It's the end of the year...

And so on to my last visit to Densville for the year. Yup things have took a little bit of a beating on 2009 with the slip ups along the way but I promise to fix that. There's also been the arrival of Den Jnr to take me away from my corner of the net and a dropping off of burlesque/ cabaret. I put this down to the fact of the lack of new acts/ performers that have blown me away. Yup, there's plenty of them out there but very few doing anything new or interesting...Anyway, enough of my yacking: let's boogie with Tom, Charlie & Billie

A rare visit to these pages to one of my heroes- Tom Jones. I only discovered this by accident having snaffled it up (using the old adage that any Tom Jones single is worth buying to check out the flip side...) from one of my cheapo sellers recently. I was familiar with Jerry Reed's daft ode to Elvis which features the annoying fade out (Jerry never seems to know how to end his songs...) but somehow Tom's version slipped me by 'til now.

Tom Jones- Tupelo Mississippi flash

Another one that arrived at Chez Den on Christmas Eve was a double Charlie Rich album. 'I can't go on' being a new one on me that up to now is the stand-out track. This Youtube clip also features 'Dance of love' covered by non other than Tom Jones. I've also recently snagged a copy of 'Mohair Sam' by Peggy Lee but we'll save that for another day...A nice beat ballad type tune on this one that I can imagine the freaks flipping their straightened barnets over if it was by Johnny Obscure on a white label promo...Anyways, check out the 'white feather'!

Charlie Rich- I can't go on

A great mid-sixties promo from the ever striking Billie Davis. If you could open a tin that said sixties girl singer this is what you'd find inside. She has a look of Sandie Shaw and arguably churned out better singles at her peek than Sandie's Chris Andrews' efforts which often leave me cold. If you like this one seek out ' I want you to be my baby' and 'Tell him' but avoid 'Billy sunshine' like the plague. I'm putting that one down to Jet Harris' influence!

Billie Davis- Watcha gonna do

Bruised shoulder, flat battery and disappointing brioche

A reet old mixed bag from Den this time out with gravelly-voiced wrinkled winge bags, camp anal sex innuendo, falsetto rockin' out and Ken Barlow. It could only be Den Iniquity's den!

One that caught me out last year on Christmas eve was from Bob Dylan's Christmas album. I was as surprised as you will be at this jaunty little number from ol' gravelly Mr. Misery. What next? a Morrissey Christmas album?

Bob Dylan- Must be Santa

A welcome return for (In the words of my mate Mark) The Massive Chew Teeth. This one I heard many moons ago and has been an ear worm all day for me. The Bee Gees at their most rockin' ? Could be.

Bee Gees- Down the road

One to get the homophobes in a bit of a tizz from 4 poofs and a piano. I guess they're going for the obvious but if they can't, who can?

Four Poofs and a Piano

And finally a diversion into the surreal from Harry Hill and Ken Barlow! The recent Corra fest put me through the ringer after years of cold turkey and this was the cherry on the cake to a great week last week! I love it!

Harry Hill- Ken

Can Mike Love really toot his horn?

Busy times in chez Den these last few week with new arrivals and sleepless nights. It has provided me time to catch up on a number of CDs (Don't get me started on 'Trout mask replica')/ TV shows (Whites, The Walking Dead, Teachers) that I've been meaning to knock down these last few months. So here's what's been frying the wig these last few...

Just been listening to the Brian Wilson productions CD and this one jumped out at me. I'm not sure if there is another British version of this out there but this sounds v. familiar. The good students amongst you will pick up that this is a prototype for the future Beach Boys hit "Darlin'". Give me this any day over the constant '80's fest on VH1 which seems to have 'Kokomo' on every time I switch on the one-eyed lodger. Can Mike Love really play the sax?

Sharon Marie- Thinkin' bout you baby

Girls and monkeys! Great vid from Elv's best LP of the noughties...

Elvis Costello & The Imposters- Monkey to man

A rockin' Elton? Elton on Den's blog? Let 'em riot is what I say! This guy hasn't been cool since about 1975 which a recent Beeb 4 doc used as a cut off point for his career which suits me fine. I'm told this is on Grand Theft Auto. This one is smokin' and from the strangely titled 'Rock of the westies'

Elton John- Street kids

Quicker than you can say OOOCHIMAMA

And so my ire this week bubbles over by being surrounded by complete hammer heads. I've got Burly Q on Sat and plenty of my current e-bay craziness in the pipeline over the next few days.

Garfunkel and Oates are first outta the traps this week with their pithy take on the pregnants. My soon to drop Mrs. Den pointed this one out to me and even she laughed so I guess laughing at this is ok. Anyway, it made me laugh and one of 'em looks like my mates girlf. Anyway, I dunno which one is which in this duo named after two also rans. If they were English I guess they could be Marr and Foxton or Harrison and Wyman??

Garfunkel and Oates- Pregnant women are smug

Not quite the rocking fifties stuff that is in the Burly Q pipeline but a finger-clickin' tune allegedly spun by some of the more risky Northern DJ's. A nice tune from ex bus driver Matt but I can imagine the Northern lot chokin' on their talk when this one comes on. All brought to you with a cheesy late '70's/ early '80's snap

Matt Monro- Honey on the vine

Rip it up and start again and again and again.

So it is now officially the 'fall'. The leaves are turning brown; I'm hooked on ESPN America and the post- season; and Mrs. Den is due to start her maternity. I'm hot off an e-bay frenzy and some pick ups from Rare & Racy- including the great 'Aberystwyth Mon Amor'. There were no obvious hot tracks this week so I've scratched around for some of my recent faves, including a welcome return to Earl 'Who is Dave and why has he stolen my voice' Okin.

I got this on a cheapo Kent LP (sans sleeve) back in '98 on a night where I wore an ill-advised suit and ended up bringing up my lunch all over a stranger's bathroom floor. That aside this is a nice slice of blue-eyed pop/soul in a mid-tempo. Always brings back memories of that evening in Doncaster 12 years ago. I now nowt about this dude other than his brief period under the lights in Wigan during the pop- craze..

Jay Traynor- Up and over

I snarfed this one up t'other week in Chorlton alongside a slew of other good Decca R n B. I'll be spinning this tomoz down the Washy. Nice to hear some Fem UK R n B for a change. Great pipes on Kim on this B from c '64.

Kim Davis- Feeling blue

And my final choice is another delve into past posts with one of Den's favourite lunch time guests: Earl Okin. Whilst this man can talk, he talks the talk and walks the walk and dresses like a King. Here is Earl's own take on that dweeboid noughties 'classic'. All together now....'Her boyfriend's a DICK'...

Earl Okin- Teenage dirtbag

And so at the mo I'm making my way through the surprisingly good and not at all cack 'Aberystwyth mon amor' which mixes an alt. universe (which is always good in Den's book) with a Chandleresque noir. This combined with a recent v/o attempt has Den coming over all noir this week. Check it out folks- I'm told there's another 4 in the series!

Monkey gritty nitty

So the nights are getting dark and our quest is coming to an end. I've been knocking down the Scott Pilgrim series and revisiting some Patricia Highsmith short stories from the 'Animal lover's book of beastly murder' which up to now is not as good as I remember. Anyway, these are two tunes from my recent bus jaunts into town, a snippet from some giggage and a trailer from my latest flick.

And so I was heading back from my evening of relaxation with the old ladies and this one from '66 crept up on me by way of the shuffle on my ipod. Way better than you'd expect Chuck to be in the mid- sixties he name checks various dances before heading to aforementioned club of the title. I can't get enough of this dude at the mo and you can get your fill right here!

Chuck Berry- Club nitty gritty

And so I bring to you unworthy schmos a pair of geeks who are perhaps the biggest bunch of over-rated/ underrated dudes ever to step out in the millstone decade of the 1.9.6.0's. Anyhow's this one was put to right's by Dana Valery at Wigan during it's pop craze (I need to see a playlist to sniff out to see if the snootiness of Y2K is valid) but Simon and Garf nail this one. Defo one of the most underrated/ overlooked pairings ever. I had an epiphany earlier when I realised that whilst Simon has some cred Garf has none and when it boils down to it they are both serious geeks/ oddballs. Lap it up, fuzzballs!

Simon & Garfunkel- You don't know where your interests lie

So I went with Mark to my new fave Sheff venue- The Queens Rd social club. This place invoked memories of Bethnal Green in Feb and was a great night with the surprisingly melodic Dum Dum Girls who did an equally surprising cover of 'Heart of stone' by The Rolling Stones. Although whether this my mind playing tricks I dunno cos they also cover a song with the same name by The Raveonettes. Anyway, heres some dum ass gal interviewing the lead singer who gave me info I was unaware of...

Dum Dum Dee Dee interview

I also watched this pretty good sci-fi film called Moon which I think you should too. The always good Sam Rockwell gets a chance to go for it up against some clones. Watch it people. Directed by Bowie's son this is Major Tom to ground control...

Moon teaser

Reviewing the situation

There's been some breathing space here at Den towers of late with not much going down in this corner of the web. I've ditched an annoying 'quest' book about some bloke going round the pubs of the UK but have been digging the Scott Pilgrim series and also snarfing down books by Bret Easton Ellis and the ongoing 'Transmetropolitan' fest. I have had the nose to the grindstone sniffing out those sides which has included dips into the Chez flea market and a great jaunt to Chorlton/ Manc. So here's what's up for offer from the man described as looking like Bazooka Joe minus the eye- patch...

The penny didn't drop with this one for quite some time. The previously blogged Joe Black appeared on this page doin' his black face version of this. Sandie, however, wigs out in a fashion sadly lacking from the bulk of her other sixties recordings. I've always had a soft spot for Sandie but on this one she finally gets some beef behind her instead of the twee stuff Chris Andrews was churning out. Keep 'em peeled for 'Route 66' heading this way v. soon.

Sandie Shaw- Reviewing the situation

Another under-rated rug is pulled out from under me in the fashion of these costume wearing popular in the US folks Paul Revere and the Raiders. An American doing Mick Jagger doing an American gets my vote! Shit dance moves tho.

Paul Revere and the Raiders- The great airplane song

Further minings into the archives have led me back to a band that featured in the early days of the Den blog- Cupids Inspiration. This is the flip of 'Yesterday has gone'- nice phat rock number on the pea-green NEMS label...

Cupids Inspiration- Dream