Welcome to the RPM Record Club Seven Day Soundtrack, week ending Friday 21st April 2023....your eclectic weekend musical mix starts here; over to...

John -

"Hi Everyone, I hope you're all keeping healthy and in good spirits. Here's a sample of what I've been listening to this week."

Dave -

"Hi RPMers, hope all is good. Here’s my 3 for the week."

Philip -

"I haven't listened to much music this week other than that played at a funeral, and a couple of CDs in the car. Here's some rockabilly instead."

Jackie -

Tony -

"It's fair to say that the weather here is changeable at the moment - bright sunshine early in the week and back in the freezer since yesterday but inside listening to music is still a good option when it's like that and here are my offerings this time."

Nina -

"Hi RPM'ers! Thanks as ever to Tim for bringing the group about + putting the music together each week. Thanks to contributors for the selections.  Enjoyed catching up with the last couple of weeks, fab variety as always.  

Here's my 3, take care."

Alan -

"I've just finished (re)reading Paul (Smiler) Anderson's excellent 'Mods- The new religion' book and, currently I'm almost through Alan Johnson's second instalment in his life story entitled 'In my life' which covers his formative pre-teen, teenager and twenties period set against his burgeoning interest in music, and a damn fine read it is too. Anderson's book is, to my mind, the definitive tome about the mod culture, embracing fashion from Beau Brummel to Hardy Amies and onward to the giants of the early Carnaby Street era. There's also loads of information on Englands (wot! no mods in the rest of the UK I hear you ask?) legendary clubs, the DJ's who were responsible for popularising r&b and soul plus interviews with many musicians and mods from London, Manchester, Portsmouth, Skegness(!), Yarmouth, Chesterfield and Sheffield to name just a few locations of mod-dom. Plus, plenty of rare and/or unseen photos of the groups and mods and, also, of many of the singles and LP's which are referred to in the text. Although Johnson was born a little too late for the initial mod era it seems he managed to crash plenty of pubs and clubs in order to catch a slew of the era's best bands (Yardbirds, Stones, David Jones etc) as well as forming his own band. The book finishes just as he is starting to climb the greasy pole towards a life in politics following an extended time as a Union official. Both books are highly recommended to fans of 60's music, fashion and, in Johnson's case, how London life in the fifties and early sixties was still lived by many at the very edge of poverty. 

So this week, it's three mod era goodies from a (or should that be 'the') 'mod' band, a grossly under-rated soul singer and a great r&b track and, John, red socks do get a mention in the book too!!!"

Small Faces- 'E too D' (from 'The BBC sessions' LP released 1999. Strange Fruit label)

"Taken from the group's appearance on Saturday Club on the 3rd May 1966, just a month after I had seen them at Doncaster's Top Rank. I went to the 'late' performance and what a  great show. A visit to Ray Fowkes hairdressers the previous week (didn't want the hair to look too well manicured) and then to Jackson's (well, I was only a poorly paid clerk on less than £8 week!) to pick up my new suit (a nice shade of blue, three buttoned, centre vent, ticket pocket and three cuff buttons I seem to remember) and I was ready. 'E too D' was probably my favourite track on the debut album and its format points the way to psychedelia and even, dare I say it, late sixties 'rawk'. This live version even flirts with 'eastern' guitar runs, something only the Beatles with 'Norwegian Wood' and the  Kinks and Yardbirds with 'See my friends' and 'Over, Under, Sideways Down' had approached at that time."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glI2LOG-2-c

Doris Troy- 'What'cha gonna do about it' (7" single released November 1964.  Atlantic label)

"A stonking number 37 in the UK charts in December 1964 making Doris an unwelcome guest in the 'one hit wonders' listings. However, her career after that time was  particularly of note, taking in being a founder member of the Sweet Inspirations alongside Dionne and DeeDee Warwick and Cissy Houston, backing Solomon Burke and the Drifters on many of their Atlantic releases and, after moving to the UK in 1969, she signed to Apple (releasing her self titled album) before singing backup for a plethora of artists including the Stones', Pink Floyd (notably on the soporific 'Dark side of the moon'), Humble Pie, Kevin Ayers, Edgar Broughton, Johnny Hallyday, Vivian Stanshall and Dusty Springfield. When she moved back to the States in 1974 she joined the 'supper club' scene (surely a waste!!??) before co-writing the stage musical 'Mama, I want to sing', based on her own life story, which ran for over 1500 performances and was eventually filmed starring Ciara and Patti LaBelle. Oh, and of course her debut single was 'Just one look', a hit for the Hollies and covered by many artists including Major Lance, Bryan Ferry and Harry Nilsson, and let's not forget to mention the presumably totally over the top Klaus Nomi version which dubious listening pleasure still awaits."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2h5-Awtbmv0

Jimmy McCracklin- 'The Walk' (from 'Rhythm & Blues showcase Vol II' EP. Released May 12 1964. Pye International R & B Series label. Initial release January 1958. London label)

"As 'dance craze' records go this has just got to be the simplest ever but, what a great, catchy single this is. My copy is from the excellent R & B EP series released following the Rolling Stones breakthrough and also features Bo Diddley, Little Walter and, frighteningly for me at the time, Howlin' Wolf. The Beatles even covered this song in their live sets around 1960/1 and reprised it during the mammoth sessions for the 'Get Back' film and unreleased album. The short jam was dropped from the original albums content but resurfaced as part of the expanded 2021 reissue of 'Let It Be'. McCracklins single reached a very credible number seven in the US Billboard charts in 1958 but, despite this, never sold in the UK, presumably as the Brits were probably still mastering 'The Lambeth Walk', a song bearing very little resemblance to this earthy outing. McCracklin (AKA, amusingly, James David Walker) began his career playing his Granny Johnsons Club Savoy in Richmond, California where he regularly backed B B King and other blues masters before signing to the Globe label in 1945. There followed singles on several labels before he moved to Modern Records in 1950. He then moved on to the more prestigious Checker label in 1956 and his career appeared about to improve following an appearance on American Bandstand to promote 'The Walk'. However, it was back to label hopping very shortly after, including his own Art-Tone imprint, with a string of albums being released before he achieved a modicum of fame following his signing to the important Stax, Minit and Imperial labels and had his composition 'Tramp' successfully covered by Otis and Carla. Bob Dylan commended his songs and there were regular appearances at various blues festivals, along with the Pioneer Award by the Rhythm and Blues Foundation in 1990, and the Living Legend and Hall of Fame awards in 2007 before he passed away, after releasing over 30 albums and receiving 4 gold discs, in 2012."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fjhOyYT0yTQ

"Next week........... who knows. Probably something more (ahem!!) 'modern' i.e. after 1970!!! Stay well."

Jean -

"This week I have chosen US artists that I saw in concerts at local Odeons in my teen years."

"I would like to compliment by fellow RPMers Alan, Dave and Phil who put exceptional music on last week’s listings. I loved all of them. I will be looking into Air, Grandaddy and Woods as I want to hear more from them. A mention to Jayne too on the video of ‘But for you’ what a wonderful piece of art work. The RPM site just gets better and better.

On a sad note, Michael Rhodes the renown bass guitarist died in March. He had been with Joe Bonamassa for many concerts during the last decade. I was hoping he would be on the current tour. He was only 69. R.I.P.

Enjoy the coming week everyone. (19 days to JB’s concert!)

Cheers."

Tim -

"Here's the week's music; a blues rock - psychedelic electronica - folk punk trichotomy..."

'Til Next Time...