2010/10/30
2010/10/29
Don't miss the Cap' homage to Reggie king.
A little tribute to the great late mod legend Reg King, recently passed away, will start tonite the Capt Stax Show at www.modradiouk.net Then we will play some new and hot stuff, including the MRUK exclusive preview of the forthcoming fantastic album by COW, the brand new STONE FOUNDATION album featuring Nolan Porter, new single by CHRIS FARLOWE (!), SHARON JONES recorded live, new SPEEDOMETERS and TRANSATLANTICS albums, an unreleased MOONS demo, the 30th anniversary edition of DEXYS MIDNIGHT RUNNERS masterpiece debut, and lot more
7:30pm (UK time)
the Captain Stax Show
2010/10/28
Interview Paul Weller (part 1) Face Culture
Video interview with Paul Weller. FaceCulture
2010/10/27
The Bax and Hewitt's Mumper will be a movie soon!
It's 1986, the time of Thatcher, Rupert Murdoch is moving the printing of his newspapers from Fleet Street to Wapping and redundancy is in the air.
The script comes from a book called The Mumper, by Mark Baxter and Paolo Hewitt, and already signed up to it are Bob Hoskins, Juliet Stevenson (Bend It Like Beckham) Jaime Winstone (Made In Dagenham), Noel Clarke (Adulthood) and Terry Stone, who is also one of the picture's producers. David Essex has been cast as a trainer and Mark Kershaw, former managing director of Newbury, has been roped in as racing adviser.
"It will be an uplifting film," says Stone, star of Shank, Bonded By Blood, Eastenders and with a gift of making a £2 million budget look like a £5 million film. "I go to Royal Ascot every year but I'm a novice compared to the executive producer Bob Benton who spends most of his life on a racecourse."
2010/10/26
Madness fans...
Madness ABC..
Ian's Elegant Gesture!
The gentlemen's league stroke again! I had this fantastic tee shirt this morning from Ian S! We don't care about my face usually but I have to pay the due! Thank you so much. Much appreciated!
2010/10/25
2010/10/24
My life with Norman Granz, the greatest jazz producer ever, Dennis Munday
2010/10/23
Paul Weller - 'Wake up the Nation' @ Enmore Theatre, Sydney 22/10/10
2010/10/22
Tame Impala - Lucidity (Rated by Weller during Oz Tour)
2010/10/21
A bit of Jam on the Cow? Paul Weller plays on brilliant COW LP!
It's very brilliant. I've been completely caught by the atmosphere of this LP.
Soon, Mark's interview and complete review! Join This folk soul on Facebook and run to catch them opening for Paul Weller on Autumn and Winter tour...
2010/10/20
Paul Weller not sure if Noel Gallagher will be on 'avant-garde' new album
The singer-songwriter, who features in this year's NME Cool List, explained that he is pausing from recording to tour, but he should have a follow-up to this year's 'Wake Up The Nation' out early next year.
"I haven't finished the record, I've started it, done eight or nine tracks, maybe a few more than that. It's going the right way, but I don't know when I'll finish it because I'm on tour from now to December," he told NME.
"There's elements of 'Wake Up The Nation' in the sound, but it's moved on again I think. There's a few avant-garde moments, shall I say, some sort of soundscape tracks as well and some pop sounding things as well. It's a mix, really. Just good tunes."
He confirmed that Gallagher had drummed on some of the sessions, but Weller was not sure if he would be on the finished record yet.
"If you're referring to Phil Collins he came down and did a few tracks," he joked. "Nah, Noel just came down as a mate and jammed for a few hours as a mate. Whether he makes the album or not we'll see. He's a very good drummer, people don't realise he's a good all-round musician."
To see where Weller is in this year's Cool List and for an exclusive interview get this week’s issue of NME on UK newsstands, or available digitally worldwide right now.
2010/10/19
Save the 100 Club! Tony Morrison Message.
"I get a feeling from the walls and chairs, they tell me of the things that've always been there..."
ICONIC LONDON MUSIC VENUE TO CLOSE. CASH STRAPPED CLUB IN CRISIS.
Those are the headlines but how about...
100 CLUB SAVED BY MUSIC FANS or PEOPLE POWER SAVES FAMOUS VENUE.
They COULD be the news stories next week and you can be part of that story.
The world famous 100 Club in Oxford Street will close it's doors by Xmas unless WE can save it.
Due to numerous reasons, the venue has become too big a burden for its present owner and fresh funding is desperately required. We are hoping to save the venue by raising £500,000 by the end of November with an innovative scheme which would secure the clubs future for ourselves and the next generations of music fans.
Last week, the Evening Standard ran a story about the imminent closure of the 100 Club. I was on Facebook when I first heard about this. The manager, Rob Ryan, of a young London band, The Craven Braves, had started a page for his friends, SAVE THE 100 CLUB", and news quickly spread. I joined the group when there were about 800 members, in a week there are over 10,000! I read many remarks such as, "this is an outrage" or "this can't happen" but no one seemed to be thinking of a solution. I therefore started my own Facebook page to raise cash for the club, "FRIENDS OF THE 100 CLUB", and in 4 days, I have had pledges from music fans all over the world, for donations of just over £30,000. However, I did not know the full extent of what was required until I was contacted by Jeff, the clubs owner.
The problem is, the business has not had any spare capital to plough back into it and thus it has been struggling along for the last few years. The reasons for raising £500,000 are listed here.
The current owner requires £250,000 to pay creditors and to sell the goodwill, merchandising rights and all other benefits of the brand, "The 100 Club". The current license has a late night policy which I understand would be virtually impossible to replace without 2 years trading if the club were to let this lapse. Jeff has run the business for 25 years but it has been in his family since 1964. However, the clause regarding remuneration for the 100 Club name and all of its copyrights, would not kick in until the goal of £500,000 has been reached.
The other £250,000 would be for working capital to ensure the club has sufficient funds to develop all aspects of the business and to bring it back to the cutting edge of live music in Central London.
Now for the interesting bit. If we are able to raise £500,000 through a capital raising exercise, the plan is to allow the club to remain open as a NON PROFIT ORGANISATION with its new owners being the donors. A board of Trustees would be democratically elected by the donors to run the venue. Your donation would entitle you to an equal say in these decisions, whether you are able to pay £10.00 or £10,000. The long term aim would be to raise further finance, not just from donors, but from Sponsorship, Merchandising Sales and hopefully funding from bodies like the Arts Council, The London Mayors Office and the National Lottery Heritage Trust.
The present owner feels that this is the way forward for several reasons. Firstly, there is unlimited potential for the membership scheme. He feels the number could, in time, reach 100,000 or more, all donating money to this ‘Trust’. Secondly, the branding potential is huge. There is still the core business of selling tickets or rents and bar takings to take into consideration too.
This campaign is about reaching the landmark £500,000 in the time scale mentioned. But what if it doesn’t? Well, then we will have to see what has come in. If we have amassed, for arguments sake, £200,000, then we know that there is a very good chance the goal will be reached, and we can extend the campaign, providing that part of the money raised (£42,000) can be used to pay for the following rental quarter for us to continue. That would be a decision to be made by you, the donors. But, if we have raised just £40,000 or so, the message to us will speak loud and clear, that the money we need will not be forthcoming, the money raised returned, and the club, and its name sold to whoever wants to buy it.
Musically, the ultimate ambition is to restore the venue as a place where new bands can develop and existing bands can continue to thrive. Who knows, the next Oasis or Rolling Stones may have their debut at a revitalised 100 Club?
In over 30 years of being a musician, I have seen venues like the Marquee, CBGB's and virtually the whole of the London pub circuit disappear and this countries reputation of new and exciting music is under threat because of these factors. Where are new bands going to play when the last venue has shut up shop? We need to be able to say in 10 years time, the music scene
in London and the UK is thriving, don't we?
This venue can be saved. Yes, it's a tall order but do we really need another Starbucks or Burger King in Oxford Street? Unfortunately, the only way this is going to happen is with a large injection of cash and that has to be pledged by 15th November if the club is to have any chance of survival.
PLEASE PLEDGE YOUR SUPPORT. If we receive the promise of £500,000 by then, we would ask for donations to be paid into an independent bank account by 29th November at the latest. We would like a minimum donation of £10.00 but there is no limit above that. You can register your pledge ONLY at this site where you will also be updated as to the progress.
Thank you, Tony Morrison, Musician, London, 27th September, 2010.
NME Cool list 2010. Weller N°6. (Mike)
6. Paul Weller. The secret to his cool is simpler than the leg-hugging cut of his cloth – ‘Wake Up The Nation’ was one of the best, most exciting albums of 2010.
2010/10/17
Elvis Costello on Solomon Burke. (MikeC)
Please Mr. Postman
I never quite got over finding a note from Solomon Burke in my morning mail. It was electronic mail at that. But this was no hoax, here were good wishes on the occasion of birth of my twin boys from a man who had seemed, until quite recently, like an unattainable name on a record jacket.
We first met in 2002, during the sessions for the “Don’t Give Up On Me” album, for which I had written a song called “The Judgment”.
I’d expected only to be a witness at the studio but one peculiar phrase in the song seemed to be tripping everyone up, so the producer, Joe Henry, called me to the microphone to illustrate how vocal line was supposed to fall.
I’ll let you imagine how intimidating it was to “illustrate” singing to Solomon Burke with him sitting three feet away in the vocal booth.
Solomon soon made the song his very own. His enthusiasm and his dreams were expansive. By the end of the evening, he was hatching a plan to book the Royal Albert Hall and stage “The Judgment” as an opera.
And so it was that we became occasional correspondents.
His notes always arrived out of the blue, filled with love and kindness and questions about our young sons, to whom he appointed himself an honorary uncle, one of the lesser known titles that he wore, along with the “King of Rock and Soul”.
Then the subject of love and children were things on which he spoke with considerable authority.
When I first heard one of his indelible Atlantic sides on a compilation album many years ago, I could not have imagined ever meeting such a man. Photographs revealed an outlandish presence in ermine-trimmed robes and crown, while his records were dominated by a staggeringly beautiful voice.
It is true that after a while he was not always best served by writers and producers and could drift from public view but then advocates like the writer, Peter Guralnick were able to portray the greater complexities of his character; the anarchic humour in his showmanship and his still untapped musical promise.
Solomon would therefore be “re-discovered” on several occasions although he’d never been lost in the first place.
He astounded those who had never heard him before with a command over the audience that drew on his experience in the ministry. Regardless of the material, sheer beauty of his voice could be quite overwhelming.
I will not pretend to have known anything unique about Solomon other than that which is obvious to ears and eyes but feel blessed to have known him at all.
His last dispatch was just this summer. I found myself closing a European tour at a jazz festival outside Lisbon, the night before Solomon was appearing and was disappointed that I would his miss show.
Then a note arrived. Solomon was looking for me. I called the number provided and we talked for good while. These are notes that I’m going to miss and words that I will always remember.
In the last days, I’ve located the picture of us backstage on the one occasion I found myself on a bill with Solomon Burke. In fact it turned out to be like something that happens only in a dream.
The night was a salute to Sam Cooke organized by the Roll And Roll Hall Of Fame in Cleveland. Among the people on the bill were William Bell, The Manhattans, Cissy Houston and my old pal Peter Wolf. I was handed the unenviable task of performing between Solomon and Aretha Franklin.
I speculated that the organizers wanted to avoid the possibility of any old rivalries. Nevertheless, when I was shown the running order my blood ran cold.
“I have to follow Solomon Burke? Are you drunk?”
When the moment of truth arrived, Solomon sat, resplendent on his throne. He spoke about his friendship with Sam Cooke and how he had handed a torch to Solomon…
“And tonight, I am handing it to my son!”
The vocal was very ably delivered but Solomon didn’t utter another sound. He was making all manner of dramatic gestures in the background but not singing one note. I wondered if he might have a cold or some other reason for holding back but at that moment it felt like a bullet dodged.
I’d chosen two lesser-known songs from the Sam Cooke catalogue, reasoning that I had a better chance of not making a fool of myself, if fewer people had Sam’s voice in their head.
The producers then prevailed on me also perform, “Bring It On Home” but as this was in two-part harmony with Otis Clay, I knew together we could set the scene for the Queen Of Soul without too much disgrace.
Aretha passed over “You Send Me” and that other Sam Cooke classics she had covered for her short set but sang very beautifully. It was only during her last scheduled number of the evening that the entire bill was summoned backstage for participation in an unrehearsed finale.
As Aretha’s ovation subsided and she returned to her dressing room, Solomon was once again revealed and the band stuck up “A Change Is Gonna Come”
This time he did sing.
Flawlessly.
The cast assembled in the wings and a plan quickly hatched that we would join Solomon in the final choruses. Otis Clay and I happened to be wearing matching evening dress, so were detailed to lead the impromptu procession.
We had no sooner been given the signal to enter than strong hands yanked us back into the shadows by collar of our tuxedo jackets.
Somebody said, “Look!”
Aretha had apparently heard the finale start up and wasn’t going to let anyone else steal the show. She sailed out from the wings along the lip of the stage, without her shoes, Peter Wolf acting as her trainbearer and suddenly the two finest singers of their generation were trading lines on “A Change Is Gonna Come”
A tap on the shoulder came again. It was our cue to join the fray.
A voice said, “Are you crazy? I’m not going out there”.
It might have been me.
It might have been any of us.
I don’t know how many times Aretha and Solomon sang round the song before we were eventually pushed out into the spotlight.
By this time, Aretha was really wailing and Solomon had tears rolling down his cheeks, declaiming, “Bring the boys home” like a preacher, reworking the song as plea for sanity during the never-ending war.
Unlike so many things today, none of these scenes seem to have been caught on camera. They live in the memories of those present.
Like the great performances that Solomon gave, when the eyes of the larger audiences were turned elsewhere and the songs that he recorded that are still to be re-discovered, they are, in the words of his first big hit, “Just Out Of Reach”.
Perhaps some mysteries just work out that way but here’s a little backstage memento from that night; Solomon, Wolf and I sending birthday greetings to a mutual friend.
Elvis Costello: 'I've never liked the word maturity. It implies decay'
The man who once distrusted happiness has found domestic bliss in Canada with his wife and twin sons, has had a successful TV series in the States and even played a gig at the White House. But Elvis Costello still manages to summon up righteous anger and dismay for his 33rd album.Vancouver, on a sun-dappled Saturday afternoon, seems an unlikely place to meet Elvis Costello. It feels too much at ease, too lacking in sharp edges. All morning, I've been walking in Stanley Park, dodging the joggers and cyclists circling the waterfront with its tethered yachts and pleasure boats, while relistening to a selection from Costello's 33 albums on a loop through my headphones. The soundtrack doesn't fit, quite. Though he is capable of the full range of human emotion, the staples of "guilt and anger" that he identified once early in his career "after 14 Pernods" as his songwriting stock-in-trade remain dominant themes. The voice is not always used in the attack mode that has long made it such an insistent weapon, but it still carries an unrivalled degree of hurt and vitriol when required. You'd hesitate, in this sense, to suggest that Costello had mellowed; he still, no doubt, has little desire to venture in the vicinity of Chelsea; even so, when I meet him in a cafe near the water, he cuts a chipper figure – all gap-toothed smiles and heavy specs and winklepickers and carrying his silver fedora in a toughened box. Contrary to appearances, as he sits down among the latte drinkers in their chinos and leisurewear, he says he has rarely felt more at home than he has here. Most of that has to do with his third-time-around marriage, to the Canadian jazz singer Diana Krall. After our interview, he explains, he has to dash home to look after his twin four-year-old boys. Krall is playing in Lima, Peru, so he is the stay-at-home dad for a weekend. They have been married seven years now and absences still seem to be making hearts grow fonder. "We have a lot of time apart, which makes for a lot of longing," he says. "Monday night will be great when Diana is home and we can be a family with the boys until one of us has to leave again. That seems to keep things alive, for us anyway."
He appears, I suggest, for someone who, in his public persona at least has always looked a little at odds with the world, to be more content than he has ever been. He flinches a little at the thought. "I don't know if content is the right word," he says. "Content is a word that has never sat well with me. Like 'maturity'. They are two words I've never liked. I think they imply some sort of decay. A settling."
Give a Mod a Nod, The legendary Geno Washington (Dedicated to Andy Ferguson).
They say there's no minty condition LP of Geno: they're all completely used and have been lent to 10 friends minimum! They also say that if you have a live Geno's lp, oyu don't need to go out of yout home. It's still true!
That man took the stage, his towel was swingin' high, Oh Geno.../ This man was my bombers, my Dexy's, my highs, Ooooooh Geno / The crowd all hailed you, chanted your name but they never kenw like we knew, me and you were the same! And now you're all over, your song is so tame / you fed me, you bred me, I'll remember your name.
So sang Dexy's midnight runners Kevin Rowland, soulboy forever on the classic "Searching for the young soul rebels" when he was thinking about the Ram Jam Band of 1968. We can easily understand the effect of the monster (!) on the very young man. However Geno was not very gifted, he wasn't a songwriter, he wasn't a great singer, he wasn't very subtile and he's ability to sing Romances and Ballads wasn't that impressive BUT he had, more than anyone, energy, soul, fire. Combustion and Explosion. He was an american soldier who stayed in England, the real Black idol of all the Mod youth, not a Georgie Fame.
You just have to listen the crowd on the unbelievable live Geno's LP it was a riot "Geno, Geno!" The band started by instrumental "Philly dog" and then the man came. It was the pandemonium! He was singing ten songs without a break, pure stompers only. He became more successful than Hendrix, Cream or Who. Overbooked from 1966 to 1968, his golden age. Mods didn't want singles, they wanted live LPs! In Studio, it was more difficult for him to be as good as on stage. And it's all over yet... We are now in 1969/1970 and it's long hairs time and he's a past legend yet till... Kevin Rowland's homage singing the best song dedicated to a musician from another one!
(Reissue: Foot Stompin Soul (Castle records)).
Original article from Nicolas Ungemuth.
2010/10/16
Ray Davies and Paloma Faith "Lola"
This exclusive clip shows The Kinks legend Ray Davies in the recording studio with Paloma Faith as the pair record vocals on a cover of 'Lola'.
When Davies released the details of forthcoming LP 'See My Friends' -- a collection of collaborative Kinks re-recordings -- he revealed a panoply of established artists who had been keen to work with him, from classic artists like Bruce Springsteen to relative newcomers like Mumford and Sons.
Among the more eye-catching names on the list was undoubtedly 25-year-old Faith, whose glossy vocals and extravagant taste in fashion has evidently caught Davies' eye since her debut album 'Stone Cold Sober' was released in 2009.
Davies said of the album: "With some tracks I had to appreciate the style of the other artists, otherwise it would have sounded unbalanced. And I wanted the album to work as an entire listening experience but each track had a life of its own."
Judge for yourself whether he succeeded here.
2010/10/15
2010/10/14
Terry Rawlings' Rock on Wood, new edition.
ROCK ON WOOD –
The Origin Of A Rock & Roll Face By Terry Rawlings
Acid Jazz are proud to continue their book publishing adventures by releasing the biography of yet another of Rock’n’Roll’s all time greats: Ronnie Wood. Written by acclaimed music writer Terry Rawlings, Rock On Wood is the story of a musician who has worked his way through some of the best-known and fondly remembered bands of the 1960s and 1970s. Starting with his childhood and chronicling his career with now legendary groups like The Birds, The Creation, The Yardbirds, The Small Faces, The Jeff Beck Group, and, of course, The Rolling Stones, the book explores the history of one of Rock’n’Roll’s hardest grafters as well documenting his sometime chaotic private life!
Written with Wood’s co-operation and augmented with contributions from friends and family members, Rawlings paints the portrait of a regular guy who also happened to be part of some of the most influential band line-ups in the history of Rock’n’Roll. Here is a bloke who helped shape music as we know it, and you just know you want to take him for a pint! Rock On Wood brims with great stories about the hedonistic world that was the music scene in the 60s and 70s, and deftly reassures the reader that the reason Ronnie Wood is today still a much-loved and respected musician is that he simply followed his passion for music. No airs and graces, just solid craftsmanship.
KEY SELLING POINTS Updated and revised edition of a sought-after out-of-print title
Family co-operation gives insight into the private life of the man they call ‘Woody’ Available exclusively at HMV stores for three months after publication
www.acidjazz.co.uk
info@acidjazz.co.uk
£14.99
2010/10/12
2010/10/11
Paul's Nicholson and Walcot new scarf, The sartorial adventures of PW!
Here is the Modfather with his new scarf (Photo courtesy of Mark and Louise Baxter). Paul and Lou have designed this new scarf, a new chapter of Paul's sartorial adventures. I'm the very very lucky owner of a Nicholson and Walcot scarf. It's not a clothe accessory, believe me, it's a complete mod experience. It's the first time I feel that kind of emotion, every detail matters in mod clothes but this scarf is unique, you can absolutely feel it. When you're dressed with it, you're suddenly out of the common, you feel dressed like a Lord Mod. Try it, you know my blog, I'm a free sniper and I don't say what I don't think even If I can't say all the things I think! You can really feel the difference between a ready made scarf and that one, that special one, you can feel the work, handcraft, passion behind every fiber, it's for sale, yeah, but it's also a complete labour of love.
Nicholson and Walcot
2010/10/10
10.10.10 The greatest gig that never was...
2010/10/09
A Message from Andy, from the Last Standing Shop.
Hi all, just a quick one in addition to usual new releases. We're not normally prone to promoting the digital world, being very much of the physical, but here is an exception, and it's an exceptional exception. We'd like to strongly advise you purchase this track via download as we at Reflex could well be working VERY closely with this band in the near future and VERY exciting things could be afoot. Here are the first fruits from the loins of FROM THE JAM featuring Bruce Foxton & Russell Hastings. So without further ado:
FROM THE JAM - LATER DAY
Brand new track available to download direct Here
2010/10/07
The Jam in Paris, French TV, Pavillon Baltard. Thanx a lot to Stef C.J
It's not the complete show, unfortunately but... There's something to catch.
21 minutes.
The complete Boxset is NINE hours long! 30 Euros.
DVD1
Playlist (24 min)
Big Live : THE CLASH sur la scène du Palace (42 min)
Live Express : MAGMA, TELEPHONE, THE CURE, SIOUXSIE & THE BANSHEES, RAMONES, STRAY CATS (1h36)
DVD2
Playlist (22 min)
Big Live : ZZ TOP au Pavillon Baltard, Nogent-sur-Marne (32 min)
Live Express : TRUST, THE JAM, THE STRANGLERS, THE UNDERTONES, MADNESS, TOM WAITS, GARLAND JEFFREYS, TOM PETTY (1h50)
DVD3
Playlist (30 min)
Big Live : THE POLICE au Théâtre de l'Empire (30 min)
Live Express : JACQUES HIGELIN, PETER GABRIEL, DIRE STRAITS, THE PRETENDERS, CAPTAIN BEEFHEART, ELVIS COSTELLO (1h41)
Link to buy it.
The Jam in Paris Live on DVD! Chorus edition.
Can't say more at the moment, it's 7 AM and I have to rush at work. National institute of audio and video (french) will release a boxset with all the TV gigs broadcastaed on French TV. According to very reliable source, there's the complete Setting Sons tour gig in Paris in it. Of course, I'll let you know the details later. There's also the Clash on it, Police, etc. Stay Tuned!
2010/10/06
Thanx a million!
I even forgot to thank Dave, Flavio, Spenny, Niels, Manu, Ian S, etc and I'm sure I'm still forgetting some fellow splinters. Without the Splinters there's no meeting with JC, with Simon, with Niels, with Wigzy, with Kevin A, with John Hellier, with Mark Baxter, etc...It's me who have to thank now! And of course, without Weller there's not that first parcel, a long time ago, I've sent in the south with a VHS copy of the Brixton Academy gig! So keep on keepin on!
2010/10/05
The Cornershop in the national French Press. (300 000 ex a day). Yes, I have to admit I'm proud of it...
Paul Weller, His fans, the mods and their blog:
Rock Icon Paul Weller is the main subject of the wonderful Yann Viseur's blog. The blog is about Mods music. Very long time fan, this editor columnist (who's also a musician) tells in his blog, with a very sharp accuracyevrything about the cult sixties band: Who, Kinks, Small faces. Photos, videos, news, everything is here. Most of the time in English, nice look, he writes with a real journalism rigour. Sharp but excellent. ***/****
Thanx to all the friends who helped me, help me. JC, Simon Cooper, Mike C, Mike E, Etc! ;)