September 2015 Reviews

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Nick Danger
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September 2015 Reviews

Postby Nick Danger » 05 Oct 2015, 14:59

I received an interesting and entertaining mix this month. Pretty much everything was new to me. I'm reminded once again how woefully inadequate my knowledge of British music post Invasion is. There were some real highlights that I'm sure will cost me money upon reveal. Thanks to my mixer.

(1) This is the only track that I can make a reasonable confident guess about. This sounds like Arthur Brown. Spooky organ, histrionic vocals and a voice that sounds like his hit, the only song I've ever heard of his. I like this. Good start.
(2) Steady rhythm, monotone vocals, vaguely familiar voice . . . it's drawing me in. I don't if I could handle an album but I liking this. Sounds like George Fame's grandson.
(3) I like country and Americana and this pushes those buttons. Modern sounding, Dr. Johnish but not him. The playing is better than the singing.
(4) More country and more assuredly modern. This is more enjoyable than the one before. It's more Austin than Nashville. Good one.
(5) Completing the country section and the best of the three. Really appealing girl singer, no idea who but I could listen to an album of this. One of my favorite tracks in this mix. I like this a lot.
(6) Jaunty, folky, British, Irish? I can't make out many lyrics but the music and singing is pleasant enough. Not a favorite but it's not bad.
(7) I like this. Rockier and fuller with a mandolin accenting. Familiar sounding voice. My U.S. southern boy ignorance shines brightly on a lot of these but I want to learn. I have the nagging feeling I've heard this before and should know it. Good selection.
(8) This is the first track I don't really like. Not enough song here for me. The singer doesn't appeal either.
(9) I love some good horns. Nice sax lead and a fun informal feel to this instrumental.
(10) Another of eclectic buttons, reggae. Nice tune, good singer, good band. I like this. I wish the sax had a bigger part.
(11) A highlight of the mix, a good song well played. Really curious about who this is. Tasty guitar. Another good choice.
(12) 60's pop sounding tune that is ok but doesn't do much for me. I guess stuff like this has to clear a pretty high bar because I love so much like it.
(13) This is interesting. A nice singer/songwriter tune with a definite English folk flavor to it. Other than a few Fairpoint albums and the occasional Steeleye Span or Pentangle track I know very little about this kind of thing. I like it, the tasteful mandolin, the doleful singing, it all appeals.
(14) This is more what I'm familiar with - late 60's sunshine pop. It's ok but I like other stuff in this area better. Well executed, good production.
(15) This is interesting. Upfront drums, trippy instruments, I'm guessing modern and British, good production and arrangement. Nice.
(16) My eclectism extends to the electronica area and this definitely goes there. Some of this stuff gets too droney for me but this is great. Something interesting is constantly happening and there is a nice build throughout. A real highlight. Thanks for including this.

Good job mixer, lots of stuff I want to hear more of and nothing I disliked that much. Thanks so much!

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Re: September 2015 Reviews

Postby whodathunkit » 08 Oct 2015, 12:28

Nick Danger wrote:I received an interesting and entertaining mix this month. Pretty much everything was new to me. I'm reminded once again how woefully inadequate my knowledge of British music post Invasion is. There were some real highlights that I'm sure will cost me money upon reveal. Thanks to my mixer.


Hi ND. First off I had a bit of a problem with your review. You seem to have received them in a different order to how I sent them :? . I think i've worked out what went wrong but if the reveal sounds unlikely for the track concerned let me know.

Right then, this month's mix had a teeny, tiny "theme". I'm currently doing a major review of my iTunes library and have just got through the A's.So I decided to impose a purely artificial constraint on the mix and pick tracks by arists/groups whose name begins......etc.


(1) This is the only track that I can make a reasonable confident guess about. This sounds like Arthur Brown. Spooky organ, histrionic vocals and a voice that sounds like his hit, the only song I've ever heard of his. I like this. Good start.

"Prelude and Nightmare" from the Crazy World of Arthur Brown album - 1968.

(2) Steady rhythm, monotone vocals, vaguely familiar voice . . . it's drawing me in. I don't if I could handle an album but I liking this. Sounds like George Fame's grandson.

Australian duo, Angus and Julia Stone and "Paper Aeroplane" I think you're dead right about an album's worth.Have this on one of those old Chillout samplers and the funny thing is, much as I love it, I have no interest in hearing anything else of theirs.

(3) I like country and Americana and this pushes those buttons. Modern sounding, Dr. Johnish but not him. The playing is better than the singing.

Andre Williams and 2-star Tabernacle (with a young Jack White somewhere in the mix) and "Lilly White Mama and Jet Black Daddy". A glorious mess of a track during which I suspect much alcohol was consumed.

(4) More country and more assuredly modern. This is more enjoyable than the one before. It's more Austin than Nashville. Good one.

NRBQ's Al Anderson from his lovely 2011 solo album After Hours and "Another Place I Don't Belong".

(5) Completing the country section and the best of the three. Really appealing girl singer, no idea who but I could listen to an album of this. One of my favorite tracks in this mix. I like this a lot.

One of the few contemporary artists I take any notice of, Norwegian chanteuse Ane Brun. This is "All We Want Is Love" from her very latest effort, When Im Free. Well worth exploring. Strong back catalogue too.

(6) Jaunty, folky, British, Irish? I can't make out many lyrics but the music and singing is pleasant enough. Not a favorite but it's not bad.

The Portuguese nature of the lyrics may have proved an obstacle :D . Fado. Love a bit of Fado. "Tenho Ruas No Meu Peto" by Antonio Chainho and Ana Sofia Verela.

(7) I like this. Rockier and fuller with a mandolin accenting. Familiar sounding voice. My U.S. southern boy ignorance shines brightly on a lot of these but I want to learn. I have the nagging feeling I've heard this before and should know it. Good selection.

You don't hear too many songs by bands paying tribute to other bands and I find this particularly nice as I love both sides of the tribute. Ashley Hutchings reminiscing on the impact the Byrds had on the British Folk-Rock scene. Track is called "Wings" and it's on an anthology of his solo output called The Guv'nor. Fascinating bloke.

(8) This is the first track I don't really like. Not enough song here for me. The singer doesn't appeal either.

Wanted to go out with a big snarly punk ending but it probably seemed a bit out of place in the middle of the mix. Alternative TV and "Action Time Vision " from 1978.

(9) I love some good horns. Nice sax lead and a fun informal feel to this instrumental.

Avant-garde skronker Albert Ayler and "Holy Family" from his classic Spirits Awake set. Very untypical and it all gets a lot wilder but I just love this tune.

(10) Another of eclectic buttons, reggae. Nice tune, good singer, good band. I like this. I wish the sax had a bigger part.

A daft slice of early R'n'B. The Astrojets from 1960 and "Boom-A-Lay".

(11) A highlight of the mix, a good song well played. Really curious about who this is. Tasty guitar. Another good choice.

Two healthy lumps of Brtish psych next. These are Northern Ireland band Andwellas Dream and a track called "High On A Mountain" from their 1968 debut Love and Poetry

(12) 60's pop sounding tune that is ok but doesn't do much for me. I guess stuff like this has to clear a pretty high bar because I love so much like it.

"Strange Roads" by the Action.

(13) This is interesting. A nice singer/songwriter tune with a definite English folk flavor to it. Other than a few Fairpoint albums and the occasional Steeleye Span or Pentangle track I know very little about this kind of thing. I like it, the tasteful mandolin, the doleful singing, it all appeals.

Alan Hull (of Lindisfarne) and "United States of Mind". It's on one of his solo albums but I found it on the Charisma box set.

(14) This is more what I'm familiar with - late 60's sunshine pop. It's ok but I like other stuff in this area better. Well executed, good production.

I'm exploring Al Kooper's back catalogue at the moment - interesting bloke. None of his albums are up to much overall but there are usually a couple of gems amongst the dross. Here he is, still strongly in early BSand T mode, with "Lucille" from 1969's You Never Know Who Your Friends Are.

(15) This is interesting. Upfront drums, trippy instruments, I'm guessing modern and British, good production and arrangement. Nice.

All American I'm afraid. Another hit and miss artist, multi-instrumentalist Andrew Bird and "Fitz and Dizzyspells" from arguably his best effort, 2009's Noble Beast

(16) My eclectism extends to the electronica area and this definitely goes there. Some of this stuff gets too droney for me but this is great. Something interesting is constantly happening and there is a nice build throughout. A real highlight. Thanks for including this.

Icelandic but with a sense of fun - a rarity. "Sirius Alfa" by the Apparat Organ Quartet from an absolutely cracker of an album, Polyfonia(2010)

Nick Danger wrote:Good job mixer, lots of stuff I want to hear more of and nothing I disliked that much. Thanks so much!


My pleasure, Here's the listing as I think you received it.

1. "Prelude/Nightmare" - Crazy World of Arthur Brown
2. "Paper Aeroplane" - Angus and Julia Stone
3. "Lilly-White Mama and Jet-Black Daddy" - Andre Williams/2-star Tabernacle
4. "Another Place I Don't Belong" - Al Anderson
5. "All We Want Is Love" - Ane Brun
6. "Tenho Ruas No Meu Peto" - Antonio Chainho/Ana Sofia Verela
7. "Wings" - Ashley Hutchings
8. "Action Time Vision" - Alternative TV
9. "Holy Family" - Albert Ayler
10. "Boom-a-lay" - The Astro-Jets
11. "High On A Mountain" - Andwellas Dream
12. "Strange Roads" - The Action
13. "United States Of Mind" - Alan Hull
14. "Lucille" - Al Kooper
15. "Fitz and Dizzyspells" - Andrew Bird
16. "Sirius Alfa" - Apparat Organ Quartet
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Nick Danger
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Re: September 2015 Reviews

Postby Nick Danger » 08 Oct 2015, 19:14

Thanks again W! I'm going to order Polyfonia and some of Ane Brun's music. Good mix.

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Re: September 2015 Reviews

Postby bhoywonder » 19 Oct 2015, 16:28

I've had this a while, so sorry for not reviewing sooner. It's been busy. But I've been enjoying it a lot. Love some of this stuff. so here goes:

1. Great opener – Junior Walker’s All Stars with Pucker Up Buttercup, which sounds exactly like Roadrunner, of course. Ha! Great sound though, and some singer.
2. John Lee Hooker’s Hobo Blues. A really driving, insistent, relentless piece that brings Son House to mind. Another great pick.
3. Cute piece of samba. Pleasant enough, although I didn’t really connect with it. It feels like it has really tightened modern production, and I prefer latin music with a looser feel, in general.
4. This is a real delight. I had shivers up my spine in the first few lines, and then it becomes more fun, it twists and changes in a very clever manner. Great voice, delicious arrangement – especially love that jazzy piano and shuffling brushed snare. The strings and choirs are just the right side of chinzy, and the changes are always a delight. It feels like it’s only a big, catchy chorus short of being pure gold.
5. Good piece of country-tinged southern soul. I’d guess at late-60s/early-70s. I don’t recognise the singer or the song but it’s a real pleasure. It has a great feel to it – fabulous bass, great keys, bug drums and some lush orchestration. Feels good.
6. I love this record. Once in a While by the Chimes. This features on one of my favourite compilations - The Golden Age Of American Rock'n'Roll: Special Doowop Edition, which came out on Ace about 10 years ago. I love this music, I sometimes think that everything since has been about trying to find another way to make something sound as good as doowop.
7. Since I Don’t Have You. Presumably the original, which I don’t know. I love the song though – I know Manfred Mann’s version, which opens their Mann Made LP. This is better, and has a wonderful sound to it. I love the orchestration – those gentle pulsing piano chords with the big, lush strings, brushed snare and stand-up bass is a classic combination. Incredible range on the vocals too. A slice of heaven.
8. Next up is a fabulous slice of jump r&b/early rock’n’roll. Rock Granny Roll, I’m guessing it’s called, but I don’t know it. He sounds a bit like Chubby Checker, doesn’t he? Man, this really swings, dig it?
9. Quirky piece of gently psychedelic pop, almost pastiche-like, especially the speeded-up piano break and the silly bit of sitar added at the end. It’s completely disposable, but a fun little museum piece.
10. Meaty, beaty, big and bouncy. And Spanish. I don’t mind it, but I don’t love it. It sounds like a weaker version of Mariachi El Bronx. The bass and kick lets it down, and kind of stops it from swinging. It’s good, I guess, but probably not to my tastes, so much.
11. I’m not very keen on this one. It’s American rock. It sounds like something teenagers liked in the early 90s. Lots of shouting and fast guitars. Not for me, thanks, although I absolutely love the ethereal bit that comes in after the false ending. They should stick to doing that instead.
12. Odetta – Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho. Good ol’ Odetta. What a voice? I always wonder how natural it is or how much of an affectation. She strong woman.
13. Nice picking piece, sounds a bit like a Josh White recording, btu I only know vocal songs of his. I don’t mean that I think it is him, just that it has the sound of one of his recordings, you know? Anyway, this is great. Love the sound, the feel, and that really fine lead playing.
14. Dub piece with that massive phasing over the drums. Reminds me of Zion Train, who I used to like but haven’t played in years. I don’t love it, but it’s an enjoyable-enough way to pass 3 and a half minutes.
15. 15. Demo version of I’m So Tired, from the Kinfauns sessions, I think. Interesting version, and shows a strong influence from some of the doowop styles we heard earlier in the mix. Well played if that was the intention! I love those Kinfauns tapes, they sound like it was a very warm time for the group, contrary to what we know of when they went into Abbey Road. A nice finish.

Lovely mix, that. One of my favourites, and I’ve played it a fair bit now. Really looking forward to the reveal!

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Re: September 2015 Reviews

Postby Nick Danger » 19 Oct 2015, 19:29

bhoywonder wrote:I've had this a while, so sorry for not reviewing sooner. It's been busy. But I've been enjoying it a lot. Love some of this stuff. so here goes:

1. Great opener – Junior Walker’s All Stars with Pucker Up Buttercup, which sounds exactly like Roadrunner, of course. Ha! Great sound though, and some singer.

You got it, it's Junior and his band. I saw him live back in the seventies and he was just as good as his records. He sang all the leads and still had breath to wail on that sax.

2. John Lee Hooker’s Hobo Blues. A really driving, insistent, relentless piece that brings Son House to mind. Another great pick.

Right again. This is one of my favorite blues cuts.

3. Cute piece of samba. Pleasant enough, although I didn’t really connect with it. It feels like it has really tightened modern production, and I prefer latin music with a looser feel, in general.

This is a band called Costo Rico from Barcelona. I got this from a comp called Radio Latino.

4. This is a real delight. I had shivers up my spine in the first few lines, and then it becomes more fun, it twists and changes in a very clever manner. Great voice, delicious arrangement – especially love that jazzy piano and shuffling brushed snare. The strings and choirs are just the right side of chinzy, and the changes are always a delight. It feels like it’s only a big, catchy chorus short of being pure gold.

This is 21 year old Aretha Franklin with Runnin' Out Of Fools in 1964. I've always loved this performance.

5. Good piece of country-tinged southern soul. I’d guess at late-60s/early-70s. I don’t recognise the singer or the song but it’s a real pleasure. It has a great feel to it – fabulous bass, great keys, bug drums and some lush orchestration. Feels good.

Carl Sims with Pity A Fool from a soul comp.

6. I love this record. Once in a While by the Chimes. This features on one of my favourite compilations - The Golden Age Of American Rock'n'Roll: Special Doowop Edition, which came out on Ace about 10 years ago. I love this music, I sometimes think that everything since has been about trying to find another way to make something sound as good as doowop.

I'm also a doo wop fan and this is one of my favorite tracks.

7. Since I Don’t Have You. Presumably the original, which I don’t know. I love the song though – I know Manfred Mann’s version, which opens their Mann Made LP. This is better, and has a wonderful sound to it. I love the orchestration – those gentle pulsing piano chords with the big, lush strings, brushed snare and stand-up bass is a classic combination. Incredible range on the vocals too. A slice of heaven.

This is the original hit from 1958 by the Skyliners. Lead singer Jimmy Beaumont had one of the best voices around. This is one of those tracks which is pretty much perfect to me.

8. Next up is a fabulous slice of jump r&b/early rock’n’roll. Rock Granny Roll, I’m guessing it’s called, but I don’t know it. He sounds a bit like Chubby Checker, doesn’t he? Man, this really swings, dig it?

This is the early rock and roll pioneer groups Hank Ballard and the Midnighters with a track from 1956. It's funny you mention Chubby Checker as they are the original artists of the Twist.

9. Quirky piece of gently psychedelic pop, almost pastiche-like, especially the speeded-up piano break and the silly bit of sitar added at the end. It’s completely disposable, but a fun little museum piece.

Turn Down Day by two hit wonders The Cyrkle. Their other, higher charting, hit was the Paul Simon penned Red Rubber Ball. They were an American group managed by Brian Epstein and opened for the Beatles during their 1966 concerts. I've always liked the sound of this.

10. Meaty, beaty, big and bouncy. And Spanish. I don’t mind it, but I don’t love it. It sounds like a weaker version of Mariachi El Bronx. The bass and kick lets it down, and kind of stops it from swinging. It’s good, I guess, but probably not to my tastes, so much.

I didn't know how you would react to this. It's Gogol Bordello, a band who seem to have some fans on this board. They bill themselves as gypsy punk but it borders on latin psychobilly to my ears. I find it kind of refreshing in a way.

11. I’m not very keen on this one. It’s American rock. It sounds like something teenagers liked in the early 90s. Lots of shouting and fast guitars. Not for me, thanks, although I absolutely love the ethereal bit that comes in after the false ending. They should stick to doing that instead.

Another one I knew you might not like, American 90's indie/altie band Cursive with Dorothy At Forty. The Dorothy in question is from the Wizard of Oz.

12. Odetta – Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho. Good ol’ Odetta. What a voice? I always wonder how natural it is or how much of an affectation. She strong woman.
Yep.

13. Nice picking piece, sounds a bit like a Josh White recording, btu I only know vocal songs of his. I don’t mean that I think it is him, just that it has the sound of one of his recordings, you know? Anyway, this is great. Love the sound, the feel, and that really fine lead playing.

This is guitar great Django Reinhardt with a recording from 1937 of St. Louis Blues. I love this.

14. Dub piece with that massive phasing over the drums. Reminds me of Zion Train, who I used to like but haven’t played in years. I don’t love it, but it’s an enjoyable-enough way to pass 3 and a half minutes.

This is Jamaican riddim duo Sly Dunbar (drums) and Robbie Shakespeare (bass) with a track under their own names.

15. 15. Demo version of I’m So Tired, from the Kinfauns sessions, I think. Interesting version, and shows a strong influence from some of the doowop styles we heard earlier in the mix. Well played if that was the intention! I love those Kinfauns tapes, they sound like it was a very warm time for the group, contrary to what we know of when they went into Abbey Road. A nice finish.

The Kinfauns demo sessions is one of my favorite boots. Great sound and some interesting tracks, several of which didn't show up again until their later solo work. These acoustic versions are really fun to listen to.

Lovely mix, that. One of my favourites, and I’ve played it a fair bit now. Really looking forward to the reveal!


I'm glad you liked a good bit of this. It was great fun to make and I've probably listened to it myself more than any previous mix.

Tracklist-

(1) Pucker Up Buttercup - Jr. Walker and the All Stars
(2) Hobo Blues - John Lee Hooker
(3) Por Eses Mares - Costo Rico
(4) Runnin' Out Of Fools - Aretha Franklin
(5) Pity A Fool - Carl Sims
(6) Once In A While - The Chimes
(7) Since I Don't Have You - The Skyliners
(8) Rock Granny Roll - Hank Ballard and the Midnighters
(9) Turn Down Day - The Cyrkle
(10) My Companjera - Gogol Bordello
(11) Dorothy At Forty - Cursive
(12) Joshua - Odetta
(13) St. Louis Blues - Django Reinhardt
(14) Steppin' Out - Sly and Robbie
(15) I'm So Tired - The Beatles

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TG
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Re: September 2015 Reviews

Postby TG » 21 Oct 2015, 17:50

I got a mix of songs that I can assure I would never have heard anywhere else. Little of this is anything I would normally listen to but I had fun with it.

1 Thrilling Sci Fi sound FX and then...Mary Hopkin? Or some other hippie folkie chick.While decidedly not my normal thing this is interesting in a Nico doing I'll Keep It With Mine sort of way.

2 A very Lo Fi simple recording of a pretty hip minor key folk pop thing. It has a late 60s /early 70s Kinks feel to it. I like it.

3 A guy with an acoustic guitar and a loose idea of how a recording studio works. Stops and starts and verbal asides in a Syd Barrett solo kinda way. This is weird and I suspect that this is someone with a skewed reality. It doesn't really go anywhere.

4 This has to be Ella Fitzgerald. My Dad used to listen to her and I know her voice. An interesting violin and acoustic guitar backing her on what may well be a standard that I'm unfamiliar with.

5 Ya gotta love a mellotron.A lot of finger picked acoustic guitar on this mix. I'm sure I know this voice but can't place it. It's interesting in its construction but it seems to go and go but never quite get there.

6 Primitive drum machines! I've been listening to a ton of stuff with cheap drum machines lately - Sly, his Stone Flower label, Timmy Thomas, J.J. Cale - I've been fascinated with them lately. This I'm not fascinated with. I don't know who the singer/rapper/vocalist is but I think I hate him. Also, they stole the ending bit from another song that I can't remember right now.

7 Acoustic guitars and strings stage a comeback after that last track so rudely interrupted. This is a whole band with strings and horns and keyboards and a xylophone. Interesting instrumental for the first half and then the vocals arrive and don't exactly ruin it but I liked it as an instro. It's pretty good and put me in mind of Eno around the end of his records that he sang on.

8 And speaking of - this is a sort of Eno with vocals / Talking Heads rhythm thing. This is probably my favorite track here. Loads of synths but not in that annoying way and real drums and hand percussion. Everything is better with hand percussion.

9 More finger picked guitar and this time with a guy singing a depressing little ditty that would benefit greatly from a dash of self deprecation. But it is compelling. I have to know, though; what is the last word he sings? "And my songs are________??? The whole song has led up to this and I can't understand what he says. Maybe it's the missing self deprecation! Anyway, it's driving me crazy.

10 More finger picked acoustic guitar. There is some really fine playing across this mix and this song is no exception.

11 That kind of dreamy Velvets influenced pop practiced by the likes of Opal and Mazzy Star. This is more my thing and I like this one.

12 Very African sounding music and very French sounding language.This has a very fanciful, floating vibe going on. I love the understated guitar break near the end. This is good even if a little slick.

13 Some drugged up psychedelic folk. It begins with some backwards taped vocals and then we're more than a minute and a half in before the vocals kick in. Get to the point. I'm just saying.This one doesn't do much for me.

14 A driving little acoustic number with weird banjo sounds. Did they record the banjo in a cave? In a bathroom? In a bathroom in a cave? Whatever they did it works. And synths! I have no idea who this is but they have a unique vision. Interested in the reveal here.

15 I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you. This song starts out with an acoustic guitar being finger picked. I love solo or small group strings in Rock / Pop. Doesn't matter if it's the Left Banke or Nirvana unplugged; it's a personal fave rave. This song and a fair bit of this mix feature this in spades. This is a very forlorn sounding track and I like the woman's voice.

16 An electric guitar and (I think) a pick. But it is a solo picked guitar so in keeping. A minute in the rest of the sparse instrumentation kicks in. At a minute and a half the horns arrive. At two minutes the piano.It just continues to build as they repeat the same simple four bar pattern. At the four minute mark it slows down and becomes very plaintive. They really achieve a lot of dramatic effect with very little going on musically. It continues to wind down for almost four minutes.This is exactly the sort of thing I might normally become bored silly with but this held my interest throughout. Surprising.

So this was a mix made up a lot of things that I wouldn't normally indulge in but you managed to find what seem to be the most interesting tracks to send my way. There are a half dozen or so tracks that I want to see the reveal on and would dig into. So, all in all, a successful mix even though mostly out of my comfort zone. Well done!
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Re: September 2015 Reviews

Postby bhoywonder » 29 Oct 2015, 14:20

Sorry TG, I will get you your reveal asap. I have a toddler and a household full of plague this last week so time isn't of the essence (and I'm off out to see Bob Dylan shortly, so that's tonight gone too)! Good things come to those who (are forced to) wait...

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Re: September 2015 Reviews

Postby The Fish » 29 Oct 2015, 17:55

Apologies to TG as I've had this a while. Anyway it seems I'm not last :D

1) Bob and The Band cook up a storm like the dirtiest of dirty Fat Possum Blues. What’s not to love ?
2) Start with a simple dum de dum bass line, add the cheesiest of plinky plonk keyboard riffs and then have someone grunt unintelligibly over it all. Sounds dreadful doesn’t it and yet Dave and Ansel Collins somehow make it sound magnificent of course.
3) You can somehow dismiss this as “soul lite” but it has its own appeal for sure and I actually like it.
4) Starts with piano riffs and I’m trying to discern what he is riffing on as I’m sure I can here “Aquarius” in there. In comes the sax all guns blazing and hey there are vocals. I say vocals but it’s in that style adapted to various genres – rap, talking blues etc of talk singing. Nothing wrong with that. There are many great “vocalists” as opposed to “singers” who live on that scale – Mose Allison, Gil Scott Heron etc. But given this goes on for 8 minutes it’s the band ultimately that pull it through. The saxes honk, the trumpets wail and not a noodle in sight.
5) This is lower key and is fine, but just sounding a bit too “tasteful” after the honk and wail of track 4. May have worked better the other way round.
6) I’ve known this song for ages from the Commander Cody version and it always raises a smile. Did I see when detagging that this was Ray Charles ?
7) Shades of southern rock and country rock but all reined in a bit when it threatens to descend into pompous overblown stadium rock and the better for it. No real originality prize here. Doesn’t sound like anything I haven’t heard before, but I really liked this.
8) This sounds like it could be an old 60s Spector or Shangri_las type thing. I keep thinking I recognize the song. Here though it’s done with a bit more punk pop attitude. Not bad but it sounds like there’s an element of playfulness or joy that should be there and isn’t.
9) This one kind of passed me by. Sort of loose power pop template but with no real hook.
10) Ah the mystery of the last two tracks is solved. They don’t have the La-La. :D Anyway back on track here. A simple nonsense song with a bit of N’Awlins vibe. Great.
11) Invariably when I write a review the phrase “I’m a sucker for…..” will appear, and one thing I am a sucker for is a bit of mad guitar. Give me any manner of overfuzzed, string bending, double speed, discordant, twangy mayhem and I’m happy. Boxes duly ticked.
12) A pretty good slice of country soul which I liked but would potentially have loved if the production had made things a bit nastier and dirtier instead of smoothing everything out a bit.
13) Sort of spacy jazz. I found the underlying track interesting, but other than that found it hard to get a handle on this.
14) This is more like it. The organ gets a solid driving groove going that I can definitely get with.
15) The second soul track here that errs on the softer side. A philly sheen here, and while it is undeniably great and I can always listen to stuff like this, it does give me a hankering for something with a harder edge. This still gets a tick though for sure.
16) This sounds like Dr John with some presumably esteemed guests. Sounds a bit like he’s on cruise control here, but still worth a listen for sure.

Thanks Tom. mostly very enjoyable. Reservations rather than dislikes for the most part with only a couple passing me by.
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Re: September 2015 Reviews

Postby whodathunkit » 30 Oct 2015, 15:03

A bit of a mixed bag this one. Enough goodies for a thumbs-up though.

1. Sparky little opener. Marching tempo, thundering brass, probably called "I need never get old". Very nice.
2. Early 70s prog feel about this. Phasing, churning organ, frequent cries of "Freedom!" and a lyric about the value of keeping on trucking. Probably retro rather than the real thing but enjoyable all the same.
3. Clean contemporary soul cut, big on technique, low on feeling sung by one of those Olly Murs types. He probably has a a daft little goatee and wears a stupid leather pork-pie hat and needs a slap badly. Not for me I'm afraid.
4. Moody medium-paced ballad. Vocals remind me of Roots Manuva though it's a long way from his style. Loved this one.
5. Pleasant light folky thing that comes and goes with little impression. Not Mumford and Son level of bland but not far off.
6. Strange cover of "Stay In My Corner". with some nice playing but horrible echoey heavily-processed vocals. Interesting if unneccessary.
7. Starts with some nice raggedy-arsed slide but it turns into your average non-classic rock song. The slide still carries the thing through though.
8. Another one that just passes me by without raising the mercury. Bluesy shuffling beat and growly good-old-boy vocals. Meh!
9. Not much appeal here either. Shouty vocals. messy playing, not much song.
10. By this stage I was thinking I'd stop liking music but then Richard Hawley comes along and saves the day. Don't know this one, it sounds like all his others but that's fine by me :D
11. Lovely country track with a touch of mariachi about Fennario. A favourite.
12. Big stupid beefy rocker about what happens "when the drugs kick in". It seems I still do like rock after all. Terrific.
13. Slow gospel moaner which is right up my street. Another favourite.
14. More gospel. A fine soul version of Fred McDowell's "You've Gotta Move".
15. Nice bit of funk to close things. From the rawer end of the genre and, unlike so many of these things, it doesn't outstay it's welcome.

Overall, despite a severe sag in the middle, this was a good mix Plenty to explore further and should be an interesting reveal.
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Re: September 2015 Reviews

Postby bhoywonder » 30 Oct 2015, 18:01

TG wrote:I got a mix of songs that I can assure I would never have heard anywhere else. Little of this is anything I would normally listen to but I had fun with it.


1 Thrilling Sci Fi sound FX and then...Mary Hopkin? Or some other hippie folkie chick.While decidedly not my normal thing this is interesting in a Nico doing I'll Keep It With Mine sort of way.

This is Beth Gibbons of Portishead, and Rustin Man (Paul Webb from Talk Talk), with the opening song from their 2002 album Out of Season. I remember Mojo reviewing it and claiming it was one of the best albums ever made, which made me want to hear it. It isn’t, and this is by a very long way the best song on it, but for me, the album was worth the money just for this.

2 A very Lo Fi simple recording of a pretty hip minor key folk pop thing. It has a late 60s /early 70s Kinks feel to it. I like it.

This is Philip Selway, who plays drums in Radiohead, with a song called By Some Miracle from his first solo LP, 2010’s Familial. I would never have thought of the Kinks, but you’re right!

3 A guy with an acoustic guitar and a loose idea of how a recording studio works. Stops and starts and verbal asides in a Syd Barrett solo kinda way. This is weird and I suspect that this is someone with a skewed reality. It doesn't really go anywhere.

Ha! Yeah, he has a skewed reality, I guess. It’s the first of a number of songs on the mix made by people I know. This is Lone Pigeon, who was a founder member of the Beta Band, before leaving due to mental health issues. The song is called Blue Mantle. I think it’s on his 28 Secret Tracks album. It’s not a finished song, as is the case with a lot of his work (and Barrett’s).

4 This has to be Ella Fitzgerald. My Dad used to listen to her and I know her voice. An interesting violin and acoustic guitar backing her on what may well be a standard that I'm unfamiliar with.

Bang on, it’s unmistakably Ella. The song is an Irving Berlin number from 1930, called Reaching for the Moon.

5 Ya gotta love a mellotron.A lot of finger picked acoustic guitar on this mix. I'm sure I know this voice but can't place it. It's interesting in its construction but it seems to go and go but never quite get there.

Another guy I vaguely know, the Irish singer-songwriter Adrian Crowley (who is amazing live, btw), singing a song by a mutual friend of his and mine, James Yorkston, called Shipwreckers. It’s a snapshot sort of song, really, rater than a story.

6 Primitive drum machines! I've been listening to a ton of stuff with cheap drum machines lately - Sly, his Stone Flower label, Timmy Thomas, J.J. Cale - I've been fascinated with them lately. This I'm not fascinated with. I don't know who the singer/rapper/vocalist is but I think I hate him. Also, they stole the ending bit from another song that I can't remember right now.

Ha ha! I put this (and a few others) on to give you opportunity for revenge for my review of your last mix for me. This is a love-hate sort of song by a band called OLO Worms, who are very good friends of mine. The song is called Barbershop, and it’s willfully absurd in the extreme. I actually helped with the vocal on this so I particularly enjoyed that comment of yours ☺ The rest of their stuff is nothing like this, btw.

7 Acoustic guitars and strings stage a comeback after that last track so rudely interrupted. This is a whole band with strings and horns and keyboards and a xylophone. Interesting instrumental for the first half and then the vocals arrive and don't exactly ruin it but I liked it as an instro. It's pretty good and put me in mind of Eno around the end of his records that he sang on.

I liked it best as instrumental too. Same with all their stuff, in fact. I wish people would shut up more, really. It’s Polyphonic Spree, with a song called Days Like This Keep Me Warm, taken from their 2002 debut The Beginning Stages Of… interesting band, Polyphonic Spree. Never quite as good as they could have been, but I liked the way this fitted the mood and cleared the pallet after that racket.

8 And speaking of - this is a sort of Eno with vocals / Talking Heads rhythm thing. This is probably my favorite track here. Loads of synths but not in that annoying way and real drums and hand percussion. Everything is better with hand percussion.

Simian, with the Tale of Willow Hill, from their superb 2001 debut album, Chemistry Is What We Are. Love that album, and the EP that preceded it, but never got on with much else from them. IF you like this, which you do, I very recommend the album.

9 More finger picked guitar and this time with a guy singing a depressing little ditty that would benefit greatly from a dash of self deprecation. But it is compelling. I have to know, though; what is the last word he sings? "And my songs are________??? The whole song has led up to this and I can't understand what he says. Maybe it's the missing self deprecation! Anyway, it's driving me crazy.

PISH! It’s a Scots word, literally ‘piss’, but used to mean rubbish. It’s Malcolm Middleton, a not-very-cheery bugger from Fife in Scotland. He used ot b in the band Arab Strap, if you ever came across them. Pure filth, that band. Anyway, this is him on his own. I don’t think he does self-deprecation. A brutally miserable song.

10 More finger picked acoustic guitar. There is some really fine playing across this mix and this song is no exception.

This is Adem, who is part of Fridge (a post-roc band, alongside Kieran Hebden, who is also known as Four Tet. Adem also plays in a band called Silver Columns with a friend of mine. Adem is from London and writes beautiful songs like this, which is called Spirals, and comes form his second album, 2006’s Love & Other Planets. He’s on Domino Records, as are a few of the people on this mix. Domino’s a really great British independent label. You can pretty much assume that anything they put out is quality.

11 That kind of dreamy Velvets influenced pop practiced by the likes of Opal and Mazzy Star. This is more my thing and I like this one.

Yo La Tengo. Wonderful band. So many different styles, but always wonderful. This one’s taken from their 1995 album Elecr-O-Pura, and it’s called Don't Say A Word (Hot Chicken #2). If you like this, I very strongly recommend buying 5 or 6 of their albums.

12 Very African sounding music and very French sounding language.This has a very fanciful, floating vibe going on. I love the understated guitar break near the end. This is good even if a little slick.

Also on Domino, and someone else I know, this is Francois & the Atlas Mountains, with a song called Les Plus Beaux from the album E Volo Love. He and most of his band are French, but have strong Africa influence, especially in the percussion, but also the scales.


13 Some drugged up psychedelic folk. It begins with some backwards taped vocals and then we're more than a minute and a half in before the vocals kick in. Get to the point. I'm just saying.This one doesn't do much for me.

It’s LA indie-rock band Radar Bros. The song is called Still Evil. I don’t know anything much about them, but as you don’t like it, that’s not a problem!

14 A driving little acoustic number with weird banjo sounds. Did they record the banjo in a cave? In a bathroom? In a bathroom in a cave? Whatever they did it works. And synths! I have no idea who this is but they have a unique vision. Interested in the reveal here.

He probably did record it in a bathroom in a cave, actually. Really chuffed you like this, as it’s a lovely friend of mine (and funky_nomad of this parish) called Jonnie Common. He’s a Scottish singer-songwriter/artist. Very interesting stuff, and lots of beautiful sounds. Can I urge you to visit his website, listen to some more of his sounds and buy a record or so? http://www.jonniecommon.com/ Tell him I sent you. This is the splendidly titled Lungs Are Important, from his album Master of None.

15 I'm shocked. Shocked, I tell you. This song starts out with an acoustic guitar being finger picked. I love solo or small group strings in Rock / Pop. Doesn't matter if it's the Left Banke or Nirvana unplugged; it's a personal fave rave. This song and a fair bit of this mix feature this in spades. This is a very forlorn sounding track and I like the woman's voice.

Ha! Another friend, who goes by the name of This Is The Kit. I’ve played with Kate (as she’s called) a fair few times, and had the pleasure of touring in the same band as her. And following on from the previous track’s excellent name, this one’s called We Need Our Knees. Good, eh? Once you’ve bought some of Jonnie’s records, why not head over to Kate’s website and buy hers too? http://thisisthekit.co.uk/ This song’s from the 2008 album Krulle Bol.


16 An electric guitar and (I think) a pick. But it is a solo picked guitar so in keeping. A minute in the rest of the sparse instrumentation kicks in. At a minute and a half the horns arrive. At two minutes the piano.It just continues to build as they repeat the same simple four bar pattern. At the four minute mark it slows down and becomes very plaintive. They really achieve a lot of dramatic effect with very little going on musically. It continues to wind down for almost four minutes.This is exactly the sort of thing I might normally become bored silly with but this held my interest throughout. Surprising.

I know just what you about this being the sort of thing that can be very boring, but these are so good at what they do, they never get boring. It’s Scottish (again) rock band Mogwai, who amazingly are celebrating 20 years together this year. This is one of my favourites, from an eponymous EP in 1999, and it’s called Burn Girl Prom Queen. The EP is absolutely wonderful, and this isn’t the best thing on it. If you like that, try their album Come On Die Young. And then all their others. But live is the best way to experience them. They get unimaginably loud.

So this was a mix made up a lot of things that I wouldn't normally indulge in but you managed to find what seem to be the most interesting tracks to send my way. There are a half dozen or so tracks that I want to see the reveal on and would dig into. So, all in all, a successful mix even though mostly out of my comfort zone. Well done

Glad you enjoyed chunks of it, and I really do hope you dig a bit further. There’s a whole lot of connections between most of the artists, many of whom know each other and play at the same shows and festivals. So much wonderful music out there!

Mysteries - Beth Gibbons & Rustin' Man
By Some Miracle - Philip Selway
Blue Mantle - Lone Pigeon
Reaching For the Moon - Ella Fitzgerald
Shipwreckers - Adrian Crowley
Barbershop - OLO Worms
Days Like This Keep Me Warm - The Polyphonic Spree
The Tale Of Willow Hill - Simian
Devil and the Angel - Malcolm Middleton
Spirals - Adem
Don't Say A Word (Hot Chicken #2) - Yo La Tengo
01 Les Plus Beaux - Francois & the Atlas Mountains
Still Evil - Radar Bros.
Lungs Are Important - Jonnie Common
We need our knees - This Is The Kit
Burn Girl Prom Queen - Mogwai

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Re: September 2015 Reviews

Postby TG » 01 Nov 2015, 07:54

The Fish wrote:Apologies to TG as I've had this a while. Anyway it seems I'm not last :D


You got one of my (Patent Pending) mixes of random stuff that interested me for one reason or another lately. And just as a point of order - I'm on the West Coast of the US and it's still October here for 6 more minutes!

1) Bob and The Band cook up a storm like the dirtiest of dirty Fat Possum Blues. What’s not to love ?

From the recent Basement Tapes box. They sounds like Howling Wolf's band. I've played this a lot lately.

2) Start with a simple dum de dum bass line, add the cheesiest of plinky plonk keyboard riffs and then have someone grunt unintelligibly over it all. Sounds dreadful doesn’t it and yet Dave and Ansel Collins somehow make it sound magnificent of course.

Well, as the man says - "I am the magnificent..." This was a hit when I was in the 8th grade (13 years old) and I had a vague idea of what reggae was. My Boy Lollipop was a hit, after all. But this bit of simplistic nonsense (he said admiringly) being a hit was a mystery to me. But I've always loved it.

3) You can somehow dismiss this as “soul lite” but it has its own appeal for sure and I actually like it.

This is from the (sort of) recent collection of the complete Stone Flower Records label. Sly Stone's label, as you might have guessed. This is the group Little Sister and it was Sly's younger sister. This was the original version of the song with what I assume is all or most of the Family Stone. It was later scrubbed of all but the vocals and replaced with a primitive drum machine and some heavy funk. That version was a hit here and I would have assumed that you knew that version. You should give it a listen. In fact, the whole of the Stone Flower CD is pretty good.

4) Starts with piano riffs and I’m trying to discern what he is riffing on as I’m sure I can here “Aquarius” in there. In comes the sax all guns blazing and hey there are vocals. I say vocals but it’s in that style adapted to various genres – rap, talking blues etc of talk singing. Nothing wrong with that. There are many great “vocalists” as opposed to “singers” who live on that scale – Mose Allison, Gil Scott Heron etc. But given this goes on for 8 minutes it’s the band ultimately that pull it through. The saxes honk, the trumpets wail and not a noodle in sight.

Les McCann & Eddie Harris doing the immortal Compared To What. This is the longer (and uncensored) LP version. I remember searching for a while to find the Jukebox EP so as to have the uncensored version on a 45.

5) This is lower key and is fine, but just sounding a bit too “tasteful” after the honk and wail of track 4. May have worked better the other way round.

This I found just before I put the mix together. I was looking for a track on a CD compilation and accidentally played this. I like the late night groove even if it sounds off the cuff and poorly recorded. It's Night Scene by Chuck Higgins of Pachuco Hop fame.

6) I’ve known this song for ages from the Commander Cody version and it always raises a smile. Did I see when detagging that this was Ray Charles ?

Brother Ray it is! It Should've Been Me. Would you have known without seeing his name? I know I was surprised when I realized.

7) Shades of southern rock and country rock but all reined in a bit when it threatens to descend into pompous overblown stadium rock and the better for it. No real originality prize here. Doesn’t sound like anything I haven’t heard before, but I really liked this.

One of my favorite bands of the last ten years or so. The Liquor Giants, from around these parts, doing Just Might Cry. It's mostly Ward Dotson from the Gun Club and whoever he has in the band for each record. This is from a 45 I found a couple of years ago. I think it's a very funny story and told well.

8) This sounds like it could be an old 60s Spector or Shangri_las type thing. I keep thinking I recognize the song. Here though it’s done with a bit more punk pop attitude. Not bad but it sounds like there’s an element of playfulness or joy that should be there and isn’t.

The most fabulous Detroit Cobras doing a cover of The Flirtations' Nothing But A Heartache. The band is mostly the singer and guitarist and I think they only do covers (but mostly great songs) and I'd pick up anything by them.

9) This one kind of passed me by. Sort of loose power pop template but with no real hook.

Another L.A. band - The Plugz - from the early punk days. I'm actually in a band that's been playing this song (Achin') lately.

10) Ah the mystery of the last two tracks is solved. They don’t have the La-La. :D Anyway back on track here. A simple nonsense song with a bit of N’Awlins vibe. Great.

The late, great Willy DeVille doing a cover of the NOLA classic Who Shot The La-La originally by Oliver Morgan. This is a pretty straight cover and the original is worth searching out.

11) Invariably when I write a review the phrase “I’m a sucker for…..” will appear, and one thing I am a sucker for is a bit of mad guitar. Give me any manner of overfuzzed, string bending, double speed, discordant, twangy mayhem and I’m happy. Boxes duly ticked.

I can't tell you much about this. It's called Cut and Dried and it's by someone named Wild Jimmy Spruill. It came from a comp called The Enjoy Records Story. I think I may have gotten it in a mix that Eric (TWilly) sent me. But I'm really not sure how it got into my computer. It's pretty cool though, no?

12) A pretty good slice of country soul which I liked but would potentially have loved if the production had made things a bit nastier and dirtier instead of smoothing everything out a bit.

It's interesting that you hear it as country soul. It certainly is but I always heard as a kind of Texas Swing / Folk thing or something. Anyway, it's Townes Van Zandt doing Ain't leaving Your Love and it's the first thing I ever heard by him. It should be done up in a more pronounced Country Soul vibe and I'm going to get to work on just that. If you listen closely at the beginning I swear the vocals come in at the wrong time and the band has to adapt to get to the end of the first verse. And they never play that part that way again.

13) Sort of spacy jazz. I found the underlying track interesting, but other than that found it hard to get a handle on this.

New Orleans drummer extraordinaire James Black doing that Space Jazz thing. Another thing that was on a 2 CD comp that I've had for a while but only recently really heard this. I like it a bit more that you do.

14) This is more like it. The organ gets a solid driving groove going that I can definitely get with.

The UK's James Taylor Quintet doing Blow Up - also known as the other good song on the Blow Up soundtrack. This is originally by Herbie Hancock and I think this version came out in the 80s. They really burn this down.

15) The second soul track here that errs on the softer side. A philly sheen here, and while it is undeniably great and I can always listen to stuff like this, it does give me a hankering for something with a harder edge. This still gets a tick though for sure.

A 70s version of Love when Arthur Lee was signed to RSO Records. They got too busy with the Bee Gees and Saturday Night Fever and this record failed but I truly love this. It's a bit of an extension from his Vindicator solo LP. I saw him live sometime not too long after this came out.

16) This sounds like Dr John with some presumably esteemed guests. Sounds a bit like he’s on cruise control here, but still worth a listen for sure.

Well, it's Mac Rebennack but a bit before he became the Dr. This is Mac and Ronnie Barron doing business as Drits and Dravy with a bit of nonsense called Talk That Talk. This is from one of a 3 cd series of NOLA's AFO label and each CD has something to offer. This is both sides of an impossibly rare 45 - I've never seen one and have been looking for a while. The CD says it's from 1963. I love that they thought they could get a hit with a song that mentions Lenin and Trotsky and then rhymes that with Nazi! This here is what they call a Titty Shaker!

Thanks Tom. mostly very enjoyable. Reservations rather than dislikes for the most part with only a couple passing me by.

So glad you liked it, Paul. Now, how many of these do you already own?

Under Control Bob Dylan & The Band
Double Barrel Dave & Ansel Collins
Somebody's Watching You (Full Band Version) Little Sister
Compared To What (LP Version II) Les McCann & Eddie Harris
Night Scene Chuck Higgins
It Should've Been Me Ray Charles
Just Might Cry Liquor Giants
Nothing But A Heartache The Detroit Cobras
Achin' The Plugz
Who Shot The La-La Willy DeVille
Cut And Dried Wild Jimmy Spruill
Ain't Leavin' Your Love Townes Van Zandt
Mist James Black
Blow Up The James Taylor Quartet
Time Is Like A River Love
Talk That Talk Dr John & Ronnie Barron (Drits & Dravy)
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Re: September 2015 Reviews

Postby The Fish » 01 Nov 2015, 17:50

Cheers Tom. The only real D'oh moment was Townes. I have just about everything by Townes natch. The surprise one was Love, although I may also own the Willy DeVille.
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Re: September 2015 Reviews

Postby Walk In My Shadow » 02 Nov 2015, 19:54

whodathunkit wrote:A bit of a mixed bag this one. Enough goodies for a thumbs-up though.

1. Sparky little opener. Marching tempo, thundering brass, probably called "I need never get old". Very nice.
2. Early 70s prog feel about this. Phasing, churning organ, frequent cries of "Freedom!" and a lyric about the value of keeping on trucking. Probably retro rather than the real thing but enjoyable all the same.
3. Clean contemporary soul cut, big on technique, low on feeling sung by one of those Olly Murs types. He probably has a a daft little goatee and wears a stupid leather pork-pie hat and needs a slap badly. Not for me I'm afraid.
4. Moody medium-paced ballad. Vocals remind me of Roots Manuva though it's a long way from his style. Loved this one.
5. Pleasant light folky thing that comes and goes with little impression. Not Mumford and Son level of bland but not far off.
6. Strange cover of "Stay In My Corner". with some nice playing but horrible echoey heavily-processed vocals. Interesting if unneccessary.
7. Starts with some nice raggedy-arsed slide but it turns into your average non-classic rock song. The slide still carries the thing through though.
8. Another one that just passes me by without raising the mercury. Bluesy shuffling beat and growly good-old-boy vocals. Meh!
9. Not much appeal here either. Shouty vocals. messy playing, not much song.
10. By this stage I was thinking I'd stop liking music but then Richard Hawley comes along and saves the day. Don't know this one, it sounds like all his others but that's fine by me :D
11. Lovely country track with a touch of mariachi about Fennario. A favourite.
12. Big stupid beefy rocker about what happens "when the drugs kick in". It seems I still do like rock after all. Terrific.
13. Slow gospel moaner which is right up my street. Another favourite.
14. More gospel. A fine soul version of Fred McDowell's "You've Gotta Move".
15. Nice bit of funk to close things. From the rawer end of the genre and, unlike so many of these things, it doesn't outstay it's welcome.

Overall, despite a severe sag in the middle, this was a good mix Plenty to explore further and should be an interesting reveal.




This one came from me. I probably should’ve put more Soul in it.

01. You guessed the exact title. Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats. I believe it’s his third album but the first that has the good old R’n’B groove.
02. Definitely retro but in a good way. Guy calls himself Lack of Afro because he has no…
03. New Orleans funk band Galactic, off their new one. Bit of a different direction away from their usual.
04. Hear this in a record shop and bought it straightaway. It’s Ghostpoet who makes records full of electronica but used real instruments for this one. Normally outside my comfort zone but loved it on first hearing.
05. Rayland Baxter ‘s debut album. One of the many new Americana singers.
06. Dan Auerbach’s new project The Arcs. Truth be told it’s not as good as the Black Keys in their heyday.
07. From the second album of bluesers Vintage Trouble.
08. This is Shinyribs aka Kevin Russell, formerly of the Gourds. It’s his third album under this name and I love them all. Nothing earthshaking but good fun.
09. The rest of the Gourds then under the name Hard Pans. I put this in for comparison.
10. Yes, Hawley off the new album. The British answer to Roy Orbison.
11. Another of the many Americana singers. Gill Landry whose day job is with Old Crow Medicine Show. This is an album I can fully recommend.
12. The Del-Lords off their album Elvis Club. Old band given a new chance by Little Steven.
13. The next two tracks are off the Daptone Gold 2 compilation. These are the Como Mamas previously only on a single.
14. Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens.
15. Lastly Sonny Knight & the Lakers off their latest live album.

Sorry about the sag in the middle. Will do better next time.


01. I need never get old – Nathaniel Rateliff & the Night Sweats
02. Freedom – Lack of Afro
03. Domino – Galactic
04. X marks the spot – Ghostpoet
05. Oh my captain – Rayland Baxter
06. Stay in my corner – The Arcs
07. Run like the river – Vintage Trouble
08. Pack it rite – Shinyribs
09. Mount bullshit – The Hard Pans
10. Heart of oak – Richard Hawley
11. Fennario – Gill Landry
12. When the drugs kick in – The Del Lords
13. Out of the wilderness – Como Mamas
14. You gotta move – Naomi Shelton & the Gospel Queens
15. Through with you – Sonny Knight & the Lakers
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Re: September 2015 Reviews

Postby Walk In My Shadow » 28 Dec 2015, 08:19

Apologies to The Fish of course for being this late with my review but we both know why. I hate these modern internet things and this mix finally was brought to that London by horse and cart and then smuggled across several borders.

01. I know this because I hated it at first but then had to change my mind after listens to the full CD. A fine song by Hiss Golden Messenger.
02. I have nothing by this artist (save his Woodstock performance). Richie Havens (that voice!), only a so-so song. Say alright!
03. There’s a mad dog on his trail in this standard electric blues. No idea who though. Good.
04. The magnificent voice of Mark Lanegan in a slow song with great guitar playing. I have all his stuff but this is not immediately familiar. Probably from a CD I don’t play much.
05. And 06 and 07 – I don’t know any of them but they all remind me of those jingly-jangly bands from (the 80’s) like Green on Red and the Long Ryders. They all sound fine enough, by the way.
06. See 05
07. See 05
08. Xx
09. Ray Stinett? One of those long lost LP’s someone re-released. Like Bob Carpenter, etc. Nice country-ish song.
10. Fish and I were both in the same room when this man performed. Austin 2009? It’s Bobby Whitlock. We’ll always have Austin, Paul. Although I was sitting with Six String that night.
11. No idea. Fine and slow guitar song though. I don’t recognize the voice at all. Reminds me of something Spooky Tooth would do.
12. A voice as recognizable as Roger Chapman’s. It’s old fave Sean Rowe with a dirge that wouldn’t sound out of place on one of my Doom Folk mixes. Great stuff.
13. Yes, Al Kooper with a very Dylan sounding song. Another winner. The Band forgot to write this one.
14. Uplifting, up tempo blues rock. But no idea who. See 03 but better, I feel.
15. Pure Americana, sounds like Chris Stapleton but it isn’t him. Nice fiddle and a favourite here.
16. A bit of rockabilly rock ‘n roll. Again very good but I don’t know it.
17. And a slow acoustic to end it all. I’m mystified again.

Every Paul mix gets my 5 star beforehand and this one is no exception. Merry Christmas you grumpy old man.
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The Fish
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Re: September 2015 Reviews

Postby The Fish » 30 Dec 2015, 15:00

Walk In My Shadow wrote:Apologies to The Fish of course for being this late with my review but we both know why. I hate these modern internet things and this mix finally was brought to that London by horse and cart and then smuggled across several borders.

BY my calculations this reveal should be due around April :D

01. I know this because I hated it at first but then had to change my mind after listens to the full CD. A fine song by Hiss Golden Messenger.

I remember that post and I kind of felt the same, which is why I started with this which is actually from an earlier album Poor Moon which is excellent

02. I have nothing by this artist (save his Woodstock performance). Richie Havens (that voice!), only a so-so song. Say alright!

so so song my arse :D you need to remedy that. Start with Alarm Clock

03. There’s a mad dog on his trail in this standard electric blues. No idea who though. Good.

Fat Possum of course - Paul "Wine" Jones

04. The magnificent voice of Mark Lanegan in a slow song with great guitar playing. I have all his stuff but this is not immediately familiar. Probably from a CD I don’t play much.

Actually Duke Garwood, although he is good friends with ML and I believe they made an album together

05. And 06 and 07 – I don’t know any of them but they all remind me of those jingly-jangly bands from (the 80’s) like Green on Red and the Long Ryders. They all sound fine enough, by the way.
06. See 05
07. See 05

5. I can see why you thought of Green On Red, as this is Dan Stuart. not as prolific as Chuck Prophet but worth investigating
6. Austin TX band The Reivers
7. Like me you have tons of this stuff and probably get to revisit a lot from time to time, whenever I dig out this band ot always sounds great and I think I should play them more - Marah


08. Xx

Don't know if you meant to revisit this. I said in London there were two similar tracks from artists with only one album and i thought you might know one but not the other. This is actually the one I thought ypu'd know - Bill Wilson

09. Ray Stinett? One of those long lost LP’s someone re-released. Like Bob Carpenter, etc. Nice country-ish song.

and the one I thought you might not know but your guess is correct

10. Fish and I were both in the same room when this man performed. Austin 2009? It’s Bobby Whitlock. We’ll always have Austin, Paul. Although I was sitting with Six String that night.

Happy times

11. No idea. Fine and slow guitar song though. I don’t recognize the voice at all. Reminds me of something Spooky Tooth would do.

You do know the voice for sure. It's Bobby Hatfield. Moddie started a thread on this album a while back and it's great

12. A voice as recognizable as Roger Chapman’s. It’s old fave Sean Rowe with a dirge that wouldn’t sound out of place on one of my Doom Folk mixes. Great stuff.

Hooray, another Sean Rowe fan. There are few voices out there with such an incredible timbre.

13. Yes, Al Kooper with a very Dylan sounding song. Another winner. The Band forgot to write this one.

Well I was going to say that like LOndon buses, you wait ages for an Al Kooper track..... as Whodathunkit also included an Al Kooper track this month, but as that seems like an age ago, it is hardly a case of two coming at once :D

14. Uplifting, up tempo blues rock. But no idea who. See 03 but better, I feel.

More Fat Possum Elmo Williams and Hezekiah Early

15. Pure Americana, sounds like Chris Stapleton but it isn’t him. Nice fiddle and a favourite here.

American resident Scandinavian Noah Gunderson

16. A bit of rockabilly rock ‘n roll. Again very good but I don’t know it.

Kevin Gordon

17. And a slow acoustic to end it all. I’m mystified again.

Odd you didn't recognise the voice here if not the band. tHis is The Court & Spark which is the band of MC Taylor pre Hiss Golden Messenger

Every Paul mix gets my 5 star beforehand and this one is no exception. Merry Christmas you grumpy old man.

Bah Humbug

1) Hiss Golden Messenger – Drummer Down
2) Richie Havens – Billy John
3) Paul “Wine” Jones – Mad Dog On My Trail
4) Duke Garwood – Burning Seas
5) Dan Stuart – Who Needs More
6) The Reivers – Araby
7) Marah – Angels On A Passing Train
8) Bill Wilson – Long Gone Lady
9) Ray Stinnett – Wheel Of Time
10) Bobby Whitlock – The Scenery Has Slowly Changed
11) Bobby Hatfield - - Show Me The Sunshine
12) Sean Rowe – The Long Haul
13) Al Kooper – Anna Lee
14) Elmo Williams and Hezekiah Early – Blues Jumped The Rabbit
15) Noah Gunderson – Boathouse
16) Kevin Gordon – Fast Train
17) The Court & Spark – Sundowner You

We're way past rhubarb


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