Curated Music

One for the trouble in the school playground

September 12, 2018

It’s another one of those stories that starts “one day whilst listening to what Spotify thought I would like….” but that shouldn’t detract from the musical interest here, promise!

I became aware of A Lack of Afro in the last couple of years directly due to a combination of Spotify and the Craig Charles Funk and Soul show on Radio 6 Music. The first track I was introduced to was “The Outsider” which went straight on a playlist and ended up on heavy rotation in my car. Second up was the track we are focused on today; “One for the trouble”.

I’ve no idea where Adam Gibbons (Mr Lack of Afro, himself) got his inspiration from or how he put the track together, but it triggered the mutating earworm off on another one of it’s journeys into my cerebral musical archive. What it was drawn to was the similarity of one of the hooks to a certain classic kids TV theme, namely that of Grange Hill. It took a bit of searching but eventually I found that the theme was a piece called “Chicken Man”; composer Alan Hawkshaw tells the story behind its creation in an interview with M magazine.

Whilst curating the playlist for my wedding reception this year I figured it would be great to throw in a few mash-ups amongst the standard party tunes and this seemed like a fun one to have a crack at. Sadly, ambition trumped ability and my hatchet job efforts are not good enough to share here. Personally I really hope Mr Gibbons shows just how well it should be done by remixing his own track and I’ll just leave that little gauntlet here…

If you’re new to Lack of Afro I thoroughly recommend a listen; Joss Stone features on “Take you Home“, Allergies fans will enjoy “Take it Up a Notch” featuring twins Wax and Herbal T along with “Back in Business” and I can give personal testimony that “Recipe for Love” featuring Jack Tyson-Charles’ fine fine vocals makes for a great first dance at a wedding.

Explore and enjoy.

Throwback tomorrow as per usual for a Thursday.

Donovan.

Thou shalt televise the revolution.

September 7, 2018

I have a trio of treats for you this Friday following a theme of lyrical advice for all across the ages.

Starting off with Gil Scott Heron’s “The Revolution will Not be Televised”. Funky, Flute-y, Jazzy, wordy, full of attitude, smarts, political and social commentary.

And if you like that, roll up for lovingly crafted, 21st century homage to Mr Heron, courtesy of Smoove, aka Steven Moove, titularly 50% of soul-funksters Smoove and Turrell.

There is just a hint of Geordie twang in Ferank Manseed’s vocals, plenty of updated witty commentary, at least as much flute as the original, and a boat load more funk.

Finishing off this week’s Friday Favourites is further inciteful scribbling cleverly crafted by Mr Political Poet Scroobius Pip and accompanied by the casio-inspired bleeps and beats of Dan Le Sac

And if you fancy a hard-er-core dance version try this Flat Eric-Phat Beat mash/mix

Club away my party hearty friends, or as Cameo would say, Word Up!

Donovan, out.

OK I lied, couldn’t really go without popping in this bonus. This got played immediately before U2 came out on stage for their mass-multimedia extravaganza, Zoo TV. Fits right in on this post.

Too Close for Comfort

September 6, 2018

Happy Thursday everyone! This week’s throwback is this first (and currently only) track to have a full release across the various digital distribution platforms.

‘Too Close For Comfort’ was written some 20 years ago in the midst of a rather unhealthy relationship. It was a regular feature on the Strawberry Thieves live set lists.

The track was recorded in 2014 during sessions at House of Mook rehearsal rooms with overdubs and mixing done in the Donovan Jones home studio. Final mastering and tweakary was courtesy of Steve Turnidge who had also mastered the Roxy Music covers a couple of years previously.

The full line up was as follows:

Phil Wright: Drums
Ian Wheeler: Bass
Paul Say: Lead Guitar
Oliver Whawell: Keyboards, Backing Vocals
Donovan Jones: Lead Vocal

Here’s a clip from the single

Not a Spotifier? Well have a listen to the following speedy live performance at the now (sadly) defunct Snooty Fox in Wakefield

Check out Mr Say’s bouncy chimp dance!

There is potentially more to come out of those House of Mook sessions, if only the day job didn’t capitalise on so much of my time.

Tomorrow is Friday and you know what that means, don’t you?

Donovan.

Up, in the Air-wolf

September 5, 2018

I know what I like (and I like what I know). I like well-crafted and catchy pop songs that remind me of other tunes, just like this one…

When “Up” came along from the Saturdays back in 2008 there was something about it that took me back to my youth. It took a little while for the earworm to make its way to the golden nugget of musical rootage but eventually it got there as memories of Saturday nights in front of the TV watching Ernest Borgnine and Jan-Michael Vincent do their thing in a souped-up chopper flooded back.

Airwolf was one of those classic 80’s hero shows that, along with Knight Rider, Blue Thunder, Street Hawk, Auto-man and Manimal kept many a young boy, such as myself, out of mischief. Aside from Knight Rider, Airwolf is pretty much the only theme tune I could hum if asked. Sylvester Levay composed it, pretty sure the Saturdays have no idea who he is though.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l8syGlAMTKA

Up, up and away in my beautiful… helicopter

Somewhere there is another song chugging away trying to hook itself around my brain but it eludes me for now. Maybe we will return to this again?

Throwing back as it’s Thursday tomorrow (rather than up).

Donovan.

Thirsty? There’s no water in the water fountain but plenty of life

August 31, 2018

Friday Favorites time and this is real treat. I love this song from tUnE-yArDs, for it’s joyous sound, the rich vocal harmonies and the kooky unconventional writing.

There is a strong tribal feel to the rhythms, a couple the lyrics are in Haitian Creole French which would give a possible clue as to some of the cultural influences of the music.

The accompanying video is reminiscent of the kind of kids tv that I have spent many a semi-conscious hour enduring. Featuring vocalist Merrill Garbus, it feels like a cross between Yo Gabba Gabba and The Wiggles.

Music trivia anoraks may be interested to know ‘Water Fountain’ (released in 2014 on 4AD) featured in the soundtrack to FIFA 15 and was also used in an advert for the Google Pixel phone.

Not your cup of tea? That’s ok more randomish picks out of my collection to come each and every week.

And tomorrow is weekend!

Donovan

One way ticket to the past

August 30, 2018

Throwback Thursday this week takes us back to Bolton, more specifically the Railway Venue where the Strawberry Thieves appeared on a couple of occasions.

Amongst the Strawberry Thieves original tracks on the set list were a generous smattering of pop covers strategically interspersed to ensure the hordes of screaming fans didn’t get too overwhelmed.

We always liked to pick tunes from across the ages so a classic from the Kinks or the Beatles was often included. On this occasion we opted not for the Neil Finn inspiring ‘When I’m 64’ (see a previous week’s earworm), but instead ‘Ticket to Ride’.

Ian Wheeler does a sterling job of vocal harmonies as well as providing his usual bass expertise.

‘Foor tickits to Bowl’ten purlease’

Happy days, seem to remember it completely lashed it down on the way home though. Typical Pennine weather!

Let see what tomorrow brings

Donovan.

Save all your kisses for Delilah

August 29, 2018

No, we’re not talking Tom Jones country in this week’s mutating earworm, the titular reference is actually to the 2005 Grammy-nominated ballad by the Plain White T’s ‘Hey There Delilah’.

It’s a lovely little tune which has clocked up a tidy 252 million streams on Spotify. In case you haven’t come across it before you can have a listen below:

Now this tweaked the earworm off on a merry little journey all the way to beyond my earliest memories.

Back when I was a mere babe in my mother’s arms, The Brotherhood of Man won Eurovision for the Brits and their single ‘Save your kisses for me’.

Now by all accounts (well my dear-departed grandma’s account at least) this was my favourite song as a toddler which isn’t that surprising; As well as a slightly nursery rhyme feel to the song, it will have been played to death on the radio given it was the biggest selling single of the year and I know for certain my parents owned a copy too.

While it may have only had around 3% of the streams it’s 2005 earworm counterpart has achieved (being released as it was, 32 years before streaming became a thing) it did win 3 Ivor Novello awards including, Most Performed British Work and the International Hit of the Year.

Now I could break this down into which phrases or chord sequences are the ones that link these together, but that might mean you don’t listen to the whole of each track which would frankly be a shame, so I won’t.

Do as you are told and enjoy this little window into the 70’s or write me and tell me why not 🙂

That’s it for now, well until tomorrow. In the meantime save me some kisses

Donovan.

They owe us no-thing, nothing, nothing at a-ll-ll

August 26, 2018

I read a series of posts yesterday from a “fan” deriding the latest creative output from Neil Finn (an album written with his son, Liam) as dull, miserable and basically not the (mostly) upbeat pop songs they expected of someone who was responsibly for hits such as ‘Weather with you’, ‘It’s only Natural’ and ‘Chocolate Cake’.

Everyone is welcome to their subjective opinion on any works of art, but I don’t think anyone has the right to complain about the direction an artist chooses to take creatively, certainly not when the effective request is to “just keep doing more of what I like”.

Art doesn’t have to have universal appeal, trying to cater for everyone invariably results in the bland and generic. Just because a musician produces a run of catchy pop songs doesn’t mean they should be pigeon-holed into that category for eternity. If they tour an album and then only play cover songs, the paying audience have a right to object to being misled, but there is no obligation to meet the expectations of fans at any point when working on new material.

Just because we are the audience doesn’t mean we can behave like customers; Consumption of art and music is for the most part free through access to galleries and streaming services. While that is the case the artists involved owe us nothing.

Here’s one of the tracks from Neil and Liam Finn’s album Lightsleeper. You might like it, or you might not, but don’t ask them to write something else. If you want something different go and find it elsewhere, or write it yourself.

Come back tomorrow for another post which may or not be written in the same style and tone as this one, who knows…

Donovan.

and the winner is… we all are!

August 24, 2018

Having established some weeks ago my love of fast-talking mc’s, I’m adding another word-heavy lyrical-waxing to the Friday Favourites list. Whilst not quite in the same speed-league as Andy Cooper & The Allergies ‘Rock Rock’, this week’s musical literary madness comes courtesy of Danny Goffey’s alter-ego Vangoffey.

“Race of Life” exploded into my world courtesy of a play on Shaun Keaveny’s Radio 6Music Breakfast show one morning. I fell in love with it immediately; cheeky spoken lyrics, evolutionary references abound and a catchy beat – what’s not to like?

As joyful as Bloodhound Gang’s “Bad Touch” (which I predict will make another appearance at some point) and a touch smoother to boot, the song offers a gentle reminder that every one of us are incredibly lucky to be alive; it was always far more probable that someone else would have been born in our place than us given the odds (which you can check here!)

That’s Danny in the bottom right corner from 2:17

It turns out that Danny Goffey has been on the music scene for quite some time, although formerly at the back of the stage, as Supergrass’s drummer. My musical ignorance never fails to amaze and delight me.

And in case you were wondering, the smartly dressed teen seen lip-syncing in the video is Danny’s youngest son, Frankie.

That’s it for now. Tomorrow brings more written delights.

Donovan.

Dreamer boy

August 23, 2018

Throwback Thursday brings another archive Strawberry Thieves track. This week’s is an early demo of ‘Dreamer Boy’. An introspective self-referential lament with a glimmer of hope. It rarely made the setlist for gigs but I have hopes to give it an airing at some point soon.

Always keen to get feedback, it’s inevitably difficult to get a real perspective on something that you’ve lived with for 20 years or so.

Dreaming of tomorrow

Donovan

Never miss a beat