Welcome to the RPM Record Club Seven Day Soundtrack, week ending Friday 30th December....last one of 2022. Sending you all best wishes for the New Year; let's see what RPMers have chosen to round off the year, over to....
"Wotcha Folks. 2022 wasn't a year in which I bought much new music and didnt even manage to get to see a lot of live gigs. I guess that that helped to make those that I did get to, all the more special. It also made RPM even more important to me as a source of musical stimulation... thank you all! There have been some Gems."
"This one is just a wonderful treat from the olden days… To my ears they come across as outrageously hip! But then again so do many of those early jazzers."
Shuffle Off To Buffalo by The Boswell Sisters -
"And this one from one of my favourite live acts of 2022 (RIP Benny Graham)."
Off to California by Pitmen Poets -
And if you are as old or even older than me you may be missing ‘The White Heather Club’, so at midnight on Old Years Night hit the button on this one and dance around the sofa with a glass of your favourite tipple. It might just help...
The Jura Wedding Reels by Capercaillie -
"But if you truly are determined there are lots of clips of Andy Stuart celebrating Hogmanay on YouTube… but as usual we can only wonder what the new year will bring, with luck 2023 will be very different!
Best wishes to you wherever you may be, and I hope that 2023 brings every one of you peace and happiness."
"Here’s the end of year selection. It’s been a tough year for me but the RPM gang and their music has lifted my spirits no end. Therefore, I have to play noisy, lively music to see this year out. It has to be Latino – I’ve always liked the Samba rhythm and it’s enthusiasm and joy. It always make’s me feel that I must join in the party.
Happy and Healthy New Year everyone. See you in 2023. "
Maria performed by Ricky Martin -
Oye Mi Canto performed by Gloria Estefan -
Oye Como Va by Santana -
"Due to computer 'charging' problems, no time to prepare the usual 'groanathons' for each track so just three (ahem-ish!!!) pre-fame tracks to enjoy this week!!!
Hope everyone had a good Christmas and let's all look forward to 'covid' free 2023....... as long as there's no further procrastination and safeguards are put in place early enough with regards to the massive outbreaks in China."
The Birds- 'You're On My Mind' (7" single released 30th November 1964. Decca label. "This from 'Say those magic words' (unofficial) LP released Mid 1997. Beat label)
I suppose, once upon a time, Yiewsley, West London group The Birds would have been labelled a 'supergroup' but, thanks to that term not even being invented in 1964, plus the fact that two of the groups members only went on to went on to greater fame (of varying degrees to be fair) some years later, they're more than likely only mentioned in passing when the history of its members are discussed. Lead singer Ali McKenzie was lead vocalist for The Renegades (I'm guessing almost every town had a group by that name in the late 50's/early sixties?) and one night at a gig at Wet Drayton RAF camp, local Everly Brothers style duo Ronnie Wood and Tony Munroe turned up at a gig and surreptitiously began a conversation with bassist Kim Gardner with a view to forming a group. Gardner agreed and, soon after, McKenzie was also asked to join the new line up, reputedly because he was the only person in the immediate area with an amp!!! And so the Birds, initially the Thunderbirds (see comment above re group names!!) began to take flight (ouch!!!!) and, pretty soon, they were appearing at London's 'mod' hang-outs and were regularly playing in front of their peers The Who, Pretty Things, Georgie Fame etc with their drummers almost queuing up to sit in with the Birds. Regular support slots to Chris Farlowe and the Thunderbirds saw the group shorten their name to avoid confusion in early 1964, but this change would also lead to confusion some months later when the 'other' Byrds flew in (double ouch!!) and were stupidly, and misguidedly presented with a summons from the groups management ordering the US version to stop using their name to avoid confusion with the UK group, despite 'Mr Tambourine Man' hovering (triple ouch!!!) near the top of the UK charts whilst The Birds lone single, 17 years old Ronnie Woods 'You're on my mind' failing to nestle (.......... !!!!) anywhere in the top 100. The group then released a brace of Tamla covers ('Leaving here', also recorded by Birds superfan and roadie Lemmy, and 'No good without you Baby') before Decca lost patience and the group moved to the new upstart label Reaction for one further release as The Birds Birds, the excellent 'Say those magic words'. All three of those singles were backed by further Wood (co) compositions and that would have been the last heard of the group until Edsel managed to dig out several unreleased tracks and demos which have been reissued, and added to, over the years. By 1967 the group was falling apart and both Gardner and Wood left to join cult favourites The Creation for a short spell before Gardner left to join Ashton, Gardner and Dyke and Ronnie achieved a modicum of fame with the Faces and then some other London r&b band. MacKenzie struggled on with the Birds before reverting to playing local clubs and, in 2010, started a new line up of the Birds with whom he recorded just one single, a complete version of 'That's all I need from you' which the original Birds had played in the comic-horror flick 'The Deadly Bees'. McKenzie passed away in April 2021."
"...a hopeful bonus by the Birds............. and dig Ronnie's guitar; perhaps the best paint job on a fender ever!!!!"
That's All I Need You For by The Birds -
Hep Stars- 'It's Easy To Say' (Initially from 'The Hep Stars' LP released December 30th 1966.Olga label This from 'Hep Stars, 1964-69' CD released 1992. EMI label. Both Swedish releases)
"First Benny/Bjorn comp 3 years before Bjorn joined Hep Stars."
"Stay Well."
"Here are my final selections for 2022 . Thanks for curating yet another interesting and enjoyable year with RPM (You're very welcome...Tim.) and Happy New Year to all in the RPM family."
Whiskey Bottle by Bad Company - "A 'B' side to a second-hand single I bought this year but a good 'un."
Mercury Blues by K.C. Douglas - "This track popped up while I was looking for something else and I really liked it (I like songs about American cars!) - recorded originally as Mercury Boogie the song is now owned by the Ford Motor Company."
Except The New Girl by Chris Isaak - "Chris is quirky but I really like his style - He;s one of my 'Hawkwinds' but I think this is only the third time I've picked a track of his."
"As the above 3 tracks are all fairly short can I claim a little bonus track this week please Tim?" (Yes, Ok...Tim)
Main Street by Bob Seger (& The Silver Bullet Band) - "I was reminded of Bob, born in Detroit, when compiling my Top 5 list with reference to Joe Messina of The Funk Brothers. the Motown house band."
"A happy and healthy New Year to all RPMers. My selections this week are all connected with my "Top 5" lists for this year, although the first two relate to "Bonanza," about which I was less than complimentary. All selections are quite short, which might be to everybody's relief."
The "Bonanza" Theme - "Features the burning map of Nevada, which situates "The Ponderosa" next to Lake Tahoe. There is something odd about this map, which I suspect very few people have noticed.. Usually maps are oriented to have North at the top. In this case the top of the map points East, so North is to the left."
The "Bonanza" song performed by Johnny Cash - "I suspect that not many people know the song has words. Not necessarily great words, but certainly... um... words. There's also a version by Lorne Greene, but that would be going too far even for me."
Theme from "Ride The High Country," by George Bassman - "Peckinpah's great elegiac Western, only his second feature film, and to my mind his best."
"Hi folks. Hope all's well + you all had a fab festive period.
Very Happy New Year to everyone. All good things for 2023."
Fooled Around and Fell in Love by Elvin Bishop -
Delilah Pull Me Out Of This by Fred Again -
1234 by Feist -
"A very Happy New Year to you RPMers. Thanks for the music trip you have given me this year. Here’s my 3 tunes this week."
Doomsday by MF Doom -
Runwayaway by Thom Yorke -
Paperhouse by Can -
A Message To You Rudy by The Specials -
Raglan Road performed by The Dubliners - "From one of our traditional seasonal movies...."
"This week I thought I’d share tunes that have been persistent earworms throughout the last 12 months. I hope the coming year is a good one for all RPMers, and thank you for your musical generosity during 2022."
From Galway to Graceland by Richard Thompson -
Hard Road by Johnny Flynn -
A Better Man by Nick Lowe -
"Happy New Year to all RPMers and big thanks to Tim for another excellent year hosting RPM. (Thanks, John...my pleasure. Tim) Here are my three for this week..."
Moments Of Madness by Hugh Cornwell - "Title track from his excellent new LP."
I Wanna Be Adored by The Stone Roses - "Their eponymous first LP must be one of the greatest debut albums ever! Fades in slowly (as Peely would have said...)."
Daddy Was No Murderer by Capital Letters - "I featured a track from this LP (Headline News) in Week 49. It was back on the turntable again this week so I thought I'd play another track from it...."
"Thank you RPMers for another musical journey over the last 53 weeks. Looking forward to what 2023 will bring.
Here's my last three of the year..."
Cutty Wren by Johnny Flynn - "Another track from the new Six Signs: Six Songs EP which also ties in nicely with the end of the year theme."
The Crest The Coombe The Twitten by Richard Durrant - "Something from my favourite album of 2022."
Shout It Out by Skinny Lister - "One of my top acts from Folk in a Field 2022 and also the Skinny's A Matter of Life and Love album was one of my fave albums of the year."
'Til Next Year...