Dusting off the Den files

A much delayed return to my corner of the web for a much neglected focus on my sets from Plan B. It was an early one hour plus single set as I sloped off to my jalopy at about 12:30. I've broke it down by the split between the singles and the LP's, so you will see that I'm not a DJ who insists on having the original 7"! There was a heavy sprinkling of 80's stuff and an opening with my current fave- Kate Bush  and the single mix version of 'The big sky' which features KB in a tin foil suit with a full on vid that flipped my wig!

As always a * indicates a debut!

The small ones with the big holes-

Kate Bush- The big sky*
The Jam- The great depression*
ELO- Hold on tight*
The Kinks- King Kong*
The Flee Rekkers- Blue tango*
The Fireballs- Bulldog*
The Doors- Touch me
The Monkees- Porpoise song*
Lou Rawls- A natural man
Shirley and Company- Shame, Shame, Shame
Men Without Hats- The safety dance*
Generation X- King Rocker
Bryan Ferry- Tokyo Joe
Warren Zevon- Werewolves of London
The Castaways- Liar Liar
The Temptations- Superstar (remember how you got where you are)
Elvis Presley- Put the blame on me*


The big ones with the small holes-

The Attack- Anymore than I do
Ian Stewart and The Rail Roaders- Stu- ball*
John Lennon/ Plastic Ono Band- I found out*
Elvis Costello and The Attractions- I hope you're happy now
The Beach Boys- It's about time
The Band- Baby don't do it

A short blast on the wheels of plastic before I have a break in June for my Circle line frolics! Hope you enjoyed the picks folks and more from me sooner than soon...

Two moustachioed dudes in bar

It had been a few years since I had seen the previously blogged "After Hours" but since I received a copy on DVD (the old VHS now sat snugly in the over-flowing loft) I gave it a view the other night. I had long thought that the 'doo-wop' (I'm still not entirely sure what to call this type of stuff) song playing in the bar that Paul enters was 'Lover's island' by The Blue Jays but hey-ho it turned out to be this gem. 'You're mine' is a fab low-tempo black vocal group record from the late '50's (maybe that's what I'll call the genre?!) that gives me the shivers down my spine and ants in my pants. If you haven't seen 'After Hours' (I've met few that have) give it a viewing- it always transports me back to Cologne and the Summer of '98 and riding a bike to the video shop to pick up a copy.Check out a few platters that matter from this copacetic flick...

Robert & Johnny- You're mine

The Danleers- One summer night

Rosie & The Originals- Angel baby

Back to the start

And so it's been 4 years since my first post on this blog and I hope to start 2013 as I mean to go on with more posts than I had last year (5 I think!). There's tunes a plenty to lift the lid on as well plenty Burly Q going on's to keep me busy. A current fave of mine is Slade so here's a couple of obscurios for you to lap up!

Tipped off by my big bro on this one this fits in nicely with some recent viewing here at Casa DenAud. Slade keep surprising me with the dearth of material out there once you look past the hits. We were chatting in the pub about this the other day and came to the conclusion that Slade are often overlooked due to the ubiquity of their Christmas record. These two are later b- sides following their move from Polydor (the period when Dave Hill was sporting the bald 'ead and pirate earring!) Thanks Scott for the latter and VD for the former...It's heavy man...

Slade- O.H.M.S. 
Slade- Funk, Punk, Junk

Plan B 84- The drunks

Another night of questionable requests and schtick from punters who should know better. Anyways, it's been quite some time and my early set was played out to near-empty pub (it was 11:30pm so this was a tad discouraging!). I've recently visited Brighton and picked up a few nice tunes including a great double LP of French pop. I've also gone for a long-time favourite that I eventually managed to track down on a white label boot. So that's your lot for this brief return to the mind of D.I. 

New Order- Shell shock

David Bowie- Blue Jean*

Richard Hell and The Voidoids- Blank generation*

Dexys Midnight Runners- Thankfully living in Yorkshire it doesn't apply*

Kenny Smith- Keep on walking baby

Barrabas- Shack up

The Temptations- Don't let the Joneses get you down

David Alexander White- Que'st que jai danse?*

Dave Clark Five- Inside and out

Luther Ingram- If it's all the same to you babe*

Bryan Ferry- Tokyo Joe

The Sweet- Hell raiser

The Doors- Love her madly

The Rolling Stones- Street fighting man

Velvet Underground- Rock and roll

The Fall- Big new prinz

New York Dolls- Looking for a kiss

The Smiths- London*

Pete Shelley- Telephone operator*

Plan B 81- These kids are too young to know 'World in motion'

Another night off for big brother hence the lengthy list above. I had an epiphany around 3am that the place really wasn't full of weirdos just a bunch of people too young to know 'World in motion' (which got the obligatory bi-annual airing). It all started nicely with some juiced-up guy proclaiming we were 'the best DJ's he'd ever heard' only to bail out when New Order & Chas Jankel were spun. The two I've picked for you is a pairing of two debuts. Banbarra is a fresh pre-disco disconotdiscoish tune that I first heard by A Certain Ratio. 'Exhuming McCarthy' was my pick when someone asked for R.E.M. It's easy to tar them with the crap brush what with the Bonoesque tediousness of Stipe. Anyway, this is one of their best...

Banbarra- Shack up

R.E.M- Exhuming McCarthy

Plan B 80: Pilled-up Kate Bush freak out

Yup I'm back with my first post for a long time with a set from Plan B where early doors I hit the spaced out masses with one or two new grooves and a smorgasboard of weirdness for their aural pleasure.

First outta the traps and creating a brain worm is the (apparant) star of 'Laverne and Shirley' Phil Foster (check that dudes coupon out!) with a record with a title that I just had to buy. I'm not entirely sure what a 'shuckle' is (to me it would be a cross between a shrug and a chuckle) and my idea can is boggled by what it would involve (particularly if it contained the shrug/ chuckle combo). Anyways check it below...

Another oddity is this teen; West Coast; White; Temptations. Snagged during a rather hot day in Notting Hill last summer this one is a great two-fer with a nice Egyptian number on the flip. Those guys at Norton blow my hat stand every time.

And a final tune from the fabby Dee Dee Sharpe with Ride! It's a brave woman who saddles a title with an exclamation point but this one sits nicely alongside 'Gravy (for my mashed potato)' and 'Do the bird'. A great tune from a singer always worth a punt on!

The rest of the set strayed into early 80's weirdness (Kate Bush), 70's soul (Rare Gems Odyssey) and 80's indie (REM) with all of them making their respective debuts. All killer (albeit old standbys) later on in set two, but that ain't no bad thing. It wont be 4 months 'til the next one...

Phil Foster- Shuckle twist*
The Temptations (Anaheim)- Blue Surf
Dee Dee Sharpe- Ride!*
Gene Pitney- She's a heartbreaker
James Brown- Funky President
Kate Bush- Sat in your lap*
Rare Gems Odyssey- What is funk*
The Doors- Hello I love you*
Stevie Wonder- Higher ground*
REM- Strange*
The Smiths- What difference does it make
XTC- Respectable Street
Johnny Thunders- You can't put your arms around a memory

Otis Redding- Papa's got a brand new bag*
The Isley Brothers- Get into something
Etta James- Seven day fool
Trio Valore- Rehab
Bob Seger System- Ramblin' gamblin' man
The Clash- London calling
Vince Taylor and The Playboys- Brand new cadillac
The Kinks- I need you
The Doors- Light my fire
Talking Heads- Life during wartime
Elvis Costello and The Attractions- Pump it up
The Damned- Smash it up
The Troggs- Wild thing
The Sweet- Hell raiser*
The Osmonds- Crazy horses

Plan B 76: Sha Na Na requests and talking to David Bowie

Not many newbies in the two lengthy sets from Plan B 76 but plenty of tunes getting a dusting down for the first time in a long time. I have grown particularly fond of Sailor's 'Glass of champagne' which surprises me after the 'orrid 'Girls, girls, girls' that I was exposed to last year. Can you tell the difference between their singer and XTC's??? Same vocal nuances 5 years before Andy Partridge?! (it's the way he sings 'shampayane'). It was inevitable there would be a smattering of the 'white album' after my recent posts but this was coupled with many Beatles requests and a question from someone who looked like they'd stumbled out of Height- Ashburyy circa 1968 of 'What are you trying to say through your music'? Which was responded with 'What do you think I'm trying to say through my music?'

Follow the links for the current ear worms!

Early Set

Mud- Rocket
Iggy Pop- China girl
Elvis Costello- My mood swings*
Dave Clarke Five- Maze of love
Blood, Sweat & Tears- Lucretia McEvil
The Beatles- Glass onion*
Blues Magoos- Gotta get away
Sailor- A glass of champagne*
XTC- Respectable Street
The Rolling Stones- Undercover of the night*
The Fall- I'm Frank*
The Go Go's- Head over heels
Magazine- Thank you (forlettinmebemyselfagen)
Tom Waits- Union Square
Kiss- Rock 'n' roll all night*

Late Set

The Beatles- Back in the U.S.S.R
The Sonics- Have love will travel
The Clash- London calling
Elvis Costello & The Attractions- Pump it up
Talking Heads- Life during wartime*
David Bowie- Modern love
The Beatles- She's a woman
The Strangeloves- Night time
Junior Walker & The All Stars- Shotgun
Otis Redding- Love man
Gloria Jones- Tainted love
The Standells- Dirty water
Eddie Cochran- Summertime blues
The Surfaris- Wipe out
Mike Pedicin- Burnt toast and black coffee
The Rolling Stones- Get off my cloud
Bob Seger System- Ramblin' gamblin' man
Chuck Berry- Club nitty gritty
Mitch Ryder & The Detroit Wheels- Jenny take a ride!
Small Faces- Almost grown
Elvis Presley- What'd I say
Aretha Franklin- Satisfaction