If I must well I must happy 80th Birthday to the grumpy ole curmudgeon himself . . . back in better times . . . . . one might even say his prime . . . an old favourite and single found in the bargain Ex-Jukebox bins . . . . . for pennies
(dedicated to Diamond Dave (he’s a neighbour tha knows) who kindly mentioned the eclecticism of these fair pages!)
I reckon these are amongst the best portrait shots of Bob ever! By the talented Keith Baugh
Zero says: Its amateurish musicianship, less-than-honed singing, and thick, dubwise rhythms might not be for everyone, but there's little denying the crucial nature of the Slits' first record. Along with more recognized post-punk records like Public Image Limited's "Metal Box", the Pop Group's "Y", and less-recognized fare like the Ruts DC and Mad Professor's "Rhythm Collision Dub", "Cut" displayed a love affair with the style of reggae that honed in on deep throbs, pulses, and disorienting effects, providing little focus on anything other than that and periodic scrapes from guitarist Viv Albertine.
But more importantly, "Cut" placed the Slits along with the Raincoats and Lydia Lunch as major figureheads of unbridled female expression in the post-punk era. Sure, Hole, Sleater-Kinney, and Bikini Kill would have still happened without this record (there were still the Pretenders and Patti Smith, just to mention a few of the less-subversive groundbreakers), but "Cut" placed a rather indelible notch of its own in the "influential" category, providing a spirited level rarely seen since.
Heck, the Slits themselves couldn't match it again. You could call some of these songs a reaction to the Nuggets bands, or the '60s garage acts that would find as many ways as possible to say "women are evil." Songs like "Instant Hit" (about PiL guitarist Keith Levene), "So Tough" (about Sid Vicious and Johnny Rotten), "Ping Pong Affair," and "Love Und Romance" point out the shortcomings of the opposite sex and romantic involvements with more precision and sass than the boys were ever able to. "Spend Spend Spend" and "Shoplifting" target consumerism with an equal sense of humor ("We pay f*ck all!"). Despite the less-than-polished nature and street-tough ruggedness, "Cut" is entirely fun and catchy; it's filled with memorable hooks, whether they're courtesy of the piano lick that carries "Typical Girls" or Ari Up's exuberant vocals. (One listen to "Up" will demonstrate that Björk might not be as original as you've been led to believe.)
Tracklist:
1 Instant Hit 2 So Tough 3 Spend, Spend, Spend 4 Shoplifting 5 FM 6 Newtown 7 Ping Pong Affair 8 Love Und Romance 9 Typical Girls 10 Adventures Close To Home 11 I Heard It Through The Grapevine 12 Liebe And Romanze (Slow Version)
For a Sunday . . . . as an avowed atheist this has always fascinated me . . . fight the good fight and there in but a tiny nutshell is the heart of the problem . . . Nazareth to Damascus, Bethlehem to Rome, Salt Lake City to Mar-a-Largo! Was Fahey a Christian? I know not but hey he sure could play slide . . . . .
Little Girl of Mine in Tennessee Sam Bush, Béla Fleck Jerry Douglas
Stevie Ray Vaughan - profile and acoustic demo Dallas Texas 1983
Jeff Beck and band introduce Billy Gibbons ‘Foxy Lady (Jimi Hendrix cover) look at the body language from Jeff and you know he is not too big for his boots to introduce lesser mortals (sic!) but appreciates the genuine article when he hears it . . so deferential it is heartwarming . . . . such fun! “My boy!"
Hidden in plain sight in the midst of his prodigious creative output, there is an unfairly overlooked gem in David Byrne’s discography that I feel is an absolutely monumental masterpiece of late 20th-century music, one right up there with Talking Heads’ Remain in Light and his seminal collaboration with Brian Eno, My Life in the Bush of Ghosts.
I refer, of course, to the seamless funk opera score Byrne created for choreographer Twyla Tharp in 1981, The Catherine Wheel. Unless you were a big Talking Heads fan or are a David Byrne completist, chances are this one might have passed you by.
By 1981, David Byrne was already halfway to becoming the twitchy prophet of American art-funk, but The Catherine Wheel is where things got… weirdly pure. You had Reagan just slithering into office, the threat of nuclear annihilation hanging over every teenager’s head like a low-budget John Carpenter plot, and here’s Byrne, sweating out manic percussion patterns with a cadre of cosmic funk wizards and experimental savants in a ballet score for Twyla Tharp.
Gavin Bryars -1/2 Japanese - Simon Jeffes-Mark Perry-Michael Nyman
The Band1976-08-29Music InnLennox, MASoundboard Recording01. Intro02. Ring Your Bell03. Shape I’m In04. The Weight05. Makes No Difference06. King Harvest07. Ophelia08. Stage Fright09. Night They Drove Old Dixie Down > Across The Great Divide10. Twilight11. Up On Cripple Creek12. Genetic Method13. Chest Fever14. Life Is A Carnival15. Forbidden Fruit16. Wheels On Fire17. W S Walcott Medicine Show
01. Bumble Bee Slim - Sail On, Little Girl, Sail On
02. Kokomo Arnold - Policy Wheel Blues
03. Georgia White - Trouble In Mind [1936 05 12-Chicago]
04. Harlem Hamfats - Bad Luck Man [1936 10 22-Chicago]
05. Johnnie Temple - Louise Louise Blues [1936 11 12-Chicago]
06. Peetie Wheatstraw - Working Man (Doing The Best I Can)
07. Walter Davis - Think You Need A Shot [1936 04 03-Chicago]
08. Bill Gaither - New Little Pretty Mama
09. Roosevelt Sykes - Night Time Is The Right Time [1937 04 29-Chicago]
10. Curtis Jones - Lonesome Bedroom Blues [1937 09 28-Chicago]
11. Washboard Sam - Back Door [1938 12 16-Aurora IL]
12. Casey Bill Weldon - Way Down In Louisiana [1939 12 07-Chicago]
13. Merline Johnson - Want To Woogie Some More [1938 10 04-Chicago]
14. Big Bill Broonzy - What Is That She Got?
15. Memphis Minnie - Lonesome Shack Blues [1940 06 27-Chicago]
16. Tampa Red - Baby, Take A Chance With Me [1940 05 10-Chicago]
17. Bill "Jazz" Gillum - Key To The Highway
18. Memphis Slim - Beer Drinking Woman [1940 10 30-Chicago]
19. Big Maceo - County Jail Blues [1941 06 24-Chicago]
20. St. Louis Jimmy - Goin' Down Slow [1941 11 11-Chicago]
21. Lonnie Johnson - He's A Jelly-Roll Baker
22. Doctor Clayton - Ain't No Business We Can Do [1942 03 27-Chicago]
23. Champion Jack Dupree - Big Time Mama
24. Sonny Boy Williamson - New Early In The Morning
. . . . . now I have said I don’t care for much modern jazz anymore apart from the Keith Jarrett school and perhaps the repetition of classical modernist composers like those of Steve Reich and Phillip Glass . . . . now comes, well, this . . . . . somewhere in between?
speaking of virtuoso guitarists . . . . .
