I eat ham and jam and spam a lot

ORIGINATION Monty Python And The Holy Grail
LAST LISTENED TO no idea
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT they are not big
RATING

This is without doubt the silliest song i have ever woken too. Jeez.

We're Knights of the Round Table
We dance whene'er we're able.
We do routines and chorus scenes
With footwork impeccable.
We dine well here in Camelot.
We eat ham and jam and Spam a lot.

We're Knights of the Round Table.
Our shows are formidable,
But many times we're given rhymes
That are quite unsingable.
We're opera mad in Camelot.
We sing from the diaphragm a lot.

In war we're tough and able,
Quite indefatigable.
Between our quests we sequin vests
and impersonate Clark Gable.
It's a busy life in Camelot.
I have to push the pram a lot.

Goombay Dance Band - Seven Tears

ORIGINATION no idea and glad of it
LAST LISTENED TO '82
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT one in a million
RATING

I bloody hate this bloody song. Really, really, really. In fact, until some time around nine o'clock this morning i had forgotten that it even existed. How i wish i still lived in that ignorance. Now i get to remember once heaing it from the back seat of a cigarette-stinking banger sitting at traffic lights at the top of Easter Road on one of those miserable satrudays. Thanks, brain.

Ray Charles - See See Rider

ORIGINATION some cd of early Ray Charles stuff
LAST LISTENED TO ages ago
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT teeny tiny (although i did listen to Jimmy Smith's version last night)
RATING

Some of Ray Charles' early blues recordings don't really do it for me. His version of Ma Rainey's See See Rider is one of these tracks. It was recorded in 1950 in the period before he found his own voice, when he sang in a voice similar to Nat 'King' Cole. It's a fairly competent blues, but there is nothing special going on here. The only reason for interest in it is when it is seen as part of the whole Charles cannon, which makes it one for the fans.

Gene Kelly - Singing In The Rain

ORIGINATION some easy comp
LAST LISTENED TO don't remember
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT really low
RATING

Do be do doo do be
Do be do do be do be
Do be do doo do be
Do be do do be do be

iiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii'm…

…just slightly confused as to why i ended up with this this morning. Not that i mind, indeed, it could be so much worse (and has been recently).

Jimmy Smith - A Night In Tunisia

ORIGINATION Cool Blues
LAST LISTENED TO a few weeks ago
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT good
RATING

Two hours sleep would render anyones critical faculties useless and it has for me. Jimmy recorded many versions of this tune, as far as i know this '58 version was one of the first. It's was recorded live at Small's Paradise, NYC, from somewhere in the borderlands between hard bop and soul jazz. It quite good.

(radio interference)

Nothing at all this morning. Well, there was faintly something, i'm sure but Desert Island Disks was on in the other room as i woke up. The first thing i can remember hearing is a recording of Mussogorsky's Night On A Bare Mountain which pretty much cleared out whatever junk was in my head before it. Not that i'm all that concerned. It's getting close on for two weeks now, since i last had a properly good song in my head in the morning. Two weeks! I really ought to have words.

Back to the radio interference, though. I find that there is something really annoying about Desert Island Disks when the guest only picks classical music. It just feels so… smug. If only Radio 4 wasn't so Radio 4 sometimes. And don't even get me started on the complete works of William Shakespeare and a bleedin' bible.

Earl Van Dyke & The Soul Brothers - The Flick Part I (again)

ORIGINATION 7"
LAST LISTENED TO two months agohttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gif
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT really small
RATING

This tune featured a few months back, which you can find here. From the hundreds of funk singles in this room that i could have had, it's rather odd that i should get this again. It's not like i even have any special liking for it. Curious.

Belly - Gepetto

ORIGINATION don'y know
LAST LISTENED TO not really ever
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT none
RATING

If i remember correctly Belly were formed by Tanya Donelley, one time Throwing Muse and they played what i suppose became known as Alt-rock. I've always through of that term as a lazy catch-all for anything not definitely something else (bands such as REM and Radiohead are often lumped in here) but this morning i am feeling too lazy to care. Or at least short, what with the coughing, sneezing and drilling in the street outside that's been going for over an hour so far. Also, i don't really care about Belly at all. Or this song. I think it may have something to do with Pinnochio (think about it) or something.

Tina Turner - What's Chuff Got To Do With It

ORIGINATION no idea
LAST LISTENED TO never, ever, ever, not even the once, never
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT indescribably low
RATING

I hate this bloody song. I really, really hate it. I can't imagine how i have offended my sub-conscious so, to make it play this crap at me this morning. It's like acid burning into my brain. I feel sick.

Willie Mitchell - Woodchopper's Ball

ORIGINATION 7"
LAST LISTENED TO december
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT nah
RATING

Willie Mitchell is best known as the man who not only signed Al Green for his first recording contract, but also co-produced him and co-wrote much of his material during his most popular years. However, Mitchell also had a recording career of his own that dated back to the beginning of the '60s.

As a band-leader, trumpeter and arranger, he and his band recorded instrumental soul. Their sound is very similar to what you'd get if you added a funky horn section to Booker T & The MGs. Between them, they share equal prominence in creating what would become known as the Memphis Sound. Hardly a surprise given that Stax (Booker T & The MGs label) and Hi Records (whom Mitchell recorded for and later ran) shared many musicians, most notably drummer Al Jackson, Jr. who was the drummer for both Booker T and Mitchell (and Al Green during his Hi Records years).

Woodchopper's Ball is an organ-driven piece that is one of Willie Mitchell's most Booker T-ish moments. It's got the solid 4/4 beat and all the changes that you'd expect and it's only a fraction over the two minute mark. It is the Memphis Sound. My only wish is that it could have had an organ solo, but then (i've said it before and i'll say it again) i do like a bit of organ.

Hoagy Carmichael - Hong Kong Blues (again)

ORIGINATION Honky Soul, Race Music, Hard Bop & Anachronic Jazz
LAST LISTENED TO a month back
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT low
RATING

This one appeared a wee while back. You can find it here.

Dawn Penn - You Don't Love Me (No, No, No)

ORIGINATION 12"
LAST LISTENED TO some time last week
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT middling
RATING

Jamaican Dawn Penn originally recorded this ditty during the rocksteady period at the end of the '60s. It was a big hit in Jamaica, but she never followed up on it and soon retired from music altogether. However, 17 years later she stared to revive her career. Meeting little success initially, in '94 she re-recorded her biggest hit (in the more current dancehall style) and had a global hit with it.

As you'd expect for a dancehall tune, there is bass aplenty and a mid-pace rhythm. Added to this are the odd vocal sample and some brass that, knowing the tendency for re-cycling in Jamiacan music, could in fact be from the original, just speeded up. Not that it really matters when the brass is as warm and friendly as this.

The real star is, of course, Penn's vocal, which floats over the top delightfully. The 12" features five mixes of the track and of them the best (by far) is the one that is cut for radio and gives the most time to the delightful vocal.

H P Zinker - Reason

ORIGINATION Perseverence
LAST LISTENED TO a few days ago
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT pretty goodish
RATING

These guys were a three piece guitar outfit that were three quarters Austrian, but where based in New York. In the early '90s they put out a few albums that met with critical acclaim but indifferent sales.

This track, from 1992, features the big-sounding '70s riffs that characterise Perseverence, their third LP. However, it's the wah-wah rhythm guitar that really grips the listener. There are better tracks on the album, but the little added touch of funk is what draws me back to this track.

Poison - Every Rose Has Its Thorn

ORIGINATION i dread to think
LAST LISTENED TO not counting Bill's Excellent version, never (actually, maybe once or twice when i was 15 and stupid)
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT none, not one, this never happened
RATING

This is the kind of thing that could make a believer lose their faith. Even just seeing that collection of words on the title line is making me feel queasy. I need to go and find good music and i need to do it now. I suggest you do too, before one of the twee-est choruses lodged (somewhere) in my head gets into yours. I'm at a loss for an appropriate curse, i really am.

Pleasure Web - Music Man (Pts 1 & 2)

ORIGINATION Super Breaks Volume 3
LAST LISTENED TO yesterday
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT fair to good
RATING

It's a slice of funky soul that has lovely organ work and some nice, passionate singing in parts of the chorus. The second section is mostly solos and begins with a flute solo and we all know that it's hard to go wrong with a flute solo in a funk tune, especially when there is some wah-wah washing under it.

Grant Green - Grantstand

ORIGINATION Street Funk & Jazz Grooves: The Best Of Grant Green
LAST LISTENED TO a few days ago
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT fair
RATING

It was one of jazz guitarist Green's early signature tunes, from his initial Blue Note period when he was more bop than funk. The tune is an uptempo number of around eight minutes, featuring solos from all the main participants.

Up first is Green, who plays in his usual spare manner. It's a pretty nice example of his cool soloing and it is backed by some fine organ comping. Yusef Lateef takes a tenor sax solo next that is very much in a bop vein. It's competent but is not particularly special. Lastly, Brother Jack McDuff is up with his organ. For me his solo is the most exciting of the three, but then i always have a soft spot for some nice organ.

It's all fine if you like this sort of thing, but if you don't it'll end up as wallpaper at best.

Wolfsbane - Black Lagoon

ORIGINATION Down Fall The Good Guys
LAST LISTENED TO mid december
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT no so big
RATING

Oops. I hit the publish post button and sat back. And then i gradually noticed the chorus from this running about inside my head. Hey, where'd that come from? Then i realised i have a morning song after all. What a relief. Obviously it just took my brain a while to come online this morning.

So, Wolfsbane. Top early '90s good time hard rock. They cropped up a few months back with a song from their first album, which you can find here. This track is from their second full album, which suffered from a degree not-as-good-second-album-itis. Of course, their first album was so very, very good, as well as the mini album that came between these two (titled All Hell's Breaking Loose Down At Little Kathy Wilson's Place) that an amount of drop-off in quality was inevitable. It also means that that album is only not very, very good. So it's quite good.

Black Lagoon is one of the faster tracks on the album and it's pretty good. It's got the pace, the apparent simplicity and the catchy chorus that is to be expected for Wolfsbane. The playing is more accomplished than it at first appears, which is a trick the Wolfsbane often pulled off. For a group of seeming hard drinking, hard playing, hard rocking, scruffy metallers, they actually were a very tight outfit, something that their image was somewhat at odds with. Other than that there is little to say, except that the Black Lagoon of the title may in fact be an a certain alcoholic beverage. Certainly that's the impression i'm getting. Could this be Wolfsbane's warning about the perils of drink? Not very likely, i'll admit.

I'm falling down…

(radio silence)

Not a thing today. My head was a void when i woke. So silent was it that it opened up a path for self doubt. Did any of this really happen? Do i really have songs in my head when i wake in the mornings? It seems so unlikely.

Ha. As if.

I've been awake for nearly 45 minutes now and still there is nothing. It's a wee bit scary.

Duke Ellington - Blue Pepper (Far East Of The Blues)

ORIGINATION The Far East Suite
LAST LISTENED TO yesterday
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT purdy good
RATING

Duke Ellington first came to fame during the swing jazz years leading up to the second world war. He recorded numerous 78s with his big band and scored many hits, several of which he wrote himself. The changes in the jazz field and in record formats in the '40s allowed him to further hone his already considerable composing talents. Whilst he never achieved the kind of chart success he had enjoyed during the swing era, he continued recording with his big bang and toured the globe many times over. Today he is regarded as the world's most important jazz composer.

In the '63 he and his band made a State Department sponsored tour of the middle east and the sub continent, where they played in such places as Bombay, Baghdad, Kabul and Tehran. Inspired by what he found on this tour, he and his long-time writing partner Billy Strayhorn wrote and suite of music that allowed their new experiences to "seep out". The following year the band made a trip to Japan and some influence from this too was woven into the tapestry. They recorded the suite with a full big band in '66.

Blue Pepper is the part of the suite and shows the band at their most swinging. This is primarily due to the large horn charts, although the drumming is full and forceful and plays a very forward roll here also. Of the two solos, the second (trumpet) is the strongest, straying high into the stratosphere as the band pushes it on into a marvellous crescendo.

It's all a pretty impressive achievement considering Ellington was 67 when this was recorded and that several members where of an age with him. It easily swings harder than band of half their age.

Buddy Rich - Sassy Strut

ORIGINATION Stick it!
LAST LISTENED TO the other week
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT low
RATING

Buddy Rich was one of the most famous drummers in jazz. He began performing at 18 months (seriously, he really did) and never gave up until his death in '87. He first experience in jazz was in '38 with a big band and it was in this format that he mostly recorded. Indeed in 1972, when Stick It! was put out, Buddy Rich was still kicking out fast and furious big bang jazz.

Sassy Strut has a hard, piano driven edge to it that is big enough to pull along its whole mountain range of wailing brass. After the opening statements of these brass alps, there are three solos. First is the soprano sax, which is fast and bluesy, if a little too quiet in the mix. Next up is a guitar solo, which to my ear sounds both out of time in parts and a touch out of tune in the whole. It's also very quiet, which is either a blessing or the main problem. Lastly is an alto sax, which is the only solo to approach a sensible track volume. It's a less colourful solo than the soprano, but it is shorter which seems much more in keeping with the pace.

The real star is, of course, Rich's drumming. He is frantic throughout the whole track throwing in fills, compressed rolls and extra parts to the rhythm, whilst never once losing pace or using one beat when ten would do. In some ways the solos are more co-solos, as throughout them Rich really stretches out.

The track ends with a giant squall of brass and one long, long compressed roll by Rich. After which you'll probably need to go and lie down.

Lou Donaldson - Who's Making Love

ORIGINATION The Best Of Poppa Lou
LAST LISTENED TO a few days ago
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT you never can tell
RATING

Saxophonist Lou Donaldson had a recording career that began in the '50s which then lasted nearly 50 years although, like many jazz artists of his generation, the '80s and '90s were not all that productive. His best known period is his soul jazz work of the '60s and that is the period mined for the 'Best of' compilation that i found this on.

Who's Making Love is a not bad piece of soul jazz, no surprise given that it Idris Muhammad on drums and Charles Earland on organ. It is also a cover, this time of Stax singer Johnnie Taylor's biggest hit.

Covers where something of the staple diet of soul jazz albums and the veered wildly between genius and heinous. Even a line up as good as this one is by no means a guarantee of a good cover. A fine quality of playing one could expect, but sometimes on the covers they just fell on their faces and this applies to pretty much all soul jazz.

However, back to this track. The good players play as good as one could hope and both Donaldson and Earland's solos are just the right combination of fire and bounce for this type of track. Idris Muhammad does, of course, no wrong (indeed, he also never shares the blame in the poor covers department). The track is also marked out by some slightly amateur singing of the chorus, a device that Donaldson used on more than one occasion. Depending on mood this can either be fun or irritating. Personally, i can't help but feel that picking out those lines with a horn may have been more in keeping but i can live with the singing.

The Jon Spencer Blues Explosion - Do You Wanna Get Heavy? (Again)

ORIGINATION Acme
LAST LISTENED TO last month
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT marginal
RATING

This one popped up back at the start of last month. Take a look.

Glenn Miller - Moonlight Serenade

ORIGINATION i forget
LAST LISTENED TO not idea about this either
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT really quite small then
RATING

I suspect that it may not really be fashionable to like this kind of jazz, especially this tune which always seems to turn up playing in nursing homes in films. But i do like it. I love its warm, soft buttery textures and the relaxed pace. The tone of the brass is so nice too, having just enough edge to hint at the power that it is holding in check, whilst never once breaking out. It's all quite like having an aural bath and i mean that in the very nicest way. After a few nights of rogh sleep, i couldn't ask for better than this.

Grant Green - It's Your Thing

ORIGINATION The Lost Grooves (v/a Blue Note)
LAST LISTENED TO yesterday
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT fairly good probably
RATING

Grant Green was one of the most notable guitarists on Blue Note Records during the early '60s, recording over 20 albums in the first half of that decade. His easy-sounding style of playing and habit of recording with organists meant his music became very popular on the soul jazz scene. Sadly his prolific output slipped somewhat towards the end of the decade due to a drug habit, which was to ultimately help bring about his early demise in '78.

However, before that sad event he made a return to Blue Note, with a slightly altered style that was moving more towards jazz-funk. This track, a cover of the Isley Brothers hit, was an out-take from his strongest LP of the period, 1970s Alive!.

Green plays in his usual laid back style and although he takes some fine solos, his style is somewhat over-shadowed by both Ronnie Foster on organ and Claude Bartee on trumpet, both of whose solos posess more fire than Greens. To be fair, this may be because Green solos first, but it is probably more to do with contrasting styles and on this track it is not his that stands out. No doubt the reason why this wasn't put out on the original album.

A final mention must be made to the ever-great Idris Muhammad on drums, whose hard, funky rhythms really dominate the track. He is supported by some conga and, apparently, vibes, although you'd be forgiven for not noticing them as they are buried deep in the mix. I never noticed them 'til i looked at the personnel listing.

Jerry Lee Lewis - Great Balls Of Fire

ORIGINATION it's everywhere, isn't it?
LAST LISTENED TO too long ago
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT too small
RATING

What's not to like? It's huge-sounding, rambunctious rock 'n' roll, full of energy and fire. Lewis recorded it in 1957 at Sun Studios with only a drummer accompanying him and it is to the credit of Sam Phillips that Lewis' excitement and personality are so abundantly clear. From the jangling boogie-woogie piano to the high tone leaps in vocal pitch, this had become not just one of the defining songs in rock 'n' roll but also one of the key moments in rock history.

Queen - Another One Bites The Dust

ORIGINATION greatest hits
LAST LISTENED TO friday
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT better than i'd like
RATING

You surely know this song and require no input from me on this. On Friday Suse requested some Queen to song along to on our 5 hour car journey to snowy north Wales. We both found it hard to sing the chorus to this song, after having both been exposed to Weird Al Yankovic's version of this a few years back. It is one of his better 'covers' and is titled Another One Rides The Bus.

Actually, i do quite like this Queen song. It feels a bit like them trying to do funk. I only wish that, like every other Queen song, that curly haired expletive wasn't on it. My dislike of that guitar-playing member is as irrational as it is large. Grrrr.

The Wonder Stuff - Welcome To The Cheap Seats

ORIGINATION Never Loved Elvis
LAST LISTENED TO thursday
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT good
RATING

What in hell is going on around here? Three bloody Wonder Stuff songs in a row? I don't really like them that much. Really i like them only a bit and just the one album and even then apart from the last month i haven't listened to it in years. Jeez. Thanks brain.

Anyway, Welcome To The Cheap Seats is really quite fun, from its opening 'Arribarriba!" to its playful lyrics and, of course, the song title which i have always enjoyed. Less silly is Kirsty MacColl's supporting vocals on the chorus and the great violin work throughout the track. It was picked as one of the singles from the album and with good cause.

The Wonder Stuff - On The Ropes

ORIGINATION 7"
LAST LISTENED TO thursday
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT small
RATING

This track was the first single from the last Wonder Stuff album (before they got back together again in 2000). It's not all that bad, but it's nowhere near as good as even the poorest song from the previous album, Never Loved Elvis. There are some nice little stringy moments and the chorus is ok-ish, but that's it.

The Wonder Stuff - Radio Asskiss

ORIGINATION 7" (Size Of A Cow b side)
LAST LISTENED TO thursday
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT small
RATING

A quite poor effort from the Wonder Stuff here. I only listened to it because i was curious about the supporting material for Never Loved Elvis. If ever there was a song that wasn't good enough for the album, this is it. It's barely good enough for a b side.

The Congos - Congoman

ORIGINATION Heart Of The Congos
LAST LISTENED TO last year?
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT barry white on the northern line
RATING

To cut a long and complicated story short, it can be seen that in Jamaican music the producer is often responsible for writing the music and organising the musicians in his productions. Therefore the name of the artists on the recording was more often than not that of the vocalists only. In many ways these albums can be seen as more belonging to the body of work of the producers, as opposed to the vocalists. With this album that is almost the case.

The Congos were a roots reggae duo composed of vocalists Cedric Myton and Roydel 'Ashanti' Johnson. The combination of their voices was quite unique in the genre: Myton's voice is a clean falsetto and Johnson's a rich tenor. This contrast is one of the things that is particularly attractive in their music. The other was that the Heart Of The Congos album was produced by the legendarily bizarre producer Lee 'Scratch' Perry. Here he showed his superlative skills in turning out settings for this unique combination of voices. The album is hailed as one of the very finest in the genre, although at the time it was turned down by the likes of Island records and sank into semi-obscurity.

Congoman is the second song in the set and was chosen as a single back in '77. It has a more stripped back feel than almost all the other tracks on the album and is driven by a combination of tribal drumming and 'regular' percussion (as well as, one suspects, copious amounts of weed). In behind this percussion is as big a bass as one could hope for, with further instrumentation present, albeit buried below the rhythm. (This murky sound was all part of the character of Perry's famed Black Ark studio and is part of the ambience that makes this a classic album.) Myton and Johnson's righteous vocals soar over this rich soup of sound, repeating many of the same phrases many times over, giving something of a religious vibe.

It makes for one of the key tracks not only on this album but in roots reggae as a whole. Anyone with the slightest interest in Jamaican music should hear this.

The Wonder Stuff - Maybe

ORIGINATION Never Loved Elvis
LAST LISTENED TO yesterday
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT time to change the record, i think
RATING

The Wonder Stuff doing here what they do best: shiny indie-pop (with added violin). On this track it is indeed that violin that takes centre stage, along with Miles Hunts' vocals. This is a song of what ifs and maybes. A song about daydreaming and, possibly, dithering. Or at least it might be. I'm not feeling very trusting of my interpretation skills this morning. Mrs Burns would be so disappointed.

Ennio Morricone - Titoli

ORIGINATION A Fistful Of Dollars
LAST LISTENED TO not very sure
CHANCE OF WAKING TO IT too low, too low
RATING

Ennio Morricone is simply a genius. He is one of the most distinctive composers in film, so much so that his cultural impact is beyond reckoning. This is particularly true for the music he composed for just a fistful of Western films. The success of that music has caused it to be forever linked in the western consciousness to the Western film genre, in fact to be the very defining music of that genre.

This tune was the main title music to the first Western he scored. As such it would have been the first piece of such music that reached a mass audience. With hindsight, it clearly points the way for the music that was to follow. From the opening Spanish guitar picking, to the whistling, brass, semi-incoherent male grunting and all the other usual and not at all usual film instrumentation, it carries in it both space and high drama, the perfect combination for a Western.

Although this tune has become less well known than Morricone's Main Title for The Good, The Bad And The Ugly, it will always be for me the superior piece.