House Music (sort of)

I popped up on Fusion tonight to play an hour of House Music - Fusion Style!
You can stream it here and the playlist is below.

Tales from the Tip #2: P45 - Making My Way Back Home

Second in a (very) occasional series of bits and bobs I've found in our local charity shops or at the tip.

A bit of a mystery this one. The band appear to be called P45 and the song is Making My Way Back Home. The cover caught my eye with its reggae-esque imagery and the record is in very good condition. On playing it I found that the song actually matched the cover very well; i.e. reggae-esque, bright and cheerful but perhaps lacking a little polish or finesse. The picture below shows the label in detail. The label seems to be KA and the serial number is DAVE 1.

The B-side is called Junk Food and has a very different feel to the A, it's a little reminiscent of some of the tracks on the Nutty Boys album by Crunch (Lee Thompson & Chris Foreman's post-Madness band). 

I can't find anything on the web about the band, song or even the label so if anyone has any info that sheds light on this record please let me know. 

(Apologies for the quality of the above pics: new scanner/printer + tech-idiot = back to taking photos on my phone! And yes, I know I could do with a new stylus too.)

Rich's (Newer) Reggae (and Stuff)... too many parenthesis?

Having had one of my periodic misery-breaks from presenting radio shows I manned up and switched the mic on tonight to present a selection of the newer music that has caught my ear of late. I've attached links to the playlist where appropriate as all of these bands are well worth checking out. You can listen to the show here: http://mixlr.com/fusion-on-air/showreel/ , I hope you find something you want to investigate further. Here's the list:

1. Phoenix City All-Stars - The Selecter
2. Gecko - What You Gonna Do?
3. Grant Phabao & Horace Andy - Talk 'bout Peace
4. Ed Rome (Featuring Bella) - I Confess
5. Demelza's Tea Party - Drowning
6. The Humanitarians - Sugar & Stress
7. Mungo's Hi Fi - Brand New Bangarang
8. Gentleman's Dub Club - High Grade
9. Sololab - Want To
10. Lord Echo - The Book Keeper
11. The Lee Thompson Ska Orchestra - Fu Man Chu (feat. Bitty McLean)
12. Susan Cadogan & the Crabs Corporation - Day After Day
13. Hollie Cook - Cry (Disco Mix) [feat. Horseman]
14. Prince Fatty - For Me You Are (feat. Hollie Cook & Horseman)
15. Jungle Fire - Firewalker (Grant Phabao Remix)
16. East Park Reggae Collective - Rough Diamond
17. The Magnus Puto - Make Your Mind Up
18. Jr. Thomas - Do You Really Love Me?
19. The Phantoms - Equalizer
20. The Simmertones - Perhaps, Perhaps, Perhaps
21. BOMBSKARE - Triplet Fiasco

Note: tracks 3 to 5 are from the excellent new Specialized 2: Beat Teenage Cancer charity album. Featuring new interpretations of The Beat's back catalogue it is truly superb. Further details here: http://www.specializedproject.co.uk/

Reincarnated. Or Reinvented?

Whilst waiting for my kids to finish one of their after-school clubs recently I got chatting to one of the other parents and mentioned my interest in music and specifically reggae music. The ensuing conversation went something like this:

"Oh, really? Like UB40 then?"

"Not really; UB40's first 2 LPs were good but then they became very commercial and more of a covers / wedding band than a real reggae act."

"Haha, true - some of them weren't even black!"

"You don't have to be black to make reggae music."

"Oh, isn't reggae all about Rastas and marijuana and stuff?"

"No."

I wondered why it was UB40 that sprung to their mind at the mention of reggae and not Bob Marley or Jimmy Cliff for instance. I concluded that it was because they were of a similar age to myself, British, and not particularly interested in music beyond the charts. As their teenage years coincided with the time when UB40 were frequent visitors to the charts and the nation's favourite (TM) Radio One wasn't exactly stuffed to the gills with reggae (or good music in general), I suppose it isn't surprising that UB40 fit the 'reggae' slot in their mind. Presumably reggae / UB40 wasn't really their cup of tea back then and they were never inspired to look further for other examples of reggae music, understandably leaving them with this 'Reggae = UB40' viewpoint. The band most often associated in the mainstream with a musical genre are likely to become the default representatives of that genre. That is the thought that has prompted this blog post today and also filled me with dread.

Let's take the above encounter and fast-forward a generation or two... Given that UB40 are no longer the big name and chart regulars they once were, which band or singer would a young person who is currently in the midst of their most impressionable years find to fill the 'default reggae' slot in their mindset? It has been some time since I paid any attention to what is in the charts but in the name of research I have today glanced at the UK top 40. Much as I expected, I hadn't heard of the vast majority of the acts - partly because I'm old and also because most of them are bloody awful manufactured pap. Neither could any of the current top 40 records could be described as reggae. As I said, I don't follow the charts but my guess is that reggae bands rarely if ever feature these days. Neither does reggae get much mainstream airplay. So, which act will our theoretical impressionable young person associate with the word 'reggae' now. 

My fear is that as there isn't much mainstream exposure of real reggae today, if our young person takes the 'all about Rastas and marijuana' viewpoint then the name that will spring to their mind is Snoop Lion, the latest version of the artist formally known as Snoop Dogg. Now Snoop has had something of a conversion it seems. Following a trip to Jamaica last year he has proclaimed himself to be a Rasta, made a documentary film about his conversion and released an album. The album is titled Reincarnated and the cover shows Snoop wreathed in (presumably) ganja smoke above the title emblazoned in red, gold and green. The cover certainly looks like a reggae album might. A perusal of the song titles reveals a number with reggae-esque names: Harder Times, Here Comes The King, Smoke The Weed, etc. Snoop is so confident of his new-found place in the world of reggae that he has even managed to have a gangster-rap-style feud with reggae legend and Rasta Bunny Wailer. As detailed in this Guardian story, the unseemly row erupted when Bunny Wailer had the temerity to question Dogg's dedication to his new faith.

I haven't seen the film about Snoop's conversion, he doesn't strike me as someone I would particularly warm to and find it something of a coincidence that he happened to have a film crew in tow when he had his Road-to-Damascus moment and found his new calling. I have, however, listened to the album. I haven't bought the album though. I usually buy a new reggae album without previewing it because I enjoy the experience of sitting down to listen to a new album in its entirety. With Reincarnation however I had my doubts about the integrity of the music, so I listened to the album on preview and very quickly decided not to buy it. Why didn't I buy it? Because it is crap. I sat for a little while trying to come up with a more eloquent or clever way of saying that but sorry, I failed; it's crap. Even a collaboration with Miley Cyrus can't rescue this dog of an album. Again, I intended when starting this to give a measured and considered opinion of Reinvented but having listened to it three times I have lost the ability to be polite about it or to rein in the sarcasm. I used to pledge that I would never write a review of something I didn't enjoy because I think there is generally too much negativity in the world already, but the glowing reviews of this garbage I read on iTunes made me feel that a counter-point was desirable.

The opening track is called Rebel Way, making me wonder what exactly Snoop is rebelling against. He certainly isn't rebelling against mediocrity. Track by track Snoop rehashes every reggae cliché there is on this album. An example: the track Smoke The Weed contains the line "Weed is life, weed is reality" sung to the tune of Soul II Soul's Back To Life. This could stand as an anti-metaphor for the whole album; there is little life in this work, I didn't detect an ounce of reality and appropriating a seminal piece such as Back To Life just underlines the dishonesty integral to every sorry track. In Boulevard Snoop echoes the Rude Boy tradition of Jamaican music, badly. The closing track is called Harder Times; this called to mind the Pioneers classic Time Hard with their heartfelt cry of "Why Oh Why Oh Lord"! Perhaps I would have found this album more palatable if I had listened to it not knowing the back story, but even if I had I would have said it is more modern R&B than reggae. I find most modern R&B pretty uninspiring too so this album would suit that label nicely. I was tempted to do a track-by-track dissection of the album but was worried that I might run out of negative superlatives.

Cynics might suggest that Snoop is merely re-positioning himself to reignite interest in a flagging career or even that he is just using Rastafari to justify his fondness of  the herb. Any artist who reinvents themselves or claims some form of conversion always leaves themselves open to accusations such as this. I'm not a Rasta and my knowledge of the faith doesn't extend much beyond what I hear on reggae records so any opinion I may hold on Snoop's conversion to the faith is irrelevant and necessarily ill-informed. Neither do I use marijuana so I don't feel I can comment on that aspect of Snoop's persona. I do, however, sincerely love reggae music and can say both objectively and subjectively that this album is awful. Let's hope someone else comes along to fill the 'default reggae' slot soon and that Snoop Lion becomes a Dogg again and returns to doing whatever it is he is good at. Sorry Snoopy old chap, you just can't do reggae.

Tales from the Tip #1 - Swans Way - Theme from the Balcony

This post is the first in a (probably) occasional series posting odd bits of vinyl I've picked up either at our local charity shops or at the wonder-land that is Exeter Tip*. Within a short walk from my house are three charity shops which have yet to succumb to the 'Oxfam Syndrome' which I described/ranted about in a previous blog post. We are also blessed locally with the aforementioned Tip, a wonderful recycling centre which flogs all manner of oddities and rubbish for sensible (i.e. cheap) prices and which often receives boxes of unwanted vinyl. I usually take a stroll over to the charity shops or a drive to the Tip about once a week and have found some wonderful records for delightfully low prices over time. In celebration of these bargains I have decided to upload some of the best or strangest things I find on an occasional basis.

Having read the above back it does seem an incredibly long-winded way to say: "Look what I found today!"

To be honest today was a fairly lean day for vinyl at the Tip but I did find four 45's amongst the Jim Reeves, Ronco & K-Tel LPs. So for the grand total of a quid I got this and three other singles. I knew absolutely nothing about the band Swans Way and having since researched them online am not much the wiser. The single is in great condition with a nice picture sleeve and having given it a play I was inspired to stick it on YouTube and write this post. I'm not saying this will become an all-time favourite but the tune has, I think, a lot going for it and I consider my 25p money very well spent. If anyone has any info on the band please feel free to leave a comment.

* Exeter Tip isn't the official title - it is probably something like 'Exeter & District Public Recycling, Refuse Disposal and Reclamation Facility' but I honestly cannot be arsed to look it up.

Rich's Reggae (and Stuff) 28th April 2013

It seems my radio shows are like buses; you wait weeks for one and two come along right next to each other! Having played an hour of non-stop Northern Soul last night I got really brave tonight and switched my mic on to present an hour of Reggae (and Stuff). 

There's no particular theme to the playlist although I played more new music than is my norm with brand new tunes from The Nomarks, Morning Sun & the Essentials, Soloman and the wonderfully-named Dirty Undies. It has been something of a bugbear of mine recently that most new ska music sounds the bleeding same but I'm delighted to be proved wrong on this occasion.

There are links below to the newer bands and tracks I played. Please take a little time to check them out and if you like their stuff let them know. It always does folks good to be told their efforts are appreciated and bands are no exception - let's offset some of the undeserved adoration heaped on non-entities like Bieber,  One Direction, etc and tell those bands producing REAL music that it is appreciated and valued.

Sermon over, here's the playlist:

1. Nora Dean - Mama

2. Ansel Collins - Double or Nothing

3. The Nomarks – No One Wants To Know

4. Morning Sun & the Essentials - Love Agenda

5. Al Barry & the Cimarons - Morning Sun

6. Winston Samuels - Lick It Back

7. Dave Barker & the Selecter - Scorpion Hits Back

8. Mark Foggo's Skasters - Mama Don't Like It

9. Blue Riddim Band - Come See About Me

10. Soloman - Night & Day (feat. Aswad)

11. Dirty Undies - The Right Time

12. A.R.T.S. - Poker Face

13. Justin Hinds & the Dominoes - Botheration

14. Bob Marley & the Wailers - Ska Jerk

15. The Viceroys - Sometimes (Channel One Version)

16. Jackie Edwards - Come On Home

17. Desmond Dekker - That's the Way Life Goes

18. Val Bennett - Tons of Gold 

The show can be streamed on the Fusion mixlr page and downloaded/streamed on Soundlcoud until it is replaced by a future show (usually about 2 weeks).

Saturday Night Northern

I haven't been making radio shows for a few weeks due to another extended trip to the Dark Side. When I'm ill sometimes even music loses its magic, however there's only so much shit TV you can watch and so many walks you can give the dog before something has to give, the headphones must be donned and music pumped into the tortured mind. 

As I'm such a generous soul I decided it was only fair that I share some of this medicinal music with folks; hence this, an hour of non-stop Northern Soul that I used to blank out the horrors of Saturday Night TV. There was no waffle, just a selection of what I consider to be some of the greatest tunes ever committed to vinyl!

1. Steve Karmen Big Band - Breakaway

2. R. Dean Taylor - There's a Ghost in My House

3. Frankie and the Classicals - What Shall I Do

4. Don Thomas - Come on Train

5. Earl Van Dyke - Six By Six

6. Teddy Vann - (The Theme From) Coloured Man

7. Wombat - I'm Getting On Life

8. Sandy Nelson - Leap Frog

9. Gene McDaniels - Walk With A Winner

10. Reparata and the Delrons - Panic

11. Adam's Apples - Don't Take It Out On This World

12. Chuck Wood - Seven Days Too Long

13. Father's Angels - Bok to Bach

14. Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons - The Night

15. Dean Parrish - Determination

16. Beverly Ann - He's Coming Home

17. Rosetta Hightower - Big Bird

18. The Barry Gray Orchestra - Joe 90

19. The Ventures - Hawaii Five-0 Theme

20. Edwin Starr - Breaking Down The Walls Of Heartache

21. Dana Valery - You Don't Know Where Your Interest Lies

22. The Showmen - Our Love Will Grow

23. Steve Karmen Big Band featuring Jimmy Radcliffe - Breakaway (Part 2)

As always you can stream the show on the Fusion mixlr page and it will be on my Soundcloud page until evicted by another show.