Well, this week he started with Japan – The Quiet Life. Man, he loves that song! And rightly so! It’s very lush and synth rich. I get it.
Then, The Call – Let The Day Begin : It kind of felt like listening to a Minds song…someone COVERING a Minds song, not the other way round!
Focus – Sylvia : Now that’s the kind of prog rock I can appreciate! Some I find a little hard to take…Jethro Tull et al…but Focus are just OUT THERE! Really, the curveball of the week, that one. Loved it!
Joni Mitchell – Big Yellow Taxi : What’s not to like? Political, of course, but with a sense of humour. Cracking tune.
The Box Tops – The Letter : I was more familiar with the Joe Cocker version, I have to say. But wow! The singer, Alex Chilton, only being 16?! Knockout!
Dido – White Flag : Aaawww! The reason behind his choice! That was quite personal. Made me want to hug him! (Like he’d let me! But I wish!)
Never been the biggest Dido fan myself. The OH can’t stand her. I’m just kind of indifferent. One time back out in Oz, I think it was in 2003 or 2005…I hung out with my eldest brother, Roy, at his place for the weekend. We smoked some weed (it had been a few years for me! I got as stoned as!!) and he was playing music. We, of course, listened to some Bowie (Roy is the reason for my uber Bowie fandom!) and he reiterated his love for Station To Station (Roy’s favourite Bowie album), playing it then. He then put on a Dido album…No Angel, Life For Rent?? Dunno which one, I was too out of it! He was singing her praises and I was thinking “I’m not meant to like Dido”. It was ok – obvious mood music considering the state I was in…but frankly, I wanted more Bowie. That would DEFINITELY be my motto in life “more Bowie, less Dido”. Lol
Ian Brown – Stellify : Not heard this before – always loved F.E.A.R. What a song! That was my pick of the songs he played this week. Something I’d not heard that made me sit up and take notice. A good old aural smack round the chops! Thank you, sir! (God, I love you!)
Guns ‘N Roses – Paradise City : Who knew? Not me! Although him saying it could do with being 3 minutes shorter and Axl Rose could “pack it in” with the singing after a while made me giggle. I detect a love/hate vibe there.
Joe Cocker – Ruby Lee : That was like Joe Cocker does reggae, almost. He’s just a fab singer though. Always popular in Oz. And…well, I was thinking of him already cos of Boy playing The Letter.
The Pretenders – Thin Line Between Love And Hate : Originally by The Persuaders, he told us. Then relayed the story of Chrissie’s encyclopaedic music knowledge. Don’t give me any more reasons to be jealous of her, Jim! The biggest being that she has your eternal love. I would kill (NOT LITERALLY!) to be that lucky 🙁
World Shut Your Mouth – Julian Cope : nothing much I can say about Cope.
Then, finally, he played Gimme Shelter – The Rolling Stones : People always seem to think you are either a Stones fan, or a Beatles fan. There’s some unwritten law that you can’t be both. Well, fuck that shit! I’m both. My brothers Quince (real name Gary – NO ONE calls him Gary anymore. I still did until I started working at the same place as him. Everyone called him Quince. He REALLY didn’t want me calling him Gary in the workplace, so I reluctantly conformed…now it IS weird to call him Gary) and David were one each. Quince on the side of the Stones, David on the side of The Beatles. I naturally adopted both.
It’s the same with Simple Minds and U2. I’ve been a fan of both of them in varying degrees since the early 1980s. U2 had me first…then I dipped into the Minds…but they were always just on the periphery. But in recent years the polar opposite is true.
It was a fab week this week. In particular, thank you for the Ian Brown track, Jim. It was fab!
After Jim’s show ended the station played Life In A Day. Bet THAT would have been a curveball for non-Minds fans (what silly people are those????!) listening in!
Podcast link: Alive And Kicking with Jim Kerr: Show 3
I have always loved Julian Cope and Teardrop Explodes, my ex got me into him and his were among the best live gigs I ever experienced. I can still remember singing The Greatest Imperfection at the top of my voice in the early hours following one of his gigs in Brixton.
My lack of words weren’t from dislike, it’s just…I only know this song, and Teardrop Explodes’ Reward, so…there wasn’t really anything I could say without looking utterly ignorant.