ike and tina turner - 'rock me baby'

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No denying the both of them had talent to spare.

pau casals - 'bach cello concerto no.1'

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Music is my passion and even more considering that I possess no musical ability whatsoever. I managed to just about play the bugle when I was in the 5th Worthing Boy's Brigade when I was a child but I was, frankly, rubbish even at that. I can't DJ and my singing voice is not pleasant. This talent void makes me appreciate those who have genuine abilities. 

My girlfriend introduced me to the music of her fellow Catalan Pau Casals, recently. A multi-instrumentalist, he found fame and fortune as one of the great cellists of the 20th century. I've listened to quite a few performances on Youtube now and there is, underneath the genius of his interpretations a lingering melancholia and it's not difficult to see why. He was a proud Catalan and fiercely outspoken against the Franco regime that killed so many of Casal's fellow countrymen and oppressed many more. His disgust of this oppression and the lack of response from other nations meant he was unable to return to his homeland after exile in the 1930s. The defiant speech "I Am A Catalan" given to the United Nations in 1971 when he was a very old man is an extremely moving spectacle and he delivers it with grace and dignity. 

Here he is in 1974 playing the famous Bach Cello Concerto number 1. 

As a footnote, his christian name was Pau, not Pablo as he was referred to in his lifetime. Pau is a Catalan name, Pablo is the Spanish equivalent. 

abi wade - 'heavy heart'

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One of the benefits of being up and about early is the feelgood factor of catching up with new music as you sit in a dimly lit room getting lighter and lighter with the sun rising on this cold morning. This has certainly lifted my spirits.

terry callier 1945 - 2012

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Another great that I never got to see in concert. I think I may have seen him at a festival a few years back but I never really liked festivals and lack of sleep and too much alcohol always made them forgettable experiences. Sorry about that Mr Callier, my fault entirely. Back to the great man and I'm proud to say that he was extremely well regarded over here in the UK and collaborated with British artists old and new who looked to him for inspiration again and again. Here he is with Beth Orton at the Jazz Cafe performing 'Dolphins'.  

I wouldn't be doing him justice if I didn't also add a track of him on his own. Here he is with a wonderfully tender "What Colour is Love?". I'd just like to point out that this is a live recording in 2005, over 30 years since he first wrote it and sounding as heartfelt, as fresh, as beautiful as when it was first performed.

giorgio moroder rarities

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Legendary pioneer and producer Giorgio Moroder has been busy uploading lots of his works onto Soundcloud. I've not worked my way through half of the output yet but I can attest to the quality. Here's the link. And I've picked this track to place on my blog. One of his earlier works that sounds dated but timeless, cheesy but cool as you like. It's the way he's always been and I think that's half the attraction and part of his genius.

micky baker - 'steam roller'

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I overdid it with buying CDs today I'm afraid to say. I can't help it, there's so much good music,old and new that I want to listen to. One album I bought that just leapt out at me was Hipshakers Vol 2. It's a collection of esoteric R&B, rock and roll and swing. It's the kind of music that Chess Records championed all those years ago but perhaps would have struggled to find a buying audience at the time. The second volume starts weakly with a track that, in my opinion, doesn't fit with the rest of the album. If you can see your way past that then you are in for a rare treat. I've got to say it's a spectacular collection and I'll be playing this often. I really am spoiled for choice for records to play but this instrumental will give you a flavour of the quality. It beats listening on the radio to Brighton struggle to play against Blackpool in the footie this afternoon. I'm a bad fan.

mark yela (frybread) - 'this, that and back. a soulful mix'

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I don't often go a bundle on mellow soul. I find it veers too near towards R&B for my liking - one of the few genres that I just don't get. This laid back mix, however, suits my mood extremely well after a stressful last 18 hours. I hope I sleep well tonight and this should help.

cisco adler - 'boom boom boom ft. g-eazy, don carlos'

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It's a brave man to take on a rap/reggae duet with someone as legendary as Don Carlos. Cisco Adler more than rises to the challenge and the result is this wonderful downtempo number that is very catchy.

trio - 'da da da'

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An 80s classic but given a Bollywood video makeover complete with dancing penguins and over-sized sunglasses. What's not to like?

Postscript - there's hundreds of these pop classics given the Bollywood treatment. I urge you to check them out.

scott walker's new album trailer

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The enigmatic Scott Walker has a new album pencilled for release shortly and his record company have  put up a fascinating trailer for it. He's definitely another one of those artists that I have on my "must see" list. The archetypal cat that walked by himself. So cool.

tim burgess - 'tobacco fields'

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This is possibly my favourite track of his new album and very poignant it is too. You can tell that this has Kurt Wagner writ large across this too. It's a beautiful ballad that just about works with Burgess's thin voice (see my previous review of the album for more comments) but I love the Leonard Cohen-esque touch with the backing singers taking the harmonies over a slow piano.  Talking of the piano it does, with the English accent to accompany it remind me of Spiritualised at their most melancholy. I'm not sure that Burgess has it within him to carry this off live but with a lot of post-production, it sounds fantastic. I'd be interested to hear Wagner's take on this song too.

the flaming lips with neon indian - 'is david bowie dying?'

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It's odd that when you witness history with your own eyes as with the Baumgartner jump this evening, it affects you in strange ways. I feel slightly euphoric and with that you hear and think of things slightly at a tangent to normal life. This is a case in point. The oddly beautiful new Flaming Lips album features this song which at first listen is almost impenetrable but with a bit of perseverance I'm now beginning to appreciate it. It reminds me of the David Lynch album last year in a lot of ways. The music is very of its time I think; disjointed and almost claustrophobic and normality struggling to be heard amidst the chaos. I do think Wayne Coyne is a genius but I'm now not sure whether I'd like to meet him. He seems to have something of the Roger Waters about him. And you know what they say...never meet your heroes.

cave painting - 'gator'

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From a Bowleg Basement session, we're playing the album right now and it's perfect music for a crisp Sunday morning.

one of those random tunes i accidentally stumble across

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That'll be this one. I was actually looking for any new videos by The Fall and ended with a song called 'The Fall' by Rhye, a band I have written about previously in this blog. It's quite a nice tune as it goes. It is a tad too middle of the road to get really excited about and it's extremely polished in production which has taken a little bit of the soul out of the tune. What really makes this song is the brilliant video accompanying it. I'm still not quite sure what the story is but it's a lovely way to spend a Saturday evening on the sofa.

m. ward - 'me and my shadow'

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I like this a lot. It's very subversive in both content and delivery and a lovely swipe at the way that empty vessels such as Justin Bieber and his impressionable fans are manipulated quite cynically. If you think folk music is fey or not kick-arse enough then prepare to be shocked and entertained in equal measure. It's kind of lo-fi, kind of Americana but there's a compelling piece of guitar work going on that takes this above and beyond that.  It's quite superb.

As a postscript, can I just add that I never understand when people, especially musicians, refer to themselves with initial first names. It seems a bit like talking in 3rd person.

lianne la havas - forget (mele remix)

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Oh my goodness. Just check out this huge bassline in this remix. It's so fat it ought to go on a diet. I think I'm just going to hit the replay button a few times on this beauty.

raphael saadiq - 'radio'

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It's so cool that people are still making music like this 60 years on from when Chuck Berry, Bo Diddley and Ike Turner pioneered this sound.

oxia feat. miss kittin - 'housewife (miss kittin's wipeout mix)'

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Last one from me for tonight and it's an absolute cracker. Miss Kittin doesn't do mundane.

boots electric - 'complexity'

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I know nothing about this band. The lead singer looks a bit Captain Beefheart and sounds a bit like Wayne Hussey. That'll do for me.

john lennon - 'well well well'

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I'm not his biggest fan, it must be said. I think he was a hypocrite who wore his roots as a badge of honour yet all the while living like some errant son of a tinpot Middle East dictatorship. He was, however, a brilliant musician and the world is a poorer place without people like him in it. He would have been 72 today. Such a shame he never lived to celebrate it.

radiohead - 'cuttooth'

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To coincide with their concert at the O2, here's what has widely been described as their best B side. Let's face it though, it's Radiohead so by most other bands it would be an A side.

el perro del mar - 'walk on by'

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You'd be forgiven for thinking the video comes from an era that gave us Dr Alban, Black Box and some of the worst excesses of Italian House but this is Swedish, it's a damn cool and poignant pop song and it's brand new. Oh, and it's not a cover either despite the familiar song title.

st germain - 'deep in it'

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Rather fatefully, I've discovered a wonderful new second hand music shop in Reading where I've just started a new job. So far I've limited myself to a couple of purchases, one of which is St Germain's first album 'Boulevard'. I've heard most of the tracks off it but this is the first time I've heard an entire album of his. It doesn't sound too dated bearing in mind just how "in" the whole Acid Jazz scene was back then. This is the first track and it's just the tight tempo for my mood. 

love - 'a house is not a motel'

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I seem to be on a post-hippy music trip tonight. This is one of the lesser played tracks from the legendary 'Forever Changes' album and one of my favourites. Arthur Lee never sounded better.

the flying burrito brothers - 'wild horses'

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I think it's very likely that Gram Parsons had a big hand in writing this Stones classic. It just sounds like a Gram Parsons song.

boris gardner - 'ghetto funk'

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It's hard to believe that a man capable of writing this could write such unbelievably awful music too. But it's true...the facts don't lie.

black motion - 'drums of kalawa'

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This is another of those hypnotic dance tracks that sound timeless even now. 

zebra katz (ft. njena reddd foxxx) – 'ima read'

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Definitely NSFW with lyrics that will genuinely shock. It's the minimalism of the song with the explicit violence of the lyrics that makes it all the more gobsmacking. This isn't for the faint-hearted.

rebekka karijord - 'use my body while it's still young'

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Scandinavian singer-songwriters seem to excel currently at powerful voices, infectiously atmospheric tunes with lots of drums and all without it becoming a cliche. Just check this tune out. 

temper trap - 'sweet disposition'

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Magnificent!

dr funkenpumpe - 'unlimited fiesta funk dub'

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It's Saturday early evening and you're having a few drinks with friends and getting ready to go out. What music do you play? Dr Funkenpumpe of course! It's about the best old school music to get you in the party mood and the fact that he doesn't have more hits on his Youtube channel is criminal. Click the link here to explore the wonderful world of funk, soul and disco as it should be played. 

pet shop boys - 'my head is spinning'

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I have no idea why but I feel that today needs to be marked as Pet Shop Boys Saturday. I'm working my way through their entire back catalogue. This is from the Very Relentless album.