Covered

 

Last week I posted I'm Free a cover version by The Soup Dragons. After this I recognized, that during the years I never featured The Rolling Stones on these pages. To be honest, I thought about it but wasn't sure if I should write about a chapter of their musical history, their best songs, their main influences or something else. Maybe I will find the time for a post in the future. While listening to I'm free, many cover versions of her songs came to my mind. Many are irrelevant and far too close to the original. Others have been radically altered or deconstructed to fit the sound of the performer. Like Devo or Motörhead, for example, who have amplified the driving force of Sympathy for the Devil with minimal means. This is just a small subjective overview of how these songs could have sounded if someone else had written them and should in no way be seen in competition with Rol's fantastic Top Ten.

Enjoy

Will Anything Happen

 

Once again it took a re-release to remind me of a forgotten band from the glory days of indie-pop. Shop Assistants were a short-lived band from Edinburgh, Scotland, formed in the mid-eighties of the last century. In their songs you can hear the unbridled joy of playing from the post-punk era and their search for the perfect indie-pop song. With short songs of cutting guitar, staccato drums, fantastic vocals and heavenly melodies, they have come very close to achieving their aim. They only released one album before they disbanded but they made their masterpiece with it.

Shop Assistants - I don't wanna be friends with you

Shop Assistants - All day long

Shop Assistants - Somewhere in China

After the release of their debut they made a song that shows that they moved towards JAMJ without losing their roots.

Monday's Long Song

 

Vini Reilly aka The Durutti Column were always a band to which I have always felt drawn. He was around in 1978 when Tony Wilson formed the first post-punk band to sign for Factory Records. He was also there when the great Manchester bands where on their peak. There was music galore around but his music was always different to them all. Mostly instrumentals with his guitar and a lot of reverb, sometimes added by a piano. In 1989 he released an album called Vini Reilly and listening to it for the first time I thought now he's got educated. The songs were more composed and included more piano passages and some kind of vocals in the back. It is different but for me a classic album from the late 80's.

The Durutti Column - Finding The Sea. 

New Song On Sunday

 

Moonunit is a new Leeds based label and released for the start a split single by Sy Sez, probably a bunch of young reggae MC's talking about love and peace over a dominant bass, lots of bleebs and robotic beats. On the other side Comfy Bella is featured. She is also from Leeds and known there as a singer/songwriter, producer DJ and her collaboration with Nightmares On Wax. She offers a a deep house delight with her soulful vocals, a wonderful bass-line and reduced synths. In some interviews she named Quincy Jones as a main influence in producing and yes this is one the master would enjoy. 

I'm Free

 

After talking about it a lot, I had my last day at work yesterday and officially retired today. I had ambivalent feelings about saying goodbye to longstanding colleagues and knowing that I probably won't see many of them again. Next, I will try to bring a new structure to my daily routine and put everything I plan to do into practice. I can't explain why I came up with these songs about freedom, especially as I've never felt trapped. Maybe just because they are good songs.

Blood On The Moon

 

Sometimes I really got surprised about a collaboration I never thought. Yesterday the news arrived that a new song is out by Alan Vega, who died seven years ago. Blood On The Moon is a collaboration between him and Bobby Gillespie and Roxy's Andy Mackay. I have no further information about this but assume that it was a contribution to a compilation for his 70th birthday almost 20 years ago. Anyway, it shows that Vega's song can work in different kind of styles. This one lifts the song to a techno/house level and Andy Mackey serves some saxophone parts to work in a different direction. A very nice song and worth to be featured at this place.

Monday's Long Song

 

Let's have a trip today back into 1967 to San Francisco. The streets are filled with hippies and flower-power and psychedelic rock music reached it's peak. Of course I was too young to join these music and scene in these days but older friends introduced me to this in the early 70's. In these days I moved from glam rock and made first experiences in hard rock. Deep Purple was one of the most popular in these days and Child In Time was played all over. Years later I recognized, that the intro was stolen from Bombay Calling, a song from the debut album by It's A Beautiful Day. IABD were from San Francisco and more or less successful with their folky psychedelic sound. They were named as poor men's Jefferson Airplane was ihrer Musik in keinster Weise gerecht wurde. Während Jefferson Airplane which in no way did justice to their music. While Jefferson Airplane lived mainly from the voice of Grace Slick and the lead guitar of Jorma Kaukonen, IABD went the way of using the violin of David LaFlamme as lead instrument. The result was their biggest success White Bird, a trademark of their sound and an early blueprint of the upcoming prog-rock.

It's A Beautiful Day - White Bird

New Song On Sunday

 

Leeds has always been a melting pot for rock groups of all kinds and is unique in its own way. Gang of Four, The Mekons, Wedding Present and Soft Cell have made history with their music. Whether English Teacher will succeed in doing the same is not certain, but given their talent, not unlikely. The band is fronted by Lily Fontaine, a magnetic vocalist who infuses her guitar music with influences ranging from post-punk to 80's indie pop and beyond. She doesn't sing her songs, but it's a kind of chanting that also suits her ambitious lyrics. Sometimes it seems like Dry Cleaning have extended their material. The centrepiece is Mastermind Specialism, a dreamy piece of folk with mumbled indie-pop that, once heard, never lets go.

But the fact remains that English Teacher revitalize post-punk, indie-rock/pop with strong guitars and bass lines. An album that is sure to appear on a year-end list.

Levitation Dub

 

Another obscure record by Höga Nord Records, Gothenburg's fine record label. Cosmic Music For Higher And Lower Awareness by The Idealist is one of those albums that you can't believe on first listen. Right from the start, it sounds like many other albums that offer their variations on a reduced acid house beat. What makes this work different is that The Idealist develop a hypnotic groove that slowly ingratiates itself and doesn't want to leave your head. I can't tell whose behind this band but suppose that it will be some folks from Sweden. Not only because Goran Kajfe plays an extraordinary trumpet on Levitation Dub a song that could be played by any voodoo ceremony. Deep, dark and mysterious and surly one of the strangest good songs from this year.

Antiseptic

 

Over the last few days I have found time to tidy up my computer, delete unnecessary stuff and back up my data. In the process, I came across a file that I had bought some time ago and had almost forgotten about. This is the debut album from Ultramarine, Folk. Ultramarine are Ian Cooper and Paul Hammond, together an electronic duo from Essex. Formed in 1990 and heavily influenced by the factory sound, they added elements of techno, house and ambient and complemented these with jazzy horns to create a unique sound. In their best moments, you think Happy Mondays have taken the wrong pills and are testing out funk-jazz.

Ultramarine - Antiseptic

Live Music On German Television

 

From time to time it is necessary to revive an old series. For several years I have been posting film material from the seventies, mainly from the Beat Club, which was the most important medium for popular music at the time. While the bands still performed with playback at the beginning of the 60s, the bands were later required to present their songs live. It was remarkable that the producers of the format had very good taste in music and were far removed from the mass taste of the time in their choice of artists.

So it is not surprising that they gave the American band Fanny the opportunity to play two gigs in the early seventies. Fanny were one of the first bands to consist exclusively of women - long before the Bangles and GoGo's were formed. Consisting of two sisters, June and Jane Millington, both of Filipino origin, they played a form of melodic rock based on straightforward guitar/bass with great keyboard parts from Nickey Barcley. The vocals are reminiscent of Janis Joplin at his best and they had no problem covering Smokey Robinson's Ain't That Peculiar. All in all, a band that has unfortunately been forgotten, but is rediscovered from time to time. It also does justice to their class that David Bowie was a big fan.

Famous Covers And The Original

 

Tim Hardin was an American folk and blues songwriter and mostly known as the composer of hits other people had. His first albums from 1966 to 1969 contained so many classic songs like no other songwriter released in these days. His records were critically acclaimed and he reached his climate when he played at Woodstock festival. Like many others of this era he turned into drugs, got rid of them and fall back again and died in December 1980 on an overdose Heroin in Los Angeles. His legacy were a lot of songs about love and hope with intensive lyrics and melodies other would kill for. I played his record The Homecoming Concert the other days again and thought I should give him a place at this little place in the internet.

You can listen to his last album in full length and see that he was in a good condition for singing his songs live for the last time.

Uncollected Noise

 

When I was recently clearing out my inbox of adverts for new records, I came across the announcement of a new album by Galaxie 500. A band from Boston that was active at the end of the 80s and released a little masterpiece with On Fire. The synthesis of the slightly distorted strummed electric guitars, Wareham's soft vocals, which lead into a high head voice and the accentuating drums, represents something unique in its form. The melancholic tone underpins the sound perfectly. I've always liked this high school sound, reminiscent of Johnathan Richman and the Velvet Underground, ever since this record was recommended to me by the owner of my local record shop

After the band split up three decades ago, Galaxie 500 are releasing a double album with outtakes and other unreleased material in a few weeks. With the songs now released, they show that power-pop and jangly guitars are also part of their repertoire. 

Maybe it's just sentimental to hear this music again, but why shouldn't good music be heard? Even if it only makes you listen to and enjoy the old albums again.

Monday`s Long Song

 

The European Football Championship is over and, as predicted by many so-called experts, Spain has won the title. Certainly not undeserved, but England made the same mistake as Germany. On the one hand, the players were deployed in positions that they do not play in their clubs and on the other hand, a change of system and the right player changes were made far too late after falling behind. What's more, when England got a grip on the game, Spain scored the decisive goal just before the end. As happy as I would have been to see England win the title, I have to recognize that Spain were a tad cleverer. 

Verstärker is a three-piece instrumental psyche band from Kentucky playing their own kind of krautrock, post-punk, no wave and drone since a couple of years. This song is from their last year album Jenseits and a good example of their sound, based on motorik bassline and percussion and a psyche guitar with feedbacks. An overlooked release from last year for your pleasure.

New Song On Sunday

 

Another unexpected song came to my ears a few days ago. Peck & Beck released Death Valley High Beck was already a musical chameleon when the term didn't yet exist and Orville Peck is said to be a hip representative of dark country, whatever that may be. In any case, they manage to combine more ideas such as country, funk, blues and rap in just under three minutes. The result is an anthem to Sin City, which also convinces visually with a cameo by Sharon Stone, among others. A

Rain Rain Rain

 

This title could not describe this year's summer any better. Short periods of dry heat are followed by days with more or less heavy rain showers. Far too bad to enjoy the kind of summer we were used to. Maybe 1981 was a similar summer, but this song probably has nothing to do with the weather. Rain Rain Rain opens the album Daga Daga Daga by Soundtracks & Head, which was re-released a few weeks ago. To cut a long story short: it's a lost gem from the post-punk era. Maybe 1981 was a similar summer, but this song probably has nothing to do with the weather. Rain Rain Rain opens the album Daga Daga Daga by Soundtracks and Head, which was re-released a few weeks ago. To cut a long story short: it's a lost gem from the post-punk era. Epic Soundtracks and Jowe Head were pioneers of the British DIY-scene in the late 70's and founding members of Swell Maps. After the split of their band and before they joined other bands they came together for a two day session to record these songs. Influenced by German electronic punk by DAF, the New York Nu-Jazz scene, Holger Czukay and Burundian drums, a unique work was created that has unfortunately disappeared into oblivion. And I didn't knew that Carmel appeard on this song.

Love You Got

 

I have to admit that I have always had an affection for the music of Kelly Lee Owens. Now she has announced her new album Dreamstate for next October and released Love You Got as a single to whet your appetite. I didn't expected from the Welsh producer and electronic musician nothing more than another fine combination of reduced techno and synths as a floor for he amazing voice. And I was not disappointed about this hypnotic dance track that could lead you through the summer.

Phoenix

 

This post has nothing, absolutely nothing to do with the French band of the same name.  Rather, these lines are about a song that was written and released some time ago by JIM, a Balearic/folk/rock project from Nottingham. I recently came across this project and their songs, which are worth mentioning here at another time. This remix was created by Crooked Man, a project by Sheffield's Richard Barratt, who has been travelling under various pseudonyms for years. This version is a little gem that has received far too little attention to date. A clear rhythm/groove over which ethereal variations waft, gentle yet demanding and propulsive. A song that could appear on many end-of-year lists.

Fire Of Love

 

In the late 70's/early 80's the heads of Blondie and Ramones fan club. Jeffrey Lee Pierce and Kid Congo Powers started their band The Gun Club. Not knowing that they made a groundbreaking album with Fire Of Love from 1981 when they combined classic blues, rockabilly and punk to a melange named psychobilly blues and a never heard before slide guitar . In the early and mid-80s, The Gun Club were probably one of the most influential bands on the Los Angeles music scene, if only because of their legendary debut album "Fire of Love". What made Pierce and his band stand out was their wild, raw fusion of punk and blues, captured in killer songs like Sex Beat and She's Like Heroin to Me, roughly comparable to what The Cramps had done with rockabilly in a similarly legendary way at almost the same time. When I bought the album and played it for the first time, I couldn't believe what I was hearing. This mixture of priestly enlightenment and punk was unusual and disturbing. But this music captivated me right from the start and Miami, the follow-up album, was another highlight. For me, it is still an album that is almost perfect and should appear in SWC's series.

The Gun Club - She's Like Heroin To Me

The Gun Club - Sex Beat

The Gun Club - Preaching The Blues

The Gun Club - For The Love Of Ivy

Monday's Long Song

 

If there ever was a band/artist that can be squarely tied to what is now dubbed as ambient country it is the trio that goes under the name of SUSS. SUSS have quickly become the cornerstone of this rapidly evolving genre with their ongoing work on a series of large-scale, slow-moving soundscapes. A few weeks ago they released their last album Birds & Beasts and to be honest, there are no changes to their albums before. Maybe the songs are more spaced out and more wide-screen but still on a very high level. And you don't have to be a huge fan of a pedal steel guitar to enjoy this album.

New Song On Sunday

 

My inbox is overflowing and it's getting harder and harder to find a few gems from the plethora of new releases. This time it was the debut album by Drunk At Your Wedding, the project of Berlin singer-songwriter Nina Töllner. Her songs are based on classic folk-rock that has its roots in the 70s British folk-rock scene, but transfers them into the present day with accentuated acoustic and electronic guitars. Their sound is most comparable to that of Gemma Hayes, which is certainly not the worst. With the changes within the songs, Nina manages to ensure that the attention rarely wanes and one is curious to see how the individual song will develop. One of the better albums released during the last months.

Dub Some More

 

Now it's official, Germany no longer have any hope of winning the European Championship after losing to Spain in a very good game in the second half. The team has achieved more than I gave them credit for before the final round. It's just a shame that the coach was wrong with his line-up and substitutions. Many of those who watched the game felt a great emptiness after the defeat and I was no different. To take my mind off things, I once again listened to Churchical Chant Of The Iyabinghi, the album by African Head Charge from 2020. Still an album that impresses me with it's quiet flow.

African Head Charge - Dub Some More

They Could Have Been Bigger Than The Beatles

 

In the days where punk started Dan Treacy formed Television Personalities an obscure band playing a melange of post-punk, neo-psychedelia and indie-pop. Far ahead of many other bands from this era they included mod-sound by The Kinks with early Pink Floyd style. They got into my radar with a laconic song about punk style that got a classic from the late 70's. 

I purchased their third album They Could Have Been Bigger Than The Beatles in the early 80's and from time to time I come back to this record. Not that it is a monument in post-punk times but always an album that you can listen because all the songs don't take themselves too seriously and make no claim to quality, but the musicians live out their musical influences. 

Real Life

 

When punk started in the mid 70's Manchester's Buzzcocks were one of the first that made the fusion of of punk and power pop for the blueprint of new wave. Their singer/songwriter Howard Devote left the band to form Magazine, that developed their sound and included art rock into their sound. Their debut album Real Life is a classic in this genre and had any ingredients of new music that should inspire a lot of bands after. This album was on very heavy rotation almost 50 years ago at my place and one of those reasons why I left many other music influences behind. A classic record that should be featured once again. 

Monday's Long Song

 Stars Planet Dust Me by Mountain Of One was one of the highlights from 2022. A very fine mixture of synth, cosmic pop and Balearic influenced album that was fully remixed last winter by Ricardo Villalobos. Now Surrender, a highlight from the album was released. This dub version shows what you can make out of sunny relaxed song when you lay a funky bass and a post-punk rhythm over the original. A wonderful mix and a great start into the second half of the year.