Joe writes: The song is called If It Wasn't For You
Thursday, 27 January 2011
excellent songwriting on Various Cruelties' track
Saturday, 22 January 2011
In The Past
Joe writes: Stuart Maconie just played psychedelic masterpiece In The Past by The Chocolate Watch Band on 6music.
In the past, it featured in the last ever episode of Mark Radcliffe's amazing first show on Radio 1, Out On Blue Six.
Wednesday, 19 January 2011
Joe writes: See You All by Koudlam
Joe writes: The more I hear this, the more I like it
Excellent choice of YouTube footage to borrow as well
Love and War
Joe writes: I hadn't quite gotten round to listening to the last Neil Young album but I will now I've listened to this wonderful song thanks to Dorian Lynskey's Twitter recommendation
Friday, 14 January 2011
Thursday, 13 January 2011
Tuesday, 4 January 2011
Robin Frederick
Joe writes: My brother introduced me to the song Sandy Grey which has something tragic in common with Boulder To Birmingham, the Emmylou Harris song I wrote about here. Boulder To Birmingham is about Gram Parsons, and was written after his death. Sandy Grey was written about Nick Drake while he was still alive. The writer is Robin Frederick, although the best known version was recorded by John Martyn. Robin's home demo is beautiful. She writes about the song here, and writes at length about Nick Drake here.
Here, also, are my favourite tracks by Nick Drake and John Martyn. I really think One Of These Things First is the best Nick Drake song and recording - the playing, the mood, the lyric that says so little yet says so much - it's just perfect. May You Never is lovely too, and I think must have been an inspiration for Jack Johnson.
Sandy Grey (stream of original home demo) - Robin Frederick (there's only a new version on iTunes - Robin, you should release the original)
May You Never - John Martyn (iTunes)
Here, also, are my favourite tracks by Nick Drake and John Martyn. I really think One Of These Things First is the best Nick Drake song and recording - the playing, the mood, the lyric that says so little yet says so much - it's just perfect. May You Never is lovely too, and I think must have been an inspiration for Jack Johnson.
Sandy Grey (stream of original home demo) - Robin Frederick (there's only a new version on iTunes - Robin, you should release the original)
May You Never - John Martyn (iTunes)
update of post originally from 02/10/08
Monday, 3 January 2011
They don't make them like this anymore
Joe writes: Boyz II Men, Tony Rich Project and K-Ci & Jo Jo were all known for at least one massive hit in the UK but later in their career, when even less fashionable, they were still making the odd great tune with hyper-polished production.
What happened to this style of artist? When they hit upon a great tune they seemed to me to be closer to the greats of soul music than most of what passes for R&B.
Water Runs Dry by Boyz II Men:
Honest Lover by K-Ci & Jo Jo with its fabulously over-the-top intro:
and finally, The Tony Rich Project – No Time Soon on Spotify
Sunday, 2 January 2011
I Was Dancing In A Lesbian Bar
Joe writes: Ewan Pearson just posted my favourite Jonathan Richman track on Twitter, another one that I discovered through Mark Radcliffe's first Radio 1 show Out On Blue Six:
Freur and Underworld
Joe writes: Doot Doot by Freur was on the soundtrack to Gossip Girl recently, sounding wonderful as ever. I'm told by someone involved that it would have been a much bigger hit first time around had the band not insisted on having a squiggle as a name.
Two members of Freur went on to form Underworld whose dubnobasswithmyheadman is my favourite dance album. Never has electronic music had more soul than on River Of Bass. You can't get the album on iTunes, nor on Amazon's download service.
Freur - Doot Doot on Amazon
(update of post originally from 17/07/09)
Sunday, 26 December 2010
The hook used by Kanye West on Dark Fantasy is from...
In High Places by Mike Oldfield, sung by Jon Anderson from Yes (posted by Joe).
I know this thanks to the comment SC left on my blog.
Sunday, 19 December 2010
Yes, what a year for Rumer
Phil writes: And she's rounded it off with not only a new and then a classic Burt Bacharach song (as the b side):
but also this great collaboration with Jamie Cullum and the Swingle Singers (posted on the grounds that, wisely, not everyone sits through the Royal Variety Performance):
but also this great collaboration with Jamie Cullum and the Swingle Singers (posted on the grounds that, wisely, not everyone sits through the Royal Variety Performance):
Friday, 17 December 2010
Joe writes: My track of the year is Slow by Rumer
The first time I heard the intro to Slow, it stopped me in my tracks, just as it did for millions of radio listeners a few months later. It is a manifesto as well as a very affecting relationship song. I love the story of how she met her manager Kwame Kwaten and how she was given the time and space to develop by producer Steve Brown. I love the moral of Rumer’s breakthrough: if you persevere, you can overcome any number of hurdles - as long as your music is outstanding.
Thursday, 16 December 2010
A Song For You
Joe writes: Two of my favourite tracks are called A Song For You and it turns out there's a link between the two.
First, Gram Parsons again. For me, his four classic compositions are Hot Burrito #1 (AKA I'm Your Toy - see below), Hickory Wind, Return Of The Grievous Angel and A Song For You. Then there's Wild Horses which is credited to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards but Gram is rumoured to have co-written. There was more than one controversy over credits in Gram's short career as this article about Hickory Wind suggests.
The essential Gram Parsons purchases are the Flying Burrito Brothers album Gilded Palace Of Sin, the two Gram Parsons solo albums (on which Emmylou Harris deserved a credit), and the Byrds album Sweetheart Of The Rodeo.
Robert Sandall's interview with Emmylou Harris says "The last time they spoke, Parsons phoned (Emmylou) to tell her that her favourite track from their recent sessions had been left off the Grievous Angel album but would definitely feature on the next". What was that song, I wonder? Presumably it's one of the Emmylou duets on the posthumous Sleepless Nights album.
The other A Song For You was immortalised by Donny Hathaway, an artist who, like Gram Parsons, died too young. But it was written by Leon Russell who has also recorded Wild Horses, so there's your link with Gram. Leon also wrote Superstar, one of my two favourite Carpenters tracks (the other being Goodbye To Love) - what a songwriter.
There's a remarkable film about The Carpenters, made by Todd Haynes of Dylan biopic fame while he was still at film school. It's banned following legal action by Richard Carpenter, but thanks to YouTube it's easy to find it.
Donny Hathaway has legendary status in some quarters but is barely known in others. That's starting to change thanks to lyrical name checks from Wyclef Jean and most notably Amy Winehouse. I was recently discussing him with James McMorrow, a new artist from Dublin whose voice is pure magic. Donny's A Song For You is one of James's favourite tracks of all time too, and I'm sure he loves Gram Parsons as well. James told me that it was the greater success of Stevie Wonder that drove Donny to suicide. I don't know whether this is true, but if so, at least he didn't live to hear Ebony & Ivory.
Gram Parsons - A Song For You (iTunes)
Donny Hathaway - A Song For You (iTunes)
(update of post originally from 06/06/08)
First, Gram Parsons again. For me, his four classic compositions are Hot Burrito #1 (AKA I'm Your Toy - see below), Hickory Wind, Return Of The Grievous Angel and A Song For You. Then there's Wild Horses which is credited to Mick Jagger and Keith Richards but Gram is rumoured to have co-written. There was more than one controversy over credits in Gram's short career as this article about Hickory Wind suggests.
The essential Gram Parsons purchases are the Flying Burrito Brothers album Gilded Palace Of Sin, the two Gram Parsons solo albums (on which Emmylou Harris deserved a credit), and the Byrds album Sweetheart Of The Rodeo.
Robert Sandall's interview with Emmylou Harris says "The last time they spoke, Parsons phoned (Emmylou) to tell her that her favourite track from their recent sessions had been left off the Grievous Angel album but would definitely feature on the next". What was that song, I wonder? Presumably it's one of the Emmylou duets on the posthumous Sleepless Nights album.
The other A Song For You was immortalised by Donny Hathaway, an artist who, like Gram Parsons, died too young. But it was written by Leon Russell who has also recorded Wild Horses, so there's your link with Gram. Leon also wrote Superstar, one of my two favourite Carpenters tracks (the other being Goodbye To Love) - what a songwriter.
There's a remarkable film about The Carpenters, made by Todd Haynes of Dylan biopic fame while he was still at film school. It's banned following legal action by Richard Carpenter, but thanks to YouTube it's easy to find it.
Donny Hathaway has legendary status in some quarters but is barely known in others. That's starting to change thanks to lyrical name checks from Wyclef Jean and most notably Amy Winehouse. I was recently discussing him with James McMorrow, a new artist from Dublin whose voice is pure magic. Donny's A Song For You is one of James's favourite tracks of all time too, and I'm sure he loves Gram Parsons as well. James told me that it was the greater success of Stevie Wonder that drove Donny to suicide. I don't know whether this is true, but if so, at least he didn't live to hear Ebony & Ivory.
Gram Parsons - A Song For You (iTunes)
Donny Hathaway - A Song For You (iTunes)
(update of post originally from 06/06/08)
Thursday, 9 December 2010
`Band Of Horses versus Point Break
Joe writes: Many an mp3 blog has already featured the beautiful track that is Funeral by Band Of Horses, but this is surely the first mp3 blog to point out the similarity with Freakytime by Point Break.
Point Break's subsequent single What About Us was glorious too. If Freakytime had been their first single and What About Us their second, I think they would both have been number ones. Unfortunately they released two other rubbish singles first so it was an uphill struggle by the time Freakytime came out. Mind you, Angels by Robbie Williams overcame similar circumstances.
(update of post from 18/10/07)
Point Break's subsequent single What About Us was glorious too. If Freakytime had been their first single and What About Us their second, I think they would both have been number ones. Unfortunately they released two other rubbish singles first so it was an uphill struggle by the time Freakytime came out. Mind you, Angels by Robbie Williams overcame similar circumstances.
(update of post from 18/10/07)
Tuesday, 7 December 2010
so strange that two artists have broken posthumously with this song
Joe writes: Eva Cassidy first and now Israel "Iz" Kamakawiwo'ole
Monday, 6 December 2010
Thursday, 2 December 2010
Coldplay - Christmas Lights
Joe writes: I don't know yet whether this is great or merely good but I do know that Coldplay are still in a class of their own
Long Long Time by Linda Ronstadt
Joe writes: Amazing record that was the musical highlight of tonight's hanukkah party. The song was written by Gary B White.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)