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Hazy Cosmic Jive presents "Something in the Air"





This mix aims for an early 1970s, mournful, melancholy, wistful, post-hippy comedown vibe. A bit different from my normal mixes however it’s an era that fascinates me and here, as you listen, I’m hoping you’ll be able to smell the unmistakeable tang of a wet Afghan goat, partially masked by patchouli and joss sticks, whilst a news bulletin reports the latest activity of urban guerilla’s The Angry Brigade



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Suggested books to accompany the mix....

Strange Days Indeed: The Golden Age of Paranoia by Francis Wheen

My Revolutions by Hari Kunzru

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Tracklist:

Thunderclap Newman - Something In The Air
Brian Protheroe - Pinball
Faces - Glad and Sorry
David Bowie - Eight Line Poem
Bread - The Guitar Man
Roxy Music - Chance Meeting
America - A Horse With No Name
The Rolling Stones - Coming Down Again
Elton John - Goodbye Yellow Brick Road
Faces - Debris
Lesley Duncan - Everything Changes
Cat Stevens - Where Do The Children Play?
Jonathan Kelly - Madelaine
The Rolling Stones - Wild Horses
Mott The Hoople - All The Young Dudes
David Bowie - Quicksand
Faces - If I’m On The Late Side
Slade - Everyday

Having made it through the past two years without forking over any money at all for music, I'm not finding the least bit of difficulty in justifying making the scene with the long green for this forthcoming set, which sure seems to be the undisputed business. It looks like they really took great care to put together the whole story...

I'm sure there are at least a handful of other fans here who might be interested, so here's putting it directly beneath your noses...

^ Thanks Mark - despite the eye -watering price tag I must say I am also tempted. I'm a recent convert to the world of SAHB and so have yet to invest in any physical artefacts, making do with YouTube and a few downloads so far and for 14 CDs it works out at c£7.15 per CD and a lovely book.

Hmmm, it's a three pipe problem....

Well, that's it for me, as well... my Alex archives consist of a few old original vinyl lp's, a couple cd's, and the rest are dodgy mp3 files that leave much to be desired. To have everything together, in one lavish set, strikes me more as a need than a lofty desire.

Additionally, I've been around long enough to have seen things like this hit the market, then quickly sell out, only to turn up on eBay for extortionate prices.

I saw the Sensational Alex Harvey Band in about 1973 when they supported Thin Lizzy. They were fantastic!

I saw them again in 1976 when they were just as good. A strong memory of that concert was watching the audience come in and as each person took their coat off to sit down they all revealed the trademark striped tshirt underneath :-)

You could say I'm jealous, Ruth, but I said it first.

It wasn't until 1986, when a friend sat me down in front of his stereo, that I'd heard the band. I was immediately drawn in, although, being a visual person myself, whatever that means, it wasn't until youtube appeared and I was finally able to see footage of the band, that all the dots were joined and my appreciation for them was fully cemented.

Seeing them live must have ranked amongst the best gigs ever for those fortunate enough to have seen them.

Did I mention envying you?

Yes, on reflection I think that first one was one of the best gigs I've ever been to Mark.

I only went to the Thin Lizzy concert because I liked their version of Whisky in the Jar and I'd never even heard of SAHB! As soon as Alex Harvey came on you could see the whole audience sit up and take notice - he was a charismatic character. Thin Lizzy were something of a disappointment - but I think SAHB would have been a hard act for anyone to follow!

Wonderful memories Ruth - thanks so much


Now then, how about the burning issue of the day? The best six tracks by Slade?....

In no particular order, make mine:

Cum On Feel The Noize
Gudbuy T’Jane
Mama Weer All Crazee Now
Skweeze Me, Pleeze Me
Them Kinda Monkeys Can't Swing
In The Dog House

Cap doffed and jar raised to this...

^ Lovely stuff Mark - though no Coz I Luv You?


PS - Never heard that Little Richard version before. Stonkingly good. As one YouTube commenter observes, did he ever make a bad record?

Here's some interesting reading Nigeyb. These titles would be hard to find in the bookstore. We have enjoyed listening to them though.

Hey, I've been getting back into music again, and joined this group a couple of weeks ago just to read the music threads. (Incidentally, thank you for posting actual song titles and artist names rather than just youtube links to who knows what. It makes for much better reading.)

Nigeyb, I'm asking friends who are into the following for recommendations re. best stuff/ where to start - perhaps a consensus will emerge (or not) - and wondered what your opinion would be on:
a) best/favourite Cleaners from Venus albums or comps
b) ditto, junkshop glam compilations

^ How gratifying Antonomasia.

I'll come back to you on your questions as soon as I can.

Antonomasia wrote: "ditto, junkshop glam compilations"

The best places to start would be these two compilations, Velvet Tinmine and Boobs, out on RPM through Cherry Red. Both are solid in terms of track selection, track sourcing and comp mastering.






After those, I'd recommend Glitter From The Litter Bin, out through Castle...




There's also a couple bootleg series available on cd-r, but I wouldn't know how to point you in their direction. Comps like Elements and Glammories turned up round my local shops about ten years ago but, as I said, a search for them would likely end in frustration.

As far as Cleaners From Venus are concerned, that's Nige's turf, and I'll humbly leave it to him.

Hope that helps at least a bit. Happy to upload a selection of junkshop glam stuff for you if want a quick fix of the digital variety. Just let me know.

Thanks Mark. I'd seen those two on Amazon, but, it being about 4 years since I'd been in conversations about these things, couldn't remember if those ones were meant to be any good.
I was slightly sceptical about it all until I finally listened to the Brett Smiley album earlier this year; was prepared to find it mediocre at best (I'd have loved the book regardless) - but was surprised to find I love it, and have played it lots on repeat.

I've been reading Retromania which got me into looking at all sorts of compilations the other day including the Saint Etienne Presents ones, so it was great to see the Croydon Municipal stuff on the Cherry Red site too. (I tend to think of them as Momus's label, hadn't realised quite what a huge range of other stuff they have.)

Well done Mark. The three biggies are Boobs, Velvet Tinmine and Glitter From The Litter Bin - with Glitterbest worth getting for the punkier end of the genre.

I'm struggling to come up with a best Cleaners album or albums Antonomasia because Martin Newell is so damn prolific. Confusingly he has also been using the Cleaners moniker for his more recent output. The best entry point is "The Wayward Genius of Martin Newell" - a compilation from the late 90s that contains a good selection of Cleaners material and a few other bits and pieces too.

An hour or two spent on YouTube will help you to decide what you enjoy the most...





If you decide to go in deep there's a New York reissue label - Captured Tracks - that has put together three lovely box sets of most of the original Cleaners releases.

Martin Newell is so damn prolific. Confusingly he has also been using the Cleaners moniker for his more recent output. The best entry point is "The Wayward Genius of Martin Newell" - a compilation from the late 90s that contains a good selection of Cleaners material and a few other bits and pieces too.

Yes, that's the thing, so much material!

I usually like to say, just start somewhere rather than asking people where. But when a discography is so huge and varied it makes a difference. (And even the compilations are huge, which seems to be the case with the Cleaners also.)

e.g. - first Bowie album, 93 or 94, Black Tie White Noise, quite liked but not wowed. Had daft policy then of starting with most recent output, not always a good idea. Other than a single-disc compilation pre-university, I didn't buy any Bowie albums until 06, and took even longer to get into him properly.
- first Fall album, Code: Selfish, from their early 90s dancey phase, loved it and instantly considered myself a Fall fan - though I realised eventually that I only really liked about 3 albums, plus certain songs from The Fall Box Set (or maybe my tastes changed - I like a lot less shouty and hyper-sounding music now than I did 15+ years ago)
(If someone asked me where to start with The Fall, I guess I'd tell them personal favourites with the proviso that they're atypical, suggest one of the smaller compilations, then consult other sources to see what the consensus was on the best albums if certain phases.)

^ I've never got Black Tie White Noise - v anodyne to my ears. His run of albums through the 70s is peerless though and probably all anyone needs (perhaps with a few selected tracks from the rest)

Code: Selfish is one of my fave Fall albums but, again, you could distil the best of their output down to 50,000 Fall Fans Can't Be Wrong. I've lost all interest in them for the last 10 years or so. Watching MES stumble around a stage just got too depressing.

So yep, I think I am reinforcing your view that starting with most recent output is frequently not a good idea. Many artists only really have one great album in them, and the rest is just law of diminishing returns (e.g. Massive Attack, The Strokes).

I've never got Black Tie White Noise - v anodyne to my ears.
There are a few tracks on there I love, e.g. Jump They Say. But I can enjoy the whole album more because of goodwill built up from the other stuff. (I'm sure I enjoy middling albums more if they are by artists whose other work I love.)

I've lost all interest in them for the last 10 years or so. Watching MES stumble around a stage just got too depressing.
I saw them 3 times in the 00s; I've forgotten so many gigs I went to past the fact of being there, but Fall gigs on the other hand were generally memorable because stuff happened (especially one where the crowd got angry about a terrible support act) and they were pretty raucous.

Thanks to Mark's links to Cherry Red, (& Tidal free trial) I've played this compilation, about 4 times since last night. May interest you given its billing as the sort of music that was played in the Colony Room in the 50s and 60s. Don't know how fanciful the idea is, but Bob Stanley et al do their research, so may be true.
I like lounge compilations as an idea but often find they have too many slower tracks or highly emotive love songs to be my idea of fun & light - this though is uptempo and a bit silly and I love it.

Although I've yet to cop one for myself, there's also what's meant to be a brilliant compilation of glam from the Netherlands...



If these two songs are any indication of the comp's overall merit, I really do need to scoop up a copy...

Bonnie St Claire - Clap Your Hands & Stomp Your Feet...




Lemming - Father John

^ I nearly mentioned it Mark but didn't want to overwhelm Antonomasia. Yep it's another goodie.

My favourite track is Let Your Hair Hang Down by Catapult (which is also on Boobs). Sadly this comp doesn't also contain the other classic track by Catapult "Teeny Bopper Band". Look in the dictionary under "Glam Rock" and this is what you will find...just listen to the production, the great vocals, try doing the high kicks, look at the delight on their faces. Life was never, ever quite as good again for these fellows...

That one leaves me speechless every time. There's really no improving it, is there?

The CD version of the Clap Your Hands & Stomp Your Feet comp also contains Pantherman by Pantherman which is another corker that I am sure you will already know and love...


Pantherman - Pantherman

PS: I might as well mention the other recommendation I had for Antonomasia - Italian neo-Glam/Bovver band Giuda, who pitch up in London every 6 months or so....


GIUDA - Roll The Balls



Gonna be in Brooklyn on 13 June 2016 Mark!...

Yeah, I saw that Giuda listing and am considering going. That's a tiny bar, with no stage to speak of. Should be a raucous evening.

I'm not ashamed to admit that I'm in possession of the complete recorded works of Pantherman, which add up to the towering sum of seven cuts. If there are any gaps in your Pantherman archives, let me know and I'll upload the lot later on today.

Thanks Mark. Pantherman-wise, I only have "Pantherman" and "You Are My Friend". If you consider the rest worth owning then I will gladly take you up on your offer.

but didn't want to overwhelm Antonomasia.
I really appreciate the idea, although it would have taken more than two albums. I still have recs to work through from another thread: if there are huge numbers of suggestions, and you don't love the first few they can start to feel like work (in that thread, it appeared that the other people liked about 33% more glitch in their electronica than I do). But this here is still a manageable quantity.

Those 70s tracks were all fun, though I confess I spent most of the Bonnie St Claire video wondering if her hair was real or a wig, the tone of the bleach was so perfect.

Re. neo-glam, I love the FFS album from last year. Again, I was surprised just how much.

Antonomasia wrote: "I confess I spent most of the Bonnie St Claire video wondering if her hair was real or a wig, the tone of the bleach was so perfect"

I was on tenterhooks with worry that her hair -- or wig -- would get caught up in the machinery. Mercifully, it didn't.

Found accidentally, via a circuitous route - tracks from . I don't like all of them, but I think this is a great glam stomper with a few bluesy sounds:

Mustard - Good Time Comin'


Apparently it's also on a compilation called Killed By Glam, which looks to be pretty much unavailable.

Now noticed this song was posted on the Glam Rock thread 3 years ago, but it's good enough to bear repeating IMO. :)

Many thanks for pointing towards that Mustard track. If I caught it in the earlier post, I sure don't remember. Which is unlikely, because the track is memorable. That massive, wet drum sound can't be beat. No pun intended, swear.

As goes the Killed By Glam compilation... I remember hearing about them when they first came out, but never managed to turn up a copy, never mind hearing the contents. If memory serves -- which it tends not to do very much, these days -- there were two or three volumes, vinyl only and pressed in ridiculously small quantities.

I stumbled upon this clip, though, which did the job of frying my wig and waxing my floorboards. The guitar breaks alone are well worth the cost of admission...

Hank The Knife & The Jets -- Guitar King


Clearly, the vocalist [Hank, presumably] went to the same barber as Brian Eno.

That's great! I love that heavy surf/steel-type guitar sound. (I'm always trying to find ways to describe exact stuff but don't have the technical experience)

Was that out in Britain in the 70s? First verse reminds me rather a lot of Adam Ant's Goody Two Shoes; wondering if he may have been inspired by it.

Incidentally, this is what should have been (and is in spirit) the first single I bought:
if only Woolworths Saturday girls - no doubt more interested in Duran Duran - had made sense of a kid's attempts to describe a Slade video from the telly. Presumably rather uncool at the time, but lots of fun.

I sure didn't see this one coming... a brand new album, technically his very first solo effort, from the one and only Peter Perrett.

How The West Was Won is slated for a 30 June 2017 release, and judging by the lead-off single, it's not only a fine return to form, but also something very much worth looking forward to.

The video has just premiered and can be viewed here...



Pre-orders and additional info here...

Thanks Mark. It's excellent and augers well for the album.

I have his last solo foray recorded as "The One" which is a winner.

A few year back when The Only Ones reformed I saw them play twice. Pete did not look at all well. Lord knows how he has survived this long. Still, I'm delighted about this new album.

Has anyone heard Ray Davies new album, Americana? I was thinking of reading Ray Davies: A Complicated Life - has anyone here read it?



Love this song, The Invaders, about the early British Invasion and the Kinks less than enthusiastic welcome...

I've not heard it yet Susan but I am interested as I am a big fan of The Kinks. I've read one Kinks biog - but not Ray's own.

The one I've read is called 'You Really Got Me: The Story of the Kinks'. Here's my review...

/review/show...

Great review, Nigeyb. I have spent the morning listening to the new album while pottering about and really like it. I suspect this huge biography will obviously cover the Kinks as well as his life.

New book coming out on 30th May that might interest you, Nigeyb, and other members of the group (I know that we all like books and music!).

Roots, Radicals and Rockers: How Skiffle Changed the World

Anyone interested in reading along when it comes out?

Billy Bragg eh? Sounds well worth a read. Count me in Susan.

Good to hear, Nigeyb. He has written a couple of books before, but I have never read any.

Here is a link to the publisher page. Plus a Kirkus review:

Thanks again Susan - that's very helpful, and enticing

I might wait until the paperback edition comes out, or see if my library gets it, or see if I can get it as a Kindle deal. It's starting price is a tad high.

I suspect Mr B will cover similar territory to the splendid 'The Restless Generation' by Pete Frame. Here's my review...

/review/show...

I'm looking forward to getting my mitts on 'Roots, Radicals and Rockers: How Skiffle Changed the World'

Yes, the discussion can wait, no problem. I enjoyed the Pete Frame book very much.

I just wished for it on Netgalley so you never know!

I did too, so we will see :)

Can anyone recommend a good biography of Bob Dylan?

I've only read Chronicles, by the man himself, and which I loved. The 'No Direction Home' Scorsese TV doc is a cracker too.

Was Chronicles an autobiography or something else?

'Chronicles, Vol. 1' was a memoir written by Bob Dylan hisself which attracted a lot of hoopla when it was published back in 2004. And rightly so. It's great.

A slim 304 page volume that covers three selected era from Bob's career: 1961, 1970, and 1989. Chronicles is, supposedly, the first part of a three volume collection but the wait suggests he might have lost interest.

It seems an odd thing, to take three different time periods, but if you liked it, I trust it worked. Also, you said you have never read a more general biography, so I assume I could do the same without reading one. I will have a look, thanks, Nigeyb.

It worked well Susan. It's not a biography but it does give some insights into his thinking. The Scorsese doc is well worth seeking out.

Some more ideas here...

Thanks a lot, Nigeyb. Quite a lot of good music books coming out at the moment. I am loving the - very long - biography of Ray Davies which I am about three quarters of the way through.

I also have the Billy Bragg on pre-order, as well as Uncommon People: The Rise and Fall of the Rock Stars .