All You Need

Fully Qualified Survivor, the second album by underrated British folkie Michael Chapman, is essential listening, my amigos da musica. Interesting plus: it features a young Mick Ronson on guitar, just before he would hit the big leagues as a member of Bowie's Spiders From Mars.

Michael Chapman - Naked Ladies And Electric Ragtime

In The Sun

Remember the muy simpático Simple Machines label? For its early-nineties singles club, it released a highly collectable series of split singles under the Working Holiday! moniker. Each song was especially written to commemorate a holiday of the month it was released in. Cool concept, huh? Here's a couple of highlights for all you indie types out there.

Eggs - Roll Away The Stone
Codeine - Ides

Pot Of Gold

All hail Chasing Rainbows, a cool new collaboration between Santa Barbara and Amsterdam. Psychedelic and ramshackle, the inspired pop of singer Lawrence Rengert and his four experienced Dutch cohorts is right up my alley. A 7" single is out as we speak, and you can expect a full-lenght album on the Excelsior label real soon. So get up, already. Damn.

Chasing Rainbows - Time To Get Up

Won't You Help Me

Mid-August and only 13 degrees out? Raining all the time, to boot? You've got to be kidding me.

The Tears - Weatherman

¡Al Cante!

Me? I'm muy feliz, as I just decided to attend the famous Fiesta de la Bulería this year. It's the Glastonbury of flamenco puro, folks! Saturday night, September 6, held as always in the local bullring of Jerez de la Frontera, flamenco city. Its stellar line-up features big names as Agujetas, Jesús Méndez, Diego Carrasco, Remedio Amaya, and - my personal fave - the mighty Capullo de Jerez. For more info, if you can read Spanish that is, go here. See you there? I'll buy you a glass of fino for sure.

Capullo de Jerez - Soleá Por Bulerías

Squeeze Me

I don't think the Lemonheads have been featured in these pages before, and that's an omission I really can't explain. After all, I saw them more than once on stage back in the days, and can even recall strutting around in a way cool Hate Your Friends tee. To put things right, here's a choice cut from each of their first 5 albums, clearly showcasing Evan Dando's progression from punk pop to pure pop.

Lemonheads - Glad I Don't Know
Lemonheads - Two Weeks In Another Town
Lemonheads - Mallo Cup
Lemonheads - Left For Dead
Lemonheads - Confetti

Make It Sing

"There are wicked men sitting in the seat of judgment..." Indeed, my brethren, indeed. Cool roots from reggae poet Linton Kwesi Johnson's first outing, featuring the elusive Vivian Weathers on vocals.

Poet And The Roots - Song Of Blood

Bottom Line

Look who I ran into on my recent travels. Yup, the Igster himself, promoting a softdrink in the streets of the capital of Catalunya. "With your expensive smile and your money eyes, and a full prescription bottle just to keep the customer high, that's how you sell your love..."

Iggy Pop - Sell Your Love

Come Fly

Taking the first plane outta here tomorrow morning, southbound on our annual sun, sea, and piracy trip. See ya sometime in August, my amigos da musica. In the meantime, do check out these luverly ditties, puhleeze.

Red Krayola - Hurricane Fighter Plane
John Hartford - Stream Powered Aereo Plane
Guided By Voices - We've Got Airplanes

Do You Remember

The days of slavery? And how they worked us so hard... Presenting yet another rootsy six pack from the island.

Burning Spear - Slavery Days
Joe Higgs - More Slavery
Skulls - Black Slavery Days
Culture - Too Long In Slavery
Jack Ruby & The Black Disciples - Slavery Days Dub
Skin Flesh & Bones - Slavery Dub

Flayed Your Flesh

Could postpunk white boys play da funk? Of course they could. Exhibit A: this fine Martin Hannett production from the golden year of 1979.

A Certain Ratio - Do The Du