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Showing posts with label New York State of Mind. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New York State of Mind. Show all posts

Wednesday, 13 February 2013

TUNE DOCTOR'S PLAYLISTS - 'Our Bloody Valentine'


Ah Valentines...sometimes it's not just about a fluffy bunny, a padded greeting card or treating your partner to an 'Early Bird menu' at the Harvester. You could very well be single, indulging in a dinner for one or you could very well be heartbroken and be eating said fluffy bunny. Lucky for you we have all bases covered with TuneDr's very own Valentine's playlist, in love, the breakup and being alone.


Flycasual:-
In Love: Big Muff - 'My Funny Valentine' (1998)

Yep, they're called Big Muff. A track I first heard whilst I was falling in love with my now wife in New York.

The Breakup: Isaac Hayes - 'Walk On By' (1969)

Sometimes you need a girl to shit in your heart to truly start appreciating songs. Isaac Hayes' classic rendition of the Burt Bacharach composition is a firm favourite of mine and one such song. You hear so much more clearer after having your heart broken, at least that's one positive.

Alone: Soft Cell - 'Sex Dwarf' (1981)

Just because she liked 50 Shades of Grey didn't mean she'd go for this! Single now and are you surprised? Lets face it, if you're listening to this you are, or should be alone. "They all love your miniature ways". Horrifically good! I'm just glad the official video was of poor quality but if for any reason you need to ruin the mood on Valentine's day, see the video here.....





Old Pa's Corner:
In Love: Art Garfunkel - 'I've Only Got Eyes for You' (1975)

We have all been there, in a crowded place, but not being aware of anybody else but her or maybe making a horrible journey, that normally you want to end as soon as possible, but because she is with you, you want it to go on for ever. Why? because you Love her. You are in Love of course.    

The Breakup: Righteous Brothers -'You've Lost that Loving Feeling' (1964) 

Possibly one of the best records ever made, certainly in my top twenty. You always know when 'that loving feeling' is going. You feel the pain, the twisting Knife in your heart, you want to die, what is left in life, she was your world, your future, you love her!




Alone: The Four Tops - 'Ask the Lonely' (1965)

'Ask The Lonely' is one of the most underated 'breakup'songs of all time and one of my favourite/greatest voices of all time, the great  Levi Stubbs. Along with The Temptations, they knocked out some of the best pop music which my ears have had the pleasure to have heard. This is pure brilliance in the space of 3 minutes. You're stunned into submission, with the shear excellence of what can be achieved in such a  short space of time. When it finishes you just want to hear it again and again....isn't it great, when you can look back on 'all that pain' and now enjoy 'all that pain'.

Bob Marley once said ...'when music hits you feel no pain'. Seriously Bob! 'Go ask the lonely!!'

'Ask Me!'!
I'll be there


Shell Hunter:-
Love: The Lightning Seeds - 'Sense' (1992)

Its the simplicity of this track that I love. Who can explain the reason you feel the way you do when you're in love. "The only reason is just because". Fabulous!

Breakup: Limp Bizkit - 'Re-Arranged' (1999)

When you're hurting and hate the world, metal and angriness can be the best medicine. Fred Durst gets it so right in this seriously bitter song which I remember constantly playing after getting my heart broken many moons ago.

Alone: Beck - 'Nobodys Fault But My Own' (1998)

Beck beautifully encapsulates how you feel when you are on your own. You go over what you should/could have done differently and ultimately struggle not to blame yourself for what went wrong in your relationship.

London Scouser:-
In Love:  Dr Hook - 'A Little Bit More' (1976)

As a kid, I was subjected to Cliff Richard & Dr. Hook by my Mum. Nowadays that's tantamount to reaching for the phone and calling Childline. Now I'm getting older, I realise that the latter of Mum's choices have written some seriously great tracks. (Sylvia's Mother, Sexy Eyes to name a couple) and this one in particular gives me goose bumps when I hear it. Thanks Mum


The Breakup: Puddle Of Mudd - 'Blurry' (2001)

A great song which deals with a couple splitting up with a child in the middle. Thankfully I've never experienced this. But out of bad things, good things happen. This song.

Alone: Calexico - 'Alone (Again Or)' (2004)

One of my favourite covers by one of my favourite bands of probably my favourite Love song. Nuff said.

Sfw:-
In Love: - The Black Keys - 'You're The One' (2007)

This always makes me think of my wife and that is a good thing.


The Breakup: Ryan Adams - 'Call Me On Your Way Back Home' (2000)

When I first heard Heartbreaker it made me realise however bad I felt, Ryan felt worse.

Alone: Nirvana - 'In Bloom' (1992)
Anger, fear, hate,  Yoda used all of these to describe the dark side whereas I would also add Nirvana. I used to listen to this on my own. It may explain how I turned out!


Subscribe to 'Our Bloody Valentine' playlist below and check out our other playlists here...



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Wednesday, 15 August 2012

THURSDAY I'M IN LOVE - St Germain - 'Rose Rouge'

Thursday I'm in love....a chance to share some of my favourite songs...."fuhgedaboudit!"



St Germain - 'Rose Rouge' (2000)

I love New York! 

From the very moment The Eagles appropriately welcomed us with 'Lying Eyes' (with that immortal 'city girls' line) over the airport mini bus radio whilst gazing out at the approaching Manhattan skyline. To the moment, turning the corner after leaving our hotel off 5th Ave, to be confronted by the towering Empire State Building, (Holy shit! King Kong climbed that!) I knew I was smitten. 

There's this sense that somehow you've been here before. Of course, I've lived it all in the movies growing up, the yellow taxis, the cop car sirens, the steam billowing up from the manhole covers, all bringing this peculiar familiarity. Not to mention the music, eclectic, from Swing to Punk to the birth of Hip Hop, it was so easy to fall in love with New York. 


That was certainly how I felt when I visited Manhattan for the first time with my girlfriend (now wife) on a cold February in 2001. We hadn't been going out long but taking in the sights and sounds over the few days of our sejour also made her realise that I was quite the catch, eventually deciding to marry me. 



In those days, I'd take a separate hand bag with my Discman, Cd's and speakers, which would be handcuffed to my wrist. I had to make sure I had my music with me! Pretty ridiculous, considering now I'd have my iPod in my pocket instead. But as a result, I'd taken in a visit of the leviathan sized Tower records where I bought the excellent St Germain album, 'The Tourist'. Full of Blues, Jazz and Soul, 'Rose Rouge' was the stand out track that reminded me of that trip. It's a fantastic hypnotic groove, which uses a subtle voice sample from New York Jazz/Soul singer, Marlena Shaw. Wholly appropriate considering New York's Jazz heritage, it was the perfect atmospheric track to get you started before and evening out in Manhattan. 





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Tuesday, 17 April 2012

WEDNESDAY CLUB - Robert Palmer - Every Kind of People

MIDWEEK CRISIS you cant decide what to put on your chips (french fries), come to Wednesday Club we've got Robert Palmer, try some of his 'Vinegar Joe'


Robert Palmer - Every Kind of People(1978)

I was on a plane heading for New York, the year was 1978 and I was going to see about setting up a freight business for a Company call Medtrans. I was going to be their 'Man' in New York. I found myself in this situation because the 'Our Man in the U.K.' liked my wife and her drive and assumed I was the same (what did he know!), she told him I was in the freight business (clerk). We were to set up the business together in the Jamaica Bay area of New York and were going there to see the facilities on offer to us (expenses paid). He also set up meetings with some New York 'cargo people'

On the plane, on the way over, 'Every Kind of People' came on the 20 track 'rock' music playlist which was the only type of music on offer that appealed to me. I loved the song immediately and could not wait until it came around again. There are some songs I wish I had written and this is one,Andy Fraser (Free) got it bang on, great sentiments. Robert Palmer's voice has never sounded better (remember Vinegar Joe? Elkie Brookes),

To be honest, I was overwhelmed with New York, I could write a book about the trip, the Bronx, the Bowery, the Empire State Building , the Rockerfeller Centre, the contrast with rich and poor, 'every kinda of people'. The smuggle of kebabs into the San Regis Hotel, 5th avenue, the watching of 'The Towering Inferno', a thousand times (it had it on a loop). You could actually watch films in your room (for a small fee), amazing!

Stefan Edberg
I met this guy from Pan Am, he was like something out of a Hollywood Movie, John Wayne would have played him. He was the Pan Am trouble shooter, he had been everywhere, knew everything, done everything. What was I doing here? I was overwhelmed again but he was charming, amazing, a larger than life character. I was in awe! Did I take the job? No! I told him, I did not think I was ready for New York (New York wasn't ready for me). He then offered me the same deal in Tehran. (my wife was born in Egypt and new the Arab culture well). This was just before the Revolution there.

I was happy to stay in my mire, for the time being, I just wasn't ready to branch out, take a chance, at that time. I don't think I was so relieved in all my life when I made that decision. I just looked out the window, saw my little boy and my wife playing in the grass and I smiled, Robert Palmer was on the turntable, a snapshot, strange what you remember!


I just love that song, the memories, the great delivery. Hey! remember Power Station.  R.I.P.

For more Wednesday Club decision making
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Sunday, 1 January 2012

HIP HOP CLASSICS - A Tribe Called Quest - 'Electric Relaxtion'


Hip Hop Classics:-
A Tribe Called Quest - 'Electric Relaxation' (1993)

I was hanging out, having brunch in a Brooklyn diner with my newly proposed-to fiancee, it was a cool crisp November day, the sun was shining, kwoffee, waffles, eggs and bacon, with ATCQ playing in the background. Bliss.

I love the video with it's black and white shots, in what is an homage to Manhattan. The wonderful use of Ronnie Foster's 'Mystic Brew' sample capturing the mood perfectly over great interplay, as always, between Q-tip and Phife. It's just a fabulous piece of laid back New York Hip Hop.



New York is a special place for me and who better to represent, than Brooklyn's finest. It's everything I love about ATCQ and the genre, a timeless classic.

The original track is hard to beat but I recently came across a version which gives it a run for it's money by the Propellerheads, very DJ Muggs (House of Pain). I heard it on DJ, Mick Boogie's tribute to ATCQ (check out my other ATCQ post and download the mix there).

Electric Relaxation (Propellerheads Mix) - A Tribe Called Quest

To da beat y'all...check out more Hip Hop Classics here..
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Monday, 7 November 2011

TUESDAY BLUES! Stephen Fretwell - New York

Stephen Fretwell - New York (2004)

It's Tuesday and it's getting cold, I've scraped frost off the misses car the last few days and I've been back from Holidays for a fortnight and it feels like I haven't been away.....

Stephen Fretwell goes perfectly with this feeling, in particular a song from his debut album 'Magpie', an album that, from the very start makes you feel cold and wintry - it starts with a piano playing a single note which rings like a cold fog engulfing you and if you listen close enough you can hear the seagulls squawking. 

As you can tell this is not going to be an upbeat album or something you'll listen before you go clubbing, but from the start to the end, Stephen Fretwell's debut holds you like a boxing day walk.

The 'singles' from the album are excellent - "Emily" & "Run" (which was featured in the BBC Sitcom Gavin & Stacey) - but my favourite is "New York".  It's a song in which he sings (in his fantastic Northern accent) about giving everything up to move away to the "city that never sleeps".  It makes you want to pack in your job, take a small bag of possessions and head off to a dream life - with the reality being ending up working in a bar, a point captured perfectly in this song.

So enjoy it, smile at his daydream and get the album - (I also recently visited his website I noticed that he'll be playing a tour in December) and join his loyal following of fans that include Arctic Monkeys singer Alex Turner who managed to convince him to play bass for the The Last Shadow Puppets. 

"...leaving on a jet-plane, don't know, when I'm back again..."

Stephen Fretwell - New York

Try some more Tuesday Blues here....because Saturday is so far away!

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