Connections 117 18/2/2012 (2/18/2012 US)

Look out, 'cos Kitten Kong's gonna get you!! Welcome to show 117, after a further week with brass monkey's everywhere crying their eyes out...Still, the snow's thawed...again!!

You can listen to the show here:-

Connections 117 18th February 2012

So...on to the music...We start and finish this show with...

Strange Brew by Cream (Reaction Records 1967) 1967 was the year where even the bluesiest of bands turned on, tuned in and dropped out...and started caning the studio time too...see Sergeant Pepper, Smile et al...but this psychedelic masterpiece by Cream was recorded in New York in 3 days..Jack Bruce wasn't happy with his bass line even, but they just had to get it on to the shelves and shift some units...times were tight evidently!! There is a story that the title of this album comes from a roadie with a cockney accent commenting on a bike that Eric was going to buy, saying,' Worrrr it's got them disraeli gears!!' The song itself started life as a blues groove called 'Lawdy Mama' but then it got the sugary coating...and all in 20 minutes, by the sound of things!!! Ginger Baker of Cream played with...

My Lady's Frustration by Fela Kuti (Wrasse Records 1969) Imagine a hybrid of Che Guavara and Bob Marley, and you're about half way to Fela Kuti... Born to a middle class family in Nigeria, his Ma was a Feminist Activist and his Dad a Protestant Minister, it was just a case of getting the influences together! He was sent to London to Medical School, but then they just couldn't keep him out of the jazz clubs!! This gem was recorded just before he combined his music with politics for the common good...Lovely stuff!! Back to the Cream connection...Eric Clapton namely connects us nicely to...

Supernatural by John Mayall and The Bluesbreakers (Decca Records 1967)

John Mayall was like the Daddy flamingo in that fledgling world of up and coming blues flamingoes...It's a genius idea for a band...a high turnover of blues guitarists who are breaking into the blues...This particular lineup boasted a certain Mr Peter Green and an erstwhile Mr J.G. McVie. I did credit this as John Mayal''s Bluesbreakers, but in 1967, the band was John Mayall AND THe Bluesbreakers...Peter and John together formed 2/5 of what was to become...

I'm Worried by Fleetwood Mac (Blue Horizon Records 1969) It was January 1969, and having just got an extra guitarist, Danny Kirwan on board, it was a case of, 'Let's go to Chicago and record with some legendary Blues folk..' It's a nice way to spend January for sure. This was the last full on Blues record that Fleetwood Mac recorded. They were finding being signed to Blue Horizon Records, a die hard, serious blues label, somewhat limiting, but what a way to go out. This track features singing by Jeremy Spencer, famous for his Elvis impersonations...uh huh...and features quite possibly one of the best blues grooves...ever...Video director Marty Callner connected us to...

 
My Love Is Your Love by Whitney Houston (Arista Records 1998) Rest in peace, Whitney. I was never a great fan, but I did think this song had a nice groove. Whitney did not do stairs...Whitney's Mum, Cissy Houston, connected us by singing in 1976, with...

New Orleans by Herbie Mann (Atlantic Records 1969) That man sure can flute!! Herbie was a jazz musician who was originally snarled at by jazz affectionado's, for making this somewhat crossover recording. These days, it is quite rightfully lauded as a classic and pioneered the whole funky jazz flute sound that is played at those most swinging of parties, straight out of a Blake Edwards set!! Cissy (jack in the box of the week..)

was in the Sweet Inspirations with...

Give Me Back My Dynamite by Doris Troy (Apple Records 1970) Who? Doris is not remembered perhaps as widely as she deserves. She was a singer in the Sweet Inspirations initially, but wrote for example, the Hollies song 'Just One Look...' Aside from that, later, she sang on The Rolling Stones, 'You Can't Always Get What You Want, ' Carly Simon's 'You're So Vain' (Of course, there's no THINKING that song's about you...it probably is!!!) and on 'Dark Side Of The Moon' ...No mean feat...The Beatles respected her so much, she was given her own office at Apple. George Harrison produced this, possibly inspired by the fact that the name of her cat was Lord Krishna...one cool kedi!! Again, Cissy Houston connected us to...

I'm Sick Y'all by Otis Redding (Atco Records 1966) Great! A concept album about dictionaries!! The dictionary thing sort of stopped after Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa-Fa (Sad Song) which began on F! Nonetheless, it was a Soul classic, an embarrassment of riches...This was a really far reaching album, featuring The Beatles' Day Tripper and The Rolling Stones' Satisfaction, given their own Southern Soul twist, the horn section, everything, all in the gracious company of Booker T and crew! A masterpiece...Luckily Radcliffe and Maconie's BBC Radio 2 Chain of tracks came to the rescue and connected us to...

Nut Rocker by B.Bumble and The Stingers (Rendezvous Records (Single, 1962)) Bumble? Stingers...dearie me...Boogie Woogie and Ballet, just a case o' bringin' em together. This was one of those collaborations of session musicians, that were popular in the early 1960's in the US, often releasing several records under different names, lucrative stuff!! This features a 'tack' piano, which is, using terms for the laymen, a knackered upright piano with tacks part way down the strings for that metallic sound!! I think the results were simply super!! Don't get stung...The producer, Kim Fowley (Who took a co credit for the composition with some bloke called Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky) connects us nicely to...

Suzie Q by Gene Vincent (Columbia (EMI) Records 1964) This is a Dale Hawkins song...Heaven only knows where the Q surname came from...I think it inspired a Ms Quatro though. Gene liked drink, liked drugs, they just weren't very good for him...It's sad to think that in 1971 when he died, he was 36, and considered to be an 'oldie' Just look at the likes of U2, Culture Club...erm...The Rolling Stones who are way, way older than that and still very much rocking in the free World, Mashallah!! In a desperate Connection, John Cale was on EMI Records, moved to Beggar's Banquet Records as were, quite surprisingly...

Cacharpaya by Incantation (Beggars Banquet Records 1982) You could be forgiven for thinking this pan pipe wielding combo come from Darkest Peru, but again, it was a random bunch of session musicians, ok, 3 of which were from Chile, but the other two were a Londoner and a bloke from Glasgow. The song's infectious vibe was all the more pertinent in 1982 during the Falklands conflict...albeit, that was involving Argentina! Still...The pan pipes never sounded so good...before they were relegated to 'Easy Listening...' Simon Rogers, the bloke from London, worked with Boy George, a member of...

Church Of The Poison Mind by Culture Club (Virgin Records 1983) Boy George was already making waves in the early 80's as Leftenant Lust in Bow Wow Wow, before upsetting Anabella Lwin, so he formed his own group, so called because of their differing backgrounds. This very Motowny song is all about Religious views of homosexuality...Lyricist Chris Mosdell connected us via Eric Clapton back to...

Mother's Lament by Cream (Reaction Records 1967) The Cream of Cream!! This traditional ditty lurks at the end of all killer, no filler Disraeli Gears...makes me smile anyway!!

So...that's the end of another show! I hope you enjoyed listening!

Spread the love!

TimX

Connections 116 11/2/2012 (US 2/11/2012)

Hello and welcome to show 116! Firstly, you can listen to the show here:-

Connections 116 11/2/2012

Today's show was just a little bit, but not all, moog inspired and featured that kitsch classic 'Popcorn' in it's original 1969 form, which is a bit busier than Hot Butter's version (See show107)...so to reflect the business, here's a busier picture!! So, let's get to the music...

Hey Hey by Gershon Kingsley (Audio Fidelity Records 1969) Götz Gustav Ksinski was one of the pioneers of the Moog, which at that time was something of a novelty, yet to be fully discovered. At this time, it was not a multi timbral instrument, ie you could only play one note at a time, so overdubbing must have been fairly taxing! Gershon was quite a unique artist in that he could turn his hand to some fairly avant garde (or avant garde a clue!) ideas, beat poetry to Moog music for instance, yet he could turn out a more commercial piece like this album, which is now considered a holy grail of Moog affectionados. Hey hey...it's Gershon Kingsley!! Lovely stuff...On this album, Music to Moog by, he covered two songs by...

Only A Northern Song by The Beatles (Apple Records 1969 (Recorded 1967)) Nothing is real indeed...This was recorded in 1967, I think either during or just after the Sergeant Pepper sessions. The thing about this song is that there is NO true stereo version. I think it's the only one in the Beatles catalogue. Presumably they just forgot to press play and record for that one!! So, to avoid any complication, I've included in glorious Mono... The tune has a very simple melody but is augmented by some frightfully complex organ work, and Paul McCartney playing a trumpet at the song junctions...all because George owned only something like 0.8% of Northern Songs, the Beatles publishing company, which was a vehicle for Lennon/ McCartney songs. Somehow...that fits into a story about a Yellow Submarine...really it does...Ringo played on the album Stephen Stills by Stephen Stills, as did...

Chicago/We Can Change The World by Graham Nash (Atlantic Records 1971) A great album cover, Nash pots Cacti!! This is a nice anthemic, seemingly happy song about some very sinister goings on, but I guess that maketh the good protest  song. Rather than being an ad for Chicago, this is about the 1968 Democratic Convention and the Chicago 8. Bobby Seale is the poor bloke who was tied to a chair. There's justice...We can, and should, change the World. Graham Nash was, prior to upping sticks for California, a member of...

I Can't Let Go by The Hollies (Parlophone Records 1966) I think the Hollies are sometimes overlooked and to some extent, written off as a 'singles' band, but there really aren't too many records that sound as good as this 46 years after they were recorded! Paul McCArtney thought that Graham Nash's soaring tenor voice in the chorus was a trumpet! I think they sullied their image by as late as 1968, having songs like 'Puff The Magic Dragon' in their live sets. Maybe not...if you were nine...but nonetheless, a great band!!  The great Tony Hazzard ...

the eminent songwriter who worked with Mike Batt, who was the principle voice and songwriter for...

Banana Rock by The Wombles (CBS Records 1974) The Wombles were legends, living legends, legends that will live long after lots of other living legends have died...The Wombles were in reality, a very credible group of session musicians that changed somewhat, but included Chris Spedding and of course,  Mike Batt, who recently wrote tunes for the UK Conservative Party, if you please! The genius of having a 'band' based on furry creatures in sweaty suits, means you can put who the hwell you want in them on stage and they can still resemble the Wombles. In 1975, their Wombling public found this out and there was a bit of a PR disaster. Still 2012 is here and apparently The Wombles are on the line up for Glastonbury!! I wonder if they'll womble up the rubbish after they've left!? Mike Batt wrote the soundtrack for an ITV programme (UK) called 'Dream Zone' which included a performance by Ozzy Osbourne, who of course, was a member of...

Paranoid by Black Sabbath (Vertigo Records 1970) Sharon!!! Black Sabbath are the ultimate pioneers of Heavy Metal, in inverted commas. They started with a fairly hippyish name, 'Earth,' which wasn't really cutting the mustard, so they went past a cinema where the film 'Black Sabbath ' was playing and saw that folk would pay a lot of money to get scared and thought therein lay a great idea!! So there you have it, Heavy metals association with all things dark!! This is a bit of a pre cursor to pogo, don't give yourself a headache headbanging now, will you!? The connection? Well, Jeff Fenholt who worked with later incarnations of Black Sabbath had his solo work released on CBS, as did Baris Manco, who was in Mogollar (Often referred to as 'The Turkish Pink Floyd) as was ... (Phew!)

Namus Belasi by Cem Karaca with Mogoller (Yavuz Plaklar 1974) The personification of cool. My loose translation of the lyrics is 'The horses and guns are ours, but if we kill in honour, we kill ourselves...' Cem didn't have a very easy time and for some years lived in then West Germany. He started out in Turkey in covers bands The Dynamites and The Jaguars and then moved to his first Turkish language band, Apaslar...which translates as 'The Rowdies!' Cem is The Daddy of Turkish Rock! The CBS connection leads us to John Peel's Dandelion Records, one of the distributors of which was CBS Records. One person whose first album was on Dandelion Records was....

Wherewithal by Clifford T Ward (Charisma Records 1973) Clifford T was a Drama teacher for a long while whilst he was dabbling in the music industry. At first, he made very little impact, but this was something of a landmark album, that meant he could get out of school and into the Top Of The Pops studio. Another songwriting talent that I fear is oft overlooked, he fell from the public eye for the last 15 odd years of his life down to ill health, regrettably. Now, the connection, Polydor Records also distributed the ill fated Dandelion Records, which lead me to...

Fade To Grey by Visage (Polydor Records 1980) In the grand tradition of the New Romantic movements, this was the era when synthesizers had become far more accessible to the likes of you and me, rather than being the reserve of elitest prog rock type pioneers. There is a general dispute allegedly, as to whose idea it was to place all the French speaking on here, but what does it matter..voila! A New Romantic masterpiece! Visage was later on Radar Records, as was...

I Don't Want To Go To Chelsea by Elvis Costello (Radar Records 1978) No, this cover wasn't a case of bad printing...the first few hundred issues of This Year's Model were purposely graphically wanting!! In the middle of the original LP record, there was a scratched message that you should ring Moira and a phone number...and if you did, you got a free badge!! The irony of Elvis' song of disdain for Chelsea is that at some reception or other for it, he talked to his public, and went to a waiting cab and asked to be taken to...where else? Chelsea!! Elvis sang on a record with Paul McCartney, as did...

I Believe (When I Fall In Love It Will Be Forever) by Stevie Wonder (Tamla Motown Records 1972) It takes half the show to say the title, but it's worth it! As far as I know, this was the only cover to feature Stevie without his trademark sunglasses. This was the second of the 5 'Classic' Stevie Wonder albums. It always semmed to me in the 1980's, Stevie's image seemed a bit 'Middle of the Road,' but this run of albums really were 'thinking person's soul,' and are to this day unparalleled! These albums, up to 1974, were produced by the team of Robert Margouleff and Malcolm Cecil, who were big names, producing the likes of Stevie, The Isley Brothers and  Gil Scott Heron..and they were the pioneers of T.O.N.T.O...a la...

Cybernaut by Tonto's Expanding Headband (Atlantic Records 1971) TONTO was The Original New Timbral Orchestra, and was 4 synthesizer's put together that were as big as a front room in Cleckheaton!!! The thing with this baby was that you could for the first time, play multiple notes at one time! Amazing stuff. This is a very atmospheric piece of music that reminds me of deserts! Not a tune you hear a great deal on the radio either!! Just the fact that that fthey used Moog technology connects us back to...

Popcorn by Gershon Kingsley (Audio Fidelity Records 1969) The original...a bit busier than Hot Butter's version, an exercise in reverb!! Paving the way for all things synth pop...Long live Gershon Kingsley!!

...and that brings us to the end of another show..hope you've enjoyed!! Spread the love!

TimX

Connections 95 17/9/2011 (9/17 2011 US)

Hello, bon soir and welcome to show 95! As ever, please look at the dates for the shows down the right hand side as they are not following much in the way of chronology at the moment. As I upload the 'back catalogue,' there are also new shows every Saturday. You can listen to this show here:-

Connections 95 17th September 2011

...and so to the playlist...

Soixante-neuf Anee Erotique by Jane Birkin and Serge Gainsbourg (Fontana Records 1969)

 Where The Wild Roses Grow by Kylie Minogue with Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds (Mute Records 1995)

What Have I Done To Deserve This? by The Pet Shop Boys featuring Dusty Springfield (Parlophone Records 1986)

I Only Want To Be With You by Dusty Springfield (Philips Records 1964)

Rainy Night In Georgia by Tony Joe White (Monument Records 1969)

Starman by David Bowie (RCA Records and Tapes 1972)

That's Not My Name by The Ting Tings (Columbia Records 2008)

The Clapping Song by Shirley Ellis (Congress Records 1965)

Light Flight by Pentangle (Transatlantic Records 1969)

Florida Fantasy by John Barry (United Artists Records 1969)

Je T'aime...Moi Non Plus by Sounds Nice (EMI Records 1969)

Comic Strip by Serge Gainsbourg et BrigitteBardot (Fontana Records 1968)


...and that's another show...replete with a couple of technical problems I recall!! Hope you enjoyed!!

Keep connected!
TimX

Connections 115 4/2/2012 (2/4/2012 US)

Hello and welcome to show 115! Firstly, here's a look at the weather....

From dis....

...to dis....

in 4 days!! This show had been designed with a slight Winter theme in mind, but it seemed it got frightened away!!
First things first! You can listen to the show here:-

Connections 115 4th February 2012

The 'base card for this week, is the very unwintry...

 Everything's Gonna Be Alright by P.P. Arnold (Immediate Records 1967) Patricia Ann Cole, or Par Arnold just doesn't have the same ring as P.P. does it? She came from a family of gospel singers and managed to get herself an audition for the second flush of Ike and Tina Turner's Ikettes (Presumably something quite dreadful happened to the first flush!) The Ike and Tina  Revue toured with the Rolling Stones in the UK in 1966...and, well, P.P. just sort of stayed in the UK. Their then manager Andrew Loog Oldham, who was famous for his work being a party, and the party being work, signed Ms Arnold to Immediate Records, quite possibly the first British independent label and P.P. became the First Lady of Immediate...Steering a course for future folk to indeed utilise initials in a stage name...See P.J. Harvey et al...The connection was rather an obvious one...

 
 I Idolise You by Ike and Tina Turner (Philles Records 1966) It's no secret that theirs was no recipe for domestic bliss, and when another fella who was a notorious control freak, the erstwhile Mr Philip Spector, came along and wanted to weave his magic with Tina, he paid Ike to literally go and shoot pool or something whilst he produced his wife. The result of course, was the legendary River Deep Mountain High...and not content at stopping there, Phil produced some more tracks, say half an albums' worth. Ike had produced some earlier unreleased stuff that was lumped on to the album... 

 ...which a very hard up Dennis Hopper shot, on a day out to a gas cylinder or something. Despite staying away, Ike still got a co credit for the work that Mr Spector produced, so everyone was quids in!! This track is an Ike produced track, which despite it's slightly sinister title is a show stopper!! Ike and Tina et al toured with (as aforementioned)....

2000 light Years From Home by The Rolling Stones (Decca Records 1967) Some Rolling Stones affectionados really really didn't like this album very much. 1967's Between The Buttons album (from which the 'Connections' theme tune comes, had shown leanings to that dirty word, psychedelia. Heaven forbid...This was the order of the day. If you put sitars on it in 1967, it was trendy..See The Beatles, The Hollies, The Byrds etc etc...but with the Rolling Stones, it just didn't seem to wash and as such this album stands as a sort of snapshot of what the Rolling Stones looked like as a full on psychedelic outfit. It didn't help matters having 3 Stones in and out of courts and prisons, by way of Brian, Keith and Mick, so you get Bill Wyman popping up and singing. This song was about to be thrown away, allegedly, but then Brian got his mellotron out... and that was that. A psychedelic gem!!As this was a Jagger Richard composition, so was another well known tune...

(I Can't Get No) Satisfaction by Devo (Warner Bros Records 1978) Kent State University in the early 1970's was quite a spawning ground of radicals. 'Devo' came from the notion that humankind was DE volving. They caught the attention of David Bowie around 1977/8 and had he not been filming 'Just A Gigolo' around that time, he would have been their full time producer! As it was, this was done by Eno, with Bowie at the weekends. 'Just got to go and film Just a Gigolo now, seeya!!' The irony here was that apparently Eno was suggesting all kinds of wonderful things and Devo just wanted to do their own thing! The picture on the sleeve was going to feature golfer Juan Chi Chi Rodriguez (No one knows why...) but this had to be compromised for a morphed image of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson, Nixon and Ford, as the WB Chairman was a golf fan...Not really sure what they gained there...This was a Jagger Richard song, as was....

 Blue Turns To Grey by The Andrew Loog Oldham Orchestra (Decca Records 1966) Andrew Loog Oldham was a bloke that had it all, even by the age of about 21!! There comes a point surely, in such a person's life where they say, 'Sod it, I'll form my own orchestra...' Arranged by David Whitaker who unfortunately passed away last week, the orchestra was a random collaboration of session musicians of the day, allegedly including the Rolling Stones themselves. Incidentally, this was the album with THAT version of 'The Last Time' on it, as heard on The Verve's 'Bitter Sweet Symphony.' David Whitaker had a hand in this recording, as he did...

Remember by AIR (Virgin Records 1998) A.I.R is a backronym...that is to say, an akronym that was created just to form the word 'air' from, amour, imagination, reve. Jean Benoit Dunckel and Nicolas Gdin were Mathematics and Architecture graduates from  Versailles...so this was a bit of a treat-y ...sorry!! I think bearing in mind some of Pink Floyd were architecture students, this does affect the way that such folk approach their composition. That and they have to listen, in this case, the Beach Boys Do It Again at some point in their lives!! David Whitaker is the connection again to...

 Winter Song by Nico (Verve Records 1967) This is the point where 60's pop meets baroque folk. Nico (Always sounds like a biscuit!) of Christa Paffgen had had a cameo role in Fellini's 'La Dolce Vita.' She was for all intents and purposes, an actress who hadn't got the same musical background as some of her contemporaries. This might have been a factor in her seemingly 'cold' delivery (Well, it IS Winter Song!!) and see also her bananary offerings with the Velvet Underground. She didn't much like this album at the time, citing that it was too flutey!! The saxophonist and flautist, Gary Barnacle, who has played with a plethora of folk, connects us to...

 
 She Left Me On Friday by Shed Seven (Polydor Records 1998) Heard in many a bar room jive circa 1998, and even now...and mainly danced to by spurned blokes, this was a bit of a departure for Shed Seven, who were better known earlier that decade for their delicate, Smiths gibi arpeggios..this was a foray into the wonderful world of power chords! Sounds good though...Shed Seven were on Polydor Records as were...

One Bad Apple by The Osmonds (MGM Records 1970) Eee it sounds uncannily like The Jackson Five, does this, possibly because it was offered up to them, but they chose ABC allegedly. The Five's loss is the Osmond's gain, and marked their move away from MOR variety shows. Still remaining very wholesome and American! There was a version of this I really enjoyed that Norman Cooke alias Fatboy Slim produced circa 1988, but I can't source it anywhere...did I dream it...? Surely not...The connection is one of those complicated ones to cut a long story short, Polydor records and defunct record company, Kapp  are all part of the Rock n Roll chocolate orange that is now Universal Music...

 Paper Mountain Man by Linda Perhacs (Kapp Records 1970) For every legendary album from this era, there must be a thousand who disappeared without trace. We have to remember in the days before My Space, You Tube and the like, you really were depending on the record company to push your material, or you were screwed, and this album by Linda Perhacs did absolutely nothing in 1970. On reflection, it stands square with other female 'folk' divas such as Laura Nyro and Joni Mitchell, who had a lot more success. Linda gave it all up to go back to dental nursing...something presumably she could erm...get her teeth into, before recently being one of those folk who are 'rediscovered.' It really makes you wonder what on Earth went wrong first time round...Kapp Records connected us to...

 Oscillations by Silver Apples (Kapp Records 1968) Originally quite a straight forward electric beat combo called The Overland Stage Electric Band, one of the members, Simoeon Coxe III, did insist on bringing his massive oscillator...which then became a plural...on to the stage, literally pushing other members away, except for Danny Taylor, the percussionist. It was no surprise that their debut album as The Silver Apples opened with this number, all about oscillating....I love the album cover...does exactly what it says on the tin!! Remember too, that this sound pre dated Autobahn et al by some 6 years...A very complex connection which comes down to the fact that a certain Japanese company are the conglomerate that own these recordings connects us to...

 Born To Be Together by PP Arnold (Immediate Records 1967) Phil Spector did have a hand in writing this, but as far as I can tell, not producing it, although it does have that sound! 

What the recording of the show misses out is the 5 minute silence after the show, owing to some technical problems...I just put it down to me playing out with John Cage's 4'33...so you see, it wasn't dead air!! I hope you've enjoyed the show...Spread the love and keep connected!

TimX