Welcome to the RPM Seven Day Soundtrack, week ending Friday 9th September 2022. Settle back and wrap yourself up in this week's audio comfort blanket...over to...

Nina -

"Hi all. Greatly enjoying your choices last week, always something new to discover.

My 3 this week are new - at least to me. Take care, cheers!"

Tony -

"Phew, what a week! Best wishes to everybody..."

Jackie -

"Three songs I heard being played by buskers when I was in Winchester recently."

Philip -

"So as expected, the well-known cat lover, cheese connoisseur, and purveyor of pork to China is our new P.M. Let's hope for the sake of the country that she is more pragmatic and less of an inept ideologue than she has seemed to be in her recent Government jobs and leadership campaign. No doubt she and her Party will blame the usual "enemies within" and "without" if and when they want to avoid taking responsibility for their own administrative incompetence.

Let's see now... there's the media (esp. the BBC), the "metropolitan liberal elite," the Civil Service, the "woke" (ie. any idealists who think effort should be put into trying to make the world a better place), a Parliament that insists on its' sovereignty, the Judiciary and "lefty lawyers," "lazy" British workers, the EU (esp. the French), V. Putin (OK, I'll go along with that one)... have I missed anyone out?

Two of the tracks on the John Anderson tribute album referred to last week are numbers written by other well-known artists that have attracted several cover versions other than Mr. Anderson's, so the album has sent me back to check out versions by the songwriters.

Best wishes and good health to all."

John -

"Hi RPMers. Here are three tracks I've listened to this week..."

Alan -

"Three organ groovers this week inspired by a play of the Small Faces 'Four to the floor' EP."

Jimmy McGriff- 'The Last Minute' (Pts 1&2) (this from 'The Soul of Sue: UK Sue Story Volume 3' CD released 2004. Ace Records) - "Taken from his second album, 1963's 'One of mine', Jimmy is backed by his then usual trio of Morris Dow, guitar, harmonica, Larry Frazier, rhythm guitar and Willie "Saint" Jenkins on drums. Jimmy had begun playing piano aged five and by his teens had also learned to play vibes, alto sax, drums and upright bass. His childhood friend was Jimmy Smith and Richard "Groove" Holmes played at his sister's wedding so it was no surprise when he purchased a Hammond B3 in 1956 and began studying at NYC Juilliard School and taking lessons from Smith. He began playing Philly's jazz clubs and, in 1961 he recorded a cover of 'I gotta woman' for the independent Jell label which was picked up by Juggy Murray's (US) Sue label who also recorded McGriffs debut album which included his next hit, 'All about my girl'. He signed to the Solid State label in 1966 and went on to record albums with a multiplicity of outfits and big bands (see G Fame below!!) before moving into 'funk' in the early seventies. His short lived retirement in the seventies was interrupted with a slew of disco albums and singles which increased his mainstream popularity and he signed to the then hip Milestone label. The nineties saw McGriff experimenting with the Hammond XB3 organ synthesizer and recording with Lonnie Smith, Bernard Purdie and David Newman for a final series of albums in the early 2000's. McGriff passed away aged 72 in 2008."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=A8_yeIT4RmQ

Georgie Fame -'Beware of the dog' (7" b-side to 'The Ballad of Bonnie and Clyde' single released 1st December 1967. CBS label) - "Quite possibly Georgie's last essential purchase, on the b-side to quite possibly the low point to his career at that time!!! Born in the cotton mill area of Lancashire, in fact Georgie was born in 1 Cotton Street, Leigh, Clive Powell (his real name) began playing piano aged fifteen for the local band The Dominoes before winning a talent contest whilst on holiday at Butlins Holiday Camp in Pwllheli, North Wales and this led to local rock 'legend' Rory Blackwell signing Clive up as lead vocalist for his band. A year later saw Powell in London where, after meeting Lionel Bart, he approached Larry Parnes and was signed to a management deal. Following the obligatory (and compulsory) name change, Fame became the premier keyboard player for the Parnes sponsored tours which included the legendary Gene Vincent and Eddie Cochran, Joe Brown (who narrowly escaped being rechristened Elmer Twitchett!!), tour as well as playing piano for Billy Fury's backing band, The Blue Flames. In 1961 Fury sacked the entire band and replaced them with the Tornados leaving Fame to become the band leader and he began to extend his musical horizons. He started playing London's late night clubs and, at the suggestion of the US GI's, began to listen to R&B and soul. He also attended the Jamaican 'shebeens' in the Ladbroke Grove area and developed a love of ska but the major influence on his style came with his exposure to Booker T and the MG's 'Green Onions' single. Fame had traded in the piano for a Hammond B3 and Lesley speaker and filled his set with r&b and, particularly, songs by Mose Allison and Willie Mabon. Signed to Columbia, Fame could be seen as the original 'album' artist as his live 'Rhythm and Blues at the Flamingo' LP was released instead of the usual single. Although it failed to chart it laid the foundation for Georgie to become one of the earliest UK musicians to be welcomed by the growing mod audience and it was no surprise when the follow up, 'Fame at Last', reached number 15 in October 1964. There were a string of hit singles over the next three years, including two number ones, before Fame saw the hit film 'Bonnie and Clyde' and asked Mitch Miller and Peter Callender to write a song about the pair. Its subject matter meant that Fame had to move away from his r&b style and incorporate a 'mock' twenties style but, tucked away on the flip was this brass laden goodie. Fame had disbanded the Blue Flames in 1966 and began a succession of LP's with big bands before teaming up with Alan Price in what seemed like a marriage made in heaven but was actually a career nadir. He has continued to record and he did see a renaissance with the early eighties resurgence of interest in 'mod' and he has toured with his sons forming a trio playing mainly the hits, backed Van Morrison, Eric Clapton, Muddy Waters and others and has also occasionally toured as a guest member of the Manfreds. His career was halted in October 2019 when he was involved in a car accident which resulted in a broken pelvis and a cessation of touring until relatively recently."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alNMXBzFqtY

Small Faces- 'Own up time' (from 'Small Faces' debut LP released 6th May 1966. Decca label) - "This is the track from the 'Four....' EP, which was originally released on their debut Decca LP, which led to this week's choices. Here, in less than two minutes, the Small Faces manage to incorporate some of the heaviest guitar sounds around at that time, throw in some squealing feedback and still have room from some meaty Hammond B3 from Ian McLagan who had only joined the group in October 1965 on a wage of £30 per week. He had begun attending the Ealing Blues Club in the early sixties and joined The Cherokees in 1963 but the group soon changed their name to the 'bluesier' Muleskinners in 1964 and recorded a lone single 'Back Door Man' for the Fontana label in 1965. Lead singer Terry Brennan had been the vocalist for The Roosters in 1963, a group which included Tom McGuiness and a young lead guitarist named Eric Clapp but Brennan obviously saw greater potential hitching his vocal talents to the Muleskinners. Following the failure of their single, McLagan left the group and joined Boz and the Boz People (featuring 'Boz' Burrell, later of King Crimson), a Norfolk area group originally, and improbably named Lombard and the Tea Men. They were signed to Colombia, released four unsuccessful singles and folded in early 1965 when Boz gained a solo deal. At this point in time discord arose in the Small Faces following disagreements regarding the apportioning of their gig monies (see 'It's a mod mod mod mod world'), a"nd the band began searching for a replacement for Jimmy Winston, quickly deciding on McLagan who they had known since the Boz People had supported the group earlier in the year. With only minimal rehearsals Mac made his debut with the group at the Lyceum Theatre on the 2nd of November but, in a fit of pique, the group didn't tell Winston and he duly turned up for the gig, only to see Mac ensconced on the keyboard stool. This line up change restored the group to the charts and, because of Mac's 'small' stature, enhanced the groups visual appeal with its burgeoning audience."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qJdsW9kwKg

"Here's another 'interesting' film about 'mods'.... introduced by Acid Jazz head honcho/DJ Eddie Piller. Good points about the three button suit (pity his jacket ain't a few inches longer with a deeper centre vent but, hey ho!!). He's wrong about the 'founder' of Carnaby Street tho'........... that was 'Vince for men' where John Stephen served his apprenticeship before opening his own shops."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d_0Oq2BToYk

"Hope everyone is keeping OK, we actually mixed with 'people' last week at Daniel's wedding!!! Felt so strange to stand close to friends and talk after over two and a half years!!!!

Nice to know where we stand with the new PM................. "It's fair to give the wealthiest more money back" in response to a question about tax refunds on Sunday!!! Wonder if Steer Calmer might mention it on Wednesday.....? "

Dave -

"Hi RPMers... looks like the sun has gone and been replaced with rain !! Here’s my 3 this week..."

James -

Tim -

"Time for another three choice cuts..."

'Til Next Time...