Now That's What I Call Music, Volume 2

Welcome to the Virtual Jukebox for April 2007! Some great choons fo ya!

Once upon a time I had a 7" copy of The Beatles 'Paperback Writer'. I swapped it in about 1973, from my childhood mate Ray Quinn, in exchange for Geordie's 'Ain't it Just Like a Woman'. Geordie's lead singer, Brian Johnson, later replaced the sadly deceased Bon Scott as lead shouter with AC/DC.


Much later, many years later, in fact, I swapped another record, I can't remember what it was, even, to another childhood mate, Steven Dibb. It was one he really wanted anyway, and in return, he gave me a bunch of 7" singles of various early 80s vintages. They included 'Puritans' by Happy Family, whose singer, Nick Currie, later became Momus, some obscure German band whose name escapes me, a John Foxx (ex-Ultravox singer, when they were good) double single and a home-made looking American single, from early Seattle punk band The Stiphnoyds. The single lay unplayed for about ten years before I cottoned on to the fact that it is brilliant. Delving onto the net soon turned up the fact that good condition copies are fetching $90 in the US, where it's a highly collectable slice of early US punk.



To kick off this month's virtual jukebox, here it is, for your delectation, the proto-punk classic that is...
The Stiphnoyds - Afraid of the Russians

Below: a rare pic of The Stiphnoyds performing live in 1979



The Stone Roses. What is it about them? They regularly make it into the top ten albums of all time type lists, but, although they did make some great, dreamy pop, I never had them down as being truly GREAT, unlike contemporaries The Happy Mondays. However, singer Ian Brown did make some cracking records after the band were long dead, foremost of which is the dreamlike F.E.A.R., seen below, with its great backwards-cycling video...



Betcha never knew Monkey Boy was a trick cyclist didja?

Do you like Radiohead? I do.
1997, on Jools Holland's 'Later': 'Paranoid Android'...



Oh bugger it! Time for The Captain. Captain Beefheart that is. My hero. With The Magic Band, playing 'Sure 'nuff 'n' yes I do', on the beach at Cannes, in 1968!



And for those of a non musical bent-favouring, here's an interview with the man himself. All good jukeboxes should include some spoken word pieces! Heh heh heh!


You want more? Are Beefheart's trypanosome musical germs bringing you out in a wild fever? The go here and wallow.

Ha! Your brain is now vibrating like the scenery in Roobarb and Custard, I bet. This should cool it down: the mellifluous Brazilian summer night dream that is Vinicius Cantuaria, playing 'Rio' live at Tonic, New York on March 15th, 2003...



And to finish, possibly my favourite track by the magnificent Public image Ltd. From the Old Grey Whistle Test, 1980, this is PiL with 'Poptones'...



If you are an admirer of John Lydon, you might be interested in his website.

And here is my favourite pic of Lydon, looking genuinely happy on a small boat off the Farne Islands. loves his wildlife does John. I could watch ants with him all day.



Oakley doakley. I think that'll do for now. Hope you enjoyed.