Welcome to the RPM Seven Day Soundtrack Christmas edition, week ending Friday 24th December 2021. Strange unreliable times are becoming the "new normal", it seems....but the one thing you can rely on is the quality of the music as selected by our esteemed RPM friends. So I'm going to settle down in front of the wood burner with a Swaffham bakery mince pie (thanks Nina for smuggling them across the border) and a Yuletide ale and see what you've chosen. Over to......
"Hi ya all. Music is an amazing thing! Each week you guys produce lists of artists I have never heard of. Here’s my 3 of the week...and happy Christmas everyone."
Be There Still by Woods -
Ya Love by King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard -
Midnight in a Perfect World by D J Shadow -
"The chosen Muddy Waters tracks last week were a nice bonus for me...and your description of the Levellers gig - hilarious - sounds like it was a (rowdy) hoot.
A visit to Bedford and St Neots last Weekend yielded a few more singles for my collection, so a couple are included this week. A very merry Christmas to all you lovely RPMers."
Holy Cow performed by Lee Dorsey - "Bought a copy on the UK Stateside label backed with another Toussaint penning called Operation Heartache."
I Still Love You by Ann Peebles - "Here's another one from a charity shop in St. Neots. Every charity shop (there were 6 in this compact little town) had a box of 45's to sift through. This is the 'B' side of a London American single "Part Time Love" which I think is the stronger. You probably remember that Ann conceived and co-wrote the much covered "I Can't Stand The Rain" in 1973."
Lonely Avenue performed by Eric Burdon - "I bumped into this track while trawling through Youtube looking for something else, so I'm showcasing it this week in place of the 'something else'. Backed by the magnificent Henry McCullough band, this is the ex-Geordie with a USA west coast accent and a certificate of proficiency from The Ministry of Silly Walks otherwise doing a great job on this Ray Charles number."
Bonus Track - Gaudete performed by Steeleye Span - "Could I have a little Christmas bonus this week please Tim? (Oh, Ok then......Tim) I shunned latin while at school but have come to really love and value it's use within the universal mongrel language we use daily. I'm a heathen by instinct but I think this really reminds us what we owe our present-laden seasonal holiday to. First saw them in Plymouth in March '73 supported by Horslips and several times after."
Christmas At Sea by The Longest Johns -
Sail Downriver by Penny Stone -
Moon Dude by Jessica Pratt -
"Season's greetings to all RPMers.
I'll send some "Top Five" selections next week- it's a tough choice because I think there have been lots of very fine albums this year. (Looking forward to all your top 5 lists, btw....Tim)
Meanwhile, I've been listening to one of my favourite bands, Los Lobos who, as I may have mentioned before, I think deserve to be accorded similar respect in the annals of rock 'n' roll to that given to The Band, for example, or Creedence Clearwater Revival. Quite apart from their musical abilities and the quality of their records, they can also boast considerably greater longevity than those bands, but where are the Uncut or Mojo "Special issues" devoted to them? Come on editors and publishers, there have been issues devoted to many lesser lights (naming no names- I'll try to stay non-controversial this week- good will to all men etc.).
Best wishes once again, and stay safe everybody."
Let's Say Goodnight by Los Lobos - ".....from the 1983 E.P. And A Time To Dance, that introduced them to the Anglo audience. Here's a "live" version from 1987.
Saint Behind The Glass by Los Lobos - "Another "live" version, this time of a beautiful number from the 1992 album Kiko."
Where Lovers Go performed by Los Lobos - "A cover from their recent "Native Sons" album of a mid-60s instrumental by The Jaguars. This is the final number on that album."
"Here's some tunes from one of our perennial Christmas albums, Elvis' Christmas...."
Santa is Back in Town performed by Elvis Presley -
Blue Christmas performed by Elvis Presley -
Santa Bring My Baby Back To Me performed by Elvis Presley -
"A couple of hours ago (Thursday) I returned from an emergency trip to the dentist.
Two fillings, that took only a short while, and very little discomfort. But, once the effect of the anaesthetic had worn off, because I haven’t been eating too much bread for a month or so. as a special treat, I had baked beans on white toast for my lunch. Not only has there been a lack of bread in my life lately, I got hardly any sleep last night due to my horror at having to go to the dentist, and I’ve not had much time this week for just sitting around listening to music.
As for RPM, It would have been easy to go with the few things I have been listening to most recently, usually over breakfast, but, on Tuesday evening, I was brought up short by a comment by a friend, that they had never heard John Martyn, (!) someone whose music is so naturally a part of my audial history that I don’t need to listen to him very often, but when I do, it is so familiar that it becomes a relaxing sensory experience, like drifting away in a warm ocean of sound. Very comforting, a bit like beans on toast and an afternoon nap!"
Calling Me Home by Rhiannon Giddens (with Francesco Turrisi) -
Deserve My Love by Jana Varga -
Go Down Easy by John Martyn -
"First up............Merry Christmas to all, or as merry as you can make it under the circumstances! This week it's three seasonal songs from the collection, hope you enjoy them.
Kicking off on a bluesy note..."
Merry Christmas Baby by Elvis Presley - (7" US single released November 1971. RCA label. This from 'Blue Rhythms' compilation album released 1984.)
And now a more familiar one...........
Santa Claus is Coming to Town performed by The Four Seasons - (7" US only single released November 1962. Veejay label)
"And finally, a 'waddafug??!!' choice. How did this a) end up in a Charidee shoppe in Sheringham and b) why is it in my collection? Answers on a postcard!!!!"
Christmas Country Style by Johnny Tillotson - (7" US only single released November 1966. MGM label)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xl6e3NiLuzw
"Keep safe."
"I suppose I should have Christmassy themes for my tracks this week but I’ll go for some lively sing along ones. I wish you all a very happy Christmas and I hope you can relax and find time to listen to more music. "
Run Run Rudolph performed by Bon Jovi -
I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday by Wizard -
Step Into Christmas by Elton John -
"Merry Christmas to you & yours! Have an enjoyable, restful & healthy Yuletide. Best wishes, take care & cheers!"
Mele Kalikimaka (Christmas In Hawaii) by K.T. Tunstall -
Winter Song by Sam Fender (Live from the Sage at Gateshead with Northern Sinfonia) -
Coventry Carol by Alison Moyet -
"Hi RPMers...Here's wishing you a joyful Christmas and happy and healthy New Year. My pre-Christmas play-list has featured a variety of tunes; here are just three..."
Statue of Liberty by XTC - "This, a live version from The Old Grey Whistle Test in 1978."
Papa's Got A Brand New Bag (Live) performed by Otis Redding - "A brilliant version of the James Brown classic from the album 'Otis Redding In Person At The Whiskey A Go Go'."
Time And Space by Gnidrolog - "In the mid-sixties to the early-seventies, the 'Art School Dance' was an event I would attend whenever I could. For a few shillings I could experience live music by bands that were a million miles from the 'Hit Parade' fodder of the time but only a sixpenny bus ride from home. Among them were The Mooch, Circus, The Spirit Of John Morgan, Tuesdays Children and .....Gnidrolog!"
"Here's three from this weeks selection of albums..."
Songs From The Wood by Jethro Tull - "A couple of weeks ago I spent a very enjoyable crisp but sunny morning helping our local environmental group coppice some hazel and ash at Manor Vale wood in Kirkbymoorside. This song was in my head the whole time...and this week, I finally got around to playing the whole Songs From The Wood album, which is my favourite of all their LPs, both for the music themed around the English countryside and changing seasons and also for the evocative album art."
Angel From The Coast by Thin Lizzy - "Gave Jailbreak a spin this week and other than the obvious big hits, I've always really liked this song."
Circles In The Snow by Smoke Fairies - "Smoke Fairies seasonal LP Wild Winter gets quite a few plays this time of year. Here's one off the (white vinyl) album."
'Til Next Time....