Marathon

Just a quickie - I'm hopefully blogging my London Marathon training for 2008, subject to avoidance of illness - click here - thanks....

If This Is Love...

(I'd Rather Be Lonely) - The Precisions...

I'd copied this from my Drew single onto my MP3 and it came on midway through a gym session and what a track. Not heard this for years. Dramatic intro, great harmonies and vocal crescendo a bit like The Valentinos' "Sweeter Than The Day Before" - certainly gave me a kick in the gym...also found out today that, apparently, tambourine was played by Lou "I Travel Alone" Ragland - see here

Other gym highlights have included forgotten (by me) oldie Herbert Hunter "I Was Born To Love You" plus much of Sue Story Vol. 3 (Jimmy McGriff Last Minute, Intentions Dancing Fast, Dancing Slow and the wonderful Jackie Day Before It's Too Late)

Smedley Sale...quality knitwear

Guys and girls, I just got a flyer from Smedley offering 20% off their new catalogue. OK, their new stuff comes in mainly the wrong side of 100 quid, but some nice items there. You'll need a promotion code which I have and apparently am able to "let my friends in on the secret". Valid until 15th December 2007.

Interested? Email me for the code and enjoy a warm and stylish autumn...and you can even trace the wool used back to a particular flock - sheep in sta prest anyone?





...7W3B

Soul Riot

Currently playing this CD which came free with Mojo magazine many years ago - track details here. Eddie Giles - Losin' Boy currently playing - "I'm Like Ray Charles / I Guess I Was Born To Lose / 'Cos I Lost You" - real simple but soulful and one of those mid tempo tracks shufflers I was into many years ago but haven't played for a long time. I think it came out originally on Murco before finding its way onto Stax a few years later.

Not sure if this CD is available elsewhere these days - generally funky and southern in tone, but none the worse for that. Great live version of "Green Onions"and Camille Yarborough's "Take Yo' Praise" which became better known via Fatboy Slim "Praise You", Eddie Floyd's "Big Bird" as covered by The Jam (see "Dig The New Breed" live LP)

Enjoy...

Georgie Fame

A few months back Mr Fame popped up at The Maddermarket in Norwich. Expecting the worst from the make up of the crowd (chicken in a basket supper club "jazz") I was presently surprised. Straight into a cooking version of Green Onions with some blues covers mixed in. A few obvious crowd pleasers (I don't like "Bonnie and Clyde" I can tell you) and don't expect "Thunder", "El Bandido" and other Mod obscurities - but a good night in general. He kept up a steady running commentary on his career and tracks throughout. A tight and young backing band were great as well.

Well, he's back at the same venue on 27th and 28th November priced at 16 quid. Also out this week is retrospective of some classic soul jazz tunes, including "Thunder", "Seventh Son" and appears to be available for under a fiver...

Somebody Stole My Thunder: Jazz-Soul Grooves 1967-1971

The Jam (well, 2/3rds)

Messrs Buckler and Foxton attend The Waterfront on 23rd May (sold out I'm told) and then the UEA on 12th December priced at £18-50. I know it's the same without the wellerman, but for for some old time nostalgia probably worth a look.

I've been sent some YouTube links as well - looks fun

Synchronisation...

OK, so I've now got the old blog back so what follows are a few of the posts on the new blog which I want to carry over top the new one. Confused? You will be...

Basically I lost my original blog, created a new one then go the old one back. So I'm resurrecting the old one and copying a few entries from the "new" one into the revitalised "old" one - phew!

27th Feb 2007

It's been a while...too much time spent pounding the streets ahead of the London Marathon (7 1/2 weeks and counting). Anyway,

I was listening to Radio Show #62 from Boogaloo Radio the other day when about half way through hey dropped Symarip's version of "Phoenix City".Now I've loved that track since getting my mitts on my sister's reissue of Club Ska 67 (I think), but hadn't heard that version. I had the reissued "Skinhead Moonstomp" many many years ago but frankly had dismissed it as skinhead reggae by numbers - nothing too great on there - but this was nice - more reggae than ska and well worth a listen. i dug the LP out and unfortunately tracking it quickly didn't do much to convince me the LP was up to much overall, apart from a novelty version of "These Boots Were Made For Walking". If you own the LP dig that track out (track 2 side 1 I think) and dust it down.

Cheers to the guys at Boogaloo Radio...

We're up next this weekend on 3rd March

PS - I also found out my old copy of Floyd Lloyd and the Potato 5 (feat. Laurel Aitken) from the early 80s the other day - may a review some time soon? "Dance Mr Jackson..."


8th Jan 2007


Writing this a couple of days after the last gig and a bit of an odd one. Due to other commitments I was on my own for the night and feelings of trepidation were not helped by a very slow start to proceedings. By 11pm I was ready to resign myself to a quiet night and wondering how I was going to get up in time for my 16 mile run the next morning (it's a marathon thing...).

Then about 11-30 the room got steadily busier and by maybe 11-45 the dancefloor was looking a lot healthier. I was still fearing this would be a flash in the proverbial and it would go quiet again - but I was happily proved wrong. Some good requests (plus the usual way off beam ones). Played a good dose of soul / Atlantic / Motown, but was also able to resurrect some former faves for a quick blast, including Boogaloo Joe Jones' "Black Whip", Monsieur Dutronc's "Le Responsable" and, most pleasing to me, some latin to surprisingly raucous reception, including "New York Soul" and "Soul Drummers" Ray Barretto and Mongo's "Cloud Nine" and (in tribute to the godfather) "I Got You".

Played more JB than usual - only right really and rounded off the evening with "This Is Man's World", which fitted quite nicely with the usual enders of "Waterloo Sunset", "Preacher man" and "Tin Soldier". Only had to play one Beatles' tune ("Taxman" of course), no Stones (apart from Wynder K frog's cover of "Jumping Jack Flash" and dusted off a couple of oldies including Countors' "Do You Love Me" and Benny Spellman "Fortune Teller" - the latter whch I first bought about 24 years ago when half the audience weren't even born! Ho hum...

Anyway, enjoyable night despite a slow start - had a chance to play some blues, latin and hammond (wheeled out "Black cat" to follow "Indian Rope man") and so thanks to those that came - see you on 3rd March...

3rd Jan 2007

Happy New Year - hope to see some people down at The Waterfront on 6th...

Whilst travelling down to London on Saturday 30th I heard a couple of live tracks from Little Barrie. They reminded me a bit of Jet, who in turn have a 60s beat / garage / blues feel - so no bad thing there. Incidentally they (Little Barrie) are playing Norwich Arts Centre 19th Feb. Anyway, looked to down load some tunes from Napster to see how they sounded and came across Candie Payne. She lists her influences as Dusty (In Memphis), Marlena Shaw and Billie Holiday amongst others. Now that's some pedigree and a lot to live up to. Downloaded "Take Me" and blow me if it doesn't remind me of Doris doing "Don't", which is a good thing in my book. It has that quirky and beat-influenced female vocal an worth checking out. I know nothing of this artist. Anyone enlighten me?

Plus any views on Little Barrie? Worth going to see?

29th December 2006

Having recently moved and set up some room for my records again I want to slip on the odd LP every now and again and reacquaint myself with old tunes left neglected for too long. So tonight I grabbed an LP close to hand and rediscovered the fantastic 1969 Artistics album "What Happened" (more details here). I've been a bit of a fan of this group (and Brunswick records) and not just for the stomping "The Hope We Have". I love the mid tempo of "I'm Gonna Miss You" and the vocal delights of "This Heart Of Mine", amongst others.

Despite the odd hiss and click, this still sounds great and the opening title track is a delight - all dramatic vocal crescendo and great harmonies. Judging by the couple of online stores I've seen this on the vinyl shouldn't set you back a mint.

I also had time to slip on a 1985 Lou Rawls compilation for a few tracks - Dead End Street, Soul Serenade (oh yes!) and nice version of "For What It's Worth". Googling Dead End St gave me a link back to the fantastic Funky 16 Corners blog and a mention of a stomping hammond version by The Soul Finders. Worth a look I reckon - amazing what you can find on the net!

More soon...