Diddy Wah

Ray Peterson Fever

2009-11-09T12:42:00.001Z

mp3: Ray Peterson - Fever
mp3: Ray Peterson - Tell Laura I Love Her

I must confess to being a little surprised at just how stunningly good Ray Peterson's version of Fever is. There are certain enduring songs that I enjoy hearing/having multiple versions of -- and so that's why I bought this record, because Fever is definitely one of those. But Peterson floors me with his massive vocal range and cool arrangement, it's a real find. The A-side, Tell Laura I Love Her, is a classic teen tragedy involving a car race and a girl named Laura.

Guest Post - Caravan

2009-11-05T08:11:00.001Z

Here's a special treat from fellow London DJ around town G the P, who regularly posts up old records on his Get Involved blog and can be found spinning discs at his Gerry’s Joint night and also at Shing-A-Ling. Be sure to check them all out, I have and was duly impressed. Impressed enough to request his services as a Diddy Wah guest poster, please make him feel very welcome.

mp3: Johnny & Santo - Caravan

I can’t remember why I bought this as I’d never head it before I played it at home – but I do remember where I got it from: the regular, fortnightly record fair at London’s Spitalfields Market. I also don’t know exactly when this was recorded although I’m guessing it’s about 1959 / 1960. Johnny & Santo were brothers hailing from Brooklyn - yet you’d never guess it from the sound of this track... It sounds more like it was cooked up by The Shadows on a surfing trip to California! It’s totally rockin’ and features some pretty awesome steel guitar virtuosity but, for me, the real beauty of it is that it manages to avoid easy musical categorisation... I could imagine it featuring in a Spaghetti Western movie soundtrack (the opening guitar lick reminds me of the work of Ennio Morricone) – or on a surf instrumental album or even on an out and out rockabilly compilation. Actually, I think that’s why I like this record so much - I haven’t got another record quite like this... G the P

Drums Galore

2009-10-28T12:04:00.000Z

mp3: The Hollywood Persuaders - Drums A-Go-Go
mp3: The Hollywood Persuaders - Agua Caliente

The term A-Go-Go comes from the French à gogo and basically means a lot, or galore. So yes, there are plenty of drums in today's selection, which is generally a good thing around these parts. Both sides were written and recorded by Paul Buff at Pal Studio in Cucamonga, California where the surf classics Wipeout and Pipeline were first recorded. Pal Studio is also where Frank Zappa cut his teeth.

Nothing But

2009-10-24T14:47:00.002+01:00

mp3: The Flirtations - Nothing But A Heartache
mp3: The Flirtations - How Can You Tell Me?

Another fine example of a song featuring dramas of the heart lyrics combined with a driving beat and uplifting orchestration (as touched on in the previous post). Originally released in 1968, Nothing But A Heartache was The Flirtations biggest tune. It became a Northern Soul favourite and was recently used in a KFC advert here in the UK -- nothing but a stomach ache would've been more apt.

A Little Deeper

2009-10-22T10:47:00.002+01:00

mp3: Darrow Fletcher - The Pain Gets A Little Deeper

If you haven't yet heard this Northern gem, you're in for a absolute treat. Although incredible that a fourteen year old could bring the required emotional depth to this song (even though he co-wrote it), that's exactly what happened when Darrow Fletcher belted out his first recording in 1966. I dig deceptive tracks like this; upbeat danceable music but heartbreak strewn lyrics. The flip is also quality but disastrously my copy skips.

Night Of The Vampire

2009-10-21T08:13:00.001+01:00

mp3: The Moontrekkers - Night Of The Vampire

With Halloween approaching, and on a Saturday this year too, I can't be the only one mulling over what tunes would be appropriately spooky for the evening's listening. Here's a piece of sinister sounding treasure that was recorded by flawed genius, Joe Meek, no more than an hour's lurch from where I sit tap-tap-tapping on my compute-or.

You Ain't Nothing But A

2009-10-20T00:41:00.003+01:00

mp3: Freddie Bell - Hound Dog

Freddie Bell and the Bell Boys bring us their version of songwriters Leiber and Stoller's Hound Dog. Originally recorded by Big Mama Thornton in 1952 this version came out in 1955. A young Elvis Presley saw Bell perform it in Las Vegas and decided to incorporate it into his own live set. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Wow! Lets Rock That

2009-10-15T08:19:00.002+01:00

mp3: Cozy Cole - Bad
mp3: Cozy Cole - Charleston

I've been hearting Cozy Cole a lot recently and not just because his swinging instrumentals all seem to start with a deep voiced introduction. His recordings inspire playfulness. There's a certain comic book feeling to them which is probably why they're crowd favourites at my DJ nights. Prior to releasing records under his own name he drummed behind some of the jazz greats: Cab Calloway, Charlie Parker, Dizzy, Ella, Louis. He was also an influence on many future skin bashers including Black Sabbath's Cozy Powell who even adopted his name.

Beggin'

2009-10-12T11:55:00.001+01:00

mp3: Timebox - Beggin'

A group of Englishmen bring us this storming version of Frankie Valli and The Four Season's Beggin'. Not to take anything away from the orginal but I probably prefer this version as it drives harder and features the cool sounds of a vibraphone, as played by Ollie Halsall.

Morning Dew

2009-10-10T18:15:00.001+01:00

mp3: Tim Rose - Morning Dew

I've blogged about Tim Rose before and even featured this very song, so I won't go on. Suffice to say that it's an amazing tune and I'd be proud to post it again in another three and a bit years.

Killing and Howlin'

2009-10-09T21:36:00.000+01:00

mp3: Howlin' Wolf - Killing Floor
mp3: Howlin' Wolf - Louise

Occasionally my mind drifts to a place where I find myself wondering who I would most like to have the chance to see play live, if time's arrow was no barrier that is. I don't draw conclusions, just enjoy musing over the possibilities. A prime candidate would surely be Howlin' Wolf. Here he is from 1964 with a corker, Killing Floor. With a band featuring Hubert Sumlin, Willie Dixon and Buddy Guy, the Wolf takes blues music to the next level, a black monolith moment.

Nina

2009-10-06T00:13:00.000+01:00

mp3: Nina Simone - Do What You Gotta Do
mp3: Nina Simone - Peace Of Mind

In a lot of ways it doesn't get much better than Nina Simone. Here she is with a couple of amazing renditions, released together as a single in 1968. Do What You Gotta Do was written by Jimmy Webb and Peace Of Mind by Nick Woods. Woods had played in a folk group The New Christy Minstrels but didn't make it past 1971 due to an overdose. Peace of Mind was recorded live at the Westbury Music Fair just a few days after the assassination of Martin Luther King, who Simone dedicated her performance to. The choice of songs and the arrangements are great but it's the pure emotion that Nina Simone is able to convey that is her true gift (to us).

Besame Mucho

2009-10-04T13:47:00.001+01:00

mp3: Jet Harris - Besame Mucho

Now for the other side of that great Jet Harris record. Written by a young Mexican girl, I included this tune in a podcast recently.

Chills And Fevers

2009-10-03T17:27:00.001+01:00

mp3: Ronnie Love - Chills And Fever
mp3: Jet Harris - Chills And Fever

A couple of cool versions of Chills And Fever -- firstly the original by Ronnie Love from 1961, then a great cover from 1962 by former The Shadows bassman, Jet Harris.

Satan's Theme

2009-10-01T22:58:00.002+01:00

The Rondels - Satan's Theme

With a title like Satan's Theme how could I resist picking up this tough little gem? How could anyone? Plays slightly better than it looks.

Look At Mr. Lee

2009-09-30T22:32:00.002+01:00

The Bobbettes - Mr. Lee
The Bobbettes - Look At The Stars

A perfect double sider. Mr. Lee featured on the brilliant Stand By Me soundtrack, something I was reminded of when I heard it playing in a sweet shop in Edinburgh recently.

The Fugitive

2009-09-28T23:21:00.002+01:00

Jan Davis - Fugitive
Jan Davis - Boss Machine

Jelly Roll King

2009-09-24T11:13:00.004+01:00

Frank Frost - My Back Scratcher

This is a scratchy one indeed. In memory of Mr Sam Carr the talented, respected and adored blues drummer who recently passed away aged 83. I had the privilige of spending time with Sam in Australia several years back and then at his home in Dundee, Mississippi a little while after that. Although a true gent he was also a window to rougher times. I recall him showing me how I could actualise a threat of "cutting someone twenty times in twenty seconds" with a simple twist of the wrist. Sadly missed, his music and stories will live on.

Born To Cry

2009-09-22T22:20:00.001+01:00

Dion - (I Was) Born To Cry
Dion - Lovers Who Wander

Buzz Buzz Buzz

2009-09-21T23:12:00.002+01:00

Hollywood Flames - Buzz Buzz Buzz
Hollywood Flames - Crazy

A New Perspective

2009-09-20T14:25:00.009+01:00

The Arrows - Blue's Theme
The Arrows - Bongo Party

When I started Diddy Wah, many moons ago, I had just discovered Limewire and all the joys of downloading free music. With a head full of artist and song names I enthusiastically went about satiating my musical hunger, sharing along the way. Since then the formats that I use to consume music through have changed. Although I still download here and there, mostly from other mp3 blogs, I mainly stream through Spotify, YouTube or WFMU. However I still have a healthy addiction to vinyl 45s, buying a few most weeks. So for the next little while I'm going to upload single file 320kbps rips of these. Sometimes one side, sometimes both. Basically, smaller posts more often. Unfortunately my audio kit isn't high-end and my records ain't mint but hopefully you will enjoy these tunes in the same loving way I do.

Back In 5 Minutes...

2009-08-14T16:05:00.001+01:00

Every now and again the company that I pay to host my picture and sound files decides to kick me off. This is usually because of the amount of bandwidth being used rather than the shady legal ground Diddy Wah, like most mp3 blogs and podcasts, treads on. What it means is that I've got to find a new host (any suggestions most welcome, I've been through quite a few) and then do a bunch of boring behind the scenes stuff to make this site all pretty again. It's a bit of a drag but bear with me. In the meantime, here are some label scans to ogle at.

Myspace is the place

2009-08-08T20:22:00.004+01:00

Cozy Cole - Topsy (Part 1)
Mel Torme - Comin' Home Baby
Andre Williams - Humpin', Bumpin' and Thumpin'
Screamin' Jay Hawkins - I Put A Spell On You
The Rumblers - Boss
The Mar-Keys - The Dribble
The Exciters - Just Not Ready
The Monkees - Valleri
The Versatones - Bila
The Johnny Burnette Trio - Honey Hush

You may have noticed that I recently joined the ranks of the social networkers. I started a Myspace page. Handily, it comes with a music player and so I figured I would load it up with ten tunes that get regular spins at my DJ nights. So I ripped some 45s into mp3 format and began uploading them. The thing is, the Myspace music player is a clever little widget. So as copyrights aren't breached, the player seems to listen to the songs you upload and if it recognises them, you get a message telling you off. Out of the original ten only five (mainly instrumentals) made it through this screening, so I thought I would let the entire set get an airing here. They've all featured in my mixtapes and/or podcasts before but now you can have them in precious single file format (albeit with the authentic clicks and pops of scratchy vinyl). None of them are super rare but they're all killer no filler block-rocking party tunes.

So, if you're on Myspace, be my friend, and if you're anywhere near Edinburgh or Dalston on successive Friday nights in a few weeks time, come see me play records out.

Diddy Wah's Myspace

Ground Control To Clint Mansell

2009-07-23T11:27:00.004+01:00

Clint Mansell - Three Year Stretch
Clint Mansell - We're Going Home
Clint Mansell - Trailer Bedtime
Clint Mansell - Glory Be
Clint Mansell - Death is a Disease
Clint Mansell - Death is the Road to Awe
Clint Mansell - Summer Overture
Clint Mansell - Marion Barfs
Clint Mansell - Lux Aeterna
Clint Mansell - Pi r^2
Clint Mansell - 2 Pi r

So I started off just wanting to bring you some of the tracks from a new film that Clint Mansell has done the score to, but it's ended up as a bit of a retrospective. Mansell was in a British band called Pop Will Eat Itself, who I possibly saw when they toured Australia in 1995 as part of the Alternative Nation festival. I certainly remember 'Ich Bin Ein Auslander' being a big spin in the clubs I was frequenting back then. Mansell got into doing soundtracks when he was living in New York. Darren Aronofsky, who was working on his first feature, Pi, met him through a mutual friend and asked him to be involved. Since then he has scored all of Aronofsky's increasingly successful flicks. From Pi we have 'Pi r^2' and '2 Pi r', and you can hear the drum and bass beats that were popular at the time. It's amazing to hear how Mansell has progressed creatively from this starting point.

The next score was the big breakthrough for Mansell. Based on a novel by Hubert Selby Jr., Requiem For A Dream is a dark masterpiece and the music is intrinsic to it's intensity. As the movie has three parts, Summer, Fall and Winter, I've included a score piece from each, 'Summer Overture', 'Marion Barfs' and 'Lux Aeterna' respectively. As film scores tend to do, they all contain traces of a common theme. The string refrain, as played by the Kronos Quartet, is perhaps the most brilliant piece of music Mansell has written and highlights his greatest strength - to create a series of notes, a melody, a tune or whatever you call it that seems quite simple but is somehow heavily embedded with emotion. This is music I sometimes hear repeating in my head while walking down the street. A version of 'Lux Aeterna' was used on the trailer for the second Lord Of The Rings film.

The film The Fountain wasn't well received by critics but I loved it. The soundtrack faired better and was nominated for a bunch of awards, winning the World Soundtrack Academy's Award for Best Original Soundtrack of the Year. The film was extremely ambitious and so is the soundtrack. It's epicness matches the movie and is overall my favourite of Mansell's soundtracks. It's basically new classical music as is evident on both 'Death is a Disease' and 'Death is the Road to Awe'.

The first time I saw The Wrestler I didn't notice the score music, perhaps it was eclipsed by the hair metal that was part of the plot. But I did notice it on subsequent viewings and then when I heard it sans pictures all the emotions I experienced while watching the movie came rushing back. I was lucky enough to see Mansell perform some of his film scores recently and he mentioned that he was attracted to film scripts which have a sense of loss. You can hear that sense on 'Trailer Bedtime' and 'Glory Be'. Appropriately, Slash helps out on guitar.

Finally, to (the) Moon. This is not an Aronofsky film, in fact it's directed by Duncan Jones aka Zowie Bowie son of David. I saw it last Friday and thoroughly enjoyed every minute. The soundtrack is also excellent. I'd been listening to it for a few weeks before seeing the film but got a lot more out of subsequent listens. Seeing the film gave the sounds context. What's exciting is the feeling that Mansell is just getting better and better at his craft, I eagerly await his next small step.

PWEI - Ich Bin Ein Auslander

Where Do You Go To (My Diddy)

2009-07-08T08:49:00.004+01:00

The much anticipated next installment of the Diddy Wah podcast floats into the blogosphere like a bird in the hand gathering no moss. I love mixed metaphors and I love 60s instrumental surf music. Thankfully this podcast features more of the latter than the former. And you can take that to the bank and smoke it.

mp3: Where Do You Go To (My Diddy)

Screamin' Jay Hawkins - I'm Lonely
Jet Harris - Besame Mucho
Ronnie Love - Chills And Fever
The Chiefs - Apache!
The Marketts - Out Of Limits
Vito & The Salutations - Unchained Melody
The Rondels - Back Beat No.1
Johnny And The Hurricanes - Crossfire
The Beatles - I'm Down
Richard Maltby - Theme From The Man With The Golden Arm
Kid Ory's Creole Jazz Band - St. James Infirmary
Danny Kaye and Louis Armstrong - The Five Pennies Saints
Sarah Vaughan - Bye Bye
Peter Sarstedt - Where Do You Go To (My Lovely)