Another BBC session from The Strokes

Not John Peel this time, but the closest thing Radio 1 has to a successor for him, Zane Lowe. This session includes a cover of The Ramones Life Is A Gas as well as an alternative version of You Only Live Once with lyrics similar to I'll Try Anything Once.

Reptilia
You Only Live Once
Heart In A Cage
Life Is A Gas (originally by The Ramones)

Keeping It Peel 3

I only intended to do one Keeping It Peel post this year, but then I posted The Strokes session and that's been well received so I thought I'd post another of The Peel Sessions I originally posted on Monday. This time I'm sharing John Cale's Peel Session, originally recorded on 1st May 1975.

Taking It All Away
Darling I Need You
You Know More Than I Know
Fear Is A Man's Best Friend

Keeping It Peel part 2

As a follow-up to yesterday's post here's the complete Peel Session by The Strokes, recorded on 8th June 2001.

The Modern Age
Hard To Explain
Barely Legal
Someday

Keeping It Peel

Today, 25th of October, is the 6th anniversary of John Peel's death. Organised by Webbie at Football and Music today is Keeping It Peel day, a day to remember John Peel, the music he played and his infectuous love for music. In case you're not familiar with him he was a DJ on Radio 1, the most mainstream of the BBC's five national radio stations. He used the show to play music he loved, music he wanted to play. And he had bands in to record on his show. Peel Sessions.
I'd guess that if you've only heard of one band in connection to The Peel Sessions it'd be The Fall. It'd be wrong to think though that John Peel only/mainly played punk and/or post punk. For everything from trance to gospel John Peel was there, playing good music regardless of genre. From Atari Teenage Riot to Joan Armatrading to Five Blind Boys From Alabama John Peel played music he loved.
Now we've less need of the radio to discover new music. We've got blogs and youtube bandcamp and, basically, electronic media and more ways than ever to share it. So I think it's safe to say there will never be another DJ like John Peel. None that his impact again, none that will introduce so many people to so much music again. That's a good thing and a bad thing but either way the world is poorer without him.

Modern Age by The Strokes. This is the only one of the six Peel Sessions songs I'm featuring that is actually introduced by John Peel.

Stutter by Elastica. It was around the time of Britpop that I first started listening to John Peel.

This Charming Man by The Smiths. I don't know why, but The Smiths will forever be linked with John Peel for me.

You Know More Than I Know by John Cale. I'd be surprised if John Cale has ever been played on Radio 1 other than on John Peel's shows.

Packs Of Three by Arab Strap. Another band that are linked in my mind with John Peel, a band that'd get little if any national radio play if not for John Peel's show.

Which Side Are You On by Billy Bragg. Billy Bragg performed 11 Peel Sessions but given the way we're stuck repeating history in the UK it wasn't hard to choose which song to use.

Covers for Sunday

This Land Is Your Land by Sharon Jones & The Dap-Kings (originally by Woody Guthrie). A fantastic soul cover of this folk classic. Chances are you've already heard plenty of Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings but on the off chance you've missed or skipped them here's a good place to start.



Handle Me With Care by Jenny Wilson and The Watson Twins feat Ben Gibbard, Conor Oberst and M Ward (originally by The Traveling Wilburys). I'm not a huge fan of The Traveling Wilburys by any means, though my wife is, but this is a pretty good cover of a decent song.

Let It Be by Nick Cave and The Bad Seeds (originally by The Beatles). I dreamed about putting this in my blog earlier today, I guess that's not too good a sign.



No Surprises by Regina Spektor (originally by Radiohead). This falls in the 'surprised I haven't posted this before' category.

Pretty In Pink by The National (originaly by The Psychedelic Furs). More goodness from my current obsession, The National.



Give A Little Bit by Sarah Masen (originally by Supertramp). Supertramp are another band my wife likes that I don't. Let me reassure you though that I will not be posting David Hasselhoff covers on this blog.

Live - Angola, LA & The 13th Amendment

Angola, LA & The 13th Amendment (mp3) by Christian Scott, live on the Jimmy Kimmel show, 10th of August 2010. This is from Christian Scott's new, and exceptionally excellent, album Yesterday You Said Tomorrow.

Today is Dizzy Gillespe's birthday and, although Christian Scott's trumpet playing is more like Miles Davis or sometimes Freddie Hubbard, they both play the same unusual shaped trumpet.

Dizzy Gillespie:

Christian Scott:


Plus there's no where near enough talk about Christian Scott.

Covers for Sunday

Eleanor Rigby by Sonny Criss (originally by The Beatles). One f the best jazz covers I've heard for a while, starts off a little smooth jazzy but soon gets going.

Sonny Criss - Alto Saxophone
Eddie Green - Piano
Bob Cranshaw - Contrabass
Alan Dawson - Drums

I Love How You Love Me by Neutral Milk Hotel (originally by The Paris Sisters). From Neutral Milk Hotel's (actually it's pretty much a Jeff Magnum solo gig, but I'm not going to get too worked up about what is and isn't NMH) last concert, which was bootlegged as When It All Caved In. You can, and should, buy it here.

My Sweet Lord by Jim James (originally by George Harrison). My Sweet Lord is, as far as I know, the only song to ever make it to No.1 in the UK single charts that contains a Hindu/Vaishnava prayer. If you're ever writing questions for a pub music quiz you should definitely include that.

Redemption Song by Johnny Cash and Joe Strummer. Maybe this should have gone in last week's blog, but I don't think it really fits. Joe Strummer also covered this on his own.

Ashamed Of The Story I Toldby The National (originally by Polaris). I love The National far more than a 30 year old should love a band, it's almost embarrassing.

A Love Supreme Part 1: Acknowledgement by Alice & Ravi Coltrane (originally by John Coltrane). Alice Coltrane didn't join John Coltrane's Quartet until 1965, after A Love Supreme was recorded (December 1964) so she didn't play on the original and didn't play a live version with John Coltrane either. Ravi Coltrane wasn't born when A Love Supreme was recorded. This is a great cover. It's close to the original in lots of places but differs enough to be worthwhile rather than just a straight-up rendition. John Coltrane played tenor saxophone on A Love Supreme, Ravi plays soprano on this cover.

Ravi Coltrane - Soprano Saxophone
Alice Coltrane - Piano
Reggie Workman - Contrabass
Roy Haynes - Drums

On Shuffle

The Wind Cries Mary - The Jimi Hendrix Experience. Let's start the post with a classic. On the off chance you haven't heard this before it's a much more subdued song than is generally associated with Jimi Hendrix. Blues rock with psychedelic influences and some fantastic jazz drumming from Mitch Mitchell.

Skinny Love - Bon Ivor. Just my favourite Bon Ivor song, just him and an accoustic guitar, a perfect example of less is more.

Away From The Numbers - The Jam. Prompted by the post and discussion about favourite tracks by The Jam that weren't released as a single over on The Vinyl Villain. This is my choice, narrowly beating out Man In The Cornershop.

Covers for Sunday - The Clash Edition

I knew that I hadn't done a band edition of Covers for Sunday for September, but I hadn't realised that I'd missed August as well. So here, belatedly, is Covers for Sunday - The Clash edition.

The Clash were the natural choice for the next installment of this series. They were punks who drew influences from all over the world, notably reggae, and brought it back to England, made it relevant to where they were from. Some times punk bands have a tendency to be insular, shouting rhetoric about changing the world while giving the impression they've never been more than three or four stops away on a bus. The Clash were never like that. Sure they were punk, but they were musicians as well. That is, in my opinion, why they are so influential even now while a lot of their contemporaries saw their influence fade away with time or stay within the punk scene.



As usual, first up here are the covers of songs by The Clash that have been featured before. I think the artists here are a nice little microcosm of what I was saying before, covers by Edwyn Collins, The Strokes, No Doubt, Elvis Costello and Bruce Springstreen, that's a pretty diverse range of musicians.

London Calling by Elvis Costello, Bruce Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt and Dave Grohl

Clampdown by The Strokes

1977 by Edwyn Collins

Hateful by No Doubt

Now for a few covers by The Clash, with the same thing in evidence. A cover of a very early rock and roll hit, a song by Buddy Holly's ex-backing band, BoB Dylan and, of course, a reggae cover:

Brand New Cadillac originally by Vince Taylor

I Fought The Law originally by The Crickets

The Man In Me originally by Bob Dylan

Pressure Drop originally by Toots & Maytals

Now for a few covers of covers by The Clash. I accept that The Dead Kennedy's may be paying tribute to The Crickets here, but I think it's more likely a cover of The Clash.

I Fought The Law by The Dead Kennedy's

Brand New Cadillac by The Brian Setzer Orchestra, although this is more a cover of Vince Taylor's original.

I Fought The Law by Bell X1



Now onto the rest of the covers. I've tried to avoid putting all the usual things here. There'll be plenty of covers you've heard before, but I've left out most of the hundred's of The Guns Of Brixton covers.

Lost In The Supermarket by Ben Folds

I'm So Bored With The USA by Arcade Fire

Clampdown by Indigo Girls

The Guns Of Brixton by Nouvelle Vague

Lost In The Supermarket by Petty Booka, described as Tokyo Bluegrass, this is as bizarre as you'd think.

Spanish Bombs by Brady Harris

Guns Of Brixton by Arcade Fire

Rudie Can't Fail by The Cocktail Preachers

Four Horseman by Creation Rockers

Train In Vain by Dwight Yoakam

Wrong Em Boyo by Buck-O-Nine

The Card Cheat by James Dean Bradfield

Koka Kola by La Furia, Spanish cover

Revolution Rock by Los Fabulosos Cadillacs

Lover's Rock by Mauri

Clampdown by The National

Jimmy Jazz by Skarabazoo

Death Or Glory by Social Distortion

The Right Profile by Southern Arts Society

I'm Not Down by Thea Gilmore

Straight To Hell by Josh Rouse

Bank Robber by Hot Tuna

Straight To Hell by Phil Cody

White Riot by Angelic Upstarts

The Guns Of Brixton by Calexico

Rock El Casbah by Rachid Taha

Let's Go Crazy by Storybox

I Fought The Law by Green Day

The Guns Of Brixton by Die Toten Hosen. My brother-in-law's favourite band, this is the first time I've heard them sing in English.

Police On My Back by Asian Dub Foundation & Zebda

White Riot by Dropkick Murphy's

Kingston Advice by Camper Van Beethoven

(White Man) In Hammersmith Palais by 311

Clash City Rockers by Anti-Flag, live at The Ramones' museum

English Civil War by The Levellers



Finally, because it's one of the greatest songs ever written, even if it isn't a cover:

Live - So Young

So Young (mp3) - Suede, live on Later with Jools Holland, 1993.

Along with REM Suede were the first band I ever really got into. Automatic For The People and Suede were on more or less constant play for me. My next door neighbour/close friend was listening to Fields Of Gold, it was the first time anything like music snobbery ever stirred in me.

On Shuffle

In A Sentimental Mood by Duke Ellington & John Coltrane. You all know how much I love John Coltrane's music, and I've featured Duke Ellington before. This is beautiful music, more relaxed playing than you may be used to from Coltrane.

The musicians are:

Duke Ellington - Piano
John Coltrane - Tenor saxophone (I know that the picture of Duke Ellington and John Coltrane has Coltrane with a soprano saxophone, but he plays tenor on this and five of the other tracks on Duke Ellington & John Coltrane and only plays soprano on one)
Aaron Bell - Contrabass
Elvin Jones - Drums



Song To Sing When I'm Lonely (acoustic demo) by John Frusciante. I think that no matter what type of music you like there's almost certainly something by John Frusciante for you.

A Change Is Gonna Come by Sam Cooke. I try to stay away from hyperbole when I blog, but this may be the best soul song ever. It's hard for me to choose between this and Otis Redding's cover, they're both phenomenal recordings. This song also has the finest use of the Frecn Horn I have ever heard.

Alison's Starting To Happen (live session version) by The Lemonheads. Much more laid back than the studio version.

The Calcination of Scout Niblett by Scout Niblett. This is very nice, some lovely minimalist drumming to go along with some fine vocals.

We Do Not Fuck Around by Viva Voce. From their last album as a two-piece. I'm pretty surprised that I've never featured any Viva Voce in the year and a bit since I started my blog, I love them and you should as well.

Covers for Sunday

When I Fall In Love by Miles Davis (originally by Doris Day) from Steamin' with The Miles Davis Quintet. The Miles Davis Quintet is:
Miles Davis – Trumpet
John Coltrane – Tenor saxophone
Red Garland – Piano
Paul Chambers – Bass
Philly Joe Jones – drums
so that's a pretty good place to start if you want to buy some Miles Davis, or even if you don't.



I Walk On Gilded Splinters by Paul Weller (originally by Dr John). I've heard this track, which has Noel Gallagher on acoustic guitar, come under some pretty heavy criticism compared to Dr John's original. I, obviously, think it's pretty good and really, if you expect Paul Weller to sound like Dr John that's hardly his fault.

Orion by Rodrigo Y Gabriela (originally by Metallica). I'm not a fan of Metallica, I have no idea how much this sounds like the original, I just know that it sounds really good.



Wish You Were Here by Sparklehorse feat Thom Yorke (originally by Pink Floyd) This is such an iconic song, it must be almost impossible to cover but this is a pretty good version.

No Ordinary Love by Deftones (originally by Sade) The Deftones do trip-hop.

Brandy by Red Hot Chili Peppers (originally by Looking Glass). From the Live in Hyde park album, before they disappeared under the weight of Stadium Arcadium. Nearly four and a half years since that was released now, new album due next year.

Finally, a video of Ace of Base's The Sign as covered by The Mountain Goats

On Shuffle

Three songs, as usual, but this time there's no jazz. I don't want to turn people off who aren't huge fans of jazz and besides, I''m hoping this is going to help motivate me into starting my jazz blog properly. When I do there'll still be jazz featured here, but it won't overwhelm the blog, which I sometimes think is a possibility.

New York, I Love You But You're Bringing Me Down by LCD Soundsystem. This is my favourite LCD Soundsystem song, easily. I'm surprised I haven't posted it before, but it seems I've only posted LCD Soundsystem covers before.

15 Step by Radiohead featuring the USC marching band, live at the Grammy's in 2009. I'm not surprised that I haven't posted this before, but I am surprised there's been no version of 15 Step at all on this blog, considering how many versions seem to be floating around and it's a great song.

This Year by The Mountain Goats. Now this I was surprised to find I hadn't posted before. I've featured a few songs by The Mountain Goats before, but not this one even though it is comfortably my favourite.

Anyway, three omissions corrected, enjoy.