Today is World Drummer's Day - hands up if you knew that ?

April 4th (4/4) is a universal celebration of percussion because the most popular time signature used in music is 4/4. So how about 216 drummers all together !

Our old friends Rockin' 1000 from Paris in 2019 with The Ramones 'Blitzkrieg Bop' >

NB: There's a minute of credits at the end - FYI.

The FMS has featured the song 'Blitzkrieg Bop' previously, would you believe nearly 9 years ago.

As a bonus on 4/4 Day here's the same song but from a purely drummers perspective:  

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZpLKD-0wzDk

      

Hastings 'Fat Tuesday' music.

On top of the Unplugged Saturday 'Pub to Pub' afternoon of non stop 'live' music, Sunday saw the Umbrella parade along the Prom lead by Mr Wilson's Second Liners. From the bicycle wheel drum kit to the uniformed brass section they were quite a sight and sound !

Described as New Orleans meets 90s club classics - a totally bonkers rave that even saw rock 'n' roll power chords from the banjo player !

The White Rock theatre hosted an afternoon of drum bands and dancing (see photo). And dance tunes with a difference is what we got. Check out Mr Wilson's: Short promo here 

Expect Robert Miles, Fat Boy Slim, Prodigy and more... YouTube has plenty - this is a good example of their 'all join in' interactive performances > click here

   

A brief history of the changing RCA Victor single sleeve.

Late 60s the old red 45 bag design with the black label was updated to the orange label colour and bold logo type. Early 1975 a new sleeve appeared, designed by my work colleague Dick Whitbread and artworked by yours truly. (Modestly, I still get a kick out of seeing this single sleeve in shops). 

RCA single sleeve evolution - (L-R) 1967, 1971 and 1975.

The last 45 pictured above is one of the first releases with this new sleeve: 'Fox On The Run' by Sweet came out on 7th March 1975. It was the first Sweet single written by the band, rather than producers Nicky Chinn and Mike Chapman - gone was the make up of the glam rock look and the group finally had their own 'A' side record and hit of their making. 

Not that some of their previous hits hadn't been good, just that some had been a bit dodgy (see below for a Sweet reminder). 

By the end of March 'Fox On The Run' was a Top 10 hit, reaching No.2 in April. 

Here's a YouTube compiled Top 10 hits list > www.youtube.com/watch?v=JwOVua9IEd0

Some very poppy early numbers BUT their pick as No.1: 'Fox On The Run' !

Garry Blakeley is a virtuoso fiddle player and performed at the original Hayloft Folk Club with a number of house bands and in the group Brian Boru and Burgess & Blakeley.
Garry is also a full time member of the celebrated supergroup Feast of Fiddles.

Performing with his good friend Bear Lucas, on guitar and vocals, together they produce an eclectic range of songs and sounds.

Here's a taster with a couple of videos of Garry, firstly playing in Hastings at The Stag. And then below taking the lead with Feast of Fiddles from a couple of years ago (he is far right on the stage). 

The Hayloft Folk Club

Following the success of last year’s two shows that featured artists who’d performed at the Folk Club in the 1970s. This show provides another chapter in the fascinating history of The Cove.

View The COVE pub in Fairlight for additional information: thecovefairlight.co.uk/events/ 

  

Part Two: of Nico and Jackson Browne:-

Also featured on Nico's 1967 'Chelsea Girls' album was a version of 'These Days' (one of my all time favourites). A song written when Jackson Browne was only 16 years old, but not recorded by him until 1973, by which time thanks to a Gregg Allman version, the arrangement had changed. 

Another song also written by Jackson, shortly after he returned to California in 1967, was titled ‘The Birds of St. Marks’. Rediscovered in 1994 it was only properly recorded for the first time on his 2014 LP 'Standing in the Breach'.

It's apparently written about Nico, and has a very 60s Byrds feel to it (probably why I like it so much). The middle guitar break with Greg Leisz and Val McCallum (on 12 & 6 string guitars) is wonderful and they return for the instrumental ending. 

Another great track from a teenage Jackson Browne

> Article on Nico’s version of 'These Days' -  https://faroutmagazine.co.uk/the-story-behind-the-song-the-contrasting-origin-of-nicos-these-days/

   

Within the space of a few weeks I heard two tracks off the 1967 ‘Chelsea Girls’ album by Nico (she of The Velvet Underground & Nico fame) I'd not previously known. 

She was born Christa Päffgen in Cologne, Germany and after being introduced by The Stones Brian Jones, she began working in New York with Andy Warhol.

This is part one of a two part story involving her and a young Jackson Browne, who she had a brief romance with in 1967, and who wrote both songs in question.

The first track is ‘The Fairest of the Season’ from the album that apparently Nico didn’t approve of once producer Tom Wilson had filled it out with strings and flutes... (I rather like them) - the LP also contains contributions by Velvet Underground members. 

Part Two of this romance will be next Friday

   

We been down the Motorway and the Highway. Today "Wir fahr'n, fahr'n, fahr'n, auf der Autobahn" for the latest 'One For The Road' track.
Issued today to mark the 50th anniversary of Kraftwerk's iconic 'Autobahn' album, with releases on three different formats including a Picture disc. 

Funnily I always thought they sang 'Fun, Fun, Fun on the Autobahn'...

Band member Wolfgang Flür explains: 

No! Someone else told me that they [the misinterpreters] thought the way we speak in German "Fahren", which means driving, sounds like the English word "fun". "Fahren fahren fahren", "fun fun fun". That is wrong. But it works. Driving is fun. We had no speed limit on the autobahn, we could race through the highways, through the Alps, so yes, fahren fahren fahren, fun fun fun.

Even the video uses 'Fun, Fun, Fun' > beep, beep 

The original album version of the song lasts 22 minutes, but the track was edited down to 3 minutes for its single version, b/w ‘Morning Walk’ (Morganspariezgang), released Feb 1975. 

  

While Timothee Chalamet performed the songs of Bob Dylan in the movie 'A Complete Unknown', so to did Edward Norton as Pete Seeger: 'Dusty Old Dust, 'This Land is Your Land' and 'Wimoweh' all featured him. 

You maybe surprised at how many of Pete Seeger's songs you grew up with. 'Where Have All the Flowers Gone', 'We Shall Overcome', his hit version of Malvina Reynolds 'Little Boxes' and of course 'Turn, Turn, Turn' (lyrics from the Book of Ecclesiastes) and 'Bells of Rhymney' (words by Welsh Poet Idris Davies) both set to music by Seeger and covered by the Byrds.

Another famous song he wrote with Lee Hays and covered by many artists was the 1949 composition 'The Hammer Song', released in 1950 by their group The Weavers. Peter, Paul & Mary had a big hit in 1962 and so to did Trini Lopez a year later with the song titled 'If I Had a Hammer'. 

Video is from a 60s TV show in grainy black & white >

Trini Lopez and 'If I Had a Hammer' was one of my mum's favourite records and she had the 45 single, which I now have.

  

An alternative (and occasional) music posting highlighting something out of the ordinary. Perhaps of limited appeal, unconventional, experimental or just far-out ! Call it what you like (or switch it off, if you don't like). 

A COMPLETE UNKNOWN: the American biographical music film directed by James Mangold and starring Timothee Chalamet as Bob Dylan. Have you seen it ?

It's really good and among many things it presented a number of Dylan songs I either wasn't familiar with or at least I'd forgotten them completely (almost completely unknown) !

 

From his debut LP there was his version of 'Baby Let Me Follow You Down' learnt from Eric von Schmidt (as per the track intro):  https://youtu.be/QgJ9oUX1pbA?si=PLQNUrL60w8ll19I

The Animals version of this song called ‘Baby Can I Take You Home’ is very different and was apparently a key influence on Dylan's change to electric music - [we will 'Take You Home', soon]. 

Then from the album 'The Times They Are a-Changin' came the song 'When the Ship Comes In': https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5c9_XkYYjTU  

Dylan performed this song during 'Live Aid' on July 13, 1985, accompanied by Keith Richards and Ronnie Wood of the Rolling Stones. So I'd forgotten that !

Finally during the movie the song 'Railroad Bill', a traditional blues ballad dating back to the 19th century, was sung by Bobby Neuwirth and Bob Dylan together in the recording studio. The track was never released until a bootleg series of LPs were made available: Vol 10 'Another Self Portrait (1969–1971)' contained 'Railroad Bill' >

'Railroad Bill' version from 1929 by Frank Hutchison FYI here

Another notable from the film was the performance of Edward Norton as Pete Seeger. This Friday coming we'll be heading down that road... 

   

The sincerest form of flattery is imitation.

This is more a case of philately.

Issued earlier this week were 12 Special Stamps by the Royal Mail. The stamps mark the 50th anniversary of AC/DC's debut album ‘High Voltage’ and depict the group in live performances in venues around the world - [read story here]. 

AC/DC were formed in Sydney, Australia in 1973 by Scottish born brothers Malcolm and Angus Young. They become the eighth music artists to be honoured with their own dedicated Royal Mail stamp range. See story for the other artists. 
So this month's 'One For The Road' track is, like the stamps, a 'live' show from 2009 at the River Plate stadium, Argentina: 'Highway to Hell' 

Watch on 'Full Screen' for full effect [  ]

   

A brief studio story:

During the early months of 1971, Los Angeles saw the recording of albums by three now legendary artists. A&M studios located on La Brea Avenue near Sunset Boulevard saw a host of artists come and go. James Taylor, who was recording his 'Mud Slide Slim' LP at Crystal studios a handful of blocks away, down the road at ‘Sunset and Vine’, dropped in frequently. Joni Mitchell was in Studio C at A&M making her 'Blue' album, while in Studio A, a famous New York composer, new to LA and yet to be known for her singing, was producing her second LP 'Tapestry'. In just three weeks, with help from those mentioned the record was complete and released on February 10th. It went on to spend over three months at No.1 on the Billboard chart and received the Grammy for 'Album of the Year'.

'Tapestry' was an instant success and so to was Carole King.

Many songs were very personal and selecting a track especially for today wasn't easy. But I narrowed it down to two: 'Beautiful' and 'So Far Away'. 

I couldn't find a video, other than a still of the album cover, for 'Beautiful' that contained the piano play-out. So you'll just have to stare at the other star of the photoshoot, the cat Telemachus. 

However this video is full of images and lyrics - 'So Far Away' - click play 

  

Here's a newly released record that sounds like it's 50 years old. 

Having mentioned Bad Company during the Free Star Track in mid January, today's music sounds very much like them. This is in part down to Simon Kirke, the former drummer of both these bands. In the early 80s he was in a group with singer Steve Overland called Wildlife. In 2019 the Overland-Kirke alliance was rekindled, accompanied by guitarist/keyboard player Steve Morris and bassist Chris Childs they formed Lonerider.

For their latest LP 'Down in the Dust' they added Steve Mann on Hammond organ and the link up between Morris and Mann works to further the Bad Company style vibes. 

What really sets this off is the fantastic video to 'Getting Closer' - full screen to make the most of this >

Further listening from the album:- check out tracks > ‘Cool Hand’ and ‘Mystery Man’. 

FYI: Simon Kirke - born in Lambeth, now lives in New York City and Montauk NY with his wife.

   

Last weekend we went to our local pub 'The Cove', to see local band King Size Slim, and flipping good they were too.

Playing mostly original material of the Blues and R&B persuasion this 4-piece group were fronted by the excellent vocals and guitar playing of Toby Barelli. We will definitely be seeing them again.

Introducing one number with a 'Bo Diddley beat' they played a version of 'Not Fade Away' which then morphed into among others 'Who Do You Love'. This latter song was written by Bo Diddley in 1956 and has been covered by many bands.

While 'Not Fade Away' was composed by Buddy Holly with the rhythmic pattern a variant of the 'Bo Diddley beat'. It was released originally in 1957 as a single by The Crickets and the 'B' side of 'Oh Boy'.

The Rolling Stones' version was one of their first hits. Recorded in January and released by Decca records in February, 1964

BTW: 'The Cove' has a photo on one of its walls of Buddy Holly. 

  

In December 1964 the MV Galaxy sailed into our universe and changed our lives forever !

A week of test transmissions from the 16th - DJ Paul Kaye announcing "Testing – This is Radio London" followed by the "Sonowaltz" jingle (better known as 'Big Lil' here) - before its official launch on 23rd December. 

The UK's pirate radio stations and their influence would increase. Radio Caroline altered its music style and output and more stations would broadcast until the UK government put an end to the fun in 1967. 

Radio London was always a Top 40 station and the 'Fabulous 40' was mentioned right from the start. However they had relatively few current singles to begin with, making a meaningful chart rundown impossible. In the early weeks of 1965 references were made to chart positions and 'climbers' but not until Sunday January 24th did a full Top 40 list appear. (See listings). (Although scheduled, this 'Big L Fab Forty' was not broadcast on Jan 24th, as a mark of respect to Sir Winston Churchill, whose death had just been announced).

Cast your gaze down this chart, past various well known artists to the No.9 slot and "up one place from last week" it's Sounds Orchestral with 'Cast Your Fate To The Wind' >

Sounds Orchestral were a British group assembled by John Schroeder and Johnny Pearson (of TOTP fame). This hit record was their version of American jazz pianist Vince Guaraldi's 1962 instrumental.

While 'YouTubing' this track an unexpected version appeared: 'Cast Your Fate to the Wind / Louie Louie' by Dave Stewart and Barbara Gaskin. Lyrics had been added by Carel Werber in 1963. (View it here and enjoy the waves). 

The careers of DJs - Tony Blackburn, Dave Cash, Kenny Everett, Pete Drummond, Ed Stewart and in 1967 John Peel with his midnight-to-two programme 'The Perfumed Garden' - are all part of the 'Big L' Pirate Radio story. 

  

Today’s all about ‘recording’. 

There's 'recording' as in ... See previous story about ‘My Recording Career’ (scroll down page). I shall delve deeper into this cassette case of taped memories, when I get the time… 

The other recording is my yearly 'billblogs' list of Hot 450, that I posted recently (right here). This is compiled as much for me as your reference. Because keeping up with 450 different Star Tracks is quite tricky as repeating an artist or a song is something I’m checking regularly. So the run down is an important record.

Looking back over previous Music Spots I can enjoy some posts again (March and July, were particularly good months last year), while also seeing how long it’s been since we had a type of music and more likely checking who I’ve never featured to date. I have a shortlist of artists not previously included, and actually I didn’t make many inroads into that list as last year I kept finding so many new artists.

I shall address this situation, as we get ever closer to 500 tracks. There are at least a dozen big names to include, so stay tuned (or can you guess any of them?).

  

The song 'Wishing Well' was FMS #52, which meant I was convinced Free had been featured. But that entry was actually played by Bad Company. Therefore without further discussion here's Free with Paul Kossoff on lead guitar. From their debut album 'Tons of Sobs' released in March 1969, when all four band members were still teenagers. 

Before ‘baby, it's all right now’ there was the group composition 'Walk In My Shadow'

A really good story about today's track - fyi: 

https://bestsong.substack.com/p/walk-in-my-shadow-by-free

   

An occasional music spot - remembering places around the World

On Tuesday 14th January 1975 my recording career began !

Of course I'd been taping the radio and music for years, but that had been very Low-Fi compared to the step-up of buying a Cassette Stereo Tape Recorder. A receipt dated 14.1.75 would indicate roughly how long I'd been saving for this expensive item, as I'd been working for over 5 years and had been slowly upgrading music equipment over that time. Compatibility of different manufactures equipment was always an issue and I was planning on using my brand new recorder with my old amplifier, until April when I could afford to buy a new upgraded one. 

On 15th January - I have found some notes I'd made saying "We have a problem Dave !"

(This was a clear reference to 2001: A Space Odyssey and HAL's message to crew member Dave Bowman.) My way of documenting that something was not working as it should - incorrect stereo separation and play back between tape deck and amp. Other notes followed with question marks against various possible causes ? The problem was solved by a work colleague who's father-in-law worked at Decca, he run a test and create a special lead for me to use until I could buy my upgrade. 

So strictly speaking my recording career didn't actually begin immediately, but soon after the date when I bought my Akai GXC-46D Tape Recorder. With Dolby Noise reduction, VU meters, Index counter and sliding recording and volume controls. All very fancy and Hi-Tech - for £109.95 !

The advert above is from a magazine for 'Analog Audio'. This was not to be entirely accurate 'a place I remember all my life' because without the receipts I had completely forgotten the name, but clearly I'd spent a lot of time on reviewing prices and purchasing the equipment from the shop 'Analog Audio' in the Fulham Road, near where I worked. And I'd be back there in April to buy my amplifier - a Rotel RX202 AM/FM Stereo receiver, for £75. 

As for remembering what I first taped, I don't have dates on cassettes or in a book that listed my recordings, just a vague memory. The work colleague asked me to record some of his records, so he could listen to them in his car on his cassette player: he liked jazz - Stanley Clarke, Chick Corea and Keith Jarrett - it was the least I could do to thank him. While another work mate lent me his Eagles LPs, which he raved about. 

I later went out and bought 'Desperado' and the under-rated 'On the Border', which included this almost forgotten gem that never makes any 'Best of' compilations. It's the Randy Meisner song 'Is It True?' >

Anyone remember 'Analog Audio' or any of these ? 

Laskys (Ask Laskys), Southern Audio, Lindair, REW Audio, Comet ?

Or perhaps Servio Radio in Merton Road or Ready Radio in The Broadway, Wimbledon. 

   

Reviewing 2024, here's the story I had originally lined up for last week. I've an idea to feature a monthly 'One For The Road' track. Plenty of material and reasons for 'Road' music, which begins today: 

Last November there was a story I found interesting that remembered, 65 years ago, the opening of the M1 motorway in England. The first section (only 73 miles of the London to Yorkshire motorway - that wouldn't be fully complete until 1999), was basically today's Junction 5 to 18.

Various junctions and sections would be added over the years from 1959 with some fascinating facts on those early days of motorway travel in England. The article headline was "How dream of fast living got stuck in a jam". At first people really didn't know how to drive on motorways, although you can argue not much has changed these days. Police would patrol and educate drivers using loudhailers to issue instructions. There was no crash barriers or lights and staggeringly NO speed limit. Limits were temporarily introduced in 1965, following a series of accidents in fog. The initial four month trial was extended and in 1967 a permanent 70mph limit was in force. 

The M1 also had a 24-hour restaurant at Watford Gap Services - which attracted the likes of The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix and the Rolling Stones as in the 1960s, London's pubs shut at 23:00 on the dot.

According to the AA, 20,000 drivers used the M1 each day in the first year - compared to between 130,000 and 140,000 a day 65 years on ! With today's average speeds on the road at just over 60mph, which alludes to the article headline of traffic jams and my feeling that the M1 is now virtually the 'Highway to Hell' ?

Which brings me to today's music. This probably needs no introduction, but it’s going to get one, as it's about driving on the M1. The Tom Robinson Band with '2-4-6-8 Motorway' came from Robinson's memories of driving back to London through the night after gigs with his first group Café Society. By the time their van hit the last stretch of M1 into London he sings [lyrics] "motorway sun comin' up with the mornin' light."

UK motorways are relatively new when compared to the first ever motorway opened in Italy in Sept 1924: the Autostrada Milano-Laghi - which was 100 years old, last year. 

While researching all this I found a Timeout 'Top 50 Road Trip Songs' - it's a fairly obvious selection though actually missing today's track !?  https://www.timeout.com/music/50-best-road-trip-songs

   

For the record over the last nine years   T H E  F R I D A Y  M U S I C  S P O T   has now starred 450 tracks, from the very start in November 2015. 

The first 50 songs can be replayed via this link. For 51-100 click here: 101-150 click this one and then 151-200 (link) ; while 201-250 is here ; 251-300 right here ; 301-350 revisited here ; and for 351-400 click this link. Today lists the last 50, see below. 

Click on the blue arrow ➤ to replay that track. Please note: Many of the 450 videos are showing unavailable now, but you can search for an alternative, if you wish. 

401 ➤ Now And Then .......................................................... The Beatles
402 ➤ Whole Wide World .......…..................................... Rolling Stones
403 ➤ Shut Up and Dance .........…................................. Walk the Moon
404 ➤ Theme from the Black Pudding ........................Los Twangueros
405 ➤ Wild Eyed Boy from Freecloud .............................. David Bowie
406 ➤ A Whiter Shade of Pale...................... King Curtis & the Kingpins
407 ➤ Three Little Birds ...................................................... Bob Marley
408 ➤ Rocky Mountain High …......................................... John Denver
409 ➤ Granny Takes a Trip ………….......................... The Purple Gang
410 ➤ Heaven is a Place on Earth .............................…Belinda Carlisle

411 ➤ Midnight Rider/Can't You See.. Nick Stone & Shifty Hunchbacks
412 ➤ Won't Get Fooled Again …...................................... Rockin'1000

413 ➤ Red Eyes .........…............................................ The War on Drugs
414 ➤ A Song of the Weather ................................Flanders and Swann
415 ➤ Caroline ...................................................................... Status Quo
416 ➤ Awake Awake ..................................... The Gigspanner Big Band
417 ➤ Long Long Long ....................................................... The Beatles
418 ➤ All Or Nothing .......................................................... Small Faces
419 ➤ She's Got Her Tickets …………......................... Tracy Chapman
420 ➤ One To Many Mornings .......................................…Jason McNiff

421 ➤ Rise and Fall of Flingel Bunt................................ The Shadows
422 ➤ I'm A Man ….............................................. Spencer Davis Group

423 ➤ Did You Ever Have That Feeling ......................... The Standells
424 ➤ Nights in White Satin ......................................The Moody Blues
425 ➤ Here I Go Again ........................................................ The Hollies
426 ➤ Am I Losing You .................................................. Coco Montoya
427 ➤ Freed From Desire ............................................................. Gala
428 ➤ Jessica ….......................................... The Allman Brothers Band
429 ➤ Do I Love You (Indeed I Do) …….......……............ Frank Wilson

430 ➤ Hoover Dam .........….…..................................................…Sugar

431 ➤ Dead Man's Road.................................................... Doc Holliday

432 ➤ Sally's Garden ….................... Tangerine Dream with Brian May

433 ➤ The Sky Children ..............…................................ Kaleidoscope
434 ➤ Rocking Horse .........................................................Any Trouble
435 ➤ I'm Waiting For You .............................................. Johnny Flynn
436 ➤ Football Crazy.......................... Robin Hall & Jimmie Macgregor
437 ➤ Mohammed's Radio ............................... Arizona Smoke Revue
438 ➤ Mars to Liverpool …................... Liam Gallagher & John Squire 
439 ➤ The Way is the Aim …….….................................... Imperial Age
440 ➤ Spectral Mornings .........….…...........................…Steve Hackett

.

441 ➤ First Time.................................................................. Robin Beck
442 ➤ Little Wing ................................. Eric Clapton & Steve Winwood

443 ➤ Song of the Wind ......................................................... Santana
444 ➤ Celtic New Year .....................................................Van Morrison
445 ➤ Spillways .......................................................................... Ghost
446 ➤ Conversation with Billy................................................ Sabittas
447 ➤ Maid in Heaven .................................................. Be Bop Deluxe
448 ➤ Nothing Else Matters .................................................. Metallica
449 ➤ I Know That Much ………….................................. The Lathums
450 ➤ Shake a Tail Feather .........….…..........................…Ray Charles

  

I had something entirely different lined up for today that was unrelated to New Year celebrations.

However dancing our way into 2025, with various approximations of the Twist, the Fly, Swim and the Bird, the Frug, the Mash Potato, the Boogaloo and even the Watusi, which together resembled something similar if not wholly recognisable as 'Shake a Tail Feather', as witnessed in this video.

You'll at least recognise that from The Blues Brothers movie. Ray Charles on piano and vocals, Dan Ackroyd [Elwood] and John Belushi [Jake] with a cast of fellow dancers shakin' and a twistin'.

Farewell 2024. Over to you 2025 

Resolution: I'll keep the music coming ...