All quiet on the western..avenue...

Things are looking a bit quiet on here since Friday but rest assured I'm simply biding my time. Digesting new albums from Neil Young and Arcade Fire while waiting for the new Kings Of Leon offering.

Also still deciding whether the new MONO versions of Bob Dylans albums is worth the re-buy. I already have them on CD, now there is the MONO versions, then I guess they'll release them again in 5.1 stereo with extra tracks, then release them again in its "original" packaging with the extra songs taken off, then just before he changes label they'll be released MONO version and 5.1 stereo versions together with alt.versions of takes. No wonder nobody cares that the Internet is taking over the industry, the bankers and fat cats have been robbing the punters for years i.e. making you buy something you already own.

stay strong bruvvers and sisters!

great lost tracks...

The weekend is almost upon us and like me I'm sure a lot of people will be heading out for a night of drunken regret and fun and games. Most will end up at someone’s flat/house or back at there's with the partner and friends of their choice and while the drinks are being topped up the cd player/itunes play list will be readied and you'll be faced with the decision of "what do i play"... here are a few lost classics that in the world of spotify will be a few clicks away and will expand your horizons further than Be Here Now for the 1000th time...


1) Strawberry Letter 23 - Shuggie Otis - this is the original version of the brothers Johnson hit (used to great effect in Jackie Brown but I prefer the original)

2) When The Kingdom Comes - Primal Scream - This little played b-side of the Accelerator single is a throw back to the rock and roll strutters of their early tracks, look out for Paul Weller's 12 string guitar solo...zap!

3) Lets Put Our Hearts Together - The Beach Boys - This Brian Wilson track off the 70s LOVE YOU album is a duet between him and his then wife Marilyn, even throughout his insanity, drug in take, not recognising his own children (and offering them drugs) the manson family hanging out at his house and superstardom you can still see the little spark between them is still there, even though not for much longer...Pete and Kate? Kurt and Courtney? Do me a favour...

4) It's Gonna Work Out Fine - Ike and Tina Turner - Forget the dodgy film, forget his drug addiction and liberal use of the back hander as and argument finaliser here is the reason we remember them as a team. Great slippery groovy soul

5) The Rat - The Walkman - As sad as it seems with a band of this much potential, their only good track...but it’s a banger...

6) I'm Glad - Captain Beefheart - Or Bee-Fart as Stephen Fry would say, this slow soul track from the former Don Van Vliet from his Safe As Milk album also featuring Slide Guitar prodigy Ry Cooder.

7) Parachutes - Sean Lennon - Yes,yes would I like this if he wasn't a Lennon? Yes definitely, a great track from the 5 star album Friendly Fire

8) Quarter To Three - Gary U.S.Bonds - A staple of frat rock radio and later the E-Street bands mammoth set, scratchy, cheap sounding, huddled around 1 microphone in a garage somewhere with a honking sax in the background. Or the soundtrack to the best party ever.

The Bug feat. Flow Dan – Skeng (Autechre Dub Remix)

Flow Dan featured here on the new remix of dub step giants The Bug with the track “Skeng (Autechre Dub Remix)” shows why his name is spreading form his roots in East London to the far reaches of Europe (where he regularly tours) although maybe also show’s why he hasn’t broken through to the mainstream as much with his brand of dancehall styled delivery as his contemporary’s.

As on the original mix his lyrical delivery can sometimes lack any real definition and presence, sometimes reverting back to a more old skool jungle sounding MC simply running rhymes like a shopping list of empty well worn cliché’s.

While the 2008 original “Skeng” sounded dark and murky and with its deep and nasty growl showed them to be a force to be contended with, this remix by Autechre takes some of the body out of it and give Flow Dan’s vocals an almost evanescent and spirit like quality like an echo from an abandoned club long since gone rather than the full on package he gives when partnered with Wiley and his Roll Deep counterparts.

Autechre bring to the table their own brand of vintage electro which sprinkles its presence on the track rather than breaks it down and builds it up again stronger than before. A possible missed opportunity for both artist and re-mixer’s although sure to be gaining interest among the dub step fraternity if only as a “what NOT to do” when presented with an already popular track.

A Rose By Any Other Name.....

NME have just run the "best" cover version's as voted by YOU!...as if somehow Hoxton Dave and his mates have a more well rounded opinion on the finer points of a cover version than someone who's maybe even heard the original to compare.

Cover versions tend to fall into different categories, firstly the sure fire hit ploy where if something’s been a hit once than it can be again. (This is the X-FACTOR Simon Cowell technique when introducing a new act.) This does work and newspapers and general Joe six packs use phrases like "they bettered it, or they made it their own"...when the majority of the time (like with Alexandra Burke's version of Hallelujah) "I never want to hear that song again, its now over played and officially dead to me"...

The 2nd category is "what we've been doing live before we got signed”. this isn't used very much these days as it was something people did when playing the circuit where cover versions were predominant and song writing wasn't a force within the band (see debut's by The Rolling Stones and The Kinks with 9 and 8 covers a-apiece!) Even the band that introduced the self contained song writing musicians motif The Beatles had 6 cover versions on their debut. I'm not sure how serious The Libertines or Oasis would have been taken if over half their debut albums had been cover versions.

The 3rd (probably my favourite) category is the "look how well read and cool I am I'm going to introduce a great song you haven't heard before"...basically the music snob's choice. Jeff Buckley would have been guilty of this until the aforementioned Alexandra Burke pushed it out front to a level where even its creator Leonard Cohen was switching the channel when it started. People who cover Bob Dylan sometimes fall into this category as due to his vast catalogue and minimal hits there is a deep well of album tracks and un-released songs ripe for a cover version or two.

There is 4th which tends to appear when bands get big. Bigger than Jesus. "Play our own songs? Why EVERYONE knows them, we'll play what we want"... Led Zeppelin, Bruce Springsteen, Jimi Hendrix, Oasis, to whoever they may be will always get to a stage where they are throwing a cover in their set here and there just to show musical variety and to liven things up after track 5 of their recent album has killed the crowd buzz dead.

Solo artists do this when they need a new album and are lacking inspiration and go the whole hog and make a covers album e.g. Lennon, Bowie, Dylan, Bryan Ferry, Paul McCartney bit hitters all made cover albums. Generally with pretty dismal results.

Cover version's can be a great thing although only when they bring something new to the table. "All Along The Watchtower" is a perfect example. The original is almost demo like in its bareness and stark production with Dylan accompanied with acoustic and harmonica barely gets it off the ground before it ends. The far superior Jimi Hendrix take gives it multi dimensions 3 guitar solos and an iconic intro. When cover versions are bad...they are REALLY bad...I won't even go into detail about David Bowie's version of "God Only Knows" from his early 80's TONIGHT album but lets say if anything pushed Brian Wilson over the edge it may have been this.

NME listed the best versions with Muse's version of Nina Simone's "Feeling Good" although failed to list any of Nina Simone's covers that she herself done e.g. her cover of "I Put A Spell On You" or "I Loves You Porgy" see the likes of The Clash doing the pretty weak "I Fought The Law" right on its way down the road.

For the sake of wrapping this up here are my top 10 covers

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01) All Along The Watchtower - Jimi Hendrix (orig.Bob Dylan)

02) Louie, Louie - The Kingsmen (orig.Richard Berry)

03) I Heard It Through The Grapevine - Marvin Gaye (orig. Gladys Knight & The Pips)

04) How Can You Mend A Broken Heart - Al Green (orig. The Bee Gees)

05) Twist and Shout - The Beatles (orig.The Isley Brothers)

06) (They Long To Be) Close To You - Isaac Hayes (orig. Dionne Warwick)

07) I'm So Proud - Todd Rundgren (orig.The Impressions)

08) Gloria - Patti Smith (orig. Them)

09) Wonderwall - Ryan Adams (orig. Oasis)

10) Just Like Heavan - Dinosaur Jr. (orig.The Cure)

This Weeks Reviews.....

Redlight Feat Ms Dynamite – What you talking about?

Ms Dynamite tee-heeeee is back and isn’t pulling any punches about what she wants and that’s a hit and she indeed may have one on her hands.” What You Talking About?” is a one-two combination of club dance floor bass and in the words of its producer/artist Redlight (or Hugh Pescod to his mum) a “jet-propelled banger”, nothing like a bit of restrained quiet optimism it seems, although as it’s already
been Zane Lowe’s Hottest Record of the Week back in June it’s not without merit.

The only thing first off that clenches my teeth is the heavy use of Auto-Tune on the vocals, the games up, the cats out of the
bag and when even 70 year old ladies on the bus are talking about “that vocal effect thingy used on x-factor” you know that maybe artists should own up and record their songs warts and all. But this is a small ding and simply personal taste after all using it
as an effect ( as used here) as opposed to band aid to dodgy pitch is an art within itself and could be one of the hooks that drives it.

Lyrics have always been Ms Dynamite’s strongest asset (aside from cooking skills on Hells Kitchen obviously) and this is no different, I’m sure this song will be getting a rinsing at clubs and on the radio if only for the giant clattering Bass line sure to be rattling the speakers of many the mobile phones on my bus journeys in the next few weeks. The new “Bonkers”? Redlight has built a slick dubstep beat and with rave style synths mixed with some M.I.A flavours are used as a perfect catalyst for the vocals. The video is also released and after a few watches think for the good of my fragile mind all the directors’ smartie’s and fizzy pop need to be taken away from him, subtle it ain’t…like an acid trip in Willy Wonka’s factory and would make MGMT opt for more browns and greys in their palette, but till then time
to dig out your dodgy 80s tops, luminous socks and rebook pumps and bounce to this dark horse for club classic in the making, expect a multitude of remixes coming soon.


Edwyn Collins – 'Losing Sleep'

Edwyn Collins is a survivor. He is in it for the long haul and isn’t about to start a clothing line, new perfume range or
be a guest judge on X Factor. He is a artist through and through. He started as a guitarist and principle songwriter in Orange Juice
with their angular guitar work and early 60s pop-tastic chorus’s in Collin’s deep Scottish brogue onto his solo years culminating with
his biggest hit “A Girl Like You” a song used in many films and montage clips on TV since.

John Lennon once said in a Rolling Stone interview “I'm an artist, and if you give me a tuba, I'll bring you something out of it” the same
could be said to Edwyn Collins. Due to his well publicised double brain haemorrhage back in 2005 he is now incapable of playing the guitar,
the instrument that was his tool to bring to life the backdrop of his lyrics and even though it’s been a long journey back from the end he has
kept moving and kept heart. Guitars on the album will be played by a host of indie luminaries such as Johnny Marr, Alex Kapranos, Ryan
Jarman from The Cribs and Barrie Cadogan from Little Barrie handling 6 string duties on the single. Showing that his inspiration and influence
is already spanning a generation.

“Losing Sleep” is the first single off the new album of the same name and on first listen sounds like he’s back, not with a vengeance but with a
new set of eyes and perspective of the world. His new world. The lyrics are more direct; less embellished with synonyms or rhymes after all if you
fall in the ocean you don’t reel a list of reasons why you would like saving you just scream AAAAAGH! Simple, direct and to the point or in Collin’s
own words “Fast and quick and speedy!” the overall mantra of the album and while still a labour of love, the first idea was the best, get the first or
second take and move on.

This song “Losing Sleep”with its pounding Northern Soul unrelenting drum lick and with the guitars cradle his voice perfectly. His voice sounds stronger than ever and with only that to consider now (his own guitar playing now sadly diminished) gives pure tone and unleashes the crooner within without being schmaltzy or fake. Listening back I would go as far to say as he has finally found his voice he was aiming for. Or he now has the voice he deserves.
Vintage is a word that is over used in every aspect of music and fashion but this track is definitely “worn in”, great sound, loud guitars,feedback and horn section so far removed from the Mark Ronson trade-marks its almost like an old Coasters 45.

If this is the taster for the album it’ll be
a wait worth savouring, welcome back Edwyn…


Screaming Tea Party – The Witch From Oregon

Bring the noise with a spoonful of sugar to help the power pop go down and you have this great slice of psychedelic pop at its fuzziest. From the opening growling bass to the pitch shifted buzz saw guitar hook that circles and repeats itself surprisingly without ever outstaying its welcome.

Screaming Tea Party are a mom and pop store band definitely. No guru, manager, A&R scout or son of tricky dickie could put this lot together, vocals buried in the mix under layers of distortion and feedback mean a lot of the lyrics are indistinguishable but somehow still manage to create a memorable hook (even if I have no idea what I'm saying I'm at least making similar vowels). With elements of The Cure, Dinosaur Jr and gorgeous female 2 part harmonies mixed with the already mentioned non-discript lyrics (something about a witch and a butterfly?) who knows? Never mind it could be the “Louie Louie” of our generation. In a time where music, trends was going through the Byron-esque trilby poetry and heroin phase before coming out in 2010/1984 with Duran Duran wannabes who would have thought it would be a band that wants to make a racket and nail their colours to the flag pole of alt.noise.pop that were taking the gold medal. Possibly the more accessible of their tracks currently available and this is no bad thing and this band know the beauty of a 3 min pop song and deliver it in a ear drum shaped My Bloody Valentine wave of sound.

Definitely one to be played loud. Catch them live when you can as a band this much fun aren't going to stay underground for long. The video is now up on youtube and looks like it cost a tenner to make but is a hundred times more fun then the next slice of MTV $10 million production to hit these shores any time soon. Right time for one more play....

top 5 soundtracks...

After walking through the jungle of DVDs and T-shirts that used to be the record shop HMV I ended up in the small area of cd's, the Soundtrack section. Everyone film that comes out seems to have a soundtrack even if its just backing scores and instrumentals..who needs the Titanic score? I doubt the Blade Runner soundtrack is going to get that office christmas party rocking. But to be positive and ignore the negatives like a racist electrician here are my top 10 soundtracks for you to dismiss and dig out if you actually shelled out for them.



Magnolia - Amazing film, Even better soundtrack Aimee Mann doing both originals and covers (her version of One is probably better than the original)

The Blues Brothers - ok a bit of a cop out because its jam packed with so many great artists (what's next? A Hard Days Night you bounder and cheat!) But as an album its the record that single handily gave back careers to people like John Lee Hooker that were trying to compete with the Disco music of the times, thank you Dan Aykroyd, probably the only time I will ever utter those words, especially after Blues Brothers 2000 and My Stepmothers An Alien!...

Jackie Brown - I couldn't do a list without mentioning Quentin Tarantino as he always has amazing soundtracks relying on carefully chosen records rather than an actual "score" or songs written for the film itself. Jackie Brown is a master class of choosing 70s soul records. "Natural High" by Bloodstone is a stone cold classic and one I'd never heard until I saw the film. Using Bobby Womacks "Across 110 Street" was a stroke of genius, especially using it as the opening credits theme when in fact the song was originally written for "Across 110 Street" the movie, I can't imagine using the "Goldfinger" theme for the new cohen brothers film about midwest farmers.

High Fidelity - Another easy one as its about a record shop owner and his taste in music, but where else do you get to here The Beta Band, Stevie Wonder, Jack Black and Elvis Costello on the same record?

The Harder They Come - From the movie of the same name, Jimmy Cliff never sounded any better and a record I heard a lot during the summers growing up that I didn't even realise was a soundtrack as each song fit together and was so good on its own merit. "You Can Get It If You Really Want" and "Many Rivers To Cross" have been integrated into the great subconscious now and forever.

probably a lot more...but its now lunch time and so reality calls..all these moments will be lost in time, like tears in the rain...time for a quarter pounder and cheese...

Syd Barrett poster

Syd Barrett. Roger Barrett to his mum. Founder, front man, guitarist and songwriter for The Pink Floyd original line-up. Elfish,good looking and full of Cambridge high class entitlement breeding. Also a LSD munching casualty that when he wasn't tripping on armfuls of hallucination educing drugs was creating 60s pop singles such as "See Emily Play" and "Arnold Lane" 2 of the best singles of the summer of 1967. Syd looked cool, his telecaster covered in mirrors which when hit by the newly used light shows and strobe light effects of the UFO club in London turned him into the golden god while the crowd swayed in the dance of the idiot brains fizzing like eggs. The problem lay in the fact that when the night ended and the comedown began did the songs still stand up. Sadly I don't think they do. I have all the Syd Barrett albums, I will hold my hands up and say I fell for it too. He looks very cool, the few songs that I liked from early Floyd told me there was gold in them mountains. But its a very rocky road and you better find yourself a very good cherry picker to get the nuggets. The Madcap Laughs, newly reissued and given the standard 4 star classic status of the music rags really doesn't stand up. It sounds like a man completely destroyed by psychedelics barely making it through the song and the rest of the band and producer (David Gilmour no less) working like dogs to turn the shambles into actual tracks. This is the same motif for the majority of his work later on. Very lazy writers like to compare him to artists such as Brian Wilson and try and tag him with the Genius label but this is so,so misplaced. Even at his most warped Brian Wilson could still pull a song like "Till I Die" from his overweight unwashed behind, a 5 star gem that still sits high in the Beach Boys cannon. Also with labelling drug casualties "genius" or "mavericks" it almost diminishes those that didn't die. Was Neil Young any less of a maverick because he didn't go down the well trodden road of drugs,excess and death? The list of classic albums he made in the 70s leaves the Barrett's,Brian Jones,Janis Joplin's and Jim Morrison's in the slow lane as far as quality is concerned, but then again he lived, grew up, got old. Syd did all these things as well but behind closed doors. He later turned up at the mark 2 version of Pink Floyd's recording session for "Wish you were here" album "ready to do my bit"...he was vastly overweight, had shaved his hair and eyebrows off and kept excusing himself to go and brush his teeth, the icon of 67 had vanished as quickly as it had come, the rest of the band barely recognised him and just about finished the session without breaking down at the apparition that presented itself before them.

He left London for the last time in 1978, the money had run out and he walked back to his mums house in Cambridge, living in the basement until his death. The original band he'd started went into the heavens with "Dark Side Of The Moon" and never looked back to their shambolic exciting start with heir Syd at the helm. He got his money from Pink Floyd BEST OF's which always included the first 2 singles. After he'd gone all we were left with was the posters. Shine on you crazy Diamond.