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...".
Friday, 20 January 2012
Monday, 16 January 2012
Reggae Country
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:
"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.
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
"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.
Saturday, 14 January 2012
Fireside Favourites
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.
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.
Tuesday, 10 January 2012
Start The Tsonga
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.
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).
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.
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).
Sunday, 8 January 2012
Nieces!!!
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.
"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.
Friday, 6 January 2012
A Nod To Niamey
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.
"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.
Wednesday, 4 January 2012
Ivan The Terrible?
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.
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.
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