Welcome to the RPM Seven Day Soundtrack, week ending Friday 30th July. What caught the ears of RPMers this week....? Over to.....
"Here are my 3 for the week. I'm a bit behind with listening to the recent selections with many new-found freedoms taking up a great deal of my time but I'm sure to get there eventually. Hope that everyone is doing ok - I had a haircut today where the barber said I needn't wear a mask (progress)."
Iko Iko by The Dixie Cups - "Heard on the radio this week that a version of this song had received several squillion views on TikTok. Nothing new under the sun. I'm hoping that the Woke brigade don't object to my choosing the original with the group name including 'Dixie' in the mix but like "The Night They Drove old Dixie Down" the word refers to a historical place albeit with slavery connotations to some who would like to see it obliterated from history. Get real."
Sugar Lump by John Martyn - "It hasn't been a great week for new acquisitions but I did find a copy of this album in a charity shop (VG/Ex for 99p) and this is my favourite track from it. I also came across a couple of non-playable items viz. two nicely framed and mounted limited edition photos of Jimmy Page and CSNY issued by Sonic Editions which cost me £4 each."
Thunder On The Mountain by Bob Dylan - "Bob handily played Bournemouth in 2006 to coincide with when we were visiting my son and daughter-in-law in Somerset so it wasn't too much of a stretch to get a ticket and take in the show (£35 a ticket - not a government sponsored tout in sight). His Album "Modern Times" was released that year and me and the missus always loved this track from it delivered in his best gnarly voice."
"Hi RPMers.......enjoying your tunes. Here’s what’s caught my ears this week."
People by Silver Jews -
Darkness and Cold by Purple Mountains -
This Thing by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard (from Chunky Shrapnel live) -
"Hi RPMers, Hope you're all keeping safe and well. This week I've been playing albums I haven't listened to for ages. Here are my selections...."
Patrick Spence by Chris Drever - "As with my Pentangle choice last week, traditional songs have a habit of being sung by a number of different people, either via the 'handing down' of the music by previous generations or by contemporary artists doing their own take on a well known version. This song, usually titled Sir Patrick Spens, has been covered by loads of people; in my collection alone I have versions by Fairport Convention, Jackie Leven, Martin Simpson and this one by Chris Drever from his 2006 'Black Water' LP."
Mockingbird by Barclay James Harvest - "Probably an obvious choice from BJH but this takes me back to the Weeley Festival in the summer of '71; standing in a field with over a hundred thousand other music fans singing along to the chorus of this timeless classic. On this occasion BJH were backed by a forty piece orchestra...magic! Was it really half a century ago...?!? This version is on the 'Once Again' LP from 1971."
Under Stars by Brian Eno - "Now it's time to chill out....."
"It's been a blues guitar sort of a week here in Swanton Morley, and not just because of The Black Keys and Cedric Burnside. Here are three tracks from Christone "Kingfish" Ingram's new "662" album. He's only 22 years old and I'm impressed not only by the guitar playing, but by the fact that he is not just repeating blues cliches in his lyrics, but making a personal statement. Best wishes and continuing good health to all RPMers."
Something In The Dirt by Christone Ingram -
Too Young to Remember by Christone Ingram -
"Another week, another gloriously varied and thoroughly enjoyable selection.
Morra's "27 club" choices were a poignant reminder of what might have been. Listened to "Legacy of a Lioness" on BBC Sounds, thoroughly recommended. My choices this week are from the programme's contributors. Different artists and musical styles to those I'm usually drawn to, variety & all that.
Thanks again to Tim too - poetry? Yes please!
Just wrote and told Mr Javid that listening to music, reading and writing poetry are fine ways to pass the time while cowering. 😉
Take care, everyone."
OK by Mabel - "Spitting image of her mother."
Remember Where You Are by Jessie Ware & BBC Concert Orchestra - "....including a marimba!"
Let's Go Home Together by Ella Henderson and James Arthur - "Shades of "Fairytale of New York."
"Here's my 3."
The Message by Grandmaster Flash and the Furious Five - https://youtu.be/PobrSpMwKk4
Freedom Fighters by Delroy Washington -
"As 'promised', here's three-ish (!!) choices inspired by Sam Leach's excellent book ' The Rocking City (The explosive birth of the Beatles)'. Sam had taken the band under his wing as a promoter between 11th February 1961 (just prior to their second visit to Hamburg) and September 6th 1962 (the day after Ringo was officially announced as the replacement for Pete Best), and promoted them for a total of around 40-45 dates. Discussions had taken place between the group and Sam about the possibility of his becoming their manager and forming a record label to showcase both the Beatles and Gerry and the Pacemakers (in fact G&P did record a demo of 'You'll never walk alone' for him in June 1961, a full two years before their Columbia recording!) when he had sufficient funds but, as the book highlights many times, Sam's funds were never stable enough for those plans to evolve...... and so, enter Brian Epstein!!! Sam pulls no punches about some of Liverpool's other promoters (he is particularly disparaging about the Cavern) and doesn't hold back on his own faults either, which makes for an interesting insight into the early sixties Liverpool musical phenomena. So, enjoy another trip down memory lane courtesy of some of the 'Pool's other 'legendary' groups with this surprisingly tough selection of r&b tunes.
Great variation again last week....... Keep safe"
Talkin' 'bout You by Farons Flamingos - (from 'This is Merseybeat Volume 1' LP, released 5th July 1963 plus as a 7" single. Oriole label)
I Can Tell by Rory Storm and the Hurricanes - (from 'This is Merseybeat Volume 2' LP, also released 5th July1963 plus as a 7" single. Oriole label)
Money by The Shakers (actually King Size Taylor and the Dominoes) - (from 'Let's Do The Madison, Twist, Locomotion, Slop, Hully Gully, Monkey' LP, German only release Mid 1963, plus as a 7" UK single. Polydor label)
And, hopeful.....(...go on, then. Tim.)
A Bonus Track - "Just to show that the 'lacklustre' Beatles recordings at the Star Club were not a true reflection of how Liverpool's groups sounded when playing there, here's the Searchers with a great single taken from their '.... at the Star Club' album which, strangely, was never released in the UK............"
"Wotcha.......There has been a lot of other listening going on during this last week, but I thought, as I found it fun, I would continue with the 5/4 theme that I set up last week. I admit that it all started with me trying to play by Bo Diddly's 'Who Do You Love', but kept slipping into a sub conscious version of 'Take 5'! I couldn't even decide whether either is Clavé? And if it is, is the Clave Rhythm 5/4 or not! I don't think so....
But, once I started thinking about it, there are lots of other interesting tunes in 5/4, including several obvious ones by Gorillaz, XTC and The Cure etc. Even a couple by King Gizzard.... (Coldplay and Radiohead, also thrown my way by JB, weren't even on my Rada!). It's strange that it should also take me to the Pearl Jam back catalogue! (On Jayne's advice) And quite enjoying it....
Continuing with the theme that I started last week....."
Light Flight by Pentangle -
Octet by Steve Reich -
Tribal Gathering by The Byrds - "And finally. one of the most perfect examples from one of the most perfect albums ever....."
Rothbury Hills / Holey Ha'Penny by Kathrn Tickell - "Another trip out for a gig this week! And, as last week, part of the Ryedale Festival this time was a performance by Kathryn Tickell at the Milton Rooms in Malton. So here's some lovely Northumbrian small piping to calm you with....."
Lads of Alnwick / Old as the Hills performed by Kathryn Tickell -
Promised Land performed by Elvis Presley - "There was live music in the White Swan opposite last Saturday night. Lots of Elvis, Johnny Cash, Creedence and Chuck Berry performed by the Moorside 3, complete with upright bass. Here's a sample of what they were playing."
Bonus Track -
Swimming Song by Loudon Wainwright III - "Well I know I had it last week, but this song is following me about at the moment. The writer Robert Macfarlane had this as one of his choices on Desert Island Discs this week.....plus, I've been back swimming in Helmsley open air pool.......minus any pairs of twins this time. Here's Loudon live, backed by Richard Thompson and Suzanne Vega............"
"Thank you good RPM people for your selections to date.
On Wednesday evening I was in the lucky position to hear these three tracks performed beautifully by our friend Linds (along with her long-time musical collaborators, Neil on the first and Perce on the other two)."
John Barleycorn performed by Steve Winwood -
'81 by Joanna Newsom -
Hard Road by Johnny Flynn -
".....3 more musical objet that got stuck in my head......."
Thug by ZZ Top - "It's farewell Dusty Hill who died a few days ago. He was the epitome of a total bass player, in my opinion; chugging root notes and playing what the song needed with nothing extraneous. I played a bunch of ZZ songs to remind me of just how well he anchored the band down..........so, lets have this track from Eliminator, where, by his own standards, Dusty goes a bit wild."
Bonedigger by Johnny Flynn and Robert Macfarlane - "Can I get this out of my head.......? No idea what it's about, but it's a real earworm from their new Lost in the Cedar Wood album."
Pride and Joy by Stevie Ray Vaughan - "The car CD at the moment is a SRV best of.........with quite a few (then) unreleased live tracks. This is the first SRV song I heard back in 1983......and it's still goose bump inducing........especially the guitar lick starting at about 3.18. Killer blues."
....'Til Next Time.