Next turn on the decks will be on Saturday 9 October for Shake, Rattle & Bowl at the All Star Lanes in Holborn. 50s & 60s Rock n’ Roll, r ‘n b, blues, psych, mod, soul, Vegas grind and everything in between. Expect floorshakin’ rarities, obscurities and classics – discerning but not elitist.
We’re on from 8pm-2am.
Their gig at Dingwall’s on Tuesday was utter fabulousness as always. I gave my Hipstamatic a bit of a test run there, but the throng of male admirers down the front obstructed the view somewhat.
Their album, Through Low Light and Trees, is out now, and features all new tunes (so if you didn’t buy any of the previous 7″s, you’d better snap them up quick, if there’s even any left). You can download this one here as a taster – slightly different version to the one on the album, so buybuybuy the whole goddamn thing now…
Smoke Fairies – Hotel Room by hells-belles
Family Fodder is mostly Alig Fodder, a classical pianist who formed the band in 1979. I use “band” in the loosest sense of the word – over the course of FF’s most active 5 years in the late 70s-early 80s, Alig worked with at least 20 different musicians.
These days Alig spends a lot of his time in Cyprus making field recordings and playing the accordion, and occasionally doing a Family Fodder album. The most recent one of those was 10 years ago… until now. A new Family Fodder album, Classical Music, is on the horizon. Keeping it in the family theme, it features the vocals of Darlini King-Saul, who is the daughter of original vocalist Dominique Levillain. Which is nice.
Their record label has kindly let the blawgosphere give away a track from the album for free. It’ll make you feel funny inside. Click on the little arrow on the right-hand side of yon player to download it:
Family Fodder – The Onliest Thing by hells-belles
How is it possible that we’re nearly 7 months in without a mention of French 60s beat, let alone without a mention of Jacques Dutronc? This is an absolutely KILLER tune, with a hefty dose of fuzz in the vein of cult late-60s Dutronc favourites like “Je Suis Content” and “Le Responsable”.
Jacques is possibly the coolest specimen of the French 60s fraternity after Serge Gainsbourg, though if we’re going to compare, Jacques is more pretty than perv. Interesting factoid, he’s married to Françoise Hardy and they have a son, Thomas, who is also a singer and lookswise the absolute spit of his dad in his 60s heyday. (Thomas’s music is the spit of his dad’s later, smarmier output – proceed with caution on both Dutronc fronts.)
Jacques Dutronc – A La Queue Les Yvelines by hells-belles
MP3: Jacques Dutronc – A La Queue Les Yvelines
This is a crazy, killer semi-instrumental, with an emphasis on the “mental”. It’s a smokin’ r ‘n b strut, with gritty guitars and what sounds like the crazy guy on the bus shouting rodeo patter over the top. Beautiful.
I know nothing about the band, and can’t find anything elsewhere on the ‘net except other head-scratchers. It appears the original 45 was released on Symbol in about 1965, but this track also appears on the long-deleted Sue Records boxset and the Shakin’ Fit comp, both of which go for ott money just for the CD – some hopeful on ebay had Shakin’ Fit listed for over $100. For a CD.
Here’s hoping for a re-issue:
Pancho Villa & The Bandits – Ain’t That Bad by hells-belles
MP3: Pancho Villa & The Bandits – Ain’t That Bad
