Echo and the Bunnymen Facebook page: IAN McCULLOCH and RODDY FRAME perform THE KILLING MOON

Now I have gone banging on about Roddy Frame (Aztec Camera and his solo work especially) but also Ian McCulloch and Echo and The Bunyment too

IAN McCULLOCH and RODDY FRAME perform THE KILLING MOON on Spanish TV.

"It was a lovely thing, that week of touring; I was to play four dates in Spain and Roddy was doing photographs for his single 'Spanish Horses'," said Ian McCulloch in 1994.

"It was 1993; he phoned me up about a week before and said: "Hey, I'm in Barcelona at the same time you're playing - any chance of opening for you, just me and a guitar?" I said, "You can do all four dates, just fix it with your manager." It was the perfect week, beautiful."

"We had to perform on a TV programme in Barcelona and hadn't slept the night before. We drank a lot of bevvy - everyone's mini bar. We were jumping into the crew's rooms to get their mini bottles of champagne. It's not that we're champagne drinkers but... well, it was Barcelona. We were just bladdered but we were up at 8 o'clock in the morning to do the show.”

Echo and the Bunnymen

Aztec Camera: High Land, Hard Rain 1983 | URBANASPIRINES - A Kostas Special!

Lifelong Roddy Frame fan and sort of appreciated Aztec Camera but Roddy’s solo work is peerless in my belief and have pretty much everything solo. I have mentioned before I am sure but this profile from Kostas over at Urbanaspirines of his time with Aztec Camera in one of their very best albums is most welcome 

Enjoy! I did! 

Aztec Camera: High Land, Hard Rain 1983

Kostas says: 

Aztec Camera were formed in East Kilbride in 1980 by Roddy Frame and drummer David Mulholland after they had left the punk-inspired band Neutral Blue. Eclectic, intelligent, and well-crafted pop from Scotland featuring Roddy Frame and a rotating band of accompanists. Aztec Camera first appeared on a Glasgow cassette-only compilation of local unsigned bands on the Pungent 

Records label, affiliated with the Fumes fanzine run by Danny Easson and John Gilhooly. The band's first United Kingdom (UK) single release was sold in a 7" format by Postcard Records—a Glasgow-based independent record label cofounded by Edwyn Collins and Alan Horne—in 1981. The single featured the song "Just Like Gold" and a B-side entitled "We Could Send Letters"; an acoustic version of the latter song appeared on a compilation album, entitled C81, that was released on cassette in 1981 through a partnership between NME magazine and Rough Trade Records. Frame, aged 16 years, met Collins for the first time during the Postcard period when the latter was 21 years old. . . . . . . 

 

read on here . . . . .

Aztec Camera - Walk Out To Winer  9.12 minute extended play version

as Kostas mentions

Neil Finn, Roddy Frame, & Graham Gouldman - Songwriters' Circle, Subterania Club, London, UK 1999

 

Neil Finn, Roddy Frame, & Graham Gouldman - Songwriters' Circle, Subterania Club, London, Britain, 7-2-1999

Paul says: Here's another episode of the BBC TV show "Songwriters' Circle." This show ran for only five episodes in 1999. Then it had a longer life about ten years later, with over a dozen episodes from 2010 to 2012. This is one of those 1999 episodes. It stars Neil Finn from Crowded House, Roddy Frame from Aztec Camera, and Graham Gouldman from 10cc. (Both Neil Finn returned for second appearances in 2011.)

As usual, the show had the format of each singer-songwriter taking turns performing their own songs. This episode, however, had more collaboration between them, especially in the second half of the show. That's one of the reasons I think this is one of the best shows in this series.

Unfortunately, this is the last episode I've been able to find. There are three others that were broadcast that remain elusive for me. There are two more 1999 episodes. One of them starred Joan Baez, Matraca Berg, and Gretchen Peters. The other one starred two duos, Paul Heaton and Dave Rotheray, and then Dan Penn and Spooner Oldham, plus John Martyn. I'm also missing a 2012 episode starring Bill Anderson, Clint Black, and Bob DiPiero. If anyone has them and wants to share, I'd love to post them here as well. 

On a different note, I'm back from my week-long trip to Seattle. Now that I'm back, I fixed the cover of County JoeMcDonald's "BBC Sessions, Volume 3," so you might want to redownload that one. I also hope to finally respond to some comments I still haven't gotten to during my Peru trip, plus the ones from the last week. 

The music here is unreleased. The sound quality is excellent. 

This album is an hour and four minutes long. 

01 talk (Neil Finn)
02 Distant Sun (Neil Finn)
03 talk (Roddy Frame)
04 Bigger Brighter Better (Roddy Frame)
05 talk (Graham Gouldman)
06 Bus Stop (Graham Gouldman)
07 talk (Neil Finn)
08 Don't Dream It's Over (Neil Finn)
09 talk (Roddy Frame)
10 Hymn to Grace (Roddy Frame)
11 talk (Graham Gouldman)
12 Heart Full of Soul (Graham Gouldman)
13 talk (Neil Finn)
14 Throw Your Arms Around Me (Neil Finn)
15 talk (Roddy Frame)
16 Killermont Street (Roddy Frame)
17 talk (Graham Gouldman)
18 For Your Love (Graham Gouldman)
19 talk (Neil Finn, Roddy Frame & Graham Gouldman)
20 Fall at Your Feet (Neil Finn with Roddy Frame & Graham Gouldman)
21 talk (Roddy Frame)
22 Oblivious (Roddy Frame with Neil Finn & Graham Gouldman)
23 talk (Graham Gouldman)
24 I'm Not in Love (Graham Gouldman)
25 talk (Neil Finn)
26 Weather with You (Neil Finn with Roddy Frame & Graham Gouldman)
27 talk (Neil Finn)
28 Ten Guitars (Neil Finn with Roddy Frame & Graham Gouldman)
29 talk (Neil Finn, Roddy Frame & Graham Gouldman)
30 Somewhere in My Heart (Roddy Frame with Neil Finn & Graham Gouldman)
31 talk (Graham Gouldman)
32 Dreadlock Holiday (Graham Gouldman with Neil Finn & Roddy Frame)
33 talk (Neil Finn)
34 Better Be Home Soon (Neil Finn with Roddy Frame & Graham Gouldman)

Now I was pretty sure we had this one before but apparently not. A longstanding fan of Roddy and have most of his work and prefer his solo work post Aztecs but this will do and the conjunction with Crowded House main composer Neil Finn and the legendary producer and songwriter and former 10cc alum Graham Gouldman it is a treat though somewhat odd grouping I might suggest! Did they all know each other? I wonder . . . . . 

Birthdays: RODDY FRAME

  . . . of Aztec Camera of course but

visitors will spot that I adore Roddy’s solo work . . . still all available through his website and well getting (in fact why haven’t you bought everything! You can afford it!) Thanks to Route for the timely reminder!

Aztec Camera - Oblivious [1983]

so Route say: Happy birthday to Roddy Frame, born in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire (that’s scotland to you!) on this day in 1964. 

He sees you crying and wants to kill your friends

Roddy Frame

Buy the platters here . . . AED Records

Roddy Frame - Backwards and Forwards [Aztec Camera - (mostly) live ep (1985)]

 Huge Roddy Frame fan here and have pretty much everything and have said it before but his web page was well worth a visit source of live albums and such but you know you could do worse than visit the New Adult Bookstore Motel Records and Liquor you know

I may have said before but I reckon if you go to his page and order the live albums ( you will have all the studios albums OBVS!?) I reckon you get them straight from Roddy but have absolutely no reason to think so! . . . [hand written address labels and notes enclosed notwithstanding!!?!! . . . . Sic!]

Roddy Frame

Birthday’s | Roddy Frame

Happy birthday to Roddy Frame, born in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire on this day in 1964.

I was just sharing with the guys at Route who posted the above with a video of Aztec Camera (‘Obvious”of course) that I was only checking on Roddy’s web page yesterday as to whether he had posted anything and he has been given to say something, usually just a nod and a thanks for those acknowledging his birthday, but there has been nothing for a while [since 2023]! What I would give for a new solo album! Fine songwriter and underrated guitarist. We hope all is well and meanwhile . . . . . 

Roddy Frame - On The Avenue (live) - Later With Jools Holland - 02/12/1995

 . . . . . inspired by an Ivor Cutler song!

this if for the guys at

Route

check out his shop and go treat yourself to some solo work the live albums are especially good if you don’t have them

Roddy Frame

Sound of The Day :: Aztec Camera ‘Down The Dip'

Down The Dip by Aztec Camera

Thanks to Alice over at O My Soul who reminds me of my interest in Roddy Frame

I found him of course through Aztec Camera and here we begin to see the ‘progression’ towards his later solo work of which I am pretty sure I have everything and after buying things from his website including live albums I am pretty sure they come straight from Roddy himself and he deserves way more success as a solo artist than thus far he has seen. 

Some of his later songwriting is frankly staggering stuff I reckon

Roddy Frame - Somewhere In My Heart live at the songwriters circle night 2010

Recorded Live in London for the 'In The Round' or 'Songwriters Circle' series. 

Graham Gouldman of 10cc and Neil Finn of Crowded House also took part. 

TV MEWSIC!

Reflecting that I come across quite a lot of music via background or theme music for tv programmes caused me to think back . . . . . . The advertisement on the Beeb for their new series 'Close To The Enemy' which I haven't seen yet has a clip from the Icelandic band Kaleo and in researching it find it has been used all over the place on adverts and US tv programmes too. Overkill? How did they make the decision to sell it's performance across the globe. Does it work that it is used multiple time?
I discovered a lot of really fine fine music and ended up following some for ever. Emily Barker and her theme for the Wallender series with Ken Branagh had me ending up following her and buying albums and keeping up with everything she does. The really biggest event for me was finding Wilful Missing via 'Waterloo Road' (I know!?) now this is interesting as I don't know who was responsible for this but (for me and my taste) this was exptraordinary. I wouldn't have followed Waterloo Road much but found it on and suddenly sat up at the song used (Constitution Failed) and have followed them and bought all their stuff ever since. Waterloo Road used four Wilful Missing tracks and this of course made me check the programme out again despite not caring for it too much the music and soundtrack caused me to return. Their track ‘DIY’ was used in episode 2 of series 7, and both ‘Cry For The City’ and ‘Constitution Failed’ featured in episode 12 of the same series,  then their ‘Blue Poetry’ was included as the final song in episode 13. Someone on the production team was obviously a fan 



Kaleo - Way Down We Go
the version on the tele . . . used for the new crime thriller 'Close To The Enemy' but has been used a heck of a lot on 'Orange is The New Black' in the USA and adverts for hair products too. . . . . Google reports "Multiple television placements including Orange is the New Black, Blindspot, Suits, Vinyl, Grey's Anatomy, Empire, The Leftovers, Frequency, Frontier and more"
Lead singer has an astonishing voice blues growl for one so young and handsome, he sounds almost like some Southern Blues grower about 55 years old but it's a nice track I reckon




I think I found the work of Emily McGuire this way too though can't quite track her song 'Start Over Again' back yet but highly recommend checking her out too. She's on her fifth album . . . . . .


Another is the wonderful Stephen Fretwell who's song 'Run' was used as the theme for all the Gavin and Stacey comedy series so more people than just me must have searched him out (I hope) doesn't seem to have been THAT prolific but has done some wonderful stuff . . . . . . .



Click this link for the TV version from 'Close To The Enemy'
http://smarturl.it/KaleoAB



I can go back earlier too. Being a fan of the fantastic series 'The Sopranos' and everything about it, the cast especially and the writing but also the soundtrack and especially the theme, imagine my shock to discover the band behind the theme 'Woke Up This Morning' as a British band based and formed in Brixton London..... Alabama 3 for me have never quite matched up to the promise of this single but it ensured I did keep an eye on them ever since hearing the theme song over and over every week. Another of my early TV theme favourites was 'Early Doors' TV comedy which used the wonderful Roddy Frame song 'Small World' which I knew before but the principle still stands I reckon . . . . . hearing it every week made me sit up and smile and I ended up following Roddy even more and buying his albums including live performances from him direct



It works and this strikes me as a 21st Century device . . . . . gone are the days when we just watched Top of The Pops and found American bands like The Lovin' Spoonful or home spun acts like Dusty Springfield here we merely turn on the TV and find Icelandic bands taking over the airwaves