First and foremost, you can listen to the show here:-
Connections 113 21st January 2012
I wonder if anyone can tell me where that was taken?! I just thought it looked sort of, well, connected. The clue is it's in Istanbul...Any road up, welcome to show 113! Today's show started and finished with something a bit schmaltzy if you will, David Soul and some Starsky and Hutch elevator type muzak. I was recently watching a BBC retrospective about 1977, and someone commented about how particularly, 'Silver Lady' sounds 'good' now. Something you don't hear too often on the radio anyway...
You'll be also delighted to know that some of today's connections were pretty damn tenuous...it's all good...I did make a hasty addition to tonight's playlist following the sad news of Etta James' death. We salute you...
So...to the playlist...
Silver Lady by David Soul (Private Stock Records 1976) Although Mr Soul was in the likes of 'Flipper' and then Starsky and Hutch, word has it that one of his earliest TV appearances was on the US Merv Griffin Show with a bag over his head proclaiming that he wanted to be judged as a singer on his own merits...It seems eventually he got his wish, and it makes an interesting biog for the start of the show, where I'm normally listing what instruments folk play and what bands they were in! This song is the very fabric of 1977...even in the midst of punk! A guilty pleasure....also giving us, via David's Starsky and Hutch connection, an ideal opportunity to play...
Theme from Starsky and Hutch (Gotcha) by The James Taylor Quartet Feat Fred Wesley and Pee Wee Ellis (Urban Records 1988) Forgive me, I think I said 1995 on the show...'I stand corrected,' said the man in the orthopedic shoes... Not to be confused with the bloke that did, 'You've got a friend,' this is the Acid Jazz James Taylor, and quite possibly his Acid Jazziest rendition of this theme from Starsky and Hutch. This music goes through my head every time I'm in a Taxi with a maniac driver, 'Yo, if ya want some marmalade from the Grand Bazaar, just yell for Huggy Bear...' etc etc. Just wants to make you reach for a Gran Torino...Save to say the air Hammond got another pounding this week...JTQ appeared on the John Peel Sessions (yes! I said they were good connections...) as did...
Vas Dis by Wishbone Ash (MCA Records 1971) This is a funky little number by Brother Jack McDuff. The Wishbone boys started off with a more straight laced approach to more or less blues oriented material, and they wanted to get that tomato and make a creamy soup from it. This is using their two guitar player format to best effect, covering what was essentially a jazzzzz standard, replete with Crosby Stills and Nash esque harmonies on the scat singing. A classic!! The Connection? MCA Records were the 'parent company' for the smaller and of course now defunct Uni Records...
..and this company was later revived by Sire Records, who were host to (at some point in time, but of course not on this release!!)...
Ca Plane Pour Moi by Plastic Bertrand (ANC Records 1977) Danser Pogo de Belgique!! Roger Allen Francios Jouret doesn't sound quite as punk as Plastic Bertrand, but I recently found out to my dismay that for his forst 4 albums, Plastic's voice was actually his producer Lou Deprijck. The 'real Plastic Bertrand defended this for many years saying the voice was his, but finally caved in after the voice on a greatest hits record he put out, claiming to be Plastic Bertrand or Roger, well call him, in 2010 had the voice of Lou Deprijck on it in 1977...A mere oversight, I'm sure~~~~~~~Still, that said, no matter who sings on it it's a great track and brings the pogo out of the best of us....The Uni Records loose connection worked very well in connecting Plastic Bertrand, whoever he may be, to....(Although this release was on Techniques, they were affiliated to Uni Records at some juncture...
Double Barrel by Dave and Ansell Collins (Techniques/Trojan Records 1971) Dave and Ansell were not Collins brothers, as I always thought! Dave Barker was a session vocalist and Ansell Collins was a keyboard player who worked for Lee 'Scratch' Perry, one of the itchiest dudes in Jamaica....One can only wonder how these pairings happen...are they sat eating peas and rice in some Kingston Cafeteria one day, and one says to the other, 'Hey, let's make a record called Double Barrel...'...? This track also boasts premier appearance by a 14 year old drummer Sly Dunbar who became 50% of Sly and Robbie...The connection? This song was covered by...
Ghost Town by The Specials (2 Tone Records 1981) The Specials had been known for their basic approach to Ska music and their popularity in the early 80's was waning. Band members weren't so keen on this song, as it contained some very jazzy minor chords that were out of character, plus producer John Collins, who was relatively unknown was using a primitive sampling technique that required all members to sing the chant 'This town is comin' like a ghost town' all the way through. Therein lies the record's genius. Originally conceived based on a dodgy club, The Locarno, in Coventry...
the ghost town metaphor was taken to reflect the sorry state of the nation in the UK in 1981. Coventryers hated it though, as it bought the town a bad name!! Herein lies the diciest connection in the whole show...The Specials did at some point record on Virgin Records, as indeed did Mike Oldfield, quite famously actually...anyways, he moved recently to MCA Records who at one point were home to (but you know of course, were not on this particular release...)...
Leaving on a Midnight Train To Georgia by Gladys Knight and The Pips (Buddah Records 1973) I always thought 'The Pips' was a great name for a backing group, apparently Pip was a cousin of Glad's who wasn't actually in the line up that folk tend to remember! this was one in the eye for Motown Records, their first release on Buddah Records...feel those horns peel off~~~~~The Connection? Gladys and the boys were on Don Kirshner's Rock Concert, as were hundreds of people, but as were ELO...who in a former incarnation were...
No Time by The Move (Harvest Records 1971) In 1971, The Move were morphing into Electric Light Orchestra and both 'bands' were operating in tandem...Maybe Roy Wood and co needed the extra pennies, as Harold Wilson's charities had gleaned all the royalties from 'Flowers In The Rain' (1967) following a court settlement for libel. They did differentiate the ELO sound in that the Move songs had saxes, the ELO ones had cellos! This song boasts what sounds like some mean recorder playing...The Move had dates in Colston Hall, Bristol as has, somewhat more recently...
Let England Shake by PJ Harvey (Island Records 2011) Polly Harvey hails from Dorset, UK, and a mate of hers who was a pastor at St Peter's Church in Eype said he'd be thrilled if she used it to record or rehearse, so she took him up on it! Worship and Rock n' Roll, there's two good uses for a church. The acoustics reflect on this recording as does PJ's instrument of choice, as in the picture, the auto harp, liberating auto harpists everywhere~~~~~ Another one of those records that has, like The Specials 30 years prior to it, challenged the state of the nation. PJ was on the soundtrack to 'Queer As Folk,' a 2000 UK TV series, as was...
I'd Rather Go Blind by Etta James (Chess records 1968) I put this into the show at the last minute as a tribute to this great, great singer. RIP Etta. She once said that she didn't care much for the hours before noon...very much a nocturnal lady, she strove to transcend merely being branded as an 'R&B' singer, once citing that she wanted to be Otis Reading meets Star Wars. Nobody could read a song quite like Etta couldXXXX
Etta was included in DJ John Peel's 'Peelennium' with this song as was...
The Black and White Rag by Winifred Atwell (Decca Records 1952) Pure class!! I've always loved Winifred's records...this was Rock n' Roll before Rock n' Roll. Winifred was a classically trained pianist who influenced the likes of Elton John and even Booker T. She had a grand piano, but everyone liked it best when she moved to her 'other' piano, which was a battered upright 'honky tonky' piano, now allegedly owned by Nationwide novelty songsmith, Richard Stilgoe...
and the BBC used this piece of music for many years for 'Pot Black,' a snooker show... The Connection back to our 'anchor man of the week' was again patchy. But it works! Winifred was once on Philips Records, as were Dutch group Luv, who moved to Private Stock Records...Home to...
Don't Give Up On Us Baby by David Soul (Private Stock Records 1977) Number one in the UK this very week in 1977! The thing with Private Stock Records was that promises were made about the storage of their master tapes that weren't kept, so they were auctioned off. As a result most Private Stock erm stock, is garnered from vinyl, so has a bit of click and fizz!! It gives it that 1977 feel anyhow!
Anyways, that's the end of another show, hoping you enjoyed!!
As ever spread the love and keep connected!!
TimX
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