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To help pass the non football season let's try compiling 8 tracks for our desert island sojourn. The idea (thanks Wessex) is we post one a week, hopefully with a You Tube link so others can see what all the fuss is about.
Here is my selection for week one, a cheery little ditty from Joy Division..."Dead Souls"
Desert Island Discs on 13:13 - May 18 by Leadbelly
My choice for week 2 - John Cooper Clarke, Beasley Street
Saw June Tabor & The Oyster Band at Cambridge Folk Festival but, due to Guinness consumption, I couldn't say whether they performed Love Will Tear Us Apart. Headphones in the office have had it so I'll have a listen tonight.
Mrs F and I saw JCC at the Art Centre a couple of Christmases ago, hugely entertaining. I believe he's also on the GCSE/A Level syllabus now!
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Desert Island Discs on 13:12 - May 20 with 1995 views
Desert Island Discs on 20:56 - May 19 by wessex_exile
Last time I was at Cambridge was a long time ago, but it wasn't the beer tent that befuddled my senses back then - and this was back in the day when the local plod would watch half a dozen sorry hippies sharing one 'cigarette' then bust the lot for possession.
Your clip is classic gritty John Cooper Clarke, and I loved it, but surfing YouTube I found this alternative - much longer, much more tuneful...but sold out?
Based on my own "observations" at Cambridge the boys in blue no longer concern themselves with a bit of recreational smoking.
Regarding JCC...I don't mind the versions he did with the Invisible Girls (including Pete Shelley, probably making an appearance later in my list) but I much prefer him unaccompanied...and live if possible. Fruitbat mentions seeing him at the Arts Centre, where he appears every year just before Christmas, along with fellow Wivenhoe resident, poet, musician and EADT columnist Martin Newell. A top evening is guaranteed.
A pause this week from my usual fare of traditional Rock ‘N’ Roll. Instead, for my third offering, here’s a chirpy little ditty from the punk/new wave genre (at least that’s what Wikipedia calls it). “Swords Of 1000 Men” by Tenpole Tudor has been one of our family’s anthems since we first saw it on Top Of The Pops in 1981.
At a party last year, the DJ put this on to play. My elder daughter, aged 7 when it was first released, but 41 now, grabbed my arm with “C’mon Dad! We MUST dance to this!” (cue Peter Kay sketch of old man dancing).
Forgetting my age, I, unwisely, made a feeble attempt to imitate Ed Tudor-Pole’s antics (well, a few of them — very few) in this video. I failed miserably, of course, but, by the end of the song, I was exhausted. We went back to our seats, whereupon my daughter announced to the family: “I’ve just nearly killed Dad”.
I hope you enjoy one of my family’s favourites.
[Post edited 23 May 2015 10:46]
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Desert Island Discs on 11:38 - May 23 with 1957 views
Desert Island Discs on 10:45 - May 23 by pwrightsknees
Has another seven days gone by already?
A pause this week from my usual fare of traditional Rock ‘N’ Roll. Instead, for my third offering, here’s a chirpy little ditty from the punk/new wave genre (at least that’s what Wikipedia calls it). “Swords Of 1000 Men” by Tenpole Tudor has been one of our family’s anthems since we first saw it on Top Of The Pops in 1981.
At a party last year, the DJ put this on to play. My elder daughter, aged 7 when it was first released, but 41 now, grabbed my arm with “C’mon Dad! We MUST dance to this!” (cue Peter Kay sketch of old man dancing).
Forgetting my age, I, unwisely, made a feeble attempt to imitate Ed Tudor-Pole’s antics (well, a few of them — very few) in this video. I failed miserably, of course, but, by the end of the song, I was exhausted. We went back to our seats, whereupon my daughter announced to the family: “I’ve just nearly killed Dad”.
I hope you enjoy one of my family’s favourites.
[Post edited 23 May 2015 10:46]
Classic. I had the album with this on back in the day and a copy of their greatest hits sits in my cd collection.
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Desert Island Discs on 20:04 - May 23 with 1947 views
Okay, Week 3 and at some point I knew I'd have to include something from Pink Floyd. Tough call, so much to choose from, but The Wall occupies a very important part of my school days for many reasons - and not necessarily negative - I like to think if nothing else my green blazer schooling really did encourage me to be free-thinking, and not be part of what Mr Howells quite rightly called the education sausage machine.
Anyway, hope you enjoy what I think is the best track of the album, this version without the distraction of the surreal trippy animation from the film (which I think is also excellent btw).
Desert Island Discs on 19:26 - May 24 by wessex_exile
Okay, Week 3 and at some point I knew I'd have to include something from Pink Floyd. Tough call, so much to choose from, but The Wall occupies a very important part of my school days for many reasons - and not necessarily negative - I like to think if nothing else my green blazer schooling really did encourage me to be free-thinking, and not be part of what Mr Howells quite rightly called the education sausage machine.
Anyway, hope you enjoy what I think is the best track of the album, this version without the distraction of the surreal trippy animation from the film (which I think is also excellent btw).
That would keep me awake at night. Terrifying!
I'm not au fait with later Pink Floyd but really like some of the earlier stuff. "Granchester Meadows" extended version would be my favourite.
The band that's most difficult to 'pigeon-hole' Whalers. And that's the way they like it. Of >150 gigs I have seen they remain the best live band of all .
Live prog can/could be very good {MME/Family/Gentle Giant/Camel/Uriah Heep} with frequent support bands outdoing the main. A good example was when I saw Chris de Burgh with little backing and a huge hall show the door to the ineffectual Supertramp.
But this thread has some splendid stuff on it already. Grand idea Sir !
Pinault-noir
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Desert Island Discs on 18:13 - May 26 with 1814 views
The band that's most difficult to 'pigeon-hole' Whalers. And that's the way they like it. Of >150 gigs I have seen they remain the best live band of all .
Live prog can/could be very good {MME/Family/Gentle Giant/Camel/Uriah Heep} with frequent support bands outdoing the main. A good example was when I saw Chris de Burgh with little backing and a huge hall show the door to the ineffectual Supertramp.
But this thread has some splendid stuff on it already. Grand idea Sir !
I would agree, and personally don't consider Jethro Tull (and I'm a big fan, saw them live at Albert Hall many years ago) as prog rock - far too 'heavyish' and rocky for that, and certainly when held up in comparison to Camel, Yes, Genesis, Pink Floyd, Caravan etc.
Unfortunately, I missed the recent radio show about Prog Rock, but I did catch the trailer, which concluded with a snippet of an interview that they were no doubt going to use:
"So Prog Rock is sort of Thinking Man's Rock?" "Well it's certainly not Dancing Man's Rock"
Desert Island Discs on 21:56 - May 24 by wessex_exile
Incidentally, Swords of a 1000 Men was an epic choice PWK!
As I suspect there isn't going to be much Pink Floyd in anyone else's list, here's what came a very close second.
I really have tried, and they influence a lot of stuff that I like (Dave Gilmour features on the third All About Eve album who themselves covered "See Emilly Play") but they're a band I really can't warm to. Don't know why.
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Desert Island Discs on 19:56 - May 26 with 1727 views
week 1 :- "Strangely strange but oddly normal" Dr. Strangely Strange
week 2:- "Division bell" Pink Floyd [you're not alone Wessex]
week 3:- "Living in the past" Jethro Tull
Wighty - obviously I know the other two, but your Week 1 pick was a complete unknown to me, so had to go check it out. Wow, that is right up there with the best of trippy-hippyness, so forgive me if I share with others.
To be honest, I liked it, not something I could listen to every day, but as a marker for a lost generation of spaced-out souls, it is right up there. I particularly loved the most recent YouTube comment (given that YouTube comments appear to usually be the refuge of racists, homophobes, xenophobes and all manner of other bottom-feeders who like nothing more than to broadcast their ignorance to the world) - "The greatest song Donovan never recorded".
Aha....had you hunting did it! It is indeed 'right up there' Wessex and I never overlook stuff from that era when lots of good music never came over the airwaves and is only really being uncovered now. Thank the Lord for dear old Brian Matthew. Saturday mornings often turn up something to add to my 'virtual album' now with 137 tracks. Altho' I'm a 6Music fan when working in my studio Radio 2 still delivers.
This thread really is a good idea and it's so tricky to get down to 8 ! I was going to have Joy Division's 'Love will.....' but now the June Tabor version is on here I'll choose something else.
The rest of that album by Dr Strangeley Strange is tidy too Wessex. Right back to some Horslips live now.............
Pinault-noir
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Desert Island Discs on 18:49 - May 27 with 1672 views
I'm afraid week 3 takes us back to the 1980s and Siouxsie & The Banshees. Great band, great songs. I've picked a lesser known album track rather that one of the singles though. Siouxsie Sioux is on record stating that the late and very great John McGeogh was her favourite of all the Banshee's guitar players. This track shows why.
I promise to find something 21st century next week.
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Desert Island Discs on 01:55 - May 28 with 1642 views
I actually named UrbanUS magazine, my early publishing house, The Urbanus Press, after The Wolfgang Press, saw them at the 9:30 club in Wash DC late 80's.
Desert Island Discs on 01:55 - May 28 by Barsidepete
Wasn't Siouxsie a 4 AD artist?
I actually named UrbanUS magazine, my early publishing house, The Urbanus Press, after The Wolfgang Press, saw them at the 9:30 club in Wash DC late 80's.
The Wolfgang Press -- Kansas
Like this. Not a band I'm particularly familiar with but I shall seek out some more.
Banshees stuff almost all released on Polydor I think. Plenty of other great stuff on 4AD though: early Bauhaus, Cocteaus, Throwing Muses, Belly, The Breeders etc etc. Colchester's very own Modern English were a 4AD band I believe.
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Desert Island Discs on 19:42 - May 28 with 1599 views
Like this. Not a band I'm particularly familiar with but I shall seek out some more.
Banshees stuff almost all released on Polydor I think. Plenty of other great stuff on 4AD though: early Bauhaus, Cocteaus, Throwing Muses, Belly, The Breeders etc etc. Colchester's very own Modern English were a 4AD band I believe.
Let me say that I think LB’s idea was brilliant. And what a super mix of tastes has been thrown up! I’ve enjoyed everyone’s contribution and opened my eyes to some that I had never heard of. I do struggle a little with some of your “codes” and “shorthand”. What does “4 AD” mean?
For my part, I’m trying to have a different performer on each offering. You may not appreciate 8 tracks solely by Jerry Lee Lewis or Fats Domino.
So, on to offering number four. No Rock ‘n’ Roll enthusiast like me could ever leave out a track by Chuck Berry. So many to choose from, but I’ve picked Johnny B Goode, not least because the barmaid at The Marquis would put this on the juke-box during my lunch-time visits. (Are they still called juke boxes?).
The story behind Johnny B Goode is that Chuck Berry’s frequent piano accompanist, Johnnie Johnson, was always getting into scrapes and trouble and spent may a night in a police cell. So whenever they parted, Chuck would always say to him “Johnnie. Be Good”. So the song title emerged. Unfortunately, I couldn’t find a decent live version on Youtube, as Chuck does tend to be e bit self-indulgent, so here’s the record. Ironically, Johnnie Johnson isn’t playing piano on the recording. Instead it was one of Chess Records studio musicians.
Johnnie died about 10 years ago, and is not to be confused with Johnny Johnson and The Bandwagon — “Blame It On The Pony Express” etc.