One Jemtunes 24 #2

OneJemTunes 24 continues a monthly foray into my world of music. There’s everything here including downloads, music purchased (all media types – but predominantly vinyl these days), gigs I’ve been to, birthdays and passings and much more; all music related.

OneJemTunes 24 #2 is mostly about January 2024 (although there’s a bit of looking into and forward to this month as well).

Comings and goings – a regular feature throughout the year. On the one hand sadly recording those we’ve lost, but on the other – looking forward to birthdays of those we still have.

January passings: sadly too many to mention here. But most notable for me were Tony Clarkin (November 24 1946 – January 7), songwriter, producer and guitarist with Birmingham based Magnum for over 50 years; and David Soul (August 28 1943 – January 4), singer/songwriter and ‘Hutch’ from the 1970s cop show ‘Starsky & Hutch’.

February birthdays: Harry Styles (One Direction) [1st/30]; Shakira (singer/songwriter) [2nd/47]; Spike (The Quireboys) [4th/58]; Holly Johnson (Frankie Goes to Hollywood) [9th/64]; Steve Hackett (Genesis) [12th/74]; Ali Campbell (UB40) [15th/64]; John Travolta [18th/69]; Seal [19th/60]; Paul Jones (Manfred Mann) [24th/81]

January downloads and other additions added to my JemTunes music collection:

• Larkin Poe – An Acoustic Companion (2023); standout track ‘Strike Gold’
• Dolly Parton – Rockstar (2023) – Vinyl (quadruple album); standout track ‘What’s Up’ (track 1, side 4)
• Skinny Knowledge – Twenty Twos (2023); standout track ‘A song about lunch’
• The Blue Lena – Darkwood (2023); standout track ‘Sanctify’
• Flight of the Conchords (2008) – Vinyl; standout track ‘Bowie’
• Joni Mitchell – Hits (1972); standout track ‘Big Yellow Taxi’

Dougless 24 is the title I’ve given to my occasional playlist compilations. Each will feature 24 tracks from my latest downloaded albums and tracks throughout 2024. ‘Dougless’ derives from the name I’ve given to my cancer (“Doug”) cos clearly – the aim to is be be dougless! Here’s the track listing for Dougless 24 #1:

1. Skinny Knowledge – Disobey
2. Extreme – Rise
3. Lions in the Street – You’re gonna lose
4. Stray – Living the dream
5. Collective Soul – She gathers rain
6. Kenny Wayne Shepherd – Bad Intentions
7. Alabama 3 – California got you stoned
8. Smoke Fairies – Carried in sound
9. Larkin Poe – Strike Gold
10. Ruth Copeland – Gimme Shelter
11. Tesla – Rock Bottom
12. The Blue Lena – Sanctify
13. Collective Soul – Where the river flows
14. Extreme – #Rebel
15. Brothers Osborne – Might as well be me
16. Mothers Boy – Set a fire
17. Skinny Knowledge – A song about lunch
18. Metallica – Sleepwalk my life away
19. Sleeplever – Shot in the dark
20. The Blue Lena – Wrong side of midnight
21. Grant Hava – Time of dying
22. Tom Hambridge – Wear you out
23. Vintage Trouble – You already know
24. Fleetwood Mac – Rhiannon (live)

Cover photo pic credit – Sally Croucher. My reflection captured as I pop a disc on my new turntable.

One JemTunes 23 #2

2 of 12 in a monthly music diatribe from a 64-year-old hippy

OneJemTunes is a monthly foray into my world of music. Published monthly throughout 2023, there’s everything here including:

• Downloads
• Gigs
• JemJams
• Birthdays and passings

…and much more. And as 2023 is the year I can finally sing the line ‘…when I’m 64…’ and be there, the music world is my proverbial oyster.

OneJemTunes 23 #2 is mostly about January 2023 (although there’s a bit of looking forward to February as well).

Read on…

JemJams is about posting a new jam every 6 days. Something I’ve done pretty well without a break now for 10 years or so. Here are JemJams 403 to 407:

1. 403 – Troy Redferrn – Come on (posted on 2/1)
2. 404 – Born Healer – River 22 (posted on 8/1)
3. 405 – Larkin Poe – Bolt Cutter and the family name (posted on 14/1)
4. 406 – Jerry Jablonski & the Electric Band – Fork Fed Dog (posted on 20/1), and
5. 407 – Steve Hill – She gives lessons in blues (posted on 26/1)

January downloads & other additions

• ZZ Top – Goin’ 50 (2019)
• The Commoners – Find a better way (2022)
• Jared James Nichols (2023)
• Laura Cox – Head Above Water (2023)
• Various Artists – Oh Happy Day (2009), and
• Sad Cafe (1980) on vinyl

Comings and goings – a regular feature throughout the year. On the one hand sadly recording those we’ve lost, but on the other – looking forward to birthdays of those we still have.

Although many others sadly passed in January, I’m focussing on just two here.

Jeff Beck (feature photo – from March 23 edition of Classic Rock (issue 311)) [24th June 1944 to 10 January 2023] – ex-Yardbirds, The Jeff Beck Group and Beck, Bogert & Appice; standout tracks ‘Hi-ho Silver Lining (1968 from the ‘Truth’ album) and ‘What Mama Said’ (1992 from the ‘Who Else’ album).

David Crosby [14th August 1941 to 18th January 2023] – ex-The Byrds and Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young; standout tracks ‘Suite: Judy Blue Eyes’ (1969 from the eponymous first album ‘Crosby Stills and Nash’) and ‘Wooden Ship’ (1969 from the Jefferson Airplane album ‘Volunteers’) performed by Crosby, Stills & Nash at their first ever gig – Woodstock (also in 1969).

Birthdays in February 2023: Sonny Landreth (guitarist) (1st and 72nd), Harry Styles (One Direction) (1st and 29th), Graham Nash (Crosby Stills and Nash) (2nd and 81st), Shakira (singer) (2nd and 46th), Dave Davies (The Kinks) (3rd and 76th), Melanie (singer) (3rd and 76th), Alice Cooper (4th and 75th), Natalie Imbruglia (singer) (4th and 48th), Al Kooper (Blood Sweat & Tears) (5th and 79th), Nigel Tufnel (Spinal Tap) (5th and 75th), Duff McKagen (bassist with Guns n Roses and Velvet Recorder) (5th and 59th), Axl Rose (vocalist with Guns n Roses) (6th and 60th), Rick Ashley (singer) (6th and 56th), Carole King (singer) (9th and 80th), and Holly Johnson (Frankie Goes to Hollywood) (9th and 62nd)

Compilation (aka ‘Mixture’; aka ‘Mix’) tapes – remember them? I was a mixtape maestro back in the day as this JemTunes blog post from March 2014 attests – Mixture Tape Heaven.

I’ve not ripped/burnt a CD in yonks now, but still create regular playlists which I both add to my Apple Music profile and avidly listed to on streaming devices including my iPhone and smart speakers.

Nowadays (and for at least the last few years), my playlists follow annual themes and feature selection from my downloaded albums the previous month. Themes for the last few years have been ’16Play 1-12′, ’17Play 1-12′, ’18Play 1-12′, ’19Play 1-12′, and ‘Decadence I – XXXII’ (2020 to 2022).

For this year though – the series title is ‘23 Tunes‘. Each playlist features 23 tracks from albums and tracks downloaded since the last playlist. I’ve just uploaded ’23 Tunes #1’ with 23 tracks from albums and track downloaded since ‘Decadence XXXII’ in November last year.

Here’s the ’23 Tunes #1′ lowdown:

1. Never the Bride – Sympathy for the Devil (from ‘Jealousy’ – 2015)
2. Kenny Wayne Shepherd – Somehow Somewhere (from ‘Trouble is…25’ – 2022)
3. Jared James Nichols – Easy come easy go (from the eponymous 2023 album)
4. Laura Cox – Bad Luck Blues (from ‘Burning Bright’ – 2019)
5. Nickelback – Saint Quentin (from ‘Get Rollin’ – 2022)
6. Useless Wooden Toys – Woman (from ‘Spanky Pants’ – 2009)
7. ZZ Top – Fearless Boogie (from ‘Goin’ 50′ – 2019)
8. Austin Gold – Never End (from ‘Those City Nights’ – 2022)
9. Useless Wooden Toys – What I want (from ‘Spanky Pants’ – 2009)
10. Laura Cox – One big mess (from ‘Head above water’ – 2023)
11. The Commoners – Too Much (from ‘Find a better way’ – 2022)
12. Nickelback – High Time (from ‘Get Rollin’ – 2022)
13. The Rapture – House of Jealous Lovers (2003 – track download)
14. Tom Morello & Pussy Riot – Weather Strike (2021 – track download)
15. Joanne Shaw Taylor – Then there’s you (from ‘Nobody’s Fool’ – 2022)
16. Kenny Wayne Shepherd – Kings Highway (from ‘Trouble is…25’ – 2022)
17. Macy Gray – Bang Bang (2014 – track download)
18. Prophets of Rage – Made with hate (2019 – track download)
19. Laura Cox – Swing it out (from ‘Head above water’ – 2023)
20. Jared James Nicols – Hard Wired (from the eponymous 2023 album)
21. Laura Cox – As I am (from ‘Burning Bright’ – 2019)
22. Leftfield – This is what we do (from ‘This is what we do’ – 2022)
23. Joss Stone – This little heart of mine (from ‘Oh Happy Day’ – 2009)

One JemTunes 23 #3 is due out around 6th March

Cry of Love – Brother (Epic 2017 #042)

The Epic 2017 Project 2017 #042: 170211

Cry of Love – Brother (1993)

Back in the early 1990s, the little town where I live in Sussex had its own independent record shop – ‘Atomic Sounds’. It had started back in the late 70’s – inspired by Debbie Harry’s lyric from the platinum selling 1979 Blondie album ‘Eat to the beat’.

I was one of Tony’s ‘regulars’, rarely missing a Saturday visit and often there during the week as well. Anyway, to cut a long story short (sic. Spandau Ballet), one Saturday in 1993 I picked out Cry of Love’s CD single release of ‘Bad Thing’ and immediately fell in love. Problem was that Tony didn’t have the album in stock and, when after several weeks, he’d still not been able to get a copy, I stopped waiting. Probably said that I’d pick up a copy from Virgin or HMV, but I never did.

Cry of Love formed in North Carolina in 1989 and released their debut (and only album) ‘Brother’ in 1993. The original line-up of the band folded 17 months later when frontman and lead singer Kelly Holland quit. And although the remaining members struggled on, and even released another album – ‘Diamonds & Debris’ in 1997 – content was very much akin to the latter; not a patch on the superlative 10 tracks from the earlier ‘Brother’

All was not lost though as, several years later, I finally managed to secure a copy by ordering one direct as an import from the New York based Columbia Records. Always a good way to secure an album you really want but can’t find anywhere. Might cost a tad more but, hey, at least you get a copy!