S4L Radio: Show #1

If I knew how to do it I would try and actually put together a proper show as a Podcast or something but I am not so gifted when it comes to technology and so will have to resort to the tried and tested method of putting together a Playlist and calling it a show! 😎

So basically what you are getting is an interesting mix of musical sounds both old and new thrown together in a haphazard manner with moments of connection and hopefully a wee theme from time to time (let's see how this first one comes out before I venture into that uncharted water! 😏).

S4L Radio: Show #1

On The Show Playlist

Listen To Your Radio - Donkees (Or The Donkeys)

Strangely enough in their time The Donkeys never actually released an album (in 2004 a collection called Television Anarchy was issued by Detour Records). Listen To Your Radio was their third and final single for MCA Records in August 1981.
I'll be looking for some other songs about the Radio to kick off the next number of shows and already have a few crackers lined up.

I Had Too Much To Dream (Last Night) - The Electric Prunes

Too Much To Dream was the second single from The Electric Prunes, released in 1966 on Reprise Records and was a their first charting Single both sides of the Atlantic (#11 in the U.S. and #49 in the UK).

The song has been covered by many including side project from Dave Vanian of The Damned, Naz Nomad and The Nightmares.

A Two-Play Connection:

Witness - Benjamin Booker (ft Mavis Staples)

Title track from his third album (though second Studio Album) released 2nd June 2017 on ATO Records/Rough Trade. Any record that features Mavis Staples is good in my book! I love that lady and have done so for years.

I have only recently discovered the music of Booker and am fascinated by a man who says his influences are The Gun Club, T-Rex and Blind Willie Johnson!

I have a feeling that this latest album is going to feature high on my list of favourites at the end of the year.

The Weight - Mavis Staples (with Gregg Allman, Arcade Fire, Bonnie Raitt, Jeff Tweedy and many more)

From the excellent I'll Take You There celebration of Mavis Staples featuring many artists performing songs made popular by The Staple Singers and the excellent Soul/Gospel vocalist down through the years.

The Weight and Mavis Staples has a bit of history as she sang backing vocals on it with The Staple Singers for The Band in the film of The Last Waltz.

The Country of The Blind - Faith Brothers

Their second single, orginally released in 1985 and lyrically it still stands the test of time. "We have to choose care over cruelty". 

The artwork is fascinating I think and in light of recent issues like the Trump Administration backing out of the Paris Agreement on Climate Change (I won't say the USA because there are actually a lot of people who live there who would be supportive of staying connected to the issue and are not Climate Change deniers!) it's very graphic of a world in crisis!
Whatever the situation though, whether it be issues relating to Climate Change or Social Justice we need to take on board the challenge of the song: "Keep on pushing! Don't be discouraged" and stand strong in the fight!

Get Out Of My Way - Scruff
I'll throw this one in as a wee bonus. It's the Debut and only single from Scruff released in February 1978 on Track Records. Scruff went onto better things as the Faith Brothers of course. Hadn't heard this one in a few years! Power Pop at it's finest.
If you want to know some more about Billy Franks you might want to watch the Tribute This! film.

Voodoo Woman (Acoustic Return) - Devil's Witches
Taken from the Cherry Napalm EP and a little bit quieter than the song Voodoo Woman that appears on the Debut Album Velvet Magic on Cursed Tongue Records that was released recently.
Now, I have a confession regarding this: The brains behind Devil's Witches is actually a good friend of mine and I make no excuse for shamefully promoting the music of a friend!
His album has been getting a lot of great press around the globe and rightly so. He hasn't paid me (Yet!...have you James? 😀) for saying good things about his record (and honestly I'm happy to be able to promote something that is very different from what's currently going on). It's actually quite an amazing sound marrying Doom Metal and Psychedlic Rock into a bizzare fusion of noise that at times reminds me a little of The Jesus and Mary Chain at their chaotic best and  is guaranteed to leave your head splitting!

Can't Seem To Make You Mine - The Seeds
Released in 1965 Can't Seem To Make You Mine was the Debut Single from Los Angeles based band The Seeds. Their Garage Rock sound was a huge influence for many of the purveyours of the American Punk Scene in the mid-to-late seventies (Ramones, Johnny Thunders, Pere Ubu and also bands like The Bangles). Ramones covered the song on their Acid Eaters album.

Painter Man - The Creation
Another band that impacted a number of UK Punk and New Wave bands were The Creation. They hailed from Hertfordshire and had hooked up with Shel Talmy at the start of their career. Painter Man was their second single and their biggest hit single reaching #49 in the UK in 1966 and #8 in Germany in 1967.
The song of course is probably more well known as a Top Ten hit for Boney M in 1978!

Glad To See You Go - Ramones
Speaking of Punk and New Wave, I've been doing a fair few posts celebrating the music of 1977 and so I thought I'd throw a couple of songs in here. First up, Glad To See You Go. It was of course on the 1977 Leave Home Album and in Italy it was released as Maxi Single (also featured Babysitter, California Sun/I Don't Wanna Walk Around With You).

I Might Be Lying - Eddie and The Hot Rods
Fifth Single from Eddie and The Hot Rods that only made it to #44 on the UK Chart in 1977 (their biggest hit was yet to come). Of a lot of the bands around at the time I have a real soft spot for The Hot Rods because they consistently released great records without having huge success. The band are still going these days though only Barrie Masters is left from the old days.

The "Oh My Goodness You Have That Record" Spot!
People go on about guilty pleasures when it comes to music and I have to confess that I don't necessarily go for that myself because if I like a song (no matter the artist) then I have no need to feel guilty about listening to it! And I certainly do not need to make an apology for it!

I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down - Paul Young
Released in September 1984 and featured on Young's second  Solo album The Secret of Association (released March 1985). The song originally recorded by Ann Peebles in 1973 and covered so wonderfully by Graham Parker and The Rumour in 1977 has always been one that I have loved. When Paul Young released it I was bit skeptical because his previous release, a cover of Joy Division's Love Will Tear Us Apart, was not very good I think!
I had actually been watching Paul Young for a few years prior to his Solo years as I was an avid fan of The Q-Tips and their brand of 60s Soul brought into the 80s and I thought his voice was pretty special. I saw him live a few times during his solo years and always found him quite impressive.
Where the Joy Division cover had failed to chart (and rightly so) this cover made it into the Top Ten (stalling at #9).
I had always hoped that he might release That's The Way Love Is with Alison Moyet as a single but it was not to be (CBS missed out on that one!).

Avoid The Obvious - The Beat feat. Ranking Roger
Appears on their latest album Bounce that was released in 2016 on DMF Records.

Old, New, Borrowed and Blue
Segment

Old

 Getting Out Of Hand - The Bangs
Yes, that is indeed three of the ladies who would go on to become the Bangles. It's their Debut Single released on Down Kiddie Records in 1981. The single was produced by themselves. They were part of a scene in Los Angeles called The Paisley Underground that mixed Sixties Pop with Garage Rock.
The following year they had to change their name as a band with the same name from New Jersey was threatening to sue them, thus ending up as Bangles who would go on to good things when Michael Steele joined them playing bass in 1983. I wonder whatever happened to the New Jersey band called The Bangs?

New(ish)

The Limit Of A Man - Stone Foundation (feat. Paul Weller)
 Must admit I know nothing of who the Stone Foundation are but Weller has written and produced a few things for them. This is from a Limited Edition single and will feature on their brand new album due soon called Street Rituals that has been produced by The Modfather himself.

Borrowed

Blitzkrieg Bop - Sweet
Taken from their impressive Self-Released New York Connection album released in 2012.

Blue(s)

Devil In My Closet - John Campbell
Taken from one of my favourite Blues albums One Believer (released in 1991 on Elektra).

The Parting Shot

  Bye Bye Baby - Ronnie Spector (feat. Joey Ramone)
From the 1999 EP She Talks To Rainbows released on Kill Rock Stars (U.S.) and Creation (UK). Originally appeared on Halfway To Sanity album by the Ramones in 1987.