“The best duo vocal harmonies around”, no not us, it’s The Everlys, Isaac (it says here) and Phil with their album of mostly Hollies songs, paired up on this tape with Andover fist Andover’s finest, The Troggs. Be afraid, be very afraid.
You can hear what Kicker and Chorizo make of these albums by clicking on the image below.
And, as promised, here’s how we would have improved that Troggs compilation if they’d asked us.
Our chats about the previous tapes can be found where you found this one.
To avoid any potential disappointment on missing out on the next show, make sure you follow our podcast on Spotify or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
It’s been a while since we did one of these, but we seem to have remembered how to do it. It’s just talk a load of bollocks and play a load of ace tunes, right? Right.
Anyway, this show not only features all the above, but also a star turn from Kicker Jr, who helps explain modern music to the wizards [Finally!! – TTW Ed], an exciting new lucky dip feature, no, really, and the latest instalment of Chorizo’s ever popular Musicians Dreams. Oh, yes.
You can hear all the fun of the fair here and down there…
Turn away now if you don’t want to know what’s coming up. Otherwise, here’s what we played:
Hey, hey, it’s Simon and Garfunkel’s Bookends and hello, Monkees, my old friends, it’s the soundtrack to Head, both under the wizards’ critical microscope* on this show.
What unites the two, you may ask, well, they were both on Robert Pollard’s tape, that’s what.
You can hear what Kicker and Chorizo make of these albums by clicking on the image below.
*ill-informed guesswork
Our chats about the previous tapes can be found where you found this one.
To avoid any potential disappointment on missing out on the next show, make sure you follow our podcast on Spotify or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
Oi, oi! ‘Ere’s anuvver podcarst for your delactation. So, whatcha gonna do abaht it?
Ahem. Yes, the wizards have a good listen to the Small Faces conceptual masterpiece and as a result go all cockney knees-up.
Are you all sitty comftybold two square on your botties? Then you can hear what they made of it by clicking on the image below.
And, as a special treat, see if you can spot the 10 song titles from Oliver! that Chorizo manages to include in their discussion. Let us know how you do!
We also mention that a Small Faces song should be added to this historical playlist. You can read all about the premise in, erstwhile wizard, Rebel Rikkit’s original text.
Our chats about the previous tapes can be found where you found this one.
To avoid any potential disappointment on missing out on the next show, make sure you follow our podcast on Spotify or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
Following on from discussing Syd era Pink Floyd, it’s now time for the wizards to consider Syd era Syd Barrett. Both his solo albums, in fact.
You can hear what we made of these two albums by clicking on the image below.
Kicker has also put together a playlist of his favourite Syd Barrett songs, a few of which weren’t on the 4 albums we discussed, and Chorizo has made him add his favourite cover versions too.
Talking of which, here’s that REM cover of Dark Globes Chorizo was talking about:
And the magazine and CD…
Our chats about the previous tapes can be found where you found this one.
To avoid any potential disappointment on missing out on the next show, make sure you follow our podcast on Spotify or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
Later than planned due to technical issues far too tedious to explain here, we are delighted to bring you Chorizo Garbanzo playing his favourite songs of 2021 and talking about them with his wizarding pal Kicker.
Here’s Side A…
… and here’s Side B.
Alternatively you can download Side A here and Side B here or listen via Soundcloud below.
As is now tradition, let’s start with my favourite SONG OF THE YEAR – a full run down of all my favourite songs can be heard on one of our end of the year podcasts – the Kicker one, and, of those, my favourite is Scott Lavene‘s The Ballad of Lynsey. A proper bit of storytelling with a killer refrain.
This Bristol band, the brainchild of the prolific Joe Sherrin, were new to me this year thanks to the introduction of friend of the pod and all round top lad, Jeff Tyson. I now own their full back catalogue and could do with another tape as this one is worn out.
2 Scott Lavene – Milk City Sweethearts
3 The Reds, Pinks & Purples – Uncommon Weather
4 William Doyle – Great Spans Of Muddy Time
5 The Cleaners From Venus – Penny Novelettes
6 Von Hayes – Wa La!
7 Psychic Flowers – For The Undertow
8 Paul Jacobs – Pink Dogs On The Green Grass
9 Low – Hey What
10 Guided By Voices – Earth Man Blues
11 Cathal Coughlan – Song Of Co-Aklan
12 James Yorkston & The Second Hand Orchestra – The Wide, Wide River
13 Wurld Series – What’s Growing
14 Astral Swans – Astral Swans
15 Marconi Union – Signals
16 The Declining Winter – Recordings Of Weird Air
17 Haiku Salut – The Hill, The Light, The Ghost
18 Ronan O Snodaigh – Tá Go Maith
19 Strapping Fieldhands – Across The Susquehanna
20 Gruff Rhys – Seeking New Gods
21 Smug Brothers – Application Of The Twig
22 John Francis Flynn – I Would Not Live Always
23 Faye Webster – I Know I’m Funny Haha
24 Lewsberg – In Your Hands
25 Mimsy – Ormeology
…. and making up a top 50 albums, all of which you should own, are, in alphabetical order, 25* more:
Apeshit – Music For Pipe Smokers; Arab Strap – As Days Get Dark; Courtney Barnett – Things Take Time, Take Time; The Bevis Frond – Little Eden; Black Country, New Road – For The First Time; The Chills – Scatterbrain; Clinic – Fantasy Island; Cub Scout Bowling Pins – Clang Clang Ho; Dohnavùr – The Flow Across Borders; Ducks Ltd. – Modern Fiction; The Goalie’s Anxiety At The Penalty Kick – Ways Of Hearing; Good Morning – Barnyard; Guardian Singles – Guardian Singles; Guided By Voices – Styles We Paid For / It’s Not Them. It Couldn’t Be Them. It Is Them!; Hiatus – Distancer; The House In the Woods – Spectral Corridor; Immersion – Nanocluster Vol. 1; Kitchen Cynics – Reekinhame / Resevoir / Endbirds / In The Ruins / Songs From Room 9; Pardoner – Came Down Different; Royal Chant – Shoot The Messenger; Sleaford Mods – Spare Ribs; Veryan – Here; Wake Up – Tigers Can’t Be Choosers; Andrew Wasylyk – Balgay Hill: Morning In Magnolia; Western Edges – Dependency
And not only because it features a song co-written by this particular wizard, but definitely that, and the song by The Cannanes, which is stellar, and so much more.
2 Cue Dot Sampler: Volume 1
3 An Eclectic Selection Of Music From The Arab World, Part 2 (Habibi Funk)
4 May The Circle Remain Unbroken: A Tribute To Roky Erickson (Light In The Attic)
Chorizo brought these to the pod, and I instantly fell in love with this Leeds band and their first 4 songs. The debut album, due early next year, seems sure to be a big hit in Kicker Towers in 2022.
2 Cub Scout Bowling Pins – Heaven Beats Iowa
3 Dohnavùr – Pristine Environments
4 Kitchen Cynics – Seven Meditations From A Morthouse
5 Ducks Ltd. – Get Bleak
Top 5 Reissues / Re-pressings / Remixes / Not Strictly Speaking New Stuff
1 Spare Snare – The Complete BBC Radio Sessions 1995 – 2018
Dundee’s (some say, Scotland’s) finest, The Snare put together a fantastic box set of stuff they did with Peel, Riley, Galloway, and, er, Jones over 25 years.
2 Caravan – Who Do You Think We Are?
3 Linda Smith – Till Another Time: 1988-1996
4 Devo’s Gerald V. Casale – AKA Jihad Jerry & The Evildoers
A gig I regret not getting to, but am delighted to now be able to hear in full. I really hope its release signals the return of The The to the recording studio.
2 The Fall – Live At St Helens Technical College 81
3 Bruce Springsteen & The E Street Band – The Legendary 1979 No Nukes Concerts
4 Neil Young & Crazy Horse – Way Down In The Rust Bucket
5 Alex Chilton and Hi Rhythm Section Boogie Shoes – Live On Beale Street
The Robert Pollard Annual Output Roundup
Guided By Voices – Styles We Paid For (a December 2020 release) / Earth Man Blues / It’s Not Them, It Couldn’t Be Them, It Is Them / Thank You Very Much For Nothing (video)
Cub Scout Bowling Pins – Heaven Beats Iowa EP / Clang Clang Ho
Reissues: Propeller x 4 (Scat); Under The Bushes Under the Stars (white); Isolation Drills (2xLP, blue/black); Alien Lanes (Newbury Comics, Red)
Hot Freaks (Subscription):
Following on from the subscription starting in May 2020, this year we received, in the form of weekly downloads, the following:
Robert Pollard – 1998 Home Acoustic Recordings / Irving Plaza, New York City, June 14, 1996 / The Batman Sees The Ball (Preview) / Before Computers (Style We Paid For Demos) / Kevin March Songs / I Sell The Circus (Demos) / Sunshine Girl (Preview) / Live at the Grog Shop in Cleveland, April 21, 2018 / Bobby Bare Jr / Robert Pollard – Carry On Bag / Lord Of The Birdcage (Roughs) / Robert Pollard – Motivational Jumpsuit (Demos) / WXPN World Cafe – July 17, 1997 / Robert Pollard– Full Sun (Dig The Slowness) / BBC Radio 1: John Peel Session, June 18, 1996 / Robert Pollard – Space City Kicks (Roughs) / Cub Scout Bowling Pins – Eggs Mother? (Preview) / Robert Pollard – Carry On Bag II / Broadcaster House / Live at Gateway City Arts in Holyoke, MA – October 23, 2018 / Broadcaster House – Part 2.
Rather neatly this meant the full sub gave us 1000 tracks, which subsequently have been made available on a GBVUSB. Shit, yeah!
From the founder of the wonderful Anyway Records, this book provides the reader with a vivid moving description of love, friendship, music and excess in late 80s Ohio. Highly recommended.
2 Bob Stanley and Tessa Norton – Excavate!: The Wonderful and Frightening World of The Fall
3 Holly George-Warren – A Man Called Destruction: The Life And Music Of Alex Chilton
4 Tot Taylor – The Story Of John Nightly
5 Kristin Hersh – Seeing Sideways: A Memoir of Music and Motherhood
Described as a ‘mind-fuck’ on the back of the book, no description I could come up with beyond this would do it justice. Just know you need to read it, and then read it again.
2 Willy Vlautin – The Night Always Comes
3 Bob Mortimer – And Away
Top 5 Music Films Seen (But Not Necessarily Released) This Year
Everything you could possibly want from a music documentary – informative, moving, and laugh out loud funny. It’ll make you want to get those Prefects records out again too.
2 Dunstan Bruce – I Get Knocked Down
3 The Jangling Man: The Martin Newell Story
4 Poly Styrene – I Am A Cliché
5 Sparks – The Sparks Brothers
Best Song That Didn’t Quite Make The Playlist, But Had My Favourite Music Video Award
The Stephen Jones One Man Domination Of Record Shelf Space Award
Just the 260 tracks released by Stephen Jones this year under various guises:
Babybird – Corona Christmas / Give Me Your Heart, I’ll Give You Mine (single) / Leicester Square, London, 11/2/12 / Covers & Remixes / Kids Gun
Baby Bird – I Was Born A Baby
Stephen Jones – The Floating City / Heart Boxes / Bandcamp Babybird
British Achievement In Chemistry, March 1977; Concretism – Archive: Volume 1; Jilk – Welcome Lies; Dohnavùr – Pristine Environments; Oscilloclast – Nocturnal/Seasonal; Hawksmoor – Crystal World; Polypores – Myriad; Stellarays – Cosmopollinators; The Heartwood Institute – Land Of The Lakes; Correlations – Rewind The Exit Tape
Plus a number of other great records released by the label this year, but not part of the subscription:
Dohnavùr – Flow Across Borders and New Objectivity (The Remixes) EP; Warrington-Runcorn New Town Development Plan – People & Industry and Interim Report, March 1979; Den Osynliga Manteln – Insektsfolk; Clocolan – This Will End In Love; Hattie Cooke – Bliss Land; Concretism – Teliffusion; Everyday Dust – Black Water
Favourite Music Related Moments (Outside of Everything Above)
Jellyfish Reflector – bought direct from Uncle Bob via Sarah Zade-Pollard. Oh, yes.
Tom Violence – the band I was involved with back in the late 80s – found themselves included on an Almost Halloween Time Records compilation (see above). Luigi said:
“Tom Violence: The song that made me think the most. Where has she been hiding all these years? I know that one of the members of this project has an infinite record collection, it certainly went like this, the original tape it was contained on must have been placed by mistake in another shell and Darren found it putting his collection in order during the lockdown. It was not easy to find a collocation for this song which could very well be a b-side of Talk Talk or Pet Shop Boys. What if more recordings come out? I could finally update my playlist of favorite 80s songs and turn the clock back to release a bizarre classic.”
And finally, something to enjoy with the family over Christmas Dinner, a selection of the best part of a dozen (eleven, in fact) of my favourite instrumentals of the year.
Please help support all the wonderful musicians mentioned in the lists above by searching out their records, CDs, tapes and downloads and BUYING THEM!!!
It’s been another bumper year for music in the O’Elves household, where extra shelves have been built (put together) to accommodate a whole bunch of great new stuff.
You can hear Kicker’s choice of his favourite 24 tracks from that little lot on two jam-packed sides of the show below:
As always, we urge you to support all the wonderful musicians involved in making our lives more tolerable by seeking them out on bandcamp (using the links above) and BUYING their stuff.
The big question on this episode is, rightly, all about the use of the definite article in describing the artist behind these 2 albums – the first two from (The) Pink Floyd and the only ones to feature Syd Barrett.
As an avowed post-punk hater of The Floyd, Chorizo opens up his mind and gives them a go.
You can hear what both the wizards made of these two albums by clicking on the image below.
PROOF!!
Our chats about the previous tapes can be found where you found this one.
To avoid any potential disappointment on missing out on the next show, make sure you follow our podcast on Spotify or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
This series finally turns its attention to The Rolling Stones, possibly the most over-rated of all 60s rock behemoths or second only to The Beatles in terms of importance and influence.
Here we consider the evidence in the form of an album that wanted to beat Sgt Pepper’s at its own game, and one with a bog seat on the front.
You can hear what exactly the wizards made of these two albums by clicking on the image below.
Our chats about the previous tapes can be found where you found this one.
To avoid any potential disappointment on missing out on the next show, make sure you follow our podcast on Spotify or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
After a lengthy hiatus, the wizards are back and making as much sense as they normally do. With a mixture of mikmakmoks and babababas, they have all the gibberish you have come to expect.
Along with a whole bunch of fantastic tunes, there are in-depth discussions about what constitutes a decent album credit, the big question of ants v worms, what it is that nobody really needs help with, not ever soul singers, and news that Kicker will soon be unable to locate any record ever again. Oh, and I’ve been told to place here a photo of a QPR legend…
You can hear all the good stuff right here and right down there in a show that we dedicate to Lee ‘Scratch’ Perry.
Turn away now if you don’t want to know what’s coming up. Otherwise, here’s what we played:
Julian Cope – Mik Mak Mok
The Helicopter Of The Holy Ghost – Tony Got A Car
Solomon Burke – Get Up And Do Something For Yourself
This time round Robert Pollard forces us to listen to the GTOs album, but also the last record from the classic line-up of Paul Revere & The Raiders (which even features Paul Revere), so all is not lost.
You can hear what exactly the wizards made of these two albums by clicking on the image below.
Our chats about the previous tapes can be found where you found this one.
To avoid any potential disappointment on missing out on the next show, make sure you follow our podcast on Spotify or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
Saturday 4th September 2021 was the day that Chorizo finally got to see some live music again and to mark the momentous occasion he made a podcast about it.
On this show we consider the third album from The Byrds, and the first one without previous main songwriters Gene Clark and, er, Bob Dylan, along with the lost Del Shannon album produced by Andrew Loog Oldham that didn’t come out in 1967.
You can hear just what the wizards think about these two albums by clicking on the image below.
Our chats about the previous tapes can be found where you found this one.
To avoid any potential disappointment on missing out on the next show, make sure you follow our podcast on Spotify or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
Plenty going on in this show with a lucky dip based on Chorizo’s recent cheapskate shopping trip giving Kicker the slightest excuse he needs to talk about his meeting Robert Pollard that time.
We also get Chorizo Snr critiquing Sleaford Mods, Oates out of off of Hall & Oates in a dream, African Country & Western, and both wizards giving us their top 20 albums of the year so far (with no overlaps, that’s 40 albums in total that you should immediately pop into your local record shop and purchase, even if there might not be a living legend available in aisle twelve for photos).
Anyway, you can hear all that and loads of great music, including tracks from some of our favourite albums of 2021, by clicking here or on the player down there.
This show is dedicated to David R Edwards. Diolch x
Turn away now if you don’t want to know what’s coming up. Otherwise, here’s what we played:
Datblygu – Gwlad Ar Fy Nghefn
Shannon Lay – The Dream
Guided By Voices – Electronic Windows To Nowhere
Jess Sah Bi & Peter One – Kango
William Doyle – Nothing At All
Snapped Ankles – Shifting Basslines Of The Cornucopians
Faye Webster – Both All The Time
Synthetic Villains – I Can Hardly Wait
Ned’s Atomic Dustbin – Cut Up
The Bug Club – We Don’t Need Room For Lovin’
The Reds, Pinks & Purples – The Record Player And The Damage Done
Despite one wizard literally phoning it in on this show, you’ll still find we had an in-depth discussion of a third Bee Gees album and the collection of original versions of some of the best known 60s hits from a founder member of 10cc.
You can hear Chorizo and Kicker discussing the two albums and bringing in talk of train crashes and hated guitarists by clicking on the image below.
Our chats about the previous tapes can be found where you found this one.
To avoid any potential disappointment on missing out on the next show, make sure you follow our podcast on Spotify or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
Mon Dieu! Zute alors!! The wizards have gone all stripey t-shirts and berets as a result of watching a TV series about a board game. Fortunately, this has led to a tune packed show and not just more passive aggressive shrugging.
There’s plenty to get yer dents into as we return to a one sided show. Click on the link here or the mini-player below. Vive le sorciers!!
Turn away now if you don’t want to know what’s coming up. Otherwise, here’s what we played:
Gillian Hills – Tut, Tut, Tut, Tut
Figures Of Light – Seething Psychosexual Conflict Blues
John K. Samson – Fantasy Baseball At The End Of The World
Just the one album on this tape, and it’s a double. It might even be a concept album. What is certain is that it is our pals The Bee Gees and their masterpiece, Odessa.
You can hear what Chorizo and Kicker make of this album by clicking on the image below.
Our chats about the previous tapes can be found where you found this one.
To avoid any potential disappointment on missing out on the next show, make sure you follow our podcast on Spotify or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
It’s the battle of the baroque-rock bands on this episode as Robert Pollard’s eleventh tape brings together a group of scary looking living dead types, and, er, the best band ever to come out of St. Albans.
You can hear what Chorizo and Kicker make of these two albums by clicking on the image below.
Our chats about the previous tapes can be found where you found this one.
To avoid any potential disappointment on missing out on the next show, make sure you follow our podcast on Spotify or subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
I think I’ll roll another number for the road, I feel able to get under any load generate a Robert Pollard song title.
Oh, yes, plenty of fun and games on this show. There’s even a quiz where you are challenged to pick the most trustworthy from the likes of these two goodmen.
Find your way to the music, the quiz and the usual jibber-jabber by appropriately clicking on one (or all) of the links below:
The tenth tape in Robert Pollard’s on-road collection features two albums recorded and released in 1967.
The second album released that year by The Hollies – Butterfly – and the third studio album from Love – Forever Changes.
Have a listen to what Chorizo and Kicker make of these two albums by clicking on the image below.
Here are some images of when Kicker got to see Arthur Lee and his hats, and a recommended book should you require more insight than you will find on this podcast.
As if.
Our chats about the previous tapes can be found where you find this one.
To avoid any potential disappointment on missing out on the next show, make sure you follow our podcast on Spotify and subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
Well, this really is a cracker of a show. Should you listen to it immediately? Five times yes, you should.
As well as the usual array of eclectic gems, there’s more in the way of song explanations than you could ever need, and the (welcome?) return of the musician’s dream segment (is that theme tune just a bit too long? anyone??) that encourages Chorizo to dig out an old favourite.
Find your way to the music and the wittering via any of the links below:
Wahalalule, wahalalula!! Yes, it’s another Beach Boy based tape for the wizards to discuss. This time they consider the great long lost album SMilE in its 2010 form.
Below are two alternative running orders for the album. Robert Pollard is most likely to have been listening to the bootleg album on the left that was available in the late 80s.
Doing doing!! Click on the picture below to hear exactly how much they enjoyed this one.
To avoid any potential disappointment on missing out, you can now follow our podcast on Spotify and subscribe on Apple Podcasts.
First up Phil & Don are dropping their aitches as they get ‘eavily involved in Swinging London and then an album that you’ll feel in your fingers and toes over Andover again.
Hey hey they’re The Monkees and people may say the hosts monkey around in this episode as they get sidetracked into Tork-ing about wedding receptions, live gigs and, inevitably, Peter Reid.
“I HATE PINK FLOYD” declared Johnny Rotten’s notorious t-shirt in 1977. Set the controls for the heart of this podcast to find out if we feel the same and more importantly whether Mr Rotten’s t-shirt was omitting a definite article.
TRUST THE WIZARDS 