Tag Archives: music

The Best of 2020

Posted on by
Reply

Well, that was a mad old year, wasn’t it? 2020 was more like a bizarre disaster movie than the regular fun ride that we’re used to. A pandemic made hermits of us all; working from home became the new normal for many and travel and events ceased to exist. A year from hell for most of us, though it’s far from over yet.

Here at Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub, we’ve aimed to soldier on and bring you the very best in blogging entertainment. Be it music, skateboards, toys or tat, whatever nonsense I could investigate was delivered with all the expected wit and style.

As is customary at this time, let’s take a look back at the top ten most popular blog posts of last year. Calling it “The Best of 2020” seems somewhat incongruous, but let’s roll with it for traditions sake.

10. Haiku – Autumn

An encouraging response to my creative writing, I was very surprised to see that this poetry piece in the Japanese Haiku style was my tenth most-read post of the year. Encore?

9. Firebreather – Under a Blood Moon Album Review

There was a distinct lack of live music in 2020 (Obviously), but quite a few album reviews for my old pals at Ever Metal. This review of Swedish doom metal band Firebreather’s album was the most read at the Virtual Hot Tub.

8. Halloween Horror Fest 2020

The first of my annual horror movie reviews of 2020, this one featured the Hammer version of Dracula.

7. The Best of 2019

I’m not sure if last years top 10 blogs appearing here is a good thing or not? Either way, 2019’s round up of the most popular blogs was a winner.

6. STYLE: Safari Jacket

2020 saw the materialisation of the long-promised STYLE section at the Virtual Hot Tub. This first blog, concerning the wonderful Safari jacket, got us off to a great start.

5. Skate Art: Liane Plant/Death Skateboards

A feature about some of my favourite skate art, as created by the super talented Liane Plant for Death skateboards. Awesome stuff.

4. SK88: Old School Skateboard Playlist

More skateboard based action, with a playlist of songs from my skating youth in the late 80’s. Full of stone-cold classics, these songs still inspire my sessions today.

3. Death Star Playset

I love my vintage Death Star playset. Setting it up with original Star Wars figures for some blog photos was a lot of fun, it’s great to see it was popular!

2. 1980s Skateboard Style

More skateboarding, and another successful entry for the STYLE section! It’s me, dressed in old skate clothes from the late 80s that still fit (or did, before lockdown).

…And what will be the most popular, widely read blog of 2020? Drum roll, please:

  1. Kantouni Village Sausage and Tzatziki

Yes, the most popular was this food blog, which benefitted from a genuine traditional recipe, and an idea to recreate a Greek holiday vibe with ingredients from the local supermarket.

As travel wasn’t happening this year for most of us, perhaps it’s no surprise that the Greek recipe blog came out on top. It was written as an ode to holidays and Mediterranean sunshine, something that wasn’t a possibility for many last year. I hope you found some nostalgic comfort from this post.

Usually my annual Top 10 has featured a load of comic con events – or similar – at the top of the list. Those events didn’t happen this year, so the Top 10 has a very different flavour. Who knows what 2021 will bring us?

Whatever the strange pan-dimensional cross flux of crazy brings us next, I’d like to thank you all for reading my blog. Please remember to pop by Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub as soon as you can!

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #19

Posted on by
Reply

Hit singles! All time classic songs! Novelty throw-away rubbish! From the cool to the crap, it’s all to be found at Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub on a Singles Night.

You see, what I do is, listen to a pile of old 7 inch singles that have been languishing in my “not played yet” pile. They could have come from anywhere: genuine gems that I’ve tracked down; record fair lucky finds; or – more likely – junk I find in charity shops.

Pour yourself a drink and check this list out. Do you own any of these on vinyl? What are your favourites? What should be consigned to a fiery pit and melted down?

  1. Kim Wilde – “You Came” / “Stone”
  2. Louis Armstrong – “All the Time in the World” / “Pretty Little MIssy”
  3. The Hollies – “The Air That I Breathe” / “No More Riders”
  4. Duran Duran – “The Wild Boys” / “(I’m Looking for) Cracks in the Pavement (1984)”
  5. Bananarama – “Robert De Niro’s Waiting” / “Push!”
  6. The Beach Boys – “Good Vibrations” / “Heroes and Villains”
  7. Justin Hayward – “Forever Autumn” / “The Fighting Machine”
  8. The Buggles – “Video Killed the Radio Star” / “Kid Dynamo”
  9. ABBA – “Angeleyes” / “Voulez-Vous”
  10. The Creatures – “Miss the Girl” / “Hot Springs in the Snow”
  11. Blondie – “Rapture” / “Walk Like Me”
  12. Bobby Patrick Band – “Dallas Theme” / “The Waltons Theme”
  13. The Beatles – “The Ballad of John and Yoko” / “Old Brown Shoe”
  14. Goombay Dance Band – “Seven Tears” / “Mama Coco”
  15. Lionel Richie – “All Night Long (All Night)” / “Wandering Stranger”
  16. Donna Summer – “Dim All the Lights” / “There Will Always Be a You”
  17. Jermaine Stewart – “We Don’t Have to…” / “Brilliance”
  18. Allan Sherman – “Mexican Hat Dance” / “Won’t You Come Home Disraeli?”
  19. Earth, Wind and Fire – “Let’s Groove” / “Let’s Groove (Instrumental)”
  20. Pointer Sisters – “I’m so Excited” / “What a Surprise”

Some classics indeed. Another great night of a couple of small drinkies and spinning wax: I recommend it to anyone.

The Goners – Good Mourning Album Review

Posted on by
Reply

The Goners – Good Mourning

RidingEasy Records (Us/Them Group)

Release date: 13/03/2020

Running time: 41 minutes

Review by: Alun Jones

8.5/10

This little beauty threw off it’s shackles and ran for the hills, almost without me noticing.  I’m blaming the societal breakdown caused by Corona virus, obviously not an oversight on my part.  No, sir.  “Good Mourning” – the debut album from The Goners – was released back in March 2020; just before the world turned into a 1970’s Charlton Heston dystopian sci-fi movie.

The Goners are comprised of Nate Gone – formerly of Salem’s Pot – on vocals, with four dudes from Swedish rock band Yvonne.  “Good Mourning” is a throw-back to zoned-out good times and bizarro occult rock, with absolutely no regret the morning after.

First song “Are You Gone Yet” sets the pace nicely: fuzzy 60’s garage rock with a proto metal ferocity.  With the next track, “High, Low and Never In Between”, the Goners throw in more of their other specialty – 70s doom with groovy, care-free freak outs.

Wonderfully out of time, this retro feast also sounds totally now.  You can throw this on your portable music system and liven up any social gathering (so long as you stay far enough apart).  Press play and jump around all crazy-style to “Evil (Is Not Enough)” and “The Little Blue” – this is Black Sabbath if they were a Stones cover band.

Plus – and this seals the deal – a couple of fine, desert bleached songs in “Good Ol’ Death” and “Dead in the Saddle” that rattle with a dread atmosphere.  Absolutely essential for your next David Lynch/rockabilly/goth themed horror party.

“Good Mourning” by The Goners, then: if you’re a werewolf biker trapped in a cursed world you never made, but like to let your scraggy hair down with chicks from a Russ Meyer movie – this is for you.  Great cover art, too.

I’ve thought I was a goner myself, on a few occasions: most of them involving my old mucker Ozzy Osbourne.  One time, we were drinking in a golf club in LA and got thrown out, as you can imagine.  So, Ozzy decided to go for a joyride in a golf buggy, with me on shotgun.  He was flooring it, but we were only going at a jogging pace, so the golfers soon caught us up and were ready to brain us with their hitty-stick things.

All of a sudden, Oz drove the buggy over a hill and we toppled into a sand dune (bunker?).  We were lucky we were thrown clear and the buggy just managed to avoid crushing the pair of us.  The golfers took pity and consoled us with a nice brandy in the clubhouse.  Till the cops turned up, and dragged Ozzy and me off to jail.  The whole time, we were both wearing Sharon’s dresses.

Find The Goners on Bandcamp and Facebook.

Check out the RidingEasy Records website, or find them on Bandcamp or Facebook.

This review was brought to you by Platinum Al and Ever Metal.

Firewind Album Review

Posted on by
Reply

Firewind – Firewind

AFM Records

Release date: 15/05/2020

Running time: 48 mins

Review by: Alun Jones

7.5/10

 

We all make mistakes.  Some of us blunder all the time, and the consequence of those slip-ups can be catastrophic.  And some of us don’t like to admit when we’re wrong.

Confession time: I volunteered to review this Firewind album because I got them mixed up with another band with “fire” in the name (or possibly a couple).  I was slightly mortified when I realised that this band weren’t what I was expecting: none of the sludgy comfort blanket that I usually wrap my ears in.

Firewind are – Zeus help me – a melodic, power metal band.  Not a corner of metal that I’m particularly well versed in, or a fan of.  I fucking hate Helloween, for a start.  And Queensryche.  And fucking Europe.  This was going to be a challenge.

Yet your old pal Al is nothing if not a trooper.  They’re (partially) Greek, which intrigued me being a huge fan of the country.  I plunged into this assignment with an open mind – and do you know what?  This isn’t bad at all.  In fact, I quite enjoyed it.

Opening track “Welcome to the Empire” begins with some fine acoustic guitar before erupting into a big, bombastic rock monster.  It is, like most of the album, totally over the top – but also loads of fist pumping fun.  This ain’t pop music.  It’s fast and powerful (see “Devour”), and while not quite as brutal as my usual preferences, packs a mighty whallop.

The musicianship is exemplary.  Guitar genius Gus G has plenty of flair, but can throw out some crushing, crunchy riffs when required: “Rising Fire” and “Space Cowboy” being a two great examples.  Fast, flashy solos ain’t my scene, but there’s plenty of chugging metal to keep me interested.

The rhythm section – Petros Christo (bass) and Jo Nunez (drums) go beyond textbook and play excellently throughout the album.  Give “Orbitual Sunrise” and “Overdrive” a go for evidence.

Vocals provided by new singer Herbie Langhans are dramatic, in a typically Teutonic fashion.  This guy is straight out of a Wagnerian epic; despite being somewhat more operatic than I’m used to, he can certainly belt it out.  On every single song.

Sorry to disappoint any readers who thought they might actually read a less than positive review from yours truly.  Firewind isn’t my usual cup of absinthe with opium chaser, but I found it very easy to appreciate.  This album is well played, well written, well produced and delivered with some love and pride – all of which manages to steer this album away from trite cliche.

Metal wearing its heart on its sleeve and with a refreshing honesty, I just couldn’t bring myself to hate Firewind.   If I can dig it, then fans of this genre will love it.

Read more like this review on the Ever Metal website.

Find out more about Firewind on their official website, Facebook and YouTube.

And you can visit AFM records here.

Son of Boar – Stoned Wail Single Review

Posted on by
Reply

Son of Boar – Stoned Wail

Self-released

Release date: 26/06/2020

Running time: 18 minutes

Review by: Alun Jones

9/10

 

Singles don’t often get reviewed here at Ever Metal, purely because there’s so damn many of them.  They just can’t compete with the album reviews.  But rules are made to be broken, and this release from Son of Boar demanded some attention.  Having witnessed the live onslaught of this band at Pentre Fest earlier this year, Son of Boar have risen on to my personal favourites list, and I’m damn near rabid for any new material.

Waves crash as a mesmeric bass begins to chime, creating a deceptively ambient vibe.  Guitars and drums warm the sound as the band slowly build momentum.  They’re in no rush, but when the main riff kicks in, it’s worth the wait.  Luke’s vocals roar and the song rises like a leviathan from the depths.  “Stoned Wail” is 9 minutes of powerful, groove laden doom rhythms: thundering bass, churning guitars and crashing drums.  This fisherman’s tale is indeed a whopper of humungous  proportions.

With two additional live tracks (“Outlet” and the boogie influenced “The Weekend”), this is a great introductory package to a band destined for big things.  “Stoned Wail” is taken from the forthcoming debut album, which, to be honest, I’m shitting my shoes off in anticipation for.  TUSKS UP!

Get yerself on over to witness Son of Boar at Bandcamp and Facebook, or maybe YouTube if you fancy it.

Twitter and Instagram are: @son_of_boar

Desert Storm – Omens Album Review

Posted on by
Reply

Time for another album review: as originally published by Ever Metal, now here for your enjoyment too…

Desert Storm – Omens

APF Records

Release date: 01/05/2020

Running time: 40 mins

Review by: Alun Jones

9.5/10

Put your feet up, relax – pour yourself a drink and take the weight off your feet.  All you need to do is chill – I’ve already done the hard work.  I’ve found your new favourite band: they’re called Desert Storm, and their latest album has just been released by APF records.

If you’re new to the name, Desert Storm are from merry old Oxford; and since forming in 2007, have been building their following formidably.  They’ve appeared at major rock festivals; plus supported and toured with some personal heroes of mine (Corrosion of Conformity, The Atomic Bitchwax amongst others).  I saw Desert Storm a few years ago supporting the mighty Karma to Burn; they managed to steal the show from the headliners, as far as I was concerned.

Opening with a sombre, haunting spoken word piece, Omens proceeds to take the listener on a journey that is powerful, yet also introspective.  It’s an otherworldly trip that’s both visceral and immediate, but also demands greater exploration.

“Black Bile” demonstrates the strategy perfectly: heavy, grinding and relentless – with moments of melody that blend into the whole without jarring.  In absolute basics, this is the sludge of Down combined with the aspirational progressiveness of Mastodon.  Thudding, head banging riffs adorn “Vengeful Gods”, but there’s also an almost Morricone-like cinematic sensation as the song develops and grows.

At times anthemic, there are also magnificently effective sections of the songs that contrast beautifully with the hard driving doom metal.  “Pain, Grief and Suffering” features an extended mid-section that is beguilingly serene.  When the heavy re-enters, it’s all the more neck-breakingly persuasive.  Throw in a captivating solo and you’re on to a highlight.

“The Path of Most Resistance” builds from humble beginnings to a massive groove riff of Sabbathian splendour; whilst “Lockjaw” is short and brutal.  This leads us to the final track, “Rebirth”: a masterpiece that is heavy only in sentiment.  What a song.  Despite a medieval vibe, it’s the ideal soundtrack to spin whilst driving through the desert in a stolen Dodge Challenger as the sun sets, with Smokey on your tail.

Every song on Omens can be enjoyed on its own merits, but as a whole plays as a genuine compendium that the listener can enjoy from start to finish.  I knew Desert Storm were good, but I didn’t expect them to have grown so much.  Or deliver a new album with so much scope.  Here’s a British band that could step up into national – and then international – consciousness.  They just need your support.  Do it.  I’m off to buy the vinyl version.

Talking about deserts – did I tell you about that infamous escapade on one of my legendary soul-searching soirees into the Mojave?  I crept into my usual cave to seek shelter, only to encounter Jim bloody Morrison hogging it.   He was out of his gourd on peyote and mumbling about Aldous Huxley or some such.  There was no way I could meditate with that loon around, so I threw him out.  Break through that to the other side, Jimbo!  My Yaqui shaman and I needed the space to contact Atlantis.

STOP PRESS: Putting my money where my mouth is, I stumped up hard earned cash for a vinyl copy of this album.  I am very glad that I did!

Find Desert Storm on Facebook.

Buy their stuff on Bandcamp.

Find the band on Twitter and Instagram.

For APF records, check out their expertly crafted website here.

Ir find them on Facebook and Bandcamp, you won;t regret it.

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #17

Posted on by
Reply

Hello there, reader!  Welcome to my Virtual Hot tub.  Grab a drink and chill out in the warm, comforting water – it’s time to play some more 7 inch vinyl records!

That’s right folks, I’m spinning more records and having a little drinkie.  First off the top of the pile, A side then B side, working my way through the vinyl I’ve not played yet.  No picking and choosing, just playing whatever’s next.

Here’s the latest batch:

  1. Madness – “Michael Caine” / “If You Think There’s Something”
  2. Elton John – “Goodbye Yellow Brick Road” / “Screw You”
  3. Sarah Vaughn – “Moonglow” / “So Long” / “Maria” / “Invitation”
  4. Oran “Juice” Jones – “The Rain” / “Your Song”
  5. Peter Howell & The BBC Radiophonic Workshop – “Doctor Who” / “The Astronauts”
  6. Madonna – “Into the Groove” / “Shoo-Bee-Doo”
  7. Faces – “Pool Hall Richard” / “I Wish It Would Rain”
  8. The Boomtown Rats – “I Don’t Like Mondays” / “It’s All the Rage”
  9. Los Lobos – “La Bamba” / “Charlena”
  10. Elton John – “Song for Guy” / “Lovesick”
  11. Cozy Powell – “Dance with the Devil” / “And Then There Was Skin”
  12. C+C Music Factory (ft. Freedom Williams – “Things That Make You Go Hmmm… (7” Remix) / “Things That Make You Go Hmmm… (LP Version)”
  13. Divinyls – “I Touch Myself” / “Follow Through”
  14. Marillion – “Kayleigh” / “Lady Nina”
  15. Glen Campbell & Rita Coolidge – “Somethin’ ‘Bout You Baby I Like” / “Late Night Confession”
  16. The Fun Boy Three with Bananarama – “T’Ain’t What You Do (It’s the Way That You Do It)” / “The Funarama Theme”
  17. Diana Ross – “Why Do Fools Fall in Love” / “Think I’m in Love”
  18. Duran Duran – “Union of the Snake” / “Secret Oktober”
  19. Kate Robbins – “More Than in Love” / “Now”
  20. Jan Hammer – “Crockett’s Theme” / “Miami Vice: New York Theme”
  21. Status Quo – “Caroline” / “Joanne”

Yes, that Glen Campbell/Rita Coolidge IS the same as the Quo classic!  Quite a few fun tunes in that session, including one of my favourite Madness songs ever, double for Elton, and a great Miami Vice theme.

Join me again soon for another Singles Night!

Dozer Album Reviews

Posted on by
Reply

Not one, but three album reviews for you this week: Re-released by Heavy Psych Sounds, these three albums from Dozer are back and bouncing.  Here’s my review, as it originally appeared on Ever Metal and now here for your perusal:

Dozer – In the Tail of a Comet/Madre de Dios/Call it Conspiracy

Heavy Psych Sounds

Release date: 13/03/2020, 20/03/2020

Running time: 38 mins, 40 mins, 56 mins

Review by: Alun Jones

8.5/10, 9/10, 9.5/10

Don’t you just love it when you find a new band to obsess about?  Music so awesome, so perfect that it just lights up your life.  Well, Dozer have filled that gap in my existence recently – I can’t believe how I endured without them before.  Though these three albums are all reissues from the early part of the 21st century, so fuck knows what I’ve been up to for the last 20 years.  Seriously, what was I doing back then that meant I missed out on this?

Hailing from the wonderful land of Sweden, a place which must have some kind of genetic master code for musical excellence, Dozer are a mighty stoner rock collective delivering heavy, intense and groove laden tunes.  I don’t know how or why the Swedes are so good at this – is it the long, dark winter isolation?  The never-ending day light in summer?  Agnetha Falkstog’s tight pants?  There’s something magical happening there, that’s for sure.

Italian label Heavy Psych Sounds have done the world a remarkable, philanthropic favour by re-issuing these three albums by the band.  And, praise Tony Iommi, on beautiful, sexy vinyl too.  This really is a wondrous, benevolent gift to bestow upon us.

So, what does the music sound like, you ask (at least you do if, like me, you were clueless enough to be unaware of Dozer previously)?  First album “In the Tail of a Comet” (8.5/10) erupts into beautiful, head nodding, rolling riffs from the off.  Layers of fuzzy, psychedelic invention and heavy rhythms usher us into their world.  A particular highlight is the finale, “High Roller”, where although the band take their foot off the gas a little, they create a trippy, vast soundscape to get lost in.

Nay-sayers may choose to point out Dozer’s obvious similarity to Kyuss; hell, even singer Fredrik Nordin sounds like a carbon copy John Garcia.  With their second album, “Madre de Dios” (9/10), that influence becomes less pronounced as their own creativity develops.  This second album seems more brutal, more aggressive.  It doesn’t take long, however, to reveal more textures and experiments with the formula – see “Earth Yeti”.  Album number 2 is a faster, heavier, punkier version of Dozer – yet still expanding on the desert rock template.

By the time we get to the final album of this reissued trio – the immense “Call It Conspiracy” (9.5/10) – Dozer have developed their own sound and personality yet further.  The Kyuss/FU Manchu influence is still there, but Dozer have grown into something of their own.  This album is the heaviest, most “metal” work – but still creative as it stretches those stoner boundaries into new, warped shapes.  Whether it’s full throttle rock’n’roll with lead track “The Hills Have Eyes” or groove laden head-nodder “Man Made Mountain”, there’s much to explore here.

Gushing praise, indeed: but if you, dear reader, are a fan of the crushing riffs, unrestrained groove and sonic washes of stoner/desert rock – these Dozer albums are highly recommended.  Tune in, turn on and explore these revived classics now.

Check out Dozer on Facebook.

Check out Heavy Psych Sounds on Facebook and on the interweb here.

Randy Holden – Population II Album Review

Posted on by
Reply

Randy Holden – Population II

Riding Easy Records

Release date: 28/02/2020

Running time: 32 mins

Review by: Alun Jones

8.5/10

 

First of all, an important note for all readers: Randy Holden is NOT the name of a winning hand in strip poker.  I used the phrase at a recent gathering at my Rock’n’Roll Naturist Society club, and nearly got a bunch of fives from Ozzy as a thank you.  Tommy Lee was up for it though, as you can probably imagine.

Anyway, Randy Holden is actually a guitar pioneer who served some time with proto-metal giants Blue Cheer, before splitting to take the helm of his own project.  Population II was the result – a far ahead of it’s time Big Bang of doom and sludge metal.

Originally receiving a limited release in 1969, this album has earned cult status with afficionados of early heavy rock.  And it’s no surprise why; “Population II” is a huge sounding, riff driven behemoth that sounds like it simply can’t have been created in that time period.

But it was.  The era that popular culture tells us was the age of peace and love also birthed this unholy slab of heavy noise.  Randy Holden, like his previous bandmates in Blue Cheer, was happily stomping all over flower power.

Of course, “Population II” is totally over the top.  “Guitar Song” is the first track, featuring the somewhat unimaginative opening line “I love the sound of a guitar playing” – so no marks for lyrical finesse.  If you’re after poetry, this probably ain’t for you.  Instead it’s six minutes of slow, heavy driving riff-based rock that sets the tone for the album.

 “Fruit Icebergs” is an outstanding name for any song; in fact, I might steal it for a band name.  Slow like cooling lava, with a doom-laden melancholic sound –  It’s dark in a Sabbath way.  Whereas the shorter “Between Time” picks up the pace a little and borrows a chorus from “Jumpin’ Jack Flash”.

“Blue My Mind” is less gloomy, but certainly taps into the blues with a hint of Hendrix.  The final song, “Keeper of my Flame” is over 10 minutes of pulsating, repetitive riff wrestling that doesn’t out stay it’s welcome.  Ol’ Randy stretches for the epic here and pretty much nails it, strangling that guitar and taking the listener on a heroic journey.

Yet another history lesson for which we can thank the scholars at Riding Easy Records, Randy Holden’s “Population II” is back in circulation and worth taking time to investigate.  You’ll wonder how this was lost for so long.

Visit Riding Easy records on the interweb here.

Or on Bandcamp, Facebook, Twitter, YouTube or Instagram.

Don’t forget to visit Ever Metal – where this review first appeared  for all your rock and metal news.

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #16

Posted on by
Reply

Time to relax and enjoy more of the joys of vinyl!  Yes, it’s another Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub, where I spend an evening playing through my stack of 7 inch records.  No skipping, no choosing anything out of order – just A then B side and make the most of it.

With the aid of some alcoholic beverages, of course!

In this edition, there’s another eclectic mix of songs from artists of various genres – including some absolute bangers.  Let’s go!

  1. Madness – “One Step Beyond” / “Mistakes”
  2. Bad Company – “Rock’n’Roll Fantasy” / ” Crazy Circles”
  3. Rick James – “Dance Wit Me (Part 1)” / “Dance Wit Me (Part 2)”
  4. INXS – “Taste It” / “Light the Planet”
  5. ZZ Top – “Legs” / “Bad Girl”
  6. Landscape – “Einstein A Go-Go” / “New Religion”
  7. Billy Idol – “Mony Mony” / “Shakin’ All Over (Live)”
  8. Fine Young Cannibals – “Johnny Come Home” / “Good Times and Bad”
  9. James Brown – “Living in America” / Vince DiCola – “Farewell”
  10. The Sweet – “Teenage Rampage” / “Own Up, Take a Look at Yourself”
  11. Sham 69 – “Hersham Boys” / “I Don’t Wanna” / “Tell us the Truth”
  12. Judas Priest – “Take On the World” / “Starbreaker”
  13. Stray Cats – “Rock This Town” / “You Can’t Hurry Love”
  14. Madam X – “High in High School” / “Metal in my Veins”
  15. Wings – “Live and Let Die” / “I Lie Around”
  16. The Beach Boys – “Do It Again” / “Wake the World”
  17. The Joan Collins Fan Club – “Leader of the Pack” / “Jacques”
  18. Elton John – “Saturday Night’s Alright for Fighting” / “Jack Rabbit” / “Whenever You’re Ready (We’ll Go Steady Again”
  19. Lee Marvin – “Wand’rin’ Star” / Clint Eastwood – “I Talk to the Trees”
  20. Suzi Quatro – “Can the Can” / “Ain’t You Somethin’ Honey”
  21. Serge Gainsbourg & Jane Birkin – “Je T’Aime… Moi Non Plus” / “Jane B.”
  22. Bee Gees – “Tragedy” / “Until”

And there you have it!  A great collection of tunes and a fun night.  My favourite Bond theme, plus a load of class artists including The Beach Boys, Elton John, Billy Idol, Bad Company, Madness, James Brown and more.

No idea who Madam X are, that was a 20p find and I bought it on the strength of the cover.  Turned out to be dodgy 80s metal, unsurprisingly.  It was quite good.

Bonus points to any reader who can tell me: who was the Joan Collins Fan Club?

Stay tuned for more Singles Nights soon – I’ve still got a heck of a lot of vinyl to play through…

NB: The Fine Young Cannibals track was inside an Alarm sleeve.  I thought I’d picked up “Spirit of ’76” for 20p in a charity shop, but no such luck: it was FYC instead.  Such are the perils I encounter.  On a happy note though, the FYC tune was a belter.