A Springsteen Quicky

In the world of Bruce there are some things that rarely happen and cancelling shows is one of them. However, Bruce's cousin, a member of his road crew, died suddenly a couple of days ago and the show in Kansas City was pulled. I think the last time a show was pulled was when Danny Federici died last year. Bruce hits the stage again tonight at the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame show in Madison Square Garden - sure to be a good 'un.

Elsewhere in Bruceland an interesting remix of State Trooper has emerged from Trentmoller. I have a soft spot for Trentmoller's moody electronics so this is well worth a listen.

Bruce Springsteen - State Trooper (Trentmoller remix)

My New Favourite Old Singer

This week's Contrast Podcast features songs about the stomach and guts and at last I have found a way to offer a song by the late and great Jake Thackray. I first heard Jake on Steve Wright's Sunday Love Songs of all places; a god-forsaken audio location filled with repeat plays of 'Move Closer' by Phyllis Nelson, 'True' by Spandau Ballet and 'I Will Always Love You' by Dolly or Whitney (to ensure some variety). However, for some reason Mr Wright played 'La-Di-Dah' by Jake Thackray and my ears tingled (metaphorically of course). I explored further via the interthingy and found that he was a) dead and b) highly regarded, with a dedicated following of er...followers.

Amazon were offering a compilation for £3.99, so I took a gamble and that night listened to this in bed. I should explain that Mrs Kev sleeps easier than I and so I tend to spend a while listening to my ipod in bed each night before I finally drift off. Such are the pleasures of married life after 17 years! Anyway, Jake Thackray's songs are often, as I found that night, hilarious and I began to chuckle during 'On Again On Again' which begins with the wonderful line 'I love a good bum on a woman'. Shortly afterwards came 'Sister Josephine' and I was weeping with laughter. Unfortunately Mrs Kev felt my shudders and grumpily, but not unreasonably, asked what the hell I was up to. Anyway, since that evening I have explored much more of his music and am currently enjoying the 4 disc compilation 'Jake In A Box' available from itunes for the incredible price of £7.99 for 97 tracks!

Now, I have spent all my life as a music fan and thought I'd heard of everyone. So I assumed Jake Thackray was some little known artiste. I began mentioning him to others and my uncle, father-in-law, and mate at work all said -- 'Oh yes, I remember him'. It turns out he was on telly quite a lot in the 70s, on shows like 'That's Life' and from what I can gather was a sort of Northern Richard Stilgoe. But...and here's the important bit...that was all bollocks. Listening now, you can hear that his work has a deep and at times dark, sensuality, a wicked humour and an ability to employ language which is as profound at times as Alan Bennet. In short, he is way more than simply a comic folk singer, and instead deserves to be seen as a man who, like many great artists, viewed the ways of the world with a detachment that allowed him to both mourn and celebrate what it means to be alive in this strange world we have created. Imagine if Bob Dylan wrote lyrics you could understand - that's Jake Thackray. Admired by such people as Morrissey, Alec Turner, Jarvis Cocker and Ian McMillan, it's clear that this is a man who's work needs to be heard by more people.

And so my campaign begins to have Mr T recognised by the movers and shakers of the modern music world i.e bloggers. So download and share, explore further, and revel in the wonder of the sampled songs below.

Or as Dirk would say....Enjoy!

On Again! On Again!
Sister Josephine
The Blacksmith and The Toffee Maker

Sunday Night Blues

I'm one of those saddoes who enjoys checking out unusual reimaginings of great songs (see Hungry Heart cover below). And there are few songs greater than New Order's Love Vigilantes. A recent version appeared by Iron and Wine and it is a stripped down version that flags up the melancholic genius of the original. It is currently popping up on various blog sites and I'm nothing if not a sheep who follows the cool crowd...er, flock. In a recent interview Bernard Sumner gave this version his seal of approval, and if it's good enough for Bernie.......

Also for your delectation a gentle string version that doesn't quite work, but may help soothe restless grandparents. This is the version they will probably be playing when I am finally slumped in a chair in a retirement home, 99 years old, drooling, smelling faintly of wee and wondering when New Order will be touring again.

There is also a nice version by Laura Cantrell on Spotify but I don't have an mp3 of that. I think if I ever get round to forming a band I too will cover Love Vigilantes.

Enjoy

Love Vigilantes - Iron & Wine

Love Vigilantes - The String Quartet

More Jockos!

I'm feeling patriotic tonight so I thought I'd offer up more music from the land of tartan, shortbread and bagpipes. Most of the cool music from Scotland is found under discussion at The Vinyl Villain, but The Proclaimers? At first glance they seem, as they did when they first appeared, geeky and very un rock 'n' roll. However, from day 1 they have always been passionate about what they do and their great gift has been to convey that to more and more people. The Proclaimers now have a huge fan base and whilst I wouldn't claim to be a huge Proclaimers lover, I have always admired them. But Sunshine On Leith I DO love.

When it appeared in 1988 it was reviewed in the NME and I still remember them raving about its heady mix of sex, politics, love, loss, all wrapped up in a musical mix that evoked peak Van Morrison and Prince. It remains one of those few albums that is strong throughout, and even though the style of songs vary, the quality is maintained. Special mention goes to Oh Jean, the literal climax of the album. The tale of back of the bus conjugals with a willing young lady it offers a 'musical orgasm' to match The Beatles' more famous attempt on Sgt Pepper. I'll leave you to seek that on your own.

Instead, two lovely tracks. First a cover of Steve Earl's 'My Old Friend The Blues' which tops the original, and 'Sunshine On Leith' a beautiful song about my home town. Glasgow has the upper hand when it comes to music in Scotland, but this song about Edinburgh tips the scales a little towards the East coast for a change. The music of The Proclaimers has been turned into a stage musical which apparently is excellent, and I hope to see it one day. The Reid brothers tour later this year so maybe I'll pop along.

The Proclaimers - My Old Friend The Blues

The Proclaimers - Sunshine On Leith