#70sTop30

A treat for you this morning with not one, not two, but three Dubhed selections. Nearly two hours of top tunes!

I've just completed #70sTop30, the latest musical challenge on BlueSky. If I'd been slightly more organised, I could have stretched thsi out over three posts, but no!

So, here's my 'unranked and random' selection in three rounds, each one running chronologically from 1970 to 1979.

The first selection can loosely be described as 'the hits', in that they all troubled the UK Top 40 singles in their respective year. 8th January could only have been a Bowie pick.

Rounds two and three is half-and-half well known and wilfully obscure, and the very last song is probably the only exception to the 'random rule' as I pretty much knew how I wanted to close the series pretty early on.

Given that I didn't give too much thought in advance about the overall selection and running order, it's not turned out too bad.

In keeping with previous 70s-themed posts, the cover art is a selection of UK Marvel first issues from my collection, most of which have been stored in a box and been unopened for years. As a kid, I loved how busy, loud and dynamic the comic covers were, demanding to be picked up from the newsagent's shelf, bought and read again and again.

Round One

1) Brontosaurus: The Move

2) Tokoloshe Man: John Kongos

3) Jungle Fever: Chakachas

4) Big City: Dandy Livingstone

5) Dance With The Devil: Cozy Powell

6) The Wild One: Suzi Quatro

7) Both Ends Burning: Roxy Music

8) Sound And Vision: David Bowie

9) Punky Reggae Party: Bob Marley & The Wailers

10) I'm Every Woman: Chaka Khan

Round Two

1) Clarence In Wonderland: Kevin Ayers & The Whole World

2) Gimme Shelter (Cover of The Rolling Stones): Ruth Copeland ft. Parliament

3) Sniffin' & Snortin' Pt. 1 (Vitamine C): Speed, Glue & Shinki

4) The Groover: T. Rex

5) At Home, At Work, At Play: Sparks

6) Jive Talkin': Bee Gees

7) Ninety-Nine And A Half: Trammps

8) Funtime: Iggy Pop

9) Dance Like A Star: The Human League

10) Spanish Bombs: The Clash

Round Three

1) Effervescing Elephant: Syd Barrett

2) Beautiful Brother Of Mine: Curtis Mayfield

3) Screaming Target: Big Youth

4) Willow's Song: Magnet

5) Fight Your Revolution: Keith Hudson

6) Koun'Toupack: Godchild

7) I Keep On Loving You: Susan Cadogan

8) Time's Up: Buzzcocks

9) It's The New Thing: The Fall

10) Memories Can't Wait: Talking Heads

Round One (40:43) (GD) (M)

Round Two (40:05) (GD) (M)
Round Three (34:38) (GD) (M)

There are a load of new musical challenges starting on 1st February. Time constraints being what they are, I'll likely only have time to participate in one. But which one?

#OrchestralManoeuvres 

Select your 28 favourite string arrangements in songs. Solo, full orchestra, electric, synthetic or sampled. Singles, b-sides, album tracks, live versions and remixes can all be included.

#Reverberations 

A month-long celebration of all things guitar. From 80s Indie and Alt-Rock, to Shoegaze and Grunge and beyond, up to the present day. Think My Bloody Valentine, Ride, Pixies, Cocteau Twins, Hüsker Du, Nirvana, DIIV, Just Mustard…

#StandaloneSingles 

Throughout February choose 28 of your favourite standalone singles. Post one per day, ranked or unranked. Lead tracks on EPs and singles tagged on to Best Of compilations can be selected, the main criteria is that they aren’t on an artist’s studio album.

#StrictlyInstrumental

Just post any instrumental song each day in February.

#WrongDisneySong

All February: for the Disney/Pixar film of the day (calendar provided)

Post a song that fits in some way — title, lyrics, theme, vibe, character — but isn’t from the actual soundtrack.

Upon A Mouse #7: Two Specials Clash

The Clash and The Specials open this week's trio of contenders for The 20 Greatest Eponymous Albums Of All Time, as definitively counted down last month at No Badger Required.

No question that both are amongst the most important bands of my lifetime, respectively producing some the most incredible music of the 1970s and 1980s, inspiring and influencing countless other artists that have followed. 

Both made the final 10 in the NBR Top 20. Neither did on my voting slip, coming in at #13 and #14 respectively. How come?

Well, to be honest I listen more often to London Calling and Combat Rock than The Clash’s first album, probably Sandinista! too, though not Give ‘Em Enough Rope and certainly not Cut The Crap.

So, does that mean it’s either my third or fourth favourite Clash album? Hmmm....

The doubts start kicking in as soon as Janie Jones opens the album...

…and The Clash contains their superlative cover of Junior Murvin’s Police & Thieves...

...and it’s a great album, by anyone else’s standards. 

It's just not the greatest album by The Clash.

 

 

I was still at primary school when 2-Tone hit it's stride. I ended up sticking with Madness and never going quite so deep with The Specials, making the leap (frog) to secondary school with Fun Boy Three aka Terry Hall, Neville Staple and Lynval Golding.

The first - only - record of theirs that I bought as a teen was Nelson Mandela by The Special AKA in 1984. Jerry Dammers and John Bradbury aside, it was essentially a different band, to the best of my knowledge only Dick Cuthell also appearing on The Specials' debut album.

At the start of the 21st century, I bought Stereo-Typical, the definitive 3CD singles A’s & B’s collection, but somehow I never got around to The Specials' albums.

To my shame, it was The Vinyl Villain, and JC’s companion to my Terry Hall Imaginary Compilation Album in February 2021 that first introduced me to the sublime version of Too Much Too Young from The Specials’ eponymous debut that gave me the kick up the arse to track down and listen to the album in full. 

Opening with a superb cover of Dandy Livingstone's 1967 classic A Message To You Rudy (not that I knew that it was a cover when I first heard it, age 8), the mix of versions and originals only highlighted how strong The Specials' own writing was: Nite Klub, Concrete Jungle, (Dawning Of A) New Era. 

As an album title, Specials not only states the name of the band, but also the quality of the songs within. 

Less than two years later after my and JC's compilations, and my first proper listen to The Specials' incredible first album, Terry Hall was gone. The impact of this album has gone deeper and deeper with every listen. 

 

 

 

For today's tenuous topper photo, we move from 11 angry men (The Clash and The Specials' combined headcount) to 12 Angry Men, the 1957 film directed by Sidney Lumet and starring Henry Fonda. I 'recorded' it a while back when it was screened on Turner Classic Movies and really should get around to watching it again.

In Amongst The Moshers

January will be a gig-free month for me, so to fill the void I've compiled a imaginary live set featuring some top-notch performances from 1977 to 1979. And imagine the mosh pit!

 

The formidable line-up includes The Fall, Joy Division, Blondie, The Clash, The Specials, Scritti Politti and Magazine with heavyweight appearances from The Police, John Cale and David Bowie.

I even managed to sneak in some John Cooper Clarke.

Enjoy! But no spitting. I don't like spitting.

 

1) Stepping Out (Live @ Electric Circus, Manchester): The Fall (1977) 

2) Detroit 442 (Live @ The Walnut Theatre, Philadelphia): Blondie (1978)

3) Sabotage (Live @ CBGB, New York): John Cale (1979)

4) Armagideon Time (Live @ Hammersmith Odeon, London): The Clash (1979)

5) Guns Of Navarone (Live @ The Lyceum, London): The Specials (1979)

6) Be My Wife (Live @ Earls Court, London): David Bowie (1978)

7) Persecution Complex (Live @ Electric Circus, Manchester): The Drones (1977)

8) Tomorrow (Live @ University Of California, Riverside, California): Wall Of Voodoo (1979)

9) Bronze Adonis (Live @ Rafters, Manchester): John Cooper Clarke (1978)

10) Miracle Man (Live @ The Nashville Room, London): Elvis Costello & The Attractions (1977)

11) She Can Only Say No (Live): The Undertones (1979)

12) Art Forever (Live @ Acklam Hall, London): Scritti Politti (1979)

13) Time's Up (Live @ Electric Circus, Manchester): Buzzcocks (1977)

14) Message In A Bottle (Live @ Park West, Chicago): The Police (1979)

15) At A Later Date (Live @ Electric Circus, Manchester): Joy Division (1977)

16) Definitive Gaze (Live @ Lesser Free Trade Hall, Manchester): Magazine (1978)

In Amongst The Moshers (49:49) (KF) (Mega)

Party Down, Rock The House, Burn The Cat...Beware Of Sudden Impact!

It's Friday, time for some rabble rousing!

 

1,315 posts in and I'm still finding plenty of music - and artists - that I've not featured on this blog before. 

 

All songs today come from 1980 or 1985 (and a couple in between), are presented in remixed or extended form and make their debut appearance in a Dubhed selection*.  

 

It's also the first time that The Lotus Eaters and Electric Guitars have featured here, full stop.

Some production heavyweights at the controls: John Leckie, Paul 'Groucho' Smykle, Dave Bascombe, Martin Rushent, Rusty Egan and Bob Sargeant. 

The lyrics are lifted from Sudden Impact! Now, whilst Mick Jones and the lads may be B.A.D., do not take them literally. By all means party down and rock the house, but please don't burn the cat!

 

1) Bankrobber / Robber Dub (12" Version): The Clash (1980)

2) Cruiser's Creek (12" Version): The Fall (1985)

3) Sudden Impact! (12-Inch Mix): Big Audio Dynamite (1985)

4) Ed's Funky Diner (The Keinholz Caper): It's Immaterial ft. The Christians (1985)

5) German Girl (Glasgow Mix): The Lotus Eaters (1984)

6) Language Problems (Extended Version): Electric Guitars (1982)

7) Come Back (White Label Remix): Spear Of Destiny (1985)

8) Psychedelic Rockers (Dubweiser): The Beat (1980)

1980: Black Market Clash: 1

1980: Too Nice To Talk To EP: 8

1982: Language Problems EP: 6

1985: Come Back EP: 7

1985: Cruiser's Creek EP: 2

1985: Ed's Funky Diner EP: 4

2010: This Is Big Audio Dynamite (Legacy Edition): 3

2011: The 12" Collection: 5

Party Down, Rock The House (47:33) (KF) (Mega)

* although Bankrobber / Robber Dub by The Clash appeared here with a variety of versions in August 2023.

Our Children Shall Rise Up Against Us Because We Are The Ones To Blame

Don't worry, there hasn't been a revolt at Casa K. Instead, here's some agit from the late 1970s, embracing punk, post-punk, post-modern, post-Mott and stick-it-in-your-pipe-and-smoke-it sounds from 15 of the best.

British Lions formed from the ashes of Mott The Hoople (via Mott) with John Fiddler (Medicine Head) taking front of stage. One More Chance To Run was their debut single and the opening track of their eponymous first album.

Quite a few self-titled debut albums featured here, now that I think about it, taking in The Clash, Tubeway Army, Squeeze, The B-52's, The Pretenders and (almost) Public Image Ltd. and Talking Heads.

 

A first appearance here for Sham 69 with - what else? - Hersham Boys and inevitable returns from Siouxsie & The Banshees, Magazine, Associates and The Jam. 

The closing song - and inspiration for today's post title - is We Are All Prostitutes, the blistering debut single by Bristol's own The Pop Group. 

 

It's been nearly a year since Mark Stewart tragically left us, so much to say in 1979 and so much still to say when he passed on in 2023. This one's for Mark and anyone who has spoken up and called out wrong doing.

Even so, our children shall rise up against us because we are the ones to blame.

 

1) One More Chance To Run: British Lions (1977)

2) What's My Name: The Clash (1977)

3) Hersham Boys (Long Version By Jimmy Pursey & Peter Wilson): Sham 69 (1979)

4) Poppy Day (John Peel Session): Siouxsie & The Banshees (1979) 

5) My Shadow In Vain: Tubeway Army (1978)

6) Attack: Public Image Ltd. (1978)

7) The Light Pours Out Of Me (Album Version By John Leckie): Magazine (1978)

8) Boys Keep Swinging (Cover of David Bowie): Associates (1979)

9) Sex Master: Squeeze (1978)

10) Marooned: Wire (1978)

11) Don't Worry About The Government: Talking Heads (1977)

12) 6060-842: The B-52's (1979)

13) News Of The World: The Jam (1978)

14) Brass In Pocket: The Pretenders (1979)

15) We Are All Prostitutes (Single Version By Dennis Bovell): The Pop Group (1979) 

 

We Are The Ones To Blame (46:05) (KF) (Mega)

 

We Are All Prostitutes

We are all prostitutes
Everyone has their price
We are all prostitutes
Everyone has their price
Everyone
 
And you too will learn to live the lie
And you too will learn to live the lie
And you too will learn to live the lie
Everyone has their price
 
Aggression
Competition
Ambition
Consumer fascism
Consumer fascism
 
We are all prostitutes
Everyone has their price
We are all prostitutes
Everyone has their price
Everyone
 
Capitalism is the most barbaric of all religions
 
Department stores are our new cathedrals
Department stores are our new cathedrals
Our cars are martyrs to the cause
Our cars are martyrs to the cause
 
Our children shall rise up against us
Our children shall rise up against us
Because
Because we are the ones to blame
Because we are the ones to blame
Because
Because
They will give us a new name, we shall be
Hypocrites

Hypocrites

Hypocrites

Hypocrites

Hypocrites

Hypocrites

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)

Eclectic Guitar Restrung

Side 1 of a mixtape, compiled 3rd October 1999. 

Another C90-friendly delve into music with guitars. And other stuff. 

 

This might be the only place today where you'll hear The Clash next to Bis, The Doors trading organs with GusGus and Sly & The Family Stone tipping a hat to Magazine.

Play LOUD.

 

1) What Do You Want From Me? (Edit): Monaco (1997)

2) Deep Sleep (US Album Remix By Tom Durack): The B-52's (1990)

3) U-Mass (Album Version): Pixies (1991)

4) Spanish Bombs: The Clash (1979)

5) Action And Drama (Album Version): Bis (1999)

6) Cut Your Hair: Pavement (1994) 

7) Dry The Rain (Single Version): The Beta Band (1997)

8) Twentieth Century Fox: The Doors (1967)

9) Ladyshave (Album Version): GusGus (1999)

10) Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again): Sly & The Family Stone (1970)

11) Rhythm Of Cruelty (Album Version): Magazine (1979)

12) Christianity (Album Version): The Wolfgang Press (1995)

13) A Loon (Strings Version) (Part 2): Kristin Hersh ft. Martin McCarrick (1994)

 

1967: The Doors: 8 

1970: Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Again) EP: 10

1979: London Calling: 4 

1979: Secondhand Daylight: 11

1991: Party Mix! / Mesopotamia (USA remixed re-release): 2

1991: Trompe Le Monde: 3

1994: Crooked Rain Crooked Rain: 6

1994: Strings EP: 13

1995: Funky Little Demons: 12

1997: Champion Versions EP: 7

1997: What Do You Want From Me? EP: 1 

1999: Social Dancing: 5

1999: This Is Normal: 9

 

Side One (45:52) (KF) (Mega)
Side Two here

Fearlessness

After a week of bombarding you with music from this year, time for a trip in the Dubhed time machine (one careless owner, 23 million years on the clock, needs some re-upholstery and an oil change).

Materialising in 1977, your soundtrack today is 15 songs spanning punk, dub, alternative, (Egyptian) reggae, lovers' rock and most definitely not a Christmas song from Neil Young, handily split into two sides for your listening pleasure.

Settle back with a pack of Rowntrees Tots, a can of Blue Raspberry Panda Pop and a copy of 2000AD or Blue Jeans and enjoy the music before the sugar-induced coma hits.

 

Side One

1) Screwed Up: Menace

2) Judgement Dub: Tapper Zukie

3) Nightclubbing: Iggy Pop

4) Cheat: The Clash

5) Rasta Dub: Lee 'Scratch' Perry

6) Bored Teenagers: The Adverts

7) Star Of Bethlehem: Neil Young

8) We Are The One: The Avengers

Side Two

1) Sweet Gene Vincent: Ian Dury

2) Neat Neat Neat: The Damned

3) Zion Gate: Yabby You

4) Alison: Elvis Costello

5) Reuters: Wire

6) Egyptian Reggae: Jonathan Richman & The Modern Lovers

7) Someone To Love Me: Candy McKenzie

Side One (22:17) (KF) (Mega)

Side Two (22:36) (KF) (Mega)

Never Hurt Nobody

On 8th August 1980, The Clash released the single Bankrobber. It was a standalone release bridging the albums London Calling and Sandanista! and their second biggest UK chart single (peaking at #12), after the title track of the former which got one place higher in 1979.

 

The above is Don Letts' official video for Bankrobber, mainly showing Joe, Mick, Paul, Topper and Mikey Dread in the studio and on stage and intercut with a loose narrative of a bank job. The heist was filmed in Lewisham and stars Clash roadies Barry 'The Baker' Auguste and Johnny Green. Both were reportedly stopped and questioned by police during filming, who clearly thought they were genuinely up to no good!

 

In 1996, Audioweb's self-titled debut album contained their own version of Bankrobber. It too was released as a single (featuring Half Pint aka Lindon Roberts) and provided their biggest hit and sole UK Top 20 in February 1997. Directors GobTV provide some interesting background to the making of the video to accompany the YouTube clip.

 

The CD single that I bought at the time additionally contains a live version and a couple of remixes, which you can also find in it's entirety on YouTube. 

 

Mikey Dread was at the controls for the original recording of Bankrobber. He also delivered an alternative version, Rockers Galore...U.K. Tour, which appeared on the B-side of the 7" single and subsequently on 1993's Super Black Market Clash compilation. Here's Mikey performing a cover of Bankrobber as a tribute to Joe Strummer at Glastonbury in 2004.

Fast forward to 2005 and Chumbawamba included a short and sweet a capella version of Bankrobber on their album A Singsong And A Scrap. I've not heard this before and I like it a lot.

 

A decade later Combat Cancer, a fundraising tribute to The Clash featured a couple of versions of Bankrobber, closing with this 'live 'n' loose' take by Nick Welsh and Susan Cadogan. A good cause and lovely to hear the latter, but not a version that I'm likely to return to repeatedly.

In July 2020, Dub Pistols - perhaps unsurprisingly - took on the challenge, with vocals by head man Barry Ashworth and guest Seanie T. It was released on 7" vinyl with the King Yoof Dub version on the flip side, which is equally pleasing.

 

Speaking of dubs, back in 1980 Mikey Dread produced a version of Bankrobber intended for the single. Inexplicably, the record label decided not to release a 12" single of Bankrobber but it did pop up later that year as a combined edit on Black Market Clash, a 10" compilation available in the USA and Canada only. To bring things full circle and to a fitting close, here's Bankrobber/Robber Dub in it's full glory.

 

This post is dedicated as an early happy birthday to Joe Strummer, who would have turned 71 on 21st August.