Saturday 16 January 2016

Celtic Connection mix

A selection of Scottish and Irish artists who are playing at the Celtic Connections festival in Glasgow this month

Skerryvore - By Your Side
Daimh - Angus John MacNeil of Barra
Iain Morrison - Stones & Matches
Scott Wood Band - Sheep Running About
Boys of the Lough - Liffey Side
Freeland Barbour - The Sea
Kathleen MacInnes - Sing It With Joy
Peatbog Faeries - The Dragon's Apprentice
Marierad & Anna - She Loves Me
Ewan Robertson - One For The Ditch
The Alt - The Letter Song
Rura - Cauld Wind Blast

https://www.mixcloud.com/cmbertram/celtic-connections-mix-2016/


Tuesday 5 January 2016

Lemmy tribute mix

A ten song mix in memory of Lemmy and Phil 'Philthy Animal' Taylor from the best known line-up of Motorhead who both died last year and Thin Lizzy frontman Phil Lynott who died 30 years ago this month. 

Along with three Motorhead tracks I've included songs by other bass playing singers, the exception being The Damned though Captain Sensible did play bass in their early days. Lemmy toured with them in '78 when they were briefly known as The Doomed, guitarist Brian James having left the band and taken the rights to the name, The Damned, with him.

Cream's bass player and singer Jack Bruce died in 2014 and I've included The Beatles as Macca is not only one of the world's most famous singing bass players but Lemmy was inspired to take up the guitar when he heard the Fab Four's debut LP, Please Please Me.

The Stranglers' bass player JJ Burnel shared lead vocals with Hugh Cornwell right from the band's first album and 'Five Minutes' was supposedly written about how he felt after having had his motorbike stolen.

The track by X is from the Richard Thompson tribute album Beat The Retreat and their bass playing frontman goes by the name of John Doe. 3 Colours Red were a band I got into as one of their guitarists had previously played with Senseless Things, one of my favourite indie bands of the 90s. 3CR had a harder sound and their drummer came from Morecambe which is near where I live. Sadly he died eight years ago of liver failure having latterly played with the Lancaster-based band Baby Judas. 

https://www.mixcloud.com/cmbertram/lemmy-tribute-mix/

Motorhead - We are The Road Crew
Thin Lizzy - The Rocker
Cream - White Room
The Beatles - Oh! Darling
Motorhead & Girlschool - Please Don't Touch
The Stranglers - Five Minutes
The Damned - I Just Can't Be Happy Today
X - Shoot Out The Lights
3 Colours Red - Pure
Motorhead - Dancing On Your Grave

This is an instrumental version of Road Crew and you can really hear Lemmy's rhythm guitar approach to playing bass.