Sunday 31 July 2011 Playlist

The Surfaris - Wipeout
Album: Wipe Out, Surfer Joe & Other Great Hits
1973 Compilations (out of print) Reissued 2005: Magic

Dave Stewart - Can't get you out of my head

Album: The Blackbird Diaries

2011: Surfdog / Proper

Eric Carmen - Sunrise

Album: The Definitive Collection

1997: Arista 

FEATURED ARTIST

Elbow - The Seldom Seen Kid

2008: Polydor

Grounds for divorce

One day like this

Elbow- Build a Rocket Boys!
2011: Fiction
Open arms

Jools Holland & his RBO with Ruby Turner - You are so beautiful

Album: Rockinghorse

2010: Warner 

Louis Armstrong - Wonderful world

Album: The Ultimate Collection

1994: Sony

Michael Jackson - Earth song

Album: Michael Jackson, Number Ones

2003: Epic / Sony

Jennifer Rush - The power of love

Album: The Best of Jennifer Rush 

2004: Sony

Elvis Presley - Jailhouse rock

Album: Elv1s - 30 #1 Hits

2003: Sony

Charles Trenet - La Mer

Album: The Extraordinary Garden - The Very Best of Charles Trenet

1990: EMI

Melissa Etheridge - Fearless love

Album: Fearless Love

2010: Island Def Jam

Robbie Williams - Millennium

Album: I've Been Expecting You

2002: Chrysalis

Toto - Africa

Album: Toto IV

2002: Sony

Buddy Guy - Everybody's got to go

Album: Living Proof

2010: Jive / Sony

The Blind Boys of Alabama with Allen Toussaint - If I could help somebody

Album: Down in New Orleans

2008: Proper Records

Omar Coleman - Scratch my back

Album: Louisiana Swamp Stomp

2010: Honeybee

Eddie Bo - Hard times

Album: Keys to the Crescent City

1994: Rounder

Donald Fagan - IGY

Album: The Nightfly

1984: Warner

Barbra Streisand with Ray Charles - Cryin' time

Album: Barbra Streisand, Duets

2002: Sony

ALBUM OF THE MONTH (August)

Chris Barber - Memories of My Trip

2011: Proper Records

With Eric Clapton - Weeping willow

With Lonnie Donegan - Diggin' my potatoes

With The Muddy Waters Band - Kansas City

Bruce Springsteen - Born in the USA

Album: Bruce Springsteen, The Collection 1973-1984

2010: Sony

Sunday 17 July 2011 Playlist

The Surfaris - Wipeout
Album: Wipe Out, Surfer Joe & Other Great Hits
1973 Compilations (out of print) Reissued 2005: Magic

ALBUM OF THE MONTH
Dave Stewart - So long ago
Album: The Blackbird Diaries
2011: Surfdog / Proper

 

The Kinks - Sunny afternoon
Album: Face to Face
2008: Sanctuary

Joe Cocker - Just pass it on
Album: Hymn for my Soul
2007: EMI

Brigitte Bardot - Un jour comme un autre
Album: French Cafe
2003: Putumayo

Big Bill Broonzy - You've been mistreating me
Album: Four Classic Albums Plus (Big Bill's Blues)
2010: Avid

Eric Bibb - New home
Album: Troubadour Live with Staffan Astner 
2011: Flatbrim

The Blind Boys of Alabama - Soldier
Album: Spirit of the Century
2003: Solid / Real World

 

Elbow - One day like this
Album Seldom Seen Kid
2007: Polydor

Beverley Knight - Fairplay
Album: Soul UK
2011: Hurricane

Billie Holiday - Stormy weather
Album: The Great American Songbook
2008: Not Now Music

Jools Holland & his RBO with Ruby Turner - Roll out of this hole
Album: Rockinghorse
2010: Warner

Charles Trenet - La mer

Album: The Extraordinary Garden, The Very Best of Charles Trenet

1990: EMI

Dave Bartholomew - The monkey (speaks his mind)
Album: Bob Dylan's Theme Time Radio Hour, Season 3
2010: Ace

Various Artists - Perfect day
Single: BBC Children in Need
1997: Chrysalis

Molly Johnson - My oh my
Album: The Best Smooth Jazz - Ever! Vol 4
2009: EMI

Fleet Foxes - Ragged wood
Album: Fleet Foxes
2008: Bella Union

Dean Martin - Ain't that a kick in the head
Album: Dino - The Essential Dean Martin
2004: Capitol



Janis Ian - At Seventeen
Album: Between the Lines
1995: Grapevine

Count Basie Orchestra - In a mellow tone
Album: Basie is Back
2010: Decca

Corrinne Bailey Rae - Paper dolls
Album: The Sea
2010: EMI

Young Rascals - Groovin'
Album: Ultimate Rascals
1990: Warner



Vic Damone - You're breaking my heart
Album: The Memory Lingers On (Various Artists)
2005: V2TV 

ALBUM OF THE MONTH
(See also above)
Dave Stewart: The Blackbird Diaries
2011: Surfdog / Proper
Magic in the blues
Can't get you out of my head

Sunday 28 December 08 - Mitch's Musical Review of the Year, 2008 - Playlist

REVIEW OF 2008:
The Surfaris: Wipeout
Dr John & the Lower 911: Keep on goin'
Leona Lewis: Bleeding love
Scouting for Girls: I wish I was James Bond
Amy Winehouse from Back to Black, x 2
Back to Black
Rehab
Herbie Hancock featuring Corinne Bailey Rae: River
Duffy: Mercy
Bo Diddley: Bo Diddley
The Ting Tings: That's not my name
Ben Waters from Hurricane, x 2
Hurricane
Helicon boogie
Abba: Money, money, money
Isaac Hayes: Theme from Shaft
Neil Diamond: Pretty amazing Grace
Catherine Russell from Sentimental Streak, x 2
So little time (So much to do)
I'm lazy, that's all
Marvin Gaye: I heard it through the grapevine
Elbow: One day like this
Pink: So what
Four Tops: Reach out, I'll be there
Aretha Franklin with Mariah Carey: Chain of fools
BB King: How many more years
Miriam Makeba: Pata, pata
Jools Holland with Beverley Knight: A change is gonna come

Sunday 14 September 08 Chat

For fans of current Dr Who, David Tennant, news that tickets have sold out for his London performances as Hamlet for the Royal Shakespeare Company is a mixed blessing.
Of course we have no doubt of his ability, even if he has lately been somewhat taken up with interplanetary activity, and we're delighted by his success on the 'boards'.
On the other hand that success may not bode well for his continuing role in the tardis.
Could his death / transformation be nearer than we'd like to think?

* * * * * * * * * * *

The wonderful album Seldom Seen Kid by guitar group, Elbow, has won the Nationwide Mercury Prize this week.
Against fierce competition the group won the most prestigious award, album of the year, from major players Radiohead, Adele, Estelle, The Last Shadow Puppets and Burial, among others.
The win recognises the consistency of a great performance band who have made the festivals circuit their own.
It will also undoubtedly and deservedly catapult the CD back into the charts.
If you don't already own the album check out the anthemic One day like this and I'll bet your credit card will be dragging you down to your local music shop in no time.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The BBC drama department has excelled itself this year.
No sooner have we enjoyed the remarkable Curse of Comedy series (my favourite featuring the gorgeous Jason Isaacs as Harry H Corbett in the Curse of Steptoe) than we have three outstanding comedy monologues, starring Bob Hoskins, Rhys Ifans and Sheila Hancock, in a short season, The Last Word.
Bob Hoskins plays an assassin waiting in a public toilet for his next, and last, target; Sheila Hancock a terminally ill woman waiting to receive the drugs with which she will end her life; and Rhys Ifans, for me the glorious surprise of the trio, playing a farmer seeking to free himself from life with a domineering mother.
For these all too rare glimpses of pure dramatic genius we gladly pay our licence fee. See them on BBC iPlayer now.

* * * * * * * * * * *

The most entertaining story of the week has to be that of the 12 barrels of lager that turned up unannounced at Windsor Castle, the Queen's Berkshire residence.
Seems they were meant for a pub of the same name in nearby Maidenhead.
But the wonderful image of Her Majesty with her feet up, quaffing pints in front of the TV and cheering on the England football team in their match against Croatia, caused much merriment across the nation.
We were most definitely amused.