How We'll Be Teased

Bob Stanley, Melody Maker, 1989 'Sweet Jesus, The Stone Roses have arrived'

Andrew Collins, The Word, 2012 'The Stone Roses may not have been the greatest band in the world, but they certainly felt like it'

Ian Brown, Heaton Park, 29th June 2012 'Where did it all go wrong?'

They didn't put a foot wrong last night. A few highlights.
The last five minutes of Fool's Gold- I could watch them play it for an hour- liquid, rolling, funky, beautiful.
Don't Stop- the backwards song, played sounding backwards, totally trippy and mesmerising.
This Is The One- perfect and sublime.
I Am The Resurrection- tumbling on and on.

They may have George Bested it first time round but they put themselves firmly back on the map as contenders last night. I'd go again tonight if I could.

The Return Of Friday Night Is Rockabilly Night 65

Late 50s rocking goodness for you while I'm on my way to Heaton Park. This is Jaycee Hill, owner of a mean haircut and a mean stare, and song about a girl who went Bump!

Bump!

This Is The One

Tonight, after all the waiting, after the rumours about Reni and the 'bust up' in Amsterdam and all the internet waffle (pro and anti) and that night in Warrington, tonight is the night.

Wish me luck, I'm going in.

Sally Cinnamon (the first thing I heard by them, like many other people from round here I suspect. On this remastered version the guitar, bass and drums sparkle).

Life In Havana

Paul Simonon's post-Clash outfit Havana 3am may not be very fondly remembered (if they are remembered at all) but their only album, released in 1991, has a couple of decent songs. I posted the spaghetti western/dub track Hey Amigo! over two years ago. I pulled it out again recently and gave it a quick spin and this one stood out, with its very nice picked bassline, some bongos and sparse guitar and a vocal that, if you close your eyes, could almost be Joe.

The picture shows that whatever they may have said about it being a band, Paul was the de facto frontman and main selling point. And hey, quite right too.

Life On The Line

Count Five

It's a funny thing how in music the artists with a body of work are on the whole the ones held up for veneration. To be really taken seriously you have to have a large back catalogue, as if the quantity of music produced is the real signifier of serious musicians and artists. San Jose's Count Five produced one single and one album but I'd take this one song over, say, Bruce Springsteen's entire recorded output (yeah, I know Nebraska's supposed to be good). Covered by The Cramps as well, on Smell Of Female.

Psychotic Reaction

Unrehearsed Let The Bubbles Burst

Just imagine- a time when the cover of the NME meant something and there was the possibility of an in-depth interview written for adults.

I'm still getting used to the fact, after a couple of weeks of on-off listening, that John Lydon has made a necessary album. The new PiL album, despite one or two mis-steps, is a real grower. The song One Drop is proof on its own- vital, angry, alive, stomping stuff. Go and find it somewhere, you won't regret it (I've already posted a song off it so shouldn't really do another). The interview clips on Punk Britannia showed he's still got it as well- sharp and witty. A real one-off is John. The last time he sounded anywhere near as good was in the mid-90s with this still thrilling collaboration with Leftfield, the number one piece of punk-house.

Open Up

Fat Neck

Out on penalties. Again.

I'm not sure I liked Black Grape that much, although the first album had its moments. 1996 single Fat Neck was a tribute to Karl Power, who specialised in sneaking into major sporting events- he walked up to the crease padded up for England at cricket, got onto court at Wimbledon and lined up for United away in a Champions League tie (see above, far left. See also Roy Keane, far right, who has spotted him. Run, Karl, run). Did he play last night? Fat Neck also has Johnny Marr on guitar.

Fat Neck

England's Irie

Tonight England play Italy in the quarter finals of Euro 2012. The team has already surpassed expectations by not being total shite. At 7.45 tonight they will either be outclassed or turn this into one of English football's great adventures. And then lose on penalties.

At Euro '96, the last time they made a semi-final, Shaun Ryder's Black Grape provided an unofficial anthem- England's Irie. It is notable for three things; one, it's pretty good; two, Shaun performs a verse which goes 'I'm spectating, my wife's lactating, it's a football thing'; three, this was Joe Strummer's only Top Of The Pops performance.

E For England.

Hot Flush

Bit of a lazy post today. We're off to Beverley, East Yorkshire for a 40th (and a night in a hotel without kids. Wooh). A classic Sabres remix of Red Snapper for you. And a picture of Amelia Earhart.

Hot Flush (Sabres of Paradise Remix)

The Return Of Friday Night Is Rockabilly Night 64

Released in 1958 Ronnie Self's Date Bait showcases some crazed vocals from Mr Self and some equally excited backing vocals. Ronnie goes on to list some of the features of date bait-

'Ooh, a -looky there, swivel hips
A-looky there, sweet red lips
Yeah date bait, date bait
A-looky there, oh foxy walk
A-looky there, a sugar sweet talk'.

It's a kind of poetry.

Date Bait

Riot In Cell Block No. 9

Ooh, how about some Dr Feelgood for Friday, with Wilko, Lee, Sparko and the Big Figure covering an old Lieber and Stoller song. Electric.

Riot In Cell Block No. 9

Small Time Hustler Two

In an online version of Noel Edmunds' cosmic ordering, ask and the internet provides- Colin from Glasgow emailed a day or two ago with a vinyl rip of Dismasters' 1987 single Small Time Hustler, which I wrote about on Sunday (scroll down). Cheers Col.

Small Time Hustler

Another 1920s/30s aviator picture for you to enjoy. I said to Mrs Swiss the other night 'I'm quite into 1920s aviation, y'know, the sense of adventure, the newness of flight, the leather jackets'.

You Think Girls And Boys Are Just Toys

I've posted the Richard Sen remix of Toys by Hedford Vachal before, back in the early days of this blog when somewhere between three and five people were reading it. It came up on the mp3 player in the car driving home from work yesterday and I knew I had to post it again. Released in 2008 on the ever-reliable Tirk Records this is a magnificent remix by Mr Sen,  Nu-Disco or something like that. It's got a wonderful descending bassline, wonky synths, handclaps, a big bleepy bit just before the breakdown, ... oh just listen to it. You'll love it. And it might wear the carpet out if you play it late at night after you've had a few.

Toys (Richard Sen Remix)

For no particular reason the picture with this post shows an aviator from the 1920s, photographed by German portraitist photographer August Sander.

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch Cherry Bomb

The Runaways released their best known single in 1976 and quickly became lumped in with the nascent punk scene. It's a fizzy, glam/punky song and was partly responsible for them becoming big in Japan. They couldn't get arrested anywhere else but did tour Britain and the US appearing with many of punk's main players. Most impressively they got ejected from a photo session in Disneyland because, allegedly, one of them 'threatened one of the Disney staff with a homosexual act' and they were 'doing weird things with french fries'.

The Runaways split up in 1979. Guitarist Joan Jett went on with her Blackhearts and had a major hit with I Love Rock 'n'Roll. Mickie Steele joined The Bangles. Lita Ford had a solo metal career masterminded by Sharon Osbourne. Cherie Currie had a brief film career, worked with drug-troubled teens and does chainsaw art. Sandy West toured and taught drums and died of lung cancer in 2006.

Cherry Bomb

It's Instamatic And It's Full Of Flair

I haven't followed Super Furry Animals as closely as I should have but what I've got I love- the Welsh language lp (Mwng), the Play It Cool single and the Ice Hockey Hair ep especially. The lead track off Ice Hockey Hair is masterful shiny, psychedelic rock from 1998. Which is quite a long time ago now.

Ice Hockey Hair

Up above is Man Ray himself, who didn't have ice hockey hair.

Small Time Hustler

Sorry to be getting repetitive in recent posts, what with four Weatherall posts this week and several Stone Roses related posts, but sometimes that's the way it goes round here. This is another Stone Roses related post.

This youtube clip shows the intro track that the band used to take to the stage to back on the tour they did in 1989. Rolling bass and drums, looped screeching noises, very late 80s and very cool.



Turns out that this is looped version of a 1987 hip-hop track called Small Time Hustler from New York's Dismasters, and a classic piece of mid 80s hip hop it is too.



I don't own Small Time Hustler in any format as far as I know and haven't been able to find an mp3 to date either. Obviously there are ways to rip youtube audio but the quality's never brilliant so if anyone's got one I'd be very grateful. Small Time Hustler was itself based on a sample from the song Lightnin' Rod by Kool And The Gang, and since '87 both Gang Starr and Nas have used the same sample for their own ends.

At the Warrington gig three weeks ago and the pair of gigs in Barcelona last week The Roses entered to the incomparable Stoned Love by The Supremes, which I thought I had on my hard-drive. But I don't, so here's a video of a studio performance of Stoned Love.



Now that the internet/Twitter storm about Reni 'storming off stage' and Ian calling him in front of an Amsterdam audience expecting an encore has died down, the opening boom of drum and Diana Ross should be the signal at Heaton Park in just under two weeks time that it's showtime, followed by those opening bass notes of I Wanna Be Adored. It would be nice to hear the '89 intro track though.

Mild

Joe Meek was the 60s most experimental and infamous producer. He recorded all kinds of odd records in his flat at 304 Holloway Road while also hitting the number 1 spot with The Tornados otherworldly song Telstar (Margaret Thatcher's favourite record but don't let that put you off). There are various compilations of his stuff on the racks, you should have at least one. Meek was a somewhat troubled person, obsessed with the occult, and paranoid that the Metropolitan police were interviewing every gay man in London with the intention of getting him. He shot himself in 1967 after first shooting his landlady Violet Shenton. I remember reading about Meek back in 2000, trapped in the Bone Marrow Unit of Manchester Childrens' Hospital. I went out at some point and bought I Hear A New World, Meek's sci-fi  album done partly to test new stereosonic sound. Listening to it in the cubicle we were pretty much locked up in was bizarre- some of the album is amazing, some of it marred by squeeky-voiced Smash style aliens. I got a more than a few quizzical looks from the nursing staff.

Our old friend Andrew Weatherall named a 1994 12" single after Joe Meek. I posted the A-side the other day. Ctel hadn't heard it so here's the flipside, similar but slightly different.

Glowing Trees Part 2

While we're in Weatherall territory there's a set he did for Dalston Superstore available for free download at Soundcloud, very much in the A Love From Outer Space/Masterpiece compilation vein.

Love Kills

Watching BBC 4's superb Punk Britannia three-parter reminded me of Alex Cox's not entirely successful attempt to film the story with his 80s film Sid And Nancy, which told the story of the Pistols and Sid and Nancy's demise. On the soundtrack was Joe Strummer's first solo effort, a 12" single called Love Kills. To be honest the song isn't entirely successful either but it has got its charms. Love Kills, like This Is England off  Clash Mk. II album Cut the Crap, is spoilt by the rudimentary 80s drum machine and lack of decent instrumentation despite Joe's heartfelt lyric and vocal. And I'm not convinced it was love that killed Sid and Nancy either. But the song is worth a look.

Love Kills

The Return Of Friday Night Is Rockabilly Night 63

Some modern rockabilly tonight, just for a change from all the older 50s stuff I've posted recently- rockabilly revivalist Imelda May has a great voice, an authentic sounding rockabilly band and is much better than you might think. This is her rip-roaring cover version of Tainted Love, originally by Gloria Jones and famously covered by Soft Cell.

Tainted Love

My Great Grandmomma Was From A Plantation

Not my Great Grandmomma obviously (she was an Edwardian, and was a Great Grandmother) but Mos Def's Great Grandmomma. In Rock & Roll, from 1999's Black On Both Sides lp, Mos Def lists those who are rock 'n' roll (Little Richard, Bo Diddley, Chuck Berry, Nina Simone, Bad Brains, Fishbone, John Lee Hooker, James Brown, Albert King, John Coltrane, Jimi Hendrix and Albert King) and those who aren't (Elvis Presley and The Rolling Stones who both stole, Korn and Limp Bizkit who were both bizarrely popular in 1999, Kenny G ,erm, a saxophonist with bad hair). It's a familiar complaint but its done noisy and high octane style and totally rock 'n' roll.

Rock 'n' Roll

Movement

A Weatherall triptych this week, this one bang up to date. Get over to Soundcloud for Andrew's remix of Daniel Avery's Movement, the 12" vinyl of which dropped onto my doormat a few days ago. Avery is a young hotshot who happens to share Weatherall's studio complex/bunker. This is a slo-mo, echo and bleep laden affair. You can still buy the vinyl (I think) or download from Juno.

Today is also my daughter E.T.'s 9th birthday. She doesn't want a 'weird Weatherall song', preferring One Direction or Jessie J, but it's my blog and there are some depths I won't plumb.

Ganger

On a similar tip to yesterday's Meek 12" this is Two Lone Swordsmen's remix of Ganger's Trilogy. Dusty, slow-mo, lo-fi, electronic post-something stuff by Mr Weatherall and Mr Tenniswood. This came out in 1998 on a one-sided 12" single with an etched B-side.

Trilogy (Two Lone Swordsmen Remix)

Up top, another Man Ray photo of Lee Miller, looking ready for some 1930s sci-fi disco action.

Meek

Way back in 1994 I heard this record late at night in a friend's flat after an excursion to a nightclub. It sounded great and I was already a Weatherall anorak with a mental checklist of records to get and tick off. Over the course of two sides of 12" vinyl (ten minutes per side) Andrew Weatherall noodles around and invokes the head-nod. It's very aimless, and really stoned, and doesn't go anywhere but goes there very nicely. Released in '94 this was Meek, a Weatherall pseudonym and tribute to Joe Meek, for this one-off, limited to 500 copies (I think), hardly any of which seemed to make their way northwards. As a result it became one of those holy grail records. I searched for donkeys, never getting even a sniff. Sometime around 2006/7 I discovered STX's standard setting Audio/Out blog and he very kindly obliged me with an mp3. A year or two later I got hold of a copy of the 12" off Discogs; not in especially good nick, but a real, actual copy. It had only taken me fourteen years. Was it worth the wait? Of course it was.

Glowing Trees Part 1

At the top is Pablo Picasso by Man Ray. Not used to seeing him with hair.

This Time? Nope, Shouldn't Think So

Let's be honest, the England team haven't exactly won our devotion during recent tournaments. Then there's the whole John Terry business. Still, I'll be turning on the telly tonight...

La Lune

I've always quite liked Scottish country-punk folkers (not a great description admittedly, or that accurate either maybe) Sons And Daughters, while also feeling they've never quite fulfilled the promise of their early records, especially Love The Cup. I quite liked the album This Gift they did with Bernard Butler (which had two good singles- Gilt Complex and Darling) but it didn't go down that well with the fans or the critics. They've disappeared a bit recently but this is a good one.

La Lune

The photo is Man Ray's portrait of Sinclair Lewis, American writer and playwright. I love this picture, his expression, the coat pulled up and the lampstand behind him. We've all felt a bit like Sinclair looks in this picture.

Chimes Sing Sunday Morn

The Stone Roses, live 8th June 2012, at the Razzmatazz Barcelona. Shaky footage but the audios pretty good-Ian sounds fine and the band are cooking, Squire and Reni sparkling.

PiLs, Thrills And Britneyache

I know mash-ups are dreadfully passe but I keep rediscovering ones in my d/l folder that I like- like this one where Go Home Productions does a very good job of mashing Metal Box-era PiL with Britney Spears.

Britneyache

The picture shows Yves Tanguy, French surrealist painter, shot by Man Ray, another oddly contemporary looking portrait. He wouldn't look out of place in PiL either.

Tomorrow Night

Tomorrow night I will be facing the return to work after a week off. But for now, hey, it's Saturday morning, cheer up.

This is a superb jazzy blues from 1948 by Alfonso 'Lonnie' Johnson, who had hits before and after the Second World War, and is widely recognised as the first person to play single string guitar solos. Not a bad first.

Tomorrow Night

Lee Miller photographed (again) by Man Ray. He photographed her a lot. Who can blame him? It doesn't look like a photo from the late 20s/early 30s. Could've been taken yesterday.

The Return Of Friday Night Is Rockabilly Night 62

Not really rockabilly at all this song, more doo-wop or r'n'b but it'll fit very well onto that Bagging Area Rockabilly compilation cd you've been meaning make (or iPod playlist if you can't be arsed with physical music anymore, but frankly you should be arsed; making compilation cds is one of life's little pleasures). Also, Lux and Ivy loved this, therefore it's pretty much rockabilly by Cramps default. The Rivingtons had a couple of novelty hits, this one from 1962, and The Bird's The Word. Just don't try to sing along if you've had a few.

Mama Oom Mow Mow

Distractions

Dan from Occultation Records has been in touch with news of reunited ex-Factory band Distractions, who will release their second album The End Of the Pier in August, a mere 32 years after their first album. Makes Dexys look prolific. The press release highlights the challenges of putting a band back together in middle age, with the band members spread around the world.

Mike Finney “I rather like the idea of a world tour but it'd interfere with watching my son's football practice. Besides taking time off work is a bit tricky, so we've had to forego six weeks traversing North America in a bus and settle for two shows in Salford”.

The gigs will be at the end of the summer, supported by Factory Star (Martin Bramah) and 80s indieists The June Brides.

I've not got any Distractions on the hard-drive that I haven't posted before at the moment, so this post's song is by fellow 80s Factory signings Abecedarians, post-punk from LA.

Smiling Monarchs

As a further distraction the picture shows Lee Miller photographed by Man Ray. I don't know if anyone's getting bored of these shots of 20s life but I like them. I may run out soon though.

I've Been To A Post-Punk Postcard Fair

We had a family day out yesterday and decided to visit Liverpool, and very nice it was too. We picnicked in Sefton Park and had a look at the restored Palm House (derelict when I was a student in Liverpool circa 88-91), then called in at my old first-year halls of residence where the staff were happy for us to have a poke around- apart from a few cosmetic changes and a filled in pond it was almost unchanged in twenty four years, and I almost got to look in my old room but a student was still occupying it. Then we headed off down the waterfront and ambled about, ending up in the new Museum Of Liverpool which was much better than I expected, especially the recreation of the old overhead railway. The Liverpool music exhibition was full of lovable moptops memorabillia but I found several more interesting exhibits: some Billy Fury odds and ends; Pete Wylie's pop-art guitar; the doorsign to Cream (!?!); the ultimate exhibit- a handwritten set of lyrics to Half Man Half Biscuit's Joy Division Oven Gloves, a song containing more great lines than most artists will manage in their entire career. Now that Wirral no longer has a lido like the one pictured above to draw the crowds, the council should surely consider an HMHB museum- House of HMHB? Blackwell Modern? The HMHB Centre?

Joy Division Oven Gloves (Peel Session)

Life Is Short Filled With Stuff

We've not had any Cramps for a while. This is superb and straight to the point. The line about Susie and Dick always makes me snigger too

New Kind Of Kick

Live Fast, Die Young, Etc

Faron Young was a country star in the 50s and afterwards with his fair share of bad behaviour. He set his stall out with his 1954 single Live Fast, Love Hard, Die Young (although he didn't die that young, shooting himself in 1996 aged 64). This one was from 1957.

I'm Gonna Live Some Before I Die

Tastes Just Like Cherry Cola

Look out of your window- does it look like June? What should we do? How about spending three days under canvas in a field somewhere in North Yorkshire? Oh go on then.

The Raincoats played a kind of folky post punk, formed in 1977 in response to punk's opening blast. They were also, as everyone always says about them, Kurt Cobain's favourites, and various punk players passed through their ranks- Palmolive, Ricard Dundanksi, Kate Korus- along with the central duo of Ana da Silva and Gina Birch. This is their surprisingly straight cover version of The Kinks' Lola.

Lola

The picture shows Man Ray's 1924 portrait of Peggy Guggenheim, kitted out for dress down Friday.

I'll be back in a couple of days, probably with a drenched tent, some very soggy family members and a bootful of mud.


Camping's off, number 2 child is ill.

Weatherall Mix Im Berlin

I've been listening to this tonight, Andrew Weatherall on a Berlin radio show (Farb Fernseher) courtesy of Dazed Digital, and its got several things going for it- Weatherall 's storytelling is up to its usual standard (as per), the quality of records he plays is first rate (also as per but maybe moreso), and the sometimes awkward silences coupled with the interview technique of Sarah Miles and Anastasia Filipovna. Also revealed are the twin pieces of news that a) his second solo album is almost complete and needs to be out by the time he tours Japan in September and b) he's remixing Madness. Recommended listening for your jubilee weekend.

Part of the way in he plays Fad Gadget's electronic post-punk debut single Back To Nature which I put up at Bagging Area way back when hardly anyone was reading. It's a truly great record and I'm not sure Fad Gadget ever equalled it.

Back To Nature

Skanga

A reader called Anthony James has made a request, 'on bended knee' no less (quite fitting with all this reverence for our dear Queen)- One Dove's Skanga. I'm only too happy to oblige with this majestic 12" B-side slice of dub-house with Dot's wonky vocals. Wonderful record.

Skanga

I think I've mentioned this before but I can't understand why this song and their cover of Jolene weren't on Morning Dove White, instead of the multiple versions of Breakdown and White Love- they would have made it a different and better album.

So Damn Pretty

Regular reader and comment-leaver George comes here chiefly for the rockabilly which 50% of his household look forward to each Friday. He recently left a comment mentioning Shockheaded Peters, who I've only got one song by (on at least two different compilations). The song is a corker though, a stomping, jazz-flecked ode to homosexual love and the thrill of walking through town with someone good looking on your arm.

'So weep in a way and rejoice in another
We'll never feel the pain of being a mother'

I, Bloodbrother Be (£4,000 Love Letter)

The Man Ray photo shows Georges Malkine, surrealist painter and cat fan.

England's Dreaming. Still

It might be cliched to post this but it's still a thrilling blast of punk rock.

I went out for a few pints the other night with some of the Year 4 Dads. The jubilee came up in conversation and the opinions offered by me left some of them taken aback and speechless and the opinions offered by them left me taken aback and a bit speechless. We didn't fall out or anything but there was a spot of throat clearing and a small bundle of tumbleweed rolled past.

Nine of us were present, seven or eight appeared to be fully in favour of the monarchy. This gasted my flabber. I wouldn't have put support for the royal family at that kind of level in this (admittedly unscientific) sample size. I think we need to get shot of the royals, abolish the monarchy and have an elected head of state. It's not anything against the Queen personally, it's what she and they represent. Now I realise that we probably can't lead the royal family down some cellar steps and do for them as the Soviets did but when the Queen shuffles off (presumably sometime fairly soon), we should abolish the office of monarch, pension the main ones off and the rest of them can go and get jobs/sit around reflecting on the old days. There's been a lot of talk in the media recently about social mobility, lack of opportunities for state school educated people, the prevalence of Oxbridge graduates at the top levels of society. We as a country will never begin to approach anything like a more equal society while we still have a class at the very top who get their wealth and privilege given to them by us due to accident of birth. The very existence of a monarchy and everything associated with it actively promotes social inequality and a lack of social mobility. They are a relic of a past where we doff our caps and tug our forelocks. And this particular royal family aren't even that much of a relic, they haven't really been around very long.

Then there's Charles. Some of the Year 4 Dads actually expressed like for him. I get that he's spent 60 years waiting around for something to happen and that must cause some frustrations for him, but we've paid for him to spend 60 years waiting around for a job, while he demonstrates he doesn't really understand the position of constitutional monarch, putting forth his opinions on all sorts of subjects that are really none of his business to express publically. His charity work- fine. His opinions on other things- not fine.

'They attract a lot of tourism'. There have to be better arguments for paying for a monarchy than this.

When Kim Jung Il died the other month we marvelled and shook our heads at the outpouring of grief from the North Korean people and their joy at their new leader. But watching some of the news footage recently there are people here behaving the same in the way, ecstatic from seeing the Queen walk past them, having flown half way round the world to do it.

Blah, blah, blah. My self righteousness is boring me now. Enjoy the weekend, and stay away from those street parties.

Pipeline

Saturday, bank holiday weekend, half term. Bliss. Except for that jubilee thing. I may return to that. In the meantime here are Chantays with their 1963 surf-rock instrumental Pipeline, which made early use of wide stereo and was recorded upside down- bass, piano and rhythm guitar at the front with lead guitar and drums at the back. It was originally called Liberty's Whip but the band renamed it after watching a surfing film. It was their only hit.

Pipeline

The picture shows Edward James, poet and patron of surrealism, photographed by Man Ray. He doesn't look like a surfer.

The Return Of Friday Night Is Rockabilly Night 61

One of the original rock 'n' rollers, Gene Vincent, with bluejeans, bluecaps, black leather and motorcycles, for your Friday night.

Where's the sun gone?

Race With The Devil

!No Pasaran!

I started May by wittering on about a Spanish Civil War themed mix tape and which songs might go onto it. Thanks to everyone who made suggestions about other songs- Drew, Davy H, Helen and Suggestedformaturereaders. Thus, I can start June with a better, more expansive Spanish Civil War mixtape.

Durutti Column- Sketch For Summer
Manic Street Preachers- If You Tolerate This Then Your Children Will Be Next
The Clash- Spanish Bombs
The Pogues- Lorca's Noveno
Billy Bragg- Jarama Valley (available here from The International Brigades website)
Leonard Cohen- Take This Waltz (based on Lorca's words)
O'Luge and Kornertrone Allstars- Spanish Bombs (cover of The Clash song)
Christy Moore- Viva La Quinta Brigada
The Stone Roses- Guernica
Maxine Peake and Urban Roots- speech by Dolores Ibarruri (aka La Pasionaria, from the Billy Bragg cd linked above)

Can we make a case for Jonathan Richman's Pablo Picasso on the grounds that Picasso painted Guernica? Reckon so.

Viva La Quinta Brigada

The photo of the militiawoman in heels with a pistol was taken by Gerda Taro, Robert Capo's partner. Between them they covered the war and helped invent photo journalism. Gerda was killed during the war, run over by a tank accidentally. Stunning picture isn't?