Jake Bugg - Lightning Bolt

One of my favorite's of the year, Jake Bugg's Lightning Bolt has just been re-released, I hope this time around the song gets higher than the UK no 88 that it reached earlier in the year.

Bugg was born in Nottingham England he  was chosen by the BBC to appear on their "Introducing" stage at the 2011 Glastonbury Festival aged 17, and because of this was given a contract by Mercury Records.  His songs were then placed on various BBC Radio play lists and one of them, "Country Song", was selected for use in a national TV beer commercial for Greene King IPA.

In August 2012 Bugg was a supporting act for Noel Gallagher's High Flying Birds at Belsonic Music Festival, Belfast. On 22 May 2012, Bugg appeared on the BBC music programme Later... with Jools Holland. On 1 October 2012, he performed live on the BBC Radio 6 Music programme Live at Maida Vale. Bugg's debut album was released on 15 October 2012. Talking about Bugg and his debut Clash magazine hailed the "precocious talent fusing retro folk with blistering contemporary rock riffs".

The Vaccines - Norgaard

"Nørgaard" is the fifth single from English indie rock band The Vaccines from their debut album, What Did You Expect from the Vaccines?. The single was released in the United Kingdom  on 19 August 2011. As per usual the youth of today are more interested in manufactured pop crap, so this one only reached the miserable heights of No 84 in the UK charts, but I think its a great song!

The Strokes - Machu Picchu

The Strokes are an American indie rock band. Formed in New York City in 1999, the band consists of Julian Casablancas (vocals), Nick Valensi (lead guitar), Albert Hammond Jr. (rhythm guitar), Nikolai Fraiture (bass) and Fabrizio Moretti (drums)

“Machu Picchu” by The Strokes  is the first track from their fourth studio album, Angles, released on March 18, 2011 in Australia; March 21, 2011 in the UK; and March 22, 2011 worldwide. It’s their first album since First Impressions of Earth in 2006.

Although the song received loads of airplay here in the UK, it seems it was only released as a single in France, where it reached the sunny climbs of No 87 in the charts…….bloody criminal!

The Lumineers - Ho hey

A great new song, recently reached No 12 in the UK charts and No 17 in the US, it makes a change to have something decent in the chart for a change, not the usual crap! or am I getting old??

Eddie Cochran - Somethin' Else

Don't need to say too much here, reached UK No 22 and US No 58???

Eddie Cochran - Drum City (Guybo)

Yesterday would have been Eddie Cochran's 74th birthday, so I thought I'd post one of my favorite instrumental's by the man himself. It's always been a favourite of mine and in my opinion is better than the original version of Guybo. The drum sound is excellent!

Drum City was an overdubed version of "Guybo", which was recorded on 25th August 1959.
Guybo aka Drum City was released in the U.S under the name of Cochran's band, The Kelly Four, who were Connie 'Guybo' Smith on bass, Dave Shriver on bass, Gene Riggio on drums and Jim Stivers on piano.

Buddy Holly - Ready Teddy

Today is Buddy Holly's birthday, so here's a Holly track, a cover of a Little Richard hit "Ready Teddy", it was recorded in January 1958 with the Crickets Jerry Allison and Joe B Mauldin along with Norman and Vi Petty.

Arcade Fire - City with No Children

City with No Children was the 4th single to be released from the Arcade Fire album The Suburbs. It failed to chart almost everywhere, except in Belgium where it reached No 24.
 It remind's me of another song but I just can't remember what???

Max Q - Sometimes

Back to the 80's for today's post. Back in the mid 80's my favourite band was INXS, I went to see them in concert around 9 times, until that fateful day back in  1997. As an avid record collector, yes record not CD, I bought everything the band released, including this one by Max Q, featuring Mr Hutchence himself on vocals.

Sometimes reached the dizzying heights of No 53 in the UK but a higher No 31 in Australia.

The following came from michaelhutchenceinfo.com

1989 would prove itself a very different year for Michael Hutchence, musically. He unzipped his rock star costume and went off and broadened his musical abilities to gain some credibility for himself. For a start he cut his hair. It came as a shock to many, used to seeing Hutchence use his hair like a cowboy throws a lasso, falling across his eyes, flipping back, drawing people of both sexes.

"I felt like it, so I did it," he says. "I just got the old Swiss Army knife out. It's symbolic. I was getting sick of all these guys with permed, long hair. I didn't want to be associated with it, so I guess it was my statement towards that crap. If at the very least I got rid of some unwanted followers, those that were there for my hair. I had to grow up. It was the end of something in a way - the end of the INXS tour."

Hutchence's haircut took place in a studio while he was making a record - not with INXS though, but with the experimental band Max Q . After more than a year touring the world in 1987-88, INXS were tired. They had been recording and performing over ten years, so they decided to cease being INXS for twelve months.

Alabama Shakes - Hold On

Been listening to this track for a while now, give it a listen, its a classic in the making?? I love it!

From the album "Boys & Girls"

Reached No 18 in the US Chart.

Soft Cell - Tainted Love

The last of my back to the 80's tracks, Soft Cell's version of the Ed Cobb written, Gloria Jones 1965 classic.

Reached the No 1 spot in the UK in 1981

Altered Images - Don't talk to me about love

oh Clare Grogan!! Those were the days!!

Altered Images Don't talk to me about love.

Reached No7 in the UK chart back in 1983

The Jam - That's Entertainment

One of my favourite all time tracks, That's Entertainment by the Jam, was never actually released in the UK, while the band were still together, although it did make the charts in 1981 as an import single reaching UK No 21, backed by a Live version of "Just who is that 5 O'clock hero".

Orange Juice - Rip it up

Another one of my favourite's from my school days back in the 80's is this one. Rip it up by Orange Juice.

Orange Juice were a Scottish post-punk band founded in the middle class Glasgow suburb of Bearsden as the Nu-Sonics in 1976. Edwyn Collins formed the Nu-Sonics (named after a cheap brand of guitar) with his school-mate Alan Duncan and was subsequently joined by James Kirk and Steven Daly, who left a band called The Machetes.The band became Orange Juice in 1979. Their only song to break the Top 40 was "Rip It Up", which reached number 8 on the UK Singles Chart in February 1983.

Human League - The Sound of the Crowd

Continuing my 80's theme with, "The Sound Of The Crowd" by the British Human League which became the band's commercial breakthrough, reaching #12 on the UK singles chart in May 1981.

Written jointly by lead singer Phil Oakey and keyboard player Ian Burden, the song was recorded at Genetic Sound Studios, Reading, in March 1981. Originally released as a stand-alone single in April 1981, it was subsequently re-recorded and incorporated into the studio album Dare, later in the year.

"The Sound Of The Crowd" was the first Human League song to feature female vocals, from new band members Susan Ann Sulley and Joanne Catherall, which was one of the main reason's I liked the song!!

This was one of the first records I bought, can't possibly tell you what the first one was, its just too embarrassing??

Beastie Boys - Fight for your Right

Fight for your right was in my top ten 80's tracks that I'd planned to post, but with the sad death of Adam Yauch, I posted this earlier than expected. I've never been a fan of Rap music, but now and again you just get a great song, which this is one. I first heard this on my brothers stereo, back in 1987, I didn't like it at first but it soon won me over and I bought the album, Licence to Ill.

Fight for your right reached UK No 11 and US No 7.

Tenpole Tudor - Swords of a 1000 Men

Back to the 80's again for this classic bit of  Post Punk Pop! The song has just been re-released as its included in the new film from Aardman, The Pirates! In an Adventure with Scientists. I took my two youngest to see the film last week, and much to their delight and embarrassment, sang along to the song.

Tenpole Tudor released their third single, "The Swords Of A Thousand Men" in 1981. It was backed by "Love And Food". The A side appeared on their debut album, Eddie, Old Bob, Dick And Gary . The B side was a non-LP track that was added as a bonus track on a later CD re-release. The single reached the #6 spot on the U.K. singles chart. The London punk band broke up in 1982 after two albums and several singles. Eddie Tenpole (also known as Eddie Tudor-Pole and Eddie Tenpole Tudor) went solo and the rest of the band became The Tudors. Neither new act was long-lasting. Tenpole Tudor, itself, has re-united many a time since.

J. Geils Band - Centerfold

No 3 of my 80's favourites...
Centerfold was a single released by The J. Geils Band from their album Freeze Frame. The song is about a man who is shocked to discover that his high school crush appeared in a centerfold spread for a men's magazine.
It was released in autumn 1981, and eventually went to Number 1 on the US Billboard Hot 100 in February 1982, and stayed there for six weeks. It was the first single released from the album Freeze Frame and was an early staple on MTV.
In February 1983, a year after the song hit #1 in the US, Centerfold peaked at number 3 in the UK Top 40, earning The J. Geils Band their only major hit single in the UK, although follow-up Freeze-Frame was a minor hit.
The song lists at #52 on Billboard's All Time Top Songs.

The Jam - Town Called Malice

Another 80's classic for today's post, Town Called Malice was a double A-side single release featuring Precious as the flip side.
Released as the first single from their new album The Gift, on 29 January 1982, it entered the chart at number one in the UK music charts, staying at the top for three weeks.
It was the band's third number-one single in the UK. It was the band's sole chart entry onto any American chart (although this single and "Start!" both appeared in the low-rungs of the Billboard Dance/Club Play charts) when it hit #31 on the Rock Chart in 1982.

Wah! - Story of the Blues

I Can't believe this song is 30 years old this year, back in 1982 when Story of the Blues was released I was 14 and still at school. I think this has got to be my all time favourite 80's track. So for my next few posts I'll be showing a few more of my favourite 80's tracks.
Story of the Blues reached No3 in the UK chart. I was going to post the actual video for the song, but it bought back too many bad memories of bad 80's fashion!

Carolina Chocolate Drops - Country Girl

Firstly I want to say thanks to D4 for introducing me to this fantastic group!! He only put this song up on his blog last week, but I just had to post it too!!!

Taking the music industry by storm, Carolina Chocolate Drops is an old-time string band from Durham, North Carolina. Their 2010 album, Genuine Negro Jig, won the Grammy Award for Best Traditional Folk Album at the 53rd Annual Grammy Awards, and was number nine in fRoots magazine's top 10 albums of 2010. Last year also saw Carolina Chocolate Drops play to sell-out audiences and festival crowds across the UK. As The Times remarked in one live review, 'In the end, a standing ovation was the only possible response. Anything, you sense, is possible now'.

The group is one of the few remaining African American string bands. Carolina Chocolate Drops have their feet firmly planted in the legacy of African-American musical history and can deliver an amazing live performance - shifting from gospel to blues and jazz to a more rural-based old-timey sound. Their music doesn't attempt to replicate the past but rather to absorb it and regenerate the music as something alive in today's world.

The Carolina Chocolate Drops are Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens and Hubby Jenkins. The band formed after founding members Dom Flemons, Rhiannon Giddens and Justin Robinson met at the Black Banjo Gathering in Boone, NC in 2005. All three trained in the Piedmont banjo and fiddle musical tradition under the tutelage of Joe Thompson, who, at age 90, is believed to be the last living performer from the Piedmont string band heyday. Multi-instrumentalist Hubby Jenkins joined the group in early 2011, as Justin Robinson departed to take up new challenges.

David Allan Coe - Willie, Waylon and Me

This is David Allan Coe's 1976 song Willie, Waylon and Me. The song tells part of the story of the rise of "Outlaw" country music in the mid 1970's. Coe makes numerous references in the song to country rock, rock and folk singers and bands in the 60's and 70's.

Willie Waylon and Me was from the 1976 album “Rides Again”, which reached No 26 in the US Country Chart, while the single also charted in the US country chart reaching No 25 and the No  33 in the Canadian Country charts.

A couple of years ago when I rediscovered DAC, I found that all my Dad’s brainwashing from back in the 70’s had really worked, I still knew all the words to the song and I hadn’t heard it for nearly 30 years!!! Cheers Dad!

The Doves - Black and White Town

I did try and upload in the official video but for some reason Blogger wouldn't let me!!! So this will have to do! I just love the drums on this track!!


Black and White Town was the lead single on Doves' third album, Some Cities. The single was released as a promo CD on December 13, 2004, and as a full single on February 7, 2005. The song scored the band their second Top 10 hit, charting at #6 on the UK Singles Chart. The atmospheric single is noted for its heavy piano and guitars played in unison, with Andy Williams' percussion maintaining a driving beat.

The song was used prominently by the BBC during their coverage of the 2005 Six Nations rugby tournament. Not only was it used in the 2005 Six Nations championships, but it is still used in the BBC's coverage of all international rugby. It is also used for Sky's coverage of the UEFA Champions League, as well as being used in the video game FIFA 06, where it was mis-credited as Stars of CCTV by Hard-Fi, however this is not true on the psp version of the game. It was also used in some trailers for the BBC sitcom Gavin and Stacey.

Tennessee Ernie Ford - Shotgun Boogie

On this day 13th February in 1919 Ernest Jennings Ford, better known as Tennessee Ernie Ford was born. Shotgun Boogie reached US Country No 1 and US Chart No 14 in early 1951. Its a great piece of Western Bop.
From Wikipedia
"He released almost 50 country singles through the early 1950s, several of which made the charts. Many of his early records, including "The Shotgun Boogie", "Blackberry Boogie," and so on were exciting, driving boogie-woogie records featuring accompaniment by the Hometown Jamboree band which included Jimmy Bryant on lead guitar and pioneer pedal steel guitarist Speedy West"

Del Shannon - Mary Jane

A sad anniversary passed recently, 22 years ago on the 8th February 1990, Del Shannon, sadly took his own life. This is one of my favourite Shannon tracks, from 1964. Mary Jane failed to chart in his native US and  just scrapped into the UK chart at No 35.

Johnny Cash - Hurt

Johnny Cash's cover of Nine Inch Nails, 'Hurt' was released on his 2002 album, American IV: The Man Comes Around. The cover was released on a single with the B-side 'Personal Jesus', a cover of the Depeche Mode single.

The music video was directed by former NIN-collaborator Mark Romanek who sought to capture the essence of Cash, both in his youth and in his older years. In a montage of shots of Cash's early years, twisted imagery of fruit and flowers in various states of decay, seem to capture both his past and the stark reality of the present.

71 years of age at the time of filming (in February 2003), Cash had serious health problems and his frailty is starkly evident in the video. He died seven months later (September 12); his wife, June Carter Cash, who participated in the video, died three months after filming (May 15), closely preceding him in death. 'Hurt' is considered by many to be Cash's epitaph.

Hurt made it into the UK top 40, reaching No 39, in the US it reached No 33 in the Alternative chart and No 56 in the Country Chart.

The Black Keys - Lonley Boy

Another track from the excellent Black Keys, this one's from their latest album El Camino. Lonely boy had a little more chart interest than "Howlin' for you", reaching No 80 in the UK chart, No 64 in the US chart, but topped the Rock and Alternative charts in both the US and Canada.

The Black Keys - Howlin' for you

Howlin’ for You is from The Black Keys, 8^th album Brothers which was released on 2010. Although Howlin’ for You was released as a single in 2011. It reached No 116?? in the US chart, but made it to No3 and 5 on the Alternative and Rock charts.

Once again thanks to XFM for pointing me in the direction of another excellent band.

The Black Keys are an American rock band formed in Akron, Ohio in 2001. The group consists of Dan Auerbach (guitar, vocals) and Patrick Carney (drums). The group began as an independent act founded after the duo dropped out of college, and they eventually emerged among a second wave of popular garage rock revival artists from the 2000s. Through October 2011, The Black Keys had sold over 2 million albums in the United States.

Their debut album, The Big Come Up (2002), was recorded in Carney's basement and forged their raw blues rock sound. Over the next decade, The Black Keys built an underground fanbase through near-constant touring of small venues, frequent album releases, and extensive licensing of their songs. In 2006, the band signed with Nonesuch Records and began to receive bookings for large music festivals. The duo released Attack & Release in 2008, their first album produced by Danger Mouse, a frequent collaborator of the band. Their commercial breakthrough came in 2010 with Brothers, which along with its popular single "Tighten Up", won three Grammy Awards. Their 2011 follow-up El Camino has received the strongest reviews of the band's career and peaked at number two on the Billboard 200 chart.

This is the official video for the song. Its a great video, but there's too much talking over the song, but I thought I'd include it, just because the Battlestar Galactica babe's in it!!

Buddy Holly - Rock Around with Ollie Vee

Today 53 years ago, Buddy Holly was killed in a plane crash along with Ritchie Valens, The Big Bopper and pilot Roger Peterson.

So as a tribute to one of my favourites here's his 1959 UK No 26 hit, Rock Around with Ollie Vee, originally recorded in 1956 and written by Cricket Sonny Curtis. 

Eddie Cochran - Eddies Blues

Just been listen to some John Mayall on D4's blog, so I thought I'd put on one of my favourite blues tracks. It's by rocker Eddie Cochran, Eddies Blues was recorded on 25th August 1959, but not released until 1964, 4 years after his death, on the My Way album.

If you've not heard Cochran play the blues, then you may well be surprised.

Darwin Deez - Radar Detector

Another of my favourites at the moment is this crazy tune from Darwin Deez, who's gotta have one of the weirdest hairstyles, ever!!!!  My Mrs keep trying to get me to change my hairstyle, I just threaten her with a Darwin Deez, she backs down very quickly after that.

In April 2010, Radar Detector managed to reach UK chart No 62 and No 5 on the UK Indie Charts

The Civil Wars - Barton Hollow

The Civil Wars are a Grammy nominated duo composed of singer-songwriters Joy Williams and John Paul White. The two met during a Nashville, Tennessee songwriting session in 2008. After recording a live performance album and a four song EP, their full length album, Barton Hollow, was released in 2011.

I first heard this song on TV, when the duo played live on the "Jools Holland Show". 

I was and still am amazed at the sound two people and a guitar can make

Etta James - I'd rather go blind

Sad day today, just heard the news of Etta James' death. My favourite Etta, song 

has got to be At Last, but this one comes in a close second. 

Originally released in 1967 as the B-side of Tell Mama, which reached US No 10. 

RIP Etta James

David Allan Coe - Hey Gypsy

Another David Allan Coe song. "Hey Gypsy", was the last track on Coe's 8th album Tattoo. 

Tattoo was released in August 1977.

Hey gypsy, hey gypsy come on home

Even if it's just to paint your wagon

Old hobo, how long can this go on?

She's mending socks and sittin' home a naggin'

Hey outlaw, let's spend some time together

She said, “Outlaw it doesn't matter

Whether were alone, come on home”

Hey drifter has your feeling for her gone

Have you spent too many nights out on the highway?

“Hey loner”, she said, “Hit the road and sing your songs

It won't be long until I have your baby”

David Allan Coe - If this is just a game

Back in the 70's my Dad used to torture me and my brother playing David Allan Coe, all the time. Around 5 years ago I bought him a couple of CD's of old Coe albums. I gave them a spin and realised I knew all the tracks and most of the words. I hadn't heard the songs for at least 25 years.

"If this is just a game", is takes from the album Human Emotions, which was released in 1978, when I was 10!! The song reached No 45 on the US Country Chart.

Benny Spellman - Fortune Teller

Fortune Teller was released in 1962 believe it or not? It  was only a  B-side to 

Lipstick Traces ( On A Cigarette) which reached US No 28.

Great Song!!!

Johnny Burnette Trio - Tear it Up

Brothers Johnny and Dorsey Burnette and Paul Burlison, made up J

ohnny Burnette and the Rock'n'Roll Trio.

Tear it up was released in June 1956 in the States and like most classic 50's tracks failed to chart....anywhere!

Little Richard - She's got it

Little Richard get the honour of being my first post of 2012.

She's got it is my favourite Richard track. It was released in 1956 and made it to No 15 in the UK chart, it failed to chart in the US, for some reason but did reach No 9 in the US R&B chart.