My Amazing Songs & Other Delights #72 – The Ecosystem edition is now on mixcloud.
Of late, I’ve been coming upon the word ecosystem from different sources. Or happen upon lyrics, or otherwise that mention the concept that we’re all one, we’re connected, that we depend on each other.
That concept is part of Body Count’s Comfortably Numb version of Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb the song that opens this edition. Ice-T writes and says: “Listen… ’cause I’ve been on both sides of the gun As you stand before me we’re all here as one We gotta come together or our chances are none Maybe I’m just a dreamer, too many obstacles” (full lyrics here)
An ecosystem implies environment and those in it interacting, forging connections, relationships, one thing leading to another. That is how both Mondo and Yé Yé came to be. The longer text about My Amazing Songs & Other Delights #72 – The Ecosystem edition can be read here.
Tracklist: 01: Body Count – Comfortably Numb (feat. David Gilmour) 02: Raveloe – Passing Place 03: 12 Roads – Waiting For JB 04: Rowland S. Howard – Shut Me Down 05: Ned Swarbrick – Somebody, Something, Somewhere Else (live York City FC) 06: Mick Harvey – October Boy 07: Johnny Marr – New Town Velocity 08: The Birthday Party – The Friend Catcher 09: Saint Sappho – Grass is Gold 10: Oh Bobby (Bill Rivers and Simon Hayward) – Are You Still There 11: Sorry Monks – One Rule For Them 12: Paradise Lost – The Last Time 13: Harry Howard And The NDE – Sensitive To The Cold 14: Mark Robin White & Adam Lato – Rabbit Hole (Tranquility mix) 15: The Courettes – Shake! 16: A Resistência – Maré Alta
Amazing Songs & Other Delights #72 The Ecosystem edition airs Monday 21st, 3-4:30pm (gmt+1) on Yé Yé Radio: yeyeradio.com (or on the app).
Of late, I’ve been coming upon the word ecosystem from different sources. Or happen upon lyrics, or otherwise that mention the concept that we’re all one, we’re connected, that we depend on each other.
That concept is part of Body Count’s Comfortably Numb version of Pink Floyd’s Comfortably Numb the song that opens this edition. Ice-T writes and says: “Listen… ’cause I’ve been on both sides of the gun As you stand before me we’re all here as one We gotta come together or our chances are none Maybe I’m just a dreamer, too many obstacles (full lyrics can be read here.).
An ecosystem implies environment and those in it interacting, forging connections, relationships, one thing leading to another. That is how both Mondo and Yé Yé came to be.
There are a few ecosystems on the programme. Birthday Party that lead to Rowland S. Howard and Mick Harvey. Mick Harvey song October Boy is about Pop Crimes – The Songs of Rowland S. Howard. Harry Howard is Rowland’s brother with whom Mick has played with. Interviewing Mick and Harry (and J.P. Shillo and Genevieve McGuckin) along a group of old friends – an ecosystem – lead to a number of Australian musician starting reaching out and sending their music.
When two weeks ago Bernard Butler was looking for opening acts for his current UK tour the Mild Ones, a Suede fan group, shared the request and so did I, adding I would be listening to Bernard’s choices and pick what I like from those. Raveloe (a Mild One Member herself), Ned Swarbrick, Saint Sappho and Sorry Monks (other Mild One) songs are my choices from Bernard’s selection of opening acts. Meanwhile, Ned and, Tammy Dyson, of Saint Sapho, just joined The Mild Ones. Proof that ecosystems are a real thing and work.
Mark Robin White and 12 roads other Mild Ones. I found them on the group and liked their music. Johnny Marr’s New Town Velocity is from a post by Liza Hadiz, another Mild One. I was mentioning how Johnny Marr solo albums have songs I may select to play, but don’t stay with me long time. Liza asked what I thought of Velocity Girl, her favourite solo Johnny Marr song. I replied it was nice and would one day play it on the show. Johnny Marr influenced Bernard Butler, both have played together.
Oh Bobby are Bill Rivers and Simon Hayward. Bill has been part of my ecosystem for a few year. We did a few song together for my third anniversary show. Bill and Simon created together.
The Courettes are released by Damaged Good, a record label Mondo has been close to for twenty five years. Resistência are a Portuguese supergroup. Although I know some of the musicians, or other musicians from their other bands, I don’t have such a direct connection, but Resistência are an ecosystem themselves.
Resistência means Resistance. Maré Alta (High Tide) is a 1972 song by Fausto Bordalo Dias, José Mário Branco and Sérgio Godinho, three Portugue protest singers, released when Portugal was still a dictatorship. The lyrics mention getting ready because an high tide is arriving and freedom is about to come.
Tracklist: 01: Body Count – Comfortably Numb (feat. David Gilmour) 02: Raveloe – Passing Place 03: 12 Roads – Waiting For JB 04: Rowland S. Howard – Shut Me Down 05: Ned Swarbrick – Somebody, Something, Somewhere Else (live York City FC) 06: Mick Harvey – October Boy 07: Johnny Marr – New Town Velocity 08: The Birthday Party – The Friend Catcher 09: Saint Sappho – Grass is Gold 10: Oh Bobby (Bill Rivers and Simon Hayward) – Are You Still There 11: Sorry Monks – One Rule For Them 12: Paradise Lost – The Last Time 13: Harry Howard And The NDE – Sensitive To The Cold 14: Mark Robin White & Adam Lato – Rabbit Hole (Tranquility mix) 15: The Courettes – Shake! 16: A Resistência – Maré Alta
Amazing Songs & Other Delights #71 is the The Desert Blues and Not Just edition is now on mixcloud.
This edition opens with Imajighen by Mdou Moctar and closes with Tom Huddleston singing a live version on Hank Williams’ I Saw The Light. Once more, I’m travelling through connections, details, inspiration. I’ve wrote an essay for it that can be read here.
Imajighen means free men in Berber. Although the lyrics specifically, or more specifically, address the free men of the Desert, the song’s words can be transposed to encompass us all. The chorus goes: “Imajighen, we can’t afford to be divided Imajighen, We can’t afford to be divided Imajighen We have no time for hate Imajighen Calling on you all wherever you are! We are all Imajighen” Full lyrics in English, Tamasheq and Tifinagh can be read here. here.
What do Mdou Moctar and Hank Williams have in common? Everything, I venture. My essay about the programme further speaks about it.
Tracklist: 01 – Mdou Moctar – Imajighen 02 – ANOHNI & The Johnsons – Breaking 03 – Tiwiza – At u Azeka 04 – Bombino – Mahegagh (What Shall I Do) 05 – Rui Veloso – Sayago Blues 06 – R.L. Burnside – See My Jumper Hanging On the Line (live at home, 1978) 07 – Tarwa N-Tiniri – Taryet 08 – Tom Verlaine – 5 Hours From Calais 09 – Dead Combo – Lisboa Mulata 10 – Fatou Seidi Ghali (Les Filles de Illighadad) – Telilit (live from Story of Sahel Sounds) 11 – Manu Chao – Tu Te Vas Feat. Laeti 12 – Felt – The Stagnant Pool 13 – Boubacar Traoré & Ali Farka Touré – Duna Ma Yelema 14 – Buzz Ayaz – Buzzi Ayazi 15 – Soledad Brothers – This Guitar Says I’m Sorry 16 – The White Stripes – Suzy Lee 17 – Etran de L’Aïr – Imouha 18 – Ben Watt with Bernard Butler – New Year of Grace (Upstairs at the De La Warr Pavilion Bexhill 5th April 2016) 19 – The Legendary Tiger Man – Keep it Burning 20 – Majid Bekkas – Daymallah (feat. Rachid Zeroual, Khalid Kouhen, Paolo Radoni, Marc Lelangue) 21 – Tinariwen – Sastanàqqàm 22 – Tom Hiddleston – I Saw The Light (with Mark Kermode on double-bass, live in the Wittertainment studio)
Amazing Songs & Other Delights #71 is the The Desert Blues and Not Just edition airs Monday 7th, 3-4:30pm (gmt+1) on Yé Yé Radio: yeyeradio.com (or on the app). This a longer, special edition.
This programme opens with Imajighen by Mdou Moctar and closes with Tom Huddleston singing a live version on Hank Williams’ I Saw The Light. Once more, I’m travelling through connections, details, inspiration. And writing an essay.
Imajighen means free men in Berber. Although the lyrics specifically, or more specifically, address the free men of the Desert, the song’s words can be transposed to encompass us all. The chorus goes: “Imajighen, we can’t afford to be divided Imajighen, We can’t afford to be divided Imajighen We have no time for hate Imajighen Calling on you all wherever you are! We are all Imajighen” Full lyrics in English, Tamasheq and Tifinagh can be read here. Tom Hiddleston plays Hank Williams in the film I Saw The Light.
What do Mdou Moctar and Hank Williams have in common? Everything, I venture. Amazing Songs & Other Delights #71 the The Desert Blues and Not Just edition could be said to be part of my “self taught” guitar schooling, mostly related to what Grupo Operário do Ruído, of which I’m part of, have been working on music wise.
Desert and African blues often have clapping. Clapping, including Arab clapping, a dry, hand palm against hand palm, clap, along with the fat clapping, is also something we have been exploring on Grupo Operário do Ruído. The same goes for rhythm, space, speed, rests, tone, intensity, ambient, emotions, silence, continuous, abrupt or smooth changes.
Since I elected the electric guitar as my main instrument in Grupo do Ruído, I have been paying a different kind of attention to the many faces, possibilities, approaches of the instrument.
This year, on Grupo Operário do Ruído we even created our own blues. A not so standard one, nonetheless, a blues.
Which take us to, what is the blues, what is a standard blues? The answers may require a many volumes encyclopedia. Or music theory explanations. I’ll leave both aside. As my choices for this Amazing Songs & Other Delights show, the blues is many things, everything, often not what a rigid blues school would call blues. Yet, it’s precisely the richness, the uniqueness, the emotions, feeling, sentiment that make the blues. Not being a never-miss-a-note-i-can-play-it-at-1000-miles-per-second master of the mimor blues pentatonic scale, proper chords progression, and on. If that’s all you got, you don’t have the blues, you have technique.
On these blues choices of mine we go on a journey with stops on Niger to Portugal, through the United States, Argelia-France, Marocco, United Kingdom, France-Spain, Mali, Cyprus, Algeria. Or, as sang Mdou Moctar’s Imajighen “We can’t afford to be divided”. Therefore, let’s have, sing and play the blues!
Tracklist: 01 – Mdou Moctar – Imajighen 02 – ANOHNI & The Johnsons – Breaking 03 – Tiwiza – At u Azeka 04 – Bombino – Mahegagh (What Shall I Do) 05 – Rui Veloso – Sayago Blues 06 – R.L. Burnside – See My Jumper Hanging On the Line (live at home, 1978) 07 – Tarwa N-Tiniri – Taryet 08 – Tom Verlaine – 5 Hours From Calais 09 – Dead Combo – Lisboa Mulata 10 – Fatou Seidi Ghali (Les Filles de Illighadad) – Telilit (live from Story of Sahel Sounds) 11 – Manu Chao – Tu Te Vas Feat. Laeti 12 – Felt – The Stagnant Pool 13 – Boubacar Traoré & Ali Farka Touré – Duna Ma Yelema 14 – Buzz Ayaz – Buzzi Ayazi 15 – Soledad Brothers – This Guitar Says I’m Sorry 16 – The White Stripes – Suzy Lee 17 – Etran de L’Aïr – Imouha 18 – Ben Watt with Bernard Butler – New Year of Grace (Upstairs at the De La Warr Pavilion Bexhill 5th April 2016) 19 – The Legendary Tiger Man – Keep it Burning 20 – Majid Bekkas – Daymallah (feat. Rachid Zeroual, Khalid Kouhen, Paolo Radoni, Marc Lelangue) 21 – Tinariwen – Sastanàqqàm 22 – Tom Hiddleston – I Saw The Light (with Mark Kermode on double-bass, live in the Wittertainment studio)
My Amazing Songs & Other Delights #70 – The True Love edition can now be listened to at mixcloud.
The name of this editon comes from the opening and closing songs, True Love the new song by Jane’s Addiction, and True Love Will Find You In The End by Daniel Johnson. You can read more about Amazing Songs & Other Delights here.
Tracklist: 01: Jane’s Addiction – True Love 02: A 90s new man called Stan – Sushi feat. Adamski 03: Anthony Moore – Earthbound Misfit 04: Black Toska – Three Silver Nails 05: Cosmic Room 99 – E Corp 06: Fernando Triste – Escuro 07: Franz Ferdinand – Audacious 08: Good Sad Happy Bad – Shaded Tree 09: Jonas – Bato À Porta 10: Kingbird – There Were Things That Needed Forgiven 11: Laurie Anderson – Road to Mandalay 12: Primal Scream – Love Insurrection 13: Terry Gross – Sales Pitch 14: The Heavy Heavy – Feel 15: Tindersticks – Always a Stranger 16: Virgem Suta – Amor Ao Avesso 17: Daniel Johnston – True Love Will Find You In The End
Hello! My radio programme Amazing Songs & Other Delights is back with new editions. The first one, called The True Love Edition airs Monday 23, 3-4pm (gmt+1) on Yé Yé Radio: yeyeradio.com (or on the app).
The name of this editon comes from the opening and closing songs, True Love the new song by Jane’s Addiction, and True Love Will Find You In The End by Daniel Johnston. Between them there are fifteen other songs some of which also mention love. As often in my Amazing Songs & Other Delights there is a variety of genres, well known bands and artists along newcomers and hidden gems.
Tracklist: 01: Jane’s Addiction – True Love 02: A 90s new man called Stan – Sushi feat. Adamski 03: Anthony Moore – Earthbound Misfit 04: Black Toska – Three Silver Nails 05: Cosmic Room 99 – E Corp 06: Fernando Triste – Escuro 07: Franz Ferdinand – Audacious 08: Good Sad Happy – Shaded Tree 09: Jonas – Bato À Porta 10: Kingbird – There Were Things That Needed Forgiven 11: Laurie Anderson – Road to Mandalay 12: Primal Scream – Love Insurrection 13: Terry Gross – Sales Pitch 14: The Heavy Heavy – Feel 15: Tindersticks – Always a Stranger 16: Virgem Suta – Amor Ao Avesso 17: Daniel Johnston – True Love Will Find You In The End
My radio show Amazing Songs & Other Delights that airs on Yé Ye Radio: yeyeradio.com (or on the app) every other Monday 3-4pm is on repeats from Monday 29th July until mid September.
Amazing Songs & Other Delights #69 – The Surf, Summer and Strats edition is now available on mixcloud. You can read about the show here.
Tracklist: 01: Radar Kadafi – 40 Graus à Sombra 02: Cansei de Ser Sexy – Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death From Above 03: David Bowie – China Girl 04: Dick Dale – Hava Nagila 05: Djo – End of Beginning 06: Electronic – Getting Away With It 07: Erasure – L’amour 08: Feelies – Who Loves The Sun 09: Chic – Le Freak 10: Klark Kent – Don’t Care 11: MGMT – People In The Street 12: Nunca Mates o Mandarim – Sonhos de Menino 13: Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock’n’Roll 14: Suede – She’s In Fashion 15: The Shadows – Man of Mystery 16: Violent Femmes – Blister In The Sun 17: The Specials – Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think) 18: Mamas & The Papas – California Dreamin’
Amazing Songs & Other Delights #69 – The Surf, Summer and Strats edition airs Monday 15th, 3-4pm (gmt+1) on Yé Yé Radio: yeyeradio.com (or on the app).
This edition songs and instrumentals selection reflects the title literally or in spirit. Surf music is represented by Dick Dale and The Shadows. Surf means Summer, Dick Dale and Hank Marvin (The Shadows) played a Strat(coaster). Nile Rogers also plays a Strat and co-produced Bowie’s China Girl. Chic and China Girl feel summery.
40 Graus À Sombra (40C Degrees in the Shade) by Radar Kadafi by Radar Kadafi os the ultime Summer Song. The Feelies cover Who Loves The Sun by The Velvet Underground in a seasonal tone Stuart Copeland as Klark Kent adds to the vibe.
As usual on the Summer and Winter editions the Mamas & The Papas – California Dreamin’ is played. Here, as in the first Summer edition by the Mamas & The Papas themselves.
This is the last new edition until Amazing Songs & Other Delights is back mid September. In between repeats will be played. Have a joyous Summer!
Tracklist: 01: Radar Kadafi – 40 Graus à Sombra 02: Cansei de Ser Sexy – Let’s Make Love and Listen to Death From Above 03: David Bowie – China Girl 04: Dick Dale – Hava Nagila 05: Djo – End of Beginning 06: Electronic – Getting Away With It 07: Erasure – L’amour 08: Feelies – Who Loves The Sun 09: Chic – Le Freak 10: Klark Kent – Don’t Care 11: MGMT – People In The Street 12: Nunca Mates o Mandarim – Sonhos de Menino 13: Prefab Sprout – The King of Rock’n’Roll 14: Suede – She’s In Fashion 15: The Shadows – Man of Mystery 16: Violent Femmes – Blister In The Sun 17: The Specials – Enjoy Yourself (It’s Later Than You Think) 18: Mamas & The Papas – California Dreamin’
My Amazing Songs & Other Delights #68 – The Bric-à-New edition can now be listened to on mixcloud. It a lovely programme of new songs, or songs that are new to me.
Tracklist: 01: A Working Man’s Guide to Comedy – Imitation (Last Serious Man) 02: Adelaida – Las Flores No Saben Qué Decirse 03: Beak> – The Seal 04: Bernard Butler – Preaching To The Choir 05: Bill Rivers – No Pity 06: Bright Eyes – Bells and Whistles 07: Dorothy Carter – The King of Glory 08: Fontaines D.C. – Favourite 09: Guster – Maybe We’re Alright 10: Joe Goddard – Follow You 11: King Krule – Time For Slurp 12: Lara Taubman – Love Is The Rule 13: Marc Lemon – Meet Me In The Morning 14: Population 5 – Midnight Surfer 15: Salétile – Dürüm 16: The Milkshakes – For She
Mondo Bizarre Magazine 