Saturday afternoon on my way home from work I caught a little of Jamie Cullum broadcasting from the Cheltenham Jazz Festival and he played a great version of Dave Brubeck's track "Take Five". I think it was by The Sachal Studio Orchestra Lahore. A great mix of jazz, sitars and tambalas. Brilliant !

   This made me remember an old northern soul track that was a version of the Stones "Paint it black" by the Love Sitars. So I tracked it down on You Tube, must be 30 years since I last heard it.     Fatal to hear an old northern track, it got me to listen to other tracks that i've not played for years. Guy Darrell "I've been hurt" originally on CBS but re-issued here in UK on Santa Ponsa through PYE records making the charts. 
Another floor filler from the seventies was Archie Bell's "Here I go Again" One of my all-time faves from back then is Al Wilson's "The Snake" This single has appeared on numerous different record labels over the years, though the version I remember having was on Liberty  Having heard "The Snake" I was eager to hear more from Al Wilson and on the back of the success of this Northern Track, in 1973 Bell Records put out the super smooth soul track "Show and Tell" which became a bit of a smooch record at the end of a night.
  along with some great super smooth soul from Al Green, the best of which must be "Let's stay together"     Time to wind up this session and I had to finish with a piece of classic Motown. The Four Tops "Reach out I'll be there" for no other reason than it's still a great sounding track nearly fifty years since it first came out !   So there we go from Pakistan to Detroit and places in between, it doesn't matter where the music comes from or who is playing or singing, if it sounds good that's all that really matters.

Do you ever ponder on some of the wonderfully weird album titles or indeed band names. Over the years working in record stores i've come across quite a few. So let's take a look at some and maybe even a listen at what some of them sound like.

1.  The name for the band came from a headline in a local newspaper about a local pilot of a small airplane who had his foot stitched back on after a crash. The original headline read "Stitched-back foot airman on the mend"  I remember we stacked this mini LP at Pride's in Lincoln. Love both the title and the band name.

2.  Another from my Pride days. Dead Kennedys "Fresh fruit for rotting vegetables"

3.  This is one that I vaguely remember Kim raving about when we stocked it a Diskits. I didn't quite get him back then, but have liked a lot of his stuff since.

4.  Millie Jackson "Back to the shit" Millie Jackson a great soul singer who loved to shock, but who had a really great voice.

5.  The Unicorns "Who will cut our hair when we're gone". I remember stocking this at Diskits, from around 2003. Can't remember if it was a UK release or an import. Don't remember listening to it back then, but sounds good and would most definately have become a Diskits fave if we had.

6.  Eno "Here come the Warm Jets" a classic seventies album from Roxy's keyboard and synth wizard. Not only the album title was a bit weird but many of the track titles as well. Needles in the Camel's eye, Paw paw Negro blowtorch, Dead finks don't talk to name a few.

7.  The Third Ear Band "Elements" from 1970, remember listening to this while still at school, always loved "Water". I first heard this track on the Harvest compilation "Picnic A breath of fresh air", and tracked down the LP in Syd Booth's on Queen Street Mansfield. One of many prog rock psychedelic bands featured on this great double album sampler.

8.   Just had to add this one, just look at the list ogreat names on the cover. Harvest was certainly one of the great British record labels in the late sixties early seventies. Kevin Ayers "Eleanor's cake which ate her" wonderfully British.

That's it for now, but surely more to follow..............................

The Gate to Southwell is still one of the best value festivals on the scene with:   Over 180 musicians and performers in 40 hours of concerts. Fabulous Headline Acts including three 2014 BBC Folk Award Winners A beautiful greenfield festival site and camping,  interesting craft and trade stalls, a choice of 10 food outlets, an exciting array of real ales and ciders, amazing childrens' and family entertainers, morris dancers galore, ceilidhs every day, Silent Discos,  a Big Top with giant video screens,  3 Main Stages and another 12 venues for music and dancing.

Keep watching the festival website. There is full information here about all of the acts booked, a provisional programme and video clips of many of the artists, just to whet your appetites.   I don't want to keep going on about how amazing this festival is - why not just come along and see for yourselves?   The sun is shining, the evenings are getting longer and the days are getting warmer - proper festival weather!

Latest Additions to the Line Up

More award winners have been added - this time winners of the Danny Kyle stage at Celtic Connections - The Chaplins - playing a timeless country-tinged pop, the young trio should appeal to all ages.    Another exciting addition is Sera, a delightful young singer-songwriter from North Wales.

Focus on Guitarists   There is an impressive list of guitarists exhibiting a range of styles at the festival this year: Jazz and blues legend Woody Mann, Nancy Griffiths side-man, Pete Kennedy, West Midlands guitar maestro Madi Simpson and Dorset based lap-steel guitarist Alex Roberts, plus our own local hero Steve Hicks with Lynn Goulbourn.

Not too long before this years Gate to Southwell Folk Festival. I'm really looking forward to seeing 3 days of great folk & roots music.

Particularly want to see Hatful of Rain   
                                                                                               
                                                                     and Vin Garbutt 


Other big names appearing include, Lucy Ward, Martyn Joseph, The Poozies, Bella Hardy, Feast of Fiddles, plus many many more. Click on pic below to see full line up and for more info about this great festival.

As i've mentioned before I ran a music store in Sutton in Ashfield, Nottinghamshire, England for almost 19 years with my wife and the help of some bloody great staff.

I have just uploaded a few more pictures onto our Facebook page "I remember DISKITS Sutton in Ashfield"

Why not take a look and if you remember the store why not join the group and join in some of the discussions.

It's been a good few months since my last post, lots of thing have been happening and just not had the time. I hope everyone who is following is still around and keeping well.

Did anyone out there support Record Store Day at the weekend, and if so what did you manage to purchase. Did you get the item you wanted. Lots of pictures on Facebook showing the turn out around the world.

I will post a few links later when I get time.

I also recently found a great little site charting a huge list of Record stores past and present here in the U.K. I will be emailing the site owner some pics from my Pride & Diskits days.

It's well worth a look and if you have any memories of working at any of the stores or remember buying from them, i'm sure that any input you can give will be most welcome.

Anyway that's it for now.

Mel