A Brief Respite

I'm heading off in a few hours to see some branches of the Goggins clan that I have not been able to see since before all the silliness started. I'll be back here in mid-December.

Where am I off to, you ask? Well, it's none of the places mentioned in these songs, but if you look closely at the running order there's a not very subtle clue.

"Central Milton Keynes - You've Never Seen Anything Like It" -           Ronnie Bond

"Addis Ababa" - Culture

"Paramaribo" - Mighty Sparrow

"En Lima" - Los Shain's

"Taj Mahal" - Jorge Ben

"Oxford Town" - Abstract Truth

"Williamson County" - Gary Stewart

"New Orleans" - Gary U.S. Bonds

See you in a few weeks. Stay groovy in the meantime.

Woodwork Lessons

I recently picked up a copy of "If I Were A Carpenter" as part of a 'three CDs for £1' offer in a local charity shop. Its a Carpenters tribute album released in 1994 by their record label A&M in order to milk the cash cow as much as they could celebrate the artistry of Richard and Karen. 

There is a strange selection of artists on there - from Sheryl Crow to Sonic Youth to Shonen Knife (see below) - and inevitably it is a bit of a mixed bag. It does have its moments, while at the same time feeling a bit pointless without Karen's wonderful voice.

"Top Of The World" - Shonen Knife

"Rainy Days And Mondays" - Cracker

Here's a bit of the real thing. Watch out for the tambourine player who dances as if he were St. Vitus himself.

Turkish Time

On Saturday night me and Mr F tootled off to see Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek play live. Very good they were too, you should check them out if they are round your way. Derya and the gang are touring at the moment to promote their new album "DOST 1", available at an absolute bargain price of only €7 at Bandcamp. 

We've got a track from their previous album "Kar Yağar" (2019) for you, together with tunes from a couple of other Turkish acts who I have been lucky enough to see live over the years. We round things off with videos from some of the giants of Anatolian rock, some of whom featured in an excellent set by the support DJ om Saturday night.

"Gurbet" - Derya Yıldırım & Grup Şimşek

"Yaz Gazeteci Yaz" - Selda Bagcan

"Özgür Ruh" - Baba Zula

Derya has had her hair cut since this video was taken but appears to be wearing the same shirt. Maybe its her lucky gigging shirt.

Tip Top Tapper

We round out the week with the help of David Sinclair, better known to his friends and fans as Tapper Zukie. Here are a couple of tip top tracks from his 1978 album "Peace In The Ghetto".

"The City Of Mount Zion" - Tapper Zukie

"Tribute to Steve Biko" - Tapper Zukie

Somewhat unexpectedly it turns out that Belle & Sebastian are major Tapper Zukie fans, hence this tribute they wrote for him. Apologies for the typoin the title of the video. 

In the unlikely event that you don't share Belle & Sebastian's enthusiasm for Mr Zukie, perhaps you would prefer something featuring a different David Sinclair, the keyboard player in Caravan.

Go Jackie Go

On Monday we featured a modern artist partly inspired by the French yé-yé pop of the 1960s. Today we have one of the original performers, albeit one who had a bit more oomph to her sound that most of her contemporaries. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Ms Jacqueline Taieb... 

"Le Coeur Au Bout Des Doigts" - Jacqueline Taieb

"Bienvenue Au Pays" - Jacqueline Taieb

Here is Jacqueline with her super cool debut single (and biggest hit).

Yé-Yésterday's Sounds Today

I am not sure the world is necessarily waiting for a yé-yé revival, but if there is going to be one it will be led by Lia Pamina. 

Lia is a Spanish singer who has been releasing records on the Elefant label for about five years now. That is the home of the likes of Camera Obscura, and you will be able to spot some stylistic similarities. Here are some representative examples from her charming oeuvre.

"Record Collection" - Lia Pamina

"Love Is Enough" - Lia Pamina

And here are some of the original yé-yé girls to brighten up your Monday morning even further.

Pour Me Another

We haven't heard any hardcore honky-tonk on here for ages. Let's put that right with a couple of the all-time greats and a young pretender, one J.P. Harris. J.P. is perhaps a bit too chirpy to stand comparison with George and Gary, but if he is blessed with a few more years and a truly wretched life he may get there.

J.P's 2018 album "Sometimes Dogs Bark At Nothing" - from which today's track comes - is available on Bandcamp and well worth a listen.

"If Drinkin' Don't Kill Me" - George Jones

"Half Alive And Still Drinking" - Gary Stewart 

"I Only Drink Alone" - J.P. Harris