Jaws Was Never My Scene And I Don't Like Star Wars

A very special selection for a very special Lady on a very special day. Ten songs that have had a special place in our hearts at various points in our lives and especially on the rare occasions that I hand over the Car K playlist.

Love you always.

 

1) A Message To You Rudy (Single Version) (Cover of Dandy Livingstone): The Specials ft. Rico (1979)

2) Bicycle Race (Album Version): Queen (1978)

3) Levitating (Album Version): Dua Lipa (2020)

4) Der Kommissar (Remix) (Cover of Falco): After The Fire (1982)

5) Love Me Again (Live @ Jools Holland's Hootenanny): John Newman ft. Jools Holland & His Rhythm & Blues Orchestra (2013)

6) Special Brew (Single Version): Bad Manners (1980)

7) Night Boat To Cairo: Madness (1979)

8) Feel It Still (Album Version): Portugal. The Man (2017)

9) Bizarre Love Triangle (Single Version): New Order (1986)

10) Bleeding Love (Cover of Leona Lewis): The Wombats (2008)

 

1978: Jazz: 2

1979: A Message To You Rudy EP: 1 

1979: One Step Beyond...: 7

1980: Ska 'n' B: 6

1982: Der Kommissar EP: 4

1999: Splendor OST: 9 

2008: NME Awards 2008: 10

2013: Jools Holland's Hootenanny (BBC TV): 5

2017: Woodstock: 8

2020: Future Nostalgia: 3

 

I Don't Like Star Wars (35:27) (KF) (Mega)

#45sUnder3

I wouldn't say I put 100% into maintaining a presence on Twitter (or X or whatever Ego Musk is calling it these days, but I have participated in a couple of themed series, inviting people to share music. 

The first was a month-long celebration of 12" mixes from the 1980s and it was a lot of fun, sharing some old favourites and criminally forgotten or underrated tunes. This month (July), the theme has been singles that come in at 3 minutes or less. I didn't have a particular plan and was pretty much selecting a song at random on a daily basis. This in turn frequently informed many of my posts this month, more often than not leading me to get carried away with my "research" and deviating significantly from the song that prompted it.

Again, it's been good fun to see what other people would come up with each day. Needless to say, some stone cold classics have been well represented through the month: Boys Don't Cry by The Cure, Destroy The Heart by The House Of Love, Outdoor Miner by Wire, Monkey Gone To Heaven by Pixies, Reward by The Teardrop Explodes, Town Called Malice by The Jam, pretty much everything by Buzzcocks. Most genres have also been served well: reggae, soul, pop, punk, dance; not much prog, but to be fair 3 mins would be barely enough for the intro.

So, the series ends today and I chopped and changed my mind about what to include, mindful that I'd not yet included anything by Pixies, Julian Cope and dozens of other favourites. In the end, the choice was obvious: a band that has informed my love of music ever since I was a toddler, was a highlight of this year's Glastonbury (on TV) experience and who have released yet another brilliant album, up there in my 2023 'best of'. Oh, and with a great video to boot. Yes, of course, it's Sparks.

Despite being a daunting 31 song selection, the #45sUnder3 theme means that the entire thing comes in at under an hour and a half. The opening track is a bit of a red herring, but then where else would you heard Nine Inch Nails followed by Sub Sub featuring Melanie Williams?! The remaining selection is eclectic, jumping decades and genres with gleeful abandon and yet... I quite it. I hope you do too.

1) March Of The Pigs (Album Version): Nine Inch Nails (1994)

2) Ain't No Love (Ain't No Use) (Original Edit): Sub Sub ft. Melanie Williams (1993)

3) Sign Of The Times (Album Version): The Belle Stars (1983)

4) Nothing To Worry About (Album Version): Peter, Björn & John (2009)

5) Bizarre Love Triangle (Cover of New Order): Devine & Statton (1989)

6) The Pictures On My Wall (Single Version): Echo & The Bunnymen (1979)

7) Hyper Lust (Album Version): MOTOR ft. Billie Ray Martin (2012)

8) You've Got My Number (Why Don't You Use It!): The Undertones (1979)

9) Dusk Till Dawn (Album Version): Ladyhawke (2008)

10) Souleater: Clouds (1991)

11) Simply Thrilled Honey (Single Version): Orange Juice (1980)

12) D-Days (Single Mix): Hazel O'Connor (1981)

13) The Ugly Bug Ball: Burl Ives (1963)

14) Heart It Races (Album Version): Architecture In Helsinki (2007)

15) Action Time Vision: Alternative TV (1978)

16) Blue Boot (Single Version): Eric Donaldson (1972)

17) Hot Fun In The Summertime (Single Version): Sly & The Family Stone (1969)

18) Cybele's Reverie (Single Version): Stereolab (1996)

19) White Knuckle Ride (Single Version): Danielle Dax (1988)

20) I Helped Patrick McGoohan Escape (Album Version): The Times (1982)

21) (You Make Me Feel Like) A Natural Woman: Aretha Franklin (1967)

22) The Music (Single Version): Hifi Sean ft. Celeda (2018)

23) Mellow Doubt (Album Version): Teenage Fanclub (1995)

24) I Want Everything: The Godfathers (1986)

25) Thinking 'Bout You (Album Version): Dua Lipa (2017)

26) Lava (Album Version): Silver Sun (1996)

27) She’s A Fighter: Robert Forster (2023)

28) Triple Trouble (Album Version): Beastie Boys (2004)

29) Beak: HANN (2019)

30) Backwards Dog (Single Version): The Soup Dragons (1989)

31) The Girl Is Crying In Her Latte: Sparks (2023)

 

#45sUnder3 (1:23:12) (KF) (Mega)

Did A Full 180, Crazy

I'll get it straight out there, I think Dua Lipa is pop perfection. At an age where the Top 40 (Top 100, to be honest) is largely meaningless to me, a string of names (plus Ed Sheeran) randomly and repeatedly placed together to adorn the latest hit, chock full of autotune, vocal gymnastics and mangled, uninspired samples, a few artists rise above the effluent.

I wasn't really that familiar with Dua Lipa's singles when I was loaned a copy of her self-titled debut from 2017 so it meant that I heard the album without prejudice as a complete work. I loved it. I loved follow-up Future Nostalgia even more. Released in 2020, it was a full-on party album and just the tonic for a locked down world.

One of my other discoveries during 2020 was NPR's Tiny Desk Concerts. Running since 2008 and typically filmed at the titular tiny desk in Washington D.C., lockdown forced a creative left turn and introduced the Tiny Desk (Home) Concert. Often literally in the artist's home, the easing of restrictions allowed some to venture a little further afield, as is the case with Dua Lipa, who performed with her band in a London studio.

There's an added warmth to this set of 4 songs in that this is Dua's first performance with her band since the pandemic put paid to planned rehearsals and a tour of her second album. I've not seen this Tiny Desk set before but it's a cracker. Dua's voice is fantastic, her backing vocalists on point and bass and guitar bring a wonderful live vibe to songs that already sounded great in the studio.

The set features four songs: Levitating, Pretty Please, Love Again and Don't Start Now. All four were released as singles from Future Nostalgia and are largely faithful versions though with a fresh energy from their change of setting. Love Again is markedly different from the album version: the original sampled the sample from White Town's one-hit wonder Your Woman and was a club banger; here it's a stripped back acoustic take, something that Dua does with a lot of her songs and does very well.

Dua Lipa's are also good fun. Not necessarily ground breaking and often very expensive-looking (and no doubt literally) with a cast of unfeasibly beautiful people, but good fun.  Here are the official videos for the four songs from the Tiny Desk Concert. There are two versions of Levitating, the second featuring a rather pointless rap from Da Baby; I've stuck with the first, which transforms Dua into an anime superstar. Great stuff. 

Tiny Desk Concerts have returned to their Washington D.C. home and new sets are uploaded roughly every couple of days. I can't keep up with them all to be honest, but they are well worth a deep dive. And I'm not going to end this post without recommending last week's superb set from Sparks.

 

Return To The Acoustic Tent

This time last year in the post-Glastonbury comedown, I posted a 45-minute acoustic selection. Never one to claim any original thought whatsoever, here I am again with another 13-song selection for 2023.

None of the artists here featured in last year's selection and whilst some of the artists' acoustic turns may not be a surprise - I'm thinking particularly of Turin Brakes and The Pictish Trail - there are some playing against type, namely Dua Lipa*, Seal, Moby and A Man Called Adam.

Terry Hall sounds great in any musical setting, of course, but I think the version of Ballad Of A Landlord is an especially fine showcase for his wonderful voice and songwriting. His absence is still keenly felt.

 

Compared to 2022, I've been very slack in my Glastonbury viewing: so far, only Billy Nomates, Fever Ray, Los Bitchos and Working Men's Club; all excellent, but lots to catch up with before the BBC iPlayer axe falls. Then again, if the sun's shining... 

 

* You might guess from the song title acronym, but a potty mouth advisory for Ms. Lipa if you're playing this within range of sensitive ears.

1) Pure (Acoustic Version): Lightning Seeds (1995)

2) Pain Killer (RTL2 Acoustic Version): Turin Brakes (2003)

3) Lovely Daughter (Acoustic): Merz (2007)

4) IDGAF (Acoustic): Dua Lipa (2018)

5) Crazy (Acoustic Version): Seal (1991)

6) Acoustic Guitar: The Magnetic Fields ft. Claudia Gonson (1999)

7) Tell Me (Toronto Acoustic Version): Moby ft. Cold Specks (2013)

8) Jewel (Acoustic): Cranes (1996)

9) Barefoot In The Head (Acoustic Edit): A Man Called Adam (2004)

10) Nuclear Sunflower Swamp (Acoustic): The Pictish Trail (2022)

11) Ballad Of A Landlord (Acoustic Version): Terry Hall (1997)

12) Just Drive (Acoustic Version): It's Immaterial (2002)

13) Another Sinful Day (Acoustic): Little Axe (1995)

 

1994: Prayer For The Dying EP: 5 

1995: Another Sinful Day EP: 12

1996: WRAS 88.5 Presents: Radio Oddyssey: 8 

1997: Ballad Of A Landlord EP: 11

1999: 69 Love Songs: 6

2002: The Great Liverpool Acoustic Experiment: 12

2003: Ether Song (ltd 2x CD):: 2 

2004: Barefoot In The Head EP: 9

2006: The Very Best Of The Lightning Seeds: 1

2007: Merz (Expanded Edition) (2x CD): 3

2013: Amazon Artist Lounge EP: 7

2018: IDGAF EP: 4

2022: EarthPercent x Earth Day Compilation Album: 10

 

Return To The Acoustic Tent (46:16) (KF) (Mega) 

You can find last year's Acoustic Tent selection here

The Start Of The Beginning

"Is it the end? No, it's the beginning". Wise words from Sal Solo of Classix Nouveaux there as we usher in 2023. 

Happy New Year, everyone!

 

1) This Could Be The Start Of Something Small: Airport Girl (2001)

2) Beginning To See The Light: The Velvet Underground (1969)

3) The End... Or The Beginning? (Long Version): Classix Nouveaux (1982)

4) Start The Commotion (Edit): The Wiseguys (1998) 

5) Start The Panic: Luke Vibert & B.J. Cole ft. Addie Brik & Iris Parker (2000)

6) New Beginnings: Pink Industry (1985)

7) The Beginning: Xymox (1993)

8) The Beginning Of The End (Remixed By Ladytron): Nine Inch Nails (2007)

9) Start Anew (Remix By JC Of RKID003): Beady Eye (2014)

10) The Beginning & The End: SAULT (2020)

11) Start To Move: Wire (1977)

12) Start Me Up (Album Version): The Rolling Stones (1981)

13) The Beginning: Victoria Bailey (2020)

14) Don't Start Now (Album Version): Dua Lipa (2020)

15) New Beginning: Psychemagik (2017)

16) I Start Counting: Dusty Springfield (1972)

1969: The Velvet Underground: 2

1972: See All Her Faces: 16

1977: Pink Flag: 11

1981: Tattoo You: 12

1982: The End... Or The Beginning? EP: 3

1985: New Beginnings: 6

1993: Reaching Out EP: 7

1998: Start The Commotion EP: 4

2000: Stop The Panic: 5

2001: Honey, I'm An Artist: 1

2007: Y34RZ3R0R3M1X3D: 8

2014: Flick Of The Finger EP: 9

2017: Psychemagik Archive 2009-2017: 15

2020: Future Nostalgia: 14

2020: Jesus, Red Wine & Patsy Cline: 13

2020: UNTITLED (Rise): 10

 

The Start Of The Beginning (1:02:11) (GD) (M)

#14 Dreams

The BBC began broadcasting one hundred years ago today, on 14th November 1922. The NME published the first ever UK singles chart on 14th November 1952. The first #1 was Here In My Heart by Al Martino (Jasper Cini to his folks).

 

So, the obvious thing to do here then is to celebrate...the #14 UK single on 14th November at various points over the last seven decades, right?

 

Starting off randomly with 1967, There Is A Mountain by Donovan was on it's third week in the chart, peaking the following week at #10 before starting a slow retreat over the next six weeks. I found a lovely clip of Donovan duetting with Bobbi Gentry on her TV show in 1968. The video and sound quality is ropey - the flute nearly drowned out by the audio hiss - but it's a joy to hear. There's another fun performance with Sergio Mendes from the same year which is worth a look and listen.

On to 1970, a few weeks before my birth and the fabulous sound of The Temptations with Ball Of Confusion (That's What The World Is Today). By 14th November, the song had spent two weeks at #7 and would spend the next two at #14 before dropping out of the Top 50 in January 1971. This is a performance on (I assume) US TV where the flared suits and psychedelic backgrounds try hard but fail to distract from the brilliance of the song.

 

Next up are The Pointer Sisters with I'm So Excited, still a staple of ad campaigns and gym playlists, nearly four decades on. And yes, unlike those chancers The Thompson Twins, The Pointer Sisters were actually sisters, although successive line-ups have included daughters and grand-daughters. I'm So Excited was originally a (non-UK) single in 1982 but it was the remixed and re-edited single release in 1984 that proved to be a smash, peaking at #11 in the UK. The video shows the sisters getting ready for a night out at what frankly looks like one of the shittest nightclubs ever, but it's worth watching just to wonder why June Pointer keeps her sunglasses on in the bath...!

Another remix and re-release, this time from 1991 and Seal's second stab at the charts with Killer. You can understand why: the original hit #1 the previous year but was credited only to Adamski. Getting William Orbit on board to add some bells and whistles to the music, the incredible voice is still the dominant force here. Seal didn't score a double #1 but a peak of #8 isn't bad, considering the previous version had charted relatively recently. Like The Pointer Sisters, Seal also seems dressed up for a night out in his video, although  he seems to have opted for LaserQuest rather than the local nightclub.

 

The Strokes' Last Nite from 2001 is brilliant and the video, directed by Roman Coppola, equally so. A pastiche/piss-take of music performances on US TV shows in the 1960s and 1970s, with Julian Casablanca throwing his mike stand off set like a spear and drummer Fabrizio Moretti's overhead mikes falling over after guitarist Albert Hammond, Jr. stumbles backwards into the podium. As was the trend at the time, Last Nite burst into the UK chart at #14 in it's first week, dropped to #22 the following week and was out of the Top 40 altogether by 8th December. Doesn't make the song any less brilliant, though.

 

I was intending to include one or two more songs but, having trawled every #14 on 14th November from 2010 to 2021, I can say without fear of contradiction that they were all complete and utter shite. So, rather than inflict Coldplay or Jonas Blue on you or that timeless classic from 2020, Mood by 24GLDN featuring Iann Dior, I'll leave it there. 

 

This #10 from 2020 is an absolute cracker, though.