Ray Wilson – Genesis Klassic

Between solo and Stiltskin tours Ray Wilson will often revert back to Genesis mode and finally there will be a quality CD to document this side of his musical heritage.

The Genesis Klassik show is a collection of well known Genesis songs, performed by Ray, his band, and the Berlin Symphony Ensemble.

- Land of Confusion
- Jesus He Knows Me
- Carpet Crawlers
- Ripples
- Follow You Follow Me

are just some of the songs performed by the 10 musicians, during this 100 minute show.

A CD release is being released later this month and can now be ordered from his website by clicking HERE where you also can download this brilliant version of one of Fiona’s favourite Ray songs from the Genesis album “Calling All Stations”

“Not About Us” – Ray Wilson

 

To buy the music of Ray Wilson click HERE

 

To buy the music of Genesis click HERE

Blueflint Album Launch

In amongst all these US Nuggets postings it is time for a bit of home grown culture.

Blueflint were touted by a Scotland on Sunday Review during 2008 as one of the top ten acts to watch.

Based around the banjo duo of Deborah Arnott and Clare-Louise Neilson, whose music subtly intertwines the clawhammer and three-finger picking styles of banjo along with beautifully stark but sweet vocal harmonies in original songs and ballads of love, loss and revenge.  Blueflint’s unique sound is enhanced by the contribution from an excellent line-up of talented and versatile musicians including Roddy Neilson on fiddle and Hugh Kelly on double bass.

“High Bright Morning” – Blueflint

Blueflint’s new CD ‘High Bright Morning,’ (produced by Jim Sutherland – Aberfeldy, ‘New Town’ BBC) will be launched on Wednesday 30th September at the Voodoo Rooms in Edinburgh, followed by a launch event on Thursday 1st October at the Green Note in London.

Following on from the launch events, Blueflint are touring Scotland in the autumn.
The CD launch tour takes them to venues such as the Tolbooth, Stirling; the Eastgate Theatre, Peebles; Aros Arts Centre, Skye; the Birnam Institute and many more.

To visit Blueflint click HERE and HERE

Pictures by Stewart Ennis

To buy the music of Blueflint click HERE

New Music – The Raveonettes

The Raveonettes new album “In And Out Of Control” is scheduled to hit the shelves on 5th October from which this track is taken.

“Last Dance” – The Raveonettes

Your lipstick smeared sad, I adore you
I always have
And every time you overdose
I rush to intensive care
Another sad eye stare before you disappear

If this is the last dance, if this is the last dance
Then save it for me baby
If this is the last dance, if this is the last dance
Then save it for me baby
Ooooh ooooh
Then save it for me baby
Oohhhh oooooh
Then save it for me baby

Your addiction and you are in love.
Night star crossed, I wait my turn
And every time you overdose I rush to intensive care
Another sad eye stare before you disappear.

If this is the last dance, if this is the last dance
Then save it for me baby
If this is the last dance, if this is the last dance
Then save it for me baby
Then save it for me baby

I want to know, I want to know
If it’s the last, if it’s the last dance
I wanna know, I wanna know
Baby baby please.

If this is the last dance, if this is the last dance
Then save it for me baby
If this is the last dance, if this is the last dance
Then save it for me baby
If this is the last dance, if this is the last dance
Then save it for me baby

To buy the music of The Raveonettes click HERE

New Music – Echo & The Bunnymen

Echo & The Bunnymen were essential listening for me in the mid eighties when they ruled supreme with albums like “Porcupine” (1983)

and “Ocean Rain” (1984)

Since 1984 there has been a stream of selective brilliance through a number of albums and the 12th October sees the release of their latest album “The Fountain” from which this track is taken:-

“I Think I Need It To” – Echo & The Bunnymen

To buy the music of Echo & The Bunnymen click HERE

New Music – Claire Martin

One of my all time favourite modern era jazz singers is back with another album this time called “A Modern Art”

Why A Modern Art?

On my last recording I explored the repertoire of the great Shirley Horn to pay my own personal tribute. This time I was keen to record a selection of new material, songs which I feel define me as an individual, and as a jazz singer in the 21st century.

I have always chosen to sing contemporary material from “outside” the Great American Songbook, alongside lesser-known standards and original compositions. In doing so I have strived to find new songs that can stand alongside the classics we associate with the greats including Ella, Sarah, Betty and Carmen.

Only two of the songs on this album are by classic composers: Cy Coleman’s ‘Everybody Today Is Turning On’ and Rodgers & Hart’s ‘Everything I’ve Got Belongs To You’. Elsewhere, I have chosen songs from some of my favourite writers: Michael Franks, Donald Fagen and Rebekka Bakken. Mark Winkler has contributed lyrics to a great Joshua Redman melody; lyricist Colin Lazzerini has introduced me to two songs I’m proud to have recorded, and the heartfelt ‘As We Live and Breathe’ is by my friend, and New York Voices’ vocalist, Lauren Kinhan. I was really saddened by the untimely death of Esbjörn Svensson. His beautiful ballad ‘Love Is Real’, co-written with Josh Hayden, is a song I recently discovered and I hope makes a fitting tribute to a much-missed musician.

The title song ‘A Modern Art’ was written by me with Laurence Cottle and it’s my own take on celebrity culture and the mass dumbing-down of musical standards in popular music. Jazz remains as vibrant and relevant as ever and can indeed gain a mass appeal – I’m sure of it! In fact, I’m on a mission, and if you’re reading this you’ve already helped my cause! Please spread the word that jazz isn’t an inaccessible art form that is too difficult to understand, nor do you have to wear an anorak and listen to trad in some muddy field in unforgiving British weather. Jazz is a thoroughly Modern Art form and this is my version!

I hope you’ll enjoy this album.

Claire Martin

Here is her version of the Steely Dan song “Things I Like The Most” from their 2003 album “Everything Must Go”

This is the lovely “Nirvana”

To buy the music of Claire Martin click HERE

Richard Hawley

The great Richard Hawley has his sixth studio album released this week, “Truelove’s Gutter” is for me, after only one listen, his best yet.

With a much fuller sound resulting from the use of a wide range of guitars, unusual instruments such as the megabase and waterphone plus some delightful orchestrations, though with less of his trademark twangy guitar.

Lyrically it is steeped in a “dark dark vibe” however that just suits me fine just now.

Here is a video for one of the tracks

There are so many great tracks like the 9 min long “Remorse Code”, great song title, the almost ambient opener “As Dawn Breaks” which sounds like a true reflection of the song title and the epic 11 min closer “Don’t You Cry”, however for now at least here is my favourite:-

“Soldier On” – Richard Hawley

Last word comes coutesy of a review from www.bbc.co.uk

“It’s obvious the artist has put a lot of thought into the running order, kicking off with the artificial bird calls, sleepy ambience and gloomy, rain-flecked imagery of As the Dawn Breaks. The sequence from the hushed ennui of Ashes on the Fire through to Don’t Get Hung Up on Your Soul, with its haunting musical saw accompaniment, is as close to perfection as anything he’s done. Between them lies the album’s heart-beat and emotional linchpin, the brooding meditation of Remorse Code. Instantly unforgettable, it unfurls with breathtaking grace and surprising economy over nearly ten minutes, and has a lovely, understated guitar solo.

His strengths and weakness as a lyricist are laid bare by the sparse, moody atmospheres. While the warts-and-all romantic realism of For Your Lover, Give Some Time has laugh-out-loud lines and Ashes From the Fire makes clichés seem convincing, both Open Up Your Door and Soldier On are repetitious, the latter marred by a bombastic interlude that breaks the prevailing mood. {proof in the theory that music is in the ear of the beholder…this is my favourite track!}

Aside from this, it’s the sheer beauty and unity of feel that make this a more than worthy addition to the Hawley discography. Truelove’s Gutter takes risks but doesn’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

To buy the music of Richard Hawley click HERE

Here are a couple of oldies but goldies

New Music – Phil Campbell

If you haven’t checked in to the music of Phil Campbell, please don’t confuse him with the guitarist from Motorhead, through his recent albums “Joy” (2007)

(Here is the video of “Cold Engines’ from the album)

and “After The Garden” (2008)

(Here is the ”No Love Songs” video)

then you can rectify that by checking out his new album “Daddy’s Table” which hits the shops on the 28th September but is available to download from iTunes HERE NOW

This in my view is his best work to date, anyone who likes Paulo Nutini’s recent album should check this out….it is even better and he deserves the same success!!!

Here from the album is the beautiful “Cried Some Diamonds”

As a bonus here is Phil’s cover of  “I’m So Tired” from the MOJO magazine album “The White Album Recovered”

“I’m So Tired” – Phil Campbell

“Phil Campbell is something of an enigma. Born in Scotland and into a family of lay preachers (his father) and hymn writers (his grandparents), Campbell soaked up the religious ether of this existence and then ignored it as best he could. He initially made something of a splash in the mid-1990s when he stood out amongst the more itinerant Glaswegian flotsam and jetsam and signed a development deal with WEA aged just 18. He followed this by signing to EMI and recording his debut album ‘Fresh New Life’ before he had turned 20. Campbell then fell out with EMI, blew his advance on drugs and friends (in that order) and then fell on his feet quick enough to get a cute scar on his left cheek and a bunch of songs that tell the whole sordid tale. After The Garden is that bunch of songs, a beautiful collection that lives up to the promise Campbell showed us all those years ago. Campbell’s own uneasy listening includes Tom Waits, Elliot Smith, Neil Young, anything from Exile On Main Street and Sticky Fingers (you should hear Campbell’s piano version of Gimme Shelter – it’s enough to make you wonder whether you’re allowed to witness something this brittle), and anything by Bob Dylan.”

“Acclaimed musician Phil Campbell makes a long-awaited return to Scotland with the release of single Wrecking Ball Nights, taken from the forthcoming new album Daddy’s Table. Campbell, whose previous albums Joy (2007) and After The Garden (2008) (Safehouse Recordings) were released to fanfare from the national music media, has spent nearly fifteen years in London. His road back home tells the tale of an artist who has tenaciously negotiated the easy pitfalls and disappointments of a career that started at just eighteen years of age. Its a story that omits tumultuous relationships, the birth of Campbells son, changing influences, a growing interest in music production and some hard-fought battles with drugs and alcohol. Yet in 2009, with a new home and a new album (produced with Whisky Towns Richard Causon), Campbell believes that his career to date, and his past experiences, still very much inform the present. “Coming home was inevitable and I’ve been inspired since returning, says Campbell. The new album is very different, its more live sounding and a blend of my love for American country music and Scottish hymnal melody”. Daddy’s Table will be released in September 2009, supported by further Scottish dates.”

Click HERE to visit the Phil Campbell MySpace page where you can download for free “Radio Luxemburg” which is the b-side from the  first single from the album “Wrecking Ball Nights”

To buy the music of Phil Campbell click HERE

Here are a couple of Later…..With Jools performances

Finally here is an audience recorded live performance of “For The Boozers and Losers” a particular favourite of mine from the new album.

Simon Townshend

Simon Townshend, younger brother of The Who’s Pete, is back with some new music of his own, the first in a long time.

Fiona and I had the privilege of meeting Simon a couple of times, we had built up a good relationship with him via exchanged e-mail in the early days of web blogging and once received an unmarked CD through the post with a hand written note of some track information followed by an e-mail asking us what we thought of his new demos.

The last time we met him was when he informed us he would be bringing his new band “The Casbah Club” north to play at The Ferry in Glasgow. The Casbah Club was basically him and a couple of friends, Bruce Foxton from The Jam and Mark Brzezicki, known for his work with Big Country, but really a world renowned session drummer with fellow ex-Big Country guitarist Bruce Watson as a special guest.

As usual we met up for a couple of drinks after the show and as always Fiona received a kiss on each cheek from Simon who she always refered to in jest as her “boyfriend”

In between his commitments to The Who, Simon with the rest of the Casbah’s finally released an album in 2006 titled “Venustraphobia”, a fear of beautiful women, from which the track below is taken.

“When She Sleeps” – The Casbah Club

The track “Any Way She Moves” included tributes to The Jam (actually The Beatles ‘Taxman’) and Big Country as you can hear from this home made video.

Here are The Casbah Club live with “Sex Change” with Simon’s big brother’s influence plain to see.

Whenever we saw The Who or watched a DVD, when Simon was part of the extended band, she would take great pleasure in saying there’s my “boyfriend”. We last saw him in Liverpool in 2006 when he was touring with The Who, here from the same tour in Germany is one of Fiona’s favourites “Love Reign O’er Me”

When not working o his own material he has often helped Roger Daltrey out on his side projects one of which was “The British Rock Symphony” here is Si (as he was known) with his take on “Blackbird”

Simon is once again about to head out on tour with Roger Daltrey.

Simon has never been out in the cold for long, so here he is performing a song from his solo catalogue “The Way It Is” from the album “Among Us”

All Simon’s solo music can still be bought via his webpage www.simontownshend.com buy some now!

Here is his latest track posted on the 18th September 2009 titled “Bed Of Roses”

“Bed Of Roses” – Simon Townshend

“Hi Fans, Friends and Family. I’ve been testing out my new studio (recently built in our flat’s unused loft space) by recording one of my new songs, Bed Of Roses. I’m really happy with the end result, considering it only took 2 days to complete – lead vocal and basic prep work, mandolins, etc. I did myself in advance over a 2 day period. Working with my son Ben on drums / backing vocals and Tony Lowe on electric guitar / bass is a breeze. We flew through it. Tony also helps with production – together we have a great formula that always works. I’m off on tour with Roger Daltrey soon but I intend to get straight back into it with the lads in December, hopefully to have a whole new album of material ready for release next spring. I’m back! – Love Si”

New Music – Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan has released through his web site a track from his forthcoming album “Together Through Life” which you can listen to and download below.

“Beyond Here Lies Nothin’” – Bob Dylan

To buy Dylan music click HERE

New News – Neil Young

Badlands is one of the best mail order companies to buy from and their regular e-mail updates are always a great source for new release news such as this forthcoming release from Neil Young.

Pay a visit to their web page and I am sure you will end up buying something.

NEIL YOUNG

SUGAR MOUNTAIN – LIVE AT CANTERBURY HOUSE 1968

 

The third release in Neil Young’s “Archives Performance Series” predates the fabulous Fillmore East and Massey Hall shows. It is taken from two shows performed at The Canterbury House, Ann Arbor on November 9 and 10 1968. These shows were amongst the very first few shows of a solo career that has now stretched for 40 years and predate the release of his debut solo album. By definition, these must have been very sparsely attended gigs! (Sugar Mountain from these shows has been released many times as a B side over the intervening years).

 

The tracklist for the album is: On The Way Home/ Mr. Soul/ Expecting To Fly/ The Last Trip To Tulsa/ The Loner/ Birds/ Winterlong/ Out Of My Mind/ If I Could Have Her Tonight/ Sugar Mountain/ I’ve Been Waiting For You/ Nowadays Clancy Can’t Even Sing/ The OldLaughing Lady/ Broken Arrow

 

The album will be released on November 24 on CD and CD/DVD and can be ordered by clicking here

Here is my favourite track from After The Goldrush

“Don’t Let It Bring You Down” – Neil Young