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"The United States sponsored the rise of the Third Reich"
2008-06-04 11:40:00
Immortal Technique is playing at the Coronet in London tonight and I'm going.He often raps about conspiracy theories, although he doesn't like that term as he explains on The Cause Of Death. But almost every line here outlines a new conspiracy theory or alarming fact. It's powerful in its relentlessness, and listening to it reminds me of watching the conspiracy theory film Zeitgeist. Alarming, thought-provoking, extremely misguided in places, but you have to admire the passion, anger and desire to educate the listener - all of which are conspicuously absent from so much of today's hip hop music.Immortal Technique - The Cause Of Death (iTunes)
More About: United States , Sponsored , United , States , The United States

Golden Silvers and back in black
2008-06-02 18:16:00
There seems to be a nice buzz building on Golden Silvers in the London music industry. One of their songs stands head and shoulders above the others I've heard and of course it's the ballad, Fade To Black .Black has been a big theme in music in the past few years. When you read that, perhaps you don't immediately think of Burn The Black Suit by Juliet Turner or Raude by Black Rose - but you should!Juliet is an Irish singer songwriter and Burn The Black Suit should have been a huge hit. She has a new album out soon, I see from her website.I thought Black Rose were extremely obscure (their album is hard to find in the UK) but this website, where you can buy their downloads, tells me they are "without a doubt the most popular Fijian group in the Pacific". Raude is such a great noise and so infectious.Golden Silvers - Fade To Black (nothing on iTunes yet) Juliet Turner - Burn The Black Suit (iTunes)Black Rose - Raude (not on iTunes or Amazon but try the website above or FijiShop.com)
More About: Back

Another Lost Album, Another Spectacular TOTP Performance
2008-05-25 14:47:00
Leo Sayer's debut album 'Silverbird' was full of good tracks and showed off his distinctive voice and unusual vocal range to excellent effect. His TOTP debut was even more striking (and happily some helpful person has put it on YouTube - not the original, I think, but very close in spirit). This was, of course, in the days when there were only two or three channels and everyone was talking about this guy in the clown suit and his mesmerizing performance. Since then he's had a well-documented decline, with occasional rediscoveries, but he has written and performed some memorable songs and I wouldn't bet against another comeback at some point.Leo Sayer - The Show Must Go On (YouTube) (iTunes) Leo Sayer - Silverbird (not on iTunes so here's an Amazon link)
More About: Lost , Performance , Album , Spectacular

my all-time favourite Eurovision entry
2008-05-25 14:26:00
Mocedades - Eres Tú (iTunes)
More About: Time , Eurovision , Entry

Jimmy Cliff just performed one of my favourite songs of all time on Later
2008-05-24 01:08:00
If you are not down with the Jools noodly piano version, fear not - here is the classic original.It's one of those songs that many people have covered, and it should be easy to cover, on paper, but in reality nothing comes close to matching Jimmy 's version.Jimmy Cliff - Many Rivers To Cross (iTunes)
More About: Songs , Time

Michael Runion
2008-05-21 14:01:00
I'm excited about seeing Michael Runion play in London in the next few days. His dates are on his MySpace site.Michael has made a really good album with shades of Ryan Adams and Jack Johnson. This is my favourite track, not least thanks to a lyrical theme that has inspired a few great songs including My Ship Is Coming In and This Will Be Our Year.Michael Runion - Our Time Will Come (nothing on iTunes yet)The Zombies - This Will Be Our Year (iTunes)The Walker Brothers - My Ship Is Coming In (iTunes)

Does Martha Wainwright sound like Kate Bush to you????
2008-05-19 14:29:00
She does to me, at least on a couple of the tracks on her new album. That's not necessarily a bad thing I suppose - as long as she doesn't make a habit of it. Although KB is one of those artists who deserves some credit for originality, I think her voice would get intensely irritating if you listened to more than a track at a time. See what you think by comparing the Martha track with Kate 's stunning second single, which she performed on TOTP while doing the weirdest swinging round dance. Martha's voice is actually much more versatile - listen to her singing two great standards (as part of Rufus's Judy Garland tribute) on YouTube.Martha Wainwright - tower song (iTunes for the album) Stormy Weather(YouTube) Someone To Watch Over Me(YouTube)Kate Bush - Wow (iTunes)
More About: Sound

Send In The Clowns
2008-05-19 13:13:00
They don't write them like this anymore, despite the best efforts of whoever wrote Take A Bow for Rihanna.There's a Nothing But The Best of Sinatra compilation out this week but Send In The Clowns didn't make it on there (well, there's a lot to choose from with Sinatra).Frank Sinatra - Send In The Clowns (there's only a very strange live version on iTunes)

The Ting Tings are no. 1 in the UK so here's a track from their previous ou
2008-05-19 13:10:00
Dear Eskiimo - Jo (not on iTunes but some of their tracks are)
More About: Track , The Ting Tings

Neil Diamond
2008-05-13 12:27:00
So Rick Rubin continues to "do a Johnny Cash" on Neil Diamond . I'm not totally convinced this is playing to Neil's strengths but I'm in favour of anything that gets him the credit he deserves as one of the great pop songwriters and performers.Here's an oldie that's ripe for revival (it's practically a dance record already thanks to that kick drum).Neil Diamond - Forever In Blue Jeans (iTunes)

Scooter have the no. 1 album in the UK today
2008-05-12 18:05:00
Edith Bowman played a track on Radio 1 then slagged it off even though it sounded rather good. As I haven't worked out what that track is, here's my favourite Scooter oldie Friends, available with the new album along with 19 of their best tracks on a bonus disc.Scooter - Friends (iTunes)
More About: Today , Album

If only all remixes were as creative and musical as this
2008-05-10 00:02:00
Justice - Stress (Auto Remix) (not on iTunes)
More About: Creative , Musical , Remixes

It's just like discovering a lost Beatles album
2008-05-03 13:14:00
Like most people, I guess, 'She's Not There' was really the only track that came to mind when people mentioned the Zombies. It is a very memorable song. A few years ago I heard Colin Blunstone and Rod Argent talking on the radio and this prompted me to seek out a Colin Blunstone album. It quickly became a favourite and this track showcases his very distinctive voice. But I knew nothing about 'Odessey and Oracle' until my son mentioned that they were reforming the original line-up to play the whole album live for the first time ever (the band broke up even before it was originally released). He sent me the album and got us tickets for the show. Both were great. You can see why it is often described as a classic album - there's not a duff track on it and some of the songs are indeed up there with the best of the Beatles ' stuff. You really do need to listen to the whole album but the striking opener, with its unusual story-angle, makes a reasonable taster.Colin Blunstone - Say ...
More About: Lost , Album

I assumed that my son must have known this...
2008-04-24 10:16:00
but I discovered a while ago that I'd never played it to him. This Roy Orbison song was the first record that really meant anything to me. Interestingly, the 45 was a ?double A-side? - ?Running Scared? and ?Love Hurts?. ?Love Hurts? is a haunting, distinctive song which becomes quiet background music through much of your life (and then you discover the version by Gram Parsons and Emmylou). ?Running Scared? is something else again, the consummate story song, packed with narrative power, building to its magnificent, orgasmic denoument, which, time after time after time - and I?ve been listening to it for fifty years - knocks you into the middle of next week. The point at which the bass rhythm enters and carries the song and the listener forward and upwards is extraordinary. The words build, the story builds, the music builds. So much of the pain and joy of human relationships in a pop song lasting two minutes twelve seconds. And perhaps the most amazing thing about the song - Orbison...

I?ve never been totally sure about the Proclaimers -
2008-04-23 16:37:00
some great songs, always at least interesting, often quite original, yet for me there?s something very slightly creepy about them, e.g. 'She Arouses Me So' (too much information?). However, this is a brilliant track and the perfect answer to the current publicity given to those who refuse to see the benefits of immigration. If only there were a similar song about England. Anyone know one?The Proclaimers - Scotland's Story (not on iTunes)

Bruce Springsteen is playing live in London soon
2008-04-22 15:12:00
I turned down the opportunity to go and now I'm having pangs of regret. I have seen him once before at the Royal Albert Hall but that was acoustic, and it was before I knew his catalogue well.But I've seen so many legends way past their peak - would this be another disappointment? He hasn't written a great song since Streets Of Philadelpia (or if he has, I missed it).Anyway, here are the two tracks that gave me those pangs of regret.I very much approve of this phenomenon of the likes of Todd Terje and Cousin Cole taking classic tracks and adding a few little synth noises and tweaks for the dancefloor rather than radically remixing.As for Thunder Road, "Ladies and gentlemen, Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band"... if only this were 1975!This post can also stand in tribute to Clive Davis, the man who told Bob Dylan, Bruce Springsteen and many others to write him a hit. I can live without Lay Lady Lay but we should all be grateful for Born To Run.Bruce Springsteen - I'm On Fire...
More About: London , Live

Chris de Burgh's time will come again
2008-04-22 13:53:00
If Supertramp can come back into fashion then Chris de Burgh will sooner or later, right?There is a new CdeB compilation released in the UK this week. Included on there aremy two favourites - Much More Than This which I've written about previously, and Borderline. Borderline has a topical lyric about deciding between going away to fight for your country and staying with your lover. The Borderline sequel Say Goodbye To It All is also on there (more songs should have sequels).Chris de Burgh - Borderline (iTunes)
More About: Time

Ludacris vs Born Slippy
2008-04-22 03:14:00
Ludacris is one of my favourite rappers (or he was back at the start of the millennium anyway).Born Slippy is one of my favourite records of all time.How could I resist a combination of the two?Yes, the chord does eventually change and when that happens it is of course the high point of the track.Thanks to my new favourite blog Burnt Waffles for the link.Ludacris - Ultimate Satisfaction (Cabin Bwoy Refix) (not on iTunes so here's a link to buy the original Born Slippy)
More About: Ludacris

really beautiful track from Sweden that I found via Popjustice
2008-04-18 04:16:00
shades of Jeff Buckley and they know how to write a good tune in Sweden the album is lovely and available from iTunes now, without DRMMoto Boy - Ride My Wild Heart (iTunes)
More About: Beautiful , Track

Very honoured to be invited (see below).
2008-04-12 10:35:00
I would have to say that in recent years I?ve learned just as much about great music from him as he may have done previously from me. I?m afraid, by the way, that my version of the Bunny Berigan intro is a very simplified one but I like to think I?ve caught the spirit of it. Mention of Humphrey Lyttleton?s ?Best of Jazz? and its recent demise prompts me to draw attention to one of the best recordings he ever played - one to which he returned from time to time. I don?t know anything about Marion Williams or whether she recorded much else, but even if she didn?t the power and excitement of this one track is a greater achievement than the whole output of many other artists. Here also is another great Humph favourite (apparently made it onto the playlist for his very final programme that I sadly missed) which is similarly gospel based, and equally memorable with a tinge of 'tailgate' trombone humour - it just wouldn?t be the same on any other instrument.(Dads generally have more troub...

a new poster on The World's Greatest Music
2008-04-09 04:04:00
I've decided to introduce a new poster on The World's Greatest Music - my dad.My dad was the first influence on my music taste, and possibly the biggest. Before I listened to any contemporary music, I listened to his record collection. It was an impeccable musical education - The Beatles, Buddy Holly, Bob Dylan, David Bowie, Paul Simon, Elvis Costello, Chris Barber, Joni Mitchell, Motown Chartbusters, Jimmy Cliff... (the last few might have been my mum's but still).I inherited his predilection for recording shows off the radio and making up cassettes of the best tracks (I did it with Mark Radcliffe's Out On Blue 6, John Peel and Mark Goodier's Evening Session; he did it with Jazz Record Requests and Humphrey Lyttelton's The Best Of Jazz, which sadly came to an end recently).It was only a matter of time before we both started mp3 blogging.Also, he can pretty much replicate Bunny Berigan's awesome intro to I Can't Get Started on the trumpet.Bunny Berigan - I Can't Get Started...
More About: Poster

RIP Sean Levert
2008-04-04 03:39:00
Sean was in LeVert with his better known brother Gerald. LeVert's track Casanova is a classic.LeVert - Casanova (not on iTunes except for a karaoke version)
More About: Sean

"If I only knew your name, I'd go from door to door"
2008-03-28 03:23:00
I heard Ciara Haidar cover this at the weekend. What a great song, and one that I vaguely knew - surely a classic '80s hit for someone like The Bangles or Cyndi Lauper, I thought.But no, it turns out it's the current single by the Mystery Jets featuring Laura Marling.I love it when I group I had written off come up with something really great (when I say "love" I obviously mean "grudgingly accept").Someone has to cover this and make it a hit.Mystery Jets feat. Laura Marling - Young Love (iTunes)
More About: Door

Herman Dune, Jonathan Richman and Paul Simon
2008-03-24 02:41:00
Herman Dune played a lovely set at SXSW with Kimya Dawson joining him to sing vocals on a couple of songs including I Wish That I Could See You Soon. A very endearing song from a very endearing artist, although the lyric about spooning is a bit much.I Wish That I Could See You Soon is clearly inspired by Jonathan Richman, and my favourite Jonathan Richman song is I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar.I can also hear shades of Late In The Evening in I Wish That I Could See You Soon. Late In The Evening is the opening and best remembered track from Paul Simon 's 1980 album One Trick Pony. The album has been slated by critics, perhaps more because of the film of the same name than the music (see also Parade by Prince). The critics are wrong. The album is great from beginning to end and is probably Paul Simon 's best after Graceland.Herman Dune - I Wish That I Could See You Soon (iTunes)Jonathan Richman - I Was Dancing In The Lesbian Bar (iTunes)Paul Simon - Late In The Evening (iTunes)

Black Kids video for I'm Not Going To Teach Your Boyfriend How To Dance Wit
2008-03-21 06:34:00
I'm just posting this because I like the track and I love the lyric but I never got round to saying that here, and it would look hopelessly late if I posted the mp3 now, right?
More About: Video , Kids , Dance , Boyfriend , Black

some good tracks from bands who played SXSW
2008-03-21 06:14:00
Foy Vance - Indiscriminate Act Of Kindness (iTunes)I really like this song which reminds me of Romeo & Juliet by Dire Straits for some reason (obviously that's a good thing).Fleet Foxes - White Winter Hymnal (not on iTunes UK yet but there is an EP up there including Sun Giant which is also lovely)One of the buzz bands of SXSW. Their live show is very endearing.Stephen Kellogg & The Sixers - 4th Of July (not on iTunes UK but lots of his stuff is)Tigercity - Red Lips (not on iTunes UK yet but there is an EP up there)Eagle Seagull - I'm Sorry But I'm Beginning To Hate Your Face (not on iTunes yet but lots of their stuff is)Litttle Jackie - The World Should Revolve Around Me (not on iTunes UK yet)Macy Gray revivalists with Imani Coppola on vocalsLars Vaular - Eg E Fra Bergen (iTunes)Norwegian rapper. No idea what he's saying but I like the backing track and the chorus.
More About: Bands , Tracks , Good

from Adam Green to Jessica Simpson to John Cougar
2008-03-21 01:41:00
The Moldy Peaches have broken thanks to Juno. As Kimya Dawson is getting most of the attention, I have an excuse to post my favourite Adam Green track, a savage but superb song about Jessica Simpson . The lyrics about waitressing, Cortisone and that line "where has your love gone? It's not in your music, oh no" make me wince every time.There was a good single on the first Jessica Simpson album, I Think I'm In Love With You. It was released in the year 2000 but it's totally 1990s.How can you fail with a sample from Jack & Diane by John Cougar (before he was Mellencamp)?Adam Green - Jessica (iTunes)Jessica Simpson - I Think I'm In Love With You (iTunes)John Cougar - Jack & Diane (iTunes)

The Whitest Boy Alive - Golden Cage (Fred Falke Remix)
2008-03-21 01:11:00
This was Pete Tong's Essential New Tune on Friday and was recommended to me by my friend Daz who was also first to tell me about Call On Me by Eric Prydz, Amarillo by Tony Christie, Cha Cha Slide by DJ Caspar and many other huge records. Thanks Daz.It's a great remix of The Whitest Boy Alive , which is Erlend Øye from the Kings of Convenience.I saw Kings of Convenience play at Benicassim a couple of years ago - tent packed with continental Europeans, total silence during the songs, then huge applause at the end of each one. But I'm whiter than he is.The Whitest Boy Alive - Golden Cage (Fred Falke Remix ) (only the original version is on iTunes so far)

Phil Campbell
2008-03-20 13:39:00
Phil Campbell has just been added to the Radio 2 playlist, more than a decade after he should have been.Hope, Faith & You is his classic Tom Waits pastiche.Phil Campbell - Hope, Faith & You (and that version has a nasty ident on so make sure you buy it in iTunes plus format)
More About: Phil

rap with sampled, sped up chorus... paradise
2008-03-07 20:42:00
Let It Be by Dyme Def is available on iTunes so it must be cleared, right?Stay With Me by Ironik has not one but two sped up choruses. It's big on the Fizz TV channel.All this sped up vocal business reminds me of Mark Oh's classic interpretation of Lionel Richie's Stuck On You. That vocal drop out crowd noise trick is so good!Dyme Def - Let It Be (iTunes)DJ Ironik - Stay With Me (iTunes link that will probably be removed soon)Mark Oh - Stuck On You (there's only a terrible soundalike on iTunes)
More About: Paradise