27 Leggies

And What Do You Know?

2012-01-29T20:18:00.000Z

In a desperate attempt to pad out the 27 Leggies Sunday Supplement, we rang up a few celebrities and asked them the question "What do you know?" Here are the answers - some amusing, some enlightening and some sad.

If Barbara George is reading this up in Soul Heaven - Barbara, you're wrong.

"I Know (You Don't Love Me No More)" - Barbara George

"I Know My Train's A Comin'" - 17 Pygmies

"I Know Where You're Coming From" - Sam Dees

"I Know What I'm Looking For Now" - Tift Merritt

"I Know Who Threw The Whiskey In The Well" - Bull Moose Jackson

"Joy (I Know It)" - Odyssey

Tift may not yet have tracked down what she is looking for, but at least she knows what it is. So she is at least one step ahead of The Chimes (yes, I know it is a U2 song but I am allergic to B*n* and this version is miles better anyway).

King Joe Is Back

2012-01-27T20:23:00.000Z

As promised last time out, to set you up perfectly for the weekend, here are some brand new sounds from Joe Shirimani. As regular readers will know, Joe is a bit of a hero of mine. Despite the healthy competition for the title, I consider him still to be the main man on the Tsonga/Shangaan scene.

2011 was a bit of a come-back year for Joe, after taking some time off from music to train as a sangoma (a traditional healer). And he came back with a vengeance. Early in the year he released “Joe Shirimani na Bangoni Bandawu”, which I have not yet heard in full but a copy of which is waiting for me in Cape Town and I'll pick it up at Easter. The album was a smash and won best Xitsonga disco album of the year at the MLFM awards. Putting his producer hat on he launched the career of his latest protege, Benny Mayengani, who won best male vocalist at the same awards thanks to his hit single "Tiba Ben", which we have featured here before.

Fuelled by the enthusiastic response Joe got back in the studio with his younger brother Prince Rhangani (whose own solo album is also waiting for us in Cape Town), Benny and various other guests to produce the album "Banana", which was presented to an expectant and grateful public in November, credited to Joe Shirimani na Vana Va Ndonda. It is, as you would expect, a bit of a corker. Joe has incorporated some elements of the Shangaan electro sound that is proving so popular with the hipsters in Brooklyn and Brussels but without moving away from his own signature sound. Here the two opening tracks.

Many thanks to Bram (aka DJ LeBlanc) for fixing me up with this album. I owe you one.

"Hi Nghenile" - Joe Shirimani na Vana Va Ndonda

"Banana" - Joe Shirimani na Vana Va Ndonda (featuring Rose Chabala)

We've shown this clip of Joe many times but, until some new clips are available on YouTube, we'll have to keep showing it. Which is hardly a hardship.

Get Ready For Freddie

2012-01-24T22:56:00.001Z

Attention all you Tsonga Disco fans out there. Make sure to tune in later in the week when we will be sharing some brand new tracks by the Shangaan Svengali himself, Mr Joe Shirimani. To warm you up for that, here is some top quality 1990s South African pop from Freddie Gwala.

Freddie is a bit of a Svengali figure himself. He started out as songwriter, co-producer and founder member of the band Pure Gold, who were big in the 1980s. He went solo in the early 1990s and had a massive hit with 'Amadamara' which we have featured here before. This was followed by a string of successful singles and albums, and his solo career continues to this day.

Ten years or so back he discovered the band Platform 1 and again took up production and songwriting duties to guide them to success. He has also written songs for the likes of Brenda Fassie. Somewhere along the way he found time in his busy schedule to serve eight years in jail for car theft. And he has recently taken Zimbabwean dance troupe Amavithikazi under his wing in an attempt to work his magic with them.

I have his first five solo albums in my collection. Here is one song from each of them, including his touching tribute to Ms Diana Ross. Whether Diana has returned the compliment and recorded a track called 'Freddie Gwala' is not known.

"Iyajikajika" (from "Amadamara") - Freddie Gwala

"Shikisha" (from "Amadamara 2: Shikisha Mahala") - Freddie Gwala

"Diana Ross" (from "Amadamara 3: Disco Mshini") - Freddie Gwala

"Amaphalazo" (from "Amadamara 4: Gumba Faya") - Freddie Gwala

"Usisi Rose" (from "Amadamara 5: Ngiboshiwe") - Freddie Gwala

I thought about having a Diana Ross clip here. But then I thought, no, let's have something decent instead.

ReviewShine Round-Up

2012-01-22T17:33:00.002Z

It is time for our monthly round-up of records received via ReviewShine. And we start with a sort of low-key version of a super-group. Freedy Johnston, Jon Dee Graham and Susan Cowsill are all artists I have admired for many years. I have been lucky enough to see a couple of them live, Jon Dee here in London and Susan in Raleigh NC on the same evening that I had a peculiar encounter with a lady fishmonger and ate hush puppies for the first and only time. Now the three of them have got together under the name of The Hobart Brothers With Lil' Sis Hobart and produced an album called "At Least We Have Each Other", due out on 6 March on Freedom Records.

As you would expect with the pedigree of the people involved, it is a strong record, with songs apparently inspired by their early days when they each had to take menial jobs in restaurants to make ends meet. Many of the songs sound like the solo work of whichever the lead artist is - that is not intended as a criticism, just an observation - but I think my favourite tracks are those that blend their different styles to come up with something slightly different, like today's selection. As a bonus I have added one each from their solo work so you can make your own judgement about how well they have blended.

"I Never Knew" - The Hobart Brothers With Lil' Sis Hobart

"Kings" - Jon Dee Graham

"Nanny's Song" - Susan Cowsill

"The Lucky One" - Freedy Johnston

Dear Sister are a trio from Toronto, who released their eponymous album which came out last month. Bri Salmena and Raven Shields are the singers and principal songwriters, while Aaron Comeau arranges most of the songs. The sound could loosely be described as a mix of Gillian Welch style Americana and the 1970s Laurel Canyon school. It is worth checking out for the harmonies alone, although there is a lot more to it than that. My personal favourites include "Hallelujah" (not that one), recorded live at Levon Helm's place in Woodstock, and this next one.

"Sailor's Daughter" - Dear Sister

I can tell you nothing at all about Railroad Fever other than that they are a four-piece band from Philadelphia whose debut album, "Things You Lost", was issued earlier this month. The first time I listened to the album it sounded pleasant but slightly washed over me. Then this track popped up on my iPod shuffle and I was stopped dead in my tracks, since when I have had another listen. The album is definitely a grower.

"Saint Dorothy's Shame" - Railroad Fever

We finish with a bit of an oddity. In 2008 Brian Francis Slattery released a novel going under the snappy title of "Liberation: Being the Adventures of the Slick Six After the Collapse of the United States of America". According to the blurb it was "a surreal road trip of a novel". Now Brian has got together with some of his mates, who he has called the Slick Six Five, and put extracts from the novel to music.

The resulting album is called "Pictures of a Liberation", and came out ten days ago on Venture Joint Records. The lyrics are mainly spoken, but occasionally sung, and set to all sorts of musical styles - mostly rock or country but venturing into funk and Afropop as well. What you make of it will largely depend on what you make of Brian's voice and whether the words engage you. To be honest it doesn't always work for me, and the words and music don't always fit together. But when they do they really bring the scene to life, none more so that on this track which I find utterly entrancing.

"We Left; You Should Too" - Brian Francis Slattery & The Slick Six Five

We end where we began, with Susan Cowsill, who first entered the music business as the youngest member of The Cowsills, the family ensemble that were the real-life predecessors of the Partridge Family. You can just about make her out in this very poor quality clip of them doing one of their biggest hits in 1969 - that's her singing "and spaghetti" at 2:08.

He's Got To Be-ee-ee-ee-ee...

2012-01-20T20:22:00.000Z

Last time out we treated you to Barry White's bizarre reggae version of 'Volare'. Have a listen to this. Is it just me but do the first twenty seconds lead you to think you are about to get a bizarre reggae version of 'Quando Quando Quando'. Fortunately it soon settles down into a decent Congolese rumba, but it is a scary moment.

"C'Est Mon Mari" - Carlyto Lassa

We will stick with the reggae a little longer. Over the last few days I have been listening obsessively to 'Hand Cart Bwoy' by the modestly named Perfect. Here it is with another one of his tunes, on which he is assisted by one Jeffrey Star. "Star" I like - it's aspirational like "Perfect" - but I do think the effect is diminished when used after "Jeffrey".

"Hand Cart Bwoy" - Perfect

"Ready When You Are" - Perfect (featuring Jeffrey Star)

We finish up with a short tribute to the mighty Etta James, who sadly died today.

"Watch Dog" - Etta James

And at the risk of overdoing the 'Hand Cart Bwoy' thing, here's the video. All together now: "Down the market me juggle pak choi...".

Reggae Country

2012-01-16T20:14:00.000Z

We like a bit of reggae here in the East End. I should qualify that by saying that we like a bit of reggae as long as it is UB40 or it was a hit in the 1960s or 1970s. You can't go into a pub on a Saturday night round here without hearing 'Kingston Town' or 'Everything I Own'.

So it came as no surprise when I was in Roman Road market recently (or "dahn the Roman" as we call call it) to find a dodgy geezer selling bootleg reggae CDs for £2 a pop. I picked up a handful of them, including a compilation called "Reggae's Gone Country" which came out last year.

Most of it is pretty tame stuff to be honest and there are a few duff choices - does the world really need a reggae version of 'Wolverton Mountain'? But on the plus side it does include covers of three of my all time favourite songs in any genre: 'He Stopped Loving Her Today', 'El Paso' and 'He'll Have To Go'. They are all decent enough, though none come close to the majesty of the originals, with Luciano's tribute to Jim Reeves probably the pick of the bunch. So that is what you are getting.

Of course there is nothing new about reggae artists covering country songs. Take for example Toots & The Maytals' stomping version of 'Take Me Home, Country Roads', which is infinitely preferable to the original. And the influence goes both ways. Toots popped up a few years' back on Willie Nelson's "Countryman" album, on which Willie reinterpreted his back catalogue in a rub-a-dub style-e - and produced one of the best records he has made in ages as a result.

Today's final selection has nothing to do with country music but I felt compelled to share it with you. Let me put three propositions to you:

There is a reggae version of 'Volare'
Barry White has done a version of 'Volare'
Barry White has made a reggae record

You would probably look at those and say the first was inevitable, the second conceivable and the third unlikely in the extreme. But now put them all together: Barry White has done a reggae version of 'Volare'. It's true. It's not good. But it's true.

"He'll Have To Go" - Luciano

"Take Me Home, Country Roads" - Toots & The Maytals

"Something To Think About" - Willie Nelson

"Volare" - Barry White

It would be kinder really to remember Barry doing what he did better than anyone.

Fireside Favourites

2012-01-14T17:43:00.000Z

It's a chilly old day here in London, the sort of day where I wish I had a nice log fire I could settle down next to. But you have to be careful with fire, because if you play with it you might get burned. So you need to make sure you have something or someone you can turn to if things get out of hand.

And that is sort of the story of these songs.

"Sitting By The Fire" - Gordon Haskell

"Fire Burning" - Bob Andy

"Fire Burning" - The Rockets

"Play With Fire" - Barbara & Ernie

"Fire Don't Care" - One Wolf

"How Do You Fight Fire?" - Dirk Hamilton

"You're My Fire Extinguisher" - Sir Victor Uwaifo

"Mr. Fire Coal Man" - The Wailing Souls

And if it does get out of control and they try to work out who was responsible, you can be sure everyone will be pointing fingers and passing the buck.

Start The Tsonga

2012-01-10T20:16:00.000Z

Recently we have not really been living up to our mission to bring you the finest in Tsonga Disco. Today we start trying to put that right with some smooth Shangaan sounds from 1993.

But first I want do what I believe the young people call a "shout out" to my new friend Bram, better known to fans of cutting edge sounds as DJ Leblanc. Bram has very kindly sent me a copy of "Banana", the brand new album by the mighty Joe Shirimani, with Vana Va Ndoda. You can expect to see some selections from that up here pretty soon. Bram has also sent over a mixtape he did of some CDs he picked up in Giyani - the home of Tsonga/ Shangaan music - a little while back. You should definitely give it a listen.

Shangaan electro mix by Darcyr & Leblanc on Mixcloud

I am extremely jealous of Bram as he has recently come back from a trip to Joburg where he got to hang out with such luminaries as Patson Chauke and Mr Jambatini, as you can see from the photos he has put up on Facebook. Apparently it was our feature on Mr J 18 months ago that led Bram to track him down. It is nice to know we played a small part in bringing them together.

Anyway, after all that introduction, let's get back to that 1993 CD I mentioned up the top. It is by a band called Magayisa - but billed as Magayisa C. Khosa on the sleeve, Chris Khosa being the lead vocalist - and is called simply "Shangaan Disco". It is that very rare thing, a Shangaan album that had an official US release - what a shame it wasn't the start of a Tsonga Invasion of the US charts.

The first couple of tracks are a little tame but they slowly ratchet up both the Shangaan and disco elements of the sound and by the time they get to tracks 5 and 6 things are really starting to cook. As you can hear.

"Nwana Wosaseka Watsakisa" - Magayisa

"Xinepe" - Magayisa

And if you are wondering why the name Magayisa sounds familiar, maybe you are thinking of this track by our old pal Loaf Boy.

"Magayisa" - Loaf Boy

We are going to forego our usual finish of a naff Top of the Pops clip from the 1970s for something special. The fact that you lot tune in here at all clearly means you are people of impeccable taste, so it follows that you must be fellow supporters of The Arsenal. I was at the Emirates last night to witness the return of God. I haven't stopped smiling since the 78th minute (or 1:50 as they call it on this video of the edited highlights).

Nieces!!!

2012-01-08T21:14:00.001Z

My eldest niece Hannah has just spent a few days with me, having arrived to spend the next twelve months or so working in England. As you would expect of a Goggins she is an absolute delight, as are my seven other nieces. Here is a song for each of them, although I should emphasise that my niece Emily is a highly respectable young woman and not at all like her namesake of whom Gypsy sings.

"See Alice" - The Mummers

"Anna" - Arthur Alexander

"Brimful Of Asha" - Cornershop

"Ella" - M. Ward

"Emily" - Gypsy

"Hannah" - Hal Trotter

"For Jessica" - Jordan Klassen

"Maya" - Arik Einstein & Shalom Hanoch

Apropos of nothing at all, this is something that has to be seen to be believed (although even having seen it I am not sure I believe it).

And that is not the only reference to pretzels in Elvis's work. They crop up in this old standard as well.

A Nod To Niamey

2012-01-06T19:13:00.000Z

We had our first visitor from Niger today so, as a tribute of sorts, here are a small selection of tunes from Nigerien artists - mostly but not exclusively in the 'Tuareg Blues' style. I think we now have Chad pretty much surrounded, but the buggers are still holding out.

"Ile Elan" - Atri N'Assouf

"Liedernan" - Etran Finatawa

"Innulamane" - Toumast

"Yacouba" - Mamar Kassey

Speaking of Mama Cass, I still believe her finest achievement was her performance as Witch Hazel in H R Pufnstuf.

Ivan The Terrible?

2012-01-04T14:06:00.000Z

A belated welcome to 2012. I am just back from a week in Sorrento and Naples, and very nice it was too. For fans of skulls, I would particularly recommend a visit to Santa Maria delle Anime del Purgatorio ad Arco in Naples. It must be one of the few Catholic churches with a practicing death cult in the basement. This here is Lucia, the patron of young brides.

I even managed to catch a gig while in Italy, by Raphael Gualazzi, the Italian Jamie Cullum and runner-up in Eurovision 2011. It was not really my sort of thing, but he puts on a good show. It was also notable for a bizarre attempt by the organisers of the Sorrento Jazz Festival (whose event it was) to impose a photo ban at a free concert held in the main square. I bravely defied this ban to bring you this exclusive photo of Raphael in action.

I have never really hit it off with modern Italian music. The old stuff is a different matter. One can only agree with Jeff Lynne that Puccini knew how to lay down a tune, and I enjoy a good burst of 'Volare' as much as anyone. But what I have heard of the more recent stuff usually leaves me cold. Needless to say, I did not let that stop me buying loads of it. You will be lucky enough to share it I am sure.

We start with one Ivan Cattaneo. According to the automatic translation of his Italian Wikipedia page he was born in Bergamo in 1953, was thrown out of the Italian army for "extravagence" and released a number of independent albums in the mid to late 1970s, before signing with a major label and striking it big with his hit single 'Polisex' in 1980, which "soon became a sort of hymn of the so-called alternative in Milan during the eighties". He effectively turned his back on music to take up painting in the mid 1980s and has only made a couple of albums since.

The CD I bought, in the seminal "I Grande Successi Originali" series, features his 1970s recordings. Some of the titles looked promising - "Sexo!", "Bimbo Assassino" ands "Il Bambino E Perverso" for example. On the whole it is pretty tame stuff though. Here are a couple of the better numbers.

"Boys & Boys" - Ivan Cattaneo

"Psico Fico" - Ivan Cattaneo

I will leave you with this old Italian standard, the chorus of which happens to be exactly what I said to the security man in Sorrento who tried to stop me photographing Raphael Gualazzi.

Ring Out The Old, Ring In The Old

2011-12-27T08:54:00.000Z

It is time for the monthly round-up of goodies folks have kindly sent to me via ReviewShine, and this month we will mostly be featuring reissues.

There is a new label, Real Gone Music, which - according to the PR blurb - "aims to establish itself as the most eclectic and prolific catalog and reissue label in the country". Whether they can achieve that remains to be seen, but if they can keep up the standard of their first two releases they will be welcome round my place any time.

Coming out on 24 January is "Seductive Reasoning", the 1975 debut album by Maggie & Terre Roche. First released four years before their self-titled debut as The Roches, after having been joined by sister Suzzy, it lacks the quirky production of that album (and one-third of the harmonies) but is very good in its own right. The songs of identifiably Rochean - to invent a word - and the singing is, of course, sublime. Any fans of their later work should consider this to be a must have.

On the same day, Real Gone will also be issuing a compilation called "Complete Epic Hits" by Jody Miller which, as the title subtly suggests, features her 1970s recording on Epic Records. That inevitably means lots of Billy Sherrill productions, so if you don't like his brand of country pop this isn't for you. Fortunately I do. Judging by the selection on this album, Mr Sherrill was trying the same approach as he pursued with Barbara Mandrell during the same period, with plenty of pop and soul cover versions in amongst the originals. Some of it is a bit twee, but when Jody gets the chance to show her chops she demonstrates a real talent.

"Down The Dream" - Maggie & Terre Roche

"Kiss Away" - Jody Miller

I don't know whether there is some special significance about 24 January - is it perhaps National Reissue Day? - but our third selection is coming out then as well. This is a remastered version of Dolly Varden's 1995 debut album, "Mouthful Of Lies". As cognoscenti like you lot will already know, Dolly Varden are a "they" not a "she" - husband and wife Steve Dawson and Diane Christiansen plus pals - and must be one of the few bands named after a species of trout.

While I have heard and liked a few of their tracks before I have never heard this album, and I have been missing out. I am not sure quite how to describe their sound - something like "fuzzy Americana", perhaps - and one track won't give you a taste of the whole album as the songs have quite a different feel depending on whether Diane or Steve take the lead, or whether they duet. A very loose comparison for the three styles would be Mazzy Star (Diane), Glossary (Steve), Buddy & Julie Miller (the duets).

"Gone So Far" - Dolly Varden

We finish today, and this year, with the sole new album on the list - "Homefront" by The Great Unknowns. Inspired by the break-up of singer and main songwriter Becky Warren's marriage to an Iraq War veteran who returned home with post-traumatic stress disorder (dealt with most explicitly in "Long Way Home"), this is roots-rock of the highest order. There is nothing particularly original in what they do, but they do it very well indeed. There are some excellent songs, and Becky's voice has similar qualities to Lucinda Williams, which can't be a bad thing. The album comes out on 10 January and, like all the others featured this month, is well worth checking out.

"Birmingham" - The Great Unknowns

I am off to Italy tomorrow for a week's break, so I'll take this opportunity to wish everyone all the best for 2012. I'll leave you with some Italian music: this thoughtful insight into the complex subject of male/female relations from the woman they used to call "the female Umberto Eco".

Bah Humbug

2011-12-24T13:46:00.000Z

Taking my lead from my postman, I had not intended to deliver a Christmas post. But then yesterday afternoon the acclaimed musician/writer/journalist/twitterati Rhodri Marsden unleashed this litle gem on the world, and I thought you should hear it.

"Heaven Knows I'm Christmassy Now" - The Free French

I particularly like the egg nog line - very clever and very funny. A big hand for Rhodri. Make that a giant hand. Actually, make two giant hands. Hands big enough for the Pointer Sisters to stand on.

Anyway, having broken the seal, so to speak, I thought we may as well pour out a few more seasonal smashes.

"Party For Santa Claus" - Lord Nelson

"Space Christmas" - Shonen Knife

"Kung Fu Christmas" - National Lampoon

"Merry Christmas From The Family" - Robert Earl Keen

And we will end with more traditional fare from Sir Shakin' Stevens (or Stevens the Shake as they call him in his native Wales). Merry Christmas everyone!!!

That Was The Year That Was

2011-12-22T22:37:00.000Z

It is time to do the top album/gig of the year stuff. Let's all get it over and done with.

My top album without a doubt is Sarabeth Tucek's "Get Well Soon". Inspired (if that is the right word) by the death of her father, it is magnificent from start to finish.

Convention demands that I select a top ten. That is a lot more difficult, as whatever I say today I will have changed my mind about by tomorrow. But here are four more albums that are sure to be somewhere in the top ten:

"Borrow A Horse" - Old Calf
"I Love You, Go Easy" - Devon Sproule
"Long Player, Late Bloomer" - Ron Sexsmith
"Album Vakansi" - White Shoes & The Couples Company

And the rest of the top ten will probably be made up of five of these:

"The Constant Pageant" - Trembling Bells
"Poor Moon" - Hiss Golden Messenger
"Get Out Of Sin City" - Boca Chica
"Nothing Is Wrong" - Dawes
"Helplessness Blues" - Fleet Foxes
"Blessed" - Lucinda Williams
"I'll Never Get Out Of This World Alive" - Steve Earle
"The Head And The Heart" - The Head And The Heart
"Last Of The Country Gentlemen" - Josh T. Pearson
"Wona Baba Maraire" - Baba Maraire

Choosing the top gig is just impossible. It has been a bit of a bumper year. In the Festival Hall alone I saw Roy Harper (his 70th birthday bash), Pentangle (Bert Jansch's last gig), Rickie Lee Jones recreating her first two albums and The Sonics, all of whom were excellent. Around the corner in the Purcell Rooms Dobet Gnahore put on a blinding show.

At the smaller end of the scale, at least in terms of venue size, the Scritti Politti birthday bash and the This Is The Kit/ Sarabeth Tucek double bill, both in Dalston, were fantastic nights. And you can never see Mike Heron too often.

Here is a selection of tracks from some of the artists mentioned in those lists.

"The Fireman" - Sarabeth Tucek

"There Are Men In The Village Of Erith" - Old Calf

"Selangkah Keseberang" - White Shoes & The Couples Company (Featuring Fariz RM)

"Now's The Time" - Devon Sproule

"Luchea" - Baba Maraire

"Cote D'Ivoire" - Dobet Gnahore

"Sometimes The Sea" - This Is The Kit

"Don't Believe In Christmas" - The Sonics

And here are a few more, kicking off with the late, great Bert Jansch and Pentangle.

Tea Time

2011-12-19T21:54:00.000Z

Some songs about tea, just for you.

"Have Some More Tea" - Smoke

"Me And Milk Tea And Others" - Hiro Yanagida

"Please Have Ghee Tea" - Yixizhuoma

"Tea Is Famous" - Tee Set

"Where Would We Be (Without Tea)" - Gilbert O'Sullivan

All of that was just an elaborate ruse to enable me to play a track from Gilbert O'Sullivan's latest album, "Gilbertville", without drawing too much attention to my deep (but deeply unfashionable) love for his work. Especially this song, which I can, and often do, listen to over and over again.

And here is something I hadn't expected to find when trawling YouTube - Dusty sings Gilbert. There is also a Morrissey version of the same song, but the sound quality is terrible.

Folkowo

2011-12-18T20:01:00.000Z

We continue our little global tour and move on from Brazil and Sweden to Poland. I visited Warsaw back in November, and while there picked up a two CD compilation of Polish folk and folk-influenced music called "Folkowa". There is a Folkowa festival in Ostroda in Poland every year, but whether the CD is connected to the fesival I don't know.

The first CD is billed as electric and the second as acoustic, although it didn't seem noticeably less electric to me. Here are three songs from the first CD.

"Polka Z Trzcianki" - Otako

"Maw Ja Raz Dziywczynońku" - Rusyczi

"W Kadzidlańskim Boru" - The Corps

If that has got you in the mood for more polkas, there is really only one man for the job.

Swedes Ahoy!

2011-12-16T20:05:00.001Z

It has got to that time of the year when you start looking back over the music of the last twelve months and drawing up lists designed to demonstrate that you have left the zeitgeist behind you and moved into realms of hipness previously unexplored. Mine may or may not appear between Christmas and New Year depending on when I get away from the Premier Inn in Watford.

But while doing so I rediscovered loads of stuff issued this year that I had intended to share with you but never got round to and, in most cases, probably never will. Here are three exceptions which have one thing in common - they are all Swedish artists.

Sakert! is Annika Norlin, formerly of Hello Saferide. This track comes from her album "På Engelska", released in October, which contains English language versions of songs previously head on her album "Facit".

Det Vackra Livet is a side project from Henrik and Philip Ekström of The Mary Onettes, and one in which they appear to have been transported back to the 1980s.

Of Twiggy Frostbite I can tell you nothing, having long since lost the PR blurb I was sent, but this is what they look like.

"The Flu" - Sakert!

"Juni Berättar" - Det Vackra Livet

"By The Ocean" - Twiggy Frostbite

Because I am feeling in a holiday mood, here are another seven Swedish songs of various vintages. They include Träd Gräs Och Stenar's cover of the Teddybears classic "Punkrocker" and what appears to be a sincere tribute to Ace of Base from Jaqee. All that Swedishness is makin' me itch.

"And I Found This Boy" - Maia Hirasawa

"Beatmaker" - Doris

"Chris Craft No. 9" - The Shanes

"Crystal Shade Of Loneliness" - Turid

"Kokoo Girl" - Jaqee

"Mean Street" - Mando Diao

"Punkrocker" - Träd Gräs Och Stenar

Oi!

2011-12-14T19:25:00.002Z

On Saturday I went down to Spitalfields Market for the Independent Record Labels Christmas Fair. There were some top labels there - the likes of Loose, Memphis Industries and the excellent Soundways to name but a few. With a grim inevitability I spent a lot more than I had planned buying a load of goodies, and a few pretty averagies as well.

Among the goodiest of the goodies was "Oi! A Nova Musica Brazileira!", which, for those of you whose Portuguese is less fluent than mine, means "Oi! New Brazilian Music". Released last year on the Mais Um Discos label, it is a two CD, 40 track compilation featuring all sorts of musical styles that is intended to be a beginner's guide to, well, new Brazilian music.

With that sort of breadth not everything is going to grab you, but there were plenty that did, including these two.

"Amarelasse" - Mini Box Lunar

"Carimbó Pra Maria (Luico K Remix)" - Mestre Curica

Here are four bonus Brazilan tracks of a rather less recent vintage:

"Não Quero Dinheiro" - Tim Maia

"Tao Longe De Mim" - Os Brazões

"Xica Da Silva" - Jorge Ben

"Tum Tum Tum" - Jackson Do Pandeiro

And we finish with something else quintessentially Brazilian for my friend Conical, who only really likes these bits. And Chuck Mangione.

Green's Christmas Party

2011-12-10T20:49:00.002Z

The Victoria public house in Dalston undoubtedly has many charms (although a lack of proper beer is not one of them), and it has a nice big room at the back that can take about 150 people. Even so it is not the sort of place you would expect to see hotshot music types playing on a Thursday night in December.

However the Victoria also happens to be Green Gartside's local, which is presumably why he chose it as the venue for his first gigs as Scritti Politti in about four years. They played there on Thursday and Friday nights just gone, and Mister F and I were lucky enough to be there on Thursday to join in the fun.

And great fun it was too. Scritti played an excellent set which covered the very early days ("Skank Bloc Bologna"), the Eighties hits, the comeback album from a few years ago and a couple of new songs which Green described as "work in progress". The new ones sounded pretty good although some of the harmonies on the song provisionally called "Slow Deceit" were a bit too 10CC for my taste.

Not only that, to get us in the festive spirit there was a raffle, pass the parcel, mince pies and a cocktail of Mr and Mrs Gartside's own devising which included Guinness and Drambuie among other things and tasted like a liquid Christmas pudding.

First up on the night was our old friend Robyn Hitchcock. He is a bit of a poseur but he writes a nifty song and got things off to a fine start. He also reappeared at the end of the evening to duet with Green on a very nice version of Nick Drake's "Free Ride". Here is that performance captured on my trusty camera. Apologies for swearing in the middle when Mister F stuck his mobile phone in the way.

I knew Scritti and Robyn would both be good, but the surprise package for me was Alexis Taylor of Hot Chip. I know nothing of their work but Mister F assures me that, like almost all modern music, there are no proper tunes, you can't make out the words and it is all just bang bang bang. So I hadn't been expecting the mellow, soulful set that Alexis gave us in the company of Rob Smoughton on guitar and vocals (Alexis himself providing keyboards and vocals). They bookended the set with covers of "Be Careful" by R. Kelly and "Let Me Roll It" by Wings, and listening to them you could almost imagine they had just stepped off the plane from Muscle Shoals.

You have been very patient so as a reward here is a track apiece from Scritti and Robyn. These weren't played on Thursday but if they had been it would have made an excellent night even more excellent. I don't have any of Alexis Taylor's music so instead here is the Wings original of the song with which he finished his set. And as a further nod to him, here is the old Willie Nelson classic he played when DJing later (in between the Incredible String Band and "Move Closer" by Phyllis Nelson - it was that kind of night).

"Asylums in Jerusalem" - Scritti Politti

"Mr Wife And My Dead Wife" - Robyn Hitchcock & The Egyptians

"Let Me Roll It" - Wings

"Stay All Night (Stay A Little Longer)" - Willie Nelson

And here are a few photos from the night.

That's it now. I promise.

The Other Pistols

2011-12-07T20:48:00.002Z

I said the other day that I would post some Two Dollar Pistols and, as I am a man of my word, that is exactly what I am doing. I really love John Howie Jr's baritone. His uptempo songs are pretty good, but his heartbreakers are even better.

"It's All Fun And Games (Til Someone Breaks A Heart)" - Two Dollar Pistols (from "Hands Up!", 2004)

"You've Grown Tired Of Me" - Two Dollar Pistols (from "You Ruined Everything", 2002)

I find it hard to listen to "You've Grown Tired Of Me" without (a) sinking into a deep gloom, and (b) sinking even further by listening to this companion piece by Mr. Chirpy himself, Richard Thompson.

"Why Must I Plead" - Richard Thompson (from "Rumor And Sigh", 1991)

I don't think I will put those three on my mixtape for Rita the Armenian barmaid in Tbilisi - it might seem a little needy. I think maybe I will go for something a bit more uplifting, yet also deep and thoughtful. Something like this, perhaps.

I Blame Özkan

2011-12-05T23:24:00.002Z

Way back in the early 1970s Mazhar Alanson and Fuat Güner were respectable Turkish psych rockers who hung around with the likes of Barış Manço being generally groovy - as this 1973 track shows.

"Sur Efem Atini" - Mazhar & Fuat

Then a mate of theirs called Özkan Uğur got out of the army and joined up with them. Under the name Mazhar Fuat Özkan (or MFO for short), they proceeded to hit the big time with a series of generally rather uninteresting AOR records - so successfully that they became one of Turkey's most successful ever bands. What was behind this transformation? I don't like to cast aspersions but it must be Özkan.

But even Özkan couldn't sap their spirit entirely. Every now and then they came up with something decent. Take for example, this funky little number from their 1990 album "Geldiler". Admittedly it is more Spandau Ballet than Shriekback, but it isn't bad.

"Ik Ben" - Mazhar Fuat Özkan

Who were Shriekback, you say? You're having me on, surely?

Tsonga Tsaturday

2011-12-03T18:25:00.001Z

On 5 November there were fireworks for fans of Tsonga Disco as the Nkowankowa Stadium in Tzaneen hosted the 8th MLFM Xitsonga Music Awards. The winner of the best male vocalist was someone we have not featured here before, Mr Benny Mayengani. It is about time we put that right. Here's Benny.

"Tiba Ben" - Benny Mayengani

"Egiyani" - Benny Mayengani

Other winners included more familiar faces, such as Thomas Chauke and the Shinyori Sisters (for best song) and the Shangaan Svengali himself, Joe Shirimani (for best disco song). I don't yet have the winning songs, so here is a song apiece from their respective back catalogues.

"Wani Kolota" - Thomas Chauke & The Shinyori Sisters

"Nwa Mashalani" - Joe Shirimani

If that doesn't get you in the mood for Saturday night I don't know what will. Maybe this. If the Bay City Rollers and Ann Margret (why???)can whip an audience of pensioners into a frenzy just think they could do for you. Look out for the woman with the massive ear trumpet at 1:07.

They Had It All

2011-12-01T12:03:00.000Z

Like a lot of what goes on here, today's post is inspired by - or ripped off from, depending on your point of view - Ramone666 over at 'For The Sake Of The Song'. Unlike me, he is a proper music blogger, and the rest of the 666 family must be very proud of him.

Earlier today he posted four versions of Donnie Fritts' classic tune "We Had It All". They were all good but did not include the version by Dobie Gray, which in my humble opinion knocks all others into a cocked hat. It is also the song that my Dad plays when he needs to get back in my Mum's good books or wants to make my sisters cry.

For good measure I have added three more. One comes from what I believe were Tift Merritt's first ever recordings, with the Two Dollar Pistols back in 1999 (I must put some more Two Dollar Pistols up here). One features my close personal friend Alan "Tyler" Tyler back when he was still fronting the Rockingbirds. And inevitably there is a reggae version, from Dobie's cousin Owen.

"We Had It All" - Dobie Gray

"We Had It All" - Two Dollar Pistols (featuring Tift Merritt)

"We Had It All" - The Rockingbirds

"We Had It All" - Owen Gray

Sticking with matters 666, here are Iron Maiden. I would like to dedicate this to my mate Dave. We were at a football match once and at half-time it was announced that the winning raffle ticket was number 668. Quick as a flash, he turned to me and said "668 - The Neighbour of the Beast". He's never been as funny since.

ReviewShine Round-Up

2011-11-29T21:50:00.001Z

It's time for another small selection of the many riches I have been sent via ReviewShine. And we start with a couple of real crackers from two well-established artists.

First up we have the excellent Ruthie Foster whose new album "Let It Burn" will be released on Blue Corn Records at the end of January. It features a fine mix of soul, blues and gospel with guest appearances from the great William Bell and the Blind Boys of Alabama. As always with Ruthie there are some very interesting cover versions - including a rare, decent version of "If I Had A Hammer", a reinvention of "Ring Of Fire" and a very nice rendition of The Band's "It Makes No Difference", which doesn't quite match the original but only because that is pretty much impossible. Here's a bit of good old-fashioned soul music.

"This Time" - Ruthie Foster

Next up we have Otis Taylor. Otis is what you might call a grizzled veteran, being as he is a mere 63 years young. I would call it blues but the blurb that I got about his new album - "Otis Taylor's Contraband", out on Valentine's Day on Telarc International - calls it "trance jam blues". I don't really know what that is, but I like it a lot. Having said that my favourite track is not representative at all. There is not very much blues about it, let alone trance jam blues. It is, however, really rather beautiful.

"Blind Piano Teacher" - Otis Taylor

Next up we have a couple of new names (or at least they are new to me). First we have Pony Boy, who confusingly is neither a boy nor a pony. She's a human woman, but none the worse for it. I am struggling to describe her sound. Musically it reminds me a bit of Neko Case and Kelly Hogan, but vocally Karen Dalton is perhaps a closer comparison. However you describe it, it's good stuff. She has a new self-titled EP that is not yet generally available, but you can find more details and some live recordings on her website.

"Nobody's Girl" - Pony Boy

"Selfless Portrait" is the debut album of one John Henry Olthoff. It came out in September but I overlooked it at the time, so want to make up for it now. It is a solid set of good old "proper" songs. I particularly like the twangy, melodic country pop of "Hard To Know". I have been trying for a while to work out who it was his voice reminded me off and earlier today it finally came to me. He sounds like a male Amy Allison, who of course does a nifty line in twangy, melodic country pop herself. Maybe they should team up.

"Hard To Know" - John Henry Olthoff

In the Ruthie Foster review I mentioned her very nice version of "It Makes No Difference". Here are The Band with their version from "The Last Waltz" - one of Rick Danko's finest moments.

We're All Wejects Now

2011-11-25T19:39:00.002Z

I have been a fan of the punk poet Patrik Fitzgerald since his "Safety Pin Stuck In My Heart" EP way back in 1977, still one of the prize exhibits in my small but perfect collection of 7" singles.

Patrik has been based in New Zealand for some years but played a very rare London gig a couple of weeks ago. Unfortunately I couldn't make it due to a prior engagement in Warsaw. Hopefully it won't be quite so long before he is back again.

Here is a small selection of some of my personal Fitzgerald favourites.

"Optimism/Reject" - Patrik Fitzgerald (from "Safety Pin Stuck In My Heart" EP, 1977)

"Don't Tell Me Because I'm Young" - Patrik Fitzgerald (from "Grubby Stories" LP, 1979)

"Improve Myself" - Patrik Fitzgerald (Single, 1979)

And here is a surprisingly sweet version of that last number from a 2008 tribute album called "All Sewn Up".

"Improve Myself" - Thomas Robsahm (featuring Vera and Jara)

Finally, here is some mob called Rank Strangers having a go at "Safety Pin Stuck In My Heart". They do a decent job, but I'm not sure about the bass player's jersey. This one is for Mister F. He fought the punk wars, you know.

Prize Giving

2011-11-23T21:12:00.002Z

Yesterday was a bit of a landmark day here at 27 Leggies as we clocked up our 50,000th visitor. The person in question appears to be from Toronto. So especially for them, here is a band from Toronto playing a song by a fellow Torontonian (yes, that is what they are called).

But for the rest of you, we have instead some groovy Afro-disco from the modestly named Chris Third Prize. I am not sure where Chris is from. His album "Africa Zaboudaba" was released earlier this year on Bolibana Records, which is a Malian label, but he himself appears to be from an English speaking country. If any of you can help shed a little light, drop me a line.

"Africa Zaboudaba" - Chris Third Prize

"Ndolo" - Chris Third Prize

And here is a little prize-themed bonus from the excellent Sharon Van Etten.

"Consolation Prize" (Daytrotter Session) - Sharon Van Etten

Some people, though, see no merit in third places and consolation prizes.

The Bromley Contingent

2011-11-20T22:54:00.002Z

Way, way back in the mists of time - sometime between the demise of the dodo and the invention of jet-powered boots - I spent my early years in Bromley in Kent.

At one point or another, so did all these people:

"Sorrow" - David Bowie

"Hong Kong Garden" - Siouxsie & The Banshees

"Cry Me Out" - Pixie Lott

"Show Me The Way" - Peter Frampton

"Rudie Can't Fail" - The Clash (Topper Headon)

"We Leave Tonight" - Starsmith (it's a he not a them)

Another famous resident of Bromley was H.G. Wells. He did a bit of scribbling, but never really amounted to much until he got a lucky break and teamed up with Jeff Wayne. For this.

True Identity

2011-11-17T21:33:00.005Z

A real treat for you today - some vintage UK lovers rock from 1982 courtesy of True Identity. The three singers (Rowena, Joanne and Pam) are still going strong, not looking a day older and sounding better than ever. They can be seen regularly at the Hootenanny in Brixton and elsewhere, both in their own right and backing visiting artists. Check them out if you get a chance.

I ought to declare an interest. Pam is my sister-in-law (well, sort of, it's a long story). And I'm not the only celebrity she is related to. Here is a little bonus from the man she knows as Cousin Patrick.

"Secret Thunderbird Drinker" - Pato Banton

Better Red Than Dead

2011-11-15T22:23:00.004Z

Before we get onto the main business, a brief follow-up to my post about the Roy Harper gig the weekend before last. I mentioned the cameo by his son Nick. Well it turns out Nick and I have a mutual acquaintance - Richard, the driving force behind the Wild Hare Club in Hereford.

Richard is almost single-handedly trying to keep the live music scene going in Hereford, a very worthwhile aim not least because the local residents will need cheering up after their team was resoundingly thumped in the FA Cup by the mighty Yeovil Town last weekend (Come On, You Glovers!). The next gig is scheduled for 17 December featuring Little Rumba - more details to follow on Richard's website in due course. If you are in the area, get down there. I am sure it will be a cracking night.

Right, on with the show. And this is a sort of follow-up to Roy Harper too. On the Saturday before last I sat in a famous concert hall watching an icon from the 1960s being cheered to the rafters by their ageing but enthusiastic fans. And on the Saturday just gone I did the same, only this I was in the Sala Kongresowa in Warsaw. The icons in question were Czerwone Gitary, the erstwhile Polish Beatles. Only two of the original members remain but they bashed out some great tunes and got the hordes of grey-haired Polish matrons very excited indeed.

Czerwone Gitary means Red Guitars. And as you can see from this shot of them in action on Saturday, they mean what they say.

I picked up one of their albums from the merchandise stall afterwards - 1971's "Spokoj Serca". While it is not bad by any means they had largely given up on the catchy pop songs in an effort be serious artists, so it wasn't quite the beat-tastic treat I had hoped. Here are a couple of the better selections.

"Uwierz Mi, Lili" - Czerwone Gitary

"Pierwsza Noc" - Czerwone Gitary

The lads were very highly regarded in their day and attracted the interest of a lot of Western musicians. Loudon Wainwright III was a particular fan. Here is his tribute to them.

"Red Guitar" - Loudon Wainwright III

And here are the boys in their pomp. Personally I can't see any Beatles influence there at all...

Big In Bobo-Diaolasso

2011-11-11T21:29:00.002Z

From the Congo we head vaguely north-west to Burkina Faso. There is a newish compilation out called "Best of Burkina Volume 1 (S. Pierre Yameogo & Nick Domby Présente)". I have absolutely no idea who Messrs Yameogo and Domby are but I am very grateful to them.

From the album we have the Burkina Band with what I believe used to be called a "slow jam" - it is the vocals that make it for me - followed by Jean Claude Bamogo with something a little more tasty.

"Espoir" - The Burkina Band

"Zwa Songo" - Jean Claude Bamogo

This also gives us the perfect opportunity to feature once more our old friend, the Grand Master of Burkinabe pop and soul, Mr Georges Ouédraogo.

"Gnou Zemes" - Georges Ouédraogo

"Ned Kon Yeele" - Georges Ouédraogo

Here is Jean Claude Bamogo in action. He is not perhaps a conventionally attractive man, but he is a cool dude and the ladies provide all the aesthetic pleasure you are likely to need.

More From The Mpela Fella

2011-11-09T20:21:00.000Z

A few months back I featured Alain & Bouro Mpela's excellent "Mortel Combat" album, which takes the traditional Congolese rumba sound and mixes in a few additional elements. When I was in Brussels earlier in the week I took the opportunity to visit Okapi Records in the Matonge (probably the best record shop in the district now that Musicanova has gone the way of all flesh), where I was able to pick up Bouro's solo album, "Vice De Procedure".

Released in 2008 under the name Jah Man Geko Bouro Mpela, at first listen I would say I probably prefer "Mortel Kombat". Quite a few numbers are romantic in nature and maybe a bit too smooth for my tastes. But when he gets cooking - as on these two tracks - he is very good indeed.

"Kwiti Ya Lotoko" - Bouro Mpela

"Palpiteur" - Bouro Mpela

The title track has more twists and turns that your average mid-period Incredible String Band song, although I can't really see Mike and Robin mastering these moves. Malcolm Le Maistre on the other hand, that is a different matter.

More Gigs-A-Go-Go

2011-11-06T19:19:00.001Z

It has been a bumper weekend for live music - two nights, two venues that could not be more different, two thoroughly enjoyable gigs.

On Friday I went up to derelict but trendy Hackney Wick to The Yard, a jerry-built venue in the corner of a goods yard (hence the name). The occasion was a night dedicated to the music of the Safety First Record label, being held to launch "The Toast", the new EP by Swedish duo Polly Tones. Very good it is too. This is probably my favourite track so far.

"In My Room" - Polly Tones

Safety First was set up by the excellent Klak Tik, whose "Must We Find A Winner" album has been featured here previously. They played an all too short set featuring four songs from that album, and three likely to be featured on their next album. Judging by those three, the next album is going to be at least as good as "Must We Find A Winner". There was one song that may or may not have the words "salt water" and/or "sweet water" in the title that I particularly liked. [Update: John from Klak Tik tells me it is in fact called "Nympheus" - so now you know what to look out for.]

Klak Tik apart, the other highlight for me was Felix Holt, who looks and sounds like he belongs in Les Cousins back in the mid 1960s. It appears he hasn't released anything on Safety First yet but here is a clip of him from earlier this year. Since then he has grown a very natty goatee (I mean natty in the sense of stylish not natty is the sense of dreadlocked - that would be silly).

Speaking of the spirit of Les Cousins in the 1960s, last night we all went off to the Royal Festival Hall to join the legendary Roy Harper in celebrating his 70th birthday. It was everything I hoped it would be. Admittedly there did seem to be an abnormally large number of arseholes in the audience, but not enough to spoil the fun. We got to hear most if not quite all of my personal favourites, including this one.

"Twelve Hours Of Sunset" - Roy Harper

There were guest appearances from his boy, Nick Harper, and from Jimmy Page and Joanna Newsom. Jimmy joined Roy for an encore of "The Same Old Rock", the original of which has recently been posted by the tastemakers de jour over at 'For The Sake Of The Song'. Joanna stepped up for a very nicely done version of the classic "Another Day". As good as it was, I must admit I had rather unrealistically hoped his old mate Kate might turn up for that one. She has form.

Girls From The North Country

2011-11-03T21:35:00.000Z

My lovely sister-in-law Maria is from the North East of England. She is of course a woman without a stain on her character, which is more than can be said for two of her compatriots.

"Elsie Marley" - The High Level Ranters

"Betsy Bell" - The Unthanks

You could argue that Betsy at least is more sinned against than sinning. That is certainly the case for this poor woman.

"The Fair Flower of Northumberland" - Dick Gaughan

There are any number of notable musicians from the North East we could have featured in the video clip today, but none more notable than the man born Brian Rankin in Newcastle on 28 October 1941. Belated happy 70th, Hank!

Toast Time

2011-11-01T21:23:00.001Z

Here is some top Jamaican toasting for you. Both tracks have connections with 1970s TV detectives, and both are taken from an excellent Trojan Records compilation called simply "Trojan Presents: DJs". £6.99 for 40 tracks - what a bargain.

"Starsky And Hutch" - Trinity

"Fist-To-Fist Rub-A-Dub" - Kojak & Liza

In a similar vein, here are Laurel & Hardy with their tribute to the late Sir Jimmy Savile.

ReviewShine Round-Up

2011-10-29T12:57:00.001+01:00

What with moving house, going on holiday and assorted technical problems it has been a couple of months since the last round-up of some of the albums I get sent via ReviewShine. Which means that my standard apologies - to the artists I have not been able to feature, and to you for not being able to feature them - are even more sincerely meant than usual.

Here is a taster from seven of the best. I would encourage you to check them all out further.

First up are Some Velvet Evening, a duo from Detroit better known to their friends and families as Carrie Shepard and John Holk. With a name like Some Velvet Evening they are presumably trying to evoke the spirit of Lee Hazlewood, but to me they are more of a mixture of traditional honky-tonk and a Laura Cantrell sound (particularly strong on the track I have chosen) - which makes for a pretty good combination. Their album is called "No Law Against Talking" and it is out now on Hole-Key Records.

"Springtime" - Some Velvet Evening

If you take the same formula but mix in some Neil Young to give things a draker edge, then you would not be a million miles away from the sound of Boca Chica. A Pittsburgh combo led by the clearly very talented Hallie Pritts, their third album "Get Out Of Sin City" comes out on 15 November. Independently released in the US, it will also be issued by Indiecater Records in Ireland. The Irish know a thing or two about country music and singer-songwriters, and they have picked another winner here.

"Cowboy Hat" - Boca Chica

Next up is Leslie Krafka, whose self-released "The White Cat Sessions" I am featuring for two reasons. Firstly, her sister has exactly the same name as me ("Ernie" in her case presumably being short for Ernestina). Secondly, and much more importantly, it is a bloody good record. Leslie is based in Houston and has been featured at the prestigious Kerrville Folk Festival amongst others. This is her first album, and hopefully the first of many.

"A Little White Lie" - Leslie Krafka

Now I realise that we at 27 Leggies are in no position to criticise anyone for having a silly name, but could I just say to Sinful Savage Tigers: lads, have a think about the name. I nearly passed on their album "Last Night Of The Revels" because I assumed it was going to be some dreadful "comedy country" album. Which would have been a real shame because there is some great stuff there. They describe themselves as an "art-first pop string band". I have no idea what that means, but if you like country mixed with a bit of folk and bluegrass you might well like this. The album is available from http://www.sinfulsavagetigers.com/ as well as the usual outlets

"End Of The Horse Drawn Zeppelin" - Sinful Savage Tigers

This next one is a bit of a cheat. Willie Nile is hardly a new name - his first album came out thirty years ago - and "The Innocent Ones" isn't really a new record, having first been released last year. But it is getting its first official release in the US next month and that is a good enough excuse for me. Those of you who know Willie will know what to expect - perceptive and powerful stuff from the same school as Springsteen, Steve Forbert and Graham Parker. Those of you who don't are going to like him a lot.

"Far Green Hills" - Willie Nile

This next one is also a bit of a cheat, because it is an album I got sent back in June and forgot to share with you then. It is England's own Mr. Plow with "Joyful In Song Are We" which came out on PinkBox Records way back when. It is a lazy comparison to say his sound is a mixture of Nick Cave and Johnny Cash, but it is a comparison everyone else has made so I will too. I would add that it is proper "boom-chicka-boom" era Johnny Cash here, not the American Recordings version. As you can tell from this track.

"I Am The Boss Man" - Mr Plow

Mr Plow sets us up nicely for the other big name act in this selection, Southern Culture On The Skids. If you ever get the chance to see them live you should take it. They are the only band I have ever seen that called women onto the stage and got them to hurl pieces of fried chicken into the audience while at the same time doing the shimmy (or it may have been the frug or the jerk - I was too busy dodging flying chicken to be sure).

Their new album, "Zombified", is even less new than Willie Nile or Mr Plow. Most of the tracks were originally released in Australia in 1998, but they have added some new songs and put them all out on Kudzu Records just in time for Halloween. To get you in the mood, here is the title track.

"Zombified" - Southern Culture On The Skids

SCOTS are also responsible for one of the greatest party songs ever made. This one. With the mariachi band and the Raul Malo lookalike on accordion it is everything "Dance The Night Away" should have been.

Mountain Songs

2011-10-27T11:58:00.000+01:00

We went to see Steve Earle at the Royal Festival Hall on Tuesday evening. It took him a little while to get warmed up but when he had done so he was excellent as always. And very good value for money too, playing nearly two and a half hours.

The last time I saw Steve at the Festival Hall was back in 1999 when he played with the Del McCoury Band. As it happens one of the highlights on Tuesday was his rendition of "The Mountain", the title track of the album they recorded together. It inspired me - if inspired is the word - to dig out a load of other songs about mountains for your delectation and delight.

We start with Steve and the lads:

"The Mountain" - Steve Earle & The Del McCoury Band

Then we have a bunch of people who don't seem to know whether they are coming or going:

"At The Foot Of The Mountain" - La Revolucion de Emiliano Zapata

"Halfway Up The Mountain" - Roger Whittaker

"Natty Dread On The Mountain Top" - Tappa Zukie

Some musings on mountain flora and fauna :

"Wild Mountain Thyme" - Lucy Wainwright Roche

"Wild Mountain Berries" - Kelly Hogan & The Pine Valley Cosmonauts

"Hares On The Mountain" - Steeleye Span

We enter the home straight with a couple of metaphorical mountains:

"Mountain Of Love" - Johnny Rivers

"Barstool Mountain" - Moe Bandy

Before finishing with a timely warning that mountains may not be what they seem:

"That Mountain Is A Volcano" - Eureka Birds

It is not just the people who don't know whether they are coming or going, some times it is the mountains as well.

Tsonga Disco: Vuyelwa

2011-10-24T08:19:00.000+01:00

A couple of months back I had some requests from anonymous Tsonga Disco fans to post something by Vuyelwa, one of the widows of the late Peta Teanet who has gone on to have a successful career of her own, working with General Muzka and other luminaries of the Tsonga Disco scene.

At the time I was not able to oblige as I had nothing by her in my collection. But we can now put that right thanks to the excellent Mano in Mozambique, who very kindly sent me a copy of her "Thembi" album. And very good it is two, as these two selections demonstrate.

"Rivalelo Maxaka" - Vuyelwa

"Thembi (Switsongwana)" - Vuyelwa

I don't know whether Vuyelwa and Peta ever recorded a duet, but if they did I reckon it would have sounded like a Shangaan version of this.

Raincoats and Red Crayolas

2011-10-22T12:29:00.000+01:00

You know sometimes how something will pop up on the iPod that you haven't heard for ages which you then become a bit obsessed with? That happened to me yesterday morning. The song in question was "Running Away", the Raincoats' surprisingly sweet cover version of the old Sly & The Family Stone number. It was on their 1984 album "Moving", and here it is with the other stand-out track from that album.

"Running Away" - The Raincoats

"No One's Little Girl" - The Raincoats

As a bonus, here is Gina Birch moonlighting with Mayo Thompson a few years earlier.

"An Old Man's Dream" - The Red Crayola With Art & Language

And to finish off, here is old Sly himself, blowing away a room full of geeks.

Big on the Bosphorus

2011-10-19T08:48:00.002+01:00

From 1970 until his premature death in 1999, Barış Manço was one of the biggest stars in Turkish rock music. With hair like that, you can see why.

I picked up a few of his albums while in Turkey recently, including his 1976 English language album, "Baris Mancho" (that isn't a typo, they spelt it phonetically to help non-Turkish listeners work out how to pronounce his name). Most of the album is fairly standard 1970s soft rock but there are a few stand out tracks, most notably the slightly bonkers - but utterly fantastic - ecological anthem "Nick The Chopper".

"Nick The Chopper" - Barış Manço

"Old Paulin" - Barış Manço

Barış was a big hit with the ladies, and for many years was the benchmark against which Turkish manliness was measured. If a Turkish woman considered a man had big blue eyes and was able to satisfy her, and/or was big and strong enough to turn her on, he was said to be "So Manço". This phrase formed the basis of a hit single, which was later adopted and slightly adapted by Sinitta for the British market. As you can see.

Goodbye Bert

2011-10-17T13:30:00.000+01:00

Having been travelling for a couple of weeks, I only heard the sad news of Bert Jansch's death yesterday. It was only two months ago that I had the great pleasure of seeing him when the original Pentangle reunited at the Festival Hall. We all knew at the time it was a special night. With hindsight it becomes even more special because of the knowledge that we will never get to see them again.

Rather than me burble on inadequately about how great Bert was, far better for him to show you himself. Here is just a small selection of some of my favourite moments, in roughly chronological order. Rest in peace, Bert.

"I Am Lonely" - Bert Jansch

"When I Get Home" - Pentangle

"Market Song" - Pentangle

"Daybreak" - Bert Jansch

"Ask Your Daddy" - Bert Jansch

"The Banks Of Sicily" - Bert Jansch

Young Turks

2011-10-16T09:46:00.000+01:00

We're back! And may I suggest to those of you who have not yet had the pleasure of visiting Georgia, you really ought to. It is a beautiful country and I had a great time there. I managed to pick up some Georgian folk and pop CDs which will no doubt be featured here in the future. I also lost my heart to the lovely Ana at the Stalin Museum in Gori, who is required under the terms of her employment contract to wear a Soviet era uniform. It made an old man very happy.

We reached Georgia via Trabzon in Eastern Turkey. It is not a particularly scenic place but it is not without its charms, among which are a couple of music shops just off the main square. One is really a DVD shop but the gent who runs it has an extensive collection of Turkish and other music available in mp3 format, and for three lira (roughly £1) he will fill up a CD for you with as many mp3s as it will take. So I am now the proud owner of the complete works of Turkish psych guitar legend Erkin Koray, and many more besides.

The second shop has a small but high quality selection of CDs, and it was there I picked up "Gecekondu", the current album by modern day Turkish psych band BaBa ZuLa. According to the blurb on their website, "Gecekondu takes its name from the Turkish word for a neighbourhood constructed without planning permission, a kind of squatters' district that has become part and parcel of Istanbul's urban fabric". So now you know.

Here are a couple of selections from the album.

"Hopçe" - BaBa ZuLa

"Temptation" - BaBa ZuLa

Those of you who have noted my tendency to add at the end of my posts clips of dodgy 1970s or 80s hits with only a tenuous link to the subject matter may have predicted you would be getting Rod Stewart's "Young Turks" today. And if the embedding device had not been disabled on the only copy of the original video I could find you would have been right. Instead you will have to sit through this.

Tbilisi (Or Not Tbilisi)

2011-10-01T13:38:00.001+01:00

Hello there. Apologies I have not been about much recently, but I have been without a telephone line or Internet access for most of the last fortnight while I moved house. But it seems everything is finally working again (or possibly not. While typing this post I have also been on the phone to some idiot in the BT call centre who claims they have cut the line off again in the last couple of hours. I don't think this is true as the new number seems to work when I dial it, but to be honest with BT nothing would surprise me).

Anyway, no sooner do I say hello, than I have to say goodbye. I am off tomorrow for a couple of weeks in north-eastern Turkey and southern Georgia, which should be fun. Who knows what musical treasures will be found there? I will no doubt inflict some of them on you when I return, and I will also try to catch up on the backlog of things I had planned to share over the last couple of weeks, which include some fine stuff via ReviewShine, assorted African chanteuses and some photos of the mighty Pierce Turner at his recent London gig.

To keep you going until then, here are 15 (count them) songs about Georgia. Unfortunately they are all about the wrong Georgia, but they are so good I am sure you can overlook that. There are the standards from Ray Charles, Brook Benton and Gladys Knight of course, but the rest aren't far behind - I would particularly recommend Joe Simon, Robbie Fulks and the Gosdin Brothers.

"The Little Grave In Georgia" - Charles Louvin

"Rainy Night In Georgia" - Brook Benton

"Night Like This In Georgia" - G.C. Cameron

"Midnight Train To Georgia" - Gladys Knight & The Pips

"How You Goin' To Georgia" - Eddie Hinton

"Have You Ever Been To Georgia" - The Peddlers

"Going Back To Georgia" - Nanci Griffith (with Adam Duritz)

"Georgia Song" - Odyssey

"Georgia On My Mind"- Ray Charles

"Georgia Morning Dew" - Johnny Adams

"Georgia In A Jug" - Johnny Paycheck

"Georgia Hard" - Robbie Fulks

"Georgia By Morning" - Tim Rose

"Georgia Blue" - Joe Simon

"Georgia" - The Gosdin Brothers

There can only be one choice of clip. Before we got barred, me and Mister F used to trawl the karaoke nights of the East End trying to persuade women to sing this just so we could pretend to be the Pips. We know all the words and movements. Maybe there will be some nice woman in Batumi who will let us accompany her.

Hello There!

2011-09-25T16:32:00.002+01:00

Service is going to be a bit irregular for the next few weeks. I am moving house in a couple of days time and then next weekend I am off to Eastern Turkey and Southern Georgia for a fortnight with my old sparring partners Mister F and Lord Roper. No doubt much fun will be had by all.

I had intended to cram a few extra posts in this past week to tide you over the fallow period to come, but the marvellous folk at British Telecom decided to cut my telephone line and broadband off a week early for reasons best known to themselves. As a result I have not been able to upload any mp3s to share with you.

Still I am one hundred percent confident they will redeem themselves and get it all set up at the new place on the right day, so I will hopefully be able to squeeze a couple of posts in before I go off to traipse around Trabzon, bathe in Batumi and pontificate in the Pontic Alps.

Until then, here is a song about moving out.

And especially for my friends at BT, here are New Edition. All together now: "Mister Telephone Man, there's something wrong with my line, and its your fault you useless b**t**ds, dum dum dum de dum dum".

Glorious Gnahore

2011-09-20T08:57:00.000+01:00

The South Bank in London hosted a festival of African music last week, and on Sunday night we went along to see Dobet Gnahore perform in the smallest venue, the Purcell Rooms. It was a fantastic show and I am sure she will be playing somewhere bigger next time she is in London. She certainly deserves to, and if you get the chance to see her - go.

Born in Cote d'Ivoire but based in France since 1999, Dobet's music has a traditional African base with a few jazzy flourishes - fortunately just enough to make it interesting without tipping over into noodling. Visually very striking, her dancing is almost as entertaining as her singing. She was backed by a fine three piece band. I was particularly taken with Willy, the smiling drummer from Cameroon.

We were lucky enough to be in the front row so had an excellent view of proceedings. I took some photos, some of which came out reasonably well. If you are interested you can find them all over at Flickr.

There are hazards of being that close to the stage, however. During the encore I had a brief moment of panic when she appeared to be instructing us to join her on stage. Fortunately just as we were about to get up, four people next to us leapt up and launched into a clearly rehearsed and extremely energetic dance routine. I am not sure Mister F and I would have enhanced the experience with our random dad-dancing.

Enough rambling. Here are a couple of her songs. Hopefully after listening to them you will go off and buy some more.

"Palea" - Dobet Gnahore [from "Na Afriki", 2007]

"Evigne" - Dobet Gnahore (featuring Soum Bill) [from "Djekpa La You", 2010]

And here she is live in Dakar in 2008.

Achili Funk

2011-09-17T20:05:00.000+01:00

A few weeks back I picked up a promo copy of a compilation CD called "Achili Funk: Gypsy Soul 1969-79" for £1 in the Crouch End Oxfam shop. I am not quite sure what I thought Gypsy Soul was going to be, but it probably wasn't this, which in the main Spanish rumba spiced up with the pop and disco sounds of that period. That isn't a criticism. There are some great Saturday night tunes on the album - these three for a start.

"Pares O Nones" - Los Marismeños

"Gol" - Trigal

"Baila Mi Ritmo" - Los Chunguitos

Also from Spain around that time, here is a group that started with the rumba, added some pop and disco sounds, and then took the rumba out again. It's Baccara!

Catching Up

2011-09-15T21:59:00.000+01:00

It isn't a good idea to dismiss something or someone too quickly. Way back in 1989 I bought Cindy Lee Berryhill's "Naked Movie Star" album, played in a couple of times, didn't much care for it and got rid of it. Since then I never bothered keeping up with what she has done since.

Until a couple of weeks ago, when I found her 2007 album "Beloved Stranger" going for £1.50 in the sale at Rough Trade. At that price, and with the promise of guest slots from the likes of Dave Alvin and John Doe, I thought I would give it a go. And I'm very glad I did. It is an excellent album. Here are a couple of choice cuts.

"When Did Jesus Become A Republican?" - Cindy Lee Berryhill

"Beloved Stranger" - Cindy Lee Berryhill

I was sufficiently enthused to go back and reappraise "Naked Movie Star". I prefer the more recent stuff, but it is an awful lot better than I remember. Here is an oldie but goodie.

"Old Trombone Routine" - Cindy Lee Berryhill

And here she is in action a couple of years ago.

It's Spooky O'Clock!

2011-09-14T00:29:00.001+01:00

I was on the Eurostar coming back from Paris earlier this evening, laden down with newly acquired CDs from Mali, Guinea, Cameroon, Cote d'Ivoire and Benin, which you will no doubt be subjected to soon enough. It was about 8.50pm local time and this came up on the iPod shuffle (no it did, it really did). Spooky!

"Nine O'Clock In France" - Elk City

Here are some more "o'clock" songs, in numerical order.

"It's Five O'Clock" - Aphrodite's Child

"Six O'Clock News (Daytrotter Session)" - Lambchop

"Ten O'Clock" - Question Mark & The Mysterians

"12 O'Clock Whistle" - James McMurtry

"Thirteen O'Clock Flight to Psychedelphia" - Plato & The Philosophers

Shortly after that we went into the tunnel. Emerging on the other side I had to follow the example of Mr Tyrone Davis.

All Over The Place

2011-09-10T18:34:00.003+01:00

Tomorrow morning I head off to Paris for a few days - mostly work, but I also hope to get a chance to visit all the African record shops between the Marcadet-Poissonniers and Chateau Rouge metro stops. You'll know soon enough if I do.

To tide you over until I return here are eight tracks that have only two things in common: they all featured back in the early days of this blog when it was a sad and lonely pursuit, and deserve another hearing; and they are not from round here.

"Betty Boom-Little Monster-Doggie And Peggie At The Witches Castle" - The (Saint Thomas) Pepper Smelter [Peru]

"Cachete A Cachete" - Los Amigos Invisibles [Venezuela]

"Ruidos En La Ciudad" - Los Monjes [Mexico]

"Sola Oka Dancer" - Stiger & Sister [Botswana]

"Hobusemang" - Vagilased [Estonia]

"Goodbye Teens" - Plavi Orkestar [Bosnia]

"Pidmanula" - Vopli Vidopliassova [Ukraine]

"Citron Girl" - Sadistic Mika Band [Japan]

As a special bonus, how about some brand new, top notch Indonesian pop. The excellent White Shoes & The Couples Company release their new album, "Album Vakansi", next week. From what I have heard of the album so far its a real winner - classic 60s pop meets the Cardigans and Camera Obscura. This is the lead off track.

"Senja Menggila" - White Shoes & The Couples Company

Here is one of their old videos from a few years ago.

And here are the normally sombre members of Plavi Orkestar letting their bad 1980s hair down back in 1985.

Pledge For Pierce

2011-09-08T06:11:00.000+01:00

Later this month the great Irish troubadour Pierce Turner will be making an all too rare London appearance, at The Slaughtered Lamb in Clerkenwell. I would heartily recommend any London readers to try get down there. The tickets are a snip ar £7, but it is a tiny venue so you may want to book early to be on the safe side.

To give you an idea of the treats that might be in store, here are a couple of tracks from his 1994 live album, "Manana In Manhattan".

"The Sky And The Ground" - Pierce Turner

"Musha God Help Her" - Pierce Turner

As it happens, Pierce is currently raising money to finance a new album over at PledgeMusic. If you like what you have just heard, you should head over there and dip into your pockets. It would give you a warm glow from knowing you have helped to make the world a better place. And if a feeling of smug satisfaction wasn't sufficient, he is offering some great incentives for you to invest.

Pierce is a Wexford man. I have Wexford roots myself through my mother's side (the Sinnotts not the Gogginses), so I am naturally well-disposed to anything from the area. The Clancy Brothers, on the other hand, don't have a good word to say about the place.

Boogaloo From Peru

2011-09-06T19:39:00.001+01:00

The Vampi Soul label, home of many excellent reissues from Africa and Latin America, has put out "Gozalo", a four part series of CDs featuring 1960s Peruvian boogaloo and big band tunes. "Four volumes", I can hear you ask yourselves, "surely one would do?". Well, judging by the first volume - the only one I have heard so far - you would be wrong. Wrap your listening ears around these two gems.

"Push Push Push" - Charlie Palomares y Su Yuboney

"Baby Boogaloo" - Nilo Espinosa y Orquestra

It appears Ringo was not an enthusiast.

Soul On Sunday

2011-09-04T17:58:00.002+01:00

We have some top quality 1970s soul for you today from Mr Garland Green. Best known for his 1969 hit "Jealous Kind Of Fella", he was never able to capitalise on it in terms of chart success but continued to make great music for many years.

Here are three selections from an excellent 24-track compilation called "The Very Best of Garland Green" that came out on Kent Records a few years back. It ought to be required listening for any soul fan.

"Just My Way Of Loving You" - Garland Green

"I've Quit Running The Streets" - Garland Green

"You Played On A Player" - Garland Green

According to his Wikipedia entry, earlier this year Garland signed a contract with CDS Records, a soul label based in California, to release a new album. While it would be great it that is true I don't know whether this is reliable. There is no mention of it on the CDS website. CDS have however just released the latest record by Carl Sims. Here is Carl in action.

Esta's Back!

2011-09-02T20:57:00.000+01:00

We have had a request from Mano in Maputo for some more hit tunes from Esta M. It has only been two weeks since we last featured Esta and normally I would spread things out a bit more, but as Mano is a man renowned throughout the length and breadth of Mozambique for his sophstication and good taste, I am going to make an exception in this case.

So here are a couple more Joe Shirimani productions from the erstwhile Queen of Tsonga Disco.

"Swikwembu" - Esta M

"Loss Matheka" - Esta M

As I discovered last time I posted Esta, there don't seem to be any clips of her performing on YouTube. So I did some lateral thinking. There is one other feisty female singer whose name begins in E and whose fans have been in touch with me recently to make some imaginative suggestions (some of which, if taken literally, are physically impossible).

It's The Mighty Elk of course!!! Here she is, doing what she does best. With Robert Palmer on handclaps, and lots of men with lots of hair.

Of Admirals and Duchesses

2011-08-31T08:19:00.002+01:00

On the way to the Vortex Jazz Bar in Dalston on Monday night, Mister F and I popped into a Nigerian grocers round the corner in Bradbury St. On the back wall were hundreds of bootleg Nigerian CDs going for £2 each. Inevitably I snapped a few up in a half-crazed frenzy.

When I got them home I found that the number of tracks on the CD often bore little resemblance to the track listing on the sleeve. And in some cases the sound quality is pretty rough where it has obviously been ripped from a battered vinyl copy. But at £2 each you can't really complain, and the music is pretty good.

As a sample, here is some juju music from Admiral Dele Abiodun and His Top Hitters Band. This is from their album "Abanije" and it may be the title track. Then again it may not. The album cover lists ten tracks, but their are only two on the CD. Any help identifying it will be gratefully received.

"Track 1 on Abanije" - Admiral Dele Abiodun and His Top Hitters Band

Dele is in the news in Nigeria at the moment, but sadly not for his music. He is currently standing trial on charges of fraud relating to his Presidency of the Performing Musicians Association of Nigeria.

We had gone to the Vortex to see Mike Heron and the Trembing Bells (yet again), and a very enjoyable evening it was too. The Bells in particular were in fine form, although I do wish they would drop the overly wordy acapella number about the inebriated children of the Mediterranean. They performed some songs I had not heard them do before, including a track from a forthcoming album with Bonnie Prince Billy which sounds highly promising. Another "new" song was a cover of Scott Walker's "Duchess". It occurred to me about half way through that I could video it to share with you all, and here are the results - sorry it is not complete.

As a bonus, here is the original and a very nice rendition by Neko Case.

"Duchess" - Scott Walker

"Duchess" - Neko Case

We wrap things up with a seamless move from Duchesses to Dukes.

Pity The Fools

2011-08-29T12:43:00.000+01:00

How many fools are there at loose in the world? Kevin and Yossy - or Mr. Coyne and Ms. Noise Weaver as we should call them if we are being formal - represent the two extreme views, but most people come down somewhere in between.

"Fool" - Yossy Little Noise Weaver

"Fool, Fool" - Buck & The Sixteenth Movement

"Fool, Fool, Fool" - The Clovers

"Ship of Fools" - Grateful Dead

"The World Is Full Of Fools" - Kevin Coyne

On the subject of fools, here's a treat for all you Elkie fans.

And here is Hank Snow in an unusually self-deprecatory mood.

ReviewShine Round-Up

2011-08-27T20:32:00.004+01:00

It's time for our monthly round-up of some of the goodies I've received courtesy of ReviewShine. The standard has been particularly high over the last weeks, and I should apologise to all those who I haven't got space to feature today. As well as the four acts below, I would recommend checking out the likes of Bare Bones, Grainne and Jessi Robertson.

The four we are featuring could be described as a bunch of blokes doing proper rootsy songs - you know, the old-fashioned virtues like good words and good tunes, not all that bang bang bang and knob-twiddling stuff. Two of them are familar names, two of them new (or at least they were new to me). We'll start with the new boys.

First up is Stephen Simmons, whose album "The Big Show" is out now on Lower 40 in the US and Blue Rose here in the UK and in Europe. There are twenty songs on the album with a much higher hit rate than you would think spread over so many tracks - there is a consistently high quality throughout. This is probably just about my favourite.

"Parchcorn Falls" - Stephen Simmons

I know we have some readers in Knoxville. According to his website Stephen is playing over your way in a couple of weeks, so you might want to pop down and see him. I was in Knoxville once about twelve years ago and had the great pleasure of seeing Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown play. What a show that was.

Enough of that rambling, back to business. Next we have Donal Hinely with his new album "The Famous Rocket Cage", out now on ATOM Records. As I said, what you get is proper songs of a very high order, with a level of insight that might be explained by the life he has led. I would like to dedicate this one to my friend Jeni, who occasionally calls herself Pauline for some perverse reason that only she knows.

"Saint Pauline" - Donal Hinely

On to the artists I was familiar with with now. Slaid Cleaves had his big breakthrough in 2000 with "Broke Down". That album featured a tribute to Auston's Horseshoe Lounge, and he has gone back to the Horseshoe Lounge to record his first live album (or double album to be precise). Called "Sorrow and Smoke", it comes out on 6 September on Music Road. To be honest, for some reason I have never really got into his studio albums, but this is excellent from start to finish. It is mostly original material, but there are a few choice covers as well, including this Karen Poston tune.

"Lydia" - Slaid Cleaves

We finish off with Australian legend Paul Kelly. I have in my collection "Songs From The South", a greatest hits compilation released in 1997. Volume 2 came out in 2008. The two have now been brought together as a 40 track double album and are being released on 25 October. I believe this is the first time the two albums have been available in the US, and apparently the list price for you lot over there is going to be $13.98, and only $9.99 for the digital version. That has to be one of the bargains of the year, and you would be mad not to snap it up. And for readers in London, you might want to try to get to one of the gigs he is playing at Bush Hall next week.

Today's selection was originally released on "Ways And Means" in 2004.

"The Oldest Story In The Book" - Paul Kelly

As for the clip, there was a clue in my earlier rambling (or, as I prefer to call it, my seamless linking). Here is the mighty Clarence "Gatemouth" Brown, accompanied by a hot band featuring a fat saxophonist with a most unfortunate mullet.

And if you think he is good on the guitar, wait until you hear him on the fiddle. If there had ben a roof when I saw him in Knoxville, he would have taken it off when he did this little number. And his rendition of "Never on a Sunday", on which he gradually increased the tempo each time round until we were collapsing with exhaustion, had to be heard to be believed.

Addis Pop

2011-08-25T20:39:00.000+01:00

Here is the Ethiopian pop I promised you the other day, courtesy of a young lady called Hibist Tiruneh. It has all the modern production techniques but retains enough of the old Addis funk sound of the 1970s to satisfy an old fart like me as well.

Judging by the cover of her 2008 album "Tetaltenal Wey?", from which today's selections are taken, Hibist is not just a fine singer but a bit of a saucepot as well. Or a Wat Pot as they are probably known in Ethiopia.

"Tagesegne" - Hibist Tiruneh

"Siebastopol" - Hibist Tiruneh

This is just a guess, but I think "Siebastopol" may be about a giant cannon rather than the town in the Crimea. According to Wikipedia, a 6.7 ton mortar of that name was built by Emperor Tewodros II in the 1860s. Or, rather more prosaically, it might be about this cinema in Addis Ababa.

We're going to pretend it is the cannon, so we can link to another mighty Cannon.

Jerry Leiber R.I.P.

2011-08-23T20:10:00.000+01:00

We were going to feature some groovy Ethiopian pop today, but we'll put that on hold for a few days in order to pay our respects to the late, great Jerry Leiber, who died yesterday. He was one of the greatest writers of popular songs there has ever been, as this small selection demonstrates.

"Lucky Lips" - Ruth Brown

"Ruby Baby" - Dion

"If You Don't Come Back" - The Drifters

"Don't" - Elvis Presley

"Kansas City" - Wanda Jackson

"Jackson" - Johnny Cash & June Carter

"Girls, Girls, Girls" - The Cornell Hurd Band

"Baby I Don't Care" - Bryan Ferry

"Spanish Harlem" - Laura Nyro & Labelle

"On Broadway" - Jess Roden

I know there are a lot of Elkie Brooks fans out there who hang on my every word, so it would be remiss of me not to mention that Jerry had a hand in this smash hit as well:

Although if you could only choose one Leiber-Stoller cover version, it would probably have to be this one:

Sixty Glorious Years

2011-08-21T20:38:00.000+01:00

A few years back Bear Family Records issued two excellent series of albums called "Dim Lights, Thick Smoke and Hillbilly Music" and "Blowing The Fuse", which respectively feature country and rhythm and blues hits from way back when. Each series includes a separate album for each year in the 1950s (and in the case of "Blowing The Fuse", the late 1940s and early 1960s as well). Many of them are available on eMusic and I would recommend checking them out.

Here a couple of selections from each of the albums covering 1951. I am dedicating one of these songs to my dear friend Lord Roper, who celebrated a birthday last week. I'll let him choose which one.

"Little Red Rooster" - Margie Day

"Tend To Your Business" - James Wayne

"Chew Tobacco Rag" - Zeb Turner

"Too Old To Cut The Mustard" - The Carlisles

Merle & Millie

2011-08-19T18:29:00.001+01:00

It is all fairly straightforward today. We have a couple of tracks from the great Millie Jackson, one of which is a cover of a song by the arguably even greater Merle Haggard. So then we have a couple of tracks from Merle, including the original version of that cover.

"Angel In Your Arms" - Millie Jackson

"If You're Not Back In Love By Monday" - Millie Jackson

"If We're Not Back In Love By Monday" - Merle Haggard

"That's The Way Love Goes" - Merle Haggard

In completely unrelated news, I went to an excellent gig at the Buffalo Bar in Islington last night. It was a Frank Sidebottom fundraiser and a snip at £5 for four bands. With all due respect to Melt The Icecaps and Mr. Solo, the highlights for me were Dream Themes - groovy versions of TV theme tunes - and Proxy Music - you can probably guess what they do.

As well as the Roxy and Eno covers, the Proxies also did an excellent rendition of Lena Lovich's "Lucky Number", which they have just released as a single. Here it is.

But as good as that is, it isn't my favourite clip of the week. This is. Specifically from about 0:39 onwards.

Tsonga Disco: Esta M

2011-08-17T19:30:00.001+01:00

Over the last couple of years we have featured a number of gents who at one time or other felt entitled to call themselves the King of Tsonga Disco: Paul Ndlovu, Peta Teanet, Penny Penny, General Muzka, even - a little prematurely - that young whippersnapper Madlaks. But we have never featured a true Queen of Tsonga Disco. Until today.

Esta M is a former teacher who in 1994 teamed up with our old friend, the Shangaan Svengali himself, Mr Joe Shirimani. Over the next few years they released eight albums and Esta had many hits and won many awards. The most recent album of hers that I have seen was "Norho", released in 2005 and produced by Frans Africa and Mzee, but I assume she is still going strong.

Here are a couple of tracks from a compilation catchily titled "The Best of Esta M", released in 2003. Both of them are Joe Shirimani productions.

"Tsasa Jive" - Esta M

"Mabibi" - Esta M

Not speaking the Tsonga language, I am not sure what Esta is singing about on "Mabibi". But if it is a love song, someone ought to make her aware that she is wasting her time as Mabibi just cares for Nina Simone.

Mortal Combat

2011-08-14T17:54:00.001+01:00

As regular readers of this drivel will know, I have to go over to Brussels for work a few times a year. While there I always try to find time to pop down to the Matonge district to trawl through the Congolese record shops. Pickings are not as good as they used to be since Musicanova shut down, but there are still gems to be had. Such as "Mortel Combat", the 2005 album by Alain & Bouro Mpela, which I picked up on my last visit. This is them in their everyday wear:

Bouro used to play with Koffi Olomide, but apart from that I don't know much about them. On this album they are backed by Alain's band, Generation A, and a very good job they do too. Mostly rumba, but with the occasional bit of reggae and a 1980s soul vibe thrown in. Here are the first three tracks from the album.

"Mortel Combat" - Alain & Bouro Mpela

"Aicha" - Alain & Bouro Mpela

"Passage Obligé" - Alain & Bouro Mpela

From the same album, here they are all done up in their glad rags. I particularly enjoy the entirely random reference to mozzarella at 3:29.

And as a Sunday bonus, some more musical brothers.

Actually, there are loads of them, aren't there? Watch out for a special brothers themed post here some time soon.

Riots Part 2

2011-08-11T08:05:00.003+01:00

I have no wish to keep harping on about the riots, which are hopefully now behind us, but I think it is instructive to look at what the commentators are saying. Specifically calypsonian commentators.

Some have suggested that deploying more female police officers might have a calming effect. But judging by Mighty Terror's reaction, there must be a risk that it would simply exacerbate matters.

"Women Police In England" - Mighty Terror & His Calypsonians

Invader and Gabby, on the other hand, are clearly setting out to appeal to Daily Mail readers.

"Teddy Boy (Bring Back The Old Cat-o-Nine)" - Lord Invader

"Pow Pow (Arm The Police)" - Mighty Gabby

Lord Melody, as always, follows a path of his own. His story of a police officer struggling with a recalcitrant jackass may not appear immediately relevant, but I am sure there is a moral in there somewhere.

"In The Name Of The Law" - Lord Melody

Finally, the greatest calypsonian of them all, the Mighty Sparrow, had a terrifying first-hand experience of gang behaviour. Fortunately he lived to tell the tale.

London's Burning

2011-08-09T21:02:00.002+01:00

This post is fairly self-explanatory. I'm not going to get into the rights and wrongs of it all, but I do have one question for the disaffected youths who were making a political statement round the corner from me in Bethnal Green Road last night - what is the bloody point of looting Specsavers?

"London's Burning" - The Clash

"Babylon's Burning" - The Ruts

"2nd Floor Croydon" - Burnin' Red Ivanhoe

"Teenage Rampage" - Sweet

Keeping In Touch

2011-08-07T11:20:00.002+01:00

If it is Sunday, it must be Sweden in 1970. Local band Contact team up with a visiting Kim Fowley to produce an English language album, "Nobody Wants To Be Sixteen", with an eye on the international market. Despite being a very good pop-psych album, in a sort of Swedish Badfinger style, it fails in that objective.

"What's That" - Contact

"How Was Your Summer" - Contact

So for their next album they revert to Swedish and a folkier sound. "Hon Kom Over Mon" comes out in 1971 and wins a Grammy. People, eh? Totally unpredictable.

"Vägen Gick Vindlande Grå" - Contact

"Nobody Wants To Be Sixteen" and "Hon Kom Over Mon" were reissued as a two CD set by MNW in 2009. Whether you can get it outside Sweden I have no idea. I picked up my copy in Stockholm for abour four quid a few months back, and it was well worth it.

Speaking of Badfinger, here they are in 1972 being introduced by a not yet smoothed over Kenny Rogers.

Zim Power

2011-08-05T20:52:00.001+01:00

To get you in the mood for the weekend, here are three tracks from an excellent compilation called "Zim Singles Collection" that I picked up in Cape Town earlier in the year.

The compilation was released in 2007 although I'm not sure many of the tracks are of the same vintage - of those artists featured here New Black Montana were at their peak in the late 1980s and 1990s, while John Chibadura died in 1999. They all have that highly distinctive Zimbabwean "jit" guitar sound that could have been produced any time in the last 30 years or more.

You can pick up a copy of the album on the One World website if you are so inclined. It is an absolute bargain at R25 (about £2), although the postage will push the price up if you are outside South Africa - it still works out a bargain though.

"Kunditenderera" - Mabhawuwa Express

"Tambira Denga" - New Black Montana

"Unodadira Aniko" - John Chibadura

Here is someone else with a highly distinctive sound.

Jackie's Back

2011-08-02T20:45:00.000+01:00

About ten days ago I featured Jackie DeShannon's version of Neil Young's "Only Love Will Break My Heart" in a post featuring seven versions of that song. And a few days after that, in a moment of what Sting would no doubt call synchronicity, her brand new album popped into my in-box, courtesy of our dear friends at ReviewShine. Called "When You Walk In The Room", the album comes out on Rock Beat Records on 27 September.

As you might guess from the title, the album finds Jackie reinterpreting some of her biggest hits and best songs. Sometimes that is a warning sign that you need to brace yourself for disappointment, like with those cheapo albums you used to get in Woolworths which had "re-recorded by the original artist" printed in tiny letters at the bottom of the back cover. But you need have no such fear in this case. Jackie is far too classy for that.

While you wouldn't say these are the definitive versions, they are sufficiently good and different that you can enjoy them in their own right without comparing them unfavourably to the originals. There is a fairly light touch production that really allows the quality of the songs and Jackie's voice to shine through. We all knew about the songs, but the way her voice has held up is a pleasant surprise. She sounds fantastic for a woman who released her first singles over 50 years ago. Actually, that is not correct. She sounds fantastic full stop - there is no need to qualify that comment at all.

"Don't Doubt Yourself Babe" - Jackie DeShannon

"Will You Stay In My Life" - Jackie DeShannon

As a bonus, here are some weird and wonderful cover versions of some of her biggest songs. They include a Swamp Dog soul production from the early 1970s, some Uruguayan 1960s beat music, some contemporary Japanese pop-punk, and an oddly beautiful version of the old Marianne Faithfull hit "Come And Stay With Me". I had never anticipated using the phrase "oddly beautiful" to describe music produced by the former leader of the Sex Gang Children, but there you are.

"Put A Little Love In Your Heart" - Raw Spitt

"Hay Una Extraña Expresión En Tus Ojos (When You Walk In The Room)" - Los Iracundos

"Breakaway" - Psycho Food Eaters

"Come And Stay With Me" - Andi SexGang

While on the subject of vintage Jackies (or Jacquis), I had the great pleasure of seeing the original Pentangle line-up play at the Royal Festival Hall last night. They were utterly wonderful, and Jacqui McShee - like Jackie DeShannon - still sounds great in her mid-60s. If you ask nicely I may post of few of their old tracks up here in the future. But for now you'll have to make do with this 1970 clip of "House Carpenter". With Bert Jansch on banjo and John Renbourn on sitar, this was one of the many highlights last night.

No Ordinary Joes

2011-07-30T14:34:00.000+01:00

We haven't posted any soul on here for ages, and it is time to put that right. To kick things off, here are a couple of cracking performances each from two of my favourite singers, Joe Simon and Joe Tex.

"Before The Night Is Over" - Joe Simon

"To Lay Down Beside You" - Joe Simon

"I Believe I'm Gonna Make It" - Joe Tex

"We Can't Sit Down Now" - Joe Tex

And here are some gems from a few lesser spotted Joes.

"Baby If You Were Gone" - Joe Graves

"Is It Worth It All?" - Joe Matthews

"Down And Out World" - Joe Towns

"You Need Me" - Joe Wilson

Today's Joe theme gives me just the excuse I need - not that I normally need an excuse - to dig out a clip by our favourite Joe of all, the Westmeath Bachelor, Mr Joe Dolan

The young lady in that clip is one Kelly Marie. A few years later she swapped the brown polka-dot dress for a jump-suit and came up with this.

Tokyo Rodeo

2011-07-27T19:20:00.002+01:00

If there is a better way to mark the middle of the week than with some Japanese country music I can't think of one. No, don't be like that, it's good stuff, honest.

The first selection is more country-tinged pop than proper country, but it is a catchy little number with a chorus that you don't need to be able to speak Japanese to sing along to. It is from an EP called "Short Piece" released last month by one Kenji Takahashi, about whom I have been able to find out nothing at all - unless he is a former footballer or has a day job as a biochemical engineer.

"Itsudemo Aeru" - Kenji Takahashi

Going a litle further back, Happy End made a couple of excellent West Coast influenced albums at the beginning of the 1970s. They are best known outside Japan for "Kaze Wo Atsumete", which was featured on the soundtrack to "Lost In Translation". This little number is more Nashville than Laurel Canyon and is from their second album, 1971's "Kazemachi Roman".

"Sorairo No Crayon" - Happy End

All very nice. But if you want proper Japanese country music, you have to look to the Daddy of them all, the mighty Hank Sasaki.

"I Am A Japanese Cowboy" - Hank Sasaki

Here's Hank in action in 2008.

Unfortunately I have not been able to establish whether Hank won the Health Spring Silver Stars contest that year, but he was up against some very tough competition.

Tsonga Time

2011-07-25T18:21:00.002+01:00

It has been a while since we had any Tsonga disco up here so we need to put that right. Today we feature our old friend, and Tsonga stalwart, Thomas Chauke. Thomas is accompanied as always by the Shinyori Sisters (a.k.a. Mrs Chauke, Mrs Chauke and Mrs Chauke - he has quite a few wives, our Thomas).

Strictly speaking Thomas is a traditional Tsonga performer, but these days there is very little difference between them and the Tsonga Disco stars, except perhaps the beats per minute.

These two selections are taken from "Ten Great Songs", a 2009 compilation released on EMI South Africa. It would have been slightly more accurate to have called it "Six Great Songs And Four Pretty Good Ones", which is still an impressive strike rate.

"U Ta Dya Yini" - Thomas Chauke & Shinyori Sisters

"Nwa - Marungana" - Thomas Chauke & Shinyori Sisters

Without the Shinyori Sisters the overall effect would be greatly reduced, and they deserve as much of the credit as Thomas himself. Without wishing to go over the top, I think they are up there with other great female harmony acts like this lot.

A Clarification

2011-07-23T07:33:00.002+01:00

Over the last couple of days I have had a steady stream of irate comments and e-mails from irate Elkie Brooks fans, incensed by some remarks I made in my previous post. A number of these comments pointed out that Elkie is a fine singer.

I agree. I never said she wasn't. What I said was that personally I thought her version of "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" wasn't very good. That's my opinion and it hasn't changed. This on the other hand - from her early days in Vinegar Joe with Robert Palmer - is very good indeed.

"Rock 'n Roll Gypsies" - Vinegar Joe

"Angel" - Vinger Joe

My favourite comment was from a gentleman called Franco, who raised the tone of the whole debate with these remarks: "I could say you look like an old onion with a beard. But I don't need to put anybody down to feel good".

"An old onion with a beard". Like Oliver Onions, perhaps?

"Same Situation" - Oliver Onions

And of course onion, like vinegar, is a popular crisp flavouring.

"Cheese And Onions" - The Rutles

Only Love...

2011-07-21T13:41:00.000+01:00

The previous post featured a couple of albums I received via ReviewShine. Another gem that came my way by the same route is "Anybody's Darlin'", an excellent seven track mini-album from Kelsey Waldon. Kelsey is from Kentucky, but now based in Nashville, and has a really appealing voice. The album comprises six strong originals, mostly straightforward old-fashioned country with touches of alt-country and bluegrass (for example on "Whole Lotta Things" which features the stalwart Tim O'Brien), and a very nice cover version of Neil Young's "Only Love Can Break Your Heart".

I think I may own more versions of "Only Love Can Break Your Heart" than just about any other song. There are eight versions on my iPod, and I am fairly sure there are more tucked away in the dustier corners of my record collection. I assume you all have Neil's original, but here are the other seven. There is a little something for everyone - pop, country, crooning, cod-reggae (with accordions), even a Spanish version. But if I had to pick one I'd probably go for Psychic TV - one of Genesis P. Orridge's finest moments.

"Only Love Can Break Your Heart" - Kelsey Waldon

"Only Love Can Break Your Heart" - Saint Etienne

"Only Love Can Break Your Heart" - Psychic TV

"Only Love Can Break Your Heart" - Joe Dolan

"Only Love Can Break Your Heart" - Darling New Neighbors

"Only Love Can Break Your Heart" - Jackie DeShannon

"Only Love Can Break Your Heart" - Joan Bibiloni

There are some pretty dreadful versions out there as well. Take this effort by Elkie Brooks, for example.

I wonder if Elkie Brooks is related to Rebekah Brooks? The same surname, similar hair, both responsible for acts that offend all right-minded people...

ReviewShine Time

2011-07-19T20:03:00.000+01:00

It is that time of the month when we feature some of the artists who have kindly sent me their albums through the excellent ReviewShine service. As always there have been some real gems. Here are a couple of them.

First up are Piñataland, whose new album "Hymns For The Dreadful Night" comes out on 16 August. When I first downloaded it I had it on in the background without really concentrating and it sounded like a pleasant Americana album. Which it is. But when you listen more carefully it becomes a lot more interesting. There is an individuality and intelligence in the songs that really makes them stand out.

According to their own blurb, their "lyrics are about the murkier corners of the American past, and they sound like the lovechildren of Stephen Foster and Kurt Weil, or maybe if Up With People covered Laurie Anderson. The subjects of their darkly romantic tunes include digging up the corpse of Thomas Paine, godless 1670s Brooklyn, and the A-Bomb". Fortunately I didn't read that before listening to the album or I might never have bothered. But I'm glad I did.

Particular favourites are "An American Man" and this one, which borrows liberally from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and Chuck Berry. I have no idea what they are on about but I like the way it sounds.

"Hiawatha" - Piñataland

Next up are Butchers Blind (no apostrophe it seems). From what I can gather they are a vehicle for the songs of one Pete Mancini, and while they are a little more conventional than Piñataland they are no less effective. The blurb mentions the likes of Gram Parsons, The Band and Wilco but for me the comparison that sprang immediately to mind was the Jayhawks. Which is no bad thing.

Butchers Blind's new album is "Play For The Films" and it comes out this weekend.

"Brass Bell" - Butchers Blind

Today's final selection is a bit of a cheat as I did not get it via ReviewShine, but it fits very well with the other two and it is too good to ignore - the "it" in question being "Gypsy Summer", the new album by Cam Penner. It is top-notch Americana from start to finish and I would heartily recommend it.

"Ghost Car" - Cam Penner

Now to the clips, which for once I have tried to link to the music. First we have possibly the only other popular song to refer to Hiawatha.

For Pete Mancini of Butchers Blind, here is Warren Zevon with a tribute to his Uncle Boom Boom.

Which leads inexorably - in my mind at least - to this:

Oh What A Circus

2011-07-17T20:16:00.000+01:00

This afternoon I strolled down to Arnold Circus, over towards Shoreditch way, to watch some bands play for free in the bandstand there. This was part of a so-called "picnic", and a very Shoreditch event it was too. Half the people there had beards. The other half were women.

The weather was terrible and, as a result, the numbers were low. Both of which were a shame because they had some good acts lined up.

The first I saw was Laura Hocking, a English vaguely folkie type with a very nice line in lyrics. I particularly liked "Strongmen and Acrobats", which she wrote for her autistic brother. It is featured on her new 4-track EP, available on Bandcamp.

"Strongmen And Acrobats" - Laura Hocking & The Long Goodbye

Next up - well after wandering round aimlessly in the rain for half an hour - were the band I had gone down to see, The Head And The Heart. This was by way of a warm-up for their rather more prestigious gig this evening, when they support My Morning Jacket at Somerset House. Although we only got the slim-line version - the full line-up has seven of them rather than three.

Their self-titled debut album is well worth checking out if you like rustic sounds and harmonies. Despite the conditions they were warmly received this afternoon. And the beards went down very well, of course.

"Down In The Valley" - The Head And The Heart

If you like beards, you could do worse than check out the Ozark Mountain Daredevils.

Ronga Disco?

2011-07-16T16:57:00.000+01:00

The last couple of posts have featured musicians from South Africa. Today we hope over the border to Mozambique and veteran performer Xidiminguana. Xidi, as his friends possibly call him (or possibly not), is a marrabenta singer who is now in his early seventies.

Today's tracks come from an album called "Nwa Mungoro", released in 2006 and credited to Vuthu Gaza, Joao Cossa and Xidiminguana. Vuthu Gaza are Xidi's backing band. I have no idea who Joao Cossa is. But it is Xidiminguana you are paying to hear.

"Gijani" - Xidiminguana

"Salani" - Xidiminguana

Regular listeners might fancy they spot some similarities between these tracks - and in particular "Salani" - and our old friend Tsonga Disco. Which is not surprising. Xidiminguana sings in Ronga which, like Tsonga, is one of the Tswa-Ronga group of languages, and Ronga speakers have close historical and cultural links with the Tsonga.

Here is a rather dimly lit clip of Xidiminguana in action in 1986.

Appeal For Assistance

2011-07-14T13:30:00.001+01:00

Older readers will know that here at 27 Leggies we are massive fans of the late, great Sotho soul singer, Mpharanyana. When we started off we had a regular "Mpharanyana on Monday" slot before I lost my self-discipline and it ended up going the way of all flesh.

I have now been contacted by Phehello Mofokeng of Geko Publishing, a small independent publisher in South Africa (you should check out their catalogue - there is some very interesting stuff and you can download a few "book teasers"). He has had the excellent idea of doing a book about Mpharanyana's life and work. As Phehello says, his music was a cornerstone of Sesotho culture that has been largely overlooked, and not just since his death. To quote Phehello again, "I cannot ignore the fact that he died broke while some music mogul went home with a full stomach".

So how can you help? Back to Phehello: "You could look for the names of producers, contacts, people, music companies etc that he worked with that I can quote, follow up on and start talking to, LP records artwork, anecdotes inside such records etc - anything that can add colour to the story of this man".

So there you are. If you have any memories or mementoes of Mpharanyana, or anything else that you think might be of interest, please contact me via the e-mail address in the right hand corner and I will put you in touch with Phehello.

Newer readers will no doubt want to know what all the fuss is about. Mpharanyana mainly sang in Sesotho but to "ease you in", so to speak, here are three fine performances in English. They include a particularly nice version of Clarence Carter's "Slip Away" (Clarence was very big in South Africa). But "Soul Man" is not the Sam & Dave hit.

"I Think I Love You" - Mpharanyana

"Soul Man" - Mpharanyana

"Slip Away" - Mpharanyana

If that has given you a taste for more - and to be honest if it hasn't I would be worried about your mental wellbeing - some of the tracks I posted for the "Mpharanyana on Monday" series are still available at this link.

There are no clips of Mpharanyana in action on YouTube, so instead here is a clip of Clarence Carter doing "Slip Away" last year. Still going strong at 74, and rather wasted on the good citizens of Roanoke, Virginia.

King Koos

2011-07-12T19:37:00.001+01:00

It would appear from the scant number of hits received that you lot don't much care about the sounds of young Liege we posted a few days ago. So in a desperate bid to curry favour, and at the risk of alienating those of you who thrive on wilful obscurity, we are going mainstream. Well, as mainstream as Afrikaans underground music gets.

Koos Kombuis is a bit of a legend as far as I am concerned. A writer/performer who is one of the founding fathers of the anti-establishment Afrikaans music scene, he first came to prominence as part of the Voëlvry movement in the 1980s. He has continued to make great music ever since.

Although he occasionally performs in English (such as on "Madiba Bay" here), most of his work is in Afrikaans. If you don't speak the language - and I am guessing most of you don't - you can still enjoy the tunes. And when you have enjoyed them, go and download a load more from Amazon, eMusic etc.

"Madiba Bay" - Koos Kombuis

"Paranoia" - Koos Kombuis

"'n Kaartjie Van Koos" (A Card From Koos) - Koos Kombuis (with Valiant Swart)

"Lisa Se Klavier" (Lisa's Piano) - Koos Kombuis

On "Paranoia", Koos talks about paranoia in Parow North, one of the less lovely suburbs of Cape Town. It also gave its name to Afrikaans rapper Jack Parow (who is actually from nerby Bellville). Although musically rather different from Koos, he has very much inherited the Voelvry spirit. In this little number, he bigs up the Bellville massive so to speak, proclaiming that while they may not have the money and so-called style of some of the more fashionable parts of Cape Town - and believe me if he really gets his clothes at Pep Stores as he claims he is in no danger of being mistaken for a lover of haute couture - they are ineffably cooler.

"Cooler As Ekke" (Cooler Than Me) - Jack Parow

Here's Jack.

Startin' Pop Special

2011-07-10T17:56:00.000+01:00

I have been on a couple of trips this week. I have just been revisiting my roots down in Dorset. While there we took in the Yetminster Fair at which we met an old school friend of mine, two of the Yetties flogging their old albums (yes of course I did) and a one-armed Oriental clog dancer.

You know they say that people lacking one or more of the five senses compensate by the others being more refined than normal. Well, I don't know if the same is true of limbs but the lady in question was a lot more nimble than most of the others. Whether the same applies to the three-legged greyhound in the final of the dog show I am not sure.

Earlier in the week I was working in Brussels. As usual I managed to pick up a couple of Congolese CDs in Matonge, which will no doubt follow in due course. Also as usual I found something intriguing in the bargain bin of the DVD/CD shop in Brussels Midi station. It is an album called "Startin' Pop 2", released in 2005, and whoever wrote the blurb must have had me in mind. How could I possibly resist something that starts "Startin' Pop is a Belgian collective based in Liege"?

I couldn't. Here is a small selection of leading-edge Liege sounds.

"This Dream's Gone" - Isola

"Play With Me" - Snow Bunting

"Fever" - 7 P.M.

Finally, I have had a request for a clip of Wild Man Fischer in action, as a belated tribute following his death a couple of weeks back. Here he is with a storming version of "My Sweet Little Kathy".

Wild Man's backing band in that clip were Barnes & Barnes, who were of course responsible for this classic.

Cool In Conakry

2011-07-06T20:12:00.000+01:00

Today's selection is a couple of snappy little tunes from Guinean singer/ guitarist Kerfala Kante. I don't know much about him but I know what I like. He has several albums available on eMusic and elsewhere that are well worth checking out.

"Segue" - Kerfala Kante (from "New System")

"I Bake Wala" - Kerfala Kante (from "Senekela")

And here he is sporting a very fetching night-cap.

Apache Performance

2011-07-05T22:10:00.000+01:00

Over the last couple of days I have become a bit obsessed with Apache Indian's "Boom Shack-A-Lak". I know perfectly well it is a blatant rip-off of "Oh Carolina", but what can I do? When something is stuck in your head you can't get rid of it by logic. You just have to wait until it goes away of its own accord.

To share the pain, here it is together with his signature tune. All together now "Wine your body, wriggle your belly, dip and go down in a de new stylee..."

"Boom Shack-A-Lak" - Apache Indian

"Chok There" - Apache Indian

See what I mean?

Oi, Canada (Part 2)

2011-07-02T19:11:00.000+01:00

I work fairly close to Trafalgar Square in Olde London. So yesterday I wandered down there on my lunch hour to catch some of the free concert being laid on by the Canadian Embassy as part of the Canada Day celebrations. It consisted of series of short sets by Canadian artists, and the two that I saw were very good indeed.

First up was Lennie Gallant, a new name to me but one who obviously been around a while as he has nine albums under his belt (seven in Englsh, two in French). And he has the Order of Canada as recognition of his distinguished contribution. This is him.

Lennie plays good solid roots music in what might be called a traditional Canadian style - there is definitely a touch of the Gordon Lightfoots about him, with some nice story songs and some choruses you can sing along with. He was also accompanied by a lady fiddler with a lovely smile, with whom I became slightly infatuated.

Next up was Devon Sproule and her band, which was the main reason I had gone down there. They played a very enjoyable set mostly drawn from her latest album, "I Love You, Go Easy". Devon herself was in fine form, and the fact she had recently returned from a trip to the face-painting stall enhanced her "not quite as bonkers as Victoria Williams but heading in the same direction" persona. But as with the first set, I got a bit distracted by the support staff, specifically Devon's pet hippy who flaunted around the stage looking like a cross between two famous Phillips', Emo and John from the Mamas and Papas.

They were joined for one number by Mantler. He does not look like a conventional rock performer, resembling as he does a slightly down at heel Boss Hogg, but the three of them together made quite an arresting sight.

Enough of my holiday snaps, on with the music. Here is a track apiece from Lennie, Devon and Mantler.

"The Coldest Road" - Lennie Gallant (from "If We Had A Fire", 2009)

"The Unmarked Animals" - Devon Sproule (from "I Love You, Go Easy", 2011)

"In Stride" - Mantler (from "Monody", 2010)

To finish off, here is Lennie's sister Patsy with her own contribution to the storytelling tradition.

And I am indebted to my old friend Mister F for drawing my attention to this touching tribute to the city of Vancouver.

Oi, Canada!

2011-07-01T17:55:00.000+01:00

Today is Canada Day. Yippee! So today's post is especially dedicated to all our loyal Canadian readers. There are 2145 of you at the last count. Or there is one of you who has visited 2145 times. Or somewhere in between.

I had thought of providing a selection of songs by my favourite Canadian performers, but there are far too many of them and I ended up paralysed by indecision. So instead, here are a selection of songs aboot places in Canada, although not all of them by Canadians. Perhaps inevitably there is a bit of a bias towards country and folk sounds, but hopefully there is something here for everyone.

P.S. For those of you whose knowledge of Canadian geography is shaky, Charlottetown is in Prince Edward Island and Logy Bay is in Newfoundland. You should be familiar with the rest of them.

P.P.S. Before we get e-mails from irate Alaskans, I know Hank Thompson is actually singing aboot (sorry, about) the stretch of the Yukon River that runs through Alaska, but the song is too much fun to leave out.

"Quebec" - Leif Vollebekk (2010)

"Moody Manitoba Morning" - The Bells (1969)

"Saskatchewan" - Red Box (1984)

"Squaws Along The Yukon" - Hank Thompson (1958)

"The Star of Logy Bay" - Sliabh Notes (2001)

"Calgary" - Chris Gheran (2011)

"The Streets of Charlottetown" - Chris Stuart & Backcountry (2008)

And finally the catchily titled...

"Chop Yourself Into Little Pieces And Mail Yourself to New Brunswick, Canada For Immediate Reassembly" - Penny Blacks (2011)

And now to the video clip. The capital of Canada is Ottawa. People from Ottawa are called Ottowans (I haven't actually checked that but if it is not true it will bugger up this already rather tenuous link completely so I am sticking with it).You know what is coming next.

Bring On The Nubians

2011-06-29T20:27:00.000+01:00

Short but sweet today. Here are a couple of ace tracks from Ali Hassan Kuban, the late Godfather of Nubian music. Born near Aswan in 1929, he found fame and fortune after his family moved to Cairo. These selections come from an album called "Walk Like a Nubian", released in 1994. He died seven years later.

"Habibi" - Ali Hassan Kuban

"Tamin Qalbak Ya Habibi" - Ali Hassan Kuban

The Nubians are an ethnic group from southern Egypt and northern Sudan. Other prominent Nubians include the Mahdi, Anwar Sadat and this fellow.

The Keanes of Caherlistrane

2011-06-27T20:30:00.003+01:00

I have just come back from a few days in Westport, County Mayo (on the west coast of Ireland). While there I picked up a copy of "The Home Place", the recently released debut album by Orlaith Keane.

Orlaith is the latest addition to the Keanes of Caherlistrane. The Keanes are the Irish equivalent of the Carter family, or the Copper and Waterson families in England, spawning several generations of gifted singers. Orlaith is the niece of Dolores and Sean. Here is one apiece from the three of them. You can immediately tell that Orlaith and Dolores are related. Uncle Sean guests on the pipes on "Florence". His own contribution today is, of course, a Gillian Welch cover.

"Florence" - Orlaith Keane

"Teddy O'Neill" - Dolores Keane

"Barroom Girls" - Sean Keane

Caherlistrane is in County Galway, just a couple of miles from the border with Mayo. About six miles away over the border is the town of Tuam. When I first went to Mayo in the late 1980s I fell madly in love with a cassette single by a band from Tuam that was only available locally. A year or so later a remade version of the song got a wider release and set them off on a career that endures today. This was that song.

"I Useta Lover" - The Saw Doctors

While driving over to Mayo we stopped in Mullingar, County Westmeath, to pay homage at the statue of the late, great Joe Dolan. I had expected it to be on a plinth but I was wrong - and quite rightly as Joe was never one to put himself above his fans. Of course it does mean that all sorts of eejits pose next to him.

Here is Joe at his finest.

Time For Mr Shine

2011-06-23T07:41:00.001+01:00

Tomorrow I'm off to the west of Ireland for a long weekend. What better way to get myself in the mood than by listening to Brendan Shine, a man renowned for his social and political commentary and poignant insights into the lives of Ireland's rural population.

"Murphy's Dancing Pig" is clearly a savage indictment of the system of Irish political patronage, while "Are You Diggin' Them, Dillon?" exposes the fact that the wealth of Dublin (the "great big ugly goat") was built largely on the labours of the rural poor.

And if all that is a bit heavy for you, you might enjoy listening to Brendan rocking out on "Bold O'Donoghue" - it could be Thin Lizzy!

"Murphy's Dancing Pig" - Brendan Shine

"Are You Diggin' Them, Dillon?" - Brendan Shine

"Bold O'Donoghue" - Brendan Shine

"Catch Me If You Can" - Brendan Shine

And here a younger Brendan tackles the perennial scourge of alcoholism head on in his usual sensitive way.

Bad Lux Story

2011-06-21T20:54:00.001+01:00

I went to Luxembourg for a day's work yesterday. There was a bit of free time in my schedule, which I intended to use to track down some examples of the no doubt vibrant Luxembourg music scene to share with you today.

Unfortunately my Luxair flight was four and a half hours late setting off, which meant that I arrived there early afternoon, went to a meeting, then turned round and came home again.

To add to my frustration, it turns out that large chunks of the no doubt vibrant Luxembourg music scene were playing pretty much on my doorstep a few weeks ago - more details are available from the self-explanatory "Music from Luxembourg Live in Britain" website.

I am sure you must be as frustrated as I am. Let's try to work our way through it with some excellent funky soul from the 1970s.

"Ape Is High" - Mandrill

"House Of Wood" - Mandrill

You may not be aware that plucky Luxembourg has won the Eurovision Song Contest four times, including successive victories in 1972 and 1973. However it must be said that the home-grown content was somewhat limited. Three of the four winning singers were French and the other, Vicky Leandros, was Greek. And this rather groovy winning entry from 1965 was written by that legendary Luxembourger Serge Gainsbourg.

ReviewShine Round-Up

2011-06-18T08:43:00.000+01:00

Before we get to the music, a brief public service announcement. It has been brought to my attention that there has been a bit of a hoo-hah about some bloggers turning out not to be who they claimed they were. In the interests of transparency, I feel I should reveal that my real name is not Ernie Goggins and that is not a picture of me in the top right corner (that is actually Penny Penny, the Tsonga disco king). I won't go so far as to reveal my true identify but suffice to say I am a Syrian lesbian and feel the need for some discretion.

Now back to business. It is time for one of our irregular round-ups of some of the many fine artists whose latest albums have made their way to me courtesy of ReviewShine. As before I feel I should apologise to those I feature, and even more those I don't feature, for not doing them justice. There is simply too much good stuff out there to cope with.

First up is the charming Kathryn Caine from Charlottesville, Virginia. A former Shakespearean scholar and London busker, Kathryn now devotes her time to making really good music in a broadly bluegrass and country style. Her current album, "Down Home Girl", is available via Bandcamp as well as all the usual outlets. This track, currently my favourite, is all about the Caine family farm in North Carolina. Listening to it is the next best thing to being there.

"Honeyhill" - Kathryn Caine

In a similar style, although with the folk influences perhaps a bit more prominent, is "These Open Roads", the debut album from Haroula Rose. Originally from Chicago but now based in LA, Haroula deserted both cities and headed off to Athens, Georgia to record the album. It features members of the Drive By Truckers, Neutral Milk Hotel and others, and her songs and singing are very worthy of the cast list.

"Free To Be Me" - Haroula Rose

Sean Hunting Morse is originally from Denver and that was where he recorded "Lines From Someplace", which I suppose you would classify as a mini-album (there are only seven tracks). Apart from a couple of jazz-tinged numbers which I was less keen on, not being a great one for the jazz, it is a good strong set of folk/blues songs. "Malibu" is a particular highlight.

"Malibu" - Sean Hunting Morse

Moving on to something slighter rougher-edged now, you ought to check out "Beyond The Ark" by Mike McGuire. I know nothing at all about Mike, but judging by the sound and subject matter of his songs I would guess he has been going for awhile, has maybe had a few ups and downs along the way, but will keep on going to the end of the road. For me the overall feel is very reminiscent of Otis Gibbs (a very good thing) but without the extravagent beard (maybe not such a good thing, it depends on your views on beards).

"Military Time" - Mike McGuire

And finally, something I can only describe as indescribable - "Dead Dog on a Highway" by The Dad Horse Experience. Dad Horse Ottn (which I very much doubt is the name his poor parents gave him) is a German musician who mixes up country, polka and other oom-pah-pah noises with a bit of the punk spirit, and sings them all in a voice that hints ever so slightly at his German origins. It doesn't always work - there are one or two tracks on the album that I struggled to get through - but when it does it is strangely beguiling. Apparently the album's producer has previously worked with the Holmes Brothers, and you can see a certain similarity in the overall sound. I found the religious numbers the most enjoyable, like his take on Hank's "I Saw The Light" and this next one. See what you think.

"Kingdom It Will Come" - The Dad Horse Experience

To finish, let's go back to where we started. Here's Kathryn Caine and friends with a very lively take on the old Tom Paxton standard, "The Last Thing On My Mind".

Guinea Gold

2011-06-16T19:23:00.000+01:00

I have a copy of a compilation album of music from Guinea, released on SonoAfrica last year. The version I have is called "Guinee Compil: Rendezvous", and the sleeve notes etc are all in French. When you stick it into the Gracenotes thingy it comes up as "Guinea Vibrations", but the track listing is the same. Presumably it was issued under different names in different territories.

Whatever it is called it is well worth checking out. There are some familiar names on there, the likes of Mory Kante and Fode Baro. But most of them were new to me, and a very high proportion of them are very good indeed. Here are a couple of examples.

"Sokho" - Fode Kouyate

"Nnakaman" - Mory Djeli

Here is Mory Djeli and his mates in action near what appears to be a hotel swimming pool.

And here is Fode Kouyate in the gardens of a different hotel with some lovely ladies. When they get together with the lads in Mory's video it must be party time.

Tsonga Disco: Maile

2011-06-14T19:27:00.000+01:00

We're back with some long overdue Tsonga Disco. Today we bring you someone new to 27 Leggies - Maile and his 1998 album, "Vat En Sit". "Vat En Sit" is an Afrikaans expression used colloquially to mean what the dictionaries would call "cohabitation" (or, as we used to call it in the old days, "living in sin").

I know nothing about Maile beyond what I have been able to work out from the details on the sleeve. His full name appears to be Maile Mokhwati and he is/ was a protege of the late great Peta Teanet. The album was issued by EMI under licence from Mac-Villa Music (Peta's old production company), and includes a cover version of Peta's "Tsontsokile". The final track is called "Teanet", and is presumably a tribute to Peta who had died in 1996. I have no idea whether he made any other records.

Production duties are handled by Lefty Rhikoto, leader of Mordillo, a band that first came to prominence backing Peta's predecessor as the King of Tsonga/ Shangaan Disco, the equally late if not quite equally great Paul Ndlovu. The sound is mostly fairly conventional 1990s Tsonga Disco, although there is a bit of a kwaito influence on a couple of tracks.

Here are my personal favourites from "Vat En Sit". "Damarisa" in particular is a real stomper.

"Damarisa" - Maile

"Bomba" - Maile

There is no Maile on YouTube. But there is Mai Tai.

Great Danes

2011-06-13T20:38:00.000+01:00

Something fairly new to start things off today, with thanks to John at Safety First Records who tipped me off to "Must We Find A Winner", the new album by Klak Tik. Although apparently first released last year, it will only be available on iTunes and all the usual outlets from tomorrow. I would recommend you find time in your busy diaries to wander over there and check it out.

The driving force behind Klak Tik is one Soren Bonke, a Danish singer/ songwriter/ multi-instrumentalist. The band itself appear to be based in East London, as am I and at least one of our regular readers. We will need to keep an eye out for characters carrying chairs around for no good reason, as it might be them.

The band describe their music as "sparse and tender folk tunes expanded to produce multi-layered, pseudo-orchestral pieces of music", which seems a fairly good description to me. For those of you who prefer direct comparisons, there is a definite Midlake/ Fleet Foxes vibe to much of the album, and I would think fans of those bands will like this a lot. For older farts like me, there is also a whiff of Caravan and other bands from the pastoral strain of early English prog-rock, which is no bad thing in moderation. I liked it the first time I listened to it, and I liked it more the second time - on which flimsy basis I am prepared to stick my neck out and call it a grower.

"Kneel To Avoid Beheading" - Klak Tik

"Carpet Swept" - Klak Tik

Also from Denmark, but a lot older, are Bifrost. Active from 1976 to 1987, I picked up their self-titled debut album for a few pounds while in Copenhagen recently. The fact that they are named after the bridge that joins the world to the realm of the Gods in Norse mythology, the copious references to Christiania in the Danish language sleeve notes, and this album cover led me to hope it would be fairly freaky.

I was disappointed. It turned out to be fairly bog standard 1970s rock. But not without its moments. Here are a couple of the highlights.

"Idaho" - Bifrost

"Vandringssangen" - Bifrost

Rather better on the Danish hippy front were The Savage Rose. I picked up a few of their albums while in Copenhagen and will do a post featuring them when I get round to it. As a taster, here they are freaking out the Norwegians in 1973.

Hats Off!

2011-06-12T16:48:00.000+01:00

The great Roy Harper turns 70 today. He is playing a special gig at the South Bank in London to mark the occasion, to which I am lucky enough to have tickets, but that isn't happening until November. We can't wait until then. Here is a small selection of his mighty oeuvre to tide us over.

"You Don't Need Money" - Roy Harper (from "Come Out Fighting Ghengis Smith", 1967)

"I'll See You Again" - Roy Harper (from "Valentine", 1974)

"Watford Gap" - Roy Harper (from "Bullinamingvase", 1977)

"Cherishing The Lonesome" - Roy Harper (from "Bullingamingvase", 1977)

"The Flycatcher" - Roy Harper (from "The Unknown Soldier", 1980)

I have also learnt that I struck lucky in the great London 2012 Olympics lucky dip and have got two tickets to the semi-final of the womens' handball tournament. Whoopee! But that is even further ahead and I don't know any songs about handball - well, do you? - so instead let's stick with Roy. Here are Peter Gabriel and Kate Bush with a very nice version of one of his standards, "Another Day". The chances of them turning up for a repeat performance in November are probably litle more than nil, but then that was what I thought were the odds of getting handball tickets, so we live in hope.

Oldies But Goodies

2011-06-06T20:09:00.001+01:00

I will be away working from tomorrow for the best part of a week. I haven't had time to prepare anything new and interesting to tide you over, so here are some things that are old and interesting.
This is a selection of tracks that were featured way back in the early days of 27 Leggies, when the number of leggies was greater than the number of listeners. They deserve a bigger audience.

There is hopefully something for everyone here. In order: Belgian New Wave, Brazilian soul, South African jazz, Afro Zouk, Scottish folk, Jimmy Webb done reggae style, Richard Strange, groovy Texan sounds, some old punks and a stone cold classic from Curtis Mayfield. Tuck in.

"Do The Standing Still" - The Employees

"Idade" - Tim Maia

"Stokvel Gumba" - Sipho Gumede

"Femme Africaine" - Soule Ngofo Man

"The Birks of Invermay" - Karine Polwart

"Do What You Got To Do" - Pat Rhoden

"International Language" - Richard Strange

"Best Is Yet To Come" - Vince Bell

"Violence Grows" - Fatal Microbes

"Dirty Laundry" - Curtis Mayfield

And here is something that is definitely for everyone.

Look Lively Now

2011-06-05T08:49:00.002+01:00

We seem to have been featuring a lot of very good female singer-songwriters here recently. Here is another one.

Austin-based Vanessa Lively is new to me, although she already has three albums to her name. He fourth album, "Uncovering Stones", is released on 21 June. Copies can be pre-ordered from her website now. You ought to give it some serious consideration.

While over at her website, check out the press page where there is lots of photos and interesting information, including three different versions of her biography (long, medium and short). You ought to read the long version, as she and her husband Jason have clearly led quite a life, but here is the short version as a taster:

"For a woman who thrives on jumping into the unknown with both feet, Vanessa Lively took an unusual approach to her new album, Uncovering Stones. She and her producer-husband, Jason, planned nearly every note before recording it – which they did in their Austin home, with co-producer/engineer Keith Gary. The result is a compelling mix of tempos and styles filled with hints of urban, world, Latin, funk and pop that fully captures her compassionate nature and love of community. Uncovering Stones is, in fact, all about connecting. Vanessa even painted the album art beforehand – on 42 canvas squares she sold individually to fund the 12-song disc. Lively describes its themes as “feeling other people’s struggles and joys and being connected with them.” After raking blueberries in Maine as a migrant farm worker and living in South America with her husband to do volunteer work in impoverished areas, she feels those connections deeply – and when you listen, you will, too."

Here are a couple of my favourite tracks from the new album.

"Through The Veil" - Vanessa Lively

"Follow Your Heart" - Vanessa Lively

And here they are performing the old Mercedes Sosa song, "La Maza", on "Good Morning Austin" last year. Not the sort of thing you normally associate with breakfast television, at least not in the UK, but it would definitely help the corn flakes go down smoothly.

Happy Days

2011-06-04T00:28:00.000+01:00

We interrupt our normal programming to bring you what is essentially a dedication. Earlier this evening I had an excellent time with a couple of old pals: Steve, who I haven't seen for between three and five years, and Chris, who I haven't seen for a quarter of a century. I know what you are thinking - how can someone who is evidently so young and hip have known anyone for 25 years, let alone not seen them for that length of time. Well, kindergarten can be a formative experience, and the bonds remain strong.

Today's selection is for Chris. He may understand the significance of each track. Then again he may have forgotten. We'll find out.

"Let The World Wash In" - I Luv Wight

"Whips & Furs" - The Vibrators

"Shirley" - John Fred & His Playboys

"Amsterdam" - John Cale

"This Liberal Love" - Microdisney

And in case Steve is feeling overlooked, today's clips are for him.

"

The Man Japan

2011-06-02T16:00:00.001+01:00

While I was in South Africa a couple of months back I picked up an album called "Apojorize" by one Japan Mjay. It is a sort of soul/ mbaqanga mix, released in 1999 but sounding like it dates from ten years earlier.

My initial attempts to find out more about Japan Mjay were not very successful. He doesn't turn up on Google, and does not merit a single mention in our old friend Max Thamagana Mojapelo’s seminal work “Beyond Memory: Recording the History, Moments and Memories of South African Music”. I was about to give up when I looked at the album credits. These suggested a connection with the mighty Soul Brothers, South Africa's leading exponents of the soul/mbaqanga sound since the mid-1970s and still going strong.

After a bit more digging, I can reveal that Japan Mjay was none other that Japan Sidoyi, a former member of Imitshotshovu, the Soul Brothers backing band who also released a series of albums in their own right. Japan played the Hammond organ and provided backing vocals, and also guested with the likes of Oliver Mtukudzi in his spare time. He sadly passed away in 2002 at the tender age of 46.

This solo effort was produced by the Soul Brothers' Moses Ngwenya, with all songs co-written by those two and Dennis Gumede, of Dennis Gumede & The Teenagers "fame". Here are a couple of the high spots.

"Aporijize" - Japan Mjay

"Mhlekazi" - Japan Mjay

And with a degree of tedious inevitability, we move from a man called Japan to a Japanese Boy.

Rock Music (Literally)

2011-05-31T21:22:00.000+01:00

To the Queen Elizabeth Hall last night for an excellent double-header: Mike Heron, who regular readers may know is one of my all-time heroes, and Trembling Bells, one of my favourite bands of the last few years. And very good it was too.

Mike was his usual endearing but slightly shambolic self. The moment where he was retuning oblivious to what else was going on, then suddenly looked up and went "Oh, I think they might have started" pretty much summed it up.

That happened at the beginning - or, rather, shortly after the beginning - of "Spirit Beautiful", one of two songs on which he was backed by the Bells as well as his band (the other being "Feast of Stephen"). They were both excellent, and among the highlights of the evening.

But the biggest hippie freak-out moment came when Trembling Bells did "Otley Rock Oracle", from their most recent album "The Constant Pageant". The studio version is pretty freaky, as you can hear below, but this was something else. The band went at it full tilt backed by a horn section, an accordion player, a mate of Arthur Brown's on theramin and three female morris dancers brandishing papier mache heads on sticks. It was an audiovisual delight worthy of the Incredible String Band themselves. The lady morris dancers appear as a blur in this photo that Mr F took that I can't work out how to transfer from Flickr (the old boy took some good photos so you might want to look at the rest of them as well).

"Otley Rock Oracle" - Trembling Bells

The Otley Rock mentioned in the title is The Chevin, which looms above Otley in Yorkshire. If you head north-west through the Yorkshire Dales for roughly fifty miles you come to Swarth Fell.

"Swarthfell Rocks" - The Watersons

Let's round things off with some more rock-related tunes.

"Rock In The Sea" - Shocking Blue

"Rocky Top" - The Osborne Brothers

"Spinning On That Rock" - Ramsey Midwood

"The Rocks Remain" - Horslips

And if you head due South from Rocky Top, this is where you end up.

Wonderful, Wonderful Copenhagen

2011-05-29T18:56:00.002+01:00

I have just come back from a few days in Copenhagen, part work, part pleasure. On Friday night I popped into Wray, a very nice little venue in the Christianshavn district, named after that one-time Copenhagen resident, Link Wray. There were three acts on the bill: So Like Dorian (from Denmark), Comaneci (from Italy) and Mattia Coletti (either Denmark or Italy - it is very hard to tell with a name like that).

It wasn't the best attended gig I have ever been to. I counted twelve people in total. If you take out the bands and the barman that comes down to six. And if you then take out the friends of So Like Dorian it comes down to two, and the other feller sat at the bar with his back to the show most of the evening, so I am not sure he counts. Anyway, on behalf of at least 50% of the non-aligned members of the audience I can say that, while not all the music was to my personal taste, it was a very pleasant way of passing the evening.

For me the pick of the bunch were Comaneci, who are Francesca Amati on vocals and acoustic guitar and Glauco Salvo on electric guitar. When I spoke to them afterwards - in the circumstances it would have been more awkward not to - Francesca was utterly charming. Glauco is possessed of a prodigious beard that put me in mind of a young Ronnie Drew (from the Dubliners). The photo below doesn't really do it justice.

Rather that inadequately attempt to describe their music, here are a couple of selections from their most recent album, "You A Lie", which was released in 2009 on the Madcap Collective label and is available on Amazon and eMusic. They are working on a new one and, judging by the track they played on Friday which featured some very atmospheric guitar work from Glauco, it will be worth looking out for.

"Green" - Comaneci

"Sleep Baby Sleep" - Comaneci

And in the absence of any YouTube clips of Comaneci, here is the young Ronnie Drew. Actually I think Glauco's beard may be more advanced than Ronnie's was at a similar stage in his career, which holds out hope that it may grown into something truly remarkable in the future.

And, by way of a small tribute to the sadly departed Gil Scott-Heron, here he is with one of his many great songs.

Zulu Boys

2011-05-25T20:34:00.001+01:00

Zuluboy is one of those hip-hop rapping people. He is also, as the name suggests, a Zulu. He has released a number of albums in South Africa, including "Igoba" in 2009. That is the one I grabbed a copy of while in the decidedly non-urban Plettenberg Bay a couple of months back.

A lot of the tracks are fairly straight hip-hop, of which I have never really been much of a fan (in the words of the late Granny Goggins when I used to subject her to Top Of The Pops thirty or more years ago, "It's all just bang bang bang"). But on some tracks he samples more indigenous sounds, like these two which are reworkings of songs by Bayete and Sankomota - two of the most popular bands in Southern Africa in the 1980s and early 1990s - respectively. Those ones I like a lot more.

"Mbombela - A Touch Of Bayete" - Zuluboy

"Now Or Never - Reloaded" - Zuluboy

From the same part of the world, and with a very similar name - just add "cow" - here is a bonus track from Themba Msomi, the self-styled Zulu Cowboy. It is very mellow stuff. Think Don Williams singing in Zulu, as unlikely as that sounds.

"Abafana" - Themba Msomi

I could have gone from the Zulu Cowboy to Jim Reeves singing in Afrikaans, but I am saving that up for a rainy day. Instead let's go from Zuluboy to the only slightly less authentically African Tarzan Boy.

Gothenburg Grooviness

2011-05-23T19:16:00.001+01:00

It is one of those classic dilemmas for all music fans. You can't decide whether you want to listen to some Swedish prog rock or early Soviet poetry set to music. Well, the dilemma is solved. Just get yourself a copy of "För Full Hals", the 1973 album by Nynningen and now available (at least in Sweden) on CD, courtesy of MNW Music.

Nynningen were what Swedish Wikipedia describes as a "svenskt socialistiskt proggband" (that's "Swedish Socialist prog band" in English, but you had probably worked that out). Formed in Gothenburg in 1970, they made a series of albums in the 1970s.

"För Full Hals", which appears to mean "At the top of one's lungs", was their second album and consists of the poetry of one Vladimir Mayakovsky translated into Swedish and set to music. The man who wrote the tunes, Tomas Forssell, went on to greater success with an outfit called Häjkån Bäjkån, which made albums for children - no doubt full of subliminal Socialist messages - one of which won a Grammy.

Not speaking the language the lyrical content of the album is rather lost on me - I can make out the odd reference to the proletariat and revolutionary committees but that is about it - but I like the groovy organ and flute on these two.

"Vilddjurens Sång" - Nynningen

"Balladernas Konst" - Nynningen

Moving on, it may have come to your attention that a well known musician is celebrating his 70th birthday tomorrow. Never one to see a bandwagon go by without jumping on it, I would like to pay my own small tribute to a man who in many ways defined the sound of the 1960s. So many happy returns to Tony Valentino, guitarist with The Standells. Here they are in action.

McJazz

2011-05-21T16:55:00.000+01:00

I am not a great one for jazz. I am not a great one for the bagpipes either. Put them together, on the other hand, and it is an entirely different mater. Ladies and gentlemen, we present the extraordinary Rufus Harley.

"Sufur" - Rufus Harley (from "Scotch & Soul", 1967)

"Gods And Goddesses" - Rufus Harley (from "Re-Creation of the Gods", 1972)

Rufus wasn't Scottish in the conventional sense, being a half-Cherokee half-African American born in North Carolina, but then they are not all Rob Roy, you know. He sadly died five years ago, and his obituary makes for quite a read.

The cultural exchange worked both ways of course. Check out the guitar stylings on this, and the top jazz beard on the man on the right.

But the best example of cross-cultural collaboration is something I discovered earlier today and can't stop listening to. It is a completely inspired mash-up (as I believe the young people say) of 50 Cent's "In The Club" and Jimmy Shand's classic "Bluebell Polka". Approach with caution - you won't be able to get it out of your head.

"50 Bluebells" - Faither Of E-Jitz

And here is the video.

Different Disco

2011-05-19T22:30:00.000+01:00

I am sure those of you who love the golden era of disco - and who doesn't - will instantly recognise all of the classic disco hits being covered in today's post. Being intoxicated by these groovy sounds I am even willing to offer some sort of prize for the first person to identify correctly the four originals. If you are in the UK I will send you a dodgy CD I no longer want; if you are elsewhere let me know where elsewhere is and I will try to come up with an appropriately themed post dedicated especially to you. Now if that doesn't tempt you, I'm not surprised.

The first two selections are from Thailand, and can be found on "Zud Rang Maa", an excellent compilation of Thai funk and disco from the 1970s and 1980s that came out last year. The other two are from India, and I nicked them from the marvellous Ponytone website, which has enormous amounts of that sort of thing.

"Rus Pu Tin" - Panadda Chayapark

"Chown Tur Ten Rum" - Pranee Thanasri

"Chupke Kaun Aya" - Usha Uthup

"Aaj Sanam Mujhe" - Usha Uthup

As a special bonus, from Ponytone but also fromThailand, here are Preechapone Bunnag and Pranee Nakarawong with their beautiful rendition of "Emotion". Not strictly disco, I know, but it was written by the Bee Gees. In my opinion, this version knocks Samantha Sang's effort into a cocked hat.

"Emotion" - Preechapone Bunnag and Pranee Nakarawong

I don't know about you, but wouldn't it be great to hear Preechaponne & Pranee take on some of the great duets of that era, like "Guilty" and "Reunited". Or, best of all, this one.