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The Greatest Hip-Hop Album Ever

If it wasn’t for The Jam, and my previous well documented obsession with all things Weller, then the fairly obscure Hip Hop compilation album “Electro 13” would be my favourite album of all time. If I were to look at it from a purely plays perspective then this would win hands down, even now, thirty-three years on from its original release, it still gets play on a regular basis.

Street Sounds Hip Hop Electro 13 was the thirteenth compilation album in a series and was released 1986 on the Street Sounds label. The album was released on LP and cassette and contained twenty-one electro music and old-school hip-hop tracks mixed by Herbie Laidley (known as Mastermind).

Morgan Khan’s Street Sounds label was set up in the early 1980’s and brought an eager UK market Hip Hop, Dance, Disco, Soul, and House music for the rest of the decade. The original run of the Electro series brought twenty seven albums in total, starting out in old school electro style hip hop and running into the golden era of the late 1980’s. Alongside this it had its Street Sounds series with twenty four albums of the latest dance, hip hop and house tunes. The Anthems series of Soul sounds, and a brief Housetrax series of Chicago House. It also brought together some great re-release material, including the four-album set of Enjoy Records, and the fourteen-album behemoth of the Philadelphia International label. The black and yellow Street Sounds icon on the cover of a record was a quality mark. Over the course of a decade they curated the greatest collection of compilation albums ever released.

“Electro 13” was a one off in the Electro/Hip Hop original main series 22 albums. With twenty-one tracks split over two mixes, and no complete tracks. All the other Electro/Hip Hop albums in the series had between seven and ten full length tracks with a brief mix overlap between them. The only other exceptions were in the larger Electro/Hip Hop series, as “Electro Crucial 3” featured two mixes containing a total of twenty tracks, and the “NY vs LA beats” which had two mixes totalling twenty-three tracks.

The departure from the usual format for this Electro album was due to UK Fresh ’86, a single day Hip-Hop festival organised by Street Sounds in conjunction with Capital Radio and hosted by Mike Allen at Wembley Arena. (It formed part of the larger ‘Capital Music Festival’ that ran that year.) To date that day is still the biggest single Hip-Hop concert every seen in the UK. Fifteen of the twenty-one tracks included on Electro 13 were by artists that appeared at UK Fresh ’86. It is still a source of disappointment that I couldn’t go to UK Fresh. Having only just turned sixteen, it was on the last Saturday of Leicester’s July fortnight when all the hosiery firms went on holiday. As such I would have been travelling back from the family summer holiday on the day of UK Fresh, and once back out of range of getting tuned into Capital radio.

I had shown an interest in Hip Hop fairly early on. Buying “The Message” and playing it to death horrified my mother, who still to this day expresses her disgust at this “new rap music”. Then a guy at school – Nick Starkey – lent me the first of the Electro series on tape. I made a copy, and from then on was hooked, saving money to get the albums when I could afford them. I used to pretend I was scratching by trying to replicate the sound by me rubbing my fingernails on the black vinyl of my Griffin Savers holdall. I tried with some records as well, quickly finding out that trying to do so without a slip mat just made an utter mess of the B side of the record you were trying to scratch with. Early Hip Hop had been playing looped up-tempo (normally disco) tracks with MCs rapping over the top of them. The Electro phase saw a move towards artists creating their own beats with the rise of drum machines and samplers. Then there was the progression to sampling and layering of samples to create a base to rap over, as Hip Hop moved from Electro into its Golden Age. For me, this was the crossover point.

Up to 1986, Hip Hop and the charts were only passing acquaintances. Hits in the UK singles charts were few and far between. Grandmaster Flash, Melle Mel and The Furious Five accounted for half of the top forty hits. The Sugarhill Gang, Afrika Bambaataa and Mann Parish had “rap” hits. The Rock Steady Crew, Ollie & Jerry and Break Machine had the breakdancing hits, but outside of this there was very little. Even those breaking through in late 1985 and early 1986 were seen more as novelty hits (Doug E Fresh’s “The Show“, Whistle’s “Just Bugging“, Lovebug Starski and The Real Roxanne’s songs on this album, and DJ Jazzy Jeff & The Fresh Prince’s “Girls Ain’t Nothing But Trouble“). All that was about to change as this album was being mixed ready for release, Run-DMC were teaming up with Aerosmith to release “Walk This Way“. Within a year, top twenty hits were commonplace. Run-DMC, Eric B & Rakim, LL Cool J, Salt ‘n’ Pepa, The Fat Boys, Public Enemy, Mantronix and The Beastie Boys all had hits in 1987. by 1988, British Hip Hop Artists were having hits as well, even if they were looked down upon by the Americans. Wee Papa Girl Rappers, Derek B, The Cookie Crew and Monie Love all hit the top twenty. Yet so many more didn’t hit the charts, despite having better sounds, rhymes and overall songs than many who hit the charts today. There was a whole heap of artists who were born at least twenty years too early.

There are no full-length versions included on the album, and some of the tracks had quite short pieces used from them. Additionally, the mixes dipped back in time to use some tracks from before 1986 (and from previous Electro albums), whereas all the other Electro series were very much of the current time. I think that the release of Electro 13 can be seen as the point where the baton is handed over from Old School to Golden Age. It includes the first single from Eric B & Rakim who would change the game completely. And unknown to most non hip-hop heads, it saw Dr Dre and DJ Yella in their pre-NWA days as part of the World Class Wreckin’ Cru.

A common question asked, on forums and face to face, is what is your favourite Hip-Hop album of all time? Well, for me, this would have to be it. With some of the biggest names from the Old School on it (such as Grandmaster Flash and Afrika Bambaataa), and future giants, it is the ultimate hip-hop album. There is some inventive mixing between tracks. Some amazing samples and beats, and a gamut of great lyrics, and future giants (Rakim, Dre). There is a lot of fun, a bit of bragging, some silliness, and masses of social commentary included. This album should be the starting point for any newcomer to hip-hop to hear what can be done before the major labels choked the life out of it.

I think to date I’ve bought seven copies of this album. I’ve lost two to house moves, two to lending to (ex) friends and one to being worn out and scratched to hell; and so, keep two copies of it now, just in case. Having the time and money to do it, I went about getting all the original 12″ singles for the tracks from the album. I started in 2003 and it took me four years and hundreds of pounds before I completed the set with the last two as they came onto Discogs at the same time. “UK Fresh ’86 (The Anthem)” by Hashim featuring MC Devon and “The State We’re In (Vocal)” by Easy Mike featuring M.C. Sure Shot, the latter of which I’d been (un)reliably informed had never been released. Plus, one I’d been told had been released as a single never had, as M.C. Chill’s “The Prophecy” was only ever released on his eponymous album.

Track listing

Side one

1. – “Style (Peter Gunn Theme)” – Grandmaster Flash.

Flash, now without the original Furious Five after alleged drug related and contractual issues, comes back with this single from his second album on the Elektra label. The main bassline from the song is from Henry Mancini’s “Peter Gunn Theme“, but he adds in samples from Freedom “Get Up and Dance“, Cameo “Single Life“, Maze feat Frankie Beverly “Before I Let Go“, and Afrika Bambaataa and The Jazzy 5 “Jazzy Sensation” to great effect. Released as a single in the UK, it didn’t chart. Was sampled in Prince Shahem Beloved’s “I Can Go Freestyle“. My favourite post Sugarhill Grandmaster Flash track, there are definite overtones of this being a diss record, lines like “you thought you had style, you thought you had grace, but you wouldn’t know class if it hit you in the face” suggest that there was some hangover of enmity from the split from Sugarhill. Flash (real name Joseph Saddler) faded away in the late eighties and nineties, but now nearly forty years on from his initial release “Superrapping“, he is touring the globe wowing audiences and gathering new fans. He really was the original superstar DJ.

Released on Elektra – EKR 39 T in 1986 with edited and instrumental versions on the B side.

2. – “Bambaataa’s Theme (Assault On Precinct 13)” – Afrika Bambaataa and Family.

Sampling the theme from John Carpenter’s original “Assault On Precinct 13” from 1986, this single, released on Tommy Boy was the first single release from his fourth album. Released as a single in the UK, this didn’t chart, but I did try and help it. Bambaataa was the founding father of the Zulu Nation. As such he was one of the forefathers of Hip Hop, as the Zulu Nation and Grandmasters helped to transform the gangs of seventies New York into the Hip Hop crews to lead them into the eighties. There is an elegant simplicity in this largely instrumental track. Yes, the music is borrowed, but it is used to great effect, and shows that Electro was about far more than just rapping

Released on WEA in the UK – U8663(T) in 1986 with “Tension” as the B Side.

3. – “UK Fresh ’86 (The Anthem)” – Hashim featuring MC Devon.

Known for his Electro classic “Al-Naafiysh (The Soul)”, Hashim was one of several artists lined up for Capital Radio’s UK Fresh ’86. MC Devon had his only appearance on this track which was put together to promote the UK Fresh event. Hashim (Jerry Calliste) had started as a promoter of Hip-Hop gigs. He worked as a janitor at Tommy Boy records before going on to start his own label – Cutting Records, before leaving that to his business partners to go on and set up Precise Records. It isn’t any surprise that MC Devon didn’t go on to have much more of a career releasing tracks. The rhymes are almost childlike, and it sounds as if he was struggling over the delivery. He was just born thirty years too early; he’d be a maestro nowadays. Hashim had featured on previous Electro releases.

Released on Streetwave, a label also run by Morgan Khan, on label number MKHAN72 with another mix on the B side.

4. – “Fast Life” – Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde.

The full version was featured on “Electro 5”. Dr. Jeckyll & Mr. Hyde consisted of Andre “Dr. Jeckyll” Harrell and Alonzo “Mr. Hyde” Brown. The group was known for its corporate business image, wearing designer suits and ties while they rapped. The group first performed under the name Harlem World Crew. After the group’s demise, Andre Harrell became the founder and chief executive officer of Uptown Records. He later went on to head Motown Records. The track is a quite serious and heavy social commentary about a teenage wannabe gangster. How the life attracts him, but how his peers eschew the lifestyle.

Released on Profile Records – PRO-7048 in 1984 with the track “A.M P.M.” also on the A Side, and instrumentals of both on the B side. Wasn’t released as a single in the UK.

5. – “Get Loose” – Aleem.

Aleem featured on other Electro releases. Just missed out on the UK charts proper, peaking at number 82 in January 1986. Sampled in “Get Loose” by L.A. Mix feat. Jazzi P, “Band in a Box’s Get Dynamite” by Band In A Box, “My Telephone” by Mikey D & the LA Posse, “Armed and Extremely Dangerous” by London Rhyme Syndicate, and “Who Am I?” by K-Bee & Ceil-B. Aleem were twin brothers – Taharqua and Tunde-Ra Aleem, who had been doing studio work since the late sixties and had worked on Jimi Hendrix’s “Cry Of Love” and “Rainbow Bridge“. They formed NIA records and produced several other early Hip Hop artists, including Captain Rock who also appears on “Electro 13”. A much more vocal release, with an electro backing track, and soulful singing from Leroy Burgess who is related to the Bell family of Kool & The Gang fame. It almost has the vibe of an early Chicago House track.

Releases in the US on their own NIA label in 1984, it was released on Streetwave in the UK – MKHAN61, with “Get Loose / Release Yourself” and a dub version on the B side.

6. – “(Solution To) The Problem (The DEFinitive Dance Mix)” – Masquerade.

Charted at number 64 in the UK singles chart in July 1986. Sampled Ronald Reagan’s “We Begin Bombing in Five Minutes” spoof speech, and “Change the Beat (Female Version)” by Beside. More social commentary, this time on getting nations getting dragged into overseas conflicts. Uses dialogue from then US President, Ronald Reagan, and UK Prime Minister, Margaret Thatcher and the conflict with Libya and its leader Colonel Gadaffi as its base to bring together an anti-war message.

Released on Streetwave – MKHAN67 in 1986. This mix was the B Side, the A side was the Extended Vocal Mix.

7. – “Square Dance Rap (Power Mix)” – Sir Mix-A-Lot.

Way before his massive world-wide smash of “Baby Got Back“, this features some of the fastest rapping I had ever heard at that point. The full version was featured on “Electro 12”. Just missed out on the UK charts proper, peaking at number 81 in July 1986. Sampled “Rock Me Baby” by B.B. King, “Get Out of My Mix” by Dolby’s Cube, and “Change the Beat (Female Version)” by Beside. Sir Mix-A-Lot (Anthony Ray) was known for driving the streets of his native Seattle blasting out his new compositions to get them airplay due to the lack of other outlets for Hip Hop there. Cowboy rap, at the time I would have thought that this could have stood in its own category for eternity. Then came “Country Mike’s Greatest Hits“, the Beastie Boys in disguise, and of course Kid Rock. It was difficult to reconcile this with the style and pitch on “Baby Got Back“.

Another released on Streetwave – MKHAN69 in 1986. The mix was the second track on the B Side, which it shared with the Radio Edit. The A side featured the Rodeo Drive Mix and the US Original Version.

8. – “Return Of Captain Rock” – Captain Rock.

The full version was featured on “Electro 1” and “Crucial Electro 1”. Captain Rock (real name Ronnie Green) was an underground fixture in the early 80’s. His appearance at UK Fresh ’86 saw him allegedly strip down to his thong on stage. The track had very laid-back vocals over sounds that made you think you were travelling with a spaceship Captain, very much in the style of George Clinton. Before being Captain Rock, he was Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde’s live DJ from their period in the Harlem World Crew. He was known as DJ Ronnie Green. He went on to referee for NCAA Division 3 basketball in the late 80’s and early 90’s and to run a youth program in New York City, for underprivileged kids. Sampled “Change the Beat (Female Version)” by Beside. Was sampled in “Hyperspeed (G-Force Part 2)” by The Prodigy, “Dig Your Own Hole” by The Chemical Brothers, “Check It Out” by Ferry Corsten, and “Hyperspeed” by Drumattic Twins.

Released on NIA Records (NI1236) in the US only in 1983. The B side was the instrumental.

9. – “Running (“The Nest” Remix)” – Information Society.

Also featured in a mix on “Electro Crucial 3”. Formed in 1982 in Minneapolis the Information Society had independently released two albums before moving to New York and getting a record deal and released this single in 1985. A very Electro sounding instrumental section of the track was used in the mix on this album. There was a vocal version, but it didn’t sound much like this one. They had been a very sparse electro sounding band at outset, and gradually changed style away from that over their career, with the different versions of this track probably marking the main turning point. Sampled “Hot Pants Pt. 1 (She Got to Use What She Got to Get What She Wants)” by James Brown. Sampled in “Love You, Will You Love Me (Hard Love Mix)” by Judy Torres, “Emergency” by Cha-os, “Give It to Baby” by Altern 8, “Fallen Angel” by Clear Touch, “Freshmix Vol. 1” by DJ EFX, “Kamikaze (Took My Love)” by 2 in a Room, “Strange Mix Medley (007 Mix)” by Depeche Mode, “Paranoid Thugism” by Genaside II, “I’ll Be Loving You” by Collage, “A Night at the Edit Block” by Blade to the Rhythm, and “For All You Non-Believers (Have a Nice One)” by Spacework.

Released on Tommy Boy (TB877) in the US only in 1986. This mix was the first track on Side B, which it shared with the Instrumental. The A Side had the Vocal Mix and Percappella.

10. – “Mission Possible” – World Class Wreckin’ Cru.

The World Class Wreckin’ Cru also featured on other Electro releases. World Class Wreckin’ Cru debuted in a club owned by one of the early West Coast DJs, Alonzo Williams. Before he opened “Eve After Dark” in 1979, Alonzo was one of the most popular DJs in the Los Angeles area. He began producing dances under the name of Disco Construction, named after funk group Brass Construction. Seeing the popularity of this new craze, he entered the market of running nightclub performances. The club opened with Detroit-born Andre Manuel aka Unknown DJ directing the music program. Disco Construction created a subgroup called the into Wreckin’ Cru which were the Lonzos roadies and later adding World Class it became the name of the recording group. Lonzo hired local DJs Antoine “Yella” Carraby and Andre “Dr. Dre” Young who later became the original Mix Masters for KDAY. Alonzo Williams created the label “Kru-cut” which began releasing The Wreckin’ Cru music through the mid-1980s with very minimal resources through Macola Records. When this track came out, we knew nothing about Dr Dre or DJ Yella, within two years NWA were the biggest thing going. There is a big difference between this and “Straight Outta Compton“, and it was a few years before I made the connection. Dre in what looks suspiciously like make-up and shiny metallic outfits on the 12” and album covers is always good entertainment value for those who weren’t aware. Sampled “Dance to the Music” by Sly & the Family Stone, and “Mission: Impossible Theme” by Lalo Schifrin.

Released on Epic – TA7281 in 1986 with “World Class Freak” as the B Side.

Side two

1. – “Amityville” – Lovebug Starski.

When Sylvia Robinson was setting up Sugarhill Records, it was Lovebug Starski (born Kevin Smith) she approached to record the first release for the label. He was the house DJ at the Bronx club Disco Fever and was known to MC over the records, and is credited with coming up with the term Hip-Hop – Starski claimed that he coined the phrase while trading the two words back and forth while improvising lines with Cowboy of the Furious Five at a farewell party for a friend who was headed into the Army. He turned Sylvia Robinson down, who went and found what became The Sugarhill Gang and released “Rapper’s Delight“. Starski did turn to a recording career starting in 1981. This release was his biggest chart hit in the UK and is unfortunately seen as more of a novelty record, one that should really have been issued around Halloween, as it covers several Halloween’s tropes. Hit number 12 in the UK singles chart in May and June 1986. Another one that I’d bought as a single, and that got played nearly to death. He died in February 2018. No credited samples, but had an impersonator doing voices from Spock and Kirk from Star Trek amongst others.

Released on Epic – TA7182 in 1986. The B side was a Dub mix.

2. – “Pee-Wee’s Dance” – Joe Ski Love.

Just missed out on the UK charts proper, peaking at number 94 in July 1986. Sampled “Tequila” by The Champs, “Synthetic Substitution” by Melvin Bliss, “Pump That Bass” by Original Concept, and dialogue from two scenes (Mario’s Magic Shop and I Meant to Do That) from Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure. Has been sampled in 197 songs, including 2Pac’s “Ambitionz Az a Ridah“, The Chemical Brothers’ “Hey Boy, Hey Girl“, Public Enemy’s “Rebel Without a Pause“, Beastie Boys’ “Posse in Effect“, Eazy-E’s “Boyz-N-The-Hood“, Mr. Lee (Chicago House)’s “Get Busy“, LL Cool J’s “You Better Watch Me“, and De La Soul’s “Area” amongst a whole host of others. Proof that you could rap about absolutely anything in the mid-eighties. I can’t imagine Pee Wee Herman getting a track dedicated to a dance like his if such a film came out now.

Released on Vintertainment and Elektra in the US, it came out on Cooltempo (COOLX125) in the UK in 1986. B side had the Acappella Beat and Instrumental version.

3. – “Latoya” – Just-Ice.

Just Ice also featured on other Electro releases. Born Joseph Williams Jr. he was a former bouncer at punk clubs, he was the first of the New York rappers to embrace gangster rap, and when he burst out of the Castle Hill neighbourhood in the New York City borough of the Bronx as Just-Ice, he gained instant notoriety. Muscle-bound, tattooed, aggressive—he resembled Mike Tyson in more than just looks—and with a mouthful of gold teeth, he certainly stood out. His debut album Back to the Old School came out on the independent New York label Sleeping Bag, and certainly sounded like no other hip-hop album, thanks to his fast and forceful rhymes, Ben “Human DMX” Paynes’ beatboxing, as well as the distinctive production of Mantronix’s Kurtis Mantronik. Not long after his appearance at UK Fresh ’86 he was charged with the murder of drug dealer Ludlaw DeSouza, but later proven innocent. Sampled “Leaving on a Jet Plane” by Peter, Paul & Mary. Was sampled in 48 songs including Alicia Keys feat. Mos Def, Common and Damian Marley’s “Love It or Leave It” Alone”, Welcome to Jamrock, MF DOOM’s “Kon Karne“, The Prodigy’s “Wind It Up“, Funkdoobiest’s “Rock On“, KRS-One feat. Kid Capri’s “Stop Frontin’“, De La Soul’s “D.A.I.S.Y. Age“, and Nas, MC Shan, UTFO and Kool Moe Dee feat. Grandmaster Caz, Dana Dane and Just-Ice’s “Where Are They Now (80’s Remix)”. Story of the song is basically; sees girl. Is nervous about talking to her. Mate tells him to stop being a chicken. Girl tries to brush him off before he starts. He raps to her anyway. She changed her mind. They get together. Like a Shakespeare tale four hundred years on.

Wasn’t a main single release, it was the second track on Track A of the “Put That Record Back On” single releases in the US only on Fresh Records – FRE-003 in 1986. The B Side had the instrumental of “Put That Record Back On” and “That Girl Is A Slut“.

4. – “The Prophecy, Part 1 (In The Beginning)” – M.C. Chill.

M.C. Chill also featured on other Electro releases. Never released as a single. Nice take on the Bible “in the beginning there was the word”. M.C. Chill goes on to prophesize there will be greed and destruction of rap. a lot of which could be considered to have become true. However, as this was his first (and last) album, his claim that he was there at the beginning and will be at the end, does seem a little bit of a stretch.

It was only available on M.C. Chill’s album “M.C. Chill“, released on Fever Records – SFS001 in 1986. It was track 3 on Side 2. The other tracks were (side 1) “M.C. Story”, “Downbeats” and “Chill-drens Rhymes“, and (side b) “Open Your Eyes”, “Jealousy” and “Bust This Rhyme“

5. – “Eric B. Is President” – Eric B. featuring Rakim.

Eric Barrier played trumpet and drums throughout high school, and later switched to experimenting with turntables prior to graduation. The newly dubbed “Eric B.” soon began DJing for radio station WBLS in New York City. Barrier wound up meeting Alvin Toney, a promoter based in Queens. Eric B. had been looking for rappers and Toney recommended he use Freddie Foxxx, a Long Island MC. Toney took Eric B. to Foxxx’s home, but Foxxx was not there, so Toney suggested another option: William Griffin, a.k.a. Rakim. Griffin had begun writing rhymes as a teenager in Wyandanch and had taken the name “Rakim” as a result of his conversion to The Nation of Gods and Earths. The various early pressings of this had the title printed as both Eric B is President and Eric B for President, and it saw the first release from the greatest MC of them all – Rakim. It is said to be a response to Janet Jackson’s “What Have You Done For Me Lately?” responding to her verse of “Used to go to dinner almost every night, Dancin’ ’til I thought I’d lose my breath, Now it seems your dancing feet are always on my couch, Good thing I cook or else we’d starve to death – Ain’t that a shame? What have you done for me lately.” with the third verse of “Go get a girl and get soft and warm, Don’t get excited, you’ve been invited to a quiet storm, But now it’s out of hand cause you told me you hate me, And then you ask what have I done lately, First you said all you want is love and affection, Let me be your angel and I’ll be your protection, Take you out, buy you all kinds of things, I must have got you too hot and burned off your wings, You caught an attitude, you need food to eat up, I’m scheming like I’m dreaming on a couch with my feet up, You scream I’m lazy, you must be crazy, Thought I was a donut, you tried to glaze me”. This was my first introduction to Eric B & Rakim, and so began the obsession with having everything recorded by them. In a time where numerous remixes came out for each single release, it means I have over thirty 12″ inch singles by them. I consider Rakim to be the greatest MC of all time, and it is great to see him in such demand for collaborations from all kinds of artists today. Released as a single in the UK, didn’t chart despite me buying two different versions of it. Sampled The Mohawks’ “The Champ“, Mountain’s “Long Red“, James Brown’s “Get Up, Get Into It, Get Involved” and “Funky President (People It’s Bad)”, Fonda Rae’s “Over Like a Fat Rat“, and The Honey Drippers’ “Impeach the President“. Was sampled L.O.D.’s “I Feel It (Remix)”, 8-Off Agallah’s “Ghetto Girl“, Sham & the Professor’s “So-Low-Ist“, The Troubleneck Brothers’ “Back to the Hip-Hop“, Tony D’s “Buggin’ on the Line”, Da Beatminerz feat. Caron Wheeler and Pete Rock’s “Open (Remix)”, Facemob feat. Scarface’s “Rivals“, Urban Flow’s “Just for You“, Da 5 Footaz’s “It All Got Start“, T.W.D.Y. feat. Otis & Shug’s “Out 2 Get Mo“, Jackers’ “It’s Finna Be On” and a dozen other tracks.

Released in the UK on Cooltempo (COOLX129) in 1986. It had the extended dub mix on the B Side. A second version on (COOLN129) had “My Melody” on the B Side. Was released on Zakia and Fourth & Broadway in the US.

6. – “Bring The Beat Back (Vocal)” – M.C. Boob A.K.A. Steady “B”.

Warren McGlone known by the stage name Steady B, was a member (and de facto leader) of Philadelphia’s Hilltop Hustlers crew. Steady B released five albums over the course of his career, with mixed success. He is currently serving a life sentence in a Pennsylvania state prison for his role in the murder of Philadelphia Police officer Lauretha Vaird, during a botched bank robbery in January 1996. Sampled The Headhunters feat. Pointer Sisters’ “God Make Me Funky” and E.U.’s “Knock Him Out Sugar Ray“. Sampled in Sublime’s “Steady B Loop Dub“, DJ Red Alert & Mike Slammer’s “Just Wanna Hold U Tight”, EPMD and D.J. K La Boss’s “D.J. K La Boss“, and Vicious V’s “In Full Effect – Master Done It“. Includes some of the most off-beat rapping I’d heard. Well at least until Kanye West’s first album.

Was the B Side of “Yo Mutha” on the US release on Pop Art Records. It’s release in the UK on Streetwave (MKHAN75) had reversed the order, with an instrumental on the A side, and “Yo Mutha” and its instrumental on the B side.

7. – “(Bang Zoom) Let’s Go Go Go” – The Real Roxanne with Hitman Howie Tee.

UTFO went out to get a female MC in response to a war of words with Roxanne Shante, and to name her The Real Roxanne. Their initial choice Elease Jack, who recorded the first single The Real Roxanne under the character’s name had bailed by the time they got to recording this to be replaced by Adelaida Martinez. A top twenty UK chart hit, again unfortunately seen as somewhat of a novelty hit with the Looney Tunes samples included. The track also featured backing singing from Full Force. Hit number 11 in the UK singles chart in June and July 1986, one of those sales would have been to me, as this was another that got a lot of playing time when it came out. Sampled The Isley Brothers’ “For the Love of You (Part 1 & 2)”, Malcolm McLaren’s “Buffalo Gals“, Funk, Inc.’s “Kool Is Back“, Full Force’s “Alice, I Want You Just for Me”, John McLaughlin’s “Honky-Tonk Haven“, Billy Squier’s “The Big Beat”, Les Elgart’s “Bandstand Boogie“, and dialogue from Looney Tunes “The Wabbit Kicked the Bucket” and “That’s All Folks”. Has been sampled in 147 songs, including De La Soul feat. Jungle Brothers and Q-Tip’s “Buddy”, Eazy-E’s “Boyz-N-The-Hood”, Sir Mix-a-Lot’s “Flow Show“, DJ Kool’s “20 Minute Workout“, Bomb the Bass’s “Megablast (Hip Hop on Precinct 13)”, De La Soul’s “Cool Breeze on the Rocks“, 3-2 Get Funky’s “Too Funky” and Rodney O and Joe Cooley’s “Supercuts (Yeah Boy)” amongst all the others.

Released on Select records in the US, it was released on Cooltempo (COOLX124) in 1986 with “Howie’s Teed Off” as the B Side.

8. – “Queen Of Rox (Shante Rox On) (Street Version)” – Roxanne Shante.

The full version was featured on “Electro 7”. Born Lolita Shanté Gooden she started rapping at the age of nine and changed her name from Lolita to Roxanne at fourteen. In 1984, the young rapper ran into Tyrone Williams, DJ Mr. Magic, and record producer Marley Marl outside the Queensbridge housing project. U.T.F.O. had recently released a single called “Hanging Out,” which did not gain much critical acclaim; however, the B-side “Roxanne, Roxanne“, about a woman who would not respond to their advances, became a hit. Shante was contracted to write a track in rebuttal to U.T.F.O.’s rap, posing as the Roxanne in the U.T.F.O. song. Marley Marl produced the song “Roxanne’s Revenge” using the original beats from an instrumental version of “Roxanne, Roxanne“. The track became an instant hit and made Shante, only 14 years old at the time, one of the first female MCs to become very popular. Sampled her own “Roxanne’s Revenge“, Bob James’s “Take Me to the Mardi Gras” and The Gap Band’s “Burn Rubber on Me (Why You Wanna Hurt Me)”. Sampled in her own “Runaway” and “Funk Daddy feat. Dee-Lyrious’s “Hoo-Ride“. The best Female MC of all time in a track that is a loose retelling of her story of how she was “discovered” and used to respond to U.T.F.O’s “Roxanne Roxanne“. Recorded with Rick James on “Loosey’s Rap” and then kind of vanished from the scene for nearly ten years before coming back on Mekon’s “What’s Going On“, showing she had lost none of her edge or delivery.

Released in the US only on Pop Art Records (PA1408) in 1985. This mix was the second track on the A Side with the Radio version, the B Side had the dub mix.

9. – “The State We’re In (Vocal)” – Easy Mike featuring M.C. Sure Shot.

Sampled James Brown’s “Funky Drummer” and Grandmaster Flash & The Furious Five’s “The Message“. It was one of three singles Easy Mike released on the label along with “It’s Easy” and “I Salute“, all three being released in 1986. Had another release “Talk About Brotherhood” on Unsilent Majority Records. M.C. Sure Shot only appearance on any track came on this record. Back to social commentary, touching on politics, war and the ghetto.

Released in the US only, with the only official version being a promo on The Future Records – TF003. The A side also had the instrumental on, and the B Side had “It’s Too Political” vocal and instrumental versions on it.

10. – “Ladies” – Mantronix.

Mantronix also featured on other Electro releases. Hit number 55 in the UK singles chart in February 1986, the first of ten chart hits the group had over the next five years. Mantronix was formed by DJ Kurtis Mantronik (Kurtis el Khaleel) and rapper MC Tee (Touré Embden). They are primarily remembered for their pioneering blend of old school hip hop, electronic, and club music. They underwent several genre and line-up changes during its seven-year existence between 1984–91 and released five albums beginning with their 1985 debut “Mantronix: The Album”. While working as the in-store DJ for Downtown Records in Manhattan, Kurtis Mantronik met MC Tee, a Haitian-born, Flatbush, Brooklyn-based rapper. The duo soon made a demo, “Fresh Is The Word,” and signed with Sleeping Bag Records. Electro 13 used a lot of the instrumental part of the track before letting MC Tee into treatise on the fairer sex.

This was released on 10 Records (TEN116-12) in the UK in 1986 having had a US release on Sleeping Bag Records in 1985. It had another version and the instrumental on the B Side.

11. – “Sleep Walking” – Family Quest.

Established in 1983, Family Quest were one of the earliest UK rap groups but had only ever featured on 1984’s “Outer Space ’84 Rap” by Automation. The group Dirty Harry, E=Mix, Cheeko MC aka Daddy Hip Hop & Mystery (real names Zonya Sullivan, Hugh Christie, Barry Jacobs, Kim Arthurs and Mark Malcolm) were regular hosts alongside Tim Westwood & DJ Fingers at Spats club in London’s Oxford Street on a Saturday afternoon, and were produced by Paul Phillips, formerly of funk band Hi Tension. As the title suggests there are mentions of sleepwalking, both the physical sense (“I dreamt I was making love in the dark, when I woke up all alone in the Park”) and the metaphorical sense of people just sleepwalking through their lives every day (“Every morning, yawning, they only look half awake”). Also has a section of the track which calls out sexism at the time, both in general life and the music industry, as a female MC has the line before the fadeout of the album of “In their dreams, we don’t exist, so they can’t see us doing this.” In 1986 they entered a “King Of The Streets” competition on Mike Allen’s Capital Radio show and won. The prize was this track, their only group release, produced by David Toop who wrote the book Rap Attack and released on Morgan Khan’s Streetwave label. They were the only UK act to appear on stage at the legendary hip hop show UK Fresh 86 at Wembley Arena and appear on the accompanying Street Sounds “Electro 13” album. Sampled Mike Oldfield’s “Blue Peter“, The Crystals’ “Do Ron Ron“, and dialogue from Peter Seller’s Inspector Clouseau in “A Shot In The Dark”.

Released on Streetwave (MKHAN74) in 1986. Had the Wake Mix on the A Side and the Alarm Mix on the B Side.

Label – Street Sounds

Catalog Number – ELCST 13 (Vinyl), ZCELC 13 (Cassette)

Artwork & Design – Federation

Sleeve Notes – Morgan Khan

Charts UK Albums Chart – Entered the chart on 6th September 1986, it reached Number 23 and stayed in the charts for 5 weeks. This was back before compilations were split out into a separate chart.

A Night At The Apollo

Although all the talk at the moment is about the fiftieth anniversary of Apollo 11’s Moon Landing, this night at the Apollo had nothing to do with that at all.

What it did have everything to do with was great songs, sung well by great singers. It was at the Eventim Apollo, formerly sponsored by numerous companies, it was the Hammersmith Apollo, and before that the Hammersmith Odeon, and if we go all the way back to when it originally opened in 1932 it was the Gaumont Palace.

It is a magnificent example of an Art Deco building, with original features both inside and out, and it thoroughly deserves its Grade II* listed status. The decoration and detailing inside is wonderful, and it is worth visiting the building just for that.

However we were there for what, when we bought the tickets, was an evening with Joss Stone, and she was going to be performing with the legend that is Burt Bacharach. However the billing was the other way around. It was an evening with Burt Bacharach, and Joss Stone was the leading lady in terms of accompanying him through his amazing songbook. however there were three other singers who also accompanied Burt as he went through a repertoire of songs covering more than sixty years of song writing.

It was a nice summer evening as we got there, having stopped for a nice Indian just around the corner from the venue. Again we were drawn in by the advertising of what dishes they did, only to find that the menu inside had been swapped around. As with the concert, we weren’t really disappointed as the food was good. That plus I had forty five minutes of a lovely cool air-con unit blowing cold air on to me, always a bonus.

There was quite a queue outside the Apollo as it got to doors opening time. And some people were still trying to pick tickets up on the door. As is usually the case the eccentric man in the queue happened to be in front of us and decided to spend the time snaking through the barriers talking at Helen. It was amusing that he had been tutting at people to hurry up and get in there, only to stop and hold the rest of the queue up on occasions when he stopped to take photos of the building. He was hoping that Burt would play “Do You Know The Way To San Jose?” but he was unlucky this time, as that was one of his classics that was missed out this time.

The support act started early and by the time we’d got a drink and to our seats he was on his last song. The orchestra and band started to accumulate on stage and then Burt came teetering out. despite looking somewhat unsteady on his feet, he was able to play the piano, and conduct the band in a free and easy way as befits his compositions.

Joss Stone joined him on stage for song two, a very good rendition of “Walk On By”, and stayed for seven or eight more songs, and some quite awkward chat between songs, before going off again. She made two more appearances during the two hour set, happily wandering around the stage in a gorgeous red dress and in bare feet.

The two hours flew by, and when it got towards the end, Burt wrapped up, saying there would be no encore, but getting the audience to sing along with the classic from the Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid soundtrack – “Raindrops Keep Falling On My Head”.

It was a surprise just how many of the so called Easy Listening classics Burt wrote or co-wrote with various other songwriters. I was also surprised that he is still writing, moving away from the general theme of love, hearts and flowers that his songs are so famous for, and moving into love of all people, as he played songs written about the difficulties there are in his home country under President Trump, and about the seemingly never ending toll of school shootings and deaths in the country.

He only sang the one song himself, a raspy version of “Alfie”, but it was probably the most memorable moment of a great evening of song.

We may not have booked tickets if it had been billed originally as and evening with Burt Bacharach and mentioned that Joss Stone would be singing for some of it. But we were both glad to have gone and seen one of the classic song writers of the twentieth century. At 91 he may not tour these shores again, and if he doesn’t that would be a shame. If you get the chance to go and see him while he is still touring then do so, it was a great evening well worth every penny.

Tamla Motown Number Ones

2019 marks the 60^th anniversary of the Motown record label. In my own celebration of that fact I’m going to have a look at the number ones it has had on the UK single charts, and number ones related to the label over the years.

In the US, Berry Gordy started out with the Motown label, and added Tamla and Gordy to them in quick succession. Over the years there have been numerous labels associated with the Motown family as they branched out into all forms of music.

In the UK, there wasn’t the ability to issue on an American label in the late 1950’s and Early 1960’s and so records from the Motown labels, which fell under the Jobete Music publishing house were released on a number of different labels over here, starting out on London American, then Fontana, Oriole and Stateside before the Tamla Motown label started out releasing UK records in late 1965.

Therefore Motown’s first UK number one single wasn’t even releases on Tamla Motown, but rather on Stateside.

The Supremes – Baby Love b/w Ask Any Girl. Stateside catalogue number SS350. Reached number one on 19^th November 1964 and was number one for two weeks. The group had had its first major hit with “Where Did Our Love Go” a couple of months before after having had the nickname of the “No-Hit Supremes” prior to that. This changed all that, and it wasn’t long after that Berry Gordy’s favourite got head billing and they became Diana Ross and the Supremes, and the animosity within the group started. It was another sublime piece of song writing by Motown’s main in-house writing and production team of Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland. It finally did get a Tamla Motown release in the mid-seventies on TMG915 and in the anniversary re-releases on TMG1044.

The Four Tops – Reach Out (I’ll Be There) b/w Until You Love Someone – TMG579. The first actual number one on the Tamla Motown label came nearly two years after Baby Love. This was another song from the Holland – Dozier – Holland production line and reached number one on the 27^th October 1966 staying there for three weeks. It saw a couple of re-releases, on TMG1049, and in 1988 on the back of its use in a Right Guard advert a remixed version on ZB41943 (using the RCA numbering format imposed on the label when they were taken over in the mid 1980’s) and a 12” release on ZB41944.

Marvin Gaye – I Heard It Through The Grapevine b/w I Need Somebody – TMG686. One of the most famous Motown songs, it was written by Barrett Strong (who had had the first Motown single release ever with “Money (That’s What I Want)”) and Norman Whitfield. It had originally been recorded by The Miracles, before Marvin Gaye, but both versions were vetoed as single releases by the label boss Berry Gordy. It was first released by Gladys Knight & The Pips as a more up-tempo release in 1967. After appearing on Marvin Gaye’s album there was pressure from radio stations to have this version released as a single. Showing Gordy didn’t know everything. It got to number one on 26^th March 1969, staying there for three weeks. It got to be on five different re-releases, TMG923, TMG987, TMG1045, ZB40701/2 and ZB40961/2 with the latter two both having 12” releases.

Smokey Robinson & The Miracles – The Tears Of A Clown – TMG745. There were two different versions of the single released with different B-sides, one with You Must Be Love and the other with Who’s Gonna Take The Blame? Written by Motown producer Hank Cosby and Stevie Wonder as an instrumental for the Motown Christmas party, Smokey Robinson added lyrics. Got to number one after an office staffer in London lobbied for it to be released as a single on 12^th September 1970, staying top for a single week. Reissued on TMG1048 as a double A side with Tracks Of My Tears.

Diana Ross – I’m Still Waiting b/w Reach Out I’ll Be There – TMG 781. Diana Ross’ second single release wasn’t going to be a single release in the UK until Tony Blackburn kept playing the album track on Radio 1 and persuaded the label to release it as a single. It got to number one on 21^st August 1971 and was top for four weeks. It was written by Deke Richards (who would later go on to be part of what was known as The Corporation, a Motown song writing collective who wrote most of the Jackson 5’s and Michael Jackson’s early single releases.) Rereleased on TMG1041 and remixed in 1990 on ZB43781 and a 12” release on ZB43782.

The Commodores – Three Times A Lady b/w Can’t You Tease Me – TMG1113. Written by Lionel Richie, this got to number one on the 19^th August 1978 and stayed there for five weeks. Berry Gordy had dropped the Tamla part of the label name by this point, and so this was the first UK number one as the Motown label. The Commodores had started out as a funk band more along the lines of Kool & The Gang or Earth, Wind & Fire, but moved to a more sedate sound with Richie taking over more of the song writing duties, such as this. He would break away with a solo career in the early eighties, but the rest of the band carried on without him.

Smokey Robinson – Being With You b/w What’s In Your Life For Me? – TMG1223. Having gone solo in the seventies, Robinson wrote most of his own music for his long solo career, this included. It hit number one on the 13^th June 1981, staying at number one for two weeks, only to be knocked off number one by another Motown song.

Michael Jackson – One Day In Your Life b/w With A Child’s Heart – TMG946 and TMG976. Originally a non-charting single from 1975, this song, written by Sam Brown III and Renee Armand, was rereleased in 1981 on the original label numbers on the back of Jackson’s success with his Off The Wall album. It hit number one on the 27^th June 1981, taking over from Being With You, and being the only instance of a Motown single taking over from another Motown single at the top of the charts.

Charlene – I’ve Never Been To Me b/w Somewhere In My Life – TMG1260. Written by Ron Miller, Don Costa and label boss Berry Gordy, this had been a US single release only in 1977. It was rereleased in 1982 after finding traction on a Tampa radio station. They had to track Charlene down as she had left the music industry, and found her married and living in Ilford, Essex. It hit number one on the 26^th June 1982 staying there for a single week.

Lionel Richie – Hello b/w All Night Long (All Night) Instrumental – TMG1330 (including 12” and cassette single releases). Self-penned third release off his Can’t Slow Down album, it’s the one with the very creepy video and the clay head of some random that is supposed to be the singer. It got to number one on the 24^th March 1984 and stayed there for six weeks.

Stevie Wonder – I Just Called To Say I Love You b/w Instrumental – TMG 1349 (including 12” and cassette single releases) and ZB42605/6. It got to number one on the 8^th September 1984 and stayed there for six weeks. Of all the tracks this musical maestro wrote and released, this sickly sweet release from The Woman in Red soundtrack was Wonder’s only UK solo number one hit. I’ll touch upon his other number ones later. Just to show how strange the UK charts can be, his next release was a duet with Michael Jackson – still doing big business with the Thriller album – called Get It. It wasn’t a brilliant track but was decent enough, yet the combined star power could only get it to reach number 37.

Boyz II Men – End Of The Road b/w Instrumental – TMG1411 (including 12”, cassette single and CD single releases) and 860064-7. The final Motown UK number one single was written by the hot RnB writers and producers of the time, Kenneth “Babyface” Edmonds, Antonio “L.A.” Reid and Daryl Simmons for the soundtrack of the film Boomerang. It got to number one on the 31^st October 1992 and stayed there for three weeks overlapping the dates twenty eight years earlier of Baby Love.

So only twelve (or eleven if you’re being pedantic) Motown number one singles in the UK, but if you look at the related stuff, then there is a whole host of other stuff.

There have been a number of cover versions of Motown songs that have hit number one in the UK. The first of which was Brian Poole & The Tremeloes with Do You Love Me a cover of The Contours 1962 release on Oriole (CBA1763) which hit number one on 10^th October 1963 for three weeks. The original was famously on the Dirty Dancing soundtrack.

In the eighties there were a few, on the 15^th January 1983, Phil Collins hit number one for two weeks with his cover of The Supremes You Can’t Hurry Love (TMG575), then the same year on the 23^rd July, Paul Young hit number one for three weeks with his cover of Marvin Gaye’s Wherever I Lay My Hat (That’s My Home) (B-side to Too Busy Thinking About My Baby on TMG705). On the 7^th September 1985 on the back of the successful duet at Live Aid, David Bowie & Mick Jagger got to number one for four weeks with a cover of Martha Reeves & The Vandellas’ Dancing In The Street (Stateside SS345). The following year on the 13^th September, The Communards got to number one for four weeks with Don’t Leave Me This Way. Although this was originally released by Harold Melvin & The Bluenotes on Philadelphia International, this version was more in keeping with the Thelma Houston disco tempo version (TMG1060). The Christmas number one that year was The Housemartins who spent one week at number one with a cover of Caravan Of Love, Originally by the Isley Brothers, but after they had left Motown for Epic in the early seventies. Another Isley Brothers song – Twist And Shout originally released on the Anna record label that Berry Gordy had a stake in before signing them to Motown was covered by Chaka Demus & Pliers in a number one from the 8^th January 1994 for two weeks.

Then there are those Motown artists that had number ones elsewhere. I said I would come back to Stevie Wonder. Prior to I Just Called To Say I Love You he had only hit the UK number one spot on a duet with Paul McCartney. Ebony and Ivory had been released on Paul McCartney’s label – Parlophone – and it hit number one on 24^th April 1982 for three weeks. Then in the year after I Just Called To Say I Love You he hit number one three times without his name being on the label or cover. He played harmonica on Chaka Khan’s I Feel For You which hit number one on 16^th November 1984 for three weeks and The Eurythmics’ There Must Be An Angel (Playing With My Heart) which hit number one on the 27^th July 1985 for a week. In between the two he was one of the featured artists on USA For Africa’s charity single We Are The World along with Diana Ross, various Jacksons and co-writers Lionel Richie and Michael Jackson, it hit number one on the 20^th April 1985 for two weeks. Then in 1995 Coolio feat LV sampled the music and most of the lyrics for the chorus of Gangsta’s Paradise from his album track Pastime Paradise. It got to number one on the 28^th October 1995 for two weeks.

Michael Jackson was so much more successful once he departed from Motown. He had seven further number ones, one with the Jacksons, a duet and five solo numbers.

25^th June 1977 for six weeks – The Jacksons – Show You The Way To Go.

5^th March 1983 for one week – Billie Jean.

15^th August 1987 for two weeks – I Just Can’t Stop Loving You – Duet with Siedah Garrett.

23^rd November 1991 for two weeks – Black Or White.

9^th September 1995 for two weeks – You Are Not Alone.

9^th December 1995 for six weeks – Earth Song.

And finally 3^rd May 1997 for a week – Blood On The Dancefloor.

Diana Ross had a solo number one with the Bee Gees penned Chain Reaction which reached number one on the 8^th March 1986 staying there for three weeks. Future Motown solo artist Billy Preston was known as the fifth Beatle for some time (one of many to be called that) and was credited on their number one Get Back which hit number one on the 23^rd April 1969 staying there for six weeks. Johnny Gill was a member of New Edition before becoming a solo artist on Motown, and was part of their hit Candy Girl which got to number one on the 28^th May 1983 for a week.

Writers that departed the Motown label also got a look in. The golden writing and production trio of Eddie Holland, Lamont Dozier and Brian Holland split with Motown in 1970 and former their own Invictus label. Their first major hit was Freda Payne’s Band of Gold which replaced Tears of a Clown at number one on the 19^th September 1970 and stayed there for six weeks.

So with all that lot it brings up thirty five number ones delivered or inspired by Motown, that topped the chart for a total of two years. Not bad for a label started in the equivalent of a semi-detached house in a Detroit suburb in 1959.

Drinking Underground and The Palladium

It has been reported recently that there is a ban on drinking on any transport run by Transport For London, which covers the Underground, Buses, Overground, Suburban trains, Clippers and the cable cars. It was in the news because the shadow Home Secretary – Diane Abbott – was pictured on a tube drinking a can of pre-mixed cocktail.

However on Monday, Helen and I were drinking on the Underground, in a totally legal way. We had a slot at Cahoots booked. A cocktail bar hidden away underground in Kingly Court just off Carnaby Street. It had used to be an emergency shelter during the Second World War, but contrary to whatever the bar may tell you, it was never actually a tube station.

If you didn’t know it was there you could quite easily pass it by, with only a little “this way to the trains” sign pointing the way to a gate in one of the passages leading into Kingly Court. The entrance has been made to look like it was a tube station, the maroon tiles are the same as can be seen on a great number of other central London stations.

You go down the stairs and are met with a layout of what could have been a station platform, with signs and route maps, the tiling of old etc. And the far side of the bar is laid out with seating that appears to be laid out in a disused tube carriage.

It is low lit and quite atmospheric, and the staff are dressed to fit in with the theme that the year is 1946. The drinks menu is in the style of an “of the age” newspaper, and it is all very well done.

You have to book slots, so that there is actually a seat for you, and we only used an hour of our allocated two. Which is probably a good job. The cocktails are strong, and very well presented, but there isn’t actually a lot of volume there, mainly due to there being Titanic worrying lumps of ice in each glass. And with prices started at twelve quid a pop for a cocktail, it doesn’t take very long at all to work up to an ear-wateringly high bill.

It’s a great experience, and would be good fun for special occasions, but not the best for casual drinking.

After staggering back into the daylight we went for food and up to the first floor in Kingly Court to the Stax café. Adorned with posters from musical icons over the years, and a menu full of Stax related food names, it claims to be a soul food café. Somewhat unusually it was run and staffed entirely by Spanish people, one of whom explained that their beef bacon and chorizo was off the menu as their delivery was stuck somewhere behind a blockade in France.

With it being a Stax café, you might expect the accompanying music to be a treat from the label’s wonderful sixties and seventies soul output, but in seemingly oblivious style, I don’t think I heard a single Stax song whilst I was in there, not even in any of the samples on the variety of hip hop that was played. Nothing from their associated Atlantic or Volt labels either, but they did manage to put on some tracks from their biggest rival at the time – Motown.

The food was good, and there was a fair amount of it. The cocktails may not have been as exotic, or as wonderfully presented as the ones in Cahoots, but they were still good and a damn site cheaper.

Then it was time for the main event. Imelda May at the London Palladium. An evening of Celtic soul, with Leo Green’s Orchestra for backing, and recording for BBC Radio 2, for their Friday night concert show programmes. Which when introduced as such on a Monday night does seem a bit odd.

When we had been to see Imelda May at the Royal Albert Hall some eighteen months ago, she had said about wanting to do a project relating to the great Irish songbook. And so this concert was taking a trip through those acts that she felt represented Irish music that influenced her. Apart from the finale of “Danny Boy”, there weren’t any of traditional Irish songs I had been half expecting (“Black Velvet Band”, “Molly Malone”, “Wild Rover”, “Irish Rover” etc.). Instead there were songs from a more contemporary selection of Irish bands, such as The Cranberries, Hothouse Flowers, U2, Sinead O’Connor, Rory Gallagher, Van Morrison, Damien Rice and Thin Lizzy.

Her first special guest was Damien Dempsey, someone who she has recorded songs with, then came Bronagh Gallagher, who Imelda May lived with in the past, and who was in The Commitments, and so they did two songs from that soundtrack. Finally she was joined by a very excitable Ronnie Wood as they romped through a couple of full on rock ‘n’ roll songs.

The two plus hours went so quickly it was difficult to believe it was nearing eleven as we came out of the Palladium. It was a great show (again), just a shame we don’t have the Tuesday off as well now.

Lounging With The Kittens

And for once I don’t mean that I’m sat in the lounge on the sofa with my feet up on the pouffe with Willow purring on the back of the sofa behind me, licking the back of my head whilst Sniffles sits heavily on my lap looking stoned and confused because the little pink blanket he usually lies on isn’t there.

It’s the last Friday night before the clocks go forward and the sun is doing its best to last as long as possible into the evening in the cloudless blue skies. We’re off to a gig, yes people; it is actually going to be a rock ‘n’ roll Friday night. (There has been a lack of them this year.)

We’re headed for Bush Hall (stop sniggering at the back) to see The Lounge Kittens. For those of you heathens, who haven’t heard of them, do yourself a favour and look them up on YouTube, or buy their albums and EP’s. In short they dress in the style of lounge singers, posh sparkling frocks, and there is a piano (or keyboard) as their only musical accompaniment, and they sing, and do they sing. The hook for them is what they sing. Great covers versions of Metal, Hip Hop and Dance anthems.

The one that really kicked things off would have been the cover of Limp Bizkit’s Rollin’. Check out the video of them doing it live at a festival, where Fred Durst watches them and then invites them to open Limp Bizkit’s set on the main stage later in the festival.

I found their videos by accident a number of years ago, and was gutted to find that I’d missed them doing a gig at what was the Black Dog the night before. Four years or so down the line I’m finally getting off my arse to go and see them live.

Helen and I were temporarily split up a Clapham Junction on the way up to London by an over enthusiastic Overground train door nearly slicing through me and keeping me off the train (see aside at the end of this piece). Reunited at Shepherd’s Bush it was time for food.

It is Friday and so it is pizza night. I had actually checked the menu of the Italian we are heading for ahead of time to ensure they do pizza. As we don’t want to make the same mistake as in Vienna a couple of weeks before. They definitely do pizza, and even if they hadn’t, with a name like Al Forno, they would surely do Lasagne and Cannelloni too.

The food at Al Forno was great, the service was great, and the prices were amazing, especially for London. All the table had little buzzers so you can let the waiters know when you have finally made your minds up on what you want to order instead of leaving them hovering whilst you um and ah your way through it. There is also a button on it to let them know when you want the bill. If you are ever in or around Shepherd’s Bush and you like Italian food then go here. For an added bonus bottles of Peroni were less than three quid, so you can’t go wrong for pre gig food and drinks.

Bush Hall lies on Uxbridge road at the south end of Loftus Road, the opposite end from QPR’s ground, where you can’t go more than a few yards from some place or other selling chicken. Most of it fried, sod Kentucky, most of the fifty states are there. It isn’t a massive venue, the main hall is probably smaller than most school gymnasiums, but it is another wonderful example of Victorian architecture. There is a little balcony upstairs which had some nice comfy seats overlooking the hall, but they were off limits as reserved for filming. The hall was warm and the heating was pumping out. Quite unnecessary on a balmy March night in a packed music venue.

I had time to get to the merch stand, picking up a t-shirt and their two EP’s that covered their stuff either side of the album I already have, before the warm up act was Grant Sharkey, no relation to Feargal and his songs certainly weren’t as sickly sweet as Feargal’s solo career. They were a lot more political and satirical that The Undertones ever were too.

He could have done a passable stand up set with the commentary between songs. Songs that were accompanied only by his double bass playing and some clapping. Being up on the stage did kind of overstate how tall he was. When he walked back through the room, we were surprised to see he was only actually hobbit sized. Which begged the question, was his double bass really only a cello?

Then it was time for The Lounge Kittens themselves, resplendent in green and blue sequins all round, and pink, red, orange, green and blue hair colours as well.

With a single keyboard and three voices they soared through a set as if they had a full backing group of musicians. They sang together, and apart, and jumped between the three of them so quickly and smoothly it was difficult to keep up with exactly who was singing any line at any time.

They joked around with each other and the crowd, and also spoke from the heart about some serious issues – covering songs of three artists who have committed suicide in the last couple of years. Even so, everyone involved seemed like they were having the time of their lives.

As well as the covers I had already seen or heard on YouTube or album, there was an array of medleys I hadn’t. A pop-punk one, an Avicii one, their Prodigy one of old, one full of classic rock tracks, and a lovely surprising ride through eighties and nineties cartoon themes. Near the end was the one that had started this all off for me, and probably a whole army of other fans as well, the one that got them really noticed – Rollin’.

And then, all too soon, an hour and a half had rattled by and it was all over, so we headed off out into the night to begin the journey back to Crawley, and our own little medley of three trains to do so.

It was Saturday when we got home, something that doesn’t happen very often nowadays, but probably should.

We just need to find some more Friday night gigs.

Deadly Doors

The doors on the Overground trains don’t fuck about. None of this stopping if they hit something. They just keep going on through that, whether bag or body part. If they had blades on them instead of rubber, the trains would be strewn with bloody body parts of those who didn’t know how harsh the doors were, and couldn’t get out of the way in time.

Will there be a point in the future where such blades will be seen as a method to keep the population down to a manageable level, whilst increasing the need for manufacturing and consumerism, by forcing the survivors to buy new bags and luggage so savagely destroyed in the doors, and for clothes which are no longer fashionably torn, but proper shredded rags.

Or maybe I should just stop giving them ideas.

My Favourite Song

The Tears Of A Clown – Smokey Robinson & The Miracles.

I was properly introduced to Motown by a couple of school friends in my third year at senior school – John Weston & Dictino Garcia – they were both instrumental in bringing Motown and Northern Soul into my life. Something that has stayed with me ever since, and forms the basis for my record collecting.

I had heard some Motown songs prior to this time, but hadn’t really understood where it all came from.

I was spending money from my paper round on getting the cassettes in the Motown Hits Of Gold series, and the week I bought volume four I played it to death. On the whole it covered the year 1970, the year of my birth, something I didn’t notice until much later, and had all the big Motown stars of the time on it. The Supremes, both with and without Diana Ross, the start of Diana Ross’s solo career, The Four Tops, The Temptations, Marvin Gaye, Stevie Wonder, The Jackson 5, Jimmy Ruffin and Edwin Starr, but the track that caught my attention and has never let go since was Tears Of A Clown by Smokey Robinson and The Miracles.

The upbeat whirl-a-jig circus sound to the music is such an uplifting piece, but the lyrics are so sad, and even as a teenager they spoke to me and spoke of me. I was shy and introverted, and I liked my own company. Yet to try and overcome this I would try to be a class clown. But at times I would be at home, in my own room, or lying in bed at night and I would feel so unhappy, so down.

This song was me at that point in my life and has been at many times since. There have been tens of thousands of records that have passed through my ownership over the years; hundreds of thousands of songs that I have owned, listened to and sang along to. But since the day I heard this song on that cassette it has been my favourite song, and I doubt anything will ever replace it.

Yet it could have all been so different. Originally it was a mere album track. Stevie Wonder and Motown producer Hank Cosby wrote the music for the 1966 Motown Christmas party, but couldn’t come up with lyrics for it. Smokey Robinson could, lyrics that had such juxtaposition with the music. It was one of three songs written and recorded with The Miracles in a similar vein along with “My Smile Is Just A Frown (Turned Upside Down)” and “Tracks Of My Tears”. “Behind A Painted Smile”, also from 1967 by The Isley Brothers is in the same theme.

The song ended up on Smokey Robinson & The Miracles’ 1967 album “Make It Happen”. It only became a single by accident. Three years later The Miracles – without Smokey Robinson – were touring Europe, and had had recent chart success in the UK, but were lacking any new material. One of the office staffers in Motown’s London office was pushing for “Tears Of A Clown” to be used as a single to keep the group’s momentum going. There were some doubts, but it was eventually released as a single in the UK in July of that year (just a couple of weeks after I was born).

Two months later it was the UK number one single, Motown’s first number one of the seventies. It was then released as a single in the US, and hit number one on the Billboard Hot 100. That belated success for a song only done as an album track meant it appeared on the Motown Hits Of Gold Volume four cassette that I had bought. (Along with countless other Motown compilations over the years as one of their biggest ever hits.)

It brought it to my attention, and I had to have the single. The original UK release with its now imprinted label number of TMG745 is not the most valuable record in my collection. It’s fairly easy to come by as it was such a big hit at the time. But it is easily the most prized record I own. In fact I have two copies, just in case!

Impromptu Soul Night

When I had dropped Helen and Jackie off at their friends just after seven, Jackie had jokingly said “pick us up after midnight”.

It was just after one when I did pick them up, as usual I was still awake, and being in I wasn’t drinking. Well not until we got back home and an impromptu soul session started. That started after lots of laughter instead of sympathy after Jackie stacked it on the slippy patio whilst playing with Charlie. The next half hour was a mixture between her shouting at the dog saying it was all his fault her shoulder was hurting, mixed in with playing with the dog.

After some time of this alternating, Jackie asked for The Snake, by Al Wilson, which prompted the usual discussion of ‘have you seen the clips where Trump reads the lyrics of the song out during speeches’, and the fact he draws parables between the snake in the song and immigrants in the USA. There are numerous YouTube clips of it. The man is barking mad.

From that single single came nearly an hour’s blast of soul and Motown singles, helped along by large tumblers of some imitation Bailey’s Irish Cream and ice. Just what the neighbours needed at two in the morning.

Even if I say so myself, there was a good playlist following The Snake.

Joe Tex – Under Your Powerful Love,

Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons – The Night,

Frank Wilson – Do I Love You (Indeed I do), which was being put on the record player seconds before the request came for it.

R. Dean Taylor – There’s a Ghost in My House.

Martha Reeves & The Vandellas – Third Finger, Left Hand and I Can’t Dance To That Music You’re Playing (which led to talk of Betty Boo).

Gladys Knight & The Pips – I Heard It Thru’ The Grapevine

Edwin Starr – Back Street,

The Velvelettes – Needle in a Haystack, and He Was Really Saying Something (and yes Bananarama were mentioned)

The Miracles – Love Machine,

Back to Edwin Starr – 25 Miles,

The Contours – Do You Love Me,

Before finishing with Motown’s first ever release sixty years ago – Barrett Strong – Money (That’s What I Want) and discussion on who covered it in the early eighties. (Late seventies and it was the Flying Lizards)

During the run of records the disco balls were dusted off and given a spin for the first time in years. Poor old Charlie looked most bemused at the fact there were people up and making noise, and sitting on his sofa during his quiet night time sojourn.

And despite the fact that we all didn’t go to bed until nearly three, Nathan still managed to time getting home to exactly ten minutes after we’d all gone to bed. The search for the camera continues.

Diddly Diddly

Sunday afternoon saw us heading to The Plough (Three Bridge, not Ifield) for a friend’s birthday drinks. It was advertised to us that there was a band on playing Irish folk music.

They hadn’t started playing by the time we got there, and already the pub had ran out of Guinness. I mean, seriously, how the hell do you run out of Guinness when you know there’s going to be an Irish band on. People were flapping and rushing around seeing if they could get a barrel from another pub in the locality. (Which they did manage about an hour later.)

With it being planned that I would be driving home, I ordered a soft drink, but in addition to the Guinness, they had no bitter lemon either, so my St Clements was out the window.

Not only that, but when someone else asked for a tea, they got as far as the teabag going in the paper cup and hot water added to it, only to find there was no milk left and they had to send someone out to buy some from the local shop.

It wasn’t quite a case of Slim Dusty’s “A Pub With No Beer”, but it was getting there.

Turns out it wasn’t just an Irish band, it was a bit of a charity do, and so there were all comers lining up to play some instruments and sing a bit. I’d migrated to the other bar to watch the Spurs game (another two hours of my life I’ll never get back – but that’s a whole different subject.) Even so, I could hear the change over from Irish folk music to a whole random section of anything goes.

Even in the other room it was difficult not to hear whoever the hell it was beating the living daylights out of Buggles’ “Video Killed The Radio Star”. The same person murdered something else straight after it, but it was so bad I have no idea what the hell they were trying to perform.

There was a better turn from Mike Dobie, and some reasonable blues (perfectly applicable for watching the football), before it ended up back at the folk music.

And then it was over, three hours of random music and catching up with friends over a few drinks was over, not a bad way to spend a Sunday afternoon.

A Personal Leicester History Through Pubs

It was another night out in Leicester. There have been a lot of them over the years. Between the late eighties and 2001 there was a hell of a lot of them. In all the time since 2001 this was only the fourth. It was a hastily put together last minute arrangement to try and meet up with a couple of old friends. However due to the last minute manner of it and other commitments it ended up being a solo night out. There had been a fair few of them over the years as well.

When I arrived in Leicester there was no actual plan in place. I was in the Highcross. It wasn’t a place I used to go to when I lived in Leicester, and for a lot of the years I used to go out it used to be shops. I was sat there nursing a pint waiting for the confirmation of my hotel booking at the Holiday Inn.

As soon as it popped through I finished my drink and headed over to the hotel to change. The view out of the room’s window was out over the Jewry Wall, and St. Nicholas’s Church. Two of the older parts of Leicester’s history, being Roman and Saxon respectively. When they had been building the foundations for the Holiday Inn they had found some more Roman remains of the reasonably sized town they had taken over on the banks of the River Soar. They let people down into the basement to look at them from time to time as well. My stay wasn’t one of those times.

The historic view gave me an idea for how to start out my trip through the pubs of Leicester. Pub one of my journey was going to be the Castle Inn. A place where I had never drank at before. I hadn’t even stepped foot into the buildings it occupied. It is set in two small cottages that made up part of the Castle’s estate, and looks out to St. Mary de Castro church, now sadly without its spire.

There had been an inn on this site up to the first half of the twentieth century, and one of my friend’s – Tony – predecessors had run the inn at one point. However it had always been private cottages when I lived in Leicester, and it had only opened as a bar in June. It was made up of two small rooms with low ceilings and a tiny bar in the corner of one. I was the only person in there (apart from staff) when I arrived, and they were struggling with no draught beers. A couple more people came in before I left. It is tucked away off the beaten track, but it is a great historic building and location, so I hope that it catches on and does well.

Pub two of the evening was another historic location. (Roger) Wygston’s House. I had been in this building countless times as a child, but never for a drink. The medieval timber framed building with its sloping uneven upstairs floors had used to house the Costume Museum. It had only opened as a bar and restaurant this year.

I sat outside in the cool autumn night, admiring the ancient building from its courtyard, whilst trying not to be distracted by the large big wheel in the Jubilee Square opposite the pub. I’ve been on the London Eye, and a big wheel in Manchester, so one in my home town was tempting, yet alcohol was calling. It would have to be saved for another time.

Moving on to pub three, well, more a bar really, and from this point the evening took a longer detour into history, personal history on the whole.

Bruxelles bar is a stunning Victorian reproduction of Georgian architecture. Inside they have very much gone with the Belgian theme; Tintin and Mannequin Pis have statues there. And then you look up at the domed ceiling. Vividly painted with scenes from around the world. Then the place names are painted around the bottom of the dome, attesting to all the twinned cities Leicester is linked to.

The domed roof gives a hint to an older name for the building. Back in the late eighties, this used to be the Leicester Dome, and for the best part of a year it was my, and a number of good friends of mine’s spiritual nightclub home. Granted we were probably the majority of the clientele on any particular Friday or Saturday night, and we probably treated it as our own personal fiefdom.

It wasn’t in the slightest bit salubrious back then, but we had some amazing nights in there, and it was a shame when it closed, though not a massive surprise. Not when the old-school style bouncers Marco and Franco were playing games such as ‘the most ridiculous reason not to let someone in’, that included the immortal “sorry mate, no white shirts” line. They should have been stopping people in the street and throwing them into the club, not thinking up bonkers reasons to prevent people not getting in.

It is a lot more upmarket and salubrious nowadays. This evening’s clientele is a much higher class than we used to be, or at least they look that way. There is a surfeit of ball-gowns and tuxedos as it seems to be a meeting point before a number of Christmas parties that are happening around town tonight.

Pub four is The Globe. Of all the venues visited on the night’s tour, this is the one that has changed the least. The look, the people, the beers, the music. It could all have been from any one of a few hundred nights out in the nineties. It was rare back then to have a night out that didn’t involve at least one drink here. I can see people, and hear conversations that could have been myself and friends twenty five years ago. It is a wrench to leave, but more history calls.

Pub five had personal and physical history. It is an O’Neill’s, the ubiquitous Irish chain pub. Growing up and being of Irish descent and having sat in the corner of many an authentic, run by the Irish for the Irish pubs in Leicester, I hate O’Neill’s as a chain with a passion.

The one here in Leicester is now massive. Mainly because it acted like the Borg and assimilated another pub and a couple of shops during the late nineties to become the sprawling monstrosity it is today.

The pub it assimilated used to be the Fourpence & Firkin. Back when Firkin pubs ruled the world in the mi- nineties (or at least that how it seemed.) The Fourpence part of the title was a nod to the peppercorn rent bestowed to the building by one of the fifteenth century Henrys. (I can’t remember if it was IV, V or VI anymore). An Inn had been on this site ever since, and before it became a Firkin pub in the early nineties it was called the Crown & Thistle, and was still a great place to go.

On a personal level I remember many nights in there drinking Caffey’s or Addlestones. And I remember my dad being so drunk on a session after we’d been for wedding suit fittings that he kept sliding off his seat. In the original part of O’Neill’s a couple of months later came the point where everyone on my stag do thought they had finally got me to hit the wall. The pint of Caffey’s didn’t want to go down at all, and I thought I was done for the night as well. But it all kicked back into place and I ended up being the last man standing in the Fan Club (which we’ll come back to later).

Pub six was the Knight & Garter. Well it had been for about a year. When I left Leicester it was called Molly O’Grady’s, playing up to the Irishness of its landlords and clientele to compete with the faux Irishness of places like O’Neill’s. Prior to the renaming it had been the Saracen’s Head, and a proper old-school Irish pub. My parents had always gone in over the years, and my grandma had worked there at some point in the past.

Being on the edge of the formidable Leicester market, it used to have a hatch out to the little jetty than ran along the back of the pub. This was used to serve out of hours drinks to the market traders as they came to set up their stalls at stupid O’clock in the morning. There were a few times I took advantage of a stiff drink before heading into my Saturday job at Superdrug after a heavy night out.

This was the venue that had changed most from my memories. The layout was vastly different, and there is polished wood and shiny copper piping everywhere. There is no sign of the spit and sawdust that accompanied my childhood visits.

Pub seven does still have some of that feel to it. Duffy’s is another place that has changed its name to play up to the Irish market. It used to be called the Town arms, and was another place that had always been an Irish run pub. There was the year we were in there when St Patrick’s Day fell on a Sunday, and I met my parents in there with two of my friends – Chris and Tony. My dad wouldn’t let us finish one drink before another miraculously appeared in front of us. It didn’t shut at three as it should have done back in those days, so there was no respite in what became a very messy afternoon.

It is located opposite the block that Leicester’s registry office is located. There was always a steady stream of pre and post wedding drinkers in there. I particularly remember Barry and Dawn getting married on a Friday and the extended lunch break pre-wedding drinks caused. We had also been in there the week before on Barry’s stag do. He had been dressed as a Boer War British soldier, resplendent in his red tunic, pith helmet and not-necessarily replica rifle and bayonet. His mate Ian only had an afro wig, y-fronts with a bamboo grass skirt over it and flip flops on. He was however covered head to toe in smeared coffee residue and carrying a six foot long spear. And hardly anyone batted an eyelid as the rest of us walked through town with the pair of them. There would be lynch mobs nowadays.

There is a band playing in one of the back rooms in the pub tonight. A few people crowd round the makeshift stage, whilst others just wander in and out as the mood takes them. The name may have changed, but the spirits remains the same.

Pub eight is now called Broood. (Yes, the extra O is supposed to be there.) Back in the day it used to be called Vin Quatre, a play on the fact that it was primarily a wine bar and was situated at number twenty-four King Street. It was the Friday night haunt of the old DSS building that sat on the corner of Norton Street. It was also the home of the gallon challenge – drink eight pints without having to break the seal and pee. Unsurprisingly it was rarely completed, and to be honest, nowadays I can’t imagine trying to complete it; such bladder control is a younger person’s game.

The layout inside is very similar to what it had used to be. I think some of the older furniture looks the same as it was a quarter of a century ago. A folk band is coming to the end of its set as it reaches the old traditional chucking out time of 11pm. They pack up, but the bar carries on serving. I sit on an old over stuffed leather sofa towards the back, where the windows look out over the New Walk, and the signage still shows the sign of being called Vin Quatre.

I had made it through the plan of pubs in my head. There were some other places I had thought of whilst I was wandering around, but The Pump and Tap, Princess Charlotte, George’s, Jacey’s and Cheers are all now sadly departed. What a night it would have been with them still being in the mix. But it’s now time to hit the club.

And what a club. The Fan Club. A behemoth now, but it hadn’t always been that way. When I get there, the entrance is one building across from where it used to be, and you pay on the ground floor. It had been the case that you dragged yourself up the narrow stairs to pay at the booth at the top, and then make your way into the single room, either left to the bar, or right to the dance floor.

At the same time in the eighties there was another club on the same block, on the corner. That was Sector 5, again a single room, paying at the top of the stairs. There were three units in between the two clubs then, now it is all one club stretching across the whole of the first floor of the block.

Sector 5 had expanded to two rooms when they rebranded as Alcatraz, and introduced paying downstairs. The Fan Club has expanded to two rooms, but with as little partitioning as possible. The unit that now sat between the two clubs was used as the fire escape for both, down into the car park / loading bays that sat behind ground floor shops. Bouncers would be on the fire escape doors either side of this and you could see one club from the other when the doors were left open to let some fresh air into the boiling atmospheres.

In the nineties, these were my clubs of choice, and of a hell of a lot of other people I knew at the time as well. It was common for me to be in one or the other of them four or five times a week. The Fan Club staple drinks were Grolsch, out of the big pint bottles with the flip top lids, which ended up being used as adornments to the front of shoes or trainers, and oversized earrings. Or for light relief Orange Hooch. There is a picture somewhere of Chris and I sat at the solitary table in the Fan Club with the table being full of empty Orange Hooch bottles.

Over in Alcatraz the main drink was a cocktail called The Sacred Mountain of The Pekinese Cloud Gods, a green mixture that included Martini, Southern Comfort, Blue Bols and Orange Juice. All for only two quid a pop. This was taken alongside Prairie Fire, a shooter that was Sambuca and Tequila with a floating line of Tabasco sauce in the middle. For a quid. There were a lot of messy nights.

None of those drinks survive the new super club version of The Fan Club. The initial room from the first incarnation is back doing their eighties night stuff as of old. It is this room where I witnessed one of the most spectacular un-choreographed pieces of dance floor action ever. Being ejected from my house the night after my stag do, so the hen do could happen, I went alone to the Fan Club and was leaning against the wall overlooking the dance floor. The Beastie Boys’ Intergalactic was playing, and when it got to the line “let the beat drop” and it went silent, the whole dance floor’s crown dropped as one, and from a mass of dancing people I could now see straight across to the DJ booth. Everything stood still in silence for a second before normal service was resumed.

This is now soundproofed off from the middle three rooms, full of dry ice and flashing lights and a more mainstream dance mix, before you make your way into what had been Sector 5. The Tank Girl adorned walls are now painted over, in what they call the indie lounge. It’s much more chilled in here, the music isn’t as loud, and there are lots of over-stuffed leather sofas.

Which at after one in the morning, after reaching double figures of mainly wheat based lagers, is deadly. It is when the bouncer taps me on the shoulder for the second time that night as I’ve dozed off that I decide it is time to go.

Automatic pilot takes me outside, around the corner and into the kebab shop. I didn’t know there would be a kebab shop open there. I was making the assumption that seventeen years since I’d last popped out of the Fan Club, nothing had changed around there. If there hadn’t been a kebab shop there I don’t know what I’d have done. Food and a taxi back to the hotel. So blinkered on getting home I didn’t even notice if the bus station was still there across the road from the kebab shop.

I didn’t remember the taxi back either. A joke really as we used to walk back to my house from the clubs. A route that would have taken us around the Holiday Inn, less than half way along the journey.

It’s not just the pubs, bars and clubs that change over time, it’s the people who used to go to them as well, they are older and more tired and lazier than they used to be. But it was still a great night out walking through mine and the city’s history.

Now That’s What I Call A Music Update

So the verdict is in. They have got round to releasing “Now That’s What I Call A Now”, the album with a single track from each of the Now That’s What I Call Music albums numbered 1-100.

Back in August I did a post about the impact of the Now series, and I chose my selection of tracks from each of them, ready to compare when the Now That’s What I Call A Now album came out. I said that on the law of averages I should have 2-3 picks the same, but I wasn’t expecting to get that many matches.

I didn’t I ended up with four matches, and it took a long way into the series to get it.

Now 69 – Timberlake featuring OneRepublic – Apologize

Now 75 – Alicia Keys – Empire State of Mind (Part II)

Now 84 – Bastille – Pompeii

Now 96 – Rag ‘n’ Bone Man – Human

Along the way I also matched up another ten artists, but selected different songs from them that were on different Now albums. They were Erasure, Oasis, Justin Timberlake, Pink, Amy Winehouse, Pharrell, Maroon 5, Fatboy Slim, Paloma Faith and Katy Perry.

Looking through the track listing, the compiler hadn’t gone as mainstream as I expected them to. There are a number of big names that miss out, and it’s a much more balanced collection than I feared it might be, and it’s certainly miles better than the horrible selection they put on disc two of Now 100.

Now 101 is already out, and at the current rate, Now 200 will be due to hit the shops in November 2051. Always assuming there are still shops, and that music isn’t just implanted straight into your head.

Actually scrub that last bit; we don’t want to be giving them any ideas, do we?