Random Discogs Entry

This is relatively recent addition as I continue my Jazz collecting and education. Not immediately as enjoyable as some others I have, but good nonetheless. I think it needs a few more listens.

Eleanor Rigby though, the second track on side 1, is where Jazz and me part ways. Nope. I don’t want or need to listen to Jazz versions of Beatles songs.

The rest of the album is fine though and I’ll continue to include it in my jazz weekends.

Random Discogs Entry

Kimono My House, like lots of people I am guessing, was my first exposure to Sparks. My brother owned it back then and I think I first snuck in to his bedroom and listened to it around 1980ish, and of course was blown away.

Since then I’ve had an on/off relationship with the band. I much prefer the early releases, but Hello Young Lovers in 2006 pulled me back in to listen to their newer stuff. I liked that album so much it has joined my 1970s Sparks LP collection.

The recent release makes me realise I have a lot of catching up to do.

Random Discogs Entry

Dollar Brand (real name Abdullah Ibrahim, born Adolph Johannes Brand), Anatomy of a South African Village is a live recording from 1965, recorded in Copenhagen. It features some of Ibrahim’s earliest work, including the title track. Anatomy was originally written for a full orchestra, but we are given a more compact, cut down piano version of the work with this record.

Just a shade under 15 minutes, the title track starts off with a single piano playing traditional jazz style over the thrumb of mingling voices in the audience. You can almost smell the cigarette smoke.

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From the album The World Of Folk

Jon Raven was the brother of author and musician Michael Raven, father of the late Ministry and Killing Joke bassist Paul Raven.

A compilation album of fairly traditional folk songs.

• Title: The World Of Folk
• Artist: Various Artists
• Format: LP
• Label: Argo
• Catalogue: SPA-A 132
• Year: 1971

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I have a lot of Bert Jansch vinyl because, well, he’s a genius. This particular version of Blackwaterside is on the Live At The 12 Bar LP and it’s so moving and raw with Jansch’s inimitable guitar style and wonderful vocals.

I’m not an overly emotional person, but I cried the day Bert passed away. He had many years left of amazing music and I can honestly say I miss him.

• Title: Live At The 12 Bar
• Artist: Bert Jansch
• Format: LP
• Cat Number: BF90566
• Released: 2015

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There is a lot of Gilberto Gil in the collection. I forget when and where I first heard him, but he’s hard to beat for pure feel good music. Makes an excellent soundtrack to a BBQ which, incidentally, is what we’ll be doing today 😄

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A local(ish) band for me growing up, The Manics have been a constant soundtrack over the years. I have every album. This one was a bit less Manic like than most, but still a good record.

Random Discogs Track

Today’s random track was part of a mass of CD singles I got from an indie record shop that closed down sometime around 1999/2000. I moved a lot of them on, as well as all the 45rpm singles (which I now wish I hadn’t done quite so indiscriminately). I kept the Longpig’s ones though.

It was the first time I’d come across them and it was Lost Myself and She Said that I first played and fell in love with. On And On I only played later, but again instantly liked it.

Longpigs were at the very tail end of Brit Pop, but all the traits are there and I’d have no hesitation as classing them as such.

If you don’t know them, and you like Brit Pop, have a listen. I think you’ll be impressed.

• Artist: Longpigs
• Title: On And On
• Format: CDSingle
• Label: Mother Records
• Cat: MUMCD74

What else could it be really?

One of the finest songs ever written.

Random Discogs Track

I used to own this single many years ago and recently re-acquired it, like a week or so ago. The nature of random means it was selected by the shaky phone Discogs mechanism this morning.

You won’t find this on streaming platforms, a minor ‘hit’ in 1981 (60 something in the charts) but I always liked it. If not Mod Revival I’d say Mod Revival Adjacent, but they were a bit too silly (see the video below!) to be taken seriously, which is a shame as this track has a certain something.

Watch with your eyes closed and you might see what I mean.

Small Ads on YouTube

• Title: Small Ads
• Artist: Small Ads
• Format: 7” Single 45rpm
• Year: 1981
• Label: Bronze