The Cramps: Lonesome Town
Top sobbing by singer Lux Interior, RIP. Taken from the 1979 album Off the Bone.
Author: Alan Ashworth
Square
Fairport Convention: Sir William Gower
From the patchy 1971 album Angel Delight. Notable for fantastic drumming by the great Dave Mattacks.
Cooder’s Story (Part One)
REGRETS, I’ve had a few, music-wise. One that springs particularly to mind involves the visit of the band Little Village to the Crystal Palace Bowl in south-east London on July … Continue readingCooder’s Story (Part One)
Family: Burlesque
Unforgettable interplay between lead and bass guitars on this classic track from the 1972 Bandstand album. A girl I went out with in my teens claimed that the bassline of … Continue readingFamily: Burlesque
Jane Siberry: Love Is Everything
STRANGE and fragile song from the Canadian shantoozie’s 1993 album When I Was a Boy. Stick with it for the payoff.
Todd Rundgren: I Saw The Light
From the 1972 album Something/Anything, a gorgeous chunk of white soul from the Toddster.
The Allman Brothers: In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
A real beauty from the Allmans. Guitarist Dickey Betts, who wrote it, took the name from a gravestone he saw in the band’s home town of Macon, Georgia. This version … Continue readingThe Allman Brothers: In Memory of Elizabeth Reed
Captain Beefheart: Big Eyed Beans From Venus
Inspired guitar work from the 1972 album Clear Spot. ‘Mister Zoot Horn Rollo, hit that long lunar note. And let it float.’
Loudon Wainwright III: Westchester County
There are not many songs about growing up affluent. Here’s one, from Loudon’s 1991 album Fame and Wealth.
Bryan Ferry: Smoke Gets In Your Eyes
One of the all-time great songs. Written by Jerome Kern and Otto Harbach for the 1933 musical Roberta. Taken from Ferry’s 1974 album Another Time, Another Place.