Welcome to the RPM Seven Day Soundtrack, week ending Friday 5th November 2021.....and on Bonfire Night, here's some incendiary sounds to round off the week with a bang! More than Mr Fawkes achieved.....Over to.....

Jayne -

"These tracks have been selected from those that have passed across my ears this week. Best wishes RPMers."

John -

"Hi Everyone. Thanks for all your great choices. Here are three tracks from albums I've been listening to this week."

Dave -

"Hi RPMers, hope you all have had a happy music-listening week. Here’s my 3."

Philip -

"A columnist in my paper suggested a few days ago that the real political division in this century is not Right vs. Left, but autocrats vs. democrats. After this week's shenanigans I suspect I know which side of that line our government would like to come down on if they were allowed to get away with it. It's not the first evidence that this is the case either (illegally pro-rogueing parliament, lying to the Queen, threatening the independence of the judiciary, ongoing threats to the BBC and Channel 4...), but luckily there are still enough democrats even in the Conservative Party to resist their worst inclinations. I bet Mr. Paterson still thinks he did nothing wrong- that's what an over-developed sense of entitlement can do to your ethics and moral values.

Anyhow, enough of all that. Listening to Pokey LaFarge has reminded me that he was a contributor to the American Epic sessions put together by Jack White and T-Bone Burnett for the TV show of that name.

So here are three performances from those sessions."

"Best wishes to everyone as ever... I'll try not to rant next time."

Jackie -

"We went to the Crescent Community Venue in York on Thursday to see Mike McGoldrick, John McCusker and John Doyle perform. Very good gig...here's some tunes."

Tony -

Thanks again for sneaking in my horribly late submission last week. (sshhh...no worries, don't think anyone noticed 😉, Tim) Here's a more timely set.....

I'm getting over a really nasty cold and sore throat at the moment - booster jab against Covid next week so I'm hoping for some respite after that. Hope that everybody is doing ok and hope to see some of you soon. It's only a matter of time now before we are blitzed with Noddy Holder et al once again."

Alan -

"Three from the 'impossible to find' garage/psychedelic era this week, so they all come from V/A albums."

"First up, it's The Aztex's stupidly rare punker, There are only a half dozen known original pressings which, when traded, have attracted bids over $3000!!! Hailing from Gary, Indiana, home of the Jackson family and my favourie doo-wop group The Spaniels ( of 'Goodnight Sweetheart Goodnight fame), this primitive pounder was recorded in late 1966 at Bud Pressner's tiny studio but was delayed until May '67. Just 100 were pressed up for the band to sell to their 'fans' which explains why there are now so few copies in existence! The Youtube video includes a spoken intro which was on the original single but the V/A album version is without this 'bonus'. "

"Next up, yet another great flip side, this time from Vancouver's finest garage band The Painted Ship who were, unfortunately, blessed with a real attitude problem. Signed to the prestigious London label, they laid down 'Frustration' at their very first session. The bigwigs from London shuffled their feet, cleared their throats and said ' We were expecting something a little more commercial?' The bands leader, Bill Hay, who both looked and sounded like Love's 'difficult' front man Arthur Lee, returned a couple of days later with 'Little White Lies' which combined a dangerous punk sneer with a classic 'frat rock' sound which Hays later described as 'a parody of a swaggering rock star'. 'Frustration', meanwhile, echoes the LA sound of the early Doors with its eastern organ runs coupled with some superb drumming and excellent guitar work. Although the band played high profile US West Coast gigs with the Grateful Dead, Big Brother and the Holding Company and the Yardbirds, they only released one more single, 'Audience Reflections from Polyana's dreamworld', with the proto heavy raga rock/rap crossover 'And she said yes' as it's flip. Two singles, hits in the Vancouver area, with two classic b-sides........ what more could you want? The band recorded a whole album which was sent to UK Polydor but, thanks to record company politics, would have had to be released on the US imprint. Unfortunately, when Polydor returned the master tapes they were lost in the post and within a few months the band dissolved."

"And finally, here's one of the best 'guitar freak outs' ever recorded by the (American) Amboy Dukes, named after Irving Shulmans novel but with the 'American' suffix to differentiate over here between the UK band with the same name (as per the 'Detroit' Spinners on Tamla, as opposed to Liverpools finest folkies).

Led by the larger than life and, later, viewed as something of a right wing, 'nuke 'em all', deer shootin' cowboy, here's Ted Nugent with his hand picked 'supergroup' which, on its day, were more than capable of blowing away any of the psychedelic bands around at that time. Released as the lead-off single for their self titled debut album, Ted takes Jimmy Page's intro to Them's r&b/garage cover of Big Joe Williams 1935 blues recording (probably and unbelievably based on 'I'm Alabamy bound'!!) to new heights featuring a fine vocal from John Drake who, after just two verses, exhorts Nugent to 'Aww, give it!!' and, boy, does Ted give it!! There's feedback aplenty from the opening riff all the way through Ted's tour de force plus, as an added bonus, a nod to Hendrix with a brief snippet of 'Third stone from the sun' with only basic fills by the rhythm section and keyboards throughout. Nugent should also be seen as the forerunner to the heavier sounds which would soon emanate from Detroit as popularised by The Stooges and the MC5 amongst others. The band charted in the US singles with the title track to their second album, 'Journey to the centre of your mind', equally mind blowing but not as eyeball popping as this goodie."

"By the way: Here's the finished artwork for The Collectors LP I had pressed up this week. If anyone is thinking of converting CD to vinyl I'm quite pleased with the company I used (https://www.phoenixvinyl.co.uk in Blackpool). Bearing in mind the CD's (which I had to convert to WAV) are up to 17/18 years old and recorded in small local studios, the sound was good if a little 'flat', levels were equalised (not re/mixed) and turnaround was less than a week. LP's can contain up to 4 tracks per side with a 20 minutes maximum which could be a little limiting. Be warned though...... it ain't cheap!

Stay Safe"

Jean -

"This week, as I’m going to see David Suchet on Sunday at the Theatre Royal, I thought I would choose very atmospheric theme tunes to some favourite Detective Series on TV.

Wrap up warm everyone and get your booster. Cheers "

Piers

"I am told that there is an electric open mic held at the pub in Hockering every other Sunday. I might go along but what would I play? But I do own a telecaster!

During the first and second lock downs I settled down to a routine of playing fiddle tunes on my mandolin, for an hour or so, each and every morning. pretty much without fail. I’d then put the kettle on, and Jayne and I would do the Guardian crossword, online, accompanied by strong coffee and Fig Rolls or Garibaldi biscuits. I hardly bothered to pick up any kind of guitar. Although recently I have been picking out tunes on my old National again, even I admit, it is lacking in that total commitment. It seems that I have gently drifted out of the habit.

Now that the COVID figures are starting to look alarming once more, I think I may need to fill the time between Dawn and Elevensies, musically, again. I always meant to learn how to play ridiculously overdriven widdly guitar solos. I am easily impressed and think that most other people must be too, and for that reason, it seems to be the perfect way to gain the idolisation that I have always craved? I also still have a hankering for that Power Pop zappiness. The two things do fit together surprisingly well....

This week I have been thinking about musical models, that I might lean on (if not outright copy) with which I might dazzle my listeners!

I am sure that I have had Eddie Van Halen, and I believe ’My Sharona’ before (probably more than once) The Smithereens, ‘A Girl Like You’ was pretty good as Pop Goes… and Robert Palmer too… I don’t remember if I have ever had Power Station’s ‘Some Like It Hot’ and what with all that technicolour armpit shaving, and flaming cactuses, neon and all, it is a great video, very much of its time, and ohhh that quick burst of guitar widdle!!!!! Superb……. but it isn’t really excessive enough. There is their ‘Get It On’??? Only a cover version but it does have the makings of something better…. And that guitar solo goes on a bit longer…."

"I thought about The Scorpions - ‘Taken By Force’ but they look so ridiculous in their vids, and the title is so un ‘PC’, that I would be embarrassed to be associated with them. Then there was ‘Flirtin' with Disaster’ by Molly Hatchet which makes me snigger too! Not that I don’t love it!!! (But Really!) Or maybe something like Kenny Loggins ‘Danger Zone’ (Not to be confused with the Percy Mayfield song of the same name recorded by Ray Charles and released as the B side of the single version of ‘Hit The Road Jack’) which is always fun but still a bit antiseptic… Too much compression???? But really for full on sonic squeeeelyness, wallop, whump and excess you have to go back to proper 60s, 70s when they were still creating the genre as they went along…"

Nina -

"Hi folks, hope you're all well and getting boosted, flu jabbed & whatnot if indicated & in agreement.

Kitesurfing is my main passion in life, so exhilarating but it's also risky & I had a very close call at Walberswick last Friday. Details not particularly interesting to non kiters, but I was stuck in a horrendous situation in the remnants of the old harbour wall & my kite pal Ryan rescued me. My 3 this week are an homage to his quick thinking & bravery, I'll be forever grateful. The 3rd track, Aussie rap is his choice, not mine, just saying...

Take care all."

Tim -

"Jackie has covered the best live music of the week...so, going to run with the Bonfire Night theme..."