I've had a few half started posts lying around for the last week or so. All uncomplete as they've not yet given me the rush of excitement needed to just immediately type up a little blurb and get the track OUT THERE! Step right up please then will you Mr Thane Russal, who just drops the nuclear rock n' roll bomb! Got a bit messy in the car last night as this one surprised me on my CD player. Good times party music. Set it off! LOUD!

And so it's back to 1972 that we go with this stunning 8min 46sec trip down into a psychedelic wonderland of much musical merriment. Normally I'd tend to avoid anything associated with the psychedelic label, though this one really is quite special and so fully deserves the short bit of your time required to really let the track work it's magic. Awesome guitar, great vocals, top drumming and an organ combing to great effect.  As good as it gets really...

Over 5 minutes of joy for you in the form of todays post upload. Given to me originally just a few days back to lift my mood and make me smile, and now the same positive thought process is being employed by my good self in passing this on to you lot.

I recently came into the most incredible collection of 50's 60's 70's era music, and while it's going to take me literally weeks to get through all of the music, I am going to be throwing up select bits and pieces from time time as we go - starting with this fun little party piece from Heinz & The Wild Boys.

Hmmmm... from time to time this blog gets topical on some of the things going on in my life, and I guess this is one of those occassions. Tell it Roy... I walk down to the blue side of town Where there's no happiness, no joy. Down at the end of a long dark street I saw a little paper boy. Paper boy paper boy I've got bad news for you. Paper boy paper boy Me and my baby are through...

Right folks, been a while hasn't it. Sorry. Xmas holidays and plus I've been pretty ill for a few days... It add's up. But it's back into the music we go, and it's to a track that I myself only heard for the first time today. I only caught a bit of the original track and it's chorus as it played out in a section of the Telstar : The Joe Meek Story DVD that I watched today.

Around and around we go with this very simple, yet pretty effective, 2002 release dance track by French house stars Thomas Bangalter (Daft Punk) and his mate DJ Falcon. As I say it's a simple record which pretty much revolves around the looped "so much love to give," vocal sample, and thats about it. Uplifting house music. And at a nice and long 10mins & 43secs it may not be to everyone's disco tastes, but hey... feel the love!

A pretty damn terrific little sort of Soul type jam from Reggae legend Jimmy Cliff today. All thanks to my need for a "Venti Cappacino to go," that I ordered from a Starbucks across the road from Columbia University a couple of days ago.  You see they had this playing over the tannoy while I was standing in line to make my order, and the job was done. Love at first listen! 

Well it's not December just yet, and I cant say that I'm feeling especially loved up at the moment, though I am a sucker for some sweet female vocals, and Mazzy Star leading lady "Hope Sandoval," delivers just perfectly. A double whammy here to by way of the superb harmonica playing by our lead vocalist combines to make this just the right sort of vibe for my cold and grey NY day indoors. Have a good one yourself, wherever you are in the world...

I am PLEASED as hell at the result I've had with this William Bell track right here! You see I'd previously only heard this once before while playing through the window as I was sitting outside drinking my Brooklyn Lager and smoking some cigarettes with the Brooklyn crew out on 22nd Street a couple weeks back. I think what first caught my ear was the intro which I recognised as having obviously been sampled on a Hip-Hop tune from a good few years back.

Following my previous Dakar & Grinser post with yet another cover version tonight. This time around we have a Bob Dylan cover to lay down, and an equally fantastic version it is too by Norwegian singer-songwriter Even Johansen a.k.a Magnet. I must admit that until a minute ago I thought that Magnet were a band from the north of England somewhere... Cheers Wikipedia for that one.

Oh man am I battling to type anything! Could I mention the postal strike going on right now, and achieve a link up that way? Hmmmm... No. I guess I really just wanted to post this song as it's just too awesome for words, though if I'm pressed the as per usual brilliant/love it/excellent descriptions most definitely do apply. Honestly, such joy listening to this...

I've been swapping ideas all day as to what to go with as tonights post as I drove about listening to an MP3 compilation album that I'd made a while back. Lots of great stuff to with (naturally), though it's with this beautiful (X10) love song by Soul legend Percy Sledge that the buck pretty much stopped! I dont know, my words get a bit silly as I gush over music like this, so I reckon that I'll forgo the almost over-emotional outpouring bit and just let the music do the talking.

Singing the blues...

Legendary Bluesman BB King for you all today. I must start by saying that anyone with any sort of claim towards the appreciation of REAL music should really be getting straight onto the attached Youtube clip. Admittedly it may start a little slow, but come the singing and things really begin to get interesting.  Seriously amazing vocal talents in this true heart and soul performance.

One for the couples today. And they dont come much better now do they. R&B supremo Marvin Gaye at work here with his 1964 classic "How Sweet It Is (To Be Loved By You)." No love for me unfortunately. I guess the closest thing to me right now is this goddamn computer that I'm sat in front of right now. Happy days. Still this is pure music gold, and is to be enjoyed by all... so crack on then!

Maybe this super lush Techno cut would have been better suited to a Sunday weekend wind down, though for those of you indoors tonight, I'm hoping that this should be just right! I picked this up originally via another of the, all to often, mentioned free magazine covermount cd's, with this 2001 release coming from an August 2002 issue of the now defunct dance music mag : Ministry.

Yet another of my favourite ever tracks. One of many songs labelled with my all to familiar "my best ever / top 5 ever / most loved ever etc etc...." track descriptions. I do mean it though. Perhaps top 5 could actually mean anything in your top 100, depending on the thinking at the time. Whatever. I remember this song passing me by when I used to hear it on the radio back in the day.

Heard Coldplay's "Talk," on the drive home from work today. While not the biggest Coldplay fan, I have to still say that I really do like this track of theirs, and would definitely say that it's my fav from them to date. Anyhow for those that might not know, Coldplay borrowed very heavily from the Kraftwerk original, which having heard them this evening then went on to give me the reminder needed to play and post the super OG version available here for you now.

Been in the music business for over 40yrs has the great Reverend Al Green, and still going mighty strong  with his latest album, "Lay it Down," released in May of this year. Not heard much of his stuff if I'm honest, though the few tracks I've caught so far have all been really good. 1971's "Tired of Being Alone," being my personal favourite. Cant knock the legends! Wishing love and happiness for us all! Lame... but true!

Disco. Not seen on these pages so far, and I feel that in introducing the genre I really should offer something quite special. Step up Chilly, and their excellent cover version of the The Yardbirds song "For Your Love." Truth be told I had no idea of the fact that it even was a cover. It was only as I was looking up a little information, to include with tonights post, that this came to light, and I decided then that it's only right to include the original for you here too.

To round things off I thought I'd end with bit of a crowd pleaser, and one that might well attract a few much needed random hits from the super www.Hypem.com. A great record that I believe to have done really well, judging by the amount of times I've randomly heard it. In time I might well go into more information behind the music, though for now I'll just stick to simple related stories and explanations. Enjoy!