FINLEY QUAYE

I almost feel kind of bad posting this one so soon after the post on Tricky. He and Finley Quaye are blood relatives (though I've heard different stories as to exactly how they're related), but last I heard, they weren't exactly on speaking terms. Oh well, I doubt either of them will be dropping by here any time soon.

Finley was born in Scotland, but grew up in London. His father and grandfather were both jazz musicians (though he didn't meet his father until he had started his own music career).

Rather than following in his relative's footsteps, Finley's style is modern reggae. His first album was a hit in his native land, but didn't cause much of a stir over here. He followed that up with two more albums, which I'm told had a completely different sound to them (I haven't heard them myself), before being dropped from his label.

I haven't got a huge amount of rare stuff from him, but after listening to some stuff posted on another blog, I wanted to share what I have.

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Finley Quaye - "Your Love Gets Sweeter" (Abbey Road version) From the single of the same name. The original version is on Maverick A Strike.
Finley Quaye - "Everybody Knows" B-side of one of the "Your Love Gets Sweeter" singles.
Finley Quaye - "Le Saint Des Delinquents" The other B-side of that single.
Finley Quaye - "Can't Be Left Alone" B-side of the other "Your Love Gets Sweeter" single.
Finley Quaye - "Maverick A Dub" The other B-side from the other single.

If you like these, Moody Places has a couple more Finley Quaye singles up for grabs. Go get 'em.

Finley Quaye discography:

Maverick A Strike,1997 (buy)
Vanguard,2000 (buy)
Much More Than Much Love,2004 (buy)

DEACON BLUE

Deacon Blue were a band out of Glasgow, Scotland. They formed in the mid-eighties, and made it big with their debut album, Raintown.

Big critically that is. Some of their later albums gave them more commercial success, but Raintown remains both the critical favorite, and many of their fans' most loved album.

I'm among the latter. The first song I heard from them, "Dignity", is still my favorite. The album, a georgeous mix of pop and blue-eyed soul, still gets played quite often on the way to work.

I can't say I've listened to much of what they put out after that. I did hear the follow up album, When the World Knows Your Name, and it just didn't hit me the way that first one did. Maybe someone more familiar with the body of their work can let me know if there's more worth picking up.

All of these b-sides are from the Raintown era. Many of them were issued on a very limited edition album called Riches, which was given away with some copies of Raintown. I didn't have the good fortune to get one of those. If you did, there's still a few here that weren't on it.

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Deacon Blue - "Riches" B-side of the first single, "Dignity", and the title track of the rare b-side compilation mentioned above.
Deacon Blue - "Which Side Are You On?" This is an old folk song, done by many many people over the years (I first heard it thanks to Billy Bragg). Deacon Blue's version was issued as the b-side of the "Dignity" 12" single.
Deacon Blue - "S.H.A.R.O.N." B-side of the "Choclate Girl" single.
Deacon Blue - "Kings of the Western World" B-side of the "Loaded" single, and a bonus track on the Raintown cd, except here in America.
Deacon Blue - "Raintown" (Piano Version) Recorded for a Radio 1 session, and issued on a re-release of "Dignity".
Deacon Blue - "Long Distance from Just Across the Road" B-side of the "Loaded" single.
Deacon Blue - "Disneyworld" B-side of the "When Will You (Make My Telephone Ring)" single.

Deacon Blue discography:

Raintown, 1987
When the World Knows Your Name, 1989 (buy)
Fellow Hoodlums, 1991 (buy)
Whatever You Say, Say Nothing, 1993 (buy)
Walking Back Home, 1999
Homesick, 2001

Unfortunately, Raintown appears to be out-of-print in The States. Pick up a copy used, if you can find it.

TRICKY

Tricky (Adrian Thaws) was one of the architects of the Trip-Hop sound. Though he began in his native England as a rapper, he didn't want to be a one trick pony, feeling that if rap ever lost it's steam, he'd be out of a job.

So, he began incorporating other musical styles into his hip hop roots. Hooking up with the like-minded band Massive Attack, he began his recording career.

After working on several songs for Massive Attack's first couple of albums, Tricky lfinished off his own solo album, Maxinquaye. Though "solo" is a relative term. He has always collaborated with multiple guests from varying backgrounds. Notably his long time relationship with singer Martina Topely-Bird.

Throughout his nearly 20 years as a recording artist, he has continued to allow his sound to evolve. Sometimes heavier, sometimes more psychedelic, but always with at least a hint of what has become known as Trip-Hop.

Here's some stuff you won't find on his albums:

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Tricky - "Makes Me Wanna Die" (acoustic version) Not really acoustic, but with acoustic overtones. From the single of the same name. The original version is on Pre-Millennium Tension.
Tricky - "Pop Muzik" (M cover) B-side of the "For Real" single.
Terry Hall with Tricky - "Ghost Town" (live Specials cover) Recorded at Sheperd's Bush Empire, August 3, 1995. Released on Terry's Rainbows EP.
Tricky - "Divine Comedy" Parental advisory on this one. Tricky was a tad bit angry about a statement made by a Polygram exec. He recorded this to let them know. Released on the Mission Accomplished EP.
Tricky - "Smoking Beagles" B-side of the "Tricky Kid" single.
Tricky - "Tear Out My Eyes" (early live version) Recorded for Sessions at West 54th, the music here would eventually be split from the lyrics & become two separate tracks. By the time the album version came out, I had heard this one so many times that I can't listen to the official version. It just doesn't sound right to me.
Tricky - "Slowly" From the Forces of Nature soundtrack. Yeah, it's a chick flick, but the soundtrack's not too shabby.

Tricky discography:

Maxinquaye, 1995 (buy) (named after his mother, Maxine Quaye)
Nearly God, 1996
Pre-Millennium Tension, 1996 (buy)
Angels with Dirty Faces, 1998 (buy)
Juxtapose, 1999 (buy) (with DJ Muggs and Grease)
Blowback, 2001 (buy)
Vulnerable, 2003 (buy)
Knowle West Boy, 2008 (buy)

PADDY CASEY LIVE

The strangest thing happened the other day. I was looking through my TV listings, trying to find something interesting to watch, when I noticed a listing simply titled "Paddy Casey".

My immediate thought was, there's no possible way that it could be The Paddy Casey, the Irish musician who's virtually unknown here in The States. Naturally, I had to take a look at it, and just in case, I set my DVR to record it.

Obviously, it was the man himself. Otherwise why would I be posting this with a picture of him next to it?

Turns out one of the lesser known channels was showing a concert filmed last year in Austin, Texas. Nearly an hour of his music, and some interview clips.

And now, because Paddy deserves all the hype he can get, I pass the show on to you.

One thing I did notice while watching this, though. The audience really didn't seem too overly enthusiastic. After doing a bit of research, I found out it was filmed at 2:00 in the afternoon (not exactly a magic hour for live music) at a South by South West Festival show. For those who are unfamiliar with SXSW, it's an industry showcase. Many music fans attend it as well, but it typically has its fair share of jaded industry folk.

Thus, Paddy gets quite a bit of polite clapping, but very little else. Also, the audio is mixed too loud, so there is a small amount of distortion at times. All in all though, it's mighty nice to see him getting some publicity Stateside.

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If you want the entire show, complete with interviews and a makeshift cover, you can grab the very large mpg here.

For those who don't want to, or simply can't, download a file that large (thanks to Peter for pointing that out to me), here's a few of the individual songs:

Paddy Casey - "Refugee" (live at SXSW) From Addicted To Company.
Paddy Casey - "Whatever Gets You True" (live at SXSW) From Amen (So Be It).
Paddy Casey - "Not Out To Get You" (live at SXSW) From Addicted To Company.

Paddy Casey discography:

Amen (So Be It), 1999 (buy)
Livin', 2004 (buy)
Addicted To Company, Pt. 1, 2007 (buy)

UPDATE: Paddy has posted a bunch of his covers over here, including his cover of Arcade Fire's "Intervention".

THE GUGGENHEIM GROTTO

The Guggenheim Grotto are from Ireland. Kevin May and Mick Lynch formed the band in 2003. They released an EP on their own, then added a third member, Shane Power, while recording their debut album, . . .Waltzing Alone. Their first album was released in 2005 in Ireland, and lead to a sizable following in their homeland. While not as well known over here, they did make a splash when the album was released a year later.

Critical acclaim is putting it mildly. Both the music, and the packaging were incredibly well recieved, ending up on many critics best-of lists by the end of the year. Now, more than two years later, and one man shorter, they're back with the follow up, Happy The Man. Released in Ireland a few months back, and available as a download elsewhere shortly after, it's finally getting its physical release in the States on January 27th.

Their style has changed a bit. The strong song writing and harmonies are still intact, but the new one has a bit of an electronic underbelly. Happily, those electronic elements don't overwhelm the heart of the music (like happened with, say, New Model Army's Impurity).

With permission from their label, here's a few album tracks to give you a taster:

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From Happy The Man: (buy)
The Guggenheim Grotto - track one I'm not giving you the song title on this one. Reason being, I first heard this song about a month ago and I think the title struck me as silly, and that negatively influenced me against the song. Not that it's a really bad title, just a bit silly. Having now heard the song in the context of the album, it's grown on me. So, I'm pulling a George Michael and saying Listen Without Prejudice.
The Guggenheim Grotto - "The Girl With the Cards"

A couple from the debut, . . . Waltzing Alone: (buy)
The Guggenheim Grotto - "Rosanna"
The Guggenheim Grotto - "Vertigo"

Of course, I've got to get in a few rarities, too:
The Guggenheim Grotto - "The Universe is Laughing" Taken from the Tigers EP (buy)
The Guggenheim Grotto - "Told You So" (World Cafe Radio Session) Recorded live in the studio in November 2006. The full show can be heard here. The original version is on . . .Waltzing Alone.
The Guggenheim Grotto - "An Dragun" This is an Irish language version of "The Dragon", which is on Happy the Man. My copy of this is fairly low quality. For a better sounding copy, you can pick up the Ceol '08 compilation.

The Guggenheim Grotto - "One For Sorrow" From the first EP, A Lifetime In Heat.

The Guggenheim Grotto discography:

A Lifetime In Heat, 2003 (ep) - can be downloaded free from guggenheimgrotto.com
. . .Waltzing Alone, 2005 (buy)
Told You So, 2007 (buy) (ep)
Tigers, 2008 (buy) (ep)
Happy the Man, 2008 (buy)

If you happen to live on the east coast, you can catch The Guggenheim Grotto playing this month:

World Cafe Live in Philadelphia for FREE every Tuesday in January
The Living Room in NYC for FREE every Wednesday in January
Lizard Lounge in Cambridge, M.A. every Thursday in January

LOVE AND ROCKETS

Love and Rockets formed out of the ashes of the legendary goth band Bauhaus, after lead singer Peter Murphy went on his merry way. After a brief time with two of the remaining three performing as Tones On Tail, the third joined back up and Love and Rockets was born.

Rather than repeat the goth thing they already had done, the band (Daniel Ash, David J, Kevin Haskins) chose a more psychedelic-rock sound throughout the eighties. In the nineties, they ventured into techno territory.

They even managed a few big hits along the way ("No Big Deal", "So Alive"). But, as usual, my focus here is on the b-sides. Most of them have been issued on remastered albums, so I'm not posting as many as usual.

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Love and Rockets - "Trip and Glide" From the Glittering Darkness EP
Love and Rockets - "Physical" (live Adam Ant cover) A bootleg recording from The Wiltern on May 7, 1988, and the song that prompted this post. Thanks to one of the readers for passing it along (I don't know if he wishes to remain anonymous or not).
Love and Rockets - "No Words No More" (alternate version) Not sure where this one came from. It sounds very similar to the acoustic radio session which was released as a b-side, but there are enough differences to make me think it's a different recording. The original version is on Love and Rockets.
Love and Rockets - "Sorted" (live) Another bootleg recording. This one is from Washington DC, April 14, 1988. This is the title track to their best-of, (buy) but the song has never been issued.
Love and Rockets - "Mirror People" (single remix) As the name implies, it's a remix from the single. Original version is on Earth, Sun, Moon.

The Bubblemen - "The Bubblemen Are Coming" The Bubblemen often show up at Love and Rockets shows. They're bee-looking fellows from the planet Girl. They sound suspiciously like Love and Rockets.
The Bubblemen - "B-Side" B-Side of "The Bubblemen Are Coming"

If anyone has a copy of the "Mirror People" b-side, "David Lanfair", I seem to have misplaced mine. I had planned to include it, but so it goes. If someone would be so kind as to pass it along. . .

Love and Rockets discography:

The Seventh Dream of Teenage Heaven, 1985 (buy re-issue)
Express, 1986 (buy re-issue)
Earth, Sun, Moon, 1987 (buy)
Love and Rockets, 1990 (buy remaster)

Hot Trip to Heaven, 1994
Sweet F. A., 1996
Lift, 1998

Oh, and happy new year.