Last week I was visiting two of my oldest and dearest friends up in Southport. We had a day out in Liverpool and treated ourselves to a stroll through the old docks, taking in such sights as the Stanley Dock Bascule Bridge and the ventilation shaft for the Kingsway Tunnel.
I originally planned to mark the occasion with a Liverpool themed post but try as I might I couldn't think of any suitable songs or bands. I asked my friend the same question as we walked past the Gerry Marsden Ferry Terminal but he was stumped as well. And Frankie Vaughan can't carry a post on his own even though he, like the ventilation shaft, is a tower of strength.
Then I thought about a Single Song Sunday featuring "Dock Of The Bay" but abandoned that idea when I found that I only had four versions plus a song of the same name by Big Youth which is him rabbiting away over a sample of "Silhouettes".
So in the end I settled for Big Youth, which is never a bad place to end up in my view.
We have reached the end of the road. The 23rd and final destination of our musical tour is Venezuela/ South Trumpland (delete as applicable - it is Venezuela at the time of writing but at the rate President Toddler is going who knows what it will be called by the time you read this).
This will be the last tour for the moment, very possibly for good. Even though this is the shortest of the three to date - we visited 27 countries in the EU and 55 in Africa - for some reason it seemed to drag more at times. I'm not sure why. It certainly isn't the quality and variety of the music. Maybe I'm just getting too old for living out of a digital suitcase.
Many thanks to those of you who joined us for parts of the journey. If you missed any of the stops the links are still live - or if you just want the music not the tedious prose that precedes it click here to download the mamacita-lode.
My particular thanks go to our regular travelling companion George for introducing me to the acid rock sounds of the appallingly named Ladies W.C. The band released just one self-titled album in 1968 before it all went down the pan, but some critics consider it to be possibly the most influential Venezuelan album of its era.
We will keep rocking with the next track which comes from an excellent compilation on the Soul Jazz label called "Venezuela 70: Cosmic Visions Of A Latin American Earth". I could have picked any number of groovy tunes from this album but I have gone with this 1971 cracker by Grupo C.I.M. If Discogs is correct it was their only single.
Enough rock. Let's get the Latin party started with a man much more prolific and high profile than either of those bands. Oscar d'Leon a.k.a. The Pharoah of Salsa has been making marvellous music since 1972 when he released his first album with his band Dimension Latina, and became a star across the region with his 1975 hit "Llorarás". This particular track is from his 1994 album "Toitico Tuyo".
Oscar has been rather quiet on the recording front for the last decade or so but is still with us at 83 and seems as popular as ever. Several cities in the USA have designated days in his honour, at least according to the man himself, but every day is Oscar d'Leon day for his fans.
Founded in 1986, Los Amigos Invisibles are almost as long-serving as Mr d'Leon and possibly better known among the hipster community outside Latin America as a result of being "discovered" by David Byrne back in the 1990s. Since parting ways with Luaka Bop around the turn of the century they have continued releasing records on their own Gozadera label to much acclaim. I have chosen the tune that won 'Best Alternative Song' at the 2019 Latin Grammies.
If recent and alternative is your bag then I think you are going to dig our next selection from Insólito UniVerso, a trio of Venezuelans now based in Paris where they hang out with all the cool kids. One such cool kid is Laetitia Sadier of Stereolab who makes a guest appearance on this track from their 2023 album "Ese Puerto Existe". The track also features the sound of bleating goats in a blatant attempt to appeal to George if he can drag himself away from the Ladies' WC.
Marginally less hip than the Insólitos, Los Fantasmas del Caribe were constructed in the early 1990s by a Caracas Simon Cowell who wanted to conquer the tropical pop market. They had a fair amount of success before splitting in 1998 and the lead singer Coyote Dax went on to have a decent solo career after relocating to Mexico. While officially naff they did produce some fun tunes and I must confess to having a bit of a soft spot for this track from 1994's "Mas Y Mas" album.
We are approaching the end of the post and series and will end both with some Mandatory American Reggae (MAR). But before we get there how about a bit of VVS (Voluntary Venezuelan Soca)? Trinidad lies less than ten miles off the coast of Venezuela so it is no surprise that there has been an exchange of musical influences between the two countries. Here to demonstrate are Rubi Mendez y Su Bravo Show with a track from their 2020 album "Con Mucha Clase".
Which brings us finally to the MAR. I had briefly flirted with the idea of featuring El Ganjoman, who would have done a perfectly decent job, but ultimately felt I had to go with Afrocultura Sound System whose Banton Studios in Caracas are a hub of the local reggae scene. This track is from 2017 and is available in multiple mixes on Bandcamp.
Time to cast your mind back to Los Fantasmas del Caribe. When I said Coyote Dax had a decent solo career I meant in terms of the amount of success he had not necessarily musical quality. You may recognise our opening number in the video section.
From modernist architecture last Friday to brutalism today, or at least a band named after one of the best-known brutalist buildings in Britain. I am talking of course of Barbican Estate.
Regular readers may recall me raving about the band when I went to see them live earlier in the year. I'm pleased to report that not only are they going back on the road soon but they will be bringing a brand shiny new album with them. If they are playing anywhere near you then you must go. They are a fantastic live band, as the video at the end proves, with great hair action.
The new album is called "Rock Drill" and the first single, "Song For Derek", came out on Friday. I am reliably informed by their very nice PR man that the single is "a joyous call to arms [that] captures them at their most immediate: propulsive, unruly, full of momentum, turning their noise-driven approach into something unexpectedly celebratory". And he would know.
At this point I would imagine you have three questions: When does the album come out? Where are they playing? And who is Derek? Well:
1. "Rock Drill" gets released on 6 November but is already available to pre-order on Bandcamp.
2. The tour runs from 8 November, starting in Glasgow and ending in Brighton with six other stops in between. Not quite full details of dates and venues are on Songkick. In addition to the gigs listed there they are apparently playing Ramsgate Music Hall on 12 November and Night And Day in Manchester on the 16th.
3. As for Derek, I can't tell you. If I was a betting man my money would probably be on the late avant-garde guitarist Derek Bailey. But it could perhaps be Derek Bell of the Chieftains and unfortunately named solo album fame, either one of the acting Dereks (Nimmo and Jacobi), the great cricketer Derek 'Deadly' Underwood or possibly even Bo Derek, after whom fellow Japanese noisemakers Bo Ningen are named.
Whichever Derek it is, Barbican Estate provide a worthy tribute. And having been lucky enough to hear an advance copy of "Rock Drill" I can confirm that the rest of the album is just as good.
So make sure that come November you buy the record and go to the gigs if you can. And if there is a special Derek in your life call him right now and let him know you care.
Regular readers may recall when I regaled you with tales of my rambles around London.
Please now pause briefly to admire the alliteration and internal rhyme in that opening sentence. I spent hours crafting it.
Anyway, one of those walks involved visiting various modernist buildings in Hampstead and Kilburn. Inspired by them I bought a copy of a pocket-sized guidebook called 'Modernism in Metro-land' with the aim of using it to plan further walks.
I did the first walk last week, straddling the two upper branches of the Northern Line by walking from Hendon Central station to East Finchley station, taking in such delights as Hampstead Garden Suburb, the Great North Way (which links the M1 to the North Circular Road) and the world renowned Dollis Valley trail en route.
There were plenty of interesting buildings to admire and I have put a selection of them up on Flickr. The hotspot for modernism fans is the bit of Hendon that butts onto the south side of the Great North Way. These two - The White House in Downage and Hendon Hall Court in Parson St - are just a few streets apart.
In between them is Ashley Lane which was wall to wall modernist houses and apartment buildings back in the 1930s. Unfortunately most of them have since been either demolished or redesigned, like this one which some bright spark felt could be 'improved' by putting a proper roof on top.
The redesigning works both ways though. The East Finchley Picturedome (now the Phoenix Cinema) opened in 1912 and was one of the very first purpose-built cinemas in the UK. In 1937 it was given a fresh new Art Deco look that it retains to this day, and which has led it to appear in almost as many films as it has screened - 'Interview With A Vampire' and 'Nowhere Boy' to name just two.
East Finchley can lay claim to many celebrity residents including George Michael, Peter Sellers, Jerry Springer and Will Self. The best the page on Hendon in Wikipedia can come up with is Benji the Binman but further research reveals a cast that includes Denis Compton, Susheela Raman, Oliver Postgate and David Bedford (the musician/composer who worked with the likes of Kevin Ayers and Mike Oldfield, not the runner).
Here are a selection of songs and videos celebrating the Hendon - East Finchley Massive, including a lovely duet from Madeleine the rag doll and Gabriel the toad. The last video is for Benji, in case he gets sad.
Ladies and gentlemen, the results of our dips and sauces challenge are in. Joining George and C as a two-time winner is:
The Swede with "Non, Je Ne Vinaigrette Rien".
In the early stages it looked like this would be a very close competition, with nine of the 17 entries receiving at least one first place vote. But during the course of the week the top two gradually pulled clear of the rest, and in the last couple of days The Swede was able to build a lead over JWA. Things were much tighter further down the field, with just three points separating third and fifth and the chasing pack snapping at their heels.
Here is the top five in full:
Non, Je Ne Vinaigrette Rien - Edith Piaf (The Swede)
Aioli Have Eyes For You - Art Garfunkel (JWA)
Bechamel Golly Wow - The Stylistics (Rol)
Gravy's On The Road Again - Manfred Mann's Earth Band (Charity Chic)
Pass The Chutney - Hummusical Youth (George)
Congratulations to our chart-toppers and many thanks to everyone who took part and helped to produce such a saucy selection.
The provisional plan is to dip back into the world of puns on Monday 26 October (I have all sorts of international mystery activities to deal with before then which mean I may not have enough time to undertake the extensive scrutineering required for Pun Fun). Until then, here is Edith lamenting the lack of her favourite dressing.
There was a time when my first port of call every Bandcamp Friday was the Sahel Sounds page where I would take advantage of their generous offers on their back catalogue. But not anymore.
That is not because I have gone off them, its just that I now own their whole catalogue. So for the last couple of Bandcamp Fridays - and probably the next few - I have started my trawl by visiting the equally generous folks at Nyege Nyege Tapes.
Of my latest batch of acquisitions I am particularly taken by "Molende", the 2023 album by Kinshasa born and now Kampala based Titi Bakorta. According to the label's blurb:
"Bakorta offers his own unique take on Congolese pop and folk sounds, weaving traditional elements through a psychedelic lattice of guitar loops, mangled voices and eccentric beatbox rhythms on his debut full-length". I'll let you judge that for yourselves.
If you have nearly 23 minutes to spare you might enjoy this video of Titi jamming with one Ale Hop on a barge in Utrecht. If you are in a hurry we also have a three minute option from Junior Walker (no relation) & The All Stars. Now if you have 26 minutes to spare...
It was a busy week on the live music front last week. I took in three gigs. After that and the football I had to have a bit of a lie down.
On the Sunday of the Bank Holiday weekend we paid our annual visit to the Clerkenwell Festival where, as always, the crowd were almost as entertaining as the bands. The minor celebrities, dandies and dickheads were all there in abundance.
This year's headliners were Swell Maps. Sadly two of the three original members - Nikki Sudden and Epic Soundtracks - are no longer with us, leaving only Jowe Head (he's the one in the Jowe Hat). A few years ago he decided to revive the name and gathered together a group of like-minded souls to honour his fallen comrades and develop new material. They released an album called "C21" earlier this year.
The live set was a mix of old and new material. It was a bit low energy to start, not helped by a dreadful sound system, but then Luke Haines came on to sing a couple of songs (as he does on the album) and gave proceedings a much needed boot up the backside. After that everyone else went up a gear and by the end the band and the audience were all having fun.
From old familiars on Sunday to newer favourites on Wednesday. The excellent Yalla Miku were back at the Shacklewell Arms for another night of music that is indescribable (in a good way) - think Can meets Stereolab meets Eritrean traditional music, if that is something that is capable of being thought.
Since we saw them in the same venue this time last year Yalla Miku have released their second album, the first with this line-up. It is called "2", presumably because they had exhausted their imaginations creating the music it contains, and that provided the bulk of the set. They put on a great show, undeterred by the clammy conditions. Here's bassist Louise Knobil taking a well-earned break to cool off under the fan.
To complete the triumvirate we headed to Milton Court Hall (tucked away inside the Guildhall School of Music and Drama) on Saturday to see Bedouine. I have raved about her here previously and have seen her do a live guest spot, but this was the first time I have been to a full show. I enjoyed it a great deal. She has a wonderfully warm voice that makes the world seem a bit cosier for a while.
Bedouine was over in Europe promoting her latest album "Neon Summer Skin" which is full of reflections on family and her eventful childhood. She is of Armenian heritage, was born in Syria and spent some of her early years in Saudi Arabia before moving with her family to the US, so there is probably a lot of reflecting to be done.
On Saturday she played the new album in full and followed it with some old favourites. Stylistically the new material is much the same as before with the exception of an Armenian samba that includes a whistling solo that would warm Walter's heart. The album is well worth checking out.
I am pretty convinced Bedouine is a time traveller from the 1970s. After the show on Saturday we were trying to think who her voice reminded us of. We didn't resolve that but all the names we came up with - Karen Carpenter, Rita Coolidge and Phoebe Snow among them - were from that decade. The dress and the pleasure she gets from tapping a triangle seal the deal.
Enough of me droning on, its time for some music. We have two tunes each from Swell Maps and Bedouine - one old and one new in both cases - sandwiching Yalla Miku with a track from "2". Take a big bite.
The ever helpful Retromanblog65 has posted a video of one of the Swell Maps/ Luke Haines numbers from the Clerkenwell Festival, so that is the obvious way to kick off the video section.
Links stay up for a month or so. If you are an artist or copyright holder and want me to remove the link, or if you want to get in touch for any other reason, e-mail me on leggies27@hotmail.co.uk.
