Easy Street - Queens of the Stone Age

The first time I heard this track I had a vague thought that it might be a lost Bowie number, especially after the slightly Frippy guitar bit 3 minutes or so in. But nope, it's Queens of the Stone Age. Genuine contender for one of the tracks of the year... 

Yours 'Til the End - Kim Wilde

Picked up this Kim Wilde album from 2018 last weekend and it's an 80's tastic treat from start to finish. This track's possibly the highlight, with a nod to Duran Duran, Gary Numan and even a little Chic in there. Wilde's vocal's on fine form too, bonkers to think that her first record came out almost half a century ago...

Caught In My Shadow - The Wonder Stuff

Hoping to see The Stuffies again soon, so going on a bit of a trip down memory lane and stumbled on this video filmed in Brum. What a different world we lived in in 1991 eh?  

Hotdog - Room Service

Another brilliantly bonkers poptastic track from Brighton's Room Service, this'll get you through Monday afternoon.  

Hush - The Getup

Funky cover of the Deep Purple classic to get you over the midweek hump. I bought this CD online via eBay and sadly it's a 'tad' scratched. Unusually for a CD this makes it jump a few times, I'll have to try the old toothpaste trick to see if I can fix it...

Rapping With The Gods - The Mitchell and Dewbury Band

Picked up this CD tucked between a bunch of DVDs a few weeks ago and nearly didn't bother checking it out because it sounded like one of those god awful (as it were) religious albums that seem to be swamping some charity shops at the moment. Turns out it's a top notch jazz/soul release from the legendary Russ Dewbury featuring tracks like this Galliano tinged banger. Remarkably you can pick this up for a few quid on eBay at the moment...

Opinions Are Like Wormholes - Bandleader MPH

Yet another brilliantly catchy but equally clever track from one of this country's finest underground musical geniuses. If you know any record labels looking for a proper talent this dude has a back catalogue to die for...

Pretend We're Dead - L7

RIP Jennifer Finch, bassist and occasional vocalist with L7 who gave this memorable performance of classic grunge anthem on The Word back in 1992. I think this was the same show that Ollie Reed was on. They don't make 'em like that anymore... 

 

Burning Boats - Anni(e) Hogan ft Marc Almond, Budgie and JG Thirlwell

Picked up yet another copy of this album when I was in Brum recently and gave it a spin, reminding myself of just what an incredible track this is. For my money Anni(e) Hogan and Marc Almond's partnership over a decade or so produced some of my favourite tracks of all time, like this criminally underrated number...

Get It Right Next Time - Gerry Rafferty

Given last night's result this track seems pretty appropriate today. Thankfully I have little or no interest in sport but always get dragged into the football a little when it's the World Cup or Euros. I have no idea how fans cope with this level of stress and frustration week in and week out... 

Flowers In Our Hair - All About Eve

A gorgeous slice of 80s folk rock pop from the underrated All About Eve. I loved the self titled album as an 18 year old, fast forward almost 4 decades and it sounds just as good as a 56 year old...even if I don't have as much hair to wear flowers in if I was that way inclined. 

Love Is In Control (Finger On The Trigger) Extended Version - Donna Summer

Gave this 80s utter banger a few spins last night. The sharp eyed will spot that it was co-written by Quincy Jones and Rod Temperton who, amongst other tracks, penned a little ditty called Thriller for some bloke called Michael Jackson. Given that Rod had homes in LA, the south of France, Fiji, Switzerland and Kent I suspect he did pretty well out of that one. 

 

Dollar Bill - Jack White

Jack White's back with another scuzzed up blues belter, possibly one of the best of his career so far. It's always puzzled me that the blues (and jazz too, but that's a whole different box of brass) ain't more popular than it is when it can be as glorious as this, but that's people for you eh? 

PS: If Dollar Bill floats your boat why not go all the way back to Robert Johnson, a mere 90 years ago, and work forward from there...there's enough great blues to keep your ears entertained until the end of time. 

Chairlift - Bruises

Heard this track on 6Music this morning for the first time in ages and, despite it's slightly dark undercurrent, it has a bit of a summertime vibe too. I've only just found out that the lead singer's Caroline Polachek who's done some great solo stuff over the past few years, like this...

The Rainbow Connection - Kermit The Frog and Debbie Harry

What better track to celebrate Debbie Harry's 81st birthday than her legendary duet with Kermit The Frog... 

When The Saints Go Marching In - Ottilie Patterson

 

Jazz might be having one of its periodic revivals at the moment but 'trad jazz' (which harked back to the style of jazz played in New Orleans back in the 20s and 30s) seems destined to remain consigned to history. That's a shame, as this joyful cover from 1957 proves. If you want to know what some of the trad jazzers got up to back then have a read of George Melly's autobiographies...it'll make your hair curl. 

Scenic Railway - Ervin Jereb

Someone donated a stack of 'library music' CDs to a local charity shop recently and I've been hoovering 'em up. There are some great tracks on them, like this swinging little number from Ervin Jereb. Groovy baby. 

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.