R.E.M. were around a long time before Out Of Time Laps. In fact I prefer most of their 80s output apart from that album and Automatic For The People.
Ok we're heading way down south today to the beautiful city of Auckland, NZ.. Neil Finn is just a genius songwriter and is still doing it today... It must be something in the water down there because Liz Stokes is one of my favourite current songwriters... This is another favourite current band, soothing Folk... This band should've been way bigger and show their influences like Pixies, Pavement and VU...
I love the music of Blind Willie McTell. Probably my favourite country blues musician. There is an exceptional biography called 'Hand me my walking shoes' which debunks alot of the mystique about this blues musician and recasts him as benefitting from a decent education at a blind school. He does not seem to be a very sympathetic character. I find these kinds of autobiographies fascinating but the McTell book on another level in tracing his roots from the American Civil war and also putting him into a social context which was far more favourable than his conremporaries. There is more info on him than in other books about Robert Johnson or Blind Lemon Jefferson. I find the lyrics quite revealing too, 'Your southern can is mine' being particularly repellent. Can is the slang for a 4 letter Anglo Saxon word beginning with C. His musical partner ,Curley Weaver's sister was interviewed without success as she refused to speak to any white people. I think there is a tendency to romanticise regions like Geogia yet this book makes ut clear how run down they still are and the appeal of cities like Atlanta. I would recommend the book to anyone interested in music. I am fascinated by these old country blues artists where the myths are stripped away to reveal very unusual lives.
We're in the Lone Star State today in Austin, Texas... What a pair of lungs this lady had... Some nice Garage/Psych Rock... One of Taylor Swift's heroes... A very underrated band...
Here's a challenging one. This is my current top listen. The album is just brilliant and this 10 minutes is a standout. Cinematic Punk Jazz funk pop is how I'd describe it, if that intrigues you will probably enjoy this a lot. stick it out to 2.40 before judging it.
Moving from A to B today as we visit Baltimore, Maryland... The legendary voice of "Lady Day"... This is a highlight of a stunning debut album... A current Dream Pop band... This is Flock Of Dimes Jenn Wasner's original band... And a bonus one to please Ian (hopefully!)...
Saints Alive Loved the Calloway clip. Cab Calloway is fascinating and it is all to easy to overlook just how important he was to the black community in the US of 30s and 40s. He used to get slated for his singing and there is a famous quote from Dizzy Gillespie (who played in his band around 1940) about him ruining a good band with his singing and theatrics. Critical opinion was now swung back in his favour and his bands are now noted for being superbly drilled. I am a fan. He had an older sister called Blanche who also led a big band and Cab's style owed a lot to her. The band made some fabulous recordings starting off in the early 1930s. Wierdly , there is a Southampton connection in this clip. The older tromonist in the clip is Claude Jones who played with Calloway , .McKinney's Cotton pickers , Don Redman and Chick Webb. After the war , he left music and worked on the cruise liners between New York and Southampton where he jammed with local musicians. He trombone was bequithed to a member of the Gateway Jazz Band who were still going in 1980s when i saw them at The Dolphin in Botley. Jones was one of the first musicians to make the trombone a solo as opppsed to just an ensemble instrument in jazz. I did not realise Billie Holiday came from Baltimore. Duke Ellington's alto player also came from there as well as his good friend, Chick Webb. Webb is one of my heroes. He was physically disabled but was the first truly great drummer in popular music , added to which he discovered Ella Fitzgerald. There is a brilliant biography of him that came out about 2 years ago. It explains alot about the Baltimore scene un 20s and 30s as well as making you appreciate he was the first drumming superstar. Again, thanks for posting.
What about the Nicholas Brothers?, they don't entertain like that these days! Joe Jackson did a very enjoyable album of Cab Calloway songs and I remember Minnie The Moocher and St James Infirmary set to a couple of creepy Betty Boop cartoons!
SA From recollection the Betty Boop cartoons feature the bands of Cab Calloway and Don Redman. They are quite notorious because the background cartoons are supposed to show some quite graphic sexual content. The Calloway repertoire is full of references to marajuana consumption which was rife back then. 'Minnie the moocher' is the most famous but tracks like 'Kicking the gong around' or the references to vipers are all reference to this sub culture. Irving Mills managed Calloway and Ellington as well as the sadly neglected Mills Blue Rhythm Band. There is quite a lot of drug reference in MBRB records too. Tracks like 'Kokey Joe' reference cocaine addiction. It always amazes me that there were sub texts with many black artists in 1930s. People like Louis Armstrong abd Fats Waller were explicit in their advocacy of marajuana albeit a famous spliff known as the 'Mighty Mezz' was named after clarinetist Mezz Mezzrow who was a jew but insisted he was black. I am also intrugued by Jimmy Lunceford's orchestra who parodied contemporary white bands. He was also the partner of the daughter of the civil rights activist WEB Du Bois. I think that he was ridiculing white popular music but the joke has been lost with the passage of time. For me, he is like a 1930s Prince. It is fascinating to listen these classic jazz recordings and discover how counter the mainstream they were. Not heard the Joe Jackson disc but Calloway's band featured great musicians like Chu Berry, Dizzy Gillespie , Jonah Jones , Milt Hinton and Cozy Cole.
Nice to visit Baltimore. Like a few outsiders, my view of the city is built from watching The Wire, but I’m sure it’s not as bad as that in real life. somewhat coincidentally Cornflake girl came on during my drive home tonight. Animal collective have a similar vibe to Wye Oak & Beach House. Who can forget this banger from the late 90s Plus arguably this years best rock act are from Baltimore
We're back in old Blighty today in Tyke-town, Barnsley. Here are the pure and pristine vocals of "The Barnsley Nightingale"... Dave has been recording since the 70s and performed backing vocals with Kate... A little Indie... And something a bit heavier...
Speaking of David and Kates - David Gilmour basically 'discovered' Kate Bush and funded her first album. Here they are doing a live version of Running Up That Hill.
