Hello! Nice to see you! Thanks for dropping by!
Your reward for bothering to visit my little corner of t’internet is yet another playlisty-mixy-thing I threw together last weekend, and which I rather like so it has been bumped up the queue in the ones I’ve previously prepared.
I shan’t bang on for too long now, but there are two things to note here: firstly, this mix picks up on an orchestral/strings theme, so that it sits well with the ending of last week’s mix, and secondly, there’s a tune by Peaches in this one, so, predictably we need one of these:
Right. You’ve been warned. Here we go.
Friday Night Music Club Vol 31
And here’s your tracklisting and – gosh! – I’ve actually bothered to do sleeve notes this time.
- The Jam – Smithers-Jones
Picking up where I left off last week, this is the orchestral/strings version which appears on the Setting Sons album. (I don’t just throw these together, you know!) This is a good marker of anyone who claims to be a Jam fan: ask them which version they prefer and if they flounder, then you know.
2. Elton John – I Guess That’s Why They Call It The Blues
OK, so now the dust has settled on his Sunday night Glastonbury appearance, here’s what I thought:
Firstly: I was relieved that he didn’t sound like this (for most of the set):
…although Twitter was most amusing when he played I’m Still Standing which was met by a resounding chorus of tweets along the lines of “Dill Danding!! I love this one!!”
Secondly: whilst his desire to promote new artists is admirable, his guests were disappointing to say the least.
Elton: “My next guest: Stephen Sanchez!!!”
The UK:
WHERE WAS BRITNEY???
Thirdly: not one mention of Bernie Taupin, the man who wrote the lyrics to most of his succesful songs, and without whom Elton would still be Reg the session musician. You ungrateful bastard.
All that said, I had a whale of a time watching him from the comfort of my sofa, engaged in text/WhatsApp messages with friends about what was unfolding in front of us, much of which is unrepeatable here (as a base level to the filthy jokes made: when he came onto the stage, hobbling in his gold suit, one friend (who shall remain nameless) said he looked: “…like he’s either just shat himself or he’s just been bummed.” “Or both,” I added to my shame.)
Anyway, I was delighted that he played this one, which is probably my favouite tune by Reg. As I was throughout his set: loved it, wished I was there.
3. She & Him – This Is Not a Test
Well, it’s not. We’re doing this right here right now baybee, and who better to confirm it than the Zooey Deschanel, lead actor from rubbish American sit-com New Girl, the Summer from 500 Days of Summer and all round US indie-schmindie pin-up? Nobody, that’s who.
4. Metronomy – Everything Goes My Way
I wish I could say something more intelligent or cool than this: it just sounded right in between the two records it finds itself sandwiched between. And it’s a great record, of course.
5. Happy Mondays – Kinky Afro
Oh, here they are, a week late. Thanks guys, nice of you to show up.
6. Kelis – Fish Fry
Well, it is Friday after all, although I suspect this may not be about a fish supper. It certainly sounds filthier than a cod, chips and mushy peas usually does.
I adore Kelis. If you’ve not yet watched her Glastonbury set on the BBC iPlayer, I’d recommend you do whilst you still can. Although, for most of it, I found myself thinking: if that rumour is true, Jamie Theakston is a lucky, lucky man.
7. Two Wounded Birds – My Lonesome
I needed something with that twangy surf-guitar sound. This fits and, crucially, it isn’t Chris Isaak. This is magnificent, though.
8. Saint Etienne – You’re In A Bad Way
Dated, but when you’re already being kitsch, that’s just fine and dandy. Late to the parade as always, this was the first Etienne single I bought, I think inspired by an appearance on The Word.
9. S’Express – Hey Music Lover
Look! I can post an S’Express record that isn’t Theme from S’Express!
Weirdly, I’ve been told on more than one occasion that I look like Mark Moore, the driving force behind S’Express. I don’t. S’all in the eyes, apparently. I’ll let you Google Image search him on your own time. Not that you know what I look like, so it will be an utter waste of your time.
10. Cola Boy – 7 Ways To Love (Original Mix)
During Cat Stevens/Yusuf’s performance in the Legends slot at Glastonbury on the Sunday afternoon, I texted my old mate Richie to tell him that Peterborough’s finest was doing well. This caused some confusion, as Richie didn’t know Cat/Yusuf used to live in Peterborough, but he did, around the time he changed his name from Cat Stevens to Yusuf: The Artist Formerly Known as Cat Stevens, and also started saying that the fatwa on Salman Rushdie’s head was justified.
Anyway: had I said: “Used to work in the passport office in Peterborough”, which was the national conversation at the time, then there could be no other candidate than Cola Boy. I hope he didn’t give up the day job.
11. De’Lacy – Hideaway (Deep Dish Radio Edit)
A banger. That is all.
12. Jenny Wilson – Let My Shoes Lead Me Forward (The Knife Remix)
You can tell this is a Knife remix just by listening to it. It’s magnificent.
13. Tiga – You Gonna Want Me
Tiga’s records, whether he has enticed someone famous to perform vocals or not (I’m looking at you, Jake Shears) are reliably brilliant, this being a case in point.
14. Peaches – Shake Yer Dix (Tiga’s Where Were You In ’92 Remix)
Ooopsies, Tiga has associations here. I live for the day when a politician, desperate for the youth vote, pretends to like Peaches (the artist, not The Stranglers tune or the fruit) in the same way that Gordon Brown loved Artic Monkeys, and David Cameron claimed to love The Smiths (and if he did (which he didn’t), then you kinda missed the point, Davey). So should Rishi Sunak sign off from a speech with the words “I bloody love drill!”? Of course not, because he doesn’t know what it is. Unless it’s the same as fracking. We should neither expect nor desire our politicians to be down with the kids, so stop pretending to like something your SPADs have told you is cool, because literally nobody believes you.
14. Futureshock – Late At Night (Tomcraft Mix)
A rather fine way to call tonight’s proceedings to a close, even if I may say so myself. An absolute choon my old mate Dum Dum gave me on a CD he’d burned off at some point. Trust me, trust Dum Dum, this is a belter.
And that’s yer lot.
More soon,
A History of Dubious Taste 