I Want It All - Eve's Plum

Heard this on 6 Music this morning, a blast of classic 90's indie rock grunge from the rarely played Eve's Plum. Copies of the album that spawned it are rarer in the UK than a Prime Minister who lasts more than a couple of years. Now that's rare...

Banana Republic - Boomtown Rats

Okay, so this song was originally written as a protest against the state of the Republic of Ireland back in 1980 but it's been popping into my head a lot this morning as our sixth Prime Minister in ten years  stepped down. Here's what Google defines a 'banana republic' as 'A country labelled a banana republic has many distinguishing features. It has weak structures of governance, which often results in widespread corruption among government officials. Poverty is common, and the government, or a very small upper class, controls all resources. Measures of social and economic inequality are therefore typically high.'

We might not quite be there just yet but give it time. The problem with changing leaders and parties every few years (or weeks in some cases) is that no one's around long enough to actually do anything. I have a pretty radical view of what's needed...a benign dictatorship. A leader who'll make the difficult and sometimes unpopular choices (but choices that generally have the support of the majority of the population) that are needed to sort out the mess that this country's in and who'll be in power for as long as it takes. It won't happen of course, and dictators, benign or otherwise, have a habit of getting a bit carried away but surely we can't carry on like this for much longer?  

Danceteria - Soft Cell

Forgot to post this last week, that's old age for you. Is this Soft Cell's strongest single in decades? Yep, I think it is. 

Dear Jessie - Madonna

It's perhaps hard to recall now just how big the holy trinity of American pop stars - Michael Jackson, Prince and Madonna - were back in the '80s. Of course sadly only Madge (as she was known in Smash Hits) is still standing today, bless her pointy bra. When this video popped up on one of the few music channels still going last night it reminded me of just how brilliantly odd it is. And who doesn't love a hot fairy eh? 

Cross My Heart - Lime Garden

 Another great single from Lime Garden, top indie pop with a bit of a La Roux/Long Blondes vibe. 

On The Trail - The Prime Movers

Here's one for fans of bombastic 80s pop rock a la U2, Simple Minds and Big Country...The Prime Movers...taken from another great recent CD pickup, Beating Up The Campus, a late 90s compilation of classics from the 80s US college rock scene. Hairspray and eye liner optional. 

Look At The Animals - Jethro Tull

Picked up this two disc oddity from Jethro Tull's back catalogue from a CD stall at the Bearwood Shuffle over the weekend and it's well worth bagging a copy if you see one. It's a collection of unused tracks leftover from various album sessions and, in the case of disc one, an entire album (including this track) recorded in France in 1973 and then abandoned for various reasons. Top notch folk prog for discerning ear 'oles.