Category: Music

What I’m listening to.

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Album of the Day:
Elvin Bishop & Little Smokey Smothers – That’s my Brother (2000)



The original Pigboy Crabshaw, Bishop learned everything about Blues guitar from Smokey Smothers before joining the Paul Butterfield Blues Band and they remained lifelong friends.

A live performance, this record of Chicago Blues shows the love between these guys.

Their version of “Little Red Rooster” is a standout, but my favourite track is the instrumental “Stomp” with its nod to the Bo Diddley beat.



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What better way to start the new year than by updating my go-to Spotify playlist, Vesparados?

Thanks to some inspiration from The Mod Top 100 as compiled by Randy Cozens article on ModCulture I have increased the playing time to about 7½ hours which should fill the day nicely. I have made no attempt no attempt at programming a flow in the playlist, so I recommend playing it in Shuffle mode. A wide-ranging selection from The Ad Libs to The Yardbirds.



As the label on the tin promises, the music is “MODerately danceable in a gawky but self-aware style.”

Sadly, my dancing is all done in my head these days, but you should go for it.


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Album of the Day:
Robert Crumb And His Cheap Suit Serenaders – Chasin’ Rainbows (1993) AND Singing In The Bathtub (1993)





Robert Crumb is fascinated by the music of the 1920-30s and has a huge collection of rare 78s … not that unusual when you consider his wonderful cartoon art.




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Album of the Day:
David Clayton-Thomas – Blue Plate Special (1997)



The long-time frontman for Blood, Sweat & Tears revisits the music of his youth … the Blues stuff is fine, but he shouldn’t have bothered with this version of Lucretia MacEvil – I’ll stick with the original BS&T version.



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Album of the Day:
Lennon Vs McCartney

Here we have what purports to be Rock ‘n’ Roll albums from the former Beatles … both are surprisingly similar in their pedestrian approach and the decision to uber-echo the vocals by having the singer record in a porcelain-tiled toilet.

There is no winner here, especially the listener – I’m off to listen to some Chuck Berry, et al.



John Lennon – Rock ‘n’ Roll (1975)






Paul McCartney – CHOBA B CCCP (1988)