Wednesday

Oh I'm not a happy bunny today. I feel particularly "grumpy old man" today.

I hate:

People trying to sell me things. I don't care if it is cheaper than what I'm paying elsewhere. If I want to pay less I will find a way to pay less myself. Not from somebody doorstepping me while I'm trying to unwind from a day at work.

Talking of which:

How do some people get a job? I work with a lot of people, perfectly nice well educated people. But without a lick of common sense between them. And if I have to tell somebody the same thing three times in a row before it starts to sink in again I will murder that somebody.

And then there's this other thing. There are people in the world who, I think, believe me to be a bit of a worrier. I'm not, I just like occasionally to dot the i's and cross the t's before I sit back and say "sod it, que sera". It's born a little of experience, flying by the seat of your pants can sometimes leave you in mid air with your arse on show.

But I tell you this, I try not to say it, we'll skirt around it, but it's sitting there like some bloody great shining mountain in the middle of us. I Told You So. If you climb to the top of it you'll see a flag with my face on it. You didn't listen and look where it's got you. In a bloody mess up to your armpits. Which could have been avoided. Oh yes it could.

I gave up smoking a month ago. I don't miss it that much. Honestly.

Meanwhile in my head it's 1966 and I've got not a care in the world and this is the soundtrack:

Pierro Piccioni - Fumo Di Londra

Random Play: Merton Parkas

Before he took his place in The Style Council as Robin to Weller's Batman, Mick Talbot, along with his brother Danny had been in one hit Mod revival wonders Merton Parkas. The Mertons were always seen as a plastic parka sort of a band, playing a sort of pub rock Madness meets Chas and Dave sort of thing. And listening to their one and only album Face In The Crowd does little to change your mind. There are one or two decent tracks on there, but mostly it's forgettable.

But listening to later single Put Me In The Picture and unreleased at the time Flat 19 suggests that they were simply a victim of being signed too soon. Given time they could have been much much better. Put Me In The Picture has a lovely lilting melancholy chorus; and Flat 19's swooning melodies are supported by beautiful Hammond parts. They remind me of Madness on Keep Moving from a few years later, there's the same clipped London tones underpinned by a sadness. These are, in my mind anyway, great songs which leave behind the feeling that the 79 Mod Revival had more talent than history records.

(Flat 19 came out as the b-side to a single with a cover of Band Of Gold on the A a few years later; on Well Suspect Records, a label run by Eddie Pillar who later set up Acid Jazz Records)

Merton Parkas - Put Me In The Picture
Merton Parkas - Flat 19

Sounds For Sunday

Welcome to 2009...a beautiful little piece of jazzy dub from one of the founder members of The Skatalites. Enjoy!




Tommy McCook - Rasta De Master

Sounds For Sunday

The Festive edition.

I have to be honest, I'm not the biggest fan of Christmas. We had a couple of bad ones when I was a kid, where we lost some relatives, so I associate it with sadness and loneliness. I try to get into the spirit but it doesn't always happen. What I'd really love one day is to just have a really simple Christmas, not to go mad, not to overdo it on food and alcohol, not to feel the pressure to make a big spend. An old fashioned simple day.

It would be nice to feel like I wasn't drowning in a sea of cheese where music is concerned too. There is some room for it, but not all the time. I just get fed up of the jingling of bells over every track.

Anyway here's a few tunes that I hope sidestep the cheese somewhat. These will be playing on Christmas Day as I..sip...my first drink.

Happy Christmas!!!

Alton Ellis And The Lipsticks - Merry Merry Christmas
Smokey Robinson And The Miracles - Jingle Bells
The Aggrovators - Santa Claus Dub
Diana Ross And The Supremes - My Favourite Things
The Kingstonians - Merry Christmas
The Jackson 5 - I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Claus
The Maytals - Happy Christmas

Rumours

Well this year is the last I'll spend as a 30 something; I lost a parent and found out I'm to become a parent myself. Quite big events all.

And impacting on life in strange little ways. Musically I've always been fairly much the same since I was a teenager. Paul Weller, The Clash, The Who, 2 Tone, punk and old soul and reggae, with a detour into dance music during the late 80s early 90s.

But I've found that, during the 'shock' period after my loss and discovery of impending parenthood that my old records didn't feel the same. So away mostly for the rare Northern soul sides and onto the iPod with my Sigur Ros albums which I'd quite liked before. Now they sound like masterpieces.

What else suddenly sounded good was Paul Simon; something about that weary resignation just feels like home. And now I find myself really loving Rumours. Yes. Fleetwood Mac. I started the year with an iPod full of rare soul and reggae sides and find myself finishing it with soft rock from the 70s.

There's just something about it's warmth and semi acoustics, the harmonies and the underlying tension that just makes it crackle like a real fire. And the fact that there's no trace of irony involved, no tongue in cheek: they mean it. Man. And there's a feeling that this is the blueprint for a whole generations music. No, it's not The Clash. But there is a sense of cool about it that I didn't think it would contain. Maybe I'm just getting old....

Sounds For Sunday

Fred Parris was (and still is) the lead voice in the classic doo wop group The Five Satins, who had a huge hit with In the Still of the Nite.

Dark At The Top Of My Heart is a little later, late 60s, early 70s. But over a pulsating bass and funky backbeat the doo wop roots stand proud. Listen to the harmonies over the 'top of my heart' line.

Beautiful stuff.

Fred Parris - Dark At The Top Of My Heart

Leaves That Are Green

Well, the opening line to this song was a bit of a surprise I must say....