Stray Cat Blues - The Rolling Stones

To get started - a confession. I first heard this as a live cover on the excellent RocKwiz TV show. It was Chris Cheney & Chrissy Amphlett doing a rip-roaring duet at the end of the show, backed by the excellent Orkestra house-band.   Twas only after that did I hunt down the 1968 original; off the Stones' Beggars Banquet LP. It's a beauty.

Yes, I really like Mick and the boys, but don't know that much of their stuff. So another 2-parter follows. Firstly the Rolling Stones:

And now the Cheney & Amphlett live cover:

Lucifer Sam - Pink Floyd

Just a fabbo, hip cool piece of early Floyd. How early? Try 1967 and their debut album (The Piper at the Gates of Dawn).  A true slice of swinging London. I can almost see Austin Powers dancing to it with that period quick camera zoom in and zoom out...in time with the steady beat.  A long way from Dark Side of the Moon - which was still 5 or so years away. - but well worth a listen. I like it a lot.

Porpoise Song -The Monkees

I am a huge Monkees fan. Can't quite recall the TV show first time around. Even I'm too young for that. But their Daydream Believer was one of the very first songs I remember hearing on the radio.

Now, as they were a manufactured group, most of their songs were up-beat, pure pop, provided for them to record. As they started to rebel, they not only started doing their own tunes, but more experimental ones from other artists.

This is a haunting, magnificent song, provided to them by Carole King. Yes that Carole King who feels the earth move under her feet. It's 1968 and so we are really towards the end of the (first) Monkees era. Very psychedelic and surreal lyrics, with orchestration to boot.

And a bonus of the fairly rare original Demo tape that Carole made. It even has Latin chanting in it!  Quality of the recording is not that good, but for we fans it's a marvel.

Clair - Gilbert O'Sullivan

Won't be the first time Gilbert will get a mention. His 1972 hit "Clair" is a clever piece of pop, with a sweet little sting in the tail. I liked it back then and I still do now.
There are at least 2 other Internet spellings of this song title, Claire and Clare.  From his own website, not only did I learn the correct spelling, but the good news that he's still actively recording and touring.

November Spawned A Monster - Morrissey

Can't remember where or when I first heard this song. I know it was years, or even a decade, after the original 1990 release date.

I totally missed the whole Smiths thing from the UK, but this solo effort from Morrissey is intriguing. Probably best for Wikipedia to provide an overview

The song tackles the plight of the disabled, a remarkable subject matter for a pop single. As ever with Morrissey the tone and sentiments are riddled with ambiguity. His use of words such as 'monster' and 'twisted' creates a strange mix of revulsion, sympathy and black comedy, all used to enlighten, and disturb, the audience. By forcing the ambivalent persona of tormentor and saviour, Morrissey forces the listener to confront their own prejudices head on.

Classical Gas - Tommy Emmanuel

Great way to start another week. Local lad does one of his trademark guitar virtuoso performances, including a bit of Elton thrown in for a musical thrill. As someone who can slowly pick out a few chords on the 6-string, I find this level of playing pretty awe-inspiring.

Choctaw Hayride - Alison Krauss & Union Station

Discovered AK&US a few years ago now. Whilst Alison normally sings - with a sweet, high and lovely voice - she's silent here. Apart from the fiddle!

There's something about bluegrass that just works for me. So here's the foot-tapping instrumental joy of Choctaw Hayride. Get on board...

Sub-Rosa Subway - Klaatu (Beatles stuff)

I've had a few people email me about the Klaatu-Beatles stuff. It was intense, but very brief when it did happen way back in 1976 or 77. A bit like the Paul Is Dead story with the Beatles, people looked for "Klaatu clues" everywhere.  This song, also off their first album, featured as "evidence".

I think there were at least 2 reasons:

1. It does sound a bit like Paul singing and the whole tune has a Beatle-like feel to it (story-in-a-song, production, instrumentation) Plus the bass-playing at the start is a bit Macca-ish.
2. The title. Sub-Rosa means secret and Paul had an album called Red Rose Speedway, so a play on words or hint?  Or maybe a joke or coincidence...

Johnny Farnham - Comic Conversation

Yes it's 1970 so he was still Johnny. A lovely song displaying his excellent voice. Apparently written by a young bloke (not JF) who had - in real life - just finished up his first serious romance. He then imagined what it would be like to meet her again, some years later and how they'd interact.  The lyrics and music soar nicely with this:

I'd like to spin a web

And wrap you in its silver thread and

Feel you sway

But then it gets slightly awkward with:

There isn't going to be a happy ending
I think I should be going soon
I can't keep on pretending

Maybe I'm being too harsh. Possibly it was teenage angst poetry. And who hasn't BTDT?    I have 2 versions to enjoy. Firstly the original:

And now the Big Hair edition. Live in concert, some years later with my local MSO helping out:

 I think the James Rayne did a version too.

Mercy Seat - Johnny Cash

Mr Johnny Cash does an excellent, heartfelt cover of this Nick Cave song. No I am not kidding. It's from the year 2000.  I myself have little or no exposure to Nick Cave, so this was somewhat eye-opening for me.

A bit like yesterday's Peter Gabriel song, this appears to be another narrator-as-baddie song. Indeed he is sitting on the electric chair and knows that the Mercy Seat is waiting; I assume a Biblical reference that he's off to meet his maker. Plus probably a dark pun on chair/seat.

Oh, I forgot to tell you. He's telling his tale as his "head is burning."  It's extraordinary stuff, both lyrically and performance-wise.

Family Snapshot - Peter Gabriel

From his 1980 solo album known as "Melt" due to the image on the Hipgnosis-created cover. 

He's positioned himself well, our narrator. Nice and high up.

Four miles down the cavalcade moves on
Driving into the sun
If I worked it out right
They won't see me or the gun

As the car moves closer, the intensity builds up, including the (Phil Collins?) drumming. Until at the very end, he holds his breath, releases the catch...and...

California Jam - Klaatu

I don't keep Top 10 fave lists of bands, but if I did Klaatu would be in this list. Which doesn't exist :-)

Circa 1976 they put out their first album. They didn't put their names nor images on the cover. Apparently a journalist - not associated with the band - started speculating that The Beatles had reformed and recorded this album. Molly Meldrum even repeated this on Countdown, but I remember him stressing it was only a rumour.


Being a teenager besotted with the Fab Four, I purchased it. And was hooked on its clever mix of pop-rock songs, including the original Calling Occupants Of Interplanetary Craft. 

The whole "are they The Beatles?" thing got totally out of control and the (innocent?) band suffered as a consequence.  However not before releasing 2 excellent albums, including a 2nd one recorded - still anonymously - with the London Symphony Orchestra!  More on that one in a future post.

But for now, off their first album, here's the most good California Jam.

Golden Miles by Healing Force

What a gem to start with. I can only very vaguely recall it from July 1971. But a fairly recent documentary on the history of Australian surfing (Bombora) used it. And I thought "wow, that song rings a bell, it's fantastic"

The excellent Milesago web site has a nice history of this Aussie "supergroup"

I'd suggest this tune is progressive, but a bit more melodic and regularly-timed than other pieces burdened with this tag - and the clichés it drags along (FYI: I don't mind prog-rock but only some). And, without any more waiting, here's the song:

Welcome

And a big warm hello to you all. This here is a Blog covering the (hopefully) less well known songs that I have really liked over the years. I'll try and give a brief background of each artist and/or song.

Some may be known to you, others may not.  They may have indeed been Top 10 Smash Hits, but before my time. That is before I really got into music in the early 1970s.

The songs tend to 'hit me' in bunches, so I'll probably publish 3 in a row, then nothing for a few days. Or even a bit longer.  But they'll hopefully be interesting and enjoyable.