Cocktails and Records

Another in a very occasional series…

Jim Eldon
Dancing in the Dark

Bruce Springsteen has been getting a bit of a kicking lately for not only daring to play the Super Bowl, but releasing his new CD through Wal-Mart over in the States. This flies in the face of his alleged anti-corporate, Pete Seeger obsessed, working class hero image.

As much as I like The Boss, I’ve never been particularly taken by his ‘man of the people’ persona. No, if you want a folk hero statement (of sorts) then look no further than Jim Eldon’s anti-Thatcherite take on one of Bruce’s biggest hits. Known as the ‘Bridlington Fiddler’, Jim has apparently been charming the holiday makers at this East Yorkshire seaside sanctuary with his seafaring folk tunes for years. And with his Bruce Springsteen and Clash covers.

‘Dancing in the Dark’, Jim Eldon, 1987 from More Great Moments of Vinyl History (compiled by Andy Kershaw, 2004, BBC)

A very occasional series…

Gil Trythall
Ode to Billy Joe

What better way to pass a rainy Sunday afternoon then to kick back with some country music – moog style.

As the liner notes to this classic LP, Nashville Gold: Switched on Moog, optimistically explain:

Country music is an integral part of America’s heritage.

The moog is a unique part of America’s musical future.

The combination of country music and the Moog brings it all together with a “Now” sound that will hold up for a long time to come.

Gil Trythall, a composer in his own right, is a faculty member at the Peabody School of Music. But he’s never allowed the groves of academe to obscure Nashville’s Music Row. He’s got the feel for the “Nashville Sound” and he puts it into the Moog.

So he does. Here’s Gil’s rendition of Bobbie Gentry classic ‘Ode to Billy Joe’ for your enjoyment.

‘Ode to Billy Joe’, Gil Trythall, from Nashville Gold: Switched on Moog, Summit Records, 1973

??
Incense and Peppermint

No, this track isn’t by some band called ‘??’; I really don’t know who it is. I taped this fantastic (and I think, superior) version of the Strawberry Alarm Clock psych classic off a late night radio programme about 13 years ago, missed the back announcement and have wondered who it was ever since. So if anyone reading this does know, please put me out of my misery.

‘Incense and Peppermint’

Christian Prommer’s Drumlesson
Strings of Life

I don’t know much about Christian Prommer other than that he is:

1. German
2. has done loads of remixes
3. is signed to trendy label Sonar Kollektiv
4. played a storming set at Cargo in London earlier this year
5. has no shame in covering Derrick May techno classics like ‘Strings of Life’ in a groovy jazz style

Check it out:

‘Strings of Life’, Christian Prommer’s Drumlesson, 2007

Johnny Keating / The Keating Sound
Ticket to Ride

Once upon a time I was disdainful of cover versions. Then it suddenly hit me in my late teens that as a growing fan of jazz, folk and easy listening, this was a pretty stupid approach to take. So to kick off an occasional series on cover versions, I’d like to introduce one of the songs that lead to my change of heart – ‘Ticket to Ride’ by Johnny Keating from the album Keating… Straight Ahead.

This record is one of my Dads. Not one of the ones, mind you, which I wote about here that he was desparate to disassociate himself from. No, this one is one of his treasures that he won’t let me near, thereby forcing me to track down a copy for myself. But finally after a long search I’ve got my very own copy this week and, boy ‘Ticket to Ride’ sounds as good as ever.

To get straight to the point, Johnny Keating’s version kicks arse. It makes the Beatle’s original seem mild mannered and quite frankly, lacking in ooomph. The brass practically leaps out and grabs you, and the whole thing just swings. And that’s just ‘Ticket to Ride’ – the rest of the album contains stonking versions of classics like ’Wives and Lovers’, ‘On Broadway’ and ‘Spanish Harlem’.

Rather than continue to wax lyrical myself, I think that the liner notes say it all:

‘For raw power, no other band blowing can match the wallop and kick of thirteen brass, a drummer and two percussionists; for softness and sheer lyrical touch, there isn’t much around glowing with as much warmth as Keating’s spread of four french horns, six woodwind, guitars and harp…. Suitable for concentrated listening, dancing or for a happy background mood at a lively party, this LP should spend most of its time on your turntable.”

Indeed.

‘Ticket to Ride’ from Keating… Straight Ahead, Decca (Phase 4), 1965

Ticket to Ride (2.85MB)