Orlando and I were asked to play some songs at the Cavern tonight. It is years since I did anything down there, and I admit I was a bit unsure of what to expect. I am sure there are loads of people who love it all. The rock’n’roll thing. ‘Underground’. ‘Alternative’. Whatever that means. And they are my words of course - The Cavern folks may not use those terms, and good to luck to them on all they are doing, but hey, to quote the Beach Boys “that’s not me…”
Watching shoddy groups live out their r’n’r dreams on a little stage to an audience of their friends is not my idea of a fun Sunday night out. Never was, never will be. Again, fair play to whoever digs it, just don’t ask me what I think about it.
I had been reading the latest instalments of John Carney’s wonderful ‘The Outside Of Everything’ earlier, so perhaps it is no surprise I feel as I do about it all. I just want something altogether more beautiful, more soulful. Something special perhaps. You know the script by now. But it made me proud of the way we have done our own thing with Exeter Goes Pop! Probably in a similar way to how the Cavern people feel proud of their own scene. It’s not about competition after all. It’s just about doing what you feel in your heart is right. All our hearts beat to different tunes, and thank goodness for that.
I spent some of the afternoon putting together some great sets of sixties sounds, of which I got to play about six or seven before the first group appeared on stage and announced that their first song was “about S&M.” The singer looked about twelve. It probably seemed a bit risqué and controversial to him. Me, I just wished they hadn’t started drowning out the Honeybus song I was spinning at the time.
Still, the playlists were compiled into a couple of CDs for The Real McCoy (probably the most established vintage clothing store in Exeter) which I hope they like. A bunch of the employees have been along to the last EGP! events and always seem to enjoy themselves. They asked for some mix CDs to play in the store, and I was only too happy to oblige. Personally I think the two mixes were full of pretty killer stuff. See if you agree:
Would You Believe - Billy Nicholls
Colour Of My Mind - The Attack
Pink, Purple, Yellow, Red - The Sorrows
Try And Stop Me - The Creation
Tales Of Flossie Fillett - Turquoise
Fresher Than The Sweetness In Water - Honeybus
Woodstock - Thomas And Richard Frost
The French Girl - Gene Clark
That's The Way It's Gonna Be - Curt Boettcher
Love Divided By Two - Sandy Salisbury
Little Lost & Found - Sagittarius
Sunshine Among Us - Eternity's Children
Try My Patience - The Rockets
Welcome To Hollywood - The Asylum Choir
That's The Bag I'm In - H.P. Lovecraft
The River - Octopus
Class Of '69 - Horses
Suicide On The Hillside Sunday Morning After Tea - Euphoria
Brother Lou's Love Colony - The Moon
Rainbow Man - Fool
Tracy Had A Hard Day Sunday - West Coast Pop Art Experimental Band
October Country - October Country
Underachiever - Shaun Harris
Sunny Day People - The Sundowners
Baby Baby It's You - Yellow Balloon
Just Beyond Your Smile - The Sunshine Company
Overdose Of Love - The Third Rail
Children Of My Mind - Denny Doherty
Red Rubber Ball - Cyrkle
Makin' My Mind Up - The Turtles
Stand By Me - The Cake
Everybody's Talking - Bonnie Dobson
I Could Be Good To You - Don & The Goodtimes
The Rebel Kind - Dino, Desi, & Billy
Fine And Dandy - The Everpresent Fullness
Play It For Me - Hard Times
Walk Away Renee - The Blades Of Grass
I've Got Something On My Mind - Left Banke
Life's Sweet Music - Mortimer
Time Will Show The Wiser - The Merry-Go-Round
What? No Wendy and Bonnie? :-)
I don't suppose you'd be willing to share this mix, eh?
Posted by: matthew h | March 31, 2008 at 01:44
Small Boo and I just had a collective sigh (happy one) at the fact that the Real McCoy is still in existence. I got my graduation suit from there.
Posted by: Tim Footman | April 02, 2008 at 15:41
you've outdone yourself again.
Posted by: kris | October 21, 2008 at 23:43