BARRENCE WHITFIELD Stop Twistin My Arm

No explanation - no excuses - it's time for some rock n' roll!

Flamin' Groovies Slow Death 1972 (with sound !)

Here's a delightful bit of archive footage of one of my favorite pre-punk bands. These lads have been in the dressing up box!

The Pleasers 'You Don't Know'

I'm still on a powerpop kick.Anyone else remember Thames beat?

Danse Macabre

Although recovering from man-flu i was determined not to miss our old friends Animals and Men performing at the Masonic Hall last friday evening. There was a mixed crowd of vampires, monsters and werewolves on hand to drink in the multi-media delights of the event. The night was warmed up with a mix of back projection and d.j. sets followed by the support which consisted of sort of free form jamming over a loop. I met up with Andy Strad's (legendary harmonica and keyboard player with the B.D's) and we enjoyed a pint at the bar whilst agreeing that the computer backing track was a tool of the devil.
The main attraction though was right up our street. The thumping throbbing backbeat and relentless drum attack of Animals and Men hit the spot straight away. They performed with a sloppy genius which, when i spoke to him at the end, Ralph thought was not up to scratch. He was unhappy with the sound but i have to say out front it came across as pretty good. Anyhow - who wants perfection? When you get that there's nowhere else to go.

TONIGHT DRUMMER MAN

This is another one of those songs that i suppose are a powerpop guilty pleasure. I've got to own up i love this mockney vocals and all and have the single somewhere.

Animals and Men

Most of the band are going to Frome's Masonic Hall to watch our old friend Ralph's band Animals and Men on Friday evening. This promises to be a cracking night out with a couple of bands in a unique atmosphere billed as Danse Macabre. I urge you to attend - it's refreshing to see bands making the effort to organise events such as this in the town.

Rezillos - destination venus

I'm in a good mood so here's a classic!

Radio 2

It's been a pretty good week this week all in. A couple of people stopped me and said they'd heard "Mole Man " on Radio 2 but couldn't give any firm details as to who played it but i tracked it down to Steve Lamacq - sitting in for Bob Harris. National radio eh? Rock"n" roll........ phew!
Then we got a nice little write up in the Somerset Standard so i popped into the Griff' for a swift pint and was entertained by the fabulous Leonardo's Bicycle. Mike and Andy are associates of my cousin Joss from when he resided in that there big black smoke. They performed a tight quirky and melodic set of carefully chosen tunage - they are playing at the Olive Tree in Frome on Oct 18th and at Oxjam at the Merlin on the 25th you should go and see them they're tip-top talent.
The Stiffs are on at the Riverside in Midsomer Murder this Sat so i'll probably hitch a lift to that and regale you with any stories that rear their ugly heads on the night.

Wreckless Eric - A Pop Song

And what do you need to become a broadcasting supremo? That's right....you need a pop song - here's one Eric Goulden made earlier.

W.B.A.D. Radio

Looks like we'll be back on the air with our local radio spot in November. The proposed dates are Fri 23rd, Mon 26th - Fri 30th around the time of the crazy consumer free for all that is the Frome extravaganza. More information nearer the date but there will probably be the usual chances to text and e-mail us with requests and comments. Expect special guests of the lowest order and prizes of the level of quality you might receive at a timeshare presentation.

The music however will, as always, be of the finest distinction.

Don't touch that dial!

Johnny Rivers - The Snake

The northern soul classic version was a minor hit for Al Wilson but Johnny Rivers produced it and here's his take on the song. Johnny ran the Whiskey A Go Go house band in the early sixties and was a bit of a mover and shaker on the L.A. scene. Huge in America and a bit of a personal favorite of mine he never realy registered on the U.K. radar maybe 'cos he was a tad "showbiz" often donning the tux' for t.v. appearances.

The Muffs - Lucky Guy

All i've got to say about this is it's proper good.

Downloads

I see that the Charlatains new album is going to be released free off the net and that Radiohead are inviting people to pay whatever they feel for their new tracks. I've had a look and there isn't a box that you can tick where Thom Yorke has to pay me money to listen to the whiny student shite they put out these days (i used to quite like them until his "performance face" started to go all scary - like an inverse Dorian Gray he 's got a handsome great portrait hidden in one of his attics). The other thing is they can afford to do it, once you've got a bloody great house with more rooms than you could possibly need and a hybrid car to knob on about at dinner parties where do you go? More useless rooms and a green car with an engine that runs on re-cycled fridges? It's pointless! They don't need the money.

Lets face it music distribution is changing and the record company giants seem unable to keep up with the pace, but the two events noted above are red herrings that have gained the bands publicity worth more than the cash they are likely to lose on the downloads - job done - result!

My problem these days is there is too much music. Stuff you like from the past, tracks from the vaults that have been re-released and all the new releases as well as stuff on the radio that you don't want to hear but can't avoid - it's music overload.

However with the support of the various quality filters (magazines, mates and listening to it illegally before you consider purchasing it) we will cope.

Elvis sings ACDC

They had a competition on the telly to find the worlds best Elvis last saturday - this is much more fun.

Double Neck Guitar

This is a picture of Elvis with his Gibson S.G. double neck guitar. I used to have a copy S.G. standard - not a bad guitar - played it for ages but whoever decided that it would gain in some way by adding an extra neck was severely deluded! It was never the most attractive of guitars most of them seem to be a turdy reddy brown hue and the neck is a bit wide for my stubby little fingers. I played a proper one that a skinhead fella was trying to flog in the bar of the Angel hotel once (couldn't afford it, dubious origins and didn't really want one any way) so i've handled the genuine article anyhow i digress.

The fact that i wrote the song Double Neck Guitar probably says more about me than the actual instrument - it's hard enough to play a guitar with one neck and set of pots, pick-ups and switches never mind two. If you haven't heard the track check it out it's on our new c.d. but you can listen to it at various other sites - you'll have gathered by now it's not a love song.

Jimmy Page was big on this particular "axe" at one time i can't believe that someone who could have his pick of any guitar would want one, the stories about Led Zepp's party lifestyle must be true you'd have to be on drugs to choose this. Mr Page did redeem himself somewhat by using a fantastic Danelectro at odd intervals so swings and roundabouts. I've put a picture of that on to deflect the bad double neck karma but that suit he's wearing is attracting it again.

My head hurts.