Diddy Wah

Diddyshakers

2008-08-18T07:51:00.002+01:00

I had a bit of a record buying splurge recently and this Diddyshakers podcast is the result. It's all late 50s early 60s upbeat and fun stuff; the type of tunes that drives the kids at my DJ gigs wild with excitement. Have a listen and tell me, can you blame them?

mp3: Diddyshakers

David Rose - The Stripper
Duane Eddy - Caravan (Part 1)
Big Bo and the Arrows - Big Bo's Twist
Nathaniel Mayer and the Fabulous Twilights - Village of Love
Jimmy Gordon - Buzzzzzz
The Cherokees - Dig A Little Deeper
Gary Webb - Drum City (Part 1)
Andre Williams - Jail Bait
The Coasters - Down In Mexico
The Champs - Train To Nowhere
Etta James - Seven Day Fool
The Ikettes - I'm Blue
Ray Charles - I've Got A Woman
Van Alexander and his Orchestra - The Big Operator

Wherever you're going I'm going your way

2008-08-13T08:19:00.002+01:00

mp3: Buffy Sainte-Marie - Cod'ine
mp3: Marianne Faithfull - Black Girl
mp3: Precious Bryant - Fever
mp3: Gillian Welch - Revelator
mp3: Kaki King - Second Brain
mp3: Audrey Hepburn - Moon River

Another all female, all amazing (and allmost all acoustic) post for you today. Girls with guitars is the theme.

Buffy Sainte-Marie was born on a Cree reservation in Saskatchenwan, Canada. While at university she became known for her protest songs and after graduating she toured colleges, reservations and folk festivals to wide acclaim. From her first album, It's My Way!, released in 1964, comes Sainte-Marie's raw account of drug addiction, 'Cod'ine'.

More folkyness now, this time from English singer Marianne Faithfull. Here she is with a cover of the traditional tune 'Black Girl', also known as 'Where Did You Sleep Last Night?' or 'In The Pines'. Notable versions are also done by Leadbelly and Nirvana but it's a nice change to hear the song sung by a woman.

Precious Bryant was sixty by the time she released her first album in 2002. Of course she had been playing her Piedmont style of Georgian blues for quite some time before that. Her sweet voice and feisty picking are more than adequately demonstrated here on her interpretation of 'Fever'.

Time (The Revelator), Gillian Welch's third album, would have to be one of my alltime favourites. Her honest vocals and heartfelt songwriting, together with the synapse mauling guitarwork of her partner, David Rawlings, make it a no-question five-starrer all the way through. For today's post I've chosen the opening track, 'Revelator'.

I can't recall where I first found out about Kaki King. However her tune 'Second Brain' has been floating around my iTunes for a little while now and it never ceases to grab my attention. It could be the exquisite sound of the Mbira thumb piano, as played by Kelli Rudick, combined with King's ethereal vocals that does it.

Moon River, wider than a mile, I'm crossing you in style some day. Old dream maker, you heart breaker, wherever you're going I'm going your way. Two drifters off to see the world. There's such a lot of world to see. We're after the same rainbow's end, waiting 'round the bend, my huckleberry friend, Moon River and me. With lyrics by Johnny Mercer and music by Henry Mancini it's no wonder that 'Moon River' won the Best Original Song Academy Award in 1961. They wrote it to fit Audrey Hepburn's vocal range for the movie Breakfast at Tiffany's.

Buffy Saint-Marie website
Marianne Faithfull website
Precious Bryant website
Gillian Welch website
Kaki King website
Audrey Hepburn website

She leads you to the river

2008-07-23T00:27:00.003+01:00

mp3: El Perro Del Mar - Glory To The World
mp3: Third Wave - Eleanor Rigby
mp3: The Martells - Time To Say Goodbye
mp3: Françoise Hardy - Suzanne
mp3: Karen Dalton - Something On Your Mind
mp3: Trio Bulgarka - Mari Tudoro

Today's post features all tracks that I've been listening to recently; all female voices from all over the place who are all amazing.

Straight outta Gothenburg, Sweden comes El Perro Del Mar with 'Glory To The World' a beautiful song that sounds instantly familiar, like catchy pop should. It feels like the sort of tune that could be on a commercial for Volkswagen or something -- and I mean that in the best possible way. 'Glory To The World' came out this year, get into it.

I was listening to WFMU the other week and a version of 'Eleanor Rigby' came on that blew my mind. Admittedly I'm partial to cover versions of that song but this was something special. One of my favourite things about streaming WFMU through iTunes is being able to see what track is playing. It turned out to be by a group called Third Wave, five teenage Filipino sisters backed by a crack team of jazz musos. If you know of a better version of this song please get in touch because I'm about to call it. Best version ever.

I can't tell you much about The Martells except that they were a 60s British girl group, Joe Meek was involved, 'Time To Say Goodbye' is a very expensive 45rpm record thesedays, and I can't help but want it.

Françoise Hardy gives great Leonard Cohen here with her version of 'Suzanne'. Sung in French too, ooh la la.

Karen Dalton walks the line. Her voice almost breaks and, as she squeezes all the available emotion out every song she sings, so does your heart. 'Something On Your Mind' is a prime example. Sadness never sounded so good.

Lastly to Bulgaria, where we find Trio Bulgarka. Three women who come together from different parts of the country to sing folk music in a phenomenal way. 'Mari Tudoro' is just one of the vocalists but it's a haunting tune and my favourite from the album. It was apparently used on an advertisement for cider.

Baeble Music: El Perro Del Mar
Amazon: Third Wave
eBay: The Martells
YouTube: Françoise Hardy
Wikipedia: Karen Dalton
Last.fm: Trio Bulgarka

Also Sprach Diddywahstra

2008-06-30T22:22:00.002+01:00

I'm not sure how I do it but somehow I've managed to squeeze out yet another Diddy Wahcast. It's number fifteen and features plenty of strange, beautiful and interesting tunes, for those who can appreciate such things.

mp3: Also Sprach Diddywahstra

Kyu Sakamoto - Sukiyaki (Ue O Muite Aruko)
The Yamasuki's - Yamasuki
Aphrodite's Child - Air
The Herd - Paradise Lost
Vanilla Fudge - Eleanor Rigby Part I
Dalida - Bang Bang
Mary Hopkin - Those Were The Days
Paul Anka - You Are My Destiny
Tom Jones - Delilah
Daly Wilson Big Band - Space Odyssey 2001
The Byrds - Child Of The Universe
The Everly Brothers - Maybe Tomorrow
The Box Tops - I Shall Be Released

The Black President

2008-06-22T11:37:00.005+01:00

mp3: Fela Kuti - Open and Close
mp3: Fela Kuti - Lady
mp3: Fela Kuti - Shakara (Oloje)
mp3: Fela Kuti - Expensive Shit
mp3: Fela Kuti - J.J.D.
mp3: Fela Kuti - Zombie

I've been a bit obsessed with Fela Kuti recently. In fact, for the last month or so I've listened to little else. A massive artist in many ways. Of course I've been aware of Fela for quite some time -- amazingly, my parents saw him play in Nigeria in the early 70s -- but never put in the effort to track down any of his many albums and get into them. I've made up for lost time there though and this post is the result.

Fela Ransome Kuti was born in 1938 in Nigeria to a feminist, anti-colonialist mother and a Protestant minister, school principal father. After schooling he went to London to study music. He formed a band, returned to Nigeria and then in 1969 took the band on tour to the USA. While there he came into contact with the Black Panthers and the black power movement which would influence his politics. In his band Fela played saxophone, organ and sang; he was also very much the band's leader. Fusing jazz, funk and West African highlife, Fela named his music Afrobeat and created a genre.

At just shy of fifteen minutes 'Open and Close' is about the average length for a Fela Kuti tune. It came out in 1971 when Fela's band was called The Africa '70.

'Lady' and 'Shakara (Oloje)' came out one year later as the two sides of one album. What an album! On 'Lady' Fela teases African women for taking on western feminist values, a strange stance considering his mother was a leading campaigner for women's rights and known as the first Nigerian woman to drive a car. On 'Shakara' Fela apparently mocks braggarts who don't follow through on their promises, although I didn't pick that up from listening as parts of it are sung in English and parts in Yoruba.

'Expensive Shit' chronicles one of Fela's many run ins with the Nigerian authorities. This time the police tried to plant a marijuana joint on him, but when presented with the evidence Fela snatched and swallowed it. He was then imprisoned so that it could pass through his system. Fela's excrement was sent to a lab for testing but somehow he managed to swap it with another inmate's and so the tests came back negative. The story is told in a humourus light. Listen out for the unique rhythms of Tony Allen's drumming.

'J.J.D.' or 'Johnny Just Drop' was recorded live in 1977 at the Kalakuti Republic, Fela's communal compound that he declared independent of the Nigerian government. Live, Fela seems to step it up a level. With conga drums and supremely funky horns, 'J.J.D' delivers 23 minutes and 23 seconds of pure joy. Just imagine what it must have been like sweating to the live groove of Fela and his band on that hot Nigerian night.

Perhaps his most important record politically, 'Zombie' was also Fela's most popular. It directly attacked the mindlessness of the Nigerian military. The government were far from pleased and they responded bluntly. 1000 soldiers invaded the Kalakuti Republic and burnt it down. They beat Fela and threw his elderly mother out a window. She subsequently died. This didn't deter Fela, who continued to express his strong political views on his many future releases and was, at times, imprisoned for them. In 1997 when Fela died, more than a million people attended his funeral.

Fela Kuti documentary - Music is a Weapon

Cheap Thrills

2008-06-08T13:35:00.006+01:00

mp3: Dock Boggs - Sugar Baby
mp3: Frank Stokes - I Got Mine
mp3: Memphis Jug Band - On The Road Again
mp3: Parham–Pickett Apollo Syncopaters - Mojo Strut
mp3: Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra - Kater Street Rag

I was recently gifted a book of illustrations by the american cartoonist Robert Crumb. It packages together the Heros of Blues, Early Jazz Greats, and Pioneers of Country trading card sets that he created in the 1980s. If you are unfamiliar with R. Crumb's work I suggest you seek out Terry Zwigoff's incredibly fascinating documentary about him, his brothers and their world of comics, simpley called 'Crumb'. Besides from that film he is probably best known for the album cover artwork of Big Brother and the Holding Company's 'Cheap Thrills', the comic 'Fritz the Cat' and the phrase Keep on Truckin'. Crumb is also a purveyor of old time blues, jazz and country, a musician and a 78 rpm record collector. With the book comes a CD of music from 1927-31 selected and compiled by Crumb and it's from that disc that today's tunes come.

Moran Lee 'Dock' Boggs was a banjo player and singer/songwriter who hailed from Virginia and played in an old-timey Appalachian style. 'Sugar Baby' also features on Harry Smith's Anthology of American Folk Music, which I will get round to blogging about one of these days.

Frank Stokes is the book's cover star. He was born in Tennessee and was a popular entertainer in Memphis back in the day. I must admit I don't know much of Stokes but I really enjoy 'I Got Mine', particularly the bit where he sings "I belong to the knock down society but... I got mine".

The Memphis Jug Band were a collective of musicians centered around singer/guitarist Will Shade. They made many recordings and must be commended for employing the, in my opinion, under-utilized sounds of the jug and the kazoo. 'On the Road Again' isn't the original version of the Canned Heat song of the same name but is equally spirited.

The instrumental 'Mojo Strut' could be my pick of the bunch. What a party starter; this track actually lives up to its name. It features 'Tiny' Parham on piano who, going by the illustration, was anything but.

Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra give us their tribute to Philadelphia's Kater Street. Sounds like a fun place.

The official Crumb site

And, if you're near London town this coming Thursday June 12 you may be interested in this flyer that's "adapted" from some Crumb illustrations. It promotes a night a couple of mates and I are running at the 3 Blind Mice bar in Shoreditch. Do drop by.

Cheap Thrills Muxtape

Story of Bo Diddley

2008-06-02T19:44:00.002+01:00

mp3: Bo Diddley - Diddy Wah Diddy
mp3: Bo Diddley - Bo's Bounce
mp3: The Animals - Story Of Bo Diddley

Now listen here to the story of Bo Diddley
The rock 'n roll scene in general
Bo Diddley was born Ellis McDaniels
In a place called McCoom
In Mississippi about 1926
He moved to Chicago about 1938
Where his name was eventually changed to Bo Diddley
He practised the guitar every day and sometimes into the night
'till his papa's hair began to turn white
His pa said "Son, listen here, I know"
"You can stay but, uh, that guitar's just got to go"
So he pulled his hat down over his eyes
And headed on out for them western skies
I think Bob Dylan said that
He hit New York City
He began to play the Apollo in Harlem
Good scene there
Everybody raved
One day, one night
Came a Cadillac, four headlights
Came a man with a big long fat cigar
He said "Come here son, I'm going to make you a star"
Bo Diddley said "Uh, what's in it for me?"
The man said "Uh, shut your mouth son and play the guitar"
"and you just wait and see"
Well, Bo made it, he made it real big
And so did the rest of the Rock 'n Roll scene along with him
And a white guy called Johnny Otis took Bo Diddley's rhythm
And changed into hand jive
And it went like this:

In a little old country town one day
A little old country man begin to play
Had two guitars and a beat-up saxophone
When the drummer said, boy, those cats begin to roam

Oh baby, oooo we oh oh
Oooo la la that rock 'n roll
You hear me, oooo we oh oh
Oooo la la that rock 'n roll

Then the U.S. music scene, there was big changes made
Due to circumstances beyond our control
Such as payola
The rock 'n roll scene died after two years of solid rock
You got discs like, uh:
Take good care of my baby
Please don't ever make her blue
And so forth

About, uh, one year later
In a place called Liverpool in England
Uh, four young guys with mop haircuts
Begin to sing stuff like, uh:
It's been a hard day's night
And I've been workin' like a dog
And so on

A place called Richmond in Surrey
Way down in the deep south
Where the guys had long hair down their backs sang:
I wanna be your lover baby
I wanna be your man, yeah
And all that jazz

Well we been doin' this number "Bo Diddley"
for quite some time now
Bo Diddley visited this country last year
And we were playin' the Club A-Go-Go in Newcastle, our home town
And the doors opened one night
And to our surprise in walked the man himself, Bo Diddley
Along with him was, uh, Jerome Green, his maraca man
And the Dutchess, his gorgeous sister
Now we're doin', uh, we're doin' this number
Along with them came Rolling Stones and The Mersey Beats
They're all standin' around diggin' it
And I overheard Bo Diddley talkin'
He turned around to Jerome Green, he said
"Hey Jerome. What do you think of these guys doin our, our material?"
Jerome said "Uh, where's the bar, man. Please show me to the bar."
He turned around to the Dutchess and he said
"Hey Dutch. What do you think of these young guys doin' our material?"
She said ah, "I don't know. I only came across here to see the
changin' of the guards and all that jazz."
But Bo Diddley looked up at me and he said, uh
With half-closed eyes and a smile
He said "Man". Took off his glasses. He said "Man"
"That sure is the biggest load of rubbish ever heard in my life"
Hey Bo Diddley (Hey, Bo Diddley)
Oh Bo Diddley (Hey, Bo Diddley)
Yeah Bo Diddley (Hey, Bo Diddley)
Oh Bo Diddley (Hey, Bo Diddley)
Yeah Bo Diddley (Hey, Bo Diddley)
Oh Bo Diddley (Hey, Bo Diddley)

R.I.P. Bo Diddley (December 30, 1928 – June 2, 2008)

Bo Diddley in Trading Places

Attack & Release

2008-05-24T12:23:00.006+01:00

The Black Keys - All You Ever Wanted
The Black Keys - Psychotic Girl
The Black Keys - She Said, She Said (live)
The Black Keys - I'm Your Man (live)

A few times recently I've heard something coming out of the radio that has seeped through my concentration, awoken my consciousness and made me question, in a good way, who is that? And almost to my surprise it's been Akron, Ohio's The Black Keys, who have just released an album produced by the versatile Danger Mouse.

Shortly after their first record came out I was turned on to The Black Keys by Dr Kev Lobotomi, who presented the radio show after mine on Friday afternoons way back when. He spun 'Garage Punk' and I favoured 'Blues with Flavour' and so The Black Keys made for smooth segues. Being a two-piece bassplayerless blues-rock group with a monochrome colour in their handle, the comparisons were blindingly obvious but I was impressed by their spirit, their sound, and that they covered Junior Kimborough. I was even more impressed when they became his labelmates on Fat Possum records.

In 2003 news reached me that they were to tour Australia and their local distributor wanted them to come in on my programme. Now having already interviewed the drummer by phone shortly after their second album came out, I didn't have many more questions up my sleeve so I set about devising a cunning plan to have them record a live set. Frustratingly I couldn't get their "people" to commit the time in their schedule for this to happen officially or commit to them being allowed to perform or commit to anything other than a 30 minute window. I wasn't dissuaded. I solicited some of my "people" to bring a guitar, an amp and a stunning vintage drum kit into the studio and have it all set up and ready to roll. So when Dan and Patrick walked in for the allocated spot I sprung it upon them to play instead of chat, to rock out rather than talk crap. Thankfully they were into the idea.

For today's post I bring you a couple of beautifully crafted tracks from The Black Keys latest album together with two lo-fi off-the-cuff monsters, roughly mixed and 100% exclusive.

The Black Keys Unofficial Site

Muxtape Mentalism

2008-04-29T11:34:00.003+01:00

Muxtape is a new fun site for sharing music. It's very simple to use and seems to exist in the same magical legal precinct that most mp3 blogs and music podcasts reside. Since becoming aware of it, I've enjoyed rifling through a variety of trendsetters' muxtapes and it was certainly only a matter of time before I made my own. Most of the tunes I've chosen come from CDs I acquired over five years ago but the roots-of-rock pre-soul rhythm & blues jiving sound is one I'm digging right now. If you've made a muxtape or know of one I should check out then go ahead and leave a comment below.

Here's mine: Diddy Wah's Muxtape

So as not to be a tease for all the mp3 vultures that drop by, all the tunes are also available for download as single files. Dig in.

Frank Frost - My Back Scratcher
Big Joe Turner - Shake Rattle And Roll
Slim Harpo - Shake Your Hips
Big Mama Thornton - Hound Dog
Gary Spider Webb - Drum City Part 1 & 2
The Sonics - Walking The Dog
Chuck Berry - Too Much Monkey Business
Arthur 'Big Boy' Crudup - Shout, Sister, Shout
Arthur Alexander - Black Night
Bobby Bland - St. James Infirmary
Benny Spellman - Fortune Teller
Rene Touzet - El Loco Cha Cha

Rockadiddy Wahtusi

2008-04-09T22:40:00.000+01:00

Ladies and gentlemen, guys and gals, it's time to quiff up and shake down as I'm letting loose some recently sourced surf and rockabilly sounds. Every second track's an instrumental until quite near the end when I skip one just to be tricky.

mp3: Rockadiddy Wahtusi

Elvis Presley - Milkcow Blues Boogie
The Pastel Six - Bandido
Hank Mizell - Jungle Rock
Teddy and the Rough Riders - Thunder Head
Lee Cole - Cool Baby
The Dave Clark Five - Chaquita
The Phantom - Love Me
Link Wray - Zip Code
Mel Robbins - Save It
The Triumphs - Draggin' Waggin'
Elmore James - Shake Your Moneymaker
John Lee Hooker - Boom Boom
Ike Turner & Kings of Rhythm - New Breed Part II
Fats Domino - There Goes (My Heart Again)

Cookin' for Fufu Stew

2008-03-27T00:01:00.002Z

Having enjoyed Vincent's tasty treats for quite some time I was honoured to be invited to come on into his kitchen to serve up my own mixed dish. I seriously suggest you venture over to Fufu Stew and sample all of the guest mixes as well as Vincent's delicious home cooking.

Here's a link to my contribution, it's called Cookin' and it goes a little something like this.

mp3: Cookin'*
*74MB

Serves 45

What you need
1 Australian soulcover
2 freakbeats, peeled and chopped (preferably European)
2 big N'awlins bangers, sliced
4-5 wheels of modfloorfiller
a large handful of perfectly ripe soulheartbreakers (Northern)
a pinch of freshly grated fratrock
a bunch of originalversions
4-5 tablespoons of funk
The Stroke

Making It
Boil the freakbeats for about 10 minutes then drain and toss them in some funk and frat rock. Roast for 15 minutes (or until the freakbeats are golden and the fratrock crispy). Build the bangers, with wedges of soulcover and boiled soulheartbreakers, on plates. Toast one side of The Stroke under a grill then turn over and toast the other side very lightly before placing some modfloorfiller on top. Grill until the modfloorfiller is melting, golden and a little bubbly (careful not to burn The Stroke). Scatter the roast freakbeats and crispy fratrock around your bangers then top with the modfloorfiller covered Stroke. Dress it up and dig in.

Track Listing:
The Hombres - Let It Out
Andre Williams - The Stroke
The Strangers - California Soul
The Five Du-Tones - Shake A Tail Feather
Elvis Presley With The Jordanaires - Spinout
The Three Caps - Cool Jerk
Alvin Robinson - Down Home Girl
Joe Tex - Papa Was Too
Georgie Fame And The Blue Flames - Preach And Teach
J.J. Barnes - Don't Bring Me Bad News
Darrow Fletcher - The Pain Gets A Little Deeper
Timebox - Beggin'
Tom Jones - The Lonely One
Professor Longhair - Big Chief Part 1
Don Fardon - Dreamin' Room
Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons - The Night
Dave Dee, Dozy, Beaky, Mick & Tich - Hold Tight!
The Shocking Blue - Hot Sand
Jacques Dutronc - On Nous Cache Tout, On Nous Ditrien
The Flirtations - Nothing But A Heartache
Little Royal And The Swingmasters - Razor Blade
Richard Berry - Louie Louie

Outsiders

2008-03-22T13:28:00.004Z

Andy Votel's Brazilika - Track 3
Andy Votel's Brazilika - Track 4
Andy Votel's Brazilika - Track 9

I receive regular emails from label/artist/PR folk telling me about their latest releases. Mostly it isn't the sort of thing that I blog about. I don't blame them for trying but when they offer to send me a CD I politely suggest that their postage budget would best be spent elsewhere. Very very occasionally the complete opposite is true and I am only too happy to accept a promo copy. That is the case with today's post which features the best two things I've been sent gratis in the last couple of years.

Andy Votel entered my zeitgeist about five years ago when the Music Manager of the radio station I worked at suggested I listen to his Music To Watch Girls Cry mix. I presented a blues based programme at the time but was becoming more and more open to psychedelicy sounds. For the uninitiated, Music To Watch Girls Cry mixes about 75 European psych and prog tracks together into a beautifully thrilling melee of beats, fuzz and the occasional curry house radio advert. I was more than impressed, I was thoroughly turned on. Since then Votel has spawned two more equally strange and similarly titled monster mixes as well as several excellent compilation CDs including 'Folk Is Not A Four Letter Word' and 'Welsh Rare Beat'.

Last week someone from the Far Out label, which seems to specialise in Brazilian music, offered to send me Andy Votel's Brazilika AKA Subtropical Sunstroke Psych-Out and it is from this that today's tracks are taken. This is the third in a series of mixes called Brazilika with the previous two by Kenny Dope and 4hero and all the tunes used come from two Brazilian imprints, Som Livre and RGE. Like on his other mixes, Votel seamlessly segues between songs and manages to create an overall trippy feel that is very much his own. All fans of fuzzy psych, funky prog and flutey folk will enjoy this freaky South American tropical trip.

The other piece of booty that makes up this post I received maybe a year ago but haven't got round to writing about it till now. It is a book of hand drawn album covers that even surpasses Andy Votel's mix in its obscurity. Mingering Mike is a soul superstar who never was; the product of the imagination of a man from Washington, D.C.. It's a little hard to swallow at first but basically a couple of years ago at record fairs some serious record collectors began to turn up hand drawn one off album covers by an artist called Mingering Mike. They were complete with tracklistings, liner notes, copyright information and catalogue numbers. Some had cardboard records in them with the grooves drawn and labels stuck on. Some were even shrinkwrapped and had price stickers on them as if they had been sold at a real record store, many years past, but this was obviously not the case. One or two of these creations by themselves would be nice but not remarkable, what is remarkable is that Mingering Mike had a lengthy career. In at least one person's mind, he lived. Mingering Mike's creator, Mike, has been tracked down. As a teenager he dreamed of becoming a musician and wrote many songs but recorded few. Creating the packaging was his way of preparing for a future career that never came to be. The extent to which he took his fantasy is the essence of its appeal.

In total over 50 (imaginary) albums were released on various (imaginary) labels and at least as many hit singles. He went through many of the transitions that (real) musical artists of his time went through including from soul to funk, releasing soundtracks to films (which didn't exist), instrumental albums, collaborations, social awareness records, live albums, gatefold sleeved double albums, Christmas records and even a tribute record to Bruce Lee. The crate diggers that discovered these creations, a prime example of what is known as Outsider Art, discussed them on the Soul Strut Forums which led to a New York Times article. This led to an exhibition and the release of a gorgeously printed book by Princeton Architectural Press, that I was sent a copy of. It a fantastic story, wonderfully illustrated. If you are into 60s/70s soul/funk vinyl records, the art that went with them and you're interest is piqued, then I highly recommend Mingering Mike - The Amazing Career of an Imaginary Soul Superstar.

All Things Mingering Mike
Andy Votel Myspace

All Tomorrow's Explosions

2008-03-06T10:05:00.003Z

Explosions In The Sky - Welcome, Ghosts
Eluvium - Prelude For Time Feelers
Lazarus - Disco
Animal Collective - Winters Love
Animal Collective - For Reverend Green
A Hawk And A Hacksaw - The Sparrow
Battles - Atlas<
Ghostface Killah - The Champ

I've got a ticket for a music festival put on by the All Tomorrow's Parties folk. It's a relatively civilised affair that I've been to a couple of times before. After wading through knee deep muddy sludge at Glastonbury last year I'm all about sleeping in a proper bed in a cabin with a bathroom and kitchen before experiencing rock'n'roll all day and all of the night. It's a blast, good times guaranteed. The other thing that distinguishes this festival is that it's wholly curated by one act. This time it's a group from Austin, Texas that I've been told should be described as "post-rock". They're called Explosions In The Sky.

I was unfamiliar with some of the bands on the bill so I got busy downloading swarms of their tracks. Many were a real revelation and I've compiled a few of these for today's post. All of the tunes featured are by artists that I'm looking forward to seeing live for the first time come May.

All Tomorrow's Parties

Judgement

2008-02-09T14:18:00.001Z

Well it's been quite some time since I threw together a mixtape proper. My last effort, 1977, was almost a year ago and I wouldn't really even count it if the chips were down. I had had it in my head that I wanted to record a live mix using just 45rpm vinyls for quite some time, so that was how I originally planned to make this mix. After a few feeble attempts I scrapped that idea, realising that I didn't have the time, patience or skill to rerecord the same, roughly hour long, mix over and over till I got it just right. Thank the lord for modern technology. For this mix I used GarageBand and, overall, I'm happy with the way the tracks blend together. All the song still came off old 45s, hence the dubious static and clicks that appear a couple of times in its duration. For some reason, sounds that are ignorable when playing the record become prominent when digitised.

I'm often surprised by the overall sound, feel and vibe the mixtape assumes when completed, surprised at how it differs from what I intended. Plenty of good tunes featured in Judgement though, some that listeners to the Diddy Wah podcasts will be familiar with and some new ones. Some massive million sellers and some more obscure. Let me know what you think.

mp3: Judgement*
*74MB

Track Listing:

1. The Revels - Comanche
2. Chain - Judgement
3. Screamin' Jay Hawkins - I Put A Spell On You
4. Dave And The Detomics - Detomic Orbit
5. Elvis Presley - Jailhouse Rock
6. Steve Miller - Take The Money And Run
7. Toots And The Maytals - Dog War
8. Marsha Hunt's 22 - (Oh, No! Not) The Beast Day
9. Ennio Morricone - Guerra E Pace Pollo E Brace
10. The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra - Spooky Takes A Holiday
11. The Monkees - Valleri
12. Babylon - Into The Promised Land
13. Cannibal And The Headhunters - Land Of 1000 Dances
14. The Mama's And The Papa's - California Dreamin'
15. Howlin' Wolf - Evil
16. Barrett Strong - Money
17. The Mar-Keys - The Dribble
18. Andre Williams - Humpin', Bumpin' And Thumpin'
19. Bob Dylan - Subterranean Homesick Blues
20. Stevie Wonder - For Once In My Life
21. The Commodores - Keep On Dancing
22. Prince Buster - Al Capone
23. Evelyn Freeman - Didn't It Rain

Junior's Juke Joints

2008-01-17T00:01:00.001Z

Junior Kimbell - Tram?
Junior Kimbrough and Charlie Feathers - I Feel Good Again
Junior Kimbrough - Done Got Old
Junior Kimbrough - Tomorrow Night
Junior Kimbrough - I Feel Alright<
Junior Kimbrough & The Soul Blues Boys - All Night Long
Junior Kimbrough - My Mind Is Rambling
Junior Kimbrough - Most Things Haven't Worked Out

'The beginning and end of all music', is how Junior Kimbrough was described by his friend, Sun Record's mystery man, Charlie Feathers. I like his music to be described as North Mississippi slash-and-drone trance blues, which might be how Robert Palmer, the author of Deep Blues, characterized it. Ten years ago today Junior Kimbrough got done with being old so it seems like the right time to highlight some of his work.

I thought I had all of Junior's legitimately released material until Office Naps did this post. For reasons unbeknownst to me, Junior released his first record, a fine version of Lowell Fulson's 'Tramp', as Junior Kimbell. Containing Junior's distinctive electrified rhythms, it came out in 1968 on the Philwood label out of Memphis and sold well enough to warrant a second pressing.

Charlie Feathers is best known for hiccuping rockabilly tunes that were recorded in the fifties and featured on the Kill Bill soundtracks not too long back. Like Kimbrough, he was born near Holy Springs, Mississippi, just two years Junior's junior in fact. He claims Junior as his earliest influence and the two of them recorded 'I Feel Good Again' together in 1969.

Junior didn't record much in the seventies. Perhaps he was too busy playing the juke joints. But in the eighties he cut a few songs with his band, The Soul Blues Boys, for the High Water label run by the ethnomusicologist, Dr. David Evans. A session from 1988 was released in 1997 as Do The Rump, from that I've taken one of his signature songs, the devastating 'Done Got Old'. 'Tomorrow Night' was recorded in the early eighties but didn't get released until 1999 when it featured on a High Water compilation entitled Deep South Blues. Sometimes, with blues, the rawer the recording the better. Another posthumous release from 1999, the superbly lo-fi Meet Me In The City, was recorded at Junior's home. From it I've taken 'I Feel Alright' and it sounds like you would have too if you were there, for sure.

All Night Long was Junior's debut album and his first release on Fat Possum Records. It was an important album not just for Junior, but for the label and the blues as well as. Somewhat impressively at the time, it garnered a shining four-star review from Rolling Stone magazine. Produced by Robert Palmer (the writer), All Night Long was released in 1992, just six years prior to the heart attack that would take Junior's life. He was 62. From it comes the title track.

Junior Kimbrough only recorded two more albums, both on Fat Possum. From 1994's Sad Days, Lonely Nights I've picked 'My Mind Is Rambling', and from 1997's, Most Things Haven't Worked Out, I've again gone for the title track. Junior was the master of playing the one droning note, or series of notes, over and over and over, quite hypnotically. Any changes to the pattern have a profound impact. Even at six minutes long these songs aren't long enough, once you're in the groove they could happily go on and on.

All Night Long - Rolling Stone review

As an extra added treat here's a bootleg recording from 1994. The sound quality is fair to poor so this is just for the Junior Kimbrough enthusiasts.

Junior Kimbrough - Lord, Have Mercy On Me

Divas, Dames & Diddy Wah

2007-12-27T18:51:00.001Z

In this, the latest installment of the Diddy Wahcast saga, there's finally a focus. Thirteen tracks, including many Diddy Wah favourites, and not a male vocal to be heard. Also, I'm playing all LPs, but that doesn't really affect things from your point of view.

mp3: Divas, Dames and Diddy Wah

Shirley Bassey - (Where Do I Begin) Love Story
Ballroom Girls (Sweet Charity OST) - Big Spender
Peggy Lee - Spinning Wheel
Julie Driscoll - Why (Am I Treated So Bad)
Ella Fitzgerald - Hey Jude
Nancy Sinatra - Run For Your Life
Ellen McIlwaine - Jimmy Jean
Nina Simone - It Be's That Way Sometime
Bobby Gentry - Okolona River Bottom Band
Smith - I Just Want to Make Love To You
Cher - I Walk On Guilded Splinters
The Pentangle - Light Flight
Eartha Kitt - Uska Dara

Give Wah Diddy Some

2007-12-05T23:18:00.001Z

No tune is too big and no tune is too small, for the Diddy Wahcast. There are some real heavy weights featured this episode, it's hard to believe it clocks in under 40 minutes. A more appropriate length of time to fit in all these massive records would be 15 weeks but even Steve Jobs' iPod wouldn't hold that. Perhaps it has something to do with the way the files are compressed that I managed to squeeze all these large tunes into mealy 38 minutes and 22 seconds.

On a slightly more serious note, I've recently had to find somewhere new to host my files. This only affects you if you've subscribed to this podcast. If that's true then the best thing to do might be to unsubscribe and then subscribe again. You can subscribe through iTunes by clicking where it says "Subscribe to the Podcast" just below the little picture of me in the top right section of this page. If you would like to subscribe some other way, this-> http://diddy2.powweb.com/podcast.xml is what you'll need.

mp3: Give Wah Diddy Some

Screamin' Jay Hawkins - I Put A Spell On You
Irma Thomas - Break-A-Way
Andre Williams - Humpin', Bumpin' and Thumpin'
Eddie Bo - Hook and Sling Part I & Part II
Jean Knight - You Think You're Hot Stuff
Canned Heat - On The Road Again
Dennis The Fox - Piledriver
Joe Cocker and The Chris Stainton Band - Woman To Woman
The Marvels - Rock Steady
Prince Buster - Al Capone
Little Willie John - Fever

A Message To You

2007-11-26T22:33:00.001Z

Banbarra - Shack Up Pt.1
Betty Everett - You're No Good
Dandy Livingstone - Rudy A Message To You
Gloria Jones - Tainted Love
Elvis Presley - Always On My Mind
Mindbenders - A Groovy Kind Of Love
Tommy James & the Shondels - I Think Were Alone Now

Though these are not all the original versions, the songs featured today are all the definitive early versions of tunes that were covered, reasonably successfully, in the Eighties (which includes 1979 for the purposes of this post).

Washington DC group Banbarra didn't cause much of a local splash when they released the disco-funk political stomper 'Shack Up' in 1975. However since then it's had a number of resurrections including on the UK's northern soul and rare-groove dancefloors. Manchester's A Certain Ratio injected some funky rhythms into an otherwise dark sound when they covered it in 1980. Also, don't think that the killer drum break at around the 1:45 minute mark has gone unnoticed by hip-hoppers. It hasn't. What's hard to believe is that it was the only track that Banbarra recorded.

Written by Clint Ballard Jr. 'You're No Good' was first recorded and released by Dee Dee Warwick, Dionne's younger sister. Her version was surpassed by Betty Everett's, which was released soon after. Whether Van Halen's version, which features on their second album Van Halen II, surpasses Everett's is not in question.

On the forefront of the British ska revival were The Specials. The lead track on their debut album was a cover of Dandy Livingstone's wise warning to the Jamaican rude boys, 'Rudy, A Message To You'. Produced by Elvis Costello, The Specials' version features trombonist Rico Rodriguez who also played on the original.

The original version of 'Tainted Love' was sung by future Mrs Marc Bolan, Gloria Jones. With a great northern soul beat and killer handclaps it's no surprise that Soft Cell's electro-pop version went to the top of the charts in 1981, finally giving a great song its due.

Brenda Lee was the first to record it and Willie Nelson did a great version but the two most important renditions of 'Always On My Mind' are this epic one by Elvis Presley and the Pet Shop Boys' version, which beat The Pogues 'Fairytale of New York' to be the UK Christmas number one of 1987.

Like Elvis and Betty Everett, the Mindbenders weren't the first to release a version of the song featured but they were a close second. In 1988 Phil Collins covered 'A Groovy Kind Of Love' for the soundtrack to the film Buster and again the Mindbenders had to take second place as his version climbed all the way to number one whereas they only managed number two.

Music Journalist Lester Bangs showed amazing foresight when he labelled Tommy James & the Shondells' 'I Think We're Alone Now' the bubblegum apotheosis. Twenty years later, before heading out on a tour of the malls of America, Tiffany took it to the peak chart position on both sides of the Atlantic. Girls Aloud failed to do the same thing when they covered it late last year.

YouTube:
A Certain Ratio - Shack Up
Van Halen - You're No Good
The Specials - A Message To You Rudy
Soft Cell - Tainted Love
Pet Shop Boys - Always On My Mind
Phil Collins - A Groovy Kind Of Love
Tiffany - I Think We're Alone Now

Theme From Enter The Diddywah

2007-11-01T00:59:00.001Z

Look who's back with another installment of the consistently sporadic Diddy Wah podcast. All top shelf selections, as always, perhaps even a little more up-beat than usual. Party on, dudes!

mp3: Theme From Enter The Diddywah

P.P. Arnold - The First Cut Is The Deepest
The Bar-Kays - Knucklehead
The Coasters - Three Cool Cats
Chicago - I'm A Man
Don Fardon - Dreamin' Room
Babylon - Into The Promised Land
Johnny Jones And The King Casuals - Purple Haze
The Beach Boys - Wild Honey
African Music Machine - Black Water Gold
Dennis Coffey - Theme From Enter The Dragon
K.C. And The Sunshine Band - I'm Your Boogie Man
Frederick Knight - I've Been Lonely For So Long

Experience and Wisdom

2007-09-27T00:38:00.001+01:00

Mulatu Astatke - Yègellé Tezeta (My Own Memory)
Mulatu Astatke - Yèkèrmo Sèw (A Man of Experience and Wisdom)
Mulatu Astatke - Tezeta (Nostalgia)

Diddy Wah will be a little quiet for the next few weeks as I'm taking a trip to Africa. I won't be going to Ethiopia but since Mulatu Astatke is my favourite African multi-instrumentalist/composer of right now I'm going to leave you with a light sprinkling of his music. Astatke studied jazz in the UK and USA before returning home to Ethiopia with some powerful influences, including Miles Davis, John Coltrane and Jimmy Smith. He, in turn, has become one of the most influential African artists with his pop-soul-jazz-afro-funk sound. I took these tracks from a stellar CD 'Ethiopiques, Vol. 4: Ethio Jazz & Musique Instrumentale, 1969-1974' but have since found out that 2/3 of them also appear on the 'Broken Flowers' soundtrack. Jim Jarmusch has great taste, you're going to love these tunes.

Mulatu Astatke interview on Public Radio (stream)

Re: Play

2007-09-20T22:35:00.001+01:00

Bill Landford & The Landfordaires - Run On For A Long Time
Vera Hall - Trouble So Hard
Bessie Jones - Sometimes
Boy Blue & Willie Jones with Joe Lee - Joe Lee's Rock
Willie Hutch - Hospital Prelude of Love Theme
Spoonie Gee - Love Rap
Incredible Bongo Band - Apache

Today, for your downloading pleasure, some of the songs Moby sampled to make his multi-million selling album, Play. Play holds the dubious honour of being the first album to have all of its tracks commercially licenced. I remember a promo copy arriving at my student radio station and it being quite a few months before it started receiving widespread recognition. I presented a blues program that wasn't afraid of the nu-blues and so it got a few spins. I guess I liked it but it's been a while so I couldn't say how it's holding up today. Most of these sample sources, however, are timeless.

Also known as 'God's Gonna Cut You Down', 'Run On For A Long Time' was recorded by Bill Landford and the Landfordaires (super band name) back in 1949 in Memphis, Tennessee. A gorgeous driving gospel tune about how God's gonna get ya, it went through the Moby beat machine and became 'Run On'.

I've mentioned Vera Hall before in a post on music recorded by the Lomaxes. There used to be a great site called the Vera Hall Project maintained by someone who became enamoured by her stunning voice after hearing 'Natural Blues', the Moby song which samples 'Trouble So Hard', but it seems to have disappeared.

'Sometimes' is another Lomax a capella recording that acquired a new name after receiving the Moby treatment. 'Honey', from memory, is one of the choice cuts from Play as it takes Bessie Jones' natural rhythm and extrapolates it into a dance tune. Top sample.

As far a blues songs go 'Joe Lee's Rock' doesn't really float my boat but in the interest of being comprehensive, here it is. For 'Find My Baby' Moby only uses the first few seconds. Thankfully his sample doesn't include any of the broken harmonica.

Moby enlists some of the genius of Willie Hutch, from the Foxy Brown soundtrack, to help set the mood on 'If Things Were Perfect'. 'Hospital Prelude of Love Theme' is a lush and atmospheric piece of music, with Hutch's expressive vocals providing a melancholic edge.

Spoonie Gee is proper old-school. His 'Love Rap' was released on the very first day of the eighties. Its barrage of words over a solid bongo beat is exactly what used to be known as Rap Music. Moby takes some of Spoonie's fly rhymes and injects them into his big beat smash, 'Bodyrock'.

If you listen closely to 'Machete' you will hear some of the distinctive bongo beats of the Incredible Bongo Band. Their version of 'Apache' has been sampled many, many times and plays a key, and well documented, role in the birth of Hip-Hop.

Moby > Play - Last FM

Noah's Ark

2007-09-02T16:42:00.001+01:00

My second bite into the compilation apple was inspired by a visit to my good buddy, Delta Desmond's seaside abode. Des had recently become Dad to a little tiger named Ollie. He showed me how he likes to put on an animal song and, using a soft toy of that creature, teach Ollie all about the animal kingdom. Too cute. So this one's dedicated to Desi and all the recent parents, animal and music lovers of this world. To complete the educational smorgasboard, it's ordered alaphabetically by animal. The zip file contains all the tunes and cover artwork with a tracklisting so you can make it into a CD. Let me know if you do.

zip: Noah's Ark*
*89MB

Tracklisting:

1. Sandy Nelson - Alligator Boogaloo
2. The Beach Boys - Little Bird
3. The Shangri-Las - Bulldog
4. The Ikettes - Camel Walk
5. Muddy Waters - Tom Cat
6. Ink Spots feat. Ella Fitzgerald - Cow-Cow Boogie
7. C.W. Stoneking - Dodo Blues
8. Henry Mancini - Baby Elephant Walk
9. Sonny Boy Williamson - Fattening Frogs For Snakes
10. The Flaming Lips - This Here Giraffe
11. Koko Taylor - Egg Or The Hen
12. Lee Perry & The Upsetters - Jungle Lion
13. Joanna Newsom - Monkey & Bear
14. James Duncan - Three Little Pigs
15. Eddie 'Son' House - The Pony Blues
16. Jefferson Airplane - White Rabbit
17. Big Mama Thornton - I Smell A Rat
18. Al Wilson - The Snake
19. Brian Auger & The Trinity feat. Julie Driscoll - Tiger
20. The Moody Blues - Tortoise & The Hare
21. Tori Amos - Mr. Zebra

Hi, this is Elvis Presley

2007-08-16T08:48:00.002+01:00

Elvis Presley - The Truth About Me (Monologue)
Elvis Presley - Interview (Jacksonville, Florida)
Elvis Presley - Interview (WMPS, Memphis)
Elvis Presley - Interview (Witchita Falls, Texas)
Elvis Presley - Interview (Lacrosse, Wisconsin)
Elvis Presley - Interview (Little Rock, Arkansas)

I first got into the music of Elvis Presley on a school trip to Central Australia. At a truck stop, for two dollars, I picked up a cassette of his early recordings. Much to the chagrin of many, who seemed to prefer NKOTB or some similar pap, this tape got a fair airing on the bus stereo system. Of course I already knew of him from his movies, which were shown back-to-back every weekend afternoon on Australian television in the eighties, but this was my introduction to his tunes. I don't have the cassette to hand but it was probably all his Sun recordings, which is a damn good place to start with Elvis.

From shortly after he made those recordings, for today's post, I'm featuring a handful of interviews he did while on tour. Elvis' ascent to fame was rapid. From the release of his first single in July, 1954 to him being the top selling recording artist in the US was just a couple of years. These interviews take place when he was right on the cusp of full blown superstardom. He is a phenomenon. He just gets bigger and bigger with every record he releases, every town he plays and every television appearance. I find it fascinating to listen to a young, and relatively unguarded, Elvis speak humbly and politely, answering all sorts of personal questions, while a storm is brewing around him of a size that no one could possibly fathom.

The first selection is also the latest. It was recorded in Hollywood on August 29, 1956 and included on a gold 7" flexidisc that came out with a magazine called Elvis Answers Back - The Truth About Me. He's incredibly frank and open; when he talks about being an only child it's spine tingling.

Just over one year earlier, Elvis was interview by Mae Axton in Jacksonville. Axton would go on to co-write Heartbreak Hotel and do some PR for The Colonel (Tom Parker), but in 1955 she was still a high school teacher. Elvis is as polite as ever but he's fibbing when he says that he "never did sing anywhere in public in my life, till I made this first record".

Bob Neil, a WMPS radio DJ and Elvis' first manager, recorded this interview with Elvis and his band (Scotty Moore and Bill Black) to promote an upcoming show in Texarkana. It's a casual affair with Elvis referring to the interviewer as "Bobert" and Black simply plugging the Elvis photographs he will be selling for a quarter at the show. Neil mentions another rising star, Johnny Cash, who's apparently "a swell young fella".

In April, 1956, for radio station WNOE in Wichita Falls, Jay Thompson recorded this interview where Elvis recalls how he was driving a truck and studying to be an electrician before getting mixed up in the music business. At the interview's conclusion Elvis thanks the interviewer and all the wonderful people who have been buying his records and coming out to see his shows... "that's really what makes, anybody, is the people, you can make 'em or break 'em".

From Elvis's dressing room at the Sawyer Auditorium in Lacrosse, Wisconsin comes the next selection. Elvis sounds a little tired as he goes through the motions of answering the same questions. After four minutes you can hear the hoards of screaming girls trying to break the door down.

Just two days later, on May 16, 1956, Elvis recorded an interview with Ray Green in Little Rock, Arkansas. Green asks him how it feels to be "right up there on top... right with the best of them." According to Elvis, "it feels pretty good".

YouTube - Elvis' first TV appearance
Belfast Telegraph - Elvis weird and wonderful facts

Seven Lee

2007-08-10T08:06:00.001+01:00

Lee Hazlewood - Your Sweet Love
Lee Shot Williams - You're Welcome To The Club
Lee Morgan - The Sidewinder
Lee Dorsey - A Lover Was Born
Lee 'Scratch' Perry - Soul Fire
Lee Moses - California Dreaming
Lee Marvin - Wand'rin Star

On Monday morning, shortly before I was to start the working week, my phone buzzed the buzz of an incoming text. Message received from Colin: "Lee Hazlewood's autumn finally came on Saturday. He's taking that dirtnap now." Minutes earlier I had read the extremely sad but not entirely unexpected news of Lee's passing and was frantically trying to put together a clever text message to Colin, but he beat me to the punch, again. I could only muster the lame response: "He was something special, his boots will keep on walking". The idea for a post featuring various musical Lees was already in the pipeline but the timing now seems rather apt.

With just a few words Lee Hazlewood tells a heavy tale of resisted temptation. Mournful vocals, lush strings and a line beginning with "until the death..." are all part of the recipe for 'Your Sweet Love' which first appeared in 1966 on The Very Special World of Lee Hazlewood.

Like many artists at the time, Mississippi born Lee 'Shot' Williams moved north, first to Detroit then Chicago, where he had a hit in 1964 on the King subsidiary Federal Records with 'You're Welcome To The Club'. Little Milton also recorded the tune just one year later.

'The Sidewinder', the title track to an album released in 1963, was a crossover hit for trumpet player Lee Morgan. Breezey blues based funky soul jazz, it's easy to hear why this meandering track had, and still has, wide appeal.

Next is Lee Dorsey backed by The Meters doing a song he co-wrote with Allen Toussaint. 'A Lover Was Born' couldn't possibly be more NOLA. From 1969, this song is as almost as funny as it is funky.

Primarily a producer, Lee 'Scratch' Perry put his own name to 'Soul Fire'. It splendidly reflects his tortured creative-genius temperament and can be found on the excellent Arkology three disc compilation of material he recorded at the Black Ark Studio (before burning it down).

Little is known about Lee Moses, who emerged out of the Atlanta soul scene in the 60s. For a more in depth look at his recorded output, check out this post over at In Dangerous Rhythm. His incredible interpretation of 'California Dreaming' is done Bobby Womack style but with more grit and, dare I say it, more soul. It appears on his only album, Time and Place.

I used Lee Marvin's 'Wand'rin Star' in my last podcast. Such a cool song. I haven't seen the Western it's featured in, Paint Your Wagon, but from his vocals in this tune I get the feeling he's got the grumpy-old-restless-cowboy role down pat. There's lots of amusing lines, I particularly like this one: "do I know where hell is / hell is in hello / heaven is in goodbye forever / it's time for me to go".

Sinatra family forum Lee Hazelwood thread

Keep Them Diddies Wahing

2007-08-04T00:15:00.000+01:00

I keep buying records so I've got to keep producing podcasts. Here's another one, just like the other ones, but better. A slight Wild West meets Jungle Beats theme runs throughout, but don't concentrate on that, just listen out for Mack The Knife, it's sublime.

mp3: Keep Them Diddies Wahing

Frankie Laine - Rawhide
Buddy Holly - Bo Diddley
The Tornados - Jungle Fever
The Johnny Otis Show - The Johnny Otis Hand Jive
Mr. Bloe - Groovin' With Mr. Bloe
Richie Havens - Indian Rope Man
Bobby Darin - Mack The Knife
Duane Eddy - Rebel Walk
Lee Marvin - Wand'rin' Star
The Nashville Teens - All Along The Watchtower
Jimi Hendrix Experience - Hey Joe
The Dick Hyman Trio - Theme From The Three Penny Opera