There’ll be times at sunrise when my heart speaks your name
For you left with no warning but there’s no one left to blame
All those days full of golden sun when you walked by my side
And everything that you gave to me can never be denied

And sometimes the other shore is so far away
And that darker river’s edge is too far away
And across the waterline is far away

On a new tomorrow cooling breeze shows a star
There can be so much sorrow, when you’ve traveled from afar
But there’s nothing that can harm you when the night’s closing in
In the bright lit heavens above us, you know we’ll meet there again

And sometimes the other shore is so far away
And that darker river’s edge is too far away
And across the waterline is far away

In the rush of our breathing there is always passing time
There is always somebody leaving, someone’s always left behind
But something endures in the morning’s blue light, I have you and you have me
And it’ll be alright when the skies all clear, ’cause we’re all born to be free

The other shore is so far way
And that darker river’s edge is too far away
And across the waterline it’s so far away

And sometimes the other shore is so far away
And across the river’s edge is so far away.
So far away, far away, so far away
So far away, so far away, far away
So far away, far away, so far away

Steve Winwood – ‘Other Shores’

01. Two Small Deaths – Wye Oak (Civilian)
02. For 12 – Other Lives (Tamer Animals)
03. Lo And Beholden – Patti Smith (Outside Society)
04. Book Of James – We Are Augustines (Rise Ye Sunken Ships)
05. Little Fire (With Emmylou Harris) – Patty Griffin (Downtown Church)
06. Tamer Animals – Other Lives (Tamer Animals)
07. Death Came A-Knockin’ – Ruthie Foster (Live At Antone’s)
08. Comes To Light (Everything) – Jill Scott (From The Vault Vol. 1)
09. Holy Holy – Wye Oak (Civilian)
10. Catch the Breeze – Slowdive (Just For A Day)
11. Head Out On The Highway – Chris Rea (Blue Guitars [CD 02]: Country Blues)
12. Other Shore – Steve Winwood (Nine Lives)

The Other Lives on Other Shores mix (107 mb) will be available to download for the next month (until midnight on 30th September 2011) has now expired – but there are plenty more mixes to discover new music right here!

Cover image by BigGolf.

A Special “Get Well Soon” Mix for one of my bestest virtual friends, Mr Cheezy – hope you’re on the mend my friend.

01. I Should Have Known – Foo Fighters
02. Fool For Your Loving – Whitesnake
03. Maintenance Hall, 4Am – Stars
04. Blues Boy – Brian Robertson
05. Papercut – Apollo Drive
06. I Am The Morning – Oceansize
07. Saor / Free / News From Nowhere – Afro Celt Sound System
08. Jesus is Just Alright – Alexis Korner
09. Let It Grow – Nektar
10. Positivenoise (Feat. A Guy Called Gerald) – System 7
11. Can’t Find My Way Home – Blind Faith
12. Zigota – Blackfield
13. As Times We Do Forget – Steve Winwood
14. Midnight Rider – Gregg Allman
15. Juicy Lucy – Joseph Dean-Osgood
16. My Angel Rocks Back And Forth – Four Tet

The I Should Have Known My Angel Rocks Back and Forth (106 mb) will be available here to download for the next fortnight (until midnight on 23 April 2011).

Cover image by cindy47452

Cover image from Deviant

Please remember to respect copyright law; if you like a song from the mix, there’s a very good chance you will also like the album – so do me and the artist a favour and buy the CD.

February 2010 Notes for Music Mix

[01] King’s X – Over My Head
What a good song to start February’s Mix. An old band that not many people know and love but have been making great music since the early 80’s. I can remember buying this album in Spillers in Cardiff and being the only guy I know who had actually heard of them (you know that smug feeling I had right!!). I haven’t heard much of them for a while but one of my pups saw this CD and sent it to Santa who promptly delivered it Xmas morning – I like Santa.

[02] Elvis Costello – Monkey to Man
I like this guy – for me he can do little wrong and every album he’s involved with has something on it that makes you go “wow, when will this guy stop writing such great songs”. This album from 2004 showcases what he does best, even including contributions from Lucinda Williams and Emmylou Harris and really does stick two-fingers up to his critics – nice one Declan.

[03] Steve Winwood – Raging Sea
Another of Santa’s gifts – what did I do to deserve pups with such good taste in music – or were they all buy one get one free? Anyway, this song from his Nine Lives album has such a good riff and groove – apparently very hard to play – and demonstrates that quality music is still being made. Unfortunately there aren’t many new bands doing it – thank God for the old gits.

[04] Ian Drury and The Blockheads – Wake Up And Make Love With Me
And talking of gits – here’s one that is sadly missed. What a song, what a groove, what poetry, what a shame he’s not here now to show some of the young arseholes how to make music. One thing I’ve always thought is – shouldn’t it be Wake up and Make Love to me, not With Me? Anyway, I hear there’s a film out soon about the man – let’s hope his music will be heard and enjoyed by a new audience.

I come awake
with the gift for womankind
you’re still asleep
but the gift don’t seem to mind
rise on this occasion
halfway up your back
sliding down your body
touching your behind
you look so self-possessed
I won’t disturb your rest
it’s lovely when you’re sleeping
but wide awake is best
ow, wake up and make love with me

wake up and make love
wake up and make love with me
I don’t wanna make you
i’ll let the fancy take you
and you’ll wake up and make love
you come awake
in a horny morning mood
and we’ll have a proper wriggle
in the naughty, naked nude
roll against my body
get me where you want me
what happens next is private
it’s also very rude
i’ll go and get the post
and make some tea and toast
you have another sleep luv
it’s me that needs it most
ow, wake up and make love with me
wake up and make love
wake up and make love with me
I don’t wanna make you
i’ll let the fancy take you
and your’ll wake up and make love
wake up and make love with me
wake up and make love
wake up and make love with me
wake up and make love
wake up
wake up
wake up
wake up

[05] Mumford & Sons – Sigh No More
You may think I don’t like any new bands – wrong of course – I’m always on the lookout for something fresh that makes me go “mmm…I like that” and this band do. Their album is full of great harmonies, great songs and a guy that knows his way around a banjo. I wouldn’t say “I have been completely mesmerized by this maelstrom of musical wizardry. It is the most uplifting music I have heard for many a year” as some guy wrote on Amazon but it’s good, good enough for me to include here.

[06] Ruthie Foster – Heal Yourself
What a voice, as good as anything you’ll hear this year – what a shame the album title makes me want to puke. Anyway, ignore that and you will discover the joy that is Ruthie Foster, backed by a great band the album offers a stylish and well-designed framework for Foster’s booming voice on such songs as Sister Rosetta Tharpe’s “Up Above My Head” and Eric Bibb’s “A Friend Like You”. Her own songs don’t really reach the same heights but it’s still gospel/blues at its very best.

The Phantom Band – [07] The Whole Is On My Side [08] Folk Song Oblivion [09] Island
As my notes on this band in February’s Album of the Month post reveal, I do like this album. I also like the fact that the band can do it live as my pups reckon these were one of the highlights of last year’s Greenman Festival – now you can’t say this about all new bands. The three songs chosen here showcase the band at its best and demonstrate that they do allow a song to breathe (the 3 songs are over 20 minutes long) and flow together really well.

[10] Elton John – Captain Fantastic and The Brown Dirt Cowboy
Yes you hear right – Elton John, that fat, gay, bald arsehole that makes bland, boring music for the coffee table. That’s now – but cast your mind back to the five years between 1970 – 1975 when he was a young and talented singer/songwriter and produced (with Bernie Taupin of course) a series of classic albums that are quite simply stunning. Listen to Tumbleweed Connection, Madman Across the Water, Honky Château, Goodbye Yellow Brick Road and of course Captain Fantastic And The Brown Dirt Cowboy and you will hear genius.

Captain Fantastic raised and regimented, hardly a hero
Just someone his mother might know
Very clearly a case for corn flakes and classics
“Two teas both with sugar please”
In the back of an alley

While little Dirt Cowboys turned brown in their saddles
Sweet chocolate biscuits and red rosy apples in summer
For it’s hay make and “Hey mom, do the papers say anything good.
Are there chances in life for little Dirt Cowboys
Should I make my way out of my home in the woods”

Brown Dirt Cowboy, still green and growing
City slick Captain
Fantastic the feedback
The honey the hive could be holding
For there’s weak winged young sparrows that starve in the winter
Broken young children on the wheels of the winners

And the sixty-eight summer festival wallflowers are thinning

For cheap easy meals and hardly a home on the range
Too hot for the band with a desperate desire for change
We’ve thrown in the towel too many times
Out for the count and when we’re down

Captain Fantastic and the Brown Dirt Cowboy
From the end of the world to your town

And all this talk of Jesus coming back to see us
Couldn’t fool us

For we were spinning out our lines walking on the wire
Hand in hand went music and the rhyme
The Captain and the Kid stepping in the ring
From here on sonny sonny sonny, it’s a long and lonely climb

[11] A A Bondy – When the Devil’s Loose
A. A. Bondy, also known as Scott Bondy, is an American folk/alternative artist and his album almost made it as my album of the month but was pipped at the post by The Phantom Band – and even I couldn’t justify having two. It was also very hard selecting two songs from it as they are all so good.

Robert Plant – 3 In A Row:
[12] Robert Plant & the Strange Sensation – Another Tribe
 
 
 
 
 
 
[13] Scott Matthews – 12 Harps (duet with Plant)
 
 
 
 
 
 
[14] The Honeydrippers – Sea of Love
 
 
 
 
 
 
What can you say that hasn’t already been said about the great man – I know – Robert Plant dances like a tin of beans. Don’t think I’ve heard that before but it’s true, and if you watch him live (as I have done a lot lately) you will agree that his has no groove, no mojo, the man can’t dance.

But, of course this doesn’t matter much when you’re recognized by 93% of people with ears to be one of the outstanding vocal talents of the 20th Century. And he’s still doing it – still contributing fantastic music – still singing – still delighting us. Long may it continue.

[15] Lee Morgan – The Sidewinder
My Dad is a big jazz fan, has been for over 50 years – he even saw the likes of Duke Ellington and Count Basie play live when he was a youngster. Now I don’t follow his obsession with jazz but I did spend some quality time with him last summer when he played me his favorite jazz tracks and albums. One of these was Lee Morgan who was a prolific recorder, both on his own and with the likes of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers and John Coltrane. This track is just perfect with its groove and style and superb soloing from Morgan on trumpet, Joe Henderson – tenor saxophone, Billy Higgins – drums, Barry Harris – piano and Bob Cranshaw on bass – mmm …nice.

[16] Susan Tedeschi – Back to the River
Couldn’t find any Derek Trucks in Doha but I did find his wife – and what a pleasant surprise this is. I hadn’t heard anything from her before but have really enjoyed this album – great songs, great guitar; really tight band reminds of Bonnie Raitt… oooh back to the river…
 
 
[17] Chris Smither – Someone Like Me
This song is from Time Stands Still which is the eleventh album from Smither in a career that started in the 70’s with his first album I’m A Stranger, Too!. Also worked with Bonnie Raitt writing Love You Like A Man for her. What I really like about this guy is not only his range of emotion – you can hear in his voice that he’s led a life worth living, but it’s also how he shapes and develops these songs. They’re simple songs but convey a deepness, a message that only artists who know themselves can achieve.

[18] A A Bondy – Mightiest of Guns
The hardest thing for me was only picking two songs from this album as it’s all so good. This is the opening track and sets the scene with its wonderful melody and crisp vocal – it’s one of those rare albums that once you have played it; you feel you want to play it again straight away.
 
 
[19] The Boxer Rebellion – Misplaced
This song is just massive and it’s one that almost slipped under the radar as it took me ages to really appreciate it. I’ve always enjoyed the album, it contains some good songs, Evacuate and Soviets to name but two, but it wasn’t until one night while playing with my shuffle that this song came on and just blew me away. It has layers and layers of wonderful sounds that just ooze quality – the guitar and vocal working together so well – the pace and silence make this a treasure reminding me of Coldplay’s first album. Bet Chris Martin wishes he could write songs like this now.

Misplaced
Given chances you won’t take
Shy away from the heart ache
Just a means to an end

Your quick fix
In the ring of the conflict
With nothing to work with
And nothing in mind

And then
We’ll rise
With fire in our eyes
And take you by surprise
Make up, deceive
a voice to receive
A light that never leaves

Slow right down

Lost love
With little to speak of
These feelings of bad blood
Must go quickly away

Your loose ends
Realising your true friends
In a war that no one wins
Let the sleeping dogs lie

[20] Big Big Train – Summers Lease
The last track on The Difference Machine album and what a way to end what is an excellent album. It is sort of old school progressive rock, sounding especially like early Genesis and Yes but hey who cares – I hear great melodies, strong songs, a wonderful flute and a band that are doing what they want. This song is one of many highlights (see also Perfect Cosmic Storm) and shows a more modern and folkie side to the band – incidentally visit their website for loads of free stuff including now a four hour podcast with interviews with the band and what influenced them.

[21] Drive By Truckers – Goodbye
And the time has come to say goodbye for another Music Mix and I can’t think of many better ways than with the Drive By Truckers – such a good band, such a good song. The only problem with these guys is that there are so many albums to buy – not only from the band itself but all the solo albums from past and present members.

They’ve been called the Lynyrd Skynyrd for the indie-rock set, but that tag does the band a bit of a disservice as they are their own band and have created their own sound and produced some excellent albums.

Anyway, enough of me – I hope you have enjoyed another installment of my favorite tunes. Remember to let me know if you like or dislike a song or if you wish to chat about anything else related to the music here.

The Music Mix 07 [a 154mb zip file] will be available for one month from today – until midnight on 28 February 2010.

Please support the artists – if you like a track, buy the album!

Laughing Dog

Cover image by Troy Stoi

January 2010 Music Mix Notes
Please remember to respect copyright law; if you like a song from the mix, there’s a very good chance you will also like the album – so do me and the artist a favour and buy the CD.

Thought I would try something a little new for this month – with two 3-in-a-rows to be found in the mix. I’m not getting all Lord of the Rings on you – simply added 3 songs from my album of the year and 3 songs all connected to one artist – in this case Dave Rawlings.

As always, I hope you receive the deepest joy and pleasure from the magical moments contained within – I know I did putting the mix together – either way, let me know. Oh, and if you like a song buy the album.

Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood – Them Changes
A great way to start the New Year, a new mix with an old Hendrix/Band of Gypsy’s song that’s over 40 years old. But time doesn’t stop this being a classic and Clapton and Winwood make it sound so fresh and alive – the rest of the album is just as good, overflowing with Blind Faith/Clapton/Winwood songs.

Rush – Earthshine
One of my favourite songs from their more recent albums – just love Lifeson’s guitar as the song simply powers along. Great version on their live Rio CD and DVD.
 
 
 
Deep Purple – Never Before
For all his faults, Ritchie Blackmore knew how to play a guitar and as this track highlights could play it funky as well. From their 1972 Machine Head album this song reminds me so much of my youth and the days and nights listening to songs from Purple/Zep et al. – deep joy.
 

Heartless Bastards – The Mountain
I do like a song that plods along – and this song is such a great plodder. The band are new to me with this song from their third album also called ‘The Mountain’. The rest of the album is just as good – blues/rock led by Erika Wennerstrom, who does the plodding on the guitar.
 

AC/DC – Love Song
I know what you’re thinking – I thought the same, “This isn’t AC/DC”. Well it is and it’s actually a great song – very different but very good. Originally only released on the Australian version of ‘High Voltage’, ‘Love Song’ evolved from an unrecorded song called ‘Fell In Love’, also written by Malcolm Young and Dave Evans. This earlier version of the song had different lyrics; the finished lyrics as heard on the album were added by the late Bon Scott.

Neil Young – The Loner
On November 9-10, 1968, Young performed two shows at Canterbury House in Ann Arbor, Michigan. This song comes from these performances and shows Young at his acoustic best. It took me a while to enjoy the whole Neil Young thing but like a good whine its gets better as it matures.

Staff Benda Bilili – Sala Keba, Moto Moindo and Je t’aime
The first of my three-in-a-rows involves my album of the year – Très Très Fort by Staff Benda Bilili. I bought this CD while on holiday in the UK after reading a couple of reviews. Two things caught my attention in these reviews, first the fact that they were compared to the Buena Vista Social Club and secondly they sounded so different to anything else I has heard of before, almost like a bad Hollywood B movie. I simply had to buy.

As you can read in my Album of the Year post, the music is simply stunning, with these 3 songs only partially demonstrating the sheer joy and almost childlike genius contained in the album. It’s also interesting how well Sala Keba follows Neil Young – like it was meant to be.

Lee Fields & The Expressions – Ladies
….and this follows on nicely from Je t’aime and has such a good groove:
 
 

“You’re sugar. You’re spice and everything nice.
A man is incomplete without a lady in his life.
You can take a bad day and make it turn out right.
You can take a blind soul and make him see the light.
You can take a broken heart and make it new again.
Or you can break his heart and make him less than a man.
You can make a man feel like a king.”

Fabbo lyrics from a man who is a bona-fide, 100%, unadulterated, pure, gut-bucket soul singer – nothing more nothing less. And he does make some sweet Soul music.

Four Tet – And Then Patterns
From the album Everything Ecstatic comes a little bit of electronica for the month and what a good song to pick. Four Tet’s previous album (Rounds) is, I think, better, but this song stands out for me as just perfect, chill out music with a lovely melody and back beat – mmm nice.
 

El Perro Del Mar – Change of Heart
El Perro Del Mar has been nominated in 6 categories at the Swedish Grammy Award 2010 – Best album, Best composer, Best pop, Best producer, Best writer and MTV’s Best video. It’s a lovely dreamy, mellow song that just floats around your head after a few listens. El Perro Del Mar literally means The Dog from the Sea in Spanish and is a musical project that was founded in December 2003 in Gothenburg, Sweden by Sarah Assbring and follows on perfectly from Four Tet.

Gillian Welch – Revelator
 
 
 
 
 
 
Dave Rawlings Machine – Method Acting / Cortez The Killer
 
 
 
 
 
 
Bright Eyes – Four Winds
 
 
 
 
 
 
Are all part of my second ‘three-in-a-row’ with the link being Dave Rawlings. I first heard of Rawlings on Gillian Welch’s album Time (The Revelator) and was intrigued by the sound of his guitar. To achieve this sound he flat picks a small archtop guitar, a 1935 Epiphone Olympic. This guitar makes such a distinctive sound and has been his primary instrument since hitting the big time with Welch. The one he uses for recording and shows has a carved arched solid spruce wood top, a carved arched solid mahogany back and mahogany sides – must weigh a ton on stage!
Great lyrics on Revelator:

Darling remember from when you come to me
that I’m the pretender,
I’m not what I’m supposed to be
but who could know, lf I’m a traitor?
Times the revelator, revelator.

They caught the katy, and left me a mule to ride.
The fortune lady came along she walked beside,
but every word seemed to date her.
Times the revelator, the revelator.

Up in the morning up and on the ride.
I drive in to corning and all the spindles whine
and every day is getting straighter.
Times the revelator the revelator

Leaving the valley and fucking out of sight
I’ll go back to cali where I can sleep out every night
and watch the waves and move the fader.
Queen of fakes and Imitators
Times the revelator.

The final track (Four Winds) is such a good track bouncing along like a Space Hopper on heat. Ranked #5 on Rolling Stone’s list of the 100 Best Songs of 2007, it’s my favorite track on a very good album.

Teitur – Catherine the Waitress
Teitur (pronounced Tie-tor) is a singer-songwriter from the Faroe Islands. He has toured extensively throughout Europe and the United States since releasing his major label debut, Poetry & Aeroplanes. I first heard of Teitur on Corrine Bailey Rae’s first album when he co-wrote ‘Choux Pastry Heart’ – a lovely sparse ballad. This made me buy Poetry & Aeroplanes which is good but one of those albums which I sadly don’t play very often (I have this week though). His latest album The Singer has been described as “a delicate chrysalis that conceals darker matter” and “like aural marmite” which just about sums it up.

Catherine the waitress if you only knew where my mind is
“Is there anything you’d like?”
If I could only tell you!
You haven’t even noticed me, but, oh you are so good to me!

Catherine the waitress I don’t intend to seduce you.
I’m not a resident, I’m not a regular.
But if I lived here this would be my favourite bar!
Cross my heart and hope to die,
I’m not drunk, I’m not high!

The accident happened one year ago, according to the lines in my hand.
A requiem is playing behind my eyes,
but you don’t see it, Catherine, do you?

Catherine the waitress if you only knew where my mind is
“Is there anything you’d like?”
If I could only tell you.
You haven’t even noticed me, but, oh you are so good to me!”

Foo Fighters – Wheels
Sometimes you have to remind yourself that the Foo Fighters are one of the biggest rock bands on the planet. This is because — despite the fact that they’ve sold millions of albums, won Grammys, toured the world several times etc. — they are basically four normal guys. Half of them look like art teachers. The other half are drummers. None of them are really rock stars. This is probably why I like them so much.

This new song from their greatest hits collection is a grand example of a rock song even though it had received some bad press – I don’t really know why but it reminds me of a Neil Young song, not sure which one maybe it’s the style of song.

Eric Clapton – Sweet Home Chicago
One of only two music DVDs I own, the other being ‘Rush in Rio’, so a small but perfectly formed collection. Played the Clapton DVD the other day and had forgotten how good it is, with this song my favourite. I did buy an old Robert Johnson collection but it failed to get me moving like this remake – which I know is a shame.

Space Ritual – Otherworld
I think their mission statement from their website says it all really:

“After light years of travel through hyper-space, learning and experiencing the ancient rituals, the cosmic wheel, the hurricanes and solar winds from a far off nebulae, the great shifting of astronomical tides – the vermillion deserts and jeweled forests of other planes and planets, through electric madness and asteroid storms, black holes, exploding galaxies, supernovae, red dwarfs, influence of anti-matter, fantemattir, through solar flares, past the rabbit in the moon, back again on course now through the galaxies of love and light to beam down to your beloved Terra Earth Base 1.

Returning for a rare manifestation on the material plane at a stabilized energy vibration-point near you – after their long search for intelligent life throughout the cosmos (despite some problems with some Earth cultures) but performing the ritual of uniting the tribes – all beings at different levels of spiritual development communicate the groove, joining in the true spirit, aspiring to the flame. The bright white light, the one love, loving awareness, getting higher together, have fun, greet and meet, move seat and feet to the beat, with Space?Ritual on tour.”

I will add that it’s a great song from a bunch of old Hawkwind geezers

Keith Jarrett – God Bless the Child
Now this really is a gift to you and something that should chill you out after the mayhem of unwrapping presents and fighting for the stuffing.

Keith Jarrett with Gary Peacock on bass and Jack DeJohnette on drums just oozes class and sophistication. This track is from their first Standards album (both are excellent) and it’s the album I always listen to when I need to relax, especially on a day like today as it puts all the madness of this world into perspective and leaves me feeling like my world ain’t a bad place to be.

Once again we’re at the end of my Music Mix – I hope you enjoy.

All the best, Laughing Dog

Don’t forget – if you like a song on the Mix, let me know, I’d love your feedback.

The Music Mix 06 [a 178mb zip file] will be available for one month from today – until midnight on 31 January 2010.

Please support the artists – if you like a track, buy the album!

Music for the Month ~ Music Mix 06 ~ January 2010