I know quite a few RR regulars are Decemberists’ fans (I’m looking at you, steen), so those of us on the UK side of the pond had a recent treat when they toured here in the wake of their new album, ‘The King is Dead”. I know bishbosh caught them in Glasgow. I was at [...]
Archive for March, 2011
Decemberists!
Posted in Indie on March 31, 2011 | 14 Comments »
30-day Musical Challenge: Day 1
Posted in Quizzes, Uncategorized, tagged 30-Day Musical Challenge on March 31, 2011 | 171 Comments »
I’m just finishing a 30-Day Musical Challenge in a Facebook group, and it was such fun I’ve pinched it for the Spill. The rules are simple: Each day I’ll post a criteria and you post ONE song, along with a wee explanation and link if possible. Comment/banter via replies. No song can appear more than [...]
From sublime to ridiculous ( and all stops in between).
Posted in Uncategorized on March 30, 2011 | 15 Comments »
Stung to the heart by a cruel comment casting horribly accurate aspersions on my musical taste I feel moved to burden you with some of the “real stuff”. You may have heard the furore about the song “Friday” and how it has ( wrongly) been called “the worst song in the world” and how it’s [...]
Mr McTell Got the Blues
Posted in Uncategorized on March 29, 2011 | 8 Comments »
Following on a discussion over at the earworms, I’ve been thinking a lot about Blind Willie McTell. I see him as an artist that transcends genre labels. He plays the blues, certainly, but to my ears he encompasses so many other styles as well. He was adept at finger-picking piedmont-style blues, but he could also [...]
Criminals Part 2
Posted in RR Playlists, tagged Criminals on March 29, 2011 | 12 Comments »
Stranglers – Let Me Introduce You To The Family Monochrome Set – Jack Mountain Goats – Magpie Yeah Yeah Noh – Stealing In The Name Of The Lord Laika – 44 Robbers Magazine – The Honeymoon Killers Thee More Shallows – Ave Grave Stina Nordenstam – Murder In Mairyland Park
Earworms – 28 March
Posted in Earworms on March 28, 2011 | 37 Comments »
Sarah Vaughan – Cherokee If you only ever buy one album by Sarah, make it In The land of HiFi, her backing group includes: Ernie Royal, Cannonball Adderley, Kai Winding, J.J. Johnson, Jerome Richardson and Jimmy Jones plus many more. Sarah is, as always, brilliant and there’s also a wonderful solo by Cannonball. Altogether a [...]
New Roddy Woomble!
Posted in Uncategorized on March 27, 2011 | 15 Comments »
Those of you with reasonably long memories will recall that I did an AOTW post on Roddy’s first solo album, “My Secret Is My Silence”, a year or so ago. It was then – and remains – one of my favourite albums of the last decade. So imagine my delight, dear reader, to discover he [...]
Screaming Females
Posted in Uncategorized on March 26, 2011 | 3 Comments »
This band is from my hometown. I’ve tried to be reserved about it, but I think they’re really good… Here’s from the Village Voice The Females recently toured with the Dead Weather; no idea how Jack White had the balls to even walk out onstage after Pasternoster was done with it, or how there was [...]
Criminals Part 1 – On-U Sound
Posted in RR Playlists, tagged Criminals, On-U Sound on March 25, 2011 | 2 Comments »
Gary Clail & On-U Sound System – Two Thieves And A Liar Dub Syndicate – Mafia Keith LeBlanc – Taxcider Mark Stewart – Blood Money 2 Gary Clail & On-U Sound System – False Leader
Friday Night Flamenco 7 – Regional Variations (Málaga)
Posted in Flamenco on March 25, 2011 | 8 Comments »
Of the four major Flamenco palos (Soleá, Seguiriya, Fandango and Tango) we have covered some of the most important features in order to get a hold on the basic concepts. But Andalusia, the land where Flamenco has settled for good, is enormous and each area has developed these palos in its own way, creating their [...]
Name that tune – again!
Posted in Quizzes on March 24, 2011 | 13 Comments »
They’re all intros this time. 15 seconds to make a lasting impression. Did they? Usual points available.
Artists who can sing anything – in bishbosh’s book anyway
Posted in Uncategorized on March 23, 2011 | 36 Comments »
Mitch’s Four Tops doo-wop earworm this week made me realise that Levi Stubbs could sing anything and I would want to listen to it. This got me thinking about other artists of whom I could say the same. I put together a little list: Levi himself (natch), Francis Reader of the Trashcan Sinatras, Dusty Springfield, [...]
Killing Me Softly…With His Song (Blam!)
Posted in Randomness on March 23, 2011 | 10 Comments »
This is via the NYTimes. GENERAL SANTOS, the Philippines — After a day of barbering, Rodolfo Gregorio went to his neighborhood karaoke bar still smelling of talcum powder. Putting aside his glass of Red Horse Extra Strong beer, he grasped a microphone with a habitué’s self-assuredness and briefly stilled the room with the Platters’ “My [...]
EOTWQ – holy roller edition.
Posted in Uncategorized on March 23, 2011 | 49 Comments »
In our town, on Friday nights, a local church hosts a roller skating session in their gym. It’s free, but the children have to sit for 10 minutes and hear stories about God. I thought of some questions one week, whilst sitting there. 1. I’m a sucker for roller-rink music. Is there some sort of [...]
Criminal Record
Posted in Readers Recommend on March 23, 2011 | 22 Comments »
Continuing on from the saneshane is revolting post – I thought I’d try being Guru – using the posters own comments – mixing up the lengthier posts with the shout outs. It took a few hours to cut and paste the posts that caught my eye – edit out zedded songs.. and then I listened [...]
Here We Go (Again)
Posted in Uncategorized, tagged alternative, jane's addiction on March 22, 2011 | 8 Comments »
Digging out the anti-war songs yet again *sigh*. Been awhile since i listened to this one, but it’s hitting the spot right now. Starts out with a snippet of Youngbloods style guitar grooviness into an anti-war to animal rights plug. Dave Navarro doesn’t suck either.
Earworms – 21 March
Posted in Earworms on March 21, 2011 | 53 Comments »
Bob Dylan – Days Of ’49 From the much-maligned Self Portrait. It’s about the California gold rush. Every verse not only rings true, but stands up to deconstruction and the closest scrutiny. No space to do that here, but that’s okay, I love it simply as music. – webcore The Four Tops – Could It [...]
Wikiwikipedia
Posted in Uncategorized on March 20, 2011 | 12 Comments »
Aloha ! “The Blues had a baby and they called it Rock and Roll” sang Muddy Waters a few ( few !) years back. Have you ever stopped and thought and wondered, however, where the Blues came from ? We all know the influence of Africa and the Spirituals and the various religious sects that [...]
“come in, sit down – take that tit off your head”
Posted in Readers Recommend, RR Playlists on March 19, 2011 | 2 Comments »
fantastic – a playlist that’ll please pretty much ME – yeah hey.. if you stick it out you’ll find the odd nugget of listenability … some of the others will just stereotype my age group in England at the end of the eighties: “Papa, do computer games influence your mind?” “no son, if PacMan had [...]
Jet Harris
Posted in Uncategorized on March 18, 2011 | 3 Comments »
Heard lots of great tales about the general diamond-geezerness of Jet Harris. As a nipper, the first band whose albums I collected was The Shads and my first attempt to form a band was playing Shadows/Drifters covers. I even have JH’s autograph at home somewhere, which my mum picked up for me at a concert [...]
Copper Blue
Posted in RR Playlists, tagged Police on March 18, 2011 | 11 Comments »
David Holmes – 69 Police Post Industrial Boys – Cops And Their Wives Chokebore – Police Trash Can Sinatras – The Sleeping Policeman Benjamin Zephaniah – Dis Policeman Keeps On Kicking Me Junior Murvin Vs. Jah Lion – Soldier And Police War Asian Dub Foundation & Zebda – Police On My Back Stiff Little Fingers [...]
Friday Night Flamenco 6 – La Zambra
Posted in Flamenco on March 18, 2011 | 8 Comments »
La Zambra from Granada, firmly rooted in the Moorish traditions of pre-reconquista Al Andalus, is timeless and has always been regarded as one of the deepest and most ancient musical forms in Spain. Over the centuries it was preserved by the Gitanos (Gypsies) in the Sacromonte Caves opposite the Alhambra in Granada. It achieved great [...]
saneshane is revolting
Posted in Readers Recommend on March 18, 2011 | 91 Comments »
(I want to stress: THIS IS NOT a have a go a Jon post.. I started the idea during the digital change over before he started.. just so you all know.. thanks) . . Sometimes a performer loses the crowd – sometimes the crowd needs a curtain call to head towards – giving the artist [...]
The bus came by, and I got on
Posted in 1960s, Podcasts, Psychedelia, tagged grateful dead on March 17, 2011 | 22 Comments »
That’s when it all began: Side One: (1) That’s It for the Other One A – Cryptical Envelopment B – Quadlibet for Tenderfeet C – The Faster We Go, The Rounder We Get D – We Leave the Castle (2) New Potato Caboose (3) Born Cross-Eyed Side Two: (1) Alligator (2) Caution [...]
In Their Own Way They Changed Music
Posted in 1950s, 1960s, RR Playlists, Tributes, tagged Bill Haley, Gene Vincent, Rock and Roll on March 16, 2011 | 19 Comments »
This year, 2011, marks 40 years since the death of Gene Vincent and 30 since the passing of Bill Haley. As most people will know, both are heroes of mine and I had the pleasure of working with both of them. I therefore thought it appropriate to put up a few of their tracks to [...]
