D.I.S.C.O.
I have had a quiet week music wise. But I did have one trip to London and I caught up with a couple of new CDs and the BBC2 Sgt Pepper project.
Calvin Harris - I Created Disco
This went to Number One and I have been looking forward to it for ages. Album opening, Merry Making At My Place is fantastic and highly recommended. I suspect it will become a single, which would be good as I am keen for some remixes of it.
The rest of the album hasn't really grown on me yet. The title track is quite cool but some further listens needed.
BBC2 Sgt Pepper - Various Artists
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band – Bryan Adams
With A Little Help From My Friends – Razorlight
Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds - Athlete
Getting Better – Kaiser Chiefs
Fixing A Hole – The Fray
She’s Leaving Home – Magic Numbers
Being For The Benefit Of Mr Kite - Jamie Cullum
Within You Without You - Oasis
When I'm Sixty Four - Russell Brand
Lovely Rita – Travis
Good Morning Good Morning - The Zutons
Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band (Reprise) – Stereophonics
A Day In The Life - Carl Barat & Pete Doherty
This was a documentary available online with artists each doing one track from Sgt Pepper. I thought it was fantastic, ruined only by Ross Noble making a hash of When I'm 64. Highlights for me were Kaiser Cheif's Getting Better, The Fray's Fixing A Hole, and I did like Jamie Cullen's Being For The Benefit of Mr Kite (is it OK to like Jamie Cullen, I forget). Stereophonics did a great Sgt. Pepper reprise. Oasis did ok for Within You Without You (not convinced by Liam's vocal). All in all, very good, hope they release it officially and a bit of a blow about Ross Knoble. Oh, and I didn't even get to mention Carl and Pete Doherty doing A Day In The Life (but they should have included the Alarm Clock going off).
Jay-Z
I also had fun listening again to 99 Problems by Jay-Z (the version on PopChop mentioned last week). Amazing lyrics telling a great (if slightly rude) story. The first time I head it was actually as part of The Grey Album. That was DJ Dangermouse (now of Gnarls Berkley and producer for Gorillaz) using only Jay-Z's lyrics from his Black Album and music ONLY from The Beatles' White Album. It's totally illegal but I imagine you could download from somewhere on the web. Or buy it from ebay. I see they are now selling vinyl versions of it . . .
Silversun Pickups
What else . . . Discovered a new band thanks to NME's Radar section. They are called Silversun Pickups and I am awaiting delivery of their CD (the disadvantage of physical vs digital!). They sound like old school indie shoegazing. Almost as much as Televise.
Kaiser Cheifs - Oh My God (DIS)
Finally got hold of Kaiser Chief's debut single "Oh My God" - the official debut on Drowned in Sound records, not the reissue. I have been looking for so long and didn't want to pay loads for it. But I gave in in the end and paid quite a price, especially as the three songs are all on their debut album (but the point is, they were all re-recorded!). Anyway, I'm pleased with it. I have to buy something collectable every no and then. Still searching for Absolutely Fabulous CD Single by Pet Shop Boys with This Wheel's On Fire as the b-side (they didn't get permission so the actual release just had three other mixes on it).
Traveling Wilburys - Deluxe Reissue
I was disappointed that the Traveling Wilbury's Deluxe set got sold out so quickly. I was humming and ha-ing (?) about getting it, given that I have most of the tracks anyway. But it looks like it has gone meg collectable. Problems with royalties for the supergroup with 4 or 5 different record labels meant that the album hasn't been available for 20 years. I got a second hand copy and it was worth 50 quid at one stage (I paid 8).
Anyway, the deluxe edition is currently about 75 quid on Amazon. Was 18 when I first started looking!