World Wide Woozle episode #640

Welcome back enormous listening world. To paraphrase Bon Scott, if you want tunes, you've got it!

I started creating a playlist for this episode a little while ago. Whilst there's a theme, I won't make you guess. The playlist is here on Spotify.

There's no secret that I really don't like to dance. I always feel awkward, self-conscious and like I'd rather be anywhere else. I'm happy to stand or sit at a live show and I'll tap my foot, nod my head and sing along but I'm not dancing. At least not in public. When I was in Jindabyne recently I was pumping out some tunes and one made me want to throw caution to the wind and dance. So I did. This group of songs are the ones that I dance to when no-one is looking. These are the ones that make me smile and I hope you do as well. The episode is meant to be fun so click ALL the links (or the playlist) and get moving. Remember, no-one ever has to know!

First up, the song that made me want to move my body. This is also a really good fun song to play but I can't sing it for quids!

Bryan Adams, Mel C - When You're Gone - https://youtu.be/wB4fLBULvdE

SWOOP were around from '91-'99 and this track has always been a favourite of mine. The fuzzed out guitar solo is a killer and I really like the interplay between the two vocalists.

SWOOP - Apple Eyes - https://youtu.be/c2gvieJeKXA

The Party Boys had a rotating roster made up of the who's who of Australian music. Their 1987 album brought them a couple of hits and also the support slot for AC/DC's 1988 World Tour. The self-titled album was on high rotation with me all through my last year of high school. This is an old La De Da's song and Kevin Borich is in both bands. I just think it's a great rock and roll song. I was hooked from the first three descending power chords that come just after the introduction.

The Party Boys - Gonna See My Baby Tonight - https://youtu.be/wSpXFlh_47k

I missed the Skyhooks because I was a bit young and not living in Australia or paying attention when they were at their peak. That's OK, I've made up for it in recent years. For a while I thought they were a bit too glam for my liking and then I focussed on the tunes. There's a really good compilation of 70s Melbourne bands named after the next song. Two and half hours of bands like the Skyhooks, Daddy Cool, Jo Jo Zep, The Sports, and Mondo Rock. This CD turned me on to this track and subsequently more Skyhooks tunes. But yeah, it's another one that makes me want to get up and move.

Skyhooks - Carlton (Lygon Street Limbo) - https://youtu.be/rjVqGyxb_NY

I saw You Am I play live at the Livid Festival in Brisbane back in 1995 and they were woeful. Maybe they were just having a bad day in the brutal heat but I didn't hang around for much of their set. The same day I saw Supergroove, The Mark of Cain, The Cruel Sea, and Rollins Band play magnificent sets. I've not had the chance to see them again but live footage and longevity seems to suggest that they know what they're doing! This track, recorded live in 1997 for a programme in the Netherlands, is a great demonstration of indie pop. It's got a great beat, catchy melody and it's a toe tapper.

You Am I - Good Mornin' (live) - https://youtu.be/72YAhcRN62c

In 1992, Dan Baird (ex Georgia Satellites) released an album called, Love Songs For The Hearing Impaired. If good old fashioned rock and roll is your thing then this album is for you. It's full of tracks made for singing along to and possibly getting a little line dancing in as well. This one is a story in just a few minutes; it's just a shame there's no film clip.

Dan Baird - Dixie Beauderant - https://youtu.be/NyI4181J-Z4

Hands up who remembers when mobile telephones were carried around in a satchel and only rich people and posers had them? Me, I do. I also remember my good mate Vaughan and I managing a loan pool of them at work. Who was that senior officer who allegedly used his loaner to call x-rated phone lines?! Anyway, this song isn't so much about the advent of mobile telephones as it is about people changing and not always for the best. I saw Weddings Parties Anything at the Canberra Racecourse somewhere in the mid-90s and they were so cool. I loved, and still love, the Celtic and folk influences in their brand of Aussie rock and roll.

Weddings Parties Anything - Telephone In Her Car - https://youtu.be/tpTrjR0CFOk

Last year I saw The Darkness play here in Canberra. It was almost surreal to be in a smallish venue, up close and personal with such a big band. They have a lot of fun and make sure that their audiences do as well. As this song should indicate to you, they don't take themselves too seriously.

The Darkness - Friday Night - https://youtu.be/_MdSawNUEIk

This one shouldn't be a huge surprise to anyone who has been reading my blog for any length of time. It's been a while since I picked up a guitar but this is one of my favourite songs to play. It was great fun in a band and it's a cracker alone as well. Watching Jason and Sadler playing though I think I probably should be learning it in an open tuning. I avoided Super 8 motels in the USA but I guess it would've been amusing to go to one. Next time.

Jason Isbell & The 400 Unit - Super 8 (live at Red Rocks, 2024) - https://youtu.be/OAPT13PUqxM

I'm going to finish this little dance playlist with something from Kylie. I'm not too proud to say that very early on I didn't think much of her at all. But then it's easy to jump on a bandwagon without really making up your own mind. In the late 80s heavy metal fans did not listen to Kylie. Bollocks to that. She's awesome and this is a very fine track.

Kylie Minogue - Say Something - https://youtu.be/KMt8NbndXCo

Next time on The World Wide Woozle I'll be starting an on again, off again series of deep dives into albums that mean something to me. All that and the usual blabbing and a live gig review.

Keep smiling,
The Woozle

"We can dance if we want to
We can leave your friends behind
'Cause your friends don't dance
And if they don't dance
Well they're no friends of mine..."

Men Without Hats, Safety Dance, 1982.