Helluvablog

It’s about time you had some music. So here’s me, again, a-wailing and a-gnashing…

Firstly a bit of harmonica and guitar…

And then a cover of Scrapyard Lullaby by the mighty Chris Whitley

Finally figured out a reliable way of mounting my camera onto my guitar without a/ making it unplayable or b/ being in danger of twisting the neck off.
Anyway, for your delectation, here is my rendition of 44 Blues…

Had the blues, then got some new strings for my guitar and finally figured out a reliable way of mounting my camera onto my guitar without a/ making it unplayable or b/ being in danger of twisting the next off.
Anyway, for your delectation, here is my rendition of 44 Blues…

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Update: YouTube got rid of the video on me so here’s the song again. Not quite the same without seeing Snoop line dancing and singing the chorus with Willie Nelson, but I still like it.
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Two wrongs don’t make a right. That’s what my mother used to say to me.
There are many things that I have found over the years to prove my mother wrong. Unfortunately, as child I didn’t know what I know now so she got away with it all.
I didn’t know, for instance, that if you take the sickly-sweet wrongness of Malibu, mix it in equal measure with the equally, barfmakingly wrong Bailey’s Irish Cream and pour it over ice, the double wrongness become very, very right.
Similarly, take two other very, very wrong things:

• Country & Western music and
• Snoop Doggy Dog(g?)

I know what you’re thinking – “there’s no need to worry about those two getting together beacuse… well… you know…”
Either one of these alone is enough to make me gnaw my own foot off to escape it and yet… Mom, you lied to me again…

Cheesy moments from history (and my record collection).
Looking through my old and neglected vinyl – purchased from the age of eleven onwards – I decided to see what I could find of it on YouTube. Here are some selected results…

Donna Allen – Serious
I bought the 12-inch of this when it came out because I loved the mad harmonies in the chorus (although they’re a bit lost in this mix. I still have it, I still love them, but I really wish I could turn the drums down.
Oh, and there’s no excuse for yellow spandex, Donna. None at all.

Five Star – Stay Out of My Life
I’d forgotten I owned this. Sound-wise, it’s a catchy one but I’m amazed at how much of an aural rip-off of “Everybody Wants to Rule the World” by Tears for Fears. Not in the music itself per se but in the production and subtleties like the guitar sound and solo style and the arpeggio accent to much of the song.
Also, what the christ is going on with the lead singer’s eyebrows?

Rush – Countdown
Spread my entire album, single and CD collection around a football field, don a blindfold and fire an arrow into the air. Chances are it will hit something by Rush.
Here’s a song from the Signals album, written after they visited the launch of the Columbia Space Shuttle. It was a weird period for Rush, not one of their best but with brief glimpses of old glory and genius.

Judas Priest – Turbo Lover
Don’t tell anyone, but I love the album Turbo. People who love Judas Priest generally slag it off, but I’m not that big a Priest fan and I love it. Puerile lyrics and one long metal cliché, but by god, it rocks.
What a bizarrely shit video though.

Go West – Don’t Look Down Girl
Yes, I own Go West’s debut album. Again it’s the loud-drum-big-snare production that dates it, otherwise it’s a great album. Peter Cox may not win any prizes for his dancing (or his miming) but he’s got a voice I’d kill for.
I love this song although, as with all their videos, they’ve changed it somewhat for this and added some weird noises and such. Still as cheesy pop-rock goes, it’s excellent and I can’t help buzzing a little bit when I hear it.

Night Ranger – Don’t Tell me You Love Me
Yes, 80′s Hair Rock. Ok so they video (which they won’t allow me to embed so you have to click here) contains much guitar wanking and slo-mo hair but say what you like about NightRanger, they weren’t afraid of furious, chugging dual-guitar riffs, and they knew how to end a song.

The Sugarcubes – Hit
Not strictly 80s, more early 90s but this track from the album Stick Around For Joy is a classic and a reminder of just how fucking good the Sugarcubes were. Also the video is a reminder of just how beautiful mental warble-pixie Björk was before madness ate her face.

I think that ought to do you for now…