A Cakewalk To The Graveyard...

Bessie Smith - Send Me To The 'Lectric Chair
Recorded on Thursday, March 3rd, 1927 in New York City (Light cloud, quite warm for the time of year), this track is so bleak it's hilarious.
Then she tells you how she slit her man's throat and kicked him as he lay bleeding to death on the floor.
It stops being funny.
Yep, she says, I did it, fire up the chair because I'M GOOD TO GO and I don't wanna spend no 99 years in jail.

"BURN ME 'COS I JUST DON'T CARE"

This is the woman who carried on drinking bootleg liquor after Prohibition was lifted because she preferred the taste.
Bessie Smith did not mess around.
She knew how to sing this kind of song.

You know, the only thing I can think of at the moment that possesses the same horrible clarity of purpose is "Very Friendly" by Throbbing Gristle.
In both cases the music lurches around a voice that sits right there in the centre of it all, reeling out a terrible monologue.
How does it feel to be listening in?

Visit - Bessie Smith @ Red Hot Jazz
Visit - Bessie Smith Links Page
Visit - Red Lick Records
Buy - The Essential Bessie Smith

Mike.

17 Ways or 7 Ways...

Hello there, what's Ed DMX cooking up for us this week? On one side we have the heart-breaking '17 Ways To Break My Heart' by his own DMX Krew and on the other we have Cola Boy's '7 Ways To Love'. Can you see a connection perhaps? I have stories to tell for both but unfortunately it's just gone 5pm on a Friday and that can only mean one thing... Goodbye

Visit - DMX Krew
Visit - St.Etienne

Higher Ground....

Johnny Domino - Vocodamol
Great title, great track....
Lovely Stereolabesque analogue intro drifting into a circling little guitar line giving way to the vocals...
Singing about a mans loneliness... "Starved of conversation, forgotten by the phone", William builds himself a robot to keep himself company....
Sadly it doesn't work out for them though....
"Love does not compute"....
This track is taken from Johnny Domino's 4th album "Solid Ground", and it's full of great little tracks with varying feels, occasionally like The Pastels and the aforementioned Stereolab to Neu and Meat Puppets...
Other tracks of note on the album are Second Greatest and the wonderful instrumental TDKBASF, amongst others.
You can download some other of their tracks from their site and I'd recommend being nice and buying the album from them too.

Visit - Johnny Domino

At Dusk - We Could Do Anything
This is taken from At Dusk's second long player "Heights", and a beauty it is too...
I'll let Greg do the introduction thing....
"Our music falls somewhere on the new and exciting "Indie Rock" spectrum influenced equally by Philip Glass, Sonic Youth, Romanian Gypsy Music (not a joke), Pavement, and The Byrds. For your amusement we shall now compare ourselves (somewhat seriously) to Mission of Burma, had they been from the West coast, fronted by a confused Colin Blunstone and Brian Wilson, with Jorge Ben, Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan and the Pace Twins go-go dancing, clapping out a beat, and cheering from the wings of the stage. Beyond these semi-truths, however, is the sound of a band comprised of three friends-from-childhood who know each other -- as people, and as musicians -- very, very well."
I'd go along with all that, I would also like to add "Archers of Loaf" to that list... maybe not the punkiness, but certainly the angularity of "At Dusk" reminds me of them...
And that's certainly not a bad thing.
It's a corker of an album, and the nice guys will let you download it from their site...
Don't forget to say thank you though.

Visit - At Dusk

Simon
x

Happy Flowers Part 2... AND NO SUPPER TILL YOU APOLOGISE!

Happy Flowers - Leave Me Alone
Step forward a few years and Happy Flowers had put a band together and nearly learnt to play their instruments... Nearly.
I can only think of a couple of bands that sounded this dumb, early "Lee Harvey Oswald Band" and more recently "Ten Benson"...
Dumb Rock Rocks...
This lovely song was featured on 1990's "Lasterday I Was Been Bad" released on the always great Homestead Records.
This was their final offering as they all went their separate ways until a mini 10th anniversary of breaking up tour in 2000.

Happy Flowers always had a snappy line in song titles...
"Mom, I Gave The Cat Some Acid".
"Mom And Dad Like The Baby More Than Me".
"I Wet The Bed Again".
"I Want My Teeth Back".
"Just Wait Till I'm Bigger Than You".
"I Wish I Was Adopted".
"I Ate Something Out Of The Medicine Cabinet".
"There's A Soft Spot On The Baby's Head".
"I Said I Wanna Watch Cartoons".
"Lets Eat The Baby (Like My Gerbils Did)".
"If This Gun Were Real (I Could Shoot You And Sleep In The Bed With Mommy)".
And my personal favourite "Simon".
Petulance indeed.

So what are they all up to now I hear you shout???
Well Mr Horribly Charred Infant now lives happily with Mr Horribly Charred Boyfriend and their dog Dagmar and is a computer programmer... (Mr HCI, not Dagmar).
Mr Anus got a doctorate in economics so should now be referred to as Dr Anus, and lives happily with the new improved Mrs Anus.
Mr Surrogate Roadie (and drummer) now calls himself James McNew and has been playing bass in some little beat combo called Yo La Tengo for the last dozen years.

On a side note (kind of!) Mr Horribly Charred Infant has put together possibly one of the greatest websites I've ever seen....
Go read his other duo's page... Classic.

You Really Have To Visit - Happy Flowers
Buy - Lasterday I Was Been Bad

Simon
x

Happy Flowers Part 1... GO TO YOUR ROOM!

Happy Flowers - Not Fade Away
Back in the days before Grunge had it's knackers whipped off by corporate buy-out, one of the more interesting sideshows was an outfit called Happy Flowers.
Mr Anus and Mr Horribly Charred Infant (I don't think they used their real names) had the bright idea of not only writing songs about childhood tantrums, but actually recreating them on their instruments.

I'm hard pressed to say what was their finest moment, but the hatchet job on Buddy Holly's Not Fade Away is rather special.
It's about ice cream.
"Ice cream is better than you, Mom and Dad", they scream.
Like Fat Tony says, It's funny because it's true.

As Buddy Holly covers go, it just about compensates for all those bloodless shuffles that James Taylor inflicted on us.
Any one fancy doing a Gabba version of You Got A Friend?

Happy Flowers never signed to a major label.

Visit - Happy Flowers
Buy - Too Many Bunnies (Not Enough Mittens)

Mike.

Savannah Affair...

Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band - Sunshower
This wonderful piece of sultry Latin smoothness was originally released in 1976 on Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band's eponymous titled first album on RCA Records, and also featured as the B-Side to the following years "I'll Play The Fool" 7" (also featured on the album).
The mastermind behind Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band was one Stony Browder (Dr. Buzzard to his workmates!) who sadly died in 2002.
Stoney's songwriting talents were very ably executed by the lush voice of Cory Daye.
Also featured in the line-up playing bass and singing backing vocals was Stony's younger brother Thomas (who re-named himself August Darnel), later in 1979 when the feuding brothers went their separate ways Darnel changed his name again to Kid Creole and enlisted the help of some coconuts... and went on to fame and prosperity the world over.
For me though this tops anything that came after the split, this song is just beautiful, from the kids singing, the aforementioned sultry Latin feel to the lovely gentle tremeloed guitar parts... Excellent.
You might also recognise this as MIA covered it (the chorus anyway!) for her last single.
And for all you anoraks out there De La Soul and A Tribe Called Quest have also sampled this track.

Buy - Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band
Buy - The Very Best Of Dr. Buzzard's Original Savannah Band
Visit - Dr. Buzzard @ The Disco Museum


The Harvey Girls - Good Morning, Bubblegum
And now for a wonderful bit of music that found it's way into my inbox recently.
It's so fantastically upbeat and jolly, not generally my preferred listening style I have to be honest,
but it's so damn catchy, I swear you'll end up whistling along to the Good Morning line too...
This is the opening track from The Harvey Girls second album "Blabber And Smoke", the title was the first thing that caught my eye when opening my mail...
It's a Captain Beefheart song... Bonus points for that.
Also bonus points for making me smile...
Bonus points too for writing an infectious song that reminds me of some of the Velvets more upbeat moments...
The Harvey Girls are Melissa and Hiram, and they take the vocal duties in turn on the album, another of my favourites is sung by Hiram, Green Light (In Your Heavy Metal Mind), it has a darker dirtier feel but is no less beguiling.
Go see them at their website and download the album... Don't forget to donate something though.

Visit - The Harvey Girls

Simon
x

Winter Sings His Song

Sub Title:- Million Seller That Might Have Passed You By...

ABBA - Like An Angel Passing Through My Room
This song is a counterweight to "My Love, My Life", where genius ran amok and almost blotted out the merely human.
I think it was Benny who said that "Like an Angel" threatened to be another huge, beautiful manouevre, but this time they pruned it back, being ruthless with the rose to keep it healthy.
What's left is a voice, a few keyboards and a metronome.
For Abba, this was nothing.

You can't help but compare the results to Nico's work.
It could almost have come from "Desertshore".
Almost.
One is inside the coffee shop, looking out at the rain, the other walking by without a coat, their fortunes different, their souls the same.

Buy - ABBA - The Visitors (+4 Bonus Tracks)
Visit - ABBA - The Site

Mike.

SVC shall avoid reflection

The Fall - Rowche Rumble (Take 4)
7-chloro-1,3-dihydro-1methyl-5-phenyl-2H-1,4-benzodiazepin-2-one or Valium, schh schh Valium, schh schh Rowche Rumble! Just when you thought we wouldn't (couldn't) post any more Fall songs these two come along so intrinsically embedded into this whole SVC/MP3/BLG she-bang that it might feel that we're eating ourselves like a dirty snake. We are. Take 4 of what some believe is 'the' greatest Fall single ever and who am I to argue as it was me that said it.

The Fall - Spoilt Victorian Childe
Regular visitors may already have downloaded the original version of this track from This Nation's Saving Grace LP when it was posted on these shores only a few months ago. This is the all new improved volume going haywire mix from the brand new Interim LP. Interim is a collection of 'cocked' and contorted tracks recorded live and in rehearsals that accurately chronicles the latest version of The Fall. Highlights include a smoke alarm going off in the studio during 'Boxoctosis Alarum' and purported lost b-side, last seen hanging round the back of LIDL's 'Mod Mock Goth'. Of course like most Fall records it divides opinion but as MES says on the liner notes. "The Results are up to you to decide to decide is but yo. Comments will be ignored."

Buy - Dragnet
Buy - Interim
Visit - The Fall
Visit - Roche
Visit - LIDL

Dazzle Ships In Drydock At Liverpool

by Edward Wadsworth 1919 (detail)

Part of the 'Vorticism' movement (a name suggested by so called "poet's poet', Ezra Pound!) Edward Wadsworth along with Wyndham Lewis used Cubo-Futurism as a basis for developing art that was geometrical to the point of abstraction. So far so good. The roots to this new abstraction can be traced back to young Edward's enlistment in the Navy and his appointment to supervise the camouflaging of ships in Bristol and Liverpool. Good old Bristol. Anyway what was the result? Gigantic crazy warships painted in zig-zags! Fragmented rectangles, trapeziums, broken diagonals and disjointed lines. Just brilliant.

Step forward 60 years or so and we have the dashing Peter Saville who's been asked to come up with the sleeve for OMD's forth LP. He sees this painting by Edward Wadsworth and a plan hatches. 'Dazzle Ships'. Ta da!

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - This Is Helena
What a great LP and to start off the proceedings let's begin with this instrumental number that uses a recorded broadcast by a presenter from Radio Prague. The opening spoken line "music for your tape recorder" should have if it hasn't already been sampled to high heaven. Come on all you acid house producers out there get sampling.... er quite. Anyway it's a snappy little number, kind of jaunty with some great horns in the middle. Put it on your walkman and then go down Tesco's. You'll be dancing in the aisles my friends.

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - The Romance Of The Telescope
Also from the 'Dazzle Ships' LP (this may well be my favourite track?) I just love the opening line:

"See these arms that were broken, how they held you so. Never once did they fail you, they wont let you go."

We'd already been thoroughly spoiled with the 'Architecture and Morality' LP the previous year where all three singles from it went top 5 and turned OMD into Smash Hits cover stars and this is what they follow it up with? It's difficult to imagine a band nowadays taking such a risk as to follow up a multi-million selling LP with a collection of fractured futurist soundscapes, Eastern European radio broadcasts and robot noises. Thankfully they did as artistically it is their greatest LP, sadly on a commercial level it didn't sell. It's lack of success was responsible for their more conservative approach in the future. Next stop Junk Culture. Oh dear. So may I just repeat if I can, the title of this track, and that's 'The Romance Of The Telescope' yes, romance of the telescope. Go on Coldplay I dare you.


Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - Mystereality
I was going to post the track 'Red Frame/White Light' which was inspired by a telephone box used by the band outside The Railway Inn on the Wirral and as songs inspired by telephone boxes go, it's pretty marvelous. Instead however I've gone for 'Mystereality' with dead ace horns by Martin Cooper.

The design for the LP (Peter Saville) features a die-cut grid that revealed the inner sleeve inside and the inspiration for it actually came from a metal grid in London's Covent Garden. Metal grids, phoneboxes. Peter Saville once commented that "Talking Heads' Fear Of Music cover is the first definitive high-tech sleeve. The OMD sleeve is the UK version of the same thing. It is a perforated sheet metal pattern cut out of cardboard. It is the moment at which fashion comes in to play on design".

I don't want to sound like an old curmudgeon but sleeve design is now at it's most base level ever and it's become something (if not nothing) of just simple promotion. Nice picture, white font. *sighs*

Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark - The New Stone Age
Anyway to round off today's OMD spectacular let's end with what some believe is their finest hour. 'Architecture And Morality' and the opening track 'The New Stone Age'. Always ready with a surprise the young OMD boys decide to start the ball rolling with guitars! So the story goes, the band were hoping people would take the record back to shops convinced it wasn't OMD! I still play this record out at more and more irregular evenings and it always goes down a storm. It's got a slightly new-wave childlike dance beat to it and at volume it's mighty.

Buy - Dazzle Ships
Buy - Architecture And Morality
Visit - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
Visit - Peter Saville

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Is A Train...

Whitey - The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Is A Train
Well this album is one of the most anticipated albums of the year for me, and does not disappoint at all.
It features a few familiar tracks from singles and compilations although some of them appear in a reworked form, and there's also a bunch of brand new tracks on there.
The track I've picked is the song that sounds less like any other of his...
All reverbed and delayed shimmering guitar (I'm sure I recognise the the guitar part at the start... reminds me of early Eno (Fripp)... Anyone?) leading into a lovely picked acoustic that drifts into a Bauhausesqe middle, add to this the gentle almost whispered vocals... Beautiful stuff.
A fantastic closer to a fantastic record.
Nathan J. Whitey has created a great album (Full Stop).

As usual with Whitey I'm having a problem finding any site...
So Google him....


Kylie Minogue - Red Blooded Woman (Whitey Mix)
And as an added little bonus here's Whitey's reworking of the lovely Kylie's track released back in March...
Quite a minimal mix this, and doesn't seem to explode anywhere or get really worked up, but still as affective in getting your little tootsies moving.

Buy - Red Blooded Woman
Visit - Kylie

Poor Boy Long Ways From Home...

Sun Ra - Dancing In The Sun
Although Sun Ra's work can be seen as one vast petition to get the Black Star Liner refitted as a space craft to take his people home, it's real impact was always going to be with the dreamers back here on earth.
Gigging with the likes of the MC5 in the '60s helped to establish a creative and downright political coalition between wild white guitar and black free jazz that continues to this day, thanks to the likes of Uncle Thurston and everybody's favourite Monster Truck fan, Henry Rollins.

Still, you have to wonder how many of the rock kids latched onto the likes of Heliocentric Worlds, Volume 1.
The answer is, enough.
Marshall Allen and Pat Patrick made me buy a saxophone.
This was because they were a source of an echo I heard in the likes of The Pop Group and A R Kane, and I didn't fathom how important it was to me until I heard Sun Ra, Albert Ayler and John Coltrane.
Goodbye, Planet Pop.

Buy - The Heliocentric Worlds of Sun Ra, Vol. 1
Buy - Stuff From Crazy Jazz
Visit - Sun Ra

Mike.

When Harry Met James...

Harry Nilsson - Jump Into The Fire
God this takes me back...
For a couple of years from the age of five when I lived with my mum there was a great big huge poster that covered half the wall of Harry Nilsson wearing a dressing gown (it was the cover to Nilsson Schmilsson!) at the bottom of my bed...
Now I'm not exactly sure how much this has affected me in my later life, but I'm pretty sure it can't be healthy...
Harry was at the time probably better known as John Lennon's boozy mate (see picture above), which is a bit of a shame as he wrote some great songs...
This being my favourite.
This is taken from 1971's Nilsson Schmilsson (brilliant title!) album and features Chris Spedding on guitar and a certain Mr Herbie Flowers on bass who is probably more famous for the bass playing on Lou Reed's Transformer and Bowie's Diamond Dogs amongst many many others.
(both Chris and Herbie (Uber session men of the seventies or what?) also appeared on Jeff Wayne's "War of The Worlds" too fact fans!)
Let's face it, the list of who these pair worked with would take me an age to write out... so I wont.
This version is the full 7 minute version from the album and not the shortened single version...
I just love the loosness of this, the grimey bass, the slightly deranged wailing of Harry and the great drumming.
Well worth 7 minutes of your time.
Harry Nilsson died in 1994 from an apparent heart attack, hardly surprising really considering how much he liked a tipple amongst other things.

Buy - Harry Nilsson - Nilsson Schmilsson
Visit - Harry Nilsson


Lcd Soundsystem - Jump Into The Fire (Live)
If anyones been lucky enough to catch these guys on the road then you'll know just how massive this track is live.
Sorry for the slightly shoddy quality soundwise of this recording but it's the best I've got...
It really doesn't do them justice but it gives you a rough idea...
When I saw them I had no idea they did this and when the bass line first kicked in I nearly wet myself....
Luckily I held it in and just danced like a looney for 6 minutes or so.
I have to say that Lcd Soundsystem live was on of my favourite gigs of this year, even though they had technical difficulties, just the sheer sound of it carried it beyond what most acts seem to muster up for their performances, and when "Losing My Edge" started I have honestly never seen anything like it before....
just the whole entire room exploded from the front to the people loitering (well jammed in really) round by the exits....

Buy - Dfa Records Presents: Compilation #2
Visit - DFA Records

You've Got The Urge To Be A Lightning Bolt...

Mercury Rev - Chasing A Bee
The nutso version of Mercury Rev lasted for the first two albums.
"Give up Pop" they proclaimed, taking their analyst out on tour with them.
"Chasing a Bee" from "Yerself is Steam" is all burning gorse guitar, sputtering up, glowing, trailing off in white smoke.
It spikes the air with something experimental.
Great, demented, creative music full of stars, caverns, dogs barking, fortunes told, fires in taxis.

David Baker left, the rest bought their suits and got in control of things. Now they play songs instead of taking them out, getting them drunk and dumping them in the lions enclosure.
Oh well.

Buy - Mercury Rev - Yerself Is Steam
Buy - Mercury Rev - Boces
Visit - Mercury Rev

Mike.

Scott

Scott Walker - Boy Child
By the time Mr Walker created his fourth solo album in 1969, technology had advanced so far that you can actually hear record company executives bricking themselves in the background.
Fortunately they are drowned out by the utter beauty of track 5, "Boy Child", a piece of music so vivid it's nearly film.
And a very late 60's film it is, the plot gone to India, the camera pointing straight into the sun.
It's Midsummer, you are slightly drunk and laughing with joy.

Scott 4 is available on a mid - price reissue.
Lucky you.

Buy - Scott Walker - Boychild: Best of 67-70 and see your life change.
Buy - Scott Walker - Scott 4
Visit - Scott Walker Fansite

Mike.

Throwaway Style...

You seriously, seriously have to get yourself over to Throwaway Style where Mr_Hood has posted the best track i've heard by a band i've never heard of before in such a long long time... I can see this becoming one of my all time favourites....

The Year - 1973

The Band - Simply Saucer

The Track - Nazi Apocalypse

It is absolutley fantastic.

I'm off to buy several copies of the album right now...

Guess what all my mates are getting for Christmas?



p.s.

He's also got great tracks from Whitey, Manitoba, The Make-Up amongst others...

What are you waiting for?



Simon

x

XTina...

Christina Aguilera - Make Over (Dunproofin's Future Sound Remix)
This is the best mix without a doubt that Dunproofin's done, and there's been some goodies.
I really like the original version of Christina's song from Stripped... Beatles and Jefferson Airplane vibe all over the place, great stuff.
But this version is excellent, starts with minimal beats and squelchy bassline while Christina does her thing....
So all is well, another minimal mix very well put together....
Until Dunproofin' sneaks up behind you at the 4:45 mark and just smashes you round the back of the head with a sledgehammer of a riff that wouldn't sound out of place on a Ministry record leaving you reeling around the room with a skull that's seen better days...

Buy - Christina Aguilera - Stripped
Visit - Christina Aguilera
Visit - Dunproofin'


Something For The Weekend Sir?
Visit - Lickety Spit
A brand new blog that looks really promising, three posts in and already some great tracks... especially SVC favourites Simian and a truly great version of "Sympathy For The Devil" by the goddess that is Sandie Shaw.
Visit - The Of Mirror Eye
Who has a whole bunch of great Sly And The Family Stone tracks up for grabs, along with tracks by yet more SVC faves Mum and Otis Redding amongst others.
Visit - My Little Escape
Another brand newie with possibly my favourite Folk Implosion track there.
Play - A Murder of Scarecrows
A stupidly addictive game that owes a lot in feel to Tim Burton I think...
Also, turn "Skeleton Radio" on...

Have a good weekend everyone.

Simon
x

The Beatles vs The Stones vs Ride...

ccc - Leave Anna Behind
This is the best Beatles Mash-up I've heard so far I think...
Well, It's my favourite anyway.

Ingredients:-
The Beatles - Anna
The Beatles - Hey Bulldog
Ride - Leave Them All Behind
The Rolling Stones - Sympathy For The Devil

These tracks really work well together, and it's great hearing Ride in a bootleg.

ccc tends to use a lot of vintage source material in his bootlegs The Byrds, The Beatles, The Kinks, Aretha, The Beach Boys and so on...
There's a whole host of tracks to download on his web thingy so get yourself over there and start right clicking and saving as...

Visit - ccc


Ride - Eight Miles High
And talking of The Byrds, here's Ride's take on their psychedelic classic.
This was released on the "Through The Looking Glass - 1966" compilation put out by Imaginary Records in 1990.
I think Amazon still have one used copy left....

Motorcycle Ride - Atomic
This version of the Blondie track was recorded with Motorcycle Boy singer Alex Taylor on vocal duties and the Ride boys providing the music... hence the name!
It was originally released(!) with another Blondie classic "Union City Blue" and put out as a two track cassette meant only for the two bands and their friends, but Fierce Records got a hold and bootleged it and released a thousand copies on 7"...
Pretty hard to get hold of now though.

Buy - OX4
Visit - Ride @ Creation Records

(Latin) Salx, Salc-, fond of leaping, lustful.

Tokyo Windbag - Gak-Klot
UK Sweetheart's Subway Lung and Rotten Blud prepare for their most challenging role to date. A compelling true story co-starring Sisqo The Dragon, Lung and Blud play hard-nosed ex-Marines who take an unpaid teaching post to smart but underachieving kids in the Isle of Man. Blud draws on his background to educate the kids on topics ranging from martial arts to arcade games whilst all the time battling gang members and a strict headmaster who carriers a bat. When a French backed terrorist army attacks the school, it's up to Subway Lung and Rotten Blud to save the day. This single came out on Control Tower and has an individual spray painted sleeve.

Visit - Haywire
Visit - Control Tower

The Church of Gary Busey - Dominant Male EP
The track taken from this EP is called 'God' who has sadly seen His popularity dwindle over the last two-hundred years. In order to get back on His feet He meets the young singer David Sneddon and helps him to get a contract with a record company. While Sneddon has a breakthrough, God becomes more and more depressed. The truth be known I only bought this single because it has a photo of a penis on the sleeve. After a somewhat shakey start the record builds into quite a hypnotic little mover so all those with little or no patience skip on in a minute or so. What is the phrase that Gary Busey says in 'Point Break' to the handsome Kenny Reeves that makes me cringe?

Visit - Church of Gary Busey photos
Visit - Experimental Seafood
Visit - Busey World

donAteller - Mmmm...
'donAteller' (Versace?) are Mark Leckey, Ed Laliq (Sid Vicious Is Dead), Bonnie Camplin and Enrico David. After being discharged from the local police force, Leckey (played by C. Thomas Howell) and his band travel back in time to face down their demons. Along the way, however, they pick up a demented hitchhiker who has diabolical plans for them. I once went to a show by Mark Leckey at the Tate Britain called 'Big Box Statue Action' where he serenaded and/or assaulted Jacob Epstein's sculpture, 'Jacob and the Angel' with a huge sound system. It made some people cry.

Visit - High Society

The Lakemen - Midirock
I typed the words 'pogo gegen das boese' into Google as that's what it says on the sleeve and got this site Enduro which has a load of MP3's (inc. SVC favourites Zongamin and Rogers Sisters. Did I ever post 'Zig-Zag Wanderer'?) What does the phrase mean? Is it 'pogo against the bad'? could be. The 7" came with some free 3D glasses don't tell Robert Del Naja and the track itself is a thinly veiled disguise of salacious 80's hit 'Touch Me' by Page 3 stunna Samantha Fox. Anyway the Enduro version is far better encoded than mine (perhaps I need a new needle) so if you want to get a good version then go and pay them a visit.

I'm so tired....

Brand New Mix Thingy...

Well I figure it's about time for a brand new track.
This is a mix of one of my favourite groups of lovely people...
Bronze Age Fox
Done by one of my favourite lovely people...
Me...
(Well sometimes anyway!)

Bronze Age Fox - When Things Work Out (Empire State Human Mix)

I'm not going to write anything about this as it's probably obvious enough that I like it...
But please feel free to tell me in the comments whether you like it or not...
All critique welcome.

The original version of this track can be found on the great compilation of all four Bronze Age Fox singles cunningly titled "Bronze Age Fox Compilation" released last month on Bagatelle.

Buy - Bronze Age Fox Compilation
Visit - Bronze Age Fox
Visit - Empire State Human

Simon
x

We Are All Prostitutes

Today I thought I'd delve into a back catalogue of an increasingly more relevant and influential band from the late seventies and beyond....
The Pop Group...

Mark Stewart - Vox
Dan Catsis - Bass
Gareth Sager - Guitar And Sax
Bruce Smith - Drums
John Waddington - Guitar
Simon Underwood - Bass (First Album Only)

Whenever I hear bands like LCD Soundsystem, The Rapture, !!! and the like I can't help thinking of Maximum Joy, Pigbag and most of the other bands that were formed from the ashes of one of Bristol's finest.
They kind of forged the template for all the danceable post punk bands that followed.

To kick things of I thought I'd ask someone who I know is a big fan of theirs to pick his favourite track and write a couple of words about it.... Mike Seed. (I've also posted tracks on SVC by Mike too... go track 'em down... might I recommend starting with Holy Nightmare!!!).
Anyway...
Take it away Mike.


The Pop Group - Colour Blind
Sounds like the doorway to a nervous breakdown. This is the way, step inside.

"NOBODY ASKED HIM IF HE WANTED TO DIE"

Mark Stewart is singing his mental state.
It isn't a game.
It isn't entertainment.
The music is so unstable that you can barely believe he survived it.
But then I'm not sure he really did.

Others: Cindytalk's "Camouflage Heart", PIL's "Metal Box", John Cale's "Ballad of Cable Hogue", Nico, JOY DIVISION.

THIS IS THE WAY
STEP INSIDE

Colour Blind is a demo recorded in 1978 which featured on the now deleted We Are Time album released by Rough Trade in 1980.

And now to my post Pop Group (hereby now known as PG) selections...
Take it away Me...


Rip Rig And Panic - Constant Drudgery Is Harmful To Soul, Spirit And Health
Formed by The PG's Gareth and Bruce and joined by Mark Springer, Sean Oliver and Nenah Cherry.
This is the opening track to God, their free jazz tinged debut double album from 1981 released by Virgin.... also deleted. (See a common theme developing here?)
God was my favourite of their albums, just for the sheer rawness of it, I'd never heard anything quite like it at the time, It's crammed with abstract beats, strangeness and mad piano.... still not really heard anything like it to be honest.
Subsequent albums tended to be smoother and a bit more easy on the ear, that's not necessarily a bad thing, I just prefer the slight hint of madness I hear in God.


Maximum Joy - All Wrapped Up
This great bit of scratchy funk features The PG's John Waddington on guitar and is from 1982's Station M.X.J.Y. album on Y Records, yet again well and truly deleted.


Pigbag - Sunny Day (12" Version)
Formed by The PG's bass player Simon Underwood, this track was released in 1981 on Y Records and also featured on two compilations...
Favourite Things and Discology, and yep, you guessed it....
They're both deleted.
Pigbag are probably better known for the global hit that was "Papa's Got A Brand New Pigbag" (Posted last week by London Lee over at the wonderful The Number One Songs In Heaven, if you hurry you might just still be able to grab it).


Mark Stewart And The Maffia - My Possession/Possession Dub
This was released on 1990's Metatron album put out by Mute...
And guess what...
You can still get a new copy!!!!
Buy - Metatron
Visit - Mark Stewart And The Maffia


The whole history of The Pop Group and the dozen or so related bands is far too long for me to go into here, I wish I had the time, but I feel I probably couldn't do any of the bands justice, hence the minimal info above.
And for all the Deleted albums and singles can I suggest looking at your favourite online used record dealer like GEMM.

Here's some links...
To be honest pretty much all the links and info on The Pop Group and all the other bands members have been in can be found at the excellent The Pop Group site thats been lovingly put together by Dixon.
It's all in there, Links page, Discography, Family Tree, Press Cuttings....
And his MP3 Blog (Jukebox), featuring tracks by and relating to The Pop Group.


And if you cant find it there then there's always this

Simon
X

To Kill A Mockingbird...

The Boo Radleys - Lazarus (12" Version)
Just the one track today....
But what a beauty.
The very first time I heard this was in a club where I was a DJ, but that night my mate Stevie was doing the honors....
He started playing this and it stopped me in my tracks...
That wonderful dub intro...
Loads of bass rumble...
And when the song kicks in with that fantastic brass part I just ran upstairs to the DJ booth to find out what the hell it was, It's not very often that happens to be honest.
This was originally released in 1992 on the wonderful Creation Records and featured in a shortened intro kind of way on 1993's brilliant Giant Steps LP, and for all the people who still wanted it (and there were many) they released 2 CD singles in 1994 collecting all the mixes of it together including Secret Knowledge, St. Etienne, Augustus Pablo and Ultramarine mixes...
Non were better than the original 12" version though.
I've been listening to Giant Steps most of this week now and have to say that it's still a great great album, there is honestly not a duff track on it, and it still sounds massive.
If you don't already own it I really think you should rectify that right now.

Buy - Giant Steps
Visit - The Boo Radleys @ unofficial Creation Site
Visit - Creation Records, Doing It For The Kids
Visit - Martin Carr's (Boo's Guitarist) Band Brave Captain

Me And Guiliani Having Cartrouble

Adam And The Antz - Cartrouble (Parts 1 & 2)
This is the opening track to one of my favourite albums of all time, it's constantly been in my top 5 for the last 25 years...(Jesus...!), and I guess always will be,.
The overall sound of the album is superb, scratching guitars, crisp drums and tunes all over the place...
I'm not sure what my favourite track from it is to be honest as it changes almost every listen, but I thought I'd go for this as it's track 1.
Shortly after the recording of this album Malcolm McLaren stole the rest of the Antz, Matthew Ashman (RIP), Andy Warren and Dave Barbarossa for Bow Wow Wow leaving Adam bandless...
But did he fret?
Did he buggery, he put a new band together around guitarist Marco Pirroni (ex Rema Rema) and very briefly Jon Moss (ex Damned and future Culture Club) on drumming duties, before recruiting two drummers and a new bass player....
And the rest as they say is history.
Although I have a soft spot for all the Antz albums and singles, I feel that the line up for this album was by far the best and basically never recorded a less than great song....
The album is Dirk Wears White Sox
The year was 1979.
The label was Do-It.

Now Buy-It - Dirk Wears White Sox
Visit - Antmuzic
Visit - Adam Ant

!!! vs LFO - Me And Giuliani Down By The Schoolyard (A Remix)
I'm not entirely sure about this to be honest, seems to take a hell of a long time to get going, but it's all worth it for the last couple of minutes when it just seems to push all the right buttons for me....
Think it should have been like that from the start though.
This was released last month by the great and wonderful Warp Label on 12" only.
Here the great and wonderful LFO(Mark Bell) gets let loose on it... Just wish there was a bit more of him on it though...
See what you think...

Visit - Warp Records
Visit - LFO
Visit - !!! @ Warp
Visit - !!! @ Brainwashed

Don't Hate The Black, Don't Hate The White, If You Get Bitten Just Hate The Bite...

This brilliant bit of footage is taken from The Ed Sullivan show in 1968 where Sly and his wonderful family performed a medley of some of their hits from the time...
Fantastic stuff.

Sly And The Family Stone - Trip To Your Heart
This is taken from their excellent debut album A Whole New Thing in 1967.
I've harped on about this album before when I posted Underdog from it a few months ago (here), but I just couldn't help posting another track....
Me bad.
Here's a bit of blurb from the Sony/Legacy site

"Back in 1967, when the interracial, mixed-gender combo burst onto the scene with their debut album, the burgeoning rock & roll subculture was, as always, hungry for fresh kicks and different sounds. But no one was quite prepared for the magical, multi-faceted musical mix Sly and company served up. Their music was an inspired blend of rock, soul, pop, jazz, and an emerging genre soon to be dubbed funk. It packed a powerful, joyous wallop, delivering all the things one hoped to find in music: The thrill of the new, the excitement of the unexpected, a galvanizing groove, and lyrics that actually said something.

This song is just a great big slab of throbbing psychedelic funk, you should just download it, play it at extreme volume, shake your booty, then go buy the album.

Buy - A Whole New Thing
Visit - Sly And The Family Stone