The Unicorn - Stephie Peeka and The Seeking 7 (July- August 2014)

New "iTunes Friendly" Cover!

(It's a long Story!)

Bloody Brilliant is London Town (Promo Video)

 The Original Cover

When you see "early Bowie, Queen, Punk rock, glam rock, and The Clash" mentioned on the front cover of the third album release by Stephie Peeka and The Seeking 7 you are not really sure what you are letting yourself in for before you play it. But play it you must, because that's like a strange invite to the weirdest party on earth and it's hard to resist!

Actually, the quote from The Dublin Castle is a little bit misleading because it's actually not the sound of those things you hear on the album at all (to my ears at least)! The album sounded to me like a mash up of Nina Hagen meets The B-52's meets Girls At Our Best meets The Slits meets The Raincoats, and saying that I don't mean that in a bad way at all as all of those artists have produced music that I like.

'The Unicorn' and 'I Could Love You' set the tone for the album in only what I can best describe as some kind of musical fusion between Joan Jett and the Blackhearts and The Slits when they were playing Punk rather than Reggae! You would assume it just wouldn't work, but it actually does.

There's even some rock meets funk and a spot of Opera thrown in for good measure! Didn't I tell you that the quote on the front of the album was a bit misleading?

The stand out tracks for me were 'Believe' (I watched a live video of this one on You Tube and it was very Banshees like) and 'Sea the Best'.

If you like your music to be just on the right side of peculiar then this is an album worth checking out.

The album will be available on iTunes from 8th July for pre-sale and it's proper release will be in 1st August.

Rewind: 1985 Bossmania Hits Wembley Stadium

3rd July 1985 Setlist
BORN IN THE U.S.A. / BADLANDS / DARLINGTON COUNTY / SEEDS / JOHNNY 99 / ATLANTIC CITY / THE RIVER / WORKING ON THE HIGHWAY / TRAPPED / OUT IN THE STREET / GLORY DAYS / THE PROMISED LAND / MY HOMETOWN / THUNDER ROAD / COVER ME / DANCING IN THE DARK / HUNGRY HEART / CADILLAC RANCH / DOWNBOUND TRAIN / I'M ON FIRE / BECAUSE THE NIGHT / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE / BORN TO RUN / BOBBY JEAN / TWO HEARTS (with Steve Van Zandt) / RAMROD (with Steve Van Zandt) / TWIST AND SHOUT - DO YOU LOVE ME (with Steve Van Zandt)

 4th July 1985 Setlist

 INDEPENDENCE DAY / BORN IN THE U.S.A. / BADLANDS / OUT IN THE STREET / SEEDS / JOHNNY 99 / DARKNESS ON THE EDGE OF TOWN / THE RIVER / WORKING ON THE HIGHWAY / TRAPPED / PROVE IT ALL NIGHT / GLORY DAYS / THE PROMISED LAND / MY HOMETOWN / THUNDER ROAD / COVER ME / DANCING IN THE DARK / HUNGRY HEART / CADILLAC RANCH / BECAUSE THE NIGHT / I'M ON FIRE / PINK CADILLAC / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE / BORN TO RUN / BOBBY JEAN / TWO HEARTS (with Steve Van Zandt) / RAMROD (with Steve Van Zandt) / TWIST AND SHOUT - DO YOU LOVE ME (with Steve Van Zandt)

Full Audio of The Show.

6th July 1985 Setlist
BORN IN THE U.S.A. / BADLANDS / OUT IN THE STREET / SEEDS / JOHNNY 99 / HIGHWAY PATROLMAN / THE RIVER / WORKING ON THE HIGHWAY / TRAPPED / DARLINGTON COUNTY / GLORY DAYS / THE PROMISED LAND / MY HOMETOWN / THUNDER ROAD / COVER ME / DANCING IN THE DARK / HUNGRY HEART / CADILLAC RANCH / DOWNBOUND TRAIN / I'M ON FIRE / BECAUSE THE NIGHT / ROSALITA (COME OUT TONIGHT) / CAN'T HELP FALLING IN LOVE / BORN TO RUN / BOBBY JEAN / TWO HEARTS (with Steve Van Zandt) / RAMROD (with Steve Van Zandt) / STREET FIGHTING MAN (with Steve Van Zandt) / TWIST AND SHOUT - DO YOU LOVE ME (with Steve Van Zandt)

Full Audio of The Show.

Remembering Jim Morrison

Today is the anniversary of the death of Jim Morrison.

1943-1971

When I was a kid I can remember hearing songs like 'Hello, I Love You', 'People Are Strange', and 'Light My Fire' on the radio but not really grasping their significance in the grand scheme of all things rock and roll. I began to pay more careful attention when Status Quo recorded 'Roadhouse Blues' for their 1972 album 'Piledriver' which was released when I was 9 years old! But it wasn't until I was a teenager before I had my first ever album of The Doors - the 1967 debut, bought secondhand for about 75p! That album was almost like a Greatest Hits as it was loaded with fantastic tracks: 'Break On Through', 'The Crystal Ship', 'Light My Fire', 'Take It As It Comes' and of course the epic 'The End'.

I was trying to remember when I first saw live footage of them and I think it was a late night showing of the 1968 Film 'The Doors Are Open' which included footage of the band playing at The Roundhouse in Camden Town. There was something quite striking about them right from the start with that awesome version of 'When The Music's Over'. That line 'Music is your special friend' was already something that I was coming to notice.

Click on the links to enjoy the music.

The Doors Are Open (1968)

The Very Best of The Doors

More Live Performances
5th July 1968 Hollywood Bowl.
Copenhagen 1968.
PBS Critique 1969.
Break On Through - Isle of Wight Festival 1970.
The End - Isle of Wight Festival 1970.
Isle of Wight Festival 1970 Full Audio.

The Doors Covered
Love Me Two Times - Joan Jett.
The Crystal Ship - Patti Smith.
Soul Kitchen - Patti Smith.
Hello, I Love You - The Cure.
L.A. Woman - The Damned.
People Are Strange - Echo and the Bunnymen.
Waiting For The Sun - Rose of Avalanche.
Take It As It Come - The Ramones.
Light My Fire - Cibbo Matto and The Beastie Boys.
The End - Nico.
Riders on the Storm - Jaz Coleman and Nigel Kennedy.
When the Music's Over - Controlled Bleeding.
Roadhouse Blues - UK Subs.
Wild Child - The Cult.

Sinéad O’Connor - I'm Not Bossy, I'm The Boss (August 2014)

There's a terrible tendency when it comes to Sinéad O’Connor to write her off with one stroke of the pen because she's a woman who is complicated and obviously has issues and seems to carry so much baggage that surely she can't be up to much good. We all have baggage though, and unlike Sinéad O’Connor, our baggage seems to stay private. But in writing her off so easily you actually miss out on so much. There's a depth to her writing that is quite uncommon among female artists (Natalie Merchant for me is probably the only other one who manages to capture such emotion and lay it bare in a song).

Her last album, 'How About I Be Me (And You Be You)?' was so good that I made it the Soundtrack4Life Pop Album of 2012.

And now her latest album, due in August is her tenth studio album and it's loaded once again with fantastic songs, catchy hooks and as ever deep and meaningful lyrics. I have a feeling this one is going to be riding high in my end of the year Best of 2014 list.

The opening track, 'How About I Be Me', seems like a carry over from the previous album and it's a statement right off the bat that she wants to be regarded as a woman and not some nutjob as she's often portrayed in the press.

Other standout tracks for me are 'Harbour', 'James Brown' (and it's funky like the Godfather of Soul), the single 'Take Me To Church' and the haunting 'Streetcars' that ends the album. Actually, it's hard to find fault with any of the tracks on it because they are all so good. I thought she had made her best album last time out but this one tops it by miles.

Take Me To Church (Audio).

For tour dates and further news check out the official Website Here.

More Music From Sinéad O’Connor
The Lion and The Cobra Album Playlist.
Universal Mother Album Playlist.
Faith and Courage Album Playlist.
Throw Down Your Arms Album Playlist.

Live Video
PinkPop Festival 1988 (Audio).
The Value of Ignorance 1989.
Dusseldorf 1990.
Year of the Horse Video 1991.
Goodnight Dublin 2002.
St. Pancras London 15th November 2012.
St. Lukes Barbican London 17th January 2013.
Royal Albert Hall London 15th February 2013.
Glastonbury Acoustic Tent 2013.
Barbican Centre London 27th March 2013.

Tidy Tune #184: Born in the USA - Jason Isbell and Amanda Shires

One of the best covers I think I've ever heard of this.

The Who Hits 50! Tour Dates and Acoustic Performance

• 26 November – The O2, Dublin
• 28 November – Odyssey Arena, Belfast
• 30 November – SEE Hyrdo, Glasgow
• 2 December – First Direct Arena, Leeds
• 5 December – Capital FM Arena, Nottingham
• 7 December – NIA, Birmingham
• 9 December – Metro, Newcastle
• 11 December – Echo Arena, Liverpool
• 13 December – Phones 4U Arena, Manchester
• 15 December – Motorpoint, Cardiff
• 17 December – The O2, London.

Ronnie Scott's Jazz Club, London 30th June 2013

Part One

Part Two

Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbott - Live

Got a little something special today. A spotlight on recent performances by Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbot. Hope you enjoy them. Remember click on the links to enjoy the music.

The Lowry, Manchester 23rd May 2014
Some Dancing to Do.
Old Red Eyes is Back.
Costa Del Sombre.
Rotterdam.
Prettiest Eyes.
Moulding of a Fool.
We're Not Deep.
Snowman.
Build.
Dream A Little Dream.
Don't Marry Her.
When It Was Ours.
Good As Gold (Stupid As Mud).
D.I.Y.
Happy Hour.
When I Get Back To Blighty.
I'll Sail This Ship Alone.
Me and the Farmer.
Loving Arms.
Caravan of Love.
 
Liverpool O2 Academy 2014
 Some Dancing to Do.
Old Red Eyes is Back.
Costa Del Sombre.
Rotterdam.
Prettiest Eyes.
Moulding of a Fool.
We're Not Deep.
Snowman.
Build.
 When It Was Ours.
Dream A Little Dream.
 Don't Marry Her.
The Right In Me.
Good As Gold (Stupid As Mud).
D.I.Y.
Happy Hour.
I'll Sail This Ship Alone.
Me and the Farmer.
Loving Arms.
Caravan of Love.

 

BBC Introducing Stage at Glastonbury 2014.*

 

*It is possible that folks outside the UK might not be able to see this video.

D.I.Y./Rotterdam Live on Absolute Radio.

 

Interview with Paul Heaton.

Tidy Tune #183: The Moulding of a Fool - Paul Heaton and Jacqui Abbot.

Live Version

Acoustic Version

Islands in the Stream (Cover)

Happy Birthday Debbie Harry

Tidy Tune #182: Everybody Needs Somebody to Love - The Blues Brothers

 Happy Birthday Dan Aykroyd