Snow Business Like Show Business/Aye Tunes poll

On Friday night I was at Sergeant’s farewell gig at the Rothes Hall in Glenrothes. The weather was fine when I entered the venue past the throng of smoking teenyboppers but it was a blanket of white fluffy stuff by the time I returned to my car at the end of the gig. The drive home was rather hairy but I made it back in one piece and via one lane all the way. RIP Sergeant. (Also a great set by local band The Rioteers and new Sergeant-led project Saint Kilda)

While I managed to get to the Victoria Radio Network studios very early on Saturday morning to record next Sunday’s “Gone But Not Forgotten” special (celebrating the music of those who have shoved off this mortal coil this year), I wasn’t able to make it on Sunday to do my annual Jocknroll/St. Andrew’s Day show. (I’m supposed to be off to see The Orchids at Glasgow’s Popfest hence the pre-record, but the weather may put paid to that too).

The Saturday journeys, bar a couple of skids, were relatively trouble-free but early on Sunday morning I knew I wouldn’t make it back for this week’s live Jocknroll show. I wouldn’t have minded so much had I not put so much effort into the Jocknroll show. It’s not as if I could do it in December as (a) I’ve already prepared those shows and (b) they’re Christmas ones. Instead I’ll broadcast it just before Burns Night in January. Another tiny issue is that the pre-recorded show for the 12th mentions the Jocknroll special of the previous week!

It remains to be seen whether the two festive shows I have planned for 12 and 19 December will go ahead as planned. Only time and Sean Batty will tell.

And talking of Paisley boys, Jim at AyeTunes is running an informal, just-for-a-bit-of-a-laugh year-end poll. I like filling these things in although I can never remember at lot of the new stuff I’ve been listening on account of spending the last three years stuck in the 60s. Musically speaking, that is.

Anyway, here were my selections and, yes, I did vote for myself in one category!

Aye Tunes Readers’ Poll 2010

Best Band:

1. The Orchids
2. Teenage Fanclub
3. Arcade Fire

Best Solo Artist:

1. Edwyn Collins
2. Tommy Reilly
3. Dan Lyth

Best New Band/Solo Artist: (New is very subjective, if you first heard of them this year, that’ll do)

1. French Wives
2. Jonny
3. Dan Lyth

Best Live Band:

1. Teenage Fanclub
2. The Orchids
3. Jonny

Best Album:

1. Edwyn Collins – Losing Sleep
2. Arcade Fire – The Suburbs
3. The Orchids – The Lost Star

Best Single/EP: (Basically anything that isn’t an album)

1. Tommy Reilly – Take Me Away for the Night
2. Jonny – Free 4-Track Download EP (Gloria/Beach Party/Continental/Michaelangelo)
3. French Wives – Me Vs Me

Best Music Blog/Website: (Aye Tunes isn’t eligible for this. Partly to avoid accusations, partly to stop me seeing how few would have said it anyway)

1. The Pop Cop
2. The Vinyl Villain
3. Song, By Toad

Best Music Radio Show/Podcast:

1. Sounds of the Sixties (Radio 2)
2. Where The Action Is (Kirkcaldy VRN 1287AM)
3. Art School Dancing (Ally Gourlay, Leith FM)

Best Venue:

1. HMV Picturehouse, Edinburgh
2. Barrowlands, Glasgow
3. Abbot House, Dunfermline

Best Gig: (as in, best one you’ve been at this year, just in case you were confused)

1. Teenage Fanclub/Veronica Falls (HMV Picturehouse, Edinburgh – 4 June 2010)
2. Sergeant/The Ray Summers/Saint Kilda/The Rioteers/? (Rothes Hall, Glenrothes – 25 November 2010)
3. Jackie Leven (Abbot House, Dunfermline – 25 February 2010)

I should point out that as at today’s date I’ve only been to three gigs this year and although I only have two more planned before the start of 2011 my participation in one of those is in doubt thanks to the unseasonal November weather; namely the aforementioned Orchids gig. I should still be okay for Ronnie Spector’s Christmas gig in Edinburgh.

If I should make it a measly total of five gigs for the year that’ll be my worse tally since records began. Or at least since I started doing my gigs spreadsheet. The last time I had such a bad year-end total was 2006 when I saw only Roddy Frame and Maria McKee and the latter was a present for the Good Lady Wife so I was sort of obliged, although I did enjoy it. Just for the record my best year was 1993 when I notched up 23 rock ‘n’ roll shows. Those were the days.

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Where The Action Is: Playlist 21 November 2010

This week on Where the Action Is it’s more of the usual mix of mod, soul, girl groups, Motown, sunshine pop, ye-ye and all manner of alternative tracks from the late 50s through to the early 70s.  We continue to feature tracks from Hey, Beach Girls!, a fabulous new compilation from Ace Records.

As usual we’ll have two games of Connect 3, where you can guess the link between three tracks, a birthday track for Art Garfunkel and this week’s Foreign Language track from I Campioni. There’s also the Half-Time Instrumental, a Trojan Mod Reggae track, Two of a Kind from The Liverbirds, as well as The Orchids – I’ll be playing a track from their beautiful new album The Lost Star every week in November – in the Under the Influence feature.

The Fire – Father’s Name Is Dad (Decca 1967)
Floyd Cramer – On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)
The Starlets – You Don’t Love Me (Tower 1965)
The Monkees – Love Is Only Sleeping (Colgems 1967)
Bobby Fuller Four – Love’s Made a Fool of You (Mustang 1966)
Paul & Ritchie & The Cryin’ Shames – Come On Back (Decca 1966)
The Beach Girls – He’s My Surfin’ Guy (Vault 1963)
Beverly Jones with The Prestons – Hear You Talkin’ (Parlophone 1964)
Hal Blaine & The Cougars - (Dance With The) Surfin’ Band (RCA 1963) (Connect 3)
Grant Tracy – Taming Tigers (Ember 1962) (Connect 3)
Emmit Rhodes – Tame The Lion (Dunhill 1973) (Connect 3)
Annette Funicello – Monkey’s Uncle (Vista 1965)
Susan Lynne – Don’t Drag No More (Capitol 1964)
Simon & Garfunkel – Keep The Customer Satisfied (Columbia 1970) (Birthday: 21/11/41 Art Garfunkel)
The Majority – One Third (Decca 1966)
Little Pattie & The Statesmen – Drag Race Johnny (HMV – Australia 1964)
I Campioni – Non Farla Piangere (Don’ Make My Baby Blue) (CAR Juke Box 1966) (Foreign Language)
Ann-Margret – You Turned My Head Around (LHI 1968)
John Barry – Big Shield (Ember 1964) (Half-Time Instrumental)
Andrea Carroll – Hey, Beach Boy (United Artists 1966)
The New Breed – Unto Us (Decca 1965)
Lee “Scratch” Perry – Kimble the Nimble (Trojan 1968) (Trojan Mod Reggae)
The Westwoods – Will You Love Me (Like You Did Last Summer) (A&M 1965)
Mark Douglas – It Matters Not (Ember 1962)
The Debutantes – Shake a Tail Feather (Standout 1967)
The Orchids – Les Spectacles de la Foire (Pebble 2010) (Under the Influence)
Jackie DeShannon – I Don’t Think Much of Myself Now (Liberty 1962)
Duane Eddy & The Rebelettes – Your Baby’s Gone Surfin’ (RCA 1963)
The Birds – No Good Without You (Decca 1965)
The Surfettes – Sammy the Sidewalk Surfer (Mustang 1964) (Connect 3)
Sidewalk Skipper Band – Strawberry Tuesday (Capitol 1968) (Connect 3)
Jan and Dean – Sidewalk Surfin’ (Liberty 1964) (Connect 3)
Loose Ends – Taxman (Decca 1966)
Del Shannon – Mind Over Matter (Liberty 1967)
The Liverbirds – He’s Something Else (Star-Club 1966) (Two of a Kind)
The Liverbirds – For Your Love (Star-Club 1966) (Two of a Kind)
The Searchers – Goodnight Baby (mono version) (Pye 1965)
Floyd Cramer – On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)

Next week’s show will be the St.Andrew’s Day/Jocknroll special when I’ll celebrate Scottish artists from the late 50s through to the early 70s and the following week, “Gone But Not Forgotten” will celebrate the music of those artists who have passed away in 2010. On 12/19 December I’ll celebrate the festive season with appropriate tracks, many of which you won’t hear on other stations. My last show of the year will be a Best of 2010 when I’ll feature all the best of the new (oldie) releases I’ve played in 2010. This will go out on Boxing Day.

Don’t forget, if you’re in the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy you can hear Where The Action Is on Channel 3 on your bedside headphones or on 1287AM on the Medium Wave between 1702 and 1900 every Sunday.

That’s it for this week. Until next time, it’s good day and good health.

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Where The Action Is: Playlist Sunday 14 November 2010

This week on Where the Action Is it’s more of the usual mix of mod, soul, girl groups, Motown, sunshine pop, ye-ye and all manner of alternative tracks from the late 50s through to the early 70s.  We continue to feature tracks from Hey, Beach Girls!, a fabulous new compilation from Ace Records.

As usual we’ll have two games of Connect 3, where you can guess the link between three tracks, a birthday track for Cornell Gunter of The Coasters and this week’s Foreign Language track from Richard Anthony. There’s also the Half-Time Instrumental, a Trojan Mod Reggae track, Two of a Kind from Jackie DeShannon, as well as The Orchids – I’ll be playing a track from their beautiful new album The Lost Star every week in November – in the Under the Influence feature.

Jan and Dean – A Sunday Kind of Love (Liberty 1961)
Floyd Cramer – On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)
The Marmalade – I See The Rain (CBS 1967)
The Honeys – Shoot The Curl (Capitol 1963)
Noah’s Ark – Paper Man (Decca 1967)
The Charmels – As Long as I’ve Got You (Volt 1967)
The Sweet Inspirations – It’s Not Easy (Atlantic 1969)
The Box Tops – Together (Mala 1969)
Donna Loren – Cycle Set (Capitol 1965) (Connect 3)
Jason Crest – Turquoise Tandem Cycle (Philips 1968) (Connect 3)
Kes Wyndham – Broken Bicycle (Pye 1971) (Connect 3)
The Angels – (You Can’t Take) My Boyfriend’s Woody (Smash 1964)
The Rockin’ Berries – Barterers and Their Wives (Unreleased 1966)
The Coasters – Down In Mexico (Atco 1956) (Birthday: 14/11/38 Cornell Gunter)
The Westwoods – I Miss My Surfer Boy Too (A&M 1965)
Nino Tempo & April Stevens – The Coldest Night of the Year (Atco 1965)
Richard Anthony – Je Ne Dirai Rien (Columbia 1967) (Foreign Language)
The Fleetwoods – Surfer’s Playtime (Liberty 1963)
Sounds Incorporated – Keep Moving (Decca 1963) (Half-Time Instrumental)
The Liverbirds – Talking About You (Star-Club 1965)
The Wailers with The Marshans – We’re Goin’ Sufin’ (Etiquette 1963)
Owen and Leon Silvera – Next Door Neighbour (Trojan Year Unknown) (Trojan Mod Reggae)
David Jones – The Girl from Chelsea (Colpix 1965)
Carol Connors – Lonely Little Beach Girl (Mira 1966)
The Righteous Brothers – See That Girl (Philles 1965)
The Orchids – The Girl and the Soldier (Pebble 2010) (Under the Influence)
The King Pins – Rod Hot Rod (Larse/MGM 1964)
UK Bonds – Anything You Do Is Alright (Polydor 1966)
The Orlons – Surfin’ (Parkway 1963)
Grant Tracy – Bye Bye Jeanie (Unreleased 1965) (Connect 3)
The Applejacks – Bye Bye Girl (Decca 1965) (Connect 3)
Lulu – Bye Bye Heart (Ace of Clubs 1967) (Connect 3)
Dion – Make The Woman Love Me (Warner-Spector 1975)
Jimmy Gilmer & The Fireballs – Sugar Shack (London 1963)
Jackie DeShannon – Don’t Turn Your Back On Me (Imperial 1965) (Two of a Kind)
Jackie DeShannon – Needles and Pins (Liberty 1963) (Two of a Kind)
The Montanas – Take My Hand (Pye 1967)
The Monkees – The Girl I Knew Somewhere (alt. version) (Colgems 1967)
Floyd Cramer – On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)

In the run up to Christmas there will be a number of other themed shows including the St. Andrew’s Day/Jocknroll special (Nov 28), featuring only Scottish artists, and a special show in December, “Gone But Not Forgotten”, celebrating all those from the world of music who have passed away this year. Feel free to suggest any tracks for these forthcoming shows.

Don’t forget, if you’re in the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy you can hear Where The Action Is on Channel 3 on your bedside headphones or on 1287AM on the Medium Wave between 1702 and 1900 every Sunday.

That’s it for this week. Until next time, it’s good day and good health.

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Where The Action Is: Playlist Sunday 7 November 2010

This week on Where the Action Is we’re back to the usual business of mod, soul, girl groups, Motown, sunshine pop, ye-ye and all manner of alternative tracks from the late 50s through to the early 70s.  Over the next three weeks, we’ll be featuring tracks from a great new compilation of surfin’ girl sounds, in the shape of Hey, Beach Girls!, a fabulous new compilation from Ace Records.

As usual we’ll have two games of Connect 3, where you can guess the link between three tracks, a birthday track for Dee Clark and this week’s Foreign Language track from Les Gam’s. There’s also the Half-Time Instrumental, a Trojan Mod Reggae track, Two of a Kind from The Shirelles, as well as The Orchids – I’ll be playing a track from their beautiful new album The Lost Star every week in November – and Jonny in the Under the Influence feature.

Davey Payne & The Medium Wave – Looking Towards The Sky (Ember 1969)
Floyd Cramer – On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)
The Surfer Girls – Draggin’ Wagon (Columbia 1964)
The Chiffons – Remember Me Baby (BT Puppy 1970)
Jackie DeShannon – Till You Say You’ll Be Mine (Liberty 1963)
The Honeys – Pray for Surf (Capitol 1963)
Bruce & Terry – Girl, It’s Alright Now (Colulmbia 1966)
Little Pattie & The Statesmen – He’s My Blonde-Headed, Stompie Wompie, Real Gone Surfer Guy (HMV Australia 1963)
Grant Tracy – 4 Lips, 2 Hearts, 1 Love (Unreleased 1965) (Connect 3)
The Yardbirds – Honey In Your Lips (Unknown 1966) (Connect 3)
Joani Camp – His Lips Get In The Way (Unreleased 1967) (Connect 3)
Dee Dee Sharp – Riding The Waves (Parkway 1963)
B J Thomas – I Just Can’t Help Believing (Scepter 1970)
Dee Clark – Nobody But You (Falcon 1959) (Birthday: 7/11/38)
UK Bonds – The Last Thing I Ever Do (Polydor 1966)
The Fashionettes – Earthquake (Unreleased 1964)
Les Gam’s – Attention! Attention! (sur L’Autoroute de L’Quest) (Mercury 1964) (Foreign Language)
Marcus Tro – We Can Make It, Baby (Ember 1966)
Ritchie Blackmore – Getaway (Oriole 1965) (Half-Time Instrumental)
The Teardrops – Tears Come Tumbling (Saxony/Musicor 1964)
Donna Loren – Beach Blanket Bingo (Capitol 1965)
Johnny Lover & Destroyers -Nevada Joe (Trojan 1969) (Trojan Mod Reggae)
The Drifters – In The Park (Unreleased 1964)
Kriss Anderson – He’s My Boyfriend (Old Town 1965)
The Washington DCs – Is It Me? (Ember 1965)
The Orchids – Doot Doot (Till It Happens To You) (Under the Influence)
Jonny – Continental (Free Download 2010) (Under the Influence)
Barbara Mason & The Tiffanys – Trouble Child (Crusader 1961)
The Who – I Can See For Miles (Track 1967)
Ellie Gee & The Jets – Red Corvette (Madison 1961) (Connect 3)
Jan and Dean – My Mighty GTO (Liberty 1964) (Connect 3)
The Beach Boys – Little Deuce Coupe (Capitol 1963) (Connect 3)
The Marcels – Find Another Fool (Colpix 1961)
The Supremes – Surfer Boy (Motown 1964)
The Shirelles – What Is Love? (Scepter 1967) (Two of a Kind)
The Shirelles – I Met Him on a Sunday (Ronde-Ronde) (Decca 1958) (Two of a Kind)
Gram Parsons – A Song for You (Reprise 1973)
The Liverbirds – Shop Around (Star Club 1964)
Floyd Cramer – On The Rebound (RCA 1961) (show theme)

In the run up to Christmas there will be a number of other themed shows including the St. Andrew’s Day/Jocknroll special (Nov 28), featuring only Scottish artists, and a special show in December, “Gone But Not Forgotten”, celebrating all those from the world of music who have passed away this year. Feel free to suggest any tracks for these forthcoming shows.

Don’t forget, if you’re in the Victoria Hospital in Kirkcaldy you can hear Where The Action Is on Channel 3 on your bedside headphones or on 1287AM on the Medium Wave between 1702 and 1900 every Sunday.

That’s it for this week. Until next time, it’s good day and good health.

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