What Did You Wish For? What Did You Fear?

More festive fun today with Aimee Mann and Michael Penn, performing their song Christmastime on The Late Late Show with Craig Kilborn on 15th December 2000. This post is dedicated to Rol from My Top Ten and someone who's been a fan of the Mann from the start.

I was much, much later to the party and oddly enough, it was her festive offerings (of which there are many) that drew me in. Christmastime is an original song, [warning: bad pun alert] penned by husband Michael Penn (older brother of Sean and Chris), producer Jon Brion and of course Aimee herself, if the lyrics didn't make it obvious.

I've not seen this TV clip before but I've long owned a version of this song on the 1996 album Just Say Noël. It's an alternative Christmas compilation released on Geffen, featuring a dozen tracks by label artists, mixing up cover versions of traditional and more contemporary songs with original compositions. 

Christmastime first appeared the same year on the soundtrack to Paul Thomas Anderson's debut film, Hard Eight and it's been re-recorded several times since. The studio version is full of the usual festive (jingle) bells and whistles, but I also like this slightly different arrangement for television. Aimee's voice is of course the element that lifts it to another plane.

 

If the annual tweak and reissue of Now That's What I Call Xmas and the prospect of Christmas songs by Ed Sheeran & Elton John, Michael Buble or Sam Ryder have you reaching for bucket to puke in, then Just Say Noël is a pretty decent alternative and relatively easy to find secondhand or online.

The album kicks off with Beck's take on a traditional song with The Little Drum Machine Boy. There's an extract on You Tube at just under two-and-a-half minutes but be warned: the album version clocks in at over seven minutes, by which time the novelty of Beck rapping has worn off, if I'm honest. Cracking bassline, though.

Sonic Youth up next with a surprisingly faithful cover of comedian/actor Martin Mull's 1972 song, Santa Doesn't Cop Out On Dope. Well, when I say faithful, I mean in the sense of their Ciccone Youth covers of Into The Groove and Addicted To Love: structurally accurate replicas but put through the 'Yoot' mangle. Even more surprising, it's actually less disturbing than the original.

From 'Yoot' to The Roots' cover of the De La Soul perennial Millie Pulled A Pistol On Santa. I like The Roots and while it's inevitably not a patch on the hip hop trio, it's worth a listen or two.

Just Say Noël is not all downtempo, downtrodden music either. XTC make a belated appearance here with their 1983 single Thanks For Christmas. It ticks all the boxes for being a festive smash but failed to make a dent in the UK chart. This is possibly (and no doubt intentionally) due to the single being released as The Three Wise Men not XTC, with songwriting credited to Balthazar, Kaspar and Melchior rather than Partridge, Moulding and Gregory. As soon as Andy's voice kicks in though, you know you're in for a treat.

My final seasonal selection from Just Say Noël is Gloria by Elastica, which first appeared as a 'B-side' to third single Waking Up in, er, February 1995 and would prove to be the band's biggest hit, coming in at #13 on it's week of release. It's got all of the Elastica hallmarks: thumping drum intro, strident bass, fuzzy guitar and Justine's slightly snotty vocals and original lyrics over a very familiar melody. What's not to love?

Xmassy Options

We're on the slippery slope to 25th December and here are a couple of festive treats from Hifi Sean & David McAlmont and Sleaford Mods.

 

On 3rd December, Hifi Sean posted the following teaser on Twitter.

According to Sean, the song "ended up sounding really Xmassy", so they called it.... 

 

 

It's a lovely, fun and yes, Xmassy, record. And it's free!

 

A couple of weeks before, Sleaford Mods dropped their cover of Pet Shop Boys' 1985 classic West End Girls. Both music and video pay homage to the original whilst indelibly stamped with Sleaford Mods' mark.

The remix package is the business, with the 'clean' version of West End Girls along with three mixes from the Mods' own Andrew Fearn, Hifi Sean and the Pet Shop Boys themselves. All are excellent.

If you prefer your Sleaford Mods with some effing and jeffing there's a 'dirty' mix to oblige, available as a standalone purchase. You can buy all versions, including a 12" featuring the 3 remixes, via Bandcamp. All proceeds go to housing and homelessness charity Shelter, if you need further reason to buy.

 

 

Xmassy is also available on Bandcamp. Did I mention that it's free?

  

The Sights, The Sounds...The Smells

First of all, Rob Reiner is not dead yet. 

 

A few days ago, #RIPRob was trending on Twitter and there was a hubbub indicating that the American actor and filmaker had karked it. Turns out it was all a hoax, although I guess there are some who will have wished it was true, either because of his anti-Trump comments or his intention to helm a sequel to his directorial debut, the truly brilliant This Is Spinal Tap.

I was sufficiently suckered/tired/brainwashed (delete as applicable) to assume news of Reiner's demise was true and start on a Dubhed selection as a tribute. I'd nearly completed it when I went back online and realised that #RIPRob was all a load of bollocks and, worse, This Is Spinal Tap 2 is still in pre-production.

Rather than park the selection until Rob's eventual and inevitable passing, I've finished it off and present here for your listening pleasure. I've picked out music used in Reiner's films from his 1984 debut through to 1992's A Few Good Men, after which I'll admit I've only had a sporadic interest. Apart from The Sure Thing (1985), which I don't recall ever seeing and despite starring John Cusack, not one I'll rush to find, the rest are bonafide classics. Yes, even the one with Tom Cruise in it.

This Is Spinal Tap inevitably features heavily throughout this selection, a few songs and lots of dialogue ripped from the movie itself. There's some proper soundtrack stuff, with full-on orchestras, a small helping of Mark Knopfler, a couple of contemporary (1984) rock and pop songs and tons of classics from Messrs. Sinatra, Holly, Ellington, King and, er, not-so-classic from Rod The Mod. 

 

The soundtrack for When Harry Met Sally... features Harry Connick Jr.'s covers of American standards, including It Had To Be You. Thankfully, ol' Blue Eyes' version also pops up in the film and therefore appears here. Frank Sinatra had been performing the song since the early 1940s but interestingly, he didn't actually get around to releasing a studio version of the song until 1980.

 

I think the selection generally turned out a lot better than I expected but as ever, you will be the judge of that.

Turn this one up to 11, of course.

 

1) Marti Di Bergi Introduction: Spinal Tap (1984)

2) Morning Ride: Mark Knopfler (1987)

3) Dance Hall Days (Remix By Chris Hughes & Ross Cullum): Wang Chung (1983)

4) "Squatney Memories": Spinal Tap (1984)

5) The Fireswamp: Mark Knopfler (1987)

6) "Saucy Jack": Spinal Tap (1984)

7) Guantanamo Bay: Marc Shaiman (1992)

8) "Lick My Love Pump": Spinal Tap (1984)

9) It Had To Be You (Cover of The Ambassadors): Frank Sinatra (1980)

10) "Yes I Can!": Spinal Tap (1984)

11) Let The Good Times Roll: Shirley & Lee (1956)

12) Heavy Duty: Spinal Tap (1984)

13) You Might Think: The Cars (1984)

14) Shotgun: Junior Walker & The All Stars (1965)

15) Stonehenge: Spinal Tap (1984)

16) Go To Your Room: Marc Shaiman (1990)

17) Stand By Me: Ben E. King (1961)

18) Everyday: Buddy Holly (1957)

19) Gimme Some Money (Soundcheck Version) / "None More Black": Spinal Tap (1984) 

20) Don’t Get Around Much Anymore: Duke Ellington (1940)

21) Infatuation (Full Length Version By  Michael Omartian): Rod Stewart (1984)

22) Stars And Stripes Forever: Marc Shaiman (1992)

23) End Interviews: Spinal Tap (1984)

 

1984: This Is Spinal Tap: 1, 4, 6, 8, 10, 12, 15, 19, 23

1985: The Sure Thing: 3, 13, 21

1986: Stand By Me: 11, 17, 18

1987: The Princess Bride: 2, 5

1989: When Harry Met Sally...: 9, 20

1990: Misery: 14, 16

1992: A Few Good Men: 7, 22

 

The Sights, The Sounds...The Smells (59:35) (KF) (Mega) 

Showgaze Artifacts

This is the house directly opposite Casa K, ablaze with festive cheer, morning, noon and night (yes, it really is on 24/7). This set up has been in place since before the clocks went back, so if you're not feeling the festive cheer by now you must be a real Grinch, right? 

 

The eagle-eyed amongst you will notice that the main power cable is feeding through an open bedroom window on the right, so this family have been prepared to suffer some bloody cold nights for their art. Either that, or it's Santa's contigency plan given that they don't have a working chimney....

 

This time of year invariably has me thinking of (and wishing for) sunnier climes. I have managed to spend previous Christmas and New Year celebrations in Australia, Bali and the Canary Islands, the latter including Christmas 2019, little suspecting what was around the corner. However, no such plans for 2023: Clan K will be hosting at Casa K; I have one more week at work, then I won't be back there again until 2024. I cannot wait.

Whilst I may not be physically travelling south, there's plenty of music that will transport me there, not least the rather wonderful remix companion to Jazxing's debut album Pearls Of The Baltic Sea, which came out at the tail end of October. 

 

It's on the Higher Love Recordings label, so you know from the outset that you're in for a Balearic beauty and this doesn't disappoint. Mirroring the original album's sequencing, things get off to a superb start with Danilo Braca's nearly 13-minute rework of Fala. Gulls, lapping water, soothing wordless 'ooohs', saxophone and a steady, insistent beat that gently carries you forward.

 

I've selected four samples below, the opening track plus remixes by Andres y Xavi (like a lost Beth Orton backing track featuring Jah Wobble), Balearic Ultras (dialogue and synth stabs and washes in perfect harmony) and closing with Coyote (you know what to expect from this duo and you won't be disappointed). 

 

But really, it's so much more than just a remix album, it's a cohesive, considered reworking, each element working together beautifully and creating an album that's every bit as rewarding as the original.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Pearls Of The Baltic Sea was originally released in September 2022 and is available to buy here. And if you're looking for further gift ideas for the one you love - even if that's yourself - then you can do no wrong by checking out the rest of the Higher Love Recordings catalogue.

 

I'd originally planned today's post to focus on film director Rob Reiner, seemingly another loss in a couple of weeks of almost-daily reports of celebrity deaths. It turns out that it was all a hoax perpetrated on Elon's social media shitshow. Ol' Musky really should have rebranded Twitter as Shitter, as that would be a more accurate description of it's current state.

 

Anyhoo, I was already some way into pulling together a Dubhed selection and it seems a waste not to finish the job and post it. No spoilers to say that if you come back tomorrow, in complete contrast to today's post, you'll get some musical nuggets with - what else? - a liberal helping of Spinal Tap.

Come Hither, Come Weatherall

The third and final - and conversely the first - mix from the London Xpress promo CD given away with NME in June 2000, this time featuring the legendary Andrew Weatherall.

 

A pulsing, funky mix of electronica and a further evidence of Andrew's consummate skill in finding a mix that just lands so well, whether a two-plus hour set or, as here, half a dozen songs in under half an hour.

 

Most of these were pretty much new music at the time, several lifted from EPs, a couple from albums and the Lali Puna track I believe being exclusive to this mix. It's a cracking selection and sets the bar high for the two mixes to follow, both of which amply rise to the challenge. 

Don't take my word for it though, you can find the mixes by Harvey and David Holmes here and here.

 

1) Tophapy: Plaid (2000)
2) Hard Drive Dub: Burnt Friedman & The Nu Dub Players (1999)
3) Daydreaming Disaster: John Tejada (1999)
4) Supernatural (You're So): Steve Stoll (1999)
5) Stokers Motor: 7 Hurtz (2000)
6) Everywhere All Over: Lali Puna (2000)

 

London Xpress: Andrew Weatherall (24:34) (KF) (Mega)

Remixamatosis

A (very) occasional dip back into my previous blogging life and music reviews that I used to post under the "Jukebox Juicebox" heading. Here's a quartet of remix compilations from December 2006, the original text 'as is' and very much of it's time. To (kind of) update things, I've added a YouTube link to one of the tracks and trawled Bandcamp for an additional sampler from each of the remix artists featured. Enjoy!

 

Various Artists “Future Retro” (2006)

 

I forget who coined the phrase ‘repetition celebrates and devalues’, but this is aptly applied to the music industry. Artists and songs are resurrected, repackaged, rereleased, reworked and remixed ad nauseum, The Beatles mash-up/megamix Love being one of the most recent examples. With downloads of all stripes likely to be eligible for the ‘singles’ chart in the near future, U2, Oasis, Westshite and McFly will likely be jostling for pole positions with the Fab Four, Elvis, Abba and Michael Jackson. 

 

The 1980s, which seems to have enjoyed a continual revival since, er, the 1990s will probably figure strongly in this. The fascination with the decade that taste arguably overlooked has resulted in countless contemporary updates of it’s memorable – and not so memorable – musical moments, the latest being the Future Retro compilation. Currently available in the UK on import only, the project is a labour of love for compiler Craig DeGraff who commissioned all of the remixers on this album. 

 

On the whole, it’s a pretty consistent collection though inevitably there are a few tracks that miss the mark. Tiga’s mix of Depeche Mode’s Shake The Disease is halfway through before it starts to make an impression, whilst Jaded Alliance’s take on Erasure’s A Little Respect sounds like an ill-matched mash-up. Surprisingly, several tracks remain faithful to their origins: The Crystal Method speed up New Order’s Bizarre Love Triangle, losing some of the key hooks in the process, but without undermining the main melody; Infusion’s similar handling of The Walk by The Cure is even more effective. 

 

The latter part of the album contains some real gems. Devo’s Girl U Want is roughened up by Black Light Odyssey whilst obscurity Boy by Book Of Love (which I admit I’ve never heard of) benefits from a beefy “rockstar mix” by the equally unknown DJ Irene (presumably not the Home And Away character moonlighting on the wheels of steel). Adam Freeland transforms B-Movie’s Nowhere Girl into a guitar dub dirge that echoes U.N.K.L.E.’s Unreal, but the best is saved for last with the unexpected yet obvious pairing of Morrissey and Sparks. Moz’s debut solo single Suedehead gains an epic stature, with chopped up vocals laid over sweeping strings. A perfect close to an imperfect but worthwhile compilation.

 

 

Craig DeGraff is one half of LA-based duo Black Light Odyssey. Here's an intriguing cover of Sex Gang Children's Deiche, released in 2021.

 

Shirley Bassey “Diamonds Are Forever…The Remix Album” (2000)

 

On the surface, a project that seems completely unnecessary. That is, until you realise that this album followed hot on the heels of the Welsh diva’s collaboration with Propellerheads on History Repeating, which became both a theme tune (Channel 4’s So Graham Norton) and a chart hit. 

 

Unsurprisingly, Propellerheads reappear here, with Goldfinger repeating their then-successful formula of funky beats and wah-wah guitar. Groove Armada and Nightmares On Wax also play to type, the latter to particularly good effect on Easy Thing To Do. 

 

Some tracks miss the point entirely, notably the dreadful comedy cut-up of Big Spender, but Kenny Dope’s drum-driven reworking of The Doors’ Light My Fire perfectly complements Bassey’s belting vocals. Given it’s inconsistency, it’s advisable to either pick this up cheaply as I did or download key tracks. Either way, don’t overlook it altogether.

 

Kenny 'Dope' Gonzalez needs no introduction, a formidable reputation with 'Little' Louie Vega as Masters At Work and a vast body of work as a solo artist, producer and DJ. This track is from 2016's 25-track behemoth Dopewax Approved: Kenny Dope & Friends Vol.1

 

   

Carl Douglas “Kung Fu Fighting Remixes (Dub Drenched Soundscapes)” (2003)

 

…And if the Shirley Bassey remix album seemed unnecessary, then what the heck does one make of this? 

 

Carl Douglas’ early 1970s disco track is not one that immediately suggests a relationship to dub and in truth, not all of the artists involved strictly adhere to that principle. The frankly bizarre concept of stretching this single track over 16 remixes (17, counting the hidden a capella track) and 80 minutes also means that it’s nigh on impossible to listen to the end result as an album in it’s own right. Anyone who has previously bought dub remix compilations on the Select Cuts or Echo Beach labels will find the usual suspects here: Rob Smith, Dreadzone, Don Letts/Dan Donovan, Kid Loco; however, it’s the lesser known acts that impress, notably G-rizo, Pole and Dubbelstandart.  

 

The Ruts’ Andy Gill delivers a funked up but essentially unchanged version of the original whilst Audio Active take the track to it’s logical (ludicrous?) extreme. It’d be nice to think that the songwriters – Carl Douglas and kitsch producer Biddu – will benefit from further royalties as a result of this album. However, given it’s limited appeal, I wouldn’t recommend that they break out the bubbly just yet.

 

Bristol legend Rob Smith is frequently featured here, whether for his work with Ray Mighty as Smith & Mighty or his own impressive and sweeping catalogue of releases and remixes under his own name or various aliases. Not Easy (Motherless Child) is a beautiful track by RSD from the 15-track collection Decades, released in November.  

 

 

Visit Venus “The Endless Bummer Rmx Appendix” (1999)

 

One of the consequences of a ubiquitous remix culture is that it’s possible to own tracks but have no idea what the original version sounded like. This is a case in point, the result of a trawl through the ‘5 for £16’ shelf at Plastic Wax Records in Bristol. I have no idea who Visit Venus are, or what they sound like but, looking at the artists involved, figured it was worth shelling out a few quid for. As it happens, it turned out to be another one of those serendipitous musical purchases.  

 

Rae & Christian kick off proceedings with a typical funky breakbeat mix of the charmingly titled Space Nazis Must Die. The opening bars of For A Few Euros More are reminiscent of Adam & The Ants’ similarly Western-inspired The Magnificent Five, before Carsten Meyer aka Erobique takes it back to late 80s Chicago house.  

 

There are three remixes of Planet of the Breaks: Matthew Herbert’s mix actually sounds a bit like Slam in places, whilst Jazzanova’s ‘mix of two halves’ with languid lounge beats during the former, welded to an uptempo jazzy latter more characteristic; my favourite of the three is Omar Santana’s electro edit, with hip hop beats, computer game vocals and ominous synth strings. 

 

Another highlight is Jimpster’s Hurt Of A Nerd, a funky, bass-driven number with some 1970s inspired flute and strings. Closing track Kinski Disko Fox Machine starts off like a Transglobal Underground track, with Eastern beats and driving bassline, before reverting to the more typical Groove Armada sound. 

 

And, just when you think it’s all over, there’s an extra tucked away at the end. Leading off with some hilariously inept rapping, there is a brief acoustic/vocal reprise of For A Few Euros More, with sci-fi samples from The Big Tilt thrown in for good measure. An hour or so’s worth of great tunes, with several surprises, make this a great album to hunt down on eBay or, better, in your local secondhand record store. And maybe I’ll get around to checking out Visit Venus one day too…

 

A quick scan of my digital music collection reveals nothing from Visit Venus. I'm pretty sure I haven't ditched the CD so I must dig it out and rip it. I'm also pretty sure that I didn't get around to checking out anything else by them. Maybe in 2024... In the meantime, this is Groove Armada with the title track of a 6-track 'cassette' that they posted on Bandcamp in 2014. And very good it is, too.

 

 

Don't Forget I'm Not Susceptible To Your Nonsense

I've eschewed a 'best of 2023' countdown but, if I did, Young Fathers would be up there with Heavy Heavy. 

 

I enthused about the album when it was released at the beginning of February and it's one that I've returned to frequently throughout the year, cemented by a blisteringly good standout performance at Glastonbury in the summer. 

Nearing the end of the first leg of a US tour, the band's performance for KEXP in late September was posted on 1st December. I'm a big fan of KEXP sessions anyway, but this  4-track set is especially good, fizzing with energy and threatening to burst the constraints of the studio. 

 

Any four selections from Heavy Heavy would be great. For KEXP, you get resequenced selections from side 1 with I Saw, Drum, Geronimo and and album opener Rice. It works brilliantly. Usually, KEXP sessions have songs sandwiching an interview with the host. Here, you get a 15-minute set up front, and 10 minutes with Cheryl Walters talking with the band afterwards. Great stuff.

The core trio of Alloysious Massaquoi, Afolabi Oluka-yode Bankole and Graham Hastings, with Callum Easter and Steven Morrison are a formidable musical force. Adding the mighty vocals of Amber Joy Greenidge-Sabral and Kimberley Mandindo to the mix and they are unstoppable. 

As if the KEXP session wasn't evidence enough, ARTE Concert published an hour-long show in June, filmed in March at YoYo in Paris, a few weeks after the album release. Closer to the more typical KEXP format, songs are interspersed with an off-stage interview with Jehnny Beth. The 13-song covers about half of Heavy Heavy and leans into their back catalogue for the rest, mixing it up to the vocal delight of the audience.

 

0:32 Queen is Dead

3:26 Wow  

7:31 Get Up

12:05 Interview with Jehnny Beth #1 

13:41 Rain Or Shine  

18:13 Old Rock n Roll  

22:19 Drum 

26:05 Interview with Jehnny Beth #2 

27:58 I Heard  

31:48 Rice  

34:50 Ululation 

36:45 Interview with Jehnny Beth #3 

38:40 Geronimo  

42:17 I Saw  

48:44 Shame 

52:55 Interview with Jehnny Beth #4 

54:46 Toy

It's not too late to add Heavy Heavy to your list for Santa, if you haven't already got it...

 

Kicking Down The Khazi

On Saturday night, Mike and I saw Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart performing Metal Box: Rebuilt In Dub at the Thekla in Bristol.

This time last week, another legendary venue, Moles in Bath, closed it's doors. I had a ticket to see Andy Bell/GLOK there on 24th October and regrettably couldn't make it. In the same week, we lost the poet Benjamin Zephaniah. In respect of both artist and venue, I was determined not to miss this opportunity to see Jah Wobble at the Thekla, a venue that meant so much to me and was a frequent haunt in my formative gig- and club-going years, living in the city centre.

My retrospective attempt at pulling together a log of gigs I've been to is highly unreliable and full of gaps due to lost tickets and memories but it's likely to have been a quarter of a century since I last saw a gig at the Thekla. The fact that it's still there at all is a minor miracle. A former cargo shop permanently moored at the Mud Dock in Bristol's sprawling harbourside region, it's days looked numbered back when I was a regular punter.

Somehow, it's survived and thrived and, having parked in nearby Queen Square and approached the venue, I was hit with a wave of nostalgia and wellbeing. I'm not sure how old this stock photo is but it looks pretty much the same as it did on Saturday night and in the late 80s and 90s. It's had a lick of paint and a fancy neon sign since those days but there's nothing like the feeling that you're about to experience a gig or a club night in the bowels of a ship.

The inside had also had a makeover without changing things too much. Again, this is a stock photo, but it gives a sense of the size and the scale of the interior. On boarding the Thekla, you head down some stairs into the main bar and stage area. Another set of stairs takes you to an upper floor and a 'balcony view' of the main stage. There's decent lighting (and security mesh) that I don't recall from the 'good old days' and the days of sticky floors, sweat dripping down the walls and lungs clogged with smoke machines were long gone by all accounts. But it was still a real buzz to be there again after all these years.

The Thekla's capacity is 400. There was less than that on Saturday night and, from what I could see, all of a similar age, yet a real energy, initially anticipation followed by genuine excitement as Jah took to the stage with the Invaders Of The Heart: Martin Chung (guitar and FX), George King (keyboards), Marc Layton-Bennett (drums) and local lad Jon Klein (guitar and vocals).

With no messing about, the band launched straight into Albatross and for the next 100-odd minutes, the audience were taken on a dub, post-punk, jagged jazz odyssey. Jah was like a conductor, orchestrating the band, the sound (praising and directing Nathaniel at the desk) and the audience, his comments and observations random and frequently side-splittingly funny. I was feeling choked up at various points in the gig but help was on hand. I'm not sure if this is a recognised medical technique but Jah's bass performed a sonic Heimlich Manoeuvre on me. Yep, that deep.

I can't recall the setlist in full and no-one else has posted it online yet but Bristol seems to have followed the same pattern as other nights on the tour, in that Metal Box: Rebuilt In Dub was played in full just, as Eric Morecambe would have put it, "not necessarily in the right order". 

This wasn't just a straight recreation of the album versions, either. Jah recited the lyrics to Poptones, elevating the poetic impact of John Lydon's writing, before the band then launched into the song proper, ending with a tsunami of synth strings courtesy of George King (due to our position in the crowd, sadly obscured by a speaker in our light of sight).

Public Image was astonishing: a three-part, near 12-minute suite featuring the 'Rebuilt In Dub' version, a more faithful Public Image Limited rendition and then another, even more out-there dub version. What might sound like repetition was completely enthralling on stage, not least due to the inclusion of a priceless Wobble anecdote, which also - kind of - inspired today's title.

Don't take my word for it: Jane B filmed it from the balcony and posted it on You Tube.

 

It was all brilliant, to be honest, and a special nod to the additional setlist versions of Death Disco B-side No Birds Do Sing plus a cover of John Barry's theme from Midnight Cowboy. 

 

It was all over too soon: wrapped up by 9.50pm to allow for some signing duties on the merch stall before the Thekla was turned over to Saturday club night; a queue of people were shuffling in as Mike and I left and made our way back to the car.

What a night. I've been a huge fan of Jah Wobble for nearly four decades and seeing him perform live for the first time, with this Invaders Of The Heart line-up, performing Metal Box in an intimate venue that has meant so much to me, is a memory that I will treasure for the rest of my days.

If you get the chance to see Jah Wobble live - and he's got a ton of 2024 live dates lined up, including a return to Bristol - then don't even think twice, do it.

A special nod to Mike, who supplied the cover photo, which I’ve mangled and manipulated using the LunaPic app. Nice one, Mike, looking forward to more gigs in 2024!

As a bonus, here is Jah Wobble's Invaders Of The Heart performing 4 songs for KEXP in 2016, including Public Image and a superb version of Liquidator, with commentary/music lesson from the main man.

In Wob we trust. 'Nuff said.

Am I Worthy?

Yes, Polly, yes and thrice yes!

 

I know that it's barely three weeks since the last PJ Harvey post, a 5-song Tiny Desk concert that moved me to tears. But then last week ARTE Concert had to go and post a 22-song* concert from Paris Olympia...

 

Whereas the Tiny Desk concert was performed as a trio, this concert features a 5-piece band, Polly accompanied by John Parish, James Johnston, Giovanni Ferrario and Jean-Marc Butty. The wardrobe colour palette is sandstone.

Tenth album I Inside The Old Year Dying is played in it's entirety, in sequence, before ten songs from the back catalogue, beginning with The Colour Of The Earth, taking in Man-Size and To Bring You My Love and ending with White Chalk. Truly astonishing from start to finish.

 

0:57 Prayer At The Gate 

5:40 Autumn Term  

9:13 Lwonesome Tonight  

13:46 Seem An I  

16:56 The Nether-Edge  

20:57 I Inside The Old Year Dying  

23:01 All Souls  

27:38 A Child's Question, August  

31:08 I Inside The Old I Dying  

34:32 August  

37:18 A Child's Question, July  

40:41 A Noiseless Noise

45:00 The Colour Of The Earth 

47:55 The Glorious Land  

51:49 The Words That Maketh Murder  

55:50 The Garden  

1:01:10 The Desperate Kingdom Of Love  

1:04:09 Man-Size  

1:07:30 Dress  

1:11:12 Down By The Water  

1:15:35 To Bring You My Love  

1:23:20 White Chalk 

 

* The original radio broadcast also featured To Send You My Love and C'mon Billy, but both were cut from this release.

 

I Inside The Old Year Dying is available from the usual retail outlets in physical and digital formats and has deservedly featured in many 2023 'best of' lists. A wonderful and unique artist, backed by incredible musicians, releases a brilliant album. No surprise, really.

One of my earliest posts (#18 if you're counting) was a Dubhed selection of various PJ Harvey live performances, spanning 1992 to 2016. For your listening pleasure, you can find it here.