Paddy Reilly – The Fields Of Athenry
In the late 70s/early 80s, my mother used to sing us folk songs, accompanying herself on a battered acoustic guitar. I loved it. Then adolescence hit and I turned my back on ‘her’ music (so uncool, innit!). One of the many wonderful things RR has given me – thanks to songs nommed by others – is a new appreciation of the music my mum (and I) loved back then. Maybe one day I’ll tell her. This was always a particular fave. – bishbosh
Charles “Cow Cow” Davenport – Cow Cow Blues
This is the original Cow Cow Blues, by Charles “Cow Cow” Davenport. Covered by the great Meade “Lux” Lewis then turned into pop gold by Ray Charles who called it ‘Mess Around’. One of the all-time great piano riffs. Think John Candy playing the dashboard while Steve Martin sleeps in ‘Planes Trains & Automobiles’. – magicman
Bon Jovi – Blame It On The Love Of Rock & Roll
Chinhealer’s good-natured buke t’other week got me playing some Bon Jovi again. Here’s a no-brain-required feelgood rocker. – darceysdad
The Webb Brothers – I’m Over And I Know It
Blimpy’s “Re-boot” thread brought up Glen Campbell and Jimmy Webb and his offspring, and this tune from their debut 7″ EP instantly popped into my head and kept repeating itself. With my vinyl all packed up I had to rely on the internet to scratch my itch. I love the way the final refrain goes on for a full 50% of the song! – panthersan
Lord Kitchener – My Wife’s Nightie
I first heard this at a party in the eighties and it made me laugh. I forgot about it until somebody on R/R mentioned a compilation called London Belongs to Me. Mostly calypso recorded in Blighty. Amazon didn’t have that so I bought volume two instead and was reunited with one of the daftest, deadpan tales it has ever been my pleasure to hear. You just can’t trust them women can you? Harmlessly cheating on your wife and they just double-cross you and steal your (ok, her) property. Why didn’t Suggs/Madness ever cover this? Maybe they did. Answers on a postcard. – severin
Eric Bibb – Turning Pages
A slightly infectous song about the joys of reading – and quite timely given the budgetary threatens to public libraries in the UK. This is from Booker’s Guitar, probably the top acoustic blues album of last year. – tincanman
Please try to keep you write ups a little shorter, folks!
earworm@tincanland.com
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Interesting set this week, Mr. Maki.
Nice to hear “Cow Cow Boogie” again – not played my 78 in years.
I enjoyed Paddy Reilly a lot.
Lord Kitchener was fun, as was most of his stuff.
Jim Webb was responsible for one of my all-time top 5 hated records (“MacArthur’s Park” by either Richard Harris or Roy Orbison). The things he wrote for Glen Campbell I liked, but I found this one straying into MacArthur Park territory – sorry.
Bon Jovi – ok. Intro pinched from “Brown Sugar”, vocals better than Jagger, it did sound a bit like a rock song designed by a committee. Sorry DsD!
The stand out for me was Eric Bibb (much played by Bob Harris). I really did go for this one.
Thanks all – apols to the 2 I wasn’t so keen on.
Hm, funny old bunch this week. Nothing massively grabbing me, I’m afraid. Webb Brothers started off promisingly but then meandered rather too much for my liking – sounds a bit like they ran out of ideas halfway through. Lord Kitchener is a lot of fun. Nice rootsy sound and warm voice on Eric Bibb; lovely vibe. As a child, I loved my Hardy Boys and my Nancy Drews too.
All I need to say [as briefly as possible!] is that I totally endorse every word that Mitch says,
bishbosh – tell her now!
She’s off in South America converting the heathen at the moment, but I will do when next I see her. (And when I’ve forgiven her for foisting her superstitious beliefs on unsuspecting Argentines.)
What, the heathen don’t have internet cafés?
I’m with bishbosh on these. Most seem to be archetypes (the Bon Jovi being the best example and least enjoyable) but the Webb Brothers is a bit different and so, to me, more interesting. Probably better for being quite short though, given the idea shortage.
I was a Famous Five child myself. It was the fifties and a very dreary time….
Paddy Reilly: immediately identified with bishbosh’s mum, as I used to do the very same; and I really wanted to like this one, but found it a bit bland.
Cow Cow: is he called after the tune, or is the tune called after him? I liked this the best – good thumpy piano.
Bon Jovi: um – didn’t think they were EVER going to stop. No thanks, DsD.
Webb Brothers: liked this until those weird noises at the end. What was that about?
Lord Kitchener: lots of fun!
Eric Bibb: them’s my sentiments! Liked the sound, but the lyrics are a bit lame, aren’t they? Ooh, like the harmonica especially.
Agree about the Bibb TFD. It’s almost like a kiddies song. When I posted about the album on my blog (link above) I picked other songs for the playlist…I didn’t want to duplicate for here, plus the library/reading was topical.
Oh dear!
Now, I’ve been happy to lap up the praise when the lists have worked, when people have felt the songs were enhanced by the list, when the list maybe seemed to be more than the sum of its parts. Well, looks like this week I got it wrong. The list would appear to be considerably less than the sum of its parts. Apologies to those of you have seen your earworms shine less than they deserved to.
Not so, Maki. True, I didn’t go for a couple of the songs posted, but overall it was, as I said, interesting.
Don’t be daft, maki – you work with what you’re given. You’re doing a fab job.
Ooh, the music questions are piss-easy on University Challenge this evening.
Yeah, but I had more to work with and could have done a better job.
I suspect the University Challenge questions would have been trickier for a team whose average age wasn’t 26, suggesting that a couple of its members had heard them first time around – I have to say that I’d have got it right if the question had simply been to list three songs called The Power of Love from the mid 1980s, without any need for the music clips.
Yeah, I suppose we had something of an advantage over them age-wise. And yeah, the minute Paxo said what the question was, it was just a case of wondering in what order the three would be played.
Oh no, Maki – they were all interesting and I think you fitted them together very well. It may be partly my fault, because I haven’t said I didn’t like something before and this evening I just thought I’d go for it.
*hides head and scuttles out the door*
Another very interesting list as Mitch has said. I loved the Paddy Reilly ( but that’s the Irish in me ), Cow, Cow Blues was nice to hear and the Lord Kitchener made me smile. The Eric Bib will grow on me after a few listens. As Jim Webb might have said, 4 out of 6 ain’t bad.
And Maki, your lists always have a ballance and cater to all sorts tastes. That’s what makes them good. They would not be Earworms if they were always the same type of music.
Don’t worry people, no offence taken!
No earworms for me yet; glued to 5Live and the Grauniad’s Footy blog for transfer deadline day.
PHEW! A shame about no Charlie Adam, and let’s wait to see if Warnock’s back, but what a TDD!!
Anyhoo, to link the earworm and football elements of my day, I have to ask (though apprehensively) if bishbosh has ever heard this:
So apart from that making his selection a scorer with me, my highlight this week is the Eric Bibb. (Meet you at the usual motorway services with a brown paper bag of cash, tin, OK?)
Glad someone found this week’s thematic link! Fields of Athenry/DsD!
Ha ha, not heard that before, no. Me mam wasn’t big on the football…
as long as its a reusable bag
This wasn’t my all time favorite Earworms but it was OK, there were several that were nice but not really outstanding. I haven’t heard Cow Cow in about 60 odd years but I do remember that cut. It’s always intriguing to my how music floods back after so long.
There’s been several examples recently in the Guardian where there’s been pieces that were popular in WW2, I probably only heard them at most, just a few times on the radio, but I instantly remembered the lyrics and the melodies and could sing along; musical memory is very weird. My grandfather indoctrinated me with Irish music so Paddy was OK though a bit over orchestrated, Christy Moore’s more my style and Kitchener’s always fun. Eric Bibb’s lyrics fit my mood exactly; I awoke a few days ago thinking only about libraries and how for me they are probably the most important social aspect of local governments, I’ve never been without a library card. They have literally influenced my life more than anything else I can think of.
It may just my mood tonight but even tho’ the Lord Kitchener & Cow Cow will probably get another listen down the road the only thing that lifted my skirt was the Eric Bibb. New to me & tonight it’s pushing the right buttons. Worth a look for more.
Maki: don’t get down-hearted, you’re doing a fantastic job! There was only one of this week’s that I wouldn’t want to hear again; the others were perfectly OK. And if that sounds like damning with faint praise, it isn’t: it’s a minor dip in a constant stream of good and/or interesting music, well presented and expertly managed. Hats off to you, sir!
Thanks Chris (and everyone else).
yup. Have to go along with the general vibe of OK-ness there nothing jumped out and grabbed did it ? Even Cow Cow (my choice) didn’t have the vibrancy I remembered. And that’s his name, and the song was named after him (by the way). One of the earliest recorded boogie-woogie pianists. Blame Jools.
Nothing much to say about any of the others, except that they’ve all got better tunes – although I must admit Paddy Reilly is new to me…
But you carry on Maki, it’s all good, we’re all just enjoying the music. Can’t be fireworks every week. Some weeks it’s cool just to be gently listening to some nice tunes innit.
I’m still struggling with the idea that Maki should be feeling at all responsible – surely this is about the songs that we send him? I haven’t yet had the “sorry but your submission does not match our current needs” – well, not here, anyway – and I don’t think we’d want this to become all about Maki selecting which of our suggestions meets his (admittedly excellent) taste – in which case he can’t be blamed if some people feel that this week is a bit flat. And I have the feeling that this comment is starting to go in circles, but you know what I mean.
I enjoyed these a lot. I liked the fact that the mood seemed similar – gently cheerful, maybe – despite differences in style, era, geography. I enjoyed all of them. But my boys liked the BON JOVI the best. JERSEY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
May I enquire as to ask how this “earworm” thing works ?
It’s one of those secret, arcane things known only to initiates isn’t it ?
Only I have a song stuck in my head and I want to get it out, is this the place to do so ?
When, where, how, why, what is the meaning of it all ….where am I…what did I come in here for..has anyone seen my slippers ?
You underwent the relatively painless initiation ceremony over Xmas. Send me the tune (you can use my email address or the earworms one at the foot of this post).
Tune and a fifty word write up is all i need.
Thanks maki.
I listened to these before my mind was clouded by the comments, and enjoyed them, bar the Webb, so thanks again Maki.
I grew up in Trinidad, so Lord Kitchener, the Mighty Sparrow, et al were part of the wallpaper for me, and a mighty fine form of political commentating too. So for Severin, there’s a little treat in the box…
Thank you GHE – I was a late convert to calypso but now love it. Songs copied and am listening to them now.
Oh and apols for my long-winded blurb. Feel free to edit down any future verbosity Maki.
And I keep forgetting to say anything about the actual choons.
Briefly, love Cow Cow Boogie, Liked the Paddy Riley and the Eric Bibb a lot. Did we ever do songs about reading?
Surely songs about a town in Berkshire is a bit narrow?
Arf!
Don’t be so quick to scoff Mitch. It could grow into a whole reading festival.
………….or the International Year of Reading.
Well, I enjoyed the playlist, some songs more than others – but I’m not saying which!
In case anyone is still lurking, I will just say that I like a lot of stuff that Eric Bibb’s done, in particular ‘A Family Affair’ with his dad, Leon. He’s also worked with Maria Muldaur and Rory Block.
I love both of those albums Debby.