FROM THE ARCHIVES

Barclay James Harvest: Pools Of Blue

original air date: 1/20/07

As featured on the CD accompanying the April 2006 issue of MOJO. Available on The Collection. Kudos to whoever thought to include the word "snowdrops".

Mikado: Naufrage En Hiver

Recorded at Studios Davout, Paris, October 1984.

Paul Humphrey: Hot Ice Cream

From his album Supermellow, on the Blue Thumb label.

Archie Shepp:
Attica Blues
Quiet Dawn

From the album Attica Blues. Recorded January 24-26, 1972, at A&R Recording, New York.

"Attica Blues": music by Archie Shepp, lyrics by William G. Harris. Featuring Gerald Jemmott and Roland Wilson on Fender bass (solo by Gerald Jemmott).

"Quiet Dawn": music and lyrics by Cal Massey (who also plays flugelhorn on the track). Vocals by Waheeda Massey.

Phish: Mexican Cousin

Grant Green: Idle Moments [1963]

Grant Green on Guitar, Joe Henderson on Tenor Sax, Bobby Hutcherson on Vibes, Duke Pearson on Piano (song credit), Bob Crenshaw on Bass and Al Harewood on Drums.

Rachel Sweet: It's So Different Here

From the album Fool Around. Written and produced by Liam Sternberg (who also wrote Walk Like An Egyptian). I'm thieving off of Tropical Jeremy's Beats In Space playlist for this one. Coming soon: the Gota version! (Thanks to ANOE for the tip on that.)

Geechie Wiley: Last Kind Word Blues

As heard in that movie Crumb. From what I can make out of the lyrics, the "last kind word" is spoken by a father to his daughter as he prepares to leave for "The German War".

Bob Welch: Future Games

From the album The Other One. For the Fleetwood Mac original, see here. See here for Bob Welch on CD.

The future sends a sign of things we will create.

Buck Owens: Made In Japan [1972]

Why I thought it would be funny to pair these two songs is now lost on me...

David Bowie: ChinaGirl [1983]

If I chose Iggy Pop's version then this double-shot would have kept everything under the 70s umbrella. But I wanted to give a shout out to Oak Cliff native Stevie Ray Vaughn on guitar.

FROM THE ARCHIVES

10cc: Dreadlock Holiday

[original air date: 11/21/06]

From the album Bloody Tourists

Written and produced by Eric Stewart & Graham Gouldman

Sleeve by Hipgnosis

Since this blog has attained the matronly age of one, it seems appropriate to periodically revisit some cuts from deep in the archives. According to my research team, this jam hit #1 in the UK but did not crack the top 40 over here. It's one I often find myself enjoying more than I expect to.

UK Top 40 for mid-August '78:

1 John Travolta & Olivia Newton-John: You're The One That I Want
2 The Commodores: Three Times A Lady
3 Clout: Substitute
4 Boney M: Rivers Of Babylon / Brown Girl In The Ring
5 Darts: It's Raining
6 A Taste Of Honey: Boogie Oogie Oogie
7 Justin Hayward: Forever Autumn
8 Father Abraham & The Smurfs: The Smurf Song
9 Sham 69: If The Kids Are United
10 Renaissance: Northern Lights
11 City Boy: 5-7-0-5
12 Cerrone: Super Nature
13 Marshall Hain: Dancin' In The City
14 10cc: Dreadlock Holiday
15 Bob Dylan: Baby Stop Crying
16 Gladys Knight & The Pips: Come Back And Finish What You Started
17 Child: It's Only Make Believe
18 Jackson Browne: Stay
19 Electric Light Orchestra: Wild West Hero
20 Joe Walsh: Life's Been Good
21 Jilted John: Jilted John
22 The Who: Who Are You
23 Voyage: From East To West / Scots Machine
24 The Boomtown Rats: Like Clockwork
25 Showaddywaddy: A Little Bit Of Soap
26 The New Seekers: Anthem
27 X-Ray Spex: Identity
28 Lindisfarne: Run For Home
29 The Stranglers: Walk On By
30 Andrew Gold: How Can This Be Love
31 Foreigner: Cold As Ice
32 David Essex: Oh What A Circus
33 Hi Tension: British Hustle
34 Andy Gibb: An Everlasting Love
35 The Sex Pistols: No-One Is Innocent / My Way
36 The O'Jays: Used Ta Be My Girl
37 The Rezillos: Top Of The Pops
38 Quincy Jones: Stuff Like That
39 Raydio: Is This A Love Thing
40 Elvis Presley: Don't Be Cruel

Gram Parsons & The Fallen Angels: Love Hurts [1973]

Broadcast and recorded live to 2-track tape on March 13, 1973 at Ultra Sonic Recording Studios, Hempstead, NY for WLIR-FM.

Francis Lai: Emmanuelle's Lesson Of Love

From the Emmanuelle II soundtrack.

For more neo-Floydian softcore sounds from Francis, see here.

West Phillips: (I'm Just A) Sucker For A Pretty Face
vocal
instr.
alternate (w/vocoder)

Discogs reviewer davejay more or less echoes my sentiments when he writes: "Wow. Classic piece of downbeat electro-funk from West Phillips, about whom I know very little. Hard to put one's finger on why it sounds so bloody great - after all, the vocals are so-so at best and the track doesn't really go anywhere too meaningful once it gets going. But it's just... indubitably funky. And Sucker's mix of ultra-tight guitar licks and typically '80's style synth stabs sounds surprisingly fresh even today... drop this early on in any set and watch those heads start nodding..."

Sam Cooke: Mean Old World [1963]

"At the heart of the story is a man who, while creating some of the most memorable pop songs of a generation, in addition to a universally recognized civil rights anthem, was himself as complex, uncategorizable, and sometimes unreadable as his work was transparent. Exploring this hidden side of Sam Cooke was as much of a challenge, and as rewarding in its own way, as seeking out some of the vanished touchstones of a world all but lost to mainstream history."

- Peter Guralnick, author of Dream Boogie: The Triumph of Sam Cooke

Author interview here.

Phil Collins: I'm Not Moving (Idjut Boys edit) [1981/2007]

Featuring a guided tour through the history of reverb, plus periodic vinyl crumble for Balearic verisimilitude.

c.f.: Phil's OG, from Face Value

Phil Collins: piano, drums, vocals, Prophet, Vocoder, percussion
John Giblin: bass

Idjuts on Amazon

Legion Of Mary: Let It Rock

written by Chuck Berry

recorded "live" at the Masonic Temple, Scranton, PA, on Saturday April 12, 1975 (late show)

Featuring The Legend, Ronnie Tutt, on drums. I've edited this down from 13 minutes to 4, and judging from the splices Ronnie apparently maintained the same spellbinding tempo for the duration. Kudos.

Payday's coming when my work is all done.