Tidy Tune #141: Hey, hey My My (Into the Black) - Battleme

Was used as part of the season finale to the third season of Sons of Anarchy

Roddy Frame - Seven Dials (5th May 2014)

It's been eight years since 'Western Skies' saw the light of day, eight years! Roddy Frame is obviously not a man in a hurry and teaming up with AED (Edwyn Collins' label) he has finally unleashed 10 songs upon us to thrill our wee souls.

Reading a stack of reviews for the album it has been nice to see how positive the new project has been received. The Art Desk, The Guardian, The Scotsman, Any Decent Music and Uncut have all given it a large thumbs up.

Frame reminds us all that he is one of the great underrated songwriters with this album. As one review said, "There's not a dud on it."

This one gets added to the list for possible Album of the Year.

Tracklist

White Pony (BBC The Review Show 2013).

Postcard

Into the Sun

Rear View Mirror

In Orbit.

White Pony
Postcard
Into The Sun
Rear View Mirror
In Orbit
Forty Days Of Rain
English Garden
On The Waves
The Other Side
From A Train
Read more at http://www.uncut.co.uk/node/19941#bTQs43YK8tMFUfjp.99

Forty Days of Rain (Audio).

English Garden

On The Waves

The Other Side

From A Train.

Roddy Frame - High Land Hard Rain 30th Anniversary Live at The Royal Concert Hall Glasgow 4th December 2013

To celebrate the 30th Anniversary since the release of the debut album, 'High Land, Hard Rain', Roddy Frame hit the road for three shows and with a full band to the delight of audiences in London, Manchester and Glasgow.

The review in The Guardian for the Theatre Royal Drury Lane, show in London was exceptionally positive in it's praise for Frame and the album. It's hard to actually believe that Roddy was a mere 19 year old lad when he released it!

Thankfully someone has had the wisdom to bring together all the clips of the set on You Tube and edit them together to give us one of the best 104 minutes of our lives.

01 - Birth Of The True
02 - How Men Are
03 - Small World
04 - Spanish Horses
05 - Green Jacket Grey
06 - Orchid Girl
07 - The Spirit Shows
08 - Just Like Gold
09 - Oblivious
10 - The Boy Wonders
11 - Walk Out To Winter
12 - The Bugle Sounds Again
13 - We Could Send Letters
14 - Pillar To Post
15 - Release
16 - Lost Outside The Tunnel
17 - Back On Board
18 - Down The Dip
19 - Killermont Street
20 - Bigger Brighter Better
21 - Somewhere In My Heart
22 - Portastudio

Tidy Tune #140: By Myself (Unplugged) - Meg'n Jez

Today's Tidy Tune is a wee bit different to normal Tidy Tune posts because I wanted to take the opportunity to introduce to you a couple of youngsters from Germany who are currently impressing me and not many of you reading would be aware of them. So apologies if you were hoping to just jump in, play the song and go on your merry way. There's a bit of introductory information to get through and loads of links to live performances, so please take some time to pursue them. - Doug

'By Myself' is the debut single from Meg'n Jez on Drumming Monkey Records and is taken from their up and coming debut album 'Follow It Down'. The album is due for release on 30th May and can be obtained from Amazon (in the UK) or Amazon's German site, iTunes and Drumming Monkey Records.

Click on the links to enjoy the music.

This is their story so far (taken from their Official Website):

Meg'n Jez originally met in January, 2001, at the side of an arctic cold swimming pool in a hotel complex on the tourist ridden south coast of Gran Canaria. Their respective parents had decided to get away from the German winter and got to know each other in the hotel.

Meg was 4 and Jez had just turned 2, but they already had a lot in common. They both lived in Germany, Jez in Düsseldorf and Meg close to Mannheim, but both were growing up bi-lingually as their respective fathers both came from England. They were daydreamers and very playful. (The kids, not the fathers!)

......and 12 years later it would become clear that they shared much more. Not only a love of music, but talent. Musical talent far beyond their years. The ability to surprise and delight and even bring tears to the eyes of old-school punk rockers!

Meg’s parents noticed when she was 9 years old that she had an ear for a melody. Not only could she sing, but she could already accompany songs in a different key and sing backing vocals. They contacted a local vocal coach, who was also a friend of the family. Lorna Dooley took Meg under her wing and helped develop the sound and confidence we all love today.

Lorna still plays a major role in Meg’s life and musical development and is now helping both her and Jez with song arrangements and vocal harmonies.

The two families kept in touch over the years, meeting in Düsseldorf or Mannheim, but it wasn’t until the Spring of 2011 when Meg turned up in Düsseldorf with a recording of a song she had done for a school project.

Until then, the subject of Meg’s vocal coaching or the fact that Jez had started to play the guitar, had hardly even been mentioned

On this evening, the foundations were set. Jez picked up his guitar and started to play along.

But, what had attracted Jez to the guitar? As son of Essex-born drummer Vom Ritchie, (ex Dr. and the Medics) you could be forgiven for assuming a genetic affinity to the drums and he did actually try it out. Briefly; when he was six years old. He obviously had music in his blood, but his heart beat for another instrument and years later and out of pure curiosity, he picked up the guitar and never put it down again.

As fate would have it, a little while later, his parents took him to an AC/DC concert where he experienced the legendary Angus Young. Jez’ mother remembers how he lost control over his jaw muscles and spent over 2 hours with his mouth opened in amazement.

That was the beginning – the great inspiration. After this, 8 hours every day were spent practicing. At the start he taught himself, picked up riffs and licks from Youtube videos or books and then from other musicians who helped him out or from whom he simply picked up the style! In time he learned how to play almost every AC/DC song and thought, "What more do you want in life?".

On this special evening in Düsseldorf in the Spring of 2011, when he picked up the guitar and started to play along with Meg’s song, everything seemed to fall into place. They soon realised that there were thousands of songs they could try out together.

Songs were selected. Fortunately they noticed that they had a similar taste in music – and humour, as time would tell !). They began to rehearse. Saturday night visits to Düsseldorf developed into a showcase for the 2 young musicians, where they would perform newly practiced songs in the basement bar to a more than willing audience. Very soon it became clear, that they were learning incredibly quickly and that they had an almost intuitive sense of making music together. They weren’t just good – they were "really" good.

The distance didn’t stop them. In the last 2 years Meg has been backwards and forwards to Düsseldorf by train and Jez to Mannheim in order for them to spend weekends rehearsing.

Then the first public performance! As mini-support for TV Smith and Vom in KuBa in Jülich in December 2011 they played 3 songs.

The feedback was instant and exciting. Any thoughts of "Oh, how cute", and smiles of non-expectation as they came on stage were quickly sent packing, over the border, yelping into the woods of no-mans land!

On stage the musical talent took on a kind of magic. Jez’ dynamic method of playing, at the age of 12 was incredible and Meg, at 15, had such a clear and powerful voice that the audience immediately fell under their spell. Jülich was the first audience to fall in love with their dynamic youthfulness and magical clarity.

Time and rehearsals went by. Meg sometimes travelled alone to Düsseldorf by train and Jez to Mannheim. As often as possible they would get together to practice. A colourful mix of old and new songs packaged in an entirely new way. Their humour and sense of fun would come across and, of course, their talent.

All this rehearsing and self-discipline and the speed in which they were developing resulted in a support gig at the release party for the second Cryssis CD, 'Kursaal Nights', in February 2013.

Meg and Jez played 6 songs and the applause started in the second bar of the first song. When they launched into 'Lion and the Lamb' as a nod to TV Smith for the support slot in Jülich, the magic really unfolded and it has since become something of a trademark. So much so, in fact that TV Smith himself asked them to join him on stage in Düsseldorf at an acoustic festival in March 2013.

That was a wonderful moment. One that nobody present will forget so quickly. It was, however, at the Cryssis support gig in February that Campino and Andi from the longstanding and hugely successful German band Die Toten Hosen, which Jez' dad Vom joined in 2001, saw the kids perform for the first time.

'Son of a Preacherman', and 'Lion and the Lamb', especially, are songs that remain in memory. The first, a song by Dusty Springfield from a time that their parents only just remember and the other, a ballad from a punk icon.

Maybe it was this mixture and the element of surprise – hearing these 2 songs from such young kids. Maybe it was simply their love of music and their incredible talent that presented them with the opportunity in the summer of 2013, to perform on the biggest stages in Germany, as special guests for the Toten Hosen.

The first, major performance as guest appearance was on 10 May, 2013 in Pier 2, Bremen. The excitement was tangible, the performance magical and the feedback from the audience simply fantastic.

Then came the jump to the football stadium in Bochum. In two steps from a small stage with a handfull of fans to an open air spectacle with 27000 people. An opportunity which most people can only dream of.

We are at the beginning of an exciting journey. Where the future leads, remains to be seen. We look back at the performances with Die Toten Hosen in Bremen, Bochum, Hannover, Heilbronn, Kassel, Cologne, Freiburg and Schweinfurt – more than 250000 people in 8 weeks! – and ask ourselves where we will find them next.

The Album contains covers* of Die Toten Hosen's 'Call of the Wild', Oasis' 'Stop Crying Your Heart Out', TV Smith's 'The Lion and The Lamb', Pink Floyd's 'Wish You Were Here', Sarah McLachlan's 'Angel' and Dusty Springfield's 'Son of a Preacherman'.

*The links are for live versions of the songs performed by Meg'n Jez and not the studio versions contained on the album.

For more information on Meg'n Jez check out their Official Website (Click Here).

TV Smith (with Meg'n Jez) - The Lion and The Lamb (Dusseldorf 21st February 2014).

Meg'n Jez - Use Somebody (Kings of Leon Cover).

Meg'n Jez - Follow It Down (Dusseldorf 2013).

Meg'n Jez - Happy End (Dusseldorf 2013).

Meg'n Jez - By Myself (Essen 15th April 2014).

Meg'n Jez - Creep (Radiohead Cover).

Meg'n Jez Live 25th April 2014

Part One.

Wish You Were Here (Pink Floyd Cover)

You and I/Hey Jude (Lady Gaga/Beatles Cover)

Part Two.

Angel (Sarah McLachlan Cover)

Rockaway Beach (The Ramones Cover)

Stop Crying Your Heart Out (Oasis Cover)

Everybody Hurts (R.E.M. Cover)

The Scientist (Coldplay Cover)

Tidy Tune #139: Don't Look Back - Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band

 From last night, one of my fave Bruce songs.

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band: High Hopes Tour - Mohegan Sun, Uncasville 18th May 2014

There's a few links around so far but I'll keep checking and adding throughout the day.

"We want to take a moment and thank yourselves for coming out and seeing us, I appreciate the support after all of these years. And I want to thank all the four million-plus people that have seen us on the Wrecking Ball/High Hopes tour. They made this simply one of the greatest musical stretches of our lives, when we're coming out of hard times, and I can't thank all of them and all of you enough. So while we're apart, just remember... Dream baby dream…"
— Bruce Springsteen, May 18, 2014

LAST NIGHT OF THE TOUR

1-2. Roll Of The Dice (Tour Premiere)/Leap Of Faith (Tour Premiere)
3. Jump
4. Frankie (Tour Premiere)
5. Santa Claus Is Coming To Town (Tour Premiere)
6. Seven Angels (World and Tour Premiere)
7. Don't Look Back (Tour Premiere)
8. Darkness On The Edge Of Town
9. You Can Look (But You Better Not Touch)
10. Frankie Fell In Love
11. Adam Raised A Cain
12. High Hopes
13-14. Youngstown / Murder Incorporated
15-16. Johnny 99/Cadillac Ranch
17. I'm A Rocker (Tour Premiere)
18. Loose Ends
19. The Ghost Of Tom Joad
20. The Rising
21. Badlands
ENCORES:
22. Born To Run
23. Ramrod
24. Dancing In The Dark
25. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
26. Jungleland
27. Dream Baby Dream

Mercyland 2 on the cards at Kickstarter!

Way back at the start of 2013 I had an opportunity to have a chat via mail with Phil Maderia about Mercyland: Hymns For The Rest Of Us album (click here to read it). Well, as from 16th May 2014, Phil is undertaking a Mercyland2 Project on Kickstarter again (Click Here For More Information).

Bruce Springsteen and The E Street Band: High Hopes Tour - Mohegan Sun, Uncasville 17th May 2014

3 hour and 10 minute set and Stevie was back!
Night 1 of a 2 Night Stand to end the High Hopes Tour!

Show Review Click Here.

1. Racing In The Street
2. Clampdown
3. Badlands
4. The TiesThat Bind
5. Two Hearts
6. Frankie Fell In Love
7. High Hopes
8: Raise Your Hand
9. Quarter to Three
10. Staying Alive
11. Heart of Stone
12. Talk to Me
13. The Price You Pay
14. American Skin
15. The Promised Land
16. Prove It All Night
17. Jesse James
18. Shackled and Drawn
19. The Ghost Of Tom Joad
20. Radio Nowhere
21. The Rising
22. Light of Day
ENCORES:
23. I'll Work for Your Love (Acoustic) 
24. Growin' Up (Acoustic) 

25. Born To Run
26. Dancing In the Dark
27. Tenth Avenue Freeze-Out
28. Shout
29-30. If I Should Fall Behind (Acoustic)/Thunder Road (Acoustic)

Last show of the Tour on Sunday.

Tidy Tune #138: Nineteen Forever - Joe Jackson

Rewind: 17th May 1966 Bob Dylan Plays The Free Trade Hall, Manchester

This was the show in which a fan, a very unhappy one at that, shouted from the crowd "Judas" as Dylan came back to the stage for the second half of the show with his "Electric" band The Hawks.

For more information and a brilliant documentary, 'Ghosts Of Electricity' by the superb Andy Kershaw Click Here!