Billy Bragg, Echo & The Bunnymen, Velvet Underground

SMALL SCREEN GEMS (9): Echo & The Bunnymen & Billy Bragg – BBC2 (1986)

Ever wondered what it would look and sound like if some musicians, having taken full advantage of the hospitality on offer at the TV studio for a few hours beforehand, finally got the green light to perform just after 3am?

Rock Around The Clock was a great idea, worth the price of a TV licence on its own.  Once a year, beginning on a Saturday afternoon, the entire schedule of BBC 2 would, for 15 consecutive hours, be devoted to pop music in all its various guises.  There would be live concerts from various locations (one year, Glasgow Barrowlands was the venue for an afternoon show by Aztec Camera and an evening performance by The Cure)  interviews, feature films, videos (with the viewers being asked to call in and cast votes for their favourites from a long list) and studio performances, often of an unusual nature…..which is why the Bunnymen and Billy Bragg ended up performing a Velvet Underground song in the middle of the night when only the most deranged and craziest of fans were still wide awake and watching.  Yup, I was one of them.

There’s a number of YouTube locations that have this clip…..you’ll have spotted I’ve pinched this one from the Bunnymen/McCulloch channel.

mp3 : The Velvet Underground – Run Run Run
mp3 : Echo & The Bunnymen – Run Run Run (live in Gothenburg, 25 April 1985)

JC

Luggage

THE CULT CLASSICS :THE RE-RUNS (10)

24 February 2014.  This came from Seamus Duggan, who once upon a time wrote a blog called Vapour Trails, but there’s only been two posts since April 2018.

– – – – –

I couldn’t resist your call for people to act as advocates for their favourite (commercial) flops.

There are so very many of these that I almost gave up trying to sift through them until I thought of the following track:

mp3 : Luggage – Show Me Around

“Show me around the streets you made your name in”

For a brief moment it seemed that Luggage might escape the gravitation field projected by the commercial failure of the Dublin rock scene of the mid nineties. A John Peel session, half page interview in the Irish Times, the stirrings of something. And we fans and members of other Dublin bands knew that they had the songs and the class to make it.

Singer Barry O’Mahoney had been a performance poet and had a knack for twisting simple phrases into new shapes. Guitarist Joe Fahey had been in an early incarnation of MBV and peeled off chords like Mark Bolan in slow motion. Bass player Rachel Tighe had been in Backwards Into Paradise, another Dublin band with a cultish reputation. Drummer Cathal O’Reilly held it all together. They were a band, and continued to play for many years after this, with at least one album recorded but never released. However, they did release two E.P.’s, on 7″ vinyl and cd.

I have to admit to having an involvement here. For a while I was the manager of Luggage and it inspired me to form a band myself. I remember seeing them for the first time, going along with the expectation of being disappointed but being blown away. Had I been uninvolved I would have been a fan anyway. And if they were to make it, they certainly required a more competent manager than I was, and I had moved on by the time this came out.

When I first heard this song I thought it would be their hit. When I heard the recording I was even more sure. There was even a video.

(JC adds……sadly, when you click on the link from the post back in 2014, it now states ‘This video is no longer available because the YouTube account associated with this video has been terminated.’

But what do I know? The general public ignored it and it disappeared. However, it remains a regular on my turntable, iPod, laptop and cd player.

I have played it to many people. It is the lead track on a four track e.p. called Comical Life on the Blunt / Independent Records labels. Enough have shared my enthusiasm for me to feel justified in considering it a lost, cult classic.

“Show me around the nightclubs you collapsed in”

Cheers,

 

Seamus Duggan

Episode Four, Jesse Garon & The Desperadoes, Miaow, Servants

C86 : THE ULTIMATE SERIES (Parts 91, 92, 93, and 94 of 114)

Last time out, via Sign On The Line by The Fizzbombs, I gave a glowing reference to Edinburgh-based Nardonik Narodnik Records.  Well, here’s the very first single ever released by the label:-

mp3: Splashing Along – Jesse Garon and The Desperadoes

Track 4, Disc Two of C86 The Deluxe 3CD Edition

Jesse Garon and the Desperadoes were a big part of the Edinburgh music scene in the second half of the 80s, with almost all of their members being involved with other local bands at the same time.  The debut appeared in 1986 and was followed in 1987 by two further singles for Nardonik before the label folded.  The band decided to go DIY and set-up their own Velocity Records, on which there would be three singles in 1989, along with a compilation album, A Cabinet of Curiosities, which brought together all the songs thus far in one handy place.

A new Edinburgh label, Avalanche, which was connected to three independent record shops in the city, was established in 1990, and Jesse Garon & The Desperadoes gravitated towards it, releasing what turned out to be their final two singles and their sole album on the label in 1990 before deciding to split up.

I’ve long been fond of that rather wonderful jangly debut 45.

Miaow were from Manchester who released three singles between 1985 and 1987, and also recorded two sessions for John Peel.  The debut, Belle Vue, on their own Venus Records, led to a couple of things:-

mp3: Sport Most Royal – Miaow

Track 3, Side 2 of the C86 cassette and Track 11, Disc one of C86 The Deluxe 3CD Edition

The appearance on C86 further stirred up interest from Factory Records, although the irony being that if Miaow had been on the label prior to C86 being released, then it’s unlikely they would have made it onto the cassette given Factory’s reluctance to get involved.

Miaow signed to Factory in late 1986, but there would be just two singles – When It All Comes Down (FAC 179) in February 1987 and Break The Code (FAC 189) in October 1987.  All the songs on the three singles, along with Sport Most Royal, the two Peel Sessions and two demo songs for an intended album, would be rounded up and released on the compilation, When It All Comes Down, released on the boutique label, LTM Recordings.

Lead singer Cath Carroll would embark on a solo career in the 90s, with her first two singles and debut album being released on Factory.

Part of what I found when I was researching this one took my breath away.

Episode Four were a very short-lived quartet from the market town of Princes Risborough in Buckinghamshire, some 40 miles outside of London.  There was one 12″ single, released in 1987, on their own label which they named Lenin And McCarthy Records. This was the lead track:-

mp3: Strike Up Matches – Episode Four

Track 7, Disc Three of C86 The Deluxe 3CD Edition

Almost immediately after the release of the single, the band renamed themselves East Village, relocated to London and embarked on a career that would see five singles and an album released between 1988 and 1993.

The breathtaking moment? Seeing that the Episode Four 12″ single has an asking price of upwards of £300 on Discogs.  Seemingly, there were just 500 copies pressed and it is much sought after.

And completing what I think have been four excellent songs today:-

mp3 : The Sun, A Small Star – The Servants

Track 2, Disc 1 of CD86.

The Servants, from Hayes, just outside of London, went through three different line-ups in the six years they were together between 1985 and 1991. The one constant was their singer, guitarist and principal songwriter, David Westlake.

They were picked up by Head Records, a new label in London, and debut single She’s Always Hiding was released in March 1986.  An immediate invite came to contribute to the C86 cassette, and while the band, and in particular David Westlake wasn’t that keen, the label bosses were, particularly as it was such a new venture – The Servants debut 45 had also been the first release by the label. The compromise was that the b-side would be included on the cassette – so watch out for that in due course.

The band’s second single was The Sun, A Small Star, released in August 1986, and if you want my tuppence worth, it is one of the finest of the era.

Shortly afterwards, in December 1986, Luke Haines joined The Servants, and he would remain with the band until its eventual demise in 1991.  He would play on two singles, It’s My Turn (1989) and Look Like A Girl (1990), and on the albums Disinterest (1990) and Small Time, recorded in 1991 but not released until 2012.

David Westlake would later release three solo albums in 1987, 2002 and 2022.  I’m not quite sure what happened to Mr Haines…..

 

 

JC

 

Blur

THE SINGULAR ADVENTURES OF BLUR (Part 1)

Over many years, I’ve often used the Singular Adventures feature to fill a space on Sundays.  It actually didn’t start out purely as a Sunday feature – the first lot I tried to cover were James, beginning in November 2013 and featuring sporadically through to May 2015 when I finished it off with what was then their 28th single, Getting Away With It (All Messed Up).  Next up was Altered Images, again on different days of the week between May and July 2015. These were followed up with The Jam (July 2015 – November 2015) and The Style Council (December 2015 – March 2016), while Cinerama‘s 45s were initially posted between April and June 2016 before being given the deluxe treatment via a fantastic guest series by strangeways between May and July 2024.

The first actual Sundays only series was The Clash (10 January 2016 – 15 May 2016). Since then:-

Belle and Sebastian (22 May – 21 August 2016)
Buzzcocks (28 August – 20 November 2016)
The Undertones (27 November 2016 – 26 February 2017)
XTC (5 March – 29 October 2017)
New Order (5 November 2017 – 8 April 2018)
Paul Haig (7 October 2017- 17 March 2019)
Marc Almond (24 March – 16 June 2019)
‘Early’ Simple Minds (23 June – 1 August 2019)
The Auteurs/Luke Haines (8 August – 15 March 2020)
R.E.M. (a joint series with The Robster) (21 June 2020 – 6 June 2021)
The Fall (13 June 2021 – 26 June 2022)
Pet Shop Boys (22 January – 1 October 2023)
The Wedding Present (8 October 2023 – 23 February 2025)*
Super Furry Animals (a guest series by The Robster) (2 March – 21 September 2025)
Orange Juice/Edwyn Collins (28 September 2025 – 19 July 2026)
Magazine (26 July – 11 October 2026)

* series was interrupted by other regular features for Sundays

To the above list will now be added Blur. 

It’ll be a wee bit of a cheat every now and again (including today!!) as a number of their singles have previously featured as stand-alone pieces. Indeed, this one was quite recent, back on 21 April this year.

Am I alone on often forgetting that Blur‘s first single came before There’s No Other Way took them into the Top 1o in May 1991?

The debut dates from October 1990, and while many have suggested it is a great example of shoegaze, I’ve often felt that much of its sound, particularly the way Graham Coxon plays the guitar, tips a hat to The Charlatans whose debut album Some Friendly had hit the shops just seven days earlier.

mp3: Blur – She’s So High

The song, even all these years later, long remained part of the band’s setlists, which is perhaps their way of saying that they consider it to have very much stood the test of time.  They certainly seem more fond of it than There’s No Other Way, whose baggy sound hasn’t aged quite so well.

It is often forgotten that She’s So High was just one half of a double-A single on 7″ vinyl, along with this:-

mp3: Blur – I Know

Possibly the most Madchester sounding song ever to have come out of London.

Interestingly, a slightly extended version of She’s So High would be the opening track on debut album Leisure, which was released the best part of a year later in August 1991, but I Know was left off altogether.

It reached #48 in the UK singles chart.

JC

 

Pooches

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #528: THE POOCHES

The 800 song rundown last month featured an offering from U.S. Highball.

It’s two members are James Hindle and Calvin Halliday, who were previously part of Glasgow-based indie-pop (with the emphasis on pop) band The Pooches, alongside Andy Kelly and Gavin Cormack.

There were a handful of singles, EPs and albums released between 2015 and 2017, including this extremely rare lathe-cut 5″ single:-

mp3: The Pooches – Rats & Rats

Just 40 copies were pressed for the Super Fan 99 label in 2017.  My copy of this rather pleasant and catchy song comes from its inclusion on the Indietracks Compilation of that same year.

 

 

 

JC

 

Fictive Fridays, Various

FICTIVE FRIDAYS : #25

a guest series, courtesy of a very friendly lawyer

THE UNHEARD MUSIC

Here’s a set of songs that I absolutely love and no one’s ever heard. Some arrived in the collection from free downloads or CD samplers when those were a thing. Some I knew back in the day and chased down after music hit the Interwebs. Others I’ve had so long I can’t remember where they came from. All I know is that, when I include one in a mix or pass one on to a friend, the response is always the same: “What a great song! I never heard of this band before!”

As a precaution, I searched through the site and determined that not only did none of these artists feature in JC’s titanic 800 song countdown—they have never appeared on TVV at all! And to make sure they’re not great recent songs that folks just haven’t gotten around to checking out yet, every one of them is at least 10 years old, and most are double that.

Have you got a pet band or song that no one knows about? If you do, list it in the comments. We can have an audience participation Fictive Friday made up of unheard songs from the good folks that frequent this corner of the ‘net.

Standing By – The Actual Tigers.

This Seattle band was formed in the 90’s and was originally called Willis after the Diff’rent Strokes (American sitcom) character. They got signed by Capitol, changed their name, and released one album, Gravelled and Green in 2001. Then they disappeared.

Don’t Come Back – Comateens.

This trio made their way around the NYC scene in the early 80’s. Folks like Echorich would remember them playing at Danceteria and would have heard this song in the clubs. From their third and final LP, 1984’s Deal With It. Sadly, they folded in 1985 and guitarist Oliver North died of a heroin overdose two years later.

Wah-Hey! – The Turbines.

Goldie went to graduate school in Boston in the 80’s, exactly when The Turbines got together. She remembers dancing to it down The Rat and other local dives. I’d never heard it and Goldie couldn’t remember the name of the band. When the Internet arrived I did some digging, learned the band name and its songwriter, John Horvoka. I found the guy still living in Boston, selling insurance or whatever. He was really chuffed to be contacted by a fan and cheerfully mailed me a copy of this 7” single, their only one, released on Arf! Arf! Records in 1984.

At The Mall – Mommyheads.

This song was on a compilation put out by Simple Machine Records, the home of indie bands like Velocity Girl and Tsunami. Can’t figure out if they were from NYC or San Francisco, but they released a few records on a few labels in the 90’s. They reformed at some point and released more records, but I haven’t heard any.

Patient Patient – The Morning Benders.

This was a great quartet out of Berkeley, California. I saw them with the kids a couple of times, and young Sam struck up a digital correspondence with bandleader Chris Chu after meeting him when the band opened for Supergrass at the Avalon here in L.A. This is an album track from their 2008 debut, Talking Through Tin Cans. They released another album in 2010, then moved to Brooklyn and morphed into a forgettable band called POP ETC.

Questions – Papas Fritas.

The band name translates to “French fries,” but it’s also a homonym for “Pop Has Freed Us,” the name of their publishing company. They released three perfect records and then called it a day to pursue graduate degrees. This is an album side off their third and final LP, 2000’s Buildings and Grounds. I love it so much that I once wrote to the guitarist/songwriter, Tony Goddess, to ask what the chords were. He was about as happy to be remembered as John Horvoka and sent me a chord chart and a nice note. A song so hooky it should originally have been dedicated to Linear Tracking Brian, so let’s do that now.

Learned My Lessons – Jenny O.

Another tune whose source I don’t remember by an artist I know nothing about. Wiki tells me that Jenny O. grew up on Long Island, like I did, and that she’s released a few albums. This tune is off her first, Automechanic, released in 2013. It’s a solid little song, but her harmonies are so beautiful they take it to another level.

If You Don’t Love Me (I’ll Kill Myself) – Pete Droge.

Cheating a little here because I think my bandmate Dr. Dave knows Pete Droge, or at least has heard the song. Not sure about that, but no one else seems to have heard of him. This song is from his debut album, Necktie Second, from 1994. Mr. Droge worked with guys like Pete Stroud and Matthew Sweet, but I don’t know any of their music.

Everything You Give Me Breaks – Godstar.

This band named themselves after a song by Psychic TV. They’re Australian. This tune appeared on their 1993 album Sleeper. They released another one and broke up circa 1995. That’s everything I got on Godstar.

Sister Ray Charles – JC Brooks & The Uptown Sound.

Crank up this track if you want to get a party started. Now known as JC Brooks Band, these Chicago soul merchants have been at it since 2007 and are still active. This banger is from their second LP, Want More, released in 2011. They haven’t released a record in 10 years, but they’re still a going concern.

Bonus Track: The Unheard Music – X.

Everyone’s familiar with Los Angeles, X’s debut on Slash Records back in 1980. But this album track is where today’s post gets its name, so let’s give it a spin. And remember to hit me up with your own unheard music.

 

Jonny

 

 

 

A Riot Of Colour, A Witness, Fizzbombs, King of the Slums

C86 : THE ULTIMATE SERIES (Parts 87, 88, 89, and 90 of 114)

A Witness, from Stockport in Greater Manchester, were initially active between 1982 and 1989, and then again in 2014.

They released four singles/EPs and one album, with the first four releases coming out on Ron Johnson Records between 1985 and 1989, with the final EP being issued on Vinyl Drip, the label owned by John Robb of The Membranes.  There were also four sessions for John Peel.  If I mention that they initially used a drum machine through to late 1986, but this was replaced by a former member of bIG*fLAME, then you might have an idea of what they sound like.

mp3: Sharpened Sticks – A Witness

Track 9, Side 1 of the C86 cassette and Track 9, Disc one of C86 The Deluxe 3CD Edition

Yup…another of the surprise inclusions on the C86 cassette, but as is probably becoming clear, the compilers had quite a soft spot for bands on Ron Johnson Records.

It would, later in the year, be included on the band’s debut album, I Am John’s Pancreas.  This had been released on a debut EP, Loudhailer Songs, that had reached #9 on the Indie Chart.  The album would reach #18.

The band came to a sudden and sad end in 1989 when guitarist Rick Aitken died, aged 33, while rock climbing in Scotland.  The band broke up immediately and their final single on Vinyl Drip, was a posthumous release.  To mark the 25th anniversary of the death of Rick Aitken, founder member and bass player Vince Hunt assembled a new line-up of A Witness to perform some live dates. This included appearances at the launch of the re-released NME C-86 album in London and a tribute to John Peel event alongside The Nightingales, Blue Orchids, Inca Babies, The Wolfhounds and Ted Chippington.

The Fizzbombs were a short-lived four-piece from Edinburgh, who released one flexi and two singles in 1987/88.

Their debut single was released on Nardonik Records, a level set-up by Eddie Connolly, formerly of Meat Whiplash (see part 21 of this series), that would in some sense be Edinburgh’s equivalent of Postcard in that there were only a small number of releases – six in total – but the quality would always be high.

mp3: Sign On The Line – Fizzbombs

Track 6, Disc 2 of CD86

It was the third single to appear on Nardonik, and it was released in early 1987.  By the time The Fizzbombs were ready to record a follow-up, circumstances surrounding  university education had seen two members leave both city and the group, including lead vocalist Katy McCullars.  The second release, on the London-based Calculus Records, wasn’t well received and so the remaining members called it a day.

A Riot of Colour were from London, and their entire recording output amounts to one 7″ flexidisc and two 12″ singles

The debut, unsurprisingly, was the flexidisc in 1986:-

mp3: Skink (flexi version) – A Riot Of Colour

Track 23, Disc Two of C86 The Deluxe 3CD Edition

The flexi got reviewed positively in one of the weekly music papers, It got played by John Peel who liked it so much that a session was offered to the band.  Shortly afterwards Dan Treacy got in touch and offered to release their next single on Dreamworld Records.  The four songs were recorded in the summer of 1986 but the eponymous EP, which included a re-recording of Skink, wasn’t actually released until April 1987, by which time the momentum and a fair amount of enthusiasm had been lost.

It would be 1989 before the band’s second EP, Swallow, was released, this time on the Cambridge-based label, Everlasting which came and went in just over a year (talk about being ironically named). A Riot Of Colour decided to quit shortly afterwards.

King Of The Slums, from Manchester, were initially active between 1986 and 1991, and then again from 2009 to 2021

The debut single came out on their own S.L.R. Records in 1986.  It has been described elsewhere as a demented and thrilling offering that showcased the band’s experimental blend of distorted violin, raw guitar and almost impenetrable vocals. Don’t say you haven’t been warned!

mp3: Spider Psychiatry – King Of The Slums

Track 10, Disc Three of C86 The Deluxe 3CD Edition

There would be three singles in 1988, all on Manchester-label Play Hard Records, while 1989/90 would bring three singles and an album via the Midnight Music label, and then just prior to breaking up, there would be one single and one album on Cherry Red Records.

After an 18-year hiatus, the band got back together, and having resurrected S.L.R. Records, would release four albums between 2009 and 2020, and an EP in 2019.  The death of the band’s singer, Charlie Keigher, in November 2021 after a long fight against illness, brought an end to King of The Slums.

 

 

JC

 

Book Reviews

BOOK OF THE MONTH : OCTOBER 2026 : ‘FRIDAY NIGHT FEVER : INSIDE THE CULT OF HALF MAN HALF BISCUIT’ by STEVE HILL

Route Publishing have been responsible for some of the best music books of the past decade, particularly those with some connection or other to The Fall.  I was therefore really excited last year to receive an e-mail advising that plans were in place to publish what would be the first book looking in some detail at Half Man Half Biscuit. The email came with an invitation to pre-order the book, which would be stamped/numbered as a first edition hardback, signed by the author and posted out just ahead of it reaching the shops.

This was something I’d done previously done with ‘You Must Get Them All : The Fall On Record’, a wonderfully pulled together 650+page book written by Steve Pringle, and published in 2022, that proved to be as enjoyably entertaining as it was informative, and so I’d no hesitation in signing up for the HMHB offering.

Steve Hill is a freelance writer and author whose name was familiar to me from articles he’s had published on football, and having also googled his name, I found an excellent article he’s written on the band for The Guardian back in 2022, so it seemed as if he was the ideal person for the task.

The publishers have provided this premise for the book:-

“Half Man Half Biscuit occupy a unique place in British culture. Existing largely outside the music business, this idiosyncratic Birkenhead band has flown under the radar for over four decades. Without embarking on anything that could realistically be described as a tour, they have nevertheless garnered an army of adoring followers. This is one fan’s story.

“Biscuit concerts are supremely joyous occasions, with disparate devotees often travelling huge distances to far-flung locations. United by their love of the band, some of the hardcore never miss a show. Following the enforced pandemic hiatus, author Steve Hill made the life changing decision to join these Ultras and go full-time.

“Round Britain in a Dukla Prague away kit – from Somerset to Scotland and all points in between – Friday Night Fever is a raucous road trip: one man, one band, 25 gigs. But beyond the jocularity and Joy Division oven gloves, there is a poignant exploration of the lives touched by this most beloved national treasure.”

The book is a mixture of road trip and gig-going experiences.  The gigs, which were mostly held on Friday nights, started and ended in Holmfirth, from 12 November 2021 through to 21 June 2024.  Along the way, we get introduced to what can best be described as the HMHB ultras, those who traverse the country following the band, always wearing band t-shirts or turning up in outfits celebrating song titles or incidents and locations within the lyrics.  These folk, and they are mostly men, are fanatics in the truest sense of the word, so fair play to Steve Hill for throwing himself in.

However, and I say this with a very heavy heart as I was keen in advance to be incredibly positive about the book, I found much of it to be a bit of a chore.

Each gig has its own chapter, but they soon felt quite predictable in nature, with descriptions of motorway journeys, crap/cheap hotel rooms, getting drunk pre-gigs and eating all sorts of takeaway foods to help soak up the booze, followed by the gigs themselves.  It’s true that a cast of many dozens are introduced as the journeys unfold, and some of these fans do indeed have tales that are worth hearing about, but overall I found myself wishing there was just something more substantial to the adventure.

Nigel Blackwell, the singer and lead songwriter in the band, features a fair bit through his interactions with the author, either by e-mail or in conversation.  Nigel is famously reticent about ever revealing too much about himself, and while there are a few snippets of info that are more than worthwhile, I didn’t think that anyone reading the book would consider they ever got inside the cult of the band, although it is very fair to say that you do end up with an understanding of why some people, many of whom are, shall we say, advanced in their ages, are prepared to devote so much time, energy and finance to ensure they never miss a gig, no matter where and when it takes place.

mp3: Half Man Half Biscuit – Bad Review

Sorry, Steve.

 

 

JC

Annie and The Wolves

ANNIE AND THE WOLVES

A GUEST POSTING from STRANGEWAYS

Welcome to a post connected with a tragic story, but one that seeks to celebrate, via a pop song, a young life. In writing this piece, where there was opportunity for some levity, it has been taken.

It’s useful to begin by stating I’m a fan of true crime media: books and documentaries, dramas and films. As you’ll know, the quality of these outputs varies wildly and is dictated, I’d suggest, by factors including budgets and production values, platforms and publishers, the distance, or otherwise, of time, and the intent of the creator(s).
True crime stories and events are also of course ripe for exploitation. Many a book or broadcast has aimed low, either frequently leaping across the line between information and entertainment, or simply not considering it at all.

Happily, a documentary I found on the BBC’s iPlayer documents a case in the most respectful and informative way. It is called Body on the Beach: What Happened to Annie? and is led by the journalist Hazel Martin, a tenacious investigator and engaging presenter.

The subject of the four episodes in the series is the December 2005 death of a thirty-year-old Swedish woman Annie Börjesson, from Tibro, in the west of that nation. Annie’s body was discovered on the beach at Prestwick, a town – like many a location in proximity to a larger neighbour – forever doomed to an unofficial renaming: in this case ‘Prestwick Near Glasgow’.

That said, here in Scotland, even if you’re not from Prestwick, it’s quite likely that you’ll know a couple of things about the place that it can truly claim as its own:

#1. Most thrillingly, Prestwick enjoys the fact that it is the only undisputed UK location visited by Elvis Presley. This curious event occurred on March 2nd 1960 – a Wednesday – when the then Sergeant Presley’s military aeroplane – a Douglas DC-7 – took a refuelling breather at the town’s airport. Despite the facility operating as a US military base at that time, the King was subsequently mobbed, on the tarmac, by in-the-know fans: an invasion the Americans wisely and uncharacteristically declined to involve themselves in defusing.

Now, and since that day in March 1960, any Scot, anywhere in the UK, can staple onto any civic argument or dispute this tale, and win the day: “You’re correct of course. London has the world’s oldest underground transport system. However, Elvis Presley did not visit the capital, electing instead to land in Prestwick Near Glasgow, South Ayrshire.”

#2. Although somewhat spoiled by the fact above, the second commonly known thing is that Prestwick boasts its own airport. And no, it isn’t named Prestwick Elvis Presley, but is named Glasgow Prestwick. I like to think its IATA identifier – PIK – stands for Presley Is King.

Of further note is that for a time in the mid-2000s the airport’s slogan was ‘Pure dead brilliant’ – an exclamation/phrase attributed to the west of Scotland, yet a thing no native or visitor has ever actually heard anyone express authentically or unironically. Its use did though add further to PIK’s place in history, marking it as the world’s only airport comfortable with prominently and frequently employing the word ‘dead’ in its branding and marketing communications.

Back to the documentary though – and its appearance on this music blog. Across the programmes Hazel Martin, via both her own research and vox pops from Annie’s family and friends, is careful to reveal Annie the person as opposed to, exclusively, Annie the victim.

She, Annie, loved Scotland and held a job in Edinburgh at the city’s Scotch Whisky Experience attraction. She liked rugby and clubbing, and owned a mean-looking Harley Davidson motorbike. A passion for travel is revealed too, and for dancing, and singing and music. Connected to these, the opening of each of the documentary’s episodes is soundtracked by a song that clicked immediately with me. Next, after no small amount of detective work, I discovered that the tune is called Ticke-Tacke, that the singing voice belonged to Annie herself, and that it was played by her own band: Annie and the Wolves.

Information on the group is patchy at best, and I was really lucky to even locate – and pinch – a recording of Ticke-Tacke (from what I gather the title translates as ‘Tick-Tock’ – as in the sound a clock makes).

I think blog readers who like a bit of twee pop might appreciate Annie’s delivery – it has a kind of really appealing bratty nature. Added to this, the song itself benefits from a delicious melody and little harmonica parts that for some might conjure up splats of The Smiths and The Housemartins. Maybe some of you will enjoy it as much as I do.

mp3: Annie and The Wolves – Ticke-Tacke

To finish up, today the cause of Annie’s death remains disputed. What Police Scotland insists is the story opposes the views of Annie’s family and friends, as well as experienced medical practitioners who have been consulted.

This blog post, celebrating a fine song, is not the place for speculation or debate though. The case details have been purposefully omitted. And besides, interested parties can watch the documentary – it examines the tragedy respectfully and in detail, and with the ultimate aim of revealing what happened to Annie. Instead, this piece has been written with respect and – to be honest – to lend exposure to what I think is a terrific wee tune that deserves to be heard.

Thanks, as ever, to Jim for the space, and to you for reading, and of course to Annie and her Wolves for the song.

 

 

STRANGEWAYS

Pixies

THE 12″ LUCKY DIP (40): Pixies – Digging For Fire

Here’s one that might be a wee treat…….

mp3: Pixies – Dig For Fire (single version)

It was the follow-up to Velouria, which in July 1990 had given Pixies their first ever Top 30 hit in the UK.  It was the second single lifted from the album Bossanova which itself had gone Top 3 in August 1990.

Rather strangely, given the band were at the height of their commercial success in the UK, Dig For Fire stalled at #62 when it was released in November 1990.  I suspect many fans chose not to buy the single as they’d already shelled out on the parent album – I’ll hold my hand up as being that type of fan at a time when money was a bit tight.

What I didn’t know, and indeed didn’t find out until decades later when I picked up a second-hand copy, was that the version issued as a single was a very different remix from that found on the album.  I’m not sure if it’s ever been made available elsewhere  – certainly the version to be found on the Death to The Pixies compilation that was released in 1997 contains the album version, and judging by the timings provided on Discogs for the 2004 compilation Best of Pixies (Wave of Mutilation), it again appears to contain the album version.   But then again, I’ve never bought any of the re-releases in recent years, and it might well have popped up somewhere.

I’m kind of kicking myself that it’s taken so long to post this version.  It was probably about 15 years ago that I picked up my copy and I remember playing it and going ‘oh!!!!’.  But I don’t appear to have ever converted it to any sort of mp3, and that was probably as much to already having the other three songs via my copy of the Complete B-sides CD that had come out in 2001.

Better late than never!!!

mp3: Pixies – Velvety (Instrumental Version)
mp3: Pixies – Winterlong
mp3: Pixies – Santo

As Frank Black explains in the notes that came with the 2001 b-sides compilation, the title Velvety (Instrumental Version) implies that there was a version with lyrics, but there never was, and he thinks he wrote it when he was about 15.  Winterlong was always one of his favourite Neil Young songs, and was probably recorded at 5am, like most Pixies b-sides.  As for Santo, this was a track, among a handful of others, recorded at a little studio in the basement of a hairdresser shop, presumably in Boston.

 

JC

#magazine45s

THE SINGULAR ADVENTURES OF MAGAZINE (11)

The Light Pours Out Of Me/The Anti Hero (OMNI-RSB1) : Released May 2022 on 7″

Anti-Wire would go on to issue two more bits of vinyl for Record Store Day 2016 and Record Store Day 2017.

The first of these, a 12″ release, made available on 16 April 2016, was called Once@The Academy, and consisted of five songs – The Light Pours Out Of Me, Permafrost, Twenty Years Ago, Definitive Gaze and Thank You (Falettinme Be Mice Elf Agin) – as recorded at the two shows Magazine played at the Manchester Academy on 14 and 17 February 2009.

The second was also a 12″ release, made available on 22 April 2017. It was called Old World Charm (BBC Electric Proms), and consisted of six songs – Shot By Both Sides, Rhythm of Cruelty, A Song From Under The Floorboards, Sweetheart Contract and I Love You You Big Dummy – as recorded on 22 October 2009 when Magazine played the BBC Electric Proms at the Roundhouse in London.

And then, in May 2022, there came a bit of an unusual release.

The Light Pours Out Of Me – The Authorised Biography of John McGeoch, written by Rory Sullivan-Burke, was published in May 2022 by Omnibus Books.  It’s a superb read, and it’s been a bit of an oversight on my part not to have reviewed it on TVV.

A 7″ single was pressed to be part of a limited and signed slipcase edition of the book, consisting of these two tracks:-

mp3: Magazine – The Light Pours Out Of Me (live at The Russell Club, Manchester, 1980)
mp3: Dave Formula – The Anti-Hero (featuring John McGeoch)

I didn’t buy the slipcase edition of the book, but to my astonishment and delight, while pulling this series together back in July, I found a copy for sale on Discogs direct from Anti-Wire, seemingly one that was part of a very small stock overrun back in 2022.  And the asking price was very reasonable.

The Magazine track is from the same show that supplied the live tracks that came with the extra 7″ single with Sweetheart Contract back in 1980 (see Part 8 of the series), and The Anti-Hero is one I referred to last week, being the track Dave Formula put together for his 2007 solo album, Satellite Sweetheart, on which he used John McGeoch’s voice from a previously unreleased track from their time together in Visage to create a new song.

And that brings to an end what was a short(ish) series of 11 parts plus an interlude, but which featured singles releases between 1978 and 2022. I hope you’ve enjoyed reading it as much as I’ve enjoyed writing it.

 

 

JC

Policecat

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #527: POLICECAT

Policecat emerged out of Edinburgh in 1994.

The initial members were Gordon Kilgour (vocals/guitar), Jonathan Kilgour (vocals/guitar), Katrina Dixon (drums) and John Harrington (bass).  Their first two singles in 94/95 came out on the then very underground and largely unknown Domino Records, after which they recorded for Creeping Bent Records, with two split-singles emerging in 1997 and 1998.  The band would also record a Peel Session in 1997, by which time Yvonne Slaven (keyboards) had joined, while Katrina Dixon had departed and been replaced as drummer by Scott Hall.

They then signed to American label, Fantastic Records, for who there was one single in late 1998 before they split up.

mp3: Policecat – Dark Holiday

This is the second of the split 45s for Creeping Bent, released in June 1998.  It had previously been recorded for the above-mentioned Peel Session, which was broadcast on 31 July 1997.

 

 

JC

 

Squeeze

THE 7″ LUCKY DIP (51) : Squeeze – Another Nail In My Heart

I’m still trying to get back up the same levels of energy and enthusiasm associated with pulling together the 800 songs series.  So, if you don’t mind, here’s a repeat of the words used in the Squeeze ICA (#334), back in March 2023:-

One of the main strengths of Glenn Difford and Chris Tilbrook as songwriters was their ability to marry up catchy music with lyrics that told stories. In this instance, Tilbrook came up with the tune, making use of a moog synth all the way through as well as a classic ‘tennis racquet’ guitar solo straight after the first chorus, while Difford sings of a failed romance while putting all the blame on himself.

mp3: Squeeze – Another Nail In My Heart

It reached #17 in March 1980, and history will show that only four other Squeeze 45s performed better – Cool For Cats (#2), Up The Junction (#2), Labelled With Love (#4) and Hourglass (#16).   If this had been the subject of a quiz question, I’ll admit I’d never have come up with the fourth song on that list.

The b-side is one that, from its opening notes, can be identified immediately as a Jools Holland composition.  And that’s before he croons some ten seconds in:-

mp3: Squeeze – Pretty Thing

It’s perfectly understandable why Difford and Tillbrook consistently turned down the pianist’s requests to be allowed to write the A-sides.

 

 

JC

Swervedriver

THE CULT CLASSICS :THE RE-RUNS (9)

16 February 2014.  This came from Craig Neale, getting in touch all the way from New Zealand.

– – – – –

Great idea for a series JC, hope you get some more contributions.

I’ve agonised over it for ages – (would’ve done ‘Revolutionary Spirit’ if you hadn’t – great choice) thought of some classic songs but found they weren’t released as singles, or weren’t the a-side, thought of others but couldn’t think of anything to write, so have gone with ‘Son of Mustang Ford’ by Swervedriver.

I really love this band, and this, their first single put out in 1990 is one of my ‘wow!’ songs… yes, I have a playlist on my ipod labelled ‘wow songs’, which as the name suggests are all songs that i thought “wow!” when i first heard them – my variation on the ‘desert island discs’-type lists people make… not necessarily my favourite songs of all time, or even my favourite track by that artist (i restricted it to one song per band) they just all knocked my socks off!

Anyway, the first time I heard this song was the classic cliche – browsing in a record shop, it came on (very loud), I ran up to the desk asking who is this? what’s it called, I’ll buy it, what else have they done? (which unfortunately at the time was nothing, but this kept me going till their next one ‘Rave Down’, which was also a ripper, came out) raced home to listen to it again and was rapt to find the b-sides were awesome too. these guys were doing exactly what my band at the time were trying to do (only much, much better) – they seemed to be a perfect blend of most of the influences we were trying to incorporate into our sound: my bloody valentine/sonic youth/dinosaur jr/cyberpunk/J G Ballard novels/road movies etc … great stuff!

Hailing from Oxford, they released 4 albums and various ep’s/singles (another of those bands noted for the quality of their b-sides), split up in 1999 and did solo/side projects, then reformed in 2008 and are still playing. a really good live band, I saw them with a friend who was only familiar with their first album ‘Raise’.

They played ‘Son of Mustang Ford’ as an encore, after which my friend said “How do they top that!”. They then launched into a scorching version of ‘Kill the Superheroes’, after which i said “That’s how!!!”

I hope at least some of you might enjoy these

mp3 : Swervedriver – Son Of Mustang Ford
mp3 : Swervedriver – Volcano Trash
mp3 : Swervedriver – Kill The Superheroes
mp3 : Swervedriver – Juggernaut Rides

Cheers,

Craig

One Dove

THE CD SINGLE LUCKY DIP (38) : One Dove – Why Don’t You Take Me

I’ve pulled this one off the shelf partly to add my own very belated tribute to the late Dolly Parton.

There were countless words across all forms of media in the days and weeks after the country superstar passed away on 25 August, but I don’t think I read anything better than that pulled together by Jez over at A History of Dubious Taste.

I can’t claim to be an expert on the songs written and/or performed by Dolly Parton, and I certainly don’t own any of her singles or albums.  I do have a couple of covers of Jolene, one being on vinyl courtesy of the 7″ cover version back in 1985 by Strawberry Switchblade, while the other is an additional track on the very last single released by One Dove in the final week of 1993.

mp3 : One Dove – Jolene

One Dove are one of those bands whose reputation and legacy seems to grow with the passing of time, with many looking back with huge fondness to 1993.  There was just the one album, Morning White Dove, containing eleven tracks, but just eight different songs as three of the tracks were remixes.  Five of the songs were released as singles.  The most revered, and timeless, has proved to be White Love, and such is the way it is written and talked about more than 30 years on that it is kind of hard to equate it with the fact that it spent just three weeks in the singles chart, peaking at #43 in August 1993, with the parent album reaching #30 during at two-week stay the following month.

A lot of the end of the year write-ups praised the album, so it was no real surprise that, between Christmas and New Year, Why Don’t You Take Me was released as a single ,and it made its way into the charts in January 1994, reaching #30.

mp3: One Dove – Why Don’t You Take Me

There was one slight difference with this release in that the original trio in the band – Dot Allison, Ian Carmichael and Jim McKinven – were joined by two new members, Colin McIlroy and Ed Higgins, both of whom played on Jolene and the other tracks on the single:-

mp3: One Dove – Skanga
mp3: One Dove – Why Don’t You Take Me (Rank Outsiders Mix)
mp3: One Dove – Untitled

The five musicians did, later in 1994, go back into the studio to begin work on a proposed second album, but nothing came of it and One Dove split up.

 

JC

Auctioneers, Bogshed, Razorcuts, Shop Assistants

C86 : THE ULTIMATE SERIES (Parts 83, 84, 85, and 86 of 114)

Bogshed, from Hebden Bridge in Yorkshire, were active between 1984 and 1988, during which they released four singles/EPs and two albums. There were also five John Peel sessions, such was the late DJs fondness for their idiosyncratic musical style.  The band’s lead singer, Phil Bryson, once explained their approach to songwriting –  “We start out being totally out of order and out of key, and we turn things like that into a pop song. Most people try to do it the other way round.”

The first EP, Let Them Eat Bogshed, was issued on John Robb‘s Vinyl Drip Records in 1985 and reached #8 on the Indie Chart.  They then established their own label, Shelfish Records, and all five of their later recordings would come out via that imprint.

mp3: Run To The Temple – Bogshed

Track 8, Side 1 of the C86 cassette and Track 8, Disc one of C86 The Deluxe 3CD Edition

Yup.  Bogshed were part of the original cassette, while being as far removed from the jangly sounds of pop as can be imagined.  Run To The Temple was later released on  Bogshed’s debut album, a record that got to #4 on the Indie Chart in late 1986.

 

Razorcuts, as mentioned before, formed in London in 1984.  They would break up in 1990, leaving a legacy of two flexidiscs, four singles and two albums.  The third single, I Heard You First Time, released on the short-lived London label Flying Nun UK in 1987, is the one that I have more time for than most of the other songs of theirs that I know of. Sadly, it wasn’t included on either the CD86 release in 2006 or the 3CD extended take on C86 that came out in 2014.  This, however, was:-

mp3: Sad Kaleidoscope – Razorcuts

Track 4, Disc Three of C86 The Deluxe 3CD Edition

This was actually the band’s first ever release, courtesy of being on one half of a flexidisc given away with Issue 5 of The Legend! fanzine in 1986.

The story of Shop Assistants was told last time out within Part 54 of this series.

Their third single, in 1986, was the first ever release on what was a newly-established Edinburgh label, 53rd & 3rd.  It had the catalogue number of AGARR 1.  AGARR was short for ‘As Good As Ramones Records’

mp3: Safety Net – Shop Assistants

Track 10, Disc 2 of CD86

It sounds just as marvellous today as it did all those years ago.  It proved to be their only recording for 53rd & 3rd as Shop Assistants were grabbed by Geoff Travis and signed to the Blue Guitar/Chrysalis two-headed monster.   53rd & 3rd Records  would continue through to 1992, with BMX Bandits, The Vaselines, Talulah Gosh, Beat Happening, The Pooh Sticks and The Boy Hairdressers being among the bands involved.

mp3: Scoop – The Auctioneers

Track 22, Disc Three of C86 The Deluxe 3CD Edition

There’s actually a bit of a feelgood story to this one.

The Auctioneers, from Southend, were active from 1985-88, but never managed to have anything released in that period.  Demo tapes were worked on, live gigs, particularly across the smaller venues in London, were frequent, some of which attracted decent reviews in the music papers. There was one ‘close, but no cigar’ involvement with the record industry in 1988, but when it finally did amount to nothing, the band called it a day.

Their manager, Darrall Knight, kept copies of all the various recordings, and in 2011 he put a few up on YouTube and wrote a few blog posts about the band.  In 2013, having heard that Cherry Red were looking for extra songs for what would become C86 The Deluxe Edition, and he sent some over to the label, of which Scoop was chosen to be slotted in.

On the back of this, Darrall contacted Firestation Records in Berlin and was delighted to hear back from the label that The Auctioneers had been on their list of bands they had been looking for more info on, having heard and liked a demo tape a few years previously.

In January 2015, Firestation Records proudly released a new CD, Before Lost and Found a 22-song collection of studio recordings, home demos, and live tracks recorded 1985–1988, with one new and final recording from 2014.  At long last, The Auctioneers had made it.

 

JC

 

Hotknives

THE RESPLENDENT RETURN OF LITTLE LOSER’S LOTTERY : #13

aka The Vinyl Villain incorporating Sexy Loser

‘GIGS FROM YESTERYEAR, WHEN I WAS YOUNG + PRETTY AS A PICTURE’

# 13 The Hotknives & The Quicksteps, AZ Aachen (April 1996)

Right friends, back to business after a joyful month of glorious tunes all chosen by JC – and what fun it was, to be sure!

I’ve always been a great admirer of Ska in all its “waves”, as some people like to style it: be it original Jamaican Ska from the 50’s/60’s, the second wave from around 1980 (The Specials, The Selecter et al), but also the third wave, which, to my understanding came even later.

The Hotknives from Horsham in Susssex came together in 1982, but their first output was a mini album which was recorded live at The Boatman in London in the April of 1988 … which makes them “third wave” for me, not that these details matter anyway.

Thing is, you see, this mini album is so awesome, all eight tracks on it! I am by no means a dancing man, believe me – normally you will only see me on the dancefloor when I’m crossing it on my way to the bar – but what The Hotknives managed to record here is so outstanding, one simply HAS to move his or her feet.

I was so taken aback when I first heard it, I took every chance to a) witness the band live and b) to eagerly wait for a follow-up record. As for b) there was no problem, another live album was issued one year later, an ’89 show from the Hurst Road Youth Club in Horsham. ‘Live & Skankin’ the LP was called and it’s not one iota worse than the debut.

But what made The Hotknives so special? In my eyes the reason was that originally there were eight members: Gary Marshall (vocals/guitar), Mick Clare (vocals), Mick Matthews (sax/vocals), Dave Clifton (guitar), Jim Mills (keyboards), Mick Merritt (bass), Nigel Clements (drums) and Kev Clements (trumpet). And each one was great in his role, as simple as that. Probably though it’s fair to say that Gary Marshall and Mick Clare were the key elements in the band, mainly because most songwriting credits are theirs. But ALL of them were great blokes – and I can tell because (coming back to a)) I did see them quite often, got to know – and drink – with them and even stayed with Gary Marshall and his (then) girlfriend Jan at his home in Brighton for one or two nights.

Well, the original line-up existed until 1993, and it went a bit downhill from then, as these things tend to do. There were four more albums until 2010, but they did not come close to the both mentioned above. One reason, for sure, is that it were all studio albums, another one was that the band more and more diminished itself. Understandably so, I mean the third ska wave was long drained away in the dunes by then. Nevertheless, they are still going and if you have the chance to see them, do so. As far as I know none of the founding members are left, but I’m sure the new lads will play some of the old tunes. And those are nothing less than excellent, especially in the versions recorded live:

• ‘W.L.N.’ (Boatman)
• ‘Don’t Go Away’ (Hurst Road Youth Club)
• ‘Dick Barton’ (Hurst Road Youth Club)
• ‘Turkey Stomp’ (Hurst Road Youth Club)
• ‘Skin Up Harry’ (Boatman)
• ‘Doing Alright’ (Hurst Road Youth Club)
• ‘Driving Me Mad’ (Boatman)
• ‘Holsten Boys’ (Hurst Road Youth Club)

As I mentioned, I have seen them so often, I cannot remember details of the specific gig Little Loser chose. I think it may well have been The Quicksteps‘ first ever gig, they were an Aachen band which included two chums of mine. They, too, are still going, all these years later. Quite impressive, I must admit!

Great times indeed!

 

Until then, enjoy,

 

Dirk

 

 

#magazine45s

THE SINGULAR ADVENTURES OF MAGAZINE (10)

 

Hello Mr Curtis (With Apologies)/Holy Dotage (Wired 17) : Released 10 December 2011 on 10″

The death of John McGeoch, aged 48, in 2004 made me think that I’d forever lost the chance to see Magazine play live.  I had always hoped, despite the fact that Howard Devoto had seemingly totally withdrawn from the music business, that somehow a promotor would persuade the band members that there was no shame in jumping on the nostalgia bandwagon, particularly given that their influence and legacy seemed to grow with each passing year (as long as we quietly ignored the fourth and final studio album).

In 2007, Dave Formula began work on a low-key solo album called Satellite Sweetheart. It featured over 30 guest musicians including those who had been in Magazine.  He was also also able to use John McGeoch’s voice from a previously unreleased track from their time together in Visage to create a new song called The Anti-Hero, which meant that, across the solo album, for the first time since 1980, the contributions of Formula, Adamson, Doyle, McGeoch and Devoto could be found on the same recording (it was only ever issued on CD).

This gave a little bit of momentum to a Manchester-based promotor to talk to the remaining four members and progress was made to the extent that by late 2008 there was a firm proposal on the table for shows in Manchester, London and Glasgow for February 2009.  The auditions for a guitarist to play the shows were left in the hands of Dave Formula, John Doyle and Barry Adamson, and they settled on Noko, a Manchester-based guitarist who had worked with Howard Devoto in the late 80s as Luxuria, releasing two albums.

The tour proved to be a triumph, with critics and fans, old and new alike, united in awe at the performances. More shows, including festival performances, followed in 2009.

In January 2010, Noko officially joined the band and it was announced that they were writing new material. Later in 2010, Barry Adamson decided to leave to concentrate on his film work and solo recordings. In his place came Jon “Stan” White, who made his live debut in June 2011, during which a number of new songs were aired.

On 24 October 2011, the fifth Magazine studio album, No Thyself, was released on Dave Formula’s label Wire-Sound.  The reviews were universally positive. Dave Simpson, in the review for The Guardian wrote:-

No Thyself could be the fourth album they should have made instead of 1981’s Magic, Murder and the Weather, which badly missed departed John McGeoch. Here, guitarist Noko and bassist John “Stan” White (replacing Barry Adamson, who had film commitments) help recapture the sonic blueprint laid down on the first three classic albums”

On 10 December 2011, Wire-Sound issued a 10″ single for Record Store Day, consisting of two of the best-received tracks on No Thyself:-

mp3: Magazine – Hello Mr Curtis (With Apologies)
mp3: Magazine – Holy Dotage

By this time, Magazine had played nine shows to support the promotion of their new album, ending at the Shepherd’s Bush Empire in London on 10 November.

The only activity since has been a couple more Record Store Day releases along with limited edition 7″ single to coincide with the publication of a book….and I’ll cover those next week in the final part of this series.

 

 

JC

Poison Sisters

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #526: THE POISON SISTERS

Just last week, I referenced the recently issued, by Cherry Red Records, the 3 CD boxset  Something For The Longing (Scottish Independent Pop 1985 – 1999), as having given me a few more names to help keep this series running a wee bit longer!!

The Poison Sisters are another who can be found on SFTL.  In their own words:-

Since they first landed on this here planet, The Poison Sisters have built up a reputation for gob-smacking their audiences with their own unique mixture of bone-crunching rock’n’roll, punk bravado, jazz sneakiness, wilful experimentalism, pop sensibilities and tales of murder,lust, loss and lurid duplicity.

Their origins date back to 1989 in the small village of Tighnabruaich (population less than 700) located on the Cowal Peninsula, along the Kyles of Bute some 2 hours from Glasgow via a winding and spectacular road, with the music being courtesy of brothers Sandy and Peter Black with the aid of a drum machine.  They are still very much on the go, with their most recent release being a digital single just eight months ago.  The band has been based in Glasgow since 1992, and given the length of time involved, it’s hardly a surprise that musicians have come and gone, but the current trio is Sandy Black (Vocals/Guitar/Keyboards), James A. Davidson (Bass/Backing Vocals) and Gordon Brady (Drums and Percussion).

They’ve not exactly been prolific, with just four 7″ singles, five albums and a handful of digital-only releases to their name.

mp3: The Poison Sisters – Chicane

The lead track from an EP that was released in June 1995.

 

JC

 

Fictive Fridays, Various

FICTIVE FRIDAYS : #24

a guest series, courtesy of a very friendly lawyer

HARRISON SELECTS

JC SAYS…..

I’m incredibly grateful that my most regular correspondents, JTFL (aka fiktiv) and Dirk were happy to take a short break from things to enable the 800 series to proceed smoothly across the month of September.

On the eve of the final two parts of that series, the latest missive from Santa Monica dropped into the inbox, where I greeted it with a huge ‘WOW!!!!!’ given that it is, in effect, a guest mixtape from one of the world’s most in-demand young DJs/musician/producer/mixers.  Now, it might well be that the old fogies who tend to frequent this place might find it a tad noisy for their sensitive ears, but trust me, getting this sent over is a huge deal.

Here’s Jonny to tell you more……

Fabulous Jane‘s boyfriend Harrison DJ’s, writes, records, produces, and performs music as The Dare. I’ve seen him in concert a couple of times, but I’ve never been to a DJ gig. We were all vacationing recently, so I asked him to list 10 songs that are likely to find their way into a set when he’s behind the CDJ’s. Here’s what he came up with, and why:

Leave Home – The Chemical Brothers
Breakbeats, acid bass, one lyric: “The brothers gonna work it out.” An excellent set opener.

What You Need – Tiga
The huge theatrical sub drop at the beginning resets the energy of the room every time. Then it cranks it up to 11.

Canned Heat – Jamiroquai
Funny, sexy, and sensuous. Always good to work in if things are getting a little too serious and minimal. Or if one is in London.

Bellhead – Liquid Liquid
Acoustic percussion and vocals only. Really fun to blend into more electronic tracks and does so much with so little.

Sandwiches – Detroit Grand Pubahs
Classic Detroit Techno with an irresistibly funny lyric. “You can be the bun, and I can be the burger, girl”

Guess – Charli XCX
A song that started as a remix I made specifically to DJ, which became the official version of the song. No better outcome!

Firebreak – Confidence Man
Has sort of a ridiculous Loveparade / soccer-anthem vibe to it. Even if people haven’t heard it, it still connects immediately.

Wake Up – Les Pelit Pilous
The most boneheaded French electro group out there. Not a single chord change to be found here, just huge risers and sirens.

Erotic Discourse (original mix) – Paul Woolford
A song that sort of deconstructs and reconstructs as it goes on. Excellent if you want to take things in a more psychedelic direction.

Rock Solid – Two Shell
Sounds like the distant past and the near future in equal measure.

Anything else, Harrison?

Shout out to the big man SWC!

Bonus Track: The Dare – All Night

Jonny & Harrison

 

JC adds….double bonus.  Here’s all ten songs as an attempted continuous mix across approx 41 minutes….it’s my work and not that of Harrison.  It’s the effort of a well-intended amateur!!

mp3: Various – Harrison (aka The Dare) Selects