I Want To Take You Higher - Sly and the Family Stone

As if buying CDs by the dozen wasn't bad/good enough I'm now finding them for free at the side of the road. Someone was having a clear out and there was the 2CD remastered soundtrack to the Woodstock movie just sitting there. For free. Bargain. Also picked up Pretzel Logic by Steely Dan, a Spyro Gyra album, a Rocky Hill album and a Free Best Of...appropriately enough. 

Great Things - Echobelly

Picked up the Britpop-tastic debut album by Echobelly on CD (obvs) a few weeks ago and found the original receipt tucked into the booklet. The original buyer had snapped it up for £13.50 from Woolworths in 1995, it should have been £14.99 but they got a 10% staff discount. Bargain! £15 in 1995 equates to roughly £28.77 nowadays, just a tad more than the 75p I paid for it. It struck me how many jobs that single CD supported back in the 90s, from the band itself and the studio staff through to the graphic designers, the CD manufacturers and distributors to the reps and PR people, the shelf stackers and cashiers...and now? I suppose you might still have some studio involvement (although you can probably do most stuff in your bedroom) but I'm guessing the majority of music goes straight online. With the looming spectre of AI already costing tens of thousands of jobs in the UK alone you have to wonder what people are going to do to earn an honest living in the future.  

Just Another Day - Misty's Big Adventure

It's just over a year since Misty's Big Adventure's Grandmaster Gareth departed this world for that great Jug Of Ale in the sky and barely a week goes by without me thinking about him and silently cursing a world that, by and large, ignored his talents. 12 months ago I promised to carry on doing what I can to share the band's music and I'm determined to stick by that so here's a few more classics. If you can share them with everyone you know...and perhaps even some random strangers in the street too...it'll be greatly appreciated.

Nothing Is As Good As They Say It Is - Sparks

Heard this last night for the first time on one of the last ever 'prime time' Marc Riley 6 Music shows (hang your head in shame Samantha Moy - 'Head of 6 Music', the sooner you're gone the better) and it immediately became one of my top 5 Sparks tracks of all time. Written from the perspective of a 22 hour old baby it's it's utter genius from start to finish and, just in case you don't get it, the video well and truly rams home the point. 

Madame Van Damme - Lightspeed Champion

Picked up the double album of Life Is Sweet! Nice To Meet You for 50p on Saturday. Bargain. This track's the pick of the bunch so far. One for the nihilists out there.  

Happy 30th Blur-day Modern Life Is Rubbish!

On May 10^th 1993 Blur’s second (and make or break) album, Modern Life Is Rubbish was released in turn helping to kick start arguably one of the most fertile and fun musical movements of my brief lifetime, ‘Britpop’. I've heard Modern Life Is Rubbish being referred to as a bit twee before now but some of the stuff on there, like Advert, clearly points to Blur's post Britpop anthem Song 2. 

And then there's the instrumental pub piano insanity of Intermission...cor blimey...

The album's title strikes a chord too, even more so these days. As a recently turned 53 year old the world I grew up in seems like a different but infinitely better planet. Sure it was harder to access music, film, literature etc etc but that made it more special. And don't get me started on 'smart' phones. Is there a sadder sight than watching couples sitting in a pub totally ignoring each other and glued to whatever the hell they watch or read on the internet? Or people walking down a country lane ignoring the beauty of nature in favour of a bloody video of it? Or rows and rows of boarded up shops, each one representing the loss of dozens of jobs, not to mention the opportunity to, you know, actually talk to someone in the REAL world? Nope. I don't think there is. But then again I'm ancient. Anyway...happy Blur-day Modern Life Is Rubbish! 

Prince Of Peace - Galliano

Thinking of a suitably topical track for this weekend's coronation I came up with the double whammy of PRINCE Of Peace by Galliano, whose lead singer was, from time to time, known as EARL Zinger. Not sure if King Chuck III's an Acid Jazz fan or not but when the tune's this great who cares eh? 

If You Could Read My Mind - Gordon Lightfoot

RIP Gordon Lightfoot, the genius behind this perfect slice of 70s folk rock. I'm guessing a lot of people my age will have come across it courtesy of its use in Trigger Happy TV but you might also hear a slight echo of the track in a certain Whitney Houston number too...

Veronica Lake - Sparks

Yet another cracking new single from Sparks, this one a homage to 40's femme fatale Veronica Lake...and why the hell not eh? Not only was she an actress she was seemingly a mean magician too. 

Breathing Is E-Zee - E-zee Posse

Dusted off a copy of Now Dance 91 last night and heard this E-Zee Possee track for the first time in...oooooh...32 years. If you like a bit of Deee-lite you'll probably enjoy this one. You're welcome.  

Fire - Koko Taylor

Smokin' hot blues from Koko Taylor to kick off the new week. I hadn't heard of her before I picked up this CD a few weeks ago but she had a hell of a voice. They don't make 'em like this any more. 

Kandy Pop - Bis

Great to hear Bis's Kandy Pop get an all too rare spin on 6Music this morning. How the heck can this track be almost 30 years old though? Very happy memories of seeing the band play at The Flapper, mine's a pint of Dog Bolter. If Kandy Pop's your bag you'll be chuffed to know that Bis are still releasing great tunes, here's one of their most recent.

I can heartily recommend Manda Rin's solo stuff too. 

Billy Hyena - Wide Boy Awake

Just finishing off the excellent Jordan (Mooney) autobiography Defying Gravity and decided to check out the band formed by her husband (and ex Adam and the Ants Ant) of the time Kevin Mooney. Jordan managed the band but despite her best efforts they didn't really get anywhere...clearly the drugs didn't help. Musically there's a touch of Adam Ant and Bow Wow Wow about their stuff, as you'd expect, but with a bit more of a electro clubby feel, especially on a track like Slang Teacher. 

A bit of an early 80s gem eh? 

Tarred and Feathered - Cardiacs...cover by Abel Tuinestra

My fixation with Cardiacs led me to this impressive piano cover version by Abel Tuinestra. I'm frankly amazed that human hands can do this stuff without falling off. Just in case you've never heard this original (which I've posted at least once but hey...if a thing's worth sharing once it's worth sharing a dozen times) here's the original. Prepare to have your minds melted. 

I'm Going To Get Free - Dexys

Dexys (or at least a version of Dexys) are back with a brand new single and album. Hurrah! Once again Kev's pounding the streets, no doubt hoping to repeat Come On Eileen's success, but this time he's swanked up to the eyeballs in the kind of suit that's quite possibly never been seen in Bethnal Green. Amazingly the locals barely give him a second look. Perhaps they're used to him by now eh? 

The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte - Sparks

Been meaning to post this up for a few weeks but...you know...I'm old and all that shit. Anyway, Sparks are back with album number 25! Or 26 if you count FFS! Or 27 if you count their live album! Or 29 if you count their soundtrack albums! Good work chaps. 

Action - Sweet

Sad to hear that 6Music's shoving Marc Riley aside after 18 years service but I did like his choice of opening track last night. Listen to the lyrics. Surely that selection wasn't an accident? I suspect/hope he'll leave rather than accept the graveyard shift and trust that some of his long serving colleagues will join him in leaving what's now, very sadly, a sinking ship. Once again the BBC just can't leave things alone can it eh? The sooner the licence fee's scrapped the better. 

Ryuichi Sakamoto RIP

Only just heard that Ryuichi Sakamoto's passed away. Loved this track when it first came out back in the early 80s and this inspired me to explore his work with Yellow Magic Orchestra by picking up the odd album at Record Fairs in the far off days when the net was something caught fish in. 

Sayonara Mr S. 

Party Fears Two - The Divine Comedy

Picked up another ridiculous stash of CDs on Monday and came across this pleasingly jaunty cover version of one of my favourite ever tracks. For contrast here's the original...absolute genius.

Cockwood Shanty Festival

Spent a very enjoyable afternoon at the Cockwood Shanty Festival on Saturday (this vid's not from the festival itself but this is one of the groups or 'crews' we saw). Not sure if this is the first one they've done but hopefully it'll be back next year. Coming from Birmingham I'm a bit new to the whole shanty thang. Who knew there were so many 'crews' around keeping this wonderful tradition alive a live o eh?