S4L Radio Show 2018 Playlist #1

First Playlist of 2018 and as usual you'll find the sublime, the good, the bad, the down right ridiculous and maybe the "I wonder why on earth he included that, it's terrible!".

There's a little spotlight on some great singles that were released in early 1978 that were part and parcel of my Soundtrack4Life when I was 14 going on 15 years old. You might enjoy a few of them.

The Playlist

On The Playlist

Cry About The Radio - Mary Weiss.
It was Mary's birthday a few days ago (28th December) and so I thought I'd kick off this first Playlist of 2018 with a song about the Radio and a track from her album Dangerous Game.

Give Him A Great Big Kiss - Johnny Thunders.
The New York Dolls used to perform this cover of a song made famous by The Shangri-Las and Johnny when he was with The Heartbreakers and then solo continued performing it. This was on his Debut Solo Album So Alone released in 1978.

Train From Kansas City - Shop Assistants.
Another cover of a song recorded by The Shangri-Las as a B-Side to their 1965 single Right Now and Not Later. Edinburgh's Shop Assistants included it on their Debut Album.

Past, Present and Future - The Shangri-Las.
One of my favourite songs from The Shangri-Las was their 1966 single Past, Present and Future. It only reached #59 on the US Charts.

Goodbye December - Nervous Passenger.
Even though it's an old song now it still resonates for me come the start of every new year. Nervous Passanger were an Edinburgh based band and Neil Alton was the vocalist. Still sounds great and hopefully you'll find something of yourself in the song.

Two Rivers (Live in Glasgow 2017) - Mike Peters and The Alarm.
Opening track from the second album release of 2017 by Mike Peters and The Alarm, Viral Black. I was not totally bowled over by either album (Blood Red was the other one) but there were a few songs on each that impressed me.

Love In Hard Times - Jars of Clay.
Taken from the Double Disc album 20 which was released to celebrate the band's 20th Anniversary.

How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live - The Del Lords.
Don't know much about this lot but was quite taken with their cover of Blind Alfred Reed's 1938 classic How Can A Poor Man Stand Such Times and Live. The song has been covered by many down through the years including UB40, Ry Cooder and Springsteen with his famous dedication to "President Bystander" (George W. Bush).

Songs which got a release in 1978

Rich Kids - Rich Kids.
Glen Matlock former bassist for the Sex Pistols had a new band and they released their debut single 13th January 1978. Also in the band was Midge Ure who had departed PVC2 not long after their Debut single Put You In The Picture was released. PVC2 would go on to become The Zones.

What Do I Get? - Buzzcocks.
 Second single on United Artists for Manchester's finest. Almost didn't get a release due to problems at the pressing plant who objected to the B-Side! Released 20th January 1978.

Shot By Both Sides (Live on So It Goes) - Magazine.
Howard of course had been a member of Buzzcocks but departed not long after the Debut Spiral Scratch EP. He returned with a cracking band.

No Time To Be 21 - The Adverts.
Fourth single and third label (Stiff, Anchor and now Bright, they would be on another label later in the year!) for The Adverts saw the release of this little beauty 20th January 1978.

I Am The Fly (Peel Session) - Wire.
The single, the band's second, was released in February 1978 but the Peel Session version was recorded in January 1978.

Safety Pin Stuck In My Heart - Patrik Fitzgerald.
Not quite in the same league as John Cooper Clarke when it came to poetry but Patrik managed to put out some fairly decent records in his time including this one which is the title track of his Debut EP released on Small Wonder 27th January 1978.

 
 
5 Minutes - The Stranglers.
Fifth single from The Stranglers and a non-album track released 27th January 1978.

Emergency - 999.
Second single from 999 on United Artists and was released 13th January 1978

The Home Stretch

Oh Pretty Woman - Roy Orbison (with the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra).
This one was released last year and in 2018 there is going to be a tour with The Big O appearing as a Hologram! Not totally sure what to think of that but the album was quite outstanding and incredibly fresh sounding considering the age of most of the songs that were featured.

 
 
Shadow of a Doubt (Live on Fridays) - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
This one is for all who are still coming to terms with the loss of Tom Petty in 2017. Taken from the album that really did raise the bar for him and The Heartbreakers and sent him into the big leagues.

Be More Kind (Live at Cambridge Folk Festival 2017) - Frank Turner.

It's only the second day of the year but you probably have broken every resolution you made on Day 1! But here's one that is really worth keeping hold of throughout this year and infact for the rest of our lives. Frank Turner every now and again writes a song that spotlights what's going on in the world and what our response to it should be. This latest one I think is one of his finest.

Here's the lyrics in full.
 
 Be More Kind
Written by Frank Turner

History's been leaning on me lately
I can feel the future breathing down my neck
And all the things I thought were true when I was young, and you were too
Turned out to be broken, I don't know what comes next

In a world that has decided that it's going to lose its mind
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind

It seems like everybody's raising walls now
Like hackles raised upon a cornered cat
On the borders in our heads between things that can and can't be said
We stopped talking to each other and there's something wrong with that

So before you go out searching, don't decide what you'll find
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind

You should know you're not alone
Trouble comes and trouble goes
How this ends no one knows
So, hold on tight when the wind blows

The wind blew both of us to sand and sea
And where the dry lands stands is hard to say
As the current drags us by the shore we can no longer say for sure
Who's drowning, or if they can be saved

But when you're out there floundering, like a lighthouse I will shine
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind
Like a beacon reaching out to you and yours, for me and mine
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind
In a world that has decided that it's going to lose its mind
Be more kind, my friends, try to be more kind

The Parting Shot

We're Coming Back - Cock Sparrer.
The Kings of Oi and Street Punk Cock Sparrer have done a lot of great songs in a career that has spanned more than 40 years and this one is a real favourite of mine from their Shock Troops album in the early 80's.
The Bouncing Souls also covered the song on a Split Album with Anti-Flag and was also included on The Worldwide Tribute to The Real Oi! Volume 2.

"We're Coming Back"
We're coming back, we're coming back
We're coming back to you
We're never gonna go away again
Hold on a little longer, try a little harder
'Til we're arm in arm together to the end

[Chorus]
So remember, out there somewhere
You've got a friend, and you'll never walk alone again

Don't get worried, don't get scared
We're fighting to get there
Never doubt we're gonna get through
We're gonna run, we're gonna crawl, kick down every wall
It won't be long we're coming back to you

[Chorus]
So remember, out there somewhere
You've got a friend, and you'll never walk alone again 

We're coming back, we're coming back
We're coming back to you
We're never gonna go away again
Hold on a little longer, try a little harder
'Til we're arm in arm together to the end

 
[Chorus]
 So remember, out there somewhere
You've got a friend, and you'll never walk alone again
 

See you again soon, have a great 2018!