Midweek boogaloo - Angelic Upstarts

I was sixteen (and into punk) when I first picked up a guitar.

After three months of struggling with reefknot fingers, chords and calluses over songs like 'She'll Be Coming Round The Mountains' and 'Blow The Man Down'- my 'Satellite' Strat-a-like guitar got shelved..

So what to do with these underage overachievers - give them a clap, or a clip round the ear?

Frank "Sugarchile" Robinson - Caldonia


Ray Charles and Billy Preston - Blueberry Hill


And for all out fun size fretboard meltdown it's Thomas McRocklin

Mellow Monday - Jackie Mittoo

Mellow - but on the bright side of blue, and just the thing for a blazing hangover

For all we Know



Alone Again Naturally



Telstar



Followed by a 'hair of the dog' down at the Rovers

corrie (not Jackie Mittoo)

There's some uptown uptempo Jackie Mittoo here

And as a late addition here JM's downtempo dub version of.....

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes

Funky Friday - One Brain

Well it could have gone several ways today...

Funky Drummers or Keyboard Kings - but in the end it had to be Eno a Go Go, as my sparky crackle and buzz for eighties electrickery seems finally, to be earthing itself.


And also the fact that I just haven't been able to shake off these two tunes this week. So the only way to really excorcise them (just like the 'Jezebel Spirit') is to cast them out and log them in the blog.


Ali Click (The Grid Trance Mix-Long)

Of the six remixes backing Eno's early nineties single 'Ali Click', this is the best of breed, with Eno's spitfire-syllable tongue twister lyrics being spliced into a spluttering stutterguts staccato attack then set against a non stop stomper of deep space dark arts dance grooves and mewing moogs - it's like R2 D2 DJing on the Death Star..

Ali Click (Trance Mix-Long)



Strong Flashes Of Light

'Strong Flashes' highlights just how invaluable Eno was as a sonic stylist for the Talking Heads ( as the soundscapes got bigger so did the suits ) only the Professor Pat Pending of pop could take a two chord turnaround then re spray and layer it with waves of phase into a shimmering synth shuffle that's all angular clang, chattering typewriter rhythms, bubbling barking bass and jerky New York new wave funk..

Strong Flashes Of Light


Strangely but not surprisingly (it is Eno after all) both of these tracks only ever achieved B side and outtake status

If you fancy something for stress down Friday, why not flick over to the other side for a gorgeous Eno synthy soother..

"Brian's mood is gradually changing. He orders all his friends into another room, closes the door, he sits alone on the wooden floor, visible only by the dim light shining from the bathroom. He talks to himself." Ali Click - ( Trance Mix - Long )

And The Winner is.......

Mick with a stealthy 6 points who wins a trip back in time here..

Simon also deserves a shout for his healthy 4 score as well.

Perhaps it was a bit of a toughy in places - due to some 'local knowledge' tracks that were club hits at Crocs and few other South East/London venues. Hats not off, but tilted at a rakish eighties (over one eye)angle to everyone else who had a pop at this piece of pop puffery.

So, the final chart rundown then ..

All clips were from Standard 12" versions execept where in italics

80s 12" Teaser



Click on any of the answers for a full length youtube refresher...

Spandau Ballet - The Freeze

Visage - Night Train

Bow Wow Wow - Chihuahua

Simple Minds - I Travel

Divine - Love Reaction
No it wasn't Blue Monday but Divine and Bobby O's 'hi-NRG' rip off

ABC - The Look Of Love
From the semi offical club remix, as used in this vid'

Pete Shelley - Telephone Operator

Bollock Brothers - The Bunker

Yazoo - Situation
It does sound an awful lot like Axel F in places.

Gary Numan - Music For Chameleons

Japan - Quiet Life

Gina X - No GDM

And as an extra - probably my fave tune from this selection.
I'm not really a fan of SM, but this track is more Moroder/Cerrone than their usual proto U2 antheming.

Simple Minds - 'I Travel (Remix)'

80s 12" Teaser

The sort of Hi Tech Hi-Fi and graphic a go go system used to pump up the volume for most of my 80s 12" s.

Following on from last weeks Purple Nasties post, I've clipped and compiled twelve snippets from retro electro eighties tracks - 12" versions have been used where available - so, just how many can you pick out?

80s 12" Teaser



Post your answers in the comments - and I'll do marks out of twelve in the replies.
One clue - none of these tracks are post 1984

And is there anything more all out early eighties than this

Funky Friday - Triple Trouble

Shortly after their 1980s chart ram-raid and debut album, the Beastie Boys dropped off my musical radar (me being into long hair, leather jackets and all things R.O.C.K at the time). Until - via the digitally doomed channel UK Play's heavy rotation but limited library of approx' twelve music vids (Kylie, Beastie Boys and Fatboy Slim etc...), I eventually picked up on the Beasties brilliant promos for 'Body Movin''(Fatboy remix), 'Three MC's and One DJ' and ''Intergalatic''.

The Beastie Boys are one of a handful of bands almost fully formed for their own Hanna-Barbera style musical cartoon series ( see also - The Damned, the Spice Girls and Motorhead) with their fizzingly inventive vids, triple wallop wordplay and stealthy scrapbooking of obscure samples (dropping The Sweet's "She thinks she's the passionate one" into 'Hey Ladies' being a double rap whammy). And if that grab bag of goodies wasn't enough the Beastie Boys sneakily leak acappela tracks into the public domain almost endorsing the idea of mashups and bootleg remixes - you'll find three of my personal faves below.

Alan Hawkshaw's 'Beat Me'til I'm Blue' bolted on to 'Alive'..

Alive - (Alan Hawkshaw version)



'Word To The Mic' from DJ BC's The Beastles project

The Beastles - Word To The Mic



And a Blockheads/Beastie Boys Booty from Mark vidler

Go Home Productions - Triple Rhythm Stick



Beastie Boys - Triple Trouble


For more unlikely Rap reworks check out...

Eminem Vs Del Boy

Beastie Boys Vs The Ramones

"Meet the gang 'cos the boys are here, the boys to entertain you..."

Midweek Boogaloo - Amos Milburn

The first in an occasional series documenting tunes, tracks and clips that swish, swing and have a rythm section that thumps, bumps and bounces like those pesky picnic grabbing ants from Tom and Jerry.

How snappy would it be to walk up to some dusty ol' pub piano, crack your knuckles and hammer out the honky tonk like this....

Amos Milburn - Down The Road Apiece

'Down The Road Apiece' was reworked some years later by the Stones, who really don't make a bad shout of it - hear here.

And for all out rockingness....

Amos Milburn - Chicken Shack Boogie

Purple Nasties

When I first started shaking a leg (or 'flapping' if it was The Cramps) at clubs back in the early eighties, Crocs in Rayleigh was the place to go if you were in the sunny Southend area. Marmite, Piley and I were regulars at Crocs alongside Depeche Mode (who played their debut show there), Boy George, Steve Strange and various other celebrity Blitz Kids, Punks and Pysco Billies that hoofed it down from London for the cheap drink (50p a pint before 10) and top tunes spun by resident DJ 'Fatman'.

This Mixwit comp is a rough sampler of the sound of the crowd from Crocs around the 1982/84 period until it eventually became refitted in chrome, mirrors and plastic palm trees and rebranded as the 'Pink Toothbrush'. One tune that was a guaranteed banker and fitted formats of all local clubs at the time...

The Monkey House - sounds for alt.student crowd
Chesters - Electro night on Wednesdays
Zero Six - Jazz Funk for Casuals and Soul Boys
T.O.T.S - Eighties Disco

was the Bobby O produced Ronni Griffith track 'The Best Part Of Breaking Up'. Unfortunatley but understandably Mixwit's database didn't stretch to this eighties obscurity, so I've loaded it up below...

Ronni Griffith - The Best Part Of Breaking Up



I will be loading up a hard copy of this mix at some point - but on a similar theme the good people at Punk Globe magazine invited me to submit a 'Top Ten' of anything for the April issue - which is now on their website and includes my top tunes and random items that I've been buzzing on recently - s'here if you fancy a peep Punk Globe Top Tens. (They've also loaded up my Brian James interview too - in case you missed it first time round)

Funky Friday - It's A Blog Swap!

Yes a blog swap! I'm over at Mr Double Down's thumpingly funky Hook And Sling site with a brand new bespoke mix 'Dial M For Mondo'
(Which you can taste test below with this two minute teaser trailer...)

While MR DD pushes the buttons and plays a royal flush of funky aces right here ...

Mr Double Down Presents Funky Friday (The Hook And Sling Meets Planet Mondo)

Hello, my name is Mr Double Down and I am one part of The Hook And Sling, a monthly 100% funk and soul night in London’s West End with The Popcorn King and Hoppin’ John . We also run the same titled Podcast / Blog over on Podbean.com. I’m really honoured to be invited over here by Dave to contribute to the ongoing ‘Funky Friday’ section of his fantastic Blog..

The old saying “All good things come in threes” couldn’t ring truer here today as I have the pleasure of sharing three of my favourite 45’s with you, they have all really been doing the business at our night lately! Its ’Funky Friday’!, so loosen that collar because the week-end’s just beginning!

Curtis Mayfield – Mother’s Son (Curtom)

Download Curtis Mayfield – 'Mother’s Son' here

First up is an artist most of you will (should!!) be familiar with. Curtis Mayfield, legendary singer, writer and producer from the 70’s. This cut, ‘Mother’s Son’ is perhaps a little less well known, but popularity should never affect quality, and it certainly doesn’t here! Taken from his own Curtom label, this is a 45 that Hoppin’ John has been hammering since our nights humble beginnings on the south coast of England – and justifiably so. What a record!! Definitely one for the bass heads out there!

The B.B.K. Expedition – For The Love Of Money (Dynamite Soul)

Download The B.B.K. Expedition – For The Love Of Money here

Dynamite Soul is a relatively new record label in the grand scheme of things. Lately they’ve been resurrecting all sorts of forgotten funk, soul and reggae gems from the 60’s and 70’s and issuing them on 45 again.
The B.B.K. Expedition’s cover of ‘For The Love Of Money’, a track originally by The O’Jays, was taken from an unreleased album called ‘Upships Creek’. The B.B.K’s version here is certainly the rougher and rawer of the two, and if the horn break at the end of the cut doesn’t do it for you , then give up now! This version also always manages to turn heads at our night! As a small Brucie bonus, here’s a great live version of the original by the O’Jays from 1974!

Tony Bowens And The Soul Choppers – Boilin’ Water (Tony Bowens)


Download Tony Bowens And The Soul Choppers – 'Boilin’ Water' here

I first heard this several years ago at Keb Darge’s ‘Legendary Deep Funk’ night in Soho. It’s an absolute funk monster and on the account that its as rare as hens teeth, it doesn’t come up for sale too often for anything less than 3 figures (I told you all good things came in 3’s). I caught my copy a few years back after a manic bidding frenzy on the Bay, and it was worth every single penny! For those that don’t dabble in the practise of shelling out ‘silly money’ on vinyl, it was recently comped by Will Quantic for Jazzman Records and was also put out on a French re-issue 45 under the name of The Soul Choppers. I don’t know all that much about the 45, other than that Tony Bowen’s hailed from New York and put the record out independently, probably due to monetary constraints. I think in this case the music says all that needs to be said!

I’d like to thank Dave once more for allowing me to contribute over here. You can find him holding the reigns over at The Hook And Sling where he is currently dropping his ‘Dial M for Mondo’ Mix as part of our continuing Guest Mix Series. I hope you enjoyed my selections today and for those of you who are in the London area, you can catch us at The Hook And Sling every second Saturday of the month at The Brown Sugar Bar in High Holborn. All the dates and details can be found HERE

Mr Double Down
http://thehookandsling.podbean.com

Re-make/Re-model Pt. 3 Real Deal Divas

Forget low calorie, size zero personality, wibbly wobbly warblers, shreaking squealers and puffed up preeners who put all the goods on the barrow with nothing left in the loft. Cold hearted Harpies, hard faced halfwits and know-nothings exploding in giddy ninny tizzes over some silly business.

No. No. No. Peggy Lee and Mae West are where its at dad, those slinky superstar supervixens as full, fruity and saucy as knickerbocker glories and peach melbas. Swishing from the hip, shooting for the heart and getting pulses pumping like Thumper with the raise of an eyebrow, the flick of a fringe or the drop of hankie, who have giants and gentlemen reaching for their lighters while blowing smoke rings round all wannabe waifs and WAGS.

Peggy Lee - Sitting On The Dock Of The Bay




Mae West - Great Balls Of Fire


Some hi tech clever clogs has made a vid' for the Mae West track - well worth a peep

And, speaking of wonder women have you checked out the mighty Rock Mothers podcasts 'Romo For Real'? Armed with a box of tunes and a bottle plonk, it's fourty minutes of wall to wall wonder tunes and chirpy chat - get on over and fill your Biba boots here.

PS - One track from this posting will be appearing in a new mix going live this Friday

"will you woo this wildcat?” - Taming Of The Shrew

Outdoor Miner

what a huff and puff! Trying to shift back into gear, after a week of stretching out and strolling through miles of spacey acres.

I fancy becoming an 'Outdoor Miner'- whatever it is.

Wire - 'Outdoor Miner'


Wire - 'Outdoor Miner'

You can read about the making of this tune here, and have a peep at an actual factual 'Outdoor Miner' right here.