Never Ending Mixtape Part 2

Welcome to the second instalment of the Never Ending Mixtape that you can check out on Spotify.

14 songs are added to the mixtape and it is an eclectic collection ranging from Nick Drake to The Clash with Hendrix, Marvin Gaye, Nirvana, The Undertones, long lost bedroom romantics Alfie and hmmmm Scarlett Johansson in between.

Time Of No Reply (orchestrated version) - Nick Drake
Just beautiful. I'd only really listened to the classic Pink Moon album until earlier this year. There is a treasure trove of wonder to delve into.

Let Me Get There - Hope Sandoval and Kurt Vile
My friend Alan Clarke turned me on to this. I adore Hope Sandoval, her voice is stunning and I love loads of her stuff; solo, with Mazzy Star and guesting on songs with the likes of the Marychain and Death In Vegas.

Inner City Blues (Make Me Wanna Holler) - Marvin Gaye
What a groove, Marvin sounding exceptional. Incredible political and socially conscious lyrics.

Hercules - Aaron Neville
Listen to this on headphones, you can just make out an audible groan of satisfaction right at the start when the groove kicks in. And what a groove! And Aaron Neville just flows with his melody, delivery and poetic genius.

Little Wing - Jimi Hendrix
So yeah, this was released in 1967. Far out, gorgeous, funky, soulful, genius. It sounds mind blowing in 2016, imagine what it was like back then?

Buttermilk - Captain America/Eugenius
Eugene Kelly has written some incredible songs in his time. Captain America was his short lived post Vaselines band, changing names to Eugenius after a legal threat from Marvel Comics. Much loved by Nirvana. I love the guitar riffs and the urgent vocal melody.

Lounge Act - Nirvana
Speaking of guitar riffs and urgent vocals (and flow melody) - what about this gem from Nirvana's classic Nevermind album?! Kurt just gets to the stage where he injects extra ferocity and speed into his guitar and screams his heart out. Just listened to this for the first time in a few years - sensational.

Teenage Kicks - The Undertones
Teenage angst in purest punk pop form.

When You Walk In The Room - The Searchers
Speaking of teenage angst - this is wonderful loving pop music. I first heard this when my friend's Ben and Annisa had it as their first dance at their wedding. A Jackie DeShannon song - well worth tracking down some of the compilations of her songs.

If You Ever Get Your Hands On Love - Gladys Knight and the Pips
Motown at its best - beat, groove, melody, hooks, soul and advice.

It's You - Chris Grant
Recorded in his garage in Liverpool. This is a beautiful lofi love song that deserves to be recorded in Abbey Road with the London Philharmonic Orchestra. His It's Not About War album from 2013 contains several other stunner; particularly I Am The One and Like A 45.

Don't Wanna Grow Up - Scarlett Johansson
Scarlett Johansson does synth pop with childish charm - superb.

It's Just About The Weather - Alfie
I caught Alfie (from Manchester) at King Tut's one time and fell for their lazy charm. They looked like they had just got out of bed and produced gems like this.

The Magnificent Seven - The Clash
Surely one of the best opening tracks on an album ever. The Clash released a triple album with Sandista! and guaranteed that it would sell at normal price! Incredible value for fans and there is so much to take in - reggae, dub, punk, pop.

Bryter Layter by Nick Drake

Last week I discovered Bryter Layter by Nick Drake.

My friend Ian stuck on an original record on in his flat. The large bay windows let in the light from the street, I cracked open a beer and padded across his wooden floorboards to inspect the sleeve - the opening instrumental was sheer beauty and the second track was jaunty leftfield pop, who was this? Was it some long lost unreleased Belle and Sebastian number?

I own Pink Moon, I've read several articles on the genius of Nick Drake over the years, but sadly I had never pursued all of his albums and recordings. More the fool me!

Bryter Layter was Drake's second album, released in March 1971. It is incredible.

The aforementioned instrumental is simply titled Introduction and it is 93 seconds of perfection. I sat transfixed as the strings soared and swooped over a lovely picked guitar riff. Cinematic, widescreen, dreamy - perfect music to escape to.

I mentioned Belle and Sebastian earlier and Hazey Jane II must have been a favourite of Stuart Murdoch and co at some point. I am sure it still is.

The song has a brilliant flow, warm feel and production, the band jamming along and Drake sounding like a dreamy and knowledgable angel. The trumpets/horns lift the song, the acoustic guitar playing sounds beautifully furious at times.

Drake’s whispery vocals over his strummed and thumbed acoustic, backed by gentle percussion are incredible throughout the album. On At the Chime of a City Clock they sound even better with yet more glorious strings and a little bit of saxophone.

One Of These Things First is a beauty with Drake singing about all kinds of things he could have been - a sailor, a cook, a book, a pillar a door....

Drake later revisits an earlier song (about the same girl) with Hazey Jane I closing side 1 of the vinyl.

Do it for you

Sure that you would do the same for me one day

So try to be true

Even if it’s only in your hazy way

The title track Bryter Layter (an instrumental) opens side 1 of the album, flute and strings combine with yet more warm sounding acoustic guitar being picked and strummed almost casually, yet with such care.

Fly is sheer beauty, Drake’s voice and lyrics of love are mesmerising and yet again the strings over the finger-picked guitar combine as if they were meant to be together.

Please tell me you second name

Please play me your second game

I’ve fallen so far for the people you are 

I just need your star for a day

Poor Boy has a  bluesy jazzy feel to it with Drake talking of being in a mess (a poor boy) but dreaming of love. Gospel vocals lift the song for the choruses and the jazzy feel is magnified by a little piano and sax solo.

I’ve fallen for this album and Northern Sky is just sublime - does music get much better than this?

I never felt magic crazy as this

I never saw moons knew the meaning of the sea

I never held emotion in the palm of my hand

Or felt sweet breezes in the top of a tree

But now you’re here

Brighten my northern sky

The album closes with a third instrumental by the name of Sunday. It winds and flows like a river.

Bryter Layter is a truly stunning album and I will be buying a vinyl copy in the very near future. I hope this blog leads you to check out the album, because if you do there is every chance you will fall for it like I have.

Visit http://www.keithmorrisphoto.co.uk for some stunning Nick Drake prints