If I was smarter, I’d have gone full blown Hitchhiker’s Guide and made this week’s mix all spacey, and would have at least lobbed in Radiohead’s Paranoid Android (or even Marvin the Paranoid Android’s novelty single) But I’m not, so I didn’t.
So anyway, it’s been a v busy week here at Dubious Towers work-wise, with one of my colleagues off sick for most of it, and my immediate line-manager on annual leave, leaving little old me to hold the fort. Not that I have any room to complain, mind, given the amount of time I’ve had off over the past 12 months or so.
But, you lucky things, despite this I’ve managed to (rather hurriedly, admittedly) write some sleeve notes for you, so let’s crack on, shall we?
Here come 19 songs, 60 minutes and 52 seconds, and 1 mix:
Friday Night Music Club Vol 42
- Stevie Wonder – Don’t You Worry ‘Bout A Thing
That’s right, we’re starting off on a classy 70s tip. I don’t need to tell you who Stevie Wonder is, I hope. This is from his 1973 classic Innervisions album, back when he was releasing cool records like nobody’s business, rather than dreary top-of-the-charts-bothering songs about calling someone up to tell them he likes them a lot, or whatever else he’s been up to since 1984.
2. KC & The Sunshine Band – Boogie Shoes
This is included on the soundtrack (Part 2) of the blimming marvellous Boogie Nights movie, featuring the late great Burt Reynolds in one of his finest roles, and Mark Wahlberg and his prosthetic ‘thingy’ (which was shaped exactly like ‘a thingy’), which is a good enough reason to include it here.
3. Beyond The Wizard’s Sleeve – Bubble Burst
Putting aside the euphemistic and rude name of the band, this is Erol Alkan and Richard Norris having a fine old time in the studio. It came out on a six-track mini-album in 2007 (although this sounds authentically much older) called George. ASDA should sue.
4. The Chi-Lites – Are You My Woman (Tell Me So)
You’ll recognise the brass section on this, I reckon.
5. Brenda Holloway – Think It Over (Before You Break My Heart)
Another absolutely belting Northern Soul classic. But then, aren’t they all?
6. The Only Ones – Another Girl, Another Planet
A change of tone. This is not just one of the greatest punk/new wave singles, it’s one of the greatest singles ever released. Fact.
7. The Stranglers – Duchess
Some wonky Inspiral-inspiring organ work here. For which we are all entirely grateful, of course. I wonder if the Rodneys are still queuing up?
8. Rick Springfield – Love Is Alright Tonite
I’ve included this for two reasons: firstly, just to break up the run of tracks by bands with ‘The’ at the start of their names, and secondly to show Springfield shouldn’t just be known for Jessie’s Girl. Okay, this isn’t as great as Jessie’s Girl, but it’s not far off it. Ok, it is quite far off it, but it’s not bad as far as early 80s MOR rock goes. I like it anyway, for what it’s worth,
9. The Strokes – The Modern Age
Can you believe that their debut album, Is This It?, was released 23 years ago? Man, I feel old. As it happens, this pretty much was it (seewhatIdidthere?) for The Strokes, although they did release several further albums, none of which came anywhere close to matching the majesty of their first effort.
10. Lemonheads – Confetti
Just great. The album that made me, and many others I would imagine, fall in love with Evan Dando’s goofy charms and Gram Parsons-influenced tunes.
11. The Flatmates – Shimmer
Female fronted British jingly jangly indie bands were ten-a-penny in the late 80s. I loved them all. This is from 1988, was released on The Subway Organisation label (which I loved); I own it on 12″, and it has three other great tracks on it, one of which is a Dylan (Bob, not Thomas) cover on it that I really must dig out and post at some point.
12. The Housemartins – Bow Down
I make no secret about how much I admire Paul Heaton’s lyrics, although every time I feature something by him from his Housemartins or Beautiful South days it’s generally met with stoney silence round these parts. Some folks I know rue The Housemartins splitting up, and Heaton eschewing their trademark jangly guitar sound for a more middle-of-the-road one, but I think he was heading that way when he wrote this scathing attack on the education system in general and public schools in particular. I think it’s rather ace, even if it does feature St Winifred’s School Choir (they of the horrifically saccharine There’s No One Quite Like Grandma fame).
13. Blancmange – Don’t Tell Me
One of the most over-looked and under-rated bands from the 80s in my book. Discuss.
14. Adam & The Ants – Kings Of The Wild Frontier
I’ve been meaning to post something by Marco, Merrick, Terry Lee, Gary Tibbs and his truly for ages now, but I just never got round to it. But at the Billy Bragg gig the other week, my buddy Richie mentioned that this was the first record he ever “chose for himself”, which I thought was an interesting way to avoid saying “I ever bought”. It’s not a criticism, long term readers will recall the first record I ever chose for myself (and the subject of my first ever post here) was The Boy From New York City by Darts, so Richie wins that one on the cool front.
Oh and by the way, Adam: unless I missed a memo we say Native American these days, not ‘redskin’.
15. Kylie Minogue – Shocked
Shut up. It’s great and you know it.
16. Bananarama – I Heard A Rumour
Shut up. It’s great and you know it (slight return).
17. Girls Aloud – On The Metro
Moving swiftly on from the SAW phase of this mix: until a couple of weeks ago, I had no idea this existed. How did I not know that the Girls had released Ten, a second volume of greatest hits in 2012?? I only found out because this clip of them doing it live was posted on Twitter (yup, I still refuse to call it X):
It’s pretty great, no?
But what that clip highlights is the problem when performing ‘in the round’ (that’s with the stage in the middle of the venue, rather than at one end, for the uninitiated). I mean, just imagine you were standing behind the direction in which they’re facing, you’d only be able to see…oh wait, now I see the appeal. Phew-wheee mama!
18. They Might Be Giants – Don’t Let’s Start
The one of theirs that you know (probably) that isn’t Birdhouse in Your Soul.
19. The Smiths – You Just Haven’t Earned It Yet, Baby
Putting aside the singer’s current reputation, this is one of their finest moments. How it remained unreleased until their 1987 compilation The World Won’t Listen is beyond me. Should have been a single, end of.
Speaking of end of, that’s the end. Hope you enjoyed.
‘Til next time (it’s not as good as More soon, that, is it?)
A History of Dubious Taste