Sly Dunbar RIP

Of course Sly Dunbar did much more than just this track but for children of the 80s Boops Here To Go will probably always be the first thing we associate him with. Almost 40 years later it still sounds as fresh, unique and...let's face it...nuts as it did back in '87. 

For dub heads here's a little Zion In Dub from 1980... 

...and we've got to have a Grace Jones track (Sly played on this and numerous other Jones classics)...

and apparently this is the first track he played on, not a bad way to kick off your career eh? 

There Is Hope - Misty's Big Adventure

Continuing my one man campaign to keep the Misty's Big Adventure flame alive here's a deep cut from the band's Television People album. What's that? You want another one? Oh go on then...

When the Wind Blows - David Bowie

A bit windy down here in the 'sunny' South West today, thankfully not a nuclear wind but then again it's still fairly early in the day and who knows what the hell will happen from one minute to the next at the moment. If you've not seen the film When the Wind Blows, sound tracked by Dame David Bowie, it's a frankly horrific tale of an elderly couple who'd survived WW2 only to get bumped off by radiation poisoning during WW3. There was a lot of this kind of stuff going on during the 80s, which might account for my generation's somewhat cheerfully nihilistic view of life.

Walking in the Rain - Flash and the Pan

How have I managed to get to almost 56 without knowing that the Grace Jones track Walking in the Rain was actually written and originally recorded by Aussie New Wavers Flash and the Pan? Picked up a Best Of compilation for the band a couple of weeks ago and I'm surprised they've not been bigged up as much as they deserve to be. Older readers may know them for this slinky synth classic, which hit the dizzy heights of number 7 in the UK in 1982...

One of the band, George Young had a couple of rather famous brothers, Angus and Malcolm, of AC/DC fame who were produced by him and fellow Flasher Harry Vanda. The pair also wrote Friday On My Mind when they were in The Easybeats and Love Is In The Air (as featured in Strictly Ballroom). 

Every day's a school day eh?  

Who Do You Love - Juicy Lucy

Today might be 'blue Monday' but this slice of early swampy 70s blues rock (a cover of a Bo Diddley track) from Juicy Lucy might help. I'm actually as old as this single...1970...good grief.

Vambo (Live) - Sensational Alex Harvey Band

I was listening to an Alex Harvey compilation last night and thought I'd share a little live footage with you for the end of the week. Now that's a performance eh? Sensational in fact.  

Dry Jan - Goldie Lookin Chain

This is a first, a Goldie Lookin Chain on the Aid. I did Dry Jan once (2013 apparently). No idea why. If there's one month a year when a nice drinkypoo or two goes down a treat it's January. Good luck to all those doing Dry Jan this year though. 

Hurricane - Katherine Priddy

Great to hear Katherine's new track getting so many plays on 6Music, loving the video filmed at one of my favourite gig venues The Hare and Hounds in Kings Heath unless I'm very much mistaken too (nice to see a familiar face or three as well). Without a doubt one of the best songs she's released so far... 

Let's Dance - David Bowie (Live at Glastonbury 2000)

As you'd expect the tenth anniversary of David Bowie's passing is getting a fair bit of coverage at the moment. You never really know whether a gig's 'iconic' until a little while after the event, but it was a pretty safe bet that Bowie's Glasto gig in 2000 was going to make the cut. It's proved to be the case and I thank my lucky musical stars that I was one of those who were there to see it live. Twenty six year ago too, bugger me where does the time go eh?  

Antidepressants (Live) - Suede

Great to hear this track from Suede getting some spins on the radio at the moment. One of their best songs ever? Could be. Not too shabby for a band in its fourth decade.

Happy New Year!

Ouch. It's always a bit of a 'mare getting back to reality after the Christmas break but the sudden cold snap that we woke up to yesterday was particularly brutal. Happily I'm carrying a 'little' extra holiday weight, so the layers of blubber stopped my vital organs from freezing solid. 

2026 sees several notable anniversaries including the passing of Black (aka Colin Vearncombe) and David Bowie, who sadly both passed away on the same day ten years ago (okay, I know Colin technically died on January 26th but the injuries he received in a car crash on January 10th effectively ended his life) and the tenth anniversary of the death of Prince in April. On a slightly lighter note this year sees the twentieth birthday of this blog in August. Plans are already being made for a huge celebration...so that'll be an Ivor Dewdney pasty and a couple of pints of cider at Ye Olde Cider Barrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr in Newton Abbot. I'm a simple soul, as you'll have noted if you've read any of this jibber jabber over the past couple of decades.