Earworms 30 September 2019

Good morning, it has been ridiculously wet here, so I hope things are drier where you are. To brighten things up, here are your songs from people who were born in the Caribbean – a great and diverse selection. If you have an Earworm you’d like to share, please send an.mp3, .m4a or a link to earworm@tincanland.com, together with a few words about why you’ve chosen it. Next week’s theme will be gardens. (If anyone has any brilliant ideas for future themes, please let me know).

Winifred Atwell – Five Finger Boogie – severin: Born in Trinidad. First Black person to have a number one hit single in the UK. Only female instrumentalist ever to do so.

Camila Cabello – She Loves Control – tincanman: Hard to tell she came through the ranks of one of those TV talent shows … not. But you don’t take me dancing anymore, so get out your best clubbing clothes ’cause we’re going out tonight!

Toots and The Maytals – (Take Me Home) Country Roads – Ravi Raman: Somebody here tried to do an Indian version of this classic. Didn’t work out well. I still prefer this and the original though.

Joan Armatrading – Back to the Night – severin: She was born on an island, St Kitts. But this isn’t the song where she says so. Title track of second album.

Junior Murvin – Police & Thieves – tincanman: No wonder Junior’s first stage name was Junior Soul: he sounds right out of Philly soul with that falsetto, and growing up (in Montego Bay, then Trenchtown) wanted to be Curtis Mayfield. Like his hero he used his platform to promote social justice.

Buena Vista Social Club – Chan Chan – AliM: A band of veteran Cuban musicians established in 1996 to revive the music of pre-revolutionary Cuba. The band was named after a club in the Buenavista quarter of Havana, a popular music venue in the 1940s.

Joan Armatrading -There Ain’t a Girl Alive – Alfiehisself: This is from Joan’s fantastic blues album, but isn’t one of the blues ones, more rock’n’roll.

Dub Syndicate w/Bim Sherman – Cuss Cuss – shoegazer: Bim Sherman (Jarret Lloyd Vincent): Singer (2 February 1950 – 17 November 2000), Style (Lincoln Valentine) Scott: Bandleader & Drummer (29 April 1956 – 9 October 2014).

Ernest Ranglin – Stop that Train – Ravi Raman: I first heard him via NPR. And since I have a very minor interest in fusion music I was intrigued by the thought of jazz guitar and reggae. Excellent stuff.

The Mighty Sparrow – Jean and Dinah – glassarfemptee: I grew up in Trinidad, and remember this song from 1956, the winner of Calypso King and Road March competitions at that year’s Carnival. I would happily sing along, not knowing at age seven that it was about prostitution! But I did know the Yankees (US Naval base) had left. The Mighty Sparrow was one of my favourite calypsonians, and he was still performing – in New York, where he now lives – in his early eighties.

The Specials with Rico Rodriguez – Enjoy Yourself – MaggieB: Yes! A chance to share my favourite Rico Rodriguez track. Up and dance if you are able, and Enjoy yourself, it’s later than you think!

Binker Golding & Sarah Tandy on a Saturday Afternoon

Here’s part of the set that Binker Golding (tenor sax) & Sarah Tandy (keys) played on a Saturday afternoon at the WeOutHere fest that the BBC kindly recorded for the J to Z programme.

Of the 4 tracks, 3 are original compositions from Binker’s new LP ‘Abstractions of Reality Past and Incredible Feathers’, with a standard thrown in for luck :

1. – I Forgot Santa Monica

2. – …And I Like Your Feathers

3. – My Shining Hour

4. – Exquisite She-Green

Kick back, relax & enjoy x

Robert Hunter

My paltry effort at saying something about his life and, now, death follows, but here’s a link to the dead.net page remembering him.

Feel free to suggest songs to add to the playlist. He wrote the words for 17 of the Grateful Dead’s entries in the Marconium.

Earworms 23 September 2019

We’re on a long and winding road to nowhere, especially with puns like that … (is that a pun or just a convoluted reference? Discuss). Anyway, to stop beating about the bollards, here are your excellent songs about roads and highways.

If you have an Earworm you’d like to share, please send an .mp3, .m4a or a link to earworm@tincanland.com, together with a few words about why you’ve chosen it. Next week’s theme will be singers who were born in the Caribbean. Alfiehisself made me think of this, because he is keen to feature one particular artist. Alfie, this is a hint. Many thanks to all contributors.

Mountain Goats – Southwood Plantation Road – shoegazer: The Alpha Couple settle down – doesn’t end well.

Olivia Chaney – The Brookland Road – severin: Not one of her recent recordings or one of her own songs. This is her version of a song with words by Kipling set to a tune by Peter Bellamy in 1970. It’s from a Peter Bellamy tribute album from 2011. Called Oak Ash & Thorn.

Greta Van Fleet – Highway Tune – Ravi Raman: their first single from 2017. A shoehorn yes but don’t they sound so Zeppy?

Big Bill Broonzy – Key to the Highway – Alfiehisself: And as the topic includes “Highway” it just has to be Big Bill Broonzy doing Key to the Highway. The guitar is gentle and sumptuous, methinks.

Debashish Bhattacharya & Bob Brozman – Tagoré Street Blues – severin: From my “BBC Radio 3 World Music Awards 2004” CD. And that’s pretty much all I know about song or artists. Except that I like them.

The Delines – Colfax Avenue – glassarfemptee: I saw the Delines play this in a tiny pub back room earlier this year. Yet more of Willy Vlautin’s broken dreams.

8 the Quadrant – Steve Payne – AliM: Steve Payne used to play in and around Bristol back in the day; since then he has collaborated with many different artists including Steve Tilston, who appears later. As far as I know, 8 The Quadrant in Clifton, Bristol, was where he lived at the time.

Steve Tilston – Sleepy Time on Peel Street – AliM: From his first album, An Acoustic Confusion (1971). Steve also played the clubs around Bristol and I believe he once lived on Peel Street in Easton, Bristol.

Broken Bells – The High Road – glassarfemptee: Broken Bells seem to be dormant now. But the genius of Danger Mouse shows itself on this track from 2010.

Etta James – Out On the Street Again – severin: It’s Etta …

Curtis Jones – Highway 51 – tincanman: Highway 51 runs mostly parallel to Highway 61 from the Gulf of Mexico up to Lake Superior. Dylan sang about both on Highway 61 Revisited, and this is the original of the 51 one. Jones followed it up north to Chicago, but like his highway, he found he was overshadowed by bigger names.

Quintessence – Notting Hill Gate – Alfiehisself: Quintessence sing of Notting Hill Gate … which must be a thoroughfare of some sort, but the words are about the residents of the locale. Groovy folk and times and in this case sounds.

Ezra Furman – Suck the Blood from My Wound – tincanman: Never short on imagination, Ezra wrote this narrative of two other-worldly queers on the run for last year’s Transangelic Exodus, which is set on a highway.

Neil Young – On Broadway – Alfiehisself: Almost downloaded CSNY Pre-Road Downs with duelling guitars, but maybe a pre-road isn’t a road yet, so went for On Broadway.

Rare Earth – Tobacco Road – Ravi Raman: I did plan on sending the Johnny (and Edgar) Winter version after getting him A listed last week. But that’s almost 11 minutes and I’m not sure of the Spillers’ reaction. So here’s a mellower and funky presentation.

Grateful Dead – So Many Roads – Chris 7572: This is one of a retrospective and introspective trilogy of songs Garcia and Hunter wrote late in Garcia’s life. The adventure and excitement of Truckin’ is long gone and is replaced here with a desire to rest and recuperate. Despite the end of Jerry’s personal road being less than a year away, the vocal passion he delivers here is surprising, especially given the premature ageing of his voice and the damage he’d inflicted on it over several years. Yes, it is rather like Knocking On Heaven’s Door but maybe that’s kinda deliberate?

Simon and Garfunkel – Bleeker’s Street – MaggieB: This is from Simon and Garfunkel’s 1964 debut album Wednesday Morning 3am. It could have been in last weeks list because it’s a gem. 🙂

Ten Tracks – Ravi Raman

Trying something new with a Spotify Playlist to get your weekend off to a good start. I hope you can access the list; feel free to critique (as you can also see I have had some free time).

Earworms 16 September 2019

Diamonds are a girl’s best friend this week as we’re all set for your songs about precious stones and jewellery. I’m not quite sure what those chandeliers are all about in the video, but they look very impressive. Anyway, down to it: if you have an earworm you’d like to share, please send an .mp3, .m4a or a link to earworm@tincanland.com, together with a few words about why you’ve chosen it. Next week’s theme will be songs about streets, roads, and highways. Many thanks to all contributors.

Automatic Man – My Pearl – severin: A late seventies John Peel favourite. As many styles of music as they can blend into a three minute pop song. A bit of country, soul, prog, rock jazz and, oh lots of other things probably. Not literally about a pearl.

Johnny Cash – Old Chunk of Coal – Ravi Raman: Cash lending his inimitable depth to this cover of Billy Joe Shaver’s born again anthem.

Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds – Plain Gold Ring – tincanman: Kitty White sang this in the mid-50’s with that faux melancholy in favour back in the day. No one listens to Brenda Lee, Connie Francis, Kay Starr, et al anymore – except, apparently, Nick. And there’s never faux anything with him.

Alice Cooper – Gutter Cat and the Jets – AlfieHisself: We are off up the coast for a break and are bound to end up at Whitby some time. It really does have the best fish and chips plus the steps to the Abbey and maybe a pirate boat. Goths of course, and Alice is the godfather, being the first with the eye shadow. And shops full of jewellery made of Whitby Jet. Not sure if it counts as precious, being sort of soft coal. But here on the Humber bank, they found a boat and dated it back to Stonehenge time. Then dug around and found settlements and blue jewellery that could only be from Switzerland. So when they were putting up them Welsh blue, our locals were sailing off to trade at the tip of the Rhine, Rotterdam now, and it’s been found that one of the things they took over there for a barter was the Whitby Jet. So precious enough. So one song from Alice, a folk tale from the West Side of Whitby.

John Martyn – Sapphire – AliM: From the album of the same name, can’t believe it was 1984. More pop/rock than acoustic.

St. Paul & The Broken Bones – Tears in the Diamond – glassarfemptee: Can white men do soul? They can if they are Paul Janeway, lamenting the pain of tying the knot.

Sarah Blasko – An Oyster, A Pearl – tincanman: A figurative gem, obs. I find it oddly charming for some reason. (I’ve just learned Blasko, Sally (New Buffalo) Seltmann and Holly Throsby have revived Seeker Lover Keeper, who went platinum at home in Australia with their self-titled debut in 2010. The follow-up, Wild Seeds, came out last month. I haven’t listened yet).

Laura Mvula – Diamonds – severin: A good one to listen to when you need some soothing balm. Which quite a few of us do right now. A beautiful voice telling you that the sky may be brighter somewhere else but you’ve got diamonds in your heart.

King Crimson – Cirkus – AlfieHisself: There’s the Crimson making a hell of a racket, but with Mel Collins blowing things, always nice. And it has diamond in the opening line of Cirkus .. this being a recent live version with three drummers thrashing about.

Mercury Rev – Diamonds – glassarfemptee: Mercury Rev two weeks in a row. Here they are with jewels from the natural world.

Lord Sitar – Emerald City – Ravi Raman: aka Big Jim Sullivan. Psychedelic pop that I should have suggested for the last RRSA topic – Influenced by Indian Music – but somehow forgot to.

Lieko Quintet – Amethyst – AliM: Young, Manchester-based group specialising in contemporary jazz, funk & groove, consisting of Alex Hill – Keyboard; James Girling – Electric Guitar (also an excellent classical guitarist); Matt Brown – Drums; Jamie Stockbridge – Saxophone and Alasdair Simpson – Bass Guitar. I saw them recently in Huddersfield, and jolly good they were, too.

The Orb – Shine on you Crazy Diamond – AlfieHisself: Then the Orb doing their take on Shine on You Crazy Diamond. No words – so you have to hum ‘remember when we were young, and shone like the sun, shine on …’ to yourself. Some funky samples and found sounds thrown in … all a bit modern.

Peggy Lee – Baubles, Bangles and Beads – Maggie B: Peggy Lee: wasn’t she just great?

Earworms 9 September 2019

This week’s topic may be a little early, but there is a definite autumnal nip in the air around these parts. Or it could just be the chill wind of change as we enter (or continue) the internecine war of words over the European Union. Whatever it is, these Autumn songs will take your mind off it for a while.

If you have an Earworm you’d like to share, please send an .mp3, .m4a or a link to earworm@tincanland.com, together with a few words about why you’ve chosen it. Next week’s theme will be precious stones, or jewellery. Many thanks to all contributors.

Sonny Rollins – Autumn Nocturne – Ravi Raman: A gem from a boxed set I picked up some time ago.

Neneh Cherry – Fallen Leaves – severin: An autumnal connection so long as you don’t look too closely at the lyric.

Mercury Rev – Autumn’s in the Air – AliM: “Pristine Chamber Pop”, according to The Guardian. Whatever it is, it’s rather charming.

Josh Ritter – Homecoming – tincanman: He lost his virginity on an autumn night just like this one, the air getting colder and the nights crisp. Most towns and schools in America have a homecoming every autumn and Josh loves making these sorts of things epic and Biblical.

Melissa Etheridge – The Late September Dogs (live version) – severin: From an album I bought some time ago and don’t play all the way through that often. This track’s a bit of an epic though. Not a great advert for Autumn mind. ”Come on, let it rain” rather than “mists and mellow fruitfulness”.

Yes – Turn of the Century – AlfieHisself: The word “autumn” pops up once. Like leaves we touched, we danced, we once knew the story, as autumn called and we both remembered all those many years ago. A song about a sculptor bringing his dead wife back to life, seems to be about the living just as much, remembering times shared and keeping that person alive in your thoughts. And nice piano and guitar. Goes on a bit of course.

Nankivell’s Optet – Colours in the Leaves – AliM: Hugh Nankivell, Graham Browning, Jim Pywell, Michael Massey, James Squire – unusual line-up from Huddersfield. Musical prowess includes bassoon, penny-whistle, viola, kora, flute and sax as well as guitar, bass, piano and vocals. Not sure if they are still together, I saw the Graham Browning Trio recently who were very good – but different. This is from their 2005 album: Bird, Leaf, Pear, Book.

X-Press 2 w/Kurt Wagner – Give It [Extended Club Mix] -shoegazer: Here comes the cool air, the light chill of the fall / Blowing from either direction / Blowing across the yard it’s crisp and it’s cool / Dogs like it, as they sit around in the sun …

Stephen Kellogg – Thanksgiving – tincanman: In America if you can’t make it home for both Thanksgiving in November and Christmas six weeks later, you go for Thanksgiving. The big family feast traditionally begins by going around the dinner table sharing in turn what you are thankful for this year. At 10 minutes long, the turkey will be cold before Stephen has finished his list.

Van Morrison – Autumn Song – Ravi Raman: One of a few songs he has sung on season. This album didn’t get too many fans excited though I like this song. (NB: It’s 10+ minutes long just in case anyone wants to skip Van The Man).

Earworms 2 September 2019

A far from arid selection this week, despite the effects of global warming. Here are your songs about deserts and wastelands – a very varied collection, too. If you have an Earworm you’d like to share, please send an .mp3, .m4a or a link to earworm@tincanland.com, together with a few words about why you’ve chosen it. Next week’s theme will be Autumn – yes I know we’ve had it before, but not for ages. Many thanks to all contributors.

U2 – In God’s Country – tincanman: From their defining album The Joshua Tree, which uses desert imagery to juxtapose how the world sees America with how it naively sees itself. The Joshua Tree is a national park in the California desert.

Songhoy Blues – Desert Melodie – AliM: Not to be confused with The Desert Song (“My Desert is waiting, dear, come there with me. I’m longing to teach you love’s sweet melody …” one of my mum’s sheet music collection).

Maher Shalal Hash Baz – What’s Your Business Here Elijah – shoegazer: Bible story from Japan.

Maria Muldaur – Midnight at the Oasis – glassarfemptee: Talking of camels, you apparently won’t need one when Maria Muldaur takes you for a ride …

White Rose Transmission – Desert Bones – severin: From the 1999 album 700 Miles of Desert. The second and final one that Adrian Borland made with them. He wrote this song but I think the voice is Carlo van Putten who co-founded the band with Adrian and continued it after his tragic death.

Radar – Caravane – glassarfemptee: The Sahara is the cradle of so much excellent music. And what conjures up the Sahara better than a caravan of camels on the skyline. I know nothing of Radar, though.

Mary Coughlan – Antarctica – severin: It’s a metaphor of course and I think that only part of Antarctica is desert anyway. But it’s a good song so off it goes.

Ian Tyson – Claude Dallas – tincanman: Set by the Devil’s wash and coyote hole in the wild Owyhee Range, out where rivers run and disappear and the mustang still is free.

Iris Dement – Wasteland of the Free – Ravi Raman: Over two decades and nothing much has changed. “Living in the wasteland of the free/ Where the poor have now become the enemy”.

Talking Heads – Nothing But Flowers – AlfieHisself: A song imagining the much predicted running out of oil, with industry closing and towns deserted. This was a Pizza Hut, now it is covered in daisies / If this is paradise, won’t somebody get me a lawn-mower.

Ronu Mazumdar – Desert Winds – Ravi Raman: A pop-ish track from this flautist maestro’s 2013 Magic Flute album. He plays the bansuri or the long flute and has a string of collaborations to his credit (as in this instance).

Genesis – Mad Man Moon – AliM: Apparently this was based loosely on John Bunyan’s Pilgrim’s Progress. Whether or not this is true, I find it very evocative. … Forever caught in desert lands, one has to learn to disbelieve the sea.

Camel – Arubaluba – AlfieHisself: By the band Camel from an album called Mirage … so as deserty as you can get (but it’s really a live bonus from another album).

Zakir Hussain – Ladakh, The Ice Desert – Ravi Raman: A part of the Soundscapes series that covers Rivers, Mountains, Valleys, Seas and Deserts. Slow burner without any fancy, flashy work. Great album if you are into atmospheric stuff.

Johnny Cash – Cool Water – MaggieB:  My dad used to sing this when he was getting ready to go to the pub. Funny though, he didn’t order water when he got there …