Friday 29 February 2008

musicology #106

sixartist, sixtune, sixweekspecial #29

(The Style Council - With Everything To Lose)

penultimate slice from the Paul Weller tribute selection and the second of two from his time spent in the Style Council. This cut taken from the album..Our Favourite Shop, (not only a great album but, for me, one of the best LP covers of all time !!), reminds me of having just left school and going on holiday in what was then called Yugoslavia. this album was the soundtrack for that holiday and the few months that surrounded it, (memories are made of this), there are at least six pieces on the album that could have been the final choice and there's nothing between them so I just picked this one mainly for the lyrical content..

Paul Weller at his poetic best..telling it like it was, (and is still)

listen tune.....

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Thursday 28 February 2008

musicology #105

sixartist, sixtune, sixweekspecial #28

(The Jam - Start)

If themusicologist could slow time down and make a week last a month it might be enough to do the six/six/six artists justice…as already mentioned it’s a challenge to select such a small number of tunes from such great catalogues of work.

Take the Jam as an example, for me, there’s at least 20 cuts that deserve an outing on themusicologist and to whittle those down to 2 … well, lets just say that it’s as tough as old boots.

on this album, (Sound Affects), there’s five cuts here that I would like to, (and probably will over the years), throw down on themusicologist as well as another five albums, (+ singles), to ‘choose’ from so what strategy am I going to employ? … none. just going to throw ‘em as I feel ‘em.

this 1980 selection I remember from me days as a young blade, at the start of the teenage years when I was spending a lot of time knocking about the West End, (especially Soho and Covent Garden), as a second generation Mod.

I say ’second generation’ because both my parents were first generation London Mod/ernists, so we, (’the fox’ and I), grew up steeped in the culture, music and attitude of Englands first, (and most important), Youth movement as a birthright.

There were other influences of course such as Skin/Suedehead, ‘Hippie’ and, (later), Punk exposure through Aunts, Uncles and Cousins, (you know who you are), but Mod/ernist was and is the one where my heart resides.

So before I get too romantic and spend too much of me precious ‘time’ strolling down memory lane hold this one which, for some reason, always reminds me of Greek Street, (in Soho), the Thatcher years, and running battles with other groups of Youths at a time of great social unrest.

older and wiser, I now see that them days were just another stage of the ‘divide and conquer/rule’ strategy that poli-tricks always employs…you know what I mean…black against white, christian against muslim, rich against poor…the list is as long as yer arm…(brother Weller certainly knew and has always sung and wrote about it), so with that in mind..listen tune..

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Wednesday 27 February 2008

musicology #104

sixartist, sixtune, sixweekspecial #27

(Paul Weller - The Strange Museum)

part three of the Paul Weller tribute and one from the man as solo artist. as with all the six/six/six artists it's nigh on impossible to choose six cuts from many. such is the quality of their musicology.

this next one is taken from his 1992 work entitled Paul Weller with strong support from Steve White whose groove is tighter than the space between a rock and a hard place.

for the full rundown:

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Tuesday 26 February 2008

musicology #103

sixartist/sixtune/sixweekspecial #26

musicology of the highest order taken from the 1984 LP Cafe Bleu

The Style Council - My Ever Changing Moods

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Monday 25 February 2008

musicology #102

sixartist/sixtune/sixweekspecial #25

this week on themusicologist it's the turn of the second most influential artists to have crossed my heart and mind.. Paul Weller who, along with Curtis ranks as the artist whose musicology has had the most impact on my life especially during my formative years.

The Jam - I Got By In Time - 1977

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Monday 18 February 2008

musicology #96

sixartist, sixtune, sixweekspecial #19

(Curtis Mayfield - Mighty Mighty Spade & Whitey)

this week it’s all about the king … Curtis Mayfield.

http://themusicologist.wordpress.com