The Chemical Brothers and Wayne Coyne 'The Golden Path'

The Chemical Brothers have done the guest vocalist thing as much as anybody. I was going to post Out Of Control, but JC at The Vinyl Villain put it up a week or two ago. Out Of Control (vocals and guitar by Bernard Sumner) is as good as any of the past decade's New Order tracks. Bad Lieutenant did a blinding version of it when they toured back in October, segueing into Temptation. Some of The Chemical Brothers stuff leaves me less impressed- too obvious, too many guest vocalists, too many collaborations with Noel Gallagher. But they pull it off from time to time. I think this is great- great track and production, cool vocals from Flaming Lip Wayne Coyne. And it always sounds good in the car to/from work.

13 The Golden Path.wma

The Wirral's Greatest Living Poet

Half Man Half Biscuit- laugh out loud funny, biting satire, popular culture skewered, more references than a South Bank Show Special, detailed knowledge of football arcana- I salute you.
And you've got to love a caravan shaped guitar.

'No frills, handy for the hills
That's the way you spell New Mills'

This is currently my daughter's favourite song. I'm just glad she hasn't asked what fair trade cocaine is.

The Light At The End Of The Tunnel Is The Light Of An Oncoming Train.mp3

Huck Whitney 'Fresh Cream'

Lovely piece of acoustic instrumentalism here, nylon guitar strings, great melody. Huck is guitarist with London garage band The Flaming Stars (tons of lps, check out Named And Shaned, Born Under A Bad Neon Sign or compilation Ginmill Perfume, all at e-music and elsewhere). Actually they're much more than a garage band. Huck (far left on photo) wrote a theme tune for Quantum Of Solace which was never used. More fool them.

Huck Whitney_02_Fresh Cream.mp3

Ray Lowry- 1979 'War Artist'

We've been to Salford Museum and Art Gallery today. There's nothing like dragging two children, one with special needs, round an art gallery and museum. Salford's has two main attractions- Larkhill Place, a mocked up Victorian Street, which is ace and kids love it, and a temporary exhibition (on until 7th March) of cartoons, paintings and photos by The Clash's 1979 US tour 'war artist' (c. Joe Strummer) Ray Lowry. Born in Salford, Ray contributed cartoons and illustrations to the NME, The Face, Punch and Private Eye during the golden ages of all those publications. He spent many years living in Rossendale, several towns in a valley halfway between Bury and Burnley, next door to someone in knew when I worked up that way during the 90s. It's free and well worth a visit. The Clash pictures are cool, there are early versions and sketches of the London Calling sleeve, some interesting oil paintings of Salford, and a load of Ray's correspondence with a friend. Ray died suddenly in 2008, and seemed to spend much of his later years either in the pub or trying hard to stay out of the pub. As I said, well worth a visit if you're a fan of any of the above.

The track here is the original version of Should I Stay Or Should I Go, not the one that made it onto Combat Rock and to number 1 on the back of that Levi's advert. Mick Jones saw The Clash's fifth lp as a double, after the double London Calling and triple Sandinista, and it was worked on as Rat Patrol From Fort Bragg, a 15 track monster rather than the slimmed down radio friendly lp that cracked America in 1982. There are versions of Rat Patrol... out there in internet land, including the extra tracks that later turned up as B-sides like First Night Back In London and Cool Confusion,and some that were never officially released like Walk Evil Talk and The Beautiful People Are Ugly Too. It also has longer and different versions of lp tracks like Inoculated City, Atom Tan and Straight To Hell. I'll post some at some point if anyone's interested. Joe and producer Glyn Johns won the day and Mick's lp was shrunk and edited and glossed up. Should I Stay... is probably their best-known song. This version is different enough to make you want to listen to it again, longer (naturally), rougher, different vocals and more of Joe's Spanish bit. This one's for Ray Lowry-gone.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go.mp3

More Audrey 5

Friday night disco action, released at the end of last year. Detachment's HAL remixed by Weatherall. It's a good 'un.

Hal_Andrew_Weatherall_s_Disco_Dub.mp3

Quando Quango 'Atom Rock'

I published a post the other day about The Durutti Column, where I said that Factory Records was the greatest record label ever, and seeing as no-one left a comment arguing about it, I think we're all agreed on that one. So maybe this'll become a regular feature. Quando Quango were the first band of Mike Pickering, years before he made pop-house with the massively popular M-People. Atom Rock is very Factory- clipped white boy funk, short back 'n' sides, and produced by B-Music (New Order's production pseudonym). It's a great record, and features the massively talented Johnny Marr moonlighting from his day job. Can't imagine this track went down that well in Morrissey's house though.

07 Atom Rock.wma

Ten City 'That's The Way Love Is'

I have been known to play records at peoples' parties. This started about 10 years ago, when people started having 30th birthdays and getting married. I had, and have, no beat mixing skills, and only began doing it because I had a decent sized record collection, and a modicum of taste. Some have been brilliant, some pretty good, and the odd one have been disasters. One time at a wedding I got harangued and berrated by a bus-load from Merseyside who either wanted 'white-labels' or records played while they stood in a circle and a couple of blokes would do 'funny' dancing in the middle. That was the last time I did a wedding for friends of friends. A few years back a friend had a birthday in a room above a pub in the centre of Manchester. The crowd were 30ish, through to mid-to-late 40s. Late on I played MARRS Pump Up The Volume, and the dancefloor (y'know the sort, wooden square clipped together with carpet on all four sides) filled with Manchester Mums and Dads, out for the party, a few beers, and the house music of their youth. I managed to keep it going in this vein for as long as I could. Eventually, I either ran out of house records or we ran out of time. The ex-clubbing crowd finished their drinks, put their coats on and went home to relieve the babysitter (insert your own joke about relieving the babysitter here). And it sort of said something about a generation of people who are too old to go clubbing, or it's too inconvenient to go clubbing, or they can't stay awake past one a.m., or they wouldn't know where to go these days. I include myself in all of those categories. But house music will get them up on the floor in a room above a pub for an hour or so. Hallelujah.

That's The Way Love Is [Underground Mix - Edited Version].mp3

New Order 'Lonesome Tonight'

New Order are among the greatest musical combo's ever to walk the land. I could probably write thousands of words about them, but I don't have the time and you'd probably get bored reading it. In the early to mid-80s they regularly produced magic, at the drop of a hat. Listen to Everything's Gone Green and hear the exact moment rock met dance and got off with each other. Listen to Temptation and hear it perfected. Listen to Thieves Like Us and hear Bernard's musings on the nature of love over the crispest of drums and washes of synths. Listen to True Faith and hear big-selling chart music with soul and passion. Etc etc etc. True greatness. Lasted up until Regret I reckon. By that time they'd fallen out and were making a record to help Factory stay afloat. They've had a few moments since then, and the live shows in the last few years have been good, despite Gillian's absence. Anyway, this is Lonesome Tonight, the b-side to Thieves Like Us. New Order's b-sides were better than most bands a-sides.

Random fact-when I was a kid growing up in Withington, M20, I used to deliver Peter Hook's newspaper. Didn't know who he was at the time. Can't remember what paper he took either. Nothing like a good anecdote is there?

13 Lonesome Tonight.wma

Lil Lost Lou 'Bad Bad Girl'

I saw Lil Lost Lou supporting Wild Billy Childish in a basement in Stoke Newington on a trip to London last May, and was impressed. They'd borrowed a drummer and were still looking for their harmonica-ist just before they went on stage, but played really well, and had some good songs, including this angry little number. This was a limited 7" released last year, it's a fast rockabilly, bluesy, country-punky, snarly thing. I wouldn't want to make her angry though. See what you think.

Bad Bad Girl.mp3

Hypnotone 'Dreambeam (Ben Chapman Remix)'

Following on from yesterday's post about Keeping The Faith this is Hypnotone's Dream Beam, not the version that appears on that compilation, but the Ben Chapman remix, probably the better version. In Sefton Park in Liverpool they used to hold a festival (Lark In The Park I think it was called). Not being a permanent resident of Scouseland I only went once, not the year the Roses and the La's played unfortunately, but I do remember sitting by the pond/lake and the intro to this record bleeping and booming out across the night. It sounded huge.

Dreambeam (Ben Chapman Remix).mp3

JBC 'We Love You (The Great Awakening)'

By 1991 Creation Records had caught the dance music bug and released a cracking compilation called 'Keeping The Faith'. It rounded up various Creation dance acts, rock acts gone dance, rock acts remixed by dance acts and was all quite nepotistic. It was a well loved album in these parts, not least because it featured Weatherall's jaw-dropping remix of Soon by My Bloody Valentine, but also Philly by Fluke, Primal Scream's Come Together remixed by Hypnotone, the Terry Farley remix of Loaded using the original Bobby Gillespie vocal, and tracks by Love Corporation, Sheer Taft and World Unite, all of which soundtracked the times perfectly. Listening to many of these tracks today still puts a massive smile on my face, even if some havn't dated that well. The track featured here is JBC (Creation stalwart The Jazz Butcher) covering a hoary old Rolling Stones sneer-fest We Love You, including that great 'dj's the man you love the most' sample. And in those days he certainly was.

We Love You (The Great Awakening).mp3

Durutti Column 'Otis'

Factory Records was the greatest record label there was. You can chuck in Stax, Motown, Creation, Rough Trade and any others you like depending on taste, but none of them had what Factory had, and so much of Factory's greatness was accidental, the right people in the same place at the same time- Anthony H Wilson, Martin Hannett, Rob Gretton and Joy Division, Peter Saville. It all ended it tears, financial collapse and heartbreak but then what did they expect? No contracts, 50-50 split, the artists own everything, a bottomless money-pit called The Hacienda. Art for art's sake. On the label right from the start was Vini Reilly, making beautiful records. Initial copies of their first album, The Return Of The Durutti Column, came in sandpaper sleeve, designed so it would gradually destroy the rest of your record collection. Apparently Joy Division were paid to glue the sandpaper to the cardboard, Ian Curtis glueing and the other three sitting watching an adult video. Despite the sandpaper there was nothing wilfully destructive about the music. This track is from the later Vini Reilly album, and features the sampled vocals of Otis Redding (years before Moby had the same idea). Tony Wilson said, 'with apologies to Steve Cropper, neither man has ever sounded better'. Durutti Column play the Lowry tonight, performing their Paean To Wilson. I wish I was going, but instead still have this to listen to.

02 Otis.wma

The Fall 'Theme From Sparta FC'

This has been sitting in my drafts folder for a week or so, so I thought I may as well click 'publish post'. It dawned on me recently that I've been listening to The Fall for nearly 24 years. Not 24 years solidly, that'd be a recipe for insanity (although I know people who arn't far off that). 24 years in bursts. In 1986 a friend did me a compilation tape, the beginnings of my real interest in music. As I remember it featured ACR (Shack Up, Do The Du), New Order (Ceremony, Love Will Tear Us Apart live), Sugarcubes (Delicious Demon and Birthday), Bodines (Therese possibly), a load of other stuff, and The Fall (Victoria I think). He did a follow up tape in 87 which had The Fall's version of A Day In The Life and the Sally Cinnamon single, and other stuff I can't remember. I played them to death.

I'm not a total Fall addict. I wouldn't pretend to be an expert, and I know at least two people who scoff at my part-time Fallery. I havn't got anywhere near all their albums. I've seen them play a couple of times. Read MES's book, quite enjoyed it, read Dave Simpson's 'The Fallen', enjoyed it more. I've got some of the early stuff. I really like the stuff they did for the Fontana label, though I believe the hardcore fans don't rate it. In the 90s Extricate was great, especially Bill Is Dead. Also loved the White Lightning e.p. I bought Fall Heads Roll (2000 and something). Trust In Me is a really good recent Fall song. My point is I've never felt the need to get it all and have 40 plus Fall albums, but it's all there, loitering, being Fall-like, available whenever you want to get into it. This is amongst the best things they've ever done, no matter what period, what line-up, what label, what year. Theme From Sparta FC-

'English Chelsea fan,
This is your last game,
Take your fleecy jumper,
You won't need it here,
We're not Galatasaray,
We're Sparta

F

C'.

Theme From Sparta FC.mp3

Joe Gideon and The Shark 'Civilisation'

This is one of the best things I heard last year, London duo Joe Gideon and The Shark. Bloke on guitar and vocals (Joe Gideon) and girl on drums (The Shark I suppose). Think they might be brother and sister- yeah, I know, we've all heard that one before. The album is worth a listen, this being the best track, an epic song about leaving home to find out who you are, away from Mum and Dad watching over you, leaving home to 'learn the ways of man', taking in monasteries, Rome, Greece, the 9 to 5 at Debenhams, a Queen who showed him his crown jewels, Lars from Trio and the payoff piece of wisdom- 'the circumference of a circle is twice the diameter within'. Great stuff.

Civilisation.mp3

Paris Angels 'All On You (Perfume)'

After The Stone Roses and Happy Mondays gatecrashed Top Of The Pops in November 1989 there was a scramble to sign anyone with a guitar and a cagoule. This led to some good bands and records-World Of Twist, recently covered over at Acid Ted, especially their Sons Of The Stage single. The High's first lp had several good songs, Up And Down, Box Set Go, Somewhere Soon. Intastella- I seem to remember Dream Some Paradise being good, but can't find my copy (if anyone can oblige with an mp3 I'd be grateful). There were others, but the hit rate soon petered out. There was also this, clearly indebted to New Order and Happy Mondays, but a great single all the same. Crisp beats, guitars, twin boy-and-girl vocals, loved-up but threatening to mug you at the same time. Paris Angels followed this with two other singles, signed to Virgin, released an inferior version of this single and a poorly received album. They also got themselves in trouble with the all powerful music press (if memory serves, journalist accused band of being smackheads, band beat journalist up, music press stopped writing about band). Changes at Virgin saw them dropped before a second album. Guitarist Wags ended up in Black Grape. I saw them live twice and this was the standout live as well as on record. Funny how with Madchester, and to some extent punk and post-punk, loads of bands could release one great single, but couldn't repeat the trick. Anyhow, we're left with this one piece of brilliance.

All_On_You_(Perfume).mp3

Terry Edwards 'Never Understand'

This is Terry Edwards' barnstorming cover of Never Understand by the Jesus and Mary Chain. Instrumental version- JAMC drumming with sax and trumpet playing the melody and the noise. Terry Edwards has played with loads of people, including Gallon Drunk, and fronts or fronted the Scapegoats, and also covered The Fall (Totally Wired) and The Clash (Version City) among others. This is the best though- top track.

NeverUnderstand.mp3

Wild Billy Childish 'Medway Wheelers'

Another track from Mr. Wild Billy Childish. A tribute to a Kentish cycling club his mother joined in June 1944. Not your usual topic for a rock and roll song, but then he's not your usual rock and roll star. Great riff and tune, with the band tripping over themselves to get to the end.

06 Medway Wheelers.wma

More Audrey 4 'Stalker'

House favourite Andrew Weatherall released a solo album last year, A Pox On The Pioneers. If you havn't got it you need to get over to Rotters Golf Club and buy a copy. Mixed up rockabilly, glam-rock, ACR style post-punk funk, Fun Boy Three vocals, electronics and Victoriana. The digital version available from the download stores had 12 tracks, whereas the cd had only 10. One of the extras was a dub version of album opener Fail We May, Sail We Must. The other was this track, Stalker, an instrumental. It follows the sound of the rest of the album, a bit more electronic maybe. Very good anyway, although you can see why it was left off the full cd release. The photo at the top of this post was taken by my brother's girlfriend at the Electric Elephant festival in Croatia incidentally (Audrey in straw hat). Seemed to fit with the post...

Stalker.mp3

Edwyn Collins 'Don't Shilly Shally' (Spotter's 86 Demo Version)

Edwyn Collins has been widely written about on various blogs, not least over at The Vinyl Villain, and I'm not sure I can add too much. Edwyn's partner Grace Maxwell wrote an excellent book, published last year, about Edwyn's stroke and subsequent recovery. It's well worth some of your time and money. When my son suffered a stroke (side effect of meningitis, and various other problems and complications he has, due to a very rare genetic disease) both Edwyn and Grace responded to me through myspace, which was very touching, and shows the decent folk they are. I saw Edwyn last year when he played Manchester, with Roddy Frame on fire on lead guitar. It was the most heart-warming and moving gigs I've been to. One of the musical highlights, alongside Blue Boy, was this- the encore of Don't Shilly Shally. You surely don't need me to tell you how good it is. This is the Spotters 86 Demo version, from the A Girl Like You single. Sometimes I think I prefer this to the proper single release. Anyway, enough from me, get downloading, don't shilly shally...

03 Don't Shilly Shally [Spotter's 86 Demo Version][Demo Version].wma

Television Personalities 'Look Back In Anger'

Dan Treacy of Television Personalities has had a chequered life and career, including drugs, prison, Creation Records, Part Time Punks and Bill Grundy. This is very basic, very lo-fi, and very, very good. I love it when you can hear fingers moving on and off guitar strings.

Look_Back_In_Anger.mp3