1. Hello friends. Bring yourselves closer and lets get communal as it's that time of the week where I serve up seven songs for you to soak up like a sponge. Someone once told me the great thing about a sponge is that it doesn't care if it soaks up champagne or piss. I am still puzzling over the context of this and I feel it should make some kind of sense by now but lets not worry about that. Disconnect yourself from all other distractions. Turn off the television, unplug the kids etc etc. The Horse & Feather Barfly Session 47 is here like your favourite comfort blanket. This week marks the first decade since the Japanese Tsunami in 2011. The photographs of loss and devastation were widespread but there was one photograph I saw printed in a newspaper that hurt me to the core. The picture was of two infant school kids sat on a kerb waiting to be collected by their parents. Unbeknownst to those two children, their parents had been swept away and would not be coming to pick them up. Not then. Not ever. Man, that photograph really got to me. Never forgotten it. Just this week I was reading about how the people affected by the tragedy managed to recover. Can you recover? I read of a man who had lost a close family member who used a disconnected phone box to contact them. It was his solace. This pristine white phone box is remotely situated in the town of Ōtsuchi. Somehow word spread and it is said that 1000's of people have now used the phone box to talk to those who are no longer with them. It helps them grieve. They call it a wind phone. I read that and thought about this song and that's where we'll begin.
1. Labi Siffre
Bless The Telephone
2. In a similar vein to the above, I thought of this song and thought "yeah, why not?" This is just great. Perhaps you haven't heard of County Line Runner (AKA Adam Day) but you should. You really should. This might make you squint a little but he is like a British Bruce Springsteen. Have a listen. Hopefully you'll see what I mean and it will make some semblance of sense. "I thought the morning/Would come out and kill it/Like the sunlight/And burn right through it."
2. County Line Runner
Saw You In A Dream
3. Absolutely and one hundred percent honestly, I did not set out for this weeks Barfly Session to have any theme at all but it would seem we're in the midst of something here. Alienation, loss, healing. All of that. Difficult to be exact about it but there is an undercurrent growing here and I've learnt to let it be. If that's the way it's gonna go, so be it. See where the river bends and all that malarkey. Sometimes the songs almost choose themselves in the way that they present themselves. For instance, I heard this amazing song on the radio just last night and I wouldn't have heard it if I hadn't missed my turn off the M62 motorway (what a numpty) thus making my journey home 25 minutes longer. Back to simple twists of fate again. The urgency and intensity of this record is immense. It has it's own undercurrent. I love that. Have a listen to Francis of Delirium.
3. Francis of Delirium
Let It All Go
4. Now this next track is just a really lovely record and it will nestle perfectly into this session. The band is Before Cars. The singer is Chad Channing, original Nirvana drummer before Dave Grohl. I love this for it's departure from that hard, grunge rock sound he'll forever be associated with. Here we have keyboards and violins... and it's beautiful. So lets play it.
4. Before Cars
Catch You When You Fall
5. You will all know that track 5 on these sessions would normally be reserved for our friend Stelfox but alas, this week we'll have to do without him. No bothers, I've got a song to fill the void. I think this just sounds super cool whether you're a brandy drinker, red wine drinker, white wine drinker or whether you're just a plain old beer drinking alecan. Get on this.
5. Woods
Weekend Wind
6. "There was a time when false information wasn't so rampant in the sphere/There was a time when you weren't questioning everything you hear/Do you remember?" This next track we'll hear is almost like two tracks in one. You'll see what I mean when this track hits 3 minutes 23 seconds. I cocked a curious ear to this the first time I heard it and since then it's grown and grown on me. This Texan band are called Heartless Bastards and they've got a lead singer (Erika Wennerstrom) that has an almost hypnotic quality to her voice. I'm hooked.
6. Heartless Bastards
Revolution
7. Our last song tonight was written by Irving Berlin but there are many, many covers out there. Many of them from the greats too. This however, is my favourite. A gentle and hopeful way to finish and I feel it's a splendid way to say goodnight... so goodnight to all. Check back in again next week and we'll do it all over again. May your worlds keep turning forward until then. Bye for now folks x.
1. Olá. Nǐn hǎo. Halløj. Mucho Gusto. Welcome back to The Horse & Feather. Once more we have seven songs that - when played in succession - will hopefully create a "mood" for your Friday night. Think of us as the ebb and the flow. The minor fall and the major lift. But where to begin? Sometimes it's a challenge to know where to start. Get the first record off and the others generally fall into place so lets hope that's the case tonight. I thought we would stick with golden oldies this weekend. I've trawled through The H&F archives and I'm confident I've brought out enough kick and swagger to go with some works of emotional depth which I hope is one of the reasons you come here. Put your headphones on, lean back in your seats and heavy be your glass. I'll open this session off with the same song that opens the album Blood On The Tracks. Dylan at his very finest and this song contains some of his best lyrics. My Twitter handle @MontagueStreet comes from this song in fact. "I lived with them on Montague Street/In a basement down the stairs/There was music in the cafes at night/and revolution in the air" and "The only thing I knew how to do/Was to keep on keeping on/Like a bird that flew/Tangled up in blue" are some of my favourite lines of all time. Always good to have you here. Let's go.
1. Bob Dylan
Tangled Up In Blue
2. It is fair to say our next song tonight would not be an automatic choice for our Barfly Sessions but this decision was born from circumstance and as Dylan himself once said, a simple twist of fate. So in a nutshell, I got up to drive to work on Monday morning and found a perfectly placed pair of brown shoes (I guess you could call them brogues) next to the front off side tyre of my car. I was puzzled. What was the meaning behind this. Who was the owner of these and why had they been left in my parking space? All very mysterious. Like a double rainbow, what does it mean? Anyhows, I decided not to touch them as someone may have simply misplaced them. By the time I came back from work, someone had took it upon themselves to throw them in the bush which is where they remain 5 days later. I thought I'd mark this oddity with an appropriate song. Boogie Shoes by KC & The Sunshine Band came to mind. As did Flying Shoes by Townes Van Zandt (terrific song that) but I settled on this from Supertramp. Incidentally, if anyone knows the story about these shoes, I'd like to know it.
2. Supertramp
Put On Your Old Brown Shoes
3. This next song came on a couple of weeks ago and I thought, "oooof, this needs to be put on a future session" and... well.... there we were and here we are. The song was by Detroit singer, Freda Payne who is more well known for her massive Band Of Gold hit (of course) which is found on countless compilation albums. This song I was talking about is called "Unhooked Generation" and comes off her 1970 Band Of Gold record. No better time to play it than now.
3. Freda Payne
Unhooked Generation
4. Generally, when people are asked what their favourite Stones songs are, this song never features in the discussion. I think I find that a little bit sad. Much like the track itself I suppose. There aren't too many Jagger compositions which show his vulnerable side and this song from 71 has a certain lonely feel to it. Why do I like that? I don't honestly know. I just warm to it and I'm playing this now and it sounds bloody fantastic outside next to an open fire. Those strings at the end are so perfect. It's almost enough to make you want to start smoking. "I am just living to be lying by your side but I'm just about a moonlight mile on down the road."
5.All out blues from The Fox this week as he sent me a link to this collaboration between Albert King and Stevie Ray Vaughan. Never had Stelfox down as someone who listened to raw blues but shows what I know right? As per his wishes, I shall put this down here for you now. It's actually an old Tampa Red song this (from 1940) but Albert King made a hit out of it in 1962.
6. Up to song six of the evening already. We are moving like hell on wheels so we need to put the brakes on a little. This next song written by Phil Spector & Gerry Goffin will help. Now this song is really quite special. The singer of this song is Dion and it comes from his album "Born To Be With You" much of which was produced by Spector himself. Unsurprisingly, the recording sessions were reported to be chaotic but the album eventually emerged and word finally seems to be getting round that this is quite a record. My Dad wanted to name me Dion. Not sure if this record was anything to do with that but I thought I'd mention it seeing as we're still all getting to know each other and such things make for decent small talk don't they? No? OK. Noted.
6. Dion
Only You Know
7.Now I will tell you straight off the bat that there is a startling cover of this Motown track by The Small Faces which is stunning (like much of what they did) but Brenda Holloway's version remains thee definitive version. Well at least as far as I am concerned anyways. This is what we'll bring the curtain down on tonight's session with. Written by Ed Cobb and released back in 1965, they really don't come much classier than this. Thanks for turning out again. You make this a lot of fun. Next week we'll have some newer tracks, honest. Love from distance and all good things as always. Byeeee for now.
1. Lawks-a-lordy, we are back for session forty five. Can it really have been seven days since the last one? This week has seen temperatures start to lift and we're being blessed with longer daylight hours. It's not much but at least it's something right? So what mood are we aiming for this evening? Well Whiskey is the key that sets the monkey free and I played a few of these songs whilst under the influence of a bottle of Dubliner (nice Valentine's prezzie from my other half) a few days back. Music and Devil's Water combined to put me on the right frequency and it felt pretty good. Whilst my son did not appreciate the kitchen dancing he witnessed, The Horse & Feather will try and channel this same sort of energy in an effort to lure you in and furtherance the cult that is The Barfly Sessions. So we'll start with big energy and work our way down to a point where we are starfished on our backs looking up at a big blue moon. Sound like a plan? Cool beans! Lets kick off with a soul anthem from 73-74 by 6 piece Detroit band The Contours.
1. The Contours
Baby, Hit and Run
2.I don't believe our next song has been out for a very long time but it has something timeless about it that makes you think it must have been. It swirls around like a dizzy dream and I am really happy to play this. Sometimes I think it would be quite something to have one of those fancy apartments with balconies that look out over the city. What a view! Well if I ever did have one of those, this is what I would listen to as I pruned my bonsai tree plant and my neighbour did their yoga exercises. Thought quite hard about this actually. There's a story right there isn't there?
2. Jessie Ware
Remember Where You Are
3. What this bar needs right now is some Peruvian deep house electronica. I am pretty sure that's not a comment you hear very often but before you look at me with scorn have a listen to this song called La Perla. It is nothing but all sorts of fabulous and it arrives courtesy of Sofia Kourtesis. Maybe you know, maybe you don't (You should never tell your Granny how to suck eggs as my old boss used to say) but La Perla is an ancient shanty town in Puerto Rico that overlooks the ocean. It's houses are brightly coloured and enticing but the place is considered dangerous and tourists are warned to stay away... especially at night. Not wishing to sound contrary but my experiences in such places have only been good ones on the whole. I've always found the bars are better and the people more "interesting" but maybe I've just been lucky. Who knows?
3. Sofia Kourtesis
La Perla
4. I think this song beautifully sums up my feelings for my beloved football team. Getting beat by 2 teams at the bottom end of the league but then beating the reigning champions and our arch rivals next. It's almost impossible to comprehend and they toy with my emotions on an all too regular basis. I've done my best to explain this to my son who is also a massive blue and so far it hasn't put him off. Perhaps it's the closest we'll get to discussing real love. If he doesn't get it now, I know he'll get it one day. But back to the song, it's by Kacy & Clayton. A folk duo from Saskatchewan, Canada. And it's fantastic of course. Like really really fantastic. Have a listen for yourself... and offer a little prayer for my team who play Southampton on Monday night.
5.This week, The Fox sent me an L7 song to play and there is naff all wrong with that. L7 are very cool and normally I'd be well on board with that but tonight this just didn't fit between the other songs. Don't despair though Stelfox fans as I've had a rummage through some of his older recommendations and found this bluesy wonder from Lennon, Clapton and Keith Richards or as they called themselves The Dirty Mac. A complete one off between these musical legends which is a real shame but in a way, it makes this even more precious.
6. As promised earlier, we're going to slow this boat down to almost a chugging halt. I had to do a little check to confirm this (I mean come on, it's been almost a full year of these sessions now) but this is the first Joni Mitchell song we've played in here which sounds outrageous really. There are so many songs of hers that I could recommend but above all and beyond the others, I think this is her best. What I would call a late night track for sure. I don't need to advise anyone of Joni Mitchell's songwiting abilities though as they've been documented countless times but like so many of my favourite singer/songwriters, her songs do read like poems but she's more unorthodox than most in her phrasings and the way she weaves her verses into and around a chorus. She is the master of it. A bona fide genius.
6. Joni Mitchell
Court and Spark
7.So we come to a graceful finish and I thought this evening we'll end with a song that I have loved and adored for many many years. Have one more shot and let this wash over you. In fact, have two. It's taken off the album Waiting For The Moon by Tindersticks and if you ever wanted to lie on your lawn and look up at a universe moving in slow motion, this is the time to do it. There is a stillness to this that I struggle to describe but it's so fucking calming it should be prescribed by doctors. A beautiful, beautiful record. Enjoy what is left of your weekends. Blessings to each and every one of you. If you are as drunk as a skunk you are in good company and I hope you sleep well in your headphones. Goodnight, goodnight. x
1. Even by current standards, this week has been pretty uneventful. Lacklustre being the best way to describe it. A lively discussion at work about which lettuce is the best lettuce was (sad to say) one of the highlights of the last 7 days. Yeppers, it's been that bad. Romaine lettuce got the vote though just in case you were wondering. Anyhow, we've reached our favourite time and just like each weekend from the previous 43 weeks (effin heck!) The Horse & Feather is serving up a hearty musical stew. Truth be told, I've been in a traffic jam tonight and I put most of the tracks you'll hear together whilst crawling down the M53 motorway so it was daylight when I left work and pitch black by the time I got home. I'll play this Foals song first as it pretty much encapsulates the mood I was in and it played well a couple of hours ago so I think it will serve us just fine. I shall try and add a little more colour. For those a bit further afield (hello my Hong Kong friends) the M53 runs alongside The River Mersey and drops into Ellesmere Port which has a heavy industrial landscape (oil refineries, manufacturing plants etc etc.) I listened to this whilst taking in this weird view of acres of distant yellow lights and furnace flames in the mist. The song seems to be about being somewhere you don't want to be. It sounds weary and spent. I just wanted to get home.
1. Foals
London Thunder
2. I've toyed with playing a Jim Sullivan track on our Barfly Sessions before but for one reason or another decided against it. Tonight I thought we should. I played this earlier tnight in the car and it convinced me that this track easily merited a place on this evenings listings. Very mysterious circumstances surround Jim Sullivan. He disappeared from Santa Rosa, New Mexico in 1975. Some even say he may have even been abducted by aliens!!! His body was never discovered and others have wondered if he'd faked his death to begin a new life somewhere else. He had just two albums to his name at the time of his vanishing but years later, his work began to get discovered by more and more people. It clearly takes time to build up a cult following so there's still hope for this blog yet. Jim if you are out there somewhere, The Horse & Feather salutes you.
2. Jim Sullivan
U.F.O
3. Perhaps you stumbled into The Horse & Feather with a crazy assumption that you are gonna hear some 60's African Jazz. Well let me be the first to congratulate you as that's exactly what we're going to play next. Jazz trumpeter Hugh Masekela released this in 1969. A time that was a hotbed of political unrest. It is a giant of a record amidst such tensions and I would very much recommend heading deep into these jazz waters. There is much to discover.
3. Hugh Masekela
Riot
4. The Fox is back with us this week and as per normal (whatever that is) he has sent us his song recommendation for track 5. I kind of had Stelfox in mind with my own song choice here though. The track is by an Australian singer called Carla Geneve and hasn't been out for a great length of time but I was struck by the video which showed her playing a guitar in her bedroom and I know The Fox will testify to doing the same for many years before becoming quite the accomplished musician. The lyrics also mention mixing different tablets with alcohol and I do recall a drinking session with The Fox in Manchester that went long into the early hours of the night. The Fox prescribed Codeine to knock the hangover into touch and the next day, in a blissed out state, we floated through Manchester visiting museums and exhibitions. I mark that down as a good day Fox.
5. So here we are with The Fox's choice for us this week and it's a Clapton classic cover of J.J Cale's "Cocaine." Clapton released this in 1977 and it's everything you'd expect of him. Cream last week. Clapton this week. Looking forward to seeing where you take us next week my bushy tailed partner-in-crime.
6. We seem to have veered towards a theme of narcotics so I'll play this and then we'll head back to steadier ground so we can get home safely. Let me tell you about William S. Burroughs. He was an acclaimed writer during the 1940's but was a notorious addict. At a gathering of friends in 1951, Mr Burroughs wanted to demonstrate his prowess with his revolver. In a William Tell style stunt, his partner Joan Vollmer allegedly placed a glass (not an apple) on top of her head and Mr Burroughs took aim... badly... and killed her with a bullet to the forehead. This is your tenuous link to our sixth song tonight which comes from the Scottish band Chvrches. We haven't had too much in the way of synth pop in here so why not? It's a truly great record. I'm a massive fan of unique voices and Lauren Mayberry sure has one of those. Here's to Glasgow.
6. Chvrches
Gun
7. We'll finish with this and you may recognise the track from the TV show which shares it's name. Did I mention I watched the Netflix film The Dig very recently? Maybe I didn't. Anyways, it's a quite brilliant film about the true story of how the Anglo Saxon treasure hoard of Sutton Hoo was found. In a strange coincidence (at least I think it is) the singer of this song plays a soldier in this very film. Well worth checking out. Back to the song itself though, it's a nice way to close off this session. Got that nostalgic and sentimental feeling about it which always hits home after a few drinks. "There's a place, follow me/Where a love lost at sea/Is waiting for you." So that's yet another week done. Blessings and thanks for stopping by friends. Musical therapy. Yes I think so. That's what we're doing here. Mind how you go until next time. x
1. How are you doing? How have you been? Feels like it's been a real long time since we last met even though it's been just seven days. In that time I've celebrated my forty second trip around the sun and I would like to thank those folks who took the time out to wish me a happy birthday this week. I am lucky to have such diamond people in my life and I do know that. This weekend, for Barfly Session 43, I've got a new drink to help set the mood too so I'm looking forward to seeing where it takes us. It's a Pisco Brandy from Chile and it's currently waiting patiently in my glass for our night to begin so lets do just that. I have the perfect song to start us off and it's a release from 1971 by Aretha Franklin. Featuring The Memphis Horns as well as Donny Hathaway on the organ, is it any wonder this song swings like it does? "Let's call this song exactly what it is." God Bless You Aretha. You made the whole world sit up and take notice.
1. Aretha Franklin
Rock Steady
2. There are certain times when life deals you a decent set of cards if only for a short time and many years back, when I was working for previous employers, I got just that. I arrived for my night shift to be told that my task for the next 2 or 3 nights would be to burn several thousands of archived documents that had been stored away for a few years. No questions. Just get rid of them. This was a dream job to me. My colleague for this task was an older fellow called Banjo. Together we built makeshift incinerators from old dustbins and spent the next few shifts sat on wooden pallets drinking coffee and feeding paper files and folders into the flames from 7pm until 7am. (I loved that job.) Now Banjo had a great thirst for knowledge and he knew more about this and that than anyone else I've ever met. As we worked(!) through the night, he pointed out the constellations in the sky and I listened intently as he explained how the pyramids had been built to line up precisely with the three stars of Orion's Belt. Some things you don't forget. Wherever you are and whatever you're doing now Banj, I wish you nothing but the best. This one's for you.
2. Field Music
Orion From The Streets
3. "Some things you don't forget." This leads us ever so nicely to our third song which I heard for the first time only a few weeks ago and it stopped me in my tracks. The original album version isn't available for me to put on here but I have found a live version of it which is equally as faultless. There are some beautifully phrased lines but "Standing like a dream in the morning sun/You can take me now lord, I’ve had a good run" is one I'm drawn to along with that bourbon soaked chorus. I love this to pieces. I hope you like it as well.
3. Jeffrey Martin
Golden Thread
4. I could well have mentioned that I am a complete sucker for the sound of the saxophone. If you're NOT it's time to reassess and reset. The opening saxo on this is dream worthy. It's ridiculous in it's awesomeness. I've had this on pretty much constant rotation for some time now and I feel it's only fair I share it. Maybe it's the slow dawning realisation that I'm pretty damn old now but there is hope in the words "Snap back to the youth in you/Feel the done days and you're pulling through." This might just need 2 or 3 listens but persevere to get your reward.
5. The Fox was quick off the blocks with his choice for this Barfly Session. In fact he sent me a text with his link to this song on Monday of this week. It's one of thee defining songs of the 90's and made me ponder, were the nineties better than the eighties and the noughties for music? Yeah, It's subjective of course but I think they were.
6. It has dawned upon me that it's Valentine's Day this weekend so we'll play a couple of songs with this in mind BUT if you're on your own with a can of Special Brew, I don't want you to be sad. This time next year who knows where you'll be or who you'll be with? You can still enjoy these tracks with us surely? I chose this as one of the songs at our wedding and it will always be one of my favourites. The Walker Brothers were just so damn classy. My Dad bought me a vinyl record of theirs a few years ago and it's like sonic velvet. This is from 1965 but the year doesn't really matter as it's timeless.
The Walker Brothers
My Ship Is Coming In
7. I thought we would finish with this stirling effort from Shuggie Otis from 1971. This song has been hacked to bits over the years with other musicians taking parts from it to use as samples for their own works but this original still stands strong."Blue flowers echo from a cherry cloud." Think that Brandy is really kicking in now as that makes my head spin. Have a fine weekend good people. You know we'll be back here next week for session 44. Over and out. x
1. It is a fine thing to have you here once more for Barfly Session Forty Two. No themes this week. Just some great songs and tenuous links to days gone by. Pick up a drink and let yourselves be immersed into a time zone especially reserved for The Horse & Feather. Where nothing can touch us 'cept the music. Come to think of it now, this leads us really nicely into our opening song this evening. It comes a band formed by Ride guitarist Andy Bell.. This came out in 1997 and the fact I can still bring it to mind with such fondness after all these years tells you just how much I rate it. "I'll let you look into my dream/If you show me your dream/Tell me what it means."
1. Hurricane #1
Step Into My World
2. Forty two weeks in a row and no Supremes. That's something that - quite rightly - needs to be rectified. We all know The Supremes had some massive hits but out of all of them, this sits right at the top of the pile for me. Taken off their "Where Did Our Love Go" album from 1964 this is another Motown composition written by the magic trio Holland - Dozier - Holland. Motown was a big business in those days of course and the decisions made at the top were as slick as the performers themselves. Motown boss Berry Gordon changed the name of the band to Diana Ross & The Supremes as it meant he could charge for two acts being on stage. One being the lead singer and the other being the band. Crafty right? Anyways, take a listen to this. It's one of thee most perfect soul records.
2. The Supremes
Come See About Me
3. Our third choice for this session comes from the band Uncle Tupelo. The song itself is off an album released back in 1992 and the simple reason for it being on here is that just last week, I was watching a film abut the American writer Joan Didion. She was famous for her takes on Hollywood and the Haight-Astbury/San Francisco scene in the 1960's. The film is called "The Center Will Not Hold" and it was an unexpected find in the early hours of the night that I was most pleased with. A portion of this song featured in the background and it blended in perfectly with the mood of the film. As I drove to work the next morning it stayed in my head along with a Joan Didion quote. "Fade as the blue nights fade, go as the brightness goes. Go back into the blue." So here it is in full. "Sandusky" by Uncle Tupelo.
3. Uncle Tupelo
Sandusky
4. I've been reading a lot more than usual of late. Staying up watching documentaries through the night too. I'm finding as I get older (and it's birthday 42 for me next week!) I'm wanting to learn more. More about history, about science, about people. Not sure if this happens to all of us as time starts to take hold or whether that's just me. Just this weekend gone I read about a cave explorer called Marcin Gala. His exploits took him to extraordinary depths and his biggest challenge was conquering and mapping the Chevé cave system in the Sierra de Juárez mountains of Oaxaca, Mexico. Thought to be the deepest cave in the world. The local Cuicatec people steered clear of this area. They warned of a malignant spirit that wandered these tunnels, its feet pointing backward as it walked. It was a great read and by the end, I had a huge respect for the sheer bravery and determination of these cavers and the pain they put themselves through for weeks at a time. It also posed the question... just how much else is out there yet to be explored? So my brain gifted me with this song by R.E.M which contains these lines of splendour. "Iwant the hummingbirds/The dancing bears/Sweetest dreams of you/I look into the stars/I look into the moon." This came outin 1999 at a time when I wish I knew then what I know now.
5. The Covid curse has hit our friendly Fox for the second time so he's now back in isolation but he has messaged me with his song of choice. All his message said was "Cream. Crossroads." Straight to the point with no chaser but that works for me. Thank you Stel. This Cream track is a twist on a song written by Robert Johnson. There is very little evidence to support the fabled stories about blues legend Mr Johnson but he reportedly died by drinking poisoned whiskey in Mississippi. The year was 1938. He was 27. There are some stunning live versions of this knocking about too. This is a whirlwind of noise so you'll need a refill before you press play.
6. It might not be strictly fair to call The Fox's choice above "a cover" but there is no doubting our sixth track tonight from British singer Ella Eyre. We all know the original version sung by Jermaine Stewart that came out in 1986. I don't play cover songs too often but in this case I prefer this strippeddown version to the original. I wrote that in bold italics so you can see my joke was fully intentional. "We could dance and party all night/And drink some cherry wine." Well.... I'm not convinced about the cherry wine bit and it's a hell of a long time ago since I managed to get through an all night party but I do applaud the sentiment.
6. Ella Eyre
We Don't Have To Take Our Clothes Off
7. I can't help but feel sorry for Charlie Rich. Predominantly a country singer, he seemed to bounce around record labels without finding a true home. Along the way though, he made a few soul crossover tracks like this one, proving his depth and versatility. This was to become a Northern Soul classic and I'm going to have this song play us out as it's another favourite of mine. I should also add that we do love an old hellraiser and Charlie Rich certainly fits into that bracket, as he showed when presenting The Country Music Awards in 1975. Gloriously pissed, he set fire to the card proclaiming John Denver as a winner. Goodnight everybody. Meet me back here next week and we'll do it all over again.
