Heading for the ditch No1

Exploring some musical B-roads. Part One

Let me explain….

People have commented in the past on some of the playlists I’ve put together for events, not always disparagingly, so I’m going to share a series here. Each will be 20 songs long and about 90-100 minutes. In theory at least.

So there are two versions of the playlist below, one Spotify and one YouTube

Overarching theme… If the Beatles/Stones/Zeppelin/Smiths etc are the last 60 year’s musical motorway, these playlists will be the B Roads… They’ll get you to the same place, they are a bit less well known, but frequently they’re more interesting. I won’t eschew big name bands but I’ll try and pick some of their more esoteric stuff, should they appear.

This music won’t frighten the horses and some tracks will be familiar, they reflect two things; firstly, that I’m a sucker for a great tune and secondly that there have been so many bands over the years that have flown under the radar popularity-wise for reasons I just don’t understand and it drives me mad.

Click HERE for the YouTube playlist

For Spotify you may need to select Play on the app, but here’s the link:

In addition you’ll see I’ve added some words on each track in homage to that sadly extinct 90’s phenomenon; the music magazine with the sampler CD stuck on the front and a description of the contents on the inner cover. Through ‘The Word’s’ version I distinctly remembering hearing, for example, The Silver Seas, for the first time.

Finally, “Heading for the Ditch”? …. It’s a Neil Young quote. When he released his album Harvest he said “People told me it was middle of the road. Well, if it is middle of the road, I’m heading for the ditch”!

Seems about right, so let’s begin…..

Obscured by Clouds   Pink Floyd

Title track from the often-overlooked film soundtrack between Meddle and Dark Side of the Moon. This feels very like the final transition from earlier Floyd eclecticism into the mainstream. Floydy nerds will know this already, but this was the very first track that used the VCS3 synthesiser which gave Dark Side its rich texture, plus Nick Mason’s use of electric drums…… Love that tone and I can’t think of a more Pink Floyd album title than this one.

A Hero’s Death               Fontaine’s D.C.

Dublin’s Fontaine’s DC carrying the torch for noisy rock. This track leaps out for a magnificent, drummed opening…  and great words …. and a superb hook and an ability to get the old toes tapping or body leaping about, depending upon preference. Also, they are current chart-botherers so yay for today!

Open Up                             Leftfield

Mr Lydon does his thing over excellent throbbing Leftfield beats. Leftism was one of those albums that was everywhere for a few years. A floor-filler if there ever was one, this needs volume and plenty of it.

Heavenly Pop Hit          The Chills

Ah. The Chills. Martin Phillipps’ band produced such an astonishing volume of memorable songs that selecting one for a playlist is pretty much a case of, pick a song, any song. This, it transpired was the high-water mark for their popularity, but really, Phillipps is up there with fellow New Zealander Neil Finn in the songwriting pantheon

Ada                                       The National

I saw The National at Hyde Park a few years ago and they were the highlight of weekend. (Mind you Florence and the Machine were the headline, so the bar wasn’t set too high…..) The semi-spoken words and fabulous drumming sets this track apart. The horns are grand too.

And Dream of Sheep  Kate Bush

Guaranteed to give the tear ducts a workout, Kate Bush has never sounded better than on this excerpt from second side of The Hounds of Love. Impossible to improve upon really. Not one to listen to in public if don’t want to be seen blubbing like a girlie.

Be There                                             Unkle, Ian Brown

Nope, I can’t stand Ian Brown. There I’ve said it. But the Manc gobshite has sung on, and written a significant number of my favourite tracks of the last 30 years so it just goes to show that you must separate the art from the artist eh? He’s never been a bellower and his voice here sounds really good over this relaxed groove.

The Song is Over           The Who

From ‘Who’s Next’ of course, their greatest album. This track especially shows how Pete Townshend put one of the aborted Lifehouse project songs, “Pure and Easy” to good use. Also, notably one of the few tracks where Keith Moon’s drumming sounds almost restrained.

Can’t Find my way Home         Blind Faith

Supergroups have been a thing since the 60’s and this was one of the biggest. Cream (Clapton, Baker) mixed with Traffic (Winwood) and a bit of Family thrown in (Gretch). As is often the case the idea was better than the reality, nevertheless this track showcases the beautiful voice of Steve Winwood at is clear-as-a-bell best.

Cornish Town                 Shack

Scouse underachiever Michael Head has produced some consistently beautiful tracks as The Pale Fountains and The Strands. For me though this album, H.M.S. Fable (under the band name, Shack) is the standout. Paradoxically this song was actually written by his brother, but I could have chosen any of the tracks on the album, I just like this one best for its big chorus.

Mr Fred’s Disco             The Bevis Frond

A track from the new Bevis Frond album, Focus on Nature. The tale of two ladies revisiting an old 70’s haunt some years later…. I’m a big evangelist for The BF and if you haven’t heard anything by them before you’re about to be blown away. The words…… the melody…. The incandescent guitar work, especially. Nick Saloman is a disciple of Hendrix and Randy California and on his day he can give either of them a run for their money. Finally, the songwriting is easily the equal of the Floyd. No Really.

Come Around                 The Mutton Birds

Oh, this a such wonderful song! 4 minutes of pure pop perfection™, The Mutton Birds should be up there with the Kinks. They were members of New Zealand’s Dunedin Sound in the 80’s (see also The Chills above). Only Crowded House got the global kudos, but honestly there were half a dozen bands that could have taken over the world of Pop in NZ at the time. As it was, over the water REM (who cited the Sound as an influence) got all the recognition instead.

Sons and Daughters   The Decembrists

Purveyors of baroque pop, The Decembrists from Portland, Oregon are always worth a listen for memorable tunes and weird lyrics. This song’s a perfect example of their beautiful melodies and thoughtful painstaking construction. Plus, this is the only song I know containing the word “Dirigible”.

Signing Off                       UB40

From their first album of the same name “Signing off” was the instrumental on the second disc, which quixotically for it’s time, plays at 45rpm. I loved UB40 right up to “Rat in me Kitchen”, but then inexplicably they disappeared down a shocking blind alley with Red Red Wine and so our affair was over….. Still, we’ll always have Signing Off.

Used to be a Cop          The Drive-by Truckers

From the Southern US come the Drive-by Truckers. Lynyrd Skynyrd are present here, as well as, of course, the sainted Allman Brothers, but the lyrics are better than either (Nervously looks up at the sky, fearing thunderbolts). This track’s a prime example, a tragic tale of a lawman in free fall. Nervous guitars and a throbbing bass make it a hypnotic, listen.

Tastes like Honey         King Gizzard and the Lizard Wizard

Importance of band names… No1.  I had to investigate a band with a name like that.

It led me to a truly innovative Australian band whose output has been both diverse and prodigious. From thrash metal to prog and acoustic… It’s all there. This track has a sort of Zappaesque feel that I particularly like.

Ullswater                           Hookworms

Importance of band names….. No2.   I mean, why would you do it?

Anyway, if there’s such a thing as a one-album wonder this would be it (hang on……just thought of another - The Hardline according to Terence Trent Darby). Anyway, I love the album and its hooky synths. This track especially, is a belter. The band fell apart in a welter of recriminations and even police investigations shortly after… but that’s another story.

The Party’s Over                            Talk Talk

The title track from their first album. Talk Talk always sounded a bigger proposition that the rest of the early 80’s sailor-suited New Romantic pillocks, and so it proved. From their first album, even as the over-bright production sloshes about you can hear two things, the wonderful voice of Mark Hollis and the great, sad melody. With each album they got even more interesting, as they joined Neil Young in heading for that ditch.

Book of Liars                                   Walter Becker

Walter Becker released a solo album, ‘11 Tracks of Whack’, which unsurprisingly gets overshadowed by his Steely Dan collaborator’s transcendent efforts, Nightfly and Kamikiriad. But there’s loads to like in the world-weary delivery and relaxed arrangements. Sometimes Steely Dan seemed like a vehicle for Donald Fagen and this redresses the balance a bit. He’s gone now of course….

It’s Only Gravity                             The Silver Seas

The Silver Seas were releasing stuff about fifteen years ago, to incomprehensible (to this ear) indifference. But the songwriting skills, coming from double grammy award-winning Daniel Tashien are beyond doubt. They have songs that once heard you never forget. This is a lovely, melodic example with a great hook. No wonder he wrote with Bacharach several times…..

There you go. First list complete and hope you found it of passable interest. I’ll be releasing one a month (Don’t worry several done already!). This newsletter will be the vehicle to get it. A subscription and a promise to tell your friends is the only payment I’m looking for. Bargain!