Song of the Week #124

Friday again and hopefully you’ve got the time and inclination to indulge me as I spin a few discs.

Summernats is here in Canberra. It is billed as a festival for car enthusiasts. Unfortunately this also means drunken, loud and destructive folks on our streets. I have NOTHING against the festival itself. But certain sections of the clientele are quite frankly, less than desirable. We’re leaving town to avoid the worst of the low end of the gene pool. Hopefully all of our trees are still standing when we come back, unlike in past years.

Interestingly enough, I used to work with a guy who was a true car nut. He raced a dragster and it was super cool. He told me that the car club he belonged to went away from Canberra when Summernats was on to get away from the hoons.

Enough whinging about that.

I’ve been spending some time these holidays watching the BBC Documentary Series, “A History of Scotland”. It’s pretty cool and does a good job of attempting to separate the facts from the mythology. I’m into the 15^th Century at the moment. If you’re at all interested in the history of the country that gave the world almost everything worthwhile then check it out.

Here’s a couple of great tracks from Scotland…

The KLF – America: What Time Is Love?

Eurythmics – Thorn In My Side (live in Australia 1987)

Del Amitri – Kiss This Thing Goodbye (nice tartan guitar!)

Australian Cricket isn’t in mourning this week, it’s a lot worse than that. Bad enough being beaten by England, but the comprehensive nature of our collapse might require a complete rethink in terms of team selection, captaincy and strategies. While you have to hand it to the Poms for playing so well, one has to wonder what happened to make Australia play so completely dismally. At least when the West Indies were thumping us in the 80s it was the same for everyone else!

And it seems that discrimination is possibly afoot with the National Broadcaster’s Youth Radio network JJJ. I voted in their “Hottest 100” poll recently. There are a slew of good prizes on offer but anecdotal evidence suggests that only “young folks” win. Not those who have listened faithfully to JJJ since it went national. Also not those who are probably buying music rather than downloading it. Grrrrrrr. Of course I can’t prove anything but….

Here’s some JJJ fare:

John Butler Trio - Zebra

A special mention to MC HB who is racing in the Australian Cycling Nationals this weekend….knock ‘em dead!! Here’s a track for you:

Michael Jackson & Diana Ross – Ease On Down The Road

Anyone who has read this blog/diatribe/drivel for a while now will know that I am a fan of a great cover version. When I was at high school I was a big Stryper fan. Regardless of their religious message, I liked the guitar solos, the harmony vocals and the energy. Now Stryper are releasing an album of their favourite covers. And there is a good range of rock, pop and metal tunes. The album doesn’t come out until February but of course you can hear most or all of it on the ‘net somewhere. This is a good version of Kansas classic:

Stryper – Carry On My Wayward Son

A whole lot of John Lennon stuff has been re-mastered and re-released recently. I hadn’t really listened to much of his solo stuff until DJ Fatboy turned me on to the Double Fantasy album. In the re-releases is a stripped down version of this album which is famous for being pretty overblown in terms of production I am told. Try this on for size, it’s growing on me!

John Lennon & Yoko Ono – I’m Losing You (Stripped Down)

That’s all folks,

DJ Rob

Gerry Rafferty - RIP

Everyone knows him for Baker Street, Stuck In the Middle and perhaps his early collaboration with Billy Connolly.

However, Gerry did a lot more than just those highlights.

Check out this excellent track from his "North and South" album. I got this on cassette for $5 one day. A total bargain as the album is fantastic.

Gerry Rafferty - Shipyard Town

DJ Rob

Song of the Week #123

Happy New Year folks. Thanks for taking the time to read some of my random ramblings throughout 2010.

I had a big episode planned but being on holiday got the better of me.

Here's a few tunes I wanted to play. There's no real rhyme or reason and I'm happy to admit that it is a fairly eclectic selection. But that's the way, uh huh, uh huh, I like it!

First up we've got Fini Scad. An Australian band that didn't last a long time. I saw them support Midnight Oil at an excruciatingly hot and humid indoor show in Brisbane. This was their hit. Pretty cool indy rock.

Fini Scad - Coppertone

Doug Fieger just died. Who? Well he's singing this next classic. RIP Doug.

Doug Fieger - My Sharona (live at the Countdown Spectacular)

Every now and then obscure songs trigger memories from my childhood. Mostly tunes I would've heard on AM radio in NZ or Australia. This next one reminds me of when I was about 11. An excellent voice and a cool tune.

Charley Pride - Mountain of Love

And here's one of the coolest guitarists around with a classic. His version on the La Bamba soundtrack is magic. This is a live cut.

Brian Setzer - Summertime Blues (live)

And I have no idea why I sought out this song. Maybe it's the great vocals, the fact that it is an awesome pop song, or perhaps I'm not sure that Barry Gibb isn't closely related to the Hoff.

Bee Gees - You Win Again

Just quickly, here's something new. Surprisingly, this is out of East London, not the Deep South. Pretty neat really. Dan Michaelson and The Coastguards channel Tom Waits, Muddy Waters and maybe Alabama3.

Dan Michaelson & The Coastguards - Love Lends A Hand

Just before I sign off for 2010, here's a great fun tune. We played this a LOT in one band I was in. An Aussie classic now I guess (not because of us!)

Custard - The Apartment Song

STOP PRESS: Bobby Farrell from Boney M has died. Only 62 years old and he was still performing. This is essential listening:

Boney M - Daddy Cool

I was going to make some grandiose statement about 2010 but I'm out of time. For me personally it was very much the year of Ironman. A selfish pursuit that I was fortunate enough to be able to indulge in with the support of family, friends and colleagues.

I said a final goodbye to a number of friends in 2010 and I'm hoping that 2011 won't be at all like that.

But I'll leave it to Johnny Cash to close out the year for me. Whether you believe in God or not this song has something to say.

Johnny Cash - All God's Children Ain't Free

See you all next year.

DJ Rob

Song of the Week #122 - Xmas!

Ho, ho, ho! It must be Xmas Eve. I can deduce this because there is a tree up in the lounge room with presents under it and also because my family is subjecting me to Carols by Candlelight on the TV! There must be some good Xmas songs out there but so far Anthony Calea and The McClymonts have murdered a couple. It will be SO much better when Humphrey B. Bear arrives...because he doesn't speak! Ha ha!

Frankly, it would be so much better if the whole thing was like this...

George Thorogood - Rock 'n' Roll Christmas

And, Bruce knows all about the man with the reindeer and the sleigh...

Bruce Springsteen - Santa Claus Is Coming To Town - make sure you hang on for the sax solo, well worth it!

So, don't be a Scrooge or a Grinch on December 25th. Sing some songs, give someone a present and think about all the people in the world who don't live in the fairly groovy circumstances that most readers of this blog find themselves in. Maybe this song will help. It's a cover of a song written by one of my favourite singers, Steve Earle. This version is by folk music legend, Joan Baez.

Joan Baez - Christmas in Washington - I chose this version because it is pretty neat but also because you've all had way too much of me playing Steve for a while!!

Here's a very special Xmas cover version. Bragg and Florence do justice to The Pogues.

Billy and Florence - Fairytale of New York - how cool is the harp? Dunno about Billy's hat however.

So there you have it, a quick Song of the Week Xmas special. Tune in next week for the year in review done in a way the commercial networks wouldn't dare do!

But here's a tune to finish off with. One of the best rock singers ever turns his hand to Xmas.

Rock on.

Ronnie James Dio - God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen

Ho, ho, ho,

DJ Rob

Browser wars

Argh! Sometimes it is all too hard. Internet Explorer is a pain, it is slow and clunky. But it comes with Windoze so I guess most people use it as a default. "Enlightened" folks may choose Mozilla Firefox and it isn't half bad, but lately it has been throwing up a lot of errors for me especially when accessing YouTube and even my Outlook Web Access.

We won't talk about Safari, it is better than it was but still lacking. It seems OK on my iPod though.

So, I thought I'd try Google Chrome which, in general, works a treat. Fast, easy, unobtrusive - all the things a browser should be.

But then my bro suggested SWR Iron. Iron is Google Chrome with none of the tracking built in! It is super fast and stable and I can't fault it. I'd recommend anyone give it a go. The download is small and free. I'll stick with it for a while.

Song of the week #121

If you haven't done your Xmas shopping or given Santa your list then you need to get a move on! After a series of "interesting" events, we'll be having Xmas Day at home here in Canberra by ourselves. Not to worry, we have plenty of exciting things planned for a little later on! And of course it means that Santa can find us easily.

Angus finished primary school today. I reckon he's pretty pleased with himself. He'd really had enough with about 5 weeks to go but we did a deal for him to keep trying his best and I'm pretty proud that he made a good fist of it. His graduation ceremony reminded me that I really don't need to hear Green Day's "Time of your life" ever again.

Alison and I have been watching the TV series "Heroes" on DVD. I was pretty sceptical at first but it turned out to be a lot of fun. Well written and acted and full of cool cameos and references for sci-fi and superhero fans. We're into Season 3 so I guess you could say we're hooked!

Today I had my first run since Ironman. A gentle 8km (5 miles). And I really enjoyed it. The weather now is glorious and I enjoyed jogging along listening to some tunes and watching out for snakes!!

This is a song that came around with the iPod on shuffle...great one from American rockers Monster Magnet. I'm sure they stole the keyboard line from a scary movie soundtrack!

Monster Magnet - See You In Hell

I've been doing some cycling and I've been back in the pool as well. It has been great return to training and feel strong. I'm racing at the coast in February and I'll need to get some speed to go along with the endurance.

Clever Zoë picked up three awards at her school presentation evening. I'm very proud of her as well. She works so hard (too hard sometimes) and is very, very determined to do well.

Again I feel the need to bemoan the state of local music retailers. Way too many greatest hits compilations and "new releases" that are months old and overpriced. I'm really not a fan of greatest hits albums. I understand their place in the world but I like to listen to an album the way it was put together by the artist. After finding that Cheap Trick had done the theme song for "That 70's Show" for a couple of seasons I wanted to check them out. Looks like I'll have to look further afield or hit the iTunes store which I despise. I like the CD in my hand. I'll be in Sydney sometime in January though and I know a couple of awesome record stores there.

Here's Cheap Trick doing justice to a Beatles song. That's something not many bands can do. Do you think that Rik from "The Young Ones" modelled his look on guitarist Rick Nielsen? You be the judge.

Cheap Trick - Day Tripper(live)

From the world of 80s rock I found this little treasure. The original version of a Whitesnake's "Here I Go Again". The lyrics are slightly different to the version that is on the radio all the time but what makes this version much better in my opinion is the fact that there are real dynamics throughout the song whereas the re-recorded version is just a bit too "balls to the wall" for my liking.

Whitesnake - Here I Go Again

Speaking of balls to the wall, DJ Fatboy sent me this one recently. A real blast from the 80s metal past and probably only for the true believers out there. From Germany.....

Accept - Balls To The Wall

Here's a change of pace. I've always really liked the intro to this song. Funnily enough it is really good to play on guitar - sounds good chugging away on a heavily distorted open E string! That little rhythm was something I threw into a lot of songs when I was playing in bands. No-one ever picked it in any band but every now and then someone in the crowd would have a good laugh!

ABBA - Does Your Mother Know

A lot of bands are said to have that quintessentially Australian "sound". I guess if you're overseas then maybe it is Midnight Oil who would have that moniker and I'd understand that. For me, it is these guys.

VSPYVSPY - Clarity of Mind

I've thought more about last week's ramblings about the cost of higher education in the UK. While I can see that society cannot continue to fund every man and his dog to study advanced basket weaving, I am worried. How many awesome bands would we be without if artistic types didn't go to things like art school? I'm pretty sure Pink Floyd and The Who just to name a couple started in and around such institutions. It is important that different points of view and ways of thinking are developed in my opinion. Think for yourself.

And hey, congtratulations to my "little" brother on scoring a choice new job. I guess I won't see him on the TV anymore or pictured with the PM but I know he'll be pretty pleased to be able to spend more time at home. This song always reminds me of my brother. Perhaps only he will understand why!

Spice Girls - Wannabe

That's a funny story but it isn't mine to tell!!

And don't laugh, that song leads to this one...cracks me up but it is a cool tune. I tried to record it myself a few years back. And while I can sing better than the girl from the audience and better than Mel C did that night, it was best left alone. My Steve Earle effort was better. I think I'll stick to typing though until someone else volunteers to sing!

Bryan Adams - When You're Gone (live)

But wer're going to finish with something almost brand new this week. I heard this on the radio yesterday. Sometimes a song just clicks on the first listen and this is one of those cases. They are and out of Melbourne (but I detect some Kiwi influence!) and are channeling The Clash in the best possible way. Their first EP is on vinyl and I have ordered it already! Support local music and give this one a go, you won't be disappointed. They're on iTunes as well but I only found that out after ordering the vinyl. Who cares? Vinyl is king.

King Cannons - Take The Rock

Have a great weekend! Rock on!

DJ Rob

Song of the Week #120

Welcome to the late edition. It's Saturday afternoon so I'm only a day late in getting this out. My humblest apologies if you've already gone into withdrawal!

I'm back home now in sunny Canberra! Of course if you've seen the news you'll know that the place has been pretty much underwater the whole time I was in Busselton. I like to think that I brought some good weather back!

Going back to work was a challenge. I was more tired out than I realised but I managed to keep my eyes open in public at least! School holidays have started for us and apart from a couple of jobs I don't plan to see my office until January sometime. Hooray!

I'm not going to go on about Ironman except to say that I did it. There is a full report on the blog so just scroll down!

But, out on the course there were a heap of people with boomboxes blaring or the locals playing music off their balconies. This was fantastic and a huge source of motivation as well as distraction from the pain. I think I'll play a few of those songs this week.

This one was playing just past the jetty maybe 4km into the run course. Great song from a few years ago with a great earthy vocal style and a solid beat.

Alannah Myles - Love Is

Further on up the road there was a couple blasting a range of tunes out from their balcony. They were both really getting into some dancing too. Bear in mind that they were out there the whole time I was on the run....and it took me 5hrs 43mins! This track is a fave of mine and I was pretty stoked to hear it! Horns up.

Rose Tattoo - We Can't Be Beaten

The same house was responsible for playing this little gem...

Cold Chisel - You Got Nothing I Want

Songs with a good beat were like gold out there for me!

I found out recently that The Chieftains had recorded an LP with slide guitar legend Ry Cooder. It took me a while to track it down to pass on to my Dad for his birthday. I'll have to check the album out myself. The tracks I've heard on YouTube are excellent. The Chieftains seem to have a knack of playing well with a large range of guests. Here's Ry Cooder by himself doing a classic:

Ry Cooder - Vigilante Man

If you want to hear more of Ry Cooder then check out the movie "Crossroads" with a soundtrack featuring him as well as Steve Vai. Cool film with some good sounds.

Angus has just come in from cricket with the stellar bowling figure of 2 wickets for 1 run from just 2 overs! Here's one for him...

10CC - Dreadlock Holiday

On Monday night we're off to see Zoë pick up some awards at her school speech night. Clever clogs indeed! She puts the rest of us to shame in that department. And to make it better she really seems to enjoy school even though it can be a pretty serious business at times.

We're almost at the end of this week's installment now. I'm sure that as I return to the real world there will be more political and social outrage in the following weeks. Don't worry, I haven't gone soft. I was interested to hear on the radio last night an academic who was saying that university students in England will now have to pay pretty much the same in fees as we've been paying here in Australia since the late 80's. But what is interesting in England is that some degrees will attract more public funding that others - those deemed 'useful'...it will be interesting to see what happens. I bet the government in London wasn't expecting riots! I'll have to see if the same deal applies in Scotland.

Education is a right, but only to a point now I guess. I'm not sure how I feel about this. Fees, even those that can be deferred, are a deterrent for a lot of people considering tertiary study. And I'm sure that a society with people qualified and learned in a wide range of disciplines is better than a nation full of doctors, lawyers and accountants!

This isn't the best quality video but it fits nicely.

Billy Bragg - Ideology

To finish off, this is the song that made me laugh the most last Sunday when I was out for a quick 42.2km run following a brisk swim and a roll around the countryside! There was a group of young guys and girls in deck chairs on their front lawn cheering us on. They had a microphone to call out our names and numbers and played an interesting range of tunes. This one even made me sing out loud, I should have saved my energy I guess but I just came out.

Glen Campbell - Rhinestone Cowboy

Have a great week. I know I will!

DJ Rob