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...
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...
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!
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TimX
great great show, great DJ :)
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