennis: You ain’t got no responsibility
Temptations: Cloud Nine
Eddie: And every man, every man is free
Temptations: Cloud nine
Dennis: You’re a million miles from reality
Otis: Reality

Temptations: I wanna’ stay up
Eddie and Otis: Higher
Temptations: Up up, Up and away

Temptations: Cloud nine

Eddie: I wanna’ say I love the life I live,
And I’m going to
Eddie/Otis: live, the life I love
Eddie: Up here on cloud nine…
I, I, I, I, I, I’m ridin’ high
Temptations: On cloud nine

Dennis: You’re as free as a bird in flight
Temptations: Cloud nine
Melvin: There’s no difference between day and night
Temptations: Cloud nine
Eddie: It’s a world of love and harmony
Temptations: Cloud nine
Dennis: You’re a million miles from reality
Otis: Reality

Temptations: I wanna’ stay up
Eddie and Otis: Higher
Temptations: Up up, up and away

Temptations: Cloud Nine
Paul: You can be what you want to be, ah
Temptations: Cloud nine
Dennis: You ain’t got no responsibility
Temptations: Cloud nine
Eddie: Every man in his mind is free
Temptations: Cloud nine
Dennis: You’re a million miles from reality
Temptations: Cloud nine
Paul: You can be what you want to be

Temptations: all of them weave in and out with ad libs
and choruses of “Boom-booms”

fade to end

 

To buy the music of The Temptations click HERE

 

The Last Town Chorus

The Last Town Chorus is a pop/rock/alternative country band from Brooklyn, New York. Founded in 2001, the only consistent member of the band is singer/lap steel guitarist Megan Hickey, who performs with a variety of backup ensembles. Originally a duo, guitarist Nat Guy left the band after the release of its first album.

The Last Town Chorus has toured in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia and Canada, collecting praise from Spin (magazine), The New York Times, The Chicago Tribune and The Village Voice in the US, and Uncut (magazine) and The Sunday Times in the UK.

Her cover of David Bowie’s “Modern Love” was featured on ABC’s medical drama Grey’s Anatomy and The Learning Channel’s Diana: Last Day of a Princess.

 

“Modern Love” – The Last Town Chorus

 

To buy the music of The Last Town Chorus click HERE

Born To Boogie

"The Day That Pop Came Back"

The 70’s answer to Beatlemania was without doubt Marc Bolan though his boast that ”we’ve done in a year what took The Beatles four years” was more ego than fact but let’s not let that spoil a good story.

With his transformation from being a mod through a folkie phase with the original Tyrannosaurus Rex to pop stardom with the re-formatted and re-named T-Rex complete it was no surprise that Ringo Starr, then Managing Director of Apple Films Ltd put forward a film  proposal to him in 1972.

It was agreed that the film should be built around two live concerts to be performed at The Empire Pool, Wembley on 18th March 1972.

The shows were recorded by Tony Visconti on The Rolling Stones Mobile Studio.

Between the opening “Cadillac” and closing cover of Eddie Cochran’s “Summertime Blues” were all the glam hits

plus three acoustic numbers reflecting his continual love of his musical history.

“Spaceball Ricochet” – T-Rex

In order to make the film more than just a record of the concerts additional sketch material was filmed together with an Apple Records basement jam  which included Elton John and Ringo Starr.

“Children Of The Revolution” – T-Rex with Elton John and Ringo Starr

The film was premiered on 14th December 1972 and for many years the film was presumed lost then come 2003 272 cans of footage were located in a warehouse near Heathrow and with Ringo Starr’s approval Sanctuary Films carried out extensive restoration work from which the 2005 double CD and double DVD sets were sourced.

For more information click HERE

To buy the CD and/or DVD click HERE

Thunderclap Newman

Thunderclap Newman are without best known as a one hit wonder following the No1 hit success in 1969 of “Something In The Air”

In 1969, Pete Townshend, The Who’s guitarist, created the band to play songs written by the former Who roadie, drummer/singer/guitarist John ‘Speedy’ Keen (miscredited as “Keene” on the single’s label). Keen wrote the opening track on The Who Sell Out album, “Armenia City In The Sky”. Townshend produced the single, arranged its strings, played its bass guitar under the pseudonym Bijou Drains, and hired for it GPO engineer and Dixieland jazz pianist Andy ‘Thunderclap’ Newman (born Andrew Laurence Newman, 21 November 1942, Hounslow, Middlesex) and the fifteen year old Glaswegian, Jimmy McCulloch.

Originally titled “Revolution”, but later renamed because the Beatles released a single of that name, “Something in the Air” captured post-flower power rebellion, marrying McCulloch’s sweeping acoustic and glowing electric guitars; Keen’s powerful drumming and falsetto, Newman’s legendary frostbite in boxing gloves piano solo and Townshend’s (uncredited) electric bass.

The single was Number One in the UK Singles Chart for three weeks, holding off Elvis Presley in the process. The scale of the song’s success surprised everyone, and there were no plans to promote Thunderclap Newman with live performances.

Eventually a line-up, augmented by Jim Pitman-Avory (bassist) and McCulloch’s elder brother Jack (drums), played a handful of gigs. Personal records say the band played live only five times, although Keen referred to a two-month tour, playing “everywhere”. Jimmy McCulloch and Newman have appeared on television to comment upon the anniversary of the first Moon Landing, to describe the extended concert that Thunderclap Newman were playing that evening.

“Something in the Air” appeared on the soundtracks of the films The Magic Christian (1969), Kingpin (1996), Almost Famous (2000), The Dish (2000), The Girl Next Door (2004), and The Strawberry Statement (1970); the last having helped the single reach Number 25 in the United States. The song also appeared in the deluxe edition of the Easy Rider CD. In the UK and US, a follow-up single, “Accidents”, came out only in May 1970, and charted at No. 44 for only a week, but not charting at all in the US.

An album, Hollywood Dream, again produced by Townshend and released the previous year, peaked in Billboard 200 chart at No. 163.

The members of the band had little in common. Newman once commented, in a 1972 interview with the NME, that he got on with Keen’s music but not with him personally, whilst it was the exact opposite with McCulloch. Two more singles followed before the band split.

My personal favourite from the album is “The Reason” which despite the presence of Jimmie McCulloch on guitar the track has the Pete Townshend acoustic and electric signature all through it.

“The Reason” – Thunderclap Newman

Newman recorded a solo album, Rainbow, in 1971 and appeared on Roger Ruskin Spear’s first album, playing assorted instruments, whilst McCulloch had stints with a dozen or more bands, including Stone the Crows and Wings. McCulloch died of heart complications due to a heroin overdose in 1979, at the age of 26.

Keen reappeared with a solo album, Previous Convictions, for Track in 1973, and began recording a double album as a follow-up. Frustrated at his lack of progress at Track, he took the demos to Island Records, which pared it down to the single album Y’know Wot I Mean? and released it in 1975. Its single, “Someone to Love”, received plenty of airplay but failed to sell.

Discouraged, Keen ceased recording after one more single in 1976. He tried the record producer’s seat, working with punk band Johnny Thunders and the Heartbreakers on their debut album L.A.M.F. in 1977, and also produced Motörhead’s first album before leaving the music industry. He appears on several tracks on the Best of Motorhead double CD All the Aces, as part of a live set originally performed under the name The Muggers. The set includes five songs written and sung by Keen, only one of which had appeared on his solo albums.

Keen suffered from arthritis for several years, and was recording his third solo album; however he unexpectedly died at the age of 56 on 12 March 2002.

Andy “Thunderclap” Newman has in recent times been touring a “version” of the band performing “Hollywood Dream” in its entirity, for more information click HERE

 

To buy the music of Thunderclap Newman click HERE

Fairport Convention

I am currently reading a biography of Nick Drake and I was surprised at how much of an influence Fairport Convention had on him both as a musician and in getting him a recording contract.

My first encounter with Fairport Convention was in first year at the “big school” where a young woman music teacher tried to brainwash us all into becoming fans by constantly trying to have us recreate songs from the above 1969 album with the use of triangles and chime bars!

Needless to say at the time she was not successful as I had only just graduated from the likes of Slade, T-Rex etc to “real” music like Uriah Heep, Wishbone Ash and Rory Gallagher.

“Matty Groves” – Fairport Convention.

 

I did eventually buy a Fairport Convention collection as I had by then grown to love the voice of Sandy Denny.

I was sold on “The History Of Fairport Convention” not only on the basis of the tracks compiled therein but also my the brilliant cover which was a Fairport Convention edition of the famous Pete Frame Rock Family Tree’s series which were regular article in “Sounds” the weekly music newspaper of the time. 

 

“Meet On The Ledge” – Fairport Convention

 

Another unusual aspect of the album was that a piece of ribbon was glued to the sleeve, making it look as if a royal seal had been embossed on it. Different reissues had blue ribbons, or red or green. Later reissues of the album had no ribbon, but the central seal was shown in a larger size, and the family tree was missing.

 

To learn more about Fairport Convention click HERE

 

To buy the music of Fairport Convention click HERE