This week’s Songs of the Week were all heard on vinyl only. Some were from records I had for my birthday, others I bought with birthday money.
Dozens of songs listened to, here are five that stood out:
Forget using your super smart, internet enabled portable phone as a means of playing music. And forget iPods, too – sadly the swines at Apple have decided to sacrifice their master product, in order to concentrate on their vile mutant phone. My mate Greeny has a much better music playing machine than any of those.
Greeny has a jukebox.
The jukebox is named Florence. After Florence and the Machine, as she’s a machine, obviously. Florence stands proudly in the corner of the lounge, neither dominating the room or sitting back like a wall flower. But Florence has presence: when the lights are on and the tunes are spinning, you will be drawn magnetically to this wondrous device.
He’s been collecting 7 inch singles since he were a lad, has Greeny. Now Florence is a treasure trove packed full of delightful vinyl gems. There’s a wild variety of musical genres in Florence, spanning the decades. She’s regularly re-stocked and/or has the records switched out and replaced with others, keeping the music selection fresh and entrancing.
Florence holds around 84 records. Don’t forget that there’s a song on side A and B, so that’s a generous amount of music to enjoy.
It’s a lot of fun gathering around the jukebox in Greeny’s front room, with a few beers and spinning some records. I would love one of my own, one day – though they cost a few hundred quid, so it’s unlikely. I’m collecting a few cool 7 inch singles just in case, though…
Here’s a list of the records that are currently stocked inside Florence. Remember Greeny has to rotate the records, as he has far more than this! Which songs would you choose to play?
And if you’re interested, this jukebox is a Rowe AMI RI-3.
The tracks:
The Holy Rollers
Saturday 3rd October 2015
The White Bear, Mancot, Deeside
Now I may not know much, but I do know two things very well: the first one is ROCK and the second one is ROLL. And so I was looking forward to finally seeing The Holy Rollers play, bringing their unique brand of rock star to a local venue.
The White Bear is a great pub; featuring live acts every Saturday in addition to all the other wonderful things they do (like the food). It’s also very close to home for me, luckily. Though I was a bit worried I might end up hosting the after gig party for The Holy Rollers, being so close to the place. Luckily that never happened – otherwise my TV would surely have been thrown out of the window…
Wrexham’s finest – The Holy Rollers – are a covers band par excellence; expertly rendering classics across various genres from different decades. I understand they’re also debauched rock’n’rollers with a penchant for chaos and partying.
Whilst anticipation mounted, the band took their places and the intro tape played the start of the A-Team. You know, “In 1972, a crack commando unit was sent to prison for a crime they didn’t commit…” This was the first stroke of genius of the night. If ever I’m in a band, I want the A-Team intro before I go on. Awesome.
The Holy Rollers, crack commando rock stars that they are, launched into their first set of the night setting the tone nicely, with well chosen songs that skipped across styles effortlessly. There’s some Oasis (“Rock’n’Roll Star”); some Stones (“Jumpin’ Jack Flash”) and even a classy “Beat It” to get the party started. An early highlight for me was the Weezer classic “Buddy Holly”, just ‘cos I love Weezer. 
The band confidently raided the back catalogue of numerous great bands to deliver a quality set, impressing with their craft. Vocals and guitar duties are shared (and alternated) between Rob Roxx and G Bomb, adding some variety to the delivery. Both of them delivered the tunes with a cool tenacity that made it all look easy.
The first set featured a storming final run through “Should I Stay of Should I Go”, “Hard Day’s Night”, “You Really Got Me” and Primal Scream’s “Rocks”. You can’t fault that for a set list.
After a short break, the second half of the gig was back on. We get ‘Phonics classic “Local Boy in the Photograph” and a bit of Bon Jovi. The Holy Rollers version of Bad Company nugget “Feel Like Makin’ Love” was another highlight and a nice change of pace.
A mini punk rock section followed with “Teenage Kicks” (Undertones) and “Ever Fallen In Love…” (Buzzcocks). The rhythm section did a fine job of keeping everything together as the pace changed through out the gig. Bass player Maxx stalked the room like a rock’n’roll avenger with mayhem in mind. Drummer Good Boy Roy pummelled the skins as if they’d insulted his mother.
Although delivering familiar material, The Holy Rollers always have an element of surprise tucked up their sleeves. Case in point is the genius mash up of “Seven Nation Army” and “I Heard It Through the Grapevine” – two songs melded together to create a whole new monster. It shouldn’t work, but it does – incredible. The White Stripes and Marvin Gaye? Who knows what other Frankensteins these mad scientists can create?
The joy of The Holy Rollers gig was the fearless renditions of songs regardless of musical styles; be it “Uptown Funk”, Bowie’s “Let’s Dance” or the Smiths. They are unafraid to play great songs, whether old or new, and regardless of genre. It made a refreshing change to hear this four man mobile juke box playing songs that were well known, but given an exciting make over.
When the gig was over, The Holy Rollers dispersed. Probably off to some rock star mansion to drive a Rolls Royce into the pool. Or setting off fire works in expensive hotels. Whatever they got up to; we, the people can rest assured. Rock’n’roll is in safe hands.
Johnny’s Place, Parga, Greece
My holiday this summer was another visit to Parga in Greece. It’s a very beautiful town on the west coast; nestled snugly amongst beach and harbour. In the bay there is a small island with white church resting on top; above the town is an ancient fort – it’s real picturesque stuff.
Parga features many excellent tavernas, restaurants and bars. A bar I’ve now visited a few times is Johnny’s Place, where the cold beer is “cheap as chips” and the welcome is warm.
Situated in the middle of town, the people watching at Johnny’s Place is second to none. It’s a relaxing atmosphere with some great tunes.
Over the space of a few visits to this bar, we compiled a playlist of songs that were heard. In the spirit of reminiscing about another fabulous summer holiday, here are the songs that take me back to that time and place.
Imagine enjoying a cold Mythos (and a plate of meze, as provided gratis here!) and let the everyday stresses melt away…
If you visit Parga – and I highly recommend you do – don’t forget to pay Johnny’s Place a visit.
The website for Johnny’s Place is here.
The Facebook page is here.
Thanks to Colin for the menu board photo!
“Essential Tracks” is a new Music section at the Virtual Hot Tub. In this ongoing series, I’ll be picking my favourite tracks from a particular artist. Here’s the very first instalment.
Nirvana – the Top 20 Songs
Sadly, 5th April marks twenty years since the death of Kurt Cobain. It seems somewhat unreal that so much time has passed. I remember buying Nevermind as soon as it came out in 1991. I remember hearing about Kurt’s death when it was announced. Such a great artist and unique, complex music. This is a list of my favourite Nirvana songs.
20. Come As You Are
A great song, over familiarity has probably knocked this track down the table. Find it on Nevermind. As a point of interest, my old band used to cover this. We performed it live on the second anniversary of Kurt’s death; it received a warm response. At that point (in the pre-internet) we hadn’t realised the significance of the date, it had been a coincidence.
19. You Know You’re Right
From the Nirvana compilation. Awesome song – classic Nirvana soft/heavy dynamic.
18. Been A Son
My version of this song is from the Incesticide album. Fast paced, a catchy melody – and lyrics worth the time to listen to.
17. Lithium
One of the classic Nevermind songs, this has a fantastic sing a long chorus that shows Kurt’s ear for a fine tune.
16. Serve the Servants
Opening track from the superb In Utero album, I’ve surprised myself that I haven’t placed this song higher in my own list. Love it. “Teenage angst has paid off well, now I’m bored and old”.
15. Negative Creep
Absolutely brutal riff. One of the heaviest, punkiest songs in the Nirvana catalogue. Perhaps something of an early Melvins influence here, probably some Black Flag too. You can find it on Bleach.
14. Molly’s Lips
Out-standing cover version of a Vaselines song, on the Incesticide album. Unbelievably poppy despite buzzing guitars, it’s a blueprint that Cobain adopted and mastered.
13. Territorial Pissings
Another hardcore punk attack, though Territorial Pissings still retains a melody despite the speed and fury. Awesome instrumental break and reliably quotable lyrics. Nevermind again.
12. On A Plain
It’s really hard to select the best songs from an album as indispensible as Nevermind, but I remember this track always stood out for me.
11. All Apologies
This gem doesn’t get in the Top Ten? I know, ridiculous, right? It’s on In Utero and there’s a pretty cool version on the MTV Unplugged set, too.
10. Sliver
We start the Top Ten with a great pop tune that, incredibly, wasn’t on the major releases. You can pick it up though, on Incesticide – and I suggest you do.
9. Something In The Way
This song and Polly offer some quieter, haunting moments on Nevermind. When we get to the chorus and the cello comes in, it’s heart break time.
8. Pennyroyal Tea
Like quite a few of Kurt’s songs, Pennyroyal Tea sneaks in quietly before launching into different territory. Brilliant song from In Utero that demonstrates perfectly the melding of melody and mayhem in the best Nirvana tunes.
7. About A Girl
An early hint of Kurt Cobain’s ability to create a beautiful pop song; it’s no surprise that he was a huge Beatles fan. Find it on Bleach, there’s also a killer version on MTV Unplugged.
6. Francis Farmer Will Have Her Revenge on Seattle
“I miss the comfort in being sad”, quiet/loud/quiet/loud; great riff. Wonderful track from In Utero, complete with scathing lyrics.
5. Scentless Apprentice
Dun-dun-der-der! D-der der d-der d-der! Do I really need to say more? So heavy. It must have scared the Indie scenesters to death. Run for the hills, Indie scenesters!
4. Where Did You Sleep Last Night
A cover of the Leadbelly song, found on the MTV Unplugged album. Kurt sounds truly agonised on this exceptional song, though it retains it’s beauty.
3. Dive
Apparently written as a Soundgarden style song, in an effort to appeal to their label Sub Pop and get signed. It should come as no surprise, however, that Kurt – a huge Black Sabbath fan – would be able to create a riff as heavy as this. Heavy like a brontosaurus breaking rocks. With a big fucking hammer.
2. Smells Like Teen Spirit
This is the big one. Iconic, revolutionary – but Nirvana’s best song? I don’t think so. Not to deny it’s power, maybe I’ve just heard it a little too much. Still great though. It’s on Nevermind, but you knew that, right?
1. Heart Shaped Box
Allegedly, Courtney Love heard Kurt writing this song, loved the immortal riff, and asked if he would donate it to her. Kurt declined, and apparently locked himself in a cupboard to finish it off. The quintessential quiet/loud dynamic. Utterly unforgettable. This, for me, is Nirvana’s best song.
So there you go – my Top 20 Essential Nirvana songs. And I didn’t mention the word “grunge” once.
Compiling this list was much more difficult than I anticipated. I was forced to leave out some absolutely classic songs; like In Bloom, Rape Me, Aneurysm and Nirvana’s amazing cover of David Bowie’s The Man Who Sold The World. There are others, too.
I reserve the right, in all Essential Tracks posts, to revise my thoughts at a later date. Already, I’m thinking that Scentless Apprentice should’ve been number 1.
Dun-dun-der-der! D-der der d-der d-der!
Platinum Al's Virtual Hot Tub 