Cover Stories

I hope you're sitting comfortably, this is a mammoth Marc Almond post...

 

On Wednesday 18th September, Mrs. K and I spent an evening in the company of Mr. Almond and band at the Bristol Beacon. I first - and last - saw Marc live in concert on 11th October 1988 (and wrote about it in 2022) so, at just shy of 36 years, it's the biggest gap between gigs that I've been to by the same artist.

In 1988, I had to miss the tail end of the show to get the last bus home (!). No such worries in 2024 but on both occasions it was a weekday concert with work the following day. Nearly four decades on, this can be a more grueling experience, especially as (for me, at least), it was my third gig in the space of a week. There were consequences later.

Having not been to the Bristol Beacon since it was renamed and relaunched in 2020, this was the third time Mrs. K had seen a gig there this year, after O.M.D. and Future Islands. This was notably different for a couple of reasons:

1) It was a fully seated show;

2) We had seats in the lower tier, rather than the stalls.

 

Due to the usual logistical challenges of crossing Gloucestershire to get home from work, grab a bite to eat with Clan K, then drive into Bristol, it was inevitable that the support act, Alex Lipinski, wouldn't get a look in. 

 

I've not (yet) heard any of Alex's music, but I'm always disappointed to miss an opening artist and we at least had the consolation that he joined Marc and the band onstage for a couple of songs later in the evening.

As we entered the venue, it was notably quieter in the foyer and up the stairs than on our previous visits and as I proffered the tickets for checking, the usher brightly but ominously said that we were welcome to swap our lower tier tickets for the stalls if we wanted to. We politely declined, but the whiff of an undersold show was suddenly apparent.

We made our way to our seats, a narrow and precarious front row with a higher row behind separated by a wired barrier. No such protection for us from pitching over the front and down into the stalls below. What we did get was a fantastic elevated and full view of the stage. Unfortunately, we also got a view of just how undersold the gig was.

There was a delay to the start of the show, presumably to persuade a few more audience members to swap their tickets. These gaps weren't much smaller as the lights went down, we had plenty of spaces in our row, and it didn't look like there was anyone in the upper tier at all. At least Marc won't see what a piss poor turnout there's been, I thought to myself.

 

The band came on first - all eight of them - including Neal X aka Neal Whitmore, infamously with Sigue Sigue Sputnik but arguably now

 better known as Marc's foil since the mid-1990s. After a few seconds to settle, the band launch into I'm The Light, the opening track of Marc's current album, I'm Not Anyone.

And then Marc himself arrives, all in black (hair included) with the obligatory shades, taking to the microphone, grandly proclaiming

It's not the Devil that you conjure
When you turn your back on me
You'll just be looking in the shadows
I'm the light, I'm the light
I'm the only one you'll see.

I'm The Light was originally released by Blue Cheer in 1971 and tonight the opening song of a setlist that was entirely comprised of cover versions. Marc's a great storyteller in his own right, but his career has also seen him as a consumate interpreter of other people's songs, going right back to Soft Cell's first #1 in 1981, featuring cover versions on both vinyl sides, with Tainted Love and Where Did Your Heart Go.

I'm Not Anyone is as good as any of the many covers albums that Marc has previously released (and that's not meant to be faint praise). Surprisingly, it's dispatched early on, four consecutive songs and then just one more, right at the end. It's less a reflection of the album's quality and more of the sheer number of songs Marc has covered in the last forty-odd years.

After a moving version of Trouble Of The World, joined up front by Bryan Chambers, we then get an expansive and delightful tour of Marc's back catalogue. First up a brace of early solo releases with a majestic version of A Womans Story, followed by The Heel, respectively made famous by Cher and Eartha Kitt. I was also delighted that The House Is Haunted (By The Echo Of Your Last Goodbye), my first solo Marc Almond single purchase in 1985, also got an airing later in the evening.

 

There's an introduction (and frequently an anecdote) between each song, Marc acknowledging the songwriters as well as the performers, and explaining what the song or artist means to him. We're about 25 to 30 minutes in when Marc then takes to his chair and tells us about Charles Aznavour.

As any Marc fan will know, two songwriters that he has been hugely influenced by and revisited frequently in his career are Charles Aznavour and Jacques Brel. The latter featured later, but what we got at this point was four Aznavour songs, back-to-back.

 

Starting with a stripped back version of The Boss Is Dead, Neal also seated and swapping guitar for thigh slaps, they're all great performances, though it did feel that the energy dipped a little. Or maybe that was just me. 

 

The exertions of a full-on day at work and getting to the gig clearly caught up with me and I was mortified to get a poke from Mrs. K, as I was apparently - and noticeably - nodding off at one point. And during Yesterday, When I Was Young to boot. Oh, the irony! It wouldn't have happened if I'd been standing...

Suitably chastened and alert, I was immediately rewarded with a version of Terrapin, the Syd Barrett song that featured on Marc & The Mambas' debut album, Untitled. This was followed by Gloomy Sunday, the Billie Holiday classic, also interpreted by the Mambas on their second and final album, Torment And Toreros. 

 

The studio version of Gloomy Sunday was part of a medley and included a snippet of Bobby Darin's Dream Lover. Marc revisited the song in 2007 for the covers album Stardom Road and fittingly, it was the next song in this setlist. Marc then performed the title track of said album which, over the course of the show, got as many songs (5) as his current effort.

It was apparent by now that the song selection skated and danced back and forth across Marc's long and storied and deep cuts were as likely as the big hits. One Night Of Sin, recorded in 1952 (released in 1956) by Smiley Lewis but famous for the later version by Elvis Presley, is a prime example. 

 

I think Marc's version was an exclusive for the soundtrack of Jez Butterworth's 1997 film Mojo. I got it via a music magazine freebie CD (sadly, not Mojo!) around the same time and it's since popped up on the deluxe reissue of contemporary album Open All Night. It's a rousing, showstopping version in it's live setting.

Marc and band were far from done, though. There were inevitable nods to Marc's other teen idols, David Bowie and Steve Harley, the latter with a hilarious introductory anecdote before Marc (eventually) got a to a beautiful version of Sebastian.

 

From there, Marc and the band switched up a gear for the final leg, all the big hits with a big, big sound: The Days Of Pearly Spencer, Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart, Soft Cell's breakthrough Tainted Love and Jacky, the second Jacques Brel song of the night albeit better known for Scott Walker's translation.

 

Technically, the last few songs were encores but, from our vantage point, Mrs. K and I could clearly see that on the couple of times that Marc said he was leaving the stage, he barely made it as far as the door before turning on his heels and heading back to the microphone. 

After a stirring rendition of I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten (sadly, no Sarah Cracknell, as on the studio version), it really was time for the final song, the title song of I'm Not Anyone. Despite acknowledging that he'd been suffering from a cold all week, Marc was in fine voice throughout and delivered a stunning show, nearly two hours, the spaces between songs filled with one brilliant story after another.

In true showbiz fashion, Marc gathered the band in a row for a final round of bows and applause. Possibly due to the late start and the strict curfew, the house lights abruptly came up before the stage had been cleared. Marc will have inevitably clocked the rows of empty stall seats in his direct line of sight and it seemed a rather cruel stroke, after such a wonderful performance. 

 

I'm not sure when or if I will get to see Marc perform live in concert again, but this show was one for Mrs. K and I to treasure always. 

...So, how can I possibly hope to recapture a 26-song, 2-hour show in a Dubhed selection? 

 

I briefly toyed with the idea of doing it in two parts, as with the recent Lloyd Cole concert. However, whereas that was two separate and distinct sets, Marc's show was a continuous sequence of songs, so strap in, there's a mega 100-minute selection coming up.

Since my 2022 post, I've pretty much filled the gaps in my Marc Almond collection, up to and including the current album, so recreating the setlist was mostly straightforward. There were a few challenges, however.

To the best of my knowledge, Marc hasn't (yet) recorded The Boss Is Dead and premiered it live on the current tour, with no bootlegs currently available online. To preserve the entire setlist, I've taken the unusual step of including the original English language version by Charles Aznavour from 1962. Marc pretty much delivered the song as you're hearing it here. 

Likewise, I don't believe that there's a studio version of What Makes A Man A Man, but the live version featured here was released as a single and on the album 12 Years Of Tears in 1992.

As mentioned above, Gloomy Sunday appeared on the Marc & The Mambas album Torment And Toreros as a medley with an original song (Narcissus) and another cover (Vision by Peter Hammill). The medley runs to nearly 12 minutes so I've carefully edited the relevant section, retaining the Dream Lover intro.  

 

Marc & The Mambas' debut Untitled featured the first of many versions of If You Go Away that Marc has recorded. I found it deeply moving then and still do now; here though I've opted for a later, warmer version that Marc featured on 1989 album Jacques, entirely dedicated to covers of Brel songs.

Sebastian by Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel is another cover that has been performed by Marc for the first time on this tour. Fortunately, I found a live bootleg from the Brighton show a couple of nights before, including (most) of Marc's hilarious Harley tale whilst Martin Watkins gamely ad-libs on piano.

It would have been sensible to go for the chart-busting version of Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart with Gene Pitney on board. Naturally, I've gone for the solo recording that appeared on initial versions of The Stars We Are until it was replaced by the subsequent, hugely successful duet. I prefer the former, to be honest.

If all of this has left you wanting even more Marc Almond, then I've also reactivated links to two previous posts / selections:

A Promise Of Heaven Or Hell In Your Song (Jan 2022)

Playing Up The Vamp (May 2023)

A final thanks to Mrs. K for supplying several of the photos accompanying today's post and for being there with me on the night. A wonderful experience, even more wonderful for sharing it. Oh, and thanks for that subtle poke during the Aznavour suite!

Phew, I need a lie down after all that…

 

1) I'm The Light (Cover of Blue Cheer): Marc Almond (2024)

2) Gone With The Wind (Is My Love) (Cover of Rita & The Tiaras): Marc Almond (2024)

3) Elusive Butterfly (Cover of Bob Lind): Marc Almond (2024)

4) Trouble Of The World (Cover of traditional song / Mahalia Jackson): Marc Almond ft. Bryan Chambers (2024)

5) A Womans Story (Cover of Cher): Marc Almond (1986)

6) The Heel (Cover of Eartha Kitt): Marc Almond (1984)

7) The Boss Is Dead: Charles Aznavour (1962)

8) Yesterday, When I Was Young (Cover of Charles Aznavour): Marc Almond (1993)

9) What Makes A Man A Man (Live @ The Royal Albert Hall, London) (Cover of Charles Aznavour): Marc Almond (1992)

10) I Have Lived (Cover of Charles Aznavour): Marc Almond (2007)

11) Terrapin (Cover of Syd Barrett): Marc & The Mambas (1982)

12) Gloomy Sunday (Cover of Billie Holiday): Marc & The Mambas (1983)

13) Dream Lover (Cover of Bobby Darin): Marc Almond (2007)

14) One Night Of Sin (Cover of Smiley Lewis): Marc Almond (1997)

15) How Can I Be Sure (Album Version) (Cover of The Young Rascals): Marc Almond (2017)

16) The London Boys (Cover of David Bowie): Marc Almond (2007)

17) Stardom Road (Cover of Third World War): Marc Almond (2007)

18) If You Go Away (Cover of Jacques Brel): Marc Almond (1989)

19) Sebastian (Live @ Brighton Dome, Brighton) (Cover of Steve Harley & Cockney Rebel): Marc Almond (2024)

20) The House Is Haunted (By The Echo Of Your Last Goodbye) (Single Version) (Cover of Paul Whiteman presents Ramona): Marc Almond ft. The Willing Sinners (1985)

21) Extract From "Trois Chanson De Bilitis" / The Days Of Pearly Spencer (Album Version) (Cover of Claude Debussy / David McWilliams): Marc Almond ft. Sally Bradshaw (1991)

22) Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart (Album Version) (Cover of Gene Pitney): Marc Almond (1988)

23) Tainted Love (Single Version) (Cover of Gloria Jones): Soft Cell (1981)

24) Jacky (7" Version) (Cover of Jacques Brel): Marc Almond (1991)    

25) I Close My Eyes And Count To Ten (Cover of Dusty Springfield): Marc Almond ft. Sarah Cracknell (2007)

26) I'm Not Anyone (Cover of Sammy Davis, Jr.): Marc Almond (2024) 

 

1962: The Time Is Now: 7 

1981: Tainted Love EP: 23

1982: Untitled: 11

1983: Torment And Toreros: 12

1984: Tenderness Is A Weakness EP: 6 

1985: The House Is Haunted (By The Echo Of Your Last Goodbye) EP: 20

1986: A Womans Story EP: 5

1988: The Stars We Are: 22

1989: Jacques: 18

1991: Jacky EP: 24

1991: Tenement Symphony: 21

1993: Absinthe: The French Album: 8

1993: 12 Years Of Tears: 9

1997: Mojo OST: 14

2007: Stardom Road: 10, 13, 16, 17, 25

2017: Shadows And Reflections: 15

2024: I'm Not Anyone: 1, 2, 3, 4, 26

2024: Live In Brighton 2024 (bootleg): 19            

 

Cover Stories (1:38:51) (KF) (Mega)

My Old Piano

Occasionally, on my travels for work I'll switch from my playlist to a brief listen to Radio 2, always avoiding Zoe Ball and Scott Mills, but retaining a soft spot for Sara Cox and the legend that is Jo Whiley.

I have no shame in admitting that I'd also catch a bit of Ken Bruce's show, though less for his music picks than for his Popmaster quiz and subsequently, sessions from the BBC Piano Room.

Whilst Ken has long departed (the BBC, not life in general, I hasten to add) and taken Popmaster with him, the Piano Room sessions have continued with his successor, Vernon Kay. I've not really bothered listening to any of Vernon's run to be honest but I have been dipping into the Piano Room via YouTube and BBC iPlayer.

The Piano Room title is literal if a little misleading. Yes, there is a piano present, but so is the BBC Concert Orchestra, so what you get to listen to are lush, cinematic arrangements rather than stripped back versions. The format is generally the same each time: one new(ish) song, one old song and one cover version.

Today's selection of a dozen songs is a mix of all three, mainly from the last coupel of years.

 

Beverley Knight tackles Radiohead's Just, not a million miles from Mark Ronson's take back in 2007, but packing a vocal wallop that only Beverley can deliver.

Bruce Hornsby revisits his best known song (well, in the UK at least), contradicting what I've written above by presenting a pared back piano version, occasional bum notes and all.

Alison Moyet performed Such Small Ale in June this year, a song so new that she'd only released it the week before delivering this version for the BBC.

Not every version works: Rick Witter from Shed Seven struggles a bit with Planet Earth by Duran Duran; Suzanne Vega's new version of Tom Diner could have lost a minute or two; Pet Shop Boys' take on All The Young Dudes is okay though cannot hope to match Mott The Hoople. Poor ol' Mott also suffer the ignominy of not even being name checked, the descriptive blurb crediting the song as a cover of David Bowie. Yes, he wrote it and gave the song to them, but...!

 

My one concession to a Ken Bruce-era Piano Room oldie is The Real Thing's take on Blinded By Your Grace by Stormzy, as delightful as it is unexpected.

1) Just (Cover of Radiohead): Beverley Knight (2024)

2) The Way It Is: Bruce Hornsby (2024)

3) Would I Lie To You (Cover of Charles & Eddie): Texas (2024)

4) All The Young Dudes (Cover of Mott The Hoople): Pet Shop Boys (2024)

5) Sundown (Cover of Scott Walker): Depeche Mode (2023)

6) Oh Hi: Crowded House (2024)

7) Tom's Diner: Suzanne Vega (2023)

8) We Have All The Time In The World (Cover of Louis Armstrong): Elbow (2024)

9) Planet Earth (Cover of Duran Duran): Shed Seven (2024)

10) Such Small Ale: Alison Moyet (2024)

11) Summertime Sadness (Cover of Lana Del Rey): Marc Almond (2024)

12) Blinded By Your Grace (Cover of Stormzy): The Real Thing (2020)

My Old Piano (48:30) (KF) (Mega)

Versions Galore

Side 1 of a cover versions cassette compilation, recorded 26th November 1999.

Preparing for the end of the millennium party with a mixtape of songs transformed or tortured by (then) contemporary. Who would have thought a quarter of a century on, many of these artists would still be recording and touring?

I recorded a trio of CD-Rs titled Hokey Karaoke for my friend Stuart in 2008 and posted the first of these on here in 2022. Only two duplications with this track list, one of them being the closer to this side by My Bloody Valentine which,, coincidentally, opens up the companion collection.

Great to be reminded of these songs, especially that superb O.M.D. bassline, Republica's OTT take on Gary Numan and what an awesome live act Senser were.

 

1) Waiting For The Man (Single Version): O.M.D. vs. The Velvet Underground (1980)

2) Stepping Stone (Ghost Dance Mix By Terry Farley & Mr. Suggs): The Farm vs. The Monkees (1991)

3) (Don't Fear) The Reaper (Single Version): Apollo 440 vs. Blue Öyster Cult (1995)

4) Children Of The Revolution (7" Mix): Baby Ford vs. T. Rex (1989)

5) Looking Down The Barrel Of A Gun (Live @ Reading Festival): Senser vs. Beastie Boys (1993)

6) Hanging Around (Album Version By Tony Visconti): Hazel O'Connor vs. The Stranglers (1981)

7) Sexual Healing: Anita Lane ft. Mick Harvey & Barry Adamson vs. Marvin Gaye (1993)

8) Jacky (7" Version By Trevor Horn & Brian Malouf): Marc Almond vs. Jacques Brel / Scott Walker (1991)

9) Something's Gotten Hold Of My Heart: Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds vs. Gene Pitney (1986)

10) Are 'Friends' Electric?: Republica vs. Tubeway Army (1997)

11) We Have All The Time In The World: My Bloody Valentine vs. Louis Armstrong (1993)

 

Side One (47:20) (KF) (Mega)

You can find Hokey Karaoke (Volume One) here

#Colours Top 20 (First Shade)

So, I've been participating in another (E)x-Twitter 'countdown' these past couple of weeks, songs, artists or lyrics featuring a colour.

I've played this one straight and stuck with song titles (goodness knows there are plenty of them) and today's Dubhed selection coincides with my 10th or 20 choices, which seemed like a good point to round things up. It also comes in at just under 41 minutes, which is handy.

I didn't bother with the whole 'countdown' thing so no, I don't consider Yellow Balloon by Jan & Dean to be better than Soldier Blue by Julian Cope (as if!) or a My Life Story B-side superior to one of Madness' finest songs committed to 7" vinyl. 

 

There was a little bit of method, though: in a very cack-handed way, I did try to think about the subsequent colour complementing the one that had preceded it; the fact that I managed to then find songs that (I think) didn't jar when placed in sequence was a happy accident.

Possibly the only compilation today that will take you from The Arch Drude and Lenny Bruce to Roni Size by way of Lawrence and his Mozart Estate and the Icelandic-Bulgarian-Russian triptych of GusGus, Metodi Hristov and Maksim Dark aka Maxim Surzhik. 

 

Oh, and check out the video for Ruby Red by Marc "Mohican" Almond for a reminder of the good old days when his songs and visuals were routinely banned, to the disappointment of his chart-hungry record label(s).

 

1) Soldier Blue (Album Version): Julian Cope ft. Lenny Bruce (1991)

2) Indigo Eyes (USA Single Edit): Peter Murphy (1988)

3) Yellow Balloon: Jan & Dean (1966)

4) Grey Day (Album Version): Madness (1981)

5) Pink And The Purple: Mozart Estate (2023)

6) Orange Trees (Claptone Extended Remix By Christoph Göttsch & Daniel Brems): Marina (2019)

7) Magenta (Maksim Dark Remix By Maxim Surzhik): GusGus & Metodi Hristov (2018)

8) The Return Of Emerald Green: My Life Story (1997) *

9) Ruby Red (Album Version): Marc Almond ft. The Willing Sinners (1987)

10) Brown Paper Bag (Full Vocal Mix): Roni Size Reprazent ft. Dynamite MC (1998)

 

1966: Save For A Rainy Day: 3 

1981: 7: 4

1987: Mother Fist And Her Five Daughters: 9

1988: Indigo Eyes EP: 2

1991: Peggy Suicide: 1 

1997: Strumpet EP: 8 

1998: Brown Paper Bag EP: 10

2018: Magenta EP: 7

2019: Orange Trees EP: 6

2023: Pop-Up! Ker-Ching! And The Possibilities Of Modern Shopping: 5

First Shade (40:48) (KF) (Mega)

 

* I tweeted the original version of Emerald Green (B-side to 1997 single Sparkle) but I didn't have a digital copy to hand for this selection. To the best of my knowledge, there have been at least 4 other variations/sequels which appeared on various B-sides between 1997 and 1999, namely The Return Of Emerald Green, Emerald Green Strikes Back, Paint It Emerald Green and Emerald Green Blah Blah Blah. I've gone for the first one as it segued nicely into the next song.

I've Seen The Rain

Today's post was supposed to be a new album review but due to some technical issues, I'm parking that one for now and present instead a random selection from this week's playlist. And a pleasingly eclectic mix it is, too.

I've been having a bit of a clear out since the New Year, the same dilemma covered by Swiss Adam and the prompt for his excellent current 'Various Artists' series, i.e. what to do with the ton of compilation CDs, mostly acquired from being cover mounted with music magazines.

As Adam notes, some of these are really good and bear repeated listens. But... I only have a plug-in USB CD/DVD drive and the CD/radio that was infrequently used by Lady K when she was younger. My car has no CD player and I've ripped all of the CDs to my digital collection. I do still have the CD player element of my stacking hifi, but it's been boxed in the loft for several years due to lack of space. So, the likelihood of getting a CD out for a listen is more and more limited. I'd much rather listen to vinyl when I'm relaxing and everywhere else, it's my phone every time.

I'm gradually sorting through the CDs and whittling them down in small amounts every week, either charity shops (selected ones that I know have an interested music CD buying footfall) or local freecycle sites. However, it's also provided an opportunity to revisit the compilations, mingled in with my general listening, each week. Here's a C90-friendly side with a baker's dozen of songs from the past seven day's travels.

To start, a song from Love Above All, an Uncut magazine compilation curated by Devendra Banhart in 2007. It's a cracking collection of artists including a few that were completely new to me. Kyle Tomzo aka Kyle Thomas is one example, with the rather lovely song Bicycle.

From there, the wonderful Katy J Pearson with a track from her EP of covers from The Wicker Man soundtrack, released last year to commemorate the film's 50th anniversary. Featuring Broadside Hacks, this is a beautiful bridge between Kyle Tomzo's stripped acoustics and the lush, sweeping strings to follow.

A compilation of James Bond themes was released in 1992 to celebrate the 30th anniversary of Dr. No, the first 'official' release in the series, starring Sean Connery as 007. You Only Live Twice was probably my favourite of his and the theme song by Nancy Sinatra never gets old.

Back further in time to 1952 (I seem to have been on a real 1950s riff recently) and the brilliantly titled I Want A Slice Of Your Puddin' by Julius King. Much as I would love to own the original 10" shellac release, Mojo magazine spared me the expense by including it on their excellent compilation CD Love In Vain: The Old Weird Blues last year.

New Year's Eve by First Aid Kit is a more random selection as I don't own the parent album, The Lion's Roar (an oversight which I need to correct). This song was courtesy of that bastion of good taste, Charity Chic, in his Happy Hogmanay post at the close of 2023.

I was quite surprised to find that the Mojo magazine CD Let's Shake Hands: A Third Man Records Anthology was released as far back as 2019 as it still feels quite recent in my mind. In addition to music from the label's current roster, the compilation included The White Stripes' cover of a Love classic.

In 2016, Marc Almond released the career-spanning Trials Of Eyeliner: The Anthology 1979/2016, a mammoth undertaking that was jaw-dropping in it's breadth of material. The Guilt Of My Secret was an Almond co-write with Andrei Samsonov that first appeared on the deluxe edition reissue of album Glorious in 2001. It speaks of the quality of Marc Almond's music that songs as good as this could sit gathering dust for years.

A complete change of pace now with The Jesus Lizard, one of only three songs of theirs in my collection, all from various artists CDs. Gladiator came to me via another Mojo magazine compilation, Teen Spirit (sub-titled "15 Noise-Filled Classics From The American Underground Scene 1989-1992") which accompanied a cover feature on Nirvana. I didn't follow much of this at the time, outside some of the obvious ones. I'm not sure that The Jesus Lizard and others would have changed my life at that point in time, but it's an enjoyable CD.

Opinion seems to be divided on Know Your Enemy, the 2001 album by Manic Street Preachers. I've liked Let Robeson Sing since I first heard it but was less familiar with the album that it sprang from, or that the original intention was to release two separate albums simultaneously. I've subsequently revisited Know Your Enemy as well as 2022's deluxe edition which presents this song in it's 'intended' place within the first of the two planned albums, Door To The River.

Daniel Johnston is an artist that I've read and heard a lot about but who was also poorly represented in my collection. That was remedied in a big way in mid-December when the Shimmy-Disc label released Daniel's first 14 albums on Bandcamp, available for the first 48 hours as a 'name your price' download. I couldn't resist and bought all 14 for little more than 20 quid. I'm working my way through each album slowly and surely. I've picked Daniel's song The Beatles from his 1983 cassette-only 4th album, Yip/Jump Music. It's fair to say that the songs are resolutely lo-fi and the vocals a bit Marmite, but I'm really enjoying this crash course introduction to his music.

Another mammoth Bandcamp purchase late last year was the 84-track Spanish Cadillac Selected compilation of music by James Ray, spanning his early releases with The Performance and James Ray's Gangwar to more contemporary work with 25men and The Longfolk. This Is This is from another project, The MK Ultra, and the closing track of the 1994 album of the same name.

Last and most certainly not least is the welcome return of John Holt. I'll Take A Melody was written by Allen Toussaint and originally released by The Hues Corporation in 1974. John Holt reggae-fied the song for a single in 1976 and it was dusted off and given a polish for last year's Back In Time compilation. Which is as good a way as any to wrap up this selection.

1) Bicycle: Kyle Tomzo (2007)

2) Lullaby (Cover of Magnet): Katy J Pearson ft. Broadside Hacks (2023)

3) You Only Live Twice: Nancy Sinatra (1967)

4) I Want A Slice Of Your Puddin': Julius King (1952)

5) I'll Take You There: The Staple Singers (1972)

6) New Year's Eve: First Aid Kit (2012)

7) Signed D.C. (Cover of Love): The White Stripes (2011)

8) The Guilt Of My Secret: Marc Almond ft. Laska Omnia & Andrei Samsonov (2001)

9) Gladiator: The Jesus Lizard (1992)

10) Let Robeson Sing (Album Version): Manic Street Preachers (2001)

11) The Beatles: Daniel Johnston (1983)

12) This Is This: The MK Ultra (1994)

13) I'll Take A Melody (Cover of The Hues Corporation): John Holt (1976)

1983: Yip/Jump Music: 11

1992: The Best Of James Bond: 30th Anniversary Collection: 3

2001: Know Your Enemy: 10

2004: Mob Life: 16 Great Tracks From The Films Of Martin Scorsese: 5

2007: Love Above All: Inside The Mind Of The Acid-Folk King (Compiled By Devendra Banhart): 1

2012: The Lion's Roar: 6 

2015: Spanish Cadillac Selected: 12

2016: Trials Of Eyeliner: The Anthology 1979/2016: 8

2017: Teen Spirit: 15 Noise-Filled Classics From The American Underground Scene 1989-1992: 9

2019: Let's Shake Hands: A Third Man Records Anthology: 7

2023: Back In Time: 13

2023: Love In Vain: The Old Weird Blues: 4

2023: The Wicker Man EP: 2

I've Seen The Rain (45:00) (KF) (Mega)

Three x3 x3 x3

Somehow, I'm not quite sure how, Dubhed is three years old today. Not something I imagined writing when I first started this blog in 2020. 

 

A piffling amount of time if you visit any of the blogs linked to this site and see what dedication and long-term commitment really looks like, but it's without a doubt the most sustained period of activity for any 'creative venture' that I've ever been wholly responsible for. 

Will it change your life? No, of course not. But it has helped mine in some subtle and more obvious ways. Especially since moving to the discipline of a daily post, it's given me a structured mindfulness activity that's been more of a help with my mental health that I can fully appreciate, both as a preventative and a curative exercise.

The best bit though, and the inspiration for doing it in the first place, is the lovely blogging community that I discovered and have since felt a part of, a reminder when you are surrounded by news and stories to the contrary that there are many, many wonderful human beings out there. And we all share a passion for music. Not necessarily the same music all of the time, but an appreciation and respect for the sheer love of it regardless.

It's not just about the music, though, this sense of community. Whenever I can, I try to make some time on a Saturday morning to drop by at My Top Ten to join in with Rol's excellent - and teasingly, pleasingly difficult - Saturday Snapshots quiz. Every month in 2023, John's Are We There Yet? blog has hosted a gallery of themed photos, which I started contributing to (albeit generally always just under the deadline wire - sorry, John!) and enjoy a lot. SWC at No Badger Required has run regular countdowns, based on votes from a musical jury and I'm privileged to have been a member on quite a few of these. And it all started for me with guest contributions to The Vinyl Villain, specifically JC's epic and ongoing An Imaginary Compilation album series, which has pretty much been the template for the Dubhed selections that have regularly featured here. 

 

That's just scratching the surface: there are so many fantastic music blogs out there, all saying something different, all opening up my mind (and ears) to new experiences and not just music, of course. Every single one of the blogs in the "Other Head Music" roll call on your right (in web view, that is) are a continual inspiration.

 

I recently commented that Swiss Adam's Bagging Area "has always been more than a blog for music lovers, it’s a lesson in humanity." It's a humbling experience reading other people's raw and vulnerable thoughts and expressions - painful and inspiring often at the same time - and it's wonderful to see how people rally round, offer support and encouragement and just care.

Thank you all, you know who you are. Whether you have visited once or lots of times, left plenty of comments or none at all, have downloaded a Dubhed selection or had a glance through and moved on, thank you.

 

Anyhoo, before you start to wonder if you've stumbled on a Grammy award acceptance speech by accident, let's have some music.

If I've got my numbers right, today is my 970th post and my 654th Dubhed selection (if you count individual sides of a mixtape, which I am). No wonder my back up drive is looking full...!

I thought I'd struggle to find enough songs in my collection with 'three' in the title. No such trouble, as it happens, to the extent that I've left out some really obvious ones (apologies, De La Soul) and mix it up a little.

So, the name of this mix. Three multiplied by three three times is 81 so this selection is of course 81 minutes long (or as near as dammit). Each song contains 3 or three in the title. There are 20 tracks in total, which as you'll know is...not divisible by three. Well, you can overwork a theme sometimes, can't you?

 

Today's cover art is photo of Lagos - Resistance, Lagos Roads, a 1992 work by Otobong Nkanga, born in Nigeria, based in Belgium and whose exhibition was viewed and enjoyed by Clan K in Spain a few weeks ago. And yes, there's the 'three' theme again.

If you made it to the end of this post, an extra thank you. Rest assured, a return to the usual nonsense tomorrow.

 

1) 3 a.m. Eternal (Rankin' Club Version By Moody Boys & The Mad Professor): The KLF (1991)

2) Yeah x 3 (X-Press 2 Remix): David Holmes ft. Raven Violet (2023)

3) Three Card Trick: The Clash (1985)

4) #3 (In The Corn Belt) (Album Version By Arthur Russell): Dinosaur L (1981)

4.1) The Three Sneezes (Original Story by Roger Duvoisin) (Part 1): Martin Wallace (2006)

5) Three (Album Version By Massive Attack & Nellee Hooper): Massive Attack ft. Nicolette (1994)

6) Three MC's And One DJ (Album Version By Beastie Boys & Mario Caldato Jr.): Beastie Boys (1998)

7) Three Minute Hero: The Selecter (1980)

8) Three And Nine: Roxy Music (1974)

9) The Three Sisters: The Cure (1994)

9.1) The Three Sneezes (Original Story by Roger Duvoisin) (Part 2): Martin Wallace (2006)

10) 3 Gypsies In A Restaurant: Billy MacKenzie (1996)

11) Three Monkey Tango: Marc Almond (2006)

12) Spit Three Times (Album Version By Kieran Hebden): Neneh Cherry (2014)

13) Jltf 3 (Ambient): Moby ft. Melody Zimmer (2009)

14) 3 Of Us (4 Your Club Mix By Steve Thompson & Michael Barbiero): Humpe Humpe (1985)

15) Three Wishes: Let It Come Down (Kramer & Xan Tyler) (2020)

16) The Three Shadows Pt.1: Bauhaus (1982)

16.1) The Three Sneezes (Original Story by Roger Duvoisin) (Part 3): Martin Wallace (2006)

17) We Three Kings Of Orient Aren't: Jamie Wednesday (1986)

18) Three Girl Rhumba (Cover of Wire): Bark Psychosis (1996)

19) 3 a.m. Eternal (Almighty Radio Edit): People Of 'K' ft. Crystal (2014)

20) The Three Sneezes (Original Story by Roger Duvoisin) (Part 4): Martin Wallace (2006)

Three x3 x3 x3 (1:20:59) (KF) (Mega)