Percy Mayfield - The River's Invitation (1953)

I've been thinking a lot about 1988 recently. I found this in one of my notebooks:
I was young, freshfaced with perplexity.
During the hot summer I would sit the whole night long in cotton shorts, smoking stumps down to the yellow knuckle by the wafting blind.
The bed almost filled the room.
Three am, warm. I’m wearing the summer night as a moist second skin. The moths come to the blind, along with the scent of the distant river, now hidden by the darkness and lurking low and purple between its mudcaked banks, found only by the moon and the wading cattle statuesque.
On the radio, barely audible in my dim room; ‘The Rivers Invitation.’

For a good read about an interesting man go here...

The Pretty Things (1965)

When Dick Taylor was at Sidcup Art School he formed a band called Little Boy Blue and the Blue Boys with fellow students Keith Richards and Mick Jagger. The three then joined  Brian Jones and Ian Stewart to form The Rollin' Stones in 1962.

Taylor left the Stones when he moved to London Central School of Art, which is where he formed The Pretty Things.

They released their debut LP in 1965. The American version included the single Rosalyn (also included here). They released 7 singles between 1964-66, but only touched the top ten once.

After a million line up changes they are still going today. Why they aren't up there with the likes of The Animals, The Yardbirds, The Stones and The Who is a mystery to me. 

Being a fan of Billy Childish I really enjoy this.

Line up here:

Phil May - vocals, harmonica
Dick Taylor -guitar
Brian Pendleton- rhythm guitar
John Stax -bass
Viv Prince -drums

• Later the band would record soundtrack music for the De Wolfe Music Library under the name Electric Banana.

A 1999 compilation of Electric Banana tracks from 1967-1969 can be found here:
http://psychedelicobscurities.blogspot.com/2011/02/electric-banana-1967-ish-blows-your.html

The Devil's Music

Another charity shop find. A freebie from the December 2002 issue of Uncut magazine, it is what it says on the cover. I don't think our old friend the Devil would expect much credit for the Aaron Neville track, mind.

 Amos Milburn - Down The Road Apiece
 Jackie Brenston - Rocket 88
 Robert Johnson - Preachin' Blues (Up Jumped The Devil)
 Muddy Waters - Rollin' Stone
 Jimmy Rogers - Goin' Away Baby
 Leadbelly - The Midnight Special
 Clarence 'Gatemouth' Brown - Okie Dokie Stomp
 Clifton Chenier - Ay-Te Te Fee
 Professor Longhair & His Shuffling Hungarians - Mardi Gras In New Orleans
 Little Richard - Good Golly Miss Molly
 Billie Holiday - He's Funny That Way
 John Lee Hooker - I'm In The Mood
 Bob Marley & The Wailers - Jah Is Mighty
 Hank Williams - You Win Again
 Ike & Tina Turner - I Can't Believe What You Say
 B.B. King - Everyday I Have The Blues
 T-Bone Walker - (They Call It) Stormy Monday
 Howlin' Wolf - Moanin' At Midnight
 Blind Willie McTell - Talkin' To Your Mama
 Clarence 'Bon Ton' Garlow - Bon Ton Roulet
 Aaron Neville - Tell It Like It Is
 Albert King - That's What The Blues Is All About
 Irma Thomas - Ruler Of My Heart
 Otis Redding - Pain In My Heart (alt. take)
 Booker T. & The MG's - Baby, Scratch My Back
Al Green - Take Me To The River

all you need ... is five strings, two notes, two fingers and one asshole.  - Keith Richards

The Fabulous Thunderbirds- What's the Word (1980)

Well, I succumbed.
This LP cost £1.99 at the YMCA shop. It looks and sounds brand new.
So, white men play the blues- a damned fine record too. The second LP by the Texan band who whilst not commercially successful won critical acclaim in the era when RnB still meant solid 12 bar boogie music with some raw harmonica thrown in.

Jimmie Vaughan*-guitar
Kim Wilson-vocals, harmonica
Keith Ferguson-bass
Mike Buck/ Fran Christina -drums


* Apparently Jimmie had a brother called Stevie Ray who was quite handy on the blues guitar...

Lew Lewis -Lucky Seven 7” (1978)

Sending out special birthday greetings to Mr Jim Baker.
Lew Lewis from Canvey island was one of the main men in the Pub Rock scene- he was originally in Eddie and The Hotrods before joining Dr Feelgood- he has appeared with Wilko Johnson, Jules Holland (Oil City Sheikhs) The Stranglers and The Clash as well as fronting the Lew Lewis Band and Lew Lewis Reformer.
In 1987 he was sent down for seven years for holding up his local post office.
From what I can see on this fine Dr Feelgood site Lew is still with us despite ongoing health problems.

The 101ers- Elgin Avenue Breakdown Revisited (2005)

Before the Clash, rich- kid and serial art school dropout John Mellor was in a pub rock band . He was known as Woody then, not in homage to the legendary Woody Guthrie, but rather, it seems, because of his resemblance to Woody Woodpecker… Despite the Orwellian overtones, the band actually took their name from the address of their ‘squat’, 101 Walterton Road, (try looking it up on Google earth).
The 101'ers were supported by the Sex Pistols at the Nashville Room on 3 April 1976, 5 seconds into the Pistols' first song, I knew we were like yesterday's paper, we were over... said John, who was by this time known as Joe Strummer... he went on of course, to front the greatest band in the history of rock music and to take on the mantle of Punk Rock Warlord.
Burning Aquarium is not an encyclopedia.

This is a 2005 compilation of 101ers recordings from November 1975- April 1976.
Joe Strummer - vocals, guitar
Clive Timperley - guitar, vocals
Dan Kelleher - bass, vocals, keyboards
John Mole - bass
Richard Dudanski - drums, vocals