A Strange Hello

 

Stuck for something to post I decided to have a quick trawl through my music files to see if anything caught my eye. I hadn't got any further than the As when I noticed a file called A Strange Hello which didn't ring any bells.

I opened it to find it contained seven tracks by American indie singer songwriter Torres. I couldn't find any details on Discogs. The nearest I got was that there was a track called Strange Hellos on her second album Sprinter released in 2015 on the Partisan label

I then found a post from Hot Press advising that this was a primer featuring songs from her self titled 2013 debut album and Sprinter. It also mentioned that it was a free download which may well explain why it found its way into my music library.

I can't recall having ever played it but I may well have done when I first downloaded it . This then may be only the second time that these tracks get an airing. It is not bad but not earth shattering either. I can hear echoes of PJ Harvey which is obviously a good thing. There are a lot of female indie singer songwriters out there vying for attention and I'm sure she has a fan base. Sadly, like many others, I suspect she will never make the big time. Hopefully I will be proved wrong. Of course a post on CCM could change all that!

Her are two from Sprinter and one from the debut album.

Torres - Strange Hellos

Torres - Sprinter

Torres - Honey

Brothers, Sisters ......... 6

 

   

I've just checked which day of the week and it is actually Wednesday as opposed to Sunday. After listening to these songs you will understand why it is easy to get confused

We have the fire and brimstone country gospel version as preached by Charles and Ira  Louvin up against fellow Alabamans the Johnson Sisters who have been described as the Sweethearts of Gospel Music.

If you are a regular visitor to this site then the Louvin Brothers will need no introduction. In case they are new to you here is their Wiki page .You are in for a treat. They do sing secular songs but  also do some excellent Hell and Damnation numbers. Sadly Ira's relationship with the bottle meant he didn't always practice what he preached. Two of their religious ones for you today.

According to Discogs there have been three acts called The Johnson Sisters. I think I have the correct one.I know absolutely nothing about them so I will let Discogs do the honours

US gospel from Alabama which started in the mid-50s. The Johnson Sisters (also recognized as the) Sweethearts of Gospel Music, embraced a style unlike any other gospel groups of their day. Although their sound is uniquely their own, is akin to that of the popular McGuire Sisters. The original group consisted of Mary, Margaret, Judy and Anna Johnson, daughters of L.C. and Maedeen Johnson. Margaret was seven years younger than Mary. The youngsters in the group, Judy and Anna, are twins born about a year after Margaret. Their brother, Luther, wasn't interested in singing, although he has a very pleasing voice. The sisters recorded their first album on the Sing label when the twins were at the ripe old age of nine! "The Sweethearts of Gospel Music" soon became one of the best-selling albums in the Sing catalogue. At the time, Mary was the pianist and arranger, Margaret sang the low contralto part, Judy supplied the alto, and Anna sang a beautiful soprano.

It is hard to find fault with their music but there can clearly be only one winner today. Yes it is the gents who warned you that Satan is real

Louvin Brothers - The Family Who Prays

Louvin Brothers -Satan is Real

Johnson Sisters -You Can't Hurry God

Johnson Sisters -Lord I've Tried

Trains, Boats and Planes

 

I was thinking about trains, boats and planes songs and whether I had enough for a series and wondered whether I had thought of this before. 

It turns out that I have - sort of .. I featured some songs from the album Trains, Boats and Planes by The Frank and Walters in April 2021 and pondered as to whether there was a series in it.

Nothing happened until now when I thought about it again over the weekend and decided to give it a go. Let's do it.

One thing is for sure being a Country music fan I will not be short of songs about trains. However not every train song is a country song. Why even The Only Band That Matters has a train song on London Calling.

I don't have as many songs about boats but there are enough for a few weeks. Let's start with Madness and Night Boat to Cairo . I suspect that would be considerably slower than Primal Scream's Big Jet Plane.

I actually have a song called Trains, Boats, Planes by It's Immaterial which I'll feature today but will resist the temptation to subject you to it again as the series progresses.

More transport related songs next Tuesday

It's Immaterial - Trains, Boats, Planes

The Clash - Train in Vain

Madness - Night Boat to Cairo

Primal Scream - Big Jet Plane

Monday's Sunday Selections

 

I was stuck for something to post today so I thought that I would feature a song each from the three albums we listened to over Sunday brunch and subsequent chores.

The Ultimate Collection by Allison Moorer was requested by Mrs CC. An artists we have seen twice once on her own and once with her sister Shelby Lynne. She was also briefly married to Steve Earle. I would say that she is one of those artists who has one foot in mainstream Country and the other in American/Alternative Country. Obviously my preference is for the latter.

We then went for random selections. Mrs CC went first and pulled out Love by Aztec Camera from the Indie/Pop shelves. From 1987 it is their third album. Not as good as their debut High Land, Hard Rain but better that Knife the second one. There are two top songs on it namely How Men Are and Killermont Street which is pictured above. It has Buchanan Street Bus Station on one side and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall on the other. The Concert Hall did not open until 1990 so this remains the best song ever about a bus station.

I'm afraid I let the side down with my random selection which was People the debut album by Irish folk rock band Hothouse Flowers from 1998. A search of the Blog suggests that this was a charity shop purchase by Mrs CC which I posted about in October 2013 This was the only time that they have featured here before and I suspect that this may have been the first time it has been played since. It probably needs to go back.

We saw their frontman Liam Ó Maonlaí perform as part of a Roaming Roots Revue concert at Celtic Connections and he is as mad as a box of frogs.

Allison Moorer - Is It Worth It ?

Aztec Camera - Killermont Street

Hothouse Flowers - Don't Go

Watch the Birdie

 

News came out last week that Camera Obscura are doing a short tour in May 2024 - details here

The final date is at Glasgow's Barrowland and I managed to get my ass into gear and acquire a ticket. It should be good.

Although familiar with a number of their songs as is often the case I was a bit late to the party. However I have since managed to pick up the majority of their back catalogue.

We also saw them play a fantastic concert in Glasgow's Saint Lukes on 5th August 2019 which was one of my gigs of that year as demonstrated in my end of the year gig review

05/08   St Lukes - Camera Obscura - 9/10
First time I have seen them and their first concert for a couple of years not that you would have known. Some magnificent musicanship complimented the wonderful voice of Tracyanne Campbell.

The blurb for the tour alludes to some new songs being featured so hopefully a new album will pop up in due course.. In the meantime they have returned to Merge Records and Underachievers Please Try Harder and Lets Get Out of this Country have recently been re-released

Here are three of their most famous songs.

Camera Obscura - French Navy

Camera Obscura - Let's Get Out of This Country

Lloyd, I'm Ready to be Heartbroken

Saturday Shuffle 28

 

If you were to type Sanctified Soul into the search button on this page you would find a significant number of posts. Indeed it has already featured in this series as part of Saturday Shuffle 22

I make no apologies for featuring it again given that it is quite simply one of the greatest Soul Compilations of all time namely Sanctified Soul on the Ace label . I defy anyone to tell me I'm wrong. Today's offering is the magnificent I Stole Some Love by Don Covay ( pictured above) & the Goodtimers.

I'm not sure how you follow that but follow that we must. Here is R&B singer Amos Milburn with Down the Road Apiece the first track from another excellent compilation Uncut's - The Devil's Music - Keith Richards' Personal Compilation of Blues ,Soul and R&B Classics yours on Discogs from as little as a pound.

We conclude this week with a song from one of my favourite albums from 2019. Still Here Now is taken from These Times by the mighty The Dream Syndicate which was released on the Anti- label and which you really should have.

Enjoy.

Don Covay & the Goodtimers - I Stole Some Love

Amos Milburn - Down The Road Apiece

The Dream Syndicate - Still Here Now

Hazy Friday

 

I was scrambling about for something to post today when I got an e-mail from George advising that he had been playing the Dundonian band The Hazey Janes and the band Hazy Malaze who included the late great Neal Casal amongst their members.

This had me considering all things Hazy and indeed Hazey . In addition to the two fine bands above I came up with the Greek band My Drunken Haze.

And then of course there are the songs - can Nick Drake, Jimmi Hendrix, Ray Stinnett and The Bangles please step up to the mike.

I think it is best to stop there - so no Isaac Hayes, Wade Hayes, Gemma Hayes, Hayes McMullen or Hayes Carll. We'll save them for another hayesy day.

The Hazey Janes - Toulouse

Hazy Malaze -Chicago Blondes

My Drunken Haze - Carol Wait

Nick Drake -Hazey Jane 1

Jimi Hendrix - Purple Haze

Ray Stinnett - Salty Haze

The Bangles - Hazy Shade of Winter