It’s 30 years since Searching For The Young Soul Rebels and an anniversary edition of the album with lots of b-sides, session versions and demos has been released. Here’s a stomping passionate version of the old Sam And Dave tune that you may not have heard before. I love it; it’s pure Dexys. You know what I mean.
Dexys Midnight Runners – Hold On I’m Coming (Manchester Square Demos)
Following on from Graham Day, a modern Garage genius, here’s a couple of couple of tunes that I first heard out and about at soul nights, and also at 60s psych nights.
The first is a cover of an Isley Brothers song, Nobody But Me. From the opening feedback, through the soulful vocals and driving bass it’s always been a particular favourite of mine.
And here’s The Outsiders, Time Won’t Let Me. Again, it’s a crossover track, that I got on the same Kent compilation that the Human Beinz was on. Both of these make me want to dance like mad. So I’m going to! Have fun people.
One of these days I’m going to do one of those big posts of mine and its going to be about Graham Day. I’ve been a fan of Mr Day since I was about 15 (that’ll be back in the early 80s if you’re wondering) when I first heard his band The Prisoners. The Prisoners (also featuring James Taylor, later of The James Taylor Quartet on organ) were a mix of 60s Garage/Psych sounds, sometimes heading off into Small Faces and/or Hendrix territory. They produced 4 studio albums and a couple of live/rare albums then split. Taylor went off to help create Acid Jazz and Graham Day began a lengthy career where he would mix those Garage/Psych riffs with fantastic tunes; with that rough voice taking tunes between angry punky shouts and sharp bursts of melody.
I love The Prisoners, for me they’re up there with my all time favourite bands, they’re never far from my listening.
Here’s The Prisoners with Melanie:
The first band after The Prisoners up were The Gift Horses, with Martin Blunt previously with Mod heroes Makin’ Time (who also featured Fay Hallam who became Fay Day). The Gift Horses went onto become The Charlatans, another 60s influenced band with lots of organ. Graham Day went onto form The Prime Movers. Here’s a Prime Movers track, a cover of a song you may know, that The Prisoners used to play regularly. And yes I’m certain Kula Shaker own this track…
The Prime Movers went onto release several albums, which to my ears verged on the prog and didn’t really do it for me. And then came The Solar Flares, which for me was a return to form, spiky garage pop. Several albums of that follow, all brilliant.
The Solarflares came to an end and a couple of years ago along came some of the most vibrant powerful music Day has done for years. Graham Day & The Gaolers.
Loud, full of energy and melody, but more of the same that he’s always done really. I wouldn’t have it any other way.
That just turned into a big post didn’t it….
By the way, there is loads of this stuff on Youtube if any of this has caught your ears.
Here’s a little bit more one of the instrumental side of The Prisoners for those of you that love Hammond based Garage instrumentals..
A return to an old series for me, soul and reggae for a Sunday lunchtime. No downloads this time I’m afraid, my music and my computer aren’t talking to each other. But thankfully Youtube has a few of my favourites.
Here’s The Charades with The Key To My Happiness
And The Yum Yums, Gonna Be A Big Thing
Enjoy your Sunday afternoon folks!
Now in writing I very rarely swear, but fuck me, Weekender by Flowered Up is one hell of a tune.
I’ll try and post it later on so that those of you who have never heard it can hear it. Virgins to the Flowered Up experience.
Shit, it really is the fucking business.
That feels much better.
And here it is:
I love The Jam, but live performances were for me hit and miss. There are some that I can listen to again and again (their version of Big Bird is a particular favourite) but others where they just sound wrong, carried through only by energy.
This clip is another exception though, a live performance, from I think Dutch TV, of Funeral Pyre. I’ve got this on a Jam video compilation DVD that came out a few years back and I nearly wore it out playing this version. The band are tight as, and the sound is great. Weller’s vocals sound more like his studio voice rather than the congested shouting frog he could sound like live back in the old days.
Here’s a little something from another of my favourite things. Jamie T is probably my favourite newer artist. His music is one of my most played playlists on the old Ipod and I can safely say I love his work as much as anybody I’ve loved for years.
Forget Me Not was a b-side on the Chaka Demus EP last year. It’s one of those moments where Jamie sounds like music I grew up with rather than somebody new. This track could have come from 1981. There’s echoes of the Ants and Bow Wow Wow, especially in the very Annabella Lwin styled female lead voice. It’s as far from the ‘male Lily Allen’ as you can probably get.
First of an occasional series, a few of my favourite things.
So here’s Adam Ant, in my opinion The. Best.Pop.Star.Ever.
This lovely slice of dub just cruised onto the Ipod, Assack Lawn No 1. Perfect for a Sunday evening wind-down.
This time a cover of a tune that any Jam fan should know, featuring the Modfather himself. This song is, in my opinion, one of Weller’s best lyrics, and in the original, a tune that would sound perfectly at home on a 60s film soundtrack. In hindsight possibly a better attempt at something jazzy than Weller managed in The Style Council.
Shopping.
The Songs That People Sing 