Sweet

Pete Molinari- Medway delta bluesman and owner of many very dapper coats and hats- with his most gorgeous moment, Sweet Louise. Yeah, he could be described as Dylanesque but everyone's got to be influenced by somebody and when the song, singing and playing are this good, who cares?

Sweet Louise.mp3

Check Your Sheds, Check Your Sheds, I Think I've Lost My Mind

For Webbie and any other interested readers- Half Man Half Biscuit played one of their rare gigs in Leicester on Thursday night. There was a full first team plus substitutes of middle aged men in Dukla Prague away kits and HMHB's merchandise stall with cassette singles from the eighties still being offered. Echolocation, friends of mine were supporting them, and played their customary experimental set, being greeted with both applause and bafflement. HMHB arrived on stage at 9 ish and then played 29 songs in under two hours. Opening up with a tribute to two recently departed icons (Poly Styrene and Fred Titmus) they played songs from their whole back catalogue, from The Trumpton Riots up to new and unreleased ones, with top quality between song banter- especially the bit about an argument guitarist Ken had at Bradgate Park about whether you should have salt on boiled eggs. Speaking to Geoff, manager and owner of Liverpool's Probe (shop and record label), he said the new album should be out in September with at least eleven new songs. However by this point I had drunk quite a lot, and my memories are a little blurry. H, guitarist in Echolocation and long standing campanero of mine, recorded the whole gig from the mixing desk. Towards the end, during the song Them's The Vaguaries, my drunken voice shouting out the next line of the song ('Bin Men, thin men , lexicographers') is clearly audible during the breakdown in the middle of the song. Apologies for that. This is set closer (I think, it was towards the end if not the final song) We Built This Village On A Trad Arr. Tune, live in Leicester two nights ago. How's that for blogging service? This song contains more great lines than most people manage over an album- the title of this post for example, 'Yonder the deacon in misguided trousers', 'It fills me with joy to see moshers out jogging, it fills me with joy to see joggers out moshing', 'It's a cricketing farce with a thickening plot, Act One Scene One Brenda Blethyn gets shot' among them. They may be our finest folk band I think.

we built this village on a trad arr. tune (live in leicester april 2011).mp3

The Return Of Friday Night Is Rockabilly Night 13

I was going to post something pithy about that wedding but frankly, I can't be arsed, so I'm going to ignore as I have all day. It's Friday night, on with the rockabilly.

The Johnny Burnette Trio made some of the best rockabilly stuff there is, and this song Honey Hush is one of them. The guitar sound and tone on this this song may well be perfect.
Full report and music from Half Man Half Biscuit to follow.

Honey Hush.mp3

You're Going On After Crispy Ambulance

After work tonight I'm driving down to Leicester, jewel of the East Midlands, to see Wirral's finest Half Man Half Biscuit play a rare gig. They're at The Auditorium and being supported by Leicester band Echolocation, some of whom I know. I just hope there isn't a running order squabble fest.

'Half past four, half past four, you said half past ten to us'

'No dry ice, no dry ice, hey Jason they've got no dry ice'

'There's no way on earth they should be on after us, they haven't even got an album out'.

'CND? CND? We're not going on after Chas 'n' Dave'

running order squabble fest.mp3

Beastly Brothers

Posting the Beastie Boys' Egg Man the other day led me to dig out Hello Nasty, the follow up to their crossover Ill Communication album. Hello Nasty has got plenty of the 'three men shouting funny stuff over a funky break with a clever sample' thing that they do so well (Super Disco Breakin', Intergalactic) but it also shows them spreading their wings- there's some loungecore, the beautiful ballad I Don't Know, the spooky and minimal Instant Death and this track- Dr. Lee PhD. Recorded with Lee 'Scratch' Perry it's a lo-fi, low key, shuffly, dubby, reggae tune- just a drumbeat, some organ, some funny noises and a load of Lee Perry's profound nonsense lyrics, which finish with 'it's the beastly brothers, and the beastly boys, with their beastly toys'. It's a groovy, addictive little track. I also realised that this record was released in July 1998, the long summer before the birth of our first child and listening to it, the album seemed like a glimpse into a former life.

21 Dr. Lee, PhD.mp3#2#2

Ska Train

Chik-chik, chik-chik.
Everyone on board, pick your seat, the train to skaville.
Chik-chik, chik-chik.

Beep-beep, beep-beep, the train to skaville.

Thanks to Davy H at The Ghost Of Electricity for the prompt.

02 Train to Skaville.wma#1#1

Poly Styrene

Poly Styrene, X-Ray Spex, warrior in Woolworth, germ free adolescent, R.I.P.

3rd of July 1953- 25th of April 2011.

07 Germ Free Adolescents.wma

Bob State

Today's post is from 1993, when 808 State had kind of passed their sell-by date (in the eyes of the press anyway). This 12" single from the Gorgeous album has Balearic guitars, a cracking breakbeat and plenty of melodic summeriness.

Plan 9 (Guitars On Fire Mix).mp3

People

Alfie were a Manchester band from the end of the last century, who formed partly in reaction to lumpen Oasis copycat bands. They played a kind of folky-indie, befriended Badly Drawn Boy and signed to Twisted Nerve, eventually jumping to Parlophone where it ended as these things often do- not big enough sales to satisfy a major record label, then splitting up. They made some good little records. This one, People, was a single in 2003.

01 People.wma

Easter Egg Man

Happy Easter. Enjoy the eggs.

Egg Man.mp3#1#1

This Song's Made Up

I heard this earlier today and it took me right back and reminded what a funny little song it is, but stunning with it. I loved James right up until they became the acceptable face of arena rock and then I lost interest and other things came along. I loved Stutter and Stripmine and One Man Clapping, and the 12" of Sit Down (the Lester Piggott version), and then there was the Weatherall remix of Come Home. I had a long sleeved T-shirt with Come on the front (note to self- check this sentence for double-entendre). The last one I bought was Gold Mother and I think that one was alright too. But I especially loved this song- Hymn From A Village- with it's folky guitar parts, clattering drums and Tim Booth's raw vocal. It's one of those songs that I can't adequately describe, you just have to listen to it, and realise how different this sounded to what was going on around them. Wonderful. It was from their stint on Factory Records and has two Factory catalogue numbers- FAC 119 (the 7", James II) and FAC 138 (12", Village Fire e.p.). I know these details are important to some people.

James - Hymn From A Village.mp3#2#2

Two Suns

This came via email a couple of weeks ago and it's taken me a while to listen to it but it sounded good last night when the Manchester temperature eventually dropped below 25 (25! In April!). It's an e.p. by Two Suns (in reality a chap called Jake Davidson), five songs long, largely electronic with some nice whispered, sing song vox and some interesting instrumentation. He lists Caribou, Squarepusher, Flaming Lips, Animal Collective and Deerhunter among his influences. You can find more here-

http://www.twosunsmusic.bandcamp.com/

There's a dreamy, slightly woozy quality to the whole e.p., and to this song, Wait The Same.

Two Suns - Two Suns EP - 02 Wait the Same.mp3#1#1

Cash Train

Arriving at Platform One tonight, in place of our scheduled Friday Night Is Rockabilly track, is the Orange Blossom Special which set off in 1965 and rattles along, whoop-whooping as it goes. I don't know if it's folk or country or rock 'n' roll or what- it's just a cracking Johnny Cash song. It also has one of the coolest album covers ever. Get it on vinyl to appreciate it fully.

01 Orange Blossom Special.wma#1#1

Fallout

As a flipside to yesterday's Gatto Fritto album I raved about, there's a new long player from San Francisco's Moon Duo. Like Gatto Fritto the album Mazes is only eight songs long and deals with repetition and mood and groove, but with Moon Duo (a husband and wife offshoot from Wooden Shjips) it's all drone, warm fuzz, sine waves, strumming, distortion and motorik drumming. And the beautiful hum of overloaded guitars. If Gatto Fritto is the sunset, Moon Duo are the dark after the summer sun's long gone down. A totally absorbing and electric listen.

The vinyl version of this album comes with a download voucher (to make the music portable) and a free cd of remixes, which I'll let you know about as soon as I've listened to them.

04 Fallout.mp3#1#1

Invisible College

Gatto Fritto (real name Ben Williams, other than that I know nothing) has just released an early contender for album of the year. If you have any interest in dance music or electronic music you need to get this one- an eight track album without a single duff moment, with variety, euphoria, swirly psychedelic moments, blissed out moments, beautiful melancholic moments, squelchy bass moments, loads of lovely noises, and more. I posted Hex here some time ago, and could easily post any of the other seven tracks but I've gone for this one, Invisible College. Eleven minutes of dance rapture so balaeric it's practically got it's own sunset. Playing this earlier while Mrs Swiss was painting the shed it sounded perfect in every way. Go on, get thee to a record shop.

Invisible College.wma

Indie Train

Third in the Bagging Area train series. Last week I picked up a Smiths 12" single, a German import with Yootha Joyce on the cover. The A-side was Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others- who thought in 1986, 'what the German indie market is crying out for is Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others as a single, that's the cross-over song'?. Seems a slightly strange choice. The two songs on the B-side were Frankly, Mr Shankly and The Draize Train. It's a lovely pressing, great clear sound. Yes, I've got the songs already. I don't know if it's worth anything, but it only cost me a couple of quid. This record buying lark is an affliction isn't it?

The Draize Train is one of only three Smiths instrumentals. For whatever reason, Morrissey couldn't, wouldn't or wasn't allowed to provide vocals to for it, and it's a bit difficult to imagine how he could've. The Draize Train is a funky little number, with some Johnny Marr rock guitars, a shuffling groove, quite un-Smithsy really. It also sounds a little dated which is unusual for a Smiths song but there you go. All aboard.

The Draize Train.mp3#2#2

Runaway Dub

Bagging Area doesn't know very much at all about Alice Gold. The singles reviewer in The Guardian Guide on Saturday was a bit sniffy about her. Apparently she's twenty-something, plays the guitar, and makes 60s inspired poppy, psychedelic, soul.

Bagging Area knows a bit about Andrew Weatherall and is pleased to inform you his version of Alice Gold's Runaway Love is a just-under-seven-minutes bass heavy remix, full of sundrenched dub and funny noises, and is just what you need this balmy Wednesday evening.

02 - Runaway Love (Andrew Weatherall Remix).mp3

Scary World Theory

Germany's Lali Puna make minimal electro-pop with lots of lovely bleeps and bloops and ticks and tocks. They've never sounded better than on 2001's Scary World Theory album. The title track is here for your enjoyment, with Valerie's half sung, half whispered vocals and those wonderful hypnotic analogue synths burbling away.

Scary World Theory.mp3

Death In St. Petersburg

This popped up earlier on random play and I'd forgotten how good it was- Death In Vegas' Dirge (Cossack Apocalypse Mix). Part of a 12" remix promo of Dirge (with One Dove's Dot Allison on vox) the other side was the Adrian Sherwood dub remix I posted ages ago. This remix takes DiV to Russia with a lovely extended finger picking intro and some vocal samples, then ramping up the ramshackle groove for eight minutes, all mist, fog, fur hats, revolutionaries and cossacks on horseback. The remix was by The Chocolate Layers, Jarvis Cocker and Steve Mackey of Pulp who provided a remix of Black Box Recorder posted here last month. This is a really good remix if somewhat unsuited to the glorious sunshine we've got in M33 at the moment.

dirge cossack apocalypse.mp3#1#1

Timber

Timber Timbre has a new album out soon, the excellently titled Creep On Creepin' On. This track Woman is great- unsettling, dramatic, rich and textured. I've not heard the whole album yet but if this song is anything to go by it'll be a good 'un. You don't need your hood up indoors though young man.

TimberTimbre-Woman.mp3

Very Early Audrey

I found this on Youtube earlier today- hey, I'm off work for Easter, what else is there to do? I can't get the clip to embed at the moment so follow the link if you're interested in what claims to be very early Andrew Weatherall. The song, Laughing Soul, has Weatherall fronting a band called The Other Side live at Windsor Arts Centre on September 22nd 1981. The only photo does show a very young Weatherall with a bleached quiff, singing. The audio track gives us Windsor's own version of A Certain Ratio's punk-funk. I remember an interview with Weatherall where he mentioned this band and he claimed there were no surviving tapes. Posted by Pylon King, this is either a surviving recording of Weatherall's first band or a hoax. And frankly who could be bothered to hoax it? Enjoy, Weatherall obsessives. Both of you.

http://youtu.be/WUM7yWp9t5k

Lights On

One of the things about the caravan we stayed in last week was it had more TV channels than we have at home, including a variety of music channels. NME TV had an hour of Arctic Monkeys and Kasabian videos showing one evening, head to head. I can't stand Kasabian, but a lot of songs by Sheffield's finest I really like and I'd forgotten about this one, Leave Before The Lights Come On, a single from 2006 which has some of the ramshackle charm of the first album and none of the more overbearing muscularity of the second.

01 Leave Before the Lights Come On.wma

MARRS Attacks

Pump Up The Volume by MARRS is surely one of the greatest singles ever made and a number one single to boot. From 1987 it was a one-off collaboration between members of AR Kane and Colourbox, both Bagging Area favourites, with extra input from djs Dave Dorrell and CJ Mackintosh. Does it sound twenty four years old? I've lost track of how things should sound after that amount of time. Made up mainly of samples it still shakes dancefloors- well, the floor in my front room anyway. I don't know if anyone would play it in a proper club anymore. This is the B-side Anitina (The First Time I See She Dance), made up of an AR Kane track with Colourbox programming the drum machine.

Anitina (The First Time I See She Dance).mp3

Record Shopping

So, as I mentioned earlier we were on holiday in Lincolnshire this last week, and I suggested one day we visit the very pleasant market town of Louth (home of Robert Wyatt don't you know). I knew for a fact (through pre-holiday research, sad ,yes, I know) that Louth contains a record shop, advertised in the music monthly magazines. At an opportune moment I slip off from the three other adults and five children and spend some time rummaging through the crates at Off The Beaten Track Records. After a while everyone else turns up and the kids buy a dvd, the adults chat to the owner and I buy several records, new and second hand. If you're ever in eastern England, get yourself to Louth and Off The Beaten Track.

I think this let's me off not taking part in Record Shop Day, part of which does annoy me- limited edition re-issues which turn up on ebay hours later at inflated sums. I wholeheartedly support record shops and helping them survive. I just don't need to be told when to go to queue for hours to get something special. You can get something special in a record shop any day of the week.

For the record the trawl included a Smiths e.p. (German import 12") with Some Girls Are Bigger Than Others as the A-side, The Vaccines' If You Wanna on 7", a Carter Family album (a 1974 re-issue), a very nice 12" copy of Pump Up The Volume (yes, I have already got it, but it's in perfect nick with thick cardboard picture sleeve), and the 7" of this- Dishonest John by The Jim Jones Revue. It's a right old life-affirming rock 'n' roll racket, and I couldn't play it with a hangover, but it hits the spot right now.

Dishonest John.mp3

Back

Hello. Back from a caravan near the Lincolnshire Wolds and coast. A much underrated part of the country. Lovely.

Whatever part of my brain that has focussed on blogging for the last year and a half has switched itself off while being away, so a random track from the hard drive- Dole Drums (The Wolf Howard Theme), as played by Wild Billy Childish and The Musicians of the British Empire, a rocking instrumental- 60s inspired, organ led, surfy, Ready, Steady, Go!, basement bar with Scotch and Coke. Wolf is the drummer in Billy's bands and also takes pinhole photographs. I love the way they mix up 60s garage and Victoriana.

Dole Drums (The Wolf Howard Theme).mp3#1#1

Rockabilly Train

Elvis. He kissed a girl, and she liked it.

From riding the rasta train earlier this week to a short hop on the rockabilly train. Elvis' Mystery Train is the grandaddy song, one of the actual starting points for this thing we're all obsessed with. It's got many qualities that are impossible to pin down and I'm not even going to try, except to say if you haven't got this, get it now. We're going away for a week, not by train sadly. Back online on Saturday April the 16th I should think. Be good while I'm away. Don't make a mess and remember to feed the cat.

02 Mystery Train.wma

Open Me Or Untie Me

This is pretty rare I think, and I'm fairly sure I got it from a blog I visit often recently-ish. I can't remember where. If it was yours and you're upset I'm reposting it, I'm sorry (insert smily face emoticon here). It came on the music player in the car on the way home from work yesterday and nearly took the top of my head off. Primal Scream's Higher Than The Sun re-remixed by The Orb. It's not that different from the Screamadelica version, just longer, spacier and trippier. And then some.

Higher Than The Sun (Higher Than The Kite Mix).mp3#1#1

Sight Of You

There's no getting away from it- Pale Saints 1989 song Sight Of You is shoegazing with a capital S. And very plummy, choirboy vocals. I haven't heard this for years and it doesn't quite match up with the song it was in my head, but it's still good enough for a Thursday night.

Sight_Of_You.mp3

Go Between

The Go-Betweens were an Australian group formed in the early eighties, inspired by punk, The Velvet Underground's Loaded album and Jonathan Richman. They moved to London thinking the streets would be paved with post-punk gold and at first released a single on Postcard (home of Aztec Camera and Orange Juice). Based around twin songwriters Robert Forster and Grant McLennan they wrote some lovely, wistful, sardonic, imaginative songs releasing a slew of good albums. They ended with a nearly hit in 1988 with the single Streets Of Your Town (which Radio 1 only played on sunny days apparently) and the shiny 16 Lovers Lane album it came off. This song, Draining The Pool For You, sees Robert Forster (front in photo) imagining working for a decadent rock star as pool boy, becoming increasingly fed up with the decadent behaviour he sees. It's from their 1984 album Spring Hill Fair. I was introduced to The Go-Betweens by an ex, who had 16 Lovers Lane. I think it was the only positive thing I got out of it.

06 Draining the Pool for You.wma#2#2

Linger On

I think this day last year was Paul Haig Day, organised by JC at The Vinyl Villain. For whatever reason that's not happened this year, but I was reminded of it and thought I'd post this- Paul Haig and Edwyn Collins' cover version of The Velvet Underground's Pale Blue Eyes. This is really something, the guitar playing and vocals stunning. In fact it's not only the best cover of a Velvet's song by anyone I've heard but it might even be better than the original. Heresy, I know.

Edit- I'm talking/typing absolute nonsense as Davy just pointed out, getting my Paul's all confused. The Paul here is Paul Quinn not Paul Haig. *hangs head in shame*

Pale_Blue_Eyes.mp3#1#1

Lord Sabre Day

Today is April the 6th, Andrew Weatherall's birthday. Two Lone Swordsmen's excellent and krauty remix of Fujiya and Miyagi is your present. Blow the candles out and make a wish.

Electro Karaoke (Two Lone Swordsmen Remix).mp3#1#1

Rasta Train

Mystery train, sixteen coaches long, freedom train, long black train, there's a train a-coming you don't need a ticket you just get on board, train in vain, the train from Kansas City, take me to the station and put me on the train, driver 8, night train, midnight train to Georgia, trainspotting, modern life is rubbish. Rasta Train by Lee and Jimmy, produced by Lee Perry, deep 70s dub.

Lee Scratch Perry_16_Rasta Train.mp3

1.47 In Berlin

My little brother IAMT (that's not him in the picture) ran the Berlin Half Marathon yesterday in the very respectable time of one hour forty seven minutes. But he is only thirty, a whippersnapper. IAMT was running to raise money for The MPS Society, who help children and families affected by Mucopolysaccharide diseases. Long term readers will know my son IT was born with MPS 1 Hurler's Disease, a life-limiting, severely disabling illness. You can find out more here

http://www.mpssociety.co.uk/

This is the Angst Part 1, by Berlin based DJ Hell (that's him in the picture). A simmering, moody, and yes Teutonic-sounding piece of electronic music from 2009.

The Angst part 1.mp3

Typical Girls

Last night Mrs Swiss and I saw a performance by Sheffield's Gay Choir (a friend of ours is in the choir) and they did a very good version of this song- Typical Girls by The Slits, four part harmonies and everything.

The Slits - Typical Girls.mp3#1#1

Dirty

Royal Trux were a duo, Neil Hagarty and Jennifer Herrema, who sprung/staggered forth from Washington DC garage band Pussy Galore. They formed Royal Trux while a couple, recorded several albums of sleazy, druggy US alt-rock (isn't the alt prefix horrible?) and were briefly quite rated and fashionable (before drugs and then splitting up did for them). They had a song called Waterpark which I think I've got on 7" which sounded a bit like Exile On Main Street era Stones but hot-wired on speed with a girl screeching on vox. Or Exile played at 45rpm. Which might be worth trying. Somehow they got remixed by Jagz Kooner, one of the other two in Sabres Of Paradise. I haven't heard this for some time and it's good- when Jagz brings the guitars in it's a like being hit by a weather front.

Dirty Headlines Jagz Kooner Remix.wma#1#1

The Return Of Friday Night Is Rockabilly Night 12

Carl Perkins, who had a thing about clothes- Blue Suede Shoes and Pink Pedal Pushers among others- with a Friday night instruction. Put your cat clothes on.

Put Your Cat Clothes On.wma

Cahuenga

Strange voodoo/bluesy/r'n'b cover versions of Tom Waits songs that were used in multinational jeans companies' adverts topping charts worldwide and led to apologies to Mr Waits for using his song without permission aren't ten a penny. Good job then that this one is so good. Screaming Jay Hawkins and Heart Attack And Vine.

Cahuenga, mentioned in the song, is a street in Los Angeles. And slang for 'an unusually large male sex organ'. Just so you know.

Heart Attack And Vine.mp3