S4L Radio: Show #4

So here we go again. Show #4 and it's another little banquet of various sounds both old and new drawn from places both near and far. 


The spotlight turns to places like New Jersey, Jamaica, Canada, London, New York, Guilford, San Francisco, Blackburn and even a little part of Finland!

I always enjoyed a Radio Show where it wasn't all the same kind of music playing throughout and I have tried to do just that with this show and the first song on the Playlist offers these words and I can remember from time to time capturing that moment when "All the words they rang so true/They were written for me and you"... so turn up and listen to the radio!:

"I remember all the roads together
That we drove in el camino weather
When that song started playing again
we were singing it to the wind

All the words they rang so true
They were written for me and you
We had an anthem, we had a creed
We were all that we would ever need"

- Radio - Sixpence None The Richer

The Playlist

On The Playlist

Radio - Sixpence None The Richer

From their 2012 album Lost In Translation. Surely it must be time for another album from Leigh Nash and Co. Five years is a long time to wait!
 

Old, New, Borrowed and Blue
Segment

OLD

Hammersmith Palais - Demoltion23

Michael Monroe (Hanoi Rocks) and his little side project that only released one cracking album back in 1994.

New

Bombs Away - Duncan Reid and The Big Heads

Title track from the brand new third album by Duncan Reid and his very tidy sidekicks The Big Heads.

Borrowed

Keep On Rockin' In The Free World - Suzi Quatro

Have to say I hadn't really heard this one before. It was on her 2005 album Back To The Drive and the video is a European TV performance featuring Andy Scott of The Sweet on Guitar. I have to say I was quite taken with her version as I've only ever really heard blokes singing it!

Blue

My My, Hey Hey (Out of the Blue) - Neil Young

The album Rust Never Sleeps is celebrating 38 years since its release this month so why not go with this cracking little acoustic album opener.

A Three Track Connection

The first two tracks lead to the third track so nicely. The connection of course being guitarist James Stevenson, who has featured in many different bands over the years starting with Chelsea in 1977 (a band that he still plays for these days). With bands like Gene Loves Jezebel (who have just released a brand new album), The Alarm (with whom he is about to launch out on a tour of the USA part of which is on the Vans Warped Tour 2017), The International Swingers, The Cult, Willie Nile and Holy Holy on his CV he is a much in-demand guitarist.

Rock On - Gen X

Taken from their 1981 4 EP that had Dancing With Myself as the lead track.

James joined the band not too long before they folded with Billy Idol moving to the States and suddenly becoming an MTV superstar!

Kids In America - Kim Wilde

The single reached #2 in the UK back in 1981 and was a hit across Europe and peaked at #25 on the US Chart in 1982. A 1994 Remix that was intended to be released in the UK was cancelled but was released elsewhere. It also features James' guitar work! It's actually not very good at all as they tried turning the song into some kind of club anthem and failed miserably!

Suzi's Problem - James Stevenson

From his Debut EP The Shape of Things To Come and also featured on his Debut Solo Album Everything's Getting Closer To Being Over. Both EP and Album were surprisingly good and it was great seeing James in the spotlight for once rather than in the background.

Love On The Wrong Side of Town - Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes

1977 Single and taken from their This Time It's For Real Album on Epic Records. The song was written by Bruce Springsteen and Steven Van Zandt. Little Steven recently recorded the song for his latest Solo Album Soulfire.

Whilst we are in a New Jersey frame of mind here's another Little Steven tune.

I'm Coming Back - Little Steven

Here's another that Little Steven wrote for Southside Johnny & The Asbury Jukes and it first appeared on their Better Days album in 1991 and was released as a Single in the Netherlands and Germany.

The video is a live version from 2016 with Disciples of Soul backing him up. It's another track that features on the excellent Soulfire album.

Independence Day - Bruce Springsteen

As it's the 4th of July it only seemed right to include this one. Originally featured on The River album (though it was recorded and played during The Darkeness at The Edge of Town days in 1978). I included the live Solo Piano Pro-shot version from Paris in 2012 that Springsteen posted to his own channel/website.

The "Oh My Goodness You Have That Record" Spot!

Through The Barricades - Spandau Ballet

I first heard this song peformed live by Gary Kemp at a Artists Against Apartheid show on Clapham Common that also had The Housemartins on the bill. It was Spandau Ballet's final Top Ten Hit reaching #6 in the UK Charts. I can't say that I was ever a big fan of the band but this song I always thought was a wee gem and a half.
This one is for all those sad Spandau fans who are wallowing in despair after the news was announced yesterday of the departure of lead vocalist Tony Hadley!

Rock On - Willi Williams

Released in September 2014 on the Unification: From Channel One To King Tubby's album (though I believe it was released originally in 2002 on the One Love Album on Smugg Records in the UK as part of a collection of songs that included a number of previously unreleased songs including Rock On).
Willi Williams is of course "famous" for writing Armagideon Time that The Clash covered as the B-Side to London Calling.

Exodus - Bob Marley & The Wailers
Hit #14 in the UK charts in 1977. It was the title track to the 9th album from Bob Marley & The Wailers that was a huge hit in itself (#8 UK).
I had noticed that there is a 40th Anniversary Edition of the album called Exodus (The Movement Continues) that was released last month on the anniversary of the original release. It contains the original album, a Disc of Remixes and a Live Disc of Unreleased tracks from The Rainbow, London in 1977. The live material is great to hear but that can't be said for the Remixes! I have never been a great fan of Remixes and ever since someone had Remixed The Legend compilation in 2013 my distaste for them grew ever more! Anyway, this new batch of Remixes are totally terrible I think and actually do a great diservice to some brilliant songs.

On This Day In Musical History

As it's the 4th July I thought a nice little three way reminder of a great event that took place in London on Sunday 4th July 1976 would be in order.
It was the Ramones first visit to the UK and they played support to a band who had been on the go for many years but found themselves aligned to the New Wave scene - The Flamin' Groovies and bottom of the bill were The Stranglers.

 Shake Some Action - The Flamin' Groovies

Blitzkrieg Bop - Ramones

Something Better Change - The Stranglers

The Parting Shot

Goodbye My Love - The Stiffs
1981 single on Stiff Records and a cover of a song that The Glitter Band had a #2 hit with in 1975. Apparently they were informed with only twelve hours notice that their first single for Stiff was to be this cover version. It wasn't a huge hit chartwise but did garner a lot of airplay. John Peel had championed the band from their Debut Single in 1979 (Inside Out) as did Mike Read (also on BBC Radio One). I always loved their 1980 single Volume Control.
Sadly for The Stiffs this was their only release on Stiff Records as it didn't sell well due to various distribution issues and even a tour supporting the U.K. Subs and Anti-Pasti didn't help bump up the sales (well they were not really the type of band who would have catered to that kind of audience!).