A day early, I know – but I’m not going to be able to get near a computer tomorrow and I thought a day early was better than a day late! (Hope I’m right…)
Mull Historical Society – Watching Xanadu
Some songs that I love will never make an RR list because I don’t have a clue what they’re about. This is one of them. A summery anthem, possibly about a relationship breakdown, but maybe not, from the Brian Wilson of the Inner Hebrides. – barbryn
AC/DC – Back in Black
The back story to this one is that we went down to the Bristol Bike Show on Saturday, Nicky is a member of the VRA (Kawasaki Vulcan Riders Association) and she was showing her 800cc Vulcan classic cruiser with the other VRA bikes.
Anyway, there was a band performing and they did a pretty average cover of this tune but it lodged it into my head and it just keeps coming back. It is the intro really, one of the most compelling and well-known guitar intros of all time. – caroleB
Gregory Isaacs - Storybook Children
From the 1977 album ''Mr. Isaacs'' with The Revolutionaries and vocal backup by the Heptones. Possibly the most popular artist after BMW in Jamaica. If you only buy one Gregory album, this would be a good one, it includes "Sacrifice," "Storm," "Smile," and "Slavemaster," all great early Gregory cuts. - goneforeign
Los Espiritus - Pacifico Atlantico
I often fall for a slightly saccharine melody in an unexceptional voice. Added to semi-oedipal lyrics I haven't quite made out, the lo-fi quality and a pared down reggaeton beat, it's been one of my songs of the summer: - ejaydee
Flamin' Groovies - I Can't Hide
When I first heard this on the radio mid 70s I thought it was a song I had somehow missed in the 60s. Couple nights later same DJ played it again & introduced it as new & I thought maybe it had been kept in the can for years. But no, the Groovies were just doing their part to make the world feel good. Spill pints if you can guess which RR topic I almost nommed this for. Makes a better earworm. - fintan
Marlango - Hold Me Tight
Actress Leonor Watling also sings in the Jazz(y) trio, Marlango. I love the way this song just flows along, not really going anywhere. I think sometimes an earworm is like that - it starts off and you think it's going to take you somewhere, but it doesn't really. Maybe that's why it sticks around. Your mind's ear has detected unfinished business... - maki
Please keep the submissions coming! earworm@tincanland.com. Thanks.
Maki: In my time zone it’s very pleasant to wake up on a Monday morning and see Earworms there waiting for you, When I finish scanning my emails and drinking this coffee I’ll have a listen.
Hurray! Enjoying a lazy day off with Mrs. Fintan & a perfect morning start. Mull Historical Society was instantly wormy. Beach boy harmonies & all kinds of fun hooks. Storybook Children was lovely. Pacifico Atlantico is an instant WTF classic for me. Loved your description of Hold Me Tight. Just the kind of song to put on repeat while you open another bottle of wine. Which brings me to Back In Black. Great huge crunchy chords, terrific guitar line & monster drums. What’s not to like? well , they always lost me with the vocal. Sorry.
Five out of six for me. I hate to say which one wasn’t my cup of tea cos I don’t like to diss a person’s taste, which is merely different from mine. I’m such a terrible old softy. But thanks to all for bothering to share!
Good to see you taking on the reigns Maki.. hope you enjoy it.
(I don’t usually send earworms – as I dump a whole host of music on the ‘spill public as it is)
I always have a good listen… Mull H.S are a big fav in the sane cell – me a my dad were having a xanadu discussion last weekend so this is timely.
Los Espiritus caught my ear too…. for my taste.
The rest the normal high standard eclectic mix.
(can anyone tell me If the Norma Winstone album ‘stories to tell’ is worth a punt?)
Ditto’s to what Shane said from me, Maki. Did one in Tin’s tenure at his request in one of the early weeks when he was short on tunes. Can chip in if needed. Best if it’s left to the less regulars though (as long as it doesn’t become an excuse for folks not to do their own posts).
Great collection, with a nice end of summer vibe. Highlights especially Pacifico Atlantico and the Flaming Groovies. And AC / DC of course will always be ace. Enjoyed them all, thanks everyone. (And especially Maki!)
It may be shamefully narrow-minded of me, but from the title/band name, I didn’t expect the Los Espiritus to sound like that at all. (Perhaps I should have read ejay’s blurb first!) Anyway, I LOVED it. Still listening through the others but already itching to rewind. That said, Marlango is sounding lovely as I type too.
MHS already a favourite (relistened to the album this weekend actually – in search of jokes!). Relationship breakdown sounds pretty near the mark, barbryn – now someone please explain “Animal Cannabus” (my fave from that album) to me, please!
I only knew the Nancy and Lee take on “Storybook Children”, but enjoyed the Gregory Isaacs. And the FGs were groovily catchy. As ever with AC/DC, the crunchy guitars thrill me and then yer man starts singing and I can’t quite cope with it. Plus, it reminds me of being stuck in fifth-form common rooms, so perhaps I can’t judge it very objectively. (As if it were possible to be objective about music!)
A great start to the maki tenure!
Apols to Carole – that sounded unnecessarily buke-ish! I can absolutely see what is great about the AC/DC (it rocks!) but his voice just doesn’t agree with me, is sort of what I meant to say.
I alway took ‘Animal Cannabus’ as running away (or hiding) from the rat race.. moving back to the island and doing his own thing…. (but still wanting to know what was going on and not to be forgotten about)
Another huge dond for Los Espiritus – I’d never thought about it before, but I think I might have a bit of a thing for unexceptional voices singing slightly saccahrine melodies too (St Etienne, anyone?).
The Flamin’ Groovies was another highlight – you could make an interesting playlist of great sixties songs that weren’t actually made in the sixties (“There She Goes” by The La’s would be in there…)
I’m afraid I’m with fintan and bishbosh on the AC/DC vocals, but enjoyed everything else.
Top of the worms was Pacifico Atlantico; there’s song-lines and there’s dream-lines, with their own soundtracks.
Norma Winstone is playing the London Jazz Festival in November with Gesing & Venier and the bits of the album I’ve checked out seem very accessible in a tasteful ECM kind of way. Check out Youtube and the ECM site. She has a voice I really like but I tend to like it best live for some reason.
Fintan’s recommendation from last year, Esperanza Spalding is also on the Festival bill as is Abahachi’s man Gilad Atzmon.
TY – Esperanza in London. Yeah. I’m told she shines in person. Admit to being a little jealous as I’ve not got to see her live. Here’s hoping for a TY report.
I’ve put the album on again.. and I am going to concentrate!
Sane- the review I got was from a real jazz fan (I can’t really say I’m that) his take was she’s a very magnetic stage presence which draws you to her bass lines which for him setup the music. I like the sound & she’s definitely not hard to look at.
I’ve put the album on again.. and I am going to concentrate on her picture too… cheers fintan
thanks TatankaYotanka…
yep had a listen through on the ecm player and is as you say tasteful… depends how the stories in the songs pan out wether it would truly grab me and suck me in, what I do like instantly is the non verbal vocal sounds… could imagine it working live very well… ummmm.
I got sent the Esperanza Spalding album and so far it’s washing over me… very pleasant while working, but I haven’t engaged with it as yet, I’m afraid… but it does keep getting a play.. so it might be a grower for me.
It’s a tough job. (I’ll be right back into my Indie and Beats ghetto soon in the new month as I’m being sent a fare amount) was just trying to step out of my comfort zone and clean my palette some what.
Great selections, chaps! Really liked the summer-sound of the Mull HS, although it did seem to have made its point by about 3mins in.
Won’t mention AC/DC, ‘cos I love ‘em and play this track often. Actually LittleBroBach once said, ‘Heavy rock? You want heavy rock? AC/DC and Motorhead. End of.’ He’s matured a bit since, but there is something about AC/DC’s stripped-downness that appeals. Did I say I wouldn’t mention them?
Greg Isaacs is lovely. Well, I’ve never met him, but he does manage to get a wistfulness into this song which endears him to me. Very nice.
Los Espiritus was a pleasant surprise. Imperfect voices can add immensely to a song. Take note, Simon Cowell. I’ll pester Maki with some Precious Bryant for a future earworm, to prove the point.
Groovy Groovies, though I don’t listen to much of that style. Sorry, but the Marlango was the dawdler for me this week – interestingly, for just about the same reasons that Maki quoted for liking it. I guess I’m a fan of songs that go somewhere. Story songs, beginning-middle-enders, that sort of thing. Hope that hasn’t scuppered my Precious Bryant chances….
Fair do’s re Marlango, WB. Send your Precious Bryant in. Never knowingly held a grudge, you %&¿@/!!
WilliamsB: ‘Gregory is lovely?’ Here’s my personal anecdote on that one. My wife and I were at his house in Kingston, we were sitting, chatting in the living room when she, as wives do, said ‘Excuse me, I need to use the bathroom’, ‘Down the hall on the left’ quoth Gregory; we continued chatting. After a couple of minutes he stood up saying ‘Excuse me for a minute’ and headed down the same corridor. Something triggered something, I felt uneasy so I followed him, he was in the bathroom trying to get his arms around my wife when I entered! Lovely lad! Can’t remember who said what at that point but we left fairly sharpish. Earlier in the afternoon we’d been outside in his garden where I took some photos of him with his 17 children! All by separate mothers! It all started to make sense.
Err – wow! That kinda puts the endearment into reverse….
It was hunting wasn’t it Fintan?
I’m surprised (and pleased) with all the love for Los Espiritus.
A nice playlist all around, thanks for doing this Maki.
Ejaydee – good guess & it could have worked but that wasn’t the one.
Ejay
The lyrics to Pacifico-Atlantico rather than being about oedipal love are simply about a gay relationship. The confusing thing is that the song is sung by Lido Pimienta a woman, whereas the “speaker” in the song is (like his beloved) male
“tú eres mío, yo soy tuyo
y nadaré los mares
a demostrar mi amor
por el pacífico
por el atlántico”
Later in the song there are references to the singer’s mother and his lover’s father but only in the sense that they both disapprove of (or are perhaps are more frightened by) by the relationship because:
“tenemos el mismo sexo”
Here’s a link to a Spanish language page with a bit more info about the song.
Love the song, btw!
That’s the part I was referring too (“no me gusta mi mama, no le gusta tu papa”) and I thought they meant that they were the same sex as the parent they didn’t get along with. Thanks for the clarification Maki.
Thanks for all the encouragement everyone. Glad you enjoyed listening to the list. Please remember to send submissions from time to time…
@ barbryn – probably won’t come as too much of a surprise to you to discover that I love the Mull Historical Society.
Also really liked the Flamin’ Groovies track.
Good stuff.
HEY! Not one that I didn’t like! That’s a result, and five out of six are new to me … doesn’t take a genius to work out which one wasn’t, does it?
all great for me too.
I bought the first few Mull Historical Society 7″s (including this tune, I think), but soon lost interest…will have to get back into them…