Bring Your Own Thing

This double live album was my introduction to the late great Gil Scott-Heron, and this here marathon funk version of Angel Dust never fails to lift my spirits. Ain't no turning back...

Gil Scott-Heron - Angel Dust (live)

Take It All In

Yet another reimagining of Gil Scott-Heron's landmark comeback album I'm New Here? Well, why not. Jamie xx already did such a thing the electro way back in 2011, a year after the original came out, and now it's Makaya McCraven's turn. The jazz drummer and band leader from the Windy City does a fine and subtle job here, jazzing things up in fine style. New again indeed. Listen and compare below if you please.

Makaya McCraven - New York Is Killing Me
Jamie xx - NY Is Killing Me
Gil Scott-Heron - New York Is Killing Me

Time After Time

Time for an old fave. Here we go: uno, dos, tres, cuatro...

Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson - The Bottle

Come And Join Me

On my cloud, that is. Standout among many a chill remix of Gil Scott-Heron's glorious last stand by boy wonder Jamie xx Smith.

Gil Scott-Heron & Jamie xx - My Cloud

Top O' The Morning

"And I think I'll call it morning from now on... why should I survive on sadness and tell myself I got to be alone..." Presenting a six pack for early risers. Wakey wakey, people.

Gil Scott-Heron - I Think I Call It Morning

Rob Galbraith - Jezebel Of The Morning

Doug Sahm - Catch Me In The Morning

Lighty Singers Of Estill, SC - In The Morning When The Trumpet Sound

The Youngbloods - Four In The Morning

Blind Blake - Early Morning Blues

Wild Weekend Vol. 61

It's the day of the Champions League final, so it sure is gonna be a mad Wild Weekend. While waiting for the kick-off in nervous anticipation, let's get down with edition #61. Spotlight on the soul of Raw Spitt and the swamp rock of the Scientists, while we've got the Blind Owl blues and listen to a reggae psalm. Make it a wild one, y'all, and don't forget: ¡Visca el Barça y visca Catalunya!

Let's get into the groove with a guy who called himself Raw Spitt. Can't go wrong with a moniker like that, right? Try his very soulful anti-Vietnam scorcher Songs To Sing from '71, and join me in wondering why this protégé of the mighty Swamp Dogg never hit the big time. Time for some bible studies now, with the one and only Prince Far I. Nearly everything the Jamaican voice of thunder put out in his long career gets me in an irie spirit, but his '76 debut Psalms For I, lyrically based on the old testament psalms and the Lord's prayer, is probably most precious of all. "Wake out of your slumber and answer your call..." Pray on.

Raw Spitt - Songs To Sing MP3

Prince Far I - Psalm 1 MP3

John Fahey's the man alright, so when one Sean Siegfried sent me a link to his Bandcamp page telling me he was heavily inspired by the steel string acoustic guitar pioneer from DC I was all ears. As you should be, too, because the guitar instrumentals on Siegfried's debut album Backwoods are - to say the least - very promising indeed. Pick it. The North Mississippi Allstars are the sons of legendary Memphis producer and session player James Luther Dickinson, and for that reason alone they can do no wrong in my book. Here they are now, serenading last week's birthday boy from Duluth. The understated arrangement was suggested to Luther and Cody Dickinson by their dad from his hospital bed, only shortly before he died. Postscript: for a labour of love containing seventy (!) more fab Dylan covers, go visit the Boogie Woogie Flu.

Sean Siegfried - Sam's Brewery MP3

North Mississippi Allstars - Stuck Inside Of Mobile With The Memphis Blues Again MP3

Antipodean rockers the Scientists were grunge precursors both in sound and looks. They recorded many a great song in their early eighties heydays, but Swampland just has to be the best of them all. "In my heart there's a place called swampland... nine parts water, one part sand." No worries, mateys. And we call it a day paying tribute to Alan 'Blind Owl' Wilson (1943-1970). Never mind Bob 'The Bear' Hite, Wilson always was my fave vocalist in Canned Heat. Check out the groovin' Change My Ways, in which he sounds a likely successor to the throne of Skip James, to see what I mean. "I've been alone so long, got to change my ways..."

The Scientists - Swampland MP3

Canned Heat - Change My Ways MP3

And as a stop press bonus track, here's the wonderful Gil Scott-Heron. Just received the sad news that he died yesterday. Miss him.

Gil Scott-Heron - Lady Day And John Coltrane MP3

Wonder Show

It´s a dirty job, but somebody´s gotta do it... So without further ado, here´s the one and only For The Sake Of The Song end of year list. Accept no substitutes, baby. Ten albums that were in heavy rotation during 2010, and that´s what counts in the end. Check! Buy the whole wonder show why don´t you.

1. Gil Scott-Heron - I´m New Here

Unexpected comeback of the year, by one of HipHop´s true forefathers.

Gil Scott-Heron - I´ll Take Care Of You MP3

2. Bonnie Prince Billy & The Cairo Gang - The Wonder Show Of The World

Will Oldham met guitarist Emmett Kelly, which lifted the fog on many a dreary day.

3. Charlie Parr - When The Devil Goes Blind

Intense and authentic pre-war blues, anno 2010. No, I´m not kidding.

Charlie Parr- 1890 MP3

4. Neil Young - Le Noise

Teaming up with producer Daniel Lanois was an excellent idea, sonically speaking.

5. First Aid Kit - The Big Black And The Blue

A lovely Swedish girl duo provided no-frills acoustic bliss. Jag älskar dig.

First Aid Kit - Sailor Song MP3

6. Phosphorescent - Here´s To Taking It Easy

Matthew Houck´s take on Americana compared to slipping into a warm bath.

7. Wounded Lion - Wounded Lion

Growling barb wire pop from smoggy LA. Debut of the year I´m sure.

Wounded Lion - Pony People MP3

8. Tunng - ...And Then We Saw Land

Not as adventurous as previous outings, but still the finest freakfolkers around.

9. Isobell Campbell & Mark Lanegan - Hawk

That marriage between a Belle and a Screaming Tree surely was made in heaven.

Isobel Campbell & Mark Lanegan - You Won´t Let Me Down Again MP3

10. Bill Callahan - Rough Travel For A Rare Thing

The former Smog foreman impressed once more, this time in an intimate live setting.

Bubbling under: Sun Kil Moon, Grinderman, Joanna Newsom, Drive-By Truckers, Pearly Gate Music, Off!, the Black Keys, Alasdair Roberts, Roky Erickson with Okkervil River, and the Graham Nash tribute Be Yourself.

Some old stuff released this year that I really enjoyed: Johnny Cash´s epitaph American VI: Ain´t No Grave, Dylan´s Witmark Demos and Live At Brandeis University, Complete Mythology by Syl Johnson, Satan´s A Waitin´ by Sonny Burns, and the Legacy Edition of Raw Power by Iggy & the Stooges. Music books of the year: Bob Dylan In America by Sean Wilentz, and We Never Learn - The Gunk Punk Undergut 1988-2001 by Eric Davidson.

Wishing you a bopping new year, dear readers. I´m off on a short break, see ya sometime early 2011.

Walking Side By Side

Soul survivor and godfather of hiphop Gil Scott-Heron is back after a long absence, and that´s good news. I saw the man, who came to fame with the immortal The Revolution Will Not Be Televised in the early seventies, perform live one time in a small club in the late eighties and that made quite an impression. Although attendance was poor to say the least, Gil gave it his all and simply sang his heart out for two hours.

On his new album, the ironically titled I´m New Here, he deliciously modernizes blues legend Robert Johnson´s Me And The Devil Blues. Heavy stuff, inna surprising triphop stylee. Do yourself a favor and compare the two below, and in chronological order if you please. "Hello Satan, I believe it´s time to go..."

Robert Johnson - Me And The Devil Blues MP3

Gil Scott-Heron - Me And The Devil MP3

The title track of I´m New Here brings another surprise. Who could ever have thought Scott-Heron would one day cover a song by Bill Callahan of lofi heroes Smog? Cool choice, and Gil obviously has fun with it.

"Met a woman in a bar, I told her I was hard to get to know, and near impossible to forget...

She said I had an ego on me the size of Texas...

Well I´m new here, and I forget, does that mean big or small?"

Gil Scott-Heron - I´m New Here MP3

Smog - I´m New Here MP3