Isa & The Filthy Tongues

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #488: ISA & THE FILTHY TONGUES

#468 in this series told the tale of The Filthy Tongues.  Click here for a reminder!

The three members of The Filthy Tongues are Fin Wilson, Martin Metcalfe and Derek Kelly.  Back between 2005 and 2014, they were known as Isa & the Filthy Tongues, when their vocalist was the American-born Stacey Chavis with two albums Addiction (2006) and Dark Passenger (2014) being released.

Here’s a fine track from the debut album

mp3: Isa and The Filthy Tongues – Dreamcatcher

If the internet is accurate, it appears that Stacey Chavis is still living and working in Edinburgh as a yoga teacher and therapist.

 

JC

 

Beck

THE CD SINGLE LUCKY DIP (30) : Beck – Loser

The backstory to the recording and release of Loser is a fascinating one.

Beck Hansen is invited to the home studio of Los Angeles-based producer Carl Stephenson and just over six hours later the duo had created a classic thanks to a slide-guitar riff (played by Beck) being looped onto an 8-track, to which was added a hip-hop beat, a bit of sitar (played by Stephenson) and a self-deprecating lyric, much of it made up on the spot, including the ‘I’m A Loser Baby, So Why Don’t You Kill Me? refrain which Beck came up with having heard and then thinking his attempt to rap during the session was dreadful.

500 copies were pressed up and released, on 8 March 1993, by Bong Load Records. The song gets picked up by local college radio stations and gradually makes its way to similar stations up and down the West Coast, before some of the larger Californian commercial stations begin to play it regularly.  New York was next to latch onto it, with a copy being passed to someone who worked for Geffen Records whose executives then persuaded Beck to allow Loser to be reissued via its DGC subsidiary in January 1994.

mp3: Beck – Loser

DGC put it out on CD and cassette, while Bong Load, having retained the American rights to release Beck’s songs on vinyl, re-pressed the 12-inch single in larger quantities than before. Within a matter of weeks, Loser was Top 10 on the Billboard Chart in America and by the end of February, it had also gone Top 20 in the UK and most European countries.

I had long believed that here in the UK the single had only been made available via CD and cassette, but there does seem to have been a limited number pressed up on vinyl as a joint release by DGC and Bong Load, with the b-sides being different from these which can be found on the CD.

The extra tracks on the CD are all lo-fi in nature, reflecting the sort of music that Beck had been making in the years prior to becoming ‘an overnight success’

mp3: Beck – Totally Confused
mp3: Beck – Corvette Bummer
mp3: Beck – MTV Makes Me Want To Smoke Crack (Lounge Version)

The third of the extra tracks is a different version of an earlier 7″ single that had been released by Beck on Flipside Records, based in Pasadena.  It was a split effort with a power-pop trio called Bean, with both acts contributing two songs.  Copies of that single now fetch very decent sums of money on the second-hand market.

JC

Liaisons Dangereuses

THE CULT CLASSICS : THE RE-RUNS (1)

December 2013.  A new, and what proved to be a short-lived but reasonably popular series was launched on the blog.

I invited members of the TVV to offer up contributions on what they regarded as their favourite cult single. I left the definition as wise as possible, but suggested that it ideally should be a 45 that had been released on an indie-label, from a band or singer who never enjoyed mainstream success and was a piece of music that, in a parallel universe, would have been a smash hit and made a fortune for the composer and/or performer(s).

All the subsequent suggestions proved to be fantastic, and having late last year read over them again, I thought it would be an idea to bring all 14 of them out of deep-freeze over the coming weeks and months.  The first to come forward was our dear friend Dirk, and this was published on 22 December 2013.

– – – – –

Hello friends,

Liaisons Dangereuses just made one record, but, good Lord, what a record it was, to be sure! To me, it pretty neatly sums up the definition of ‘cult’.

Also, the band (and the record) match the other requirements: “(…) released on an indie-label, from a band or singer who never enjoyed mainstream success and is a piece of music that in a parallel universe would have been a smash hit and made a fortune for the composer and/or performer(s).”

Liaisons Dangereuses were founded in 1981 by Berlin’s Beate Bartel and Chrislo Haas, who, before Liaisons Dangereuses, already worked together under the moniker of CHBB. CHBB released four cassettes, untitled, limited to 50 copies, each 10 minutes long. I have never heard one of those, and you haven’t either, I guess. But not to worry, the record in question is by Liaisons Dangereuses, not by CHBB.

Liaisons Dangereuses released a self-titled album in 1981, which – again – I never heard (you probably might have done so though, congratulations) on TIS Records in Germany and Roadrunner Records in the Netherlands. One song from said album was released as a 7” and a 12”, but this time only on Roadrunner Records. Never heard of TIS Records? Roadrunner Records? Perfect: in compliance with the first requirement!

Beate Bartel formerly played with Einstürzende Neubauten and also Mania D (“My Queens of Noise”, as John Peel styled them back then) whereas Chrislo Haas was a founding member of Deutsch Amerikanische Freundschaft (or DAF, if you’d rather) and Der Plan, but also played together with Minus Delta  and Crime & The City Solution. Back in those days he was known as t.h.e. German synthesizer guru. German readers of a certain age will most probably be aware of his genius, the rest of you might still know the synthesizer line in DAF’s ‘Der Mussolini’ … that’s this bloke, y’know ….

I don’t know exactly what Beate Bartel is earning currently, she’s doing some experimental art performance projects. I’m sure you agree with me that these things tend not to make you rich rich rich or enable a shopping-topless-in-Biarritz sort of lifestyle and thus don’t really lead to mainstream success … and Chrislo Haas drank himself to death with 47 years in 2004 anyway, so: second requirement fulfilled as well!

The record in question, at least as far as I can tell, never hit the “big” charts back in the days. But in Germany it was a dancefloor filler (@ any underground club with at least a bit of taste in music anyway) throughout all of the Eighties. Also, so I read quite a while ago, the techno scene as well in Detroit as in Chicago seem to have fancied it when they started up. For me it isn’t techno though, then again I am way too old to differentiate between all these dance things anyway. It is a very fine mixture between EBM, Postpunk and New Wave perhaps … then again who gives a fuck for those definitions in the first place, right?

One thing’s for sure: any inhabitant of a parallel universe who doesn’t normally listen to U2 would dance to it like mad (or whatever you do instead of dancing in parallel universes) … and enjoy the tune mightily whilst doing so. So there you go: third requirement also met!

So here’s to you an iconic classic from 1981, friends, a cult record in the truest sense of the word, at least for me: eins-zwei-drei-vier and ….. enjoy!

mp3 : Liasons Dangereuses – Los Ninos Del Parque

(JC adds…………this one was totally new to me. And it is highly highly highly recommended!!!)

Take good care,

Dirk from Sexyloser

PS from JC……

Anyone who wants to submit a fresh nomination and get a new series of cult classics underway later in the year is more than welcome. Usual address as found at the side or underneath the blog, depending on what piece of technology you use to read it.

 

Sparks

THE 7″ LUCKY DIP (41) : Sparks – Amateur Hour

I would have just turned 11 years of age when Amateur Hour, the second Top 10 hit for Sparks in 1974 was being played on the radio and then most likely beamed into our homes via Top Of The Pops.  But it turns out that Sparks never got the opportunity to perform Amateur Hour on the telly here in the UK  as there was industrial action at the BBC during the summer of 1974, with the strikes leading to several editions of the show being cancelled and planned performances called off.  I’d like to think that Russell and Ron would have never crossed any picket line in any instance…….

As such you’ll have to make do with footage from a similar type of pop show for Belgian audiences:-

I reckon Sparks were the first weird looking band that I really took notice of in as much that Ron Mael creeped me (and I reckon millions of others)everyone out with his on-stage persona.  Turned out it really was all an act, and he is a very funny, charming man with a great sense of humour.

I’d love to claim that I somehow bought this in 1974, but I’d be lying.  Many decades later, I came across a decent enough copy in a second-hand store for the princely sum of 50p, and so had no hesitation in grabbing it and rushing across to the counter.

mp3: Sparks – Amateur Hour

I was also delighted in later years to learn that the song was a favourite of John Hunt, the lead singer of Butcher Boy, as he was happy to play it in his role as DJ at the unforgettable Little League nights that so often livened up my weekends back in the day.  John is quite a few years younger than me, and I’ve often wondered how he was ever exposed to its delights.

This was your b-side:-

mp3: Sparks – Lost And Found

A genuine b-side not made available on any album until the 2006 CD re-issue of Kimono My House, when a few bonus tracks were added.

Amateur Hour reached #7 in the singles chart.

 

 

JC

 

Various

AN IMAGINARY COMPILATION ALBUM : #402 : TOP MUSICAL TIPS FOR 2026

A guest posting by swc

JC adds……………………………..

I don’t normally feature two ICAs in the same week, never mind on consecutive days, but this one, which arrived unexpectedly just a few days ago, given that the author was no doubt dealing with the after-effects of a particularly violent snowstorm, does have degree of urgency about it, given what it is covering.   And with that, I hand over to our correspondent from the south-west of England.

An ICA of Top Musical Tips for 2026.

Many years ago (ok it was 2008), the parents of a friend mine rented a big old house on the edge of Exmoor for a fortnight over the Christmas period. It was a lovely place, six bedrooms spread across two floors, a huge kitchen, triple glazed fire and bomb proof windows and on the top floor (the third) was something called the ‘Party Zone’.
In that ‘Party Zone’ we partied, sort of. We played some old records from our time at university and watched some football on the massive television whilst gorging ourselves on Doritos and a delightful home-made guacamole. As we tired of that, my friend, lets called him Matthew, largely because it’s his name, asked me, what my top musical recommendation for the coming year was, and I said with barely a moment’s pause to actually think about it,

“Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong. They will be the biggest band in the land this time next year”

Which on reflection was a terrible answer (trust me if you’ve never heard Joe Lean and his sodding Jing Jang Jong, you really aren’t missing much) because Joe Lean and his sodding Jing Jang Jong faded into obscurity faster than the person who came 12th on X Factor in 2008.

Ever since that moment, I have run away as fast as possible when people ask me for my Musical Tips for the year ahead.

Welcome then, to an ICA made up of ten bands and acts that I think will probably be (some of) the biggest bands in the land this time next year. Or ten bands and acts that (some of) will be as famous as Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong are this time next year – if they become world-famous and change your lives for the good, you can credit me accordingly but if their next album or single or whatever stinks the place out then I will deny that I ever said anything.

Oh, by the way, this document is officially the most times that Joe Lean and the Jing Jang Jong have ever been mentioned in any document anywhere and that includes the NME written guide “A Short guide to the brilliant whizz pop world of Joe Lean and his Jing Jang Jong”.

Side One

MORN – Modern Man (2025, Speedy Wunderground, Single)

Regular readers to my so-called music blog No Badger Required will know that I go a bit giddy when bands appear and insist on using capital letters in their name. So, I have to start side one of this ICA with MORN. MORN are from Wales and ‘Modern Man’ is so far their only release. They make a sort of punky and jagged sound that is full of massive guitar hooks and dynamic vocals and they are a very exciting prospect.

Shaking Hand – Over The Coals (2025, Melodic Records, Single)

The music of Shaking Hand is mostly steeped in that post rock world, where songs slowly build before exploding like a musical firework that takes them off in different directions. Shaking Hand do this very well indeed, their bass lines are tight but grow into a many tentacled beasts, whilst their guitars chime but only when they absolutely have to.

Night Swimming – Freight Train (2025, Venn Records, Single)

If I was writing this in 1985, and I’d just heard Night Swimming for this first time I would have run straight down to my local turf accountants and bet the entire pension on Night Swimming being signed to 4AD Records. They make music that is a whirl of reverb, shivery vocals, tinkling cymbals and waves of gentle feedback. It’s not quite Cocteau Twins, but it would definitely dress up as one of them should the opportunity arise. File under very good.

She’s In Parties – Same Old Story (2025, Submarine Cat Records taken from ‘Are You Dreaming? EP)

Hot on the heels of Night Swimming (see above) come She’s In Parties. They are also named after a song but also make music that sounds like they should have been signed to 4AD Records thirty-seven years ago, and again this is no bad thing at all. Musically, She’s In Parties are all dreamy soundscapes, vocal reverb and guitars that will almost certainly sound better when accompanied by an overactive smoke machine.

Vegas Water Taxi – Brat Summer (2025, PNKSLM Records, Single)

There is something rather special about London’s alt country slacker rock band Vegas Water Taxi. For a start there is the way in which singer Ben Hambro croons in a way that sounds like he has gone to confession but ended up turning it into a total bitching session. Then you have Ben’s lyrics, which are self mocking, funny, occasionally filthy but nearly always warm-hearted. Set amongst all that you have the music, which lurches between post punk and alt country slacker rock that reminds me of Pavement if they were fronted by Dan Treacy from the Television Personalities.

Side Two

The Pill – Money Mullet (2025, Lilot Records, Single)

The Pill are great. Their songs are sharp, loud and swagger with the knowledge that they possess something that will smack you in the face with the power of a bull who has been mainlining amphetamines. That sharpness and swaggering brilliance has seen the band grow amidst a swirl of hype and expectations.

SILVERWINGKILLER – Hold Up (All Firearms in the United Kingdom) (2025, 1000% Triad Funded Records, taken from ‘Triad Funded’ EP)

Manchester’s SILVERWINGKILLER (again, note the capitals folks) merge the chaos of punk rock with the precision of electronica. At the same time they fuse Chinese mythology with pure adrenaline, which gives their music an edge that hasn’t been since Richard James took a drill into his studio. ‘Hold Up (All Firearms in the United Kingdom)’ is rather splendid, if trying to reintroduce a new generation to the wonders of Gabba Techno can ever be described as splendid.

Formal Sppeedwear – Hit N Run (2025, Melodic Records, taken from ‘Single’)

The only remotely new thing about Formal Sppeedwear (apart from perhaps the way the spell ‘Speedwear’) is the wave that they attach to their musical genre of choice. The only problem is that they exist in a world where new wave has because distinctly old wave and so those in the press have coined phrases like post post punk to describe new bands making old new wave music. If that makes sense. Regardless, Formal Sppeedwear sound like Talking Heads and A Certain Ratio at the same time and that makes them great.

Crimewave – Haemoglobin (2025, Fool’s Gold Records, taken from ‘Scenes’)

‘Scenes’ the debut album from Crimewave is quite extraordinary. It’s also quite unbelievable – because it is apparently an electronica album that has been recorded using only guitars and drums, and when you listen to it for the first time (and I recommend you do that, because it’s all kinds of excellent) you’ll sit there, scratch your head and wonder how on earth it can be true and then after all that you’ll play it again and marvel at its brilliance.

Mumble Tide – Pea Soup (2025, Breakfast Records, Single)

Bristol’s Mumble Tide are a very lovely thing. Their music is a hazy, dreamy pop that deserves to be listened to as you walk through some woods in the early autumn as the leaves flutter to the ground. The vocals (courtesy of Gina Leonard) are lush and that fits perfectly with the gentle squall of electronic and the occasional wail of a countrified acoustic guitar.

Thank you for reading, take care out there

SWC

 

Raincoats

AN IMAGINARY COMPILATION ALBUM : #401 : THE RAINCOATS

A guest posting by Chaval

One of the last shows I saw before Covid lockdown put an end to live music for a couple of years was a low-key affair in a cool little theatre in Hackney. It was November 2019 and The Raincoats had reconvened to celebrate the 40th anniversary of their debut album.

It was a warm and nostalgic night, with an audience that seemed predominantly made up of survivors of the late 70s West London squat scene that had created a richly creative post-punk music environment. When the Raincoats introduced an old friend from back in the day to provide a short support set in the interval, it turned out to be Green of Scritti Politti (playing the hits).

The founding members of The Raincoats were Portuguese singer and guitarist Ana da Silva and English singer and bass player Gina Birch, Hornsey Art School teens who met in 1977. They were joined in 1979 by Vicky Aspinall whose distinctive violin-playing became a key element of their unique sound.

Their own set that night at Hackney was a reminder of the strange beauty of their music, mesmerising rhythms meshing with abrasive guitar, vocals that combined harsh atonality with melodic grace, sometimes in a single chorus, and visceral, emotive lyrics tackling some unsettling subject matter.

Kurt Cobain famously adored The Raincoats, although it’s difficult to see much musical common ground with Nirvana, and actually a bit irritating to think that such an original and distinctive band need any validation from a US rock star. Man had taste though. (Even with his endorsement, their profile remains low-key. If you Google the band, be prepared to wade through a lot of ads offering outdoor wear for the wet season).

Theirs is a music that traces a willingness to challenge the parameters of post-punk, that anticipated the “world music” trend, is of its time and timeless. Their first three albums, The Raincoats, Odyshape and Moving, were each very different works, singularly compelling. They reformed to make another record in 1996, but it was not in the same league, and does not feature here. Gina Birch’s solo work and her Hangovers project were OK, but still not comparable to the mercurial genius of the Raincoats.

OK, just want to say, let’s have some music now, yeah?

No Side To Fall In.

Let’s start with a tester, first track, debut album. Haphazard bleeps, clicks, squeaks, meandering bass, scratchy violin, a bit of sax, sighing, harmonic chant vocals – all the Raincoats’ bizarre appeal wrapped up in a squally melody in one minute 46. It gets easier.

No One’s Little Girl.

The title of this 1982 single b-side might promise strident feminism, but it’s not quite that, more a beautiful assertion of the new gender realities delivered over an enchantingly elegant bass and percussion line. The rhythmic inventiveness and gentle but provocative vocal offer a kind of arch riposte to Scritti’s ‘Sweetest Girl’ from the previous year. What’s the feminist word for ‘masterpiece’?

Only Loved At Night

From Odyshape, the Raincoats’ second and most out-there experimental LP. This song is built around a startling combination of drone guitar and kalimba (an African thumb piano – me neither) embellished with a mesmeric clockwork rhythm that seems borrowed from the soundtrack of an intense European psychological thriller. Da Silva’s sinuous vocal keeps things unsettling.

Running Away

There was a lot of soft jazz pop around in 1982, and this cover of the Sly and The Family Stone track was as close as The Raincoats got to mainstream (number 47 in the charts, apparently). Again the clattery percussion sets it on a path away from pop smoothness, although the trumpet keeps dragging it back with that blissful melody.

In Love

A standout from the debut LP. Now I always thought the chorus to this was “in love is so fucked up”, but the written lyric suggests “in love is so tough on my emotions”. Seriously? The lurching, anguished, exhausted vocal supports my thesis. With atonal guitar and Cale-Velvets style violent violin, this is the most harshly realist love song ever, brutally honest about the debilitating and alarming effects of romantic obsession. The last minute is gloriously horrible.

Honey Mad Woman

The full 12” version on the B-side of the Animal Rhapsody single from 1983 blends another one of those off-kilter rhythms with fluid African guitar. There is an enchanting mish-mash of female and male vocals and a lyric that draws on Levi-Strauss’s work on women in primitive societies occupying a borderland between culture and nature. A Rough Trade recording contract came with a library ticket in those days.

Shouting Out Loud

The opening track on Odyshape has a subtle, whispered intimacy at odds with its title, starting off sedate, becoming anguished and desperate with a lyric awash with paranoia, vulnerability and anxiety The percussion, nagging rhythm and tension on the two minute coda to this track are astoundingly effective.

Ooh Ooh La La La

Yes, the worse song title ever, but the first track from the Moving LP is partly a loping singalong, with an inviting bassline, sax stabs and a chorus chant of those title noises that occasionally suggests an alternative universe Bananarama. Except great, obviously.

And Then It’s OK

From the Odyshape LP, this is a stream of consciousness expressing random domestic anxiety (the lyric was written by Caroline Scott) where the disjointed rhythmic swerve of the music and murmured vocal are at odds, summoning up a disturbing, edgy atmosphere. The title is fooling nobody.

Lola

Yes, that Kinks song of gender confusion and cherry cola. The vocal manages to be both strident and vulnerable, and the levels of gender fluidity take on extra complexity with a female vocal masquerading as a male encountering a male masquerading as a female . . . A 60s cover that was ahead of its time, paradoxically.

chaval

 

JC adds………………..

chaval put this piece together more than six months ago, but for some reason or other it never reached the TVV inbox, but he assumed I’d decided not to run with it for some spurious reason or other.  It was only after reading Fraser‘s recent piece on an EP by The Raincoats that chaval got in touch to ask after the missing/unpublished ICA.

I just want to take the opportunity to thank chaval for his patience while, between us, we sorted things out…..and to also remind everyone that I never turn down guest offerings;  so if you’ve ever submitted something that hasn’t appeared, then please get back in touch, and you should hear back from me within a few days or so. (allow a week!!!!).

It might be the case (as it was with chaval) that the emails aren’t getting through to the TVV hotmail address for some strange reason or other, in which instance, leave a comment behind at a relevant post, and I’ll pick things up from there.

Cheers.

 

#edwyncollins45s

THE TESTIMONIAL TOUR OF 45s (aka The Singular Adventures of Edwyn Collins)

#16:Don’t Shilly Shally : Edwyn Collins (Elevation Records, ACID 4/WEA 248273-7, 1987)

Alan McGee had co-founded Creation Records in 1983.  As indie-labels go, it had been a relative success, but there was an element of frustration that the limitations of the typical set-up of indies, particularly around distribution and finance, prevented singers and bands crossing over into at least part of the mainstream and enjoying greater rewards from their endeavours.

McGee approached WEA records, the biggest of them all, and suggested a joint venture whereby some Creation acts would benefit from the way the major label operated in the market.  This new hybrid label was called Elevation Records, and it was set to go from March 1987. McGee brought Creation signings The Weather Prophets and Primal Scream to the label, along with Edwyn Collins who, at long last, would be recording as a solo artist, with his debut single enjoying a release in July 1987.

It proved to be a song that wasn’t a million miles away from the sort which appeared on The Orange Juice LP back in 1984.  There are no musicians credited on the single, but there’s a very interesting producer on board – Robin Guthrie of the Cocteau Twins.  He was responsible for all three songs which appeared on the single, but there was possibly a hint of dissatisfaction with the production as Edwyn’s old friend and trusted ally, Dennis Bovell, was later brought into to remix the A-side

mp3: Edwyn Collins – Don’t Shilly Shally

Here’s the two other songs from the session:-

mp3: Edwyn Collins – If Ever You’re Ready
mp3: Edwyn Collins – Queer Fish

The first of these was included on the 7″and 12″ releases, and makes for an interesting listen as there’s the occasional hint of the sort of guitar playing you’d pick up listening very closely to the Cocteau Twins.  It’s proved to be a song that Edwyn is very fond of it, as he would later re-record it on two occasions, the first being for his 1989 album Hope and Despair, and the second being as a b-side to a single in 1995 (watch this space!!!).

The second of the songs was only on the 12″, and in terms of what Edwyn had released up to this point, was quite experimental with a more electronic sound rather than relying on guitars.  It’s not one I go back to all that often.

None of the early singles on Elevation had been hits.  Don’t Shilly Shally was no different.  In an era when the singles chart went all the way to a Top 100, it came in, for one week, at #93.

JC

Incredible Blondes

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #487: INCREDIBLE BLONDES

Back in April 2019, not long after I bought the Big Gold Dreams boxset, I picked out one of its tracks and highlighted it on the blog.

mp3: The Incredible Blondes – Where Do I Stand?

Not being ashamed to regurgitate what I said back then, this Glasgow four-piece, consisting of Barry McLeod (vocal, guitar), Robert Campbell (drums), Stephen Boyle (bass) and Eddie Campbell (keyboards) were yet another highly tipped outfit beginning to get noticed on what was a lively and thriving local scene. Although unsigned, they were invited to record a session for the Janice Long Show on BBC Radio 1 following which they were contacted by Nick Low, the founder of No Strings Records, the label that had released the first ever Del Amitri single, and subsequently, The Incredible Blondes were added to the roster in 1985.

Where Do I Stand? was released as a single.  More than 30 years later, I heard it for the first time thanks to it being included within the boxset.

I went on to mention that while the band had called it a day when the single failed to chart, there had been a postscript in 2005 when Nic Lowe and Barry McLeod bumped into one another and, as you do, did some reminiscing. They realised that this one-off single was still highly sought-after by collectors, particularly in Japan, where the band still enjoyed cult status among fans of indie-pop. This led to the two of them delving into the vaults and deciding to give a belated release to a debut album by The Incredible Blondes on the resurrected No Strings Records.

Where Do I Stand? was the name given to the album – and a new version of the song was recorded with a lyric translated into and sung in Japanese by Aya Matsumoto, a waitress living in Glasgow at the time.

mp3: The Incredible Blondes – Where Do I Stand? (Japanese version)

The album was a mix of old recordings from the 80s and songs penned more recently by Barry. It was launched in March 2005 with the band reforming again for a one-off gig in their home city.

One more postscript, as far as this blog is concerned, came in August 2022, more than three years after the original post when none other than Barry McLeod left this belated comment:-

‘So glad you liked the single. Real life/ Uni, etc. took over. Still, good fun at the time’

Genuinely thrilled that he saw the post and commented on it.

 

JC

 

Fictive Fridays, Various

FICTIVE FRIDAYS : #7

a guest series, courtesy of a very friendly lawyer

Mixed Messages : Or Why Can’t People Make Their Mind Up

Accidents Will Happen – Elvis Costello & The Attractions

Apparently written after an “awkward tryst” with a cab driver at her home in Tucson, Arizona. The second single from Armed Forces, when EC and the boys could only make outstanding albums.

Accidents Never Happen – Blondie

Written by keyboardist Jimmy Destri as a parallel to Elvis’s song (they were both released in 1979). Supposedly about the mysticism former bassist Gary Valentine inspired in the band. Incongruously, featuring Judy Garland‘s daughter Lorna Luft on background vocals.

I Believe You –  Todd Snider

Poor Todd Snider. He died of pneumonia this past November, aged 59. He was a great storyteller, with songs full of funny lines about serious situations. (See Some Songs Are Great Short Stories, Chapter 35). From his 1996 LP Step Right Up.

I Don’t Believe You –  Magnetic Fields

If there’s a better lyricist than Stephen Merritt writing today I can’t imagine who it could be. He’s our century’s Cole Porter. This song comes from the 2004 album i, which is a collection of 14 songs beginning with the letter ‘I’ in alphabetical order. In other words, he’s as weird as I am.

Everyone Knows – Slowdive

The shoegaze stalwarts disbanded in 1995 and lead songwriter Neil Halstead went on to form Mojave 3. When that outfit packed it in he released all kinds of music before resurrecting the Reading quartet with a new drummer. The band’s self-titled comeback album came out in 2017–22 years after their last release.

No One Knows –  Queens of the Stone Age

First single from 2002’s Songs for the Deaf. Co-written with the late great Mark Lanegan who at the time was a band member. Lanegan isn’t on the single but the ferocious drums are courtesy of Dave Grohl. And the strings are performed by Ana and Paz Lechantin, before the latter joined Pixies.

Too Little Too Late – Metric

Has Metric ever made an appearance here at TVV?  (JC interjects – NOPE!!!) If not, it’s high time. The Canadian group, led by the wonderful Emily Haines, has been at it for almost 30 years and have released 10 solid records since 2003. This is an album track from the second one, 2005’s Live It Out, which featured a great single called ‘Monster Hospital.’ [note to JC, add that one as a bonus track at the end, if possible]

Too Much Too Soon – Green Day

I loved Green Day when they hit the scene. They were just the right mix of energy, irreverence, pop, and punk. Then they got popular, which is always irritating. But they kept making solid records, including 2004’s American Idiot, which this track is taken from. My cover band plays the title track, which I’m ashamed to say became the theme song for our government.

Everything I Need – Men At Work

The Australian combo only released three records in their day. They all went gold, including Two Hearts, which includes this track as its lead single. But the band was fracturing, and only three of the five original members appeared on it. Guitarist Ron Strykert actually bailed during the sessions. But MAW were always all about Colin Hay, anyway. He has that singular voice and wrote their best songs. Hay proved to be a nice guy that moved to my adopted hometown of Santa Monica, CA. I see him at Truetone guitar shop from time to time, and he gets involved with the music program at my kids’ high school.

Nothing I Need – Lord Huron

You’d be right in observing that half the music I listen to was released in 1979. But that doesn’t mean I don’t keep an ear open for great new music. This single was released by the Los Angeles indie stars in March of this year, from the album The Cosmic Selector Vol. I, which came out in July.

 

Jonny

 

Half Man Half Biscuit

C86 : THE ULTIMATE SERIES (Part 1)

I’m sure most folk who drop by these parts will know all about C86, the compilation cassette released by the NME in May 1986 and which, in due course, was the name attached to a style or genre of music, derided by some but loved by many, centred about guitar-bands who recorded, in the main, for small and independent record labels.

The cassette, which came via mail order, contained 22 songs. It proved to be so popular that six months later, a vinyl version was issued by Rough Trade Records. Fast-forward to 2006, and Bob Stanley of Saint Etienne helped mark the 20th anniversary by curating CD86, a two-disc compilation of 48 tracks inspired by the original cassette. This particular compilation was released by Sanctuary Records, but just three of the songs that had been on C86 were included on CD86, albeit fifteen of the original groups had alternative tracks included.

Fast-forward again to 2014, and Cherry Red Records issued NME C86 : Deluxe 3-CD Edition, containing the 22 songs from the cassette, along with 50 other tracks from the era with some sort of link to the genre, along with an 11,500-word booklet of sleeve notes written by former NME journalist Neil Taylor.

Oh, and in August 2022, Whatever Happened To The C86 Kids?, a truly fabulous book written by Nigel Trassell was published. Indeed, the contents of that book were set to form a series for the blog across 2026, but in the end, I’ve decided to be more ambitious/self-indulgent (delete as appropriate).

It’s now 40 years since the cassette was released, and I’m sure there will be some events etc. to mark the occasion in due course. I thought I’d steal a march (of sorts), by running a year-long series looking at, in alphabetical order, the 114 different songs you can find across CD86 compilation and the C86 triple-CD box set. Don’t worry, it won’t be over 114 different postings, as most will feature three or more at a time. But given I’ve had to do the introduction today, then it’s just the one to open things up.

mp3: All I Want For Xmas Is Christmas Is A Dukla Prague Away Kit – Half Man Half Biscuit 

Track 12, Disc 2 of CD86.

Here’s the thing. The version on CD86 is slightly different from the one I’m most familiar with, which is also ‘the official audio’ over on the HMHB You Tube page.

The song was, to the best of my knowledge, originally released on one side of a 7″ single back in 1987, along with a remix of The Trumpton Riots. It was then added to what became a second pressing of the 12″ The Trumpton Riots EP, when it was expanded from four to five songs, and then added to the debut album Back In The D.H.S.S, when it was given its first release on CD in 1988. I don’t own a copy of the 7″ or the expanded 12″ EP, so perhaps it is from one of those.

And of course, HMHB are still very much on the go today, arguably better than ever. Last year saw the release of All Asimov and No Fresh Air, their 16th studio album.  I included one of its tracks in my 25 from 2025 rundown, but Rol over at My Top Ten not loo long ago posted an outstanding review of the LP.  Click here and enjoy.

 

JC

Buzzcocks

AN IMAGINARY COMPILATION ALBUM : #400 : BUZZCOCKS

This will be the 30th TVV post in which Buzzcocks have been specifically added to the index, while there have been quite a few more where they have featured within posts that have been logged as ‘Various’.  But I have no idea why none of us have ever thought to come up with an ICA, other than perhaps believing the job was done for us via the Singles Going Steady album.

I’ve made a few draft starts at different times over the years, always looking to incorporate songs the band recorded and released in the latter and less well-documented part of their career, namely the seven albums that have been issued since 1993, including Sonics In The Soul, a 2022 release that was their first after the death of Pete Shelley in December 2018.  But, no matter how hard I tried to include any of the reunion years material, I just couldn’t put any of it into what I consider to be the top ten songs.  In the end, noticing that I was about to hit the landmark 400th Imaginary Compilation Album, I bit the bullet and accepted it would need to consist solely of tunes from their halcyon days back in the late 70s.  But I’ve one perhaps surprising inclusion, given some of the words I’ve typed in previous postings.

SIDE A

1. Breakdown

Where else to start but at the very beginning with the Spiral Scratch EP of January 1977?  Four songs much discussed over the decades, and most recently on this blog last October thanks to Fraser Pettigrew‘s loving look at the EP.  It’s nigh on impossible to disagree with Fraser’s assessment that just about everything that can possibly be written about Spiral Scratch has already been said, so let’s just do the imaginary pogo in our minds and get ready for the next tune.

2. Why Can’t I Touch It?

The idea that Buzzcocks were a one-dimensional punk-pop band capable only of short, fast and energetic tunes gets blown away by this near seven-minutes of groove that was originally tucked away as a b-side, probably in fear of the punk purists being shocked and horrified.

Confession time.  I first heard this when I was 15 years old when I turned over my newly bought copy of Everybody’s Happy Nowadays.  I didn’t like it, as I wasn’t prepared for it. I wasn’t a punk purist who was shocked and horrified, just a bit confused by it all.  I rarely listened to it afterwards and indeed as recently as 2016 I was scathing about it in a blog post, only to be shot down by quite a number of folk via the comments section, all of which made me go back and try again.

The fact it has made it onto the ICA shows that I am willing to admit I got it badly wrong.  Looking at the song solely via the prism of early 1979 was a huge error.  I’m grateful to those of you who pointed out the error of my ways.

3. What Do I Get?

The second successive song on the ICA to ask a question…..I don’t think that’s happened across any of the previous 399.  The band’s second single after they signed to United Artists, it was the first to crack the pop charts when it reached #37 in February 1978.  A hugely underrated song, one that was left off the debut album which hit the shops a few weeks later on the basis that punk bands never put old 45s onto albums.  Pah!

4. I Don’t Mind

The thing is….as The Clash had already found out to their disgust….bands are quite helpless when record labels then choose to issue songs on albums as later singles, even when it is against a band’s wishes.  Another Music In A Different Kitchen had peaked at #15, and United Artists insisted on giving it a second wind two months later, choosing what many believed to be its most instant song to be the next 7″ release, backed with another track, Autonomy, that was also taken from the album.  The ploy sort of worked, as the album did actually go back up the charts for a week, but the single was a relative flop in that it stalled outside the Top 50.

5. You Say You Don’t Love Me

The passing mention of flop singles leads nicely to this. 1979 can be looked upon as the year the band began to run out of steam.  I reckon they had tried to do too much in 77/78, and coming up with the same high quality of songs for what was to be a third album proved to be just beyond them.  That’s not to say that A Different Kind of Tension is a poor record, but it didn’t have the same fizz or energy as the previous albums.  By now, the band had accepted the idea that new albums should be promoted by an advance single, but for some reason or other, radio stations ignored You Say You Don’t Love Me and with next to no airplay, it became the first single not to at least make the Top 75.  It deserved a far better fate.

SIDE B

1. Fast Cars

Tempting as it was to open Side B up with another track from Spiral Scratch, I’ve bottled out by using the song whose opening 20-odd seconds replicates Boredom prior to turning into possibly the most new wave of all Buzzcocks songs in that you imagine it being written by many of their contemporaries.

2. Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn’t’ve)

Which is not something you can say about this song, as only Pete Shelley of the class of ’78 could have come up with something as majestic and timeless as their biggest hit (#12).  As with Spiral Scratch, everything that can possibly be written about Ever Fallen In Love…..has already been said. Dirk included it in his 111 singles series, and I had it as part of the 45 45s @ 45 rundown back in 2008 (#23).  I would imagine many thousands of others who have a great love of post-punk/new wave music would list this as one of the greatest of them all.

3. Sixteen Again

Ever Fallen In Love was the advance single for Love Bites, the band’s second album which in due course would become their biggest selling, peaking at #13.  It would be fair to say that much of that success was propelled by the hit single, but it mustn’t be overlooked that it’s an album with more than a smattering of great tunes, albeit it perhaps suffers from being recorded so quickly (just two-and-a-half weeks) and there are a couple of instrumentals whose lack of lyrics perhaps betray the rush to get it out of the door a mere six months after the debut.  Sixteen Again would have made for a very fine follow-up single, but the band had other ideas.

4. Promises

This proved to be the follow-up to Ever Fallen In Love.  A stand-alone, non-album single whose release in came at the end of November 1978.  It would go on to spend 10 weeks in the charts, yo-yoing up and down a bit, and eventually reaching its peak of #20 in the last chart of that calendar year, which surely indicates that there were a fair few copies given to folk as Christmas presents.  Given the time of year it was released, and that it didn’t leave the charts until the last week of January 1979, there’s every chance this was actually the band’s best-selling 45 of them all.

5. I Believe

The closing track on A Different Kind Of Tension comes in at a tad over seven minutes and is one of the band’s most overlooked and underappreciated songs. As with Spiral Scratch, and as with Ever Fallen In Love….everything that can possibly be written about Buzzcocks has already been put to paper, and nobody has done it better than Paul Hanley whose 2024 book, Sixteen Again, is an essential read.

 

JC

 

Various

LET’S GET IT STARTED IN HERE

 

mp3: Various – I Give You Things You Don’t Need?

Ballboy – Welcome To The New Year
Malcolm Middleton – Happy Medium
Pet Shop Boys – Too Many People
Elvis Costello & The Attractions – High Fidelity
Bar Italia – Eyepatch
Echo and The Bunnymen – All My Colours (Peel Session)
The Libertines – Can’t Stand Me Now
Win – Super Popoid Groove
Follytechnic Music Library – Vanished
Working Men’s Club – John Cooper Clarke
Sea Power – No Lucifer
The Walkmen – The Rat
Shop Assistants – Safety Net
Blondie – Denis
Yard Act – Dead Horse
The Specials – Friday Night, Saturday Morning
The Wedding Present – Once More

 

JC

 

Miscellaneous

2026 : A KIND OF PREVIEW

Good morning. Good Afternoon, Good Evening, wherever you are around the globe and whatever time of day it happens to be.

Welcome to TVV’s first ‘proper’ posting of 2026, in that the Festive Period series has come to an end, and the two regular series for Saturdays and Sundays have been covered.  A year that will hopefully see the blog celebrate its 20th birthday, and my wee brain is already going into overdrive thinking of ways to mark the occasion, albeit it’s still over nine months away.   Indeed, my wee brain never stops thinking about how best to continue to make this little corner of t’internet a place that folk will want to come and visit on a regular basis, especially given that time is increasingly precious for all of us and there are many other music blogs out there that have better writers with far more nous and knowledge than I’ll ever have……and more worryingly, seem to have way more ideas than me to keep things fresh and inviting; but in saying that, seeing so many other great blogs very much on the go provides inspiration to maintain high standards here (grammar and accurate spelling mistakes aren’t part of those standards!!)

I thought I’d begin the new year by offering up a sort of sneak preview of what lies ahead.

Firstly….a few givens.

Saturdays will continue to be set aside for songs by different Scottish singers and bands, It’s just hit #486, but I reckon I have at least another fifty who haven’t yet featured that will take us through this calendar year.

Sundays will, for the next few months, continue to look at the Edwyn Collins singles, and when that comes to its natural end, I’ll hand the day over to some other long-running act…I’ve already got one in mind, but I’m just as liable to change my mind as the time approaches.

Fridays, every second week, should see postings all the way from Santa Monica.  Fictive Fridays are genuinely special for me as I have no idea, until the email drops in, which direction Jonny is going to take the blog.

The mention of Fictive Fridays does allow me to reiterate that guest postings are key to TVV.  Jonny will have his regular gig, as too will Fraser who has already fired over more offerings for his EPs series. Steve‘s ‘stealing’ series was a real highlight of 2025, every one of his masterpieces managing to educate/inform and entertain in equal measures; he’s quietly promised something fresh for this year, advising that it has so much info it will be likely need to be published in three parts (it’s almost a book he’s proposing!!), and knowing which band he’s looking into, I know it will go down well.

I’m also hopeful that Dirk, having regaled us so fantastically with his 111 singles series over the past three years, will get on board again….he’s certainly thinking about it.  As I’ve repeatedly said, I never turn down any guest postings, so if anyone reading this wants to do the 21st century equivalent of putting pen to paper, then please be my guest.

But what am I going to bring to the party this year? By and large, more of the same.

There are five types of post that will continue to be the workhorse of TVV.  The ‘lucky dips’ across my music collection enable me to share some thoughts on a particular 7″, 12″ or CD single, while I’ll also continue to shine a light on songs that are under two minutes in length, and songs that proved to be a debut release.

The monthly book review is here to stay, although I need to get my act together and start reading a bit more intensely. The older I get, the increasingly difficult I am finding it to get through books the way I used to.  Again, if anyone wishes to offer up guest reviews, I’d be more than happy to take them….and if I get inundated with reviews, then I’ll make sure the series appears more frequently.

The monthly mixtape will continue.   January’s has been delayed, but it’ll be with you before tomorrow.  The ICAs will continue with #400 coming up later this week, which will be followed by a couple of very interesting guest offerings.

Work is well underway on three new series for 2026, all of which will likely last the entire calendar year – one will involve 13 posts, one will have somewhere in the region of 30 posts and the other will be one that may only last a short time, depending on the reaction of the TVV cognoscenti.  The 30 posts series will be launched later this week.  As they say, watch this space.

As ever, thanks for reading.  I think it’s time for a song.

mp3: Frightened Rabbit – Music Now

I still miss Scott Hutchison.  He really was such a talent.

 

 

JC

#edwyncollins45s

THE TESTIMONIAL TOUR OF 45s (aka The Singular Adventures of Edwyn Collins)

#15:Ain’t That Always The Way : Paul Quinn (Swamplands, SWP6, 1985)

March 1985.  The latest single to come out on Swamplands Records.

mp3: Paul Quinn – Ain’t That Always The Way

It’s a song written by Edwyn Collins.  It’s a song co-produced by Edwyn Collins.  It’s a song on which Edwyn Collins definitely plays guitar, but isn’t credited as doing so.  It should be a song attributed to Paul Quinn & Edwyn Collins but couldn’t be for contractual reasons.

Last time out, I mentioned that the sleeve notes attached to Pale Blue Eyes advised that Paul Quinn appeared courtesy of MCA Records and Edwyn Collins appeared courtesy of Polydor Records. This time round, MCA isn’t mentioned at all, which would suggest Paul had extricated himself from the contract.  Edwyn was still attached to Polydor, and while there was no indication that funding was going to be given for any new recordings, there was an insistence that he couldn’t be on anything Alan Horne was issuing via Swamplands.

But let’s not worry too much about the legalities – this may well be a 45 on which Edwyn Collins’ name might not appear, but I’m firmly of the view that it belongs in this particular series. Besides, it’s again an ‘Original Sound Recording by Alan Horne from the soundtrack of Punk Rock Hotel’ which really does give the game away, as does the b-side:-

mp3: Paul Quinn – Punk Rock Hotel (closing time)

An instrumental on which Paul Quinn doesn’t appear. An instrumental written by Edwyn Collins and Paul Heard, who you may recall was part of the final live line-up of Orange Juice.

There was a 12″ version issued, but in this instance there is no difference in the length or mixes of the A-side and b-side of the 7″.  The bonus track was this:-

mp3: Paul Quinn – Corrina Corinna

A song first recorded in 1928 by Bo Carter, an American blues musician, but had earlier roots going back to 1918.  Like so many songs of that era, no writer is given clear acknowledgement, and so the credit on this single goes to ‘Trad’, just as it did when Bob Dylan recorded it in 1963 for The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan LP.

Ain’t That Always The Way failed to chart.  Indeed, none of the six of the singles released on Swamplands became hits, and unsurprisingly, in the cut-throat music industry, London Records stopped its funding and closed it down.  It’s more than likely that Edwyn thought he might end up on Swamplands after eventually freeing himself from Polydor, but kind of ironically, he instead would end up on a label whose arrangements weren’t too dissimilar to the way Swamplands had been set up.

 

JC

Holy Mountain

SATURDAY’S SCOTTISH SONG : #486: HOLY MOUNTAIN

 

Holy Mountain is/were a hard/psychedelic rock band from Glasgow, Scotland, comprising Andy McGlone (guitar and vocals), Pete Flett (drums) and Allan Stewart (bass). The reason for the ‘is/were’ pause in the previous sentence is down to their last album being back in 2014 and the website domain name now lying unused.

They came together in 2010 and were signed up by Chemikal Underground, with two albums being released – Earth Measures (2012) and Ancient Astronauts (2014).

mp3: Holy Mountain – Luftwizard

This instrumental was released as the advance single for Ancient Astronauts.

A trigger warning.   It’s not the usual sort of thing found round these parts, but I do have a copy of the album (gifted to me by the label) and every album/single that I own has been converted to digital and put on the hard drive of the laptop – and this series will feature every Scottish artist who has at least one song on said hard drive.

 

JC

 

Various

THE 25/26 FESTIVE PERIOD SERIES (8)

I thought I’d end this short series with a look at what I reckon could be as fine a free CD giveaway as there’s ever been.  It came with the October 2012 edition of MOJO magazine.

1982: It was the year marked by UK unemployment topping three million…the Falklands War between Britain and Argentina…the sale of over 400,000 council houses under the right to buy scheme…the IRA bombings of Hyde Park and Regents Park…the collapse of Laker Airways…and the privatisation of the British National Oil Company.

Meanwhile, in Manchester, May of that year saw two major events: the launch of the Hacienda Club and the meeting of Morrissey and Johnny Marr. In the five years that followed, the pair would lead The Smiths with a sense of fierce ambition. Joined initially by Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce, their uniquely British sound – a mixture of forward-looking musical dexterity and mordant lyricism – also established them as the standard-bearers for the independent music scene. This compilation brings together a number of The Smiths’ contemporaries and provides a snapshot of the scene they dominated during their brief five-year tenure.

From the glorious jangle-pop of Felt through to the post-Velvets vibes of The Weather Prophets and on to the insurrectionary spirit of Billy Bragg and Television Personalities, this collection recalls a period in indie rock when the intentions were pure and the music mattered.

We invite you to enjoy 15 tracks whose spirit remains intact. The light shines on…

mp3: Felt – Sunlight Bathed The Golden Glow
mp3: The Weather Prophets – Almost Prayed
mp3: Hurrah! – Sweet Sanity
mp3: The Woodentops – Well Well Well
mp3: Close Lobsters – Nature Thing
mp3: The Nightingales – Crafty Fag
mp3: The Flatmates – I Could Be In Heaven
mp3: The Go-Betweens – Cattle and Cane
mp3: Billy Bragg – Levi Stubbs’ Tears
mp3: Martin Stephenson and The Daintees – Crocodile Cryer
mp3: Television Personalities – How I Learned To Love The…Bomb
mp3: The La’s – Open Your Heart
mp3: The Blue Aeroplanes – Action Painting
mp3: The Dentists – Strawberries Are Growing In My Garden (And It’s Wintertime)
mp3: The Chesterfields – Completely and Utterly

The CD can be had for 95p plus P&P over at Discogs.  An absolute bargain.

 

JC

NME Awards 2009 : Pictures Of You, Various

THE 25/26 FESTIVE PERIOD SERIES (7)

In February 2009, The Cure were the recipients of the ‘Godlike Geniuses’ Award at the annual awards dished out by the NME.  As part of the celebrations, there were gigs at the O2 Arena in London, while the 25 February edition of the publication gave away a free CD.

Editors, The Futureheads, British Sea Power, Art Brut, The Dandy Warhols and Lostprophets are among the artists featured on a free album of The Cure covers to be given away with the NME on February 25, to coincide with the NME Awards.

Speaking on a spoken word introduction that features on the CD, Robert Smith said, “When I started out with The Cure we didn’t have many songs. We often ended rehearsals playing other people’s stuff. We tried pop, rock, psychedelia, rockabilly, reggae and punk favourites. Banging our way through them was a lot of fun. It was also very instructive.”

NME editor Conor McNicholas added: “When we started asking bands and artists if they wanted to take part in the CD, people couldn’t say ‘Yes’ quick enough. It proves not only how influential The Cure are, but also how strong their songs are, as they easily stood up to be reinterpreted.”

Given the later controversy surrounding Ian Watkins, the lead singer of Lost Prophets (recently murdered while serving a very long prison sentence for multiple sex offences, including the sexual assault of young children and infants), you’ll hopefully accept the logic for not including the band’s contribution to the CD.

mp3: The Cure – Introduction
mp3: Mystery Jets & Esser – In Between Days
mp3: Marmaduke Duke – Friday I’m In Love
mp3: Dinosaur Jr. – Just Like Heaven
mp3: The Big Pink – Love Song
mp3: Editors – Lullaby
mp3: British Sea Power – A Forest
mp3: The Dandy Warhols – Primary
mp3: The Get Up Kids – Close To Me
mp3: The Futureheads – The Lovecats
mp3: Art Brut – Catch
mp3: Metronomy – Fascination Street
mp3: Alkaline Trio – Cut Here
mp3: Get Cape. Wear Cape. Fly – In Between Days

The CD can be had for £2.99 plus P&P over at Discogs.

 

JC

NME Kurt's Choices (2006), Various

THE 25/26 FESTIVE PERIOD SERIES (6)

The NME commemorated the 10th anniversary in April 2004 of the death of Kurt Cobain by putting his image on the cover of the magazine, and giving away two Nirvana art prints as well as a 13-track CD entitled ‘Kurt’s Choice’, a title I’ve always found to be a bit tasteless given the circumstances of his death.

Here’s the sleevenotes to the CD as penned by Conor McNicholas, the NME Editor at the time:-

Kurt Cobain’s legacy is far-reaching and lasting. 

Despite the tragic horror of his death, musically he remains an inspiration. His sound, attitude and energy is heard in many diverse places today. 

Kurt inspired a generation of musicians, but he was also quick to recognise those that inspired him. Being a musician wasn’t just a rock’n’roll lifestyle choice for Kurt; for him, the music meant something for its own sake. We can see how seriously he took his music choices in the carefully considered lists of favourite albums and singles he produced that were later published in the extracts from his diaries.

From those lists we’ve picked a selection of his choices that show the diversity of Kurt’s musical world – from the balls-out proto-grunge stomping of Mudhoney’s ‘Touch Me I’m Sick’ to the Deep South blues of Leadbelly’s ‘Where Did You Sleep Last Night?’ (a track Kurt chose to cover in Nirvana’s MTV Unplugged appearance). Kurt was both reverential of classic left-of-centre artists such as the Pixies and quick to recognise his contemporaries such as PJ Harvey.

We hope you enjoy this selection and that you spare a thought for Kurt while you’re listening, wherever he is now.

These are Kurt’s choices. This is the music that inspired him.

mp3: Mudhoney – Touch Me I’m Sick
mp3: Rites of Spring – For Want Of
mp3: The Faith – Subject To Change
mp3: Iggy Pop – Louie Louie/Hang On Sloopy
mp3: The Melvins – Gluey Porch Treatments
mp3: Butthole Surfers – Sweet Loaf
mp3: MDC – John Wayne Was A Nazi
mp3: Gang Of Four – At Home He’s A Tourist
mp3: The Slits – Typical Girls
mp3: PJ Harvey – Dress
mp3: The Vaselines – Molly’s Lips
mp3: Leadbelly – Where Did You Sleep Last Night?
mp3: Bad Brains – Banned in DC

The CD can be had for 99p plus P&P over at Discogs.

 

JC

NME Awards 2006 : The Wiiners, Various

THE 25/26 FESTIVE PERIOD SERIES (5)

Check NME every week for 2005’s brightest stars, and we’ll see you again with the cream of the crop this time next year.

That’s how yesterday’s posting ended.  And it just so happens that I have the CD from twelve months on.

Rockstars? Who do they think they are? Strutting around the planet shooting their mouths off. Time to bring ’em down to size. Time for the fans to have their say.  Time for the ShockWaves NME Awards 2006.

NME has been polling its army of devoted readers since 1953 to find out who they think is good, who is great and who should be chucked off the nearest cliff. This year you’ve voted in your thousands and right now bands are either nursing their champage hangovers or being comforted by their mums. 

This CD is your souvenir of the ShockWaves NME Awards 2006, including the amazing nationwide tour, the many fabulous shows that have made up London’s biggest live music festival and the awards ceremony itself.

The Awards has always been a special event, but this one has out-ranked all others to take its place as The Greatest Party NME Has Ever Thrown. This is the soundtrack. Enjoy.

Is it just me, or is that not the most patronising, arrogant and probably coke-fuelled way to piss off the vast majority of a readership who had no way of getting to ‘the greatest party’ either because they couldn’t afford it or lived so far from London that it was an impossibility.

The tour referred to did make its way to Glasgow on 27 January 2006, and I was, I’ll admit, lucky enough to be in attendance.  The tickets had gone on sale two months in advance, and as I was keen to again see headliners Maximo Park, I bought a couple for myself and Rachel.  But as it turned out, one of the support bands was the hottest name on the bill….the only one of the four acts NOT to be included on the celebratory CD.  Arctic Monkeys were omnipresent, and yet there was nothing the NME could do when Domino Records chose not to allow any songs to be part of the CD.

mp3: Franz Ferdinand – You Could Have Had It So Much Better
mp3: Editors – Bullets
mp3: The Long Blondes – Once And Never Again
mp3: We Are Scientists – This Scene Is Dead
mp3: Oasis – Rock’n’Roll Star (live)
mp3: The Cribs – Mirror Kisses (live)
mp3: Maximo Park – Now I’m All Over The Shop
mp3: The Strokes – On The Other Side
mp3: Kaiser Chiefs – Saturday Night (live)
mp3: Ian Brown – My Star
mp3: Mystery Jets – The Tale
mp3: Babyshambles – Albion

The CD can be had for 1p plus P&P over at Discogs, but it turns out to be cheaper overall to buy from a different seller who is asking for 30p.

 

JC

NME Awards 2005 : The Winners, Various

THE 25/26 FESTIVE PERIOD SERIES (4)

January 2005, and the NME trumpets its upcoming annual awards event via a specially compiled CD

How much great music can one piece of plastic take? This round-up of 2004’s very best has the lot. Slick-suited floor-fillers from The Killers and Franz Ferdinand. A brace of classics from Peter Doherty, both with and without The Libertines. World-beating rock from Muse and Green Day. Quintessential urch rock from The Others, art-punk innovation from Bloc Party and The Futureheads and brilliant English eccentricity courtesy of Kaiser Chiefs.  Add the suburban poetry of The Streets, then music godfathers Graham Coxon and New Order and we’ve got a CD to play to death today and put in a time capsule for your grandchildren tomorrow. Since everyone on it was voted by NME readers, we know you’ll enjoy it. Check NME every week for 2005’s brightest stars, and we’ll see you again with the cream of the crop this time next year.

mp3: Kaiser Chiefs – Na Na Na Na Naa
mp3: Franz Ferdinand – Missing You
mp3: The Libertines – Can’t Stand Me Now
mp3: Muse – The Small Print
mp3: The Killers – Change Your Mind
mp3: Bloc Party – Tulips
mp3: The Futureheads – Alms
mp3: The Others – In The Background
mp3: The Streets – Blinded By The Lights (Mitchell Bros Remix)
mp3: Graham Coxon – Spectacular
mp3: Green Day – She’s A Rebel (live)
mp3: Babyshambles – The Man Who Came To Stay
mp3: New Order – I Told You So

I had to look up The Others as I hadn’t ever heard of them.  I see they were something of a thing in late 2004 and the first half of 2005, especially with the NME.  A big enough and loyal fanbase that they are still on the go today…..but until typing up this piece, I knew nothing.

The CD can be had for 25p plus P&P over at Discogs.

 

JC