Was with my mate Sacha last night. He's back from hot-footing around Switzerland (great silos of old vinyl there) buying records. Which he then sells to likes of (ooh gasp) Andy Weatherall and Jerry Dammers. Sacha was playing at a gallery opening and I was enrolled to keep him stocked with lager and fancy nibbles. Managed to roll my eyes at a few of his selections too, though you don't play Jean Schwartz and Pygmy records at a gig like this. The Mrs called up and spoke to him (Glaswegian accent), "tapping away on his wee phone is he?" She knows me too well that woman, I'd been making a list of the tunes he'd been spinning, cheap Blog material ya get me. Do I ever relax?
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Nina Simone: Baltimore.
Penman would have liked this, an amazing fake Reggae version of the Randy Newman tune. Sacha had it on a fat CTI 12", sounds like Grace Jones on codeine. Cheap drug reference I know, but so apt here.
Al Green: Light my Fire.
Popular improbable cover version, see also Jose Feliciano and Horace Andy.
Rob: Make it fast, Make it slow.
From the recent Ghana Soundz comp. These African reissues are pretty ace.
Kamale Orchestre: Lipua-Lipua.
Music from Zaire Volume 3 on the DERAM label. Sparking guitar and well-accurate 3 part harmonies.
Johnny Osbourne: We need love.
Bit of vintage Studio One action.
Glen Brown: Take a step in my direction.
Our hero, singing on one of his rock-hard riddims. Pantomime we love you!
Keith and Tex: Tonight.
Off the Trojan 10" re-issue. Sacha's cool like that, doesn't care too much for all that "it has to be a 'riginal 7" malarkey".
Mckay: Take me over.
Fun mash-up of old riddim with new vocals. Like those spate of wicked Steelie and Cleevie re-versions of 70s Roots hits with the original vocalists and sampled riffs but packing dancehall punch. Nice!
Peggy Lee: Manana.
From his Mum's collection. 50s US suburban hawaian-shirt barbecue action.
Willis Jackson: Nuther'n like Thuther'n.
Full bloodied Blue Note-styled Jazz-Funk. Like Horace Silver's "The Sidewinder" with balls.
Doctor Rockit: Cafe de Flo.
Aah Herbert!
Tom Silverster.
Quite Mutant-Dishco-y. "I'm a former music journalist...now on wheels!" Ian Penman.
Truby Trio: Jaleo.
Awful Gipsy Kings flamenco styled house. Orrible. I laughed at Sacha, poor bugger, I'm like his worst enemy.
Pepe Paddock: Get Down Dub Angola remix.
This was quite lovely, and I'm gonna track this down. Brings to mind the imminent third coming of My Life in The Bush of Ghosts. We're feeling that record at TWANBOC at the moment.
Flying Lizards: Money.
Blah Blah everyone loves it. The artist doing a swift trade selling her pictures downstairs beneath us.
Vivienne Goldman: Launderette.
Not just for me, we was in Ladbroke Grove and Sach felt like it. I got him this in Amsterdam 3 years ago. I'm generous like that.
The Specials: Ghost Town.
Shivers down our spines. We recollect the first time we heard it as kids. Sacha has a signed copy: "Sacre Bleu, C'est Sacha Dieu! Which Jerry "The Wolfman" Dammers gave him. Sach tells me a great story of how Jerry, I worshipped this man as a 9 year-old, showed him the organ he wrote "Ghost Town" on. Apparently the original had gone missing back-in-the-day, but he tracked down another one.
That love cats/missy elliott booty.
Bit of 2002 action ;-)
ESG: Moody.
Off the Soul Jazz reissue. It's a different mix than on the EP spotters! Not as cold and cavernous either!
Zapp: More Bounce to the Ounce.
My selection, I'm tired and going home. Sacha proably up there for a couple more hours. Great evening. Extraordinary meeting on the tube, which I'll share with yous later. I'm out like a trout.