Monday, December 10, 2007

Little Gems: Picked Randomly (Pt. 2)

Ages since I last posted something new here, I know. And all I can do is apologise. Having been rather busy will apply to all of us, so this is no excuse at all. But I promise to do better in 2008 and simultaneously warn you that nothing much might be posted on this blog during the upcoming bank holidays. The truth of the matter is that nothing much spectacular happened lately which would have been worth telling you, at least nothing which I could have combined with some cool records to post here.

Therefore I thought I just do again what I did last time: I'll have another go at this random grab - thingy. First it was pretty cool (at least to me), second because I like it when I get things I didn't expect. And haven't heard for ages also.

So, here we go, what I picked this time from the stack of 7" singles - with closed eyes - is:

Splodgenessabouts - 'Simon Templer'. Hmmmh. I think the B-Side is much more enjoyable, so here it is, from 1980, 'Two Pints Of Lager' (mp3). A total classic, I would think. Teldec Records, a German pressing obviously.

Sportique - 'Don't Believe A Word I Say' (mp3). On Matinee Records from the USA, and it doesn't mention a date on the single. Not that old, I would guess though. 2000 perhaps? First heard on John Peel, of course.
Standells - 'Sometimes Good Guys Don't Wear White' (mp3). A 1995 coloured-vinyl re-issue on Sundazed Music of the 1966 corker. Recorded in Mono, so don't you panic and buy a new stereo tomorrow.

Stitched-Back Foot Airmen - 'Wouldn't You Like To Know' (mp3). On Very Mouth Records from the UK, 1986. Oh boy, haven't heard this one since I first bought it back then ....

Stone Roses - 'Sally Cinnamon' (mp3) from 1987 on Black Records. Now, this is one you all should know. And if you don't: enjoy. This I used to play to death when still DJing. As you will be able to tell because of the crackling of the record.

All of those should be long deleted, let's settle for that. You will surely find the Stone Roses track on some compilation of theirs, finding the other ones could turn out to be difficult.

Not to forget is, as usually, the mighty Contrast Podcast. As well the latest episodes as tomorrow's one, which will be another one in the Seven Deadly Sins - series, all are absolutely adorable. Have a listen, folks. If there ever was a recommendation, here it is ...

Have fun ... and please leave comments. I would be more than happy!

Enjoy,

Dirk

Monday, October 29, 2007

Little Gems: Picked Randomly

Oh boy: one month since I last found the time to post a little something. All I can do is register astonishment and apoligise. Then again: nobody leaves any comments, so I assume nobody's reading this anyway!

I just sent away my Contrast Podcast - contribution to Tim and after having finished here I will listen to this weeks's theme: 'Musicians introduce their own songs Pt. 7'. And I'm really looking forward to find out what was sent in. Next week's topic though is 'Random Shuffle', all you have to do is to put your MP3 player on 'Random' and send in the first song it plays.

Now, I thought I'd make a little random shuffle myself by grabbing a few 7" singles with closed eyes for you to enjoy. They are sorted alphabetically and therefore I might pick some stuff which I haven't heard for a long time indeed ... perhaps for good reasons. But it's all part of the fun, isn't it?

Okay, just returned from the shelf with the 7"s with:


Busters with Laurel Aitken - 'Boogie With The Bartender' (mp3) on Weserlabel from 1989. White vinyl and with very much surface noise. But who cares, ey? Or, as John Peel said: 'Life has surface noise as well.'

Buzzcocks - 'Ever Fallen In Love (With Someone You Shouldn't've)' (mp3) on United Artists, 1978. Brilliant record and certainly one of my all time faves ..... along with The Undertones' 'Teenage Kicks'. But this is filed under 'U' obviously ....

Cadeau De Marriage - 'Pourquoi Es Tu Devenue Si Raisonnable?' (mp3) on Reception Records from 1988. Now, this is really great!! I think I would never have listened to this again by choice for the next 10 years if I hadn't decided to do this random thingy here .... it sounds really awesome on my headphones right now! This is The Wedding Present actually and I must admit I forgot why they decided to translate their name and the title [of 'Why Are You Being So Reasonable Now?'] into French at the time. I once saw them at a gig in Aachen in the mid 80's and they were just unbelievable. It was a rather small venue, you know, and I stood right in front of the stage, like 2 metres away from David Gedge, and he played the guitar so fast, you actually couldn't see his fingers moving. Perfect.

Cake - 'Rock 'n' Roll Lifestyle' (mp3) on Capricorn Records (1994). This is the backside of 'I Will Survive' from 1997. But I prefer it to the A-side and I'm in charge. There you are ..

Cateran - 'Last Big Lie' (mp3) on DDT Records. It doesn't show a date, although I think it's from the mid 80's. 'Cateran' actually is Galic for 'Hooligan'. At least Peel once mentioned this. Another one I wouldn't have listened to if it weren't for this random theme. Which shows me: I should do this more often

Dear friends, I can only hope you had as much fun as I had. Leave a comment and let me know if you want to listen to another random selection one of these days. And:

Enjoy.

Dirk

Tuesday, October 9, 2007

Does Size Really Count?

Tuesday afternoon ... and the new episode of the Contrast Podcast is not up yet. Strange how one manages to addict himself to little pleasant things in life, isn't it? Today's theme is 'Short Songs' (less than 2 minutes) and I thought I'd kill some time whilst waiting for Tim to finish his work today and post a few short songs I like quite a lot. Alas I can't tell you about my contribution, this would spoil the fun for the other participants. Especially for Fil from Pogo A Go-Go, I would have thought. Then again: with today's topic it is rather unlikely that two people sent in the same song. Although I'm willing to have a small bet that Fil's choice is gonna turn out to be 'You Suffer' by Napalm Death: excellent for dancing, by the way!! Would have been my choice if I were in the position to be able to transform my records into MP3's ***grrrhhh*** this Wave Editor really does my head in!!!

Aaaaanyway: for those of you who think 'what the hell is he bragging about?' ... click the link above and listen to the Contrast Podcast .... or listen to this ... short into the point, but wonderful:

01:54: Bad Livers - 'Lust For Life' ('91) [mp3]

01:47: Birdland - 'Hollow Heart' (acoustic version) ('90) [mp3]

01:59: Detroit Cobras - 'Shout Bama Lama' ('04) [mp3]

01:59: Ideal - 'Männer Gibt's Wie Sand Am Meer' (live) ('81) [mp3]

01:42: Pop Will Eat Itself - 'The Black Country Chainstore Massacre' ('86) [mp3]

01:24: Primal Scream - 'Velocity Girl' ('86) [mp3]

01:44: Soup Dragons - 'Whole Wide World' ('86) [mp3]

You can buy Bad Livers here and Detroit Cobras here . The others are taken from the original - limited - 7" (Birdland), 12"s (PWEI, Primal Scream, Soup Dragons) and LP (Ideal). I bought them when they came out and I think they were deleted before most of you were born. There you are. But because I'm such a nice guy I will of course help you, should you need further information: just leave a comment. And, of course, enjoy.

Dirk

Monday, October 1, 2007

Contrast Podcast

Dear friends,

before I forget: listen to this week's edition of the mighty Contrast Podcast, if you want to do yourself a favour. It is a real treat. Believe me. The topic was 78 rpm records, which might sound a bit old fashioned and perhaps even boring to you at first sight, but I guarantee this is not the case. So many wonderful songs have been contributed, you really shouldn't miss to listen ....

Enjoy!

Dirk

Sexy Segues ....

It would be interesting to know if this only happens to me ....

Do you remember the old times when you used to make nice little mixtapes for girls in order to impress them with your wide and brilliant musical taste? Okay, most of the times all the work was in vain, because the girls would rather date the bloke who listened to the charts all day, but that's not the point. On these mixtapes, or, nowadays, on CD/MP3 - compilations, I always find myself segueing the same two songs. Regardless of what I think has also got to be on [the limited space of] the tape/CD, I always find myself sitting there, thinking: "now, THIS has just GOT to be followed by THAT, there's no way around it!!".

Not terribly easy to explain and I don't think you will know what I'm trying to say ... so here are a few examples: after having put Pete Best Beatles 'Alamein Train' (mp3) on the tape, there is nothing I can do but follow it up with Terry & Gerry's 'Wait Until You're Older' (mp3). The same is true for Rocketgoldstar's 'Autopilot' (mp3), the only reasonable segue can be done with Clinic's ' The Return Of Evil Bill' (mp3).

There are quite a few combinations I could think of currently, but the above will have to do for the moment. It would be neat to know though if this really only happens to me ...... and if this is not the case, what YOUR segues might possibly be ....


Comments, anyone?

Have fun,

Dirk



Pete Best Beatles: from the 'Sounds For The Sophisticated Music Lovers' - 7"- EP on Strine Records (SM001), Australia 1984. Deleted. Of course.

Terry & Gerry: from the 'Butter's On The Bread' - 7" - EP on Vindaloo Records (UGH7), England 1984. Deleted. As Well.

Rocketgoldstar: from the 'Soul Of A Nu Machine' - MCD on FF Vinyl, Wales 2000. Deleted. Most probably.

Clinic: from the 'Internal Wrangler' - CD on Zorba, England 2000. Still available. Nearly everywhere.

Friday, September 21, 2007

"Girl, You're Gonna Drive Me To Drinkin' If You Don't Stop Drivin' That Hot Rod Lincoln"

Dear friends,

why I chose this driving topic, I simply have no idea at all, perhaps it is just because I was rather late for work this morning and drove a bit too fast .... perhaps it is just because both songs featured in today's post I always liked a lot and can't get them out of my head.

'Hot Rod Lincoln' was first recorded by Charlie Ryan and the Livingston Brothers back in 1955. Apparently Ryan had a 1941 Lincoln Zephyr 4-door Sedan at the time, which he turned into a Hot Rod over the years and kept it until his death.

The song became a little hit for Johnny Bond a few years later, Johnny being one of Gene Autrey's regular sidekicks at the time and Autrey owned the public rights to the song. Alas I've heard neither of the two versions, but perhaps one of these days ... who knows?

Anyway, Jane Bond's version of 'Hot Rod Lincoln' (mp3), recorded in 1982, is good enough for me. First issued as a 7" on Ear Movie Records (EM2S007) it had 'Come On Up' on the flipside, backing vocals on this track by Susanna, Debbi and Vicki .... and if those names don't ring a bell, you know them as the Bangles. I once saw the Bangles play in the early 80's in a nearby village and briefly met Susanna Hoffs .... well, she stood some 50 metres away and looked in my direction, but that did it for me. That and the fact that she said in an interview to be eating Milky Way (or was it Mars?) Bars whilst having a shower would be pretty cool. I was a 15 year old adolescent at the time, easily aroused I might add, and the thought alone of her showering - with or without eating sweets - .... oh boy! But I digress (and should've posted a Bangles track instead, I think), sorry for that.

Back to Jane Bond & The Undercovermen. Jane Bond came from L.A. and were Lisa Mitchell (as Jane obviously) and Ethan James as (at least one of) the Undercovermen. Multi-instrumentalist James founded Radio Tokyo Studios and produced such acts as Black Flag, Minutemen, Red Hot Chilli Peppers and ... The Bangles (ha!!).

Jane Bond recorded two albums, the first, self-titled one, is from 1981, the second one, 'Politically Correct' seems to be from 1982, although I'm not absolutely certain about that, personally I think it was issued two or even three years later. Anyway I cannot recommend it enough, it is a real treat throughout and can rather easily be found in your favourite second hand record shop, I would think.


The second driving/racing tune, another one that you don't hear all that often, comes from Drag Racing Underground, some side project out of Big Stick, if not Big Stick themselves. Issued as a 7", limited to 500 copies only (far too few, I would think) on Snakeskin Records in 1989, 'Hellfire' (mp3) remained one of my favourites ever since ... and I can only hope you will enjoy it as much as I always did!

As usually: comments and/or requests: highly appreciated!

Take care,

Dirk

Thursday, September 6, 2007

Vapors - 'Spring Collection'

Hello friends,

the good news is: the mighty Tim Young from Contrast Podcast has replied, saying he wants me on his blog: I feel deeply honoured by his invitation, you can believe me! The bad news is: still I don't owe a microphone and furthermore this week's topic is more than difficult, at least it is for me: 'Back To School' .... I have no idea which song I could possibly contribute ... nevertheless I hope both problems will be solved in due course.

Today's download comes from the Vapors, best known for their 'Turning Japanese', I would think. A brilliant song, therefore it's a shame that it frequently turns up nowadays on cheap Indie/Punk/New Wave - compilations, the ones you find in the bargain bin at the supermarket, you know what I mean.

'Spring Collection' (mp3) though is taken from their 1980 album 'New Clear Days' on United Artist Records. In my eyes it is much more enjoyable than 'Turning Japanese', and this has not much to do with the sell-out of 'TJ': it's just because it's a catchy little number which gets stuck in your head for the whole day ... at least it got stuck in mine. Kindly let me know if the same happened to you, will you? And: enjoy!

Valley Girls - 'Marina Men'

"Yeah, I learnt quite a while ago not to be afraid to wear fashion underwear"... is, I would think, my favourite song line ever. It's the last phrase from the Aquavelva Geek before the fantastic 'Marina Men' (mp3) by the Valley Girls fades out, recorded in 1982 and issued as a 12" on Rhino Records. Deleted, of course. If I only had a scanner I would be able to share with you the wonderful back of the sleeve, which in fact is described as the 'Val Talk To English Dictionary'. The description of the Aquavelva Geek for example reads as thus: "(ak' wa vel'va gek) n. : Distasteful individual hailing from Marina Del Ray area; frequently divorced and on the make." Next to this there is a little comic-style drawing of the Geek with clothing details described below: "1. attempted perm on balding head, 2. fake gold chain, 3. unbuttoned white collar shirt, 4. chest hair wig, 5. Casio alarm watch w/ Pac Man game, 6. Ultra-suede jacket, 7. doubleknit pants, 8. Justin boots. "

The Valley Girls were Chrissy Peters (16), Sonia Gordon (16) and Pamy (18). If I only knew where they are now that we need them ....

Hate me for it, but I love this record. Enjoy .... and let me know what you think about it, please.

Wednesday, September 5, 2007

For a starter ....

Well, what can I say? Why did I start this? Frankly speaking, the main reason was that I fell in love with the absolutely brilliant concept of 'Contrast Podcast' and I wanted to participate. Took some time, but there you are ..... as far as I understood it, the only thing I need now is a mike and a good idea about how to prepare my little intro ... in the meantime I will try to post a few gems I always liked a lot: perhaps you know them already and are happy to hear them again. But perhaps they are new to you and give you as much pleasure as they gave to me .... either way: enjoy.