Welcome to the RPM Record Club Seven Day Soundtrack, week ending Friday 11th August 2023.....and we are joined this week by a new RPMer, David, a friend of Jayne and Piers, who sends his first three songs from the USA where he is travelling at the moment. Lovely to have you on board, David, and hope you enjoy the ride. Let's get going...over to...
"Looks like while I've been away there's been quite a lot of differing discussions going on!! I feel a bit left out really but, for what it's worth, on the cover/tribute band question I'd like to recommend (probably not for the first time) the musical 'All or nothing' which is the warts 'n all story of the Small Faces with four lads playing the part of the best mod band ever (surely) in the first part and, after a break, returning to the stage to blitz their way through a plethora of sixties cover versions............ all as good, if not better than some of the original versions. And then there's The Manfreds...... are they a tribute band to themselves or a natural progression when founder members move on? Yep they play 'cover versions', but of their own material (plus the covers they performed/recorded back in the day) and, crucially, still release 'new' material. The band includes 2/3 original members and regularly tour with 'guests' from their original era such as Mike D'Abo (another ex Manfred), Georgie Fame and Zoot Money to name but three. Yep, there's the inevitable 'crowd pleasing' singalong (the less than essential 'Sha la la') but that's more than balanced with, say, 'Smokestack Lightning' and other hard core blues numbers. And then there's the musicianship.......... a great night out for sixties 'pop' fans and also blues enthusiasts.
So, on to this week's goodies. three guitar heavy toons from the vinyl vaults here in Saham Toney."
Love- 'Love is more than words (or better late than never). (from 'Out Here' double LP released December 1969. Harvest label)
"After the release of the timeless classic 'Forever Changes' LP, Love became (even more of) an Arthur Lee and.... outfit and, certainly, the number of line up changes between 'FC' and 'Out Here', and the circumstances of members joining, leaving, and rejoining, are best left to interested RPM members own investigation. Suffice to say that, even this line-up was soon replaced by an entirely different crew whose initial recordings, despite their excellence, went unreleased for 30 years. Much of the blame rests with Lee's shenanigans with various record companies (with 29 tracks being touted around and, eventually, being released over three albums on three differing labels) and his inevitable run in with the police over his drug use, and the 'accidental' discharge of a loaded pistol at a party, which resulted in a six year prison sentence. Lead guitar here is courtesy of soon come member Gary Rowles."
Davie Allan and the Arrows- 'Nothing can change the shape of things to come' (from 'King Fuzz' compilation LP. US release 1989. Fuzzwalk label)
"I posted Slade's excellent cover version a few months ago, and I have the original by Max Forest and the Troopers on a CD somewhere, but here's the self styled 'King of Fuzz Guitar' with a track from the 'Wild in the streets' biker exploitation film. Inevitably, Mike Curb was involved as producer and this was just one of several cash in movies he made including 'The Wild Angels' featuring Peter Fonda and Nancy Sinatra."
Country Joe and the Fish- 'Section 43' (originally from 'Rag Baby' EP, private release 1966. This from reissue 'The first three EP's' released 1987. Sequel label)
"Recorded around the time the Pink Floyd Sound were struggling to master 'Louie Louie' and sounding not unlike a template for, say, 'Set the controls....' etc, Joe and the gang lay down some of the earliest recorded truly psychedelic music. Lead guitarist Barry Melton is still one of the most under-rated guitarists and this is an early example of his fine technique. The track, along with a couple of others from the EP series, were rerecorded for their first two albums and, excellent though they were, they couldn't hold a candle to the initial lo-fi recordings."
"I'll try to post more regularly, but rest assured I still read each week's missives and listen to selections.... great stuff always."
"It was very sad to hear the news on the radio this morning (Thursday) of the passing of Robbie Robertson. I switched the radio on halfway through the news item and for a while thought that it was Bob Dylan who had passed such was his importance to the existence and success of "The Band".
These were my selections for the second week of your Isolation Room innovation back in April 2020 and | thought that the first track would be worthy of a repeat in view of news of his passing and my accompanying selections are ones I still really like so I've left them in place this week too."
Robbie Robertson and a worldly selection of talent singing The Weight -
The Ballad of Curtis Loew by Lynyrd Skynyrd - "Lynyrd Skynyrd took personal exception to Neil Young's lyrics in his songs "Southern Man" and "Alabama" and responded in the lyrics of "Sweet Home Alabama" to Youngs songs. In fact both acts subsequently got on rather well, referencing one another warmly. I think that their rendition of this song from their album "Second Helping" underlines the fact that they were not a racist band and Neil Young strongly acknowledge that. (this link on youtube comes with dodgy spelling in places)"
Going Back Home by Wilko Johnson with Roger Daltrey - "Back then, when I first had this, I said "simply because it's Badass and shows how it ought to be done! If you don't tap your feet to this one you'd better check that your legs are still there". I stand by that remark! Wilco has also since left us.
"Here are 3 vaguely related Denver songs I listened to on my way up from Denver to Fort Collins."
O.D.d in Denver by Hank Williams Jr -
Don't Turn Me In by The Guy Forsyth Blues Band - "Guy Forsyth, my favourite Denver entertainer, decamped to Texas now."
"And of course, a John Denver song but I've always preferred this version..."
Some Days Are Diamonds (Some Days Are Stone) performed by Dick Feller -
"One of those artists that I thought that I remained ambivalent about (while she grew on me when I wasn’t looking)."
Don't Worry by Karine Polwart -
"I do try not to get mawkish, but here is a celebration of life from the man who worked in a carnival as an assistant in “The Freak Show’..."
Life Is A Carnival by The Band -
www.youtube.com/watch?v=-PuC7xyJsBQ
"Hi folks. Enjoyed your varied selections last week as ever. Here's me 3...trio of kickass women (+ band, in the case of Sprints). Take care all. Cheers!"
Fader by Roisin Murphy - "Joyous upbeat feel + a community parade."
Literary Mind by Sprints - "...thought I'd shared this before, apparently not."
(Yeah, you did...2022 7DS Week 36. Tim the archivist.)
Severed Crossed Fingers by St Vincent (Live at Austin City Limits) - "Boundless creativity + so much talent, can't get enough of her."
"Hi RPMers, I hope you're all fit and well...
Regarding Tim's question from a couple of weeks ago (when does a band become it’s own tribute act?), if I were to attempt an answer I would probably start with Nick Mason's Saucerful of Secrets... (saw them on the telly recently - very impressive). But, as only one original member is involved, it probably doesn't count. However, I would say, in the interest of brevity; when the creative juices run dry and they rely solely on their back catalogue. I think Dave summed it up perfectly with his comments last week. However, I think some bands genuinely believe in what they did at their peak and are very proud of their earlier achievements and have a desire to preserve that legacy. Of course, the filthy lucre comes into it also....
Here are three tracks I've listened to this week."
The One that Loves You by Dexys -
La Villa Strangiato by Rush -
Tears We Cry by The Vryll Society -
"Wishing everyone another week of good listening. My tracks this week are all tunes or links from the radio."
Sinner by The Last Dinner Party -
Lonely Scapa Flow performed by Fara - "...Song starts at 3.35."
The Faintest by Duotone + Kris Drever -
"Hi RPMers, hope all good. Looks like the summer is back for a bit. Here’s my 3 this week."
New York is Killing Me by Gil Scott-Heron -
If I Had No Wings by Lael Neale -
White Room by Mid-Air Thief -
"Felicitations RPM folk.
Interesting choice, John, in citing Saucerful of Secrets, but as you say, Nick Mason is the only Floyd member involved...it's not the whole of Floyd trying to relive past glories, so I'd say they haven't strictly speaking become their own tribute act. I'd also say they're not a tribute band in the sense I would think of an act being a tribute band, as they're not dressing up pretending to be Pink Floyd. I saw them when they played at Cambridge Corn Exchange in May 2019 and they were brilliant. Nick Mason also spoke to the audience to clarify his idea behind the project in a low key and intelligent manner explaining he just wanted to get out and play some of the really early Floyd material which hadn't seen the light of a stage for years. The Cambridge gig also had extra poignancy as Nick also spoke about Syd Barrett in the very town they'd all grown up in.
Anyway...onwards, and a bit of a mixture this week...."
If I Was The Priest by Bruce Springsteen - "Apparently this song was played by Springsteen when he auditioned for Columbia Records in 1972. Forty eight years later, he recorded it with the E Street band and included it on 2020s Letter To You album. Well worth the wait in my view."
St James Infirmary performed by Dudley Alexander and the Washboard Band - " Here's a rather nice release from Smithsonian Folkways Recordings; Playing For The Man At The Door: Field Recordings from the Collection of Mack McCormick, 1958-1971. There's plenty here to listen to....66 tracks covering a broad range of styles; blues, gospel, ragtime, dirges and various "unclassifiable" performances, it says here. This one caught my ear, a particularly hypnotic version of St James Infirmary. So far I haven't managed to get past about track 25, so I suspect this release will be featuring over the next few weeks."
Leitrim Fancy/Round The World For The Sport/Rip The Calico/Martin Wynne's/The Enchanted Lady/The Holy Land performed by The Bothy Band - "The mighty Bothy Band in full flow here with a jig and five reels from the Out Of The Wind, Into The Sun album of 1977...dug out this week to relearn the last tune of the set."
'Til Next Time...