On the 14th anniversary of the death of John Peel once again it's time to celebrate musically by Keeping It Peel. I have chosen 30 John Peel Sessions spanning the years (the oldest dating back to 1968) and taking in many different musical styles just like his Radio Shows of old did back in the day. I hope you enjoy them.
Keeping It Peel Playlist
On The Playlist Roxy Music 1972 The Cramps 1986 The Psychedelic Furs 1979 T.Rex 1970 Leonard Cohen 1968 The Slits 1977 Linton Kwesi Johnson 1979 The Sisters of Mercy 1984 Killing Joke 1979 Joe Jackson 1979 Joy Division 1979 The Human League 1978 Motorhead 1978 Wire 1978 The Adverts 1977 Elvis Costello and The Attractions 1978 The Vapours 1979 The Ruts 1979 Ultravox! 1977 Culture 1982 Buzzcocks 1977 The Fall 1985 Siouxsie and the Banshees 1977 The Cranberries 1992 The Only Ones 1978 Prince Far-I and Creation Rebel 1978 The Damned 1979 Graham Parker and The Rumour 1976 The Motors 1977 Half Man Half Biscuit 1985
One Step Beyond - Madness Stiff Records Produced by Clive Langer and Alan Winstanley Released 19th October 1979 UK Chart #2
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Specials - Specials 2 Tone Produced by Elvis Costello Released 19th October 1979 UK Chart #4
Two of the bands at the forefront of the 2 ToneSka Revival released their Debut Albums on this day in 1979. Madness of course had moved on from the 2 Tone label to the "Most Flexible Label in the World", Stiff Records and The Special A.K.A. had been dropped in favour of the more simple Specials.
Out of the two I preferred One Step Beyond, mainly because I didn't think that Elvis Costello had properly captured the urgency and frenetic nature of the Specials that they displayed when playing live, whilst with Madness, Langer and Winstanley did manage to capture the energy of the band.
It was One Step Beyond that had the upper hand when it came to the Charts peaking at #2 whilst Specials made it to #4.
Both bands are still out and about playing live (with newer personnel) and I think I read somewhere that the Specials are hoping to record a new album soon. Can't Touch Us Now in 2016 is the latest studio album from Madness (their 11th) and the first not to feature Cathal Symth (Chas Smash) who had left the band to focus on a Solo Career.
Pauline Murray - vocals Fred Purser - lead guitar; keyboards on "Reunion" Neale Floyd - guitar Robert Blamire - bass Gary Smallman - drums, percussion
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It's amazing to think that Moving Targets is 40 Years Old today! It's an album that I have never had to blow the dust off or brush off the cobwebs because it gets played often and even after 40 years I never tire of listening to it.
Penetration were formed in 1976 in County Durham but at first were called The Points and played their debut live show at the Rock Garden in Middlesbourgh in October 1976. Their second live performance saw them supporting The Stranglers at Newcastle City Hall! The change of name came from the Iggy and The Stooges track Penetration that was released in 1973 on the Raw Power album.
The band signed to Virgin Records and in November 1977 released their debut single Don't Dictate which is widely regarded as a Punk Classic. They followed up in March 1978 with the excellent Firing Squad single.
(Firing Squad Picture Sleeve)
Neither single dented the chart and the single released as the forerunner to the debut album, Life's A Gamble, didn't set the chart on fire either!
It's a shame because all three singles were really decent quality tunes and fortunately the debut album would be the one to open the door to some much deserved chart activity.
The first two singles were not included on the album though when reissued on CD both A & B Sides were present.
A John Peel Session was recorded on 5th July 1978 and it included Future Daze, Vision, Stone Heroes and Movement, all of which would appear on the Debut album.
Nine of the eleven tracks were written by members of the band and it ends suprisingly with two cover versions, firstly Nostalgia which had been on the second album Love Bites by Buzzcocks (released only a month before!) and secondly Free Money, written by Patti Smith and Lenny Kaye (and had originally appeared on the Horses album from 1975).
Whilst those cover versions are excellent it's actually the quality of their own writing that really stands out for me. They had grown musically as a band from their debut single to what is offered here on the debut album. A lot of that I think can be put down to the twin guitar attack of Neale Floyd (who had replaced the original guitarist Gary Chaplin, who departed in March 1978) and Fred Purser (who joined in July 1978).
Whilst the studio versions of the songs are just brilliant it was actually the live performances that really captured the sheer force and energy of the songs.
Listening to this once again brings up great memories of shows at The Marquee in Wardour Street and The Lyceum Ballroom down at The Strand in London.
"Sometimes there's a song in my brain And I feel that my heart knows the refrain I guess it's just the music That brings on nostalgia for an age yet to come"
I woke up very early today, around 4am, and was thinking that it's been sometime since I last did a Radio Show Playlist so amid the cobwebs of the dusty mind and the quietness of the morning I threw this little lot together.
There's old music and new music gathered from many different artists but all have one thing in common, they have invaded my ears with the beautiful sound of guitars, drums, bass, keyboards and vocals (and whatever instruments they could find) to bring delight and wonder.
The Playlist
On The Playlist Radio Radio - Spear of Destiny
Who doesn't like a good song about the Radio?
7" Singles - Paul Heaton & Jacqui Abbott Recently released video spotlighting a track from a new collection tracing Paul Heaton's musical journey entitled 'The Last King of Pop'
45 - The Gaslight Anthem They have been out and about playing The 59 Sound album as well as other tracks from their catalogue including this one.
45RPM - The Alarm Another ode to the the 7" single. The Alarm will be back on the road in the USA and Canada starting in Hollywood 25th October and finishing up in Toronto 15th November. They then launch out on another UK Tour starting in London 28th November. For all details of all dates go to their website (click here).
That Song - The Bouncing Souls Sometimes there is a song you just want to play over and over again because it's just that good.
Don't Come Close (40th Anniversary Mix) - Ramones Taken from Road To Ruin 40th Anniversary Edition. It's a nice package that comes with a Remastering of the the 1978 album, a special 40th Anniversary Mix, B-sides, Demo and Acoustic versions and a live hometown show from 31st December 1979 in NYC.
Just Breathe - Thrice From the brand new album Palms on Epitaph Records.
Prayers - Good Charlotte From their latest Generation Rx project that follows on after the success of Youth Authority from 2016.
Head Above Water - Avril Lavigne Now I'm not usually fussed about Ms Lavigne but I heard this song unaware of who it was and really liked the lyrics on it and so was mightly surprised to discover it was Avril!
Downhearted Town - The Textones Opening track from their album Old Stone Gang on Blue Elan Records. Must admit I know nothing about the band but what I've heard from the album I quite enjoyed.
High Cost of Loving You - Scott Sharrard From his latest album Saving Grace. Another artist I know little about but I love the mix of Blues and Soul that runs through his latest album.
Girlfriend - Anderson East So as I begin thinking about the list of the Top Albums of 2018 I'm sure Anderson East will be on it somewhere. His album Encore is one of my favourite releases of the year.
Confidence - Candi Staton Taken from her 30th album Unstoppable that includes covers of Patti Smith's People Have The Power, and Nick Lowe's What's So Funny About Peace Love and Understanding. It was released in August this year and has received a lot of good press for her. Another one that might show up on my end of year Best of list.
Save Me - The Saints Drifiting back in time to 1978 and this wonderful cover of a track that first appeared in 1967 on Aretha Franklin's I Never Loved A Man The Way I Love You album. This version was on Prehistoric Sounds, the third album by The Saints, released on Harvest Records in October 1978 and was the last album to feature Ed Kuepper who had been one of the founding members of the Australian band.
Wanderlust - Glen Matlock Taken from his recently released album Good To Go on the Peppermint label. Ex-Bowie guitarist Earl Slick and Stray Cats drummer Slim Jim Phantom feature as musicians on the album.
Movin' On - Paul Weller Brand new video from Mr Weller spotlighting a track from his latest album True Meanings. It sees Weller in a more quieter and acoustic frame of mind.
I Am The Highway - Ann Wilson Taken from her latest album Immortal in which she has chosen the songs of musicians she loves and respects who have passed away in the past few years. I Am the Highway is her tribute to Chris Cornell. Also included on the album are tributes to Tom Petty, David Bowie, Leonard Cohen, Glenn Frey, Jack Bruce, George Michael, Amy Winehouse, Lesley Gore and Gerry Rafferty.
My Way - Willie Nelson Album number 68(!) from Willie Nelson and this time around he's paying tribute to Frank Sinatra! His album Last Man Standing from earlier this year was a wee gem and if this latest collection of shows anything it is that you can't put Willie Nelson in a box because he just comes along and blows the box up!
The Parting Shot Goodbye, Goodnight - Jars of Clay Taken from their 1999 album If I Left The Zoo.
That's your lot until next time. Until then whatever you play, play it LOUD!
Just in case readers of this blog have been wondering if I have somehow stepped into the back of my wardrobe and ventured into Narnia and can't find the way back home or have visited the Costume Shop and suddenly found myself, like Mr Benn, at sea in the middle of a storm and awaiting The Shopkeeper to appear as if by magic to save me from a watery grave, may I calm your fears...I am still here!
Yes it's been a long time since I last posted but I did mention that I might struggle to post on a regular basis due to some medical issues etc and current state of mind. So today you got me in a good moment and for that you are rewarded with a Playlist of a few things I've been listening to over the past couple of months. Hope you enjoy this rather eclectic mix. Thanks for your patience. Doug. 😀
Now Playing Playlist
I'm Alive -999 Debut single from the brilliant 999.
Keepin' It Close To My Heart - Drivin' N Cryin' Don't really know much about these guys but I really liked the sound of their album Too Late To To Turn Back Now.
Lose My Mind - Lucy and The Rats Lucy was formerly in The Spazzys and is now apparently based in London. With her new band she has released a Self-Titled album that is pretty cool. Vocals at times remind me of early Kirsty MacCall and also of Andrea from The Darling Buds.
Rock and Stick - Bozz Scaggs From his latest album Out of the Blues. Still sounding brilliant by the way and still out playing shows.
Get Your Shirt - Underworld and Iggy Pop A bit of a bizzare collaboration but it actually works pretty well. Taken from the EP Teatime Dub Encounters.
1st (Acoustic Version) - Leah Daniels Country singer from Uxbridge, Middlesex. Not exactly known as a hot bed of Country Music but she's recently put out a nice wee EP that includes a full band version of this song.
Just Found Heaven - Daughtry From his latest album Cage to Rattle
Sheriff Fatman - Carter USM This one appears on a new compilation called C89 which has some really cool Indie tunes.
Waiting For Winter - Popguns Also on the C89 Compilation
Tony Hadley - Peruvian Hipsters A last one from the C89 Compilation. Why anyone would want to sing a song about the ex-lead vocalist of Spandau Ballet is beyond me, but hey, those Indie Kids were a strange bunch!
Something Worth Fighting For - The Spitfires Latest track to be released on Limited Edition 7" (28th September 2018) and also features on their excellent Year Zero album.
Verse & Chaos - The Droggettes Philly Punk From the album Clockwork Girls
Future Me Hates Me - The Beths Title track of the latest album from a band that were new to my ears. They hail from Auckland, New Zealand.
Wildflowers (Tribute to Tom Petty) - The Church Sisters Another Country outfit that were new to my ears. Their latest album A Night at The Opry is well worth a listen.
Outdoor Miner - Wire From the Special Edition of Chairs Missing.
Toxic - Ian McNabb From his latest album Our Future In Space. Ms Spears is the last person on earth you would ever imagine to be covered by the Neil Young lovin' Ian McNabb!
Save Me - Aretha Franklin From the 1967 album I Never Loved A Man The Way I Loved You. Recently heard a great cover of this by The Saints, and Jimi Hendrix does a version of it as well. But the voice of Aretha is one that's going to be missed. Thank goodness for the treaure of her musical legacy that's left behind.
I'd Give A Kidney For You - Hailey's Comet Not quite sure where I stumbled over this but I'm always impressed when people write songs with either amazingly funny titles or ones that are thought provoking!
Supernatural - The Slow Readers Club My mate Gary in Manchester is always on my case about listening to The Slow Readers Club and so I thought I would finally surrender, and they are none too shabby!
Riot On The Strip - James Williamson & The Pink Hearts Track from the brand new album by former Stooges guitarist entitled Behind The Shade.
Old Enuff To Know Better! - Pink Fairies The old Psychedelic Anarchists are back! This one was written by Larry Wallis and is featured on their brand new album Resident Reptiles.
Crazy Kids - Walter Lure & The Waldos Taken from the new album Wacka Lacka Loom Bop A Loom Bam Boo. Old Walter is still kicking it big time after more than forty years of playing and he's never sounded so good.
I can hardly believe it's been more than a year since I last did a post in the 45RPM series and so I thought why not kick start the old beast again with a real classic from the vaults of Rock Music History.
Mention the name Lynyrd Skynyrd and your are guaranteed to hear mentioned one of two songs from their arsenal of classics, one would be Sweet Home Alabama and the other of course would be Free Bird. We all no doubt have at one time or another been to a concert when the particular performer asks for requests and more often than not there will be at least one person standing there, pint in hand, shouting out loud "Free Bird"! This happens at gigs of all sorts of bands and not those dedicated to the playing of Classic Rock. And so, we turn our attention towards Free Bird (the Signature song of Lynyrd Skynyrd) and ponder afresh the absolute wonder of it and the sheer beauty of of a band, each with a specific part to play, bringing into being what is surely one of the greatest Rock songs of any time and quite simply of all time.
It's one that I dig out every now and again because if it is over-played it begins to lose a little of its wonder and I heard the original 1972 version recorded at Muscle Shoals recently and it got me thinking about doing this piece today.
Released on the 2013 Muscle Shoals Original Motion Picture Soundtrack (Republic Records).
Personnel Lynyrd Skynyrd Free Bird Studio version (1973)
Ronnie Van Zant – vocals Allen Collins – lead and acoustic guitars Gary Rossington – rhythm and slide guitars Ed King – bass guitar Billy Powell – piano Bob Burns – drums "Roosevelt Gook" (Producer Al Kooper) – organ, mellotron
Additional personnel Steve Gaines* – Addition of lead and rhythm guitars
*Gaines had replaced guitarist Ed King who left the band in 1975 and on his third gig playing for the band they were recording what was to become their One More For The Road live album. Gaines was also one of the band members who sadly died three days after the release of their 1977 album Street Survivors in a plane crash along with Ronnie Van Zandt, Cassie Gaines (back up singer and sister of Steve Gaines), and assistant road manager Dean Kilpatrick, pilot Walter McCreary, and co-pilot William Gray were the other fatalities!
Now, of course I understand that it was merely done for the purpose of having the song played on the radio at the time (I wouldn't have imagined that there were that many DJ's who would have got away with playing the full length album version) but still....
The song has been included in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame's 500 Songs That Shaped Rock and Roll, was listed as #193 in Rolling Stone's 500 Greatest Songs of All Time. In 2008 it was listed at the #3 in Guitar World's 100 Greatest Guitar Solos. In 2009 it was considered by VH-1 to be the 26th Best Hard Rock Song of All Time. In the Digital Age the song has sold over two million copies worldwide!
Freebird was originally recorded at Muscle Shoals in 1972 but the tracks from those sessions never saw the light of day until 1978 when Skynyrd's First and...Last was released (but Freebird wasn't actually included in that release! It only turned up on the 1998 Reissue entitled Skynyrd's First: The Complete Muscle Shoals Album and was also included as part of the Soundtrack for the film about Muscle Shoals).
The introduction to the song was put together by piano-playing roadie Billy Powell (with Al Kooper adding some nice touches on the Organ and Mellotron) and when the band heard it (he was apparently playing a piano version of the song during a break at an event in 1972 when Skynyrd were playing a Prom event at The Bolles School in Jacksonville), they included it in the song and then invited him to join the band as keyboard player (a position that he held between 1972-77, 1979 and 1987 until his death in 2009)! The extended guitar solos on the studio version (performed by Allen Collins and Steve Gaines) initially were used as part of the live set due to the band playing several sets a night in the clubs thus giving vocalist Ronnie Van Zant a chance to catch his breath and preserve his voice for the work ahead. Behind the guitar dynamics of Collins and Gaines was the steady hand of Gary Rossington keeping the Rhythm Guitar section motoring forward alongside the Bass of Ed King and the beat master on the Drum stool was Bob Burns. To this date Gary Rossington (the last remaining member of the original band) is out on the road with Lynyrd Skynyrd as they play their Last of the Street Survivors Farewell Tour, the US leg began in May and stretches into September and dates are expected outside of the USA as well. Brother of original vocalist Ronnie Van Zandt, Johnny Van Zandt is on the lead vocals (he's been the frontman since 1987), and sometimes he really does sound like old Ronnie! There's actually a nice touch and tribute to Ronnie during the performance of Free Bird during the Farewell Tour shows that you can see below.
Lynyrd Skynyrd - Free Bird Jones Beach,June 23 2018
This time around on the S4L Radio Show our ears are to be enlightened by the music of the 1970s. We go from long hair and flared jeans to short cropped dyed hair and drainpipes. From old hippies to young punks. It's a nice mixed bag of Classic Rock, Glam, New Wave and Punk. The Playlist is loaded with music that I love from that particular decade and the reality is that it could have had a lot more songs than 23 because there was so many great records released back then. It's easy to dismiss a lot of stuff that came before the whole Punk and New Wave Scene and many did and thus miss out on some terrific music. Hopefully you'll find maybe a few tracks here that will make you tap your toes.
On The Playlist Rock and Roll - Velvet Underground Into The Mystic - Van Morrison The Shape of Things To Come - Slade Looking At You - MC5 Roadhouse Blues - The Doors As Long As I Can See The Light - Creedence Clearwater Revival Changes - David Bowie 48 Crash - Suzi Quatro Teenage Rampage - Sweet The Golden Age of Rock and Roll - Mott the Hoople Search and Destroy - The Dictators Lust For Life - Iggy Pop Land - Patti Smith Little Johnny Jewel - Television In The Flesh - Blondie Sheena is a Punk Rocker - Ramones Psycho Killer - Talking Heads Neat Neat Neat (Peel Session) - The Damned Police & Thieves - The Clash Your Generation - Generation X Schooldays - The Starjets (My Baby Does) Good Sculptures - The Rezillos The Beginning of the End - Eddie and the Hot Rods
2018 seems like a busy year for the U.K. Subs as not only are they out on the road and releasing two 15CD Box Sets containing the full set of their albums in Alphabetical Order (Volume 1 is A-M and Volume 2 is N-Z), a brand new studio album plus a new EP coming in November but Charlie Harper (vocalist) released (in April) his second solo album, 'Little Black Crow' (Road Dog Records - his Debut Solo was called 'Stolen Property', it was an album of covers and released in 1982!), he also received the 'King Rocker/Icon' award at the Vive Le Rock! Awards in March and has also had an exhibition of his art alongside Gaye Black down in Sussex. Alvin Gibbs (bassist) is due to release his Debut Album in December under the banner of 'Alvin Gibbs and The Disobedient Servants'. Jamie Oliver (drummer) also has a side project called You and they released their Debut Single (in April) entitled 'Selfish'.
U.K. Subs are no strangers to Cover Versions as over the period of 40 plus years they have played a fair few and even recorded and released some - 'She's Not There' (lead track on the 1979 EP), 'I'm Waiting For The Man' (B-Side of 'Warhead') - and there have been a fair few released on various albums as well but a whole album's worth is something they have not done before (at least as far as I can remember!).
Of all the tracks on Subversions I have to confess to not actually knowing two of them (the Queens Of The Stone Age track 'Feel Good Hit of the Summer' and Canadian band The Diodes' 'Tired Of Waking Up Tired'). As for the other ten they are pretty magnificent. The U.K. Subs are not over fancy and what you get is 12 tracks of raw power from beginning to end. The choices are interesting as there's a couple that would no doubt have been played by the teenage David Charles Perez ('Train Kept a Rollin' and 'I Don't Need No Doctor') and would be quite obscure to the rest of the band possibly and the rest, there's a number of Classic Rock tracks spanning the early 70s, a few Punk/New Wave Classics, a wee tribute to the genius of Lemmy's Motörhead, and the "newest" track is the Queen of the Stone Age song (and that's 18 years old!).
At 74 years old it's great seeing and hearing Charlie still doing what he loves and the current line up of the band is pretty tight and tidy as well. How much longer it goes on who knows but while they are still up and at 'em I'm going to enjoy listening and watching as I have done so for as long as the band have been around!
When I was playing my iPod recently on shuffle I noticed that quite a number of songs following each other had the word "Song" in them. Of course this got me thinking about put together a wee playlist under the banner of Singing Song Songs.
It's a mixture of the wild and whacky (what else would it be from me?) from the seriousness of Leonard Cohen, Johnny Cash & Joe Strummer to the plain daft of The Yobs! There's Pop, there's Rock and everything inbetween and outside the lines. Hope you enjoy it.
The Playlist
On The Playlist Radio Song (Tower of Luv Bug Mix) - R.E.M. The Gold Song - Bouncing Souls Song For A Future Generation - The B-52's Song For Whoever - The Beautiful South Wrote A Song For Everyone - John Fogetry (ft Miranda Lambert & Tom Morello) Song For A Friend - Aztec Camera Sing All The Saddest Songs - The Mighty Wah The Worm Song _ The Yobs Swansong - The Alarm Tower Of Song - Leonard Cohen This Is A Love Song For The Loveless - The Juliana Theory The Mystery Song - Transvision Vamp The Breakup Song - The Greg Kihn Band Sea Song - Penetration Looking For A Song - Big Audio Dynamite Redemption Song - Johhny Cash & Joe Strummer Empire Song - Killing Joke Festival Song - Good Charlotte Fort Bragg (The Kool-Aid Song) - Beki Hemingway Like A Song - U2 Authority Song - John Mellencamp
The Parting Shot The Last Song - Thousand Foot Krutch
Let's Ride - MxPx From the fortchcoming album MxPx due out July 2018
New Album Tracklist: 01. Rolling Strong 02. All Of It 03. Friday Tonight 04. Let’s Ride (RADIO SINGLE) 05. Uptown Streets 06. 20 / 20 Hindsight 07. The Way We Do 08. Life Goals 09. Pipe Dreams 10. Disaster 11. Moments Like This
Haters Gonna Hate!
MxPx Respond to "Fan" Comments
MxPx, now in their 26th year of life, are getting ready to unleash their crowd-funded Self-Titled new record, their tenth studio album by the way if you were counting.
They released a brand new video for a song from the new self-produced work entitled Let's Ride. The album was recorded in their hometown of Bremerton, Washington. It will be available as a Download and I think the CD is only available to those who ordered it on the Kickstarter site for the album. Not totally sure about the Vinyl and what kind of quantities it will exist in.