Search This Blog

Friday 31 March 2017

The Great Eastern


Glaswegians of a certain vintage will remember The Great Eastern a notorious common lodging house or hostel that used to stand at the High Street end of Duke Street. It has since been converted into flats.
Hopefully the  former residents have found more suitable accommodation.
The Great Eastern is also the third album by The Delgados from 2000 released on Chemikal Underground and until my recent trip tp Ballantrae was one of the two missing pieces of my Delgados jigsaw the other being Peloton.
I think that No Danger just might be my new favourite Delgados song.
Another great record from a consistently great and sadly missed band.

The Delgados - Accused of Stealing

The Delgados - No Danger

Thursday 30 March 2017

The Captain


Scottish weather, eh?
Last Tuesday it was snowing so when we headed to Portpartick in the bitter cold sleety rain on Wednesday we took woolly hats, scarves and gloves.
Needless to say the sun ended up splitting the skies and I got sunburnt on the Saturday!
Mrs CC kindly sourced me the above  rather dapper cap to protect my thinning napper.
By coincidence the Kasey Chambers song The Captain features on the Sopranos CD I put on on Tuesday.
Strangely neither of the other two I'm giving you today do





Kasey Chambers - The Captain

Spizz Energi - Where's Captain Kirk

Wednesday 29 March 2017

Burnt Offerings 12


Some Blues to kick start Burnt Offerings 12
The splendidly attired chap above is none other than J.B.Lenoir who had a penchant for social commentary as well as zebra suits.
His 1954 song Eisenhower Blues was controversial at the time leading to Al Benson the head of Parrot Records taking him back to the studio to re-record it as the more generic Taxpayers Blues.

J.B. Lenoir - Eisenhower Blues


From Chicago Blues to Liverpudlian Americana with The Good Intentions  the husband  and wife team of  R Peter Davis and Gabrielle Monk (and previously Frank Roskell as well)  voted the Best Americana Band at the British Country Music Awards in 2011.
Not content to having a song called Neil Young they have also recorded You Love Jimmie Rodgers and She's in a George Jones Mood

The Good Intentions - Neil Young



Last but certainly not least we head back across the pond to Virginia for a rendezvous with Thao Nguyen sometimes known just as Thao and also with her band as Thao & the Get Down Stay Down 
She has also collaborated with Mirah Yom Tom Zeitlyn as Thao & Mirah
Here is some of her country -tinged indie folk-pop (I think that's most of the bases covered)

Thao Nguyen - We

A baker's dozen's worth of nonsense next week

Tuesday 28 March 2017

Gangsta Rap


I wandered up to the till of the BRICC shop with 2 CDs to be informed that it was three CDs for a pound.
So it was back to what must be the most disorganised and thrown together CD section out there to quickly select a third.
I plumped for The Sopranos -Pepper & Eggs -music from the HBO Original Series.a double CD therefore giving 25 tracks for 33.33(recurring) pence.
A bit of a mixed bag to be honest as you can see from the tracklist
For my first pick I've gone for a song that I was sure that I'd featured before but apparently not Cake with Frank Sinatra. One which would have not been out of place in my name checked series and really only proper then that I next feature Ole Blue Eyes himself.
And finally some Italian rap courtesy of Lorenzo Jovanotti  the name on the CD although more commonly known as Jovanotti
The third Ballantrae offering will feature shortly

Cake - Frank Sinatra

Frank Sinatra - Baubles. Bangles and Beads

Jovanotti - Piove

Monday 27 March 2017

Concrete Sky


Just back from a few days in Galloway with quick pit stops to the charity shops of Stranraer and the BRICC Thriftshop in Ballantrae.
Slim pickings this time round I'm afraid.
Here is the first of a three for  a pound combo from Ballantrae
Concrete Sky was the second EP released by Beth Orton with the lead track  taken from her 2002 album  Daybreaker.
Co-written with Johnny Marr and featuring vocals by Ryan Adams.
The other track I have selected is called Bobby Gentry - I've no idea why other than it is very pleasant as is Bobby.

Finally here is a picture from Logan Botanical Gardens which features ducks but no concrete sky



Beth Orton - Concrete Sky

Beth Orton - Bobby Gentry

Sunday 26 March 2017

Nostalgia - It Ain't What it Used to Be


Another keeper from my recent windfall is The Ultimate Collection by the Kinks.
I've posted some of their 60's stuff before from a vinyl compilation to great acclaim.
It was released however before 1982's Come Dancing their first UK top 20 hit in 11 years.
Written by Ray Davis in memory of his sister Rene who died of a heart attack while dancing at a dance hall.
On the back of this hit the followed up with Don't Forget to Dance which was not nearly so successful.

Ray has recently been knighted so arise Sir Ray. This begs the question. What about the rest of Muswell Hill's finest. Why not Sir Dave and indeed Sir Pete and Sir Mick?

The Kinks - Come Dancing

The Kinks - Don't Forget to Dance

Saturday 25 March 2017

Springsteen Covered - Hungry Heart


We are away for a few days so I penned this earlier in the week.
At the time of writing Brucie was to my surprise holding a narrow lead over Bowie with It's Hard Being a Saint in the City.
The scores therefore are now The Boss 2 The Rest 1. If there is a late surge of votes for Mr Bowie then clearly this will be reversed.
I like the interactiveness of this series. There is the comments and the voting along with suggestions of other versions of the song featured.
In week one Drew shared Camera Obscura's version of Tougher than the Rest.
This week I am featuring Hungry Heart our first trip to The River. The great Ernie Goggins legendary surfer of the zeitgeist has weighed in by forwarding me not one but two versions - one by Lucy Wainwright Roche and an ever so slightly bonkers version (Ernie's words) by Swamp Dogg.
Given that how could I not feature Mr Jerry Williams Jr?
Who's got a wife and  kids in Baltimore, Jack ? and indeed who has taken a wrong turn and just kept going?

I'm going for the Dogg - bonkers but brilliant.
Others, as always, may choose to disagree.


Bruce Springsteen - Hungry Heart

Swamp Dogg - Hungry Heart

Friday 24 March 2017

Disco Friday


Recently I've been going through a stage of listening to compilation CD's on my way to and from work.
One day last week I got stuck in some major roadworks on the A725 at the Shawhead Flyover near Coatbridge.
For just over 10 minutes  this song (on a CD of downloads from George) made the interminable journey a lot more bearable.

Burn baby burn! Disco inferno!

The Trammps - Disco Inferno

Thursday 23 March 2017

Some Twisted Portuguese Post Punk Garage


A guest contribution from George our Portuguese Canine Flatulence Correspondent

Have you ever been woken by the smell of a dog’s fart? No? Well, I have. I’m lying there, slowly aware of this all encompassing smell, it’s clinging to the sheets and duvet, MAN ALIVE what have those dogs been eating????? (offal, rice, chicken fat, the occasional cat shit, as you ask).
I was relating this to a friend here, but did not know the Portuguese for fart, so I had to say “there was a bad smell from the bottom of the dog” (há um cheiro muito mau de rabo do cão – this was as close as I could get, but I learnt that I could have said “houve um peido do cão com o muito cheiro”)

I have no idea if today’s featured artists have written a song about the above topic. Track 6 from the album Stranded Downtown by The Twist Connection could be, but I doubt it. And of course, you’re not getting track 6 but track 2, Nite Shift. The album is available on Bandcamp for about 5 euros.  There is a connection to the previously featured A Jigsaw, both bands are from Coimbra (a city about half-way between Lisbon and Porto), A Jigsaw seemed to have helped produce Stranded Downtown, but there are no musical similarities, The Twist Connection have a sort of post-punk / garage sound.  Having played today’s track you might think my description is lacking.






Now buy the album.
And on this day in 1944 one Tony McPhee was born, founding member of late 60s/70s british blues-rock band The Groundhogs. This song was number one...............in the Lebanon

Enjoy the music.

Wednesday 22 March 2017

Burnt Offerings 11


Week 11 and now officially more than a third of the way through the series.
We start this week with a Canadian who sports a fine beard and a fine band.
Cam Penner started out with his band The Gravel Road although they are now billed as Cam Penner and Jon Wood.
Rye Whiskey is taken from his/their 3rd album from 2005 Felt Like a Saturday Night when they were still billed as Cam Penner & the Gravel Road and is a splendid slice of Americana.

Cam Penner & the Gravel Road - Rye Whiskey




Elvis Perkins is an American folk rock artist and is the son of actor Anthony Perkins (of Psycho fame) and photographer Berry Berenson
While You Were Sleeping is the opening tack from his first (of three) album(s) Ash Wednesday which was released in 2007.
He becomes the third Elvis to feature on these pages.



After that brief hiatus we return to the the theme of alcohol with the psychobilly trio The Reverend Horton Heat a band fronted by Jim Heath
Liquor, Beer & Wine is one of their more restrained numbers and is taken from their third album from 1994 Liquour in the Front
The band describe their music as couuntry-fed punkabilly  and this song neatly fits that bill



The dozenth dose of assorted nonsense next Wednesday if you can bear it

Tuesday 21 March 2017

Won't You Help to Sing These Songs of Freedom


One of the albums from my recent windfall which is getting kept is Legend by Bob Marley and the Wailers.
One that I suspect that I had at one stage - on cassette at the very least.
14 songs that  you will all be familiar with and every one a classic in it's own way
Ranked at number 46 in Rolling Stones 500 Greatest Albums of All Time and one which has sold a staggering estimated 25 million copies.
This song, originally from Uprising is rather special and also gives me an excuse to feature this duet taken from 2003's Cash Unearthed.

Three absolute musical legends and all sadly no longer with us

Bob Marley & the Wailers - Redemption Song

Johnny Cash (with Joe Strummer) - Redemption Song

Monday 20 March 2017

Red Star Belgrade


 Bands with the same name as  football teams? Most will come up with St Etienne and at a push The Kaiser Chiefs.
But what of the only Serbian and ex-Yugoslav team ever to have won the European Cup (in 1991) Red Star Belgrade?
From Chapel Hill, North Carolina Red Star Belgrade were an alt country trio founded by one time rock critic Bill Curry
Four albums to their name  they have graced both the Loose and Blue Rose labels.
The second song is taken from Down to the Promised Land - 5 Years of Bloodshot Records. The fact that it will severely annoy fans of AC/DC is a welcome bonus.

Red Star Belgrade - Saddest Girl

Red Star Belgrade - Highway to Hell

Sunday 19 March 2017

First Dibs


In this digital age my brother-in law and sister -in- law decided to disposed of their CDs.
I got first dibs.
There were about a hundred or so mostly mainstream and a fair number of best ofs. About three quarters have now been forwarded to the charity shop with a few keepers and a few we are still swithering about.
One that is a switherer (if there is such a word) is/are The Animals - it would be a keeper but for the dreaded this album contains tracks that are re-recorded. As Half Man Half Biscuit would have it - it's on the Hallmark label, that's sure to be good.
Featuring today not because of alphabetical reasons but because We Gotta Get Out of this Place recently featured on a retro TV cop drama and has ear wormed it's way into my head.


1.00 pm - Tracks have now been replaced with better versions

The Animals - Gotta Get out of This Place

The Animals - Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood


Saturday 18 March 2017

Springsteen Covered - It's Hard Being a Saint in the City


The Boss bounces back.After a 6-3 defeat in week 1 Bruce weighs in with a 6-3 victory over the Band with Atlantic City with JC somewhat cruelly offering a no score draw.
The scores are now even The Boss 1 The Rest 1
Fairly recently after reading his autobiography I posted a couple of songs from his 1973 debut album Greetings From Asbury Park N.J. Little did I realize that I would be visiting it again so soon.
However as fate would have it Wednesday's Burnt Offerings 10 threw up a fairly rare and fairly interesting cover - David Bowie's 1974 version of It's Hard Being a Saint in the City.
Pretty much the first thing that Springsteen ever recorded and it shows as it is pretty rough round the edges.
Probably not the best thing that The Thin White Duke has ever recorded  either but for me it is the stronger version by a distance.
As always, others may choose to disagree

Bruce Springsteen - It's Hard to be a Saint in the City

David Bowie - It's Hard to be a Saint in the City

Friday 17 March 2017

The Trinity Sessions


I had a compilation CD on in the car  the other day when Cowboy Junkies and their version of the Hank William's classic I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry popped up.
It reminded me that I am one of the few bloggers out there who has yet to extol the virtues of The Trinity Sessions. So here goes,
Their second album  with the band recording onto a single microphone in Toronto's Church of the Holy Trinity it is now rightly regarded as a bona fide classic.
So this Friday night sit down with the tipple of your choice and for just over 10 minutes let the vocals of Margo Timmins and the sparse musical accompaniment of the band just wash over you.

Cowboy Junkies -I'm So Lonesome I Could Cry

Cowboy Junkies - Walkin' After Midnight

Thursday 16 March 2017

Misery Loves Company


It's been too cheerful round these parts for too long now. Time then to wallow in some misery in the company of Rex Hobart and the Misery Boys.
Their 2002 album Your Favorite Fool (dang American spelling!) is on Bloodshot Records and is produced by Pete Anderson so you just know it is going to be good.
They featured on my Bloodshot Tuesday series in the early days of  the blog to considerable indifference.
Well overdue another airing.
Strangely first time round I never featured the duet with Kelly Hogan, the woman with the finest voice in country. Time to right that wrong.

Rex Hobart & the Misery Boys - Gotta Get Back to Forgetting You

Rex Hobart & the Misery Boys with Kelly Hogan - Golden Ring

Wednesday 15 March 2017

Burnt Offerings 10


That's us up to double figures now and nearly a third of the way through this series. Thank goodness for that, I hear you cry.
The first act have featured before but not in their own right so therefore meet the criteria.
The Watson Twins (Leigh and Chandra) were born in Tulsa, Oklahoma raised in Loiusville, Kentucky and now stay in Los Angeles.
They have appeared her before with songs from Rabbit Fur Coat their collaboration with Jenny Lewis and I once saw them perform with her.
They have also had a number of records in their own right and Shoot the Lights Out is taken from their 2006 album Southern Manners

The Watson Twins - Shoot The Lights out


The Concretes are an eight piece indie band from Stockholm, Sweden fronted by Maria Eriksson.
They have a number of very good songs in their own right but the one on BO10 is a cover of the Rolling Stones number Miss You  a track from their 2004 single Say Something New.
They also did a cover version of Take That's Back For Good which I've not heard but which I suspect will be better than the original.

The Concretes - Miss You



We started in Los Angeles, popped over to Stockholm and finish this week's odyssey in County Durham.
The Lavender Faction were a band from the early 90's  that never really made it  and never actually produced an album.
However they seem to have developed a somewhat cult following with Jigsaw Records giving us an anthology Taking Down the Walls in 2014 which is available on Bandcamp  and which is described as a sludgefest (which is good I think).

The lavender Faction - In My Mind

Volume 11 next week.

Tuesday 14 March 2017

Nancy and Friends


Alyson at the recently revamped What's It All About recently put up a post featuring Nancy Sinatra.
This lead to me looking out  and listening to some of her stuff . I was going to do a post but never got round to it.
On Sunday morning Mrs CC put some Nancy on. This finally spurred me into action.
In addition to her solo stuff she also participated in a number of duets.
So here she is with her old man, with fellow Rat Packer and Little Old Wine Drinker Dean Martin and best of all with the great Lee Hazlewood.
Enjoy.

Nancy and Frank Sinatra - Something Stupid

Nancy Sinatra and Dean Martin -Things

Nancy Sinatra and Lee Hazlewood - Did You Ever

Monday 13 March 2017

Dig Thy Savage Soul

Willie


or Barrence
On my way to work on Friday I was faced with a stark choice for my listening pleasure.
Should I listen to an interview on the radio with Willie Rennie the leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats or stick on Dig Thy Savage Soul by Barrence Whitfield & the Savages.
A decision that took me half a nano-second before opting for Barrence.
In reality there was only going to be one winner.
Not only is he the better singer he still has far more than the slither of credibility that Willie has and would I suspect be more fun on a night out.
Take it away Barrence!
This'll set you up for a Monday morning.

Barrence Whitfield & the Savages - My Baby Didn't Come Home

Barrence Whitfield & the Savages -Show Me Baby

Sunday 12 March 2017

Dirt Farmer



Yesterday's Band cover of Atlantic City saw me moving across to the Americana shelves to dust down Dirt Farmer the 2007 solo album by Levon Helm.
His first solo album since 1982 and one which saw him carving out a new niche and winning a Grammy  for Best Traditional Folk album.
We will stay on the covers theme for a little while longer with his version of Steve Earle's The Mountain the title track from Steve's bluegrass album with the Del McCoury Band. Good bu not as good as the original. Fact.
Backing vocals from Buddy and Julie Miller.
Levon's daughter Amy provides the backing vocals to a great version of Calvary a song written by Byron Issacs. Until now I was unaware that he was the only non- Canadian member of the Band..
Sadly Levon left us in 2012 at the age of 71.

Levon Helm - The Mountain

Levon Helm - Calvary

Saturday 11 March 2017

Springsteen Covered - Atlantic City


We are well and truly up and running now. It was a close run thing between Bruce and Everything But the Girl with Tougher Than The Rest  for a while before the Hull husband and wife duo pulled away and ended up winning by a convincing margin of 6 to 3.
So it is The Boss 0 The Rest 1
Will it be honours even or will Bruce like the Gambling Commission be hanging on by the skin of his teeth following the first, and certainly not the last visit, to the magnificence that is the Nebraska LP
Bruce's Atlantic City is up against another voice which divides opinion the late, great Levon Helm of The Band.
Their version is available on their 1993 album Jericho but I have taken it from Uncut's Born to Run 2003 which will probably provide a number of tracks for this series.
A tougher call for me this week. I quite like the Band's jingly jangly country/folk version  but it's the Boss for me this time round
Others, of course, may choose to disagree

Bruce Springsteen - Atlantic City

The Band - Atlantic City

Friday 10 March 2017

From Our Portugal Correspondent


A (former) peanut farmer writes
At the end of last month I acquired a bit of money. I was also given a couple of packets of biscuits, some pretzels, a pair of gardening gloves and a man bag. This last item is the talk of the town. “Aqui está o homem ingles com a bolsa dele” they say as I walk into my local cafe for my abatanado. I never reply “Eu não nasci na Inglaterra”. I spent the money on some records downloads. Why the windfall? You might have thought that my friend of over three decades might have mentioned something in his blog, along with maybe a reference to the birthday of Johnny Cash, Fats Domino, Sandie Shaw, Michael Bolton. He didn’t......

There are now on the shelves in The Music Room, in the legal downloads section, two albums of what I can only describe as Portuguese Americana. There’s also an album by a Portuguese indie band. Back to the Americana, and today’s artists, who are called A Jigsaw. I’m not sure how the native population get on with pronouncing their name as the letter “w” does not exist in the Portuguese alphabet. They also cannot pronounce the “i” in jigsaw as it should be said, such a sound does not exist in Portuguese. Portuguese Americana, unpronounceable name, doesn’t that just endear you to this lot already? And you haven’t heard any music yet. On the strength of one YouTube video I bought their latest album, No True Magic, and after the first 4 or so tracks I was impressed, not hugely, but on the lines of “this is not bad at all”. The music is low key, and has been described as something like Calexico meets Tom Waits. A fair description (thanks CC), musically but not vocally. I also think there’s a bit of The Walkabouts in there too.  When track 6 came on it just blew me away. It’s bloody brilliant. So you’re not getting that one, you’ll have to buy the album (it’s on Bandcamp). This is the last track on No True Magic:



Buy the album. Then buy Like The Wolf, it’s even better. And then can someone please explain why I did not go and see the band when they played near-ish (40km) to our town last year? FFS it's not like I've got much else to do.

And finally. On this very day in 1950 Edward McKenna was born, usually called Ted. Brian Clough, though, would have called him Edward.  He is a drummer (Ted McKenna, not Brian Clough) and has played with Gillan, The Michael Schenker Group, and much more famously, The Sensational Alex Harvey Band. There’s not nearly enough prog-flavoured rock on these pages, so here’s a track from the album Framed, a song about an alleged witch:
There used to be a very fine, knowledgable, idiosyncratic music blog that featured birthdays every day. Whatever happened to it?


Obrigado Georges

Thursday 9 March 2017

Beware of Charlatans

This one?


Or this one?



A couple of weeks ago someone had handed in a pile of Charlatans albums to my local Charity shop.
Like my experience with New Adventures in Hi Fi I made the mistake of not striking while the iron was hot.
By the time I popped in again last week there was only a couple of singles  and a copy of Tellin' Stories left ... or so I thought.
I purchased Tellin' Stories for 50p  but later discovered that whereas it was the Tellin' Stories cover in fact the CD contained therein was in fact their previous number The Charlatans.
Somewhere on the South Side someone else has Tellin' Stories in the wrong box.

As I've mentioned  before I am pretty late to the Charlatans party so don't know whether I've got the best part of the deal. Perhaps some of you out there can enlighten me
In any case I'm quite enjoying it particularly these two tracks





Wednesday 8 March 2017

Burnt Offerings 9


Count yourselves lucky. But for a late flurry of never before featured artists you may have been listening to Rocky Mountain Way  by Joe Walsh today.
Having said that after listening to these three you may be pining for the semi-permanently stoned former Eagles front man.
Rather than Joe we start today with Imogen Heap probably the only artist ever to have collaborated with Nik Kershaw and Taylor Swift  though  thankfully not at the same time.
Here is Hide and Seek a single from her second album Speak For Yourself from 2005.Some folktronica in a Goldfrappesque stylee

Imogen Heap - Hide and Seek


Imogen is followed by Shivaree an American band fronted by the splendidly named Ambrosia Parsley.
Described at the usual place as Americana but to me they sound somewhat similar to Imogen.
Oh, No appears to be from their 1999 debut album  I Oughtta Give You a Shot in the Head for Making Me Live in this Dump a title which trips easily off the tongue
Shivaree is also a noisy mock serenade performed by a group of people to celebrate a marriage or mock an unpopular person.

Shivaree - Oh, No




This week's most obscure act is Lucky Luke who appear to have been a Scottish folk band of whom I have been unable to find out very much at all except for this
Fear Eats the Soul is a single from a 2005 album Patrick the Survivor and puts me a bit in mind of some of the Fear and  Whiskey era Mekons stuff. The title even sounds like a Mekons number


More assorted nonsense next Wednesday,


Tuesday 7 March 2017

Darnation It's Tarnation


Golden Eagle the debut album by the recently featured Holly Macve  was handed in on Saturday by our neighbour who had been given it by the postie when we weren't in  thus saving me a trip to the sorting office.
Fist impressions from me are very positive although George who also bought it seems less enthusiastic.

We both agree however that Holly has obviously spend time listening to the brilliant Paula Frazer and Tarnation albeit Ms Macve's voice is not quite as strong as Ms Frazer's (few, if any, are)
This led me to digging out Gentle Creatures by said band for your listening pleasure.
Older readers, and by that I mean those of you who have been visiting these pages for a while, will remember that Tarnation are the only band that I've never seen twice - here and here

Tarnation - Two Wrongs Won't Make Things Right

Tarnation - Do You Fancy Me


Monday 6 March 2017

Recovery EP 1



RM Hubbert, more commonly known as Hubby, is a Scottish acoustic guitar player and occasional singer from the Chemikal Underground stable whose album Thirteen Lost and Found won the 2013 Scottish Album of the Year (SAY) award
Sadly Hubby suffers from mental health issues and is currently struggling to support himself and his work following a recent spell in hospital.
To help support him through this difficult period you are encouraged to visit Bandcamp here where you can purchase the above EP which was the best selling item on Bandcamp last week.

Here is Hubby with Jo Mango  on a track from Wracklines  an EP released in January 2015 to support the charity Creative Carbon Scotland another one you should probably have

RM Hubbert and Jo Mango - Sustain

Sunday 5 March 2017

Some Thoroly Good Sunday Blues


The other day I teased you somewhat by referring to but not featuring If You Don't Start Drinkin' (I'm Gonna Leave). Time to right that wrong
In addition to playing their own material George Thorogood and the Destroyers are not averse to putting their own particular spin on old Blues standards.
Here George gets his drinks in a slightly different order than the original by Amos Milburn. Hardly surprising perhaps given the circumstances.

George Thorogood & the Destroyers -If You Don't Start Drinkin' (I'm Gonna Leave)

George Thorogood & the Destroyers - One Bourbon, One Scotch, One Beer

Amos Milburn - One Scotch, One Bourbon, One Beer

Saturday 4 March 2017

Springsteen Covered - Tougher Than The Rest


It's back! By popular demand the return of the interactive compare and contrast Covers series. This time round and again by popular demand (you know who you are!) the featured artist is Bruce Springsteen.

Like Dylan, the Boss has fans and those who can't stand him in equal measure so this could be fun. First to five or maybe even first to ten we'll see how we go.

Let's start with a fairly obvious one with Tougher than the Rest the biggest hit from Bruce's Tunnel of Love album from 1987.It's New Jersey versus Hull as the challengers are Everything But the Girl with their version from their 1992 Covers E.P.
Tunnel of Love for me is not one of his better albums and it is not one that I listen to all that often. For me the EBTG version is the superior one.

As before others may choose to differ

Bruce Springsteen - Tougher Than the Rest

Everything But The Girl - Tougher Than the Rest

Friday 3 March 2017

Rice Rice Baby


Rice by Eliza Carthy was the first album which jumped out at me in Fort William on the trip that saw me coming away with albums by Pat Buchanan and Pete Yorn and is the one which I am struggling with the most.
I knew it would be folk - after all she is the daughter of folk royalty namely Martin Carthy and Norma Waterston.
Now, I like folk as much as the next man, perhaps even more but I find this to be a bit too full on traditional for my tastes. I feel that I may be required to instal a maypole in the middle of the Muso room.
It seems that it was originally released as part of a double album Red Rice with Red also later being issued separately. Red I read contains more of her eclectic poppy folk I am more familiar with and enjoy and would perhaps have been a better option had it been available.
I'm still considering whether this one is a keeper.

Eliza Carthy -Herring Song

Eliza Carthy - The Snow It Melts the Soonest


Thursday 2 March 2017

Strange Weather


Strange Love from Carter Wood on Monday and Strange Weather from Marianne Faithfull today - we are indeed living in strange times.
From 1987 on the Island label it is her first completed studio work following her 17 year battle with heroin addiction and perhaps fittingly it is an album of rock, blues and dark cabaret

Featuring today is Boulevard of Broken Dreams a song by Al Dubin and Harry Warren from 1933 which featured in the 1934 film  Moulin Rouge.It is very continental sounding.
This is followed by a stripped down version of the song she had her biggest hit with the Rolling Stones classic As Tears Go By.

Garth Hudson on accordion and Dr John on piano are among those participating on the album.

Marianne Faithfull - Boulevard of Broken Dreams

Marianne Faithfull -As Tears Go By



Wednesday 1 March 2017

Burnt Offerings 8


This weeks Volume 8 sees us now a quarter of the way through the Burnt Offerings series.It'll be over before you know it.
Let's crack on with the first artist Josh Rouse one I am surprised hasn't featured before given there is stuff from him on the shelves.Originally from Nebraska he is now based in Spain. The featured song It Looks Like Love is taken from Subtitulo his sixth studio album released in 2006 on the Nettwerk Records label

Josh Rouse - It Looks Like Love


The next artist George Thorogood  has with his band the Destroyers been on the go for what seems like forever playing  high energy boogie blues and is another who features on the shelves. Homesick Boy is taken from their 1977 self titled debt album - the first of many
Who could fail to like the man who wrote  If You Don't Start Drinkin' (I'm Gonna Leave)?

George Thorogood & the Destroyers - Homesick Boy



And finally the only one of this weeks acts who do not appear elsewhere  in the Muso room New York indie rock band Stellastarr*
Here is the 2006 single Sweet Troubled Soul from the album Harmonies for the Haunted.
I don't know about you but I am hearing a little Psychedelic Furs, a little Franz Ferdinand and a whole  lot of Ian McNabb.

Stellastarr* - Sweet Troubled Soul

More assorted nonsense next week