Yackety yack

The delectable Chiffons

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With my faltering infirm voice, we're going to keep the chat to a minimum this week. Here are 50 minutes of song about the gentle art of conversation. From the silvered-tongued Sweet Talkin' Guy to the quaint Conversation Piece by D. Bowie.

1. Sweet Talkin' Guy, The Chiffons, 7", 1963, Laurie
2. We Can Talk, The Band, Music From Big Pink, 1968, Capitol
3. You're My Girl (I Don't Want to Discuss It), Rhinoceros, Rhinoceros, 1968, Elektra
4. Talk to me, Al Green, Green is Blues, 1969, Hi
5. Conversation Piece, David Bowie, Space Oddity, 1969, RCA
6. Everybody's Talkin', Elephants Memory, Songs From Midnight Cowboy Plus, 1969, Buddah
7. Communication Breakdown, Led Zeppelin, Led Zeppelin I, 1969, Atlantic
8. Nothing To Say, Jethro Tull, Benefit , 1970, Island
9. Small Town Talk, Bobby Charles, Bobby Charles , 1972, Bearsville
10. New York Telephone Conversation, Lou Reed, Transformer, 1972, RCA
11. Speakin' Out, Neil Young & Crazy Horse, Tonight's the Night, 1977, Reprise
12. Small Talk Stinks, Bauhaus, In the Flat Field, 1980, 4AD
13. It's My Life, Talk Talk, It's My Life, 1984, EMI
14. Talk About The Weather, Red Lorry Yellow Lorry, Talk About The Weather, 1985, Red Rhino
15. Some Candy Talking, The Jesus & Mary Chain, Darklands, 1987, Blanco Y Negro

Cold

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It's cold season. So to ease your journey into the depths of snotland, here are 15 tunes to help you get there and back again. We've heard Dr. Strangely Strange and The Other Half before on TUWSJ, and we have a double bill from Little Feat.

1. Strangely Strange But Oddly Normal, Dr. Strangely Strange, Kip of the Serenes, 1969, Island
2. Here Comes Sickness, Mudhoney, Mudhoney, 1989, Sub Pop
3. Chest Fever, The Band, Music From Big Pink, 1968, Capitol
4. Coming Down, The United States Of America, The United States Of America, 1967, CBS
5. Mr. Pharmacist, The Other Half, Nuggets, Disc Four, 1966, GNP
6. Rock and Roll Doctor, Little Feat, Feats Don't Fail Me Now, 1974, Warner
7. How Does It Feel?, The Creation, We Are Painter Men, 1967, Hit-Ton
8. Underground Medicine, The Fall, Live At The Witch Trials, 1978, Step Forward
9. You're My Drug, The Dukes of the Stratosphear, Psonic Psunspot, 1987, Virgin
10. Cold, Cold, Cold, Little Feat, Sailin' Shoes, 1972, Warner
11. Still Ill, The Smiths, The Smiths, 1984, Rough Trade
12. Superbad, James Brown, 7", 1970, King
13. My Death, Scott Walker, Scott, 1967, Phillips
14. I'll Feel A Whole Lot Better, The Byrds, Mr Tambourine Man, 1965, Columbia
15. The Kids Are Alright, The Who, The Who Sings My Generation, 1966, Brunswick

Independence day

Quintessential Indie style

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To mark the independence of Istanbul from the tyranny (and orderliness) of the British occupation, it's indie week. So shake the mothballs off your brown cardigan, scuff up your Doc Martens and get yourself a bottle of Thunderbird blue. A few gems, including the Flatmates, who I saw at the Rumble Club in T. Wells in 1989. I became very drunk on sweet cider and remember little of the gig, except that it was very, very trebly. I even don't remember my girlfriend at the back of the hall copping off with some other bloke.

1. The Cutter, Echo & The Bunnymen, Porcupine, 1983, Korova
2. Draygo's Guilt, The Fall, The Wonderful and Frightening World of the Fall, 1984, Beggars Banquet
3. Bachelor Kisses, The Go Betweens, Spring Hill Fare, 1984, Sore
4. You've Got Everything Now, The Smiths, The Smiths, 1984, Rough Trade
5. The Great Escape, The Chills, Kaleidoscope World , 1986, Creation/Flying Nun
6. Could You be the One?, Hüsker Dü, Warehouse: Songs and Stories, 1987, Warner
7. Darklands, The Jesus and Mary Chain, Darklands, 1987, Blanco Y Negro
8. Take Me To The Other Side, Spacemen 3, The Perfect Prescription, 1987, Fire
9. Pond Song, Dinosaur Jr, Bug, 1988, SST
10. Heaven Knows, The Flatmates, 12”, 1988, The Subway Organization
11. Where Is My Mind?, Pixies, Surfer Rosa, 1988, 4AD
12. Drive Blind, Ride, 12", 1990, Creation
13. Every Picture I Paint, Teenage Fanclub, A Catholic Education, 1990, Paperhouse
14. Only Shallow, My Bloody Valentine, Loveless, 1991, Creation

Sensitivities

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This week, let’s get all touchy feely while listening to 50 minutes of songs about senses. If you thought there were five senses, you’re way off. Apparently, there are more than 12, not including a sense of humour or common sense. On the play list are a few oddities this week, including Tony Clarke and Medway's finest Mod-revivalists The Prisoners. If anyone out there as a few more tracks by them, drop me a line. We close the programme with an obvious pick, but a classic.

1. How Does It Feel?, The Creation, We Are Painter Men, 1967, Hit-Ton
2. Just To See You, Alex Chilton, 1970, 1996, Ardent
3. A Taste of Pink, Prisoners, A Taste of Pink, 1982, Big Beat
4. Touch Me I'm Sick, Mudhoney, Superfuzz Bigmuff, 1990, Sub Pop
5. I Hear You Calling, Bill Fay, Time of the Last Persecution, 1971, Deram
6. Sigh’s smell of farewell, Cocteau Twins, Love's Easy Tears, 1986, 4AD
7. Balance, Funkadelic, America Eats Its Young, 1972, Westbound
8. Feel the heat, Bill Summers, Feel the heat, 1977, Prestige
9. Move Move Move, Alan Hawkshaw, Mo’Hawk, 2003, RPM/Cherry Red
10. Feel the Pain, Dinosaur Jr, Without A Sound, 1995, Blanco y Negro/Sire
11. (No Conception) No Sense Of Direction, Tony Clarke, (They Call Me A) Wrong Man 7", 1968, MS
12. Sense Of Purpose, The Pop Group, For How Much Longer Do We Tolerate Mass Murder?, 1980, Rough Trade
13. See Me Feel Me, The Who, 7", 1970, Polydor
14. The Good Humor Man He Sees Everything Like This, Love, Forever Changes, 1967, Elektra
15. Senses Working Overtime, XTC, English Settlement, 1982, Virgin

The rag tirade

Microsoft man

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I have of late begun to wear the chinos and shirt uniform of the damned you see above (I always had the smug grin). Once you go slacks, you never go back – there's just so much more room to manoeuvre. So in honour of my sartorial demise, this week we present 50 years of songs in 50 minutes about clothes. From Goodbye Pork Pie Hat by Charles Mingus to Bellbottoms by the Blues Explosion.
If you can survive the Teutonic vocal style of Renate Knaup-Krötenschwanz, the Amon Düül II tune has some pretty moments of classic Kosmiche rock. And, of course, the programme is peppered with a few indispensable classics: Hand in Glove, Dedicated Follower of Fashion and Ants in My Pants. Is that US pants or UK pants?

1. Goodbye Pork Pie Hat, Charles Mingus, Mingus, Ah Um, 1959, Columbia
2. Hard Sock Dance, Quincy Jones and his Orchestra, Quintessence, 1961, Impulse!
3. Boot-Leg, Booker T and The MGs, 7", 1965, Stax
4. Dedicated Follower Of Fashion, The Kinks, The Kink Kontroversy, 1965, Pye
5. High Fashion Queen, The Flying Burrito Brothers, Burrito Deluxe, 1970, A&M
6. Green Bubble Raincoated Man, Amon Düül II, Wolf City, 1972, United Artists
7. Ants In My Pants, James Brown, 7", 1972, Polydor
8. Blue Jeans And Moonbeams, Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band, Blue Jeans And Moonbeams, 1974, Virgin
9. Tell Me Your Plans, The Shirts, The Shirts, 1978, Harvest
10. I Hate the Universe, The Cravats, Burning Bridges, 7", 1979, Small Wonder
11. Tomorrow Night, Shoes, Present Tense, 1979, Elektra
12. Baggy Trousers, Madness Absolutely, 1980, Stiff
13. Hand In Glove, The Smiths, The Smiths, 1984, Rough Trade
14. T-Shirt Tucked In, Huggy Bear, Our Troubled Youth (split), 1993, Catcall
15. Bellbottoms, The Jon Spenser Blues Explosion, Orange, 1994, Matador

Far out!

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Let's freak out and take a 50-minute journey to the centre of our minds and back again. On the way we'll listen to a few classics and a couple of rare gems, such as the first track, Get High by Gran Am, lifted from a compilation called Chains and Black Exhaust. I wonder why the production is a bit wonky.

1. Get High, Gran Am, Chains and Black Exhaust, 2002, Memphix
2. Eric's Trip, Sonic Youth, Daydream Nation, 1988, Enigma/Blast First
3. Yellow Brick Road, Captain Beefheart and The Magic Band, Safe As Milk 1967, Buddah
4. Journey To The Centre Of The Mind, The Amboy Dukes, Journey To The Centre Of The Mind, 1968, Mainstream
5. Expecting to Fly, Buffalo Springfield, Again, 1967, Atco
6. Bike Ride To The Moon, The Dukes of the Stratosphear, 25 o'clock, 1985, Virgin
7. Traveling, Eden Rose, On the Way to Eden, 1969, Katema
8. Out There, Dinosaur Jr, Where You Been?, 1993, Blanco y Negro/Sire
9. Run, Spiritualized, Lazer Guided Melodies, 1992, Dedicated
10. One With The Freaks, The Notwist, Neo Golden, 2002, Virgin
11. Coming Down, The United States Of America, The United States Of America, 1967, CBS
12. A Little Lost, Arthur Russell, Another Thought, 1994, Point Music
13. Can't Find My Way Home, Blind Faith, Blind Faith, 1970, Polydor
14. Time, Dennis Wilson, Pacific Ocean Blue, 1977, Caribou

Back to the country

Clarence White with the Gene Parsons b-bender Telecaster

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Another stroll down the country road. From a play list largely suggested by my sister, here's 50 minutes of music from the good old boys. Featured twice this week is the peerless playing of Clarence White. First, barely out of his teens playing with the Kentucky Colonels and then with the Byrds, three years before he lost his life.

1. In the Pines, The Louvin Brothers, Tragic Songs of Life, 1956, Capitol
2. Listen To The Mocking Bird, Kentucky Colonels, Appalachian Swing!, 1964, World Pacific
3. The Race is On, George Jones, The Race is On, 1965, United Artist
4. Long Black Veil, The Band, Music From Big Pink, 1968, Capitol
5. No Longer A Sweetheart Of Mine, Dillard and Clark, The Fantastic Expedition Of Dillard and Clark, 1969, A&M
6. Galveston, Glen Campbell, 7", 1969, Capitol
7. Mama Tried, Merle Haggard, Okie From Muskogee, 1969, Capitol
8. Yesterday's Train, The Byrds, Untitled, 1970, Columbia
9. Tennessee Stud, The Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Will The Circle Be Unbroken, 1972,
10. United Artists
11. Pancho and Lefty, Townes Van Zandt, The Late Great Townes Van Zandt, 1972,
12. Tomato
13. Boulder to Birmingham, Emmylou Harris, Pieces of the Sky, 1975, Reprise
14. Me and Paul, Willie Nelson, Me and Paul, 1985, S and P
15. Carrie Brown, Del McCoury and Steve Earle, The Mountain, 1999, E-Squared
16. I Am Weary, Let Me Rest, The Cox Family, O Brother, Where Art Thou? (OST), 2000, Mercury
17. Van Lear Rose, Loretta Lynn, Van Lear Rose, 2004, Interscope
18. The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down, The Band, The Band, 1969, Capitol