The Monochrome Set - Kleine Symphonies (1995)

The Monochrome Set was formed in London in 1978 from the remnants of a college group called The B-Sides, whose members had included Stuart Goddard, later known as Adam Ant. The original line-up consisted of Indian-born lead singer and principal songwriter Bid (real name Ganesh Seshadri), Canadian guitarist Lester Square (real name Thomas W.B. Hardy), drummer John D. Haney (formerly of The Art Attacks) and bass guitarist Charlie X. The band had two more bassists, Jeremy Harrington and Simon Croft, before Andy Warren of the Ants, a childhood friend of Bid, joined in late 1979. Experimental filmmaker Tony Potts began collaborating with the band the same year, designing lighting and stage sets with film projections for their live appearances, and the band's early persona was defined by the shadowy, uncertain stage images created by the films, to such an extent he is often described as being the band's "fifth member". Their music was a witty, urbane take on post-punk that owed a debt to swinging '60s pop and twangy surf music, steered by the darkly clever songs of Bid and the crisp playing of the band. Their first four singles for Rough Trade were smart and offbeat, covering obscure lyrical territory while also delivering snappy hooks. In 1980 they released their debut studio album, 'Strange Boutique', produced by Bob Sargeant for Virgin Records' imprint DinDisc in 1980, which peaked at No. 62 in the UK Albums Chart. Their follow-up effort, the more accessible 'Love Zombies', was produced by Alvin Clark and the band later that same year, after which Haney left the band and was replaced by Lexington Crane. In 1982 the band switched labels to Cherry Red to release their third album, 'Eligible Bachelors', produced by Tim Hart, and Square and Crane left soon afterwards, being replaced by keyboardist Carrie Booth and drummer Nicholas Weslowski. 

This line-up recorded a 1982 single, 'Cast A Long Shadow', for Cherry Red, before Booth was in turn replaced by new lead guitarist James 'Foz' Foster. Following the departure of Square, the Monochrome Set veered even closer to light pop fare on singles like 1985's 'Jacob's Ladder', and the sound subsequently crystallized on the nostalgically themed album 'The Lost Weekend'. When the record met with a dismal commercial response, the group disbanded, although the members did reconvene to serve as Jessica Griffin's backing band on the first album by the Would-Be-Goods, 'The Camera Loves Me' in 1988. This led to them re-forming in 1989 around the nucleus of Bid, Square, and Warren, along with new keyboardist Orson Presence. The 1990 album 'Dante's Casino' did little to raise the band's chart visibility, but they soldiered on, releasing 'Charade' in 1993, 'Misere' in 1994, and 'Trinity Road' in 1995. They broke up in 1998 while Bid formed a new band, Scarlet's Well, but in 2011, members of the Well joined a reunited Monochrome Set, which again featured Bid, Square, and Warren, and they signed to the Disquo Bleu label. This new line-up released 'Platinum Coils' in 2012 and 'Super Plastic City' in 2013, but 2015's 'Spaces Everywhere' found them on their new home of Tapete Records. The group stuck with Tapete for its next studio album, 2016's 'Cosmonaut', which featured Bid playing all the guitars due to Square's departure, although the band had welcomed John Paul Moran and Mike Urban back on keyboards and drums, respectively. This same line-up recorded another album for Tapete, 'Maisieworld', which was released in early 2018 as the band celebrated its 40th year of existence. I still have all their early singles, and the b-sides are universally as good as the A-sides, and so this post collects all of their non-album recordings, including singles, b-sides and John Peel session tracks, into a superbly enjoyable double-disc set from their first two incarnations between 1978 and 1995.    

Track listing

Disc I - 1978-1980
01 He's Frank (single 1978)
02 Alphaville (b-side of 'He's Frank')
03 Eine Symphonie Des Grauens (single 1979)
04 Lester Leaps In (b-side of 'Eine Symphonie Des Grauens')
05 The Monochrome Set (single edit 1979)
06 Mr. Bizarro (b-side of 'The Monochrome Set')
07 Fat Fun (John Peel session 1979)
08 He's Frank (Slight Return) (single 1979)
09 Silicon Carne (b-side of 'He's Frank (Slight Return)')
10 Viva Death Row (John Peel Session 1979)
11 Fallout (b-side of 'He's Frank (Slight Return)')
12 Surfing SW12 (b-side of 'The Strange Boutique' 1980)
13 Fiasco Bongo (b-side of 'Apocalypso' 1980)

Disc II - 1981-1995
01 Ten Don'ts For Honeymooners (single 1981)
02 Straits Of Malacca (b-side of 'Ten Don'ts For Honeymooners')
03 J.D.H.A.N.E.Y. (b-side of 'The Mating Game' 1982)
04 Cast A Long Shadow (single 1982)
05 The Bridge (b-side of 'Cast A Long Shadow')
06 Love Goes Down The Drain (b-side of 'The Jet Set Junta' 1983)
07 Noise (Eine Kleine Symphonie) (b-side of 'The Jet Set Junta' 1983)
08 Andiamo (b-side of 'Jacob's Ladder' 1984)
09 Big Ben Bongo (b-side of 'Wallflower' 1985)
10 Hurting You (b-side of 'Forever Young' 1993)
11 Closing Time (b-side of 'I Love Lambeth' 1995)

Kurupt FM - Kuruption (2021)

Kurupt FM were a UK garage and drum & bass collective formed in 2014, and led by rapper and frontman, MC Grindah, with DJ Beats as the group's main DJ. They were joined by DJ Steves and DJ Decoy, and they juggled broadcasting their music on their pirate radio station, attending live events, and attempting to break into the mainstream music industry. They achieved a small moment of progress with some of their club gigs, but never managed to get much recognition outside of their London base. MC Grindah had big plans for the group, and regarded himself as a visionary MC destined for stardom, and although his best friend DJ Beats was more mild-mannered, he too shared the belief in Kurupt FM's success, although despite their ambitions they just couldn't seem to break into the mainstream. DJ Decoy was producer and technical backbone of the group, and was responsible for most of the music on their self-recorded album, which featured some intricate and catchy beats, and MC Grindah’s charismatic and unique delivery. Despite being a relatively unknown group they managed to rope in some big names for their collaborations, with Craig David, Big Narstie and JayKae & Mist all making an appearance on the record. The production across the board was light and fun, and the  biggest surprise was 'Letter To Grindah', a track from DJ Beats that speaks volumes of the two men's relationship. You might not have heard of this group, but if you're a fan of drum & bass, hip-hop or rap then it's worth a listen. 

 
Track listing

01 Kuruptfminnit
02 Neva Bin
03 Ooze Dat
04 Summertime (feat.Craig David)
05 Blaze It (feat. Big Narstie)
06 Get Out The Way
07 Letter To Grindah
08 Dreaming (feat. JayKae & Mist)
09 Heart Monitor Riddim
10 A Million
11 Suttin' Like Dat
12 Inside (feat. MC Creed & D Double E)
13 A Dis One
14 Original Rudeboyz (feat. General Levy)

Jimi Hendrix - Voodoo Chile Blues (1970)

Just when you think that there can't be any more unheard Jimi Hendrix recordings, a 5CD box set turns up from Midnight Beat, containing a treasure trove of recordings made between 1967 and 1970. As usual with Hendrix bootlegs, it contains a lot of multiple takes of the same tracks, and also unfinished snippets which just stop when they fall apart, and so to save you trawling through the whole thing I've extracted the very best of the recordings into one album. The comprehensive notes in the booklet give a background of when and where the music was recorded, so here is the lowdown on the recordings. 'Voodoo Child (Slight Return) had 15 takes recorded at The Record Plant in May 1968, and I've used the best complete recording, although it did have a very prominent tambourine all the way through, which I've toned down considerably. 'Midnight, Valleys Of Neptune' was recorded at Olmstead Studios in April 1969, and this version is the last of seven takes of the song. An instrumental version of 'Sending My Love To Linda' is another Record Plant recording from April 1969, and is the second of three takes of the track. 'Mannish Boy' is from January 1970 at the Record Plant, and the best of the seven takes was take 3, so that's what we have here, with some outstanding playing as the Gypsies try to cut this tune. 'Closer To The Truth' is an alternate 'Roomful Of Mirrors', and is a home recording from March 1969 at Hendrix's Brook Street, London address. It's an unusual take of the track, with talking and chanting to the accompaniment of taped music of others, which he is controlling on his cassette deck or record player. Vocals were on one channel, while the music was on the other, so I've done a stereo mix to make it easier to listen to. 'I Was Made To Love Her' was recorded in a medley with 'Ain't Too Proud To Beg' at the Playhouse Theatre in October 1967, with Stevie Wonder on drums. Sound quality is excellent, and Jimi lets rip on some great riffs, although there are no vocals. The first half is better than the second, so I've only included the 'I Was Made To Love Her' section. 'Had To Cry Today' is from July 1970 at Electric Ladyland Studios, and is a particularly percussive take on the songs, with conga, drums, and cowbells dominating at the beginning. 'Voodoo Chile Blues' is a May 1968 recording from the Record Plant, and is the last and best of the five takes, although it did include a lot of chatter throughout the recording, most of which I've removed. Experienced collectors might want to consider this since it brings together a lot of favourite booted tracks in one place, and for someone like me, who has quite a number of bootlegs but would not consider myself a fanatic, there was stuff on here that I hadn't heard before, and once the fat was trimmed then it left a really nice hour-long collection. 

Track listing

01 Voodoo Child (Slight Return) (Take 15)
02 Midnight, Valleys Of Neptune (Take 7)
03 Sending My Heart To Linda (Take 2)
04 Mannish Boy (Take 3)
05 Closer To The Truth (Take 1)
06 I Was Made To Love Her (Take 1)
07 Had To Cry Today (Take 2)
08 Voodoo Chile Blues (Take 5)

Guadalcanal Diary - Always Saturday: The Best Of Guadalcanal Diary (1989)

Murray Attaway and Jeff Walls became friends in high school, and had played together in a punk band called Strictly American, which also included Curtis Crowe, the future drummer of Pylon. The two decided to form a new band under the name Emergency Broadcast System, and as Attaway's close friend Rhett Crowe, the sister of Curtis, was learning to play bass with guidance from Walls, she joined the new band. They named themselves Guadalcanal Diary, referencing the 1943 war memoir of that same name, and after auditioning several drummers, Walls enlisted multi-instrumentalist John Poe who agreed to play drums "temporarily", but stayed permanently. Guadalcanal Diary quickly attracted attention with its frequent live shows in the Athens and Atlanta music scenes, and in 1983 they recorded and released a four-song EP called 'Watusi Rodeo' on the small Atlanta indie label Entertainment On Disc. Despite the title of the EP, the song 'Watusi Rodeo' (one of their most famous songs) was not included on this release as Attaway hadn't written it yet. In 1984 the band signed with DB Records and began recording with Don Dixon, releasing their first full-length record, 'Walking In The Shadow Of The Big Man', which was well received by critics, and enjoyed significant airplay on US college radio stations, drawing comparisons to fellow Georgia band R.E.M. After touring heavily across the US in support of the album, the band was signed by Elektra Records in 1985, who wanted to immediately record and release new material, but the band convinced the label to first re-release 'Walking In The Shadow Of The Big Man' due to the feeling that the initial DB release had not had wide enough distribution. 

In 1986 the group released their second album, 'Jamboree', produced by Rodney Mills and Steve Nye, and although initial reception was not as enthusiastic as their debut effort, with some critics noting a weaker production, the album eventually gained retrospective appreciation among fans. They decided to work again with producer Don Dixon for their next album, '2 X 4', and when it was released in 1987 it featured a harder-hitting sound and greater diversity among the songs, becoming the band's most successful album up to that time. In 1988, Jeff Walls and Rhett Crowe married, and Rhett gave birth to a daughter, Lillian, the following year, after which they recorded again with Don Dixon, and 1989 saw the release of the band's fourth and final studio album, 'Flip-Flop'. While the music video for 'Always Saturday' saw rotation on MTV, critics noted that the album lacked some of the consistency of their previous albums, perhaps due to the band's busy touring schedule. However, with all members contributing to the song-writing, it took on a more diverse and upbeat sound, compared to darker themes of their previous works. Due to new family commitments and exhaustion from heavy touring, the band began to drift apart, and so they chose to break up in order to preserve their friendships. In the early fall of 1989, they played their collective final show in a free performance at Legion Field on the University of Georgia campus, and organized by the Tau Epsilon Phi fraternity's Nu Chapter. Despite initial comparisons to R.E.M., Guadalcanal Diary never achieved the same success as their fellow Georgians, although they certainly deserved it, and they retain a loyal following to this day. I hope that this collection of some of their best work will extend that fanbase.  

Track listing

01 Watusi Rodeo (from 'Walking In The Shadow Of The Big Man' 1984)
02 Always Saturday (from 'Flip Flop' 1989)
03 Jamboree (from 'Jamboree' 1986)
04 Litany (Life Goes On) (from '2 X 4' 1987)
05 Trail of Tears (from 'Walking In The Shadow Of The Big Man' 1984)
06 Cattle Prod (from 'Jamboree' 1986)

07 Under the Yoke (from '2 X 4' 1987)

08 John Wayne (from the 'Watusi Rodeo' EP 1985) 

09 Sleepers Awake (from 'Walking In The Shadow Of The Big Man' 1984)

10 I See Moe (from 'Jamboree' 1986)
11 Pretty Is As Pretty Does (from '2 X 4' 1987)
12 Why Do the Heathen Rage? (from 'Walking In The Shadow Of The Big Man' 1984)
13 ...Vista (from 'Flip Flop' 1989)
14 Where Angels Fear To Tread (from '2 X 4' 1987)
15 Pray For Rain (from 'Jamboree' 1986)

GTR - Nerotrend (1987)

After Steve Howe left Asia in 1984, he and former Yes manager Brian Lane discussed forming a new group, and Lane approached former Genesis guitarist Steve Hackett. Hackett's last few solo albums had sold disappointingly, and he hoped being part of a new band would sustain his prominence as a guitarist and finance future solo work. They recruited American drummer Jonathan Mover (ex-Marillion), bass guitarist Phil Spalding, and singer Max Bacon, named themselves GTR, and sought to create a contemporary band sound without using keyboards, which Howe felt had become too dominant in Asia. Hackett and Howe's guitars were outfitted with Roland guitar synthesizer pickups, which operated rack synthesizers. While Lane pursued record deals, the band set about recording songs with Howe’s former Asia and Yes colleague Geoff Downes as producer. Howe and Hackett disagreed on method: whereas Howe favoured investment in high-quality studio time, Hackett preferred a relatively low-budget recording approach but greater investment in instruments and technology. Howe's approach prevailed and proved expensive, leaving the group uncomfortably in debt, but the result was released by Arista Records in April 1986, and in the U.S. the album went gold, hit No. 11 on the album charts, and spawned a hit single, 'When The Heart Rules The Mind'. 

While the album was a chart success, it was (and has remained) a work with a mixed and highly debated reputation among rock fans, especially supporters of Genesis and Yes, with accusations of the album containing substandard filler material beyond the two singles, and criticism directed at Max Bacon's strident tenor seeming to be the main issues. GTR toured North America and Europe in 1986, but live rehearsals revealed that the band's "no keyboards" method did not work in concert due to the poor tracking qualities of the guitar synthesizers, and therefore the tour featured keyboard player Matt Clifford in the GTR line-up in order to recreate the studio sound. By the end of the tour the band was falling apart, and his dissatisfaction with both the music and financial management of GTR (as well as a failure to see eye-to-eye with Howe) led to his beginning to question the project. He saw GTR as becoming more of a project than a band, with perhaps the idea of a number of guitarists all getting together, and with this in mind he approached guitarist Brian May of Queen with the suggestion that he join the project. Despite May's initial enthusiasm, the potential collaboration only extended to three tracks demoed with Hackett, and it is unclear whether Hackett ultimately intended May to replace himself or replace Howe. 

The band's debt situation had not improved, and in 1987 Hackett called time on the group, leaving the band and resuming his solo career. Unwilling to give up on the band, Howe tried to continue GTR with Bacon, Spalding, ex-Saxon drummer Nigel Glockler, and a second singer/guitarist, former Hush member Robert Berry. Initial sessions featured both Bacon and Berry as vocalists, but ultimately they were abandoned, with some of the material later resurrected or reused on future albums by group members. Post-GTR, Howe resumed his solo career and rejoined the Yes line-up (initially as part of Anderson Bruford Wakeman Howe) while Berry became part of the partial Emerson, Lake & Palmer reunion project 3. Spalding returned to a session career and Glockler returned to Saxon, while Bacon's 1996 solo album 'The Higher You Climb' included some GTR material. The abandoned album was to be called Nerotrend, which was also mooted to be the new name for the band, but nothing ever came of it and so the tapes were locked away, until now. So here is the unreleased second album by GTR, recorded after they fell apart, but before they totally imploded. 

 

Track listing

01 Young Heart
02 Away
03 These Eyes
04 Loneliness
05 Listen To The People
06 Young Blood
07 Running The Human Race
08 Sharp On Attack
09 Endless Nights
10 This World's Big Enough
11 Hungry Warrior
12 You Can't Do That

Mike Solof - Off The Beatle Track - Episode 276 (2024)

I think it's about time for another episode of the Mike Solof radio show 'Off The Beatle Track', and this one looks at the influence of the Fab Four on hip-hop and rap in the 80's and 90's. The most obvious example, of course, is the classic 'Grey Album' from Dangermouse (on the site if you want it), but whereas that was a mash-up of Beatles tunes and lyrics from Jay-Z, other hip-hop and rap artists had been sampling the Beatles on their tracks for a while, and Mike digs them out and plays them for your education and entertainment.

Track listing 

01 Episode 276 - HipHoppin' Beatles

Squeeze - East Side Story (1981)

Squeeze's 1981 album 'East Side Story' was conceived as a double album, with four sides of vinyl each produced by some of British pop/rock’s greatest names at the time: Paul McCartney, Elvis Costello, Nick Lowe and Dave Edmunds. Ultimately, McCartney had to bow out, and sessions with Lowe and Edmunds produced very little of value outside the superb Edmunds-produced opener, 'In Quintessence', but Costello, who according to legend gave The Attractions copies of 'Argybargy' to emulate, was enthusiastic to work with Squeeze. He would produce nearly the entire album with his engineer Roger Bechirian, and while many of Squeeze's prior sessions were punctuated by frequent trips to the pub – all the better to draw inspiration for Difford’s lyrics – Costello in fact proved to be a stern taskmaster during the sessions, even suggesting changes in diet. He also pushed the band outside their comfort levels, urging them to record tracks like the country-tinged ballad 'Labelled With Love', and he was proved right when this was the album’s biggest hit, reaching No. 4 in the U.K. Costello also made the crucial decision to give Carrack lead vocals on 'Tempted', a soulful tale inspired by unfaithful feelings while on tour. Carrack's lead and organ, all these years later, still make this the go-to song to jog someone's memory when discussing Squeeze, but it's just one of more than a dozen keepers on the album, with Difford and Tilbrook crafting little musical slices of life on 'Is That Love', 'Piccadilly', 'Woman’s World', 'Mumbo Jumbo', and 'Someone Else's Heart'. The album became a landmark of its time, with devout Squeeze fans across the world hailing it as the band’s crowning achievement: singable, iconic, diverse pop/rock helmed by a band in full control of their powers, and a famous producer willing to coax the absolute best from them. Though key track 'Tempted' was never a hit on either side of the Atlantic, it stands as one of the band’s signature songs, although that's hardly scratching the surface with two other singles and a host of key tracks at play. Although we can do nothing about that fact that Costello produced the majority of the released version of the album, we can add various out-takes and Tilbrook demos recorded at the same time but which never made the cut, plus the Smash Hits freebie 'Wrong Way', which was recorded just a few months earlier, to stretch the record out to double-album length. I've slotted the new tracks into a revised running order, and housed the whole thing in a variation of the original sleeve.   

Track listing

Disc I
01 In Quintessence
02 Someone Else's Heart
03 Depression
04 Tempted
05 Piccadilly
06 I Don't Like Love
07 The Axe Has Now Fallen
08 There's No Tomorrow
09 Holiday Makers
10 Heaven
11 Mumbo Jumbo

Disc II
01 Is That Love?
02 Trust
03 Woman's World
04 Wrong Way
05 Misunderstood
06 Looking For A Love
07 Someone Else's Bell
08 Yap, Yap, Yap
09 F-Hole
10 Labelled With Love
11 Vanity Fair
12 Messed Around

Various Artists - Television Time Machine (2025)

I recently came across a 15CD set of classic TV and film themes, and realising that I would never sit down and listen to the whole thing more than once, I've extracted my very favourite TV theme tunes from the 60's and 70's and compiled them into one album. I recognised every one of these from watching the original TV shows while growing up, and so this is a real nostalgia fest for me. I've deliberately not gone for the most obvious choices, so no 'Tales Of The Unexpected', 'The Avengers' or 'Van Der Valk', but a lot of kid's TV and action shows. If you too are of a certain age then give this a listen and relive your childhood, or try not reading the track listing and see if you can guess the show! 

Track listing

01 Theme from 'Joe 90'
02 Left Bank Two (Theme from 'Vision On: The Gallery')
03 Marching There And Back (Theme from 'Screen Test') 
04 Theme from 'Midweek'
05 Theme from 'The Strange World Of Gurney Slade'
06 Theme from 'Captain Scarlet'
07 Theme from 'Animal Magic'
08 At The Sign Of The Swinging Cymbal (Theme from 'Pick Of The Pops')
09 Theme from 'The Champions'
10 The Good Word (Theme from 'Nationwide')
11 Theme from 'Department S'
12 Hit And Miss (Theme from 'Juke Box Jury')
13 Marching Strings (Theme from 'Top Of The Form')
14 Theme from 'The Strange Report'
15 Theme from 'Thunderbirds'
16 Theme from 'Danger Man'
17 Funky Fanfare (Theme from 'The National Screen Service's Feature Presentation')
18 Theme from 'Man Alive'
19 Theme from 'Jason King'
20 Theme from 'Please Sir'
21 Closing theme from 'The Sweeney'
22 Theme from 'Randall And Hopkirk (Deceased)' 
23 Theme from 'Terry And June'

Grateful Dead - Jack Straw From Wichita (1972)

Back in 2015, the ManRoy Music blog published an article about an early 70's "missing" album from the Grateful Dead, which has prompted this post. He wrote:
Whereas the Grateful Dead's previous four albums from 1967 to 1969 were the very definition of psychedelia, in 1970 they released two albums that redefined their musical careers. On 'Workingman's Dead' and 'American Beauty' the band's sound shifted from electric 'space' music to more acoustic textures and songcraft, while the songs themselves reflected an innovative mix of rock with folk, bluegrass and country music. Jerry Garcia has commented that much of the sound of those albums came both from his pairing with lyricist Robert Hunter, as well as the band's friendship with Crosby, Stills and Nash. Garcia said, "Hearing those guys sing and how nice they sounded together, we thought, We can try that. Let's work on it a little". However, after putting out two remarkable records in one year, the Dead didn't release another studio record until 1973's 'Wake Of The Flood', although they were far from dormant during that time span, with 1971/72 being a period of high artistic achievements. They carried on writing, and spent those two years touring extensively, and so many of the songs that were written in that time frame were never recorded in the studio, but instead were released as part of their two live albums, 'Skull & Roses' (officially titled 'Grateful Dead' after Warner Brothers refused to release it with the name the band wanted: 'Skull Fuck') and 'Europe '72'. The new songs featured on these two live albums extended and further explored the world that we were first shown in 'Workingman's Dead' and 'American Beauty'. 

Dead lyricist Robert Hunter has said that he wished that the songs from this period could have gotten the studio treatment as it would have made a great follow up album to the two 1970 releases, and would have been the final record of the 'American Beauty Trilogy'. This hypothetical studio album would include 'Jack Straw', 'Brown Eyed Women', 'He's Gone', 'Ramble On Rose', 'Tennessee Jed',' Mr. Charlie', 'Bertha', 'Wharf Rat', and 'Playing In The Band'. Additionally, this very strong collection of tunes could have been easily supplemented by other new songs that the Dead were regularly playing live but subsequently appeared on the solo records of Jerry Garcia and Bob Weir, in particular, 'Loser' and 'Sugaree' from 'Garcia' and 'Mexicali Blues' from 'Ace' would have worked especially. All of these songs highlight the amazing lyrical talents of Robert Hunter, and the collaboration with Garcia produced a group of amazing songs that told the stories of cowboys, gamblers, outlaws, drifters, and other disreputable characters that took place in an America that seemed to be on the cusp of modernity, but wasn't quite there yet, and wasn't so sure that it wanted to be there either. In fact, the music genre we refer to today as Americana can be traced back to many of these songs, as while being highly evocative of a time and a place, they also exhibit a timelessness that is characteristic of the best of music and art. 

In order to make the album that he wanted to hear, I've selected the most concise versions of the songs, as we don't need 10-minute versions on a "studio" album, and I've removed any crowd noise, but the recordings themselves were so good that I didn't need to do any more work to them. I stuck to the original nine selections, as that resulted in a 52-minute album, which was the perfect length, and so I didn't need to include the tracks from 'Garcia' and 'Ace'. I titled it after the first track, and so was able to use some superb artwork by Luke Martin, which is actually called 'Jack Straw', and was done in the form of a Grateful Dead poster.   

Track listing

01 Jack Straw
02 Brown Eyed Women
03 He's Gone
04 Bertha
05 Mr. Charlie
06 Wharf Rat
07 Ramble On Rose
09 Tennessee Jed
09 Playing In The Band

Chris Forsyth - Robot Energy Machine: The Best Of Chris Forsyth (2022)

Chris Forsyth was born in 1973 and grew up in New Jersey in the '80's, listening to classic-rock radio, then got into underground/punk in his teens and college years. He taught himself to play guitar, and moved to Brooklyn in 1996, figuring New York would be a good place to figure out what he wanted to do with his life. He started to lose interest in contemporary rock music in the late '90's and started to appreciate improvised music, avant-rock, free-jazz, and experimental/outsider music of all stripes. He studied with Richard Lloyd of Television for 18 months, and had a group called Peeesseye in the 2000's that played drones, feedback, and very noisy high strung improvisations. In 2009 he relocated to Philadelphia, and became friends with the late guitarist Jack Rose, who inspired him to play more lyrically and expose the latent/dormant Richard Thompson/Jerry Garcia tendencies in his playing. In 1998 he released a limited edition album with Ethan Sklar, and followed this in 2001 with another collaboration, this time with guitarist Ernesto Diaz-Infante on 'Wires And Wooden Boxes'. Since then he has released a number of collaborative albums, with artists such as Chris Heenan, Nate Wooley and Shawn Edward Hansen, every one being released by a different label. In 2009 he released his first solo album in 'Dreams', with 'Paranoid Cat' following in 2011, and 'Kenzo Deluxe' the next year. 2013 saw the appearance of 'Solar Motel', named after a real place on Route 1 in Central Jersey, and which was his first full 'rock band' record. He put together a band to play it live, which he christened The Solar Motel Band, and this loose collective of various musicians has recorded three studio albums under that name between 2014 and 2017, as well as numerous live albums, both official and bootleg. They also recorded a live album with Garcia Peoples in 2020, under the name Peoples Motel Band, and yet to most people he remains an unknown artist, with his fans revelling in his status as their best-kept secret. Hopefully this sampler of some of his best work will introduce this superb guitarist to a wider audience, and he will start to get the recognition that he deserves. 

Track listing

01 History & Science Fiction (from 'Dreaming In The Non-Dream' 2017) 
02 Anthem I (from 'The Rarity Of Experience' 2016) 
03 Anthem II (from 'The Rarity Of Experience' 2016)
04 (Livin' On) Cubist Time (from 'All Time Present' 2019)
05 Bad Moon Risen (from 'Evolution Here We Come' 2022)
06 New Paranoid Cat (from 'All Time Present' 2019)
07 Boston Street Lullaby No. 1 (from 'Kenzo Deluxe' 2012)
08 Have We Mistaken The Bottle For The Whiskey Inside? (from 'Dreaming In The Non-Dream' 2017)
09 Paris Song (from 'Intensity Ghost' 2014)
10 Tomorrow Might As Well Be Today (from 'All Time Present' 2019)
11 Robot Energy Machine (from 'Evolution Here We Come' 2022)

Tracks 1, 2, 3, 8 and 9 are by Chris Forsyth And The Solar Motel Band.

The Jam - Session (1976)

The Jam formed at Sheerwater Secondary School in Woking, Surrey, England, in 1972, with a line-up consisting of Paul Weller on bass and lead vocals, along with various friends. The name 'The Jam' was reportedly suggested by Weller's sister, Nicky, and the band played their first gigs at Michael's, a local club. The line-up began to solidify in the mid-1970's with Weller, guitarist/vocalist Steve Brookes and drummer Rick Buckler, and in their early years their sets consisted of covers of early American rock and roll songs by the likes of Chuck Berry and Little Richard. They continued in this vein until Weller discovered the Who's debut album 'My Generation' and became fascinated with mod music, thinking that becoming a mod would give him a base and an angle to write from. Their set list changed from rock'n'roll to Motown, Stax and Atlantic covers, and Weller bought a Rickenbacker guitar, a Lambretta GP 150, and tried to style his hair like Steve Marriott's circa '66. Eventually Brookes left the band, but although they advertised for a new guitarist, he was not replaced, and Weller persuaded the band's second guitarist Bruce Foxton to take over bass duties so that he could swap from bass to lead guitar, and this line-up of Weller, Foxton, and Buckler would persist until the end of The Jam's career. In March 1975 the group decamped to TW studios in Fulham and laid down four demo tracks, and over the rest of the year they recorded a couple of tracks at Bob Potter's Studio in May, and a further four songs in December. In September 1976 they visited Bob Potter again and recorded three more tracks, and with their manager John Weller, Paul's father, hawking around the demos, by February 1977 Chris Parry had signed the band to Polydor Records. In April 1977 Polydor released the Jam's debut single, 'In the City', which charted in the Top 40 in the UK, and in May the band released their debut album of the same name, with their career taking off from that point, to become one of the best and most admired outfits of the punk era. To hear what they sounded like before they hit the big time, give this "Jam session" a listen, and see if you can hear the burgeoning sound of what was to come. 

Track listing

01 100 Ways 
02 Forever And Always
03 I Will Be There
04 Walking The Dog
05 Non-Stop Dancing
06 Takin' My Love
07 Left, Right & Centre
08 Again
09 When I Needed You
10 Please Don't Treat Me Bad
11 Soul Dance
12 I Got By In Time
13 Back In My Arms Again

Monty The Moron - Acorn Beer And Chestnut Wine (1984)

Here's another early offering from Monty The Moron, a decade before he changed his name and joined The Damned. It was recorded two years before the previous post, and rather oddly I think it shows a more mature side of him, with songs like 'Little House By The Sea' and 'Falling Rose' being heartfelt ballads, somewhat at odds with his more off-beat offerings like 'The Dentist Song' and 'Collecting Plastic Monsters'. However, there is much to enjoy on this album, although the distortion on 'The Dentist Song' does seem to be on all copies of the tape, but to make up for it I somehow have a rather lovely untitled extra song at the end of my copy, which might make it a unique item. If that isn't enough I've also enhanced and coloured the picture of a young Monty sitting on a motorcycle in his garden, which makes this version of the album a one-of-a-kind. It's just a shame that this is the only other tape that I own.  

Original full cassette cover

Track listing

01 The Dentist Song
02 Monty's Lament
03 Rocking Horse
04 Little House By The Sea
05 Piano Concerto No. 3
06 Collecting Plastic Monsters
07 Sometimes You Just Can't Win
08 Living My Life Backwards
09 Falling Rose
10 A Gentle Robot (Dedicated To The Soft Machine But You Weren't Listening)

11 Untitled Bonus Track 

Kanye West - In A Perfect World (2025) **UPDATE**

I must admit that I'm not listening to this album as much as some of his others that I've posted, and so I didn't notice the radio station ident at the end of 'Uncle' until today, so that's now been removed and files are updated on Soulseek and Mega.

Track listing

01 WW3
02 Cosby
03 Diddy Free
04 Dirty Magazines
05 Jesus
06 Bianca
07 Cousins
08 Virgil
09 Uncle
10 Free My Kids
11 Heil Hitler
12 Gas Chambers
13 Hitler Ye Jesus
14 Jared
15 Nitrous
16 Bulletproof

17 All The Love

18 Hallelujah