For 'tis O, good ale, thou art my darling
And my joy both night and morning
1. Welcome as ever, to The Horse & Feather and tonight you are in luck (😝) as we've laid on a Halloween special for our regulars and our newcomers. This means all our songs tonight are in some way connected to all things creepy and otherworldly. I've been sorting through some great tracks which will fit the criteria and take us towards The Witching Hour. If you're expecting - or hoping for - Monster Mash (we don't judge here) then you will probably be disappointed but don't throw your toffee apple away in anger just yet. Perhaps there's a song or two on here for you still. Mix yourselves a Bloody Mary and we shall begin.
We'll hit the road running with (some might say) a fairly obvious choice but sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do and this track really rocks out so let's start tonight with a bang. This is taken off the album Easy Tiger from 2007.
1. Ryan Adams
Halloweenhead
2. Just because it's Halloween, it doesn't mean we can't smoothify* things up so we'll play a little soul classic next. Ben E King will long be remembered for his sterling work with The Drifters and of course Stand By Me (which remains one of my all time favourites) but this track from 1975 fits our theme perfectly so Supernatural Thing, Pt 1 will be our second song choice tonight.
*Now I am fully aware "smoothify" is not a word in the English dictionary but sometimes, freshly invented words work better than existing ones. The other day, my colleague at work (totally accidentally) created a great word to describe some employee dissent. They were described as "rebeliating." I thought that was terrific.
2. Ben E. King
Supernatural Thing, Pt 1
3. Where to next? Ahh, I know. Back in 1968, The Zombies released this track which no-one expected to chart. The band had already broken up by then but the song became a huge smash in America so the band were hastily put back together (minus their lead singer Colin Blunstone.) Unfortunately for the band, they couldn't find a replacement lead singer that could replicate Colin Blunstone's vocals so their promoters decided to announce him dead. Something which came as quite a surprise to their former lead singer when he read about his own demise in the newspaper. Well I guess it would, wouldn't it? Strange but true. Great band. Great song. Here's their track Time of the Season.
3. The Zombies
Time of the Season
4. My Dad is a huge fan of Stevie Nicks and Fleetwood Mack so I'm pretty sure he'd approve of our next song. She wrote this in 1972 but didn't release her version until many years later. It's so typically Stevie Nicks. She released an album called Crystal Visions with this song on it and yes, I think there's certainly something kind of mystical about her and her music. A good choice for a Halloween Barfly Session, I hope you agree.
4. Stevie Nicks
Sorcerer
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5. True to form, The Fox has come forth to offer up a halloween recommendation. Fits our theme perfectly. First released in the 60's to very little fanfare but then re-released in the 70's as the Northern Soul scene was catching fire. Here is your YOFR for this week.
5. R. Dean Taylor
There's A Ghost In My House
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6. 1979 was the year I was born. "Tragedy" was number one in the charts at this time but that's another story I guess. So yes 1979. Not only the year of my birth but also the title of a great Smashing Pumpkins track which seemed to live on MTV in the mid-nineties. I particularly like the "Morphine city slippin' dues" line in this song. The track comes off the Chicago band's album Mellon Collie and the Infinite Sadness.
6. The Smashing Pumpkins
1979
7. I've been waiting for a chance to include a Bonnie Prince Billy (Will Oldham) song and tonight's theme meant I had a wealth of choices from his back catalogue. "Blood Embrace", "Beast For Thee", "Cursed Sleep", "I See A Darkness", "Another Day Full Of Dread" are just some of his songs I could have gone for but I've opted for this one because I love the backing vocals by Dawn McCarthy. The album this is taken from an album called The Letting Go which is a work of real finery and even more so when accompanied by some headphones, a flickering candle and a generous amount of Irish whiskey. There's a wooden drumbeat throughout this song that I'm drawn to. It sounds like the combination of a heartbeat and the urgent ticking of a loud clock. Very atmospheric and powerful. Hit the play button and let it get through your skin.
7. Bonnie Prince BillyA Strange Form of Life
8. As it's a Halloween Party of sorts, we'll extend our opening hours to fit another couple of songs into this evening's session. It's been good playing some old fashioned rock tonight and I see no reason to stop just yet so Royal Blood will fit the bill nicely Now this band get loud. They are just a two piece but singer and bassist Mike Kerr uses a multitude of pedals and amps to crank up and adjust the sounds of his bass guitar. It's a unique skill and makes for an immense result. When I was about 16 I went to my first Monsters of Rock festival at Donington Park. You weren't allowed cans or bottles so we had to pour our beer into bin bags and pierce a hole into the side to drink them from. Nice right? Even nicer when fellow rock fans used their empty bin bags to piss into to save walking 200 metres to the bogs and then (perhaps to make it more of a festival atmosphere) tossed them high up into the air for some unfortunate sod in the crowd to get a golden shower surprise. A trick rather than a treat and that's for sure. Great memories though.
8. Royal Blood
Little Monster
9. You'll know this next one so it's probably a good track to close tonight off with. "You float like a feather/in a beautiful world" I really love that lyric. That image of time slowing down right in front of you is such an intricate way to describe someone you're infatuated with. We then have that infamous guitar jolt in the chorus which brings reality back in an instant. It sounds like the sky starting to crack. Absolutely stunning. So indeed, we finish with Radiohead and I bid you adieu until next time. Keep spreading the word about our Barfly Sessions. I can't promise key rings or any other tacky merchandise just yet but stay with me and who knows???... Horse & Feather BS could become the new Stay Calm and Carry On. This time next year, we could be millionaires. Goodnight you lovely lot. See you next week and don't have nightmares. x
9. Radiohead
Creep
