snapshot

any given monday 1989 the rubber shorted darlings huddled under brollies on to the london apprentice and darkroom tristes us scooting down coronet street up the ricketiest stairs and past funny little beards to red stripe and the same records every week legendary records that yanked me thrilled from boys with guitars and stageless camden upstairses but the same records every week all the same rocksteady and richard doing the actions to the tsss tsss tsss hi hat breakdown cymande and brothers on the slide then the same trek down to the beigel bake and the night bus stop right by bloom's nodding heads all the way back to e11

aretha franklin - rock steady

cymande - brothers on the slide



with endless gratitude as always to the london nobody sings for flicking the switch

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torment tuesday

take my heart

gene pitney - nobody needs your love

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countdown

only twenty eight more days children to get those steps just down that hair so up those duds pressed right. it'd be a joy to see you there it really would.

i'll be playing this...

tyrone davis - turn back the hands of time

oh darling

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citizens (bad) advice bureau

this gem of northern soul gone pop was wafting down berwick street this morning as i was getting my fruit and veg and having a chat with dear norman and wondering if terence stamp was due to pop out for an avacodo or two as is his wont of a soho morning (we had to make do with that sharleen spiteri). singing it along to myself on the troll home i realised what desperate tragedy could be befall the poor flower who really believed that falling in love was easy so easy like taking candy from a baby. i mean we all know that taking candy from a baby is a darned sight harder than it looks and generally ends with a shooting for gawds sake. and come to think of it pie's pretty tricky too. i've been desperately trying to think of the billion other terrible lessons records have tried to teach us bad advice we've gobbled up but have gone all blank and in need of a lie down so help me somebody please

len barry - 123

he's not quite how i pictured him neither isn't old len. and he can't mime for toffee



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spud-u-like

the loveliest thing about doing this thing this rattling on is the folks i've kinda sorta got to know from the nods and 'ellos in passing the thankyous for tunes that've brightened days on end the back and forth almost daily back patting and hair ruffling and the real life in the flesh live on stage folks i've got to meet in real life in the flesh really - anne off of i like and and steve and nancy all the way from a long way away off of fnarf and i'm not always so stupid and kathy the buckaroo kid and man about town extraordinaire mondo off of planet mondo and the sedaristastic angel bltp off of living for pleasure alone and our bright and beautiful commentor general spud off of well, here. your friend and mine. and now he's done us the very first big guest star super spectacular right here.. . just there down there look. ain't that just bloody marvelous. comrades.


a gift from spud

featuring

louis jordan - chicky-mo-craney crow

lionel hampton - hey! ba-ba-re-bop

lizzy and dennis alcapone - ba-ba-ri-ba skank

jackie mittoo - henry the great

carmen mcrae - exactly like you

sammy davis jr - spinning wheel

the edsels - rink-a-din-ki-do




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let's go round again

it's book the babysitter and hit legs bums and tums if you're ever going to fit into that slinky little number time again honeybunches. mark that calendar with dancing

i'll be playing this for starters

bobby reed - if i don't love you

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victory!

comrades down tools campanologists hit those bells for today we rejoice! the epic battle between woman and machine is won children won i tells you for today we have sound! we have songs! the long imprisoned are free at last free at last so rise you stupid you dim witted you i didn't do anything it just did it on it's own i just clicked that thing you i don't know what happened you ranty you sweary you ever so grateful and praise her praise her. and promise not to press anything you don't know what it does ever ever again

airto - celebration suite




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aaaaarrrrrgggghh

the ar#**g b@***$d f**##~g co%$$*~#^ng b**&%y b£%&^**d b£%&^**d goddamn machine is up the b~@?&&8d f**!!%g spout goddamn it.
i'm off to the library for the useless imbeciles big book of swearing and sulking

what with glen busting out all over the shop i thought digging this out again might be a thing

glen campbell - guess i'm dumb

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torment tuesday

it's that last 'yous' that does it that turns everything magical everything ours makes the hurt more real somehow now it's hackney hurt instead of hollywood. little things mean a lot. you know.

anthony newley - i'll teach you how to cry

double decker

curtis week slight return...

two curtis rockers two heavenly voices one pub piano. i'm a believer

the techniques - you don't care

devon russell - make me believe in you

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devon russell from studio one soul vol 2
the techniques from treasure island 45

hip to the lip

...and a favourite version especially for the dancers
he's an odd one for dancers is curtis. trickier than you'd think as everyone who's looked dreadful to move on up will know all too well.

patti jo - make me believe in you

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fool for you

two favourites...

curtis mayfield - right on for the darkness

the impressions - i'm loving nothing





if you're record pile is missing these treasures then buy now now now back to the world and this is my country
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just getting good loving

someone once told me they didn't like old curtis what with that funny voice and all grating a bit. i had him shot obviously. put out of his misery. perhaps i should've just played him this

curtis mayfield & the staple singers - let's do it again

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together in a jubilation of life

is this the most oh my good gawd i need a sit down make that a large one i'm having one of my turns astonishing line ups you've ever seen ever ever ever? like i need to ask. so how the bleedin' heck did i not know about it? why is it not everygoddamnwhere? legendary? who knew and didn't tell me? it's not even like it was just the greatest show i could ever imagine just (just...) a night like a billion nights of magic that come by and i missed it's a flipping documentary and an lp and i still didn't know. i mean how could i've never even noticed the lp? i'm flabbergasted really i am. flabbergasted. just look. it's astounding. deep breaths deep breaths...









blimey.

curtis mayfield - give me your love (live at save the children)

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double decker

it's curtis week people. a whole week of our very very favourite. because we love him.


the carpenters - we've only just begun


curtis mayfield - we've only just begun

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*curtis/live! double lp available from honest jon's