Tuesday, January 31, 2023

Requesting a movie

 I am a sad old person as I sent an email to Talking Pictures TV requesting the 1969 film Alfred the Great. They sent me a nice standard reply which included this

"I will add your suggestions to my list of films and series to research and locate rights holders and see if it’s possible to negotiate a licence, it’s quite a complicated process - but we acquire new films and series every month, so never say never! Some of the films we have managed to licence we never thought would ever come to light, but sadly we can’t just play ones we'd like to play, if you see what I mean. Also please remember some films or TV series sadly may no longer exist."


So anyway what film would you request?

The Pop Group Where there's a will 1980 Belgian tv

 I liked the Pop Group. Not as much as Nigel our bass player who loved them but we did see them about this time and they were good. Scary. Quite a few bands at that time were scary. Go figure. See them live in 80 here

This band are from Bristol.

Monday, January 30, 2023

Barrett Strong

 


Has died aged 81. Wiki. A great composer of many fine songs.

Hightower Brothers Seat in the Kingdom

 On the subject of Richard Hell and the Voidoids this is the original of the song 'I'm Your Man'. Great bit of gospel. 

Fast Net by Brix Smith

 Brand new single 

single from the album 'Valley of the Dolls', Fast Net is written and produced by Brix Smith and Martin 'Youth' Glover. Brix, a former member of The Fall in which she performed with Mark E Smith has teamed up with the legendary producer and bass player of Killing Joke to create this amazing album and latest single. Check out the new video produced by Funky Doodle and filmed at the Lexington. Find out more at www.brixsmith.com, check out the single on Spotify. https://open.spotify.com/artist/6DKpO...

Sunday, January 29, 2023

Pic of me with new compilation Winter of Discontent

 Thanks to Celia for getting this red vinyl version from Rough Trade.


Babylon (2022) trailer

 


Trailer here. My son watched this at the cinema last night and really enjoyed it though he did warn me there were some extreme scenes. It's set in the late 20s early 30s Hollywood. Quite a cast and three hours long. Wiki

Daughter Celia works at Glitch in Bristol probably the hippest salon in town and got asked for a haircut like one of the characters..

Neon Boys That's all I know/ Love Comes in Spurts 1972

 Susan's choice. Another historic recording.  Wiki on the band here

Tracklist: only the first three are Neon Boys I think 00:00 - 02:36 01.That's All I Know (Right Now) 02:37 - 05:39 02.Love Comes In Spurts 05:40 - 08:55 03.High Heeled Wheels

08:56 - 12:00 04.Time 12:01 - 14:51 05.Don't Die

Little Johnny Jewel Television 1975

 Sad to hear of the passing of Tom Verlaine BBC news. Here is Television's first single which we have. Television wiki



Friday, January 27, 2023

"I'm as tired as Mrs Chivers"

 I run a Facebook group called Old Radstock which is pretty popular and it's great for sharing memories. One that amused me was a couple of people remembering when their Mothers used this expression. Chivers is a popular surname locally. Anyway feel free to use this saying. 

Winter of Discontent in the shops

 Daughter Celia picked up a limited edition red vinyl copy from Rough Trade in Bristol - she works at Glitch in Bristol. Get it here



Prince & The Revolution - Raspberry Beret 1985

We are not big Prince fans but we liked this single. Susan in particular.  

Moore's of Frome closing

 Moore & Sons closing down sale now on. Half price seeds, 25% off all feeders/drinkers plus much more. Open all day this Sunday.

This is one of the most unchanged of Frome shops. Sad to see it go. 

Thursday, January 26, 2023

Sonny Terry Hootin' the Blues

 Some ace harmomca

Django Reinhardt J'attendrai

  My Dad was a fan of these and I inherited a few records. I like it. Very good.

Wednesday, January 25, 2023

First trip to Paris


 Photo from outside Les Invalides Paris with a Panther tank. Around 1972 I think.

Wet Leg Oh No 2022

 Woke up with this in my head. Probably heard it on the radio last night. I quite like it

New King's Road book


King's Road - The Rise and Fall of the Hippest Street in the World

The King's Road in Chelsea was at the epicentre of not one, but two worldwide cultural shifts. In the mid-sixties, it became a focal point and shop window for the new ‘swinging’ London, encompassing music, theatre, the visual arts, fashion and much more. It remained at the forefront of developing trends throughout the following decade until it became the breeding-ground for UK punk rock, helping inspire youthful rebellion the world over.

In short, it was the place to be. In the time between the formation of the Rolling Stones and the demise of the Sex Pistols, the King’s Road had the attention of the world. Just how this came to be is a classic rise-and-fall story of satisfaction and sedition, featuring some of the most famous people of the late twentieth century and many of the pivotal moments of the fifties, sixties and seventies.

This revised and expanded edition of King’s Road covers the cultural history of the King’s Road, tracking many key figures who lived or spent time there, from Henry VIII to David Bowie, Margaret Thatcher to Vivienne Westwood, Karl Marx to The Beatles, and Mozart to Mary Quant.

Max Décharné is a writer and musician from London. His other books include Vulgar Tongues, Hardboiled Hollywood, Straight From The Fridge, Dad and A Rocket In My PocketHe has written about music for MOJO magazine since 1998, and his work has also appeared in the Spectator, the Sunday Times Colour Magazine, the Observer, the Guardian and the TLS, among others.

Max was the drummer in Gallon Drunk, then the singer and principal songwriter with The Flaming Stars. In a long and varied career in the music business, he has recorded many albums and singles, nine John Peel Sessions and played shows all across the USA, Canada, virtually every country in Europe and in Japan.

Publication Date: 13.04.2023
ISBN: 9781913172602
Extent: 480 pages
Format: 
Hardback

Tuesday, January 24, 2023

5 years ago the death of Mark E Smith

 5 years ago today was the announcement. Song is So What About It? From the 1991 Shift-work album.

Monday, January 23, 2023

Doug Quattlebaum

 Softee Man Blues (1964) full album here. Wiki on the man here


Sunday, January 22, 2023

The Bad Detectives - B Movie Scientist

 So Frome's finest in an old video from about 10 years ago. It's very well done and a fitting tribute to them. 

Saturday, January 21, 2023

Psychosis Safari ~ The Eighties Matchbox B-Line Disaster - dir. Edgar Wright (2003)

 We saw this band quite a bit. From Brighton.

Ivan Bojczuk

Very sad to hear of the passing of Ivan the Bad Detectives bass player. I first met him at school where we were in the same year. One of the original members of the band that eventually became the Bad Detectives. A deejay on Frome FM. 63 years old. A great loss to Frome.

Ivan in 1978

Left to right Ivan, me Bunse and Henry (prone)1978

Friday, January 20, 2023

Thursday, January 19, 2023

Why frogs are wet 1968

 This children's book is a family favourite. It has been redone with different artwork. I haven't seen that version. Good book to teach children about the world of amphibians. There was a toad version too.



Terraplane Fixation Animals & Men 1980

 This is the song that is on the Winter of Discontent compilation. Our 2nd single. We self-released this one. I was about 19 if you think we sound naive. One review in the local paper thought we were. 

The Cynics - Blue train station 1986

 Some RnB for you. From Pittsburgh. Wiki

'Jaan Pehechaan Ho' by Mohammed Rafi, from the 1965 movie 'Gumnaam'.

A great 60s clip.

Also used in the opening scenes of Terry Zwigoff's 'Ghost World' movie.

Watch here

Wednesday, January 18, 2023

DON & BOB - GOOD MORNING LITTLE SCHOOLGIRL - ARGO 1961

 Just heard this classic rhythm and blues track. Heard on the Wednesday Night Rockin' party. This version was the one copied by the Yardbirds. Wiki on the song.

Tuesday, January 17, 2023

Maja Lena The Stone (official video)

 Just heard on Gideon Coe. I can't really describe it. Experimental?

The Pirates - Live at Dingwalls 1977

 Something for Jake. 

By the mid-1970's 'The Pirates' were, without doubt, the most popular act on the club circuit in the UK with their reputation rapidly spreading throughout Europe and Scandinavia. However the band had first emerged in 1959 as a backing group to the late, great Johnny Kidd with whom they enjoyed a total of nine chart singles. Their re-emergence as a power rock/rhythm and blues trio took the live circuit by storm and their two Warner Brothers albums 'Out Of Their Skulls' and 'Skull Wars' received outstanding reviews. This footage captures the band delivering the goods in their natural habitat with no holds barred!

Songs featured: 1. I Can Tell 2. Gibson, Martin, Fender 3. Shakin' All Over 4. You Don't Own Me 5. Lonesome Train 6. Talking About You Recorded live at Dingwalls, Camden Lock, London 1977 Mike Green - Lead and rhythm guitar, backing vocals Johnny Spence - Bass guitar and vocals Frank Farley - Drums and backing vocals

Jake Stratton-Kent has passed away

 


Piece on his publisher's website

A sad day. One of the greats who lived for a time in Frome which was when I got to know him. Proud to have known him. I have never read any of his occult books we had all sorts of other things in common, music, wargaming to name a couple. To your next journey. 

Monday, January 16, 2023

Winter of Discontent compiled by Bob Stanley and Pete Wiggs Various artists

 


This compilation we are on. The song Terraplane Fixation. If you go on Ace Records page you can hear snippets of the songs.  Exclusive red vinyl edition from Rough Trade

1. Where Were You? – The Mekons 2. Violence Grows – Fatal Microbes 3. The Terraplane Fixation – Animals & Men 4. Work – Blue Orchids 5. Small Hours – Karl’s Empty Body 6. Somebody – Frankie’s Crew 7. Confidence – Scritti Politti 8. Drink Problem – Thin Yoghurts 9. Low Flying Aircraft – Anne Bean & Paul Burwell 10. Brow Beaten – Performing Ferret Band 11. No Forgetting – The Manchester Mekon 12. Fairytale In The Supermarket – The Raincoats 13. Can’t Cheat Karma – Zounds 14. Bored Housewives – Androids Of Mu 15. In My Area (Take 2) – The Fall 16. The Sideways Man – The Digital Dinosaurs 17. Attitudes – The Good Missionaries 18. The Window’s Broken – Human Cabbages 19. King And Country – Television Personalities 20. In The Night – Exhibit ‘a’ 21. Nudes - Performing Ferret Band 22. Different Story – Tarzan 5 23. The Red Pullover – The Gynaecologists 24. Production Line – The Door And The Window

Detroit Cobras (It Came From Detroit)


A tribute to the Queen of Garage Rock. Rest in Power, Rachel. The Detroit Cobras

Detroit Cobras Cha Cha Twist

 A year since we lost Rachel Nagy. 

Saturday, January 14, 2023

Over Under Sideways Down - The Yardbirds {Stereo} 1966

 

North Somerset in 878 by C Walter Hodges in the novel The Marsh King

 


Display at Midsomer Norton Library

 They have a lot of local books. This is just some of the lighter subjects. Enlarge to the books.


The Camps Ballad of Batman 1965

 Susan and I spent a bit of time trying to find this song - we knew the chorus but not the title. Luckily someone on the Boss Radio 66 page came to our aid. 

Lagartija Nick Bauhaus 1983 TOTP

 Came out 40 years ago. We didn't buy it. Performance on the telly

Friday, January 13, 2023

Angel Rod Stewart and the Faces 1972

On Top of the Pops. Just played on the Mickey Bradley. 

Yardbirds - Jimmy Page & Jeff Beck, Blow Up movie, 1966

 When we first had access to a  video player about 1980 this was one of the first things I taped. I still think it is great. Tribute to Jeff Beck and the Yardbirds. 

Mississippi Fred McDowell - Keep Your Lamp Trimmed And Burning

 Memphis '69: The 1969 Memphis Country Blues Festival 

20 hits of Charley Patton

 This collection came out end of last year. Looks like they have remastered them. Anyway if you don't know Charley Patton this is a good place to start. It is about an hour of music. But what music. The most influential musician of the 20th century is my opinion. 

Lover please Clyde McPhatter 1962

 Had it before but I do love this. 

Thursday, January 12, 2023

Mick Mercer's Panache - Adam and the Ants

 


Photographer and Journalist Mick Mercer has a new webpage on substack. Check it out  

Twelve nice downloadable Ants photos, three each from Moonlight and Marquee 1978, Lyceum 1979 and High Wycombe 1980. Please subscribe (it's free) while you're there.

Roger the Engineer the Yardbirds 1966

 


The only Yardbirds album Jeff Beck played on. Wiki. It's a great album which is posted as a tribute to Jeff Beck guitar legend.

Wolf Call Boogie Hot Shot Love 1954

Great sound great record. First encountered this on the LP Lowdown Memphis Harmonica Jam

Smell of Female the Cramps live 1983

 


This album was recorded February 1983. Wiki

Donovan and the Jeff Beck group - Barabajagal (Love is Hot) 1969

 


Today's ear worm. Here. The song wiki

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

Yardbirds Heart full of soul 1965

 

Please please me the Beatles 1963

 Released 60 years ago. 


Radstock Co-op demolitioni

 

In 1960 when it was new

Pic by Bea today from the top deck of the bus
So it has been demolished. Part of the life of Radstock and now it's gone. You used to be able to buy a fridge, book a holiday, buy provisions and pretty much everything there. Started in the 1860s to serve the mining community it put people before profit - they were very patient dealing with Radstock's elderly for example never rushing them. I think the community will miss it. Obviously will come back in some form but who knows?

Sonny Boy Williamson Help me 1963

 Recorded January 11 1963.. I love this. "Bring me my nightshirt, put on your morning gown. I'm no way sleepy but I feel like lying down". Poetry.

Just walking in the rain the Prisonaires 1953

Today was a very wet day so I thought I would post this Sun classic. Recorded while they were in the Penetentiary. They were under armed guard when they recorded this big hit. They were discovered by Phillips when they took part in a radio broadcast from prison. Johnny Ray covered it but it is no contest with the original. Wiki on the Prisonaires.

Pat Hare

 Real name Auburn Hare! A very influential guitarist as part of Little Junior Parker's Blue Flames. Ended up serving time for murder. He famously did a record "I'm gonna murder my baby" and did just that.  Wiki. He formed a band in prison called Sounds Incarcerated. Listen to the Blue Flames on Spotify


Love My Baby Little Junior's Blue Flames 1953

I have this LP

 On the Sun label. Little Junior Parker wiki. This is a key step for rock and roll. I think Presley's band listened to this at Sam Phillips' behest before recording Mystery Train.

Charity shop's Vivienne Westwood tribute

 We have some great charity shops in Midsomer Norton. This window for the Cats Protection caught our eye. Very good tribute to d-i-y fashion and Vivienne Westwood.


Iggy Pop Candy 1990

 It was a duet with Kate Pierson and I think it was his biggest hit. Wiki. Not a hit in the UK though.

Tuesday, January 10, 2023

Johnny Cash - Get Rhythm

 Some early footage of the Man in Black. 

Bow Wow Wow I Want Candy, Do You Wanna Hold Me Casablanca Swedish TV 1983

This is good. Looks as though it's live which is good as they were excellent musicians. If I was to ask myself in 83 who my favourite pop act was I would have probably said Bow wow wow. I think they were better after they parted with Malcy as they didn't have such daft lyrics to sing. 

Monday, January 09, 2023

J.B. Hutto, Hound Dog Taylor And Ted Harvey

 If you could hear pictures...


Public Image Limited Hawaii

A new single. Read about it here.

I'm gonna dress in black Them (1965)

 


This is great. I think I first heard it on the Mickey Bradley Record show - it's a strange but glorious song. I don't know who wrote it. The Angry young Them wiki

Teddy Boys: a concise history


This looks good. Kindle edition is cheap

Blurb says
 No youth cult has been so enduring, yet so misunderstood, as the Teddy Boys. From the moment they appeared in the early 1950s, inspired by the flamboyance of Edwardian clothing and the hot sounds of dance bands to seek escape from the austerity of the era, the Teds were maligned by a starchy British Establishment that had no idea what they were really about. As the movement swept the country, that scorn turned to fear, sparking moral outrage that lasted for a decade.


Teddy Boys traces the roots of the Teds among the post-War spivs, the music of jive and boogie artists, and dances like ‘the creep’. The new fashion and its link with violence began to attract media attention after a fatal gang fight in south London, and soon Teddy Boy clothes, haircuts and dance styles were banned from concert halls around the country, to no avail. The arrival of rock ‘n’ roll and the hit movie Rock Around the Clock saw the craze reach its frenetic peak.

This lively history tells how the Teds fell into decline after the Notting Hill Riots of 1958, but how their spirit was preserved by the leather-clad Rockers who fought with Mods in the 1960s. A landmark concert at Wembley in 1972, with artists like Jerry Lee Lewis and Chuck Berry, revived the fashion, and the rising popularity of rockabilly expanded interest across Europe and beyond. The scene is now thriving again, with numerous reunions, gigs and events worldwide. Teddy Boys is the first ever account of an enduring popular phenomenon.

Sunday, January 08, 2023

Rolling Stones 19th Nervous Breakdown live

I really like this song I think it's one of their best of that era. Lyrics are great - "you're the kind of person you meet at certain dismal dull affairs".

Happy Birthday Elvis

 Here he is with Jackie Wilson.


Saturday, January 07, 2023

Forever People Bristol

 Starting in the 70s at Gloucester Road Bristol it was a must visit shop. You could buy comics, fanzines, badges and posters. It was glorious. It moved to Park Street which was a big step up. We used to go there and record shops and also the clothes shop Paradise Garage. 


The Silver Surfer animated series intro

 I used to like the Silver Surfer as a teen. I had a slight association with the surfing scene as a youth and it resonated with me. Don't remember this  

tv series but it looks good. Watch the episodes in YouTube. It is on Disney+ too if you have that.

Me in 78 with my Silver Surfer poster


Bob Dylan, The Band - Crash on the Levee (Official Audio)


 Here. Heard this on Winchcombe Calling last night and it brought back memories of my teenage years when it came out in 1975 as I had a copy. Recorded in 1967.

Friday, January 06, 2023

Sam Phillips the Man Who Invented Rock'n'roll

 It was the 100th anniversary of this man's birth the other day (5th January) which is a worthy cause for celebration. This playlist looks good. 

Frank Frost Harpin' on it the complete Jewel Recordings 1966

 

Mark E. Smith's predictions for 2015

 From MoJo magazine. 


Jerry Lee Lewis - Whole Lotta Shakin' Goin' On (Steve Allen Show - 1957)

 


We were listening again to Tuesday's Gideon Coe where he interviewed Peter Guralnik about Sun Records and where he talked about the circumstances of this performance which broke Jerry Lee nationally. Check it out on Sounds.

 Anyway it's a great clip and it really is a must see.

Animals & Men in the local paper 1980

 This cropped up today. Our spot in the local rag the Somerset Standard. The location was Cloford quarry. 


I love Lambeth the Monochrome set 1995

 


Here. Pleasant song from the Trinity Road LP. This is a really fine album with lots of varied songs to entertain. 

Thursday, January 05, 2023

Arthur's battles according to Nennius

Investigation into the location of the 12 battles. On the early British kingdom's page.

Nennius.

Pic Arthur by Richard Hook 
Arthur carried the image of the holy Mary, the everlasting Virgin, on his shield, and the heathen were put to flight on that day, and there was great slaughter upon them, through the power of Jesus Christ and the power of the holy Virgin Mary, his mother


Little Willie Foster Little Girl 1957

 Some Cobra Records goodness, I think this should have been called Drink on but that's just me.  Little Willie Foster came to an unfortunate end sadly.  

Belton Sutherland 1978 Blues#2

 Nice clip of him playing on the porch.Thanks to Joe for this.

Belton Sutherland (vocal and guitar) performs an improvised blues on Clyde Maxwell's porch. Shot by Alan Lomax, John Bishop, and Worth Long at Maxwell's farm near Canton, Mississippi, September 3, 1978. For more information about the American Patchwork filmwork, Alan Lomax, and his collections, visit http://culturalequity.org. [02.19.21]

Wednesday, January 04, 2023

Nappy Brown Pitter Patter 1955

 Here . Just heard this on the Wednesday Night Rockin' party.

In Radstock 4th February

 We have featured a clip from this band here. Should be a good night. 


Oil on canvas of The Old Glass Works, Nailsea in about 1810

 Nailsea glassworks. British school.


69 Exhibition Rd

Read an interview here

ABOUT 69 EXHIBITION ROAD

A vibrant, wry, and engaging account of life as an adventurous, queer young person in late 1970s London discovering themselves as an artist, and an individual.

While working as a photographer’s model, gallery usher, and exotic dancer, Dorothy “Max” Prior witnessed the births of Adam and the Ants, The Monochrome Set, The Sex Pistols, and Throbbing Gristle, as well as drumming in her own cult band Rema Rema and recording with Industrial Records.  
 
Her exuberant commentaries, each presented as a stand-alone episode, illustrate the multilayered nature of the London music, art, and fashion worlds of the late 1970s, and the overlap between the early punk scene with the city’s rapidly evolving club and queer cultures.