Named after the debut single by Teenage Fanclub. 1,000+ blogs! This blog is all about being a music lover in Glasgow; reviews, interviews, memories, old faves, new discoveries (past & present) and more. Thanks for visiting - I hope you discover something amazing you've never heard before, or that you rediscover an old favourite. Regular features/playlists; Never Ending Mixtape / Cover Version of the Month/ Trust Me. Twitter - @murrayeaston Email - murrayeaston {AT} gmail {DOT} com
Monday 29 August 2022
The Charlatans by The Charlatans
Friday 19 August 2022
Circus Moving On
Poster Paints - Simon & Carla by Craig McIntosh
You say I need to walk before I float
But I'm already flying every day
Poster Paints continue to build momentum towards their eponymous debut with the release of the spellbinding Circus Moving On as a single.
This song does float and glide beautifully through the verses, it's mellow, tender, dreamy
Then ... at 48 seconds ... the slow burning star becomes a shooting star lighting up the night sky at pace. A double chorus is delivered with strings
You say I need to walk before I float
But I'm already flying every day
I didn't know that I would be the joke
That got you crying when you say my name
When you say my name
You got under my skin, in my hair, on my lips
Under finger nails, on my hips
And in my dreams
You got under my skin, in my hair, on my lips
Under finger nails, on my hips
Everything slows to leave space for the next couple of lines
Between my teeth, under sheets
In my dreams
And then ... we explode back into the chorus again. The strings sound even more cinematic, it might as well be your own heart strings that are in the song.
Here is what Carla had to say; "We worked remotely with Andrew Jin Chung based in Canada for the beautiful string arrangements that really made the findal recording soar. The initial idea was based around Mellotron sounds after a discussion about how much Simon and I both loved the song All My Happiness Is Gone by Purple Mountains. Subconciously that was perhaps a jumping off point for the lyrics and combining a classic sad/happy juxtaposition between words and sounds. It's not the Poster Paints sound you might be expecting but it's one of our favourites on the album and is a joy to play live."
Poster Paints have just announced a show at The Glad Cafe in Glasgow to celebrate the release of their eponymous debut album. Come and hear this song live ... bring your heart strings.
CIRCUS MOVING ON (LYRIC VIDEO)
PRE_ORDER ALBUM HERE (MONORAIL EXLUSIVE)
Sunday 14 August 2022
Edwyn Collins at Kelvingrove Bandstand
What a joy to watch Edwyn Collins, a master in the craft of songwriting, in such a beautiful setting last night. The gorgeous sunshine helped create a real festival vibe; t-shirts, shorts, summer dresses and shades had everyone smiling, the whole bandstand seemed to be glowing with positive vibes.
Clare Grogan, performing under the name of her band Altered Images, enhanced the vibe. Clearly delighted to be playing to a packed Bandstand, 2-years after she was initially scheduled to play with Edwyn.
Wearing a sparkly silver dress while tottering and dancing on high platforms, Grogan delighted the crowd with hits like I Could Be Happy, while mixing in new songs written with Bobby Bluebell and Bernard Butler from the forthcoming Altered Images album. The pure pop sound was blissful in the evening sun.
Don't Talk To me About Love got the whole Bandstand on their feet to dance and sing, an emotional Grogan was close to tears as she thanked everyone after. Released almost 40-years ago, Grogan highlighted that if you'd told her back then that she be playing it to 2,000 people in Kelvingrove Bandstand then she wouldn't have believed you.
Happy Birthday was beautiful, fun, catchy and euphoric pop music. And the crowd responded en mass again. Grogan wished everyone well and said she was off to get a drink to watch Edwyn, urging us to do the same.
At 9pm Edwyn's band took to the stage, followed by Collins himself, dressed in a super sharp suit and white shoes. Ever the mod. The crowd stood and cheered as one, a warm ovation for a truly beloved performer.
Collins directed his band straight into the pounding northern soul influenced Losing Sleep. We were standing in the very back row (before going down the front later) and I took a minute to just take it all in. What a setting for live music! Glasgow at it's very best.
Saturday 13 August 2022
Anything Goes & Everything Flows DJ Mix 15
Welcome to my monthly 60-minute DJ mix where I like to throw in an eclectic bunch of tunes and see if my motto of Anything Goes & Everything Flows works!
These mixes are inspired by DJ's I would catch in Glasgow bars like McChuills or The Variety Bar back in my younger days when I'd often go for a pre-club night and end up just staying in the bar.
I was in McChuills a couple of weeks ago on a Saturday night and my wife and I ended up dancing at the end of the bar as DJ Stevie Elemements played a great mix of everything from The Sonics to Madonna, with everything in between. It was so good to hear brilliant music played loudly and to see people responding. Strangers (in some cases) coming together through music.
We kick off with some laid back soulful & jazzy grooves before going on a real mix from the super cool sounds of Liquid Liquid, a detour into Mexican spiced rock, outrageous soul, electro pop, classic Bowie, crazy pop courtesy of The KLF before ending with the euphoric Loaded by Primal Scream.
Search for Everything Flows DJ Mix 15 on Spotify or CLICK HERE
Rose rouge - St Germain
The Beat Goes On (live) - Buddy Rich Band
Be Thankful For What You've Got - Massive Attack
I Heard It Through The Grapevine - The Slits
Cavern - Liquid Liquid
The Mexican - Babe Ruth
You - Spanky Wilson
Sound and Vision - David Bowie
I Could Be Happy - Altered Images
Electricity - Orchestral Manoeuvres In The Dark
Sliced Tomatoes - Just Brothers
California Soul - Marlena Shaw
Justified & Ancient - The KLF
Loaded - Primal Scream
Wednesday 10 August 2022
Dancin' Round & Round
Cover version of the month #78
Juliana Hatfield covers Olivia Newton-John
I was saddened to hear of the loss of Olivia Newton-John earlier this week. Thanks to her iconic performance as Sandy in Grease, Newton-John touched many, many hearts. In the evergreen classic film, Newton John was pure, cute and innocent, before transforming into a super cool temptress, sewn into skin tight black leggings. Travolta's face as Newton-John struts, purrs and dances in front of him during You're The One That I Want is a picture. He can't take his eyes off her - no acting required!
Dancin' Round & Round is taken from Olivia's 10th album, 1978's Totally Hot. Released the same year as Grease, it's no surprise to see that it only reached number 30 in the UK charts. The huge success of Grease (film & soundtrack) meant that Newton-John's life and priorities were transformed.
I'm not going to pretend to know a great deal about Newton-John's musical output. Outwith the songs from Grease and big hits like Physical and Xanadu, I didn't/don't know much at all. But my extremely limited knowledge was supplemented when Juliana Hatfield released a covers album in 2018.
A couple of songs stood out for me, particularly Dancin' Round & Round. Hatfield and her band play and sing with a real zip and energy, turning Newton John's original country style ballad into a delicious fuzzy and scuzzy guitar pop gem.
I'm gonna go out tonight
Gonna feel alright
If it tears me right in two
Cause I just can't stay
Feeling this way
With a heart that's full of you
Dancin' Round & Round official video
Juliana Hatfield - live at The Burren Backroom
Juliana Hatfield - album version
All previous cover version of the month blogs are listed below. To listen, search for Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions playlist, featuring all of the songs below, on Spotify or CLICK HERE
Previous covers of the month
40. Jumpin' Jack Flash
44. Witchi Tai To
45. Our Lips Are Sealed
46. Sunshine Of Your Love
47. Here Comes The Sun
48. I Think We're Alone Now
49. Don't Let Me Down
50. It's Oh So Quiet
51. Alcoholiday
52. Summer Holiday
53. Who Do You Think You Are?
54. Head On
55. Nothing Compares 2 U
Tuesday 9 August 2022
There She Goes
Trust me #41
There She Goes by The La's
The La's There She Goes is a bonafide classic. Heavenly chiming guitars, a song that is essentially a chorus repeated again and again, a steady (at times almost skiffle like) rhythm, vocals that are beautifully stretched in all the right ways, with singer Lee Mavers singing over and over about a girl he has fallen head over heels for ... guitar pop perfection. So simple, so beautiful, so pure.
There she goes
There she goes again
She calls my name
Pulls my train
No-one else can heal my pain
Or is There She Goes a love letter to heroin? The lyrics certainly fit the part; pulsing through my veins, no-one else can heal my pain, she calls my name ....
Regardless, There She Goes is as perfect a guitar pop song you'll hear. Personally, for me the song still has the same meaning I attached to it as a 15-year old - it's about a fantasy girl who is out of reach, but just the thought of her heals pain.
FACT - the sublime opening guitar riff is one of the first things I asked my shortlived guitar tutor to teach me when I was 18. It's one of the few things I bothered to learn and I still know it!
Why did I ask to learn that riff (along with Stone Roses Mersey Paradise) more than any other? Both are based around the D chord, my favourite. I don't really know the answer. They both just chimed (pardon the pun) with me from the very first time I heard them.
There is a great deal of mystery surrounding The La's (band and album), much of it is attributed to singer-songwriter Lee Mavers. My favourite myth is that he abandoned recording their debut album at one stage because he wanted a mixing desk sprinkled with dust from the 60's.
Producers came and went, unable to capture the sounds in Mavers head that he was looking for. The songs on their eponymous album had been floating around in years. There are loads of bootlegs that have ended up being issued officially; Lost La's, De Freitas Sessions, Lost Tapes, radio session/live albums and there are loads of bonus tracks of various mixes with different producers on deluxe reissues of the album.
The La's actually signed with Go! Discs in 1987 and Mavers had all the songs, but the album wasn't released until 1990. 8 producers were involved, the band finally 'settled' with Steve Lillywhite. Even then, Mavers immediately disowned the album upon release!
Word of mouth grew during that time though. There She Goes was originally released as a single in 1988, a version produced by Bob Andrews, it failed to chart. The Lillywhite version was then issued in 1990 and hit number 13 in the charts.
And then ... Mavers disappeared. You can read more about that in this excellent article in The Guardian by Alexis Petridis. His bandmate John Power went on to form Cast and smash things out the park with guitar pop hits like Finetime, Alright, Flying and the beautiful ballad Walk Away.
Mavers talked of rerecording The La's album but there were also rumours that he was building a collection of unbelievable songs ... there has been little evidence of that, although new songs were played when the band briefly reformed around a decade ago.
You have to wonder what might be kicking around in Mavers attic, garage or on hard drives. Or what is in his head.
In the meantime, There She Goes is an absolute gem of a song, it never fails to make me smile and the warm chords and chiming riff make me feel the same way I do when I hear fellow scousers Here Comes The Sun. Guitar pop perfection! Just a chorus repeated over and over. On repeated listens John Power's calls my name backing vocals are sublime, just keeping the urgency going, egging on Mavers lead vocals. A nugget! Delivered in under 3-minutes.
You can check a variety of versions below.
I've also collated them all into a playlist on Spotify that you can find by searching for Everything Flows - Trust Me , or you can CLICK HERE
Previous Trust Me blogs
Friday 5 August 2022
Never Ending Mixtape part 75
Hey
How are you doing?
Welcome to part 75 of my Never Ending Mixtape. Back in the day I loved making C90 mixtapes and then that changed to CD's. Now I enjoy making playlists, some with real thought behind them ... but with my Never Ending Mixtape I just add songs to it whenever I get the notion ... and it works!
My Never Ending Mixtape now has over 2,750 songs on it! I personally enjoy just pressing shuffle and seeing what plays.
A little tip - If you want to play from the new songs added, click on to the playlist and then go to the top where you can type in the section next to the magnifying glass - 'find in playlist'. Type in Accused of Stealing, then click on that song and away you go!
I have bought tickets for The Delgados at The Barrowland next January and I've enjoyed listening to their back catalogue for the first time in ages.
Other highlights range from R.E.M. to Peter Doherty - an artist I've not really explored, but have checked a little recently after reading and enjoying his autobiography. Then we have 2nd Grade and Flying Mojito Brothers (photo at the top) - two bands I hadn't previously heard of before, never mind heard a song.
We end with a song by Scottish artist Lizzie Reid (photo at the bottom) - check her out. I hope to see her live in the near future.
Search for Everything Flows Never Ending Mixtape on Spotify or CLICK HERE
As always, I hope you find something you've never heard before that you fall in love with, or that you rediscover an old favourite.
You'll find a list of the latest songs added below;
Accused of Stealing - The Delgados
Make Your Move - The Delgados
No Danger - The Delgados
Everybody Come Down - The Delgados
Dennis Hopper in Easy Street - 2nd Grade
Fall At Your Feet - Crowded House
Weather With You - Crowded House
Something So Strong - Crowded House
The Storm - World Of Twist
Low Expectations - Edwyn Collins
Hang on to Yourself - David Bowie
Dancing In The Moonlight - Thin Lizzy
We All Stand Together (The Frog Chorus) - Paul McCartney
Calico Skies - Paul McCartney
I've Got A Feeling (Rooftop take 1) - The Beatles
Get Back (Rooftop take 3) - The Beatles
The Sound of Silence - Simon & Garfunkel
Father And Son - Cat Stevens
Do Your Thing - Moondog
All Our Dreams Are Coming True - Gene Page
Catholic Education - Teenage Fanclub
Fall On Me - R.E.M.
(Don't Go Back To) Rockville - R.E.M.
New Orleans Instrumental - R.E.M.
Into The Sun - Superorganism
Lay Down - DMA's
Falling Hard - Poster Paints
Five Mile Hike - Flying Mojito Brothers
Keep On - instrumental - Flying Mojito Brothers
For Lovers - Peter Doherty
Free Money - Patti Smith
Arms Around the Sun - Sonny Marvello
Up the Bracket - The Libertines
Don't Play That Song - Aretha Franklin
Albion - Babyshambles
Broken Love Song - Peter Doherty
Someone Else - Peter Doherty
Days Like This - Polyphonic Spree
Hanging Around The Day Pt. 1 - Polyphonic Spree
Hanging Around The Day Pt. 2- Polyphonic Spree
Wop-A-Din Din - Red House Painters
Overcome By Happiness - Pernice Brothers
Warpaint - Lizzie Reid
Monday 1 August 2022
Summertime Clothes
Trust me #40
Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective
Earlier on this year I heard this kind of crazy, yet melodic, synthy, psychedelic sound coming out of my speaker as I listened to Lauren Laverne on 6 Music. The story being told and the hook really got me.
And I want to walk around with you
I want to walk around with you
The song was Summertime Clothes by Animal Collective and I immediately started a draft blog so I could return to the song to write about it in ... the summertime. I should have had it ready to go for the heatwave!
A great big dirty synth kicks things off, joined by bass and a beat, a further synth riff and backing vocals come in. Animal Collective layer things beautifully.
And then the vocals. A fast flowing melody builds to the chorus, harmonies are introduced at all the right times, for a little extra lift and energy.
The lyrics tell the tale of a baking hot summer night, it's too hot to sleep, so a couple just go out walking through the city, all the way until dawn breaks.
Summertime Clothes was released back in 2009 as a single and on the bands Merriweather Post Pavillion album. An old friend who I worked with at the time talked about Animal Collective constantly. I don't know why I didn't check them out!
Listening to this song makes me wish I was younger, wandering around in the summer sun with a friend/girlfriend, without a care in the world. I really love the energy, feeling and beautiful psychedelic synth pop vibe Animal Collective created.
When the sun goes down we'll go out again
When the sun goes down we'll go out again
Animal Collective play Saint Luke's in Glasgow on 9th November. TICKETS HERE
Official video
I've also collated them all into a playlist on Spotify that you can find by searching for Everything Flows - Trust Me , or you can CLICK HERE