No Ordinary Joes

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

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

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

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...

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

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

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.