Lolly Lolly - Wendy & Lisa

One of last weekend's bargain CDs, an original pressing of Wendy & Lisa's Fruit At The Bottom album for a whole 10p. Now that's not a lot of lolly lolly is it eh? 

Yo Mamas A Pajama - Spin Doctors

Best known for Two Princes this live bonus track from Spin Doctors' Pocket Full Of Kryptonite (yet another recent random charity shop purchase) gives the Red Hot Chili Peppers a run for their money. It's a little bluesy in places too, which isn't something I picked up on back in the day...probably because I was off my box on K Cider. 

Spent The Day In Bed - Dana Gillespie

Dana Gillespie records my theme tune (written by none other than Morrissey). The world would be a much better place if we all followed this advice.

This World Of Water - New Musik

Given the amount of sodding rain we've had over the past eighteen months this track seems pretty appropriate, but I'm posting it after picking up a couple of New Musik CDs recently. 

Lead singer Tony Mansfield went on to work with The B52s, The Damned and Mari Wilson amongst others. And who can forget this classic that he produced...ahhhhhhhhhhhh, weren't the 80s fun? 

I'm So Straight I'm A Weirdo - Rick Wakeman

How great/weird is this! Rick Wakeman channelling his inner Ron and Russell Mael. As an added bonus the video features an array of 1980's more interesting characters, including a pre fame Boy George! 

Feed The Pigs - Oscar Jerome

Another great recent charity shop CD buy, Oscar Jerome's The Spoon. Some of the tracks have a laidback Durutti Column/John Martyn vibe, others, like this one, are prime cuts of nu jazz (or whatever name they're giving to the new breed of Brit jazzers these days). 

You Are The Best Thing and the Worst Thing - Devil Doll

One of the great things about the price of CDs at the moment is being able to just take a punt on something that looks interesting (as I don't have a mobile phone let alone a 'smart' one I'm unable to listen to stuff while I'm out and about, just like in the good old days when you'd buy stuff purely on the look of the cover or the label it was on...imagine that eh kids?). With that devil may care attitude I picked up Devil Doll's Queen of Pain album a couple of weeks ago and gave it a spin last night, with this track in particular floating my boat. Take a little Latin rhythm, stir in a pinch of rock, roll and rockabilly sass and add a generous dash of bourbon and that'll give you some idea of the vibe we're talking about here. Or you could just give it a spin of course. Ain't technology grand? 

Call It What You Want - Credit To The Nation

I never saw Nirvana back in the day (yes...I know) but a week or so after Cobain's suicide (today's the 30th anniversary of his death) I did see the Smells Like Teen Spirit sampling Credit To The Nation. Not sure if Kurt ever heard this track but I reckon he would have approved. 

If you're new to Credit To The Nation check out these tracks too. 

The Stars We Are - Marc Almond

Dug out my copy of Marc Almond's The Stars We Are last night and it still sounds as great as it did the first time I heard it back in 1988. (Some) Bizarrely neither the title track nor it's follow up single made the top 20. Nuts!

Thoughts - Spock's Beard

Picked up Spock's Beard's Beware of Darkness album on Saturday and then, a little later, a signed copy of Leonard Nimoy's autobiography 'I Am Spock'! Spooky. Or should that be 'spocky'. 

Town To Town - Microdisney

I think I vaguely remember this from back in the day but the recent Microdisney doc on BBC sent me scuttling off to You Tube to look up some of the band's greatest misses. Incredibly this track only got to number 55 in the charts in 1987. Hang our heads in shame children of the 80s. 

The Invisible Man - Maruja

Jazz, breakbeat, rock and rap collide in one glorious musical melange courtesy of Manchester's Maruja. Marvellous. Magical. And a little bit mental. 

I Be Blowin' - De La Soul featuring (pretty heavily!) Maceo Parker

Picked up a UK first press CD of De la Soul's classic Buhloone State Mind last weekend and this track jumped out at me. Perfect for chilling your way into the weekend. And reeeeeeeeeeelaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaxxxxxxxxxxx. 

A Dream Is All I Know - The Lemon Twigs

A bit of a Wings meets Squeeze vibe on the new track from The Lemon Twigs to ease you through a Tuesday afternoon... 

No Baixo Do Sepateiro - Meirelles

Like your Brazilian music a little funky? Or your funk a little Brazilian? Relax, this track's got you covered. You can find it on aptly named Brazilian Funk Experience, picked up on eBay a week or two ago for a couple of quid, postage included. Madness.  

Dream Kitchen - Frazier Chorus

Heard a great track on Steve Lamacq's 6 Music show on Monday and, by a spooky coincidence, it's on one of the many CDs I picked up from a recent record and CD fair. The band's Frazier Chorus, who had some moderate success back in the late 80s, and I can heartily recommend the album in question, Sue.   

Iceblink Luck - Cocteau Twins

Spent a very pleasurable time in the bath with the Cocteau Twins last night. How can this track be almost 35 years old? 

30 Days In The Hole - Humble Pie

Another pick from last Saturday's CD haul, Humble Pie's '72 album Smokin' and this track which apparently reached the dizzy heights of number 6 in the US charts. If you want to read a depressing tale of how the music biz can really shaft people have a read through lead Pie and ex Small Faces belter Steve Marriot's Wiki page. Ouch. 

My Babe (Live from Chicago 1964) - The Ramsey Lewis Trio

Picked up another silly number of CDs over the weekend (I can resist pretty much anything...apart from temptation) including a Ramsey Lewis Trio Greatest Hits that I'm fairly sure I already have but there's no harm in having a back up eh? Especially when it's stuffed fill of groooooooooooooooooooooooooovey stuff like this. 

Motorhead - Eat The Rich

Sad to hear of the passing of one of the Hairy Bikers, Dave Myers, yesterday. By all accounts he was as lovely in real life as he was on screen. He was a Motorhead fan too...good man...so I reckon this is as fitting a tribute as any. 

Full Time Plagiarist - Thee Headcoats

Finally got round to listening to one of my Christmas present CDs from Mrs Baron yesterday, Thee Headcoats most recent album Irregularis (The Great Hiatus), and it's everything you'd want from a Billy Childish release, witty lyrics and a raw garage rock sound played with all the energy of a man half...or possibly even a quarter...his age. Remarkably Billy turns 65 this December. This is how you do it kids. 

Keep That Music Simple - Dr John

After seeing a copy of Dr John's Tango Palace on CD in Oxfam at a wallet busting £19.99 I've been on the lookout for a more sanely priced one and eventually picked up mine via eBay for £8 plus postage, Originally released in 1979 it's got more of  P Funk/Disco vibe than some of the good Dr's other releases  but sadly it got nowhere back in the day. Madness. Here's another cut...

Nothing Matters - Sophie Ellis-Bextor

Ace live cover version of The Last Dinner Party's Nothing Matters from Sophie Ellis-Bextor (at the request of the band apparently). And here's the ever so slightly ruder original version...

Fixin' To Die Blues - Bukka White

Listening to a lot of Blues stuff at the moment and picked up four 2CD compilation albums at the weekend stuffed full of classic tracks, like this one, originally released waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in 1940 and later covered by Bob Dylan. Of course people like Bukka had a lot to be blue about in 1940 and that comes across loud and clear in early Blues tracks. Music doesn't get rawer and more real than this and in a world that's rapidly doing away with anything 'human'...what could possibly go wrong with that eh?...I find it all strangely comforting. 

The Bug Club / Langkamer @ The Cornish Bank, Falmouth – Friday February 16th 2024

A new venue and a couple of new bands (all new to me at least, although I’d heard a few tracks from The Bug Club on 6Music over the past year or so). The Cornish Bank’s a cracking place to see live music and it’s just the kind of venue that up-and-coming acts need to build their fanbase. Sadly it appears as though the owners are, in common with most venues, having a tough time so if you’re ever anywhere near Falmouth pop in and show ‘em some love…and spend a little dosh too…I can recommend the cider.

Anyway, back to the music and first up Bristol’s Langkamer. 

Country-tinged indie slackers – imagine the love children of The Band and Pavement…yep, they’re that good…with a healthy dash of punk spirit for good measure.  And singing drummers (sadly out of shot here...I'm no David Bailey...or whoever takes decent snaps these days), who doesn’t love a singing drummer eh?

If you’ve been bitten by The Bug Club’s recorded stuff you’ll love the meatier live versions. 

Sam, guitar and vocals, dished out some surprisingly bluesy riffs whilst Tilly, bass and vocals, rocked out like Angus Young on amphetamines. Drummer Dan kept up with a pretty relentless pace as the trio blazed through several sackfuls of witty, pithy and occasionally ever so slightly bonkers tracks (see, for example, Rare Birds) that come across like an indie kid’s wet dream. Trust me, this is one bug that’s well worth catching.

Emmylou (live) - First Aid Kit

Picked up a copy of First Aid Kit's second album, The Lion's Roar, the other week primarily for this one track, arguably their finest few minutes to date. This performance is extra special though as they got to play the song to its inspiration, Emmylou Harris herself. Clearly the experience was pretty moving for both parties. 

I Am Damo Suzuki - The Fall

The recent passing of Damo Suzuki reminded me of this great track by The Fall. 

And here's the man himself performing one of his most well known tracks, Vitamin C, in Can.

Two classics for the price of one. 

You're welcome.  

Man Dance - Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society

It's Friday! So what better track to kick off the weekend than a little funky jazz...or jazzy funk...from...deep breath...Ronald Shannon Jackson and the Decoding Society.  

Matt's the way to do it...The Trail Of Matt Philip Hale

 

Adding to his already enviable body of work Matt's back with another fine cache of tracks from, on this album at least, the Black Country's answer to Bob Dylan. Albeit a Bob Dylan that can actually carry a tune. Sorry Bob. There are 11 tracks to dive into, Absolutely Outta My Mind's my current favourite, closely followed by Ashamed to Admit and Unique or Ten a Penny, but the whole thing's a bitter sweet treat from start to finish. 

I'm Your Slave - Harmonica Red and Clarence Williams

Picked up this amazing blues harmonica CD from a local charity shop last weekend for...wait for it...10p. The era of cheap CDs is clearly still with us but bidding on eBay's heating up, with one or two Bowie albums on the RCA label fetching a wallet/purse melting £100 recently (David Bowie - RCA CD -The Man Who Sold The World . | eBay). As I've been banging on about for a few years now, the CD revival was inevitable. People like to collect stuff...music's cool...CDs are pretty resilient...they sound great...they have cute little booklets...awwww bless 'em...and you can pick up a half decent second hand portable CD player for £10-£20 as well. Trust me, get stuck in now before the hipsters do. 

Misty's Big Smile

Is it just me or does the new track by The Smile remind you a little of Misty's Big Adventure classic The Black Hole, especially the gentle build up to the song's crescendo? I doubt whether Mr Yorke's a Misty's fan but if he ever happens to read this I can heartily recommend that he checks out their entire back catalogue, starting with the aforementioned (yes, I've been reading dictionaries again) The Black Hole. 

My Golden Years - The Lemon Twigs

Ever wondered what a collaboration between The Beach Boys and The Beatles may have sounded like? Wonder no more thanks to The Lemon Twigs latest. The Beachles anyone? Nope? Just me again then. 

British - Dembo Konte, Kausu Kuyateh & The Jali Roll Orchestra

Would I have ever heard this if I hadn't picked up a sealed copy of the album on CD for 50p the other day? Nope, probably not. Picked up an intriguing Afropop Festival album (also sealed) for the same price too. The era of bargain CDs might be slowly coming to an end but they're still out there...  

Bad Friend - Gruff Rhys

He's done it again. Another instant classic from Gruff Rhys, possibly the most chilled out sounding dude on planet earth. If that's put you in a Gruff mood give Skylon! a spin too. How the hell can this be 17 years old?

West Coast House Party (album) - Kid Ramos

Another great 50p CD from a local charity shop, this time from blues rock guitarist, singer and songwriter Kid Ramos. It sounds pretty good on You Tube but, as with most stuff, 100% better on CD and decent stereo. 

PS: Popped into a record fair for the first time in a few years a week or so ago and the CD stalls were pretty busy, as were the racks in the many charity shops of Exeter. Granted it was mainly old duffers like me rifling through 'em, but that's how the vinyl revival started. I should know...I was that odd bloke buying bags full from car boot sales in the 90s when everyone was swapping over to CDs. Regular readers will know I've been banging the CD drum for a while now but, with vinyl prices getting silly, and younger collectors looking for a way to start building up a physical collection the clock's ticking on the bargain prices. 

Eli's Pork Chop - Little Sonny

Despite picking up 60+ CDs over the weekend (yes...I know...) I couldn't resist a compilation called Shattered Dreams - Funky Blues 1967 - 1978 for 50p from one of my local charity shops. It's a blinder (you can buy a copy for £10+ on eBay and it's still well worth it at that price) and this is one of the best tracks on there. Has the harmonica ever sounded so funky? 

ANNALENA - Daniel Ogren

Heard this on 6Music yesterday and it put me in mind of lazing on the beach on a tropical island somewhere...instead of freezing my bits off in sub-zero Devon. 

Hunger Games - Bob Vylan

Bob Vylan are straight out of the blocks with another kick in the goolies for what's left of this country. I'm pretty pissed off with the mess that those in power have made of things (has it ever really been different though?) so lord knows what the younger generations make of it all.   

Bad Day - Carmel

Ahhhh, January 2nd...if there's a worse day in the year I'm not aware of it. I know I'm lucky enough to have had eleven whole days off over the festive season but the downside of all that slack time is the shock of getting back to the 'real' world again. Oh well, only 11 months and 23 days until we can do it all again. Happy New Year and all that jazz by the way...