Mark Morriss - Holiday Of A Lifetime

Unseasonably poignant track from The Bluetones' lead singer Mark Morriss who, somewhat unbelievably, is playing a gig in a local pub this week. And for anyone who's forgotten who The Bluetones were/are here's just one of a bucketful of top tunes from the dim and distant days we called the 90s.

Rockie Charles - There Is A Rainbow Hangin' Over My Shoulder

With the internet these days there's really no need to take a punt on random CDs by people you've never heard of but I just can't help myself. And when you pick up a little beauty like Born For You by Rockie Charles who needs Spotify eh? Sadly Rockie seemingly never really got the acclaim he deserved and after releasing a few singles back in the 60s and very early 70s he ended up working as a tugboat captain and oyster fisherman before relaunching his music career in 1994. A trio of albums followed, the last completed just prior to his death in 2010 at the age of 67. Ripe for rediscovery? Hell yeah. All hail The President of Soul.

Mura Masa ft Slowthai - Deal Wiv It

Mike Skinner's spiritual sprog Slowthai is on flipping fire on this track. He genuinely doesn't seem to want to play the music biz game either, which is almost unheard of these days. Deffo one to play loud on a Friday afternoon and pogo in yer pants to. Less appropriate in an office, shop or the Houses of Parliament than it is for me at home but hell, it's a Friday.

Melt Yourself Down - Every Single Day

As I'm having a bit of a melt down myself today (I thought technology was supposed to make life easier...ha...what a joke...oh for the days when you could actually talk to a human being once in a while) this band and track seem entirely appropriate. The fact that it's pretty damn ace too puts the icing on the cake...a post jazz dance mash up masterclass. I could listen to it...yes...every single...you get the picture.

Miss Ludella Black - Till You Lie In your Grave

It's Friday! What better way to celebrate than some fine death inciting garage rock from Miss Ludella Black (ex The Headcoatees). If Tarantino ever hears this track he'll wet himself...

The Blue Nile

Prompted by the repeat of 6 Music's celebration of the 30th anniversary of The Blue Nile's Hats album we spent a very pleasant hour or two in its company (and its predecessor A Walk Across The Rooftops) last night whilst chowing down on a Co-op steak and kidney pie and bottle of red (who says rock 'n' roll's dead eh?). Pretty much the perfect soundtrack to that last Sunday before properly plunging back into the real world. Ouch. It hurts.

PS: If you liked Let's Go Out Tonight cop a listen to Tinsletown In The Rain. There...now isn't that better?

Richard Dawson - Two Halves

A happy New Year to you all. Hopefully you got all you wanted/needed from Santa's sack...? I received a copy of one of 2019's best albums (on vinyl naturally), Richard Dawson's 2020, maybe I'll get a chance to see him live and unleashed this year...if I can ever prise my enormous turkey and gin stuffed backside out of the front door that is.

It's another Merry Christ-mix!

Well, it's that time again, And this year I've plumped for Groove Geezus' Have a Funky Christmas mix. I'll be off on my annual digital detox now, catch you in 2020 unless I succumb to a fatal gin and turkey overdose. Ho, ho, ho! Have a great one.

Christmas Wrapping - Jess Clarke

I'm in awe of anyone who can play a musical instrument but people who can play more than one...good grief. I had the pleasure of meeting Jess Clark in SPS Records (Teignmouth) a few weeks ago but had no idea she was planning on covering one of my personal favourite Christmas tracks, the mighty Christmas Wrapping, recording, playing and singing the whole darn thing and knocking out a video too. It's pretty faithful to the original but with a slightly grungier bit of bass and some festively twinkly bells. Love it!

PS: Check out some of Jess's other stuff too, she can play the sitar...not an easy instrument to master apparently...mind you I couldn't master the recorder...

Calling For Change - The Irrepressibles

It's been a while but good things come to those who wait and this new release from The Irrespressibles is ruddy good. Fusing the classical chamber pop of previous releases with an electro feel that wouldn't be out of place on a classic early Soft Cell track lyrically it looks back at Jamie's (lead Irrepressible) childhood in lets just say less enlightened times. Pure dancefloor therapy for the soul.

Geowolf - He's 31

Blow me, this is a beauty of a track. It gives me the same kind of blissed out but ever so slightly shivery feeling that I got from Chungking's making music back in the day. Any excuse eh...?

Puddles Pity Party - Crazy Train

You know what you need to listen to right now? A 6ft 8inch clown covering Ozzy's Crazy Train. You're welcome.

Marc Almond featuring Ian Anderson - Lord Of Misrule

Blimey, where did this come from? The hardest working man in showbiz is back with a new single and this time he's teamed up with Mr Jethro Tull himself, Ian Anderson. As Christmas singles go it's a little dark but then again if you believe one tenth of what we hear in the media at the moment these are pretty dark times. Almond's got form when it comes to railing against the world we live in (see also Tears Run Rings) but this track's unusually rocky for him...you know what...it works though. I'll certainly be spinning it whilst munching my way through my own body weight in sprouts and downing several pints of gin. If the world's going to hell in a handcart you might as well be well fed and 'watered'...

Frank Zappa - Dancing Fool

Strange coincidence time. I was thinking about Frank Zappa earlier today and lo and behold December 4th 2019 is actually the 26th anniversary of his death (at just 52 as well...blimey that gives me less than three years to record a bunch of albums, freak out most of America, spawn several children and give them weird names...I'd better get cracking). 

McAlmont and Butler - Yes

How good did this album (picked up for 50p on CD) sound on a vintage mid 90s JVC boombox (double tape deck, CD player, radio...picked up for a tenner in a truly filthy state but cleaned up a treat)? A-bloody-mazing. I fear that soooooo many people nowadays only hear their downloaded music (compressed and therefore usually a pretty poor reflection of the original recording) through tinny little speakers or headphones when they could be luxuriating in sonic loveliness for a mere tenner. Hey ho.

Buy Nothing Day...

Tomorrow might be 'Black Friday', a desperate attempt to persuade us to buy crap we don't need that's no cheaper tomorrow than it is on any other day of the year, but it's also International Buy Nothing Day too. I know which I prefer. Anyway, above are two rather fine songs to soundtrack all of your non buying...unless you end up purchasing the albums they come from...but that's allowed.

Elton John - Are You Ready For Love (2003 remix)

Picked up a mint CD single copy of this track over the weekend for roughly 33 and a third pence. Nothing remarkable in that these days but the original price sticker was still on the cover...£3.99...blimey you could buy a house for £3.99 back in 2003. Incredible to think that we've gone from a time when people would part with four quid for a single track to a time when we pretty much expect music to be free. Kids today, mutter mutter, grumble grumble etc etc...

PS: Just in case you think I'm getting mellow in my old age I picked up System Of A Down's Chop Suey too. Hell yes.

Marc Almond - Toreador In The Rain

Given the kind of rainfall that would keep Noah awake at nights that we're having in the UK right now lets enjoy a lovely stripped back version of Almond's Toreador In The Rain, taken from the (in my humble opinion) somewhat overproduced Enchanted album. I much prefer this take on the track...

Uffie - Pop The Glock

Blast from the past time courtesy of 6 Music this morning. I seem to recall discovering Uffie through Pig Radio and/or MySpace waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay back in 2006/7 when the world was still relatively sane. Ahhhhh happy days. After a bit of a hiatus (maybe her glock was popped?) Uffie stated releasing new stuff back in 2016 and came out with this (Ed) banger back in 2018.

Matthew Sweet - Come To California

My seemingly insatiable appetite for buying CDs shows no signs of waning. A few weeks ago I saw four albums by Matthew Sweet in a charity shop, a name I kind of recognised but couldn't recall ever listening to. I suspect he's better known in the US of A than he is over here which is a shame as he sprang from the same fertile ground that spawned REM (in fact Sweet and Stipe were briefly a duo called Community Trolls...who knew eh?). Anyway, at the time I didn't buy them but at the weekend I popped back in and there they were...so I took that to be a sign. I've yet to listen to the albums (now there's a surprise eh?) but I came across this track on You Tube and if it's anything like the rest of the stuff at £4 for the lot that's a pretty sweet deal eh?

PS: Here's another goody...a little light grunge meets REM and Teenage Fanclub.