I Just Want To Lay On This Block Of Ice

Superb blast of garage rock by John Dwyer's Thee Oh Sees, from their The Master's Bedroom Is Worth Spending The Night In album from a couple of years back. Any of their stuff is worth spending some time with.

BlockOfIce.mp3

Swaggering

Some lo-fi, garage rock goodness for you this lovely Tuesday. Ty Segall is from San Francisco, and plays either on his own or as part of a three piece. Simple rhythms, overloaded acoustic guitars, muddy vocals- gutter punk stuff, similar to Thee Oh Sees or Black Lips.

Last day of August. End of summer. Back to school.

Harrumph.

swag.mp3

Pressure Drop A Drop On You

Pressure Drop, by Toots And The Maytals, is one of the great reggae songs, and was covered in brilliant rock reggae style by The Clash (b-side to the English Civil War single). Neither are the version posted here on this Bank Holiday Monday evening- this version of Pressure Drop is by The Specials, and before you scratch your heads and go checking your original Two Tone vinyl album tracklists, this wasn't done by a version containing either Terry Hall or Jerry Dammers. In 1996 a rump version of The Specials led by Neville Staple, and joined by Lynval Golding, Roddy Byers, Horace Panter and a host of other folk released an album called Today's Specials. Neville Staple has carried on gigging and recording throughout the 80s and 90s, and was always including Specials and covers songs in his sets. So the recent reformation (albeit without Jerry) wasn't the first time the band had reformed, or partially reformed. Anyway to get to the point, they covered Pressure Drop, and while it's not as gloriously ragged as either the Toots or Clash covers, it's good and sounded great wafting around earlier, with this late summer sunshine we've enjoyed today.

The Specials - Pressure Drop.mp3

Friday Night Is Rockabilly Night 26

Back after a fortnights absence this week's rockabilly action comes from Dublin courtesy of Imelda May. She's done Later With Jools Holland and supported all kinds of big bands (big as in famous rather than big as in Glen Miller), but we won't hold either against her. I got this free on a magazine cd recently, and it's definitely got the rockabilly spirit and sound. She's a sneaky freak mind...

04 Sneaky Freak.wma

Live And Direct From My Living Room

After the end of Big Audio Dynamite Mick Jones formed a band with mate Tony James (formerly of Generation X and Sigue Sigue Sputnik), and started off making guitar and sample based punk-riff-rock, distributing everything for free over the internet. I saw them at some point at Night And Day, good fun, very hot and sweaty, no Clash songs, but a good night out. By 2007 the songs had sharpened up and they issued a cd album The Last Post, with a cover featuring a load of the memorabilia Mick has collected over the years, and is now displaying in his mobile rock 'n' roll museum. Bring it up North Mick! This song, Why Do Men Fight?, was the closer to the album and the best, a cool guitar riff, driving bass, four to the floor drumming, and Mick's meditations on the nature of blokes and why they can't help punching each other- 'religion, race, colour, creed, law, jobs, drugs, whatever'. Alcohol, girls and football seem to be missing from the list but hey, this is a good, simple song, great when played loud in the car.

We're off camping for the Bank Holiday, despite the mixed weather forecast and below average end-of-summer temperatures. Brave or foolish? Time will tell. Don't worry, the rockabilly's all set up for later. Have a good weekend.

12 Why Do Men Fight-.wma

I'll Sell My Guitar And Never Look Back

Arab Strap guitarist Malcolm Middleton released a solo album in 2005 called IntoThe Woods. This song Break My Heart was the opening track and a single. Set to soaring, uplifting, guitars and strings backing it contains some of the most jaundiced and bleakly honest lyrics I've heard.

'You're gonna break my heart and I know it
But if you don't
You're gonna break my unhappiness and destroy my career
I'd rather feel full than sing these shit songs
I'll sell my guitar and never look back'

Later Malcolm ratchets up the long, dark night of the soul with

'If I don't have you I'm condemend to sing shit songs
I'll fuck my guitar and drink myself to death
I don't want to sing these shit songs anymore'

Sung in his strong Scottish accent against such a great song musically, totally believable and totally honest, caught in the bind between his art, his view of his art, and his personal life.


01 Break My Heart.wma

Burmese Days

Mission Of Burma were an American post-punk band, a three piece guitar band with a fourth member, Martin Swope, who played 'tapes', which sounds pretty cool and very post-punk. Inspired by punk they tried to stretch it and change it with tempo changes, strange chord progressions, being a bit arty and unconventional, and with the aforementioned tapes. This song, That's When I Reach For My Revolver, came out in 1981 and is probably their best known, and is a thrilling blast of post-punk energy. They split up in 1983 partly due to one of them having tinnitus, although they did reform a few years ago

I'm looking at the case for this cd (a re-issue) and remembering in a flash I bought this in HMV in Richmond, posh south London, land of The Rolling Stones. We were there several years ago for the wedding of Mrs Swiss' best friend, and I'd been asked to do the record playing for the reception. Transporting myself, Mrs Swiss (unknown to us just pregnant with child number 2, so feeling a bit off colour), wedding clothes etc, record playing gear and records, to London from Manchester in a Fiat Punto, having left child number 1 with grandparents made the whole thing a mad rush. We had a couple of hours in Richmond, wandered round, bit of lunch, bought Mission Of Burma cd, all very pleasant. The ceremony and reception were in Richmond Park, I think in what used to be a hunting lodge, with fantastic views over south London. As I set up the gear for the disco the venue manager informed me there was a decibel reader above the bar. I could see it flashing green. If the music got too loud, the display would flash red and then cut the sound out for ten seconds. As you can imagine this was inevitable, and I tripped it three times, once during the brides' only request (Ms Dynamite) and the third time, towards the finale of the evening, during Iggy's Lust For Life. The really funny thing was when the sound cut out, people would continue dancing to silence for a couple of seconds, then stand still and look around, and then give an almighty cheer as it came back on, slightly lower in volume than before. At which point I'd gently (or not so gently, depending on alcohol intake) shove the fader up and watch the lights edge closer to the red. The other disco points of note were a bloke pestering me to play Doug Lazy's Let It Roll promising a group of dancers if I did, and the bride's sister standing right in front of the decks with her arms folded, scowling at me for a good ten minutes. Happy days. Strange but wonderful how looking at the cover of this Mission Of Burma cd brings it all back.

01 That's When I Reach for My Revolver.wma

Flipping Heck

Bleepy, dubby, low-key, electronica from Nightmares On Wax (Warp Records, 2006's In A Space Outta Sound). Nightmares On Wax is Leeds DJ and producer George Evelyn, who as well as making top records has a good line in hats.

03 Flip Ya Lid.wma

More Audrey (Thrice)

While I'm on a roll, from 1995, Fun-Da-Mental remixed by Weatherall's Sabres Of Paradise. According to wiki Fun-Da-Mental are a 'multi-ethnic, hip hop, ethno-techno, world fusion music group...with an outspoken political stance'. Strange to think that this kind of thing was all the rage in the mid-90s.

04 Mother India [Sabres Of Paradise Sabres At Dawn Remix].wma

More Rare Audrey

From 2006, Weatherall's remix of Darlin', by the ungoogleable XX Teens. I know little about the band, other than they changed their name from Xerox Teens after a threat of legal action, they were on Mute, and there was a 12" single with two Weatherall remixes, this mix and a dub. Thinking about it now that I've gone to the trouble of uploading this, the dub might be better. I'm not sure I like this too much to be honest, but given that sharing rare Weatherall tracks is part of Bagging Area's core business I thought you should have it.

Darlin'_(Andrew_Weatherall_Remix).mp3

Rare Audrey

Some Andrew Weatherall for you on an August Wednesday morning, where at the moment it's not raining. This is the Two Lone Swordsmen remix of Paul Weller's Heliocentric, from his album of the same name, from 2000. Not one of his best albums I'm afraid. The remix is one of TLS's best though, and was only released on white label (500 copies I think, got my sticky mitts on one in Vinyl Exchange for under a fiver). Rumour has it that Weller didn't like it and it's never had an official release, not even on that 3 cd boxset of b-sides, remixes and other stuff that Weller put out a few years back.

I love this track, and it's best listened to loud. It takes the drums and bass, and a load of noises, and heads into krautrock territory, with a dash of Killing Joke in there as well. Can't imagine why Weller didn't like it. Several years ago a friend in a band once asked me to play records at a gig they were doing, and they'd hired a large PA. Sticking this record on made my night. It sounded immense. It does what a remix should do, take the original and bend it out of all recognisable shape, making something new from something old.

a Heliocentric (Swordsman 4UR Mix).mp3

Cruising

One of the most visually interesting things about The Specials was the brass section, who looked like two old men compared to the frantic collection of rude boys, ex-mods, rockers (and Terry Hall), charging around at the front (or moping around at the front). Rico Rodriguez and Dick Cuthall looked older but just as cool looking back at them now, and on vinyl (or cd or mp3) they sound great. Rico had his own band and in 1980 recorded this single, which came out on Two Tone but failed to chart. The Specials often covered this themselves, and I think recorded it for a Peel Session. Anyway, time to skank about for a bit, in the privacy of your bedroom, frontroom, kitchen or wherever it is you listen to music. Not in the car though, especially if you're driving...

10 Sea Cruise.wma

I Don't Want To Live My Life Like Everybody Else

A couple of Sundays ago BBC4 showed Ray Davies' set from this year's Glastonbury, where in a masterstroke of scheduling he was up against England playing in the World Cup. Luckily he's armed with some of the best songs written by one man, and knowing how poor England were the crowd that opted for Ray made the right decision. It was a greatest hits set with a huge choir joining him for several songs, and despite the band being a bit ploddy in parts Ray was on fire, the frontman England didn't have. I can live without the whole notion of 'classic rock', the greatest songwriters ever lists, the constant mythologisation of the 1960s, and all that nostalgia driven rock industry, but the set was a joy to watch.

He didn't play this song (it wasn't on the programme if he did) but it's one of The Kinks' best and firmly in the tradition of great bands chucking out great b-sides. It's also a brilliant outsider song, and maybe like See My Friends and the much more well known Lola an outsider song in terms of sexuality as well.

02 I'm Not Like Everybody Else.mp3

Well, Most Of All Nothing Much Ever Really Happens

Nick Cave is back next month with his heavily bearded, heavily laced with black humour, heavy blues guitar monster machine Grinderman. This is good news. Some of Nick Cave's records, from The Birthday party to The Bad Seeds to Grinderman are amongst the finest late 20th century/early 21st century stuff there is. And some of his piano ballads can go on a bit. His recent stuff (Abattoir Blues/The Lyre Of Orpheus from 2004, Dig Lazarus, Dig!!! from 2008 and the first Grinderman album have all been high points. Even if I've never loved the entire album from start to finish they've all had some great songs- We Call Upon The Author (DLD!!!), No Pussy Blues (Grinderman) and this one Get Ready For Love (AB/TLOO) for starters. Supercharged punk gospel this one, co-written with the Grinderman boys. Top stuff.

The Grinderman single and album are released in September. At grinderman.com you can buy the single on 12" red vinyl with a poster and a different version of the single with guest guitar solo from Robert Fripp. If you give them your email they'll let you download the radio edit of Heathen Child for free. If you then get on over to Moggieboy's Ripped In Glasgow blog (link to the left in the blog list) you'll find the eagerly anticipated and very, very good Andrew Weatherall remix of Heathen Child (also free, but less legal). Finally, if you're not at work you should have a look at the video which features Grinderman dressed as all sorts including Greek heroes, a wolf, hairy monsters, various Gods, lots of facial hair, nudity (male and female), laser beams coming out of eyes and other orifices and a girl in the bath.

01 Get Ready for Love.wma

Move Your Body To The Rhythm Of Love

Stylistically a complete turnaround from today's earlier postees McCarthy, and I can't think of anything to say about this 1991 hit from Wrexham's premier dance outfit K Klass, other than it's a great homegrown house record and it puts a smile on my face whenever I hear it. I know some of you come here for the rockier stuff and some of you come here for the dancier stuff and I keep randomly veering between the two, and that's just the way it is, as Steve Winwood once said.

Rhythm Is A Mystery [Remix].mp3

Should The Bible Be Banned?

Described by Nicky Wire as 'communism with tunes' McCarthy were Stereolab man Tim Gane's first band, releasing three albums and numerous singles in the mid-to-late 80s. This one, Should the Bible Be Banned?, is one of their best- shimmering guitars and a satirical lyric asking if the murder of Abel by Cane would inspire copycat killings, at a time when the tabloid press asked the same question but about TV and film rather than the bible. There's a nice compilation album That's All Very Well But... which is worth getting if you can find it (or you can download it from emusic).

McCarthy_02_Should The Bible Be Banned.mp3

Release The Bats

Your honour, I'm not and never have been a goth, but like most 80s subcultures there was something going on that is worthy of credit. Exhibit A, the 12" version of Bela Lugosi's Dead by Bauhaus. Please note the scratchy post-punk guitars and bass and drum work reminiscent of The Bunnymen, and the ludicrous but praiseworthy vocal by Mr Murphy. I believe he is the one with the cheekbones. This may be gothic m'lud but it is also art. Fields Of The Nephilim? The Mission? No Your Honour, but Bauhaus, certainly. The defence rests.

Bela Lugosi s Dead.mp3

Belas Knap

One of the highlights of holidaying in the Cotswolds was visiting a multitude of historical sites in the area- two Roman villas, a ruined Medieval Cistercian Abbey, an abandoned country pile used during World War II as an RAF radar development centre, a couple of castles, and two prehistoric burial chambers. This one is Belas Knap, on top of a hill a few miles outside Cheltenham. I'm not a new age hippy, and don't celebrate the solstice but there's something about burial chambers and barrows which fascinates me.

This being prehistoric burial chambers the obvious candidate for a musical track is one from Julian Cope, whose The Modern Antiquarian book may be his greatest accomplishment, although Head On and Repossessed are more fun. This is Safesurfer but not the version on Peggy Suicide. This is from the 1991 tour only 7" single, which was obviously pretty rare. Before ebay and cd re-issues with extra tracks and blogs like this one.

Safesurfer.mp3

I Don't Want To Go Insane

Back from a very pleasant week away and this song has been digging it's way into my head all week, due to it soundtracking the adverts for This Is England '86 on Channel 4. The first digital reggae track, and this being Jamaican reggae there are copious stories and legends about it- apparently there are over 180 versions of Wayne Smith's Under Me Sleng Teng, and it may or may not be based on Eddie Cochran's Something Else (which featured in Bagging Area's Friday Night Rockabily series some time back). I'm no expert on modern reggae in any way, but this is a tip top track.

Wayne Smith - Under Me Sleng Teng.mp3

Friday Night Is Rockabilly Night 25

By the time you read this my family and I shall be on holiday, cottaging in the Cotswolds (not that sort of cottaging, honestly, you lot and your filthy minds), and there'll be no posts until next Friday at the earliest. Feel free to leave comments in my absence though, I may try to check in on my phone. A bit sad that isn't it.

The Stray Cats were going to have to feature somewhere in this series, being the popular face of the 80s rockabilly revival. Lead Stray Cat Brian Setzer is pretty highly regarded in the US still today, where he has an orchestra. I think Joe Strummer wrote a song for him at some point in the late 90s, though I don't have it. Anyway, strut on...

Stray Cat Strut.mp3