Category: Playlists

Punk rock burst onto the scene in the UK as a reaction to the overproduced and technical  complexity of the music scene in the mid 1970s, especially Prog. What they were harking back to was the fast and immediate recordings of the 1950s and early 1960s. Short songs, recorded quickly. This was also see the rise of an independent scene which looked to bypass the giant record labels that had an almost complete monopoly on the production and distribution of music. The peak years of punk rock were between 1977 and 1978 but it quickly burnt itself out. It did splinter off into other areas such as Oi!, post-punk, art punk and new wave. 

It could be argued that the Punk and New Waves music scene was the last one to really embrace the single as a medium on its own instead of being a device to sell LPs. In a follow up to last months Garden of Earthly Delights box set, I have looked to do something similar in the style with this latter movement. I have once again taken inspiration from similar sets released by Cherry Red Records by making this a 3CD set. 

So to be a considered for inclusion on this compilation, the song had to be either a unique version released on the single format and was different from the album version. Some acts only released singles so in that case, I have looked to include their debut. Others songs are singles that did not initially get released on an album. 

Many of these acts made an impression under their original name, but others would go on to be famous with a different moniker. For example, Johnny & The Self Abusers would become Simple Minds, and Shane McGowan would form The Pogues after The Nipple Erectors split. 

Disc 1

1. Writing On The Wall – Eddie & The Hot Rods
2. White Riot (Single Version) – The Clash
3. Television Screen (Single Version) – The Radiators From Space
4. Saints & Sinners – Johnny & the Self Abusers
5. I Don’t Wanna – Sham 69
6. Your Generation – Generation X
7. Roadrunner (Twice) (1976 Beserkley Single Version) – The Modern Lovers
8. Rock Lobster (Single Version) – The B-52’s
9. Jilted John (Single Version) – Jilted John
10. King Of The Bop – The Nipple Erectors
11. Gary Gilmore’s Eyes (Original Anchor Record 7” Single Version) – The Adverts
12. Lovers Of Today – The Only Ones
13. Keep It Out Of Sight – Nick Lowe
14. Marquee Moon (Single Edit) – Television
15. Sex & Drugs & Rock & Roll – Ian Dury & The Blockheads
16. Science Friction – XTC
17. Screwed Up – The Menace
18. Dancing The Night Away (Single Version) – The Motors
19. Damaged Goods – Gang Of Four
20. Don’t Ring Me Up (Original Good Vibrations Single Version) – Protea
21. Outdoor Miner (Single Version) – Wire
22. This Perfect Day (Single Version) – The Saints
23. Mary Of The 4th Form (Single Version) – The Boomtown Rats
24. White Punks On Dope (Promo Single Version) – The Tubes
25. Silly Things (Steve Jones Vocal Single Version) – Sex Pistols

Disc 2

1. Young Parisians – Adam & The Ants
2. Hong Kong Garden – Siouxsie & The Banshee 
3. Top Of The Pops (Single Version) – The Rezillos
4. Sounds Of The Suburbs (Single Version) – The Members
5. Dance Stance (Single Version ) – Dexy’s Midnight Runners
6. Special Brew (Single Version) – Bad Manners
7. Babylon’s Burning (Single Version) – The Ruts
8. That’s Too Bad – Tubeway Army
9. Straw Dogs – Stiff Little Fingers
10. Money (That’s What I Want) (Single Version) – The Flying Lizards
11. Transmission – Joy Division
12. Pop Muzik (Single Version) – M
13. Being Boiled (Original Mix) – The Human League
14. Homicide (Single Version) – 999
15. Now It’s Gone (Single Version) – The Chords
16. The Number One Song In Heaven (Single Version) – Sparks
17. Video Killed The Radio Star (Single Version) – The Buggles
18. Driver’s Seat (Single Version) – Sniff ’N’ The Tears
19. Goodbye Girl (Single Version) – Squeeze
20. Tears Of  A Clown – The Beat
21. They Don’t Know – Kirsty MacColl
22. This Pictures On My Wall (Zoo Single Version) – Echo & The Bunnymen
23. The Worker (Single Remix) – Fischer-Z
24. Here Comes Summer (Single Version) – The Undertones

Disc 3

1. Planet Earth (Single Version)  – Duran Duran
2. Private Life (Single Version) – Grace Jones
3. C30 C60 C90 Go – Bow Wow Wow
4. Tell That Girl To Shut Up (Single Version)- Holly & The Italians
5. The Harder The Come – Joe Jackson
6. The Freeze – Spandau Ballet
7. The Dreams Of Children (US Single Version) – The Jam
8. Nobody’s Fool (Single Version) – Haircut One Hundred
9. I’m Your Money (Single Version) – Heaven 17
10. (It’s Not Me) Talking – A Flock Of Seagulls
11. Do Nothing (Remix Single Version) – The Specials feat. Rico with The Ice Rink String Sounds
12. A Forest (Single Version) – The Cure
13. A Man Could Get Lost – Soft Cell
14. I Could Be Happy (Single Version) – Altered Images
15. Talk Of The Town (Single Version) – The Pretenders
16. Just Like Gold – Aztec Camera
17. From Head To Toe (Single Version) – Elvis Costello & the Attractions
18. White Rabbit – The Damned
19. The Return Of The Los Palmas 7 (Single Version) – Madness
20. Teen Lin (Fliptop Records Single Version) – The Shivvers
21. Summertime – Fun Boy Three
22. If It’s Alright With You Baby (Single Version) – The Korgis

This post is a celebration of the lost art of the children’s record. When I was a young lad, I had numerous records for younger listeners, be it compilations of songs from Disney films, nursery rhymes or even the absolute classic ‘All Aboard’ which featured songs by the likes of Bernard Cribbins and Arthur Askey. That album was one for the inspirations of this compilation and a number of the songs on that record appear on Disc 1. The second inspiration was a compilation released by Light in the Attic called ‘This Record Belongs To’. I was initially drawn to buying that as it contained the rather wonderful ‘Pinball Number Count’ by the Pointer Sisters, which was featured in episodes of Sesame Street. I also owned a couple of records on the BBC Record label which were soundtracks to children’s shows such as Play School and Play Away. 

On listening to ‘This Record Belongs To’, I wondered if there was enough material to extend this to a whole CD worth of music. It did not take me long for this to turn into a three CD set. Not every song is directly aimed at children (e.g. the songs included by Pink Floyd and the Velvet Underground), but they fit the general theme of this compilation. 

Disc 1

1. Dance Of The Cuckoos (Laurel & Hardy Theme) – Marvin Hatley
2. Tip Toe Through The Tulips – Nick Lucas
3. Trail Of The Lonesome Pine – The Avalon Boys feat. Laurel & Hardy
4. Whistle While You Work – Adrianna Caselotti
5. The Owl & The Pussycat – Elton Hayes
6. The Teddy Bears Picnic – Henry Hall & His Orchestra
7. Buckingham Palace – Anne Kinney Stephens
8. The Runaway Train – Michael Holliday
9. Nellie The Elephant – Mandy Miller
10. The Bee Song – Arthur Askey
11. I’ve Got No Strings – Dickie Jones
12. I Known An Old Lady – Burl Ives
13. Chim Chim Cheree – Dick Van Dyke & Julie Andrews
14. The Ugly Duckling – Danny Kaye
15. The Hippopotamus Song – Ian Wallace
16. Daisy Bell (On A Bicycle Made For Two) – Dinah Shore
17. Mr. Sandman – The Chordates
18. Robin Hood – Dick James
19. The Gnu Song – Flanders & Swann
20. Banana Boat (Day-O) – Stan Freberg
21. Goodness Gracious Me – Peter Sellers & Sophia Loren
22. Who’s Afraid Of The Big Bad Wolf – Pink & Perky
23. Push Like A Button – Ninette
24. Tie Me Kangaroo Down, Sport – Rolf Harris
25. My Boomerang Won’t Come Back – Charlie Drake
26. Right Said Fred – Bernard Cribbins
27. My Brother – Terry Scott
28. A Windmill In Old Amsterdam – Ronnie Hilton
29. Puff The Magic Dragon – Peter, Paul & Mary
30. Lazy Moon – Oliver Hardy

Disc 2

1. Little Cowboy – Harry Nilsson
2. The Clapping Song – Shirley Ellis
3. Scooby Doo, Where Are You – Larry Marks
4. Yellow Submarine – The Beatles
5. Siamese Cat – The Cowslils
6. Simon Smith & His Amazing Dancing Bear – Harpers Bizarre
7. The Gnome – Pink Floyd
8. Lazy Sunday – The Small Faces
9. Barefoot & Tiptoe – Sweet Shop
10. Dream, Dream, Dream – Zion De Gallier
11. Lighthouse Keeper – Sunforest
12. Loop De Loop (Flip Flop Flyin’ In An Aeroplane) – The Beach Boys
13. Lily Pond – Vashti Bunyan
14. Mickey The Monkey – Tiny Tim
15. Best Friend – Puppet
16. Mabel – Procol Harum
17. Mellow Yellow – Donovan
18. Everybody Wants To Be A Cat – Scatman Crothers
19. London Bridge – Jonathan Moore
20. The Scarecrow – Pink Floyd
21. I’m An Urban Spaceman – Bonzo Bog Do Dah Band
22. (Theme From) The Monkees – The Monkees
23. Poison Apples – The Happy Medium
24. Corduroy Joy – The Staines Glass
25. Alice – Gil & Johnny
26. I’m A Lonesome Little Raindrop – Tiny Tim
27. The Land Where Animals Are People – Brother’s Legend
28. I’m Sticking With You – The Velvet Underground
29. Cellophane Mary-Jane – Astronaut Alan & The Planets
30. Oo-De-Lally – Roger Miller
31. Pretty Tress Around The World – Ella Jenkins
32. Mornington Ride – The Seekers
33. Laurel & Hardy – Jan & Dean
34. Little Cowboy (Reprise) – Harry Nilsson

Disc 3

1. Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star – Steeleye Span
2. Play School Theme – Carol Chell & Brian Cant
3. Remember Your A Womble – The Wombles
4. Rupert – Jackie Lee
5. Rainbow – Tell Tale
6. Bang On A Drum – Rick Jones
7. Wotcher (Knocked ‘Em In The Old Kent World) – The Muppets
8. The Mandolin Man & His Secret – Donovan
9. Elementary, My Dear – Bob Dorough
10. Ernie (The Fastest Milkmen In The West) – Benny Hill
11. Gimme Dat Ding – The Pipkins
12. Snoopy vs. The Red Baron – Hotshots
13. Fat Sam’s Grand Slam – Paul Williams
14. The Smurf Song – Father Abraham
15. Pinball Number Count – The Pointer Sisters
16. Rubber Duckie – Ernie
17. Ricky & His Aeroplane – Derek Griffiths
18. Pure Imagination – Gene Wilder
19. Grandad – Clive Dunn
20. Two Little Boys – Rolf Harris
21. Autumn’s Really Here Now – Tell Tale
22. You Can Sing A Rainbow – Nina Simone
23. Love Is All – Roger Glover feat. Dio
24. Running In The Garden – Miss Abrahams & The Strawberry Point 4th Grade Class
25. Rainbow Connection – Kermit The Frog
26. You Give A Little Love – Paul Williams
27. Play Away Theme – Brian Cant, Toni Arthur, Lionel Morton, Julie Covington

The image on the front is a Fisher Price Music Box Record Player. This was a wind-up device which played plastic records. The tunes included classics such as ‘Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star’ and ‘London Bridge’. I owned one back in the day and these records did better than the vinyl I was given as these were impossible to scratch. Some of the records I was given in my childhood were on the Surprise Surprise label. This was a subsidiary of EMI’s Music For Pleasure label and was designed to rerelease music specifically aimed at children. I thought that the logo of the rabbit in the box with the words Surprise Surprise above its head would be a perfect label for a release of this sort. 

I’m not sure how I first heard of Hem. I can only assume that one of their songs was being played on late night radio in 2002, the year that their first album came out. I say this because I remember it being one of the first things I bought on line as I am pretty sure that it was only available on import at the time. Being so long ago, they were one of the first bands who had a website that I knew of where the band would upload songs that were not on the debut album for people to download. The bitrate of those recordings must have been very low compared to what we expect now, but it was nice to access that otherwise unavailable material. 

It is hard to describe the music of Hem. Is it folkie, roots or Americana? I just think of it as beautiful. The band at the time were not really a band at all, but a studio based project for songwriter Dan Messe and producer Gary Maurer. They spent a considerable amount of time looking for a singer for this project, but after listening to a great number of bizarre and unlistenable demo tapes, they almost gave up with the project. However, Sally Ellyson contacted Messes and sent him a tape of a cappella recordings, but she did warm him she was not really a singer. However, Messe knew that Ellyson was the right person for his music and the groups debut album ‘Rabbit Songs’ duly followed. 

The band then began touring and continued release music but as of this post, nothing new has come out since 2015 which is a shame. I always looked forward to a new Hem release and it was annoying when some of the songs from disc one in this collection were not available on Spotify. I would highly recommend you get yourself a copy of ‘Rabbit Songs’ and discover for yourself the beauty that is Hem especially as there looks to be a deluxe edition of that album in the pipeline, and the possibility of it being released on vinyl for the first time. Personally, I cannot wait.  

Disc 1

1. Lord, Blow The Moon Out Please
2. When I Was Drinking
3. Half Acre
4. Idle (The Rabbit Song)
5. Stupid Mouth Shut
6. All That I’m Good For
7. St. Charlene
8. Redwing
9. Dance With Me, Now Darling
10. Betting On Trains
11. Burying Song
12. The Cuckoo
13. Receiver
14. Night Like A River
15. Pacific Street
16. Leave Me Here
17. Sailor
18. Horsey
19. Hollow
20. Strays
21. My Father’s Waltz
22. The Beautiful Sea
23. Living Without You
24. Lazy Eye
25. Carry Me Home

Disc 2

1. Polly’s Dress
2. The Fire Thief
3. Hotel Fire
4. The Jack Pine
5. Bird Song
6. Seven Angels
7. Not California
8. While My Hand Was Letting Go
9. I’ll Dream Of You Tonight
10. We’ll Meet Along The Way
11. He Came To Meet Me
12. The Pills Stopped Working
13. Funnel Cloud
14. Reservoir
15. Curtains
16. Great Houses Of New York
17. The Burnt-Over District
18. Old Adam
19. Half Asleep
20. The Part Where You Let Go
21. The Seed
22. So Long
23. Gently Down The Stream
24. Traveller’s Song
25. A Dream Is A Wish Your Heart Makes
26. Almost Home
27. Now The Day Is Over

I suspect that the majority of people who have followed music down the years don’t realise how much Paul McCartney did outside of The Beatles during the 1960’s. Not only was he writing and recording with the band, he was also producing material for other artists (mostly with John Lennon) or learning about the recording studio. Writing music for other bands started as early as 1963 and he was the first Beatle to release music under his own name with the soundtrack to the film, ‘The Family Way’. 

What this compilation looks at though is McCartney as a session player during his time in The Beatles, be it providing instrumentation or more unusual as a backing musician which included giggling and potentially eating vegetables. Some of these turn out to be accidents as well. The track ‘Mr Tickle’ was meant to be spoken word but McCartney was practising on a piano in another studio that bleed into the recording. The producer was not be able to delete the piano without erasing the vocal. However, it seemed to work and so it was kept in. He also showed that he was a pretty good drummer. Just listen to ‘’My Dark Hour’ by the Steve Miller Band. 

As with anything like this, it is possible that McCartney did not play what has been listed here, and there may well be other songs that he did contribute to that have been missed. This does not include songs that McCartney acted as producer without contributing to the backing tracks. I have also not included any of the songs recorded with Tony Sheridan as these were comprehensively compiled back in 2004 on a Deluxe Edition of ‘The Beatles’ First!’.  

This compilation also just covers his work in the 1960s. It would be interesting to see if he continued his session playing into the 1970s and beyond. 

Disc 1

1. I’m In Love – Billy J. Kramer  & The Dakotas (Backing Vocals)
2. I Knew Right Away – Alma Cogan (Tambourine)
3. It’s For You – Cilla Black (Piano)
4. From A Window – Billy J. Kramer & The Dakotas (Backing Vocals)
5. You’ve Got To Hide Your Love Away – The Silkie (Electric Guitar)
6. Got To Get You Back In My Life – Cliff Bennett & The Rebel Rousers (Piano)
7. From Head To Toe – The Escorts (Tambourine)
8. Woman (Original Version – Acetate) – Peter & Gordon (Drums)
9. Mellow Yellow (Single Mix) – Donovan (Clap & Giggle)
10. Step Inside Love (Demo) – Cilla Black (Backing Vocals, Acoustic Guitar) 
11. We Love You (Single Mix) – The Rolling Stones (Backing Vocals)
12. Vegetables – The Beach Boys (Raw Vegetables)
13. And The Sun Will Shine – Paul Jones (Drums)
14. Sour Milk Sea (Mono Single Mix) – Jackie Lomax (Bass)
15. Mr Tickle – McGough & McGear (Piano)
16. The Dog Presides – Paul Jones (Drums)
17. Those Were The Days – Mary Hopkin (Acoustic Guitar)

Disc 2

1. So Much – McGough & McGear (Harmony Vocals)
2. Carolina On My Mind – James Taylor (Bass)
3. Lord Of The Reedy River – Mary Hopkin (Acoustic Guitar)
4. Come & Get It – Badfinger (Tambourine)
5. Sparrow – Mary Hopkin (Maracas)
6. My Dark Hour – The Steve Miller Band (Backing Vocals, Bass, Drums, Guitar)
7. Happiness Runs (Pebble & The Man) – Mary Hopkin (Bass)
8. Charity Bubbles – The Scaffold (Guitar)
9. Thumbin’ A Rice – Jackie Lomax (Drums)
10. Voyage Of The Moon – Mary Hopkin (Bass)
11. Rosetta – The Fourmost (Piano)
12. Rock Of All Ages – Badfinger (Piano)
13. Lontano Dagli Occhi – Mary Hopkin (Bass, Piano)
14. Goose – The Scaffold (Guitar)
15. Goodbye – Mary Hopkin (Acoustic Guitar, Bass, Drums, Percussion, Ukelele) 

The cover is an undated picture of McCartney in the studio which I do hope corresponds to the time frame of this compilation. 

I do love a bit of Harry Nilsson, especially his earlier work. I have posted several playlists devoted to him but I was surprised that I have not done so for over three years. So, here we have another collection of Nilsson written songs inspired by the Ace Records 2017 collection of Nilsson covers. The delay in posting another one of these is no doubt down to the fact that I didn’t think I would be able to find enough material for a volume 4 but it just goes to show how wrong I was and how many people covered Nilsson.

I wanted this compilation to have the same amount of songs as all of the other volumes. That is, 24. No song is to repeated on the disc and the first tune is a cover of ‘Gotta Get Up!’. This will most probably the last attempt at a compilation like this if I follow these rules as I am not sure how many other covers of ‘Gotta Get Up!’ there are. There is also a contribution by early collaborator George Tipton, as well as a very early cover from Little Richard dating back to 1964. There is also a rather curious cover of the ode to dying with your bodily functions in one piece from Czechoslovakia by artist Petr Spálený

1. Gotta Get Up – The Loulou Sisters
2. Groovy Little Suzy – Little Richard
3. Cuddly Toy – The Fruit Machine
4. One – Al Kooper
5. The Story Of Rock & Roll – The Collage
6. Without Him – Julie London
7. Rainmaker – Cryan’ Shames
8. 1941 – George Burns
9. Don’t Leave Me Baby – Astrid Gilberto
10. Without Her – Rick Nelson
11. (I Guess) The Lord Must Be In New York City – Roslyn Kind
12. Marchin’ Down Broadway – George Tipton
13. It’s Been So Long – Ronnie Charles
14. Wailing Of The Willow – Judith Durham
15. There Will Never Be – Robert Farnon & Tony Coe
16. Maybe – Jack Jones
17. Remember (Christmas) – Florence Warner
18. Open Your Window – Louis Bellson
19. Turn On The Radio – Dunn & Rubini
20. Blanket For A Sail – Davy Jones
21. Turn Out The Light – Clive Bruce
22. Jump Into The Fire – Lithium X-MAs
23. I’ll Be Home – Cass Elliot
24.  Sto Třicet Slok (I’d Rather Be Dead) – Petr Spálený

I remember the first time I saw a Traffic Sound release. This would have been around 1999/2000 and it was in the Psych section of a second hand record shop I used to work near in Twickenham. The shop was mostly made up of vinyl releases so it was quite odd that I should be looking at the CDs as even then I was more interested in analogue music. There was something about the front cover that grabbed my attention and the back told me that this band were from Peru. This CD was also a collection of their first two albums. Supposedly they were highly collectable if you could find the original vinyl. Well, the only place I had the internet was at work and there wasn’t exactly a lot of information about obscure Peruvian bands on there at that time. I remember playing it and not being impressed by the first six songs (except Sueno) as they were all covers which had been done better by other bands. However, the second album was a revelation. 

This was nothing like I had heard before. What is classed as South American Psych is very different from the European/North American variety. There were using the same standard instruments as those bands, but Traffic Sound had found their now voice on the second record with a distinct hint of their roots in there. What I didn’t realise was the band had released another two albums after this in Traffic Sound (or Tibet’s Suzettes) and Lux. These albums would prove allusive until I came across a website that specialised in re-issues of music such as this. Annoyingly, I cannot remember the name of it. What I do remember though is that they were one of the first companies I dealt with that went out of business due to the competition from Amazon and the like. Before they went under, I found that they had the two Traffic Sound albums to complete my collection. What I did’t realise until many years was that the editions I had bought came with some B-Sides attached. 

These latter albums showed that the band had matured and were becoming more progressive in their sound, as well as adopting some of the Andean folk spirit a lot of websites mentioned they had when I was researching this piece. I’ll take their word for it, but the music was definitely becoming more progressive. That is very clear when listening to it. The last album also contains some political content which could have put the band in danger due to Peru being run by a military government that saw rock music as a dangerous foreign influence on the youth of the country. Unfortunately this would be it for the band as Peru was not a country where a musician could make a living in. The band has reformed for the odd reunion gig but luckily they left a great recording legacy for us to enjoy. 

1. Virgin
2. Tell The World I’m Alive
3. Simple
4. Sueno
5. White Deal, Poco, Big Deal
6. Jews Caboose
7. Meshkalina
8. Tibet’s Suzettes
9. Those Days Have Gone
10. Yesterday’s Game
11. Empty
12. Solos
13. Lux
14. El Gusano
15. America
16. Inca Snow
17. What Your Need & What You Want
18. The Revolution
19. A Beautiful Day
20. Last Song

One or more songs were missing from Spotify so I could not produce a play list for this entry. 

I used the front cover of the first CD I bought from this band as the cover for this compilation.

I first became aware of Talk Talk in 1990 when the re-release of ‘It’s My Life’, a single from their 1984 LP of the same name broke into the UK Top 20. This became my song of that summer and I bought the accompanying best of compilation album, ‘Natural History (The Very Best Of Talk Talk)’ as soon as I could afford it. Slowly but surely, I bought all of the albums the band had released up to that point. You could see the progression as time went on. ‘The Party’s Over’, their 1982 debut is very much an album of its time with its New Wave vibe and it did lead to comparisons with Duran Duran, especially as the same producer worked with both bands at the time. 

The follow up album, ‘It’s My Life’ moved away from its predecessors synth sound, most probably due two reasonable hit singles and a good chart placing for the debut album meaning recording budgets could increase. This LP would also see the beginnings of front man Mark Hollis’ anti commercial stance came to the fore, especially with the filming of the video for the single ‘It’s My Life’. It consists of stock footage of wildlife interspersed with Hollis in a zoo refusing to mime. EMI, the bands record label ordered a re-shoot. This had the band doing the complete opposite of the original video with some over the top miming. The original video was the one that did the rounds in 1990 and I didn’t know about the second effort until writing this piece. Both, at the time of writing are available on YouTube. 

The synth pop style disappeared completely for their third album, ‘The Colour Of Spring’. This included their biggest single to date, ‘Life’s What You Make It’. Follow up single, ‘Living In Another World’ was a sizeable hit in many of the major markets, except for the UK. The parent album sold in enough quantities that the band were afforded an unlimited budget for their next album. EMI were most probably expecting ‘The Colour Of Spring Pt.2’. What they got was ‘Spirit Of Eden’. Taking over a year to record, the sessions comprised of playing in a darkened studio, lit only by candles and oil lamps. The music were based on improvising over the basic song structures with Hollis’s lyrics dealing with spiritual and religious subjects sprinkled over the top. It sounded like nothing before it, and on reflection, there isn’t that much that has sounded like it since. This was a truly original piece of work and the record company were initially reluctant to put it out. However, Hollis would not deviate from his vision and the LP came out as it was conceived. 

The band and EMI entered into a period of conflict. Talk Talk wanted out of their contract and felt that the label had not taken up the option to extend it in time. EMI thought they had and the case went to court. The band eventually won and proceeded to sign with Verve. The band were once again given carte blanche to record what they wanted to and after working within a similar recording environment to what they had had with ‘Spirit of Eden’, they delivered ‘Laughing Stock’. It was another uncommercial record that Verve struggled to market. The band then silently disbanded and apart from one solo album in 1998, Mark Hollis effectively retired from the music industry until his untimely death in 2019. 

With ‘Spirit Of Eden’ and ‘Laughing Stock’, I felt that these were two heads of the same beast and when replaying them again recently, I wondered if there was a way of sequencing the songs so they could create a new whole. I also played the ‘Missing Pieces’ album, which contained songs from the ‘Laughing Stock’ sessions. ‘The Colour Of Spring’ might have contained their most successful singles but pieces such as ‘Chameleon Day’ did point the way to what was coming on ‘Spirit Of Eden’. 

After, I thought, completing this collection, I played Mark Hollis’ only solo album. What I didn’t release until compiling this is that this was originally going to be released under the Talk Talk name, even though only Hollis was the only member left. The band moniker was dropped, but not before some CD-rs had been produced. This solo album continues in the same vein as the last two Talk Talk albums so I wanted to see if I could mix any left over tracks not used on Disc 1 could be utilised with the solo album to make a second disc. Well, there was as well as a couple of songs from ‘The Colour of Spring’ sessions, including a couple of single B-Side.

Disc 1

1. The Rainbow (Spirit Of Eden)
2. Eden (Spirit Of Eden)
3. Desire (Spirit Of Eden)
4. After The Flood (Laughing Stock)
5. I Believe In You (Spirit Of Eden)
6. Ascension Day (Laughing Stock)
7. Myrrhman (Laughing Stock)
8. New Grass (Laughing Stock)
9. Wealth (Spirit Of Eden)
10. Inheritance (Spirit Of Eden)
11. April 5th (The Colour Of Spring)

Disc 2

1. Chameleon Day (The Colour Of Spring)
2. Taphead (Laughing Stock)
3. Inside Looking Out (Mark Hollis)
4. The Gift (Mark Hollis)
5. The Daily Planet (Mark Hollis)
6. A Life (1895-1915) (Mark Hollis)
7. Runeii (Laughing Stock)
8. A New Jerusalem (Mark Hollis)
9. Westward Bound (Mark Hollis)
10. The Watershed (Mark Hollis)
11. It’s Getting Late In The Evening (B-Side ‘Life’s What You Make It’ single)
12. John Cope (B-Side ‘I Believe In You’ single)
13. The Colour Of Spring (Mark Hollis)

Unlike the majority of playlists I produce, this one is not designed to fit on to an LP. The cover art is taken from James Marsh’s website. Marsh was the artist on all of Talk Talk’s discography and it was only fitting that some of his artwork was used as the cover. The title is taken from the one proposed for Hollis’ only solo album, when it was originally going to be released under the Talk Talk banner. This was abandoned when the album was released as under Hollis’ name.

The second disc could not be reproduced on Spotify due to one or more songs not being available on that platform. 

I decided against not cutting out the silence at the end of ‘ A New Jerusalem’ as it worked nicely with the fade in used on the song that followed it. 

Put links to both videos in the website.

Video 1st Attempt – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cFH5JgyZK1I

Video 2nd Attempt – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtEy0BHxNhQ

Back in July, I posted a Beach Box 1964 box set looking at the recordings the band made that year. I did note back then get I would have a dedicated post for the Christmas recordings made in that year, so here it is.

As with most recordings made for the festive season, these took place in the summer. More specifically, June of 1964. That is, except for the ‘Little Saint Nick’ single (along with its B-Side, ’The Lords Prayer’) which was recorded in 1963, and therefore, is not be included here. The original album came out on 9th November 1964, but I moved it back a month to be closer to the festive season. 

I have included a different version of ‘Little Saint Nick’. Called ‘Little Saint Nick’s Drive-In”, it has the lyrics of ‘Little Saint Nick’ but over the tune of ‘Drive-In’ from the ‘All Summer Long’ album. It was not clear if this was recorded in 1963 or 1964, so I have gone with the latter. 

Some for the songs on this compilation were not released at the time and are from later reissues. These tend to be released mixed in stereo only. The takes for the song ‘Christmas Day’ are a bit confusing as to their numbers, but this what the studio engineer seems to be saying on the sessions tracks and what they were listed as on the sleeves on the records. 

Merry Christmas everyone. 

1 – Complete Christmas Album Era Sessions (Bootleg)

2 – Christmas Sessions (Bootleg)

3 – The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album

4 – The Beach Boys’ Christmas Album (1991 Reissue)

5 – Keep an Eye On Summer: The Beach Boys Sessions 1964

6 – Ultimate Christmas

Disc 1

1. Little Saint Nick – Drive In Version (Backing Vocal Overdub) – 1
2. Little Saint Nick – Drive In Version (Vocal Take 1b) – 2 
3. Little Saint Nick – Drive In Version (Vocal Take 3b) – 2
4. Little Saint Nick – Drive In Version (Vocal Take 4b) – 2
5. Little Saint Nick – Drive In Version (Stereo) – 4
6. The Man With All The Toys (Backing Track) – 2
7. The Man With All The Toys (Instrumental Overdub) – 2
8. The Man With All The Toys (Vocal Overdub) – 2
9. The Man With All The Toys (Mono) – 3
10. The Man With All The Toys (Stereo) – 3
11. Santa’s Beard (Instrumental Takes 1-13) – 2
12. Santa’s Beard (Instrumental Takes 14 & 15) – 2
13. Santa’s Beard (Instrumental Takes 16-21) – 2 
14. Santa’s Beard (Instrumental Unknown Take) – 2
15. Santa’s Beard (Stereo Mix) – 2 
16. Santa’s Beard (Vocal Overdub) – 2
17. Santa’s Beard (Mono) – 3
18. Santa’s Beard (Stereo) – 3
19. Merry Christmas, Baby (Instrumental Takes 1-6) – 2
20. Merry Christmas, Baby (Instrumental Takes 7, 8 & 9) – 2
21. Merry Christmas, Baby (Instrumental Take 10) – 2
22. Merry Christmas, Baby (1st Vocal Overdub) – 2
23. Merry Christmas, Baby (2nd Vocal Overdub) – 2
24. Merry Christmas, Baby (Mono) – 3
25. Merry Christmas, Baby (Stereo) – 3
26. I’ll Be Home For Christmas (Vocal Overdub) – 2
27. I’ll Be Home For Christmas (Mono) – 3
28. I’ll Be Home For Christmas (Stereo) – 3
29. Jingle Bells (Instrumental Mix Take 1) – 5
30. Jingle Bells (Instrumental Take 4) – 2
31. Jingle Bells (Inner Cuts 1 & 2, Take 4) – 2

Disc 2

1. Christmas Day (Try-Out Takes 12-18) – 2
2. Christmas Day (Try Out Takes 19-24) – 2
3. Christmas Day (Instrumental Takes 1 & 2) – 2
4. Christmas Day (Instrumental Takes 3-8) – 2
5. Christmas Day (Instrumental Take 1) – 2
6. Christmas Day (Instrumental Takes 2-6) – 2
7. Christmas Day (Instrumental Take 7) – 2
8. Christmas Day (Instrumental Overdub Take 7) – 2
9. Christmas Day (Vocal Overdub Take 7) – 2
10. Christmas Day (Vocal Overdub 1a) – 2
11. Christmas Day (Vocal Overdub 3a) – 2
12. Christmas Day (Vocal Overdub 4a) – 2
13. Christmas Day (Vocal Overdub 6a) – 2
14. Christmas Day (Vocal Overdub 7a) – 2
15. Christmas Day (Vocal Overdub 8a) – 2
16. Christmas Day (Vocal Overdub 9a) – 2
17. Christmas Day (Vocal Overdub 10a) – 2
18. Christmas Day (Vocal Mix) – 2
19. Christmas Day (Mono) – 3
20. Christmas Day (Stereo) -3
21. Frosty The Snowman (1st Vocal Overdub) – 2
22. Frosty The Snowman (2nd Vocal Overdub) – 2
23. Frosty The Snowman (Mono) – 3
24. Frosty The Snowman (Stereo) – 3
25. Blue Christmas (Instrumental Takes 2 & 3) – 2
26. Blue Christmas (1st Vocal Overdub Take 4a) – 2
27. Blue Christmas (1st Vocal Overdub Takes 5a, 6a & 7a) – 2
28. Blue Christmas (1st Vocal Overdub Take 8a) – 2
29. Blue Christmas (2nd Vocal Overdub) – 2
30. Blue Christmas (Mono) – 3
31. Blue Christmas (Stereo) – 3
32. Christmas Eve (Instrumental Mix) – 5

Disc 3 

1. We Three Kings Of Orient Are (1st Vocal Overdub Takes 1, 2 & 3) – 2
2. We Three Kings Of Orient Are (1st Vocal Overdub Take 6) – 2
3. We Three Kings Of Orient Are (2nd Vocal Overdub Takes 1a, 2a, 3a & 4a) – 2
4. We Three Kings Of Orient Are (Vocal Inner Cut 1) – 2
5. We Three Kings Of Orient Are (Vocal Inner Cut 2 Take 4) – 2
6. We Three Kings Of Orient Are (Vocal Inner Cut 2 Takes 5 & 6) – 2
7. We Three Kings Of Orient Are (Mono) – 3
8. We Three Kings Of Orient Are (Stereo) – 3
9. Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town (Intro Take 1) – 2
10. Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town (Intro Takes 4 & 5) – 2
11. Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town (Alternate Intro Takes 1-7) – 2
12. Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town (Alternate Intro Takes 10-18) – 2
13. Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town (Alternate Intro Takes 20-24) – 2
14. Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town (Vocal Overdub Take 3a) – 2
15. Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town (Vocal Overdub Take 4a) – 2
16. Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town (Mono) – 3
17. Santa Claus Is Comin’ To Town (Stereo) – 3
18. White Christmas (Instrumental Takes 2 & 3) – 2
19. White Christmas (1st Vocal Overdub) – 2
20. White Christmas (2nd Vocal Overdub) – 2
21. White Christmas (3rd Vocal Overdub) – 2
22. White Christmas (4th Vocal Overdub) – 2
23. White Christmas (Mono) – 3
24. White Christmas (Stereo) – 3
25. Auld Lang Syne (Session) – 2
26. Auld Lang Syne (Undubbed) – 2
27. Auld Lang Syne (Vocal Stereo Overdub) – 2
28. Auld Lang Syne (Alternate Take – No Narration) – 4
29. Auld Lang Syne (Alternate Version) – 6
30. Auld Lang Syne (Mono) – 3
31. Auld Lang Syne (Stereo) -3

Please follow the link to see the post from July – https://www.thesquirepresents.co.uk/the-beach-boys-1964/

So this is it, the last Britpop related playlist in my year of Bristol memories. As noted last month, Britpop had ran out of steam by 1997 with the big players in the movement moving in a new musical direction, suffering from burnout, splitting up or just seeing further sales diminish. Blur released a self titled album which took its influence from the American lo-fi scene. Pulp released ‘This Is Hardcore’, which sounded like morning after the night before. Oasis released ‘Be Here Now’ which was an overproduced bloated mess. 

Bands that followed on from this took elements that had inspired the Britpop bands, but looked to make music that would appeal to a wider audience. There was less focus on Britain, the lyrics became more introspective and there was a greater attempt to appeal to the American market.

Many of the bands that made up the Post-Britpop era started during the Britpop years. Radiohead and The Verve predated it but found critical acclaim with their ‘OK Computer’ and ‘Urban Hymns’ albums respectively. Coldplay became one of the biggest selling bands of the era with their first two albums going multi platinum. Travis, Catatonia and Snow Patrol also shifted plenty of records at this time. As with any movement, this also ran out of steam by 2002 when bands such as The White Stripes, The Strokes and The Hives came along with each being hailed as the saviours of rock and roll.

Like ‘The Britpop Years’ compilations from the last few months, there are a number of artists that would not normally be associated with the Post Britpop years. Once again, the compilations look at the years the music was produced in, not necessarily sticking to what would be considered Post Britpop as that would mean artists from outside the UK could not be included. 

Disc 1

1. D’you Know What I Mean – Oasis
2. Paranoid Android – Radiohead
3. Feel Good Hit Of The Summer – Queens Of The Stone Age
4. Cochise – Audioslave
5. You & Me On The Run – theaudience
6. Hazels Hob (Radio Edit) – Hardbody
7. We Are All Made Of Stars – Moby
8. Love Unlimited (Album Version) – Fun Lovin’ Criminals
9. Whippin’ Piccadilly – Gomez
10. Driftwood – Travis
11. Not If You Were The Last Junkie On Earth – The Dandy Warhols
12. Flagpole Sitta – Harvey Danger
13. Sex & Candy – Marcy Playground
14. El President – Drugstore
15. Be There (Radio Edit) – UNKLE (Feat. Ian Brown)
16. What’s It’s Like – Everlast
17. Get Myself Arrested – Gomez
18. Teardrop – Massive Attack
19. Let Down – Radiohead

This disc could not be reproduced on Spotify due to one more songs not being available on that platform.

Disc 2

1. Woman I Know – Bernard Butler
2. Tom The Model – Beth Gibbons & Rustin’ Man
3. Tsunami – Manic Street Preachers
4. London – Noonday Underground
5. Jerk It Out – Caesars 
6. Asphalt Road – Sue Garner & Rick Brown
7. New Slang – The Shins
8. So You Say You Lost Your Baby – Death In Vegas
9. Get Off – The Dandy Warhols
10. Delicious – Catherine Wheel
11. Elements – Lemon Jelly
12. Sunday Morning Call – Oasis
13. I Can’t Comfort You Any More – Michael J Sheehy
14. No Surprises – Radiohead
15. The Rock – Delakota
16. Opus 40 – Mercury Rev
17. Reach For The Sun – The Polyphonic Spree
18. My Weakness – Moby

This disc could not be reproduced on Spotify due to one more songs not being available on that platform.

Back in August and September, I posted a couple of playlists which covered the years 1994 to 1997. For my money, these are the years of Britpop. However, there is a school of thought that says Britpop started a year earlier. I didn’t think I would be able to produce a playlist looking at non Britpop songs from that year as I had to cover two years per disc for 1994-1997. Well, it would seem that I could. 

1. Round Here – Counting Crows
2. Sooner Or Later – World Party
3. She Wants To Share Her Magic – Stephen Duffy
4. Feed The Tree – Belly
5. Kite – Nick Hayward
6. Disarm – Smashing Pumpkins
7. Going Down (Single Version) – Sun Dial
8. Cannonball – The Breeders
9. Are You Gonna Go My Way? – Lenny Kravitz
10. Puss – The Jesus Lizard
11. Sunflower – Paul Weller
12. You’re In A Bad Way – Saint Etienne
13. Tuesday Morning – The Pogues
14. If I Were A Carpenter – Robert Plant
15. My Darling – The Juliana Hatfield Three
16. 4th  Of July – Aimee Mann
17. In Those Days – Beverley Craven
18. Into Dust – Muzzy Star
19. Sappy – Nirvana
20. Private Universe – Crowded House

Being as this was a one year compilation and not for two, I decided to use a different piece of art. Once again, I used the Virgin Records logo because they were the ones who were releasing compilations I liked during the 1990s. 

Now, It’s Not What I Would Call Britpop (1994-1995) – https://www.thesquirepresents.co.uk/various-artists-now-its-not-what-i-would-call-britpop-1994-1995/

Now, It’s Not What I Would Call Britpop (1996-1997) – https://www.thesquirepresents.co.uk/various-artists-now-its-not-what-i-would-call-britpop-1996-1997/