that's how it is

so by now you should all know that there should be a medium cool collection coming out one day soon. and you should all be very happy about this. mainly because it will be full of songs by the raw herbs. who were fabulous. i can't put my love of them better than the chaps over at fire escape talking have ...

" an unfathomably unheralded slice of melody and melancholy fanned by a country breeze from the appalachians..."

i can only add that i hope there's some film somewhere because you really have to see dereks hips wiggle as he sings. in a better world there'd be some idiot off of eastenders trying to do the moves on celebrity stars in their eyes.
pretty much the only omission from the proposed compilation is a track from the first flexi, so you can have a listen by clicking the title at the top






the raw herbs - that's how it is

one more reason to love elvis

felicity

this tattered old thing lived on my wall for a billion years, and i'm amazed it's survived. i particulary love the 'james usually a cannibal. he can be a bit difficult' bit. 'felicity' is a wonderful record as well you know so i won't go on about it.


i got the felicity flexi with a fanzine from a lovely american called barbara ( i think it came with 'falling and laughing' too) and at the time was truly stunned by it's terribleness. it's a mystery why they chose that rendition to put out. the three people clapping is my favourite bit. nowadays i treasure it as the pretty much unlistenable mess that it is

click on the title at the top to take you there - i'll figure out this link business eventually...

orange juice - felicity flexi

barbara lewis - hello stranger

so i thought i'd have a go at this posting songs lark... and incredibly i think i've worked out how you do it...

songs still manage to come out of nowhere and blow me away. like this one. i've got a nice shiny cd version too but it doesn't sound anything like as gorgeous as this totally knackered 45.

when i tried to find out stuff about barbara lewis it turns out the arctic monkeys have covered a song on some b side, which makes me like them even though i've never heard it, and gives me much more hope in the kids today than i had yesterday .

somehow, despite making records of such incredible fabuluosness, she ended up with 'a successful career as an armed security officer'.

clicking on the title at the top should take you there.

i promise you'll spend the rest of the day going 'shooo bop shooo bop, my baby...'


barbara lewis - hello stranger