Stuart Bailie
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Over and Out
Stuart Bailie
Late Show Presenter
So whatās the perfect goodbye song? Iām not sure thereās anything as immense as Roy Orbison and āItās Overā. The trembling delivery, the staggering beat, the swelling apprehension and worse. The girl has been untrue and she tells Roy that theyāre emphatically done. No more rainbows, only lonely sunsets. The song surges for the last time and the sorrow takes us to a hitherto unreachable summit of disconsolation. Even the stars are weeping in the sky
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I may have mentioned Soft Cell before and the imperial āSay Hello, Wave Goodbyeā. Seek out the 12 inch version for the most lonesome clarinet solo, ever. But while Roy Orbison had a kind of dignity in despair, Marc Almond is more theatrical and less generous with his exit. He takes a few bitchy sideswipes as he stumbles out the doors of the Pink Flamingo and into the rain. But beyond the posturing, thereās an ill-disguised heartbreak. David Gray used this in his version of the song. Then he had the smart idea of hitching it onto Van Morrisonās āMadam Georgeā - the tune with the most protracted and soul-shredding outro in popular music. A hundred goodbyes, and itās still never enough.
Yet on the other side, there is resignation. Youā¦
Playlist, July 22
Stuart Bailie
Late Show Presenter
Meryem Abouloufa
Meryem Abouloufa is from Casablanca. Her voice has a dreamy, measured tone that will please fans of Natalie Merchant and Stina Nordenstam. She was recently recorded in Marrakech, Morrocco by a team from Belfast ā travelling out there with the British Council. The delegation included members of And So I Watch You From Afar, Start Together Studios and No Dancing Records.A portable studio was delivered, 15 songs were recorded in 6 days and by all accounts, it was emotional. Thereās a lovely symmetry in this story in that for many decades, artists from Northern Ireland complained that the system was against them, that there were few facilities and that the infrastructure was bust. Now we have evidence of some confident guys from these parts, actively helping another music community. Thatās Meryem in the centre of the photo, with Rocky OāReilly and Jimmy Devlin.
It was so hot in the makeshift studio that they windows remained open and so during the Meryem sessions, you can hear theā¦
The Blackboard Of My Heart
Stuart Bailie
Late Show Presenter
David Bowie once put a major question out there. āAināt there one damn song that can make you break down and cry?ā he wailed on āYoung Americansā. Well, hereās a response. For some years, Iāve been blogging in instalments about records that have a personal significance. My āGotta Hear Thisā series has covered some of my favourite tunes, but also includes lesser-known records with my own intense narrative . One play and Iām utterly back there, either in glory or returned in that mood indigo. Music can sure hit the recall zone. TS Elliot called this āthe objective correlativeā. What he was really saying is that itās writ deep in the blackboard of his heart.
Here then, is a list of the tunes and links to the relevant blogs. Iāve also put together a Spotify playlist here: http://open.spotify.com/user/stubey77/playlist/1CqLt6pc3QxyjBkwBzvgDs
The Graham Parker recording on Spotify is an inferior live version and Hamilton Bohannonās āLetās Start The Danceā is an earlier recording. But sure, you get the drift. My Monday night Radio Ulster show will also revisit some of these tunes in the coming weeks. Thanks, as ever, for the indulgence.
1. Willie Tee āWalking Up A One Way Street
http://wwā¦Bury My Heart At Eagleās Rock
Stuart Bailie
Late Show Presenter
La Faro, Glasgowbury 2013.Photo by Stuart Bailie
Hey LaFaro, youāre looking good. Johnny wears a black halter neck dress with matching trainers. Herb has opted for a white tutu and tights and he does an elegant pas de deux while sucking on a ciggy. Al is on drums with a black diamantĆ© bra, possibly a homage to Gautier while Daveās over-the-shoulder ensemble is on loan from Wilma Flintstone. Thus attired, LaFaro summon up their riffs from theā¦Playlist July 15
Stuart Bailie
Late Show Presenter
Such a happy occasion to hear the Kowalski album. There were times when we worried that it might never drop ā that one of the sweetest bands in recent years would shuffle off without a true legacy. I don't know all of the issues that delayed its arrival, but āFor The Love Of Letting Goā doesn't manifest any of the pain. Rather, it shimmers and swoons and rightfully shows up when the sun is bright and the days are expansive.
You will already know āOutsideā, a song that finds poetry in oil slicks and persuades you that loveās young dream can still resonate. Many of the songs are sited by theā¦
We Belong To Glasgowbury
Stuart Bailie
Late Show Presenter
I was shocked when the news bulletin revealed that Glasgowbury Festival was ending this summer. Iāve been attending since 2004 and have missed only once. Iāve seen it in makeshift spaces, in a challenging sports field and once when it retracted to the Cellar Bar in Draperstown and was besieged by drunken meatheads.
In all of these situations, Paddy Glasgow has been a dependable feature, mobilising his team, a great propagandist for the rural story and our introduction to the mind-expanding vistas of the Sperrins and Eagleās Rock. I have frozen on those hillsides and Iāve bonded with dearā¦
Mad About The Whipping Boy
Stuart Bailie
Late Show Presenter
Whenever I hear a Whipping Boy song ā which isnāt often enough ā I have a vision of Ferghal McKee on stage, his hair brutally hacked off and his face streaked in congealed white powder. He was quite an artist, but he didnāt seem at ease with the gig. And when people praised him, he cranked up the self-sabotage regime. In this respect, the guy was successful. He was never famous, even though the Dublin kids adored him and the eulogies came from farther away. Still, weāll always have āHeartwormā.
Not a few Irish critics have ranked the second Whipping Boy album as one of the greatest in theā¦
Clameen Genies
Stuart Bailie
Late Show Presenter
Surely you will love The Clameens. Youthful beat-merchants from Derry, raved about by Soak, by Stephen McCauleyat Radio Foyle and profiled this Monday past by Radio Ulsterās ATL. Thatās Sean, Ryan, Hayden and Ethan, with freshness in their bones and a seeming affection for Alex Turner and Peter Doherty. The vocals are smartly declaimed, the drumming is brisk and sweet and new release āSheās Got My Heartā is a certified pop tune that finds Sean in an unrequited discussion with another girl in the neighbourhood. Ah, those Derry wans.
You can see them at Glasgowbury and at Stendhal Festival.ā¦
Playlist 8th July
Stuart Bailie
Late Show Presenter
āSimmer Downā is a record that canāt get started soon enough. The horns are colliding, the harmonies are on it and the supreme players from The Skatalites are the backing band. Which gives this 1963 recording the maximum ska value. But thatās only part of the narrative, because among the guys who front this recording are Peter Tosh, Bunny Wailer and a young Bob Marley. This first release from the Wailing Wailers would top the Jamaican charts early in 1964.
Musically, you can see how Marley was paying his dues to Curtis Mayfield and The Impressions, especially in the way that the backingā¦
Born On The Fifth Of July
Stuart Bailie
Late Show Presenter
Fans of The Great Gatsby may remember the July 5, 1922 was the date of an extravagant party at West Egg. The narrator has written down the names of the visitors and there are some amusing snapshots of the old money snobs from across the bay. That includes SB Whitebait, Clarence Endive in his white knickerbockers, the Chester Beckers and Doctor Webster Civet. Not forgetting Ripley Snell, who was so drunk that Ulysses Swift ran over his hand with his automobile.
A few local establishments have tried to put on Gatsby-themed parties, but without the resources of a millionaire bootlegger. The realā¦
