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Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #39

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Are you ready for more rock’n’roll?  And very possibly lots of other genres of music too?  In that case, pilgrim, you’ve come to the right place.  You know it – it’s another Singles Night here at Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub!

Now, for any of you brave readers who are muddled and befuddled by what a Singles Night involves, here’s the lowdown.  You see, I  possess a huge collection of 7 inch vinyl singles, none of which have been listened to (yet).  So the concept is to spend an evening playing these records – both sides – and have a grand old time doing so.

During the course of the night, we’ll hear a variety of music, old and new, with plenty of surprises.

That’s not so scary, is it?

Grab yourself a drink and let’s check out the latest playlist:

  1. Cheap Trick – “The Flame” / “Through the Night”
  2. Stiff Little Fingers – “Silver Lining” / “Safe as Houses”
  3. Belinda Carlisle – “Live Your Life Be Free” / “Loneliness Game”
  4. Salt-N-Pepa- “Let’s Talk About Sex (True Confessions Edit)” / “Let’s Talk About Sex (Super Crispy Mix)”
  5. Herb Alpert’s Tijuana Brass – “Up Cherry Street” / “Numero Cinco” / “Mexican Shuffle” / “The Girl From Ipanema”
  6. Magazine – “About the Weather” / “In The Dark”
  7. The Lotus Eaters – “The First Picture of You” / “The Lotus Eaters”
  8. James Brown – “Rapp Payback (Where iz Moses?)” / “Rapp Payback Pt. II (Where iz Moses?)”
  9. Huey Lewis & The News – “World to Me” / “It’s All Right (Live)”
  10. Dannii Minogue – “This is it” / “It’s Time to Move On”
  11. Queen – “Bohemian Rhapsody” / “These Are the Days of Our Lives”
  12. The Kinks – “Tired of Waiting for You” / “Come on Now”
  13. Big Country – “Wonderland” / “Giant”
  14. Timbuk 3 – “The Future’s So Bright I Gotta Wear Shades” / “I’ll Do Alright”
  15. Derek & The Dominos – “Layla” / Eric Clapton – “Wonderful Tonight”
  16. Jesus Jones – “Right Here, Right Now” / “Move Me” / “Damn Good at This”
  17. Big Country- “In a Big Country” / “All Of Us”
  18. Electric Light Orchestra – “Don’t Bring Me Down” / “Dreaming of 4000”
  19. The Belle Stars – “The Clapping Song” / “Blame”
  20. S’Express – “Hey Music Lover” / “Have a Nice Day”

Not a bad evening’s entertainment at all.  A thrilling exploration through several genres, from pop to punk, rock to funk, and more.  The only song I wasn’t a fan of was that hideous Clapton claptrap, so that’s a pretty decent result.

Lots of highlights, and I’m shouting out SLF, James Brown, Big Country, The Kinks and Jesus Jones as particular favourites.

Hope you enjoyed that list of killer tracks.  More soon!

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #38

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Singles Night! At Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub! It’s back – and better than ever!

What is it? A night where I play through a pile of as yet, never spun 45rpm vinyl singles. Both sides, whatever the genre, in whatever random order the fates have decided for me. There’s all sorts in that collection of 7 inch records, so it makes for a fine playlist (with a couple of drinkies to aid the process).

Here’s the latest playlist:

  1. Toyah – “Don’t Fall in Love” / “Snow Covers the Kiss”
  2. Doctor and the Medics – “Waterloo” / “Damaged Brains”
  3. The Screaming Blue Messiahs – “I Wanna Be A Flintstone” / “Jerry’s Electric Church”
  4. Blue Oyster Cult – “Astronomy” / “Magna of Illusion”
  5. Motorhead – “Overkill” / “Too Late, Too Late”
  6. Sex Pistols – “C’Mon Everybody” / “The God Save The Queen Symphony”
  7. Pete Mac Junior – “The Water Margin” / Godiego – “The Water Margin”
  8. Peter Sellers & Sophia Loren – “Goodness Gracious Me!” / Peter Sellers – “Grandpa’s Groove”
  9. The Professionals – “Little Boys in Blue” / Gillan – “I’ll Rip Your Spine Out”
  10. Stevie Wonder – “Lately” / “If It’s Magic”
  11. Psychedelic Furs – “Heaven” / “Heartbeat (Remix)”
  12. The Cars – “Drive” / “Stranger Eyes”
  13. Sex Pistols – “God Save The Queen” / “Did You No Wrong”
  14. Run DMC – “It’s Tricky (Remix)” / “Proud To Be Black”
  15. Bow Wow Wow – “Go Wild in the Country” / “El Boss Dicho”
  16. Atomic Rooster – “Tomorrow Night” / “Play the Game”
  17. Black Sabbath – “Hard Road” / “Symptom of the Universe”
  18. Anthrax – “I’m the Man” / “Caught in a Mosh (Live)”
  19. Anti-Nowhere League – “I Hate… People” / “Let’s Break the Law”
  20. Eighth Wonder – “I’m Not Scared” / “J’ai Pas Peur”
  21. Lynsey De Paul – “Ooh I Do” / “Nothing Really Lasts Forever”
  22. Sly Fox – “Let’s Go All the Way” / “Como Tu Te Hama”

A great selection. I can honestly say that I’m not ashamed of any of those singles. Except, maybe, “Goodness Gracious Me” which is somewhat… ah, dated, shall we say? At least the lovely Sophia Loren adds a touch of class. And she’s not the only beautiful lady in the list – I always had a crush on Lynsey De Paul.

Notes:

Two Sex Pistols records included here. including the wonderful “God Save The Queen”, one of the greatest rock’n’roll songs ever recorded. And we all know it got to number one really! There’s also a track from Jones and Cook as The Professionals, here on a Sounds flexi disc with Ian Gillan.

“The Water Margin” was a classic Japanese television series, shown in the 1970s. I vaguely remember it, but watched a later 1980s re-run religiously. The theme tune is brilliant. This single features a version in English on one side, and Japanese on the other.

Some great classic rock in this list, with Blue Oyster Cult, Atomic Rooster and a later Black Sabbath single (on purple vinyl in this case). A legendary couple of Motorhead tracks too, plus Anthrax throwing down some proto rap metal.

More punk from the Anti-Nowhere League: both of those tracks are fantastic.

A really enjoyable evening of music: random but unforgettable. More soon.

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #37

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You wanted it – you got it! Another Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub. This is where I spend an evening playing 7 inch singles that have found their way into my vinyl collection, from any number of different sources. None of the records have been played before, so I spend a few hours playing both sides and working through that pile.

There’s usually plenty of variety in the stack, with songs old and new, from any genre. Anything can happen, so just enjoy the ride.

Grab a drink and let’s check out the latest playlist:

  1. The Beatles – “Now and Then” / “Love Me Do”
  2. The Dickies – “Banana Splits” / “Hideous” / “Got It at the Store”
  3. S.S.S. – “CDC” / “Bath Night” / “Thrash with a Small Moustache” / “Black Night White Light”
  4. 999 – “Little Red Riding Hood” / “Wait For Your Number to be Called” / “I Ain’t Gonna Tell Ya”
  5. Roxy Music – “Jealous Guy” / “To Turn You On”
  6. Ram Jam – “Black Betty” / “I Should Have Known”
  7. Bee Gees – “Tragedy” / “Until”
  8. ABBA – “One Of Us” / “Should I Laugh or Cry”
  9. Sweet – “Love is Like Oxygen” / “Cover Girl”
  10. The Alarm – “Spirit of ’76” / “Where Were You Hiding When the Storm Broke? (Live)”
  11. Nancy Sinatra – “Love Eyes” / “Coastin'”
  12. Kool & The Gang – “Joanna” / “Tonight”
  13. Rick Dees & His Cast of Idiots – “Disco Duck (Pt. 1)” / “Disco Duck ({Pt. 2)”
  14. Matthew Wilder – “Break My Stride” / “Break My Stride (Instrumental)”
  15. Bee Gees – “Night Fever” / “Down the Road”
  16. Dire Straits – “Romeo & Juliet” / “Solid Rock”
  17. Nilsson – “Without You” / “Gotta Get Up”
  18. Sinitta – “Right Back Where We Started From” / “I Just Can’t Help It”
  19. Sabrina – “Boys (Summertime Love)” / “Get Ready (Holiday Rock)”
  20. Oceanic – “Insanity (Legendary Mix)” / “Reality”
  21. Charlie Pride – “The Most Beautiful Girl” / Johnny Cash – “Ring of Fire” / Crystal Gayle – “Miss the Mississippi & You” / Tammy Wynette – “Stand By Your Man” / Bertie Higgins – “Key Largo”

Twenty one records this week, and enough variety to keep anyone on their toes. Disco, punk, pop and rock classics – this was one of my best Singles Nights yet.

Notes:

The Beatles single is their last ever song, released recently and backed with their first ever single. A must for the collection.

That Dickies single is on yellow vinyl, naturally. The 999 record is plain old black vinyl, but I’ve been after that for a very long time. It was one of the songs on the first punk/new wave compilation I heard, it confused me as it didn’t sound “punk” (or what I thought was punk at the time). Great song.

SSS stands for Short Sharp Shock, a hardcore/skate thrash band from Liverpool that I can’t believe I never saw live. The last track is dedicated to Metallica bass legend Cliff Burton.

That final 7″ country record i picked up for 50p in a charity shop. Plain sleeve, so very little information – some fantastic songs though. not least my all time hero, Johnny Cash.

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #35

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For the first time of 2025, let’s indulge in another Singles Night. A night of spinning records, having a few drinks and enjoying the vibes.

The “singles” in the event title refers to vinyl singles: the 7 inch, 45 rpm discs that were once the pocket money swallowing masters of the weekly music chart. Now I have a massive stack of said singles, and on some nights I dig a load of ’em out, and play ’em. Both sides – A then B – and onto the next.

There are many wonders to be found amongst the hefty pile of 7″ records. And a few oddities. But the randomness and variety always an entertaining night.

Grab a drink and settle in with my latest playlist:

  1. Generation X – “King Rocker” / “Gimme Some Truth”
  2. David Bowie – “Modern Love” / “Modern Love (Live Version)”
  3. Motorhead/Girlschool – “Please Don’t Touch” / “Bomber” / “Emergency”
  4. The Alarm – “Presence of Love (Laugharne)” / “Knife Edge”
  5. Depeche Mode – “See You” / “Now, This Is Fun”
  6. Dana – “All Kinds of Everything” / “Channel Breeze”
  7. The Steve Gibbons Band – “Eddy Vortex” / “Little Suzie”
  8. Shirley Bassey – “So In Love” / “As Long As He Needs Me”
  9. Darts – “Don’t Let It Fade Away” / “Early In The Morning”
  10. Elvis Costello & The Attractions – “Oliver’s Army” / “My Funny Valentine”
  11. David Bowie – “Blue Jean” / “Dancing With The Big Boys”
  12. AC/DC – “Guns For Hire” / “Landslide”
  13. ABC – “The Look of Love” / “The Look of Love (Part 2)”
  14. The Jam – “Start” / “Liza Radley”
  15. Jimmy Cliff – “Reggae Night” / “Love Heights”
  16. The Sweet – “Little Willy” / “Man From Mecca”
  17. Propaganda – “Duel” / “Jewel”
  18. Patrick MacNee & Honor Blackman – “Kinky Boots” / “Let’s Keep It Friendly”
  19. A-Ha – “Hunting High and Low (Remix)” / “The Blue Sky (Demo Version)”
  20. The Creatures – “Miss The Girl” / “Hot Springs in The Snow”
  21. Queen – “Somebody To Love” / “White Man”
  22. Ike & Tina Turner – “Nutbush City Limits” / “Help Him”

Twenty two records this week, and a few strange ones are still creeping in – some are the remains of a bundle of singles I bought at a car boot sale for a fiver. I kept Dana in the collection due to the Eurovision connection, but Shirley is a superstar.

Punk and New Wave genres are nicely represented in this selection, with great songs from Generation X, The Jam and Elvis Costello. A-Ha, Depeche Mode and ABC bring in some pop classics, while good old rock’n’roll is delivered by AC/DC, Motorhead and Girlschool.

Two great 1980s Bowie discs made the playlist and there’s a favourite from Queen (though it’s one of my least favourite songs of theirs). Adding to the 70s vintage is a cheeky number from Sweet, which never fails to raise a smile!

Another successful night spinning vinyl. More to come soon.

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot tub #34

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Here we go with another Singles Night! Just like Kool and the Gang said – no wait, that was “Ladies Night”. Totally different event altogether. Well, don’t let that be any concern for you, good reader – let’s spend an evening of musical fun and adventure anyway!

What, you may well ask, is “Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub”? If you know, feel free to skip this bit. Otherwise, I’ll explain.

Singles

In essence, I have a huge stack of 7 inch vinyl singles that I haven’t played yet. And they need to be played before I can add them to my super sophisticated filing system. So on Singles Night, I grab a bunch of these records and play ’em, A side then B side, one after the other, whilst having a wee drinkie or three.

It’s great fun. It rocks. Here’s the latest playlist:

  1. The Rezillos – “I Can’t Stand My baby” / “I Wanna Be Your Man”
  2. The Rezillos – “Top of the Pops” / “20,000 Rezillos Under the Sea”
  3. The Ruts – “Something That I Said” / “Give Youth A Chance”
  4. Sweet Dreams – “Honey Honey” / “I Surrender”
  5. The Steve Gibbons Band – “Tupelo Mississippi Flash” / “Till the Fire Burns Out”
  6. Showaddywaddy – “You Got What It Takes” / “Showboat”
  7. Goombay Dance Band – “Sol de Jamaica” / “Isla de Suenos”
  8. KC & The Sunshine Band – “That’s the Way (I Like It)” / “Ain’t Nothin’ Wrong”
  9. Dollar – “Mirror Mirror” / “Radio”
  10. Siouxsie & The Banshees – “Hong Kong Garden” / “Voices”
  11. Suzi Quatro – “I Go Wild” / “I’m a Rocker”
  12. Rose Tattoo – “Rock’n’Roll is King” / “I Had You First”
  13. Deep Purple – “Black Night” / “Speed King”
  14. Elton John – “Blue Eyes” / “Hey Papa Legba”
  15. Berlin – “Take My Breath Away” / Giorgio Moroder – “Radar Radio”
  16. Motley Crue – “Primal Scream” / “Dancing on Glass”
  17. The Damned – “White Rabbit” / “Rabid (Over You)” / “Seagulls”
  18. Booker T & The MGs – “Green Onions” / “Boot Leg”
  19. Bobby Brown – “On Our Own” / “On Our Own (with Rap)”
  20. De La Soul – “Ring Ring Ring (Ha Ha Hey)” / “Pile and Piles of Demo Tapes Bi-Da Miles”

And there we go, mes amis. A right old concoction and no mistake. But you know what? The odd dud in the playlist only makes the good stuff sweeter. And when you’re having fun, those duds ain’t so bad anyway.

The odd horror from the fabled car boot box of doom still lingering here, but they’re slowly dying off. Instead, a veritable feast of punk rock wonders, from the Rezillos, Ruts, Siouxsie and The Damned. That Damned track is, of course, a cover of the Jefferson Airplane song, and not one of my favourites – though the two songs on the B side are absolutely wonderful.

Plenty of other delights with Rose Tattoo and a double sided banger from Deep Purple, not to mention a Crue song I actually really like.

I hate the film Top Gun – never managed to see it all the way through – and not a huge fan of the Berlin track, but hey, it was a freebie. Likewise, that Bobby Brown song from Ghostbusters II is a huge drop in quality from the Ray Parker Jr classic. Some pop genius from KC & the Sunshine Band and Booker T keeps us on track nicely, though.

All in all, another successful night’s entertainment. Stay tuned for more soon, folks – I’ve got loads of these discs for ya and they’re itching for a spin!

Bring Your Own Vinyl Night #19

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Bring Your Own Vinyl Night

The Queen’s Head, Mold

Saturday 22nd April 2023

What could be better: playing vinyl records in good company, with some beers in a great local pub? Sounds pretty good to me. Yes, Bring Your Own Vinyl Night was back again, in the traditional home of The Queen’s Head in Mold, North Wales.

Following both Record Store Day, and a record fair – both of which VOD Music in Mold were involved with, it has been a wax packed day anyway. So it was good to finish the day’s events off with a chance to spin some records.

So what exactly is involved with Bring Your Own Vinyl Night? It’s simple: everyone gets 15 minutes to play whatever songs they like, on quality record decks with a mixer. But it can only be vinyl format.

Here’s my playlist:

Jimmy McGriff and Groove Holmes – The Squirrel

You know those funky jazz instrumentals that the Beastie Boys did on “Check Your Head” and “Ill Communication”? I was immediately infatuated with those songs (see also their compilation “The In Sounds From Way Out!”). Research revealed that the main influences on those songs were Jimmy McGriff and Richard “Groove” Holmes, two soul jazz organ players and band leaders. I tracked down some records of each, and they are amazing. This track is from their joint album, “Giants of the Organ Come Together”. “The Squirrel” is a groovy number indeed, but you should check out the full album (and their individual recordings). Nice!

Queens of the Stone Age – Make It Wit Chu

A slinky, sexy number from the “Era Vulgaris” album by Queens of the Stone Age. This track quickly became one of my favourite QOTSA songs, though it’s from what’s probably my least favourite of their albums. Originally appearing on “Desert Sessions Volumes 9 & 10”, where it featured backing vocals by the wonderful PJ Harvey, “Make It Wit Chu” is pure class.

Clutch – The Regulator

More Clutch, ‘cos I just can’t get enough. This song, “The Regulator”, starts with a folky, bluegrass feel before it erupts into a pounding blues rocker. You can find it on the album “Blast Tyrant” and I suggest you go and track it down right now.

Devo – Gut Feeling

Ah, Devo. What can I say about Devo? We go way back, I heard their first album when I was a kid and it baffled me at first. Took a while to get it, but it was worth it. “Gut Feeling” is of course from the “Q: Are We Not Men? A: We Are Devo!” classic debut. It’s a sunny, dreamy song with a surf rock feel.

And that wraps it up for my set. Four great songs which I enjoyed playing, I hope others liked them too. Either way, it was a great evening catching up and talking music with a few beers.

Thanks to Halcyon Dreams and VOD for organising a superb event.

And thanks to The Queens Head – a great pub, I really enjoyed my food too!

The Halcyon Dreams blogspot is here.

The Halcyon Dreams mixcloud page is here.

The Halcyon Dreams Facebook page is here.

The VOD music website is here.

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #29

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Yo! Here we are again, tout le monde – a treat for lovers of music on vinyl! That’s right – another Singles Night at Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub, where I play my way through a big ol’ stack of 7″ singles and have a big time knees up whilst I do it.

There are literally dozens of 45 rpm records chez moi: some classic, some crap. I love ’em all. With a few drinkies to ease things along, we’re in for a great evening.

Here’s the latest playlist:

  1. The Mission – “Severina” / “Tomorrow Never Knows”
  2. Joe Fagin – “Back with the Boys Again” / “Get it Right”
  3. Samantha Fox – “Nothing’s Gonna Stop Me Now” / “Dream City”
  4. Samantha Fox – “I Surrender (To the Spirit of the Night”) / “The Best is Yet to Come”
  5. Lacuna Coil – “Our Truth”/ “Without a Reason”
  6. Paul McCartney & The Frog Chorus – ” We All Stand Together” / “We All Stand Together (Humming Version)”
  7. Slade – “7 Year Bitch” / “Leave Them Girls Alone”
  8. Demon – “Wonderland” / “Blackheath”
  9. Sex Pistols – “Silly Thing” / “Who Killed Bambi”
  10. Bad Manners – “Can Can” / “Armchair Disco”
  11. Doctor & The Medics – “Burn” / “Captain Frazer”
  12. 2 in a Room – “Wiggle It” / “Take Me Away”
  13. Slade – “My Oh My” / “Keep Your Hands Off My Power Supply”
  14. T’Pau – “China in Your Hand” / “No Sense of Pride”
  15. Belinda Carlisle – “I Get Weak” / “Should I Let You In?”
  16. Madonna – “Crazy for You” / Sammy Hagar – “I’ll Fall in Love Again”
  17. Billy Ocean – “Get Outta My Dreams, Get into My Car” / “Showdown”
  18. Scorpions – “Wind of Change” / “Restless Nights”
  19. Jack Parnell & His Orchestra – “Galloping Home (Theme From Black Beauty” / “Hawaii Five-O”
  20. Then Jericho – “Big Area” / “The Big Sweep”

Wow. From the Sex Pistols to the Frog Chorus – as always, it’s an eclectic night at the Virtual Hot tub on Singles Night! That might not be Paul McCartney’s greatest moment, but to be fair, I loved Rupert the Bear when I was a toddler, so consider me a fan.

Some notes:

The first Sam Fox single is credited as the “Samantha Fox Box”, as it comes in a carboard boxset thing with a poster. The second Sam Fox single is a Limited Edition blue vinyl single, in a gatefold photo pack. Pretty cool, and both from bargain bins.

Also from a bargain bin, the Lacuna Coil single is picture disc – and only cost me £1. Crazy bargain!

Lots of songs I loved in this evening’s playlist: the Pistols easily being my favourite. The worst was that Scorpions song, that was rubbbish.

Variety is the spice of life, and this Singles Night playlist was indeed spicy. Great tracks. More soon!

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #28

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Well it’s been a while, but here we are back at Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub enjoying some 45 rpm tunes. I can promise you another night of varied music spanning the musical genres – some well known, some obscure, some classic, some not so classic.

How does it work? It’s simple: I play my way through my (sometimes bizarre) collection of 7″ vinyl singles – both sides, one after the other. The result is a playlist of tunes and an evening captured in time. Drinking the booze often helps.

Here we go with this playlist:

  1. The Stranglers – “Walk on by” / “Old Codger” / “Tank”
  2. Anti Nowhere League – “Streets of London” / “So What”
  3. Public Image Limited – “Rise” / “Rise (Instrumental)”
  4. Fat Boys – “Wipeout” / “Crushin'”
  5. Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Up Around the Bend” / “Run Through the Jungle”
  6. Nazareth – “Shanghai’d in Shanghai” / “Love, Now You’re Gone”
  7. Nazareth – “This Flight Tonight” / “Called Her Name”
  8. Tiffany – “Could’ve Been” / “The Heart of Love”
  9. The Beach Boys – “Do It Again” / “Wake the World”
  10. The Hollies – “He Ain’t Heavy, He’s My Brother” / “‘Cos You Like to Love Me”
  11. Madonna – “Hanky Panky” / “More”
  12. The Beatmasters ft. The Cookie Crew – “”Rok Da House (Remix)” / “Rok Da House”
  13. Fuzzbox – “International Rescue” / “Raining Champagne”
  14. Thin Lizzy – “Rosalie (Cowgirl’s Song)” / “Me and the Boys”
  15. Thin Lizzy – “Whisky in the Jar” / “Black Boys on the Corner”
  16. Diana Ross – “Touch me in the Morning” / “Baby it’s Love”
  17. Diana Ross – “All of My Life” / “A Simple Thing Like Cry”
  18. Dian Ross & Marvin Gaye – “You Are Everything” / “Include Me in Your Life”
  19. Stevie Wonder – “Saturn” / “Ebony Eyes” / “All Day Sucker” / Easy Goin’ Evening (My Mama’s Call)”
  20. Stevie Nicks – “Stop Draggin’ My Heart Around” / “Kind of Woman”

A few notes on the records listed above: firstly, the Fat Boys A side is listed as “featuring The Beach Boys”, so that group have ended up with two mentions in this list, technically.

The Stevie Wonder single is the 7″ EP that originally came with the “Songs in the Key of Life” album. I already owned the album, but not the single, so that’s a great addition to my collection.

Also, the Stevie Nicks single features Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.

A fine evening’s entertainment with that playlist. From the most obscene song in my entire record collection (ANL’s “So What”), covering some punk/new wave classics, hard rock and pop gems – it was a ton of fun. More soon.

Bring Your Own Vinyl Night #18

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Bring Your Own Vinyl Night

The Queen’s Head, Mold

Friday 26th August 2022

Three years. It’s been nearly three years since the last Bring Your Own Vinyl Night at the Queen’s Head in Mold, north Wales. The pandemic put this event on hold for quite a while, but finally it was time for a triumphant return to the decks.

Let’s recap the concept: each participant gets a 15 minute slot to play whatever vinyl they like. That’s it. Very simple. And good fun. Have a few beers, chat about music, discover something new to listen to.

Here’s my ;playlist from the night:

Sweet Apple – Wish You Could Stay (A Little Longer)

I wanted to start my set up with this gorgeous, uplifting track by Sweet Apple. J Mascis (of Dinosaur Jr) is in the band, and Mark Lanegan guests on co-vocals. A sublime piece of melodic, alt rock pop. First song on their album “The Golden Age of Glitter”.

The Four Horsemen – Nobody Said It Was Easy

And then on to some early 90’s southern rock, courtesy of the Four Horsemen. This band were signed to Def American and produced by Rick Rubin. If you dig AC/DC tinged Skynyrd and ZZ Top, their wax is worth investing in. I have the album, but this was the 7 inch single version of this song.

Clutch – D.C. Sound Attack!

A stand out track from the “Earth Rocker” album by Clutch, a band I am somewhat obsessed with. I love this song, it’s energetic rock’n’roll with a funky riff – the instrumental is so good I could actually groove to it. D.C. Sound Attack!!!

Social Distortion – Dear Lover

What a band. The opening track from Social D’s “White Light White Heat White Trash” album, this is full of Mike Ness’s heartfelt angst in a pounding, mid paced punk rock’n’roller.

The Beatnix – Stairway to Heaven

The Beatnix are a Beatles cover band. Here, they’ve covered Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway to Heaven” in an early 60’s Beatles style. It’s actually really good and sounds authentic. I think this song raised a few eyebrows, starting off resembling an old Fab Four track but including the unmistakable lyrics. On the other side, there’s an Elvis impersonator called Neil Pepper, covering the same song – a great single, you need a copy.

I had a really enjoyable evening for Vinyl Night, in fact I’m sure everyone did! Thanks to Halcyon Dreams and VOD Music in Mold for hosting and organising everything. Hope to see you all again soon!

The Halcyon Dreams blogspot is here.

The Halcyon Dreams mixcloud page is here.

The Halcyon Dreams Facebook page is here.

The VOD music website is here.

Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub #26

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Welcome, music lovers! Yes, we’re back at Platinum Al’s Virtual Hot Tub for another leisurely evening of spinning 45 rpm records and drinking a hell of a load of cocktails. It is on, brothers and sisters!

So what’s going down? It’s pretty simple. I have a stack of vinyl singles (hence “Singles Night”) and I’m playin’ ’em in order, side A then B, just for the heck of it. Because it’s fun. And you might just hear some great tunes. No cheating: play each single in the pile, with no skipping (even if it’s a dud).

Here’s the latest playlist. Grab a drink, this is gonna be fun…

  1. Dread Zeppelin – “Stairway to Heaven” / “Jailhouse Rock”
  2. INXS – “Suicide Blonde” / “Everybody Wants U Tonight”
  3. Creedence Clearwater Revival – “Bad Moon Rising” / “Lodi”
  4. Rainbow – “All Night Long” / “Weiss Heim”
  5. AC/DC – “Heatseeker” / “Go Zone”
  6. INXS – “New Sensation” / “Do Wot You Do”
  7. Budgie – “Keeping a Rendezvous” / “Apparatus”
  8. Eagles – “New Kid in Town” / “Victim of Love”
  9. Free – “My Brother Jake” / Only My Soul”
  10. Village People – “In the Navy” / “Manhattan Woman”
  11. Mike Post ft. Larry Carlton – “The Theme from Hill Street Blues” / “Aaron’s Tune”
  12. Sammy Davis Jnr – “What Kind of Fool Am I” / “Gonna Build a Mountain” / “Someone Nice Like You” / “Once in a Lifetime”
  13. Giorgio Moroder w/ Philip Oakey – “Together in Electric Dreams” / “Together in Electric Dreams (Instrumental)”
  14. S’Express – “Superfly Guy” / “Funky Killer”
  15. Sting – “Demolition Man (Soulpower Radio Mix)” / “Demolition Man (Film Version”
  16. Slade – “Far Far Away” / “OK Yesterday Was Yesterday”
  17. Shakatak – “Feels Like the Right Time” / “Corina”
  18. Roy Orbison – “Only the Lonely” / “Here Comes That Song Again”
  19. Earth Wind & Fire – “In the Stone” / “Africano”
  20. Little Eva – “The Loco-Motion” / “He is the Boy”

And were there any duds in this selection? Well, nothing disastrous, though “Hill Street Blues” was a bit of a mood changer.

But just look at the strength of the list over all: some absolute beauties from AC/DC, Free, Rainbow, CCR and double INXS. Plus that Budgie single (which is a really nice 7 inch picture disc, by the way) is totally cool.

Some great pop classics in there, too. Village People and Giorgio Moroder? Floor fillers!

Thanks for joining me for another Singles Night at the Virtual Hot Tub. Let’s do it again soon. In the meantime, keep your media physical and your drinks cool.