Primus - Sailing The Seas Of Cheese

All I knew about Primus when I picked this up was that they did the South Park theme tune, so this was a nice surprise.
Some really great guitar playing, they remind me of Carter for some reason.

01 - Seas Of Cheese
02 - Here Come The Bastards
03 - Sgt Baker
04 - American Life
05 - Jerry Was A Race Car Driver
06 - Eleven
07 - Is It Luck
08 - Grandad's Little Ditty
09 - Tommy The Cat
10 - Sathington Waltz
11 - Those Damned Blue Collar Tweekers
12 - Fish On (Fisherman Chronicles Chapter II)
13 - Los Bastardos

De La Soul - De La Soul Is Dead

On it's own merits a great hip hop album, but compared to "3 Feet High and Rising" it lacks the stand out tracks that made that such a memorable release.
I remember having 2 hip hop cassettes on almost continous play in the car around 1989 "3 feet" and NWA's "Compton" album, but at some point after that I sort of lost interest in the rap/hip hop genre and got into the "rave" style music around at the time, so although I had this album taped for me it only got a few plays and I didn't really give this a proper listening to until much later when I picked up this CD in a bargain box.
The cover signifies that "the Daisy age" is over.

01 - Intro
02 - Oodles Of O's
03 - Talkin' Bout Hey Love
04 - Pease Porridge
05 - Skit 1
06 - Johnny's Dead Aka Vincent Mason (Live From The BK Lounge)
07 - A Roller Skating Jam Named Saturdays
08 - Wrms Dedication To The Bitty
09 - Bitties In The BK Lounge
10 - Skit 2
11 - My Brother's A Basehead
12 - Let Let Me In
13 - Afro Connections At A Hi 5 (In The Eye Of The Hoodlum)
14 - Rap De Rap Show
15 - Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa
16 - Who Do U Worship
17 - Skit 3
18 - Kicked Out The House
19 - Pass The Plugs
20 - Not Over Till The Fat Lady Plays The Demo
21 - Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)
22 - Wrms Cat's In Control
23 - Skit 4
24 - Shwingalokate
25 - Fanatic Of The B Word
26 - Keepin The Faith
27 - Skit 5

UB40 - Twenty Four Seven

Another of those newspaper freebie albums, This is a sampler for the album of the same name released last year.
I actually enjoyed this one as it sounds more like the UB40 I liked in the early eighties than most of the stuff since.

01 - Rainbow Nation
02 - End Of War
03 - Lost And Found
04 - Here We Go Again
05 - Oh America
06 - Instant Radical Change Of Perception
07 - I'll Be There
08 - Once Around
09 - This Is How It Is
10 - The Road

Pet Shop Boys - Story

A guilty pleasure, I wouldn't actually admit to friends I liked the PSB but would happily listen to them at home :)
I picked up a bundle of these newspaper freebie CD/DVD's recently for 10p a time at a boot sale, mainly films but also several decent albums.
A bargain as I didn't have to pay the £1-£2 for the rubbish Sunday paper.
Some nice alternate mixes here.

01 - West End Girls (10" Mix)
02 - Paninaro (7" Mix)
03 - It's A Sin (Disco Mix)
04 - What Have I Done To Deserve This (7" Mix)
05 - Jealousy (7" Mix)
06 - Being Boring (7" Mix)
07 - Go West (7" Mix)
08 - Before (7" Mix)
09 - Home And Dry (7" Mix)
10 - Flamboyant (7" Mix)
11 - Did You See Me Coming

Billy Idol - Shock To The System

The last Billy Idol single to trouble the charts back in 1993.

Billy Idol - Shock To The System
Billy Idol - Heroin (Smack Attack)
Billy Idol - White Wedding

Cardigans - My Favourite Game

Great song, great video.
Remember seeing the full video, which had a great comedy ending where she survives the head on crash only to be killed by the rock she'd jammed on the gas pedal, also thought it was really funny that her "tattoo" was rubbing off on the car seat.

01 - My Favourite Game
02 - War
03 - Sick And Tired (Live At Hultsfredsfestivalen)

Brainbug - Nightmare

One of those I used to hear a lot but never actually knew what the record was called or who it was by until I picked it up on a compilation album one day.
Often heard at the beginning of Man City matches better than Everton's Z Cars theme but not a patch on Bubbles haha.

01 - Nightmare (Sinister Strings Radio Edit)
02 - Nightmare (Original Sinister Strings Mix)
03 - Nightmare (Tall Paul Remix)
04 - Nightmare (Burger Queens Remix)
05 - Nightmare (Phat Manhattan Mix)

Chumbawamba - Tubthumping

To be honest I liked this for about 2 listens then it started to get on my nerves, also used in far too many TV programmes. Chumbawamba have done some great songs over the years but will probably be remembered by most for this?
Still makes me wince when Eton educated toffs like Boris Johnson and David Cameron quote "I get knocked down, but I get up again" considering Chumbawamba were famous for being an Anarchist band.

01 - Tubthumping
02 - Tubthumping (Butthumping Mix)
03 - Tubthumping (Danny Boy Mix)
04 - Tubthumping (Mawr Mix Pablo And Lawrie)
05 - Tubthumping (Timeshard Mix)
06 - Tubthumping (Gunshot Mix)

A - Number One

One more CD single from A,
another one where I ended up with the wrong case for the disc, the disc is CD1 the case is CD2.

01 - Number One
02 - Good Idea
03 - Alright
04 - Sasquatch

A - Foghorn

I like A, although they're a nightmare to search for on the internet :)
The lead singers voice is sort of unique in that he can't really sing but it still sounds great.

01 - Foghorn
02 - Last Girl
03 - A Demolished House

A - Nothing

A were a band that promised much but faded from the scene soon after this single and the album "Hi-fi serious".
From what I've read problems with the follow up album saw it released 3 years late by which time fans of the earlier stuff had given up waiting and the album flopped, they were then dropped by their record label (shame).

01 Nothing
02 T Shirt Money
03 Everybody In
04 Nothing (Video)

Sleeper - Sale Of The Century

I saw Sleeper a few times in the late seventies when my mates band were on the supporting bill at local gigs, of course this is irrelevant as it was a completly different band.
This is one of two top ten singles the other Sleeper had in the mid nineties.

01 - Sale Of The Century
02 - Package Holiday
03 - Oh Well

Judge Dread - Big Ten

Yet another banned song by the Judge, this one from 1975.
The B is credited to "Dread and I" and I haven't a clue who "I" was?

01 - Judge Dread - Big Ten
02 - Dread And I - Rasta Chat

Judge Dread - Oh! She Is A Big Girl Now / Big One

Double A side from 1973, Big One as usual was banned by the BBC but Big Girl did actually get a few plays on the radio.
For some reason Big One always makes me think of the "confessions" films which were around at the time :)
Don't think any other artist has ever cheered me up as much as the late Judge.

A1 - Oh She Is A Big Girl Now
A2 - Big One

Desmond Dekker - You Can Get It If You Really Want

From the days when Trojan only meant good music (or wooden horses maybe).
Desmond's second biggest UK hit from 1970.

01 - You Can Get It If You Really Want
02 - Perseverance

Bob Marley And The Wailers - No Woman No Cry

The record that finally gave Bob Marley a UK hit in 1975.

01 - No Woman No Cry
02 - Kinky Reggae
(Both tracks recorded live at the Lyceum, London date unknown)

Kate Bush - Cloudbusting

One of the best sung songs of Kate's on and off career.

The video version was padded out to allow for that weird video she did with Donald Sutherland, Everytime I see the video I think of the Billy Bragg line "then she cut her hair and I stopped loving her" ah sad :(
Who you gonna call? .... Cloudbusters.

01 - Cloudbusting
02 - Burning Bridge

The Cure - A Forest

The Cure on top form.
Everytime I hear this it reminds me of a sad little tale from my youth :(
I bought the album "Seventeen seconds" by the Cure and put it on my little Rigonda record player (my first record player) and started playing it over and over as I did with any new album, then I got up to do something and tripped over the wire and the record player fell off the cupboard and smashed my album into two halves and also broke the needle arm in two ... sob!
Forced me to go out and put a deposit on a new music centre with record player, radio, cassette and 8 track player!! only 12 monthly payments of £15 which was most of my record buying budget in those days haha :)

01 - A Forest
02 - Another Journey By Train

Malcolm McLaren - Madam Butterfly

I really love this, I must have a love of opera buried deep in my subconcious.
Seemed a strange idea at the time, the ex manager of the sex pistols talking over Puccini's opera classic with a disco beat but it works wonderfully.
The B Side is classic 80's drum machines, synths and samples.

01 - Madam Butterfly
02 - First Couple Out

Landscape - Norman Bates (Vinyl Rip)

As far as I remember this was the follow up to Einstein A Go Go, nowhere near as commercial and no real suprise it wasn't as successful, great title for the B side.
Oh and just in case anyone doesn't know Norman Bates was the cross dressing villain in Psycho :)

01 - Norman Bates
02 - From The Tea Rooms Of Mars To The Hell Holes Of Uranus "Tango"

Link - Norman

Fontella Bass - Rescue Me

Mouldy oldie time :)
Classic from Fontella Bass from 1965, this is an original version picked up from a market many years later.
Fontella turned up again recently doing vocals on two Cinematic Orchestra albums which are pretty good.

01 - Rescue Me
02 - Soul Of The Man

Donna Summer - Love To Love You Baby

Banned by the BBC so I had to go and buy this one :)
Classic moan and groan from Donna Summer and the B side is really good as well.

01 - Love To Love You Baby
02 - Need A Man Blues

Sylvia - Pillow Talk

Another grunt n groan classic, I was very impressed with this as a 12 year old and I still think it's brilliant.
The only British hit from Sylvia (Robinson), not to be confused with the other Sylvia (Vrethammer) who had a hit with the novelty song "Y Viva Espana" brilliantly parodied by Judge Dread :)
There are alternate versions of this, an album version which is 30 seconds longer and an extended "uncut" version with multiple orgasms, other Sylvia tracks I have are on the "Sugarhill Records Story".

I don't think the record sleeve is the right one? but it's what it came with when I bought it from one of those old "ex jukebox singles" boxes that every newsagent had on their counter when I were a lad :)

01 - Pillow Talk
02 - My Thing

Serge Gainsbourg And Jane Birkin - Je T'aime Moi Non Plus

The original heavy breathing song banned by UK radio at the time.
The classic by Serge Gainsbourg And Jane Birkin, and B-side Jane B by the lady herself.

01 - Serge Gainsbourg And Jane Birkin - Je T'aime Moi Non Plus
02 - Jane Birkin - Jane B

Chris Spedding - Motor Bikin

Only hit for Chris from 1975 although I had a few other singles by him at the time.
More famous as a session musician with appearances on records by Roxy Music, Elton John, The War of the Worlds album, The Sex Pistols and The Wombles!! amongst many others.
I saw a documentary on the Sex Pistols which seemed to suggest he was the lead guitar on most of the early Sex Pistols recordings and used to stand behind the stage playing Steve Jones's parts but this is obviously denied by Jones :)

01 - Motor Bikin
02 - Working For The Union

Stretch - Why Did You Do It

Yet another old favourite of mine from the school years, the opening is almost identical to another fave of mine from a year later by the Climax Blues Band "couldn't get it right".

01 - Why Did You Do It
02 - Write Me A Note

Justin Hayward And John Lodge - Blue Guitar

Just great guitar playing, a bit sloppy but who cares :)

01 - Blue Guitar
02 - When You Wake Up

War - Low Rider

Timeless, sounds as good now as it did on release in 1975.
Managed to avoid using the word "classic" that time .... oops.

01 - Low Rider
02 - So

Sherbet - Howzat

This has good memories for me, summer of 76 was a really great time for me and the love of my life bought me this record (we split up about a month later, but I try not to remember that bit).
One hit wonder in the UK, but were obviously big in their native Australlia.
Not many cricket related songs have hit the chart over the years, so this has a niche market :)

01 - Howzat
02 - Motor Of Love

Seventies Revival

Obviously going through old vinyls you come across a pile of records collected at an early age, so here's a small selection of mid seventies favourites ..... well they sounded good then :)
I've been playing a lot of them lately remembering days when the only worry was if your condom split or your bike got a puncture (same thing really) "rubber worries" hahaha :)

Lost Beats EP

As I’ve been out of circulation for a while I don’t know if everyone has this yet, it was a bonus EP with the last album.
Four top instrumentals which should be in everyone’s collection.

01 - The Big Gun Down
02 - Black Smoke
03 - Wild West
04 - Fighter Beat

Soft Cell – Bedsitter

Here is the 7” vinyl version
01 - Bedsitter
02 - Facility Girls

Soft Cell - Tainted Love

The 7” original vinyl version.

01 - Tainted Love
02 - Where Did Our Love Go

Wire - Outdoor Miner

Wire - Outdoor Miner
Wire - Practice Makes Perfect

Various - Beserkley Anthology

A bonus disc with the Jonathan Richman one below, this includes most of the other Beserkley records to hit the playlists in the late seventies / early eighties era.
One surprise for me was the exclusion of the Smirks, I only owned records on this label by JR, The Rubinoos and The Smirks but have looked into it and it seems they fell out with the label after releasing the 2 songs I used to have, which probably explains it.
Of the rest I knew Greg Kihn and the Tyla Gang but the rest were new to me.

01 Earth Quake - Tall Order For A Short Guy
02 Greg Kihn - All The Right Reasons
03 Earth Quake - Mr Security
04 Rubinoos - Gorilla
05 Earth Quake - Friday On My Mind
06 Rubinoos - I Think We're Alone Now
07 Greg Kihn - Madison Avenue
08 Spitballs - I Can Only Give You Everything
09 Rubinoos - Rock N Roll Is Dead
10 Tyla Gang - The Young Lords
11 Greg Kihn - For You
12 Rubinoos - I Want To Be Your Boyfriend
13 Eleven Bloody Men - Better Watch Out
14 Greg Kihn - Valerie
15 Rubinoos - Hard To Get
16 Mrs Green - Hurry
17 Greg Kihn - Don't Expect To Be Right
18 Rubinoos - Leave My Heart Alone
19 Tyla Gang - Oakland Red
20 Spitballs - Way Over There
21 Rubinoos - Jennifer
22 Greg Kihn - Jeopardy

Jonathan Richman And The Modern Lovers - Home Of The Hits

Jonathan Richman another of those artists you tend to associate with punk rock but when you listen all these years later you wonder why?
Still love most of these, I remember buying the Modern Lovers live LP at the time and played it to death, but cringe slightly when singing along to “I’m a little aeroplane nyow nyow” haha

01 - Roadrunner
02 - She Cracked
03 - Girlfriend
04 - Modern World
05 - Hospital
06 - Rockin' Shoppin' Spree
07 - Back In The USA
08 - New England
09 - Rockin' Rockin' Leprechauns
10 - Roller Coaster By The Sea
11 - Dodge Veg O Matic
12 - Egyptian Reggae
13 - I'm A Little Airplane
14 - Ice Cream Man
15 - My Little Kookenhaken
16 - The Morning Of Our Lives
17 - Back In Your Life
18 - I'm Nature's Mosquito
19 - Party In The Woods Tonight
20 - My Love Is A Flower

James Brown - Best Of

The Godfather of soul of course, this is an 18 track compilation which includes most of his greatest and most remembered songs.
Saw a recent programme on BBC4 (a channel well worth checking out if you can get it) about the James Brown concert in Boston on the night after Martin Luther King was assassinated.
Interesting stuff, James’s performance was praised for helping people through their grief although behind the scenes the story had some twists and turns.
The mayor of Boston was under pressure to cancel the concert for fear of attracting rioting in what was the white side of town, but he asked the local TV station to screen the concert live in an attempt to keep everyone at home.
James although coming out of it a hero to all had not been pleased about the TV coverage as a large proportion of the tickets had to be refunded and he was going to lose $60,000.
But overall his role in this must have helped turn him into the legend he was, so everyone benefited.

01 - Get Up I Feel Like Being A Sex Machine
02 - Make It Funky
03 - Papa's Got A Brand New Bag
04 - Get On The Good Foot
05 - Gonna Have A Funky Good Time
06 - Cold Sweat
07 - Honky Tonk
08 - It's A Man's Man's Man's World
09 - Gravity
10 - Living In America
11 - Get Up Offa That Thing
12 - Body Heat
13 - Hey America
14 - Please Please Please
15 - Think
16 - Hot Pants
17 - I Got You (I Feel Good)
18 - Say It Loud I'm Black And I'm Proud

Various - Blues Brother Soul Sister

I’ve got the blues you can have them too.
This excellent compilation features some of the all time classic Blues and Soul tunes of the Sixties and early seventies.

Part 1
01 Etta James - I Just Want To Make Love To You
02 Muddy Waters - Mannish Boy
03 James Brown - I Got You (I Feel Good)
04 Aretha Franklin - Respect
05 Arthur Conley - Sweet Soul Music
06 John Lee Hooker - Boom Boom
07 Wilson Picket - In The Midnight Hour
08 Diana Ross And The Supremes - Love Child
09 Stevie Wonder - For Once In My Life
10 Jackie Wilson - I Got The Sweetest Feeling
11 Fontella Bass - Rescue Me
12 Tommy Tucker - Hi Heel Sneakers
13 Temptations - My Girl
14 Martha Reeves And The Vandellas - Jimmy Mack
15 Edwin Starr - Stop Her On Sight
16 Eddie Floyd - Knock On Wood
17 Sam And Dave - Soul Man
18 Jr Walker And The Allstars - How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)
19 Howlin Wolf - Smokestack Lightning
20 Nina Simone - I Put A Spell On You

Part 2
01 Marvin Gaye - Abraham Martin And John
02 Erma Franklin - (Take A Little) Piece Of My Heart
03 Percy Sledge - When A Man Loves A Woman
04 Albert King - Born Under A Bad Sign
05 Gladys Knight And The Pips - Midnight Train To Georgia
06 Otis Redding - (Sitting On The) Dock Of The Bay
07 Maxine Browne - Oh No Not My Baby
08 Aaron Neville - Tell It Like It Is
09 Smokey Robinson And The Miracles - The Tracks Of My Tears
10 Etta James - I'd Rather Go Blind
11 Ben E King - Stand By Me
12 Dorothy Moore - Misty Blue
13 Al Green - I'm Still In Love With You
14 Fleetwood Mac - Need Your Love So Bad
15 Dinah Washington - Mad About The Boy
16 Judy Clay And William Bell - Private Number
17 Nina Simone - Feeling Good
18 Ann Peebles - I'm Gonna Tear Your Playhouse Down
19 B B King - The Thrill Is Gone
20 Lorraine Ellison - Stay With Me

I’m Back

Four months without a word then I just waltz back in and expect you to be my friend …
That’s about the size of it; too many reasons and excuses to bore you with.