Mittwoch, 23. September 2026

Animal Wednesday

 


Today we go back to songs from the early 80'/late 70's performed by artists from the beginning of the punk or from a short lived rockabilly revival.

Adam Ant was infected by punk when he first watched the Sex Pistols live. Their first album got critical acclaim but he wanted more popularity and asked Malcolm McLaren to manage the band. He must have realised by then, at the very latest, that this wasn’t a good idea when McLaren poached the entire band to form Bow Wow Wow and make them a success. Nevertheless, this song managed to climb to the top of the charts in 1980.


In the early 1980's, musical styles long thought to be dead enjoyed a resurgence. Whilst British bands such as The Specials, Selector and The Beat gave the old 1960's Jamaican off-beats a new lease of life with a good dose of punk, on the other side of the Atlantic bands such as the Stray Cats and The Meteors saw 1950's rocknroll as their roots. In that respect, Stray Cat Strut can be described as a successful revival.


I probably don’t need to say anything more about Wire’s classic album, except that they’ve moved away from the minimalism of their debut album and ventured into more complex arrangements.





Dienstag, 22. September 2026

The Tribal Chief Is Turning 80

 


Today, Sunday Adeniyi Adegeyebetter known as King Sunny Adéis celebrating his eightieth birthday. He is a Nigerian singer and multi-instrumentalist who reigned as the master of juju music in his native Nigeria long before the rest of the world took notice. His 17-piece band, the African Beats, was legendary for marathon gigs lasting up to eight hours. In the 1980s, he achieved a global breakthrough with his polyrhythmic Yoruba style, in which he let his guitar do the talking. This was not only because the Talking Heads also adapted his sound. His songs are steeped in tradition and consists of long, hypnotic, interlocking grooves, complex guitar arrangements and percussive rhythms.

Happy birthday King Sunny Adé

King Sunny Adé - Synchro System

King Sunny Adé - Ja Funmi