Yeah Baby

This cracker from ye olde Vinyl District freebie shuffled up on the iPo the other day as the sun burst through bruise-coloured clouds: bluesy, blousy and blowy,  it's a surefire Friday choon.

I am home. It's not late. I shall require a beverage, oh yeah.

Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings - 'I'll Still Be True' (2010)

In A Sentimental Mood

This is a song Mrs H always asks me to play when she's in her cups a sentimental mood.

It's a pretty thing, as Bing Crosby might say.

I only really listened to the lyrics properly the other day.

And when I looked it up found that they were written by one Felice Mancini, and set to music by her very great and famous composer Dad.

Sometimes, not often enough
We reflect upon the good things
And those thoughts always centre around those we love
 
And I think about those people who mean so much to me
And for so many years have made me so very happy
And I count the times I have forgotten to say "thank you"
 
And just how much I love them

Carpenters - 'Sometimes' (1971)

Tuesday (!) Reggae

Yes, unorthodox I know, but I'm seizing the day with this because a) it's a great record and I want to share it with you and b) I am, shockingly, going to be late back from selling the snake-oil in town on Friday and so likely slinging that post together in an even more slapdash fashion than usual, and this warrants a tad more attention.

It leapt out at me from this Soundcloud of reggae choons from the 'classic' era - some cut/crunched together a bit too rapidly for my liking, but I get the vibe - and I'd never heard it before.

It sounds like an old Studio One production pure and simple but is, according to the nice people at this site, a bit of a mongrel - an unreleased late 60s riddim track by The Soul Vendors, backing a vocal group called The Saints and harmonies by The Silvertones, with a lead vocal added in 1999 when the whole thing was re-engineered in Jamaica (by Courtney Dodd) and mixed in Brooklyn, NY. 

Like say, it's very good indeed.

Nina Soul - 'Sleeping Trees' (1999 - kind of)

Float, Float On

It was back from over there, rest up and Bank Holiday car-booting and straight into stuff over here and I've only just come up for air now really, so sorry to have been so quiet, though being quiet seems to be the new norm around here; I blame that Twitter. There's a navel-gazing post to be writ I'm sure about Whatever Happened To (Noodly) Music Blogs, with so many having fallen by the wayside, but some other feller or lass can write it, if that's alright.

I'll have a large Tanqueray over crushed ice, chunk of lime, tonic and some classic Balearica, ta.

The Grid - 'Floatation (Subsonic Grid Mix)' (1990)

Old Lag

Where am I? What time is it? Where'd all the big yellow taxis go? Wha_?

Odyssey - 'Native New Yorker' (1977)

Manhattan Project

I'm off to sell more snake oil in New York City tomorrow dear hearts. It'll be a whistle stop visit - in and work the schtick and out again - no opps for late night gigs or partays. I might get to wander about town for an hour or so tomorrow p.m, all dazed and out of time. And the views are quite nice and the Brooklyn Brewery's range is growing on me.

Back Friday morning via the red-eye. Bleary and teary.

Will Tweet!

Hey. Whaddyagonnado.

Simon & Garfunkel - 'The Only Living Boy In New York' (1970)

Now

18th April 2013 To Dexys at the Duke Of York's Theatre in London's glittering West End...

Pre-show pints with @so_mark off of that Twitter and his lovely wife, then...

Act I - One Day I'm Going To Soar: The Complete Work: with passion, bite, tightness, swooning, crooning and several costume changes (Kev). Our 'hero' (?) dreams of, meets, wins, kisses and is inca- inca- incapable of loving The Woman - but it's OK John Joe, he's Free.

Ovation.

Act II (no-one now is sitting down) - 'some old favourites' extend our tale: 'Don't stand me down, for I'll never stop saying your name' and 'You were standing next to me in 82 and 83' and 'Academic inspiration? To be honest Geno you gave me fuck all' and the confession of a crime ('I was burning, burning burning') that took place 'From 1966 to 1993', Until I Believe In My Soul, Tell Me When My Light Turns Green because This Is What She's Like (mammoth mix) - by now your blogger is out of Stall N9 and down front Stage Right testifying - or was that Kevin, or was that us all?

Ovation, ovation, ovation.

And me wanting to write something now about the Redemptive Power of Art (sorry).

The Italians have a word for it. A thunderbolt or something. I don't speak Italian myself you understand. But I knew a man who did.

Dexys Midnight Runners - 'Listen To This' (1985)