Friday 28 June 2019


Next month we're going into Outer Space.

There's simply loads of 50th anniversary moon landing programmes on the telly - to many to mention. I've got some space music planned of my own - watch this outer space...
Just finished showing this week, so I hope you didn't miss it, Professor Brian Cox's excellent 'The Planets' seriesHere's your countdown to lift-off: presenting the title music from that series by Muse. 'The Void' from their 'Simulation Theory' album.


Friday 21 June 2019


The Summer Solstice is here. So how about dancing the day away ?
Something different coming right up with a choice of two videos for the same piece of music.
Here's the Benny Goodman Band with Benny on sax, the brilliant Gene Krupa on drums and Harry James on trumpet ...recorded in the 1930s. So "Sing, Sing, Sing (with a swing)' written by Louis Prima > with dance steps by Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers (top) or a clip from the 1993 film 'Swing Kids' at (2). 
Your choice...




Friday 14 June 2019


Somehow it's been a long time since we had a female vocal on the Friday Music Spot.

Putting that to rights, here's sisters Martie and Emily Erwin with lead singer Natalie Maines, three birds/gals collectively known as the Dixie Chicks.
The group caused quite a stir in 2003*, with their remarks about the Iraq war and President Bush coming from Texas.
This song pre-dates all the furore. A 'live' concert version of 'Cowboy Take Me Away', with some wonderful steel guitar in there and fiddle solos from Martie.



*2003 Massive political firestorm >>> link


Friday 7 June 2019


It's great when every now and then this happens:

Walking through a street market at the weekend I hear music coming from the vicinity of one of the many second hand shops nearby. I move closer and then go inside to discover a tiny box size Bose speaker picking up music from an ipad. The play panel reads: Madrugada: 'Electric' from 'Industrial Silence'.
None the wiser (other than how much I liked what I was hearing) I investigated Madrugada. (pronounced Ma-dru-gada) They are a Norwegian alternative rock band. The track is from their first album released in 1999. They split in 2008, but have just reformed for a European tour.
They've been described as a band noted for it's barebones blues-inspired alt-rock. 
And a comment posted on YouTube says "Lost Leonard Cohen - but, found Madrugada".


I've listened to little else since... therefore here's some further listening:
'Quite Emotional' Floyd like + bluesy end > www.youtube.com/watch?v=_5k8v2Cln3s
'Vocal' > www.youtube.com/watch?v=zVJrbJm8X_M
Plus a 'live' view of vocalist Sivert Høyem - 'Majesty' (live at Acropolis) 
apparently they're huge in Greece > www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P4n6wITFYo 

Can't let this go without joking that these Norwegian entries are definitely no 'European Song Contest' 'nul points'. (check link)