From Sheep’s Back to Man’s Back
THE picture below shows one of my most treasured possessions. It is a memento of an event which took place almost exactly 90 years ago – the anniversary is on … Continue readingFrom Sheep’s Back to Man’s Back
Recent Posts
Nick Lowe and Los Straitjackets: Half A Boy and Half A Man
I’m sure I am not alone in finding the band’s masks deeply creepy. This is a 2015 performance of the song which first appeared on Nick Lowe’s Cowboy Outfit in … Continue readingNick Lowe and Los Straitjackets: Half A Boy and Half A Man
Sugar: Helpless
Belting Bob Mould rocker from Sugar’s debut LP Copper Blue, named Best Album of 1992 by the NME.
Earl Zero: None Shall Escape the Judgement
If this 1973 number from the Jamaican Earl Zero sounds familiar, that’s because Jonathan Richman nicked it, jollied it up a bit and released it in 1977 as Egyptian Reggae, … Continue readingEarl Zero: None Shall Escape the Judgement
Rainer and Das Combo: Life is Fine
His vocals always remind me of Mark Knopfler but the guitar work is far more jagged. Rainer Ptacek was an East German refugee who fled with his family in 1956, … Continue readingRainer and Das Combo: Life is Fine
Everly Brothers: (Till) I Kissed You
Written by Don Everly, this was recorded on July 7, 1959, at the RCA Victor studio in Nashville, Tennessee, with Chet Atkins on guitar. It was released later that month … Continue readingEverly Brothers: (Till) I Kissed You
Nico: Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams
Written by Lou Reed and one of many excellent tracks on her 1967 LP Chelsea Girl, which refers to New York’s scuzzy Chelsea Hotel rather than the footie club which … Continue readingNico: Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams
The Magnetic Fields: Come Back From San Francisco
With vocals by Shirley Simms, another selection from the 1999 triple CD 69 Love Songs, of which I have said before 23 are great.
Gram and Emmylou
ONE of the greatest songs of any era, any genre, has to be Love Hurts (Mrs Ashworth writes: Definitely the best pop song ever). Written by the prolific Boudleaux Bryant, it was … Continue readingGram and Emmylou
Harold Budd/Brian Eno: First Light
Lovely, soporific selection from the Plateaux of Mirror album, released in 1980. If you like it, there are longer versions available on YouTube.