My Amazing Songs & Other Delights #73 – The New Things edition is now on mixcloud.
Tracklist: 01: Peter Perrett – Mixed Up Confucius 02: Naima Bock – Feed My Release 03: Ritta Tristany – Esquina do Chile 04: Gavin Friday – Stations of the Cross 05: Rossana – Inglaterra 06: Tess Parks – California’s Dreaming 07: Fabiana Palladino – Drunk 08: Velatine – Orange to Black 09: Paul Victor – Passport 10: Tunde Adebimpe – Magnetic 11: Rose City Band – Lights on the Way 12: David J Moriarty & Adam Baranello – Fade 13: Raoul Vignal – Icarus 14: Young Knives – Dissolution 15: Brick Briscoe & Kim Giani – Grands Boulevards 16: The Chefs – I’ll Go To 17: Dean & Britta & Sonic Boom – Pretty Paper
My Amazing Songs & Other Delights #73 – The New Things edition airs Monday 18th, 3-4pm (gmt) on Yé Yé Radio: yeyeradio.com (or on the app).
This programme features an assortment of new songs.
Tracklist: 01: Peter Perrett – Mixed Up Confucius 02: Naima Bock – Feed My Release 03: Ritta Tristany – Esquina do Chile 04: Gavin Friday – Stations of the Cross 05: Rossana – Inglaterra 06: Tess Parks – California’s Dreaming 07: Fabiana Palladino – Drunk 08: Velatine – Orange to Black 09: Paul Victor – Passport 10: Tunde Adebimpe – Magnetic 11: Rose City Band – Lights on the Way 12: David J Moriarty & Adam Baranello – Fade 13: Raoul Vignal – Icarus 14: Young Knives – Dissolution 15: Brick Briscoe & Kim Giani – Grands Boulevards 16: The Chefs – I’ll Go To 17: Dean & Britta & Sonic Boom – Pretty Paper
This time I’ll go with a repeat. My Amazing Songs & Other Delights #32 – The Autumn Is Here edition airs Monday 4th, 3-4pm (gmt) on Yé Yé Radio: yeyeradio.com (or on the app).
As the name says it’s an Autumn edition. You can read about it here here.
Tracklist: 01 – Arkadia Jazz All-Stars – Don’t Get Around Much Anymore (feat. Buster Williams & Carl Allen ) (Duke Ellighton original) 02 – António Vale da Conceição – Love Is The Storm 03 – Billy Childish & The Singing Loins – Pocahontas Was Her Name 04 – Blache – Garbage Picker 05 – Charlie Megira – Fear and Joy 06 – Cream – World of Pain 07 – David Bowie – Breaking Glass 08 – Francie Moon – Everything Goes 09 – Heavenly – I Fell in Love Last Night 10 – Japan – Canton (Live from Hammersmith Odeon, 1983) 11 – Jessie Buckley & Bernard Butler – Footnotes On The Map (Live From The Green Note) 12 – Miguel Feraso Cabral – Indo Por Ali Longe 13 – Taylor Kingman – Heaven Ain’t Hiding 14 – The Shins – The Celibate Life 15 – Weyes Blood – It’s Not Just Me, It’s Everybody 16 – Wolf Manhattan – Five Years
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
The Blues is a 2003 seven episodes documentary film produced by Martin Scorsese. In each episode a different different director goes into a step of the history of the Blues. It’s worthy every second of footage, stories, music.
01: Feel Like Going Home. directed by Martin Scorsese, featuring Ali Farka Touré, Corey Harris, Salif Keita, Son House, Taj Mahal, John Lee Hooker, Keb’ Mo’, Willie King
02: The Soul of a Man. directed by Wim Wenders with music by Skip James, Blind Willie Johnson and J. B. Lenoir.
03: The Road to Memphis. directed by Richard Pearce, featuring B. B. King, Bobby Rush, Rosco Gordon, Ike Turner.
04: Warming by the Devil’s Fire. directed by Charles Burnett, featuring: Tommy Hicks and Nathaniel Lee Jr., and performances by Big Bill Broonzy, Elizabeth Cotten, Reverend Gary Davis, Ida Cox, Willie Dixon, Jesse Fuller, John Lee Hooker, Lightnin’ Hopkins, Son House, Mississippi John Hurt, Vasti Jackson, Bessie Smith, Mamie Smith, Victoria Spivey, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, Dinah Washington, Muddy Waters and Sonny Boy Williamson.
Sister Rosetta Tharpe
05: Godfathers and Sons directed by Marc Levin, featuring Marshall Chess and Chuck D.
06: Red, White and Blues. directed by Mike Figgis. This episode is focused on the blues in Britain and the British Invasion effect on American blues.
07: Piano Blues. directed Clint Eastwood, featuring Marcia Ball, Dave Brubeck, Ray Charles and Pinetop Perkins.
The Blues A Musical Journey is a cd box-set companion of the documentary with recordings from August 10, 1920 to April 9, 2003. It’s over six hours of all sorts of blues! It goes from Othar Turner & the Rising Star Fife & Drum to Bonnie Raitt through Sun House, Jimmi Hendrix, Blind Willie McTell, Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Robert Johnson Howlin’ Wolf with dozens of blues players. The Blues A Musical Journey is more standard and geographically confined than my Amazing Songs & Other Delights #71 The Desert Blues and Not Just edition, but it’s an absolute joy.
Blind Willie McTell
My beloved Blind Willie McTell titles my favourite Bod Dylan song on Dylan’s voice because “… no one can sing the blues / Like Blind Willie McTell. Dylan is on piano and voice, Mark Knopfler on acoustic guitar. Blind Wille McTell, the song, has been providing endless hours of conversation with a musician friend. Is it a song? A poem? A criticism? A critique? An observation? What are the lyrics really about? To me, they’re about America and its History and ways. It’s also a testament to Dylan’s lyric brilliancy.
Blind Wille McTell I seen the arrow on the doorpost Saying this land is condemned All the way from New Orleans To Jerusalem Well, I travel through east Texas Where many martyrs fell And I know no one can sing the blues Like Blind Wille McTell
Mmm, I heard that hoot owl singing As they were taking down the tents The stars above the barren trees Was his only audience Them charcoal gypsy maidens Can strut their feathers well But nobody can sing the blues Like Blind Willie McTell
See them big plantations burning Hear the cracking of the whips Smell that sweet magnolia blooming See the ghosts of slavery ships I can hear them tribes a moaning Hear that undertaker’s bell And I know no one can sing the blues Like Blind Willie McTell
There’s a woman by the river With some fine young handsome man He’s dressed up like a squire Bootleg whiskey in his hand There’s a chain gang on the highway I can hear them rebels yell And I know no one can sing the blues Like Blind Willie McTell
God is in His heaven And we all want what’s His But power and greed and corruptible seed Seem to be all that there is I’m gazing out the window Of that old Saint James Hotel And I know no one can sing the blues Like Blind Willie McTell (Bob Dylan)
Stealing from The Legendary Tiger Man – the blues, like folk, is all about inspiration and ideas passed around – don’t firetruck Christmas, but I’ve got the Blues!
Good morning with Preaching To The Choir (Live At The Green Note) by Bernard Butler. Have a nice weekend.
An essay, in the form of a tragicomedy letter is accompanying today’s song choice. It’s in the vein of what I, in my Picky INTJ Fairy incantation have been posting to Bernard on his Instagram.. It’s also a shout-out to my essay on Deep Emotions and to my note on Camber Sands.
Oh mine! Where did that super deep, manly, hoarse voice came from? Me thinking live at The Green Note was safe. You live on youtube or social media tend to be . It’s live, no risk. Turns out, it’s a minefield. Urg! Urg! Urg! Picky INTJ fairies don’t know what to do when we’re nearly in tears with emotion. There’s a glance at the guitar, a “maybe the bass?”, a “poem, write a poem, pour it on the page” I’m always doing it, like right now, writing this). But it’s too much, and too many hours of non-creative discomfort, and of being silent and still.
Preaching To The Choir gives me the chills, it’s too close to home. It’s home, times ago. Preaching To The Choir is, or is supposed, to be about politicians, rulers, their deceit and lies and hypocrisy. That’t not my meaning of the lyrics. Songs are this, they mean a different thing to each of us.
“… Oh I’ll reach across the covers to caress your skin / The memories we overcome could mean anything / The words I use to hurt you disappear / Their presence only lingers in your tears…”
Those words always, always, get to me. They cut deep, they have a multilayered, multi side meaning to me, and there are almost, if not really, tears. I don’t know the exact meaning Bernard had in mind when he wrote them. For personal purposes, it doesn’t matter. They bring me memories, they bring out a “good grief”, they’re touching.
“Isn’t it a good thing that you have emotions.” asks Bernard on the Super Deluxe Edition interview. It is. But… but I keep being amazed at how, why, Good Grief, the album, and now it’s companion Live At The Green Note bring out such emotions in me. It’s unusual.
Therefore, congratulations, Mr. Butler. You did it again! Fortunately I have forever cancelled you a few months ago because you don’t like to play bass! You may recall that from Instagram. It has now become hazardous to attend your concerts. However, you will not get away that easily. For purposes of practice and reharsals duty, coupled with protection I’ll most likely turn up with my guitar. It’s becoming something of a trademarks to show up at concerts with my guitar on my back. Don’t worry, I will not take to the stage. It’s all yours. But I will have my safety blanket. Dark glasses are also useful and a side blessing in disguise of photosensitive. Any possible tears Will be hidden.
The hallmark of a great artist is not measured in record sales, size of venues played or any other similar thing. It’s in how deep and truthfully how many hearts and souls are touched by the artist’s work. You’ve deeply touched and moved a few, if not a lot, of us, Mr. Butler.
Signed Picky INTJ fairy.
Bernard Butler is currently touring the UK. Bernard Butler plays in Portugal for the first time in November. 14 (Thursday), Casa da Cultura de Setúbal, Setúbal, 9:30pm 17 (Sunday) 1, Sala 2 Casa da Música, Porto, 9pm
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
Mondo Bizarre Magazine 