The weather has warmed up and I have been for a few swims in the sea. It must be summer.

Here’s a sparkly mix to play on the way to the beach. The tunes should all be playable above. I tried making a Spotify playlist with the usual mixed success.

First up,  I’m So Happy Now by Willie Wright. Willie didn’t chart during his early years but this re-release has brought him acclaim – great vibe.

Star Stuff – Chaz Bundick Meets The Mattson 2

Mr Bundick more commonly performs as Toro y Moi and he came to Auckland for Laneways in 2012. He has teamed up with a jazzy duo, the Mattson 2, and this is the single off their upcoming album. It has a psychy feel and reminds me of Tame Impala. Looking forward to hearing more.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=2926457699 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Goatfuzz – Goat

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1306303589 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=1065551783]

No live videos for this song, but here is the band playing Glastonbury in 2014. Rumoured to be Swedish. Krautrock meets afrobeat.

If the Sun Stops Shinin’ (orig Chubby Checker) – Damien Jurado & Richard Swift

Great cover. The whole album is worth a listen. Even better – buy it below.

100 Million (ft. Mac DeMarco) – Charlie Hilton

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=702014166 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Come On Home – Lijadu Sisters

No video’s but here is some background. They are retired now but performed with David Bryne recently in the William Onyeabor concert. Video follows.

Lodi (orig. Creedence Clearwater Revival) – Advance Base

This is from the ex Casiotone for the Painfully Alone guy Owen Ashworth performing now as Advance Base. It’s from his 2014 compilation – Plastic Owen Band: Collected Covers, Compilation Tracks, Demos & Rarities 2011-2014 mixtape. You can buy it below.

I emailed his label to see if they could add the album to Spotify to help complete my Spotify playlist. Owen answered himself saying that he had decided not to share this album on Spotify and directing me to Bandcamp…

I have a soft spot for Mr Ashworth and looked forward to his tour a few years back. On the night I went instead to a benefit gig for Chris Knox reasoning that I would catch Ashworth the next time he was in town. After that tour he retired his Casiotone for the Painfully Alone personae – gad. From this mixtape it seems he occasionally ‘covers’ his songs from Casiotone for the Painfully Alone – there is a good cover of Natural Light.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=2733929142 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=3331493822]

Lola (orig. The Kinks) – The Raincoats

Gay pride and all…

Easier Said – Sunflower Bean

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=1281511610 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small track=3168079846]

Its Our Time – Half Japanese

It’s the summer of 2006. Mark E Smith and the Fall are touring the United States on the back of the release of  Fall Heads Roll. Ben Pritchard (guitar), Steve Trafford (bass) and Spencer Birtwistle (drums) get sick of Mark’s antics and abandon him mid tour (a repeat of the 1998 US tour when bass player Steve Hanley, drummer Karl Burns and guitarist Tommy Crooks left The Fall, claiming Smith was “impossible to work with”. The walkout followed a number of inter-band fights and the arrest of Smith on a charge of assaulting his girlfriend.)

Pritchard /Trafford and Birtwistle wash up in New York in a bar where a comedian with a broad yonkers accent is performing.

He is crass and the audience is heckling him. Pritchard recognizes the comedian, it is Ron Palillo, better known for playing Arnold Horshack in the 1970s sitcom – Welcome Back Kotter.

They get talking and later the 3 Fall muso’s take over the house band’s instruments for an impromptu gig. Palillo resurrects his Horshack persona and sings. It sounds like this…

Or, this perhaps this is just what Jad Fair sounds like.  I thought I read of an upcoming tour by Half Japanese but seems I was mistaken…

Kurt was a fan.

[bandcamp width=100% height=120 album=842402482 size=large bgcol=ffffff linkcol=0687f5 tracklist=false artwork=small]

Just Like We Do – Sleaford Mods

A song with a message from these punk beatmeisters. These tracks are off their latest album – English Tapas.

Some of their albums are available to buy at https://sleafordmods.bandcamp.com/

They have made an interesting looking doco.

It’s Alright (orig. Black Sabbath) – Twin Peaks

37 years ago Black Sabbath invented heavy metal. More below. This isn’t them. Twin Peaks have a great garage rock vibe and this cover rocks.

https://youtu.be/l8DNPQK1UmU

Imuhar – Bombino

Brilliant Niger guitarist – see below.

This track is not on Bandcamp but other albums are – https://bombino.bandcamp.com/

Never Never Let Me Down – Formulars Dance Band

Great James Brown’ish funk from this Nigerian one hit wonder band. This transcendent single was originally released on Nigeria’s Decca subsidiary, Afrodisia Records: one of dozens if not hundreds of “rock” singles recorded by never-heard-from-again ensembles under the supervision of Afrodisia’s in-house producer, British ex-pat Dave Bennett.

Fabulous.

When You Dance You Can Really Love (orig. Neil Young) – Crazy Horse

Crazy Horse show their chops without Neil.

Fraulein Love – Alastair Riddell

Flashback to the ’70. Interesting fact #1 – The Yandell Sisters provided backing vocals
Interesting fact #2 – Alastair contributed electronic drums to Poi E.

Honey, Honey (orig. Abba) – Loves Ugly Children

From a bonkers Flying Nun tribute album. This track features Paul Reid and friends before he gave it all away to join Shortland Street.

Marshall Heywood

Marshall Heywood (Paul Reid) was the troublesome son of receptionist Barb Heywood.

One of Marshall’s pivotal storylines revolved around starting to use the drug P and becoming a drug addict.

He ended up amassing huge debts and decided to pay them off by becoming a drug dealer and manufacturing his own P in the Heywood’s basement.

Unfortunately Barb decided to throw an 18th birthday for Marshall and invited most of the Clinic’s staff to the party.

Marshall left a bunsen burner on and was unable to get to it. As a result, the house blew up while everyone was still inside!

Marshall went on the run after his drug making activities were uncovered following the explosion.

Eventually Marshall was caught and sentenced to a juvenile detention centre.

Pushin’ Too Hard (live) – The Seeds

Sky Saxon and friends live.

Don’t Think Twice, It’s All Right (orig.Bob Dylan) – Brook Benton

Love this Dylon cover. Not on Spotify for some reason.

Speaking of Bob, this…

In America a few years ago Dave Stewart of the Eurhythmics said to
Dylan that the next time he was in London he should drop by his recording
studio in Crouch End. Dylan, at a loose end one afternoon, decided to take
him up on it and asked a taxi driver to take him to Crouch End Hill. With
the bewildering array of streets in the area all named for various
permutations of Crouch, End and Hill, the cabbie accidentally dropped him
off at the right number but on an adjoining road.

“Dylan knocked at the front door and asked the woman who answered if Dave
was in. As it happened, her husband was also called Dave, so she said: “No,
he’s out on a call at the moment”, and Bob said he’d wait. Twenty minutes
later, Dave – the plumber, not the rock star – returned and asked the
missus whether there were any messages. “No”, she said, ” but Bob Dylan’s
in the living room having a cup of tea”.

https://youtu.be/zfUiQaxcM4g

#advance-base, #alastair-riddell, #bombino, #brook-benton, #built-to-spill, #charlie-hilton, #chaz-bundick, #crazy-horse, #damien-jurado, #formulars-dance-band, #goat, #half-japanese, #lijadu-sisters, #loves-ugly-children, #mac-demarco, #richard-swift, #sleaford-mods, #sunflower-bean, #the-mattson-2, #the-raincoats, #the-seeds, #toro-y-moi, #twin-peaks, #willie-wight