Category: Various

It’s the first day of a new month.  You should know the drill by now.

mp3: Various – Marching Mostly To An Old Beat

Quite proud of this one, if only for the fact that, without any judicious or unnatural editing, it comes in at exactly sixty minutes and zero seconds.

Oh, and sweary words alert or whatever sort of advisory warning is de rigueur these says.

Enjoy.

Massive Attack  – Angel
Talking Heads – Psycho Killer
Arab Strap – Here We Go
Martha Wainwright – Bloody Mother Fucking Asshole
Tindersticks – Her (original version)
Echo & The Bunnymen – With A Hip
Care – Whatever Possessed You (12″ version)
Bjork – Army of Me
The Fall – New Big Prinz
SPRINTS – Up and Comer
Hamish Hawk – Desperately
Idlewild – Little Discourage
Butcher Boy – You’re Only Crying For Yourself
Coach Party – Weird Me Out
Pulp – Razzmatazz
The Velvet Underground – Sunday Morning

JC

The giveaway with MOJO Magazine in February 2012 was an interesting one.

The magazine’s cover stars were New Order.  The free CD consisted of a bunch of New Order cover versions, consisting of all eight tracks on Power, Corruption and Lies (the band’s 1983 album), with a further five songs covering A and B-sides of singles from the same(ish) period.

As with all of this sort of thing, the compilation was a bit hit-and-miss, but in a way that fans of New Order would no doubt disagree on which versions were decent and which bordered on the unlistenable.

I’ll offer up all 13 and leave things in the capable hands of the TVV cognoscenti to have their say via the comments section, should you wish.  Some info on each act is lifted from the Discogs summary on each of them.

mp3: Age Of Consent – The Golden Filter

The Golden Filter : American/Australian electronic music duo from New York City, formed in 2008, now based in London.

mp3: We All Stand – Tarwater

Tarwater : German electronic/rock duo founded 1995 in Berlin.

mp3: The Village – Errors

Errors : an electronic/indie/post-rock band from Glasgow, Scotland.

mp3: 5-8-6 – S.C.U.M.

S.C.U.M. : British post-punk/art rock band founded in 2008 in London.

mp3: Your Silent Face – Fujiya & Miyagi

Fujiya & Miyagi: Indie rock band from Brighton, England formed in 2000 with heavy Krautrock and Italo-Disco influences.

mp3: Ultraviolence – Seekae

Seekae: Australian electronic music group based in Sydney.

mp3: Ecstacy – Walls

Walls : from London, UK

mp3: Leave Me Alone – Destroyer

Destroyer : Canadian indie rock band from Vancouver formed in 1995 and fronted by singer-songwriter Dan Bejar.

mp3: Blue Monday – Biosphere

Biosphere: the main recording name of Geir Jenssen (born 1962), a Norwegian musician who has released a notable catalogue of ambient electronic music. He is well known for his “ambient techno” and “arctic ambient” styles, his use of music loops, and peculiar samples from sci-fi sources.

mp3: The Beach – Zombie Zombie

Zombie Zombie : French electro-pop trio.

mp3: Cries and Whispers – Lonelady

Lonelady:  Singer, songwriter, and producer from Manchester, England, spanning influences such as post punk, electronic, and pop.

mp3: Lonesome Tonight – Another’s Blood

Anothers Blood : Richard Frenneaux

mp3: Murder – K-X-P

K-X-P : Experimental electronic/alternative/space rock group from Helsinki, Finland, founded in 2006.

Enjoy the treasure hunt!!!

JC

A guest posting by Leon MacDuff

Recently on these pages, if pages they be, Adrian Mahon offered up a selection of surprising and interesting originals of well-known covers, signing off with “I’m sure you’ll have a few of your own!”. Challenge accepted…

Let’s start with a couple of very well known 80s hits. Yazz and the surely fictional Plastic Population (and her real-life pals in Coldcut) made this one into a huge house-pop success in 1987, but the original goes back to 1980 (and a bit of a throwback even then; from the sound alone, I would have guessed about 1974). I’ve always reckoned that Yazz’s reading feels like false hope, but Clay actually makes it believable.

mp3: Otis Clay: The Only Way Is Up

Like most people, I knew this next one from the 1982 smash by Odyssey. And like most people, I associated its author Lamont Dozier pretty much exclusively with being a songwriter for the sixties Motown production line. But post Motown he went on to issue a string of solo albums, and this future classic arrived on his 1978 offering, Peddlin’ Music On The Side. I do prefer the Odyssey version though:

mp3:  Lamont Dozier: Going Back To My Roots

Nowadays no Sam and Dave compilation would be complete without this song, but without Elvis Costello it might well have remained just a little-known throwaway B side to a single nobody bought:

mp3: Sam and Dave: I Can’t Stand Up For Falling Down

Some songs come a long way from their originals. You definitely will know this one, but see how long it takes you to recognise it from the original 1948 version, in German…

mp3:  Horst Winter und die Swingsingers: Und jetzt ist es still

I always loved Dubstar‘s version of Not So Manic Now. A song with subject matter you don’t hear very often and full of words you would imagine had no business appearing in a pop song. I did notice the writing credit wasn’t for the regular band members, but it was a few years before I got to hear the original by fellow Novocastrians Brick Supply. It was the lead track on their 1994 release Somebody’s Intermezzo EP, which got some decent critical notices but basically went nowhere.

mp3: Brick Supply: Not So Manic Now

And finally, a bit of a mystery, and a bit of an investigation. For this one I’m going to share the cover as well, so from 1980 here is the debut single by It’s Immaterial, and from 1967 the original by The First Impression:

mp3:  It’s Immaterial: Young Man (Seeks Interesting Job)

mp3: The First Impression: Young Man Seeks An Interesting Job

It’s Immaterial are cult favourites of course, but weirdly, there’s practically nothing out there about The First Impression. What we do know is that they recorded two LPs for budget label Saga in 1967: the all-covers Beat Club, and the majority of an album called Swinging London which also included a scattering of Beatles covers by Russ Sainty (replaced on the second pressing with a handful of originals by The Good Earth, who subsequently morphed into Mungo Jerry). Young Man is from the Swinging London LP, the sleevenotes of which tell us only that The First Impression are “top discotheque favourites” (Beat Club is similarly unhelpful, offering no description beyond “top London beat group”) – and while some of the songs have appeared on subsequent compilations of 60s mod and psychedelia, the sleevenotes to those seem to just take Saga’s blurbs at their word and have nothing further to add.

Perhaps they were indeed a top London beat group, but even if they were, nothing about their one-and-two-thirds album discography suggests that they were engaged as anything other than a session band. Saga Records weren’t actually a “pop” label – their specialism was cheaply-recorded classical albums, plus bought-in jazz and folk LPs. And really, everything about “Beat Club” and “Swinging London” screams “cheap cash-in played by anonymous session musicians”. They can’t even manage to keep the name of the group consistent: while the back of the Swinging London LP, and the labels, credit The First Impression, the front names them as The First Impressions. My first impression is: oh dear.

So can we find out anything at all about this group? A line-up, for example? Apparently not. Or perhaps somebody’s shared memories of seeing this band playing at the time? Not that I can find. I was briefly led down a dead end by a suggestion that before recording for Saga, The First Impression were signed to Pye. But no, that was a group legitimately called The First Impressions, who in 1967 were recording their own original material for Parlophone, having changed their name in the meantime to The Legends. So I think we can rule them out.

The album credits someone called Britten as writer of the First Impression songs, maybe can we track him or her down? I was initially led astray by the Discogs entry for the It’s Immaterial single, where somebody’s linked the name Britten to Terry Britten. In 1967, Terry was playing in the Australian group The Twilights, and the following year he had one of his compositions recorded by Cliff Richard, opening up a successful career as a songwriter for others with hits including Devil Woman and Carrie for Cliff, and What’s Love Got To Do With It and We Don’t Need Another Hero for Tina Turner. That he also, even by accident, penned It’s Immaterial’s debut single would be an entertaining little factoid but alas, it’s not true – as I realised when I turned to a second line of enquiry.

Most of the First Impression tracks, including Young Man, credit Britten alone, but two bear a credit to Cumming / Britten – could I perhaps find this equally mysterious co-writer? That was easier: just a couple of minutes checking the various Cummings on Discogs (I didn’t bother clicking on Alan though, since while the theme song for The High Life may be a major earworm, 1967 was definitely going to be too early for him) and I was able to identify Britten’s collaborator as one David Cumming, a comedy scriptwriter with a sideline in songwriting who that same year not only supplied a B side to Kiki Dee, but even more interestingly, also released a single himself which was co-written by not Terry but John Britten. That’s our man! It looks very much like our tunesmiths are not people in a “top London beat group” – they are a producer of budget albums and a scriptwriter who both dabble in songwriting.

All of which means that honestly, I’m just not buying this “top discotheque favourites” line. I think Saga Records, looking to cash in on the mod scene, just put some session musicians in a studio and gave them a bunch of songs written to order by… well, hacks. But I still think “Young Man Seeks An Interesting Job” is a good one – even if it took It’s Immaterial to tease the quality out of it.

Leon

RIPPING OFF THE IDEA FROM JONNY THE FRIENDLY LAWYER

JTFL, having offered up some ICAs featuring Trumpets, then went one better with an ICA  made up of ten tracks in which uncommon instruments were used – Steel Drums, Theremin, Oboe, Musical Saw, Harp, Xylophone, Melodica, Spoons, Harpsichord and Mellotron.

The task I set myself was to come up with ten completely different instruments.  I’ve managed it, and while there’s a few more familiar instruments involved, they are not heard on recordings on a very frequent basis.  Oh, and I only had to look one of them up.   Let’s starts with something Scottish……

SIDE A

1. Bagpipes

Sleep The Clock Around – Belle and Sebastian

The pipes drone their way in at the end of this, the second track of the band’s third album, The Boy With The Arab Strap.   Credit is given to Ian Mackay for this one and appears to be the only song on which the piper is credited anywhere on Discogs.

2. Banjo

Sing – Travis

I’m not a musician and haven’t ever paid much attention to the origins of any instruments.  I’ve always assumed the banjo came out of one of the states of America, but have now been educated and finally know that the modern take on it derives from African-style instruments brought to that part of the word by enslaved people.

Sing was the first single to be lifted from the album The Invisible Band and, in reaching #3 in May 2001 turned out to be the most successful 45 released by Travis.  The banjo is played by their guitarist, Andy Dunlop.

3. Chapman Stick

I Don’t Remember – Peter Gabriel

This is the one I had to look up.   I had come up with nine instruments, but reckoned that a glance at the credits on Peter Gabriel 3, released back in 1980, would throw something different up.  And so it proved.

The Chapman Stick was developed in the early 70s by jazz musician Emmett Chapman.  It has ten or twelve individually tuned strings and is used to play bass lines, melody lines, chords, or textures, and unlike the electric guitar, it is usually played by tapping or fretting the strings, rather than plucking them. (you can tell I’ve looked this up!!).  Tony Levin, a proliic session and touring musician, was one of the first to specialise in playing the Chapman Stick and it’s his work you’ll hear on I Don’t Remember.

4. Glockenspiel

No Surprises – Radiohead

A rather beautiful number from OK Computer (1997) which was later released as a single and reached #4 in January 1998.  The single was accompanied by a brilliant but scary video that I’m sure all of you have seen.  If not, then head over to YouTube or the likes.  The glockenspiel on this one is courtesy of Jonny Greenwood.

5. Trombone

Hyperactive – Thomas Dolby

It seems that Thomas Dolby wrote this with the intention of having Michael Jackson record it.  Having sent the ‘King of Pop’ a demo version but hearing nothing back, he decided to have a go at it himself, and in doing so kind of throws the kitchen sink at it, including a trombone solo from Peter Thoms

SIDE B

1. Accordion

This Is The Day – The The

An instrument that makes me think of France, as it seems to accompany any first sighting of the Eiffel Tower in any feature film or documentary.   It’s use on this, one of my favourite songs of all time, made it a certainty for the ICA.  It is played by the then 24-year-old and largely unknown Wix, but who has since become a bit of a legend as part of Paul McCartney‘s touring band since 1989.

2. Mandolin

When I’m Asleep –Butcher Boy

Yet another song in which the accordion introduces proceedings, this time thanks to Alison Eales.  But its inclusion on the ICA is thanks to Basil Pieroni’s contribution via mandolin.  It was either this or Losing My Religion, but I reckon you’re being treated to a better song.

3. Harmonica

For Once In My Life  – Stevie Wonder

I wasn’t sure about including the harmonica in the ICA as it is quite common, relatively speaking.  There are hundreds of examples out there, but I’ve settled on this rather fabulous upbeat pop single from 1968.  Stevie Wonder‘s take on it is quite different from the original, as it was written as, and subsequently recorded as, a slow ballad by a number of different performers.

4. Bassoon

Flaming Sword – Care

I knew this single from 1983 contained an unusual instrument, but I couldn’t have told you what was making the sound.   But I’ve just finished reading Revolutionary Spirit: A Post-Punk Exorcism, the very enjoyable memoir penned by Paul Simpson, who among other things was one-half of Care, and he mentions, on Page 205, that it is bassoon-laden.  He doesn’t say, however, who played it.

5. Clarinet

Say Hello Wave Goodbye – Soft Cell

Not the version you all are most familiar with, either through the 7″ or 12″ singles that have been featured on the blog on many previous occasions.  This is the b-side of the 7″.  It’s an instrumental version.  It’s rather wonderful, thanks  to the two Daves – Mr Ball or synths and drum machine and Mr Tofani on clarinet.

Bonus Song

Tindersticks – No More Affairs (instrumental)

In keeping with the closing track of the ICA, here’s the b-side of a 1994 single, in which the voice of Stuart Staples is replaced by the magnificent Terry Edwards on trumpet.

 

JC

mp3: Various – Welcome to Nothing Much

First new day of the month has come to mean an hour-long mixtape round these parts.

Hope this one meets your approval.

The National – Apartment Story
Basement Jaxx – Red Alert
Magazine – Definitive Gaze
Buzzcocks – Ever Fallen In Love?
Sons & Daughters  – Dance Me In (album version)
Pet Shop Boys  – Domino Dancing
Working Men’s Club – Teeth
Dinosaur Jr. – Freakscene
dEUS – Suds and Soda (album version)
Brenda – Cease and Desist
Kirsty MacColl – Walking Down Madison (album version)
The Clash – The Magnificent Seven
Electronic – Feel Every Beat (7″ remix)
Album Club– The Hard Part
The Wedding Present – What Did Your Last Servant Die Of?

JC

A GUEST POSTING by MARTIN ELLIOT

(Our Swedish Correspondent)

Hi Jim,

Although this time I might not really be in the place to answer that question, I will as tradition now has it at least say something about what happened in Sweden last year. Of course, we’re talking music, for a while let’s forget last year’s double digit inflation, skyrocketing interest rates and worst of all the way too strong influence on our government by the populist right-wing morons in the Sweden Democrats Party. Frankly, a quite miserable story.

Looking back, last year saw a not neglectable increase in records joining the collection, but at a closer look – very few Swedish acts were included. Whether this is due to my oversight or it actually was a quiet year, I’m not totally sure. Several of the artists I have my eye on released records in 2021/2022 so since not all bands are as feverishly active as Bar Italia it might be a natural thing.

As you will notice there is a strong majority for electronic music here, only 7ebra would qualify for the normal kind of indie shared here at TVV, which is kind of odd as the opposite is valid for international artists finding their way to my home last year.

So this time it’s just an EP – This Happened In Sweden Last Year.

A1.  Kite – Don’t Take The Light Away

Synth duo Kite actually released several 7″ singles last year, but as all but this one had been released digitally earlier, they were disqualified. Kite do very emotional and dramatic music, it’s almost operatic in the way singer Nicklas Stenemo delivers. They without competition won the prize for best live performance 2023 for their show at Dalhalla, a former quarry now transformed into a spectacular arena (Bernard S announced it to be the coolest place they ever played when I saw New Order there a couple of years ago). For the first time they had a full band on stage, which added depth (and guitar) to the performance. A magical night!

A2.  The Mobile Homes – Some Days

After a long hiatus, The Mobile Homes returned in 2021 with Trigger, now reinforced with two of the guys formerly in Swedish indie (“emo”) rock band Kent. Last year saw the release of Tristesse, which is very much a false declaration. These two albums are the two best Depeche Mode albums released since Violator…

A3.  7ebra – Lighter Better

The odd bird this time (pun intended as the album is called Bird Hour), 7ebra reminds me a lot of my old DIY records by Young Marble Giants, the Gist and Weekend.

B1.  Memoria – From The Bones Of The Dead

Memoria is Tess De La Cour, wife of Henric De La Cour who has a past in the same band(s) as Christian Berg, nowadays the other one in Kite. The album From The Bones is filled with dark and moody synths, it’s her second release under the Memoria moniker – both worth having if you’re into darkwave. Kite vocalist Nicklas makes a guest performance on one of the tracks; Along The Sea.

B2.  Natten – Ringen

I discovered Natten (The Night) by chance, going to a gig night with 3 different acts. They played an organic variant of half ambient electro, almost techno, adding saxophone and vocals to the mix, I was totally blown away by the combination and got hold of their only full length album so far, Dolce Vita from 2017. Later in 2023 they released the EP Máni digitally through Bandcamp, a slight bit more towards the ambient side compared to the live experience.

B3.  Kite – Remember Me

So I break the “only one song per artist”-rule by ending this EP by the flip of the Kite 7″ starting it off. This is 8 minutes drama, a long intro and then a full-blown pledge to Remember Me, an almost overloaded ending I just couldn’t omit.

Enjoy!

Martin

JC adds..…As I say every single year, I always look forward to Martin’s end of year round-up as there’s inevitably something in there that is of huge appeal, and this year is no different. These tunes are well worth a listen.

A GUEST POSTING by ADRIAN MAHON

Given that I’ve plenty 12″ singles sitting in the very large and near antique cupboard in which most of the vinyl sits, it makes some sense to introduce (or more likely, re-introduce) some of them to you.

Things are kicking-off with one that I picked up on one of my numerous trips or stays in Toronto.  The Fatima Mansions were on Kitchenware Records here in the UK, but it was Radioactive Records for the American releases.

Blues For Ceausescu, an absolutely blistering and incendiary piece of music, had been put out as a stand-alone single on Kitchenware in September 1900.    In some parallel universe, this will have acted as a call-to-arms to the disillusioned and downtrodden, provoking them into some sort of action that led to much-needed and desired change.   The reality was that it was ignored, being far too provocative for our media outlets to give time to.

mp3: The Fatima Mansions – Blues for Ceausescu

I have absolutely no idea why the American label, some six months later, issued it on  a 12″ single and CD, complete with a remix, but I’d very much like to thank them for doing so.

mp3: The Fatima Mansions – Blues for Ceausescu (Only Solution Mix)
mp3: The Fatima Mansions – Chemical Cosh (Scream Mix)
mp3: The Fatima Mansions – Chemical Cosh (LP version)

The Only Solution Mix is radically different.   Indeed, you’d be hard pushed to find elements of the original tune – it sounds in places as if Cathal Coughlan is fronting Pop Will Eat Itself…..which is far from a bad thing.

The LP version of Chemical Cosh is less than two minutes long, while the remix extends out to almost four minutes.  Both are interesting but kind of challenging, in different ways, to listen to.   But then again, the whole idea of The Fatima Mansions was not to make things comfortable for anyone.

Ciao.

JC

Things will now get back to something approaching normality, including some very welcomed guest contributions and the return of our dear friend, Dirk.

For the first time in a very long while, I stayed well away from the blog, so much so that the comments section got all messy with loads of things attributed to anonymous sources that hadn’t ever been corrected.  A huge thanks to everyone who dropped by and had their say.

I know that I took some liberties late last year with the number of hour-long mixes and so, for many of you, this might not be the most ideal start to TVV in 2024.  But here goes anyway……..and this one includes a fair bit of music that I got to Santa to bring me, thanks in many instances to recommendations from various ‘best of year’ lists on other blogs.  Much appreciated!

mp3: Various – Welcome to The New Year

Micky Dolenz – Shiny Happy People
Peaness – Oh George
Sleaford Mods – West End Girls (Pet Shop Boys remix)
The Fall – Hey! Luciani
Mick Harvey & Amanda Acevedo  – Song To The Siren
Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds  – Jack The Ripper
One Dove – White Love
Bar Italia – Missus Morality
Hi-Fi Sean & David McAlmont – Hurricanes
Hamish Hawk – Dog-Eared August (alt version)
SPRINTS – Delia Smith
Problem Patterns – Advertising Service
Steve Mason– The People Say
Coach Party – What’s The Point In Life?
Alison Eales – Come Home With Me
Chumbawamba -Behave!
Lloyd Cole – On Ice

Oh, and keep your eyes peeled later this week for a chance to win some goodies!!!

JC

Sippin’ on the dock of the bay?

mp3: Various – Holiday Hymns (7)

I Am A Poseur – X-Ray Spex
Pigs – Brenda
Heaven Help You Now (12″)  – Paul Haig
My Doorbell – The White Stripes
Mo’Pop – Dot Allison
Wrote For Luck – Happy Mondays
Sabotage – Beastie Boys
Heads Will Roll – Yeah Yeah Yeahs
Love Is Short – Otoboke Beaver
Up Up And Away (Happy Sexy Mix) – The Beloved
My Delirium – Ladyhawke
Abba & The Bunnymen – Go-Home Productions
Well Done Sonny – The Weather Prophets
Last Nite – The Strokes
Grand Final Day – Ducks Ltd.

JC

You can just about see the room that myself and Mrs Villain are currently occupying.  During the daytime, we will likely be making use of those blue beach umbrellas

mp3: Various – Holiday Hymns (6)

Bodega Birth – Bodega
Just Step Sways – The Fall
Dreaming  – Allo Darlin’
Dog-Eared August – Hamish Hawk
A Cloud In A Box – Pet Shop Boys
Chaise Longue – Wet Leg
Heads Will Roll (summer mix) – Echo and The Bunnymen
For You (single mix) – Electronic
Landslide – The Popguns
White Man (In Hammersmith Palais) – The Clash
Man o’ Sand to Girl o’ Sea (single version)  – The Go-Betweens
Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey) (Party Line Mix) – De La Soul
Each and Everyone  – Everything But The Girl
Dennis and Lois – Happy Mondays
Carte Postale – George Pringle
Shampoo Tears – Win
Moscow Olympics – Orange Juice

JC

Last week,  I shared one from August 2016 that had over-run by 20 seconds.

I made a better fist of things in December 2017.  Well, I made it out as if I did.    This one was almost a minute too long!!!

Blame it on the old habits of being a spin doctor working in the public sector.

mp3 : Various Artists – One side of an old C120 (Precisely)

If I Can’t Change Your Mind – Sugar
Brimful of Asha (Fatboy Slim remix) – Cornershop
Seether – Veruca Salt
Speed-Date – Arab Strap
Daft Punk Is Playing At My House – LCD Soundsystem
Sub-Culture – New Order
Tainted Love – Gloria Jones
Wrote For Luck – Happy Mondays
Slave To The Rhythm – Grace Jones
To Lose My Life – White Lies
Totally Wired – The Fall
Satisfaction – Rolling Stones
Love Plus One – Haircut 100
Ever Fallen In Love…? – Buzzcocks
Blue Boy – Orange Juice
Kennedy – The Wedding Present
Roi (reprise) – The Breeders

JC

Volume 5 of the holiday mixes.    Couple of neat changes in this one, if you don’t mind me saying…..

mp3: Various – Holiday Hymns (5)

Freeworld – Kirsty MacColl
Has It Come To This? – The Streets
Frozen  – Curve
Black Lucia – Aztec Camera
Monday Morning – Pulp
Would You Fuck – The Lovely Eggs
Firestarter  – The Prodigy
Sleepwalk – Ultravox
Funeral Pyre – The Jam
Reggie Song -PiL
Microscopic Baby – Brenda
Rotten To The Core – Friends Of The Family
Cannonball – The Breeders
Debaser – Pixies
Free Range – The Fall
Pristine Christine –  The Sea Urchins
Upside Down  – The Jesus and Mary Chain

JC

Volume 4 of the holiday mixes.    This has a wee bit of almost everything…..included a ten-minute epic to round it all off.

mp3: Various – Holiday Hymns (4)

Mirrorball – The Catenary Wires
If You Don’t Want Me To Destroy You – Super Furry Animals
Deceptacon – Le Tigre
Lithium – Nirvana
The HOUSE oF ALL – The Magic Sound
Maniac – Cinerama
The Shy Retirer  – Arab Strap
I’m Done With Drugs  – Eugene Kelly
To Know Your Mission – Jens Lekman
Entschuldigung! – Pet Shop Boys
Open Your Heart – The Human League
Friday Night Saturday Morning  – The Brilliant Corners
Marquee Moon – Television

JC

Volume 3 of the holiday mixes.   Has songs spanning the early 8os through to this year. Oh, and the last two tunes do sound sort of similar…..

mp3: Various – Holiday Hymns (3)

The Justified Ancients of Mu Mu  – The Porpoise Song
Red Guitars – Good Technology
Lloyd Cole & The Commotions – Patience
Blondie – Heart Of Glass
Japan – Life In Tokyo
Ian McCulloch – Lover Lover Lover
The Fall – Return (Peel Session)
Cocteau Twins– When Mama Was Moth
Modern English – Someone’s Calling
10,000 Maniacs – Like The Weather
Poster Paints – Number 1
International Teachers Of Pop  – After Dark
Big Audio Dynamite– Hollywood Boulevard (club mix)
Hamish Hawk – Mauritian Badminton Doubles Champion 1973
R.E.M. – What’s The Frequency Kenneth? (remix)
Wire – Feeling Called Love

JC

As mentioned at the end of last week, it’s that time of the year when I head off on holiday and will be unlikely to keep on top of all things TVV.

It’s going to be a bunch of hour-long mixes for much of the next two weeks, but the usual weekend features will be there to break things up. Just over half of the mixes will be new under the Holiday Hymns banner, but I’m also fishing out some golden oldies that haven’t been available to download for a few years.

This one dates from 28 August 2019.

It was my way of imagining I had DJ’s at Mrs Villain’s 21st Birthday Party, which would have been in 1979.   It’s since hit me that even with a magic time-machine, it likely wouldn’t have worked as some of the songs were only released after 28 August 1979 and wouldn’t have been available to dance to at the 21st.

Still, it was the thought that counted!

mp3 : Various – The Class of ’79 (volume 1)

The Clash – I Fought The Law
Squeeze – Up The Junction
Blondie – Heart of Glass
The Specials – Gangsters
Michael Jackson – Don’t Stop Till You Get Enough
Joy Division – Transmission
The Jam – Strange Town
Wire – On Returning
The Pretenders – Brass In Pocket
David Bowie – Boys Keep Swinging
Gary Numan – Cars
OMD – Electricity
Joe Jackson – Is She Really Going Out With Him?
The B52’s – Rock Lobster
Gang Of Four – Damaged Goods
Earth, Wind & Fire – Boogie Wonderland
XTC – Making Plans For Nigel
The Undertones – Get Over You

JC

Volume 2 of the holiday mixes. Song titles come first this time. Just didn’t have room for 26 songs across one hour.  Might try and achieve that another time.

mp3: Various – Holiday Hymns (2)

ABBA On The Jukebox – Trembling Blue Stars
Bouncing Babies – The Teardrop Explodes
California Uber Alles – The Delgados
Draw In The Reins – Cats On Fire
Electrified – Dressy Bessy
Find My Baby – Moby
Go Wild In The Country – Bow Wow Wow
Half A World Away – R.E.M.
In The City – The Jam
Jawbone And The Air Rifle (Peel Session) -The Fall
Kiss Me, Hold Me and Eat Me – Ballboy
Landslide – The Popguns
Memento Mori- The Wedding Present
NY Excuse – Soulwax
Obscurity Knocks – Trashcan Sinatras
Pure Morning (Les Rythmes Digitales Remix) – Placebo
Queen Bitch – David Bowie

JC

As mentioned at the end of last week, it’s that time of the year when I head off on holiday and will be unlikely to keep on top of all things TVV.

It’s going to be a bunch of hour-long mixes for much of the next two weeks, but the usual weekend features will be there to break things up. Just over half of the mixes will be new under the Holiday Hymns banner, but I’m also fishing out some golden oldies that haven’t been available to download for a few years.

One of the first mixes I did when I started getting back into the habit.  This dates from August 2016, and the title reflects that I went very slightly over the hour-mark.

It was put together as part of a series that was intended to see me through a then upcoming plane journey to Toronto.  It’ll likely be the only one from that era, as many of the others have Morrissey singing away at some point or other…..

mp3 : Various – Breaking the Curfew by 20 Seconds

The ideal soundtrack, not just for plane rides but outdoor barbecues and your own private indie-style disco dancing event.

Take The Skinheads Bowling – Camper Van Beethoven
What’s The World – James
Picture This – Blondie
(Don’t Go Back To) Rockville – R.E.M.
Pulling Mussels From The Shell – Squeeze
Neighbourhood #3 (Power Out) – Arcade Fire
You Are the Generation That Bought More Shoes and You Get What You Deserve – Johnny Boy
Can You Forgive Her? – Pet Shop Boys
Michael – Franz Ferdinand
Native Land – Everything But The Girl
Emma’s House – The Field Mice
What – Judy Street
Hang Ten – Soup Dragons
Cattle and Cane – The Go-Betweens
Town Called Malice – The Jam
Pure – The Lightning Seeds
Punka – Kenickie
Everything Flows – Teenage Fanclub

JC

As mentioned at the end of last week, it’s that time of the year when I head off on holiday and will be unlikely to keep on top of all things TVV.

I’ve made a bunch of new hour-long mixes that I’ll be listening to while hopefully enjoying some sunshine, rum and good food.  And I’m going to share them with you over the next couple of weeks alongside the usual weekend features, while padding things out with re-posts of old hour-long mixes.  It keeps things going till I get back.

mp3: Various – Holiday Hymns (1)

Django Django – Firewater
The June Brides – Every Conversation
Nick Cave &  The Bad Seeds – Get Ready For Love
The Pastels – Nothing To Be Done
Dum Dum Girls – In My Head
Edwyn Collins – Don’t Shilly Shally
Love And Money – Candybar Express
Magazine – Sweetheart Contract
St. Vincent – Actor Out Of Work
Altered Images – Bring Me Closer
Dry Cleaning – New Long Leg
Radiohead – Paranoid Android
Siouxsie & The Banshees – Spellbound (12″)
Paul Haig – Heaven Help You Now
Television Personalities – Part Time Punks
Sonic Youth – 100%

JC

A GUEST POSTING from JONNY THE FRIENDLY LAWYER

In compiling the last Trumpets ICA (#352) I remembered a song I’ve always liked: ‘In The Aeroplane Over the Sea,’ by Neutral Milk Hotel. But I forgot that, in addition to a trumpet, the song also has someone playing a singing saw. I got to thinking about other songs that feature uncommon instruments and wondered if I could come up with a respectable ICA. No limitations or rules apply—just songs by artists we like that have an instrument you wouldn’t ordinarily hear. Here goes:

1. Steel Drums.

Uh-Oh, Love Comes to Town – Talking Heads

The Heads were unusual right from the get-go. The opening track from their debut album, 77, features drummer Chris Frantz playing the solos on steel pan.

2. Theremin.

Velouria – Pixies

Maybe most recognizable on the Beach Boys epic ‘Good Vibrations,’ Velouria’s got a theremin going throughout. It’s the only instrument I know of that you play without touching it. Instead, the movement of your hand between two antennae causes wave oscillation that the theremin converts into an electronic signal. I read somewhere that the instrument came out of Soviet research into proximity sensors. I tried one once. It’s easy to get a sound out of it, but really hard to make the sound musical.

3. Oboe.

Quizmaster – Julian Cope

An album track from World Shut Your Mouth. Of course, it’s unusual to have an oboe as the lead instrument in a rock song, but it’s the lyrics that make this tune one of my favorites. How I wish I’d written:

Through the confusion I see you, practicing hard at your faith
Oh, your uniform’s muddy but still I can see
The arrangement of stars underneath
But one of these two is not on my list
We can’t expect to explore without explosion
All my ideals were destroyed in the flood
And what use where they anyway?
When the mute get lucid, pray!

4. Musical Saw.

James K. Polk – They Might Be Giants

TmbG were always an unconventional band, both lyrically and musically. Their signature instruments are accordion and baritone sax. On this track from Factory Showroom the entire solo is played on a singing saw. I love this tune because, without it, I’d have known nothing about James K. Polk, our eleventh president. American presidents are awesome because they’re honest and reasonable!

5. Harp.

Sprout and the Bean – Joanna Newsom

There are loads of rock and pop songs recorded with full orchestras, but the use of a harp as a solo instrument just didn’t happen until Joanna Newsom came along. Here she is on her debut album, The Milk-Eyed Mender, playing a big, damn harp! Her voice isn’t for everyone but the music is phenomenal. My daughter is a big fan and confirms that she, in fact, plays the harp and sings simultaneously in concert. No one else to compare Joanna to, really.

6. Xylophone.

Gone Daddy Gone – Violent Femmes

In which bassist Brian Ritchie plays two xylophone solos. Fun fact: the whole verse beginning “I can tell by the way that you switch and walk” is lifted word for word from “I just Want to Make Love to You” by Muddy Waters, a hit in 1954.

7. Melodica.

Clint Eastwood – Gorillaz

The melodica is a cross between a harmonica and an accordion. You blow into it while playing notes on a miniature keyboard. It might sound familiar because a melodica was used extensively on early Gang of Four, Joy Division, and New Order songs. And there’s one on virtually every Augustus Pablo song, if you’re a reggae person. Here’s Damon Albarn/2-D playing one on the debut single by Gorillaz, on a track also featuring Del the Funky Homosapien.

8. Spoons.

Spoonman – Soundgarden

This song is named after and features Artis the Spoonman, a street performer in Seattle where Soundgarden were based. You can see the dude whacking the spoons in the video for the song. My cover band is working up a version (albeit without the spoons). It’s a little tricky because it’s played in drop D tuning in 7/4 time, but we’ll get it.

9. Harpsichord.

Golden Brown – Stranglers

And here’s another number in a weird time signature. It’s sort of a waltz, but with extra beats stuffed in. It’s literally in something like 13/8 time, or 6/8+7/8 time. Whatever—I can’t read music anyway. But this single from 1982, played on the most baroque of instruments, never gets old.

10. Mellotron.

Pale and Precious – Dukes of Stratosphear

XTC, disguised as the Dukes, wore their 60’s psychedelic influences on their paisley sleeves in this pastiche/homage to the Beach Boys. The mellotron is a keyboard instrument whose keys play short lengths of magnetic tape. It was popular in the hippie 60’s, most famously on ‘Strawberry Fields Forever.’ And, yes, that is a theremin you hear at the end.

JTFL