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(Paul Weller - Thirty years and no sign of a letup)

I have always been a fan of Paul Weller, whether it's him solo, as The Style Council or The Jam. It struck me as strange that The Jam in their heyday wasn't as well known over here in the States as they were in the UK or Europe - or why Weller isn't that better known over here now is still something of a mystery.

But the ones who do know him and know his work and have enjoyed what he's been doing the past 30+ years appreciate hearing him any chance they get. And you know who you are.

So tonight I'm running, as part of our Fundraiser a concert Weller gave at Guilfest in 2005.

Classic Weller in fine form - still performing and still recording. Still sounding fresh as ever.

Enjoy.

Oh and um . . .while you're doing that, if you can, put something in the kitty below to keep this all going. Anything and everything helps and it is so appreciated.

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(Mick Hucknall of Simply Red - blue-eyed soul for the 80s)

Tonights installment of the Nights At The Roundtable Fundraiser Edition comes from Newcastle City Hall in 1989. A performance by Simply Red.

A bit of blue-eyed soul for your Sunday night.

. . .and if you are so inclined . .

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(Pulp - didn't happen overnight - but once they got there . . )

Continuing the Special Fundraiser Edition of Nights At The Roundtable tonight - Pulp Live at Leeds University from 2000.

Check it out, turn it up, spend a half hour with Jarvis Cocker and the band and drop a few quarters into the kitty to help keep this thing going.

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(Noel Redding - life after The Experience was different)

Noel Redding is probably best known these days as the Bass player in the Jimi Hendrix Experience. In 1969, when Hendrix went off in different directions, Redding, and drummer Mitch Mitchell would go off and form other bands. Redding with Fat Matress (which he'd formed a year earlier as a sort of side project), and later The Noel Redding Band. And Mitchell with Ramatam. Neither achieved the astronomic heights during the Experience days, but perhaps it was the pressure and the expectation that made anything less than a Hendrix endeavor a dismal failure.

That just wasn't the case - both musicians were major talents in their own right and in the case of Noel Redding, Fat Mattress was a band that made some great music throughout its brief tenure.

This track, I Don't Mind comes off their first album. Admittedly, the songs are good but the production isn't. I remember when the American version of this album came out via Atlantic, the sound was muddy and the vocals sounded distant and badly mixed. The original version on Polydor in the UK fared a lot better, but it still lacked a dynamic sound, which was badly needed for a band like this.

At any rate, it's all hindsight. Fat Mattress were a good band that didn't get good breaks. But then, the barre was set pretty high.

And sorry for the fundraising intrusion but . . .the archives need shoes.

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(A taste of Tull tonight - live)

A change of pace tonight and for the coming week. Nights At The Roundtable will be devoted to live concerts (in addition to our regular Backstage Weekend series) in celebration of our Fundraiser (hint-hint).

Tonight it's Jethro Tull, Live at the Hammersmith Odeon in 1984.

So check it out, play it loud and empty the change purse:

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(Sparks in their earlier incarnation as Halfnelson - further evidence the name is everything)

Sparks became something of a West Coast institution in the early 1970s. Led by the inimitable Mael Brothers (Ron and Russell), they were first introduced to the record buying public in 1971 as Halfnelson via their first album which was a set of reworked demos whipped into shape by Todd Rundgren. The album barely made a dent, in fact it made so negligible a dent, Bearsville, the label which released it, re-released it with Halfnelson now known as Sparks - to considerably better results. Which just goes to show you that there really is something to be had in a name.

Sparks have grown and changed over the years, but have always maintained their idiosyncratic style set by Ron and Russell.

And in case you've either forgotten what they sounded like in the dim-distant past or have never heard them when they started out, here is a track off that first self-titled album, No More Mr. Nice Guys.

Still classic. Honest.

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(The Blue Aeroplanes - People still talk about their 1992 Glasto gig)

Going back to 1994 tonight. The Blue Aeroplanes. They've been kicking around on and off since 1981, have gone through various labels and incarnations, have broken up, gotten back together and still have a large and loyal following (in Europe and the UK). As always, or at least seemingly for the past twenty or so years, they have a great reputation overseas, yet are virtually unknown here, save for the ones who do a lot of digging and reading and exploring.
Given the current state of affairs in mainstream music, that seems to be a virtue with just about anybody who cares anything about music. Digging, reading and exploring is almost a necessity if you don't want to drown in mediocrity . . . okay, don't get me started.

The Blue Aeroplanes are still around, planning on releasing a new album in 2010 and gigging extensively in the new year. Check them out if you can, visit their website and find out if they're playing someplace accessible.

Here's a track off their 1994 album Life Model, (I'm A) Smart Drug.

Hear what you've been missing or remind yourself when you first heard them.

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(Last spotted going for silly money - but you get to hear it for free)

Psychedelia from Australia tonight. One of the most obscure and subsequently legendary bands purportedly from the Adelaide area during the 1967-1969 period, Hugo is almost completely unknown here in the States. A trio, they were likened to The Easybeats and Masters Apprentices (also Oz bands). This track, Hey! Watch Out represents their only single, released in 1969.

Other than that, they are something of a high-voltage mystery.

Play loud - play often.

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(10cc - Did an admirable job poking holes in just about everything)

It's hard to imagine 10cc came out with "Sheet Music" in 1974. Thirty-five years seems like a few lifetimes ago. Times have changed and tastes in music have changed, but there is something about 10cc that has always been timeless with me. Maybe it's because they never took themselves seriously. To be certain, "I'm Not In Love" was their biggest hit and one which seemed to be played on every radio at most hours of the day when it came out in 1975 - there was no escaping it. They have pretty much faded from memory now (even though they are rumored to have gotten back together), and no doubt there is a huge audience who have never heard of them. Too bad.

It was "Sheet Music" which came out in 1974 on Jonathan King's label UK Records, that I initially heard and became a fan of. This track, Silly Love, started side two of their lp. It poked huge gaping holes in the over-wrought and well-worn genre of the love song.

And poking holes were what they were wonderful at.

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(Them with Van Morrison - short lived, but burned bright)

There was a time when, if you had a band or were getting a band together, you were more or less obliged to play one of two songs - Gloria or Mystic Eyes. If Van Morrison never recorded another song in his life, those would be the two songs he would forever be remembered by. Them were only together for two years - a nanosecond by all accounts. Even though the band were from Belfast Ireland, they were considered part of the British Invasion from 1964 until their demise (at least with Van Morrison) in 1966. Morrison went off to greener pastures and has never looked back. The rest of the band soldiered on a few more years before packing it in around 1971. A lot of people who have become familiar with Van Morrison the last twenty or so years don't really remember much about his period with Them, aside from maybe the above mentioned songs. The first album was a massive seller, but the second one didn't fare as well. Probably because the band had broken up by the time the album was released, and Morrison was well on his way to a solo career by the end of the year. Them Again was a sort of post script to a band that made some wonderful music and some indelible impressions. One of the tracks off that album, featured here tonight is the opening of Them Again, Could You Would You, a Morrison penned track that captures the visceral energy of his voice and the heartfelt soul of the band backing him.

Some things just weren't destined to last.

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(If they only had Mick - they would have out Rolling Stoned The Rolling Stones)

Of all the so-called "British Invasion" bands of the 1964-1965 period, the one that stands out as being criminally ignored by U.S. audiences would have to be The Pretty Things. They were without question one of the most raw, loud and rowdy bands of the period, which may have been the reason they weren't picked up by any labels in the States until the late 60s. Reading press reports from New Musical Express and Melody Maker, their concerts and club dates were near-riots and their personal exploits became stuff of rock n' roll legend. It was said The Rolling Stones, whom various members of The Pretty Things were associated with early on, paled by comparison. They were, above all, a huge influence on a number of blues-based bands of the period - not only The Rolling Stones, but The Yardbirds and several others.

This track, Can't Stand The Pain, epitomized who they were during those early days when I picked up one of their first eps on import "The Pretty Things On Film".

If you're not familiar with them - now's the time to get acquainted with a legend.

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(In Veins - a bit more going on in Bordeaux than wine)

Something new tonight. Another MySpace band discovery. I first stumbled across this band a few years ago and really liked them. A French band, In Veins tips its hat to the best of Psychedelia, Shoegaze, Trance, Indie, Progressive, Alternative - all those superlatives you would use to describe a band you really liked, who wasn't mainstream or pop.

And if I didn't tell you they were all from Bordeaux you would never know. They do sing in English, but it's more background to the wall of instrumental sound they create.

This track, Just Vision is a new one. They have a new album (I think their first) coming out pretty soon and their ep's (which they have 2) are available via iTunes. They're performing around, but nothing here in the States.

Check them out of it you get the chance, and if you like them, please support them. We need all the good music we can get.

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(Roddy Frame - Aztec Camera - made the 80s worth listening to)

Getting into a 1980s frame of mind tonight - Aztec Camera from their first album High Land, Hard Rain - the opening track, and a favorite, Oblivious. Strangely, Aztec Camera really never caught on in the States. Only doing modest sales and occasional airplay. The only reason I can think of is the flood of albums and new bands coming out of the UK at the time caused a lot of worthy music to get lost in the shuffle. The early 80s saw a gradual shift from Punk to New Wave with Indie coming in through the back door. Once again, radio stations were also going through the shift, with less independent stations on the air and the growth of the corporate mergers - loosely translated: less experimenting and breaking of new acts and more concentration on the tried and true and the highly commercial acts (i.e. Madonna). Not to mention the introduction of MTV nationwide.

It was an interesting period of transition for the music business. But as is often the case, a lot of good music went unnoticed and it was frustrating not only for the bands, but for the audience as well.

Seems to still be that way.

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(Cuarteto D'Aida - Cancion Cubano at its best)

A taste of something recorded in Havana on March 31, 1957 - the legendary Cuarteto D'Aida with an orchestra arranged and led by the equally legendary Arturo "Chico" O'Farrill.

This is a whole world of music not a lot of people (at least here in the U.S.) have checked out, or even been exposed to. Thanks to films like Buena Vista Social Club, awareness of this rich vein of musical culture has finally come back into light. Sadly, it's been hidden away for too many years. Blame the Cuban revolution in 1959, blame the U.S. embargo, blame lots of things. Fact is - it's great music and it's gone unnoticed for a very long time. But lots of it, like this track, Profecia, have been sitting in the vaults at RCA and other U.S. labels and haven't been reissued since they first came out. RCA had studios in Havana and recorded a lot of these groups, as did many other labels. Fortunately, much of it is being reissued and discovered and is slowly becoming available.

So if this track appeals - there's a lot more where that came from.

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(The Peanut Butter Conspiracy - naming your band after a food product had certain disadvantages)

Despite the name and despite the hype, The Peanut Butter Conspiracy were actually a good band with a lot of talent. I saw them several times during the period 1967-1969 and they held their own with some pretty stiff competition. But they were straddled with that name, and as history has proven, bands with food-group names (Peanut Butter Conspiracy, Ultimate Spinach, Vanilla Fudge, etc.) generally fell out of favor rather quickly or were pegged as "novelty bands" and not taken seriously - which was too bad.

They did however, have tons of promise when they first came out, and the gimmick worked (bumper stickers and posters plastered all over Hollywood proclaiming "the Peanut Butter Conspiracy Is Spreading" created an impression) and their first album sold quite well, with their initial single "It's A Happening Thing" in the top 40. It was their second single, the one I'm featuring today, Why Did I Get So High that got them in trouble. I remember hearing it once over KBLA (a sort of renegade top 40 station in Burbank) with the disclaimer "let's put the boss on a bummer with a record only the Burner dare play!" (the Burner being DJ Dave Diamond). And yep, it was banned right after that.

(You know you're in trouble when your Publicist has to send around notes assuring people you're not dangerous)

They couldn't seem to shake the dope-soaked characterization and the Food Group Name and their subsequent singles got very little airplay. After switching to another label and failing to score there, by 1970 the band had broken up.

Despite all that, they have gone on to achieve cult status and a reevaluation of their merits as a legitimate band. Luckily, fans are forgiving.

Moral of the story: Be careful what you name your band - it may be stuck with you for the rest of your life.