Countdown to Christmas Post #11

Is this one of the creepiest videos ever?

Low -'Santa's Coming Over.'



Boy am I glad I teach secondary (high school for American and Canadian readers).

Meanwhile, seeing as I am trying to tidy up some lose ends with this post, here is another Christmas Fall song:

The Fall -'Xmas with Simon.' mp3

Looking for the remix call 'Christmastide' which I do not own, and is not on either emusic or iTunes...

Countdown to Christmas Post #9

Well, y'know, it's been at least a week since I posted any Fall stuff here (!), so this is a special Saturday post.

The first track here was first heard on their second John Peel session, broadcast on December 6, 1978 (thirty years ago!!). 'No Xmas For John Quays' is a somewhat amusing gag (for goodness sake, say it out aloud), and the track was later recorded for their debut LP, Live At The Witch Trials. I present both versions for you here.

Fast forward, umm sixteen years, and yours truly is glued to John Peel, taping the shows when possible (and often struggling to stay awake until it's over). The Christmas shows that year were great (why did I not keep them intact?!?!), and the Fall's eighteenth Peel session, broadcast on December 17, 1994 contained covers of both 'Jingle Bell Rock' and 'Hark The Herald Angels Sing.'

In December 2003 they released a four track EP entitled 'We Wish You A Protein Christmas.' I always wanted to buy it, but as it was usually retailing for about a fiver, it seemed a lot for a new single. Now of course, I kick myself. Ah well...

The Fall -'No Christmas For John Quays (Peel session 1978).' mp3

The Fall -'No Christmas For John Quays.' mp3

The Fall -'Jingle Bell Rock (Peel session 1994).' mp3

The Fall -'Hark The Herald Angels Sing (Peel session 1994).' mp3

The Fall -'(We Wish You) A Protein Christmas.' mp3

Enjoy your weekend!

P.S. There are obviously loads of blogs out there doing Christmas related stuff, two of my favourites are I Correct Myself, I Mean All The Time and I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday. The latter is also written by Steve who writes my favourite mp3 blog of all, Teenage Kicks
. The I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday blog has been highlighted in the Guardian. Congratulations, Steve!

More Peel, anybody?

Well, it has been a little while, so why not one of my Peel posts?

By the way, before I get stuck into this, can people please go and vote over at Teenage Kicks so Steve can work out everyone's favourite Peel sessions. My list is likely to include The Cure, Frankie Goes To Hollywood, The Fall, Half Man Half Biscuit and the Breeders. Possibly...

First up, I know very little about this song, but its' title sums it up quite well, I think:

Robert Lloyd and the New Four Seasons -'Something Nice.' mp3 (1988 Festive Fifty no.21)

Madness fell flat on their face trying to cover 'The ''Sweetest Girl'' '; they didn't try this to the best of my knowledge:

Scritti Politti -'Asylums In Jerusalem.' mp3 (1982 Festive Fifty no.18)

From the same year, 1982, Aztec Camera's only other Festive Fifty entry:

Aztec Camera -'Pillar To Post.' mp3 ((1982 Festive Fifty no.24)

Peel often felt frustrated that the Festive Fifty didn't include stuff he'd been championing; I hope this pleased him, a rare Hip-Hop entry:

De La Soul -'Eye Know.' mp3 (1989 Festive Fifty no.34)

This was a classic case of a band that Peel had supported some time before finally breaking through, both to the 'proper' top 40 and the Festive Fifty:

The Farm -'Groovy Train.' mp3 (1990 Festive Fifty no.47)

These four tracks from the Wedding Present's Watusi album, still unavailable in the UK it appears, all made the Festive Fifty in 1994.

Wedding Present -'Spangle.' mp3(1994 Festive Fifty no.39)

Wedding Present -'So Long, Baby.' mp3 (1994 Festive Fifty no.37)

Wedding Present -'Click Click.' mp3 (1994 Festive Fifty no.30)

Wedding Present -'Swimming Pools Movie Stars.' mp3 (1994 Festive Fifty no.15)

Finally, it wouldn't be the Festive Fifty without an entry from The Fall. I spent ages trying to work out why I couldn't track this down, then realised that the actual version was in with my LPs and that the CD version seemed to call it Bremen Nacht Alternative. Thank god for the USB turntable.

The Fall -'Bremen Nacht.' mp3 (1988 Festive Fifty no.16)

Now...can anyone help me complete the following tracks, please?

From 1982:

Serious Drinking -'Love On The Terraces.' (1982 Festive Fifty no.38) [Gratefully received thank you!]

From 1983:

Redskins -'Lean On Me.' (1983 Festive Fifty no.30) [Gratefull received, thank you!]
Tools You Can Trust -'Waking and Shopping.' (1983 Festive Fifty no.34) [Gratefully received thank you!]
S.P.K. -'Metal Dance.' (1983 Festive Fifty no.39) [Gratefully received thank you!]

From 1988:

Overlord X -'14 Days In May.' (1988 Festive Fifty no.28) [Gratefully received, thank you!]
Loop -'Collision.' (1988 Festive Fifty no. 41) [Gratefully received, thank you!]

From 1989:
Inspiral Carpets -'So This Is How It Feels (Peel session version).' mp3 (1989 Festive Fifty no.35)
Inspiral Carpets -''She Comes In The Fall (Peel session version).' mp3 (1989 Festive Fifty no.50)

Thanks if anyone can help!

Edx

Gig review: The Fall

The Fall/Milophobia, The Queen's Hall, Edinburgh, October 14

A mere 21 years after I first saw them on ITV's long-forgotten The Roxy performing Hit The North (Part 1), I finally got to see The Fall. Would they match my expectations? Would Mark E. Smith be on good form? Would they play Sparta FC?

I would have to wait. Support came from Milophobia, who are due to release their debut EP at the end of this year. Their six song strong set was excellent from start to finish. I heard echoes of The Fall, perhaps a little more of prime US alternative rock, and saw a front man with start written all over him. Watch this space.

John Cooper Clarke had been ill and missed Friday evening's gig in Aberdeen, so there was a risk that we wouldn't get him...and alas, we didn't. Maybe another time. In the unlikely event that you're reading this John, get well soon.

Sandwiched down the front of the gig for an hour, would it be worth it? It was certainly a diverse crowd. Anyone expecting it to be just middle-aged blokes in their anoraks...wrong. Men and women, punks, folks drinking wine who looked like they'd come from Morningside, Edinburgh's posh district, some kids who looked like they were barely out of primary school...The Fall have a diverse crowd following them.

In a word, yes. From the minute the band walked on until they walked off, they captivated, utterly. Mark E. Smith walked on, and I think in a good mood. The devotion he inspires has not faded one iota.

The set was made up of a mixture of old and new, including 'Wings' from 1983 but also more recent numbers from this year's Imperial Wax Solvent, like Latch Key Kid' and 'Wolf Kidult Man'. And after a while, so blown away was I by the performance of the band and yer man, Mark, that I stopped trying to worry about remembering the song titles and just lost myself in the music.

Partly because Mr. Smith was so close to me that I could see the whites of his eyes. I was that close to the stage. Not trying to hug him, like some other folks, but close enough to touch him. Not that I would dare. He may be smaller than me, but I wouldn't touch him. He'd be my dream artist to sign, to interview. If it wasn;t for the fact that I'd be so in awe I'd probably balls it up.

With a back catalogue stretching back thirty years, almost that in studio albums and certainly double that in compilations and live albums, there's no shortage of quality tunes to play, and it never dips. The recent albums have been excellent, and if I wasn't really into ...Missing Winner, there's a reminder of a reminder of how good as 'Reformation' and 'Sparta FC' show that they are just as good as stuff from the Step Forward, Rough Trade and Kamera eras. They go off after 'Sparta' and come on and do 'Carrier Bag Man' from 1988's The Frenz Experiment. It's at this point I really understand why there are so many Fall live albums; they are that good live that it's justified.

I'm reeling as I drive home. When my wife tells me that there's bugs in the flat, I just get on and sort them. It's fair to say that The Fall have knocked me for six. I have been to well over a hundred gigs in the last seven years since coming to Scotland, and this is the best of them all.

The Fall -'Wings.' mp3

The Fall -'Sparta F.C.' mp3

Baby, I Can't Wait

'Always different, always the same.'

'I spurn [people who do not like them] with my toe.'

John Peel on his favourite ever band, The Fall.

How excited am I about seeing The Fall tomorrow night?

Oh, you know, it's only got me through the more difficult classes that I've had this week and given me the opportunity to re-read Mark E. Smith's autobiography, and play Slates this afternoon and re-listen to Live At The Witch Trials as I type. It should be noted that this album was not a live album (though obviously there have been live debut albums before, MC5, Jane's Addiction and 22-20s spring to mind...)

The autobiography is great, taking no prisoners and making no apologies. It's not a conventional autobiography but then, this is Mark E. Smith we're talking about here, what do you expect?!

One of the things that clearly irritates him is people who think that his former wife Brix Smith was responsible for bringing a poppier element to The Fall when she joined in 1984. He is also clearly irritated by people who haven't done their research.

This post kind of ties those two ideas in together and focuses on the 'Lie dream Of A Casino Soul' with its' b-side 'Fantastic Life'. Released a handful of months before their seminal Hex Induction Hour LP in 1982, this 1981 single's a-side is, surprise surprise, talking about the famous Wigan Casino, the home of Northern Soul. According to the sleevenotes of the re-issued Slates, Smith was getting fed-up of people who only seemed to have just discovered soul. Surprisingly, he did like Dexy's Midnight Runners. The b-side is gloriously poppy, and this is before he even met Brix...

The Fall -'Lie Dream Of A Casino Soul.' mp3

The Fall -'Fantastic Life.' mp3

This Fall website is unofficial but seems to be fairly comprehensive

The Fall on wikipedia (I own thirty Fall albums and I feel like I'm still only scratching the surface!)

A sort of book review

OK, that's a bit of a lie. But I am currently reading Mark E. Smith's Renegade, and it's an excellent autobiography. He takes no prisoners, makes no apologies and the book's the better for it.

So why not some Mark E. Smith related music?

One of the things that clearly rankles with him is the accusation that Brix Smith, the Fall's onetime guitarist and one time Mrs. Smith made The Fall poppier and more accessible. (I notice that the Fall essentials on iTunes still has a picture of Mrs and Mrs M.E. Smith. Wonder what he has to say about that?!) This track is from 1995, when Brix was back in the band again.

The Fall -'Don't Call Me Darling.' mp3

One of my favourite Fall tracks, which is saying something, from 1985's This Nation's Saving Grace, probably still my favourite Fall album.

The Fall -'Spoilt Victorian Child.' mp3

Of course, he has collaborated with other folks. This was the track that finally saw him on Top Of The Pops in 1994, with the Inspiral Carpets:

Inspiral Carpets -'I Want You (featuring Mark E.Smith).' mp3

This track was originally credited to Mouse On Mars featuring Mark E. Smith and called 'Wipe That Sound' in 2005 (I know this true, I have the 12"). Then last year, they collaborated for an album together under the name Von Sudenfed on the album Tromatic Reflexxions, which called it 'That Sound Wiped.'

Von Sudenfed -'That Sound Wiped.' mp3

Anyone else read it?

Is it really thirty years since these tracks?

It's been a wonderful weekend, I've had a great time, and feeling quite 'up' for a Sunday evening.

Kinda taken aback to suddenly realise that it is now thirty years since these debut tracks were released. My world's still shaking from the implications of these...

Is there a rule for debut singles? I kinda think they should be like a manifesto. After all, it may be the only shot you ever get, so sing it loud and sing it proud...

The Fall -'Bingo Master's Breakout!' mp3

Steel Pulse -'Ku Klux Klan.' mp3

Scritti Politti -'Skank Bloc Bologna.' mp3

Gang Of Four -'Damaged Goods.' mp3

Adam and the Ants -'Young Parisians.' mp3

Magazine -'Shot By Both Sides.' mp3

This is a cheat, but it was the b-side and just as good as the a-side...

The Cure -'10:15 Saturday Night.'mp3

I could also have posted Siouxsie and the Banshees, Kate Bush, P.I.L...

the big question is: will we realise who all the good debut singles of 2008 were by at the end of this year, or in thirty years' time? Answer below please...

A crazy idea...and another thing

Well, finally I have done a 17 Seconds MySpace.

If you want to be my friend on it, the link is right here.

And it also explains a crazy idea I've had today, and am developing with my friend Laurent.

Will it get anywhere? Another crazy idea -or something that's the next natural step?

Only time will tell...

...But you won't have a clue what I'm on about, unless you investigate, will you?

The Fall -'Edinburgh Man.' mp3

17 Seconds is two years old

Yes, two years to the day since a humble mp3 blog started, named after the club night I ran in Edinburgh once, which was named after The Cure's second album...it's still here.

Much of this is due to the love, support and encouragement of readers, including oother bloggers and also my family, but above all, the wonderful Mrs. 17 Seconds. I know I have driven her mad with this on occasion, but she's a loyal reader and this first track is for her and to celebrate our first wedding anniversary yesterday. Here's to you babe!

Aberfeldy -'Love Is An Arrow.' mp3

Over the course of the last year, I've also started interviewing bands, beginning with Swimmer One, but also including Emma Pollock, BMX Bandits, Malcolm Middleton, Foxface, amongst others, and apologies to Jamie Lidell, Amplifico and the Rosie Taylor project, whose interviews I still need to write up. It's been crazy. As well as meeting Emma Pollock to interview her twice, it was also great to go round to Riley Briggs of Aberfeldy's home to interview him and hear the new stuff the band have been working on. Hopefully the third album will be out this year.

Does 17 Seconds have a brief? Not really, it's a thirty-something teacher based in Scotland writing about the music that excites him. Various 'series' have included albums I think should have had more publicity, singles that slipped thrugh the net, a constant harping on about scottish indie bands, cover versions, and stuff that made John Peel's Festive Fifty. Whilst a fair bit of stuff may not be any more on the radar after my having written about it, it's also great when bands I've featured do go on to do well. Wiley reached the proper top 3 in the UK, Dizzee Rascal is currently no.1, Santogold is making inroads into the UK singles and albums chart...by no means am I claiming credit for all, or indeed, any of this, but I like to think it helps. Plus the fact that I still like jumping around like a mad thing to music, even if I am now over thirty...

Sultans of Ping FC -'Where's me jumper?' mp3

Much thanks also due to people who have answered my pleas for help with tracks, and of course those bands, record companies and PRs who have got in touch with me about posting stuff. I used to dream about it happening, now I have a massive pile of CDs and even more emails that need to be gone through. And I do my best to get through it all, it just takes time.

Other bloggers have given me much encourageemnt, and I'm not going to list them all here, but cheers to everyone who has mentioned me, and linked to me. It's much appreciated. Great to meet both The Vinyl Villain and Toad, as well as to chat with Steve at Teenage Kicks. Hope to meet many more of you over the forthcoming years.

It's been an eventful two years, what with getting married, getting cats and finally getting to work t a school I had dreamed of teaching at, and much is due to everyone whose kept me sane. You know who you are. God bless ya.

The Fall - 'Edinburgh Man.' mp3 (1991 Festive Fifty no.4, in case you were wondering...)

A veritable Peel-related Pot Pourri!

Tonight's selection is a variety of Peel-related music:

First up, this was not a Festive Fifty entry, but it was a request earlier in the week, so cheers to Tom at Indie mp3 for this:

Shop Assistants -Ace Of Spades (Peel Session).' mp3

Another band that seem impossible to track down, so cheers for these...

Mighty Mighty -'Is There Anybody Out There?' mp3 (1986 Festive Fifty no.44)

Public Enemy -'You're Gonna Get Yours (Terminator X Getaway version).' mp3 (1987 Festive Fifty no.38)

The Fall -'Lucifer Over Lancashire.' mp3 (1986 Festive Fifty no.37) (apparently the 'Theology mix' is a joke. I knew that.)

Some lost Smiths classics, including one of my favourite tracks of theirs ever, Sheila Take a Bow:

Smiths -'Sweet And Tender Hooligan.' mp3 (1987 Festive Fifty no.23)

Smiths -'Sheila Take a Bow.' mp3 (1987 Festive Fifty no.34)

Jesus and Mary Chain did pretty well in the Festive Fifty between 1984 and 1988, though they cropped up again in the nineties, too:

Jesus and Mary Chain -'Kill Surf City.' mp3 (1987 Festive Fifty no.39)

Jesus and Mary Chain -'Nine Million Rainy Days.' mp3 (1987 Festive Fifty no.41)

Madder Rose did well in '93 and managed a brace of entries in 1994 too:

Madder Rose -'Car Song.' mp3 (1994 Festive Fifty no.19)

Madder Rose -'Panic On.' mp3 (1994 Festive Fifty no.35)

Thanks to everyone who has helped me locate tracks. You rock.

You know what I'm going to ask now, don't you?

*weary groans*

That's right! I'm on the scrounge for stuff I still cannot find...

From 1994:

That Dog -'One summer Night.'

Orbital -'Are We Here.'

Salt Tank -'Charged Up.'

R.O.C. -'Girl with A Crooked Eye.'

Not all about Manchest-uh!

It's odd, the Fall are often seen as being quite Caustic-sounding (well, I suppose they are, at times) and always associated with Manchester.

But Mark E. Smith called Edinburgh his home for a time, around the time of Extricate, for reasons that even the re-issue notes don't seem to explain.

It did produce what is arguably the most summery-sounding hymn to my adopted home city, though, and the no.4 entry in 1991's Festive Fifty (or Phantom Fifty, if you prefer).

The Fall -'Edinburgh Man.' mp3

Still reckon you don't like the Fall?

Finally!

Hooray...after a lot of help, from my own record collection, 17 Seconds' readers, eMusic, iTunes and the USB turntable, I have finally managed to complete one year of Festive Fifty for the iPod. And these final tracks were what completed it:

Much as I like 1984's The Wonderful and Frightening World Of The Fall, I wasn't always convinced by this track. But get past the first few seconds, and it's bloody amazing.

The Fall -'Lay Of The Land.' mp3 (1984 Festive Fifty no.9).

The most famous track from This Mortal Coil 'Song To The Siren' had already made the Festive Fifty the previous year. But covers of Big Star and Roy Harper deservedly made it the following year:

This Mortal Coil -'Kangaroo.' mp3 (1984 Festive Fifty no.21)

This Mortal Coil -'Another Day.' mp3 (1984 Festive Fifty no.33)

Finally, a great early Pogues track from their debut Red Roses For Me:

The Pogues -'The Dark Streets Of London.' mp3 (1984 Festive Fifty no.45)

Keep it tuned, as it were, to 17 Seconds, there'll be more music to come this weekend...

(They were John Peel's favourite band, you know!)

'There are apparently some people out there who don't like The Fall. I spurn them with my toe.' John Peel

I'm two days away from the school term finishing. I'm currently more upbeat and optimistic about both my working life and my profession than I have been for a long time. The blog is apparently still being read by people, and I'm also getting a lot of people contacting me about featuring bands (I haven't stopped doing this, you understand, but it reached the stage where I had thirty band wanting to be friends with me on MySpace and I was trying to give them the benefit of the doubt). I'm still trying to wake people up to older stuff too.

Anyway, here's three tracks from the legendary Mark E. Smith, one with last year's collaboration with Mouse On Mars as Von Sudenfed, one a collaboration with the Inspiral Carpets (and his second Festive Fifty no.1) and a classic from The Fall:

Von Sudenfed -'That Sound Wiped.' mp3

Inspiral Carpets featuring Mark E. Smith -'I Want You.' mp3

The Fall -'Spoilt Victorian Child.' mp3

If you have never bought a Fall album, shame on you, I recommend This Nation's Saving Grace for a studio album, and 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong as an introductory compilation. In the words of Mr. Smith himself 'Noteboks Out, Plagiarists!'

More Peel, anyone?

John Peel engaging in one of his and my favourite activities

OK, some more from Peelie's Festive Fifty...

Mo-Dettes -'White Mice.' mp3
(1980 Festive Fifty no.56)

Shop Assistants -'Safety net. ' mp3 (1986 Festive Fifty, no.8) (For AJ!)

Inspiral Carpets featuring Mark E. Smith -'I Want You.' mp3 (1994 Festive Fifty no.1)

Prince -'Sign O' The Times.' mp3 (1987 Festive Fifty no.32)

Sluts Of Trust -'Leave You Wanting More.' mp3 (2004 Festive Fifty no.5)

The Fall -'Don't Call Me Darling.' mp3 (1995 Festive Fifty no.24)

M/A/R/R/S/ -'Pump Up The Volume.' mp3 (1987 Festive Fifty no.46)

10,000 Maniacs -'Can't Ignore The Train. ' mp3 (1985 Festive Fifty no.59)

Ride -'Dreams Burn Down.' mp3 (1990 Festive Fifty no.3)

Aphex Twin -'Girl/Boy.' mp3 (1996 Festive Fifty no.29)

More vinyl goodness will be appearing here later today...watch this space...

Another Festive Fifty themed post thingy

Sorry for the lack of posts over the last few days, things have been rather busy. Anyway...how about some more Peel-related posts, eh?

The Delgados -'American Trilogy.' mp3 (2000 Festive Fifty no.10)

Aphex Twin - Windowlicker.' mp3 (1999 Festive Fifty no.42) (How the hell did this only get to no.42 and the Cuban Boys were no.1?! Go figure...)

Clinic -'The Second Line.' mp3 (2000 Festive Fifty no.28)

Hole -'Beautiful Son.' mp3 (1993 Festive Fifty no.47)

The Fall -'Dr. Buck's Letter.' mp3 (2000 Festive Fifty no.3)

Melys -'Chinese Whispers.' mp3 (2001 Festive Fifty no.1)

...And You Will Know Us By The Trail Of Dead -'Mistakes And Regrets.' mp3 (2000 Festive Fifty no.4)

Age Of Chance -'Kiss.' mp3 (1986 Festive Fifty no.2)

Calexico -'Ballad Of Cable Hogue.' mp3 (2000 Festive Fifty no.22)

Frankie Goes To Hollywood -'Two Tribes.' mp3 (1984 Festive Fifty no.25)

It's funny, I felt in 2000 that I felt increasingly rmeoved from the music scene, as I failed to really love 2-step garage or nu-metal. Maybe there was much better stuff than I appreciated...

Enjoy

X

Yet Another Festive Fifty-themed post

Here are ten songs today from the legendary Festive Fifty compiled by John Peel. As yesterday's entry focused on the eighties, it seemed only fair to do the nineties today. Some of the records were obscure, but other artists went on to do massively well. Much like the eighties, in fact.

The Disposable Heroes Of Hiphoprisy -'Television: The Drug Of The Nation.' mp3 (1992 Festive Fifty No.38)

Dawn Of the Replicants -'Science Fiction Freak.' mp3 (1999 Festive Fifty No.29)

The Orb -'The Box.' mp3 (1996 Festive Fifty No.7)

The Fall -'Bill Is Dead.' mp3 (1990 Festive Fifty No.1)

Nirvana -'Where Did You Sleep Last Night?' mp3 (1994 Festive Fifty no.27)

Hefner -'The Hymn For the Cigarettes.' mp3 (1999 Festive Fifty no.2)

Orbital -'Blue Room.' mp3 (1992 Festive Fifty No. 20)

AC Acoustics -'I Messiah Am Jailer.' mp3 (1997 Festive Fifty no.19)*

Slowdive -'Catch the Breeze.' mp3 (1991 Festive Fifty No.20)

Paris Angels -'All On You(Perfume).' mp3 (1990 Festive Fifty no.6)

* OK, I'm aware that there were only thirty-one records in the chart that year due to restrictions on John Peel's time. But you get the point, yes?

Songs For Christmas X

Hello again.

School holidays just cannot come soon enough. The kids are bouncing off the walls and dragging myself out of bed is getting harder. Nine days to go, not that I'm counting, or anything...

oh yes, songs for Christmas:

First up, today, legendary Japanese 3-piece band Shonen Knife:

Shonen Knife -'Space Christmas.' mp3

And a Fall song, not yet featured over at I Wish It Could Be Christmas Everyday (which is an excellent blog, btw, if you haven't checked it out:)

The Fall -'(We Wish You) A Protein Christmas.' mp3 RE-POSTED BY POPULAR REQUEST 19/12/07

More to come... : )

Covers for the weekend: The Fall

I seem to have got into the habit of doing artist related cover posts of late. Why not, eh? Following on from Sonic Youth and Placebo, how about a mini one on The Fall?

This one was originally recorded for the Sergeant Pepper Knew My Father compilation for Childline organised by NME in 1988. Smith sounds like he's almost singing, I swear!

The Fall -'A Day In The Life.' mp3

I know I've posted this before, but this, from 1993's The Infotainment Scan is a cover of a Sister Sledge song. (The same album also has them covering Lee Peery's Why Are People Grudgeful? but I cannot put my hand on it at the moment)

The Fall -'Lost In Music.' mp3

In the late 1980s, The Fall actually started troubling the national charts, though Mark E. Smith wouldn't end up appearing on Top Of the Pops until he provided vocals on the Inspiral Carpets' 'I Want You' single, in 1994 (later no.1 that year in John Peel's Festive Fifty). It may have helped that some of these were covers, but as you would expect, done in the Fall's own style, and certainly not 'obvious' songs:

This song was originally by The Kinks:

The Fall -'Victoria.' mp3

This was a soul song, by R. Dean Taylor:

The Fall -'There's A Ghost In My House.' mp3

This was by a band called The Other Half, and was The first single to make the top 75:

The Fall -'Mr. Pharmacist.' mp3

Finally, this Gene Vincent cover was a Double a-side with the single of 'Couldn't Get Ahead', taken from This Nation's Saving Grace, still my favourite Fall album.

The Fall -'Rollin' Dany.' mp3 (there is only one 'n' I have checked the sleeve)

I did consider posting their cover of 'Hark! The Herald Angels Sing!' but decided to keep that for a Christmas post. Can't believe it's already November 10...

Enjoy!

Seven Songs Selected At Random

(Roddy Frame of Aztec Camera)

These seven songs have indeed been selected at random!

Enjoy. And as always, if you like what you hear GO AND SUPPORT THE ARTISTS INVOLVED!!

Aztec Camera -'Jump (Van Halen cover).' mp3

Talking Heads -'Memories Can't Wait.' mp3

Pretty Girls make Graves -'This Is Our Emergency.' mp3

Danger Mouse and Gemini -'Ghetto Pop Life.' mp3

The Fall -'Spoilt Victorian Child.' mp3

Goldie -'Inner City Life.' mp3

Disposable Heroes of Hiphoprisy -'Television, The Drug Of the Nation.' mp3

Happy Listening, wherever you may be...

1977-1982

If I had to pick a favourite era for music, it would be 1977-1982.

Of course, I was too young to know what it meant at the time, but it's the era that I have spent time tracking down the most sounds from.

There was just so much great stuff: The original UK punks finally getting the chance to make records, Roots reggae from Jamaica, the beginning of Hip-Hop, Bowie's Berlin period, the beginning of indie, Post-punk, New Wave, No Wave, Disco, New Romantics (before it got silly), Marvin Gaye's 'Sexual Healing', Siouxsie, the arrival of Madonna, Michael Jackson's Off The Walland Thriller.

OK, so i'm sure people could write long lists about all the crap they had to live through musically, socially and personally and they'd be right too.

But -and it's hard to do it justice -my view of six great tracks from the period.

Human League -'Being Boiled.' mp3

Scritti politti -'Skank Bloc Bologna.' mp3

James Chance -'Contort Yourself.' mp3

The Cramps -'Human Fly.' mp3

Wire -'Three girl Rhumba.' mp3

The Fall -'Bingo Master's Breakout!' mp3

as always, if you like what you hear, support the artists involved!