Tomorrows Sounds Today.

                                


Those are the three albums I would take with me from last year. Of the three I played James Blake the most, especially when I first bought it. There was lots to discover there.

Sadly, most everything else sounded the same.
That's got a lot to do with age, these old fellas ears do get tired of hearing, especially when it all sounds the same, all the time. I work on a radio station and I hear quite a small handful of songs, over and over and over and over...
I've also been past-wards with The Record Player, getting down to swinging sounds of the songs from yesteryear. There's nothing wrong in listening to a brilliant album in a dark room with 30 strangers, now is there?
Spend time with these albums, and the new things have to be really good things.
I think.

I've always enjoyed searching out the new, but it all sounded the same.
Sorry to have to repeat myself.

Here's the rub though, it's January 25th, I have already heard some songs that I quite liked.
So much so in fact, I went off to buy the albums - even though, get this! - one of them isn't out until Monday!!! Crazy.

Here's my review of  First Aid Kit's The Lions Roar.
It's very good so far.

Next week I'll review 2 Bears.
Good Luck!!!

The People Have Spoken

Over the New Year period, I had time on my hands and mischief on my mind. Then I found Survey Monkey.  Using this fantastic modern invention I came up with nine questions that would investigate the minds of modern people in a busy world. Over 100 people took part, for which I thank you one and all,  you will all go to heaven, if you want to.

Here are the results:

Question 1: For a good while, most folk would wanted to drown out the sounds of Bryan Adams with earplugs and love making, but at the final count, 38% of you preferred getting it on, sans earplugs, the carnal urge overriding any notions of cool. That means many of you are happy to have a knee trembler sound tracked by ‘My Heart Will Go On’. Ughh.

She Started It.

Question 2 :  In a situation where a fire is raging through your house 22% would grab Nana, 56% named important others to grab: computers came first, followed by various cats, the wife, one of the twins, signed Scunthorpe United shirts and a signed picture of Peter Beardsley.

Question 3 : On meeting the school bully several years down the line and finding them in dire straits, 30% forgave and forgot, 8% stabbed them with a compass and 48.5% thought they were not worth a tinkers cuss.

That's you that is.

Question 4: Whilst at a party on finding no paper after a visit to the lavvy 59.2% would use a face flannel to clean up, and then wash it thoroughly. I don’t know what this says. 13% would use the flannel and not wash it afterwards. I know what that says. Dirty Buggers.

Scum. Playing Hey Jude.

Question 5: On the question of Amplified buskers, 43.9% want them to turn it down abit, while a disappointingly small number - 17% wanted them publicly eviscerated.

I don't know what you're looking
so pleased about.

Question 6: On keeping up with youth, 70% decided that youth is for the young, being older is cool.

They were always such nice boys.

Question 7: When your former favourite group stays at your hotel and behaves appallingly 62% carry on as normal, with 24.5% joining in, copping an unwanted pregnancy and herpes along the way.

The Future, yesterday.

Question 8: 64.3% see no point in stressing about the future. 19% hope it’ll be a bit like Space 1999.

Suck it up loser.

Question 9: 60% of you are happy to let a 6 year old thrash you a Frustration. 23% relish the thought of beating the arse of them and rubbing their snivelling noses in it.

Not one person emailed to take part in the free draw to win FIVE ENGLISH pounds.

I shall spend that money on sweets and crisps.

No 20 - Snow Flake - Jim Reeves

Gentleman Jim Reeves moved in mysterious ways.

He was a spooky bugger.

In the 1960's Jim Reeves was more popular in South Africa than Elvis. Elvis was too black for the Africaaners.

Jim once released an album that ran at 16 rpm, which is the slowest speed a record can run, playing music at this speed can summon up the devil.

For a gentleman, he could be a finickety bugger.

He would cancel a gig at the drop of a hat if he didn't like the piano at the venue - with Ireland suffering the most.

Daniel O' Donnells 1963 diary notes : 'Reeves the fecker cancelled again, The bastid'.

Some fool might posit that with Reeves last ever recording session featuring the song 'Make The World Go Away' was him asking God to take him home.
One year later, in 1964 he died due plane crash related injuries.
This piece of yuletide whimsy was released in 1966.
Two years after his death.
How is this possible?
As I said, a spooky bugger.

Also, once heard this song can never be forgotten.
Ever.
So be careful.

This is my last posting for Christmas, I'm turning off my computer until the new year. Thank you for reading, I hope you heard something new. Have a very Merry Christmas, and a most Happy New Year.
Best,
Mr. Drayton X.

No 19 - Little Drummer Boy/Peace On Earth - David Bowie and Bing Crosby

In terms of thinking about things, who spent the most time thinking about this meeting?

Did Bowie think more about singing with Bing, or did Bing think more about singing with Bowie? Being as Bing is dead, I'd wager that Bowie has, by default, given it more consideration. Were we to take the moments from when it was first suggested to the minute before Bing died, maybe Bing edged it. He was a deep thinker.

And he had met Bowie after all, not everyone got to do that back in the day.

Rumour has it that Bing didn't know who Bowie was. How could he not of known - even Tony Orlando of Dawn knew him. Put Bowie and Tony Orlando in Google to see.

Whatever went through their minds what we have here is a piece of weirdly and beautiful Christmas pop. Bowie wasn't overly happy at the song choice, but they'd preempted this problem by writing a new song to add to the mix, that's the Peace on Earth bit.

This choice is very much of it's time, it's wrapped in innocence, it doesn't feel as though there's a hugh PR machine ready to roll it out.
It just happened.
I can't think of a modern day equivalent.
That's a good thing in my book.

No 18 - The Little Boy That Santa Claus Forgot - A Girl Called Eddie.

When I played records on the radio, I had a Christmas Eve festive tunes special which featured this version of the song. After the song had finished, the phone went, and, on answering I had a very old and very tearful  man on the line.

'I just wanted to say that I haven't heard this song in years. It made me cry then, and it's making me cry now. Thankyou for playing it'.

Written in 1937, and one of it's co-writers, Michael Carr also wrote White Horses, the hit by Jacky. His theme to The Edgar Wallace Mysteries has been covered by Muse.
Not bad for a man born in 1905.

No 17 - Skiing In The Snow - Wigan's Ovation

When the pop has eaten itself and finally collaspses onto the ground, will anyone write the name Jim McClusky in the history books?

Will that single thread from rocks rich tapestry be unravelled?

Jim was the vocalist with Wigan's Ovation. His couldn't be a more rags to riches to rags story, I'll let him tell it:



'I had never sang live on stage before and one of the reasons for me joining the band was that I could not go on working shifts anymore'.

You never get that kind of story on X Factor these days.

"With Skiing in the Snow we had a load of fun in the studio, then we returned home and back to the working mens clubs performing either side of the bingo. Then about three weeks later we were in Hartlepool when we got the word that the record was finished, it sounded fantastic. Two weeks later we were on Top of the Pops.

The band split in 1976 but not before being ripped off by promoters and the like.
In 1977 we got back together again but the spark had gone, in 1984 our manager killed himself, for what reason nobody knows to this day.
We all gave up after that".

I think the words bitter and sweet are apt here. Stick this on though, and swing those pants.
　

No 16 - The Most Wonderful Time of the Year - Andy Williams

In our house Andy Williams was King. Petula Clarke was Queen and Elton John was the Little Princess. It's fitting that the smoothly cool Andy should provide us with a song, as it's a celebration of the season, full of excitment and hope.

We're talking parents record collection here, and although as a youngster it was my job to kick against them, I could never bring myself to hate Andy Williams.

If you're in any doubt that Andy was cool, how's about this guys and gals? 

He sang at JFK's funeral, he stood up to Nixon's administration in their attempts to deport John Lennon, he played Caesars Palace over 700 times and he invented the Osmonds (alright, maybe pass on that one).

When his first wife was accused of shooting her new husband, Andy stood by her, providing defence funds, and acting as a character witness.

I'm sat in my comfy armchair chair, wearing a nice sweater and having a dry martini, and I'm still nowhere as cool as Andy. No one can be.