Monthly Archives: September 2009

Pipped At The Post

Jools Updated

The third episode of Season 35 of Later…with Jools Holland goes out on BBC 2 this Tuesday and Friday as usual. I’m looking forward to seeing American soul band Gladys Knight & the Pips, whose most famous song is Midnight Train to Georgia. The title is not completely accurate, of course, as there never was a nighttime service from Los Angeles to Georgia. In fact, the song began life as Midnight Plane to Houston and had been inspired by actress Farah Fawcett’s red eye flights from fellow actor Lee Major’s home in Los Angeles to her family residence in Texas. The band’s version was their first and only US number one in 1973 and a top ten hit in the UK three years later. Daddy Could Swear, I Declare also made the US Top 20 in 1973. The Duke & the King is a New York quartet fronted by former member of The Felice Brothers, Simone Felice. I like what I’ve heard and I look forward to hearing them play a couple of songs from Nothing Gold Can Stay (2009). The Cribs, an English quartet that feature a set of twins, their brother and Johnny Marr on guitar, will be promoting their fourth album, Ignore the Ignorant. Another English four-piece, The xx, will perform songs from their self-titled debut. Finally, this week’s shows include a couple of singers who specialise in the genre of popular music. I’m looking forward to seeing Shakira and Mika as their appearances should afford me the opportunity to make a cup of tea or use the bathroom. I’ve included covers of these two singers’ most famous songs as well as covers and originals by the rest of this week’s guests

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Accentuate the Positive

The result of the 2008 Lisbon Treaty referendum

The result of the 2008 Irish Lisbon Treaty referendum

On the first Friday in October, about half of the Irish electorate will go to the polls in an attempt to pass the Lisbon Treaty into Irish law, having already failed to do so in June 2008. On that previous occasion, a turnout of 53% of the electorate rejected the 28th Amendment to the Constitution by a margin of nearly seven per cent (53.4% against the Treaty as opposed to 46.6% in favour). The Lisbon Treaty is a replacement for the failed European Constitution that was rejected by voters from France and Holland in 2005. Its main purpose is to tidy up all previous treaties such as the Treaty of Rome and the Treaty of Maastricht. So far, Ireland is the only country that hasn’t passed the Treaty and Ireland is also the only country to hold a referendum on the Treaty. The reason that Ireland requires a referendum arises from the Irish Supreme Court decision of 1987 that major changes to any Treaty of Europe would require a mandate from the Irish people. So, the result of Friday’s referendum will not only affect the 4.5 million inhabitants of Ireland, but also the other 490 million citizens that make up the remainder of the European Union

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Lovely Day For a Guinness

The Pour of the Pint

250 years ago, Arthur Guinness signed a 9,000-year lease at £45 a year to rent St James’s Gate brewery in Dublin. Tomorrow, September 24th, has been designated as Arthur’s Day and will feature celebrations all around the world. Unsurprisingly, the biggest party will take place in Dublin as dozens of bands will converge on Ireland’s capital city to raise a toast to Arthur. The day begins at 17:59 with an invite-only concert at St James’s Gate itself featuring Tom Jones, Kasabian and Estelle. Four Dublin venues (Vicar St, the Academy, Tripod and Whelan’s) will put on gigs that will include Richard Hawley, Lisa Hannigan, David Gray and the Undertones. And Live at the Local sees Noah & the Whale, Mick Flannery and dozens of other acts perform at 28 Dublin pubs throughout the night. Sounds like it’s going to be a busy day. For those of you who’d like to celebrate Arthur’s Day early or in the confines of your own home, here are a few drinking songs to accompany the creamy pints of stout

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Happy Birthday, Bruce!

BruceSpringsteenTheOregonian

One of my favourite musicians, Bruce Springsteen, celebrates his 60th birthday today. I’ve been a big fan of his music ever since I bought Born in the USA on tape sometime in the late 1980s. I played it quite a lot (it didn’t have much competition back then) and it’s still one of my favourites of his. Soon after, I bought the rest of his albums on cassette, including the Live ’75-’85 box set. I’ve been to see him live in concert on two occasions and he was brilliant both times. You haven’t lived unless you’ve seen Bruce Springsteen & the E Street Band in action. They’re on stage a lot longer than most bands and they play with a lot of fun, energy, and skill. Not only is he an amazing performer, but he’s also a wonderful songwriter. However, he’s been criticised for singing lots of songs about cars and girls, but that’s only half the story. I love songs like Born to Run and Thunder Road in which he creates scenes and characters that could come straight out of a movie. I also like his story songs such as The River and Highway Patrolman and other songs on the Nebraska album. Nebraska along with Darkness on the Edge of Town are my favourite Springsteen albums, even though they don’t necessarily contain his best songs. I think that he released his best work in the first half of his career and that his albums from the last twenty years, even though they contain great songs, are not among his best work

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That’s Entertainment!

Gang of Four, New York City, 1981 (c) Laura Levine

Gang of Four, New York City, 1981 (c) Laura Levine

The second episode of Later…with Jools Holland continues tomorrow and Friday on BBC2 with another six diverse musical acts. The one I’m most looking forward to seeing is Leeds post-punk band, Gang of Four. They haven’t released too much stuff over the last couple of decades and only singer Jon King and guitarist Andy Gill remain from the original line-up. They’ll be playing songs from their debut, Entertainment! (1979), an album that would surely have been nominated for the Mercury Prize if the award had existed in 1980. A former Mercury Music Prize winner, Dizzee Rascal, and two former nominees, Editors and Beverley Knight, will also be appearing on the show. The up-and-coming act on the show is Krystle Warren & the Faculty. Even though they hail from Kansas, Missouri, their latest album, Circles, has been released on a French label called Because Music. Finally, the ABC of Boogie Woogie is the name of a trio that features a guy who also plays drums for a band named the Rolling Stones. You can hear an example of his magnificent percussive skills below, along with a track from each of this week’s other guests

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International Talk Like a Pirate Day

Pirate Flag

Ahoy, me hearties! As I’m sure many of you be aware, today be International Talk Like a Pirate Day. It was created in 1995 by a couple of landlubbers named John Baur and Mark Summers, who both hail from the state of Oregon in the United States of America. It began when both gentlemen decided that they would talk like a pirate on this day and it is now celebrated throughout the world. (Summers chose September 19th because it was the date of his ex-wife’s birthday). The recent popularity of the Pirates of the Caribbean series of films is but one of many examples from the worlds of film and literature that have romanticised the pirate as a jolly rogue. Of course, the illegal transfer of music and film in recent years means that pirates and piracy have taken on new significance in our culture. Currently, one of the most notorious internet sites is titled The Pirate Bay and it uses the silhouetted image of a pirate ship as its logo. You’d be more likely to encounter a pirate while surfing the web than you would sailing on the seven seas. Before abandoning ship, I’ll wrap up this here parchment with a few shanties for the day that be in it. Arrrrrrrrr!

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The Wheels on the Bus …

bus

The Patrick Sarsfield Car-Free Parade takes place this Saturday, September 19th, in Limerick city. The parade begins at 1.00pm and goes from City Hall, Merchant’s Quay to the Treaty Stone on Clancy Strand and will feature music and street entertainment along the way. It will also include a sword fencing demonstration and a battle re-enactment at Clancy Strand. The event is part of European Mobility Week 2009, which runs from September 16th to 22nd. The purpose of this week is to raise awareness about the benefits of walking, cycling and using public transport instead of bringing cars into the city centre. As someone who doesn’t own a car (or even know how to drive one) I’m completely in favour of any initiative that will make it easier for cyclists and pedestrians to make their way around the city centre without too much trouble. I’ve just done a post about running and I did one previously about cycling, so here are some songs about buses, bus drivers and the passengers who use this particular form of public transport

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The Return of Later…with Jools Holland

Jools-Holland

Later…with Jools Holland returns to the BBC this week for its 35th season. The first episode will feature the usual diverse collection of talent that the show gives us every week. American folk singer Alela Diane has been one of the most-played artists on my last.fm account this year. Florence and the Machine make their first appearance following their Mercury Prize nomination for their debut album, Lungs. Gossip (formerly known as The Gossip) will be featuring songs from their fourth album, Music for Men. American singer-songwriter and part-time actor, Lyle Lovett, will most likely be showcasing tunes from his upcoming Natural Forces album. Muse will play a few songs from their fifth album, The Resistance, which is released this week. Jimmy Cobb played on Mile’s Davis’ Kind of Blue album fifty years ago and he turns up with his So What band. Finally, the former drummer from The Police, Stewart Copeland, makes an appearance to plug a book he has out. Here are a few songs by some of these bands, a cover of a Police record and a song about Miles Davis

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