Double J radio turns 40

On this day in 1975, Double J radio began. Over the years it morphed into Triple J and there is now a Double J on digital as well.

This morning they re-broadcast their first hour...here's the playlist...not bad! I'll add YouTube links later on.

Rob

You Just Like Me Coz I'm Good In Bed - Skyhooks

Sympathy for the Devil - Rolling Stones

Junior's Farm - Wings

Long Tall Glasses - Leo Sayer

All I Want To Do Is Rock - Mighty Kong

Rock and Roll Doctor - Little Feat

Dazed and Confused - Led Zeppelin

Stormbringer - Deep Purple

Rocksteady - Bad Company

Lucy In the Sky With Diamonds - Elton John

I Just Wanna Make Love To You - Foghat

Hernando's Hideaway - Captain Matchbox Whoopee Band

I'm A Woman - Maria Muldaur

Song of the Week #332

This week it's a guitar fest on the World Wide Woozle. Some you may have heard before but I'll try to mix it up. Playing to a diverse audience, I always attempt to have a tune for everyone.

I've been reading Keith Richards' autobiography (you remember him right...from The Rolling Stones). It's not a bad read and Keith tells his story with a lot of humour and honesty as well. At the moment I'm still stuck in the early 60's with the Stones cutting their teeth covering American rock 'n' roll and blues. Reading about Keith and Mick's love for the music is a real treat as there's no doubt despite their rise to mega-fame, that they are fans. I could easily construct an essential listening episode just from the names that Keith drops. One of the guitar tunes that he made a name playing is this one...Keith goes into detail about learning the licks and how he still can't quite get it right!

Elvis Presley - I'm Right, You're Left, She's Gone - http://youtu.be/NitMDZCq0mQ

Keith talks a lot about his influences and most of them are fairly obvious. He says that he has a notebook with "Chuck, Reed, Diddley" written in it. Chuck and Bo I know but I didn't know Jimmy Reed at all until now. Shame on me!

Jimmy Reed - Aw Shucks, Hush Your Mouth - http://youtu.be/EDY9awmmWtA

Tom Paxton is an American Folk Music icon. At age 77 he's just announced that he's giving up touring. Given that his music has been part of my life forever I'm rather hoping that he'll make it to Australia this year as he winds it up. I haven't seen him play live and I'd really like to. Years ago I copped a fair bit of abuse for singing this song in public...it was worth it. You can relate the lyrics to any war you care to. 

Tom Paxton - Lyndon Johnson Told The Nation - http://youtu.be/uXcG3tXYNF8

As an aside, there's a movement here in Australia to get Taylor Swift into the Triple J Hottest 100. Triple J is the national youth radio station. Personally I think it's a hoot and more power to all the TSwizzle fans. Triple J and its offshoot Double J may not appeal to one and all but they remain a great service in terms of promoting Australian music as well as anything that the commercial stations won't touch. How many other countries have a national, ad-free radio station playing a really wide range of tunes?

As for Taylor...try this track. Full of 80s goodness and today's production values. I love the cheesy drum machine and the lyric "I'm a nightmare dressed like a daydream".

Taylor Swift - Blank Space - http://youtu.be/e-ORhEE9VVg

I really need to finish Keith Richards' book quick smart as the new biography of Randy Rhoads is en route via the Book Suppository. He's my favourite metal guitarist because he plays with fluidity, style and works within the song rather than over the top of it. Randy was a guy that could play vicious riffs, searing solos and then delicate, classically tinged pieces.

Ozzy Osbourne - Over The Mountain - http://youtu.be/cpkITFBjgLA

Cinderella were a mid 80s / early 90s hair metal band from Philadelphia. I guess they got their initial image cues from bands like Motley Crue. For the casual listener they are a solid and good fun metal band, But take a chance and delve a little deeper and there is some fantastic bluesy, country styled stuff to enjoy. These days their singer, Tom Keifer, is still plugging away. Last year sometime I got a copy of his solo album, "The Way Life Goes". It's fantastic. Tom's voice is great and he is a brilliant guitar picker. I'm bringing this episode full circle now as I imagine his influences aren't that different from Keith Richards'. Blues baby, blues. Try this track...

Tom Keifer - The Flower Song - http://youtu.be/XWWyu6M9Zt8

And for those who remember Cinderella, or need an introduction, here are two very different songs...

Cinderella - Shake Me (1986) - http://youtu.be/ptPekKOigkQ

Cinderella - Dead Man's Road (1990) - http://youtu.be/fF8Ynu1fdFw

It seems like the right time for some Joan Jett. Kim Fowley, original manager of The Runaways died this week. By all accounts he wasn't a very nice man but without him there'd be no Joan (or Lita Ford either of course).

Joan Jett - Cherry Bomb (live) - http://youtu.be/ufTx-ZcDC38

Punk-pop faves of mine, The Dollyrots, have some fairly obvious Runaways / Joan Jett influences. They also used to be on Joan's "Blackheart Records" label.

The Dollyrots - Because I'm Awesome - http://youtu.be/d2pgbjPzF2k

Enough already I hear you cry! Well this is the end anyway. Thanks for tuning in.

Rock on brothers and sisters,

Rob

"...as long as I've got rock 'n' roll, I'm forever young..." Cinderella, One For Rock 'n' Roll (1990)

Song of the Week #331

Hello there listeners, and a special shout out to those of you who are back at work this week. This is the first time since 2001 that I've been back at work this early (not a teacher anymore) and it's a bit odd. The long Summer holiday is the only thing I've missed so far.

 

In exactly one month from today Zoe will be winging her way to Vanuatu. She's got her village and school assigned as well as the buddy she'll go with. It's all VERY exciting and she'll be gone before we know it. I reckon it's a great way to leave home and infinitely more appealing than what I did at 17 which was joining the Army! Lots of people have asked when Zoe will be back and the truth is that we don't really know. We might see her in 6 months before she heads to the UK and Europe but we might not. She tells me that the Post Office is 9 hours away in Vanuatu. That's a long way to go for  stamp.

 

Joe Cocker – The Letter - http://youtu.be/VFHA15B8iNI

Rehearsals started this week for the band's next show. Coming up soon we'll be playing Jason Isbell's album "Southeastern" from start to finish. We need a drummer though so if you're in Canberra and keen to help out for a bit just drop me a line. Playing what are mainly acoustic songs is a great change up from the Oz Rock of the NYE show. We're also working on a setlist for two shows in May at Vivaldi's as well as working up some of H's original tunes to record. Watch this space as we'll have some more intimate lounge room, bookshop and café shows in the near future.

 

Motley Crue – Rock 'n' Roll Junkie - http://youtu.be/fkuqkKmsomQ

 

A few years ago I read MOJO magazine almost religiously. It had (and still has) a good range of music reviews and articles and always comes with a cool sampler CD of new or re-imagined tunes. After a while I drifted away from the mad but sometime in 2014 I picked a copy up that had "The Best of Third Man Records" as the free CD. It sort of sat around for a while unplayed until fairly recently. Wow! Third Man is owned by Jack White (White Stripes) and publishes music mainly on vinyl. The majority of the content is bluesy, rootsy rock and roll and it sounds great. There are 14 tracks and I've found them all worth more than a few listens. Here's the one I liked the most...

The Raconteurs – Broken Boy Soldier – http://youtu.be/-x5skzfGp-s

 

This week I was turned onto a website/app called "Pocket" (www.getpocket.com). Essentially you can use Pocket like a scrapbook where you save online articles and posts to read later at your leisure. So, if someone sends you a link, or you see a story you want to read later you just "pocket" it. Given that I forget more stuff that I want to read than I ever remember it's a cool little programme. So far I have articles about Robert Plant, Learning Styles, The Clash, future of mobile phones and Rush saved in there to read late. Oh, you can then read the articles offline; that's cool.

 

I've written too many times about religious intolerance. It sucks. Seriously, if you think that pleasing your God means that you have to shoot people then I suggest that your spin on things is a little out of whack. Also, just because you might live somewhere that guarantees you freedom of expression doesn't mean that you need to be an arse about it.

 

Discharge - Free Speech For The Dumb - http://youtu.be/T-tLEpT_6-E

 

In really cool news Jesus Jones are coming to Australia in March. I saw them here in Canberra at the ANU in 1991 (I think it was '91). At the time I just went because I thought it might be interesting; I knew nothing of the band. Well, I loved the show, the album and I wore the t-shirt until it was threadbare! Sadly they aren't coming to the national capital this time around but I'm still hoping to see them. For 90s Australian music fans; the support acts in 1991 were Caligula and The Pheromones.

 

Jesus Jones - Real, Real, Real - http://youtu.be/-BETKnn7Dxw

 

I enjoyed the "outrage" from various keyboard commandos regarding Kanye West fans being unaware of who Paul McCartney is. For all you Beatles/Wings/McCartney fans just name three Kanye West songs…yeah, I thought not. If kids don't know who Paul McCartney is, or Buddy Holly, Del Shannon, Janis Joplin or Joan Jett then is it their fault? Step up parents.

 

Kanye West – Can't Tell Me Nothing - http://youtu.be/E58qLXBfLrs

 

Wings – Band On The Run - http://youtu.be/t8dQwP80uNQ

 

H has convinced me that I should give the latest Robert Plant album a try. The reviews (which I have 'pocketed' for later) are pretty good. My personal opinion is that Mr Plant has more than paid his dues and can play and sing what he likes. But don't expect me to listen to monotonous wailing over a Moroccan backing track as, for me, it gets old very, very quickly. I don't want him to re-hash Led Zep (as Jimmy Page does) but I do want to hear him sing rather than chant. I always liked the lighter Led Zep stuff. It's my folk music heritage rearing its head…

 

Led Zeppelin – The Battle of Evermore (live unplugged) - http://youtu.be/7jvATYNxkRs

 

The final song this week is from Black Sabbath. The only reason I'm playing it is that I've had the riff in my head all week and I just can't shift it. This is probably my favourite song by Osborne, Iommi, Ward and Butler. The driving rhythm is relentless, the guitar is heavy without being sludgy and Ozzy is on song (ha ha).

 

Black Sabbath – Children of the Grave – http://youtu.be/9rihpED_obk

 

That's it folks, I've got a weekend of music, guitars and family coming up; that'll do me just fine.

 

Rob

 

"We can take our thoughts
So many ways
If your thoughts are different
Well, I think that's okay" – John Mellencamp, Freedom of Speech (2014)

Song of the Week #330

Happy New Year listeners and thanks for tuning in.

The band's NYE show was a lot of fun as well as being the first time I've been awake for the new year for quite a while! We had a full house of enthusiastic (mostly) punters who ate, drank, sang and danced the night away. Our three sets were 100% Australian music and chosen to make sure that people would know the tunes and that everyone would like something. Any hiccups were very minor and certainly didn't detract from the show. Hats off to the whole group for putting on a great show. My apologies to one and all for mixing up my Angels songs...oops!

The Angels - Take A Long Line - http://youtu.be/4LdZAK2Rfkg

For all you listeners overseas who like good rock and roll then click on the above link. The Angels were contemporaries of great Aussie bands such as AC/DC, Cold Chisel and Rose Tattoo. That song also has a really easy guitar solo which was fun for me!

Since we're on the Oz Rock bandwagon for a moment it seems remiss not to play this next song. I know that Crowded House are as much a New Zealand band as they are Australian but I'm happy to share. We played this song on Wednesday night and it was probably my favourite other than Midnight Oil's "Hercules". I remember when the gig that the next clip was from was televised nationally. I recorded it on VHS and watched it over and over!

Crowded House - Mean To Me (live 1996) - http://youtu.be/5GWGrjSh6Qc

The last thing I'll say about our show was that it marked the debut of a new(ish) guitar and amp combination for me. Regular readers will be aware of my frustration at getting the guitar sound in my head to come out of my gear. Well folks, it's taken many years of searching but sonic nirvana has been realised. I played my 1991 Fender Stratocaster Plus Deluxe model pretty much all night through a Jet City 20 watt valve amp. Only the really hard rockers needed a switch to the Gibson Les Paul. It really is amazing how much better I think I play, or how much better it feels at least, when you think you sound OK! There are a few guitarists who I base my sounds on...here's one...

Spy Vs Spy - Clarity of Mind - http://youtu.be/AtQ9gETkF4g

Today I spent some time cleaning up and reorganising the back of the garage where all my guitar gear lives. Being able to head out there, plug in and bash out a few tunes is a great tonic for "what ails you"! I also too the opportunity to listen to some Johnny Cash. The Man in Black has a gazillion albums and compilations and it's all good. Today's album of choice was "Orange Blossom Special" . It's Johnny's 21st album and was released in 1965. On the cover JC is pictured sitting on top of a railway carriage. Given that I'm reading about Woody Guthrie and Jack Kerouac the image of Johnny on the train fitted in nicely!

Johnny Cash - All God's Children Ain't Free - http://youtu.be/AM4lxPcUozw

I heard this next song when I obtained a recording of the Belle & Sebastian Xmas Peel Sessions set. It's by James Brown and I'm going to hit you with the original because it's super-fab and groovy. I like the message too. 

James Brown - Santa Claus, Go Straight To The Ghetto - http://youtu.be/cz48PR__uSo

The fact that seven pasty Glaswegians covered that song just shows the universal appeal of a good James Brown groove.

It's 37 days now until Zoe heads off to Vanuatu for 6 months and it's feeling pretty real for all of us. She's been busy buying appropriate clothes and collecting yam recipes as that's the staple food! It's very hard to put into words how I feel about Zoe flying off into the distance. I'm so proud of what she's achieved and what she's going to do but I'm a sad Dad too.

Lenny Kravitz - Flowers for Zoe - http://youtu.be/7fu0971-mVM

An album I've been revisiting recently is Stevie Ray Vaughan's 1989 release, "In Step". When I was a teenage metal-head another guitar player insisted that I try this album and I'm glad I did. Interestingly enough, if you believe what you read, this was the first album SRV recorded when he was clean and sober. I just love ther guitar tone on this next track and I've chosen a live version for you because watching Stevie play is as much a treat as listening.

Stevie Ray Vaughan & Double Trouble - Love Me Darlin' (live) - http://youtu.be/GcF01GzlEi4

H turned me onto the next band by pushing a live acoustic recording my way. I'm still to explore their plugged in stuff but the live set, recorded at the Ryman, is just sublime. This next track is recorded live by KEXP radio and it's beautiful heartache in a song.

Band of Horses - No-one's Gonna Love You - http://youtu.be/KoQy_p3vNb8

I don't like New Year's resolutions. If you need to lose weight, gain weight, do exercise, work harder, work less, give to charity or whatever then just get on with it. What I'm getting on with is listening to more music I haven't heard before. Here's a sample...it probably fits nicely after Band of Horses but is a bit more psychedelic in a good way.

Cursive - The Recluse - http://youtu.be/sOG9xmzH18E

There you have it folks, the first episode for 2015. I hope you found something worth listening to. If you didn't then you are hard to please and need to send me something to try out.

Cheers!

Rob

"Nothing changes...." New Year's Day - U2

Song of the Week #329

It's amazing how easily I lost track of what day it is. That's my explanation for this episode being a day late and I'm sticking to it.

It was a good Christmas musically with the family giving me the new AC/DC album and my Brother and his family posting something VERY interesting - more on that one a little later.

The AC/DC album, "Rock or Bust", is pretty good. Remember to take my comments with a grain of salt as AC/DC are my favourite band of all time. Having said that, if you like energetic rock and roll then this would be a good purchase to make. I think that it's not quite as consistent as their last release, "Black Ice", but it's good fun all the same. The guitars bite just the right amount and Stevie Young does an admirable job on rhythm guitar in place of Malcolm. The singles are catchy, the riffs are solid and Brian's voice sounds pretty good when you consider he is 67 and obviously gargles barbed wire. The drums and bass lock in from the first song as you'd expect and stay in a groove the whole way through. If you're a fan you'll probably hear bits of other songs here and there and that's to be expected. In my opinion AC/DC don't have bad albums. They just have good or great ones. This is good and rates a place on my playlist. "In rock we trust...."; indeed we do.

AC/DC - Rock or Bust -  http://youtu.be/_NdHySPJr8I

"Sowing the Seeds" is Appleseed Records 10th Anniversary double album and a celebration of folk and folk influenced music. It features names like Pete Seeger, Bruce Springsteen, Ani DiFranco, Tom Paxton, Roger McGuinn and Jackson Browne. This was an inspired Christmas choice from my Brother and his family.If you like songs with meaning, sometimes you need more than "yeah, yeah, yeah", then this set is well worth a listen. Records like this make me reflect on the state of our world and often give me topics to research and think about. 

Pete Seeger / Bruce Springsteen - The Ghost of Tom Joad - http://youtu.be/NN0gy6fSRkU

The other thing that this CD set has done is pointed me towards the Appleseed Records website. I reckon I'll be checking out a lot more of their releases in the near future.

In band news; planning is well underway for gigs and recordings for 2015. Assuming that all goes to plan you can expect some intimate shows where we'll play Jason Isbell's fantastic album "Southeastern" from go to woe, a CD of original music and the "Bob, John and Neil" show at Vivaldi's in May. The idea for this show was originally a set each from Bob Dylan, John Lennon and Neil Young. This has now morphed into songs from anyone with Bob, John or Neil in their names. You'll have to wait and see what songs we come up with but feel free to throw me some suggestions via the band's Facebook page www.facebook.com/junksculpture or by email.

Bob Dylan - Thunder On The Mountain - http://youtu.be/0RPkJeziNyI

John Lennon - Instant Karma - http://youtu.be/F3qvosHHcWc

Neil Young - Cinnamon Girl - http://youtu.be/aAdtUDaBfRA

I've taken advantage of being on holidays to explore some country roads around Maitland on my bike. So far, so good. Apart from a deadly stretch of roadworks, some thunder & lightning and a few cows on the road I've had a good time. Drivers out here are pretty considerate and the hills aren't all that big. I'll hit my goal of 12,000 km for the year in a couple of days.

Finally I think I'll do all of my 2015 Christmas shopping over the next couple of weeks. This year I was ultra organised and had everything ordered and posted weeks in advance. Of course at least 3 presents are yet to arrive. One company has given me a full refund and I'm still getting the order but that doesn't really make up for the lack of a gift on the big day. I won't even get started on the disaster that is Windows 8.1 on Angus' laptop. Microsoft should be ashamed of releasing something that clearly doesn't work all that well but then what's new? DJ Gobbledok recommends Mac and I'm inclined to finally take his advice.

Eddie & The Cruisers - On The Dark Side - http://youtu.be/tshV-ZyEJpw

That'll do. Internet here is patchy so I'm out of here.

Rock on brothers and sisters and thanks for reading in 2014. I'm about to cull the address list as there are a few bouncing addresses and some people that I know aren't really interested so if you don't get next week's episode and you want back in just let me know. It's always online at www.robwoozle.blogspot.com .

Rob

"I'm made of metal

My circuits gleam

I am perpetual

I keep the country clean" - Judas Priest, Electric Eye (1982)

Song of the Week #328

Hi everyone and welcome back.

The link between Soul Asylum and the Backbeat soundtrack clip from last week is that they are both sung by the same guy, Dave Pirner.

It's been a rather busy week here. Both kids have had their school graduations and then Zoë had a little trip to the hospital to have her appendix out! My fervent desire is that we see 2015 through without a visit to the Emergency Department.

Budgie - Crash Course In Brain Surgery - http://youtu.be/nrJOIXOldnQ

No comments from last week about Belle and Sebastian? Interesting. That's really not indicative of their sound at all but I still liked it. Here's something else from them which is a bit confusing as they use the name of another band in the title!

Belle & Sebastian - The Boy With The Arab Strap - http://youtu.be/pzXV6TICs4Q

Yeah....I didn't know what an Arab Strap was either....

This week's epic failure in terms of customer service goes to a big company whose name starts with G. They run the world's largest search engine among other things. I was told that they'd send me something in 3-5 working days. When I asked about its whereabouts after two weeks I was told that it was on backorder. That's hardly inspiring. Morons.

Anti-Flag - The Consumer Song - http://youtu.be/VBHzkBqF0y4

Righto then, the band, with me in tow, had a final hitout last night in preparation for our New Year's show. Ticket sales are excellent so if you're planning on coming along then get on the phone and book. Remember the deal...7 courses, loads of rock and roll and more fun than you can poke two sticks at. We can promise plenty of songs you'll know. 

Icehouse - Nothing Too Serious - http://youtu.be/H6Zq0JK1PFA

Next week is Christmas. Depending on your point of view that can mean any number of things: a pagan festival rebadged, the birth of Christ, a week down the coast, overeating or simply time with your family and friends. Whatever your "thing" is, how about you do it peacefully and respect that other people may think differently. I won't shove anything down your throat (except good music) and no one really needs to tell me that their way is the best way. I'll play a song for you and stick to my three pronged religion of family, guitars and bikes.

Twisted Sister - I Believe In Rock And Roll - http://youtu.be/rSSJpqADysU

Scouting for Girls - I Need A Holiday - http://youtu.be/vH99HVaj-Mc

Like the vast majority of people I was saddened by the senseless killing that happened, particularly in Sydney and Peshawar. One pointless death is one too many. I'm so tired of people who group all those in the Muslim faith with the Taliban. Do you think that all Catholics were working for the IRA? These events really made me think about religion. The way I see it, religious fundamentalists of any kind fear their supreme being; they are "God fearing". The religious people I want to talk with are those in the majority who see their faith as an expression of love. If your God is love then stop killing people in his or her name.

Yusuf Islam - Peace Train - http://youtu.be/TWgEUGnuwpk

I noticed this week that DJ Duck is off to see John Fanham and Olivia Newton John playing live. I thought Farnham had finished his second or third farewell tour already? These are two singers with distinctive voices and I'm sure it will be an excellent show. I look forward to a review!

John Farnham - Two Strong Hearts - http://youtu.be/tqaMHMooiEU

Olivia Newton John - Magic - http://youtu.be/oU5t3Ft5JhU

Every guitarist has a sound in their head. It's their ideal tone; how they want to sound. After years and years of trying to achieve that sound I reckon I got there yesterday. It was unexpected in terms of the guitar, my Fender Stratocaster, but it's just such a great feeling to move my fingers and hear what I've been searching for all these years. It's also something that's very hard to describe because the truth is that I don't want to sound like anyone else! 

Neil Finn - Ten Guitars - http://youtu.be/A91v2ZDOQfg?t=3m35s

That's all for this week. Tune in seven days into the future for a post Christmas wrap and more good tunes.

Rob

"I think I'm outta step like Minor Threat baby...you gotta lotta attitude for someone going out of style.." - Danko Jones, I Love Living In The City

Song of the Week #327

Musically it's a bit of a challenge finding time to listen to new stuff when I've got three sets of Australian rock hits going round and round in my head in preparation for the New Year's Eve show. It'll most likely be the last hurrah for us playing many of the Midnight Oil songs and some others too. They are great but I think we all agree that there's a lot of other music to play. I'm hanging out to play tunes like "Forgotten Years", "Hercules" and "Sometimes" like there's no tomorrow.

Midnight Oil - Hercules (live) - http://youtu.be/hih--64WkK0

 

"Consequence of Sound" is a music (and film) review website that I have been coming back to for more than a year now. They have a wide range of reviews and it's a good place to pick up artists you haven't heard of before. They use a simple grading system and even if something gets a C minus I'll give it a go. Their reviews are usually pretty close to the mark.

 

There has been a flurry of activity in the media about school children needing to learn how to write computer code. I'm fairly sure I saw the US President getting some lessons too. I've taught a few students who have gone on to be programmers of one kind or another. I've also taught Computing to heaps of kids that chose other career paths. I learned BASIC programming from a book and some trial and error in the mid 80's. The structures and logic lessons that I picked up have served me well working in IT and in teaching. But recently I was able to decipher a range of computer code to fix a few things at work. It wasn't that exciting; just some HTML, CSS and PHP but if I was relying on a visual editor we would have been stuffed. We don't need every student writing a new version of Windows (not that they'd do a worse job than MS) but some decent exposure provided by people who know what they're doing is a pretty good idea.

 

The Godfathers - Birth, School, Work, Death - http://youtu.be/QO5dcW0P75M

 

In 1987 I went to the drive in with Scouts (we walked there) to see a movie. It was a hot night so we all sat outside and watched "Highlander". It's still in my top 5 films of all time. I loved it then and I still do. Last weekend I sat down with my 18 year old daughter (where did THAT time go) and introduced her to the film. I'm pretty sure she liked it, she certainly liked the soundtrack. That's good parenting 101…ensuring films of cultural significance are introduced to the next generation!

 

Queen – Gimme The Prize – http://youtu.be/VEJ8lpCQbyw

You might remember that when the band toured earlier in the year that we spent some time and played a show for the staff and students at "Crossing the Divide" out at Bundarra. Well this week CTD had its first graduation. I was quite moved when H sent me a photo of Matt Pye along with some of the graduates all dressed up for the occasion. I think about the people we met out there quite often...it really was an experience that changed the way I think for the better.

Johnny Nash - I Can See Clearly Now - http://youtu.be/FscIgtDJFXg

Glaswegian indie popsters Belle & Sebastian have been around for quite a while now. They've got a new album ready to launch in early 2015. This is the first single and I think it's a rather well crafted piece of pop. There's a really funky guitar bit in there that I keep coming back to.

Belle and Sebastian - The Party Line - http://youtu.be/3vS1Hf3CVGs

In 1994 the Army sent me to Melbourne to learn all about computers. It was a pretty good course taught by instructors with a genuine desire to teach us. DJ Al-ee-Sunshine and I hadn't been married very long when I went and 3 months was a long time. She did get to come and visit for a weekend though. I remember that I was rather unwell and that we went to see the movie that the next tune is from. Somewhere I've got the entire soundtrack on cassette. I remember that the artists covering all the songs weren't allowed to use any modern studio gizmos. It turned out pretty well!

Backbeat Soundtrack - Long Tall Sally - http://youtu.be/v454mAro43E

Surprise, surprise...Dave Grohl from the Foo Fighters is the drummer on the previous track. Is there anything this man hasn't appeared on??

And now for this week's competition. If you can work out why I've chosen the next tune, other than that I like it a LOT, you'll be doing well. The link is somewhere inside a song in this episode.

Soul Asylum - Somebody To Shove - http://youtu.be/OrrE5bCA5lg

Australian music buyers have never been shy of supporting a novelty tune. I see no reason to buck the trend either. Sometimes life is a bit serious and you need a good laugh. Here's one of the best ever!

Scatterbrain - Don't Call Me Dude - http://youtu.be/NbLhHtaVIO4

That'll do. The Walking Dead are beckoning...

Rob

"Still whining about your bonus
Man up, you're ridiculous
Hell you can't take it with ya
So, give a little extra" - Ian Hunter & The Rant Band, "When I'm President", 2012