FRIDAY MUSIC: Stray Cats, by JD

Stray Cats, the band that put Rockabilly music back on the record charts in the early-’80s, scored several big hits on both sides of the Atlantic thanks to a striking visual 1950’s style brought “up to date” with exaggerated pompadours and colorful tattoos, as well as genuine musical chops that evoked the best players of rockabilly’s original heyday.

The music had a rhythm that was rock solid yet loose, the singer could croon or shout and the guitar playing demanded respect. It was elegant yet hard, jazzy yet completely rocking. Their music and style were like nothing happening in pop culture at that time. Formed by guitarist/vocalist Brian Setzer, upright bass player Lee Rocker and drummer Slim Jim Phantom in the Long Island town of Massapequa, NY, in 1979, the trio shared a love for Rockabilly music and after banging around New York and Philadelphia for a few months, in the summer of 1980, they were persuaded by a mutual friend to hop a plane to London where a rockabilly revival movement was just beginning to emerge.

https://straycats.com/biography/
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stray_Cats

Stray Cats - Be Bop A Lula

Stray Cats - Stray Cat Strut

Stay Cats - Foggy Moutain Breakdown (Banjo Time)

Re: Stray Cats - I Fought The Law - Live!

Stray Cats - Gina - Video

Stray Cats - Bring It Back Again

Despite their stylised appearance they are actually very accomplished musicians.

FRIDAY MUSIC: Flanders & Swann, by JD

Something to relieve the perpetual gloom of political half-wittery ------

Flanders and Swann were a British comedy duo and musicians. Michael Flanders was a lyricist, actor, and singer. He collaborated with Donald Swann, a composer and pianist, in writing and performing comic songs. They first worked together in a school revue in 1939 and eventually wrote more than 100 comic songs together.

The comic song has its origins in ancient Greek and Roman traditions and evolved through medieval performances before taking modern form in 18th-century opera and 19th-century folk and music hall entertainment.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flanders_and_Swann

Song of Patriotic Prejudice
(The English are Best)

Flanders & Swann sing Mozart’s Horn Concerto

British Railways: The Slow Train, Flanders & Swann’s tribute to Dr. Beeching

Flanders and Swann “Design for Living”

Flanders and Swann - A song of the weather

The Gnu song

Flanders & Swann - The Hippopotamus Song

FRIDAY MUSIC: The Waterboys, by JD

The Waterboys are a rock band formed in 1983 by Scottish musician and songwriter Mike Scott. The band’s membership, past and present, has been composed mainly of musicians from Britain and Ireland, with Scott remaining the only constant member.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Waterboys

https://www.mikescottwaterboys.com/

The Pan Within

The Waterboys - The Stolen Child (a poem by W B Yeats)

The Waterboys - The Whole Of The Moon (HQ

The Waterboys - Spirit (Full Version)
Based on a poem by W B Yeats

Peace Of Iona (Live) - The Waterboys
(they have also recorded and posted a Gaelic version - Síocháin Iona)

Too Close to Heaven (2013 Remaster)

FRIDAY MUSIC: The Manhattan Transfer, by JD

“There were several incarnations and formations of the Manhattan Transfer, with each edition having different styles.

The first rendition was in the 1960s, consisting of a mostly a cappella-tinged style; it featured Tim Hauser, Erin Dickins, Marty Nelson, Pat Rosalia, and Gene Pistilli. The second version of the group, formed in 1972, incorporating a more vocal jazz approach, consisted of Hauser, Alan Paul, Janis Siegel, and Laurel Massé.

The third, and most commercially perceived, formation of the group happened in 1979, because Massé had to leave the group after being badly injured in a car crash and was replaced by Cheryl Bentyne. This edition of the Manhattan Transfer performed electronic-styled pop, soul, funk, and rhythmic music, having success in the 1980s.”

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Manhattan_Transfer
https://manhattantransfer.net/about/

Chanson D’Amour. The Manhattan Transfer

The Manhattan Transfer - Birdland | Live in Munich

The Manhattan Transfer - A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square - Live

The Manhattan Transfer - Tuxedo Junction

Manhattan Transfer - Four Brothers

FRIDAY MUSIC: Darius Rucker, by JD

‘Country and Western’ music seems to have become fashionable recently. A few weeks ago Sky Arts started showing the Grand Ole Opry from Nashville featuring newer artists as well as old favourites and it has been very entertaining. This year marks the 100th birthday of the Opry which means the shows are by way of a celebration and they have already featured, believe it or not, Ringo Starr. The Beatles of course recorded a Buck Owens song called Act Naturally on their ‘Help’ album which was released a year after the Buck Owens original.

The Beeb has obviously taken note of the viewing figures and decided to raid their archives and dig out and put together programmes about Tammy Wynette, Charley Pride, Dolly Parton etc. Unfortunately the Beeb has decided to show their programmes at the same time as the Sky programmes. Why I don’t know, but they do.

So here is Darius Rucker, a new artist to me who was in one of the shows earlier this year and very good he is too. He is also following in the footsteps of Charley Pride who was C&W’s first black superstar.

https://www.opry.com/
https://dariusrucker.com/

Darius Rucker – “Wagon Wheel” | CMA Fest 2025
The ‘official’ video for this song has 450mmillion page views which gives an indication of how popular it is. But this live version is much better and includes the 4000+ audience singing along with it!

Darius Rucker - Beers and Sunshine (Official Music Video)

Darius Rucker - If I Told You (Official Music Video)

Darius Rucker - For The First Time (Official Music Video)

Darius Rucker - It Won’t Be Like This For Long (Official Video)

Darius Rucker - Let Her Cry (Bing Lounge)

Sunday Supplement: Half a dozen not so new paintings, by JD

When I was trying to tidy up my files in this computer I found lots of old paintings and drawings hiding in remote dusty corners. It has been interesting sorting them out and realising how many there are and a lot of them I had forgotten about plus more than a few of which I have no recollection of producing. But that doesn’t matter, I have selected half a dozen which are posted below together with a few words about each.

1) This is a representation in acrylic paint of the San Bartolomé Hermitage in the Cañón del Río Lobos. The view is from inside the la Cueva Grande, the largest of many caves in the valley. If you wish to compare the painting with the photo on which it is based you can see it here - https://theylaughedatnoah.blogspot.com/2022/05/colour-supplement-canon-del-rio-lobos.html

2) The painting shown here is of a view a few hundred yards from my house. As you can see it is a snow scene which means it was a few years ago, we haven’t had snow like that for a long time and I hope we never see it again! The painting is now hanging on my friend’s wall in Madrid.

3) This is one of the pictures mentioned above. I have no idea when or why I did it and it is no doubt lying around somewhere in the house. It has a title of ‘Salon’ so I must have known its origin once upon a time.

4) This one is a puzzle to me because I have no idea how I got that effect. It might have been acrylic paint or it might have been the result of messing about with the ‘paint’ program in the computer. The view is somewhere in the back streets of Valparaiso and they really are as steep as they look, one of the reasons the city has 17 cable cars.

5) This one is watercolour and is a view of nothing in particular. It started as something else but as it progressed it became a sort of ‘make it up as you go along’ It looks very ethereal now.

6) A tree. I like trees. I have painted lots of trees some I can see from my windows, some I see on my travels and some are imaginary.