From Blogger to Wordpress...

Please note I have now moved my blogs to Wordpress. Please amend your links to: http://jocknroll.wordpress.com/

The old Jocknroll and World of Misery Guts blogs have been amalgamated into Jocknroll Ain't Noise Pollution, which will cover "music and musings". Please amend your links accordingly.

Many thanks

Paul aka The Cat aka Misery Guts

The Cat on "Where The Action Is" Kirkcaldy VRN 1287 AM - Sunday 9 May 2010

A year older but none the wiser. Where The Action Is continues to weave its magic and pull more musical surprises from its top hat. In this afternoon's show...

The Open Mind - Cast A Spell (Philips 1969)
Floyd Cramer - On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)
Jackson Sisters - Miracles (Prophecy 1973)
Karen Verros - You Just Gotta Know My Mind (Dot 1965)
The Kinks - Australia (Pye 1969)
The Seekers - Georgy Girl (Columbia 1966)
Kim Weston - Looking For The Right Guy (Motown 1964)
Doris Troy - Tomorrow Is Another Day (Atlantic 1963)
The Soul Agents - The Seventh Son (Pye 1964) (Connect 3)
Nancy Sinatra - Last of the Secret Agents (Reprise 1966) (Connect 3)
Edwin Starr - Agent Double-O Soul (Ric-Tic 1965) (Connect 3)
The Living Daylights - Let's Live for Today (Philips 1967)
Lulu - Stop Fooling Around (Decca 1965)
The She Trinity - He Fought The Law (Columbia 1966) (Birthday: 9/5/67 Sonny Curtis)
Fontella Bass - Recovery (Chess 1965)
Tammi Terrell - Come On and See Me (Motown 1966)
Jacques Brel - Mathilde (Barclay 1964) (Foreign Language)
Twinkle - Ain't Nobody Home But Me (Decca 1965)
The John Barry Orchestra - Beat for Beatniks (Columbia 1960) (Half-Time Instrumental)
The Isley Brothers - Behind A Painted Smile (Tamla 1968)
Unit 4+2 - I Will (Fontana 1969)
The Message - Rum-Bum-A-Loo (Trojan 1970) (Trojan Mod Reggae)
Cher - See See Rider (Imperial 1965)
A Band of Angels - (Accept) My Invitation (Piccadilly 1966)
The Mindbenders - The Morning After (Fontana 1966)
Fountains of Wayne - Better Things (Rykodisc 2002) (Under The Influence)
The Starlets - You Don't Love Me (Tower 1965)
Buddy Britten and the Regents - Right Now (Piccadilly 1965)
Martha Reeves and the Vandellas - Motoring (Gordy 1965)
Shorty Long - Devil in the Blue Dress (Soul 1964) (Connect 3)
Rupert & The Red Devils - It's For You (Unreleased 1962) (Connect 3)
Goodnight Kisses - Devil in the Dark (Atco 1965) (Connect 3)
The Mirror - Faster Than Light (Philips 1968)
The Liverbirds - Talking About You (Star-Club)
Helen Shapiro - Kiss n Run (Columbia 1960) (Two of a Kind)
Helen Shapiro - Easy Come Easy Go (Columbia 1963) (Two of a Kind)
Eddie Holland - Leaving Here (Motown 1964)
Paul Revere & The Raidres - Kicks (Columbia 1966)
Floyd Cramer - On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)

If you're in the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, you can tune in on channel 3 on your hospital bedside or on 1287AM on the Medium Wave.

That's it for this week. Until next time, it's good day and good health.

Night Noise Team - You Won (Permwhale Recordings)

Night Noise Team's new single 'You Won' will be released on 17th May, 2010. It will be available on download only from iTunes, Napster, Amazon, www.myspace.com/nightnoiseteam and http://nightnoiseteam.bandcamp.com/

'You Won' is the follow-up to NNT's positively- received debut single 'Menolick' which garnered global podcast and blogging kudos (including airplay support from BBC 6Music's Steve Lamacq, various BBC Radio 1 shows and independent radio stations).

'You Won' is a captivating, expansive pop track tooled up for the summer. Inspired by a pub conversation about Chris Marker's 1962 French film classic 'La Jetee', the song was developed during last orders and the walk back to NNT's Edinburgh studio. Recording began the same night with a cameo from an irate neighbour who threatened to call the council Night Noise Team but ended up contributing an ethereal backing vocal.

The band has been together for 2 years and consists of Sean Ormsby from Belfast on vocals and guitar, Fabien Pinardon from Paris on bass, Marco Morelli from Milan on guitar and drummer Mike Walker from Dunfermline. Currently based in Edinburgh, Night Noise Team has been invited to play with Thomas Truax, Mercury-nominated The Invisible and Goldhawks at Glasgow's King Tut's as well as appearing on a compilation of Scottish bands with Meursault and Sparrow and the Workshop.

Night Noise Team's music has been compared to Galaxie 500, Arab Strap, Scissor Sisters, David Bowie and Belle and Sebastian by reviewers from NME, The Skinny, The List and Daily Record amongst others.

'You Won' is an infectious pop confection, a dancefloor anthem with a dark edge.

The French Wives - Me vs Me

Glasgow's French Wives release their excellent new single "Me vs Me" on Monday 17 May 2010.

This wonderfully bright and sparky single will be officially launched at the Glasgow School of Art on Friday 14 May 2010, with support from Endor and Blue Sky. A mere £5 for 3 great bands.

You can view their promo film HERE, which, they say, features "genuine old versions" of themselves.

You can also catch the band in the flesh at these places in the near future:

Mon 17 May - Avalanche Records, Glasgow (Acoustic in-store at 5pm)
Sun 23 May - Madhouse @ The Lock Tavern, London
Sat 12 Jun - Strongbow Stage @ Rockness, Inverness
Sat 19 Jun - Insider Festival, Aviemore
Tue 22 Jun - Brel - West End Festival, Glasgow
Fri 16 Jul - The Tunnels - Aberdeen

You can also purchase the single from their small but perfectly formed shop HERE. I love the t-shirt design so much I've bought one. You should too!

Fence Records announces first Away Game

After seven years of hosting the Home Game event in our home town of Anstruther, Fife, we at Fence Records are proud to announce details of our very first Away Game!

The Away Game will be taking place over the 24th – 26th of September 2010, on the beautifully remote isle of Eigg, located in the Inner Hebrides of Scotland.

With a population of just 70 people (plus a lot of sheep, some cows, and a big bastard bull called Dougald), the isle of Eigg has a strong sense of community – and all the islanders have a real thirst for a good party – the ideal location, then, for a Fence Records event!

Hosted by King Creosote and The Pictish Trail, the weekend will feature a bevvy of great music from the Fence Collective and special guests, as well as a chance to explore the island, meet old friends, and make new pals too.

The Pictish Trail: “Our first Away Game is gonna be a proper adventure! We wanted to capture the spirit of Home Game, and take it somewhere a bit bonkers. Since our very first Home Game, people have asked us to put on an Away Game in their hometown … but we’ve been secretly wanting to do something on Eigg for years. The scenery over there is absolutely gobsmacking – and the atmosphere is perfect for a party. I was over on the island recently, and everyone I met there is really excited about meeting you Fencers! I can’t reveal the line-up just yet … but ticketholders are in for a real treat”.

What makes this event different from the Home Game is that ticket holders will have the opportunity to camp, instead of having to fork out for B’n’B’s or other accommodation. So, expect campfire sing-a-longs, and amazing views out to sea.

As this is our first official Fence event of this type, we’re making it extremely limited – selling just 150 camping tickets.

Tickets for The Fence Records’ Away Game will go on sale on Monday 24th May, at 12 noon – on the Fence Records website, www.fencerecords.com .

Tickets are priced at £90.00 each, and are inclusive of camping and arranged ferries to and from the island.

We’re chartering a couple of ferries from the coastal town of Arisaig on Friday afternoon (24th September), and some ferries returning to the mainland on the Sunday afternoon and Monday morning (26th/27th September). There’s a thrice-daily train service between Arisaig and Glasgow Queen Street – and we’ve timed all the ferries so that they synchronise with these.

Music is going to take place on the Friday night, from around 8/9pm, until very late … and then will start again from mid-afternoon until late on the Saturday. The Sunday will be a day to recover/sleep – and there’ll be a ferry to take some folk back home in the afternoon, and another on the Monday morning.

As with most Fence events, we’re not going to reveal the line-up for a wee while yet … but, rest assured, there’ll be a good mix of all your usual Fence Collective favourites … and some very special guests. To give you an idea of the type of music, here’s whom we’ve had play at previous Fence events …

FOUR TET MALCOLM MIDDLETON KT TUNSTALL MARINA & THE DIAMONDS THE WHIP JON HOPKINS ARCHIE BRONSON OUTFIT ALEXIS TAYLOR (HOT CHIP) GREEN GARTSIDE (SCRITTI POLITTI) THE UNTHANKS DJANGO DJANGO ADRIAN CROWLEY THE BLUEBELLS EMMA POLLOCK THE CONCRETES SPARE SNARE EAGLEOWL ADEM KARINE POLWART JOHN MACLEAN (THE ALIENS / BETA BAND) THE PHANTOM BAND DE ROSA DAVID THOMAS BROUGHTON STUART BRAITHWAITE (MOGWAI) MARY HAMPTON THE CHEEK JOSIE LONG SLOW CLUB THE SKYGREEN LEOPARDS ALASDAIR ROBERTS KING BISCUIT TIME (STEVE MASON) VIKING MOSES PANTHA DU PRINCE WITHERED HAND BITMAP FRANCES MCKEE (THE VASELINES) AIDAN SMITH FONDA 500 BALLBOY RAY RUMOURS JOHNNY FLYNN EUGENE MCGUINNESS CHRIST. BLOOD MUSIC to name but a few … !

Keep your eyes peeled to the Fence Records site over the next few weeks for more info on the weekend – including travel information, line-up etc. There’s also a thread on our messageboard (the Beef Board), where you can ask questions – you can visit it by clicking HERE.

The Cat on "Where The Action Is" Kirkclady VRN 1287AM - Sunday 2 May 2010

Here we are again, May is upon us and I'm almost a year old, if not wiser. As is my wont I shall be providing a show of blatant and unapologetic self-indulgence. It's my birthday tomorrow and I'll play what I want to. Having said that, I shall remain pretty much within the normal musical parameters of my show. You'll hear artists and songs featuring "Paul", "Cat", "Birthday" and "Party", even amongst the usual features. Happy Birthday To Me!

The Beatles - Birthday (Apple 1968)
Floyd Cramer - On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)
Barbara Ruskin - Cats Eyes (Unreleased, Year Unknown)
Paul Craig - Midnight Girl (CBS 1966)
Annette Funicello - Tall Paul (Disneyland 1958)
Paul and Barry Ryan - I Love How You Love Me (Decca 1966)
The Kinks - Phenomenal Cat (Pye 1968)
Darlene Paul - A Little Bit of Heaven (Capitol 1964)
Petula Clark - Life and Soul of the Party (Pye 1966) (Connect 3)
The Victorians - You're Invited To A Party (Liberty 1964) (Connect 3)
Warwick - Let's Get The Party Going (RAK 1973) (Connect 3)
Paul and Paula - Hey Paula (Phillips 1963)
Fanny - Cat Fever (Reprise 1971)
The Merseys - The Cat (Fontana 1967) (Birthday: 3 May 1967 Me!)
Paul Revere & The Raiders - Just Like Me (Columbia 1966)
Paul Jones - I've Been A Bad Bad Boy (HMV 1967)
Geraldine Gaulier - Les Chattes (The Cats) (Label Unknown 1968) (Foreign Language)
Glenda Collins - Been Invited To a Party (HMV 1965)
Tony Russell - Happy Larry (On The Buses Theme) (Label Unknown 1969) (Half-Time Instrumental)
John Paul Jones - Baja (Pye 1964)
Paul Conway - Don't Make Fun of Me (Piccadilly 1964)
The Cats - Swan Lake (BAF 1968) (Trojan Mod Reggae)
Paul & Ritchie & The Cryan Shames - Come On Back (Decca 1966)
Peter, Paul and Mary - I Dig Rock and Roll Music (Warners 1967)
The Ivy League - We're Having A Party (Piccadilly 1965)
Attic Lights - Wendy (Paul Remix) (Island 2008) (Under The Influence)
The Associates - Party Fears Two (WEA 1982)
Paul's Troubles - You've Got Something (Ember 1966)
Simon and Garfunkel - Keep The Customer Satisfied (Columbia 1969)
Bobby Fuller Four - Birthday Cake (Keep Your Hands Off It) (Unreleased, Year Unknown) (Connect 3)
The Cookies - I Want A Boy For My Birthday (Dimension 1963) (Connect 3)
Baby Jane & The Rockabyes - Happy Birthday (Wherever You Are) (Unreleased 1963) (Connect 3)
Paul Kane - My Fair Baby's Comin' for Me (Unreleased, Year Unknown)
John E Paul - I Wanna Know (Decca 1967)
Paul Anka - I Can't Help Loving You (RCA 1966) (Two of a Kind)
Paul Anka - Smells Like Teen Spirit (Verve Music 2005) (Two of a Kind)
The Orchids - She's My Girl (Pebble 2010)
The Pixies Three - Birthday Party (Mercury 1963)
Floyd Cramer - On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)

If you're in the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, you can tune in on channel 3 on your hospital bedside or on 1287AM on the Medium Wave.

That's it for this week. Until next time, it's good day and good health.

The Orchids - She's My Girl (Pebble) out 24 May

The Legendary Sarah Records band are back!! An exciting announcement coming from Glasgow, home to the enigmatic five piece band The Orchids!

The guys have been busy since their last live performance in New York in summer 2008 writing and recording their fifth studio album. You will hear the results for the first time on a brand new Brighton-based label Pebble Records. The album called “The Lost Star” will be out in July 2010 and is preceded by the release of a single. The bands seventh single, “She’s My Girl” is released on 24th May and this will not disappoint new or existing fans, being a raucous guitar pop song for you to pogo and shout along to. This is backed with two other new songs “The OK Song (Single mix)” and “The Lost Star”. The two additional songs that make up a three song EP have been entirely produced by the band themselves but on the main song, and others on the new album, the band has renewed their relationship with producer Ian Carmichael with spectacular results.

The album is a varied collection of songs more in line with their second album than with the 2007 release “Unholy Soul”“Good To Be A Stranger”. Watch out for the Orchids pop sound you know so well on “Les Spectacles de la Foire” and “Song For A Friend” and try to control your feet when you hear tracks such as “The Way That She Moves”. Meanwhile the cinematic epic guitar sound of “Doot Doot” and beautiful harmonies in the understated “Back To Your House” may surprise some who expect everything to remain the same in the world of The Orchids – which of course it never does! You can also savour one of the best tracks on the album, the breathtaking and atmospheric “Girl To The Soldier” featuring the Cairn String Quartet (who have also worked with fellow Glaswegians Camera Obscura and Twilight Sad).

The album has been recorded and produced by the band’s bass player Ronnie Borland in Busby, Eaglesham and Manchester with final mixing by the aforementioned Ian Carmichael. As with their previous three albums, this one also features the beautiful vocals of Pauline Hynds.

The band has announced some shows to promote the records, returning to play for the second time at the popular English festival “Indie Tracks” on Saturday 24th July and then at Berlin popfest on Saturday 31st July. Look out for live performances to be announced for London and Glasgow. Listen to what they are all about and keep up to date with what happens next in the wonderful world of The Orchids at www.myspace.com/theorchidsuk

“The best Scottish pop band since Orange Juice” – Melody Maker

“A blissful mix of the best Scottish bands of the last few years” – NME

“Eclectic. Every single song is a gem” – Exclaim

“Luxuriant textures, immaculate pop fizz with enviable purpose” – MM

“Songs of emotional wit and sparkling indie pop” – All Music Guide

“Languid and alluring” – Tangents

“Sweetly strummed, swoonily harmonised" – Uncut

“They brought together all the best parts of the 80's Scottish music scene, while adding something that's hard to pin down, yet made them so very special" Exclaim!

The Cat on "Where The Action Is" Kirkcaldy VRN 1287 AM - Sunday 25 April 2010

The sun has well and truly got its hat on, as well as the rest of its holiday clothes, and toddled off somewhere else. Still I'll try and bring some musical sunshine in the shape of "Where the action Is". As usual we'll play two rounds of the Connect 3 game, we'll celebrate the birthday of songwriter Michael Brown and this week's foreign language track comes from Gillian Hills. There's also the half-time instrumental, the Trojan Mod Reggae track (still no suggestions for a groovy name for this feature?) and there's Two of a Kind from Nino Tempo and April Stevens. I'll also be playing another track from the brand new Jackie Leven album, "Gothic Road". For the last time we'll feature tracks from the Sunshine Pop edition of the Chartbusters USA series, "The Laurie Records Story" and "Phil's Spectre II: Another Wall of Soundalikes". Here are this week's dishes - tuck in:

The Beach Boys - Darlin' (Capitol 1967)
Floyd Cramer - On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)
Mary Wells - One Block From Heaven (Motown 1966)
Ella Washington - Too Weak To Fight (Sound Stage 7 1972)
The Del-Rons - Your Big Mistake (Laurie 1964)
Bobby Vee & The Strangers - Look At Me Girl (Liberty 1966)
Gloria Dennis - How Can I Be Sure (That It's Love) (Laurie 1965)
Bobby Coleman - (Baby) You Don't Have To Tell Me (Bounty 1965)
Gemini - Sunshine River (Clarion 1969) (Connect 3)
The Sunshine Company - Back On The Street Again (Imperial 1967) (Connect 3)
The Box Tops - I Only See Sunshine (Mala 1969) (Connect 3)
The Charmers - Shy Guy (Laurie 1963)
Kane and Abel - Break Down and Cry (Destination 1965)
The Left Banke - She May Call You Up Tonight (Smash 1967) (Birthday: 25/4/49 Michael Brown)
The Cheese Cakes - Heading for a Heartbreak (Laurie 1966)
Noreen Corcoran - Dreamin' of You (Vee-Jay 1964)
Gillian Hills - Maintenant Il Telephone (Barclay 1963) (Foreign Language)
Mamas and the Papas - I Saw Her Again (Dunhill 1966)
The Small Faces - Own Up Time (Decca 1966) (Half-Time Instrumental)
Bernadette Carroll - Circus Girl (Laurie 1965)
Spanky & Our Gang - Lazy Day (Mercury 1967)
Owen Gray - Running Around (Blue Beat 1960) (Trojan Mod Reggae)
Willie Hobbs - Where Did I Go Wrong? (Sound Stage 7 1970)
Joe South - Don't Be Ashamed (Capitol 1969)
Beverly Warren - Let Me Get Close To You (Rust 1965)
Jackie Leven - John Paul Getty's Silver Cadillac (Cooking Vinyl 2010) (Under The Influence)
The Forum - The River Is Wide (Mira 1966)
Connie Stevens - A Girl Never Knows (Warner Bros 1964)
Brenda Lee Jones - You're The Love of My Life (Rust 1966)
The Peppermint Rainbow - Don't Wake Me Up In The Morning, Michael (Decca 1969) (Connect 3)
Jackie Lee - End of a Rainbow (LP version) (Pye 1971) (Connect 3)
The Rainbow People - Rainbows (Pye 1968) (Connect 3)
The Chiffons - Keep The Boy Happy (Laurie 1967)
Marcy - Love (Can Make You Happy) (Sundi 1969)
Nino Tempo & April Stevens - The Habit of Lovin' You Baby (White Whale 1966) (Two of a Kind)
Nino Tempo & April Stevens - All Strung Out (White Whale 1966) (Two of a Kind)
Harpers Bizarre - Anything Goes (Warner Bros 1967)
The Righteous Brothers - Nite Owl (Moonglow 1964)
The Association - Time for Livin' (Warner Bros 1968)
Floyd Cramer - On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)

If you're in the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, you can tune in on channel 3 on your hospital bedside or on 1287AM on the Medium Wave.

That's it for this week. Next week will be a self-indulgent Birthday special as it's the day before my big day. I'll be playing tracks by artists who have Paul in their name, or songs/artists about cats (because I'm "The Cat") and a few birthday/party tracks. Until then, it's good day and good health.

The Cat on "Where The Action Is" Kirkcaldy VRN 1287 AM - Sunday 18 April 2010

It's back to VRN after a week of sunshine in beautiful Strathyre. We'll play two rounds of the Connect 3 game, we'll celebrate the birthday of Manfred Mann multi-instrumentalist Mike Vickers and this week's foreign language track comes from Sandie Shaw. There's also the half-time instrumental, the Trojan Mod Reggae track (any suggestions for a groovy name for this feature?) and there's Two of a Kind from Reparata, with and without the Delrons. We'll also play a track from the brand new Jackie Leven album, "Gothic Road". This month's shows will feature tracks from the Sunshine Pop edition of the Chartbusters USA series, "The Laurie Records Story" and "Phil's Spectre II: Another Wall of Soundalikes". This week's delights:

The Lovin' Spoonful - She Is Still A Mystery (Kama Sutra 1967)
Floyd Cramer - On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)
The Fifth Dimension - Workin' On A Groovy Thing (Soul City 1969)
Marie Antoinette - He's My Dream Boy (Providence 1964)
Smokey Robinson & The Miracles - If You Can Want (Tamla 1968)
The Lemon Pipers - Green Tambourine (Buddah 1967)
The Bonnets - Ya Gotta Take A Chance (Unical 1963)
Dawn - Sandy (Laurie 1968)
Robert Knight - Love On A Mountain Top (Monument 1973) (Connect 3)
The Victorians - Climb Every Mountain (Liberty 1963) (Connect 3)
Valerie Mountain - Some People (Pye 1962) (Connect 3)
The Summits - He's An Angel (Harmon/Rust 1963)
The Young Rascals - A Girl Like You (Atlantic 1967)
Manfred Mann - Hubble Bubble (Toil and Trouble) (HMV 1964) (Birthday: 18/4/40 Mike Vickers)
Timmy & The Persianettes - Timmy Boy (Olympia 1963)
Cortina Ford - Don't Lean On Me (Laurie 1966)
Sandie Shaw - Rien N'Est Fini (Guardo Te Che Te Ne Vai) (Pye 1966) (Foreign Language)
The Satisfactions - Bring It All Down (Imperial 1966)
Dave Pike - Sweeet Tater Pie (Atlantic 1965) (Half-Time Instrumental)
The Tokens - She Lets Her Hair Down (Buddah 1969)
The Fantastic Vantastics - Gee What A Boy (Tuff 1965)
Clancy All Stars - C N Express (Trojan 1967) (Trojan Mod Reggae)
Dana Gillespie - Thank You Boy (Pye 1965)
The Charmers - Sweet Talk (Laurie 1963)
The Friends of Distinction - Grazing In The Grass (RCA 1969)
Jackie Leven - Gothic Road (Cooking Vinyl 2010) (Under The Influence)
The Chiffons - Love Me Like You're Gonna Lose Me (Laurie 1969)
The Velvelettes - Let Love Live (A Little Bit Longer) (Unreleased 1965)
The Knickbockers - Wishful Thinking (Challenge 1966)
Helen Shapiro - A Teenager Sings The Blues (EMI 1962) (Connect 3)
The Jeans - Whenever A Teenager Cries (Laurie 1981) (Connect 3)
Joe Simon - Teenager's Prayer (Sound Stage 7 1965) (Connect 3)
Ruby & The Romantics - Your Baby Doesn't Love You Anymore (Kapp 1965)
The Neon Philharmonic - Morning Girl (Warner Bros 1969)
Reparat and the Delrons - I'm Nobody's Baby Now (RCA Victor 1966) (Two of a Kind)
Reparata - Your Life Is Gone (Laurie 1972) (Two of a Kind)
The Association - Time for Livin' (Warner Bros 1968)
The Rolling Stones - Plundered My Soul (Polydor 1972)
Floyd Cramer - On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)

If you're in the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy, you can tune in on channel 3 on your hospital bedside or on 1287AM on the Medium Wave.

That's it for this week. It's back to the day job and changeable weather but I'll be back with you next week for more aural delights. Until then, it's good night and good health.

The Cat on "Where The Action Is" Kirkcaldy VRN 1287 AM - Sunday 11 April 2010

After the trauma of the HBA awards and the chocolate-flavoured goings-on of the Easter weekend, it's back to normality and the usual mix of mod, soul, Motown, alternative pop and a veritable cornucopia of classic cuts from the late 50s through to the early 70s. This month's shows will feature tracks from the Sunshine Pop edition of the Chartbusters USA series, The Laurie Records Story and "Phil's Spectre II: Another Wall of Soundalikes". Eyes down for a full house:

The Turtles - Happy Together (White Whale 1967)
Floyd Cramer - On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)
The Summits - Hanky Panky (Harmon/Rust 1963)
The Beach Boys - I Do (Unreleased 1963)
The Critters - Younger Girl (Kapp 1966)
Les Girls - I Still Love You (Laurie 1966)
The Velvelettes - A Bird in the Hand (Is Worth Two In the Bush) (VIP 1965)
The Cowsills - The Rain, The Park and Other Things (MGM 1967)
Eight Feet - Bobby's Come A Long Long Way (Columbia 1966) (Connect 3)
Keith - 98.6 (Mercury 1966) (Connect 3)
Four Tops - Wonderful Baby (Motown 1967) (Connect 3)
Cher - I Go To Sleep (Imperial 1965)
Linda and the Lindettes - He's Mine (Unreleased 1964)
The Kingsmen - Louie Louie (Jerden 1963) (Birthday: 11/4/35 Richard Berry)
The Goodies - Dum Dum Ditty (Blue Cat 1965)
Don and the Goodtimes - I Could Be So Good To You (Epic 1967)
Jacques Brel - Le Moribond (Philips 1961) (Foreign Language)
Lorrie Darnell - Nothing Went Right (Laurie 1963)
Tony Newman - Let The Good Times Roll (Decca 1968) (Half-Time Instrumental)
Donovan - Wear Your Love Like Heaven (Epic 1967)
Dobie Gray - No Room To Cry (Charger 1966)
Tommy McCook - Riverton City (Trojan 1966) (Trojan Mod Reggae)
Mama Cass - It's Getting Better (Dunhill 1969)
The Rockin' Berries - The Water Is Over My Head (Piccadilly 1965)
Dawn - I'm Afraid They're All Talking About Me (Laurie 1967)
Jackie Leven - In a Shivering Blaze (Cooking Vinyl 2010) (Under The Influence)
Suzy Wallis - Be My Man (RCA-Victor 1965)
Tommy James and The Shondells - Crystal Blue Persuasion (Roulette 1969)
Episode Six - Put Yourself In My Place (Pye 1965)
Kathy Lynn & The Playboys - I Got A Guy (Swan 1964) (Connect 3)
Bernadette Carroll - He's Just A Playboy (Laurie 1965) (Connect 3)
Sundown Playboys - Saturday Night Special (Apple 1972) (Connect 3)
The Dreamlovers - You Gave Me Somebody To Love (Warner Bros 1966)
Robert John - If You Don't Want My Love (Columbia 1968)
The Chiffons - If I Knew Then (What I Know Now) (Laurie 1966) (Two of a Kind)
The Chiffons - Stop, Look and Listen (Laurie 1966) (Two of a Kind)
Clydie King - The Thrill Is Gone (Imperial 1965)
Chris Farlowe - Out of Time (Immediate 1966)
Floyd Cramer - On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)

That's it for this week. I'm now off for a week's R&R with my ladies but I'll back for next week's show. Until then, it's good night and good health.

Paul Haig Day II

The second annual Paul Haig Day is almost upon us (Here's last year's choice). As I'll be back to work tomorrow and won't be able to post until late in the day I'm going to post my selection now, a few hours early.

For those who don't know, Paul Haig Day came about from an idea by JC at the excellent Vinyl Villain blog.

This came about as a direct result of the law-unto-itself that is the DMCA. According to Wikpedia, "The Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) is a United States copyright law that implements two 1996 treaties of the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO). It criminalizes production and dissemination of technology, devices, or services intended to circumvent measures (commonly known as digital rights management or DRM) that control access to copyrighted works. It also criminalizes the act of circumventing an access control, whether or not there is actual infringement of copyright itself. In addition, the DMCA heightens the penalties for copyright infringement on the Internet. Passed on October 12, 1998 by a unanimous vote in the United States Senate and signed into law by President Bill Clinton on October 28, 1998, the DMCA amended Title 17 of the United States Code to extend the reach of copyright, while limiting the liability of the providers of on-line services for copyright infringement by their users."

What this means, in English, is that this law is being used to not only remove the "offending" mp3s they consider to be posted illegally but the blogs hosting them aswell. The problem with this is that the DMCA is being used indiscriminantly to target people, including those who either own the songs they're linking to or have permission from those who own the tracks. This also means that America owns the Interweb, but you knew that, right?

Paul Haig has once again kindly given permission for one or more of his tracks to be posted on blogs and this year I've chosen the 12" mix of "The Only Truth", co-produced by Paul Haig, Bernard Sumner (New Order) and Donald Johnson (A Certain Ratio).

mp3: Paul Haig - The Only Truth 12"

Paul has also provided an exclusive remix of the opening track of his current album, "Relive" for your delectation.

mp3: Paul Haig - Trip Out The Rider Mix 2

By all means, download these tracks, that's what it's there for, but if it whets your appetite for more music from Scotland's best kept secret then go to his website and/or Amazon store, which are linked below. Paul Haig's Wikipedia page is pretty comprehensive and you can find out about "The Only Truth" HERE.

"Trip Out the Rider" will also be released as a 7" single later in the year and will feature a very special collaborator.

Links:

Paul Haig's official website
Paul Haig's MySpace
Paul Haig's Amazon Store

Other Blogs who took part last year and may do again this year are:

Condemned To Rock'n'Roll
Tracklister
Acid Ted
Exile On Moan Street
Across The Kitchen Table
17 Seconds
Love Shack, Baby
Castles In Space
Blogger's Delite
How Does That One Go Again?
Aye Tunes
Sexy Loser
Armagideon Time
A Sweet Unrest
The Songs That People Sing
Sunset Over Slawit
Manic Pop Thrills
Song, By Toad
London Cafe : The Best Of UK Indie
Helpless Dancer

A "Heaven Sent" idea.

Trips and Falls - He Was Such A Quiet Boy (Song, By Toad Records)

He Was Such a Quiet Boy by Trips and Falls
Hello, apologies for the spam once more, but I thought you might be interested in a copy of our latest release: He Was Such a Quiet Boy by Montreal band Trips and Falls. They sent me this last year and I absolutely loved it, but like so many bands, they weren't exactly pushing their own publicity all that hard, so after six months of no-one else really discovering this band I decided fuck it, I would ask if I could release it on Song, by Toad Records.

Fortunately they said yes, and here it is. Chris from the Brothers Grimm did the artwork for the new release, and we hand-pressed three-hundred copies in the house, before sending them back to Montreal for the band's launch party. It's strange, creepy guitar music but it's really compelling. As Chris Buckle wrote in the Skinny: "Their woozy experiments sound like a band that decided to play their instruments backwards and blindfolded – and discovered it worked."

mp3 downloads
Trips and Falls - How Do You Do
Trips and Falls - In Real Life He Wears Corduroy Pants

Buy links, MySpace and other resources...

Trips and Falls on MySpace
He Was Such a Quiet Boy Artwork
Buy from Song, by Toad Records
Buy from Amazon mp3
Buy from eMusic

The Cat on "Where The Action Is" Kirkcaldy VRN 1287AM - Sunday 4 April 2010

Due to a family engagement on Easter Sunday, I've already recorded this show for broadcast on that day. I don't particularly like recording them in advance as I prefer the warts-and-all live approach but when needs must, the devil drives. Monday 5 April would have been Joe Meek's 81st birthday and to commemorate the legendary maverick producer, here's a show dedicated to Joe Meek (although the regaulr features have been kept in):

Gelnda Collins - I Lost My Heart at the Fairground (HMV 1963)
Floyd Cramer - On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)
Lance Fortune - Be Mine (Pye 1960)
Gene Vincent - Temptation Baby (Unreleased 1963)
Denise Scott & The Soundsmen - Your Love Keeps Me Going (Unreleased 65/66)
Mike Berry and the Admirals - It's Just A Matter of Time (HMV 1962)
Pete & The Boulevards - You're My Girl (Unreleased - Year Unknown)
Billy Dean - Ridin' The Rails (Unreleased 61/62)
Bobby Rio and the Revelles - Value for Love (Pye 1965) (Connect 3)
Pamela Blue - My Friend Bobby (Decca 1963) (Connect 3)
Bobby Cristo - The Other Side of the Track (Decca 1964) (Connect 3)
Michael Cox - Stand Up (HMV 1962)
Billie Davis - Don't Knock On My Door (Unreleased 1962)
Major Lance - Monkey Time (Okeh 1962) (Birthday: 4/4/41 Major Lance)
Heinz - Just Like Eddie (Decca 1963)
The Sharades - Boy Trouble (Decca 1964)
John Leyton - John C'Est L'Amour (Unreleased 1961) (Foreign Language)
The Cryan' Shames - Please Stay (Decca 1966)
The Tornados - Globetrotter (Decca 1963) (Half-Time Instrumental)
Gunilla Thorn - Merry Go Round (HMV 1960)
Charles Kingsley Creation - Summer Without Sun (Columbia 1965)
The Beach Boys - You Need A Mess of Help To Stand Alone (Brother/Reprise 1972) (A to Z of The Beach Boys - Y)
The Beach Boys - You Still Believe In Me (Capitol 1966) (A to Z of The Beach Boys - Y)
John Holt - Ali Baba (Trojan 1969)
Flip - Mama Don't Lie (Unreleased 1965)
Man or Astroman - Taxidermist Surf (Estrus 1993) (Under The Influence)
The Riot Squad - I Take It That We're Through (Pye 1966)
The Cameos - Powercut (Columbia 1963)
The Puppets - Shake With Me (Pye 1964)
Houston Wells and the Marksmen - Only The Heartaches (Parlophone 1963) (Connect 3)
Toby Ventura - If My Heart Were A Storybook (Decca 1963) (Connect 3)
Diane and the Javelins - Heart and Soul (Columbia 1966) (Connect 3)
Kenny Hollywood - Magic Star (Decca 1962)
Jenny Moss - Big Boys (Columbia 1963)
The Honeycombs - I Can't Stop (Interphon 1964) (Two of a Kind)
The Honeycombs - Something I've Got To Tell You (Pye 1965) (Two of a Kind)
Geoff Goddard - Girl Bride (HMV 1961) - Especially for John Cavanagh
Neil Christian and the Crusaders - The Road To Love (Columbia 1962)
John Leyton - Johnny Remember Me (Top Rank 1961)
Floyd Cramer - On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)
Joe Meek - Meeksville Answering Machine

As there are no songs beginning with X and Z, this week was the last in the A to Z of the Beach Boys series and John Holt's "Ali Baba" previews our new weekly Trojan Mod Reggae track, which takes its place. Until next week, when normal (live) service resumes, it's good day and good health.

Who Would Be In Your A to Z of Scottish Music?

Vic Galloway on Radio Scotland broadcast his second volume of the A to Z of Scottish Music and I thought, who would be in my list(s), so here goes:

A - Aztec Camera/Attic Lights
B - BMX Bandits/The Beatstalkers
C - Camera Obscura/Cocteau Twins
D - Dropkick/The Delgados
E - Eugenius/18 Wheeler
F - The Fire Engines/Roddy Frame
G - James Grant/Green Peppers
H - Roddy Hart/Paul Haig
I - Isa and the Filthy Tongues/Incredible String Band
J - Josef K/Jesus and Mary Chain
K - The Kaisers/Eugene Kelly
L - Jackie Leven/Lulu
M - Marmalade/Colin Macintyre
N - The 1990s/Nacional
O - The Orchids/Orange Juice
P - The Poets/The Proclaimers
Q - Paul Quinn/The Questions
R - The Rezillos/Gerry Rafferty
S - Superstar/The Supernaturals
T - Teenage Fanclub/Trashcan Sinatras
U - Uresei Yatsura/Midge Ure
V - The Vaselines/The View
W - Win/The Wake
X - The Xcerts/X-Lion Tamer
Y - Yummy Fur/James Yorkston
Z - Zephyrs/Zoey Van Goey

Who would make your shortlist?

Gerry Loves Records - First Release

EDINBURGH’S NEW INDEPENDENT LABEL

Gerry Loves Records is a brand new label based in Edinburgh, releasing vinyl and download singles by their favourite up and coming artists. Their first release is a split single from Conquering Animal Sound and Debutant, released on 5th April 2010.

At Gerry Loves Records we love the intimate feel you get of an artist and their music through vinyl pressings. To us there is nothing quite like buying vinyl - unwrapping it when you get home, carefully taking it out of the sleeve, delicately laying it on your turntable and placing the needle on the record before waiting for that first hiss.

To celebrate our love of all things vinyl and encourage listeners to embrace it, the vinyl version of the single includes not only a free downloads of both tracks but also a second exclusive track from each artist. These extra bonus tracks are only available to download with the vinyl purchase.

Find out more and pre-order the single at http://gerrylovesrecords.com

To launch the label and the single, a mini tour is planned for the beginning of April:

Thu 1st April 2010, 10pm - Dirty Hearts Club @ Snafu, Aberdeen
Debutant + Conquering Animal Sound with support from Admiral Fallow
Tickets on the door

Fri 2nd April 2010, 7pm - The Roxy Room, Edinburgh
Conquering Animal Sound + Debutant with support from Wounded Knee
Tickets: https://uk.brownpapertickets.com/event/102336

Sat 3rd April 2010 - Classic Grand 2, Glasgow
Conquering Animal Sound + Debutant with support from The Seventeenth Century and F*X G*T D**TA
Tickets: http://www.ticketweb.co.uk/user/?region=gb_scotland&query=detail&event=376225&interface=

About the artists:

Debutant - http://www.myspace.com/musicbydebutant

Debutant is one man, a guitar and a voice. Although he writes and sings songs, he’s certainly not a singer-songwriter in the traditional sense. Think dreamy pop songs augmented by textured atmospheric soundscapes. Or something like that.

Having plied his trade in bands, Phillip began writing songs and compositions that didn’t suit the style of the bands he was in. So he purchased a loop pedal and figured he’d do it all himself. He played his first set in April 2008 and has since played with artists such as Glissando, Meursault, Immanu El, Ballboy, Over the Wall, Copy Haho, David Grubbs, Viking Moses, The Pictish Trail, Vessels, Found, The Xcerts and Hugh Cornwell.

Debutant loops and layers guitars, creating shimmering atmospheres over which he adds delicate, breathless and dreamy vocals. The songs are deceptively simple yet affecting. Having relocated to Edinburgh in 2009, 2010 will see Debutant release a full-length album.

"Debutant's music ignores genres altogether, sounding something like what would happen if Mark Kozelek and Kevin Shields had an afternoon, a spare room and a multitude of ideas. Definitely worth checking out live" - isthismusic?

"This is beautiful; four basic home-made lo-fi bedroom recordings – delicate, basic, fractured, dreamy, creamy and very simple. Uncluttered and turning the lo-fi option and the basic equipment on to a warm positive vibrant less is so much more piece of beauty. Four dreamy textured lo-fi pieces/songs" - Organ Magazine: Demo of the Week

"Nostalgic sounds of comfort echo in the best track on this EP of demos, 'Solitude': stunning. The smooth composition drains all worries away, landscapes and the sky become your comforting friends. Yes the guy possesses the voice to do that, comfort you." - Crumbs in the Butter

Conquering Animal Sound - http://www.myspace.com/conqueringanimalsound

Conquering Animal Sound is made up of Anneke Kampman and James Scott. A musical project in it’s infancy but one that is filled with much promise and potential. Already making great waves within the musical community of Edinburgh their live show is something of awe-inspiring greatness, creating loops, beats and samples out of anything and everything with Anneke’s sumptuous vocal’s carrying the sounds to what seems like a new world. A debut album is in the works - set to be released via Gizeh Records/Mini50 later in the year. Big things are predicted for the band in 2010.

"Meticulously built up vocal, laptop and electric guitar loops that evolve into spookily charming minimalist incantations." - The List

"Kampman’s gorgeous intone floats telepathically into the tapestry of guitar and loops created by Scott. Recalling the minimalistic dalliances of Scandinavian progressives Múm, CAS are quite unlike anything you’ll hear in Scotland today" - The Scotsman

Hinterland 2010 Timetable

HINTERLAND 2010 TIMETABLE

Hinterland kicks off the festival season for 2010 in Glasgow this Saturday offering six headline acts and more than 20 other live performances for only £15. Full times on stage for all bands are now announced below. Each main venue is hosted by one of our partners so don't miss.....

Radio Magnetic's main stage at The Arches featuring Joe Goddard, British Sea Power and Mystery Jets. Lucky Me and Ballers host the dance arch with Cooly G headlining, Moshi Moshi's takeover Macsorleys and Gigwise host The Admiral.

Full Timetable

The Arches Main Room (hosted by Radio Magnetic)

2 - 3 Grecoroman Soundsystem

1 - 2 Joe Goddard Hot Chip DJ Set

11.30 - 1 Friendly Fires DJ Set

11 - 11.30 Totally Enormous Extinct Dinosaurs

10 - 11 Mystery Jets

8.30 - 9.30 British Sea Power

The Arches Dance Arch (hosted by LuckyMe & Ballers Social Club)

1.30 - 3am Cooly G

12 - 1.30 Marcus Nasty

11 - 12 Eclair FiFi

9.45 - 10.45 Jeffrey Lewis

9 - 9.30 French Wives

8.15 - 8.45 Ambulances

Macsorleys (hosted by Moshi Moshi)

10.30 - 11 Silver Columns DJ

9.45 - 10.30 Hot Club de Paris

9.15 - 9.45 Silver Columns DJ

8.30 - 9.15 Is Tropical

8.15 - 8.30 Silver Columns DJ

7.45 - 8.15 Spectrals

7 - 7.45 Silver Columns DJ

6.30 - 7pm Mazes

Subclub

9 - 9.45 Johnny Foreigner

7.45 - 8.30 Midnight Lion

6.30 - 7.15 The Kays Lavelle

Pivo Pivo

9.45 - 10.30 The Boy Who Trapped The Sun

8.45 - 9.30 Panda Su

7.45 - 8.15 Alan Mckim

7 - 7.30 Emmas Imagination

The Admiral (hosted by Gigwise)

9 - 10 Pulled Apart By Horses

8 - 8.45 Bleech

7 - 7.30 Kitty The Lion

Rockers

8 - 8.30 The Darien Venture

7 - 7.30 Little Yellow Ukuleles

6 - 6.30 Make Sparks

Tigerfest 2010 - Line-up unveiled

Tigerfest 2010 lineup includes Malcolm Middleton, King Creosote, The Unwinding Hours, Martin Stephenson and TV21.

Tigerfest has announced its lineup for May 2010. It’s another top-notch collection of acts combining some of Scotland’s top talent, with established names and future stars alongside some appearances from favourites from far and wide.

The mini-festival, which runs for three weeks, takes in shows in Dunfermline, Edinburgh and Aberdeen, running in conjunction with its affiliates Baby Tiger, the Carnegie Hall, Interesting Music Promotions, and online/media partner is this music?

There’s also a clutch of co-promotions with partners such as Electric Circus and the Cabaret Voltaire, plus the Fence and 17seconds labels.

Highlights:

Dunfermline:

Malcolm Middleton - one-off show as the former Arab Strap man interrupts his hiatus of recording and writing. Joined by Spare Snare, Dundonian lo-fi legends.

King Creosote - currently embarking on a one-man tour of England, this exclusive Scottish leg also includes Fence labelmate Rozi Plain and Edinburgh’s upcoming star Withered Hand.

Also, part of ‘Celebrating Fife 2010' - a triple bill of Ambulances, Vertis and Crayons, three of Scotland’s most promising acts, and all from the Kingdom.

Aberdeen:

Special one-off gig sees The Unwinding Hours - former Aereogramme members and perhaps already makers of Scottish album of the year - perform, with support from Katerwaul.

Edinburgh

This year the focus is on the capital with a total of seven shows and 20 acts performing during the first two weeks of May. Top of the bill is hard to say - with indie legend Martin Stephenson, reformed 80s act TV21, and the best in new talent including There Will Be Fireworks, Jesus H. Foxx, X-Lion Tamer, The Gothenburg Address and Chris Bradley.

Briefing and background:

Tigerfest has run since 2004 as a regular independent festival of new music. Originated in Edinburgh by promoter Baby Tiger, it expanded to feature showpiece gigs in Dunfermline and take in towns and cities across Scotland. It has seen bands such as Idlewild, King Creosote, Emma Pollock, Malcolm Middleton, Half Man Half Biscuit, Nouvelle Vague and Camera Obscura perform as well as promoting early gigs by KT Tunstall and We Were Promised Jetpacks, and giving acts such as Frightened Rabbit and Dananananaykroyd headline shows.

Full listings:

Edinburgh:

Wed 5

Blueflint / Andi Neate / Andy Tucker & The Scattered Family, @ Electric Circus (White Noise night). 7pm, £3

Thu 6

Phoebe Kreutz / Casey / Emily Scott / The Stantons, @ Wee Red Bar. 7pm, £6

Sun 9

17 Seconds night: X-Lion Tamer / The Wildhouse / The Gothenburg Address, @ Roxy Art House. 7pm, £6

Tue 11

TV21 / Boycotts / Midas Fall, @ Cabaret Voltaire. 7pm, £7

Wed 12

is this music? presents: Jesus H. Foxx / There Will Be Fireworks, @ Electric Circus (White Noise night). 7pm, £3

Thu 13

17 Seconds night: Chris Bradley / Dirty Cuts / Last Battle, @ Roxy Art House. 7pm, £6

Fri 14

Martin Stephenson / Alex Cornish, @ Wee Red Bar. 7pm, £11

Dunfermline

Thu 20 May

Ambulances / Vertis / Crayons. 7.30pm, £5

Fri 21 May

Fence Records night: King Creosote / Withered Hand / Rozi Plain. 7.30pm, £10

Sat 22 May

Malcolm Middleton / Spare Snare. 7.30pm, £10

Aberdeen

Thu 21 May

The Unwinding Hours / Katerwaul, @ Tunnels (Interesting Music Promotions). 8pm, £8 / £6

Full listings at www.tigerfest.co.uk. For any press requests i.e. further details, interview or preview requests, please simply reply to this email.

The Cat on "Where The Action Is" Kirkcaldy VRN 1287AM - Sunday 28 March 2010

It's our last dip into the "Love Is The Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets 1965-1970" box set and loads of other goodies:

The Monkees - All The King's Horses (Unreleased 1966)
Floyd Cramer - On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)
The Freshmen - Look at the Sunshine (Pye 1968)
The Youngbloods - Get Together (RCA 1967)
Jackie Leven - John Paul Getty's Silver Cadillac (Cooking Vinyl 2009)
Santana - Evil Ways (Columbia 1969)
Dino Valenti - Let's Get Together (Unreleased 1964)
The Charlatans - Alabama Bound (Unreleased 1967)
People - I Love You (Capitol 1968) (Connect 3)
Lulu - To Sir, With Love (Epic 1967) (Connect 3)
The Great! Society - Somebody To Love (LP version) (Unreleased 1966) (Connect 3)
Blue Cheer - Fool (single version) (Philips 1967)
Jefferson Airplane - It's No Secret (RCA 1966)
The Turtles - Grim Reaper of Love (White Whale 1966) (Birthday: 28/3/45 Chuck Portz)
Grateful Dead - The Golden Road (To Unlimited Devotion) (Warner Bros 1967)
The Bystanders - Royal Blue Summer Sunshine Day (Piccadilly 1967)
Liz Brady - Palladium (The Hip) (Pathe 1966) (Foreign Language)
Fifty Foot Horse - Red The Sign Post (Limelight 1968)
Dave Clark Five - I Walk The Line (Piccadilly 1962) (Half-Time Instrumental)
Notes from the Underground - Why Did You Put Me On? (Vanguard 1968)
The Ivy League - My World Fell Down (Piccadilly 1966)
The Beach Boys - Wendy (Capitol 1964) (A to Z of The Beach Boys - W)
The Beach Boys - When a Man Needs a Woman (Capitol 1968) (A to Z of The Beach Boys - W)
Country Weather - Fly To New York (Private 1969)
The Mojo Men - She's My Baby (Reprise 1966)
Care - Flaming Sword (Arista 1983) (Under The Influence)
The Otherside - Streetcar (Brent 1966)
Country Joe and the Fish - I Feel Like I'm Fixing To Die Rag (EP version) (Rag Baby 1965)
The Petites - Baby Blue Mustang (Troy 1965) (Connect 3)
Janis Joplin - Mercedes Benz (Columbia 1968) (Connect 3)
The Beach Boys - Little Honda (Capitol 1964) (Connect 3)
The Warlocks - Can't Come Down (Unreleased 1965)
Quicksilver Messenger Service - Light Your Windows (Capitol 1968)
The Marvelettes - Danger Heartbreak Dead Ahead (Tamla 1965) (Two of a Kind)
The Marvelettes - I'll Keep On Holding On (Tamla 1965) (Two of a Kind)
The Immediate Family - Rubiyat (Unreleased 1967)
Floyd Cramer - On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)

Next week it'll be my pre-recorded Joe Meek special, as I celebrate Easter Sunday with my family. Congratulations to my VRN colleague John Murray who was awarded The John Witney Award for his outstanding contribution to hospital radio at the National Hospital Radio Awards - well done, John! Although I didn't appreciate him charging a bottle of wine to my room!! Sadly, I left empty-handed in my category, as did all our other nominees. Just call us the Shawshank Redemption of the HBA! Until next week, it's good day and good health.

Jackie Leven - Gothic Road (Cooking Vinyl, 4th April)

THE SCENE: – A large meeting at Cooking Vinyl (CV) to discuss GOTHIC ROAD – JACKIE LEVEN’S first new studio album since 2008’s LOVERS AT THE GUN CLUB.

STUART (new CV label manager, his first meeting with JL) – “Er, can I start by asking Jackie what the album title, GOTHIC ROAD actually means, if anything?”

JACKIE – “Well, we all walk two roads – the Royal Road, and the Road of Poverty and Death, however we imagine these roads to be. When these two roads meet, then we are walking on the GOTHIC ROAD.”

STUART (doubtfully) – “Does it make any difference which direction you walk on the GOTHIC ROAD?”

JACKIE – “None at all”.

STUART (still doubtfully) – “Is this all true?”

MARTIN GOLDSCHMIDT (CV supremo, without looking up from doodling) – “It is now …”

GOTHIC ROAD opens with the choral sound of GHOST VOICES OF THE KURSK – three young Russian men from the northern seaboard city of Murmansk, all of whose brothers died in that Russian submarine tragedy. This is closely followed by the sound of a German sat nav lady guiding JACKIE’s tour bus out of the city of Hamburg last year. And so the stage is set for twelve strong tales from the GOTHIC ROAD – powerful stories from one who has walked the road for nearly sixty years.

Many of the songs are at once mystical but also locked in the daily grind of emotional survival. In keeping with his longstanding creative association with mavericks and outlaws, (David Thomas, Johnny Dowd etc) JACKIE collaborates here with fabled English renegade RALPH McTELL. RALPH supplies the yearning second lead vocal, plus Gibson acoustic guitars on CORNELIUS WHALEN, a song about the man who was the last of the Jarrow marchers left alive when JACKIE wrote the song – the Jarrow March** being a superb example of the reality of the GOTHIC ROAD.

Elsewhere on the album, JACKIE fantasises about the creative dynamo that is actress TILDA SWINTON, hides in his hotel mini bar from the tyranny of endless touring, sings a song written by the original punk poet PATRIK FITZGERALD, (SHADOW OF A MAN) and welcomes on board a guest recording by his co-producer, the great Welsh singer DAVID WRENCH (ISLAND).

The album abounds with GOTHIC ROAD-ness, as in the coda of the song GOTHIC ROAD itself, where the royal road pomp of HENRY PRIESTMAN’s massed plucked cellos is counter-pointed by JOHN ROBERT’S skeletal spoons playing, casting a cold eye on the poverty-stricken end of the street. Or in the lush celestial choir voices on LAST OF THE BADMEN as the anti hero at the end of his personal road pleads in a PARTON-esque refrain – ‘please don’t kill me just because you can’.

The music on GOTHIC ROAD provides cast iron proof that the creative phenomenon that is JACKIE LEVEN is not simply continuing to go from strength to strength, but is close to passing out of sight on a road that others fear to tread.

(Signed copies available from Cooking Vinyl.)

The Cat on "Where The Action Is" Kirkcaldy VRN 1287AM - Sunday 21 March 2010

We continue to tuck into the psychedelic feast that is the "Love Is The Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets 1965-1970" box set and we commemorate the passings of Lesley Duncan and Alex Chilton, as well as the regular features:

Big Star - September Gurls (Stax 1973)
Floyd Cramer - On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)
Marc Bolan - Third Degree (Decca 1966)
Mad River - Amphetamine Gazelle (Capitol 1968)
The Mystery Trend - Carl Street (Unreleased 1967)
Ministry of Sound (Lesley Duncan/Val McKenna) - Something's Coming Along (Unreleased 1967)
Blackburn and Snow - Stranger In a Strange Land (Verve 1967)
Billie Davis - Billy Sunshine (Decca 1969)
Chocolate Watchband - No Way Out (Tower 1967) (Connect 3)
The Vejtables - Anything (Autumn 1965) (Connect 3)
Teddy and the Patches - Suzy Creamcheese (Chance 1967) (Connect 3)
Clyde McPhatter - You Got It (Deram 1969)
Sly & The Family Stone - Underdog (Epic 1967)
Solomon Burke - Home In Your Heart (Atlantic 1963) (Birthday: 21/3/40)
Steve Miller Band - Roll With It(Capitol 1968)
The Shangri-la's - Sophisticated Boom Boom (Red Bird 1966)
Louise Cordet - Que m'a-t-il fait? (What's He/It Done to Me?) (Decca 1963) (Foreign Language)
Dan Hicks & His Hot Licks - How Can I Miss You When You Won't Go Away? (Epic 1969)
The Outlaws - Valley of the Sioux (HMV 1961) (Half-Time Instrumental)
Seatrain - Portrait of the Artist as a Young Lady (A&M 1969)
The Savage Resurrection - Things in "E" (Mercury 1968)
The Beach Boys - Vegetables (Unreleased 1967) (A to Z of The Beach Boys - V)
The Beach Boys - Heroes and Villains (45 version) (Capitol 1967) (A to Z of The Beach Boys - V)
Jon Gunn - I Just Made Up My Mind (Deram 1967)
Syndicate of Sound - Rumors (Bell 1966)
The La's - Son of a Gun (BBC session) (Go! Discs 1988) (Under The Influence)
The La's - There She Goes (Go! Discs 1988) (Under The Influence)
The Frantics - Human Monkey (Action 1966)
October Country - Good To Be Around (Epic 1968)
The Grass Roots - Mr Jones (A Ballad of a Thin Man) (Dunhill 1965) (Connect 3)
The Cryan' Shames - Greenburg, Glickstein, Charles, David Smith & Jones (Columbia 1968) (Connect 3)
Tom Jones - Stop Breaking My Heart (Decca 1966) (Connect 3)
The Harbinger Complex - Sometimes I Wonder (Amber 1966)
Fearns Brass Foundry - Don't Chance It (Decca 1968)
The Beau Brummels - Don't Talk To Strangers (Autumn 1965) (Two of a Kind)
The Beau Brummels - Two Days 'Til Tomorrow (Warner Bros 1967) (Two of a Kind)
Earl Cosby - Ooh Honey Baby (Mirwood 1966)
The Majority - One Third (Decca 1966)
Big Star - I'm In Love With a Girl (Stax 1973)
Floyd Cramer - On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)

Next week it'll be business as usual after I return from the National Hospital Radio Awards in Erskine. The Cat has his paws well and truly crossed for his nomination in the Best Specialist Music category. Until next week, and the last of our San Francisco sounds, it's good day and good health.

Avalanche Records Customer Survey - Can You Help?

You will all be aware of the trials and tribulations of the music industry and record shops in particular. Avalanche is not immune and it is clear things can not continue as they are. Since Christmas many titles have been available to the public not only online but on the high street at prices substantially less than as an independent we would pay ourselves. The avoidance of VAT by online sellers based in the Channel Islands is well documented and with many students now without a local record shop they arrive in Edinburgh already used to buying their music online. Many of course don’t buy their music at all and acquire it for free via the many channels that are now available.

The healthy local music scene means we do well selling local and Scottish bands’ music to visitors to the shop from all over the world and we have recently set up a website catering for the many customers who are so happy with what we have recommended that they want to buy more. However even these sales are continually eroded as bands and labels do all they can to sell directly to the public. We completely appreciate the bands’ viewpoint on this in trying to make money for themselves but myspaces etc regularly encourage people to visit Amazon, iTunes etc without any mention of the shops that are supporting and stocking their releases. An oversight I am sure but while shops are relegated to an afterthought they will struggle.

We don’t want to go down the line of saying we will close just to drum up support. I very much concur with the press conference recently given by ear x-Tacy available on You Tube in two parts. Based in Louisville, Kentucky this is a world wide problem. I want this to be a positive statement about how we move things forward. We have always wanted to sell more tickets and we have contacted all the promoters and venues that for a variety of reasons have declined to give us tickets before. We have already had some positive responses. We are open to any sensible ideas about what the way forward is. We could use the back of the shop for something else but please don’t suggest coffee and cakes. We could move to a smaller shop or become part of another store. Avalanche will continue as long as it wanted by the local community it serves but we can not continue to maintain a high street presence simply to promote Scottish bands and their music to the many visitors to Edinburgh much as this is a very enjoyable part of working in the shop.

You can leave any thoughts or comments on our facebook or myspace pages or there is a dedicated email address of avalancherecords@hotmail.co.uk. We do already sell on various platforms online but margins are very low and our heart is really in the shop so that is where we would like to concentrate our endeavours. Our album club has been very successful and that will of course continue. We have already had music related offers that might help boost revenue and we are interested in listening to any other offers we feel fit in with the Avalanche ethos.

Most of all we would like to thank all our customers for the continuing support that has kept us going here when so many have already fallen by the wayside.

Teenage Fanclub - Album and Tour Dates

To promote their imminent album "Shadows", Teenage Fanclub will be taking to the streets, in venues reasonably near you.

Sat 1 May Koko, London
Thu 27 May Academy 2, Manchester
Fri 28 May The Leadmill, Sheffield
Sun 30 May The Academy, Dublin
Tue 1 Jun The Warehouse, Aberdeen
Wed 2 Jun ABC, Glasgow
Thu 3 Jun The Picture House, Edinburgh (changed from The Liquid Rooms)
Fri 4 Jun The Cockpit, Leeds
Sun 6 Jun The Academy, Bristol
Mon 7 Jun The Academy 2, Birmingham

No date for tickets going on sale yet.

The Cat on "Where The Action Is" Kirkcaldy VRN 1287AM - Sunday 14 March 2010

More from the "Love Is The Song We Sing: San Francisco Nuggets 1965-1970" box set and the usual grab-bag of goodies:

The Hollies - Look Through Any Window (Parlophone 1965)
Floyd Cramer - On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)
The Honeys - The One You Can't Have (Capitol 1963)
The Ivy League - In The Not Too Distant Future (Pye 1967)
The Wildflower - Coffee Cup (Mainstream 1967)
The Soul Agents - Let's Make It Pretty Baby (Pye 1964)
Fontella Bass/Bobby McClure - Don't Mess Up A Good Thing (Checker 1965)
Sharon Marie - Story of My Life (Capitol 1964)
The Majorettes - White Levis (Troy 1963) (Connect 3)
Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit (RCA 1967) (Connect 3)
It's A Beautiful Day - White Bird (Columbia 1969) (Connect 3)
American Spring - Shyin' Away (Capitol 1973)
The Sons of Champlin - Fat City (Verve 1967)
The Turtles - You Don' Have To Walk In The Rain (White Whale 1969) (Birthday: 14/3/46 Jim Pons)
Steve Miller Band - Quicksilver Girl (Capitol 1968)
The Mystery Trend - Johnny Was A Good Boy (Verve 1968)
Brigitte Bardot - Je Me Donne a Qui Me Plait (I Give Myself To Whom I Please) (Philips 1962) (Foreign Language)
Blue Cheer - Summertime Blues (Philips 1968)
Earl Van Dyke - 6x6 (Motown 1967) (Half-Time Instrumental)
The Loading Zone - The Bells (RCA Victor 1968)
The Sheffields - Hey, Hey Lover Boy (Pye 1964)
The Beach Boys - 409 (Capitol 1962) (A to Z of The Beach Boys - U)
Gary Usher - That's The Way I Feel (Capitol 1964) (A to Z of The Beach Boys - U)
The Tikis - Bye Bye Bye (Warner Bros single version) (Warner Bros 1966)
The New Breed - Want Ad Reader (World United 1966)
The Magic Numbers - Love Me Like You (Heavenly 2005) (Under The Influence)
Mother Earth - Revolution (Unted Artists 1968)
Public Nuisance - America (Unreleased 1968)
The Oxford Circle - Foolish Woman (World United 1966) (Connect 3)
Moby Grape - Omaha (Columbia 1967) (Connect 3)
Country Weather - Fly To New York (Unreleased 1969) (Connect 3)
Quicksilver Messenger - Who Do You Love (demo) (Unreleased 1966) (Two of a Kind)
Quicksilver Messenger - Codine (United Artists 1968) (Two of a Kind)
The Stained Glass - My Buddy Sin (RCA 1966)
Earl Cosby - Ooh Honey Baby (Mirwood 1966)
Floyd Cramer - On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)

Until next week, and some more San Francisco sounds, it's good day and good health.