Welcome to the RPM Record Club Seven Day Soundtrack, week ending Friday 4th August 2023. The summer may well be looking like a wash out, but at least there's the weekly edition of 7DS to brighten up the weekend....and here's the new one; over to....
"I very much enjoyed last weeks comments and response between Philip and Tim regarding tribute versus cover bands. I'm much happier with a covers band to be honest. My niggle is bands that tour as a once famous name, but with the only link to the original being something like one member being a cousin of the girlfriend of the replacement drummer when the band split for the second time. (Hmmm, is this the answer to my question last week of when does a band become their own tribute.....? More from John and Dave below. Tim)
Here's my 3 for the week, with best wishes to everybody."
Come On In My Kitchen Eric Clapton -
She's About A Mover Sir Douglas Quintet -
All Around My Hat Steeleye Span -
"Hi folks. Hope you're all keeping well. I've been behind the RPM curve - with listening + discussion for a few weeks, lovely to catch up properly to the tunes and thought provoking ideas. I've included some aspects of my take on the covers/tributes chat + evolution in different directions in my selections this week.
The weather's been truly awful here lately, not least today - Tuesday 1st August. As soon as I hit send on this email I'm off to listen to some of the musicians performing for free in a marquee at the Morvah Pasty Day. Hantehir are headlining, yayy!
Gotta luv wild west Cornwall, a.k.a. Penwith where I live - the rain is pelting down + the winds are due to rise to 50mph, it's sure to be lively in the sodden marquee!
Comero weeth + yeghes da!"
The Trench Coat Museum by Yard Act - "Fab bassline, birrova mish mash - getting John Cooper Clarke/Sleaford Mods vibes from this; clever word smithery + hectic energy, skilfully delivered. I'm sure any similarity was unintentional, as opposed to cover/tribute/plagiarism malarkey.. so much cross fertilisation in music, who knows?"
"Next - an awesome, kickass track by Dublin punkers, luv their sound, work + energy.. (*warning*) disturbing video though..."
Adore Adore Adore by Sprints -
"And now for something completely different by 2 incredible artists, an utterly sweet + beguiling cover version. Delightful expressions and smirks from the singers during the video, just gorgeous. Less than zero's given for Eurotrash, but I included this clip as I liked the brief blurb from Dana, Sinead & Terry at the beginning. Kudos to Derry Lindsay + Jackie Graham for writing such a poetic song."
All Kinds of Everything by Sinead O'Connor + Terry Hall -
Bonus Track - "....please Tim, it's only short..
New York Transit Queen by Corinne Bailey Rae -
"This has been played on radio 6 recently a whole lot, and whyever not? It's fantastic (in my humble opinion), quite the pace + gear change (pun intended) from the sweet, bicycle riding, 'put your records on' lass. Channelling her inner Kathleen Hanna, perhaps?"
"Yesterday after being awakened by another downpour I pulled the duvet back over my head. Jayne and I went for a walk at Heydon with friends as there is a paved path and everywhere else would be too soggy underfoot. Luckily for us during our ramble the sun came out from behind the cloud for three minutes before the clouds closed again... believe it or not (believe it!) under the leaden skies Jayne even experimented with chewing raw, fresh cyanide. This week music has been my redemtion!"
Bluer by Over The Rhine -
Bright Morning Star by Ralph Stanley & The Clinch Mountain Boys -
Ballad Of Margaret Thatcher by Anto Morra -
"Here’s my picks. I’ll be travelling around the Lochs and Glens soon, so I thought a trio of Scottish artists would be my theme this week. Hope we get a bit more summer soon. Keep well everyone."
"This week's theme; 'keep on truckin''."
Six Days On The Road by Dave Dudley -
Eighteen Wheels and a Dozen Roses by Kathy Mattea -
Willin' by Little Feat - "There are no end of versions of this on YouTube, many of them superb, but I'm going with the original recording from Little Feat's first album, with the slide guitar part played by Ry Cooder. I prefer this version to that on "Sailin' Shoes," but I'm sure some folks will disagree."
"August already, and three-fifths of the way through this year’s RPM offerings. Thank youRPMers for your choices so far. Here are mine for this week."
The Gulf of Mexico by Steve Earle -
Hello In There by Billy Bragg, Natalie Merchant, Michael Stipe -
Saman (Sunrise Session II) by Ólafur Arnalds -
"Hi RPMers....my thoughts on Tim’s question...I feel when bands reform for the big pay days and no longer believe in what they are doing, then they become a parody of them selves. Here’s 3 tunes I have enjoyed this week."
Melody Day by Caribou -
Your Love Will Set You Free by Caribou -
Fire In My Heart by Super Furry Animals -
"Hi Everyone, I hope you're all keeping safe and well.
My comment about tribute acts a couple of weeks ago seemed to bring forth a number of good points on the subject from both Philip and Tim. Thanks to you both for giving such comprehensive answers....
I didn't present any of my own views when I posed the question but, retrospectively, I would like to make a couple of points.
On the matter of cloning, the band playing on the track that subsequently prompted the question (The T.O.P. Queens) are an all female band (give or take the odd guest vocalist or musician) whereas Tower Of Power (the band they are paying tribute to) are all male... There are tribute bands who play in the spirit of a particular band or artist without necessarily recreating everything note-for-note or wearing the right brand of boxing boots or the exact shade of eye-liner. Some play electric versions of acoustic songs and vice versa. In many cases musical virtuosity of the highest standard is the main aim and the visuals are way down on the list of priorities. There are a variety of ways singers and musicians can 'pay tribute' to an artist or band that they respect and admire without necessarily doing it for any other reason than having a genuine love for the music they are (re)creating or interpreting; which I personally think is the case with Springsteen.
Back in the good old days of The Oval Rockhouse in Norwich we had many a good night out to bands like Medicine Head and Wishbone Ash but also tribute bands like Limehouse Lizzy (superb) and Fakus Quo (ridiculous - but that was part of their charm; the wonky wigs were deliberate and added to the fun evening the band were trying to create). Both bands went down extremely well with their respective audiences.... because they ENTERTAINED!
And here lies the bottom line: Bowie fans will still go to see Jean Genie, fans of Free and Bad Company will go to watch Free At Last and people into The Smiths will go to a gig by The Smyths etc. because the will be entertained via a live experience of the music by a band they love; almost certainly cheaper and more conveniently than seeing the real thing. Especially if 'the real thing' hardly ever tours or has to fly over from another country or charge prohibitive amounts for tickets...or are dead. I have overheard audience members on one occasion as they were leaving a gig by a tribute band saying, 'Better than the real thing...'.
Moving on... tracks listened to this week include..."
Sleep That Burns by Be-Bop Deluxe -
Hold Out Your Hand by Chris Squire -
Nuclear Device by The Stranglers -
"Salutations RPM folk. A live gig and some interesting lots in an auction have kept me musically amused this week. Some of you may be aware of the TV show the Yorkshire Auction House...well, it's filmed at Ryedale Auctioneers just at the bottom of our high street. This month's antiques, interiors and collectables sale included some musical equipment and a record collection. The Damned New Rose, Neat, Neat, Neat and Cry Wolf singles got £70, the 7" single of Anachy In the UK by Sex Pistols sold for £200, a first pressing of Suspect Device by Stiff Little Fingers reached £340, Johnny Moped's Darling Let's Have Another baby went for £170 and Television Personalities 14th Floor single with the Santa Claus sleeve reached the dizzy heights of £500...there's some rich old punks out there, it seems. Bargain of the sale, I reckon, was a Trace Elliot GP11 1x15 bass combo which sold for only £30!!!...needed to be a body builder to lift the thing, though. A nice maple Kimbara Strat copy which I had my eye on sold for £210, which was more than I was willing to pay for what is essentially a 70s Japanese copy. An interesting afternoon, anyhow.
Let's start with a tune from the band I saw live this week at the Crescent in York....."
To Sick To Pray by Alabama 3 - "Excellent gig at the newly kitted out Crescent; new lighting and black background drapes. Slightly marred by a sound man who didn't think the vocals or lead instruments were important enough to be totally audible in the mix. Ho-hum....how do they keep their jobs?!"
This Weary Heart You Stole Away by The Stanley Brothers - "...a song referenced in Mark Billingham's From The Dead novel, his hero DI Tom Thorne being a country music fan. Not being familiar with the particular song, I had to give it a listen."
"Finishing off where I started as, other than the Stanley Brothers, Alabama 3 is all I've listened to this week. Here's a brand new one from the imminent new album."
Thank You by Alabama 3 -
'Til Next Time....