Posts tagged: the fall

FOTS-POD#23 - “I Just Called To Say I Robson’d You”

Episode 23 of the Friends of the Stars podcasts breaks new technological ground, being the first recorded entirely over Skype.

Campbell, Craig & Executive Producer Robson discuss a variety of topics, including Campbell’s brief stint as the Milk Tray Man and his dalliance with a make-up artist called Kindly. The boys then push the boundaries of Voice Over IP technology by trying (and failing) to make beer appear over the internet. There is also a lot of bickering and swearing.

Listen:

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TRACKLISTING:

Blindness - The Fall
Ridin’ In my Car - She & Him
Night of the Long Knives - AC/DC
That Makes It Tough - Buddy Holly
I Can’t Stand The Rain - Ann Peebles
Every Day As We Grow Closer - Alex Chilton
Louisiana 1927 - Randy Newman
Tennessee Blues - Bobby Charles

DOWNLOAD FOTS-POD#23

LINER NOTES:

Blindness - The Fall
Especially for anyone who doesn’t believe the recent chat that Mark E Smith is putting out great, career-high stuff at the moment. I must admit I was one. A few too many late 90s, early naughties dawgs put me off the scent. But I’m like a Bisto kid again with The Fall. MIGHTY

Ridin’ In my Car - She & Him
Don’t tell the Missus but I reckon I may have fallen in love with Zooey Deschanel. This from her and M Ward’s terrific second LP. Her singing really reminds of someone - suggestions on a postcard because I can’t for the life of me place it. What I do know is she is legit. I love her style - not brassy or sassy but just confident and classy.

Night of the Long Knives - AC/DC
They’ve never done a Best Of - criminal really because lots of sniffy people who dismiss AC/DC as metallers would probably then realise that they are one of the greatest rock n roll bands, of all time, no comebacks, period. Question is, would this awesome tune even get on it?

That Makes It Tough - Buddy Holly
Just got the Complete Buddy Holly studio recording box set. Buddy Holly is awesome. AWESOME. Again, purists get sniffy about some of the overdubbing that went on with his demos after he died. Like this one. BUT, excuse me but this sounds like Highway 61 Revisited. Also shows you what an incredible artists Buddy Holly would have become through the 60s. Hard to grasp just how further amazing he would have been

I Can’t Stand The Rain - Ann Peebles
Ann Peebles is a fine singer but what really marks her out from the Southern Soul crowd back then is the fact she wrote the tunes. Now, that’s fine and dandy if those tunes are pleasant ditties. But Ann wrote “I Can’t Stand The Rain”…  as you can plainly hear, that tune kicks your face off.

Every Day As We Grow Closer - Alex Chilton
I don’t know much about this tune. I think it’s a post Box Tops and pre Big Star Alex Chilton solo thing. Anyway, see my thoughts about Alex Chilton below. This tune is really beautiful and probably meant absolutely fuck all to him. Whattaguy. x

Louisiana 1927 - Randy Newman
Every POD I do seems to need Randy Newman. I love him so much. This one is just so beautiful and quietly angry, righteously angry, I can barely believe how great it is. If you need to get into the vibe, think of Katrina and then remember this was recorded 30 years before it. Then get righteously angry yourself.

Tennessee Blues - Bobby Charles
Where to begin? One of the very greatest songwriters to take a breath. Walking to New Orleans? See You Later Alligator? This tune is from his eponymous LP, very hard to find these days, which was recorded up in Woodstock with guys from The Band in the early 70s. This is basically Triple XXX Catnip for me.
By the way, this and the two previous tunes (and the customary  secret track at the end) are a ramshackle, free association tribute to the recently late, very  great Alex Chilton & Bobby Charles.

New Orleans is the right flavour for these blues.

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FOTS-POD#22 - “Robson Man 2″

Episode 22 of the Friends of the Stars Podcast is  now up on the internet. …Don’t all rush at once.

This hour-long episode, entitled “Robson Man 2″, finds Cam and Craig in blistering form as they discuss the various merits of iPhones, Spotify and SKY Sports before moving on to give an insight into the working processes of a band lumbering towards the completion of it’s 2nd LP. It’s nowhere near as dull as it sounds, honest.

FOTS-POD#22 - “Robson Man 2″ - DOWNLOAD MP3

Listen:

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TRACKLISTING:

Love Like A Fountain - Ian Brown
Mama Said Knock You Out - LL Cool J
I Have Learned To Do Without You - Mavis Staples
Beard of Bees - Stately Homes of England
It’s Time To Move On - Tom Petty
Prisons - Trashcan Sinatras
No Regrets - The Walker Brothers
On The Floe - Thin White Rope
Saturday Gigs - Mott The Hoople

Liner Notes (with Spotify links, where available)

Ian Brown - Love Like A Fountain

Ian Brown has made a bagful of groovy in his career - here’s one of the best. BTW drummer Simon Wolstencroft was a total metronome when he played with The Fall in the late 80s and early 90s…. it’s him on this (ie it’s not a loop).

LL Cool J - Mama Said Knock You Out

20 yrs old - pretty classic.

Mavis Staples - I Have Learned To Do Without You

One of the greatest, sexiest, most soulful, most powerful voices ever committed to shellac.

Stately Homes of England - Beard of Bees

Fellow Brum-centric but multi-city musical troupe, this is a great tune. Andy from the band used to work with Cam too. Two musical geniuses under one roof - what were the chances? :)

Tom Petty - It’s Time To Move On

FOTS love TP but even we maybe weren’t as au fait with his 90s and naughties output until recently. This is a typically beautifully judged and introspective gem from Wildflowers - probably his most cohesive and listenable album (if Damn the Torpedoes and Full Moon Fever have all the blockbusters and Hard Promises has moments of peaking genius and the rest all have wonderful moments). Incidentally, Wildflowers isn’t credited to The Heartbreakers, even tho they all play on it and…musically… it’s probably them at their finest. Check Benmont’s piano on the title track… heartmelting.

Trashcan Sinatras - Prisons

More perfect tunecraft from Scotland’s enduring bridesmaids. They are from Cam’s home territory (Irvine, Kilmarnock) and he’s very evangelical about them. In 20 years, over five albums, they have hardly missed a beat. Check em all out.

The Walker Brothers - No Regrets

When Scott went back to his “hombres” in the 70s, commercially washed up, kind of need of some middle of the road paydirt, they came up with some real gems. Sounds obvious, but even so it would be great to hear Glen Campbell doing this.

Thin White Rope - On The Floe

In the late 80s and early 90s, before Kate Thornton decided Indie was cool and some twisted notion tugged at Cowell’s bawhairs from the future, students up and down the UK were listening to REM, Throwing Muses and these guys. I have always loved great outros, that build and build and go right through the gears… Tumblin’ Dice does it, The Concept does it, Motorway to Roswell does it, On the Floe does it

Mott The Hoople - Saturday Gigs

I haven’t checked but Mott may have been played more on these FOTS PODS than any other band. That’s because they rule and people might not fully know just how great they were. This was their farewell single. I mean…C’MON… what a farewell 45 this is! Maybe, MAYBE, bettered by Beat Surrender but that’s a moot point (a Moot the Hopple point?….sorry).

Incidentally, farewell singles are much missed - a kind of grand gesture by bands to their own gangs. A bit of a thank you to the boys. FOTS would love if it you commented on this post with other examples of the lost artform of the farewell single, when the band came out in advance and said it would be their last…. so the expectation was REALLY high and yet they still delivered. Looking forward to them.

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FOTS-POD#11 - “The Parallax Robson”

Roll up, roll up for Episode 11 of the Friends of the Stars Podcast, “The Parallax Robson“.

Clocking in at 35 minutes and 12 seconds, Episode 11 finds a reasonably lubricated Executive Producer Robson and Craig discussing Wax Cylinder Recording Devices, The Nocturnal Habits Of Chris Martin and, without any apparent irony, The Meaning and Consequences of Libel. As usual, the podcast contains a smattering of industrial language and a selection of fine tunes, including a hat tip to the recently late Ron Asheton.

There has been a fair old glut of podcasting activity recently, in both Birmingham and Glasgow, so the next few episodes will be coming at you thick and fast over the coming weeks. To ensure you never miss an episode of this sweary nonsense, subscribe for FREE to the FOTS-POD feed and have them delivered directly to you.

Here goes….

Listen:

DOWNLOAD FOTS-POD#11 - The Parallax Robson (35m:12s)

TRACKLISTING

“Carry Bag Man” - The Fall
“No Fun” - The Stooges
“Summer Side of Life” - Gordon Lightfoot
“Desperados Under The Eaves” - Warren Zevon
“You’ll See Glimpses” - Ian Dury and The Blockheads