Talking of Gram Parsons.......

I first heard of him when I bought and was absolutely bowled over by Elvis Costello's album 'Almost Blue'. Elvis recorded it in Nashville, I think, with some local musicians added to the Attractions. Every track on the album was a country cover and the LP cover carried a sticker which famously said: "WARNING: This album contains country & western music and may cause offence to narrow minded listeners." The most memorable track, for me, was Gram's immortal 'Hot Burrito #1' (sensibly renamed 'I'm Your Toy' - never was a sublime song more ridiculously titled). When I finally caught up with Gram's own version with, of course, the Flying Burrito Brothers, I had to accept that the original was better, if only for the heartbreaking cracking of his voice at crucial stages, but Elvis gives him a run for his money. More of Gram perhaps when my son posts his own take on this seminal artist - and more of Emmylou when the new album is finally released. It's been delayed but I've got it on order!

Elvis Costello - I'm Your Toy (iTunes)

Emmylou Harris was just interviewed in The Times

Joe writes: The piece mostly focuses on how attractive she is for a 61 year-old, and Gram Parsons.

Still, at least this gives me a chance to post Boulder To Birmingham, one of my all-time favourites and surely one of the saddest songs of all-time (if you've read the Times article you will be able to hazard a guess at what the lyrics are about).

My dad introduced me to Boulder To Birmingham and he's going to see Emmylou live on her current tour. He also has her new album so will hopefully post something from that, if it's great.

Boulder To Birmingham was written by Emmylou and Bill Danoff. Bill's other credits include Take Me Home Country Roads, a smash for John Denver and Hermes House Party (I will resist the temptation to include a Hermes House Party track on the same thread as Boulder To Birmingham, but I must do a John Denver post and a Gram Parsons post before long).



Emmylou Harris - Boulder To Birmingham (iTunes)

"The United States sponsored the rise of the Third Reich"

Joe writes: Immortal Technique is playing at the Coronet in London tonight and I'm going.

He often raps about conspiracy theories, although he doesn't like that term as he explains on The Cause Of Death. But almost every line here outlines a new conspiracy theory or alarming "fact". It's powerful in its relentlessness, and listening to it reminds me of watching the conspiracy theory film Zeitgeist. Alarming, thought-provoking, extremely misguided in places, but you have to admire the passion, anger and desire to educate the listener - all of which are conspicuously absent from so much of today's hip hop music.

Immortal Technique - The Cause Of Death on iTunes

Golden Silvers and back in black

There seems to be a nice buzz building on Golden Silvers in the London music industry. One of their songs stands head and shoulders above the others I've heard and of course it's the ballad, Fade To Black.

Black has been a big theme in music in the past few years. When you read that, perhaps you don't immediately think of Burn The Black Suit by Juliet Turner or Raude by Black Rose - but you should!

Juliet is an Irish singer songwriter and Burn The Black Suit should have been a huge hit. She has a new album out soon, I see from her website.

I thought Black Rose were extremely obscure (their album is hard to find in the UK) but this website, where you can buy their downloads, tells me they are "without a doubt the most popular Fijian group in the Pacific". Raude is such a great noise and so infectious.

Golden Silvers - Fade To Black (nothing on iTunes yet)

Juliet Turner - Burn The Black Suit (iTunes)

Black Rose - Raude (not on iTunes or Amazon but try the website above or FijiShop.com)

Another Lost Album, Another Spectacular TOTP Performance

Leo Sayer's debut album 'Silverbird' was full of good tracks and showed off his distinctive voice and unusual vocal range to excellent effect. His TOTP debut was even more striking (and happily some helpful person has put it on YouTube - not the original, I think, but very close in spirit). This was, of course, in the days when there were only two or three channels and everyone was talking about this guy in the clown suit and his mesmerizing performance. Since then he's had a well-documented decline, with occasional rediscoveries, but he has written and performed some memorable songs and I wouldn't bet against another comeback at some point.

Leo Sayer - The Show Must Go On (YouTube) (iTunes)

Leo Sayer - Silverbird (Amazon)

my all-time favourite Eurovision entry

Mocedades - Eres Tú (iTunes)

Jimmy Cliff just performed one of my favourite songs of all time on Later

Joe writes: If you are not down with the Jools noodly piano version, fear not - here is the classic original.

It's one of those songs that many people have covered, and it should be easy to cover, on paper, but in reality nothing comes close to matching Jimmy's version.


Jimmy Cliff - Many Rivers To Cross (iTunes)

Does Martha Wainwright sound like Kate Bush to you????

Phil writes: She does to me, at least on a couple of the tracks on her new album. That's not necessarily a bad thing I suppose - as long as she doesn't make a habit of it. Although KB is one of those artists who deserves some credit for originality, I think her voice would get intensely irritating if you listened to more than a track at a time. See what you think by comparing the Martha track with Kate's stunning second single, which she performed on TOTP while doing the weirdest swinging round dance. Martha's voice is actually much more versatile - listen to her singing two great standards (as part of Rufus's Judy Garland tribute) on YouTube.

Martha Wainwright - Tower Of Song (iTunes for the album)




Martha Wainwright - Stormy Weather




Martha Wainwright - Someone To Watch Over Me




Kate Bush - Wow (iTunes)

The Ting Tings are no. 1 in the UK so here's a track from their previous outfit Dear Eskiimo

Dear Eskiimo - Jo (posted by Joe)

Neil Diamond

So Rick Rubin continues to "do a Johnny Cash" on Neil Diamond. I'm not totally convinced this is playing to Neil's strengths but I'm in favour of anything that gets him the credit he deserves as one of the great pop songwriters and performers.

Here's an Neil classic that's ripe for revival (it's practically a dance record already thanks to that kick drum).

Neil Diamond - Forever In Blue Jeans (iTunes)

Scooter have the no. 1 album in the UK today

Edith Bowman played a track on Radio 1 then slagged it off even though it sounded rather good. As I haven't worked out what that track is, here's my favourite Scooter track Friends, available with the new album along with 19 of their best tracks on a bonus disc.

Scooter - Friends (iTunes)

If only all remixes were as creative and musical as this

Justice - Stress (Auto Remix) (not on iTunes)

It's just like discovering a lost Beatles album

For me, as for most people, I guess, 'She's Not There' was the only really solid reference point when the Zombies were mentioned. It is a very memorable song. A few years ago I heard Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent talking on the radio and this prompted me to seek out a Colin Blunstone album. It quickly became a favourite and this track showcases his very distinctive voice.

I knew nothing about 'Odessey and Oracle' until my son mentioned that they were reforming the original line-up to play the whole album live for the first time ever (the band broke up even before it was originally released). He sent me the album and got us tickets for the show. Both were great. You can see why it is often described as a classic album - there's not a duff track on it and some of the songs are indeed up there with the best of the Beatles' stuff. You really do need to listen to the whole album but the striking opener, with its unusual story-angle, makes a reasonable taster.

Colin Blunstone - Say You Don't Mind (iTunes)
The Zombies - Care of Cell 44 (iTunes for the album)

I assumed that my son must have known this...

but I discovered a while ago that I'd never played it to him. This Roy Orbison song was the first record that really meant anything to me. Interestingly, the 45 was a ‘double A-side’ - ‘Running Scared’ and ‘Love Hurts’. ‘Love Hurts’ is a haunting, distinctive song which becomes quiet background music through much of your life (and then you discover the version by Gram Parsons and Emmylou). ‘Running Scared’ is something else again, the consummate story song, packed with narrative power, building to its magnificent, orgasmic denoument, which, time after time after time - and I’ve been listening to it for fifty years - knocks you into the middle of next week. The point at which the bass rhythm enters and carries the song and the listener forward and upwards is extraordinary. The words build, the story builds, the music builds. So much of the pain and joy of human relationships in a pop song lasting two minutes twelve seconds. And perhaps the most amazing thing about the song - Orbison claims to have written it ‘in about ten minutes’.

Roy Orbison - Running Scared (iTunes)

I’ve never been totally sure about the Proclaimers -

some great songs, always at least interesting, often quite original, yet for me there’s something very slightly creepy about them, e.g. 'She Arouses Me So' (too much information?). However, this is a brilliant track and the perfect answer to the current publicity given to those who refuse to see the benefits of immigration. If only there were a similar song about England. Anyone know one?

The Proclaimers - Scotland's Story (not on iTunes)

Bruce Springsteen is playing live in London soon

I turned down the opportunity to go and now I'm having pangs of regret. I have seen him once before at the Royal Albert Hall but that was acoustic, and it was before I knew his catalogue well.

But I've seen so many legends way past their peak - would this be another disappointment? He hasn't written a great song since Streets Of Philadelpia (or if he has, I missed it).

Anyway, here are the two tracks that gave me those pangs of regret.

I very much approve of this phenomenon of the likes of Todd Terje and Cousin Cole taking classic tracks and adding a few little synth noises and tweaks for the dancefloor rather than radically remixing.

As for Thunder Road, "Ladies and gentlemen, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band"... if only this were 1975!

This post can also stand in tribute to Clive Davis, the man who told Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and many others to write him a hit. I can live without Lay Lady Lay but we should all be grateful for Born To Run.

Bruce Springsteen - I'm On Fire (Cousin Cole's Bad Desire Mix) (here's a link to the original on iTunes)

Bruce Springsteen - Thunder Road (Live at the Roxy, 1975) (iTunes)

Chris de Burgh's time will come again

If Supertramp can come back into fashion then Chris de Burgh will sooner or later, right?

There is a new CdeB compilation released in the UK this week. Included on there are my two favourites - Much More Than This which I've written about previously, and Borderline. Borderline has a topical lyric about deciding between going away to fight for your country and staying with your lover. The Borderline sequel Say Goodbye To It All is also on there (more songs should have sequels).

Chris de Burgh - Borderline (iTunes)

Ludacris vs Born Slippy

Ludacris is one of my favourite rappers (or he was back at the start of the millennium anyway).

Born Slippy is one of my favourite records of all time.

How could I resist a combination of the two?

Yes, the chord does eventually change and when that happens it is of course the high point of the track.

Thanks to my new favourite blog Burnt Waffles for the link.

Ludacris - Ultimate Satisfaction (Cabin Bwoy Refix) (not on iTunes so here's a link to buy the original Born Slippy)

really beautiful track from Sweden that I found via Popjustice

shades of Jeff Buckley and they know how to write a good tune in Sweden

the album is lovely and available from iTunes now, without DRM

Moto Boy - Ride My Wild Heart (iTunes)

Very honoured to be invited (see below).

I would have to say that in recent years I’ve learned just as much about great music from him as he may have done previously from me. I’m afraid, by the way, that my version of the Bunny Berigan intro is a very simplified one but I like to think I’ve caught the spirit of it. Mention of Humphrey Lyttleton’s ‘Best of Jazz’ and its recent demise prompts me to draw attention to one of the best recordings he ever played - one to which he returned from time to time. I don’t know anything about Marion Williams or whether she recorded much else, but even if she didn’t the power and excitement of this one track is a greater achievement than the whole output of many other artists. Here also is another great Humph favourite (apparently made it onto the playlist for his very final programme that I sadly missed) which is similarly gospel based, and equally memorable with a tinge of 'tailgate' trombone humour - it just wouldn’t be the same on any other instrument.

Marion Williams - It is Well (nothing on itunes)
Carla Bley (featuring Gary Valente) - The Lord is Listening to Ya Hallelujah (iTunes)