Don’t just sit there

I had trouble getting out of bed this morning. The alarm went off and I was awake but I just didn’t feel like moving. So, when this happens I reach in my mental jukebox for this tune. “Don’t just sit there…”

I do the Rock

I didn’t just buy records at the recent Save the Children UWA booksale. I also picked up a few CDs. One was this doozy courtesy of Rhino records.

Medievel Vinyl

There are certain records that just the sight of them cause me to start singing a significant track. Maybe this is a diagnosable condition. Here is an example. I was thrilled to have found a copy of Cucumber Castle, the 2 man Bee Gees album that Barry and Maurice did after Robin left for a solo career in the late 60′s. Having played it over and over I have become victim to another of their aching ballads, in this case “Don’t forget to remember me”, and now whenever I look upon this cover I immediately conjure up that song in my mind. The song IOIO also lurks in there somewhere.

Too much William Shatner is never enough

Last week’s Friday songs caused some debate amongst my twitter circle. The combination of a cover and a Pulp song soon had people mentioning William Shatner’s incredible version of Common People.

Can we still play this song past the year 2000?

  Of course we can!

It happened the other night when my fiancée came back from the library to tell me that a book on the history of Island Records was on the new books display (she has since gone and got the book out for me – thank you!).

Dedicated to the memory

Alas, John Barry has passed. So many fantastic soundtracks, as so many of the online obituaries have made clear, but in amongst it all I have uncovered something that was a revelation to me. John Barry once provided the music to a sunsilk shampoo commercial. I’m still trying to track down the actual commercial online but at least I have found the music and here it is: The Girl With The Sun In Her Hair.

We play requests

Just had an old friend stop by the blog and ask about that Switched On Nashville album that was part of a vinyl display not so long ago.

I have not yet got the ability to upload music to this site, so in the interim I have managed to find a youtube offering from that very album.

This one goes out to, well, she knows who she is.

Christmas top 5 2010: song 5

So we come to the end of another top 5, and to conclude, let’s rock out with some late 1950′s Christmas Rockabilly. Take it away Cordell Jackson.

Christmas top 5 2010: song 4

Today is a classic that I look forward to being able to play every year. I suspect that this album and the songs on it are more well known in the US than elsewhere, as I have heard that the television movie that this comes from gets a regular screening at this time of year.

I am referring to the album A Charlie Brown. No, please, relax; this is not a silly song like the Chipmunks were from earlier in the top 5. This work is by one of my favourite jazz pianists, Vince Guaraldi, whose melancholic lilting tones are so haunting.

He composed the tunes on this album and did some reworkings of a few Christmas tunes as well. Some of the original tunes were used again and again on later Peanuts films/soundtracks, such as Linus and Lucy, which is easily one of my favourite pieces by Vince, and you can listen to that at any time of the year.

But to be able to listen to it at Christmas, along with the festive themed tunes is a bonus. And yeah, there is an air of sadness about some tunes, some wistfulness in the playing which is a key feature of Vince, but as this album is a look at Christmas through the eyes of the knowing Peanuts gang, it is appropriate. Christmas is meant to be happy, but you can’t  have the happy without the sad; the joy without the despair; the sweet without a little touch of sour. Otherwise, how would we ever be able to tell the difference?

Anyhow, I expecially love this Christmas album. I hope you enjoy this selection from it.

<disclaimer – you might have to listen to it at YouTube – “Sorry about that Chief”>

Christmas top 5 2010: song 3

I finally got ahold of this Christmas song that I have been after for a while, namely Kate Bush’s December Will Be Magic Again.

It was at the last Belmont swap meet of the year back in late November. There were not many records to be had that day, but one seller, as a fund raiser for Orang-utans had the stock from a recently closed music store and was flogging CDs for $2 each. With Christmas so near, they had all their Christmas themed CDs displayed prominently and amongst it all I found a compilation with this Kate Bush track on it. Naturally I picked it up.

Here is the song for you to enjoy, but as a treat this is an early live version. Enjoy!