Tidy Tune #340: The Referee's Alphabet - Half Man Half Biscuit

 

Well, it's Saturday and there's football on so it seems fitting to have this little masterpiece by Birkenhead's finest as today's tidy tune.

How about them Blyth Spartan's!

Half Man Half Biscuit - Urge For Offal (October 2014)

When it comes to the release of a brand new Half Man Half Biscuit album you can be certain of a few things:

They haven't aligned themselves to a major label. They are still on Probe Plus Records, with whom they have rested since day one of their recording history.

Their album was released without any fanfare at all. No adverts in the music press, no forerunning single paving the way for the full album, no interviews in the press, no placing of the album in a brown paper bag and shoved through every letter box in the country along with the latest offers from Lidel and DFS Furnishings and not even a tour of the dressings rooms at Tranmere Rovers let alone a World Tour to promote the 13th album! Okay they did one show at the Manchester Ritz on the 28th November ('Old Age Killed My Teenage Bride' and 'Trumpton Riots'  from that show can be viewed by clicking the links). Oh wait, there's also two gigs announced for next year: 31st January at The Liquid Rooms in Edinburgh and 12th June at The Apex in Bury St.Edmunds - not quite the O2!! (Though saying that they did play at the O2 in Bristol earlier this year! And they did manage a massive 9 dates all year!).

And thirdly you can be quite certain that Half Man Half Biscuit are going to provide an album full of songs regarding obscure themes and possessing fantastic titles ('Baguette Dilemma for the Booker Prize Guy', 'Old Age Killed My Teenage Bride', Adam Boyle Has Cast Lads Rock Aside' and 'Milege Chart' to name but a few!).

So, to follow a kind of script set down by the band, without any more words from me, (there's little point in me talking endlessly about how good it is when you can listen to it for yourselves) I give you the brand new album from the best Indie band on Planet Earth (or possibly Birkenhead), Half Man Half Biscuit and the magnificent 'Urge For Offal' - though I confess I have never had an urge for it myself! Below is a complete Playlist for the album. Enjoy.

Tidy Tune #339: Flower of my Heart - Buddy Holly and Bob Montgomery.

 In honour of the memory of Bob Montgomery who passed away yesterday.

Here's a great tribute to Bob Montgomery (Click Here).


And especially for his son Kevin Montgomery and the family in this time of sorrow.

Kevin sings his Dad's song

King Tuts, Glasgow

29th December 2008

Ian McLagan - 12th May 1945 -3rd December 2014

Former keyboardist of The Small Faces Ian McLagan passed away yesterday in the USA after a stroke, he was 69 years old.

Kenney Jones remains the only living member of the classic line-up of the Small Faces.

McLagan had a very varied musical journey. In 1965 he was hired by the Small Faces as replacement for Jimmy Winston. During his "probation period" he received £30 a week and after passing the test received £20 a week like the rest of the band!

When Steve Marriot left the band in 1969 two new members were added, Rod Stewart and Ronnie Wood and they then became The Faces. When The Faces broke up in 1975 McLagan went on to back a real who's who of musical talent. Not before reforming the original line-up of the Small Faces though. They would go on to record a couple of albums together but the old magic was not really there at all and the musical landscape had changed rapidly with the advent of Punk.

He would play on 'Miss You' by The Rolling Stones and would do studio and tour work for them. His session skills were used to the max by artists like Bob Dylan, Jackson Browne, Joe Cocker, Chuck Berry, Bonnie Raitt, Frank Black, and Bruce Springsteen, to name but a few. He was also a member of Billy Bragg's backing band The Blokes. He was a founding member of The Empty Hearts along with Clem Burke of Blondie and appears on the latest album by Lucinda Williams ('Where The Spirit Meets The Bone').

On top of all his session work he also released albums of his own and played live with The Bump Band.

A little taste of the music that Ian McLagan has been involved in down through the years.

Ogden's Nut Gone Flake - Small Faces.

The Faces Live BBC 1972.

The Final Concert 1974 - The Faces.

NPWA - Billy Bragg and the Blokes.

England, Half English - Billy Bragg and the Blokes.

Live at Vintage Vinyl (17th June 2014) - Ian McLagan.

I Will Follow - Ian McLagan and The Bump Band.

Troublemaker - Ian McLagan (Full 1979 Debut Solo Album).

United States - Ian McLagan (Full Playlist for his 2014 album).

Tidy Tune #338: Trouble - Ryan Adams

Album Version

Live Version

Tidy Tune #337: Here Comes the Sun - Spear of Destiny

From the latest album '31'

Live

Best of 2014: The S4L Album of the Year 2014

So, the big one, The S4L Album of the Year 2014. What on earth could it be? Well, be surprised because it is an album that has largely been ignored by Uncut, Q and Mojo and I cannot understand why.

This years Album of the Year goes to:

Beauty and Ruin - Bob Mould

Released 3rd June 2014 on Merge Records 

Listen to Album in Full Here.

Or Click on the links for the individual tracks.

The album has not been off my playlist since its release back in June and it garnered heaps of great reviews (but obviously was not loved enough to be included amongst the best of the year for much of the music press!).

Many reviews seemed to harp on about Bob Mould coming to terms with his musical legacy - as if being in Hüsker Dü and fronting Sugar are to be considered as some kind of musical leprosy! Nothing could be further from the truth though, Mould manages to capture the spirit of both of his legendary former bands and seems unashamed about them (and rightly so in my opinion!).

Beauty and Ruin is Bob Mould's 11th studio album as a Solo artist and it's interesting seeing as his first solo album,  'Workbook' got a 25th Anniversary release this year just how far he has progressed musically.

"I look at the record and there’s an arc, a narrative to it — at least I hope there is because I spent a lot of time putting it together that way. I started writing this record in October of 2012, right in the middle of touring for Silver Age. My dad passed away, not unexpectedly, but still, never a fun thing. And that triggered ideas about loss, about health and loss. That’s sort of where the record starts, and it moves through pretty clear ideas, from loss to reflection to acceptance to future. If you go back and look at the record in three-song packets with that in mind, you’ll see the cold, gray, slow beginning heading towards this warm, fast, sunny finish. It’s a very simple story. As far as Beauty and Ruin specifically, I think the two are oftentimes the same. I think one can always lead to the other, and that’s just the nature of things. I hope that short version of this all can get us to a place to talk about specific things." (Bob Mould interview with Stereogum)

Tracks are not necessarily the actual version that appears on the album, some are live versions.

 
01. Low Season
02. Little Glass Pill
03. I Don’t Know You Anymore
04. Kid With Crooked Face
05. Nemeses Are Laughing
06. The War
07. Forgiveness
08. Hey Mr. Grey
09. Fire in the City
10. Tomorrow Morning
11. Let the Beauty Be
12. Fix It

More Bob Mould 2014

Tiny Desk Concert NPR.

See A Little Light - Letterman.

Helpless and Keep Believing - Paradiso.

I Apologize (with Ryan Adams) - Bowery Ballroom NYC.

See A Little Light - A Celebration of the Music and Legacy of Bob Mould (with Dave Grohl).

The Quest Benefit Show 21st October - Grant Hart and Bob Mould.

Tidy Tune #336: December - Bleach.

  

Album Version

Live Version

More Bleach

Super Good Feeling.

Static.

What Will Your Anthem Be.

Jaded Now.

We Are Tomorrow.

Good.

Ladies and Gentlemen...The Bangles (2014)

Press Release

THE BANGLES ANNOUNCE NEW RARITIES ALBUM
LADIES AND GENTLEMEN…THE BANGLES!
RELEASE DATE NOVEMBER 27, 2014

Groundbreaking pop-rock band The Bangles proudly announces the release of their brand new album LADIES AND GENTLEMEN…THE BANGLES!, on their own label, DownKiddie! Records, and available for digital download at all major music outlets starting November 27, 2014 (Thanksgiving Day).
Hand-selected by the band members from their personal music archives, LADIES AND GENTLEMEN…THE BANGLES! is a 16-track collection of re-mastered 80's-era rarities, demos, live recordings and more, including the Bangles’ debut single and all of the tracks from their self-titled EP - produced by legendary Ramones/Blondie producer Craig Leon – unavailable since its initial release on vinyl in 1982.

Encompassing the very first years of the band’s development, from their earliest days as the “Bangs” to their incarnation as the Bangles, the tracks include performances by the Bangles’ founding and current members - Susanna Hoffs, Debbi Peterson, and Vicki Peterson - as well as now-retired bassist Michael Steele, and the band’s original bass player Annette Zilinskas.

"We’re so pleased to give our fans and music lovers alike the chance to enjoy the early fruits of our labor. Some of these tracks have never seen the light of day,” states Bangles drummer/singer Debbi Peterson. "We've wanted to make these songs available to a new audience for a long time,” adds singer/guitarist Vicki Peterson. “We’ve thrown in a couple of live tracks, and even some of the first demos,  all lovingly collected and re-mastered, so you no longer have to dig out a cassette player to hear them.” 
Singer/guitarist Susanna Hoffs continues, “I feel a very special connection to our early recordings. The garage of my parents' house was our musical laboratory, and we took all the flavors of our favorite bands and mixed up a concoction of jangly guitars, McCartney-inspired bass parts, grooves powered by punk energy, and harmonies galore! These songs and recordings were our musical manifesto - all that mattered and inspired us, fueled by youthful energy, hope and blind ambition.”

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN, THE BANGLES! will be available worldwide starting Thanksgiving Day, (November 27) 2014 on the following digital music outlets: 7Digital, Akazoo, Amazon Music, Anghami, Deezer, eMusic, Google Play, Gracenote, Guvera, iHeartRadio, iTunes, JB Hi-Fi, Juke, KKBox, MediaNet, MixRadio, Muve Music, Neurotic Media, Rdio, Revibe, Rhapsody, Shazam, simfy, Slacker, Sony Music Unlimited, Spinlet, Spotify, Target Music, VerveLife, Wimp, Xbox Music, and Yandex.

The Bangles are:
Susanna Hoffs – guitar/vocals
Debbi Peterson – drums/guitar/vocals
Vicki Peterson – guitar/vocals

About The Bangles
Founded in 1980 by Susanna Hoffs and sisters Vicki and Debbi Peterson, the band that eventually topped charts worldwide began as the “Bangs” and came to prominence during Los Angeles’ early-80’s Paisley Underground scene. Their attention-grabbing 1981 debut single ‘Getting Out Of Hand’ was followed by national tours with The English Beat and Cyndi Lauper, and the 1982 release of a self-titled EP as the newly re-named “Bangles.” In 1983, Michael Steele replaced Annette Zilinskas on bass, and in 1984 the Bangles released their debut full-length album ALL OVER THE PLACE. During the 80’s the Bangles released two more albums, the Platinum-certified DIFFERENT LIGHT (1986), and the Platinum-certified EVERYTHING (1988), with a slew of decade-defining hits among them including ‘Manic Monday,’ ‘Walk Like An Egyptian,’ ‘In Your Room,’ ‘If She Knew What She Wants,’ ‘Walking Down Your Street,’ and ‘Eternal Flame,’ as well as ‘A Hazy Shade Of Winter’ from the LESS THAN  ZERO soundtrack. A hiatus from 1989 to 1998 ended with the release of the single ‘Get The Girl’ for the AUSTIN POWERS:THE SPY WHO SHAGGED ME soundtrack, and led to the band’s 2000 reunion tour and 2003 release of the all-new album, DOLL REVOLUTION. Following Michael Steele’s departure from the band in 2005, the Bangles have continued to tour and record with several bassists - most recently Derrick Anderson, who featured on the Bangles’ critically-lauded 2011 release SWEETHEART OF THE SUN. The Bangles regularly tour the USA and abroad, and continue to develop new material.  Find out more at The Bangles Website.

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN…THE BANGLES! Track Listing
1. Bitchen Summer/Speedway (The Bangles/Rodney On The Roq: Volume 3, 1982 - S. Hoffs/D. Roback)
2. Getting Out of Hand (The Bangs/debut single A-side, 1981 - V. Peterson)
3. Call on Me (The Bangs/debut single B-side, 1981 - S. Hoffs/V. Peterson/ D. Roback)
4. The Real World (The Bangles EP, 1982 - S. Hoffs/V. Peterson)
5. I’m in Line (The Bangles EP, 1982 - D. Peterson/V. Peterson/S. Hoffs)
6. Want You (The Bangles EP, 1982 - V. Peterson)
7. Mary Street (The Bangles EP, 1982 - S. Hoffs/V. Peterson)
8. How is the Air Up There? (The Bangles EP, 1982 - S. Duboff/A. Kornfeld)
9. Outside Chance (unreleased demo, 1981 - W. Zevon)
10. Steppin’ Out (unreleased demo, 1981 - M. Lindsay/Paul Revere & The Raiders)
11. The Real World (unreleased demo, 1981 - S. Hoffs/V. Peterson)
12. Call on Me (unreleased demo, 1981 - S. Hoffs/V. Peterson/D. Roback)
13. Tell Me (live performance, Dingwalls London, 1984 - S. Hoffs/V. Peterson)
14. 7 and 7 Is (live performance, The Palace, Hollywood, 1984 - A. Lee)
15. No Mag Commercial (The Bangles, 1982)
16. The Rock & Roll Alternative Program theme song (The Bangles, 1982)

Brand New Album Out Now

Album Playlist Click Here.

Tidy Tune #335: December Sunlight (Cried Out) - The The

 Studio Version

Live at Rockplast 2000