THE FRATELLIS

The Fratellis are a three piece rock band from Scotland. They hit it big a couple years back with their debut album, which included extremely catchy songs like "Chelsea Dagger" and "Flathead", the latter of which was used in an iPod commercial.

They followed up the success of that first disc with an album called Here We Stand. Their sound at that point had matured, and as a result the album, though quite good, was less successful. People were apparently hoping for more of the good-time music that permeated the first effort.

Here's a batch of tunes not included on either album:

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The Fratellis - "The Pimp" B-side of the vinyl version of "Chelsea Dagger"
The Fratellis - "All Along the Watchtower" (Dylan via Hendrix cover) From a covers compilation recorded for Radio 1.
The Fratellis - "3 Skinny Girls" If you bought the CD in the US, this was a free download you were entitled to at the time.
The Fratellis - "Cuntry Boys & City Girls" If you bought the US CD, you missed this track. It was on the original UK version of the album, but replaced on the US version with "The Gutterati?"
The Fratellis - "The Gutterati?" Not to leave the Brits out in the cold, here's the US album track not on the UK version.
The Fratellis - "Got Me Nuts From a Hippy" (demo) A free download available through their own Budhill Singles Club, which can be joined for free here.
The Fratellis - "Lay Down Easy" B-side of the "Whistle For the Choir" vinyl single.

Now give 'em some cash:

Costello Music, 2006 (buy)
Singles Club, Vol. 1, 2006-2007 (download)
Here We Stand, 2008 (buy)
Singles Club, Vol. 2, 2008 (download)

The Fratellis are currently taking a break, during which Jon is recording with a new band, Codeine Velvet Club.

ASHLEY MACISAAC

Here's a treat for those of you who like remixes. As I've mentioned before, I'm not a big fan of having umpteen mixes of the same track as the b-sides for a single.

I am, however, a huge fan of Ashley MacIsaac, and of this song in particular. And since I'm not likely to put these mixes up in a full post on Ashley, here's the promotional single for "Sleepy Maggie".

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Ashley MacIsaac with Mary Jane Lamond - "Sleepy Maggie" (Radio Edit)
Ashley MacIsaac with Mary Jane Lamond - "Sleepy Maggie" (The Sandman Radio Edit)
Ashley MacIsaac with Mary Jane Lamond - "Sleepy Maggie" (Deep Sleep Radio Edit)
Ashley MacIsaac with Mary Jane Lamond - "Sleepy Maggie" (LP Version)
Ashley MacIsaac with Mary Jane Lamond - "Sleepy Maggie" (The BKS Chameleon Boom Mix 1)
Ashley MacIsaac with Mary Jane Lamond - "Sleepy Maggie" (The BKS Chameleon Boom Mix 2)

If you like any of those, be sure to pick up Hi, How Are You Today? (buy) or the Best Of (buy)

New and interesting releases out today:

The Swell Season - Strict Joy (buy) (buy deluxe) Gets top billing 'cause it's the one I'm most looking forward to hearing. I pre-ordered the deluxe version, so I'm hoping it makes it to my house today.

The Blind Boys of Alabama - Duets (buy) A collection of their appearances on songs with the likes of Ben Harper, Lou Reed, and Bonnie Raitt.

Pink Martini - Splendor In the Grass (buy)

Tegan and Sara - Sainthood (buy)

U2 - The Unforgettable Fire (remaster) (1 CD) (2 CD) (2 CD + DVD) I'm no big fan of their recent output, but back in the eighties these guys put out some fantastic music.

Wolfmother - Cosmic Egg (buy)

Various Artists - An All-Star Salute to Christmas (buy) A compilation of previously released songs, but notable for Iggy Pop's "White Christmas".

There's also a new one from Echo & the Bunnymen, and singles box sets from Marillion and Morrissey, but their import only. So if you're visiting from England, let it be known that I am a tad bit jealous.

JAMES

First off, let me say that Tim Booth (pictured) alone is not James. If he was, they'd be called Tim. But have you ever tried searching for photos of a band with such a common name? This is the best I could come up with.

As for the band's history, many of you were already very familiar with James far before I took up shop in this little corner of the web. They've been recording under this name since the mid-eighties (having gone by several other - more easily searched for - names prior to this one). They did take a hiatus in the early part of the new century, but have since returned to the stage.

If you like these b-sides, be sure to seek out their own compilation of rarities, Ultra.

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James - "What's the World" The first song on their first official EP, the long out of print Jimone.
James - "Hymn From a Village" From the second EP, James II.
James - "The Sky Is Falling" From the first "Sit Down" 12" single.
James - "Sit Down" (Live at G-Mex) From a re-issued "Sit Down" single.
James - "Stand" Seemed the best follow up after that 10 minutes of "Sit Down". From the "Getting Away With It" single.
James - "So Long Marianne" (Leonard Cohen cover) From the Cohen tribute album, I'm Your Fan. (buy)
James - "Your Story" From one of the "Waltzing Along" singles.

Pick up some James:

Stutter, 1986
Strip Mine, 1988
Gold Mother, 1990 (issued as James in the US)
Seven, 1992 (buy)
Laid, 1993 (buy)
Wah Wah, 1994
Whiplash, 1997
Millionaires, 1999 (buy)
Pleased To Meet You, 2001 (buy)
Hey Ma, 2008 (buy)

By the way, James is giving away a new song, "Not So Strong!", for free on their official website. Drop by and pick it up.

RANDOM RARITIES & NEW RELEASES

Figured I'd go with another stormtrooper image for this misc. post. Since the new sci-fi horror novel Death Troopers is all the rage right now with the Star Wars geeks (I'm not using that term in a negative way, I'm one myself), and the cover image is really nifty, I'm going with that.

In contrast to the mildly gruesome image, here's a small batch of rare stuff which should bring a smile to your face.

Ween - "Cheese II" Here's the story. Ween was hired several years ago to write a song for the background of a commercial promoting that pizza with the cheese in the crust, from that really big pizza company. Their first attempt, with the lyrics "Where'd the cheese go? I don't know." repeated several times was found by the company to be lacking., and they insisted it be re-done. So, the band went away, and later returned with this version, set to the same music. They were promptly let go from the ad.

Elvis Hitler - "Green Haze" From their album Disgraceland. Not a rare one if you were in the Detroit area in the late eighties. This psychobilly band deserves to have their legend grow around the world, and this is a good place to start. Music courtesy of Hendrix, lyrics thanks to 60s TV.

Michelle Shocked - "Yamboree Queen" (live) From a promotional live EP issued around the time of Short Sharp Shocked. I put this one up once before, way back when I first started the blog. Since I seem to be on a songs- with- a- sense- of- humor kick today, I'm putting it up again, and once again asking, does anyone out there have a better sounding copy of this one? Mine is from a heavily played piece of vinyl, and I'd love to get a copy without that annoying hiss.

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Moving on to today's new releases:

Flight of the Conchords - I Told You I Was Freaky (buy) The reviews I've seen say this isn't as good as their last one, but their last one was fantastic, so this could still be really good.

Lyle Lovett - Natural Forces (buy) Lyle is one of the few country artists who's output I have consistently enjoyed.

Rammstein - Liebe Ist Fur Alle Da (buy) (buy deluxe)

Sufjan Stevens - The BQE (buy) I've long thought that Sufjan has been over hyped. however, I've never disliked what I've heard from him, I just never thought it was as genius as others claim.

Tina Turner - Tina Live (CD/DVD) (buy) You gotta love Tina. In the business 40+ years, and hasn't lost a bit of her voice or stage presence.

There's also deluxe re-issues from the likes of Bauhaus (In The Flat Field (buy), Mask (buy)), Pylon (Chomp (buy)), Lou Reed (Legendary Hearts (buy), New Sensations (buy)), Fun Boy Three (Fun Boy Three (buy)), and Yes (90125 (buy)) out today.


In other music news - fans of Tom Waits (and who isn't?) can go here and download the first half of his new live album, Glitter and Doom, for free, long before its release on November 24th. Did I mention it's FREE and LEGAL. . . and TOM WAITS!?

Tom Waits - Glitter and Doom (pre-order direct) (pre-order from Amazon) (download free preview)

HOWARD JONES

Some synth-tastic eighties music for you today.

While Howard Jones was never the biggest name in the industry, if you were listening to the radio back in the eighties you couldn't help but hear some of his tunes. "New Song", "What Is Love", "Things Can Only Get Better", and many others were everywhere back then. They even helped out the soundtracks to some of the classic teen comedies of the day.

Howard hasn't scored a monster hit in quite some time, but he's still kicking around the business. He's still releasing new music, and tours often.

And he no longer has the wonderful eighties hair cut.

Here's a batch of tracks from the b-sides of his singles. Some (but not all) of these were released on a compilation that was included with a limited edition version of one of his greatest hits packages, though I don't think that version ever made its way to the US.

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Howard Jones - "Conditioning" (Version) This one's different than the version on Human's Lib. It sounds like it may be an early demo. It was released as the b-side of "New Song".
Howard Jones - "Learning How To Love" The b-side of "Look Mama".
Howard Jones - "Boom Bap Respite" A piano instrumental released on "Life In One Day". As much as I love his new wave songs, I've always been particularly fond of this more traditional piece.
Howard Jones - "Will You Still Be There?" (Acoustic Version) B-side of the regular version.
Howard Jones - "Dig This Well Deep" B-side of "You Know I Love You. . . Don't You?"
Howard Jones - "Hunger For The Flesh" (Orchestral Version) Howard released a couple of orchestral versions of his tunes on the "Little Bit of Snow" 12" single. I seem to have misplaced my copy of the other one, "Hide and Seek", if anyone his it. . .

Give HoJo some cash money:

Human's Lib, 1984 (buy)
Dream Into Action, 1985 (buy)
One To One, 1986
Cross That Line, 1989 (buy)
In the Running, 1992 (buy)
Working In the Backroom, 1994
People, 1998
Revolution of the Heart, 2005 (buy)
Ordinary Heroes, 2009 (scheduled for November 6th)

In other music-related news, it appears that Blender magazine shut it's doors a few months back (I wondered why I hadn't seen any new issues lately). If you had a subscription, you'll now be receiving Maxim, without any explanation as to why. The real reason is that Maxim is now the only magazine owned by the company that used to own Blender, and they don't want to return your money. So, they're mailing out a magazine that has fuck all to do with music, hoping you won't notice, or something like that.

If you had a subscription, and have any trouble stopping the switcheroo, their customer service number (that they don't publish on their website, or in their magazine) is 1-800-892-5572.

DREAD ZEPPELIN

Another Tuesday quickie.

Back in the day, I was a fan of Dread Zeppelin. How could you not like a band that almost exclusively does Led Zeppelin covers in a Reggae style, lead by an Elvis impersonator?

As much as I liked them, I guess I never fealt the need to own much of their stuff. This single is the one piece of plastic I currently own that bears their name.

The b-sides are otherwise unreleased live cuts. According to the liner notes, they were recorded in Las Vegas on New Year's Eve, 1956.

The "Rock 'n' Roll Medley" contains parts of the following songs: "Rock 'n' Roll", "The Ocean", "D'Yer Mak'er", "Dazed and Confused", "In The Light", "Nobody's Fault But Mine", "Bring It On Home" and "Moby Dick".

Here's the tunes:

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Dread Zeppelin - "Stairway To Heaven" (Zeppelin cover - Single Edit)
Dread Zeppelin - "A Quiet Moment with Tortelvis" (Live)
Dread Zeppelin - "Rock 'n' Roll Medley" (Zeppelin covers - Live)

Dang. I usually put up a discography here, but I just looked up the band, and it appears they've managed to release more than 20 albums, and are still going strong. Look here for a discography, or here to pick up some of their stuff from Amazon.


Looking to the new release board,

Bob Dylan - Christmas In the Heart (buy)
The Flaming Lips - Embryonic (buy) (buy deluxe)
James McMurtry - Live in Europe (buy CD/DVD) (buy vinyl)
Grant-Lee Phillips - Little Moon (buy) (buy vinyl)
Brian Setzer Orchestra - Songs from Lonely Avenue (buy)
various artists - New Moon Soundtrack (buy) (Yeah, I fucking hate the whole Twilight thing, but the soundtrack has some mighty good bands on it)

QUEEN

Here's a post that I won't be entirely shocked if it gets taken down quickly. So get 'em while you can.

Do I need to give any background here? If you have a pulse, then you must already know who Queen are. They were HUGE in the seventies. They remained HUGE in the eighties. They were still HUGE in the nineties, right up until Freddie Mercury passed away.

Since those glory days, the rest of the band still performs together, with other (usually big name) singers filling in for Freddie.

Whether you love or hate them (and I have yet to meet anyone who truly hates them), you have to respect the way they pushed the boundaries of what rock music could be.

Here's a half-dozen tracks that, as far as I can tell, are not commercially available at the moment:

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Queen - "Keep Yourself Alive" (Demo) One of the tracks that got them their contract. The regular version is on Queen. (buy)
Queen - "Flick Of the Wrist" (Radio Session) Original version is on Sheer Heart Attack. (buy)
Queen - Lazing On a Sunday Afternoon" (Live) A bootleg recording of a track from one of their masterpieces, A Night At the Opera. (buy)
Queen - "A Human Body" B-side of "Play the Game". The only time this has appeared on CD was on the now out-of-print Singles, Vol. 2 box set.
Queen - "Soul Brother" The b-side of "Under Pressure".
Queen and David_Bowie - "Cool Cat" (Demo) Recorded during the same session that gave us "Under Pressure". Legend has it that Bowie wasn't satisfied with his backing vocals, so they were edited out for the album version, on Hot Space. (buy)

Buy some Queen, damn you!

Queen, 1973 (buy)
Queen II, 1974 (buy)
Sheer Heart Attack, 1974 (buy)
A Night at the Opera, 1975 (buy)
A Day at the Races, 1976 (buy)
News of the World, 1977 (buy)
Jazz, 1978 (buy)
The Game, 1980 (buy)
Flash Gordon, 1980 (buy) (soundtrack - a perfect accompaniment for one of the cheesiest movies ever)
Hot Space, 1982 (buy)
The Works, 1984 (buy)
A Kind of Magic, 1986 (buy)
The Miracle, 1989 (buy) (the album's not as bad as that cover would make you think)
Innuendo, 1991 (buy)
Made In Heaven, 1995 (buy)

FURY IN THE SLAUGHTERHOUSE

I don't know a whole lot about Fury In the Slaughterhouse. Just that they're a German band who never really broke through here in the US.

The only album of theirs that I've heard is Mono, which I liked, and which contains the title track to the CD single I'm putting up today. While I liked Mono, I love "Every Generation Got Its Own Disease". If you haven't heard it, do yourself a favor and take a listen.

Here's the A-side, and its Bees:

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Fury In the Slaughterhouse - "Every Generation Got Its Own Disease" (Radio Edit)
Fury In the Slaughterhouse - "Girl Without a Name" (Demo)
Fury In the Slaughterhouse - "Pussycat" (Unplugged)
Fury In the Slaughterhouse - "In Your Room" (Unplugged)
Fury In the Slaughterhouse - "You'll Never Be Alone" (Demo)

Discog (none of which are in print in the US):

Fury In the Slaughterhouse, 1988
Jau!, 1990
Hook a Hey, 1991
Mono, 1992*
The Hearing and the Sense of Balance, 1995*
Brilliant Thieves, 1997
Nowhere. . .Fast!, 1998
Home Inside, 2000
The Color Fury, 2002
Nimby, 2004
Every Heart Is a Revolutionary Cell, 2006

*US versions differ from original releases.


I would list the interesting new releases for this week, but there really isn't anything out today that I'm interested in. There are some re-issues from Black Sabbath, The Jesus Lizard, Kraftwerk, and New Order, but I've never been huge into any of those.

SINEAD O'CONNOR

I think I've mentioned several times that I'm a big fan of Sinéad O'Connor. I absolutely adore her early, angry stuff, and most of her newer releases are great, too. In fact, I think I'm one of the few that actually really liked her Rasta album, Throw Down Your Arms.

That being said, here's a large batch of tracks from a self-made compilation of non-album tracks. These compilations are where I get most of the material I post here. As I collect music, I compile it (as I'm sure many others out there do) into these discs. Makes it easier to listen to, and takes up less space on the shelf.

With Sinéad, I currently have 9 full discs of material outside of her regular albums. No, I'm not planning to post all of it, as much of it can still be easily had through the usual places.

Here's the full track list of my own "Volume One", which are all from the late eighties and early nineties. I've not upped the tracks that are available on her own readily available compilations.

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01 The Edge with Sinéad O'Connor - "Heroine" From the Captive soundtrack - available on So Far. (buy)
02 The Colourfield with Sinéad O'Connor - "Monkey In Winter" B-side of "She" - available on Collaborations. (buy)
03 Sinéad O'Connor - "Still Listening" B-side of "Mandinka"
04 Sinéad O'Connor with MC Lyte - "I Want Your (Hands On Me)" (video remix)
05 Sinéad O'Connor - "Someday My Prince Will Come" From the Disney tribute album, Stay Awake. (buy) (also features Los Lobos, Tom Waits, etc.)
06 Sinéad O'Connor - "My Donald" (live) A.k.a. "Donald O". A traditional song, recorded in Milan, Italy, Nov. 2, 1990.
07 Sinéad O'Connor - "Jump In the River" (soundtrack version) An earlier mix, from the Married To the Mob soundtrack.
08 Sinéad O'Connor - "I Am Stretched On Your Grave" (live A Capella version) Audio from the Value of Ignorance video, recorded in London in 1988.
09 The The with Sinéad O'Connor - "Kingdom of Rain" From The The's album Mind Bomb (buy) - also available on Collaborations. (buy)
10 Christy Moore with Sinéad O'Connor - "The Mad Lady and Me" From Christy's album Voyage. (buy)
11 Christy Moore with Sinéad O'Connor - "Middle of the Island" Also from Voyage. (buy)
12 Sinéad O'Connor - "Ave Maria" A short excerpt from the movie Hush-A-Bye Baby.
13 Sinéad O'Connor - "Damn Your Eyes" (Etta James cover) B-side of "Three Babies" - available on the remastered I Do Not Want. . . (buy)
14 Sinéad O'Connor - "Troy" (live) B-side of "Three Babies" - available on I Do Not Want. . . (buy)
15 Sinéad O'Connor - "The Value of Ignorance" B-side of "Three Babies". I'm not sure why this isn't on the remaster.
16 Sinéad O'Connor - "What Do U Want?" B-side of "The Emperor's New Clothes" - available on I Do Not Want. . . (buy)
17 Sinéad O'Connor and The Band - "Mother" (live Pink Floyd cover) From The Wall: Live In Berlin. (buy)
18 Sinéad O'Connor - "The Hand That Rocks the Cradle" (live Smiths cover) Bootleg recording from 1988.

If that's not enough of a fix for you Sinéad fans, pick up the albums:

The Lion and The Cobra, 1988 (buy)
I Do Not Want What I Haven't Got, 1990 (buy) (buy remaster)
Am I Not Your Girl?, 1992
Universal Mother, 1994 (buy)
Faith and Courage, 2000 (buy)
Sean-Nós Nua, 2002 (buy)
She Who Dwells, 2003 (buy)
Throw Down Your Arms, 2005 (buy)
Theology, 2007 (buy)



On a completely unrelated note - have you heard all the hubbub about British pop singer Lilly Allen?

It seems she posted a pro-copyright diatribe on her blog last week about how all the downloading of songs is killing the record industry. All the usual arguments.

Naturally, she received quit a bit of backlash from fans, non-fans, fellow musicians, etc. in her comments

Ah, but it doesn't end there. Turns out, the entire post was actually written by someone else, and she just did a cut-and-paste job and claimed it as her own. I guess she didn't see the irony of stealing someone else's words to rant about people stealing her music. Nice job.

Within a couple of days, she had shut down her blog, and now says that she has left the music business all together.

In response to all of this, another Brit has written an open letter to Lily, in the form of this catchy little ditty: