Keb Darge gig is cancelled

Keb Darge will not be able to come here in Manila because of the volcano eruption in Iceland that resulted to a massive ashfall all over Europe cancelling all flights to and fro from the affected countries including the U.K. This happens, we have no control over Mother Nature. Let's just pray that Keb and his family are all safe. See you in June Keb. Cheers

"...no flights till Monday. I'm sorry, but we'll have to cancel the gigs this time. I am fully booked in Europe now until the 8th of June. We would have to re-schedule for the weekend of the 11th to 13th of June... " - Keb Darge

PAUL WELLER'S VINYL CLASSICS

Paul Weller's love of soul, funk and jazz music is well known, as is the fact he is an avid collector of vinyl, whether it be singles or full albums and he has amassed a vast collection of quality recordings over the years. He was invited on to BBC Radio 2 as a guest DJ and recorded 3 shows (I think) back in 2001. The shows are presented here for your pleasure and trust me on this, they're well worth it and show fascinating insights into Weller's tastes in music and to what influences him. Essential listening to all Paul Weller fans or not. Three volumes of crucial sounds for your soul.

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STRETCHING OUT!!!

There's no need for some fancy introduction to this band. Just the name itself commands awe and respect, carries more weight than anybody else - THE SKATALITES.

In 1983 Herbie Miller, manager of Peter Tosh brought the original Skatalites (minus the late Don Drummond) back to Jamaica from all over the world to perform at the 1983 Jamaica Sunsplash.The Skatalites had broken up 18 years earlier, after their short career of two years (1963-1965). Personal disagreements, conflicts and animosities had driven these inventors of Ska and master musicians to seek their own future as individual artists.

Miller, who became their manager, owned a nightclub in Kingston, Jamaica called The Blue Monk Jazz Gallery. Here, after 18 years of separation they reconciled their differences, (for a time), and rehearsed for Sunsplash '83 and performed live at the club before a crowd of local fans, friends, and fellow musicians.There were no restrictions on the length of sets, no barriers on solos or improvisational experiments, and no recording studio limits on how long each song should last. They stretched out, played out, and had a joyous 18th anniversary celebration and reunion. Miller recorded the rehearsals and nightclub performances and captured for history all the spontaneity, fire, electricity, and good fellowship of that unique moment. Re-grouping after twenty years and in great form performing to a live and appreciative audience. There may have personal differences in the past but the band seemed to thrive on these frictions. When they met for rehearsals, all the old friends and close buddies came out and with them the numerous pipes, filling the air with the good aroma of ganja.

Following the release of "Stretching Out" as a cassette only album, it went on to become a collectors item and at the same time served as a call for the band's readiness to emerge as a working unit. A few years later, this album was re-issued a double disc album with five bonus tracks and at present, the album is also being sold in vinyl in two volumes. More than two decades after re-grouping, the originators of Ska reign supreme. They still continue to tour the world with the remaining original members together with their worthy continue the legacy of the greatest Ska band in the world.

All songs were recorded live using a TEAC 2 track tape deck and on a Sony cassette deck on June 27, 1983 at the final rehearsal for Reggae Sunsplash and on July 17, 1983 as The Skatalites performed in concert.

Band line up:

Tommy McCook- Tenor Sax
Roland Alphonso - Tenor & Soprano Sax
Lester Sterling - Alto Sax
"Dizzy" Johnny Moore - Trumpet
Jackie Mittoo - Piano
Jah Gerry - Guitar
Lloyd Brivitte - Acoustic Bass
Lloyd Knibbs - Drums
Lord Tanamo - M.C. and Vocals.

Guest Musicians:
Arnold Breckenridge - Trumpet
"Bubbles" Cameron - Trombone
Cedric Brooks (Special Guest) - Tenor Sax Solo on "Tear Up"

Disc 1

1. Freedom Sounds

2. Bridge View

3. Latin Goes Ska

4. Tear Up

5. Guns Of Navarone

6. Man In The Street

7. Come Dung

8. Big Trombone

9. Ska Ba

10. Road Block

11. Eastern Standard Time

12. Confucius

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Disc 2

1. Lee Harvey Oswald
2. Black Sunday
3. Mood For Ska
4. Fidel Castro (#1)
5. El Pussy Cat
6. Four Corners*
8. Exodus*
9. Old Fowl*
10. Fidel Castro #2*
11. Welcome Back Home*

*BONUS TRACKS

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BAD MANNERS - SKINHEAD!

Bad Manners.......there's nothing bad with this band. As one of the foundation of the British ska revival during the late 70's, they have peddled their own kind of ska to the skanking youths of Britain and around the world. Bad Manners became the novelty favorite of the UK pop scene during those times because of the bald and outsized frontman with a big tongue known as Buster Bloodvessel (Douglas Trendle) on stage antics. Just like their North London ska mates "Madness", their song is not heavily political as compared to the The Specials and The Selecter.

The tunes and the lyrics of their songs are more pop attuned, though there were some songs that stabs the British establishment. Bad Manners is still very active and doing the rounds in England, playing in different scooter rallies, colleges and their own music festival "Badfest." One of the foundation of the British Ska movement and one of the best and the baddest - Bad Manners! Play this loud!

1. Pipeline

2. Skinhead Girl

3. Stampede

4. Non Shrewed

5. Johnny's Knee

6. Skinhead Love Affair

7. How Big Do You Love Me

8. Baby Elephant Walk

9. Big Five

10. Rock steady Breakfast

11. Mafia

12. Viva La Ska Revolution

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LIVE JAM

There were only three official live albums by The Jam - the first was "Dig The New Breed" released in 1983, the featured album today "Live Jam" released 1993 and "The Jam at The BBC" released a few years ago. All live tracks on all albums are recorded between 1977 to 1982 with the exception of the bonus 3rd cd that was included on Live BBC release which was recorded full in concert at the Rainbow theater in London, April 1979. From an angry young mod to a more soulful and RnB inspired young man. For the rest of us, there is LIVE JAM, the closest thing available to actually being drenched in Paul Weller's sweat. While LIVE JAM concentrates mostly on the Jam's more soulful later years, it does not skimp on earlier favourites such as "Modern World" and "Mr. Clean". However, it is in the later, more nuanced material that LIVE JAM truly shines. Somehow the obvious tension in the band(Foxton and drummer Buckler vs. Weller) led to truly transcendent versions of "Down in the Tube Station At Midnight" and "Town Called Malice". This live album is a lasting testament to a brilliant band. Pure power and one of the best and influential band from England.The Jam - they are fucking brilliant. Fire and Skill! Play this loud!!!

1. The Modern World
2. Billy Hunt
3. Thick as Thieves
4. Burning Sky
5. Mr. Clean
6. Smithers-Jones
7. Little Boy Soldiers
8. The Eton Rifles"
9. Away from the Numbers
10. Down in the Tube Station at Midnight
11. Strange Town
12. When You're Young
13. 'A' Bomb in Wardour Street
14. Pretty Green
15. Boy About Town
16. Man In The Corner Shop
17. David Watts
18. Funeral Pyre
19. Move On Up
20. Carnation"
21. The Butterfly Collector
22. Precious
23. Town Called Malice
24. Heat Wave

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THE ROOTS OF ELVIS PRESLEY

When Elvis Presley recorded That's All Right Mama on 5 July 1954 he changed the face of music forever, though he couldn't know it at the time. Of course his music did not appear fully formed out of nowhere and he barely wrote a song in his life. That's All Right Mama had been recorded by its author Arthur "Big Boy" Crudup nearly ten years earlier in Chicago and is just one of 21 recordings that provided source material for the aspirant rock and roller to be found on this instructive collection.

Elvis was equally at home with hillbilly, gospel and blues music, as well as mainstream pop, and it was his amalgamation and assimilation of these influences that led to the creation of rockabilly and to his incendiary success.

The earliest recording is the Jimmie Rodgers version of Frankie And Johnnie from 1929, which had been recorded by Mississippi John Hurt the year before for Harry Smith's Anthology Of American Folk Music, and the most recent included here, although he continued to cover contemporary material throughout his career, is from 1950, by Ivory Joe Hunter. He went on to become a friend of Elvis' and wrote several songs for him, such as My Wish Came True. Elvis's musical tastes were wide and while few would argue with the merits of Bill Monroe and his Bluegrass Boys or Wynonie Harris, some might query his love of Old Shep by Red Foley.

One of his rare composer credits turns up on Love Me Tender, alongside that of Vera Matson. This comes from the film of the same name about the American Civil War, starring Elvis, and so it was fascinating to discover that it had been adapted from a Civil War poem from 1861 which had been set to music as Aura Lee, and recorded by many artists including the Shelton Brothers in 1937.

Other CDs in this series have been sparse on information but, apart from a lack of composer credits, the sleeve notes here break down every track with pertinent details (a couple of songs are written about that do not appear on the final version of the CD). No serious student of Elvis can afford to be without a thorough collection such as this.

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