Welcome to the RPM Record Club Seven Day Soundtrack, week ending Friday 24th March 2023...and lighter evening are just around the corner; remember to put your clocks forward for Sunday. What's caught RPMer's ears this week...? Over to....

Jackie -

"Mike McGoldrick, John McCusker and John Doyle played in York last week, so here's a couple of their's to start with."

Tony -

"Here's my 3 for the week. Best wishes to everybody as always."

Jean -

"I’ve enjoyed Sky Arts lately as they have had so many concerts and documentaries. I especially liked the Old Grey Whistle Test. Back in the day I could never watch this programme unless my parents had gone to bed. Why was it on so late? Answers on a postcard please. Alan will know."

"Have a good week everyone. Cheers."

Alan -

"There seems to have been quite a bit of Dylan on SDS recently so here's three hopefully unfamiliar recordings from the vinyl vaults to add to the collection."

Yardbirds- 'Most likely you'll go your way (and I'll go mine)' (from 'Yardbirds On Air' double LP. released May 1991. Band of Joy label)

"Here's the 'Birds stretching out on BBC's essential Saturday morning listen, 'Saturday Club' on a show recorded on 17th March 1967. The programme had started (despite reluctance in the BBC upper echelons) on the 1st June 1957 as 'Saturday Skiffle Club' with a budget of £55 per week and, yes, it was even hosted by Brian Matthews back then!! The Vipers, Chas McDevitt, George Melly and Johnny Duncan were all early guests and, whilst the budget was increased when Lonnie Donegan appeared, surprisingly Cliff Richard failed an early audition. There was a panel of 'experts' who 'judged' prospective acts and here's the panels thoughts on several of the skiffle artists :

Dickie Bishop – quite good, two part singing and well organised

Cy Laurie – harmony singing way off, but otherwise not bad

Chas McDevitt – much better organised, more in time and a better beat

Johnny Duncan – hillbilly, yodelling blues. Too polite to use: could he be jogged up?

 In October 1958 the 'Skiffle' prefix was dropped and the programme was extended to two hours with a wider range of artists appearing, especially from the UK's growing roster of rock and rollers. Cliff finally managed to appear along with Johnny Kidd, Vince Taylor, Adam Faith and Marty Wlde with Humphrey Littleton and Chris Barber representing the late fifties jazz boom. The Musicians Unions ban on US artists appearing live on radio was overturned in late 1959 and teens were treated to the Everly Brothers, Gene Vincent, Eddie Cochran and Bo Diddley on the show. And then came the Beatles and the programme became the go-to for every beat and r&b group wanting to publicise not only their latest release but, as is the case with this Dylan cover by the 'Birds, it also gave them a chance to stretch their wings (sorry!!) and play something that would not normally appear either in concert or record. Matthews left the show in 1965 and Ray Orchard took over but, with the advent of Radio One in 1967, the programme's days were numbered and, after another change of 'announcer' (to Keith Skues)', the programme bowed out on the 18th January 1969 after over 500 shows. There are quite a few artist compilations from the show with Hendrix, the Who, Small Faces, Manfred Mann, the Beatles and the Stones all being virtually essential for lovers of sixties pop."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=clW6dt0LIpY

Piers -

"Hi Folks, thanks for brightening my life with all of your choices. They have been a god send this week as I have been stuck at home with a head cold, and not having to do more than scroll back through the months to hear something interesting has been particularly welcome. There is always something interesting.

My musical collaborator John Fincher and I have been asked whether we would be willing to play a set at a three day Folk/Roots Music Festival  in Blakeney later in the year. It is far enough in the future that we can work up some new numbers for it. John has spent the winter frailing on his banjo whilst I have been concentrating on  improviing  my abilities on Concertiina by learning harmonium like chords whilst playing lyrical numbers. Things like ‘The Breamish Waltz’ (Starry Night For A Ramble), and ‘The Mingulay Boat Song’.  The instruments seem to go together well.  The last time that John and I got together to rehearse, as usual, while we were sipping tea, dunking biscuits we were chatting between songs. (Could this be why we get so little accomplished?) A  pair of old pedants, we soon fell to discussing the relative meanings of the term ‘Roots’ when it comes to music. 

I told him that I was brought up in a home where my aunts, uncles and their friends would regularly gather around the piano, and that once the atmosphere in  our front room was sufficiently blue with Woodbine smoke, late into the nights they would ‘bash out’ songs on the upright piano. There was always a point when we kids were sent to bed, (actually to sit on the stairs and listen from outside) because uncle Charlie’s songs were often rather risqué, and not fit for children’s ears (One about a French Poodle, to this day I don’t understand!) Every week or two I would find myself sitting on different stairs as the same scenario was re-enacted around yet another piano, until it was our turn again. Those songs have lingered in my memory.

What could represent roots music better, than something that I had heard communally performed by my family?  Anyway - I  happened to mention to John that as a result of all those get togethers, I still have a lingering fondness for lots of old musichall numbers.  Immediately John agreed and admitted that he has long loved the same material and suggested that we should  look at one of his favourites  for ‘a roots music  festival’. His choice is  ‘Tommy Make Room For Your Uncle!’ Which I only vaguely remember hearing before… I have managed to find the sheet music for it but it is obscure enough that there is no Youtube video of it… How sad you might think… well if you want to hear it, you’ll have to come and see what we make of it… 

One that I thought that I might like a crack at is ‘The Snowflake’ by Steve Kaufman… but what are the chances??? As if running  an accumulator, that one came in against the odds too! I had picked another winner… ‘The Snowflake’ is not on Youtube either!! If it had been a horse that I had had a punt on I would have been worried about choosing the next one…

 I have been performing Lal Waterson’s ‘Some Old Salty’ on and off for years, and I thought that we could include something of the sort into our set as there are always ‘Shantymen’ around at such events, and it might be nice to slip this one in too..."

"Have a very fine week."

Philip -

"What was it about BoJo's "childish stupidity" defence that the committee didn't like? Could it have been his attempt to argue two mutually contradictory positions at once? Interesting that some of the most forensic questioning came from the Tory members, not to mention some of the most exasperated reactions to his responses.

Surely even the Telegraph and Mail can't continue to support him now... can they? Never mind BJ, you've still got little Nades and big Jakey in your corner of the playground.

On the music front, just when you think Willie Nelson has issued his valedictory statement, along comes yet another Willie Nelson album, the new one being a collection of Harlan Howard songs. I think the standard of quality control on his recent releases has been excellent, and this is another fine album.

I've chosen a song that I suspect most of us will know from another version."

"Best wishes to one and all."

John -

"Hi RPMers, I hope you're all safe and well. Here are my three tracks for this week..."

Nina -

"Hi folks. Here's my 3."

Dave

 "Hi my fellow music lovers, here’s my 3...".

Jayne -

"With all good wishes to the RPM faithful."

Tim -

"Live music has been back on the menu this week; McGoldrick, McCusker & Doyle at the Crescent in York, as Jackie has already said, and the Answer back on the road after a 7 year break, caught at The Key Club in Leeds. But first, a little something from an album I've listened to a number of times over the past few days..."

'Til Next Time...