Linger On

I think this day last year was Paul Haig Day, organised by JC at The Vinyl Villain. For whatever reason that's not happened this year, but I was reminded of it and thought I'd post this- Paul Haig and Edwyn Collins' cover version of The Velvet Underground's Pale Blue Eyes. This is really something, the guitar playing and vocals stunning. In fact it's not only the best cover of a Velvet's song by anyone I've heard but it might even be better than the original. Heresy, I know.

Edit- I'm talking/typing absolute nonsense as Davy just pointed out, getting my Paul's all confused. The Paul here is Paul Quinn not Paul Haig. *hangs head in shame*

Pale_Blue_Eyes.mp3#1#1

Just Keeping Going And Trying To Stay Free

Edwyn Collins has a new single out called Losing Sleep, laced with northern soul stylings. There's an album at the end of the month too (with appearances by Johnny Marr, Roddy Frame, Franz Ferdinand and a host of others), and then the Orange Juice boxset in November. Edwyn's interviewed by Sylvia Patterson in this week's Guardian Guide, and there was a line in it that really struck me. Edwyn's partner and manager Grace Maxwell is explaining that his career has never been commercially successful but that his whole life has been 'more a survival thing', to which Sylvia responds...

'Just keeping going and trying to stay free?'

I'm not a fan of mottos, mission statements, and greetings card/bumper sticker/office poster cod-philosophy but the phrase Just Keep Going And Try To Stay Free sounds like pretty good ideal for living. Similar to the old mod adage 'clean living under difficult circumstances'- a bit vague, a bit romantic, a bit daft maybe, but spot on as well.

This is One Is A Lonely Number, the opening track from Edwyn's last album Home Again, recorded before his illness, but finished and released afterwards. I've just noticed it's tag from the cd rip is One Is A Lonely Humber, which maybe isn't news to the people of Hull.

01 One Is a Lonely Humber.wma

How Can You Sleep On A Mattress Of Wire?

Aztec Camera's Roddy Frame is the indie hero who has kept this status despite recording some deeply slick and commercial music over the years, notably during his stay at WEA. At first though he was on Postcard where he released two singles before jumping to Rough Trade where he had the perfect 80s indie hit Oblivious. Roddy has said he will never have the Postcard singles released on CD, which appeals to the purist in me, if not the have-everything-on-one-disc collector in me. This is Mattress Of Wire, his second single on Postcard, which tends to go on ebay for about a tenner. Good value if you ask me. In a link to today's Rockingbirds post when Edwyn Collins toured following his recovery from three life threatening illnesses a few years ago, Roddy was on guitar. On the night Mrs Swiss and I saw them at Manchester Academy 2 Roddy was blistering, in a non-guitar hero kind of way, especially during the solo in A Girl Like You.
What's particularly stunning about this song, Mattress Of Wire, is that it was written, recorded and released by a teenager.

Mattress Of Wire.mp3

Camden Cowboys

Last week I posted Jonathan Richman's Roadrunner. Here is a tribute to the man from Camden cowboys The Rockingbirds. Signed to Heavenly Records The Rockingbirds released several fondly remembered singles (A Good Day For You Is A Good Day For Me, Gradually Learning, this one Jonathan Jonathan) and a couple of albums in the early 90s before splitting in 1995. Their second album was produced by Edwyn Collins and one of the guitarists has been part of Edwyn's recent touring band. The Rockingbirds missed the U.S. alt-country boat of the mid-to-late 90s by some distance. Too country-ish and not glum enough probably. They reformed last year following the inevitable two disc re-issue of their first album.

Jonathan_Jonathan.mp3

Orange Juice 'A Sad Lament'

My favourite pair of Levi's jeans are about to die. I'm fussy about jeans so it's a real wrench when they wear out. I've had this pair several years, bought them as dark indigo, the right cut, perfect length, and since then they've faded brilliantly, in all the right places. A while back they started to fray a little around the pockets, but I could live with it. Recently the left knee has thinned, and looking at them now I reckon the next time I kneel down they'll go through. Maybe I should give them a Viking burial, head down to the canal and send them burning on a pallet, floating towards town or Altrincham depending on the wind direction.

This is one of the best tracks from Orange Juice's 1984 e.p. Texas Fever. A sad lament indeed.

05 A Sad Lament.wma