let the spirits move you

A couple of year ago I decided that I’d not buy as many albums due to an ever increasing collection and only a limited time to listen to them. I had a great idea. I’d just buy seven inches instead. They don’t take up half as much room and they’re much quicker to listen to. What started out as a nice lunchtime shopping distraction has turned into a full-blown addiction. I’m now running out of shelf and box space for the little blighters. All my talk of getting some bespoke shelves made has amounted to nothing. It was all bluff and bluster. I’ve not bothered my arse doing anything about it. It’s now at the point where I’m buying seven inches that I’d forgotten I already owned. What will become of all this?

After lamenting the lack of seven inches out there I decided that maybe I should just try harder to find some. Like a junkie looking for a fix (but slightly better dressed and a little more handsome) I steeled myself late last week to venture forth into the various record stores of Dublin. And as it turns out I had a highly successful trip. I picked up nine little beauties and took them back home to take their place in the vinyl vault. Here they will gather dust until my kids reach their teenage years and thank me for the collection I amassed on their behalf. Or something like that!

The Smiths released ‘Hand in Glove’ as their first single and it failed to chart. Not to be outdone both Morrissey and Johnny Marr entreated the then retired Sandie Shaw to do a cover of it. Hey presto it’s a hit. Next thing you know she’s writhing on the floor during an appearance on Top of the Pops. Behind her are Johnny Marr, Andy Rourke and Mike Joyce, all barefoot, in homage to the great woman herself. I don’t think it’s as good as the original but I’m glad to have a copy of it for posterity.

So too was there gladness when I picked up a copy of Joe Jackson’s ‘Is she really going out with him’. I’ll put it beside my recently acquired copy of ‘Stepping Out’ by the same artist. I don’t really know much of his other stuff and to be honest I’m afraid to listen to it in case I’m disappointed. I like those two tunes so much that I find it hard to believe he could have equalled or bettered them. I remember he appeared on 'Later' a few years back and I think he might have performed this tune. That only leads me to believe that he hasn't done anything better.

I got both of the aforementioned seven inches in Spindizzy Records in the Georges Street Arcade. They’d also got a couple of boxes of second-hand reggaes sevens in so I had to have a look through them too. There was loads of stuff there that I was kind of interested in but as I say, space is at a premium in Chez Vinyl these days. As such I settled for the following three tunes. ‘Fally Ranking’ by Johnny Osborne was released on the Greensleeves label in 1980. This seven-inch of the tune is a repressing from 2001 and delightfully features a b-side by Black Uhuru of a top reggae tune called ‘I love King Selassie’. The next couple of reggae sevens look like they’re represses on the Trojan subsidiary label, Jackpot. The first is the well-known Ken Boothe version of The Abyssinians classic ‘Satta Massa Gana’ and has the accompanying Satta Riddim on the flip side. Likewise with the next tune. It’s another Abyssinians tune ‘Declaration of Rights’, this time by Johnny Clarke and it too has the version on the flip. Animal tune!

A trip down to All City Records was equally, if not more, successful. I bagged the new seven-inch by Mike Slott on the All City label. It’s hard to describe but I’m going to attempt it anyway. I was listening to it over the shop speakers when some teenage kids came in to buy some spray paint. One of them asked if the shop sold dance music and proceeded to treat me to some happy hardcore that he had on his phone. I told him that he was in fact listening to some cutting edge leftfield hip-hop over the shop speakers but he couldn’t reconcile my description with what he was hearing. Therein lies the problem with describing ‘Flunky’ by Mike Slott. It really is going to have limited appeal to most people. Like Guinness you have to acquire a taste for this. I think it’s great.

There were a bunch of other seven inches behind the counter so I picked them up and starting listening to them. I picked out an eighties nu-soul/funk tune by, wait for it, Wynd Chymes. The track is pure cheese. Now don’t jump to conclusions. I’m not talking Galtee Easi Singles here. I’m talking good cheese. A finely aged Stilton. A nice Camembert even. It’s called ‘Baby you’re the one’ and it really is a cracker. All bass and hairspray. The other tune that I picked out was by German dubstepper Phokus and it’s called ‘Police in Helicopter’. The tune is called Inta and the flip side has a remix by Wadadda on it. The pressing is limited to 400 copies and that makes me feel pretty bad. It turns out that Olan had ordered the pile of records I’d picked up for himself. Nevertheless being the consummate professional he still sold me the two tunes I wanted. Now that’s service for you.

Finally I also chanced upon the latest seven inch release from the latest Roots Manuva album Slime and Reason. It’s called ‘Let the Spirit’ and I hadn’t really given it much thought when listening to the album. Then I saw it performed on ‘Later’ and I was hooked. It’s sparse and simple and it’s beautiful. I have the kids singing the chorus all day. I think that they’re hooked too. Here he is on Later.

I got five on it

I've been getting pretty crap at writing about the bits and pieces that I've picked up about the place. Maybe I'm just getting fussier but there really isn't as much to pick up this weather. I've also been spending less time on the internet and this means less internet record shopping. That said I've been kept pretty busy both at work and at home so I've not had the time to indulge my penchant for the circles of vinyl of late. I've been able to right this to some extent as over the past seven days I have picked up the following five pieces of vinyl.

Just writing that reminds me of an old pirate radio show, see here for a previous reference. Anyhow the latest batch are a range of new and old, four seven inches and an album. Let's kick off with the long player. Quite recently I picked up an album by United Future Organisation that I'd wanted for an age. Like buses, you wait for ages and then two come along at once. I was in Oxfam on Parliament St the other day and I came across 'Bon Voyage', another album by the same band. I haven't really had a chance to listen to it but I expect it will be something similar to 3rd Perspective, the last one that I picked up.

I chanced upon a seven inch of the by now infamous release from Electric Six, Gay Bar. I must admit that every time I listen to it a smile breaks out on my face. Its so ridiculous that its sublime. I constantly wonder when its novelty value will wear off but I'm not sure that it ever will. Little amuses the simple.

Another oldie that I picked up on seven inch is a repress of the tune 'I believe in Miracles' by The Jackson Sisters. The tune has appeared on any number of funk and breaks compilations but this seven comes with a different twist. Issued by Street Beat Records it contains the instrumental of the tune on the a-side and on the flip it just has the drum track.

The third tune is one that I missed or else just didn't bother buying before now. It's the second seven inch release from the In Rainbows album by Radiohead. The track in question is 'Nude' and its one of the slow burners from that album. Here they are doing a live version of it on VH1

Last but by no means least is the seven inch of 'Paper Planes' by MIA. It features a DFA remix on the flip side that's quite tasty.

After all that talk of Sweettalk recently, I bumped into Maser in town today and was bigging up his appearance. He was saying that he wasn't sure if he was going to do the talk but then changed his mind. He didn't mention whether it was the aul nerves that got to him or anything else for that matter. What he did say was that he was delighted that he did do it. So am I.

I found this interview with Jape on on RTE 'youth' show. Its an exercise in awkwardness but its absolutely brilliant.

3 plus 4 equals 7

A quick lap around the record stores today and I had three new sevens to show for it. For any younger readers who've stumbled across this blog for the first time, I'm talking about those pieces of vinyl that your Da might have in his attic. If the record collections that I've seen are anything to go by there should at least be a copy of Dire Straits 'Brothers in Arms' album, a copy of the original 'Do they know it's Christmas' by Band Aid and the commemorative RTE album of Pope John Paul II's visit to Ireland. That aside, when I arrived home from work today a few pieces had arrived from Norman Records in the UK. I opened the package and the four sevens I'd ordered had arrived. It also appears that I'd been sent a small piece of candy for good measure. Nothing special just a little chewy sweet. Still, it's the thought that counts!

The records ordered from Normans were all tunes that I'd missed on 45rpm when they were originally released. First up is a Tunng cover version of Bloc Party's 'The Pioneers' that came on a one-sided seven inch with an etching on the other side. The cover sounds like an electronic skiffle version of the original. Its all acoustic guitar and glitches until the female vocal comes in, then it builds into something resembling Fun Boy Three. Sounds weird. It is. It's still good though. Next up is the 2007 release of 'Province' by current music media favourites TV on the Radio. It features David Bowie guesting on vocals. Now that's all fine if Bowie is guesting on vocals on his own tune somewhere in the Ziggy Stardust era, it is however different when he's being all atmospheric on this tune. The best compliment I can pay him is that he doesn't manage to fuck it up too much. After hearing other stuff by them this wouldn't really rank as good as it in my book. It's all a bit wanky for my tastes. I prefer that 'Golden Age' tune that they did. The third tune from Normans is a 2006 Primal Scream release from their Riot City Blues album called 'Sometimes I feel so Lonely'. It's all a bit dreamy and at times reminds me of that British Airways advertisement from years ago. The b-side is called 'Gamblin' Bar Room Blues' and can best be described as lounge blues. I can just see Jools Holland tinkling the ivories with gusto to this one. The last out of the package was the 2005 release of Lazer Beam by Super Furry Animals. I absolutely love this tune and only bought it in the hope that some day I get to play it out somewhere. Somewhere really loud with laser beams. Maybe somewhere like The Oasis in Carrickmacross or Bozo's in Athlone.

The three new sevens are actually only two new sevens and a seven released earlier this year. The older release is 'I was a man' by Jape. I already have it on album and there were loads of them about town for ages. It was only today that I realised the former abundance was beginning to disappear. It's a great tune but I'm also loving the b-side 'Gimme Some More'. It's all vocoder and farty bass. Or at least that's what it sounds like on the portable turntable I'm playing it on. The first of the newer releases is yet another single from The Ting Tings debut album 'We started nothing'. This one is called 'Be the one' and is probably their most straight down the line, radio friendly, pop tune to date. Shades of Blondie and The Go Go's run through it and to be honest it's pretty good. I only bought it to hear Derry band, Japanese Popstars remix on the b-side but it turns out that that side is a banging techno affair that wouldn't have been out of place in a Francois set at UFO fifteen odd years ago. For any coloured vinyl fans, the release comes on red vinyl. The second of the new tunes is the latest release from a band that seemed to spend more time here last year than most local bands. They are of course CSS and this one is called 'Move'. I bought it for the Cut Copy remix on the flip side. The original tune starts off like its going to be a cover of 'Down Under' by Men at Work or even 'Living on the Ceiling' by Blancmange. It then turns into what might be described as a homage to a filler tune on the first Madonna album. All that said I really like it. It's the best release they've had since 'Off the Hook'. Better still is the funky remix by Cut Copy on the flip side. It's like an old eighties electro remix with lots of original MIDI sounds. Well worth checking out if thats your bag. It'll definitely be going on the next b-side remix podcast, whenever that might be!

I had loads of other things that I was going to write about but then I read lots of other blogs with most of the topics covered. You should check those other blogs out if you get the chance.

to the beat of the drum, bang!

Dublin. It’s often described as nothing more than a big village. I estimate that in Dublin there’s only three degrees of separation between everyone living there. Whenever I go into Dublin city centre (which is actually most days, because that’s where I work) I always meet someone I know. If I don’t meet someone I know then I at least meet someone who knows someone I know. I think you get the idea.

Last week I had a chance encounter with an aspiring local musician. The chance encounter wasn’t actually such a chance encounter as it now appears we were aware of each other’s existence for at least a few months. However, this awareness was limited to virtual awareness i.e. on the interweb. I’ve struck up a number of virtual relationships at this stage. Not the kind of relationships that have a young woman in front of a webcam doing peculiar things with vegetables and the like. No, these are more cerebral relationships. In some cases it’s admiration for another’s blogging, in other cases it’s as a result of their musical output and then there are other cases where a series of comments lead to a realisation that I actually know the other person in real life.

In this instance the chap I’m talking about is Conor Furlong. He’s recently released an album of self-penned tunes entitled ‘Eternal’. He was kind enough to give me a copy of the album the other day and I did actually get around to listening to it, albeit just the one listen. First impressions are that Conor's voice is reminiscent of a track that I recently heard by One Day International. By that I don’t mean that the songs or arrangements are similar but I actually mean that the vocals were quite similar to one another. Aside from the vocal similarity (that probably only exists in my head), the rest of the album is a very understated collection of pop songs with a backing track of simple electronic beats and layers of atmospheric sounds. It's not an album that you'd put on before a night out, you're more likely to put it on to unwind in the small hours. Coincidentally, One Day International also have a new album out entitled Blackbird. Both albums are available to buy at www.roadrecs.com.

I picked up a few seven inches in recent days that might tickle the fancy of a few freaks like myself. I picked up what appears to be the first single release, Magic Man, from The Aliens new album Luna. When I first heard it I thought that its another tune that sounds like old Jesus and Mary Chain. On the second listen I decided that it sounded more like Super Furry Animals. On the third listen I'm veering towards the more obscure Beatles sound a la Sergeant Peppers. I have to stop listening to it as I'm running out of things to compare it to. Have you noticed a theme in this blog? I never actually review anything, I just compare it to other stuff.

Another new release on seven inch comes in the form of a peculiar take on hip-hop as espoused by Flobots, a group from Denver in the US. It's two MC's with a band behind them. There's little mainstream hip-hop to compare it to and I dismissed it on first listen. Since then I've gone and listened to a few of their other tunes and it gives me a better idea about what they're trying to do. The only reason I bought it was for the DJ Shadow remix on the b-side. It's a much more uptempo interpretation of the tune and the beats are rocking. The chorus is still annoying me though.

Another unusual new seven inch is one that I came across in All City Records. It was released on The TruThoughts label and it's by Australian soulsters The Bamboos. It features Megan Washington on guest vocals doing a cover version of the Kings of Leon's 'King of the Rodeo'. Better still, the b-side has a tune called 'Can't Help Myself' that features Ty, one of my favourite UK rap artists. It's the bomb.

Not content with just bagging these new seven inches, I went and bought a few odds and ends. When I say odds and ends I really mean odds. A couple of boxes of dusty sevens arrived in Beatfinder Records the other day and I spent a chunk of my lunch break getting my fingers dirty whilst flicking through them. I managed to pull out a 45 by The Sound Stage Orchestra on BBC Records. The a-side is the theme tune to Grandstand whilst the b-side is the theme tune from Rugby Special called Holy Mackerel. They're both great. Very much of their time but still very appealing to the modern listener. Another freaky purchase was a flexi-single from the late seventies featuring Noel Edmonds introducing three of his favourite songs. The tunes are shit but I've a feeling that Noel's voice will be appearing in a future podcast. The last seven inch that I picked up is my current personal favourite. It's Richard Strauss' Also Sprach Zarathustra (better known as the them from 2001 Space Odyssey) arranged and adapted by Eumir Deodato, the Brazilian musician, composer and producer. This tune won the 1973 Grammy award for Best Pop Instrumental so its not just me that thinks its great. Deodato is still out there producing stuff but check him out below, performing in 1980 with his band and accompanying orchestra.

Matt's B-Side Remix Extravaganza Part Deux

The long-awaited second instalment of Matt's B-Side Remix Extravaganza is now upon us. There were several who had doubts as to whether I could follow up the brilliant original with a comparable second. I say let the b-sides do the talking themselves. If it's half as popular as the last one we're in business.

This years cast comes a little earlier than last. But that's because I have a ample amount of great seven inch remixes from the last 9 months. If luck is on our side we might squeeze another in before Christmas. Right let's get busy with the track-listing.

Lykke Li - I'm Good I'm Gone (Metronomy Remix)
Goldfrapp - Happiness (Metronomy Remix)
David Holmes - I heard wonders (Andrew Weatherall Remix)
Hot Chip - One Pure Thought (Toddla T Remix)
Digitalism - Pogo (CSS Remix)
Tricky - Council Estate (South Rakkas Crew Remix)
Roots Manuva - Again & Again (Matt Helders Remix)
Jazmine Sullivan - Need U Bad (Moody Boyz Remix)

UPDATE: Just realised that list is in the wrong order. Oh well. Figure it out yourselves.

Now get it while it's hot and be sure to pass the link on to any friends or relatives who like a drop of the good stuff.

Matt's B-Side Remix Extravaganza Part Deux

beats and pieces

Right so. I've picked up a few bits and pieces so its actually worth writing something. So let's get busy with this weeks round-up of vinyl gems.

First up is a seven inch from the Jack to Phono label. It's by Tombee, a DJ, producer and film-maker from Newcastle in the UK and its entitled 'Sticky Rhythm'. The b-side has a Phase 5 Stereo remix thats also the business. The samples used and the way that its stuck together make the a-side somewhat reminiscent of the early sampling techniques used by the likes of The Prodigy. There's an almost childlike feel to the creation of the tune. I think that's what I like about it.

The next tune I picked up was for €1 in Oxfam. It's by Dream Warriors and it's called 'Wash your face in my sink'. These guys hailed from Toronto in Canada. The group comprised of King Lou, Capital Q, Spek and a DJ, L.A. Luv. This tune was the follow up to their more famous "My Definition of a Boombastic Jazz Style" which featured the widely known sample from "Soul Bossa Nova" by Quincy Jones.


Another old piece of vinyl that I got is the Fall EP by Ride. It was released in 1990 on Creation records and comes with a nice piece of artwork on the cover. It was swiftly followed by their debut album 'Nowhere' which managed to achieve some acclaim. I saw them a couple of times back then and I always liked them. This EP features 'Dreams burn down' which was always a favorite of mine. Get busy gazing at your shoes for this.


Next up is Rockers Hi-Fi with their 1996 album 'Mish Mash'. It comes on triple vinyl to fit all the goodness in. These guys came from Birmingham and by the mid 90's were becoming widely recognised for fusing dub, hip-hop, a bit of jungle and whatever you're having yourself. They released a clatter of albums and also mixed and compiled an album for the now infamous K7 DJ-Kicks series. One of the members, Glyn "Bigga" Bush, continues to produce music as BiggaBush and Lightning Head and he released a great album a few years back called Studio Don.

a week is a long time in record shopping

it's been a whole five days or so since my last post. I arrived back in Dublin eager to catch up on all the great seven inches that had been released whilst I was on my holidays and lo and behold there's fuck all to buy out there. that said I did manage to finally get my hands on the seven inch of 'Steppin Out' by Joe Jackson. It's a bit warped at the start of the record but I reckon I can live with that. A live version of the tune was recently released on 12 inch but its a complete bag of shite. On the new release front I only managed to pick up the latest seven inch release by Roots Manuva entitled 'Buff Nuff'. It's a dancehall flavoured bass-tastic piece of funk and the video is reminiscent of something that George Clinton was doing back in the eighties. The tune seems to be a bit of a departure from his usual stuff but I'm digging it wholesale. There's an instrumental of the tune on the b-side that rumbles.

Given the dearth of musical material on the seven inch front I've taken to reading the papers. All sorts of papers would you believe. Fergus Murphy was just over from Copenhagen and he dropped a few copies of Bitchslap into All City Records. It's a great magazine. It doesn't seem to be about anything in particular but would probably lean towards highlighting various cultural and artistic activities, which is nice. I was banging on about it before in this post.

Also just released is Issue 4 of the now almost nationwide 'Analogue' magazine. It's front page has been typeset in a font that reminds me of the old Open University graphic from all those years ago on late night BBC2. That aside its still choc a bloc full of news, reviews and interviews with all the up and coming bands that I should know about and with some bands that I already know about. A free Storkboy Choons CD came with the magazine but I haven't got around to listening to it yet. Soon come.

I was a great fan of zines years ago and I had just assumed that they had gone the way of the Sinclair C5. It appears that that is far from the actual truth. I'd seen the 'loserdom' zine around quite a few years back and I was intrigued to see that it was still going when I picked it up in a record shop the other day. There's a wonderful innocence about the medium of the zine. It's as if it was born without original sin. They're usually very honest in their tone and there's rarely the cynicism that's found in the more conventional media. The latest issue of Loserdom treats such topics as the Cork Ladyfest, the London Zine symposium and the end of the occupation of Iraq. It also has five pages devoted to reviewing other zines. I thought it funny that you'd devote time to reviewing what is essentially your competition and then I remembered that the zine world is most likely not that competitive.

I'm off to Farmleigh this weekend to check out this years instalment of the Farmleigh Affair. The weather ain't looking too good here so I'll have to hedge my bets. I got a little bit damp at last years event and I'd hate for it to happen again. I'll let you know all about it.

90% x 2

I'm a huge fan of the tune '90% of me is you'. I first came across it in London in 1997 when I was over visiting my mate Hamid. The same weekend saw Billy Scurry play a gig in a club that Hamid ran. It was only proper that we hooked up for a drink and for some reason the lot of us ended up watching an outdoor movie in one of the parks in London. There were about 6 of us and at some stage we ended up back in one of Billy's mates house somewhere near Brixton. In order for us all to get there we had to put my mate Brian in the boot of a car. My memory of the specifics aren't great but I'm sure he didn't go in to the boot without a struggle. Thankfully he made it in one piece and we we sitting around listening to an album that Billy had just bought. The album was called 'Strange Games and Things' and was the first in a series of such compilations on the BBE label. Shortly after this I got the album on vinyl and its been a favourite on the turntable ever since. Anyhow that's all a rather long winded way of introducing the following. I picked up two cover versions of the tune on seven inch vinyl in recent days. The first version I picked up is by Amrals Trinidad Cavaliers, and its a West Indian steel drum version from 1976. It's the business. I also picked up a reggae version by The Dynamics. These boys seem to be making a living from reggae cover versions of popular tunes. In any case they have a good stab at it. I still prefer the original though.

On other fronts, i got a copy of a greatest hits by Common that was released late last year. It features a load of tunes from his first three albums. Many will be familiar with his 2005 album 'Be' which seemed to do well for him but he has a moxy load of albums prior to that one including my favourite, but the critics hated it, 'Electric Circus'. What the fuck do critics know?

I also picked up a second hand copy of 'Right On Vol 4' which is one of those compilations that raids the archives of Atlantic and Warner for some old funk and soul gems to sell to saps like me who couldn't be arsed paying a million quid on eBay for them. It's a smashing album. It includes amongst other tunes the fabulous Cherrystones from Eugene McDaniels Outlaw album.

For some insane reason I had to buy a record that I found in a secondhand shop the other day. It's by the owner of the long established Borderline Records in Temple Bar, a gentleman by the name of Derek Larkin. Copies of this album are as rare as hen's teeth and if you heard it you'd know why. It's crap. Funnily enough the name of the album is also 'Crap'. It features an obviously drunk Mr Larkin and a merry band of cohorts murdering such popular favourites as Like a Virgin and Stand by your Man. I'm going to give it to him for Christmas.

Ending the post on sadder note, it appears that once again Sinéad Gleeson bows out from writing her Sigla blog. She's done so before and returned. Hell knows what might happen. It's a lady's prerogative to change her mind. In her post she speaks of readers expecting and deserving posts of a certain quality. If you're that type of reader then you might want to stop reading this blog, unless the sort of quality you desire is the ramshackle variety. Good luck Sinéad.

And finally, Esbjorn Svensson RIP

surprise podcast!

Surprise.

strictly vibes

There's nothing quite like some silence in order to ponder the grander aspects of life. I've been pretty busy front-loading the rearing of my latest offspring. Like any project it's easier to do the graft at the start in order to allow for an easy run in later on. That's been the case with the latest little fella. After eight weeks of intensive parenting the results are beginning to show. He's already managed to sleep through the night for the last few evenings. Apparently some parents have not experienced this event until their kids are one and sometimes two years old. I've several theories on this but this is a music blog and I don't want to elicit the wrath of any parents who can only begrudge my skilful rearing of children. All four so far were sleeping through the night by about eight weeks old. Anyway this paragraph so far has merely served to act as an excuse for not posting as regularly as I usually would. Then again I'm not sure why I'm even excusing myself, you're getting all this for free in any case.

I have managed to pick up a few things over the last week or so. The first I should mention is the new album by M83 which is a throwback to a mix of several sounds of my youth. There's loads of reviews of it already so go and read them instead.

I'll go through some of the more recent releases on the seven inch format that I've picked up. The first comes from a band who seem fond of some choice language given that they're called 'Holy Fuck'. They hail from Toronto, I believe, and they're the latest craze if the music press are to be believed. You can read an interview with them in the online edition of new Irish music magazine, State. The a-side is called 'Lovely Allen' and its a nice job but I'm more fond of the b-side which has a tune called 'Super Inuit' on it. It reminds me of seventies kraut-rock a la Neu. It's a great tune.

Next up is a tune that was released a couple of weeks ago. Its reminiscent of some dreamy pop from another age. There's a great synth hook that runs most of the way through it. It's unnoticeable at first but have a closer listen and you'll see what I mean. It's called 'Happiness' and is the latest release from Goldfrapp. The flip side has a great remix by Metronomy.

Another band that I've seen a lot written about is Neon Neon, a collaboration between Super Furry Animals frontman Gruff Rhys and freaky beatmeister Boom Bip. It's another one that is like a throwback to the early eighties synth laden pop of Vince Clark. It's a very simple affair and therin lies its beauty. I've yet to listen to the rest of the album so I'm not sure if the beauty would extend to a full album of similar material. The b-side is a remix of the tune that adds a bit of Afrika Bambataa and Jan Hammer into the mix. Heavier beats and and a meatier synth riff are the order of the day.

I also picked up a few older tunes, the first being the timeless classic, 'Everybody Dance' by Chic. It's a bit crackly but it still rocks the joint. They knew how to write a bassline back in those days. I also bought 'Sixteen' by Musical Youth. This tune features Jody Watley on guest vocals, is from around 1983 and was penned by Motown legend Lamont Dozier. It's a nice slice of lovers rock but the b-side is much better. It's called Strictly Vibes and was written and produced by the band themselves and iot doesn't feature on any of their other records. It's a fair reflection of what the band were about.

The last two records of any note are a re-pressing of 'You showed me' by The Turtles and a reggae reworking of 'What's going on'. The first tune might be known to a lot of my generation as it was covered by The Lightning Seeds. Broudie did a grand version, but to be honest, when you compare it to the original its pretty lame. The second tune is a kind of soul reggae mashup but it somehow works. The b-side is another mashup featuring Edwin Starr's War and Sean Paul's Gimme the Light. Its fucked up but I like it too.

The 80's Pop Pickers Podcast

This podcast was inspired by a post over at www.nialler9.com From nowhere people started to admit to certain a guilty pleasure they got from listening to particular tunes from the 1980's. Always a keen member of the nostalgia brigade I decided to dig through some boxes of seven inches from the eighties. This isn't a favourite top ten by any means but is instead intended as a representation of the stuff that really defined the charts during the period in question. Enjoy the trip down memory lane. If you enjoy it then go and buy one of those cheap compilations available in all good supermarkets. Better still you could offer to buy all mine from me.

The 80's Pop Pickers Podcast


1. Pop Musik – M

This one just manages to sum up the eighties for me. Perfect pop.

2. Living it Up – Level 42

I used to hate this band when this was released. Some pasty faced blokes trying to reinvent white soul music in the UK. That said I’ve revised my thinking considerably. It’s great.

3. Owner of a Lonely Heart – Yes

A great rock-pop crossover at the time. The production is great. The sound is set in a distinct time and place, a place that Yes never really managed to revisit. Pity.

4. Teardrops – Womack & Womack

The girls always loved this one. That’s enough reason to merit its inclusion.

5. Dancehall Days – Wang Chung

This reminds me of MT USA. I’m sorry that I didn’t include the Safety Dance by Men without Hats. I always associate the two songs together for some reason. Don’t know why.

6. All Night Long – Lionel Richie

The original soul-glo star of the eighties, Lionel really had it going on for a while. He had a succession of huge hits like that ‘Hello’ tune. In the video the chick made a hilarious bust of Lionel out of clay. It was a toss-up to include this tune or Dancing on the Ceiling but this one won out on account of it being just cheesey and great. But so is the other one you say!

7. I can’t go for that – Hall & Oates

I’m not sure how this one snuck onto the podcast but I decided to leave it in. I was never a huge fan of these chaps. The blonde one always reminded me of a mulleted mate and the little one always reminded me of one of the guys from Cannon & Ball. That doesn’t quite paint a delightful picture in the mind but the tune is good in a typical eighties kind of way. We were satisfied with less in those days.

8. State of Independence – Donna Summer

This tune really owes everything to the Quincy Jones production on it. The guy was on fire back in the eighties producing stuff like this as well as the Thriller album by Michael Jackson. It’s not really fast enough to get a dancefloor rocking but it still deserves its place in pop history.

9. Joe Le Taxi – Vanessa Paradis

Vanessa appeared on Top of the Pops singing this and I was smitten. I harboured thoughts of marrying her for several years but when you’re vying against Lenny Kravitz and Johnny Depp you realise you’ve got to give the game up. I learnt all the lyrics to this and its only recently I translated them. As it turns out its brilliantly nonsensical.

10. Sledgehammer – Peter Gabriel

Although Peter Gabriel put out an unholy amount of shite back in the eighties he did manage to release this piece of genuine brilliance. It was accompanied by a groundbreaking video that was the toast of MTV for a long time. I’ve never really wondered what the lyrics are about so I must give them a proper listen one of these days. Or else someone else might want to listen and leave a quick synopsis in the comment box.

all sixes and sevens

Both myself and my good lady wife are awaiting the imminent arrival of our fourth child. It was due today, but in typically Irish fashion, it's late. Most people are quite bemused when they hear its our fourth. Isn't that an awful lot they ask? Well not really. Once you've gone past two kids it doesn't really make much odds. As an old relative of mine used to say 'Sure you need four to carry the box!' What a nice sentiment.

I haven't wandered too far from home but I did go to watch the Arsenal match in a friends house today. I won't be invited back in a hurry. The last time I was there we got hockeyed by Tottenham and today it was 4 - 0 to Man Utd. I'm quite sure I watched in his house when we lost the Champions League final to Barcelona. i think its best for all concerned if I just watch all future matches on my own somewhere. Anyhow the match was shite but when I arrived home my seven year old son was watching TV and an advertisement for the 25th Anniversary Edition of Thriller came on. My son looked at Michael Jackson, looked back at me and said 'Dad, he looks like Mully!. This kind of stuff is the reason to have kids, they come out with some great shit. As Mully, an old pal of mine, is a Man Utd fan that really served to soften the blow of the result. We may have lost but at least I don't look like Michael Jackson. Well done son.

I also got my copy of Mr Amperduke by Bob Byrne in the post yesterday. It was worth every penny of the €14.95 I paid for it. Support Irish comics and go and buy it.

In terms of musical activity I picked up some nice seven inches in All City Records on Friday. Both are brand new recordings but have a massive soul sound of yesteryear. The first is a new seven by Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings doing a cover of an old Kenny Rogers song 'I just dropped in to see what condition my condition was in'. These guys are great. I didn't bother buying their recent album (100 Days, 100 Nights) but I'll most likely go and buy it after hearing this tune. If you get the chance you should check them out live in The Button Factory here in Dublin on April 10th.

The other seven is by Baby Charles doing a cover of 'I bet you look good on the dancefloor', the Arctic Monkeys tune. Baby Charles a UK based soul band who mix up quirky covers with their own material. They seem to be flavour of the month at the moment and deservedly so. They're the British version of Sharon Jones and The Dap Kings.

Finally, I'm a man who likes to keep my finger on the musical pulse. Well that's not entirely true. When things are hyped I tend to give them a cooling period before i touch them. I ignored the entire Radiohead 'In Rainbows' furore of a few months back. In fact it wasn't until this week that I got the album. I'd seen them perform a couple of numbers on Jools Holland's Later some weeks back and was really impressed. I'd also bought the first single from the album and I really like it. Unsurprisingly I like the album. I'm not a big fan of theirs, never have been, in fact I own nothing else by them. This album is great though. I listened to it when I was varnishing the back door today. They can put that on the album: 'Great for varnishing your back door to - Matt Vinyl'.

Matt Vinyl's Newsround

Here's the latest vinyl offerings on seven inch format that have crossed Matt's threshold over the last week or so. Some are prize finds whilst others will just take up that extra bit of space on the shelves for posterity (or until I give them to a charity shop).

First up and best dressed is Bob Marley's Buffalo Soldier. I remember this tune from a programme called MT USA that was broadcast here in Ireland in the early eighties. If I remember correctly the video featured a bunch of rastas in Union Army uniforms from the American civil war. It made quite an impression at the time but it wouldn't be one of my favourite Marley tunes. The b-side however is a dub excursion of the tune and its a blinder. It's bubblin'.

Next up is the latest offering from Dublin band Fight Like Apes called Jake Summers. It's a fine piece of electro garage rock if that's even a genre. If it wasn't then it is now. There's a bit of shouting and bad language involved and this very much lends to its appeal. It gets very urgent sounding towards the end and then kind of fizzles out. A perfect pop record by my standards. You can listen to it on their MySpace here.

Dinosaur Jr have released another seven inch from their new(ish) album called 'Crumble' I think. I don't have it to hand and I haven't even listened to it yet but I know its going to be good. What with Thurston Moore and J Mascis back in such great form all thats needed now to relive my teenage youth is a reunion of My Bloody Valentine. Perhaps I might even get the old band back together so that I can pretend I'm a rock star myself. Maybe not! That's best left to the likes of Human League.

Amy Winehouse has finally released 'Tears Dry on their Own' one of the finest tunes form her recent album. I first saw her perform the tune on Jools Hollands' Later a number of months ago. It's a trip back in musical history to the sixties. The voice, the backing band, the production. The business. It has a New Young Pony Club remix on the flip. You can watch the video for the original here.

Kate Nash' 'Mouthwash' is the latest release from the English chanteuse. She's playing here in Dublin on November 17th in The Ambassador. Apparently Kate was born in Dublin so all her cousins will probably be there. Thank jaysus she doesn' sing her tunes in a Dublin accent. It wouldn't be half as quirky as her London twang. Anyway I like the new tune.

Finally, I picked up the current number one record in the British singles charts. 'About you now' is the latest release by The Sugababes and it's really not that good. I bought it because it had a remix by Kissy Sell Out on the b-side but it's not that good either. It sounds a bit like Daft Punk gone wrong. You can listen to the remix here.

The only clip I could find of MT USA was a report from Belfast. This is not the MT USA that I remember but it is absolutely brilliant nonetheless. You have to hang on until the dying seconds of the clip to see the MT USA logo and accompanying shit eighties jingle. Enjoy.

join the JWT set

Story Folks? Between diggin out old tunes for the Breakdance podcast I've also managed to pick up a few new musical bits and pieces as well as one secondhand release. I'll begin with the latter. It's a Klute remix of Koobesq, a track by King Kooba, on the SecondSkin label. It was released back in 1999 around that time when a drum and bass remix of your track was de rigeur for all vinyl releases. During this time there was many a shite remix done Drum and Bass producers who were looking for a few easy quid. There were however a small number of producers who put a little bit of effort into their sideline work. Klute is one of that variety. Everything he touched back then would turn to musical gold. His older stuff on Certificate 18 records was great. Most of his work between 95 and 99 was top drawer. This remix is no exception. Clear crisp beats and a dreamy atmosphere untypical of the generic coffe table shite that was being churned out by others. I lost track of him around 1999 but apparently he's still releasing stuff on Breakbeat Science. Good luck to him.

I picked up Peaches by the Dub Pistols the other day. I was impressed by their set at the recent Electric Picnic. This release features Rodney P waxing lyrical over the a reworking of the original The Stranglers tune. It's radio-friendly and I've already heard some shit Irish radio station do a version of it on their breakfast show. Fuckin eejits. Listen to it here.

I'll quickly plough through the other stuff. I got my hands on the latest seven inch release by Dan Le Sac & Scroobius Pip. It's called 'The beat that my heart skips'. It's great. Listen to it here.

I picked up the latest 7" by The White Stripes. It's called 'You don't know what love is' and its more of the same Led Zeppelinesque stuff from their Icky Thump album. Check it out here.

'Solta O Frango' is the latest release from Bonde Do Role and you can listen to it here. It's like an electronic 'Agadoo' mixed with some Amazulu but with a freaky Brazilian twist. Classic madness.

I broke my usual habits and bought a new 12". It's on the Belgian based 'Mindless Boogie' label and its a re-edit of Joe Walsh's 'Country Fair'. I am referring to Joe Walsh, ex-member of The Eagles, as opposed to Jow Walsh of JWT fame. The tune itself is of the finest quality. It lies somewhere in between the wanky side of prog rock and sheer brilliance. You can listen to a thirty seconds of it here.

Last but not least is the new album 'Insect Funk' by Elmore Judd out now on Honest Jon's record label. I've just listened to it once but I'm diggin it. Check some of it out here.