Ten tunes chosen by me have been added to Rose Blake’s website studiomusic.
My choice was added yesterday with Harry Hill’s.
Harry plumps for some Kelis, a bit of Glasvegas and a helping of Tony Christie, while my list includes Hawkwind, The Heptones and Kilburn & The High Roads.
Click here to hear our choices and those of many other fab contributors.
Ever one to blur the boundaries, Bishi Bhattacharya’s new song Albion Voice simultaneously embraces Jubilee year multicultural Britain and the time-honoured English folk tradition just as Matthew Hardem’s video captures this national treasure’s ability to shift between performance art and music performance.
It’s fab – visit Bishi’s site here.
And read about the day I met her with one of Barney Bubbles’ collaborators here.
I was in the audience at the Beacon Theatre NYC for the 1999 VH1 Divas, where this Whitney Houston performance was recorded.
Her presence during this particular song is electrifying; she exudes vulnerability, a tortured female star (the wrong side of 35 according to the precepts of the global music industry) visibly dealing with the downside of unimaginable fame + fortune.
When Houston wasn’t onstage, she and Bobby Brown were sat a few rows ahead.
They were looped, out there. Brown was wearing what looked like an original South Beach Leather loose-stitched suit (a la Al Green on the sleeve of his Greatest Hits) complete with Po’Boy cap.
When Houston was onstage, he tore it up in the audience, cheering and hollering his support.
I love the skittering It’s Not Right But It’s OK. She nailed it that night.
This is Tightrope by Psychic Life, the new project from Julie Campbell + Jah Wobble with contributions from the latter’s colleague in the first Public Image Ltd line-up, Keith Levene.
Campbell released an album last year as Lonelady.
Continue reading Psychic Life: Julie Campbell + Jah Wobble with Keith Levene
I’m agnostic about Steve Nicks (though I have been to The Night Of 1,0000 Stevies), but this is mesmerising.
Mrs G turned me onto this. It seems Nicks was listening to a backing track of then-new composition Wild Heart as she was being made-up for a Rolling Stone photoshoot.
The title song of her first solo album, it was hit in 1983. Don’t bother with that version – it’s buffed and polished into formulaic AoR.
This is something else; Nicks and a backing singer/friend launch into the chorus again and again like there’s no tomorrow. The make-up artist eventually gives up her job and looks on in awe. As do we decades later.
Promo News is a favourite site, and not just because it is run by pal o’mine Dave Knight; day-in, day-out he delivers the full span of fresh work in the field of music promos, and occasionally one tickles my fancy.
Like this. Directed by Vidya Sharma & Rajesh Thomas, this animated clip is for Non-Stop Radio, the Cornershop track featuring Celeste.
Cornershop featuring Celeste – Non-Stop Radio from rocketscience on Vimeo.
Read all about it here. And subscribe to Promo’s daily bulletins here.
While I was writing an obituary for Clarence Clemons today, my friend Yuki Yoshioka texted me with the information that our mutual acquaintance the Swedish musician Gustaf Kjellvander died suddenly in his sleep on Saturday. He was 31.
Yuki says Gustaf popped into his thoughts this morning. On a whim, Google led him to Gustaf’s Wikipedia entry, which had been updated with this sad news.
Malcolm McLaren’s musical brilliance was first showcased on the seamless + timeless Duck Rock; it’s a really jumping record and this is one of the many highlights.
Sure Malcolm would have appreciated this Youtube collagist’s approach; the footage is from David Hoffman’s 1965 film “Bluegrass Roots”, shot in Madison County, North Carolina. There’ll be contributors to online Ivy League forums creaming their chinos to the gear worn in this (I like the Elvis-style bell sleeve shirt worn by one chap).
Now dos-e-do + promena-a-a-de!
Friday nights round our way always take a turn for the cavort with Clown.
Love Ssion. Love Cody Critcheloe’s style. Love Peggy Noland‘s work.
Together, they’re…you guessed it: unstoppable.
Värttinä ON THE SHELF from ON THE SHELF on Vimeo.
My friend Yuki mentioned this to me; as Rogerio introduces Finnish vocal trio Värttinä on his online TV show On The Shelf, spot the copy of The Look on conspicuous display behind him.
But Värttinä are the reason I’m posting this bewitching acapella performance.
On The Shelf TV – broadcast from Bar Trench in Shibuya – has been up and running for a couple of months. See more here.