Domination Time

It was only when leafing through the obituaries in the latest edition of Uncut at the weekend that I learned Keith Dobson left us back in July.

Keith first hit the scene as drummer with hippie collective Here & Now using the nom de plume Kif-Kif Le Batteur. Fortunately he packed that nonsense in after a while and started making proper music under his own name, most notably as the CEO of World Domination Enterprises, creators of "Asbestos Lead Asbestos" and other hits.

On reading the news I headed straight over to Bandcamp and picked up an expanded edition of their 1988 album "Let's Play Domination". It is a splendid racket as these samples demonstrate.

"Message For You People" - World Domination Enterprises

"Asbestos Lead Asbestos" - World Domination Enterprises

World Domination Enterprises are of course far from the only example of evil big business trying to persuade the kids to part with their pocket money. Let's name and shame a few of the other culprits. Watch out for DLT speaking German.

Mystery Location Revealed

My recent holiday was spent in Bosnia and Herzegovina - primarily in Sarajevo and Mostar but with side trips to Jajce, Travnik and Blagaj.

I had a great time and would heartily recommend it as a destination to anyone who enjoys one or more of stunning scenery, history (recent and older), art (street and gallery), burek or beer.

Described (by myself admittedly) as "a dazzling mix of ancient and modern, of urban grit and rural charm", my holiday snaps are on Flickr. You probably won't want to wade through all of them so here is a small selection: a view of Mostar, the 16th century dervish house in Blagaj, and the bobsleigh track for the 1984 Winter Olympics that was part of the frontline during the siege of Sarajevo.

I found a few record shops while I was there but none had bargain bins so I restricted myself to a small number of purchases. Some were of the traditional sevdah music which will feature in a separate post. And then there were these two.

Zoster are a band from Mostar who got their name after the singer had a nasty bout of shingles. They describe their style as rock-reggae but I can detect no signs of any reggae on their 2014 album "Srce Uzavrelo". Maybe it is a more recent direction.

I have selected the opening track "Gavrilo" which may or may not be about Gavrilo Princip, the man who kick-started World War I when he assassinated Archduke Franz Ferdinand in Sarajevo. The deed was done just outside the pink building in the photo below.

I was on the look out from music by Laka, a man whose performance with his sister Mirela at the 2008 Eurovision remains one of the most delightfully bonkers things I have ever seen, and managed to find his 2011 album "Stvorenje". It is better than I was expecting to be honest. 

From the album I have picked "Pametniji" which Google Translate claims means smarter, although it may just have been the AI boasting.

   

"Gavrilo" - Zoster

"Pametniji" - Laka

  

2008 Eurovision also brought us this classic. Inexplicably neither of them won.

Clerkenwell Revisited

I'm back from my hols. I had a very good time and will be boring you all with the details later in the week. But first some unfinished business.

In one of my last posts before my break I mentioned that I would be popping along to the Clerkenwell Festival to see P.P. Arnold and The Rockingbirds do their thing. This attracted envious comments from a few of you so I thought I should report back.

Here is my detailed review: They were both great.

One of the fun things to do at the Clerkenwell Festival is spotting the musicians in the crowd who were moderately successful at some point in the late 1970s to late 1980s. No Gaye Advert this year but Spizz was present (and making sure everyone knew it) and we also had a sighting of Helen McCookeryBook. I subsequently learned through social media that Mari Wilson and the bloke from S Express were also there.

Here is a track each from the two headliners, both highlights of their respective sets, plus something from Ms McCookeyBook back in the days when she was the Head Chef. The other celebs have been relegated to the videos.

"Medicated Goo" - P.P. Arnold

"Till Something Better Comes Along" - The Rockingbirds

"Locked Out" - The Chefs