Ernie's El Dorado Pt 1 - Argentina

Our musical journey around the Americas is finally beginning, and as Andy Cameron might put it: "we're on the march wi' Ernie's army, we're going to the Argentine".

Unlike Ally's Tartan Army we're not off to win the World Cup, just to find musical gold. I think we have done it, although I had to sit through quite a lot of drab 1-1 draws with Iran before I found the aural equivalents of Archie Gemmill's wonder goal below.

We can't visit Argentina without taking in some tango, so we will start there. Astor Piazzolla pretty much invented nuevo tango in the 1950s, adding elements of jazz and classical music to traditional tango. He also scandalised polite society by playing the bandoneon standing up not sitting down. Today's track was first released in 1960 but can be found on plenty of compilations, and there's more Astor in the videos.

Astor may have caused a stir when he first burst onto the scene but by 1960 the hep cats in Buenos Aires were hankering for the groovy new sounds filtering down from further north. Which explains the success of Johny Tedesco whose 1961 single "Rock Del Tom Tom" is considered to be the first Argentinian rock 'n roll record. Johny went on to make bad films and country albums - if not quite the Argentine Elvis at least the Argentine Johnny Hallyday.

A few years passed and Johny suffered the same fate as Astor. The hep cats kept getting hepper and in the mid 1960s some of them formed a band called Los Gatos (presumably the word 'hep' does not have a direct equivalent in Spanish). Their big rivals locally were Los Beatniks.  

We haven't got either of them. Instead we have the band that Pajarito Zaguri of Los Beatniks formed next, the mighty La Barra De Chocolate. This little sizzler can be found on their self-titled (and only album) from 1969, available on Bandcamp thanks to the good folks over at Munster Records.

As sure as night turns into day, the psychedelic rockers of the 1960s turned into weedy Cañón Laurel singer-songwriters in the early 1970s. Pre-eminent amongst them was Sui Generis. We've chosen the opening track from their 1972 album "Vida", once ranked by Rolling Stone as #11 in a list of the 100 most outstanding songs in Argentinian rock. Judge for yourselves.

Los Fabulosos Cadillacs are one of the most successful Argentinian bands, having achieved multiple gold records since they started in 1984. They also won a Grammy for their album "Fabulosos Calavera" in 1997, becoming the first Argentinian act to win a Grammy outside the classical (Daniel Barenboim) and jazz (Lalo Schifrin) categories. We have the title track from their 1989 album "El Satánico Dr. Cadillac" for you.

Next up is a singer that I was lucky enough to see live back in 2019 and would love to see again - La Yegros. Her Bandcamp blurb puts it better than I ever could: "Her incredible live concerts are a challenge thrown at those who do not have dancing feet. The singer never fails to unlock even the stiffest bodies, her energy radiating as if she was spitting balls of fire". Today's choice is from 2016's "Magnetismo" album.

Juana Molina is a rather different kettle of fish, being more at the electronic and experimental end of the pop scene in Argentina, but she can ride a groove as well as anyone when she puts her mind to it. The title track from her 2008 album "Un Dia" may well be the pick of today's bunch.

We finish as we mean to continue (if you follow me) with some MAR - Mandatory American Reggae. Los Pericos have been knocking about since 1988 when their debut album went triple platinum. We've opted for the title track from their 1994 album "Big Yuyo". 1994 was also the year they headlined at the Sunsplash festival in Jamaica, so they must have been doing something right.

"Tanguisimo" - Astor Piazzolla

"Rock Del Tom Tom" - Johny Tedesco

"Buenos Aires Beat" - La Barra De Chocolate

"Canción Para Mi Muerte" - Sui Generis

"El Satánico Dr. Cadillac" - Los Fabulosos Cadillacs

"Carnabailito" - La Yegros

"Un Dia" - Juana Molina

"Big Yuyo" - Los Pericos

We'll start the videos with a proud son of the city of Venado Tuerto in Santa Fe Province. You may prefer to skip ahead to the second video. Viewers of a sensitive nature may want to skip the last one as well.

Celebrity Lake-a-Like

This will be the last time you'll see me round here for a week or so. I will be spending a few days in sunny Southport with a pair of my oldest and dearest pals, and then after I get back to London I will be engaging with Uzbeks (I can say no more).

But before I go I have a couple of updates on the new series covering the music of the Americas, which will kick off shortly after I return. The first is that I have settled on a title - Ernie's El Dorado, named after the mythical city of gold supposedly located somewhere in South America not the short-lived 1990s soap opera. I can't promise that we will find musical gold at every stop on our journey, but that's the quest.

I am also able to report on developments since I petitioned the US and Canadian governments to rename Lake Erie 'Lake Ernie' for the duration of the tour. I have not heard back from the orange oligarch's acolytes yet but the Canadians have been in touch. They have politely declined for two reasons - the cost of changing all the signs and stationery, and because people might get confused if two lakes have the same name. 

That's right, there is already a Lake Ernie in Canada, less well known than its near namesake but the pride of Clearwater County, Alberta. Two hours north of Calgary, or even less if you can afford to charter a flight into nearby Rocky Mountain House Airport, Lake Ernie offers plenty of opportunities for fishing. There are probably other things to do as well but the only activity anyone mentions is the fishing.   

If you take a trip up there to bag some largemouth bass you will need somewhere to stay. The Voyageur Motel in the Otway district of Rocky Mountain House is a ten minutes drive from Lake Ernie and comes highly recommended.

That address again:

"Halfway Hotel" - Voyager

"Middle Of Winter" - John Otway

"Rocky Mountain House" - Mouthfeel

"Someday Never Comes" - Creedence Clearwater Revival

"Distant Chores" - Alberta Beach

In the world of cheesy country music videos going fishing takes priority over anything else God, the devil or Mrs Brad Paisley might try to tempt you with.

Brian Wilson RIP

 

 Nothing else to add. RIP Mr Wilson.

Newness Abounds

It is time for one or our irregular round-ups of new sounds sent to me by the good folks in Promo Land. There have been some goodies in recent weeks. Here are just five of them.

We will start with a new record from some old favourites. I enjoyed Jeanines' jangle-tastic last album "Don't Wait For A Sign" very much when it came out back in 2022. Their new album "How Long Can It Last" is a worthy successor. It will be released from captivity on 27 June and can is available for pre-order on Bandcamp.

Jeanines will be touring the UK in July. I have seem them before and can heartily recommend them. I'm hoping to make their London gig and they will also be playing Brighton, Exeter, Oxford, Coventry, Manchester and Glasgow. For some gigs they will be joined by their label mates Lightheaded who are also pretty nifty. But not London unfortunately.

One band I am definitely going to see are The Thing from fashionable Brooklyn who are playing at the Shacklewell Arms in London's equally fashionable Dalston tomorrow (their only other UK gig is Nottingham on Friday). You can find the new single below on Spotify and their previous releases on Bandcamp, but the upcoming self-titled album due out in August is currently nowhere to be seen.

The PR wiz that came up with the headline "Ugandan industrial hip-hop gone psychedelic" knows exactly how to press my buttons. That is the phrase they used to describe "Magada Biwuka", the new collaboration between Ugandan MC Swordman Kitala and UK-based producer Soft-Bodied Humans which comes out on 11 July. Once you have pre-ordered it make sure to pick up a copy of their previous effort "Kaiju Kitala" as well.

Stocking with the vaguely exotic, next up we have La Banda Chuska, who describe themselves as being "Brooklyn-based purveyors of cumbia and surf". I wonder if they hang out with The Thing? Their debut album "Basic Bichos" came out at the end of May and is just what you need to get in the mood for our forthcoming tour of the Americas.

Last but definitely not least is Montreal's own Common Holly whose new album "Anything Glass" is out this Friday. The selected track is described as "a cinematic and delicate piece of lyrical imagery that unfolds like an apocalyptic folklore tale, grappling with themes like the acceptance of finality and the relentless force of mother nature". So now you know.

You should consider buying all of these records.

"Wrong Direction" - Jeanines

"The Waltz" - The Thing

"Magada" - Swordman Kitala x Soft-Bodied Humans

"La Única Sana" - La Banda Chuska

"The Wood From The Sail" - Common Holly

Speaking of gigs as we were, last night I had the pleasure of seeing the Zawose Queens at the Curve Garden, yet another venue in London's fashionable Dalston. The Queens last appeared on these pages when the African Odyssey visited Tanzania. There was just the two of them and lots of percussion but they made a splendid sound.

Inner Circle In Joke

Yesterday Khayem a.k.a. the King of Kool treated us to another of his always excellent reggae and dub mixes, this one featuring exclusively tracks from 1975.

Tucked away in the middle of the mix was "Baby I Love You So" by Jacob Miller & Augustus Pablo. Jacob was one of the greatest reggae singers of the 1970s and as well as his work under his own name he had a parallel career as the singer with Inner Circle.

By coincidence, earlier in the day Khayem and I met in person last week I had picked up a 45 track compilation bringing together many of Jacob and the gang's finest moments. It included half a dozen tracks credited to Augustus Pablo & Inner Circle. Here a couple of them, both of which also date from 1975.

"Hillside Airstrip" - Augustus Pablo & Inner Circle

"The Big Rip Off" - Augustus Pablo & Inner Circle.

In unrelated news, 1975 was also the year The Shadows represented the UK at Eurovision with "Let Me Be The One". It came second behind "Ding-A-Dong", but haven't we all. 

Single Song Sunday

Following the worldwide acclaim for George's recent guest 'Single Song Sunday' I thought I should pull my finger out and do one myself. After reviewing the long list for all of a minute or two I opted for Gerry & The Pacemakers' "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying". 

There are two reasons why perhaps I should not have done. The first is that that I had forgotten about the blues song "Don't Let The Sun Catch You Cryin'" (no 'g') first made famous by Louis Jordan. Both songs have been covered extensively and several cover artists stray onto the wrong side of the 'g/ no g' boundary, which added considerably to the amount of time required for weeding out.

The second is that you really only need Gerry's version (which I adore). But the work has been done now so we are going ahead.

We start with the original recording which, to my surprise, turns out not to be the one by Gerry and the lads even though they wrote the song. They gave first dibs to Louise Cordet, a singer who had toured with them and The Beatles, and her version came out in February 1964. It was only after Louise failed to bother the charts that the band decided to release it themselves.

Gerry's version was a relative failure in the UK when it was issued in April 1964. The band's first three singles all went to #1 and their fourth made it to #2 but this peaked at #6. However it was their first big hit in the US were it got to #4. a position they never subsequently bettered.

I am going to partially retract my earlier comment about only needing Gerry's version and add one more to my personal 'must haves'. That is the rendition by the always magnificent Rickie Lee Jones on her "Flying Cowboys" album (1989). We follow that with another iconic female singer, Ronnie Spector. Her take can be found on "English Heart", her final album that was released in 2016.

We go mildly Latin next, first with the ever reliable Jose Feliciano (from 1967) and then an obscure Latin Soul take credited to The Mumy. I have not been able to find any information about it but it sounds like it dates to the late 1960s and the label says it is produced by Pagan, Alvarez & Mingo. I suppose it is possible that Pagan is Ralfi Pagan, who performed with some success on the Fania label in the 1970s, but I have no proof that is the case. 

From Latin to Continental. We commence with a super smooth French version by Lucky Blondo from 1965 followed by a marginally less smooth Greek version from 1970 by The Olympians. Lucky (real name Gerard Blondiot) later went on to record in Nashville with The Jordanaires. The Olympians did not later go on to record an album on Daptone in 2016 - that was another band of the same name - but they did churn out a lot of singles.

We end in the traditional way with some MRVs. In fact we have a double dose for you today. The first is by Dave Barker (1970), produced by Lee 'Scratch' Perry with backing by an obscure band called The Wailers. The second is from 1982 and is performed by a man who sings so smoothly he is sometimes known as "the Jamaican Lucky Blondo", Mr Barry Biggs.

"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" - Louise Cordet

"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" - Gerry & The Pacemakers

"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" - Rickie Lee Jones

"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" - Ronnie Spector

"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" - Jose Feliciano

"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" - The Mumy

"Tu l'Oublieras Cette Fille" - Lucky Blondo

"Grapse St' Asteria T' Onoma Sou" - The Olympians

"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" - Dave Barker

"Don't Let The Sun Catch You Crying" - Barry Biggs

Shipshape And Bristol Fashion

I got home yesterday afternoon after spending a few days hanging out with the cool kids in Bristol in such fine establishments as the Crafty Egg and the Kings Head. It was great to see everyone, and particularly good to meet Khayem, Walter and The Swede for the first time.

It wasn't just eating and drinking though, there was plenty of culture too. Bristol has some fantastic street art as you would expect from Banksy's hometown - you can find a few examples in my holiday snaps - and some pretty nifty museums and galleries too.

In one of them - possibly the Arnolfini - I found another piece by our old friend George Ginnis. This one was rather different in style to previous examples of his work I have seen but reflects the same preoccupations.

This one is called 'Water, The Destroyer' and was produced using some technique involving photographic negatives and zinc plates. According to the blurb the piece is "a literal and metaphorical representation of the impact of over-development on the urban environment". I'm not sure I get it, but then what do I know.  

Bristol's musical heritage is as storied as its artistic one, and many of those stories have been collected and compiled by the good folks at Bristol Archive Records. Pretty much everything in their catalogue is worth a listen and I have opted for a couple of examples of 1980s MAR (Mandatory Avon Reggae) from their 'Bristol Reggae Explosion' series. 

"Tribal War" - Black Roots

"Peacemaker" - Dennis McCalla

And some more vintage Bristol sounds to send you into the weekend. I have saved the best to last. It may be a slightly controversial inclusion but Brother Adge was originally from Portishead so I think it counts (also he mentions me three minutes in). 

Only At The Oto

Friday evening found me in London's fashionable Dalston at Cafe Oto, home to all that is weird and/or wonderful.

Some of it is too weird for me. In your average week there will be some musique concrète, some atonal jazz squawking and some other stuff that I can neither describe nor tolerate.

But there is a lot of wonder as well. Lonnie Holley, James Blood Ulmer, This Is The Kit, Trembling Bells, Bas Jan, Hiss Golden Messenger, Meg Baird and Josephine Foster are just some of the many fantastic acts I have seen there over the years.

Then there are the gigs that manage to be both weird and wonderful. Last Friday was one example, as travelling musical family Tennger were in town. I can't really describe the experience but here is a brief factual summary to give you the general idea.

The band consists of a funky Japanese synth dude, his wife a Korean vocalist who also wields a mean harmonium and their 12 year old son who expresses himself through the medium of interpretative dance.  They dress all in white and wear gongs around their necks. At one point in the show mother and son wander around the venue waving jingle bells in the faces of the audience and bar staff. Add in some bird noises and that is about it.

The music is pretty good too. I suspect if I has listened to it before seeing the band I might have dismissed some of it as being too 'new age' for my tastes but live it works really well. Today's selection comes from their most recent self-titled album that came out in 2023.

I also enjoyed the support act Marina Moore who arrived armed with two violins and more buttons and switches than the cockpit of Concorde. 

Marina is no slouch on the old fiddle, having worked with the likes of Brian Eno, Bryan Ferry and Peter Gabriel. Her own music has been described as 'pastoral' and 'bucolic' and I agree even though I'm not entirely sure what either of those words mean. Her brand new album 'Baroque Era' is worth a listen.

"Twilight" - Tennger

"Run Hide Run" - Marina Moore

Travel Update

In 2020 we travelled around the European Union.

In 2023 and 2024 we went on a lengthy odyssey exploring every nook and cranny in Africa.

After that finished I needed a bit of a rest, but six months on I am fully revitalised and itching to get back on the road. 

So next month we will be embarking on our third Grand Tour. This time we will be covering the length and breadth of the American continent, from Utqiagvik up in the north to Ushuaia way down in the south and all points in between.

I am going to restrict it to countries on the continental landmass; if we included the North Atlantic and Caribbean islands we'd be wandering forever. We can perhaps set sail for the islands in a separate series in the future.

That still leaves us with 23 countries, so quite enough to be getting on with. I have hundreds if not thousands of recordings from the major hot spots like Belize and French Guiana. It may be more of a struggle to pad out a post on some of the obscure backwaters like Brazil and the US.   

Speaking of the US, I have been inspired by their recent enthusiasm for renaming geographical features and written to both them and Canada suggesting they add an 'n' to the middle of Lake Erie for the duration of the tour. I'll let you know when I hear back.

The as yet unnamed tour (CC - any ideas?) will kick off in Argentina in a few weeks time. Until then, here are some songs about just a few of the places we will pass through. 

Before we go to any of them, though, I am going somewhere even more exotic in real life. Bristol. I'll be back on here in a week or so.

"Anchorage" - Michelle Shocked

"Gulf Of Mexico America" - Jess Williamson

"Honduras" - Guyana (from Argentina - triple whammy!)

"The Road To Venezuela" - Stackridge

"Colombia Rock" - Arrow

"Patagonia" - Swiss Portrait (wrong continent completely)

And not forgetting...

A Quick One-Two

I recently found myself in London's fashionable Peckham, as you do, so I took the opportunity to pop into the Alex TLC charity shop on the High Street. It is an old school charity shop; slightly chaotic but run by nice people for a good cause and you can usually find a bargain or two.

So it proved on this occasion. It seems that a local resident has recently woken from a twenty year sleep and decided to offload all the free CDs they got from music magazines before they dozed off. 

I came away with a very good haul, the centrepiece of which was six Songlines CDs from 2004/05. I will probably share some of those in due course, but today it is the turn of "Wire Tapper 8" which was given away with the January 2002 edition of The Wire and was also in the haul.

Like most of these sort of compilations 'Wire Tapper 8' is a bit hit and miss but when it hits it hits hard and does so right from the start. The compiler leaps off their stool and unleashes this lethal opening salvo. These are no mere taps, these are hefty wallops. 

"Kundalini" - 23 Skidoo

"Shout At The Devil" - Jah Wobble & Temple Of Sound

Temple Of Sound were an offshoot of Transglobal Underground and that is the great Natacha Atlas on vocals. Here is some more of that sort of thing.

A Taste Of Honey

A couple of days ago that Khayem kharakter posted a bee-themed video. That helped to prompt this post. You can call it an example of the hive mind. You would be wrong, but you can.

There are two other reasons for the post. The first is that it gives me an excuse belatedly to draw your attention to "Isidro", the fine new album by Rosa Bordallo that came out at the end of January.  

The second, and most important, is to send a get well soon message to my brother-in-law Chris in South Africa. Chris is a professional bee dude (that is what is says on his business card) who has managed to turn his former hobby into a successful small business producing and selling high grade honey. He has been under the weather recently but hopefully will be back to his best soon.

Chris will take his hives anywhere there are plants that infuse the honey with flavour. He has placed them on mountains. He has placed them in forests. He would probably place them in jungles if there were any near him.

"Wild Mountain Honey" - Steve Miller

"Forest Honey" - Rosa Bordallo

"Honey In The Jungle" - Julien Poulsen & Professor Kinski (feat. Sochi) 

Aggrovation Time

For Record Store Day in April last year VP Records issued the excellent compilation “Dubbing At King Tubby’s (Volumes 1 & 2)" - four LPs and 44 tracks of prime 1970s dub. They are a repackaging of three hard to find compilations originally issued on the long gone Blood & Fire label back in the 1990s.

The albums are credited to The Aggrovators, King Tubby's studio band through which numerous luminaries passed. The credits read like a Who's Who of Jamaican musicians of the era - Sly & Robbie, Carlton and Family Man Barrett, Augustus Pablo, Ansel Collins, Dean Frazer, Jackie Mittoo and many more.

The list of producers involved is almost as starry. Most of the original tracks were produced under the watchful eye of Bunny 'Striker' Lee and as well as King Tubby himself there are mixes from the likes of Prince Jammy, Scientist and Pat Kelly.

Vinyl copies of the albums seem to be available from various sources or you can pick up a download version from Bandcamp via the link in the first paragraph. If the price there is a bit steep for your tastes you can also find it going for £10 at the tax dodgers' place, where your money can help to send Katy Perry back into space.

I could have picked pretty much any of the 44 tracks without a drop off in quality but opted for these versions of a few old favourites of mine:   "I Killed The Barber" (Dr Alimantado), "Standing Firm" (Jacob Miller) and "King Of The Arena" (Johnny Clarke). 

"The Poor Barber" - The Aggrovators

"Jah Love Rockers Dub" - The Aggrovators

"The Champion Version" - The Aggrovators

As a very special treat for you all, some more musical aggro from the 1970s. A dub version of this is long overdue. 

Encore! Encore!

I went to see the Mekons last week at London's fashionable 100 Club. Although I have seen various members in different combinations over the years I had never seen the band itself so I was looking forward to it very much. I wasn't disappointed. My gig of the year to date.

The current touring line-up has seven members. Jon Langford and Tom Greenhalgh founded the band back in 1977. All but one of the others were recruited when the band was revived and revamped in the mid 1980s (Sally Timms, Susie Honeyman, Rico Bell and Steve Goulding). New boy bassist Dave Trumfio has been with them a paltry ten years.

With that line-up I was pretty confident that we would get a set packed with some of the many highlights of their extensive back catalogue, and so it proved. From their second single in 1978 to their brand new album "Horror" it was high quality fare throughout.

Unfortunately Sally Timms ('the Queen Mother of Punk Rock' as she was introduced) was poorly but she gallantly hauled herself onstage for the middle part of the show to sing, cough and indulge in some banter with Jon Langford before going off to lie down. It was most gracious of Her Majesty and hopefully she is feeling back to her best by now.

I've selected the three songs that formed the encore last week. These originals date from 1987, 1989 and 1978 respectively. To recreate the live sound imagine them with added violin, accordion and squawking sax courtesy of guest Andy Wilkinson. Maybe play along on the concertina if you happen to have one. 

The 100 Club was the last gig of the UK leg of the current tour but they are meandering around continental Europe until the end of the month and then the US in July. If you get the chance go along.

"(Sometimes I Feel Like) Fletcher Christian" - The Mekons

"Memphis Egypt" - The Mekons

"Where Were You" - The Mekons

Single Song Sunday (Celebrity Edition)

[Ernie writes: For what I think is the first time in our long-running but irregular series we have a guest post. And what a guest it is too - the famous contrarian goatherd after whom Edwyn Collins is said to have named his album "Gorgeous George". You can tell it is by George from the use of the word 'bobbins'. I have added a few comments in italics and some videos at the end but apart from that it is all his own work.]

Anita and Parsley (these two always Spend The Night Together)

[I believe this is a reference to Anita the goat and not Anita Pallenberg. I hope so anyway.]

The main rule for the series is, I think, obvious. I also believe that there should be an MRV, which I have adhered to. And that the versions should be interpretations, not simply straightforward covers. I am not sure if personal opinions about each version  are allowed, but if not it’s not a rule I can stick to.

[There is no rule against expressing opinions and the Mandatory Reggae Version isn't really mandatory, just preferred - we did not have one last time out. It is so anarchic here even Hagar The Womb would feel right at home.]

The original first. I first heard it when I bought the double album Rolled Gold, from Chalmers and Joy in Gellatly Street, for £3.99, in 1976. From the weakest side (3) of the album, track 2.

The second, with which you will all be familiar, is a fantastic glammed-coked-up cover, with that wild piano intro. A frantic, desperate, vocal from Bowie, giving a totally different mood than that whiny, pleading 20-year-old “please stay the night” feel that Jagger delivers.

Melanie Harrold, friend of Jasper Carrott, has a version. Not only a friend of Mr Carrott but a former singer with the Hank Wangford Band. A laid-back almost-funky interpretation. Cengis Yuksek gives an almost easy-listening version, almost-but-not-quite bossanova.

The fifth version might be described as a blue-eyed soul version, and is by The Bonemakers with Jenny Langer. It also might be nothing of the sort, but it’s very good. After that comes what I think is a northern soul adaptation by Jerry Williams and his Dynamite and Soul Band.

[The Jerry Williams record was made in Sweden which I think counts as 'northern' soul. Jerry's real name was Sven Erik Fernström. Fans of this weekend's song contest may be interested to know that this version was arranged by Lars Samuelson, who has a strong Eurovision pedigree.]

Penultimately is an utterly utterly fabulous version, from an album disowned by the artiste himself! The backing is provided by members of Rotary Connection,  some heavy, scuzzy psychedelic guitar work, and at about 27 seconds in comes that big, huge blues vocal from Muddy Waters. It becomes not a request, not a demand, but a fait accompli. This is just fantastic, and despite Mr. Morganfield’s protestations (“That Electric Mud record I did, that one was dogshit.””), this is a must-have album.

And the MRV is on Trojan records by Teddy and the Discolettes (who are not to be confused with Disco Tex and his Sex-o-lettes)

Either ACE Records or Cherry Red should put that collection above on a compilation album. 

Someone who goes by the name of Anthony McBazooka will not be featuring here. And not because the song is total bobbins, but because it belongs to the series Songs With The Same Titles But Are Different Songs. 

[There are currently no plans for such a series.]

And here are the songs:

"Let's Spend The Night Together" - The Rolling Stones

"Let's Spend The Night Together" - David Bowie

"Let's Spend The Night Together" - Melanie Harrold

"Let's Spend The Night Together" - Cengis Yuksek

"Let's Spend The Night Together" - The Bonemakers with Jenny Langer

"Let's Spend The Night Together" - Jerry Williams & His Dynamite & Soul Band.

"Let's Spend The Night Together" - Muddy Waters

"Let's Spend The Night Together" - Teddy & The Discolettes

Thanks to Ernie for posting, and I hope you enjoy all the songs.

[It has been an absolute pleasure. If anyone else fancies doing a guest post we would be delighted to receive them, just as long as the song in question hasn't featured here before.] 

Brazilian Bargains

I have banged on about Hominis Canidae a few times in the past. It is nothing to do with human dogs, which is the literal translation from the Latin and one of the more alarming Google searches. As regular readers may recall, this Hominis Canidae is a label that has been releasing 'name your price' samplers of Brazilian independent music via Bandcamp every month since 2012. 

Here is a track apiece from the samplers issued in the first quarter of 2025. If you like any of them I would encourage you to explore further. You should do so even if you don't. The albums are a bit of a mixed bag covering as they do sweet and mellow samba, industrial noise and all points in between but there is usually something to enjoy. 

"Que Seja" - Antiprisma

"Ponteiros" - Florais da Terra Quente

"A Bagaceira" - Orquestra de Frevo do Babá

Two Funerals

Over the last few year I seem to spend an increasing amount of time on here lamenting the deaths of musicians. Today's post is about a couple of recent deaths that are closer to home.

Yesterday was my uncle's funeral. The sun was shining on the righteous which helped to make the gathering after the service feel more like a celebration than a time for sadness. 

My uncle would have loved hanging out in his back garden with so many of his family and friends, including his brand new great-granddaughter, but after a while I think he would have been tempted to sneak off to his shed for a bit of peace and quiet.

On Friday we will be celebrating the life of a woman who with her late husband was there for three generations of my family when we needed them. 

They made a home for my grandmother and youngest aunt when my grandparents separated; my Dad and two uncles all stayed with them in the run up to their respective weddings; and 40 years ago they put me up for a month when I moved to London after university. I have never been so well cared for and have been utterly devoted to her ever since.

In some respects today's song selections are not particularly apt. Neither of them were much given to roving, drinking or philandering, although Mary would definitely have jumped up when a steel band passed. 

But all of the songs are ones that have the ability to make me reflect on good times past and maybe get just a little damp around the eyes as a result. If they have the same effect on you feel free to blub along.

RIP Dick and Mary.

"Memories" - Mighty Sparrow

"Love's Been Good To Me" - Frank Sinatra

"The Parting Glass" - Robin Williamson

Moulay On Monday

Its Monday. Its Moulay.

Moulay Ahmed El Hassani to be precise. He is a Moroccan musician who writes his own songs, plays all the instruments himself, records and self produces at his home studio. He has released more than 50 albums on cassette and CD over the past 30 years or so.

Moulay blends traditional Moroccan folk forms with rai and chaabi and then throws some synths and drum machines into the mix. The resulting sound, according to the blurb, "is like a twenty-first century folk music for a people caught somewhere between a vision of their own idealised pastoral past and a turbo charged, technologically driven urban future". So now you know.

In 2018 the Hive Mind label compiled a selection of his recordings from between 2005 and 2012 on an album called "Atlas Electric". I picked up a copy Bandcamp Friday just gone on a 'name your own price' offer and excellent value it has proved to be.

Here are a couple of tracks from the album. The first one is nearly 11 minutes long, the second seven and a half, so they double up as ritual offerings for one of the more enduring blog cults. Happy Monday Long Song to those who celebrate.

"Dnya Yakhlik" - Moulay Ahmed El Hassani

"Addabtini Mahantini" - Moulay Ahmed El Hassani

We have an unscheduled and unwanted Part 2 to today's post. The fine country crooner Johnny Rodriguez left us last Friday aged just 73. Here he is with two of his six #1 country hits. RIP Mr Rodriguez.

Perfect Prophet

Some roots and culture for you today, but in reverse order.

Culture. My old friend The Polymath Steve Perfect (which is his official name) has an exhibition of some of his drawings starting tomorrow at the Stone Space gallery in Leytonstone. I was at the private launch last night, very good it was too. If you are in the area any weekend between now and 1 June make sure to pop in.

Unfortunately the photos I took at the launch didn't come out very well so here is an exterior view taken a couple of hours later after a visit to a nearby public house.

Roots. A couple of tunes from Michael Prophet's great self-titled album from 1981. You may know it as "Gunman", the name that has been used on most reissues. Mr Prophet sadly died eight years ago after battling lung cancer and other ailments but left us a magnificent legacy.

"Gunman" - Michael Prophet

"Guide And Protect You" - Michael Prophet

Other Perfects and Prophets are available.

No Ross No Loss

I normally keep things light and fluffy here and don't attempt to engage with the issues of the day. But with the way the world is going I don't think that is tenable anymore. It is important that those of us with a platform, however small, stand up and be counted. Starting now.

So here goes...

I think The Supremes got better after Diana Ross left. No disrespect is intended to Ms Ross who made some fine records with them and went on to make some great solo records but as a group I think The Supremes benefited from not having the choice of singer and material dictated by her ego and Berry Gordy's libido. 

Mary Wilson and Cindy Birdsong finally got a chance to shine and new additions such as Jean Terrell and latterly Scherrie Payne and Susaye Greene all brought something extra to their sound.

As well as a string of great singles starting with "Up The Ladder To The Roof" and including the mighty "Stoned Love" they wandered into some interesting areas that you suspect might not have been allowed before.

One example was the 1972 album arranged and produced by Jimmy Webb on which they covered the likes of Joni Mitchell and Harry Nilsson as well as Jimmy himself. We have two tracks from that album for you. Jean Terrell takes the lead on the first, Mary Wilson on the second.

As an extra treat I've added on the title track of their 1976 album "High Energy" on which Susaye Greene steps forward to show off her Minnie Riperton style vocal range.

"All I Want" - The Supremes

"I Keep It Hid" - The Supremes

"High Energy" - The Supremes 

The Last Post (Part 2)

Welcome to the new week and welcome to Part 2 of our exercise in citizen blogging. As explained in Part 1, we asked readers to pick a number between 1 and 26,500. The artists featured below are those that appear in that position in the Last.fm list of my listening habits.

Part 1 featured the first five numbers requested in the order received and we have another five for you today picking up where we left off. Many thanks to all our contributors.

While neither our contributors nor I knew who the acts would be when they submitted their requests there are some similarities between the two parts, notably that the opening three selections for each part are artists from New Zealand, Brazil and Louisiana. Spooky! 

First up is the Queen of Colours herself, C from Sun Dried Sparrows. She chose #4260 which means we are hearing from the NZ singer-songwriter Aldous Harding. I was slightly surprised when Aldous's name popped up as I didn't have any idea who she was. 

A dig around in the files reveals I was sent a promo copy of Aldous's "Warm Chris" LP when it came out in 2022, which I must have listened to once then promptly forgotten. I did her a disservice as it is a decent record. Many thanks to C for prompting me to give it another listen.

Next to appear in the comment section was the intriguingly named Trail of Bread. According to his profile he is "fat, gray and 60", runs his own business and is a big Microdisney fan. Based on that description he could actually be me using an online alter ego to contact myself. Or he could be a real person. Your guess is as good as mine.

Whatever the truth he (or I) has chosen well. At #183 in the charts we find the king of Brazilian soul, the great Tim Maia, who has featured on these pages regularly over the years. Tim and Trail are both welcome back any time.

Definitely real is Rol, the go to man for quizzes, namesakes and much more. Rol requested #1267 and is rewarded with Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown. Gatemouth could play pretty much any style and any instrument with great distinction, When I saw him in Knoxville many years ago he played "Never On A Sunday" on the fiddle, speeding up every verse until the last dancing audience member collapsed with exhaustion. You had to be there, but I'm glad I was.

Next up is my dear old pal Mister F who took a brief break from his life of incessant partying to ask for #1999. I am not sure he will be thrilled by Swedish folk-proggers Kebnekasje - I'm not sure anyone will except possibly George - but he has only himself to blame.

Rounding things off we have our German correspondent Walter, a man who is always having the time of his life. His request for #2205 means that you have the chance to hear from the late reggae polymath Lloyd Charmers. 

As a producer Mr Charmers worked with the likes of Gregory Isaacs and The Abyssinians. As the leader of a session band he backed Ken Boothe and others. As a songwriter he is maybe best known for "Birth Control" which became "Too Much Too Young" at the hands of The Specials.  And he was a fine performer in his right, as this magnificent Curtis Mayfield cover shows. 

That's it folks. Many thanks to everyone who joined in. We must do this again some time. It was fun.

"Tick Tock" - Aldous Harding (C)

"Hadock Lobo Esquina Com Matoso" - Tim Maia (Trail of Bread)

"Louisiana Zydeco" - Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown (Rol)

 "Brudmarsch till Per & Anna" - Kebnekasje (Mr F)

"Darker Than Blue" - Lloyd Charmers (Walter)

I mentioned in Part 1 that according to Last.fm there are only four acts that have clocked up more than 1000 listens. We treated you to videos of numbers 3 and 4 then, now here are the top two.

The Last Post (Part 1)

Time for our exercise in citizen blogging, where I invited you each to pick a number between 1 and 26,500 and I would then select a track by the artist(s) that appeared at that position in the list of my listening habits according to Last.fm.

There were more suggestions than I was expecting so I am splitting this into two posts, the first five today and the rest on Monday. Which means that if anyone wants to take part but has not yet done so there is still a chance. Just get your numbers in by Sunday afternoon.

The distribution of the data in the Last.fm list is quite interesting. Just over 40% of artists have been listened to only once (making One what I believe former maths teachers would call the mode). In contrast only 1.5% of them have received 100 or more listens. 

This clearly reflects my unceasing quest for newness and it should not be assumed that those 11,000 or so acts never got heard again because they were rubbish. Having said that, many were. All those Indonesian death metal samplers and Macedonian hits of the 1980s albums can be a bit of a curate's egg to be honest.

Speaking of former maths teachers as we were, George of that ilk was first to send in a request, closely followed by his tartan twin Charity Chic. Both of them dived headfirst into the Ones, with George opting for number 22,705 and CC 23,281, and both have come up clutching duos. 

George hasn't done too badly with his choice of some hypnotic vintage Cajun music from 1929. I'm personally less keen on CC's Kiwis from 1990 but I can recommend "Tally Ho!", the Flying Nun label compilation on which I found them.

Next in line was Pete from Minnesota who interrupted his attempts to catch a fish alive to ask for number 12,345. Still a risky request but in this case the risk paid off. Clara Nunes was a huge star in Brazil before her tragically early death at the age of 40 in 1983 but I have apparently only listened to her twice. I'll be putting that right.

At this point Swiss Adam stepped in to steady the ship with the reliably low number 23. His reward (and ours) is the great Fairport Convention. I have gone for a song from "Liege And Lief" which I think is the perfect showcase for Sandy Denny's voice. Thank you Adam for ensuring there is a small oasis of sanity in here. 

Last but not least today we have an appearance by the famed polymath Mr John Medd. His choice of the number 666 can only reflect his belief that all this is the devil's work. And after listening to the Mexican Elvis take on T. Rex who is to say he is wrong.

"I Am Happy Now" - Bixy Guidry & Percy Babineaux (George)

"Randolph's Going Home" - Shayne Carter & Peter Jefferies (CC)

"Jogo De Angola" - Clara Nunes (Pete)

"Farewell, Farewell" - Fairport Convention (Adam)

"El Groover" - El Vez (John)

All in all you've done a pretty good job. Maybe I should hand over to you lot more often.

I mentioned that only a small percentage of the acts on Last.fm's list had ratched up over 100 listens. Of those only four have passed 1000. Here are numbers 3 and 4 on the list, we will have contributions from numbers 1 and 2 with the rest of your selections on Monday.

Double Scots

On Sunday I went to Bishops Stortford to see my nephew star in the title role of a local production of 'Aladdin Jr - The Musical'. Needless to say I thought he was brilliant. 

If I had any clips I would subject you to them, but I don't. So instead you are getting some music I acquired from the always interesting Ecco charity shop while I was there.They had a 5 CDs for £1 offer on, and having found two that I would happily pay 50p each for I added three others that were selected purely on a whim.

One of the big two was "Dirt Track Date", the 1995 album by Southern Culture On The Skids, often referred to as SCOTS for short - indeed, the writing on the CD proclaims proudly that it is "Powered by SCOTS". They are responsible for one of the greatest party records of all time which I have added to two tracks from "Dirt Track Date". 

Having nabbed the SCOTS album I thought I should try to get something especially for the many Scots among our readers. I spotted a 20 track compilation of the works of The Alexander Brothers on the esteemed Music For Pleasure label further along the shelf. The many Scots among our readers will be delighted to know I nabbed that too.

I thought about dedicating "My Aim Folk" to the Caledonian diaspora but was worried that poor Parsley and Anita might be alarmed by the sight of a lachrymose George so I have chosen something chirpier instead. No need to rush to thank me.  

"Fried Chicken And Gasoline" - Southern Culture On The Skids

"Voodoo Cadillac" - Southern Culture On The Skids

"Liquored Up And Lacquered Down" - Southern Culture On The Skids

"Cock O' The North" - The Alexander Brothers

Other Scottish folk songs aimed at the diaspora are available.

Real Sounds Of The Sahara

Before we get started, a quick reminder for anyone wishing to take part in our latest exercise in interactive blogging (as explained here) to send me a number between 1 and 26,482. Closing date is this Thursday, we'll share the results on Friday.

Now to the business of the day. On the Friday just gone I used a tenuous link to the Sahara as an excuse to share some music from somewhere nowhere near the mighty desert. This time round you are getting some proper Saharan sounds.

If you were asked to identify the musical hotspots of the world Niger might not be an obvious choice but there seems to be a never ending number of fantastic bands from that embattled country (possibly even more than 26,482). We have featured many of them already, including on the African Odyssey last year, but not yet today's guests.

Tal National produced three stunning albums in the mid 2010s, each of which are currently available for a bargain £7 in either CD or digital form on Bandcamp - something for you to think about when Bandcamp Friday rolls around at the end of the week. The band has been quiet on both the recording and gigging front since Covid, so it may be they have disbanded.

Today's selections come from their second album "Zoy Zoy" which came out in 2015. I have no doubt that you will enjoy "Zoy Zoy".

"Sey Wata Gaya" - Tal National

"Kodaje" - Tal National

From The Sahara To Sunset

WARNING: Extremely contrived link ahead

Earlier this week Adam from the Swiss Canton of Manchester enthralled us all with photos of his recent trip into the Sahara. 

If you linger in the Sahara for any length of time there is a fair chance you will bump into some bedouin. You are far less likely to bump into the singer-songwriter Bedouine (Azniv Korkejian to her dear old Mum). 

I did warn you it was contrived.

Like her near namesakes Bedouine's origins lie in the Syrian desert - she was born in Aleppo of Armenian stock - but these days she hangs out in LA. There she makes music that is suitably mellow for the end of a week that, for me at least, has been full of minor irritations. 

We'll start with an original song from what I think is still her most recent album, 2021's "Waysides", and follow it up with covers of Elton John and Big Star. On the latter she has roped in a couple of pals to help out.

"It Wasn't Me" - Bedouine

"Come Down In Time" - Bedouine

"Thirteen" - Bedouine, Waxahatchee & Hurray For The Riff Raff

If that leaves you wanting more, here is half an hour of Bedouine live and unaccompanied back in 2018. I saw her around then with a full band behind her and enjoyed that very much but I think I would have enjoyed this solo set even more.

PS A late and inadequate addition to this post but I could not let another sad parting yesterday go unacknowledged. RIP David Thomas.

"Caligari's Mirror" - Pere Ubu

Missed Off The List

In the continuing absence of inspiration I decided to look at the list of my most played artists on Last.fm and work out the highest placed act that has never featured on these pages. The data is nor wildly reliable as only picks up certain devices and platform but it will do for these purposes.

It turns out that most of alleged favourite artists have appeared here at one point or another, which is probably not surprising after more than sixteen years. I had to go all the way down to No. 149 which is where I found The Stylistics. Here they are with two of their finest moments.

I briefly met the then line-up about 25 years in a jazz club in Cape Town where they were relaxing after a show nearby. Three of the five original members are still performing, including Russell Thompkins of the famed falsetto, but as is customary they have split into two competing groups.

"You're A Big Girl Now" - The Stylistics

"Hurry Up This Way Again" - The Stylistics

The Last.fm list goes all the way down to 26,482. If anyone wants to get involved in a bit of citizen blogging just stick a number between 1 and 26,482 in the comments and when we have a few I'll find out who you've chosen and put them all in a post.

Currently in last place: Larry Joe Miller & His Rockabilly Rockets. If this video is anything to go by Larry Joe deserves to be a bit higher, maybe somewhere in the 22 thousands.

Larry Joe managed to fit a total of nine people in the back of his car (the six pretty girls and the three members of the Rockabilly Rockets) beating Paul Evans' previous record by one.

Single Song Sunday

It is the first Single Song Sunday of the year and one that breaks what up until now had been one of my cardinal rules. There is no Mandatory Reggae Version.

That is not for the lack of trying. This song has been on the list for a long time but I have held off in the hope of finding a MRV but after spending many hours over many months searching I have to concede defeat. I am surprised because there are plenty of reggae versions of other songs by this artist but there you go.

I'm not sure whether to feel ashamed or liberated by this omission, and apologies to the purists out there. But I hope you will agree that with or without a MRV we have a stonking selection.

The song in question is a psychedelic standard, Donovan's "Season Of The Witch". Never released as a single, his original version opened Side 2 of the "Sunshine Superman" album in 1966. It wasn't long before the covers started coming along, one of the first being by Brian Auger, Julie Driscoll & The Trinity, of whom more later. 

It is a song that seems to appeal to TV and film directors. Versions by Richard Thompson, Joan Jett and Lana Del Rey were respectively used in the soundtracks as the TV series "Crossing Jordan" (2003), "The Sons Of Sam" (2021) and the film "Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark" (2019). 

From Lana we skip on to Luna, whose 1996 version first appeared on a compilation album called "I Shot Andy Warhol" which features "music from or inspired by the motion picture" and was subsequently released as a single. The album features another Donovan cover but as it is Jewel taking on "Sunshine Superman" I think I'll stick to the single.

Next up we have a couple of fairly recent covers from the UK courtesy of folk-rockers Tamesis (2020) and Mr Billy Childish hiding behind one of his many aliases (2022). And we finish off with assorted Americans - Lou Rawls (1969), Cindy Lee Berryhill (1996) and a prolific individual called Jack who styles himself as Telyscopes (2014).

"Season Of The Witch" - Donovan

"Season Of The Witch" - Richard Thompson

"Season Of The Witch" - Joan Jett & The Blackhearts

"Season Of The Witch" - Lana Del Rey

"Season Of The Witch" - Luna

"Season Of The Witch" - Tamesis

"Season Of The Witch" - The William Loveday Intention

"Season Of The Witch" - Lou Rawls

"Season Of The Witch" - Cindy Lee Berryhill

"Season Of The Witch" - Telyscopes

I mentioned the Julie Driscoll version earlier in the post. With a video this magnificent to go with it I wasn't going to fritter that away on mere audio. Gaze in wonder.

Not Ready Yet

Earlier this week I had lunch in Cafe Caribbean in fashionable Loughton. I would recommend it if happen to be in the area.

As I was tucking into their excellent value weekday meal deal someone put a smooth soul compilation on the sound system. The first track was "Yes I'm Ready" by Barbara Mason. It may be her signature tune but in my experience it is a very misleading one.

I had a ticket for the concert Barbara was meant to give at the Islington Assembly Hall in October. October 2012 that is. When it was postponed I got an email saying they would be in touch with a rescheduled date. I'm still waiting for news. It appears that after more than twelve years she's not quite ready yet.

It is probably time to accept that it isn't going to be rescheduled and move on with my life. While Barbara is thankfully still with us at 77 she only gigs very infrequently these days and it seems not at all outside the US. Never mind, we still have her magnificent back catalogue to enjoy.

"The Ghetto" - Barbara Mason

"He Wants The Two Of Us" - Barbara Mason

"You Blew It" - Barbara Mason

Other Romeos Are Available

I don't know whether it is the delayed effect of all the many long haul overnight flights I have taken recently but I am currently struggling to persuade my mind and body to turn up in the same place at the same time. 

One consequence of that is an inability to come up with interesting ideas for posts. So in the absence of anything approaching inspiration I latched on to 'Romeo' from the Max Romeo tribute in my previous post.

Here are loads of songs about Romeos (with and without Juliets) and a couple by Romeos. Enjoy!

"Romeo's Tune" - Steve Forbert

"She Took Off My Romeos" - David Lindley & El Rayo-X

"Romeo And Juliet" - Michael & The Messengers

"Romeo Had Juliette" - Lou Reed

"Weathered Romeo" - Sis

"I'm No Romeo" - Billy Stewart

"Goodbye Romeo" - Tara Priya

"Romeo" - Lord Kitchener

"Mulamba" - Romeo Dika

"Undercover Kept" - Roneo Void

Max Romeo RIP

Another good one has gone. The mighty Max Romeo left us on Friday aged 80. RIP Mr Romeo.

Perhaps regrettably best known in the UK for his 1969 Top 10 hit "Wet Dream" - of which he later said "the devil made me do it" - he went on to make some of the finest roots records of the 1970s. Here are just a few.

"War Ina Babylon" -  Max Romeo

"Chase The Devil" - Max Romeo

"Socialism Is Love" - Max Romeo

"Tacko" - Max Romeo

Meet Me In Port Louis

I got back from my trip to Mauritius yesterday. Between the work and the wet weather I didn't get to see a huge amount - just the capital Port Louis, Mahebourg in the south and their surrounding areas - but I liked what I saw in my time off and would graciously accept an invitation to go back. 

I took a few snaps which you can find here if you are interested. There are a lot of shots of bays which start to merge into each other after a while, but then there are a lot of beautiful bays to admire.

The abundance of bays was not matched by an abundance of local music. I had been quite optimistic before arriving as my research had identified four record shops, two in Port Louis and two a short metro ride away in Rose Hill. Unfortunately two of the four have shut up shop completely and one has gone into a different line of business and no longer sells records.

Even the fourth emporium on my list, Harbour Music in Port Louis, is now predominantly a clothes shop. I had an good old natter with the proprietor who pined for the old days of wall to wall albums and blamed his current predicament on a combination of Covid and computers.

The music selection in Harbour is now limited to a small number of local compilations. More or less at random I choose "Nouvo Compil Sa!!" from 2015. Today we bring you the opening track by Dr. Boyzini, a man whose name suggests he ought to be on a 1980s Eurodisco revival package tour somewhere.

More positively I did stumble across the Ah Kaye Music Shop in an alley in Rose Hill. But judging by the stock on the shelves the owner sees his mission as bringing international music to the local audience - if anyone in Mauritius is looking for a 7" or "Mississippi" by Pussycat then Ah Kaye is the place to go - rather than promoting local music. 

There were only a few Mauritian CDs to choose from. I opted for "Ouvert To Lizie", the 2021 album by local MAR stalwart Ti Blakka. On the back cover it proudly states that the album was sponsored by the Ministry of Arts and Cultural Heritage, making it even more mandatory than usual. 

"Mon C Val" - Dr. Boyzini

"Coler Froter" - Ti Blakka

I subsequently learnt that the owner of the Ah Kaye is called Fred and he has been a stalwart supporter of reggae music for many years now, so much so that Errol Dunkley wrote a song in his honour. 

Jabu, Jozi And Me

I returned from my family visit to South Africa a couple of days ago. My immediate priority was to get the washing on before heading off on a tedious work trip to Mauritius on Thursday, but I had some time during the spin cycle to prepare this post.

I started the visit in Cape Town where I popped into the second hand record shops in the Observatory district. Among the goodies I found was "Mmalo-We", the first album by the second version of Bayete. 

Jabu Khanyile was the drummer and lead vocalist in the original Bayete between 1984 and their break-up in 1992. After the split he recruited a new line-up and stuck his name on the front. This 1993 effort was the first of a series of albums they made up until his untimely early death from cancer and diabetes in 2006.

The second part of the trip involved a culture packed couple of days in Johannesburg. One of the highlights was a visit to the Apartheid Museum where there is much to learn, even (or perhaps especially) for those of us who lived there during that era. 

I was particularly taken by this poster about the workings of the race classification system, a reminder that as well as being cruel apartheid was inherently nonsensical. The sting is in the tail.

While in Joburg I acquired a copy of  "Marabi Nights", a book about the growth of the local marabi jazz scene (sometimes also called "township jazz") from the 1920s to the 1950s. I've not read it yet so can't give you a review, but it comes with a CD of recordings rescued from old 78s that the author discovered in the course of his research. Two selections are below, from 1933 and 1945 respectively. 

Finally on my last night the local Gogginses and I took in a show at the excellent Untitled Basement venue in the hip Braamfontein district of the city. Star of the night was local nu-soul diva Ayanda Jiya. Personally I found a lot of her material a bit samey, but she has a great voice and a winning personality. One of the younger members of the clan was quite starstruck when she met her afterwards.

That's all for now. Stand by for some fine Mauritian sega when I return around the end of next week.

"Ubugwala" - Jabu Khanyile & Bayete

"Ntebejana" - W.P. Zikali

"Marabi No. 2 Jive" - Hot Lips Dance Band