Here are two live takes by the late great 'Werewolf of London' himself. Warren was a big fan of Dylan and there are quite a few covers going the rounds. The first up is The Chimes of Freedom from a concert in Philadelphia in 2000 and the second is Ring Them Bells from a concert in Denver in 1996.
Sometimes when you actually find out where lyrics come from it is a bit of a disappointment. Take for example the line Four thousand Holes in Blackburn Lancashire. Lennon saw this in a newspapers referring to pot holes.
Another interesting one is a line from Dylan's Desolation Row, quote : They are selling post cards of the hanging. This was something that actually happened in the twenties in Dylan's home town of Duluth. Some black men were hung in a street corner after supposedly raping a white women. Pictures were taken and they were made into postcards. Pretty sick!
Flycasual was on a trip with his work to the Gulf and he told me he was going to meet the Crown Prince of Bahrain. I was very impressed and came up with this. Below it, is the actual meaning. Not quite as exotic.
THE PRINCE OF FORREST HILLS
You travel by Lear Jet To the Jewel in the Persian Gulf Courted by Kings The Crowned Prince comes to meet you You dine with their Captains
Your wife is a Princess Who came from the North Your father is a poet In the land of Iberia Your mother's veil Hides the mysteries of her past
Your sister her culture in Mayan lore Her baby touched by the aliens Her husband bound by the Arab Strap
Brought up in a City within a City Nourished by the foods of Al Baik You woke to the the sounds of the Prophet's song You gave blood to the silver disc
You thrash and grind with the Lords of Dogtown Your perennial garden with its eternal bloom
Your are the Price of Forrest Hills
Travel by Lear jet. It was actually a Canadair jet not quite as exotic. He did actually meet the Crowned Price but the Captains were actually the Captain of the plane and he had dinner with him . Wife a Princess, well his wife comes from Blackpool, up north init. Father wishes he was a poet and lives in Spain. Mother was born in Egypt. Sister has a pet Chihuahua called Maya and she was married in Mexico. Her baby is called Ripley of Alien fame. Her husband's favourite band is Belle and Sebastian. The Boy with the Arab Strap is one of their best songs. If you don't know what an Arab Strap is, best you check it out. (sorry London Scouser) City within a City is Saudia City in Jeddah. Prophet's song is waking up to the sound of morning prayer call. Al Baik is local broast chicken the best ever. Gave blood for money at the local hospital then down to the CD shop to spend the money. Lords of Dogtown, best film about skateboarding. Last line regarding gardens, well he like his garden. Forrest Hills is part of his address. Nothing is as it seems.
I was going to finish it with and after 6 pints he goes for a kebab but maybe that would spoil the effect.
Do you like Singer/Songwriters/Alt-Country/Americana or Indie-Folk, or do you have a unhealthy affection to the sadness, if so you may have a case of the Tuesday Blues!
I featured the The Paper Kites a few weeks ago on Tracks of the Week however I couldn't let it pass without featuring this gem from their 2012 EP, Young North.
The Aussie quintet who have supported City & Colour and Bombay Bicycle Club will be releasing their second album twelvefour on 28th August.
London Scouser:- The Juan MacLean - 'A Place Called Space' (2014)
As soon as I heard this I thought 2 things... Firstly, is this the new Miami Vice theme tune ?? And secondly, this is amazing. It's 8 minutes of 80's sounding electronica and I'm hooked. Part of it sounded familiar, but I couldn't put my finger on it... My first guess was LCD Soundsysten (which was incorrect) but after a little googling I did find that John MacLean (not him from Die Hard!!) co-founded DFA Records with James Murphy. The part in question (that I've since worked out is similar to about 5.30 into 'Dumb Disco Ideas' by Holy Ghost!) is repeated a few times throughout this song, but I noticed it at 2.05... I hope you like it as much as me Flycasual:-
Elbow - 'Roll Call' (2015)
I don't know why I've become so dubious about a new Elbow release, dismissive even. I've been a long time fan and was always aghast at why they weren't more successful than they were. Of course that deservedly changed and I suppose, pathetically, my attitude towards them too, as everyone jumped on their bandwagon. 'Roll Call', taken from July's four track EP, Lost Worker Bee, is everything I've ever loved about Elbow. Guy Garvey's voice and writing along with the bands musicianship (sounding a lot like their early stuff), cementing why Elbow have been one of my favourite ever bands.
Close your eyes and try to imagine yourself drinking a cocktail whilst listening to this. I'd take that right now (it's raining cats and dogs here). On an On are a Minneapolis synth-pop trio that first came to my attention back in 2012 with the excellent Ghosts. They've recently released their second album, And The Wave Has Two Sides. I love the synth bass and catchy chorus and although it does remind me a little bit like Keane, it could nicely fit on my "embers of summer" playlist! Time for another cocktail!
Old Pa :-
Kurt Vile - Pretty Pimpin'(2015)
I have been waiting for something new from Kurt Vile his last album Wakin on a Pretty Daze (2013) was one of my favourites from that year. I have to say I was not convinced with this on first hearing. But by the third hearing I was hooked and I just love it. can't wait for the album b'lieve I'm goin down out at the end of September firmly noted on my musical calender.
Listen or even better, subscribe to our tracks of the week playlist here...
Here are some interesting ones. First up is none other that The Beatles themselves doing a little warm up by doing Positively 4th Street. Pity about the quality and it is a shame the version is not longer. This can be found on Let It Be Rehearsals Vol 2.
Now this is really good, especially as it is rumoured that Phil may well be one of the influence why Dylan wrote the song. It is also relevant, as at one point Bob apparently threw Phil out of his car (not literally. This is well documented in the book Positively 4th Street, a must read. The short track is on
Hero of the Game - Live New York Radio Broadcast 1965.
Finally one of my favourite covers and this is a version by Lucinda Williams and can be found on Bottom Line Archive Series Vol 1
I love Ray Charles's I Can't stop Loving You but I have never really understood the sentiments. Ray wants to love this girl/boy for ever and unconditionally. It does not make sense to me. This girl/boy may have run of with his best friend or even worse but that seems not to make any difference to Ray. Saying that I don't really know the full story. That person may have died or something.
I can identify with Hank Williams a lot easier. This girl is a cheat and she has let him down. You know exactly where you are....the cheatin' bitch.
Here is a little love thang for you...you can never trust love, can you?
MY WATCH
You reach out and take my hand I turn and look at you and smile When you tell me that you love me I tell you back I love you too
You make me feel I belong with you This is how love should be
I leave our home to go to work You always kiss me on the cheek When I tell you that I love you You gently sigh I love you too
You make me feel I belong with you This is how love should be
I come home again to you at night The first thing we do is kiss When I tell you that I love you Your eyes tell me You love me too
You make me feel I belong with you This is how love should be
I reach out to you in the night You turn and hold me in your arms When I tell you that I love you Your whisper back I love you too
You make me feel I belong with you This is how love should be
I book a table just for two But you frown and turn away When I tell you that I love you Your loveless eyes Are dark and cold
You make me feel I should not be here Is this how love should be?
I reach out to you in the night You turn away with a lame excuse When I tell you that I love you Your silent reply Screams the truth
You make me feel I should not be here Is this how love should be?
Do you like Singer/Songwriters/Alt-Country/Americana or Indie-Folk, or do you have a unhealthy affection to the sadness, if so you may have a case of the Tuesday Blues!
Ryan Adams - Nobody Girl (2015)
I have been listening to the Live at Carnegie Hall album quite a bit recently and it captures RA at his acoustic best. This is version of Nobody Girl, which featured on 1999's Gold and was recorded at Carnegie Hall last year. There is no point explaining how I used to download bootleg recordings of hearing different versions of his material, because that is fairly obvious, right, we'll this captures perfectly my reasoning. If you are not an avid listener, do yourself a favour and get hold of the 10 track version, (the other is a 6 x LP version). I once read that listening to Adams is the equivalent of "giving your sadness a spa day". If that is true, why does he always leave me with a grin?
"THAT’S IT! YOU’RE SAD NOW!!! NOW YOU’RE SAD!!! EVERYBODY’S SAD NOW! YEAAAAHHH!!!!"
Shell Hunter:- The Libertines - 'Gunga Din' (2015)
I didn't realise these guys had reformed properly, I thought it was just for a concert in Hyde Park last year and I certainly didn't think I'd like their latest single! I had a few tracks from their hayday but grew tired of hearing about the saga with Pete Doherty. This grabbed my attention because of it's obvious likeness to The Clash. It's pretty good but I can't quite get my head around the 'Of Monsters And Men' like chorus. A few more listens may sort that out! Plus for those clever clogs out there, Gunga Din is a reference to a poem of the same name by Ruyard Kippling. The new album Anthems Of The Doomed is due out on September 4th and I'm sure there will be a couple of gems in there.
Flycasual:- The Holydrug Couple - 'If I Could Find You (Eternity)' (2015)
A perfect track to watch the Perseids to, that is if we could only see any of the damn meteorites for all the light pollution. My son and I had to settle for 3 satellites, a plane, a shrew and a few moths instead. Still it hasn't stopped this track slowly becoming one of my favourites of the year. Citing Aretha Franklin and Air as inspirations, the Chilean duo have released their second album entitled, Moonlust from which the spaced out 'If I Could Find You' is taken from. It's like surfing the Aurora Borealis, or something.
Listening to last weeks TOTW got me wanting something louder - and this is the perfect fix. New Order meets 30 Seconds to Mars is a pretty good combination, riffage and big chorus' are another. Addition is taken from their upcoming debut album, Permanence, due out on September 25 via Collect Records.
Old Pa :-
The Cairo Gang - Ice Fishing (2015)
Wow! Am I hearing right, for one moment I thought that was the Byrds. Well it could be Roger on Rickenbacker.
This is from their album Gone Missing(2015). Utterley fabulous. I want more.
London Scouser:- All Tvvins - 'Thank You' (2015)
I love bands that mess with auto correct on my phone and this band are definitely in that camp. When I first heard this I thought it was Bloc Party, so I gave it time. I'm pleased I did as it is a really infectious song that I don't think will be off my summer playlists.
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In most forms of entertainment you get sequels. Books, films, games & TV shows have them but you don't seem to get them in music. However, I believe I've found one in the case of these two songs. I remember first hearing 'Coffee & TV' and thinking "Blimey, Damon sounds a bit weird on this one" and then came the video with its cartoony milk carton trying to find the singer of the song. And of course we know its not Damon, but guitarist Graham Coxon. It was the first time I'd heard him sing and I was impressed. So much so that I've bought quite a few of his solo albums over the years.
Graham Coxon - 'Bittersweet Bundle Of Misery' (2004)
He's had some standout tracks, but my personal favourite is 'Bittersweet Bundle Of Misery' which to my limited musical brain sounds like it's picked up from where 'Coffee & TV' ended. The video for this probably cost about £37.50 to make as it's essentially Graham playing guitar and singing in a park somewhere with a small dog (dachshund maybe ??) watching him. A woman falls from the sky (maybe those special effects alone will bump it up to a £50 cost) and dances badly. The ending is almost a payback as he is discarded by the woman and dog in much the same way as 'Milky' the milk carton was in 'Coffee & TV'.
Well good for you Alicia to go and cover Bobby, especially after he was lusting after you. Well you are a pretty girl. Not a bad version of Pressing On too and it can be found on theMuscle Shoals (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) (2013).
The other version is by Antony and the Johnsons and this is on his album Thank You for Your Love (2010)
Both are OK, but not a patch on Dylan's version. But I suppose, with a few exceptions, that is gererally the case.
MALVINA REYNOLDS - What Have they Done to the Rain
I shared in the early 70's, various flats in the Heathrow area with a guy call Brian Fry. Brian was a Customs Officer and came from Shrewsbury. He was a likeable lad and liked music and liked to drink. What was there not to like about Brian.
Here are a couple of Brian Fry stories for you. When Brian got ready for work he took ages in the Bathroom and when he was finished he smelled of aftershave and talc. It was almost overpowering. I noticed that all my aftershaves were going down very fast and I suspected Brian was the culprit. I therefore set up a test with a brand new aftershave which I did not use. As I suspected it went down very fast and proved it was Brian. I emptied the bottle and filled it up with piss.
I never had the aftershave problem again.
One night I was drinking late with Brian and at about one in the morning I said I had to go to bed as I had to get up at six as I started work at seven. Brian just would not have it and kept annoying me. It got so bad after about an hour that I said I would hit him if he did not leave me alone. He just kept at it and I punched his chin. He went down like a ton of bricks.
After recovering I helped him to his room. I returned and put tacks all around my bed. Just as I was about to go to sleep I heard this almighty scream Brian had a couple of tacks stuck in his feet.
Despite this we remained friends and it was Brian who introduced me to Malvin Reynolds. Nice one Brian.
Bobby Dylan once said 'play f@&£ing loud'. That legendary phrase is no more appropriate than for the Foals latest offering, a rowdy rollicking rock fest that gave me the sudden urge to go wrestle a bear! 'What Went Down' is taken their forthcoming fourth album of the same name and it sounds like they've taken up from where they left off from 2013's solid, Holy Fire. I'm off to find a cave.
If you are wondering why this sounds awfully like TheBlack Keys, well it is (sort of). The Arcs is a side project of Dan Auerbach and features producer Richard Swift and El Michels Affair main man Leon Michel. Stay In My Corner features on the album called Yours, Dreamily that is out in September. It has the bluesy-rock feel of the Black Keys but having Swift on board has me intrigued!
Old Pa :- Michael Head - Queen Matilda (1997)
I have been a fan of Michael Head ever since I bought the fabulous HMS Fable (1999) when he was under the banner of Shack. For some reason I missed out on the album Michael Head and the Strands, The Magical World of the Strands (1997). The album is quite brilliant and if you are (like me) a fan of Arthur Lee and Love then this album is a must for you. I am currently playing it all the time.
This track is taken from the reissue of the album and contains outtakes as well.
London Scouser:- Mikal Cronin - 'Made My Mind Up' (2015)
I first heard this and thought it was very summery and had a little of 'The Beach Boys' about it in some of the harmonies. Looking into the artist I see that he's from Laguna Beach, California and he grew up liking surfing and rock and roll music so maybe that's where the Beach Boys sound comes from. This is from his third album 'MCIII' which was released earlier this year.
As much as I quite liked a couple of songs from their last album, I thought they were starting to sound a bit like U2. Now this is much more refreshing and has regained the darkness I used to enjoy. When I was first played it by London Scouser, I immediately liked it and knew the voice sounded familiar but couldn't place it. When he revealed it was the Editors, I was surprised and bizarrely disappointed! I felt that if I could play this for people without them knowing who it was, they would enjoy it and not be immediately put off by the name Editors. Have they really slipped too far into the mainstream for me to be a music snob about liking them? Of course not, they still rock. The new album In Dream is out 2nd of October.
I wish I had learnt to play the drums at school instead of chasing the dream trying to play either 'Careless Whisper' or 'The Heat Is On' on the sax. The sounds emanating from my horn, successfully murdered said songs and scuppered any chance of wooing any Molly Ringwald lookalikes with George Michael's love ballad. Keep your frontmen, I'd rather be a Keith Moon, Dave Grohl, Buddy Rich or....ehm Phil Collins any day....I'm a beat man.
I was blown away by 'Wali Bena's' frantic wall of drums in what is probably one of the best percussive tracks I have ever heard, proving that there's a lot more to Sierra Leone than all the bad press of civil war and Ebola. Indeed Muyei Power were one of the top dance bands of Sierra Leone in the 1970's but despite intensive touring, at home and abroad, they split in 1979 leaving only a handful of recordings such a this amazing single.
Speaking of frantic...fast forward some 40 years and we find one of my favourite recent bands, London/Nairobi's Owiny Sigoma Band with a sweaty, frenetic and quite frankly a bonkers track, which is taken from their 3rd, forthcoming album, Nyanza (out Aug 28th). I defy you not to find your nearest corner flag and shake them hips.
Here are two Dylan covers from the Glen Campbell show feature the great Stevie Wonder. Forget the first minute or so but when he starts BITW it is pretty good. The other cover is a pretty much average take with Anne Murray. Never the less worth a visit.
Glen has done quite a few Dylan Covers in his time and did an album of instrumentals in 1966.
