Welcome to the RPM Seven Day Soundtrack, week ending Friday 7th February 2025. Here's this week's choices from the collective...over to...
"Three diverse tunes I came across this week whilst watching, reading and listening..."
Woman driver by The Pill -
Girls Like That by Custard -
Stars composed by Ēriks Ešenvalds, performed by the Choir of Trinity College, Cambridge -
"Hi RPMers, I'm a bit busy at the moment so no time for any words of wisdom... although all three tracks deserve a paragraph or two!"
Positively 4th Street by Bob Dylan -
Reality (Dub) by Capital Letters -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2xMHaoAWp4g
"Best wishes to you all."
"Three songs from forthcoming albums this week, the first two of which will be essential purchases for me, while the third is an independent production for which I don't know whether there will be a physical release (perhaps it depends on whether it is picked up by a company such as Thirty Tigers or Rounder for distribution?)."
Looks Like The End of The Road by Allison Krauss and Union Station - "...from "Arcadia"."
Bury Me by Jason Isbell - "...from "Foxes in the Snow," a solo acoustic album."
The Swimming Song performed by Joel Timmons - "A cover of Loudon Wainwright's much loved song, from an album whose title tells you all you need to know about where Mr. Timmons is coming from musically. It's called "Psychedelic Surf Country"."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cRHk6a636CA
"Best wishes to you and all RPMers."
"Dear RPMers, thanks for your music choices last week. My only live music this week was Colby T. Helms a young man from Rocky Mount, Virginia, one of the many states claiming to be the birthplace of country music (whatever that is ?)."
"So first up it's..."
Colby T. Helms with Mountain Brandy -
"Next..."
Jim and Jesse McReynolds with Are You Missing Me? -
"And finally....
The Steel Wheels with Rain in the Valley - "...which I may have selected previously."
https://youtube.com/watch?v=DfTYH5G3hm4&si=R90Ue35B0r7-TmNK
"That's All Folks."
"Hi folks...Jambo from my last week in Zanzibar. It's been an interesting trip, very mixed bag but happy to dance my face off to a local band tonight & forget all the stress.
Full disclosure - I haven't listened to any of these, just chose 3 Zanzabari bands."
Beauty of Zanzibar by Sipho Mabuse -
Very long titled song by Zanzibar Ambassadors Choir -
"I was looking for a nice version of ‘The Last March’, a tune written by the late Cape Breton musician John Morris Rankin whom I have only recently discovered. He never got around to recording ‘The Last March’ himself but after his death in 2000 the hand written manuscript was found amongst his effects by Howie MacDonald of The Rankin Family Band. Who are a bit sweet for my tastes (but I must learn not to be so prejudiced) - but It has since become a bit of a staple of the Celtic music world. I knew that Mairi Campbell had made a recording of it for one of her YouTube fiddle lessons.
Mairi Campbell is a very fine traditional fiddle player and I admit that I had narrow-mindedly pigeon holed her as such, but was pleasantly surprised when I realised how wrong I was when I gave her album a listen."
Home (Is Not What I've Left Behind) performed by Mairi Campbell -
The Last March performed by Breabach -
"There isn’t much of John Morris Rankin available to watch on YouTube. This clip is of pretty typical quality but though a bit rough, the fiddle playing of Howie MacDonald and JMR’s piano playing has so much vitality that it comes across and is well worth a listen."
John Morris Rankin & Howie MacDonald - "...playing a set of tunes."
www.youtube.com/watch?v=7UJ4hB19oyY
"It makes me wonder what JMR's version of The Last March would have sounded like..."
"Hi RPMers, hope everyone is well. Here’s my 3 for this week."
The Room Got Heavy by Yo La Tengo -
Hypersonic Super-Asterid by Mandrake Handshake -
Raoul by Snapped Ankles -
"Here's my week's musical trichotomy..."
Visions of Johanna by Bob Dylan - "Live at the Free Trade Hall, Manchester, May 17, 1966 and found on the Bootleg Series Vol. 4... the famous "Judas" gig...which wasn't the Newport Folk Festival as depicted in the new Dylan film, A Complete Unknown. This was a few months before the full band version came out on the very much over rated Blonde On Blonde double LP. The acoustic version here is way better....pity Bob didn't do it like this on Blonde On Blonde. And no, I'm not in the Bob-should've-stayed-acoustic-camp, I just think this song has way more impact with the sparse acoustic arrangement."
The Basque Set by Gavin Fairhall Lever - "They've been in Yorkshire last week and folks in Norfolk can catch them live this coming week at either Wells-Next-The Sea Maltings or Norwich Quaker Rooms. Recommended."
You'll Be Mine by Brògeal - "A bunch of young 'uns from Falkirk starting to make some waves. Britpop meets the Pogues...?"
'Til Next Time...