A celebration of Bowie - DJ set

In early 2024 my great friend Phil and I danced the night away at The Admiral Woods annual celebration of the late great David Bowie. DJ's played hits, album tracks and songs by Iggy Pop, Lou Reed, Marc Bolan and Mott the Hoople - peers and friends of Bowie. We left the night feeling elated by the music, community and atmosphere, vowing to return in 2025.

We both bagged (FREE) tickets for 11/01/25 as soon as the night was announced. Then, Dave Ross, owner of the bar and the organiser of the night, contacted me to ask if I would be up for doing the opening 45-minute slot. Ummmmmmmm - absolutely! I'd be playing with Dave, Gerry Lyons who I put on the Uddingston Indie Forever nights with and the lovely Robert and Hugh from Simply Thrilled.

I tend to go with the flow when I DJ, that is part of the fun after all, responding to the crowd, choosing what songs might get/keep people on the dancefloor, but in this case, I wanted to pretty much nail what I wanted to play to ensure I made the most of my 45-minutes.

Conscious that the hits should be saved for later in the night, I set about digging deep into Bowie's extensive discography to see what I could find.

A few choice album cuts immediately sprang to mind, a theme of space developed, I discovered some cool cover versions and remixes that I hadn't heard before and a set began to develop. 

I Dig Everything was in and out of the set as I couldn't quite make it fit, then I decided it was super cool and would play it as the opening song to highlight the start of Bowie's career and the development of his sound. 

Matthew Dear's sublime cover of Sound and Vision was my opening song until last minute, then I decided it would fit better mid set. Blue Jean was dropped, should I play the house mix of Fame from 1990 or leave it in case someone was playing it later? Would anyone mind if it was played twice anyway, as it is fab?! 

Should I play Arcade Fire's Reflektor with Bowie guesting on backing vocals? Will I have time to play Speed of Life if I fade some songs out and others in?

Anyway, here is a playlist of the setlist I created.

NOTE - On the night I had to leave Hello Spaceboy out for Robert and Hugh to play later in the night (we have VERY similar taste), but it did mean that I could play Speed of Life instead and I also managed to squeeze in Blue Jean at the end. But I have left the playlist as I intended. 

There was a wonderful friendly atmosphere in The Admiral Woods and it was tremendous to hear Bowie blasting out of the fantastic sound system in the pub. Absolute Beginners sounded sublime, while Starman had hands in the air and everyone singing let the children boogie ... and we did!

Next year will be the tenth anniversary of Bowie's passing. I would highly recommend getting tickets for this night. You'll meet a lovely community of music and Bowie fans, ensure you have a January night out, get a night in a cool bar and dance the night away.

Enjoy this playlist!

All songs performed by David Bowie unless stated;

45-minute set

Well you know what, this has been an incredible pleasure .. Bowie talking

I Dig Everything

Anyway, Anyhow, Anywhere

V-2 Schneider 

Dancing Out In Space

The Stars (Are Out Tonight)

A New Career in a New Town

Sound & Vision - Matthew Dear

I Took A Trip On A Gemini Spaceship

Hello Spaceboy (Moonage Daydream remix) - David Bowie and Pet Shop Boys

Golden Years - Yam Who?

Fame 90 - House Mix

Jump They Say

Queen Bitch

In reserve

Blue Jean 

Speed of Life

Nile Rodgers at the Barrowland Ballroom

I'm still basking in the afterglow of seeing Nile Rodgers and CHIC at the Barrowland Ballroom! A phrase and tantalising thought that will bring smiles to the faces of anyone fortunate enough to have been there for years to come.

My wife, friends and I snapped up tickets immediately upon release, super excited by the prospect of this legendary hit maker and his crack band playing the best venue in the world.

We were not disappointed!

What an honour it was to see a master of songwriting, arrangements, guitar playing and production up close and personal. 

I should also name Nile's current line-up of CHIC; Jerry Barnes on bass who delighted the crowd with his exceptional and energetic style, Ralph Rolle on drums - he brought the funk, Kimberly Davis and Audrey Martells on exquisite and sublime vocals, Russell Graham and Richard Hiltons on keyboards and Brandon Wright, Steve Jankowski and Ken Gioffre on horns.

These are good times

Leave your cares behind

This was 105-minutes of pure escapism, much needed from a world troubled by climate change, wars and conflict and right wing politics, with the cost of living crisis and housing emergencies impacting many.

Nile and CHIC lifted the crowd from the off with an outrageous opening medley of Le Freak, Everybody Dance and Dance, Dance, Dance (Yowsah, Yowsah, Yowsah). They were just getting started! Band and audience were definitely warmed up and raring to go.

More hits? Nile's got 'em!

I Want You Love was dreamy, beautiful and seductive. Kimberly Davis treated us to some truly sensational vocals afterwards, Nile looked on with a beam. What a gorgeous smile this guy has! 

With so many songs to get through, Nile and CHIC merged some together. We had I'm Coming Out and Upside Down by Diana Ross from her 1980 album Diana, written and produced by Nile and Bernard Edwards, the friends who co-founded CHIC. Two slices of impeccable pop; hooks, grooves and super cool.

More?

We then had He's The Greatest Dancer and We Are Family from the Sister Sledge album of the same name that Nile and Bernard wrote and produced in 1989. Utterly brilliant disco pop. 

What else did Nile get up to?

Oh yeah, he produced Madonna's Like A Virgin album in 1984. Nile told us how he wanted Material Girl to be the lead single as he could imagine everyone calling Madonna 'the material girl'. Madonna told him it was going to be Like A Virgin. So Nile played both! The crowd went nuts.

The year before, Nile produced a Bowie album and so we had a joyful blast through Modern Love. Nile then brought us into present times with CUFF IT by Beyonce and Get Lucky and Lose Yourself to Dance by Daft Punk. A career overview was being played out before our eyes.

Lost In Music was outstanding. Everyone in the Barrowland was lost in music, the structure, arrangement and feeling of that Sister Sledge song is utterly perfect. Notorious by Duran Duran was very popular with girls and women around me, then we had the sublime Thinking Of You - sheer perfection.

Phew, Nile and CHIC kept going, Jerry Barnes on bass was co-frontman with Nile, delighting the crowd with his facial expressions and incredible riffs. Meanwhile Kimberley and Audrey on lead vocals were absolutely exquisite. Their voices were like angels.

Drummer Ralf Rolle then led the band through an extended jam called Maximum Funkocity which was superb, great fun. There was a call and response section with the crowd, hand were in the air, hand were waved ... amazing.

My Feet Dancing, Chic Cheer/Love Like This, My Forbidden Lover was a glorious run of CHIC songs before the place went truly nuts for Bowie's Let's Dance.

We were all having a good time, so there was only one way to end it. And that was with the monumental hit Good Times, with a nice segue into Rapper's Delight. 

The Barrowland roar of appreciation was as loud as I have ever heard, so there was an encore of the full length Le Freak to send everyone home deliriously happy. What a night!

10 from LCD Soundsystem

LCD Soundsystem are one of the few post 2000 bands that I really fell in love with. My love was rekindled after watching the excellent Meet Me In The Bathroom documentary based on the 2011 book by Lizzy Godman. This was at the end of 2023, so this blog has been a while in the making!

James Murphy comes across well in the film. A self confessed music geek whose musical boundaries were smashed when he worked as an engineer on David Holmes Bow Down To The Exit Sign in 2000. Holmes was amazed that Murphy had never tried ecstasy and when James finally did, he had an experience that changed the way he listened to and felt about music.

Things moved swiftly as Murphy formed DFA Records with Tim Goldsworthy who co-produced the Holmes album. The duo started releasing records, including The Rapture's seminal House Of The Jealous Lovers, and they put on nights across New York as the city came out of post 9/11 mourning. 

LCD Soundsystem's first single was the sensational Losing My Edge which came out in the summer of 2002. The video, with Murphy singing into the camera with a spotlight behind him and someone routinely slapping him quickly gained traction. The song and video (see below) were super cool, like nothing else out there.

Murphy talks about the inspiration behind the song in the film. How he was worried that all the cool kids could suddenly access all the music online that he spent years discovering and collecting. The 8-minute electro punk tune created enough of an impression for booking requests to come through. LCD Soundsystem suddenly became a real band. 

The 2002-2005 early period of LCD Soundsystem was extraordinarily prolific as Murphy dove headfirst into ecstasy and creating electronic music, releasing a string of singles that led to a double album coming out in early 2005. 

I first caught the band around this time when they supported Too Many DJ's at the Barrowland. LCD had a bank of equipment, loads of percussion and cowbells and Murphy sang into an old crooners style microphone. They were electrifying.

That summer my girlfriend (now wife) and I went to the Benicassim Festival in Spain. LCD Soundsystem came on stage around 2 or 3 in the morning and the place went crazy. It remains one of my all-time favourite festival sets; a band breaking through from the underground playing a late night set to a party crowd. Check this electrifying 52 second crowd footage.

Murphy and LCD kept creating, releasing, playing and partying. Something had to give and it did in 2010 following the release of the This Is Happening album. Murphy said it would be the bands last album and that their last show would be at Madison Square Garden, where the band played an epic 4-hour set.

In some ways it was perfect. 10-years on from working on the Holmes album. Murphy talked of writing songs as good as he was going to and not wanting to carry on with the purpose of becoming bigger, or to earn more money. In other interviews, Murphy hinted that he might go back to creating music and releasing 12-inch singles, but he had to get away from LCD being so large.

Rather incredibly, David Bowie was one of the people to encourage Murphy to get the band back together. James played on Bowie's Blackstar album. The comeback grew arms and legs and before LCD knew it,they were once again travelling round the world to promote an album - 2017's American Dream.

Now, in 2024, LCD Soundsystem are kind of operating on their terms. Tours have been replaced with residencies in their favourite cities and the band can pick and choose what festivals they want to play. Surely there will be a Barrowland residency at some point?! Murphy has always been quick to acknowledge the importance of the venue, Glasgow as a city and the Subclub.

LCD Soundsystem play Glastonbury and All Points East in London this summer. 

UPDATE - LCD Soundsystem now play the Barrowland and tickets are on sale this Friday - 24th May!

Anyway, I've gone off on a tangent. Watching Meet Me In The Bathroom caused me to go down a rabbit hole and I thought I would write a blog on 10 of my favourite songs by LCD Soundsystem. OK 11 - I;ve included both versions of Yeah!

I've finally finished the blog and I've compiled the songs into a playlist that you can check HERE

At the time of writing, I chose;

1. Losing My Edge

I blogged on Losing My Edge for my Trust Me series back in April 2022 (read here) and declared that everything about this song is cool, clever and funny. A paranoid Murphy wonders if he is losing his edge to kids from London, Berlin, France and Tokyo. I love the way the song veers off to the glorious you don't know what you really want hook at the end. One of the best debut singles of all-time.

Check the incredible performance from their debut show at Trash in London in 2002. Jammed and rammed together on a tiny stage, creating a brilliant vibe and sound.

Official video

Live at Trash London, 2002 (their first show)

Live at Madison Square Garden

2. Great Release

Murphy strips things back to a drum machine and big gospel house piano notes before coming in with potentially his best vocal - wracked with emotion. 

Official audio

Live on Austin City Limits

3. Yeah (Crass version) + (Yeah Pretentious Version)

OK I'm cheating, I've included both versions of Yeah. Originally released as a 12-inch single in January 2004, both versions made it on to CD version of the bands debut album. Outrageous electronic excellence.

Yeah (Crass version) live in Brussells 2010

Yeah (Pretentious version)

4. Us v Them

Us v Them was a real highlight from the Sound of Silver tour when I caught them at the Barrowland. Thinking back, it was monsterous. This could be LCD Soundsystem's most powerful song, it builds into a mantra; us and them, over and over again ...

You were on Murphy's side for sure. Fantastic use of cowbell and just listen to the little riff going on in the background around 6-minutes over the scratchy Chic punk guitar riff.

Live at Madison Square Garden

5. All My Friends

To my ears, in my mind and in my heart, this is an absolutely perfect song. All My Friends gives me all the feels ... the long 82-second intro with Murphy reminiscing about going back to someone's house to check the charts - pop or astrological? I've always thought pop.

And now I wonder if Murphy is reminiscing? Or is he talking about checking to see where LCD are in the charts? As he then goes on to talk about partying, ageing, touring, giving it his all and questioning if he wants to keep it going.

To tell the truth

This could be the last time

And in the end Murphy is ranting and questioning himself - where are you friends tonight?

He goes on and you're left in no doubt that he wants to be home to see his friends.

One of LCD's most melodic songs that builds and builds over a repetitive riff. Also contains one of my favourite lines that always makes me think of Glasgow/Scotland.

If you're worried about the weather

Then you picked the wrong place to stay

Official video

Live at Glastonbury 2016

6. Someone Great

Electronic soul. Possibly the best song Murphy has composed and written. The electronic symphony drips with emotion, the bass synth in particular, while all kinds of gorgeous noises and beeps play over the top. 

I wish that we could talk about it

But then that's the problem

Murphy starts to pour his heart out and bare his soul, with his vocal melody just about matched to an xylophone, ending the first verse by singing I miss the way we used to argue.

This is a very different LCD Soundsystem, Murphy is singing about a break up and it's heartbreakingly beautiful; to tell the truth I saw it coming, the way that you were breathing

Is it a break up, or is it loss? It could be either. When Murphy sings when someone great is gone you really feel his grief.

Official video

Austin City Limits

7. I Can Change

Murphy aims straight for our hearts again and scores a bullseye with this gem. Urging his lover to never change, never change, this is why I fell in love and then going on to say promise I can change, I can change if it helps you fall in love.

No bullshit, this is love, warts and all. It's not perfect, but it is love. Murphy is in for the long haul.

Live at T In The Park (2016)

8. 45:33

Part 1 - Intro

Part 2 - You Can't Hide/Shame On You

Part 3 - Someone Great (instrumemtal)

Part 4 - Out In Space

Part 5 - Ships Talking

Part 6 - Outro

Following the release of their debut album, LCD Soundsystem then teamed up with Nike to record 45:33, seemingly designed to soundtrack jogging workouts. Regardless of the origins, the concept allowed Murphy to work his magic across 45-minutes, even longer than his usual 8 or 9 minutes per track.

A continuous piece of music, it was composed in 6 parts with part 2 being the outstanding You Can't Hide/Shame On You that is one of many highlights on the The Long Goodbye (Madison Square Garden) live album. What a tune! Riding in on house piano chords over a what sounds like a synth being tuned, the song develops into a huge vocal anthem, the kind you can sing-a-long to on first listen. The kind of song that causes a dance floor to erupt as people punch the air, dance and sing. Super cool.

It's also worth noting that Someone Great first appeared as part 3 in instrumental form and it sounds blissful, developing into part 4, an electro funk workout with some Stevie Wonder influenced sounds over slowed down vocals. We're way into the mix, way into the trip now and it is magical. Or well into the jog/run!

Disco diva vocals come in, give me love, before Murphy's slowed down voice comes back in, super trippy synths are layered over the constant disco electro groove, then everything cuts back to the groove before the female vocal comes back in, singing your'e out in space, you need some loooooovvvveee. Sublime!

Horns kick in for as the groove turns to a funky bass and then a breakdown, before things finally lead to part 5 and it's quite a change in pace as I feel like I'm transported to Optimo.

There is another change in pace for part 6 - the warmdown part of the jog/run, the comedown part of the nigh out/trip. Beautiful!

Official audio

9. Home

Murphy employs all his favourite tricks on Home, which closes the This Is Happening album. False start, immediate cool groove, quickly adding layers of synth including a delicious bubbling sound, percussion coming to the fore ... then Murphy comes in singing Home before going off on one.

Official audio

10. Oh Baby

This gives me all the feels. Bubbling synths, cool beats, a stronger bass synth riff over the top, Murphy crooning oh baby, you're having a bad dream, here in my arms.

Live on Austin City Limits

Official video

Let's Dance

 

Cover version of the month #94
M. Ward covers David Bowie

Tonight I'm going to be dancing to David Bowie songs at The Admiral Woods in Glasgow as the pub celebrates the life of the inspirational and unique artist. So I thought it might be appropriate to write a blog about one of my favourite Bowie songs - Let's Dance. 

Bowie's Let's Dance, from the album of the same name, was released back in 1983. Co-produced with the wonderful Nile Rodgers of Chic, Let's Dance swiftly becoming the biggest selling single of Bowie's career.

It's not hard to hear why. 

Everything Rodgers touched turned to gold. And Bowie was on to this, informing Nile that he wanted his help in making 'hits'. I would highly recommend reading Nile's Le Freak autobiography which is exceptionally fast-paced and incredibly entertaining.

Bowie played Rodgers an acoustic version of Let's Dance on a 12-string guitar that only had 6-strings. Rodgers completely rearranged the song and his original demo was released on Record Store Day in 2018.

As for the released version, it is a sensational work of pop art!

Bowie and Rodgers signal their intentions to create a hit from the get go with a Beatles Twist n Shout rip off into huge shimmering riffs over bass and beats. Bowie sounds incredible as he demands 

Let's dance

Put on your red shoes and dance the blues

Bowie doesn't only sound incredible, check out the video of him performing the song in a pub in the Australian outback, bleached blonde hair, gloriously tanned, resplendent in white and somehow managing to play his guitar while wearing gloves!

 Let's Dance official video

There is a rush as Bowie hits the chorus at the one-minute mark

If you say run

I'll run with you

If you say hide

We'll hide

Because my love for you

Would break my heart in two

If you should fall, into my arms, tremble like a flower

The groove continues, Rodgers adds shimmering guitar riffs, Bowie sounds super seductive, almost whispering through the second verse until he rises for the line;

Under the moonlight, the serious moonlight

And then we're into another rush through the euphoric chorus. The single cut is 4-minutes long while the album version stretches to a magnificent 7-minutes. 

Let's Dance is an incredible song by an all-time great, so it is a bold move to cover it!

M Ward isn't an artist I know a great deal about, so I've enjoyed delving into sections of his back catalogue of 10 solo albums, his work with She & Him (with Zooey Deschanel) and Monsters of Folk (with members of My Morning Jacket and Bright Eyes).

After a couple of lofi album, Ward signed to to Merge Records and released the Transfiguration of Vincent album in March 2003, featuring his version of Let's Dance, 20-years after Bowie's.

Ward completely strips the song right back, potentially to be more akin to Bowie's original demo (that I sadly can't find online anywhere). It's just Ward, his acoustic guitar, mouth organ and some faint piano in the background at times. Ward's voice is very soothing, particularly while listening on headphones. It is rather lovely, while Bowie's is beautifully bold as brass - setting out to be a hit and achieving the goal with ease.

Bowie's original and the M Ward cover version are added to my Everything Flows Cool Cover Versions playlist on Spotify which also features all of the songs below. Search for the title or CLICK HERE

Official video

Nile Rodgers tells the story of Let's Dance

M Ward version

Previous covers of the month blogs

1. You've Lost That Lovin' Feelin' 

2. Going Back To My Roots

3. Nirvana play The Vaselines

4. Slip Inside This House

5. Top 10 covers by Teenage Fanclub

6. Only Love Can Break Your Heart

7. Time For Livin' 

8. Sound and Vision 

9. All Along The Watchtower

10. I Am The Walrus 

11. Guiding Star

12. You’ll Never Walk Alone

13. Hurt

14. This Guy's In Love With You

15. I Wish I Never Saw The Sunshine

16. California Soul

18. Wonder wall 

19. Dancing In The Dark

20. Always On My Mind

21. Ceremony

22. Heroes

23. Different Drum

24. Wild Horses

25. Respect

26. Mr Tambourine Man

27. I Heard It Through The Grapevine

28. Superstar

29. Twist and Shout

30. Purple Rain

31. Baker Street

32. Not Fade Away

33. Stop Your Sobbing

34. I Don't Want To Grow Up

35. Serious Drugs

36. Dancing With Myself

37. How Does It Feel To Feel?

38. Love Buzz

39. ABBA-esque
40. Jumpin' Jack Flash

41. Discoland

42. Varshons 2 by The Lemonheads

43. The Langley Schools Music Project
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

56. Hey Jude

57. Seven Days Too Long

58. L.O.V.E Love

59. Into Your Arms

60. Heart Of Glass

61. Take Me To The River

62. We Can Work It Out 

63. Talking In My Sleep

64. Lola

65. Lost In Music

66. My Little Red Book

67. Isn't It A Pity

68. Walk On By

69. Walk Away Renee

70. Tainted Love

71. Girls Just Wanna Have Fun

72. Listen The Snow Is Falling

73. Mrs Robinson

74. He's Gonna Step On You Again

75. In My Life

76. Caravan Of Love

77. The Only Way Is Up

78. Dancin' Round & Round

79. With A Little Help From My Friends

80. Killing Me Softly

81. Ain't No Mountain High Enough

82. Drop

83. Sittin' On The Dock Of The Bay

84. Sympathy For The Devil

85. I Bet That You Look Good On The Dancefloor

86. Love Will Tear Us Apart

87. Indian Rope Man + bonus Strawberry Fields Forever + This Wheels On Fire

88. Can't Take My Eyes Off Of You

89. Love The One You're With

90. Cum On Feel The Noize

91. Addicted To Love

92. Valerie

93. Ride On Time

Everything Flows 1,000 blogs party

On Saturday night I put on a wee night at La Chunky Studio in The Hidden Lane, just off Argyle Street in Glasgow. In hip happening Finnieston.

I put 40 tickets on sale and within a couple of social media posts, all were bought in just a few days, even though the line-up was a secret.

There were a couple of changes to the line-up in the weeks leading up to the event and unfortunately a train strike meant a few people couldn't attend, but everything came together on the night.

I first came across La Chunky through my sister Carla's first band Futuristic Retro Champions. They recorded an EP in the studio and also played a very memorable gig outside on a glorious sunshine day for the old Hidden Lane Festival way back in 2010. I've stayed in touch with Ronan, one of the owners and was delighted when he said he'd be up for hosting a small night.

My friend Phil DJ'd before, between and after the live acts, wowing us all early on with an edit of Bowie's Young Americans. The lights were dimmed and friends started to stream in to the back room of La Chunky which had been turned into an intimate venue for the night. 

Carla went on first, opening with the beautiful Dreamers On The Run and then the playful Impossible Stuff. I love the feeling of Dreamers On The Run and the line we chased down our fears with a smile, chased bad demons into exile. 

Jenna always used to generate a reaction in the Futuristic Retro Champions days and it did again on Saturday night, but in a different way. The tale of friends forgetting worries for nights out sounded beautiful, stripped back to just Carla and her trusty Juno keyboard.

New song Sugar Honey Ice Tea hit a mark. Carla told of how she wrote it after being afraid to walk home alone in the dark and a few people in the crowd told me how the lyrics resonated with them. The demo is on a Fanclub CD that we've been playing in our car and the girls sing along with it as it's super catchy. Thankfully, they don't know that the lyrics have a darker edge. Sadly, one day they will. There is still so much to be done to help make women feel safer when walking alone at night.

Closing with Poster Paints Number 1 ahead of the album being released next week, Carla's voice sounded as crystal clear as I have heard it. I'm so glad Carla could play and open the night.

Then next up was my band Starboard Hazes. I think we just about passed the audition! Raw n fun indie pop. It's been such a rewarding experience to form a band. Initially it was just my friend James and I working on old songs I had written many years ago. Then, after recording an EP, we decided we wanted to play and recruited James' friends Andy on bass and Jamie on drums. We only got together for the first time on 1st September and we immediately gelled. 

We played; 1. Out Of My Mind 2. Yeah! 3. Keep On Dreaming 4. Beta Band Blues (with Ronan on trombone) 5. Kicking Our Heels 6. Reflected Sunlight

I think we'd had 6 practice sessions. Maybe just 5. But we played well (a few mistakes but nothing major). We only had one very quick practice with Ronan on trombone for our song Beta Band Blues, but he was great, playing on the balcony section and jamming brilliantly (video below). We loved it and it was nice to receive some positive feedback on the EP and show. 

Stephen Farrell AKA Stephen Solo has featured heavily over the course of this blog. With his band Sonny Marvello and then under his solo guise, releasing majestic DIY pop recorded on his iPhone/iPad - in his car, in his bathroom, behind his sofa, under bed sheets ... sublime dreamy melodies, heartfelt lyrics, insane imagination, all kinds of sounds and ideas.

In typical Stephen fashion, he'd spent ages working on backing tracks, beginning with him recording his worries about playing live for the first time since 2019. It broke the ice beautifully. Humour and honesty.

Suddenly Heaven soared with ease, new song Losing It Over You was super catchy and I'd forgotten how good Plastic Heart from the Pii album is. The way Stephen switched from vocal effects to the purity of his voice sounding super dreamy reminded me of Damon Albarn's work with Gorillaz.

Behind Your Eyes was one of the first iPhone recordings that Stephen sent me a number of years ago (must have been 2015) and I urged him to do more. The Albarn reference above was one that first came to me on the beautiful refrain.

Behind your eyes, I'll be waiting

It's so dreamy, you could float away with the melody. The little synth riff in the background is gorgeous. Then you have the crazy but clever verses.

Sonny Marvello's Whispering Song was utterly magical. The way Stephen pulled back from his microphone to sing from the bottom of his heart was spine tingling.

Who are you, who are you to hold me in your arms?

Crying Because, backed only by a blue ukulele was fragile and beautiful, interrupted slightly by someone having a sneezing fit.

And then we had some audience participation for Sonny Marvello's hit that never was - Made of Magic. The super catchy pop had everyone singing the chorus M - A - G - I - C what you're made of, is magic.

It was then time to dance the night away with DJ Phil Redfearn on the decks. Phil immediately kicked off with Come Together by Primal Scream. The Weatherall mix from the classic Screamadelica album. You'll see from the video below that he really got the party started!

We  know that music is music, gospel, gospel, gospel

People did come together for live music and to dance. And it was brilliant. The night ended with an encore, after shouts of one more tune, of Phil playing Neneh Cherry's Buffalo Stance followed by everyone getting together to hug in groups to The Beatles All You Need Is Love.

We must do it again.

Langley Schools Music Project

I first heard of The Langley Schools Music project when their beautifully moving version of The Beach Boys In My Room appeared on an Uncut/Mojo CD many, many years ago. It's a version that stayed with me and when I stumbled across an article that mentioned them last year I went searching on Spotify to see if there were any other songs by them. To my great delight there are plenty and I also discovered there is an album that was released on vinyl last year. Definitely one to go searching for.

The Langley Schools Music Project is a collection of recordings of a children's choir singing songs by The Beach Boys, McCartney, Bowie and more back in the late 70's in Canada, made by music teacher Hans Ferger.

Ferger's unique approach to teaching music is captured beautifully on the recordings, he isn't interested in people singing in tune, he's more interested in capturing emotion, feeling and soul.

I never liked conventional children's music which is condescending and ignores the reality of children's lives, which can be dark and scary. These children hated 'cute' they cherished songs that evoked loneliness and sadness. Hans Ferger

The recordings were lost until a collector found them in a record store in 2000 and sent them to labels, they were rejected by 10 labels until Bar/None released a compilation CD of the two original vinyl LP's.

It's very easy to hear why people have fallen for these songs. They are recorded extremely simply with a rare purity and the sound of a children's choir singing Good Vibrations, God Only Knows, the aforementioned Space Oddity is spine tingling, generating emotion with ease.

their version of Space Oddity is a piece of art I couldn't have conceived of, the backing arrangement is astounding David Bowie

The choir singing God Only Knows is sheer beauty and brings a tear to my eyes.

I may not always love you, but as long as there are stars above you

You'll never need to doubt it, I'll make you so sure about it

God only knows what I'd be without you

And Brian Wilson's In My Room, a song about escaping the abuse he suffered from his father, becomes even more powerful when sung by The Langley Schools Music Project, the way they rise for the following verse is incredible.

Do my dreaming and my scheming, lie awake and pray

Do my crying and my sighing, laugh at yesterday

Wildfire by Michael Martin Murphey is a song i wasn't aware of and it is beautiful, Neil Diamond's Sweet Caroline is euphoric in a new way and elsewhere you have songs from the Bay City Rollers, Fleetwood Mac, Herman's Hermits and The Eagles.

Never Ending Mixtape - Part 19

Welcome to the latest additions to my Never Ending Mixtape (one of my Spotify playlists). The playlist is now over 450 songs, so please dig in and discover an old favourite or maybe something you haven't heard before.

Bowie kicks off the latest additions to the playlist. Memory Of A Free Festival gets better as it goes on and the closing mantra is brilliant. Changes remains a real favourite, while Kooks is just so playful and delightful. I've almost finished reading Dylan Jones' superb book on Bowie, well worth checking out, the stories are unbelievable!

Elsewhere we have some soul courtesy of Martha Reeves and the Vandellas, the funky Clean Up Woman and the glorious Last Night Changed It All that I discovered via a Bob Stanley/St Etienne compilation - just listen to that vocal!

Modern day Blondie are represented with the storming Long Time, age does not matter a jot in music and the fire in Debbie Harry and co still burns brightly on this evidence, sitting easily alongside the classic Hanging On The Telephone. William Onyeabor has a couple of cool tracks I discovered via my friend Craig, there is old school Underworld and Moby, while young guitar band The Orielles feature ahead of the debut album coming out on Heavenly in February.

Hot Chip have 3 songs from their stunning The Warning LP, we have a lysergic lullaby style remix of The Charlatans who also feature with Happen To Die and The Kinks, The Who, The Animals and the Small Faces close with a blitz of glorious mod guitar pop. Oh and no apologies for 3 tunes from Teenage Fanclub from their Man Made album that I listened to for the first time in ages recently.

We close with the psych garage brilliance of The Misunderstood - a band I became interested in in my late teens/early 20's after reading that they once nipped out of a radio session to have a smoke and left their guitars feeding back and then came back in and just resumed the song! Then the epic Slip Inside This House by the 13th Floor Elevators takes us on a trip, Primal Scream would later cover this on their Screamadelica album.

You'll need to scroll down to the bottom of the playlist to play these tunes, or dig in anywhere, put it on shuffle - enjoy. Click this LINK or head to Spotify and search for Everything Flows Never Ending Mixtape.

Memory Of A Free Festival - David Bowie
Changes - David Bowie
Kooks - David Bowie
Show Me The Way - Martha Reeves and the Vandellas
Happen To Die - The Charlatans
Slow Fade - Teenage Fanclub
Cells  - Teenage Fanclub
Born Under A Good Sign  - Teenage Fanclub
Clean Up Woman - Betty Wright
Last Night Changed It All - Esther Williams
Long Time - Blondie
Hanging On The Telephone - Blondie

Atomic Bomb - William Onyeabor
8-Ball - Underworld
Porcelain - Moby
Let Your Dogtooth Grow - The Orielles
Lets Fall In Love - William Onyeabor
Out Of Time - Blur
So Oh (Brian Jonestown Massacre remix) - The Charlatans
Boy From School - Hot Chip
Colours - Hot Chip
No Fit State - Hot Chip
One More Time - The Lemonheads
Stop Your Sobbing - The Kinks
Lola (Coca Cola version) - The Kinks
Strangers - The Kinks
We Gotta Get Out Of This Place - The Animals
I Can See For Miles - The Who
The Kids Are Alright - The Who
Sha La La La Lee - Small Faces
My Minds Eye - Small Faces
Never Had A Girl - The Misunderstood
I Cried My Eyes Out - The Misunderstood
Slip Inside This House - The 13th Floor Elevators

David Bowie Never Had To

One of the most pleasing things I have noticed in the Scottish music scene over the last few weeks has been a little bit of recognition for Pii 2, the second album by Stephen Solo, an artist I am incredibly fond of.

Readers of Is This Music? (another blog with a nod to Teenage Fanclub) voted Pii 2 second best album of 2017, The Herald highlighted Internet Song in their top 100 (17) songs of 2017, while Jock Rock also found Pii 2 to be second best album of the year.

Nothing crazy, but I know that it means a lot to Solo, an artist who recorded his debut album simply because he had found out how to use his iPhone and didn't need to limit himself to acoustic demos.

Solo hasn't even played two handfuls of shows in that time, so word of mouth is the way that his music gets known.

I've blogged about Solo a few times over the last couple of years;

Introduction and interview
The Pii 2 album launch at La Chunky
Pii 2 album review

Stephen is unique, using easily accessible and relatively cheap modern technology (his iPhone) to capture the songs, melodies and ideas that pour out of him on a regular basis.

The songs range from the gorgeous fragile Crying Because, to cinematic Soundtrack to Unfilmed, to Albarn-esque moments of beauty mixed with craziness, plenty of Beatles-y moments of homemade psychedelic wonder like Think Strange and LocoCoco and nods to Bowie, the harmonies of The Beach Boys, electronica via Kraftwerk to Hot Chip and even Scots comedian Limmy.

His 2 albums to date contain genuinely jaw dropping moments of sheer raw talent and imagination. No Pill For What I've Got and Secrets You Keep are spine tingling. And it is worth remembering that Solo no only wrote and played everything on these 2 albums, he recorded, mixed and produced it all as well - sometimes in his car, sometimes under the stairs and sometimes in the bathroom - even in the bath! Internet Song is so funny, captivating and catchy that is has recently prompted one fan to make a video for it.

There is one song on Pii2 that I listened to about half a dozen times in a row on first listen to the album. The talent, humour, cheek, imagination, stark reality and heartfelt plea to the artist who inspired it, the twist at the end, the little riffs.... David Bowie Never Had To is a quite incredible song, in fact it is more of a work of art.

As Glasgow celebrates the life of Bowie this weekend ahead of his birthday and anniversary of his passing, I thought I'd highlight this song that the great artist inspired. Stephen is a real Bowie fan and introduced me to Bowie's 80's classics Modern Love and Lets Dance.

Back to the song, that you can stream below. Pulsing electro synth and beats back Stephen Solo as he lists things that David Bowie Never Had To do;

Change kitty litter at 5am

Take out the bona after a gig still wearing his gig clothes

Switch to store brand breakfast serial for financial reasons

Carry a washing machine up 4 flights of stairs

Downgrade his home entertainment package because he is on a zero hours contract

Consider using his house keys as a makeshift weapon at a dodgy bus stop

Provide evidence of job searching for a job he doesn't want

Solo breaks off between verses for a glorious melodic and melancholic snapshot of his mind;

Don't want my own universe

But I'd be happy in my own little world

There is a lovely twist at the end as Solo finds himself having a conversation with Bowie from beyond his grave. I'll leave you to check that out yourself. Please do so and please check Solo's albums. He plays the Hug and Pint supporting The Gracious Losers at their single launch and I'm led to believe some friends will be joining him on stage to help recreate his incredible songs.

Never Ending Mixtape Part 17

Hello and welcome to the last additions to the Never Ending Mixtape for 2017. This fine list takes the total songs on the mixtape to a whopping 380!

We begin with 2 cracking tunes by Michael Head via Shack and The Pale Fountains, taking in Mancunians The Smiths and Buzzcocks, the brilliantly titled Young Lovers Go Pop!, a pile of tunes I discovered through an Andy Bell (Ride) DJ setlist including the impeccable La Ritournelle by Sebastian Tellier, we have legends like Hendrix, Glen Campbell, The Stones and Bowie, an ode to Teenage Fanclub's Norman Blake by The Swedish Polar Bears, one of my most recent favourite bands in Public Service Broadcasting, two brilliant early Teenage Fanclub tracks and two songs by The Pooches from Glasgow.

Search for Everything Flows Never Ending Mixtape on Spotify or CLICK HERE.

Scroll to near the end for the latest additions or simply press shuffle and enjoy at random.

Thanks to those of you that either follow the playlist, have checked it out or taken the time to send messages of encouragement and thanks for turning you on to some great music. Greatly appreciated.

Beautiful - Shack
Jean's Not Happening - The Pale Fountains
Ask - The Smiths
Young Lovers Go Pop! - This Many Boyfriends
Ever Fallen In Love - Buzzcocks
Girl You Better Change - Sag Ware Fare
Norman Blake - Swedish Polarbears
Like An Old Time Movie - Scott Mckenzie
Where's The Playground Susie - Glen Campbell
He Called Me Baby - Candi Staton
This Must Be The Place (Naive Melody) - Talking Heads

I Can't Kick This Feeling When It Hits - Moodyman
La ritournelle - Sebastian Tellier
We Love You - The Rolling Stones
Castles Made Of Sand - Jimi Hendrix
Straight At Yer Head - Lionrock
The Other Side - Public Service Broadcasting
Rebel Rebel - David Bowie
Changes - David Bowie
Critical Mass - Teenage Fanclub
Every Picture I Paint - Teenage Fanclub
Heart Attack - The Pooches
I'll Be Gone - The Pooches

Never Ending Mixtape Part 14

 My Never Ending Mixtape on Spotify is now approaching 300 songs. I add to the playlist every month and then round up the latest additions in a blog.

As someone who vowed never to use Spotify or a streaming service, I have to admit I'm a convert! I still love and buy vinyl, but the ease of access that Spotify offers is unarguably incredible.

So after reading Johnny Marr's autobiography and wanting to dig into The The, all I had to do was search on Spotify and I discovered 2 absolutely sublime 12-inch remixes of Uncertain Smile and Perfect. They are sensational.

Elsewhere on the latest additions to the Never Ending Mixtape we have some real heavyweights like T-Rex, Bowie and Lou Reed, cult heroes Big Star and Gram Parson's Flying Burrito Brothers and this must be the only mixtape to have 2 Groove Armada tunes sandwiched between one by Todd Rundgren and an R.E.M demo!

You can search for Everything Flows Never Ending Mixtape on Spotify and play from the start, delve in anywhere, play on Shuffle or scroll to the end for the latest addition. Or simply CLICK HERE


Association - Teenage Fanclub
Uncertain Smile (12-inch remix) - The The
Perfect (12-inch remix) - The The
Our Lips Are Sealed - Fun Boy Three
Together In Electric Dreams - The Human League
Cosmic Dancer - T-Rex

Life's A Gas - T-Rex
Sound and Vision - David Bowie
Queen Bitch - David Bowie
Space Oddity - David Bowie
I'm So Free - Lou Reed
I Love You - Lou Reed
In The Street - Big Star
Thirteen - Big Star
September Gurls - Big Star
Hot Burrito #2 - The Flying Burrito Brothers
My Back Pages - The Byrds

Chestnut Mare - The Byrds
I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better - The Byrds
Another Girl, Another Planet - The Only Ones
Couldn't I Just Tell You - Todd Rundgren
At The River - Groove Armada
If Everybody Looked The Same - Groove Armada
Mike's Pop Song (demo) - R.E.M
Nightswimming - R.E.M

Pii 2

2016 was a good year for albums, I had a number of contenders vying for the 'accolade' of my favourite album of the year - in the end it was Pii by Stephen Solo that won through. An eclectic eccentric album recorded on an iPhone 6 taking in sublime Albarn-esque melodies, Boards of Canada soundscapes, a song that was like a Limmy sketch, imagination and experiments.

Pii 2 has also been recorded completely on an iPhone and it is a psychedelic, melodic, imaginative, crazy, melancholic beauty.

Check it out for yourself on Spotify.

The freedom of being able to record on the hop, not having to book or finance a recording studio and having a supportive label that has a ready made audience and is as interested in the people they work with as the music they release, allows experimentation and creativity - something sadly lacking from a lot of music these days.

Songs were recorded in the work car park, the living room, the laundry cupboard and one - the stunning No Pill For What I've Got in the bath.

Other standouts for me include LocoCoco, the sublime Think Strange, the fragile Secrets You Keep and the glorious flowing Slipstream. Then the closing quartet of David Bowie Never Had To (more on this later), iPhone psychedelia on Can't Wait, the aforementioned No Pill For What I've Got and the beautiful touching Bye Bye Song featuring Stephen's son.

Pii was written around the birth of Stephen's first son, Pii 2 around the birth of his second. This isn't a pattern he sees continuing, but he did take a unique approach to recording the 'difficult' second album - recording that, ditching it and then writing and recording the joyous 3rd 'comeback' album.

The debut album was released on a USB credit card, the follow up is out today on a USB cassette tape! You can also download from iTunes or stream on Spotify. If you like it, then buy a super cool USB cassette via www.lastnightfromglasgow.com

Internet Song starts off with a mood of clever insanity before verging off into dreamy gorgeousness. Solo (real name Farrell) can seemingly pluck a melody from thin air and when the chorus comes in it can take you somewhere special.

Feel like I'm glowing

When you're downloading

Feel like I'm floating

When I'm uploading

How does he do it? LocoCoco captures attention immediately, the melody, the voice, the backing vocals, the hooks - it does all seem effortless. Check the switch into this section of the song - sensational!!!!!

I'm tired

From feeling that I got nobody to talk to

I'm wired

From punching the clock cause it never stops

It never stops at all

A psychedelic guitar riff picked out over lush warm synth ushers in Think Strange. It is a gem. All of Stephen Solo's material is interesting and imaginative, but when it all really comes together it is incredibly special.

For a fleeting second I think of the bands selling their souls without a hope in hell of producing anything as gorgeous at this....and I laugh.... cause this guy is producing something as good as this on his iPhone 6! I've just listened to it 4 times in a row.

It's hard to admit when you're wrong about somebody

A dreamer in love with the dark

Hoping it will never come back

Farrell's love of being able to freely experiment when he has a moment to himself with his phone is joyfully expressed throughout the album. Mini Metal Girl is one of those moments where you think what goes on in this guys head? But in a good way.

I mentioned that Secrets You Keep is a highlight; Stephen singing over an acoustic guitar with just the odd little synth bubbling in the background is just gorgeous. And when he harmonises with himself it is pure Beatles.

I love you more with every secret you keep

I love you more with every cut that goes deep

David Bowie Never Had To is madcap genius. Farrell takes us into his world by comparing it to David Bowie's. I laughed out loud on first listen and then promptly listened a further 6 times to appreciate the humour, imagination, reality, songwriting and melodies.

David Bowie never had to carry a washing machine up 3 flights of stairs

David Bowie never had to downgrade his home entertainment package because he's on a zero hours contract

David Bowie never had to consider using his keys as a weapon at a dodgy bus stop

Don't want my own universe

But I'd be happy in my own little world

The song has a great twist at the end where Bowie joins in the conversation from the other side. Just listen to this - please. It is genius.

Can't Wait is home made psychedelia and then Farrell introduces another one of those magical moments from 2-minutes onwards. Flowing melodies and harmonies - sheer beauty.

I have friends who I always trust when it comes to music. So when my friend Craig asked me if I had heard Stephen's song No Pill For What I've Got then I knew it was going to be special. And it is. Recorded from the bath (which you can hear at the start). It has a sleep, dreamy, melancholy vibe with a beautiful melody and soulful reflective lyrics.

The album closes with Solo playing ukulele and singing to his eldest son about the colours of the planets of the solar system. It is a captivating insight into how music plays such a part of his life and evidence of how he can just come up with ideas and melodies with ease.

Order the incredibly cool cassette USB album from the online store (click just the album) or head to iTunes to download or Spotify to stream. Enjoy.