Photo of less than half my collection: More…

At the request of Margaret - who not only has given over house room to my 300 plus vinyl record collection but has to put up with me going on about its value beyond any emotional attachment and memories provided by three decades of music - so I've been cataloging all the records I own.
She wanted to know the possible value of those albums I've mentioning, so the answer was to set up a spreadsheet for her to see.

Piling through all these old records - the earliest LP was 1962 and the last 1988 - I found numerous tracks I'd not heard in ages. Hundreds in fact. Picking one from a short list I'd jotted down wasn't easy so I've stuck an imaginary needle in the middle and selected this track from 1975. For no better reason than I didn't want to pick something too obscure but something you'd remember also. And this track doesn't sound dated in the slightest… Fleetwood Mac and 'Landslide'. Great song !  the video is just the LP cover, naturally…

… however, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WM7-PYtXtJM - this video is 'live' and more recent and shows Stevie Nicks' voice hasn't wavered at all.

There I was on the internet, minding my own business, listening to YouTube playing in the background. My selection had finished and YouTube was now on autoplay and randomly picking songs in a similar vein – when this came on !
I immediately clicked back on YouTube to find this track, that falls into my personal category of "how did I miss this one, first time around"?
It also qualifies the band to be more universally known as 'One-Hit Wonders'! One of the big rock tunes of 1979, 'Driver's Seat' was British band Sniff 'n' the Tears only charted hit.

It reached No.15 on the American Billboard Singles Chart in the fall of 1979 - and featured in the 1997 film 'Boogie Nights'.

If you'd like to watch an alternative video here's the song set to a train journey through Norway…? > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uUpELTAQHC4

Bluebell Wood - Warren Row RG10 8QS

Part Two - The Return of …!
As intended the second part of my discovery after I'd posted the 'Top 75 Chart'. (See entries below).
My son on seeing this 51-75 chart declared he only recognised one of the tracks. To be fair in the previous Top 50 he'd have been familiar with a good handful. But this did indicate that it had been quite awhile since I'd picked anything from his era for the Friday Music Spot.
Without further ado > The Return of Kerrang!  Every week the magazine would arrive and be devoured by Scott while the TV channel would frequently feature this excellent video from the band Creed. Plus the opening guitar passage was part of Scott's guitar practise routine and he'd play it all the time and idolised Creed's guitarist Mark Tremonti. Those are some of my memories of Kerrang! Here's 'One Last Breath':

Also check out their Grammy winning Best Rock Song 2001 'Arms Wide Open' > https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=99j0zLuNhi8

Whenever I create a chart for the Music Spot it usually offers up a discovery or two: 

Firstly, it was that reading back over the tracks this week many seemed like only yesterday and not anything like 8 months ago, as in the case of me promising you another blast of Power-Pop. Which I will address right here. 

The second discovery will form a 'Part Two - The Return of Kerrang!', which will be on next week.

Today's track has been described as the best record Elvis Costello never made - which is a compliment. This is The Jags from 1979 with 'Back Of My Hand'.

"I've got your number"

Top 75

We've hit 75 on the Friday Music Spot.
Here's your chance to catch up if you missed any of the last 25. And a reminder of the Top 50 before. 

Want to listen to any again, just click on the appropriate number here: 
| 51 | 52 | 53 | 54 | 55 | 56 | 57 | 58 | 59 | 60 | 61 | 62 | 63 | 64 | 65 | 66 | 67 | 68 | 69 | 70 | 71 | 72 | 73 | 74 | | 75 |

This one goes like this….

Last Sunday a Warren Zevon song came on the radio called "Desperados Under The Eaves". I'd not heard it in years. The next day I searched for it on YouTube and found there were different versions available of this track from his 1976 LP. One being a spot on the Late Show with David Letterman where Letterman introduces a cover of this song by Dawes. I thought I recognised that band name - and I did. A 2013 magazine had named their "Stories Don't End" album as one of their picks of the year. This led me to re-investigate them and this week's  STAR TRACK  is "Most People" by Dawes, from that very same album. Definite 70's feel to their music - Nice !

This story does end, but not before I've added extra links below, for you to listen some more:

> Here's that Late Show spot - with intro and outro by Letterman himself.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9A6MtHz-g4k
I like the comment someone has posted that says: "Warren, slamming cocktails in some other realm, caught a whiff of this version, pricked up an ear, nodded, and kept drinking."

> Lots of great tracks on YouTube from Dawes - try this one for starters:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I74C2hClAsA&index=3&list=PLN4xr-XyeSVXkEmW6N4uiI9xIIBydOm4D
Nice sentiment that may 'All You Favourite Bands' stay together ….

Time for a commercial break - we haven't had one in a while:
The current tv ad for 'Dreams beds' features a cover version of The Cranberries 1992 song 'Dreams'.
Cue the original - I always loved the way you could hear the Irish accent of singer Dolores O'Riordan.
Dream On ….

Apparently there's a brand new 'acoustic version' of this song about to be released on an album called 'Something Else' - a collection of 'unplugged' and orchestral versions of their singles. 

I feel some Genesis coming on. Actually I've had the feeling for weeks now, ever since I discover on YouTube: Steve Hackett - Genesis Revisited - Live at the Royal Albert Hall.
The picture and sound quality is fantastic and the venue amazing but more than that the recreation of the Genesis that included Steve Hackett, by himself and the band is at times uncanny. Close your eyes and it's Peter Gabriel and Phil Collins singing.
The entire concert is available to watch (see link below) with my highlights being: Dancing With the Moonlit Knight , The Carpet Crawlers, The Musical Box, Afterglow, Fountain of Salmacis, Supper's Ready and this track "Firth of Fifth". Though this video is not the exact same concert, it is the same band line-up and I think an even better version. Nad Sylvan sings vocals with four brilliant solos: Piano (Roger King), Soprano Sax (Rob Townsend), Synthesizer (Roger King again) and Guitar (Steve Hackett) backed up by Gary O'Toole and Lee Pomeroy on drums and bass. (more info)
Great songs don't die, they just fade… out of our minds.

Not so much a Friday Music Spot as an entire evening out if you want !  (2 hours 25 minutes worth)

Catch-up TV isn't what it was !
Once you simply watched yesterday's programme, that you missed because you were out, nowadays you can catch up on an entire television series by downloading it to your TV digibox or similar device. The only thing with this is you're often watching a programme from some years ago. People using a flip open phone instead of everyone on smart phones, showing how quickly technology has moved on.
The same is equally true of the music used, as something new to you turns out to be from 2013 or before. We have been 'catching-up' with an American series called 'The Blacklist' - series 1 & 2 - so far have been caught ! What started with me making notes of the music I liked has become quite a long list. An artist by the name of Radical Face - the pseudonym of singer/songwriter Ben Cooper from Florida - has featured a couple of times. Off his 2011 album "The Family Tree: The Roots" - this is 'Always Gold'.

Nice 'sunny' video for company too.

More recommended Radical stuff > click here
We may visit 'The Blacklist' soundtrack again, very soon.