Gone For A Burton

One of my favourite albums of 2020 was "I Can Go With You" by Sam Burton. I plugged it at the time it came out and am doing so again now because I have been listening to it quite a bit recently. It seems to suit my current mood.

"I Can Go With You" came out on the esteemed Tompkins Square label and you can pick up a digital copy from their Bandcamp site. 

The Tompkins Square blurb says that Sam's sound recalls Roy Orbison, which is correct, but for me some of the arrangements are also slightly reminiscent of Nick Drake and there is a touch of John Denver on some of his vocals. Don't let that last reference put you off.  

If you look carefully while you are on Bandcamp you can also find some of Sam's earlier self-produced recordings on the Chthonic Records site. This one is probably the pick of the bunch, but as they are all name your own price why not snap up the others as well?

"I Can Go With You" - Sam Burton

"I Am No Moon" - Sam Burton

There are a couple of videos out there in YouTubeland as well, although I strongly suspect that this is not the same Sam Burton...

Real Real Gomm

Some of our older readers may remember Mr Ian Gomm. You know, was a member of Brinsley Schwarz, topped the prestigious NME best rhythm guitarist poll in 1971, co-wrote "Cruel To Be Kind", put out a few solo albums, was last heard of about ten years ago when he teamed up with Jeb Loy Nichols for an album, that sort of thing.

Ian had a Top 20 hit in the States way back in 1979 with "Hold On". That single was taken from his album "Summer Holiday". Here are a couple of other tracks from the same album.

"Airplane" - Ian Gomm

"That's The Way I Rock 'n Roll" - Ian Gomm

At this point regulars will be asking themselves whether they're going to get the Van Morrison song that was appallingly punned on in the post title or the other "Summer Holiday". Fortunately for you lucky people its the former, plus Ian with his hit.

Cathal Coughlan RIP

I was very saddened to hear the news yesterday that Cathal Coughlan has left us after a long illness. Microdisney are one of my all-time favourite bands and I was lucky enough to see them live in 1987 when they were promoting the brilliant "Crooked Mile" album and again during their brief reunion in 2018. The Fatima Mansions and his solo work were none too shabby either.

RIP Mr Coughlan. Long about now he's heading home...

"Long About Now" - The Fatima Mansions

"Everybody Is Dead" - Microdisney  

"Past" - Microdisney

"Goodbye Sadness" - Cathal Coughlan

An Absence Of Abyssinians

Last night I was meant to be seeing the mighty Abyssinians in concert at the Jazz Cafe in Camden, but on Saturday morning we got the news that the concert has been postponed for what is now the fourth time. 

The previous postponements were all lockdown related but on this occasion it was because the UK government failed to process their visas in time. This is evidently happening a lot to artists from the Caribbean and Africa at the moment, to the extent that you suspect that it is not just down to good old-fashioned incompetence.

Anyway, as a consolation for me and a treat for you, here are the lads in action.

"Declaration Of Rights" - The Abyssinians

"Praise Him/ Dub" - The Abyssinians

The Miniature Monarch

I can't tell you much about today's featured artiste I'm afraid. The CD from which I have taken the tracks is a Japanese release so the sleeve notes are no help to me at all, and his Wikipedia entry runs to a grand total of five lines.  

What I can tell you is that Little Royal (real name Royal Torrence) had an intermittent recording career that lasted from the mid 1960s to the mid 1980s and was known as "James Brown's little brother" due to some perceived physical and musical similarities and an unproven rumour that they were half-brothers. 

Royal's biggest hit was "Jealous" which made the top 20 of the Billboard soul charts in 1972, off the back of which he was able to record his one and only album which went by the same name. 

The reissue I have also includes a lot of bonus tracks, including today's second selection which was a 1973 B-side. The CD is hard to get hold of in physical form, at least outside Japan, but if you are willing to deal with the tax-dodging devils you can download it for £6.50. 

"Jealous" - Little Royal

"(I Want To Be Free) Don't Want Nobody Standing Over Me" - Little Royal

Here is a rare clip of Little Royal singing and strutting his stuff while wearing what appears to be Norwich City's 1986-87 kit. He is sounding great but sartorially is upstaged by the host's man bag and crocheted tank top.

Rich In Regensburg

I first heard Rich Hopkins & Luminarios ten years ago when their epic track "Friend Of The Shooter" was featured on one of those Uncut cover CDs. I was sufficiently enthused to buy the album that it comes from ("Buried Treasures") and its successor, 2014's "Tombstone", but never got round to exploring further.

That was until I found a copy of their live album "3000 Germans Can't Be Wrong" in the second-hand racks recently. It was recorded in Regensburg way back in 1998 and is one of many records they have released on the always reliable Blue Rose Records over the last thirty years. Very good it is too.

"Soul Leacher" - Rich Hopkins & Luminarios

"Dirt Town" -  Rich Hopkins & Luminarios

Here are Rich's Uncle Lightning and Auntie Linda for you.

Single Song Sunday

Our long-running but highly infrequent series returns with a song by Beatles Band. Although there have now been over 50 episodes this is only the second time we have featured one of their songs. The other was "I Want To Hold Your Hand" back in 2014. That post prompted Charity Chic to share an amusing anecdote about a greyhound track; let's hope for a similar response to this one.

This time round it is "Blackbird", which was never a single but seems to have become one of the Beatles' more enduring tunes. We kick things off with the original and a 1971 cover by Dion, which was perhaps his way of thanking them for putting him on the cover of Sgt. Pepper. 

Next comes some bluegrass and a Brouhaha, an overwrought Over The Rhine and a Spanish soft rock rendition from the 1970s by Laredo, where the streets come from.

The next three covers are grouped together in the soul section, if you define "soul" very broadly. Two of them are live recordings, the first by the magnificent Bettye Lavette and the second by Sylvester. Yes, the "Mighty Real" Sylvester. I know, I was surprised too.

And of course we finish, as always, with the Mandatory Reggae Version. The Paragons do the honours on this occasion.

"Blackbird" - The Beatles

"Blackbird" - Dion

"Blackbird" - Mary McCaslin

"Blackbird" - Kelly Brouhaha

"Blackbird" - Over The Rhine

"Mirlo" - Laredo

"Blackbird" - Anderson.Paak

"Blackbird" - Bettye Lavette

"Blackbird" - Sylvester

"Blackbird Singing" - The Paragons